Master the Art of ‘Picking Up’ in Chinese: Translations You Need to Know!
Stop giggling at the back! When you saw the title, did you think we were diving into the world of dating and romance in Chinese class today? Well, instead we’ll…
Chinese Characters for Animals
In the fifth post of this series we looked at some Chinese words for body parts. This time we’re going to continue our thematic learning with another set of twelve…
Tackling the two opposite meanings of 让(ràng)
This article covers the character 让(ràng), a word with two virtually opposite meanings in Mandarin: to permit; to yieldto make someone do/feel something; to have someone do something. Tackling these…
Freezing “to death?” – Adjective/Verb+死+了
It has been very cold in Beijing recently, and out on the streets, you might hear some Chinese people saying: “冷死了(lěng sǐ le, I’m freezing).” "死 (sǐ)" literally means “to…
How to tell 另外(lìng wài) and 另(lìng) apart!
Are you an intermediate Chinese learner struggling with synonyms? Do you find yourself wondering which words to use in certain situations? You're not alone! Many learners have difficulty with this…
Chinese Characters Containing the Radical “口”!
Last time we discussed the radicals of some Chinese characters. While learning how to write Chinese characters, it is sometimes helpful to group them by ones containing similar meaningful parts.…
Basic Verbs that are Different in Chinese and English Part II
Although I always know Chinese and English were poles apart, I didn't realize how much simple differences between the two languages could create problems for learners until I started developing…
Recognize Chinese Characters by Radicals
This week, I have picked a set of Chinese characters that may be easily confused by beginners. In the picture below, you will see six pairs of characters. The symbols…
4 Common Chinese Measure Words – 个/只/支/头
Many people have trouble understanding which “measure word” they should use in different situations. If you don’t know what a measure word is – it’s a word that is used…