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Archive | February, 2012

Chengyu for Playing Hot Potato with Explosives

By on February 27, 2012 in Essential Chengyu

Want to improve your hand-eye coordination, teamwork, and mental strength? You could play basketball. You could also join the People’s Liberation Army in Hong Kong. During an exhibition for Chief Executive Sir Donald Tsang, soldiers tossed a bag of explosives around, and then threw it down a hole right before it exploded. You could say [...]

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Chinese idiom for Tablet Custom-Made for China’s Cadres

By on February 22, 2012 in Essential Chengyu

Finally, a tablet computer that’s custom-made to meet the needs of Chinese officials. Or at least that’s how it’s advertised. We’re not sure what’s custom made about it except that it’s red (to be fair it comes with a very nice case). It’s basically an an Android-based tablet that costs twice as much as an [...]

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Top 5 Jeremy Lin Puns in China and Taiwan

By on February 20, 2012 in Advanced Chinese Slang

“Linsanity!” “Lincredible!” “All he does is Lin Lin Lin!” Jeremy Lin has not only revived the slumping NY Knicks, but he’s also enriching the English language. And not just the English language, but also the Chinese language. We’ve picked for you our 5 favorite Chinese puns for Jeremy Lin (aka. 林书豪 – lín shū háo) - enjoy! [...]

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Chinese Words for “Fake”: 山寨 vs 盗版 vs 假冒

By on February 17, 2012 in Advanced Chinese Vocab

Eskimos have hundreds of words for “snow.” Actually, that’s a widespread misconception.  But what about Chinese words for “fake”? Just off the top of our heads here, you have 7: 山寨 (shān zhài) 假冒 (jiǎ mào) 盗版 (dào bǎn) 高仿 (gāo fǎng) 仿制 (fǎng zhì) 仿造 (fǎng zào) 三无产品 (sān wú chǎn pǐn) Maybe you already know these, especially the [...]

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Chinese Idiom for “Just Tossing An Idea Out There”

By on February 15, 2012 in Essential Chengyu

Want to impress your Chinese friends? Next time you’re discussing something with them, try this Chinese idiom: 抛砖引玉(pāo zhuān yǐn yù). 抛砖引玉 (pāo zhuān yǐn yù) basically means you’re “just tossing an idea out there,” and it literally means “to cast a brick to attract jade.”  You’re basically saying, “this idea I’m tossing out there is [...]

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Valentines Day, aka “Catch Your Lover Day” in China

By on February 13, 2012 in Advanced Chinese Slang

A Valentines Day billboard has Shijiazhuang residents talking: “Don’t get off track on Valentines Day — Let love return home (不要出轨情人节，让爱回家 – bú yào chū guǐ qíng rén jié ，ràng ài huí jiā).” Apparently, Valentines Day is a special day for people in monogamous relationships, but not necessarily for the reason you would expect: many [...]

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Chinese Slang 101: “Color Wolf”

By on February 10, 2012 in Chinese Slang 101

Have you ever been approached at a club by someone who seemed like a womanizer? There’s Chinese slang for that! The phrase 色狼 (sèláng) literally translates as “color wolf”. This has no real meaning in English but most closely means “womanizer” or “sex maniac”. There is also a female version of this – 色女 (sènǚ), [...]

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China’s Group Buyers – 拼客

By on February 8, 2012 in Advanced Chinese Slang

You’re probably familiar with Groupon. But did you know that China also has more than 800 group buying websites, of which Groupon is just one?  In fact, in China group buying is said to be more than just a way to get a cheap meal or movie ticket. The group buyers – 拼客(pīnkè) — are almost [...]

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A Chinese Saying for Our Favorite Knick Jeremy Lin

By on February 7, 2012 in Advanced Chinese Vocab

Most people would have given up and thought they simply weren’t destined for the NBA. Perhaps after receiving no scholarship offers out of high school. Or perhaps after being undrafted out of college. Or perhaps after being cut by 2 NBA teams (including their hometown) and being banished to the development league. Instead of giving [...]

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Chinese idiom for not exactly real girlfriend

By on February 4, 2012 in Essential Chengyu

It’s not easy being a young single guy in China. You live in the era of the 3 highs (三高时代 sān gāo shí dài). And you have to go home for Spring Festival — where relatives look forward to meeting your nonexistent girlfriend! Some Chinese online shopping sites have seen opportunity in this episode that’s replayed each [...]

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