Fans of Chinese and Mandarin
chinesespeaking 
Many Chinese people take pride in the fact that their language is supposed to be impossibly difficult for foreigners to master (many westerners also assume this to be true). Shh…! Don’t tell anybody this secret! Actually, learning basic Chinese is quite easy, but only if you have the right attitude, the right approach and the right tools. Chinese … Read more
I thought I’d post a response to Kang-Lin Cheng’s post as to where 「民」 came from and how it got its meaning today. 「民」 (slave > the common people) originally depicted an eye 「目」 getting jabbed by a sharp object. It is unclear what the oracle bone form of the sharp object was, but in the bronze inscription forms … Read more
“绿茶” literally means green tea, 婊= “bitch” or “prostitute.” Online, people usually say just “green tea” as a euphemism. It refers to a type of woman who looks pure and innocent on the outside, behaving as if she is gentle, considerate, kind, and lovely. She pretends to be delicate, sentimental, and graceful in front of others, yet behind the scenes … Read more
Chinese American TikToker Sherry started the “becoming Chinese” vogue by sharing her cultural insights online. She stated with mock solemnity: “Tomorrow, you’re turning Chinese. I know it sounds intimidating, but resisting it now is pointless.” When a country becomes stronger, everything it claims is validated. Likewise, when a country is weak, nobody pays attention to … Read more
Never give up! Never give in! Everyone is equal. Is there anyone born as a king, duke, general or minister? One who fears not being cut to pieces dares to unhorse the emperor. In the bones of the Chinese, they refused to admit defeat and refused to admit their fate. To the unfair provocation, politeness, … Read more
For a moment I thought the question was “Why is becoming overseas Chinese trendy”. Oh well, maybe some day. Guess the soft power is paying off for China, be it computer games, movies, social media, fluffy toys, or positive travel experiences. People also like winners, and China is currently winning in EV, tech, green energy, … Read more
In early 21st century, there was a cartoon TV series named Big head son and small head dad. The TV show translated into Chinese is 大头儿子小头爸爸, very hot at that time. One set of the cartoons showed that, uncle wang, a big head body too, pick the big head son up, and big head son said “Hello … Read more
守宮砂 is basically a virginity mark. It is occult witch doctor nonsense, but I do know the legend about how it was done. “A lizard, sometimes referred to by its other name 守宮 (palace guardian), was raised with a diet containing cinnabar. Eventually, the lizard will turn red. The lizard is then killed and ground to a … Read more
Wai Guo Ren is the formal, written form to describe a person with a nationality other than China. Lao Wai is a oral term to call them. Above photo is the sample of Chinese PR ID. Although the English part says “foreign”, the Chinese part clearly says “外国人/Foreigner”. To understand what exactly 老外/Laowai means, I … Read more
Very good question, but my answer will probably be a disappointment. Sometimes the answer for an interesting question is actually quite mundane. First, let’s take a look at these Inscribed Board found on the top side of doors in the Forbidden City Notice the character 门/門 was written without a tick at the bottom right? … Read more