#ChineseCulturalHighlights

春雨(chūnyǔ) The Spring Rain

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Dīdā dīdā,  xià xiǎoyǔ le. 滴答 滴答，下  小雨  了。 Drip, drip, it’s raining.

Zhǒngzi shuō, xiàba xiàba, wǒ yào fāyá. 种子        说， 下吧 下吧，我  要  发芽。 The seeds say: “Please rain, please rain I want to sprout.”

Líshù shuō, xiàba xiàba, wǒ yào kāihuā. 梨树    说， 下吧  下吧，我  要   开花。 The pear says: “Please rain, please rain.…

Chinese Poems 嫦娥 (Cháng É) To the Moon Goddess

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嫦 娥(Cháng É) To the Moon Goddess

by 李商隐 (Lĭ Shāngyĭn) Li Shangyin

Yúnmŭ píngfēng zhúyĭng shēn, chánghé jiàn luò xiăoxīng chén. 云母       屏风       烛影      深，    长河     渐  落    晓星      沉。 Now that a candle-shadow stands on the screen of carven marble，and the River of Heaven slants and the morning stars are low。 Cháng É yīng huĭ tōu língyào, bìhăi qīngtiān yè yè xīn.…

长藤挂铜铃 (Cháng téng guà tóng líng) The Vine Hangs a Copper Bell

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长藤挂铜铃 (Cháng téng guà tóng líng) The Vine Hangs a Copper Bell

Qīngqīng shānshàng yī gēn téng, qīngténg dĭ xià guà tónglíng, 青  青          山 上      一  根   藤，  青 藤     底 下  挂    铜   铃， On a green mountain grows a vine. Under the vine hangs a copper bell.…

A Frugal Nation – Are You A Member of This New Chinese Group?

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In China, a new kind of “族 (zú)” is emerging. The word “族 (zú)” is usually used to mean “ethnicity,” which is “民族 (mínzú),” and “race,” which is “种族 (zhǒngzú).” Though there are 56 ethnic groups in China, if we were to say a new “族 (zú)” is being added, would that mean that there are now 57 ethnicities instead of 56?…

Rent a girlfriend for the Chinese New Year (Elementary)

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Recently, there has been an intriguing news story spreading across the internet in China. Lily and Jerry are talking about it.

           Wǒ kàndào yítiáo qíguài de xīnwén.    Lily：我    看到    一条    奇怪   的   新闻。

            I read a weird piece of news.

           Shénme xīnwén? Jerry：什么        新闻？

           What was it about?…

What color is your “collar?” (Elementary)

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Lucy asks Li Hua to go shopping, but she doesn’t seem to want to go. Why? Let’s look at the following conversation.             Zánmen qù mǎi yīfu ba! Lucy：咱们     去  买  衣服 吧！

             Let’s go shopping for some clothes!

             Wǒ búqù, wǒ méiqián le. Li Hua：我   不去，我   没钱   了。

              I don’t want to go.…

Don’t forget Liu Xiang. (Beginner)

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Key Learning Points (Preview):

支持 (zhīchí): v./n. to support/support

相信 (xiāngxìn): v. to believe

努力 (nǔlì): v./n. to try hard/effort

Examples:

Liú Xiáng, wǒmen yǒngyuǎn zhīchí nǐ. 刘    翔，    我们       永远       支持 你! Liu Xiang, we will support you forever!

Nǐ duì wǒ de zhīchí shì zuì zhòngyào de.…

The Four Beauties of Ancient China (Intermediate)

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中国古代四大美女 (Zhōngguó gǔdài sì dà měinǚ) The Four Beauties of Ancient China

Key Learning Points (Preview): 美女 (měinǚ): n. beauty

含蓄 (hánxù): adj. reserved/implicit

温柔 (wēnróu): adj. gentle/tender

Throughout China’s five thousand year history, numerous heroic figures have emerged and captured the people’s fancy. But what most impresses and remains in the people’s minds are the ancient “美女 (měinǚ) beauties.”…

Most Frequently Used Chinese Words for Tattoo (Intermediate)

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Chinese Lessons Online -Most Frequently Used Chinese Words for Tattoo Key Learning Points (Preview): 纹身 (wénshēn): v./n. to tattoo/tattoo

勇气 (yǒngqì): n. courage

Do you have “纹身 (wénshēn) tattoos?” The Mexico International Tattoo Expo has just been held in Monterey. A variety of tattoos raised a lot of eyebrows.…

Wēibó-The Twitter in China (Intermediate)

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Chinese Language: Wēibó-The Twitter in China Key Learning Points (Preview):

关注 (guānzhù): v. to pay close attention to

微博控 (wēibó kòng): to be obsessed with microblogs

The year of 2010 has been called “中国微博元年 (Zhōngguó wēibó yuánnián) the first year of microblogging in China.” The number of people signed up for microblog sites has grown to over 120 million, which has been great news for the Chinese web industry.…

Li Bai- China’s Greatest Poet (Intermediate)

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Online Chinese Lesson- Li Bai- China’s Greatest Poet (Intermediate)

Key Learning Points (Preview):

纪念 (jìniàn): v. to commemorate

风格 (fēnggé): n. style

Feb. 28, 2011 is the 1310th anniversary of the Poet Li Bai, one of the greatest poets in world history. Many people “纪念 (jìniàn) commemorated” this event on microblog sites in China that are similar to Twitter.…

Appreciating Modern Chinese Beauty (Advanced)

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Appreciating Modern Chinese Beauty (Advanced) Chinese Name: 中国式美丽 (Zhōngguó shì měilì)

Key Learning Points (Preview): 美丽 (měilì): n. beauty

传统的 (chuántǒng de): adj. traditional

展示 (zhǎnshì): v. to show/to display

People of China in China’s National Image Promotional Video (Chinese name: 中国国家形象宣传篇之人物篇 Zhōngguó guójiā xíngxiàng xuānchuán piān zhī rénwù piān) was shown on Jan.…

上海世博会The Shanghai World Expo (Advanced)

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上海世博会(Shànghǎi Shìbóhuì) The Shanghai World Expo

Listen to the whole story:

Key Learning Points (Preview) 世博会(Shìbóhuì): n. World Expo

突破(tūpò): v. to break

创造(chuàngzào): v. to create

Shíyuè sānshíyī rì, Zhōngguó Shànghǎi Shìbóhuì zài rèliè de wǎnhuì zhōng chénggōng 10月     31         日, 中国         上海          世博会    在  热烈 的    晚会    中       成功             luòxià wéimù.…

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