Learn a little Chinese every day
The word “the” is used frequently in English, and you may wonder how to translate it into Chinese. However, there is no direct equivalent for “the” in Chinese. One common usage of “the” in English is to refer to specific nouns. In Chinese, there are three ways to express this concept. Using Topic-comment Structure In…
Before we look up the direction words in Chinese, let me tell you something. There are two different ways people tell you to turn: Southerners use the word 拐 guǎi while Northerners use the word 轉/转 zhuǎn. In Taiwan, we also use 轉/转 zhuǎn. For example, 前面左轉/前面左转 qiánmiàn zuǒzhuǎn (turn left in the front). Basic…
What is the most common sentence order in Chinese? 📌 Time + Subject + How + Location + Action * Time words can either go after the subject or before the subject.* If you want to specify the direction, the directional word should come after ‘how’ and before ‘location’. Time Subject How Direction Location Action 去年 弟弟 坐船…
The three verbs 能 néng, 會会 huì, and 可以 kěyǐ can all be translated as “can” in English. However, each of these terms has a unique meaning, and they are not always interchangeable. At times, their meanings do overlap, but not always. 能 néng 能 néng emphasizes one’s natural ability, as opposed to learned ability….
Before we look up the location and appliance words in Chinese, let me ask you a question. Do you know that the proportion of Taiwanese over the age of twenty living with their parents is 33.5 percent, according to the latest statistics from Taiwan’s Ministry of Interior? About a million of those between 35 and…
Before we look up the location words in Chinese, let me tell you a story. In my first year of teaching, I didn’t know much about China. One day my student asked me, “Tiffany I am going to Kenting next month to take a rest and have fun. Do you recommend any nice “jiǔdiàn” (hotel)? And…
Before we look up the occupation words in Chinese, let me tell you a fun fact. It’s very common and polite to address a woman you don’t know or a waitress “xiǎojiě” in Taiwan. However, you may upset people when you use it in China. That is because “xiǎojiě” is used as “street girl, prostitute”…
There are 4 different measure words that can be translated into “time” in Mandarin Chinese: 次 cì, 遍 biàn, 趟 tàng, and 場场 chǎng. Let’s have a small quiz. Do you know which one is incorrect? A – HSK 考試kǎoshì一yì年nián有yǒu幾jǐ遍biàn？ HSK 考试kǎoshì一yì年nián有yǒu几jī遍biàn？ B – 我wǒ要yào去qù一yí趟tàng台北Táiběi我wǒ要yào去qù一yí趟tàng台北Táiběi 次 cì It emphasizes the frequency of a repeated action rather…
Grammar Point:In this article, we are going to introduce the following Chinese measure words: 份 fèn, 張张 zhāng, 輛辆 liàng, 件 jiàn, 隻只 zhī, 條条 tiáo, 雙双 shuāng, 種种 zhǒng 份 (fèn) This is a measure word you may need when ordering food. In the context of food, it refers to a portion or serving…
Grammar Point:In this article, we are going to introduce the following Chinese measure words: 個个 ge, 位 wèi, 本 běn, 杯 bēi, 枝支 zhī, 瓶 píng, 罐 guàn, 塊块 kuài 個/个 (ge) This is the single most common measure word in Chinese. It is also sometimes used as a substitute for other measure words. While…