tiffany，作者 OneDotDot Chinese

Final Particles in Chinese 嗎/吗 ma, 吧 ba, and 呢

Giving Suggestion with 吧 ba

Posted on October 16, 2023March 28, 2025 by tiffany

Final Particles 吧 ba Checking or confirmation: compare with 嗎吗 ma, this one you already have some guessing in your mind. 🔊 你nǐ是shì日本人rìběnrén吧ba? 你nǐ是shì日本人rìběnrén吧ba? You are Japanese, right? 你nǐ喜歡xǐhuān貓māo吧ba? 你nǐ喜欢xǐhuan猫māo吧ba? You like cats, don’t you? Suggestion 🔊 你nǐ學xué一點yìdiǎn中文zhōngwén吧ba! 你nǐ学xué一点儿yìdiǎnr中文zhōngwén吧ba! You should learn some Chinese! 我們wǒmen今天jīntiān吃chī牛肉麵niúròumiàn吧ba!!我们wǒmen今天jīntiān吃chī牛肉面niúròumiàn吧ba!! Let’s eat beef noodles today! (suggest) Compromise (Using as a…

“In person” in Chinese – qīnzì

Posted on October 15, 2023September 5, 2025 by tiffany

Grammar Point:The phrase “In person” in Chinese is 親亲自 qīnzì. It refers to doing something yourself or in one’s own physical presence, rather than through a representative or by some other indirect means. Structure S + 親亲自 qīnzì + V + O 這zhè是shì我wǒ親自qīnzì做zuò的de蛋糕dàngāo这zhè是shì我wǒ亲自qīnzì做zuò的de蛋糕dàngāoThis is a cake I made personally. 你nǐ親自qīnzì去qù跟gēn他tā說shuō的de嗎ma？你nǐ亲自qīnzì去qù跟gēn他tā说shuō的de吗ma？ Did you personally talk…

Expressing “not even one” in Chinese

Posted on October 12, 2023November 16, 2024 by tiffany

Grammar Point:In English, you can express the idea of having absolutely no money, not even a single penny. This notion of “not even one” can also be conveyed in Chinese. Structure 一 yì + MW + N + 也 yě or 都 dōu + negation 他tā一yí句jù中文zhōngwén也yě不會búhuì說shuō他tā一yí句jù中文zhōngwén也yě不会búhuì说shuōHe can’t speak a single word of Chinese. 我wǒ一yí個ge歐洲ōuzhōu國家guójiā也yě沒méi去qù過guò我wǒ一yí个ge欧洲ōuzhōu国家guójiā也yě没méi去qù过guòI haven’t…

Express “Intention” with 去 qù or 來 lái

Posted on October 11, 2023March 28, 2025 by tiffany

The Chinese words 去 qù and 來来 lái are verbs that mean “to go” and “to come.” They are fundamental and commonly used words in the Chinese language, indicating movement from one place to another, such as going to a location, leaving a place, or traveling to a specific destination. In Chinese, you can also…

Sentence Structure in Chinese

Posted on October 10, 2023March 28, 2025 by tiffany

What is the most common sentence order in Chinese? 📌 Time + Subject + How + Location + Action * Time words can either go after the subject or before the subject.* If you want to specify the direction, the directional word should come after ‘how’ and before ‘location’. Time Subject How Direction Location Action 去年弟弟坐船…

Rhetorical question with shénme

Posted on October 8, 2023October 9, 2023 by tiffany

Grammar Point:In Chinese, a rhetorical question can be formed by using the word 什麼么 shénme which means “what.” It is used to emphasize a point or express surprise or disbelief. This is a way of making a statement or remarking on something, and the speaker isn’t necessarily expecting a response. Structure V or Adj +…

“Always” in Chinese 1 – cónglái

Posted on October 7, 2023June 7, 2025 by tiffany

Grammar Point:The Chinese word 從來从来 cónglái means “always.” It is used to indicate that something has been true or consistent throughout a period of time. Structure S + 從來从来 cónglái + 都 dōu In this structure, you do not add negation words like 不 bù or 没 méi to indicate the negative form. 成功chénggōng從來cónglái都dōu要yào靠kào努力nǔlì成功chénggōng从来cónglái都dōu要yào靠kào努力nǔlìSuccess always…

“Never” in Chinese – cónglái

Posted on October 6, 2023October 7, 2023 by tiffany

Grammar Point:The word “Never” in Chinese can be translated as 從來从来 cónglái. It is used to indicate that something has not happened at any time in the past or will not happen in the future. Structure S + cónglái + 不 bù + V In casual speech, 從來从来 cónglái can be shortened to just 從从…

Appearance with kànqǐlái and kànshangqu

Posted on October 5, 2023October 9, 2023 by tiffany

Grammar Point:In Chinese, both 看起來来 kànqǐlái and 看上去 kànshàngqùshangqu are expressions used to describe how something appears or looks. They are often employed in similar contexts, with subtle differences in their usage. Ps. In my opinion, 看起來来 kànqǐlái is more commonly used in casual conversation, while 看上去 kànshàngqùshangqu more frequently appears in written forms. However,…

Measure Words – 個 ge and 張 zhāng

Posted on October 3, 2023March 28, 2025 by tiffany

What is Measure Word A group of birds, a herd of cows. Similar to English, Chinese also uses measure words. However, Chinese uses them much more frequently than English. In English, you can say “There is a flock of birds” or “There are five birds.” In Chinese, we always need to use the specific measure…