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Chinese Time phrases Posted by Ayana on Apr 15, 2021
Time is the most valuable commodity. No one can create time, no one is able to buy more of it. It stands still for no one, and once it’s lost, it can never be replenished. Time is our most precious resource. We’ve already learned how to tell the time in Chinese, but talking about it…
Asking about Age in Chinese Posted by Ayana on Mar 22, 2021
When you wonder about someone’s age (年龄 nián líng), and you don’t want to guess (猜猜 cāi cāi) or make an assessment (判断 pàn duàn), here are all the Chinese ways to ask for someone’s age. The character 多 (duō) has many usages. It serves as adjective, verb, and numeral; and means a lot, more…
China’s Square Dancing Posted by Ayana on Mar 10, 2021
If you ever visited a Chinese city and got to do some sightseeing of its parks and plazas, you probably encountered one of China’s popular folk dances – the public square dancing 广场舞 (guǎng chǎng wǔ). 广场舞蹈在中国是一个非常重要的艺术形式。群众自发组织，在在市区的广场、公园，等简陋的空地表演的舞蹈。广场舞蹈遍布了中国每一个角落。 Guǎng chǎng wǔ dǎo zài Zhōngguó shì yī gè fēi cháng zhòng yào de yì shù xíng shì…
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…
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…
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…