Fans of Chinese and Mandarin
Conversational scenarios, expression techniques, and pronunciation correction exercises—focused on practical Chinese speaking skills
Here’s something I wrote many years ago in answer to this very question: True story: When I was a grad student in the States, I worked as a teaching assistant for a lower division course called “Chinese Humanities.” One of the early units was on the Chinese language, and the professor would spend a lot … Read more
As a former Chinese beginner-level learner, I could give you my 2-cents in regard to 10 bad habits that many freshers have when they start learning this awesome language. I rarely do a ‘’top 10′’ style of answer, but this time will be different, for the sake of efficiency. Overlooking pinyin. For many foreigners, ‘’learning … Read more
Is it cultural appropriation to name my son “Chiang Kai-Shek” if I am not Chinese? I am a White American who admires Chiang. Do NOT name your son after Chiang Kai-Shek, or any Chinese for that matter. In Chinese culture, you never name someone after someone famous. This is why you would never come across … Read more
Interjections are commonly used in our daily life which are also known as “叹词 （tàncí）” or “感叹词 （gǎntàncí）” in Mandarin Chinese. ‘Wow’ is one of the many interjections you can use in Mandarin Chinese but there are so many different ways to say ‘wow’ as well. “哇塞 （wā sāi）” is one way to say ‘wow‘。 … Read more
What is the difference between 可是（kě shì）， 但是 （dàn shì）， and 不过 （bú guò） in Chinese? I know they all mean ‘but‘， so what is the difference? 可是 is a “but” used more like “although”. you could say is a weaker “but” 但是 is the strongest “but” out there, can be used as “but”, though … Read more
For me, there are two big things about Chinese: It is, as my Classical Chinese teacher called it, “the language of the Fool’s Paradise.” Whenever—and I mean whenever—you start to think that you’ve finally understood things, that you have a grasp on things, that you can tackle whatever you want, there will still be documents … Read more
Since yellow is a Chinese word, “Yellow” isn’t a Chinese word. It’s English. It isn’t even derived from Chinese. If we look at the etymology, or word history, of “yellow”, you can clearly see that it isn’t a Chinese word. The word comes from the Old English “geolu” or “geolwe”. This, in turn came from … Read more
I’ve always liked an ancient poem: 上邪 上邪，我欲与君相知，长命无绝衰。 山无陵，江水为竭。冬雷震震，夏雨雪。 天地合，乃敢与君绝。 I’ ts means that ： A Pledge By heaven, I shall love you To the end of time! Till mountains crumble, Streams run dry, Thunder rumbles in winter, Snow falls in summer, And the earth mingles with the sky — Not till then will I … Read more
So if Chinese written language is picture characters, how do they write complicated words like “methyl hydroxy acetate”? “Methyl hydroxyacetate” is 羟基乙酸甲酯. While English uses these prefixes in organic chemistry, Chinese uses Celestial Stems （天干） instead: Now the translation of chemical terms: alkane （-ane） 烷 alkene （-ene） 烯 alkyne （-yne） 炔 acid 酸 carboxylic acid … Read more
Why the distinction between 粤 and 越？ I’ve read that Han dynasty conquered the Baiyue, and Yue Chinese evolved over time instead. The name seems inherited; it also has the same pronunciation （yuè）。 The word is likely the same — then, why two hanzi? This issue cannot be explained by the Vietnamese. In ancient Chinese, … Read more