Today, we’re going to explore a unique experience – your first-ever 北京běijīng之旅zhī lǚ – trip to Beijing. Flying into a new country, especially when faced with a language barrier, can seem daunting. But don’t worry! We’re here to equip you with the essential phrases and vocabulary for a seamless experience, right from the moment you…
Do you love boba tea but lack the vocabulary to order one? Here is the perfect guide for you!
One of the first things any student of Chinese learns to say is “谢谢 (xièxiè)”, i.e. Thank You. This phrase is useful because it can be used to express your gratitude (or 感恩 (gǎn’ēn)) in pretty much any situation. For those wanting to be a little more formal you can say “谢谢你 (xièxiè nǐ)”. However,…
The two keys to learning and mastering Chinese come down to input and output. Input in the form of reading and listening and output in the form of speaking and writing. You can’t really start with the output because you can’t say a word that you don’t know. But it’s also inefficient to read or…
When it comes to learning Chinese, it can seem like you’re bombarded with difficult things to figure out like tones or characters. Lucky for you, Grammar is one area where Chinese really shines. Here are 5 reasons why Chinese has the easiest grammar and how you can easily master it. 1. Simple Word Order Chinese…
Language barriers can be the most frustrating when you are trying to form a romantic connection. While Valentine’s Day (情人节, Qíng rén jié) is not a Chinese holiday, the month of February still seems to put everyone around the world in the mood for love, so it’s a great time to learn some romantic words/phrases…
The traditional Chinese culture is very family oriented with an individual’s family being of the utmost importance. The character for family or home is 家 pinyin: jiā. The construction of this character is quite interesting. Over the top of the character is a roof. The rest of the character is 豕 pinyin:shǐ which is a…
Chinese Pinyin English 我不明白 Wǒ bù míngbái I don’t understand. From the title of this blog you may wonder whether this blog is about understanding the Chinese language or understanding the Chinese people. In English the word Chinese could refer to either. It is unclear. 不清楚 (Bù qīng chǔ). Actually, to really understand the people…
Considering getting a Chinese tattoo? 小心 – xiǎo xīn – Be careful Written Chinese can be quite beautiful. In fact, Chinese calligraphy is one of the four great arts that were required anciently of accomplished Chinese scholar-gentlemen. Usually spoken of together they are: 琴棋書畫 – qín qí shū huà Chinese Pinyin Meaning 琴 qín qín…
One of the hardest things for non-native Chinese speakers is learning to read, not only because of the need to memorize characters, but because of the differences between spoken and written Chinese. There are only two written forms, Simplified Chinese and Traditional Chinese. Both are character-based writing. While there is a whole lot we could…
