Key Learning Point (Preview): 刻舟求剑 (kèzhōuqiújiàn) To Mark the Boat to Look for the Sword
Idiom Story:
Yǒu yígè Chǔguó rén chūmén yuǎnxíng. 有 一个 楚国 人 出门 远行。 There was a man from Chu who went out on a long journey.
Tā zài chéngchuán guòjiāng de shíhou, bù xiǎoxīn bǎ suíshēn dàizhe de jiàn luòdào jiāngzhōng le.…
As a Mandarin newbie, the two simple Chinese words “婆婆(pópo)” and “妈妈(māma)” may be familiar to you. “婆婆(pópo)” means mother-in-law and “妈妈(māma)” means mother. However, when these two Chinese words are combined, they create the word “婆婆妈妈(pópomāmā).” Do Chinese people use it to refer to one’s mother-in-law and mother at the same time?…
Generally the word “大(dà)” means big.
Example
Wǒ tīngshuō Zhāng Wěi xǐhuan nàgè dà yǎnjīng de nǚháir. 我 听说 张 伟 喜欢 那个 大 眼睛 的 女孩儿。
I heard that Zhang Wei likes that girl who has big eyes.
However, on some occasions when the word “大(dà)” is combined with certain words, it can create words with new meanings, such as “大手大脚(dàshǒu dàjiǎo)” and “大嘴巴(dà zuǐba).”…
“不可救药 (bùkějiùyào)” literally means that someone is so sick that no medicine can bring him back to good health, to be beyond saving, or in other words, hopeless. Just like the English word “hopeless,” “不可救药 (bùkějiùyào)” has evolved to describe someone who can’t be changed in regard to some aspect of temperament, or character.…
Key Learning Points (Preview):
能手 (néngshǒu): n. an expert/someone who masters a certain skill perfectly
中 (zhòng): v. to hit
Listen to the whole idiom story
Yǎng Yóujī shì gǔdài zhùmíng de shèjiàn néngshǒu. 养 由基 是 古代 著名 的 射箭 能手。
Yang Youji was afamous marksman in ancient China.…
Key Learning Point (Preview):
如鱼得水 (rúyúdéshuǐ): to feel just like a fish in water
Dōnghàn mònián, tiānxià dà luàn. 东汉 末年， 天下 大 乱。 In the late Eastern Han Dynasty, the country was in confusion.
Liú Bèi wèi tǒngyī tiānxià, tèyì bàifǎng yǐnjū de Zhūgě Liàng xúnqiú bāngzhù.…
Key Learning Point (Preview):
马马虎虎 (mǎma hūhu): careless/just so so
The idiom “马马虎虎 (mǎma hūhu)” is widely used by Chinese people in their daily lives. But why do people in China use this idiom? Let’s read the following story to find out.
Listen to the whole story:
Sòngdài yǒu ge huàjiā, zuòhuà wǎngwǎng suíxīnsuǒyù, lìng rén gǎo bù qīng tā huà de 宋代 有 个 画家，作画 往往 随心所欲， 令 人 搞 不 清 他 画 的 shì shénme.…
“少见多怪 (shǎojiànduōguài) is an everyday Chinese expression used to describe someone who is very naive. Besides this, the phrase is sometimes used to poke fun at those who announce a very common fact as a piece of amazing news. In English, people sometimes joke around by sarcastically saying “Way to go Captain Obvious.”…
弄巧成拙 (nòngqiǎochéngzhuó) Making a Fool of Oneself When Trying to Be Smart Key Learning Points (Preview):
画画 (huàhuà) v. to paint/ draw
着色 (zhuósè) v. to color
Běisòng shíqī, yǒu wèi huàjiā jiào Sūn Zhīwēi. 北宋 时期, 有 位 画家 叫 孙 知微。
During the Northern Song Dynasty, there was a painter named Sun Zhiwei, who also taught painting.…
As Mother’s Day is coming, we prepared a Mandarin Chinese story for this special day. It is a story about filial piety. In traditional Chinese culture, filial piety is the most important of all the virtues to Chinese people. Although society has changed a lot recently, filial piety is still an important part of Chinese culture.…
Learn Mandarin Chinese Idiom: 囫囵吞枣 (húlún tūnzǎo) To eat the date whole (Advanced)
In the Chinese idiom “囫囵吞枣 (húlún tūnzǎo)”, “囫囵 (húlún)” means “the whole;” “吞 (tūn)” means to “swallow;” “枣 (zǎo)” is “date.” This idiom means “to eat the date whole.”
Key Learning Points (Preview):
吞 (tūn): v.…
渔翁得利 (Yúwēngdélì) Tencent (QQ) vs. 360: The Fisherman benefits.
渔 (yú)：v. to catch fish
渔翁 (yúwēng)：n. fisherman
利 (lì)：n. profit
之 (zhī)：a structural auxiliary word, which means “of…,” more often used in ancient Chinese text
In early November, two of China’s most successful Internet companies took their long standing feud with each other to public.…
Chinese Language Story: 老马识途 (lǎomǎshítú) An Old Horse Knows the Way (Advanced) Listen to the whole story Key Learning Points (Preview): 凯旋而归 (kǎixuán’érguī): v. to return triumphant
毫不犹豫 (háobùyóuyù): adv. without hesitation
The Chinese idiom “老马识途 (lǎomǎshítú)” literally means that an old horse knows the way.…
In Chinese idiom “画饼充饥 (huàbǐngchōngjī) ,” “画 (huà)” means “to draw;” “饼 (bǐng)” refers to “pancakes;” “充 (chōng)” is “to fill or stuff sth,” which indicates “to stave off or to relieve” in this Chinese idiom; “饥 (jī)” means “being hungry.”…
叶公好龙 (Yègōng hào lóng) Lord Ye Loved Dragons
“叶公好龙 (Yègōng hào lóng)” is a Chinese idiom meaning that someone loves a certain thing outwardly, but not sincerely.
Key Learning Point (Preview):
好 (hào): v. to love/to like
Cóngqián yǒu gè rén jiào Yègōng, tā hěn xǐhuan lóng.…
Key Learning Points (Preview):
输(shū): v. to lose
赢(yíng): v. to win
Qíguó de dà jiāngjūn Tián Jì hěn xǐhuan sàimǎ. 齐国 的 大 将军 田 忌 很 喜欢 赛马。 It is said that Tian Ji, a general from the state of Qi, loved racing horses.…
In this Chinese idiom “爱屋及乌 (àiwūjíwū) Love me, love my dog,” “爱” means “like” or “love;” “屋” refers to “house;” “及” is a conjunction which means “and;” “乌” refers to “乌鸦 (wūyā),” which is “crow.” “爱屋及乌” is a Chinese idiom originally from a story in history a long time ago:
Shāngcháo mò nián, Zhōu Wǔwáng zài Jiāng Shàng (Tàigōng) děng rén de bāngzhù xià, 商朝 末 年， 周 武王 在 姜 尚 （太公） 等 人 的 帮助 下， chūbīng tǎofá Zhòuwáng bìng qǔ dé shènglì.…
初生牛犊不怕虎 (chū shēng niúdú bú pà hǔ) New-born Calves are not Afraid of Tigers
Key Learning Point (Preview): 怕 (pà): v to fear/ be afraid of
Towards the end of Eastern Han Dynasty, “刘备 (Liú Bèi) Liu Bei” captured the city “汉中 (Hànzhōng) Hanzhong” from “曹操 (Cáo Cāo) Cao Cao” and proclaimed himself king.…
