Origin:
“爆冷门 (bàolěngmén)” appeared first in casinos. Most people put their stakes on the popular side, and the opposite of the popular side got little attention by gamblers. This unpopular side was called “冷门 (lěngmén).” “爆 (bào)” means …
HSK Preparation: 怎么了 (Zěnme le)
(Beginner)
Example:
Bǎobèi, zěnme le? Kū de nàme shāngxīn? A: 宝贝， 怎么 了？ 哭 得 那么 伤心？ Honey, what’s wrong? Why are you crying so sadly?
Māma, wǒ hànyǔ shuǐpíng kǎoshì (HSK) méi kǎo hǎo. B: 妈妈，我 …
Chinese lessons: 保重 (bǎozhòng) Take Care (Beginner) Example:
Sūshān, jīntiān de hànyǔ kè jiù dào zhèlǐ, wǒ gāi zǒu le. A: 苏 珊，今天的汉语课就到这里，我该走了。 Susan, that’s all for today’s Chinese lessons, I should leave.
Hǎo de, bǎozhòng. B: 好的，保重。 OK, take care, please.
Know …
Xībānyá zuì dà de dírén bú shì biérén, jiù shì zìjǐ. 西班牙 最 大 的 敌人 不 是 别人， 就 是 自己。
The biggest enemy of (the soccer team of) Spain is not its opponent, but is itself. —From “黄健翔 (Huáng Jiànxiáng) Huang Jianxiang,” a …
Key Learning Points (Preview):
乌龙球 (wūlóngqiú): n own goal
龙 (lóng): n dragon
On June 14, Simon Poulsen, defender of Denmark’s soccer team, scored an own goal, resulting in Denmark’s loss to Netherlands in 2010 World Cup. Do you know …
Chinese Lessons：久等了 (jiǔ děng le) Thank You for Waiting (Beginner) Example:
Bù hǎo yìsi, tuō ni, jiǔ děng le. A: 不 好 意思，托尼，久 等 了。 Excuse me, Tony, thank you for waiting. Méi guānxi. B: 没 关系。 Not at all. Hǎo, nà wǒmen jìxù …
Business Chinese: 您贵姓 (Nín guìxìng)? May I have your name? (Beginner) This phrase is often used in formal context (for instance, in business Chinese).
The Chinese character “您 (nín)” shows more respect than “你 (nĭ).”
It is often used in business Chinese to …
Correct answer: C
Analysis:
A. “工人 (gōngrén)” is the Chinese characters for “Worker.”
The character “工 (gōng)” means worker or labor and “人 (rén)” means person.
B. “儿童 (értóng)” are the Chinese characters for “Child.”
Both the characters “儿 (ér)” and …
What does the Chinese characters “教师 (jiàoshī)” refer to? A. Worker B. Child C. Teacher D. Mother
…
Xiě de bú shì zuòwén, shì qínghuái. 写 的 不 是 作文， 是 情怀。
What the high school students who took the “Chinese Subject Test” in the National University Entrance Exam in June 2010 wrote were not compositions but feelings. —From ” 海岩 (Hǎi Yán) …
Business Chinese: 请原谅 (qǐng yuánliàng) Please Pardon Me (Beginner)
Example:
Qǐng yuánliàng, wǒ děi shīpéi yíxià, wǒ de shāngwù hànyǔ gùwèn zhǎo wǒ. 请 原谅， 我 得 失陪 一下, 我 的 商务 汉语 顾问 找 我。
Please pardon me, I have to leave for a …
Learn Chinese: 抱歉 (bàoqiàn) Sorry (Beginner)
Example:
Āi yo, nǐ yā dào wǒ de shǒu le! A: 哎哟！你 压 到 我 的 手 了！
Ouch! You are pressing on my hand!
Ō, bào qiàn, wǒ zhǐ shì xiǎng kànkan nǐ de hànyǔ yǔfǎ zuòyè. B: …
Study Chinese Online: 我不知道 (Wǒ bù zhīdào) I don’t know (Beginner) Example (Chinese conversation):
Nǐ zhīdào zánmen xuéxiào yǒu hànyǔ fǔdǎobān ma? A: 你 知道 咱们 学校 有 汉语 辅导班 吗？ Do you know whether there is a Chinese tutorial class in our school?…
Learn Chinese: 不用谢 (Bú yòng xiè)You’re welcome (Beginner) Example:
Xièxie nǐ jiāo wǒ zěnyàng xué hànyǔ. A: 谢谢 你 教 我 怎样 学 汉语。 Thanks for teaching me how to learn Chinese.
Bú yòng xiè, wǒ hěn lèyì hé nǐ fēnxiǎng hànyǔ xuéxí jīngyàn. …
Learn Mandarin: 心急吃不了热豆腐 (xīn jí chī bù liǎo rè dòufu ) Haste Makes Waste (Advanced)
Example:
Bié zháojí, xué hànyǔ xūyào yǒu nàixīn, yǒu héngxīn, xīn jí chī bù liǎo rè dòufu. A: 别 着急，学 汉语 需要 有 耐心、有 恒心， 心 急 吃 不 了 …
流行词语 (liúxíng cíyǔ) Popular Chinese Word (Intermediate)
赞 (zàn) Marvelous
“赞 (zàn)” originally means “to praise.” For instance, “赞美” and “称赞” both mean to praise. We also have a popular Chinese expression starting with “赞,” that is “赞不绝口 (zànbùjuékǒu) to praise profusely.” For example: 他对你赞不绝口 …
Chinese Language: 便宜 (piányi) Cheap/ Let Someone Off Lightly (intermediate)
Usage 1: “便宜” means “价格低 (jiàgé dī) low price.”
Example:
Zhè tiáo qúnzi zhēn guì, néng bù néng piányi yì diǎn? A: 这 条 裙子 真 贵， 能 不 能 便宜 一 点？
This dress …
Chinese language: 乘凉 (chéngliáng) To Cool Oneself in the Breeze (intermediate)
Example:
Wūlǐ zhēn rè, wǒmen qù yuànzi lǐ chéngliáng ba. A: 屋里 真 热，我们 去 院子 里 乘凉 吧。 It’s so hot inside the room. Let’s go outside to cool ourselves in the breeze. …
Chinese lessons: 再见 (zàijiàn) Goodbye (Beginner)
Example:
Tóngxuémen, jīntiān de hànyǔ kè jiù dào zhèlǐ, zàijiàn. A: 同学们， 今天 的 汉语 课 就 到 这里，再见。
That’s all for today’s Chinese lesson. Goodbye, everybody! Lǎoshī zàijiàn. B: 老师 再见。
Goodbye, teacher.
Learn Chinese: 客气 (kèqi) Welcome (Beginner)
Example:
Zhēn shì tài gǎnxiè nǐ le, zài wǒ xué hànyǔ shí bāng le nàme duō máng. A:
真 是 太 感谢 你了，在 我 学 汉语 时 帮 了 那么 多 忙。
Thanks a lot! You helped me so …
