This is Mandarin Weekly #121, 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.
What to eat and drink Intermediate
Traditional Chinese medicine strongly influences the food and drink that people in China have. Here are some basic ideas to consider and keep in mind:
https://www.writtenchinese.com/the-mysterious-impact-food-can-have-on-the-body-according-to-tcm/
Twitter: @WrittenChinese
More or less Intermediate
How long will it take? How hot will it be today? How quickly do you type? These and other questions are often answered not with a specific number, but with an approximate one. How can you indicate that the value is approximate in Chinese?
http://www.digmandarin.com/expressing-approximate-number-mandarin.html
Twitter: @DigMandarin
Starting a conversation Beginner
Maybe you can have a conversation in Chinse, but how do you start the conversation? Here are some tips and ways to do so:
https://mandarinhq.com/2017/05/start-a-conversation-in-chinese/
Twitter: @MandarinHQ
Body parts Beginner
How do you say different body parts in Chinese? This video provides numerous examples of the most common body parts, as well as some expressions you can use with them:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f98EJHin0to
Twitter: @ECLSchool
Restaurant phrases Intermediate
Planning to eat in a restaurant soon, and want to practice your Chinese? Here are 60 words and phrases you can use, along with an explanation of when they would be appropriate:
http://www.fluentu.com/chinese/blog/2017/05/03/chinese-restaurant-phrases/
Twitter: @FluentU
About Einstein Advanced
Albert Einstein was one of the most prominent scientists of the 20th century. This story, in Chinese, describes his life and accomplishments:
http://www.alllanguageresources.com/albert-einstein-advanced-reading-practice-audio/
A mouse? Or a monster? Intermediate
A short story (well, the first part of one) describing an emperor who couldn’t’ tell the difference between a mouse and a monster:
http://www.imandarinpod.com/hoola/index.php/podcasts/15-2009-12-02-23-37-29/2833-2017-05-06-07-00-31
Twitter: @imandarinpod
Reading narrowly All
How can you improve your Chinese reading? “Narrow reading” is one technique, which helps you to improve your fluency by focusing on a single subject or author. Here’s how to use it:
http://www.hackingchinese.com/narrow-listening-reading-can-help-learn-chinese/
Twitter: @HackingChinese
Custom fonts All
Here is a collection of book covers in that use custom Chinese characters, adding to the design:
http://www.sinosplice.com/life/archives/2017/05/03/cool-custom-fonts-for-chinese-book-covers
Popular foods Beginner
What are some of the most famous foods in China? This video introduces them, so that you can know what to order when you next go out:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3R8MOddWr4E
Twitter: @chineseclass101
Ancient Chinese money Advanced
What was Chinese money like in ancient times? Here is a story that describes it:
http://www.imandarinpod.com/hoola/index.php/podcasts/13-2009-12-02-23-35-40/2830-2017-05-04-08-29-32
Twitter: @imandarinpod
Wedding words Intermediate
How do you talk about engagement, marriage, and everything else having to do with getting married? Here are some useful words, and an explanation of how the words are related:
http://blog.hellochinese.cc/2017/05/05/woman-will-get-married-character-%e5%a9%9a-will-tell/
Twitter: @HelloChineseApp
Watch more TV! (In Chinese) Advanced
Watching TV in Chinese might be challenging, but it’ll improve your comprehension and expose you to current cultural and linguistic thinking. Here are some Chinese shows to watch out for:
https://www.yoyochinese.com/blog/5-Popular-Chinese-TV-Shows-Immerse-You-Chinese-Culture
Twitter: @YoYoChinese
Chinese calligraphy All
Chinese calligraphy is a famous form of art that you’re likely to see on any trip to China. Here is some background on calligraphy, along with vocabulary to describe it:
http://www.saporedicina.com/english/art-calligraphy-china/
Checking a report Beginner
A student asks his mother to check his report for school, in this short dialogue:
http://mychinesereading.com/can-check-paper/
Only Beginner
How do you say “only” in Chinese? You can use the character 只 (zhǐ),but how do you include it in your sentences, and is it always appropriate?
https://themandarincornerblog.com/2017/05/06/its-only/
I’ll take care of it Beginner
A short story exhibiting the use of a common idiom:
http://www.imandarinpod.com/hoola/index.php/podcasts/14-2009-12-02-23-37-05/2831-2017-05-05-06-23-36
Twitter: @imandarinpod
Counting days Beginner
Why do we use 天 (tiān) for counting days in Chinese, rather than 日 (rì)?
Look out! Advanced
What does the expression 好自为之 (hǎo zì wéi zhī) mean? And is it to be take positively or negatively?
Also published on Medium.