Tableware terminology in Chinese

October 29, 2024

Learning common vocabulary used in daily life is essential for learning Chinese. Let's expand your vocabulary with a few words we encounter in the kitchen or at restaurants every day!

Frost's Descent: Late autumn and seasonal foods

October 25, 2024

The traditional Chinese solar calendar divides the year into 24 solar terms. Frost's Descent, the 18th solar term of the year, begins this year on Oct 23 and ends on Nov 6. Frost's Descent is the last solar term of autumn, when the weather becomes colder than before and frost comes.

From hot to cold: 7 temperature adjectives in Chinese

October 22, 2024

Weather is always a popular topic -and often a reason to complain!-in casual conversations, wherever you are and whatever language you speak, including with your colleagues and friends in China. Here are some Chinese adjectives to describe hot and cold temperatures, so you can easily join weather discussions and express yourself.

The timeless appeal of jasmine

October 14, 2024

The enduring popularity of jasmine can be partly attributed to its deep cultural significance (深厚的文化意义, shēn hòu de wén huà yì yì). In Mandarin, jasmine sounds like "no profit (没利 mò lì)" suggesting that people should not focus too much on fame and fortune (名利, míng lì).

Eight things you may not know about Cold Dew

October 10, 2024

The traditional Chinese solar calendar divides the year into 24 solar terms (二十四节气, èr shí sì jié qì). Cold Dew, (寒露, hán lù), the 17th solar term of the year, begins this year on Oct 8 and ends on Oct 22. Here are eight features of Cold Dew you should know.

Using 'when' in Chinese

October 09, 2024

The Mandarin Chinese phrase for "when" is 什么时候 in simplified form. Knowing this phrase is essential for scheduling meetings, whether for business or leisure. The first two characters 什么 (shén me) mean "what". The last two characters 时候 (shí hou) mean "time" or "length of time".

Takeaway Chinese: It's too expensive!

September 26, 2024

Takeaway Chinese: It's too expensive! (贵 guì: expensive)

Ten essential cooking verbs in Chinese

September 20, 2024

There are a lot of different ways of preparing food in Chinese cuisine. Whether you're quickly stir-frying a meal or slowly braising a complex dish, understanding the key cooking verbs is essential for mastering the Chinese cooking vocabulary.

Must-know Chinese internet slang abbreviations

September 18, 2024

Chinese netizens love using letter-based slang in their chats, or in comments on social media posts. Today let's learn eight must-know internet slang terms that are popular in Chinese online culture.

Takeaway Chinese: Mid-Autumn Festival

September 13, 2024

Dive into this engaging conversation to learn all about Mid-Autumn Festival and expand your vocabulary related to this traditional Chinese holiday!