NihaoChinese|Learn Chinese with Clover

Clover Tao
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Follow me on YouTube: @nihaochinesenet Book a free trial lesson on our website: www.nihaochinese.net Hello everyone, my name is Clover. I am a professional and native Chinese teacher. I love reading and writing. In this channel, you will hear more real Chinese instead of grammar explanation. I will probably not explain everything but just read it to give you more chances to immerse yourself in this language.

  1. 4 AUG

    Level 4: Cultural Differences Series (2): She Sneezed — and Felt Uncared For in China?

    昨天，我的一位学生跟我分享了她在中国的文化冲击： “我打喷嚏的时候，没人说‘Blessyou’，我感觉大家都忽略了我，好像没人关心我一样。”   为什么美国人会说“Bless you”？   在英语文化中，别人打喷嚏时说“Bless you” 是一种基本的礼貌，它起源于宗教，也传达了关心和祝福的意思。 在日常生活中，即使是陌生人打喷嚏，人们也常常会自动说一句 “Blessyou”。 那中国人为什么不说呢？   因为在中国，打喷嚏并没有被赋予特殊的“仪式感”或社交意义。我们更关注的是卫生和实际反应，   比如： • “你是不是感冒了？” • “快点多喝点水。”   **不说话，并不代表不关心。**只是我们表达关心的方式不一样，更偏向实际和间接。   误解从哪里来？   对于美国人来说，没听到“Bless you” 可能会被理解成“冷漠”或“不礼貌”； 但对于中国人来说，说这句话反而会让人觉得有点奇怪或太“西化”，尤其是陌生人之间。   小贴士 Tips forCross-Cultural Moments: • 如果你在中国，不要因为别人没说 “Bless you” 而难过，观察一下他们是否用其他方式表达了关心。   • 如果你是中国人，想让外国朋友更舒服，也可以试着在他们打喷嚏后说一句 “Bless you” 或 “保重啊”。   文化差异不只是语言的不同，更是表达习惯和心理期待的不同。学会理解彼此的“默契”，才能走得更近。   你有遇到过类似的小误会吗？欢迎留言告诉我，我们一起拆解文化“潜台词”！ English Translation: Yesterday, one of my students shared her cultural shock experience in China:“When I sneezed, no one said ‘Bless you.’ I felt like everyone ignored me, as if no one cared.” Why do Americans say “Bless you”? In English-speaking cultures, saying “Bless you” when someone sneezes is a basic gesture of politeness. It has religious origins and conveys care and goodwill. In everyday life, even strangers often automatically say “Bless you” when someone nearby sneezes. So why don’t Chinese people say it? Because in China, sneezing doesn’t carry any particular ritual or social meaning. Instead, people are more focused on hygiene and practical responses,such as:• “Are you catching a cold?”• “You should drink more water.” Not saying anything doesn’t mean people don’t care.It’s just that the way we show care is different — more practical and indirect. Where does the misunderstanding come from? To Americans, not hearing “Bless you” might feel cold or impolite.But to many Chinese people, saying it might actually seem a bit strange or “too Western,” especially between strangers. Tips for Cross-Cultural Moments:• If you’re in China, don’t be upset if no one says “Bless you” — observe if they’re showing care in other ways.• If you’re Chinese and want to make foreign friends feel more comfortable, you can try saying “Bless you” or “Take care” after they sneeze. Cultural differences aren’t just about language — they’re about how we express care and what we expect from others.Learning to understand these “unspoken rules” helps bring us closer together. Have you ever experienced a similar misunderstanding?Feel free to share in the comments — let’s unpack the hidden messages behind different cultures together!

    2 min

  2. 17 APR

    Level 4: Chinese don’t like to say “thank you”?

    Chinese don’t like to say “thank you”? 系列：有趣的文化差异 第一集：中美“谢谢”的用法差异 在中国，“谢谢”是礼貌的基本表达。但在日常生活中，亲近的人之间反而不太频繁说“谢谢”。比如你妈妈给你盛了一碗饭，你一般不会抬头说“谢谢妈”，因为这种表达在家庭关系里会显得有点“见外”。 但在美国，“thank you”几乎无处不在。无论是服务员倒水、同事帮个小忙，甚至家人递个东西，他们都会习惯性地说“thanks”或者“thank you”。如果你不说，还会显得不礼貌。 这种差异反映了中美文化中“人情”与“平等”的不同价值观： ​ 中国文化中，亲密关系意味着不需要客套，讲的是情分。​ 美国文化则强调个人独立和平等，哪怕是再亲近的人，也需要表达尊重和感激。 这也解释了为什么很多美国人来中国时，会觉得中国人“不太说谢谢”；而中国人去了美国后，则可能被“thank you”“thank you”搞得有点受宠若惊。 我个人的经历 在出国以前，我也不爱说谢谢，除非特别重大的事情。但是，在澳洲待了几年之后，我也常常说谢谢了。 Series: Interesting Cultural Differences Episode 1: The Different Ways “Thank You” Is Used in China and the U.S. In China, saying “thank you” is a basic expression of politeness. However, in daily life, people don’t often say it to those they are close to. For example, if your mom serves you a bowl of rice, you wouldn’t usually look up and say, “Thanks, Mom.” In fact, doing so might feel a bit too formal or distant within a family setting. In contrast, in the U.S., “thank you” is used almost everywhere. Whether it’s a waiter pouring water, a colleague offering help, or a family member handing you something, people naturally say “thanks” or “thank you.” If you don’t, it might even come across as impolite. This difference reflects the distinct values behind “relationships” in Chinese culture versus “equality” in American culture: In Chinese culture, closeness often means you don’t need to be overly polite—what matters is emotional connection. In American culture, individualism and equality are emphasized, so even the closest relationships require verbal expressions of respect and appreciation. This also explains why many Americans visiting China might feel that Chinese people “don’t say thank you very often,” while Chinese people going to the U.S. might be surprised or even overwhelmed by all the “thank yous” they hear. My personal experience: Before going abroad, I didn’t say “thank you” much either—unless it was for something really significant. But after living in Australia for a few years, I find myself saying it all the time now!

    2 min
  3. Level 4: 你会爱上机器人吗？Will you fall in love with a robot?

    18/05/2024

    Level 4: 你会爱上机器人吗？Will you fall in love with a robot?

    你会爱上机器人吗？ 假如有一个机器人完全是按照你的喜好制造的，他/她会为你做饭，帮你做家务，每天逗你开心，他/她了解你所有的需求，能满足你的所有要求，而且长得还很帅或者很漂亮，完全就是你的梦中情人，你会爱上他吗？ 但是他/她可能没有心跳，没有人类的正常需求，不用吃饭，不用上厕所，也不需要睡觉。但是他会唱歌，也可能会跳舞，甚至上知天文，下知地理，你不会的事情问一下他就可以了。 但是他/她可能没有荷尔蒙，不知道他/她会不会让你心动呢？或者他/她可以成为很好的朋友？也可能是一个很危险的人物，如果他被病毒入侵了。你期待拥有一个机器人吗？Follow me on YouTube:nihaochinesenet I wrote this article after watching a German film “Ich bin dein Mensch”, Chinese name"我是你的人”. It's a very fascinating movie, I recommend you to watch it! English Translation: Will you fall in love with robots? If there was a robot that was built exactly according to your preferences, he/she would cook for you, help you do the housework, make you happy every day, he/she knew all your needs, could meet all your needs, and he/she was handsome or beautiful, and he/she would be your dream lover, would you fall in love with him/her? But he or she may have no heartbeat, no normal human needs, no need to eat, go to the bathroom, and no need to sleep. But he can sing, maybe he can dance, even know astronomy, know geography. If you don't know something, just ask him. But he/she may not have hormones, I wonder if he/she will make you feel? Or he/she could be a great friend? He could be a very dangerous person, if he's infected by a virus. Are you looking forward to owning a robot?

    2 min

  4. 01/04/2024

    Level 5: 悯农 (mǐn nóng)The Peasant's Lot / The Pity Peasant

    Hello大家好，今天给大家读一首古诗。This is a really famous poetry in China. When we just started our school, this was the first poetry we need to learn. 锄禾日当午，汗滴禾下土。chú hé rì dāng wǔ, hàn dī hé xià tǔ 谁知盘中餐，粒粒皆辛苦。shuí zhī pán zhōng cān, lì lì jiē xīn kǔ. Mordern Chinese meaning: 农民在正午烈日的暴晒下锄禾，汗水从身上滴在禾苗生长的土地上。又有谁知道盘中的饭食，每颗每粒都是农民用辛勤的劳动换来的呢？这首诗是要告诉我们要珍惜自己的食物，不要浪费粮食。Follow me on Youtube: nihaochinesenet English translation: 锄禾日当午，chú hé rì dāng wǔ (A farmer )Hoeing the grass under the noonday sun, 汗滴禾下土。hàn dī hé xià tǔ His sweat drips on the ground beneath the seedling. 谁知盘中餐，shuí zhī pán zhōng cān Who knows that the meal in the dish, 粒粒皆辛苦。lì lì jiē xīn kǔ Every single grain of rice means hardwork. word by word translation: 锄chú，动词，除草。 Verb, hoe, get rid of the grass from crops by a hoe, hoeing. 禾hé，名词，禾苗 。Noun, seedling, the small crops. 日rì，名词，太阳。Noun, the sun. 当 dān 介词， 当……时。Preposition, when, while. 午wǔ 名词， 中午。Noun, midday, noonday. 汗 hàn， 名词，汗水。Noun, Sweat. 滴 dī， 动词，滴落，掉下来。Verb, drip, Drip down. 禾 hé， 名词， 禾苗。Noun, seedling, the small crops. 下 xià， 方位名词，下面。Position noun, under, down. 土 tǔ ， 名词， 泥土。Noun, the soil, earth, the ground. 谁 shuí，人称代词，谁。Personal Pronoun, Who. 知zhī，动词，知道。Verb, know. 盘 pán， 名词，盘子。Noun, dish. 中 zhōng，方位名词，中间，在……里面。Position noun, in, in the middle of……. 餐 cān，名词，饭食。Noun, the meal. 盘中餐，盘子里的食物，碗里的饭食。the meal in the dish 粒lì，量词，谷物的数量。 Quantifier, grain, a grain of ...... 粒粒，every grain of 皆 jiē，副词，都。adverb, all. 辛xīn，形容词，辛苦。adjective, hard. 苦 kǔ，形容词，辛苦，痛苦。Adjective，painful. 辛苦，adjective, laborious.

    1 min

  5. 22/03/2024

    HSK2(level 2) A day of Xiaoming小明的一天 daily routine

    小明的一天 小明早上七点起床，然后刷牙，洗脸，七点半吃早饭，然后八点去做地铁。八点半到公司，九点上班。 九点到十二点小明需要努力工作。十二点开始吃午饭，他午饭吃蛋炒饭，喝一杯咖啡。下午一点又开始工作，下午三点半是下午茶时间，他休息一会儿，吃一个苹果。然后五点下班。 回到家后，他开始准备晚饭，他晚饭吃西红柿炒鸡蛋和米饭，然后喝点儿粥。之后他开始躺在沙发上上网，玩手机，看短视频。 八点半他开始去洗澡，洗完澡看会书，他就准备睡觉了。晚安啦！Follow me on Youtube: nihaochinesenet English Version: A day of Xiaoming Xiaoming gets up at seven o 'clock in the morning, then brush teeth, wash face, eat breakfast at 7:30, then take the subway at 8 o 'clock. Xiaoming arrive at the office at 8:30 and starts to work at 9:00. Nine to twelve o 'clock Xiaoming needs to work hard. Lunch begins at twelve. He has egg fried rice and a cup of coffee for lunch. At one o 'clock in the afternoon he started work again, and at three thirty in the afternoon it was tea time, and he took a short break to eat an apple. Then I get off at 5:00. When he arrived at home, he began to prepare dinner, he had scrambled eggs with tomatoes and rice for supper, and then some porridge. After dinner, he started lying on the couch surfing the Internet, playing on his phone and watching short videos. At eight thirty, he began to take a shower and read books for a while after shower. He is ready to go to bed. Good night!

    2 min
  6. HSK1 (Level1) Reading and Listening Practice_Stories of Xiaotao

    18/02/2024

    HSK1 (Level1) Reading and Listening Practice_Stories of Xiaotao

    Transcript at: https://www.patreon.com/posts/hsk1-graded-136211417?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=postshare_creator&utm_content=join_link

    3 min
  7. 龙年大吉Good luck in the year of long

    10/02/2024

    龙年大吉Good luck in the year of long

    Hello 大家好，你们知道今天是什么日子吗？今天是中国的农历新年，今年是龙年。你们知道十二生肖有哪些吗？听好了，鼠、牛、虎、兔、龙、蛇、马、羊、猴、鸡、狗、猪。每12年是一个轮回。Every 12 years is a cycle.祝大家龙年大吉，恭喜发财！Hello everyone, do you know what day it is today? Today is the Chinese Lunar New Year. This year is the Year of the Dragon. Do you know what the zodiac signs are? Listen up, rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, chicken, dog, pig. Every 12 years is a cycle. I wish you all a happy and prosperous year of the Dragon!

    1 min
  8. Slang word: 牛逼Niu Bi/NB

    08/02/2024

    Slang word: 牛逼Niu Bi/NB

    What does 牛逼 mean? It means awesome, freaking awesome. Only 牛also means awesome. 很棒，很厉害的意思。For example: 你什么都知道，你太牛了！you know everything, you are awesome!

    1 min
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About

Follow me on YouTube: @nihaochinesenet Book a free trial lesson on our website: www.nihaochinese.net Hello everyone, my name is Clover. I am a professional and native Chinese teacher. I love reading and writing. In this channel, you will hear more real Chinese instead of grammar explanation. I will probably not explain everything but just read it to give you more chances to immerse yourself in this language.

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