風險 fēng xiǎn - risk, danger 疫情 yì qíng - epidemic, pandemic 保持聯繫 bǎo chí lián xì - to keep in touch, to stay connected 視訊通話 shì xùn tōng huà - video call 假裝 jiǎ zhuāng - to pretend, to fake 騙錢 piàn qián - to cheat money 假扮 jiǎ bàn - to impersonate, to pretend to be someone else 陷入危險 xiàn rù wéi xiǎn - to fall into danger 個人資訊 gè rén zī xùn - personal information 輕易 qīng yì - easily, readily 公共場所 gōng gòng chǎng suǒ - public place 一旦 yí dàn - once, as soon as 至少 zhì shǎo - at least 行為可疑 xíng wèi ...
Apr 09, 2025•6 min
醫療制度 yīliáo zhìdù - healthcare system 急診醫學會 jízhěn yīxué huì - emergency medicine association 警告 jǐnggào - warning 急診室 jízhěn shì - emergency room (ER) 壅塞 yōngsè - congestion, overcrowding 前所未有 qián suǒ wèi yǒu - unprecedented 醫護人員 yīhù rényuán - medical staff 大規模 dà guīmó - large-scale 離職 lízhí - resignation, quitting a job 呼籲 hūyù - to call for, to appeal 正視 zhèngshì - to face squarely, to take seriously 採取 cǎiqǔ - to adopt, to take (measures, actions) 措施 cuòshī - measures, actions 醫療資源 yīliáo...
Apr 07, 2025•6 min
伴手禮 bàn shǒu lǐ - souvenir gift; local specialty gift 甜滿 tián mǎn L'Atelier Lotus 牛軋餅 niú gā bǐng - nougat cracker 內餡 nèi xiàn - filling (inside food) 軟Q ruǎn Q - soft and chewy 不黏牙 bù nián yá - not sticky to the teeth 鹽粒香蔥蘇打餅乾 yán lì xiāng cōng sū dǎ bǐng gān - salted scallion soda cracker 加熱 jiā rè - to heat up 更加 gèng jiā - even more 流心 liú xīn - molten filling; flowing filling 濃厚 nóng hòu - rich and thick (flavor or texture) 澎玉191 péng yù yī jiǔ yī Jade Boat 191 芭樂乾 bā lè gān - dried guava 盛...
Apr 04, 2025•8 min
踏青 tàqīng - to go for a spring outing, to enjoy the outdoors 郊遊 jiāoyóu - to go on an outing, to have a picnic in the countryside 清明節 qīngmíng jié - Qingming Festival, Tomb Sweeping Day 習俗 xí sú - custom, tradition 禁忌 jìn jì - taboo, prohibition 掃墓 sǎo mù - to sweep the tomb, to visit and clean ancestors' graves 祭品 jì pǐn - offering, sacrificial items 墳墓 fén mù - tomb, grave 除草 chú cǎo - to remove weeds 壓墓紙 yā mù zhǐ - to press the grave paper, a ritual during tomb sweeping 焚香 fén xiāng - to bur...
Apr 02, 2025•9 min
十九世紀中葉 shí jiǔ shì jì zhōng yè - mid-19th century 西方列強 xī fāng liè qiáng - Western powers 侵略 qīn lüè - invasion, aggression 地理大發現 dì lǐ dà fā xiàn - Age of Discovery (Great Geographical Discoveries) 船隻 chuán zhī - ships, vessels 接觸 jiē chù - contact, interaction 工業革命 gōng yè gé mìng - Industrial Revolution 迅速 xùn sù - rapid, fast 武器 wǔ qì - weapons 先進 xiān jìn - advanced, sophisticated 淪為 lún wéi - to become (a worse state), to be reduced to 半殖民半封建 bàn zhí mín bàn fēng jiàn - semi-colonial and s...
Mar 31, 2025•11 min
基隆 jī lóng - Keelung (a city in northern Taiwan) 旅遊景點 lǚ yóu jǐng diǎn - tourist attraction 豐富 fēng fù - abundant; rich in variety 基隆廟口夜市 jī lóng miào kǒu yè shì - Keelung miaokou night market 攤販 tān fàn - street vendor; stall 圍繞 wéi rào - to surround; to be around 城鎮 chéng zhèn - town 飲食文化 yǐn shí wén huà - food culture 閩粵 mǐn yuè - min and cantonese (languages or cultures from Fujian and Guangdong provinces) 隱藏 yǐn cáng - hidden 巷弄 xiàng lòng - alleyways 品嘗 pǐn cháng - to taste; to sample (foo...
Mar 28, 2025•9 min
室內拖鞋 shìnèi tuōxié - indoor slippers 過馬路 guò mǎlù - to cross the street 鄉下小鎮 xiāngxià xiǎo zhèn - rural town, countryside town 穿梭 chuānsuō - to shuttle back and forth, to move through 闖紅燈 chuǎng hóng dēng - to run a red light 天氣預報 tiānqì yùbào - weather forecast 雷陣雨 léi zhènyǔ - thunderstorm 隔天 gétiān - the next day 有備無患 yǒu bèi wú huàn - better safe than sorry, being prepared 外食 wàishí - eating out, eating prepared food 開火 kāihuǒ - to cook, to start a fire (used in the context of cooking) 觀察 gu...
Mar 26, 2025•6 min
震驚 zhèn jīng - shocked, astonished 新光三越 xīn guāng sān yuè - Shin Kong Mitsukoshi (a department store chain in Taiwan) 氣爆 qì bào - gas explosion 事故 shì gù - accident, incident 冒出 mào chū - to emerge, to come out (e.g., smoke, fire) 濃煙 nóng yān - thick smoke 場景 chǎng jǐng - scene, setting 災難片 zāi nàn piàn - disaster movie 威力 wēi lì - power, force 竄出 cuàn chū - to rush out, to burst out 散落 sàn luò - to scatter, to be spread out 瓦礫 wǎ lì - rubble, debris 碎片 suì piàn - fragments, broken pieces 受困 shò...
Mar 24, 2025•7 min
My student told me about this cycling tour, and I think you’d be interested too! 😊 Giant Travel Agency offers a 3-day, 2-night cycling tour along the Hualien-Taitung route. Check it out ! 行程 xíng chéng - itinerary, route 都蘭 dū lán - Dulan (a place in Taitung) 沿著 yán zhe - along, following 海岸線 hǎi àn xiàn - coastline 秘境 mì jìng - hidden gem, secret spot 貼近 tiē jìn - get close to, be near 海岸 hǎi àn - coast, seaside 海浪 hǎi làng - ocean waves 療癒 liáo yù - healing, soothing 成功 chéng gōng - Chenggong...
Mar 21, 2025•7 min
竜樹諒 lóng shù liàng - Ryo Tatsuki, a Japanese manga artist 出版 chū bǎn - to publish 我所看見的未來 wǒ suǒ kàn jiàn de wèi lái - The Future I Saw (manga title) 夢境 mèng jìng - dream, dreamscape 皇后樂團 huáng hòu yuè tuán - Queen (the band) 主唱 zhǔ chàng - lead vocalist 去世 qù shì - to pass away, to die 洞窟 dòng kū - cave, cavern 防空洞 fáng kōng dòng - air raid shelter 遇害 yù hài - to be killed, to fall victim to a crime 受害者 shòu hài zhě - victim 一模一樣 yī mó yī yàng - identical, exactly the same 精準 jīng zhǔn - precis...
Mar 19, 2025•6 min
馬祖 Mǎzǔ - Matsu (an archipelago near Taiwan) 兩岸 liǎng'àn - both sides of the Taiwan Strait 對岸 duì'àn - the opposite shore (mainland China in this context) 集結 jíjié - to assemble, to gather 兵力 bīnglì - military forces 配備 pèibèi - to equip, equipment 重型大炮 zhòngxíng dàpào - heavy artillery 射程 shèchéng - range (of a weapon) 覆蓋 fùgài - to cover, to span over 島嶼 dǎoyǔ - islands 戰鬥機 zhàndòujī - fighter jet 防禦工作 fángyù gōngzuò - defense operations 國軍 guójūn - national military (Taiwanese army) 隨時警戒 suís...
Mar 17, 2025•7 min
白色情人節 bái sè qíng rén jié - white day 起源 qǐ yuán - origin 商業行銷 shāng yè xíng xiāo - commercial marketing 福岡 fú gāng - Fukuoka (a city in japan) 甜點店 tián diǎn diàn - dessert shop 促銷 cù xiāo - promotion 自家 zì jiā - one’s own (business, store, etc.) 名點 míng diǎn - famous delicacy 回禮 huí lǐ - return gift 砂糖 shā táng - granulated sugar 被稱為是 bèi chēng wéi shì - is called 主動 zhǔ dòng - take the initiative 心儀 xīn yí - admired, favorite 對象 duì xiàng - target, intended person 回應 huí yìng - respond 心意 xīn ...
Mar 14, 2025•6 min
忙錄 máng lù - busy schedule 晚自習 wǎn zìxí - evening self-study session 化學 huàxué - chemistry 物理 wùlǐ - physics 會考 huì kǎo - high school entrance exam (in Taiwan) 大學學測 dàxué xué cè - university entrance exam in Taiwan 往前衝 wǎng qián chōng - to push forward, to strive ahead 玩樂 wán lè - to have fun, to enjoy leisure activities 不妙 bù miào - bad, not good, unfortunate 早自習 zǎo zìxí - morning self-study session 班級導師 bān jí dǎo shī - class advisor, homeroom teacher 自習室 zìxí shì - self-study room 凌晨 língché...
Mar 12, 2025•9 min
人工智慧 réngōng zhìhuì - artificial intelligence (AI) 風險 fēngxiǎn - risk 深入 shēnrù - deeply integrated, deeply involved 麥肯錫 Màikěnxī - McKinsey (a global consulting firm) 生成式AI shēngchéngshì AI - generative AI 兆 zhào - trillion 收益 shōuyì - revenue, profit 高效 gāoxiào - highly efficient 範圍 fànwéi - scope, range 隱私 yǐnsī - privacy 參議院 cānyìyuàn - Senate 聽證會 tīngzhènghuì - hearing (legislative or legal) 應用程式 yìngyòng chéngxì - application (app) 購物獎勵 gòuwù jiǎnglì - shopping rewards 收集 shōují - to colle...
Mar 10, 2025•6 min
肯德基 Kěndéjī - KFC (Kentucky Fried Chicken) 調整 tiáozhěng - to adjust, modify 蛋塔 dành tǎ - egg tart 招牌 zhāopái - signature (dish or item) 外皮 wàipí - outer crust 酥酥脆脆 sū sū cuì cuì - crispy and crunchy 香甜滑順 xiāngtián huáshùn - sweet and smooth 原味 yuánwèi - original flavor 限定口味 xiàndìng kǒuwèi - limited edition flavor 黑糖珍奶蛋塔 hēitáng zhēnnǎi dành tǎ - brown sugar bubble milk tea egg tart 斯里蘭卡 Sīlǐlánkǎ - Sri Lanka 錫蘭紅茶 Xīlán hóngchá - Ceylon black tea 調製 tiáozhì - to prepare, blend 卡士達 kǎshìdá - cust...
Mar 07, 2025•8 min
神明 shénmíng - deity, god 土地公 tǔdìgōng - Earth God, a local deity in Taiwanese folk religion 福德正神 fúdé zhèngshén - the formal title of the Earth God (Tudigong) 民間信仰 mínjiān xìnyǎng - folk belief, popular religion 基層 jīcéng - grassroots, basic level 保佑 bǎoyòu - to bless, to protect 村里 cūnlǐ - villages and neighborhoods 百姓 bǎixìng - common people, citizens 無所不在 wúsuǒ búzài - to be everywhere, omnipresent 財運 cáiyùn - financial luck, wealth fortune 事業 shìyè - career, business 學業 xuéyè - academic stud...
Mar 05, 2025•4 min
男星 nánxīng - male star (actor) 王星 Wáng Xīng - Wang Xing (a person's name) 誘騙 yòupiàn - to lure and deceive 事件 shìjiàn - incident, event 拍戲 pāixì - to shoot a film or TV show 劇組 jùzǔ - film crew, production team 緬甸 Miǎndiàn - Myanmar 行動 xíngdòng - movement, action 淪為 lúnwéi - to be reduced to, to become (in a negative sense) 詐騙集團 zhàpiàn jítuán - fraud syndicate, scam group 豬仔 zhūzǎi - "piglet" (slang for victims trafficked into forced labor or fraud operations) 販賣 fànmài - to sell, to traffic 強迫...
Mar 03, 2025•8 min
景點 jǐngdiǎn - tourist attraction 龍虎塔 Lónghǔ Tǎ - Dragon and Tiger Pagodas 左營區 Zuǒyíng Qū - Zuoying District 蓮池潭 Liánchítán - Lotus Pond 興建 xīngjiàn - to construct, to build 神明 shénmíng - deity, god 指示 zhǐshì - instruction, directive 慈濟宮 Cíjì Gōng - Tzu Chi Palace (temple) 保生大帝 Bǎoshēng Dàdì - Baosheng Emperor (a Taoist deity) 災難 zāinàn - disaster, catastrophe 信徒 xìntú - believer, follower (of a religion) 求平安 qiú píng'ān - to seek peace and safety 建造 jiànzào - to construct, to build 完工 wángōng - ...
Feb 28, 2025•8 min
母語 mǔyǔ - native language 假設 jiǎshè - to assume, suppose 正確 zhèngquè - correct, accurate 捷克 Jiékè - Czech Republic 點餐 diǎncān - to order food 禮儀 lǐyí - etiquette, manners 打招呼 dǎ zhāohū - to greet, say hello 冒犯 màofàn - to offend 適應 shìyìng - to adapt, get used to 陌生人 mòshēngrén - stranger 孤單 gūdān - lonely, solitude 聯繫 liánxì - to contact, connect 過節 guòjié - to celebrate a festival or holiday 結交 jiéjiāo - to make friends, form relationships If your goal in 2025 is to improve your Chinese, make ...
Feb 26, 2025•10 min
二二八紀念日 èr èr bā jìniàn rì - 228 Memorial Day 二二八事件 èr èr bā shìjiàn - The February 28 Incident 國民政府 guómín zhèngfǔ - Nationalist Government (ROC government) 接收 jiēshōu - to take over; to receive 殖民 zhímín - colonization 統治 tǒngzhì - governance; rule 接管 jiēguǎn - to take control; to take over 官員 guānyuán - government official 對日抗戰 duì rì kàngzhàn - War of Resistance Against Japan (Second Sino-Japanese War) 勝利者 shènglì zhě - victor; winner 優越感 yōuyuègǎn - sense of superiority 排斥 páichì - to exclud...
Feb 24, 2025•11 min
同志 tóngzhì - LGBTQ+ 議題 yìtí - issue; topic of discussion 接受度 jiēshòudù - level of acceptance 名列前茅 míng liè qián máo - to rank among the top 同志婚姻合法化 tóngzhì hūnyīn héfǎhuà - legalization of same-sex marriage 發達 fādá - developed; flourishing 體力 tǐlì - physical stamina 西門紅樓 Xīmén Hónglóu - The Red House, a well-known LGBTQ+ landmark and nightlife area in Taipei - Abrazo 人潮 réncháo - crowd of people 同志圈 tóngzhì quān - LGBTQ+ community 準沒錯 zhǔn méi cuò - definitely correct; no doubt about it 熱烈 rèliè...
Feb 21, 2025•10 min
水逆 shuǐnì - Mercury retrograde 倒楣 dǎoméi - unlucky, unfortunate 摔壞 shuāihuài - to drop and break 之類的 zhī lèi de - and the like, such as 神祕 shénmì - mysterious 天文現象 tiānwén xiànxiàng - astronomical phenomenon 水星 shuǐxīng - Mercury (the planet) 逆襲 nìxí - counterattack, reversal (here referring to retrograde motion) 簡稱 jiǎnchēng - abbreviation, short name 星象 xīngxiàng - astronomical phenomena, celestial signs 運行 yùnxíng - to operate, to move (in orbit) 視覺 shìjué - vision, visual 錯覺 cuòjué - illusio...
Feb 19, 2025•6 min
死刑 sǐ xíng - death penalty 法務部 fǎ wù bù - Ministry of Justice 看守所 kān shǒu suǒ - detention center; prison 執行 zhí xíng - carry out; execute 死刑犯 sǐ xíng fàn - death row inmate 槍決 qiāng jué - execution by shooting 處決 chǔ jué - execute 黃麟凱 huáng lín kǎi - Huang Lin-kai (name of a death row inmate) 判死刑 pàn sǐ xíng - sentence to death 不滿 bù mǎn - dissatisfied 分手 fēn shǒu - break up 金錢糾紛 jīn qián jiū fēn - money dispute 闖進 chuǎng jìn - break into 殺害 shā hài - kill; murder 勒斃 lēi bì - strangle to death ...
Feb 17, 2025•8 min
情人節 qíng rén jié - Valentine's Day 景點 jǐng diǎn - tourist attraction, scenic spot 曖昧期 ài mèi qí - ambiguous stage (in a relationship), early dating phase 對方 duì fāng - the other person, counterpart 木柵動物園 mù zhà dòng wù yuán - Taipei Zoo (Muzha Zoo) 熱帶雨林館 rè dài yǔ lín guǎn - Tropical Rainforest House (in the zoo) 貓熊館 māo xióng guǎn - Panda House 無尾熊館 wú wěi xióng guǎn - Koala House 打卡景點 dǎ kǎ jǐng diǎn - popular check-in spot, Instagrammable place 樹懶 shù lǎn - sloth 包圍 bāo wéi - to surround, to ...
Feb 14, 2025•7 min
2025 Taiwan Lantern Festival 😊 Main Lantern Exhibition Area 02.12-02.23 A18 Taoyuan HSR Station Lights Playground 02.07-02.23 A19 Taoyuan Sports Park Station 元宵節 Yuánxiāo Jié - Lantern Festival 月圓之日 yuèyuán zhī rì - the day of the full moon 月亮 yuèliàng - moon 圓形 yuánxíng - circular shape 元月 yuányuè - first month of the lunar calendar 宵 xiāo - night (archaic usage) 起源 qǐyuán - origin 傳說 chuánshuō - legend, folklore 神鳥 shénniǎo - divine bird 人間 rénjiān - the human world, mortal realm 獵人 lièrén - ...
Feb 12, 2025•6 min
禁 jìn - ban; prohibit 法案 fǎ àn - bill; law 禁用 jìn yòng - prohibit the use of 非中國 fēi zhōng guó - non-China; outside of China 營運 yíng yùn - operate; conduct business 獲取 huò qǔ - obtain; acquire 敏感 mǐn gǎn - sensitive 用戶 yòng hù - user 數據 shù jù - data 操縱 cāo zòng - manipulate; control 鬧得很大 nào de hěn dà - cause a big stir; create a lot of commotion 母公司 mǔ gōng sī - parent company 字節跳動 zì jié tiào dòng - ByteDance (company) 提起訴訟 tí qǐ sù sòng - file a lawsuit 阻止 zǔ zhǐ - prevent; stop 法令 fǎ lìng -...
Feb 10, 2025•6 min
體驗活動 tǐ yàn huó dòng - experiential activity 旗袍 qí páo - cheongsam; traditional Chinese dress 獨特 dú tè - unique 服飾 fú shì - clothing; attire 古色古香 gǔ sè gǔ xiāng - antique; of ancient charm 穿越 chuān yuè - to traverse; time-travel 民國時期 mín guó shí qī - the Republic of China era 漫步 màn bù - to stroll 古蹟 gǔ jì - historical site 文藝 wén yì - artistic; cultural 復古 fù gǔ - retro; nostalgic 長版 cháng bǎn - long version (e.g., of clothing) 短版 duǎn bǎn - short version 身型 shēn xíng - body type; figure 挑選 tiā...
Feb 07, 2025•5 min
年獸 nián shòu - Nian Beast (a mythical creature associated with Chinese New Year) 怪獸 guài shòu - monster 逃跑 táo pǎo - to escape; to flee 火光 huǒ guāng - firelight 嘈雜 cáo zá - noisy; clamorous 貼 tiē - to stick; to paste 鞭炮 biān pào - firecrackers 互道 hù dào - to exchange (greetings, congratulations, etc.) 恭喜 gōng xǐ - to congratulate; congratulations 戰勝 zhàn shèng - to defeat; to overcome 祭拜 jì bài - to offer sacrifices; to worship 土地公 tǔ dì gōng - Earth God (a deity in Chinese folk religion) 辛勞 xīn...
Feb 05, 2025•7 min
台灣經濟起飛 tái wān jīng jì qǐ fēi - Taiwan's economic boom 黑手 hēi shǒu - manual laborer, blue-collar worker 頭家 tóu jiā - boss, business owner 比比皆是 bǐ bǐ jiē shì - can be seen everywhere, commonplace 一丁點 yī dīng diǎn - a tiny bit, a small amount 安眠藥 ān mián yào - sleeping pill 經濟下滑 jīng jì xià huá - economic downturn 憂鬱 yōu yù - depression, melancholy 失眠 shī mián - insomnia 經濟成長 jīng jì chéng zhǎng - economic growth 恐慌 kǒng huāng - panic, fear 焦慮 jiāo lǜ - anxiety 沉迷 chén mí - addiction, indulgence 酗...
Feb 03, 2025•10 min
年夜飯 nián yè fàn - New Year's Eve dinner 吉祥 jí xiáng - auspicious; lucky 不可或缺 bù kě huò quē - indispensable; essential 儀式 yí shì - ritual; ceremony 象徵 xiàng zhēng - symbol; to symbolize 一家團圓 yì jiā tuán yuán - family reunion 美好 měi hǎo - beautiful; wonderful 期盼 qí pàn - expectation; hope 圍爐 wéi lú - gathering around the stove (a traditional reunion activity) 餐桌 cān zhuō - dining table 溫馨 wēn xīn - warm and sweet 親手 qīn shǒu - personally; with one's own hands 長年菜 cháng nián cài - longevity greens ...
Jan 31, 2025•7 min
