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.