Chinese tips by FluentFlix, a fun way to learn Chinese through the web's best Chinese videos.
We know China’s a huge market … … where well-known multinational brands like Ebay, Groupon, and Best Buy go to die. But for Starbucks, China’s one of their most profitable markets. The reason for their success? They adjusted to local conditions with things like green tea flavored drinks and larger outlet sizes. In other words [...]
We all love people who are 厉害 (lì hai – awesome). China also has a long history of monarchic rulers. And so, some Chinese slang combines the two — along with three activities that take up a lot of time for young people: test-taking, interviewing, and karaoke. 1) 考霸 (kǎo bà): Test Master 考霸 (kǎo bà) refers [...]
Do you know the 3 nakeds in Chinese slang? If not, would you like to get to know them? Chinese Slang’s Naked #1: 裸婚 (luǒ hūn) – “Naked Wedding” It means getting married with nothing but a wedding certificate and literally means “naked (裸 – luǒ) wedding (婚 - hūn).” Perhaps the best way to explain this is in [...]
Have you ever made an innocent comment… …only to have someone jump on you because they thought you were talking about them? Here’s a Chinese idiom you can use to keep them at bay: 对号入座 (duì hào rù zuò). 对号入座 (duì hào rù zuò) literally means “to take your seat based on your number”, but the [...]
This is probably our most violent chengyu ever. But it’s also one of the most positive. Use this chengyu for close friends that you’d do anything for, including sticking knives in your ribs. It’s 两肋插刀 (liǎng lèi chā dāo). 两肋插刀 (liǎng lèi chā dāo) literally means “stick knives into both sides of your ribs,” and it’s [...]
What is this “Singles Day” business? In 2 days, single Chinese people will be celebrating their singleness together on “Singles Day” – 光棍节 (guāng gùn jié). November 11 (11/11) has been unofficially designated as Singles Day because it appears as 4 “1″s. 光棍 (guāng gùn) generally means bachelor but literally means “bare stick,” making the name [...]
Occupy Wall Street is perhaps the top news story of the day, and Chinese people love to talk about it. Is there a chengyu that you can use next time you talk about it with your Chinese friend or tutor? You bet: 浩浩荡荡 (hàohàodàngdàng). 浩浩荡荡 (hàohàodàngdàng) basically means vast and awe-inspiring and is used mainly for [...]
I once met a boy who thought people from Japan were called “Japanians.” After laughing for a few minutes, I thought “why not?” If we have Italians and Australians, why not “Japanians”? Though he was technically “wrong,” I think his approach to grasping the English language was right on. He was recognizing patterns and applying [...]
Have you ever come across a chengyu that is good, so good that you want to say it when you’re speaking English? We have such a chengyu for you today: 豁然开朗 (huò rán kāi lǎng). 豁然开朗 (huò rán kāi lǎng) has two meanings which are linked. First, it’s the refreshing and liberating feeling you get when [...]
Do you know anyone who went to China and came back speaking fluent Chinese, making you look at them in a whole new light? Or are you in China right now and want to wow everyone when you go back home? Here’s one step in that direction: 刮目相看 (guā mù xiāng kàn). 刮目相看 (guā mù xiāng [...]
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