Quiz:

Which person below couldn’t be described by the word "音乐发烧友 (yīnyuè fāshāoyǒu)?"

A. Jack is always excited to talk about great music.
B. Mike has been a huge music fan since he was seven years old.
C. When Tom feels sad, he often listens to music.
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If you are not sure about the answer, please read the following text first and then try again.

Do you have one of those friends who is just obsessed with something she likes? What about a friend who does nothing but talks about their favorite TV show?" In Chinese, we have a specific slang phrase for this type of manic love for something. The word is used for someone being totally obsessed with something, or being something’s biggest fan." This phrase is meant to describe the person who can get put into this kind of frenzy. This phrase is "发烧友 (fāshāoyǒu)." (Must know knowledge about "fans" in Chinese.)

"发烧友 (Fāshāoyǒu)" is a unique expression in Chinese which describes a type of person who is totally obsessed with an activity or an object.

Let’s break this phrase down to better understand it:
发烧友 (Fāshāoyǒu): fancier; enthusiastic fan.
发 (Fā): dispatch; send out. (Do you know how to use "发 (fā)" in Chinese?)
烧 (Shāo): burn; bake; heat; roast.
友 (Yǒu): friend; companion; fraternity. (Most common relationship: "朋友 (péngyǒu).")

This word essentially describes someone who is such a fan of something, they feel akin to it, as if they have a special relationship to it, and this emotion really connects them and energizes them to the object itself as well as the world around them. I have a few friends who are totally obsessed with yoga. They talk about it all the time. Whenever I refer to one of them, I use this phrase because they could honestly talk about it all day. They get excited when they talk about it.

Where did this term come from?
The term "发烧友 (fāshāoyǒu)" is derived from... Read More

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Commonly Used Chinese Word Pairs Part I

Welcome to part I of commonly used word pairs. This is one of the best ways to improve your Chinese and help your speaking sound more native. Let’s look at various "递进关系 (dìjìn guānxì) progressive relationships" and "转折关系 (zhuǎnzhé guānxì) transition relationships" between words. These are very common to use in sentences for everyday conversation. By learning these commonly associated words you can get closer to sounding native faster than ever!

1. "不但 (Búdàn)" …. "而且 (érqiě)"
There are a few ways to express "not only ... but also," in Chinese. One way is to add "不但 (búdàn)" …. "而且 (érqiě)" in a sentence. Put the sentence this way: Noun + 不但 (búdàn) + A, 而且 + B. Adjectives, verbs or phrases could be used in place of A or B.

For example:
Tā búdàn hěn piàoliang, érqiě hěn cōngming.
她不但很漂亮，而且很聪明。
She is not only beautiful but also intelligent.

(The Different Ways to Say "因为 (yīnwèi) BECAUSE" and "所以 (suǒyǐ) SO" in Chinese)

2. "不仅 (Bùjǐn)"….."还 (hái )….."
The next way to express "not only ... but also" is "不仅 (bùjǐn)"….."还 (hái)….." The pattern can also be used omitting "还 (hái)," and instead using adverbs like "也 (yě) and also" in its place.
The structure for this is: Subj. + 不仅 (bùjǐn), 还/也 + …
The same subject should apply to both the first and the second part to use it properly.

For example:
Tā bùjǐn huì shuō yīngyǔ, hái huì shuō fǎyǔ.
他不仅会说英语，还会说法语。
He not only speaks English but also speaks French.

3. "虽然 (Suīrán)"…"但是 (dànshì)…"
Next, let’s look at "转折关系 (zhuǎnzhé guānxì) transition relationship" words to use as well. First is: "虽然 (suīrán) although"…"但是 (dànshì) but…"

(Have a Mini Test About "但是 (dànshì)")

You can think of it as meaning "although," but unlike in English, you still need to... Read More

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

Chōuyān ( ) duì zìjǐ shēntǐ yǒuhài, ( ) huì yǐngxiǎng tārén jiànkāng.
抽烟 ( ) 对自己身体有害，( ) 会影响他人健康。

A. 不但 (Bùdàn)···而且 (érqiě)···

B. 虽然 (Suīrán)···但是 (dànshì)···

C. 尽管 (Jǐnguǎn)···还是 (háishì)···

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