You may have found that it’s not always easy to tell the true meanings of many Chinese expressions from their literal meanings. How about the one in the question below? Do you know what it really means? When you hear a Chinese person mention “我的爱人(wǒde …
Well, summer is here, the hottest time of the year. Do you feel burned by the sun? We do! But we always try to use sun protection. In Chinese, “晒 (shài)” means “to sun” or “to shine.” “晒太阳 (shài tàiyang)” means “to bask in the …
Correct Answers:
1. A 2. B
Hǎojiǔ bújiàn, zuìjìn zǎ yàng? 好久 不见，最近 咋 样？ Long time no see. How are you doing these days?
Nǐ jīntiān zhōngwǔ chī le shá? 你 今天 中午 吃 了 啥？ What did you eat for lunch today?
If …
In Chinese, “怎么(zěnme)” usually means “how” or “why” and “什么(shénme)” means “what,” but do you know any colloquial expressions for these two words? Take the follow test first to see if you know the answer. Please choose the correct answer to fill in the blanks. …
In this issue we will learn a useful Chinese proverb —“墙头草, 随风倒(qiángtóucǎo, suífēngdǎo) The grass on top of the wall sways whichever way the wind blows”.
Here, “墙头草(qiángtóucǎo)” refers to people who don’t have a mind of their own, who can’t form their own opinions.…
Answer: B
“吨(dūn), ton” “斤(jīn), half kilogram or catty” and “克(kè), gram” are all units of weight.
“吨(dūn) is equivalent to 1,000 kilograms, which is usually used to measure the weight of heavy objects or large quantities of objects. Such as measuring the amount of …
Zhāng Qíng: Xiàzhōu jiùyào qīmòkǎoshì le! 张晴： 下周 就要 期末考试 了！ Zhang Qing: We will have the final exam next week!
Lǐ Chéng: Shìya. Nǐ fùxí de zěnmeyàng le? 李成： 是呀。你复习得 怎么样 了？ Li Cheng: Yeah. How’s your preparation going?
Zhāng Qíng: Hái méi kāishǐ …
Please choose the correct answer to fill in the blanks.
Bìngrén: Yīsheng, zhèzhǒng yào zěnme chī? 病人: 医生， 这种 药 怎么 吃？ Patient: Doctor, how is this medicine to be taken? Yīsheng: Yìtiān chī sān___, yí __chī liǎngpiàn. 医生: 一天 吃 三 ___，一__吃 两片。 Doctor: …
In Chinese, a classifier is special and some classifiers are easily confused in meaning and usage, like “次(cì)” and “遍(biàn).” “次(cì)” and “遍(biàn)” both can be used to describe frequency or how many times you have done something. However, “次(cì)” emphasizes the frequency of a …
Correct Answers: 1. C 2. B 3. B <<Back to “‘东风(dōngfēng)’ and ‘耳边风(ěrbiānfēng)’﹣They are Different Kinds of Wind”
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In last week’s test, we learned about the idiom “喝西北风(hē xīběifēng)”, which means getting nothing to eat or having to live on air. Now in this issue we will get to know about two other kinds of “风(fēng)”: “东风(dōngfēng)” and “耳边风(ěrbiānfēng).”
“东风(dōngfēng)” …
Correct Answer: B “给(gěi)” In the Chinese language, “给(gěi)” is most frequently used as the verb “to give.” Example Gěi wǒ yìbēi chá. 给 我 一杯 茶。 Please give me a cup of tea. But in phrases such as, “给你打电话 (gěi nǐ dǎ diànhuà) give …
Please choose the correct answer to fill in the blanks.
Nǐ míngtiān ___ wǒ dǎ diànhuà. Wǒ yào ___ nǐ yìqǐ qù chāoshì. 你 明天 ___ 我 打 电话。 我 要 ___ 你 一起 去 超市。 Please call me tomorrow. I want to go to …
Correct Answer: B In the Chinese language, both “过(guò)” and “了(le)” can be used following verbs to show that something has happened.
They are both usually used in the same structure: Subject + Verb + “过(guò)” / “了(le).”
However, their precise meanings differ from one …
Answer: B The translation of “喝西北风(hēxīběifēng)” is “to drink the northwest wind.” It is a Chinese idiom which means getting nothing to eat or, essentially, having to live on air. The idiom comes from the philosophy of Taoism — “吸风(xīfēng) to absorb the air,” which …
In the Chinese language there are many interesting idioms, or turns of phrase. How many do you know? How about the following one? What is the implied meaning of the Chinese idiom – “喝西北风(hēxīběifēng)”? A. to predict the weather B. to have nothing to eat …
