Here are some more useful phrases in northeastern Chinese or dongbei hua (东北话) for you to dazzle locals with at the park or even at the annual ice festival in Harbin. 抽冷子 chōu lěng zi 突然: Suddenly 她抽冷子跑了。 打小儿 dá xiǎor 从小: From childhood, from a young …
Category: Chinese
My Chinese Language Toolkit: Proverbs
When learning Chinese, try to imagine every character, phrase, and idiom like a guidebook into the cultural thought and mind of one of the world's oldest civilizations. I tend to view Chinese proverbs as the seeds that have sprouted out of of socio-linguistic and cultural soil of the language, culture, and philosophy that are available …
Learn Northeastern Chinese
Learning how to speak Northeastern Chinese can be a lot of fun. However, I bet some of you may be wondering whether if it is worth the time and effort...especially since Chinese is already a hard language to learn. However, if you are interested in learning about another region of China, then learning northeastern mandarin …
Introduction to Northeastern Chinese
Northeastern Mandarin or 东北话 (Dongbei hua) is a regional dialect of Mandarin Chinese. It is a dialect famously known the consistent use of erhuayin (儿化音) or addition of an “er” sound at the end of each word. Northeastern Mandarin is often considered comical and crude by Chinese speakers south of the Jilin provincial border. I …
Reading Chinese for Intermediate and Advanced Learners
子曰。學如不及、猶恐失之。 The Master said, “Learn as if you will never catch up, and as if you feared losing what you already attained.” - Confucius' Analects (8.17) If you are a learner of Chinese but find yourself caught within the liminal void between intermediate and advanced reading proficiency, then this post should help you. I offer …
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How to Read Classical Chinese
Reading classical Chinese can be one of the most daunting linguistic experiences a Chinese language learner, native speaker, or budding Sinologist can face. It is a fierce yet enchanting assimilation of syntax and history compiled into a singular linguistic form. The greatest challenge that I have faced while reading classical Chinese is knowing how literal …
Tales of a Wandering Ghost 
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