Study Tips

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!

Tone Change Rules for Common Chinese Words

Tone Change Rules for Common Chinese Words

In my previous post I talked about my first Thanksgiving dinner in China. Not only did I talk about my dining experience, but I also referred to some Chinese words that I learned along the way, such as ham( 火腿 huǒtuǐ), turkey(火鸡 huǒ jī), pizza (比萨 bǐsà), et cetera. Within the parenthesis I provide to you the Chinese character of each word, and next to each character I provide to you the pinyin. The pinyin is the way in which foreigners learn to pronounce Chinese words, and without it, learning Chinese would be much more difficult. 

Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/

Do you notice the squiggly lines you see on top of each pinyin? They are the tone-markers to help you sound out the pinyin in the right tone! As Chinese learners, I think we can all agree that tones can be quite confusing and difficult to grasp. In addition to learning the tones, we also have to learn the tone rules. Tone rules are the rules that each tone follows when preceding or succeeding another tone. 

In the beginning the tone rules might sound confusing, but with some practice you will be able to grasp it in no time. In the former paragraph I wrote the word ham (火腿 huǒtuǐ). It’s clear that the word ham has two third tones (huǒtuǐ), but when two third tones are placed together, the first word, or in this case (huǒ) will become a second tone or a rising tone and the second word (tuǐ) stays the same. Even though it will be written the same (火腿 huǒtuǐ), when saying (huǒ) you will have to say it in the second tone.

A similar pattern occurs a lot with the word bù. Even though bù is a fourth tone word, when preceding another fourth tone word, it becomes a second tone or a rising tone. A few examples are 不会（bù huì) which means unable to/will not/do not know to; 不用 (bùyòng) which means no need, and 不要（ bùyào) which means not to want to/no need to.  The correct way to pronounce these words is by changing 不 (bù) into a rising tone or a second tone. At first it might seem a bit complicated, but with practice these tone changes becomes second nature. 

Chinese Tones

 

Another word that changes its tone very often is the word  一 (yī). When 一 (yī) is followed by a fourth tone, it becomes a rising tone or second tone. Here are some examples how 一 (yī) changes its tones:  一个 （yīgè）should be pronounced with 一 (yī) acting as a second tone or a rising tone. Next, we have 一样 （yīyàng), the yī should be a rising tone. 

At first the tone rules might seem confusing, but I promise you with enough practice, they will become second nature. It is very important to not feel overwhelmed by the tone rules, doing so will hinder your cognitive abilities. Approach the tone rules with an empty mind, in a playful manner, and you will notice that you will be able to understand them better and quicker. I hope this blog post helped some of you clarify some tone rules and give you more confidence when speaking Chinese. I hope everybody had a great Thanksgiving, and happy holidays to come!!

International Women’s Day doesn’t need these two words

International Women’s Day doesn’t need these two words

On March 8th, the accomplishments and continued challenges of women around the world take center stage on a day globally recognized as International Women’s Day (Fùnǚ jié | 妇女节). While themes vary around the world and also vary year to year, the common message of the day is always an underlying focus on women’s long journey towards respect and equality in society, and the continued struggles that modern women face. Actions may speak louder than words, but we must also remember that the choice of one single word in our daily Mandarin vocabulary also carries with it the profound weight of hidden meanings and implications that guide the thoughts and actions of those around us. In reference to two intriguing and informative ChinesePod lessons on the topic of women, below are three ways you can change your Mandarin vocabulary to show your respect towards women, and not just on International Women’s Day, but every day of the year.

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Back to School

Back to School

ChinesePod is a creative platform for Teachers to enhance their students’ Chinese language learning experience. ChinesePod uses real life conversations and scenarios to engage the students, keeping them interested and involved in the Mandarin language.

ChinesePod offers an abundance of material with over 4,000 lessons available. When used in combination with your curriculum, ChinesePod can be a valuable part of your students’ activities, listening practice and further cultural insight. ChinesePod provides exercises, printable worksheets, pronunciation, an audible dictionary, grammar explanations and downloadable material, so your students can study easily anywhere.

 

        Source: https://www.wikihow.com/

ChinesePod offers the introduction to Pinyin system for writing standard Mandarin Chinese using the Roman alphabet. Pinyin was developed by the People’s Republic of China in 1958, and implemented in 1979. It is used exclusively in mainland China to this day. Over the years pinyin has become widely accepted by the international community, replacing older systems of Romanization such as the Wade-Giles system.

It is important to remember that although pinyin uses the same letters as European languages, the sounds those letters represent are the sounds of Mandarin Chinese. Thus some letters may not make the sounds you expect. It is important that you pay close attention to how each letter of pinyin is pronounced, as you cannot read pinyin as if it were English. Download our Pinyin Chart at  iOS or Android.

With 80,000 total characters (and the majority of words needing at least 2), you might enlist some help along the way, the Mandarin Chinese dictionary might come in handy. This database using English or Chinese words helps you with the pronunciation and spelling. Also within the dictionary there are links to anywhere within the ChinesePod platform that these words are being used so that you can practice and review during a lesson. This can also help you with the HSK testing.

Chinesepod Say it Right series is a original instructional video course on how to master Chinese pronunciation. This feature is a great way for you to gain the confidence and skill to speak like a native. Every lesson works as a three steps process, first watch the video, then practice speaking with the review drills, and finally test your knowledge with their lesson worksheets. With there sixteen video lessons and seven hours content you will never be bored. ChinesePod provides the most extensive Chinese pronunciation instruction available. You won’t find any course like the Say It Right series… on or offline. They also cover the most difficult part of learning pronunciation. Xu Laoshi, is Chinesepod pronunciation expert, he gives you insight on how to master pinyin,tones, and difficult sounds in the Say It Right series. By the end of the course you will have the necessary tools to speak like a native. Chinesepod will give you extra boost of confidence that you can say anything in Mandarin without second guessing.

Whether you are a newbie or an advanced learner of the Chinese language. Chinesepod offers  structured 3,175 lessons and levels to help you master the chinese language. Below you will find lessons to help you navigate:

 

  • Newbie – The newbie lessons focus on pronunciation and basic words/phrases which are mostly in English. Perfect for the beginner
  • Elementary – The elementary lessons focus on building a vocabulary base and introduces simple grammar structures
  • Pre-Intermediate – Weighted portion in English, focus on simple exchange of information regarding routine matters
  • Intermediate – A mix between Chinese and English, this level focuses on complex grammar structures
  • Upper-Intermediate – Primarily Chinese with some English, this level focuses on advanced grammar patterns
  • Advance – Entirely Chinese, with a focus on formal vocabulary
  • Media – This area is for advanced students, Media lessons that are unfiltered to help in real contexts, that are taken from the original sources.

You might be surprised at how easy and useful Chinese playlists can be for the non – native speaker. There are many great free playlists here at Chinesepod ranging from audio and video shows from different academic levels. As a user, you will get to try all of their features including the full show, lesson dialogue, audio reviews, PDF lesson notes, annotated dialogue, vocabulary, expansion, grammar, and exercises. Be sure to check out some of our most popular videos such as counting from one to ten, the four tones of ma, and even getting to know a new coworker.

Learning another language is fun and rewarding! It allows you to not only speak with more people but become at nonverbal communication. With Chinesepod you have the ease of learning on the go with resources at your fingertips.

Now that you have read this blog be sure to check out some of our other blog posts, such as ‘How to Pass the HSK 6’ and ‘Study Tips’

 

How to Pass the HSK 6

How to Pass the HSK 6

Start Early – The HSK 6 is a good test of your real-life Chinese abilities. If you haven’t put the time into developing those abilities, then all the test prep in the world will be of little to no help. My current goal is to raise my HSK 6 score from 224 to 270 and I’m giving myself 1 to 2 years of daily study to do it.

Focus on Vocabulary – If you know the words, then you can answer the questions. If you don’t know the words, then you’ll be lost. It’s that simple. I’m giving most of my prep time to Advanced ChinesePod lessons because I don’t know of anything else out there that is so effective at building up my vocabulary. I’ve chosen 160 lessons, and I’m working on 3 a week. My favorite so far? Probably the 小太监进宫 series.

Do Practices Tests – You can get a number of free practice tests online, including directly from Hanban’s website (PDF and audio file). There are also a number of books of practice tests out there as well. I’ve done this book before. I plan to pick up a stack of practice test books the next time I’m in China. Do at least one of these practice tests early on so you’ll be aware of your weak points. I plan on hitting practice tests harder the closer I get to my next test date.

Summarize Stuff – The writing section of the HSK 6 involves reading an article, then summarizing it in your own words. If you can take the computerized version of the test (as I did recently), you can type it rather than writing by hand. Either way, it will take a lot of practice, especially if you’re not good at this kind of thing in your native language. This is one reason I’m starting my own vlog, where I summarize and comment on the ChinesePod lessons I’m studying. If you work with a tutor, you should insist on making summarizing a part of your routine. Speaking of which…

Get a Tutor – You’ll likely need one to help you make sense of the grammar points on the HSK practice tests, especially for the “请选出有语病的一项” reading section. Your average Chinese person on the street would even be baffled by many of those questions.

Get Immersed – Find a Chinese TV series (连续剧) and get yourself hooked. An old favorite from my school days was the gripping spy series 《潜伏》, and, based on numerous recommendations, I just recently started watching the anti-corruption police drama 《人民的名义》。If you’ve never done a 连续剧 before, my suggestion would be to watch the first episode 5 to 10 times, taking notes and looking up words. Wear out the “Pause” button. Make flashcards for the main characters’ names, and memorize them. If you make that first episode all about rigorous study, then you can relax enough to enjoy the rest of the show. In this situation, binge-watching is a virtue instead of a vice.

Stay Healthy – This may seem out-of-place, but as a 40-year-old with a deteriorating memory, I’m learning that it’s critical. For me, keeping my mind sharp requires three things: Maximizing sleep, minimizing sugar, and eliminating caffeine. I discovered that my performance with my early morning tutors can vary significantly, and I’ve narrowed the reasons down to these three things. Figure out what hinders you, and get rid of it.

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