Mǎ nián dà jí 马年大吉 Good luck in the Year of the Horse
Lóng mǎ jīng shén 龙马精神 May you be energetic and vigorous
Mǎ shàng yǒu qián 马上有钱 May money come immediately
Mǎ nián xíng dà yùn 马年行大运 Good fortune in the Year of …
Jīng yà 惊讶 Surprised
Wǒ hěn jīng yà! 我很惊讶！ I am very surprised!
Zhēn lìng rén jīng yà! 真令人惊讶！ That’s really surprising!
Jīng xǐ 惊喜 Surprise
Zhēn shì yī gè dà jīng xǐ! 真是一个大惊喜！ What a big surprise!
Tài lìng rén jīng xǐ le! 太令人惊喜了！ …
Many learners ask the same question at some point: How hard on earth is learning Chinese?
This question rarely appears at the beginning. It usually comes later, after you have learned basic grammar, memorized vocabulary, practiced tones, and perhaps even learned to read …
Dà nián chū yī 大年初一 First Day of Chinese New Year
Bài nián 拜年 Visit family and friends to greet the New Year
Xīn nián kuài lè! 新年快乐！ Happy Chinese New Year！
Xīn chūn kuài lè! 新春快乐！ Happy Spring Festival!
Chuān xīn yī 穿新衣 Wear …
Chú xī 除夕 Chinese New Year’s Eve
Chú xī kuài lè! 除夕快乐！ Happy Chinese New Year’s Eve!
Shǒu suì 守岁 Stay up for the New Year
Yā suì qián 压岁钱 Lucky money
Nián yè fàn 年夜饭 New Year’s Eve dinner
Tiē chūn lián 贴春联 Put …
Sōng le yī kǒu qì 松了一口气 Relieved
Wǒ sōng le yī kǒu qì. 我松了一口气。 I’m relieved. / I feel relieved.
Zhōng yú sōng le yī kǒu qì! 终于松了一口气！ Finally, I can breathe a sigh of relief!
Tīng dào zhè ge xiāo xi， Wǒ lì kè …
You can produce grammatically correct Chinese sentences, yet real conversations still feel restrictive. When the conversation moves in an unexpected direction, you may struggle to respond, relying on memorized sentences instead of expressing your own ideas.
The issue isn’t accuracy. It’s flexibility.
Shī wàng 失望 Disappointed
Wǒ hěn shī wàng. 我很失望。 I’m disappointed.
Wǒ yǒu diǎn shī wàng. 我有点失望。 I am a little disappointed.
Wǒ duì zì jǐ hěn shī wàng. 我对自己很失望。 I am very disappointed in myself.
Zhēn ràng rén shī wàng. 真让人失望。 It’s really disappointing.…
Jǐn zhāng 紧张 Nervous
Wǒ yǒu diǎn jǐn zhāng. 我有点紧张。 I’m a little nervous.
Wǒ hǎo jǐn zhāng. 我好紧张。 I’m so nervous.
Bié jǐn zhāng! 别紧张！ Don’t be nervous!
Wǒ bù jǐn zhāng. 我不紧张。 I’m not nervous.
Yī diǎn yě bù jǐn zhāng! 一点也不紧张！ Not …
Many learners of Chinese reach a stage where they understand the words, but still misunderstand the message. A sentence sounds polite, neutral, or even positive. But the conversation suddenly stops, changes direction, or quietly ends. That’s because in Chinese, sometimes what a sentence literally says …
Jiāo ào 骄傲 Proud
Wǒ hěn jiāo ào. 我很骄傲。 I feel proud.
Wǒ wèi zì jǐ gǎn dào jiāo ào. 我为自己感到骄傲。 I’m proud of myself.
Mā ma wèi wǒ jiāo ào. 妈妈为我骄傲。 Mom is proud of me.
Wǒ wèi wǒ de jiā rén gǎn dào …
Xīng fèn 兴奋 Excited
Jīn tiān wǒ hěn xīng fèn. 今天我很兴奋。 I’m excited today.
Wǒ hǎo xīng fèn a! 我好兴奋啊！ I’m so excited!
Jī dòng! 激动！ Excited
Wǒ hěn jī dòng! 我很激动！ I’m very excited!
Wǒ jī dòng de shuì bù zháo! 我激动得睡不着！ I’m too …
Yǒng gǎn 勇敢 Brave
Wǒ hěn yǒng gǎn. 我很勇敢。 I am very brave.
Wǒ kě yǐ yǒng gǎn de shuō “bù”. 我可以勇敢地说“不”。 I can bravely say “no”.
Wǒ shì yǒng gǎn de hái zi. 我是勇敢的孩子。 I am a brave kid.
Wǒ biàn yǒng gǎn le! …
Many learners of Chinese experience the same frustration: in real conversations, you often hear only parts of sentences. Subjects seem missing, objects are left unsaid, and the meaning isn’t always explicit. Even when you know the vocabulary, conversations can feel confusing and incomplete.
This …
Wǒ bù pà le. 我不怕了。 I’m not scared anymore.
Xiàn zài bù pà le. 现在不怕了。 I’m not scared now.
Yī diǎn yě bù pà. 一点也不怕。 Not scared at all.
Wǒ bù zài hài pà le. 我不再害怕了。 I’m not scared anymore.
Wǒ yī diǎn yě bù …
Wǒ zuò dào le! 我做到了！ I did it!
Wǒ chéng gōng le! 我成功了！ I succeeded!
Wǒ huì le! 我会了！ I can do it now!
Wǒ xué huì le! 我学会了！ I learned it!
Wǒ zì jǐ wán chéng le! 我自己完成了！ I finished it all by myself!…
Wǒ xū yào bāng zhù. 我需要帮助。 I need help.
Nǐ kě yǐ bāng wǒ ma? 你可以帮我吗？ Can you help me?
Kě yǐ jiāo wǒ ma? 可以教我吗？ Can you teach me?
Zhè ge zěn me zuò? 这个怎么做？ How do I do this?
Bāng wǒ yī xià. …
Many Chinese learners reach a frustrating stage where everything feels familiar, yet nothing feels clear.
You recognize the characters. You can read the sentence smoothly. But when it comes to explaining what it really means, you hesitate.
This kind of confusion doesn’t come from a …
Wǒ zài shì yī cì. 我再试一次。 I’ll try again.
Zài lái yī cì. 再来一次。 One more time.
Wǒ hái xiǎng shì yī xià. 我还想试一下。 I still want to try.
Méi shì, zài shì yī cì. 没事，再试一次。 It’s OK. Try again.
Wǒ kě yǐ zài lái …
You can learn to drink hot water, master using chopsticks, and even understand the cultural importance of balance and routine. But there’s one skill most Chinese learners don’t realize they need until it’s urgent: the ability to accurately describe symptoms in a doctor’s office.
While
