Mandarin Weekly (每周中文) #124, 2017-May-29

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Punctuation Intermediate Grammar Characters

What do you call punctuation marks in Chinese, and how do you enter them on a keyboard? This article will describe it all:

https://www.writtenchinese.com/how-to-use-chinese-punctuation-and-keyboard-input/

Twitter: @WrittenChinese

Pinyin videos Beginner Pronunciation Video

Pinyin is, for many of us, the key to learning and pronouncing Chinese correctly. And yet, many of us aren’t always sure how to pronounce things correctly, or how to map pinyin to Western sounds. Here is a video series that goes over pronounciation and pinyin in great detail:

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLioS_-8erSI1B8dEErLr28sdgsHMui1d-

Twitter: @YoYoChinese

Particles in Chinese Beginner Grammar

Chinese is full of “particles,” characters that change the meaning of a sentence. Knowing these particles and how to use them can make your Chinese sound much more fluent. Here’s a guide to some of the more common particles:

http://www.saporedicina.com/english/grammatical-particle-chinese/

Decimals and fractions Intermediate Grammar

How can you talk about decimals, fractions, and percents in Chinese? This video should give you some good ideas:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sw6tdzTbTcQ

Twitter: @ECLSchool

Now hear this! Beginner Vocabulary

Trying to say something important to people in China? Here’s how you can get their attention:

https://mandarinhq.com/2017/05/get-people-take-seriously-mandarin-chinese/

Twitter: @MandarinHQ

Good jokes Intermediate Story

Heard a good joke lately? Here are some jokes in Chinese for you to use to improve your comprehension:

http://learnmandarinonline.net/best-jokes-2017-learn-mandarin-chinese/

Unspoken “if” Intermediate Grammar

We know that you can say 如果 (rú guǒ) to mean “if.” But this “if” is often left out, making the meaning of some sentences ambiguous:

http://www.sinosplice.com/life/archives/2017/05/24/the-challenge-of-implied-grammar-structures

Cartoons for children Beginner Learning Story

Are your children learning Chinese? If so, then they might enjoy watching some of these animated adventures in simple Chinese:

https://www.misspandachinese.com/chinese-cartoons-for-kids/

Twitter: @MissPandaChines

Summer vacation spots All Travel

Where should you go for a summer vacation in China? Here are some suggestions, including not only city names, but things to do in each one:

https://www.yoyochinese.com/blog/5-Amazing-Places-China-visit-Summer-Vacation

Twitter: @YoYoChinese

Getting a taxi All Travel

Trying to get a taxi in Shanghai (even without an app)? Here are some tips for how to succeed:

http://www.digmandarin.com/how-to-hail-a-shanghai-cab.html

Twitter: @DigMandarin

Warriors Beginner Travel

Near the city of 西安 (Xī’ān), you can see 兵马俑 (bīng mǎ yǒng), an amazing collection of sculptures. Here is a full description of what is there, as well as some vocabulary to tell others what you’ve seen:

http://blogs.transparent.com/chinese/terracotta-warriors/

Twitter: @ChineseLanguage

Basic pronunciation Beginner Pronunciation

Pronouncing Chinese accurately is key to using the language. Here is an introduction to pronunciation issues you might encounter, and how to practice/improve them:

http://www.fluentu.com/chinese/blog/2017/05/24/chinese-pronunciation-guide/

Twitter: @FluentU

Idioms for writing Intermediate Expressions

Here are some lovely idioms about spring that can help to make your language more colorful and expressive:

https://teachmechinese.wordpress.com/2017/05/25/using-chinese-idioms-in-writing/

Seven years of Hacking Chinese All Learning

Hacking Chinese is one of the best known resources for Chinese learners. Olle, the author, gives some retrospective and consideration:

http://www.hackingchinese.com/whats-name-hacking-chinese/

Twitter: @HackingChinese

Starbucks and Chinese holidays Intermediate Holidays

It’s traditional to eat 粽子 （zòng zi） on Dragon Boat. Starbucks is trying something new; here is their promotional material, which is interesting both culturally and for those of us improving our reading:

http://blog.hellochinese.cc/2017/05/27/starbucks-bring-traditional-chinese-holidays/

Twitter: @HelloChineseApp

Relationship trouble Beginner Story

A short story about a couple having issues, and whether their differences are the end of the relationship:

http://www.imandarinpod.com/hoola/index.php/podcasts/14-2009-12-02-23-37-05/2851-2017-05-29-03-28-04

Twitter: @imandarinpod

Learning characters Intermediate Story

Learning characters is hard; here is a story about someone trying to improve their knowledge:

http://www.imandarinpod.com/hoola/index.php/podcasts/13-2009-12-02-23-35-40/2845-2017-05-22-02-32-04

Twitter: @imandarinpod

Don’t be rude! Beginner Culture

If you have ever traveled to China, you know that some things which are accepted in the West are considered rude in China — and vice versa. Here is some information about such differences, as well as an important word, 倒胃口 (dǎo wèi kǒu), to describe such behavior:

http://www.echineselearning.com/blog/see-misbehavior-describe-it-with-daoweikou

Twitter: @ECLSchool

Expressing love Beginner Vocabulary

When you say “I really like you” in Chinese, does that mean you love them? What’s the difference between liking and loving?

https://chinese.stackexchange.com/questions/23888/%e6%88%91%e5%be%88%e5%96%9c%e6%ad%a1%e4%bd%a0%e5%91%80-in-a-specific-context

He should be here by now Intermediate Grammar

If you want to say “they should have been here by now,” do you need 了? How does this sentence work?

https://chinese.stackexchange.com/questions/23852/why-is-%e4%ba%86-used-in-this-context

When does evening start? Beginner Vocabulary

You can indicate evening in Chinese with 晚上 (wǎn shàng). When does this start, though, and how is it distinguished from afternoon and night?

https://chinese.stackexchange.com/questions/23869/when-does-evening-%e6%99%9a%e4%b8%8a-begin-in-china