Chinese tips by FluentFlix, a fun way to learn Chinese through the web's best Chinese videos.
Eskimos have hundreds of words for “snow.” Actually, that’s a widespread misconception. But what about Chinese words for “fake”? Just off the top of our heads here, you have 7: 山寨 (shān zhài) 假冒 (jiǎ mào) 盗版 (dào bǎn) 高仿 (gāo fǎng) 仿制 (fǎng zhì) 仿造 (fǎng zào) 三无产品 (sān wú chǎn pǐn) Maybe you already know these, especially the [...]
Most people would have given up and thought they simply weren’t destined for the NBA. Perhaps after receiving no scholarship offers out of high school. Or perhaps after being undrafted out of college. Or perhaps after being cut by 2 NBA teams (including their hometown) and being banished to the development league. Instead of giving [...]
Now who said that Chinese reality TV shows aren’t real? This episode of “Only You,” China’s “Apprentice” style job-interview show, has to be one of the most real, tense, and awkward episodes ever recorded. It actually starts off a little boring. But then applicant Liu Lili mentions her foreign educational background and her love of [...]
The “Her Economy.” The “mid-lifers.” The “mistress experts.” Do you know these new words that have been coined for the Chinese economy? 她经济 (tā jīng jì), literally “her economy,” is the notion that with the rise of womens’ economic power and social status, there is a whole new sector of the economy that serves and caters [...]
Crowds are a fact of life in China. So what do you say if you’re in a hurry and have to get past people? Perhaps you’ve been silently bumping into and running past them… Just in case, here are 5 authentic ways to say “excuse me” in that context: 1) 借过 (jiè ɡuò): If you’re really in [...]
It seems like everyone is interviewing for a job in China these days. And such interviews are often in Chinese. One word will separate the winners from the not-quite-winners: “experience.” There are two words for it in Chinese – 经验(jīngyàn) and 经历(jīnglì) – don’t mix them up! 经历 and 经验 are essentially interchangeable in cases [...]
As part of our mission to help you express your feelings clearly like a real human being, today we cover 2 words that you may have thought both meant “lonely”: 孤单 (gūdān) and 寂寞 (jìmò). They’re similar but that’s not quite right. 孤单 (gūdān) is like “alone” while 寂寞 is like “lonely” (jìmò). Someone who is 孤单 [...]
You’ve probably come across tabloid headlines slamming celebrities as 傻子 (shǎzi) or 呆子 (dāizi), but have you noticed the context in which each expression is used? Both 傻子(shǎzi) and 呆子 (dāizi) describe people who aren’t smart/intelligent and can be translated as “fool,” but they highlight different attributes. 傻 (shǎ) stresses stupidity and muddle-headedness. Therefore, 傻子 (shǎzi) is [...]
Nowadays, arguably we’re better informed than ever because of social media like Weibo (China’s Twitter). As an advanced Chinese learner, do you know the word for “well-informed”? If not, we have a Chinese expression for you: 消息灵通 (xiāoxi língtōng). 消息灵通 (xiāoxi língtōng) basically means well-informed. The first part, 消息 (xiāoxi), means news, while the second part, 灵通 (língtōng – [...]
Some Chinese people wear glasses. If asked to describe those people, you might simply say “他戴眼镜” (tā dài yǎnjìng – he wears glasses) or “他看起来很聪明” (tā kànqǐlái hěn cōngmíng – he looks smart). But if you want to express yourself with more nuance, you could use the word 文绉绉 (wénzhōuzhōu). 文绉绉 (wénzhōuzhōu) basically means refined [...]
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