When are you going to start learning Chinese?
The same time I started learning English – as a young kid? For English, I remember my parents getting me a stack of Peter and …
chinesespeaking
What does the Chinese name “邓思雅” mean? Is it a beautiful Chinese name for a girl?
It’s a beautiful name until you read it out loud. Because the word 邓思雅 sounds very similar to 等死呀 (waiting for death, ah). So, no, …
Can 火炬 be a Chinese girl’s name?
It is not a word frequently seen in names. If you don’t know, Chinese don’t have words specifically for names. We pick words (that are …
What are the most interesting Chinese characters, in your opinion?
It’s 永. The kanji for “永(ei)”, which means long time, contains all eight techniques necessary for calligraphy. It’s called 永字八法(eiji happou). Eight Principles of Yong …
Why do some people say that speaking Cantonese is harder than speaking Mandarin, even though they’re both dialects of Chinese?
They are victim to what we call “data imbalance.” Specifically, Cantonese is WAY less prevalent than Putonghua. You’re far more likely to meet somebody who …
Is Chinese good for technical literature? Do the Chinese use English words for technical terms?
Yes, it is. The Chinese language is capable of writing technical things. These technical terms, for instance, Physics, Chemistry, and Biology, could be translated into …
Is 黑利扎 a good name? It’s for the name Heliza
Well, the Chinese name you mentioned could be written as Hei Lizha in Pinyin. You could say that it sounds like Heliza. However, you rarely …
Do American-born Chinese people speak Chinese?
Usually broken or choppy family-use Chinese, of whatever dialect the parents speak in the house. Same holds true for most other ethnic backgrounds, such as …
I was adopted from an orphanage in China and am curious if the name they gave me (益瑞萍 – yi ruiping) means anything.
益 is your last name. It is an extremely rare last name, so I think you might be mistaken. It might be either 易 or …
Do some Chinese people say “la” at the end of their sentences?
Oh yes, and that is something I’m going to miss about Southeast Asia. Many Chinese people in Malaysia and Singapore do this. I’ve also heard …