Why the classroom may be holding you back

Why the classroom may be holding you back
Chinadaily .com

There are roughly 30 million people in the world studying Chinese, and Fred Rao, founder and CEO of eChineseLearning, thinks many of them are learning it the wrong way - in a classroom.

"The traditional way of Chinese language instruction is insufficient. Students go to class for 1.5 hours a week, and then they forget everything they've learned," says Rao, who once taught Mandarin through a Chinese culture center he founded in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Rao saw an opportunity. Eight months ago, he established eChineseLearning, a website that specializes in one-to-one, real-time instruction with experienced teachers in China via Instant Messaging software, such as MSN, Google Talk or Skype. Private lessons cost as 9 US,little with topics ranging from Chinese culture to business etiquette.

The idea came to Rao after spending 10 years in the United States, where he attended Stanford University's business school and later founded a social networking website.

So far, eChineseLearning has enrolled about 300 students from 25 countries. Most come from the United States, but other students come from as far way as Venezuela and Latvia. Students' ages range from as young as 4 to more than 60.

China Daily

Olympic in Beijing , to learn English or to learn Chinese?

I don't know why I use this title, but it is the question I really want to ask. I care a lot about the Olympic game in 2008, I feel so excited that it is in Beijing.
For preparing the Olympic game, the government has done many things .People think it is good for Beijing and the Beijingers . But for me, sometimes I feel so bad about it. Something new appears, something old disappeared. And I am the person who misses the old things so much.
For preparing the Olympic game, Chinese people are learning English! But I don't think this is going to work. Imagine this: during the Olympic time, there are many people from different countries and speak different languages. The worst thing is some of them can't speak English. How can they communicate in China? I don't think Chinese people can learn so many languages in such a short time. So may be, people who want to travel to China, can learn some Chinese before they are coming. That will be easy for all of us!
I spoken to some foreigner friends, they are learning Chinese now. They are so excited about learning Chinese and going to China! They think China should provide some Chinese language service to foreigners. Some of them are learning Chinese online with eChineseLearning.com, they said that the service helps them a lot, making them more confident to go to China!

To Adopt a chinese child! Willing to help !

Many American parents want to adopt a Child from China, but sometimes they face difficulties to communicate with the child. And even when the child has grown up, they also want their child to learn Chinese language.
So now there is a chance for the parents and the children: Join eChineseLearning.com, the teachers there are willing to help out and give free lessons to them!

Contact eChineselearning here: serive@echineselearning.com
skype id: service_echineselearning
Get the detail about the offer, eChineseLearning.com, the best Chinese language service from China!

Chinese idioms learning!

ài bú shì shǒu
爱 不 释 手
meaning:1.to be so fond of sth.that one cannot take one's hands off it 2.to be reluctant to give up. 3.to be unwilling to let sth out of one's hands 4. can hardly bear to put it down.
释义：喜爱到不肯放手，形容非常喜爱。

ài cái rú mìnɡ
爱 财 如 命
meaning:1.to grudge wealth as one's life.2. to be extremely miserly and greedy 3. love gold as one's life
释义：吝惜钱财如同吝惜自己的生命一样。形容贪婪。

ài cái ruò kě
爱 才 若 渴
meaning:1. to have a passion for talent 2. One's love for scholars ( or talents)is equal to one's thirst for water 3.to be very fond of talented people.
释义：爱惜人才就像口渴想喝水一样。

ài mò nénɡ zhù
爱 莫 能 助
meaning:1.to be willing to help but unable to do so 2. to love but have no ability to render assistance 3.to be sympathetic but unable to help 4. one would be glad to help but cannot.
释义：原意是因为不显露才无人相助，后指虽有同情心，而没有帮助的能力。

ài wū jí wū
爱 屋 及 乌
meaning:1. to love for a person extends even to the crows on its roof 2. love me ,love my dog.3. love one thing on account of another.
释义：因为爱一间房屋而连带喜欢房顶上的乌鸦。比喻因为爱一个人而连带喜爱和他有关系的人或事物。

ài zēnɡ fēn mínɡ
爱 憎 分 明
meaning:1. to be clear about what to love or hate 2. to know whom to love and whom to hate 3. to understand what to love and what to hate 4 .a clear idea of what one should hate or love.
释义 ：爱什么，恨什么，态度鲜明

ài shǒu ài jiǎo
碍 手 碍 脚
meaning:1.to stand (or be)in the way 2.to be obstructed by one's hands and feet 3. to be a hindrance 4 be a nuisance
释义： 形容做事受到妨碍，不顺利。

Best gift! ——reading

Comedian David Brenner came from a poor but close family. When he graduated from high school, however,he was given an unforgetable gift."some of my friends got new clothes and a few rich kids even got new cars," he remembers."My father reached into his pants pocket and took something out .I extened my hand ,palm up ,and he let my present drop into it _ a nickel!"

Dad said to me,"Buy a newspaper with that.Read everyword of it. Then trun to the classified section and get yourself a job. Get into the world . It's all yours now."

"I always thought that was a great joke my father had played on me until a few years later when I was in the Army, sitting in a foxhole,and thinking about my family and my cars, or only clothes. My father had given me the whole world . What greater gift!"

喜剧演员 David Brenner 来自一个贫穷但是关系很亲密的家庭。在他高中毕业的时候，得到一份一辈子都不会忘记的礼物。“我的一些朋友得到了新衣服，甚至有些有钱的孩子得到了一辆新车”，他回忆道，“我的爸爸把手伸进裤子口袋，然后拿出来了什么东西。我伸出我的手，掌心向上，我爸爸把我的礼物放到了我的手心里——一枚五分硬币。”

“爸爸对我说，‘用这个钱买一份报纸。读完它的每一个字。然后到分类广告栏里，给你自己找一份工作。走向现实的世界吧。现在它都是你的了。’“

“我一直认为那是爸爸跟我开的一个很大的玩笑，直到一些年以后当我在陆军，坐在一个伞兵坑里，思考我的家庭和我的车，或者只是衣服的时候我才知道，爸爸已经给我了全世界。那是多么伟大的一个礼物啊！

Thesedays I have read many beautiful storys,I learned lot . This why we need to read. It is a best way to know people , to know the world.Enjoy reading ,and share your story with someone else. I love it!

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Learn Chinese idioms with eChineseLearning.com

āi ér bù shānɡ
哀 而 不 伤
Meaning: 1.mournful but not distressing 2.deeply felt but not sentimental 3. temperate 4.within the limits
释义：形容感情适度，悲哀而不过度伤心。也比喻做事适度。
Learning more!
āi hónɡ biàn yě
哀 鸿 遍 野
meaning:1.starving people fill the land 2.a land swarming with famished refugees 3.the wilderness is filled with sufferers 4. disaster victims moaning everywhere
释义：比喻灾民流亡各地，凄惨的情形，像哀叫的鸿雁那样。
Learning more!
āi jiān cā bèi
挨 肩 擦 背
meaning:1.to follow closely,rubbing the shoulders 2. to go in a jostling crowd 3. to be crowded together.
释义：肩挨着肩，背擦着背。多用以形容人群拥挤不堪。
Learning more!

Enjoy reading!

My teen-age daughter was preparing to return home after having visited her grandparents for a few weeks one summer.Her grandfather gave her 12 post cards.
"Here,write us a few lines every month,"he said.
Months passed and the cards remained unused -- that is until the day this letter arrived:
Dear Jennifer,
Life is a series of stages.
As a child, I looked forward to becoming a teen-ager--that happened.
As a teen-ager,I looked forward to becoming a young man---that happened.
As a young man, I looked forward to meeting a young woman,falling in love and becoming a married man---that happened.
As a married man,I looked forward to becoming a father --- that happened.
As a father, I looked forward to becoming a grandfather to beautiful ,intelligent grandchildren ---that happened.
Then I looked forward to the day they would learn to write --- that hasn't happened yet.

一年夏天，我的十几岁的女儿在他的爷爷奶奶家度过了几个星期。回来的时候她的爷爷给了她12张明信片。
“来，每个月写点东西给我们，”他说。
一个月接着一个月的过去了，但是那些明信片并没有用，直到下面我们接到了下面这封信：
亲爱的 珍妮弗
人生由几个阶段组成。
当我是小孩子的时候，我盼望着自己能够快点长成一个十几岁的孩子---它已经发生了。
当我长到十几岁的时候，我盼望着自己能够成为一个成年的小伙子---它已经发生了 。
当我是一个年轻的小伙子的时候，我盼望着能遇到一个年轻的漂亮姑娘，我们互相爱慕然后结婚---它已经发生了 。
当我是一个已婚男士的时候，我盼望着自己能够有个孩子，当一个爸爸---他已经发生了。
当我 是一个爸爸的时候，我盼望着自己能够成为一个漂亮聪明的孩子的爷爷---它已经发生了。 然后，我盼望着她能够学会写信---它还没有发生。

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Chinese and English, enjoy reading!

For several years,my job required extensive travel.After every long trip,my wife and four children met me at the door with loving hugs and kisses. During one happy home-coming, I gathered my youngest child in my arms and asked," what do you want to be when you grow up?"
Without hesitation she said, " A pilot."
" Why?" I asked , surprised.
Gazing at me intently,she replied,"So I can spend more time with you."
Shortly thereafter,i accepted a position that required for less travel.
多年以前，我有一份需要经常出差的工作。每次出差回来，我太太和四个孩子都会在门口给我温暖的拥抱和甜蜜的吻。有一次我回到家的时候，我抱起我们最小的孩子，问她：“你长大了想做什么？”
她毫不犹豫的说：”飞行员“。
”为什么呢？”，我问她。
她热切的注视着我，回答说：“这样我就可以有更多的时间和你在一起。”
那以后很快，我接受了一项新的工作，重要的是再不需要那么长时间的出差了。

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Chinese idioms!

āi bīnɡ bì shènɡ
哀 兵 必 胜

Translation:1.An army burning with righteous indignation is bound to win
2.An oppressed army fighting with desperate courage is sure to win
3.The oppressed will rise to win
释义：指悲愤激昂的展示，用于抗敌，一定能够取得胜利。

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Sexy Beijing

eChineseLearning

This is a draft of the Demo , when i finish it , i will update it!

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Classic Chinese tv show, learn Chinese easy and fun!

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Sun Zi's Art of War was written by Sun Wu in the final year of the Spring and Autumn Period (770BC - 476BC). It is not only the oldest Chinese military work in existence but also the oldest book of military theory in the world, well-known for a long time in the history of the military academy in China and abroad. Sun Zi's Art of War has altogether 13 chapters. Both concise and comprehensive, this book sum up the experience of ancient wars, bring to light the many laws of war which are of universal significance. Want to know why business people like it so much? Come and learn Sun Zi’s Art of War with eChineseLearning’s professional teachers! Sun Zi Bing Fa listening and reading(Mp3 + Pinyin book)

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Chinese idiom- One Step Holds the Balance (举足轻重 ju3 zu 2 qing 1 zhong4)

jǔ zú qīnɡ zhònɡ
举 足 轻 重
Explanation: Meaning a very important action in a situation.

The Story: In AD 25, Liu Xiu became the emperor of the Eastern Han Dynasty, but the whole country was not united yet. Both Kui Xiao in the Tianshui region and Gongsun Shu in the Shu region wanted to be the leader of the new nation.

General Dou Rong was the leader in the Hexi region at the time, and he studied the situation and found that Liu Xiu held the advantage in both politics and military strength. He gathered his intelligence advisors for a meeting, and then decided to send an envoy for negotiations.

Liu Xiu warmly welcomed the envoy and wrote General Dou Rong a letter in response. It said: "Kui Xiao is in Tianshui while Gongsun Shu is in Shu. Now they are planning an alliance war. You play a vital role in this situation. You will decide which side will win by standing with it."

After Dou Rong received the letter, he came to fight with Liu Xiu.

By getting Dou Rong's strong support, Liu Xiu defeated Kui Xiao and Gongsun Shu--and then he unified the country.

词 目 举足轻重 发 音 jǔ zú qīng zhòng 释 义 只要脚移动一下，就会影响两边的轻重。指处于重要地位，一举一动都足以影响全局。 出 处 南朝·宋·范晔《后汉书·窦融传》：“方蜀汉相攻，权在将军，举足左右，便有轻重。” 示 例 举足轻重，动关大局。（蔡东藩、许廑父《民国通俗演义》第四回） Talk to echineselearning's teacher Free online here !

Learn Chinese idioms - pao zhuan yin yu - eChineselearning.com

pāo zhuān yǐn yù
抛 砖 引 玉

Explanation: A metaphor that means one might offer some rough idea or essay first, in order to draw out other people's better or more mature ideas.

Tone: Positive

The Story: In the Tang Dynasty, there was a poet named Zhao Gu--he was very intelligent. One year, he went to Su Zhou, where a local poet Chang Jian was always admiring his literary talent. In order to get Zhao Gu's attention, Chan Jian wrote 2 stanzas on the wall of the Lingyan Temple. When Zhao Gu visited the temple and saw the unfinished poem, he completed it by adding another 2 stanzas, as expected.

As Zhao Gu's part was better than Chang Jian's, later people described this kind of action as 'throwing a brick to attract jade'.

In modern life, you can easily find many ways to use this idiom!

抛砖引玉，出自《传灯录》。相传唐代诗人常建，听说赵嘏要去游览苏州的灵
岩寺。为了请赵嘏作诗，常建先在庙壁上题写了两句，赵嘏见到后，立刻提笔续写
了两句，而且比前两句写得好。后来文人称常建的这种作法为“抛砖引玉”。此计
用于军事，是指用相类似的事物去迷惑、诱骗敌人，使其懵懂上当，中我圈套，然
后乘机击败敌人的计谋。“砖”和“玉”，是一种形象的比喻。“砖”，指的是小
利， 是绣饵； “玉”，指的是作战的目的，即大的胜利。“引玉”，才是目的，
“抛砖”，是为了达到目的的手段。钓鱼需用钓饵，先让鱼儿尝到一点甜头，它才
会上钩； 敌人占了一点便宜，才会误入圈套，吃大亏。

Get better understaning of this Chinese idiom,talk to echineselearning's best chinese teacher here !

Chinese idiom - Kong zhong lou ge (A Castle in the Air or a Mirage)

kōnɡ zhōnɡ lóu ɡé

空 中 楼 阁

典 故：

这个成语来源于《百喻经.三重楼喻》，愚人见其垒墼作舍，犹怀疑惑，不能了知，而问之言：“欲作何等？”木匠答言：“作三重屋。”愚人复言：“我不欲下二重之屋，先可为我作最上屋。”

在很久以前，山村里有一位财主。他非常富有，但生性愚钝，尽做傻事，所以常遭到村人的嘲笑。

有一天，傻财主到邻村的一位财主家作客。他看到一幢三层楼高的新屋，宽敞明亮，高大壮丽，心里非常羡慕，心想：我也有钱，而且并不比他的少。他有这样一幢楼，而我没有，这像什么话呢？一回到家，他马上派人把工匠找来，问道：“邻村新造的那幢楼，你们知道是谁造的吗？”

工匠们回答道：“知道，那幢楼是我们几个造的。”

傻财主一听，非常高兴，说：“好极了，你们照样子再给我盖一次。记住要三层楼的房子，要和那幢一模一样。”

工匠们一边答应，心里一边嘀咕；不知这次他又会做出什么傻事来。可是不管怎样，还得照吩咐去做，大家便各自忙开了。

一天，财主来到工地，东瞅瞅，西瞧瞧，心里十分纳闷，便问正在打地基的工匠：“你们这是在干什么？”

“造一幢三层楼高的屋子呀，是照您吩咐干的。”

“不对，不对。我要你们造的是那第三层楼的屋子。我只要最上面的那层，下面那二层我不要，快拆掉。先造最上面的那层。”

工匠们听后哈哈大笑，说：“只要最上面那层，我们不会造，你自己造吧！”

工匠们走了，傻财主望着房基发愣。他不知道，只要最上面一层，不要下面两层，那是再高明的工匠也造不出来的。

The Story:

Long long ago, there was a stupid rich man. One day, he visited a friend and saw his friend's 3-storey building. He liked it very much. When he came back to his own home, he called a carpenter and asked him to build the same kind of house for him.

The carpenter began to dig the foundations and make the vallum. When the rich man saw this, he asked: "What kind of house are you going to construct?"

"A three-storey building," replied the carpenter.

"Oh, I do not want the 2 floors under it, I just want the third floor," said the rich man.

"But how can we build the 3rd floor if we do not have the 2 floors under it?" the carpenter asked.

No matter how the carpenter explained this concept to the rich man, the rich man just insisted on his own opinion of 'only the 3rd floor'.

Talk to eChineselearning's best Chinese teacher, learn to use the Chinese idiom.

Chinese idioms,Chinese -English !

一鸣惊人 Amazing the World with a Single Feat


　　　战国时代，齐威王即位后做了三年国君，只顾享乐，不理政事。有个善于说笑话的人叫淳于髡，一天对齐威王说：“城里有一只大鸟，三年不飞也不叫，你知道这是什么道理？”齐威王说：“这鸟不飞则罢，一飞就冲天；不鸣则罢，一鸣就惊人。”在淳于髡的激发下，齐威王开始治理国家，取得很大成绩，齐国的声威一直保持了几十年。
　　In the Warring States Period, Duke Wei of Qi neglected state affairs, for the first three years of his reign, giving himself over to dissipation. One of his ministers, Chun Yukun who had a good sense of humour, said to him: 'There is a big bird which has neither taken wing nor sung for three years.' The duke answered, 'Once that bird starts to fly and sing, it will astonish the world.' The duke thereupon devoted himself to his duties and built his state up into a powerful one.

　　“一鸣惊人”用来表示平时默默无闻，一旦行动起来，却做出惊人的成绩。
　　This idiom is used to indicate that a person may rise from obscurity and achieve greatness.

Talk to eChineseLearning's teacher free here , get better understanding of the Chinese idiom!

Lesson 13. Grammars – to BE or NOT to Be

One of the simplest and yet the most important structure in Chinese language is the following:

Noun + Verb + noun

It is the same as English. The first noun is subject, the verb describes action, and the last noun serves either as object or complement. For example: “I love books.” “He hates math.” Similar to that of English, the most frequently used verb of such structure in Chinese is also verb BE, the emphasis of this class.

1. 是 shi4

This is only form of verb Be in Chinese, independent of tense, subjects, or single/plural forms.

2. 不 bu4

不 means “no”. It is used to present negative.

3. 不是 bu2 shi4

Please notice that the tone of不 changes to 2 instead of 4 when used as “not” in front of 是.

Again, unlike English where ‘not’ follows verb ‘Be’, 不 precedes是 in Chinese.

Examples:

4. 我是中国人 wo3 shi4 zhong1 guo2 ren2

I am Chinese.

5. 他们不是学生 ta1 men bu2 shi4 xue2 sheng1

They are not students.

Dialogue in Chinese - Courtesy

1.


- 请让一下!
qing3 rang4 yi xia4!
Excuse me please! (when someone blocks your way.)

2.


- 谢谢！
xie4 xie4 !
Thanks a lot!

- 不客气！
bu2 ke4 qi4 !
You are welcome!

3.


- 你真棒！
ni3 zheng1 bang4 !
You are so wonderful/great/nice!

- 谢谢！
xie4 xie4!
Thanks!

4.


- 对不起！
dui4 bu4 qi3!
I am sorry!

- 没关系
mei2 guan1 xi !
That's alright!

learn Chinese online - Chinese characters

Chinese characters are all in square block shape like this one: 口 (meaning ‘mouth’). Simple or complicated, they all take the same area on paper. To write Chinese, you should know 3 things to get ready:

1. Strokes

A stroke is a single brush of pen on the paper. All Chinese characters are made of one or more strokes such as the character: 一 (meaning ‘one’). There are dozens of simple strokes which will be discussed in detail in Class 6. Please also remember that every stroke should be written in a specific way. For example, the horizontal stroke in character “一” has to been written from left to right.

2. Radicals

Radicals are the basic component of Chinese characters. Think of Chinese characters as molecules like water or salt and then the radicals as equivalents to element atoms such as sodium, hydrogen, or oxygen. The analogy can be demonstrated this way:

Chinese characters - > molecules such as water, salt, sugar

Radicals - > atoms such as sodium, hydrogen, or carbon

Stroke - > subatomic particles such as proton, neutron, or electron

Just like Chemical elements, many radicals can make single characters by themselves. The character口 (mouth), for example, is frequently used as radicals in characters related to mouth such as 唱, meaning ‘sing’.

Radicals are very important to the meaning and writing of Chinese characters. Here are two examples. First example, 男 means “man”. It is made up of 2 radicals vertically. The upper part is 田, meaning farm land and the lower part is 力, meaning labor or force. Therefore, it is easy to remember the character because the labor at the land is often male people. Another example: the character 林means “forest”. Since 木 means wood, it should seem obvious that doubling wood would make a forest.

There are about 200 radicals in Chinese characters. Learning them all is a natural process that will not take too long.

3. Stroke and Radical orders

There is a certain order to write strokes and radicals in a Chinese character. The general rule is from above to below, from outside to inside, and from left to right.

We will use the next 3 lessons to show you the details of these 3 important aspects of writing Chinese characters so that you will be best prepared to start to write Chinese.

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Lesson 4: Pinyin - Consonants

Consonant Table:

b p m f

d t n l

g k h

j q x

z c s r

zh ch sh

y w

For consonants, we also put all these into English words with the same sound for you to learn and remember in an easier way.

*Note: We pronounce these consonants followed by some vowels that can help deliver the sound more clearly. Letters in the following explanation in "..." are pronounced as in English, and those in '... ' are pronounced in Pinyin.

b - as the "b" in "book"

p - as the "p" in "pool"

m - as the "m" in "moon"

f - as the "f" in "food"

d - as the "d" in "door"

t - as the "t" in "tom"

n - as the "n" in "no"

l - as the "l" in "love"

g - as the "g" in good"

k - as the "k" in "kill"

h- as the "h" in "high"

j- as the "j" in "jeep"

q- as the "ch" in "cheese"

x- as the "sh" in "sharp"

z- as the "z" in "zero"

c- as the "ts" in "tsunami"

s- as the "s" in "sun"

r- as the "r" in "red"

zh- start with 'j' in "jeep", but then end smoothly with "r" sound. The first 2 sounds in the sample voice show such move.

ch- start with 'q' in "cheese", but then end smoothly with "r" sound. The first 2 sounds in the sample voice show such move.

sh - start with 'x' in "sharp", but then end smoothly with "r" sound. The first 2 sounds in the sample voice show such move.

( 'zh, ch, sh' are similar to, but strictly different from 'j, q, x' respectively. However, mixing them is not a too big problem for you to be understood in China.)

y- as the "y" in "yes"

w- as the "w" in "wood"

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Learn Chinese at eChineselearning - Pinyin ,vowel

拼 音 pin1 yin1

Pinyin is a Roman-letter based system that China now uses to mark the pronunciation of Chinese characters. With four tones and pinyin, any Chinese characters can be pronounced precisely. In many cases, Pinyin is quite intuitive to English speakers with only a few exceptions. However, it can be a twist to render Pinyin in four tones for people who just start.

Pinyin is made up of 2 tables: vowel table and consonant table, the latter of which will be discussed in Class 4.

Vowel Table:

a	o	e	i	u	ϋ
ai	ei	ui
ao	ou	iu
ie	ue	er
an	en	in	un	ϋn
ang	eng	ing	ong

As you can see, most vowels are simply a combination of the 6 major vowels in the first row, which is obviously the most important part, and some special consonants.

How can you remember all this? We are putting all these into English words with virtually the same sound for you to learn and remember in an easier way.

*Note: letters in the following explanation in "..." are pronounced as in English, and those in '... ' are pronounced in Pinyin. Also, all samples are delivered in 4 tones.

a - as the vowel in "star" without the "r" sound

o - as the vowel in "law"

e - as the vowel in "stir"

i - as the vowel in "bit"

u - as the vowel in "food"

ϋ - as "y" in "yellow" followed by the 'u' above

ai - as the vowel in "bike"

ei - as the vowel in "lake"

ui - combination of 'u' and 'i', the same as word "we" in English

ao - as the vowel in "loud"

ou - as the vowel in "flow"

iu - combination of 'i' and 'u', the same as word "yew" in English

ie - combination of 'i' and 'e', as the vowel in "sierra"

ue - combination of 'u' and 'e', as the vowel in "buena"

er - combination of 'e' and 'r', as the vowel in "early"

an - as the vowel in "anchor":

en - as the word "earn" without the "r" sound:

in - as in the word "inn"

un - as in the word "one":

ϋn - as "y" in "yellow" followed by the English word "one"

ang - as the word "long"

eng - as the vowel in "lung"

ing - as the vowel in "England"

ong - as 'u' followed by the 'ng' as above:

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