Only a few days, we will enjoy the Chinese Spring festival with family and friends.I believe you have to say something for the coming year. Here are some common options with rough English translations for greeting Chinese in Tiger Year.

Nǐ 你 and nín 您 can be interchanged depending how formal you want to be. And you may or may not need a”zhù nǐ/nín” 祝你/您 (“wishing you”) before each of these.

Year of the Tiger Messages

1. hǔ nián kuàilè 虎 年快乐 = Happy Year of the Tiger
2. hǔ nián jíxiáng 虎 年吉祥 = Have a lucky Year of the Tiger
3. hǔ nián xíng dà yùn 虎 年行大运 = May the Year of the Tiger bring you great luck
4. xīhǔ zhù nín hǔ nián wàng 犀 虎祝您虎年旺 = May the rhinoceros-tiger bring you a prosperous Year of the Tiger*

Standard New Year’s Greetings

1. dà jí dà lì 大 吉大利 = Good luck and good profit (see also New Year’s puns)
2. gōnghè xīnxǐ 恭 贺新喜 = Happy New Year
3. gōngxǐ fācái 恭 喜发财 = get rich
4. guò nián hǎo 过 年好 = Happy New Year
5. jiā hé wàn shì xīng 家 和万事兴 = If the family lives in harmony, all affairs will prosper
6. niánnián gāoshēng 年 年高升 = get a promotion every year
7. shēntǐ jiànkāng 身 体健康 = have good health
8. shìshì rúyì 事 事如意 = everything go according to your wishes
9. shìshì shùnlì 事 事順利 = everything go smoothly
10. wànshì rúyì 万 事如意 = all your wishes come true
11. xīnnián kuàilè 新 年快乐 = Happy New Year
12. xīn xiǎng shì chéng = wishes come true
13. xiàokǒu chángkāi 笑 口常开 = always smile

Heart Marathon

Sheila also gave me this as an example of a longer message friends might send to each other. This one features the character for “heart” at the end of every line:

hǔ nián zhùyuàn nín: gōngzuò shūxīn, xīnshuǐ héxīn, bèiwō nuǎnxīn, péngyou zhīxīn, àirén tóngxīn, yíqiè shùnxīn, yǒngyuǎn kāixīn, shìshì chènxīn
虎 年祝愿您：工作舒心，薪水合心，被窝暖心，朋友知心，爱人同心，一切顺心，永远开心，事事称心！

Here’s the breakdown:

hǔ nián zhùyuàn nín 虎 年祝愿您… = this Year of the Tiger I wish you…

• gōngzuò shūxīn 工 作舒心 = comfortable work
• xīnshuǐ héxīn 薪 水合心 = suitable salary
• bèiwō nuǎn xīn 被 窝暖心 = warm-hearted bed
• péngyou zhīxīn 朋 友知心 = caring friends
• àirén tóngxīn 爱 人同心 = harmonious marriage
• yíqiè shùnxīn 一 切顺心 = happy everything
• yǒngyuǎn kāixīn 永 远开心 = eternal happiness
• shìshì chènxīn 事 事称心 = everything satisfactory

Anyone else know any other standard New Year’s greetings we can send as text messages? Do share.

*Apparently there are five kinds of tigers in traditional Chinese lore. Here’s Sheila’s explanation:

五 虎给你来拜年，犀虎祝您虎年旺，奶虎愿您体健康，黄虎为您送事业，水虎给您保平安，犛虎伴您游天下。

I think I’ll save a more in-depth look at that (and pinyin transcription) for a later post, unless someone else would like to explicate that and give me the link. That would be even better!

Lying on the estuary of Chang Jiang (Yangtze) River, Shanghai is regarded as the economic capital in mainland China. It’s one of the most developed cities in China. Besides its leading role of economic development, Shanghai also serves as an important cultural, financial, trading and industrial center of China.  Due to economic reforms taken place since 1992, Shanghai has now become one of the leading cities in East Asia.

Once compared to Paris in the 1930s, Shanghai nowadays is more like New York City. Arriving in Shanghai, immediately, you will be overwhelmed by all the crowds, automobiles, malls and skyscrapers. As the largest city in mainland china in terms of population (18 million) and density (2,945/kmq), Shanghai is a booming melting pot of East and West.

Climate Of Shanghai

The most comfortable seasons in Shanghai are from March to early June and from September to November. The “Plum Flower Rain” season (frequent light rain) is from mid-June to early July. Always take an umbrella with you even if it’s not raining for the moment. July and August are extremely hot and humid, with temperature always above 30°C and sometimes as high as 40°C. September remains hot, yet quite cool at night. In winter, it usually snows lightly for 1 or 2 days and the temperature mostly stays above 0°C.

Clothing Of Shanghai

In summer (June to August): cool cotton garments and a light windbreaker or raincoat in case of rain.  Good walking shoes are essential at any time of year.

Time Of Shanghai

UTC+8 / GMT+8

Shanghai Language

Mandarin is the standard spoken language in China. To make life even more difficult, locals also speak the Shanghai dialect, or Shanghainese, which sounds very different from Mandarin. English is not yet widely understood by locals – your best bet is to speak to someone young if you need help, as their English tends to be better than older people.

Currency / Methods of Payment

The Chinese currency is Renminbi (People’s Currency) and is abbreviated as CNY or also RMB. The basic unit is Yuan.

• 10 Fen  =  1 Jiao
• 10 Jiao = 1 Yuan
• 100 Fen = 1 Yuan

Visa, Master Card, American Express, Diner’s Club, Federal Card, Million Card, and JCB credit cards are accepted at most hotels and state run shops in the major cities. Travelers should be prepared to pay in Yuan when shopping in smaller shops, at restaurants, or at smaller hotels.

2010 World Expo In Shanghai

China will be a great event to explore the full potentials of urban life; it will be centered on innovation and interaction; it will also offer a wonderful opportunity for cross-culture dialogues.There is no doubt the Chinese people will present to the world a successful, splendid and unforgettable exposition.

It’s easy to get motivated to do something you enjoy. The trick is to learn how to self-motivate to accomplish the things that involve practice that you don’t enjoy. Follow these Top Ten Tips to increase motivation and to set goals that are truly achievable for Chinese learning.
1. Define your Chinese learning goal. You’ve got to clearly understand where you want to end up before you begin any journey. Set goals that are realistic and specific.

2. Don’t try to gain every Chinese learning point at once. Limit your goals to follow a one-at-a-time model. Rome wasn’t built in a day.

3. Make your Chinese learning goals public. Tell those close to you what your Chinese learning goal is and that you want their feedback and support as you work toward your set goals. Ask them to ask about your progress.

4. Break down your Chinese learning goal into manageable mini-goals. Get expert help in how to organize your plan to achieve success.

5. Set personal rewards for achieving each of your mini-goals. Behavioralists are right—positive reinforcement stimulates sustained effort.

6. Start small, but start. Starting small can produce big results. Even the longest journey begins with a single step, but you have to take that step. Start by spending just ten minutes extra each day, working toward your set goals.

7. Practice correctly. More golf swings do not improve a golf game. Expert advice and coaching makes a difference.

8. Practice consistently but don’t over-do. Limit practice to avoid burn-out. An object in motion tends to stay in motion. So keep moving to accomplish your set goals.

9. Avoid procrastination. An object at rest tends to stay at rest. Make consistent effort a habitual practice. However, if you miss practice, forgive yourself and then start again.

10. Evaluate your progress toward your set goals and be flexible. What is working and what needs adjustment? Do the set goals or practice need refinement? Get expert, or at least, objective help to properly evaluate.

Expo Shanghai Date: May 1st, 2010 to October 31st Location: Nanpu Bridge – Lupu Bridge region along both sides of the Huangpu River Theme: Better City, Better Life.

Expo Shanghai Sub-themes: Blending of diverse cultures in the city, Economic prosperity in the city, Innovation of science and technology in the city, Remodeling of communities in the city, Rural-urban Interaction.

Expo Shanghai Goal: To attract the participation of 200 countries and international organizations and 70 million visitors

Expo Shanghai Ticket: The Expo tickets will be available for purchase either during the Expo session or in advance, when tickets are purchased in advance, there are 3 different pre-sale phases available. More

Official Language(Mandarin Chinese): If you are planning to come to China and attending 2010 World Expo Shanghai, it is necessary to get more or less Survival Chinese or Travel Chinese skill.

Pavilion Showcase:

China Pavilion

Nepal pavilion

Turkey Pavilion

Thailand Pavilion

Russia Pavilion

Romania Pavilion

Singapore Pavilion

Dutch Pavilion

Japan Pavilion

Australia Pavilion

France Pavilion

UK Pavilion

More

Therefore, enjoy your reading of the best Confucius quotes!

Confucius Quotes – Chapter I (学而篇-xue er pian)

• 学而时习之、不亦说乎。有朋自远方来、不亦乐乎。人不知而不愠、不亦君子乎。（xué ér shí xí zhī 、bú yì shuō hū 。yǒu péng zì yuǎn fāng lái 、bú yì lè hū 。rén bú zhī ér bú yùn 、bú yì jun1 zǐ hū 。）
  • Isn’t it a pleasure to study and practice what you have learned? Isn’t it also great when friends visit from distant places? If you do not know and do not question, can you be called a noble man?

• 巧言令色、鲜矣仁。（qiǎo yán lìng sè 、xiān yǐ rén）
  • Fine words and an insinuating appearance are seldom associated with true virtue.
  • Variant Someone who is a clever speaker and maintains a ‘too-smiley’ face is seldom considered a humane person.

• 不患人之不己知，患不知人也。（bú huàn rén zhī bú jǐ zhī ，huàn bú zhī rén yě）

  I am not bothered by the fact that I am unknown. I am bothered when I do not know others.

• 主忠信。毋友不如己者。过，则勿惮改。（zhǔ zhōng xìn 。wú yǒu bú rú jǐ zhě 。guò ，zé wù dàn gǎi）
  • Hold faithfulness and sincerity as first principles. Then no friends would not be like yourself (all friends would be as loyal as yourself). If you make a mistake, do not be afraid to correct it.

• 道千乘之国，敬事而信，节用而爱人，使民以时。（dào qiān chéng zhī guó ，jìng shì ér xìn ，jiē yòng ér ài rén ，shǐ mín yǐ shí）
  • If you would govern a state of a thousand chariots (a small-to-middle-size state), you must pay strict attention to business, be true to your word, be economical in expenditure and love the people. You should use them according to the seasons(i.e. You should not enlist farmers during seeding or harvest time).

• 君子食无求饱，居无求安，敏于事而慎于言，就有道而正焉，可谓好学也已。（jun1 zǐ shí wú qiú bǎo ，jū wú qiú ān ，mǐn yú shì ér shèn yú yán ，jiù yǒu dào ér zhèng yān ，kě wèi hǎo xué yě yǐ）
  • When the Superior Man eats he does not try to stuff himself; at rest he does not seek perfect comfort; he is diligent in his work and careful in speech. He avails himself to people of the Tao and thereby corrects himself. This is the kind of person of whom you can say, “he loves learning.”

Confucius

Translation (meaning) of 陈子昂(chenzi’ang)-登幽州台歌(deng you zhou tai ge)

On a Gate-tower at Yuzhou

Where, before me, are the ages that have gone?
And where, behind me, are the coming generations?
I think of heaven and earth, without limit, without end,
And I am all alone and my tears fall down.

Translation (meaning) of 孟郊(mengjiao)-游子吟(you zi yin)

A Traveller’s Song

The thread in the hands of a fond-hearted mother
Makes clothes for the body of her wayward boy;
Carefully she sews and thoroughly she mends,
Dreading the delays that will keep him late from home.
But how much love has the inch-long grass
For three spring months of the light of the sun?

Chinese Mandarin is the most widely used language in the world, and is said to be used in day to day life by more than 800 million people. Also this number is constantly growing as the Chinese government has declared it as the primary language in China. People always tend to complain that Chinese Mandarin is very hard to learn and that the amount of time needed to learn how to speak Mandarin is simply too large. Well, part of that is true. No one says that Mandarin is an easy to learn language, but it is no more difficult than Portuguese or Dutch for that matter.

In terms of time spent with Mandarin lessons, it pretty much all depends on the Mandarin course you choose, and the quality of both the teaching materials and the tutors’ knowledge base. Traditionally, anyone interested in a Mandarin course or taking up Mandarin lessons that has had contact with a company specialized in offering this kind of services and clear his or her schedule for the fixed hours lessons. Many people found this type of Mandarin lessons because not only were they forced to abide to the strict schedules of such firms, but also participate in a Mandarin course with dozens of other students.

The alternative presented here is constituted by professional Mandarin lessons held over connections made with the Skype application. This method of taking up Mandarin lessons is not only far cheaper than the traditional alternative, as companies no longer have to sustain the costs for physical classrooms, but it is also far more advantageous from the student’s point of view, as students can make their own schedules and personally select the time and date for their next Mandarin course. Students enrolled in Mandarin lessons held over the internet greatly benefit from the most sought after feature of the online Mandarin course, which is the fact that such courses are based on a 1 to 1 teaching.

This means that you virtually get a private tutor whose only goal is to help you reach your targets. It simply does not matter if you have not ever been enrolled in a Mandarin course, or if you have never spoken a word in this language. Expert teachers employed by companies specializing in offering Mandarin classes are used to working with students coming from any backgrounds and with different levels of knowledge in the Chinese language.

Sign Up For A Free Trial 1-on-1 Lesson Now

Translation (meaning) of 李白(libai)-子夜吴歌(zi ye wu ge)

A Song of an Autumn Midnight

A slip of the moon hangs over the capital;
Ten thousand washing-mallets are pounding;
And the autumn wind is blowing my heart
For ever and ever toward the Jade Pass….
Oh, when will the Tartar troops be conquered,
And my husband come back from the long campaign!

Translation (meaning) of 李白(libai)-关山月(guan shan yue)

The Moon at the Fortified Pass

The bright moon lifts from the Mountain of Heaven
In an infinite haze of cloud and sea,
And the wind, that has come a thousand miles,
Beats at the Jade Pass battlements….
China marches its men down Baideng Road
While Tartar troops peer across blue waters of the bay….
And since not one battle famous in history
Sent all its fighters back again,
The soldiers turn round, looking toward the border,
And think of home, with wistful eyes,
And of those tonight in the upper chambers
Who toss and sigh and cannot rest.