How Many – “几 (jǐ)” or “多少 (duōshao)” (Elementary)
Please choose the correct answer to fill in the blank. Zhāng Míng: Nǐmen gōngsī zhēn dà, yǒu ___rén? 张 明： 你们 公司 真 大，有___ 人？ Nancy: Sānbǎi rén. Nancy：300 人。 A. 几(jǐ)
B. 多少(duōshao)
C. 几个(jǐgè)
Mandarin Essentials
New Catch Phrase – “有钱，任性(yǒuqián, rènxìng)”
If you take a look at Chinese social sites like WeChat and Weibo you will probably notice a number of people who proclaim themselves to “有钱就是任性(yǒuqián jiùshì rènxìng) or “有钱，任性(yǒuqián, rènxìng).” Once you understand the meaning of the phrase you will probably wonder what this …
Learning Chinese Words – “靠近 (kàojìn,)” “旁边 (pángbiān,)” and “附近(fùjìn)”
Wǒ de jiā ____gōngyuán. 我 的 家 ____ 公园。 My house is next to the park. A. 靠近 (kàojìn)
B. 旁边 (pángbiān)
C. 附近 (fùjìn)
Answers to Learning Chinese Words – “靠近 (kàojìn)”, “旁边 (pángbiān)” and “附近(fùjìn)”
Correct Answer: A In the Chinese language, all three words – “靠近 (kàojìn),” “旁边 (pángbiān)” and “附近 (fùjìn)” – express the meaning “next to” or “near by.” But the usage of each is quite different. “靠近 (kàojìn)” In Chinese, “靠近 (kàojìn)” is usually used as …
Answers to the Here Are Some “Bad” Christmas Gifts You Should Never Give in China
Answer: C
Gifts play an important role in Chinese culture. They allow Chinese people to demonstrate respect for elders and superiors, to show their commitment to and enthusiasm for maintaining close relations with family and friends. Gifts also play an important role in building new …
Answer to the Exercise on What Do Chinese People Eat for the Winter Solstice?
Correct Answer: A “冬至(dōngzhì)” is the Winter Solstice Festival, which falls on December 22nd, 2014. It is the day of the year that the sun shines weakest and daylight hours are the shortest. This day has long been a very important holiday in China, and …
Two Must-know Grammar Structures of “半(bàn) Half”
Please choose the correct answer to fill in the blank. Liú Huá: Nǐ xué Zhōngwén duō jiǔ le? 刘 华：你 学 中文 多 久 了？ Liu Hua: How long have you been learning Chinese? Richard: ____. Richard: Two and a half months. A. 两个半月(liǎng’gè bàn …
Answer to the Exercise on Two Must-know Grammar Structures of “半(bàn) Half”
Answer: A In the Chinese language, “半(bàn)” can be used to express the meaning of “half.”
The structure is: Number + Measure Word + 半(bàn) + Noun
With this structure, the noun can be a time word, such as “月(yuè) month” or “小时(xiǎoshí) hour.” It …
Answer to the exercise on A Chinese Measure Word for the Whole Family – “家(jiā)”
Correct Answer: B Measure words are kinds of special Chinese words which can be used before nouns to identify specific objects, similar to the “a slice of” in the term “a slice of pie” in English. One such example of a Chinese measure word is …
Learn Chinese Measure Word “家(jiā)”
Lǐ Huá: Nǐmen yì ___ rén qù nǎr? 李 华： 你们 一___ 人 去 哪儿？ Li Hua: Where will your whole family go? David: Mǎlù duìmiàn xīn kāi le yì ____ cānguǎn, wǒmen qù nàr chīfàn. David：马路 对面 新 开 了 一____ 餐馆， 我们 去 …
The Right Way to Ask Someone’s Age in Mandarin
Lǎoshī: Nǐ jǐ ___? 老 师：你 几___？ Teacher: How old are you? Xuésheng: Wǒ jiǔ ___. 学 生：我 9___。 Student: I’m 9 years old. A. 年(nián)；岁(suì)
B. 岁(suì)；岁(suì)
C. 岁(suì)；年(nián)
Answers to the Exercises on The Right Way to Ask Someone’s Age in Mandarin
Answer: B
One thing that we certainly cannot control as time goes by is the fact that our age will never stop increasing. Year by year, the number gets higher. generally, we translate the word “year” as “年(nián).” It is used in phrases such as …
Learn Chinese with Chinese Tennis Player, Li Na
Are you familiar with Li Na, a world famous tennis player? She was not only the world tennis champion, but was also glad to teach other foreign athletes how to speak Chinese. Please watch the video below to check out what Li Na has to …
Answer to the exercise on Battle of the “还 (hái)” Phrases: “还有(háiyǒu)” vs. “还是(háishì)”
Correct Answer: B
Two Chinese words that often pop up in Chinese conversation are “还有(háiyǒu)” and “还是(háishì).” Although “还有(háiyǒu)” and “还是(háishì)” share the same adverb, “还(hái),” the meanings and usages of the two words are quite different from each other.
还有(háiyǒu)
In the Chinese language, …
Battle of the “还 (hái)” Phrases: “还有(háiyǒu)” vs. “还是(háishì)”
Judy: Wǒ zhèlǐ yǒu chá, ___ kāfēi. Nǐ hē chá ___ hē kāfēi? Judy：我 这里 有 茶， ___咖啡。你 喝 茶 ___ 喝 咖啡？ Judy: I have tea and coffee. Would you like to drink tea or coffee? Lǐ Míng: Wǒ hē chá, xièxie! 李 明： …