Key Learning Points (Preview): 粽子 (zòngzi)
rice dumpling
庆祝 (qìngzhù)
to celebrate
In the west, people “庆祝 (qìngzhù) celebrate” Easter Day in memory of Jesus. They eat Easter Eggs to commemorate this day. In China, people have a similar celebration of a heroic figure from ancient times on the Dragon Boat Festival.…
Key Learning Point (Preview):
母亲 (mǔqīn)/妈妈 (māma)/娘 (niáng)/老妈 (lǎomā): mother/mummy/mum
“母亲节 (Mǔqīnjié) Mother’s Day” is coming soon, have you decided what present to give to your mother? Wouldn’t learning to address your mother in Chinese be a big surprise and a sweet gift?
In oral Chinese, there are many ways to say mother, for example, 妈 (mā), 妈妈 (māma), 阿妈 (ā‘mā) and 娘亲 (niángqīn).…
At some point every foreigner must face the Chinese toilet. Try as you might, you’ll one day find yourself hearing nature’s call with no ritzy Western restaurant in sight. And then it’ll happen again, and again, and then again. But never fear! Those public restrooms you’ve seen lingering around the city are always content to take in a pedestrian with an imminent need.…
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 be aware of before you get shopping.…
Answer: B Check out the diagram below to find out the gestures that are used in China to express numbers!
Body Parts: The Names of the Fingers in Chinese <<Back to “The Insider’s Look on Using Chinese Hand Gestures”
Did you know the gestures used to express numbers in the west and in China are different? Check out this quiz below and see if you already know the differences!
How old is the boy? A. “五 岁(wǔ suì)” 5 years old B. “六 岁(liù suì)” 6 years old C.…
Answer: B The correct answer is B. “属于(shǔyú)” means “belong to” or “the category of something.” There are 12 kinds of animals within the Chinese Zodiac, including 鼠(shǔ) rat, 牛(niú) rat, 虎 (hǔ) tiger, 兔(tù) rabbit, 龙 (lóng) dragon, 蛇(shé) snake, 马(mǎ) horse, 羊 (yáng) sheep, 猴 (hóu) monkey, 鸡 (jī) rooster, 狗 (gǒu) dog, and 猪(zhū) pig.…
Jié Kè: Māo ____ shíèr shēngxiāo ma? 杰 克：猫 ____ 十二 生肖 吗？ Jack: The cat is the 12th zodiac right? Mǎ Lì: Bù, shíèr shēngxiāo lǐmiàn méiyǒu māo. 玛 丽：不，十二 生肖 里面 没有 猫。 Mary: No, the cat isn’t one of the zodiacs. Jié Kè: Nà zhū ne?…
Food is a big deal in China. In fact, food and eating are so important that a common greeting is “你吃了吗？(Nǐ chī le ma?)” This means, “Have you eaten yet?” Want to find out about one of the most delicious, regional cuisines in China?…
Answer: B As a technology user, you probably often reach into your “表情包(biǎoqíng bāo)” or “emoji bag” to represent some feeling that needs more than words. With this lesson you will get behind the scenes on what the emoticon actually means when it is sent by a Chinese person.…
Mǎ Kè: Lǐ Lì, míngtiān yìqǐ qù tīng yǎnchànghuì ba? 马 克：李丽，明天 一起 去 听 演唱会 吧？ Mark: Lily, there’s a concert tomorrow, we should go together! Lǐ Lì: Shuí de yǎnchànghuì a? 李丽：谁 的 演唱会 啊？ Lily: Who is playing? Mǎ Kè: Dāngdì de yígè xiǎo yuèduì.…
Answer: D The Lantern Festival “元宵节(yuánxiāojié)” is technically the last day of the Chinese Spring Festival and is an uplifting, traditional holiday. The literal meaning of “元宵节(yuánxiāojié)” is the Sweet Dumpling Festival. There is a large variety of delicious food served during the festival, but the most famous one is “元宵 (yuánxiāo) sweet dumpling,” which is what the festival is named after.…
A. Watch the dragon dance, or “舞龙舞狮(wǔlóng wǔshī)” B. Eat “汤圆 (tāngyuán) glutinous rice balls” C. Let off fireworks 烟花(yānhuā) in the street D. Enjoy viewing the moon, or “赏月(shǎngyuè)”
Answer: B Let’s take a look at the answer choices. As for A and C, “你真棒(Nǐ zhēn bàng)” and “你真牛(Nǐ zhēn niú)” both mean “You are great” in English and they are usually used in compliments.
Lǐ Lán: Wǒ tōngguò miànshì le! 李 兰：我 通过 面试 了！ Li Lan: I passed the interview!…
Compliments can be helpful in a lot of social situations. Maybe you need to suck up to your boss, flatter a pretty girl, or you just feel like letting someone know they’ve done a good job. So, do you know how to compliment someone in Chinese?…
Correct Answers 1. A 2. B <<Back to “Flattering & Giving Compliments in Chinese”
Compliments play an important role in maintaining good social relationships. After all, it never hurts to make others feel good about themselves! Let’s learn how to pay your Chinese friends compliments in Mandarin.
First, let’s have a look at the most common sentence structure for compliments.…
