Mandarin Weekly #82

大家好! (Hi, everyone!) This is Mandarin Weekly #82, links and information for those of us learning Chinese.

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Being funny in Chinese

Like to tell jokes? Maybe, but can you tell jokes in Chinese? Not sure? Here is a video from ChinesePod.com, in which they give you the ins and outs of being humorous in Chinese:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aRK7xaKQIvA

Twitter: @ChinesePod

Conjunctions

Conjunctions work differently in Chinese than in other languages I’ve learned. Here is a list of conjunctions, along with tips and examples for when (and how) to use each of them:

https://www.writtenchinese.com/chinese-conjunctions-part-1/

Twitter: @WrittenChinese

Little tigers

This video and translation of “Two tigers,” the Chinese equivalent to Frère Jacques, is both amusing and educational, with a (surprisingly!) long description of the grammar and vocabulary in this simple, four-line song:

http://blogs.transparent.com/chinese/%e4%b8%a4%e5%8f%aa%e8%80%81%e8%99%8e-the-chinese-frere-jacques/

Twitter: @ChineseLanguage

Talking about love

Chinese valentine’s day (中国情人节, or zhōng gúo qíng rén jié) falls on August 9th. Just in time are these phrases to help you talk about love:

http://www.fluentu.com/chinese/blog/2016/08/02/chinese-valentines-day/

Twitter: @FluentU

Olympic sports

It’s the Olympics! What sports do you like? You can probably find its Chinese name on this extensive vocabulary list:

http://www.decodemandarinchinese.com/learn-better/list-of-summer-olympic-sports-i

Twitter: @DecodeChinese

Olympic sports

It’s the Olympics! What sports do you like? You can probably find its Chinese name on this extensive vocabulary list:

http://www.decodemandarinchinese.com/learn-better/list-of-summer-olympic-sports-ii

Twitter: @DecodeChinese

Basic phrases

If you’re on a first visit to China, or just want to make sure you know the most basic words and sentences, here’s a useful quick-reference guide:

https://www.writtenchinese.com/basic-chinese-phrases-beginners-part-1/

Twitter: @WrittenChinese

All about 种

What does the 种 (zhǒng) character mean? It actually has several different meanings, and pronunciations:

http://www.theworldofchinese.com/2016/07/on-the-character-%e7%a7%8d/

Twitter: @WorldOfChinese

For beautiful skin

Want to have beautiful skin, the Chinese way? Here are some recipes (with the appropriate characters and pinyin) for traditional skin-enhancing products:

http://www.e-putonghua.com/zone/index.php/2016/08/05/culture/

School supplies

In this video from ChineseWithEmma.com, we learn how to speak about such purchases in Chinese:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eX57AENYOso

Twitter: @ChineseWithEmma

HSK5 and HSK6 vocabulary

Planning to take the two top levels of the HSK exam? Here are some handy PDF charts listing the words and phrases you’ll be expected to know:

http://www.digmandarin.com/hsk-5-vocabulary-list.html

Twitter: @DigMandarin

HSK5 and HSK6 vocabulary

Planning to take the two top levels of the HSK exam? Here are some handy PDF charts listing the words and phrases you’ll be expected to know. You’ll need to provide your e-mail address in order to receive these lists:

http://www.digmandarin.com/hsk-6-vocabulary-list.html

Twitter: @DigMandarin

Escape the Beijing heat

I’ve been to Beijing in the summer, and it can be quite hot! To cool off, many people go to the water, at 北戴河 (běi dài hé) and 南戴河 (nán dài hé). Learn about these locations and related vocabulary in this post:

http://blogs.transparent.com/chinese/summer-escape-to-beidaihe-and-nandaihe/

Twitter: @ChineseLanguage

Being sneaky

How can you talk about doing something sneakily in Chinese? Here are some hints:

https://themandarincornerblog.com/2016/07/31/are-chinese-people-all-thieves/

Narrating? Talking? Something else?

The characters 会说 can mean “can speak,” but can also mean “narrator” in some contexts. How can we determine the context, and understand the appropriate meaning?

http://chinese.stackexchange.com/questions/20749/what-is-the-best-translation-for-%e4%bc%9a%e8%af%b4

Fourth vs. neutral tone

In the word 告诉 (gào sù, or “tell”), is the second character pronounced with a neutral tone, or witih a fourth tone?

http://forum.wordreference.com/threads/%E5%91%8A%E8%A8%B4.3213207/

Pronouncing 谁

Is 谁 (“who”) supposed to be pronounced shéi or shuí? Why are both acceptable, and which pronounciation is more appropriate for Chinese learners?

http://chinese.stackexchange.com/questions/19743/are-the-two-pronunciations-of-%e8%b0%81-sh%c3%a9i-shu%c3%ad-the-result-of-regional-differences

Getting more

What is the difference between 增加 (zēng jiā) and 增长 (zēng zhǎng), both of which seem to mean, “add more?”

http://chinese.stackexchange.com/questions/19739/differences-between-%e5%a2%9e%e5%8a%a0-and-%e5%a2%9e%e9%95%bf

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