One of my favorite things about Chinese is that it has a wide range of depth and meaning, especially when it comes to characters, or combinations of characters that have evolved into daily conversation

Chinese Video Lesson: Lantern Festival

Now that you are going to see a Chinese friend you haven’t seen for a while. How do you greet him besides saying Ni hao? How do you show your genuine warmness and respond your friend’s greetings? Exercises

Exercise in the Video: 1. A: Ellie, jīntiān shì chúxī, let’s make some dumplings.     B: Sure, I love dumplings!      Which of followings is true? Please choose

Chinese New Year is coming. The “年终奖 (niánzhōng jiǎng) year-end bonus” has recently become a hot topic in China. At the end of each year, what people most often talk about is the “年终奖 (niánzhōng jiǎng)

1. About Learning Mandarin Chinese Mandarin Chinese is the official language of Mainland China and Taiwan. There are many versions of Chinese spoken throughout China; including Cantonese (spoken in Guangdong

None of us like to start a new learning process just to end up being average in the end. We all wish to become “masters” at what we do. I began learning Mandarin Chinese nearly two years ago. While I’m

Each year we are seeing Chinese become more and more popular, all around the world, but especially in Asian countries. As 2017 is done, Asian countries have chosen a Chinese “Character of the Year” that

In a previous article, I introduced a popular speaking topic that I explore in my Mandarin Chinese classes with curious students: 10 Expressions You Should Never Say to a Chinese Woman. In Part I, I introduced

Although some of my Mandarin Chinese students sign up for Chinese classes to impress their in-laws, enrich their cultural knowledge or just to exercise their brains, the vast majority of my students become

Have you heard about the recent discovery of two new planets? We are always discovering new things, including what NASA calls exoplanets, or planets outside of the earth’s solar system. Most recently,

One of the speaking topics that I love to explore, and that is never dull, in my Mandarin Chinese classes is the endless conversation on dating and relationships. Students enjoy comparing the behavior

All languages often use animals as metaphorical representations of a person’s character or temperament. In English, phrases such as “stubborn as a mule” and “eyes of a hawk” are easily used and understood

Would you like separate checks, or all together?” Anyone who has eaten in a North American restaurant knows this question from the waiter or waitress. When the plates have been taken away and it’s time

Arriving in Beijing a year ago to begin my Mandarin Chinese course was a pretty intimidating experience. Unlike a week long vacation, this move to China seemed to feel permanent. I was settling in China

Chinese is distinctive for its characters. When people think of China, they think of thousands upon thousands of symbols, normally amazed that people can memorize so many different icons for their language.

Whenever my friends return home for the holidays (in China, that’s the New Year, Spring or Autumn Festival), they always end up calling me and complaining about the same thing: “Jennifer, my mom is at

Something students learning Chinese should know is that learning just the language isn’t enough—one must also study Chinese culture. Every culture has its own morals and societal frameworks that the citizens

Do you watch The Bachelor or Bachelorette? In each show the main hero or heroine (who we label as the Bachelor or Bachelorette) hands out a series of roses to contestants who he or she favors and a final

“Your Chinese is probably the worst in the class.” A classmate said jokingly to my close friend in a study abroad program. Although her Chinese was not the best, it definitely wasn’t the worse. Yet, she