It has been sometime since last year a company, and now a book called “Chineasy” developed by ShaoLan Hsueh has drawn a lot of attention in the Chinese learning world. Many students have asked me if they should buy Chineasy. Admittedly I have never read this book, but only watched ShaoLan’s Ted talk, and knew…
There is always a debate. Which is better – learn Chinese in English (or your native language) or learn Chinese in Chinese? Learning Chinese in English (or your native language) means the teacher mainly uses English (or students’ native language) to teach Chinese and communicate with students; Learning Chinese in Chinese means the teacher uses…
From my own experience, whatever I learn, I find it very important to set realistic but challenging, and measurable goals. And when it comes to language learning, taking properly authorized tests can be a good example of such goals. Thinking back on my experiences in learning Dutch, one of the things I regret is that…
Last week in the gym, I came across a woman with a tatoo “狗” on her arm. “狗(gǒu)” means dog in Chinese. The sign immediately put a smile on my face, as it seemed so hilarious to a Chinese mind to have it as a tattoo. I suppose this lady loves her dog, or dogs…
A lot of people would like to shop online. They will choose Taobao website. Taobao has a system for reviewing sellers and helping you pick the responsible ones. Taobao would be to say it’s the Chinese equivalent of Amazon.com or better, buying online with “Chinese characteristics”. 在中国，很多人都喜欢网上购物。他们一定会用淘宝网。淘宝自有一套审查卖方的系统，能帮助你挑选那些负责任的卖家。淘宝相当于中国版的亚马逊或者比它更好，进行的是带有“中国特色”的网上购物。 zài zhōng guó ，hěn duō rén dōu xǐ…
Every year around Chinese New Year, many Chinese prepare to head home for China’s most important festival.But many of the younger generation dread facing family confrontations about their love life. For those who are singles, going home means they will either arrange blind dates for you or you get scolded.” 每年快到春节的时候，许多华人都在准备回乡过春节，去度过这一中国人最重要的节日。但很多的年轻一代很怕面对家长对自己恋爱生活的质询。对于那些还是单身的人来说，回家就意味着要么被家长安排去相亲，要么就是挨骂。 měi nián kuài dào…
In Chinese there are many expressions and idioms coming from colors. The metaphors can lighten up the whole conversation and let you impress Chinese native speakers. In this blog, we will teach a few commonly and widely used phrases or idioms with colors. Hope they will color up your Chinese! 1. 红红火火 [hóng hóng huǒ…
We come across various international brand names in our daily lives. They may be very familiar to you, yet if you hear Chinese people talking about them, you might not be able to recognize these brands so easily. This is because the majority of these names are translated from their alphabetical names into the equivalent…
A lot of westerns males want to know how to flirt with Chinese girls, well, the Chinese guys are also wondering about the exact same question. While a lot Chinese guys are not open and confident enough to talk with their female peers, the main problem of western guys is that most of the time…
In Chinese there is a saying “民以食为天(mín yǐ shí wéi tiān)”, which literally means food is the paramount necessity of people. Food is an important aspect of Chinese culture. Did you know that there are over a thousand Chinese restaurants in the Netherlands? With different styles and unfamiliar dish names, it certainly makes choosing a…
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