Answer to Video Lesson: Sofas and Shafas!
Answers:
1. B 2. A 3. A 4. A 5. C <<Back to “Video Lesson: Sofas and Shafas!” …
Mandarin Essentials
A Disappearing Act with “一溜烟 (Yí Liù Yān)”
In English it is common to compare someone running away quickly to a cloud of dust. In Chinese, there’s a similar slang word– “一溜烟 (yí liù yān),” which can be used instead. This word is fast as lightning, leaves smoke trails, and is its own …
Answer to A Disappearing Act with “一溜烟 (Yí liù yān)”
Answer: B Analysis: Tīngshuō xiàozhǎng lái le, Jim yíliùyān jiù pǎo le. 听 说 校 长 来了，Jim一溜烟 就 跑 了。 Hearing the headmaster coming, Jim ran away swiftly.
When Your Brain Is Fevered and Flustered, You May Be “脑子发热 (Nǎozi Fārè)”
It’s always fun to use Mandarin Chinese slang among Chinese friends. When we are joking around together, we often tease each other in a playful manner with “吐槽 (tǔcáo)” and lighten the mood. When we want to be self-deprecating regarding our sudden and impulsive behavior, …
Answer to When Your Brain Is Fevered and Flustered, You May Be “脑子发热 (Nǎozi Fārè)”
Answer: B Analysis: Wǒ dāngshí nǎo zi fārè jiù bǎ tóufǎ quán jiǎn le. 我 当 时 脑 子发热 就 把 头发 全 剪 了。 I was so impulsive that I cut all my hair.
<<Back to“When Your Brain is Fevered and Flustered, You May …
Video Lesson: Why Me?
Why is the sky blue? Why do flowers bloom? Why do birds sing? … Why do you have so many questions? Let me tell you Why.
Exercises in the Video:
1. A: Duìbuqǐ, Jill, I’m not going to the movies tomorrow. B: Wèishénme? What did …
Answer to Video Lesson: Why Me?
Answers:
1. C 2. B 3. B 4. A 5. C <<Back to “Video Lesson: Why Me? ” …
Video Lesson: Are You Kidding?
Are you kidding? Get out of here! No way! A lesson to express doubt or shock in Chinese.
Exercises in the Video:
1. A: Chē zěnme hái bù lái? How about we walk back home, Wang Li? B: Shénme? Nǐ kāi wánxiào ba? Tài yuǎn …
Answer to Video Lesson: Are You Kidding?
Answers:
1. A 2. B 3. B 4. B 5. A <<Back to “Video Lesson: Are You Kidding? ” …
When They’re Very Charming Use This Chinese Word
When talking about how things look, we can use terms such as ”辣眼睛 (làyǎnjīng)”, or “spicy eyes” to describe something awful or we can use a term to rate how good-looking someone or something is using “颜值 (yánzhí)” which is much different from commenting …
Answer to When They’re Very Charming Use This Chinese Word
Answer: A Analysis: Tā de yánzhí nàme gāo, yídìng yǒu hěnduō rén zhuīqiú. 他 的 颜 值 那 么 高 ，一定 有 很 多 人 追 求。 He is so handsome that there must be a lot of people courting him.
Learn “打听 (Dǎtīng)” for When You Need to Ask a Question
There are some words you hear over and over again once you begin living in China. As a student of Mandarin Chinese, the words may not be so familiar to us as we learn from textbooks and study for our Chinese exams. However, some words …
Answer to Learn “打听 (Dǎtīng)” for When You Need to Ask a Question
Answer: B Analysis: Here is the dialogue with the English translation added: Kathy: Wǒ xiǎng xiàng nǐ dǎtīng yíxià Lily de xiāoxī, qǐngwèn nǐ zhīdào tā xiànzài zhù nǎ’r ma? Kathy: 我 想 向 你 打 听 一 下 Lily 的 消 息，请 问 你 …
The Confucius Scholarship: Study Mandarin Chinese in China This Year
Learning Mandarin Chinese is different from learning other languages such as Italian or French. It is nearly impossible to self-study Mandarin Chinese or learn through books and audio/video resources alone. To effectively learn Mandarin Chinese, you need to immerse yourself into a learning process with …
Got Some Hard-Earned Money?
Do you work really hard for the money you earn? In the West, we have different levels of jobs. We separate them by words like “蓝领 (lánlǐng) blue-collar” and “白领 (báilǐng) white-collar” jobs. In China, there are different types of jobs as well, some harder …
Answer to Got Some Hard-Earned Money?
Answer: B
Analysis: Julia: Wǒ xiǎng zhǎo bà mā ná sān wàn kuài mǎi gè xiāngnài’r bāobāo. Julia: 我 想 找 爸 妈 拿 三 万 块 买 个 香 奈儿 包 包。 Julia: I want to get 30,000 Yuan from parents for purchasing a …
Video Lesson: I’m Doing Pretty Good!
This movie is pretty good! The weather is pretty nice! He is pretty humorous! That jacket is pretty cool! See what we are getting at?
Exercises in the Video:
1. A: Judy, nĭ de zhōumò zĕnmeyàng? B: Tĭng búcuò de. I watched the Euro Cup. …
Answer to Video Lesson: I’m Doing Pretty Good!
Answers:
1. A 2. C 3. C 4. A 5. C 6. B 7. C <<Back to “Video Lesson: I’m Doing Pretty Good!” …
Video Lesson: Bottoms up! Cheers!
Have you tried Chinese white liquor before? Maotai or Erguotou, which do you prefer?
Exercises in the Video:
1. A: David, wǒmen hē shénme? B: … What would David most likely to say according to the dialogue? A. Lái yí gè gōngbǎo jīdīng. B. Wǒ …