A field guide for learners Chinese Comparison Sentences Three ways to stack one thing against another: more than, equal to, less than. Same idea, three completely different sentence shapes. greater 我wǒ比bǐ你nǐ高gāo我wǒ比bǐ你nǐ高gāo I am taller than you. equal 我wǒ跟gēn你nǐ一樣yíyàng高gāo我wǒ跟gēn你nǐ一样yíyàng高gāo I am just as tall as you. lesser 我wǒ沒有méiyǒu你nǐ那麼nàme高gāo我wǒ没有méiyǒu你nǐ那么nàme高gāo I’m not as tall as you. Greater than…
Author: tiffany
Chinese Question Words
A field guide for learners Chinese Question Words Who, what, where, how, why, how many — the whole 5W1H set has a Chinese counterpart. The words themselves are simple; the trick is knowing which of two near-synonyms fits a given sentence. The set Overview Word Meaning Asks about 誰shéi谁shéi who a person 什麼shénme什么shénme what a…
Chinese Measure Words 2
OneDotDot Chinese Grammar · HSK 2 Grammar Point · HSK 2 5 Measure Words — 條条 tiáo, 位位 wèi, 間间 jiān, 名名 míng, 包包 bāo Five more common measure words: for long thin objects, people (two different ways), rooms, and packs or bags of something. The pattern is always Number + Measure Word + Noun….
Verbal Measure Words 1
OneDotDot Chinese Grammar · HSK 3 Grammar Point · HSK 3 Verbal Measure Words 1 — 口口 kǒu, 回回 huí, 遍遍 biàn, 聲声 shēng Unlike the measure words you’ve seen so far, these four don’t count nouns — they count actions. They go right after the verb to say how many bites, times, or sounds…
“Hurriedly” in Chinese – 赶忙 gǎnmáng
OneDotDot Chinese Grammar · HSK 6 Grammar Point · HSK 6 趕忙赶忙 gǎnmáng — “Hurriedly” 趕忙赶忙 gǎnmáng means “hurriedly” or “in a rush” — but it’s not just about speed. It always describes a quick reaction to something that just happened: a sound, a sight, a sudden realization that snaps someone into motion. 趕忙赶忙 gǎnmáng…
不 bù A 而 ér B — “B, Without A”
OneDotDot Chinese Grammar · HSK 7-9 Grammar Point · HSK 7-9 不 bù A 而 ér B — “B, Without A” This isn’t a freely productive slot-filler — it’s the classical template behind a whole family of everyday four-character idioms: 不勞而獲 bùláoérhuò不劳而获 bùláoérhuò, 不謀而合 bùmóuérhé不谋而合 bùmóuérhé, 不脛而走 bùjìngérzǒu不胫而走 bùjìngérzǒu, and more — each one saying…
Chinese Measure Words 5
OneDotDot Chinese Grammar · HSK 3 Grammar Point · HSK 3 8 Measure Words — 公斤公斤 gōngjīn, 斤斤 jīn, 角角 jiǎo, 毛毛 máo, 刻刻 kè, 米米 mǐ, 碗碗 wǎn, 盤盘 pán This set covers units of weight, money, time, and length, plus two food-serving measure words — the ones you’ll actually need at the market,…
“Fortunately” in Chinese – 幸好 xìnghǎo & 好在 hǎozài
OneDotDot Chinese Grammar · HSK 7-9 Grammar Point · HSK 7-9 幸好 xìnghǎo幸好 xìnghǎo & 好在 hǎozài好在 hǎozài — “Fortunately” 幸好 xìnghǎo幸好 xìnghǎo is the most common, all-purpose “fortunately” — flexible enough to sit before or after the subject, and used for any stroke of luck, whether someone acted or a condition simply happened to…
“Repeatedly” in Chinese – 屡屡 lǚlǚ & 频 pín
OneDotDot Chinese Grammar · HSK 7-9 Grammar Point · HSK 7-9 屢屢 lǚlǚ屡屡 lǚlǚ & 頻 pín频 pín — “Repeatedly” Both are formal words for “repeatedly,” but they belong to different registers. 屢屢 lǚlǚ屡屡 lǚlǚ is an everyday-formal cousin of 屢次 lǚcì屡次 lǚcì — a pattern noticed over several occasions, good or bad. 頻 pín频…
“Repeatedly” in Chinese – 屡次 lǚcì & 连连 liánlián
OneDotDot Chinese Grammar · HSK 7-9 Grammar Point · HSK 7-9 連連 liánlián连连 liánlián & 屢次 lǚcì屡次 lǚcì — “Repeatedly” Both are formal words for “repeatedly,” but they picture repetition differently. 連連 liánlián连连 liánlián is a quick burst — several times in a row, right in the moment. 屢次 lǚcì屡次 lǚcì is occurrences spread out…