Chinese Language Blog

When making small talk, it’s very common to talk about your hobbies (爱好 - Ài hào). After all, talking about what you like to do in your free time is always more interesting than talking about what you have to do at work or school. To help you build your vocabulary and learn how to talk about your hobbies, here’s a short article all in Chinese about mine.

我的爱好是：旅行，听音乐，看书，做运动，看电影，和去饭店吃饭，去酒吧喝酒。我很喜欢旅行。除了中国我已经去过几个国家－加拿大，墨西哥，牙买加，荷兰，意大利，希腊，日本，韩国，泰国，和老挝。明年我打算去东南亚洲，比如：越南，柬埔寨，马拉西亚，新加坡，什么的。我也很喜欢听音乐。我全天听音乐－在家里，在健身房，在路上，或者在公司。我会弹吉他，也会拉大提琴。我爱看音乐会。做运动的话我喜欢打篮球，游泳，爬山，跑步，骑自行车，打保龄球，和玩飞盘。在家里我喜欢看书或者电影。周末的时候我喜欢跟朋友们一起去出玩。我们常常先去饭店吃饭然后去酒吧喝酒。什么菜我都喜欢吃。我喜欢喝黑啤或者鸡尾酒。

I realize that’s a lot to take in at once, so here’s a sentence-by-sentence breakdown, with pinyin and English to assist you:

我的爱好是：旅行，听音乐，看书，做运动，看电影，和去饭店吃饭，去酒吧喝酒

wǒ de ài hào shì: lǚ xíng, tīng yīn yuè, kàn shū, zuò yùn dòng, kàn diàn yǐng, hé qù fàn diàn chī fàn, qù jiǔ bā hē jiǔ

My hobbies are: traveling, listening to music, reading books, doing exercise, watching movies, and going to restaurants to eat and going to bars to drink.

我很喜欢旅行。除了中国我已经去过几个国家－加拿大，墨西哥，牙买加，荷兰，意大利，希腊，日本，韩国，泰国，和老挝。

wǒ hěn xǐ huan lǚ xíng. chú le zhōng guó wǒ yǐ jīng qù guò jǐ gè guó jiā – jiā ná dà, mò xī gē, yá mǎi jiā, hé lán, yì dà lì, xī là, rì běn, hán guó, tài guó, hé lǎo wō.

I really like traveling. In addition to China, I’ve already been to many countries – Canada, Mexico, Jamaica, Holland, Italy, Greece, Japan, Korea, Thailand, and Laos.

明年我打算去东南亚洲，比如：越南，柬埔寨，马拉西亚，新加坡，什么的。

míng nián wǒ dǎ suàn qù dōng nán yà zhōu, bǐ rú: yuè nán, jiǎn pǔ zhài, mǎ lā xī yà, xīn jiā pō, shén me de.

Next year I intende to go to Southeast Asia, for example: Vietnam, Cambodia, Malaysia, Singapore, and so on.

我也很喜欢听音乐。我全天听音乐－在家里，在健身房，在路上，或者在公司。

wǒ yě hěn xǐ huan tīng yīn yuè. wǒ quán tiān tīng yīn yuè – zài jiā lǐ, zài jiàn shēn fáng, zài lù shàng, huò zhě zài gōng sī.

I also really like listening to music. I listen to music all day long – at home, at the gym, on the road, or at my company.

我会弹吉他，也会拉大提琴。

wǒ huì tàn jí tā, yě huì lā dà tí qín.

I can play the guitar, and also the cello.

我爱看音乐会。

wǒ ài kàn yīn yuè huì.

I love going to concerts.

做运动的话我喜欢打篮球，游泳，爬山，跑步，骑自行车，保龄球，和玩飞盘。

zuò yùn dòng de huà wǒ xǐ huan dǎ lán qiú, yóu yǒng, pá shān, pǎo bù, qí zì xíng chē, dǎ bǎo líng qiú, hé wán fēi pán.

As far as doing exercise, I like playing basketball, swimming, hiking, running, cycling, going bowling, and playing frisbee.

在家里我喜欢看书或者电影。

zài jiā lǐ wǒ xǐ huan kàn shū huò zhě diàn yǐng.

At home I like reading books or watching movies.

周末的时候我喜欢跟朋友们一起去出玩。我们常常先去饭店吃饭然后去酒吧喝酒。

zhōu mò de shí hou wǒ xǐ huan gēn péng yǒu men yī qǐ qù chū wán. wǒ men cháng cháng xiān qù fàn diàn chī fàn rán hòu qù jiǔ bā hē jiǔ.

On the weekends, I like going out with my friends to play. We often go to a restaurant to eat first, and then go to a bar to drink.

什么菜我都喜欢吃。我喜欢喝黑啤或者鸡尾酒。

shén me cài wǒ dōu xǐ huan chī. wǒ xǐ huan hē hēi pí huò zhě jī wěi jiǔ.

I like eating any kind of food. I like drinking dark beer or cocktails.

So… how about you? What are your hobbies? (你的爱好是什么 – nǐ de ài hào shì shén me)

For most assistance in building up your Chinese vocabulary, make sure you check out the countless Byki lists that are available for download. These will help you learn Chinese  in no time!

 A fellow 老外 studying abroad with me in China once said that “A man can live off of dumplings and beer alone, and it ain’t a bad existence”. True words probably haven’t ever been spoken.

For a mere 十快 (shí kuài)-that’s a little under two us dollars- you get everything you need. The holy trifecta of meals: cheap, delicious, and easy to eat. They are the perfect food. Gloriously satisfying and easy on the wallet.

Dumplings may be Chinese Foods’ greatest secret. It makes you wonder why dumplings aren’t served everywhere in the world. I’m amazed McDonalds doesn’t have a 10 piece McDumpling Meal.

Enter the Dumpling:

What are these delicious pouches of ground-up meat, vegetables and starch? Why are they so cheap and yet so fantastically good?

Dumplings or 饺子 (jiǎozi) are one of China’s most recognizable and historical food stuffs, synonymous with luck or 幸运 (xìngyùn), good fortune or 时运 (shíyùn) and happiness or 幸福 (xìngfú). While traditionally a dish eaten during holidays, celebrations and festivals, 饺子 have evolved into a staple of every day life in China and range from fast food to go boxes, to fine dining, multiple course meals.

Watch how to make your own dumplings here:

You are what you eat

Much like 串儿 (chuàner)，dumplings are comfort food, all wrapped up in a neat little package in bite-size form. They travel well, keep well and are entirely self-contained. As a result, they can be found on almost any street corner or in any hole-in-the-wall restaurant. The trick is finding a place that specializes specifically in dumplings, which is rather easy so long as you recognize the characters for it.

Why so prevalent? The reason for this is simple: “dumpling folk” take pride in their work, and over decades (if not centuries) have mastered the exact proportions and specific mixtures of ingredients that maximizes complimentary tastes within these palatable pouches. The dough must be thin enough to not infringe on the flavorful filling, yet thick enough not to fall apart. It may look easy to make, but a true dumpling is a culmination of years of practice and experimentation (believe me, I made dumplings with my host family and they were mediocre at best).

Variety: the spice of life

But the real reason why dumplings are king is the variety, both in filling and in preparation. Aside from the basic steamed 饺子， there are a plethora of cooking variations used namely: fried dumplings 炸(zhá)饺子，pot stickers (锅贴儿 guōtiēr), boiled dumplings (水饺 shuǐjiǎo), shumai (actually pronounced shāo mài or 焼売) and even dumplings with sauce and juices inside, much like 小龙报 bào (a personal favorite). Once you’ve decided upon how to cook your dumpling, you then you have pages and pages of options of filling to decide amongst, including every imaginable meat, seafood, or veggie mixture in the Chinese cookbook.

Some Examples:

猪肉白菜-Pork and “Cabbage”
牛肉青菜－Beef and leek
小龙包－A mixture of animal stock broth, pork and bamboo shoots

How to eat:

Eating dumplings is pretty straightforward. All you really need is some basic chopstick skills, a side plate and some dipping sauce that you make yourself. This is my favorite part of a dumpling feast and really lets you add your own special flavor to the meal.

When eating dumplings, you will have a small side plate to mix your sauce in. Most restaurants provide vinegar or 香醋 (xiānɡcù), spicy pepper sauce or 辣椒 (làjiāo), and garlic cloves or 大蒜 (dàsuàn), for you to mash, mix and stir into your plate. This dipping sauce is entirely your call, so you can play around with your palate finding the perfect blend of sweet, spicy, savory and sour.The only tricky part is making sure your dumplings don’t belly flop from your chopsticks into the plate, spraying everyone at the table with your vinegary concoction (my 老外 friend was an expert in spattering the table with his super spicy mixture-every time).

When you order dumplings, you often order by weight, instead of quantity. Sizes are usually half a kilo 半公斤 bangōngjīn for a plate or 一盘 (yipán), or for those “starving to death” or 饿死了(èsǐle), the full kilogram or 公斤. Just be mindful of how many of these guys you eat, otherwise you’ll start looking like a stuffed 饺子 yourself.

Quite similar to the Middle Eastern style of “kebab”, 串儿 (Chuànér) is a skewer of grilled anything, meant to be eaten without utensils or modesty. To me, 串儿 is more than just a snack, it’s a state of mind, enjoyed by all ages and all walks of life. Synonymous with night-life dining culture, 串儿 is like the Chinese version of tapas. It’s the foundation to any late-night meal, encouraging conversation, drinking and midnight antics.

The beauty of 串儿 lies in it’s simplicity, requiring only a heat source (often a coal or wood fired grill or electric oven), chunks of meat, tofu, vegetables or even a starch, some kind of skewer, and an assortment of spices to add flavor. It can be cooked by anyone with a little practice, on any street corner, and you’ll find it any time during the day or night. Think of it as comfort food for the entire population of China and any 老外s lucky enough to disregard the travel clinics orders. Just grab a stick and chow down (吃吧)!

Everything about 串儿 is convenient, even the character for it. *Please note here that Beijing and northern regions of China add the 儿 (hard r sound) due to dialect, but in southern regions people often just say 串 and drop the 儿*. That being said, the basic character in chuàn, 串，pictographically looks just like an example you’d find at a grill (see left). The line down the middle represents the skewer, and the two boxes represent the meat, bread, veggie, tofu that you are grilling.

It’s not surprising that Han Chinese culture has taken a liking to this 新疆 style of food because Chinese people love food that is convenient 方便 [fāngbiàn], and mobile. While most 新疆串儿 is lamb or chicken based (due to Muslim culture they do not eat, or have the same affinity for pork, 猪肉 zhūròu, as the Han Chinese), the Han Chinese have elevated 串儿 to a whole new level (phrase: 提高水平）.

In coastal regions (especially in Taiwan), squid 串儿 is the most common delicacy. You’ll often find it with a sweet, chalky bbq sauce that can really be hit or miss. You can also get all sorts of 鱼 [yú] 串儿，mostly deep fried and still with bones. Then, for the most adventurous, there is sea snake (not too tasty in my opinion), shark (really just dogfish), starfish, sea urchin and even sea cucumber 串儿。

If you’re in an inland setting, the most common style of 串儿 is almost always going to be fatty pork (猪肉 zhūròu) or lamb (羊肉 yángròu). Simplistic? Yes, but like all staples of Chinese food, necessarily so because it’s just so darn delicious. With lamb or pork 串儿，chunks of meat are separated by grizzle and fat, which melts into the meat during grilling, creating the most melt-in-your-mouth texture and flavor. Better yet, while the fat sizzles, spices are generously dumped atop the 串儿 and soak directly into the meat crystalizing the flavor in.

Many Chinese people have told me that the fat is indeed the best part of the 串儿， and you’ll soon realize this when you go out to eat in China. While for many 老外, grizzle is a texture we dislike, for Chinese people have grown love gnawing upon parts of the meat we would usually throw out because for centuries it was a sign of affluence and nourishment. Chinese people see a meal of fatty meats with friends as a celebration of good fortunes after nearly a half century of starvation. Chinese people revel at the chance to not only eat the fattiest cuts of meat possible, but to share them with guests. So 老外， show some manners and “chew the fat” 聊天或闲谈 [liáo tiān huò xián tán] with some 朋友s.

For vegetarians the options are much more limitted, but still delicious. 馒头票 or 馒头串儿 （toasted steamed bun with oil) is one of my personal favorites, and oh so 便宜 （cheap). Fried tofu (豆腐）is also an option, but can be rather hit or miss depending upon where you go. The grilled vegetables, however, seem great no matter where I go. My absolute favorite, 辣椒串儿 or [làjiāo]（think spicy green chili) is perfect when you need a little pick me up (I call it green tea on a stick).

Yet for those truly willing to try something new, I suggest taking a stroll down 王府井 street market in Central Beijing. Known for it’s “exotic” food, 王府井 is home to some of the most bizarre and tasty 串儿 I’ve ever eaten. As you traverse the street, you’ll be accosted by 小贩 [xiǎofàn] or street vendors yelling and pointing the their assorted “things on a stick”. For clips and a virtual tour, click here.

My favorite exotic snack here is undoubtedly the fried scorpion on a stick or 蝎子串儿 [xiēzi]. Just think of it as deep friend popcorn, as it is very oily, crunchy and has a starchy inside. Maybe even more enjoyable than eating these nasty little creatures, is watching how they are prepared and cooked. Shoved onto a skewer while still alive, they’ll twitch and flex their stingers while you walk by, allowing you to pick the feistiest ones for your stomach 肚子. Check out the video Now that’s good 蝎子!

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