Mandarin Essentials

乐观 (lèguān) Optimistic (Advanced)

乐观 (lèguān) Optimistic (advanced)

The character “乐 (lè)” means happy; “观 (guān)” means view.

Example:

Tā  jíshǐ zài zuì zāogāo de shíhou yě zǒngshì fēicháng lèguān. 她 即使 在 最 糟糕     的    时候   也  总是     非常        乐观。 She was always optimistic, even when things were at their worst.…

股票 (gǔpiào) Stock/ Share (Intermediate)

股票 (gǔpiào) Stock/ Share (Intermediate) The character “股 (gǔ)” means share; “票 (piào)” means ticket or bank note.

Example:

A: Nín hǎo, wǒ xiǎng zīxún yí xià jǐzhǒng gǔpiào de zuì xīn jiàgé. 您  好, 我  想     咨询 一下  几种     股票    的   最  新 价格。 Hello, I want to consult the latest quotations on several stocks.…

Chinese Mini-test: Air (Beginner)

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Mini-test Answer: Colorful (Advanced)

Advanced Level 高级 (gāojí)  

Correct answer: A

Analysis:

A. “五颜六色 (wǔyánliùsè)” is the phrase for “colorful.”

     “五 (wǔ)” means five and “颜 (yán)” refers to color. “六 (liù)” means six and “色 (sè)” means color.

B. “美丽 (měilì)” is the phrase for “beautiful.”

     “美 (měi)” and “丽 (lì)” both mean beautiful.…

Mini-test Answer: 空气 (Beginner)

Beginner Level 初级 (chūjí)

Correct answer: B

Analysis:

A. “氧气 (yǎngqì)” are the Chinese characters for “oxygen.”

“氧 (yǎng)” means oxygen  and “气 (qì)” means smell.

B. “空气 (kōngqì)” are the Chinese characters for “air.”      “空 (kōng)” means empty and “气 (qì)” means smell.

C. “气味 (qìwèi)” are the Chinese characters for “smell.”      “气 (qì)” means smell and “味 (wèi)” means flavor.…

打扫 (dǎsǎo) To Sweep/To Do the Cleaning (Intermediate)

打扫 (dǎsǎo) To Sweep/ To Do the Cleaning (Intermediate)

The character “打 (dǎ)”refer to hit and “扫 (sǎo)” refers to to sweep.

Example:

Měi gè zhōumò tā dōu chèdǐ dǎsǎo yí xià fángzi. 每   个  周末      她  都   彻底 打扫   一 下   房子。 She cleaned the house thoroughly every weekend.…

雷锋 (Léi Fēng) Lei Feng (Beginner)

雷锋 (Léi Fēng) Lei Feng (Beginner)

Listen to this song in the video below: 学习雷锋好榜样 (xuéxí Léi Fēng hǎo bǎngyàng) Follow the Good Example of Lei Feng

 

Key Learning Points (Preview):

扫帚 (sàozhou): n broom

盆 (pén): n basin

助人为乐 (zhùrénwéilè): adj willing to help

A: Nǐ názhe sàozhou hé pén zhǔnbèi qù gānshénme ya?…

阳光 (yángguāng) Sunshine (Beginner)

阳光 (yángguāng) Sunshine (Beginner)

The character “阳 (yáng)” refers to the sun and “光 (guāng)” refers to light.

Example:

Jīntiān tiānqì bú cuò, yángguāng zhào zài wǒ liǎn shàng, hěn shūfu. 今天     天气 不 错, 阳光           照     在  我   脸   上,   很    舒服。 The weather is pretty good today; it’s so comfortable when I feel the sunshine on my face.…

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