What is passive voice ? Passive is the opposite of active. We say someone is passive when they let things happen to them. In language, passive voice is used emphasize who or what the action is Continue Reading
Chinese Lesson Blurb: English Homonyms for Spring 春天 and 泉
Spring into the spring in spring It is unpredictable what will cause a communication glitch. For instance, in a recent Firecracker video chat (to become a FLC Firecracker member, read here), we Continue Reading
Chinese Lesson Blurb: Can You Politely Say 閉嘴 Shut Your Mouth
If you see something on your friend's teeth and want to save him embarrassment, you might want to politely suggest he shut his mouth. You might think to say in a hushed voice that only he can Continue Reading
Chinese Lesson Blurb: 太扯了 Too Far Fetched
It happens all the time. The story stretches beyond believability. That is when you want to be able to use this phrase: 太扯了！ (ㄊㄞˋ)(ㄔㄜˇ)(ㄌㄜ˙) (tài))(chě)(le.) (too, very, extremely)(to Continue Reading
Chinese Lesson Blurb: Using 卻 to Spotlight Contradiction
Politicians are masters of contradiction Politicians have a way of making rules for everyone else and exempting themselves. So it is no wonder that the common use of 卻 ㄑㄩㄝˋ (què) to indicate Continue Reading
Chinese Lesson Blurb: 孔子曰 Confucius says
When my Chinese tutor was a young girl in school, she remembers being taught about Confucius. When Confucius was quoted, they were always supposed to use the ancient way of saying "says" which Continue Reading