Mandarin Essentials
I’m Rich, I’m Willful!
Please choose the correct answer to fill in the blank. When we say someone “有钱就是任性(yǒuqián jiùshì rènxìng),” what do we probably mean? A. The person makes a lot of money through his or her hard work. B. The person does what he or she pleases …
月饼 (yuèbĭng) Moon Cake
Chinese Food for Mid-Autumn Festival
月饼(yuèbĭng) Moon Cake
The Origin of Moon Cake
Moon cake comes from the Yuan Dynasty. During that time, people would not stand the cruel domination taking place, so many people staged uprisings to fight against the Yuan Dynasty rulers. Zhu …
A Pinyin Rule of Chinese Language
All languages have rules, as does the Chinese language. Westerners will encounter different problems when they learn Chinese, but the most common are often centered on pinyin rules of the Chinese language. For example, many people ask the same question when they learn mandarin: …
Answer to Running Late: Using “都(dōu)” and “才(cái)”
Correct Answer: A In the Chinese language, both “都(dōu)” and “才(cái)” can be used as adverbs of degree to indicate that something happened later than expected. In English, this might be expressed by saying “as late as” or “not until.” However, the usages of these …
Running Late: Using “都(dōu)” and “才(cái)”
Please choose the correct answer to fill in the blank. Bái Yún: ___bādiǎn le, nǐ zěnme hái méi huílái? 白 云：___ 八点 了，你 怎么 还 没 回来？ Bai Yun: It is already eight o’clock. Why haven’t you come back yet? Daivd: Bàoqiàn, wǒ ___ xiàbān. …
Shopping (Beginner)
Beginner Chinese Lesson – Shopping Listen Online
Learn how to bargain in a Chinese shop.
课文：
Gù Kè: Duō Shăo Qián ? 顾 客 ： 多 少 钱 ？ Fú Wù Yuán: 3 Kuài 。 nĭ yào bu yào ? 服 务 员 ： 3 …
Answer to What’s Your Specialty? – “特色(tèsè)” or “特点(tèdiǎn)”
Correct Answer: A In the Chinese language, both “特色(tèsè)” and “特点(tèdiǎn)” can be used to indicate a distinctive characteristic, trait, specialty, feature, etc. However, their usages are quite different. 1 “特色(tèsè)” “特色(tèsè)”typically refers to a positive defining characteristic that describes a certain “style,” “taste,” “situation,” …
What’s Your Specialty? – “特色(tèsè)” or “特点(tèdiǎn)”
Please choose the correct answer to fill in the blank. Bruce: Nǐ zhīdào Běijīng yǒu shénme _____ xiǎochī ma? Bruce：你知道 北京 有 什么 _____ 小吃 吗？ Bruce: Do you know a special snack of Beijing? Wáng Lì: Běijīng kǎoyā hěn búcuò. 王 丽：北京 烤鸭 很 …
Phobia (and Controversy) of Chinese New Year’s Visits
“拜年(bàinián),” to pay a New Year’s call, is a traditional Chinese custom during the Spring Festival. “拜年(bàinián)” is a way for the Chinese to say goodbye to the current year and ring in the new one, and it provides Chinese people with opportunities to show …
Answers to Asking Questions with “吗(ma),” “呢(ne),” or “吧(ba)”
Correct Answer: C
When you ask questions in the Chinese language you should choose different question particles in different situations. The following text will help you to learn how to ask questions with the correct question particle.
The three most common question particles in the …
Asking Questions with “吗(ma),” “呢(ne),” or “吧(ba)”
Please choose the correct answer to fill in the blank. Lǐ Lín: Nǐ chī le ___? 李 玲：你 吃 了____？ Li Ling: Have you eaten?
Betty: Chī le, nǐ _____? Betty：吃 了，你_____？ Betty: Yes, how about you?
A. 吗(ma)，吧(ba)
B. 呢(ne)，呢(ne)
C. 吗(ma)，呢(ne)
Answers to Been There, Done That: Using “曾经(céngjīng )” and “已经(yǐjīng)
Answer: A
In the Chinese language, both “曾经(céngjīng)” and “已经(yǐjīng)” can be used to describe a habit, behavior, or action that happened in the past and has already stopped. Both of them can also be used before verbs. However, their meanings are not quite the …
Been There, Done That: Using “曾经(céngjīng)” and “已经(yǐjīng)
Liú Huá: Nǐ qù guò Běijīng ma? 刘 华： 你 去 过 北京 吗？ Liu Hua: Have you ever been to Beijing? Linda: Shìde, wǒ _____ qù guò Běijīng. Linda：是的，我 _____ 去 过 北京。 Linda: Yes, I have been to Beijing before. A. 曾经(céngjīng)
B. …
Answers to Older or Younger? : How to Compare Ages in Chinese
Correct Answer: A
Not everyone likes to directly reveal their age, as in “我九岁了。(Wǒ jiǔ suì le.) I’m nine years old.” or “我四十了。(Wǒ sìshí le.) I’m forty years old.” Some prefer to use another way to express their age indirectly. From the following text, you …
Older or Younger? How to Compare Ages in Chinese
Lǐ Huá: Nǐ duō dà? 李 华： 你 多 大？ Li Hua: How old are you? Jim: Wǒ shíwǔ suì. Nǐ ne? Jim：我 十五 岁。你 呢？ Jim: I’m fifteen years old. What about you? Lǐ Huá: Wǒ bǐ nǐ ____. 李 华： 我 比 你_____。 …
Answers to “千金(qiānjīn)”-Priceless or Princess?
Answer: C
In the Chinese language, “千金(qiānjīn)” is short for “一千两黄金(yìqiān liǎnɡ huánɡjīn)” referring to “one thousand units of gold,” which is a large amount of money. So, Chinese people usually use “千金(qiānjīn)” to make a general reference to a lot of money.
Examples:
Zhè …
“千金(qiānjīn)”-Priceless or Princess?
Liú xiānsheng zuìjìn xǐ dé qiānjīn. 刘 先生 最近 喜 得 千金。 Do you know what happened to Mr. Liu? A. He’s happy because he won a thousand dollars. B. He just received something expensive. C. His wife just had a baby girl.
…How to Order Food in Chinese?
Please choose the correct answer to fill in the blank
Fúwùyuán: Qǐngwèn nín yào shénme? 服务员： 请问 您 要 什么？ Waiter: What would you like?
Gùkè: ___ yìwǎn niúròumiàn, xiè xiè! 顾客：___一碗 牛肉面， 谢谢！ Customer: A bowl of beef noodles. Thank you! Which of the …