Mandarin Weekly (每周中文) #117, 2017-April-10

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I’m doing it now

Intermediate How can you express that you are currently performing an action? Use one or more of the words 在 (zài), 正 (zhènɡ), and 正在 (zhènɡ zài):

http://www.digmandarin.com/ongoing-state-continuity-action-chinese.html

Twitter: @DigMandarin

Basic sentence patterns

Beginner A few sentence patterns are all you need to start saying a remarkably large number of things in Chinese. Here is a list of such basic sentence patterns, along with many examples:

https://www.writtenchinese.com/10-essential-chinese-sentence-patterns-every-beginner-should-know/

Twitter: @WrittenChinese

Teach children Chinese

Beginner Do you want your children to learn Chinese, but aren’t sure what resources would be appropriate for them? Here is a list of what you can use to help your little ones learn this fascinating language:

http://www.misspandachinese.com/teach-your-kids-chinese/

Twitter: @MissPandaChines

Grammar books

Intermediate If you’re like me, then understanding grammar is a great way to improve your Chinese. But where can you turn, other than textbooks, for summaries of Chinese grammar? Here is a summary and review of several well-known books that you might want to check out:

http://www.alllanguageresources.com/best-chinese-grammar-book-beginner-intermediate-students/

Tomb Sweeping Day

Beginner Last week was 清明节 (qīng míng jié), Tomb Sweeeping Day, a holiday on which many Chinese go to remember their ancestors. Here is some information about this holiday, its practices, and origins:

http://blogs.transparent.com/chinese/history-and-customs-of-tomb-sweeping-day/

Twitter: @ChineseLanguage

Learning Chinese fast

Beginner Everyone wants to learn Chinese quickly, but some people really need to get as fluent as possible, as soon as possible. Here are some strategies you can use to maximize your learning in a short period of time:

http://www.fluentu.com/chinese/blog/2017/04/05/learn-chinese-in-three-months/

Twitter: @FluentU

Characters with 月 (yuè) in them

Beginner Many characters contain the 月 component. Here is a list of such characters, along with their pronunciations and meanings:

http://allaboutchinese.tumblr.com/post/159182027497/allaboutchinese-all-about-chineses-%E6%9C%88-%E8%AE%B0%E5%BF%86%E5%9B%BE

C is for cookie

Beginner Want a cookie? Then which word should you use? This question is surprisingly difficult to answer, as this post describes:

http://blog.hellochinese.cc/2017/04/08/try-find-cookies-chinese-word-use/

Twitter: @HelloChineseApp

Spring has sprung

Beginner Spring has arrived, and two friends discuss the weather and make plans, in this short story:

http://www.imandarinpod.com/hoola/index.php/podcasts/14-2009-12-02-23-37-05/2803-2017-04-07-08-08-12

Twitter: @imandarinpod

Going to the gym

Beginner If you’re living in China and plan to join a gym to keep fit, this posting has a great deal of useful information, as well as some phrases and words, to help you out:

https://themandarincornerblog.com/2017/04/09/is-it-easy-to-join-a-gym-in-china/

Nothing to be done

Beginner If you are a bit frustrated and/or exasperated by a situation, you can always say 没办法 (méi bàn fǎ):

https://themandarincornerblog.com/2017/04/04/this-phrase-will-make-your-chinese-sound-naturally-hopeless/

Little Red Riding Hood

Intermediate You might know the story of Little Red Riding Hood, but have you ever read it in Chinese?

http://www.alllanguageresources.com/little-red-riding-hood-intermediate-reader/

Travel words and phrases

Beginner Planning to travel in China? This video from ChineseClass101.com includes all sorts of travel-related words, from cities to transportation to passport control:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2LctdJD1zo

Twitter: @chineseclass101

Pulling the carrot

Beginner Many countries and cultures have a story about a huge carrot that requires everyone’s help to be pulled from the ground. Here is a Chinese song and video with 拔萝卜 (bá luó bo), the Chinese version:

http://nihaohello.blogspot.co.il/2017/04/pull-carrot-song-lyrics.html

Making mistakes

Intermediate Why do so many Chinese speakers make mistakes when writing, using the wrong characters? An interesting discussion for us non-natives who often make such mistakes:

http://chinese.stackexchange.com/questions/23273/why-chinese-use-too-many-%E9%94%99%E5%88%AB%E5%AD%97

Non-Internet networks

Advanced We often think of 网 (wǎng) as a computer network, but how would you describe a non-computer network, such as a mathematical network diagram or just networking with colleagues? The answer is both simpler and more complex than you might think:

http://chinese.stackexchange.com/questions/23324/how-to-say-network-but-not-internet


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