Chinese Language Learning: 小鲜肉(xiao3 xian1 rou4)

Recently, a new internet word attracts many people’s attention that is “小鲜肉(xiao3 xian1 rou4)”. What is the specif meaning of this Chinese new word? So, today, we are going to find the answer in this online Chinese course.

Literally, can you guess the meaning of “小鲜肉(xiao3 xian1 rou4)”? Let us divide them into two parts. One is “小(xiao3)” and the other is “鲜肉(xian1rou4)”. If you have learned Chinese language before, it is easy to know what does “小” mean. Exactly it means “small or little” in English. So how about “鲜肉(xian1 rou4)”. “鲜(xian1)” can be understood as a adjective that is used to describe the noun “肉(rou4)”. This phrase literally means “the fresh meat”. So, we can get to know the literal meaning of “小鲜肉” is “the little fresh meat”.

You may feel puzzled when you hear such an explanation. Do not worry. It is just a literal translation. There must be some implied of specific reference in it.

Actually, as the name “小鲜肉” indicates, it refers to those young, handsome, energetic and dynamic boys. Especially those male stars at the age between 12 and 22.

How does this phrase spread quickly on the internet? It is concerned with a Chinese boy group called “TF Boys” which is made up of three young boys. The average age of them is 14. They have gained a lot of people’s appreciation on their showing up on the TV. They are young; they are active; they look good; they sing well; their smiles are like the sunshine. These are all the praises from their fans. They have become the well-known “小鲜肉” in China.

Follow us, you will find it is getting more interesting in our Chinese language learning. We have more Chinese courses concerning such interesting internet words. See you later. 

source: http://happyhappy.doomby.com/blog/chinese-language-learning-xiao3-xian1-rou4.html

A “Cong1 Ming2 Jue2 Ding3 De5” Chinese Teacher

Mr Wang is a Chinese teacher who teaches Chinese in a middle school.

All his students speak highly of him. He usually seems to be extremely intelligent. Because he can read through his students’ mind by communicating with them. Never try to talk in his Chinese class. He can get to know what you are thinking about and what you want. Many other Chinese teachers use a word “聪明绝顶(cong1 ming2 jue2 ding3)” to describe him.

Actually, there is not a more suitable word to describe him like this one. It is a figure of speech here that is pun. How could that be? Because “绝顶(jue2 ding3)” in Chinese is literally equal to “秃顶(tu1 ding3)”. And that means “bald-headed”. Because Mr Wang has scant hair on his head, and he is so clever that people think he is “聪明绝顶(cong1 ming2 jue2 ding3)”.

As a mandarin teacher, I want explain “聪明绝顶” in detail. “聪明” means “clever” or “intelligent”. “绝顶” does not refer to the “bald head” but means “tiptop”. That is to say this phrase is used to describe a person’s wisdom that has reached the top of the peak. It is equal to the summit of something. “聪明绝顶” can be written as “绝顶聪明”.

Besides this phrase, there are some other words concerning “绝顶(jue2ding3)”. For example, “绝顶高手(jue2 ding3 gao1 shou3)” is a frequently-used phrase, which means “top-hand”.

When it comes to praise someone, there is another word I want to mention. Do you know “顶呱呱(ding3 gua1 gua1)”? it is almost equivalent to the English phrase “Well done” ,“Excellent” or “good job” etc.

“Tom, 你的中文已经顶呱呱了(ni3 de5 zhong1 wen2 yi3 jing1 ding3 gua1 gua1 le5)”, Tom’s Chinese tutor said to him. 

source:  http://happy1xia.kinja.com/a-cong1-ming2-jue2-ding3-de5-chinese-teacher-1677331537

Chinese Language Learning: the Heated Lines in Zhen1 Huan2 Zhuan4

Recently, a heated Chinese TV drama called “甄嬛传(zhen1 huan2 zhuan4)”has been popularly spread in America. Many interesting lines have been translated into English, which I think is good for our Chinese language learning.

In this online Chinese course, we are going to learn some heated lines in this popular TV drama.

The first one i want to mention is “娘娘(niang2 niang5), which can be frequently heard in Chinese TV drama especially those happening in the Qing Dynasty.” Actually, “娘娘” refers to the concubines of the emperor. However, in those Chinese TV drama, it has been a symbol of the high position of a woman. So it was been translated into “your royal highness ” in the English version.

When it comes to the most impressive lines in this drama, it must be “贱人就是矫情(jian4 ren2 jiu4 shi4 jiao2 qing2)”. For many translators, it is a big deal to transfer the exact meaning of this sentence. It is difficult to translate it into a perfect. What we can do is to find a sentence to transfer more meaning of it. As we all know, Chinese language tends to be a implied language especially in the drama lines. You need to know what is “潜台词(qian3 tai2 ci2), which means the implied words beneath the lines.” Someone says we can translate it into “That bitch is so bitchy.” The general meaning has been expressed but it seems to be a little repetitive. To achieve the best effect, we can translate it into “That bitch” or “what a bitch”.

There are many other interesting translations. If you are interested in it you can join our Chinese courses. You will find it funny to learn Chinese in this way.

 source:  http://smile1xia.weebly.com/blog/chinese-language-learning-the-heated-lines-in-zhen1-huan2-zhuan4

Mandarin for Kids: What Toys do Chinese Kids Prefer to?

As a kid, you must be interested in toys, games, or some funny things. So today, let us come to see what things Chinese kids like to do during their free time and what are their favorite toys. In this procession, you can learn the Mandarin for kids.

When it comes to the toys kids like to play with, we might as well divide them into boys and girls, because their appetites are totally different. Generally speaking, boys have the common interest all over the world. They all like to play the “玩具模型(wan2 ju4 mo2 xing2)”, which includes many types of toys. For example, “玩具枪(wan2 ju4 qinag1)” is the most popular one of the boys. They can use it to organize a minimal battle. “I like the feeling of holding the popgun in my hand and saying “biu1biu1” ”, a Chinese boy said. Because the topic today is for learning Chinese for kids, let us get to know the structure of the phrase “玩具枪(wan2 ju4 qiang1)”. It is combined with “玩具(wan2 ju4)” and “枪(qiang1)” and both of them are nouns. You may change the “枪” into other characters such as “汽车(qi4 che1)” and “飞机(fei1 ji1)”. Sometimes we can understand the “玩具” here as “模型(mo2 xing2), which means model”.

How about the girls? Of course “芭比娃娃(ba1 bi3 wa2 wa5)” is their favorite. This word I suppose is familiar to you. It is a transliterated word from English. That is “Barbie doll”. Nowadays, with the development of technology, the Barbie doll has also been advanced greatly. There appear many automatic doll which can chat with kids in Chinese. In this way, kids learn Chinese efficiently and they can get to learn how to communicate in Chinese in daily life. For example, the doll may ask you “你叫什么名字呀？(ni3 jiao4 shen2 me5 ming2 zi4)”.

To know more about the interests of Chinese kids, you can join in our Chinese language classes on the internet. 

source:  http://smile123xia.snack.ws/mandarin-for-kids-what-toys-do-chinese-kids-prefer-to.html