OneDotDot Chinese Grammar · HSK 3 Grammar Point · HSK 3 又 yòu — “Again” 又 yòu also means “again” — but unlike 再 zài, it looks back at a repeat that has already happened, usually with 了 le closing the sentence. 又 yòu sits before the verb and points backward in time. 再 zài…
Author: tiffany
“Only” in Chinese 2 – 光 guāng & 仅仅 jǐnjǐn
OneDotDot Chinese Grammar · HSK 4 Grammar Point · HSK 4 “Only” in Chinese 2 — 光光 guāng & 僅僅仅仅 jǐnjǐn Besides 只只 zhǐ, Chinese has other ways to say “only.” Two common ones are 光光 guāng and 僅僅仅仅 jǐnjǐn. 光光 guāng works in both casual and formal speech, and often hints that “only doing…
Emphasizing a negation – 並 / 并 bìng
OneDotDot Chinese Grammar · HSK 4 Grammar Point · HSK 4 並并 bìng — Emphasizing a Negation 並并 bìng strengthens a negation with 不不 bù or 沒没 méi — it adds a sense of “actually not” or “contrary to what you might think.” People use 並并 bìng to signal that what they’re saying goes against…
“Moreover” in Chinese 1 – 並且 / 并且 bìngqiě
OneDotDot Chinese Grammar · HSK 4 Grammar Point · HSK 4 並且并且 bìngqiě — “Moreover” 並且并且 bìngqiě connects two ideas of roughly equal weight — verb phrases, adjectives, or whole sentences — adding a layer of “moreover” or “furthermore” to the sentence. 並且并且 bìngqiě can connect three kinds of things: 1. two verb phrases, 2….
“In addition” in Chinese – lìngwài
Grammar Point:The term 另外 lìngwài is commonly used in Chinese to mean “in addition,” “furthermore,” “another,” “other,” or “besides.” It is used to introduce additional information or points in a sentence. Structure 另外 lìngwài is a transitional phrase, used to smoothly introduce additional information or ideas. Its placement in the sentence can vary, but it…
Living Room Vocabulary
Living Room Vocabulary — OneDotDot Chinese (Redesign) 客客廳厅與与風风水水 · Chinese Vocabulary Living Room Vocabulary 客客廳厅 A plain list of furniture words gets old fast — so this one comes wrapped in Fengshui, the traditional belief system Chinese households still lean on when arranging a living room. Fengshui is a personal practice more than a fixed…
Need in Chinese – xūyào
Grammar Point:需要 xūyào is an auxiliary verb in Chinese that means “to need” or “to require.” It’s used to indicate a necessity or a requirement for something. Structure S + 需要 xūyào + (MW) + N 我wǒ需要xūyào一個yíge男朋友nánpéngyǒu我wǒ需要xūyào一个yíge男朋友nánpéngyouI need a boyfriend. 她tā需要xūyào多少錢duōshǎoqián？ 她tā需要xūyào多少钱duōshǎoqián？ How much money does she need? 她tā需要xūyào很多hěnduō錢qián她tā需要xūyào很多hěnduō钱qiánShe needs a lot of money. 你nǐ需要xūyào更gèng多duō時間shíjiān嗎ma？…
Chinese Grammar – nándào
Grammar Point:難难道 nándào is a grammatical expression used in Chinese to convey a sense of rhetorical questioning or disbelief within a statement. It is often translated as “could it be that” or “is it possible that” in English. It’s used when you’re kind of asking a question, but you already know or expect the answer….
The Chinese Family Tree
The Chinese Family Tree — OneDotDot Chinese (Redesign) 家家族族稱称謂谓 · Chinese Vocabulary The Chinese Family Tree 家家族族稱称謂谓 English gets by with “aunt,” “uncle,” and “cousin.” Chinese doesn’t let you off that easy — every relative’s exact position matters: which side of the family, older or younger, by blood or by marriage. It sounds intimidating, but…
“Still” in Chinese 3 – 依然 yīrán
OneDotDot Chinese Grammar · HSK 5 Grammar Point · HSK 5 依然 yīrán — “Still” 依然 yīrán means “still,” “yet,” or “as before” — it signals that a situation or condition hasn’t changed despite time passing or circumstances shifting. Of the three common “still” words, it’s the most formal, and it often carries a gentle…