碰壁(pèngbì) Be rebuffed

In this word, 碰(pèng) means "bump" and 壁(bì) means "wall." The whole word 碰壁(pèngbì) literally means "run up against a wall." But people usually use it to describe a situation in which you are turned down or rebuffed. In Chinese feudal times, a corrupted 衙门(yámen) government was always closed to the common people who wanted to 申冤(shēnyuān) seek justice. These people had to put up with the officials' temper and were often rejected and were not allowed to enter the door, which literally means 碰壁(pèngbì). Thus, 碰壁(pèngbì) became a popular term for being rejected. Nowadays, the word has a much broader usage. Take a look at the examples below:

1. 为了解决员工的住宿问题，他已经找过领导好几次，但次次碰壁。(wèi le jiĕjué yuángōng de zhùsù wèntí, tā yĭjīng zhăo guò líng dăo hăo jĭcì, dàn cìcì pèngbì.) To solve his staff's accommodation problem, he has called on his superior several times, but every time he was rebuffed. In this sentences, 碰壁(pèngbì) has a similar meaning with the ancient one.

2. 我的一个好主意又碰壁了。(wŏ de yígè hăo zhŭyi yòu pèngbì le.) Another of my great ideas bites the dust(be denied).

3. 生活中的多次碰壁已经让他绝望了。(shēnghuó zhōng de duōcì pèngbì yĭjīng ràng tā juéwàng le.) So many failures in life made him desperate.

恶搞 (ègăo) Mischievous distortion

There are two famous film awards in the world. One is the "Oscar Awards" and the other is "Golden Raspberry Awards." While "Oscars" always awards the best actors in the world, "Golden Raspberry Awards" always issues awards to the worst ones. People say "Golden Raspberry Awards" is a 恶搞(ègăo) mischievous distortion of "Oscars." 恶搞(ègăo) comes from Japanese. 恶(è) doesn't mean "evil, ferocity" here, it is similar to "mischievously" and 搞(găo) generally means "do something." On the whole, 恶搞(ègăo) can be regarded as "mischievously do something." The behavior of 恶搞(ègăo) is often conducted by young people who adapt certain dialogs in a show into humorous ones, oftentimes showing a 讽刺(fĕngcì) sarcastic attitude or negative connotation.

Example:
那部电影上映不久后就被网友恶搞了。(nà bù diànyĭng shàngyìng bùjiŭ hòu jiù bèi wăngyŏu ègăo le.)
The movie was mischievously distorted by Internet users not long after its release.

生词(shēngcí) Vocabulary:
衙门 yámen: n ancient Chinese government
申冤 shēnyuān: v to seek justice
讽刺 fĕngcì: n/v sarcasm/sarcastic

“无论是国家还是个人，只有坚定信念，明天才会更美好。” (wúlùn shì guójiā háishì gèrén, zhĭyŏu jiāndìng xìnniàn, míngtiān cái huì gèng měihăo.)
"No matter whether concerning countries or individuals, as long as they continue to keep the faith, all of them will see a better future."

The above was said by Chinese movie star Zhang Ziyi at a recent awarding ceremony. Ziyi has grown from a young girl to an internationally 闻名(wénmíng) known star. In 2000, with the movie 卧虎藏龙(wòhŭcánglóng) Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon), Zhang Ziyi 一夜成名(yíyèchéngmíng) became famous overnight and successfully got recognition in Hollywood. In a place with few Chinese actors in Hollywood, Zhang Ziyi strived for her dream without too much outside help. With a never-give-up attitude, Zhang has eventually become 认可(rènkĕ) recognized around the world. When asked how she became so popular in just 10 years, she answered:

“我所做的一切，其实只是想当一个更好的女演员，让自己的路走的更精彩。” (wŏ suŏ zuò de yíqiè, qíshí zhĭshì xiăng dāng yí gè gènghăo de nǚyănyuán, ràng zìjĭ de lù zŏu de gèng jīngcăi.)
"Everything I do is to become a better actress and to live a more wonderful life."

Beginner Level / 初级chūjí
Man: 你好！我觉得你挺特别的，能做个朋友吗？
          nĭhăo! wŏ juéde nĭ tĭng tèbié de, néng zuò gè péngyou ma?
          Hello! You are really special. Can we be friends?
Woman: 好的，我很乐意。
                hăo de, wŏ hěn lèyì.
                Yes, it's my pleasure.

生词(shēngcí) Vocabulary:
特别的 tèbié de：adj special
乐意 lèyì: a be happy to do something

Intermediate Level / 中级zhōngjí
Man: 请问一下，前面是不是有一个邮局？
          qĭng wèn yíxià, qián mian shì bu shì yŏu yí gè yóujú?
          Excuse me! Is there a post office ahead?
Woman:是的，一直往前走就到了。
               shì de, yìzhí wăng qián zŏu jiù dào le.
               Yes, keep going straight and you will find it.
Man: 谢谢！我觉得你人真好。
          xièxiè! wŏ juéde nĭ rén zhēn hăo .
          Thank you. You are so kind.
Woman: 谢谢。
               xièxiè.
               Thanks.
Man: 可以给我你的电话号码吗？我想和你做朋友。
          ké yĭ gěi wŏ nĭ de diàn huà hào mă ma? Wŏ xiăng hé nĭ zuò péngyou.
          Can I have your telephone number? I want to make friends with you.

生词(shēngcí) Vocabulary:
觉得 juéde: v think, feel
真好 zhēn hăo: adj kind
电话号码 diànhuà hàomă: n telephone number

Advanced Level / 高级gāojí
Man: 请问现在几点了？
          qĭng wèn xiànzài jĭdiăn le?
          Could you tell me what the time it is now?
Woman: 八点了。
                bādiăn le.
                It's eight o'clock.
Man: 谢谢！我们在哪里见过吗？我觉得你挺眼熟的。
          xièxiè! wŏmen zài nălĭ jiànguò ma? wŏ jué de nĭ tĭng yănshú de.
          Thanks! Have we met each other before? You look very familiar.
Woman: 我们没见过吧！
                wŏmen méi jiànguò ba!
               I don't think so.
Man: 反正我觉得你挺面熟的，感觉很亲切。
         fănzhèng wŏ juéde nĭ tĭng miànshú de, gănjué hěn qīnqiè.
          Anyway, you look very familiar and nice.
Woman:谢谢！
                xiè xiè!
               Thanks.
Man: 你住得远吗？这么晚了，要不我送你吧！
         nĭ zhù de yuăn ma? zhème wŏn le. yàobù wŏ sòng nĭ ba!
         Do you live far from here? It is so late. Can I walk you home?

"觉得"(juéde) is a commonly used term to express one's ideas or opinions. For example:
我觉得我们需要去买些食物回来。
wŏ juéde wŏmen xūyào qù măi xiē shíwù huílái.
I think we should buy some food.
我觉得她很漂亮。
wŏ juéde tā hěn piàoliang.
I think she is really beautiful.

The phrase "金婚(jīnhūn)" has become more popular ever since the release of the TV series "金婚(jīnhūn)" in 2006. As the title suggests, it is a story about an ordinary couple's fifty-year marriage from 1956 to the new century."金婚(jīnhūn)" refers to a fifty-year marriage. Chinese use different phrases to refer to different wedding anniversaries. Below is a list of the Chinese phrases for wedding anniversaries:

①一只乌鸦口渴了，到处找水喝。
    yìzhī wūyā kŏukĕ le, dàochù zhăo shuĭ hē.
    A crow felt thirsty and was looking for water everywhere.

②这时，乌鸦看见一个瓶子。瓶子里有水，可是瓶子很高，瓶口很小，
    里边的水又少，它喝不着。怎么办呢?
    zhèshí, wūyā kànjiàn yígè píngzi. píngzi lĭ yŏu shuĭ, kĕshì píngzi hĕn gāo,
     píngkŏu hĕn xiăo, lĭbiān de shuĭ yòu shăo, tā hē bù zháo. zĕnme bàn
     ne?
    At this point, the crow saw a bottle with water. But the bottle was high with
    a small opening and there was only a little water in it. The crow could
    not get to the water. What could he do?

③乌鸦看见旁边有许多小石子，它想了想，有办法了！
    wūyā kànjiàn pángbiān yŏu xŭduō xiăo shízĭ, tā xiăng le xiăng, yŏu bànfă le!
    The crow saw many little stones around him. He suddenly got an idea.

④乌鸦把小石子一个个叼起来，放到瓶子里。瓶子里的水慢慢升高，乌鸦就喝着水了。
    wūyā bă xiăo shízĭ yí gè gè diāo qĭlái, fàng dào píngzi lĭ. píngzi lĭ de shuĭ mànmàn shēnggāo, wūyā jiù hē zháo     shuĭ le.
    The crow held the stones by his teeth one by one and then put them in the bottle. Gradually, the water rose and     the crow could finally have a drink.

Now from the story, what do you think of the crow? When facing difficulties, you should learn from the crow and manage to find a solution to overcome difficulties.

Recognize the characters:
1. 喝(hē) drink & 渴(kĕ) thirsty
i.e. 我很渴，想喝水。
       wŏ hĕn kĕ, xiăng hēshuĭ.
       I'm very thirsty and I want to drink water.
2. 乌(wū) black & 鸟(niăo) bird
i.e. 这种鸟的名字叫乌鸦。
       zhè zhŏng niăo de míngzi jiào wūyā.
       This kind of bird is called crow.

Learn Chinese Tip (VI): If a student wants to know her Chinese level, the best way is to take a Mandarin Chinese Proficiency test. There exist several authoritative Chinese tests such as AP Chinese exam, HSK, etc. For foreign students, online mandarin Chinese may be an effective way to prepare for the tests because of the convenience and authenticity offered by online mandarin language courses (e.g. how to write Chinese). And for those who don't have enough time to learn Chinese when in the school year, joining a summer Chinese program is helpful to
their progress.