Archive for 'Vocabulary'
The Middle Kingdom Posted by sasha on Jun 3, 2012
So you want to learn Chinese, huh? Well, if you’re going to learn a language, you might as well learn something about the country, too. I’m going to be ripping off Stephen Colbert and his “Better Know a District” segment a little bit, as I roll out “Better Know a Province,” a new series here…
My Neighborhood (我的小区) Posted by sasha on May 27, 2012
Build your Chinese vocabulary and learn how to talk about your neighborhood with this easy to follow video. In Chinese with subtitles (characters, pinyin, and English). 这是我的小区 zhè shì wǒ de xiǎo qū This is my neighborhood. 我的小区里有 wǒ de xiǎo qū lǐ yǒu… In my neighborhood, there is… 小公园 xiǎo gōng yuán a small…
Interesting Chinese Words Posted by sasha on May 19, 2012
When you’re learning a language, it’s almost impossible to directly translate everything into your mother tongue. This is certainly true for native English speakers studying Chinese. Today, I’m going to introduce you to some interesting Chinese words that really require you to think in Chinese, as they cannot be translated directly into English. 东西 (dōng…
Life in the ‘Jing Posted by sasha on May 12, 2012
When you’re learning a language, a good way to practice is to describe people, things, and places. As such, I’m going to introduce the place where I currently call home – Beijing – to you in a short article in Chinese, with pinyin and English to help. 现在我住在北京。我二零零八年来这里了。那个时候北京有奥运会。我觉得北京的奥运会很有意思。这是我第二次住在北京。我住在这里一共三年了。我想给大家介绍一下北京： (xiàn zài wǒ zhù zài běi jīng…
Musicology (the Chinese Way) Posted by sasha on May 7, 2012
Do you like listening to music? (你喜欢听音乐吗？- nǐ xǐ huan tīng yīn yuè ma) I don’t know about you, but I really like listening to music (我非常喜欢听音乐 – wǒ fēi cháng xǐ huan tīng yīn yuè) Well, what kind of music do you like? (你喜欢什么音乐 – nǐ xǐ huan shén me yīn yuè) To help…
Confucius Say Posted by sasha on May 2, 2012
Philosopher, teacher, politician, and much more, Confucius (孔子 – kǒng zǐ) is one of the most revered people in China’s long history. Born Kong Qiu (孔丘 – kǒng qiū) in 551 BC in the city of Qufu (曲阜 – qū fù), he came to be known simple as “Master Kong.” His thoughts were eventually developed…
Chinese Immersion Day Posted by sasha on Apr 11, 2012
Studying a foreign language can be difficult and frustrating at times, but luckily, it can also be tons of fun. Of course, the best way to really study a language is to fully immerse yourself into it. As such, I’m here to help you plan a day full of the Chinese language. From the moment…