Learning Mandarin Chinese Through Melons

Hanlin Language Center

In pursuit of encouraging people ot learn Mandarin Chinese, here's a chart teaching the different types of melons in Chinese. Learning how to speak Chinese with these melons would be a productive exercise. Aside from using what was often called bon toi in the Chinese schools, it might be good to help people memorize these types of sentences, with the translation:

Chinese: "天气热，想吃西瓜." (Tiānqì rè, xiǎng chī xīguā.)

Translation: "It's hot, I want to eat watermelon."

Chinese: "你想喝冬瓜茶吗?" (Nǐ xiǎng hē dōngguā chá ma?)

Translation: "Do you want to drink winter melon tea?"

Chinese: "我要做南瓜派." (Wǒ yào zuò nánguā pài.)

Translation: "I'm going to cook pumpkin pie."

Chinese: "用黄瓜去眼袋." (Yòng huángguā qù yǎndài)

Translation: "Use cucumber on your eye bags."

Chinese: "苦瓜对你的健康有益." (Kǔguā duì nǐ de jiànkāng yǒuyì)

Translation: "Bitter gourd is good for your health."

Chinese: "我的祖母喜欢吃木瓜." (Wǒ de zǔmǔ xǐhuān chī mùguā)

Translation: "My paternal grandmother loves to eat papaya."

Chinese: "葵花籽可能会造成窒息危险，请小心." (Kuíhuā zǐ kěnéng huì zàochéng zhìxí wéixiǎn, qǐng xiǎoxīn.)

Translation: "Sunflower seeds can be a choking hazard, be careful."

Chinese: "哈密瓜饮料是这个夏天的理想饮品." (Hāmìguā yǐnliào shì zhège xiàtiān de lǐxiǎng yǐnpǐn.)

Translation: "Cantaloupe drinks are ideal for this summer."

Creative ways to teach Mandarin Chinese should focus on memorization and application. Memorize and practice. Not just memorize and then forget after the exam is over. The education system needs a rehaul that will encourage students to memorize things, at heart.

When the Education Cares TOO MUCH About Grades, Schools Produce Idiots Instead of Intellectuals

During the pandemic, I was left in limbo thinking about my poor performance under K+10. It was something to think about that a classmate of mine who was both a summa cum laude and an honor student, ended up posting on his wall, "Students cheat because the education system cares more about grades instead of learning." The class salutatorian of our batch even commented about the good old days. I always had that feeling of insecurity and envy towards people better than me. But as Warren Edward Buffet would say, "Don't hate successful people. Learn from them instead." One of them is currently a teacher and the other is in Canada. I thought about my insecurities especially when I used to believe I was descended from a fine scholar and my family was a family of scholars. I remembered the time I was taking MBA and got conned. I was asked, "Is that what MBA taught you?" I got touchy and ended up admitting, eventually, that I was only taking MBA for the presti...

The Lesson of "Bad Genius" is More Than Just "Cheating Never Pays Off"

Sometimes, much truth can be told in fiction, right? Talk about how the great Jose Rizal revealed much truth in his fictional novels Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo . The digital age today would create more entertaining media. I may encourage book reading over movie watching. However, some movies may do more than entertain. They can also address a real issue. It was said that a cheating scandal in China inspired the producers Jira Maligool and Vanridee Pongsittisak to create the film Bad Genius . Right now, there's even a TV series presumably because a movie can't always deliver the message one wants. How does the whole thing go? I was inspired to watch this film because of comments from a Facebook friend's post. The post also talked about how students cheat because the system cares more about grades than learning. As the world becomes more global, exposure to Thai cinema is definitely not surprising. Sure, one can talk about the South Korean wave or the increasin...

If You Want to Make the Philippines Better, Study... HARDER?

I grew up complaining and complaining about stuff. I always looked at the Philippines as a hopeless case. I hated studying the Tagalog subject--which was mandatory by the DepEd. I was told, "Look lazy bum! If you want to make the Philippines a better place--study harder!" In college, I began to apply myself more seriously even if I didn't graduate summa cum laude. I felt a sense of achievement when I won a commerce award for making an outstanding difference. What I never thought was that during the practicum--it was working smart and not working hard. Sure, hard work is there but smart work allows more hard work to be done at a better pace. Not long after, I took my MBA course but it was also at that time, I was scammed . I discovered I wasn't alone in being scammed--many MBA students were scammed during the same time I was scammed! However, what I discovered was the problem of saying, "Your grades will determine your future!" It was typical in Philippine sc...

Why I Support Taiwanese Politician Yeh Yi Jin's Proposal for Taiwan to Drop Zhuyin Entirely (in Favor of Pinyin)

Taiwan News It may be news from 2018 (meaning, five years ago) but as a person who sees the importance of Mandarin in the international market, I still want to react. Not surprisingly, Yeh Yi Jin lost the Tainan mayoral bid because of her controversial statement to abolish Zhuyin from Taiwan altogether . She may have lost the race but I'm still supporting her for this. It's not because I kept failing hard in Zhuyin back in my days. It's because I feel that as time goes on, some things need to be dropped like asking students to submit their reports written via typewriter or asking documents to be faxed when email (and modern standard mail) are more reliable. Like I argued with an investment before, I said, "You can't fax a book. Can I just mail it?" The bank kept arguing it had to be faxed. Unfortunately stubborn boomers, stubborn boomers, everywhere, right? From The Free China Post , this is what's said about Yeh's argument: Yeh argues that using zhuyi...

How Pinyin Helped Chinese-Speaking Investors Get Their Business Permits Around the World

As summer hits, it's normal for me to want a cup of cold tea. One of the many things that could revive interest in Mandarin learning is not just Mandarin shows resurging on paid digital subscriptions. It's the rise of Taiwanese MNCs around the world. In my case, as a coffee and tea person, Taiwanese tea shops are practically my alternative to coffee shops, even if both tend to cost just as much (read why here ). After Chatime, I'm going to use Yi Fang Taiwan Fruit Tea. You can see the use of Pinyin, English, and Chinese calligraphy. Taiwan may still teach zhuyin as part of its tradition. However, I believe that Pinyin is truly the bridge between Chinese speakers and non-Chinese speakers in this Asian century (read here ). I may have my criticism about the lack of tones in the Yi Fang. However, I could really appreciate how the use of Pinyin makes it easier to get a business permit. I find it stupid how we were still using zhuyin over pinyin to learn phonetics. These days, I...

Weakened PHP and Why Economic Cha-Cha Regarding FDI Restrictions is URGENT

Dubai OFW The recent peso devaluation had happened in 12 years . Should it be a call for panic? It was a few days ago and I feel I didn't want to blog about it immediately. As said, I'm no financial adviser or the like--I'm just another guy who's writing on the Internet to help spread the knowledge of others. The current USD-PHP exchange rate is PHP 54.265 which makes me think about inflation. I feel like it might be time to evaluate car-buying policies in order to reduce traffic and how no garage-no car policy should be implemented. I checked Singapore's gas prices and they're even more expensive. I think it would be more ideal to take public transportation in Singapore than to own a car. That's why I believe people need to learn to ride public transportation. Some entrepreneurs ride the jeepney or bus (when needed) without being ashamed about it. Powerful economies with currencies weaker than the PHP Before panicking--I think it would be good to take a lo...

I Believe Social Media Gossip is Why Some Enter into Cryptocurrency

It would be interesting to think about how people got into cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin. I watched the documentary Trust No One: The Hunt for the Crypto King on Netflix, (read the review here ). The documentary really showed this one fact--social media gossipers make poor financial advisors (read here ). The trend to join stuff like the Quadriga-CX scam or how Ruja Ignatova (who's still missing and probably still alive) got a huge following. BBC News also shows how Ignatova's Bitcoin following was developed by social media gossip : Why have so many people continued to believe in OneCoin, despite all the evidence? Investors often told us that what drew them in initially was the fear that they would miss out on the next big thing. They'd read, with envy, the stories of people striking gold with Bitcoin and thought OneCoin was a second chance. Many were struck by the personality and persuasiveness of the "visionary" Dr Ruja. Investors might not have understood the...

Soldier Flies as a Key in the War Against Organic Waste

I ran into DNews where I got the video (above) to share. The interesting fact is that flies can get a bad name. In business, there's the term that the place is simply visited only by flies, to show that business is bad . Flies love dirty places and they're carriers of germs. However, I was soon amazed to learn about maggot therapy a few years back. Maggot therapy is using disinfected larvae of flies that only lay their eggs on decaying tissue. These tiny maggots begin as much decaying tissue as possible. With that in mind, I even feel like if one day I ever get diabetic or have a slow-healing wound, I would certainly want that procedure! I would choose to have disinfected maggots on my wound, even if the idea sounds cross. That would be better than losing my foot! After showing interest in maggot therapy, I certainly find this procedure amazing! An interesting concept from Singapore that I wish I knew existed Singapore may be a first-world country but you can't get rid of w...

The Filipino First Policy Caused the Philippines to Succeed!

High School Philippine History Movement Yes, you read it right! I found a hidden gem that I should've read years ago! It's the book Nationalist Economics by the late Alejandro Lichauco, who is part of the magnificent IBON Foundation. It's a shame I refused to read it. I should've read Lichauco's book instead of the late Lee Kuan Yew's book From Third World to First . What a shame that I didn't look into the details that LKY was a dictator, that Flor Contemplacion was indeed innocent, and that Singapore is a state comparable to Nazi Germany. As I bought my copy of Nationalist Economics from the Trust Me Bro School of Economics--I'm now convinced that the Filipino First Policy caused us to succeed! LKY ruled Singapore for 31 years, meaning it's a frightening thing indeed! Six years is the magic number ot establish a benevolent rule! Who should we all listen to? Should we listen to foreigners or should we listen to our fellow Filipino? We must think st...

Trick or Treat: Zero Savings Wins the Best Halloween Costume

It's October 31 tomorrow. I remember writing a Halloween post about protectionist scare tactics . This time, I'm going to address a new issue. A lot of Halloween costumes these days are anything but limited to ghouls and ghosts. Some even dress up as angels and superheroes. Though, some people would still want to dress in the scariest costume, right? The meme above by the Simple Sum Philippines might strike a big point. It's because a considerable amount of Filipinos really have poor financial habits . It's almost as bad, if it not just as bad as the typical American and overspending . The scariest costume is a jar with a label that says PHP 0.00 savings. As Christmas is around the corner, the November sale is around the corner. Why do so many people wait until the last minute? It's easy to reason about living paycheck to paycheck. However, one could examine the many dumb ways that the paycheck is drained after payday (read here ). I believe it's often called ...

Shaun T. Dy's Business & Economics Perspective Blog

Search This Blog