Tag Archives: China

Taxicab Mandarin: How to Navigate Your Way through China

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The goal of this article would be to provide some very basic Mandarin to be used in taxis by people who don’t speak Mandarin, however, “Taxicab Mandarin” is also an informal level of Chinese language acquisition, e.g. I speak enough Mandarin to tell the taxi driver where to go; hence, the taxicab element. Meanwhile, this(…)


The 10 Sacred Words and Phrases Every Visitor to a Mandarin-Speaking Country Should Know

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Whether you’re planning a short trip or a permanent move to a Mandarin-speaking country, you would be doing yourself (and ostensibly, others) a tremendous disservice by not familiarizing yourself with the basics of the language. In other words, it’s in your best interest to have – at the bare minimum – a handful of utilitarian(…)


5 Myths About Teaching English in Asia, Busted

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Thinking about leaving your comfort zone for a crack at teaching English in Asia? Not so fast. Before you even think about purchasing an airfare, for heaven’s sake, do your homework. Here are five of the more predominant myths about teaching English in Asia, busted: 1. Anybody can do it Residency requirements vary from country(…)


The Post-Election Political Power Shift

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The US election is over, and despite there still being the matter of the official electoral college vote of December 19th to make it a (dystopian) reality, it looks as though the world has got itself a new American president. We say the world, because despite the potential horrors American citizens are now facing in(…)


8 Chinese Idioms to Impress Native Speakers

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Every language has its own quirky sayings and expressions, but Mandarin has its own system of traditional idioms. They’re called chengyu and usually consist of four characters, which is why they’re often called four-character idioms. These chengyu aren’t the only idioms in Chinese, and while most come from ancient literature, they’re still common today. Although(…)