Are the Chinese names for certain countries meant to be complimented?
Actualy, NO. Or more accurately: not intentionally to be complimentary at all. For example, USA is not intentionally meant to be called “beautiful”. We will …
Could Tian (天), Tengri, and Tanrı all be related?
They are same word, same concept. Old Chinese pronounce it as Teni, directly means the Great Sky. This is Chinese Tian Altar in forbidden city. Emperor pray to Tian every year. We …
What would my Chinese name be if my name is Mary?
Mary is usually written as 玛丽 in Chinese. Sometimes, it could be written as 玛莉 in Chinese. There are well-known people who share this name …
Does Mandarin pronounce its ‘R’s the same as English?
They are very similar and sometimes overlap. The most common pronunciation of English /r/ is as a labialized postalveolar approximant, [ɹ̠ʷ]. Some North American, Irish, …
What does “对牛弹琴” mean?
Dui Niu Tan Qin (对牛弹琴) is a well-known Chinese idiom/Chengyu. The idiom is very easy to understand, provided you know the corresponding 4 simple Chinese …
Is Chinese arguably the toughest language in the world for a westerner to master?
Is Chinese arguably the toughest language in the world for a westerner to master? To speak, read & write in it as good as a …
Why is “Nintendo” in Chinese called “任天堂“ (Ren tian tang) and not “宁天多” (Ning tian duo)?
In Chinese language, if Japanese have original name or brand written in kanji/Chinese characters, usually Chinese no need to change their name based on Chinese …
Is it difficult for a native Malay speaker to learn Mandarin Chinese?
1 in 5 Chinese school kids in Malaysia aren’t even Chinese Non-Chinese students comprised 18% of Chinese-language primary schools in 2016, according to Malaysia Education …
Why are Chinese characters the only extant example of a logographic writing system?
While there have been notably successful logographic writing systems, there are specific reasons why the non-phonetic Chinese characters have survived while overall the “phonetic revolution” …
What’s the difference between a modern day Chinese name and an ancient Chinese name?
The wife of the Guangwu Emperor (5 bce – 57 ce) of the Eastern Han was named 陰麗華 Yin Lihua (family name Yin, Lihua, beautiful …