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Talking about New Year Resolutions in Chinese Posted by Ayana on Dec 14, 2021
December has come and festive vibes are in the air. 2021 is almost over and a fresh atmosphere of beginning dominates the preparations for the coming year. 年末 (nián mò, end of the year), is a good time for self-reflection, and thinking about a better future self. 新的一年新的开始，人人要看看自己走的道路，对自己许下很多完美的祝愿。然后打算每一天怎么过，每一步怎么前行。 Xīn de yī nián xīn de kāi…
Beijing Famous Snack Yellow Pea Cake Posted by Ayana on Nov 23, 2021
Cixi (1835-1908) was the queen regent of the Qing Dynasty and known as the empress dowager of China. She started as one of the emperor’s low-ranking concubines. She gave birth to his first son, and after the emperor death she seized power and ruled over the Chinese empire for almost half a century. According to…
Chinese Winter Vocabulary Posted by Ayana on Nov 15, 2021
Autumn has come, the temperatures are gradually dropping, and winter is just around the corner. Chinese has two names for winter: Both names consist of two characters: the first one 冬 (dōng) means winter, and the second – 季 or 天– mean season. 季 (jì) comes from the Chinese noun for season 季节 (jì jié)…
The Lion Dance Posted by Ayana on Oct 31, 2021
The traditional Chinese Lion dance is called 舞狮 (wǔ shī). 舞 (wǔ) means dance (as the word 跳舞 tiào wǔ), and 狮 (shī) means lion (as the word 狮子 shī zi). 舞狮是中国民间艺术。 Wǔ shī shì zhōng guó mín jiān yì shù. The lion dance is a Chinese folk art. The dance is operated by performers…
Three Chinese Verbs with the Meaning of to Dislike Posted by Ayana on Oct 25, 2021
喜欢 (xǐ huan) is a verb, meaning to like, to be fond of. It’s a very common verb, and can be attributed to people, food, objects, hobbies, etc. To change its meaning to the antonym verb of to dislike, just add the negative prefix 不 (bù) before it. 不 plus 喜欢 forms the verb 不喜欢, which…
The Chinese Words for Cube Posted by Ayana on Sep 27, 2021
The Beijing’s Bird’s Nest and the Water Cube, which are actually called The Beijing National Stadium and The Beijing National Aquatics Center, were originally designed and constructed to host the 2008 Olympic Games. Their great architectures and impressive appearances made them attractive tourist sites to visit, even more than a decade after the Beijing Games…
Six Common Phrases of the Character 开 Posted by Ayana on Sep 13, 2021
开 (kāi) is one of the first Chinese words I learned. I remember it from my first Chinese classes. It was part of their routine: the students were already sitting on their chairs, thick textbooks on their tables, when the teacher arrived. She entered the class, greeted us kindly, and asked: 请打开书 (qǐng dǎ kāi…