Mandarin Essentials

Don’t Be Rude! Count People the Right Way Using “个(gè),”  “位 (wèi)” and “口(kǒu)”

Linda: Nà shì Zhāng Hóng yìjiā sān ___ ma? Linda: 那  是    张      红    一 家  三  ___ 吗? Linda: Is that Zhang Hong’s family of three? Liú Wěi: Shì de. Tā yǒu yí __ nǚ’ér. Tā de xiānsheng shì  yí __ yīshēng. 刘   伟:是  的。她  有   一__ 女儿。她 的    先生        是  一 __   医生。 Liu Wei: Yes.…

“海量(hǎiliàng)”-Drink Like a Fish!

The sea, or “海(hǎi)” in Chinese, is one of the most majestic places on earth. Knowing the meaning of “海(hǎi),” can you understand the following phrases: “海吃海喝(hǎi chī hǎi hē),” “海量(hǎiliàng),” and “海选(hǎixuǎn)?” Does the character “海(hǎi)” still mean “sea” in these phrases?

Offering spectacular scenes and habitats, as well as being the setting of many great stories, the term “海(hǎi)” has made its way into a number of Chinese phrases meaning “great” or “big.”…

“赞(zàn)!” – Use This Mandarin Word to Compliment Someone

What’s the meaning of the following sentence? Zhè běn shū tài zàn le! 这    本    书  太  赞  了! A. This book is so expensive! B. This book is really great! C. This book is very famous!

Not sure about the answer? No worries, please review the article “赞(zàn)”- Must Know Word When Complimenting Someone in Mandarin to learn the answer!…

“一点儿 (yìdiǎnr)” or “有点儿 (yǒudiǎnr)”

Please choose the correct answer to fill in the blanks. Qǐng màn ___, nǐ shuō de ___ kuài. 请     慢___,   你 说    得___   快。 A. 一点儿 (yìdiǎnr), 一点儿(yìdiǎnr)

B. 有点儿 (yǒudiǎnr), 有点儿 (yǒudiǎnr)

C. 一点儿 (yìdiǎnr), 有点儿 (yǒudiǎnr)

D. 有点儿 (yǒudiǎnr), 一点儿(yìdiǎnr)

Not sure about the answer?…

Answer to “how much is it?”

Correct Answer: A

Translation of the Dialogue:

Wáng Lì: Linda, nǐ de qúnzi zhēn piàoliang! Duōshǎo qián? 王       丽:Linda,你的 裙子  真      漂亮!       多少      钱? Wang Li: Linda, your dress is so beautiful! How much was it?

          Sān bǎi duō. Linda:三   百  多。           It was over 300 yuan.…

How much is it?

Please choose the correct answer to fill in the blank. Wáng Lì: Linda, nǐ de qúnzi zhēn piàoliang! Duōshǎo qián? 王      丽:Linda,你的 裙子    真     漂亮!       多少      钱?           Sān bǎi ___. Linda:三 百___。 A. 多 (duō)

B. 少 (shǎo)

Not sure about the answer? Not to worry, just take a look at this article The More the Merrier: How to use the Chinese Numeral “多(duō)” to figure out the correct answer!…

Popular Chinese: 黑心(Hēixīn)- “Black Heart” or “Evil Heart”? 

All kinds of colors (color words in Chinese)

make our world vivid and beautiful. Like in English, there are also many color words in Chinese, and “黑(hēi)” is one of them. “黑(hēi)” is an adjective that can be used to describe something that is literally black in color such as“黑珍珠(hēi zhēnzhū) black pearl” and “黑色(hēisè) the color black.”…

Answer to the Exercise on a Chinese Moment: The Difference between “一下(yíxià)” and “一会儿(yíhuìr)”

Correct Answer: A In the Chinese language, there are two sentence structures which are often used in people’s daily conversations. They are “verb + 一下(yíxià)” and “verb + 一会儿(yíhuìr).” In these sentence structures, both “一下(yíxià)” and “一会儿(yíhuìr)” have similar meanings indicating how long the action is, but you may not be completely clear on how to use them in different situations.…

Mandarin Time Words: “the Day Before Yesterday” vs. “the Day After Tomorrow”

Please choose the correct answer to fill in the blanks. Jīntiān shì xīngqīsān, ___ shì xīngqīyī, ___   shì xīngqīwǔ. 今天    是   星期三, ___  是    星期一, ___ 是  星期五。 Today is Wednesday. The day before yesterday was Monday. The day after tomorrow will be Friday. A. 昨天(zuótiān), 后天(hòutiān)

B.…

“婆婆妈妈(pópomāmā)”-A Must-Know Chinese Idiom

As a Mandarin newbie, the two simple Chinese words “婆婆(pópo)” and “妈妈(māma)” may be familiar to you. “婆婆(pópo)” means mother-in-law and “妈妈(māma)” means mother. However, when these two Chinese words are combined, they create the word “婆婆妈妈(pópomāmā).” Do Chinese people use it to refer to one’s mother-in-law and mother at the same time?…

Answer to the Exercise on Chinese Crossword Puzzle (Intermediate)

Answers

1.好 (hǎo)
2.不 (bú)
3.仰 (yǎng)
4.到 (dào)
5.很 (hěn)

After finishing the Chinese crossword puzzle we will have learned five Chinese greetings. They are:

Nǐhǎo! 你好! Hello!

“你好!(Nǐhǎo!) Hello!” is one of the most frequently used greetings in China. On most occasions when you meet someone, you can say “你好!(Nǐhǎo!)…

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