大家好！ (Hi, everyone!) Welcome to the latest Mandarin Weekly, with yet more links and information for those of us learning Chinese.
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Giveaway
Our latest giveaway, for a free premium year’s subscription to The Chairman’s Bao, has ended, and the winner will soon be notified by e-mail. Thanks to all of you who entered! More giveaways will be coming in the near future. If you know of an app, Chinese school, book, or other resource that might be useful, please contact us! We’ll contact the author/publisher, and see if it’s possible to have a giveaway.
Characters that look alike
Do you sometimes find it hard to distinguish between characters? Do you fail to notice the extra dots and lines that can change the meaning of a character? This guide to frequently confused characters is for you:
https://www.writtenchinese.com/how-to-learn-chinese-characters-that-look-alike/
Twitter: @WrittenChinese
Dumplings
One of my favorite parts of visiting China is having a chance to eat dumplings . A lot of dumplings. Many different styles of dumplings. Want to discuss dumpling styles, fillings, and cooking methods? This post contains everything you’ll want to know:
http://blogs.transparent.com/chinese/all-about-dumplings/
Twitter: @ChineseLanguage
Levels of emphasis
Is it good? Great? Super-amazingly terrific? In this video, chelseabubbly.wordpress.com shows us how to emphasize things in Chinese using different levels:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=5&v=x0didGH_h3I
Twitter: @Chelseabubbly
Buddhism in China
Buddhism is one of China’s main religions. In this video from LearnChineseNow, you can learn some Buddism-related terms:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_QQnX6PPV48
Twitter: @LearnChineseNow
Mirror words
Mirror words are an important part of learning Chinese, and can frustrate many non-native speakers. This video from MandarinMonkey introduces these words:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b35iGQMZQDo
Twitter: @Mandarin_Monkey
Phrases you want to hear
Do you enjoy being praised? Of course you do! Here are 10 phrases, from ChineseClass101, that are nice to hear — or, if you’re in a good mood, nice to say to others:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qEtCX35Z9EE
Twitter: @chineseclass101
Keep up your Chinese this summer
So, it’s time for summer vacation! If you’re taking classes at a school, then you might find yourself wondering how to move ahead even without your teacher’s help. Here are some ideas for improving your Chinese even when school’s out:
https://ninchanese.com/blog/2016/06/16/learning-chinese-summer-holidays/
Twitter: @ninchanese
Discounts
Everyone loves a discount, right? But in China, discounts are described differently than in the West:
http://www.echineselearning.com/blog/how-to-find-a-deal-in-chinese
Twitter: @ECLSchool
Want fries with that?
How can you order a hamburger in China? Here is a complete guide, starting from the hamburger itself and continuing with the side dishes:
http://www.duchinese.net/blog/33-ordering-a-hamburger-in-chinese
Twitter: @DuChinese
Learning via apps
Is it a good idea to learn Chinese via apps? As with everything in life, there are advantages and disadvantages. Here is a discussion of the trade-offs:
http://www.saporedicina.com/english/pros-cons-apps-learning-chinese/
化 (huā) as a suffix
Did you know that 化is often used as a suffix, meaning something like “ize” in English? Here are some examples:
http://www.decodemandarinchinese.com/learn-better/formula-of-hua
Twitter: @DecodeChinese
About 约
What does the 约 character mean? This article introduces it, including the history and current usage:
http://www.theworldofchinese.com/2016/06/on-the-character-%e7%ba%a6/
Twitter: @WorldOfChinese
Nouns with 着
The character 着 normally indicates that an action is continuing. But it can also be used in nouns, as indicated here:
http://www.touchchinese.com/chinese-words/about-zhe.html
Correcting John Cena’s grammar
John Cena of WWE fame gives a speech in Chinese; LearnChineseNow not only shows the speech, but points out some grammatical issues that many Westerners have:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vkBoJIWwyME
Twitter: @LearnChineseNow
Euro 2016 countries
Are you excited about the Euro 2016 tournament? If so, then perhaps you want to describe the teams in Chinese:
http://chinesefor.us/blog-euro2016/
Twitter: @chinese4us
Consolidating your Chinese
Part of studying Chinese is to constantly be improving — your vocabulary, grammar, pronunciation, reading, and other skills. But don’t forget to work on the skills and knowledge you already have:
http://www.hackingchinese.com/dont-forget-to-consolidate-the-chinese-you-have-already-learnt/
Twitter: @HackingChinese
Hard work
Chinese culture has long valued hard work, as evidenced in these chengyu (phrases):
http://www.digmandarin.com/working-hard-like-ancient-chinese.html
Twitter: @DigMandarin
Wrong!
How can you say “I misspoke?” There are a few ways in Chinese, and this discussion mentions a few of them:
http://chinese.stackexchange.com/questions/19271/when-can-i-say-%e8%af%b4%e5%b7%ae%e4%ba%86
Pronouncing 这
How do you pronounce the 这 character? Is it always zhè， or are there other options?
Preparing for HSK6
What materials can (should) you use to take the HSK6 exam?
Distinguishing x, ch, and sh
These three sounds (x, ch, and sh) look different in Pinyin, but sound somewhat similar in Chinese. What are the differences, and how can you improve your listening and speaking skills with these sounds?
https://www.reddit.com/r/ChineseLanguage/comments/4o9i2p/hearing_difference_between_x_ch_and_sh/
下vs. 下边
Which is the appropriate word to use when indicating “downward”?