DJH Chinese Courses

菜单 cài dān

2010-12-07T18:46:00.000-08:00

The word for "menu" in Mandarin Chinese is cài dān which translates as "list of dishes."

Example:

Qǐng gěi wǒ kànkan càidān.
Can I see the menu, please?

Traditional Characters:
請給我看看菜單｡
Simplified Characters:
请给我看看菜单｡

国家 guó jiā

2010-11-30T00:52:00.000-08:00

The term for "country" or "nation" in Mandarin Chinese is guó jiā.

Example:

Dōng nán yà guó jiā lián méng yǒu shí gè chéng yuán guó.
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations has ten member states.

Traditional Characters:
東南亞國家聯盟有十個成員國｡
Simplified Characters:
东南亚国家联盟有十个成员国｡

简单 jiǎn dān simple

2010-11-25T00:13:00.000-08:00

The Mandarin Chinese word for "simple" is jiǎn dān.

Example:

Wǒde xiǎng fǎ hěn jiǎn dān.
My idea is very simple.

Traditional Characters:
我的想法很簡單｡
Simplified Characters:
我的想法很简单｡

数字　Numbers

2010-11-17T20:35:00.000-08:00

中国語では１～９９は日本語と同様に数えます。ですから、１～１０までの読み方を覚えれば、９９まで数を重ねて読めばいいです。

しかし、１００は、日本語では「百」だけでよいですが、中国語では「百」の前に「一」を加え、「一百」と言います。そして、１００以降は「零」の発音を覚える必要があります。

０から２０までの数え方は次の通りです。

零　líng　リン

一　yī　イー

二　èr　アー

三　sān　サン

四　sì　スー

五　wǔ　ウー

六　liù　リョウ

七　qī　チー

八　bā　バー

九　jiǔ　ジョウ

十　shí　シー

十一　shíyī　シーイー

十二　shíèr　シーアー

十三　shísān　シーサン

十四　shísì　シースー

十五　shíwǔ　シーウー

十六　shíliù　シーリョウ

十七　shíqī　シーチー

十八　shíbā　シーバー

十九　shíjiǔ　シージョウ

二十　èrshí　アーシー

普段何気なく使っている数字のジェスチャーですが、日本人と中国人では、作る手の形が違います。次の絵にあう数字を当ててみよう。

Chinese Pinyin in 6 Mins

2010-11-15T16:36:00.000-08:00

Clarifying Chinese Characters

2010-11-08T16:32:00.000-08:00

Mandarin Chinese has many written characters which sound the

same. Sometimes it is not clear which character or meaning the

speaker is using.

When clarification is needed, Chinese characters can be explained

with this pattern: XY de X, where X is the character being

explained, and XY is a common compound which uses that character.

Characters can also be clarified by putting them in a commonly

used phrase.

This type of clarification is especially useful for names, since it is

usually not evident which characters are used to write a

person’s name.

Clarification Examples

Wǒ de míngzi shì …
My name is…
我的名字是…

Xǔ Míng Fú – yán wǔ xǔ, rì yuè míng, fúqì de fú
許明福 – 言午許, 日月明, 福氣的福

Lín Píng Quán - shuāng mù lín, píngān de ping, quánlì

de quán
林平權 - 雙木林, 平安的平, 權力的權

Xú Bǎo Chuān - shuāng rén xú, zhūbǎo de bǎo, hé

chuān de chuān
徐寶川 - 雙人徐, 珠寶的寶, 河川的川

Learn To Clarify Your Chinese Name

If you have a Chinese name, you should learn how to clarify it in this

manner. You will need the help of a native Mandarin speaker to choose

a clarification that is understandable.

信 xìn

2010-11-01T17:10:00.001-07:00

The Chinese character 信 (pronounced xìn) is composed of two
elements - the radical 人 in the altered form of 亻(pronounced
rén meaning person) and the character 言 (yán meaning word;
to speak).

A person standing by his or her word symbolizes trust, one of
the meanings of this character. The other meanings are believe
,true, and mail or letter.

The character 信 is classified as an associative compound. While
it is easy to see that a person's word equals trust, this character's
association with mail is less clear. Perhaps we can imagine letters
as a form of communication unique to humankind - people are the
only ones capable of sending words by mail.

Mandarin Vocabulary With Xìn

Simplified Characters	Pinyin	English
半信半疑	bàn xìn bàn yí	half-believe, half-doubt
报信	bào xìn	notify; inform
不信任	bù xìn rèn	mistrust
不信用	bù xìn yòng	distrust
电信	diàn xìn	telecommunications
电子信箱	diàn zǐ xìn xiāng	electronic mailbox
短信	duǎn xìn	SMS message
公开信	gōng kāi xìn	open letter
黑信	hēi xìn	blackmail
互信	hù xìn	mutual trust
可信任	kě xìn rèn	trusty
难以置信	nán yǐ zhì xìn	incredible
使信服	shǐ xìn fú	to convince
推荐信	tuī jiàn xìn	recommendation letter
写信	xiě xìn	to write a letter
信封	xìn fēng	envelope
信服	xìn fú	to convince
信赖	xìn lài	confide; trust
信箱	xìn xiāng	mailbox
信用	xìn yòng	credit
自信	zì xìn	confidence

Mandarin Proficiency Test

2010-11-01T01:22:00.000-07:00

The most widely used Mandarin proficiency test is

the 汉语水平考试 or HSK (Hanyu Shuiping Kaoshi).

The test is used for proficiency certification that

may be required by Chinese universities and

professional organizations.

According to The Examiner, China is planning a new

version of the HSK, although I have heard that the

"new HSK" has been in use for at least a year now.

Nonetheless, the Examiner article contains some

interesting comments about the nature of the

exam and its application in daily life:

"If you pass Level 3 and immerse yourself

in Beijing for months, you will have no problem

interacting with the locals," said Mr Zhou. "

But even if you obtain Level 6, if you are not

soaked in a conducive language environment,

you most probably will still struggle to converse

or read Chinese newspapers."

There are six levels to the HSK, and each level consists

of a writing test and a speaking test. Level One candidates

must know 150 words, while the Level Six tests expects a

knowledge of more than 5,000 words. You can read more

about the HSK requirements at this link

:http://english.hanban.org/node_8002.htm

哪裡?nǎli?

2010-10-28T01:32:00.000-07:00

Zai Nali

The Mandarin question word for "where" is zài nǎli. Zài nǎli literally means, "Where is it located?"

Example:

Wǒde shū zài nǎli?
Where is my book?

Traditional Characters:
我的書在哪裡?
Simplified Characters:
我的书在哪里?

以前yǐqián

2010-10-26T01:24:00.001-07:00

Yiqian

Yǐqián is used to talk about the indefinite past in Mandarin Chinese.

Example:

Tā yǐqián zhù zài Yīngguó.
He used to live in England.
Traditional Characters:
他以前住在英國｡
Simplified Characters:
他以前住在英国｡

地方dìfang

2010-10-22T01:05:00.000-07:00

Difang

The Mandarin phrase for "place" or "area" is dìfang. Dìfang has two characters which roughly translate as "a square of earth."

Example:

Nǐ jiā zài Měiguó shénme dìfang?
你家在美國甚麼地方?
Where do you live in the USA?

漢字の筆順

2010-10-21T20:31:00.001-07:00

中国語では　漢字の筆順　を　「汉语笔顺」という。

汉语笔顺　は　わかりやすい。

貝、見、金、糸、言　などのヘン･･･の書き方。
飯、書、樹、為、挿、置、直、植、画･･･の中国語
饭，书，树，为，插，置，直，植，画

ちょっとづつ　ちがうなぁ。

请问qǐngwèn

2010-10-21T01:06:00.001-07:00

Qingwen

The Mandarin compound qǐngwèn is used as a preface when asking questions politely. It should be used whenever asking a question to a stranger or person in authority.

Example:

Qǐngwèn, huǒchēzhàn zài nǎli?
Excuse me, where is the train station?
Traditional Characters:
請問, 火車站在哪裡?
Simplified Characters:
请问, 火车站在哪里?

鱼 yú Fish

2010-10-18T23:46:00.000-07:00

The Chinese character meaning fish is 魚 in the traditional form and
鱼 in the simplified form. It is pronounced yú.

This character is also a radical, meaning that it is used as a building
block in other, more complex Chinese characters, many of which
have something to do with fish or seafood, as in these examples:

魦 - shā - shark family, including some rays and skates
魨 - tún - leatherfish
鮚 / 鲒 - jié - oyster
鮞 / 鲕 - ér - caviar; fish roe
鯁 / 鲠 - gěng - blunt; fish bones; unyielding
鯖 / 鲭 - qīng - mackerel; mullet
鯨 / 鲸 - jīng - whale
鱟 / 鲎 - hòu - king crab

The character 魚 / 鱼 is a pictograph which, in its earliest forms,
clearly showed the fins, eyes, and scales of a fish. The current
traditional form incorporates the four strokes of the fire radical
(火 - 灬), perhaps suggesting that fish is most useful to human
beings when it is cooked.

Mandarin Vocabulary With Yú

	Simplified Characters	Pinyin
	八带鱼 octopus	bā dài yú
	鲍鱼 abalone	bào yú
	捕鱼 to catch fish	bǔ yú
	炒鱿鱼 to be fired	chǎo yóu yú
	钓鱼 to go fishing	diào yú
	鳄鱼 crocodile	è yú
	鮭鱼 salmon	guī yú
	金鱼 goldfish	jīn yú
	鲸鱼 whale	jīng yú
	鲨鱼 shark	shā yú
	鱼夫 fisherman	yú fū
	鱼竿 fishing rod	yú gān
	鱼网 fishing net	yú wǎng

Shenme 什么?

2010-10-17T20:50:00.000-07:00

The Mandarin Chinese word for "what" is shénme. It is most commonly used as a question word, but can also be used in certain expressions like méi shénme (it doesn't matter).

Shénme occurs after the verb it references, or when used with a noun, can appear at the beginning of the phrase.

Example:

Nǐ yào chī shénme?
What do you want to eat?
Traditional Characters:
你要吃甚麼?
Simplified Characters:
你要吃什么?

We Are One Café Workshop & Seminar Series: Chinese Language Lessons @ Zen Café, Kyoto

2010-10-14T23:17:00.000-07:00

In respond to the speech made by Ms Yumi Kitahama (a career consultant with years of experience in Singapore and Japan) during the #30 Networking Event, that language skill is one of the top important skills both for employment and business in today’s highly globalized world, We Are One is going to initiate the Café Workshop & Seminar Series with Chinese language lessons for all.

Concept:

Language Courses

1 Learn Chinese (Newbie Level) in English & Japanese

Café setting

1 Relax atmosphere for enjoying the lesson after a day’s work

2 Complimentary drink (Hot: Cold: Ice coffee, Ice tea, Ice lemon tea etc)

Lesson content

1 Focus on useful daily conversation that native English/ Chinese/ Japanese speakers use, including slangs.

2 Application in all situations such as travel, business, daily life etc.

3 Covering topics such as newest trend, technology, traditional & pop culture, global issues which are up-to-date and interesting, enable students to gain additional knowledge besides the language.

4 Student participation during lesson to enhance effective learning.

5 Materials are free of charge, including notes, MP3 files, recommendation to online materials etc.

Lesson Format

1. Students only pay for each lesson that they attend at the beginning of the lesson and also receive material for the day. No registration fee, no advance payment, no hidden cost.

2. It is perfectly ok to miss some classes if you are busy are work. You can always check with your classmates on what you have missed out.

Venue:
Zen Café (besides Backpackers Hostel K's House Kyoto)
418 Nayacho, Shichijo-agaru, Dotemachi-dori, Shimogyo-ku,
Kyoto city, Japan 600-8142
TEL +(81)-75-342-2444 FAX +(81)-75-342-2440

It is about 10 mins walk from JR Kyoto Station

Fee:
1500yen (includes 1 drink)

Date & Time:
Every Wednesday 8pm to 9pm starting from 20th Oct 2010
Registration:

Please send the following to we.are.one.japan@gmail.com

Name
Nationality
Proficiency level (newbie, elementary, intermediate, upper-intermediate, advance)
Contact number & mobile email address
Choice of drink (coffee, tea, lemon tea, softdrinks, hot or cold)

About the Instructor

Tong (Chinese)

Tong is a Singaporean Chinese whose native languages are English, Mandarin and Cantonese. He runs Chinese courses (www.djhchinese.com) in Singapore. He has been teaching English and Mandarin for the past 7 years in both Singapore and Japan. His students include expatriates from all over the world as well as Japanese. He is experienced in teaching adults to help them achieve their various language objectives such as for work and business. He is also passionate in teaching young children, allowing them to enjoy lessons in a fun filled setting while setting a strong foundation for the language. Tong considers himself a cosmopolitan as he has obtained his JLPT 1 10 years ago in high school and attained intermediate level French after studying in France for over half a year. Tong is also the Program Director of We Are One International, a volunteer group that connects international-mined people in Kansai by organizing various events and activities every month.

コンセプト

語学コース

英語,日本語で習う初心者の中国語

カフェで

お仕事の後、リラックスした空間で楽しくレッスンを行います
１ドリンク付き

授業の内容

　　日常会話に焦点を当てネイティブスピーカーが使うスラングを含む中国語のレッスン
　　旅行やビジネスなどのシチュエーションに合わせて使えるレッスン
　　最新のニュースやテクノロジー、文化や国際問題などの興味あるトピックを用　い、語学に加えて使える知識も共に学べるレッスン
　　生徒参加型の積極的なレッスン
　　授業に使うノートやMP3ファイル、オンラインの教材は授業料に含まれます

レッスンについて

授業料につきましては、それぞれ授業に来ていただき、授業が始まる前にお支払い頂きます。その際に、その日の分の教材をお渡しいたします。前払い、予約手数料、キャンセル料はいただきません。
もし忙しければ授業を休んでいただいても構いません。いつでもクラスメイト方とどの授業を逃したか確認することができます。

Venue:
Zen Café

〒600-8142　京都市下京区土手町通七条上る納屋町４１８
TEL 075-342-2444 FAX 075-342-2440

ＪＲ京都駅からの道順
　１）　JR京都駅の中央口より、烏丸通（京都タワー沿いの通）を北へお進み頂きます。
　２）　次の大きな交差点の信号を渡ってから右折します。
　３）　そのまま七条通を東へ５～６分位進んで頂きます。
　４）　河原町通との交差点を渡って次の通（北への一方通行）を左折します。
　５）　５０ｍ先右側にある白い６階建ての建物が当ホステルです。

Fee:

1500円　１ドリンク付き

Date & Time:

１０月２０日から毎週水曜日 8pm to 9pm

Registration:

下記の情報を we.are.one.japan@gmail.comまでお送り下さい。

名前
国籍
連絡先、メールアドレス
ドリンクの選択　(coffee, tea, lemon tea, softdrinks, hot or cold)

講師について

Tong （唐、トン）中国語

中国系シンガポール人。母語は英語、北京語、広東語の３つ。過去７年間シンガポールと日本で英語、北京語を教える。今までの教えてきた生徒は１つの国にとどまらず、世界各地から来た人達と様々である。教えてきた生徒には大人が多く、彼らの仕事やビジネスに必要な語学力を高めるために貢献してきた。また子供の生徒に教えることも積極的で、子供の時期に重要な語学の基礎を築くためにも楽しさあふれるレッスンを行ってきた。彼は１０年前、高校生の時に日本語検定１級を取得、また約半年フランスで勉強した後、中級レベルのフランス語も習得と国際的である。最近ではWe Are One Internationalという、国際的なマインドを持つ関西に住む人々をつなぐために様々なイベントや活動を毎月行う、ボランティアグループのプログラムディレクターとしても活動している。

Nǐ Hǎo - 你好 - Hello

2010-10-14T21:09:00.000-07:00

Nǐ Hǎo - 你好 - Hello

Audio links are marked with ►

►nǐ hǎo - Saying "Hello" in Mandarin Chinese

Learn how to greet people in Mandarin Chinese.

The literal translation of nǐ hǎo - 你好 is "you good".
Nǐ - 你 means "you" and hǎo - 好 means "good".

Nǐ - 你 is the informal form of "you" and is used for
greeting friends and associates. The formal form of "hello"
is ►nín hǎo - 您好. Notice that the formal "you" is
nín - 您.

Use nín hǎo - 您好 when speaking to:

Superiors
People in authority
Elders

Use nǐ hǎo - 你好 when speaking to:

Friends
Colleagues
Children

China & Taiwan

The use of nín hǎo - 您好 is more common in
Mainland China than in Taiwan. The informal nǐ hǎo -
你好 is the most common greeting in Taiwan, no matter
what the rank of the person you are addressing.

How Are You?

You can extend nǐ hǎo - 你好 by adding the
question particle ►ma - 嗎/吗. The question particle
ma can be added to the end of sentences and phrases
to change them from statements to questions.

The literal translation of nǐ hǎo ma? - 你好嗎?/
你好吗? is "you good?" which means "how are you?"

Nǐ hǎo ma? - 你好嗎?/你好吗? should only be said
to close friends or family members. It is not a common
greeting for associates or strangers.

The answer to nǐ hǎo ma? - 你好嗎?/你好吗?
can be:

hěn hǎo - 很好 - very good
bù hǎo - 不好 - not good
hái hǎo - 還好/还好 - so so

Two Sets of Chinese Characters

You may be wondering why there are two Chinese
versions of nǐ hǎo ma - 你好嗎/你好吗 and hái hǎo -
還好/还好. The first version is traditional characters
which are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau, and many
overseas Chinese communities. The second version is
simplified characters, the official writing system in
Mainland China, Singapore, and Malaysia.

东西 Dongxi

2010-10-14T20:53:00.000-07:00

Dongxi

The Mandarin word for "thing" or "things" is dōngxi. It is made up of two characters: dong means "east" and xi means "west".

When these two characters are used together, dongxi can mean "east and west", but more commonly they refer to things in general.

Example:

Nèi gè dà de dōngxi shì shénme?
What is that big thing?

Traditional Characters:
那個大的東西是什麼?
Simplified Characters:
那个大的东西是什么?

Wǒ yào qù mǎi dōngxi.
我要去買東西｡
我要去买东西｡
I am going shopping. (I am going to buy things.)

Nèi gè dà de dōngxi shì shénme?
那個大的東西是什麼?
那个大的东西是什么?
What is that big thing? (or "those big things")

The Business Chinese Test Introduction(BCT)商务汉语考试

2010-10-06T17:43:00.001-07:00

The Business Chinese Test Introduction(BCT)商务汉语考试
I. BCT

BCT is a state-level standard test established to assess the Chinese proficiency of non-native speakers engaged in business activities. BCT is developed by Peking University under the entrustment of the Office of Chinese Language Council International.

BCT assess the Chinese proficiency of non-native speakers engaged in business activities. Practicability and communication are the main features of the test.
II. Test object

Non-native speakers
III. Benefits

BCT serves various institutions and individuals which want to assess the business Chinese proficiency of relevant personages. The main benefits are:

(1)Provide a reference basis for the employers to assess the business Chinese proficiency of relevant personnel when making such decisions as personnel employment, selection and promotion.

(2)Help relevant teaching and training institutions to certify the students' business Chinese proficiency in recruitment and class division.

(3)Assess the teaching and training effect of relevant teaching units and training institutions.

(4)Provide a certificate of the business Chinese proficiency for those who seek jobs or want to be promoted.

(5)Help Chinese learners to further develop their own business Chinese ability.
IV. Administration

The Office of Chinese Language Council International has full authority to lead BCT and award certificates. BCT is an authoritative test of the state and awards "Business Chinese Test Certificate".

BCT is held on the Chinese mainland and overseas regularly every year.
V. Levels and standards

BCT has a total of five levels to describe the business Chinese proficiency of the examinees, namely:

Level 1 Incapable of communication in Chinese in business environments.

Level 2 Capable of basic communication in Chinese in business environments.

Level 3 Capable of fairly effective communication in Chinese in business environments.

Level 4 Capable of fairly skillful communication in Chinese in business environments.

Level 5 Capable of appropriate communication in Chinese in business environments.
VI. Points and certificate

BCT consists of BCT（listening•reading） and BCT（oral•writing）two independent tests. Examinees can sit for one or both of them.

The score for each specific skill (listening or reading or speaking or writing) is 0-500 points; Each level consists of 100 points.The total score for listening and reading constitutes the overall score of BCT(listening • reading)ranging from 0 to 1000 points. So do the overall score of BCT(speaking • writing).

Levels	Score for specific skill	Total score
1	0-100	0-200
2	101-200	201-400
3	201-300	401-600
4	301-400	601-800
5	401-500	801-1000

All examinees can receive a test report even if they only attend test in line with requirements. If the total score for listening and reading comes to 201-400 points, Level 2 "BCT Certificate (listening•reading) will be awarded; If the total score for speaking and writing comes to 201-400 points, Level 2 "BCT Certificate (speaking•writing) will be awarded. So do Level3,Level4 and Level5 certificates.

There is no Level1 certificate in BCT.

The test report is valid for a two-year period starting from the test date.
VII. Consultation and services

Test Section of Office of Chinese Language Council International and BCT R&D office of Peking University provide consulting services regarding BCT to domestic and overseas personages.

Tel:86-10-88026478

Fax:86-10-88026479

Email:kaoshi@hanban.edu.cn

Website:http://www.hanban.edu.cn

For other questions, please consult with Peking University's BCT R&D Office:

Tel:86-10-62758874

Email:service@bcthome.cn

Website:http://www.bcthome.cn

冷笑話

2010-09-12T22:28:00.001-07:00

兒子：今天的算術測驗被老師罵了。

爸爸：為什麼？

兒子：老師問我２ｘ３等於幾，我說６。

爸爸：沒錯啊！

兒子：老師又問我３ｘ２等於幾。

爸爸：這他媽的有什麼區別！

兒子：我也是這樣說的。

Elementary: No Walking on Grass

2010-04-06T06:21:00.001-07:00

Chinese Mini-test: 公寓 (Beginner)

2010-03-23T23:26:00.000-07:00

Beginner Level 初级 (chūjí)

“我在公司附近租了一间公寓。I rent an apartment near the company where I work.”

Do you know the Chinese Pinyin for “公寓 apartment” in this sentence?

A. gōngyù

B. gōngyuán

C. yùyán

D. gōngzhǔ

Elementary: Mild Swearing

2010-03-17T02:35:00.001-07:00

Happy Birthday Sucker

2010-03-10T00:40:00.000-08:00

List of Chinese Radicals

2010-03-01T00:42:00.001-08:00

The Chinese radical (Chinese: 部首) is an essential element of the Chinese dictionary. The list of Chinese radicals is a rough equivalent of a Chinese "alphabet". Every Chinese character is classified under a radical and characters with the same radical are sorted by the number of strokes (Simplified Chinese: 画; Traditional Chinese: 畫) used in writing them. The number of strokes varies between 1 and 17. Characters belonging to a particular radical are in turn listed on the basis of the number of additional strokes. Note that the number of strokes is not always clear to the untrained eye.
There have been several systems of radicals in use at various times during the history of the Chinese language. The following describes the Unicode system of radicals, which is based on the traditional 214 radicals of the Kangxi dictionary. The main difference between the Unicode and the Kangxi radicals is that the Unicode system has been extended to classify both simplified and traditional Chinese characters, as well as characters which are used only in Japanese or Korean.

1 Stroke Chinese Radicals:
一丨丶丿乙/乚亅/了
2 Stroke Chinese Radicals:
二亠人/亻儿入八冂冖冫几凵刀/刂力勹匕匚/匸十卜卩厂厶又讠阝
3 Stroke Chinese Radicals:
艹口囗土士夂夕大女子/孑宀寸小尢尸屮山川/巛工己巾干幺纟广廴廾弋弓彐/彑彡彳忄扌氵犭辶门饣马
4 Stroke Chinese Radicals:
心戈户手支攴攵文斗禸斤方无日/曰月木欠止歹殳毋比毛氏气水火/灬爪父片牙牛犬王礻贝长韦风飞见 车
5 Stroke Chinese Radicals:
玄玉瓜瓦甘生用衤田疋疒癶白皮皿目矛矢石示禾穴立鸟龙钅
6 Stroke Chinese Radicals:
竹米糸缶网羊羽老而耒耳聿肉臣自至臼舌舟艮色虍虫血行衣西页 齐
7 Stroke Chinese Radicals:
角言谷豆豕豸赤走足身辛辰邑酉釆卤里龟
8 Stroke Chinese Radicals:
金阜隶隹雨青非鱼齿黾
9 Stroke Chinese Radicals:
骨面革韭音食首香鬼
10 Stroke Chinese Radicals:
高髟鬲
11 Stroke Chinese Radicals:
鹿黄麻
12 Stroke Chinese Radicals:
黍鼎黑黹
13 Stroke Chinese Radicals:
鼓鼠
14 Stroke Chinese Radicals:
鼻

Elementary: Language Exchange

2010-02-26T19:28:00.001-08:00

“对”“对于”と“关于”の用法

2010-02-11T22:23:00.000-08:00

“对”(…に対して、…について) “对于”(…について、…に対して)と“关于”(…に関して、…について)は日常会話の中にもよく使われる介詞の3つですが、学生は“对于”よりも“对”、あるいは“关于”をよく使います。日本語の「…に対して」と「…に関して」の関係だと思います。この課ではこの3つの介詞の用法を説明し、学生の誤文を分析したいと思います。

１　“对”と“对于”

学生の“对”についての用法はあまり問題がないと思いますが、間違えるというより使える所で使わなかったり、他の介詞を使ってしまうのが問題です。例えば、

(1) 僕は相撲に興味がない。　　

我没兴趣相扑。 Wǒ méi xìngqù xiàngpū。

(2) 彼はこの場所をよく知っている。

他这个地方很了解。 Tā zhè ge dìfāng hěn liǎojiě.

(3) 彼は私に笑いかけた。

* 他给我笑了笑。 Tā gěi wǒ xiào le xiào。

（1）（2）は“对”を使わなくても間違いではありませんが、“对”を使って“我对相扑没兴趣。”“他对这个地方很了解。”の方がもっと中国語らしくなります。(3)は“对”を使うべき所に“给”を使ってしまいました。確かに両方とも同じく｢に｣を表す介詞ですが、“给”は何かを相手に与える時に使います。“对”は動作の感情や態度を相手に示す時に使いまあす。ですから、“他对我笑了一笑。”と言わなければなりません。

1．1　“对于”はすべて“对”に替えることができます。例えば、

(4)　对于（对）这个问题，我还不了解。

Duìyú(duì) zhè ge wèntí, wǒ hái bù liǎojiě

(この問題については、まだよくわからない)

(5)　我对于（对）花钱买这个东西不太赞成。

　Wǒ duìyú(duì) huā qián mǎi zhège dōngxī bù tài zànchéng.

(お金を使ってこんなものを買うのはあまり賛成できない)

(6) 那个国家对于（对）公害问题处理得很好。

Nà ge guójiā duìyú(duì) gōnghài wèntí chǔlǐ dé hěnhǎo。

(あの国は公害の問題にとてもよく対処している)

1.2　すべての“对”を“对于”に置き換えることはできません。相手に感情や態度を示す時には“对于”を使えません。例えば、

(7)　王老师对我们很好。 Wáng lǎoshī duì wǒmen hěn hǎo

(王先生は私たちに大変親切です)

﹡ 王老师对于我们很好.

(8)　他对我点点头。 Tā duì wǒ diǎndiǎn tóu

(彼は私に向ってうなずいた)

　　　 ﹡ 他对于我点点头。

(9)　我对他很失望。 Wǒ duì tā hěn shīwàng

(僕は彼に失望した)

1．3　助動詞と副詞の後には“对于”は使えません。例えば、

(10)　他们会对这件事采取报复行动的。

Tāmen huì duì zhè jiàn shì cǎiqǔ bàofù xíngdòng de。

(彼らはこの事に対して、報復の行動を取るだろう)

　　　﹡　他们会对于这件事采取报复行动的。

(11) 我们已经对那个问题做好准备了。

Wǒmen yǐjīng duì nàge wèntí zuòhǎo zhǔnbèi le 。

(われわれは既にあの問題にはちゃんと用意ができている)

﹡　我们已经对于那个问题做好准备了。

従って、人.物.事について、あるいは対しては、“对于”よりも“对”を使えば十分かつ無難です。“对于”は感情や態度を示すのではなく、対処や考えなどの動作が要求され、もし助動詞か副詞があったらその前にしか置けません。

2、“关于”

“关于”は人、物、事などの内容に関わること表す介詞で、日本語の「…に関する」「…に関して」と意味が同じなので、学生はよく使えると思います。例えば、

（12）这本书是关于少年犯罪的书。

Zhè běn shū shì guānyú shàonián fànzuì de shū

(この本は少年犯罪に関する本だ)

（13）关于少年犯罪的问题是个很复杂的社会问题。

Guānyú shàonián fànzuì de wèntí shì gè hěn fùzá de shèhuì wèntí

(少年犯罪についての問題は複雑な社会問題だ)

（14）关于少年犯罪问题，你们发表了什么意见？

Guānyú shàonián fànzuì wèntí，nǐmen fābiǎo le shénme yìjiàn？

(少年犯罪問題につてい、あなた方はどんな意見を発表したのですか)

（15）关于少年犯罪问题，你们讨论讨论吧。

Guānyú shàonián fànzuì wèntí，nǐmen tǎolùn tǎolùn ba

(少年犯罪問題について、ちょっと話し合ってください)

3、“关于”と“对于”の違い

3．1　“关于”が指す内容は、後の動詞の対象でも対象でなくてもかまいませんが、“对于”の指す内容は、必ず後の動詞の対象でなければなりません。(12)(13)は“关于”の指す内容について説明しているに過ぎないので、“对于”に替えることはできません。(14)(15)は“关于”の指す内容が後の動詞の対象なので、“对于”に替えることができます。

3．2　“对于”には、心理、感情を表す動詞を使えますが、“关于”は使えません。

(16）对于少年犯罪问题，大家都很伤心。

Duìyú shàonián fànzuì wèntí，dàjiā dōu hěn shāngxīn

(少年犯罪問題について、みな心を痛めている)

(17) 对于少年犯罪问题，大家都摇头叹气。

Duìyú shàonián fànzuì wèntí，dàjiā dōu yáotóu tànqì

(少年犯罪問題について、みな頭を振りため息をつく)

(16)(17)はともに“关于”に替えることはできません。

3．3　“关于”は必ず主語の前に置き、“对于”は主語の前でも後でもかまいません。

　(18)　关于少年犯罪问题，你们再研究研究吧。

Duìyú shàonián fànzuì wèntí，nǐmen zài yánjiū yánjiū ba

(少年犯罪問題について、もう少し研究してください)

(19）你们对于少年犯罪问题，再研究研究吧。

Nǐmen duìyú shàonián fànzuì wèntí，zài yánjiū yánjiū ba

(少年犯罪問題について、もう少し研究してください)

Elementary: Fruit Juice

2010-02-06T09:45:00.000-08:00

How to learn Chinese well for foreigners? 外国人如何学好汉语？

2010-01-16T00:08:00.000-08:00

Source: Chinesetimes

my mother language is Chinese.and my major in Chinese.so i share some of methods of how to learn chinese.this article is for the person who has learn Chinese for short time or some foreigners who is poor in Chinese.
i point out three key method :interest,input,practice.
first,interest is the best teacher.if you want to be good at Chinese,you must bring up your interest of learning Chinese.interest can help you fight against whit dull.find something you like to do.for example.you like to watch TVso you can watch some Chinese TV with your mother language caption.if you like to chatting ,you can using Chinese to chatting with Chinese throughth internet,or by other ways.
second.you must insist on studying.no input,no output.so you must learn some chinese character or phrase every somedays.after studying,it is better to use the character you have learn to write some chinese article ,or chatting wiht chinese.so you can not forget the character or phrase. do not stop learn for long,and learn continue to learn .if so,it almost impossible for you to be good at Chinese.but i advise you that not to learn too more by one time of learning Chinese.if so ,you may be feel dull.and then stop to learn Chinese.
third.do not afraid to make mistake.do not afraid make joke.do not be too care with grammar.if you are too care with the grammar ,it will be too dull.to do practice everytime ervrywhere you want to practise chinese.remember that if you want to be good at chinese ,you must do more pratice.
the last.creat a chinese environment.as we know.the best way to learn chinese is to creat a chinese environment.because it has more pritise chance,less dull,and you can remember what you study for long times,may be all your life.so many foreigners come to china for studying.but if you can not come to china ,you can use the internet ,or some other ways.
i hope that you can use the methods to learn chinese.so you can make greate progress by using less time.thank you for you reading.

外国人如何学好汉语？

作为一名母语是中文，专业也是中文的学生。现在分享一些学习中文的方法。针对刚开始学习中文的或者中文水平较差的外国朋友。
有三个关键点：兴趣，积累，练习
首先，兴趣是最好的老师。学习中文一定要有兴趣，这是学好中文的关键所在。找出你喜欢做的事。比如你喜欢，看电视，你可以看些带有英文字幕的中文电影。喜欢和朋友交流，你可以交一些中国朋友，用中文来和他们交流。等等。
第二，要有持之以恒，每天有一定的积累，但不能太着急。没有输入，就没有输出。在保证不会太枯燥的情况下，每天学习一些中文字或者词组。然后想办法把刚学会的字和词组用起来，比如用这些字和词组和中国朋友聊天，这样会产生兴趣，避免枯燥，帮助记忆。持之以恒，效果会很好。如果中断学习，后面再学习时，效果会很差。
第三，不要怕犯错误！不要怕闹笑话。不要太在意语法。如果会很认真的去学习语法，这样学习中文就太枯燥，很多外国人就因此放弃了学习中文。想说就说，增加了练习的机会，这样会提高很快。
第四，培养一个中文的环境！我们知道，在外语环境里学外语，效果是最好的，因为练习的次数多，记忆效果好，而且不会产生枯燥。如果你不能来中国，就通过网络和中国人进行交流。
相信你用以上方法进行实践，你学习中文就能进步很快。谢谢。

Elementary: I am not in

2010-01-15T22:53:00.000-08:00

2009 Top ten internet buzzwords in china.2009中国十大网络流行语 2009 Top ten internet buzzwords in china.2009中国十大网络流行语

2010-01-05T17:48:00.000-08:00

1. What big brother is eating isn’t noodles, but loneliness.

1.哥吃的不是面，是寂寞。

It’s ironic that in a country as populous as China, a meme about loneliness would be so popular. This seemingly irrational line has been repeated in every possible permutation, on every possible occasion, e.g. “What big brother is reading not a book, but loneliness.”

像中国人口这么多的国家，关于寂寞的病毒式模仿会这么流行实在是件很讽刺的事情。这句看上去很无厘头的话被用在了所有可能搭配的排列中，用在了所有场合，比如，“哥看的不是书，是寂寞。”

2. Don’t fantasize about big brother: I am only legend.

2.别迷恋哥，哥只是个传说。

The most popular variation of this line is “Don’t fantasize about big sister: I am only legend.”

这句话最流行的变体是“别迷恋姐，姐只是个传说。”

3. Jia Junpeng, your mom wants you to go home for dinner.”

3.贾君鹏，你妈妈喊你回家吃饭。

If you haven’t heard about this, you probably haven’t been on the Chinese Internet in the last year. This simple line was left on a World of Warcraft BBS, and somehow — some are claiming it was an online agency stunt and was helped along — managed to attract over 7.1 million views and 300,000 comments in just the first 24 hours.

如果你没听过这句话，你去年绝对没上过中文网。这句简单的话是留在魔兽BBS上的，不知道什么原因——有说法是有网络公司是幕后推手——这句话吸引了710万人点击，在发布后24小时内产生了30万条评论。

4. We can’t go into detail on this matter.

4. 这事儿不能说太细。

This quote is the only one picked for the list that didn’t come originally from the Web, but rather from the real world. A government official evading a journalist’s persistent question about the annual total of car loans repaid in Tianjin simply said, “We can’t go into detail on this matter,” which apparently Netizens found really laughable.

这句话是唯一来自现实世界而不是网络的。一位政府官员在回答《焦点访谈》记者“天津市每年要偿还公路建设的贷款量有多大”的问题时，回答到“这事儿不能说太细”，网民们觉得这句话很有意思，于是流传甚广。

The rest of them, he goes over quickly:

剩下的流行语，我们列在这里：

5. Life is like a coffee table: it’s got tea sets and dinnerware all over it. (beiju, 杯具, is a homophone for tragedy, 悲剧, and dinnerware, canju, 餐具, a homophone for disaster, 惨剧).

5. 生活就像一个茶几，上面摆满了杯具和餐具。(杯具是“悲剧”的同音词，餐具是“惨剧”的同音词。)

6. It’s not that the story ended badly; it’s that we expect too much of the story.

6.不是故事的结局不够好，而是我们对故事要求太多。

7. Love is like two people holding two ends of a rubber band: it’s always the one who doesn’t let go who gets hurt more.

7.爱情就像两个人拉橡皮筋，受伤的总是不愿意放手的那一个。

8. A lovely flower doesn’t belong to the one who appreciates it, but to the dunghill it grows on. (“To stick a lovely flower in the dunghill” is a popular Chinese saying, normally used to describe the common social phenomenon of a pretty girl marrying an ugly but rich guy).

8.鲜花往往不属于赏花人，而属于牛粪。

9. You can’t spell BELIEVE without the LIE.

9. 就算是believe里面，也有lie。

10. The difference between a lie and a promise is that the believer of a lie is the listener and the believer of a promise is the speaker.

10.谎言和誓言的区别在于，一个是听的人当真了，一个是说的人当真了。

Common Mistakes to Avoid in Learning Chinese

2009-12-26T03:03:00.001-08:00

From research, we found some common mistakes made by many Chinese learners. We have listed some we consider serious one below. If you any happen to you, you’d better recover it.
Think knowledge as skill

Let’s take swimming as an analogy. Suppose you read a book on swimming to learn how to swim. Even after you have gone through the book and had professional knowledge on swimming, you are not able to swim. Why? Because swimming is not a kind of knowledge; instead, it is a kind of skill as well as Chinese language. Practice is not only the core of skill learning, but also the efficient way to turn the knowledge into application. You should learn how to use what you have learned through practice.
Believe in instant learning

I have no faith in some advertisements with slogan ‘learn Chinese in ten days’. Lots of learners fall into their traps, wasting time and money. Every serious learner should realize that no pain, no gain. There is no short-cut to learn Chinese, only existence of good way or poor way. For example, it is not good to recite a Chinese word by the way of dictating it as it only trains your eyes and hand. The good way is to keep your eyes on the word, write the words down and read it loudly as to improve your speaking and listening skills.
Use pinyin as character

I have read an article saying pinyin will soon take the place of Chinese characters in China. How ridiculous it is! There are only about 1700 syllables in Chinese and every character is single-syllable. There are more than 80,000 Chinese characters. What does that mean? It means that same pinyin leads to many different characters. So I strongly recommended that serious learner do not rely on pinyin too much, it is only used to indicate Standard Mandarin pronunciation. As an intermediate learner, you’d better read some books with no pinyin. If you encounter any Chinese symbol without knowing its pronunciation, consult this character in dictionary by radical and stroke method.
Lack of systematic learning

There are too many learning materials on the market. It is good as you will have more choices, but it will cause some problem. Some learners switch from one set of textbook to another frequently. The best way is to concentrate on a suitable set of text-book and have some other reading, listening materials as supplements.

Have not made any of above mistakes? congratulations! Go ahead. But keep in mind, always try to avoid them.

Elementary: Finding an Apartment

2009-12-19T02:22:00.000-08:00

中国人和老外容易发生的10大误会 6

2009-12-15T20:33:00.000-08:00

Top 5 鼓掌

　　当众发言的时候，如果别人给自己鼓掌，为了表达谢意，中国人通常都会暂停发言，而后随着听众一起鼓掌。 In this way he expresses his thanks to the audience. 可是老外就不理解为何要自己给自己鼓掌。自己给自己鼓掌，多不谦虚啊。Of course, when a Chinese speaker claps his hands as the audience is applauding, he is not applauding himself, but expressing his thanks to his audience. As noted earlier, Westerners feel puzzled when watching such a scene, since they think the speaker or the performer is applauding himself. 所以，以后老外在场，发言的人不妨用鞠躬或者挥手代替鼓掌。当然，微笑站立也是一种选择。

Chinese Characters

2009-12-11T21:17:00.001-08:00

Chinese Characters are the foundation in Chinese language. If you totally have no idea of Chinese language or Chinese symbols, we recommend that you read the Chinese Character Overview first.

How to Write Chinese Characters

Chinese characters consist of strokes as their fundamental elements, the same way as English words consisting of letters. The stroke order refers to the way in which Chinese characters are written. The stroke order of a character gives the order and direction in which the strokes are written.

Here is an example how the character 永 is written stroke by stroke. The number of strokes is five. The number of strokes of Chinese characters varies from one to thirty.

» Tip

The number of strokes used to make each character is used as index when you come to look them up in a dictionary.

How to Pronounce Chinese Characters

There is a large and very diverse group of Chinese dialects spoken across northern and southwestern China. Standard mandarin is the official spoke language in Mainland China and Taiwan. In English, phonetic alphabet symbol provides the way how to spell the words. In Chinese, pinyin, a system of Roman alphabet, is used to express the sounds of characters.

For example, the character 车 means vehicle. Chē is pinyin for the character 车, while [`vi:ikl] is phonetic alphabet symbol for vehicle.

	Chinese	English
Pronunciation	chē or che1	[`vi:ikl]
Writing	车	vehicle

Pinying Tone Chart

There are four tones represented in pinyin by marks above the words. The tone of a Chinese symbol indictaes how the pitch of the speaker's voice changes as the character is said.

The diagram to the right shows the pitch changes of the four tones on a five-bar scale going from lowest (1), to highest (5), while the four tone marks are:

First tone	ˉ	high level
Second tone	ˊ	middle rising
Third tone	ˇ	low dipping
Fourth tone	ˋ	high fallin

There is also a neutral tone which is unstressed and usually goes unmarked.

Pinyin with tone	Simplified Chinese Character	English meaning	Name of tone
mā	妈	Mother	1st tone
má	麻	To bother	2nd tone
mǎ	马	Horse	3rd tone
mà	骂	To blame	4th tone
ma	吗	Grammatical marker used in a question.	Neutral

» Tip

As it is hard to type mark above pinyin in computer, 1, 2, 3, 4 is commonly used to represent 1st tone, 2nd tone, 3rd tone and 4th tone separately. For example, mā is written as ma1

Newbie: Do you have....?

2009-12-09T02:56:00.000-08:00

Mandarin Lesson : Telling time in Chinese Part 1

2009-12-05T23:26:00.001-08:00

中国人和老外容易发生的10大误会 5

2009-11-30T21:53:00.000-08:00

　Top 6 送别

　　中国人表达情感的方式相对内敛。送别的时候，他们强忍泪水，吝于拥抱，种种“冷淡”表现让老外深感诧异。所以，如果你和老外送别，举止不妨洒脱奔放一些，可别让他们觉得你是“冷血动物”。

　　Like everyone else we are affectionate to our friends and relatives, but perhaps we show our affection in public less than other peoples. Maybe the whole family as well as some friends will go to the railway station or the airport to see a person off, no matter whether he/she goes abroad to study or to another province for work. This may well strike many Westerners as very moving, yet they might be puzzled when they see that nobody will hug or kiss when the time comes for saying goodbye. Friends may shake hands with the person who is leaving and parents may hold his/her hand for a long time with tears in their eyes, but with no other physical contact. In fact hugging and kissing are seldom seen in public in China, no matter what the occasion is。

Elementary: Discussing Eating

2009-11-26T01:03:00.000-08:00

Chinese Idiom: 成千上万 chéng qiān shàng wàn

2009-11-24T22:53:00.000-08:00

成千上万 chéng qiān shàng wàn

解释：形容数量相当大，达到了千、万。用来指人，物都可以。

Explanation:
Numerous amount. Thousands upon thousands. It can refer to both people and objects.

Dialogue:
A：zhèbiān rén hǎo duō a!
A：这边人好多啊！So many people here!
B：měitiān dōu yǒu chéng qiān shàng wàn de rén lái cānguān qín bīngmǎyǒng bówùguǎn.
B：每天都有 成千上万 的人来参观秦兵马涌博物馆。Thousands and thousands of people come to visit the Museum of Qin Terra-Cotta Warriors and Horses every day

Recommended Site: Chinese Multimedia

2009-11-24T04:05:00.000-08:00

A：小王，你好！
B：你好，忙吗？
A：不忙，我刚下课。这是你的车吗？
B：是啊。
A：你现在用吗？
B：不用，你想用吗？
A：我用一下，行吗？
B：行。
A：谢谢，我去邮局买邮票。
B：哦，那不是我的车，我的车在这儿。

In addition to the lessons, you’ll find comprehensive lists of grammar points, vocabulary (including pronunciation audio samples), and characters (including stroke order writing practice drills).

http://www.ctcfl.ox.ac.uk/Chinese/index.html

Chinese Character Overview

2009-11-21T21:56:00.000-08:00

This section is totally for beginners. After the 5-minute tour of this section, you will have good idea of Chinese characters, the foundation Chinese language.

Character is King

Character, the smallest meaningful unit in Chinese, is the foundation in Chinese such as word in English. Chinese characters are also often referred to Chinese symbols.

A small percentage of characters look like drawing, which are called pictogram. Centuries ago, Chinese people drew some simple paintings to show what they wanted to express.

Look at the up-right picture, could you get hint what 人 means? You may have got it already -人 means human or person (unisex). It is a simple picture of a man's side-view.

The down-right is another example, in which the character 女 means woman or female. It is a simple picture of a woman sitting in the traditional Chinese posture in ancient times.

» Tip

Not all Chinese characters are meant to look like the things they represent. Today, only 4% of the total characters are pictograms in current use.

While there are only three one-letter English words, a, I and O, one-symbol Chinese words are common. For example, the character 天 means day or sky; the symbol 空 means empty in English.

Combination of two or more characters always brings a new word. For example, 天空 means sky in English.

Character Forms

There are currently two standards for printed Chinese characters. Entire mainland China and Singapore use the Simplified Chinese characters while the Traditional Chinese characters only used in Hong Kong, Taiwan and Macau. The following table may give you some sense.

Simplified Chinese Character	Traditional Chinese Character	English Translation
龙	龍	Dragon
风	風	Wind
马	馬	Horse
天	天	Day; Sky
月	月	Moon

You maybe have noticed that the simplified version and traditional version of the last two symbols are same. Yes, not every character has been simplified, only some complicated forms. Some characters are totally same in both forms.

As personal opinion, we strongly recommend you learn Simplified Chinese characters, because:

They are much easier for memory than traditional ones.
Keep in mind that all people from mainland China use the Simplified Chinese symbols. That means you are studying a writing system used by more than 1.3 trillion people

Important !

Focus your efforts on just one of these two forms to avoid getting confused.

Number of Characters in Use

There are over 80,000 Chinese characters, but most of them are seldom used today. So how many Chinese characters do you need to know? For basic reading and writing of modern Chinese, you only need a few thousands. Here are the coverage rates of the most frequently used Chinese characters:

Tier of MFU Chinese Characters	Coverage Rate
Most frequently used 500 characters:	72.1%
Most frequently used 1,000 characters:	90.0%
Most frequently used 2,500 characters:	98.0%
Most frequently used 3,500 characters:	99.5%

中国人和老外容易发生的10大误会 4

2009-11-20T06:13:00.000-08:00

Top 7 称呼

　　当外国人听到中国人称呼他们为“老外”的时候，他们心里是不高兴的，因为他们觉得自己并不老，且很健康。他们dislike being labelled as "old", being young valued above being old。

　　而当他们听到中国人管外国小孩也叫“老外”的时候，他们才明白“老”其实是对某个人的尊称，比如老张，老王。"Lao" is a commonly used term by Chinese people to address someone who is older than the speaker to show his politeness, respect and closeness. The term does not necessarily mean old age. "Lao Wai" is a colloquial term of address for foreigners。

Elementary: Are you free?

2009-11-17T01:45:00.000-08:00

重组句子

2009-11-13T06:12:00.000-08:00

1.十分前来中国的于是日本派员仰慕考察文化，。

2.时光始终友情童年的而过不变虽然但同学之间飞逝，。

3.学生对中华文化的加深这次认识大会透过希望能比赛，。

4.呢看电视的老师你觉得还是好处多学生坏处多提问：，？‘ ’

Please give your answer in the comment space.

Chinses for Kids Demo

2009-11-12T22:37:00.000-08:00

I found an interesting software demo for Chinese learning for kids. Adults may find it useful too. Enjoy.

http://www.chineseforsmartkids.com/samplemovie.aspx

Ten Tips to Help Your Kids Learn Chinese

2009-11-12T22:28:00.000-08:00

Ten Tips to Help Your Kids Learn Chinese

Chinese comes easily to many children, especially if they start young. Bilingualism will give them opportunities to communicate with a broader range of people around the world and serve them well throughout their lives.

Start to learn Chinese early well before your child reaches school age if possible. Language acquisition comes quite easily to children who are just learning to speak, and they can pick up more than one language simultaneously.

1. Start Simple.

Begin with 一, 二, 三 (one, two and three in Chinese) as A, B, C when you learn English. That is also the way how we Chinese learn Chinese. SinceChinese characters are basic units of Chinese language, it is naturally the beginning of learning. You may move on to simple Chinese words, simple phrases and then simple sentences step by step.

2. Be consistent.

Set aside a certain time of day, or a certain set of activities, for the Chinese learning. It does not matter what you do, reading books, singing songs or baking cookies, as long as you do it all in Chinese.

3. Learn Chinese with peers

Find out if your school system offers a Chinese-language immersion program and ask to see the curriculum.

4. Learn Chinese by practice

Encourage your child to use his Chinese, and make it clear that he does not have to be embarrassed by mistakes. Many children are afraid of looking silly, but the only way to become fluent in Chinese, same as any other language, is to speak it regularly. The more reinforcement she or he gets in Chinese language, the faster and more thoroughly she will learn it. Always remember: practice, practice, practice.

5. Choose right learning materials

Get books, videos and music in Chinese to help your kids learn Chinese. Children love interesting pictures, vivid screen and sounds to mimic. They like stories accompanied by bright, clear, realistic pictures. And of course they love rhymes. If you are familiar with Chinese yourself, read the interesting story to her.

6. Enjoy Chinese together with your kids.

Set aside part of your time to learn with them, I believe the books or the tapes are quite easy to you. After then, you will find many common topics with your kids and you both can communicate with the words or sentences you have learned quite often.

7. Demonstrate your own love of Chinese

Your kid wants to imitate you. If she or he sees Chinese books all around the house and knows that you like to settle down with one whenever you have a moment to yourself, the kid will learn those books as well. Modeling your own love of reading is more powerful than making your child sit through a rigid story time.

8. A good dictionary matters

Be sure to have a good bilingual dictionary around, especially if you are not completely fluent in Chinese language.

9. Make storytelling a part of life

Promoting reading readiness is more than reading a traditional book. While you are at the dinner table or in the car, tell stories - standards like anecdotes from your own childhood, or stories that feature your child as a central character. Make books of your child's drawings or favorite photos, and tell stories about them — or ask her to be the narrator.

10. Point out words everywhere

Wherever you see Chinese, you can show your child that word. Even the youngest toddlers quickly learn.

Source http://www.aboutchinese.info

5 Questions to Ask Before You Start to Learn Chinese

2009-11-12T22:23:00.000-08:00

5 Questions to Ask Before You Start to Learn Chinese

Five important questions designed for beginners to learn Chinese. Ask yourself before you make any decision to choose a proper learning method.

Do you have a general idea about Chinese?

If not, please take a short tour of Chinese 101 first.

What is your purpose of learning Chinese?

You may want to learn Chinese for travel to China, for further your business or career in China, or for exam. Also, you may want to teach your kids Chinese. Different purposes may lead to totally different learning plan including your time spent on learning, your efforts on percentage of speaking, listening, reading and writing as well as your learning method.

What level you want to get to?

This question is also very important. You answer decides how much effort you need to make. If you are learning Chinese for a better job, see, you’d better know what requirement the employers usually ask for.

What is your time limitation to reach your targeted level? How long time will you spend on studying Chinese per week?

With clear time limitation and targeted level you want to reach, you may time your learning schedule reasonably. It never means that more time may bring better results, but smarter arrangement can.

Your budget of learning Chinese?

For different budget, you should choose different learning methods. If you have enough budgets, you can equip yourself with best learning supplement freely. If you have fewer budgets, you can choose self-teaching with help of necessary learning tools. But no matter how many budgets, the most important thing is persistence. There is a Chinese proverb 有志者, 事竟成 meaning "where there is a will, there is a way".

» Tip

If you plan to spend three hours per week, separate them into six 30-minute slots on different days instead of concentrating three hours in one day. This way may leave you time to refresh tomorrow’s new knowledge.

Source: http://www.aboutchinese.info

A Chinese Idiom about Snake Feet 画蛇添足

2009-11-12T20:51:00.000-08:00

http://blog.chinesehour.com/?p=1287

画蛇添足【huà shé tiān zú 】 Adding feet to a drawing of a snake

:: to ruin the effect of something by adding something superfluous. ::

——–

An official in the ancient State of Chu gave a pot of wine to his men to celebrate the Spring Sacrifice ceremony. One of the men said: “We have only one pot of wine, and it’s only enough for one. So, let’s play for it. The first one to finish drawing a snake in the ground wins the pot of wine.”

The others agreed and started drawing their snakes in the ground.

Then, there was a winner, or so he thought. He had finished his drawing and reached for the pot of wine. But, when he saw that the others hadn’t finished their drawings, he arrogantly said to them: “How slow you are! The way you’re going, I can add feet to my snake and still win the pot of wine.”

So, he did. He added feet to his snake. But before he could finish, another man grabbed the pot of wine and said: “What snake has feet? That’s not a snake! So, I win!”

The moral of the story is that sometimes going too far can be as bad, or worse, than not going far enough.

中国人和老外容易发生的10大误会 3

2009-11-12T04:15:00.000-08:00

Top 8 出游

　　中国人结伴出游的时候，如果买什么东西，花钱的那个人一般都会先统计有几个人，然后按照人头购买东西，即便有人之前客气地说不要，中国人还是会给他买上一份。When a Chinese offers refreshments or drinks to his colleague, his colleague often declines the offer politely, because he doesn't want to trouble the person who offers and it also shows his politeness. Normally the person who offers still prepares or buys refreshments or drinks, and this will be expected by his colleague. Sharing food and drink when going out together is common among colleagues and friends。

　　然而和老外结伴出游，如果你客气地推说不需要某样东西，那么对方真的就不会给你买。他们觉得不给你买是尊重你的决定。Respect one's own decision, "yes" means one wants it, "no" means one doesn't, politeness is usually shown by the expression_r 'thank you' or "please"。所以，想要什么东西，就直接说出来吧，事后真诚地说声谢谢才是他们眼中的礼貌做法。

Elementary: Adding Credit to a Cell Phone

2009-11-06T05:55:00.000-08:00

I want blah blah blah in Chinese

2009-11-06T05:42:00.001-08:00

Vocabulary: Fruits 水果

2009-11-04T21:57:00.000-08:00

菠萝 bō luó
pineapple

草莓 cǎo méi
strawberry

甘蔗 gān zhè
cane

哈密瓜 hā mì guā
Hami melon (a variety of muskmelon)

金橘 jīn jú
kumquat

梨 lí
pear

李子 lǐ zǐ
plum

荔枝 lì zhī
litchi fruit

芒果 máng guǒ
mango

猕猴桃 mí hóu táo
Chinese gooseberry

木瓜 mù guā

papaya

苹果 píng guǒ
apple

葡萄 pú tao
grape

石榴 shí liú
the pomegranate

柿子 shì zi
persimmon

桃子 táo zi
peach

西瓜 xī guā
watermelon

香蕉 xiāng jiāo
banana

香瓜 xiāng guā
muskmelon; also different varieties of sweet melon

杏 xìng
apricot

椰子 yē zi
coconut

樱桃 yīng táo
cherry

柚子 yòu zi
pomelo / shaddock

枣 zǎo
jujube

中国人和老外容易发生的10大误会 2

2009-11-03T07:26:00.000-08:00

Top 9 致谢

　　中国人认为对家里人或者好朋友的帮助是one's own obligation, no need to thank or be thanked，彼此根本不必说谢谢，说了反而显得关系生分。而老外

　　对家人或者朋友的帮忙都习惯说谢谢，他们期待polite expression_rs like "please", "thank you", etc.。所以，和老外相处，千万不要吝啬“谢谢”两个字。“谢”少了只会让老外觉得你羞涩且不懂礼貌。

Poker King 撲克王

2009-10-31T09:27:00.000-07:00

Randy (Louis Koo) is the heir to a major casino business, but has never been interested to inherit the gaming empire after his father’s death. While Uno (Lau Ching Wan) has been helping to run the business, he has every intention for Randy to take over the business empire. Randy is obsessed with online gaming of Texas Hold 'Em Poker and Uno takes the opportunity to put Randy in a real tournament. Randy is put through some hardship before he learns the art of the game. Along the way, Randy falls in love with Smiley (javascript:void(0)Cherrie Ying), a girl who has a winning streak at the casino. Meanwhile, Uno starts a relationship with rival casino owner Ms Fong (Josie Ho). At the end of the championship match, the two top players – Randy and Uno face off against each other. As the last hand of cards is dealt to the two players, who is going to be the Poker King?

上映日期：2009年10月22日
,導演：陳慶嘉，秦小珍 ,
演員：古天樂，劉青雲，鄧麗欣 ,

故事大綱 : 世界撲克王大賽進入了最後決賽，賭桌兩邊坐的男人，以贏取撲克王的榮譽，來了結兩人之間的恩怨。
張人杰(古大樂飾) 與卓一(劉青雲飾) 之間的賭局，早在一年多前的現實中開始。

卓一是博彩企業的大總管，張人杰父親死前，給他一個三國時諸葛亮面對的難題----- --如果張的獨子張人杰沒有接管賭業的能力，卓一可以取而代之。

張已死了三年，卓一幾乎忘記了自己並非真正的老闆，直到這天賭場的新撲克廳開業，況小姐(何超儀飾) 來祝賀時，提起這一點。

況小姐是敵對賭博集團的第二代，剛接管了家族生意。上場第二天，就把所有父親的親信炒掉。她是不折不扣的賭徒性格，不贏盡，情願輸盡。

她是故意激怒卓一的，她欣賞卓一，很想羅致旗下，但不成功，從此針對他，不讓他有好日子過。

卓一這才記起像人間蒸發了的張人杰，立即派人天涯海角去尋找。

張人杰本來很不喜歡父親開賭，他從不願離開校園，在加拿大大學唸完一個學位又一個學位，直至他在網上遇上了德州撲克。

過去三年，他躲在卡加里的屋中，幾乎沒出過來。唸數學的他，迷上了這種撲克遊戲，每天對著三個電腦屏幕，同時玩十六局。三餐都是叫外賣pizza，像個活在深山的武林高手。

卓一的手下爆門進入他屋時，他剛贏了一局大牌。這時他在網上的籌碼已滾存至百多萬美金。卓一真的想把生意交回給張人杰，但完全不通世情，甚至不懂與人相處的他，回來之後，很快便成了行業中的笑柄。最大問題是他一點也不尊重卓一。

為了見他網上撲克情人施晨(應采兒飾) 一面，他不惜重金贊助撲克王比賽。他以為可以在情人面前威一下，結果相反，他在初賽已出了局，而且輸得很難看。

他大發脾氣時，卓一說他的技術沒問題，是輸在不懂得看人。他當然不忿，卓一這時拿出他父親的遺囑並連同錄影帶，說要接管他的賭業，因為再下去，這個王國將敗在他手上。

他有最後一個機會-------可以跟卓一賭一局。他選了他擅長的撲克，輸了。

離開時他還有網上贏來的百多萬美金，但不到一晚已給一個女孩子騙去。

他才真正知道他真的不懂看人，在網上虛擬世界還可以，現實世界會一敗塗地。

在他最失意的時候，他遇上了一個幸運的女孩。賭場一角忽然圍上一堆人，原來一個女孩連逐贏了十舖大細，但每次只是一小注一小注地押，旁邊跟她賭贏錢的，都比她押得大。贏了近一千元，她便離開。

好奇心驅使，張人杰認識了何笑容(鄧麗欣)。她原來從少多病，自覺是個不幸的人，不知何解，前幾天發覺自己有了幸運，不相信，到賭場試試，果然贏了。害怕幸運很快失去，她不敢賭得太盡，贏一點葯費便算。

張人杰利用了她的幸運，為自己贏回第一注本。同時，他認識了賭場少女荷官樂樂(KAM A飾) ，教他如何在賭桌前分析不同人的賭法。

況小姐得悉杰在撲克廳中贏了錢，主動邀約合作。由她打本讓他參加撲克王大賽，並策劃讓他從卓一手上取回他的博彩王國。

逐步建立起聲譽的杰重遇施晨，幸運的笑容此刻竟發覺她已失去了她的運氣，再沒能力幫助杰。她怕杰會因她而得到不幸，施晨與他反正是開了很合襯的一對。

笑容離開了杰。

卓一從趕走杰的一刻起，一直在暗中照顧他。他知道杰一定要在現實生活磨練才可成功。他很矛盾，既想保留這個王國，又想杰最終可以從他手中贏回。他千方百計看穿別人，卻看不清自己。

小縱明白他。她是他的貼身保鏢，也是暗戀著他的女人。他一直以為她是女同性戀。用撲克來形容，她是一個明知底牌沒機會勝出的玩家，她甘心跟下去，只是為了讓她喜歡的人有機會看清她的底牌。

杰向卓一發出邀請，請他參加即將舉行的世界撲克王大賽。卓一明白，是決勝負的時刻。

比賽之前，荒謬的事發生了，卓一居然胡塗地與對頭況小姐上了床。

比賽到最後，兩雄相遇。卓一不是因杰計算之準而驚訝，杰不只能看透人，還懂得影別人的思想和判斷。

正因如此，杰看穿了卓一，他一直想他成為真正的賭王。

最後一局的牌發下來，誰會是真正的撲克王？

Elementary: A Walk in the Park

2009-10-30T04:30:00.000-07:00

What is the Difference between Chinese and Mandarin. Which one shall I study?

2009-10-30T00:28:00.000-07:00

After sharing so much Chinese learning materials and Chinese related entries, let us go back to the basics.

The other day, a follower of this blog asked me what is the difference between Chinese and Mandarin and which one she should study. Here is a simple explanation.

Chinese includes all dialects used in China, including Mandarin, Cantonese, Hokkien, Teochew etc. These are the few major ones and there are too many to be listed.

Mandarin is the standard official language in China. Just like Japanese which exists many dialects such as Kansaiben, however, the Kanto version is chosen as the standard Japanese. Mandarin is also known as 国語(guo2 yu3), meaning " the national language" in China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. It is also commonly known as 普通話(pu3 tong1 hua4), meaning " a common language". In Singapore, Mandarin is commonly known as 華語(hua2 yu3), meaning " the Chinese language" in order to identify the Chinese race among others such as Malay and Indian in this multiracial nation.

Since Mandarin is most commonly used, when people mention about "Chinese", it usually refers to Mandarin. In the case when referring to other Chinese dialects, people usually indicate the specific dialect such as Cantonese etc. Hence, Chinese, Mandarin, 国語(guo2 yu3), 普通話(pu3 tong1 hua4) and 華語(hua2 yu3) generally means the same thing.

Although there are many dialects in Chinese, the dialects are mainly used as verbal communication tools in different regions of China. For the written form, Mandarin is the only standard. Therefore all written documents in modern China are written in Mandarin and students learn Chinese by writing in the Mandarin form as well.

In Hong Kong and most parts of Guangzhou, the main communication tool is Cantonese. The Chinese education system in Hong Kong had been using Cantonese as the medium of teaching for a long time until near the end of the British rule. The learning of Chinese using Cantonese is possible as the written Chinese text can be read 100% using Cantonese pronunciation. However, it is important to know that reading Chinese text in Cantonese is different from conversational Cantonese. Although the language structure and grammar of both Mandarin and Cantonese is very similar, we use different words for the grammar such as "is", "at" and many other vocabularies are totally different. I understand that this can be very difficult to understand for non-Chinese and non-Cantonese speakers. If I am not wrong, it will be similar to French and German or Spanish where the structure and grammar are similar but they are totally different languages.

Due to this difference between written Mandarin and spoken Cantonese, Hong Kong people has developed a written form of "conversational Cantonese". This written form of "conversational Cantonese is usually found in casual texts such as magazines, comics, letter to friends, online chat rooms etc. This explanation can be a little confusing, what it means by "written form of "conversational Cantonese""?? It means by reading the Chinese text in Cantonese, it will sound like conversational Cantonese. To illustrate further, it will be like "yar, wads up?", "Nah, I'm not gonna be a cop.", "I wanna", that expresses verbal conversation. However, the differences in the words when compared to the standard written Mandarin is so great that a non-Cantonese, even if he is proficient in Mandarin, will have no idea what the written form of "conversational Cantonese" is talking about.

To end this completed entry, Mandarin or Chinese is also knows as 中文(zhong1 wen2) and 汉语(han4 yu3). In Japanese, it is 中国語 or 北京語. Good luck. You guys learning Chinese are really brave.

Water Calligraphy

2009-10-29T06:56:00.000-07:00

DJH Chinese & Japanese Localization

2009-10-29T05:27:00.000-07:00

DJH Chinese & Japanese Localization helps companies to bring their businesses into the Chinese and Japanese Market by transforming their product and service information into Chinese and Japanese context, allowing their Chinese and Japanese customers to have an accurate understanding and access to their products and services more quickly, overcoming the language and cultural barrier.

Services

Translation of all languages to Chinese (traditional or simplified) and vice versa.
Including Business documents and Academic documents
Examples: Websites, letters, mails, certificates, contracts, proposals, invoices, reports, presentations, user manuals, posters, brochures, licenses, awards, name cards
Providing subtitles and time coding to movies

Behind The Scenes

Our translators are native Chinese and Japanese who have studied or lived overseas for a substantial period of time. They are proficient in the languages, cultures, businesses as well as technical aspects of both the foreign country and the Chinese and Japanese market. With talents who are equipped with the necessary knowledge and skills of both sides of the world, inaccurate interpretation and unnecessary misunderstandings, which are a common problem with translators who are only paper-certified in the languages, are avoided. Our hassle-free services are delivered efficiently and at competitive prices.

For enquiries please email to:
enquiries@djhchinese.com
Tel: +81-08-3825-1950 (Japan)

+65-93371191 (Singapore)

Numbers and Gesture in Chinese

2009-10-29T04:08:00.001-07:00

中国人和老外容易发生的10大误会

2009-10-26T06:39:00.000-07:00

　你和老外闹过笑话或者误会吗？中西文化差异会造成两方人对某些事情的态度和做法的不同。加强沟通，理解万岁。为了让你和老外轻松相处，我们总结出经常发生的10种误会及其解决方法。

　　Top 10 赞美

　　西方人乐于赞美别人，同时也乐于接受别人的赞美。而中国人为了显示谦恭，常常会“拒绝”他人的赞美。这种“拒绝”会让老外觉得莫明其妙，好像你不领他的情似的。

　　还有，中国人出于礼貌，或者想跟人套近乎，总是愿意说些关心人的话。为了献殷勤，我们常喜欢对客人说"You must be tired? Have a good rest."。然而，普通的问候之语却有可能让西方人误解为你对她的身体状况表示担忧。他们很喜欢别人夸他们年轻、强壮，如果你质疑他们的身体健康，他们甚至会发怒的。

　　

Visiting a Doctor in Chinese (Finish Him)

2009-10-26T06:02:00.000-07:00

世上只有妈妈好。Only my Mum is the best in the world

2009-10-22T04:27:00.000-07:00

世上只有妈妈好
私のお母さんだけが世界一です
Only my Mum is the best in the world

有妈的孩子像个宝
お母さんの子供は宝のようです
Children with their mums are like tresure

投进了妈妈的怀抱
お母さんの胸に抱かれて
Hugging my dear Mum

幸福享不了
私は終わることのない幸せを感じます
I feel endless happiness

没有妈妈最苦恼
お母さんがいないと最も苦しい
Life is tough without my Mum

没妈的孩子像根草
お母さんいない子は草のようです
Children without their mums are like weeds

离开妈妈的怀抱
お母さんの胸を离れたら
If I left my dear Mum

幸福哪里找
幸せはどこだろう→どこに幸せを見つけられるのだろうか
From where can I find happiness

Elementary: A Very Special Day

2009-10-21T06:51:00.000-07:00

How to reply How are you? in Chinese 最近好吗？

2009-10-17T10:56:00.000-07:00

Elementary: A Ticket to Suzhou

2009-10-16T07:15:00.000-07:00

Newbie: A Ghost Outside

2009-10-12T06:28:00.001-07:00

What is your telephone number?

2009-10-12T06:05:00.000-07:00

DJH 中国語教室　京都

2009-09-19T18:30:00.001-07:00

DJH 中国語教室は京都に住んでいる地元の日本人の方と外国人の方に中国語のレッスンを行います。学ぶのが早い子供たちのための中国語レッスンも用意しています。

DJH 中国語教室はシンガポールで創立し、外国人と子供たちに中国語レッスンを行ってきました。今まで一緒に中国語を勉強してきた生徒はアメリカ、フランス、日本、デンマーク、ベルギー、ドイツ、インドネシア、オーストラリア、ハンガリー、イギリスなどの国々の人々です。生徒には社会人から四才の幼児までいます。レッスンの内容は日常会話、リーディング、ライティング、ヒアリングと仕事で使えるビジネス中国語とHSKという中国語能力試験の対策などがあります。

2009年の秋、 DJH 中国語教室は京都の皆さんのために、京都に中国語教室を開きました。レッスンはグループで行われ、英語と日本語で指導します。 DJH 中国語教室は京都に中国語を広めて、一緒に練習したり交流したりするコミュニティーを作りたいと思っています。

中国の急激な経済発展と共に、中国語は世界中で一番人気のある言語であることが分かりました。中国語が身に付いたら、中国だけではなく、香港、台湾、また世界中の中国系コミュニティーの扉が開きます。つまり、人生においてたくさんのチャンスがあなたのことを待っているのです。新しい言語を楽しむことにより、あなたと子供達の時間に最高の投資をすることになるでしょう。

レッスン費：18000円　10レッスン

2000円　１レッスン

時間：　月、火、水、木、金、午後8時~10時

　土、日、午前10時~12時、午後1時~3時、4時~6時、8時~10時

場所：　京都市向島（近鉄向島駅と観月橋から徒歩10分）

メール： enquiries@djhchinese.com

電話： 080-3825-1950

担当：トン

ウェブサイト： www.djhchinese.com

ブログ： www.djhchinese.blogspot.com

フェイスブック：http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=117779193140&ref=tshttp://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=117779193140&ref=ts

DJH Chinese Course Kyoto

2009-09-19T17:43:00.000-07:00

DJH Chinese Courses is glad to announce that it has started a brunch at Kyoto from September 2009. Similar to our operation in Singapore, DJH Kyoto will be providing Chinese courses to expatriates living and working in Kyoto, as well as to the local Japanese who are interested in learning another major language in Asia.

Lessons will be conducted in English as usual, however it will also be conducted in Japanese for the locals or people who are more comfortable with Japanese. After all, there are some similarities between Chinese and Japanese such as the Kanjis and some expressions.
DJH Kyoto hopes to bring the Chinese language and culture to Kyoto and its people. With a rich history and well preserved Japanese culture in Kyoto, we wish to have an international, inter-cultural exchange with people in Japan, as well as the rest of the world.
Hopefully, with our first oversea branch in Kyoto, DJH is able to help people to learn and enjoy the Chinese language better even in a non-Chinese speaking environment.

Lesson fee: 18000yen per course of 10 lessons

Timing: Monday to Friday 8pm to 10pm

Saturday and Sunday 10am to 12 am, 1pm to 3pm, 4pm to 6pm

Location: Kyoto-fu, Kyoto-shi, Mukaijima, Nakajima-cho 85-15 (10 min walk from Mukaijia Station or Kangetsukyo Station)

Telephone: 080-3825-1950

Email: enquiries@djhchinese.com

Contact person: Tong

Website: www.djhchinese.com

Blog: www.djhchinese.blogspot.com

Facebook group: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=117779193140&ref=tshttp://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=117779193140&ref=ts

Number and Chinese

2009-08-25T10:50:00.000-07:00

Numbers are frequently used to replace certain words/phrases in everyday Chinese language, e.g. when instant messaging friends or sending text messages. A few of them, like 4, 6, and 8 are pretty well integrated to everyday life and you’ll encounter their universal meanings wherever you go. All of them are based on homophones, where the sound for the number(s) sounds like something else. Here are some examples:

6: 六 (liù) – Luck. Apparently, this comes from Hong Kong. The pronunciation of the number 6 sounds like the word 祿 (lù). When in Taiwan or China, you’ll notice that any phone numbers or license plates with the numbers 6 and 8 are extremely popular.
8: 八 (bā) – Good luck. This sounds like 發 (fā), the word for luck.
38: 三八 (sānbā) – Silly woman (because March 8 (3/8) is International Women’s Day. Where the negative connotation came from is unclear.)
88: 八八 (bābā) – Bye bye.
520: 我愛你 (wǒàinǐ) – I love you.
530: 我想你 (wǒxiǎngnǐ) – I miss you. / I’m thinking of you.

Advanced：周杰伦 - 彩虹

2009-08-17T23:21:00.000-07:00

周杰伦 - 彩虹
作曲:周杰伦作词:周杰伦

哪里有彩虹告诉我
Tell me where is the rainbow
能不能把我的愿望还给我
Can you return me my wishes
为什么天这么安静
Why is the sky to quiet
所有的云都跑到我这里
All the clouds have came to my side
有没有口罩一个给我
Do you have a mask for me
释怀说了太多就成真不了
When wishes is said too much, they won't become true
也许时间是一种解药
Maybe time is an anti-dose
也是我现在正服下的毒药
It is also the poison I am now consuming
看不见你的笑我怎么睡得着
How do I get to sleep if I do not see you smile
你的声音这么近我却抱不到
Your voice is so near but I couldn't hug
没有地球太阳还是会绕
If the Earth is not there, the sun will continue to orbit
没有理由我也能自己走
If there is no reason, I can still walk on my own
你要离开我知道很简单
You are leaving, I know that is simple
你说依赖是我们的阻碍
You said dependence is our obstacle
就算放开但能不能别没收我的爱
If you let go, please don't confiscate away my love
当作我最后才明白
Take it that I am the last one to understand

How to make a hotel reservation in Chinese Part 2

2009-08-16T05:48:00.001-07:00

How to make a hotel reservation in chinese part

2009-08-16T05:30:00.000-07:00

汉字五千年 Five Thousand Years of Chinese Characters

2009-07-30T02:33:00.000-07:00

This is a series of documentary on one of the most ancient written language in human civilization: the Chinese character, han zi. Personally, I fell in love with it from the first episode. It contained lots of information on history of China, its culture, the transformation of the society, its future as well as comparison to other civilizations and cultures in other part of the Earth. Unfortunately it is totally in Mandarin with Chinese subtitles. It would be more suitable for people with better command of Mandarin. Nonetheless, it is a must see for all Chinese learners. I give my both thumbs up.

第一集：人类奇葩

本集是全片的开篇，通过汉字与世界上其它文字的命运对比，凸现出汉字在人类文明史中独树一帜的地位。

作为世界上生命力最长的文字，汉字保存了人类历史上最为丰富的文明纪录。这些纪录中不仅包括了汉语民族的，同时也包括周边民族的。匈奴、突厥、蒙古、党项等民族，朝鲜、日本、印度等国家的许多文明成果都是因为汉字才得以留存。

汉字不仅为世界上超过三分之一的人提供了交流的工具，而且汉字作为中华文明的主要载体，为基督教文明、伊斯兰文明，提供了对比、认知、借鉴、甚至是自我修正的对象。汉字所承载的一些基本理念，例如民胞物与、仁、理等等，为人类文明的未来发展提供了一种选择的可能。

"It's a Small World" Advise from Amit Gilboa

2009-07-25T06:03:00.000-07:00

After the interview with Xiao An An from "it's a Small World", we have Amit here to give us some in-sight of how he had learned Mandarin. Here is a mail from him.

Hi Cheuk,

Sorry it took me a while to respond.

Here are a couple of tips from my experience:

1) Immersion is truly the best way. If I had a choice between learning 1 hour a week for a year or learning for 50 hours in one week - definitely I would choose the latter. I think that when you focus on the language instead of constantly switching gears from one language to another, that's when you really improve.

2) As much as possible, practice. Don't wait for opportunities to talk with native speakers. Talk to yourself in Chinese. When sitting on the bus, try to translate advertisements from English into Chinese. When counting things to yourself, try in Chinese instead of English. The more you use it, the more fluently it will flow.

3) For more advanced students, try watching Chinese shows. Even if using subtitles, try to catch words in Chinese. Best to use shows where people speak slowly (the news is not a good option as they usually speak very fast) and clearly (generally women speak more clearly) and also avoid historical dramas because they use the equivalent of shakesperean language.

Hope this helps!

Cheers,

Amit

DJH Chinese Courses

菜单 cài dān

国家 guó jiā

简单 jiǎn dān simple

数字 Numbers

Chinese Pinyin in 6 Mins

Clarifying Chinese Characters

Clarification Examples

Learn To Clarify Your Chinese Name

信 xìn

Mandarin Vocabulary With Xìn

Mandarin Proficiency Test

哪裡?nǎli?

以前yǐqián

地方dìfang

漢字の筆順

请问qǐngwèn

鱼 yú Fish

Mandarin Vocabulary With Yú

Shenme 什么?

We Are One Café Workshop & Seminar Series: Chinese Language Lessons @ Zen Café, Kyoto

Nǐ Hǎo - 你好 - Hello

Nǐ Hǎo - 你好 - Hello

China & Taiwan

How Are You?

Two Sets of Chinese Characters

东西 Dongxi

The Business Chinese Test Introduction(BCT)商务汉语考试

冷笑話

Elementary: No Walking on Grass

Chinese Mini-test: 公寓 (Beginner)

Beginner Level 初级 (chūjí)

Elementary: Mild Swearing

Happy Birthday Sucker

List of Chinese Radicals

Elementary: Language Exchange

“对”“对于”と“关于”の用法

Elementary: Fruit Juice

How to learn Chinese well for foreigners? 外国人如何学好汉语？

外国人如何学好汉语？

Elementary: I am not in

2009 Top ten internet buzzwords in china.2009中国十大网络流行语 2009 Top ten internet buzzwords in china.2009中国十大网络流行语

Common Mistakes to Avoid in Learning Chinese

Elementary: Finding an Apartment

中国人和老外容易发生的10大误会 6

Chinese Characters

How to Write Chinese Characters

» Tip

How to Pronounce Chinese Characters

» Tip

Newbie: Do you have....?

Mandarin Lesson : Telling time in Chinese Part 1

中国人和老外容易发生的10大误会 5

Elementary: Discussing Eating

Chinese Idiom: 成千上万 chéng qiān shàng wàn

成千上万 chéng qiān shàng wàn

Recommended Site: Chinese Multimedia

Chinese Character Overview

Character is King

» Tip

Character Forms

Important !

Number of Characters in Use

中国人和老外容易发生的10大误会 4

Elementary: Are you free?

重组句子

Chinses for Kids Demo

Ten Tips to Help Your Kids Learn Chinese

Ten Tips to Help Your Kids Learn Chinese

5 Questions to Ask Before You Start to Learn Chinese

5 Questions to Ask Before You Start to Learn Chinese

Do you have a general idea about Chinese?

What is your purpose of learning Chinese?

What level you want to get to?

What is your time limitation to reach your targeted level? How long time will you spend on studying Chinese per week?

Your budget of learning Chinese?

» Tip

A Chinese Idiom about Snake Feet 画蛇添足

画蛇添足【huà shé tiān zú 】 Adding feet to a drawing of a snake

中国人和老外容易发生的10大误会 3

数字　Numbers

DJH 中国語教室　京都