Learn a little Chinese every day
Do Taiwanese and Chinese engineers share the same tech vocabulary? Mostly yes, but with some notable differences. Both Taiwan and China use a mix of translated Chinese terms and borrowed English terms which often called 外來詞来词 (wàilái cí, loanwords). However, the proportion differs: engineers in Taiwan tend to use more direct English terms or English abbreviations in…
Grammar Point:In Chinese, if you want to say that someone makes another person do something, or that something causes a feeling or action, you can use special words called causative verbs. And 讓让 ràng is one of the most common verbs in Mandarin. It has several important meanings: Structure 1 – to let / allow A 讓让…
Grammar Point:The term “as long as” can be translated to 只要 zhǐyào in Chinese. It is commonly used to express a condition or requirement that needs to be met for something to happen or be true. Structure 只要 + condition + 就 + result 只要zhǐyào你nǐ在zài我wǒ身邊shēnbiān， 我wǒ就jiù會huì很hěn開心kāixīn只要zhǐyào你nǐ在zài我wǒ身边shēnbiān， 我wǒ就jiù会huì很hěn开心kāixīnAs long as you’re by my side, I will…
Grammar Point:In Chinese, the phrase 越 yuè…越 yuè… is commonly used to express that the degree of something increases with another situation. Structure – 越 + Adj. + 越 S + 越 yuè + Adj + 越 yuè + Adj or V It is important to note that 越 yuè…越 yuè… should not be followed…
Grammar Point:In Mandarin Chinese, 起 qǐ can be used after a verb to show that an action begins or starts happening.It often gives the feeling of “starting into action” or “beginning a new state.” Structure Verb + 起 qǐ (Object + 來来 lái) 突然tūrán下xià起qǐ雨yǔ來lái了le突然tūrán下xià起qǐ雨yǔ来lái了leSuddenly it started to rain. 他tā怎麼zěnme打dǎ開kāi中文zhōngwén書shū就jiù睡shuì起qǐ來lái了le他tā怎么zěnme打dǎ开kāi中文zhōngwén书shū就jiù睡shuì起qǐ来lái了leHow come he falls asleep as soon as he opens a Chinese…
Grammar Point:In Mandarin Chinese, a contrastive topic is used when a speaker highlights one topic in order to contrast it with another possible topic, often implying something like “as for X (but not necessarily Y)…”. This structure is very common in spoken Chinese. Structure Topic A + Comment A (+ Topic B + Comment B) 我wǒ，喜歡xǐhuān咖啡kāfēi；他tā，喜歡xǐhuān茶chá我wǒ，喜欢xǐhuan咖啡kāfēi；他tā，喜欢xǐhuan茶cháAs for…
Let’s see if you can read a Chinese menu Food Matching Game Food Matching Game Find the connection — category names revealed only when you’re correct 繁體 简体 Shuffle Clear 🎉 All 4 Rounds Complete! Play Again
There’s a small menu in the bottom right corner where you can choose how you want to review. Options include:
Grammar Point:The structure verb + 了 le + verb is used to indicate a short, light, or casual action, meaning that someone did something briefly, a little bit, or just once. Structure V + 了 le + V It is typically used with monosyllabic verbs, with the object appearing after the pattern rather than in between,…
Grammar Point:罷罢了 bàle is a final particle used at the end of a sentence. It has the sense of “that’s all” / “nothing more than” / “just”. It is often used to downplay, soften, or limit the statement, making it sound less strong or definitive. Structure Sentence + 罷罢了 bàle 我wǒ只zhǐ是shì想xiǎng幫忙bāngmáng罷了bàle我wǒ只zhǐ是shì想xiǎng帮忙bāngmáng罢了bàleI just wanted to help, that’s all. 他tā不bù高興gāoxìng罷了bàle，沒什麼méishénme大不了dàbùliǎo的de他tā不bù高兴gāoxìng罢了bàle，没什么méishénme大不了dàbùliǎo的deHe’s just unhappy,…