This is Mandarin Weekly #163, a newsletter read by more than 21,000 students of Chinese around the world. Mandarin Weekly is sent to paying subscribers every Monday, and to everyone else every Thursday.
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Using 由 (yóu) Advanced Grammar Video
How do you use 由? Here is a video giving you clear examples:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZXiiPzhGSE
Doubled words Intermediate Grammar
Sometimes, a word (or character) in Chinese will be doubled — for emphasis, or to change the meaning a bit. Here is an explanation of the doubling patterns:
http://nihaohello.blogspot.co.il/2009/01/chinese-duplicated-words-aa-abab-aabb.html
Prepositions Intermediate Grammar
Using prepositions correctly is often a marker of fluency in a language. Here are some prepositions you can and should incorporate into your Chinese:
https://www.fluentu.com/blog/chinese/2018/02/26/chinese-prepositions/
Twitter: @FluentU
How many words? How many characters? All Characters Learning
When someone hears that I’m learning Chinese, they often ask me how many characters are in the language. It turns out, there are even more than I thought! This article explains things well, including the distinction between characters and words:
https://www.tutormandarin.net/en/how-many-chinese-words-are-there-how-many-chinese-characters/
Twitter: @MyTutorMandarin
The sad story of 丧 (sàng) Intermediate Vocabulary Culture
The character 丧 has to do with sadness, bitterness, and depression. Not what you would expect from a popular character, as this article describes:
http://www.theworldofchinese.com/2018/02/wed-sad-sangs/
Twitter: @WorldOfChinese
No big deal Beginner Vocabulary Video
It’s not a big deal? Then tell them so, in Chinese, as shown in this video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G5rOU9qTxnI
Twitter: @ECLSchool
Frequently used sentences Beginner Vocabulary Grammar
If you’re going to China for the first time, then you will want this list of common phrases and sentences to help you through your interactions:
https://www.touchchinese.com/learn-chinese-online/frequently-used-chinese-sentences.html
Oscars in Chinese! All Vocabulary
The Oscars (i.e., US film industry) awards were given out on Sunday night. How can you discuss the awards and nominees in Chinese? Here’s a great article to help you out:
https://www.writtenchinese.com/the-oscars-2018-talking-academy-award-nominees-chinese/
Twitter: @WrittenChinese
Lantern Festival All Culture
Just a few days ago, people in China celebrated the Lantern Festival. What is it, and how is it celebrated? Here’s all you need to know:
http://teresarainsegna.blogspot.co.il/2018/03/festa-delle-lanterne-lantern-festival.html
More homophones Intermediate Pronunciation
Last week, we shared some words that sound very similar, but have differnet meanings. Here are a few more:
https://blog.hutong-school.com/chinese-homophones-pt-2/
Twitter: @hutongschool
One learner’s Mandarin journey All Learning
An introduction to Chinese, and some thoughts about learning the language, from someone doing so for about two years:
https://medium.com/@dlyall/a-former-hitchhikers-introductory-guide-to-the-chinese-language-galaxy-29e92784d194
Practicing your Chinese All Learning
Learning Chinese, but don’t have someone with whom you can practice speaking? Here are some tips for finding language partners:
https://www.tutormandarin.net/en/5-ways-to-practice-conversational-chinese/
Twitter: @MyTutorMandarin
Using 很 (hěn) Beginner Grammar Video
How do you describe things? You will probably want to use 很 quite a bit:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rfwGxTPhNbw
Twitter: @ChinesePod
Celebrating Spring Festival Intermediate Story
The Spring Festival might be behind us, but you can still read a story about it, and how it’s celebrated:
https://mychinesereading.com/celebrating-spring-festival/
English words from Chinese All Vocabulary
Every language borrows from other languages. Did you know, though, how many words English has borrowed from Chinese? Here are some examples:
https://blogs.transparent.com/chinese/english-words-that-come-from-chinese/
Twitter: @ChineseLanguage
Using 把 (bǎ) correctly Intermediate Grammar Video
How can you use 把 in your Chinese? Here is a good explanation, with examples:
http://www.fluentinmandarin.com/content/how-to-use-the-ba-construction-in-chinese/
Twitter: @Fluent_Mandarin
Blocked sites Intermediate Expressions Culture
Is your favorite Web site blocked? Learn how to discuss it in Chinese:
https://themandarincornerblog.com/2018/03/01/why-is-my-blog-blocked/
Vocabulary challenge All Learning
Hacking Chinese is back with another challenge, this time in improving your vocabulary:
http://www.hackingchinese.com/chinese-learning-challenges-march-2018-vocabulary-open/
Twitter: @HackingChinese
The year of the Dog! Intermediate Expressions
It’s the Year of the Dog, which means that dog-related expressions are in vogue. Here are some you can use:
https://www.asianlanguageschool.com/popular-chinese-idioms-about-dogs/
Twitter: @AlsSydney
What did you say? Intermediate Grammar
Did someone speak with you in Chinese, but you’re not sure what they said? Here are some ways to tell them you’re baffled:
https://mandarinhq.com/2018/02/say-i-dont-understand-in-chinese/
Twitter: @MandarinHQ
Taking a picture Beginner Story
Here’s a short story about taking a photo:
http://www.imandarinpod.com/hoola/index.php/podcasts/14-2009-12-02-23-37-05/3083-2018-03-01-04-07-38
Twitter: @imandarinpod
Kaifeng history Advanced Story
The city of 开封 has lots of history, as described in this story:
http://www.imandarinpod.com/hoola/index.php/podcasts/16-2009-12-02-23-37-52/3080-2018-02-24-06-35-29
Twitter: @imandarinpod
What’s important to you? Intermediate Story
Do men and women value the same things? Not according to this story:
http://www.imandarinpod.com/hoola/index.php/podcasts/14-2009-12-02-23-37-05/3085-2018-03-01-08-15-18
Twitter: @imandarinpod
Vowel pronunciation Beginner Pronunciation
Vowels in Chinese are pronounced in a certain way. You can get some tips on accurate pronunciation here:
https://www.fluentu.com/blog/chinese/2018/02/28/chinese-vowels/
Twitter: @FluentU
Tinycards Beginner Reviews
Tinycards is a new product to help you improve your Chinese via flashcards. Here’s a review:
https://www.livethelanguage.cn/learning-chinese-phone-tinycards-review/
Twitter: @Ltlmandarin
Lantern Festival Beginner Vocabulary Culture Video
Learn all about the Lantern Festival, including the vocabulary you need to celebrate it, here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3rKo-eif1y0
Twitter: @ECLSchool
Work at Concordia Language Villages All Sponsored
森林湖 (Sēn Lín Hú), Concordia Language Villages’ Mandarin language and culture immersion program, is currently accepting employment applications for Summer 2018. To apply, just follow the link:
https://hr.cord.edu/postings/4064
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