有点儿 (yǒu diǎnr) and 一点儿 (yī diǎnr) basically both mean the same thing: ‘a little’. The key thing is to learn how to use them correctly in a sentence. Below, I’ll explain the basics of using 有点儿 and 一点儿. First, I’d like to look at the 点 character and its meaning. The character’s general meaning… Read More
In Chinese, there are two kinds of comparative sentences: A comparison of two or more things that do not appear at the same time in a sentence, but the speaker is aware that both arguments exist. A comparison between 2 or more things that are both in the sentence. Let’s look at the first type… Read More
正 (zhèng), 在 (zài) and 正在 (zhèng zài) are often associated with expressing an ‘ongoing’ action, but what’s the difference between these three and how do you use them properly? Learn some sentence patterns with example sentences to help you understand how to express ongoing actions in Chinese! An Introduction to 正, 在 and 正在… Read More
Why Should I Learn Chinese Stroke Names? So, to confuse things a little more, not only is there a stroke ORDER, but there is also a name for each different strokes and also stroke compounds. I have heard Chinese children (and a few western friends) speak out loud when they write and this can help… Read More
的, 得 & 地: Three characters, three meanings, one tone If you’re still riding the Pinyin wave, the Chinese ‘de’ particles are pretty difficult to learn as they all have the same 5th ‘neutral’ tone. Once upon a time, my method was to stick a ‘de’ in every sentence just in case it was necessary… Read More
I think it’s fair to say that just trying to recognise Chinese characters is hard enough. Even when you know your radicals inside out, have made a nice story (or mnemonic) woman 女 (nǚ) under a roof 宀 (mián) = peace 安 (ān), putting pen to paper can still be a bit of a daunting… Read More