碰钉子 (pèngdīngzi) Being rejected / Being turned down
The character “碰 (pèng)” means to run into; “钉 (dīng)” means nail or tack
and “子 (zi)” is used as a suffix here.
Tā zài bànshì de shíhou pèngle dīngzi, huíjiā hòu xīnqíng bùhǎo. 他在办事的时候碰了钉子，回家后心情不好。
He …
时髦 (shímáo) Fashionable or Stylish
The character “时 (shí)” means a long period of time and “髦 (máo)” means
fine long hair.
Thomas Jeffrey Hanks shì gè ài gǎn shímáo de rén. 汤姆汉克斯是个爱赶时髦的人。
Thomas Jeffrey Hanks is a man who is very fashionable.
// …
网虫 (wǎngchóng) People who always surf the internet
The character “网 (wǎng)” means net and “虫 (chóng)” means insect or worm.
Example:
Suízhe hùliánwǎng de fēisù fāzhǎn, xiànzài wǎngchóng yuèláiyuèduō le. 随着互联网的飞速发展,现在网虫越来越多了 With the rapid development of the Internet, there are more and more people …
Porsche’s First Four-door Sports Car Launched in China
供不应求(gōngbùyìngqiú) supply is unable to meet the demand
Panameral, 保时捷 (bǎoshíjié) Porsche’s first four-door GT sports car, was featured at both the 2009 Shanghai Auto Show and 广州汽车展 (Guǎngzhōu Qìchēzhǎn) 2009 Guangzhou Motor …
泼冷水 (pōlěnɡshuǐ) Pour cold water on / Dampen the enthusiasm of
The character “泼 (pō)” means to pour or to throw; “冷 (lěng)” means cold
and “水 (shuǐ)” means water.
Tā běnlái jiù xìnxīn bù zú, nǐ jiù bié gěi tā pōlěngshuǐ le. 他本来就信心不足，你就别给他泼冷水了。 …
Christmas Online Shopping in China Key Learning Points (Preview):
网上购物 (wǎngshàng gòuwù) n Online shopping
热销 (rèxiāo) n Best seller
讨价还价(tǎojià huánjià) v To bargain
As the holiday season is coming up soon, the Christmas shopping frenzy is already around the corner. Will you do …
走运 (zǒuyùn) Have good luck or Be lucky
The character “走 (zǒu)” means walk and “运 (yùn)” means fortune or luck.
Example:
Jīntiān wǒ diūle yì běn shū, tài bù zǒuyùn le. 今天我丢了一本书, 太不走运了。 I really have a bad luck today, because I lost my …
海量 (hǎiliàng) Great capacity for liquor
The character “海 (hǎi)” means sea or ocean and “量 (liàng)” means quantity or amount.
Nín zhēn shì hǎiliàng, zài lái yì bēi. 您真是海量，再来一杯。 You really can drink a lot of liquor. Have another glass please!
Got questions? …
开小差 (kāi xiǎochāi) Be absent-minded
The character “开 (kāi)” means open; “小 (xiǎo)” means small or little and “差
(chāi)” means errand or job. Example: Tā yèlǐ méi shuì hǎo, báitiān shàngkè shí sīxiǎng zǒng kāi xiǎochāi. 他夜里没睡好, 白天上课时思想总开小差。
He can’t sleep well at night …
受气包 (shòuqìbāo) One Who Always Gets Blamed
“受气包 (shòuqìbāo)” is the phrase for “One who always gets blamed.” The
character “受 (shòu)” means to bear; “气 (qì)” means air or smell, here it
means angry; and “包 (bāo)” means bag or pack. Example:
Yīnwèi Zhāng …
“直肠子 (zhíchángzi)” is the phrase for “Straightforward person.” The character “直 (zhí)” means straight or upright and “肠子 (chángzi)” means intestine.
Gébì Zhāng dàmā zhēn shì gè zhíchángzi, yǒu shá jiù shuō shá. 隔壁张大妈真是个直肠子，有啥就说啥。 Aunt Zhang next door is a …
大嘴巴 (dàzuǐba) Big Mouth
“大嘴巴 (dàzuǐba)” is the phrase for “Big mouth.” The character “大 (dà)” means big and “嘴巴 (zuǐba)” means mouth. Example: Nǐ kě qiānwàn bú yào bǎ zhège mìmì gàosu Lǐ Lì, tā kě shì chū le míng de dàzuǐba. 你可千万不要把这个秘密告诉李丽，她可是出了名的大嘴巴。
You …
抓狂 (zhuākuáng) Go Mad
“抓狂 (zhuākuáng)” is the phrase for “Go mad.” The character “抓 (zhuā)”
means to grab or to catch and “狂 (kuáng)” means crazy or mad.
Zhèngdāng Àobāmǎ zhǔnbèi dàlì ɡǎiɡé shí, měiɡuó shīyèlǜ yòu shàngshēng le, zhè ràng tā hěn …
顺风耳 (shùnfēng’ěr) Clairaudient
The character “顺 (shùn)” means in the same direction; “风 (fēng)” means
wind and “耳 (ěr)” means ear.
Zài Fēngshénbǎng lǐ, Gāo Jué shì yí gè shùnfēng’ ěr, tā néng tīngdào qiān lǐyǐ wài de shēngyīn. 在封神榜里，高觉是一个顺风耳，他能听到千里以外的声音。
In The Legend of …
千里眼 (qiānlǐyǎn) Clairvoyant
The character “千 (qiān)” means thousand; “里 (lǐ) is mile and” 眼 (yǎn)”
refers to eyes.
Example: Zài Fēngshénbǎnglǐ, Gāo Míng shì yí gè qiānlǐyǎn, tā néng kàndào qiān lǐ yǐ wài de dōngxi. 在封神榜里，高明是一个千里眼，他能看到千里以外的东西。 In The Legend of Deification, Gao Ming …
Tàiyáng dāng kōng zhào, 太阳 当 空 照， The sun is shining in the sky.
Huāér duì wǒ xiào, 花儿 对 我 笑， The flowers are smiling to me,
Xiǎoniǎo shuō: “Zǎo! Zǎo! Zǎo! 小鸟 说： “早！ 早！ 早！ The little birds are talking …
旱鸭子 (hàn yāzi) Non-swimmer
The character “旱 (hàn)” means dry or drought; “鸭 (yā)” means duck and “子
(zi)” is used as a suffix here.
Wǒ mèimei búhuì yóuyǒng, dàjiā dōu jiào tā hàn yāzi. 我妹妹不会游泳，大家都叫她旱鸭子。
My sister cannot swim, so we all call …
呆若木鸡 (dāiruòmùjī) Transfixed/Dumb as a wooden chicken
The character “呆 (dāi)” means dull or stupid; “若 (ruò)” means like or as; “木 (mù)” refers to wood and “鸡 (jī)” refers to chicken.
Nà gè nánhái dāiruòmùjī dì zhànzhe, xià dé lián qì dōu bùgǎn …
落汤鸡 (luòtāngjī) Completely Soaked
“落汤鸡 (luòtāngjī)” is the phrase for “Soaked.” The character “落 (luò)” means drop or decline; “汤 (tāng)” means soup and “鸡 (jī)” means chicken. Example:
Tā zhèngzài lùshang zǒuzhe, tūrán xiàqǐ le dàyǔ, jiéguǒ lín de xiàng gè luòtāngjī yíyàng. 他正在路上走着，突然下起了大雨，结果淋得像个落汤鸡一样。…
