Apple Chinese in New York

01/28/2017

Written and recorded by Ramon Colon and Bodo von Zingler in Chengdu, Sichuan, China, summer 2016. Featuring rap by BB Gamer. Audio production by Dadi Sofine,...

04/11/2016

Thomas, a young man from Germany, did a very funny skit about Shanghainese grandparents using Shanghai dialect

男版papi醬阿福Thomas 【阿福来了】外国小伙客串中国有爱的爷爷奶奶外公外婆:男版papi醬阿福Thomas...

03/13/2016

Language Tips 25: Mandarin Idiomatic Phrases (1) 汉语中的惯用语 (1)

装门面：(zhuāng mén miàn)

Translation: to decorate the front of one’s store.
Meaning: to embellish something just for appearance's sake, to
keep up appearances (the expression carries a negative meaning)

Eg 1: 我买个文凭，装装门面。（wǒ mǎi ge wén píng, zhuāng zhuāng mén miàn.）
I bought a diploma to make myself look good.

Eg 2: 他的那些书只是装门面 — 他从来不看。（tā de nà xiē shū zhǐ shì zhuāng mén miàn--tā cóng lái bú kàn.）
He only has those books for show he never reads them.

Eg3: 把花瓶放在门口，装门面。（bǎ huā píng fàng zài mén kǒu, zhuāng mén miàn）
Put the vase in the doorway to look nice.

03/12/2016

Dudes, you have to try "Lao Gan Ma" spicy sauce... at least once while you are in China.

It was on a 2003 trip to China that the Fischers, an American couple from Raleigh, North Carolina, first discovered Lao Gan Ma chili sauce. They were browsing the condiment aisle in a local grocery store when they spotted the glass jar with its bright red label.

03/12/2016

It will only take to read this post! Chinese Modal Particles Modal particle (yǔ qì zhù cí) 语气助词 are used in the Chinese language to express a certain ‘mood’. Modal Particles are always used at either the end of a sentence or during a pause in the middle of a sentence. In this article we will look at…

03/12/2016

I won’t pretend to understand all the factors that explain the stock market situation (not even, like, a little bit), but I do know about some interesting and encouraging business news coming out of the Middle Kingdom:

03/10/2016

Language Tips 24：Second Day of the Second Lunar Month: Dragon Head-Raising Day 今天是“二月二龙抬头”

1. 二月二龙抬头：èr yuè èr, lóng tái tóu
(Chinese proverb as well as a Chinese festival marking the arrival of spring and movements of the dragon)
on the second day of the second month (of the lunar calendar), the dragon raises its head.

2. 春龙节：chūn lóng jié
(another name of the festival) Spring Dragon Day

Traditional food of the day: 春饼卷豆芽和猪头肉（chūn bǐng juǎn dòu yá hé zhū tóu ròu）

3. 春饼：chūn bǐng
(round) spring pancakes which shape like dragon scales

4. 豆芽：dòu yá，bean sprouts

5. 猪头肉：zhū tóu ròu
(symbolizing dragon head) pig head meat

6. 龙须面：lóng xū miàn
(long and thin Chinese noodles) Dragon beard noodles

7. The most well-known tradition on this day:
理发：lǐ fà，cutting hair

03/06/2016

Language Tips 23: 10 things showing a foreigner has become very Chinese (The list goes on…Welcome to add to it!) 老外中国化的十个细节

(Image source: China Daily)

1. 到了朋友家，先换鞋。
（dào le péng yǒu jiā，xiān huàn xié）
When arriving at friends’ house, they first change shoes.

2. 冬天喝热水。（dōng tiān hē rè shuǐ）
Drinking hot water in winter.

3. 知道自己的生肖。（zhī dào zì jǐ de shēng xiāo）
Knowing his / her Chinese horoscope.

4. 喜欢吃中国的街边小吃。（xǐ huān chī zhōng guó de jiē biān xiǎo chī）
Fond of eating Chinese local street food.

5. 和快递员关系很好。（hé kuài dì yuán guān xì hěn hǎo）
Being on friendly terms with the package delivery man.

6. 在阳台上晾衣服。（zài yáng tái liàng shàng yī fú）
Hanging clothes to dry on the balcony.

7. 骑自行车去买菜。（qí zì xíng chē qù mǎi cài）
Go grocery shopping by bike.

8. 不点“美式中餐”，经常点中国人爱吃的菜。
（bù diǎn“měi shì zhōng cān”, jīng cháng diǎn zhōng guó rén ài chī de cài）
Instead of ordering Americanized Chinese food, they often order food favored by Chinese people.

9. 说话经常使用 “中国成语”。（shuō huà jīng cháng shǐyòng “ zhōng guó chéng yǔ”）
Often using Chinese idioms when talking.

10. 有个中文说得很溜的儿子。（ yǒu ge zhōng wén shuō de hěn liù de ér zi）
Having a son who speaks Chinese fluently.

03/05/2016

Dile adiós a la comida china a domicilio.

03/04/2016

That's Mandarin Chinese Language School was founded in 2005 and has campuses in both Beijing and Shanghai. We welcome over 3000 students to study Chinese in China and join our range of Chinese Programs and Summer Chinese Camps. We offer both part-time and intensive Chinese courses and students can c…

03/04/2016

The best thing about living in China is the food. Cheap, healthy, varied, and mouth-wateringly delicious – China is a 吃货 (chī huò) - "foodie" heaven.

03/04/2016

Language Tips 22: Complaining about Issues of Your Apartments 房子又出问题了！

1. 灯不亮了。（dēng bú liàng le）
The lights don’t work.

2. 楼上邻居太吵。（lóu shàng lín jū tài chǎo）
The upstairs neighbors are very noisy.

3. 暖气坏了。（nuǎn qì huài le）
The heater is broken.

4. 停电了。（tíng diàn le）
The power is out / the electricity stopped.

5. 水管堵了。（shuǐ guǎn dǔ le）
The pipes are clogged.

6. 没有热水。（méi yǒu rè shuǐ）
There is no hot water.

7. 快给物业 / 管理员打电话。（kuài gěi wù yè / guǎn lǐ yuán dǎ diàn huà）
Quickly call the property management / superintendent. (This is an imperative sentence expressing urging and advice. The subject ’你’ is absent)

8. 房子里有老鼠。（fáng zi lǐ yǒu lǎo shǔ）
There are rats in the house / the house has rats.

9. 马桶堵了。（mǎ tǒng dǔ le）
The toilet is clogged.

10. 修理员明天会来修…。（xiū lǐ yuán míng tiān huì lái xiū…）
The repairman will come to repair … tomorrow.

11. … 漏水了。（… lòu shuǐ le）
… is leaking.

12. 有怪味儿。（yǒu guài wèir）
There’s a strange smell.