LET’S LEARN CHINESE CHARACTERS IN AN EASY WAY! #2

In the last post, we have talked about the structures of Chinese characters. Today, let’s talk about how to tell their meanings. Speaking of meanings, radicals play important roles since in most cases they carry the main meanings. Radicals actually come from words that you might already know. Sometimes you don’t know them just because they adjust their appearances a bit when they are paired up with other components. Let’s learn some common ones today.

The radicals listed below have been categorized into different topics. For each radical, I will explain its meaning and offer some examples that you can easily tell their meaning from the radical.

Nature

土：Soil. E.g.在 [zài] (be at/in), 地 [dì] (groung)
山：Mountain. E.g. 出 [chū] (out), 岛 [dǎo] (island)
日：Sun or day. E.g. 旧 [jiù] (old), 早 [zǎo] (morning)
雨：Rain. E.g. 雪 [xuě] (snow), 雷 [léi] (lightening, electricity)
草（艹）：Grass or plants. E.g. 茶 [chá] (tea), 花 [huā] (flower)
水（氵）：Water. E.g. 汤 [tāng] (soup), 洗 [xǐ] (to wash)
火（灬）：Fire. E.g. 煮 [zhǔ] (cook), 热 [rè] (hot)
木（木）：Tree. E.g. 林 [lín] (forest), 枝 [zhī] (branch)
金（钅）：Metal. E.g. 银 [yín] (silver), 钱 [qián] (money)

People

父：Dad. E.g. 爸 [bà] (dad), 爷 [yé] (grandpa)
子：Son. E.g. 孩 [hái] (kid), 学 [xué] (to learn)
女：Female. E.g. 妈 [mā] (mom), 姐 [jiě] (sister, Miss)
人（亻）：People. E.g.你 [nǐ] (you), 作 [zuò] (to do)

Body

目：Eye. E.g. 眼 [yǎn] (eye), 看 [kàn] (to look)
口：Mouth. E.g. 吹 [chuī] (to blow), 吵 [chǎo] (noisy)
手（扌）：Hand. E.g. 打 [dǎ] (to hit), 拿 [ná] (to take)
心（忄）：Heart. E.g. 快 [kuài] (happy), 急 [jí] (urgent)
足（）：Feet, leg. E.g. 跑 [pǎo] (to run), 跳 [tiào] (to jump)
肉（月）：Meet. E.g. 胖 [pàng] (fat), 肚 [dù] (stomach)

Animals

马：Hourse. E.g. 骑 [qí] (to ride)
鸟：Bird. E.g.鸡 [jī] (chicken), 鸭 [yā] (duck)
鱼：Fish. E.g. 鲜 [xiān] (fresh)
犬（犭）：Dog, animal. E.g. 狗 [gǒu] (dog), 猫 [māo] (cat)

Tools

车：Car. E.g. 转 [zhuǎn] (to turn), 轮 [lún] (wheel)
门：Door. E.g. 间 [jiān] (room)
食（饣）：Food. E.g. 饿 [è] (hungry), 饱 [bǎo] (full)
衣（衤）：Clothes. E.g. 被 [bèi] (quilt), 补 [bǔ] (to fix)

But still, there are many words that you might not be able to tell what radical they have because they are quite complicated, such as 肃. And there are some radicals that you really can’t tell what they mean. Even Chinese native speakers might not know. For example, 癶. So, I would recommend that if you just start to learn Chinese, start with the characters/radicals listed above because you can use them to recognize or remember many other characters. But, if you have learned Chinese for a long time, I would advise you not to learn other abstract radicals unless you are really interested in them. Instead, I would suggest you read more and find the rules hidden behind these characters. For example, some components/radicals are only put in certain places.

Ok, and that’s it for today. If you have any questions about learning Chinese characters, feel free to leave them down below. We’ll reply to you as soon as possible. See you in the next post!

Let’s learn Chinese characters in an easy way!

One thing that might scare people away when learning Chinese might be Chinese characters. There are so many strokes that are organized together in a complicated way! But, let’s break it down today and you’ll find out that it’s actually not that hard!

Firstly, “word” in Chinese is called 文字 [wénzì], in which 文 [wén] means one character (e.g. 人) and 字 [zì] means a word made from several components/characters (e.g.从＝人＋人). In today’s post, let’s take a look at the latter one. The reason why Chinese characters make people frustrated could be because there are too many components in one character. But actually, most of them are well-organized. And there are rules! 

The most basic ones are (1) left to right and (2) top to bottom. These two are mostly composed of two to three components. For example,
(1) 你＝亻＋尔,  脚＝月＋去＋ㄗ
(2) 分＝八＋刀,  草＝艹＋日＋十
But what do these components stand for? Some might carry the phonetic functions, while others might represent meanings.

Ok, now let’s go forward to harder stages and see their examples:
(3) full around, e.g. 回＝囗＋口, 叉＝又＋、
(4) surround from above, e.g. 风＝几＋乂, 闭＝门＋才
(5) surround from below, e.g. 凶＝ㄩ＋乂, 幽＝ㄩ＋ㄠ
(6) surround from left, e.g. 区＝ㄈ＋乂, 医＝ㄈ＋矢
See, not that hard. We can use 口, ㄇ, ㄩ, and ㄈ to write so many words.

Now with the structures in mind, let’s change the components to harder ones:
(7) surround from upper left, e.g.厌＝厂＋犬, 病＝疒＋丙
(8) surround from upper right, e.g. 可＝丁＋口, 包＝勹＋巳
(9) surround from lower left, e.g. 处＝夊＋人, 起＝走＋巳

Last but not least, we have an overlaid one. Although it might sound difficult, believe me, you’ve already seen the characters that belong to this category before.
(10) overlaid, e.g. 坐＝人＋土

See, Chinese characters are not that difficult if you are familiar with their structures. Oh! One more thing, if you understand the meanings of the most common components, you can memorize them even easier! Maybe I can introduce some to you next time! Stay tuned for more. See you next time!

5 Reasons to Double Down on Chinese Learning

This is a truly unusual July 4th, as we feel there is no “new normal” but only a “newer normal.”  In Chinese, “new normal”,新常态 [xīn chángtài] is not a natural phrase, but it makes perfect sense. 新 as in new, and 常态 as in normal, so a new normal, literally. Nevertheless, underlying our tentative “new normal,” we are faced with multiple uncertainties: are jobs returning, is the economy getting back on track, will cooperation and trade with China continue, will borders be freely open again? And to many of our Chinese learners, is Chinese learning still worth the effort?

The long and short of it is yes, and double down on it.  Here are the main reasons.US-China trade is still primarily goods-based, which makes up 90% of the total goods and services trade value. Even though the US exports much less physical stuff to China, leading to huge trade deficits, the US exports three times more services to China than it imports. There are immense opportunities for creative and innovative providers who can view China as a destination market and can offer online business solutions. An interesting example offered by data analytics companies is the market value of secondary private schools in the UK. Another one is architects who provide design and preservation solutions. The Chinese service industries need data and ideas, and the Chinese market is evolving so much and so fast that it can consume an amount of data and ideas well beyond even a decade ago, when China was mostly at the stage of primary and secondary industry.

Chinese people are generally perceived as warm and welcoming of foreign guests. Any foreigners who have set foot in China even once would have heard the specific terms used to address the non-Chinese. These terms, often dating from the time of China’s difficult opening up period a hundred years ago, are not necessarily nice; they are sometimes very explicitly negative. They were invented expressly to name and differentiate “the other”, but anyone who has been at the receiving end can feel that they are used with a friendly touch. There is no “systemic racism” in China. Differentiation, or a sense of racial difference, is clear and recognized clearly, and hence the boundary is clear. This makes you feel comfortable and safe because you know where you are, socially speaking.

When you are learning Chinese, you have a target audience in mind, and if the target audience is a friendly and welcoming bunch, it is the most assuring reason to keep up with learning it. Even the strains in the relationship between China and the West these days mean that the Chinese will be even more kindly disposed to foreigners who have taken the time to learn their language!

In no other period in history has it been easier to cross and recross between cultures than it is now. The instinct to explore other, alien cultures is deeply rooted. Take advantage of the fact that you can interact with a profoundly different culture. Since the beginning of the 20th century, Chinese society has opened up to Western influences in waves. The degree of openness and interaction has been intensively expanded especially after Deng Xiaoping’s Open Door Policy was launched in the 1980’s. Those who have travelled in and out of China can positively say the deeply human touch of the Chinese is unforgettable. Keeping in mind how distant China used to be, and how hard it had been to travel and learn about it, we can appreciate the platform we have now, the continuing network of instruction, exchanges, and opportunities.

We language enthusiasts are not always ROI-minded. We also learn a language because it’s a fun challenge for our minds, it expands our horizons, it keeps us active. Chinese learning also has a capital practical appeal: it opens doors to the world’s largest economy, and that economy is still evolving and growing.

Happy Dragon Boat Festival!

I always love festivals. A four-day vacation is coming because of the Dragon Boat Festival! Hooray!

Okay, let’s calm down a bit so that I can share some interesting information about this festival with you. The first thing I want to say is that the Chinese name for Dragon Boat Festival is not related to “dragons” or “boats” at all! So the Chinese name is 端午节 [duānwǔ jié]. 端 comes from 开端 [kāiduān] meaning “to start”. 午 is another name for 五月 [wǔyuè] “May”. And 节 is 节日 [jiérì] “festival”. Because this festival is on May 5th in the Lunar calendar, we call it 端午节 [duānwǔ jié]: “the festival of the start of May”.

I know that some of you might have heard the story of this festival before, but there are still many new students who might be interested, so let me briefly introduce the origin of the Dragon Boat Festival.

In 278 BC, a famous poet, 屈原 [Qūyuán], threw himself into a river on May 5th and ended his life because he was extremely saddened by the government. People were so touched by his patriotism that they established a festival to commemorate him.

Row Dragon Boats

To celebrate the festival, people would engage in many traditions. The very obvious one is to 划龙舟 [huá lóngzhōu], to row dragon boats, or 看比赛 [kàn bǐsài], to watch the competitions. But why do people row boats on that day? In the beginning, people were afraid that the fish in that river would eat 屈原’s body so they rowed boats to scare the fish away. But nowadays, it’s more for entertainment.

Eat Sticky Rice Dumplings

In the past, while rowing boats, people also threw 粽子 [zòngzi], sticky rice dumplings, into the river so that the fish would eat the dumplings instead of 屈原’s body. In the beginning, people stuffed the sticky rice in bamboos but now they wrapped the rice in leaves. Why did they change? Because someone said that 屈原 went into his dream and told him “The water dragon in the river steals all the sticky rice dumplings. Pack them with specific leaves and strings to scare it away.”

Having sticky rice dumplings is the most common activity now, so it gradually became commercialized. Nowadays, many food companies start to sell 礼盒 [lǐhé], gift box, which contains the most proper gift for certain festivals. So, during Dragon Boat Festival, you might often hear 粽子礼盒 [zòngzi lǐhé] or 端午礼盒 [duānwǔ lǐhé]. Can you believe it? Even Starbucks started to sell its own sticky rice dumplings!?

By the way, don’t think that traditional food tastes bad. Rice dumplings are really delicious. And because of the fashion trend, there are more and more flavors that are getting fancier! They could be salty, sweet, hot, or iced. They might be brown, pink, green, or any other color!

Okay, too much food. Let’s see what else do we do or what other gifts can we buy on this festival.

Make A Fragrant Sachet

For children, definitely 做香包 [zuò xiāng bāo] make a fragrant sachet and 挂香包 [guà xiāng bāo] bring it. During May, there are many mosquitoes, bugs, or snakes. To avoid them, people packed herbs into sachets. These herbs not only scare the bugs away but also smells good. So many elementary teachers would teach kids how to make one. It’s a common memory for many Chinese people.

Drink Xionhuang

For adults, alcohol is always a good choice for a gift. During Dragon Boat Festival, there’s a tradition: 喝雄黄酒 [hē xiónghuángjiǔ] to drink Xionghuang. But…don’t rush to buy it and drink it. Scientific research says that this kind of alcohol is poisonous. So we only use it to smear a bit on our face or to put it on the ground to scare mosquitoes, bugs, or snakes away. Although we can’t drink it, we can drink other alcoholic beverages; thus, people buy alcohol as a gift during this festival. Well, alcohol is kind of a great choice no matter which festival it is, isn’t it.

I only mentioned some common activities that people would do during the Dragon Boat Festival. Have you heard or seen other activities? Or how would you like to celebrate this festival? Feel free to share it with everybody. 端午节快乐！[Duānwǔ jié kuàilè!] See you in the next post!


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