Beginner Level初级chūjí
What does the character "我(wǒ)" mean?
     A. you
     B. they
     C. I
     D. Myself

Intermediate Level中级 zhōngjí
What does the character "饿(è)" mean?
     A. In pain
     B. Thirsty
     C. Happy
     D. Hungry

High Level高级gāojí
What does the word "家常菜(jiāchángcài)" mean?
     A. Homely dish
     B. Chinese cuisine
     C. Western-style food
     D. Vegetables

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大头儿子，小头爸爸，
Dà tóu érzi, xiǎo tóu bàba,
Big head son and small head father,

一对好朋友，快乐父子俩。
Yíduì hǎo péngyou, kuàilè fùzǐ liǎ.
a couple of good friends, happy father and son.

儿子的头大手儿小，
Érzi de tóu dà shǒur xiǎo,
The son has a big head and small hands,                

爸爸的头小手儿很大。
Bàba de tóu xiǎo shǒur hěn dà.
the father has a small head and very big hands.

大手牵小手，走路不怕滑。
Dàshǒu qiān xiǎoshǒu, zǒulù búpà huá.
They walk small hands in big hands without worrying about falling down.

走呀走呀走走走走，转眼儿子就长大！
Zǒu ya zǒu ya zǒu zǒu zǒu zǒu, zhuán yǎn érzi jiù zhǎngdà!
Walking along, the son will grow up soon!

啦啦啦…… 啦拉啦……转眼儿子就长大!
Lā lā lā… lā lālā…, zhuán yǎn érzi jiù zhǎngdà!
La la lā…la la lā…, the son will grow up soon!

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厚道(hòudao) Honest and kind; Decent and magnanimous  

The origin of the word
The word 厚道(hòudao) comes from a sentence "做人要厚道(zuòrén yào hòudao) one should be honest and kind." a famous line from the movie Cell Phone 手机(shǒujī) in 2003. Since the movie was released, the word has been widely used in China.

The meaning of the word
厚道(hòudao) means treating others kindly and honestly. 厚(hòu) means thick in its literal sense, but here it means the quality of being kind and generous. And 道(dào) literally means the way or the road, but in the phrase 厚道(hòudao) refers to the manner people treat others. Thus, the phrase 厚道(hòudao) means being mild and good in nature.

The usage of the word
e.g.  1. 她最大的特点是为人厚道。
             Tā zuìdà de tèdiǎn shì wéirén hòudao.
             Her greatest attribute is her kindness.
         2. 他待人那么厚道，我们永远不会忘记他。
              Tā dàirén nàme hòudao, wǒmen yóngyuǎn bú huì wàngjì tā.
              He is so kind to others that we will never forget him.

低调(dīdiào) Keep a low profile  

Origin and Meaning
The word "低调(dīdiào) keep a low profile" comes from a sentence "高调做事，低调做人。(Gāodiào zuòshì, dīdiào zuòrén.) Work in high profile and behave in a low profile." Another sentence also shares the same meaning: "竖起桅杆做事，砍倒桅杆做人。(Shùqǐ wéigǎn zuòshì, kǎndǎo wéigǎn zuòrén.)" It means when you catch fish on the sea, you can put up the mast to speed up your ship and when you encounter the storm, you can cut it off to survive.
"低(dī)" usually means low which is used to describe a position, a level or a degree, but in the word 低调(dīdiào) it also refers to something inconspicuous. And "调(diào)" as a noun, can be used to refer to the melody and tune of music. While here it refers to someone's profile and image. 低调(dīdiào) means you should be modest and prudent toward people and you should not make a show of your ability in front of others. So when there are people who tend to flaunt themselves in public, we can say "You should 低调(dīdiào) keep a low profile."

Usage of the Word
e.g. 1. 我们在整个事件中必须保持低调。
            Wǒmen zài zhěnggè shìjiàn zhōng bìxū bǎochí dīdiào.
            We must keep the whole thing in a low profile.
       2. 他这人一直很低调。
            Tā zhè rén yìzhí hěn dīdiào.
            He always keeps a low profile.

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In order to commemorate 李小龙(lǐxiǎolóng) Bruce Lee, a series entitled 李小龙传奇(lǐxiǎolóng chuánqí) The Legend of Bruce Lee was recently aired on TV in China. It quickly became a popular series and Bruce Lee's spirit and his attitude when practicing kungfu have inspired many fans.

Quotes from The Legend of Bruce Lee:
“我们不能总想着胜与败，因为那样会使我们的身体僵硬。搏斗的时候，讲究的是万念俱空，这才是战胜敌人的秘诀。”
Wǒmen bùnéng zǒng xiǎng zhe shèng yǔ bài, yīnwèi nàyàng huì shǐ wǒmen de shēntǐ jiāngyìng. Bódòu de shíhou, jiǎngjiū de shì wànniànjùkōng, zhè cáishì zhànshèng dírén de mìjué.
We can not always think about victory and defeat, because doing so will make our body 僵硬(jiāngyìng) rigid. 搏斗(bódòu) When fighting, nothing should enter your mind---this is the secret to defeat the 敌人(dírén) enemy.

“你的眼睛一定要长在对方的心里，你一定要感受到对手的心在想什么。”
Nǐde yǎnjing yídìng yào zhǎng zài duìfāng de xīnlǐ, nǐ yídìng yào gǎnshòu dào duìshǒu de xīn zài xiǎng shénme.
Your eyes must be in your opponent's heart, and you have to feel what's in the opponent's mind.

生词(shēngcí) Vocabulary:  
传奇(chuánqí): n legend, romance
僵硬(jiāngyìng): a rigid, and stiff
搏斗(bódòu): v fight, wrestle
敌人(dírén) : n enemy, foe
秘诀(mìjué): n secret
对手(duìshǒu): n opponent, competitor, rival

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Beginner Level/初级chūjí  
Man: 最近天气不错，咱们去爬山吧！
          Zuìjìn tiānqì búcuò, zánmen qù páshān ba!
          The weather is fine recently. Let's go hiking!
Woman: 可是我觉得太热了，还是改天去吧！
                Kěshì wǒ juéde tài rè le, háishì gǎitiān qù ba!
                I think it's too hot. Let's change to a different day!

生词(shēngcí)Vocabulary
改天(gǎitiān): v change to a different day

Intermediate Level/中级 zhōngjí  
Man: 暑假能出来徒步旅行真不错！
          Shǔjià néng chūlái túbù lǚxíng zhēn búcuò!
          It's wonderful to take a walk during summer vacation.
Woman: 是啊！我们还认识了很多朋友。
                Shì a! Wǒmen hái rènshi le hěnduō péngyou.
                Yes, you are right! We also made a lot of friends.
Man: 我们坐下休息一会儿再走吧!
          Wǒmen zuòxià xiūxi yíhuìr zài zǒu ba!
          Let's sit down and have a rest, and then go from here.
Woman: 好啊！正午的太阳晒得我都有点头晕了。
                Hǎo a! Zhèngwǔ de tàiyáng shài de wǒ dōu yóudiǎn tóuyūn le.
                Ok! The sun at noon makes me feel a little dizzy.
Man: 喝点水吧，你脸色看起来有点苍白。
          Hē diǎn shuǐ ba, nǐ liǎnsè kànqǐlái yóudiǎn cāngbái.
          Have some water please! You look a little pale.
Woman: 谢谢。我想休息一会就好了。
                Xièxiè. Wǒ xiǎng xiūxi yíhuì jiù hǎo le.
                Thanks. I will feel a little better after a rest.

生词(shēngcí) Vocabulary
正午(zhèngwǔ): adv at noon
头晕(tóuyūn): adj dizzy

High level/高级gāojí  
Man: 这次我们来西安旅行，一定要好好玩儿！
          Zhècì wǒmen lái xīān lǚxíng, yídìng yào hǎohǎo wánr!
          Let's enjoy ourselves during our stay in Xi'an this time.
Woman: 那当然了！我一直向往着来西安呢！
                Nà dāngrán le! Wǒ yìzhí xiàngwǎng zhe lái xī'ān ne!
                Of course! I have been always looking forward to coming to Xi'an.
Man: 昨天一天都在逛，今天你不觉得累吗？
          Zuótiān yitiān dōu zài guàng, jīntiān nǐ bù juéde lèi ma?
          We were strolling around yesterday. Don't you feel tired today?
Woman: 不是很累，但是我感觉好像中暑了。
                Búshì hěnlèi, dànshì wǒ gǎnjué hǎoxiàng zhòngshǔ le.
                Not very tired, but I feel that I have suffered sunstroke.
Man: 中暑了？你有什么症状？
          Zhòngshǔ le? Nǐ yǒu shénme zhèngzhuàng?
          Sunstroke? What are your symptoms?
Woman: 我有点发热，嗓子不舒服，头疼。
                Wǒ yóudiǎn fārè, sǎngzi bù shūfu, tóuténg.
                I have a fever, a sore throat and a headache.
Man: 哦，可能是热感冒！那我们先去看医生吧！
          Ò, kěnéng shì règǎnmào! Nà wǒmen xiān qù kànyīshēng ba!
          Oh, that might be a wind-heat cold in summer. Let's go to see the doctor firstly.
Woman: 好吧，等我好了，我们再去逛街吧！
                Hǎo ba, děng wǒ hǎo le, wǒmen zài qù guàngjiē ba!
                Ok. Let's go shopping after I recover!

生词(shēngcí) Vocabulary
向往(xiàngwǎng): v to expect, to look forward to
中暑(zhòngshǔ): n sunstroke
症状(zhèngzhuàng): n symptom
发热(fārè): n fever
头疼(tóuténg): n headache

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拼音(pīnyīn) pinyin: dá, dǎ 
笔画(bǐhuà) number of strokes: 5
偏旁(piānpáng) radical: 扌
结构(jiégòu) structure: Left-right structure
字源(zìyuán) etymology: Phonetic signifies that something                       
                                           done with a hand 扌(手)
笔顺(bǐshùn) stroke order:


含义(hányì) meaning:  
(1)打dá: (quantifier) dozen
e.g. 一打鸡蛋 yìdá jīdàn a dozen of eggs
(2)打dǎ:
v. to strike / to beat / to attack / to fight / to smash / to make, do, get, fetch, play, buy, take, etc. (depending on the     object)
e.g. 打架 dǎjià to fight
        打电话 dǎ diànhuà make a call
        打水 dǎshuǐ to fetch water
        打招呼 dǎ zhāohu to say hello, to greet people
        打折 dǎzhé to give a discount
        打篮球 dǎ lánqiú to play basketball
        打的∕打出租车 dǎdī ∕ dǎ chūzūchē take a taxi
prep. from / to / toward
e.g. 你打哪儿来？nǐ dǎ nǎr lái? Where do you come from?
        打现在开始  dǎ xiànzài kāishǐ from now on

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A good way to learn mandarin Chinese is to learn Chinese songs. Many people have a natural ability to hear sounds and tones in songs that are difficult to hear when spoken. When you practice singing in Chinese, you'll actually learn the language more quickly, as your mind becomes accustomed to hearing mandarin language sounds in the songs. When you sing Chinese songs, you'll find that you are able to speak Chinese better. This could be supplementary to taking Chinese courses or practicing spoken Chinese. Singing Chinese songs are especially helpful as a complementary tool for Chinese language instruction for children. If you can learn Chinese through Chinese songs, you will find it not only very fun, but also a very rewarding Chinese language learning experience.

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