The proper meaning of “牛 (niú)” is cow, but now it can be used to express “cool,” “awesome” or “excellent.” It is believed that this meaning originated from the north-eastern Chinese dialect.
You can say “你好牛啊 (nǐ hǎo niú a)” or “真牛 …
Zuótiān, wǒ zài jiēshàng jiàndào Màikè le. Lily: 昨天， 我 在 街上 见到 麦克 了。
Bié chuī ___ le, Màikè zài Měiguó ne. Anne: 别 吹 ___了， 麦克 在 美国 呢。
Choose the correct word to fill in the blank. A: …
Conversation:
Gēmen, bāng ge máng, bāng wǒ gěi wǒ nǚpéngyou sòng shù méiguihuā. Mike: 哥们， 帮 个 忙， 帮 我 给 我 女朋友 送 束 玫瑰花。
Wǒ yūn, nà shì nǐ nǚpéngyou, yòu bú shì wǒ nǚpéngyou. Jason: 我 晕，那 是 …
Key Learning Point (Preview): 红 (hóng): to become popular/successful
Amongst different cultures, different words and concepts carry with them varying undertones and meanings. As you progress in the Mandarin language, you’ll learn this is especially true with the word “红 (hóng),” or “red.” Perhaps you’ve …
Gēmen, bié dīngzhe měinǚ kàn le, nǐ dōu liúkǒushuǐ le. 哥们, 别 盯着 美女 看 了，你都 流口水 了。 Buddy, don’t stare at those beautiful girls. You are drooling.
What does “流口水 (liúkǒushuǐ)” refer to?
A. Drool B. Mouth C. Water
See …
“伤不起 (shāngbùqǐ)” means that someone has already been hurt enough that she can’t stand any more torment.
At first, “伤不起 (shāngbùqǐ)” was only popular in schools and on the internet, but now “伤不起 (shāngbùqǐ)” is widely used in daily life. Some television programs are using …
Gānggāng diànnǎo sǐjī le, wǒ de gōngzuò quán dōu bái gàn le. 刚刚 电脑 死机了，我 的 工作 全 都 白 干 了。
What does “白 (bái)” refer to in the above context?
A. White B. In vain C. Black
Conversation:
Hāi, zěnme wújīngdǎcǎi de? Anna: 嗨，怎么 无精打采 的。 Hi, why are you so dispirited?
Fànwǎn dōu diū le, néng gāoxìng de qǐlái ma? Mike: 饭碗 都 丢 了，能 高兴 得 起来吗？ _________, how can I be happy?
What does “饭碗 …
Key Learning Point (Preview):
二百五 (èrbǎiwǔ): n. a careless or silly person In Chinese, especially between friends, one often calls another “二百五 (èrbǎiwǔ),” or says that someone is “二百加五十 (èrbǎi jiā wǔshí) two hundred plus fifty.” What does this expression mean? Let’s read this small …
Key Learning Point (Preview): 神马都是浮云 (shénmǎ dōu shì fúyún): Everything is nothing.
A post in 2010 made the saying, “神马都是浮云 (shénmǎdōu shì fúyún)” become a popular phrase throughout China. It is used broadly in various areas of society, especially on TV shows. “神马 (shénmǎ)” literally …
Conversation:
Wǒ děng de huār dōu xiè le, nǐ néngbunéng kuài diǎnr a? Lily: 我 等 得 花儿 都 谢了，你 能不能 快 点儿 啊？ I have been waiting for you for too long; can you hurry up a little bit?
___ …
Conversation: Nǐ zài zhèr ya, zhǎo nǐ bàn tiān le. Wang Hong: 你 在 这儿呀，找 你 半 天 了。
Bú huì ba, nǐ zhǎole wǒ “bàn tiān?” Emily: 不 会 吧，你 找了 我 “半天”？
What does “半天 (bàn tiān)” mean here?…
Conversation: Tīngshuō nǐ liàn’ài le? Anne: 听说 你 恋爱 了？ I heard that you are in a relationship.
Méiyǒu a, shuí shuō de? Jenny: 没有 啊，谁 说 的？ No, who told you that?
Nǐ jiù zhuāng ba. Anne: 你就 装 吧。 …
Conversation: Nǐ huì tiàowǔ ma? Mike: 你会 跳舞 吗？
Huì ā, dàn tiào de bù zěnmeyànɡ. Anne: 会啊，但 跳 得 不 怎么样。
Based on the conversation, which of these statements is correct?
A. Anne can dance. B. Anne is good at …
人在囧途 (Rénzài jiǒngtú) Lost on Journey
囧 (jiǒng): adj. depressed; embarrassed and mortified
Watch the movie tailer:
Have you ever seen the movie “人在囧途 (Rénzài jiǒngtú) Lost on Journey?” It is a comedy about a “农民工 (nóngmíngōng) migrant worker” and a
Key Learning Points (Preview): 弯腰 (wān yāo): v. to bow down
点头 (diǎn tóu): v. to nod one’s head
Cāicai wǒ shì shuí? 猜猜 我 是 谁？
Guess who am I? Wǒ chángcháng cóng nǐ shēn biān jīngguò, 我 常常 …
丑八怪 (chǒubāguài): n. an extremely ugly person/someone whose conduct is not good
In class, the teacher told the students that “丑八怪 (chǒubāguài)” refers to extremely ugly people. A confused student asked the teacher, “Why don’t we use the number 9? Why …
Conversation: Qīn’ài de, shíyī wǒmen qù Shànghǎi hǎobuhǎo? Wife: 亲爱 的，十一 我们 去 上海 好不好？
Hǎo, dōu tīng nǐ de. Husband: 好， 都 听 你 的。
What does “好不好(hǎobuhǎo)” mean here?
A. Good B. Bad C. Alright?/OK?
Take a …
Look at the picture and choose the correct answer below to fill in the blanks.
Zhège nǚhái ___ piàoliang ___ kě’ài. 这个 女孩 ___ 漂亮 ___可爱。
A. 又…又… (yòu… yòu…) B. 越…越… (yuè… yuè…) C. 有时…有时… (yǒushí… yǒushí…)
Take …
Key Learning Points (Preview): 跑 (pǎo): v. to run
有时候 (yǒushíhou): adv. sometimes
Nǐmen zhīdào wǒ shì shuí ma? 你们 知道 我 是 谁 吗？
Do you know who am I? Tàiyáng yì chūlái, wǒ jiù biànchéngle “qì”, 太阳 一 出来，我 就 变成了 “汽”，
When …
