Whether it’s getting the okay on building a new project you’ve presented to the boss or that new approval on your credit card application, I don’t think it’s as interesting and rather funny as how this phrase can be in Chinese.

Breakdown of the Phrase

我看行 (wǒ kàn xíng): I see no problem; I think it’s okay; I guess so

Literally, this phrase would be translated as “I see okay” or “I see all right.” This phrase is commonly used now in response to a question or situation that needs your input or opinion.

 我 (wǒ): I

看 (kàn): see

行 (xíng): okay, alright

Where “I see no problem” Came From

All thanks to a movie  released in late 2007 that extended the new year’s greetings and cheer of 2008, 命运呼叫转移 made “I think it’s okay” the popular slang phrase it is today.

The reason this phrase became so popular was because of how it was said in the movie.

One scene of the movie takes place in the countryside where actor Ge plays the role of a migrant worker. One night, an infertile villager timidly asks Ge if he should “try again” tonight.

The delivery of Ge’s response resulted in an explosion of laughter from the audience. He replied in such a serious manner saying, “我看行 － I think it’s okay.”

Along with the movie, this phrase also became popular from China Mobile’s commercials!

Let’s take a look at some examples used in the wild!

1. Example A:

2013幸福成都 我看行

2013 xìng fú chéng dū wǒ kàn xíng

2013 Happy Chengdu, I see no problem!

2. Example B:

专注春运30年，铁路，我看行

zhuān zhù chūn yùn 30 nián, tiě lù, wǒ kàn xíng

The focus is on the spring festival “immigration” for 30 years, railways, I see no problem!

3. Example C:

将浪费入罪，我看行

jiāng làng fèi rù zuì, wǒ kàn xíng

Wasting is a crime, I see no problem!

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Despite great success writing songs like “Billionaire” for Travie McCoy, Bruno Mars got his break when he released his first album, Doo-Wops & Hooligans in October 2010.

This got him 7 Grammy nominations and 1 Grammy Award!

Nickname & Origin

Bruno Mars -火星哥(huǒ xīng gē)

火星 is a direct translation of the planet Mars. The 哥 means brother, similar to how in English people say “bro” or “dude” or “pal” to someone they like and are familiar with. Calling Bruno Mars “火星哥,” just shows how he’s well liked and has a great fan base in China.

“火星” implies a bit of an extraterrestrial feel. His pleasant sounding music sounds so great that it might feel like aliens produced it!

火星哥 in China

Bruno’s songs and influence can be found not only through the loudspeakers at nightclubs in China, but also on television shows.

One Chinese singer and songwriter, BiBi Chou (周笔畅), performed “The Lazy Song.“ 

Let’s take a look at how Bruno’s nickname, “火星哥” is used in the wild!

Example A:

火星哥Bruno Mars新专辑封面及曲目释出 搞怪继续大猩猩路线

huǒ xīng gē Bruno Mars xīn zhuān jí fēng miàn jí qǔ mù shì chū gǎo guài jì xù dà xīng xīng lù xiàn

Mars brother‘s new album cover and single continues to have funny gorillas.

Example B:

火星哥布鲁诺-马斯(Bruno Mars)的第二张个人专辑《Unorthodox Jukebox》名列本周第六，比上周回升了两位，本周销量3万7千张，比上周回升了2个百分点.

 huǒ xīng gē bù lǔ nuò-mǎ sī (Bruno Mars) de dì èr zhāng gè rén zhuān jí “Unorthodox Jukebox” míng liè běn zhōu dì liù, bǐ shàng zhōu huí shēng le liǎng wèi, běn zhōu xiāo liàng 3 wàn 7 qiān zhang, bǐ shàng zhōu huí shēng le 2 gè Bǎi fēn diǎn.

Mars Brother, Bruno Mars’s second album “Unorthodox Jukebox” at number six on the Billboard, two spots higher than last week’s position, selling 37,000 copies,  a two percent increase.

Example C:

 这个颇具特色的火星哥带着自己独特的音乐在我们这个星球掀起了一股音乐的热潮，你无法绕开他.

 zhè ge pō jù tè sè de huǒ xīng gē dài zhe zì jǐ dú tè de yīn yuè zài wǒ men zhè ge xīng qiú xiān qǐ le yī gǔ yīn yuè de rè cháo, nǐ wú fǎ rào kāi tā.

This distinctive Mars brother has his own unique music to our planet, stirring up waves of craze that you can’t bypass him.

Before Walt Disney became a internationally loved entertainment company, he was fired by a newspaper editor because, “he lacked imagination and had no good ideas.”

Before Steven Spielberg became a renowned director, he was rejected from the University of Southern California School of Theater, Film and Television three times.

There are many examples of ordinary people that got to be very successful despite some setbacks because they “hold住”!

Definition & Use

“Hold住” (hold zhù)：It means for someone who’s facing a situation to persevere, keep at it, push through, to be full of self confidence

What’s kind of interesting and different about this slang phrase is that it is a mix of English and Chinese! No, you didn’t read wrong.

It can be used in multiple, different ways and is used quite often.

“要hold住” – has a kind of encouraging tone, something you’d say to cheer someone on (like 加油)

You’re a quarter of a mile from finishing a 5 mile race? You’d say “要hold住” to pep talk yourself into finishing, into holding on.

“hold不住” – said when you can’t keep going or can’t persevere any longer

Your horrible boss nags you every day about things that aren’t part of your job description, makes you stay late and says you don’t deserve a raise? You’d feel like you’d “hold不住” and want another job, that you can’t put up with it any more.

Where It Came From

Hold住 all started when Miss Lin (also known as Xie Yi Lin - 谢依霖) talked on a variety show called “大学生了没.”

Dressed up in costume, she spoke a mix of Chinese and English on this show with such humor and swag that it got over 101 million views on Youtube in just 11 days!

From that moment on, she became known as “Hold姐”

Let’s take a look at some examples in the wild.

Example 1:

“情人节送礼物很重要，大家一定要hold住 “

“qíng rén jié sòng lǐ wù hěn zhòng yào, dà jiā yí dìng yào hold zhù  “

“Sending gifts on Valentine’s Day is very important, everyone must persevere“

Example 2:

“2012年考研HOLD住最后一段，顺利通关 “

“2012 nián kǎo yán HOLD zhù zuì hòu yí duàn, shùn lì tōng guān “

“Pushing through the last part of the 2012 Kaoyan, passing smoothly”

Example 3:

“你hold住微博实名制吗?”

“nǐ hold zhù wēi bó shí míng zhì ma?”

“Did you keep your real name on Weibo?”

Example 4:

“林书豪化身尼克斯平民英雄，励志故事hold住神奇“

“lín shū háo huà shēn ní kè sī píng mín yīng xióng, lì zhì gù shi hold zhù shén qí”

“Jeremy Lin is the average Knicks fans’ hero, his inspirational story holding some magic”

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Whether it’s investing, running a business or just working in China, people are getting involved or talking about getting involved.

As this CNN article suggests, despite the major cities like Beijing and Shanghai being completely saturated, there are still many potential and promising markets.

Here’s a chengyu for something showing great potential or worth doing 大有可为!

大有可为(dà yǒu kě wéi): great prospect for the future; well worth doing; something has great potential for development; promising

A breakdown of the characters in 大有可为(dà yǒu kě wéi):

大(dà): greatly. 非常(fēi cháng), 很(hěn).

有(yǒu): to have.

可(kě): be worth (doing). 值得(zhí dé).

为(wéi): do; act. 做(zuò).

Here are some examples in the wild:

Usage 1 As a Verb

Example A:

“中乌经贸合作大有可为 “

“zhōng wū jīng mào hé zuò dà yǒu kě wéi “

“The Sino-Ukranian economic trade cooperation seems promising“

Example B:

“在文化体制改革这一问题上，政府大有可为 “

“zài wén huà tǐ zhì gǎi gé zhè yī wèn tí shàng, zhèng fǔ dà yǒu kě wéi “

“In regards to reforming the cultural systen, the government has great potential“

Example C:

“尽管国际市场需求不旺，但内需市场仍然大有可为 “

“jǐn guǎn guó jì shì chǎng xū qiú bú wàng, dàn nèi xū shì chǎng réng rán dà yǒu kě wéi “

“Despite international market demands, the domestic market remains promising“

Usage 2: 大有可为+的+Noun

Example A:

“当前广西面临多个重大发展机遇，将迎来大有可为的黄金发展 “

“dāng qián guǎng xī miàn lín duō gè zhòng dà fā zhǎn jī yù, jiāng yíng lái dà yǒu kě wéi de huáng jīn fā zhǎn “

“Guangxi faces a number of major development opportunities, it’ll usher in a promising development for gold.

Example B:

“2012年将是中国周边外交大有可为的一年 “

“2012 nián jiāng shì zhōng guó zhōu biān wài jiāo dà yǒu kě wéi de yī nián “

“2012 will be a promising year for China’s diplomacy with its neighboring countries”

Example C:

“当前正是文化建设大有可为的重要机遇期 “

“dāng qián zhèng shì wén huà jiàn shè dà yǒu kě wéi de zhòng yào jī yù qī “

“Now is a promising and opportune time for cultural development “

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I’m Jeff. I’m a British born Chinese living and working in London. I’m a designer, developer and a passionate learner. I’ve been learning Mandarin for over 4 months now and I’m addicted to faster and more efficient learning. I have a website and you can check out my blog and twitter!

How long have you been studying Chinese?  In what context?  For what purpose?

I started studying Chinese about 4 months ago as a “false beginner.” Previously, I did go to Chinese school for once every Saturday for about 3 years, but none of it ever really sank in and by the time I started again, I had pretty much forgotten everything except pinyin. The original reason I started learning Chinese was because of my Chinese ethnicity. It’s always been a sore spot for me when I talk to other Chinese people and their faces drop when I tell them I can’t speak Mandarin or Cantonese. However, I’ve been going pretty solidly for the last 4 months, and it’s definitely because I just enjoy learning it.

Do you have a certain philosophy for how you approach learning Chinese?  Do you have any grand 想法s about it all?

Something I have adopted from Benny from Fluent in 3 Months was speak from day 1, don’t be afraid to make mistakes, just keep practising your 口语. After I worked my vocabulary up to several hundred words in a month or so and started doing a lot of Skype conversations with strangers.

I’ve realised that your language level can largely be broken down into two groups: knowledge and fluency. Knowledge is what you ‘know’, which includes both grammar and vocabulary in all aspects of reading, writing and conversation. Fluency is how much of this knowledge you have practised enough that you can recall it at a native speed. So for instance, if I know how to say 你叫什么名字 and 我叫Jeff, but you can’t understand ‘what’s your name’ fast enough to reply ‘I am called…’ naturally like a native would – you’re not fluent in that particularly vocab or grammar. Your knowledge should always be ahead of your fluency (but not too far), as you always need to be practising fluency in something you don’t know or can improve on, not what you already know. Motivation is not something that just appears, it’s something you work hard for and try to find the right methods to keep yourself motivated.

What aspects of studying Chinese do you enjoy the most?  (this can be specific study resources, methods, activities, social aspects etc)

Just using the language socially has been the most fulfilling thing for me. I’m a very social person so when I was in Shanghai I was enjoying making new friends even with my intermediate Chinese such as talking with the taxi driver on the way to my cousin’s house.

What mistakes do you see other language learners make?  What should people NOT do when studying Chinese?

Lots of people are very scared to make mistakes. You need to use the language to get better at it; Khatzumoto puts it very eloquently on his website “you don’t learn a language, you get used to it”.

Also get your tones spot on from the beginning (or at least as close as you can). I spend a lot of time listening to natives say things and repeating it out loud to practise my pronunciation and tones. If I don’t think I’ve said it right, I’ll repeat the recording and say it again. I think a lot of people are too lazy to correct their pronunciation and blame it on their first language being a latin language – that’s all rubbish.

Any favorite words or phrases? (there are loads which don’t have equivalents in English)

不能半途而废 – Can’t give up halfway. 

Funny stories from your experience? Embarrassing language mistakes, misunderstandings, surreal moments etc.

I was at a karaoke bar in Shanghai with a bunch of my friend’s friends and one guy had a problem with people from England, or just maybe foreigners in general. He was trying to force me to drink increasing amounts of alcohol. A lot of it I didn’t understand as the guy was quite drunk and my Mandarin definitely wasn’t at a high enough level, so at one point I just got irritated and said cursed at him. Everybody in the karaoke room, including his friends burst out laughing. Although I thought he took it as a joke, he actually ended up really mad. My friend taught me a better phrase to use in this situation: 不要瞎说好不好？- Stop talking rubbish, okay?  

Any memorable milestones? Any, “Aha!”, or eureka moments?

About a month after I started learning Mandarin, I didn’t think I was making great progress so I began trying to talk to people on Skype. It went okay and I’d have maybe a 5 minute conversation about what I do and what they do before having to look up vocabulary. Then one day I just suddenly had a 45 minute conversation of which 99% was in Chinese with a Taiwanese girl. This really pushed me to believe that anything was possible. 

How do you keep yourself motivated while studying Chinese?

At the beginning it was pure willpower that one day I’d have a decent conversation with someone. Now I can converse on a fundamental level, each and every encounter with someone that speaks Chinese is something that pushes me forward every day. Something I aim to do everyday is have at least a conversation with one person in Chinese (and many days I do many more than that!).  

Absolute, hands down, favorite Chinese dish?   

湖南烧烤 – Hands down Hunanese barbecue (the ones on the street stalls) is the most delicious thing I’ve ever tasted in China.  

Do you have one last tip for something that our readers can do TODAY to improve their Chinese? 

If you are thinking about whether you’re ready to talk to others in Chinese, you’re already ready, as you’ll never be fully prepared, you just need to be prepared to make mistakes and learn from them. Now. Don’t hesistate.  

Thanks Jeff for all those tips and sharing your story! I totally agree that with how you can never be “fully prepared” for a conversation and that language learners should just go for it.

If you’re intrested to be featured on our Chinese Language Learner Interview Series, please contact me at christina@fluentu.com.

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In addition to that, we’re looking at expanding to other languages. Because we really value feedback, you can give your thoughts here and help us decide which language should be next.

Without further adieu, the top tweets of April:

10. 情不自禁
(qíng bù zì jīn) unable to restrain emotions; cannot help:她太漂亮了，我情不自禁想多看她两眼。

9. 辛苦
(xīn kǔ) hard; toilsome; work hard:辛苦了！来，喝杯咖啡！

8. 独立
(dú lì) independent:她从小就很独立。

7. 提高
(tí gāo) improve:人民生活水平提高了

6. 恰到好处
(qià dào hǎo chù) just perfect; just right:这个比喻恰到好处。

5. 熬夜
(áo yè) stay up late :总熬夜对身体不好。

4. 改编
(gǎi biān) change; adapt:这个电影改编自一部小说。

3. 迥然不同
(jiǒng rán bù tóng) utterly different; very different:他和我之前想象的迥然不同。

2. 地位
(dì wèi) social status:他在公司很有地位。

And the top tweet for April is ..

1. 浪漫
(làng màn) romantic:他还挺浪漫的嘛！

Perhaps a stroll through the park during spring would be very 浪漫！What else would come to mind when you think of “浪漫”?  Comment below!

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Lighting up (or blowing up?) the theaters next Friday will be Ironman 3, starring Robert Downey Jr.

He’s gained much popularity not only from being Ironman but Sherlock Holmes & other cool characters in some awesome movies.

Robert Downey Jr. has a pretty big fan base in China as well.. let’s take a look.

Nickname & Origin

Robert John Downey Jr: 小萝卜头 (xiǎo luó bo tóu)

“Robert Downey” translates directly into “罗伯特唐尼” (luō bó tè táng ní). The Chinese have created a homonym nickname: 萝卜头 since it sounds like 罗伯特!

小萝卜头 in China

Downey’s presence is splashed all over China’s tieba and renren pages. On China’s 牛男NEO明星, Robert Downey got a quick minute long segment of his autobiography and mini filmography.

With the new Ironman 3 movie hitting theaters, a lot of buzz has been generated about this movie.

Some articles are saying that it’s one of the most awaited movies of 2013.  This may have to do with how some of Ironman 3 was filmed in China. 

Famous Chinese actor Wang Xueqi stars as Dr. Wu in Ironman 3. He talks with Downey about the Spring Festival, where it turns out, it’s Downey’s 本命年 (happens every 12 years when it’s your year on the Chinese calendar) since he was born in the year of the snake.

As if all of this wasn’t enough, Robert even specifically addressed the Chinese audience on CCTV where he thanked them and told them to go watch Ironman 3.

He went to China to promote the movie and during the interview, ate some 冰糖葫芦!

Let’s take a look at how Downey’s nickname, “小萝卜头” is used in the wild!

Example A:

我叫小萝卜头，是个可爱的叔

wǒ jiào xiǎo luó bo tóu, shì gè kě’ ài de shū

I am Robert Downey, I’m a cute uncle.

Example B:

看看小萝卜头在《甜心俏佳人》中表现的音乐天分吧！

kàn kàn xiǎo luó bo tóu zài “tián xīn qiào jiā rén” zhōng biǎo xiàn de yīn yuè tiān fèn ba!

Looking at Robert Downey’s performance in “Ally McBeal’s show,” he’s got natural musical talent.

Example C:

《钢铁侠》之后，小萝卜头用《热带惊雷》宣告了自己转型的勇气和决心

“gāng tiě xiá” zhī hòu, xiǎo luó bo tóu yòng “rè dài jīng léi” xuān gào le zì jǐ zhuǎn xíng de yǒng qì hé jué xī

After “Ironman,” Robert Downey used “” to proclaim a change in his courage and determination.

Guess we all know that at least in China, Ironman 3 should do well in the box office.

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Because the stock didn’t grow in late December of 2012, Apple’s stock took a major 10% plunge.  This caused a lot of the major suppliers to scramble for marketshare elsewhere. 

There’s a quick and easy way to describe how these suppliers are trying to out do each other in their quest to find more marketshare with one Chinese idiom – 争先恐后! 

争先恐后(zhēng xiān kǒng hòu): out doing one another; scrambling; striving to be first and fearing to be last

A breakdown of the characters in 争先恐后(zhēng xiān kǒng hòu):

争(zhēng): strive. 争着(zhēng zhe).

先(xiān): first. 前面(qián miàn).

恐(kǒng): for fear of. 唯恐(wéi kǒng).

后(hòu): behind. 后面(hòu miàn).

Let’s take a look at some examples in the wild.

Usage 1: As a Verb

Example A:

“中国A股跌跌不休，而企业IPO却争先恐后“

“zhōng guó A gǔ diē diē bù xiū, ér qǐ yè IPO què zhēng xiān kǒng hòu“

“China’s A shares are fluctuating endlessly, and their IPO is striving to be the best“

Example B:

“人们往往对上天给予的机会熟视无睹，而对于人为的机会却争先恐后“

“rén men wǎng wǎng duì shàng tiān gěi yǔ de jī huì shú shì wú dǔ, ér duì yú rén wéi de jī huì què zhēng xiān kǒng hòu “

“People tend to turn a blind eye towards God given opportunities, yet amongst each other, scramble to out do one another.”

Example C:

“地方政府对地产泡沫就完全上瘾了，各地政府争先恐后，纷纷效仿 “

“dì fāng zhèng fǔ duì dì chǎn pào mò jiù wán quán shàng yǐn le, gè dì zhèng fǔ zhēng xiān kǒng hòu, fēn fēn xiào fǎng “

 “The local government is completely addicted to the real estate boom, every local government is scrambling to follow suit”

Usage 2: 争先恐后+(地)+Verb

Example A:

“英国各大学正争先恐后地吸引他们入学，以增加学校的收入“

“yīng guó gè dà xué zhèng zhēng xiān kǒng hòu de xī yǐn tā men rù xué, yǐ zēng jiā xué xiào de shōu rù “

“British universities are scrambling to out do one another for prospective students, in order to increase their university’s profits”

Example B:

“临近春节，不少开发商为了尽快回笼资金，争先恐后地打响了新春营销战 “

“lín jìn chūn jié, bù shǎo kāi fā shāng wèi le jǐn kuài huí lóng zī jīn, zhēng xiān kǒng hòu de dǎ xiǎng le xīn chūn yíng xiāo zhàn “

“With the Spring Festival approaching, a lot of developers who are looking to return funds as soon as possible, are scrambling for profit off the New Year marketing campaign battle.”

Example C:

“美诬中国12个黑客团队争先恐后偷窃美国机密 “

“měi wū zhōng guó 12 gè hēi kè tuán duì zhēng xiān kǒng hòu tōu qiè měi guó jī mì “

“Americans falsely accused 12 Chinese hackers for scrambling to steal American secrets”

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In his own words:

My first Chinese name was a transliteration of my English name 安东尼. It may work for Carmello Anthony, but not for me. I needed to take action to get a real Chinese identity and after a close call from the local tourism mafia gang and being born in the year of the tiger, my Chinese name became 小虎. I’ve spent 4 years in China during which I’ve done everything from studying abroad to having my own street food stand selling American style omelets! Now I’m publishing an iPad guidebook designed for independent travelers and language learners who want to get way out of their comfort zone in China March 27th. I also have a personal website that you can check out here!

How long have you been studying Chinese?  In what context?  For what purpose?

I first started learning Chinese around Christmas time in 2007. I remember shouting “圣诞快乐!” to some Chinese folks on my college campus. I was studying economics at the University of Florida. From the research I was doing regarding the Great Leap Forward (大跃进) and the Urban/Rural Housing Registration System (户口), I became perplexed between the old school and new Chinese model of growth. China was and is the opposite of what I was being taught in school.

The unsustainable economics was just the beginning of the rabbit hole and I soon became curious about Chinese politics, history, and culture. The more I talked with Chinese people about these subjects, the more apparent it became that I needed to learn Chinese so I could uncover more of this riddle. I had to dive deeper.

Do you have a certain philosophy for how you approach learning Chinese? Do you have any grand想法s about it all?

Learn by centering your language environment around your own specific hobbies and interests. For instance, in 2009 when I was living in Henan, Zhengzhou I took up martial arts, practicing with 6-8 years olds after school. Not only was I learning some fun language like 蹲，踢，and 马步, but I was also getting to interact with other people who shared that interest making a lot of friendships along the way with both the kids, the parents. Whatever your specific passions are, find some Chinese friends that don’t speak English, but who you share that common bond with you. You will not only have a social network, but also a badass vocabulary arsenal of specialized and localized words.

What aspects of studying Chinese do you enjoy the most?  (this can be specific study resources, methods, activities, social aspects etc)

I like learning characters from street advertisements. I absorb and internalize information better with the characters in context. Something that my visual memory can hold onto. I also have fun using 微信 (Wechat) to connect with friends far and near.

For face to face interactions, I like chatting up street food vendors, bike repairmen, and taxi drivers. Anybody who is willing to share really. It’s amazing the perspectives you get on life and the word from unexpected people. This underscores the fact that in China, everyone is your teacher.

What mistakes do you see other language learners make?  What should people NOT do when studying Chinese?

Don’t go near grammar at first. Start with short basic phrases that are high frequency e.g. restaurants, transportation, anything with transactions. The grammar is already built in to these phrases, and over time you will begin to subconsciously know where to put your verbs, nouns and whatnot.

Any favorite words or phrases? (there are loads which don’t have equivalents in English)

“爽死了!” – It feels sooo good. I often times shout this out after taking the first sip of an ice cold 雪碧 Ahhhh!

For about 3 months last summer I was 小吃摊ing. I operated a mobile food cart in Dali selling American style omelets, known as 小虎牌煎蛋饼, to eager Chinese tourists. There was something powerful about changing Chinese perceptions of what “foreigners” are capable of. Even though it was really hard work and a difficult task to convince people in Chinese to buy my omelets it was a great experience and I made a lot of unlikely friends along the way.

The most memorable incident was when the resident Dali dumpling master came up to me one night after a dismal selling session. He and his wife had moved from Tianjin to Dali to spend their days in semi retirement making 手工饺子. Their little shop was by far the busiest place in town admired by both Chinese and westerners alike. As I was disassembling my setup he walked across the street from the storefront and in all seriousness facing me directly, clasping his hands together in front of his chest he said “我知道你做这样的生意真不容易。小虎，我很佩服你!” I was stunned. I felt like that compliment had validated all of the handwork and sacrifice I had undergone over the previous 4 years to learn Chinese and to understand Chinese culture.

Any memorable milestones? Any, “Aha!”, or eureka moments?

In 2008 while studying abroad in Beijing I successfully ordered a meal at McDonald’s from start to finish in Chinese. The attendant was asking in rapid fire succession, and I was answering every question just as quickly. I had failed many times before at this test, succumbing to frustration and a lack of preparedness. But not this time. “I do want fries to go with that Big Mac meal. I do want a large coca-cola. I do want to eat it here, and yes, I do want extra ketchup.”

How do you keep yourself motivated while studying Chinese?

I look at learning Chinese like a game. The more vocabulary I learn, the more points I get. The more points I get, the more levels I unlock. The higher the level the deeper into the labyrinth I descend.

Absolute, hands down, favorite Chinese dish? 

Yunnan has a specialty called 饵丝 It is a stringy noodle made from steamed rice. A great breakfast or lunch snack. 腾冲 has a distinct thin style that may be better than the rest.

Do you have one last tip for something that our readers can do TODAY to improve their Chinese?

Get a weibo account and feel free to add me @小虎老外. Also if you would like to experience the future of digital travels guides or free, we’ll be giving away a copy of the iCuriousTravel: A Cultural Guide to China to one lucky reader with an iPad. To enter, write you response to the following question below.

“Why travel to China?”

The most thoughtful answer takes the prize. The winner will be announced on April 21st. Thanks for reading!

Thanks Anthony for that great story about omelets in Dali and McDonalds. It’s always great to learn Chinese in context, like he said, it sticks more!

If you’re intrested to be featured on our Chinese Language Learner Interview Series, please contact me at christina@fluentu.com.

FluentU is a new way to learn Chinese through authentic video content like music videos, movie trailers, news, and inspiring talks. Sign up for free here, like our Facebook & follow us on Twitter@FluentUChinese.

Casual? Business Casual?Formal? All these terms and all these things! You’ve gotta match, accessorize and not stick out like a sore thumb by dressing for the occasion (and for some of us, add a sense of “style” or “individuality” to it).

Well, in addition to our other lists, I’ve made one about all the possible things you’ll need to know about clothes, including “cuff links,” “denim,” and “shoelace” for all of you that know the basics.

And without further adieu ..

Clothes

Dress shirt / Blouse － 衬衫 (chèn shān)

T-shirt － T恤 (T xù)

Pants － 裤子 (kù zi)

Jeans －  牛仔裤 (niú zǎi kù)

Shorts － 短裤 (duǎn kù)

Dress － 连衣裙 (lián yī qún)

Cheongsam － 旗袍 (qí páo)

Skirt － 裙子(qún zi) / 短裙 (duǎn qún)

Tuxedo － 燕尾服 (yàn wěi fú)

Suit － 西装 (xī zhuāng)

Tie － 领带 (lǐng dài) / 领结 (lǐng jié)

Cravat －领巾(lǐng jīn)

Bathing Suit － 泳衣 (yǒng yī)

Bikini － 比基尼 (bǐ jī ní)

Swim Trunks － 泳裤 (yǒng kù)

Pajamas － 睡衣 (shuì yī)

Underwear － 内衣 (nèi yī)

Socks － 短袜 (duǎn  wà)

Stockings － 长袜 (cháng wà)

Winter

Coat － 外套 (wài tào)

Blazer / Jacket － 夹克 (jiá kè)

Vest － 背心 (bèi xīn)

Hoodies － 卫衣 (wèi yī)

Sweater － 毛衣 (máo yī)

Sweatshirt －运动衫 (yùn dòng shān)

Windbreaker －风衣 (fēng yī)

Scarf － 围巾 (wéi jīn)

Gloves － 手套 (shǒu tào)

Mittens － 连指手套 (lián zhǐ shǒu tào)

Earmuffs － 耳罩 (ěr zhào)/耳套 (ěr tào)

Hat / Cap－帽子 (mào zi)

Shoes

Shoe － 鞋 (xié)

Shoelaces － 鞋带 (xié dài)

Flip-flops － 人字拖 (rén zì tuō)

Slippers － 拖鞋 (tuō xié)

Sneakers － 运动鞋 (yùn dòng xié)

Sandals － 凉鞋 (liáng xié)

Rain boots － 雨靴 (yǔ xuē)

Stilettos / High heels－ 高跟鞋 (gāo gēn xié)

Boots － 靴子 (xuē zi)

Leather shoes  － 皮鞋 (pí xié)

Moccasins  － 鹿皮鞋 (lù pí xié)

Canvas shoes  － 帆布鞋 (fān bù xié)

Clogs － 木屐 (mù jī)

Accessories & Other

Jewelry － 首饰 (shǒu shì)

Necklace －项链 (xiàng liàn)

Ring － 戒指 (jiè zhǐ)

Bracelet － 手镯 (shǒu zhuó)

Earring － 耳环 (ěr huán)

Breast pin / Brooch － 胸针 (xiōng zhēn)

Watch － 手表 (shǒu biǎo)

Belt － 皮带 (pí dài)

Cufflinks － 袖扣 (xiù kòu)

Handkerchief － 手帕 (shǒu pà)

Sunglasses － 太阳镜 (tài yáng jìng)

Umbrella － 雨伞 (yǔ sǎn)

Raincoat － 雨衣 (yǔ yī)

Zipper － 拉链 (lā liàn)

Button － 扣子 (kòu zi)

Pocket － 口袋(kòu dài)

Materials

Cotton － 棉 (mián)

Silk － 丝 (sī)

Polyester － 聚酯纤维 (jù zhǐ xiān wéi)

Nylon － 尼龙 (ní lóng)

Velvet － 绒 (róng)

Wool － 羊毛 (yáng máo)

Denim － 牛仔布 (niú zǎi bù)

Canvas － 帆布 (fān bù)

Leather － 皮革 (pí gé)

Fur － 毛皮 (máo pí)

Linen － 亚麻 (yà má)

Any other items that you’d find in your wardrobe missing from the list? Feel free to add it in the comments below!

FluentU is a new way to learn Chinese through authentic video content like music videos, movie trailers, news, and inspiring talks. Sign up for free here, like our Facebook & follow us on Twitter@FluentUChinese.