Before we look up objects at home in Chinese, I want to tell you that pánzi (plate) has a new definition now. “Pánzi” in Taiwan indicates “cash cows.” We usually use it negatively. For example, if you think your friend is paying too much on one thing, you can say, “nǐ shì pánzi ma?“ (are…
Author: tiffany
Question Words in Chinese
Grammar Point:If we exclude particle question words, there are 9 question words in Chinese: what, when, where, how, who, which, why, and 2 variations of “how many”. However, unlike in English, these question words stay in the same position in the answer sentence, without the need to reverse the order or add an extra adverb….
Chang’e ben yue
Story · HSK 2+ · Moon Festival 嫦 Chang’e Ben Yue 嫦娥奔月嫦娥奔月 Posted Sept 23, 2022 Author Tiffany Reading time 5 mins This story is one of the most famous stories associated with the Moon Festival. However, there are four different versions of it, each with slight variations — so if you hear a different…
Expressing Future in Chinese 1 – huì and yào
Grammar Point:In Chinese, there are two words that can express the future: 會会 huì and 要 yào. While they share some similarities, they are not exactly the same. Generally, 會会 huì conveys a more passive sense of possibility, while 要 yào conveys a more active sense of intention or necessity. 會会 huì This is not…
Actions in Progress in Chinese
Grammar Point · HSK 1 在 zài and 正在 zhèngzài 在 zài and 正在 zhèngzài go right in front of a verb to say an action is happening — Chinese’s way of expressing “-ing.” The good news: 在 zài works for both quick and long-running actions, while 正在 zhèngzài adds a bit of emphasis on…
”Want“ in Chinese
Grammar Point:There are three words in Chinese that can express the concept of ‘want’: 想 xiǎng, 要 yào, and 想要 xiǎngyào. However, they are not exactly the same and each has additional meanings attached to them. 想 xiǎng 想 xiǎng usually refers to a thought or an idea, without any definite plans or decisions made…
Identity and Family in Chinese
T.M.I Before we look up identity and family words in Chinese, I want to tell you a not important fact. There are three kinds of fans in China. The first one is 團粉/团粉 tuánfěn. It means you like the whole idol group. The second one is 唯粉wéifěn. It means you like only one specific person…
20 Kinds of Fish in Chinese
Food Vocabulary 魚鱼Fish in Chinese A restaurant once offered free sushi to anyone with “salmon” in their Chinese name — and it went about as well as you’d expect. Work through twenty kinds of fish, a sushi/sashimi vocabulary bonus, and how to order at a fish counter. 🐟 The great salmon-name incident Anyone in Taiwan…
到底 dàodǐ
Grammar Point:The Chinese grammar structure 到底 dàodǐ is a commonly used phrase that serves three functions and can be translated to mean “what on earth”, “finally”, or “after all”. Here are the functions, structures, and examples of 到底 dàodǐ: Function 1 – Structure Used to express a question that requires a clear answer, this structure…
HSK2 Reading Test 1
～ See the Question ～ Answers Part 1 Match the right picture with the sentence C這房間乾乾淨淨的，不像我的很髒这房间干干净净的，不像我的很脏Zhè fángjiān gāngānjìngjìngde，bú xiàng wǒde hěn zāng.This room is clean, unlike mine is very dirty. D那件衣服要三千五，真的太貴了那件衣服要三千五，真的太贵了Nà jiàn yīfu yào sān qiān wǔ，zhēnde tàiguìle.That dress costs 3500, it’s really too expensive. A我經常看見他在圖書館裡學習我经常看见他在图书馆里学习Wǒ jīngcháng kànjiàn tā zài túshūguǎn lǐ xuéxí.I often see…