New Chinese Phrase
donkey friendClick to choose your answer
- A. A friend in need
- B. A friend you fully trust
- C. A bad friend
- D. A friend you travel with
A friend you travel with
There are lots of ways to describe friends in Chinese. 知(zhī) 心(xīn) 朋(péng) 友(yǒu) are close friends you can share everything with. 酒(jiǔ) 肉(ròu) 朋(péng) 友(yǒu) are fair-weather friends. A pack of rogues are 狐(hú) 朋(péng) 狗(gǒu) 友(yǒu). Nowadays, there is a new category of friends-驴(lǘ) 友(yǒu). Instead of referring to a donkey friend, it means a friend who likes travelling and goes travelling with you. The word驴(lǘ) and travelling-旅(lǚ) share the similar pronunciation.
In Chinese, lǘ yǒu refers to a friend you travel with.
Joanna
- Center Manager
If I want to learn both Mandarin and Cantonese, shall I take the both at the same time?
If you want to learn both, we recommend that you focus on one language first. And we recommend that you start Mandarin first. There are two reasons for this:
1. More tones in Cantonese--- 9 tones; less tones in Mandarin: 4 tones. So it is relatively an easier task for a beginner.
2.Cantonese speech does not match Chinese writing in all cases so learners have to rely purely on memorization of the SOUND. Mandarin speech matches well with Chinese writing. Each syllable (sound) has a related Chinese character. The learner can master Mandarin through a combinations of both speaking (Sound) and writing (Chinese words).
It will be much easier for you to study Cantonese if you have a foundation in Mandarin Chinese.
Speak to us if you want to find out more about how to tackle both Mandarin and Cantonese. We will make sure that you will accomplish your goal in the shortest period of time possible.
Contact us to Learn Chinese
- ADD:
2nd Floor, Beautiful Group Tower,74-77 Connaught Road Central, Central, Hong Kong
2/F 標華豐集團大廈 中環干諾道中74-77號 - TEL: +852 2850 4332
- E-Mail:
- Our toll free number for China: 800 999 6260
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Partial List of our Full Time Trainers:
Yeping graduated from Beijing Science and Technology Institute with a Bachelor's Degree in Science. Before joining NCM, Yeping had been as a trainer in Nokia Beijing office. Yeping likes music, movies and traveling.
Joeie graduated from University of Canberra with a Bachelor's Degree in Communications. She also has a Certificate in Child Psychology. Before joining NCM, Joeie worked in the fields of marketing, advertising and training. She enjoys teaching and likes hiking, swimming, cycling, dancing and reading in her leisure time.
Leann graduated from Chinese University of Hong Kong with a Bachelor's Degree in Mechanical & Automation Engineering. She went to US to further her study and it was there that she had developed a keen interest in teaching Mandarin. Leann likes reading, swimming and singing.
Ellen graduated from Shanghai Jiao Tong University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Hotel Management. She moved to Hong Kong after she graduated from university. Ellen started her career in the field of training as Training Instructor for China Eastern Airlines. Being well equipped with extensive knowledge and experience in the field of training, she then started Mandarin language training, first as a part-time Mandarin instructor for international school students and then joined NCM on a full-time basis. Ellen likes travelling, reading and music.
Crystal graduated from Wuhan University of Technology with a Bachelor's Degree in Foreign Language and Literature. She was awarded as "Outstanding Educational Teacher" by the Teaching Department of People's Government in Beijing. She taught foreign students in International Mandarin Chinese Promotion Institute of Beijing and received teacher qualification for the level of Lecturer before moving to Hong Kong. She loves connecting with people and she is interested in absorbing different cultures and languages. She loves outdoor activities.
Daisy graduated from The Hong Kong Polytechnic University with a Master's Degree in Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language. With the love of Chinese, she started her career in teaching Chinese! And now she is trying hard to be help more students to learn Mandarin more efficiently! Daisy likes singing, traveling, swimming and writing in her leisure time.
Our Chinese students
Our Chinese students are from different professions, from Chinese Beginner to Professional Mandarin. See what they comment about our Chinese course, and we hope to see you here very soon.
My first instructor was energetic, clever, humorous and well educated. I appreciated her focus on pronunciation and her ability to explain proper use of words. My second instructor used her real-world experience in training to help me better understand how to speak and use formal pronunciation. Her ability to provide me examples through her experience help me relate to each learning session. The entire staff in NCM was helpful and caring which makes for a great learning experience. I would strongly recommend NCM to anyone interested in learning or advancing their Chinese languages or writing skills. In particular I had a great experience with the instructors. I also appreciate the support of NCM teams. I only wish I could have continued my experience much longer.
-- The Outdoor Recreation Group, Jay Beyler
Hong Kong
"I have hugely enjoyed learning Mandarin at NCM. The language itself is fascinating, as it is so vastly different to English and learning the characters is like unlocking a puzzle, but the real joy has been my teacher, she has done an excellent job at keeping the sessions fun and interesting, varied and not regimented, but still thorough in teaching style and constantly adapted to my learning needs over time. I have made great progress, thanks to a fun but very professional teacher."
-- David Charnley, The Royal Bank of Scotland
Hong Kong
My experience of New Concept Mandarin language teaching is two-fold: a ten-day one-to-one immersion course in Shekou and several series of one-to-one tutorials in Hong Kong (in that order). In both cases the teaching was individually designed to meet my learning requirements and the teachers at both locations demonstrated a high level of understanding and commitment on the one hand together with creativity and flexibility on the other. The immersion approach, albeit gruelling on a one-to-one basis, is an excellent way for the learner to break down the barrier that Mandarin seems to present in the early stages and to gain the confidence needed to see the battle through. I doubt whether I would have continued to study Mandarin without that experience behind me. One-to-one tutorials are, in my opinion, the best way to progress once the basis has been laid. They are demanding of both teacher and student and it was the calibre of the teaching staff I encountered at NCM in Hong Kong that made them successful and encouraged me to keep going back for more.
There was plenty of hard work involved, but an outstanding feature of all the lessons I had at NCM is that they were always lively and stimulating. The teachers not only displayed a highly professional approach to teaching Mandarin, but it was also fun to spend time with them and to be so easily and warmly accepted into their close-knit and friendly community.
-- Chris Nicholls
Hong Kong