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Quiz:

Read the dialogue and answer the question below.

Mom: Nǐ zhège xióng háizi, bǎ wǒ zuì xǐhuan de kǒuhóng gěi nòng duàn le.
Mom: 你这个熊孩子,把我最喜欢的口红给弄断了。
Xiǎo Míng: Māma, duìbùqǐ, wǒ búshì gùyì de.
小明:妈妈,对不起,我不是故意的。

1. Which of the following can be inferred from the dialogue? Please choose the best answer.

A. Mom was very angry because Xiao Ming broke her lipstick.
B. Mom was happy because Xiao Ming gave her a lipstick.
C. Mom was unhappy because Xiao Ming used her lipstick.
D. Mom was happy because Xiao Ming helped her find her lost lipstick.
See Answer Analysis
If you are not sure about the answer, please read the following text first and then try again.
Chinese General diandengpao

The word for mischievous or naughty child in Chinese is composed of "熊 (xióng)" which means bear and "孩子 (háizi)" which means kid, or child. Put those together and you get "熊孩子 (xióng háizi)."

Let’s break down the word.

熊 (Xióng) bear
(Nursery Rhyme - 三只小熊 (Sān zhī xiǎoxiónɡ) Three Little Bears)

孩子 (Háizi) kid, child
(Chinese Tongue-Twister 孩子和鞋子 (Háizi hé xiézi) The child And the Shoes)

熊孩子 (Xióng háizi) naughty child, wild kid

So why do we use "熊孩子 (xióng háizi) bear-child" to describe a naughty child? The term is derived from the more northern Chinese dialects and generally refers to annoying, loud and mischievous children. What kind of children exactly?

Imagine for a second, those kids you might see in the stores going wild because their mom won’t buy them the candy they wanted or the child in the movie theater who is talking loudly and laughing or screaming while everyone else is quiet.

Everyone knows that kid who throws a fit the minute they don’t get their way, and don’t like to follow the rules. They might make a complete mess in the house, or maybe people can hear their screams resound throughout the whole neighborhood.

You can often hear these mischievous kids on the bus or train, or in restaurants making a racket or causing trouble.

In the aftermath of their mischievous behavior usually, there’s a parent or a loved one turning to people with a helpless look and saying, "那熊孩子啊! (nà xióng háizi a) such a naughty kid!" Because, after all, being naughty is in our nature!

Here are some examples of how to use "熊孩子 (xióng háizi)" in your daily life!

     Nǐ zhège tiáopí de xióng háizi.
1. 你这个调皮的熊孩子。
     You are such a naughty child.

     Zhè qún xióng háizi bǎ jiālǐ nòng dé yìtuánzāo.
2. 这群熊孩子把家里弄得一团糟。
     This group of wild kids made a mess around the house.

     Zhíyǒu dāng lǎoshī yánsù qǐlái, zhè qún xióng háizi cái huì guāiguai tīnghuà.
3. 只有当老师严肃起来,这群熊孩子才会乖乖听话。
     Only if the teacher gets strict with them will the mischievous children actually listen to what she says.

     Tā shì yíge xióng háizi.
4. 她是一个熊孩子。
     She is a wild kid.

Click "Read More" to watch a video to learn further about "熊孩子 (xióng háizi)"

 
Chinese General diandengpao

Some students often ask what in the world "花 (huā)" really means! "花 (huā)" is one of those words used in all sorts of different contexts with many different meanings. Of course there’s the basic meaning of "一束花 (yí shù huā) a bouquet of flowers." Then there’s the meaning to "to spend." I think of this as how flowers take time to open and bloom, so you can say "花时间 (huā shíjiān)" to spend time, or "花钱 (huā qián)" to spend money.

Key Learning Point (Preview)
花 (Huā) n./v. flower/to spend (money)

Examples:

     Lily xǐhuan gèzhǒnggèyàng de huā.
1. Lily喜欢各种各样的花。
     Lily likes all kinds of flowers.

     Jiějie shì yíge hěn ài huāqián de rén.
2. 姐姐是一个很爱花钱的人。
     My sister really likes spending money.

     Tiān na, wǒ yìtiān jiù huā wán le zhège yuè de gōngzī.
3. 天哪,我一天就花完了这个月的工资。
     My God, I spent my entire month’s salary in one day.

Dialogue:

Boy: Nǐ xǐhuan shénme huā?
Boy: 你喜欢什么花?
Boy: Which flowers do you like?

Girl: Wǒ xǐhuan liǎng zhǒng huā.
Girl: 我喜欢两种花.
Girl: I like two kinds of flowers.

Boy: Nǎ liǎng zhǒng? Wǒ sòng gěi nǐ!
Boy: 哪两种? 我送给你!
Boy: I’ll get them both for you!

Girl: Yǒu qián huā, suíbiàn huā!
Girl: 有钱花,随便花!
Girl: I can spend money as I wish.

From the above conversation, you can see that the Chinese word "花 (huā)" has a few drastically different meanings. When used as a noun, it means flower. When used as a verb, it means to spend (time or money).

Key Learning Points:

开花 (Kāi huā) v. to bloom

花费 (Huāfèi) v. to spend; to expend; to cost
(The Usage of "花 (Huā)" And "费 (Fèi)" in Chinese)

花钱 (Huāqián) v. to spend money; to lay out; to go to the expense of
(Learn the Correct Structure of Chinese Phrase - 花冤枉钱 (Huā yuānwang qián))

花心 (Huāxīn) adj. fickle in love

一束花 (Yí shù huā) a bouquet of flowers

花时间 (Huā shíjiān) spend time

Click "Read More" to learn more examples on it!

Quiz:

1. Which one of the following is not a meaning of "花 (huā)? "

A. flower              B. spend              C. salary

2. According to the corresponding English sentence, please choose the best option to fill in the blank.

Wǒ jīntiān ___le liǎng bǎi kuài qián.
我今天___ 了200块钱。
I have spent 200 Yuan today.

A. 花 (Huā)
B. 丢 (Diū)
C. 挣 (Zhèng)
See Answers Analysis

 
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