Finding the Real China
“Until you can walk more than a few kilometers in any direction without running into a Starbucks, you’re not in the ‘real’ China,” my friend jokes as we take in…
For the Love of Characters! Introducing the Block-Headed Hula Girl and Other Useful Silliness
Chinese characters are beautiful, but there are just so damned many of them. And only very few are true pictographs that actually look like the thing they represent. 人 (rén) is…
You’re Never Too Old to Learn Chinese
When my hour-long lesson with my Chinese language teacher is over, I always feel as though my head is about to explode. Ow, ow, ow, learning Chinese is too hard,…
Working Hard Like the Ancient Chinese
Traditional Chinese culture has many thoughts on the true meaning of hard work. There are many Chengyu (Chinese four part idioms) that speak as to what hard work meant in times…
The Best Ways to Quickly Learn Mandarin
Mandarin is slowly but surely becoming more and more popular. Maybe it’s because of China’s booming economy. Or maybe it’s because of the influence of so many Chinese people traveling…
How to Speak Chinese: Top 9 Cool Tips
I`ve noticed that Chinese is often perceived as one of the most difficult languages. There are numerous square scripts with complicated strokes, and its sound is just like singing with…
Chinese Characters: Are they worth learning? How do I get started?
As we all know, Chinese uses characters as the basis of its written system. This aspect makes it quite different from most other languages. This characteristic has also become a…
Chinese Pronunciation: The Complete Guide for Beginner
Chinese pronunciation is the basic part of mastering Mandarin Chinese. With this guide, you can learn Chinese pronunciation easier in a correct way.
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…