Introduce yourself (介绍自己）

I am..

I am called…

Nice to meet you

Nice to meet you, too

When you stay in China, you can meet many new friends or colleagues. How to let them know who you are?  How to express yourself in Chinese? there are many ways to do that, however, here I would like to share with you two simple and easy ways.

You can start from the phrase : “我是” or “我叫” + [ Your Name ]

I am Dora (my name)

The Phrase	我 是 Dora
Pinyin	Wo shi Dora
Grammar	Subject (我)+ Verb (是)+ Noun(Dora)

Words:

我： I

是： to be

There is another way to express by using “叫” instead of “是”

I am called Dora 

The Phrase	我 叫 Dora
Pinyin	Wo jiao Dora
Grammar	Subject (我)+ Verb (叫)+ Noun(Dora)

Words:

叫：to be called.

Nice to meet you

The Phrase	很高兴认识你
Pinyin	Hen Gao Xing ren shi ni
Grammar	Adv (很高兴)+ Verb (认识)+ object(你)

How to reply? You can use the word “也” which is inserted the above sentence.

Nice to meet you,too

The Phrase	（我）也很高兴认识你
Pinyin	Hen Gao Xing ren shi ni
Grammar	Adv (很高兴)+ Verb (认识)+ object(你)

yes-no question-"吗"

 "yes-no" question

It is formed by adding the modal particle"吗" to the end of statement.
The answer is “yes”, just repeat the verb. If the question can be answered “No.”, it need to add“不 (bù) in front of Verb


Example1 :
sentence :  你会讲英语吗？
pinyin:     ni hui jiang yingyu ma?
English:    Can you speak English? 

Answer Ｉ:   会， 我会讲英语。
Pinyin:       hui, wo hui jiang yingyu
English：     Yes, I can

Answer II:  不会，我不会讲英语
Pinyin:      buhui, wo bu hui  jiang yingyu
English:      no, I can not


Example `2:
Question: 你喜欢游泳吗？　
Pinpin: ni xihuan youyong ma?
English: Do you like swimming?

Answer I: 喜欢
Pinyin:   xihuan
English: yes, I do

Answer II: 不 喜欢 
Pinyin: bu xihuan
Enlish: no, I do not


Example `3 
Question: 你要学中文吗？　
Pinin:  ni yaoxue zhongwen ma?
English: Do you want to learn Chinese?

Answer I: 要学
Pinyin: yaoxue
English: Yes, I do

Answer II: 不要学
Pinyin: 　bu yaoxue
Enlgish: No I do not.

Duan Wu Jie (端午节)

Dragon Boat Festival is called Duan Wu Jie (端午节) in Chinese. Jie （节） means festival. The festival is celebrated on the 5th of the fifth month of the Chinese lunar calendar （12 June 2013）.

Background

Many People believe that Duan Wu Jie originated in ancient China based on the suicide of the poet and statesman of the Chu kingdom, Qu Yuan in 278 BCE.

 Qu Yuan

Qu Yuan was minister of the State of Chu. His wisdom and intellectual ways antagonized other court officials, thus they accused him of false charges of conspiracy and was exiled by the king. During his exile, Qu Yuan composed many poems to show his love and passion for his country， until he heard that the Chu State was defeated by the strong Qin State. He was so despaired that he ended his life by flinging himself into the Miluo River.

On hearing of Qu Yuan's death, all the local people nearby were in great distress. Fishermen searched for his body by sailing their boats down the river and other people threw food such as eggs and food like zongzi (粽子) into the river to attract fish and other animals from destroying Qu Yuan's body. Later, many people imitated these acts to show their respect for this great patriotic poet and this practice continues today.

Customs

Dragon Boat Racing 

Eating Zongzi (pyramid-shaped glutinous rice wrapped in reed or bamboo leaves)

Hanging Mugwort Leaves