It will only take [est_time] to read this post! Whilst Written Chinese are big advocates of mobile learning we know that when you’re at home with a cup of tea (or coffee, I’m not discriminatory) nothing beats a good book to study from. During our time in China, The Written Chinese kids have acquired quite… Read More
Continuing on with our ‘radical’ series, I decided to give you some more information about 草字头 (cǎo zì tóu), the grass radical. 草字头 (cǎo zì tóu) means ‘grass on the head’ and is always found on the top of a character. I really like 艹 because unlike some radicals, most of the characters featuring this radical… Read More
There’s been one area of my Chinese studying that I’ve found pretty confusing, at times quite annoying, but inevitably (once the penny dropped) rather interesting. For me, Chinese measure words became an added challenge when learning an already intriguing language. But it has to be said, they are an essential part of learning Mandarin. As… Read More
To better understand Chinese characters, we can trace them back to their source in 小篆 (Xiǎozhuàn) calligraphy. 小篆 (Xiǎozhuàn) means ‘small seal’ and is a form of Chinese writing that dates from the Qin Dynasty (221B.C.-206B.C.). 秦始皇 (qín shǐ huáng) was the founder of the Qin Dynasty. He unified the Seven Warring States and created the first Chinese empire…. Read More
In my post, Written Chinese: Where do I start? I mentioned that when I first came to China, the idea of a radical was just as foreign as I was and being able to use them to read had never even crossed my mind. I remember the class when my Chinese teacher said we were going to… Read More
Singer 鄧紫棋 (dèng zǐ qí, or “G.E.M.”) is one of the most popular singers in China right now. This music video, “爱你 (ài nǐ = Love You)”, is about a breakup. If you are a beginning Chinese student, don’t expect to understand all of the lyrics, but here are a few keywords and phrases for… Read More