How to Improve Your Mandarin Chinese Reading Skills
You may not be aware of it, but we read more than we realize. When we see text in our mother tongue, we mentally acknowledge it in our heads –…
Things Chinese People are Tired of Hearing
Recently, my friend Jenny wrote an article about things foreigners in China are tired of hearing. Can you guess the number one response? “Your Chinese is so good! 你中文真好！ (nǐ…
Lost in China? Here’s How to Get Help from Strangers
After making 14 trips to China and deciding to learn Mandarin, it occurred to me that there were certain Chinese phrases that could have saved me a lot of trouble…
From Passage to Process: Decoding 通过(tōng guò) and 经过(jīng guò) in Chinese
When it comes to mastering Mandarin Chinese, learning the nuances of vocabulary is a crucial step towards fluency. One such challenge involves two words that often perplex even advanced learners:…
Finding the Real China
“Until you can walk more than a few kilometers in any direction without running into a Starbucks, you’re not in the ‘real’ China,” my friend jokes as we take in…
For the Love of Characters! Introducing the Block-Headed Hula Girl and Other Useful Silliness
Chinese characters are beautiful, but there are just so damned many of them. And only very few are true pictographs that actually look like the thing they represent. 人 (rén) is…
You’re Never Too Old to Learn Chinese
When my hour-long lesson with my Chinese language teacher is over, I always feel as though my head is about to explode. Ow, ow, ow, learning Chinese is too hard,…
Working Hard Like the Ancient Chinese
Traditional Chinese culture has many thoughts on the true meaning of hard work. There are many Chengyu (Chinese four part idioms) that speak as to what hard work meant in times…
The Best Ways to Quickly Learn Mandarin
Mandarin is slowly but surely becoming more and more popular. Maybe it’s because of China’s booming economy. Or maybe it’s because of the influence of so many Chinese people traveling…
How to Speak Chinese: Top 9 Cool Tips
I`ve noticed that Chinese is often perceived as one of the most difficult languages. There are numerous square scripts with complicated strokes, and its sound is just like singing with…