Finding the Hidden Keys to Unlocking Chinese Compound Words
A huge bulk of the words in Chinese are compound words, consisting of two or more characters put together. Even if you’re already aware of the fact that Chinese characters…
Comparing 4 Chinese Words that Mean “the Future”
A real question many Chinese learners will encounter early is how to express future events. In Chinese, we have a series of time words to address that: “将来”(jiānglái), “未来”(wèilái), “以后”(yǐhòu)…
Making a Clean Sweep of all Basic Associated Constructions in Chinese
You may have hit a wall in the study of Function words in Chinese. Maybe you have mastered Function words like “着”, “了”, “过”, but the next step is to…
Tips and Tricks to Successfully Learn Chinese
Background: Andrea learned Chinese as an adult and is now a non-native Chinese teacher with five years’ experience in high school teaching. She is a native English speaker with a…
Ways to Make Chinese Learning Fun for Your Kids!
Learning a second language from an early age is incredibly valuable, so if you have decided to educate your children in Mandarin as a second language, there are some key…
The Extended Usages of “起来”(qǐlái ) and “下去”(xiàqu)
The Chinese language is rich with a variety of directional verbs that add depth and nuance to everyday conversations. Among these, 起来 (qǐlái) and 下去 (xiàqu) are two commonly used…
Chinese Idioms or Chéngyǔ About Animals
What is a Chinese idiom/Chéngyǔ? Briefly speaking, Chengyu (成语, Chéngyǔ) are Chinese idioms that are normally made up of four Chinese characters. Chengyu are usually handed down from way back…
总是 VS 一直: “Always” is not always the same in Chinese
If you're learning Chinese, you might have come across two words that both mean "always": "总是(zǒngshì)" and "一直(yīzhí)". While these two words share a similar meaning, they are not interchangeable…
14 “Wild Chinese Phrases” You Won’t Find in Your Textbooks
Chances are, students who have been studying Mandarin Chinese will not find the following words/phrases in regular books. You might encounter these words when watching Chinese TV series or the…