Mandarin Weekly #164

 

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This is Mandarin Weekly #164, 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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What’s funny in China? Intermediate Culture Video

Humor is often based in culture, which raises the question of what people in China consider funny. Here are some hints examples of Chinese humor, and ways you can (hopefully) make people laugh:

https://www.fluentu.com/blog/chinese/2018/03/07/chinese-humor/

Twitter: @FluentU

Using modal particles Intermediate Grammar

Chinese has many “modal particles,” characters added to what you’re saying that change the meaning or emphasis. Here are a number you can and should incorporate into your speech:

https://blog.glossika.com/how-to-use-modal-particles/

Are you OK? Beginner Expressions Video

Worried about your friend? Here’s a phrase you can use to check on him or her:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fdxid-4Tz84

Twitter: @ECLSchool

Sign up for ECL, and get one free week by mentioning “Reuven Lerner”

Originally and originally Advanced Grammar

The words 原来 (yuán lái) and 本来 (běn lái) both mean “originally,” but how are they used?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=70c5Hfpn1nI

“Third gender” restrooms All Culture Vocabulary

How is China handling the trend toward restrooms for people who identify as neither male nor female? With some interesting new vocabulary and cultural tension:

http://www.theworldofchinese.com/2018/03/a-restroom-by-any-other-name/

Twitter: @WorldOfChinese

Fundamentally Intermediate Grammar

The word 根本 (gēn běn) has to do with the root cause of something — among other meanings. Here are some more ways you can use this word:

https://www.decodemandarinchinese.com/remember-use-%e6%a0%b9%e6%9c%ac-correctly/

Twitter: @DecodeChinese

Observe carefully Intermediate Vocabulary

The character 观 (guān) is used in a variety of words, as described here:

http://www.theworldofchinese.com/2018/03/on-the-character-%e8%a7%82/

Twitter: @WorldOfChinese

Breakfast food All Food

Chinese breakfast foods are a different from those we’re used to in the West; here are some examples of what you can expect to have in a Chinese morning:

https://www.writtenchinese.com/chinese-snacks-101-a-big-pile-of-steamed-dumplings/

Twitter: @WrittenChinese

Don’t ignore these things Beginner Learning

Here are some hints and ideas of what not to ignore when you’re learning Chinese:

https://medium.com/@samueltersigni/common-chinese-mistakes-d369dc9c7622

Useful expressions Intermediate Expressions

Expressions are always fun to learn, and often to incorporate into your speech. Here are some that you might not use, but which are fun to know:

https://www.digmandarin.com/cracking-wisdom-chinese-idioms.html

Twitter: @DigMandarin

Drink too much? Intermediate Expressions

If you drank too much and have a headache in the morning, you might want to learn the word 喝过头 (hē guò tóu):

https://themandarincornerblog.com/2018/03/09/do-you-know-what-past-the-head-means/

Find me a match All Culture

Chinese parents are getting nervous that their children aren’t marrying. What can they do? How about go to the “marriage market” in Shanghai:

https://blog.hutong-school.com/shanghai-marriage-market/

Twitter: @hutongschool

Classic Chinese foods All Food

What foods should you try when visiting China? Here are some ideas and suggestions for what not to miss:

https://blogs.transparent.com/chinese/10-must-try-foods-in-china/

Twitter: @ChineseLanguage

What’s the difference? Intermediate Grammar

Are 差異 (chā yì) and 差別 (chā bié) the same, or are they used differently?

https://chinese.stackexchange.com/questions/29075/whats-the-difference-between-%e5%b7%ae%e7%95%b0-and-%e5%b7%ae%e5%88%a5

The power of love Intermediate Story

The legend of Mèng jiāng nǚ, who searched for her husband:

http://www.imandarinpod.com/hoola/index.php/podcasts/15-2009-12-02-23-37-29/3088-2018-03-07-03-48-15

Twitter: @imandarinpod

 

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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