Archive by Author
China’s Stereotypical Distinction between North and South Posted by Ayana on Jul 1, 2019
Whenever Yu Juan, my Yunnanise friend, recalls her time in Beijing she’s pouting. She graduated from a famous university, but didn’t enjoy her stay in the capital city. “The food there is not spicy enough, and the people are so different”, she explains. “Different?”, I ask, and she elaborates: – 北方人脾气凶暴 (běi fāng rén pí…
Talking about Smoking in Chinese Posted by Ayana on Jun 17, 2019
Smoking (吸烟 xī yān) is a bad habit (坏习惯 huài xí guàn). Cigarettes appear to have originated in Mexico and Central America around the 9th century in the form of reeds and smoking tubes. In the 19th century, the cigarette had crossed into Europe and received the name cigarette (香烟 xiāng yān). Nowadays, the adverse health…
About the Dragon Boat Festival Customs Posted by Ayana on Jun 3, 2019
The Dragon Boat Festival is known in Chinese as 端午节 (Duān wǔ jié). It is celebrated every year on the 5th day of the 5th lunar month, which falls on June 7 in 2019. 端午节，这个重大节日举国同庆。 Duān wǔ jié, zhè ge zhòng dà jié rì jǔ guó tóng qìng. The whole nation celebrates…
The Gaokao – The Most Important Exam in Chinese College Admissions Posted by Ayana on May 20, 2019
Next month, millions of high school seniors will take the most important exam (考试 kǎo shì) of their lives – the Chinese National Higher Education Entrance Examination. Shortly known as the 高考 (gāokǎo, higher education exam). The gaokao is the sole criteria for determining university (大学 dà xué) admissions in China. Failure in the gaokao, a…
5 Must-Know Chinese Adjectives to Describe People Posted by Ayana on May 6, 2019
Adjectives (形容词 xíng róng cí) play an important role in any language. Adjectives are used to describe the noun and they are tremendously useful in daily spoken language. In this post we will focus on five must-know adjectives to describe (mostly but, of course, not only) people. These five traits and their antonyms will help…
Time Phrases in Chinese – Learn Chinese through the Song 『我是不是你最疼爱的人』 Posted by Ayana on Apr 15, 2019
『我是不是你最疼爱的人』 is one of my favorite Chinese songs. It is also a good source to practice Chinese vocabulary and grammar. 『我是不是你最疼爱的人』 was originally preformed by the Taiwanese singer 潘越雲 (Pān Yuèyún) in the 80’s: 我是不是你最疼爱的人 从来就没冷过 因为有你在我身后 你总是轻声地说 黑夜有我 你总是默默承受 这样的我不敢怨尤 现在为了什么 不再看我 我是不是你最疼爱的人 你为什么不说话 握住是你冰冷的手 动也不动让我好难过 我是不是你最疼爱的人 你为什么不说话 当我需要你的时候 你却沉默不说 从来就没冷过 因为有你挡住寒冻 你总是在我身后 带着笑容 你总是细心温柔 呵护守候这样的我 现在是为了什么 不再看我 我是不是你最疼爱的人 你为什么不说话 握住是你冰冷的手 动也不动让我好难过 我是不是你最疼爱的人 你为什么不说话 当我需要你的时候 你却沉默不说 你最心疼我把眼哭红 记得你曾说过 不让我委屈泪流 我是不是你最疼爱的人 你为什么不说话 当我需要你的时候 你却沉默不说…
Chinese Cinderella Story: The Story Behind Lao Gan Ma Chili Sauce Posted by Ayana on Apr 1, 2019
老干妈 (lǎo gàn mā) is a famous Chinese chili sauce. It is one of the most favored chili sauces in China, a must-have (必备bì bèi) in every house. In recent years, it has seen growing popularity overseas, too. New York Magazine ranked the spicy sauce in first place. On the Facebook page of The Lao…