Chinese Vocabulary for Getting a Driver’s License in China Posted by Ayana on Feb 22, 2021

Driving any motor vehicle (机动车 jī dòng chē) in China requires a driving license. In formal documents, a driver’s license will appear as 驾驶执照 (jià shǐ zhí zhào), or 驾驶证 (jià shǐ zhèng). Both terms include the verb 驾驶 (jià shǐ) which means to drive, to pilot. The common term used in spoken language is…
Spring Festival Flashback Posted by sasha on Feb 17, 2021

As we enter another Year of the Ox (牛年 – niú nián), I can’t help but think back on the last one. The last go-around on the Chinese zodiac (生肖 – shēng xiào) was an interesting time for me. It was my first year living in China and I just so happen to have been…
Getting a Cold in Chinese Posted by Ayana on Feb 8, 2021

This winter, due to pandemic restrictions, flu cases remain unusually low. COVID-19 is surging but flu cases are down. Nonetheless, winter has arrived with low temperatures, cold winds and precipitation. If you don’t take good care of yourself you can easily catch a cold 感冒 (gǎn mào). 秋冬季节易患上感冒。 Qiū dōng jì jié yì huàn shàng…
The Year of the Ox Posted by sasha on Feb 3, 2021

The Spring Festival is coming soon (春节快到了 chūn jié kuài dào le). This year, the Chinese New Year falls on February 12th. We’re entering the Year of the Ox (牛年 niú nián), which I’m pretty excited about as it’s my year! I can’t believe it’s been 12 years since I celebrated my first Spring Festival…
China’s 2021 Holiday Calendar Posted by sasha on Jan 27, 2021

What Chinese holidays are you familiar with? We’ve covered most of them here on the blog at some point. I’ve been fortunate enough to celebrate all the major Chinese holidays in my years of living in both Beijing and Kunming. There are many holidays in China – both public and unofficial – throughout the year…
China Shijiazhuang Lockdown Posted by Ayana on Jan 18, 2021

石家庄 (Shí jiā zhuāng) is the capital of Hebei province. Although the 庄character (zhuāng, means village) appears in its name, Shijiazhuang is rather a large city. In fact, it’s the largest city of the northern Hebei province. With a total population of about 11 million, Shijiazhuang ranked eleventh in mainland China. You can admire its…
How to Use the Chinese Words for Custom Posted by Ayana on Jan 11, 2021

The famous Chinese idiom入乡随俗 (rù xiāng suí sú) is an equivalent to the English idiom when in Rome do as the Romans. The Chinese version, though, has nothing to do with Rome or its citizens. The four-character idiom is literally translated to when entering a village, follow the local customs. In this concise idiom each…