#ChineseVocabulary

新气象 (xīnqìxiàng) The New Look (Intermediate)

新气象 (xīnqìxiàng) The New Look 

The character “新 (xīn)” means new; “气 (qì)” means gas or air and “象

(xiàng)” means alike or resemble.

Example:

Tāde chūxiàn gěi tǐtán zēngtiān le jǐfēn xīnqìxiàng. 他的出现给体坛增添了几分新气象。

The emergence of him breathes new life into the sporting world.

Got questions?…

联欢晚会 (liánhuān wǎnhuì) Festival Gala Evening (Intermediate)

联欢晚会 (liánhuān wǎnhuì) Festival Gala Evening

The character “联 (lián)” means to unite; “欢 (huān)” means happy; “晚

(wǎn)” means evening and “会 (huì)” means party.

Example:

Jùshuō chūnjié liánhuān wǎnhuì yǒu hěnduō míngxīng lái yǎnchū. 据说春节联欢晚会有很多明星来演出。

It is said that a lot of stars will come to perform at Spring Festival Eve Gala Evening.…

大餐 (dàcān) Sumptuous Meal (Intermediate)

大餐 (dàcān) Sumptuous Meal  

“大餐(dàcān)” are the Chinese characters for “Sumptuous Meal.” The

character “大 (dà)” means big or sumptuous and the character “餐 (cān)”

means meal.

Example:

Wǒ shèngdànjié wǎnshang yào hé péngyou yìqǐ qù chī dàcān. 我圣诞节晚上要和朋友一起去吃大餐。

I’m going to have a sumptuous meal with my friends on Christmas night.…

圣诞老人 (shèngdàn lǎorén) Santa Claus (Beginner)

圣诞老人 (shèngdàn lǎorén) Santa Claus  “圣诞老人 (shèngdàn lǎorén)” are the Chinese characters for “Santa Claus.” The character “圣 (shèng)” means saint; “诞 (dàn)” means birth; “老 (lǎo)” means old, and “人 (rén)” means person.

Example:

Nǐ zhīdào shèngdàn lǎorén xiànzài duō dà niánlíng ma? 你知道圣诞老人现在多大年龄吗? Do you know how old is Santa Claus now?…

糖果 (tángguǒ) Candy (Beginner)

糖果 (tángguǒ) Candy 

“糖果 (tángguǒ)” are the Chinese characters for “Candy.” The character

“糖 (táng)” means sugar or sweets and the character “果 (guǒ)” means

fruit.

Example: Měi nián shèngdànjié de shíhou, tángguǒ de xiāoliàng dōu hěn hǎo. 每年圣诞节的时候,糖果的销量都很好。

Candy sells well at every Christmas. Got questions?…

狂欢 (kuánghuān) Binge or Revelry (Intermediate)

狂欢 (kuánghuān) Binge or Revelry 

“狂欢 (kuánghuān)” are the Chinese character for “Revelry.” The

character “狂 (kuáng)” means unrestrained and the character “欢 (huān)”

means happy.

Example:
Shèngdànjié dàjiā yìqǐ qù kuánghuān ba!

圣诞节大家一起去狂欢吧!

We are going to revel at Christmas.

Got questions?

// // …

圣诞节 (shèngdànjié) Christmas (Beginner)

圣诞节 (shèngdànjié) Christmas 

“圣诞节 (shèngdànjié)” are the Chinese characters for “Christmas.” The character “圣 (shèng)” means saint; “诞 (dàn)” means birth, and “节

(jié)”  means festival.

Example: Yuèláiyuèduō de zhōngguórén yě kāishǐ guò shèngdànjié. 越来越多的中国人也开始过圣诞节。

More and more Chinese people have begun to celebrate Christmas.

Got questions?…

平安夜 (píng’ān yè) Christmas Eve (Beginner)

平安夜 (píng’ān yè) Christmas Eve 

“平安夜 (píng’ānyè)” are the Chinese characters for “Christmas Eve.”

The character “平 (píng)” means flat; “安 (ān)” means peace or safe, and “夜 (yè)” means night.

Example:

Xiàn zài hěnduō niánqīngrén xuǎnzé hé fùmǔ yìqǐ guò píng ān yè. 现在很多年轻人选择和父母一起过平安夜。

Now many young people choose to get together with their parents on Christmas Eve.…

随便 (suíbiàn) Casual/ Informal (Intermediate)

随便 (suíbiàn) Casual/Informal

 type=”audio/mpeg”>

The character “随 (suí)” means to comply with and “便 (biàn)” means convenience. Example: Tā píngshí zhuózhuāng hěn suíbiàn, cóngbù jiǎngjiu. 他平时着装很随便,从不讲究。 He usually dresses casually and never pays much attention to the way he dresses.

 type=”audio/mpeg”>

Got questions? // // HSK Test General Chinese (Beginner Level) General Chinese (Intermediate Level)

下马威 (xiàmǎwēi) Show one’s power to intimidate others at the beginning (Advanced)

下马威 (xiàmǎwēi) Show one’s power to intimidate others at the  

beginning

 

The character “下 (xià)” means to get down; “马 (mǎ)” means horse and

“威 (wēi)” means power. Oftentimes, this phrase is used when power or

severity is displayed by an official upon taking office.

Example:

第一次参加面试,面试官就给了她一个下马威。

Dì yī cì cānjiā miànshì, miànshìguān jiù gěile tā yí gè xiàmǎwēi.…

知己 (zhījǐ) Extremely close friend/Bosom friend (Intermediate)

知己 (zhījǐ) Extremely close friend/ Bosom friend 

The character “知 (zhī)” means to know and “己 (jǐ)” means self.

Example:

Yī gè rén huì yǒu hěnduō péngyou, dàn nénggòu chéngwéi zhījǐ de què hěn shǎo. 一个人会有很多朋友,但能够成为知己的却很少。

A person will have many friends, but just a few can become very close friends.…

China’s Most Valuable Brand

China’s Most Valuable Brand

Key Learning Points (Preview):

抱怨 (bàoyuàn): v to complain 

信誉 (xìnyù): n reputation 

In December 2009, China’s most valuable brand list was “揭晓 (jiēxiǎo) announced” in New York and 100 Chinese consumer brands “进入 (jìnrù) entered” the final list, including “联想(liánxiǎng) Lenovo,” and “TCL.”…

磨杵成针 Grinding an Iron Pestle into a Needle

磨杵成针 (móchǔchéngzhēn) Grinding an Iron Pestle into a Needle

(Try our Chinese idiom lesson for you)

Lǐ Bái xiǎo shíhou tè tānwán, yí dào shàngkè jiù zǒushén. 李 白  小    时候   特   贪玩,一 到    上课     就   走神。  Li Bai was fond of playing when he was young, so he was always absent-minded in classes.…

Scroll to Top