车到山前必有路，船到桥头自然直
车到山前必有路，船到桥头自然直 Before the cart reaches the mountain there must be a road, a boat which reaches a bridge proceeds naturally.
http://amazon.com/author/quizmaster
Author: mindworks
LOGICAL CONNECTORS IN CHINESE
These are some of the logical connectors in Chinese. 只有。。。就 只有。。。才 既是。。。也 尽管。。。但是 无论。。。都 既然。。。就 与其。。。不如 除非。。。否则 除了。。。都 不管。。。都 不是。。。就是…
合 谷 容 浴
Though they look alike they appear to have no phonetic relationship and are likely associative compound characters (hui yi zi)…
Elon Musk
“Pedo guy” – Elon Musk
I’m going to hide from the U.S prosecutors!
I’m going to hide from the U.S prosecutors! In the USA! They will never think to look there! How can…
Self Explanatory Chinese Characters (Indicative Characters) 指事字
To my surprise, there does not seem to be a comprehensive list of indicative characters on the internet. Indicative characters…
Ghislaine Maxwell didn’t kill herself
When you literally whore out children you shouldn’t be surprised when it catches up to you.
When do Countries War? USA, China, Russia
States sometimes go to war with former allies and sometimes make alliances with former enemies. Are there conditions which make…
合作 hezuo = collaborate
合作 hezuo collaborate 合 is a picture of a mouth on top with a dot of food or a word,…
Tangled Twisted and Tied Up in Knots (The STRUGGLE is real!)
纠结（jiū jié）STRUGGLE Jiu1 means tied, twisted. On the left is the silk determinant since it’s usually ropes and on the…
Circular Reasoning
Chinese has lots of words which could be translated as round, circle. None of them correspond exactly to the English…
Advanced Vocabulary Terms
坚持 solid+support=PERSIST JIANCHI 节奏 festival+music=RHYTHM JIEZOU 原则 source+standard/norm=PRINCIPLE YUANZE 违背 disobey/violate+burdened back = WEIBEI VIOLATE 独处 solitary+reside/place = LIVE ALONE…
Pro Testing is all the RAGE these days
罢 ba4 stop Net on top (wang2) big foot on the bottom walking out of the city below (qu4…
“The night of the long knives” (Devil’s Diplomatic Dictionary Free Supplement)
“When they came for the Land O Lakes Butter Princess – I wasn’t a butter princess, so I said nothing.…
“Right Side PAC”
Trump can and likely will win the election. I anticipate the usual dismissive elitism of the governing class, which is…
FAKE NEWS CYCLE
Much of what passes for “news” and “reporting” these days is really just marketing fakery to push a given “narrative”…
Must 须 XU1 需 Need
必须 bi4xu1 must+must/beard (male as symbol of commanding obligation) 需要 xu1yao1 Need+Want, Require+Desire = NEED Winter snow NEEDS to…
Book Review: Pictogram Palace
YOU Can read Chinese! This book breaks down Chinese characters into their pictographic, phonetic, and semantic elements. Presented as digital…
Varia 禁 楚
禁止的 at the altar before the grove the priest made clear that which was PROHIBITED 挺清楚的 that which was prohibited…
选手 Memotechnique
选手 xuanshou33 choose+hand=Athlete The ATHLETES, as CONTESTANTS had a first–Hand view of the race. Choose the best
秀才认字认半边
秀才认字认半边 xiu cai ren zi ren banbian “a clever character recognizes half of it”. 学海无涯 开卷有益.
历史 li4shi3 history
史 HISTORY is a central LIne in her hand SHI3 吏 the HISTORIAN has a chopstick in her hair: One…
須 xiu
須 xiu H.irsute I.t’s U.nderstood MUSTACHE MUST BEARD OBLIGATION It’s a pictogram. 3 lines of hair on the left 2…
德 de Virtue, Germany
德 De2 VIRTUE. Path on the left, light of the eye it’s focal direction on top of the…
Approaching Chinese through homophones YU2 于 余 与
Chinese is replete with homophones. Some seem to be cognitively related. Let’s have a look at the phoneme yu2, usually…
疑 yi2 uncertain, doubt, suspect, disbelieve.
疑 yi2 Uncertain, doubt, to suspect, to disbelieve. Originally this was the image of a man with a walking stick…
Pangu (Chinese Pan-Atlas)
不知千年万年万年千年 I don’t know, thousands or tens of thousands of years? 终于终于醒过来醒过来 Finally finally awoke! 醒来是如此艰难 Awakening is like this,…
machine translation of poetry lol “Climbing Stork Tower”.
白日依山尽 bai ri yi shan jin 黄河入海流 huang he ru hai liu 欲穷千里目 yu qiong qian li mu 更上一层楼 geng…
颂 song4 song
颂 song4 song Song4 is a cognate. It means song in the poetic sense, ode, elegy, eulogy. Song in English…
螢 ying2 firefly
螢 ying2 firefly 火 火 huo3 fire 冖 mi4 cover 虫 chong2 invertebrate, creepy crawly flittiing flying two fires on…
How to memorize characters 看拆写比记 kan1 chai1 xie1 bi1 ji4
To memorize Chinese characters: look at them, then break them down into their componenents, then try to write them, then…
爰 yuan2 THUS 煖 nuan3 WARM
爰 yuan2 Pictograph of two hands pulling a thread as a symbol of the idea TO FOLLOW, THEREFORE, SEQUENCE, CONSEQUENTLY.…
秋 qiu1 愁 chou2
秋 qiu1 In the FALL we Burn 火 huo3 the Stalks of harvested grain 禾 he2; bonfires clear and fertilize…
各 EACH person has their FOOT 足 on the ROAD 路Ge Zu LU
各 ge4 足 zu4 路 lu4 各 EACH person has their FOOT 足 on the ROAD 路
做 versus 作 — a curious couple of characters!
做 zuo4 做 zuo4 is a VERY common character; it means to make, to do. Apparently it was coined recently…
争秉
秉 bing3 争 zheng1 zheng looks a lot like bing but its meaning is somewhat different. bing3 means to grasp…
夬 缶 缺 It is CERTAIN that URNS are sometimes DEFICIENT…
缶 fou3 Pottery, jar, urn; it’s a mortar and pestle (or any other earthenware vessel), seen from the side. The…
落 (each, river luo, fall; drop.)
各 ge2 each https://hanziyuan.net/#各 Mouth calls out. Foot then comes. EACH person comes when called. stompmouth – foot on top…
Time for some game theory!
博弈论 bo2yi4 lun4 博弈 boy2yi4 games (of a competitive nature) gamble+ancient name for wei qi. 论lun4 theory (talking around the…
旗 Flag (Qi2)
旗 qi2 flag This character is the image of a flag. Originally the flag was on the left; the character…
Free supplement to “Devil’s Diplomatic Dictionary” Mole; Poetic License to Ill
Mole (n.) An infiltrator spy or other disloyal person. A disloyal spy, sent from the infernal world, to root out…
敝 bi4 broken beaten battered
敝 hand hammer + torn tatters = bi4 hand hammer busted tattered BI4. it’s the idea of busted up clothing,…
病 bing4 sick QI LAI.
病 bing4 bing4 means sick. It’s a picture of one’s ribs as a symbol of interior, inside and it is…
条件 , 情况: tiao2jian4 versus qing2kuang4
Tiaojian条件, qingkuang情况: tiaojian is a condition, like as in the clause of a contract. but qingkuang is a more general…
Kim Yo Jong & Martin Shkreli: separated at birth.
Both are supervillians. Obviously they are related: just look at those smirks!
静夜思 Still Night Thoughts jing4 ye4 si1
床前明月光 quan2 qian2 ming2 yue4 guang1 疑是地上霜 yi2 shi4 di4 shang3 shuang1 举头望明月 ju3 tou2 wang4 ming2 yue4 低头思故乡 di1…
完全他妈的恐慌屠杀和扯蛋
完全他妈的恐慌屠杀和扯蛋
持 chi2 C.lasp H.old I.t
持 = 手 + 土 + 寸 chi2 is a hand on the left (手shou3) a clump of earth on…
“On the Beach”: A memoir
千山鸟飞绝 the flight of a thousand birds cut short 万径人踪灭 the tracks and traces of ten thousand extinguished 孤舟蓑笠翁 an…
日 ri SUN 旦 dan DAWN 正 zheng UPRIGHT 是 shi IS
You are 是 standing upright 正 under the SHIning sun 日 at dawn 旦 and it’s a really hot day.…
春眠不觉晓 chun mian bu jue shao
春眠不觉晓 chun mian bu jue shao 处处闻啼鸟 chu chu wen ti niao 夜来风雨声 ye lai feng yu sheng 花落知多少 hua…
Side Hustle: Similar looking pianpang
廴 yin3 long road. Sometimes reported as long legged strider, which does’t seem to be the case; this is also…
常尝 look alike. sound the same. similar meanings! 我常常尝试.
常尝 chang2 常 this chang2 means often, repeatedly. 尝 this chang2 means taste try attempt. they both have “esteemed” shang4…
九丸执热 9 pill grasp hot; look alikes that don’t sound at all alike.
九丸执热 These look alike but are unrelated. They don’t sound at all alike. You’re better off just memorizing than searching…
Schroedinger’s Dictator 在沙滩 … 再杀瘫.
You can predict his location (‘on the Beach’…) OR his velocity (zero) but never both at once. 在沙滩 zai4sha1tan1 再杀瘫…
辛苦 xinku 幸福 xingfu
辛 This is Xin1. It’s a picture of a dagger used to inflict corporal punishment on prisoners. So it means…
临 lin2 FACE OVERLOOK ARRIVE 监 jian1 HARD JAIL SUPERVISE DIRECT CONTROL (look alikes with similar significations)
临 lin2 监 jian1 临 L.ook I.ts N.ot OVERLOOK FACE ARRIVE ABOUT TO 临 This is a highly stylized and…
Strategic Sounds with Similar Significations: 几乎, 计划 and 机会
几乎 almost ji1hu1 (how many/much+at) 计划 strategy ji4hua4 (calculate+delimit) 机会 opportunity ji1hui4 (machine meeting)
氐 底 氏 shi 派 民 foundation background clan party nation
氐 di 到底 dao di 氏 shi 派对 pai dui 民族 min zu These vocabulary look alike but sound different…
Connected Clashing Characters (Dissonance)
合给答含 he2 gei3 da2 han2 谷俗 gu3 su2 容溶 rong2 合 he close mouth on top with something inside it…
Tall Bridge for Emigrant Chinese 乔桥侨 q.uite i.mpressive a.ltitude o.ver
齐匀习羽勺刁 qi2 yun2 xi2 yu3 shao2 diao1 桥乔侨 qiao2 娇轿骄 jiao1 jiao4 jiao1 齐匀习羽勺刁 齐qi means level, neat, even; it…
艰 jian1 : difficult, hard, hardship
艰 jian1 stumbled on a stubborn stump in the ground looked down grabbed with my hand HARDSHIP is J.ust I.ncredibaly…
带常堂 Belt Often Great-Hall 鱼龟黾 蝇 fish frog toad fly (easily confused characters…)
带常堂 belt often great-hall dai4 chang2 tang2 Belt and Often look similar but are different in sound and meaning. Belt…
需要，隔离，and 买到。
需要 require， 隔离 separate 买到 purchase Rain on a beard? Snow sweeper MUST Xu1. 需 Booze on top of a…
乂义 丈 史 吏 使更 便 govern justice husband historian civil servant ambassador more convenient
乂义丈史吏使更便 in this character series we see the unfolding of an abstract concept into its various concrete instances. Meanings: govern…
“See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil” is a bad translation.
子曰、非禮 勿視、非禮勿聽、非禮勿言、非禮勿動。 “The words of Confucius: Do not look at that which is improper, do not listen to that…
白日何短短，百年苦易满。
Bright day is how short? So short. Thousand years full of hardship Vault of heaven so vast Thousand thieves too…
You will know the truth
and the truth will set you free. I never said you would like the truth. I also never promised riches,…
Getting My Goat: KFTG.
羊 goat 羊肉 goat meat 群 crowd 群众 masses 海洋 ocean 海洋馆 customs house 怎么样 how about 不怎么样 not much…
佥: 检, 俭, 捡, 剑, 脸, 险, 签, 验 J.udgement, I.nspection A.nd selectioN
佥 qian1 all 检 jian3 check inspect examine 俭 jian3 frugal thrifty 捡 jian3 collect gather 剑 jian4 sword 脸…
12 earthly branches mnemonics
子丑寅卯辰巳午未申由戌亥 Zi chǒu yín mǎo chén sì wǔ wèi shēn yóu xū hài z ch y m ch s w…
北斗七星 the Seven Stars of the Northern Dipper Ursa Major
北斗七星 bei dou qi xing ursa major 天枢 SKY PIVOT (贪狼 voracious wolf) 天璇 HEAVENLY JADE (巨门 big gate) 天玑…
真 zhen1 其 qi2 具ju4
These three characters look alike and are high frequency, they are good characters for judgement. 真 zhen1 is originally an…
List of Chinese huiyizi (associative idea characters)
Hui yi zi are those characters formed by combining two other characters to express some meaning common to both; the…
O.bserve M.y G.lorious NET罒
罒 It is the observant eye of providence looking upon the glorious realm for any who violate law entrapping such…
劳工阶级
劳工阶级 lao2gong4 jie4ji2 the working class labor arbeit obrero LABOR TOIL WORK 劳 who has power in the farmer’s stall?…
生死有命 富贵在天 1334
生死有命 sheng si you ming birth and death are fated 富贵在天 fu gui zai tian riches and honor in heaven…
heart radical
心快慢情忙 xin heart kuai quick man slow qing emotion wang forget (mang blind) 内心慢慢感觉到情绪，然后很快忘记 冒mao4 曼漫慢man4 mao hat man long…
形声字、以事为名、取譬相成、江河是也
“形声字、以事为名、取譬相成、江河是也” Pictophonetic characters are so named because they are chosen to complement each other by example; e.g. Yangtze, river. ——…
盜 dao drooling and obnoxious THIEF
盜 dao Thief. It is literally an image of a thief drooling on top of a gold bowl. Top left…
无为而治 don’t worry: GOVERNANCE.
无为而治 [wú wéi ér zhì] govern by doing nothing that goes against nature link-word: worry memotechnique: don’t worry W.hats…
监 篮 蓝 surveiller et punir
监 篮 蓝 jian1 lan2 lan2 This character series has been simplified beyond recognition. The bottom part min dish pan…
Chinese word order STPMVO memotechnique
Chinese word order is S.ubject T.ime P.lace M.anner V.erb O.bject. STP is a famous brand of motor oil. STP Motor…
思念是一种病 Missing you is a kind of sickness
思念 si nian to miss (someone) 是 shi is 一 yi a 种 zhong type 病 bing sickness “My mama…
Ash Wednesday 天地社会
里 li3 dirt tu3 土 IN a field 田tian2 In, Lining the idea is also the LIning INside of a…
in the FALL i am WORRIED 秋 愁
in the FALL 秋 i am WORRIED 愁 Qiu 秋 Autumn = grain + fire (bonfire’s in fall as symbol…
Ke4! shang ke!
克 this ke is the CONQUEROR’S HELMET it means DOMINATE CONQUER SUBDUE RESTRAIN 课 this ke is the FRUIT OF…
妙语如珠 Clever words like pearls 女少 言五口 女口 王朱
妙语如珠 clever words are like pearls Miao4 yu3 ru2 zhu1 妙 miao4 clever My, Intelligent Amazing Observation CLEVER woman on…
Coronavirus
㳄 xian2 kou shui de yi si 口水的意思 Xian isn’t in CEDict, I haven’t checked in Pleco or GoldenDict yet.…
tishoupang vocabulary
打人 da4 strike hit 扒手 ba1 ; pa2 grasp; steal 扛东西 kang2 ; gang1 carry ashoulder; raise up with both…
日有所思夜游所梦 Days of thoughts and nights of dreams.
日有所思 lit: day has thus thoughts. In other words: day-to-day there are thought. we think every day / in the…
骏马奔腾来报 万事顺心又如意 The Noble Steed Gallops Forth To Report
骏马奔腾来报 jun4 ma3 ben1 teng2 lai2 bao4 万事顺心又如意 wan4 shi4 shun4 xin1 you4 ru2 yi4 “The Noble Steed Gallops Forth…
Game Theory
Antolf, Antolf Hiveler, and Hiveler are trademarks of “You XI Games” and Eric Engle, author of “The Rise of the…
Cheng Yu for ”More Heat than Light” (Wuhan)
反映 reflect fan3ying4
反应 react
fan3ying4 反 strike grab palm the cliff (stopped by opposition) 映 central light returns to…
Translation Exercise: Solution Set 山
猕猴国家二级重点保护野生动物 Míhóu guójiā èr jí zhòngdiǎn bǎohù yěshēng dòngwù “Macaques are second degree nationally protected wild animals.” XXIIEE 义杉义
Translation Exercise: 秘境
“don’t you monkey with the monkey” – Peter Gabriel Draw your own conclusions.