Mandarin Monday: The 24 Solar Terms

Last Saturday marked the September (autumn) equinox, which meant we’ll once more get an equal length of day and night. Soon after, nights will become long again. The Chinese call it 秋分 (qiūfēn), the 16th point in the 24 Solar Terms (24 节气 jiéqì), an important part of the traditional Chinese lunisolar calendar. The astronomical …

Mandarin Monday: Looking for Common Household Items? Here Are Their Chinese Names

It’s true that living in a country where English is not the primary language is difficult. But that shouldn’t scare away newcomers in Beijing as staying here can be a learning experience. New expats, and even those who’ve been here for quite a time, mostly find it hard to find common household items in stores …

Mandarin Monday: Learn the Correct Character Stroke Order Using This App

Ask a Chinese guy on the street, “你知道多少汉字?” Nǐ zhīdào duōshǎo hànzì?  (How many Chinese characters do you know?) Chances are that person might say around 4,000 characters. That’s a lot! When you’re accustomed to a language that uses the alphabet (in any forms) as a writing system, memorizing and pronouncing words can be simple. Chinese is a logographic language (in …

Mandarin Monday: The HSK Cheat Sheet – 300 Words for Levels 1 and 2

When learning a new language, it is important to know basic greetings and words to help you get by. Of course, a wide vocabulary doesn’t come in an instant; it takes countless hours of reading, practicing, and immersing yourself with native speakers to grow. You might have heard that Chinese has thousands of characters … …