A: Waiter, please give me some “餐巾纸 napkin.”
B: Ok, please wait for a moment.
Do you know the Chinese Pinyin for “餐巾纸 napkin” in this dialogue? A. Xǐshǒujiān B. Cānjīnzhǐ C. Bànɡōnɡshì D. Jìsuànjī
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“珍妮的裙子和我的一模一样 (Zhēnnī de qúnzi hé wǒ de yìmúyíyàng)。”
Do you know how to translate the Chinese characters “一模一样 (yìmúyíyàng)” into English in this sentence? A. Whole-heartedly B. Kill two birds with one stone C. To come clean D. Same
…“My uncle is going to start an enterprise about Chinese test preparation, such as SAT Preparation, AP Preparation and HSK Preparation.”
Have you learned the Chinese characters for “start an enterprise” in this sentence? A. 创伤 (chuāngshāng) B. 创造 (chuàngzào) C. …
寄一封慢信给未来 (Jì yìfēng màn xìn gěi wèilái) Deliver A “Slow Letter” to the Future (Beginner)
Key Learning Points (Preview):
熊猫 (xióngmāo): n panda
鼓励 (gǔlì): v to encourage
感激 (gǎnjī): n gratitude
Recently a “特别的 (tèbiéde) special” company, whose primary service is delivering “slow” letters …
留得青山在，不怕没柴烧 (Liú dé qīngshān zài, búpà méi chái shāo) Where There is Life, There is Hope (Intermediate)
Key Learning Points (Preview):
长大 (zhǎngdà): v to grow up
富裕 (fùyù): adj rich
In ancient times, there was an old man who used “木材 (mùcái) wood” to …
Chūlái tōucài, zǒngshì yào huán de. 出 来 偷菜， 总 是 要 还 的。
If you steal others’ crops, you will have to pay back for that (because others will steal your crops in return; i.e., what goes around comes around).
—A famous Internet quote …
迟到 (chídào) Late (Beginner)
The character “迟 (chí)” means late and “到 (dào)” means to arrive.
Example: A: Lǎobǎn, duìbuqǐ, wǒ chídào le. 老板， 对不起，我 迟到了。
I’m sorry, boss. I’m late.
B: Xià cì yào zhùyì. 下 次 要 注意。
Be careful next time.
Foreigners Challenge Beijing Opera (Advanced)
In this video, four foreigners “challenged” the four “京剧 (jīngjù) Beijing Opera” performers by showing off their moves. What these foreigners did is also called “叫板 (jiàobǎn),” which means “to challenge somebody” in daily life. Originally in Beijing Opera, “叫板 …
打折 (dǎzhé) To Give a Discount (Advanced)
The character “打 (dǎ)” means to beat and “折 (zhé)” means fold or discount.
Example: A: Tīngshuō Bǎishèng dǎzhé ne, xiǎng qù kànkan ma? 听说 百盛 打折 呢， 想 去 看看 吗？ I heard that there is sale …
搜索 (sōusuǒ) Search (Intermediate)
Both the characters “搜 (sōu)” and “索 (suǒ)” mean to search.
Example:
Bǎidù shì Zhōngguó zuì dà de sōusuǒ yǐnqíng. 百度 是 中国 最 大 的 搜索 引擎。
Baidu is the biggest search engine in China.
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键盘 (jiànpán) Keyboard (Intermediate) The character “键 (jiàn)” means key and “盘 (pán)” means plate.
Example:
Wǒ wán yóuxì bǎ jiànpán qiāo huài le. 我 玩 游戏 把 键盘 敲 坏 了 。 My keyboard is broken because I play too much games .
旅馆 (lǚguǎn) Hotel (Beginner)
The character “旅 (lǚ)” means trip or travel and “馆 (guǎn)” means place for guests.
Example:
Zhè jiā lǔguǎn bùjǐn jiàgé piányi ěrqiě gānjìng zhěngjié. 这 家 旅馆 不仅 价格 便宜 而且 干净 整洁。 The hotel is not only cheap but …
(cèsuǒ) Toilet (Beginner)
The character “厕 (cè)” means toilet and “所 (suǒ)” means place.
Example:
A: Dǎrǎo yí xià, qǐngwèn fùjìn nǎlǐ yǒu cèsuǒ? A: 打扰 一 下，请问 附近 哪里 有 厕所？
A: Excuse me, could you tell me if there is a toilet …
Ài búshì xiù de, xìngfú búshì shài de. 爱 不是 秀 的，幸福 不是 晒 的。
Love is not for showing off and happiness is not for display. Culture Note: Many famous stars in China like to show that they are satisfied with their personal lives …
I Meant Chinese Style (Not Chinese Food)! With a slight change in pronunciation, foreigners can often be misunderstood when speaking Chinese. One of the ways this happens is when a foreigner refers to something having a “Chinese style”, but ends up getting mistaken for having …
医院 (yīyuàn) Hospital (Beginner)
The character “医 (yī)” means to cure and “院 (yuàn)” means courtyard
literally, but here it means hospital.
Example: Xījīng yīyuàn shì shǎnxīshěng zuì dà de yīyuàn. 西京 医院 是 陕西省 最 大 的 医院。 Xijing Hospital is the largest hospital …
跑题 (pǎotí) Digress into a Different Subject (Advanced)
The character “跑 (pǎo)” means to run; “题 (tí)” means topic or subject.
Example:
Zhècì zuòwén wǒ hǎoxiàng xiě pǎotí le. 这次 作文 我 好像 写 跑题了。 I seem to digress from the subject in this essay …
户外 (hùwài) Outdoor (Intermediate)
The character “户 (hù)” means door; “外 (wài)” means outside.
Example:
A: Zhège zhōumò zhǔnbèi zěnme guò yɑ? 这个 周末 准备 怎么 过 呀？ Do you have any plans for this weekend?
B: Wǒ xiǎng qù hùwài yùndòng yí xià. 我 …
A Chinese Nursery Rhyme for Children (Beginner)
青蛙歌 (Qīngwā gē) Frog Song
Key Learning Points (Preview):
青蛙 (qīngwā): n frog
嘴 (zuǐ): n mouth
腿 (tuǐ): n leg
Yì zhī qīngwā yì zhāng zuǐ, 一 只 青蛙 一 张 嘴， A frog has one mouth, …
