First and foremost, welcome to online 1on1 mandarin lessons. In this lesson, I would like to share a Chinese idiomatic phrase with you as well. Today’s phrase is a stepping stone to success, qiao1 men2 zhuan1 (敲门砖in Chinese). You can learn this phrase in some real situations through e mandarin learning by skype.


Literally speaking, qiao1 men2 zhuan1 (敲门砖in Chinese) refers to a brick picked up to knock on the door and thrown away when it has served its purpose. Gradually, the connotation of the phrase means a stepping stone to success.

It is said that the phrase originated from the ancient imperial examination. The eight-legged essay, ba1 gu3 wen2 (八股文in Chinese) was a common testing point in the examination. Each of the candidates should practice more and recite some eight-legged essays to challenge the examination. If they failed in the examination, they would say they took a chance on it, zhuang4 tai4 sui4 (撞太岁in Chinese). If they succeeded in the examination, they would call the eight-legged essay, ba1 gu3 wen2 (八股文in Chinese) as their stepping stones to become imperial officials. However, after they become imperial officials, they would disregard the eight-legged essay. Log on to Chinese character learning for Chinese speakers, you can learn more Chinese idiomatic phrases to use in your daily communication with your Chinese friends.

Nowadays, a stepping stone to success, qiao1 men2 zhuan1 (敲门砖in Chinese) is usually in some news like company’s recruitments, in the other words, their diplomas. Interviewees are often informed to know the a stepping stone to success, qiao1 men2 zhuan1 (敲门砖in Chinese) as their education backgrounds. Meanwhile, those successful candidates will omit their diplomas when they are employed by the company. A stepping stone, dian4 jiao3 shi2 (垫脚石in Chinese) is the synonym to qiao1 men2 zhuan1 (敲门砖in Chinese). You can improve your Chinese language skill on e Chinese learning toggle.

Welcome to learn mandarin online live from Beijing, China. Today I would like to share another Chinese idiomatic phrase with you. Today’s phrase is a term originated from the tactics of the Chinese chess. The tactic refers to the Horse, ma3, 马, one of the pieces in Chinese chess is aligned with the General, jiang4, 将 and takes use of the Cannon, pao4, 炮 to kill the General. However, the meaning of this Chinese idiom is quite different from that in the Chinese chess. You can learn the details from Chinese lessons tutoring video online.


Horse-Cannon Checkmate, ma3 hou4 pao4 (马后炮in Chinese) actually means to respond or take action to something not timely. This implication of the phrase is completely different from that in the tactics of Chinese chess. Originally, in the Chinese chess, the phrase is a commendatory term of a tactic to kill the General, jiang4, 将 wisely. But with its changes, the phrase means to respond or take action to something not timely. That is to say, horse-cannon checkmate, ma3 hou4 pao4 (马后炮in Chinese) is a derogatory phrase nowadays. Visit the Best Ways to Learn Mandarin Online to learn more about the phrase.

Literally speaking, horse-cannon checkmate, ma3 hou4 pao4 (马后炮in Chinese) has a synonym, namely, be wise in retrospect, shi4 hou4 zhu1 ge3 liang4 (事后诸葛亮in Chinese). This idiomatic phrase also expresses the meaning of responding or taking action to something not timely.

Therefore, you can substitute horse-cannon checkmate, ma3 hou4 pao4 (马后炮in Chinese) with be wise in retrospect, shi4 hou4 zhu1 ge3 liang4 (事后诸葛亮in Chinese) in the Chinese language. Both of them are nouns to describe someone being a second-guesser in dealing with a matter. Chinese idiom phrases are frequently used in people’s daily communication. To ensure a successful communication and better understanding, you should build up your knowledge of idiomatic phrases through e Chinese channel. Enjoy your Chinese learning. 

Firstly, welcome to Chinese language tutor online. Today I would like to introduce a Chinese idiomatic phrase to you as well. The idiomatic phrase is sweet-talking someone into doing something, guan4 mi2 hun2 tang1 (灌迷魂汤in Chinese). According to a Chinese legend, mi2 hun2 tang1 (迷魂汤) refers to a magic potion to persuade someone doing something successfully. The phrase has the similar to butter somebody up or flatter somebody into doing something, pai1 ma3 pi4 (拍马屁in Chinese). In Chinese grammar, the magic potion, mi2 hun2 tang1 (迷魂汤) can be the object. Log on to online 1on1 mandarin lessons to build up your knowledge on Chinese idiomatic phrases. 

According to a legend in China, the magic potion, mi2 hun2 tang1 (迷魂汤) was the Menpo Soup (meng4 po2 tang1, 孟婆汤). The soup would be given to the dead on their way to the netherworld for forgetting all one’s concerned and successfully enters into the next reincarnation. Therefore, ask somebody to drink the magic potion, guan4 mi2 hun2 tang1 (灌迷魂汤in Chinese) usually refers to sweet-talk someone into doing something. Continue reading on Chinese character learning for Chinese speakers.

Recently, there is a restaurant tries to sell all kinds of the magic potion, mi2 hun2 tang1 (迷魂汤) on the food street in Shanghai, China. It provides customers with staple food and free or charged magic potion, mi2 hun2 tang1 (迷魂汤). When the soup was launched, it gained increasing popularity quickly. A journalist has interviewed some customers why they like the soup. Some said that there are 12 types of the soups in the restaurant. All of the soups are very yummy. Others said they were attracted by the name of the soup at the very beginning and wanted to have a taste. Last but not least, few people also believe the restaurant was making a sensation to earn fame. Any different views on the phenomenon are welcomed on e Chinese channel.

First and foremost, welcome to visit learning Chinese from Chinese teachers. In the previous lessons, I had introduced some useful Chinese idiomatic phrases. Today I would like to share a Chinese idiom with you. The phrase is a fond dream, huang2 liang2 mei3 meng4 (黄粱美梦in Chinese). It is the synonym to a daydream or a pipe dream. If you want to learn the usage of today’s Chinese phrase, you can sign up for learning Chinese online classes. 

A fond dream, huang2 liang2 mei3 meng4 (黄粱美梦in Chinese) means some unreal dreams. The phrase consists of two parts, namely, huang2 liang2, 黄粱 and mei3 meng4, 美梦. Here huang2 liang2, 黄粱 refers to millet. Many Chinese idioms have a related allusion to tell us a story, so does today’s idiom. Visit Chinese character learning for Chinese speakers to read the interesting story.

Here you can take a closer look at the story. One day, a young man was complaining about his poor situation and pouring out his woes to a Taoist priest in an inn. Knowing his situations, the Taoist priest gave the young man a pillow. The young man slept on the pillow at once on getting it. Soon he felt asleep and made a dream. In his dream, he became very rich and has led to a luxurious life. But when he awoke, he found that was just a dream. However, he expressed his gratitude to the Taoist priest for the pillow made him dreamed wonderfully. He said, “The dream just now was the most beautiful one in my whole life. I have had a taste of a different life in the dream. I am very happy and contented with what I have in my real life. Many thanks.” At last,   he found the millet the boss cooked in the pot was still undercooked. From then on, the Chinese idiom, a fond dream, huang2 liang2 mei3 meng4 (黄粱美梦in Chinese) was coined. You can learn more Chinese idioms on Chinese language tutor online. Enjoy your Chinese learning.

Welcome to e Chinese learning to get the best ways to learn Mandarin online. Today I would like to share a Chinese idiomatic phrase with you as well. The phrase is commonly used as colloquial in daily communication. To help you achieve a successful communication with your Chinese friends, I will share the phrase, the gate of hell, gui3 men2 guan1 (鬼门关in Chinese). If you want to learn the details of the idiomatic phrase, please log on to learning Chinese using skype.

Now let us take a closer look at the phrase. The gate of hell, gui3 men2 guan1 (鬼门关in Chinese) was originated from an ancient Chinese mythology. It refers to a Pass to the netherworld, yin1 cao2 di4 fu3 (阴曹地府in Chinese). When the soul of the dead passed through the Pass, one will set feet on a road called the Huangqu Road (huang2 quan2 lu4,黄泉路), which is the road to the netherworld. There are many beautiful flowers on the road and at the end of the road appears the Lethe River, wang4 chuan1 he2 (忘川河in Chinese). The bridge on the river is called the Dead Bridge or the Bridge over Troubled Water, nai4 he2 qiao2 (奈何桥in Chinese). Crossing the bridge, there is a terrace called the Wangxiang Terrace (nai4 he2 qiao2, 望乡台), on which the dead can see their homes in distance. Continue reading on online 1on1 mandarin lessons to learn what’s going on the next.

There is a pavilion beside the Wangxiang Terrace. Usually, a woman called Menpo will wait for the dead in the pavilion. When the dead passes through her, she will ask everyone to drink a bowl of soup, which is called the Menpo Soup (meng4 po2 tang1, 孟婆汤). The Menpo has a magic function to make the dead forget all one’s concerned and successfully enters into the next reincarnation. You can learn more mythologies from mandarin teaching online. Enjoy your Chinese learning. 

Welcome to Chinese lessons tutoring video online. In this lesson, I would like to share a Chinese idiomatic phrase as well. Today’s idiomatic phrase has been used internationally and it enjoys great popularity. The phrase is getting ripped off, qiao1 zhu2 gang4 (敲竹杠in Chinese). It is usually used when customers and sellers bargaining in the business. You can hire a Chinese language teacher online skype to learn the usage of the Chinese idiomatic phrase.

Getting ripped off, qiao1 zhu2 gang4 (敲竹杠in Chinese) means takes the advantage of someone’s shortcomings or finding out all kinds of excuses to ask for others’ lucre unfairly or raising goods’ prices. The phrase has five different origins in the Chinese language. Today I just want to share one of its origins. If you want to learn the other four origins, please log on to mandarin skype tutor reviews.

Now let us take a closer look at this phrase. It is said that getting ripped off, qiao1 zhu2 gang4 (敲竹杠in Chinese) originated from Sichuan Province, southwestern China. The saying goes that some wealthy local people like to enter into mountains and burn joss-stick for the Deities there. They didn’t climb mountains themselves but they would sit on a slider with some people lifted the slider on their shoulders. They would reach a deal in the prices for the service before they set off. However, to the wealthy people’s surprise, these slider-lifters would ask for a higher price or they would not lift passengers forward. The passengers on the slider had to raise the price for they are half way to their destinations. From then on, the idiomatic phrase was coined to express ask for others’ lucre unfairly.

To put it in a nut-shell, this is today’s idiomatic phrase. A good grasp of Chinese idiomatic phrases will assure you a successful communication. You can find a suitable and efficient way to build up your knowledge of these phrases, and you can also learn mandarin online live from Beijing, China. Enjoy your Chinese learning.

Firstly, welcome to Chinese character learning for Chinese speakers. Today I would like to introduce an interesting Chinese idiom to you, namely, five flowers and eight doors literally, wu3 hua1 ba1 men (五花八门in Chinese). This idiom means all walks of life or a variety of something at the very beginning. Nowadays, it is used to describe various things change unpredictably. You can learn more about today’s idiom on Chinese language tutor online.   


Historically, five flowers and eight doors literally, wu3 hua1 ba1 men (五花八门in Chinese) refers to the shapes of battle array in ancient wars. Therefore, the idiom specifically refers to the five-flower tactics, wu3 hua1 zhen4 (五花阵in Chinese) and the eight-door tactics, ba1 men2 zhen4 (八门阵in Chinese) in ancient arts of wars. The eight-door tactics, ba1 men2 zhen4 (八门阵in Chinese) is also called the Eight-Diagram tactics, ba2 gua4 zhen4 (八卦阵in Chinese). Continue reading on e mandarin learning by skype.

The five flowers and eight doors were different representatives of occupations in ancient Chinese. The five flowers were the golden chamomile (金菊花, women who sell tea), the kapok (木棉花, physicians in ancient times), the daffodil (水仙花, prostitutes in wine shops), the firethorn flower (火棘花, acrobatics players) and the flower in the soil, (土中花, heavers). The eight doors were the “巾” (jin1), fortune-tellers, the “皮” (pi2), herb sellers, the “彩” (cai3), prestidigitators, the “挂” (gua4), travelling minstrels and misfits, the “平”, (ping2), storytellers and ballads singers, the “团”, (tuan2), street minstrels, the “调”, (diao4), booths to plunge into paper men and the “聊”, (liao2), opera singers on hathpace.

All in all, if you are interested in Chinese idioms, you can sign up for online 1on1 mandarin lessons. Enjoy your Chinese learning.

In this lesson, I would like to introduce a Chinese idiomatic phrase as well. Today’s idiomatic phrase is making effort at the last moment, lin2 shi2 bao4 fo2 jiao3 (临时抱佛脚in Chinese). You can log on to e Chinese learning toggle to learn more about the phrase.


Making effort at the last moment, lin2 shi2 bao4 fo2 jiao3 (临时抱佛脚in Chinese) means embracing Buddha’s feet and praying for help in time of emergency. It originated from an ancient story. Visit Chinese lessons on skype to read the story.

In the days of yore, a small country was built to the south of Yunnan Province and all the people in the country believe in the Sakyamuni, in other words, they are Buddhists. One day, a condemned criminal ran away through broke the chain and a heavy wooden collar in the evening. On the next day, the native official ordered his soldiers to chase the criminal and arrest him. Seeing the solders after him, the dog-tired criminal rushed into an old temple. There was a statue of the Sakyamuni. Watching the sacred statue, the criminal felt guilty immediately and cried loudly. At the same time, he kept kowtowing to show his sincere confession. Finally, he said, “Please forgive me, and I would never do evil things in the future.” Soon, his head was bleeding seriously for he didn’t stop kowtowing for a second. At that moment, soldiers found out him and were deeply moved by his piety to the Sakyamuni. They reported the situation to the King. The King also believed in the Buddhism, so he absolved the criminal and allowed him to tonsure and become a monk. Later, the idiomatic phrase, making effort at the last moment, lin2 shi2 bao4 fo2 jiao3 (临时抱佛脚in Chinese) was brought to China when some monks from the small country preached the Buddhism in China. If you want to learn more idiomatic phrase, you can hire a Chinese language teacher online skype.

First, welcome to e Chinese channel. In this lesson, I will introduce the detail on playing a bit role, pao3 long2 tao4 (跑龙套in Chinese) from the point of Chinese grammar. Enjoy your Chinese learning.  consists of two parts in the Chinese grammar, namely, the verb, running, “跑” pao3 and the noun, “龙套” long2 tao4. “龙套” long2 tao4 is also called Wen Tang (文堂in Chinese), which is a terminology in Beijing Opera. It specifically refers to the supporting role in opera. Generally speaking, there are four performers act as “龙套” long2 tao4, and which is a unit in an opera and called Tang (堂in Chinese). Those “龙套” long2 tao4 actors are responsible for shouting loudly to boost the moral. It is a way to show their strong forces. The performing way of “龙套” long2 tao4 is to show less is more. But why this special actor is called “龙套” long2 tao4? Visit learning Chinese online classes to find out the reasons. 

Here is the reason on Chinese language tutor online. The reason why this special actor is called “龙套” long2 tao4 in an opera is because costumes players worn are usually embroidered with an auspicious image of dragon. Therefore, “龙套” long2 tao4 actors should be familiar with their right positions on the stage, common fixed form of queue changes and the rhythm of every opera. For the main job of “龙套” long2 tao4 is to serve as a contrast or foil to leading roles, so to assist others to do miscellaneous matters or go errands are deemed as playing a bit role, pao3 long2 tao4 (跑龙套in Chinese). Practicing more, some “龙套” long2 tao4 actors will become the leading role in the later. If you are very interested in Chinese, you can learn more on e Chinese learning toggle.

The Chinese love to throw colorful idioms into their daily language. The thing about most Chinese idiom is that they cannot be directly translated. In order to get your point across in the right language and understand what your Chinese friends are really talking about, you should try to build up your knowledge of idiomatic expressions. Have you ever heard the phrase in one ear, out the other, er3 pang2 feng1 (耳旁风in Chinese)? Do you know the real meaning of the phrase? Today I would like to share the true meaning of the phrase in one ear, out the other, er3 pang2 feng1 (耳旁风in Chinese). If you want more detailed information about this Chinese phrase and others, please log on to Chinese character learning for Chinese speakers.

On hearing the Chinese phrase er3 pang2 feng1 (耳旁风in Chinese), most of you may mistake its meaning as wind past one’s ears which is the literal translation. However, the real meaning of the phrase in the Chinese language is in one ear, out the other. It is usually used to describe someone’s ignorance to others’ words or turning a deaf ear to others’ advice. When this idiomatic expression was first coined in the Chinese language, it specifically referred to the wind in autumn. Thus, there is also a Chinese idiom which expresses the same meaning, namely, someone treats something like an autumn breeze passing by one’s ears, qiu1 feng1 guo4 er3 (秋风过耳in Chinese). In a deeper sense, this particular Chinese idiom means someone is thinking of something of no importance. At the mention of today’ phrase, there is a well-known story about it which comes to mind. Visit online 1on1 mandarin lessons to take a closer look at the story and other tips for learning Mandarin.

In the Spring and Autumn Period, the King of the State of Wu, Men Shou, had four sons. The eldest son was named Chu Fan (诸樊in Chinese), the second son was Yu ji (余祭in Chinese), the third one was Yu Mei (余昧in Chinese) and the youngest one was Ji Zha (季札in Chinese). Among his four sons, the youngest son, Ji Zha, was the most talented one, so he was favored by the King. In the year 561 B.C., King Men Shou fell seriously ill and decided before dying to change the system of leadership. He decided to try to appoint his youngest son Ji Zha as successor to the throne instead of his oldest son. When Ji Zha heard this he refused immediately. The King had no choice and the eldest son took the throne according to the original system. After King Shou Men’s death, the eldest son Chu Fan became the new King and he made a common promise with his second and third brother that they would ensure the successive passing on of the reign and make sure to pass the throne to their youngest brother Ji Zha. Finally, the three brothers kept their promise and passed on the throne from one to the other. During their reign, Ji Zha devoted himself to helping his brothers managing the state very well. If you would like to learn more about the story or the characters, try out Chinese lessons on Skype.

When it was the turn for Ji Zha to rule the state, he still refused and said, “I’ve declared to my father that I won’t be heir to the throne. I have always pushed myself to be an honest person with high principals. I am not interested in high positions and great wealth. They are just like an autumn breeze passing my ears and of no importance to me.” To clearly show his determination, he chose to go into seclusion until his brother’s son succeeded to the throne. After that, he went back to the royal palace and assisted his nephew to manage state affairs. His story and the allusion all over the whole country that Ji Zha regarded a high positions and great wealth as an autumn breeze passing by his ears. Today, many of us are still greatly inspired by the morals of Ji Zha.

In a word, the Chinese idiomatic expression or phrase we’ve shared today is in one ear and out the other, er3 pang2 feng1(耳旁风in Chinese). There are some Chinese idioms with similar meanings to this phrase, i.e., cast one’s pearls before swine, dui4 niu2 tan2 qin2 (对牛弹琴in Chinese) and turn a deaf ear to something, chong1 er3 bu4 wen2 (充耳不闻in Chinese). Moreover, you were introduced to a related Chinese idiom with an interesting and historical background story: someone treats something like an autumn breeze passing by one’s ears, qiu1 feng1 guo4 er3 (秋风过耳in Chinese). It takes a true philanthropist and selfless person to pass up high positions and great wealth. In our life, it seems rare that a person possesses this type of character, capable of putting others before their own personal benefits. If you want to learn more Chinese idiomatic expressions, you check out mandarin skype tutor reviews. Enjoy your Chinese learning.