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…
“早饭吃完了”(The breakfast has been eaten) – Learn All About the Unmarked Passive Sentence in Chinese
Passive sentences make up a big and important part of modern Chinese. There are generally two types: Marked Passive Sentences and Unmarked Passive Sentences. We have talked about Marked Passive…
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…
The Taxi Chinese Plateau and How To Get Over It
Some days it seems as though the majority of foreigners in China speak amazingly fluent Mandarin. Some days it feels like no one cares about it once they are able…
Using Topics and Scenarios to Make Your Chinese Learning More Efficient
As a Mandarin teacher, I am always delighted to observe and learn from my students. One thing I have noticed in my interactions with my students is how hard most…
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:…
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…
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…