We know that when learning a language, you can have ups and downs in your motivation and your desire to learn. It happens to everyone. What you need in those cases to keep going is a good dose of motivation! So, to help you give your best and reach your dream of speaking a new language, like Chinese, we’ve collected wise and funny proverbs to inspire you. Some of these will motivate you to go forward, some of these will cheer you up when you need that, and all of them will inspire you to keep learning till you’ve reached your goal. 加油! Jiāyóu!Fighting!

Ninchanese is an incredible app for learning Chinese!

” I actually graduated from the University of Edinburgh with a MA in Chinese.
I’ve used Ninchanese daily, and it has helped me a lot!  “

 – Connor, Ninchanese User

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#1 Chinese Proverbs

学而时习之，不亦说乎？ xué ér shí xí zhī, bú yì yuè hū? Is it not pleasant to learn with a constant perseverance and application?

This old Chinese proverb helps you keep in mind that learning must be pleasant. Make sure you learn and practice because you want to and not because you feel forced to.
This is where the gamified experience in Ninchanese can help you. Having fun while learning makes it more efficient. You need to find the method that fits you and stick to it. And persevering you’ll find learning really enjoyable.

#2 Chinese Proverbs

授人以鱼不如授人以渔 Shòu rén yǐ yú, bùrú shòu rén yǐ yú Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime

This funny Chinese proverb is well known in the western world. Did you know about it?
For those who don’t, this proverb represents the importance of learning the method to get things and not just waiting for things to be given to you. If you give something to someone, they’ll use it but they’ll never know how to get another one. But if you teach someone how to do things themselves, they’ll be able to reproduce the miracle on their own in the future. That’s the beauty of actively learning to do something, vs. passively observing someone doing something.

At Ninchanese, despite the fact our cats aren’t big fish eaters, we’ve taken this proverb at heart. Let’s pretend you’re the man and Chinese is the fish. In addition to giving you content to learn yourself, Ninchanese also teaches you little by the little the tools and the advice you need to understand Chinese better. By doing that, we’re teaching you how to fish everyday. For instance, don’t miss our Monday Meet the Component session on Ninchanese Facebook page to learn how to decipher components and Chinese characters.

This saying goes hand in hand with anotherfamous Chinese proverb from Confucius:

吾听吾忘，吾见吾记，吾做吾悟 wú tīng wú wàng, wú jiàn wú jì, wú zuò wú wù I hear I forget. I see I remember. I do I understand.

By doing things actively, you’ll understand them better than by learning passively.

#3 Chinese Proverbs

学然后知不足 xué ránhòu zhī bùzú to learn is to know one’s ignorance

This old Chinese proverb is a concrete and very useful one to remember. If you’re able to point out the things you don’t know yet, you’ll learn better. For instance, if you have difficulties differentiating 有 yǒu to have and 看 kàn to look, knowing you’re getting the two confused is the first step towards learning. Now that you’ve admitted that, you know you must work harder on getting those two characters straight, and train your brain to spot the difference between these two evil characters.

In fact, admitting one’s weaknesses is a good start to improving in something.
Only by acknowledging what you do not know, can you begin to fill your lack of knowledge by learning new things. That also makes you want to learn more things to satisfy your thirst for knowledge. Isn’t that a great outlook to have on things?

#4 Chinese Proverbs

一事不知，君子知耻 Yī shì bù zhī, jūnzǐ zhī chǐ A man of honor will feel ashamed by a single question to which he does not know the answer

This famous Chinese proverb is really important for learners. It tells us of a frame of mind we should all adopt when learning: You should never feel ashamed or afraid of asking a question about something you don’t understand. Being proud and not admitting you don’t get it won’t help you when learning a language. Asking about something you don’t understand isn’t admitting you’re weak. Quite on the contrary, it means you have a very strong spirit and shows you want to improve by learning what you do no understand.

Have questions about Chinese? Follow this proverb and don’t be afraid to come ask Sijing, the newest member in the Nincha Team, in our brand new chat.

#5 Chinese Proverbs

玉不琢不成器，人不教难成才 Yù bù zhuó bù chéng qì, rén bù jiào nán chéng cái A jade stone is useless before it is processed; a man is good-for-nothing until he is educated

Education is the key to a good start in life. In every direction you’ll take in life, education will help you be a better you. Education is the key to reaching your goals and that’s why it’s important to find the learning method that suits you best. . The more you know, the stronger you’ll to face life’s difficulties and challenges.

#6 Chinese Proverbs

不入虎穴，焉得虎子 Bù rù hǔ xué yān dé hǔ zǐ If you don't go into the tiger's cave, how will you get the cub?

Sometimes you must take some risks in life to progress and evolve. If you don’t get a little adventurous and accept to take on challenges, you’ll always stay where you are and never get what you want. As we say: no pain, no gain. If you don’t dare to go into the cat’s den, you’ll never get the kitten and its unbearable cuteness. Wait. That’s not the right proverb.
Only things you know well are going happen in your comfort zone and to quote Jessica Hagy, if you want the magic to happen, you have to expose yourself.
Isn’t this proverb a good motto to live by everyday to motivate yourself and learn to seize opportunities, by taking a little risk from time to time?

#7 Chinese Proverbs

一年之际在于春，一生之际在于勤 Yī nián zhī jì zài yú chūn, yī shēng zhī jì zài yú qín. A year's harvest counts on spring; a man's success counts on his diligence.

Assiduity is very important when learning a language, because a large part of successfully learning a language has to do with your memory and being able to remember what you learned previously. For instance, the Chinese language is full of characters that must be remembered. This is why you need to practice regularly and that’s why you need to do your reviews frequently on Ninchanese. Because your reviews were calculated by our learning algorithm to make your learning more efficient, and help you remember better and longer.
So remember, if you want to learn a language effectively, you need to be constant in your learning sessions. I think that’s a great piece of advice to give you.

Final words

The Nincha Team hopes these 7 wise and funny Chinese proverbs have inspired you and given you all the keys to stay motivated in your Chinese learning adventure.

Learning a language is not always easy, we agree, but it is so rewarding when you manage to. So, take your time, and one step at a time, we know you’ll succeed in catching the Chinese fish in your net (see #2 Chinese proverb ). Remember, it does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop.
Whenever you feel down, do your best to think positively and read these awesome Chinese proverbs to keep your head up. They’ll be sure to be useful to push you to continue your Chinese learning quest. In case you need an even bigger motivation boost, check out Ninchanese to learn all sorts new things in Chinese and discover how addictive learning Chinese can be.

Be sure to let us know if it worked for you as much as it worked for Lupishu, the little dragon.

And for more motivational quotes, don’t miss our Saturday #Quoturday on Ninchanese Facebook page. Filling your spirit with positive thoughts will definitely change your outlook on life.

The post Chinese Proverbs: How to Use Them to Learn a Language appeared first on Ninchanese.

Cat surprise #1: pandas!

熊猫

xióng māo

panda

literally: a cat like bear

Did you know pandas were just huge cats posing as pandas? Technically, pandas are a kind of bear. But since they sort of look like cats and behave like cats , the Chinese call pandas 熊猫, literally a cat like bear.

And yup, if you want to say you have panda eyes because your makeup ran:

Cat surprise #2: Hide-and-Seek

躲猫猫

duǒ māo māo

to play hide and seek

literally: to hide the cat

Why did the Chinese call the game “hide-and-seek” 躲猫猫  duǒ māo māo, which literally means “to hide the cat”?Why choose to hide the cat rather than to hide a rabbit, or a dog? It’s simple to understand if you have a cat in your home. Cats like to play hide-and-seek. If you run in front of a cat, scare it or touch it lightly, it will run away and hide from you. But later on, it’ ll come to find you. Just like playing hide-and-seek right? So that’s why this game is called 躲猫猫 duǒ māo māo in China. 躲猫猫 is mostly used when you talk about playing hide and seek with kids. The formal way to say hide-and-seek is 捉迷藏 zhuō mí cáng, but it’s not as fun.

Cat surprise #3: Elvis Presley

猫王

māowáng

Elvis Presley’s name in Chinese

literally: the King of Cats

Bet you didn’t see that one coming! Elvis Presley’s Chinese name is 猫王 māowáng, literally the King of Cats. As far as names goes, that one rules! Elvis Presley basically earned this nickname because he dances like a cat and evokes a cat to some and he has lots of fans in China.

Here’s an article where you’ll find another Elvis Presley cat and more cats impersonnating famous people.

Cat surprise #4: Totoro

龙猫

lóng māo

Totoro

literally: Dragon Cat

You all know that lovable grey ball of fur with a huge grin in Miyazaki Hayao’s animated film “My Neighbor Totoro” as Totoro, but can you guess what the Chinese call him?

龙猫 lóng māo.

Yup, Totoro’s name in Chinese is Dragon Cat. We get the cat part, with the fur and the whiskers and what not, but the dragon part? Or is his name supposed to be Chinchilla, which are also called 龙猫 in Chinese? He does kind of look like a giant Chinchilla… If you have a clue why Totoro is named like that in China, we want to know!

Cat surprise #5: Owls

猫头鹰

māotóuyīng

Owl

 literally: an eagle with a cat head

Let’s see one last funny word with cat in it: 猫头鹰 māotóuyīng, which is the word Owl in Chinese. 猫头鹰 litterally means “an eagle with a cat head”

Wondering why Chinese people call an owl 猫头鹰, an eagle with a cat head? Just check out these crafty pictures and we’re sure you’ll figure it out.

It’s an owl? It’s a cat? It’s a meowl!

Half cat, half owl, gotta love these Meowls! They look so surprisingly natural; maybe the Chinese are onto something here? Check out Weibo user Zhumaokele for more Meowl pictures and awesome photo ops involving cats and strange oufits.

What do you think of these 5 Chinese words? It’s surprising to find cats in them, right?  Cats play an important role in Chinese “animal culture”. The Chinese not only like to use cat in a metaphorical way to express human feelings but they’ve also liked to create many words with the character for cat in it. Funny, isn’t it?

Did we miss any? Let us know in the comments!

Yanjie and 

The Nincha Team

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One day, you suddenly start seeing a new word or an expression pop up everywhere online or hear teenagers use it all the time and you don’t even know what it means yet. Chances are, you’ve encountered a catchphrase; a popular slang word or expression that everyone starts suddenly using to talk about a concept.

In China, new slang and catchphrases emerge at break-neck speed and become immediately immensely popular on Weibo and other online forums. So if you want to speak really modern Chinese, being familiar with Chinese catchphrases as well as the things you learn in class will help you a lot.

Nincha’s here to help though so don’t be worried, you’ll know all you need to know! Here we go!

Ninchanese is an incredible app for learning Chinese!

” I actually graduated from the University of Edinburgh with a MA in Chinese.
I’ve used Ninchanese daily, and it has helped me a lot!  “

 – Connor, Ninchanese User

Try Ninchanese, an award-winning method to learn Chinese today:

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Chinese catchphrase #1 : It’s a Duang thing

“DUANG”

duāng

“boing,”  “ta-da!”

Our first must-know Chinese catchword is a word you’ve probably come across already, and not necessarily in a Chinese text. It was a big hit not only in China but also in some parts of the world (hello 9gag): DUANG.

Duang, this strange little word (pronounced: dwong) suddenly hit the Chinese Internet by storm and became viral throughout China. You can now hear people use it jokingly in the streets, on TV shows, everywhere!

This word doesn’t actually have a meaning, it is a modal word like “Oops”, “ta-da” or “boing!”, a mimetic word to show your excitement or to describe something that happens all of a sudden. A majority of Chinese netizens also seem to use it as an adjective before another word to emphasize it.

For instance,

他 duang 的一下摔倒了。

tā duāng de yī xià shuāi dǎo le. 

“Duang”, he fell down all of a sudden.

DUANG first appeared in a Jackie Chan interview. In the interview, to show how he felt about a shampoo advertisement, he used this word to explain how magical the shampoo could be. Just like magic, after DUANG a second your hair turns black again.

Now, if you google Duang, in addition to Jackie Chan’s face, you’ll see this everywhere:

Since Duang didn’t have a character associated with it in Chinese, netizens came up with this: It’s a combination of Jackie Chan’s name in Chinese + Duang written on top. ^^

Later on, out of nowhere, a netizen remixed this advertisement with the music of 庞麦郎 Pang Mai Lang’s “My sneaker” “我的滑板鞋” (wǒ de huá bǎn xié) – a spoof music that is unreasonably hot in China right now. In it, you hear “Duang” repeated over and over with a bunch of special effects. It’s really quite something. So let’s get duangggggg now!

Chinese slang #2: Tired like a dog

累成狗

leì chéng gǒu

tired like a dog

Nowadays in China, a lot of sayings are used to express how tired or bored we feel, but the most popular slang expression is this one: “累成狗” (leì chéng gǒu, tired like a dog).

This Chinese catchword works more or less like an adjective, and means “like a dog” (Adjective + 成狗). So you can add anything you want in the front, like 饿成狗 “hungry like a dog”; 热成狗 “hot like a dog”; 穷成狗 “poor like a dog”, anything you want. This slang expression works just like 热死了rè sǐ le “I am hot to death”. Both 成狗 and 死了 are used here after the adjective to add emphasis.

You might be wondering why a dog? I didn’t find the answer as to how this all started, but just picture a tired little puppy face with its little tongue hanging out of its mouth, lying on the ground. I think it perfectly sums up our feeling.

Chinese catchphrase #3:  Moe-moe cutie

萌萌哒

méng méng da  

cutie-pie

I feel so cute ~~ – picture credit: Duitang

萌萌哒  is an expression influenced by the Japanese Manga.

“萌” (méng) literally means “cute”, and “哒” (da) is a modal particle. The Chinese like to use a word twice to add emphasis to it, such as:

好好吃 hǎohǎochī. It taste good

好好玩 hǎohǎowán. It’s funny.

That’s why here “萌萌” actually means the same as “萌”. It is generally used to describe someone who is especially cute and lovely. This expression originated on 豆瓣 Douban, a very popular social website used by Chinese teenagers, where people can exchange their thoughts about the books they read, movies, music, events, blogs and other contents. On Douban, one day a netizen posted “Today I forgot to take my medicine and I feel so cute.”

今天出来没吃药<(￣▽￣)>感觉整个人都萌萌哒p(#￣▽￣#)o

jīn tiān chū lái méi chī yào, gǎn jué zhěng gè rén dōu méng méng da

Today I forgot to take my medicine and I feel so cute.

You can use this word to express someone is really cute or sometimes you can use it to make fun of yourself. Just for fun~.

Chinese slang#4:  么么哒 mua~

么么哒

momoda

kiss kiss

么么哒 shares the same pattern as 萌萌哒 (words reduplication) and is now used by teenagers and also adults in China to express one’s love and affection when they text a message or chat online. It is not only used between lovers but also with family and friends. It is a cute mimetic word of a kissing sound, just like mua~ Teenagers always use this symbol as a kiss too: >3333333

Maybe you’ll shocked by this photo, an ugly girl with a running nose, seriously? Haha, the Chinese now like this mock-picture, this face is very popular on the internet. Send a kiss to your lovers like this? So funny!

Chinese catchphrase #5:  Rich and bitch

有钱就是任性

yǒu qián jiù shì rèn xìng 

have money, can act however I want

有钱就是任性 is a saying that says “you’re rich so you can do whatever you want and bitch as much as you want”.

This slang expression originates from a real event: One day in April 2014, Mr. Liu spent 1760 yuan online to buy a health care product. Soon after, he got a strange call persuading him to buy other drugs for the first product to be effective. In the following four months, Mr. Liu sent about 540,000 yuan to the fraud scheme. He said that he’d figured out after dishing out 70 000 RMB that it was a scam but kept going. “I just wanted to see how much could they take from me!”, said Mr. Liu. Everyone was amazed by his words and absurb rich-guy behavior. He must be really rich, huh? So that’s how the expression 有钱就是任性 became popular.

Next time you want to show off your wealth, but not exactly in Mr Liu’s way, you can say:

Chinese Internet slang #6: Crazy or Drunk?

也是醉了！

yě shì zuì le 

Are you kidding me? Have I become crazy?

The literal meaning of this expression is: being drunk. But now, it is used in Chinese to show how helpless one feels, and in situations where one has nothing to say or doesn’t understand. The slang meaning is therefore closer to “Are you kidding me?!” or “Have I become crazy?!”

Chinese catchphrase #7:  You can you up

你行你上

nǐ xíng nǐ shàng

If you can do it, do it.

你行你上 literally means “you can you up”. As a slang expression, it means “if you can, do it , go ahead, if not please shut up.” It’s especially used about people who like to criticize others, especially when the person who’s doing the criticizing is not capable of doing the same thing as you.

Chinese buzzword #8:  No zuo no die

不作不死

bù zuō bù sǐ

Don’t do silly things, don’t die

作 “zuō” in Chinese means to “act silly or daring”. This saying means that if you don’t do something silly, you won’t end up with bad consequences.

Look at this conversation and you’ll understand:

KEEP CALM AND NO ZUO NO DIE – picture credit: keepcalm-o-matic.co.uk

Chinese catchphrase #9  Goddesses and She-males

女神和女汉子

nǚ shén hé nǚ hàn zi

Goddesses and masculine women

我美吗？ Am I beautiful? These two muscular fine ladies ask.

Needless to say, we all know what a goddess is, like Audrey Hepburn, so beautiful and elegant that everyone admires her. In Chinese, we call a woman who is incredibly beautiful and shinning a goddess 女神nǚ shén.

On the other side, what’s the opposite of a goddess? There is another group of girls that exist in our daily life; they act carelessly and sloppily, they always have a generous personality and are forthright by nature. Some are even more manly then men. In that case, these men-like women in Chinese are called 女汉子(nǚ hàn zi), masculine women or manly girls. Here 汉子 hànzi means man; it is the formal way to say  男人 (nán rén) ‘man’. 女汉子usually carries a positive meaning and is used to describe an independent girl who is not afraid of hardships.

Mandarin slang #10:  Have yourself a loneliness party

寂寞党

jì mò dǎng

寂寞党 is a popular saying that started when one day, a netizen posted a photo of him eating noodles, with the accompanying sentence: “哥吃的不是面，是寂寞”(gē chī de bú shì miàn shì jì mò) which means “What I am eating is not noodles, it’s loneliness.” Since then, this kind of saying has been very fashionable. Everyone think it’s funny, cool and even a little ironic. Actually, this expression doesn’t have a special meaning. Here 党 means a group of person. 寂寞jìmò means loneliness. You can use this expression when you feel lonely or bad or just for fun.

All right, there you have it: 10 funny catchwords that are really popular now in China. So next time when you see some strange expressions in forums or chat with your Chinese friends, you won’t be shocked and you can use them whenever you want. Want to be cooler and fashionable in Chinese, just use these catchwords Nincha just taught you! Just remember to not be fooled by their literal meaning; sometimes they mean nothing and are used just for fun, you know, it’s a “duang” thing! So now you know, the Chinese are really creative with their language and everything is possible!

么么哒!

Yanjie and 

The Nincha Team

Stay in touch with us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest.

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Two cat expressions you’re puuuurfectly familiar with

You’ve probably heard of the first two expressions before. They also exist in English and are used the same way as in English. All you need to do is learn how to say them in Chinese and you’ll be good to go.

Cat saying #1: Curiosity and cats don’t match

好奇心杀死猫

hào qí xīn shā sǐ māo.

Curiosity killed the cat.

一只好奇的小猫。A curious cat – Photo by Juliàn Cantarelli

You all probably know “Curiosity killed the cat”:  this cat quote is used to warn of dangerous situations. Here at Ninchanese, we try very hard not to think about what happened to the first cat who was too curious and from whom this quote derives…and choose to focus on a more positive note: Wikipedia notes “A less frequently-seen rejoinder to “curiosity killed the cat” is “but satisfaction brought it back””and we kind of like that idea!”

Cat saying #2: Cats live multiple lives

猫有九条命

māo yǒu jiǔ tiáo mìng.

A cat has nine lives!

The Chinese, as do many cultures, believe that a cat has multiple lives. They also opt for 9 lives, just like we do in English (and in a number of other places). Lucky cats!  In Chinese, this expression is used to symbolize someone who has a stronger vitality than others.

Ninchanese is an incredible app for learning Chinese!

” I actually graduated from the University of Edinburgh with a MA in Chinese.
I’ve used Ninchanese daily, and it has helped me a lot!  “

 – Connor, Ninchanese User

Try Ninchanese, an award-winning method to learn Chinese today:

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Four cat sayings you’ll be pawzzled with

The following cat expressions and sayings are unique to Chinese, as far as we know. Cats are given interesting roles in Chinese sayings, we’ll tell you that!

Cat saying #3:  Cats as women

猫性女子

māo xìng nǚ zǐ

A woman with the character of a cat

Photo credit: Fanny Latour-Lambert

Chinese people often like to compare cats and women. Here’s why.

A cat can be very gentle, but it also has a strong sense of self-esteem. For example, if a baby kitten does something wrong, you need to comfort it, not scold it. For, if you hit it, it will remember that (and blame you) forever.

In Chinese, some woman are considered as cats: we/they have varied personalities and are seen as gentle, elegant but also sly, elusive creatures with a high level of self-esteem. That could also describe a cat, don’t you think? The Chinese like to liken the two anyways.

Cat saying #4: Cats as men and fish as women

猫改不了偷腥

māo gǎi bù liǎo tōu xīng.

A cat cannot stop stealing fish.

Photo credit: Serena (Flickr)

Eating fish is most likely inscribed in a cat’s DNA: it’s pretty sure that all the cats in this world like the smell of fish. Well, expect for Nincha, who doesn’t like fish. But that’s another story. So, for most cats, fish are a fatal attraction, and they can’t resist the sight of fresh fish.

The Chinese tend to think some men are the same, and won’t ever be satisfied with one girl, be she his girlfriend or his wife. This cat quote is therefore used to refer to those men who are married or have a girl friend, but are still ready and open to seducing others.

Cat saying # 5: of cats and rats

不论白猫黑猫,抓到老鼠就是好猫

bù guǎn hēi māo bái māo

 bái māo hēi māo, zhuā dào lǎo shǔ de jiù shì hǎo māo.

No matter if it is a white cat or a black cat, a cat that can catch rats is a good cat.

This is a very popular saying in China because it is linked to a special era: the 70s and to Deng Xiaoping, who frequently used this proverb to emphasize the importance of participating to bring about social change.

The idea behind this saying is: the truth can only be tested in practice, we should try before jumping to any conclusions.

Cat proverb #6: of cats and rats (2)

猫哭老鼠

māokūlǎoshǔ

A cat is crying for a rat.

Cats and rats don’t match? Source – Kantsuu.com

Everyone knows that cats eat rats so how can a cat be sad for a rat? Impossible, right? Especially considering the lousy trick the rats pulled on cats in the zodiac race to fame…So this Chinese cat proverb means the same as “crocodile tears” in English. It is used to describe fake compassion or sympathy.

So there you have, 6 Chinese expressions that are about cats! It’s funny how different cultures share some of the same cat sayings and beliefs about cats, don’t you think? Use these Chinese cat quotes in your daily life to impress your cat loving friends and remember: enjoy the fun the cats bring you!

Yanjie and 

The Nincha Team

Stay in touch with us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest.

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It’s World Happy Day today, so here’s your mission for today: Smile!

And today’s motto is:

A good sentence to remember whenever you feel down. Be happy, smile to the world and the world will smile back at you! ☼

The Nincha Team

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