Chinese Vocabulary · 中文詞彙中文词汇 Nature and Animal Words in Chinese 自然與動物詞彙自然与动物词汇 zìrán yǔ dòngwù cíhuì Before we get to the vocab, let me tell you about the weirdest family in Chinese mythology: the weather family. There’s 雷公雷公 (léigōng, Thunder Father), 電母电母 (diànmǔ, Lightning Mother), 風伯风伯 (fēngbó, Uncle Wind), 雲童云童 (yúntóng, Cloud Child) — and then,…
Author: tiffany
Mandarin Tones
OneDotDot Chinese · Tones Tones aren’t hard,they’re just shapes Mandarin tones aren’t a memory test — they’re pitch curves, measured against your own voice, not your teacher’s. Tap a syllable and watch the shape. 媽妈mā 麻麻má 馬马mǎ 罵骂mà 嗎吗ma tap a tile to hear its pitch First Tone — the level tone 陰平阴平 Hold the…
Currency exchange
我wǒ要yào把bǎ__A__ 換huàn成chéng__B__ 我wǒ要yào把bǎ__A__ 换huàn成chéng__B__ I’d like to exchange some ____A____ to ____B____ Dialogue 我wǒ： 你好nǐhǎo， 我wǒ要yào把bǎ美金měijīn換huàn成chéng台幣táibì我wǒ： 你好nǐhǎo， 我wǒ要yào把bǎ美金měijīn换huàn成chéng台币táibìI: Hi! I’d like to exchange some US Dollars to Taiwan Dollars. 銀行yínháng員yuán： 好的hǎode， 請qǐng給gěi我wǒ你的nǐde護照hùzhào银行yínháng员yuán： 请qǐng出示chūshì您的nínde护照hùzhàoBank Clerk: Sure. Can I see your passport, please? 我wǒ： 這個zhège請qǐng幫bāng我wǒ換huàn成chéng零錢língqián我wǒ： 这个zhèige请qǐng帮bāng我wǒ换huàn成chéng零钱língqiánI: I’d like to get some change for this. 銀行yínháng員yuán： 好的hǎode， 請qǐng在zài這裡zhèlǐ簽名qiānmíng银行yínháng员yuán： 好的hǎode， 请qǐng在zài这儿zhèr签名qiānmíngBank Clerk: Ok, please sign your name here. Simplified (China) Traditional (Taiwan)…
Tones of 一 yī and 不 bù
Grammar Point:The tones of 一 yi and 不 bù can be very confusing for beginners learning Chinese. Let’s explore them together!” 一 yī When counting numbers less than 99 or when 一 yī is the last character in a word, it should always be pronounced with the first tone. 1yī, 2èr, 3sān, 4sì1yī, 2èr, 3sān,…
不 bù and 沒 méi
OneDotDot Chinese Grammar · HSK 1 Grammar Point · HSK 1 不 bù and 沒没 méi Both 不 (bù) and 沒没 (méi) express negation in Chinese — but they belong to different contexts, and mixing them up is one of the most common mistakes learners make. The good news: which one to use almost always…
Chinese Words for Life at School
Chinese Vocabulary · 中文詞彙中文词汇 Chinese Words for Life at School 校園生活詞彙校园生活词汇 xiàoyuán shēnghuó cíhuì Okay, quick reality check before we dive into vocab: school life in Taiwan (and China) is strict. Like, uniform-every-single-day strict. Back in my own high school days, there was an actual hair rule — nothing past 3cm below your ears. Every…
Introduce Yourself in Chinese
我wǒ叫jiào_____ ， 我wǒ是shì_____ 人rén我wǒ叫jiào_____ ， 我wǒ是shì_____ 人rén Call me __(name)__. I am ___(nationality)___ Dialogue A ： 請問qǐngwèn你nǐ叫jiào什麼shénme名字míngzi？ A ： 请问qǐngwèn你nǐ叫jiào什么shénme名字míngzi？ A: What’s your name? B ： 我wǒ叫jiàoBetty B ： 我wǒ叫jiàoBetty B: Call me Betty. A ： Betty 你nǐ是shì哪國nǎguó人rén？ A ： Betty 你nǐ是shì哪国něiguó人rén？ A: Where are you from, Betty? B ： 我wǒ是shì台灣人táiwānrénB ： 我wǒ是shì台湾人táiwānrénB: I am a Taiwanese Simplified (China) Traditional (Taiwan) Vocabulary (Taiwan / China) 請問qǐngwèn你nǐ叫jiào什麼shénme名字míngzi請问qǐngwèn你nǐ叫jiào什么shénme名字míngzi🔊 What’s your name? …
小幸運 A Little Happiness
Song 小幸運小幸运 A Little Happiness Lyrics & Composition — Wu Hui Fu / Jerryc This song is from the Taiwanese teen film Our Times — a story that captures campus life in Taiwan and is one of the rare films that can make you laugh and cry at once. It later got English, Korean, and…
Greetings in Chinese
你好Nǐhǎo你好Nǐhǎo Hello! Dialogue A ： 哈嘍hālou， 我wǒ是shìTiffany A ： 哈罗hālou， 我wǒ是shìTiffany A: Hello, I am Tiffany. B ： 你好nǐhǎo， 我wǒ是shì美美měiměiB ： 你好nǐhǎo， 我wǒ是shì美美měiměiB: Hi, I am Meimei. A ： 美美měiměi你好嗎nǐhǎomaA ： 美美měiměi你好嗎nǐhǎomaA: How are you, Meimei? B ： 我wǒ很好hěnhǎo， 謝謝xièxieB ： 我wǒ很好hěnhǎo， 谢谢xièxieB: I am good, Thank you! Simplified (China) Traditional (Taiwan) Vocabulary (Taiwan — China) 早安zǎo’ān – 早上zǎoshàng好hǎo早安zǎo’ān – 早上zǎoshang好hǎo🔊…
Bank related words
Bank Related Words — A Foreigner’s Vocabulary Guide OneDotDot Chinese · Vocabulary Guide Bank Related Words銀行相關用語银行相关用语 Opening an account, moving money, and reading a card statement — the vocabulary for a Taiwanese bank counter, with what to expect as a foreigner. Most of a bank visit is paperwork and a short conversation at the counter…