Archive for July, 2012
Making Comparisons in Chinese Posted by sasha on Jul 30, 2012
Learn how to make simple comparisons in Chinese with this easy to follow video. Features Chinese characters, pinyin, and English translations, along with explanations. 比 – bǐ compare; contrast 他比我高 – tā bǐ wǒ gāo He’s taller than me. 她比我漂亮 – tā bǐ wǒ piào liang She’s more beautiful than me. 上海比北京大…
Summer Olympics Posted by sasha on Jul 28, 2012
It’s time again for the Summer Olympics (夏季奥运会 – xià jì ào yùn huì), which means it’s been a whole four years since I came to Beijing and China hosted the games for the first time. How time flies! This year, of course, the games are being hosted by London (伦敦 – lún dūn). Many athletes (运动员 –…
Chengde (承德) – Summer Mountain Resort (避暑山庄) Posted by sasha on Jul 21, 2012
The highlight of Chengde is without a doubt the Summer Mountain Resort. This massive complex features four main areas: the palace, the lake, the plains, and the mountains. Built during the Qing Dynasty, it served as a summer retreat for the Emperor and his family, who would escape the brutal heat of Beijing to hunt…
Two Year Anniversary Posted by sasha on Jul 17, 2012
These days Chinese is my 2nd language, but back in high school I was a Latin scholar. Of course, there are only a few Latin phrases that I remember to this day, one of which being “tempus fugit,” or “time flies” in English. This phrase is a little longer and more complicated in Chinese – 时间过得真快…
Chengde (承德) – Temple Hopping Posted by sasha on Jul 12, 2012
Located just a few hours northeast of Beijing is the city of Chengde in Hebei province. During the Qing Dynasty, the Emperor would come here to escape from the heat of Beijing. One particular Emperor – Qianlong – had two incredible temples built here. One is a replica of the Potala Palace in Lhasa, Tibet…
My Job (我的工作) Posted by sasha on Jul 8, 2012
Get your dictionaries out, because it’s time for another all Chinese post here on the blog! In case you missed them, we’ve already covered some useful topics, such as: introducing yourself, my day, my family, and my city. Today, I’ll tell you about my job: 我的工作是教大人英文。我在北京工作。我一毕业，就开始这个工作。现在我在一个美国公司工作。在中国我们有很多中心。我们的中心都在大城市。在北京我们有十五个中心。我是兼职职员。我每个星期有二十五个小时的工作。周一，周五，和周六我半天工作，周四和周日全天工作。周二和周三休息。我觉得我的工作不太忙。 半天的时候我有三节课。全天的时候有六节课。我每天有一个小时准备上课的材料。我们有很多学生 － 有的是中国人，有的是韩国人，还有的是欧洲人。他们先用电脑自己学习，然后来中心上课。他们也可以随便来中心参观我们的英语角。有时候我们开个晚会，比如：万圣节，圣诞节，或者新年。我觉得我的工作很好玩，也很舒服。 Now, let’s break the post…
Better Know a… Municipality (Part One) Posted by sasha on Jul 3, 2012
In a new series here on the Transparent Chinese blog, we’ll be diving deeper into China by examining the various regions of this massive country, one by one. In a nod to Stephen Colbert and his “Better Know a District” segment, we’ll be looking closely at each region and introducing some basic facts and interesting…