Answers to the exercises on “eat” in Chinese
1. A
The sentence “他的女朋友吃醋了 (Tā de nǚ péngyou chīcù le.)” means his girlfriend is jealous.
2. C
The choice B 爱吃 (àichī) means to love to eat. For the others, refer to the text.
3. B
Mandarin Essentials
穿 and 戴 drive Chinese language learners crazy!
The right answer is
B.
Explanation:
Both 穿 (chuān) and 戴 (dài) are verbs meaning to put on or wear. In English, you can say “wear a hat,” or “wear clothes,” but in Chinese, wearing a hat equates to
戴
帽子 (dài màozi) and wearing clothes equates to 穿衣服 (chuān yīfu).So,…
Chinese test: How do you say “wear” in Chinese? (Elementary)
Li Hua is going to introduce her friend Lucy to Sam. Li Hua and Sam are waiting for Lucy who is just arriving.
Li Hua: Lucy’s coming.
Sam: Which one is she?
Li Hua: The one wearing a red hat.
Question:
What does Li Hua mean?…
Answers to the exercises on shopping
Answers: 1. A The sentence is “苹果很便宜 (Píngguǒ hěn piányi),” means “Apples are very cheap.” It’s the first usage of the word 便宜 (piányi), as we mentioned in the above passage.
2. C “星期天我们去血拼吧! (Xīngqītiān wǒmen qù xuèpīn ba!)” means, “Let’s go shopping on Sunday!” 血拼 (xuèpīn) is the homonymic pronunciation of the English word “shopping.”…
The usage of “花 (huā)”
The right answer is
A
.
Translation:
Lǎobǎn, zhè shù huār duōshao qián? Li Hua：老板， 这 束 花儿 多少 钱？ How much does this bunch of flowers cost? Wǔshí kuài qián. Seller：五十 块 钱。 Fifty Yuan. Tài guì le! Li Hua：太 贵 了！ That’s too expensive!…
Chinese test: Buying birthday flowers for Mom (Elementary)
Li Hua’s mother’s birthday is coming up soon. Since she’s thinking about a bouquet of flowers for a gift, she’s asking a flower shop their prices.
Conversation: Lǎobǎn, zhè shù huār duōshao qián? Li Hua：老板， 这 束 花儿 多少 钱？
Wǔshí kuài qián. Seller：五十 块 钱。
Tài guì le!…
Must-know Shopping Lingo in Chinese (Elementary)
New Year’s Day is just around the corner and we wish you all the best for the New Year! In Chinese, we call New Year’s Day, or the first day of the year, 元旦 (Yuándàn). So, 元旦快乐 (Yuándàn kuàilè, Happy New Year’s Day)!
Chinese usually have three national holidays during the New Year’s festivities, which gives shopping malls and supermarkets a good chance to make some extra money.…
Mini-test answer: The usage of “day” at the end of days
The end of days, or Armageddon, is known as 世界末日 (shìjiè mòrì) in Chinese. So, the correct answer is B.
The English word, “day,” is interpreted in Chinese as 天 (tiān), 日 (rì), or 节 (jié). For example, daytime — 白天 (báitiān); an important day — 重要的日子 (zhòngyào de rìzi); National Day — 国庆节 (guóqìng jié) and so on.…
Chinese test: Is tomorrow the end of the world? (Elementary)
Recently, rumors spread that December 21, 2012 will mark the end of the world. It’s been reported that in some areas of China, people have begun to rush out for candles and matches in case there’s three days and nights of darkness on the proclaimed doomsday.…
Mini-test answer：Another way to say never mind in Chinese
The right answer is B.
Translation: Jīntiān xièxie nǐ, yǒu kòng wǒ qǐng nǐ chīfàn. Lǐ Huá：今天 谢谢 你， 有 空 我 请 你 吃饭。
Hey, thanks for your help today. If you have time I want to buy you dinner.
Méishìr, dàjiā dōushì tóngshì. Tom：没事儿，大家 都是 同事。
Never mind, we’re colleagues.…
Chinese test: Another way to say never mind in Chinese. (Elementary)
Lǐ Huá was supposed to be up to her neck in work today, but thanks to the help of Tom, she can now get off work on time and for this mind you, she’s truly grateful.
Conversation:
Jīntiān xièxie nǐ, yǒu kòng wǒ qǐng nǐ chīfàn.…
Beyond counting: the curious number 2 (Elementary)
What exactly do you know about the number 2? Is it just a mere number in Mandarin? Let’s have a look at the following conversation and see just where you stand.
Nǐ tài èr le. Lǐ Huá：你 太 2 了。
Á? Lucy：啊？
Nǐ de chēpáishang yǒu hěnduō sì.…
Mini-test answer: How do you express your feelings in Chinese?
The right answer is C. Translation: Lǐ Huá: Tom, zhù nǐ shēngrì kuàilè. Zhè ge lǐwù sòng gěi nǐ. 李 华：Tom，祝 你 生日 快乐。 这 个 礼物 送 给 你。
Li Huá: Happy birthday, Tom. This present is for you.
Tom: Ā, nǐ zhīdào wǒde shēngrì, zhēnshì tài gǎndòng le. Tom：啊，你知道 我的 生日， 真是 太 感动 了。
Tom: Oh, you know my birthday.…
The Essential Friendships for Chinese (Elementary)
Key Learning Points (preview):
1. 朋友 (Péngyou): friend
2. 发小 (Fàxiǎo): a childhood friend
3. 闺蜜 (Guīmì): a woman’s best female friend
4. 死党 (Sǐdǎng): sworn followers
5. 室友 (Shìyǒu): a roommate
There is a Chinese saying: a sincere friendship is worth more than even the most valuable of treasures.…
Mini-test answer: Why do Chinese people always say “die?”
The right answer is B.
Translation:
Lily: Nǐ zài gān shénme? Wǒ zhè jǐtiān dōu méiyǒu jiàn dào nǐ. 你 在 干 什么？ 我 这 几天 都 没有 见 到 你。 What are you doing? I haven’t seen you for several days.
Tom: Ài, wǒ zhè jǐtiān máng sǐ le.…
The gravity of 炒鱿鱼 (chǎo yóuyú) or fried squid? (Elementary)
People often joke that finding a job is more difficult than NASA launching a spacecraft.
While that might not be totally true, it is true that the job market has been in a slump since the financial crisis.
Even major international companies have to downsize their workforce.…
Mini-test Answer: Let’s Talk about the Weather!
Answer page
The correct answer is B.
In the above conversation, it is clear that the weather is the main reason they won’t go shopping. “Rain” in Chinese is 下雨 (xiàyǔ), so the right answer is B.
A. 下雪 (xiàxuě), means “to snow.”
C. 有风 (yǒu fēng), means “to be windy”
D.…
Addressing In-Laws – Ancient Traditions in Modern Culture. (Elementary)
In the previous article, we mentioned that modern Chinese wedding ceremonies involve many elements from western traditions, such as wearing a white wedding gown, exchanging rings, and walking down the aisle to Mendelssohn’s wedding march. However, there are some unique wedding traditions that never lost their place in Chinese weddings.…
How Do You Address All Sorts of Leaders in Chinese? (Elementary)
On November 7, 2012, Barack Obama won a second term as President (总统, zǒngtǒng) of the United States.
You know some countries have a president, or a prime minister, or even a chancellor. And some countries, such as China, have a premier as well as a president.…