打 =手 + 丁. It originally meant “hammer a nail into a plank”, and its meaning was extended widely. In modern Chinese, 打 has many different collocations such as 打理，打包，打听，打扮, 打算, 打游戏，打球，打电话，打车，etc. Continue reading “Collocations of 打: 你会“打”什么？”
Category: Advanced Learning
Formula of 不得了
“不得了” that has the same meaning as “死了” in regard to the meaning “so/very/extremely”. Surely, we have the formula for you to learn easily. Continue reading “Formula of 不得了”
“大妈”、“大叔” 等并不一定是你的亲属！
We have relatives such as elder brothers and sisters, aunts, or uncles, and they are called 大哥，大姐，大妈/大姨，or 大叔 in Chinese. Sometimes, someone you don’t know may call you 大哥，大姐，大妈，大叔 or 大爷，they do so just because ”大“ is used for respect or to be polite, e.g. when you ask someone older than you in the street for a favor, in order to be polite you can call him/her 大哥/大姐…
We have relatives such as elder brothers and sisters, aunts, or uncles, and they are called 大哥，大姐，大妈/大姨，or 大叔 in Chinese. Sometimes, someone you don’t know may call you 大哥，大姐，大妈，大叔 or 大爷，they do so just because ”大“ is used for respect or to be polite, e.g. when you ask someone older than you in the street for a favor, in order to be polite you can call him/her 大哥/大姐；soneone older than your parents, 大妈, 大姨/大叔，大爷. ”大“ can be used not only with people but also with things, such as 大作 your (esteemed) work, 大名 your (esteemed) name, etc.
You may also have interest in other posts about polite, courteous, honorific and humble.
“死了” has nothing to do with “die”
死了 literally means “have died/died”, but it has a very interesting use that has nothing to do with “die”, or in other words, it is a figurative use. Continue reading ““死了” has nothing to do with “die””
这些姓你一定会念错！
Many Chinese Characters are used as Surnames. Most of them don’t change the pronunciation when used as surnames, but some do change. Remembering the right pronunciation won’t cause trouble or embarrassment, for example, don’t call this name 仇明远 chóu míng yuǎn.
Many Chinese Characters are used as Surnames. Most of them don’t change the pronunciation when used as surnames, but some do change. Remembering the right pronunciation won’t cause trouble or embarrassment, for example, don’t call this name 仇明远 chóu míng yuǎn. The right pronunciation of 仇明远 is qiú míng yuǎn. Here is a list of some of the surnames easily pronounced mistakenly.
