Video Lesson: 干得好 (Gàn de hǎo)! Good job!
He broke the sales record this month. She got the scholarship from Princeton University. You are ready to compliment them: “Good job!” Watch Video Answers …
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Which is Cleaner? Showering or Bathing?
In the west, there are two common forms of washing: showering or taking a bath. There is this same difference in China over “洗澡(xǐzǎo) bathing,” except instead of it being a preference for one or the other that decide how one bathes, it is if …
Chinese Idiom: 大材小用 To Waste One’s Talent on A Petty Job
“大材小用 (dàcáixiǎoyòng)” literally means “to use big materials to do small things.” It is used now to express that talented people are being misused. Key Learning Point (Preview): 大材小用 (dàcáixiǎoyòng) to waste one’s talent on a petty job
Idiom Story:
Listen to the whole story…
Chinese Idiom: 得寸进尺 If You Give Someone an Inch, They Will Take a Mile.
“得寸进尺 (décùnjìnchǐ)” means that if you give someone an inch, they will take a mile. Nowadays, people usually use this expression to describe someone who is very greedy.
Key Learning Point (Preview):
得寸进尺(décùnjìnchǐ) If give someone an inch, he will take a mile.
Idiom Story:…
Four Taboo Chinese Wedding Gift Ideas (Intermediate)
Love is in the air, and if you’re like many people, that means you’ve got one or two wedding invitations headed straight for your mailbox. As if deciding what to gift newlyweds isn’t hard enough, in China there are some culture-specific taboos. You’ll want to …
雪中送炭 To Offer Fuel in Snowy Weather
雪中送炭 (xuězhōngsòngtàn) To offer fuel in snowy weather
Key Learning Points (Preview):
木炭 (mùtàn) n. charcoal
品尝 (pǐncháng) v. taste
Sòngcháo de shíhou, Sòng Tàizōng Zhào Guāngyì shì yígè guānxīn qióngkǔrén de huángdì. 宋朝 的 时候， 宋太宗 赵 光义 是 一个 关心 穷苦人 的 皇帝。 …
Chinese Idiom: 纸上谈兵 (zhǐshàngtánbīng) Armchair Strategy
The
“纸上谈兵(zhǐshàngtánbīng) armchair strategy” refers to people who engage in idle talk, but are unable to act on their high minded theories. It is usually used to urge people to combine theories with practical knowledge and not be bookworms. Let’s read about the …
Answer to A Thousand Ways to Say a Million (Intermediate)
Answer: A On the one hand, “千万(qiānwàn)” and “万千(wànqiān)”, meaning “ten million”, both refer to a huge amount.
Examples:
Zhèlǐ měinián dōuyǒu qiānwàn kē shù bèi kǎndiào. 这里 每年 都有 千万 棵 树 被 砍掉。 Every year about ten million trees are cut down here.…
A Thousand Ways to Say a Million (Intermediate)
Bet you don’t know these ways to use “千(qiān)” and “万(wàn)”! Take our test to prove us wrong. We dare you! Zhāng Yīng: Wáng Míng, _____ méi xiǎngdào nǐ guàkē le! 张 英： 王 明， _____ 没 想到 你 挂科 了！ Zhang Ying: Wang Ming, …
Chinese Idiom: 隔墙有耳 (géqiángyǒu’ěr) Walls Have Ears
Key Learning Point (Preview): 隔墙有耳 (géqiángyǒu’ěr): walls have ears
Cóngqián, yǒu yíge hàoqíxīn hěn zhòng de rén. 从前， 有 一个 好奇心 很 重 的 人。 Once upon a time, there was a curious man.
Tā zǒngshì xǐhuan sìchù dǎting biérén de mìmi. 他 总是 喜欢 …
Chinese Idiom: 对牛弹琴 To Play the Harp to A Cow
“对牛弹琴 (Duìniútánqín)” is used by Chinese people to describe someone who is explaining something complicated to a fool, or sometimes this idiom is used to describe a person who is trying to tell something to the wrong audience. In English, people sometimes joke around by …
胸有成竹 To Have a Well-thought-out Plan
Sòngcháo de shíhou, yǒu yí gè jiào Wén Tóng de huàjiā, hěn shàncháng huà zhúzi. 宋朝 的 时候， 有 一 个 叫 文 同 的 画家， 很 擅长 画 竹子。 In the Song Dynasty, there was an artist whose name was Wen Tong; he was …
中国商务送礼禁忌 Taboos of Giving Business Gifts in China (Intermediate)
中国商务送礼禁忌 (Zhōngguó shāngwù sònglǐ jìnjì) Taboos of giving business gifts in China
Key Learning Points (Preview):
送礼 (sònglǐ): v. to give gift
商务往来 (shāngwù wǎnglái): n. business exchanges/doing business with others
“送礼 (sònglǐ) Gift giving ” is an important part of “商务往来 (shāngwù wǎnglái) doing …
Business Etiquette- Hang up a Phone Call (Intermediate)
Chinese Lessons about Business Etiquette- Hang up a Phone Call (Intermediate)
Key Learning Points (Preview):
帮忙(bāngmáng): v. to help
转达(zhuǎndá): v. to convey
近日(jìnrì): adv. soon
As we all know, proper telephone etiquette is an important part of maintaining harmonious business relationships. Do you know …
Chinese Translation Quiz: 洗手间在哪里(Xǐshǒujiān zài nǎlǐ)
Please select the correct English translation for the following Chinese sentence. Xǐshǒujiān zài nǎlǐ? 洗手间在哪里？ A. Where is the kitchen? B. Where is the fitting room? C. Where is the bathroom?
General Chinese (Beginner Level) General Chinese (Intermediate Level) …
Choose Lucky Numbers and Steer Clear of Unlucky Ones!
For Chinese people, which of the following numbers has a bad meaning? A. 4
B. 6
C. 8
D. 9
Not sure about the answer? No worries, just take a look at the article WeChat Lucky Money Taps Into Chinese New Year Tradition to figure …