Hello, I am Ewout, a former student of Bachelor China Studies. Now I still use Chinese sometimes for work, but mostly for fun. I would like to improve my basic, non-formal Chinese.

春天，不仅有阴晴不定的天气，还有大自然的馈赠。

这道菜，你一定不能错过！

夜空中最亮的星——徐薇

listen: http://www.tudou.com/programs/view/hrk-UDciiKI/

lyrics:

夜空中最亮的星,能否听清

那仰望的人心底的孤独和叹息

The shinest star of nightsky,whether you could hear out it clearly,

the loneliness and the sigh of the person is looking up

夜空中最亮的星,能否记起 曾与我同行 消失在风里的身影

The shinest star of nightsky ,whether you could remember up having me walk together before,…

Here are some apps that I can't live without here in China, and better still, they're all free.

Baidu Maps 百度地图 (iOS and Android)

Learning your way around the city is one of the first tasks when you arrive in China. Walking around your neighborhood is a great way to become familiar with the area. But in a city as large as Kunming you are going to need some mode of transportation to get around. Baidu Maps will help you find your way. Although the whole app is in…

Chinese smartphone price war imminent in H2: analyst

中国智能手机价格战逼近【Jim Wu：H2是什么意思？】

The domestic smartphone industry in China will witness a more competitive market as more upgrade their devices and rivals anticipate ruthless, Darwinian competition. 伴随着更多的设备升级和对手加入，中国国内手机市场行业将见证一个可预见的残酷的更具竞争性的市场 ，达尔文式的竞争。

"The overall growth rate of the market will slow down in the second half of this year," said Antonio Wang, an analyst from market intelligence…

Chinese words surge in English dictionary 汉语词汇在英语词典中激增

source:ChinaDaily 来源：中国日报 翻译：Jim Wu （skype name：BG6RRN）

An official report released on Wednesday shows that the number of Chinese words in English dictionary has rocketed in the past 20 years and the internationalization of Chinese language has become a new cultural trend. 在星期三发布的一份官方报告显示，汉语词汇在英语词典中出现的数量在过去的二十年里出现了飙升，汉语语言的国际化成为一种新的文化趋势。

According to the Cultural Construction Blue Paper-China's Culture Development…

Complement is a typical element in Chinese language. It usually goes after a verb or an adjective to describe the result, degree, direction, possibility,…

If you know me,that would be nice

译：BG6RRN

Every person has his own corner,

you can't walk out,others can not come in.

I put down my deepest secret there.

You don't know me,I don't blame you.

Every person has a scar,

deep or superficial,covered with a cloth,pretend to be unexist.

I mop the most scarlet blood there.

You don't know me,I don't blame you.

Every person has his episode of love,

with…

Without a good foundation, a building will collapse quickly. When it comes to learning a language, a good knowledge of sentence structure is the foundation.

After having taught hundreds of students from all over the world during the last couple of years, I realized that many students struggle with learning the basic…

English and Mandarin are the most widely spoke languages in the world. Currently, the master of arts in teaching English is one of the most preferred postgraduate degree of individuals who want to improve their teaching credentials. That said, The following are some of the main benefits of studying the…

Hi Everyone

Below is a long list of short phrases that you can practice reading to try and understand. Most of them are not serious, just for fun. I've explained the first four and left the rest for you to try. If there are any you don't understand or want help with just ask me in the comments.

1：工资就像大姨妈，一个月一次，一周左右就没了

explanation:

姨妈(aunt)：mother's sister

大姨妈：the oldest one of mother's sister

If you have serveral 姨妈 ,the oldest…

Hi Everyone - Here is a list of 600 vocabulary words that you can use to review and prepare for the HSK 3. If you would like help preparing for the exam, I offer classes on italki and you can book a class with me there.

Hi Everyone - Here is a list of useful words for the HSK 1. If you would like help preparing for the exam, I offer classes on italki and you can book a class with me…

I have been reading and studying a fairly new set of Mandarin Language textbooks known as the “Tuttle Basic Chinese Series” that can be used in the AP level High School or College classroom or by people studying on their own. I will only review the first book in the series “Basic Spoken Chinese” BSC at this time. At later times I will review other volumes in the “Tuttle…

Learning a new language is always a fun challenge. There are varying ways a learner can embark upon a language course, whether they are a complete beginner or have previous knowledge. How do you know which style of learning is for you? Here's the lowdown on the types of language courses available.

Private Learning:

Private learning with a tutor is ideal for anyone leading a busy life. The flexibility of a…

Michael Hurwitz over at "Yoyo Chinese The Official Blog" has written a fine article ( in English ) about some of the US/UK TV shows that are now popular in China. 

"Thanks to the advent of Chinese streaming services like Sohu and Youku, it’s easier than ever for Chinese fans to watch their favorite foreign TV shows.

While pirated versions have been available online for years, lately Western content providers have struck…

A May 29, 2014  article over at "The World of Chinese" Internet Site by  Keoni Everington (华武杰) does a good job of scratching the surface of the baffling differences between Taiwan Mandarin and Beijing Mandarin.  ( It may be relatively baffling probably only to the mostly European language based members of the SMC Site ).  Read the article and some of those unknown words you have heard in a Taiwanese movie or song may now make sense.  Here is the link:

       …

Olle Linge over at Mandarin.about.com has posted an article of the difficulties involved in listening and understanding what one hears in Mandarin. It is even worse in the real world where sometimes you must determine which language is being spoken and if the speaker is saying a word wrong or using a slang word or mixing languages.  It is not uncommon to hear sentences consisting of Mandarin, Cantonese and English all mixed together in some Chinatowns.

  …

Greg at Mandarin Segments recently wrote an article that claims that Mandarin learners should think of the neutral ( untoned ) tone as a fifth tone and makes a number of good points and examples.  In the comments to the article Olle…