Langblr - Tumblr Posts
K- verbs in Chinese My quick guide to some common K-verbs in Chinese!
Keep - 保留 - Bǎoliú Kick - 去踢 - Qùtī Kid - 开玩笑 - Kāiwánxiào Kidnap - 绑架 - Bǎngjià K!ll - 杀 - Shā Kindle - 点燃 - Diǎnrán Kiss - 吻 - Wěn Know - 知道 - Zhīdào Knead - 揉捏 - Róuniē Kneel -下跪 - Xiàguì Knit - 编织 - Biānzhī Knock - 敲 - Qiāo Knot - 打结 - Dǎjié Kowtow - 磕头 - Kētóu
The right mindset for an exchange year abroad
There's no singular correct mindset or way of thinking when it comes to planning and preparing for a year abroad. However, there are some aspects that can make life a little easier so here's what you should consider doing.
Accepting being an obvious foreigner If you're doing a year in a country such as China, then be prepared to be the odd person. Yes, chances are you will get stared at. You may hear "waiguoren"!, especially if you got travelling outside of the more international areas. Yes, you will sometimes feel like an outsider, like you'll never fully integrate. And that's ok. A reality that I had to accept is that whilst I may be welcome to stay here, I will remain an obvious visitor here.
Trying new things An obvious one, but don't just stay in your dorm watching tv-shows all the time. Get out and explore the city. Even if you decide to talk a stroll in the local park, that also counts. Obviously there wil be days when you need to recharge and spend some time by yourself, but going out and leaving your bubble can be the greatest kindness that you show yourself.
Break out of your shell Similar to point #2, but this one can be tricky. Trying new things e.g. trying a new dish at your school canteen vs going to a local restaurant by yourself are a tad different. This one takes time, and even the most outgoing person can struggle with this in a foreign place. Baby steps are the way to go here. If you feel anxious about going to the restaurant, try a cafe in a student/university area first. You can order your drink and if you feel comfortable enough, you can find a spot there and do some reading/studying. In time, you'll feel confident enough to try other places that you may have previously found intimidating. Breaking out of your shell takes time, so don't push yourself too much.
The local customs will endure long after you have left My professors back at my home uni always said "the local way trumps your way", and they were proven right time after time. Certain things are done a certain way, and whether you like it or not they will continue. The best thing to do, is to research in advance and try to adapt to them. Who knows, maybe in time they'll grow on you (aka me almost forgetting how to use a fork after using chopsticks for so long).
It's usually curiosity, not malice Sometimes you will get stared at, or you may be asked odd questions that in your culture would seem bizzare or perhaps a tad offensive e.g. how much do you/your parents earn? are you married? do you have children? Usually it's asked out of curiosity, rather than to cause offense or malice so try to keep that in mind.
Overcome the feeling of temporariness This is an odd one, but the fact that I'm here in China only for a while sometimes gets to me. Like why bother decorating my dorm room if I'll leave in the end? Why buy an extra blanket if I'll have to donate it if it doesn't fit into my suitcase? Forget this mentality. Yes, you're here for only a year, or maybe even half a year. But. This doesn't mean that you should neglect yourself and your living space. If its affordable and if it'll make your life much more easier and comfortable, then get that thing! If you don't have space in your suitcase, then either ship it back home, sell it, give it to a friend or donate it.
Don't forget about your life back home Keep in touch with your friends and family. You don't necessarily need to call them everyday, but do sent a message every once in a while. A simple "good morning!" text can be enough to reassure your parent(s) that everything's ok. Make sure to keep in touch with your home uni academic advisors, and to make sure that you're meeting all the necessary requirements. Mark the application deadline for those summer internships in your calendar, and don't forget to send your auntie that happy birthday message. You have your current life, but please don't neglect your relationships with your loved ones back at home.
L- Verbs in Chinese
A quick guide of some common L-verbs!
Land - 登陆 - dēnglù Last - 持续 - chíxù Laugh - 笑 - xiào Launch - 推出 - tuīchū Lead - 领导 - lǐngdǎo Learn - 学习 - xuéxí Leave - 离开 - líkāi Lend - 借 - jiè Lift - 举起 - jǔqǐ Light - 点亮 - diǎnliàng Like - 喜欢 - xǐhuān Limit - 限制 - xiànzhì Link - 连接 - liánjiē Listen - 听 - tīng Live (in/at a place) - 住在 - zhùzài Locate - 定位 - dìngwèi Lock - 锁 - suǒ Long - 渴望 - kěwàng Look - 看 - kàn Lose - 失去 - shīqù Love - 爱 - ài Lower - 降低 - jiàngdī
M- Verbs in Chinese
My quick guide of some common M-verbs!
Maintain - 保持 - bǎochí
Marry - 结婚 - jiéhūn
Marry* - 嫁 - jià
*This is a different verb used for when women get married due to the historical context, but 结婚 is more commonly used now regardless of gender.
Mark - 标记 - biāojì
Manage - 管理 - guǎnlǐ
Make - 制作 - zhìzuò
Match - 匹配 - pǐpèi
Matchmake - 相亲 - xiāngqīn
Measure - 测量 - cèliáng
Meet - 见面 - jiànmiàn
Mention - 提及 - tíjí
Miss - 错过 - cuòguò
Modify - 修改 - xiūgǎi
Monitor - 监视 - jiānshì
Move - 运动 - yùndòng
Move (houses) - 搬家 - bānjiā
So we got our class schedules today and it turns out that I'm in the same class as I was last semester, probably because I requested to stay in the same level in the survey that was sent out without actually thinking everything through.
To be fair, this survey was before I got my exam results back and honestly I think did pretty well for someone who was initially placed 2 levels below because I didn't do too great on my placement test (although I evidently redeemed myself on my swap out test).
This upcoming week we're allowed to try out other levels before either staying or doing the swap test to go to a higher level, which I might do if the next level is manageable.
I feel like the main issue is that despite being really out of my depth in the beginning, this level ended up being challenging enough, but what if the next level is too difficult and this level is too easy? I don't want to waste this semester, but I also want to thrive rather than try to survive and constantly be stressed out about studying.
I guess the upcoming week shall reveal its secrets so there's not that much sense in obsessing over it. I for one will try to make the most of the remaining days before classes start.
Have a good weekend everyone!
N- Verbs in Chinese
A quick cheat-sheet of chinese verbs begnning with N!
Narrate - 叙述 - xùshù
Navigate - 导航 - dǎoháng
Need - 需要 - xūyào
Neglect - 忽视 - hūshì
Negotiate - 谈判 - tánpàn
Nominate - 提名 - tímíng
Normalize - 正常化 - zhèngchánghuà
Notice - 注意 - zhùyì
Notify - 通知 - tōngzhī
Nourish - 滋养 - zīyǎng
Nurse - 护理 - hùlǐ
Nurture - 培养 - péiyǎng
What textbooks do you use for learning Chinese?
I noticed that my current textbooks at my exchange uni in China are noticeably different from the textbook used back at my home uni, and now I'm interested in knowing whether the content varies drastically overall.
I'm curious to see what are some of the other textbooks that used for learning Chinese and how effective you would consider them to be, so please feel free to share your thoughts!
The V for Ü trick
I only recently discovered that you can type in v to get the letter ü when typing in the pinyin for chinese characters.
Life in China Observations #4
It's been a while since I last did this, so let's go again!
Identity is complicated The question "where are you from" can be just as complicated as it is simple. For many people, their country of birth is where they're from, which is usually the case here. However, if you happen to be born in country A to parents from cultures B and C, immigrated and became a citizen of country D and now attend university in country E and are now on an exchange program in China, the question "where are you from" is not that easily answered. From what some of my friends told me, where you're from is actually the place where your dad was born in even though you may have been born in a different city which is a pretty interesting concept known as the "ancestral home" - 祖籍 (zǔjí) or 籍贯 (jígùan).
You have to make the first step I may have mentioned this in a previous post, but people are constantly doing something and unless you specifically and intentionally reach out and work on your friendship, you may end up drifting apart. Maybe this is a specific thing, but back home I could go a few weeks without really reaching out to my friends and then someone would suggest grabbing lunch together and it would be like no time had passed at all since we last saw each other. Here? Quite different.
Beauty and pop trends There are all sorts of weird and wonderful trends that you can come across in China. From using bread as a study tactic to decorating your workplace with banana plants, I feel like the more I assimilate here, the bigger the reverse culture shock will be when I go back home, and not just for me. dr.candiselin covers some of these trends on Instagram (not a promo post!), and I recommend checking out her content, it's quite brilliant.
Taobao You can buy anything on taobao. Literally. I saw someone selling a house there. I was previously a little shocked to see animals such as cats and bunnies being sold, but after seeing houses and cars being sold I honestly don't know what else is there to surprise me with.
Prepare in advance (foodwise) for the lunar new year During those 8-12ish days during the holdiays a lot of stores were closed. The convenience store outside my campus was open thank God, because otherwise I would have been living on instant porridge and instant soup which was my main food source 2 weeks prior due to being ill and there is only so much instant oatmeal that you can eat before slightly losing it.
Being ill is a nightmare And I mean the mandatory-bed-rest-no-going-out-for-at-least-5-days ill kind. You need to go to the hospital or a clinic to get a note to give to your school otherwise the day's you're absent will be counted, and once they reach a specific percentage you won't be allowed to take the exam (which can seriously mess with your grades, even more if you're there as an exchange student).
The weather can change at the blink of an eye I remember back in December the weather was in the negative digits and then suddenly the next day it was around 20 celcius?? The very next day it went to 3-4, and even now in March it's very all over the place. The weather forecast is not that useful because I'll leave the dorms wearing my coat in the morning only to return carrying my coat, jumper, long-sleeved shirt and wearing only my t-shirt.
More affordable beauty products I saw some products go for around $80 online?? And here on Taobao they cost under $10? I'm assuming it's the shipping costs that drive up the price so drastically, and now I'm pondering whether it would be cheaper to order online or to travel to China every couple of years just to stock up on beauty products.
O- Verbs in Chinese
Here are some of the most commonly used O-verbs in Chinese!
Obey - 服从 (Fúcóng)
Object - 反对 (Fǎnduì)
Observe - 观察 (Guānchá)
Obtain - 获得 (Huòdé)
Occur - 发生 (Fāshēng)
Offer - 提供 (Tígōng)
Open - 打开 (Dǎkāi)
Optimize - 优化 (Yōuhuà)
Order - 命令 (Mìnglìng)
Order (at a restaurant) 点 (Diǎn)
Organize - 组织 (Zǔzhī)
Originate - 起源 (Qǐyuán）
Overcome - 克服 (Kèfú)
Overflow - 溢出 (Yìchū)
Overhaul - 检修 (Jiǎnxiū)
Overheat - 过热 (Guòrè)
Overlook - 忽视 (Hūshì)
Oversee - 监督 (Jiāndū）
Overthrow - 推翻 (Tuīfān)
Owe - 欠 (Qiàn)
Own - 拥有 (Yōngyǒu)
Outline - 概述 (Gàishù)
P-Verbs in Chinese
Most commonly used verbs starting with P in Chinese!
Participate - 参加 - cānjiā
Perform - 表演 - biǎoyǎn
Persuade - 劝说 - quànshuō
Plan - 计划 - jìhuà
Play - 玩 - wán
Point out - 指出 - zhǐchū
Prepare - 准备 - zhǔnbèi
Present - 展示 - zhǎnshì
Prevent - 防止 - fángzhǐ
Produce - 生产 - shēngchǎn
Promise - 承诺 - chéngnuò
Protect - 保护 - bǎohù
Provide - 提供 - tígōng
Publish - 发布 - fābù
Pull - 拉 - lā
Push - 推 - tuī
Put down - 放下 - fàngxià
Pay - 付款 - fùkuǎn
Practice - 练习 - liànxí
Q-Verbs in Chinese
Most common q-verbs (not that many!) in Chinese!
Quantify - 量化 - liànghuà
Quarrel - 吵架 - chǎojià
Quash - 镇压 - zhènyā
Quench (thirst) - 解渴 - jiěkě
Question - 提问 - tíwèn
Quilt - 绗 - háng
Quit - 放弃 - fàngqì
A job - 辞去 - Cíqù
School - 退学 - Tuìxué
Quote - 引用 - yǐnyòng
Quell - 平息 - píngxī
R-Verbs in Chinese
Most commonly used verbs starting with R in Chinese!
Race - 竞赛 - jìngsài
Rage - 发怒 - fānù
Rain - 下雨 - xiàyǔ
Raise - 提高 - tígāo
Rank - 排名 - páimíng
Reach - 到达 - dàodá
Read - 读 - dú
Realize - 实现 - shíxiàn
Rebuild - 重建 - chóngjiàn
Recall - 回忆 - huíyì
Receive - 接受 - jiēshòu
Recognize - 认识 - rènshi
Recommend - 推荐 - tuījiàn
Recycle - 回收 - huíshōu
Redeem - 赎回 - shúhuí
Reduce - 减少 - jiǎnshǎo
Refer - 参考 - cānkǎo
Reflect - 反映 - fǎnyìng
Refuse - 拒绝 - jùjué
Regret - 后悔 - hòuhuǐ
Regulate - 调节 - tiáojié
Reinforce - 加强 - jiāqiáng
Rejoice - 庆幸 - qìngxìng
Relax - 放松 - fàngsōng
Rely - 依靠 - yīkào
Remember - 记得 - jìde
Remind - 提醒 - tíxǐng
Repair - 修理 - xiūlǐ
Repeat - 重复 - chóngfù
Replace - 替换 - tìhuàn
Reply - 回复 - huífù
Report - 报告 - bàogào
Request - 请求 - qǐngqiú
Require - 需要 - xūyào
Retire - 退休 - tuìxiū
Review
Learning material (revise) - 复习 - fùxí
A book - 评介 - píngjiè
Ride - 骑 - qí
Ring - 响 - xiǎng
Rise - 上升 - shàngshēng
Rotate - 旋转 - xuánzhuǎn
Ruin - 毁 - huǐ
Rule - 统治 - tǒngzhì
Run - 跑 - pǎo
S-Verbs in Chinese
(Reposting this again because something went really wrong with the editing, my apologies)
Most common Verbs in Chinese starting with S!
Satisfy - 满足 - mǎnzú
Save - 保存- bǎocún
Say - 说 - shuō
See -见 - jiàn
Seek - 寻找 - xúnzhǎo
Sell - 卖 - mài
Send - 发送 - fāsòng
Serve - 服务 - fúwù
Settle - 解决 - jiějué
Scan - 扫描 - sǎomiáo
Scrape -刮 - guā
Shake - 摇 - yáo
Share - 分享 - fēnxiǎng
Shoot (a weapon) - 开枪 - kāi qiāng
Show (a performance) - 表现 - biǎoxiàn
Shrink - 缩小 - suōxiǎo
Shut (a window, door) - 关闭 - guānbì
Sing - 唱 - chàng
Sit - 坐 - zuò
Sleep - 睡觉 - shuìjiào
Slide - 滑 - huá
Stand up - 站起来 - zhàn qǐlái
Start - 开始 - kāishǐ
Stay - 留 - liu
Steal - 偷- tōu
Stick - 贴 - tiē
Stop - 停止 - tíngzhǐ
Stretch - 伸展 - shēnzhǎn
Strike - 打击 - dǎjí
Study - 学习 - xuéxí
Succeed - 成功 - chénggōng
Suffer - 受苦 - shòukǔ
Suggest - 建议 - jiànyì
Supply - 提供 - tígōng
Support - 支持 - zhīchí
Suppose - 假设 - jiǎshè
Survive - 生存 - sūngcún
Swear (to pledge) - 发誓 - fāshì
Sweat - 出汗 - chūhàn
Sweep -打扫 - dǎsǎo
Swim - 游泳 - yóuyǒng
Symbolize - 标志 - biāozhì
Discovered that there are regular flights between Germany and Mongolia so decided to give Mongolian another try. I was pleasantly shocked to discover that there are now more and better learning resources available.
My main mistake was relying solely on english teaching material, I completely forgot that I know other languages e.g. Chinese and the resources found on Baidu look promising.
I might make a post with the resources and material at some point, but for now I need to sort out what's useful and what's not suitable yet.
Who knows, perhaps a summer exploring Mongolia isn't such a distant ethereal dream after all.
Reblogging for exposure and a reminder to myself to check this out
Hi ;; I made my first youtube video yesterday!! Not the most amazing like other videos but I did work hard on it! I’ll make more and better videos in the future but I hope you guys can support me : D
아녕! I’m new to the langblr community but I’m studying Korean oWo
i’m thinking about making a langblr sideblog for learning korean and eventually greek but i might as well just do that here lmao. like/reblog if you’re a langblr studying korean or ancient greek so i can follow u 💖
Tips for remembering certain characters/words/etc
I’ve been struggling with a few letters and words, and was wondering if anyone has some tips/tricks/etc to help get them to stick.
I wish Memrise would let you replay the audio when you review like Duolingo does. I find I can recognize the sounds certain words (aka the ones I struggle woth most) and then sound out the characters to match the Hanguel.
I also really like the idea of the language journal I reblogged, but I don’t think I’m at the point of writing full sentences quite yet. I think I’ll start with the translating a song/poem/etc. and see how that goes. Also gotta get into the habit of reviewing everything I’ve learned so far. Any tips for grasping difficult words would be great.
Rebloggin cause others might need it
Hi!! Could you perhaps list some blogs/resources focusing mainly on Russian? Thank you! :D
Sure thing, anon! Now I’m not super focused on Russian atm but I’ve managed to scrounge up something for you :)
Free Online Russian-Learning Websites:
http://www.study-languages-online.com/
http://masterrussian.com/
http://www.russianforeveryone.com/
http://www.yesrussian.com/
http://www.russianlessons.net/
https://www.duolingo.com/course/ru/en/Learn-Russian-Online (I’m sure you’re familiar with this one)
Cyrillic Alphabet:
http://masterrussian.com/russian_alphabet.shtml
http://www.russianforeveryone.com/RufeA/Lessons/Introduction/Alphabet/Alphabet.htm
http://www.omniglot.com/writing/russian.htm (I absolutely love Omniglot and would recommend it to anyone with a general interest in languages)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GIKX9RYOX5w (For children, but good for learners as well)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RhrSpf8kaqQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=64vWY8YIijY
Russian Keyboard:
http://www.apronus.com/internet/ruskey.htm (Online Cyrillic keyboard)
http://winrus.com/kbd_e.htm (A downloadable phonetic keyboard instead of the Microsoft keyboard that is already formatted in Microsoft computers, the phonetic keyboard is easier to use because Cyrillic letters are placed with the closest roman letter equivalent on an English QWERTY keyboard)
Online Dictionaries:
http://www.rustran.com/
http://www.freedict.com/onldict/rus.html
http://www.lexilogos.com/english/russian_dictionary.htm
http://dictionary.reverso.net/english-russian/ (Reverso is pretty good in my experience)
Immersion:
http://www.bbc.com/russian
http://ria.ru/radio/
http://all-radio.ru/
http://www.rususa.com/fun/radio/
http://ru-news.ru/
http://rusnovosti.ru/ (News)
http://www.pravda.ru/ (News)
http://rutube.ru/ (Russian youtube)
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/33661.Best_Russian_Children_Books (For some beginner’s reading)
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLPYC—L3hwnJHZZGpCaPo2DxiSFwjkYd (The children’s show ‘Masha and the Bear’ in Russian)
Movies in Russian (Click on title to see the wiki page):
Leviathan (2014)
Solaris (1972)
Stalker (1979)
The Return (2003)
Hard to be a God (2013)
The Mirror (1975)
Russian Ark (2002)
Elena (2011)
Battle for Sevastopol (2015)
Battleship Potemkim (1925)
Ivan’s Childhood (1962)
How I Ended This Summer (2010)
12 (2007)
Burnt by the Sun (1994)
The Thief (1997)
Faust (2011)
Mongol (2007)
The Fool (2014)
A Driver for Vera (2004)
Russian Music:
Aria (Heavy metal)
DDT (Rock)
Kino (Post-punk)
Nyusha (Pop, R&b)
Yulia Savicheva (Pop rock)
t.A.T.u (Pop, electronic)
Nautilus Pompilius (Alternative, post-punk)
Russian Novels:
Crime and Punishment (Fyodor Dostoyevsky)
The Master and Margarita (Mikhail Bulgakov) (BEST)
Anna Karenina (Leo Tolstoy)
War and Peace (Leo Tolstoy)
Dead Souls (Nikolay Gogol)
A Hero of Our Time (Mikhail Lermontov)
The Brothers Karamazov (Fyodor Dostoevsky)
Apps - Android specific (Sorry, I don’t have Apple ios so I cannot offer anything there):
Duolingo
Memrise
Mango Languages (Offers a free trial)
Babbel
Learn & Speak Russian - Mondly
Radio Russia
Learn Russian by Babel Yak
Learn Russian 6,000 Words
Verses of Russian poets
Multitran Russian Dictionary
Tumblr Blogs:
@learn-russian-language
@russiangrammar
@rashn
@gemrussian
@lovsiberianhusky
Haha, this may be more than you were asking for but it was fun to make and I hope that this helps you and anyone else who may be studying Russian!