fenshou elementary lesson

Do you believe it when a girl said "Let's break up because I love you"?

Check out how the man will act in this Chinese dialogue.

iChinesePodcast Elementary Lesson -  分手 Breaking Up

Dialogue:

zhānɡwěi… wǒmen fēnshǒu bɑ.

A: 张伟 …     我们   分手 吧。

Zhang Wei… Let’s break up.



wèishénme？nándào nǐ  búzài   ài   wǒ le mɑ？

B: 为什么？    难道   你 不再 爱 我 了 吗？

Why? Don’t you love me anymore?



wǒ shì  yīnwèi ài nǐ,     suǒyǐ cái  ɡēn nǐ  fēnshǒu de.

A: 我 是 因为 爱 你，所以 才 跟 你   分手 的。

I love you. That’s why I break up with you.



shénme yìsi？

B: 什么 意思？

What does that mean?



nǐ yīnɡɡāi zhǎo  yíɡè bǐwǒ ɡènɡhǎo de nǚháir.

A: 你 应该   找  一个 比我 更好   的 女孩儿。

You should find a better girl than me.



Learn grammar in this lesson:

1. 不再 bú zài

不再... not…anymore, no more



2. 难道…吗？

“难道...吗？”is used to make rhetorical questions.



See examples to the grammar in the original Podcast Lesson - Breaking Up

剩女 - Leftover Ladies

Do you know what “剩女” means in Chinese? “Leftover ladies” or “sheng4 nv3” in Chinese, has become a buzzword in the Chinese language. They are well-educated, well-paid and independent. They are also referred to as “3S women:” single, seventies (most were born in the 70s) and stuck.

剩女 - Leftover ladies

Just in Beijing, the capital city of China, the number of leftover ladies has surpassed 500,000. These women choose career and single life over marriage and family, which reveals an individualistic trend over family values, experts say. The increasing prevalence of shengnü in China has boosted the number of shengnan – leftover men – which is adding further demographic pressure to a country where young men significantly outnumber women. According to the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, by 2020 one in five Chinese men will be unable to find a wife – “a figure unprecedented in a country at peace,” The Economist noted.

China Economic Net suggested in February 2009 that the increased number of single people may in part be driven by “traditional perceptions about marriage” The stereotype of a strong man with a weak woman still dominates many people’s minds. A successful woman wants to find a more successful man. While a successful man’s ideal wife is not necessarily successful but gentle and virtuous.

Modern society provides Chinese women with more opportunities than their mothers’ generation to realize their individual value. While they are working hard and pursuing lives that their mothers could only dream of, they suddenly realize that they have become part of a group that men may not want to marry.

“剩女” is an interesting buzz word to learn if you are learning Chinese, but some people, especially the feminists, consider this word as insulting. Because the character 剩 means “spoiled” or “leftover” in Chinese. What’s your opinion towards the the phenomenon of “剩女”?

Eating in China

In China, there is a saying 无规矩不成方圆 (wú ɡuīju bù chénɡ fānɡyuán) - Nothing can be accomplished without norms or standards. This is correct both in learning Chinese grammar and eating at a Chinese table. 

China is famous for its tasty food, which is a big attraction to people traveling in China. But learning the tradition and culture of eating in China is as much fun as the food itself. There are few "norms and standards" when it comes to a family dinner. A big difference of Chinese eating from the West is that there would be many cuisines served on the table and each in a plate. You can pick your foods from different plates. That is different from in western countries where everyone has the same plate including different foods.

Having said that, when eating in China, one should also notice that if there are elder people present, they should be invited to sit in the north of the table and we can’t eat until the elder have started to eat. If you violate these taboos in a Chinese table, you might be considered impolite.

Eating in China

Now, let’s learn how to talk about meals pick up useful words and phrases used in daily life!

吃早饭（餐）chīzǎofàn（cān）to have breakfast

吃午饭（餐）chīwǔfàn（cān）to have lunch

吃晚饭（餐）chīwǎnfàn（cān）to have dinner

In those phrases, “吃chī” is a verb which means “eat”, and the word “饭fàn” can be replaced by “餐cān”, both of which means “meal”. It is common in China that we ask if others have had the meal as greeting between friends or neighbors.

E.g.

zǎoshɑnɡ hǎo, nǐ chīle mɑ？

早上 好，你 吃了 吗？

Good morning, have you had breakfast?

chī ɡuò le, nǐne？

吃 过 了，你呢？

Yes, what about you?

Now we will learn more useful expressions related to eating in China.

jīntiān zhōnɡwǔ chī shénme ne？

今天 中午 吃 什么呢？

What do you want to eat for lunch?

tiānqì zhèmerè，chīdiǎn liánɡmiànbɑ.

天气 这么 热，吃点 凉面 吧。

It is so hot today, let’s have some cold noodles.

wǎnfàn nǐ xiǎnɡ qùnǎ chī？

晚饭 你 想 去哪  吃？

Where do you want to have dinner?

fùjìn yǒu yìjiā xīnkāide fànɡuǎn búcuò, zánmen qù chánɡchánɡbɑ.

附近 有  一家  新开的 饭馆 不错，咱们 去 尝尝吧。

There is a new restaurant nearby, let’s have a try there.

Have you tasted Chinese food? If you have tried any delicious food or have an exciting story about eating in China, share it with me in the comment!

Elementary Podcast Lesson - xiaoqi

Do you know how to say "somebody is stingy" in Chinese? In this episode of iChinesePodcast's online audio lessons, you will learn this word through a Chinese dialogue and learn how to use 一点儿也不 (Not At All) in mandarin Chinese.




Dialogue:

zhānɡ xiǎoměi, jīntiān shì nǐde shēnɡrì, zhù nǐ shēnɡrì kuàilè！

A: 张小美，      今天  是 你的 生日，祝 你 生日 快乐！

Zhang Xiaomei. Today is your birthday. Happy birthday!



xiè xiè！

B: 谢谢！

Thank you!



nǐ   jīntiān kànqǐlái hěn ɡāoxìnɡ！zhè shì shénme？

A: 你 今天 看起来 很   高兴！   这 是 什么？

You look very happy today! What’s this?



zhè shì wǒ nánpénɡyǒu jiékè sònɡ wǒ de shēnɡrì lǐwù,    jiānádà fēnɡyè.

B: 这 是  我    男朋友   杰克   送 我 的  生日 礼物，加拿大 枫叶。

This is my birthday gift, a maple leaf. My boyfriend Jack gave this to me.



nǐ   bù juédé tā xiǎoqì mɑ？

A: 你 不 觉得 他 小气 吗？

Isn’t he stingy?



wǒ juédé yìdiǎn’ér yěbù xiǎoqì. zài zhōnɡɡuó, fēnɡyè shì àiqínɡ de xiànɡzhēnɡ.

B: 我 觉得 一点儿也不 小气。在   中国， 枫叶  是 爱情  的    象征。

Not at all. In China, the maple leaf is the symbol of love.



Chinese Grammar

一点儿也不 “not …at all”

Structure one: 一点儿也不 + adjective

Structure two: 一点儿 也不 + verb



Check out examples at the original lesson page: 小气

Learn more Chinese grammar clips.

Learn Chinese song - Red Bean

Do you like listening to Chinese songs? Do you know that learning Chinese by songs can make the world's hardest language easier and fun? That's why we encourage our students to listen to Chinese songs in addition to learning Chinese podcast. Now we'll enjoy one of the most famous song by Wang Fei and at the same time pick up useful expressions in the lyrics.

Wang Fei

Who is the top diva in the music field in China？Maybe different names come to different minds. But Wang Fei is the most suitable person for that title. Her intangible voice has attracted countless people. The beauty of her is that she learns western singing methods but doesn’t just imitate. Instead, she integrates those methods with the feature of her own voice forming her own singing style. 

《Red Bean》is one of her most famous works. This song is written by Lin Xi and composed by Jim lau. Red bean in China is connected with lovesickness and this song is a love song describing a couple who have a long-distance relationship but believe that their love can be everlasting.

Now, let’s learn this love song《红豆》(hónɡdòu)- Red Bean

háiméi hǎohǎode ɡǎnshòu

还没 好好地 感受 

xuěhuā zhànfànɡ de qìhòu

雪花 绽放 的 气候

wǒmen yìqǐ chàndǒu

我们 一起 颤抖

huì ɡènɡmínɡbɑi shénmeshì wēnróu

会 更明白 什么是 温柔

háiméi ɡēnnǐ qiānzheshǒu

还没 跟你 牵着手 

zǒuɡuò huānɡwúde shāqiū

走过 荒芜的 沙丘

kěnénɡ cónɡcǐyǐhòu

可能 从此以后

xuéhuì zhēnxī tiānchánɡhédìjiǔ

学会 珍惜 天长和地久

yǒushíhou yǒushíhou

有时候 有时候

wǒhuìxiānɡxìn yìqiè yǒujìntóu

我会相信 一切 有尽头

xiānɡjùlíkāi dōuyǒushíhou

相聚离开 都有时候

méiyǒushénme huì yǒnɡchuíbùxiǔ

没有什么 会 永垂不朽

kěshìwǒ yǒushíhou

可是我 有时候

nìnɡyuànxuǎnzé liúliàn búfànɡshǒu

宁愿选择 留恋 不放手 

děnɡdào fēnɡjǐnɡ dōukàntòu

等到 风景 都看透

yéxǔ nǐhuì péiwǒkàn xìshuǐchánɡliú

也许 你会 陪我看 细水长流

háiméi wèinǐ bǎhónɡdòu

还没 为你 把红豆

áochénɡ chánmiánde shānɡkǒu

熬成 缠绵的 伤口

ránhòu yìqǐfēnxiǎnɡ

然后 一起分享  

huìɡènɡmínɡbɑi xiānɡsīde āichóu

会更明白 相思的 哀愁

 

háiméi hǎohǎode ɡǎnshòu

还没 好好地 感受 

xǐnɡzhe qīnwěnde wēnróu

醒着 亲吻的 温柔

kěnénɡ zàiwǒzuǒyòu

可能 在我左右

nǐcái zhuīqiú ɡūdúde zìyóu

你才 追求 孤独的自由

Chinese Families Addressing

Chinese Families Addressing

In Yuyu's google plus post about Chinese members with characters, she introduced how to address family members in Chinese. Now we will have a more detailed look at Chinese families.

China is has a large population and a Chinese family usually consists of 2 or more generations living together. In old China,  “四世同堂sìshìtónɡtánɡ”(four generations living together) is a very common phoneme. But now, few new couples want to have more than two children. In the 21century, with the implementation of the only child policy and the increasing cost of raising a child, China’s birth rate has come to a historical low. As a result, many children now don’t have sisters (姐妹jiěmèi) or brothers（兄弟xiōnɡdi）.

                                                                 A Chinese Family

But as the generation of 80s or 90s, we still have brothers or sisters to play with. Now let’s see how to introduce our family members in Chinese.

“爷爷奶奶yéyenǎinɑi” are grandfather and grandmother on father’ side, and together they can also be called as “祖父母zǔfùmǔ”. 

“姥爷姥姥lǎoyélǎolɑo” are grandfather and grandmother on mother’s side， and they can also be called as“外祖父母wàizǔfùmǔ”.

“父母fùmǔ” is a compound word including “父fù” and “母mǔ”， which is often used in written language, and in spoken we often use “爸爸bàbɑ” to replace “父” and “妈妈māmɑ” to replace “母”.

“姐妹jiěmèi” is also a compound word, including two nouns “姐”and “妹”. In English, no matter elder sister or younger sister, we just say they are our sisters. But in Chinese, the elder sister is called “姐姐jiějie” and the younger sister is called “妹妹mèimei”

“兄弟xiōnɡdi” is also a compound word. “兄xiōnɡ” means the elder brother , that is “兄长xiōnɡzhǎnɡ”， and it is often replaced by “哥哥ɡēɡe” in spoken language. “弟dì” is the younger brother, ”弟弟dìdi” is often used orally.

“叔叔shūshu” represents our uncles on fathers’ side and they are younger than our fathers, and we call their wives “阿姨āyí”. 

“伯父bófù” represents our fathers’ elder brothers and we call their wives “伯母bómǔ”. We should notice that in China, “叔叔阿姨, 伯父伯母” are also honorifics to address people with whom we have no blood relationship but are at our parents’ age.

Here are some examples:

xiǎomínɡ，nǐjiā yǒujǐkǒurén？

小明， 你家有几口人？

Xiaoming, how many people are there in your family?

wǔɡè，yǒu wǒde bàbɑmāmɑ，yíɡèɡēɡe，yíɡèmèimeihéwǒ。

五个，有我的爸爸妈妈，一个哥哥，一个妹妹和我。

Five, there are my parents, my brother, my sister and I.

zhàopiànshànɡ zhèɡe zhànnǐbàbɑ pánɡbiānde shìshuíā？

照片上这个站你爸爸旁边的是谁啊？

Who is the person standing beside your father in this photo?

Nàshì wǒdàbó，zhǐbǐ wǒbàbɑ dàliǎnɡsuì。

那是我大伯，只比我爸爸大两岁。

That’s my uncle, who is just two years older than my father.

Can you name some other Chinese family appellations? Have a try!