Speak Mandarin like a Chinese by repeating certain words (Part 2)

We often use 白白胖胖 (báibái pàng pàng fair-skinned and fat) to describe a chubby baby with cheeks that invite an affectionate pinch. And, 高高兴兴 (gāo gāoxìng xìng glad, gladly) is usually the first phrase that comes to mind when we want to describe being in a good mood.

上图显示著一些大大小小的纽扣.
Shàng tú xiǎnshì zhe yīxiē dà dà xiǎo xiǎo de niǔkòu.
The above picture shows a handful of buttons of various sizes.

Theoretically, you could apply this AABB pattern for any Chinese adjective or adverb. However, many adjectives and adverbs are customarily not repeated in this way. For example, I’ve never heard “美美丽丽” for 美丽 (měilì beautiful), or “悲悲伤伤” for “悲伤 (bēishāng sorrowful)”, or “小小气气” for 小气 (xiǎoqì stingy).

Following are a number of adjectives and adverbs that are commonly duplicated, usually for emphasis.

快快乐乐 (kuài kuàilè lè) happy, happily
和和气气 (hé hé qì qì) polite and amiable, in good spirits
轻轻松松 (qīng qīng sōng sōng) relaxed, easily, without effort
痛痛快快 (tòng tòng kuài kuài) open and direct, without hesitation, with alacrity
大大方方 (dà dà fāng fāng) generous, gracefully
方方正正 (fāng fāngz hèng zhèng) square or upright
高高低低 (gāo gāo dī dī) uneven in height
普普通通 (pǔ pǔ tōng tōng) ordinary
稀稀疏疏 (xī xi shū shū) sparse
朦朦胧胧 (méng méng lóng lóng) hazy
疯疯颠颠 (fēng fēng diān diān) crazy, deranged, erratic
昏昏沉沉 (hūn hūn chénchén) groggy, dizzy and sleepy
慌慌张张 (huāng huāng zhāng zhāng) in a hurry-scurry
恍恍惚惚 (huǎng huǎng hū hū) vaguely, confused, as if in a trance
窝窝囊囊 (wō wo nāng nāng) cowardly
舒舒服服 (shū shū fú fú) comfortable, comfortably
服服贴贴 (fú fú tiē tiē) docile and obedient
安安稳稳 (ān ān wěn wěn) safe and sound
邋邋遢遢 (lā lā tà tà) sloppy, slovenly
踏踏实实 (tà tà shí shí) down-to-earth
地地道道 (dì dì dào dao) authentic, to the core
仔仔细细 (zǐ zǐ xì xì) in great detail, thoroughly, (checking) carefully
清清楚楚 (qīng qīng chǔ chǔ) very clearly
浩浩荡荡 (hào hào dàng dàng) in a grandiose way, said of an army or a large crowd of people

Hungry for more? Here are a bunch of Chinese idioms containing duplicated characters.

气势汹汹 (qìshìxiōngxiōng) aggressive, overbearing
喜气洋洋 (xǐqìyángyáng) full of joy
洋洋大观 (yángyángdàguān) spectcular, extensive
比比皆是 (bǐ bì jiē shì) can be found everywhere, great in number
落落大方 (luòluò dàfāng) graceful, at one’s ease
多多益善 (duōduōyìshàn) the more the merrier
格格不入 (gégébùrù) not fitting in or out of place (said of people)
苦苦哀求 (kǔ kǔ āiqiú) to entreat piteously
赫赫有名 (hèhè yǒumíng) very famous, illustrious
楚楚动人 (chǔchǔ dòngrén) lovely and enchanting (said of delicate women)
卓卓有余 (zhuō zhuó yǒuyú) more than sufficient, having enough to spare
姗姗来迟 (shān shān lái chí) jokingly or sarcastically said of people who arrive late
沾沾自喜 (zhānzhānzìxǐ) to feel smug
津津有味 (jīnjīnyǒuwèi) with keen interest or with relish (as in reading a book)
津津乐道 (jīnjīn lè dào) to talk abut something with enthusiasm.
谦谦君子 (qiānqiānjūnzǐ) a modest gentleman
代代相传 (dài dài xiāngchuán) passed down from generation to generation
头头是道 (tóutóushìdào) clear and logical, well argued, making good sene
口口声声 (kǒukǒushēngshēng) saying repeatedly
家家户户 (jiājiāhùhù) each and every family

四月通常有很多雨天.
Sì yuè tōngcháng yǒu hěnduō yǔtiān.
The month of April generally offers many rainy days.

你听到外面下雨的声音了吗?
Nǐ tīng dào wàimiàn xià yǔ de shēngyīnle ma?
Do you hear the sound of rain outside?

这些自然声音已被证明有助于放松心情.
Zhèxiē zìrán shēngyīn yǐ bèi zhèngmíng yǒu zhù yú fàngsōng xīnqíng.
Such nature sounds have been shown to help relax the mind.

放松下来; 让雨声帮助你集中精力学习这些成语.
Fàngsōng xiàlái; ràng yǔ shēng bāngzhù nǐ jízhōng jīnglì xuéxí zhèxiē chéngyǔ.
Relax; let the sound of rain help you focus on studing these idioms.

Chinese words and idioms associated with the dragon

The dragon, 龙 (lóng), is a supernatural being that has huge eyes, long whiskers, a pair of horns and clawed feet extending from a gigantic snake-like body covered with scales. It is able to dash on the ground, swim in water, and fly in the sky. In a rage, it can call up a storm to rouse the ocean and turn over boats. This is why a tornado is called 龙卷风 (lóngjuǎnfēng dragon whirlwind) in Chinese.

To the Chinese, this fearsome figure symbolizes supreme power, vitality, nobleness, honor, and success. This is why it is prominently featured on the emperor’s robe 龙袍 (lóng páo) and also on the rooftops of palaces and temples. People born in the year of the dragon are said to be endowed with great intelligence, confidence and tenacity. In 2024 they are expected to enjoy increased responsibilities, prosperity, and good fortune. As for the entire world, we will see new opportunities as well as face challenges and conflicts in politics, international relations, and the environment. Hopefully, those in authority will remember the Golden Rule and act accordingly to let the world have the much needed peace.

Understandably, the Chinese character for dragon is found in many words and expressions as well as names for boys. Let’s take a look at some of these terms.

龙王 (lóngwáng) is the powerful Dragon King featured in many Chinese legends and chilcren’s stories. In the novel Journey to the West, there is a Dragon King for each of the Four Seas: Dragon King of the East China Sea 東海龍王 (Dōnghǎi Lóngwáng), Dragon King of the South China Sea 南海龍王(Nánhǎi Lóngwáng), Dragon King of the West China Sea 西海龍王(Xīhǎi Lóngwáng), and Dragon King of the North China Sea 北海龍王 (Běihǎi Lóngwáng).

龙船 (lóngchuán) or 龙舟 (lóngzhōu ) are the dragon boats that participate in the dragon boat race in mid May on the lunar calendar. You can read about the origin of the Dragon Boat Festival in Chapter 24 of “Learn Chinese through Songs and Rhymes“. This video on YouTube shows you how to wrap glutinous rice to make the steamed rice dumplings that are customarily eaten on the day of the Dragon Boat Festival.

龙头 (lóngtóu) or 水龙头 (shuǐlóngtóu) refers to the faucet.

龙头老大 (lóngtóu lǎodà) is the leader of a group.

龙头产品 (lóngtóu chǎnpǐn) refers to the leading products.

龙虾 (lóngxiā) are lobsters. 变色龙 (biànsèlóng) are chameleons, and 恐龙 (kǒnglóng) are dinosaurs.

龙眼 (lóngyǎn) is a fruit called longan, which has a thin brown shell and a large seed wrapped in sweet and translucent white flesh.

九龙 (Jiǔlóng) is the place called Kowloon, a district in Hong Kong.

沙龙 (shālóng) is a transliteration of the English word “salon”.

If you play the game of mahjong, occasionally you might get a hand that lets you easily form a straight flush (a sequence of 1 through 9 of a suit), which is referred to as 一条龙 (yītiáo lóng).

Most parents have high expections for their children. Some want their children to become great scientists, some train them to become famous musicians, and some spur their children to study hard and become medial doctors. This is summarized in the Chinese idiom 望子成龙 (wàngzǐchénglóng), i.e. wishing one’s offspring high achievements.

生龙活虎 (shēnglónghuóhǔ) is a phrase describing someone who is lively and energetic.

球场上的队员们個個生龍活虎.
Qiúchǎng shàng de duìyuánmen gè gè shēnglónghuóhǔ.
The players on the court are all in full swing.

车水马龙 (chēshuǐmǎlóng) describes the condition of heavy traffic.

台北市街上有如车水马龙.
Táiběi shìjiē shàng yǒurú chēshuǐmǎlóng.
Taipei city streets are busy with traffic.

乘龙快婿 (chēshuǐmǎlóng) is an excellent son-in-law. This term is normally used in praising someone else’s son-in-law.

希望你早日找到一位乘龙快婿.
Xīwàng nǐ zǎorì zhǎodào yī wèi chēshuǐmǎlóng.
I hope you will soon find an outstanding son-in-law.

群龙无首 (qúnlóngwúshǒu) is a metaphor referring to a group of dragons without a leader.

自从彼得离开后，这个组织就一直群龙无首.
Zìcóng bǐdé líkāi hòu, zhège zǔzhī jiù yīzhí qúnlóngwúshǒu.
Ever since Peter left, the organization has been without a leader.

来龙去脉 (láilóngqùmài) refers to the details that permits one to get the whole story.

他告诉了我这件事的来龙去脉.
Tā gàosùle wǒ zhè jiàn shì de láilóngqùmài.
He told me the whole story.

画龙点睛 (huàlóngdiǎnjīng) is an idom referring to adding the finishing touch. We’ve covered the story behind this idiom in Chapter 28 of “Learn Chinese through Songs and Rhymes“.

加了这一笔, 对这幅华起了画龙点睛的作用.
Jiāle zhè yī bǐ duì zhè fú huá qǐle huàlóngdiǎnjīng de zuòyòng.
The addition of this stroke provided the finishing touch to this painting.

活龙活现 (huólónghuóxiàn) is to be lifelike and realistic (said of an artwork), making the observer feel like watching a living dragon.

这部电影把泰山演得活龙活现.
Zhè bù diànyǐng bǎ tàishān yǎn dé huó lóng huóxiàn.
This movie makes Tarzan come alive.

龙飞凤舞 (lóngfēifèngwǔ) is an idiom used for describing flamboyant handwriting or calligraphy that looks like a flying dragon or a dancing phoenix.

你看得懂这卷轴上龙飞凤舞的书法吗？
Nǐ kàn dé dǒng zhè juànzhóu shàng lóngfēifèngwǔ de shūfǎ ma?
Are you able to read the flamboyant calligraphy on this scroll?

龙争虎斗 (lóngzhēnghǔdòu) and 龙虎相争 (lóng hǔ xiāng zhēng) describe two powerful leaders fighting each other.

龙潭虎穴 (lóng tán hǔ xué) are dragon’s pond and tiger’s lair, namely very dangerous places.

鲤鱼跳龙门 (Lí yú tiào lóng mén) depicts a carp leaping over the dragon’s gate. It refers to an ordinary person’s succeeding in the national exam in feudal China and subsequently attaining a prestigious government position. This theme of good fortune is often featured in Chinese brush paintings and New Year greeting cards.

Have you watched the film titled “Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon”? 卧虎藏龙 (wòhǔcánglóng) is actually a Chinese idiom that refers to the talents one might have that are hidden from others. Years ago, while I was about to leave the post office of our small town after mailing a package, a tall middle-aged Caucasian man approached me and spoke to me in Chinese. Needless to say, I was taken aback by his perfect pronunciation and intonation. Who would have guessed just by looking at him?

May the Year of the Dragon shower you with vitality and good fortune, and make your dream of speaking fluent Chinese come true!

P.S. 冬天的暴风雨正在外面肆虐. 在我舒适的家里，我想向那些勇敢地面对冰冷危险的道路, 为有需要的人提供援助的医疗和急救人员表示敬意.

Dōngtiān de bàofēngyǔ zhèngzài wàimiàn sìnüè. Zài wǒ shūshì de jiālǐ, wǒ xiǎng xiàng nàxiē yǒnggǎn dì miàn duì bīnglěng wéixiǎn de dàolù, wèi yǒu xūyào de rén tígōng yuánzhù de yīliáo hé jíjiù rényuán biǎoshì jìngyì.

Winter storm is raging outside. In the comfort of my home, I want to give a shoutout to the medical and emergency personnel who brave the icy, hazardous roads to provide aid to those in need.

Sneezing in Chinese

Excuse me! In this part of the world, flu viruses appear to thrive in the months from November to April. We will take this opportunity to look at a few Chinese words associated with the ENT (Ear Nose Throat) department, namely 耳鼻喉科 (ěrbí hóu kē).

The Chinese word for ears is 耳朵 (ěrduǒ). Earlobes are called 耳垂 (ěrchuí). That’s where some women attach their earrings, or 耳环 (ěrhuán).

Very loud noises can damage one’s hearing.

他的耳朵聋了.
Tā de ěrduǒ lóngle.
His ears are deaf.

High-pitched noises irritate the nerves; they are annoying and could be maddening. When such noises come from inside the head, they are a symptom of tinnitus, or 耳鸣 (ěrmíng).
The idiomatic expression 隔墙有耳 (géqiángyǒu’ěr) means walls have ears.

充耳不闻 (chōng’ěrbùwén) means turning a deaf ear to.

耳边风 (ěrbiānfēng) is unheeded advice, like wind passing by one’s ears.

她把我的劝告当做耳边风.
Tā bǎ wǒ de quàngào dàngzuò ěrbiānfēng.
She ignored my advice.

The Chinese word fo nose is 鼻 (bí), or 鼻子 (bízi).

大象的鼻子很长.
Dà xiàng de bízi hěn zhǎng.
An elephant’s trunk is very long.

鼻涕 (bítì) means snot. 鼻塞 (bísāi) means having a stuffy nose.

流 (liú) means a flow or to flow. It indicates motion of some fluid. Therefore, 流鼻涕 (liú bítì) means having a runny nose, 流鼻血 (liú bíxiě) is to have a nosebleed, 流泪 (liúlèi) is to weep, and 流口水 (liú kǒushuǐ) is to salivate.

鼻孔 (bíkǒng) are nostrils. If we say that two people exhale through one and the same nostril, we mean that they side with each other, take the same stance and are of exactly the same mind.

他们两人一个鼻孔出气.
Tāmen liǎng rén yīgè bíkǒng chūqì.
They both sing the same tune.

Sinuses are called 鼻窦 (bídòu). A sinus inflammation is called 鼻窦炎 (bídòu yán). Notice how the word 炎 (yán) is made up of two fire characters?

Hay fever is an allergy caused by pollen or dust. It’s called 干草热 (gāncǎo rè) or花粉热 (huāfěn rè) in Chinese. The eyes, ears and throat may feel itchy; one sneezes and may also have a runny nose. No matter what it sounds like, “achoo”, “hachooo”, or “ech”, a sneeze is part of a universal body language that everyone understands. The Chinese word for a sneeze is 喷嚏 (pēntì). To sneeze is 打喷嚏 (dǎ pēntì). The expression corresponding to “Bless you.” is 百岁 (bǎisuì), i.e. wishing a long life to the sneezer. The sneezers are customarily not expected to say anything to excuse themselves.

他接连打了很多次喷嚏.
Tā jiēlián dǎle hěnduō cì pēntì.
He sneezed many times in succession.

As shown in Chapter 14 of “Learn Chinese through Songs and Rhymes“, 打 (dǎ hit or beat) also serves as the verb “to do”.

The Chinese word for the throat is 喉 (hóu) or 喉咙 (hóulóng). 歌喉 (gēhóu) means singing voice.

她有很好的歌喉.
Tā yǒu hěn hǎo de gēhóu
She has a good voice.

The tonsil is called 扁桃体 (biǎntáotǐ). Therefore, 扁桃体炎 (biǎntáotǐ yán) is inflammation of the toansil, i.e. tonsillitis.

The tongue is called 舌 (shé) or 舌头 (shétou). 口 (kǒu) is the mouth. The Chinese idiom 張口結舌 (zhāngkǒujiéshé) means agape and tongue-tied. You can use it to describe someone who is at a loss for words.

打鼾 (dǎhān) means to snore. When you snore, you are breathing through your mouth and not through your nose. Consequently, you might wake up with a dry and/or sore throat, not to mention that you might suffer from sleep apnea and feel sleepy during the day. Well, there are exercises you could do to strengthen your tongue and throat and reduce or eliminate the snoring. If you would like to try them, click on this link.

By the way, singing provides an excellent opportunity to exercise your tongue and throat, as well as your vocal cords. I suppose singing in Chinese would be a somewhat strenuous exercise, as making some of the sounds requires the use of muscles normally not called upon to speak or sing in another language. You can download the audio files for “Learn Chinese through Songs and Rhymes” to sing along with the loads of simple songs in Chinese.

Chinese idioms and expressions that require some interpretation

狗咬耗子

Some Chinese idioms are similar to their English equivalents, and are therefore more easy to understand. For example, 光阴似箭 (Guāngyīn sì jiàn) means time is like an arrow; in other words, time flies. Many other Chinese idioms and expressions take a bit more effort to understand. Take a look at each of the following idiom sand expressions and see if you can guess its meaning without peeping at the interpretation that follows.

气味相投 (qìwèixiāngtóu)

This idiom describes how the odors of two persons are agreeable to each other. In other words, they are of like minds. It’s debatable whether there are actual pheromes involved.

他们两位气味相投.
Tāmen liǎng wèi qìwèi xiāngtóu.
The two of them are of like minds and get along well.

開門見山 (kāiménjiànshān)

When you open the door, you see the mountain right away. This means to come straight to the point.

他開門見山说要借三百元.
Tā kāiménjiànshān shuō yào jiè sānbǎi yuán.
He went straight to the point and said that he would borrow three hundred yuan.

三教九流 (sānjiàojiǔliú)

Lumping the miscellaneous religious sects and non-mainstream schools together, this is a derogatory term referring to people in various trades or people of all sorts that are not held in high respect. A similar term referring to individual nobodies is 阿猫阿狗 (āmāo āgǒu).

他与三教九流都有来往.
Tā yǔ sānjiàojiǔliú dōu yǒu láiwǎng.
He has contacts with all sorts of people.

天衣无缝 (tiānyēwúfèng)

缝 (féng) pronounced in the second tone means to sew or to stitch, where as 缝 (fèng) pronounced in the fourth tone means a seam, a crack or a fissure. Therefore, “a seamless heavenly robe” means flawless.

他的计划不能说是天衣无缝的.
Tā de jì huá bùnéng shuō shì tiānyīwúfèng de.
His plan cannot be said to be flawless.

异想天开 (yìxiǎngtiānkāi)

In Chinese, the word 天 (tiā) refers to both the sky and the heaven. When heaven opens, one would expect to be showered upon with all kinds of blessings. Therefore, this expression means to have a very fantastic idea, to daydream, or to have one’s head in the clouds.

以他微薄的收入, 拥有一架私人飞机简直是异想天开.
Yǐ tā wéibó de shōurù, yǒngyǒu yī jià sīrén fēijī jiǎnzhí shì yìxiǎngtiānkāi.
With his meager income, owning a private jet is simply fantastic.

狗咬耗子 (gǒu yǎo hàozi)

It’s the cat’s job to catch mice. Therefore, when a dog gets a mouse, it’ like sticking one’s thumb in a pie. This idiom is usually followed by “多管闲事 (duō guǎn xiánshì)”.

哼! 真是狗咬耗子, 多管闲事!
Hēng! Zhēnshi gǒu yǎo hàozi, duō guǎn xiánshì!
Hmph! Meddling in my business like a dog catching a mouse!

九牛二虎 (jiǔ niú èr hǔ)

When it takes nine bulls and two tigers to pull a load, that means the task requires an inordinate amount of effort to accomplish.

他费了九牛二虎的力气才把柜子搬到楼上.
Tā fèile jiǔ niú èr hǔ de lìqì cái bǎ guìzi bān dào lóu shàng.
It took him an inordinate amount of effort to move the cabinet upstairs.

换汤不换药 (huàntāngbùhuànyào)

Chinese herb medicine is normally prepared by steeping or simmering an assortment of herbs in water to make a drink or soup. Adding fresh water to spent herbs won’t produce an effective concoction. This idiom refers to a change in form but not in content, or presenting the same old stuff with a different label.

这个新政策还是那老套, 换汤不换药.
Zhège xīn zhèngcè háishì nà lǎo tào, huàn tāng bù huàn yào.
This new policy is still like the old stuff, changing out the soup but not the medicine.

See Chapter 28 in “Learn Chinese through Songs and Rhymes” for a collection of commonly used Chinese idioms and expressions.

Learn Chinese word radical – Feather

Eagle Painting

The word 羽 (yǔ) consists of a pair of feathers showing the shafts and a couple of the barbs on the vanes. In everyday speech, feathers are called 羽毛 (yǔ máo).

Badminton is called 羽毛球 (yǔmáoqiú) because traditionally the shuttlecocks were made with real goose feathers. Badminton bats are called 羽毛球拍 (yǔmáoqiú pāi).

你打羽毛球吗?
Nǐ dǎ yǔmáoqiú ma?
Do you play badminton?

To keep themselves healthy, birds will preen their feathers several times a day. To keep one’s reputation intact, a person would mind his conduct and dealings. This is referred to as 爱惜羽毛 (àixī yǔmáo).

他太爱惜羽毛, 因此做事过于谨慎.
Tā tài àixī yǔmáo, yīncǐ zuòshì guòyú jǐnshèn.
He cares too much about his reputation, so that he is too cautious in doing things.

Whereas the 羽 (yǔ) radical is shown completely in the Traditional Chinese word 習 (xí), the Simplified Chinese version of the word is reduced to just one feather, 习 (xí).

习 (xí) originally describes how birds fly back and forth repeatedly. The meaning has been extended to refer to repeating certain actions, as in practicing something or having a habit.

学习 (xuéxí) means to learn, and 见习 jiànxí means to train on the job. To study on your own is 自习 (zìxí), and 练习(liànxí) is to practice.

不管你学什么, 多多练习是很重要的.
Bùguǎn nǐ xué shénme, duōduō liànxí shì hěn zhòngyào de.
Regardless of what you study, it is important to practice a lot.

As a noun, 习惯 (xíguàn) is a habit. As a verb, it means to be accustomed to something. 坏习惯 (huài xíguàn) is a bad habit, and 恶习 (èxí) is a vice.

这里经常下雨, 我们已经习惯了.
Zhèlǐ jīngcháng xià yǔ, wǒmen yǐjīng xíguàn le.
It rains often here, and we are accustomed to it.

Here is another way to put it, using a four-character Chinese idiom:

这里经常下雨, 我们早就习以为常.
Zhèlǐ jīngcháng xià yǔ, wǒmen zǎo jiù xíyǐwéicháng.
It rains often here, and we’ve been accustomed to it since long ago.

The formal word for wings is 翼 (yì). In every day speech we call wings 翅膀 (chìbǎng). The 羽 (yǔ) radical features prominently in both words.

小心翼翼 (xiǎoxīnyìyì) means with great care, or cautiously.

不翼而飞 (bù yì ér fēi) is a commonly used Chinese idiom that means to disappear all of a sudden (taking off without wings).

如虎添翼 (rúhǔtiānyì) refers to redoubled power, like a tiger that has grown wings.

有了一百辆坦克车加入他强大的阵容, 这将是如虎添翼.
Yǒule yībǎi liàng tǎnkè chē jiārù tā qiángdà de zhènróng, zhè jiāng shì rúhǔtiānyì.
With a hundred tanks joining his powerful battle array, this will be like a tiger with wings.

Following are a few more commonly used words that include the 羽 (yǔ) radical.

翔 (xiáng) is to circle in the air. This word is made up of the character for goats and a pair of feathers. 飞翔 (fēixiáng) is to fly and 滑翔 (huáxiáng) is to glide in the air. The glider aircraft is called a 滑翔机 (huáxiángjī).

好久没看到滑翔机了。
Hǎojiǔ méi kàn dào huáxiángjīle.
I haven’t seen a glider for a long time.

扇子 (shànzi) are handheld fans, while 电风扇 (diàn fēngshàn) or 电扇 (diànshàn) are electric fans. Fans made with real feathers are called 羽毛扇 (yǔmáo shàn).

煽动 (shāndòng) is to incite. Notice how the word 煽 (shān) also takes on the fire radical.

翁 (wēng) and 老翁 (lǎowēng) refer to men or old men. A millionair is called a 百万富翁 (bǎi wàn fùwēng).

When speaking of someone with an ulterior motive, you could say,

醉翁之意不在酒.
Zuì wēng zhī yì bùzài jiǔ.
The old tippler’s heart is not in the cup.

蹋 (tà) is to stamp one’s foot or to step on something. 糟蹋 (zāotà) is to spoil, waste, wreck something, or to abuse someone.

把碗里的食物吃完, 不要糟蹋东西.
Bǎ wǎn lǐ de shíwù chī wán; bùyào zāotà dōngxi.
Finish eating the food in the bowl; don’t waste things.

With the “soil” radical on the left side, 塌 (tà) means to collapse. Therefore, 倒塌 (dǎotā) means to collapse or to topple down. 一塌糊涂 (yītāhútú) means a whole mess, and 死心塌地 (sǐxīntādì) means to have one’s heart set on or to be hell-bent on doing something.

分开了50年, 她依然死心塌地的爱着他.
Fēnkāi le wǔshí nián, tā yīrán sǐxīntādì de àizhe tā.
After 50 years of separation, she still loves him with all her heart.

摺 (zhé) is to fold. 摺紙 (zhézhǐ) means folding paper, or origami.

寥 (liáo) means few. 寥寥无几 (liáoliáo wújǐ) is an idiom that means very few.

翡翠 (fěicuì) is jade. 翠绿 (cuìlǜ) is emerald green.

翻 (fān) means to turn over. 翻滚 (fāngǔn) is to tumble. 翻车 (fānchē) refers to the rollover of a vehicle.
天翻地覆 (tiānfāndìfù) is an idiom describing total confusion and chaos, or being topsy-turvy.

翻脸 (fānliǎn) or 闹翻 (nào fān) means to have a fall out with someone and no longer be friendly with that person.

他们为了争夺女友而闹翻了.
Tāmen wèile zhēngduó nǚyǒu ér nào fān le.
They fell out fighting over the same girlfriend.

翻译 (fānyì) means to translate from one language to another.

推翻 (tuīfān) means to overthrow or to overturn.

翻山越岭 (fān shānyuè lǐng) is a Chinese idiom describing an arduous journey climbing over many mountains.

廖 (liào) is a Chinese surname. This word is the answer to an interesting riddle you can find in Chapter 24 of “Learn Chinese through Songs and Rhymes“.

中秋節快樂!
Happy Moon Festival!