Category: Chinese Grammar

After looking in any respectable dictionary you quickly become aware that 点can mean, well, just about anything. However some of the more common meanings include: drop, spot, point, dot, a little and select. Hopefully the following list will help you to understand the essence that is 点.

Most Common 同音词 (Word-Homophones) in Mandarin

I say “word-homophones” deliberately, since I’m referring specifically to 同音词 (homophones made up of multi-character words), not 同音字 (“character-homophones”, when two characters have the same pronunciation).

Unites of Beer

1 drop= 一滴 yì dī 1 glass/cup = 一杯 yì bēi 1 can = 一听 / 一罐 yì tīnɡ / yí ɡuàn

A secret technique for Chinese fluency

The hardest part of Chinese is that it feels arbitrary. It has its own logic, but it takes trial and error to figure it out.Wouldn’t it be great if there was a shortcut?A way that you could almost learn from your mistakes before even making them?

What is Measure Words in Chinese?

It looks complicated at first, as there are millions of them. Fortunately, you do not need to remember millions. Although, you may not always have an equivalent in English, you can use some tips to get the concept in several minutes.

(1) běn is generally used as a counter for book-like objects, such as books, dictionaries, pictorials (bound stuff)
(2) zhī : long round objects use zhī-such as pens and pencils
(3) zhāng: large flat objects are counted with zhāng-such as tables
(4) liàng: for Vehicles etc
(5) jià: for airplanes etc
(6) sōu: related with -ship, such as: boats, spaceships and ships etc

Basically, the most commonly used measure word is 个(gè).If you do not know the proper meausre word for some items, it is time to try 个(gè) instead. Native Mandarin speakers do understand what you are talking about. Just remember to ask your Chinese friends what the correct measure word should be after that.

Chinese grammar:Basic comparisons with 不比bu bi

Often Chinese speakers will say something (or someone!) is not as good/strong/smart as something else. This is one the grammar patterns they use.

Chinese grammar:Causative verbs

Causative verbs are verbs that cause people to do things, surprisingly enough. In English, these are verbs like "make", "have" and "get", as in "get Billy to eat dinner." The "get" is the causative verb.

Chinese phrase translation: 替罪羊(tìzuìyáng) scapegoat

替罪羊(tìzuìyáng) scapegoat; fall guyUsage:Sentences:

Chinese grammar: Must modal 得dei

Learning how to use 得 to mean "must" must be done by those wishing to master Chinese!Structure
Normally when you see 得 it’s a particle and is pronounced "de". However, it can also be an auxiliary verb. In this case it’s pronounced děi and means "must".