Do Hongkongers speak Mandarin?
Most understand Mandarin. Many speak it. Quite a few of them speak it badly. A Hong Kong guy who used to work for me thought …
Can a Chinese character have more than one meaning?
Yes, it could be. As a matter of the fact, lots of Chinese characters have multiple meanings. Here is an example. The Chinese character 云, …
What are the positives of Chinese characters?
Well, since Chinese characters have been used for thousands of years, some aspects of the Chinese cultural heritage are embedded in the writings, which were …
Although ‘ching chong’ is a common pejorative term, does it actually mean anything in Chinese Mandarin or Cantonese?
Pure ignorance by those who abuses position of power. A mimickery of another culture. Very childish, juvenile and idiotic. Very offensive. Even if an innocuous …
Why isn’t Pinyin designed according to the pronunciation system of the English language instead of spelling K sounds as Q, ch sounds as x, t sounds as c and so on?
I don’t quite understand your question. First, let me explain my viewpoint: English is my native language, Mandarin has been my first language for most …
Does Cantonese sound like Vietnamese?
I speak Cantonese, Vietnamese, and Mandarin. I also did research in this matter and I will share with you some facts. Cantonese is considered an …
What does 沉鱼落雁 mean?
Chen Yu Luo Yan (沉鱼落雁) is a famous Chinese idiom. 沉鱼落雁 (chén yú luò yàn): Makes the fish sink and wild geese fall The idiom …
Why does “Poland” in Chinese (bōlán) mean “waves” (波) and “orchid” (兰)?
波蘭 (Traditional Chin. characters) / 波兰 (Simplified Chin. characters) bōlán / bolan is a syllable by syllable rendition of “Poland”. Nobody pays attention to the meaning of …
How do you understand “奶奶” and “姥姥” in Chinese?
Here are two screenshots of 奶奶 and 姥姥 from the dictionary, Dictionary of Modern Chinese, or 现代汉语词典 in Chinese, published by the Commercial Press, or …
How can I raise a bilingual baby that speaks both Chinese and English?
I have a young daughter in Kindergarten. I speak English to her. My wife speaks Chinese to her. She speaks fluent Baby-Chinese, and completely understands …