In order to understand the Chinese culture and the ways Chinese think and behave, it will be good if you have some knowledge of the book I Ching.
Written more than 5,000 years ago, it is also known as Yi Jing (易经) or Book of Changes. It is perhaps the world’s oldest surviving book.
It is the most significant book in the [...]
To understand the Chinese culture, it is important to understand the concept of yin yang.
You’ll see the theory of yin-yang being applied in almost everything Chinese. From foods and martial arts to the Chinese traditional medicine.
What is yin-yang?
Yin and yang are two sides of dualism. In the case of a coin, the tail is yin, and the head [...]
Find the products you’re interested in, and import them into the market that you are familiar with.
They can be something you have in mind. Do not be surprise, however, that you will run into many other products more interesting when you are conducting the research.
There are many sources to find the products. The easiest [...]
One thing many people do not know is that you don’t have to be a big business to import products from China.
You can do it as an individual.
It is not as daunting as you’d imagine. Thanks to the internet, it can be managed almost entirely from your laptop. What’s more, it does not matter [...]
It is ‘a piece of apple’, not ‘an apple’.
Of course, I’m talking about speaking the Chinese language.
Unlike English, you often add a classifier, or measure word, when you are describing quantity. It is, therefore,more proper to say ‘a piece of apple’, i.e. yi ge pingguo 一个苹果; rather than ‘an apple’ 一苹果– without the [...]
What was the most read news story of the past decade?
Neither the Iraq War, nor the attacks of Sept 11, 2001, according to an analysis by a US-based media tracking group.
It was the rise of China as an economic superpower.
The Global Language Monitor uses an algorithm to search print and electronic media for trends in [...]
Very soon, we are going to usher in the 2010. Let me wish you Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year.
Well, you may want to send the same greetings in Chinese to your friends well. I’ve already shown you how Merry Christmas is said and written in Chinese. Now, let’s [...]
Traditionally, Chinese respect hierarchy.
This is an important point to note, if you want to build a good guanxi (relationship) in China, or speak Chinese well.
This is reflected in the way that siblings in a family are addressed.
When you are talking about your brother, do not be surprised the Chinese to whom [...]
One of the first things that you need to know before learning Chinese is its tones.
If you’re a speaker of non-tonal language like English, it may be difficult for you to comprehend. In Chinese, a slight change of Internation would change the meaning of a syllable altogether. In other words, even if you [...]
I know it is difficult to write ‘Merry Christmas’ Chinese characters. For those who like to receive the greetings in Chinese, however, your effort can be a highly valued gift.
Try writing it by following what I do in the video below. Just in case if you want to see the characters in print, here [...]