Recently, my Chinese tutor decided to help me understand the possibilities and nuances for using the character 只 ㄓˇ (zhǐ) in combination with some other common verbs. Like many things in language Continue Reading
Understanding the words he 他, she 她, and it 牠 or 它 in Chinese
Understanding the Chinese pronouns that are translated to he, she, or it requires knowing a couple of things. First of all, the pronouns that mean he, she, or it in Chinese all sound the Continue Reading
How to Kill a Spider 如何踩死一隻蜘蛛 in Chinese
我有一套很舒服的主臥室和浴室。 (我)(有)(一套)(很)(舒服)(的) (ㄨㄛˇ)(ㄧㄡˇ)(ㄧ ㄊㄠˋ)(ㄏㄣˇ)(ㄕㄨ ㄈㄨˊ)(ㄉㄜ˙) (wǒ)(yǒu)(yī tào)(hěn)(shū fú)(de.) (I)(to have)(a, one + MW for a set)(very)(comfortable)(adjective Continue Reading
When You Want to Do Something First 當你要先做某件事情的時候 in Chinese
當你要先做某件事情的時候 (當)(你)(要)(先)(做)(某)(件)(事情)(的時候) (ㄉㄤ)(ㄋㄧˇ)(ㄧㄠˋ)(ㄒㄧㄢ)(ㄗㄨㄛˋ)(ㄇㄡˇ)(ㄐㄧㄢˋ)(ㄕˋ ㄑㄧㄤˊ)(ㄉㄜ˙ ㄕˊ ㄏㄡˋ) (dāng)(nǐ)(yào)(xiān)(zuò)(mǒu)(jiàn)(shì qíng)(de. shí hòu) (just at)(you)(to want)(first)(to Continue Reading
The To Do of 幹 versus 做 and Avoiding Harsh Swearing in Chinese
One of the worst nightmares in speaking a foreign language is saying something really embarrassing. Tones are the typical reason this happens to non-native Chinese speakers. You can't really fault the Continue Reading
Learning to Add Authentic Chinese Sounds to Verbal Communication
Temporary audio below (Diagrammed translation pending) As with most languages, there are some differences in how Chinese is spoken versus how it is written. When speaking Chinese, it is normal Continue Reading
