“Roughly speaking” in Chinese
The Chinese are famously pretty vague in giving answers. As most will readily admit, they prefer to offer estimations rather than specifics, especially if there may be consequences involved. Instead…
Tackling the two opposite meanings of 让(ràng)
This article covers the character 让(ràng), a word with two virtually opposite meanings in Mandarin: to permit; to yieldto make someone do/feel something; to have someone do something. Tackling these…
10 ways to use 点 (diǎn)
点 (diǎn) is one of those characters in Mandarin that pops-up all over the place. In the dictionary, there are multiple meanings given, including “dot”, “point”, a “small amount”. In…
Four Words that Mean “latest” in Mandarin
Do you have the latest iPhone? What’s the latest on the U.S. presidential election campaign? Did you see the fashions on display at the Shanghai Fashion Week? Daily conversation so…
Meet Your Mandarin Goals for 2015 – with just 3 Months Left
I don’t mean to scare you but the last quarter of 2015 is almost upon us. 2016 is approaching fast! This got me thinking about my Mandarin studies, and how…
Essential Mandarin Phrases for Speaking with Your Chinese Customers
As increasing numbers of Chinese nationals are traveling abroad, more and more of us are welcoming Mandarin speakers to our hometowns and workplaces as guests and clients. No longer is…
Practical Chinese for Hospital Visits
(AKA The time I broke my elbow in China) No one wants to get sick or have an accident, but it happens – and as a foreigner in China it’s…
Essential Phrases for your Online Chinese Class
For most of us, a driving motivation to learn spoken Mandarin is its practical application. During a Chinese class, we typically want to focus on language we can actually use…
Useful Phrases for Spring Festival Celebrations
春节 / Chūn jié (Spring Festival / Chinese New Year) is the most colorful, festive holiday on China’s calendar. There’s no sleeping through the thunder of firecrackers on Chinese New…