“正”, the Chinese Tally Mark And Other Kinds of Tally Marks from Around the World
Tally marks are a numerical system used for to make counting easier. As the name suggests, it is a system that helps keep “tally” of things by number. Tally marks…
狗年 The Year of Dog 2018
Now that 2018 is upon us, it is also nearing the time of a new lunar year on the Chinese calendar, and just like in the West, the Chinese also…
Sending Flowers in China: Do’s and Don’ts
The topic of how to send flowers in China came to my mind a short time ago when one of my friends told me of a student who sent her…
How to “Think” in Chinese: Understanding the Differences Between 想, 觉得, 认为 and 以为
As you start to build a wider vocabulary in Chinese, you’re bound to encounter words that share the same general translation in English but have widely different nuances in meaning…
Finding the Hidden Keys to Unlocking Chinese Compound Words
A huge bulk of the words in Chinese are compound words, consisting of two or more characters put together. Even if you’re already aware of the fact that Chinese characters…
The Different Learning Methods for Beginner and Advanced Chinese Learner
You may be wondering, as someone studying Mandarin, if there is any difference in the learning methods of beginners and advanced students? If we use the same methods from the…
HelloTalk Review: Helping People Learn Languages from Each Other
Intro Everyone in the world is a speaker of their own language. Because of this, everyone can teach someone else how to speak their own native tongue. Who better to…
Comparing 4 Chinese Words that Mean “the Future”
A real question many Chinese learners will encounter early is how to express future events. In Chinese, we have a series of time words to address that: “将来”(jiānglái), “未来”(wèilái), “以后”(yǐhòu)…
6 Common Chinese Chengyu For Life and Success
Chinese Chengyu (成语, Chéngyǔ) plays an important role in Chinese culture. They are the collected wisdom from ancient Chinese people; and they contain deep insights into human life. Behind the…
Making a Clean Sweep of all Basic Associated Constructions in Chinese
You may have hit a wall in the study of Function words in Chinese. Maybe you have mastered Function words like “着”, “了”, “过”, but the next step is to…