Mandarin Essentials
Video Lesson: Give Me A Discount, OK?
Bargaining sometimes can be similar to warfare. If you want to win, you need some weapons. Watch Video Answers…
Answer to Learn the Finesse of Asking Age in Chinese
Answer: C or D Technically answer C is the most formal and polite way to ask someone’s age. Answer D is more informal but also polite and is used with people you are more familiar with. If you are asking someone who is much older …
Learn the Finesse of Asking Age in Chinese
There are different ways to ask someone their age in Chinese and depending on which version you use, you might end up offending someone! Try the quiz below to see if you understand the finesse of asking someone’s age in Chinese. Choose the correct answer …
Video Lesson: Keep a Good Outlook: Learn “Good Luck!” in Chinese!
Your best friend finally got enough courage to propose to his girlfriend. What are you going to say? Maybe… “Good luck!” Watch Video Answers …
Chinese Idiom: 得寸进尺 If You Give Someone an Inch, They Will Take a Mile.
“得寸进尺 (décùnjìnchǐ)” means that if you give someone an inch, they will take a mile. Nowadays, people usually use this expression to describe someone who is very greedy.
Key Learning Point (Preview):
得寸进尺(décùnjìnchǐ) If give someone an inch, he will take a mile.
Idiom Story:…
Video Lesson: You Are Insane! (Beginner)
Your friend did something silly. Express your feeling in a lighthearted way. Watch Video Answers…
Single in China: It’s a Dog’s Life
To be single is to be like an abandoned pup. Melodramatic, huh? In China, there’s a popular term for this unpleasant state of affairs: 单身狗 (dānshēnɡǒu), which translates to “single dog.”
“单身狗 (dānshēnɡǒu) Single dog” is an Internet slang. It refers to people who are …
Video Lesson: Don’t call me “xiǎojiě!” OK?
Your Chinese female friends felt offended when you called them “xiǎojiě.” But why? Watch this video and find out the answer. …
Chinese Idiom: 半途而废 (bàntú’érfèi) To Give Up Halfway (Beginner)
Key Learning Points (Preview): 回家 (huíjiā): v.
to go home
然后 (ránhòu): adv. then/after that
Listen to the whole story:
Wèiguó yǒu gè jiào Yuè Yángzǐ de rén dào yuǎnfāng qù xúnshī qiúxué. 魏 国 有 个 叫 乐 羊子 的 人 到 远方 去 …
Answer to The Secret Behind Telling Time with “前(qián) before”
Answer: C
时间段+前 (a period of time + before)
When using “a period of time+前(qián),” for example, “1个月前(yí gè yuè qián),” it means that the time the speaker is taking about is one month prior to when they are speaking, the translation would be “one …
The Secret Behind Telling Time with “前(qián) before”
Depending on where the character “前(qián) before” is placed in the sentence can change the meaning. For example, 时间段+前 (a period of time + before) vs 前+时间段 (before + a period of time). Try the quiz below to see if you can figure out the …
You’re Never Too Old to “广场舞 (guǎngchǎngwǔ) Square Dancing!”
Too shy to let your guard down and bust a move when you’re on a night out? Maybe you should let China’s square dancers help you get in the groove. If you walk around a Chinese city in the evening, you’ll surely find them. “广场舞 …
雪中送炭 To Offer Fuel in Snowy Weather
雪中送炭 (xuězhōngsòngtàn) To offer fuel in snowy weather
Key Learning Points (Preview):
木炭 (mùtàn) n. charcoal
品尝 (pǐncháng) v. taste
Sòngcháo de shíhou, Sòng Tàizōng Zhào Guāngyì shì yígè guānxīn qióngkǔrén de huángdì. 宋朝 的 时候， 宋太宗 赵 光义 是 一个 关心 穷苦人 的 皇帝。 …
Chinese Idiom: 纸上谈兵 (zhǐshàngtánbīng) Armchair Strategy
The
“纸上谈兵(zhǐshàngtánbīng) armchair strategy” refers to people who engage in idle talk, but are unable to act on their high minded theories. It is usually used to urge people to combine theories with practical knowledge and not be bookworms. Let’s read about the …
Answer to Go “玩(wán) Play” the Right Way!
Answer: D Even thought the word “play” in English takes on many different meanings, in Chinese there is often a different word for different actions. Perhaps the most similar word in Chinese to the word play, would be “玩(wán).” This word is used as a …