Differences and Similarities between 本来 (běn lái) and 原来 (yuán lái)
If you’re learning Chinese, you might have heard the words “本来” (běn lái) and “原来” (yuán lái) being used in daily conversations to talk about something’s original state or how…
Getting to Know the Measure Word 把 in Chinese
If you’re learning Chinese, you’ll come across the character 把(bǎ) early on, and it’s important to understand its uses. Besides its common role in sentence structure, 把 also functions as…
How Chinese People Say “No” in Various Ways
Saying “no” is often a very hard thing to do – especially for Chinese people when dealing with acquaintances. This causes them to sometimes say “yes,” or other words, when…
Mastering Chinese Characters Through Radicals – Discovering the Ice Radical in Chinese Characters
Have you ever wondered how much a radical means in Chinese? Take the “Ice” radical, for example. It has only two strokes and looks like two drops of water –…
English Idioms with Chinese Origins
Have you ever wondered where idioms come from? Well, being one of the oldest civilizations on our planet today, it is no surprise that the source of many English sayings…
Mastering Chinese Characters Through Radicals – Exploring the Bow Radical in Chinese Characters
One of my favorite Chinese radicals is the bow radical, 弓 (gōng). It is an elegant character that must be written correctly. Despite looking complex, it consists of only three…
Chinese Idioms Collection about Particular Talent
Since the Chinese language and culture have been around for so long, there is a rich history. This is particularly true when studying chengyu, a four part Chinese idioms that…
Translating “can” into Chinese: 可以 (kě yǐ), 会 (huì) and能 (nénɡ)
As you get a little more confident with learning Chinese, some of the initial problems such as tones, characters and strange pronunciations the mouth seems to refuse to make start…
Beginner Building Blocks: A Comprehensive Overview of Chinese Pronouns
For the majority of Chinese learners, the first greeting they encounter is “你好” (Hello). This initial step reveals that Chinese learners become acquainted with Chinese pronouns sooner than they might…