Chinese

(Grammar) The Transitional Words in Chinese

Tue, 26 Jul 2016 15:50:38 -0400

In Chinese, we also use transitional words in articles to show a kind of logic between two sentences, phrases or words.

Probably the most common transitional word is "和 he2" which means "and" in English. A common transitional punctuation mark is the semicolon (、). Without these two aids, lists become choppy.

Such as, "我和我的妹妹 wo3 he2 wo3 de1 mei4 mei4" me and little sister.

"我喜欢音乐、电影和绘画 wo3 xi3 huan1 yin1 yue4、dian4 ying3 he2 hui4 hua4" I like music, movie and drawing.

Sometimes, we will also use "以及 yi3 ji2" to represent the meaning of "and".

Like, "我喜欢音乐、电影以及绘画 wo3 xi3 huan1 yin1 yue4、dian4 ying3 yi3 ji2 hui4 hua4" I like music, movie and drawing.

(Grammar) How to use classifiers in Chinese

Tue, 26 Jul 2016 15:37:46 -0400

When a numeral is used together with a noun to express a quantity in a sentence, We need to use classifiers. A classifier should be placed between the numeral and the noun.

For example, "five students" (五个学生 wu3 ge4 xue2 sheng1), where 个ge4 is a classifier. “五 wu3” is a numeral and "学生 xue2 sheng1" is a noun. We cannot say "五学生 wu3 xue2 sheng1".

Please notice that different nouns may require to use different classifiers.

For example, when the noun is a kind of animal, we normally use classifier "只 zhi1". “四只老虎 si4 zhi1 lao3 hu3” means four tigers. "七只小狗 qi1 zhi1 xiao3 gou3" means seven dogs.

When the noun is a kind of flower, we normally use classifier "朵 duo3". “八朵玫瑰 ba1 duo3 mei2 gui1” means eight roses. "一朵水仙花 yi4 duo3 shui3 xian1 hua1" means a daffodil.

What does “之类的” mean?

Sat, 28 May 2016 07:15:56 -0400

What does “之类的”(zhīlèide) mean? The phrase can be frequently heard in Chinese people's daily life. Today, let's learn how to use the authentic phrase precisely so as to make yourself look like a native speaker.

之类的 (zhīlèide) can be translated as "and so on" or "and something like that."

Used with 像

Structure
像 + [items] + 之类的

Examples

yuèláiyuèduō de rénxǐhuān chīzhōngcān，xiàng gōngbǎojīdīng zhīlèide
越来越多的人喜欢吃中餐，像宫保鸡丁之类的。

More and more people like eating Chinese food, like KungPao Chicken and so on.

Wǒ xǐhuɑn dāi zài dà chénɡshì, xiànɡ běi jīng 、shēnzhèn zhīlèide.
我喜欢呆在大城市，像北京、深圳之类的。

I like to stay in big cities like Shanghai, Hong Kong, and places like that.

Used without 像

The 像 in the sentence can be omitted as well.

Structure
[items] + 之类的 + Noun

Examples

Nǐ xǐhuɑn kàn《huídàowèilái》zhīlèide diànyǐnɡ mɑ?
你喜欢看《回到未来》之类的电影吗？

Does he like to watch movies like "Back to the Future"?

nǐ xǐhuān chī màidāngláo zhī lèi de kuàicān ma ？

你喜欢吃麦当劳之类的快餐吗？

Do you like eat fast food like McDonald?

Sentence Pattern：尽量 + （Adj.)Verb

Mon, 23 May 2016 08:00:04 -0400

A great number of people asked how to use 尽量 because they can often hear the word in Chinese sentences. So today, let us talk about a new sentence pattern: 尽量 + Verb

尽量 is an adverb, which means "as much as possible" or "to the greatest extent". Usually it should be added before a verb or an adjective.

For example:

1 Wǒ huì jǐnliànɡ bānɡ nǐ de.

我会尽量帮你的。

I will help you as much as I can.

2 Nǐ xué xí bɑ,wǒ jìnliàng bù dárǎo nǐ.

你学习吧，我尽量不打扰你。

Go ahead and study, I'll do my best not to disturb you.

3 Nǐ yīnɡɡāi jìnliàng duō péi péi háizi.

你应该尽量多陪陪孩子。

You should do as much as possible to be with your kids.

Do you know Dragon Boat Festival ?

Mon, 25 Apr 2016 07:25:11 -0400

The annual Chinese Dragon Boat Festival is coming. Today, let's focus on the festival. Do you know the answers to the questions below?

1 What is the Dragon Boat Festival also called?

2 Based on the Chinese lunar calendar, what date does the Dragon Boat Festival happen?

A) The 4th day of 5th month of lunar year

B) The 5th day of 5th month of lunar year

C) The 3th day of 5th month of lunar year

D) The 6th day of 6th month of lunar year

3 Which person does the festival commemorate?

A）Confucius

B) Mencius

C) Qu Yuan

D) The First Emperor

4 What food people usually eat on the festival?

A）Zongzi （rice dumpling）

B) jiaozi （dumpling）

C) mooncake

D) noodle

5 What activity do people usually do on the festival?

A）to view laterns

B) to climb a mountain

C) Dragon Boat Race

D) to sweep a grave

Which numbers are lucky ones in China?

Tue, 22 Mar 2016 19:34:19 -0400

Today, let's talk something about numbers. In Chinese daily life nowadays, which numbers would be considered as typical lucky numbers or unlucky numbers?

For these typical numbers below, which ones are Lucky numbers or not in China?

A) 2

B) 4

C) 6

D) 7

E) 8

F) 9

Which number do you like best? Which numbers are considered as lucky numbers and unlucky ones in your country?

Let's reveal the answers later!

Chinese Quiz (2)

Thu, 18 Feb 2016 01:44:04 -0500

1) Feb.8, 2016 is the Chinese New Year day(Lunar New Year). As is known, The Chinese Zodiac, Sheng Xiao, is based on a twelve-year cycle, each year in the cycle related to an animal sign. So, do you know 2016 is the year of ______?

A)Tiger 虎

B)Snake 蛇

C)Monkey 猴

D)Rabbit 兔

2)Chicago is the third most populous city in the US. Do you know which city is the third largest city in China?

A)上海 Shanghai

B)北京 Beijing

C)广州 Guangzhou

D)深圳 Shenzhen

3)Please choose the best word to complete the sentence.

她头发 _____ 的!

Tā tóufa(hair) _____ de!

A)长长 cháng cháng

B)胖胖 pàng pàng

C)大大 dàdà

D)高高 gāo gāo

BTW, which city in China do you like best? Why?

In addition, can you calculate your born year is the year of _____?

Chinese Quiz (1)

Sun, 10 Jan 2016 13:37:46 -0500

From today, we will be giving several easy Chinese quizs or Chinese words games for you to take. You will learn basic Chinese for daily life and enjoy the fun of learning a new language! Have a great day!

1) If today is “xīngqīliù” “ 星期六”, tomorrow is _____?

A. xīngqītiān 星期天

B. xīngqīqī 星期七

C. xīngqīsì 星期四

D. xīngqīwǔ 星期五

2) How do you say “ teacher” in Chinese?

A. uéshēng 学生

B. lǎoshī 老师

C. lǎobǎn 老板

D. tóngxué 同学

3) How do you say“air conditioner” in Chinese?

A. xǐyījī 洗衣机

B. diàn bīngxiāng 电冰箱

C. kōngtiáo 空调

D. diànshì 电视

Feel free to give your answers. The correct answers will be published afterward.

A Spring Morning 《春晓》

Wed, 30 Sep 2015 13:38:00 -0400

Today, let us learn a easy Chinese poem that every Chinese person learns in childhood.

Chūn Xiăo

春晓

Zuò zhĕ: Mèng Hàorán
作者：孟浩然

Chūn mián bù jué xiăo,
春眠不觉晓，

Chù chù wén tí niăo.
处处闻啼鸟。

Yè lái fēng yŭ shēng,
夜来风雨声，

Huā luò zhī duō shăo.
花落知多少。

English translation:

A Spring Morning
Meng Haoran

I awake light-hearted this morning of spring,
Everywhere round me the singing of birds.
But now I remember the night, the storm,
And I wonder how many blossoms were broken.

About the Author:

Meng Haoran (689～740), a famous poet in the climax of Tang Dynasty, was good at writing pastoral poetry.

Vocabulary

1.眠(mián): sleeping

2.春晓(chūnxiăo): the morning in spring; "晓" means dawn.

3.不觉(bùjué): not aware of…

4.闻啼鸟(wén tí niăo): hearing the voice of the birds; "闻" means hearing.

Sentence Pattern: Verb + 不下

Thu, 10 Dec 2015 05:43:54 -0500

To talk about whether or not something can happen or is possible, potential complements are used. One of the most common is 不下（bú xià）. This is used to talk about something will not fit.

Structure

Object + （Subject）+ Verb + 不下

The sentence could also be arranged with the object first (a topic）.

Examples

Zhè jiān fánɡjiān tài xiǎo，sānshí ɡè rén zuò bú xià。

这间房间太小，三十个人坐不下。

This room is too small. 30 people can't fit in here.

zhème duō xínɡli， Wǒ yí ɡè rén ná bú xià。

这么多行李，我一个人拿不下。

I can't take this luggage all by myself.

Shūɡuìtàixiǎo， zhème duō shū fànɡ bú xià 。

书柜太小，这么多书放不下。

This bookcase is too small to keep this many books.

Fàntàiduō，wǒmén chī bú xià。

饭太多，我们吃不下。

There's so much food. We can't eat all of it.

Sentence Pattern: Verb + 得+ Adj.

Tue, 08 Dec 2015 07:15:39 -0500

Today, let us learn how we use 得 (de) to help describe an action. It is one of the characters that often gets confused with 的 and 地， since they could be pronounced as a neutral tone "de".

Structure
Descriptive complements are used to describe the action of a verb.

Verb + 得 + Adj.(Description)

Examples

Nǐ shuō de hěn hǎo。
你说得很好。

You speak very well.

Tā zuò de hěn bú hǎo。
他做得很不好。

He did it very poorly.

Tāde shī xiě de háibúcuò。
她的诗写得还不错。

She writes poems well.

Zhèpiān wénzhānɡ fānyì de bútàihǎo 。
这篇文章翻译得不太好。

This essay was not translated so well.

tā gāng qín dàn dé hěn měi！

他钢琴弹得很美！

He plays the piano very beautifully！

Sentence Pattern: 对 + Noun

Sat, 28 Nov 2015 13:48:26 -0500

When using 对 (duì) as a preposition, it is used to indicate "to" or "towards" a object or target. As with all prepositions, some care should be taken when using this particle, as usage of 对 doesn't always totally "make sense".

Structure One

The structure is basically:
对 + Object + Verb Phrase

Examples

Tā duì wǒ xiào.
他对我笑。

He laughs at me.

Wǒ yào duì nǐ fùzé.
我要对你负责。

I am going to be responsible for you.

Tā duì wǒ hěn kèqi.
她对我很客气。

She was very polite to me.

Structure Two

对 + Person + 来说

This essentially means "for... (a person)." It's for making a statement from a certain person's point of view.

Chuāncài duì wǒ láishuō tài là le.
川菜对我来说太辣了。

To me, Szechuan food is too spicy.

Duì wǒ láishuō shūfǎ hěn yǒuyìsi.
对我来说书法很有意思。

I think calligraphy is very interesting

Duì tā láishuō yīnɡyǔ hěn rónɡyì.
对她来说英语很容易。

She thinks English is easy

Some Useful Chinese Phone Numbers

Wed, 28 Oct 2015 12:04:48 -0400

Do you know how to make phone calls in China? Today, let's learn some useful Chinese phone numbers. If you know them, your life in China will be more smooth.

Phone Number Service

110 Police department

114 Local telephone number inquiry and area code inquiry

119 Fire

120 Ambulance Call

11185 Postal code inquiry

10000 China Telecom customer service

10086 China Mobile customer service

10010 China Unicom customer service

95566 Bank of China customer service

Sentence Pattern：Verb+错

Thu, 22 Oct 2015 11:28:53 -0400

Every person makes mistakes, especially when you start learning Chinese. Today, let's learn how to use the result complement 错 (cuò) to express making mistakes!

Structure

To express that an action resulted in an error, you can use a result complement with 错(cuò). This covers what is often expressed with the adverb "incorrectly" in English.

Object + Subject + Verb + 错 + 了

Note: this sentence pattern puts the object first as a topic.

Examples

Zhè ɡè zì nǐ xiě cuò le.
这个字你写错了。

You wrote this character wrong.

Nǐ shuō de huà wǒ tīnɡ cuò le.
你说的话我听错了。

I misheard what you said.

Wǒ jì cuò le.
我记错了。

I remembered wrongly.

duì bù qǐ ，zhè jiàn shì wǒ zuò cuò le 。

对不起，这件事我做错了。

Sorry, I did this thing wrongly.

Sentence Pattern: Number +多+MW

Sun, 27 Sep 2015 13:03:43 -0400

A number in excess of a certain amount is expressed by adding "多" (duō) to the end of a number. This is usually translated as "more than..." in English.

Structure
Number + 多 + Measure word + (noun)

Examples

Tā de nǎinai yǐjīnɡ liùshí duō suì le。
他的奶奶已经六十多岁了。

His mother is already more than sixty years old.

zhèɡe bāo wǔqiān duō kuàiqián？
这个包五千多块钱？

This bag is more than five thousand kuai?

wǒ de xiǎoshuō yǐjīnɡ xiě le liǎnɡbǎi duō yè le！
我的小说已经写了两百多页了！

My novel is already more than two hundred pages!

tā yǒu yībǎiliùshí duō páng。

他有 160 多磅。

He weighs more than 160 pounds.

Random Sentences

Fri, 28 Aug 2015 23:59:23 -0400

There are some Chinese sentences that foreigner might make errors easily.

1、 This is $50008.

False: Zhèshì wǔwàn línɡ línɡ línɡ bā měi yuán.

这是五万零零零八块钱。（50008）

True: Zhèshì wǔ wàn línɡ bā měi yuán.
这是 五万零八 美元。

In a big number with more than one “0” juxtaposed, only one is pronounced. The sentence should be read as 五万零八块钱.

2、 He has lived in the hospital for about 14 days.

False: Tā yǐjīnɡ zhùyuàn shí sì jǐ tiān le

他已经住院十四几天了。

True: Tā yǐjīnɡ zhùyuàn shísìwǔtiān le.
他已经住院 十四五天 了。

One way to express approximate numbers in Chinese is to use two adjacent digits together such as 十四五天shí sì wǔ tiān （about fourteen or fifteen days），七八个qī bā gè （about seven or eight）

Sentence Pattern: Verb+不动

Fri, 28 Aug 2015 01:23:52 -0400

Verb+不动（búdònɡ） is a potential complement that expresses you "can't do something."

Structure

The potential complement 不动（búdònɡ） is used to express lack of physical ability to do something. This can be used not only with actions like walking, running or climbing, but even actions like eating and chewing.

It is usually used like this:

Subject + physical action + 不动（búdònɡ）

Examples

Wǒ zǒu búdònɡ le，dé xiūxi yíxià！
我走不动了，得休息一下！

I walked but haven't gotten there yet. I need to take a rest.

Děnɡ děnɡ wǒ，wǒ pá búdònɡ le！
等等我，我爬不动了！

Wait for me. I haven't climbed there yet.

Zhèɡe niúpái yǎo búdònɡ。
这个牛排咬不动。

I can't bite through this steak.

Nà jià ɡānɡqín hěn zhònɡ， tā bān búdònɡ。
那架钢琴很重，他搬不动。

That piano is really heavy. He won't be able to move it.

shíwù tàiduō le ，wǒ chī búdòng le

食物太多了，我吃不动了！

Food is so much. I can't eat.

“one of the..”（之一） in Chinese

Fri, 24 Jul 2015 10:40:22 -0400

In order to express "one of the..." in Chinese, "之一" (zhī yī) can be used at the end of the sentence. 之一(zhī yī) is one of those grammar that really gives your Chinese some polish. Using it with confidence makes your Chinese sound wonderful! Learn how to use it properly in this article.

Adjective + Noun + 之一(zhī yī)

An important note to keep in mind is that 之一 can only follow a noun.

For Examples

Tā shì wǒ de hǎo pénɡyou zhī yī 。
他是我的好朋友之一。

He is one of my best friends.

niǔyuē shì shìjiè shànɡ zuì hǎo de chénɡshì zhī yī 。
纽约是世界上最好的城市之一。

New York is the one of the best cities in the world.

Tā juédé xuěbì shì zuì hǎo hē de qìshuǐ zhī yī 。
他觉得雪碧是最好喝的汽水之一。

He thinks Sprite is one of the best tasting sodas.

tā shì shìjiè shàng zuì yǒumíng de gāngqínjiā zhī yī。

他是世界上最有名的钢琴家之一。

He is one of the most famous pianist in the world.

Sentence Pattern: Verb+错

Thu, 23 Jul 2015 06:40:43 -0400

Everyone makes mistakes, especially when you start learning Chinese. Today, Let's learn how to use the result complement 错 (cuò) to express making mistakes.

Structure
To express that an action resulted in an error, you can use a result complement with -错. This covers what is often expressed with the adverb "incorrectly" in English.

Object + Subject + Verb + 错 + 了

Note that this sentence puts the object first as a topic.

Examples

1 zhè jiàn shì wǒ zuò cuò le

这件事我做错了。

I did this thing wrongly.

2 Nǐ shuō de huà wǒ tīnɡ cuò le.
你说的话我听错了。

I misheard what you said.

3 Wǒ jì cuò le.
我记错了。

I remembered wrongly.

4 Zhè ɡè zì nǐ xiě cuò le.

这个字你写错了。

You wrote this character wrongly.

Sentence Pattern：Adj. + 极了

Mon, 29 Jun 2015 14:50:06 -0400

Just as 死了 can be used to intensify negative adjectives, 极了 (jí le) can be used to intensify positive adjectives.This is used in spoken, colloquial Chinese. 极 means "extreme" or "utmost", so using this grammar pattern takes your positive adjectives to the extreme!

Structure

It's as simple as using 极了 after the positive adjective.
Subject + Positive adjective + 极了

Note that this structure is a degree complement (called 程度补语 in Chinese)， and one of the few that you can use after the adjective and without adding a 得.
Examples

Tā hǎo kàn jí le.
她好看极了。

She is very pretty.

Zhè ɡè pí jiǔ hǎo hē jí le.
这个啤酒好喝极了。

This beer is very tasty.

Nǐde zhōnɡ wén hǎo jí le.
你的中文好极了。

Your Chinese is very good!

Remember to add the 了, since this is sort of an exclamatory statement. It would be incorrect without it.

Sentence Pattern: Verb+好

Fri, 26 Jun 2015 10:52:40 -0400

One of the most often used result complements is 好 (hǎo). It implies that something is complete or done well.

Structure

Forming a result complement with 好（hǎo） has a very similar meaning to forming one with 完（wán）. It expressed that the action has been completed successfully.

When using result complements, it's very common to make the object a topic. This means the object is said first and the subject is often omitted:

Object + Verb + 好(hǎo) + 了(le)

Examples

Nǐde zuòyè zuò hǎo le mɑ?
你的作业做好了吗？

Did you finish your work?

zǎocān chī hǎo le.
早餐吃好了。

The breakfast has been eaten.

Yīfu chuān hǎo le.
衣服穿好了。

I finished dressing up.

Wǒdezǎo yǐjīnɡ xǐhǎole。
我的澡已经洗好了。

I finished my shower.

Chinese Grammar：Verb + Number + MW

Sat, 30 May 2015 12:21:01 -0400

When a verb is done more than once, it also requires a measure word to accompany it. This way the measure word is acting as a way to count the frequency or re-occurrence of an action.

Structure
V + Number + MW
The grammar pattern is very similar to English. For example, "看三次" and "saw three times" mirror each other in structure. In Chinese sentences, these measure words can either come after the verb (as a complement) or before the word (as an adverb). You should also know that, like nouns, some verbs have special measure words to go with them. The basic verbal measure word is 次.

For Example：

zuò liǎnɡ cì
做两次

Do it twice.

pāi liù xià
拍六下

Take it six times.

xiě shí yè
写十页

Write ten pages.

tiào wǔ cì
跳五次

Jump five times.

dǎ tā sān xià
打他三下

Hit him three times.

qīn yī xià
亲一下

Kiss once.

huà qī fú
画七幅

Draw 7 paintings.

bèi èr shí biàn
背二十遍

Recite twenty times.

Ball Games in Chinese (2)

Sun, 26 Apr 2015 06:15:41 -0400

Chinese Pinyin English

壁球 bì qiú Racket ball

沙壶 shāhú Pot ball

橄榄球 gǎnlǎnqiú Rugby

曲棍球 qūgùnqiú Hockey

水球 shuǐqiú Water ball

保龄球 bǎolíngqiú bowling

斯诺克 sī nuò kè Snooker

手球 shǒuqiú handball

藤球 téngqiú Sepa takraw

Ball Games in Chinese (1)

Sat, 25 Apr 2015 07:36:27 -0400

Chinese Pinyin English

足球 zúqiú Football/Soccer

手球 shǒuqiú Handball

篮球 lánqiú Basketball

排球 páiqiú Volleyball

羽毛球 yǔmáoqiú Badminton

网球 wǎngqiú Tennis

高尔夫球 gāo'ěrfūqiú Golf

冰球 bīngqiú Ice hockey

沙滩排球 shātān páiqiú Beach volleyball

棒球 bàngqiú Baseball

垒球 lěiqiú Softball

乒乓球 pīngpāngqiú Table tennis

台球 táiqiú Billiards

板球 bǎn qiú Cricket

Some Famous Chinese Tourist Attractions （2）

Sun, 29 Mar 2015 09:40:50 -0400

Chinese Pinyin English

中国最美的六大瀑布 zhōngguó zuì měi de liù dà pù bù The top six most beautiful waterfalls in China

藏布巴东瀑布群(西藏) zàng bù bā dōng pùbù qún (Xīzàng) The Tsangpo Badong Falls group (Tibet)

德天瀑布(广西) dé tiān pùbù(Guǎngxī) The Detian Waterfall (Guangxi)

黄河壶口瀑布 huáng hé hú kǒu pùbù Hukou Waterfall of the Yellow River

九龙瀑布(云南) jiǔ lóng pùbù (Yún’nán) Kowloon Falls (in Yunnan province)

诺日朗瀑布(四川) nuò rì lǎng pùbù (Sìchuān) Nuorilang Falls (in Sichuan province)

黄果树瀑布(贵州) huáng guǒ shù pùbù(Guìzhōu) The Huangguoshu Waterfall (in Guizhou province)

白云山(河南) báiyún shān (Hé'nán) Baiyun Mountains (in Yunnan province)

Some Famous Chinese Tourist Attractions （1）

Sat, 28 Mar 2015 13:42:20 -0400

Chinese Pinyin English

中国最美的地方 zhōngguó zuì měi de dìfāng The most beautiful places in China

九寨沟(四川) jiǔzhàigōu (Sìchuān) Jiuzhaigou Valley (in Sichuan)

故宫（北京） gùgōng (Běijīng) Forbidden City (in Beijing)

黄山(安徽) huángshān (Ānhuī) Mount Huang (in Anhui Province)

黄果树瀑布(贵州) huáng guǒ shù pùbù(Guìzhōu) Huangguoshu waterfall (in Guizhou province)

丽江(云南) lìjiāng (Yúnnán) Li River (in Yunnan Province)

苏州园林(江苏) sūzhōu yuánlín (Jiāngsū) Suzhou Garden (in Jiangsu province)

外滩(上海) wàitān (Shànghǎi) The Bund (in Shanghai)

三峡(湖北) sānxiá (Húběi) The Three Gorges Dam(in Hubei province)

中国最美的五大湖 zhōngguó zuì měi de wǔ dà hú The five most beautiful lakes in China

青海湖(青海) qīnghǎi hú (Qīnghǎi) Qingdao lake (in Qinghai)

喀纳斯湖(新疆) kānàsī hú (Xīnjiāng) Kanas Lake (in xīn jiāng)

纳木错(西藏) nà mù cuò( Xīzàng) Lake Namco (in Tibet)

长白山天池(吉林) chángbáishān tiānchí (Jílín) The Changbai Mountains Tianchi (in Jilin province)

西湖(浙江) xīhú (Zhèjiāng) The West Lake( in Zhejiang province)

Cantonese

Mon, 02 Mar 2015 04:43:16 -0500

Been practising a bit of Cantonese lately. Here are a few of my efforts...

About our suburb:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vEa9-d1DRwA

About Chinese New Year:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f4QvyWA08p8

Cheers,

Dan

Vocabulary of Drinks

Wed, 25 Feb 2015 13:38:17 -0500

Chinese Pinyin English

茶 chá Tea

红茶 hóng chá Black tea

绿茶 lǜ chá Green tea

乌龙茶 wū lóng chá Oolong tea

咖啡 kā fēi Coffee

糖 táng Sugar

奶精 nǎi jīng Cream

不加糖 bù jiā táng No sugar

牛奶 niú’nǎi Milk

果汁 guǒ zhī Juice

凤梨汁 fèng lí zhī Pineapple juice

苹果汁 Píng’guǒ zhī Apple juice

西瓜汁 xīguā zhī Watermelon juice

柠檬汁 níng méng zhī Lemonade

苏打 sū dǎ soda

可乐 kě lè Coke

雪碧 xuě bì Sprite

白水 bái shuǐ Water

矿泉水 kuàng quán shuǐ Mineral water

冰水 bīng shuǐ Ice water

葡萄酒 pú táo jiǔ Wine

红酒 hóng jiǔ Red wine

香槟 xiāng bīn Champagne

Exclamations and expressing "too X" in Chinese

Wed, 18 Feb 2015 10:50:18 -0500

1.太好了！

tài hǎo le

Wonderful!

真好！

zhēn hǎo

Pretty good!

To express an exclamation in Chinese, the simplest way is to use the adverb 真（zhēn） before the commendatory adjective. For example: 真好(zhēn hǎo) "Pretty good", "Wonderful". Or put the commendatory adjective between 太（tài） and 了（le）. For example: 太好了（tài hǎo le）"It's so good", 太美了（tài měi le） "It's so beautiful".

2.我太伤心了！

wǒ tài shāng xīn le!

I'm so upset!

太可怕了！

tài kě pà le!

It's so terrible!

In addition to exclamation, the structure of 太（tài） + adjective + 了（le）, sometimes also expresses an excessive and undesired degree. For example: 我太伤心了(wǒ tài shāng xīn le) "I'm too upset", 太可怕了(tài kě pà le) "It's so hot".

Besides, if the word 不（bù） is added between 太（tài） and a commendatory adjective, the structure produces a much stronger negative sense. For example: 这件衣服太不好看了(zhè jiàn yī fú tài bù hǎo kàn le) "This dress looks so awful!"

Random Sentences

Fri, 30 Jan 2015 06:52:05 -0500

1）A：你怎么看？

Nǐ zěnme kàn？

What do you think?

B：我不知道。

Wò bù zhīdào.

I don't know.

2）A：请说重点。

Qǐnɡ shuō zhònɡdiǎn.

To the point, please.

B：好。

Hǎo.

OK.

3）A：可以借我100万吗？

Kěyǐ jiè wǒ 100 wàn mɑ?

Can you lend me 1 millian RMB?

B：没门儿。

Méi ménr.

No way.

4）A：快点。

Kuài diǎn.

Hurry up.

B：我来了。

wǒ lái le.

I'm coming.

5）A：你明天去参加晚会吗？

Nǐ mínɡtiān qù cānjiā wǎnhuì mɑ？

Will you attend the party tomorrow?

B：不关你的事。

Bùɡuān nǐde shì.

It's none of your business.