Chinese Culture

What to be careful of when you are in China

Seen regularly near low ceilings and doorways, many foreigners would be confused by a sign asking them to “carefully bang head.” This is just one of the many wonderful ways “小心碰头 (xiǎoxīn pèng tóu)” has been mistranslated – others include “carefulness bump head,” “carefully hits to the forehead,” and the more threatening “look out, knock-head.”…

What Should Westerners Know Before They Gotta Go in China?

At some point every foreigner must face the Chinese toilet. Try as you might, you’ll one day find yourself hearing nature’s call with no ritzy Western restaurant in sight. And then it’ll happen again, and again, and then again. But never fear! Those public restrooms you’ve seen lingering around the city are always content to take in a pedestrian with an imminent need.…

Answer to Don’t Put Your Foot in Your Mouth When Discussing Zodiacs!

Answer: B The correct answer is B. “属于(shǔyú)” means “belong to” or “the category of something.” There are 12 kinds of animals within the Chinese Zodiac, including 鼠(shǔ) rat, 牛(niú) rat, 虎 (hǔ) tiger, 兔(tù) rabbit, 龙 (lóng) dragon, 蛇(shé) snake, 马(mǎ) horse, 羊 (yáng) sheep, 猴 (hóu) monkey, 鸡 (jī) rooster, 狗 (gǒu) dog, and 猪(zhū) pig.…

Don’t Put Your Foot in Your Mouth When Discussing Zodiacs!

Jié Kè: Māo ____ shíèr shēngxiāo ma? 杰 克:猫   ____ 十二    生肖       吗? Jack: The cat is the 12th zodiac right? Mǎ Lì:  Bù,  shíèr shēngxiāo lǐmiàn méiyǒu māo. 玛 丽:不,十二  生肖        里面     没有     猫。 Mary: No, the cat isn’t one of the zodiacs. Jié Kè: Nà zhū ne?…

Chinese Emoji: A Second Second Language

Mǎ Kè:  Lǐ Lì, míngtiān yìqǐ qù tīng yǎnchànghuì ba? 马  克:李丽,明天    一起 去  听    演唱会        吧? Mark: Lily, there’s a concert tomorrow, we should go together! Lǐ Lì: Shuí de yǎnchànghuì a? 李丽:谁 的    演唱会      啊? Lily:  Who is playing? Mǎ Kè: Dāngdì de yígè xiǎo yuèduì.…

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