Archive for 'Vocabulary'
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…
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…
A Guide to Asking Questions in Chinese Posted by sasha on Jun 8, 2020
Learning how to ask questions is important in any language. Even if you can’t really understand responses very well, being able to ask questions at least gets you started conversing with locals. Today I’m going to share a guide to asking questions in Chinese that I hope will help you out. 加油! Question Words in…
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…
COVID-19 Chinese Vocabulary Posted by Ayana on May 16, 2020
Talking and reading about the COVID-19 in Chinese requires a specific vocabulary. Here is a glossary of 15 words, including related verbs and nouns. Read the sentences all regarding the COVID-19 pandemic, to practice the new vocabulary. Try to make sentences on your own, using the glossary. If you have any question leave me a…
Top 5 Chinese Blog Posts of 2019 Posted by sasha on Dec 23, 2019
It’s hard to believe, but we’re nearing the end of the decade. For me, it’s pretty wild to reflect back on the past decade. I spent over half of it in China, and I’ve been writing for the Chinese blog the entire time. It’s an appropriate instance to use the phrase “time flies” (时光飞逝 –…
5 Useful Chinese Verbs for Clothing and Accessories Posted by Ayana on Nov 4, 2019
A useful way to practice your Chinese is to talk about daily activities and objects. Like clothes and dressing. Here are 5 dressing verbs to use in your daily conversations. 穿 (chuān) means to wear, to put on a clothing. It is mainly used with clothes. 穿衣服 (chuān yī fú, means to wear clothes) is…