tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-60496589677127508282024-03-05T21:57:38.729-08:00sillypigs<b>YOUR GUIDE INTO CHINESE REALITY</b>Zarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00144445101172074529noreply@blogger.comBlogger16125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6049658967712750828.post-51240956317752088902017-10-25T07:42:00.002-07:002017-10-25T07:44:35.401-07:0033 Proverbs that Translate Well Between English and Mandarinby <a href="http://carlgene.com/blog/2010/12/33-proverbs-that-translate-well-between-english-and-mandarin/">carlgene</a><br />
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1. There’s no use crying over spilt milk.<br />
覆水难收 fù shuǐ nán shōu (“Spilt water is hard to recover.”)<br />
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2. The early bird gets the worm.<br />
捷足先登 jié zú xiān dēng (“A fast foot is first to climb.”)<br />
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3. Misery loves company.<br />
同病相怜 tóngbìngxiānglián (“Patients with similar conditions empathise with each other.”)<br />
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4. We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.<br />
船到桥头自然直 chuán dào qiáotóu zì rán zhí (“The ship will reach the end of the bridge in due course.”)<br />
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5. What goes around, comes around.<br />
善有善报,恶有恶报 shànyǒushànbào, èyǒu’èbào (“Kind deeds pay rich dividends, evil is repaid with evil.”)<br />
种瓜得瓜 zhòngguādéguā (“As you sow a melon, so you shall reap one.”)<br />
种豆得豆zhòngdòudédòu (“As you sow a bean, so you shall reap one.”)<br />
媳妇熬成婆 xífù áo chéng pó (“A daughter-in-law who suffers will one day become a mother-in-law.”)<br />
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6. Like father, like son.<br />
有其父必有其子 yǒu qí fù bì yǒu qí zǐ (“The son is like his father.”)<br />
虎父无犬子 hǔ fù wú quǎn zǐ (“A tiger does not father a dog.”)<br />
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7. A friend in need is a friend indeed.<br />
患难见真情 huànnàn jiàn zhēnqíng (“In adversity, true feelings are revealed.”)<br />
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8. No pain, no gain; nothing ventured, nothing gained.<br />
不入虎穴,焉得虎子 bù rù hǔxuè, yāndé hǔ zǐ (“If you don’t enter the tiger’s den, how will you get the tiger’s cub?”)<br />
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9. Don’t put off until tomorrow what can be done today.<br />
今日事,今日毕 jīnrì shì, jīnrì bì (“Today’s task, today’s job to complete.”)<br />
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10. If you want something done well, do it yourself.<br />
求人不如求己 qiúrén bùrú qiújǐ (“It’s better to rely on yourself than on the help of others.”)<br />
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11. Once bitten, twice shy.<br />
一朝被蛇咬,十年怕井绳 yī zhāo bèi shé yǎo, shí nián pà jǐng shéng (“Bitten by a snake on one morning, afraid of the rope by the well for ten years.”)<br />
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12. All good things come to an end.<br />
人无千日好,花无百日红 rén wú qiān rì hǎo, huā wú bǎi rì hóng (“There is no person that has 1000 good days in a row, and no flower that stays red for 100 days.”)<br />
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13. When in Rome, do as the Romans do.<br />
入乡随俗 rù xiāng suí sú (“When entering a village, follow its customs.”)<br />
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14. When it rains, it pours.<br />
屋漏偏逢连夜雨 wū lòu piān féng lián yè yǔ (“When the roof is leaking, that’s when you get several continuous nights of rain.”)<br />
一波未平,一波又起 yī bō wèi píng yī bō yòu qǐ (“Just as one wave subsides, another one comes.”)<br />
喝口凉水都能塞牙缝 hē kǒu liángshuǐ dōu neng sài yáfèng (“Even water gets stuck in your teeth.”)<br />
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15. Two heads are better than one.<br />
三个臭皮匠,胜过诸葛亮 sān ge chòupíjiàng, shèng guò Zhūgé Liàng (“Three unskilled cobblers are superior to one Zhuge Liang.”)<br />
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16. Easy come, easy go.<br />
三十年河东,三十年河西 sān shí nián hé dōng, sān shí nián hé xī (“Thirty years on the east side of the river, thirty years on the west side of the river.”)<br />
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17. There’s more than one way to skin a cat.<br />
山不转路转 shān bù zhuǎn lù zhuǎn (“A mountain cannot turn, but a road can.”)<br />
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18. Practice makes perfect.<br />
熟能生巧 shú néng shēng qiǎo (“Experience can give way to skill.”)<br />
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19. Rome wasn’t built in a day.<br />
冰冻三尺,非一日之寒 bīng dòng sān chǐ, fēi yī rì zhī hán (“Three feet of ice is not the result of one cold day.”)<br />
罗马不是一日建成的 Luómǎ bù shì yī rì jiàn chéng de (literal translation)<br />
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20. Heaven helps those who help themselves.<br />
皇天不负苦心人 huángtiān bù fù kǔxīn rén (“Heaven won’t betray people who try their best.”)<br />
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21. Beggars can’t be choosers.<br />
饥不择食 jībùzéshí (“The starving can’t choose their meals.”)<br />
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22. Speak of the devil and he shall appear.<br />
说曹操,曹操到 shuō Cáo Cāo, Cáo Cāo dào (“Speak of Cao Cao and he arrives.”)<br />
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23. The first step is the hardest.<br />
万事起头难 wànshì qǐtóu nán (“The first step in a thousand different matters is always difficult.”)<br />
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24. Birds of a feather, flock together.<br />
物以类聚 wù yǐ lèijù (“Similar things are categorised together.”)<br />
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25. You get what you pay for.<br />
一分钱,一分货 yī fēn qián, yī fēn huò (“Ten yuan of money, ten yuan of goods.”)<br />
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26. Great minds think alike.<br />
英雄所见略同 yīngxióng suǒjiànlüètóng (“The views of heroes are roughly alike.”)<br />
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27. One can’t have one’s cake and eat it too.<br />
鱼与熊掌不可兼得 yú yǔ xióng zhǎng bù kě jiān dé (“One cannot get fish and bear’s paw at the same time.”)<br />
又要马儿好,又要马儿不吃草 (“You want a good horse, but won’t give it grass to eat.”)<br />
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28. Haste makes waste.<br />
欲速则不达 yùsù zé bùdá (“You desire speed but cannot reach your destination.”)<br />
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29. How time flies!<br />
光阴似箭 guāngyīn sì jiàn (“Time is like an arrow.”)<br />
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30. Seeing is believing.<br />
百闻不如一见 bǎi wén bùrú yī jiàn (“Hearing something one hundred times is not as good as seeing it once.”)<br />
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31. Every cloud has a silver lining.<br />
塞翁失马,焉知非福 sàiwēngshīmǎ, yān zhī fēi fú (“When the old man from the frontier lost his horse, how could one have known that it would not be fortuitous?”)<br />
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32. Money talks.<br />
钱可通神 qiánkětōngshén or 钱能通神 qiánnéngtōngshén (“Money is divine.”)<br />
金钱万能 jīnqián wànnéng (“Money is almighty.”)<br />
有钱能使鬼推磨 yǒu qián néng shǐ guǐ tuīmó (“If you have money you can ask for favours.”)<br />
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33. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.<br />
情人眼里出西施 qíngrén yǎnlǐ chū Xī Shī (“In the eyes of a lover, Xi Shi [one of the renowned Four Beauties of ancient China] appears.”Zarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00144445101172074529noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6049658967712750828.post-12826463260360125722015-07-13T01:59:00.000-07:002015-07-13T01:59:55.007-07:00Top Sites In ChinaMost websites linked to on this blog are language learning sites. If you already speak the language, or, since some have an English version, are interested in properly immersing yourself in the culture, you can visit some of the most popular websites among Chinese nationals themselves. <a href="http://alexa.com/">Alexa.com</a> shows website ranking by country. Be patient, some of them take time to lead. Happy reading!Zarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00144445101172074529noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6049658967712750828.post-17092206389273743022015-07-09T01:39:00.001-07:002015-07-11T10:19:42.981-07:00Your Questions★ When you have a question about China or about the language, do not hesitate to ask me (post a comment at the bottom of this page or write to <span id="sostituiscimi2"><i>[Loading, please wait]</i></span><script>
setTimeout(function() {
var e=document.getElementById('sostituiscimi2');
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</script>). I can answer from personal experience or help you quickly find the most relevant information online.<br />
If you want to get more answers, you can also try one of these websites:<br />
★ <a href="http://chinese.stackexchange.com/questions">StackExchange</a> is where many people go when they have a question. It started with IT and soon other areas were added, like Chinese. By now they have a large number of questions already replied to, so you can search for the answer to yours before posting, they might already have it!<br />
★ After a free registration on <a href="http://lang-8.com/">Lang8</a> you can post any text in Chinese you have written and get help with corrections from native speakers. You can also help by correcting other people's mistakes in your native language.Zarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00144445101172074529noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6049658967712750828.post-87049626282417461472013-04-17T10:59:00.000-07:002020-07-27T10:27:36.274-07:00Street life<span style="font-family: Coming soon;">Outdoor gyms</span><br />
<a href="http://spacing.ca/toronto/2008/07/08/beijing-public-exercise-equipment/" target="_blank">This article</a> presents the outdoor exercise equipment that is now all over the capital. It is widely popular, and gives the elderly one more thing to do in their free time, and one more way to stay in good shape. A little more on the subject <a href="http://spacing.ca/montreal/2008/07/10/beijing-public-exercise-equipment/" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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<span style="font-family: Coming soon;">Table tennis</span><br />
Needless to say, table tennis is for China what football is for Brazil. You find tables everywhere, and people play all the time. They are sometimes places in the outdoor gyms, sometimes stand on their own. Wherever they are, they enjoy lots of attention from the locals.<br />
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<span style="font-family: Coming soon;">Jianzi</span><br />
Popular with all ages, you will see people <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rstU_NksEGs" target="_blank">playing this</a> anywhere there is space available - in parks, schoolyards, in front of apartment buildings. It is played with what resembles a large plastic shuttlecock.<br />
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<span style="font-family: Coming soon;">Tai Chi</span><br />
You would see people exercise in parks in the mornings. The slow movements are usually accompanied by music. Luckily for all those who haven't had the chance to go to China yet, some nice people make videos like <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4jIKA1qnsWo" target="_blank">these </a>and <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lgvQX3rov5I" target="_blank">these </a>of such events.<br />
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<span style="font-family: Coming soon;">Flying kites</span><br />
Chinese people like to fly kites everywhere: <a href="http://vimeo.com/407111" target="_blank">in parks</a>, on squares, on bridges. Sometimes there are so many people flying kites at the same time that it is amazing how they manage to stay out of each other's way.<br />
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<span style="font-family: Coming soon;">Ballroom dancing Beijing style</span><br />
Not that Chinese people do not have proper ballroom dancing, but they also like to dance like that <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZD4A03AyRds" target="_blank">in the streets</a>,<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NQ-GtkyHKxc" target="_blank"> in parks</a>, in university gyms and basically wherever they can. I was invited once to one of these regular happenings at a university gym, where everything had been put away and with an average age of 50, people danced away happily the entire evening.<br />
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<span style="font-family: Coming soon;">Dancing</span><br />
In the morning and in the evening you would often see people dancing in parks (<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0iqFa-k0Pn8" target="_blank">video</a>, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3SIMzDTVYRY" target="_blank">video</a>). They would all repeat certain steps and everyone is welcome to join.<br />
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<span style="font-family: Coming soon;">Yang ge</span><br />
Middle-aged ladies enjoy dancing with huge fans in bright colours (called yang ge). It is another activity you can observe <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xxDfcUA5YdI" target="_blank">in parks</a>.<br />
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<span style="font-family: Coming soon;">Mahjong</span><br />
The popular online game has very little in common with the actual game of Mahjong. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahjong" target="_blank">This Wikipedia entry</a> has quite a lot to say about it.<br />
Typically a gambling game, it has lost some of its charm, as gambling is outlawed in China. Friends would play with small stakes, and there would be places where you can play properly, and completely illegally. In <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kJVIstLKmVs" target="_blank">this video</a> you can see it explained well (<span style="font-size: x-small;">audio is not too good</span>).<br />
They say that it is hard to learn, easy to play. Here is <a href="http://chineseculture.about.com/od/chinesefestivals/tp/Mahjong-Mania-Learn-How-To-Play-Mahjong.htm" target="_blank">a guide to the rules</a> of mahjong.<br />
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<span style="font-family: Coming soon;">Weiqi (Go)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W0gSVWceSuc&feature=PlayList&index=0&playnext=1&list=PL3944E762719D0D8C" target="_blank">This game</a>, as opposed to mahjong, is easy to learn, hard to play. It is a game of strategy and you need a lot more than a knowledge of the rules to win. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://vimeo.com/25570454" target="_blank">This video</a> has a short presentation of the rules.</span> </span><br />
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<!--<a href="http://www.ehow.com/videos-on_4392_play-chinese-chess.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Coming soon;">Chinese chess</span></a>--><br />
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<span style="font-family: Coming soon;">Opera singing in the parks</span><br />
Chinese people do not feel that singing is something that should be done in enclosed areas or when performing at a concert. They would sing anywhere they please, anywhere they find appropriate, like <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=514TooAHC7w" target="_blank">in this video</a>.<br />
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<span style="font-family: Coming soon;">Water calligraphy</span><br />
People would use huge brushes to write on the ground in parks (<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_VTOAf7ZZM" target="_blank">video</a>, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nz2iKEP9gKU" target="_blank">video</a>, <a href="http://theculturetrip.com/asia/china/articles/dishu-a-look-at-china-s-street-calligraphers/" target="_blank">article</a>) Once dry, the characters disappear.<br />
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<!--<span style="font-family: Coming soon;">Cricket fighting</span><br />
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6B8emyMoUjs" target="_blank">This video</a> and <a href="http://www.timeoutbeijing.com/features/Around_Town/12980/Cricket-fighting.html" target="_blank">this article</a> offer an insight into this popular pastime for the elderly.--><br />
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<span style="font-family: Coming soon;">Bird - walking</span><br />
Often where there are cricket fights, you will also see the bird owners, sitting under a tree with a cage hanging from the branches. Eventually another old man will show up, hang his cage next to the other one and then the birds will keep each other company while the men chat about this and that.<br />
I once watched a man who had let two birds out of their cages and would occasionally call out to them if they wandered off too far away from him.Zarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00144445101172074529noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6049658967712750828.post-72527600778201127042013-04-17T06:31:00.001-07:002020-07-27T10:26:19.353-07:00Beijing opera<span style="font-family: "coming soon";">Beijing opera (Peking opera)</span><br />
Strictly speaking, it is not opera. This art combines singing, acrobatics, dance, music. It is not exactly from Beijing, also. It originated in the south of China but became popular after it reached the imperial court in Beijing.<br />
There are people who enjoy the performances. I personally think that the mewing which occurs on stage (and is supposed to be called singing), is completely unlistenable. That is, if you approach it without any prior knowledge to what, in the world, is going on up there.<br />
What I do enjoy about it is pretty much everything else, really: the costumes, the heavy make-up, and all the other prerequisites to a good performance. Everything which occurs on stage has its significance. For instance, the performers are obliged to walk in a certain way and if the male character takes one step too many, this could be a tragedy for the real fan. <br />
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Here I offer a list of websites with articles, shedding light on what Peking opera is and what it is which makes it so special:<br />
★ Start off by watching a short video by <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vtV3iAuYN48" target="_blank">UNESCO </a>website, which features parts of performances and general information on the art of Peking opera..<br />
<!--★ <a href="http://chinavine.org/subject/the-peking-opera/" target="_blank">Chinavine </a>gives a short introduction. Make sure you check the categories on the left for more on the subject. -->Zarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00144445101172074529noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6049658967712750828.post-52967934990832340642013-04-13T04:53:00.001-07:002014-11-17T09:44:10.216-08:00Superstitions in ChinaThe Chinese are highly superstitious people. Up to this day the average business person would get an almanac calendar at the beginning of the year and consult it every day, to make sure that it is a good day to do one thing or other. A fortune teller is a respected profession, and taoists have devoted centuries to studying and developing the art of looking into the future.<br />
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Numbers<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<ol>
<li>The number 8 (八 bā) is the most auspicious one. It sounds like "wealth" (发 fā). Chinese people like to have that number in phone numbers, license plates, etc. They also prefer to schedule events for dates with 8 in them. Remember how the Olympic games in Beijing began on 08.08.2008, at 8 seconds after 8:08 p.m.?</li>
<li>The number 9 (九jiǔ) sounds similar to "lasting", "durable" (久 jiǔ).</li>
<li>Another auspicious number is 6 (六liù), which sounds exactly like the word for "flow", "stream" (流 liú). </li>
<li>The number 4 (四 sì) is unlucky. It sounds similar to "death" (死 sǐ) and is the unluckiest of them all. Never get a business partner to sit at table 4 in the restaurant or stay in room 4 (or the fourth floor for that matter) at a hotel.</li>
<li>A recently emerged meaning is being attached to the number 1, which is now connected to being single. Traditionally, in China people went straight from being too young to being married. In recent years, however, the country is changing under the influence of the Western culture and now China has its Singles Day, on 11.11, where the four "ones" symbolize individuals who are alone.</li>
</ol>
<span style="font-family: Callibri,sans-serif; font-size: small;">- Lots of superstitions originate from one word sounding like another. This is because the Chinese language has a total of 409 syllables. The rest is a combination between these and the four tones. That is why many words have either similar or identical pronunciations.</span><br />
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Gift giving<br />
<ol>
<li>Never give a watch or a clock as a gift. A clock (种) is pronounced zhōng, the same as "end" (终). It means that you wish this person came to an end, in other words, you wish they were dead.</li>
<li>If you are eating a pear, do not even think of cutting it and giving one half to a friend. To share a pear (分梨/fēnlí) means to separate (分离/fēnlí).</li>
<li>Sharp objects are a bad idea. They harm your relationship. Examples are: knives, swords, scissors, letter openers. If you receive one, you need to give back some money, usually a small coin, which symbolizes the fact that it is not a gift but a purchase so there will be no bad luck involved.</li>
</ol>
Food<br />
<ol>
<li>Fish is a very good idea to end a meal with. The word (鱼/yú) sounds like the word for "surplus" (余). That is why in many Chinese restaurants you will see fish tanks; fish are often depicted in paintings and pictures of them are hung on the walls of many Chinese homes.</li>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span>
<li>On your birthday you are supposed to eat noodles because they are long and symbolize a long life. Of course, they can not be cut. Who would want to cut their life?</li>
</ol>
Chopsticks<br />
<ol>
<li> Never stick your chopsticks upright in a bowl of rice, that is how food is served to the dead at funerals. Place them on the table next to the bowl instead.</li>
<li>Do not separate the chopsticks, they go in pairs. Symmetry is hard-coded into Chinese culture. When things go in twos, that is fine; when not - you are disturbing the peace.</li>
</ol>
Chinese New Year<br />
<ol>
<li>If you sweep your house, you will sweep your luck away. The house needs to be clean but that is done before New Year's Eve.</li>
<li>The same with your hair, if you cut it or wash it around New Year, you cut away or wash away you luck.</li>
<li>Chinese people believe that whatever you dream of on New Year's Eve will come true, so many simply avoid going to bed for fear of having a bad dream.</li>
<li>Noise drives away the bad spirits, so there have to be plenty of fireworks and fire crackers for New Year. </li>
<li>Clear all your debt before the holidays, so you can start the new year not owing anybody any money. It matters how your year starts, and everyone tried to start it debt-free, hoping it will stay that way.</li>
</ol>
<ol></ol>
Zarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00144445101172074529noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6049658967712750828.post-38535821450328030712013-04-11T03:36:00.000-07:002018-09-01T09:34:44.830-07:00Characters<u>Stroke order</u>:<br />
★ <a href="http://www.learnchineseez.com/characters/learn-to-write-chinese/" target="_blank">Learnchineseez</a>: learn low to write the 4000 most common Chinese characters.<br />
★ <a href="http://www.archchinese.com/chinese_english_dictionary.html?code=56fd" target="_blank">Arch Chinese</a>: animated stroke order with translation and words containing the character.<br />
On the <a href="http://www.archchinese.com/" target="_blank">main page</a> you can also find worksheets, flashcards and other learning tools<br />
★ <a href="http://www.mandarinstrokes.com/" target="_blank">Mandarinstrokes </a>helps you with stroke order. You can search for the characters by number of strokes, pinyin or character.<br />
★ The <a href="http://www.mdbg.net/chindict/chindict.php" target="_blank">MDBG dictionary</a> includes stroke order animation.<br />
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<u>Typing Chinese online</u>:<br />
★ If you need to type Chinese but cannot use a computer where it is installed, you can use quite a few websites. Most of them use the same software, some examples are: <a href="http://www.chinese-tools.com/tools/ime.html" target="_blank">chinesetools</a>, <a href="http://www.purpleculture.net/online-chinese-input/" target="_blank">purpleculture</a>, <a href="http://www.inputking.com/" target="_blank">inputking</a>, <a href="http://www.i2pinyin.com/" target="_blank">i2pinyin</a> comes with a virtual keyboard. <br />
★ I like <a href="http://www.typingchinese.com/main.htm" target="_blank">this website</a> because there you can type slightly longer phrases and select the characters afterwards.<br />
★ If you know how the characters looks but have no idea how it is pronounced, then you need a dictionary with a <b>handwriting recognition</b>. Here are some choices, available online: <a href="http://hippodict.com/" target="_blank">hippodict </a>(for iPhone), <a href="http://www.pleco.com/" target="_blank">pleco </a>(only downloadable).Zarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00144445101172074529noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6049658967712750828.post-18986154869037696012013-03-27T06:06:00.001-07:002018-03-14T11:13:47.896-07:00Instant messaging★ <a href="http://www.wechat.com/en/" target="_blank">WeChat</a>, the Chinese superapp. One of the things you can do with it is find friends, and leave audio messages that they will listen and respond to.<br />
★ <a href="http://www.imqq.com/" target="_blank">QQ</a>, still a very popular instant messaging service in ChinaZarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00144445101172074529noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6049658967712750828.post-80998969187110175662013-03-27T06:05:00.002-07:002017-06-02T08:18:30.478-07:00Find a language partner★ <a href="http://www.thebeijinger.com/classifieds/Seeking-Language-Exchange" target="_blank">The Beijinger</a>: personal classifieds posted by people normally living in China, looking for a language partner<br />
★ <a href="http://www.interpals.net/" target="_blank">Interpals</a><br />
★ <a href="http://www.meetup.com/" target="_blank">Meetup</a>: you can join different meetings or write to members. Organize a Chinese language meeting wherever you are, and practice the language with others.<br />
★ <a href="https://www.couchsurfing.com/" target="_blank">Couchsurfing </a>is another way to meet other people, whether those who live near you, or travellers. Use the website to contact Chinese speakers all over the world.<br />
★ <a href="http://community.skype.com/t5/Language-learning/bd-p/Languages" target="_blank">Skype Community</a>: find people looking to exchange Chinese for a language you speak well or post that you are looking.<br />
★ <a href="http://www.conversationexchange.com/" target="_blank">Conversation Exchange</a><br />
★ <a href="http://www.language-exchanges.org/" target="_blank">The Mixxer</a><br />
★ <a href="http://www.italki.com/" target="_blank">Italki</a>Zarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00144445101172074529noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6049658967712750828.post-41743894167923454132013-03-27T02:26:00.001-07:002015-07-06T01:43:49.813-07:00Dictionaries<u>Online dictionaries</u>:<br />
★ <a href="http://www.mdbg.net/chindict/chindict.php" target="_blank">MDBG Chinese-English dictionary</a>, also downloadable<br />
★ <a href="http://www.iciba.com/" target="_blank">Kingsoft online dictionary</a><br />
★ <a href="http://hua.umf.maine.edu/Chinese/search.html" target="_blank">Ting</a><br />
★ <a href="http://ce.linedict.com/dict.html#/cnen/home" target="_blank">LINE</a><br />
★ <a href="http://dict.baidu.com/">Baidu</a><br />
★ <a href="http://dict.cn/">Dict.cn</a><br />
<br />
<u>Chinese-Chinese online dictionaries</u><br />
★ <a href="http://xh.5156edu.com/">Xinhua</a><br />
★ <a href="http://www.zdic.net/">汉典</a><br />
<br />
<u>Offline dictionaries</u>:<br />
★ <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=fr.nghs.android.dictionnaires" target="_blank">Offline dictionary for Android</a>. Download the app and then select the language combinations you need.<br />
★ <a href="https://www.pleco.com/">Pleco</a> - recommended. It has phrases with the word, meanings of individual characters, pronunciation, etc. Pretty much everything I've ever needed in a dictionary.Zarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00144445101172074529noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6049658967712750828.post-40562352039043374802013-03-27T00:52:00.004-07:002018-09-01T09:39:31.654-07:00MediaThis post contains links to:<br />
1. Online radio sites<br />
2. Online television<br />
3. Chinese newspapers in English<br />
<br />
<br />
<u>Online radio</u>:<br />
★ <a href="http://tunein.com/radio/China-r100322/">Tunein </a>lists a number of radio stations from all over the world, including China <br />
★ <a href="http://english.cri.cn/index.htm" target="_blank">China Radio International</a>: online radio in English, news, lessons in Chinese and a lot more from China<br />
<br />
★ <a href="http://multilingualbooks.com/online-radio-chinese.html#china" target="_blank">Multilingualbooks</a>: I am adding this link because of the long list of radio stations available. However, many of them do not work, so be patient, give them sufficient time to load and if something does not start, try the next one. <br />
<br />
<br />
<u>Online television</u>:<br />
★ <a href="http://tv.cntv.cn/live" target="_blank">CCTV, China Network Television</a>: scroll down to see all the available channels<br />
<br />
<br />
<u>Chinese newspapers in English</u>:<br />
<ul></ul>
★ <a href="http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/en/" target="_blank">China Daily</a>: the online version of the most popular English-language newspaper on the mainland.<br />
★ <a href="http://www.globaltimes.cn/index.html" target="_blank">Global Times</a>: an English-language Chinese newspaper under the People's Daily<br />
★ <a href="http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/" target="_blank">People's Daily</a>: a website built by People's Daily, the official newspaper of the Communist Party of China<br />
★ <a href="http://www.shanghaidaily.com/" target="_blank">Shanghai Daily</a>: the only English-language newspaper that publishes seven days a week on the Chinese mainland<br />
★ For a rather lengthy list of newspapers, you can always count on <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_newspapers_in_China" target="_blank">Wikipedia</a>.Zarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00144445101172074529noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6049658967712750828.post-81775973108637660022013-03-27T00:35:00.002-07:002020-07-27T10:25:45.608-07:00Free Chinese CoursesLessons complete with audio (and/or video), new vocabulary, dialogues, focus on characters and pronunciation<br />
<br />
★ <a href="http://www.busuu.com/">Busuu</a>: a website and an app. A mixture between premium and free. You can learn Chinese by topic and practise vocabulary, and listening. Speaking and writing are recorded and corrected by native speakers. It goes up to Upper Intermediate level.<br />
It's a nice basic tool that you can use on the go. It is not very sophisticated, and this is what I personally don't like about it, I wish there was more to it than individual words.<br />
<br />
★ <a href="http://www.ctcfl.ox.ac.uk/PCR/PCR%20index.htm" target="_blank">Practical Chinese Reader</a> with <a href="http://ktmatu.com/chinese/practical-chinese-reader/" target="_blank">vocabulary lists</a> for it.<br />
This is an entire digitalised course by University of Oxford, where you find texts you can listen to, grammar, vocabulary and exercises. The only drawback is I could not find the key to the exercises, so you don't know if you are doing the homework assignments correctly.<br />
<br />
★ <a href="http://english.cri.cn/7106/more/10434/more10434.htm">China Radio International </a><br />
The Learn Chinese section has a lot of information. Lessons in three levels have audio and text that combine English and Chinese and gradually introduce entire phrases in the language.<br />
I like the abundance and the fact that they have more than just plain lessons.<br />
I don't like how messy the website is and how passive it is, as well. The only thing you can do is repeat the phrases, there are no tools for other practice.<br />
Other links: <a href="http://english.cri.cn/12514/more/12527/more12527.htm">Lessons for beginners</a>, <a href="http://english.cri.cn/12514/more/12524/more12524.htm">Lessons for Intermediate students</a><br />
Do explore the site, feel free to click around, there is a lot of good stuff hidden in there under rarely unintuitive design.<br />
<br />
★ <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/languages/chinese/real_chinese/" target="_blank">BBC Chinese</a><br />
This is another archived website, but I am including it because I find it has lovely study guides, video to go with the text and even language games.<br />
You can also find interesting articles related to Chinese culture.<br />
<br />
★ <a href="http://www.clearchinese.com/learn-chinese/index.htm" target="_blank">Clear Chinese</a>: 15 lessons with basic phrases, audio and practice section.<span style="font-size: small;">(!The listening is a bit clumsy</span>)<br />
<br />
★ <a href="http://www.chinesecio.com/" target="_blank">Confucius Institutes Online</a> offer the opportunity to learn about China and its language online. Browse through the website to find interesting articles and online lessons.<br />
<br />
★ <a href="http://ilovelearningchinese.com/?cat=5">I Love Learning Chinese</a> - for beginners<br />
<br />
★ Study Chinese with <a href="http://www.fluentu.com/">real world video content</a><br />
<br />
<!--★ <a href="http://chinese.rutgers.edu/content_e.htm">Rudgers University</a>: 80 units in 4 levels; lessons in Chinese with English translation and pinyin for the lower levels, grammar and vocabulary explanations for all.--><br />
<br />
★ <a href="http://www.zhongwenred.com/">Zhongwen Red</a>: lessons centered around a vocabulary unit that is presented in the context of several example sentences, then expanded upon by a short dialogue, complete with audio.<br />
<br />
★ <a href="http://www.hwjyw.com/textbooks/downloads/zhongwen/">Overseas Chinese Language and Culture Education:</a> entire levels, complete with a book for the teacher and an exercise bookZarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00144445101172074529noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6049658967712750828.post-89911616810363902392013-03-26T13:25:00.004-07:002018-03-14T10:52:15.439-07:00Games★ <a href="http://www.digitaldialects.com/Chinese.htm" target="_blank">Digital Dialects</a>: learn common words and phrases by playing games<br />
★ On <a href="http://www.quia.com/shared/chinese/all.html">quia.com</a> you will find over 500 Chinese language games Zarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00144445101172074529noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6049658967712750828.post-79022389625685838682013-03-26T13:23:00.003-07:002018-09-05T00:49:55.895-07:00Pinyin<u>Learn and practice pinyin</u>:<br />
★ A <a href="http://www.pinyin.info/">thorough guide</a> to pinyin <br />
★ <a href="https://chinese.yabla.com/chinese-pinyin-chart.php">Yabla</a>: a complete pinyin chart with audio<br />
★ <a href="http://pinyin.quickmandarin.com/" target="_blank">Quick Mandarin</a>: pinyin tables, tests and games. The content you need is at the very top of the page.<br />
★ <a href="http://www.archchinese.com/chinese_pinyin.html" target="_blank">Arch Chinese</a>: a pinyin table with all possible tones of each syllable, and pronunciation explained for English language speakers<br />
<br />
<u>Pinyin convertion:</u><br />
If you need to type pinyin, here are some tools which can help you convert to it:<br />
<br />
★ with <a href="http://translate.google.com/" target="_blank">Google Translate</a> you can achieve the same by typing characters. Simply type your text in Chinese, then click on the Ä (capital A with an umlaut) in the bottom right corner and you will see the pinyin below the box.<br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">!Sometimes there might be mistakes in the syllables or tones<span style="font-size: small;">, so use with caution!</span></span></span><br />
★ <a href="http://www.chinese-tools.com/tools/pinyin-editor.html" target="_blank">Chinese Tools</a>: here you type the syllable followed by the tone. For example, for "Wǒ huìshuō hànyǔ", type "Wo3 hui4shuo1 han4yu3".<br />
★ On <a href="http://www.csulb.edu/~txie/Itool/type_pinyin_with_tones.htm" target="_blank">this one</a> you can proceed in the same way. I personally type the entire text and then go back and mark the tones. You will find that if you make a mistake with the tone, all you need to do is click anywhere in the syllable and write the new one. It changes automatically.Zarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00144445101172074529noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6049658967712750828.post-70300021996747495952013-03-26T13:17:00.003-07:002020-07-27T10:24:54.495-07:00Vocabulary★ <a href="http://ankisrs.net/">Anki </a>is a free app where you can download and create your own flashcards to learn Chinese vocabulary<br />
★ <a href="http://www.memrise.com/">Memrise</a>: after a registration you have access to loads of materials for vocabulary learning. Choose Chinese and give it a try.<br />
<!--★ <a href="http://www.hellohsk.com/" target="_blank">Prepare for HSK</a> (level 1 to 6) with lots of exercise. Unfortunately they just made this website paid. I am keeping it in the list because it had very good resources but I will keep hunting for useful things online free of charge.--><br />
★ <a href="http://encn.linedict.com/#/encn/todayexpr?data=20150706" target="_blank">LINE</a>: vocabulary by topic with pinyin, audio and translation<br />
★ <a href="http://www.chinese-ilab.com/vocabulary/index.html" target="_blank">Chinese i Lab</a><br />
★ <a href="http://www.digitaldialects.com/Chinese.htm" target="_blank">Digital Dialects</a>: learn common words and phrases by playing games<br />
★ On <a href="http://lingohut.com/en/chinese/vocabulary/">LingoHut</a> you can learn vocabulary by category, listen to the words and phrases and play games to help you memorize<br />
★ <a href="http://quizlet.com/subject/chinese/">Quizlet</a> - lots of exercise on various topics<br />
★ <a href="http://www.china.org.cn/learning_chinese/index.htm">China.org.cn</a>: you find dialogues, idioms, reading materials, etc. All with pinyin, translation and audio.Zarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00144445101172074529noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6049658967712750828.post-41682956504188467372013-03-26T13:09:00.000-07:002020-07-27T10:24:17.858-07:00Audio and VideoAudio lessons:<br />
★ <a href="http://www.clearchinese.com/mp3-lessons/newbie/index.htm" target="_blank">Clear Chinese</a>:<br />
★ <a href="http://popupchinese.com/lessons/elementary" target="_blank">Popup Chinese</a>: the podcasts are available on the website free of charge. <br />
★ <a href="http://www.chinese-ilab.com/audio/index.html" target="_blank">Chinese iLab</a> <br />
<br />
<br />
Video lessons:<br />
★ <a href="https://www.yoyochinese.com/" target="_blank">Yoyochinese</a>: after a free registration you gain access to demo video lessons, which are presented nicely and are easy to follow and remember. <br />
(<span style="font-size: small;">! You will be getting regular emails from them unless you unsubscribe from the mailing list</span>)<br />
If you want to watch some of the videos, you can also go to their <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/sloppycheng/videos">Youtube channel</a>. <br />
<!--★ <a href="http://english.cntv.cn/program/learnchinese/easychinese/" target="_blank">Easy Chinese (CCTV)</a>: easy to use; simple, useful phrases; listen to the lessons and repeat.<br />
★ <a href="http://english.cntv.cn/program/learnchinese/growingwithchinese/index.shtml" target="_blank">Growing up with Chinese (CCTV)</a>: teachers a lot of vocabulary, I recommend it for Lower Intermediate users. --><br />
★ <a href="http://www.chinese-ilab.com/videos/index.html">Chinese iLab</a><br />
★ <a href="http://www.fluentu.com/">Fluent U</a>: Study Chinese with real world video content. 15 day free trial. Zarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00144445101172074529noreply@blogger.com