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…
3 Sets of Similar Chinese Words…or are they?
Chinese is a rich language with a vast vocabulary - every nuance of a given concept or object is expressed by its own word. This can get confusing, as there…
The Marvelous World of Chinese Metaphor — When you can’t see the point, and all compasses point north
In my posts, I've touched before on how important it is to approach language as a structure, not as a laundry list. When you learn phrases and sentences, rather than piecemeal words,…
The Chinese Way to Use ‘make’
When I learned English, ‘make’ was a verb, which always confused me. For me, there are too many meanings of ‘make’ and some of them are quite different in Chinese.…
The Doorknob Theory of Chinese
A few years back, Nicholas Kristof wrote a New York Times column about the Peace Corps that might have gone unnoticed—as much as a Nicholas Kristof column can go unnoticed—if…
Dig Mandarin’s Book of the Month: Cheng & Tsui’s “Strive for a 5-AP Chinese Practice Tests”
Following up on last’s month article, we continue with this month’s edition of “ DigMandarin’s Book Of The Month”, brought to you by the publisher of “Integrated Chinese”— Cheng &Tsui’s…
The Overview of AP Chinese Language and Culture Course
Advanced Placement Chinese Language and Culture is commonly known as AP Chinese Language and Culture or AP Chinese. The College Board offers this course as a part of the Advanced…