Vocabulary

Greeting people is the very first thing we learn when we start our journey with a new language. We could say this is how we invite it into our life. The very good news for you is that expressing greetings in Chinese is not very complicated. As we already explained in our articles about the words Please … Read more

In any of the cultures, a sincere friendship means great value to people. Sometimes, a good friend is like our family member. As human being, develop and maintain friendship has been a very important part of our life. There are many types and levels of friendship: friend, good friend, best friend, childhood friend, girlfriend and … Read more

As already explained in the post “Your Welcome in Chinese”, being polite in Chinese is quite easy. Chinese people are very direct when compared with their Korean or Japanese counterparts, and they don’t get offended very easily. Saying “please” in Chinese is actually less complicated than in English. English uses many expressions like “would”, “could”, … Read more

When compared to Koreans and Japanese, Chinese people tend to be very open and direct. This is why (contrary to what some people may think) Chinese language doesn’t have as many polite forms and elegant words to express respect and gratitude as for example Japanese. In fact, being polite in English is sometimes harder than … Read more

Despite the fact that Christmas is not an officially celebrated holiday in East Asia, you can definitely see its cultural influence on Mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. Celebrating Christmas is not part of Chinese tradition; however, many Chinese people seem to adore the Christmas spirit, especially the Christmas trees, lights and shopping for gifts.  … Read more

Apologizing plays a crucial role in all the cultures. In Chinese culture, apologies not only used to express regret and sympathy, but it also is a way to save face and keeps relationships intact. Therefore, apologize is important. Whether we’ve just accidently stepped on someone’s shoe, arrived late for a meeting or heard a bad … Read more

The word ‘no’ is another important phrase that every Chinese learner should grasp and thus should be covered in the early stages of learning. Knowing how- to say ‘no’ will help protect your best interests and keep you safe during travelling or working in China, as is the case in every country. Similar to the … Read more

One of the most important words to grasp when starting a new language is of course the word ‘yes’. You will find it can be applied to various scenarios, becoming a go-to phrase to give an affirmative response to a question, comment, or statement, or simply to keep the conversation going. One may find it … Read more