Here’s a couple of websites that I’ve been following lately that feature practical examples of Chinese calligraphy. I say practical as the words that are featured are generally everyday words and names that would useful to beginners, as opposed to … Continue reading
I thought for ages before deciding on a title for this post, no matter what I came up with they all seemed, well, wrong. This just seems to be one of those phrases that is difficult to express succinctly in … Continue reading
The first time I heard 超（chāo）”super” used to emphasise a statement I was in a curry house in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, when one of the delivery people came back into the restaurant from outside and said 外面超冷（wài miàn chāo lěng）, which … Continue reading
This idiom describes the state that my workspace gradually enters after a week of work, until it becomes so bad that I have no choice but to stop everything and clear up before I can continue. A very useful idiom … Continue reading
The following photo was taken close to a pedestrian crossing in Taiwan. The sign in the photo shows a good example of how the word ‘pedestrian’ might be used, and asks for people not to park their vehicles here as … Continue reading
Here’s an extremely useful, yet extremely easy saying to understand. This is perfect for when you want to emphasise that something is impossible by comparing it to something that is easier, yet equally impossible. It is exactly the same as … Continue reading
Here’s a fun saying that you can learn to help you tell people to “leave you alone”, well, more like “get lost!”. You wouldn’t want to say it a friend, unless you were using it jokingly, but once you’ve learnt … Continue reading
You may have noticed that in Chinese there are two ways to describe wearing or putting on clothes or accessories. At first it might be confusing which word should be used at which time, but there’s actually a very easy … Continue reading
A treasure knife does not age. This is a great idiom that is almost always used to describe old people who’ve still got it. What better example could there be than good old 史恩·康納萊 (shǐ ēn · kāng nà lái). … Continue reading
With any luck you won’t have to use this word around here, but after reading this post you’ll know how to express yourself the next time you are stuck in a less-than-stimulating experience. 無聊（无聊） Pinyin: wú liáo English: boring The … Continue reading
