Archive for 'Vocabulary'
How to Make Comparisons in Chinese Posted by sasha on Apr 16, 2018
An important step in making it out of the beginner phase and into an intermediate level of Chinese is being able to make comparisons. Thankfully, it’s not that hard to get the hang of. This post will show you how to make comparisons in Chinese. First, let’s learn the most important character you’ll need. The…
Springtime in China Posted by sasha on Apr 12, 2018
Spring is finally here, and the weather is getting warmer and warmer across China. Winters can be long and harsh in many parts of the country, so the coming of spring is very welcome in places such as the northeast of China. In this post we’ll take a look at springtime in China, as we…
Tomb Sweeping Festival Vocabulary Posted by sasha on Apr 4, 2018
Tomorrow is an important holiday in Chinese culture – the Tomb Sweeping Festival. This traditional Chinese festival is all about honoring ancestors who have passed away. Here’s a little background and some Tomb Sweeping Festival vocabulary to help you understand a bit more about this day. Background Tomb Sweeping Day is celebrated on the 15th…
Rooms of the House and Furniture in Chinese Posted by sasha on Mar 12, 2018
Home life is a big part of Chinese culture. People spend a lot of time at home, and home ownership is very important. Interestingly enough, the Chinese word for home (家 – jiā) can also be used for family – perhaps because the two go hand in hand. When you chat with people in China, whether you know them very well…
English Words That Come from Chinese Posted by sasha on Mar 1, 2018
All languages borrow from other languages. English is full of loanwords from other languages. Most loanwords in English come from Latin, French, or Germanic languages. Did you know that there are also several English words that come from Chinese? We’re going to learn a few of them in today’s post! An Introduction to Chinese Loanwords…
A Guide to Telling Time in Chinese Posted by sasha on Feb 23, 2018
An important skill to master when learning a language is how to tell the time. In addition, you’ll also want to learn how to talk about days, weeks, months, and years. We’ve had several great posts on how to do this in Chinese over the years. If you’re new here, chances are you’ve missed them…
Guess the Chinese Word Posted by sasha on Feb 20, 2018
When learning a language, you’re always told to do your best not to try to translate everything into your mother tongue. I tell this to my Chinese students who are studying English, as directly translating everything often results in them speaking horrible Chinglish. For example, “Yesterday I with my mother together go shopping” or “I…