Category: Chinese Grammar

Chinese phrase translation: 孔雀女 (kǒngquènǚ) peacock woman

孔雀女 (kǒngquènǚ) peacock woman Usage: “孔雀女”指一些女孩,她们生活在大城市,从小受父母疼爱、生活富足、无忧无虑,金钱观念淡薄,择偶时并不十分注重物质条件。“孔雀女” is a term for girls who live in cities, have been loved by their parents from the day they were born, and have led lives of luxury. They are apathetic towards money and do not pay much attention to the financial situations of suitors.

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Chinese phrase translation: 凤凰男 (fènghuángnán) phoenix man

凤凰男 (fènghuángnán) phoenix man Usage: “凤凰男”是指家境贫寒的农村男孩,通过自己的勤奋和努力,依靠自身的能力在城市里立足。他们一般都拥有一份不错的工作,和城市女孩结婚,并逐渐融入城市生活。“凤凰男” means a poor rural boy who relies on his own abilities to gain a foothold in the cities through diligence and effort. He usually has a good job, a wife from the city, and has gradually integrated into city life.

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Chinese grammar: Expressing actions in progress (full form)

You may have learned that 在 (zài) and 正在 (zhèngzài) can be used before verbs to express that an action is ongoing or in progress. They are used to create the Mandarin equivalent of present continuous in English. But that pattern is actually a part of a longer, fuller pattern. It's rarely used in its full form, but bits and pieces of it are frequently used in everyday speech, so it's important to know the full form, even if you don't use it regularly yourself.

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