Beginner Level 初级(chūjí)
What does the word "广告(guǎnggào)" mean?
     A. Market
     B. Television
     C. Computer
     D. Advertisement

Intermediate Level 中级(zhōngjí)
What does the word "障碍(zhàng'ài)" mean?
     A. Obstacle
     B. Window
     C. Machine
     D. Edge

Advanced Level 高级(gāojí)
What does the phrase "炒鱿鱼(chǎo yóuyú)" mean?
     A. Fight
     B. Discuss
     C. Hire
     D. Dismiss

More Newsletters

Listen to the poem  

鹅，鹅，鹅，
É, é, é,
Ganders, ganders, ganders,
曲项向天歌。
Qū xiànɡ xiànɡ tiān ɡē.
Sing to the sky with necks curved.
白毛浮绿水，
Bái máo fú lǜ shuǐ,
White feathers afloat on verdant waters,
红掌拨清波。
Hónɡ zhǎnɡ bō qīng bō.
Orange webbed feet push the clear water.

About the Poem
When the author wrote the poem, he was just seven years old, so the poem vividly describes the ganders from a child's perspective. When reading it, you feel as if there really are ganders before you. You can hear their singing and see their beautiful feathers and the waves created by their movements. These simple sentences not only create a beautiful image of the ganders afloat on the water, but also show the author's pleasant disposition.

Author Brief
The author, 骆宾王(Luò Bīnwáng) Luo Bingwang(640-684), a famous poet in the Tang Dynasty, wrote this poem when he was just seven years old. He was widely regarded as the one of four distinguished poets of the early Tang Dynasty.

生词(shēngcí) Vocabulary:  
咏(yǒnɡ): v to admire something  
项(xiànɡ): n the back of the neck  
掌(zhǎnɡ): n the paw of the gander  
拨(bō): v to push aside  
清波(qīngbō): v the clear wave  

More Newsletters

做东(zuòdōng) Act as a Host  

Where does it originate from?
In ancient China, most houses are oriented north and south. There is a drawing room in the middle with two seats placed to the east and to the west. The host usually seats the guest at the western seat before taking the other seat to the east. Also, it is often customary for the guest to walk on the west side of the road and the host to walk along side the guests on the eastern side of the road. Thus, the host has become known as the 东道主(dōngdàozhǔ), or 东(dōng) for short. Naturally, 做主人(zuò zhǔrén), or 'to be a host' becomes 做东(zuòdōng).

What does it mean?
The phrase 做东(zuòdōng) is widely used to describe that someone is acting as a host, but it literally means 'to be the east.' 做(zuò) means'to do'or 'to act as;' 东 means 'the cardinal direction east,' but in the phrase 做东(zuòdōng), it means host. Usually, the phrase 做东(zuòdōng) is used when one invites others or treats them to dinner.

How to use it?
Examples:
今天我做东，明天轮到你了！  
Jīntiān wǒ zuòdōng, míngtiān lún dào nǐ le!
Today, I'll invite you to dinner and tomorrow it'll be your turn!
今晚我做东，大家玩个尽兴。  
Jīnwǎn wǒ zuòdōng, dàjiā wán gè jìnxìng.
It is my treat tonight, please enjoy yourselves.

吹牛(chuīniú) Brag and Boast   

Origin and meaning
It is said that the phrase 吹牛(chuīniú) comes from the butcher shop. In some places, when the butcher butchers pigs and sheep, he will cut a small slit on the pigs' or sheep's leg near the hoof and inflate them by blowing through the slit until the whole body expands after the blood has been completely drained, thus making the skin very easy to peel. This is called inflating pigs or sheep. If this is done to a cow, it would be called 吹牛(chuīniú), which literally means to inflate a cow. However, because a cow has such a huge body, it is very difficult for ordinary people to inflate it by themselves. Thus, anyone who claims that he can inflate a cow is completely bragging or boasting. 吹(chuī) in the phrase 吹牛(chuīniú) means to blow and 牛(niú) means cow, but 吹牛(chuīniú) is widely used to describe people who are bragging and boasting.

Usage of the phrase
Examples:
别听他的，他很爱吹牛！  
Bié tīng tā de, tā hěn ài chuīniú!
Don't believe him, he loves to brag.
他是个吹牛的能手，每天都说一些让人无法相信的事！  
Tā shì gè chuīniú de néngshǒu, měitiān dōu shuō yīxiē ràng rén wúfǎ xiānɡxìn de shì!
He is good at bragging and often says some very unbelievable things.

More Newsletters

Finishing with the sentence "We are of Singaporean identity now," Chinese actress Gong Li became Singaporean on 9th Nov in 2008 in the formal swearing-in ceremony 宣誓仪式(xuānshì yíshì) in Singapore. Since then it has become a hot topic among people all over China. Gong Li is a famous movie star who has starred in many movies directed by Zhang Yimou, arguably the best director from mainland China in the past twenty years. A number of people are very angry about this issue and believe that she has betrayed 背叛(bèipàn) China. They simply can't understand Gong Li's choice to become a Singaporean citizen. In an interview with Yang Lan, the host of a Chinese in-depth interview 深度访谈(shēndù fǎngtán) television program, Gong Li responded directly 正面回应(zhèngmiàn huíyìng) for the first time to the issue of her taking on Singaporean nationality. She said that it was just her personal choice to become Singaporean and she didn’t want to talk more about it.
At the end of the interview, Gong Li said:
“人们记不记住我无所谓，我的工作就是老老实实的做一个演员。”  
"Rénmen jì bu jìzhù wǒ wú suǒ wèi, wǒ de gōngzuò jiùshì lǎolǎo shíshí de zuò yí gè yǎnyuán."
"I don’t care whether people will remember me or not, I just want to be true to my work as an actress."

生词(shēngcí) Vocabulary  
宣誓仪式(xuānshì yíshì): n swearing-in or oath-taking ceremony  
背叛(bèipàn): v to betray  
深度访谈(shēndù fǎngtán): n in-depth interview  
正面回应(zhèngmiàn huíyìng): n make a positive or direct response  
老老实实的(lǎolǎo shíshí de): adj honest  

More Newsletters

Beginner Level/初级 chūjí   
Lily: 迈克，你喜欢爬山吗？   
        Màike, nǐ xǐhuan páshān ma?
        Mike, do you like climbing mountains?
Mike: 那当然了，我的爱好就是爬山。   
          Nà dāngrán le, wǒ de àihào jiùshì páshān.
          Of course, my hobby is mountain climbing.

生词(shēngcí) Vocabulary:   
业余爱好(yèyúàihào): n hobby   
爬山(páshān): v to climb a mountain   
Intermediate Level/中级 zhōngjí   
Lily: 迈克,你闲时都喜欢干些什么呢？  
        Màike, nǐ xiánshí dōu xǐhuan gān xiē shénme ne?
        Mike, what do you like to do during your spare time?
Mike: 我啊，我的兴趣爱好很多哦，在没有课的时候，我喜欢看书、听歌、跳舞、还有很多体育活动。
          
         Wǒ a, wǒ de xìngqù àihào hěnduō o, zài méiyǒu kè de shíhou, wǒ xǐhuan kànshū, tīnggē, tiàowǔ, háiyǒu
         hěnduō tǐyù huódòng.
         Me, I have a lot of hobbies. I like reading, listening to songs, dancing and many physical activities.
Lily: 那你最喜欢的是什么呢？  
        Nà nǐ zuì xǐhuan de shì shénme ne?
        Then what's your favorite?
Mike: 我最喜欢的就是爬山了，那是我最大的爱好。  
          Wǒ zuì xǐhuan de jiù shì páshān le, nà shì wǒ zuìdà de àihào.
          My favorite is mountain climbing. That's my biggest hobby.
Lily: 为什么呢？ 
        Wèishénme ne?
        Why is that?
Mike: 因为爬山可以使我的身体得到锻炼，并且完全地放松心情。  
          Yīnwèi páshān kéyǐ shǐ wǒ de shēntǐ dédào duànliàn, bìngqiě wánquán de fàngsōng xīnqíng.
          Because mountain climbing is a good workout for my body, and it also helps me de-stress.

生词(shēngcí) Vocabulary:  
看书(kànshū): v read  
跳舞(tiàowǔ): v dance  
体育活动(tǐyù huódòng): n physical training, sports, activities  
锻炼(duànliàn): v do physical training, take exercise, exercise  
放松(fàngsōng): v de-dress, relax  

High level/高级 gāojí  
Lily: 嗨，迈克！ 
        Hài, Màike!
        Hi, Mike!
Mike: 你好啊，莉莉。  
           Nǐ hǎo a, Lìlì.
           Hello, Lily.
Lily: 你假期过的怎么样啊，都干什么了啊？  
        Nǐ jiàqī guò de zěnme yàng a, dōu gān shénme le a?
        How was your holiday? What did you do?
Mike: 我跟爸爸妈妈去爬华山了，很有意思。  
           Wǒ gēn bàba māma qù pá Huà Shān le, hěn yǒu yìsi.
           I climbed Hua Mountain with my parents. It was very interesting.
Lily: 爬华山？一定很累吧？  
        Pá Huà Shān? Yídìng hěn lèi ba?
        Climbed Hua Mountain? You must be so tired, right?
Mike: 嗯，是很累，但是很锻炼人的意志，更何况爬山是我跟爸爸的共同爱好，所以我们都玩地很开心，那你
          呢？  
          En, shì hěn lèi, dànshì hěn duànliàn rén de yìzhì, gèng hékuàng páshān shì wǒ gēn bàba de gòngtóng àihào,           suóyǐ wǒmen dōu wán de hěn kāixīn. Nà nǐ ne?
           Yes, it was very exhausting, but mountain climbing is helpful to exercise one's will. Moreover, mountain            climbing is a hobby my dad and I both have in common, so we had a really good time. What about you?
Lily: 我嘛，继续学习小提琴，那也是我最喜欢干的事情。每当我一拉起小提琴，我就会忘记一切，觉得自己是最幸福的         人，讲讲你们爬山途中有趣的经历吧！  
        Wǒ ma, jìxù xuéxí xiǎotíqín, nà yě shì wǒ zuì xǐhuan gān de shìqíng. Měidāng wǒ yì lā qǐ xiǎotíqín, wǒ jiù huì         wàngjì yìqiè, juédé zìjǐ shì zuì xìngfú de rén. Jiǎngjiǎng nǐmen páshān túzhōng yǒuqù de jīnglì ba!
        I continued to learn to play the violin, which is my favorite thing to do. Whenever I play the violin, I forget         everything around me and feel like the happiest person in the world. Please tell me about your interesting         experience on the way to the peak of Hua Mountain.
Mike: 好啊，爬山的过程中，我看到了好多挑山工，挑着几十公斤重的东西，一步步从山脚爬上山顶，相当辛苦，而且
          每趟就只能赚得那仅有的一点点钱。 
          Hǎo a , páshān de guòchéng zhōng, wǒ kàndào le hǎoduō tiāoshāngōng, tiāo zhe jǐshí gōngjīn zhòng de           dōngxi, yí bù bù cóng shānjiǎo pá shàng shāndǐng, xiāngdāng xīnkǔ, érqiě měitàng jiù zhǐnéng zhuàn dé nà           jǐnyǒu de yì diǎndiǎn qián.
          Ok, I saw many mount-carriers who carried several dozen kilograms of goods on the way up to the peak of           Hua Mountain. It looked like rough work step by step all the way from the foot of the mountain to the peak.           What's more, those mount-carriers only earn a little money each time.
Lily: 是吗？那你没有和他们交谈吗？  
        Shì ma? Nà nǐ méiyǒu hé tāmen jiāotán ma?
        Really? Did you talk to them?
Mike: 当然聊了啊，从那时起，我懂得了任何一件事情的成功就是贵在坚持啊！  
          Dāngrán liáo le a, cóng nàshi qǐ, wǒ dǒngdé le rènhé yíjiàn shìqíng de chénggōng jiùshì guì zài jiānchí a!
          Of course I talked to them. From then on, I learned that the most important part to succeeding in anything is           perseverance.

生词(shēngcí) Vocabulary:  
很有意思(hěn yǒu yìsi): adj very amusing/fun/interesting  
意志(yìzhì): n will  
共同的(gòngtóng de): adj common  
坚持(jiānchí): v to drink until one is drunk  
挑山工(tiāoshāngōng): n mount-carriers workers who carry several dozen kilograms of goods from the foot of the                                              mountain to the peak .  
相当(xiāngdāng): adv pretty, quite  
贵(guì): adj expensive literally, but here it means the most important thing or the key
                    point.  

Still have any questions? Take a Free 1-on-1 live online lesson with our professional Chinese teachers in China..

More Newsletters

The Seventh Day of the Seventh Month in lunar calendar is Chinese Valentine’s Day, called 七夕(qīxī) Qi Xi (literally “The Night of Sevens”). Girls on this day look at the stars to pray for a happy marriage.

Origin
Chinese Valentine’s Day originated from a famous and beautiful love story. A young man named牛郎(niúláng) Niu Lang whose parents died early on lived with his brother. But his brother’s wife treated him badly. One day, he was pasturing his cattle on the hill, and a young lady named织女(zhīnǚ) Zhi Nv from heaven played in river. So Niu Lang got to know Zhi Nv and they fell in love. Quickly, they got married, but the King and Queen of heaven got to know what happened and forced them to separate by the galaxy. But their true love moved thousands of magpies flied to build a bridge on every July 7 in the lunar calendar, so that the couple could meet each other every year.

Activities
In China, people celebrated the festival differently areas various regions. In China’s southwestern region, girls paint fingernails, hoping for their Mr. Rights. Women in Hunan and Zhejiang province wash their hairs in order to gain goddess’s protection. One famous activity is to eat巧果(qiǎoguǒ) Qiaoguo.

生词(shēngcí) Vocabulary:  
情人节(qínɡrén jié): n Chinese Valentine's Day  
七夕(qīxī): n the seventh day of the seventh month in the lunar calendar  
牛郎(niúláng): n a name of herd boy  
织女(zhīnǚ): n a name of weaver girl  
巧果(qiǎoguǒ): n a kind of cake made of wheat and honey  

More Newsletters

In our daily lives, the people who learn Mandarin are always looking for an efficient and funny way to master Mandarin Chinese. Are you worried about how to use what you have learned from your Chinese courses. Well, let me introduce a funny way to you: try ordering Chinese food by speaking Mandarin Chinese to the restaurant staff. You might feel embarrassed, but I believe that they'll respect you for trying out your new Mandarin skills. This will give you some good Mandarin practice, and you'll still get some great Chinese food. Almost everyone will go out to a restaurant at some point, so everybody should have the chance to practice. This is especially suitable for children because Chinese for Children requires being vivid and funny. In this way, the children can review their Chinese courses easily. In this way, learning Mandarin can bring you a lot of fun.

More Newsletters