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Once you set foot on foreign soil, you’ll have to adapt to your new environs. Of course, there will be the odd custom or two that you’re not familiar with, but we’re here to help you avoid turning naïve behavior into a majorly bad faux pas. All you need is a little openness. After all, ...
There are words that we use in Chinese mostly on dramas or TV shows because their meaning is pretty negative for daily life. This Chinese idiom phrase is one of those that I have never actually used when talking to a person, but I hear it on TV all the time. The phrase is: “狼心狗肺(lángxīngǒufèi) ...
Chinese traditional operas, of a long history and well established, are one of the cultural and artistic forms of the Chinese nation. These ancient types of drama are still active on China’s stages today. Of all the traditional types of drama, Peking Opera is the most influential. Emerging in Peking two hundred years ago and ...
Zhōngguó chuántǒng xìqǔ lìshǐ yōujiǔ, yuányuǎnliúcháng,
中国传统戏曲历史悠久，源远流长，
tā shì zhōnghuá mínzú wénhuà yìshù pǐnzhǒng zhī yī.
它是中华民族文化艺术品种之一。
Chinese traditional operas, of a long history and well established, are one of the cultural and artistic forms of the Chinese nation.
Zhèxiē gǔlǎo de jùzhǒng, zhìjīn huóyuè zài Zhōngguó de wǔtái shàng.
这些古老的剧种，至今活跃在中国的舞台上。
These ancient types of drama are still active on China’s ...
Chinese idioms are important culturally and persevere through time because of their prevalence in everyday life. Recently, you may have read about Chinese idioms such as “一溜烟 (yí liù yān) quick as lightning” or “掩耳盗铃 (Yăn’ĕr dàolíng) to cover one’s ears when he steals.” Well, “三寸不烂之舌 (Sān cùn bú làn zhī shé) three inch tongue”, ...
You know Chinese Kung Fu because of movies, right? Chinese Kung Fu is so much more. It embodies China’s national wisdom and traditional culture in one very pure active art form. The main concepts of Kung Fu are moderation and harmony. Its artistic nature and require for discipline has influenced the entire world. Shaolin, Tai ...
Have you visited your local museum lately? Soon you may have the opportunity to do so for free. “国际博物馆日 (Guójì bówùguǎn rì) International Museum Day (IMD)” is an internationally celebrated day on or around 18 May. Each year, museums across the globe are invited to participate in IMD to promote the role of museums, which ...
Teaching Chinese culture and tradition is an essential part of teaching Mandarin Chinese. Not only are the words and phrases important, but learning about the lives of Chinese people adds a motivation to integrate and inspire my students to continue to pursue the language. Today, I’m going to introduce four traditional events that Chinese couples ...
Are you planning a trip to China? Then you should be prepared with knowledge of daily life in China. These four must-know facts will allow you to be one step ahead of your friends as you get to know Chinese culture and language.
1. Don’t grab that toilet paper; it has already been used!
In America, ...
A very enjoyable part of the experience of learning Mandarin Chinese in China is the opportunity to be able to see and experience new parts of the world. Sometimes, those “new” parts are actually quite old!
I’m going to introduce to you some places referred to as “中国四大古都 (Zhōngguó sì dà gǔ dū),” or the “Four ...
It’s very likely you have heard of Mahjong before, you might have even played some version of it on the computer or your phone. Or, perhaps you saw the Chinese mafia in movies playing Mahjong. But, do you know its everyday significance in China?
麻将 (májiàng) Mahjong
Note: “将” has 3 different pronunciations: jiàng, qiāng, and ...
“Don’t play dumb!” This English phrase has a Chinese equivalent that, although its meaning is the same, has a very different literal translation with unique origins. The Chinese “装蒜 (zhuāngsuàn)” literally means “to pretend garlic” which may sound kind of funny in English. It is used to mean “feign ignorance” and “make a pretense.” Read ...
Key Learning Points (Preview): 赏月 (shǎngyuè): v. to admire the full moon
月饼 (yuèbǐng): n. moon cake
On Mid-autumn Festival, the custom of “赏月 (shǎngyuè) admiring the full moon” began with people in ancient China, and is still maintained. In the Zhou Dynasty, on the night of the Mid-autumn Festival, people would offer sacrifices to ...
Key Learning Points (Preview):
粽子 (zòngzi) n. rice dumpling
庆祝 (qìngzhù) v. to celebrate
In the west, people "庆祝 (qìngzhù) celebrate" Easter Day in memory of Jesus. They eat Easter Eggs to commemorate this day. In China, people have a similar celebration of a heroic figure from ancient times on the Dragon Boat Festival. Instead of Easter Eggs, Chinese people ...
Dragon Boat Festival in Chinese is 端午节(Duānwǔ jié). It is on the fifth of May of lunar calendar. There are many legends about this traditional festival and the most popular one is “屈原 (Qū Yuán)QuYuan,” who was a Chinese scholar and minister to the King of State of Chu during the Warring States period. He ...
Have you ever heard of Chinese “糖画(tánghuà) sugar painting?” If not, check out the video below for a glimpse of this intricate, edible art!
Have you ever seen anything like what the artist makes in the video? Do you think the way “糖画(tánghuà)” is made is pretty amazing?
If you visit China, you might find that in ...
清明节 (Qīngmíngjié) Tomb Sweeping Day (Intermediate)
Key Learning Points (Preview):
放风筝 (fàng fēngzheng): v to fly kites
荡秋千 (dàng qiūqiān): v to swing
“清明节 (Qīngmíngjié) Tomb Sweeping Day” is celebrated fifteen days after the Spring equinox and is one of the few Chinese holidays that follows the solar calendar. The traditional Chinese calendar divides a year ...
The movie 变脸(biànliǎn) Face Off was directed by Chinese director 吴宇森(Wúyŭsēn) John Woo, and was released in 1997. While the movie was a hit, in fact, 变脸(biànliǎn) is a form of art in Sichuan Province, China.
变脸(biànliǎn) face-off and 川剧(chuānjù) Sichuan Opera
川剧(chuānjù) Sichuan Opera is a form of folk art just like Peking Opera ...
Sun Zi’s Art of War was written by Sun Wu in the final year of the Spring and Autumn
Period (770BC – 476BC).
It is not only the oldest Chinese military work in existence but also the oldest book
of military theory in the world, well-known for a long time in the history of the
military academy in China ...
Sun Zi’s Art of War was written by Sun Wu in the final year of the Spring and Autumn
Period (770BC – 476BC).
It is not only the oldest Chinese military work in existence but also the oldest book
of military theory in the world, well-known for a long time in the history of the
military academy in China ...
