Speak Fluent Chinese

你是落在我世界里的一束光
向我奔来，万物都生长

You are a beam of light that shines upon my world.
When you run toward me, you give everything life.

When this new song, 落在生命里的光, the light shines in my life, was released in November 2021, it took over the internet overnight.
And today, let’s talk about something very important that appears in the lyrics, the character 来, it’s a top 15 Chinese word.
The reason why this character ranks number 15, is that it has quite a few flexible uses and it is everywhere in Chinese, so, let’s take a closer look at its uses and meanings.

First, it’s a verb, it means to come over, to arrive.
春天来了, it’s springtime.
问题来了, here comes the problem.
我从家里来, I came from home.

The second use, is to describe a direction of action, and it is placed after other verbs.
In the lyrics, it says, 向我奔来, run towards me.
And of course, the other direction would be running away, and that’s when the character 去 should be used, which is the antonym of 来.
And to construct a sentence, it’s like 向门口跑去, running off to the door.
Now another example, 把手机拿来, bring me the phone.
But if we change 来 to another character 走, it becomes the opposite direction, 把手机拿走, take the phone away.

The next usage requires the character 来 to be placed before the verbs since Chinese grammar doesn’t have the concept of tense, if you are trying to describe something that you are going to do, which is in the future tense, you could use 来 to indicate that.
你来唱首歌, You should sing a song, so the action of singing is going to happen.
一起来想办法, let’s figure this out together, so you are suggesting to do something next.

Next, the fourth use, when a number is followed by the character 来, it becomes an estimation, usually a quantity that is more than that number.
二十来人, Roughly more than 20 people.
一百来万, Roughly more than 1 million.
And remember, 来 is placed right after the number and before the unit, because 来 is more like part of the figure.
十来公斤, roughly more than 10 kilograms.

Now the fifth meaning, is the future, and there are many words and phrases on this one.
将来, the future.
来年, next year.
后来, afterward, or coming next.
来临, incoming.
来生, next life, 来生 is a very romantic word in Chinese, here’s a song to illustrate that.
愿来生我们还能不期而遇
May we meet again in the next life.

The sixth meaning,  something started from a point of time in the past to the present, similar to ever since.
二十年来, in the past 20 years.
从来, always, all the time.
历来, throughout, 历 is 历史 it means history, so it’s like to say, ever since the beginning of time.
近来, recently, 近 means close, so 近来 means since a short period of time.

Opening Song
只要平凡
也许很远或是昨天
在这里或在对岸
长路辗转离合悲欢
人聚又人散
放过对错才知答案
活着的勇敢
没有神的光环

Maybe it’s a long time ago, maybe yesterday
Maybe it’s here or it’s on the other side
The long roads twist and turn, with joys and sorrows
People gather and scatter
Let go of right and wrong to know the answer
Living with bravery
But without the auras of the Gods

Introduction
This is the theme song of Dying to Survive, a feature film based on a true story, in which an entrepreneur, who is diagnosed with leukemia, challenges the law, the Chinese medicare system, and a global pharmaceutical magnate with his own life, and wins.
It’s a story about Cheng Yong, the main guy smuggling leukemia medicine from India to China, replacing the so-called authentic medicine that costs 6000 US dollars per bottle, his price is 75 dollars. He even gives the medicine for free to poor patients. His action saves many lives. So he is given the name, the medicine god, by leukemia patients.
And then, the government catches him, and he faces serious public prosecutions and lawsuits.
There are twists and turns, but the story turns around when the leukemia patients unite and launch a petition, and eventually save him, his sentence is reduced to five years.
In reality, this guy’s name is Lu Yong instead of Cheng Yong, he was released in court on Jan 29th, 2015, and the extremely expensive medicine was brought into the medicare system and made very inexpensive for all Chinese people.
And the conversation we are going to listen to, is when a fraud who sells fake medicines comes to blackmail him, asking to replace him as the new dealer for the Indian medicine, in this exchange, you are going to feel the tension, and how this fraud threatens and induces, trying to get the dealership right.

Transcript
我说你怎么砸我场子呢，原来咱俩是同行。
谁和你是同行？
还装，我也不和你废话了，我给你算过了，像你这样卖，一年一百来万，你把这个药的渠道给我，我给你两年的钱，怎么样？
我都不知道你在说些什么，你走不走，不走我报警了。
报，报警？好啊你报啊，你现在就去报，警察到处查这个药呢，你还报警？自投罗网啊？兄弟，干我们这行没你想象那么简单，像你这样卖，最多半年肯定被抓，判个十年二十年的，挣那么多钱有用吗？
走不走？
没法聊了？
走吧走吧。
哎呀，这么好的药，折你手里可惜了。要不再考虑考虑？保重呵。

Summary
This movie is a reward magnet, and it has some of the best actors, this 90 seconds exchange is packed with conflicts, tension, threatening and inducing.
And the word choices, the tones and the body language are very well put together, to give us that immersive and compelling storytelling.
Learning from how they use these words and communicate, is just the best way to boost your language skills.
So that’s what I have for you in this episode, I will see you next time.

And today, we are learning the number 8 most important characters in HSK Level 1, 看, another polyphonic character.
Its first pronunciation is 看, pinyin spelling kan with a fourth tone.

First, it means to see, to look at, to read, to watch, to observe.
It is the most fundamental and most frequently used meaning of this character, and in the opening song (你是人间四月天), it says:
盼望每天都看到你，I look forward to seeing you every day.
So 看到你, to see you.
Watch television, 看电视, 电视 is television.
Read a book, 看书, 书 is a book.
Look out of the window, 看窗外, 窗外, out of the window.

The second meaning of this character is to visit.
Say, to visit a friend, 看朋友, 朋友 is a friend.
看病人, to visit a patient, 病人, patient.

The next meaning is to consider.
我看这样不对, I think this is wrong, in here, 看 is to think about and make a judgment.
So, there’s a word, 看法, 法 is a method, so 看法 is an opinion, or perspective, the method of thinking about something, is a perspective.
高看, 高 is high, so 高看 is to think highly of.
And of course, 小看, 小 is small, and 小看 is to look down upon.
看穿, to see through, 穿 is to pass through, so 看穿 means to penetrate.

Now, the fourth meaning is to look after.
照看, take care, 照 is to light up, to illuminate, so 照看 is a special look, therefore, take care.
照看孩子, to babysit.
照看病人, look after a patient.
照看行李, look after the luggage.

Now, the fifth meaning is to give something a try. This is a fixed use, and it only means to give it a try when 看 is placed after a verb.
For example, try to find it. 找找看, 找 is to look for, 找找看 is an attempt of looking for something.
Anther example, 想想看, try to resolve something, 想 is to think, and 想想看 is the attempt to find a solution.

Now lastly, it means to treat an illness, it’s only doctors of course. 看病, 病 is illness, 看病 is to get the patient looked at, again, it’s a fixed phrase.

Now, on to the 2nd pronunciation, it reads as 看, same pinyin spelling, but with the first tone.
Ke an, kan.
看 is very simple, it means to guard or to watch.
看门, to guard the gate.
看门人, gatekeeper, 人 is person.
看门狗, watchdog, 狗 is dog.
看犯人, to guard the prisoners.

This is another character that is on the top 50 list, so make sure you study it thoroughly.
Alright, that’s all for today, I hope this is useful, make sure you share this episode with your Chinese learning friends, and I will see you next time.

我的山楂树之恋，只有是和你才会纯洁。
Hi guys, welcome back to the show, and Merry Christmas.

In this holiday season, it’s the best time to learn this character we are going to talk about today. A character that represents, harmony, peace, and being together.
As you hear in the opening song, love of hawthorn tree, 山楂树之恋 is a very poplar movie inspired by a novel, and because of its popularity, this phrase in Chinese culture means pure love.

And it is going to be very interesting because this character is a polyphonic character that has 4 different pronunciations, so, let’s talk about all of them.

Its first pronunciation sounds the same with the initial h, so he, and it is with a 2nd tone, so he.
And it has 3 different meanings.
First, it means peace or harmony.
平和, peaceful.
和谐, harmony
And since it’s the new year, there is a very common Chinese New Year greetings, 家庭和睦, Family harmony, 家庭 is family, 和睦 is a word for the family togetherness if you could text in Chinese, send this phrase to your Chinese friends, they are going to love it.
柔和, soft and gentle
局 means a round of the game, 和局 means that round is a draw game.

The second meaning of this character when it pronounces as he, is being together with.
我和你, me and you.
总和, totality.

The third usage of 和, is a preposition.
For example, 我和你说, let me tell you, so 和 is used to specifying the object of the verb, you.
Another example, 他和乔丹一样高, he is as tall as Jordan, so again, it is used to specify the object.

Now, the 2nd pronunciation, it sounds similar, so it’s time to test your skills on the tones.
It reads as he, a fourth tone of the initial h.
And when it reads as he, it means, follow, repeat, or echo.
附和, echo other people’s opinions.
和诗一首, read a poem.

Now, the 3rd pronunciation.
The pinyin spelling is huo, with a second tone.
H is he, u is wu, and o is wo.
So he, wu, wo, huo.
和面, 面 is flour.
和水泥, 水泥 is concrete.
And there’s another phrase you have to know, 和泥 or 和稀泥, it means to mix dirt with water, so it’s creating mud, and it means to compromise without principles, because it makes the situation sticky and unclear, this is a common criticism to leaders when they failed to mediate disputes.
Interesting, isn’t it. 别和泥了, It literally sounds like you are saying stop making mud in English, but what it really means, is stop compromising to both sides of the problems.

Lastly, the fourth pronunciation, this might sound confusing, it’s the same spelling, huo, but with a fourth tone.
It means to mix.
掺和, 掺 means add, so 掺和 is to mix.
搅和, stir or blend, 搅和.

Polyphonic character is a major feature of Chinese, and it’s not easy.
The best way to master them, is to use them in the right context. In today’s session, I gave you over 15 different usages of this character, make sure you read the show note and listen to this episode multiple times to have a grasp.
You can do it.

Alright, Merry Christmas, and I wish you 家庭和睦.
I will see you next time.

Hi guys, Merry Christmas, and I wish you a happy 2022.
Welcome back.

Today, let’s talk about a new Character following the HSK vocabulary, number six, 回.
In the opening song 多情种, the character 回 is in a word, 回忆, it means the memory, and the character itself actually means to get back, or to return. Essentially, it’s saying, to look back to the past, that’s why it’s memory.
And similarly, there are other words like 回顾, 顾 means to look around, so 回顾 is review.
回头, 头 is the head, so 回头 is to look back, literally and figuratively, you could physically look back using this word, or you could just use it to express that you are looking back say for example, on life.
回家, going home.
回味, 味 is taste, so, 回味 is aftertaste.
So the first meaning is about that action, to return.

Its second meaning is an extension of the first one, it means to circle, to revolve.
回形针, a 回 shaped needle, if you look at the shape of this character, it is like a smaller square frame nested in a larger one, as a matter of fact, in the ancient writings, they were two circles, it means to circle around, or to revolve.
回旋, to maneuver, 旋 means turning, so turning around, maneuver.
迂回, to outflank, it is to move around the side of the enemy as a tactic, it’s very often used in modern business discussions when talking about competitions.

Now the third one, it means to answer.
回复, to reply, you could use it on an email or a message, 复 means to bounce or repeat, so 回复 is to answer.
回答, another way to say the answer, 答 also means reply.
回应, to respond, 应 is reception, so 回应 is to respond.

Now, the fourth meaning is, to reject.
送来的礼物都回了, I returned all the gifts.
回绝, to refuse, 绝 means an end, so 回绝, returning an end, that is to refuse.

The last meaning is very easy, it’s a noun, it means an episode or a chapter, it’s the classier for acts of a play, mostly used in a more formal context like opera, or modern drama.

So quick recap.

The pinyin spelling is hui with the 2nd tone. He hui, hui.

And it has five different meanings, four verbs and a noun, it means to return, to circle around, to reply, to refuse, and it means an episode.

Today we are going to talk about another polyphonic character that has two pronunciations, 会.

In the opening song (可能否), it means will, it indicates something that is going to happen, in such a case, it is an auxiliary verb, which means it must be used together with another verb, the main verb, otherwise it doesn’t make sense.

可能我撞了南墙才会回头吧, Maybe I won't turn back until I hit the south wall. To turn back is the main verb, and this auxiliary verb is used to describe the certainty of this action.
他不会来了. He will not come here.

The 2nd meaning is, good at doing something, capable of doing something, it is also an auxiliary verb in this case.
我会说中文, I can speak Chinese, speak is the main verb, and 会 is the auxiliary verb.
你特别会唱歌. You are very good at singing.

The third meaning is, to meet up, or to gather together, it’s could be a verb or a noun.
For example, 约会, to have a date, or a date.
开会, to have a meeting, or a meeting.

And the last meaning is, understanding.
体会, understanding from past experiences.
误会, misunderstanding.

And in terms of the 2nd pronunciation, it reads as kuai.
Ke-u-ai, with a fourth tone, kuai.
And when it reads as kuai, it means accounting.
会计 is accounting.

Today, we are going to learn this character in this piece of lyrics, the character 多, our fourth level 1 character.
It has 4 different meanings.

First, it means more, much, or many
众多, many people
多年, many years
In Chinese, there is no countable and uncountable noun, so there is not multiple characters like in English for each type, like we have many and much, so it’s the same.
And when adding this character 多 in front of something, it becomes a new thing that has its independent meaning, instead of just trying to describe the quantity.
For example.
多彩, colorful
多情, sentimental
多疑, oversensitive or suspicious

Its 2nd meaning is unnecessary.
多嘴, unnecessary opinions.
多虑, paranoid.

Thirdly, it means something reaches a certain degree, or to a certain extend.
不论多冷，我都要跑步。
It doesn’t matter how cold it is, I have to go jogging.

And lastly,  it is used to praise something great.
This is another character on the top 50 most frequently used words, so please do spend some time to listen to the episode a few times to get a grasp.

The opening song, 一路生花, blooming all the way, is a Chinese phrase that people use to wish a wonderful life.
So I wish all you guys, 一路生花.

This is the third vocabulary episode, and I am so keen to get your feedback, so if you could spare some time and drop me a note at [email protected] to share your thoughts, that is going to be so helpful to me to improve the show, I am looking forward to your messages.

And today, let’s keep following the Chinese alphabet and get to our 3rd level 1 character, but this time around, it’s a bit challenging, because it is going to be a polyphonic character, a character that has two different pronunciations.

When it is pronounced as dōu it means:
1. all, both, the entirety;
2. even;
3. already;
4. because;

And when being pronounced as dū, it simply means large and famous city.

And here are the examples in this episode.
First meaning, the entirety.
我和弟弟都很开心, Me and my younger brother are both very happy.
我们全家都去了, My whole family went together.

The 2nd meaning, even, the adverb of degree.
你比我妹妹都好看, You are even more than beautiful than my younger sister.
水都不凉, the water is not even cold.

The third meaning, already, and also a comparison to the 2nd meaning.
水都凉了, the water is already cold.
水都不凉, the water is not even cold.

The fourth meaning, because.
都怪你，我们迟到了。
Because of you, we are late.
都是因为天气，飞机延误了。
Because of the weather, the plane was delayed.

是否对你承诺了太多
还是我原本给的就不够

The lyric says:
Did I promise too much
Or did I not give you enough in the first place

In here, 本 is that word that people use to describe the root cause of something that is happening now.
So, today let’s expand your vocabulary with this character, 本, the root, the source and the self.

The character has 3 layers of meanings, the first one is the root of plants, the words:
本草纲目 and 无本之木 are both referred back this original meaning.

And this character over time derived its 2nd layer of meaning, the source, the origin, and the foundation.
本意, intention
本来, original
根本, fundamental, or absolute
基本, basic
本体, torso, the main part
本质, the intrinsic quality, or the essence
本能, instinct
本性, human nature

And going further, this character has its 3rd layer of meaning, the self, or something considered from a self-perspective.
本人, the self.
本国, the native country.
本土, the mainland, or the local terrortory
本身, in itself.
本位, self-perspective.
本分, obligation or duty.

And lastly, there is a fixed use for this character to refer to and count books.
一本书, a book.
书本, books.

爱着你，像心跳，难触摸；
画着你，画不出你的骨骼；

Hi, fellows, welcome back.
Today we are going to build your vocabulary with this word, love, 爱. Alphabetically, this is the very first word in HSK 1, so it’s a good start to build your vocabulary with love.

The full song could be found here.

Please find the following words, synonyms and antonyms mentioned in this episode.
For its first meaning, to love, here are the derived words.
爱情, romantic love.
爱心, compassion.
母爱, maternal love.
疼爱, to love dearly.
博爱, universal love.
The synonym in this case is 恋, or 迷恋, be enamored of, 迷恋, another word used to describe the intense feeling.
And the antonym is 恨, hate, 恨.

For the 2nd meaning, to enjoy.
喜爱, to like.
钟爱, to be fond of.
偏爱, preference, or to favor.
And the synonym in such a case is 喜欢, to like,
Antonym, 讨厌 to dislike.

And for its 3rd meaning, here are some examples.
他爱哭. He cries a lot.
铁爱生锈. Iron rusts easily.
他爱开玩笑. He is a joker.

And some fixed uses.
爱护荣誉 is to honor and cherish.
爱大自然, to preserve the nature, to protect the environment.

Make sure you listen to the episode a few time for you digest the content better, and I will see you in the next one.