Mandarin Essentials

Mini-test Answers: The Man Does Not Know that Beautiful Lady.

Intermediate Level 中级 (zhōngjí)

 The correct answer for this Chinese language test is B.

Here is the English version of the test:

A: Do you know that beautiful lady in front of us?

B: Absolutely not.

“才怪 (cái guài)” means impossible or absolutely not. In this Mandarin Chinese test, “才怪 (cái guài)” aims to deny the verb “认识 (rènshi),” so person B means that he does not know the attractive woman in front of him.…

Wēibó-The Twitter in China (Intermediate)

Chinese Language: Wēibó-The Twitter in China Key Learning Points (Preview):

关注 (guānzhù): v. to pay close attention to

微博控 (wēibó kòng): to be obsessed with microblogs

The year of 2010 has been called “中国微博元年 (Zhōngguó wēibó yuánnián) the first year of microblogging in China.” The number of people signed up for microblog sites has grown to over 120 million, which has been great news for the Chinese web industry.…

Anytime. (Beginner) 随时(初级)

Online Mandarin Chinese Phrase: 随时。(Suíshí.) Anytime. (Beginner)  

Example:

    Hāi, shénme shíhou yǒu kòng? Yì qǐ qù chànggē ba. A: 嗨,什么        时候     有     空?一 起 去 唱歌     吧。     Hi, when are you free? Let’s go to karaoke!

    Hǎo a, suíshí. B: 好 啊,随时。     Ok, anytime.

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Kobe Bryant VS Jay Chou: Can You Play Basketball? (Beginner)

Key Learning Points  (Preview):

篮球 (lánqiú) n. basketball

歌曲 (gēqǔ) n. song

Recently, Kobe Bryant and Jay Chou performed a song together named “天地一斗(tiāndìyìdǒu) The Combination of Heaven and Earth“. The song is “创作 (chuàngzuò) composed” by Jay Chou and “表演 (biǎoyǎn) performed” by Kobe Bryant and Jay Chou.…

Chinese Mini-Test: How to use causal conjunctions in Chinese? (Beginner)

Beginner Level 初级 (chūjí)

Yīnwèi wàimiàn xiàyǔ le, ____ wǒmen bú qù guàngjiē le. 因为      外面     下雨 了,____  我们  不 去     逛街   了。 Because it is raining outside, we aren’t going shopping. A. 所以 (suǒyǐ) B. 但是 (dànshì) C. 就 (jiù) D. 才 (cái)

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Come in, please! (Beginner) 请进。(初级)

请进。(Qǐng jìn.) Come in, please! (Beginner)
Example: 

(Knock at the door)       

       Āyí, qǐng wèn, Wáng Lì zài bú zài jiā?  A:阿姨,请问,  王   力 在 不 在 家?

      Aunty, may I ask if Wang Li is at home?       

      Tā zài, qǐng jìn.  B:他在, 请进。

      Yes. Come in, please!       …

囫囵吞枣 (húlún tūnzǎo) To eat the date whole (Advanced)

Learn Mandarin Chinese Idiom: 囫囵吞枣  (húlún tūnzǎo) To eat the date whole (Advanced)

In the Chinese idiom “囫囵吞枣 (húlún tūnzǎo)”, “囫囵 (húlún)” means “the whole;” “吞 (tūn)” means to “swallow;” “枣 (zǎo)” is “date.” This idiom means “to eat the date whole.”

Key Learning Points (Preview):

吞 (tūn): v.…

Chinese Character: 兔 (tù) rabbit (Beginner)

Do you know how to write the Chinese character for “rabbit?”

The Chinese character  for “rabbit” is “兔.”

拼音 (pīnyīn) pinyin: tù 笔画 (bǐhuà) number of strokes: 8 部首 (bùshǒu) Radical: 刀 笔顺 (bǐshùn) stroke order:

常用词语 (chángyòng cíyŭ) Frequently-used words or phrases:

兔子 (tùzi) rabbit

野兔 (yětù) hare

兔年 (tùnián) the Year of the Rabbit

Example:

Nǐ zhīdào tùzi wèi shénme zài bǐsài zhōng shū gěi le wūguī ma?…

Quote of the Week (Mar.7, 2011)

Wǒ hái niánqīng, háiyào pīnbó, háiyǒu jīhuì. 我   还     年轻,  还要     拼搏, 还有  机会。

I’m still young, I still need to struggle, and I still have a chance.

—From “刘翔 (Liú Xiáng)  Liu Xiang” on 15th Feb. 2011, when he won third place in the 60mhurdles in Karlsruhe, Germany

Vocabulary:

年轻 (niánqīng) adj.…

Cross Talk! On the Chinese Vocabulary: 姑妈 & 姑娘 (Beginner)

Key Learning Points (Preview):

姑娘 (gūniang) n. girl

姑妈 (gūmā) n. aunt

During the Spring Festival Gala of 2011, the cross talk show “四海之内皆兄弟” (Sì hǎi zhī nèi jiē xiōngdi) All Men Are Brothers” was performed in Chinese by a pair of foreigners. Watch the cross talk show:

The show contains the following humorous dialogue.…

Quote of the Week (Mar.1, 2011)

Rén de shēnghuó yóu xīndòng hé xíngdòng liǎng gè fāngmiàn zǔ chéng: 人    的   生活         由    心动     和     行动      两    个     方面      组   成: xīndòng shì xiàngwǎng yuǎnfāng, xíngdòng shì yòng jiǎo zǒuxiàng yuǎnfāng, 心动       是     向往         远方,     行动         是   用    脚     走向       远方, wǒmen zhǐyǒu bǎ xīn hé jiǎo jiéhé qǐlái, shēngmìng cái néng zǒu de gèng yuǎn.…

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