Is it possible to practice Mandarin by yourself, without taking classes or living in China? It could very well be, at least if you are to believe the advocates of input based language learning. Input based language learning consists of listening and reading, with study activities such as watching TV, reading books, listening to podcasts…
Okay, maybe it’s a little like karaoke… What is KTV? Foreigners find Chinese people to be quite stern and rigid in everyday life, but this all changes when it’s time for KTV! In Mainland China, KTV means having a private room with a tablet for picking songs, loud speakers, comfortable sofas, and mood lighting. This…
If someone were to ask you “Do you know how to use 那个?” your answer would probably be ”yes”. Of course, “那个” is a very common word in Chinese, and everyone who has studied for a while has come across it. A lot of Chinese grammar books will explain the basic usage of “那个”, but…
Do you like to play football? Or perhaps you like to watch football games?Football is popular in China, and especially among men. Even though the male Chinese football team has not found much successful yet, the Chinese audience enjoys watching their games. Perhaps you would like to converse about football with your Chinese friends? In…
The Duanwu or Dragon Boat Festival (端duān午wǔ节jié) is a traditional Chinese holiday occurring on the 5th day of the 5th month of the traditional Chinese calendar (June 9th in 2016). The focus of most celebrations involves eating zongzi ( 粽zòng子zi), drinking realgar wine (雄xióng黄huáng酒jiǔ), and racing dragon boats (龙lóng舟zhōu). ORIGINS There are many legends about…
In China the Chinese zodiac is the most famous, but many young people are also interested in the astrological signs as well, so it can be a good topic of conversation when you are making new Chinese friends. In this blog, we will learn how to ask for someone’s astrological sign in Chinese, and also…
Surely everyone who likes Disney dreams of taking a stroll around Disneyland. But for Chinese people it is not that easy, because there is no Disney resort in mainland China. The closest ones are in Japan and Hong Kong, but Chinese netizens need a permit to go to either of these places. For Japan you…
Do you like Chinese TV dramas? I believe watching TV is a good way to practice Chinese, because not only is it fun, but you can also learn a lot about the culture. In this blog, I give my recommendation for a Chinese TV drama high in popularity right now. The drama I want to…
Recently the phrase ”友谊的小船说翻就翻 [yǒu yì de xiǎo chuán shuō fān jiù fān]”, meaning “The Boat of Friendship Suddenly Tips Over”, went viral in China and spread through WeChat's moments and friend circles. In this lesson, we learn where this phrase came from and how you can use it. The origin of the phrase is…
If you travel in China and find a beautiful spot, you might want to take a photo there together with your friends. Sometimes you want to ask someone nearby to help you take a picture. In this lesson we will learn how to do this as well as how to use a popular Chinese camera…
