Joke: Where is Santa from? 圣诞老人来自哪里？

Teacher: Where is Santa from? 圣诞老人来自哪里？
Student 1: From North Pole.来自北极。
Student 2: From the sky.来自天空。
Student 3: From the chimney.来自烟囱。
Student 4: From the shopping mall.来自购物中心。
Student 5: From China, because all the gifts he gives are made in China.    来自中国，因为他给的礼物都是中国制造。:lol:

Jimmy Fallon's Joke: American Dream is made in China

A little surprising, new research showed that China has a bigger middle class than America and more people in China are living what we would call the American Dream. That's when you know things are bad when even the American Dream is made in China.
有点让人诧异的是，新的研究显示，中国的中产阶级数量超过美国，而且很多中国人生活在我们所说的美国梦里。那就是，当连美国梦也是中国制造时，你会觉得很不妥。

Popular Chinese Food: Fried Breadstick(Youtiao) 炸油条

Youtiao has a tale to tell.   In Chinese, youtiao is called 油炸桧 (fry 秦桧, 1090–1155）or 油炸鬼（fry the ghost), Chinese people made this food for abreact their anger toward a most blamed traitor in Song dynasty of China.  No matter the original story is true or not, the interesting fact is youtiao has become a popular food in China and east Asia since then.

Easy Recipe: Fried Eggplant 炒茄瓜

Sweet & Sour Tomato Egg 番茄炒鸡蛋

Sweet and Sour, perfectly serve with rice.

甜酸好滋味，配饭绝佳。

Cucumber Salad 凉拌黄瓜丝

5 minutes: Pork Rind & Vegetable Soup 浮皮羹

Easy & tasty soup, never feel get enough.

Soup in Chinese has two types，羹 means thick soup, 汤 has more water.

The way to recognize the Chinese characters 看偏旁部首认字

Traditional Chinese characters were organized very well, thanks the intelligent ancestors who created those characters.

Most of Chinese characters were classified by 偏旁部首(radicals).
 e.g.

艹 （it's related to plants）：草，花，蕊，蕾，苗……
木 （wood）：木，树，松，森林……
鱼（fish）：鱼，鲑，鳜，鲫，鲤……
心（think,heart)：思想，忍，念，忠……
口（mouth)：吃，喝，唱，叫，喊，咬……
言（it's a traditional character, it's related with talking)：说，语，论，谈……
火（fire)：燃，烧，烛……
水（water)：海，江，河，溪，流，汗，淋……

Too many to list, in short, the radicals can tell what kind of words they are, it's easy for you to get the sense of the words and remember them. 加油！（try hard)

Dynamic Tutorial--- Writing Chinese Character 书写 汉字规则及示范

Steamed Scallion Bun 蒸花卷

Grammar: Irregular phrase——打...and single word/compound word

打original meaning is hit, but when 打 combines with other word, the meanings are different. e.g.

relates to hit
打球 play ball
打架 fight
打人 hit someone

no hit at all:
(click the sentence to know the pronunciation and meaning)
打车/打的 to take a taxi  例如：我打车过来的。
打报告 reporting something to someone  例如：他向上司打报告。
打水 go to a canteen to get water using a container 例如：去饭堂打水。
打饭 go to a canteen to buy meal  例如：去饭堂打饭。
打针 get/give an injection 例如：他生病了，需要打针。
打毛衣 knitting  例如：她边看电视边打毛衣。
打电话 to make a phone call 例如：他正在打电话。
打扫 clean up 例如：打扫房间。


So, despite each single Chinese word has its clear meaning, but you'd better to read the compound word to figure out the specific meaning.

For the beginner it's not easy to conclude witch word is single word, which word is compound word because they all stick together. e.g.
他想出去散步半小时
他 想出   去散   步半   小时（incorrect）
他 想  出去 散步 半小时 (correct)。

There is no a certain way to distinguish single word or compound word except remember it one by one. Usually, noun and gerund are compound words, e.g. 电视，看电视；毛衣，打毛衣。

Don't be afraid, practice makes perfect.




#grammar, word

Slim down by eating Cantonese food 想减肥长寿 吃粤菜

Hong Kong people have longest life in the world, life expectancy is 83.48, which should be credited to their diet. Cantonese food features rice, vegetable, sea food and soup, drinking tea after having meal. They're used to steam rice, fish and meat,  so their foods have more original taste and less oil and fat, no butter and cheese.

If you try to slim down, eat Cantonese food daily, it won't disappoint you.

The picture shows fry rice noodle.

Cooking introduction:
1, Put the rice noodle into boiling water, cook 95% done, then take it out.

2, Fry the vegetable and meat with a bit oil and salt, when it almost done, put 1 in to 2, mix it well.  Enjoy!

After meal, drinking tea will get rid of grease.

P.S.
Canton / Guangdong is also called 粤（yue),  it's used in special words, e.g. 粤菜，粤语，粤剧。You can also say 广东菜，广东话，but no 广东剧。

Recommend food: Xian Shui Jiao 咸水角

 This is my homemade Cantonese food Xian Shui Jiao (salt water fried dumpling，咸水角）.

Feature: crunchy outside, soft inside, good taste, very delicious.

Introduction:

Skin: 

Sweet rice flour and regular flour (1:1), salt, sugar, use hot water mix it, then knead it into a dough. 

Stuffing：

Meat, vegetables, white pepper powder, salt. 

You can find it in Chinatown, Cantonese and Hong Kong restaurant provide morning tea always have it and other tapas, like siu mai(烧卖）、steam shrimp dumpling (虾饺)、soy bean skin roll（腐竹卷 )、sweet rice chicken（糯米鸡）, these are called Dim Sum（点心）. 

Joke：Banana is not sex 买香蕉

一个老外到中国旅游，在街头看到水果摊卖香蕉，就走上前去，用不标准的中文问：“性交多少钱？” 卖香蕉的老妇横眉竖眼，叫：“俺不是鸡，俺不卖。” 老外觉得奇怪，说：“我吃素，不要鸡，我要性交。”老妇大叫：“来人啊，非礼啊。” 有个懂英语的大学生过来问怎么回事，才搞清楚，老外原来是要香蕉，不是要性交。

A foreigner travels to China, on the way he walks, a woman is selling banana on the sidewalk, he  asks her the price using his foreign accent Chinese: "What's the price for xing jiao (sex).  "
The woman slaps back :" I'm not a chicken ( Chinese call prostitute chicken), I don't sell any."
This foreign traveler confuses: " I'm a vegetarian, I'don't eat chicken. I only want xing jiao."
The panic woman yells:" Help, this guy sexual harasses me!"
A college student comes by and figures out the foreigner wants xiang jiao (banana), not xing jiao(sex).




P.S.:
Traveling in China, you need to make sure the price before you buy it, like: 多少钱一个，多少钱一斤，多少钱一包，多少钱一壶茶，don't be fooled by the tricky menu.
A news reported few days ago, a foreign customer had a dinner in a restaurant, a dish of shrimp was counted by every unit of shrimp, not by a dish, it costed more than a thousand (about $250) for one dish . The customer complained the restaurant and got the money back finally.

Self-Introduction 自我介绍

自我介绍句式Self introduction format：

您好/你好！我叫 （名字），很高兴认识您。 我来自（国家/地方）。
Nice to meet you. I'm....  I'm from...

您------敬语（with respect)
你------普通称呼对方(normal)

Pinyin Pronunciation and input 拼音发音及输入示范

Pinyin Pronunciation and Chinese Characters Input 
拼音发音及输入示范

声母 Consonant

b p m f

d t n l

g k h

j q x

zh ch sh

z c s

r

y w

韵母表 Vowel

a o e i u ü

ai ei ui

ao ou iu

ie üe er

an en in

un ün

ang eng ing ong

Be aware:

“i” usually pronounces i, like 七，米，皮，笔 etc.

but when i follows zh,ch,sh,z,c,s,r, i pronounces ri, for example, 知，吃，是，自，此，四，日 etc.

besides, because keyboard doesn’t have ü, so “v” has been used for “ü”, for example: lv 吕，nv女.

“üe” and  “ün” are excepted, just type it normally, like yue 月，yun云.

Set Up Pinyin input method / 设置拼音输入程序:

#pinyin, consonant, vowel,input, pronunciation,video

枪支管制 About gun control

We hear the gun rampage once in a while, from Sandy Hook Elementary school to yesterday's Oregon community college shooting, American suffered in it too much.

Europe bans gun, Asia bans gun, why not US?  2016, I only vote the president candidate who commits to gun control.

If anyone who pays close attention in Chinese news should know China controls gun strictly, as long as China holds an international event, even kitchen knifes are banned from selling in store. In contrast, American have too many guns in everywhere, it's scary.

愿死者安息，愿生者安宁。（click the words to hear pronunciation)
Yuàn sǐzhě ānxí, yuàn shēng zhě ānníng
May the victims rest in peace. May the alive people live with peace.



P.S.
Words repress grief to someone's death:

节哀顺变----don't be sorrow, looking forward (usually for comfort someone who just lost family member)
例句：请节哀顺便。

哀悼----grieve over death
例句：我对他的死表示深切哀悼

悼念----mourn
例句：追思会在悼念一位死者

九月廿七：中秋 血月 月蚀 Sep 27 / Moon Festival, Blood Moon and Lunar Eclipse

The coming Sunday Sep 27 is very special:
A supper moon in combination with a rare total lunar eclipse, this day is also Chinese's Moon Festival. What an intriguing night! 

It would be a doomsday for Asian people who believe in astrology.
It's an exciting night for scientists.

Interesting, isn't it?

今年中秋很特别：血月+ 月蚀+ 中秋。这要吓倒很多迷信的亚洲人了。

学个词Learn a word：
血月 = super moon, blood moon
月蚀 = lunar eclipse
中秋 = Moon festival or Mid-Autumn Festival
廿 = 20

How to set up Chinese Character input method 设置拼音输入程序

Learn few words

怎样输入中文

 (click the words to listen the pronunciation)

怎样 = how

输入 = input

中文 = Chinese

Good try!

#video,typing,input,set up, input method

DIY: Chinese good luck knot 中国结项链

Learn a word

中国结

中国 = China

结 = knot

项链 = necklace

#video, DIY, nacklace,China knot,culture

Moon Festival 中秋节

The ancient China had their own calendar, call peasant's calendar or lunar calendar. As the name suggesting, it's the guide for farming. There are 13 months in a year, telling the seasonal weather, peasants follow this calendar to work on their fields.

The modern time, Chinese use the general calendar instead of their traditional calendar, but still keep the traditional festivals to celebrate, like Lunar year (sprint festival), Moon festival, etc, but the specific date is different every year in the general calendar. This year, Moon Festival is Sep 27, 2015.

The reason for celebrate is,  the moon in this day is the biggest and brightest, and the ancient Chinese people believe there are fairies on the moon, everything is beautiful.

Moon cake is indispensable food in this day, the tastes are various depending the area in China, usually Canton, Beijing and Shanghai styles are the most popular tastes, the ingredients are flour, sugar, bean, water lily seed, nut, yolk and meet, etc. Cheers!

Click the Chinese word to learn the pronunciation.
中秋节快乐
中 = mid
秋 = autumn
节 = festival
快乐 = happy

父亲节快乐！Happy Father's Day!

Click the words to listen the pronunciation.
父亲  father
节  festival
快乐 happy


父亲，usually be used in formal format.
爸爸，another word for father, usually be used in verbal.

There is no Father's day in China, only few people are aware of Father's day and celebrate it.

四季 Four Seasons

Click the words to see the meaning and hear the pronunciation.
春 夏 秋 冬

They are usually followed by 天 ------春天，夏天，秋天，冬天， in verbal or writing.
They are also followed by 季-----春季，夏季，秋季，冬季，mostly in writing.

Grammar: Imperatives 祈使句

The imperative is a grammatical mood that forms commands or requests, including the giving of prohibition or permission, or any other kind of exhortation.

结构 Structure

1, 主语动词 + 宾语动词  (main) verb  +  (object) verb

For example:
禁止吸烟！
No Smoking！
禁止 = prohibit
吸烟 = smoking

别动！
Don't move!
别 = do not
动 = move

2,  单一动词  verb

For example:
出发！
Let's go!
出发= leave



#grammar

咏鹅诗 Chanting for the swans

骆宾王（约640～684）七岁时所做
Luo Binwang （640~684） He wrote this poem at age of 7

鹅鹅鹅 The swans are singing, oh, oh, oh
曲颈向天歌  The curved  necks  towards the sky
白毛浮绿水  White feathers are floating on the green water
红掌拨清波  Red palms paddled out the crystal clear ripples

words

鹅 swan
曲 curved
颈 neck
向 towards
天 sky
歌 sing
白 white
毛 feather
浮 float
绿 green
水 water
红 red
掌 palm
拨 paddle
清 clear
波 ripple

This poem is very simple, very vivid to describe the swan's appearance and dynamic through a child's eyes.
You read it not only a poem but also a colorful picture and 3D effect.

Welcome to join with my blog.

Grammar: Exclamatory Sentence 感叹句

太(too) + 形容词（adj）+ 了（modal particle）
真(truly)+ 形容词（adj) + 啊（modal particle）

Example:

太可爱了！
So cute!

真美啊！
Very beautiful!



#grammar

春晓 Dawn of Spring

（唐朝Tang dynasty   孟浩然Meng Haoran ）

春眠不觉晓 Waked up at dawn of spring
处处闻啼鸟 Birds are singing around
夜来风雨声 Windy and rainy last night
花落知多少 Whipped out flowers how many?

Grammar: Interrogative Sentence 疑问句式

1， Subject + verb   +  Interrogative pronouns
           主语     +  谓语  + 疑问代词

                                   
Interrogative pronouns：什么（what),  哪里（where),

For example:

Nǐ qù nǎlǐ
你去哪里？(Where are you going?)

你 = you
去 = go
哪里 = where

Nǐ zuò shénme
你做什么？(What do you do?)

做=do

2，Using 什么时候(when), 怎样(how),  it should be:
      subject  +  Interrogative pronouns + verb

Nǐ shénme shíhòu lái
你什么时候来？     （When are you going to come?)

Nǐ zěnyàng zuò
你怎样做？  （How do you do it?)

       Shuí 

3，谁（Who ）

      谁 can be subject or object

For example:

Shuí láile
谁来了？(Who came?)

Nǐ shì shuí
你是谁？（Who are you?)

   
    ma
4, 吗 （Question word, used in the end of a sentence,)

Fox example:

Nǐ chī le ma
你吃了吗？
Have you eaten (your meal)?

Nǐ gāoxìng ma
你高兴吗？
Are you happy?







#grammar

Grammar: Affirmative and Negative 肯定和否定

Affirmative :  noun + verb    +   object

Example:

I             like         this movie
Wǒ        xǐhuān    zhè bù diànyǐng
我        喜欢       这 部 电影

                                     Bù
Negative ：noun  +  不  +  verb  +  object

Eexample:

I don't like this movie.
    
我不喜欢这部电影。

                                                                             
There are other words for negative sentence:

Méi                                      
没（don't )

Example:

我没看这部电影。

Wù                  Fēi
勿（don't)，非(not) --------- only used in some certain sentences.

Example:

Yǎnkàn shǒu wù dòng
眼看手勿动               （watch it, but don't touch it)

Fēi bǐ xúncháng
非比寻常          (unusual)




#grammar

Leftovers turn to delicious food 剩饭变美食

1,  Cut a green pepper in half, put in a boiled water for 3-4 seconds, take it out.

2,  Fry the garlic, when it smells good, put the leftovers meet,  then the rice, the green onions，1-2 minutes. Done.

3, Put into the green pepper.

Delicious...

In Chinese:
1，切半个青椒，放入开水3-4秒，拿起。
2，炒香蒜粒，放入昨天吃剩的碎肉粒，再放入米饭，青葱。
3，起锅，放入青椒碗。

香喷喷……

Grammar: Single Word and Compound Word 字和词

In Chinese language, each single word has a meaning, but compound word is more precise and different.

For example:

A

开（Kāi），originally means open, but when it compounds with other word, it has different meaning.

1, 开 + 门 =  开门（Kāi mén） open the door
2, 开 + 始 =  开始 （Kāi shǐ）  start
3, 开 + 学 =  开学 （Kāi xué） school year starts
4, 开 + 车 =  开车  （Kāi chē）driving a car
5, 开 + 水 =  开水  （Kāi shuǐ）boiling water
6, 开 + 端 =  开端 （Kāiduān）beginning

B

If verb 开 follows a verb or noun, it usually indicates a status. For example:

想开了   ---- no long entangled with something, released from a kind of sulk. 
For example: 他终于想开了，不再纠结在失恋的痛苦中。(He no longer entangled from the pain of being dumped by his lover)

走开  ---- go away
闪开---- go away
踢开 ---- kick something out away
水开了 ---- water is boiling


不要怕，practice makes perfect.


#grammar

Tone 声调

Chinese characters have 4 tones, different tone represents different word and meaning.

Symbol of 4 tones:
1, ˉ   2. ′    3. ˇ    4.ˋ and soft tone (only used by few words)

Combination example:
(click the link to listen the pronunciation)

b + ā = Bā八（eight)

b + á = Bá  拔（pull, extract)

b + ǎ =  Bǎ  把 （handle)

b + à = Bà  爸 （dad)

Soft tone example:

 d + e = De 的 (of) 
 l + e  = Le  了 (past tense maker)


There are lots of homophones in Chinese. For example:

Bā can be :  八、扒、芭、叭、疤…… each one has different meaning.

Chinese Lunar New Year 中国农年/中国阴历年

Chinese lunar year is also known as agriculture calendar.

Every 12 years make a lunar year circle. Each year is presented by an auspicious animal. The array is snake, horse, goat(sheep), monkey, rooster, dog, pig, rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon.

Lunar new year of the sheep羊 in this year starts from Feb 19, 2015.

Bread made with 汉字 (han zi, Chinese character) form.
The words mean Spring 春 and Blessing 福

羊年快乐 Happy Year of the Sheep

 Yáng      nián         kuài   lè        
羊  年  快乐    （click the blue link to check the pronunciation)
Sheep      Year           Happy


pinyin form 

1.  consonant + vowel 
        Y + áng-------yáng  (羊)
        N + ian--------Nián   (年）

2.   only vowels
          a   啊(ah)
          Ài  爱(love, like)
          Ān 安(safe,quiet, install)

Consonant and Vowel 声母和韵母

声母 Consonant
b p m f
d t n l
g k h
j q x
zh ch sh   r  
z c s
y w

韵母表 Vowel
a o e i u ü
ai ei ui     ao ou iu    ie üe er
an en in un ün
ang eng ing ong

Be aware:

“i” usually pronounces i, like 七，米，皮，笔 etc.

but when i follows zh,ch,sh,z,c,s,r, i pronounces ri, for example, 知，吃，是，自，此，四，日 etc.

besides, because keyboard doesn’t have ü, so “v” has been used for “ü”, for example: lv 吕，nv女.

“üe” and  “ün” are excepted, just type it normally, like yue 月，yun云.


#video, consonant, vowel,pronunciation

Understanding Chinese了解中文

Understanding Chinese  了解中文

Chinese languages mainly assort to 3 types : 

1. Simplified Chinese -- it's official language, using in mainland of China.
2. Traditional Chinese -- It's used in Taiwan. The pronunciation is the same with the simplified Chinese.
3. Cantonese -- It's used in Hong Kong. They use traditional Chinese characters, different pronunciation. Cantonese in south China also speak Cantonese, but use the simplified Chinese characters.

In China, there are lots of local languages depending on its regions, but all use simplified Chinese characters. Some areas have their own characters and pronunciation, like Xinjiang, Tebet, Inner Mongolia. Local residents usually speak 2 different languages--local native language and mandarin.