#echineselearning

“Don’t play dumb!” This English phrase has a Chinese equivalent that, although its meaning is the same, has a very different literal translation with unique origins. The Chinese “装蒜 (zhuāngsuàn)” literally means “to pretend garlic” which may sound kind of funny in English. It is used to mean “feign ignorance” and “make a pretense.” Read the examples below to better understand how it is used in Chinese.

It’s one of my favorite Chinese expressions.

Examples： Bié zhuāngsuàn le, nǐ zhīdào wǒ zài shuō shénme. 别      装蒜        了,你   知道  我  在  说    什么。 Don’t play dumb, you know what I’m saying.

Nǐ hái zhuāngsuàn, nǐ yǐwéi wǒ shǎ a? 你   还       装蒜，  你 以为  我  傻 啊？ You’re still feigning ignorance, do you think I’m stupid?

Nǐ bié zhuāngsuàn le, wǒ shénme dōu zhīdào le. 你  别       装蒜     了，我   什么    都   知道   了。 Don’t you act coy, I know everything.

By now you may be wondering why “pretending garlic” means the same thing as playing dumb. Read this interesting story set in the Qing Dynasty about deceiving an emperor to find out!

Listen to the Story:

Xiàngchuán yǒuyìnián chūntiān, Qīngcháo de Qiánlóng Huángdì dào nánfāng mǒudì xúnchá, 相传             有一年       春天，    清朝       的     乾隆      皇帝     到      南方     某地    巡查， According to legend, the Qing Dynasty’s Qianlong Emperor went on an inspection tour to the south during spring one year.

tā kàndào dì lǐ yí piàn qīngsuàn zhǎngde fēicháng hǎokàn, duìcǐ zànbùjuékǒu. 他   看到  地 里 一 片    青蒜       长得      非常       好看，  对此     赞不绝口。 He saw a garlic leaf on the ground that looked very beautiful, and was full of praise over it.

Dìèrnián dōngtiān, Qiánlóng yòu qù xúnchá, 第二年        冬天，   乾隆     又  去     巡查， The following year Qianlong went back to the south for inspection,

Yíwèi guānyuán jìde Qiánlóng xǐhuān kàn zhěng piàn suànmiáo, kěxī dōngtiān qīngsuàn hái méiyǒu 因为     官员    记得     乾隆    喜欢     看     整      片     蒜苗，  可惜    冬天      青蒜       还   没有 zhǎngchūlái, 长出来， An official remembered that Qianlong liked to see garlic bolts, but it was a pity as none of the winter garlic leaves had sprouted yet.

Wéile tǎohǎo Qiánlóng Huángdì, guānyuán xiǎng le yí gè bànfǎ. 为了     讨好     乾隆       皇帝，     官员       想    了一 个  办法。 For the sake of currying Qianlong Emperor’s favor, the official thought of a solution.

Tā mìngrén bǎ xǔduō shuǐxiān yízhí dào yìqǐ, 他     命人   把  许多     水仙   移植  到  一起， He picked many daffodils and transplanted them together,

Yuǎnyuǎn wàng qù, shuǐxiān de yèzǐ yǔ qīngsuàn fēicháng xiāngsì. 远远           望    去， 水仙    的 叶子 与    青蒜       非常     相似。 Looking from a distance, the daffodil leaves looked very similar to garlic leaves.

Huángdì yě yǐwéi zhè shuǐxiān jiùshì qīngsuàn, 皇帝       也  以为 这    水仙    就是     青蒜， Qianlong thought that the daffodils were his admired garlic leaves.

bìng chēngzàn shuō: “zhè qīngsuàn guǒrán háishì rútóng qùnián yíyàng hǎo a!” 并      称赞        说：“  这    青蒜      果然     还是    如同    去年    一样    好 啊！” He approvingly said, “Sure enough this garlic leaf is just as nice as last year!”

Bùjiǔ, zhè wèi guānyuán yīncǐ dédào le shēngqiān. 不久，这 位      官员       因此 得到  了    升迁。 Not long after, because of this, the official got promoted.

Therefore, any time someone was putting up a pretense, the phrase “装蒜 (zhuāngsuàn)” could be used. Because not only did the official deceive the emperor, but also the...

Do you have one of those friends who is just obsessed with something she likes? What about a friend who does nothing but talks about their favorite TV show?” In Chinese, we have a specific slang phrase for this type of manic love for something. The word is used for someone being totally obsessed with something, or being something’s biggest fan.” This phrase is meant to describe the person who can get put into this kind of frenzy. This phrase is “发烧友 (fāshāoyǒu).”

“发 烧 友 (Fāshāoyǒu)” is a unique expression in Chinese which describes a type of person who is totally obsessed with an activity or an object.

Let’s break this phrase down to better understand it:

发烧友 (Fāshāoyǒu): fancier; enthusiastic fan.

发 (Fā): dispatch; send out. 

烧 (Shāo): burn; bake; heat; roast.

友 (Yǒu): friend; companion; fraternity. (Most common relationship: “朋友 (péngyǒu).”)

This word essentially describes someone who is such a fan of something, they feel akin to it, as if they have a special relationship to it, and this emotion really connects them and energizes them to the object itself as well as the world around them. I have a few friends who are totally obsessed with yoga. They talk about it all the time. Whenever I refer to one of them, I use this phrase because they could honestly talk about it all day. They get excited when they talk about it.

Where did this term come from?

The term “发烧友 (fāshāoyǒu)” is derived from a phrase that originated in Hong Kong. It started out more specific to audio equipment, actually, meant for just people who were very interested in that in Hong Kong. But now it is used as a general term for anyone who has a...

Please use the following sentences to form a complete conversation with the correct order of sequence:

1. Zài zhèlǐ chī. 1. 在这里吃.

2. Wǒ yào yífèn hàn bǎo hé yì bēi kělè. 2. 我要一份汉堡和一杯可乐.

3. Níhǎo, qǐngwèn xūyào shénme? 3. 你好, 请问需要什么?

4. Zài zhé’r chī, hái shì dǎbāo dài zǒu? 4. 在这儿吃, 还是打包带走?

A. 3-2-1-4

B. 4-2-1-3

C. 4-3-2-1

D. 3-2-4-1

Vocabulary plays an important role in learning new languages and Chinese is no exception. Of course, attending a regular course is essential but it may not be enough. Everybody has a different learning style, as well. Here are 6 smart ways to quickly improve your Chinese vocabulary based on your learning style.

1. 阅读 (Yuèdú) Reading

The top recommendation for improving vocabulary is by “阅读 (yuèdú) reading.” Reading works well for people of varying ages and interests. By reading regularly you will enhance your cognitive ability since this hobby allows for continuous learning. You don’t even have to stop and check Chinese vocabulary while reading, you can understand it according to the context, which can enrich your vocabulary immensely. A few easily accessible reading resources includeChinese Reading and Slow Chinese 慢速中文.

2. 善用工具-平板电脑 (Shàn yòng gōngjù-píngbǎn diànnǎo) Use a tablet tool

Reading e-books rather than hard copies has one advantage in particular. You can “善用工具-平板电脑 (shàn yòng gōngjù-píngbǎn diànnǎo) use a tablet tool.” So the next time you read an e-book, pay attention to words you don’t know, pick them out, and look them up using the dictionary. Many tablets have a dictionary function so you don’t have to leave the page you are reading. This simple feature helps you expand your vocabulary in a completely natural way. Many e-books now have this feature and if you read a lot it will definitely be beneficial.

3. 看电视剧 (Kàn diànshìjù) Watching TV

If you don’t have the mental energy to sit down and focus on strictly reading then the second best option is to watch Chinese movies or series. This is not just a pleasant way to relax, it can also increase your vocabulary. “看电视剧 (kàn diànshìjù) watching TV” and reading the same subject is an efficient way to learn. This phenomenon, called “dual coding”, is when you...

When I first decided to learn Mandarin Chinese, it was mostly because of China’s rising economy and all the business opportunities between China and western countries. However, once I began the language learning process, I became much more interested in Chinese culture and history.

This interest led me to read some of the classic books and essay collections, along with more fantastic sagas that we know in the west. Just like Sun Tzu’s “The Art of War”, a book that had me fascinated by Chinese philosophy is “三十六计 (Sānshíliù Jì) Thirty-Six Stratagems.”(What Is “三十六计 (sānshíliù jì)” in China?)

“Thirty-Six Stratagems” is a collection of strategies for interpersonal conflict that were collected from oral and written resources that have been passed down for centuries. These stories often involve deception to get a wanted outcome. The thirty-six strategies are divided into six groups. In Group 2, strategy #10 overall, is “笑里藏刀 (xiào lǐ cáng dāo)” which translates to roughly “hide a knife in a smile.” As you can imagine, it involves becoming close with...

Red Cliff is the site of the most famous military feat in Chinese history – Battle of Red Cliff, but the phrase refers to the first film to re-create the 208 A.D. Battle.

However, the functional script has dismantled much of the original story’s dramatic intricacies and character complexities, and then reassembled it into three-act structure easy for you to follow.

Meanwhile, Woo’s signature themes as male bonding and David-and-Goliath face-offs still drive the action. Moreover, production and costume designer Tim Yip goes for historical accuracy and creates a period look that is imperious and dignified.

Made on a budget of US$80 million, Red Cliff named after the battle site, is also the most expensive Chinese-language picture ever mounted. With a cast of reputedly a million soldiers as well as stars from Hong Kong, Mainland China and Taiwan, this is hailed as John Woo’s “homecoming” after his Hollywood tenure.

Seeing as the close to two-and-a-half-hour long epic, its 140-minute first half just opened across major Asian territories. The Part 1 opens with ambitious Prime Minister Cao Cao browbeating the emperor of Han into authorizing a campaign to crush his enemies, Liu Bei and Sun Quan in their southern strongholds.

Besides action scenes, Woo also designs the character interaction, focusing on Liu’s strategist Zhu-ge Liang persuasion of Sun Qun to ally with Liu and his elaborately built-up meeting with...

I like to introduce my students to common words used in Mandarin Chinese daily life. It’s important to learn words to use correctly in all kinds of social situations.

One such popular Mandarin Chinese vocabulary word is “小看 (xiǎokàn).” What does it mean? Let’s look at each character individually so we can understand it fully:

小 (Xiǎo): small; little.

看 (Kàn): look; watch.

小看 (Xiǎokàn): underestimate; belittle; look down upon.

Now let’s look at this case so you can understand it better.

For Chinese people, we will never forget the Athens Olympics when Liu Xiang took the gold medal in a world record-equaling time of 12.91 seconds, matching the feat of Colin Jackson. At that time, Asian people were belittled in track and field events and were never considered to...

1. Please choose the correct word to fill in the blank.

Wǒ jiào Xiǎohóng, hěn gāoxìng ____ nǐ. A: 我  叫      晓虹，      很   高兴   ____  你。

Xiǎohóng, nǐhǎo! Wǒ shì Lǐ Méi. B: 晓虹，       你好！我   是  李梅。

A. 记得 (jìde)

B. 认识 (rènshi)

C. 认可 (rènkě)