空调 (kōngtiáo) Air-conditioner (Beginner)
空调 (kōngtiáo) Air-conditioner (Beginner) Example
A: Fángjiān lǐ zhēn rè ,wǒ de yī fu dōu yǒu diǎn shī le . A: 房间 里 真 热，我 的 衣服 都 有 点 湿 了。 A: It is very hot in the room. My clothes are a little …
Mandarin Essentials
舍不得 (shěbude) Hate to part with or leave (Advanced)
舍不得 (shěbude)Hate to part with or leave(Advanced) Example:
Tā shěbude huā hěnduō qián mǎi piàoliang de yīfu, yīnwèi tā xiǎng zǎnqián 她 舍不得 花 很多 钱 买 漂亮 的衣服，因为 她 想 攒钱 wèi AP hànyǔ kǎoshì bào míng. 为 AP 汉语 考试 报 名。 She …
吉祥物 (jíxiángwù) Mascot (Intermediate)
吉祥物(jíxiángwù)Mascot(Intermediate) The character “吉祥(jíxiáng)” means lucky and “物 (wù)” means thing or object.
Example:
Shànghǎi shìbóhuì de jíxiángwù hǎo kě’ài ya. A: 上海 世博会 的 吉祥物 好 可爱 呀。 The Shanghai Expo’s mascot is so cute.
Èn, wǒ zhīdào tā de míngzi jiào hǎibǎo, wǒ …
志愿者 (zhìyuànzhě) Volunteer (Intermediate)
志愿者 (zhìyuànzhě) Volunteer(Intermediate) Example:
A: Nǐ xiǎng qù shìbóhuì dāng zhìyuànzhě mɑ? A: 你 想 去 世博会 当 志愿者 吗？ A: Do you want to be a volunteer for the Shanghai Expo?
B: Dāngrán xiǎng ā, wèi shìbó gòngxiàn zìjǐ yí fèn wēibó de lìliàng, …
阳台 (yángtái) Balcony (Beginner)
阳台 (yángtái)
Balcony (Beginner)
Example:
Měitiān zǎochén, wǒ xǐhuɑn qù yángtái biān hūxī xīnxiān de kōngqì, biān dú hànyǔ. 每天 早晨， 我 喜欢 去 阳台 边 呼吸 新鲜 的 空气， 边 读 汉语。
I like going to the balcony to breathe the fresh air and …
客厅 (kètīng) Living room (Beginner)
客厅 (kètīng) Living room (Beginner)
Zhème wǎn le, kètīng de dēng zěnme hái liàng zhe yɑ! A: 这么 晚 了，客厅 的 灯 怎么 还 亮 着 呀？
XiǎoMíng hái zài …
厨房 (chúfáng) Kitchen (Beginner)
厨房 (chúfáng) Kitchen (Beginner) Example:
Bǎobèi, xiàwǔ xué wán hànyǔ bāng māma yìqǐ dǎsǎo chúfáng ba? 宝贝， 下午 学 完 汉语 帮 妈妈 一起 打扫 厨房 吧？ Honey, how about helping mom clean the kitchen after finishing studying Chinese this afternoon? // // …
滥竽充数 Fill a Post without Real Qualifications (Beginner)
滥竽充数 (Lànyúchōngshù) Fill a Post without Real Qualifications (Beginner)
Key Learning Point (Preview):
数 (shǔ/shù): v/n count/number
In the Warring States Period of China, a king named Qixuan liked listening to the “合奏 (hézòu) instrumental ensemble” of Yu (an instrument in ancient China). The more …
Quote of the week (May 19, 2010)
Huáicái jiù xiàng huáiyùn, shíjiān jiǔ le cái néng kàn chūlái. 怀才 就 像 怀孕， 时间 久 了 才 能 看 出来。
It takes a long time to find one’s talent just as it takes long to find out someone is pregnant. —From 易中天 Yi …
Chinese Quiz-How to Say “Good Night” in Chinese?
Correct answer: A
Analysis:
A. “Good night” is “晚安 (wǎn’ān)” in Chinese.
B. “To sleep” is “睡觉 (shuì jiào)” in Chinese language.
C. “To brush the teeth” is “刷牙 (shuā yá)” in Chinese language.
D. “To wash face” is “洗脸 (xǐ liǎn) in Chinese language.…
Chinese Mini-test: Good Night (Beginner)
Beginner Level 初级 (chūjí)
A: Why are you still awake?
B: I’m boning up for the HSK.
A: Well, enough energy can assure better preparation for the HSK, right?
So go to bed now. Good night!
B: Well, you’re right. Good night!
Have you learned
Chinese Mini-test: To Ask for Taking Some Time Off (From Work) (Intermediate)
Intermediate Level 中级 (zhōngjí)
Wǒ xiàzhōu de gōngzuò jiù jiāogěi nǐ le, yīnwèi wǒ yào qù kàn 2010 Shànghǎi A: 我 下周 的 工作 就 交给 你 了，因为 我 要 去 看 2010 上海 Shìbóhuì la! 世博会 啦！ I’ll hand over my next week’s work …
Mini-test Answer: 请假 (qǐngjià) (Intermediate)
Intermediate Level 中级 (zhōngjí)
Correct answer: D
Analysis:
A. “出差 (chūchāi)” is the Chinese word for “be on a business trip.”
B. “旅游 (lǚyóu)” is the Chinese word for “travel.”
C. “看病 (kànbìng)” is the Chinese word for “to see a doctor.”
D. “请假 (qǐngjià)” …
Chinese Mini-test: To Fall in Love at First Sight (Advanced)
Advanced Level 高级 (gāojí)
Qīnàide, zhīdào wǒ shì shénme shíhou ài shàng nǐ de ma? A: 亲爱的，知道 我 是 什么 时候 爱 上 你 的 吗？ Darling, do you know when I started loving you? Bù zhīdào. Shénme shíhou ne? Zhǐ jìdé wǒmen shì zài …
Mini-test Answer: 一见钟情 (yíjiànzhōngqíng) (Advanced)
Advanced Level 高级 (gāojí)
Correct answer: D
Analysis:
A. “情不自禁 (qíngbúzìjìn)” are the Chinese characters for “cannot control one’s emotion.”
B. “Be fair and reasonable” is “合情合理 (héqínghélǐ)” in Chinese language.
C. “心甘情愿 (xīn’gānqíngyuàn)” are the Chinese characters for “to be totally willing to.”…
卧室 (wòshì) Bedroom (Beginner)
卧室 (wòshì) Bedroom (Beginner)
Example:
Bǎobèi, nǐ de wòshì zěnme zhème luàn ne, chuángshàng hái rēnɡ le hǎoduō shū. A: 宝贝， 你 的 卧室 怎么 这么 乱 呢， 床上 还 扔 了 好多 书。
Honey, how come your bed is in such a mess with …
说大话 (shuōdàhuà) Brag (Advanced)
说大话 (shuōdàhuà) Brag (Advanced)
说 (shuō) means to talk, 大话 (dàhuà) means exaggerated words. Example： A: Nǐ de xuéshù nénglì pínggū kǎoshì zhǔnbèi de zěnmeyàng le? 你 的 学术 能力 评估 考试 准备 的 怎么样 了？
How is your preparation for the SAT exam going? …
感动 (gǎndòng) Be Touched (Intermediate)
感动 (gǎndòng) Be Touched (Intermediate) Example
A: Kàn le “Dāng Xìngfú Lái Qiāomén,” wǒ bèi shēn shēn de gǎndòng le. 看 了“ 当 幸福 来 敲门”， 我 被 深 深 地 感动 了。 I was deeply touched by the movie “The Pursuit of Happiness.”
B: …
饱 (bǎo) Full (Beginner)
饱 (bǎo) Full (Beginner)
Example：
A: Jīntiān zhōngwǔ chī de hǎo bǎo a! 今天 中午 吃 的 好 饱 啊！ I’m really full after lunch today.
B: Shì a , cài zhēn hǎochī. 是 啊，菜 真 好 吃。 Yeah, the dishes were really delicious. // …
地震 (dìzhèn) Earthquake (Intermediate)
地震 (dìzhèn) Earthquake (Intermediate)
Example： A: Xīnlàng wǎng shàng bàodào le dìzhèn zhōng de sǐwáng rénshù. 新浪 网 上 报道 了 地震 中 的 死亡 人数。
The death toll in the earthquake was reported on sina.com B: Ài, zìrán zāihài zhēn shì hěn kěpà! 哎，自然 …