Mandarin Weekly (每周中文) #120, 2017-May-1

Hi, there! This is Mandarin Weekly #120, a free newsletter read by more than 17,000 students of Chinese around the world.

If you enjoy Mandarin Weekly, please share it with others. And don’t forget to take advantage of our list of discounts for students of Chinese.

To receive Mandarin Weekly every Monday, sign up MandarinWeekly.com. Every Tuesday, we go up on Facebook, at http://facebook.com/MandarinWeekly, Medium, at http://medium.com/@mandarinweekly, and Twitter, at @MandarinWeekly. Please like, share, and retweet us!

If you offer products or services aimed at students of Chinese, and want to sponsor one or more issues, then please contact Reuven at reuven@lerner.co.il.

So sorry! Beginner

How do you say “I’m sorry” in Chinese, to apologize for a mistake you’ve made, or for bothering someone? This short video demonstrates it nicely:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1yRiNu7b4T0

Twitter: @MyTutorMandarin

Labor Day Beginner

Today (May 1st) is Labor Day, in China and in many other countries around the world. This video introduces the Chinese terms associated with Labor Day:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zqd9-4Hpkus

Twitter: @chineseclass101

Coming soon Intermediate

You’re going to do something soon, or something is happening soon. How can you express that in Chinese? An in-depth look at a common need (and common patterns):

http://www.digmandarin.com/say-something-will-happen-soon-mandarin-chinese.html

Twitter: @DigMandarin

Mispronounced writing Intermediate

When native Chinese write, they sometimes get the characters wrong. But they can also modify the characters used in a word for comic effect. Some examples are here:

http://www.sinosplice.com/life/archives/2017/04/25/the-cute-mispronounced-chinese-words-confounding-your-reading

What do you think? Beginner

How do you ask someone for their opinion? And how do you express your opinion in an answer? This short video introduces and demonstrates this grammar pattern with numerous examples:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c4rAx5dsxho

Twitter: @ECLSchool

Flag origins All

The Chinese flag, with its red background and yellow stars, is easy to recognize. What do the different parts mean, and what alternatives were considered?

http://blogs.transparent.com/chinese/the-chinese-flag/

Twitter: @ChineseLanguage

If only I knew… Intermediate

If only! Here are some phrases (some of them very loving and romantic!) that are all about “if only” something being true:

http://www.e-putonghua.com/zone/index.php/2017/04/25/listen-99/

Twitter: @eputonghua

Nose and eyes Intermediate

How realistic is a picture? In Chinese, you can talk about their noses and eyes, as described in this short story:

http://www.imandarinpod.com/hoola/index.php/podcasts/14-2009-12-02-23-37-05/2825-2017-04-28-03-18-39

Twitter: @imandarinpod

Useful sites All

What Web sites will provide you with the most and best Chinese practice? Here’s a roundup of some of the most useful ones:

http://www.fluentu.com/chinese/blog/2017/04/26/best-website-to-learn-chinese/

Twitter: @FluentU

Old friends Beginner

In China, people often refer to their home town. If you meet someone from there, or have a friend from there, they are your 老乡 (lǎo xiāng):

http://www.echineselearning.com/blog/share-the-same-hometown

Twitter: @ECLSchool

Getting paid Intermediate

A short dialogue about getting paid, and working in a high-tech company:

http://www.e-putonghua.com/zone/index.php/2017/04/30/listen-104/

Twitter: @eputonghua

Ordering food Beginner

How do you order food in Chinese? And how can you ask the waiter for a recommendation? This short video answers these and other simple questions:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5OJPR06wjHw

Twitter: @MyTutorMandarin

Searching for Pinyin All

The search engine “Duck Duck Go” has always offered a number of special searches with its “bang syntax,” meaning an exclamation point (!) before a special word. They now include translation via Arch Chinese, as explained here:

http://duckgobang.com/english-chinese-dictionary-bang/

The Ordinary Road Advanced

A beautiful song, 平凡之路 (píng fán zhī lù), with characters, pinyin, and translation:

http://mychinesereading.com/the-ordinary-road/

Shopping bags Advanced

Do you bring your own bags to the supermarket? Do you have to pay for plastic bags in your country? You do if you’re in China, as this story explains:

http://www.imandarinpod.com/hoola/index.php/podcasts/16-2009-12-02-23-37-52/2823-2017-04-26-14-02-38

Twitter: @imandarinpod