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Archive | December, 2011

Remember to do this in 2012

By on December 31, 2011 in Essential Chengyu

What will your 2012 be like? A pivotal year with big decisions to be made? If so, don’t forget to take a moment to 深思熟虑 (shēn sī shú lǜ). 深思熟虑 (shēn sī shú lǜ) means to think deeply and carefully about something. It’s a positive Chinese idiom.  A breakdown of the characters in 深思熟虑(shēn sī shú [...]

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Chinese idiom for 12 year old CEO

By on December 29, 2011 in Essential Chengyu

Did you hear about the 12 year old Chinese CEO? Tian Zhonghe taught himself how to program. Then he disguised his voice to hire a team of 11 employees. Then he raised 2,000 Yuan and earned 30,000 in 4 months. But then tragedy struck: his voice disguising software malfunctioned. His team left him. His empire [...]

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Chinese Slang: The Naked Series

By on December 27, 2011 in Advanced Chinese Slang

Do you know the 3 nakeds in Chinese slang? If not, would you like to get to know them?   Chinese Slang’s Naked #1: 裸婚 (luǒ hūn) – “Naked Wedding” It means getting married with nothing but a wedding certificate and literally means “naked (裸 – luǒ) wedding (婚 - hūn).” Perhaps the best way to explain this is in [...]

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Boost your Chinese vocabulary through Themed Word Lists

By on December 24, 2011 in Beginner Chinese, Chinese Learning Tips, Chinese Vocab Word Lists, Intermediate and Advanced Chinese

To become fluent in Chinese, a large vocabulary is obviously key. And for a strong vocabulary, there’s no substitute for hard work. But if you’re studying hard, why not also learn more effectively? Here’s a simple tip for learning vocab faster: themed Chinese vocab word lists.  A themed Chinese vocab word list is basically a [...]

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Chinese idiom: Give an inch and they’ll take a yard

By on December 22, 2011 in Essential Chengyu

There are tough negotiators. And then there are people who you can’t give any concessions to. Give them an inch and they’ll take a yard. Or as the Chinese would say, they would 得寸进尺 (dé cùn jìn chǐ). 得寸进尺 (dé cùn jìn chǐ) describes someone who’s so greedy that if you give them a little [...]

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Chinese idiom for a drop in the bucket

By on December 20, 2011 in Essential Chengyu

The Chinese also have an idiom for “just a drop in the bucket.” Except it involves cows. And hair. 九牛一毛 (jiǔ niú yì máo) literally means “9 cows and 1 strand of cow hair” and it indicates something that’s so small that it’s like one strand of cow hair among 9 cows.  A breakdown of [...]

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Chinese vocab word list: Christmas and New Year’s

By on December 17, 2011 in Chinese Vocab Word Lists

Our Chinese vocabulary word list today has everything from “Santa” to “wrapping paper” to “New Year’s resolutions.” Hope you find it useful this holiday season!   Christmas – People or Tangible Objects angel —— 天使 —— tiān shǐ Bethlehem —— 伯利恒 —— bó lì héng candle —— 蜡烛 —— là zhú candy cane —— 拐杖糖 —— guǎi zhàng táng cellophane [...]

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Chinese idiom for defensive people: “To take someone else’s seat”

By on December 17, 2011 in Essential Chengyu

Have you ever made an innocent comment… …only to have someone jump on you because they thought you were talking about them? Here’s a Chinese idiom you can use to keep them at bay: 对号入座 (duì hào rù zuò). 对号入座 (duì hào rù zuò) literally means “to take your seat based on your number”, but the [...]

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Learn more by learning less (and this Chinese idiom)

By on December 15, 2011 in Essential Chengyu

What’s the best way to learn Chinese? By going all out, every second you’re awake, right? Well, not exactly. Studies show that 90 minute sessions with short breaks is more effective than doing everything in one sitting. So don’t overdo it in your Chinese studies. But first, learn today’s chengyu (Chinese idiom): 多此一举 (duō cǐ yī [...]

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Tired of 累? Try this instead

By on December 13, 2011 in Essential Chengyu

If you’re tired of the word “tired” (累 – leì), it’s your lucky day. We’ve got a chengyu (Chinese idiom) that’s much cooler: 有气无力(yǒu qì wú lì). 有气无力 (yǒu qì wú lì) literally means “to have breath but no strength,” and describes someone who is feeling weak and lacking energy. It’s worth mentioning the differences between 有气无力 [...]

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