Grammar Practice · Purpose & Benefit 為为 wèi vs 為了为了 wèile Practice 為为 wèi marks who or what an action is for — the beneficiary or target (“for you,” “for my sake”). 為了为了 wèile marks the purpose behind an action — the goal that motivates it (“in order to,” “for the sake of achieving X”)….
Author: tiffany
“For” in Chinese 2 – 為/为 wèi
OneDotDot Chinese Grammar · HSK 3 Grammar Point · HSK 3 為为 wèi 2 — “Purpose or Benefit” 為为 wèi has many functions in Mandarin Chinese. In this article, we’ll focus on how 為为 wèi marks the person or thing that benefits from an action, and how it compares to 為了为了 wèile. 為为 wèi can…
“For” in Chinese 1 – 為/为 wèi
OneDotDot Chinese Grammar · HSK 3 Grammar Point · HSK 3 為为 wèi 1 — “For, Because Of” 為为 wèi has many functions in Mandarin Chinese. In this article, we’ll focus on how 為为 wèi expresses the reason or motivation behind an action — the “because of” sense of “for.” Whenever the reason behind an…
Time in Chinese
OneDotDot Chinese Grammar · HSK 1 Grammar Point · HSK 1 Time in Chinese —點 diǎn点 diǎn, 分 fēn, 半 bàn, 刻 kè, 差 chā差 chà Hour first, then minutes — just like English. The only twist is the time-of-day word, which comes before everything else. In Mandarin Chinese, time is expressed by stating the…
Week of Days in Chinese
OneDotDot Chinese Grammar · HSK 1 Grammar Point · HSK 1 Days of the Week —星期 xīngqí星期 xīngqī, 禮拜 lǐbài礼拜 lǐbài, 週 zhōu周 zhōu Three words for “week,” one simple pattern — and much easier to remember than Monday through Sunday. 😎 In Mandarin Chinese, the days of the week can be expressed in three…
“Also” in Chinese – 還/还 hái and 也 yě
OneDotDot Chinese Grammar · HSK 1 Grammar Point · HSK 1 還还 hái and 也 yě The word “also” in Chinese can be translated as 還还 hái or 也 yě. Both are commonly used to indicate inclusion or addition. Both 也 yě and 還还 hái mean “also,” but they show up in different contexts: 也…
Chinese Bigger Numbers
OneDotDot Chinese Grammar · HSK 2 Grammar Point · HSK 2 Chinese Bigger Numbers萬 wàn万 wàn & 億 yì亿 yì In Chinese, numbers beyond 10,000 follow a different naming pattern compared to English. Two new units do all the work: 萬 wàn万 wàn and 億 yì亿 yì. Understanding how to express bigger numbers in Chinese…
“Don’t” in Chinese 别 bié
OneDotDot Chinese Grammar · HSK 2 Grammar Point · HSK 2 別别 bié — “don’t” 別别 bié is how Mandarin tells someone not to do something, or to stop doing something they’re already doing. The good news: 別别 bié almost always works the same way. Put it right before the verb (or adjective) you want…
Dates in Chinese
OneDotDot Chinese Grammar · HSK 1 Grammar Point · HSK 1 Dates in Chinese —年 nián, 月 yuè, 日 rì / 號 hào号 hào Chinese dates run from big to small — year, month, then day. Once you know the order, every date is just numbers plus three little words. In Mandarin Chinese, dates are…
Chinese Numbers 1
OneDotDot Chinese Grammar · HSK 1 Grammar Point · HSK 1 Chinese Numbers 10 to 9,999 Chinese numbers are built like building blocks: learn ten digits and three place words — 十 shí十 shí, 百 bǎi百 bǎi, and 千 qiān千 qiān — and you can say any number up to 9,999. In Chinese, numbers are…