This 4 character Chinese proverb is most often used in circumstances where it is thought that saying nothing is preferable to speaking. It can also used to describe the meditative thoughts of a person, that emptiness in the mind, which is useful or 'golden'.沉默是金chénmò shì jīnSilence is GoldenIt is thought that the full quote is:说话是银，沉默是金shuōhuà shì yín, chénmò shì jīnSpeaking is silver, Silence is goldenalthough the shorter version is much...

乐队(band): 胖虎乐团 PunkHoo专辑(album): Life & Live国家(country): Taiwan, Taipei发行时间(release date): 2006punkhoo.idv.stPunkHoo (literal translation as far as I can tell works out more like : 'Fat Tiger Orchestra') have a pop punk sound heavily influenced I assume by SUM 41. The band from Taipei has been carving a name for itself on the walls of the city's music scene. Singing mainly in Chinese with the odd line shouted out in English. The melodic...

In China reputation is extremely important. This proverb tells us not only is reputation important in humans but for everything to be. Face here is used metaphorically as in not loosing face (social custom). The Chinese, value reputation highly, thus creating this proverb.You might use this proverb when someone behaves dishonorably (once or repeatedly), it can be said directly to that person giving advice or a warning in order to rectify...

I keep finding the odd phrase which when said makes me smile. It isn't that it is actually funny, nor that it sounds funny when in English, or that it is one of the funny things you will have seen written down.It is just a nice sounding phrase that makes me smile, much like the previous post where I talked about my favourite sounding phrase, here is another one that similiarly is nice to my ears.我是老师wǒ shì lǎoshīIt means, I am a teacher....

This proverb is about how an animal, and by implication a person, will only do what it/he wants to do.你可以牵着马去找水，但你不能强迫它去喝nǐ kě yǐ qiān zhe mǎ qù zhǎo shuǐ, dàn nǐ bù néng qiǎng pò tā qù hēYou can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it dr...

乐队(band): 蘇打綠 (Sūdá lǜ) Sodagreen专辑(album): 春。日光 (chūn. rìguāng) Daylight of Spring国家(country): Taiwan发行时间(release date): March 2008Sodagreen are a six piece band formed around founders Qing-Weng Fu and Shin-Yi Shien when they were both students at Taiwan’s National Chengchi University. They have been playing together since 2001, but first broke into the public eye in 2004 winning the Grand Jury Award of Hohaiyan Gongliau Rock Festival....

This proverbial saying is used to describe someone who is selfish and greedy. This idiom originates from Mencius, and is used in stark contrast to the philosophies of Yáng Zhū (杨朱) which according to Mencius is very much ‘Each for himself’.一毛不拔yī máo bù bá'Stingy'楊子為我, 拔一毛而利天下, 不為也.Yáng Zǐ wéi wǒ, bá yī máo ér​ lì tiānxià, bù wèi yě .Yang Zhu teaches to do things purely for the benefit of oneself. If plucking, bá (拔) ,a single feather,...

乐队(band): 张力尹 / Zhāng Lìyǐn / Zhang Liyin (known in South Korea as Jang Ri-in)专辑(album): 星愿 / I Will国家(country): China发行时间(release date): March 2008Zhang Liyin plays violin, piano and sings in both Korean and Chinese on her tracks. She is so far the only solo singer to have broken both Chinese and South Korean music markets. Her powerful soulful vocals could easily be compared to well-known R&B vocalists such as Whitney Houston or Leona...

There is only one real formal way to say hello in Mandarin Chinese, and whilst you can translate literal meanings from many English greetings the only one that is used is 你好 (nǐ hǎo). Below are some introductory sentences, greetings, how to introduce yourself and how to say bye. There is a lot to take in here, but I hope it useful. Please suggest ways to continue conversations below in the comments.Ways to say Hello and Greet in MandarinHello你好nǐ​...

A Chinese boy has stunned medics with his ability to SEE in pitch black with eyes that GLOW in the dark. Nong Youhui’s dad, Ling, was always concerned that Nong's eyes weren't 'normal'.“They told me he would grow out of it and that his eyes would stop glowing and turn black like most Chinese people but they never did,” said Ling.Medical tests conducted in complete darkness show Youhui can read perfectly without any light and sees as clearly...

Although this proverb brings up thoughts of English King 'King Canute' who tried to stop the tide by ordering it to. Although tide in this case refers to a period of time, remember the saying 'good tidings', the same is of course true of the sea, unless as a man your job is to build sea defences... in which case you could be said to be stopping the tide.岁月不饶人suìyuè bù ráorénTime and tide wait for no manNo one is so powerful that they can...

This proverb relaes to the idea that something is easily forgotten or dismissed as unimportant if it is not in our direct view. I have started to write down my goals more often so that I can regualrly remember what my goals are, and achieve them. I don't like letting myself down.不看不觉得bù kàn, bù juédéOut of sight, out of mindPhoto SourceFli...

Qixi Festival (七夕節 qī xī jié) literally "The Night of Sevens" is also known as Magpie Festival or in more modern times Chinese Valentine's Day. It falls on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month on the Chinese calendar, which this year happens to fall today.On the Chinese Valentine's Day, people in love like to go to the temple of Matchmaker and pray for their love and the possible marriage in China. People still single will do the...

Qixi Fesitval (七夕 qī xī "The Night of Sevens") sometimes called Chinese Valentine's Day, falls on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month of the Chinese calendarand thus its name. The traditions of the Qixi Festival day follow this legend:On the night sky of the late summer days the stars Altair and Vega are high in the night sky and the Chinese tell the following love story, of which there are many variations:A young cowherd named Niu...

乐队(band): 八三夭 831专辑(album): 拯救世界 Save the World国家(country): Taiwan发行时间(release date): March 2009I just came across this striking band, not usually the music I would listen to, but caught my attention with a cool video and a catchy hook. Taiwanese emo-punk band 831 generated a lot of local buzz after producing the opening theme for the third season of popular Channel V program Circus Action. 831 sing mainly in Madarin, with odd parts of...

This is a guest post from my Dutch friend Guus. This is his experiences of learning Mandarin. Guus runs a Mandarin school in Singapore and has been learning Mandarin himself for about 3 and a half years. I wanted to add a new perspective to the blog, to give new learners like myself an idea of the stages of transition that you are likely to go through learning Mandarin. Guus also runs a blog about learning Mandarin with tips. CharlieMy...

This proverb asks of you to think before you say things. Prompting the realisation that words have tremendous power. With a sentence you can change someones perception and in some cases lives have been changed with little more than a sentence. Yet other examples of how powerful words can be, are dimplomatic relationships between countries which can disintergrate with nothing but words.一言既出驷马难追yī yán jì chū sì mǎ nán zhuīA word once spoken...

乐队(band): HedgeHog专辑(album): Blue Day Dreaming国家(country): China (Beijing)发行时间(release date): 2009Hedgehog a Beijing 3 piece indie rock band. They also have the priviliage of being the first Chinese band that has stood out to me. Hedgehog, a power pop, indie rock outfit returned to Shanghai to launch "Blue Daydreaming," a 12-track gem in March 2009. They have a quirky electro synth vibe, a powerful backing with strong vocals that create...

A 20 year old Chinese farmer, Jiuxian Town, Songxian County, Henan Province, China has created his own Helicopter. Wu Xizhao, ever since he was a child, dreamed of flying so he wouldn't need to climb mountains anymore. It would appear that he realised his dream using principles that he learned in middle-school physics and other knowledge found by surfing the Internet on a mobile phone to create this helicopter.The blades are 1.8m-radius...

This is a proverb which transcends all struggles, with the notion that if you want something enough, you will find a way to make what you want happen. If we have the determination to do something, we can always find the path or method to do it.有志竟成yǒu zhì jìng chéngWhere there's a will, there's a wayYou might say "where there's a will there's a way" to someone who says that something can't be doneshouldn't be donewill be done immediatelyPhoto...

China View today reported that 44 Chinese Characters (many of which are in common use) are likely to be amended. This has caused widespread criticism from Chinese nationals who think the change is "瞎折腾" (blind torment: meaning similar to a ‘pain in the neck’) Whilst some complain that one billion people will have to learn Chinese characters anew.However ministry officials and some experts said the revisions would only target 44 characters...

This proverb talks about the habits and peoples perception and influence.我行我素wǒ ​xíng ​wǒ ​sù​To persist in one's old ways no matter what others sayPhoto Source:Fli...

This past week has been a tough week for me personally, I have had arguements and spent more time than anticipated doing everything other than learning Mandarin. I didn't even participate in #MandarinMonday on twitter, half as much as I had intended.I am hoping that tomorrow I will write some more content after having spent more time getting back into the learning process. The time is an issue, because I live in a shared house, and when...

Perhaps Confucius' most famous teaching was the Golden Rule stated in the negative form, often called the silver rule:子貢問曰、有一言、而可以終身行之者乎。子曰、其恕乎、己所 不欲、勿施於人。zǐ gòng wèn yuē, yǒu yī yán, ér kěyǐ zhōngshēn xíng zhī zhě hū. zǐyuē,qí shù hū, jǐ suǒ bù yù, wù shī wū​ rén.Adept Kung asked: "Is there any one word that could guide a person throughout life?"The Master replied: "How about 'shu' [reciprocity]: never impose on others what you would not...

Firecracker Beef w/Rice Noodle SaladServes 4 This recipe includes double cooking Beef skirt steak. It is to be served on a tangy cold noodle salad. A great mix of flavours ranging between the cold and the hot, and the sweet and the sour, and the spicy and the salty. The cut of Beef is vital in keeping the Beef juicy and succulent when cooking twice.Prep time: 30 minsCooking Time: 15 minsYou Will Need: 600g Beef SkirtFor Marinade: 1 tsp...