80+ Basic Chinese Words and Phrases to Help You Survive
Whether you are traveling to China, hanging out with Chinese people, or going out on a date with a Chinese person, it`s necessary to know some essential basic Chinese phrases…
12 Essential Phrases to Speak Professional Business Chinese in a Social Setting
Socializing in a Chinese business setting can be very stressful, but it's becoming more and more common for international businesses and entrepreneurs to work with Chinese corporations. Many professionals are…
The Commonly Used Chinese Words Derived from Plants
Flowers and trees are closely related to people’s lives. Because of this, for thousands of years, the Chinese people have coined many plant-related words and expressions. For example, Chinese people…
Decoding Chinese Homophones: Understanding the Meaning Behind Similar Pronunciations
Homophones can be one of the biggest enigmas learners face when it comes to the Chinese language. First, picture this: two sentences, both containing the character "花" (huā), yet discussing…
How You Should Approach Studying Mandarin Chinese
We’ve all been there. You do research on the language you plan to learn and then stumble across countless studying tips. Or perhaps you’re an intermediate learner getting bored and…
How to Write Chinese Characters (Quick Start Guide)
I`ve been a Chinese teacher for a long time and I’m frequently asked about writing Chinese characters. This article will summarize my thoughts on this issue which I hope will…
MandarinBean Review: Practice Chinese Reading and Listening
With the wealth of internet resources of the modern age, many people are turning to websites designed to help mandarin students, blogs, or even chatrooms for help. The days of…
Learning Chinese: the Ways to Fluency
Learning Chinese has been one of the most rewarding and most humbling journeys of my life - and it‘s far from over. It took me a first few months to…
The Problem with University Chinese and Ways to Solve it
“About me: At the time of writing this piece, I have completed nearly six semesters of formal Chinese language study. The first five semesters were completed at my university in…
20 Common Chinese Slang Words
As with all languages, Chinese has an informal set of slang words which can be quite useful to know and can help one communicate better. Chinese slang usually can’t be…