#ChineseVocabulary
Are you a “Cat” (even if you are not)? (Elementary)
Chinese Zodiac is called 生肖(shēngxiāo). 生(shēng) means birth and 肖(xiāo) means resemblance. There are twelve animals in 生肖(shēngxiāo). Yet where did this idea come from? A convincing theory maintains that using animals to symbolize years started with the totems used by minorities in ancient China. …
Measure words for Chinese currency
Complete the following conversation with proper Chinese measure words.
Gùkè: Lǎobǎn, píngguǒ duōshǎoqián yìjīn? 顾客：老板， 苹果 多少钱 一斤？ Customer: Boss, how much does 500-grams apples cost?
Láobǎn: Sì ____ qī _____ yìjīn. 老板： 四____ 七 _____ 一斤。 Boss: Four kuai, seven jiao per 500 grams.…
Be Careful When Using “eggs” in Mandarin (Elementary)
Let’s look at a dialogue first.(After taking a math exam, Lily and Wang Xiaohong are walking home together.)
Lily: I stink at math. I’m afraid I didn’t pass the exam.
Li Lei: Don’t worry. Doing your best is what matters. Also, I’m sure you will …
The usage of measure words for Chinese currency
Answers:
块；毛；块；毛；块
Basically, there are three measure word units for Chinese currency in oral Chinese, 分(fēn), 毛(máo), and 块(kuài). In Mandarin, 毛(máo) can be said as 角(jiǎo) and 块(kuài) can be said as 元(yuán). 1块=10毛; 1毛=10分. 分(fēn) is falling into disuse because of inflation. You …
Have you ever sang your own praises for saving 面子(miànzi)? (Elementary)
“We have to choose the best location, hire a French designer, a British butler wearing a wig stands within the building, and looking like a gentleman. When proprietors come, he will say to them “May I help you, Sir?”, no matter how busy he is! …
Explanations about conjunctive words in Chinese
1. Answer: B It’s common knowledge that “地球有吸引力(dìqiú yǒu xīyǐnlì) the earth has a gravitational force, and “因为(yīnwèi)……所以(suǒyǐ)……” is a way to express causal connection in Chinese.
2. Answer: A
After understanding the whole sentence, we know that 马可(Mǎkě) is a bilingual expression. So the …
How Numbers Became Magical in Daily Life? (Elementary)
One day, Lucy received a love letter from Zhangming. To her surprise, there were no words in the letter, but only some numbers: “584, 5201314.” She was totally confused, and did not know what to think. So she asked her friend Lihua for help. After …
“Ghost” in the Chinese Language (Elementary)
One day, one of my foreign friends rushed to my home and told me that she was really scared and upset because her neighbor, an old Chinese woman, said she was a ghost! How come this old lady behaved so rude to my foreign friend? …
Answers to mini test
1. Answer: A
大(dà) is an adjective meaning big and its antonym is small which in Chinese is 小(xiǎo). So the correct answer for this test question is A. The choice 水(shuǐ) means water.
Examples:
大: dà
Tāde yǎnjing hěn dà. 她的 眼睛 很 大。…
The usage of 道歉(dàoqiàn) and 抱歉(bàoqiàn) in Chinese
The correct choice for the above question is B.
Translation:
Bàoqiàn，wǒ lái wǎn le. Amy： 抱歉， 我 来 晚 了。 Sorry, I’m late.
Méi guānxi. Kate： 没 关系。 That’s alright.
Explanation:
This test aims to help you distinguish between the words道歉(dàoqiàn) and 抱歉(bàoqiàn). Both terms …