Mandarin Weekly #89

大家好! (Hi, everyone!) This is Mandarin Weekly #89, wchinese-learningith links and information for those of us learning Chinese.

If you enjoy Mandarin Weekly, please share it with your fellow students of Chinese, and with your teacher! This newsletter will always be completely free of charge.

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This week’s links include a level indicator, saying either “beginner” or “intermediate.” Feedback on the accuracy of these labels will be greatly appreciated; just reply to this e-mail to indicate what you thought. Also, we’re always looking for advanced resources to fill out our list; if you know of blogs or sites we should be checking, just let us know, and we’ll try to include them.

Have you filled our our survey?

The online survey of Mandarin Weekly readers will be up for one more week. I’m already acting on some of the received suggestions, such as the indication of Chinese level for each posting. If you haven’t yet filled it out, please do so here:

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Sponsor

ImageThe Chairman’s Bao is the first online Chinese newspaper, written and simplified for students of Mandarin. With an archive of over 1,300 HSK (3-6+) graded news-based lessons, with up to five more published daily, TCB has four times more content than any other Chinese news-based reader. Throw in cross-platform access and synchronization – website, iOS and Android apps – as well as a whole host of exclusive features to aid language learning such as: comprehensive grammar points, live dictionary, and intelligent flashcard system, TCB is the ultimate Chinese learning companion. Learn in a way that’s compelling, engaging and current. I highly recommend this resource, especially if you wish to really improve your reading and listening skills in a fun and contextual manner!

Online HSK1 course

Beginner Are you still at the earliest stages of learning Chinese? Peking University is offering an HSK1 (i.e., beginner) online course via Coursera. The video lectures and course materials appear to be available for free, to anyone who registers:

https://zh.coursera.org/learn/hsk-1

Delicious measure words

Beginner Measure words are important, and you’ll find many different kinds when you go out to eat. Here is a collection of useful food- and drink-related measure words from ChinesePod:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gzc5k4QbH6U

Twitter: @ChinesePod

Deciphering menus

Intermediate So, you go to a restaurant in China, and you’re handed a menu. Now is when your Chinese reading skills are really put to the test. However, understanding a menu is easier when you get how Chinese meals are constructed, and what types of food will be offered:

https://chinesepod.com/blog/6-simple-tricks-deciphering-chinese-menu/

Twitter: @ChinesePod

Mocking yourself (and others)

Intermediate I often use self-deprecating humor when I lecture. How can we say this in Chinese? Moreover, how can we say that someone is teasing you, or that you are teasing them? The word 黑 (hēi), which means “black,” is the key:

http://www.echineselearning.com/blog/show-humility-and-learn-self-mockery

Twitter: @ECLSchool

Understanding 才 (cái)

Intermediate The word 才 (cái) means “only,” but not exactly “only” in the English-language sense. This video from LearnChineseNow.com provides an introduction an explanation of when and how to use 才:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ebwgMkQ3jMo

Twitter: @LearnChineseNow

Family tree

Intermediate When I started to learn Chinese, and asked how you say the word “brother,” I was surprised to discover that there are different words for “older brother” and “younger brother.” Other relatives are often described based on their relative age, as well as whether they’re from your mother’s or father’s side. This can all get confusing, so the following post and chart is handy:

https://www.writtenchinese.com/what-should-we-call-friends-and-family-members-in-chinese/

Twitter: @WrittenChinese

Different types of thinking

Intermediate The verb “think” has a number of different meanings, and Chinese uses different words for each. In this video, we learn the differences between them:

https://chelseabubbly.com/2016/09/24/different-words-for-to-think-in-chinese/

Twitter: @Chelsea_bubbly

Saying @

Beginner How do you pronounce the symbol @ in Chinese?

http://nihaohello.blogspot.com/2016/09/how-do-you-say-in-chinese.html

Twitter: @NihaoHello

Multitasking

Intermediate How can you describe doing two things at once? Use the 一边。。。一边 (yì biān…yì biān) grammar pattern:

http://www.e-putonghua.com/zone/index.php/2016/09/25/grammar-39/

Coulda shoulda woulda

Intermediate How can you express the ideas of “could have,” “should have,” and “would have” in Chinese? Another video from Chels explains it all:

https://chelseabubbly.com/2016/09/22/how-to-express-could-would-should-in-chinese/

Twitter: @Chelsea_bubbly

Hanging out with your friends

Intermediate If you’re standing around and chatting with your friends, what do you talk about? Moreover, if you want to do something other than just stand around with your friends, what can you do? Here’s an introductory vocabulary list and phrasebook for the next time you are doing nothing but want to talk about something:

https://www.writtenchinese.com/phrases-vocabulary-for-hanging-out-with-chinese-friends/

Twitter: @WrittenChinese

Homophones and culture

Intermediate Chinese is full of homphones, words that sound the same. These similar-sounding words have led to many cultural expectations and beliefs. Here are some simple ones to learn from (and possibly avoid):

http://www.yoyochinese.com/blog/Chinese-Homophones-Chinese-Customs

Twitter: @YoYoChinese

All smiles

Beginner The word 笑 (xiào) means “smile,” but it’s used in a number of other words:

 

Fall has arrived

Beginner Autumn (fall) has arrived! This short article describes some basic fall-related vocabulary, as well as the use of 了 (le) to indicate that an action has occurred:

https://ninchanese.com/blog/2016/09/22/fall-is-here-say-it-in-chinese/

Twitter: @ninchanese

Passive voice with 被

Intermediate How does the 被 character let us express passive voice?

http://answers.echineselearning.com/questions/2016-09/23/095738992EMMKTOEJ.html

Take out?

Intermediate If you want to order something from a restaurant “to go,” how would you say it in Chinese? The term 外带 (wài dài) mgiht be right… but it might not, as this discussion shows:

https://www.reddit.com/r/Chinese/comments/53bp9x/strange_reaction_after_ordering_food_%E5%A4%96%E5%B8%A6/

Getting someone’s number

Intermediate How do you ask for someone’s (phone or room) number? There are a number of expressions, discussed here:

http://forum.wordreference.com/threads/whats-your-telephone-number.2829417/

What kind of frying?

Beginner The word 煎 (jiān) means to fry in a pan, but what is the equivalent cooking term in English?

http://chinese.stackexchange.com/questions/21225/for-the-character-word-%e7%85%8e-which-of-the-english-words-braise-pan-fry-saut%c3%a9

Ancient use of 辣

Intermediate In modern Chinese, the word 辣 means “spicy”。 But spicy food in China is the result of introducing chili peppers — which are from after the time of Columbus. Was this character used before then, and if so, how?

http://chinese.stackexchange.com/questions/21172/how-was-%e8%be%a3-used-before-the-columbian-exchange

Mandarin Weekly #88

大家好! (Hi, everyone!) This is Mandarin Weekly #88, with links and information for those of us learning Chinese.

If you enjoy Mandarin Weekly, please share it with your fellow students of Chinese, and with your teacher! This newsletter will always be completely free of charge.

To receive Mandarin Weekly in your e-mail inbox every Monday, just use the box at MandarinWeekly.com. Or follow us on Twitter, at @MandarinWeekly! We’re also on Facebook, at http://facebook.com/MandarinWeekly.

Have you filled our our survey?

A number of you were oh-so-helpful and kind, and filled out our first-ever survey. I’ve gotten a great picture of our readership, but I’d like to hear your voice, as well!  If you haven’t yet filled out the survey, it would be super-helpful for you to do so:

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/NY9PGZH

Sponsor

ImageThe Chairman’s Bao is the first online Chinese newspaper, written and simplified for students of Mandarin. With an archive of over 1,300 HSK (3-6+) graded news-based lessons, with up to five more published daily, TCB has four times more content than any other Chinese news-based reader. Throw in cross-platform access and synchronization – website, iOS and Android apps – as well as a whole host of exclusive features to aid language learning such as: comprehensive grammar points, live dictionary, and intelligent flashcard system, TCB is the ultimate Chinese learning companion. Learn in a way that’s compelling, engaging and current. I highly recommend this resource, especially if you wish to really improve your reading and listening skills in a fun and contextual manner!

Do the math

How can you express basic math operations in Chinese? This video from ChinesePod.com will help you out:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KvKP0gnJOMU

Twitter: @ChinesePod

Passive voice

How can you use 被 (bèi) to express the passive voice? This video from LearnChineseNow.com provides some context and examples:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5VzCDfUbFsw

Twitter: @LearnChineseNow

I have no idea

How can you say that you have no clue as to the answer? Use this phrase:

http://www.e-putonghua.com/zone/index.php/2016/09/17/slang-5/

Too many words

Learning Chinese means learning lots of new words, and then practicing them. Is it possible that you’re trying to learn too many words at once? How can and should you study, to ensure that you build your vocabulary not only quickly, but with optimal retention?

http://www.hackingchinese.com/overcoming-problem-many-chinese-words-learn/

Twitter: @HackingChinese

Using 了

How do you use 了(le)? In this video from MandarinMonkey.com, we see how to use it to express more complex past events:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KyskqL6IXUE

Twitter: @Mandarin_Monkey

Mid-autumn festival

Last week, China marked the mid-autumn festival. What is this holiday about? Is it only mooncakes?

https://chinesepod.com/blog/mid-autumn-festival-%e4%b8%ad%e7%a7%8b%e8%8a%82-everything-mooncakes-myths/

Twitter: @ChinesePod

Pleco’s clipboard reader

Did you encounter some Chinese characters, and don’t know how to translate them? Here’s an introduction to the use of Pleco’s clipboard reader, a good way to get a quick translation:

http://www.sinosplice.com/life/archives/2016/09/06/plecos-hidden-gem-the-clipboard-reader

Pokemon instructions

If you want to play Pokemon Go, then you’ll need to read the instructions, right? And you’ll obviously want to do so in Chinese, right? (OK, perhaps I’m wrong on both counts.) This post reviews some of the more interesting vocabulary in the instruction guide:

http://chinesehacks.com/games/pokemon-card-game-rules-in-chinese/

Internet slang

Want to sound cool and hip? (If so, then perhaps you should avoid the use of the word “hip.”) Chinese has a growing number of Internet-related slang words; in this video, we learn about three of them:

https://chelseabubbly.com/2016/09/17/3-popular-chinese-internet-slang/

Twitter: @Chelsea_bubbly

Survey results

Improve your listening skills with this short video quiz from ChineseClass101.com. This time, they ask about the results of a survey:

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

Twitter: @chineseclass101

A short story

Here’s a short story (parts 3 and 4), read out loud with characters and pinyin:

http://justlearnchinese.com/beginner-to-elementary-level-chinese-story-%e6%b2%b3%e5%b9%b3%e9%9d%a2%e9%a6%86-he-ping-eatery-3/

http://justlearnchinese.com/beginner-to-elementary-level-chinese-story-%e6%b2%b3%e5%b9%b3%e9%9d%a2%e9%a6%86-he-ping-eatery-4/

Twitter: @graceJLC

Cat cafes?!?

Yes, it turns out that this is a thing: Cat cafes. Listen to Angel’s interview with the owners:

https://ninchanese.com/blog/2016/09/16/trending-china-cat-cafes-purrsonality/

Twitter: @ninchanese

Daily chengyu

Chengyu, or four-character expressions, are an important part of gaining Chinese fluency. This new Web site (Hanping Chengyu) is from HanpingChinese.com, an Android app for translation and improving your Chinese. Visit this Twitter feed every day to learn new expressions!

https://twitter.com/HanpingChengyu

Emergency Chinese

Going to China very soon? Need to learn Chinese super-fast? What are the best resources and methods to learn some of the language?

https://www.reddit.com/r/learnmandarin/comments/52sxjp/tangible_goals/

From HSK5 to HSK6

If you are at HSK5, how quickly and easily can you get to HSK6?

https://www.reddit.com/r/ChineseLanguage/comments/52v4d9/how_hard_is_it_to_move_from_hsk_5_to_hsk_6/

才 vs. 只

Both 才(cái) and 只 (zhǐ) mean “only,” but they have different uses. How can we use each of them?

https://www.reddit.com/r/ChineseLanguage/comments/52vvaw/difference_between_%E6%89%8D_and_%E5%8F%AA_to_express_only/

Traditional vs. simplified

A common question among students of Chinese has to do with the character set you learn. How easily can you move from one to the other? The consensus seems to be that it’s not that hard to read both:

https://www.reddit.com/r/ChineseLanguage/comments/52nmq4/can_traditional_chinesewriters_read_simplified/

Walking around

Someone is walking around Taiwan — as in, walking the entire perimeter of the island. What verb should he use for “walk”?

http://chinese.stackexchange.com/questions/21166/im-currently-walking-mostly-around-taiwan-when-telling-locals-this-which-of

Being careless

What does the phrase 一不留神 mean, if 留神 () means to be “careful”?

http://chinese.stackexchange.com/questions/21159/what-is-the-meaning-of-%e4%b8%80%e4%b8%8d%e7%95%99%e7%a5%9e-in-this-sentence

Using 是

Why do you not use 是 (shì) when saying how old you are? This seemingly mundane question led to an interesting discussion of what 是 really means:

https://www.reddit.com/r/ChineseLanguage/comments/52eejz/why_do_you_not_use_%E6%98%AF_when_expressing_your_age/

Different types of “late”

What is the difference between 迟 (chí) and 晚 (wǎn)? Both mean “late” in English, but in a different sense:

https://www.reddit.com/r/ChineseLanguage/comments/5317ff/what_exactly_is_the_difference_between_%E8%BF%9F_and/

Mandarin Weekly #87

大家好! (Hi, everyone!) This is Mandarin Weekly #87, with links and information for those of us learning Chinese.

If you enjoy Mandarin Weekly, please share it with your fellow students of Chinese, and with your teacher! This newsletter will always be completely free of charge.

To receive Mandarin Weekly in your e-mail inbox every Monday, just use the box at MandarinWeekly.com. Or follow us on Twitter, at @MandarinWeekly! We’re also on Facebook, at http://facebook.com/MandarinWeekly.

Survey!

Who are you? How long have you been learning Chinese? And how can Mandarin Weekly help you more? Please take a few moments to fill out our first-ever survey. The results are anonymous (even to me!), and can help to make Mandarin Weekly even more useful to you in your Chinese-learning journey:

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/NY9PGZH

Sponsor

ImageThe Chairman’s Bao is the first online Chinese newspaper, written and simplified for students of Mandarin. With an archive of over 1,300 HSK (3-6+) graded news-based lessons, with up to five more published daily, TCB has four times more content than any other Chinese news-based reader. Throw in cross-platform access and synchronization – website, iOS and Android apps – as well as a whole host of exclusive features to aid language learning such as: comprehensive grammar points, live dictionary, and intelligent flashcard system, TCB is the ultimate Chinese learning companion. Learn in a way that’s compelling, engaging and current. I highly recommend this resource, especially if you wish to really improve your reading and listening skills in a fun and contextual manner!

How to use 了

One of the most confusing subjects for students of Chinese is how, when, and where to use 了(le). This video from MandarinMonkey.com introduces 了 here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pj_HznNhOw8&feature=share

Twitter: @Mandarin_Monkey

More about 了

Another view of 了 is from LearnChineseNow.com:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LbgV277znjY

Twitter: @LearnChineseNow

把 vs. 被

This video from HanbridgeMandarin.com presents the differences between 把 sentences (in which the object is emphasized) and 被 sentences (which are passive):

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

Twitter: @HanbridgeOnline

Instruments

Play an instrument? Just like music? In either case, here is a video introducing a number of instrument names in Chinese:

https://chelseabubbly.com/2016/09/06/chinese-vocab-for-instruments/

Twitter: @Chelsea_bubbly

As soon as …

A useful grammar pattern is 一。。。就, indicating that just after doing X you did Y. This video from ChinesePod.com explains it well:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NQw7ORzmUso

Twitter: @ChinesePod

Question words in non-questions

We’re taught that we can ask questions with certain words. But those words can also be used in non-questions. Sound confusing? Here is an explanation, along with examples:

https://themandarincornerblog.com/2016/09/08/when-a-question-word-isnt-a-question/

Strokes of Chinese characters

Chinese characters are built from components, but those components are built from strokes. Here are the names and shapes of those strokes:

http://learningchineseblog.com/strokes-in-chinese%e6%b1%89%e8%af%ad%e7%ac%94%e5%88%92/

Translation challenge

Olle Linge is back with another Chinese challenge, this time in the area of translation. How well (and how much) can you translate? Details are here:

http://www.hackingchinese.com/challenge-site-upgrade-september-translation-challenge/

Twitter: @HackingChinese

Again and again

How can you describe an action that is repeated? You can use 又 (yòu), as demonstrated here:

https://chelseabubbly.com/2016/09/11/how-to-describe-the-repetition-of-an-action-%e5%8f%88%ef%bc%8c-%e5%86%8d%ef%bc%8c%e8%bf%98/

Twitter: @Chelsea_bubbly

Give me a hand

Just as you can say “give someone a hand” in English, you can do that in Chinese with the expression 搭把手 (dā bǎ shǒu):

http://www.e-putonghua.com/zone/index.php/2016/09/11/saying/

Types of skirts

Enjoy wearing skirts? Here are some different types of skirts, and their names in Chinese:

http://www.e-putonghua.com/zone/index.php/2016/09/09/meeting-skirt-in-summer/

Starter questions

Want to have a conversation with Chinese speakers? Sure, but where do you start? Here are some good questions you can use to start a conversation — or, if someone asks you these questions, you can already prepare an answer:

https://www.writtenchinese.com/chinese-friends/

Twitter: @WrittenChinese

Chinese cuisines

We often talk about Chinese food — but in actuality, there are many types of Chinese food, from different parts of the country. Here are four examples of regional cuisines, along with vocabulary and pronunciation:

http://www.yoyochinese.com/blog/4-Regional-Chinese-Food

Twitter: @YoYoChinese

iPhone 7 words

As many people have heard, Apple has unveiled the iPhone 7. What’s new about it? Well, here are some words to describe the updates in Chinese:

http://blog.hellochinese.cc/2016/09/10/describe-iphone-7-features-chinese/

Twitter: @HelloChineseApp

A strategy for improvement

How can you hope to improve your Chinese fluency? It’s nice to say “practice,” but what sort of practice? This article gives some concrete suggestions for pushing ahead:

http://www.digmandarin.com/how-to-improve-chinese-speaking-writing-proficiency.html

Twitter: @DigMandarin

Autumn vocabulary

Summer is just about over (in the northern hemisphere); to describe the coming of autumn in Chinese, here are some useful vocabulary words:

http://blogs.transparent.com/chinese/chinese-fall-vocabulary/

Twitter: @ChineseLanguage

Exploring Luoyang

Luoyang (洛阳) is one of the four ancient capitals of China, and has some amazing art. Here’s an introduction to this city, with vocabulary words to describe it:

http://blogs.transparent.com/chinese/exploring-the-ancient-capital-of-luoyang/

Twitter: @ChineseLanguage

Comedy from Da Shan

If you’re a Westerner studying Chinese, you’ve probably heard of Da Shan, a Canadian actor and comedian whose mastery of Chinese is legendary. Here’s a video (with a transcript in characters and Pinyin) of a comedy routine:

http://blogs.transparent.com/chinese/dashan-and-his-first-crosstalk/

Twitter: @ChineseLanguage

Chinese signs

Traveling to China? There will be some signs (and sign-related words) that repeat themselves. Here are some good ones to keep in mind:

https://chelseabubbly.com/2016/09/11/6-important-chinese-public-signs/

Twitter: @Chelsea_bubbly

Delicious!

You can say that something is delicious with 好吃 (hǎo chī), but is there any other word or phrase that expresses this idea?

https://www.reddit.com/r/ChineseLanguage/comments/51f0lz/synonyms_for_%E5%A5%BD%E5%90%83/

Repeated 把

Someone asks what it means to have 一把把 in a sentence. The best answer shows how you sometimes have to pick a sentence apart; in this case, the first 把 is being used as a measure word:

http://chinese.stackexchange.com/questions/21100/what-is-the-meaning-of-%e4%b8%80%e6%8a%8a%e6%8a%8a-on-%e4%bb%96%e6%9b%b4%e6%98%af%e4%b8%80%e6%8a%8a%e6%8a%8a%e5%a5%b9%e7%9a%84%e4%b9%a6%e5%8c%85%e7%bb%99%e6%9e%aa%e4%ba%86%e8%bf%87%e5%8e%bb

Coming and going

The characters 来 (lái) and 去 (qù) aren’t only used as verbs (coming and going), but also to indicate direction, which can be tricky:

http://www.chinese-forums.com/index.php?/topic/52399-%E5%8E%BB-and-%E6%9D%A5/

Mandarin Weekly #86

大家好! (Hi, everyone!) This is Mandarin Weekly #86, links and information for those of us learning Chinese.

If you enjoy Mandarin Weekly, please share it with your fellow students of Chinese, and with your teacher! This newsletter will always be completely free of charge.

Don’t forget to look at our list of discount resources for students of Mandarin Chinese!

To receive Mandarin Weekly in your e-mail inbox every Monday, just use the box on the left side at MandarinWeekly.com. Or follow us on Twitter, at @MandarinWeekly! We’re also on Facebook, at http://facebook.com/MandarinWeekly.

Get the bonus content: Mandarin Weekly #86 links

Sponsor: The Chairman’s Bao

The Chairman's BaoThe Chairman’s Bao is the first online Chinese newspaper, written and simplified for students of Mandarin. With an archive of over 1,300 HSK (3-6+) graded news-based lessons, with up to five more published daily, TCB has four times more content than any other Chinese news-based reader. Throw in cross-platform access and synchronization – website, iOS and Android apps – as well as a whole host of exclusive features to aid language learning such as: comprehensive grammar points, live dictionary and intelligent flashcard system, TCB is the ultimate Chinese learning companion. Learn in a way that’s compelling, engaging and current. I highly recommend this resource, especially if you wish to really improve your reading and listening skills in a fun and contextual manner!

This week’s links

Using 了 and 过

Expressing past behavior can be tricky for newcomers to Chinese, and the use of both 了(le) and 过 can be hard to comprehend. Here is a summary of how to use them, separately and together:

https://www.chineseboost.com/grammar/le-and-guo/

Twitter: @ChineseBoost

When is it?

What time is it? What day is it? When will you finally finish that project you owe? All of these questions are easy to answer in Chinese, once you understand how to describe the time and day:

https://www.writtenchinese.com/calendars-months-of-the-year-telling-the-time-in-chinese/

Twitter: @WrittenChinese

Regardless

How can you use the word 不管 (bù guǎn) to indicate “regardless” or “no matter what”?

http://www.e-putonghua.com/zone/index.php/2016/09/04/grammar-bu-guan/

20 easy characters

Reading Chinese can seem daunting, or even impossible, when you first start. Here are 20 easy (and common) characters that you can learn and use quickly:

http://www.fluentu.com/chinese/blog/2016/08/31/easy-chinese-characters/

Twitter: @FluentU

Using 家 as a suffix

We know that 家 (jiā) can mean “home,” but it can also be used to describe an expert or a professional:

http://www.decodemandarinchinese.com/learn-better/2015/10/22/formula-of-jia

Twitter: @DecodeChinese

Gotta do it

How can you say you need to do something? This video and blog post will help you to set you straight:

https://chelseabubbly.com/2016/08/30/mustto-have-to-and-to-need-to/

Twitter: @Chelsea_bubbly

De de de

Three words in Chinese sound the same, and have similar meanings — but they’re not identical. LearnChineseNow.com provides a video introduction to 的, 得, and 地, all pronounced “de,” and when we would use each:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ri8dLkmCRRs

Twitter: @LearnChineseNow

Learning Chinese via commercials

Commercials are a great window into modern societies, and can also be a great way to learn words and usage. Here is an introduction to Chinese commercials, and some examples of good ones:

https://www.asianlanguageschool.com/learning-chinese-tv-commercials/

Twitter: @AlsSydney

Street signs

When you’re in China, being able to read street signs is both useful and fun. Here are some helpful tips on some of the most common phrases used on such signs:

http://www.echineselearning.com/blog/learn-how-to-read-important-signs-in-chinese

Twitter: @ECLSchool

Feel bad about yourself

Want to feel foolish? Probably not. Want to feel foolish in Chinese? Well… maybe, if it’ll help your speaking skills, right? In this video from ChineseClass101.com, you can learn 10 phrases that are meant to make you feel bad:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qCQecBdSZS0

Twitter: @chineseclass101

All about Henan

Where is Henan province, and what is there? An introduction to this region, including relevant vocabulary:

http://blogs.transparent.com/chinese/better-know-a-province-henan/

Twitter: @ChineseLanguage

The name says it all

So many times, a word in Chinese is a description of the thing itself. How appropriate, then, that there is an expression that describes this situation — the name describes the thing itself:

http://www.e-putonghua.com/zone/index.php/2016/09/01/idiom-gu-ming-si-yi/

Buy it now!

The Internet has produced all sorts of new and interesting commercial opportunities. One of them is a “flash sale,” offering deep discounts for a short time. As this video from EChineseLearning.com describes, such a sale is known as as 秒杀 (miǎo shā):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eoNybwm-j4I

Twitter: @ECLSchool

Getting around a building

Here, from ChineseClass101.com, is a short dialogue and quiz to test your listening skills — this time, in getting around a building. Can you follow the directions?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v-PLKTsH2PE

Twitter: @chineseclass101

Only you

Here’s a video (with characters and pinyin) of a famous song, 我只在乎你 (wǒ zhǐ zài hū nǐ) to help you with your listening and vocabulary:

http://www.chinesetolearn.com/classic-chinese-song-%e9%82%93%e4%b8%bd%e5%90%9b-deng-lijun-teresa-teng-%e6%88%91%e5%8f%aa%e5%9c%a8%e4%b9%8e%e4%bd%a0-wo-zhi-zai-hu-ni-care-lyrics-pinyin-english-translation/

Twitter: @ChineseToLearn

No, no!

When and how do you use a double negative in Chinese? Here are some examples, and explanations of the impact:

http://www.decodemandarinchinese.com/learn-better/double-negation-in-chinese

Twitter: @DecodeChinese

Hello!

How do you say “hello” in Chinese? This might seem like an obvious question, but the answer can be a bit complex:

http://www.chinese-forums.com/index.php?/topic/52364-other-way-to-say-hello/

Which “day” should we use?

There are two words for “day” in Chinese, 天 (tiān) and 日 (rì). When do we use each one? Are they basically interchangeable?

http://chinese.stackexchange.com/questions/21008/which-word-to-use-for-day-when-talking-about-lengths-of-time

Your opinion

There are different ways to indicate your opinion or judgment about something in Chinese; here is a discussion of the options, and their connotations:

https://www.reddit.com/r/ChineseLanguage/comments/509g0y/difference_between_%E6%9C%AC%E4%BA%BA%E8%AE%A4%E4%B8%BA%E4%BE%9D%E6%88%91%E7%9C%8B%E5%AF%B9%E6%88%91%E6%9D%A5%E8%AF%B4/

Toilet paper

How do you say “toilet paper” in Chinese? It turns out that there are multiple ways to say it:

http://chinese.stackexchange.com/questions/21053/how-do-say-toilet-paper-in-chinese

Treating

Can you use the word 请 (qǐng) to mean, “treat someone,” or “take them out”?

http://chinese.stackexchange.com/questions/21002/is-%e8%ab%8b-also-mean-to-treat-in-mandarin

Simplified characters’ origins

How were simplified characters developed from the traditional ones? This short discussion points to several books and other resources on the subject:

http://chinese.stackexchange.com/questions/21021/are-there-any-original-sources-documenting-the-simplification-process

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