Exercise 1
of 10
To type a special pinyin letter, simply type the vowel followed by the number of the tone.
For example, typing 'a1' will convert to 'ā' when typed.
Dani arrives as Leo is checking flight prices to fly to America next August for a family wedding. Dani teaches him how to tell somebody this in Mandarin Chinese, and how to talk about about his other plans. Dani instructs Leo on how to refer to this year, last year, or any other year in Mandarin Chinese. Dani then explains the names for the various months of the year in Chinese, which Leo is glad to hear they are based on numbers!
Although in modern Mandarin Chinese the months are simply numbered, there is also old names for each month which are not in common use today. These are mainly based on flower names, such as 'Peach blossoms month' for March or 'Lotus blossoms month' for June. This ties in with the importance of agriculture in Chinese life, and shows how the main purpose of the calendar was to assist with planning and timing the farming tasks for the year.
About our Type Words Exercises
Learn Chinese words introduced in the lesson by typing the Chinese word that you hear. By typing the correct
spelling including the correct tones marks, you can internalise the new words and their correct pronunciation.
Our Write Chinese Words exercises are intended to help you practice and learn Chinese online without the need to
use other software or offline classes. You can begin to practice and learn Chinese free by trying our first 10
free chapters and associated exercises.
Usability Tips
The below shortcuts allow you to use your keyboard in completing this exercise:
Press #: Shows Answer
NOTE: Pressing the hint button or the '#' key will mean an incorrect answer for that exercise.