Fun Learning Chinese: Recent Episodes
Fun Learning Chinese
Join me and my Chinese tutor as we explore everyday Chinese vocabulary in ways that make sense to an adult learner.
When we think of the future, we tend to think of weeks or years ahead. But what about the next five seconds?
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We found out the hard way that there are some things you should find out before you let your dog have puppies.
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The ocean is unpredictable, but sometimes accidents are because people don't anticipate all the physics involved in a situation. This is the finale to the Caribbean tale.
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Racing against time before a predicted hurricane, the new and inexperienced crew has to make several important repairs on the sailboat. This involves island hopping and mysterious sounds on the deck.
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A sailboat is on its way to the Caribbean islands to pick up some retirees with adventurous spirits. Join in the anticipation for the trip of a lifetime and easily learn some helpful geography along the way.
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Your mom probably told you there's no such thing as a free turkey, but just the idea that it is free can be a great motivator.
Making homemade cookies can be extra important and extra challenging when living abroad.
Make your Chinese comprehension explode into beautiful illuminated colors when you become a FLC Firecracker member. Visit funlearningchinese.com to learn more.
Make your Chinese comprehension explode into beautiful illuminated colors when you become a FLC Firecracker member. Visit funlearningchinese.com to learn more.
Make your Chinese comprehension explode into beautiful illuminated colors when you become a FLC Firecracker member. Visit funlearningchinese.com to learn more.
Make your Chinese comprehension explode into beautiful illuminated colors when you become a FLC Firecracker member. Visit funlearningchinese.com to learn more.
Make your Chinese comprehension explode into beautiful illuminated colors when you become a FLC Firecracker member. Visit funlearningchinese.com to learn more.
Sometimes you are saying exactly what you mean to, but the person hearing you is getting a completely different message.
In this final segment of the frog's story, we find out what ultimately happens to them and why, as well as what the children think about this.
A happy convergence of Chinese characters made reading my receipt into a fun learning experience!
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How to Talk About Your Husband 怎麼談論關於妳的老公
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The Day We Drove Off a Cliff 我們開車墜落山崖的那一天
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If you give a baby a kiss 如果你給寶寶一個親吻
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The Boy and the Bear 一個男孩和一隻熊
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The Never Ending Corner 無止盡的轉角
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Evil Lurking in the Night 邪靈在黑夜裡潛行
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Fireworks Can Chase People 會追人的煙火
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Walk Your Dog 遛你的狗
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My Churning Stomach 我翻滾的胃
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How Can You Tell if a Robot is Bad 你怎麼看出來一個機器人是會使壞的?
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Are You a Big Baby 你是個大嬰孩嗎 ？
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We Interrupted a Beaver’s Afternoon Nap 我們打醒了一隻河狸的午睡
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我老公的臉中槍了 ！My Husband was Shot in the Face
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So What 那又怎樣, No Way 那怎麼可能, and Big Deal 有什麼了不起的 in Chinese
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My Heart and Tea Made With Hibiscus 我的心臟和含有木槿的茶
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Don’t Tip the Shed Over 不要把庫房弄翻了 ！
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Texting 傳簡訊 in Chinese
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An Extremely Disgusting Big Fly 一隻非常討厭的大蒼蠅
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Sing About the Mysterious Young Woman Ye Li Ya 唱一首 關於”神秘女郎耶利亞”的歌
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The Thousand Dollar Children’s Book 千元天價童書
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My Horse Twisted Her Leg 我的馬的腳扭傷了
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Chinese Lesson Blurb: Tips and Tricks for Using Passive Voice
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Milking My Mini Goat 給我的迷你山羊擠奶 (don't forget to sign in!)
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Frogs in My Swimming Pool 青蛙在我的游泳池裡 (don't forget to sign in!)
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My Horse and the Big Metal Monster 我的馬和金屬大怪物 (don't forget to sign in!)
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The To Do of 幹 versus 做 and Avoiding Harsh Swearing in Chinese
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How to Know if You Are Confused 如何知道自己是否糊塗了 (don't forget to sign in!)
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Looking for Your Teeth on the Floor 滿地找牙
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Be Careful Who You Play Frisbee With 你要小心你跟誰玩丟擲飛盤！
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What to do in a Zombie Apocalypse 殭屍天啓的時期我們能做什麼呢？
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It was a Delicious Looking Sunrise 一幅看上去絕妙無比的日出
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Running Barefoot Makes Me Happy 光腳丫跑步讓我覺得快樂
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How to Kill a Spider 如何踩死一隻蜘蛛 in Chinese
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It is Now Wonder 難怪 in Chinese
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Chinese Lesson Blurb - English Homonyms for Spring 春天 and 泉
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Would You Like to Time Travel 你是否想做時空旅行 in Chinese
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How to Order Donuts 怎麼點甜甜圈 in Chinese
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I Explain How to Make Hot Chocolate 我說明怎麼做熱巧克力 in Chinese
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Memories from a Flower Fragrance 對夜來香花香的記憶 in Chinese
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You will find a version of the song to listen to after the story.
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Chinese Lesson Blurb: Can You Politely Say 閉嘴 Shut Your Mouth
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Chinese Lesson Blurb: 太扯了 Too Far Fetched
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The Bluetooth Speaker Speaks Chinese 藍牙音箱說中文
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Politicians Should Meditate More 政客們應該多多冥想 in Chinese
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Chinese Lesson Blurb: Using 卻 to Spotlight Contradiction
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Fishing in the Swamp 在沼澤裡釣魚 in Chinese
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My Girl Has Already Been Taken 我女兒已經名花有主 in Chinese
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Squirrels Racing on My Roof 松鼠在屋頂上賽跑 in Chinese
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Christmas is Coming Soon 聖誕節快到了 in Chinese
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The Squirrels Hold a Meeting 松鼠開會 in Chinese
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The Math of Losing Weight 減肥瘦身法的數學 in Chinese
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From Hamburger to Chocolate 從漢堡到巧克力 in Chinese
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Happiness Keeps You Sweet 幸福讓你保有甜蜜 in Chinese
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Change Languages on Facebook 在臉書上變更語言 in Chinese
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If You Forget to Set Your Alarm 如果你忘了設定鬧鐘 in Chinese
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Alaskan Grizzly Bears and Salmon Bones 阿拉斯加灰熊和鮭魚骨頭 in Chinese
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It Depends on the Mosquitoes Outside 那要看外面是否有蚊子 in Chinese
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Raising Goat Kids 飼養小山羊 in Chinese
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Things That Will Happen Soon “快”發生的事情 in Chinese
One of the meanings of 跟 (see pronunciation and definitions below) has to do with ‘following closely.’ When you add 不 and 上 after it, it means you can’t keep up. The sequence of tones (first tone ⇾ second tone ⇾ fourth tone) make it particularly easy to say and fit with the emotion of someone who is struggling with keeping up.
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Can’t Keep Up 跟不上 in Chinese
I had a rather horrific and surreal freeway experience on my way to my Chinese lesson a couple of weeks ago. A car ahead of me spun wildly out of control, probably going 65 – 70 miles per hour. It whipped back and forth across the freeway while halfway spinning this way and that.
I was far enough behind to slow down and stay out of the way, but the out-of-control car didn’t come to a stop until it was about 20 yards in front of me, the next lane over and facing sideways! Then, it started to quickly pull out in front of me, the driver probably thinking she might be rammed from the side by on coming traffic. However, everyone behind me had slowed to a stop, too. Finally, she came to a complete stop and we all slowly passed. I imagine she went home and cried.
I couldn’t concentrate until I told my tutor about it. As soon as she heard it she said, 「一顆老鼠屎壞了一鍋粥！」
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Experiences That Make Me Feel Very Afraid 那些我想起來就覺得驚心動快的經驗 in Chinese
Every language has particular ways you can play with it. The character of the Chinese language makes it easy and normal to make up words. The lack of filler words makes it easier to construct sayings in short patterns. My tutor did this recently when she was discussing life with someone. It is not an ancient Chinese philosophy per se, but she did write a poem that is classically Chinese.
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What is Happiness 什麼是幸福？
My Chinese tutor and I got a bit philosophical last week. It began when we were discussing vocabulary that had to do with having enough time. She asked me this question:
你的人生哲學是什麼？
(你的)(人生)(哲學)(是)(什麼)
(ㄋㄧˇ ㄉㄜ˙)(ㄖㄣˊ ㄕㄥ)(ㄓㄜˊ ㄒㄩㄝˊ)(ㄕˋ)(ㄔㄣˊ ㄇㄜ˙)
(nǐ de.)(rén shēng)(zhé xué)(shì)(shén me.)
(your)(life/one’s time on earth)(philosophy)(to be/is)(what)
What is your life philosophy?
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What is Your Life Philosophy 你的人生哲學是什麼？
More on why 打 can be such a fun character
Recently, my tutor went over many ways to use 打 ㄉㄚˇ (dǎ). We also discussed the parts of the character 打 and how they relate to its meaning. Then, for the next lesson I had she had quite a few more ways she wanted to list. Many of them are quite fun.
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More Ways to Use 打 ：「打」有更多用法
Finding the hand in the action
The character 打 has the particle in it that is derived from the character 手. Here are their respective pronunciations, along with basic translations:
打 ㄉㄚˇ (dǎ) to beat, to strike, to hit, to break, to type
手 ㄕㄡˇ (shǒu) hand
Perhaps you have already picked up on why a “hand particle” would be part of the character 打? It is because it involves actions that are typically associated with the hand... to read more, including Chinese characters and diagrammed translations, go to:
The Many Ways to Use 打 ：「打」有很多用法
When my Chinese tutor was a young girl in school, she remembers being taught about Confucius. When Confucius was quoted, they were always supposed to use the ancient way of saying “says” which is 曰 ㄩㄝ (yuē).
Among themselves, the school children would joke:
孔子不會說，
(孔子)❶(不)(會)(說)
(ㄎㄨㄥˇ ㄗˇ)(ㄅㄨˊ)(ㄏㄨㄟˋ)(ㄔㄨㄛ)
(kǒng zǐ)(bú)(huì)(shuō)
(Confucius)(not)(will)(to say, to speak, to explain)
Confucius will not say,
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Chinese Lesson Blurb: 孔子曰 Confucius says
Sometimes English words seem vague to native Chinese speakers.
Most of you have learned that there is no direct translation for “yes” and “no” in Chinese. Answers to questions are given by using the verbs involved in the question. The word “available” is similar. There is no Chinese equivalent. In fact, my Chinese tutor told me it was challenging for her to understand the English word “available,” because it seems rather vague and is used in ways that don’t seem connected from a Chinese viewpoint.
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Available 有空，沒事，有錢，可以用，有賣，空缺 in Chinese
In English, there is a common saying “Methinks thou dost protest too much.” It is spoken in mock old English because it is a modification of a Shakespeare quote from Hamlet, “The lady doth protest too much, methinks.”
There is a similar saying in Chinese that is common after listening to politicians claim ... to read more, including Chinese characters and diagrammed translations, go to:
Chinese Lesson Blurb: 沒關係就是有關係
Who is Deshun Wang?
Deshun (sometimes spelled Dushun) Wang is an 80 year old Chinese actor. You can listen to his short bio on YouTube here.
You can follow along with the transcript below... to read more, including Chinese characters and diagrammed translations, go to:
Translating the Chinese of Deshun Wang the 80 Year Old Model
Do you know what an “almost counting word” is? Do you realize how much everyone uses them in everyday conversation? We all use such words that approximate or hint at counting, but these words are not precise or accurate.
Still, almost counting words are useful in many conversations. Here are some of the almost counting words ... to read more, including Chinese characters and diagrammed translations, go to:
Chinese Almost Counting Words 大致上算是計數詞彙
The English phrase figure it out means
to solve, to understand, to reason out
This is consistent with the definitions of the word figure, which have to do with both to form or shape and mathematical calculations. This basic concept is still present in the Chinese vocabulary that represents this idea.
The basic phrase used in Chinese is (verb) + 出來
出來
ㄔㄨ ㄌㄞˊ
(chū lái)
out come
When 出來 comes after a verb, it means coming out, completion of an action, or the ability to discern or detect.
For knowing how to say figure it out in Chinese, we use the definition the ability to discern or detect after a sense or thinking verb. Here are some of the common combinations: .... to read more, including Chinese characters and diagrammed translations, go to:
Figure It Out 算出來，想出來 … in Chinese
The Chinese word and character 一 (yī) is one of the first that people learn, and for good reason. My dictionary devotes about 6 pages of words made with it. It not only means “one,” but ... to read more, including Chinese characters and diagrammed translations, go to:
The Ups and Downs of 一 Yī in Chinese
Why do Chinese people choose English names?
Every Chinese person I have met has had an English name. Whether they were living in Taiwan, living in the United States, or on a cruise ship, each one of them has introduced themselves by their English name. They would only tell me their Chinese name when I asked. I would try to say it, and would sometimes get it correct, but they seemed to want me to use their English name.
I think this is partly because the tones are so important in Chinese. English speakers who are not fluent in Chinese almost always mangle Chinese names. This may not seem like a big deal to English speakers, ... to read more, including Chinese characters and diagrammed translations, go to:
The Many Faces of Chinese Names
Idioms in any language are phrases that are not well explained by literal translation. I have been introduced to some counting idioms as my Chinese tutor and I work on translating my (English version) children’s book A Million Rocks. The book is about almost counting words – words that imply size or amounts without referring to actual numbers or exact amounts.
All of the following Chinese 4 words idioms mean “very few.” The first three can be used regarding anything, but the last one is reserved for people.
To read more, including Chinese characters and diagrammed translations, go to:
Chinese Lesson Blurb: One Handed Counting Idioms
People are always coming and going. Suppose someone asks you:
你知道我的兒子在哪裡？
(你)(知道)(我的)(兒子)(在)(哪裡)
(ㄋㄧˇ) (ㄓ ㄉㄠˋ) (ㄨㄛˇ ㄉㄜ˙) (ㄦˊ ㄗ˙) (ㄗㄞˋ) (ㄋㄚˇ ㄌㄧˇ)
(nǐ)(zhī dào)(wǒ de.)(ér zi.)(zài)(nǎ lǐ)
(you)(to know)(my)(son)(at)(where)
Do you know where my son is?
And suppose you saw him leaving the house. How you answer will depend on your location compared to the house...
To read more, including Chinese characters and diagrammed translations, go to:
Are You Coming or Going 進來或出去 in Chinese
A fun word association that came up in my Chinese lesson today is going to help me remember how to say “key chain,” or more accurately “key ring,” in Chinese.
鑰匙圈 means “key chain.” Let me break it down... to read more, including Chinese characters and diagrammed translations, go to:
Chinese Lesson Blurb: Key Chains and Donuts
The other day I accidentally told my Chinese tutor that I was perfect.
我說「我完全了！」
(我)(說)「(我)(完全)(了)！」
(ㄨㄛˇ) (ㄕㄨㄛ) [(ㄨㄛˇ) (ㄨㄢˊ ㄑㄨㄢˊ) (ㄌㄜ˙)]
(wǒ)(shuō) [(wǒ)(wán quán)(le.)!]
(I)(to say, to speak) [(I)(complete, whole, totally, entirely)(intensifies preceding clause)!]
I said, “I am perfect!”
I was trying to explain that I had finished something... to read more, including Chinese characters and diagrammed translations, go to:
Are You Finished 你完成了嗎 in Chinese
你想要多做某件事情
(你)(想要)(多)(做)(某件)(事情)
(ㄋㄧˇ) (ㄒㄧㄤˇ ㄧㄠˋ) (ㄉㄨㄛ) (ㄗㄨㄛˋ) (ㄇㄡˇ ㄐㄧㄢˋ) (ㄕˋ ㄑㄧㄥˊ)
(nǐ)(xiǎng yào)(duō)(zuò)(mǒu jiàn)(shì qíng)
(you)(think to want)(more)(to do)(some + MW for affair)(affair, matter, business, thing)
You want to do more of something
Sometimes we want to do more of something than we are, like practice more or save more. A basic Chinese sentence structure for this is:
(subject)多(verb)(conjunction)(subject)(desired result)
To read more, including Chinese characters and diagrammed translations, go to:
You Want to Do More of Something 你想要多做某件事情 in Chinese
破音字 ㄆㄛˋ ㄧㄣ ㄗˋ are kind of like Chinese homonyms. In English, homonyms are words that sound the same, but are spelled differently (look different) and have different meanings.
Examples: here and hear.
Are you here? I can’t hear you!
The translation of 破音字 ㄆㄛˋ ㄧㄣ ㄗˋ (pò yīn zì) is humorous to me because the first character 破 (pò) means “broken” or “to split or break”.
To read more, including Chinese characters and diagrammed translations, go to:
得 is a pò yīn zì 是一個破音字
Recently, my Chinese tutor decided to help me understand the possibilities and nuances for using the character 只 ㄓˇ (zhǐ) in combination with some other common verbs. Like many things in language learning, the best way to get a better grasp of usage is to hear and try the words in sentences. She gave me several example sentences, then I made my own sentences. On the audio, you can hear her say these words using 我 ㄨㄛˇ (wǒ) as the subject, because they wouldn’t just be said alone in conversation:
我只要 ㄨㄛˇ ㄓˇ ㄧㄠˋ (wǒ zhǐ yào)
我只有 ㄨㄛˇ ㄓˊ ㄧㄡˇ (wǒ zhí yǒu)
我只是 ㄨㄛˇ ㄓˇ ㄕˋ (wǒ zhǐ shì)
我只想 ㄨㄛˇ ㄓˊ ㄒㄧㄤˇ (wǒ zhí xiǎng)
To read more, including Chinese characters and diagrammed translations, go to:
Just Want 只要, Just Think 只想, Just Have 只有, and Just Am 只是 in Chinese
Understanding the Chinese pronouns that are translated to he, she, or it requires knowing a couple of things. First of all, the pronouns that mean he, she, or it in Chinese all sound the same, but have different characters.
他 ㄊㄚ (tā) “he”
她 ㄊㄚ (tā) “she”
牠 ㄊㄚ (tā) “it”
它 ㄊㄚ (tā) “it”
There are two different characters meaning it, because there is one for animals and one for inanimate objects.
To read more, including Chinese characters and diagrammed translations, go to:
Understanding the words he 他, she 她, and it 牠 or 它 in Chinese
你的蠟筆是什麼顏色
(你的)(蠟筆)(是)(什麼)(顏色)
(ㄋㄧˇ ㄉㄜ˙) (ㄌㄚˋ ㄅㄧˇ) (ㄕˋ) (ㄕㄣˊ ㄇㄜ˙) (ㄧㄢˊ ㄙㄜˋ)
(nǐ de.)(là bǐ)(shì)(shén me.)(yán sè)
(your)(wax + pen, pencil, or brush = crayon)(to be/is)(what)(color)
What color is your crayon?
The basic colors in Chinese are fairly straight forward. There is a character for the color which is followed by the character 色 ㄙㄜˋ (sè), which specifies that “color” is being talked about.
To read more, including Chinese characters and diagrammed translations, go to:
What Color is Your Crayon 你的蠟筆是什麼顏色 in Chinese
當你迷路的時候
(當)(你)(迷路)[(的)(時候)]
(ㄉㄤ) (ㄋㄧˇ) (ㄇㄧˊ ㄌㄨˋ) [(ㄉㄜ˙) (ㄕˊ ㄏㄡˋ)]
(dāng)(nǐ)(mí lù)[(de.)(sh́í hòu)]
(just at)(you)(to get lost)[(adjective marker)(time, when, moment, juncture)]
When you are/get lost
To read more, including Chinese characters and diagrammed translations, go to:
When You Are Lost 當你迷路的時候 in Chinese
Like it or not, there are stereotypes and bantering between men and women of all cultures. Sometimes it can be quite entertaining, like in some of the sentences that my tutor taught me recently as sort of a twist to Valentine’s Day.
It can be risky to ask someone,
你今天的心情怎麼樣？
(你)(今天)(的)(心情)(怎麼樣)
(ㄋㄧˇ) (ㄐㄧㄣ ㄊㄧㄢ) (ㄉㄜ˙) (ㄒㄧㄣ ㄑㄧㄥˊ) (ㄗㄣˇ ㄇㄜ˙ ㄧㄤˋ)
(nǐ)(jīn tiān)(de.)(xīn qíng)(zěn me. yàng)
(you)(today)(adjective marker)❶(mood)(is like what)
What is your mood today?
To read more, including Chinese characters and diagrammed translations, go to:
What Mood Are You In 你今天的心情怎麼樣 in Chinese
The use of the letter “i” in pinyin can be confusing. Pinyin is the use of the ABC’s, such as is used in English, to symbolize sounds in the Chinese language. Sometimes the pinyin sounds are fairly similar to the English sounds, and sometimes they are quite different.
When saying some words, the single pinyin “i” has a sound more like the traditional English long “e” pronunciation. For example,
雞 ㄐㄧ (jī)❶
七 ㄑㄧ (qī)❷
In other uses, the single pinyin “i” sounds more like an English short “i”. This is the case in words like
是 ㄕˋ (shì)❸
日 ㄖˋ (rì)❹
Fortunately, there is a pattern to this ... to read more, including Chinese characters and diagrammed translations, go to:
Understanding the i’s in Pinyin
當我跟中文老師聊天關於我在墨西哥度假說不同語言的經驗時，
(當)(我)(跟)(中文)(老師)(聊天)(關於)…
(ㄉㄤ)(ㄨㄛˇ)(ㄍㄣ)(ㄓㄨㄥ ㄨㄣˊ)(ㄌㄠˇ ㄕ)(ㄌㄧㄠˊ ㄊㄧㄢ)(ㄍㄨㄢ ㄩˊ)
(dāng)(wǒ)(gēn)(zhōng wén)(lǎo shī)(liáo tiān)(guān yú)
(just at)(I)(with)(Chinese language)(teacher)(chat)(about)
…..(我)(在)(墨西哥)(度假)(的)(經驗)(時)，
……(ㄨㄛˇ)(ㄗㄧˋ)(ㄇㄛˋ ㄒㄧ ㄍㄜ)(ㄉㄨˋ ㄐㄧㄚˋ)(ㄉㄜ˙)(ㄐㄧㄥ ㄧㄢˋ)(ㄕˊ),
……(wǒ)(zài)(mò xī gē)(dù jià)(de.)(jīng yàn)(shí)
……(my)(at)(Mexico)(vacation)(adjective marker)(experience)(time)
When I was chatting with my Chinese teacher about my Mexican vacation,
她馬上就說：
(她)(馬上)❶（就）(說)：
(ㄊㄚ)(ㄇㄚˇ ㄕㄤˋ)(ㄐㄧㄡˋ )(ㄕㄨㄛ)：
(tā)(mǎ shàng)(jiǔ)(shuō):
(she)(immediately)(then)(to say):
she immediately said,
To read more, including Chinese characters and diagrammed translations, go to:
When the Chicken Tries to Talk with the Duck 雞同鴨講 : a Chinese Idiom
在雪地上開車
(在)(雪)(地)(上)(開車)
(ㄗㄞˋ)(ㄒㄩㄝˇ)(ㄉㄧˋ)(ㄕㄤˋ)(ㄎㄞ ㄔㄜ)
(zài)(xuě)(dì)(shàng)(kāi chē)
(at, on)(snow)(ground)(on)(drive car)
Driving in the snow
To read more, including Chinese characters and diagrammed translations, go to:
Driving in the Snow 在雪地上開車 in Chinese
準備過感恩節
(準備)(過)(感恩節)
(ㄓㄨㄣˇ ㄅㄟˋ)(ㄍㄨㄛˋ)(ㄍㄢˇ ㄣ ㄐㄧㄝˊ)
(zhǔn bèi)(guò)(gǎn ēn jié)
(to prepare)(to celebrate)(Thanksgiving)
Preparing for Thanksgiving❶
上週因為要過感恩節，我們不斷地忙著。
(上)(週)(因為)(要)(過)(感恩節)，(我們)(不)(斷)(忙)(著)
(ㄕㄤˋ)(ㄓㄡ)(ㄧㄣ ㄨㄟˋ)(ㄧㄠˋ)(ㄍㄨㄛˋ)(ㄍㄢˇ ㄣ ㄐㄧㄝˊ)， (ㄨㄛˇ ㄇㄣ˙)(ㄅㄨˊ)(ㄉㄨㄢˋ) (ㄇㄤˊ) (ㄓㄜ˙)
(shàng)(zhōu)(yīn wèi)(yào)(guò)(gǎn ēn jié), (wǒ men.)(bú)(duàn)(máng)(zhe.)
(last)(week)(because)(want to, need to)(to live, to celebrate)(to be grateful + gratitude + holiday = Thanksgiving Day), (we)(not)(broken) = continuous)(busy)(-ing/particle indicating action in progress)
Last week, because of Thanksgiving, we were constantly busy.
To read more, including Chinese characters and diagrammed translations, go to:
Preparing for Thanksgiving 準備過感恩節 in Chinese
I recently interviewed my Chinese tutor. In the first part of the interview, she answered my questions in Chinese, which I will have written out for you in the blog. In the second part of the interview, she started answering in English.
Transcript:
Me: Today, I am going to interview my Chinese tutor, who I know by the name of Vesta. (turning to Vesta) But what is your Chinese name?
Vesta: 黃顗篟
ㄏㄨㄤˊ ㄧˇ ㄑㄧㄢˋ
(huáng yǐ qiàn)
To read more, including Chinese characters and diagrammed translations, go to:
An Interview with My Chinese Tutor
如何製成物品
(如何)(製成)(物品)
(ㄖㄨˊ ㄏㄜˊ)(ㄓˋ ㄔㄥˊ)(ㄨˋ ㄆㄧㄣˇ)
(rú hé)(zhì chéng)(wù pǐn)
(how to, in what way)(to turn out [a product])(thing, object + product, good)
How to make things (or How things are made)
When we were discussing all the things it is impossible for me to do in Chinese, my tutor decided it was time to introduce me to the specific vocabulary used when making certain things. She says that while people would probably understand me if I used 做 ㄗㄨㄛˋ (zuò) for everything, it would not sound right to them. In Chinese, the words that can be generally translated as “to make” vary according to the way something is made.
To read more, including Chinese characters and diagrammed translations, go to:
How Things Are Made 如何製成物品 in Chinese
有一天我告訴我的中文老師：
(有)(一)(天)(告訴)(我的)(中文)(老師)
(ㄧㄡˇ)(ㄧ)(ㄊㄧㄢ)(ㄍㄠˋ ㄙㄨˋ)(ㄨㄛˇ ㄉㄜ˙)(ㄓㄨㄥ ㄨㄣˊ)(ㄌㄠˇ ㄕ)
(yǒu)(yī)(tiān)(gào sù)(wǒ de.)(zhōng wén)(lǎo shī)
(to have)(one)(day)(to tell)(my)(Chinese language)(teacher)
One day I told my Chinese teacher:
「我的狗不可能說中文。」
To read more, including Chinese characters and diagrammed translations, go to:
It is Impossible for My Dog to Speak in Chinese 我的狗不可能說中文
四十四隻石獅子 ，一個中文繞口令
(四十)(四)(隻)(石)(獅子) ，(一個)(中文)(繞口令)
(ㄙˋ ㄕˊ)(ㄙˋ)(ㄓ)(ㄕˊ)(ㄕ ㄗ) ， (ㄧ ㄍㄜ˙)(ㄓㄨㄥ ㄨㄣˊ)(ㄖㄠˋ ㄎㄡˇ ㄌㄧㄥˋ)
(si4 shi2)(si4)(zhi1)(shi2)(shi1 zi.), (yi1 ge.)(zhong1 wen2)(rao4 kou3 ling4)
(four tens)(four)(MW❶ for lion)(rock, stone)(lion), (a, one)(Chinese)(to go around + mouth + to cause)
Forty-four rock lions, a Chinese tongue-twister
To read more, including Chinese characters and diagrammed translations, go to:
44 Rock Lions, a Chinese Tongue Twister 四十四隻石獅子 ，一個中文繞口令
你喜歡看什麼電視節目？
(你)(喜歡)(看)(什麼)(電視)(節目)
(ㄋㄧˇ)(ㄒㄧˇ ㄏㄨㄢ)(ㄎㄢˋ)(ㄕㄣˊ ㄇㄜ˙)(ㄉㄧㄢˋ ㄕˋ)(ㄐㄧㄝˊ ㄇㄨˋ)
(ni3)(xi3 huan1)(kan4)(shen2 me.)(dian4 shi4)(jie2 mu4)
(you)(to like)(to watch)(what)(TV)(program)
What TV program would you like to watch?
To read more, including Chinese characters and diagrammed translations, go to:
What TV Program Would You Like to Watch 你喜歡看什麼電視節目 in Chinese
If you are asking generally what sorts of things that someone is not used to, you ask:
你對什麼不習慣？
(你)(對)(什麼(不) (習慣
(ㄋㄧˇ)(ㄉㄨㄟˋ)(ㄕㄣˊ ㄇㄜ˙)(ㄅㄨˋ)(ㄒㄧˊ ㄍㄨㄢˋ)
(nǐ)(duì)(shén me.)(bù)(xí guàn)
(you)(toward, with regard to)(what)(not)(used to, habit)
What are you not used to?
If you want to direct the question more specifically, the word order gets changed a bit to:
To read more, including Chinese characters and diagrammed translations, go to:
What Are You Not Used To 你對什麼不習慣 in Chinese
如何獲得男朋友
(如何)(獲得)❶(男)(朋友)
(ㄖㄨˊ ㄏㄜˊ)(ㄏㄨㄛˋ ㄉㄜˊ)(ㄋㄢˊ)(ㄆㄥˊ ㄧㄡˇ)
(ru2 he2)(huo4 de2)(nan2)(peng2 you3)
(how to)(obtain, get)(boy)(friend)
How to get a boyfriend.
To read more, including Chinese characters and diagrammed translations. go to:
How to Get a Boyfriend 如何獲得男朋友 in Chinese
I have been using bopomofo more in my Chinese learning lately. In case you haven’t heard of it, it is a phonetic system for Chinese sounds that was designed to teach Chinese-speaking children how to read.
I wrote a few weeks ago about how using bopomofo helps my brain switch to Chinese more thoroughly. When I posted that blog, one of my daughters sent me a link to some keyboard bopomofo stickers she had looked at. It didn’t take me long to decide to buy some.
To read more go to:
Chinese BoPoMoFo Stickers for My Computer Keyboard
談論關於把馬子
(談論) (關於)❶ (把)❷ (馬子)
(ㄊㄢˊ ㄌㄨㄣˋ) (ㄍㄨㄢ ㄩˊ) (ㄅㄚˇ) (ㄇㄡˇ ㄗ˙)
(tán lùn) (guān yú) (bǎ) (mǎ zi.)
(to discuss, talk about) (pertaining to, a matter of)(girl, chick, babe)
To read more, including Chinese characters and diagrammed translations, go to:
Talking About Picking Up Chicks 談論關於把馬子 in Chinese
如何拍照片
(如何) (拍) (照片)
(ㄖㄨˊ ㄏㄜˊ) (ㄆㄞ) (ㄓㄠˋ ㄆㄧㄢˋ)
(ru2 he2) (pai1) (zhao4 pian4)
(how) (to pat, to clap, to take) (photograph)
To read more, including Chinese characters and diagrammed translations. go to:
How to Take a Photo 如何拍照片 in Chinese
The photo showed up in my Facebook feed, so I figured I would try to translate it. It looks like a photo of a section of an ancient Chinese document.
無為是道家的主要思想
(無為)(是)(道家)(的)(主要)(思想)
(ㄨˊ ㄨㄟˊ) (ㄕˋ) (ㄉㄠˋ ㄐㄧㄚ) (ㄉㄜ˙) (ㄓㄨˇ ㄧㄠˋ) (ㄙ ㄒㄧㄤˇ)
(wú wéi)(shì)(dào jīa)(de.)(zhǔ yào)(sī xiǎng)
(not act)(way + home, family = Daoist School)(adjective marker)(main, principal)(thought, ideology)
“Let things take their course” is the principal ideology of Daoism.
I knew it was old script, but I was able to draw it well enough on my iPad KTdict Chinese-English dictionary app to pull up the current way the characters are drawn. I checked with my tutor and had it verified that they are ....
To read more, including Chinese characters and diagrammed translations, to to:
Daoism 無為 versus Nike 做就對了 in Old Chinese Script
Why I switched to bopomofo
The first year or so, I stuck to pinyin for learning about Chinese pronunciation. I made some progress, but when I moved back to the USA, I found another, local native speaking Chinese tutor. When she often lapsed into using the bopomofo phonetic representation that she had learned in grade school in Taiwan, I noticed it seemed to flip a switch in my brain. Using the bopomofo kept my brain in Chinese-mode and made me more aware of the distinct Chinese pronunciation of the sounds represented.
To read more go to:
A Simple BoPoMoFo Chart Helps Me Learn Chinese
當你要先做某件事情的時候
(當)(你)(要)(先)(做)(某)(件)(事情)(的時候)
(ㄉㄤ)(ㄋㄧˇ)(ㄧㄠˋ)(ㄒㄧㄢ)(ㄗㄨㄛˋ)(ㄇㄡˇ)(ㄐㄧㄢˋ)(ㄕˋ ㄑㄧㄤˊ)(ㄉㄜ˙ ㄕˊ ㄏㄡˋ)
(dāng)(nǐ)(yào)(xiān)(zuò)(mǒu)(jiàn)(shì qíng)(de. shí hòu)
(just at)(you)(to want)(first)(to do)(some)(measure word)(affair, matter)(when)
When you want to do something first
In everyday conversation, there is often the desire to communicate the order of things. What did you do first? What will you do first? In what order will you or did you get things done? If you only need to do one thing before getting to something else in particular use this structure:
To read more, including Chinese characters and diagrammed translations, go to:
When You Want to Do Something First 當你要先做某件事情的時候 in Chinese
As I promised, here is what I wanted to tell my Chinese tutor I was discussing with my husband. She had also just given me the assignment of writing out a conversation in Chinese, in order to practice using the authentic conversational sounds she had been teaching me more about. I choose a representation of our conversation about buying a car. The original conversation was actually in English, as my husband is not learning Chinese (although he fakes it quite humorously sometimes in the background during a lesson). So, I did my best to base the Chinese version on what we were talking about, then my Chinese tutor corrected a couple of things and here it is!
老公：我在想關於為妳買一部小車子呦。
(老公)：(我)(在)(想)(關於)(為)(妳)(買)(一部)(小)(車子)(呦)
We Discuss Buying a Car 討論買一部車子 in Chinese
(lǎo gōng): (wǒ) (zài) (xiǎng) (guān yú) (wèi) (nǐ) (mǎi) (yī bù) (xiǎo) (chē zi.) (yōu)
(husband): (I) (indicates progressive tense of following verb, -ing) (to think) (about, a matter of) (for) (you) (to buy) (one) (small) (car) (conversational sound)
Husband: I am thinking of buying you a small car.
To read more, including Chinese characters and diagrammed translations, go to:
We Discuss Buying a Car 討論買一部車子 in Chinese
Just like in English, there are ways of saying things in Chinese that are basically the same, with very subtle differences in connotation. For instance, in my new children’s story, 藍色魚 (translated The Blue Fish), the use of the description of “blue” for the fish varies slightly along the way .
Here are some sentences to help explain:
To read more, including Chinese characters and diagrammed translations, go to:
The Grammar of Chinese Color: When to Use 藍色的 or 藍色
Last week, my tutor introduced me to a very helpful phrase and grammar structure for Chinese. The gist of the English translation is:
“just when (someone) was going to proceed to do _(this)_,_(this other thing)_happened (to interrupt).”
We both made up several sentences using this, which I hope you find both useful for reinforcing the concept and having fun creating your own sentences.
To read more, including Chinese characters and diagrammed translations, go to:
Just About To 正要 in Chinese
Travel to Palm Springs 到棕櫚泉旅行 in Chinese.
到棕櫚泉旅行
(到)(棕櫚)(泉)
(ㄉㄠˋ) [(ㄗㄨㄥ ㄌㄩˇ) (ㄑㄩㄢˊ)] (ㄌㄩˇ ㄒㄧㄥˊ)
(dào) [(zōng lǚ)(quán)] (lǚ xíng)
(arrive) [(palm)(spring)] (travel)
I had never been there before... to read more, including Chinese characters and diagrammed translations, go to:
Travel to Palm Springs 到棕櫚泉旅行 in Chinese
To find out how to become a FLC Firecracker member and get access to the fully diagrammed translations, go to the Fun Learning Chinese homepage at funlearningchinese.com
This foot was apparently added, rather than lost, in the translation. In fact, the Chinese characters on the sign in question, found by someone while hiking in China and posted at engrish.com, don’t say anything directly about feet. Part of the problem is that which is universal to all signs. Wording on signs is abbreviated.
The literal translation of the Chinese characters on the sign is as follows... to read more, including Chinese characters and diagrammed translations, go to:
The Dangerous Missing Foot 危險走失的腳丫子 in Chinese
To learn how to become a Fun Learning Chinese Firecracker member and thus get access to the diagrammed translations, including pronunciation in bopomofo and pinyin, go to funlearningchinese.com
If you are already a member, to see this translation, go to
Why People Need a Hug 為什麼人們 需要擁抱 in Chinese
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