mi-xie-er

[mi-xie-er]

Random phrases

Random phrases from my Chinese lesson today:

潮湿     cháoshī    (humid) -> 香港的天气很潮湿 (Hong Kong’s weather is very humid)

干燥      gānzào     (dry) -> Colorado的天气很干燥 (Colorado’s weather is very dry)

出汗      chū hàn    (sweat) -> 我出很多汗 (I sweat a lot)

病毒     bìngdú    virus

痘痘      dòudòu    (pimples) -> 潮湿的天气让我的脸长很多痘痘 (Humid weather makes my face grow a lot of pimples)

长     zhang     (to grow)

本来      vs    原来  - Běnlái      vs    yuánlái   (both mean “original” but are different. See link for more info.)

版本     Bǎnběn (version) -> 我们正在看大陆版本的流星花园 (We are in the process of watching the mainland China version of Meteor Garden [side note: we are, and I highly recommend even though Dao Ming Si is a douche lol])

大陆      dàlù (mainland China)

经典的     jīngdian de    (classic) -> 台湾版本的流星花园是经典的 (The Taiwanese version of Meteor Garden is the classic)

兴趣    xìngqu (interest) -> 我没兴趣 (I am not interested)

卫生纸     wèishēngzhi     (toilet paper) -> 在美国这个三月很多人买不到l了卫生纸 (In America this March, lots of people were not able to buy toilet paper)

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不能 vs. 不了 vs. 不行

VAll of these roughly mean “can’t”, but here are some notes from my Chinese lesson today since I get them mixed up sometimes:

不能 (Bù néng) 

it’s possible to do the thing in this situation, but you’re not allowed

Ex: 我的狗不能在我的床上。(My dog can’t be on my bed)

不了 (Bù liǎo）

the situation does not make it possible to do the thing

Ex: 因为病毒，所以我去不了中国。(Because of the virus, I cannot go to China)

不行 (Bù xíng)

it’s just not possible, it’s out of the question, there’s no way

my 老师 said you can only use this by itself and not with another verb before it like the previous two phrases

Hope this helps!

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Random phrases

Phrases from chatting with my mom today:

餸 Sòng (food)

篮球场 Lánqiú chǎng （basketball court)

比我想象的好 Bǐ wǒ xiǎngxiàng de hǎo (better than I thought) -> “我昨天的中文课比我想象的好” (My Chinese class yesterday was better than I thought)

正常 Zhèngcháng (normal) -> “我的老师告诉我Wuhan现在恢复(Huīfù) 正常” (My teacher told me Wuhan is now back to normal)

太傻了 Tài shǎle (very stupid) -> “我觉得不要戴口罩的人太傻了” (I think people who don’t want to wear masks are very stupid) [side note: TRUTH 🤦🏻‍♀️]

我脸的皮肤比以前好因为我最近做运动和吃多青菜 Wǒ liǎn de pífū bǐ yǐqián hǎo yīnwèi wǒ zuìjìn zuò yùndòng hé chī duō qīngcài (The skin on my face is better than before because I am exercising recently and eating more fresh vegetables)

我们昨天上山走路走了两个小时 Wǒmen zuótiān shàngshān zǒulù zǒule liǎng gè xiǎoshí (Yesterday we walked up the mountain for two hours)

主角 Zhǔjiǎo (protagonist) -> “流星花园的主角是Dong Shancai” (The protagonist of Meteor Garden is Dong Shancai)

收养 Shōuyǎng (adopt) -> “他们收养了一个小孩子” (They adopted a small child)

很高的人工 Hěn gāo de réngōng (high powered) -> my mom used this in the context of someone who has a high powered/executive level job

尊敬 / 尊重 Zūnjìng / zūnzhòng (respect (can be verb or noun, but was used as verb when I was talking to my mom)) -> “他的学生都尊重他” (His students all respect him)

聚会 Jùhuì (get-together (can be verb or noun, but was used as a noun when I was talking to my mom)) -> “他们每年搞(gao3 (to set up)) 聚会” (They set up a get-together every year)

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Random Phrases

Phrases from my first lesson with my new teacher. We just had a casual conversation, mostly about COVID.

情况      qíngkuàng    situation -> “Seattle的情况怎么样？“ (How is the situation in Seattle?)

病例     bìnglì    case (i.e. COVID cases) -> “美国有很多病例“ (America has lots of cases) [side note: because our administration is incompetent and people are too selfish to be minorly inconvenienced for the greater good //endrant// T__T])

快递     kuàidì    delivery -> “我们上网快递” (We get delivery online)

口罩      kouzhào   mask -> “我戴口罩“ (I wear a mask)

戴    dài      wear (for small things like masks)

买得到   mai de dào   can buy -> “我买得到口罩“ (I can buy masks)

买不到     mai bu dào  can't buy 

安全      ānquán   safe -> “中国现在很安全“ (China is very safe right now)

州      zhōu       state (i.e. California, Texas, etc.)

A 没有 méiyou B 那么nàme adj. ( A is not so ... as ...  ) -> “Seattle的病例 没有 Texas 那么多“ (Seattle doesn’t have as many cases as Texas)

羡慕     xiànmù      jealous; envy -> “我很羡慕” (I am jealous)

欺负     qīfu      bully -> ”他们欺负了我“ (They bullied me)

上大学    shàng    to go to college

试过     shìguo  / 学过   xuéguo   tried -> “我以前试过广东话“ (I tried to learn Cantonese [side note: rip true story :( ]

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I’m baaaacckkkk!

I liveeeee!!!! 

The boyfriend and I have gotten into watching Chinese dramas in quarantine and this has helped rekindle my desire to learn Mandarin. My former Chinese teacher is on maternity leave, but I just started lessons with a new teacher. I will be trying to post on a regular basis again (mostly vocab from my lessons with her, vocab that I pick up from dramas, and blog posts). Wish me luck, and thanks to all who stuck around through my boughts of inactivity throughout the past few years! <3

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Daily blog 2019年10月9日 - Part 1

Note: I am posting my original written blog post with my 老师’s edits included (she helped me read it over and fix my mistakes). I’ve also included my own notes to help better explain why what I originally wrote was in error. The red text is my mistakes, the green text is the correction, and the italics are my notes.

这个周末我跟我爸爸，妈妈，和弟弟一起去了LA 因为星期六是我大姨和叔叔50的结婚周年 50周年结婚纪念日。

Note: my 老师said 大姨妈is slang for period LOL :D like “我大姨妈来了!” So she said I should use 大姨 instead. I asked my mom if she knew that, and she was like, “Yeah! We say that in Cantonese slang too!” I was like, “…why didn’t you tell me?!”

星期五我坐飞机从Seattle 去LA 我坐飞机，要两个半小时 （不太长了）。

Note: I had a few mistakes on my grammar here:

1. 星期五 我坐飞机从Seattle 去LA，要两个半小时 。-> in this sentence, both the means of transportation (坐飞机) and the time it took to travel (两个半小时) are equally emphasized.

2.星期五，我从Seattle 去LA坐飞机要两个半小时。-> in this sentence, the means of transportation is more emphasized and the time it took to travel is more of an afterthought.

Note: usually you can say 从Seattle 去LA坐飞机，but in this case, because of the 我you can’t say 从Seattle 去LA 我坐飞机 (my 老师was giving other examples of sentences, 我吃东西，我唱歌，etc – and saying 我has to come first).

Note: can’t use 不太。。。了—you can only use 太。。。了or 不太。。。

1.太。。。了：时间太长了/时间太短了

2. 不太。。。：时间不太长。

我妈妈有六个兄弟姐妹 （五个姐姐，一个哥哥。我妈妈是最年轻的），所以我有很多表亲。

Note: 是。。。的：我是1989年 出生的。

星期五我们和所有的表亲，姨妈，叔叔去了我阿姨叔叔的房子吃他们做的晚饭。

我们吃了蔬菜，鱼，叉烧 (char siu)， 羊肉，和水果。

看到我大姨和叔叔的时候我告诉他们，“结婚周年快乐！”

首次 我和我姨妈叔叔可以有谈话 。这是我第一次和我姨妈叔叔聊天。

Note: my 老师said 首次 is too formal. If you want to say “For the first time,” you should use “第一次”

Note: she said 谈话 is also too formal. If you want to say conversation, you should use “聊天”

我跟我四姨吗聊工作。她告诉我她的儿子（我的表亲/表哥）是一个会计（kuài jì = accountant），她的女儿是一个(huà xúe化学 = chemistry)工程师 = chemical engineer。

Note: if you’re talking about plural cousins, you can say 表亲。 But if you’re talking about a singular cousin, you should use 表姐 for female, 表哥 for male.

我的姨妈，叔叔都以为 觉得 我说得很好，可是我觉得我说得不好!

Note: can’t use 以为in this situation because it implies that my Chinese is actually bad, but I was trying to express a difference of opinion (they think my Chinese is good, but I think it’s bad)

我们吃完饭以后吃蛋糕因为这个周末是我爸爸和表亲的生日。大家一起唱 “生日快乐！”歌 , 吃蛋糕。

明天（第二天 = the next day）早上我们早起床很早了因为要去Pasadena City Hall 拍照 (pāizhào = take pictures)。

以后之后我们去了中国餐馆吃点心。吃完以后我父母，阿姨，叔叔都去了我五姨妈的房子一边聊天一边吃水果。

Note: 以后 vs.之后

以后 can be used in two different ways:

1. 。。。以后， 我们拍完照以后，。。。-> straightforward sequence of events

2. 以后可以去北京旅游。-> afterwards/in the future (but not a specific time/sequence of events)

之后 = after that

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Random Phrases

From my lesson on 工作 (gong1 zuo4) (jobs)

Main Vocab

Departments

部门 – bu4 men2 (department)

人力资源部 – ren2 li4 zi1 yuan2 bu4 (HR)

市场部 – shi4 chang3 bu4 (marketing)

财务部 – cai2 wu4 bu4 (finance/accounting)

技术部 – ji4 shu4 bu4 (technology/IT)

销售部 – xiao1 shou4 bu4 (sales)

运营部 – yun4 ying2 bu4 (operations)

Job titles

职位 – zhi2 wei4 (job title)

员工 – yuan2 gong1 (employee)

*note: my 老师 said that most job titles are broken into two parts: position + level. I’ll denote this split with a | below.

工程师 – gong1 cheng2 shi1 (engineer)

招聘 | 专员 – zhao1 pin4 zhuan1 yuan2 (recruiter) -> 专员 = entry level/starting position

广告策划 | 专员 – guang3 gao1 ce4 hua4 zhuan1 yuan2 (advertiser)

客户 | 经理 – ke4 hu4 jing1 li3 (client manager) -> 经理 = manager

财务 | 总监 – cai2 wu4 zong3 jian1 (finance director) -> 总监 = director

Words and example sentences to describe what each department/job title does

HR (人力资源部):  

有三个面试 – you3 san1 ge mian4 shi4 (have 3 interviews) -> note: 面试 can either be a noun or a verb (to interview)

Marketing (市场部): 

我们的客户 (client) 很喜欢我们的新产品 (product) – wo3 men2 de ke4 hu4 hen3 xi3 huan wo3 men2 de xin1 chan3 pin3 (our clients like our new product)

Finance/Accounting (财务部): 

这个广告 (advertisement) 的预算 (yu4 suan4) 是多少 (all this, expressing an unspecified amount or number) - zhe4 ge guang3 gao1 de yu4 suan4 shi4 duo1 shao3 (this advertisement budget is this much).

Technology (技术部): 

我们设计(design)了一个新的手机App – wo3 men2 she4 ji4 le yi1 ge4 xin1 de shou3 ji1 App (We designed a new cell phone App). (Note: App in China is said “A-P-P”)

Sales (销售部): 

我们可以用手机微信 (WeChat) 进行 (to do) 宣传 (promotion) - wo3 men2 ke3 yi3 yong4 shou3 ji1 wei2 xin4 jin4 xing2 xuan1 chuan2 (We can use the phone App WeChat to do promotions/to promote).

Other vocab from the lesson (coming soon in a separate post as this one is getting a little too long)

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Random phrases

From part II of my lesson on 新闻 (xin1 wen2) (news)

Main vocab from lesson:

虽然。。。但是 - sui1 ran2...dan4 shi4 (although...but) -> I've already learned this structure in college Chinese, but my 老师 told me it's not supposed to be used for something that's too obvious

确实 - que4 shi2 (indeed) -> adverb, i.e. 他证明了这个孩子确实是他的 (He proved that this child is indeed his)

发生 - fa1 sheng1 (happened, took place) -> can be where it took place or when it took place. i.e. 这部电影发生了什么时候? (When did this movie take place?), 发生在2011年。(Took place in 2011).

不止一次 - bu4 zhi3 yi1 ci4 (did not stop once) -> 我不止一次听到我朋友说Dimash很可爱 (I didn't stop hearing once [aka have heard more than once] my friend say that Dimash is very cute)

Other vocab:

牙 - ya2 (tooth)

牙医 - ya2 yi1 (dentist)

一年一次 - yi1 nian2 yi1 ci4 (once a year)

磨牙 - mo2 ya2 (molar)

宿舍 - su4 she4 (dorm room) -> yet another word I learned and forgot

上下铺 - shang4 xia4 pu4 (bunk beds)

关心 - guan1 xin1 (to care about)

饮料 - yin3 liao4 (drink, beverage)

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Random phrases

Main vocab from lesson on 新闻 xin1 wen2 (news)

安检员 – an1 jian3 yuan2 (security guard)

安检机 – an1 jian3 ji1 (security machine) -> aka the security scanner at the airport

发现 – fa1 xian4 (to realize) -> i.e. 我最近发现我忘了很多中文 (I recently realized I forgot a lot of Chinese)

出现 – chu1 xian4 (something came out suddenly/you realize something suddenly) -> i.e. 我的房子里出现了一条蛇。(A snake came suddenly in my house). Another example: 我和我老公出现了一些问题。(My husband and I realized there were some problems)

奇怪的 – qi2 guai4 de (weird, strange) -> i.e. Dimash的音乐有很奇怪的声音。(Dimash’s music has a very strange sound)

吓坏 – xia4 huai4 (scared so much that I[or whatever the subject is] was broken) -> two ways to use it: 1. 吓坏我了！(I got scared!) or 2. 这条蛇吓坏了我！(This snake scared me!)

原来 – yuan2 lai2 (originally (implies that the original situation is no longer the case now)) -> two ways to use it: 1. 原来我以为我男朋友会说中文 (I originally thought my boyfriend could speak Chinese [implies that he actually can’t]), or 2. 我原来是学生 (I was originally a student [implies that you are no longer a student])

旅客 – lv3 ke4 (traveler/passenger)

担心 – dan1 xin1 (wory) -> i.e. 不要担心 (don’t worry), 我担心我会忘记我的中文 (I worry that I will forget my Chinese)

钻 – zuan1 (to crawl into something/to go headfirst into something) -> i.e. 钻进一个桶里 (crawl into a bucket)

检查 – jian3 cha2 (to check/examine) -> i.e. 检查功课 (to examine homework), 去医院检查身体 (qu4 yi1 yuan4 jian3 cha2 shen1 ti3) (go to hospital to examine body)

Other vocab

图片 – tu3 pian4 (pictures) -> my 老师 said that you use this word when you’re describing pics of other places/things that you didn’t take the photo of. She said you use 照片 (zhao4 pian4) when you’re describing pics of family/friends/people you know that you took.

踩一下 – cai1 yi1 xia4 (guess)

桶 – tong3 (bucket)

发给我 – fa1 gei3 wo3 (send to me)

扭伤脚踝 – niu3 shang1 jiao3 huai2 (sprained ankle) -> 扭伤 = twisted, 脚踝 = ankle

吓死 – xia4 si3 (scared to death)

段 – duan4 (paragraph)

被子 – bei4 zi (quilt, blanket) -> i.e. 钻进被子里 (crawl under the blankets)

X-光 – X-guang1 (X-ray) -> literally means “X-light”

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Daily Blog 2019年9月2日

昨天我跟我男朋友和两个朋友去了一个公园。我们去公园以前吃午饭。我们去了很可爱的咖啡馆。我们的朋友都带她们的狗。我们吃完午饭以后一起去公园。因为我们吃得很饱，所以我们从咖啡馆走路去公园。从咖啡馆到公园走路要四十分钟。你也可以坐公交车从咖啡馆到公园，那要二十分钟。我们去的那个公园很大，公园里有一个狗的公园和一个湖。我们见道很多可爱的狗。我们朋友的狗跟别人的狗一起玩儿。我们在湖的旁边散 步，让后我们去喝波霸奶茶。以后我们走路从公园到一个土耳其国餐馆吃晚饭。吃晚饭以后我和我男朋友坐公交车回。我们过了好轻松的一天！

Zuótiān wǒ gēn wǒ nán péngyǒu hé liǎng gè péngyǒu qùle yīgè gōngyuán. Wǒmen qù gōngyuán yǐqián chī wǔfàn. Wǒmen qùle hěn kě'ài de kāfēi guǎn. Wǒmen de péngyǒu dōu dài tāmen de gǒu. Wǒmen chī wán wǔfàn yǐhòu yīqǐ qù gōngyuán. Yīnwèi wǒmen chī dé hěn bǎo, suǒyǐ wǒmen cóng kāfēi guǎn zǒulù qù gōngyuán. Cóng kāfēi guǎn dào gōngyuán zǒulù yào sìshí fēnzhōng. Nǐ yě kěyǐ zuò gōngjiāo chē cóng kāfēi guǎn dào gōngyuán, nà yào èrshí fēnzhōng. Wǒmen qù dì nàgè gōngyuán hěn dà, gōngyuán li yǒu yīgè gǒu de gōngyuán hé yīgè hú. Wǒmen jiàn dào hěnduō kě'ài de gǒu. Wǒmen péngyǒu de gǒu gēn biérén de gǒu yīqǐ wán er. Wǒmen zài hú de pángbiān sàn bù, ràng hòu wǒmen qù hē bōbà nǎichá. Yǐhòu wǒmen zǒulù cóng gōngyuán dào yīgè tǔ'ěrqí guó cānguǎn chī wǎnfàn. Chī wǎnfàn yǐhòu wǒ hé wǒ nán péngyǒu zuò gōngjiāo chē huí. Wǒmenguòle hǎo qīngsōng de yītiān!

Yesterday I went with my boyfriend and our two friends to a park. Before we went, we ate lunch. We went to a cute cafe. Our friends both brought their dogs. After we finished eating, we went to the park together. Because we were all full, we walked from the cafe to the park. Walking from the cafe to the park takes 40 minutes. You can also take a bus from the cafe to the park, that takes 20 minutes. The park is very big, it has a dog park and a lake. We met lots of cute dogs. Our friends’ dogs played together with the other people’s dogs. We walked around the lakeside and went to drink bubble tea. Afterwards we walked from the park to a Turkish restaurant to eat dinner. My boyfriend and I took a bus to go home. We had a relaxing day!

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Random phrases

From my most recent Chinese lesson on 交通工具 - jiao1 tong1 gong1 ju4 (transportation):

Main Vocab:

(坐)船 - zuo4 chuan2 (take a boat)

(开)车 - kai1 che1 (drive a car)

(坐)地铁 - zuo4 di4 tie3 (take subway)

(坐)飞机 - zuo4 fei1 ji1 (take a plane)

(坐)公交车 / 公共汽车 - zuo4 gong1 jiao1 che1 / gong1 gong4 qi1 che1 (take a bus/take a public bus)

(骑)自行车 - qi2 zi4 xing2 che1 (ride bike) -> note: my 老师 said that you use 骑 when you’re describing riding something with your legs on both sides (like 骑马 (ride a horse), 骑摩托车 (ride a motorcycle))

共享单车 - gong4 xiang3 dan1 che1 (shared public bikes) -> note: like Lime Bikes

高铁 - gao1 tie3 (high speed train)

嘀嘀打车 - di1 di1 da3 che1 (rideshare)

卧铺 - wo4 pu4 (sleeper (bed on train))

电动自行车 - dian3 dong4 zi4 xi2 che1 (electric scooter)

Extra Vocab (other phrases my 老师 taught me throughout the lesson):

黑 - hei1 (dark) -> i.e. “身陷黑暗迷宫里面的” (trapped inside a dark maze) from Call Me Baby by EXO

普拉提 - pu2 la1 ti2 (pilates) -> my 老师 taught me this because I told her I was a pilates instructor

所以我不教了 - Suǒyǐ wǒ bù jiàole (so I haven’t taught) -> in the context of me not having taught pilates in a while because my job got too busy

普拉提有力量 - pu2 la1 ti2 you3 li4 liang4 (pilates gives me strength)

瑜伽 - yu2 jia1 (yoga)

以为 - yi3 wei2 (mistakenly think) -> will share another post later on differences between 以为 vs 觉得

软 - ruan3 (soft)

硬 - ying4 (hard)

祝你身体健康 - Zhù nǐ shēntǐ jiànkāng (wish you good health) -> my 老师 says that you say this to elders on Chinese New Year

这些都有 - Zhèxiē dōu yǒu (All these have)

家用车 - jia1 yong4 che1 (car)

大海 - da1 hai3 (ocean)

海洋 - hai3 yang4 (sea)

你可以从法国坐飞机到英高 - Nǐ kěyǐ cóng fàguó zuò fēijī dào yīngguó (You can fly from France to England) -> note: you can also say: “你可以坐飞机从英国到法国”

多久 - duo1 jiu3 (how long) -> 从法国到英国坐飞机多久? (How long does it take to fly from France to England?)

小时 - xiao3 shi2 (hour) -> i.e. 一个小时 (1 hour) (note: I felt really stupid that I forgot this during my last lesson because it’s a pretty basic word that I definitely learned before, but have forgotten because my Chinese has regressed so much D:)

从法国到英国你坐飞机要四个小时 - Cóng fàguó dào yīngguó nǐ zuò fēijī yào sì gè xiǎoshí (Flying from France to England takes 4 hours)

摩托车 - mo2 tuo1 che1 (motorcycle)

公司 - gong1 si1 (company)

公司有专车 - gong1 si1 you3 zhuan1 che1 (company’s shuttle) -> note: 专 means special/specialized (like 专业(major))

公司有专车接 / 送 - gong1 si1 you3 zhuan1 che1 jie1/song4 (the company’s shuttle picks up/drops off)

飞机场/机场 - fei1 ji1 chang2/ji1 chang2 (airport)

从A 到 B 怎么去？- cong2 A dao4 B zen3 me qu4? (how to get from A to B?)

从 A 到 B 用什么交通工具？-  cong2 A dao4 B yong4 shen2 me jiao1 tong1 gong1 ju4? (what transportation do you use to get from A to B?)

方便 - fang1 bian4 (convenient)

河里 - he2 li3 (in the river)

比较 - bi3 jiao4 (to compare) -> note: yet another one I forgot and need to review *facepalm*

一个半 - yi1 ge ban4 (1.5)

美元 - mei3 yuan2 (US dollar)

硬卧/软卧 - ying4 wo4 / ruan3 wo4 (hard sleeper bed/soft sleeper bed)

采访 - cai3 fang3 (interview)

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Random phrases

From my most recent Chinese lesson:

你上完课，就要睡觉了吗？- ni3 shang3 wan3 ke4, jiu4 yao4 shui4 jiao4 le ma1? (Just after class is finished, do you need to go to sleep?)

半夜/凌晨 - ban1 ye4 / (midnight

公司 - gong1 si1 

放假 - fang4 jia4 (on holiday/day off) -> i.e. 春节你放几天假？ (For Spring Festival, how many days do youx have off?)

国庆节 - guo2 qing4 jie2 (Chinese holiday celebrating when modern China was established)

圣诞节 - sheng4 dan4 jie2 (Christmas)

作业 - zuo4 ye4 (homework) -> i.e. 我做作业。(I did my homework)

超市 - chao1 shi4 (supermarket)

我学中文学了一年了 - wo3 xue2 zhong1 wen2 xue2 le yi1 nian2 le (I studied Chinese for 1 year) -> note: my teacher said you can also say 我学了一年了

轻松 - qing1 song1 (relaxing)

有想像的 - you3 xiang3 xiang4 de (imaginative)

让 - rang4 (allow/make) -> i.e. 这部电影让我很开心 (This movie makes me feel happy)

故事发生在 - Gùshì fāshēng zài (the story is set in) -> i.e. when talking about a movie: 这部电影的故事发生在美国。

年轻 - nian2 qing1 (young)

熊猫 - xiong2 mao1 (panda) -> my tutor was like “it’s bear + cat” XD i.e. 功夫熊猫 (Kung Fu Panda)

搞笑 - gao3 xiao4 (funny)

继续 - ji4 xu4 (continue)

讨论 - tao3 lun4 (discuss) -> note: vs. 聊天 (to converse/have a conversation)

中国城 - zhong1 guo3 cheng2 (Chinatown)

兴奋 - xing1 fen4 (excited)

差不多 - cha4 bu4 duo1 (almost)

让我坚强 - rang4 wo3 jian1 qiang2 (makes me feel strong)

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Daily blog 2019年8月28日

昨天我和我中文老师聊电影类型。我们都喜欢恐怖片应为觉得不吓人。她最喜欢电影类型是黑帮。我最喜欢电影类型是爱情。

上个周末我和我男朋友看了一个电影。电影叫《Lala Land》。他没看过，可是我看过。我们都觉得还可以。这个电影的音乐好听，但是演员唱得不好。

Zuótiān wǒ hé wǒ zhōngwén lǎoshī liáo diànyǐng lèixíng. Wǒmen dōu xǐhuān kǒngbù piàn yīng wèi juédé bù xiàrén. Tā zuì xǐhuān diànyǐng lèixíng shì hēibāng. Wǒ zuì xǐhuān diànyǐng lèixíng shì àiqíng. Shàng gè zhōumò wǒ hé wǒ nán péngyǒu kànle yīgè diànyǐng. Diànyǐng jiào “Lala Land”. Tā méi kànguò, kěshì wǒ kànguò. Wǒmen dōu juédé hái kěyǐ. Zhège diànyǐng de yīnyuè hǎotīng, dànshì yǎnyuán chàng dé bù hǎo.

Yesterday my Chinese teacher and I talked about movie genres. We both like horror movies because we don’t think they are scary. Her favorite movie genre is gangster. My favorite movie genre is romance. Last weekend, my boyfriend and I watched a movie. The movie was called “Lala Land.” He had not seen it, but I have. We both thought it was okay. The movie’s music was good, but the actors sing badly.

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Random phrases

From my most recent lesson with my tutor in which we learned vocab related to movies:

我没有听到你 - wo3 mei3 you3 ting1 dao4 ni3 (I didn’t hear you)

打扫 - da3 sao3 (to clean)

用了小时打扫 - yong4 le xiao3 shi2 da3 sao3 (used an hour to clean/spent an hour to clean)

上节课 - shang4 jie2 ke4 (last (previous) class)

类型 - lei4 xing2 (genre/type) -> 属的类型，电影类型，音乐类型 (genre of book (note: my teacher said that you need 的 when describing a book genre, but you don’t when describing other things that have genres), genre of movie, genre of music)

你喜欢什么类型男生？- ni3 xi3 huan1 shen2 me lei4 xing2 nan2 sheng1? (what type of guy do you like?) -> my teacher said you can also use 类型 to describe your type :D

地道 - di4 dao(no tone) (authentic) -> in response to the question above, I asked my teacher if you could also use “菜“ to describe your type, and she laughed/ looked really surprised and asked me how I knew that because it’s a very authentic way to say it. I was like “umm....I have friends who teach me fangirl slang” XD

句子 - ju4 zi(no tone) (sentence)

恐怖片 - kong3 bu4 pian1 (scary movie)

蛇 - she2 (snake)

鬼 - gui3 (ghost)

科学 - ke1 xue2 (science)

科幻片 - ke1 huan4 pian1 (science fiction movie)

卡通片 - ka4 tong1 pian1 (cartoon movie)

爱情片 - ai4 qing2 pian1 (romance movie) -> i.e. ”修炼爱情“ by JJ Lin

喜剧 - xi3 ju4 (comedy) -> note: my teacher said you don’t need 片 after this genre

电视剧 - dian4 shi4 ju4 (TV series)

动作片 - dong4 zuo4 pian1 (action movie) - i.e. 动 as in 运动

刚刚 - gang1 gang1 (just now)

黑帮片 - hei1 bang1 pian1 (gangster movie)

演员 - yan3 yuan2 (actor)

很少 - hen3 shao3 (not many) -> i.e. 很少中国人说/做。。。

还可以 - hai1 ke3 yi3 (ok/so-so) -> note: my teacher said that 马马虎虎 is a perfectly fine way to say “it’s okay/so-so” (which is what they taught us in college Chinese), but 还可以 is a more authentic/common way to say it

以后，你和朋友聊天，你可以聊电影 - yi3 hou1, ni3 he3 peng2 you3 liao3 tian1, ni3 ke3 yi3 liao3 dian4 ying3 (afterwards, you and your friends talk, you can talk about movies) -> note: I’d never seen 以后 used at the beginning of a sentence like this, but my teacher said in this context it just means afterwards/in the near future

会话 - hui4 hua4 (conversation)

打算 - da3 suan4 (plan)

上映 - shang4 ying4 (in the cinema, on screen)

邻居 - lin2 ju1 (neighbor)

大战 - da3 zhan4 (war) -> i.e. 星球大战 (Star Wars)

评分 - ping2 fen1 (rating) -> i.e. 这部 (bu4) 电影评分很高 (This movie’s rating is very high)

吓人 - xia4 ren2 (scary) ->note: different from 害怕。 i.e. 恐怖片太吓人了 (the scary movie is too scary) vs. 我害怕 (I am scared)

胆小 - dan3 xiao3 (coward) -> literally means “small gut” (like the saying “has no guts”)

超级 - chao1 ji2 (very, super) -> note: but to an even greater extent than 非常

词 - ci2 (word)

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Daily blog 2019年8月24日

NOTE: hOLY HELL that was a struggle to write and there’s probably a lot of mistakes, but will see if my mom can help me look it over later :P

应为我作晚一点才睡觉，所以我今天早上有一点累。我跟我男朋友看视频以前起床。我们周末平常一起看视频。我们起床以后他去Quidditch联系，我跟我两个朋友去glassblowing工作室。 一个我的朋友的妈妈跟我们去。Glassblowing好玩儿！我去过，可是她们没去过。玻璃都好漂亮！工作室的雇员很厉害。我做一个圣诞节装饰品。我会给我父母这个装饰品。Glassblowing以后我们去泰国餐馆吃午饭。我男朋友回家了，我们一起吃汉堡包和看电影。

Yīng wèi wǒ zuò wǎn yīdiǎn cái shuìjiào, suǒyǐ wǒ jīntiān zǎoshang yǒu yīdiǎn lèi. Wǒ gēn wǒ nán péngyǒu kàn shìpín yǐqián qǐchuáng. Wǒmen zhōumò píngcháng yīqǐ kàn shìpín. Wǒmen qǐchuáng yǐhòu tā qù Quidditch liánxì, wǒ gēn wǒ liǎng gè péngyǒu qù glassblowing gōngzuò shì. Yīgè wǒ de péngyǒu de māmā gēn wǒmen qù.Glassblowing hǎowán er! Wǒ qùguò, kěshì tāmen méi qùguò. Bōlí dōu hǎo piàoliang! Gōngzuò shì de gùyuán hěn lìhài. Wǒ zuò yīgè shèngdàn jié zhuāngshì pǐn. Wǒ huì gěi wǒ fùmǔ zhège zhuāngshì pǐn.Glassblowing yǐhòu wǒmen qù tàiguó cānguǎn chī wǔfàn. Wǒ nán péngyǒu huí jiāle, wǒmen yīqǐ chī hànbǎobāo hé kàn diànyǐng.

 Because last night I went to sleep late at 1 am, I was a little tired this morning. My boyfriend and I watched videos before we got up. We usually watch videos together on the weekends. After we got up, he went to Quidditch practice, I went with my two friends to a glassblowing studio. One of my friends’ mom went with us. Glassblowing was fun! I have been before, but they have not. The glass was all very pretty! The studio’s employees were very skilled. I made a Christmas ornament. I will give the ornament to my parents. After glassblowing we went to a Thai restaurant for lunch. My boyfriend came home from Quidditch and we ate hamburgers and watched a movie.

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Daily Blog 2019年8月23日

今天我和我男朋友在家里工作，应为一个 exterminator 去我们的房子。上个周末我们找到很多的灯蛾。应为我不喜欢灯蛾，所以我很难过。Exterminator 很奇怪的男人。他谈得太多了！Exterminator 离开我们的房子以后我们给我妈妈打电话。我每天平常给她打电话。我们跟她聊谈以后去朋友的房子吃晚饭。我们包饺子。

Jīntiān wǒ hé wǒ nán péngyǒu zài jiālǐ gōngzuò, yīng wéi yīgè exterminator qù wǒmen de fángzi. Shàng gè zhōumò wǒmen zhǎodào hěnduō de dēng é. Yīng wèi wǒ bù xǐhuān dēng é, suǒyǐ wǒ hěn nánguò.Exterminator hěn qíguài de nánrén. Tā tán dé tài duōle!Exterminator líkāi wǒmen de fáng zǐ yǐhòu wǒmen gěi wǒ māmā dǎ diànhuà. Wǒ měitiān píngcháng gěi tā dǎ diànhuà. Wǒmen gēn tā liáo tán yǐhòu qù péngyǒu de fángzi chī wǎnfàn. Wǒmen bāo jiǎozi.

Today my boyfriend and I worked from home because an exterminator came to our house. Last weekend we found lots of moths. Because I don’t like moths, I was sad. The exterminator was a very weird man. He talked too much! After the exterminator left our house, we went to our friend’s house for dinner. We made dumplings.

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Random phrases

Words from my mom and my new Chinese tutor:

话题 hua4 ti2 - topic

爆米花 bao4 mi3 hua1 - popcorn

结局 jie2 ju2 - ending (like “幸福和快乐是结局” from “童话”）

老公 lao3 gong1 - husband

甜 tian2 - sweet (like 甜蜜蜜）

咸 xian2 - salty

知识 zhi1 shi - knowledge

电影院 dian4 ying3 yuan4 - movie theater

巧克力 qiao3 ke1 li4 - chocolate

发音 fa1 yin1 - pronounce, enunciate (“这个字怎么发音?” -> how do you pronounce this word?)

湖 hu2 - lake

旅游 lv3 you2 - travel