高楼大厦 (gāolóudàshà) High Buildings and Large Mansions (Advanced)
The character “高 (gāo)” means high and “楼 (lóu)” means floor. “大 (dà)”
means large and “厦 (shà)” means tall building. Example:
Xiàndàihuà de chéngshì lǐ biàndì shì gāolóudàshà. 现代化 的 城市 里 遍地 是 高楼大厦。
In …
感冒 (gǎnmào) To Catch a Cold (Beginner) The character “感 (gǎn)” means to feel and “冒 (mào)” literally means to emit .
Example:
A: Zěnme le, kàn nǐ qìsè bú tài hǎo. 怎么 了，看 你 气色 不 太 好。 What’s up? You don’t look good. …
同事 (tóngshì) Colleague (Beginner) The character “同 (tóng)” means the same and “事 (shì)” means thing literally.
Example:
A: Nǐ rènshi Wáng Hóng ma? 你 认识 王 宏 吗？ Do you know Wang Hong?
B: Dāngrán le, tā shì wǒ tóngshì ne. 当然 了，他 是 …
回家 (huíjiā) To Go Home (Beginner) The character “回 (huí)” means to return and “家 (jiā)” means home.
Example:
Zài wài gōngzuò de érnǚ yào cháng huíjiā kànkan fùmǔ. 在 外 工作 的 儿女 要 常 回家 看看 父母。 The sons and daughters who are …
迟到 (chídào) Late (Beginner)
The character “迟 (chí)” means late and “到 (dào)” means to arrive.
Example: A: Lǎobǎn, duìbuqǐ, wǒ chídào le. 老板， 对不起，我 迟到了。
I’m sorry, boss. I’m late.
B: Xià cì yào zhùyì. 下 次 要 注意。
Be careful next time.
Foreigners Challenge Beijing Opera (Advanced)
In this video, four foreigners “challenged” the four “京剧 (jīngjù) Beijing Opera” performers by showing off their moves. What these foreigners did is also called “叫板 (jiàobǎn),” which means “to challenge somebody” in daily life. Originally in Beijing Opera, “叫板 …
打折 (dǎzhé) To Give a Discount (Advanced)
The character “打 (dǎ)” means to beat and “折 (zhé)” means fold or discount.
Example: A: Tīngshuō Bǎishèng dǎzhé ne, xiǎng qù kànkan ma? 听说 百盛 打折 呢， 想 去 看看 吗？ I heard that there is sale …
搜索 (sōusuǒ) Search (Intermediate)
Both the characters “搜 (sōu)” and “索 (suǒ)” mean to search.
Example:
Bǎidù shì Zhōngguó zuì dà de sōusuǒ yǐnqíng. 百度 是 中国 最 大 的 搜索 引擎。
Baidu is the biggest search engine in China.
// // …
键盘 (jiànpán) Keyboard (Intermediate) The character “键 (jiàn)” means key and “盘 (pán)” means plate.
Example:
Wǒ wán yóuxì bǎ jiànpán qiāo huài le. 我 玩 游戏 把 键盘 敲 坏 了 。 My keyboard is broken because I play too much games .
旅馆 (lǚguǎn) Hotel (Beginner)
The character “旅 (lǚ)” means trip or travel and “馆 (guǎn)” means place for guests.
Example:
Zhè jiā lǔguǎn bùjǐn jiàgé piányi ěrqiě gānjìng zhěngjié. 这 家 旅馆 不仅 价格 便宜 而且 干净 整洁。 The hotel is not only cheap but …
(cèsuǒ) Toilet (Beginner)
The character “厕 (cè)” means toilet and “所 (suǒ)” means place.
Example:
A: Dǎrǎo yí xià, qǐngwèn fùjìn nǎlǐ yǒu cèsuǒ? A: 打扰 一 下，请问 附近 哪里 有 厕所？
A: Excuse me, could you tell me if there is a toilet …
I Meant Chinese Style (Not Chinese Food)! With a slight change in pronunciation, foreigners can often be misunderstood when speaking Chinese. One of the ways this happens is when a foreigner refers to something having a “Chinese style”, but ends up getting mistaken for having …
医院 (yīyuàn) Hospital (Beginner)
The character “医 (yī)” means to cure and “院 (yuàn)” means courtyard
literally, but here it means hospital.
Example: Xījīng yīyuàn shì shǎnxīshěng zuì dà de yīyuàn. 西京 医院 是 陕西省 最 大 的 医院。 Xijing Hospital is the largest hospital …
跑题 (pǎotí) Digress into a Different Subject (Advanced)
The character “跑 (pǎo)” means to run; “题 (tí)” means topic or subject.
Example:
Zhècì zuòwén wǒ hǎoxiàng xiě pǎotí le. 这次 作文 我 好像 写 跑题了。 I seem to digress from the subject in this essay …
户外 (hùwài) Outdoor (Intermediate)
The character “户 (hù)” means door; “外 (wài)” means outside.
Example:
A: Zhège zhōumò zhǔnbèi zěnme guò yɑ? 这个 周末 准备 怎么 过 呀？ Do you have any plans for this weekend?
B: Wǒ xiǎng qù hùwài yùndòng yí xià. 我 …
行李 (xíngli) Luggage/Baggage (Intermediate)
The character “行 (xíng)” means to walk; “李 (lǐ)” means plum or a surname. Example:
Wàichū shí wèi fāngbiàn qǐjiàn jìnliàng shǎo dài xíngli. 外出 时 为 方便 起见 尽量 少 带 行李。
Considering the problem of convenience, you should bring …
太极拳 (tàijíquán) Tai-Chi (Intermediate)
The character “太 (tài)” means too or over; “极 (jí)” means pole or top and “拳 (quán)” means fist. Example:
Tàijíquán liúchuán zhìjīn yǎnhuà chūle bùtóng de liúpài. 太极拳 流传 至今 演化 出了 不同 的 流派。
Tai Chi has spread until …
