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Showing posts from January, 2018

How to Introduce Yourself in Chinese

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It's very important to use proper greeting phrases in Chinese society. To do introduction is the first step when you want to make new friends or just get to know new people. Learning how to introduce yourself will help you improve your interpersonal relationships. Now let's see how to impress your new Chinese friends or the Chinese people you meet on a business occasion by your prefect self-introduction in Chinese. Part 1. Introduce Basic Information First of all, we should introduce our basic information such as name, personality and occupation. The introduction structure is very easy and clear in Chinese,"Sb. shì+ name/nationality/occupation". About Name 1. wǒ xìnɡ我姓… Example : wǒ xìnɡ Perrin 我姓Perrin  My last Name is Perrin 2. wǒ jiào 我叫 Example : wǒ jiào James 我叫James  My Name is James 3. wǒ shì 我是 wǒ shì James 我是James  My Name is James About nationality 4. wǒ shì 我是 Example : wǒ shì fǎ ɡuó rén 我是法国人  I'm French 5. wǒ lái zì 我来自+Country Exa...

How to Write Email in Chinese

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Let’s start from the beginning. When you write emails to your family and friends. English email usually starts with: Hey dude/bro/buddy/ ect. Well in Chinese we say  亲爱的qīn ài de …which means Dear …. When you are writing to your boss, teacher, elders or clients you can start with 尊敬的 zūn jìnɡ de …means honorific. Or (… xiān shenɡ 先生 Mr . …)( nǚ shì 女 士 Ms …..) If you don't know who will receive it you can start the email with 敬启者jìnɡ qǐ zhě (to whom it may concern ) or 致相关人士 zhì xiānɡ ɡuān rén shì (to relevant persons). Then you write some greeting words like (你好nǐhǎo Hello) (您好nín hǎo Hello(politely) ( 早上好 zǎo shɑnɡ hǎo good morning ) (下午好xià wǔ hǎo Good afternoon) (晚上好 wǎn shɑnɡ hǎo Good evening) After that we usually directly go to the theme. Before closing an email we always put some blessing sentences such as (zhù nǐ xīn xiǎnɡ shì chénɡ 祝你心想事成 May all your wishes come true) (zhōu mò yú kuài 周 末 愉 快 Have a nice weekend) Now let’s talk about how to close an email. Afte...

How to Say Weather in Mandarin Chinese

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Unlike the British are very fond of discussing the weather, Chinese people prefer discussing clothing, food when they meet. But learning Chinese weather vocabulary is needed for two reasons: usually Chinese people won't discuss weather, but there are exceptions, for example, the weather extremely bad. The other reason is, weather is closely related to our daily life, however, in China almost all of the weather reports are displayed in Chinese that you should learn how to read weather in Chinese characters. Vocabulary about the Weather in Chinese As long as you mastered the weather Chinese word list below, the weather report could be read without difficulty. Chinese Pinyin English 炎热 yán rè Hot 暖和 nuǎn huo Warm 寒冷 hán lěng Cold 晴 qíng Sunny 多云 duō yún Cloudy 阴天 yīn tiān Overcast 雨 yǔ Rain 雪 xuě Snow 冰雹 bīng báo Hailstone 雷 léi Thunder 雨夹雪 yǔ jiá xuě Rain and snow 雷雨 léi yǔ Thunder storm 霜冻 shuāng dòng Frost ...

How to Say Thank You in Chinese

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China is a country which has some highly particular cultural etiquette beliefs. "Thank you" is an important phrase when you want to express your gratitude in English. "Thank you" translates into Chinese as " 谢谢 ", the pinyin is " xiè xie ". " xiè xie 谢谢 " is the most common way to express "thank you" in Chinese, but not the only way to express gratitude. There are some other ways to express gratitude in Chinese. Therefore, if you know how to say thank you in Chinese in different ways and use them correctly, you can express your thanks with more nuance and style. You use thank you or, in more informal English, thanks to express your gratitude when someone does something for you or gives you what you want; to politely accept or refuse something that has just been offered to you; or to politely acknowledge what someone has said to you. Sometimes you use thank you or thank you very much in order to say firmly that you do not wan...

How to say “taxi” in Chinese

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Taxi is a type of vehicle hired by a single passenger or small group of passengers with a determined pick- and drop-off which is differs from other public transport and it is normally a non-share ride which means if the taxi is hired by someone, it will not be available for any others. It's translated to Chinese in: chū zū chē – 出租车 – where chū zū translates into " rent ". There is another name for taxi in China, named 的士 , which is a Cantonese transliteration of the English word "taxi". If you travel in China, taxi will be the most facility vehicle to take you anywhere you want. How to take a taxi and how to communicate with driver for some essential questions? Learn more about building your oral communication skills . Dǎchē 打车 (Take a taxi) Chéngkè 乘客 Passenger Sījī 司机 Driver Learn Some Useful Phrases for Taking a Taxi with Our Native Chinese Teacher Lilian Let me share a dialogue to see how to take a taxi . Chéngkè : Dí shì! 乘客: 的士!( P...

How to say “Nice to meet you” in Chinese

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In English after we said our names in an introduction, we are used to say "Nice to meet you" or "Glad to meet you" to show our enthusiasm. The Chinese, who are regarded as most warm and hospitable people in the world, have any equivalent expression? Yes, of course. This article will teach you how to say "Nice to meet you" like a native Chinese. In many Chinese books or documents, we can often find this sentence "nice to meet" which is translated to "很高兴见到您 hěn ɡāo xìnɡ jiàn dào nín " or "见到您很高兴 jiàn dào nín hěn ɡāo xìnɡ ". Hěn means very, ɡāo xìnɡ means glad, jiàn dào means meet and nín is you. That's the literally expression. In fact, expression "hěn ɡāo xìnɡ rèn shí nǐ"or ""rèn shí nǐhěn ɡāo xìnɡ(rèn shí means be acquainted with) will be better. But in common life, if you take care, you will find that we heard really rare these expression when we new meet someone right? So how Chinese people say ...

How to say “I miss you” in Chinese

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How to say I miss you in Chinese? wǒ xiǎnɡ nǐ le - 我想你了 Its literal meaning is almost identical to "I'm thinking about you." But there's a subtle grammatical difference: the final word 了le. Technically, it indicates a change of state: in Chinese, missing someone isn't just an action; it's a state of mind. If you just wanted to say that you were thinking about someone, you wouldn't include 了 (le). You might remember 了 from other statements of mood, like wǒ shēnɡ qì le - 我生气了 - I am angry. wǒ shānɡ xīn le - 我伤心了 - I am sad Each one indicates that the speaker's mood is in a new state. In 我想你 wǒ xiǎnɡ nǐ, the function of 了 is the same. As with other statements of mood, you can add intensifiers: wǒ fēi chánɡ xiǎnɡ nǐ- 我非常想你 - I miss you so much wǒ zhēn de hěn xiǎnɡ nǐ - 我真的很想你 - I really miss you. and so on. And for people you don't miss because they never go away, you can say wǒ bù xiǎnɡ nǐ - 我不想你! - I don't miss you Y...

How to say "I'm Tired" in Chinese

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[:en] Chinese is a very interesting language. Even it is the most difficult language in this world. But the great splendor of Chinese language is that it keeps you eternally engaged, searching, exploring. This country is a profound society, and have a 5000-year culture. If you keep study Chinese, you will find a lot of fun and interesting thing in that. For Chinese language, it is a very magical language. A main word can combine with different words to another new phase. Here let’s see some kind of words in Chinese how to say “tired.” 1. wǒ lèi le 我 累 了 Chinese have a kind of word called “Degree Adverb”. If you are very tied you can say: wǒ hěn lèi. 我 很 累. 很 hěn means “very”, it is a adverb can be placed in the front of the adjectives to modify the degree of adjectives. If the degree is not very high. Like normal or just a little bit higher than normal, you can use “很 hěn.” For example: 我很好. wǒ hěn hǎo. (I’m good.) If you want to say “dead tired“ is: wǒ...

How to Say Merry Christmas in Chinese

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December, you will see many Christmas decorations in China. For example, shopping malls might have pictures of Santa Claus, and hanging wreaths, red and green lights, and "Merry Christmas" signs in English. In this way, the appearance of Christmas in China is similar to Christmas that in some western countries, such as the United States. In addition, you will hear lots of Christmas music when you are out in public. Some Chinese people give gifts during Christmas, but this is still not very common. It's also not common for Chinese people do decorate their homes for Christmas. Part of the reason is that most Chinese people live in apartments, not houses, so they can't hang Christmas lights outside. Another reason is that flashing lights are actually quite common as decorations outside many buildings; thus hanging extra lights for Christmas would not appear very special. In the West Christians frequently greet each other by saying "Merry Christmas", "H...

How to Say and Write Goodnight in Chinese

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When you're traveling in China, you should use a polite greeting, when you need to ask for help or make the acquaintance of someone in China. However, greetings are given a much greater importance in China than they are in Western Countries. Today, this article will tell you how to say and write good night in Chinese , when you travel in Chinese-speaking locations, it will be very useful, and if you want to know more ways to say have a goodnight in mandarin, you can book our Travel Mandarin Course . It will tell you all what you want in travel. What do Chinese people say after the conversation? There are not as many choices. They normally say 再(zài)见(jiàn) , suitable for any time, any occasions. Or if it is late at night, people also say 晚安(wǎn'ān) , which means good night . Then, how to say goodnight in Chinese? Good Night! 晚(wǎn)安(ān) ! ('wan' is 'w'+'on' with a descending then rising tone; 'an' is 'on' with a sustained tone). Eng...

How to order Coffee in Chinese

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If you want to order a cup of coffee in China, actually it is very simple, only need the following 5 steps and try to make your request more clear, that’s it! 1. What would you like to drink? When you walk into a shop, the first important sentence the waiter/waitress will ask you is “what would you like to drink?” Nǐ yào hē shénme? 你要喝什么? What would you like to drink? Then you can answer to them like this: Wǒ yào yì bēi kāfēi。 我要一杯咖啡。 I would like a cup of coffee. 2. How to say different types of coffee in Chinese? As we know, there are many different kinds of coffee in this market. Below are some very popular names for your study: kǎbùqínuò 卡布奇诺 Cappuccino nátiě 拿铁 Latte mókǎ 摩卡       Mocha měishì 美式 Cafe Americano jiāotánɡmǎqíduǒ 焦糖玛琪朵 Caramel Macchiato Yìshì nónɡsuō 意式浓缩     Espresso Ps: jiātánɡ 加糖(Add Sugar) jiā bīnɡ 加冰(Add ice) Jiā niúnǎi 加牛奶(Add milk) qù bīnɡ 去冰 (Deicing) 3. Which s...

How to get a haircut in China

Getting a haircut in China is always an adventure due to the language barrier. If your Chinese is not good enough, some embarrassment may happen. Even after a long process of communication with the hairdresser, you may get the haircut you does not want and go out of the salon with tears. Below is the list of the basic hairdressing terms Barbershop Lǐfǎ diàn 理发店 Barber Lǐfǎ shī理发师 Hairdresser zàoxíng shī造型师 Haircut lǐ fà 理发 Hairstyle fàxíng 发型 Cut your hair jiǎn tóu fɑ 剪头发 a quick trim xiūjiăn 修剪 fringe liúhăi 刘海 thinning your hair dǎ báo 打 wash and blow-dry xĭjiănchuī 洗剪吹 Shampoo Xǐ fǎ lù洗发露 wash hair Xǐ tóu 洗头 Wash Xǐ yīxià洗一下 dye your hair răn tóufà 染头发 Shave guā hú zǐ刮胡子 Blow dry - Chuī gàn 吹干 Perm - Tàng tóufǎ 烫头发 Trim here - Jiàn zhèlǐ 剪这里 If you like to keep your existing hairstyles as it is, simply ask for a quick trim(xiūjiăn, 修剪), this will simply remove slit ends from your long hair. If you still want to crop off a bit more after the person finish the c...

How to Say How Are You in Chinese

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To all the Chinese Learners, the first Chinese word you learn may be 你好“nihao”. But nobody told you that early to ask “How are you?” is to simply add 吗“ma” after “nihao”. So today, we’ll see in the following some Chinese greeting customs. Then you’ll know, in China, to properly ask “How are you?” is something more than just “Nihao ma?”. 1. 你好!  (nǐ hǎo) / 您好!(nín hǎo) “Hello/Good Day” First of all, the most common form of greeting in China is “ni hao”. Its literal meaning is “You are well” but usually translated as “Good day”. The same greeting phrased as a question (How are you?) is “ni hao ma”. The response is usually “ni hao”. You may use it on any occasion regardless of the time of the day or the social status of the person you are greeting. 2. 你吃饭了吗 (nǐ chī fàn le mɑ) “Have you eaten” Next, it is also very common to say “ni chi fan le ma” to your friend in the moring, noon or night. It just means that you show your kindness and careness rather than inviting them t...

How to Make and Answer Phone Calls in Chinese

Many Chinese learners wonder how to make and answer phone calls in Chinese, especially when they need to make an appointment with friends, business customers, or call to purchase something. If you are one of them, this is the right article to read and learn some real stuff besides the simple opening “ 喂wèi/ wéi ”. Let’s keep reading! Every major city in China has its own telephone number directory. You can call for 114 for directory assistance in China for free. But this number can only help you find a number for a company or an organization, never a residential number, for phone books in China do not list residential numbers. First, it’s interesting to know that when people answer the phone in China, the first word will be " 喂wèi/ wéi ", which doesn't have an actual meaning. It is just the way of greeting the caller/ receiver and starting off the conversation. Looking for people Situation 1: when the person you are looking for picks up the phone A:喂,你好, 我找xxx。Wèi, ...

Hotel Chinese Lesson for Traveler and Hotel Staff

Fernanda, one of my students, got a management job in a Chinese hotel successfully yesterday. We have taken hotel Chinese lessons before the scheduled interview, and of course, her Chinese language skill made a great impression for the interviewer, this prompted me to write this article. This article written for: Foreigners work in Chinese hotel. Travelers eschewed group travel or people come to China on a business trip. You know, in China most hotel receptionist don’t know English, especially in remote areas. Hotel in Chinese character is 酒店 , hotel in pinyin is jiǔ diàn . According to different accommodation levels, you can also see 宾馆 (bīn guǎn) means guesthouse, 旅馆 (lǚ guǎn) means inn, 旅社 (lǚ shè) means hostel, 饭店 (fàn diàn) means victualing house, 青年旅舍 (qīng nián lǚ shè) means youth hostel in China. Generally, we think hotel is the highest level. Now let us learn Chinese for hotel from reservation to check out through the dialogues between front desk reception...

How to Learn Chinese in 5 Minutes a Day

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Learning Chinese will allow you to: To know more about Chinese culture or China. Gain friends in another culture Discover so much. Develop your mind. Have fun . We can break up our learning into different topics like: "Greetings", "Introduction", "In a coffee shop/bakery", " ordering food ", " Taking a taxi ", " shopping " etc. Here I found many specific online Chinese courses . For example : 1. Greetings---Wenhou问候 ! Nihao !---hello ! Zaoshanghao !---Good morning ! Zaijian !---See you ! Xiexie !---Thank you ! Bukeqi !---You are welcome ! Duibuqi !---I am sorry ! Meiguanxi !--- It doesn't matter ! 2. Introduction---Jieshao 介绍! Dajia Hao !---Hello everybody ! Wo shi Carrie !---I am Carrie ! Wo shi Zhongguoren !---I am Chinese ! Wo shi Hanyu laoshi !---I am Chinese teacher ! Ta ye shi Zhongguoren !---She/He is also Chinese ! Ta bu shi Hanyu laoshi !---She/He is not Chinese teacher ! Ni ne ?---and ...

Hospital and Medical Chinese Vocabulary

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If you are in China and you have to go to a Chinese hospital, this article may help you how to see a doctor in China. Let’s learn the Chinese hospital and medical vocabulary together! 1. Related Words: In the hospital 医院 yīyuàn (hospital) 轮椅 lún yǐ (wheelchair) 挂号 guà hào (to register) 手术 shǒu shù (surgical operation) 挂号 guà hào (to register)        手术 shǒu shù (surgical operation) 护士 hùshi (nurse)      住院 zhù yuàn (to be hospitalized) 外科医生 wàikē yīsheng (surgeon)       出院 chū yuàn (to leave hospital) 检查 jiǎn chá (inspection / examine)           温度计 wēndùjì (thermometer) 验血 yànxiě (blood test)  急诊室 jízhěn shì (emergency room) 结果 jiéguǒ (result)  Pain/sickness 生病 shēngbìng (be sick) 发烧 fāshāo (have a cold) 受伤 shòushāng (injured) 鼻塞 bísāi (stuffy nose) 牙痛 yátòng (toothache)        ...

Authentic Oral Chinese: 月光族 The Moonlight Clan

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How to say / pronounce Hello and Goodbye in mandarin Chinese

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How do I say Hello in Chinese? Learning how to greet people in Mandarin Chinese is important and when you are in or planning to be in China because basic greetings are the foundation for relationships. Say Hello in Mandarin Chinese The Mandarin phrase that means Hello is Ni hao, pronounced knee how. Nǐ (the third tone) - 你 means "you" and hǎo (the third tone) - 好 means "good". If you were to translate it to English, it would mean "you good?" When you come upon one of your Chinese friends, you can say " Nǐ hǎo ", and your Chinese friends will also reply with "Nǐ hǎo" to express kindness and politeness. However, this greeting is informal, usually used for friends, peers, and associates. The formal way to say "Hello" is Nín hǎo  - 您好, pronounced seen how. Notice that the formal "you" is "Nín" - 您, it is used for strangers, elders, superiors or people in authority. When you encounter someone older or dis...

How to say Happy New Year in Chinese

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Chinese New Year , different from the Western observance on January first, is an important festival based on the Chinese lunar calendar. Because it follows the phases of the moon, the holiday falls on different dates each year. Also known as Spring Festival , the literal translation of the modern Chinese name, the celebration traditionally runs from Chinese New Year's Eve, the last day of the last month of the Chinese calendar, to the Lantern Festival on the 15th day of the first month. This makes the festival the longest in the Chinese calendar. Traditionally, the evening preceding Chinese New Year's Day is an occasion for families to gather for an annual reunion dinner. It is also traditional for every family to thoroughly clean the house in order to sweep away any ill-fortune and to make way for incoming good luck. Windows and doors will be decorated with red papercut-outs and poetic couplets with popular themes of "good fortune" or "happiness," "...

How to Say Family Members in Chinese

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In China, to address correctly each family member takes years of practice (joking!). But for the little kids and new family members, it does seem more difficult to say the correct title in Chinese for the entitle family members and relatives than in English-speaking countries. In this article, you are going to learn what to call your family members or relatives in Chinese! Let's start with the basics! 1. Parents 爸爸 bàba, Dad 妈妈 māma, Mom 2. Siblings 哥哥 gēge, older brother 弟弟 dìdi, younger brother 姐姐 jiějie, older sister 妹妹 mèimei, younger sister 3. Grandparents Paternal side 爷爷 yéye, grandpa (father's father) 奶奶 nǎinai, grandma (father's mother) Maternal side 外公 wàigōng, grandpa (mother's father) 外婆 wàipó, grandma (mother's mother) 4. Aunts & Uncles Maternal uncle and his wife 舅舅 jiùjiu, uncle (mother's brother) 舅妈 jiùmā, aunt (wife of mother's brother) Paternal uncle (father's younger brother)and his wife 叔叔 s...

Learn Chinese HSK Grammar :How to Use "可能(kě néng)" and "也许(yě xǔ)"

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Dating Phrases in Chinese

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Dating is a wonderful thing, if you’re planning to invite Chinese girl/men to a date, then the Chinese phrases for dating below could make you more attractive in the dating pool, even if you’re not good-looking. Ask for a Date It's really a tragedy if you get turned down when ask Chinese out on a date just because they don’t know what you mean (especially those people prefer to invite others in an indirect way). Therefore, asking for a date in Chinese will be necessary. The most direct way: 你能和我约会吗?(nǐ néng hé wǒ yuē huì ma?) Do you want to go out with me? Carefully guarded ways: 你今晚有空吗?(nǐ jīn wǎn yǒu kōng ma?) Are you free tonight? 你愿意和我一起去吃饭吗?( nǐ yuàn yì hé wǒ yī qǐ qù chī fàn ma?) Would you like to have a dinner with me? 我们出去走走可以吗?(wǒ men chū qù zǒu zǒu kě yǐ ma?) Can we go out for a walk? If you get the answer “ 我很乐意 (I’d love to)”, read on to learn more dating Chinese vocabulary will come in handy. During a Date Going to a romantic restaurant to taste ...

Chinese vocabulary for countries

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When introduce yourself to foreigner, it’s unavoidable to mention where you come from. You don’t need to spend a lot of effort to learn how to tell others what your nationality is in Chinese, the guide below is easy to follow. Part 1: Learn Chinese vocabulary for countries. Part 2: Learn how to tell your country in Chinese. First of all, learn how to write and pronounce the name of your country in Chinese Mandarin. Basic Chinese Words for Countries Chinese Pinyin English  阿富汗  ā fù hàn   Afghanistan   阿根廷  ā gēn tíng  Argentina    澳大利亚  ào dà lì yà   Australia    比利时  bǐ lì shí  Belgium    玻利维亚  bō lì wéi yà   Bolivia    巴西  bā xī   Brazil  柬埔寨  jiǎn pǔ zhài  Cambodia    喀麦隆  kā mài lóng  Cameroon    加拿大  jiā ná dà  Canada  智利 ...

Learn Chinese from TV Series -IPARTMENT

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Chinese Vocabulary for Computers and Internet

Do you use WeChat? Do you know how many Chinese people are currently using Weibo (the Chinese version of Tweeter)? And what about Google, Facebook and Youtube? This article will explain everything you’ll want to know about the Chinese Internet. 1. Computer related Computer - 电脑 diàn năo Screen - 屏幕 píng mù Keyboard - 键盘 jiàn pán Mouse - 鼠标 shŭ biāo Speakers - 音响 yīn xiăng Microphone - 话筒 huà tŏng Printer - 打印机 dă yìn jī Fax - 传真 chuán zhēn USB drive - U盘 U pán Laptop - 笔记本 bǐ jì běn Earphone - 耳机 ěr jī 2. Email related Inbox - 收件箱 shōu jiàn xiāng An email - 邮件 yóu jiàn To send an email - 发邮件 fā yóu jiàn Attachment - 附件 fù jiàn 3. Online activities Tweet (on Weibo) - 发微博 fā wēi bó A post (on a blog) - 帖子 tiě zi - fā tiě zi 发帖子 (to send a post) Comment - 评论 píng lùn Reply - 回复 huí fù Register - 注册 zhù cè Log in/sign in - 登录 dēng lù Download -下载 xià zăi Upload - 上传 shàng chuán 4. Famous Chinese Internet sites Baidu - 百度băi dù (Chinese equivalent of Google ...