Mandarin Essentials
感冒 (gǎnmào) To Catch a Cold (Beginner)
感冒 (gǎnmào) To Catch a Cold (Beginner) The character “感 (gǎn)” means to feel and “冒 (mào)” literally means to emit .
Example:
A: Zěnme le, kàn nǐ qìsè bú tài hǎo. 怎么 了，看 你 气色 不 太 好。 What’s up? You don’t look good. …
同事 (tóngshì) Colleague (Beginner)
同事 (tóngshì) Colleague (Beginner) The character “同 (tóng)” means the same and “事 (shì)” means thing literally.
Example:
A: Nǐ rènshi Wáng Hóng ma? 你 认识 王 宏 吗？ Do you know Wang Hong?
B: Dāngrán le, tā shì wǒ tóngshì ne. 当然 了，他 是 …
回家 (huíjiā) To Go Home (Beginner)
回家 (huíjiā) To Go Home (Beginner) The character “回 (huí)” means to return and “家 (jiā)” means home.
Example:
Zài wài gōngzuò de érnǚ yào cháng huíjiā kànkan fùmǔ. 在 外 工作 的 儿女 要 常 回家 看看 父母。 The sons and daughters who are …
Mini-test Answer: Same (Advanced)
Advanced Level 高级 (gāojí)
Correct answer: D
Analysis:
A. “Whole-heartedly” is the meaning for “一心一意 (yìxīnyíyì).”
“一 (yì)” means one; “心 (xīn)” means heart and “意 (yì)” means thought.
B. “To kill two birds with one stone” is the meaning for “一箭双 雕 (yíjiànshuānɡdiāo).”
“一 …
Mini-test Answer: Cānjīnzhǐ (Beginner)
Beginner Level 初级 (chūjí)
Correct answer: B
Analysis:
A. “Xǐshǒujiān” is the Chinese Pinyin for “洗手间 toilet.”
“洗 (xǐ)” means to wash; “手 (shǒu) ” means hand and “间 (jiān)” means space here.
B. “Cānjīnzhǐ” is the Chinese Pinyin for “餐巾纸 napkin.”
“餐 (cān)” means …
Mini-test Answer: 创业 (Intermediate)
Intermediate Level 中级 (zhōngjí)
Correct answer: C
Analysis:
A. “创伤 (chuāngshāng)” are the Chinese characters for “wound.”
Both “创 (chuāng)” and “伤 (shāng)” here mean wound.
B. “创造 (chuàngzào)” are the Chinese characters for “to create.”
“创 (chuàng)” means to start here, and “造 (zào)” …
Chinese Mini-test: 餐巾纸 (Beginner)
Beginner Level 初级 (chūjí)
A: Waiter, please give me some “餐巾纸 napkin.”
B: Ok, please wait for a moment.
Do you know the Chinese Pinyin for “餐巾纸 napkin” in this dialogue? A. Xǐshǒujiān B. Cānjīnzhǐ C. Bànɡōnɡshì D. Jìsuànjī
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Chinese Mini-test: 一模一样 (Advanced)
Advanced Level 高级 (gāojí)
“珍妮的裙子和我的一模一样 (Zhēnnī de qúnzi hé wǒ de yìmúyíyàng)。”
Do you know how to translate the Chinese characters “一模一样 (yìmúyíyàng)” into English in this sentence? A. Whole-heartedly B. Kill two birds with one stone C. To come clean D. Same
…Chinese Mini-test: To Start an Enterprise (Intermediate)
Intermediate Level 中级 (zhōngjí)
“My uncle is going to start an enterprise about Chinese test preparation, such as SAT Preparation, AP Preparation and HSK Preparation.”
Have you learned the Chinese characters for “start an enterprise” in this sentence? A. 创伤 (chuāngshāng) B. 创造 (chuàngzào) C. …
留得青山在，不怕没柴烧 Where There is Life, There is Hope (Intermediate)
留得青山在，不怕没柴烧 (Liú dé qīngshān zài, búpà méi chái shāo) Where There is Life, There is Hope (Intermediate)
Key Learning Points (Preview):
长大 (zhǎngdà): v to grow up
富裕 (fùyù): adj rich
In ancient times, there was an old man who used “木材 (mùcái) wood” to …
Quote of the week (Mar. 29, 2010)
Chūlái tōucài, zǒngshì yào huán de. 出 来 偷菜， 总 是 要 还 的。
If you steal others’ crops, you will have to pay back for that (because others will steal your crops in return; i.e., what goes around comes around).
—A famous Internet quote …
迟到 (chídào) Late (Beginner)
迟到 (chídào) Late (Beginner)
The character “迟 (chí)” means late and “到 (dào)” means to arrive.
Example: A: Lǎobǎn, duìbuqǐ, wǒ chídào le. 老板， 对不起，我 迟到了。
I’m sorry, boss. I’m late.
B: Xià cì yào zhùyì. 下 次 要 注意。
Be careful next time.
Further
… Foreigners Challenge Beijing Opera (Advanced)
Foreigners Challenge Beijing Opera (Advanced) In this video, four foreigners “challenged” the four “京剧 (jīngjù) Beijing Opera” performers by showing off their moves. What these foreigners did is also called “叫板 (jiàobǎn),” which means “to challenge somebody” in daily life. Originally in Beijing Opera, “叫板 …
打折 (dǎzhé) To Give a Discount (Advanced)
打折 (dǎzhé) To Give a Discount (Advanced)
The character “打 (dǎ)” means to beat and “折 (zhé)” means fold or discount.
Example: A: Tīngshuō Bǎishèng dǎzhé ne, xiǎng qù kànkan ma? 听说 百盛 打折 呢， 想 去 看看 吗？ I heard that there is sale …
搜索 (sōusuǒ) Search (Intermediate)
搜索 (sōusuǒ) Search (Intermediate)
Both the characters “搜 (sōu)” and “索 (suǒ)” mean to search.
Example:
Bǎidù shì Zhōngguó zuì dà de sōusuǒ yǐnqíng. 百度 是 中国 最 大 的 搜索 引擎。
Baidu is the biggest search engine in China.
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键盘 (jiànpán) Keyboard (Intermediate)
键盘 (jiànpán) Keyboard (Intermediate) The character “键 (jiàn)” means key and “盘 (pán)” means plate.
Example:
Wǒ wán yóuxì bǎ jiànpán qiāo huài le. 我 玩 游戏 把 键盘 敲 坏 了 。 My keyboard is broken because I play too much games .
You
… 旅馆 (lǚguǎn) Hotel (Beginner)
旅馆 (lǚguǎn) Hotel (Beginner)
The character “旅 (lǚ)” means trip or travel and “馆 (guǎn)” means place for guests.
Example:
Zhè jiā lǔguǎn bùjǐn jiàgé piányi ěrqiě gānjìng zhěngjié. 这 家 旅馆 不仅 价格 便宜 而且 干净 整洁。 The hotel is not only cheap but …