Archive by Author
A Chinese Book Review: Chronicle of a Blood Merchant Posted by Ayana on Sep 7, 2020
许三观卖血记 (Xǔ Sānguān Mài Xiě Jì) is a 1995 novel by the Chinese writer Yu Hua. Translated to English by the name Chronicle of a Blood Merchant, the book tells the story of Xu Sanguan who finds a way to augment his meager salary. A way that changes his life. Xu Sanguan lives in the city…
Using Children’s Fairy Tales to Practice Chinese Posted by Ayana on Aug 17, 2020
When I first arrived in China, more than a decade ago, I had a hobby: visiting book stores. I used to stand in awe in front of shelves full of books written in this beautiful ancient language. I stood there and wished one day to be able to open any of these books and read…
Chinese Vocabulary for the Tencent vs. Lao Gan Ma Case Posted by Ayana on Aug 3, 2020
A much-discussed drama involving the Chinese tech giant Tencent and the well-known Chili sauce brand Lao Gan Ma erupted last June. Lao Gan Ma (老干妈 Lǎo gàn mā) is one of the most favored chili sauces in China. The company was founded by an illiterate woman from a mountain village who built her small noodles restaurant into a…
Chinese Vocabulary for the (Postponed) 2020 Olympic Games Posted by Ayana on Jul 20, 2020
The Olympic Games (奥运会 ào yùn huì) are the world’s biggest celebration of sport. More than 200 nations participate in the foremost international sporting event. For a couple of weeks, people from all over the world engage together in fair competitions and athletic skills. The international festival aims to promote solidarity and respect, and to rejoice…
How to Use the Chinese Word for Symptom Posted by Ayana on Jul 6, 2020
症状 (zhèng zhuàng) is a noun meaning symptom. The Chinese dictionary defines it as an abnormal condition (异常状态yì cháng zhuàng tài) indicates disease (疾病jí bìng). For example: 头痛是许多疾病的症状。 Tóu tòng shì xǔ duō jí bìng de zhèng zhuàng. Headache is a symptom of many diseases. —————————————————————————————————————————– Adjectives to describe symptoms include: For example: 流鼻涕是感冒的常见症状。 Liú…
Guizhou Province: the world’s bridge museum Posted by Ayana on Jun 15, 2020
The landlocked province of Guizhou (贵州 Guìzhōu) is situated in southwest China. The Chinese describe the province as: 天无三日晴， tiān wú sān rì qíng, 地无三里平， dì wú sān lǐ píng, 人无三分银。 rén wú sān fēn yín. The rhymed parallelism depicts it well. The first part describes the sky and indicates the weather: 天无三日晴 (tiān wú…
How to Respond to Compliments in Chinese Posted by Ayana on Jun 2, 2020
In Chinese culture, modesty is viewed as a virtue. It is an inherent part of the Confucian beliefs which emphasize the group over the individual. One of the daily aspects in which Chinese modesty is reflected is the way Chinese receive and respond (回应huí yìng) to a compliment (赞美zàn měi). While a simple thank you…