Author Archive | Christina

Clearing Up Your Behind: 然后vs之后vs以后

Gah, sometimes it can get a bit confusing when the translations are about the same but there is a subtle difference in meaning. With 然后, 以后 and 之后, they all mean “after” or “behind” in English, yet there are …

Slang for Feeling Down: 囧

囧 Chinese character or iPhone emoji? When I first came across this, I couldn’t tell if this was a real character since it looked so different, just like a smiley face (more like a crying face). For the non-Chinese …

Business Chinese Vocabulary List: Foreign Companies in Chinese

Ever wonder if you’d still be able to ask where the closest “Starbucks” is or “Nike” store in China? How about ordering a hamburger once you found the closest “McDonald’s”? Knowing how to say these worldwide company names can be …

201314: Love You Forever

Though not an official holiday, on Jan 4th 2013, there’s something called “爱你一生一世” in China. This holiday got its name because the date, 二零一三一四 (èr líng yī sān yī sì – 2013.1.4.) sounds like “爱你一生一世” (ài nǐ yī …