tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-53249385718763074842011-04-22T00:15:30.789-04:30Handy words and phrases in numeric pinyin so you can practice your Chinese language pronunciation!Kika Bisognohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10565280340815760558noreply@blogger.comBlogger211100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5324938571876307484.post-79042165182792241162008-11-11T22:10:00.004-04:302008-11-11T22:37:08.028-04:30

On Monday, November 10th, 2008, George Bush, the President of the United States (美国总统布什在 • Mei3guo2 zong3tong3bu4shi2zai4), welcomed (欢迎• huan1yin2) President-elect (当选总统 • dang1xuan3 zong3tong3) Barack Obama and his wife (夫人• fu1ren5), Michelle (米歇尔 • mi3 xie1er3) Obama to a visit to the White House.Obama and Bush met at the Oval Office (椭圆形办公室 • tuo3yuan2xing2 ban4gong1shi4) while first lady (

Kika Bisognohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10565280340815760558noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5324938571876307484.post-4097097496362497372007-10-03T11:57:00.001-04:002008-12-10T10:40:18.907-04:30

Luciano Pavarotti in Vélodrome Stadium, 15/06/02. Cropped version.It's been almost a month since Pavarotti (帕瓦囉蒂 • pa4wa3luo2di4) passed away (去世 • qu4shi4)!(I have been wanting to write about him for a while but, the truth is that I could not figure out how to write his name in Chinese.)Luciano (盧恰諾 • Lu2qia4nuo4) Pavarotti was born (生於 • sheng1yu2) on October 12th, 1935 in Italy (意大利 •

Kika Bisognohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10565280340815760558noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5324938571876307484.post-84176549332985444012007-09-29T14:17:00.000-04:002008-12-10T10:40:19.112-04:30

In the city of Huaibei, in the Province of Anhui (安徽省 • An1hui1sheng3), the Oriental Cherries (櫻花 • ying1hua1) belonging to the Rosaceae genus (薔薇科 • qiang2 wei2 ke1) of trees (樹 • shu4) once again (再度 • zai4 du4) have begun blooming (花開 • hua1 kai1).The Oriental Cherry is a defoliating (落葉喬木 • luo4 ye4 jiao1 mu4) tree with a glossy (光澤 • guang1 ze2) purple-brownish (紫褐色 • zi3 he4 se4) bark (樹皮

Kika Bisognohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10565280340815760558noreply@blogger.com155tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5324938571876307484.post-5810654605123168302007-09-27T13:12:00.001-04:002008-12-10T10:40:19.316-04:30

A villager (村民 • cun1 min2) from Guandong province (廣東省 • Guang3dong1 sheng3) captured (獲 • huo4) a wild (野生 • ye3 sheng1) turtle (鱉 • bie1) which the experienced fisherman guessed (猜測 • cai1 ce4) could be at least 500 years old (五百歲了 • wu3bai3 sui4 le5).While fishing (釣 • diao4) in a brook near the Raoping district in the city of Chaozhou (潮州市饒平縣 • Chao2zhou1 shi4 Rao2ping2 xian4), he detected (

Kika Bisognohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10565280340815760558noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5324938571876307484.post-12765043594209590592007-09-25T20:19:00.001-04:002008-12-10T10:40:19.483-04:30

It is very important to pay particular attention (講究 • jiang3 jiu4) to the correct food combination (正確的搭配 • zheng4 que4 de5 da1 pei4) we serve on our tables (桌 • zhuo1). The proper mixture of foods can allow us to obtain (獲得 • huo4 de2) an excellent nutrition (營養 • ying2 yang3); however, the wrong combination (錯誤搭配 • cuo4wu4 da1pei4) might even put our health (身體 • shen1 ti3) in jeopardy (危害 •

Kika Bisognohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10565280340815760558noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5324938571876307484.post-14600752295872554152007-09-22T11:34:00.000-04:002008-12-10T10:40:19.678-04:30

According to the "Daily Telegraph" (每日電訊報 • mei3ri4 dian4xun4 bao4), a lock of 10 hairs (10束頭髮 • shi2shu4 tou2fa5) belonging to the late Beethoven (貝多芬 • Bei4duo1fen1) have been turned into a diamond (鑽石 • zuan4 shi2) which is expected to auction (拍賣 • pai1 mai4) for at least £500,000 (５０萬英鎊 • wu3shi2 wan4 ying1bang4).This is the first time in history ( 有史以來第一次 • you3 shi3 yi3 lai2 di4 yi1 ci4)

Kika Bisognohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10565280340815760558noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5324938571876307484.post-32100931691369157142007-09-20T18:20:00.000-04:002008-12-10T10:40:19.853-04:30

Mid-Autumn Festival (中秋節 • zhong1qiu1jie2) is a popular Asian festival that celebrates abundance and togetherness and which dates back over 3,000 years. It falls on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month of the Chinese calendar. This year it will celebrated on the 25th of September.Mooncakes (月餅 • yue4bing3), traditionally eaten during this festival, are round thick pastries with a salted egg yolk

Kika Bisognohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10565280340815760558noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5324938571876307484.post-68986515338255574582007-09-18T14:02:00.000-04:002008-12-10T10:40:20.007-04:30

On September 13th, the price of Crude Oil (原油 • yuan2 you2) reached the historical record (歷史紀錄 • li4 shi3 ji4 lu4) price (價格 • jia4 ge2) of 80 US Dollars (美元 • mei3 yuan2) per barrel (每桶 • mei3 tong3) at the New York Mercantile Exchange (紐約商品交易市場 • niu3yue1 shang1pin3 jiao1yi4 shi4chang3); likewise, at the London (倫惇 • lun2dun1) Commodity Exchange, it reached 77.5 US dollar per barrel. This is

Kika Bisognohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10565280340815760558noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5324938571876307484.post-28329880641807460872007-09-16T14:59:00.000-04:002008-12-10T10:40:20.185-04:30

Gorillas (大猩猩 • da4 xing1xing5), the largest living primates and human's closest relatives (类最近的近亲 • ren2lei4 zui4jin4 de5 jin4 qin1), are seriously at risk of extinction (滅絕 • mie4 jue2)In the past 15 years ( 在过去15年 • zai4 guo4qu5 shi2wu3nian2), the Ebola (埃博拉 • ai1 bo2 la1) virus (病毒 • bing4 du2] )has made 1/3 of the gorilla's population disappear. Scientist (科學家• ke1 xue2 jia1) warn that if

Kika Bisognohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10565280340815760558noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5324938571876307484.post-17016581420962172192007-09-14T08:18:00.000-04:002008-12-10T10:40:20.434-04:30

The world famous Barbie Doll (芭比娃娃 • ba1bi3 wa2wa5) will journey through China for the first time in her life. From January 2008 to January 2009 she will be on a traveling exhibition (巡展 • xun2zhan3) through several of China's major cities (大城市 • da4cheng2shi4): 重庆 • Chong2qing4, 青岛 • Qing1dao3, 杭州 • Hang2zhou1, 昆明• Kun1ming2, 上海 • Shang4hai3 and 北京 • Bei3jing1.Barbie was created by Ruth Handler

Kika Bisognohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10565280340815760558noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5324938571876307484.post-29888446520158672722007-09-12T08:23:00.000-04:002008-12-10T10:40:20.581-04:30

Li Yu (李煜 • li3 yu4) was the last emperor of the Southern Tang dynasty. He was known as Li Houzhu (李後主 • li3 hou4zhu3), literally "the latter Lord Li"; as Houzhu of Southern Tang (南唐後主 • nan2 tang2 hou4zhu3), literally "the latter lord of Southern Tang", and posthumously, as Prince of Wu (吳王• wu2 wang2).He was also a poet. His best-known poems were composed during the years after the Song

Kika Bisognohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10565280340815760558noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5324938571876307484.post-14362061526475341202007-09-09T14:16:00.000-04:002008-12-10T10:40:20.755-04:30

I was always told that breakfast was the most important meal of the day. From what I have read, it seems that the nutrients consumed at breakfast are utilized more efficiently by the body since they provide a steady stream of glucose to the body. In western countries, the breakfast meal usually includes plenty of carbohydrates and proteins. The picture shown is that of a typical 西部 早餐 • xi1bu4

Kika Bisognohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10565280340815760558noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5324938571876307484.post-47736713227627076502007-09-07T18:47:00.000-04:002008-12-10T10:40:21.798-04:30

Learning to speak Chinese is no easy task. It requires a lot of commitment and perseverance. The process can be so frustrating at times you may be tempted to just drop it!.There are literally thousands of resources available on the web to help you in your studies but one thing I have found to be of enormous help is watching Chinese movies. I cover the subtitles and listen to the audio in Mandarin

Kika Bisognohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10565280340815760558noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5324938571876307484.post-24737658440357687652007-09-06T21:40:00.000-04:002008-12-10T10:40:22.028-04:30

If you to China hoping to learn Tai Chi, you will probably end up studying something entirely different!The correct word is 太極拳 • Tai4ji2quan2 which some people translate as Shadow Boxing. Tai4ji2quan2 combines exercise and fighting skills and it contains rich ancient Chinese philosophy. It integrates concepts from several martial arts (武術 • wu3shu4), from 氣功 • qi1qong1, Chinese medicine and from

Kika Bisognohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10565280340815760558noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5324938571876307484.post-24260486211931403112007-09-04T08:26:00.000-04:002008-12-10T10:40:22.514-04:30

(photo) Demonstrating Kung Fu at Daxiangguo Monestary, Kaifeng, Henan. Taken by Ariel Steiner. - Wikipedia CommonsKung Fu is the prevailing term when referring to Chinese martial arts. Funny enough, the term Kung Fu (功夫 • gong1fu1) actually refers to an individual's accomplishments or acquired skill, which could be in the field of martial arts, cooking, dancing, or what have you. Gong1 (功) means

Kika Bisognohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10565280340815760558noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5324938571876307484.post-20302082238896752242007-09-03T11:12:00.000-04:002008-12-10T10:40:22.769-04:30

If you happen to be in China and you ask someone on the street for directions, it is a good idea to listen for these key words in their answer:北 • Bei3 • North南 • Nan2 • South 東 • dong1 • East 西 • xi1 • West東南 • dong1nan2 • Southeast西南 • xi1nan2 • Southwest東北 • dong1bei3 • Northeast西北 • xi1bei3 • Northwest左 • zuo3 • Left右 • you4 • Right左邊 • zou3bian5 • Left Side右邊 • you4bian5 • Right Side在(…)

Kika Bisognohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10565280340815760558noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5324938571876307484.post-20059432319065939142007-09-02T10:47:00.000-04:002008-12-10T10:40:23.041-04:30

After I finished writing my last post about Chinese tea, I though, well maybe some people don't like drinking tea at all! What if they want to ask for something a little stronger? So i figured I would find out how to go about ordering other types of drinks.I'm no expert on the Chinese Language but I imagine the sentence structure would remain the same: 我想喝茶 wo3 xiang3 he1 (cha2) (I) (want) (

Kika Bisognohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10565280340815760558noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5324938571876307484.post-1826748736015790502007-08-29T17:46:00.000-04:002008-12-10T10:40:23.150-04:30

Undoubtedly, tea is the most popular beverage in China. It is said to possess curative properties, from improving eyesight to helping reduce weight. Whether those claims are true or not, a nice warm cup of tea is undeniably delicious!There is a wide variety of Chinese tea but the most popular are mainly divided into the following categories:綠茶 Green tea • lü3cha2 (for Pinyin Talker use the

Kika Bisognohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10565280340815760558noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5324938571876307484.post-50775130658112267812007-08-28T10:11:00.000-04:002008-12-10T10:40:23.318-04:30

People from different parts of China prefer different words to express the same idea and Putonghua or Mandarin, also incorporate these variations.For example, "nar3" or "na3li5" both mean "where" and "nar3" and "Na3li5", likewise, mean "there". As I understand, people in the north of China prefer the "r" sound, whereas southerners prefer a crisper sound as in "na3li5".Pinyin Talker adheres to the

Kika Bisognohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10565280340815760558noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5324938571876307484.post-71838639332517255262007-08-27T09:41:00.000-04:002008-12-10T10:40:23.424-04:30

Don't be surprised if you get a very warn and friendly response to your enthusiasm in speaking Chinese. From my own experience, I can guarantee you that Chinese people will truly appreciate the effort you make to communicate with them in their own language. And don't worry if you don't get right the first time: "Saving Face" is deeply ingrained in that culture so rest assured they will not make

Kika Bisognohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10565280340815760558noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5324938571876307484.post-9038853990992772772007-08-25T09:30:00.000-04:002007-09-05T09:39:35.064-04:00

Spoken Mandarin Chinese has 4 pitched tones and a neutral or "toneless" tone. "Tones" do not refer to "intonation" - the variation of pitch we normally use in english and other Westerner languages to convey differences of expressive meaning (e.g. surprise, anger, doubtfulness). In this context, tonality is a fixed feature of individual words or syllables and changes in tone alters the meaning of

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