Mandarin Essentials
春雨(chūnyǔ) The Spring Rain
Dīdā dīdā, xià xiǎoyǔ le. 滴答 滴答，下 小雨 了。 Drip, drip, it’s raining.
Zhǒngzi shuō, xiàba xiàba, wǒ yào fāyá. 种子 说， 下吧 下吧，我 要 发芽。 The seeds say: “Please rain, please rain I want to sprout.”
Líshù shuō, xiàba xiàba, wǒ yào kāihuā. 梨树 …
Answer to Tricky but Essential Grammar: “把(bǎ)”
Correct Answer: A For most Chinese learners, “把(bǎ)” seems like one of the most difficult sentence structures in Chinese Grammar. However, it is also one of the most often-used terms in our daily lives, so it is essential to learn the “把(bǎ)” structure well. With …
Tricky but Essential Grammar: “把(bǎ)”
Please choose the correct answer to fill in the blank. Tā _____ shū juān gěi le pínkùn shānqū de háizi. 他 _____ 书 捐 给 了 贫困 山区 的 孩子。 He donated his books to the children in the poverty-stricken areas. A. 把(bǎ)
B. 用(yòng)…
静夜思 (Jìng yè sī) Night Thoughts
静夜思 (Jìng yè sī) Night Thoughts
by 李白(Lĭ Bái) Li Bai Chuáng qián míng yuè guāng, 床 前 明 月 光， I wake and moonbeams play around my bed, Yí shì dì shàng shuāng. 疑 是 地 上 霜。 Glittering like hoar froast to my …
Chinese Tongue-twister 汤圆 (Tāng yuán) Sweet dumplings
汤圆 (Tāng yuán) Sweet dumplings
Guò nián, guò nián, nuò mĭ zuò tāng yuán. 过 年, 过 年, 糥 米 做 汤 圆。 Celebrate the spring festival, celebrate the spring festival, Use glutinous rice to make dumplings. Zuò de tāng yuán yòu bái yòu yuán, …
Chinese Idiom: 鹤立鸡群 (hèlìjīqún) A Crane Standing Among Chickens
Jìncháo shí, yŏu yí gè rén jiào Jī Shào. Tā zhăng de yíbiăotángtáng, érqiĕ cáinéng chūzhòng, dānrèn Jìn Huìdì de shìcóngguān. Yí cì, yŏu rén qīnfàn jīngchéng. Jī Shào gēnsuí Huìdì qiánqù zhēngtăo pànluàn, búliào dă le bàizhàng, suíxíng de guānyuán、jiànglĭng yĭjí shìwèi sĭshāng wúshù, …
狐假虎威 (Hújiăhŭwēi) To Bully Others by Flaunting One’s Powerful Connections
Zài sēnlín lĭ, láohŭ shì zuì xiōngmĕng de yĕshòu. 在森林里，老虎是最凶猛的野兽。
The tiger is the most ferocious animal in the forest.
Yì tiān, tā zhuōdào yì zhī húli, jiăohuá de húli jiù shuō:”Nĭ zĕn me găn chī wŏ? Wŏ shì tiāndì rènmìng lái guánlĭ suóyŏu yĕshòu …
春晓 (Chūn xiăo) A Spring Morning
春 晓（Chūn xiăo）A Spring Morning
作 者：孟浩然 Meng Haoran（Zuò zhĕ: Mèng Hàorán）
Chūn mián bù jué xiăo, 春 眠 不 觉 晓， I awake light-hearted this morning of spring,
Chù chù wén tí niăo. 处 处 闻 啼 鸟。 Everywhere round me the singing …
掩耳盗铃 (Yăn’ĕr dàolíng) To Cover One’s Ears When He Steals the Bell
(Get familiar with Chinese culture and you will get a deeper understanding of idioms.)
Listen to This Story And Practice Your Chinese Pronunciation.
Yŏu gè xiăotōu kànjiàn fànshì jiālĭ yŏu yì kŏu míngguì de dàzhōng, tā xiăng bă zhōng qiāo suì , ránhòu zài fēnbié …
打草惊蛇（Dăcăojīngshé）To stir the grass and startle the snake
The Story:
Long long ago, a county magistrate named Wang Lu worked in present Anhui Province, east China. Wang Lu was very greedy and took many bribes. One of his secretaries was equally corrupt, and often schemed for Wang Lu’s deeds.One day a man went …
悬梁刺股（Xuánliáng cìgŭ）To work hard
Sūn Jìng, shì hàncháo yŏumíng de zhèngzhìjiā, mĕitiān cóng zăo dào wăn dúshū. 孙敬，是汉朝有名的政治家，每天从早到晚读书。
Yŏushí huì píjuàn dé zhí dă kēshuì, tā biàn zhăo le yì gēn shéngzi, yì tóu băng zài fángliáng shàng, yì tóu 有时会疲倦得直打瞌睡，他便找了一根绳子，一头绑在房梁上，一 头
shù zài tóufa shàng, dāng …
Chinese Poems 嫦娥 (Cháng É) To the Moon Goddess
嫦 娥(Cháng É) To the Moon Goddess
by 李商隐 (Lĭ Shāngyĭn) Li Shangyin
Yúnmŭ píngfēng zhúyĭng shēn, chánghé jiàn luò xiăoxīng chén. 云母 屏风 烛影 深， 长河 渐 落 晓星 沉。 Now that a candle-shadow stands on the screen of carven marble，and the River of …
Chinese Tongue-twister 化肥 (Huà féi) Fertilizer
化肥 (Huà féi) Fertilizer
Hēi huà féi fā huī, huī huà féi fā hēi. 黑 化 肥 发 灰, 灰 化 肥 发 黑。 Black fertilizers look gray, gray fertilizers look black. Hēi huà féi fā hēi bù fā huī, huī huà féi fā huī …
Chinese Tongue-twister 大麦和小麦 (Dàmài hé xiăomài) The barley and the wheat
大麦和小麦 （Dàmài hé xiăomài）The barley and the wheat
Dàmèi hé xiăomèi, yì qĭ qù shōu mài. 大妹 和 小妹， 一 起 去 收 麦。 The old sister and the young sister go to get wheat together. Dàmèi gē xiăomài, xiăomèi gē dàmài. 大妹 割 小麦， …
Chinese Tongue-twister灰、龟、鬼 (Huī, guī, guĭ) Ash, turtle, ghost
灰、龟、鬼（Huī, guī, guĭ）Ash, turtle, ghost
Yuăn wàng yì duī huī, huī shàng dūn gè guī, guī shàng dūn gè guĭ. 远 望 一 堆 灰，灰 上 蹲 个 龟，龟 上 蹲 个 鬼。 It is a pile of ash from distance where a turtle sits …
Chinese Tongue-twister 孩子和鞋子(Háizi hé xiézĭ) The child and the shoes
孩子和鞋子(Háizi hé xiézĭ) The child and the shoes
Háizi shì háizi, xiézĭ shì xiézĭ, 孩子 是 孩子，鞋子 是 鞋子， Child is child, shoes are shoes, Háizi bú shì xiézĭ, xiézĭ bú shì háizi. 孩子 不 是 鞋子，鞋子 不 是 孩子。 Child is not shoes, shoes …
长藤挂铜铃 (Cháng téng guà tóng líng) The Vine Hangs a Copper Bell
长藤挂铜铃 (Cháng téng guà tóng líng) The Vine Hangs a Copper Bell
Qīngqīng shānshàng yī gēn téng, qīngténg dĭ xià guà tónglíng, 青 青 山 上 一 根 藤， 青 藤 底 下 挂 铜 铃， On a green mountain grows a vine. Under the …