Tag: Chinese language

Posted on

Lesson 19: Chinese Idioms

Hey everyone, it's been a while since I posted a new Chinese lesson, so today that is exactly what I'm doing! Today we will be learning about one of the most difficult parts of the Chinese language: 成語(pronounced chen yu), or idioms. It can be very challenging to learn a foreign language, even just literal every day language, but idioms will pose a serious challenge. There are still tons that I don't know! And the meaning is not always clear. Basically, they're often something older people will say to us youngsters (I'm 30, that's still youngish, right?) to sound wise and experienced in the ways of the world. While you don't really need to learn any idioms to be able to communicate and get around in Taiwan, they will add a lot of credibility to your Chinese, and they're fun too! So let's learn some, shall we? Here are some of my favorites:

感激不盡 gǎnjībùjìn-

This means "I can't thank you enough", and it's to be used in a situation where saying 謝謝 just doesn't cut it, like if someone were to save your life.

 

吹毛求疵 chuī máo qiú cī-

This mean "nitpick", and is useful for when your wife or girlfriend is laying into your every action/word. Next time, tell them 不要吹毛求疵 (don't nitpick). And then you might want to run!

 

隨心所欲 suí xīn suǒ yù-

This means "do as you please", so if someone is retired, they can go ahead and 隨心所欲.

 

船到橋頭自然直 chuán dào qiáo tóu zì rán zhí-

This basically means "just go with the flow", when a ship comes into dock, it doesn't fight the waters, and you can't control everything on your own life. You'd go crazy if you tried!

 

青紅皂白 qīng-hóng-zào-bái-

This is used to mean " black and white", or "right and wrong", so if we are discussing someone that has done something wrong, like a politician, a celebrity or a friend, I may say "他不分青紅皂白".

 

馬馬虎虎 mǎmǎhūhū-

This literally means "horse horse tiger tiger", which of course makes no sense in English! The idiom is used to mean "so-so". If I see a moviend my friends ask me how it is, I may reply 馬馬虎虎 if I didn't think it was that good.

 

津津有味 jīnjīn yǒu wèi-

This can mean to "relish" something. For example, 他們吃得津津有味 means that they greatly relished their meal. 

 

知己知彼，百戰百勝 zhījǐzhībǐ, bǎizhàn-bǎishèng-

This is probably the most famous Chinese idiom in the West, as we see the reference in a lot of literature and movies. "Know yourself, know your enemy, fight a hundred battles, win a hundred victories" is pretty self explanatory, so I won't go into depth on the meaning. It's a quote from Sunzi's "The Art of War", for those of you that may not have heard it before.

 

百看不厭 bǎi kàn bù yàn-

This literally means that If you see something one hundred times, you won't hate it. Or "you won't get sick of it". This is good phrase for talking about your favorite movie.

For example, 那一部電影百看不厭.

 

羊入虎口 yángrùhǔkǒu-

This means "a lamb enters a tigers mouth", which is used to mean that you(the lamb) are treading dangerous grounds(the tiger's mouth).

 

As you can see, some of these idioms are easier to understand than others, but most of their meanings are not readily apparent. That is why Chinese is so challenging, and such a fun language to learn! What is your favorite idiom from our list! Let us know!

 

Posted on

Guest post on Chinese-tools

Hey guys, I just wanted to let y'all know about an article that I wrote as a guest post for chinese-tools.com earlier this week. It has some pretty powerful ideas for how you can keep from plateuing in your Chinese learning. And it will also remind you what is really important, and why you're learning Chinese to begin with. 

Check out my lastest article 5 Ways to Motivate Yourself When Chinese Gets Hard HERE!!

Let me know what you think.

Which idea was the most helpful?

What do you do when the going gets tough to keep progressing?

Share with us below!!!

 

Posted on

Lesson 10: At the Post Office

\"2012-08-07
Hey guys, long time no see! I apologize for taking such a long hiatus fom blogging, but life has been chaotic of late! My wife and I have relocated to the USA and have been working very hard to get re-established here, and so I have had little time or motivation to blog. But I know you all would be lost without me, so I'm back!
 
The format for my blog is now going to be a little different from the way it was before. From now on, since I am no longer in Taiwan, I will not be writing as many posts on exploring the island. I already have a fair amount of content on the subject, and I am always willing to answer any of your questions, but for now I am shifting my focus to Chinese. My posts will now be mainly Chinese lessons, with anecdotes of my time in Taiwan strewn in when appropriate. Please let me know what you think of this format, and as always, thank you for reading!
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
 
 \"2012-08-07
So you're in the post office, waiting in line to send a care package back home. The guy in front of you is playing on his iPhone, and the guy behind you is stamping his feet, looking at his watch and visibly annoyed. He's obviously in a hurry and doesn't want to end up being held up by the foreigner taking forever to get walked through the process by the friendly, though somewhat lingually challenged clerk…or are you? Let's show that guy that he picked the wrong laowai!
 
Ten essential phrases:
 
1. Letter 一封信 yīfēngxìn
 
2. Stamp 郵票 yóupiào
 
3. Package 包裹 bāoguǒ
 
4. Express delivery 快遞 kuàidì
 
5. Registered 掛號 guàhào
 
6. Standard shipping 平信 píngxìn
 
7. mailbox 信箱 xìnxiāng
 
8. PO box 郵政信箱 yóuzhèng xìnxiāng
 
9. envelope 信封 xìnfēng
 
10. postage fee 郵資 yóuzī
 
 
 
In context:
 
 
1. I would like to send a package overseas. 
 
我要寄包裹到國外。
 
2. How much is express delivery? 
 
快遞的郵資要多少錢？
 
3. I want to send this letter as registered mail.
 
這封信我要寄掛號。
 
4. I would like to buy some stamps and envelopes.
 
我想買一些郵票和信封。
 
5. When will my letter arrive?
 
大概幾天會到？
 
That's it for today, practice and we'll see you next time!

Posted on

Lesson 9: Let\’s Talk Movies

\"IMG_3421\"
Before reading on, make sure to check out last week's lesson first!
 
Movies…who doesn't love 'em? What's better than curling up on the couch with a big bowl of freshly popped, glistening-with-butter, corn, and your favorite DVD ready to go.The Lord of The Rings, Pirates of The Carribean, and Star Wars, are just a few of my favorites, but feel free to choose your own titles. Or you could always head down to the theater and watch a new release on the big-screen! Personally, I love to go to the second-run movie theaters here in Taiwan, or 二輪片電影院 ér lùn piàn diàn yĭng yuàn. You can watch two movies for just 150NT, and for that price, who cares if it stinks? So in this lesson we will be learning vocabulary for discussing movies with your friends in Chinese, and I will provide you with a list of a few famous titles with their Chinese translations(Warning: Titles are translated differently in Taiwan and the Mainland). So, lights, camera, ACTION!
 
 
 
Movie Genres:
 
1. Action 動作片 dòng zuò piàn
 
2. Romance 愛情片 ài qíng piàn
 
3. Science fiction 科幻片 kē huàn piàn
 
4. Comedy 搞笑片 găo xiào piàn
 
5. Horror 恐怖片 kŏng bù piàn
 
6. Animation 動畫片 dòng huà piàn
 
 
 
A Few Phrases For Discussing a Movie:
 

1. It was awesome!

超好看啊！

chāo hăo kàn a ！
 
2. That scene was ridiculous!
那一幕很誇張！
nà yī mù hĕn kuā zhāng !
 
3. The director did a fantastic job.
導演拍的好好啊！
dăo yăn pāi de hăo hăo a ！
 
4. He/She's a great actor/actress.
他她是很棒的演員。
tā tā shì hĕn bàng de yăn yuán。
 
5. It's a new release.
它是新出來的。
tā shì xīn chū lái de。
 
6. Have you seen…..?
你有看過…..沒有？
nĭ yŏu kàn guò….méi yŏu ？
 
7. That's the best movie I've seen all year!
那是我今年看得最好看的電影！
nà shì wŏ jīn nián kàn de zuì hăo kàn de diàn yĭng ！
 
8. What did you think?
你覺得這樣？
nĭ jué de zhè yàng ？
 
9. The plot was very creative.
這一部電影故的事情節很創意。
zhè yī bù diàn yĭng de gù shì qíng jié hĕn yŏu chuàng yì。
 
10. I can't wait for the sequel!
我等不了下一集！
wŏ dĕng bù liǎo xià yī jí ！
 
 
Famous Movies and Actors Names Translate Into Chinese:
 
Movies

1. Titanic 鐵達尼號 tiĕ dá ní hào
 
2. Shreck 史瑞克 shĭ ruì kè
 
3. Star Wars 星際大戰 xīng jì dà zhàn
 
4. Escape Plan 鋼鐵墳墓 gāng tiĕ fén mù
 
5. Batman 蝙蝠俠 biān fú xiá
 
 
 
Actors

1. Arnold Scwanrzeneiger 阿諾·施瓦辛格 ā nuò shī wă xīn gé
 
2. Tom Cruise 阿湯哥 ā tāng gē
 
3. Angelina Jolie 安潔莉娜裘莉 ān jié lì nà qióng lì
 
4. Mat Damon 邁特戴蒙 mài tè dài méng
 
5. Julia Roberts 茱莉婭羅伯茨 zhū lì yà luó bó cí
[youtube=http://youtu.be/tt1CSEEhs0c]

Posted on

Lesson 9: Let\’s Talk Movies

\"IMG_3421\"
Before reading on, make sure to check out last week's lesson first!
 
Movies…who doesn't love 'em? What's better than curling up on the couch with a big bowl of freshly popped, glistening-with-butter, corn, and your favorite DVD ready to go.The Lord of The Rings, Pirates of The Carribean, and Star Wars, are just a few of my favorites, but feel free to choose your own titles. Or you could always head down to the theater and watch a new release on the big-screen! Personally, I love to go to the second-run movie theaters here in Taiwan, or 二輪片電影院 ér lùn piàn diàn yĭng yuàn. You can watch two movies for just 150NT, and for that price, who cares if it stinks? So in this lesson we will be learning vocabulary for discussing movies with your friends in Chinese, and I will provide you with a list of a few famous titles with their Chinese translations(Warning: Titles are translated differently in Taiwan and the Mainland). So, lights, camera, ACTION!
 
 
 
Movie Genres:
 
1. Action 動作片 dòng zuò piàn
 
2. Romance 愛情片 ài qíng piàn
 
3. Science fiction 科幻片 kē huàn piàn
 
4. Comedy 搞笑片 găo xiào piàn
 
5. Horror 恐怖片 kŏng bù piàn
 
6. Animation 動畫片 dòng huà piàn
 
 
 
A Few Phrases For Discussing a Movie:
 

1. It was awesome!

超好看啊！

chāo hăo kàn a ！
 
2. That scene was ridiculous!
那一幕很誇張！
nà yī mù hĕn kuā zhāng !
 
3. The director did a fantastic job.
導演拍的好好啊！
dăo yăn pāi de hăo hăo a ！
 
4. He/She's a great actor/actress.
他她是很棒的演員。
tā tā shì hĕn bàng de yăn yuán。
 
5. It's a new release.
它是新出來的。
tā shì xīn chū lái de。
 
6. Have you seen…..?
你有看過…..沒有？
nĭ yŏu kàn guò….méi yŏu ？
 
7. That's the best movie I've seen all year!
那是我今年看得最好看的電影！
nà shì wŏ jīn nián kàn de zuì hăo kàn de diàn yĭng ！
 
8. What did you think?
你覺得這樣？
nĭ jué de zhè yàng ？
 
9. The plot was very creative.
這一部電影故的事情節很創意。
zhè yī bù diàn yĭng de gù shì qíng jié hĕn yŏu chuàng yì。
 
10. I can't wait for the sequel!
我等不了下一集！
wŏ dĕng bù liǎo xià yī jí ！
 
 
Famous Movies and Actors Names Translate Into Chinese:
 
Movies

1. Titanic 鐵達尼號 tiĕ dá ní hào
 
2. Shreck 史瑞克 shĭ ruì kè
 
3. Star Wars 星際大戰 xīng jì dà zhàn
 
4. Escape Plan 鋼鐵墳墓 gāng tiĕ fén mù
 
5. Batman 蝙蝠俠 biān fú xiá
 
 
 
Actors

1. Arnold Scwanrzeneiger 阿諾·施瓦辛格 ā nuò shī wă xīn gé
 
2. Tom Cruise 阿湯哥 ā tāng gē
 
3. Angelina Jolie 安潔莉娜裘莉 ān jié lì nà qióng lì
 
4. Mat Damon 邁特戴蒙 mài tè dài méng
 
5. Julia Roberts 茱莉婭羅伯茨 zhū lì yà luó bó cí
[youtube=http://youtu.be/tt1CSEEhs0c]

Posted on

Lesson 7: Hobbies

\"2\"
Before continuing with this week's lesson, check out Lesson 6: Discussing Likes and Dislikes.
 
Everyone has something special that they love to do, even if it is something that they are embarrassed to share with the world. It could be anything from dressing-up as Yoda and heading to a Star Wars convention, sitting on the couch with a game on, painting toy models or fishing. The possibilities are endless. Personally, I love martial arts, pretty much anything outdoors and of course, video games! What's your secret passion that eats-up all of your free time? But first, a quick question. How do you say "I like reading novels" in Chinese? What's 我不喜歡塞車 mean?
 
 
Common Hobbies:

 
1. hiking 爬山 pá shān
2. rafting 泛舟 fàn zhōu
3. blogging 寫部落格 xiĕ bù luò gé
4. making DIY crafts 做DIY/做手工東西 zuò DIY/zuò shŏu gōng dōng xī
5. learning martial arts 學無術 xué wú shù
6. doing yoga 做瑜伽 zuò yú jiā
7. playing music 玩音樂 wán yīny uè
8. collecting comic books 收集漫畫書 shōu jí màn huà shū
9. cooking 做飯 zuò fàn
10. drawing 畫畫 huà huà
 
 
Listen to the attached video file and practice repeating each phrase until you feel confident enough to move on to the next part.
 
Grammar Note: In Mandarin, verbs are often paired with nouns like seen above. In English we say "eat", in Chinese we say 吃飯 chī fàn or "eat rice" unless a specific food is being talked about (which, shows how important rice was and is to the Chinese). You don't always have to use a noun alongside a verb when speaking, as it can often be an understood, but when we are learning our vocabulary, verbs will generally be paired with nouns. As we progress, I will explain in more detail if necessary, but for now, let's keep it simple, okay?
 
 
Useful Adjectives: The following list of words are useful when talking about the hobbies listed above.
 
1. fun 好玩(的) hăo wán de
2. useful 有用(的) yŏu yòng de
3. interesting 有興趣(的) yŏu xìng qù de
4. relaxing 輕鬆(的) qīng sōng de
5. healthy 健康(的) jiàn kāng de
 
[youtube=http://youtu.be/6vJrTA1GmVM]
 
Listen to the attached video file and practice repeating each phrase until you feel confident enough to move on to the next part.
 
Grammar Note: The character 的 is often used after an adjective to indicate a particular characteristic of something, for example, in the sentence: 蔬菜是健康的 shū cài shì jiàn kāng de "vegetables are healthy", we are saying that a trait of vegetables is that they are healthy. This is indicated by the 的. We could also express this by saying 蔬菜很健康 shū cài hĕn jiàn kāng. More on that in the future as well as other uses of 的.
 
 
Story: Read and listen to the following story, then answer the questions below.
 
I have a lot of hobbies. Every morning I do yoga and I take my dog for a walk every night. I like to go hiking and rafting on the weekend. I love to see beautiful scenery and be alone in nature. But if we have rainy weather, that's okay. I can stay indoors and read my comic book collection, play video games or watch a movie with my family. Wherever I am, I dont have to worry about getting bored!
 
我的興趣很多。每天早上我做瑜伽，和每晚上我帶我的狗狗去散步。周末我喜歡去爬山和泛舟。我愛看大自然亮的風景。要是有下雨天，沒關係。我可以留在家裡看我漫畫書的收藏品，玩電動遊戲或是跟我的家人看電影。不管我在哪裡，我不會擔心我會無聊！
 
wŏ de xìng qù hĕn duō. mĕi tiān zăo shàng wŏ zuò yú jiā hé mĕi wăn shàng wŏ dài wŏ de gŏu gŏu qù săn bù. zhōu mò wŏ xĭ huān qù pá shān hé fàn zhōu. wŏ ài kàn dà zì rán de piāo liàng fēng jĭng. yào shì yŏu xià yŭ tiān, méi guān xì wŏ kĕ yĭ liú zài jiā lĭ kàn wŏ màn huà shū de shōu cáng pĭn, wán diàn dòng yóu xì huò shì gēn wŏ de jiā rén kàn diàn yĭng. bù guăn wŏ zài nă lĭ, wŏ bù huì dān xīn wŏ huì wú liáo！
 
Comprehension Questions: I'm not going to give you an English translation for the following questions, I want to see how much you can intuitively figure out from what we have already learned. Take a minute to email me you answers and I will let you know how you did! Consider it "homework".
 

1. 我的興趣很多嗎？
wŏ de xìng qù hĕn duō ma？
 
2. 我每天晚上做瑜伽嗎？
wŏ mĕi tiān wăn shàng zuò yú jiā ma？
 
3. 我什麼時候喜歡去爬山？
wŏ shén me shí hòu xĭ huān qù pá shān ？
 
4. 我下雨天喜歡做什麼？
wŏ xià yŭ tiān xĭ huān zuò shén me ？
 
5. 我怕無聊嗎？
wŏ pà wú liáo ma？
 
Essential Vocabulary: Here's a list of some of the most useful phrases that we learned in this lesson. Practice them and record yourself and compare your pronunciation to mine.
 
1. 興趣= interests/hobbies
2. 很多= very many
3. 每天早上= every morning
4. 晚上= night
5. 或是= or
6. 帶狗狗去散步= take the dog for a walk
7. 漂亮的風景= beautiful scenery
8. 大自然= nature
9. 留在家裡= stay at home
10. 漫畫書的收藏品= comic book collection
11. 玩電動遊戲= play video games
12. 看電影= watch movies
13. 不管= it doesn't matter
14. 擔心= worry
15. 無聊= bored

Posted on

Lesson 6: Discussing Likes and Dislikes

\"6\"

Before continuing, make sure to review and practice the previous week's lesson here.

We all have something that we just love to do. Personally, I love nothing more than relaxing on the couch with a good book, going to the movies, or if the weather is nice, spending a day outdoors and going for a hike in the mountains. But I don't love everything. I'm not particularly fond of waiting in lines(kinda ironic, as I live in Taiwan) and I'm not the biggest fan of traffic jams, but then, who is? In today's lesson, you are going to be learning how to talk about your likes and dislikes in Mandarin Chinese.

Expressing likes: In Mandarin, we say "我喜歡…", which means "I like…", we can use this as a general phrase to talk about things we like, or we can use it to form more specific sentences. For example, I can say 我喜歡蘋果 I like apples, or I could be more specific and tell you that 我喜歡吃蘋果 I like to eat apples. So let's take a look at the following sentences, and repeat along with me to check your pronunciation.

1. I like to play basketball.
我喜歡打籃球。
wŏ xĭ huān dă lán qiú.

2. I like to watch movies.
我喜歡看電影。
wŏ xĭ huān kàn diàn yĭng .

3. I like to go hiking.
我喜歡爬山。
wŏ xĭ huān pá shān.

4. I like reading novels.
我喜歡看小說。
wŏ xĭ huān kàn xiăo shuō.

5. I like listening to music.
我喜歡聽音樂。
wŏ xĭ huān tīng yīn yuè.

Watch the attached video file and practice repeating each phrase until you feel confident enough to move on to the next part.

——-

Expressing dislikes: Okay, so now you have the basics down, let's talk about dislikes. To make a negative statement in Mandarin Chinese, we usually add a 不 in front of the firs verb in a statement. This is not always the case, the negative form of the word "to have" 有, is 沒有. Note that a 沒 has been added in front of 有, not a 不, so saying 不有 would be incorrect. Just as when we were talking about likes, we can express dislikes in a general or more specific manner. So let's take our earlier example with the apples, 我喜歡吃蘋果, we can make this into a negative statement by adding a 不 before 喜歡, to indicate that we "don't like…" and it would look like his 我不喜歡吃蘋果, I don't like to eat apples. So let's take a closer look at how this is applied.

\"7\"

1. I don't like waking up early.
我不喜歡早起床。
wŏ bù xĭ huān zăo qĭ chuáng .

2. I don't like rainy weather.
我不喜歡下雨天。
wŏ bù xĭ huān xià yŭ tiān.

3. I don't like scary movies.
我不喜歡恐怖片。
wŏ bù xĭ huān kŏng bù piàn.

4. I don't like traffic jams.
我不喜歡塞車。
wŏ bù xĭ huān sāi chē .

5. I don't like to wait in lines.
我不喜歡派對。
wŏ bù xĭ huān pài duì.

Watch  the attached video file and practice repeating each phrase until you feel confident enough to move on to the next part.

Note, when answering a question, answers are are often cut short, as the topic of the sentence is understood. So, going back to our apple analogy, if someone asks you 你喜歡吃蘋果嗎？It's acceptable to answer 我喜歡吃 or 我不喜歡吃, or just simply say 喜歡(吃) or 不喜歡(吃), rather than a full statement 我喜歡吃蘋果 or 我不喜歡吃蘋果. Don't worry about remembering all of that now, the important point is that you realize Mandarin is a flexible language.

Dialogue: Read and listen to the following dialogue, then answer the questions below.

A: Sara! Where are going?
莎拉！ 你去哪裡？
shā lā ！nĭ qù nă lĭ ？

B: Oh, hi Thom! You scared me!
喔，你好湯拇 ！你嚇我一跳！
ō, nĭ hăo tāng mŭ ！nĭ xià wŏ yī tiào ！

A: Sorry! I just saw you walking and wanted to see what you were doing.
對不起！ 我剛看到你走路，想要知道你在幹嘛。
duì bù qĭ ！wŏ gāng kàn dào nĭ zŏu lù, xiăng yào zhī dào nĭ zài gàn ma.

B: It's okay, I'm fine! I'm going hiking with some friends.
沒關係，我沒事！ 我要跟一些朋友一起去爬山。
méi guān xì, wŏ méi shì ！wŏ yào gēn yī xiē péng yŏu yī qĭ qù pá shān.

A: I can't stand hiking, it's exhausting!
我受不了爬山，太累了！
wŏ shòu bù liǎo pá shān, tài lèi le！

B: I like it a lot! I think it's really fun!
我很喜歡！ 我覺得很好玩！
wŏ hĕn xĭ huān ！wŏ jué de hĕn hăo wán ！

A: I like swimming! It feels great on a hot day like this!
我喜歡游泳！ 天氣像今天怎麼熱，就很舒服！
wŏ xĭ huān yóu yŏng ！tiān qì xiàng jīn tiān zĕn me rè, jiù hĕn shū fú ！

B: I like swimming a lot too!
我也很喜歡游泳！
wŏ yĕ hĕn xĭ huān yóu yŏng ！

A: Then let's go swimming together next weekend.
那麼，我們下個周末一起去游泳吧。
nà me, wŏ men xià gè zhōu mò yī qĭ qù yóu yŏng ba.

B: Only if you come hiking with us today!
今天跟我們一起來，我才跟你去啊！
jīn tiān gēn wŏ men yī qĭ lái, wŏ cái gēn nĭ qù a ！

A: Okay okay, it's a deal!
好了好了，我同意了！
hăo le hăo le, wŏ tóng yì le ！

Notes: In Chinese, nouns have a special measure word. The most common one is 個, when in doubt just say 個 and you'll probably be right! I'll be introducing more of these to you in later lessons. Also, the character 了 is used to show a change of state or that something has taken place, such as past action. There are other ways to speak about the past in Chinese, and other ways to use 了, so more on this in the future. 吧 is usually used to indicate a suggestion.

Comprehension Questions: I'm not going to give you an English translation for the following questions, I want to see how much you can intuitively figure out from what we have already learned. Take a minute to email me you answers and I will let you know how you did! Consider it "homework".

1. 誰被嚇到了？
shéi bèi xià dào le？

2. 湯拇喜歡爬山嗎？

tāng mŭ xĭ huān pá shān ma？

3. 誰喜歡游泳？
shéi xĭ huān yóu yŏng？

4. 他們要一起去幹嘛？
tā men yào yī qĭ qù gàn ma？

5. 湯拇同意了嗎？
tāng mŭ  tóng yì le ma？

Essential Vocabulary: Here's a list of some of the most useful phrases that we learned in this lesson. Practice them and record yourself and compare your pronunciation to mine.

1. 你嚇我一跳= you scared me
2. 剛= just
3. 看到= see
4. 走路= walk
5. 知道= know
6. 在幹嘛= doing(what?)
7. 我沒事= I'm fine
8. 一些= a few
9. 朋友= friend(s)
10. 我受不了= I can't stand…
11. 太累了= tiring
12. 覺得= think
13. 游泳= swimming
14. 天氣= weather
15. 像= to be like (something)
16. 今天= today
17. 熱= hot
18. 就= in that case/then
19. 很= very
20. 舒服= comfortable
21. 我們= we/us
22. 下個周末= next weekend
23. 同意= agree

 

Posted on

I Get Cranky if I Miss My Afternoon Tea…

[youtube=http://youtu.be/qZivq1IgyQU]

…So I had to go get my fix, and it was FANTASTIC! In fact, I decided to film the experience and let you all take a glimpse at every-day life in Taiwan. Now I do love me a nice, hot cup of traditional, loose-leaf tea, but the stuff is expensive and much better to enjoy with family and friends. I decided to go the cheap and anti-social route today, so I headed over to the neighborhood Coco (dōu kĕ 都可 in Chinese, but everyone just calls it Coco).

 
\"IMG_7252\"
 
 
(I need my tea!)
 
 
They are located near the Welcome dĭng hăo 頂好 down the street from the Puxin train station pŭ xīn huŏ chē zhàn 埔心火車站. Coco is my favorite of the millions of teashops chá diàn 茶店 you can find crowding the streets in Taipei, Kaoshiung, and pretty much everywhere else in Taiwan. The reasons are as follows:
 

1. The staff diàn yuán 店員 at the stores that I frequent have excellent attitudes and are friendly and very helpful.

2. Their prices are affordable, and they don't short you on tea by overfilling your cup with ice like they do at qīng xīn 清心, another popular chain of tea-stores from the south of Taiwan.

3. I prefer the way their sugar-free tea tastes over what they server at other stores. It has a bitter sè 澀 flavor to it and I love bitter tea, though I guess this may be an acquired taste. Don't worry though, because they have plenty of sweetened drinks for you to try!

4. Did I mention that it's cheap? This is seriously a driving factor for me, as I am currently a jobless bum living on savings!

So there you have it, try them out if you have a chance. And if you already have, what's your favorite drink to get there? Personally, I am a big fan of the yoghurt green tea yăng lè duō lù chá 養樂多錄茶!

\"IMG_7254\"

(Thanks again to the awesome staff for being so helpful and putting up with my insanity!)

Please watch my video and comment on it if you have the time! The guy in the video was really nice to let me take this video. At one point he was surprised that I spoke a little Taiwanese, and I was too! Here I am, supposed to be teaching you guys Mandarin! I hope you enjoyed this article, and see you here next time!

——————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
 
Chinese phrases of the day:
 
都可= Coco (a chain of tea-stores in Taiwan)
頂好= Welcome (a Taiwanese grocery store)
埔心火車站= Puxin train station
茶店= Tea-store(shop)
店員= staff
清心= Qing Xin (another Taiwanese chain of tea-stores)
澀= bitter tasting
養樂多錄茶= yoghurt green tea (one of my favorites!)
 
——————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
Posted on

Lesson 5: Languages

\"IMG_3437\"

Languages: I saved this section for after we had gotten to be familiar with different countries of the world and their nationalities in Chinese, as it is a little more complex to form languages. Now don't go getting discouraged on me, you can do it, it just may take you a little more practice. The reason being, there are multiple ways to form the name of a language in Chinese. Just as we added 人 to 英國 to get 英國人, there are also several building blocks for "converting" a country to a language. The basic pieces are the country(minus the character 國 if present in the country's name), 文, 語 and 話. But they aren't one size fits all, unlike 人. For example, I could translate English as 英文 (note that the 國 gets cut off) or 英語, but I couldn't say 英國話.

To sum it up, the formula is:

country(-國) + 文/語 = language

Or, sometimes…

country + 話 = language

So lets take a look at the languages spoken in each of the countries we've learned, and the different ways we can say them. Lets also take this opportunity to practice making sentences with 講 jiǎng, which means to speak.

1. 美國人講英文。
2. 加拿大人講英語。
3. 墨西哥人講西班牙話。
4. 巴西人講葡萄牙文。
5. 英國人講英文。
6. 西班牙人講西班牙話。
7. 法國人講法文。
8. 義大利人講義大利文。
9. 德國人講德國話。
10. 希臘人講希臘話。
11. 俄羅斯人講俄語。
12. 土耳其人講土耳文。
13. 菲律賓人講講菲語。
14. 印度人講印度話。
15. 馬來西亞人講馬來西亞文。
16. 日本人講日語。
17. 泰國人講泰語。
18. 新加坡人講中文。
19. 中國人講中國話。
20. 台(臺)灣人講華語。

Story: Now read along with and listen to the following story. Use the vocabulary along with the grammar you just learned to answer the "homework" questions below.

Last year, William went traveling in China. He met a lot of friendly Chinese people and ate a lot of Chinese food…he even learned how
to use chopsticks! He also met people from many different countries. He made a Japanese friend named Takashi. Takashi couldn't speak English, so they used Chinese to communicate! William had fun in China, but he's glad to be back in America with his family.

去年，威廉去中國旅行. 他有認識很多好的中國人和吃了很多中國菜。。。甚至他學會用筷子！他有認識過一位日本的朋友叫Takashi。Takashi不會講英文，所以他們用中文溝通了！威廉在中國的時候過的很快樂，但是他現在很開心回來美國跟他家人在一起。

qù nián wēi lián qù zhōng guó lǚ xíng. tā yŏu rèn shí hĕn duō hăo de zhōng guó rén hé chī le hĕn duō zhōng guó cài…shèn zhì tā xué huì yòng kuài zi！tā yŏu rèn shí guò yī wèi rì bĕn de péng yŏu jiào Takashi. Takashi bù huì jiăng yīng wén suŏ yĭ tā men yòng zhōng wén gōu tōng le！wēi lián zài zhōng guó de shí hòu guò de hĕn kuài lè dàn shì tā xiàn zài hĕn kāi xīn huí lái mĕi guó gēn tā jiā rén zài yī qĭ.

Comprehension Questions:

1. 威廉現在在中國嗎？
wēi lián xiàn zài zài zhōng guó ma？

2. 威廉有吃了很多日本的菜嗎？
wēi lián yŏu chī le hĕn duō rì bĕn de cài ma？

3. Takashi 是德國人嗎？
Takashi shì dé guó rén ma？

4. Takashi 會講英文嗎？
Takashi huì jiăng yīng wén ma？

5. 威廉現在為什麼快樂？
wēi lián xiàn zài wéi shén me kuài lè？

 

Essential Vocabulary: Here's a list of some of the most useful phrases that we learned in this lesson. Practice them and record yourself and compare your pronunciation to mine.

1. 去年= last year

2. 旅行= travel

3. 很多= many

4. 認識= meet/know someone

5. 中國菜= Chinese food

6. 甚至= even

7. 學會= learn to do something

8. 朋友= friend

9. 所以= so

10. 用= use

11. 但是= but

12. 也= also

13. 時候= a point in time

14. 回來= return

15. 跟…在一起= be with (someone)

Posted on

Lesson 3: Saying goodbye

\"8\"

Adios, arrivederci, bon voyage, good bye, so long, goodnight. ..what do these phrases have in common? They are all ways to say goodbye, in one way or another. In fact you could assemble another list entirely out of negative ways to express the same idea, such as: beat it, shove off, get lost, hit the road and of course @&$? Off! In this lesson you are going to learn some of the most common parting phrases in Mandarin Chinese. This list is not exhaustive, and many things may depend on the situation, but this should get you started exploring the idea.

Remember to review last week's lesson if you haven't already.

Now get to it!

Saying Goodbye:

1. 再見 zài jiàn= goodbye
2. 等一下見 dĕng yī xià jiàn= see you soon
3. 明天見 míng tiān jiàn= see you tomorrow
4. 下一次見 xià yī cì jiàn= see you next time
5. 有空再來 yŏu kōng zài lái= come again when you have time

Listen to the attached audio file and practice repeating each phrase until you feel confident enough to move on to the next part.

Dialogue: Read and listen to the following dialogue, then answer the questions below.

A: Edward, hurry up and get downstairs. Now!
愛徳華，趕快下來。馬上！
ài dé huá găn kuài xià lái. mă shàng!

B: I'm coming Mom!
好媽媽，我要來了！
hăo mā mā, wŏ yào lái le!

A: Well, come quicker! You're almost late!
那快一點來！你快要遲到了！
nà kuài yī diăn lái! nĭ kuài yào chí dào le!

B: Can I at least eat some breakfast first?
我至少可以先吃點早餐嗎？
wŏ zhì shăo kĕ yĭ xiān chī diăn zăo cān ma?

A: There's some toast and a glass of milk on the table.
桌子上有土司和一杯牛奶。
zhuō zi shàng yŏu tŭ sī hé yī bēi niú năi.

B: Thanks Mom!
謝啦媽媽！
xiè la mā mā!

A: Now out the door you go!
好了，你趕快出門啦！
hăo le. nĭ găn kuài chū mén la!

B: Okay Mom! Geeez!
哎呀！ 好了媽媽！
āi yā! hăo le mā mā!

A: I'll see you tonight. Be good at school.
晚上見。你乖乖上課。
wăn shàng jiàn. nĭ guāi guāi shàng kè

B: I will Mom. Bye!
我會媽媽。再見！
wŏ huì mā mā. zài jiàn!

Comprehension Questions: I'm not going to give you an English translation for the following questions, I want to see how much you can intuitively figure out from what we have already learned. Take a minute to email me you answers and I will let you know how you did! Consider it "homework".

1. 媽媽快要遲到了嗎？
mā mā kuài yào chí dào le ma?

2. 桌子上有土司嗎？
zhuō zi shàng yŏu tŭ sī ma?

3. 桌子上還有什麼？
zhuō zi shàng hái yŏu shén me?

4. 誰說晚上見？
shéi shuō wăn shàng jiàn?

5. 愛徳華會乖乖上課嗎？
ài dé huá huì guāi guāi shàng kè ma?

Essential Vocabulary: Here's a list of some of the most useful phrases that we learned in this lesson. Practice them and record yourself and compare your pronunciation to mine.

1.趕快= quickly
2.下來= come down(stairs)
3.馬上= at once/immediately
4.我要來了= I'm coming
5.快一點來= hurry up
6.你快要遲到了= you're almost late
7.至少= at least
8.可以= can/able
9….上有…= there's…on the…
10.乖乖上課= behave in school