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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 ...
Network Valentine’s Day is a holiday to celebrate love in the information age that takes place over the course of two days, May 20 and May 21, every year, because of the way that these two dates sound in Chinese. “520” sounds like the Chinese for “I love you”, while “521″ has taken on the ...
Have you ever marveled at the phenomenon where the more we have of something, the more we take it for granted? Well, we only have one “行星地球 (xíng xīng dì qiú) planet Earth” so it must be “珍惜 (zhēn xī) cherished” and “ 关心 (guān xīn) cared for” above all else. April 22, 2021, is ...
Stop Asian Hate
As recent events have unfolded across news outlets and social media platforms, the world has heard of yet another outcry on American soil, pleading “Stop Asian Hate”. This comes shortly after the Black Lives Matter movement rallied globally and is just as significant and timely.
Every year, around 250,000 people in the United States ...
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 ...
I have talked with you about a lot of common Chinese vocabulary expressions and how Chinese people use them. Today, let’s talk about something different: let’s talk about a recent popular cultural phenomenon in China.
Recently, a phrase suddenly became popular on the Internet: ”凡尔赛文学(fán’ěrsài wénxué) Versailles Literature”.
Some people say that this expression was ...
If someone asks how to say, “OMG” in Chinese, are they really asking about the literal translation of “Oh my god”? Of course not; they’re asking how to express and evoke the same emotion when speaking Chinese.
The English emotion and version of this expression is actually not a foreign one to Chinese people – the ...
”万圣节 (wànshèngjié) Halloween” is celebrated on October 31st in many countries around the world, and even though it’s not a Chinese holiday, over the years it has become very popular in China, Taiwan, and other Asian countries and regions. But today we won’t spend much time on the cultural background of this holiday – since ...
Have you heard the expression, “盘他(pán tā)”?
The expression was made popular by a TikTok video where the speaker said, “Don’t mind what he is, 盘他(pán tā). Everything can be ‘盘’, just ‘盘’”.
What does that mean?
Let’s talk about 盘(pán) first.
Now, you may have seen the word 盘(pán) before in the context of eating. For example: 一盘菜(yī pán cài). This literally means, ...
“斜杠青年(xiégāng qīngnián),” or, “Slashers”, are people who make multiple income streams simultaneously from different careers.
“斜杠(xiégàng)” literally means “slash” in English, and refers to the “/” (particularly the key on the computer keyboard). The term was coined by Marci Alboher, a New York Times columnist, in her book One Person/Multiple Careers, in which she used “slashers” ...
As in English, in Chinese there are different ways to talk about understanding something. In English you might say, “I get it,” or, “Can you comprehend this?” or, “She understands that,” etc.
In Chinese, “理解(lǐjiě)” and “了解(liǎojiě)” are two verbs, both of which mean, “to know and understand”. However, there’s a difference: “了解” has a broader ...
Did you know that the Chinese language is changing at an unbelievable pace? Don’t worry, you will still be able to speak using everyday conversation words and phrases. The rapid change that you need to keep up with, however, is on the internet and with the ever-evolving world of slang. Slang is not only fun, ...
We all hate them and know they aren’t fair but are you guilty of having any “双标（shuāng biāo)?” It means double standard but the full term is “双重标准(shuāng chóng biāo zhǔn)”. Maybe you aren’t even aware of what a double standard is! In that case, it refers to the opposite judgment or behavior of the ...
1. What does “宝藏男孩 (Bǎo zàng nán hái)” mean?
“宝藏男孩 (Bǎo zàng nán hái) Treasure boy ” is a hot Chinese word on the Internet, which common used to describe that you like to have a lot of unknown talents on your body slowly discovered by everyone.
The Chinese term “宝藏男孩 (Bǎo zàng nán hái) Treasure ...
Every language and culture has their own metaphors, and often these are shared. When studying Mandarin you’ll learn many colorful and creative metaphors as well as their cultural origins and significance.
Dating back 5,000 years Chinese culture has a plethora of metaphors, some new and some old. Figurative language doesn’t always pass through a language barrier ...
Have you ever seen a live performance, that was so magnificent and energetic, that it almost seemed like the floor itself was jumping? Musicians, athletes, and people who exhibit extraordinary traits are usually considered hardcore, cool and awesome. In an internet-centric world, it would only make sense that there would be a new buzzword created ...
We’ve all had that friend or colleague who just seems to always have everything in order. It’s as if a genie granted each and every wish he or she has commanded. While this is great news for some people, the truth is that it doesn’t come without envious remarks. “Envy” – In China, there is ...
Have you heard of the emerging and trendy internet slang from China called “土味情话 (tǔwèi qínghuà) ”? It can be compared to “cheesy pick-up lines” in English. “土味 (tǔwèi)” usually means outdated or old-school, while “情话 (qínghuà)” refers to the sweet nothings shared between lovers. Thus it’s a funny way to flirt with your partner ...
We live in a time where buying something without a recommendation is uncommon. Consumerism has fueled large corporations to supply the increasing demand for their products, with various ranges. Many times it can be hard to determine whether or not the product or service will actually live up to its claims. The social shopping scene ...
Interjections are commonly used in our daily life which are also known as “叹词 (tàncí)" or "感叹词 (gǎntàncí)" in Mandarin Chinese. These kinds of expressions are used in our daily lives to express exclamations or make various kinds of emotional responses. It happens every day! We use interjections or exclamations to express our emotional ...
