An Introduction to the Pivotal Sentence in Chinese Grammar
Are you struggling with understanding the Pivotal Sentence structure in Chinese? Don’t worry, you’re not alone. This unique structure can be tricky to master, but once you do, it can…
Separable Words in Chinese (离合词): Breaking Down the Complexity of the Language
In Chinese, you can use either 帮助 (bāngzhù) or 帮忙(bāngmáng) to mean “help.” But, if you say “帮忙他” (bāngmáng tā) to say “help him”, your Chinese teacher will correct you…
Making Comparisons in Chinese – All about bǐ-structure(比字句)
In Western culture, we’re often told that we shouldn’t make comparisons because it implies that we’re somehow unsatisfied with the things we have. Still, in reality, we’re constantly using comparisons…
Mastering the “被” Structure: The Chinese Passive Sentence Structure
Passive sentences are commonly used in Chinese and can cause confusion for foreign learners who are not accustomed to them. To assist in decoding this unique sentence construction, we will…
From Passage to Process: Decoding 通过(tōng guò) and 经过(jīng guò) in Chinese
When it comes to mastering Mandarin Chinese, learning the nuances of vocabulary is a crucial step towards fluency. One such challenge involves two words that often perplex even advanced learners:…
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…
Confusing Chinese “N” word: 那个(nà ge/ nèi ge)
In my first year as a high school Chinese teacher in India, I noticed that sometimes my students giggled when I spoke. At first I thought it was my Chinglish…
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…
“Roughly speaking” in Chinese
The Chinese are famously pretty vague in giving answers. As most will readily admit, they prefer to offer estimations rather than specifics, especially if there may be consequences involved. Instead…