Making a Clean Sweep of all Basic Associated Constructions in Chinese
You may have hit a wall in the study of Function words in Chinese. Maybe you have mastered Function words like “着”, “了”, “过”, but the next step is to…
The Extended Usages of “起来”(qǐlái ) and “下去”(xiàqu)
The Chinese language is rich with a variety of directional verbs that add depth and nuance to everyday conversations. Among these, 起来 (qǐlái) and 下去 (xiàqu) are two commonly used…
Chinese Idioms or Chéngyǔ About Animals
What is a Chinese idiom/Chéngyǔ? Briefly speaking, Chengyu (成语, Chéngyǔ) are Chinese idioms that are normally made up of four Chinese characters. Chengyu are usually handed down from way back…
Learning Chinese as an Adult VS as a Child
When I first came to China, I knew all of two words, “nǐ hǎo” (你好, “hello”), and “xièxie” (谢谢, “thanks”). It took me over three years to get from there…
Practical Mandarin: Essential Ways to Express Approximate Numbers
When it comes to expressing approximate numbers in Mandarin, whether it’s related to time, weight, age, or any other numerical term, there are various ways to convey this concept. In…
12 Chinese Proverbs About Work
This time, we are going to study 12 Chinese proverbs about Work. The Chinese people have accumulated many vivid proverbs that are thought-provoking and which reflect the attitude and point-of-view…
Chinese Translator Apps Review: the good, the bad, and the absolutely useless
A little pre-review ramble: I am located in Shanghai behind the Great Firewall, so I was not able to simply take a stroll in the Google Play Store like many…
10 Chinese Proverbs About Friendship
There is an old saying in Burma that goes: “Friendship, knowledge and food are the three most valuable things in the world.” This saying reminds us of how important friends…
Study In China: A Look at Chinese Universities and What You Can Expect
“First of all, my experience of studying in China is quite different from the norm. I came to China when I was 9 years old as my mother was one of…