Grammar Point:One way to express ‘had better’ in Chinese is 最好 zuìhǎo. While 最好 zuìhǎo can function as an adjective meaning ‘best’, it can also be used as an adverb to express ‘had better’ or ‘it would be best’. It’s often utilized when giving advice to someone or politely making demands. Structure S + 最好…
Author: tiffany
Competition and Season Words in Chinese
Chinese Vocabulary · 中文詞彙中文词汇 Competition and Season Words in Chinese 競賽與季節詞彙竞赛与季节词汇 jìngsài yǔ jìjié cíhuì Before we get into the vocab, I want to point you to an article I enjoyed: a longtime headhunter who lived in Taiwan for years wrote up a long list of things he appreciated about life there — things I’d…
Grammar of 把 bǎ 2
OneDotDot Chinese Grammar · HSK 4 Grammar Point · HSK 4 把 bǎ把 bǎ — 把 Sentence 2 Four more shapes for the “something” that follows the verb in a 把 bǎ把 bǎ sentence:doing it briefly, doing it a set number of times, marking it as done, and shifting where an adverb sits. These patterns…
Had Better with 还是 háishì
Grammar Point:One of the ways to express ‘had better’ in Chinese is 還是还是 háishì…吧 ba. 還是还是 háishì as an adverb can express ‘still’, ‘yet’, and ‘or’, it can also express a preference for an alternative. 吧 ba is often placed in the end, as it’s a suggestion. Structure S + 還还是 háishì + Suggestion + 吧 ba 你nǐ還是háishì換huàn個ge男朋友nánpéngyǒu吧ba！…
Body Parts & Vehicle
Chinese Vocabulary · 中文詞彙中文词汇 Body Parts and Vehicle Words in Chinese 身體部位與交通工具詞彙身体部位与交通工具词汇 shēntǐ bùwèi yǔ jiāotōng gōngjù cíhuì Before we get into the vocab, here’s something worth knowing about mental health care in Taiwan and China: there are relatively few licensed psychologists compared to the size of the population, and in older generations, seeing a…
Grammar of 把 bǎ 1
OneDotDot Chinese Grammar · HSK 3 Grammar Point · HSK 3 把 bǎ把 bǎ — 把 Sentence 1 把 bǎ把 bǎ moves the object to the front of the sentence to put the spotlight on it — what happened to it, and how it ended up. This article covers the first three shapes a 把…
In order to in Chinese 1 – 为了 wèile
OneDotDot Chinese Grammar · HSK 3 Grammar Point · HSK 3 為了为了 wèile — “In Order To” 1 “In order to” translates into Chinese as 為了为了 wèile. It is a preposition used to indicate the purpose of an action or the intention or goal behind it. In this article we’ll look at how to build…
Basic Comparisons 2
Grammar Point:The way to express comparisons in Chinese is by using 比 bǐ. However, when expressing “as same as,” there’s no need to use 比 bǐ anymore. Instead, we use 跟 gēn or 和 hé. Structure 1 A + 跟 or 和 + B + 一樣/一样 or 相同 When you want to state that two…
Comparisons 比 bǐ
Grammar Point:In Chinese, comparisons are expressed using the character 比 bǐ. In this article, we will discuss other words that can be used in conjunction with 比 bǐ, such as 那麼那么 nàme, 更 gèng, and 不如 bùrú. Structure A + 比 + B + Adj. + Quantitative Complement A Quantitative Complement in Chinese refers to…
Basic Comparisons 比 bǐ
Grammar Point:The word 比 bǐ in Chinese is a comparative particle that is used to compare two things or actions. It is commonly used in Chinese grammar to form comparative sentences. Structure A + 比 bǐ + B + Adj. The adjective is to describe A 美國Měiguó比bǐ日本Rìběn大dà美国Měiguó比bǐ日本Rìběn大dàThe United States is bigger than Japan. 台灣Táiwān的de夏天xiàtiān比bǐ加拿大Jiānádà的de夏天xiàtiān熱rè台湾Táiwān的de夏天xiàtiān比bǐ加拿大Jiānádà的de夏天xiàtiān热rèThe summer…