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 also clean and tidy.…
(cèsuǒ) Toilet (Beginner)
The character “厕 (cè)” means toilet and “所 (suǒ)” means place.
Example:
A: Dǎrǎo yí xià, qǐngwèn fùjìn nǎlǐ yǒu cèsuǒ? A: 打扰 一 下，请问 附近 哪里 有 厕所？
A: Excuse me, could you tell me if there is a toilet nearby ?…
Ài búshì xiù de, xìngfú búshì shài de. 爱 不是 秀 的，幸福 不是 晒 的。
Love is not for showing off and happiness is not for display. Culture Note: Many famous stars in China like to show that they are satisfied with their personal lives by disclosing them to the public.…
I Meant Chinese Style (Not Chinese Food)! With a slight change in pronunciation, foreigners can often be misunderstood when speaking Chinese. One of the ways this happens is when a foreigner refers to something having a “Chinese style”, but ends up getting mistaken for having said “Chinese food.”…
医院 (yīyuàn) Hospital (Beginner)
The character “医 (yī)” means to cure and “院 (yuàn)” means courtyard
literally, but here it means hospital.
Example: Xījīng yīyuàn shì shǎnxīshěng zuì dà de yīyuàn. 西京 医院 是 陕西省 最 大 的 医院。 Xijing Hospital is the largest hospital in Shaanxi province.…
跑题 (pǎotí) Digress into a Different Subject (Advanced)
The character “跑 (pǎo)” means to run; “题 (tí)” means topic or subject.
Example:
Zhècì zuòwén wǒ hǎoxiàng xiě pǎotí le. 这次 作文 我 好像 写 跑题了。 I seem to digress from the subject in this essay writing.…
户外 (hùwài) Outdoor (Intermediate)
The character “户 (hù)” means door; “外 (wài)” means outside.
Example:
A: Zhège zhōumò zhǔnbèi zěnme guò yɑ? 这个 周末 准备 怎么 过 呀？ Do you have any plans for this weekend?
B: Wǒ xiǎng qù hùwài yùndòng yí xià. 我 想 去 户外 运动 一 下。 Ｉwant to do outdoor exercise.…
Correct answer: B
Analysis: A. “堵塞 (dǔsè)” are the Chinese characters for “to block.”
Both “堵 (dǔ)” and “塞 (sè)” mean to stop up.
B. “堵车 (dǔchē)” are the Chinese characters for “traffic jam.”
“堵 (dǔ)” means to stop up, and “车 (chē)” refers to vehicle.…
Correct answer: C
Analysis: A. “想法 (xiǎngfǎ)” are the Chinese characters for “idea.” “想 (xiǎng)” means to think, and “法 (fǎ)” literally means law.
B. “纪念 (jìniàn)” are the Chinese characters for “to commemorate.” “纪 (jì)” literally means period, and “念(niàn)” literally means to read aloud.…
Correct answer: A
Analysis:
A. “Gōngyù” is the Chinese Pinyin for “公寓 apartment.” “公 (gōng)” literally means public, and “寓 (yù)” means residence in this word.
B. “Gōngyuán” is the Chinese Pinyin for “公园 park.” “公 (gōng)” means public, and “园 (yuán)” means garden.…
“Such bad luck! Today I was stuck in a traffic jam on the way to take my
, and I was almost too late.” Do you know how to write the
for “traffic jam” in this sentence? A.…
A: Thanks to our Chinese teacher we have aced our
. B: Yes, our teacher is the best one. Now I’ve even started to miss him. Have you learned the
for “miss” in this dialogue? A. 想法 (xiǎngfǎ) B.…
“我在公司附近租了一间公寓。I rent an apartment near the company where I work.” Do you know the
for “公寓 apartment” in this sentence? A. gōngyù B. gōngyuán C. yùyán D. gōngzhǔ
// // …
行李 (xíngli) Luggage/Baggage (Intermediate)
The character “行 (xíng)” means to walk; “李 (lǐ)” means plum or a surname. Example:
Wàichū shí wèi fāngbiàn qǐjiàn jìnliàng shǎo dài xíngli. 外出 时 为 方便 起见 尽量 少 带 行李。
Considering the problem of convenience, you should bring as little luggage as possible when travel.…
太极拳 (tàijíquán) Tai-Chi (Intermediate)
The character “太 (tài)” means too or over; “极 (jí)” means pole or top and “拳 (quán)” means fist. Example:
Tàijíquán liúchuán zhìjīn yǎnhuà chūle bùtóng de liúpài. 太极拳 流传 至今 演化 出了 不同 的 流派。
Tai Chi has spread until now and has evolved into different schools.…
咖啡 (kāfēi) Coffee (Beginner)
Both the characters “咖 (kā)” and “啡 (fēi)” mean coffee.
Example:
Yǒu rén rènwéi hē kāfēi kěyǐ tíshén ne. 有 人 认为 喝 咖啡 可以 提神 呢。 Some people think that drinking coffee can refresh oneself. // // …
温暖 (wēnnuǎn) Warm (Beginner) Both the characters “温 (wēn)” and “暖 (nuǎn)” mean warm.
Example:
Chūntiān dào le, wēnnuǎn de yángguāng zhào zài shēn shàng, shūfu jí le! 春天 到 了，温暖 的 阳光 照 在 身 上， 舒服 极 了！ Spring is coming; it’s so comfortable when I feel the warm sunshine on my body!…
Gǔshì zěnme kěnéng yǒu zhuānjiā ne? Gǔshì bù kěnéng yǒu zhuānjiā ma! Gǔshì 股市 怎么 可能 有 专家 呢？股市 不 可能 有 专家 嘛！股市 zhyǒu shūjiā hé yíngjiā. 只有 输家 和 赢家。
How can it be possible to have experts in the stock market? No way to have experts in this market!…
