怎么(zěnme) vs. 怎么样 (zěnme yàng)

Earlier we looked at some of the uses of 怎么 (zěnme), but make sure that you don’t confuse it with 怎么样 (zěnme yàng). Even though they look alike they mean completely different things. You can revisit the post Why are you so Stupid? to refresh yourself on the uses of 怎么 (zěnme). And below are some of the common uses of 怎么样 (zěnme yàng).

To ask about the state of someone/something

你最近怎么样？

Nǐ zuìjìn zěnme yàng?

How are you these days?

你工作怎么样？

Nǐ gōngzuò zěnme yàng?

How is your job?

To get someone’s opinion

跟我们一起去，怎么样？

Gēn wǒmen yīqǐ qù, zěnme yàng?

How about going together with us?

我们踢足球，怎么样？

Wǒmen tī zúqiú, zěnme yàng?

How about we play soccer?

Hope these examples gave you a better idea between the differences of 怎么 (zěnme) and 怎么样 (zěnme yàng).

Kung Pao Chicken and Hot Pot

Kung Pao Chicken is definitely one of the most popular Chinese dishes around the world, and it is by far my most favorite Chinese food. Even though popularly known among the foreigners as Kung Pao Chicken, its actual Chinese name is

宫宝鸡丁(gōng bǎo jī dīng): Kung Pao Chicken

鸡(jī): chicken

[Source: Click here]

Some other meat Chinese people love to eat are

羊肉 (yángròu): lamb/mutton

牛肉 (niúròu): beef

猪肉 (zhūròu): pork

鸭肉 (yāròu): duck

Another really popular Chinese dish, which you might have either heard of or tried before is Hot Pot. Hot pot is hot, in terms of both temperature and spiciness.

火锅 (huǒguō): Hot Pot

火 (huǒ): fire

锅 (guō): pot

[Source: Click here]

Both Kung Pao Chicken and Hot Pot are Sichuan cuisine. As you might have noticed by now people from Sichuan like to eat hot (spicy) food. Maybe that’s why some people say that the Sichuan girls are hot because they eat hot food.

What is your favorite Chinese dish?

Chinese city names and their meanings

We have already looked at the Chinese names of some of the American and Canadian cities. Now let’s look at the names of some Chinese cities. Why the Chinese cities are named the way they are? Here are some Chinese cities you might have heard of:

上海 (Shànghǎi): Shanghai

上 (shàng): above

海 (hǎi): sea

So, 上海 (Shànghǎi) means “above sea”. And Shanghai is located on the water, right next to the East China Sea. Is that the reason why it is named “above sea”?

北京 (Běijīng): Beijing

北 (běi): north

京 (jīng): capital

Therefore, 北京 (Běijīng) means “north capital”. As you know Beijing is currently the capital of China. And since it is in the northern part of China, the name "north capital" is very fitting.

南京 (Nánjīng): Nanjing

南 (nán): south

京 (jīng): capital

And南京 (Nánjīng) means “south capital”. For those of you who don’t know, Nanjing was the capital of several Chinese dynasties. It was also the capital of the Republic of China since the 1911 revolution until the 1949 revolution. And it is south compared to Beijing. Here is a map for your reference.

[Source: Click here]

Here are the four directions in Chinese language

北 (běi): north

南 (nán): south

西 (xi): west

东 (dōng): east

Why are you so stupid?

Have you ever wanted to learn how to say “Why are you so stupid?” in Chinese language. Well I did, and I also used it a lot with my friends (jokingly of course) when I first learnt it. So this is how you say it:

你怎么这么笨？

Nǐ zěnme zhème bèn?

Why are you so stupid?

As you can see in the above sentence, 怎么 (zěnme) can be used to ask “Why” or “How come” questions. Here is another example:

你怎么不去开会？

Nǐ zěnme bù qù kāihuì?

Why didn’t you attend the meeting?

But this is not the only way how 怎么 (zěnme) can be used. It can also be used to ask “How” questions. Let’s look at some examples.

你怎么学习中文？

Nǐ zěnme xuéxí zhōngwén?

How do you study Chinese?

去大学怎么走？

Qù dàxué zěnme zǒu?

How can I get to the university?

Waving Flag - Chinese version

Let’s continue to learn the Chinese language by learning a Chinese song. Given my love for soccer, this is one of my favorite songs. I recently found the Chinese version and couldn’t wait to share it with you guys.

And here is the lyrics:

痛快自在 热血澎湃	Tòngkuài zìzài rèxuè péngpài
别问由来 星可以摘	Bié wèn yóulái xīng kěyǐ zhāi
See the champions
Take the field now
Unify us
Make us feel proud
头昂起来 畅爽开怀	Tóu áng qǐlái chàng shuǎng kāihuái
天涯不过 你我胸怀	Tiānyá bùguò nǐ wǒ xiōnghuái
Celebration it surrounds us
Every nation all around us
青春是一首歌	Qīngchūn shì yī shǒu gē
迎着光让我们一起唱	Yíng zhe guāng ràng wǒmen yīqǐ chàng
看世界就在我们脚下	Kàn shìjiè jiù zài wǒmen jiǎoxià
把梦踢到天际无限大	Bǎ mèng tī dào tiānjì wúxiàn dà
一起唱	Yīqǐ chàng
汗让梦茁壮	Hàn ràng mèng zhuózhuàng
你让我成长	Nǐ ràng wǒ chéngzhǎng
旗像风翅膀	Qí xiàng fēng chìbǎng
你给我力量	Nǐ gěi wǒ lìliàng
Flag
So wave your flag
Now wave your flag
Now wave your flag
Now wave your flag
Now wave your flag

Some useful Chinese phrases

I know I should have written this post long time ago, maybe around the same time when I wrote the post How to say Hello in Chinese? But as they say, it’s better late than never. So here are some useful Chinese words and phrases.

谢谢(Xièxiè): Thank you

And how do you reply to that?

不用谢(Bùyòng xiè ): You are welcome

It literally means “no need to thank”. But if you just want to welcome someone, use the one below.

欢迎(Huānyíng): Welcome

对不起(Duìbùqǐ): Excuse me

It can also be used to mean sorry.

对不起(Duìbùqǐ): Sorry

And this is how you reply to it.

没关系(Méiguānxì): No problem

And here are few others:

再见(Zàijiàn): Goodbye

早上好(Zǎoshang hǎo): Good morning

下午好(Xiàwǔ hǎo): Good afternoon

晚安(Wǎnān): Good night

I hope this was helpful.

Chinese words with English letters

Earlier we looked at some of the Chinese words with foreign origin. But did you know that there are also some Chinese words which actually contain foreign letters. Below are some Chinese words I know which contain English letters:

AA制 (AA zhì): (to go) dutch; to pay your portion of bill

我们就AA制吧

(Wǒmen jiù AA zhì ba)

Let’s go dutch

卡拉OK (Kǎ lā OK): karaoke

卡拉OK 很好玩儿

(Kǎ lā OK hěn hǎowán er)

Karaoke is a lot of fun

And here are few more:

T恤衫 (T xùshān): T-shirt

BP机 (BP jī): beeper

IP电话 (IP diànhuà): internet phone

Do you know of any others you can add to this list?