Learn Chinese Online - MasterChinese

Chinese TeachersHow to Properly in ChineseChinese TeachersNEED"' Properly in Chinese

noreply@blogger.com (Learn Chinese Online) — Fri, 14 Sep 2012 06:51:00 +0000

In my Chinese classes, I occasionally found that most my foreigner students are confused about the useage of 必要 (bì yào) and 必需 (bì xū) , it is hard for them to tell the difference and when to use the two words.

Hence I would like to have a discussion in this article about how to say "need" properly in Chinese. Usually, there are four ways Chinese people are used to express "need", namely: 需要 (xū yào), 必要 (bì yào), 必须 (bì xū), 必需 (bì xū)。

需要 (xū yào) is a high frequency Chinese word, which is generally means "to need", to want", to demand"...

天凉了，出门需要加件衣服了。(Tiān liáng le, chū mén xū yào jiā jiàn yī fú le.)

It is getting cold, and we need put more clothes on to get out.

必要 (bì yào) often appears in the negative sentences. Also it often follow after the negative word "没 (méi)" or "没有 (méi yǒu)", say "没必要 (méi bì yào)" or "没有...必要(méi yǒu...bì yào)" which equaling "it is no need" or "it is not nessary" in English.

你没必要向我道歉。(Nǐ méi bì yào xiàng wǒ dào qiàn.)
It is no need (not necessary) for you to apologize to me.

必须 (bì xū) is generally used as the adverbial part of a sentence, implying some sort of order tone like "must". Basically you use this when you want to emphasize the degree of "need".

你必须一个人去处理这件事。(Nǐ bì xū yí gè rén qù chú lǐ zhè jiàn shì.)
You must handle it by youself.

必需 (bì xū) is a little bit formal, indicating something is indispensable. It is often connected with "所 (suǒ)" revealing a kind of condition.

空气和水是每个人所必需的。(Kōng qì hé shuǐ shì měi gè rén suǒ bì xū de.)

Air and water are necessary for everybody.

(
It is a great way to remember some example sentences to differ the synonyms, especially when you learn Chinese online. Below are a group of example sentences to help you to easily remember the four usages of "need":

我需要你的帮助。(Wǒxū yào nǐ de bāng zhù.)
I need you help.
(
我没有帮助你的必要。(Wǒ méi yǒu bāng zhù nǐ de bì yào.)
It is no need (not necessary) for me to help you.
(
你必须帮助我。(Nǐ bì xū bāng zhù wǒ.)
You must help me.

我要成功的话，你的帮助是必需的。(Wǒ yào chéng gōng de huà, nǐ de bāng zhù shì bì xū de.)

Your help is needed if I want to be successful.

Chinese TeachersHow to Properly in Chinese

noreply@blogger.com (Learn Chinese Online) — Tue, 04 Sep 2012 06:42:00 +0000

Learn Chinese Online - Chinese Teachers' Day

Date

September 10th in the Chinese solar calendar.

Ways of celebration

Bonuses or presents from the school to teachers. Many students often send Thank You cards to their teachers or former teachers on this day. Some parents send flowers to their kids' teachers to honor them for their special contribution to education.

Origin

The first Teachers' Day was in 1931, the date was June 6, organized by a group of famous teachers without being officially appoved by the Kuomintang Government.

In 1939, the Kuomintang Government decided to set the Teachers Day on August 27 - Confucius's birthday, due to the turmoil, it was never carried out throughout the whole country.

In 1951, the New China government decided to set the Teachers' Day on May 1, the same day with Labour Day, neither had this one ever been popular.

Finally, teachers found a day to celebrate their glorious career in 1985, since then, on September 10 every year, teachers all over the country get special attention and gifts for their services to this country.

Being a teacher in China is not simply a job, it is one of the most respected career and soul engineer.

Useful expressions for Teachers' Day

Lǎo shī, xīn kǔ le!

老师, 辛苦了!
Teacher, you’ve worked hard!

Jiào shī jié kuài lè!

教师节快乐！()

Happy Teachers' Day!

Lǎo shī, xiè xiè nín de qǐ fā.

老师，谢谢您的启发。

Thanks for being an inspiring teacher.

Duì jìng ài de lǎo shī xiàn shàng wǒ mén de ài yǔ guān huái.

对敬爱的老师献上我们的爱与关怀。

Warm thoughts of love and regards to our loving teachers.

Duì nín de xiè yì, wǒ mén wú fǎ yòng yǔ yán lái biǎo dá.

对您的谢意，我们无法用语言来表达。()

We are more thankful than we can express.

What a great and sweet memory in my student time! I wish to take this oppotunity to express my heartfelt gratitude to all my kind-hearted teachers accompanying me all the way till I am fully grown up.

How to Pronounce Chinese Pinyin Alphabet

noreply@blogger.com (Learn Chinese Online) — Thu, 30 Aug 2012 03:24:00 +0000

Learn Chinese Online - How to pronounce Chinese pinyin

A couple days ago, one of my foreign friends asked me a question on Facebook, and that is: Could you write the Chinese alphabet with English pronunciation for me? I was a little confused at first, for it is nearly impossible to list the pronunciation of Chinese alphabet by English letters or words. As all of us known that the Latin alphabet is widely used all over the world, but they all have their own unique pronunciation in different countries. However, I found out a way to help him learning the Chinese pinyin alphabet.
Below is what the Chinese pinyin alphabet looks like along with the letter's pronunciation in some English words.

A ei (pronounced like the "a" in "car")
B bi (pronounced as an unaspirated "p")
C xi (pronounced as a aspirated sharp "dz")
D dí (pronounced as an unaspirated "t")
E yi (pronounced as in the French "schwa")
F ài fú (pronounced as in the "f" in "father")
G jí (pronounced as an unaspriated "k")
H ài chi (pronounced as in the "h' of "house")
I ài (pronounced as in "eye")
J jié (pronounced as an unaspirated "ts" as in the "tu" in "picture")
K kai (pronounced as an aspirated "k")
L ài lè (pronounced as in the "l" or "lorry")
M ài ma (pronounced as in the "m" of "mother")
N ài nà (pronounced as in the "n" of "nook")
O ó (pronounced as in the "o" in "long")
P pì (pronounced as an aspirated "p")
Q jí wú (pronounced as an aspirated "ts")
R ài ér (pronounced as the Spanish "r")
S ài si (pronounced as a hard "s", between an "s" and a "z")
T tí (pronounced as an aspirated "t")
U yi wú (pronounced as in the French "u")
V wéi (pronounced with a "w" as there is no "v" in the Chinese alphabet)
W dòu bèi er wéi (pronounced as the "oo" in "boo")
X yi kè si (pronounced as the "s" in "silk")
Y wú ài (pronounced as the French "u")
Z zéi dé (pronounced an unaspirated sharp "dz")

You can adopt various ways to learn Chinese pinyin alphabets. No matter what method you use, you should bear in mind that practice makes perfect!

How to Say Those Valentine's Day Gifts in Chinese

noreply@blogger.com (Learn Chinese Online) — Thu, 23 Aug 2012 06:01:00 +0000

Chinese have their own Valentine's Day, which occurs on the seven day of the seventh month in Chinese lunar calendar. Hence it is named 七夕节(qīxījié), also known as 女儿节(nǚérjié). There is a famous legend about this day.

Zhi Nv, the seventh daughter of the Goddess of the heaven, is a beautiful fairy who occasionally met Niu Lang and fell in love with him. Zhi Nv lived very happy with Niu Lang and gave birth to two kids for him. However, they broken the rule that an immortal can not marry a mortal. The Goddess could not bear that and ordered her daughter to return to Heaven. Zhi Nv really was unwilling to leave her loved husband and two little kids. Finally, the Goddess took pity on the couple and allowed them to reunite once a year. On the seventh night of the seventh moon, magpies form a bridge with their wings for Zhi Nv to cross to meet her husband.

What a tragic tale! But nowadays, this day is regarded as romantic and full of happiness. Many boys will send some special gifts to their loved girls. 巧克力(qiǎo kè lì) and 玫瑰花(méi guī huā) are the most common gifts been sent. What's the interesting is that different chocolates symbolize different meanings. For example, the heart-shaped chocolate represents "My heart belongs to you," while black chocolate stands for "Stick together through thick and thin." Also the number of the rose stands for some meaning. It is said that one rose symbolizes "你是我的唯一(nǐ shì wǒ de wéi yī) You are the only one in my mind"; three roses indicates "我爱你(wŏ ài nǐ) I love you"; nine roses stands for "长相守( chǎng xiàng shǒu) last forever"; eleven roses means "最爱(zuì ài) the dearest"; ninety-nine roses represents "天长地久(tiān cháng dì jiǔ) Love you forever" and three hundred sixty and five roses means "天天爱你(tiān tiān ài nǐ)Love you everyday"!

If you have enough money, the gift can be costly. For example, some business men would like to send diamond rings, luxury watches, cars, even house property. But it does not matter how much the gifts cost, only meticulous care and true love matter!

Learn Chinese Online with us and speak out your creative Qixi Jie's gift ideas in Chinese!

Useful Chinese Expressions Ⅳ

noreply@blogger.com (Learn Chinese Online) — Tue, 21 Aug 2012 02:06:00 +0000

Learn Chinese Online - Useful Chinese Expressions

"不是吧(bú shì ba)" is frequently used as the pet phrase of Chinese people, which means "that's not true, is it?" or "really?"
It is often used when you're surprised or find something hard to believe.
真的假的？(zhēn de jiǎ de?) often goes after 不是吧(bú shì ba), almost expressing the same meaning. Chinese people use them together for maximum impact!
Example:
Qiàn qiàn hé tā lǎo bǎn tán liàn ài le.
倩倩和她老板谈恋爱了。
Qian qian has fall in love with her boss.

Bù shì ba?
不是吧？
Really?

伤不起 (shāngbùqǐ) basically means that you feel beaten and hurt and can't take it anymore. Literally, it means that your body has been battered by injuries, and that you can't take any more. 伤 (shāng) is from injury 伤害 (shānghài) or scar 伤痕 (shānghén) while 不起 (bùqǐ) is from 经不起 (jīngbuqǐ - to be unable to bear).
It's a new popular internet slang, but has already being used commonly in Chinese people's daily life, even in some TV programme.
Example:
Méi fáng méi chē de nán rén shāng bù qǐ a.
没房没车的男人伤不起啊！
The man without a house or a car can’t be hurt anymore.

Useful Chinese Expressions Ⅲ

noreply@blogger.com (Learn Chinese Online) — Tue, 14 Aug 2012 07:22:00 +0000

Learn Chinese Online - Useful Chinese Expressions

"萌(méng)" literally means "sprout, germinate, or bud". It is said that 萌(méng) is originally from Janpanese animation, expressing a strong affection for somebody or something. Now, it is widely used on Internet in China, like "卖萌 (mài méng)" meaning "to act cute, to try hard to win over the affection of others through cute actions", especially for young boys or girls.

Examples:

Zhè ge xiǎo hái hǎo méng a.

这个小孩好萌啊()！

The kid is really cute!

Tā xǐ huān zài tā nán péng yǒu miàn qián mài méng.

她喜欢在她男朋友面前卖萌()。

She likes to act cute when with her boyfriend.

"包在我身上(bāo zài wǒ shēnshanɡ)" means "just leave it to me. I can absolutely manage it well." This sentence is used to describe that the speaker is very confident in doing something successfully and that the others can totally count on him/her. It can be used alone or after the "thing" needs to be done.

包在我身上。(bāo zài wǒ shēnshanɡ.) I am on it/ Just leave it to me.

Examples:

A: Nǐ jīn tiān yí dìng yào bǎ zhè jiàn shì qíng chú lǐ hǎo.

你今天一定要把这件事情处理好。

You must handle it today.

B: Méi wèn tí, bāo zài wǒ shēn shàng.

没问题,包在我身上。

No problem, I can manage it.

A: Wǒ xiǎng má fán nǐ xiū gǎi xià lùn wén.

我想麻烦你修改下论文。

I hope you could help me to revise my paper.

B: Fàng xīn, bào zài wǒ shēn shàng.

放心，包在我身上。

You can rest assured, and just leave it to me.

Learn Chinese Characters in a Funny Way

noreply@blogger.com (Learn Chinese Online) — Fri, 10 Aug 2012 07:49:00 +0000

Chinese characters are really awesome, which is unique from the alphabet scripts in most Western countries. With a long history of over 3000 years, Chinese has evolved substantially yet has retained its ancient core, making it one of the longest continuously used writing system in the world.

Basically, Chinese characters are classified as four categories. the pictographic characters (象形字xiàng xíng zì), the indicative characters (指示字zhǐ shì zì), the associative characters (会意字huì yì zì), and pictophonetic characters (形声字xíng shēng zì). Today, I would like to explain the funny Chinese pictographic characters.

Pictographic characters, as the most ancient characters, outline the rough shape of things with simple lines. we can easily see that pictographic characters are the single components (独体字dú tǐ zì) and they can only represent concrete things, but not things abstract in meaning or a part of a picture.

手(shǒu) , means "hand" in English.

Tā yòng zuǒ shǒu xiě zì hé chī fàn.

他用左手写字和吃饭()。

He use his left hand to write and eat.

足(zú), means"foot" in English.

Qiān lǐ zhī xíng，shǐ yú zú xià.

千里之行，始于足下。

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.

伞(sǎn)，means"umbrella" in English.

Xià yǔ tiān yào jì de suí shí dài sǎn.

下雨天要记得随时带伞。

You should always take an umbrella in the rainy days.

Learn Chinese Online with MasterChinese!

Useful Chinese Expressions Ⅱ

noreply@blogger.com (Learn Chinese Online) — Tue, 07 Aug 2012 01:54:00 +0000

你太有才了(nĭ tài yŏu cái le) first appeared in a sketch performed by some famous Chinese actors Song Dandan, Zhao Benshan and Niu Qun in Chinese Spring Festival Gala Evening in 2007. It has been very popular among Chinese people(especially the young) since then.

才(cái) in this phrase means "talent, ability to do something special." 太(tài) means "too, excessively". And the whole phrase 你太有才了(nĭ tài yŏu cái le) means "you are too talented, you are too competent." It is used to express your praise to somebody.

Example:

zhè gè fāng àn chéng gōng tōng guò le, nĭ tài yŏu cái le!

这个方案成功通过了你太有才了！

The project is passed, you are too talented!

随便(suí biàn) is a Chinese phrase which is frequently used in our daily life.

When you go to a store, the owner will immediately ask what you want. If you just want to look around or window shop, then this would be the perfect Chinese-style answer:

Wǒ suí biàn kàn kan.

我随便看看。

I just look around casually.

Well, speaking of the hospitability and politeness of Chinese, you might have heard such from your Chinese friends when you visit them as:

Suí biàn zuò, jiù xiàng zài zì jǐ jiāyí yàng.

随便坐，就像在自己家一样。

Sit where you like. Make yourself at home.

(那是)必须的! ((Nà shì) bìxū de!) is a very popular word used to show confirmation. "必须 (bìxū)" means must; "的 (de)" is a particle. It conveys the same meaning as the English "That's a must!" or "Absolutely". It gained popularity from a catch phrase in Northeast China and was first known in the form of short sketch dialogues. This phrase carries a humorous or lighthearted tone and becomes more and more popular in our daily life.

Example:

Wǒ xià gè yuè jié hūn, nǐ kě yídìng yào lái o.

A: 我下个月结婚，你可一定要来哦。

I will get married next week. You’ve got to come.

Nà shì bìxū de.

B: （那是）必须的。

Absolutely.

Learn Chinese Online with MasterChinese!

Useful Chinese Expressions Ⅰ

noreply@blogger.com (Learn Chinese Online) — Tue, 31 Jul 2012 02:45:00 +0000

Like many other languages, there are also some useful Chinese expressions, which is really helpful to express some meanings in a simple and exact way.

The first one useful expression I want to introduce is 不好意思(bù hǎo yìsi). This expression is generally used to make an apology, which indicates that the speaker is sorry for what has happened or what is going to happen. It can also mean being shy, feeling embarrassed, and polite (equal to "excuse me" in English).

Examples:

A: Bù hǎo yìsi, wǒ chí dào le.

A：不好意思，我迟到了。

A: Sorry, I'm late.

B: Méi ɡuānxi.

B：没关系。

B: It doesn't matter.

A: Bù hǎo yìsi, Wǒ zhōngwén shuō de tài chà le.

A: 不好意思，我中文说得太差了。

A: I am sorry, my Chinese is very bad.

B: Méi shì, mànmàn lái.

B: 没事，慢慢来。

B: Take it easy, and be patient.

Bù hǎo yìsi, qǐng ràng yíxià.

不好意思，请让一下。

Excuse me.

Another useful expression is 得了吧(Déle ba). This expression is used to negate the other and show one's disagreement, meaning "don't say that; it is not what you think". It indicates the truth is not as the speaker assumed but is a totally different situation.

Examples:

A: lǐ jùn zhēn shì zánmen xuéxiào zuì shuài de nánshēng.

A: 李俊真是咱们学校最帅的男生。

A: Li Jun is really the most handsome boy in our school.

B: Déle ba, Liú jūn, chéng xī, nǎ yí gè bù bǐ tā shuài a?

B: 得了吧，刘君，程曦，哪一个不比他帅啊？

B: Come on. He is not even as handsome as Liu Jun and Cheng Xi.

A: Tīngshuō nǐ yào jié hūn le? Hái yào jiàrù háo mén?

A: 听说你要结婚了？还要嫁入豪门？

A: I heard that you will be married a rich man!

B: Déle ba, wǒ xiànzài dàlíng shèngnǚ le.

B: 得了吧，我现在都大龄剩女了。

B: Give me a break. I'm even becoming a 3S(Single, Seventies,Stuck) lady.

The two phrases above are frequently used in our daily life. Whether you learn Chinese online or take local Chinese courses, it is really useful for you to master them.

Which Style Is Yours?

noreply@blogger.com (Learn Chinese Online) — Thu, 26 Jul 2012 07:53:00 +0000

Learn Chinese Online - What's your style?

The phrase "范儿(fànr)" in Chinese equals "style" in English. Originally, "范儿(fànr)" , a jargon used in Beijing opera, is the traditional Chinese operatic style. When the performers are ready to go on stage, they call it "起范儿 (qǐ fànr)".

Now, this word are widely used in our daily life. You might have seen it in a fashion magazine or heard it everywhere. It is used after adjectives to describe most fashion styles. For example, "欧美范儿 (Ōu měi fànr) European-American style" , "甜美范儿(Tiánměi fànr) luscious style"...

As "范儿(fànr)" becomes more and more popular, it can be used in many more creative ways. It can describe someone who generally has a very good taste, somone who is attractive, or someone whose style is amazing.

Below are some examples to help you learn this fashion word:

Nǐ jīntiān zhè shēn zhuāngbàn kě zhēn shì míngxīng fànr shízú a.
你今天这身装扮可真是明星范儿十足啊。
Your dress has fully shown off your superstar style

Zú qiú cháng shàng de xiǎobèi zhēn shì tài yǒu fànr le.
足球场上的小贝真是太有范儿了。
Beckham had his own unique style in the football field.

Tā zhēn shì tài yǒu fànr le.
他真是太有范儿了。
He has his own unique style.

Keywords:

. 范儿 (fànr)
. 欧美范儿 (ōu měi fànr)
. 甜美范儿 (tiánměi fànr)
. 明星范儿 (míngxīng fànr)

Learn Chinese Online and express your style in Chinese!

How to Say "Class" in Chinese

noreply@blogger.com (Learn Chinese Online) — Mon, 23 Jul 2012 03:18:00 +0000

Learn Chinese Online - How to say "class of 2012"?

When I first started teaching at a Chinese university I was immediately confused by the way they refer to students. For example, a student might introduce herself as a "2012 jí 级" student. I mistakenly equated that to the English "Class of 2012." But actually it doesn't mean she's graduating in 2012 it means she's starting in 2012.

To make it clear, here are the two shuōfǎ 说法 in Chinese and their (American) English meanings:

2012 jí 级 = Starting college in 2012 as a freshmen. Graduating in either 2015 (for zhuānkē shēng 专科生) or 2016 (for běnkē shēng 本科生)
2012 jiè 届 = "Class of 2012." Starting as a freshman whenever, but graduating in 2012.

By the way, student numbers are usually based on the first system (jí 级) and I'm not sure exactly when they use jiè 届. But the other day two graduated students (native speakers of Chinese) were discussing this difference and I thought I'd share what they told me.
One further complication is that "class" in English really has 3 Chinese translations:

jiè 届 = graduating class (all students in a "year" of college).
bān 班 = the actual class of students that stay together in a classroom for a lesson.
jié 节 = measure word for one teaching "period" or one "class session."

So this sentence would be much clearer in Chinese than in English:

"I taught every class in the class of 2012 two classes."

"我给每个2012届的班上了两节课."
"wǒ gěi měi gè 2012 jiè de bān shàng le liǎng jié kè"

Many times speaking with Chinese colleagues in English about "classes" results in confusion and I find that the most efficient way to clear it up is to just use the Chinese word.

Learn Chinese Online - Taobao Terms

noreply@blogger.com (Learn Chinese Online) — Tue, 17 Jul 2012 08:14:00 +0000

Taobao (淘宝网) is the main place to buy stuff online in China, similar to eBay and Amazon. But shopping on Taobao isn’t quite as simple as asking “How much?” and promptly exchanging money for goods and services. Here are some terms for expats in China to make the purchase a lot smoother.

Basic Taobao vocabulary:

掌柜(Zhǎng guì) – shopkeeper
Taobao sellers are referred to as zhanggui, meaning “shopkeeper.” The all-purpose laoban (老板, boss) is also used.

拍(pāi) – bid/buy

making a purchase is still expressed using the verb pai (拍), “to bid,” Once they have placed their “bid” (pāi xià 拍下), the customer then goes on to pay through an internet banking service.

亲(qīn) – dear (buyers)

most Taobao shopkeepers tend to refer to their customers as qin (“dear,” “dearie,” or if you prefer the British slang, “ducky”), whether they’re young or old, male or female.

宝贝(bǎo bèi) – treasure (any item for sale)

The tao (淘) in Taobao (淘宝) literally means “to dredge out” or “to pan for” (gold, etc.) , and here it is used figuratively to mean “search for”. The bao (宝) means “treasure”

It’s customary to talk your intended purchase over with the shopkeeper via Taobao’s online messaging system before any purchases are made. Such dialogues usually go something like this:

Buyer: Are you there, shopkeeper?
Mǎijiā: Zhǎngguì zài ma?
买家：掌柜在吗？
Seller: I’m here, dearie!
Màijiā: Zàide, qīn ~
卖家：在的，亲~
Buyer: Is this particular “treasure” in stock? (followed by the name or hyperlink of the item in question)
Mǎijiā: Qǐngwèn zhèjiàn bǎobèi yǒu huò ma?
买家：请问这件宝贝有货吗?
Seller: Oh, yes it is, feel free to bid, dearie.
Màijiā: Yǒude ó, qīn pāixià ba.
卖家：有的哦，亲拍下吧。
Buyer: Is shipping included?
Mǎijiā: Bāoyóu ma?
买家：包邮吗？
Seller: Yes it is dearie, remember to leave good feedback after it arrives!
Mài jiā: Bāoyóu de ó qīn, shōudào jìde gěi hǎopíng ó qīn ~
卖家：包邮的哦亲，收到记得给好评哦亲~

Learn Chinese online and buy stuff from Taobao!

Chinese Poems for Kids to Learn Chinese

noreply@blogger.com (Learn Chinese Online) — Thu, 05 Jul 2012 02:26:00 +0000

Chinese really likes poems. Chinese poems are appreciated not only in the meaning but also in the structure. Notice how each line has the same number of characters. They are made so the “sound” is good as the poem is read. They way to read also matters. In the past, many are accompanied by music.

These are samples of simple ones but really famous. All Chinese know these. Also,they are great materials for kids to learn Chinese online.

Chinese to English translation for this:

The Peasants' Lot

By Li Shen

Hoeing the grass under the noonday sun,

His sweat drips on the ground beneath.

Who knows that on the dining plate,

Every single grain means hardship.

Chinese to English translation for this:

A Spring Morning

By Meng Haoran

This morning of spring in bed I’m lying,

Not woke up till I hear birds crying.

After a night of wind and showers,

How many are the fallen flowers?

Chinese to English translation for this:

Ode to the Geese

By Luo Binwang

Geese, O geese!

Your necks curve and sing to sky in glees;

Your white plumes float on water green,

Red feet paddle streams clear and clean.

Driving in Beijing

noreply@blogger.com (Learn Chinese Online) — Thu, 21 Jun 2012 08:41:00 +0000

Driving in Beijing is really no fun at all, especially during the rush hours. All the roads are pretty much a parking lot. But other than that it's ok. However, Beijing is really big, for far distances, I'd rather use the subway.

Since Beijing is getting crowded everyday by cars, there are more and more restrictions on the road. Beijing expats need to be aware of this.

Driver's License
Be sure to study the booklet really carefully for your written test. I think the test was really hard. They have many languages to pick, including English. I had my test directly in the computer. We did it together in a room with other people.

Buying a car
There's a quota to buy a car in Beijing. People can get it trough lottery system. (2011)

Parking
Beijing is really crowded so there's little parking space available. In modern shopping centers, they start to provide parking underground but could be really pricy. The range is from 5 mao per half an hour to 10 yuan and more per hour (as of 2011). Really, consider public transportation! Everyday there'e a driving restriction, based on your license plate. For example if the restriction is 0 and 5, that means, all license plate whose last number is 0 or 5 are not allowed to enter the road. Usually starting the third ring. You can get fined when the police caught you. (2011)

Do you know?
When I came in the year 2000, the road was empty. Big shopping center only had tiny parking lots and there's only 1 car or 2 in it.
NOW? Forget it... There are so many cars everywhere no matter how big the lots are!

Learn Chinese Online with us and learn more about China.

Metric in China

noreply@blogger.com (Learn Chinese Online) — Wed, 16 May 2012 08:09:00 +0000

Units used in China are not the same as, say in the USA or other countries. Some common units are listed below. Although initially it might bother some expats in China, I can assure you after a while you'll get used to it :) For this issue, the tip for living in China (especially for those who like cooking): get a calculator or get some coversion unit tables from the web.

km (kilometer) is used to express distance instead of miles. 1 mile is roughly 1.6 km.
1 mile ~ 1.6 km or 1 km ~ 0.625 mile

Example: a 10 km distance is about 6.25 miles.

For weather, cooking, etc, we use Celcius instead of Fahrenhait.
F= 9/5 C + 32

For example: 10C in Fahrenhait would be (9/5)*10 +32 = 50 F

For length, sometimes we use centimeter (cm), but sometimes we use our own unit chi.
1 inch=2.54 cm

For example: 2 inches= 2*2.54=5.08 cm

1 尺 (chǐ) ~ 30.48 cm When you go to clothing/clothes store, most sellers are using chǐ

If you go to buy fruit, vegetable, rice, etc, sellers are using jin.
1 jin (斤) is about 1 pound 1斤~1.1lb

For smaller items such as spices, say star anise, five spice, etc, the seller uses liang.

1jin~ 10 liang (两)

Other commonly used unit is Gram.

1 公斤 (gong jin or kg) = 1,000 克 (gram)

1 毫克 = 0.001 克（1克=1000毫克） (毫 háo mili)

For volume, we use liter here. For example to buy gasoline
1 gallon ~ 2.78 liter

升shēng is liter

Say you buy water (sewer), the unit is dun
1 吨 (dūn) = 1 ton = 1000 kg

Learn more from MasterChinese and learn Chinese online with us.

Youth Day in China

noreply@blogger.com (Learn Chinese Online) — Fri, 04 May 2012 02:21:00 +0000

Youth Day in the China is on May 4 every year. It was established in December 1949 by the Government Administration Council to commemorate the beginning of the May Fourth Movement.
After World WarⅠ, U.S., Japan, U.K., Italy, France and some other countries held a "Peace Conference" in Paris in 1919. Chinese government of that time also sent some representatives for the conference, and demanded that the imperial countries should abandon their privilege in China. In May 1919, "Paris Conference" unfairly refused the reasonable request that China asked to abolish the unequal treat, and even decided to transfer the Germany's illegal privileges in Shandong Province to Japan.
When the news passed back to China, the whole country got angry. On May 4th, about 3,000 students from various universities in Beijing congregated at Tian'anmen Square and held a student protest parade for the first time in the history. The students shouted out some patriotic slogans and presented a petition to the state president, but suppressed by the warlord government of that time. This suppression made angrier the people all over the country. A great number of students, workers and businessmen went on strike, and the students' demonstration and parade finally developed into a national-scale anti-imperialistic and patriotic movement. On June 10th, the warlord government had to compromise, and deposed Cao Rulin, Zhang Zongxiang, and Lu Zongyu who were regarded as committing a crime of quislingism. On June 28th, Chinese representatives at Paris Conference refused to sign the "Peace Treaty." This news passed throughout the world soon and the imperialistic countries were greatly shocked. So far, the direct goals brought forward in the movement were basically achieved.
May 4th Movement is a landmark event in Chinese history. It is not only a patriotic student movement, but also a new culture movement with the characteristic of democracy and science against feudal culture. It was due to the influence of May 4th Movement that science, democracy and the usage of modern Chinese language were greatly advocated later.

Online Resources for Learning Chinese

noreply@blogger.com (Learn Chinese Online) — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 03:17:00 +0000

According to a research, some students learn Chinese language for cultural reason, for they are interested in over 5,000 years of Chinese culture. Some learn it as a big challenge, for it is the most difficult language to learn in the world. But the most learn Chinese for a better job opportunity, for an increasing number of jobs place preference on applicants who know both Chinese and English. Due to the convenience of Internet, there are more and more useful online learning materials and tools to learn Chinese. It is necessary to know how to take advantage of these Internet resources while learning Chinese.

As all of us known, traveling to China is the most effective way for learning the language, this type of learning is so expensive that not many people who would like to speak Chinese can afford it. A more affordable alternative is taking online Chinese courses. By learning online, one can cut back tremendously on costs while enjoying all the benefits of an online education. You might think that learning to speak Chinese online will not be as effective as traveling to China but with the latest technology, virtual classrooms are becoming as good as the real thing. Nowadays, There are numerous Chinese learning websites offering language speaking lessons for all types of learners. Make sure choose a Chinese learning website that fits you best.

Besides learning Chinese online, there are also lots of free Internet learning resources. For example, watching movies is another useful way to get exposure to the language. There are lots of great Chinese movies to download free online. No matter what kind of movies you like, they can get you used to hearing Chinese while they entertain you. You can watch a favourite again and again but rely less on the subtitles every time you watch it, which is a great way to learn Chinese. Enjoying movies could improve the pronunciation. You may learn the simplest way native speaker systems pronounce words along with follow that movie to employ your pronunciation. If you would like, you can acturally break that conversation into sentence to listen and repeat after it. It is important, however, to make sure that the movie you choose is in the dialect you are studying; the old kung fu movies are in Cantonese and wouldn’t be of any use to someone trying to learn Mandarin.

It is now painless to come across a free translation tool that translates from one language to another. For sure you don’t want to use those types of programs in place of becoming trained in a language, though you can use them as devices for assisting you. When you’re browsing the web you can search for a variety of websites that are in Chinese. To help you practice reading characters, you can try to translate a web page and then use a translating tool to check your results. You should bear in mind, though, that these programs might not be entirely precise, they can permit you to have a decent idea of what is written. When learning Chinese, you might find that some free translation tools are beneficial.

Chinese Tea Leaf Eggs

noreply@blogger.com (Learn Chinese Online) — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 07:20:00 +0000

During my internship in China, there are so many delicious Chinese food impressed me. My Chinese friend recently gave me some Chinese tea which makes me thought of Chinese tea leaf eggs immediately, and it’s perfect for tea leaf eggs. Maybe you know scrambled eggs, fried eggs and steamed eggs. But today I want to teach you how to cook Chinese tea leaf eggs, which is much easier than learning Chinese language.

Ingredients

10 eggs4 cups of water

1 teaspoon of sea salt1 tablespoon soy sauce1 teaspoon sugar2 tablespoons black tea leaves2 pods of star anise1 cinnamon stick1 tablespoon Chinese five-spice powder

1 Tablespoon tangerine zest

Instructions

In a large saucepan, combine eggs and 1 teaspoon salt; cover with cold water.

Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for about 20 minutes.

Remove from heat, drain, and cool. When cool, tap eggs with the back of a spoon to crack shells but do not remove the shells yet. 4. In a large saucepan, combine 3 cups water, soy sauce, black soy sauce, salt, tea leaves, star anise, cinnamon stick, and tangerine zest.

5. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 3 hours.

6. Remove from heat, add eggs, and let steep for at about 8-10 hours or more.

Chinese Books for Kids to Learn Chinese

noreply@blogger.com (Learn Chinese Online) — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 09:30:00 +0000

Choosing Chinese textbooks for kids is a big decision. The learning materials are now far more abundant than before. But it's still important to have good criteria before making your selection. we recommend you read the following general guidelines first to avoid waste your time and money.

1. Good Chinese materials, whether books or videos, should be designed according to children’s familiar and interested topics and be better if they are funny story-centered.

2. We strongly recommend those lessons based on conversational situation, which introduces your kids to a real life communication. Those materials can help children to build the confidence to communicate with others in Chinese.

3. Most of our kids are visual learners. Sound supporting materials, such as CD, videos or tapes attached with the text-book help your children learn the correct pronunciation effectively.

If you are seriously let your children learn Chinese language, you may consider a comprehensive set of learning material. Besides above general criteria, a good set of Chinese textbook should adopt the spiral approach and review.

1. Happy Chinese: KUAILE HANYU consists of six books with three levels, with both a student's book and teacher's book. The assistant materials include flash cards, charts, audio cassettes and videos. With vivid design and colorful illustrations, the series suits the students from 11 to 16 years old and focuses on the training of Chinese communicative competence.

2. Easy Steps to Chinese Textbook: Fun and effective, this excellent textbook series adopts an exciting new approach to teaching Chinese as a foreign language. The task-based program, designed by the authors of the popular Chinese Made Easy and Chinese Made Easy for Kids, is based on feedback and helpful suggestions from teachers who use those series in their classrooms.

3. Learn Chinese with Me: Learn Chinese with Me is a series designed for students of 15 to 18 years old whose native language is English. It guides the students from beginner to low-intermediate level. The series is composed of four volumes each of which contains Student's Book, Teacher's Book, Workbooks, and phonetic and listening materials.

Chinese Zodiac

noreply@blogger.com (Learn Chinese Online) — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 08:35:00 +0000

The Chinese zodiac, known as Sheng Xiao in Chinese, is based on a 12-year cycle, with each year represented by a different animal. According to the Chinese zodiac, your birth year tells you more than just the age. People who born under each sign are said to exhibit sets of personality traits unique to that sign, and somewhat associated with the animal itself.
These animal signs in order are the rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog and pig. Chinese people believe that the years represented by the animals affect the characters of people in the same manner as the sign of zodiac adopted by western civilizations. Take this year of dragon for example, people born in dragon years are giving, intelligent and tenacious, know exactly what they want and are determined to get it. Further, they can easily influence their peers and often find themselves the center of attention in social situations.
One of the another important uses for the signs of the Chinese zodiac is to determine if people are compatible. The three animals which are evenly spaced from one another in the zodiac circle are generally considered to be good matches. Rat, Dragon and Monkey; Ox, Snake and Rooster; Tiger and Horse and Dog; Rabbit, Sheep and Pig are suitable for one another. Matching symbols on the Zodiac chart indicate compatible signs.
However, the signs which are opposite each other in the Zodiac Circle chart are poor matches. Generally a Rat and Horse; Ox and Goat; Tiger and Monkey; Rabbit and Rooster; Dragon and Dog; Snake and Pig will not get along with each other. These signs make poor partners in love and in business. Family members who have opposite signs may experience friction and disharmony in the home.
It seems interesting, right? Find out what your Chinese zodiac sign reveals about you now!

Chinese Traditional Lantern Festival

noreply@blogger.com (Learn Chinese Online) — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 07:12:00 +0000

As all of us know, the Spring Festival is the most important festival in China, which usually last for 15 days. The Lantern Festival, falling on the 15th day of the 1st lunar month, marks the end of the celebrations of the Chinese Spring Festival. You may know how to celebrate valentine's Day, Christmas Day, Thanks Giving Day, etc. But you may not know how to spend this Chinese traditional festival. I will make a brief introduction about it, and if you are interested in Chinese culture, please go through the following content.
According to Chinese tradition, the fifteenth day is the first night to see a full moon in that lunar year, when there is a bright full moon hanging in the sky. Celebrations feature fireworks and folk dancing. Highlights include traditional public performances such as the dragon parade and the lion dance.
The Chinese families reunite and eat rice glue balls on this day. It is a kind of round, sweet, stuffed dumpling made with sticky rice flour that symbolizes family unity, completeness and happiness.
People hang thousands of colorful lanterns along the street to appreciate. It is said that people write auspicious phrases on the lanterns to ward off evil spirits and attract good ones; some will decorate their lantern with a riddle and award a prize to the first person who solves it. The light given off by the lanterns is said to attract heavenly spirits and allow celebrants the chance to see them.
Play fireworks, solve riddles, watch lanterns...all are so interesting and exciting, right? To learn more Chinese cultures, why not learn Chinese online with MasterChinese now?

Terracotta Army

noreply@blogger.com (Learn Chinese Online) — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 06:46:00 +0000

Terracotta Army (Terracotta Warriors and Horses) is a clay army of more than 8,000 life-size terra cotta figures of soldiers and horses discovered in 1974 in Xi'an, Shaanxi province, China after they were buried underground for more than 2200 years. The Terracotta Army is now regarded as the Eighth Wonder of the World.
Upon ascending the throne at the age of 13 (in 246 BC), Qin Shi Huang, later the first Emperor of all China, had begun to work for his mausoleum. It took 11 years to finish. It is speculated that many buried treasures and sacrificial objects had accompanied the emperor in his after life.
The Terracotta Army was discovered in the spring of 1974 to the east of Xi'an in Shaanxi province by a group of farmers when they were digging a water well around 1 mile (1.6 km) east of the Qin emperor's tomb mound at Mount Li (Lishan), a region riddled with underground springs and watercourses. For centuries, there had been occasional reports of pieces of terracotta figures and fragments of the Qin necropolis — roofing tiles, bricks, and chunks of masonry — having been dug up in the area. This most recent discovery prompted Chinese archaeologists to investigate, and they unearthed the largest pottery figurine group ever found in China.
The State Council authorized to build a museum on site in 1975. When completed, people from far and near came to visit. Xian and the Museum of Qin Terra Cotta Warriors and Horses have become landmarks on all travelers' itinerary.

Learn Chinese online with MasterChinese!

Rising Up upon Hearing the Crow of a Rooster to Practise Sword

noreply@blogger.com (Learn Chinese Online) — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 09:22:00 +0000

Zu Ti of the Jin Dynasty (265-420) was a big-hearted and farsighted person who, however, was very naughty and did not like to study when he was a small kid. When he became a young man, he felt acutely that his knowledge was inadequate and that he could not serve his country well if he did not study hard. So he put all his energies into his study. He read extensively, seriously studied history from which he absorbed rich knowledge, and made good progress in his studies. He had been to the capital city Luoyang several times, and all the people who had come into contact with him said that Zu Ti was a talented person who was capable of assisting the emperor in governing the country. When he was 24, someone recommended him to be an official, but he refused the post. He was still making a sustained effort in his studies. Later, both Zu Ti and Liu Kun, his close friend since early childhood, were appointed chief clerks responsible for document administration in the Sizhou Prefecture. He and Liu Kun cherished a deep affection for each other. They not only often shared the same bed in sleeping, but also shared the same lofty ideals; to render meritorious service in rejuvenating the Jin Dynasty and play the part of the pillars of the state. Once, Zu Ti heard a cock crow in the wasteland in his dream at midnight. He kicked Liu Kun a wake, saying to him: "People say it is inauspicious to hear a cock crow in the wasteland. I don't think so. What about getting up and practicing sword playing the moment we hear the cock crow form now on?" Liu Kun agreed readily. So every day when the cock crow, they got up and practiced sword playing, the cold steel of the swords glinting and flashing. Day by day and year in, year out, they never stopped. As the saying goes, constant effort yields sure success. Through long periods of hard study and training, they finally become versatile persons versed in both civil and military affairs. They could write good essays, and were capable of leading troops in fighting victoriously. Zu Ti was invested with the title the General for Guarding the Western Regions, thus realizing his wish of rendering meritorious service to the country. Liu Kun became a governor, and at same time was in charge of the military affairs of the three prefectures of Bingzhou, Jizhou and Youzhou. In discharging his duties, Liu Kun also fully displayed his talent in both polite letters and martial arts. This story appears in "The Life of Zu Ti" in The History of the Jin Dynasty. From this story people have coined the set phrase" rising up upon hearing the crow of a rooster to practice sword playing' to signify that someone is exerting himself to do something worthwhile. It is also used to signify that a person of noble aspirations exerts himself in time.

Paper Cuts

noreply@blogger.com (Learn Chinese Online) — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 03:07:00 +0000

Paper cuts are most popular in northern china where they are often put on windows, doors, ceilings, and bridal chambers. Paper cuts are originally consider a woman's art, in many Chinese rural village, girls have a learn paper cut at a young ages, some say that a girl's paper cut ability is a embodiment of her intelligence. Paper cut designs are often derived from figures found on ancient pottery and rock paintings. Paper cuts often resemble frogs, snakes, fish, birds, dragons and gods of the ancients. Paper cut tigers implicate longevity in Chinese culture. Tree and deer’s heads symbolize continuity. To express wishes for children, paper cuts are made to resemble fish, lotus flowers, gourds, dragons and phoenixes.

translate English to Chinese:
剪纸在中国北方特别盛行，窗户上、门上、屋顶上、新房里随处可见。原先人们认为剪纸是女性的艺术，农村的许多地方，女孩子从小就要学习剪纸了。有人说女孩子剪纸的水平就是智慧的体现。剪纸的图样取材于古代陶器和岩画中的人物形象。有的像青蛙、蛇、鱼、龙，还有古代的神仙。剪纸通常具有象征性，老虎图案的剪纸暗含中国文化中的长寿；树和鹿头代表恒久；鱼荷花葫芦龙凤代表对孩子的美好祝愿。

The Dragon Boat Festival

noreply@blogger.com (Learn Chinese Online) — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 01:55:00 +0000

The Dragon Boat Festival is one of the significant traditional holidays in China. The Dragon Boat Festival is celebrated by boat races in the shape of dragons. Competing teams row their boats forward to a drumbeat racing to reach the finish end first. The boat races during the Dragon Boat Festival are traditional customs to attempt to rescue the patriotic poet Chu Yuan. Chu Yuan drowned on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month in 277 B.C. Chinese citizens now throw bamboo leaves filled with cooked rice into the water. Therefore the fish could eat the rice rather than the hero poet. This later on turned into the custom of eating rice dumplings.

English Chinese translation:
端午节是中国的一个很重要的传统节日之一。人们会以赛龙舟的比赛活动来庆祝端午节，参赛小组划着龙舟朝着鼓声前进，最终达到终点。在端午节赛龙舟的传统习俗是为了试图搭救爱国诗人屈原。他在公元前农历五月初五投河自尽。中国人如今把裹着竹叶的熟糯米丢入江中平息江中的蛟龙，希望他们不要将屈原吃掉。这后来演变成中国人在端午节吃粽子的习俗。

Learn Chinese online with MasterChinese, get a free trial lesson now!