The four cardinal directions.

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@kay-languages
The four cardinal directions.
the moon in my coffee cup. from a trip to an indoor jungle of a cafe with a cosy book corner during my paris holiday.
silver + gold
CHINESE SLANG & ABBREVIATIONS
**Large part of this list is thanks to @/caerium on twitter for posting some common slang & terms used by Chinese netizens. For a link to their twitter, click here.
+ no pinyin sorry… i thought it might be too confusing
LOVE
cp: couple / ship
tla: dating (谈恋爱)
zqsg: true love (真情实感)
同志: gay person (lit. comrade)
xql: sweethearts (小情侣)
cdx: getting a boyfriend / girlfriend
FANDOM / SOCIAL MEDIA
up / dd / 顶: bump
lz: op (original poster) (楼主)
bp: fans who don’t spend money (白嫖)
pyq: wechat “friend’s circle” or “moments” where you share pictures or posts (朋友圈)
腐女:girls who like bl (boy love) things (lit. rotten woman)
磕: ship it / like it
车: smut (sometimes indicated by a car emoji 🚗)(lit. car)
mz: liking a post in a millisecond (秒赞)
ch: supertopic (超话) (weibo)
sj: someone is secretly following someone else’s weibo / hot topic / etc (视奸)
TERMS OF ADDRESS
jmm / xjm / xjj / xgg: 姐妹们 / 小姐们 / 小姐姐 / 小哥哥 cutesy honorific titles for men & women around the same age as you (lit . older / younger / little sister or brother) (use respectively: 姐: older sister 妹: younger sister 哥: older brother)
宝宝 / 宝贝: baby
公举: princess
老铁: bro, homie
p: photoshop / femme lesbian (stands for pretty /婆 wife)
t: butch lesbian (stands for tomboy / 铁 iron or 老铁 bro)
NUMBERS
666: awesome
555: crying noise boo hoo (呜呜呜)
(5)14: (I) want death (我)要死
no I / 我 = no 5
914: almost dead (就要死)
56: bored (无聊)
5366: I want to chat (我想聊聊)
995: save me (救救我)
520: I love you (我爱你)
918: jiayou 加油吧 (form of encouragement: come on! you can do it! fighting) (lit. add oil)
246: starving (饿死了)
0487: you are an idiot (你是白痴)
36: bitch
250: idiot
530: I miss you (我想你)
88: bye bye (拜拜)
INSULTS
绿茶婊: girl who pretends to be innocent but is really pretentious; basic bitch (lit. green tea bitch)
卖萌: pretending to be cute
土: basic (lit. dirt)
二货: idiot
xxj: childish person (小学鸡)
装b: cocky, pretending to be something you’re not (my dictionary says pretentious prick haha)
sjb: crazy person (神经病)
REALLY / “TO DEATH”
rxl: heart is really tired (really心累)
rsx: really broken hearted (really份心)
xsml: super envious (羡慕死了) (lit. envious to death)
rnb: really awesome or impressive (really牛b)
tcl: really unfortunate (太惨了)
qswl: really mad (气死我了)(lit. mad to death)
xs(w)l: lmao (lit. laugh to death) (笑死(我)了)
no 我 = no “w”
ETC
dbq: sorry (对不起)
dbqdrl: sorry i am intruding (on something) (对不起打扰了)
bhys: sorry (不好意思)
sk: happy birthday (生快 / 生日快乐)
bml: don’t speak bad of / don’t make fun of (别骂了)
wsl: I died (我死了)
bzd: don’t know (不知道)
ky: saying nonsense (胡说)
nbcs: nobody cares
瓜: gossip
算了: forget it (something is impossible… used in break ups sometimes too)
没门儿: no way, not a chance
什么鬼: what the heck
szd: it is real (是真的)
nsdd: you’re right (你说的对)
ttl: too sweet (太甜了)
可: ok / agree
無 / 无: none / no one
锺 / 石锺: proven
没毛病: no problem
萌: cute
酷: cool
feel free to add on it let me know if I made any mistakes!!
Visited a luxury mall in 上海 ✔️
Rode the super fast elevator to the top of the 上海中心大厦 ✔️
Studied Chinese on a 高速火车 ✔️
Met my cousins who don’t speak much English for thr first time ✔️
Climbed 长城 ✔️
Sunday studying at home and in the library Instagram Language YouTube
When and How to Use “不 (Bù)” and “没 (Méi)” for Negative Meaning
Mandarin Chinese does not have a simple and easy way to say “no.” A Chinese student will have to become familiar with the various negative meanings of “不 (bù) not” and “没 (méi) none” to indicate refusal, denial, disappointment and not having something.
As a Mandarin Chinese teacher, there are certain questions that come up time and time again in my classes. One of the most eternal questions that Chinese language learners have is on the difference between “不 (bù) not” and “没 (méi) none.” These common words have similar meaning but are used in different contexts. Both “不 (bù) not” and “没 (méi) none” can be placed in a sentence to make a negative meaning. However, you cannot use them interchangeably.
不 (Bù) = no; not; negative prefix.
没 (Méi) = have not; none; absence; without.
There are five main determinates that I like to introduce to students on when and how to use “不 (bù)” and “没 (méi).”
1. Tense
“没 (Méi) none” is used to deny both the present and past tenses- that is, to negate the actions and things that happen now and in the past, but cannot be used in the future tense.
“不 (Bù) not” is used to deny past, present and future tense.
Examples:
Yǐqián tā méiyǒu qù guò Zhōngguó. 以前他没有去过中国。 He had never been to China before.
Jīntiān tā méi qù xuéxiào. 今天他没去学校。 He didn’t go to school today.
Tā míngtiān bú qù gōngsī. 他明天不去公司。 He will not go to the company tomorrow.
2. Attitude
When the speaker expresses their own attitude and indicates that this behavior has always been the same from the past to the present, the use of “不 (bù) not” is appropriate to use.
Example:
Wǒ bù xǐhuān chī xiāngjiāo. 我不喜欢吃香蕉。 I don’t like to eat bananas.
3. Subjective vs. Objective
“不 (Bù) not” indicates subjective willingness. It often goes hand-in-hand with “是 (shì) indeed”, “像 (xiàng) to resemble”, “应该 (yīnggāi) should” to judge the…
…for the FULL LESSON on “不 (bù) not” vs. “没 (méi) none”, you can READ ALONG WITH US HERE!
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Traditional Chinese Speak Mandarin in 500 Words (PDF) Huayu world beginner to advanced PDFs (really good resource) Lee Katrina Youtube lessons BoPoMoFo Taiwanese song by Louis
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Chinese Internet Slang
Numbers
1314: “For ever”, usually preceded by a phrase such as “I love you” or whatever. 1314 (pinyin: yīsānyīsì) represents 一生一世 “one life, one world” (pinyin: yīshēng yīshì).
233: “laughter" 233 (pinyin:èr sān sān) represents 哈哈哈 (pinyin: hā hā hā).
4242: “Yes” or “It is”, 4242 (pinyin: sìèr sì'èr) represents 是啊是啊 (pinyin: shì’a shì’a).
520: “I love you”. 520 (pinyin: wǔ'èrlíng) represents 我爱你 (pinyin: wǒ ài nǐ).
555: “(crying)”. 555 (pinyin: wǔwǔwǔ) represents 呜呜呜 (pinyin: wūwūwū) the sound of tearful crying.
666: “doing something really well” 666 (pinyin: liùliùliù) represents 溜溜溜 (pinyin:liùliùliù ).
7451 or 7456: “I’m angry”. 7451 (pinyin: qīsìwǔyī) or 7456 (pinyin: qīsìwǔliù) represents 气死我了 (pinyin: qìsǐ wǒle)
748: “Go and die!”, 748 (pinyin: qīsìbā):represents 去死吧 (pinyin: qùsǐba), the equivalent of “Get lost!”, or “Go to hell!”
88: “Bye bye” (goodbye). 88 (pinyin: bābā) represents “bye bye"
995: “Help”, “Save me!” 995 (pinyin: jiǔjiǔwǔ) represents 救救我 (pinyin: jiùjiù wǒ).
Tanghulu (糖葫芦; táng húlú; literally “sugar gourd”) A favorite winter snack of children in northern China. The snack seems to date back to the Song Dynasty. Back then, the Imperial concubine of Emperor Guangzong fell sick and doctors couldn’t cure her. However, a doctor from outside the palace volunteered. He prescribed haws simmered in sugar and water. Before every meal the concubine would eat them and miraculously recovered. The common people heard about the recipe and vendors began putting haws on bamboo skewers and dipping them in sugar. They sold them as snacks and so they became to be the first Tanghulu we know. Nowadays they are still popular and have become an auspicious symbol and highlight of the traditional temple fairs held during the Lunar New Year holidays in Beijing.
51-75
看见 kànjiàn to see
块 kuài unit of currency
来 lái to come
老师 lǎoshī teacher
了 le (completed action marker)
冷 lěng cold
里 lǐ inside
六 liù six
吗 ma (question tag)
妈妈 māma mother
买 mǎi to buy
猫 māo cat
没关系 méi guānxi it doesn’t matter
没有 méiyǒu haven’t
米饭 mǐfàn cooked rice
名字 míngzi name
明天 míngtiān tomorrown
哪 nǎ which (interrogative, followed by a classifier or numeral-classifier)
哪儿 nǎr where
那 nà that
呢 ne (question particle for subjects already mentioned)
能 néng to be able to
你 nǐ you (informal)
年 nián year
女儿 nǚer daughter
Chinese vocabulary: Family
家 jiā - home, family
妈妈 mā ma - mom
母亲 mǔ qin - mother
爸爸 bàba - dad
父亲 fù qīn - father
兄弟姐妹 xiōng dì jiě mèi -siblings
弟弟 dìdi - younger brother
哥哥 gē ge - older brother
妹妹 mèi mei - younger sister
姐姐 jiě jie - older sister
祖父母 zǔ fù mǔ - grandparents
外婆 wài pó - maternal grandmother
奶奶 nǎi nai - paternal grandmother
爷爷 yé ye - paternal grandfather
外公 wài gōng - maternal grandfather
伯伯 bó bo - father’s older brother
叔叔 shū shu - father’s younger brother
舅舅 jiù jiu - mother’s brother
叔叔 shū shu - uncle (general meaning)
阿姨 Ā yí - aunt (general meaning)
姑姑 gū gu - father’s sister
姨妈 yí mā - mother’s sister
孩子 hái zi - children
儿子 Ér zi - son
女儿 nǚ’ér - daughter
Adapted from the series Easily Confused Chinese Characters
15 Common and Useful Chinese Idioms (Chengyu) ✨
🌷 脚踏实地 (jiǎo tà shí dì) 脚踏实地 literally means “to step on solid ground.” It means that you work hard, focus on the fundamentals, and proceed in a steady and stable fashion. It’s an extremely positive chengyu. Here’s an example : “现在我们要继续脚踏实地” “xiànzài wǒmen yào jìxù jiǎotàshídì” “Right now we need to continue staying grounded and pushing ahead”
🌷 九牛一毛 (jiǔ niú yì máo) 九牛一毛 literally means “9 cows and 1 strand of cow hair.” It indicates something that’s so small that it’s like one strand of cow hair among 9 cows. Here’s an example: “电子商务的盈利在中国整体商业环境中简直是九牛一毛.” “diànzǐ shāngwù de yínglì zài zhōngguó zhěngtǐ shāngyè huánjìng zhōng jiǎnzhí shì jiǔniúyìmáo.” “In the entire Chinese commercial environment, the profits from E-commerce are simply just a drop in the bucket.”
🌷 一无所有 (yìwúsuǒyǒu) 一无所有 means to have absolutely nothing at all. It’s basically being penniless. Here’s an example: “他无家可归,一无所有” “tā wújiākěguī, yìwúsuǒyǒu” “He was homeless, and didn’t have a penny to his name.”
🌷 一见钟情(yí jiàn zhōng qíng) 一见钟情 means “love at first sight.” It’s generally used for people, but you can also use it for other physical objects. Here’s an example: “她就是我的一见钟情 “ “tā jiùshì wǒ de yíjiànzhōngqíng“ “She is my love at first sight.”
🌷 自由自在 (zì yóu zì zài) 自由自在 means that something is free and easy. It can be used to describe someone’s personality, how someone behaves, or how a place makes people feel. For example: “这是一个自由自在的地方。” “zhè shì yī gè zì yóu zì zai de dì fāng” “This is a free and easy place”
🌷 莫名其妙 (mò míng qí miào) 莫名其妙 literally means that it’s hard to articulate the profoundness or mystery or something. It basically means that something is baffling. For example: “他说了几句莫名其妙的话。” “tā shuì le jī gōu mò míng qí miào de huà” “He said some mysterious words. ”
🌷 半途而废 (bàn tú ér fèi) 半途而废 means to start doing something, only to give up halfway. Literally, it means to walk half the road and give up. Here’s an example: “我不是半途而废的人” “wǒ búshì bàntúérfèi de rén” “I’m not someone who gives up halfway”
🌷 抛砖引玉 (pāo zhuān yǐn yù) 抛砖引玉 (pāo zhuān yǐn yù) basically means you’re “just tossing an idea out there.” It literally means “to cast a brick to attract jade.” You’re basically saying, “this idea I’m tossing out there is garbage, but perhaps it will lead one of you to make a better contribution.” It’s a humble way to contribute to a conversation. Here’s an example: “我的建议还不够成熟,算是抛砖引玉吧 “ “wǒ de jiàn yì hái bú gòu chéng shú, suàn shì pāo zhuān yǐn yù ba “ “My suggestion is still half-baked — you could see it as just me tossing an idea out there“
🌷 豁然开朗 (huò rán kāi lǎng) 豁然开朗 (huò rán kāi lǎng) has two meanings which are linked. The first meaning is the refreshing and liberating feeling you get when you see a beautiful, open area. Typically, immediately before this moment, the beautiful area is not visible and you might be feeling a little stuffy. Second, it’s also used for the feeling you get when you achieve an “aha” or “eureka!” moment. Here’s an example: “大学时期,乔尼开始有机会用Mac做设计,那是一种豁然开朗的体验“ “dàxué shíqí, qiáoní kāishǐ yǒujīhuì yòng Mac zuò shèjì, nàshì yīzhǒng huòránkāilǎng de tǐyàn” “During college, Jony began to have opportunities to use a Mac to design, and that was a refreshing, eye-opening experience”
🌷 津津有味 (jīn jīn yǒu wèi) 津津有味 means to eat something deliciously. Also, it can be used for activities beyond just eating, as long as the person doing the activity finds it engaging. It’s not something that people typically use to describe themselves, but you can liberally use it on your friends as it has a positive tone. Here’s an expressive example: “津津有味地看报” “jīnjīnyǒuwèi de kànbào” “to devour the newspaper”
🌷 理所当然 (lǐ suǒ dāng rán) 理所当然 sounds like “to go without saying” or “as a matter of course,” but literally means that “according to reason, it should be the case.” Here’s an example: “Some things which are obvious or natural in the course of a marriage…” “。。。在婚姻中的一些~的事。。。” “。。。zài hūnyīn zhōng de yīxiē ~de shì 。。。”
🌷 全力以赴 (quán lì yǐ fù) 全力以赴 basically means to give it your all (literally “exert all your strength”) for a goal. It has a positive tone, and is somewhat formal but can still be used in everyday speech. It’s important to note that 全力以赴 is typically used for actions that haven’t finished yet, rather than actions that have already been completed. Here’s an example: “无论考生的笔试成绩如何,都要全力以赴准备面试” “wúlùn kǎoshēng de bǐshì chéngjì rúhé ,dōuyào quánlìyǐfù zhǔnbèi miànshì” “No matter how the student’s written test score is, he/she needs to give 100% to prepare for the interview”
🌷 心血来潮 (xīn xuè lái cháo) 心血来潮 basically means “spur of the moment” or “on a whim.” Literally, it evokes the image of blood rushing to your heart (of course in English we’d say head). It’s a perfect chengyu for when you’re telling a story a friend. For example: “某日他们心血来潮,决定比拼一下各自的脚法“ “mǒu rì tāmen xīnxuèláicháo,juédìng bǐpīn yíxià gèzì de jiǎofǎ” “One day, on a spur of the moment, they decided to compare and compete to see whose footwork was best”
🌷 乱七八糟 (luàn qī bā zāo) 乱七八糟 means that something is a total mess. You can use it to describe tangible things like messy rooms, or more abstract things, like a messed up life. For example: 是谁弄得乱七八糟的? “shì shéi nòng de luàn qī bā zāo de?” “who made this mess?”
🌷 不可思议 (bù kě sī yì) 不可思议 means that something is noteworthy or amazing in an unexpected way. It can be used for things which are really amazing (eg. magic or larger phenomena) but also for unexpected, everyday occurrences. For example: “真是不可思议,我的名字跟你一样!” “zhēn shi bù kĕ sī yì wŏ de míng zi gēn nĭ yī yàng” “It’s incredible, I have the same name as you!”
thinking in your target language: coherent and eloquent sentences. you use every verb tense perfectly, the grammatical genders are all correct, and your intonation is like a native speaker’s.
actually speaking your target language: