Mandarin Essentials

“说曹操,曹操到(shuō Cáo Cāo, Cáo Cāo dào) Speak of the Devil and He Appears”

“说曹操,曹操到 (shuō Cáo Cāo, Cáo Cāo dào) Speak of the Devil and He Appears” 

Origin

The story about “说曹操,曹操到 (shuō Cáo Cāo, Cáo Cāo dào) speak of the devil and he appears” was from《三国演义(sānguó yǎnyì)》The Romance of the Three Kingdoms.

汉献帝 (Hàn Xiàndì) Han Xiandi …

去网吧 (Qù wăngbā) Go to an Internet Cafe

去网吧 (Qù wăngbā) Go to an Internet Cafe   

Beginner Level 初级 (chūjí) 

      Dărăo yí xià, qĭngwèn “Internet Cafe” yòng hànyŭ zěnme shuō?    A:打扰   一下,请问    “Internet Cafe”   用    汉语    怎么    说?        Excuse me, how to say “Internet Cafe” in Chinese?   Ò, zhège ya, wŏmen jiào wăngbā.  …

寒假 (hánjià) Winter Vacation (Beginner)

寒假 (hánjià) Winter Vacation

The character “寒 (hán)” means cold and “假 (jià)” means vacation or holiday.

Example:

Wǒ dǎsuan lìyòng hánjià zài wǎngshàng xuéxiào xuéxí zhōngwén. 我打算利用寒假在网上学校学习中文。 I plan to learn Chinese through online Chinese school during winter vacation.

Got questions? HSK Test General

开窍 (kāiqiào) Be enlightened/ Begin to understand (Advanced)

开窍 (kāiqiào) Be enlightened/

Begin to understand

  

The character “开 (kāi)” means to open and “窍 (qiào)” means aperture.

Example: Wǒ gěi tā jiěshìle hěnduō biàn, tā zhōngyú kāiqiào le. 我给他解释了很多遍,他终于开窍了。

I explained it to him many times. Finally, he became to understand it.

Got …

辞旧迎新 (cíjiùyíngxīn) Ring out the Old Year and Ring in the New (Intermediate)

辞旧迎新 (cíjiùyíngxīn) Ring out the Old Year and Ring in the New

The character “辞 (cí)” means to bid farewell; “旧 (jiù)” means old or

former; “迎 (yíng)” means to welcome and “新 (xīn)” means new. Example: Háizimen fàng biānpào lái cíjiùyíngxīn. 孩子们放鞭炮来辞旧迎新。

The children …

Mini-test Answer: 马马虎虎 (Advanced)

Advanced Level 高级 (gāojí)

Correct answer: B Analysis: A. “Kuàikuàilèlè” is the Chinese pinyin for “快快乐乐cheerful.”

“快 (kuài)” means quick and “乐 (lè)” means cheerful.

B. “Mǎmǎhūhū” is the Chinese pinyin for “马马虎虎careless.” “马 (mǎ)” means horse and “虎 (hǔ)” means tiger.

C. “Tuántuányuányuán” is …

Quotes of the week (Jan.6,2010)

Rúguǒ wǒmen bù chénggōng, yídìng yǒurén chénggōng; rúguǒ wǒmen bù chénggōng, hòuhuǐ de yídìng shì wǒmen zìjǐ.b 如果我们不成功,一定有人成功;如果我们不成功,后悔的一定是我们自己。 If we fail, there must be someone who will succeed; if we fail, it will be us who will regret. —from Ma Yun, CEO of Alibaba, one …

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