上下(shànɡxià)？左右(zuǒyòu)？前后(qiánhòu)？- Expressing an “Approximate Number” in Mandarin
If you need to express an “Approximate Number” in terms of time, weight, age, or any other term that involves a number, there are a number of ways to do…
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…
Separable Words in Chinese (离合词): Breaking Down the Complexity of the Language
In Chinese, you can use either “帮助” (bāngzhù) or “帮忙”(bāngmáng) to mean "help." But, if you say "帮忙他" (bāngmáng tā) to say "help him", your Chinese teacher will correct you.…
“早饭吃完了”(The breakfast has been eaten) – Learn All About the Unmarked Passive Sentence in Chinese
Passive sentences make up a big and important part of modern Chinese. There are generally two types: Marked Passive Sentences and Unmarked Passive Sentences. We have talked about Marked Passive…
The Taxi Chinese Plateau and How To Get Over It
Some days it seems as though the majority of foreigners in China speak amazingly fluent Mandarin. Some days it feels like no one cares about it once they are able…
通过(tōng guò) VS经过(jīng guò): The Many Ways of “Passing Through” in Mandarin
Here is a lesson that is a bit more advanced, and it involves two words that are often thought to have the same meaning and are sometimes used interchangeably. These…