The Lion Dance Posted by Ayana on Oct 31, 2021
The traditional Chinese Lion dance is called 舞狮 (wǔ shī). 舞 (wǔ) means dance (as the word 跳舞 tiào wǔ), and 狮 (shī) means lion (as the word 狮子 shī zi). 舞狮是中国民间艺术。 Wǔ shī shì zhōng guó mín jiān yì shù. The lion dance is a Chinese folk art. The dance is operated by performers…
Three Chinese Verbs with the Meaning of to Dislike Posted by Ayana on Oct 25, 2021
喜欢 (xǐ huan) is a verb, meaning to like, to be fond of. It’s a very common verb, and can be attributed to people, food, objects, hobbies, etc. To change its meaning to the antonym verb of to dislike, just add the negative prefix 不 (bù) before it. 不 plus 喜欢 forms the verb 不喜欢, which…
A Visit to Badachu in Beijing Posted by sasha on Oct 20, 2021
While there’s enough to see in the city to keep you busy for at least a week, Beijing also has quite a few excellent day trip opportunities. Of course, the most popular option is a visit to the Great Wall (长城 cháng chéng). There’s much more to see and do on the outskirts of the…
Celebrating National Day Posted by sasha on Oct 4, 2021
Every year on October 1st, China celebrates its National Day (国庆节 guó qìng jié). This is one of the most important holidays in the country. It’s one of two Golden Week (黄金周 huáng jīn zhōu) holidays, along with the Spring Festival (春节 chūn jié). People all over the country are enjoying a few days off…
The Chinese Words for Cube Posted by Ayana on Sep 27, 2021
The Beijing’s Bird’s Nest and the Water Cube, which are actually called The Beijing National Stadium and The Beijing National Aquatics Center, were originally designed and constructed to host the 2008 Olympic Games. Their great architectures and impressive appearances made them attractive tourist sites to visit, even more than a decade after the Beijing Games…
Moon Cakes: A Mid-Autumn Festival Tradition Posted by sasha on Sep 20, 2021
Today is the Mid-Autumn Festival. This is an important traditional Chinese festival. It is the fifteenth day of the eighth lunar month of each year (今天是中秋节。 这是中国重要的传统节日。 为每年的农历八月十五。 jīn tiān shì zhōng qiū jié. zhè shì zhōng guó zhòng yào de chuán tǒng jié rì. wèi měi nián de nóng lì bā yuè shí wǔ)…
Six Common Phrases of the Character 开 Posted by Ayana on Sep 13, 2021
开 (kāi) is one of the first Chinese words I learned. I remember it from my first Chinese classes. It was part of their routine: the students were already sitting on their chairs, thick textbooks on their tables, when the teacher arrived. She entered the class, greeted us kindly, and asked: 请打开书 (qǐng dǎ kāi…