Monthly Digest of Chinese Learning – September 2014
There is an abundance of wonderful Chinese learning blogs and articles on the Internet. Sometimes it is just impossible to filter through every single one. Don’t you wish you had…
How To Use The Structural Particle “地” In Chinese Grammar
The Structural Particle 地 contains 土 (tǔ) and 也 (yě) and acts like the -ly suffix in English. It changes adjectives into adverbs by going at the end of them.…
Come Again? Mastering repetition in Chinese with 又, 再, and 还
Have you ever struggled to understand the difference between the Chinese adverbs 又(yòu), 再(zài), and 还(hái), all of which can be translated into English as "again"? It's easy to get…
A Beginner’s Guide to Asking Questions in Chinese: Particles and Sentence Patterns
Asking questions in Chinese is not only a vital component of language learning but also a fundamental skill for effective communication. Mandarin, being a tonal language, requires more than simply…
Expressing Location and Existence in Chinese: Using 在, 有 and 是
When describing the position of an object or person in a sentence, Mandarin Chinese commonly uses three verbs: 在(zài), 是(shì), and 有(yǒu). These verbs convey different nuances and can be…
The Usage of Chinese Location Words
Direction word such as 东/西/南/北/前/后 /左/右/上/下/里/外 are often used in conjunction with suffixes such as 边/面. Together they form a location word (place word). For example: Direction word such as…
An Introduction to Greetings and Simple Questions in Mandarin Chinese
Greetings are the cornerstone of human interaction, serving as a bridge that connects individuals across cultures and languages. In Mandarin Chinese, the proper use of greetings holds even more significance,…
Chinese Grammar Fundamentals: Master the Attributive Particle 的
Language is like a puzzle, where words come together to create meaning and share ideas. In the world of the Chinese language, there's a small but powerful puzzle piece called…
上 and 下 in Chinese: Beyond the Basic “Up” and “Down”
Have you ever stopped to consider how often you use the words 上(shàng) and 下(xià) in your daily life? These two characters are so ubiquitous in the Chinese language that…