白 bái ~ Your Loss If You Don’t Know It!
白云 bái yún, 白马 bái mǎ, 白花 bái huā These three words all contain 白 bái (white), and one of them is different from the other two. Can you tell which is the one? 白 bái –...
Category: useful phrases
Hey! 12 Mandarin Interjections For You!
Is there a way to measure how much a new language is a part of you, or maybe, how much you have accepted that language into your system? I don’t know about you, but for me, when there is a need for some interjection and I spout it out in a foreign language, it is an indication that the language no longer feels that foreign to me anymore.
一分钱一分货 You Get What You Pay For
Since we’re on the topics of shopping and money (videos here and here; audio list here) on the Mandarin Weekly series, I thought it’d be apt to introduce this proverb. Scroll down for the explanation and examples. So, what...
学习如逆水行舟 Learning Is Like Rowing A Boat
xué xí rú nì shuǐ xíng zhōu bú jìn zé tuì 学习如逆水行舟，不进则退。 Learning is like rowing a boat upstream. If you’re not moving up, you’re drifting down. If you’ve enjoyed this, don’t forget to hit one of...
Just nice, or no manners? 不大不小 vs 没大没小
Here’s a little prelude to the upcoming Mandarin Weekly video. Have you heard of these two expressions? 1) 不大不小 bú dà bù xiǎo 2) 没大没小 méi dà méi xiǎo If you’ve learnt a little Mandarin, you probably...
背猫走天涯 Kitty Back Ride
I’ve been seeing this photo circulating around, and every time it never fails to make me feel like pinching the faces of these little cuties. They sure warrant a dedicated piece! What came to mind the moment...
I love you – the Chinese way
Are you aware that for the Chinese, it’s double Valentine’s this year? CNY ends today, the 15th of the first month. This day is called 元宵节 (Yuánxiāo Jié) or 灯节 (Dēng Jié – Lantern Festival). It is...
May You Have an Eggplant on the Horse!
Today is the first day of Chinese New Year. May you have an eggplant on the horse! This is indeed a weird New Year greeting. Well, it’s actually part of a series of trending CNY greetings this...
你好— Ni hao! Simple Mandarin Greetings
Let’s learn some simple Mandarin greetings that you can use daily. Probably what comes to mind when we mention Mandarin is the phrase “你好”nǐ hǎo, which means ‘hello’. 01 ni hao You can use it when you...
Xin Nian Kuai Le! – Chinese New Year Greetings
Chinese New Year is just two days away! This is probably the most important festive season for Chinese people all over the world. In Mandarin, Chinese New Year (or Lunar New Year) is known by various names,...
