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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Modal particles
Chinese is full of “particles” — characters that you add to the end of a sentence in order to change the meaning somewhat. This guide describes the particles, how to pronounce them, what they mean, and how to use them:
https://www.writtenchinese.com/complete-guide-chinese-modal-particles/
Twitter: @WrittenChinese
And and and
There are different ways to say “and” in Chinese, and knowing how to choose from among them is a sign of your ability with the language. Here’s an explanation, along with many examples:
http://www.fluentinmandarin.com/content/how-do-you-say-and-in-chinese/
Twitter: @Fluent_Mandarin
Or or or
There are also many ways to say “or” in Chinese, and LearnChineseNow describes them in this video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W0mBD1lD0sk
Twitter: @LearnChineseNow
A great deal
Have you found a great deal on something? You might want to express this with the chengyu (four-character expression) 价廉物美 (jià lián wù měi), as described here:
Bow radical characters
The bow radical (as in, bow-and-arrow) is used in many characters. How many do you already know?
http://www.digmandarin.com/learning-chinese-characters-bow-radical.html
Twitter: @DigMandarin
Idioms you already know
Some idioms in English are quite similar to their Chinese counterparts. Here are a few examples that you can sprinkle into your Chinese conversations:
http://www.digmandarin.com/english-idioms-chinese-origins.html
Twitter: @DigMandarin
Checking in
You arrive at your hotel in China, and want to check in. Can you do that in Chinese? Here are some sentences that you can use to do so. I’m going to be in Beijing in two weeks, and will definitely see how far I can get before they switch to English — and this article will definitely help!
http://www.duchinese.net/blog/21-checking-into-a-hotel
Twitter: @DuChinese
Seasonal foods
In China, certain foods are eaten at particular times of the year. Here is a list of the foods, and when they’re traditionally eaten:
http://blog.hellochinese.cc/2016/03/12/what-do-chinese-people-eat-when-new-seasons-are-coming/
Twitter: @HelloChineseApp
Lots and lots
How well do you know the 多(duō) character, and how to use it? This posting will help you out:
http://www.fluentinmandarin.com/content/chinese-character-bites-52/
Twitter: @Fluent_Mandarin
Vocabulary challenge
How many new vocabulary words can you learn in the next few weeks? Join the vocabulary challenge, run by Hacking Chinese, and see:
http://www.hackingchinese.com/chinese-vocabulary-challenge-march-10th-31st/
Twitter: @HackingChinese
Snack foods
What are the most popular snacks eaten in China? This list will introduce them, as well as provide the Chinese words for them:
http://blogs.transparent.com/chinese/real-chinese-food-snacks/
Twitter: @ChineseLanguage
In my dreams
A catchy song from Qu Wanting, with characters and pinyin (and translation), for learning and singing along (when no one is watching, of course):
Women of China
In honor of International Women’s Day, ChinesePod offers a list of six famous women from Chinese history:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7K1K3hD5ZoI
Twitter: @ChinesePod
Don’t call me 250!
Did you know that 二百五 (èr bǎi wǔ) is an insult, and means “idiot”? What’s the origin of this term?
Ping pong
The characters for ping pong in Chinese look like a set of paddles. Is this the origin of the word?
Losing someone
The character 丢 (diū) refers to losing something. But if you can’t find your child in the mall, is this the right verb to use?
http://chinese.stackexchange.com/questions/17438/can-%E4%B8%A2-refer-to-people
Should you or shouldn’t you?
If you want to say that someone shouldn’t do something, can you use either 不该 (bù gāi) or 不应 (bù yìng)? Is there any difference?
Sweet potato
How do you say “sweet potato” in Chinese? The answer, of course, depends on where you’re living: