1. The Appearance – Written Words

The most apparent difference is, no surprise, the written appearance of the language. → Chinese uses characters, which cannot be sounded out, while English words use the alphabet, which allows the speaker to sound out the word because it is a phonetic language. Luckily, for language learners, Pinyin helps by providing a phonetic representation of Chinese characters. Pinyin uses romanized letters, but the sound associated with each is unique to Pinyin. While that may seem like a huge disadvantage, there is another aspect that must be considered. Chinese characters are, in some ways, like a picture. There are elements, called radicals, that hold meaning. So while you can’t sound the character out, you can pull meaning from the character.

If you know that 目(mù) means eye， 水(shuǐ) means water and that 氵is another form of 水 (shuǐ), then it’s easy to figure out that 泪(lèi) indicates the water of the eyes or tears.

Please note that some character components do have sound attached to them. After getting really comfortable with Chinese, you may be able to guess the sound of a character based on the components – but this isn’t a fool-proof way of reading Chinese.

2. Tones

You have probably seen Pinyin before and noticed some lines above a few of the letters. Those are the tones. There are 4 basic tones in Chinese.

Tones are a very unique concept for most of the English speakers. We need to pay attention to them when both listening and speaking!

If you pronounce the same syllable in different tones, the corresponding meanings vary vastly. In English, the intonation indicates emotion, but in Chinese, intonation indicates meaning. Here are some examples of tones and definitions.

/shui jiao/
睡觉 / shuì jiào/ sleep
水饺 / shuǐjiǎo/ dumplings

我可以问(wèn)你吗？vs 我可以吻(wěn)你吗？
May I ask you? vs May I kiss you?

3. Sentence Length

English emphasizes the structure of sentences, while Chinese focuses on the meaning.

In English, it is very common to see one long sentence with long modifiers including pronouns like “we”, “she”, “they” in addition to “that” and “which”, to avoid recurrences. The sentence may be long and complicated, but it is still clear enough to understand. In Chinese, the situation is very different, where a long sentence in Chinese would be very complicated and extremely difficult to understand. Therefore, in Chinese, we can only find short sentences or long sentences divided into short phrases separated by commas.

To conclude, we can say: English sentences are usually long, and Chinese sentences are usually short. When learning Chinese, you should “Get the meaning, forget the words”. Let’s look at some examples here:

The sights of Beijing are so numerous that you can spend several weeks here and leave without having seen all of the important ones.

1. 北京的名胜很多，一个人就是在这儿呆上几个星期，离开时也没能把主要的景点看完。
   (Běi jīng de míng shèng hěn duō ，yī gè rén jiù shì zài zhè ér dāi shàng jǐ gè xīng qī ，lí kāi shí yě méi néng bǎ zhǔ yào de jǐng diǎn kàn wán.)
2. The Great Wall traverses plains and mountains, being 1,300 meters above sea level at some points. The wall averages 7.8 meters in height and 5.8 meters in width at the top.
   长城跨越平原高山，在某些地方海拔1,300米，平均高7.8米，顶宽5.8米。
   (Cháng chéng kuà yuè píng yuán gāo shān，zài mǒu xiē dì fāng hǎi bá 1,300mǐ，píng jūn gāo 7.8mǐ，dǐng kuān 5.8mǐ.)
3. The computer program is completely in computing mode and will only do computing tasks.
   现在，程序的显示区完全处于这种工具的模态中。
   (xiàn zài，chéng xù de xiǎn shì qū wán quán chù yú zhè zhǒng gōng jù de mó tài zhōng.)

4. Passive & Active Voice

In English, the passive voice is very commonly used. Unlike English, Chinese usually uses the active voice.

There are ways to show the passive tense in Chinese, and there are more specific words you would use to show that. So let’s take a look at some examples of the active voice in Chinese that translates to the English passive voice:

1. Tea is drunk widely all over the world.
   世界各地人们都喝茶。
   (Shì jiè gè dì rén men dōu hē chá.)
2. But sometimes the tables were laid outside in the gardens of stately homes.
   但有时也把餐桌摆到豪门大宅的花园里。
   (Dàn yǒu shí yě bǎ cān zhuō bǎi dào háo mén dà zhái de huā yuán lǐ.)
3. Parties are held when the weather is nice.
   天公作美时可以看到寻常百姓家的野餐。
   (Tiān gōng zuó měi shí kě yǐ kàn dào xún cháng bǎi xìng jiā de yě cān.)
4. Bananas are widely believed to grow on trees.
   普遍认为香蕉是结在树上的果实。
   (Pǔ biàn rèn wéi xiāng jiāo shì jié zài shù shàng de guǒ shí.)
   • It must be pointed out that… 必须指出……（bì xū zhǐ chū）
   • It must be admitted that… 必须承认……（bì xū chéng rèn）
   • It is imagined that… 人们认为……（rén men rèn wéi）
   • It can not be denied that… 不可否认……（bú kě fǒu rèn）

5. The use of Idioms

In Chinese, idioms and short four-character expressions are very widely used to make the language more vivid, live and concise.

English is not so rich in this kind of short idioms and expressions. In English, idioms are used scarcely because it tends to be more specific and direct. Here are some to read and compare:

1. Sincere Buddhists take vows of celibacy and abstinence from meat and wine, wearing no fur or woollen garments and shave their heads.
   虔诚的僧人立誓禁欲，不沾酒肉，不着皮毛，削发修行。
   (Qián chéng de sēng rén lì shì jìn yù，bú zhān jiǔ ròu，bú zhuó pí máo，xuē fà xiū xíng.)
2. China is a vast country.
   中国地域辽阔。
   (Zhōng guó dì yù liáo kuò.)
3. He always looks very funny.
   他的样子总是滑稽可笑。
   (Tā de yàng zi zǒng shì huá jī kě xiào.)
4. In retrospect, the past 100 years of human existence have been extremely fantastic, and extremely frightening as well.
   回首过去一百年,人类世界可说精彩绝伦,但也惊心动魄。
   (huí shǒu guò qù yī bǎi nián ,rén lèi shì jiè kě shuō jīng cǎi jué lún ,dàn yě jīng xīn dòng pò.)

6. Abstract vs Concrete

English widely uses abstract nouns while Chinese usually uses concrete nouns.

This comes from the Chinese philosophy which interprets the human being and his life as a microcosm within the natural macrocosm. Therefore, many abstract terms are expressed in Chinese with concrete objects from the natural world. Here are numerous examples of how this looks and what the Chinese literally means in English:

• Disintegration 土崩瓦解 （tǔ bēng wǎ jiě）
Lit. Landslides and tiles disintegrate
• Total exhaustion 筋疲力尽 （jīn pí lì jìn）
Lit. The muscles are weary and the strength has been used up
• Careful consideration 深思熟虑（shēn sī shú lǜ）
Lit. Deep thinking and careful thought
• Perfect harmony 水乳交融（shuǐ rǔ jiāo róng）
Lit. Mix well like milk and water
• Feed on fancies 画饼充饥（huà bǐng chōng jī）
Lit. To allay one’s hunger using a picture of a cake
• With great eagerness 如饥似渴（rú jī sì kě）
Lit. Like hunger as thirst
• Lack of perseverance 三天打鱼，两天晒网（sān tiān dǎ yú ，liǎng tiān shài wǎng）
Lit. Spent three days fishing and two days drying nets
• Make a little contribution 添砖加瓦（tiān zhuān jiā wǎ）
Lit. Contribute bricks and tiles for a building
• On the verge of destruction 危在旦夕（wēi zài dàn xī）
Lit. The crisis is in the coming daybreak or in the coming dusk.

7. Emphasis

English puts more emphasis on the first part of the sentence while Chinese put the emphasis on the last part of the sentence.

This characteristic is especially apparent in sentences which include logic with drawing conclusions or expression of results. In English, the conclusion is described first, and the facts are described at the end of the sentence. In Chinese, it is the opposite. First, the facts will be described and then the results, conclusions, etc. For example:

1. I was most delighted when it proved possible to reinstate the visit so quickly as a result of the initiative of your Government.
   由于贵国政府的提议，才得以这样快地重新实现访问。这使我感到特别高兴。
   (Yóu yú guì guó zhèng fǔ de tí yì ，cái dé yǐ zhè yàng kuài de chóng xīn shí xiàn fǎng wèn. zhè shǐ wǒ gǎn dào tè bié gāo xìng.)
2. His assertion that “it was difficult, if not impossible, for a people to enjoy its basic rights unless it was able to determine freely its political status and to ensure freely its economic, social and cultural development” was now scarcely contested.
   如果一个民族不能自由地决定其政治地位，不能自由地保证其经济、社会和文化的发展，要享受其基本权利，即使不是不可能，也是不容易的。这一论断几乎是无可置辩的了。
   (Rú guǒ yī gè mín zú bù néng zì yóu de jué dìng qí zhèng zhì dì wèi ，bù néng zì yóu de bǎo zhèng qí jīng jì 、shè huì hé wén huà de fā zhǎn ，yào xiǎng shòu qí jī běn quán lì ，jí shǐ bú shì bù kě néng ，yě shì bù róng yì de. zhè yī lùn duàn jī hū shì wú kě zhì biàn de le.)

Conclusion

From the above points, we can clearly see an interesting point that Chinese emphasizes short and clear expressions so that the listener (or reader) will easily get the accurate meaning of the idea expressed. For this aim, Chinese “gives up” long and complicated sentences which are based on grammar and prefer to use simple and short sentences. English sentences tend to be longer because they need to be specific. In addition, Chinese also doesn’t omit repeated words in order to make sure that the listener or reader will not misunderstand the meaning of the sentence.

In my eyes, this is an example of how culture and philosophy may influence a language since the Chinese philosophy and thinking is very pragmatic. English, on the other hand, has a variety of cultures and philosophies where it becomes necessary to elongate the way things are expressed. The other method the Chinese language uses to make expressions the most accurate is using idioms. Idioms are an integral part of Chinese culture and wisdom since almost each of them is a conclusion of a traditional Chinese legend and expresses a sort of insight. I hope you learned a lot about the differences between the two languages and understand how to start comprehending the Chinese language.

The post 7 Major Differences between English and Chinese appeared first on .

Although Chinese is not the only language where the sentence words order is important, it is extremely important to take care of the right Chinese Sentence order. A slight difference in the words order may result in a completely different sentence and meaning. For example:

Some person/people have come
来人了
lái rén Le

The person/people (we expecting to) have come
人来了
rén lái Le

The meanings are different in the two sentences. Also, the Chinese sentence words order is very different from English, like this example:

English: who are you?
Chinese: 你是谁？（nǐ shì shéi?）

So a word-by-word translation from English to Chinese would result in meaningless sentences in Chinese. There is no way to make sense of the Chinese words order from English. The aim of this article is to explain clearly and intuitively the rules of the Chinese sentence structure and point out some important exceptions. Let’s take a look.

The basic sentence pattern in Chinese is similar to English and it follows this:

Subject + Verb + Object (S-V-O)

Here is an example of what this would look like:

He read Chinese book.
他        看               中文书
tā       kàn         zhōng wén shū
S          V                    O

If there is also an indirect object, it always precedes the direct object. It will look like this structure followed by good sentence examples.

Subject + Verb + Indirect Object + Direct Object (S-V-O-O)

He bought me a dog.
他    给我         买了       一只狗
tā    gěi wǒ    mǎi Le    yī zhī gǒu
S        IO            V                O

He smiled to me.
他   对我       笑了       一笑
tā   duì wǒ  xiào le    yī xiào
S       IO           V             O

He send me a book.
他   送           我           一 本 书
tā   sòng       wǒ          yī běn shū
S     V             IO                O  

Differences from Chinese and English:

The Location of Prepositions

Now we will look into differences in the Chinese grammar compared to English. Prepositions (介词) are words that come before nouns and pronouns to expressing time, place, direction, objective, reason, means, dependence, passivity, comparison, etc. Common prepositions in Chinese are:

在zài (in/on)， 从còng (from)，向xiàng(towards)，跟gēn(with)，往wǎng(to, towards)，到dào (to a place, until a certain time)，对duì(for)，给gěi (to, for)，对于duìyú(regarding )，关于guānyú(concerning ,about)，把bǎ(to hold)，被bèi(by)，比bǐ(particle used for comparison )， 根据gēnjù (based on)，为了wèile (in order to )，除了chúle (except for)……

Preposition always occur right before the verb and its objects:

Subject + preposition + verb + direct object

Here are a couple examples of preposition in Chinese:

Add milk to the flour.
往               面粉里                 加             牛奶
wǎng       miàn fěn lǐ           jiā            niú nǎi
Prep.            Place                 V                O

A flight from Beijing to Chengdu takes 2.5 hours.
从           北京        到           成都             坐飞机      要           两 个半小时
Cóng   běi jīng    dào       chéng dū    zuòfēi jī   yào  liǎng gè bàn xiǎoshí  
Prep     Place      Prep         Place          

The Adverb Placement

Adverbs (describes the verb) in Chinese typically occur at the beginning of the predicate before an adjective, verb and preposition. Here are examples of adverbs:

只zhǐ(only)，才cái (only ,only then)，都dōu (all)，肯定kěn dìng (sure)， 一定yīdìng (surely, certainly), 很hěn (very)，太tài (too much, very)，够gòu(enough)，非常fēicháng (extremely)， 已经yǐjīng (already)，经常jīng cháng(frequently)， 将要jiāngyào(will, shall)， 最后zuìhòu(finally)，当初dāng chū(at that time / originally)，可能kěnéng (maybe)， 大概dàgài(approximate)， 或许huòxǔ(perhaps , maybe)，几乎jīhū(almost)

Here are a few ways of how it would be used in Chinese:

They all can speak Japanese.
他们            都            会说             日语
tāmen       dōu        huìshuō         rì yǔ
S                 Adv           V                   O

That tall man goes away in a hurry.
那个很高的男人                          匆匆地                     走了
nàgè hěn gāo de nán rén        cōng cōng de           zǒu Le
S                                                      Adv                            V

He likes the cat very much.
他      非常             喜欢             猫。      
Tā    fēicháng    xǐhuān        māo.  
S         Adv               V                 O

The Location Word

The location word almost always occurs before the verb in Chinese. There are exceptions we will discuss them in a next lesson. Here is the structure frame and an example of how it is used.

Subject + location + verb

I work in Beijing.
我     在           北京             工作
wǒ    zài        běi jīng      gōng zuò
S      prep       place               V

If the description of the place contents several places, then the order in Chinese is always from the biggest place to the smallest. It would look like the following sequence.

China,                      Beijing University,        Department of Mathematic

中国                                北京 大学                          数学 系

zhōng guó                 běi jīng dà xué                   shù xué xì

the biggest place      smaller place                the smallest place

The Placement of ‘time when’

Unlike English, a word that indicates the ‘time when’ a situation in Chinese is placed at the beginning of the predicate.

Subject + time when + predicate

For a few examples:

I had a dinner yesterday.
我      昨天                 吃了晚饭
wǒ   zuótiān           chīle wǎn fàn
S      time when            predicate

I will go to Shanghai tomorrow.
我         明天         要去上海。
Wǒ   míngtiān     yào qù shànghǎi.
S     time when      predicate

I will send it via email this afternoon.
我          今天下午             用电邮发。
Wǒ       jīntiān xiàwǔ       yóng  diànyóu fā.
S          time when            predicate

With time and location, which comes first?

When a sentence includes both a ‘time when’ and a location, ‘time when’ generally occurs before location. Both of them will come before the verb in the sentence frame like the examples given.

Subject + time when + location + verb

I swim in swimming pool every day.
我       每天         在              游泳池                  游泳 
wǒ   měi tiān    zài           yóu yǒng chí        yóuyǒng
S     Time         Prep          Place                         V

I eat in the cafeteria at school every day.
我      每 天        在         学 校 食 堂              吃饭
wǒ   měi tiān    zài     xué xiào shí tang     chīfàn
S         Time                    Place                           V

The Time Duration Words

Duration of time word indicates the length of time that an action occurs. Time duration directly follow the verb. Unlike English no preposition is associated with it. See the following structure and examples

Subject + verb + time duration

I slept two hours yesterday afternoon.
我          昨天下午                睡了    两个小时。
wǒ     zuótiān xià wǔ     shuìle    liǎng gè xiǎo shí
S           Time                        V          time duretion

I run every day.
我       每天             跑步
wǒ     měitiān      pǎobù   
S        Time            V

Yesterday I bought several books                         
昨天             我           买了       几本书。
zuótiān      wǒ          mǎile      jǐběnshū
Time              S               V            O

In summary, The Chinese sentence structure is as follows:

Subject + time preposition + Time + location preposition + Location (from the biggest to the smallest) + how (can be adverb or a phrase containing a preposition.) + Verb + time duration + indirect object + Object

Here are some tips you can follow to better remember the sentence structure.

1. The subject can be located after the time.
2. Sometime the duration of time word is an adverb phrase, which describes a verb or an adjective phrase describing a noun. In this case it is located before the verb (or noun) and not after it. Pay attention not to let it confuse you. (Look at examples)

Since coming to China, I learnt Chinese very hard for three hours every day with my sister in Beijing University.
自从来到中国，我和妹妹每天在北京大学努力学三个小时的中文
Time                    S                      Location   Adv.V.    O                 
zì cóng lái dào zhōng guó，wǒ hé mèi mei měi tiān zài běi jīng dà xué   nǔ lì xué xí sān gè xiǎo shí de zhōng wén

My dog lies in the couch of living room all day.
我的狗             整天       在客厅的沙发上             躺着       睡懒觉。
S                     Time          Location                       How          V
wǒ de gǒu zhěng tiān zài kè tīng lǐ de shā fā shàng tǎng zhe      shuì lǎn jiào

Important Exceptions in the Chinese sentence order

As we know the basic Chinese sentence order is: Subject + Time (when) + Place + verb. There are some special verbs, which seem to be allowed to break the rules. These verbs are put before the place and not after it as usual. For these verbs we have the structure:

Subject + Time (when) + verb + Place 

Which verbs are breaking the rules? There are two kinds of these verbs:

1. Verbs implying movement or location:

住(zhù/live), 放 (fàng/put), 坐 (zuò/sit), 站 (zhàn/stand)，走 (zǒu/walk)，去 (qù/go)，达到 (dá dào/arrive)，来 (lái/come)，飞 (fēi/fly)，扔 (rēng/throw)，待 (dāi/stay), etc.

2. Verbs that express variability from one situation to another in this place:

结 (jiē/ bear fruit )，积累/积 (jī lěi / accumulate) , 生长 (shēng zhǎng/ grow )，烹饪(pēng rèn/cooking), etc.

Here are several exception examples:

The food is put in the stove
食物放在炉子上 (type 2)
(shí wù fàng zài lú zi shàng)

Banana grow on the tree.
香蕉结在树上 (type 2)
(xiāng jiāo jiē zài shù shàng)

Don’t throw on the ground.
不要扔在地上 (type 1)
(bú yào rēng zài di shàng)

Kids always like sitting on the ground.
孩子 总是 喜欢 坐 在 地 上 (type 1)
(hái zi zǒng shì xǐ huan zuò zài dì shàng)

This may be a lot of information to take in and may be overwhelming but don’t fret. If you continue to listen and read as much real Chinese as you can, it will let you get a natural feel for these exceptions and put them before the place word naturally. These verbs can be also used in the normal order (after the place) in case we want to emphasize the place. For example:

I live in US
我在美国住。
(wǒ zài měi guó zhù) (not in china).

Conclusion

Chinese grammar is not difficult; I believe learning the grammar of any language is usually done by repetition. However I still want to suggest a way to make the use of the correct sentence words order easier for Dig Mandarin audiences. Take an easy Chinese sentence, which still contains most of the sentence grammatical words (like subject, object, verb, prepositions and etc.) and say it to yourself for some days until you will be able to recite it fluently. Then, whenever you need to compose a sentence in Chinese only check the situation in this sentence frame.

I can also promise you this: as you progress in Chinese, you will feel you are grasping the sense of the language. The more you listen to Chinese speaking (don’t give up if you don’t understand every sentence) the more you will get an understanding of the language. Then you will not need to recite the grammar anymore and instead know it by your inner feeling and intuition. You will notice that your mistakes are less and less without thinking. So listen to Chinese as much as you can. You will then see miracles!

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In this article, we will take a look at all the meanings and grammatical functions of the word particle 就(jiù). (You can check the detailed comparisons video between 就 and 才 here.)

VERB

As a verb, 就(jiù) has the following meanings:

1. Come near, move towards          

• 就近(jiùjìn) – next to
• 避繁就简(bì fán jiù jiǎn) – take the simple, less complicated way (idiom)
• 就着路灯下棋(jiùzhelùdēngxiàqí) – play chess next to the reading lamp

2. Accomplish, create/make

• 一蹴而就 (yī cù ér jiù) – accomplish in one step (idiom)

3. Accommodate yourself to, suit, fit

• 就便 (jiùbiàn ) – to do something at someone’s convenience
• 就手（jiùshǒu) – “while you are at it,” please do this simultaneously

e.g

你就手把我的信件也带来吧(nǐ jiùshǒu bǎ wǒ de xìnjiàn yě dàilái ba )        
please get my mail as well when you are at it    

4. Go with, eat with

• 花生仁就酒 (huā shēng rén jiù jiǔ) – peanuts go with liquor

ADVERB

The adverb 就(jiù) is used before a verb to suggest the earliness, briefness, or quickness of the action. This can literally translate to words like: “at once, right away, as early as, long since, or already.” Here are some examples:

• 我马上就来 (Wǒ mǎshàng jiù lái) – I’m coming immediately (I’ll be right there).
• 他就来 (tājiùlái ) – He will come right away.
• 他就快到了 (Tā jiù kuài dào le) – He will soon be here.

The example above also shows 就 (jiù) as an optional “intensifier.”

• 他明天七点就得上课 (Tā míngtiān qī diǎn jiù děi shàng kè.) – He has to go to class (as early as) at 7:00am tomorrow.       ,
• 他早在一九四二年就成电影名星了 (tā zǎozài yījiǔsìèr nián jiù chéng diànyǐng míngxīng le) – He had become a film star as early as 1942.

就 vs. 才

As you now know, the adverb 就 (jiù) suggests the earliness or promptness of an action. The adverb 才 (cái), though, is the opposite: it suggests tardiness or lateness of an action. It is important to note that both of these verbs are a little subjective, and refer to earliness or tardiness as perceived by the speaker.

• 我昨天五点就回家了(Wǒ zuótiān wǔ diǎn jiù huí jiā Le.) – Yesterday I went home at only 5:00! (The speaker thought 5:00 was early.).  

Note: When commenting on a past action, 就 (jiù) is always used with 了 (Le) to indicate promptness, but 才 (cái) is never used with 了.

就 jiù can also be used to link two verb phrases, signaling a sequential relationship between them which means ‘as soon as’, or ‘right after.’

• 说干就干 (shuō gàn jiù gàn ) – act at once
• 她一毕业就结婚了 (tā yíbì yè jiù jié hūn le) – She got married as soon as she graduated.

就 jiù can also connect two phrases to mean: ‘in that case,’ or ‘then.’ Furthermore, under certain conditions it can express what would happen naturally as a result of something else. It can finally connect two phrases to express tolerance.

• 只要虚心，就会进步 (zhǐ yào nǐ xū xīn ，jiù huì jìn bù ) – Provided you are modest, you will surely make progress.
• 丢了就丢了吧，以后小心点 (diū le jiù diū le ba，yǐhòu xiǎoxīn diǎn) – If it is lost, then it is lost. Just be more careful from now on. (tolerance)

就 jiù also express ‘originally it was so’ or ‘it is so for long ago’

• 我就知道 (wǒ jiù zhīdao) – I knew it.
• 我本来就不懂法语（wǒ běnlái jiù bùdǒng fǎyǔ）- Of course I don’t know French.

One use of jiù is to express determination of one’s mind and intentions. .In some sentences, this meaning is best translated by the English words: only, merely, just.

• 我就不信学不会 (wǒ jiù búxìn xuébúhuì) – I simply do not believe I cannot learn it well.
• 我要的就是这一个 (wǒ yào de jiùshì zhèyígè) – This is exactly the one I want.
• 我就想问一个问题 (wǒjiù xiǎng wèn yígè wèntí) – I only have one question.

Finally, 就 jiù can convey precise identification of a noun phrase. If the noun phrase is a person or place, there may be no English equivalent for 就(jiù). Take a look at the following example:

王   ：你找谁？ (wánɡ: nǐ zhǎo shéi?)
Wang ：Who are you looking for?

林 ： 我找王美玲。(lín: wǒ zhǎo wánɡ měi línɡ。)
lín ： I am looking for Wang Meiling.

王   ：我就是。 (wánɡ：wǒ jiù shì。)
wánɡ ：That’s me.

Or,

书店就在转角处。(Shūdiàn jiù zài zhuǎn jiǎo chù。)
The book store is just around the corner.

CONJUNCTION

就 (jiù) can be used as a conjunction to mean “even if.”

• 你就不说，我也会知道。(nǐ jiù bùshuō, wǒ yě huì zhīdào。)- Even if you won’t tell me, I will know anyway.
• 你就送来，我也不要。(nǐ jiù sòng lái，wǒ yě bú yào。) – Even if you bring it to me, I will not accept it.

PREPOSITION

When used as a preposition, jiù means “with regard to, concerning, on, in respect of, or in light of.”

• 就目前情况看来 (jiù mùqián qíngkuàng kàn lái) – In light of the present situation
• 就我所知 (jiùwǒsuǒzhī) – so far as I know
• 就内容来说，这是一本好书 (jiù nèiróng lái shuō,zhèshì yìběn hǎo shū) – This is a good book, so far as its content is concerned

As you now have seen, the particle 就(jiù) has variety of meanings and ways it can be used. Because of this flexibility, it is part of many expressions and idioms in Chinese, some of which you saw above!. To mention a few more:

• 就要(jiù yào) – will，shall，be going to；
• 成就(chéng jiù) – Accomplishment；
• 就算 (jiù suàn) – even if；
• 就诊 (jiù zhěn) – To see a doctor for medical advice
• 就业 ( jiù yè) – Looking for employment，getting a job
• 一蹴而就 (yí cù ér jiù ) – To get there in one step，success at a stroke;
• 半推半就(bàn tuī bàn jiù) – Half willing and half unwilling

It’s important that you work to master this character!

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1) 看待(kàn dài) vs 对待(duìdài) vs 招待(zhāo dài)

看待(kàn dài)：to look upon, to regard as

对待(duì dài)：to treat

招待(zhāo dài)：to receive (guests), to entertain, how one treats his guests after inviting them   (招 (zhāo) – to invite + 待(dài) – to treat = 接待，对待 (jiē dài ，duì dài)

招待周到 zhāo dài zhōu dào

This is a fixed Chinese idiom that means “the guests are well accommodated.”

Examples:

我妈妈一直把我看待为/成一个孩子。
(wǒ mā mā yī zhí bǎ wǒ kàn dài wéi /chéng yī gè hái zǐ.)
My mother always regarded me as a small child.

你怎么对待这件事？
(nǐ zěn me duìdài zhè jiàn shì?)
How do you treat this thing?

我们应该把客人招待好。
(wǒ men yīng gāi bǎ kè rén zhāo dài hǎo.)
We should entertain the guests well.

通常，我们公司会选择在酒店招待合作方吃饭。
(tōng cháng ，wǒ men gōng sī huì xuǎn zé zài jiǔ diàn zhāo dài hé zuó fāng chī fàn.)
Generally, our company chooses a restaurant to entertain our partners.

父母对待子女都一样，但有时候还是更喜欢他们当中的一个
(fù mǔ duì dài zǐ nǚ dōu yī yàng ，dàn yǒu shí hòu hái shì gèng xǐ huān tā men dāng zhōng de yī gè.)
Parents treat their children the same, sometimes in spite of liking one of them more than the others.

如此对待犯人，真是太残忍了。
(rú cǐ duì dài fàn rén ,zhēn shì tài cán rěn le.)
Treating prisoners in that manner was barbarous.

2) 坦率 (tǎn shuài) vs 坦诚 (tǎn chéng) vs 豪爽 (háo shuǎng)

坦率 (tǎn shuài)

Direct, honest, open. It means that a person is frank with other people and tells them the truth without giving excuses or lies. For example, when invited to lunch with a friend, a person with this quality might tell his friend he cannot come because he is depressed.

It is generally used in the phrase: 坦率地说 (tǎn shuài de shuō) frankly speaking / to be candid

坦诚 (tǎn chéng)

To confess, to admit. Similar to tǎn shuài, this phrase means that a person is open with other people, but also is willing to share with them the realities of his actual situation. For example, when invited to lunch with a friend, a person with this quality might tell his friend he cannot come because he is depressed, and then share what is causing him to feel depressed.

豪爽 (háo shuǎng)

Describes a person who is outspoken without necessarily being honest. He may smoothly express his feelings to other people, and doesn’t try to conceal his joy, anger, or other emotions. However, he simultaneously might be concealing his real opinion about a friend.

Examples:

坦率可以解决很多人与人关系的问题。
(tǎn shuài kě yǐ jiě jué hěn duō rén yǔ rén guān xì de wèn tí.)
Being frank and open can solve many conflicts between people.

如果你不想陪我去玩儿，请你坦率地说，而不是找借口。
(rú guǒ nǐ bù xiǎng péi wǒ qù wánr，qǐng nǐ tǎn shuài de shuō，ér bú shì zhǎo jiè kǒu.)
If you don’t want to come with me, please say it frankly and don’t use excuses.

跟自大和有批评性格的人不该太坦诚。
(gēn zì dà hé yǒu pī píng xìng gé de rén bù gāi tài tǎn chéng.)
It is better to not confess to arrogant and critical people

因为你豪爽，人们喜欢你。
(yīn wéi nǐ háo shuǎng ，rén men xǐ huān nǐ.)
Because of your openness, people like you.

他是个好人，一个非常豪爽的军官。
(tā shì gè hǎo rén ，yī gè fēi cháng háo shuǎng de jūn guān.)
He’s a good man, and a very outspoken officer.

3) 亲切(qīn qiè) vs 亲密(qīn mì) vs 密切(mìqiè)

All three could mean “close,” but have different connotations. Let’s take a look:

亲切 (qīn qiè)  

1. A cordial attitude from one person toward another person or animal.
2. To feel close to someone or someone because it reminds it you of yourself.

The next two words describe “close” contact or relation.

• 亲密 (qīn mì)    
• 密切 (mìqiè)

Close contact between two people or objects, either due to a mutual interest or another cause – not necessarily a close friendship.

Examples:

中国的电影让我感觉很亲切。
(zhōng guò de diàn yǐng ràng wǒ gǎn jué hěn qīn qiè.)
“I feel very close to Chinese movies.” (“Qin qie” is used because Chinese movies remind the narrator of some part of herself; perhaps she is reminded of her past life in China, or demonstrates similarities between life in China and life in her current country.)

他是很亲切的人。
(tā hěn qīn qiè de rén.)
He is an extremely nice person

夫妻之间的关系应该是最亲密的。
(fū qī zhī jiān de guān xì yīng gāi shì zuì qīn mì de.)
The relationship between a married couple should be the most intimate.

一般来说，双胞胎之间的关系非常亲密。
(yī bān lái shuō，shuāng bāo tāi zhī jiān de guān xì fēi cháng qīn mì.)
Generally, the relationship between twins is very intimate.

对我来说，天气情况和情绪有密切的关系
(duì wǒ lái shuō，tiān qì qíng kuàng hé qíng xù yǒu mì qiè de guān xì.)
The current weather greatly influences my mood.

共同的利益，使得他们彼此的关系越来越密切。
(góng tòng de lì yì，shǐ dé tā men bǐcǐ de guān xì yuè lái yuè mì qiè.)
Because of a mutual interest, their contact became closer and closer.

As you’ve seen, there are many words in Chinese that mean similar things but are used differently. Some of the words are so close in their meaning that many dictionaries translate them into the same word, which is one of the thing about Chinese that makes it difficult to study on your own after a certain point.

Mainly for this reason, when I reached an intermediate level of Chinese I concluded that in order to progress, I needed private lessons from a native speaker. I encourage any serious learners of the Chinese languages to consider doing the same!

The post 3 Sets of Similar Chinese Words…or are they? appeared first on .

When I started to learn Chinese, the first thing I did after one or two months of learning the basics of the language was to study the Chinese characters. I bought a textbook and made a study plan. Following the textbook, I made a schedule of studying 10 new characters every day. At first it was relatively easy, but as I proceeded, the characters became more complicated. The number of characters for review was also growing daily, so in order to follow my learning schedule I needed to gradually spend more and more time. Since reciting is very boring, I did my best to finish with this first thing in the morning to get rid of this unpleasant burden and be free of it for the rest of the day.

After I studied about 75% of the book, I quit studying Chinese..

The study method was too demanding and very boring, so I gave it up. I actually did learn several hundreds of Chinese characters, but it was far from being enough. After quitting, I gradually forgot the characters I have learnt.

Due to some unexpected events, I stopped to studying Chinese for about 8 years. Only about 3 years ago, did I decide to return to it and actually start again. With my past experience with learning the Chinese characters, I avoided learning the Chinese characters and decided to manage only by using pinyin.

This decision put a big constraint on me because most of the written Chinese texts are characters. Furthermore, very few Chinese friends were willing to correspond with me with pinyin only. Every time I received a letter from a Chinese friend, it was written in the Chinese characters and I would delete them since I couldn’t read them.

Then came the turning point and this is the tip I want to share with you. Since I became curious in understanding the letters from my friends, I decided to look for an application to convert the characters to pinyin. Then I kept the pinyin along with the Chinese characters side by side. While reading the pinyin, I also threw a glimpse on the relevant character. After reading thoroughly, I gave my reply in pinyin. Needless to say that still very few Chinese were willing to continue to correspond with me. Chinese people don’t like the pinyin because they are not familiar with them (actually I used Latin letters with no tone marks and since the Chinese tones were out of my reach at that time).

After a few months I noticed that without any additional efforts, I started to feel more familiar with more Chinese characters. I gradually stopped to look at them and could recognize more of them. Then it occurred to me not to restrict myself to just pen-pals letters but in addition choose a Chinese texts from the net and do the same with them. There are many Chinese texts out there and I could pick texts according to my interests and Chinese level. This made me very excited because I enjoyed the stuff I studied while at the same time; I recognized and became familiar with more Chinese characters.

Then one day I suddenly thought to myself that there must be a method to write the Chinese characters in the computer and it must be much easier than writing them by hand So I decided to “google it” and indeed found such an application. In this application, one needs to write the Chinese word in pinyin and then a list of all the Chinese characters corresponding to it emerged. The user then needs to choose the right one according to his context. I installed the application to my computer (for free) and decided to try to use it for writing letters to my Chinese friends.

Of course, in order to choose the right character from the list one must know the Chinese characters well, which I was very far from this ability however, I decided to start by guessing and learn as I wrote.

Since I am corresponding with friends and not with formal authorities, it would be no pressure to be perfect. I thought that friends would tolerate my mistakes and forgive me. At the beginning the number of my mistakes was enormous, but as time passed, my mistakes became less since my friends were kind enough to correct me. Also, I got familiar with more characters by reading and writing. Slowly, my guesses were replaced by knowledge and after a few of months my mistakes were relatively scarce. This method enabled me to practice the characters regularly without deliberately studying them. By using them, I also couldn’t forget them either.

To sum up, learning by doing is sometimes more efficient and much more fun than sitting with a learning schedule and dictation study routine. This method, the characters “enter my blood” and not only my memory. Much of learning the Chinese characters can be very enjoyable and in the same time more efficient.

For the students who would like to try to adopt this method, here is a list of the links to the relevant tools:

1. Application to convert Chinese characters to pinyin:

Pin1Yin1

Google Translate

2. The pinyin input method application can be installed here:

Google Pinyin

Sogou Pinyin

3. Websites to find Chinese pen pals.3

Tandem

Globalpenfriends

Penpalhub

Apenpals

加油!!

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