An essential part of learning Chinese, or any other foreign language, is to follow the popular slang of contemporary life. Much of this I have learned by watching popular Chinese dramas and comedy shows, just as many Chinese people learned English slang through watching Friends. One spoken term I heard on TV and asked my Chinese teacher about is “电灯泡 (diàndēngpào)”.…
Answer: D
Answers A, B, and C are typical and comfortable situations in dating and romance. You wouldn’t be imposing on another couple. However, answer D, in which you ask to join your sister and her fiancée’s romantic dinner would be a case of being the “电灯泡 (diàndēngpào)” and possibly ruining the romantic atmosphere!…
Answer: 1. B Analysis: Wǒ jūrán yùdào gè pèng cí de! 我居然遇到个碰瓷的! I unexpectedly ran into someone who was pretending to be hit by my car in order to get money from me.
The quiz examines the familiarity with and understanding of Chinese sentences components. Firstly, we need to understand the attributes and meanings of each sentence component and what they do in a sentence.…
All across Chinese social media, English letter abbreviations are running rampant.Whether on web forums, text messages, or WeChat, terms like “yyds”, “dddd” and “u1s1” have been evolving and gradually working their way into everyday conversation.
As it’s easy to just dismiss them as silly trends (or even typos), today we’re breaking down what some of these seemingly random collections of letters and numbers actually mean, and how to use them!…
As widely known, creating an appropriate language environment is one of the most effective ways to promote language learning. However, when learning a second language, it is often challenging to obtain the right environment, especially when it comes to learning a language as metaphorically rich as Chinese.…
The date of “重阳节 (chóng yáng jié)” is September 9th of the Lunar Calendar, and in English which it is called the Double Ninth Festival. As shown in previous articles, Tomb-sweeping day, New Year’s Eve, Zhongyuan Festival (July 15th in Lunar), and Double Ninth Festival are all traditional festivals for worshiping ancestors.…
Answer: A
吃月饼 (Chī yuèbĭng) Eating mooncakes is a traditional way Chinese people honor the Mid-Autumn festival.
<<Back to “4 Ways that Chinese People Honor the Double Ninth Festival”…
One of my favorite aspects of living and studying in China is that I get to learn about and take part in holidays that are completely new and very exciting for me. While some Chinese holidays such as New Year, the Moon Festival and the Dragon Boat festival I had known before arriving in China, there are also some lesser-known holidays such as the one that I will introduce today, 重阳节 (Chóngyángjié) the Double Ninth holiday.…
Almost without exception, every holiday, especially ones only celebrated in certain parts of the world, have specific foods associated with them. American Thanksgivings feature roast turkey, Greeks prepare lamb for Christmas, and saffron buns are baked for St. Lucia’s Day in Sweden. Chinese holidays are no exception, with the Dragon Boat Festival’s steamed rice dumplings and Mid-Autumn Festival moon cakes.…
As the year embraces September, so too will Chinese people begin to embrace the nearing Mid-Autumn Festival. The Mid-Autumn Festival has evolved from “sacrificing the moon” ceremonies. So the Autumn Equinox in ancient times and has become a precious cultural heritage. To give you an idea of what it’s like: adults usually indulge in moon cakes of different varieties with a good cup of piping hot Chinese tea, while the youngsters run about with brightly-lit lanterns.…
The “Mid-Autumn Festival” (中秋节 zhōng qiū jié) is one of the most celebrated traditional festivals in China. It falls on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month, a date associated with the full moon, symbolizing reunion, peace, and harmony. People across China and other parts of Asia gather with their families, admire the moon, and enjoy mooncakes.…
The Mid-Autumn Festival, or Moon Festival, is one of the most important and widely celebrated holidays in China. It falls on the 15th day of the eighth month in the Chinese lunar calendar, which usually occurs in late September or early October. This festival has a long history and is deeply rooted in Chinese culture.…
Chinese grammar can seem daunting for beginners, especially for those who are more familiar with the grammatical structures of Indo-European languages like English, Spanish, or French. However, with a solid understanding of the basics, you can demystify the complexities of Chinese and make significant progress in your language learning journey.…
Learning Mandarin is becoming increasingly popular worldwide, and many families are eager for their children to master this vital language. However, non-Chinese families often face challenges in maintaining their children’s motivation. Without strong drive, students might struggle to persist in their studies. Therefore, motivation plays a critical role in language learning, especially for Mandarin due to its complexity and the time needed to achieve proficiency.…
狗屎运 (gǒushǐyùn), although sounds hilarious in English, is a slang to describe someone getting unexpected luck or good luck in bad days. The word “狗屎 (gǒushǐ)” means “dog shit” and “运 (yùn)” is from “运气 (yùnqi),” which means “fortune, luck.” This phrase comes from the old society in China when there was not a lot of chemical fertilizer.…
Irene, a bright 9-year-old girl from Singapore who embarked on a Mandarin learning journey at just 7 years old. Fascinated by the Mandarin language from a young age, Irene’s interest was sparked by watching Mandarin cartoons and listening to Mandarin songs on TikTok. Her parents, recognizing the potential benefits of learning a new language, signed her up for an online Mandarin course with eChineseLearning.…
Answer: A Analysis: The correct structure is “Somebody + 花 (huā) + 冤枉钱 (yuānwang qián)”, so, the answer is A.
How should I address Chinese young women?
Test-tube baby Charlotte Holmes as the UK’s Miss World representative has been drawing attention to the 2012 Miss World contest. Over a hundred young ladies will compete for the crown in Ordos, China, all of them between eighteen to twenty-five years old – hence the term “Miss.”…
