This is the traditional symbol for the forces of yin and yang, sometimes described as two fish swimming head to tail. The left half is yin and the right half is yang. Taken literally, yin and yang mean the dark side and sunny side of a hill.

People commonly think of yin and yang as opposing forces. However, it is really more appropriate to view them as complementary pairs. The Chinese believe problems arise not when the two forces are battling, but when there is an imbalance between them. Floods, divorce, or even a fire in the kitchen – all can be attributed to disharmony in the forces of yin and yang.
How does the concept of yin and yang relate to food?
A basic adherence to this philosophy can be found in ANY Chinese dish, from stir-fried beef with broccoli to sweet and sour pork. There is always a balance in color, flavors, and textures.

However, belief in the importance of following the principles of yin and yang in the diet extends further.
Certain foods have yin properties, while others have yang properties – Cooling or warm, fat or non-fat, high-calorie or low- calorie, and etc.

Almost no foodstuff is purely yin or yang – it’s more that one characteristic tends to dominate. It also reinforces that it is not so much the individual ingredients, as the the balance and contrast between ingredients in each dish, that is important. Interestingly, cooking methods also have more of a yin or yang property, as the list below demonstrates

Cooking Methods:

Types of Foods: 

Chinese food emphasizes on consuming a diet that contains a healthy balance between yin and yang. You’ll find most Chinese dishes are made of a mixture of ingredients and each meal is made up of a combination of dishes.

春节       chūnjié       The Spring Festival
农历       nónglì         lunar calendar
正月       zhēngyuè    lunar January; the first month by lunar calendar
除夕       chúxī          New Year’s Eve

初一       chūyī           the beginning of New Year
元宵节    yuánxiāojié  The Lantern Festival
过年      guònián        have the Spring Festival
对联      duìlián          poetic couplet

春联      chūnlián       Spring Festival couplets
剪纸      jiǎnzhǐ          paper-cuts
买年货   mǎiniánhuò  special purchases for the Spring Festival

年画      niánhuà       New Year paintings

敬酒      jìngjiǔ         propose a toast
灯笼     dēnglóng     lantern: a portable light
烟花     yānhuā        fireworks
爆竹     bàozhú       firecrackers (People scare off evil spirits and ghosts with the loud pop.)

红包     hóngbāo     red packets (cash wrapped up in red paper, symbolize fortune and wealth in the coming year.)
灯谜     dēngmí       riddles written on lanterns
灯会     dēnghuì      exhibit of lanterns
守岁     shǒusùi       staying-up

拜年    bàinián      pay New Year’s call; give New Year’s greetings; New Year’s visit
去晦气  qùhùiqì     get rid of the ill- fortune
祭祖宗  jìzǔzōng    offer sacrifices to one’s ancestors
压岁钱  yāsuìqián   gift money; money given to children as a lunar New Year gift
辞旧岁  cíjiùsuì       bid farewell to the old year

 

Many chinese learners take hsk tests,.HSK can not only test your chinese level, and also can benefit you a lot.

The HSK Certificate serves

1) to certify that the holder has obtained the required Chinese Proficiency to enter a college or university as an undergraduate or graduate student.

2) to certify that the holder can be exempt from studying Chinese courses depending on the level of certification.

3)as a basis for the employment institutions to evaluate the Chinese proficiency of their employees.

Application Requirements

According to the regulations made by the Ministry of Education in China, any foreign student who wants to apply for undergraduate programs in universities in China must take HSK and receive at least one of the following certificates (Mandarin Course in Beijing):

1. Intermediate level C required for admission to a college or university of arts, such as Chinese literature, history, philosophy, etc. and Chinese medicine.

2. Elementary level C required for admission to a college or university of science or technology.

(The best way to learn Chinese is to learn Chinese in China, while the most convenient way to learn Chinese is to learn Chinese online )

Convenience

Online Chinese lessons bring native teacher to you, wherever you are in the world. They can be scheduled around your busy schedule and no time is lost travelling to and from class. Plus you can continue classes when you’re on holiday or travelling on business.

No pre-recorded material

Online learning allows you to take advantage of voice and video functionality – it’s as close to having class in a Chinese classroom as you can get without actually being there. Pre-recorded podcasts and audio files certainly have their place in language learning, but with no feedback from a teacher it can be very difficult to grasp grammatical complexities, check pronunciation and have your questions answered.

One-on-one tuition

In all your classes, you’ll speak Chinese online (via Skype) directly to your teacher. Having a dedicated teacher monitoring your successes and difficulties is the surest way to make progress with your language learning, but one-on-one attention is tricky to come by if you’re learning Chinese at a school, university or night school. One on  one online classes also enable student-centered teaching approaches: each student has their own way of learning that works best for them, which can be addressed and catered for.

Maximum Participation

In an online Chinese lesson, students are constantly engaged in conversation with their teacher: this maximises student interaction and ensures that the Chinese they learn is immediately put into practice.

Diversity of Skills

Taking online Chinese lessons will also help you to develop your general communication skills and use technology which is becoming increasingly commonplace in 21st Century business, as people interact across multiple time zones and continents.

The ancient character for the word “big” described a man standing facing the front, with feet and hands wide open.
字义: big, large, great  
组词:
大衣  [ dàyī ]   overcoat 
大使  [ dàshǐ ]   ambassador
大方  [ dàfang ]   generous
大学  [ dàxué ]   university 
大家  [ dàjiā ]   everybody
大街  [ dàjiē ]   main street
例句: 
1、这件大衣剪裁得好，做得也很好。
   Zhè jiàn dàyī jiǎncái de hǎo, zuò de yě hěn hǎo.
   The coat was well cut and well made.
2、他很大方，经常买东西送给别人。
   Tā hěn dàfang, jīngcháng mǎi dōngxi  sòng gěi biérén.
   He is very generous — he often buys things for other people.
3、他是我大学里最好的朋友。
   Tā shì wǒ dàxué lǐ zuì hǎo de péngyou.
   He was my best friend at the university.

(Source: http://my.chinese.cn/space.php?do)

夜店族yè diàn zú
people who enjoy pub crawls, that is, drinking at a number of pubs in a single night

富二代fù èr dài
the second-generation rich or silver-spoon generation; the children of upstart millionaires and entrepreneurs

贫二代pín èr dài
the second-generation poor; the children of poverty-stricken families

潜规则qián guī zé 
tacit rule, under-the-table practice

民工荒mín gōng huāng
labor shortage

but "再zài”  refers to something unrealized;“又yòu”refers to something realized.

For example:

请再说一遍。Qǐng zài shuō yí biàn.  Please say it again.

他又来了。Tā yòu lái le.  He came again.

In Chinese culture, people at the age of 25 are expected to marry; this is especially the case for young ladies. If a person remains single beyond this age, society will begin to urge them to marry, especially their parents. Now the number of "剩女 (shèngnǚ)" in China has grown somewhat rapidly and is still growing, edging its way into becoming a social norm.

“想xiǎng” and”要yào”，as modal verbs, both mean “want/intend to do ”.However, the differences are:

1. In meaning: ”要yào” is more determined than “想xiǎng”.

2. In structure:

”要yào”, meaning want, can be followed by either an object or a verbal phrase.

As a verb 我要这个。Wǒ yào zhège.(a direct object)

As a modal verb 我要跟他们一起去中国。(a verbal phrase)

                          Wǒ yào gēn tāmen yìqǐ qù zhōngguó.

“想xiǎng” can only followed directly by a verbal phrase.

As a modal verb 我想跟朋友去看电影。(a verbal phrase)

                          Wǒ xiǎng gēn péngyou qù kàn diànyǐng.

When“想xiǎng” is followed directly by an object, it means “miss”.

As a verb 我想我的家。Wǒ xiǎng Wǒde jiā(a direct object)