差强人意 is a Chinese idiom that is often misunderstood—and sometimes used completely wrong.
Continue reading “A Highly Misused Chinese Idiom: 差强人意”Author: Decode Mandarin Chinese
Decoding 期: The Character That Gives Time a Structure
Today, we’re going to decode a Chinese character that appears in some surprisingly different words: 期 — qī.
Continue reading “Decoding 期: The Character That Gives Time a Structure”偏偏: The Chinese Word English Can’t Translate
Think of three very common situations.
You spend a whole week planning a picnic, and just as you’re about to leave, it starts pouring.
Continue reading “偏偏: The Chinese Word English Can’t Translate”4 Hidden Logics Behind Chinese Radicals You May Not Know
Chinese characters often give you two clues at once. One part suggests the sound. Another suggests the meaning.
Continue reading “4 Hidden Logics Behind Chinese Radicals You May Not Know”The 10 Keys to Chinese: How the Language Works from Within
When we think about Chinese, we often think first of characters. But Chinese is much more than what we see on the page. Beneath those characters is a language with a remarkably structured sound system, a unique grammar, and its own way of organizing meaning.
Continue reading “The 10 Keys to Chinese: How the Language Works from Within”