zhongwen-is-hard

[zhongwen-is-hard]

Some of vocabularies / phrases that I learnt from the drama “微微一笑很倾城” 

- 外卖 wàimài - take-away (food)

- 零钱 língqián - small change (money)

- 睡午觉  shuì wǔjiào - take a nap

- 被入侵 bèi rùqīn - being hacked (computer)

-  黑客 hēikè - hacker

-  黑 hēi - to hack

- 桌面 zhuōmiàn - desktop (of the computer)

- 挑衅 tiǎoxìn - to provoke

- 似乎 sìhū - to seem; seemingly, apparently

(the sentence in the drama: 他似乎对你很有兴趣 tā sìhū duì nǐ hěn yǒu xìngqù - he seems to be very interested in you)

- 买单 m��idān - to pay a bill (restaurant) (in the drama the customer calls the restaurant owner with this word which means that he wants to pay his bill)

- 别装了 bié zhuāng le - stop pretending

- 恶意  èyì - malice; grudge; ill intention

- 重点  zhòngdiǎn - main point

- 粉丝 fěnsī - fans 

- 仇恨 chóuhèn - hatred

- 熟人 shúrén - acquaintance (熟悉 shúxī means to know well, to be familiar with)

[zhongwen-is-hard]

我最喜欢的中文词 my fav chinese words

I’ve come across some great words/idioms recently and i just really want to conglomerate them into a single list and i figured i might as well share my favs with all you guys (warning: some of these are absolutely ridiculous words but i love them)

words:

嗡嗡 wēng wēng buzz, drone, or hum (it’s the sound a bee makes 🐝)

父权制 fùquánzhì patriarchy

小屁孩 xiǎo pì hoi brat, wimpy kid

学霸 xué bà top student (almost every chinese person i know has called me this, mainly because i’ve told them i hate math but i’m good at it and i love to read) 

啪嚓 pā chā this doesn’t have a real definition, but i once saw it in a comic as the sound an umbrella makes when it opens and i love it?

装屄 zhuāng bī to be a pretentious prick (i saw this on some chinese meme and i still don’t fully understand the context of it but i love it just because there’s a word for this)

idioms:

成千上万 chéng qiān shàng wàn lit. by the thousands and tens of thousands; untold numbers (this was in the little prince)

雾里看花 wù lǐ kàn huā lit. to look at flowers in the fog; blurred vision

鳄鱼眼泪 èyú yǎnlèi lit. crocodile tears 🐊; hypocritical words of sympathy 

过了这村没这店guò le zhè cūn méi zhè diàn past this village, you won’t find this shop; this is your last chance

一命呜呼 yīmìngwūhū to die; to breathe one’s last (this was also in the little prince)

小心翼翼 xiǎoxīnyìyì cautious and solemn; very carefully

哭笑不得 kūxiàobùdé lit. not to know whether to laugh or cry; between laughter and tears; both funny and extremely embarrassing 

大器晚成 dàqìwǎnchéng lit. it takes a long time to make a big pot; great talent matures slowly; Rome wasn’t built in a day

[zhongwen-is-hard]

15 Common and Useful Chinese Idioms (Chengyu) ✨

🌷 脚踏实地 (jiǎo tà shí dì) 脚踏实地 literally means “to step on solid ground.” It means that you work hard, focus on the fundamentals, and proceed in a steady and stable fashion. It’s an extremely positive chengyu. Here’s an example : “现在我们要继续脚踏实地”   “xiànzài wǒmen yào jìxù jiǎotàshídì”   “Right now we need to continue staying grounded and pushing ahead”   

🌷 九牛一毛 (jiǔ niú yì máo) 九牛一毛 literally means “9 cows and 1 strand of cow hair.” It indicates something that’s so small that it’s like one strand of cow hair among 9 cows. Here’s an example: “电子商务的盈利在中国整体商业环境中简直是九牛一毛.”   “diànzǐ shāngwù de yínglì zài zhōngguó zhěngtǐ shāngyè huánjìng zhōng jiǎnzhí shì jiǔniúyìmáo.”   “In the entire Chinese commercial environment, the profits from E-commerce are simply just a drop in the bucket.”  

🌷 一无所有 (yìwúsuǒyǒu) 一无所有 means to have absolutely nothing at all. It’s basically being penniless. Here’s an example: “他无家可归，一无所有”   “tā wújiākěguī， yìwúsuǒyǒu”   “He was homeless, and didn’t have a penny to his name.”  

🌷 一见钟情(yí jiàn zhōng qíng) 一见钟情 means “love at first sight.” It’s generally used for people, but you can also use it for other physical objects. Here’s an example: “她就是我的一见钟情 “   “tā jiùshì wǒ de yíjiànzhōngqíng“   “She is my love at first sight.”  

🌷 自由自在 (zì yóu zì zài) 自由自在 means that something is free and easy. It can be used to describe someone’s personality, how someone behaves, or how a place makes people feel. For example: “这是一个自由自在的地方。”   “zhè shì yī gè zì yóu zì zai de dì fāng”   “This is a free and easy place”  

🌷 莫名其妙 (mò míng qí miào)  莫名其妙 literally means that it’s hard to articulate the profoundness or mystery or something. It basically means that something is baffling. For example: “他说了几句莫名其妙的话。”   “tā shuì le jī gōu mò míng qí miào de huà”   “He said some mysterious words. ”  

🌷 半途而废 (bàn tú ér fèi) 半途而废 means to start doing something, only to give up halfway. Literally, it means to walk half the road and give up. Here’s an example: “我不是半途而废的人”   “wǒ búshì bàntúérfèi de rén”   “I’m not someone who gives up halfway”

🌷 抛砖引玉 (pāo zhuān yǐn yù) 抛砖引玉 (pāo zhuān yǐn yù) basically means you’re “just tossing an idea out there.” It literally means “to cast a brick to attract jade.” You’re basically saying, “this idea I’m tossing out there is garbage, but perhaps it will lead one of you to make a better contribution.” It’s a humble way to contribute to a conversation. Here’s an example: “我的建议还不够成熟，算是抛砖引玉吧 “   “wǒ de jiàn yì hái bú gòu chéng shú, suàn shì pāo zhuān yǐn yù ba “   “My suggestion is still half-baked — you could see it as just me tossing an idea out there“  

🌷 豁然开朗 (huò rán kāi lǎng) 豁然开朗 (huò rán kāi lǎng) has two meanings which are linked. The first meaning is the refreshing and liberating feeling you get when you see a beautiful, open area. Typically, immediately before this moment, the beautiful area is not visible and you might be feeling a little stuffy. Second, it’s also used for the feeling you get when you achieve an “aha” or “eureka!” moment. Here’s an example: “大学时期，乔尼开始有机会用Mac做设计，那是一种豁然开朗的体验“   “dàxué shíqí, qiáoní kāishǐ yǒujīhuì yòng Mac zuò sh��jì, nàshì yīzhǒng huòránkāilǎng de tǐyàn”   “During college, Jony began to have opportunities to use a Mac to design, and that was a refreshing, eye-opening experience”  

🌷  津津���味 (jīn jīn yǒu wèi) 津津有味 means to eat something deliciously. Also, it can be used for activities beyond just eating, as long as the person doing the activity finds it engaging. It’s not something that people typically use to describe themselves, but you can liberally use it on your friends as it has a positive tone. Here’s an expressive example: “津津有味地看报”   “jīnjīnyǒuwèi de kànbào”   “to devour the newspaper”  

🌷  理所当然 (lǐ suǒ dāng rán) 理所当然 sounds like “to go without saying” or “as a matter of course,” but literally means that “according to reason, it should be the case.” Here’s an example: “Some things which are obvious or natural in the course of a marriage…”   “。。。在婚姻中的一些～的事。。。”   “。。。zài hūnyīn zhōng de yīxiē ～de shì 。。。”  

🌷  全力以赴 (quán lì yǐ fù) 全力以赴 basically means to give it your all (literally “exert all your strength”) for a goal. It has a positive tone, and is somewhat formal but can still be used in everyday speech. It’s important to note that 全力以赴 is typically used for actions that haven’t finished yet, rather than actions that have already been completed. Here’s an example: “无论考生的笔试成绩如何，都要全力以赴准备面试”   “wúlùn kǎoshēng de bǐshì chéngjì rúhé ，dōuyào quánlìyǐfù zhǔnbèi miànshì”   “No matter how the student’s written test score is, he/she needs to give 100% to prepare for the interview”  

🌷  心血来潮 (xīn xuè lái cháo) 心血来潮 basically means “spur of the moment” or “on a whim.” Literally, it evokes the image of blood rushing to your heart (of course in English we’d say head). It’s a perfect chengyu for when you’re telling a story a friend. For example: “某日他们心血来潮，决定比拼一下各自的脚法“   “mǒu rì tāmen xīnxuèláicháo,juédìng bǐpīn yíxià gèzì de jiǎofǎ”   “One day, on a spur of the moment, they decided to compare and compete to see whose footwork was best”  

🌷  乱七八糟 (luàn qī bā zāo) 乱七八糟 means that something is a total mess. You can use it to describe tangible things like messy rooms, or more abstract things, like a messed up life. For example: 是谁弄得乱七八糟的？   “shì shéi nòng de luàn qī bā zāo de?”   “who made this mess?”  

🌷  不��思议 (bù kě sī yì) 不可思议 means that something is noteworthy or amazing in an unexpected way. It can be used for things which are really amazing (eg. magic or larger phenomena) but also for unexpected, everyday occurrences. For example: “真是不可思议，我的名字跟你一样！”   “zhēn shi bù kĕ sī yì wŏ de míng zi gēn nĭ yī yàng”   “It’s incredible, I have the same name as you!”  

[zhongwen-is-hard]

7.12.16 💕

前功尽弃 (qiángōngjìnqì ) - to waste all one’s previous efforts (idiom)

尖酸刻薄 (jiān suān kè bó) - to say sharp and unkind words

志愿者 (zhìyuànzhě) - volunteer (noun)

多愁善感 (duōchóushàngǎn) - to be sentimental

傲傲 (àomàn) - arrogant

操纵 (cāozòng) - to manipulate someone

雄心壮志 (xióng xīn zhuàng zhì) - ambitious

雄心勃勃 (xióngxīnbóbó) - pushy, ambitious

[zhongwen-is-hard]

Transportation － 交通工具 (jiāo tōng gōng jù)

辆 (liàng) － a measure word for vehicle

Example : 一辆自行车 （yī liàng zì xíng chē）

Trad : A bike/bicycle 

Airplane － 飞机 (fēi jī) Ambulance － 救护车 (jiù hù chē) Bicycle －自行车 (zì xíng chē) Boat － 船 (chuán) Bus －公交车 (gōng jiāo chē) or 巴士 (bā shì) Public transportation (buses or cars) : 公共汽车 (gōng gòng qì chē) Car / Automobile－ 汽车 (qì chē) or 车 (chē)  Ferry － 客船 (kè chuán) Helicopter －直升机(zhí shēng jī) Hot Air Balloon － 热汽球 (rè qì qiú) Metro / Subway－地铁 (dì tiě) Motorcycle －摩托车 (mó tuō chē) Taxi －出租车 (chū zū chē) Train － 火车 (huǒ chē) Truck －卡车 (kǎ chē) or 货车 (huò chē) Sail boat － 帆船 (fān chuán) Station － 站(zhàn)

[zhongwen-is-hard]

Sea animals － 海洋动物 (hǎi yáng dòng wù) (part 3)

Cod － 鳕鱼 (xuě yú)

Crab － 螃蟹 (páng xiè)

Dolphin － 海豚 (hǎi tún)

Eel － 鳗鱼 (mán yú)

Jellyfish － 水母 (shuǐ mǔ) or 海蜇 (hǎi zhē)

Mussels － 贻贝 (yí bèi)

Lobster － 龙虾 (lóng xiā)

Piranha － 食人鱼 (shí rén yú)

Puffer fish － 河豚(鱼) (hé tún (yú) )

Salmon －  三文鱼 (sān wèn yú) or 鮭鱼 (guī yú)

Seahorse － 海马 (hăi mā)

Seashell － (海)贝壳 ( (hăi) bèi ké)

Seal － 海豹  (hăi bào)

Shark － 鲨鱼 (shā yú)

Shrimp － 虾 (xiā)

Squid － 鱿鱼 (yóu yú)

Starfish  － 海星 (hăi xīng)

Stingray － 黄貂鱼 (huáng diāo yú)

Swordfish － 旗鱼 (qí yú)

Tuna － 金枪鱼 (jīn qiāng yú)

Trout － 鳟鱼 (zūn yú)

Walrus － 海象 (hǎi xiàng)

Whale － 鲸鱼 (jīng yú)

[zhongwen-is-hard]

Animals －动物 (dòng wù) (part2)

Wild animals 野生动物 (yě shēng dòng wù) 

Bat －蝙蝠 (biān fú)  Bear － 熊 (xióng)  Beaver － 河狸 (hé lí) or 海狸 (hǎi lí) Crocodile － 鳄鱼 (è yú) Deer － 鹿 (lù) Elephant － 大象 (dà xiàng) Fox － 狐狸 (hú li) Frog － 青蛙 (qīng wā) Giraffe －长颈鹿 (cháng jǐng lù) Gorilla －大猩猩 (dà xīng xīng) Hedgehog － 刺猬 (cì wei) Hippopotamus － 河马 (hé mǎ) Hyena －土狼 (tǔ láng) Kangaroo － 袋鼠 (dài shǔ)  Koala － 考拉 (kǎo lā); 树袋熊 (shù dài xióng) or 无尾熊 (wú wěi xióng)  Lion － 狮子 (shī zi) Lizard － 蜥蜴 (xī yì) Monkey － 猴子 (hóu zi) Mole － 鼹鼠 (yǎn shǔ) Panda － 熊猫 (xióng māo) Panther － 豹 (bào)  Porcupine － 豪猪 (háo zhū) Rat － (大老) 鼠 ((dà lǎo) shǔ) Rhinoceros － 犀牛 (xī niú) Skunk － 臭鼬 (chòu yòu)  Squirrel － 松鼠 (sōng shǔ) Snail － 蜗牛 (wō niú) Snake － 蛇 (shé) Tiger － 老虎 (lǎo hǔ) Wolf － 狼 (láng) Zebra － 斑马 (bān mǎ)

Bird － 鸟 (niǎo) 

Eagle － 老鹰 (lǎo yīng) Ostrich － 鸵鸟 (tuó niǎo) Owl － 猫头鹰 (māo tóu yīng)  Peacock － 孔雀 (kǒng què) Pelican － 鹈鹕鸟 (tí hú niǎo) Penguin － 企鹅 (qì'é)  Pigeon － 鸽子(gē zi) Raven － 乌鸦 (wū yā)

Insect －昆虫 (kūn chóng)

Ant － 蚂蚁 (mǎ yǐ) Bee － 蜜蜂 (mì fēng) Butterfly － 蝴蝶 (hú dié) Dragonfly － 蜻蜓 (qīng tíng) Fly － 苍蝇 (cāng yīng) Grasshopper － 蚱蜢 (zhà měng) or 草蜢 (cǎo měng) Mosquito － 蚊子 (wén zi)  Wasp － 胡蜂 (hú fēng)

[zhongwen-is-hard]

中文词汇 colors

so @yusibts requested a color vocab list so here it is! i went all in with it so i hope you enjoy

basic colors:

颜色 yánsè color

红色 hóngsè red

粉红色 fěnhóng sè pink

橘色 jú sè orange

黄色 huángsè yellow

绿色 lǜsè green

蓝色 lán sè blue

紫色 zǐsè purple

咖啡色／棕色／褐色 kāfēisè/zōngsè/hésè brown (all i know is all of these mean brown but the first one is specified as *coffee* brown but other than that idk if there are any distinctions btw them)

白色 báisè white

灰色 huīsè grey

黑色 hēisè black

银色 yínsè silver

金色 jīnsè gold

beyond the basics:

*note: for colors you can add 深 shēn (dark) or 浅 qiǎn (light) to colors to describe their intensity*

深红 shēn hóng dark red

玫瑰红 méi gui hóng rose red

棕红 zōng hóng brown-red

珊瑚红 shānhú hóng coral

鲜红 xiānhóng bright red

绯红 fēihóng scarlet

枣红 zǎohóng maroon

RED IDIOMS

看破红尘 kàn pò hóng chén “to see through the red dust of the world”; to give up worldly desires and live a Buddhist monastic lifestyle

姹紫嫣红 chà zǐ yān hóng “beautiful purples and bright reds”; for describing a bright and colorful bouquet

桔黄 jú huáng tangerine

柠檬黄 níngméng huáng lemon yellow

橄榄黄 gǎnlǎn huáng olive yellow

杏黄 xìng huáng apricot

金黄 jīn huáng golden yellow

YELLOW IDIOMS

明日黄花 míng rì huáng huā “crysanthemums after the Double Ninth Festival”; an antiquated or outdated thing

人老珠黄 rén lǎo zhū huáng “old and yellow”; an old and faded woman

青黄不接 qīng huáng bù jiē “the yellow crop of autumn doesn’t last until the green of spring”; reffers to scarce resources, such as not enough manpower or not being able to make ends meet

橄榄绿 gǎnlǎnlǜ olive green

葱绿 cōnglǜ scallion green/verdant

苹果绿 píngguǒlǜ apple green

森林绿 sēnlín lǜ forest green

水草绿 shuǐ cǎolǜ seaweed green

草绿 cǎolǜ grass green

GREEN IDIOMS

红男绿女 hóng nán lǜ nǚ “red gentlemen and green ladies”; young people dressed up in fancy clothes

柳绿花红 liǔ lǜ huā hóng “green willows and red flowers”; the colors of spring

戴绿帽子 dài lǜ mào zi “to wear a green hat”; to be cheated on by one’s wife

脸都绿了 liǎn dōu lǜ le “green in the face”; to look sick/unwell

花花绿绿 huā huā lǜ lǜ “lots of flowers and green”; colorful, flashy, and gaudy

天蓝 tiānlán sky blue

蔚蓝 wèilán azure

月光蓝 yuèguāng lán moonlight blue

海洋蓝 hǎiyáng lán sea blue

BLUE IDIOMS

青出于蓝 qīngchūyúlán “green supersedes blue”; the younger generation surpasses the old

衣衫蓝褛 yīshān lán lǚ “shabby clothes

紫罗兰色 zǐluólán sè violet

葡萄籽 pútáo zǐ grape purple/grayish purple

玫瑰紫 méiguizǐ rose purple

暗紫 àn zǐ gloomy purple

PURPLE IDIOMS

万紫千红 wàn zǐ qiān hóng “thousands of purples and reds”; the flourishing of a variety of industries

紫气东来 zǐ qì dōng lái “purple breeze blows from the east”; suggests and auspicious and lucky time is coming

橙红色 chéng hóngsè red-orange

柿子橙 shìzi chéng persimmon

热带橙 rè dài chéng tropical orange

蜜橙 mì chéng honey orange

深橙 shēn chéng dark orange

ORANGE IDIOMS

红橙黄绿蓝靛紫 hóng chéng huáng lǜ lán diàn zǐ “red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, purple”; all the colors of the rainbow

象牙白 xiàng yá bái ivory

牡蛎白 mǔ lì bái oyster white

珍珠白 zhēn zhū bái pearl white

玉石白 yù shí bái jade white

银白 yín bái silvery white

米白 mǐ bái beige

WHITE IDIOMS

一穷二白 yī qióng è bái “first poor then white”; describes someone as financially impoverished and culturally backward

唇红齿白 chún hóng chǐ bái “red lips and white teeth,”; describes a beautiful feminine mouth

白璧无瑕 bái bì wú xiá “white as jade without imperfections”; spotless and perfect.

土黑 tǔ hēi soil or earth colored

煤黑 méi hēi coal black

碳黑 tàn hēi soot black

古铜黑 gǔ tóng hēi black like the color of old copper

铁黑 tiě hēi iron black 

BLACK IDIOMS

月黑风高 yuè hēi fēng gāo “the moon is black and the winds are high”; a dark, windy and ominous night

起早贪黑 qǐ zǎo tān hēi “rise early and desire the dark”; to wake up early and sleep late

颠倒黑白 diān dǎo hēi bái “reverse black and white”; to distort the truth and misrepresent facts.

银灰 yín hūi silver gray

铁灰 tiě hūi iron gray

铅灰 qiān hūi lead gray

烟灰 yān hūi smoky gray

GRAY IDIOMS

万念俱灰 wàn niàn jù hūi “all hopes turn gray”; utter disappointment

灰心丧气 hūi xīn sàng qì “gray heart and mournful spirits”; to feel down and depressed.

红棕 hóng zōng reddish brown

金棕 jīn zōng golden brown

奶油色 nǎi yóu sè cream or nude

豆沙色 dòu shā sè literally “red bean colored,” this color looks like a pinky-mauve and is a popular color for lipstick!

牛仔色 níu zǎi sè denim colored

荧光色 yíng guāng sè neon

彩虹色 cǎi hóng sè rainbow

so that’s it for the color vocab post

as per usual if there’s any mistakes just hmu

[zhongwen-is-hard]

Sino films on youtube

English name (Chinese name) year, director. Languages.

Will be updated as I find more / Please message me if there are issues!

Bold = very very recommended

Angel Warriors (铁血娇娃之丛林日记) 2013, Fu Huayang, English dub, Chinese & English subs

Ashes of Time (东邪西毒) 1994, Wong Kar-Wai. Cantonese/Mandarin, Chinese subs

Assembly (集结号) 2007, Feng Xiaogang. Mandarin, Chinese subs

Back to 1942 (一九四二) 2012, Feng Xiaogang. Mandarin/English, Chinese subs

The Banquet (夜宴) 2006, Feng Xiaogang, Mandarin, no subs

Be There or Squared (不见不散) 1998, Feng Xiaogang, Mandarin/English. *NB: Link in title is HQ with no subs. Here is a link for LQ with English &　Chinese subs

Black and White Episode 1: Dawn of Assault (痞子英雄) 2012, Tsai Yueh-Hsun. Mandarin, Chinese & English subs

Blind Shaft (盲井) 2002, Li Yang. Mandarin, Chinese subs

The Blue Kite (蓝风筝) 1992, Tian Zhuangzhuang, Mandarin, Chinese & English subs

Caught in the Web (搜索) 2012, Chen Kaige. Mandarin, Chinese subs

Chungking Express (重庆森林) 1994, Wong Kar-Wai. Cantonese/Mandarin, English subs. *NB: split into 10 parts

City of Sadness (悲情城市) 1989, Hou Hsiao-Hsien. Taiwanese/Japanese, Chinese subs

Crazy New Year’s Eve (一路惊喜) 2015. Mandarin, Chinese & English & Vietnamese subs. 

Crazy Stone (疯狂的石头) 2006, Ning Hao. Mandarin/Sichuanese, Chinese subs

Dangerous Liaisons (危险关系) 2012 Jin-Ho Hur, Mandarin, Chinese &　English subs

Detective Chinatown (唐人街侦探) 2015, Chen Sicheng. Mandarin, Chinese & English subs. NB: filmed illegally in the cinema

Double Xposure (二次曝光) 2012, Li Yu. Mandarin, Chinese & English subs

The Eagle Shooting Heroes (东成西就) 1993, Jeffrey Lau. Cantonese originally but this version is in Mandarin, Chinese subs

Fall in Love Like A Star (怦然星动) 2015, Tony Chan. Mandarin, Chinese & English subs

Farewell My Concubine (霸王别姬) 1992, Chen Kaige. Mandarin, English subs

Fist of Fury 1991 (新精武门1991) 1991, Cho Chung-sing, Cantonese, English subs

Fist of Fury II (精武门续集) 1992, Iksan Lahardi & Tso-nam Lee, Cantonese, English subs

The Fox Lover (白狐) 2013, Niu Chaoyang, Mandarin, Chinese & English subs

The God of Cookery (食神) 1996, Stephen Chow. Cantonese, Chinese subs

Happy Together (春光乍泄) 1997, Wong Kar-Wai. Cantonese, English & Spanish subs

I Am Somebody (我是路人甲) 2015, Derek Yee. Mandarin, Chinese subs

If You Are The One (非诚勿扰) 2008, Feng Xiaogang. Mandarin, English subs

Impossible (不可思议) 2015, Sun Zhou. Mandarin, Chinese & English subs

Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons (西游：降魔篇) 2013, Stephen Chow. Mandarin, Chinese & English subs

Ju Dou (菊豆) 1990, Zhang Yimou, Mandarin, English subs

Lady of the Dynasty (王朝的女人：杨贵妃) 2015, Shi Qing. Mandarin, Chinese & English subs

Lost on Journey (人在囧途) 2010, Raymond Yip. Mandarin, Chinese subs

Lost on Journey 2: Lost in Thailand (人在囧途之泰囧) 2012, Xu Zheng. Mandarin, Chinese & English subs

Lost on Journey 3: Lost in Hong Kong (人在囧途之港囧) 2015, Xu Zheng. Mandarin/Cantonese, Chinese subs

Love Actually (真爱至上), Mandarin, Chinese subs. NB: What the hell? I stumbled upon this film when looking for a different one, and can barely find any information about it anywhere. Nonetheless, it looks like an actual film so I’m putting it here… but I’m so confused lol. If anyone actually watches this please tell me what’s going on.

Love Is Not Blind (失恋33天) 2011, Teng Huatao. Mandarin, Chinese subs

Monster Hunt (捉妖记) 2015, Raman Hui. Mandarin, Chinese & English subs

Mr. Six (老炮儿) 2015, Guan Hu. Mandarin, Chinese & English subs. 

Mulan: Rise of a Warrior (花木兰) 2009, Jingle Ma, Mandarin, no subs

Peking Opera Blues (刀马旦) 1986, Tsui Hark, Cantonese, English subs

Platform (站台) 2000, Jia Zhangke. Jin/Mandarin, Chinese subs

Raise the Red Lantern (大红灯笼高高挂) 1991, Zhang Yimou. Mandarin, Arabic & Chinese & Czech & Dutch & English & Finnish & French & German & Greek & Hebrew & Indoniesian & Korean & Persian & Portuguese & Spanish & Swedish & Turkish & Vietnamese subs

Red Sorghum (红高粱) 1987, Zhang Yimou, Mandarin, Chinese subs

Suzhou River (苏州河) 2000, Lou Ye. Mandarin, no subs

Tiny Times (小时代) 2013, Guo Jingming. Mandarin, Chinese & English subs

Tiny Times 2 (小时代：青木时代) 2013, Guo Jingming. Mandarin, Chinese & Russian (?) subs

Tiny Times 3 (小时代：刺金时代) 2014, Guo Jingming. Mandarin, Chinese & English subs

Tiny Times 4 (小时代：灵魂尽头) 2015, Guo Jingming. Mandarin, Chinese & English subs

To Live (活着) 1994, Zhang Yimou. Mandarin, English subs

What Time Is It There? (你那边几点？) 2001, Tsai Ming-Liang. Mandarin/Taiwanese, English subs

White Vengeance (鸿门宴) 2011, Daniel Lee, Mandarin, Chinese subs

World (世界) 2004, Jia Zhangke. Mandarin, Chinese & English subs

Xiu Xiu: The Sent Down Girl (天浴) 1998, Joan Chen. Mandarin, Chinese subs

Yellow Earth (黄土地) 1984, Chen Kaige, Mandarin, English subs

Yi Yi: A One and a Two (一一) 2000, Edward Yang. Mandarin/Taiwanese, Chinese & English subs

Special thanks to @fallingforsincerity​ for contributing! 

Last updated 16/02/2016

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Getting Sick 😷

生病 (shēng bìng) - to get sick

流鼻涕 (liú bítì) - to have a runny nose

头疼 (tóu téng) - to have a headache

发烧 (fā shāo) - to have a fever

感冒 (gǎn mào) - to have a cold

流感 (liú gǎn) - the flu

咳嗽 (késoù) - to cough

累 (lèi) - tired

毯子 (tǎnzi) - blanket

阿司匹林 (āsīpīlín) - aspirin

过敏 (guòmǐn) - to be allergic to

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I highly recommend you all read this article on the new york times

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学习 (xuéxí) vs. 学到 (xué dào)

ok so both of these words mean “to learn” but they have very different meanings outside of that very simple definition

学习

this word doesn’t only mean to learn; it means to learn and copy

so (using the examples 李老师 gave) if you said 我学习有的中国人吃狗肉 you would be saying ”I learned from some Chinese people to eat dog meat”

学习 gives the idea that you learned something from someone (or something) and now you are doing the same thing

学到

this word, on the other hand, means just learned

therefore, saying 我学到有的中国人吃狗肉 would give the meaning “I learned some Chinese people eat dog meat”

if you have any questions comments or corrections just hmu 

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Telling time in Chinese

Vocabulary :

小姐 : Miss

先生 : Mr. , Sir, husband

零 : zero, used when minute(s) (分) is inferior to 10. 

请问 : excuse me, sorry (asking a favor) 

现在 : now

点 : hour(s)

分 : minute(s)

半 : half

几 : how much 

几点了？:  What time is it? 

了 : has no meaning (here 了 soften the sentence.) But 了 is used to indicate a completed action: 他走了He has gone. 

现在几点了？ What time is it now? 

I choose a YouTube video for the audio/pronunciation, here. 

Conversations : 

1) 小姐 ： 请问，现在几点了？Excuse me, what time is it now?

    先生 ：现在十一点半了。Now it is eleven thirty. 

－－－－

2) 先生 ：请问， 几点了？Excuse me, what time is it?

 小姐：五点零五分(了)。It is 5:05.

 先生：谢谢。Thanks.

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7.12.16 💕

前功尽弃 (qiángōngjìnqì ) - to waste all one’s previous efforts (idiom)

尖酸刻薄 (jiān suān kè bó) - to say sharp and unkind words

志愿者 (zhìyuànzhě) - volunteer (noun)

多愁善感 (duōchóushàngǎn) - to be sentimental

傲傲 (àomàn) - arrogant

操纵 (cāozòng) - to manipulate someone

雄心壮志 (xióng xīn zhuàng zhì) - ambitious

雄心勃勃 (xióngxīnbóbó) - pushy, ambitious

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你说中文的时候想说的很流利，但是说的流利不是容易。所以怎么办？如果你用这些简单的句子，你的中文一定听起来很流利。

When you speak Chinese, you want to be fluent, but that’s not so easy. What’s the solution? If you use these easy phrases, you may not be fluent but you definitely will sound it!

1. 算了 // suànle // forget it

This word can be used when you’re explaining something and the other person still doesn’t know what you mean, so you give up and say 啊算了！

2. 借过 // jièguò // excuse me, let me pass

When you’re in a crowded elevator or on a subway and you need to get out, this is the most polite way to ask people to move out of your way. 不好意思，借过！

3. 让地儿 // ràng dì er // make room

This one isn’t so polite, so is best to use when talking to friends! For example, I was sitting down and my friend wanted my seat so she said 你去上课让地儿。

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winter in China