In recent years, the role of Chinese in international communication has become increasingly prominent, and along with it the demand for Chinese learning has grown. Owing to this, the Chinese government has sought to develop scientific, standardized, inclusive, open, and easy-to-implement guidelines for Chinese learning, teaching, testing, and evaluation, thereby promoting quality and effectiveness of education and teaching. After all, it’s a lot easier to teach when there are clear standards of what should be taught.

On July 1, 2021, China released a new set of HSK rules and standards. This document describes the updates:

Learners’ Chinese proficiency is divided into “three levels and nine levels”, which mainly includes four basic language elements: syllables, Chinese characters, vocabulary and grammar. Speech communication ability, topic task content and language quantitative indicators form three evaluation criteria; Chinese listening, speaking, reading, writing, and translation are the five language skills, and these are all assessed so as to accurately calibrate learners’ Chinese level. The overall difficulty of HSK9 was also further improved.

1.How has the HSK changed overall?
Everyone is very concerned about whether the vocabulary in this document is within the scope of HSK. In reality, the syllables, Chinese characters, vocabulary, and grammar outline in this document should be the goals for developing proficiency for all foreign learners of Chinese. The scope of HSK takes into consideration the specific situations of Chinese education in various countries. As it currently stands, the HSK 1-6 basically meets the needs of foreign Chinese learners at the elementary and intermediate levels. However, for foreign Chinese learners studying in China for their master’s degree, especially majoring in Chinese or conducting overseas Sinology research, up to now there has been a lack of assessment tools for Chinese at the advanced levels.

Therefore, the HSK examination authority will be adding levels 7-9 on top of the existing six levels, which is where we get the so-called “three levels and nine levels” examination grade system. It’s worth noting that the current HSK levels 1-6 will not be adjusted in the near future.

2. When will HSK 7-9 be available? How can I take the test?
Many candidates will see that the formal implementation of the new standard will begin from July 1, 2021 and think that the updated HSK itself will be available starting then. However, the methodical development of HSK levels 7-9 requires following a strict process and implementation period. As such, the first available test is scheduled for December 2021 with the official launch planned for the test in March 2022. The HSK 7-9 will adopt the format of “one paper with three levels”, meaning that all examinees will take the same test and their level will be determined based on their results.

3. How will the current HSK 1-6 examination change?
The HSK 1-6, the current from of the exam, will not be adjusted in the near future. The examination grading, content, reference vocabulary, and format will remain unchanged and will continue to be implemented. In addition, HSK 1-6 candidates’ results are still valid. Textbooks and courses compiled and developed according to HSK 1-6 can also still be used.

That said, over the next 3-5 years the HSK levels 1-6 will be gradually brought into accordance with the standards and actual situations of Chinese learners in various countries. Generally speaking, the exam will continue the ideal of being “learner centered”, and the principle of complementary examinations and teaching methodologies, making appropriate and step-by-step adjustments within the specified scope over time.

In summary, the new HSK standard divides learners’ Chinese proficiency into “three levels and nine levels”, and is designed to guide Chinese learning development among Chinese learners of other countries. As should be expected, the opportunity for advanced certification of Chinese language abilities will also come with the expectation of mastery of a greater range of vocabulary compared with the current HSK 1-6 model.

With all this focus on the HSK levels 7-9, you may be asking yourself whether you should actually consider taking the HSK unless you’re at an advanced level. However, rest assured that no matter what your level of Chinese proficiency is, you should have the HSK as one of your goals. Not only is it THE standardized test recognized by all authorities in China and many international employers around the world, but having a concrete, quantitative goal to works towards is key to making consistent, measurable, and effective improvement – having something to assess your skills with means that you can know if and when you improve.

Of course, if you would like to pursue your Chinese studies or test preparation with us, we’d love to help you! Simply get in touch with any questions you may have, or even sign up for a free trial class to see if we’re right for you: https://www.echineselearning.com/free-trial/

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After our research, we found that the reasons for students’ inattention are as follows.

The first is the lack of understanding of the purpose and significance of learning. The lack of learning responsibility and initiative, learning purpose is not clear, seriously affects the development of students’ intentional attention.

The second is the lack of self-discipline and poor anti-interference ability. Especially vulnerable to the influence of the surrounding environment, often look left and right, love to meddle in “business”, seemingly learning, the actual learning effect is very poor.
The third is the fear of learning difficulties, there is no certain perseverance. He refused to use his head to think, but he died.
Fourth, the stability and persistence of attention are poor, and the scope of attention is narrow.
Therefore, the following solutions are provided:

1. Speak Chinese aloud
Parents should let their children understand the importance of learning, and insist on reading with their children for 30 minutes every day. Speaking Chinese aloud is conducive to training their children’s attention, which is a process of coordinating their mouth, eyes, and brain. When reading, their attention must be highly concentrated. As long as we stick to it, the child will naturally grow into a patient and thoughtful child.

2. Quantitative Chinese learning plan
To help children plan so that they can complete learning tasks in a prescribed time. If the child can finish the task regularly and quantitatively, the parents should give the child some encouragement. We interviewed the parents of Nora, an 8-year-old student with Online eChineselearning School, who shared such weekly Chinese learning plans with us: Nora has made great progress in Chinese learning. From the beginning, she could only speak several new words but now she can express words in Chinese completely and have a Chinese dialogue with the teacher in class.

Reading:
1). Maintain a specific amount of reading every day to at least one hour, focus, and consciously memorize sentences.
2). In daily thinking, we often try to think in Chinese, think about problems, and cultivate a sense of language.

Listening:
1). Start with HSK. Practice dictation every day. It’s necessary for success
2). Watch a Chinese cartoon every week.
3). Learn new concepts in Chinese and recite the text.
Vocabulary:
Learn five words every day since vocabulary is the most important and must never be ignored.

Oral language:
Insist on speaking more than one sentence of Chinese every day including basic communication such as greetings.

Grammar:
It’s beneficial for grammar and vocabulary to write in Chinese. Of course, it’s also advantageous to have a grammar book.

3. Cultivate children’s self-confidence.
Parents should learn to praise their children. Imagine hearing “You are the best and I love you so much” as your caretaker looks into your eyes with warm eyes and hug. Children will build a correct understanding of themselves from the recognition of their parents. Also, it is very important to gain peer recognition in building self-confidence. Children’s self-confidence will gradually increase through peer recognition.

Even after the most basic self-confidence is established we should continue to praise them throughout the process of Chinese learning. When encountering encouraging behaviors or when encountering difficulties in Chinese learning, we should work with children to solve existing problems and give them a sense of security. We must not criticize and reprimand them. Praise and encourage children more to make them feel successful, so as to improve their self-confidence.

4. Extend children’s concentration time through small game interaction
Games are also a good way to extend children’s attention time such as a building blocks game called, “one, two, three wooden people” and so on. “One two three wooden man” is a traditional group game, that is played by, children moving their feet carefully when parents say “one two three”. When the head of the family calls “wooden man”, the child immediately stands still. Children over the age of four can play well, and they can also become 123 robots, 123 sleeping beauties, etc. When you play games such as these with your child at home it lets them practice controlling their body as well as staying still for a period of time.

I hope these useful methods can help your children’s Chinese learning. In the face of children’s problems, no matter what measures are taken, persistence is the most important. The challenge is not only the children but also family cooperation and parents’ persistence in the classroom!

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Pinyin is an intuitive and simple way for English speakers to learn spoken Chinese.
Chinese pinyin is a Roman-letter-based system that China now uses to mark the pronunciation of Chinese characters. With four tones and pinyin, any Chinese characters can be pronounced precisely. Pinyin gives you a visual representation of what Chinese tones sound like as well. By learning pinyin first, you’ll be training your mind to process tones and your mouth to produce them.

Chinese is a logical and straightforward language
There are no verb tenses or prepositions, meaning that once you have mastered the appropriate vocabulary, you can pretty much go straight ahead to putting sentences together.

Compound words have logical meanings as well. This allows you to build vocabulary words quickly.
In Mandarin Chinese, there is a tendency to put words together to create a new word with a fairly obvious meaning. For example, the words for “电 (diàn) electricity” and “脑 (nǎo) brain” combine to make the word for “电脑 (diàn nǎo) computer”.

No verb conjugations to learn!
Students learning languages such as English, Spanish or French have to differentiate between which forms of verbs they have to use based on the subject and the tense. Yet using verbs in Chinese is less complex. The verb doesn’t change based on the subject. That’s a win for children and adults alike. As much as parents love hearing children study, listening to hundreds of verb conjugations is maddening!

To indicate verb tense, you add the time phrase for past/last year. That’s it. The simplest way to clarify which tense you are speaking in is to directly state the time expression (like today, tomorrow, yesterday) as part of the sentence. In Chinese, this is usually at the beginning of the sentence. If you want to express when you did something, you can say: “I yesterday eat, I now eat, I tomorrow eat, I in future eat, I plan to eat”. If only life could always be this simple!

For example:
Wǒ  zuó  tiān  chī  le   yí   gè  píng  guǒ .
我    昨   天     吃   了   一    个   苹   果。
I ate an apple yesterday.

Wǒ  xiàn  zài  zhèng  zài  chī  píng  guǒ .
我   现     在     正      在    吃    苹    果。
I’m eating an apple now.

Wǒ  míng  tiān  xiǎng  chī   yí   gè   píng   guǒ .
我     明     天     想      吃    一   个     苹    果。
I want to eat an apple tomorrow.

Pluralizing words is easy.
In English, why is the plural of dog “dogs” but the plural of mouse “mice”? To make something plural in Mandarin Chinese, you merely add the word for the number of the item. There are no other changes needed to the noun, verbs, or adjectives in the sentence.

Counting is easier than in English.

Take this Chinese song, Counting Ducks, for example. By learning to count to 10, children will find it’s just as easy to count to 99. The word for 11 is simply ten-one “十一 (shí yī)”. The word for 21 is two-ten-one “二十一 (èr shí yī)”, and this logical pattern continues to 99.

十一 (shí yī)

二十一 (èr shí yī)

Then, once you can count it’s easy to learn weekdays and months.
Six out of the seven days of the week become intuitive once you know numbers since, in Mandarin, you just add the word for weekday “星期 (xīng qī)” in front of the number word. So Monday is “星期一 (xīng qī yī) weekday-one”, and so on. Sunday is the exemption to this pattern – you still use the word for weekday, but combine it with the word “日 (rì)” meaning “sun” to recognize that Sunday is a special day of the week.

星期一 (xīng qī yī)

日 (rì)

Similarly, to get the months, you just add the word for “month” after the number word and that is “月 (yuè) moon”. So January is “一月 (yī yuè) one-month”. Adults and children alike find it rather straightforward.

There are heaps of advantages that come with learning Chinese.
If you’ve come to the end of this article and we have indeed changed your mind about how scary the prospect of learning Chinese is, we’re here to assure you that there is no reason for them, or you, to feel intimidated. Just know that it will open doors for them to speak with one-seventh of the people on Earth. Plus, learning any foreign language at a young age has been shown to have brain-building benefits that can last for life. Studies show it can even benefit test scores in core subjects and helps develop deeper cultural perception and compassion. And we could all use a little more of that in the world right now!

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1.Recognize Chinese Characters by Matching Them to What’s Around You

Chinese characters have a very unique characteristic: they are illustrative. Because they are more like pictures than words, when teaching children to read them, we must first make it clear that what actually happens is “recognizing” the characters. That’s why when we teach children to read characters, one of the best methods is to use the objects around us, pasting sticky notes on the furniture at home, such as writing a “床 chuáng” on the bed and “椅 yǐ ” on the chairs. In this way children are able to absorb the information and instinctively match it to a meaning, rather than memorizing things out of context.

2. Learn Words from the Simplest Chinese Phonetics Pieces

It’s now well known that 0-8 years old is the best time to learn a language. If we miss this golden window of opportunity, chances are the child will have to expend more time and energy. Thus, it’s important to take advantage of this time period as best we can!

For a child starting with no Chinese language background, learning from the simplest Chinese phonetics is the best choice. When they learning these phonetic sounds, we want to make the process as engaging and rewarding for the child as possible, affirming their efforts and encouraging them to continue to try hard. It’s also important to develop children’s natural interest and excitement about what they are doing, emphasizing the effort they put in, rather than establishing a system of reward.

For example, instead of giving your child some candy, or letting them watch a movie, or letting them play with a toy when they’ve learned some Chinese, acknowledge and praise the work that they put in. When children know that you’re paying attention to the fact that they are making effort trying to learn, they will focus themselves on the learning for the sake of it rather than to get rewarded for it.

In the process of learning Pinyin, we can give children a little “temptation”, more encouragement and more affirmation. For example, you can give children a little temptation, if you remember the new Pinyin, there will be a little reward. This reward doesn’t have to be material, it can be a little story that children like, or a little handicraft and soon.

Through studying Chinese, we can cultivate children’s learning habits so they will not worry about what they learn, and will actually come to enjoy the process!

3. Make Sentences To Learn Chinese in Context

Learning words or grammar patterns in isolation is nearly useless—if we don’t learn how they’re used, then how will we know how to use them? In order for children to grasp language at a deep level, they have to understand the full language environment, because the language environment is what gives a word its meaning, its value, and its function as a tool in the toolbox they are putting together.

From this we can see that in order to teach children to read, we should put words in sentences instead of taking words or phrases as individual units. Sentences provide the context for them, and over time the child will be able to know instinctively which words are appropriate for what situation, and be able to form emotional attachments to the words.

For example, if we want a child to learn the word “玩(wán)” meaning “to play” or “to have fun”, we wouldn’t just hand them a flashcard with “玩” on one side and “play” on the other. Instead, we would give them a full sentence with the word in it, like

wǒ  ài  wán  yóu  xì.
我   爱  玩    游   戏。
I love playing games.

4. Encourage Children to Speak Chinese

If you have also learned some Chinese, then let your child practice with you. After all, the more chances they can get to use what they’ve learned, the better! However, if you are not a native speaker, it’s important to understand that your child is absorbing the language in a different way then you probably did, and it’s important for them to get as much exposure as they can to Chinese in its natural forms. The biggest taboo in language learning is not use the language you are learning!

For this, try going to Chinese friends’ parties or gatherings more often and bring your children along so that they can communicate more in Chinese. Even if you’re the only person there who doesn’t speak Chinese, that’s okay! Remember, the goal is for your child to master the language, and who knows… maybe this will provide some motivation for you to learn, too. After all, the ultimate goal of learning Chinese is to be able to have normal communication in Chinese with other people, to really be able to interact with people for whom the Chinese language and Chinese culture are their own.

Of course, not everyone has access to a community of Chinese speakers or even just Chinese friends, and that’s okay. There are other options for giving your child the opportunities they need to speak Chinese, like Chinese education institutions where they can communicate with teachers one-on-one online, with resources available for whatever level they’re at and study plans to make sure they stay on track. Another advantage of these types of class are their flexibility and convenience, so you can pick a time that works for your child’s schedule, and gives enough leeway to finish homework in between classes.

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1. There are more and more reasons to know Chinese

The benefits of learning Chinese are fairly obvious: as China, and the world as a whole, develops and countries grow closer together, Chinese as a language has grown in popularity and importance, and it has come to be used more and more frequently. By being able to speak fluent Chinese you can communicate with Chinese speakers face to face, and through learning the language you will have more unique opportunities than you otherwise would. The ability to express oneself in another language should not be underestimated for its contribution to thinking about ideas, perspectives and problems in different ways, too.

According to the statistics of the Department of Language and Information Management of the Ministry of Education, by the end of 2020 more than 180 countries and regions around the world carried out Chinese education, with more than 70 countries incorporating Chinese into their national education system and upwards of 20 million foreign students learning Chinese. In 2021, Chinese officially become an official language of the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).

It’s no exaggeration to say that online Chinese education is booming.

2. Chinese learning boosts individual growth and opens up possibilities

Unlike in years past, it is becoming more and more realistic that in order to be taken seriously when being in China as a working professional, business entrepreneur, or tourist Chinese language will be a must. We’re not even talking about great opportunities that will be available if you speak great Chinese; for many, Chinese language proficiency will be a minimum requirement!

Luckily, there is infrastructure and resources growing to meet demand and demonstration of proficiency. For example, a Chinese classics conference was held  in Hong Kong last year, Mandarin training classes for primary and secondary school teachers are given in many institutions, and language and cultural exchange summer camps for middle school students are organized in countries around the world. Even with the pandemic the official proficiency examinations innovated to combine online and offline options to ensure that people could continue in their Chinese learning journey.

Now more and more Americans are heading to work or study in China, or simply to go to the country, establish a life for themselves, and figure it out from there. Regardless of their reason for seeking out time in China, more and more people are learning and using Chinese, a skillset that translates to higher job satisfaction and greater earning potentials.

Such earning potentials actually come on both sides of the Sino-American relationship; some people find opportunities with U.S. enterprises who operate in China, while others act as liaisons for Chinese companies looking to have a presence in the U.S.

That said…

Any Chinese speaker who began learning Chinese as an adult will tell you: it is difficult for adults to learn Mandarin from scratch, and that’s why we say: it’s never too early to start learning Chinese!

3. Children acquire language, they don’t just “learn” it!

In a person’s life, language acquisition ability is completed in his childhood (notice we said “acquisition”, not “learning”). Not only do children pick up language in a different way than one does in a language class, but they also have more energy to understand the culture and new world around them, as well as more curiosity. In fact, in the right environment and with the right guidance, picking up Chinese almost becomes a bonus for children. Recognizing this, countless business tycoons, political power figures, even royal family members have all had their children learn Chinese from a young age.

The BBC even reported recently on an online assessment taken by nearly 670,000 people that the best time to master a language fluently, such as grammar, is before the age of 10. As we have long known, the data show that there is even a “critical period window” for language learning, which starts at the age of 10 and ends at the age of 17 or 18.

This has been reflected in the rush in recent years in the UK, the United States, and other countries as students flock to learn Chinese. We’ve been telling everyone we can take advantage of all the resources and knowledge they can find, and sieze the opportunity for their children to learn more about the world in ways they’ve never considered before!

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Both “人家(rénjiā) ” and “别人(biérén) ” can refer to other people besides the speaker and the listener.

Examples:

xiǎo diǎn shēng, búyào yǐngxiǎng rénjiā xiūxi.
小点声，不要影响人家休息。
Keep your voice down, don’t disturb (other) people’s rest.

xiǎo diǎn shēng, búyào yǐngxiǎng biérén xiūxi.
小点声，不要影响别人休息。
Keep your voice down, don’t disturb (other) people’s rest.

“别人(biérén) ” sometimes means other people, i.e. everyone except the speaker and the listener.

Example:

jiā lǐ chúle mǔqīn hé wǒ, méiyǒu biérén le.
家里除了母亲和我，没有别人了。
There is no one else in the house except my mother and me.

One usage of “人家 (rénjiā)” is to mean “him/her” or “them”, referring to specific people or a specific person.

Examples:

Xiǎo Míng de hànyǔ shuō de hěn hǎo! wǒmen yīnggāi xiàng rénjiā xuéxí.
小明的汉语说得很好！我们应该向人家学习。
Xiao Ming speaks Chinese very well! We should learn from him.

In this case “人家(rénjiā)” refers to “Xiǎo Míng”.

Another usage of “人家(rénjiā)” is to refer to the speaker herself – i.e. “me” or “I”. When used in this way, it is more intimate and is more often used by young women.

Example:

nǐ jiào rénjiā guòlái wán, yòu bù lǐ rénjiā, nǐ zhè shì shénme yìsi?
你叫人家过来玩，又不理人家，你这是什么意思？
You ask me to come and play but then you ignore me, what’s up with that?

Please choose the best answer to fill in the blank.

A.人家(rénjiā)
B.别人(biérén)

1.________dōu zǒule, nǐ wèishéme bù zǒu?
________都走了，你为什么不走？

2.nǐ màn yìdiǎn xíng bù xíng,________gēn bù shàng ma!
你慢一点行不行，________跟不上嘛！

3.jiàoshì lǐ chúle wǒ, méi yǒu________le.
教室里除了我，没有________了。

4.Xiǎo Míng fēicháng zìlǜ. wǒmen yīnggāi xiàng________xuéxí.
小明非常自律。我们应该向________学习。

See Answer Analysis

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So, how did the phrase, “打工人(dǎgōng rén) laborer” come into use?

“打(dǎ)” means “to hit” in English. The term “打工(dǎgōng) work” first appeared in Hong Kong. It refers to being, “employed by someone”, and is the colloquial way to say “to be engaged in paid work.” The tone of the word is neutral – it expresses neither praise nor derogation.

It was not until the 1980s, at the beginning of reform and opening up, that the term spread in the south of China, particularly throughout Guangdong Province due to Guangdong’s proximity to Hong Kong. As employment opportunities boomed, workers soon headed out to foreign countries all over world to “打工(dǎgōng)”.

But the meaning of “打工(dǎgōng) work” has also changed – now, we understand it to mean: temporary, replaceable labor.

打工 (dǎgōng): v. work

Examples:

jiějiě yǐjīng wàichū dǎgōng yì niánle.
姐姐已经外出打工一年了。
My sister has already been working for a year.

Wǒ zànshí bùxiǎng dǎgōng.
我暂时不想打工。
I don’t want to work for the time being.

The term “laborer” has become the latest buzzword on Chinese social media. It applies to all kinds of employees, from blue-collar workers and low-level staff to middle managers and top executives, and is used in contexts that seem uplifting and aspirational, as well as those that are 自嘲(zìcháo)self-deprecating.

自嘲 (zìcháo): self-deprecating

Examples:

zhēnnízhǐhǎo zìcháo zìjǐ de yúchǔn.
珍妮只好自嘲自己的愚蠢。
Jenny had to laugh at her own foolishness.

zìcháo yěshì yì zhǒng shēnghuó tàidù.
自嘲也是一种生活态度。
Self-deprecation is also an attitude towards life.

There are other self-deprecatory phrases that have been around for a while: 搬砖(bānzhuān), 社畜(shèchù) corporate slave, and 打工仔 (dǎgōng zǎi) wage earners.

搬砖 (bānzhuān): v. to do hard physical labor

“搬砖(bānzhuān)” originally refers to moving bricks. In Internet language, “搬砖(bānzhuān)“ has been extended to include working hard, doing repetitive tasks, and not making much money. People continue to use this phrase instead of directly saying, “going to work.”

“我要去搬砖了(wǒ yào qù bānzhuān le)” actually means “I’m going to work”; “Moving bricks makes me happy” actually means “Work makes me happy.” Of course, this is usually said sarcastically or tongue-in-cheek.

社畜 (shèchù): n. corporate slave

The term “社畜(shèchù) corporate slave” originated from Japan. “社(shè)” means “社会(shèhuì) society” and “畜(chù)” means livestock. It is a derogatory term to describe employees who are squeezed like livestock for all they’re worth by a company after they start working.

社会 (shèhuì): n. society

Examples:

shèhuì méiyǒu nǐ xiǎng de nàme jiǎndān.
社会没有你想的那么简单。
Society is not as simple as you think.

nǐ chízǎo děi bù rù shèhuì.
你迟早得步入社会。
You have to step into society sooner or later.

打工仔 (dǎgōng zǎi)

The term “打工仔(dǎgōng zǎi)” means the same as “打工人(dǎgōng rén)”, but the term “打工仔(dǎgōng zǎi)” has changed from a relatively simple term to encompass all of today’s laborers. The reason that “打工仔(dǎgōng zǎi)” are willing to “自嘲(zìcháo) laugh at themselves ” is because, as Romain Rowland once said: “There is only one kind of heroism in the world: to see the world as it is, and to love it.” This is true for every ordinary “laborer”.

Hearing this, I can’t help but want to say to myself, ”Come on, laborer!”
If you want to cheer for me, please give me a thumbs-up!

Please choose the best answer to fill in the blank.
_______shǐ wǒ kuàilè.
_______使我快乐。
_______makes me happy.

A. 打工人 (dǎgōng rén)
B. 社畜 (shèchù)
C. 搬砖 (bānzhuān)

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劳动节 (Láodòngjié) Labor Day (Intermediate)

Every fall, the tech community holds its collective breath in anticipation of Apple releasing its new line of products and gadgets. Will smartphones keep getting larger? Is there a new type of wearable device to keep track of your busy life? Will batteries last for longer than 4 hours?

One word that we can use to describe a product launch is 面世(miànshì). “面世(miànshì)” is a verb that means “to come out”, in which 面(miàn) means “to meet” and 世(shì) means “the world” – saying that when something new comes out it “meets the world” is quite poetic, actually!

面世(miànshì): come out

Examples:

píngguǒ xīn chǎnpǐn miànshì le.
苹果新产品面世了。
Apple’s new products have come out.

shīrén de xīnzuò jíjiāng miànshì.
诗人的新作即将面世。
The poet’s new work will be published soon.

2.Advantages and disadvantages of the new products

As with every product launch, fans and detractors alike quickly took to the internet to praise Apple’s devices for their advantages and criticize them for their disadvantages.

Among the advantages were the fact that the new phones will be 5G-enabled (meaning faster download and upload speeds), photography functions (meaning better pictures), and lower-than expected prices (meaning more access).

However, observers were very unhappy to learn that the new models of phones will no longer include headphones and a charger. Many have said that Apple has begun to “搞事情(gǎo shìqíng) do things”.

“搞事情(gǎo shìqing) doing things” is equivalent to, “being provocative”, or, “stirring up trouble”. However, the expression “doing things” has become popular on the Internet, especially in the context of (maybe) jokingly expressing a slight feeling of discomfort.

Examples:

nǐ búyào gěi wǒ gǎo shìqing.
你不要给我搞事情。
Don’t mess with me.

zěnme? xiǎng gǎo shìqing?
怎么？想搞事情？
What’s up? Are you trying to start something?

This way of saying “do” is actually very similar to the English “to do” in terms of its usage, as it can refer to many different verbs and meanings, such as: “fix something”, or, “make something”, whether it means taking small steps or completing a project.

搞定(gǎodìng)

“搞定(gǎodìng)” to accomplish a task or solve a certain issue. It can also mean that you can make someone listen to you.

Examples:

zhè jiàn shìqíng gǎodìng le.
这件事情搞定了。
This thing is done.

xiǎohái tài nán gǎodìng le.
小孩太难搞定了。
Kids are so hard to deal with.

搞小动作(gǎo xiǎo dòngzuò): make small moves

“搞小动作(gǎo xiǎo dòngzuò)” means secretly performing activities that are unfavorable to others, or doing something behind other people’s backs.

Examples:

wǒ hěn tǎoyàn zài bèihòu gǎo xiǎo dòngzuò de rén.
我很讨厌在背后搞小动作的人。
I hate people who do things behind other people’s backs.

zhè háizi shàngkè lǎoshì ài gǎo xiǎo dòngzuò.
这孩子上课老是爱搞小动作。
This kid always plays little tricks in class.

3.When to use 搞事情

The verb 搞(gǎo), meaning, “to do” is itself neutral. However, the expression 搞事情(gǎo shìqíng) is usually negative, but can be used in a wide range of situations ranging from casual joking with friends to more serious condemnations. Just in case, as you get the feel for how to use it, you might want to start by practicing on your friends first!

In which of these situations would using 搞事情(gǎo shìqíng) to describe what is happening be inappropriate?

A. Your friend asks you to help her find attendees for the event she’s organizing.
B. A car manufacturer releases a new model but charges extra for seat belts.
C. You make fun of your brother for his new hairstyle.
D. A father cooks dinner for his family.

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I have realized that some Mandarin Chinese Halloween vocabulary words are quite literal in their meanings, and I’d like to take a look at them together with you!

Unique decorations

As soon as the fall hits, we start to see the familiar trappings of the spooky holiday – jack o’ lanterns, bats, skeletons and spider webs, to name a few.

These stand out among the familiar fall tropes like leaves, scarfs, and warm drinks, and set the stage for the fun night when people get to dress up and pretend to be someone (or something) they’re not!

1. 南瓜 (nánguā): (n.) pumpkin

南瓜灯 (nánguā dēng): (n.) jack o’ lantern

Examples:

lù de liǎngbiān guà mǎnle nánguā dēng.
路的两边挂满了南瓜灯。
There are pumpkin lanterns on both sides of the road.

wǒ xǐhuān chī nánguā.
我喜欢吃南瓜。
I like to eat pumpkin.

2. 骷髅 (kūlóu): (n.) skeleton; skull

Examples:

tā de yīfú shàng yǒu kūlóu tú’àn.
他的衣服上有骷髅图案。
There is a skull design on his clothes.

kūlóu ràng rén hàipà!
骷髅让人害怕！
Skeletons are scary!

3. 蜘蛛 (zhīzhū): (n.) spider

蜘蛛网 (zhīzhūwǎng): (n.) spider web; cobweb

Examples:

zhīzhū yǒu hěnduō tiáo tuǐ.
蜘蛛有很多条腿。
Spiders have many legs.

qiángbì shàng bù mǎnle zhīzhū wǎng!
墙壁上布满了蜘蛛网！
The walls are covered with spider webs!

4. 蝙蝠 (biānfú): (n.) bat

Examples:

biānfú huì fēi.
蝙蝠会飞。
Bats can fly.

biānfú jīngcháng zài wǎnshàng chūmò.
蝙蝠经常在晚上出没。
Bats often appear at night.

Suprising costumes

On Halloween, everyone wears all kinds of costumes, from simple sheets thrown over the head to elaborate get-ups with scary makeup! China has a good idiom to describe this phenomenon: “奇装异服 (qízhuāngyìfú)”.

奇装异服 (qízhuāngyìfú) means “bizarre dress”. The word “奇” means “novel”, and ”异” means ”special”, so “奇装异服(qízhuāngyìfú)” can be used to mean clothes that are more special than those ordinarily worn. “服装(fúzhuāng)” covers all different kinds of clothes in general, including formal wear, casual clothes, and others.

奇装异服 (qízhuāngyìfú): (n.) bizarre dress

yǒu de rén xǐhuān chuān qízhuāngyìfú, xiǎnde hěn yǒu gèxìng.
有的人喜欢穿奇装异服，显得很有个性。
Some people like to wear bizarre clothes, it really shows their personality.

Haunted house

Is there anything that “embodies” the “spirit” (pun intended!) of Halloween more than a haunted house? Inside its scary walls, anything can happen! The excitement, unknown, and a bit of fear make for an unforgettable experience (especially youngsters) in such a classic setting.

鬼 (guǐ): (n.) ghost

鬼屋 (guǐwū): (n.) haunted house (lit. “ghost house”)

guǐwū lǐ chōngchìzhe jiān jiào sheng!
鬼屋里充斥着尖叫声！
The haunted house is full of screams!

guǐwū hěn hǎowán!
鬼屋很好玩!
Haunted houses are fun!

However you end up celebrating Halloween this year, make sure you stay safe and enjoy your time with friends and family. Of course, if you’re planning on doing some trick-or-treating, then I also wish you good luck in getting your favorite kinds of candy… remember to save some for me!

Please choose the best answer.

What does “奇装异服” mean?
A.Bizarre dress
B. Formal dress
C. Casual dress

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Words for a Terrifying Encounter

As in English, there are many different ways to describe places, people, or things that scare you. For example, if you want to say that something is scary in general, you can use the word “可怕(kěpà)”.

可怕 (kěpà) adj.: scary
Usually used to describe someone or something that makes people feel scared.

Examples:

nǐ hǎo kěpà!
你好可怕！
You are so scary!

wǒ jīntiān yù dàole yíjiàn kěpà de shìqíng.
我今天遇到了一件可怕的事情。
I encountered a scary thing today.

But what if you want to talk about how you’re feeling? The word “害怕 (hàipà)” can be used not only to talk about how you might feel as you walk up to a knock on a door covered with cobwebs and plastic spiders, but also to express things you’re worried about in everyday life.

害怕 (hàipà): adj. scared
Usually used to describe the feeling of fear or to express a kind of worry.

Examples:

wǒ hěn hàipà.
我很害怕。
I’m scared.

wǒ hàipà tā líkāi wǒ.
我害怕他离开我。
I am afraid that he will leave me.

There are different levels of “scary” or “being scared”. What if there’s something that really makes you feel that next level of fear? It could be a movie, a news story, a dream, or something you’re imagining that might happen:

恐怖 (kǒngbù): adj .terrifying
Fearful of something that may be life threatening, violent, or bloody.

This word can be used to describe people who scare others, and it is often used in conjunction with other words, such as: 恐怖片(kǒngbù piān), 恐怖电影 (kǒngbù diànyǐng)

Examples:

wǒ jīntiān kànle yíbù kǒngbù diànyǐng.
我今天看了一部恐怖电影.
I watched a horror movie today.

zhège rén hěn kǒngbù.
这个人很恐怖。
This person is terrifying.

The class horror movie opens with one or two young people walking through a cold, dark, and pretty spooky forest. Viewers know that the teens are in danger, but the characters don’t know they’re in a horror movie! Even so, we suspect that they should be feeling a little uneasy because of the “阴森 (yīnsēn)” environment we see them in.

阴森 (yīnsēn): adj. gloomy/dark and spooky or terrifying
Referring to a place, atmosphere, complexion, weather, cave, etc.

Examples:

nà shì yígè yīnsēn dì dìfāng.
那是一个阴森的地方。
That is a spooky place.

zhè piàn shùlín yīnsēn sēn de.
这片树林阴森森的。
These woods are spooky.

Sentences structures for talking about fear

Let’s talk about grammar for a minute. A common way to express how you’re feeling in Chinese is to put an adjective in front of “____ sǐ wǒ le (死我了)”, literally meaning “I’m [adj.] to death.” It may look like the order of the words is wrong — shouldn’t the subject technically come first? However, this structure can be used for hunger (è sǐ wǒ le 饿死我了), exhaustion (lèi sǐ wǒ le 累死我了) or even, you guessed it, fear:

吓死我了 (xià sǐ wǒ le): I’m frightened to death

Example:

nǐ zěnme tūrán chūxiànle?xià sǐ wǒle!
你怎么突然出现了？吓死我了！
Why did you suddenly show up? You scared me to death!

You can also use the following constructions to tell someone that you’re feeling scared. The first touches on “fear” in the traditional sense, the second on a deeper, almost more spiritual fear that reaches the speaker’s core.

怪吓人的(guài xiàrén de): (I think it’s) scary
The meaning and usage are similar to scaring me to death, but to a lesser degree.

Example:

nǐ wèishéme yào dàizhe zhège miànjù, guài xiàrén de!
你为什么要戴着这个面具，怪吓人的！
Why are you wearing this mask, it’s so scary!

[person/thing/event] + 给我的心灵造成了巨大的伤害(nǐ gěi wǒ de xīnlíng zàochéngle jùdà de shānghài): [person/thing/event] has hurt me in my soul.

Example:

nǐ de bèipàn gěi wǒ de xīnlíng zàochéngle jùdà de shānghài.
你的背叛给我的心灵造成了巨大的伤害.
Your betrayal really caused me great anguish.

Perhaps this spooky time of year is the perfect time to make your Chinese “scary” good! But all Halloween jokes aside, it’s very important to keep in mind that everyone has slightly different ways of expressing themselves, especially where emotions are concerned; it’s worth learning different ways to talk about the same thing.

The more flexible you are in your Chinese language learning, the more insight you’ll have into Chinese culture, people, and history — it’s almost frightening how much you’ll be exposed to!

Speaking of flexible language learning, let’s test your comprehension of today’s topic with a short quiz:
Please choose the best answer to fill in the blank.

A.害怕（hàipà）
B.可怕（kěpà）

1.wǒ______tā méiyǒu huí jiā.
我________他没有回家。

2.nǐ búyòng_______。
你不用_______。

3.wǒ xiǎngdàole yí jiàn hěn_______de shìqíng.
我想到了一件很_______的事情。

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