Quiz:

1. Among the following, which kind of behavior is not described by "卖萌 (màiméng)?"

A. Use more emoji in chat.
B. Wear a rabbit-shaped crown.
C. Change the water dispenser bucket.
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If you are not sure about the answer, please read the following text first and then try again.

Just like with English, Mandarin has evolved a lot since the use of the internet. We have a lot of slang words whose meanings started as something and ended up as something entirely different because of the way it’s used in messaging and online. One of my favorite words like this is "卖萌 (màiméng)."

Let’s break this word down so you can understand it better:

卖 (Mài): sell; betray; show off.
(How to Use "卖" in Chinese?)
萌 (Méng): bud, sprout; an image that makes people feel happy.
(Do You Know What the Meaning of the Popular Word "萌 (méng)" in Chinese?)

So originally the use of "卖萌 (màiméng)" was the extended vocabulary of the ACGN word "萌 (méng)," which means to deliberately show your own likability. It describes someone who obviously really wants people to like them and will even display false behavior to get people to do that.

With the use of online slang, this word later extended its meaning to include deliberately being cute and impressing others.

The funny thing about this word? Part of it isn’t even Chinese! "萌 (méng)" actually originated from Japanese. It was first used in animation works, and some anime fans imitated it.
When you get all of this vocabulary evolution you come out with the word.

卖萌 (Màiméng): play cute; being cute; act cute; play innocent.

There’re even another few meanings this word has:
1. The character "萌 (méng)" is divided into "艹 grass head" and "日 (rì)" and "月 (yuè)." Now the moon and sun here are yin and yang, and the yin and yang represent women and men. The meaning is indicative of... Read More

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How to Make Your Chinese Sound Native (part II)

If you want to evolve your spoken Chinese beyond baby talk, it is necessary to be able to improve how you express your thoughts. One way to do this is to use "因果关系 (yīnguǒ guānxì) cause and effect relation." Let’s explore more commonly associated words to use when describing various situations.

1.因为 (Yīnwèi)...所以 (suǒyǐ)...
The first most common way to explain causes in Chinese is with "因为 (yīnwèi)." This is equivalent to "because" in English. Just as "因为 (yīnwèi)" can be used to explain causes, "所以 (suǒyǐ)" can be used to explain results.

The structure for this is: 因为 + Cause, 所以 + Effect.

"因为/所以 (Yīnwèi/suǒyǐ)" is used to clearly indicate cause and effect. They could be thought of as equating to: "Since ___ happened, therefore ___ happened."

(Take This Quiz About "因为...所以" And You Will Know How to Use It Appropriately.)

Example:

Yīnwèi wǒmen gōngsī yǒu hěnduō Zhōngguórén, suǒyǐ wǒ yào xué zhōngwén.
因为我们公司有很多中国人，所以我要学中文。
There are a lot of Chinese people in our company, so I need to learn Chinese.

2. 既然 (Jìrán)...就 (jiù)...
The next set of "因果关系 (yīnguǒ guānxì) cause and effect relation" is "既然 (jìrán)/就 (jiù)." "既然 (jìrán)" means "since," and is often followed by "就 (jiù)" to mean "since/then."

The structure for this is: 既然＋Fact, 就＋Suggestion

(How to Use the Commonly Associated Word Like "就 (jiù)?")

This construction is not generally used to express a result, but more of a suggestion or inference deduced from the first fact. It can be placed before or after the subject. But if the subjects in the two clauses are the same, "既然 (jìrán)" is more often put after the subject.

Example:

Jìrán fàngjià le, jiù xiǎngshòu yíxià ba.
既然放假了，就享受一下吧。
Since it’s a holiday, enjoy it.

3. 既 (Jì)...又 (yòu)...
We can also use "并列关系 (bìngliè guānxì) Coordinate relation" such as "既 (jì)" in conjunction with "又 (yòu)" to express that... Read More

Quiz:
1. Please fill in the blanks with appropriate associated words.

Hěnduō rén ( ) zǒulù, ( ) wán shǒujī.
很多人 ( ) 走路，( ) 玩手机。

A. 既然 (Jìrán)···就 (jiù)····

B. 因为 (Yīnwèi)···所以 (suǒyǐ)···

一边 (Yìbiān)···一边 (yìbiān)···

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