It’s funny… we find ourselves identifying 100% with this gradeschooler scenario of forgetting how to write a Chinese character! Comic by 小A in Shanghai.

You know the “post-vacation withdrawal syndrome“ is a real thing when there’s even a word in Chinese for it! 假期后遗症 (jiàqī hòuyízhèng) is that word, and it’s only now starting to fade in China.

Although Shanghai has remained relatively safe and stable during this whole “time of COVID,” in early 2021, there were a few new cases of COVID reported, and even a case where part of an office building was shut down.

This use of “flag” is a great example of the Chinese people taking an English word and making it their own as part of modern slang. You didn’t expect to have to relearn English to learn Chinese, did you??

If you ever talk about movies with Chinese friends (and CNY holiday has traditionally been a popular movie-watching time), make sure that you know the word 剧透 (jùtòu)!

Chinese New Year (AKA CNY, AKA 春节, AKA 过年) is a time when pretty much everyone in China goes back to their hometowns to spend the holiday with family. Not so this year! Thanks to COVID, it is unfortunately super 麻烦 (máfan).

Bonuses are a part of many companies’ salary structures, but in China they’re especially common, since a “13th month” of pay (right before Chinese New Year) is the norm.

People playing mobile games at work?? Don’t act so shocked. It’s a common occurrence in the PRC for sure. Although there are tons of different mobile games that people play, we chose 王者荣耀 (Wángzhě Róngyāo) because it’s been so popular for so long.

Ah yes, the Chinese word 八卦 (bāguà): it’s a noun, it’s a verb, it’s a kind of “news” that doesn’t really have any value. But that doesn’t mean that people don’t follow it religiously!

教词汇，我们会建议选择水平合适，实用的词汇。这一次疫情再次爆发，讨论的时候会讨论哪些呢？