Author: tiffany

OneDotDot Chinese Grammar · HSK 7-9 Grammar Point · HSK 7-9 “A Bit Too…” — 未免未免 wèimiǎn 未免未免 wèimiǎn means “rather, a bit too.” It gives a mild criticism: the speaker thinks something goes a little beyond what’s reasonable. 未免未免 wèimiǎn softens criticism, making it sound tactful rather than blunt. It’s almost always followed by…

繁简 Grammar Practice · 了 le 了 le Practice Does this sentence need 了 le here, or not? Each blank is a spot where 了 might go. Pick 了 if the sentence needs it, or — if it doesn’t. You’ll meet all the uses from the lesson: a completed action (了₁), a new situation (了₂),…

OneDotDot Chinese Grammar · HSK 5 Grammar Point · HSK 5 “In Conclusion” (Simple) — 總之总之 zǒngzhī 總之总之 zǒngzhī means “in short,” “in conclusion,” or “anyway.” It wraps up what was said before and leads to the main point. 總之总之 zǒngzhī usually comes at the start of the last clause, followed by a comma. It…

OneDotDot Chinese Grammar · HSK 5 Grammar Point · HSK 5 “Just Happens To” 2 — 剛好刚好 gānghǎo 剛好刚好 gānghǎo means “just right” or “just happened to.” It’s very casual and conversational, and it highlights how something fits perfectly or works out just right. Most of the time 剛好刚好 gānghǎo works just like 正好正好 zhènghǎo….

OneDotDot Chinese Grammar · HSK 4 Grammar Point · HSK 4 “Just Happens To” 1 — 正好正好 zhènghǎo 正好正好 zhènghǎo describes a lucky coincidence: something just happens to line up with something else. It can also mean “just right” or “exactly.” 正好正好 zhènghǎo is made of 正正 zhèng (“exactly, right on”) + 好好 hǎo (“good”)….

OneDotDot Chinese Grammar · HSK 2 Grammar Point · HSK 2 “And So On” in Chinese 1 — 什麼的什么的 shénme de When you list a few examples and want to say “and so on” or “and stuff like that,” the casual way in Chinese is to add 什麼的什么的 shénme de at the end. 什麼的什么的 shénme…