Mandarin Weekly #69

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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Mandarin Weekly Giveaway

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Components and radicals

We often talk about “components” and “radicals” in Chinese characters. What’s the difference, and how are they used?

http://mandarin.about.com/od/characters/fl/Quiz-The-building-blocks-of-Chinese-characters.htm

Dynasties

Chinese history is always described in terms of dynasties. Which dynasty ruled when, and what did each contribute (positive and negative) to China’s history? (And of course, how would you express these ideas in Chinese?)

http://carlgene.com/blog/2016/05/beginners-guide-to-chinese-history-1-the-periodization-of-ancient-chinese-history/

Twitter: @carlfordham

How do you…

The Chinese phrase for “how do you” do something (怎么) is generic and quite useful:

https://themandarincornerblog.com/2016/05/03/when-you-just-dont-know-the-word/

Want fries with that?

When you’re ordering food (or drinks) at a restaurant using Chinese, you’ll often want to add (or remove) something from your order. Here are some useful phrases for doing so:

https://ninchanese.com/blog/2016/05/03/chinese-expressions-order-add-%e5%92%8c-%e8%bf%98%e6%9c%89/

Chinese desserts

What should you have after a Chinese meal? A Chinese dessert, of course! This posting lists some of the best-known Chinese desserts:

http://blogs.transparent.com/chinese/real-chinese-food-dessert/

Twitter: @ChineseLanguage

Tired?

Are you tired? LearnChineseNow gives us an introduction to two ways to say this in Chinese:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S1yvLljFQ7Y

Twitter: @LearnChineseNow

Technology and learning Chinese

Last week, we saw how technology can help you to learn Chinese. But it can also hinder your learning, as described here:

http://www.hackingchinese.com/technology-can-stop-learning-chinese/

Twitter: @HackingChinese

Facebook in Chinese

Facebook might not be available in China, but you can still use it to improve your Chinese reading and comprehension:

http://www.fluentu.com/chinese/blog/2016/05/03/learn-chinese-facebook/

Twitter: @FluentU

Compliments

In the West, it’s customary to say “thank you” when you receive a compliment. In China, there are some other ways to respond:

www.fluentinmandarin.com/content/responding-compliments-survival-chinese-bites/

Ordering coffee

When you’re in China, and want a cup of coffee, you might want to go beyond the simple 咖啡. Here is an introduction to ordering coffee, including a large number of ways to prepare it:

http://www.duchinese.net/blog/28-the-complete-guide-to-ordering-coffee-in-chinese

Twitter: @DuChinese