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Starstruck Series: Out of This World With Bruno Mars

By on May 13, 2013 in Culture and Society, Intermediate and Advanced Chinese

Next up on our Starstruck Series, Bruno Mars! 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 [...]

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Starstruck Series: Rolling in the Deep with Adele

By on April 1, 2013 in Intermediate and Advanced Chinese

Six time Grammy Award winner Adele tied Beyonce for the most awards won by a female artist in one night, including Album Of The Year in 2012. Her singles aren’t just huge hits, breaking records on top billboards in the US but, popular in China as well. Because of her songs’ popularity in China, the [...]

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Top 8 Words for Qingming Festival, the Tomb Sweeping Holiday in China

By on March 26, 2013 in Intermediate and Advanced Chinese

This year’s Qingming Festival (清明节 － qīng míng jié) falls on April 4th, 2013. For those of you unfamiliar with the 2,500 plus years of tradition behind this holiday, it’s all about tomb sweeping, spring outings and kite flying. Check out this video & you’ll learn more. What distinguishes this festival from the others is [...]

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Starstruck Series: I’m Not in Kansas Anymore with James Franco

By on March 4, 2013 in Beginner Chinese

Will clicking your heels three times saying “there’s no place like home” get you out of Oz? Maybe not for James Franco in Disney’s new movie Oz The Great and Powerful. Thousands of Franco fans are excited about this new movie, including those in China!   Nickname & Origin James Franco: 付兰兰 (fù lán lán)  Though [...]

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Top 10 Chinese New Year’s Words

By on February 4, 2013 in Advanced Chinese Vocab, Beginner Chinese, Intermediate and Advanced Chinese

The year of the snake will be slithering our way as the year of the dragon comes to an end! There are all these customs: wearing red, eating dumplings and giving and receiving red envelopes.   Why wear red? Well, it brings good luck and wards off evil. That’s why the envelopes, decorations and signature color of Chinese [...]

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201314: Love You Forever

By on January 3, 2013 in Beginner Chinese, Hot on Weibo, Intermediate and Advanced Chinese

Though not an official holiday, on Jan 4th 2013, there’s something called “爱你一生一世” in China. This holiday got its name because the date, 二零一三一四 (èr líng yī sān yī sì - 2013.1.4.) sounds like “爱你一生一世” (ài nǐ yī shēng yī shì). This day can also be known as “万年真爱日” or “世纪情人节” or “世纪领证日”. 爱你一生一世 means “love you for life” [...]

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8 Christmas Words For Your List

By on December 22, 2012 in Beginner Chinese, Chinese Vocab 101

As you tie up your mistletoe, decorate your Xmas tree and feast on gingerbread cookies by the fireplace, we’ve got the top 8 Christmas words you’ve got to know for this holiday! Just like how we’ve listed out the top phrases for Thanksgiving and Halloween, make sure you’ve got these down for this upcoming holiday! Grab [...]

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4 Cities, 4 Perspectives On China

By on December 12, 2012 in Recommended Reading

This week we’re excited to have a featured guest post from China Newz. China Newz is a new blog that covers all things China, including history, politics, culture and economics. They’re here to share with us 4 amazing cities in China & the top must see attractions & delicacies to try when visiting. Enjoy:   Traveling [...]

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8 Things To Know About 8!

By on December 3, 2012 in Beginner Chinese, Intermediate and Advanced Chinese

Take that person you know who doesn’t step on cracks, refuses to walk under a ladder, is scared of black cats and will knock on wood to not jinx himself and you’ve got a good idea of how the Chinese can be when it comes to being superstitious. There are a lot of sayings within Chinese culture [...]

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5 Great Wining and Dining Phrases

By on October 9, 2012 in Beginner Chinese, Intermediate and Advanced Chinese

Table etiquette in China can get complicated, but doesn’t need to be overwhelming. The first obstacle is to be able to actually pick up chopsticks. The next obstacle is to be able to say the right things at the table, giving the right people face. We all know the simple 干杯 (gān bēi) and 买单 (mǎi dān). However, the next [...]

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