吃闭门羹 (chī bìméngēng) To be denied entrance Wáng xiānsheng hé tā de péngyŏu chăojià hòu, měicì xiăng qù héjiě dōu huì chī bìméngēng. 王 先生 和 他 的 朋友 吵架 后，每次 想 去 和解 都 会 吃 闭门羹。 Ever since the quarrel between Mr. Wang …
Learn Chinese Tip III: Learning Chinese characters comes just after learning Pinyin. To learn Chinese characters, you can read books, such as Fun with Chinese Character, which explains the structure and meaning of each character with illustrations and little stories. Learn Chinese Tip IV: Most …
Chinese character is one important part to learn Chinese. In the previous issues(June 10, 2009 & June 17, 2009), six kinds of basic Chinese character strokes were introduced: 撇(piĕ) left-falling stroke, 竖(shù) vertical stroke, 捺(nà) right-falling stroke, 横(héng) horizontal stroke, 点(diăn) dot …
炒鱿鱼 (chăo yóu yú) Get fired
In China, when people are fired by their boss, they often like to say “我被炒鱿鱼了(wŏ bèi chăo yóu yú le) I am fired.” If foreigners hear this phrase for the first time, they may not understand.
Now take a …
Instructions: Fill in the blanks
Hints:
⑴to lease ⑵children ∕ sons and daughters ⑶child
①to devote ②rent a house (topic of the conversation in the previous issue of Newsletter) ③daughter ④childhood
Instructions: Fill in the blanks
Hints:
①swine flu (a word occurring in the third issue of Newsletter) ②new words (part of the conversation in each issue of Newsletter) ③grammar
⑴popular words ⑵law
In 2009, a movie called 孔子(kŏngzĭ) Confucius is being filmed in China. It claims that it will give a realistic portrayal of 孔子(kŏngzĭ) Confucius’ life. Famous Chinese Hong Kong actor Yun-Fat Chow will play the leading role. Despite the 争议(zhēngyì) controversy, surrounding this movie, many …
After accepting invitations from a friend, you must choose a special gift for the host. Many things could be on your present list: fruit, clothes, or books. However, in China, the Bell “钟”(zhōng) could never be given as a present. In Chinese, “钟”(zhōng) has the …
How to learn Chinese is a frequently asked question. With the purpose to help you become successful in learning Chinese, here are some tips for you: Learn Chinese Tip I: Where to start? Chinese Pinyin should be the first step to learn Chinese. Pinyin contains …
In the previous issue, the story ended with “At that time, a wolf came…” Let’s see what happens next:
Láng láidào zhū lăodà de fángzi qián, yī kŏu qì jiù bă zhū lăodà de căofáng chuī dăo le. Zhū lăo dà zhĭnéng xiàng zhū …
1. Cóngqián, yŏu sān zhī xiăozhū líkāi māma, yào qù guò dúlì de shēnghuó. 从前， 有 三 只 小猪 离开 妈妈，要 去 过 独立 的 生活。 Long time ago, three pigs decided to …
Conversation: 租房子 (zū fáng zi)Rent a house
Beginner Level / 初级水平 (chū jí shuĭ píng)：
A: Qĭngwèn nín zhè tào gōngyù duōshăo qián yígè yuè? A: 请问 您 这 套 公寓 多少 钱 一个 月？ A: Excuse me, how much is the apartment a month?…
Chinese Character Series (Part II)
In the previous issue(Jun 10, 2009), three kinds of basic Chinese character strokes were introduced: 撇(piĕ) left-falling stroke, 竖(shù) vertical stroke and 捺(nà) right-falling stroke. In this issue, another three kinds of strokes will be introduced: 横(héng) horizontal …
流行词语 (liúxíng cí yŭ)Popular words
忽悠(hū you) is an often-used word in northern area of China and it originates from the word 胡诱(hú yòu), which means recklessly misleading. It became popular from a witty skit “selling crutches” …
填字游戏 (tiánzì yóuxì ) Chinese Crossword Puzzle
Can you complete the Chinese words by filling in the blanks marked with numbers?
Hints:
①&②every movement and every action ③news ④name
①&④world-famous ②sports ⑤dictionary
Learn to Write Chinese Character 汉字：你(hànzì: nĭ) Chinese Character: you
Chinese Character:
你(nĭ) You
拼音(pīnyīn) pin yin: nĭ
笔画(bĭhuà) number of strokes: 7
含义(hányì) meaning: you
笔顺(bĭshun) stroke order:
词源(cíyuán) Etymology: The right part “尔 (ĕr)”of this character is the old form for “you”. 常用词语(chángyòng …
讲价 (jiăngjià) Bargaining
Gùkè: Qĭngwèn zhè tiáo kùzi duōshăo qián? 顾客：请问 这 条 裤子 多少 钱？ Customer: Excuse me, how much are these pants?
Shòuhuòyuán: Yībăi sānshí yuán. 售货员： 130 元。 Shop Assistant: 130.
Gùkè: Yŏu zhékòu ma? 顾客：有 折扣 …
Listen to the tongue twister. Nánnán yŏu gè lánlán， 南南 有 个 篮篮， Nannan has a basket,
Nánnán yŏu gè lánlán, 南南 有 个 篮篮， Nannan has a basket.
Lánlán zhuāng zhe pánpán, 篮篮 装 着 盘盘， A plate is in the basket.
Pánpán …
Super Girl is one of the most popular TV shows in China and is quite similar to the American Idol show in the U.S. The program is a 真人秀(zhēn rén xiù) reality competition to discover new music talent. Super Girl …
成龙(chéng lóng) Jackie Chan is one of the top 功夫(gōngfu) kungfu stars in the world. As an actor, he is respected for his 敬业(jìngyè) high professional devotion. In movie shooting, he never uses …
