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…
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…
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…
“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…
Mastering Chinese Characters Through Radicals – Illustrating the Walking Radical in Chinese Characters
The radical 辶 is commonly associated with “walking” (走 – zǒu) in Chinese. There are over 380 characters listed under this radical in the Kangxi Dictionary, most of which are…