发火 (fāhuǒ) To Get Angry (Intermediate)
The character “发 (fā)” means to show (one’s feeling) here and “火 (huǒ)”
literally means fire but here, means temper or anger. Example:
Gōngsī xiàoyì bù hǎo de shíhou, lǎobǎn jiù hěn ài fāhuǒ. 公司效益不好的时候，老板就很爱发火。
When a company is not doing well, its boss gets angry easily.…
Bù chī bǎo nǎ yǒu lìqi jiǎnféi a. 不吃饱哪有力气减肥啊。
If you are not full, how could you have the strength to lose weight?
—From the TV series 我的青春谁做主 (Wŏ de qīngchūn shuí zuòzhŭ) Who is the Master of My Own Youth?
吃 (chī): v to eat
饱 (bǎo): adj full
力气 (lìqi): n strength
Got questions?…
Correct answer: B Analysis:
A. “为什么 (wèishénme)” are the Chinese characters for “Why.” “为 (wèi)” means for. “什么 (shénme)” means what.
B. “怎么办 (zěnmebàn)” are the Chinese characters for “What shall I do.” “怎么 (zěnme)” equals what in English. “办 (bàn)” means do.…
Correct answer: C Analysis:
A. “要不然 (yàobùrán)” are the Chinese characters for “Or else” or “Otherwise.” “要 (yào)” means demand; “不 (bù)” means not and “然 (rán)” means so or thus.
B. “是不是 (shìbushì)” are the Chinese characters for “If.” “是 (shì)” means yes and “不 (bù)” means not.…
Correct answer: D Analysis: A. “Nǎinai” is the Chinese Pinyin for “奶奶 grandmother.” B. “Bàba” is the Chinese Pinyin for “爸爸 father.” C. “Yéye” is the Chinese Pinyin for “爷爷 grandfather.” D. “Māma” is the Chinese Pinyin for “妈妈 mother.”
Take a Free 1-on-1 live online lesson with our professional teachers.…
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发短信 (fāduǎnxìn) Send a Text Message
“发 (fā)” means to send; “短 (duǎn)” means short and “信 (xìn)” means message.
Example:
Míngtiān shì wǒ hǎopéngyou de shēngrì; gěi tā fāduǎnxìn sòng shàng wǒ de shēngrì zhùfú. 明天是我好朋友的生日，给她发短信送上我的生日祝福。
Tomorrow is my friend’s birthday; I’ ll send a text message to wish her a happy birthday.…
打电话 (dǎdiànhuà) Make a Call
“打 (dǎ)” means to beat or to strike; “电 (diàn)” means electricity and “话
(huà)” means word or talk.
Wǒ gěi wǒ mā dǎ gè diànhuà, gàosu tā jīnwǎn wǒ wándiǎnr huíqù. 我给我妈打个电话，告诉她今晚我晚点儿回去。
I call my mother to tell her that I will go home later tonight.…
麻烦 (máfan) Trouble
The character “麻 (má)” means to bother; The character “烦 (fán)” means
upset or trouble.
Máfan nǐ bāng wǒ kànkan zhè dào tí zěnme zuò？ 麻烦你帮我看看这道题怎么做?
Can I trouble you to teach me how to solve this question?
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稍等 (shāoděng) Wait a Bit
The character “稍 (shāo)” means a bit or a little and “等 (děng)” means to wait. Example:
Shāoděng yíhuìr, wǒ mǎshàng jiù lái. 稍等一会儿，我马上就来。
Wait a bit, I’ ll be right there.
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没事儿 (méishìr) It doesn’t Matter /Nothing
The character “没 (méi)” means not or be without; “事 (shì)” means matter
and “儿 (ér)” here is a suffix.
A: Bùhǎoyìsi, wǒ bùxiǎoxīn bǎ nǐ de bǐ nònghuài le. 不好意思，我不小心把你的笔弄坏了。
I’ m sorry; I broke your pen by mistake.…
上班 (shàngbān) Go to Work
“上 (shàng)” means on or above; “班 (bān)” means a work shift. Example：
Míngtiān bú shàngbān, wǒmen qù guàngjiē ba.
明天 不 上班， 我们 去 逛街 吧。
Know something about Chinese business etiquette HSK Test General Chinese (Beginner Level) General Chinese (Intermediate Level)
人生有时就像电脑，说死机就死机，没有商量的余地。
Rénshēng yǒushí jiù xiàng diànnǎo, shuō sǐjī jiù sǐjī, méiyǒu shāngliang de yúdì.
Life is like a computer sometimes, when it shuts down, it does. There is no compromise.
—From a computer user who often loses information because of sudden shut-down of computers.…
Correct Answer: A Analysis:
A. “春天 (chūntiān)” is the word for “Spring.”
The character “春 (chūn)” means spring and “天 (tiān)” means sky.
B. “夏天 (xiàtiān)” is the word for “Summer.”
The character “夏 (xià)” means summer and “天 (tiān)” means sky.…
Correct Answer: B
Analysis: A. “珍惜 (zhēnxī)” is the word for “Cherish.”
The characters “珍 (zhēn)” and “惜 (xī)” both mean to cherish.
B. “损坏 (sŭnhuài)” is the word for “Damage.”
The character “损 (sŭn)” means to damage and “坏 (huài)” means bad or to make bad.…
Correct Answer: C Analysis:
A. “忍受 (rěnshòu)” is the phrase for “Put up with.”
The characters “忍 (rěn)” and “受 (shòu)” both mean to endure.
B. “开玩笑 (kāi wánxiào)” is the phrase for “Play a joke.”
The character “开 (kāi)” means to open; “玩 (wán)” means to play and “笑 (xiào)” means to laugh.…
新月 (Xīnyuè) New Moon and 聊斋志异 (Liáozhāizhìyì) Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio Key Learning Points (Preview):
电影(diànyǐng): n. movie
The release of the new movie “新月 (Xīnyuè) New Moon” “刷新 (shuāxīn) broke a lot of records.” It left Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, Harry Potter and Half Blood Prince behind and became the biggest box office success in 2009.…
Tiger symbolizes courage, confidence and energy, so this year is supposed to be full of hope and success. Years of Birth for Tigers: 1914 1926 1938 1950 1962 1974 1986 1998 2010 Possessing the strength of king, you are confident, independent, brave and humane.…
