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 …
Is 阮馨婕 a good Chinese name?
阮馨婕, which is read as Ruan Xinjie in Pinyin, is a great choice for a female name. Choosing the family name 阮 is a wonderful …
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, …