Whilst going over my first couple of lessons again tonight, I revisited some of the first things I learnt, and laughed when I realised my favourite Mandarin Phrase to say (so far) is the following, fairly menial sentence. The reason for it being my favourite is that it just flows nicely and sounds wonderful. This is my (anticlimatic, but) favourite spoken phrase in Mandarin.这个男孩子在吃面包zhè gè nánháizǐ zài chī miànbāoThis boy is eating breadFor...

The Chinese yo-yo (扯鈴 : chě líng) is a toy from China found dating back to the Ming dynasty; roughly 1386-1644 A.D. The Chinese yo-yo consists of two equally-sized discs connected with a long axle. It is kept spinning on a string tied to two sticks at either end. Each stick is held in one hand, and the yo-yo spins on the string inbetween.In modern times, it is more commonly used as a children's toy and as a performance tool in juggling...

This is a quote that really questions the age of consumerism that we live in. Things cannot make us truly happy, it is ourselves that decides whether we are happy. Some people who have nothing are happier than people that have everything they could ever want will ever be. Most importantly they are content with what they have.安贫乐道ān pín lè dàoBetter to be Happy than RichThe literal translation is more like : contentedness whilst living a...