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Many may wonder that, while Cantonese and the Teochew dialect are extensively spoken by the overseas Chinese community, why is Mandarin the official language of China?
What is the history of Mandarin?
The predecessor of Mandarin (普通话 Pǔ tōng huà) is the Beijing dialect (北京話 Běi jīng huà), which dates back to the Ming Dynasty in China and ...
The 2022 FIFA World Cup held in Qatar is in full swing. China did not make it to this mega sporting event, but to celebrate the World Cup together, it also sent a special “team” to Qatar-two giant pandas, named Jing Jing and Si Hai.
Giant pandas are the national treasure of China. Jing Jing and ...
While learning Chinese, you’ve more likely than not come across these three words: ”的”, “得” and “地” – all pronounced “de”. These three characters are like three brothers, and they often pop up in our lives. Although they have the same pronunciation, their different looks come with different usages. Many Chinese students mix them up, so today we’re going to set ...
With all that goes on every day, and all that could go wrong, we sometimes forget to be grateful. Of course, with Thanksgiving (感恩节 Gǎn ēn jié) right around the corner gratitude is in the air in the U.S., but we thinking that no matter where you are or who you are it’s important to ...
American cowboy boots, Dutch clogs, Scottish kilts, French berets – some clothing is so iconic it’s immediately recognizable. But what about Chinese sartorial traditions? Chances are the phrase “traditional Chinese clothing” may not bring anything specific to mind when you hear it, and that’s why we’re talking about it today!
Like Chinese culture, traditional Chinese garments ...
All across Chinese social media, English letter abbreviations are running rampant. Whether on web forums, text messages, or WeChat, terms like “yyds”, “dddd” and “u1s1” have been evolving and gradually working their way into everyday conversation. As it’s easy to just dismiss them as silly trends (or even typos), today we’re breaking down what some ...
When we think of soccer (football), many people think of superstars like Lionel Messi from Argentina or the Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo. But did you know that in 2004, FIFA confirmed that the origins of soccer lie in Chinese Cuju (cù jū 蹴鞠)? Cuju was the earliest soccer-like activity recorded in history?
蹴鞠(cù jū): n. Cuju
...
Last time we talked about 5 Mythical Chinese Creatures beyond the world of Chinese dragons and it’s about time you discovered some of the mythical places from Chinese folklore and literature including heaven and hell. Whether these places are real or not, you must decide on your own. But they are places that can ...
During this year’s Henan Spring Festival Gala, “Tang Palace Banquet（táng gōng yè yàn 唐宫夜宴）” astounded countless audience members. After the Dragon Boat Festival party, Henan TV’s “Luo Shen Shui Fu（luò shén shuǐ fù 洛神水赋）” also went viral. However, what truly no one saw coming was that Henan TV’s Chinese Valentine’s Day party “Diamond of Dragon ...
If you were to Google “confusing things about Chinese”, you’d get approximately 39,100,000 results (trust us, we just tried). There are a lot of aspects of learning the language that might trip you up, things like pronunciation, writing characters, all the different ways to say “grandparent”, and more, but today we wanted to have some ...
What day do children look forward to all year in China? If you think it’s their birthday, think again!
Tuesday, June 1st 2021 is when International Children’s Day is this year. If you ask any Child in China, they will often tell you that Children’s Day is a time when they go to the movies for ...
Recently, the Ministry of Education issued the international standard for Chinese education. This was the first standard for foreign Chinese students by the National Committee on language and culture. The levels were divided into level three and level nine. The international standard for Chinese education will officially be implemented as of July 1, 2021.
According to ...
“A room without books is like a body without a soul. “
- Marcus Tullius Cicero
“Without words, without writing and without books there would be no history, there could be no concept of humanity.”
- Hermann Hesse
“That’s the thing about books. They let you travel without moving your feet.”
- Jhumpa Lahiri
April 23rd is World Book Day (世界读书日shì ...
Muslim Ramadan
Ramadan refers to the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. It is called Ramadan in Arabic. According to Islamic doctrine, Ramadan is a grand, festive, auspicious, and noble month.because it was this month that Allah handed down the Koran to Muslims.
1. Ramadan
The beginning and end of Ramadan are based on the appearance of the ...
The Songkran Festival in Thailand is also known as the “Water Festival”. It lasts three days beginning on April 13 each year and is an important festival in Thailand. The Thai Songkran Festival represents cleansing of evil, misfortune and sin, as well as the beginning of the new year and all things good.
1. History of ...
5 Psychological Phenomena You Probably Haven’t Heard About
“Psychological phenomena” is often kind of just a fancy way to refer to reasons behind human interactions, and ways to describe the cause-and-effect relationships between actions and reactions. It’s important to keep in mind that this terminology is neither positive nor negative, but often examples ARE interesting.
Additionally, being ...
“愚人节(yú rén jié) April Fool’s Day” is an annual custom on April 1st consisting of practical jokes and hoaxes. Jokesters often expose their actions by shouting “April Fools!” at the recipient. Nearly anyone and everyone will get involved in creating jokes to deceive and amuse the masses.
April Fool’s Day has since developed into ...
“Poverty Limits My Imagination”
Whenever people see others flaunting their wealth on social media, or interact briefly with the rich and famous, a common refrain is often heard: “贫穷限制了我的想象! (pín qióng xiàn zhì le wǒ de xiǎng xiàng) Poverty limits my imagination!”
This self-effacing sentence is saying that those with money can live lifestyles that ...
March 8 is International Women’s Day. It is a holiday celebrating women all over the world, recognizing their accomplishments and reminding people everywhere to continue working towards unity in fighting for the equal rights of women and men.
History of International Women’s Day
International Women’s Day is celebrated every year on March 8, and is a legal ...
What You Don’t Know About Chinese New Year
2021 is the Year of the Ox, the ox being of the twelve Chinese zodiac animals. In fact, there are similar customs in many countries. For example, Myanmar has eight zodiac animals that, similarly to the Chinese zodiac, are assigned to people depending on their date of birth.
In ...
