How Many Basic Strokes in Chinese?

Basic strokes

Writing rules of Chinese character strokes

Do You Know How Many Tones in Chinese?

声调：汉语的每一个字都有一个声调；声调在汉语中起着非常重要的作用；汉语有四个基本声调。

Tones：Tones play a very important role in Chinese. Each Chinese character has one tone. There are four tones in Chinese plus a neutral tone.

(1)     一声调值高而平（5—5）。

The first tone is high and flat.

(2)     二声从中调值起，升至最高值（3—5）。

The second tone rises from the middle to the top.

(3)     三声从中低调值开始降低，然后稍有升高到中高调（2—1—4）。

The third tone dips from low to lower and then rises slightly.

(4)     四声从调值最高开始，直降到底(5—1)。

The fourth tone falls from the top to the bottom.

声调音高示意图 Illustration of Tones

Common Greeting Words

rì cháng wèn hòu yǔ 

日  常    问  候  语

Common Greeting Words

1.     你好！ 2.     早上好！ 3.     早 4.     谢谢。 5.     不客气。 6.     对不起。 7.     没关系。 8.     再见！ 9.     晚安！ 10.  明天见！ 11.  周末愉快！

1.  nǐ hǎo！ 2.  zǎo shàng hǎo！ 3.  zǎo 4.  xiè xie 5.  bú kè qi 6.  duì bu qǐ 7.  méi guān xi 8.  zài jiàn 9.  wǎn ān 10.míng tiān jiàn 11.zhōu mò yú kuài

Hello! How are you? Good morning! Morning Thank you. You are welcome. I am sorry. It doesn’t matter. Bye Good night. See you tomorrow. Have a good weekend.

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Chllenge Your Chinese Level

How is your Chinese level? Here are some brainstorm questions. Have a test on yourself and see how many you can answer without hestitating.

1 什么东西经常会来，但却从没真正来过？

  What is often coming ,but has never come indeed?

2小王与父母头一次出国旅行，由于语言不通，他的父母显得不知所措，小王也不懂丝毫外语，他也不是聋哑人，却象在自己国家里一样未曾感到丝毫不便,这是为什么？

 It is Xiaowang’s first time traveling abroad,his patents don’t know what to do because they don’t know the language.Xiaowang doesn’t any of the language,he is a healthy person.But he is traveling like in his own country,so why is this?

3 怎样才能用蓝笔写出红字来？

  How can you write a red character with a blue pen?

4 太平洋的中间是什么？

What is in the middle of the Pacific Ocean? 

5什么东西明明是你的,而别人比你还常用它? 

  What is the thing that belongs to you ,but others use it more often than you ?

答案： 

1 明天 （ tomorrow）                       

2 小王是个婴儿  （ Xiaowang is a baby）

3 可以的，用蓝笔写“红”字  （ Write the character 红 with with a blue pen）

 4 平   （ the character Ping ）

 5 我的名字    （ my name ）

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Double Ninth Festival

重阳节

chóng yáng jié

Double Ninth Festival

时间：农历九月初九

Time：October 13th，2013

别称：登高节、老年节、老人节

Other names：  Hiking Festival，Senior citizen’s Day

习俗：登高、饮菊花酒、吃花糕、佩带茱萸、敬老等

Customs:   Hiking, Drink chrysanthesmum wine，Eat Chongyang cake，wear Zhuyu，Respect the elder

The Double Ninth Festival (Chung Yang Festival ) observed on the ninth day of the ninth month in the Chinese calendar, is a traditional Chinese holiday, mentioned in writing since before the East Han, period (before AD 25).

According to the I Ching, nine is a Yang number; the ninth day of the ninth lunar month (or double nine) has too much Yang (a traditional Chinese spiritual concept) and is thus a potentially dangerous date. Hence, the day is also called "Double Yang Festival" (重阳节). To protect against danger, it is customary to climb a high mountain, drink chrysanthemum wine, and wear the Zhuyu (茱萸) plant, (Both chrysanthemum and Zhuyu are considered to have cleansing qualities and are used on other occasions to air out houses and cure illnesses.) new China, where the festival is also an opportunity to care for and appreciate the elderly

In Double Ninth may have originated as a day to drive away danger, but like the Chinese New Year, over time it became a day of celebration. In contemporary times it is an occasion for hiking and chrysanthemum appreciation. Stores sell rice cakes (糕 "gāo", a homophone for height 高) with mini colorful flags to represent Zhuyu. Most people drink chrysanthemum tea, while a few traditionalists drink homemade chrysanthemum wine. Children learn poems about chrysanthemums, and many localities host chrysanthemum exhibits. Mountain climbing races are also popular; winners get to wear a wreath made of Zhuyu.

One day a man named Huan Jing believed that a monster bringing pestilence was coming. He told his countrymen to hide on a hill while he went to defeat the monster. Later, people celebrated Huan Jing's defeat of the monster on the ninth day of the ninth lunar month.

Poem

There is an often-quoted poem about the holiday:

九月九日忆山东兄弟

jiǔ yuè jiǔ rì yì shān dōng xiōng dì

独在异乡为异客,

dú zài yì xiāng wéi yì kè

每逢佳节倍思亲.

měi féng jiā jié bèi sī qīn

遥知兄弟登高处,

yáo zhī xiōng dì dēng gāo chù

遍插茱萸少一人.

biàn chā zhū yú shǎo yī rén

English:

"Double Ninth, Missing My Shandong Brothers"

— Wang Wei(王维)Tang Dynasty

On the ninth day of the ninth month, I remember my brothers from Shan Dong.

As a lonely stranger in a foreign land,

At every holiday my homesickness increases.

Far away, I know my brothers have reached the peak;

They are planting flowers, but one is not present.

Chinese National Day

History
The word Chinese National Day, appeared in Chinese language as early as in the Western Jin Dynasty (265 - 316 AD). In ancient China, it usually fell on the day when the emperor ascended the throne or was born. Nowadays, it is celebrated on October 1st every year to commemorate the founding of People’s Republic of China. On that day, lots of large-scaled activities are held nationwide. Besides, the seven-day holiday from Oct. 1st to 7th is the so-called "Golden Week”, during which more and more Chinese people go traveling around the country.
Origin
October 1st, 1949 was the memorial day for the founding of the People’s Republic of China. One thing should be noted is that the PRC was not founded on that day, but on September 21st, 1949. The grand ceremony held at Tiananmen Square on October 1st, 1949 was to celebrate the forming of the Central People's Government of the brand new country. Later on October 2nd, 1949, the new government passed the ‘Resolution on the National Day of the People's Republic of China’ and declared October 1 to be the National Day. Ever since 1950, every October 1st has been grandly celebrated by Chinese people
Holiday Schedule
The legal holiday for National Day is currently 3 days in mainland China. In mainland, the 3-day is usually connected with the weekends ahead and after, hence people can enjoy a 7-day holiday from Oct. 1st to 7th, which is the well-known “Golden Week”. This is the longest public holiday in China besides the Spring Festival holiday. Falling in the autumn generally with clear weather and comfortable temperature, the holiday is a popular period for travel.

Continue to learn Chinese in Beijing at CLE after Chinese National Day!

Walk Around Tianjin During the Mid-Autumn Festival

During the three-day mid-autumn festival, the three of us, Michael, Charlen, Rotem went to Tianjin.

It was only half an hour by express train.We arrived there around 3p.m. on September 20.We went to the Food Street first.

We had a lot of delicious food there.The best ones are: Gou bu li baozi. So tasty!
After dinner, we went out for fun. We went to have a ride at Tian jin Eye, it is very famous, and we had a good time in it.

Walking in the city is very interesting. We walked for a long time in the city and found a lot of interesting things.

Tian jin is quite close to Beijing  so it is easier for us to find a train back to the capital.
Tianjin is a great city.

This is CLE students' journey of Tianjin! Join us to make it easy and happy to learn chinese in Beijing.

The Story of Chang'e and Hou Yi

Long long ago, there were 10 suns in the sky. They burnt all the plants on the earth. People were dying.
One day, a hero whose name was Hou Yi used his bow and arrows to shoot down nine of them. All the people on the earth were saved.
One day, the queen of heaven gave Hou Yi a bottle elixir that could make Hou Yi become an immortal, but the elixir was only efficacious for one person. Hou Yi did want to become an immortal, but he wanted to stay with his beautiful wife Chang'e more, so he didn't drink the elixir and asked his wife Chang'e to keep it for him.
Hou Yi was becoming more and more famous after he shot down the nine suns and more and more men wanted Hou Yi to be their master. Most of them were accepted by Hou Yi.
Not every student of Hou Yi had good morality. Feng Meng, one of his students, wanted to seize his elixir. One day, Hou Yi went hunting with his students, but Feng Meng pretended to be ill and stay at home. When making sure Hou Yi had gone he went to Hou Yi's house and tried to force Chang'e to give him the elixir. Chang'e knew she couldn't defeat Feng Meng so she drank the elixir immediately. The elixir made her become an immortal and fly higher and higher. Finally, she stopped on the moon.
From then on, people often pray to Chang'e for fortune and safety. During the Mid-Autumn Festival they offer lots of foods to Chang'e.
 
Wu Gang and the Cherry Bay
Wu Gang was a woodchopper. He always wanted to become an immortal, but he never tried his best to learn the necessary theurgy. The Jade Emperor got angry with him because of his attitude. In order to punish him, the Jade Emperor planted a huge cherry bay, which was 1665 meters (5460 ft) high, on the moon and ordered Wu Gang to chop it down, then Wu Gang could become an immortal.
This time, Wu Gang was very serious, but he could never finish his work. The cherry bay healed every time that Wu Gang chopped it. Wu Gang wouldn’t give up. He tried time and time again.
On unclouded nights people can see some obvious shadows on the moon. They are made by the huge cherry bay.
 
The Jade Rabbit
One day, three immortals that were living in heaven came to the earth. They asked a fox, a monkey and a rabbit to find some food for them respectively. The fox and the monkey both found something for the three immortals while the rabbit got nothing. The rabbit felt very sorry for the three immortals. Finally, he jumped into the fire and said to the three immortals, "Eat me, please!" The three immortal were deeply moved by the rabbit. They decided to give the rabbit the title of "Jade Rabbit" and let him accompany Chang'e in the Moon Palace.

Now, join CLE for experience traditional Chinese culture! Our official website: www.chinaledu.com

My First Moon Cake at CLE

The Mid-Autumn Festival is one of the most important festivities in China, According to Chinese lunar calendar, the 15th day of the 8th month is the exact midst of autumn, so it's called the Mid-Autumn Festival. The Mid-Autumn Festival is an evening celebration when families gather together to light lanterns, eat moon cakes and appreciate the round moon. On that night, the moon appears to be at its roundest and brightest. The full moon is a symbol for family reunion, which is why that day is also known as the Festival of Reunion. The Mid-Autumn Festival celebrations date back to more than 2,000 years ago. In feudal times, Chinese emperors prayed to Heaven for a prosperous year. They chose the morning of the 15th day of the second lunar month to worship the sun and the night of the 15th day of the eighth lunar month to hold a ceremony in praise of the moon. In the western district of Beijing is the Yuetan Park, which originally was the Temple of Moon, and every year the emperor would go there to offer a sacrifice to the moon. This ancient custom became prevalent in the Tang Dynasty (618-907) that people enjoyed and worshipped the full moon. In the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279), however, people sent round moon cakes to their relatives as gifts in expression of their best wishes of family reunion. When it turned dark, they gazed up at the full silver moon or went sightseeing by lakes, to celebrate the festival. Since the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing dynasties (1644-1911), the custom of Mid-Autumn Festival celebration has become unprecedentedly popular. Together with the celebration appeared some special customs in different parts of the country, such as burning incense, planting Mid-Autumn trees, lighting lanterns on towers and fire dragon dances, etc. Whenever the festival sets in, people would look up at the full silver moon, drinking wine to celebrate their happy life, or thinking of their relatives and friends far from home and extending all of their best wishes to them. In mid-autumn, farmers have just finished gathering their crops and bringing in fruits from the orchards. They are overwhelmed with joy when they have a bumper harvest and at the same time, they feel quite relaxed after a year of hard work. So the 15th day of the eighth lunar month (the Mid-Autumn Festival) has gradually evolved as a widely celebrated festival for ordinary people. Night falls. The land is bathed in silver moonlight. Families set up tables in their courtyards or sit together on their balconies, chatting and sharing offerings to the moon. Together, they enjoy the enchanting spell of night. Naturally, they are reminded of beautiful legends about the moon.

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The Strategy for Remembering “前”and “后”

Many Chinese learners find it very difficult to use “前”and “后”

 如: 前天，后天，两天前，五天后，前面，后面，。。。。

 Here is the strategy for remembering these words.

 1 .When talking about time,just remember we need to check the calendar. If you talk about the past time,you need to tear that day of paper off, so the related time all belongs to “前”------ 前天，前年，两天前，很久很久以前……If you talk about the future,the day paper is still on the calendar,therefore it comes later,this can help student understand the idea “后”------ 后天，后年，两天后，以后…….

 2 When talking about the position,all things in front of your eyes or something else belong to “前”------ 他坐在我前边。     

医院前边是一家超市。

 All things behind your eyes or something else belong to “后”------ 我坐在他后边。

超市在医院后边。  

2 你的汉语怎么样？这里有个词语游戏，里边有很多双音节的词语，只要两个字相连，前后左右、斜着都可以成词，试一试，你能找到多少次吧？

安	以	干	能	下	高	提	向
所	净	可	信	手	兴	方	法
奇	好	心	答	该	画	趣	公
怪	爱	热	回	应	比	如	作
别	色	餐	聚	较	运	动	活
脸	特	会	厅	适	合	情	感
由	自	然	规	意	商	场	况
于	后	定	稳	得	量	重	市

1---- 5 个           马马虎虎

6----10 个           一般

11-15个            厉害

16 个以上          汉语达人  

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