While “葡萄酒 (pú tɑo jiǔ ) grape wine” culture is relatively new in China, it grew to be the 5th largest wine consumer in the world in a short period of time. Why would this matter? Because if you want to close a business deal, …
Recently, we discussed the significance of ‘本命年 (Ben Ming Nian)’ in Chinese culture. This phenomenon, also known as the 12-year curse, affects the zodiac sign of the current year.
Let’s delve deeper into how the ancient Chinese divided time. We’ll also explore the formation of …
Fortunes and Follies for The Ox Zodiac in 2021 The year of the rat didn’t go as intended. It was supposed to be a year for creativity involving change, but we didn’t need nor want that kind of change, right? So in trods the Ox. …
What You Don’t Know About Chinese New Year 2021 is the Year of the Ox, the ox being of the twelve Chinese zodiac animals. In fact, there are similar customs in many countries. For example, Myanmar has eight zodiac animals that, similarly to the Chinese …
If you’ve ever read “The Art of War” you would also enjoy the “三十六计 (Sān shí liù jì) 36 ancient Chinese strategies” and their theories. Each proverb is accompanied by a brief explanation that explains how said proverb is applicable to military tactics. Its focus …
Background
At the hotel, Li Jun is asking the desk clerk to check out. This dialogue can help you make better use of daily Chinese, especially if you’re looking to come to work and live in China.
Qiántái: Xiānsheng, wǒ néng bāng nín shénme máng …
People have a special day set aside for nearly everything it seems. For example, October 25th is World Pasta Day. Well, China also has unique special days, like Standards Day that was celebrated a few days ago on October 14. China’s Standards Day marks the …
As the old saying goes: The master teaches the trade, but the apprentice’s skills are self-made (师(shī)傅(fù)领(lǐnɡ)进(jìn)门(mén)，修(xiū)行(xínɡ)靠(kào)个(ɡè)人(rén)). In language learning, the mentor’s and the learner’s effort are the two most important things, but that doesn’t mean they can’t make the most of the tools at …
Have you heard the expression, “
”? The expression was made popular by a TikTok video where the speaker said, “Don’t mind what he is, 盘他(pán tā). Everything can be ‘盘’, just ‘盘’”. What does that mean? Let’s talk about
first.
Now, …
“斜杠青年(xiégāng qīngnián),” or, “Slashers”, are people who make multiple income streams simultaneously from different careers. “斜杠(xiégàng)” literally means “slash” in English, and refers to the “/” (particularly the key on the computer keyboard). The term was coined by Marci Alboher, a New York Times columnist, …
Did you know that the Chinese language is changing at an unbelievable pace? Don’t worry, you will still be able to speak using everyday conversation words and phrases. The rapid change that you need to keep up with, however, is on the internet and with …
Chinese medicine is nearly as old as Chinese civilization itself. Yet it continues to be used, even in 2020. It is sometimes combined with modern medicine and is said to speed recovery time from illness and injury as well as enhance overall wellbeing. Since well …
The seventh day of the seventh month of the lunar calendar is the Chinese Qixi Festival, meaning it falls on August 25 this year.The Qixi Festival symbolizes love, a day of romantic celebration between individuals and their significant others.
The festival is based on the …
“有趣(yǒuqù)” and “有意思(yǒuyìsi)” both mean “funny” or “interesting” in English.
Are their usages exactly the same? Let’s find out today.
zhège rén hěn yǒuqù/yǒuyìsi. 这个人很有趣/有意思。 This person is funny/interesting.
tā shuōhuà hěn …
Please select the correct words and fill in the blanks. A.再 (zài)
B.又 (yòu)
1. tā ______ yě méiyǒu huílái. 他 ______ 也没有回来。
2. tā ______ méiyǒu huílái. 他 ______ 没有回来。
3. míngtiān ______ shì zhōumòliǎo. 明天 ______ 是周末了。
4. wǒmen míngtiān ______ jìxù tǎolùn. …
(1) Both 以前 (yǐqián) and 从前 (cóngqián) can be used to refer to the past. (2) 以前 (yǐqián) generally refers to a time before now, can be placed at the beginning or the middle of a sentence; 从前 (cóngqián) is always used at the …
We all hate them and know they aren’t fair but are you guilty of having any “双标（shuāng biāo)?” It means double standard but the full term is “双重标准(shuāng chóng biāo zhǔn)”. Maybe you aren’t even aware of what a double standard is! In that case, …
Recently, one line Fei Yuqing’s song “一剪梅 (yī jiǎn méi) One Plum Blossom” has caught fire around the world, popping up in videos of all kinds on popular social media apps like TikTok. The line of the moment is, “雪花飘飘,北风萧萧 (xuěhuā piāopiāo, běifēng xiāoxiāo)”, or, …
Like most learners, many of my students have difficulty with listening comprehension in the beginning. If I speak at a normal or slightly faster-than-normal pace, they usually can’t understand what I say.
As such, I have tried different methods for them to improve …
