You know that uneasy feeling before interviewing for a job, giving a speech in public, or making a major life decision? The Chinese have a variety of expressions to convey…
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Chinese eunuchs across history belong to a vast, anonymous clan, sharing the same unspoken shame in service to emperor and court. Several of these brave souls, however, rose to such…
The China Simplified team plays with the story of a foreigner messing up the phrase “let’s go out” with surreal consequences. Chū means exit. Jiā means home. If language was...
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The excruciating surgery featured in this post falls outside “normal” medical procedures. Yet it’s far from rare. China’s Ming Dynasty alone produced over 100,000 eunuchs!
The China Simplified team explores Chinese gifting taboos and the tragic (albeit slightly exaggerated) consequences of a guy giving his combustible girlfriend the wrong presents. For example, his first gift...
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The China Simplified team acts out a short comedy showing what might happen if you use the wrong tones for the word 熊猫 xióngmāo (panda). One slip of the tongue and you’ve just...
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The China Simplified team plays around with possible misunderstandings of the common Chinese term 应该没问题 yīnggāi méiwèntí meaning “should be no problem.” This ambiguous term can be interpreted in a...
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In New York City this week, Stew participated in BookExpo America and the China Global Market Forum, connecting publishing professionals and content providers to discuss Chinese media developments and emerging…
Can anyone love someone forever? Or does selfish human nature eventually reassert itself? Either way, we’ve got you covered in this week’s post exploring relationships through Chinese chéngyǔ (idioms).
Silk was once such a prized commodity that an entire trading network spanning 4,000 miles to connect Europe, the Middle East and North Africa with China was named after it….
