Quote of the week (May 19, 2010)
Huáicái jiù xiàng huáiyùn, shíjiān jiǔ le cái néng kàn chūlái. 怀才 就 像 怀孕， 时间 久 了 才 能 看 出来。
It takes a long time to find one’s talent just as it takes long to find out someone is pregnant. —From 易中天 Yi …
#ChineseForIntermediateLearners
Chinese Mini-test: To Ask for Taking Some Time Off (From Work) (Intermediate)
Intermediate Level 中级 (zhōngjí)
Wǒ xiàzhōu de gōngzuò jiù jiāogěi nǐ le, yīnwèi wǒ yào qù kàn 2010 Shànghǎi A: 我 下周 的 工作 就 交给 你 了，因为 我 要 去 看 2010 上海 Shìbóhuì la! 世博会 啦！ I’ll hand over my next week’s work …
Mini-test Answer: 请假 (qǐngjià) (Intermediate)
Intermediate Level 中级 (zhōngjí)
Correct answer: D
Analysis:
A. “出差 (chūchāi)” is the Chinese word for “be on a business trip.”
B. “旅游 (lǚyóu)” is the Chinese word for “travel.”
C. “看病 (kànbìng)” is the Chinese word for “to see a doctor.”
D. “请假 (qǐngjià)” …
感动 (gǎndòng) Be Touched (Intermediate)
感动 (gǎndòng) Be Touched (Intermediate) Example
A: Kàn le “Dāng Xìngfú Lái Qiāomén,” wǒ bèi shēn shēn de gǎndòng le. 看 了“ 当 幸福 来 敲门”， 我 被 深 深 地 感动 了。 I was deeply touched by the movie “The Pursuit of Happiness.”
B: …
地震 (dìzhèn) Earthquake (Intermediate)
地震 (dìzhèn) Earthquake (Intermediate)
Example： A: Xīnlàng wǎng shàng bàodào le dìzhèn zhōng de sǐwáng rénshù. 新浪 网 上 报道 了 地震 中 的 死亡 人数。
The death toll in the earthquake was reported on sina.com B: Ài, zìrán zāihài zhēn shì hěn kěpà! 哎，自然 …
让我们荡起双桨 Let’s Paddle Together (Intermediate)
让我们荡起双桨 (Ràng wŏmen dàngqĭ shuāngjiăng) Let’s Paddle Together (Intermediate) Let’s paddle together is a very famous and traditional Chinese song for teens in China. You can definitely practice speaking Chinese while singing it.
Learn Chinese through this beautiful Chinese song!
Listen to the song Key …
Mini-test Answer: 饿 (Intermediate)
Intermediate Level 中级 (zhōngjí)
Correct answer: B
Analysis:
A. “鹅 (é)” is the Chinese character for “goose.”
B. “饿 (è)” is the Chinese character for “hungry.”
C. “饱 (bǎo)” is the Chinese character for “full.”
D. “饭 (fàn)” is the Chinese character for “meal.”
<<Back …
Chinese Mini-test: Hungry (Intermediate)
Intermediate Level 中级 (zhōngjí)
A: I didn’t have my lunch at noon and I am very hungry now. B: What were you busy doing then? A: I was reading a book called “Easy Chinese“ and forgot the time. Do you know the Chinese character for …
Can Fans be Weapons in Martial Arts? (Intermediate)
Fan is an instrument for producing a current of air and people use it to keep cool in hot summers. But do you know that fans can also be weapons in martial arts?
In many Chinese martial arts novels and dramas, “扇子 (shànzi) fans” are …
运动鞋 (yùndòngxié) Sneakers (Intermediate)
运动鞋 (yùndòngxié) Sneakers (Intermediate)
In this Chinese phrase, “运动 (yùndòng)” means sports and “鞋 (xié)” means shoes. Example:
Hāi, bùmáng ba? Péi wǒ qù mǎi shuāng xié ba. A: 嗨， 不 忙 吧？陪 我 去 买 双 鞋 吧。
Hi, are you free? How about …
牛仔裤 (niúzǎikù) Jeans (Intermediate)
牛仔裤 (niúzǎikù) Jeans (Intermediate)
In this Chinese phrase, the Chinese character “裤 (kù)” means trousers. But in Chinese, we always use “裤子 (kùzi)” instead of “裤 (kù).”
Example:
Nǐ zhè tiáo niúzǎikù kàn qǐlái hěn bú cuò ma. A: 你 这 条 牛仔裤 看 起来 …
海宝 (hǎibǎo) Haibao (Intermediate)
海宝 (hǎibǎo) Haibao (Intermediate)
Example:
Zhè shì shénme ya, hǎo kě’ài ya A: 这 是 什么 呀， 好 可爱呀。
What’s this? It’s so lovely.
Nǐ bù zhīdào ya, zhè shì Shànghǎi shìbóhuì de jíxiángwù hǎibǎo ya. B: 你 不 知道 呀， 这 是 上海 世博会 …
Stand up in Mandarin (Intermediate)
站起来 (zhànqǐlái) stand up. In this phrase, 站 (zhàn) is a verb and means to stand and “起来 (qǐlái)” means up. Other similar phrases are: “拿起来 (náqǐlái) pick up and “坐下去 (zuòxià qu) sit down.” In formal occasions, people can also say “起立 (qǐlì) stand …
Mini-test Answer: To Treat (Intermediate)
Intermediate Level 中级 (zhōngjí)
Correct Answer: A Analysis: A. “Qǐngkè” is the Chinese pinyin for “请客 to treat.” B. “Qínfèn” is the Chinese pinyin for “勤奋 hardworking.”
For example: 玛丽是一个勤奋的学生，这几天一直在认真地准备HSK考试。(Mǎlì shì yí gè qínfèn de xuésheng, zhè jǐ tiān yì zhí zài rènzhēn de zhǔnbèi …
Chinese Mini-test: To Treat (Intermediate)
Intermediate Level 中级 (zhōngjí)
Jìrán nǐ dōu tōngguò HSK kǎoshì le, yīnggāi qǐngkè qìngzhù yí xià ba? A: 既然 你 都 通过 HSK 考试了， 应该 请客 庆祝 一 下吧？ Since you have passed the HSK test, would you treat us to dinner to celebrate it? …
Quote of the week (May. 4, 2010)
Míngcì hé róngyù, jiù xiàng tiānshàng de yún, bùnéng tǎng jìnqù, tǎng jìnqù jiù diē xiàlái le. 名次 和 荣誉，就 像 天 上 的 云， 不能 躺 进去，躺 进去 就 跌 下来了。
Rank and honor are just like the clouds in the sky. You’ll fall …
看病挂号 Registration in a Hospital (Intermediate)
看病挂号 (kànbìng guàhào) Registration in a Hospital (Intermediate) Key Learning Points (Preview):
舒服 (shūfu): adj comfortable
挂号 (guàhào): n/v registration / to register
There is a well-known Chinese saying “身体是革命的本钱 (Shēntǐ shì gémìng de běnqián) Health is the foundation for conducting revolutionary work.” You should …
母亲节 (Mǔqīnjié) Mother’s Day (Intermediate)
母亲节 (Mǔqīnjié) Mother’s Day (Intermediate)
Example:
A: Mǔqīnjié kuài dào le, nǐ zhǔnbèi gěi māma sòng shénme lǐwù ne? 母亲节 快 到 了，你 准备 给 妈妈 送 什么 礼物 呢？
Mother’s Day is coming. What present will you give your mom? B: Bú gàosu nǐ, …
劳动节 (Láodòngjié) Labor Day (Intermediate)
劳动节 (Láodòngjié) Labor Day (Intermediate)
Example:
A: Láodòngjié fàngjià nǐ yǒu shénme jìhuà? 劳动节 放假 你 有 什么 计划？
Do you have any plans for the Labor Day holiday? B: Wǒ zhǔnbèi gēn péngyou qù lǚyóu. 我 准备 跟 朋友 去 旅游。
Yes, I plan …
Quote of the week (Apr. 26, 2010)
Wǒ bù zhīdào shénme shì shíshàng, dàn wǒ zhīdào wǒ yìzhí zài yǐnlǐng shíshàng. 我 不 知道 什么 是 时尚， 但 我 知道 我 一直 在 引领 时尚。
I’ve no idea what fashion is, but I know that I have been leading the fashion trend. …