Speak Mandarin like a Chinese by repeating certain words (Part 1)

It’s St. Patrick’s Day, time to get my snowpea seeds planted in the garden. With luck there will be sweet pea shoots (豆苗 dòu miáo ) and crunchy pea pods (豆荚 dòujiá) to enjoy during summer. When it comes to waiting to harvest the fruit of your labor, time crawls … like a snail. To celebrate the occasion, there you have it, a green snail (蜗牛 wōniú).

Snails move slowly, very slowly. Simply using the word 慢 (màn) doesn’t do justice to its suggishness. Perhaps one might imagine it crawling forward at one mile per hour, stopping every minute to swallow some saliva before moving on. That is the picture painted by the adverb 慢吞吞地 (màn tūn tūn de very slowly).

Now compare the following two sentences:

她慢慢地吃饭.
Tā màn man de chīfàn.
She eats the meal slowly.

她慢吞吞地吃饭.
Tā màn tūn tūn de chīfàn.
She eats the meal very slowly.

The exaggeration in the second sentence adds interest to the description as well as authenticity to your spoken Chinese.

Repeating certain words in Chinese can produce a number of diverse effects. It could help smooth out a sentence, pinpoint emphasis, indicate plurarity, or achieve exaggeration (as we’ve seen above).

When referring to your older brother, you would normally say 我的哥哥 (wǒ de gēgē) instead of just 我的哥 (wǒ de gē). Similarly, when referring to your older brother’s wife, you woud say 我的嫂嫂 (wǒ de sǎosǎo) or 我的嫂子 (wǒ de sǎo zi). It sounds less abrupt than just uttering 嫂 once. See Chapter 3 of “Learn Chinese through Songs and Rhymes” for how to address the various members in the family as well as the extended family.

Many adjectives and adverbs are also repeated to improve the fluidity of the speech. Some examples:

弯弯的眉毛 (wān wān de méimáo) curved eyebrows
这件事怪怪的. (Zhè jiàn shì guài guài de.) This thing is weird.
慢慢地工作 (màn man dì gōngzuò) working slowly
轻轻地哼着歌 (qīng qīng de hēngzhe gē) humming a song softly or gently
呆呆地坐着 (dāi dāi de zuòzhe) sitting blankly

Everyone knows 人 (rén) means a person. When you double this word, the meaning changes to people. Similarly, when you say 天 (tiān day) twice in a row, it means every day or daily. Here are some additional examples: 日日 (rì rì day by day), 夜夜 (yè yè every night), 年年 (nián nián every year), (个个 gè gè all), 某某 (mǒu mǒu so and so – person), 处处 (chùchù everywhere).

Like 慢吞吞 (màn tūn tūn), there are many expressions containing repeated sounds to further characterize a description. Here are a few examples:

凶巴巴 (xiōng bābā) fierce
软趴趴 (ruǎn pā pā) soft and limp
软绵绵 (ruǎnmiánmián) soft as cotton
硬棒棒 (yìng bang bàng) hard as a rod
笑眯眯 (xiàomīmī) smiling genuinely, squinting the eyes
笑哈哈 (xiào hāhā) laughing heartily
热乎乎 (rèhū hū) hot or very warm
胖嘟嘟 (pàng dū dū) chubby
雨蒙蒙 (yǔ méng méng) rainy and drizzly
湿答答 (shī dā dá) dripping wet – Do you hear the sound of the water dripping?
湿淋淋 (Shī línlín) showery wet
光秃秃 (guāngtūtū) bare or bald
乱糟糟 (luànzāozāo) very messy
脏兮兮 (zāng xī xī) icky dirty
假惺惺 (jiǎxīngxīng) hypocritical
黑黝黝 (hēiyǒuyǒu) black, dark, dusky
雄赳赳气昂昂 (xióngjiūjiū qì áng’áng) courageous and spirited

那是猫哭老鼠, 假惺惺.
Nà shì māo kū lǎoshǔ, jiǎxīngxīng.
That’s a cat crying over a mouse, hypocrisy.

我们的战士雄赳赳气昂昂.
Wǒmen de zhànshì xióngjiūjiū qì áng’áng.
Our soldiers are brave and spirited.

For those of you who love four-character Chinese expressions, here is a bunch of easy ones:

日日夜夜 (rì rì (yè yè) day and night, all the time
男男女女 (nánnánnǚnǚ) men and women, or male and female persons
婆婆妈妈 (pópomāmā) garrulous or fussy like old women
马马虎虎 (mǎmǎhǔhǔ) so-so, passable, sloppy
风风雨雨 (fēng fēngyǔ yù) the trials of life
嘻嘻哈哈 (xīxīhāhā) laughing cheerfully
哭哭啼啼 (kūkūtítí) crying ones eyes out
来来回回 (lái láihuí hui) back and forth, to and fro
来来往往 (lái lái wǎngwǎng) passing by in great numbers
扭扭捏捏 (niǔ niǔniē niē) shy, not self-assured or straightforward
战战兢兢 (zhànzhànjīngjīng) trembling with fear, exercising caution
是是非非 (shì shìfēi fēi) scandals or gossips
拖拖拉拉 (tuō tuōlā lā) procrastinating, dilatory, dragging one’s feet

你准备好了吗？不要总是拖拖拉拉.
Nǐ zhǔnbèi hǎole ma? Bùyào zǒng shì tuō tuōlā lā.
Are you ready? Don’t keep dragging your feet.

圣帕特里克节快乐!
Shèng pàtèlǐkè jié kuàilè!
Happy St. Paatrick’s Day!

Sing Flower on a Rainy Night in Mandarin Chinese

The song called 雨夜花 (Yǔ Yè Huā Flower on a Rainy Night) is a very well-known Taiwanese song. The beautiful melody was originally composed for a children’s song. After hearing the sad life story of a young bar girl, the lyricist changed the lyrics and used a tender blossom pounded upon by merciless, relentless rain as a metaphor for a poor girl fallen into the flesh trade through unfortunate circumstances.

The Taiwanese pronunciation for 雨夜花 is “wuyahue”, quite different from the Mandarin Chinese pronunciation. There are still a few older Taiwanese folks who only speak the local dialect. However, the majority of the people in Taiwan speak Mandarin Chinese, which is the official language to date.

At this link, you can hear Teresa Teng sing this song in Taiwanese.

I changed the lyrics so you could sing it in English or Mandarin Chinese, if you wish.

Flower on a Rainy Night

Rain on me, rain on me.
So much shame, so much pain to bear.
No one sees me, no one hears me,
No one knows me, no one cares.

Nigh is falling, day is dying,
Now I wilt, now the last hour nears.
No more sighing, no more crying,
No more fears and no more tears.

雨连连, 雨连连.
Yǔ liánlián, yǔ liánlián.
The rain keeps falling.

多少羞愧, 多少悲凄.
Duōshao xiūkuì duōshao bēi qī.
So much shame and regret, so much sorrow.

没人看见, 没人听见,
Méi rén kànjian, méi rén tīngjiàn,
No one sees, no one hears,

没人知晓, 没人理.
Méi rén zhīxiǎo, méi rén lǐ.
No one knows, no one pays attention.

夜已临, 日已尽.
Yè yǐ lín, rì yǐ jìn.
Night has come, day has ended.

花已谢, 花瓣已凋零.
Huā yǐ xiè, huābàn yǐ diāolíng.
Flower is spent, the petals have fallen.

不再怨叹, 不再啜泣,
Bùzài yuàn tàn, bùzài chuòqì,
No more sighing, no more sobbing,

不再畏惧, 得安宁.
Bùzài wèijù, dé ānníng.
No more dreading; peace at last.

So today we will learn a few words associated with decay and sadness.

雨 (yǔ) is rain. 下雨 (xiàyǔ) means to rain.
连 (lián) means to connect or to link. 连连 means continuously, as in the song “Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head”.

羞愧 (xiūkuì) means to feel ashamed or abashed.
悲凄 (bēi qī) means mournful.
知晓 (zhīxiǎo) means the same as 知道 (zhīdào), i.e. to know or to be aware of.
理睬 (lǐcǎi) means to pay attention to or to show interest in.
Here, 谢 (xiè) does not mean “thanks”. It refers to the decline or withering of the flower. 谢世 (xièshì) means to pass away.
花瓣 (huābàn )are flower petals.
凋零 (diāolíng) is to wither and be scattered about.
怨叹 (yuàn tàn) is to complain and to sigh.
啜泣 (chuòqì) is to sob or weep.
畏惧 (wèijù) is to fear or to dread.
安宁 (ānníng) means peaceful or free from worries.

儿童节快乐!
Értóng jié kuàilè!.
Happy International Children’s Day!

P.S. I hope you are all holding out all right with the social distancing. Stay safe.

 

Learn Chinese word for going smoothly

The 顺 (shùn) character consists of a 川 (chuān river) and a 页 (yè a leaf or a page). Think of a leaf floating down a river, moving along with the flow. This will help you remember that 顺 (shùn) means to move smoothly along in the same direction.

顺 (shùn) implies not going against the grain. Therefore, it also means being smooth or agreeable.

顺风 (shùnfēng) is to have a tail wind.

帆 (fān) is the sail of a boat. To wish someone smooth sailing, you could say: 一帆风顺. (Yīfānfēngshùn.) To wish someone a safe trip, you could say: 一路顺风. (Yīlùshùnfēng. Bon voyage)

顺路 (shùnlù) means on the way.

我顺路买了一条面包.
Wǒ shùnlù mǎi le yī tiáo miànbāo.
On the way I bought a loaf of bread.

顺便 (shùnbiàn) means by the way, in passing or at one’s convenience.

他进城时, 顺便来看我.
Tā jìnchéng shí, shùnbiàn lái kàn wǒ.
When he comes to town, he drops by to see me.
(This is an example of a complex sentence.)

顺利 (shùnlì) means doing something smoothly or successfully, or something is going smoothly.

他顺利地通过了考试.
Tā shùnlì de tōngguò le kǎoshì.
He passed the exam without any problem.

万事顺利!
Wànshì shùnlì!
May everything go well for you! All the best!

顺序 (shùnxù) is a noun that means order or sequence. 照顺序做 (zhào shùnxù zuò) means to do things in the proper order. In the game of poker, 顺 (shùn) refers to a straight.

To be agreeable to a person, you often must follow their wishes or obey their commands. 顺从 (shùncóng) means to be obedient to or to yield to someone. 孝顺 (xiàoshùn) is said of a person showing filial piety and obedience. This is a virtue that is highly valued by the Chinese.

温顺 (wēnshùn) is an adjective that you could use to describe a person who is gentle and docile. 百依百顺 (bǎiyībǎishùn) means to be totally docile and obedient. 逆来顺受 (nìláishùnshòu) is a phrase describing a resigned person meekly submitting to maltreatment or misfortune without complaint.

顺其自然 (shùnqízìrán) is to follow nature’s course.

这件事顺其自然就好了.
Zhè jiàn shì shùnqízìrán jiù hǎo le.
Just let nature take its course with respect to this matter.

Now, from your own perspective, things that look agreeable or pleasing are said to be 顺眼 (shùnyǎn), and words that you like to hear are said to be 顺耳 (shùněr).

顺口 (shùnkǒu) means saying things offhandedly. It also an adjective used to describe words or text that can be spoken or read smoothly and easily.

顺手 (shùnshǒu) means easy to do without a hitch. This word is also used to describe something that is convenient and easy to use.

顺心 (shùnxīn), or 顺意 (shùnyì), means having things go satisfactorily according to one’s wish.

Have you ever wondered why some people seem happier and more optimistic than you are? Barring actual calamities or serious health or financial problems, it’s often a matter of the frame of mind in which you decide to find yourself. In other words, don’t fret over a sock that’s missing from the wash. It will most likely turn up the next time you do your laundry. Looking at things from the brighter side may take some practicing. For starters, why not sing Rogers and Hammerstein’s “Oh, What a Beautiful Morning” first thing in the morning? You should be able to sing the following lines to the music for the refrain that begins with “Oh, What a Beautiful Morning”.

啊! 多么美丽的早晨!
Ā duōme měilì dì zǎochén!

啊! 多么美的一天!
Ā duōme měi dì yītiān!!

我心中充满了欢欣,
Wǒ xīn zhòng chōngmǎn liǎo huān xīn,

事事都顺意如愿.
Shìshì dōu shùnyì rúyuàn.

When singing a song, it’s customary to pronounce 的 as “dì” and 了 “liǎo” because they are easier to enunciate this way and therefore sound better in a song. In fact, many Chinese people use this alternative pronunciation in their daily speech.