The Mimir Magazine_ Mar 01, 2023_Learn Chinese & Beyond

MAR 01, 2023 | $8.24

The Mimir Magazine EASY-TO-READ MANDARIN CHINESE

芒果怎么变成花？

约会在硅谷

龙的传说

How to Make a Mango Flower | 25

Dating in Silicon Valley | 19

The Legend of the Dragon | 10

？

Editor's Note This issue will take you on a trip from the north of China, where you can enjoy the famous Peking duck, to the south, where you can try the unique “cross-bridge” noodles. If you are a foodie and like reading about the stories behind the food, definitely start from the two articles in the beginning, Peking Duck and Do Rice Noodles Go Cross the Bridge?

In Asia culture, especially Chinese culture, one thing that you must know is the dragon. Since dragon has a special meaning for the Chinese, you can see dragon patterns in ancient architecture, elegant clothes, and beautiful objects. You may also find the word “dragon” in people’s names. In the article The Legend of the Dragon, you will learn more about Chinese dragons.

Coming to the modern times, if you want to read about something contemporary, check out How do Chinese Do Selfies? and Dating in Silicon Valley. You probably have already noticed that people from different places take selfies differently. How about Chinese people? If you are curious to find out, How do Chinese Do Selfies? will tell you the answers. There are also many Chinese people living and working in other countries; how’s their life going? There’s a girl working in Silicon Valley, and her dating experience is not very good. She has insights into the inequality between men and women. Dating in Silicon Valley will be an exciting piece if you are interested in extensive reading and open to listening to some opinions, not only facts.

Light readings are How to Make a Mango Flower? and Penguins Drink “Water.” You will learn a lot of helpful action/description-related words that you can use to show off in daily life. At the end of the article about penguins, there’s also a multiple-choice question. I’m curious to see what your answer is.

At the very end, you will learn two Chinese idioms in the One Heart vs. Three Hearts article. The two words are easy to remember. They look similar but have different meanings. They are super helpful, as the four characters contain a rich implication beyond words. When I add those idioms to my conversations, I sound more like an expert in Chinese.

I hope you enjoy this issue with an open heart and a cup of coffee. Cheers!

Katherine Green English Editor of TMM Mar 01, 2023

TMM | 01

TRENDS

中国人自拍的方法很特别吗？ Dating in Silicon Valley 约会在硅谷 How do Chinese Do Selfies?

15 19

FOOD IS EVERYTHING Peking Duck

北京烤鸭️

Do Rice Noodles Go Cross the Bridge?

04

米线也可以过桥吗？

07

ASIAN CULTURE

龙的传说 10 One Heart vs. Three Hearts 一个心和三个心，意思大不同！ 32 The Legend of the Dragon

LIFE & SCIENCE

？ 芒果怎么变成花？ Penguins Drink “Water” 企鹅喝水 How to Make a Mango Flower

Click here to listen to audio recordings of this issue on YouTube

TMM | 02

25 28

DARE TO BE A NERD JOIN THE MIMIR TMM | 03

RECIPES FOOD IS EVERYTHING

In my impression, most Chinese restaurants don’t really pay attention to presentation. But this doesn’t apply to the dish Peking duck.

When you order a Peking duck, the chef will bring out the juicy well-roasted duck and present that in front of you. Then they will slice the duck into pieces.

They will be laid out beautifully on a duck-shaped plate. I love to eat the crispy skin first!

That image makes me hungry already.

Anyways, I love Peking duck. Who doesn’t?

Besides, I didn’t know that Peking duck was not originally from Beijing until I read the article. As we Yield: One 12-inch Pizza know, most famous Chinese stories are related to Prep Time: 2 hr 15 min emperors. So which emperor invented the Peking duck Total Time: 2 hr 30 min now?

北京烤鸭

谁把烤鸭从南京带到了北京？为什么？ Q: 2. 北京烤鸭怎么吃？ Q: 1.

INTERMEDIATE LEVEL READING TIME 2 MIN

：

如果你去北京，你的中国朋友一定会带你吃北京烤鸭。但是，你知道吗？第一只烤鸭，其实不 是在北京做出来的。 年以前，皇帝朱元璋把首都建在南京。他很爱吃鸭子，所以他的厨师用炭火烤鸭子。朱元 璋吃了以后，觉得非常好吃。后来，北京变成了首都，烤鸭也跟着皇帝，来到了北京。 1500

做烤鸭很不容易，所以一般来说，爸爸妈妈不会在家里做烤鸭，而是去外面买。烤好的鸭子， 看起来红红的，味道非常非常香。 北京烤鸭怎么吃？ 在客人面前，厨师会把烤好的鸭子，切成108片，然后，客人要把鸭肉放在很薄的饼里，放一点 葱、甜面酱、黄瓜条，卷起来，看起来比较像小小的卷饼。鸭骨头，会被做成汤，或者炒一下，放在 盘子里。 写到这里，我已经觉得饿了。如果你也喜欢吃鸭子，快去北京尝一下吧！ TMM | 04

(

编辑：豆子)

VOCAB!

烤

kǎo to roast / to bake / to broil

其实

qí shí actually / in fact / really

皇帝

huáng dì emperor

厨师

chú shī cook / chef

变成 这篇文章分为四个部分，开头、故 事、做法吃法、结尾。阅读和学习的时 候，可以把四个部分分开读。最后，把 故事拿出来，用自己的话重新讲一次。 读了吃北京烤鸭的方法以后，想象一 下吃北京烤鸭的过程，或者动手演示给 自己的朋友。(铅笔是葱、钢笔是黄瓜、 橡皮是鸭肉、纸是薄饼、用铅笔在纸上 涂出一片黑色当做面酱） This article is divided into four parts, the beginning, the story, how to eat, and the end. When reading and studying, you can read the four parts separately.

Finally, you may take the story out and retell it in your own words.

When reading how to eat Peking duck, imagine the process of eating Peking duck, or demonstrate it to your friends. (You may use the pencil as onion, the pen as cucumber, the rubber as a piece of duck meat, the paper as the wrap, and use the pencil to paint a big black spot on the paper as sauce)

biàn chéng to change into / to turn into / to become

一般

yī bān same / ordinary / so-so / common / general / generally / in general

味道

wèi dao flavor / smell / hint of

客人

kè rén visitor / guest / customer / client

薄

báo thin / cold in manner / indifferent / weak / light / infertile

卷

juǎn to roll up / roll / classifier for small rolled things (wad of paper money, movie reel etc)

骨头

gǔ tou bone

炒

chǎo to sauté / to stir-fry / to speculate / to hype / to fire (sb)

TMM | 05

r e m m gra ew br 语法：一般来说

一般来说” generally speaking。在中文里，人们在讲到一个比较适用于大多数情况、比较普遍的事 物之前，会用到一般来说，用法和英文里的generally speaking基本一样。In Chinese, people usually use 一般来说 before saying something very common or something that applies to most situations. “

The way to use this is very similar to “generally speaking” in English.

Structure:

一般来说，+ a sentence that describes something common Example: a.

Gerenally speaking, people go to work at 9 am and get off at 5 pm.

一般来说，人们每天早上九点上班，下午五点下班。 一般来说，大城市的人都很忙，没时间陪家人。

b.

Gerenally speaking, people in big cities are very busy, and don’t have time to be with families.

一般”的意思是general, ordinary, common, 加上“来说”，就是generally speaking，所以你可以看出 来，“来说”是***speaking。“来说”不可以单独使用。一般 means general, ordinary, common. When followed by 来说，it means generally speaking. So you can tell that 来说 is speaking. But you can’t use 来说 by itself. 但是，“来说”除了用在“一般”后面，还可以用在“对sb.”后面，表示对某人来说的意思。But, 来说 can “

also be used behind sb. It means to sb. speaking/in sb.’s opinion.

Structure: To sb. +

来说

Example:

对我来说，他是最帅的。 To me (in my opinion), he is the most handsome one. 对他来说，玩手机比读书更重要。

To him (in his mind), playing on his phone is more important than reading books.

TMM | 06

FOOD IS EVERYTHING

在中国，米线，就是米做的面条。可是，为什么 面条可以过桥呢？这是我第一次看到”过桥米线“四 个字的时候，想到的问题。

后来我知道，“过桥米线”是中国云南省的一种 很常见、很受欢迎的食物。我一个云南的朋友还 给我讲了过桥米线的故事。

米线也可以过桥吗？ INTERMEDIATE LEVEL | READING TIME

： 4 MIN

To me, rice noodles sound very Asian. In Vietnamese restaurants, I always order rice noodles with nice broth. Chinese food is not famous for its rice noodles, as most Chinese restaurants in the west are not that authentic, haha.

In this article, I saw a unique rice noodles dish and learned about the name of a province called Yunnan. I looked it up, and the images of Yunnan are stunning. I recommend you do the same, and you will be willing to go there someday, too.

Coming back to this unique noodles dish. It’s called “cross the bridge.” You definitely will not find another noodle dish sharing the same name! After reading the article, you’ll discover where this name comes from.

为什么云南最有名的米线叫“过桥”米线？ Q: 2. 过桥米线怎么吃？ Q: 1.

很久以前，有一个人，为了能好好读书，就住在 了湖中心的岛上。他的妻子每天都给他做饭，然后 送给他吃。 送饭的时候，妻子每天要走很长的路，还要过 桥，才可以最后到岛上。每次妻子到了的时候，饭 菜都冷了。这个人因为读书很累，又没有好的食 物，就生病了。 所以，妻子做了鸡汤，放在一个锅里。她又做了米 线，一起送去给他。这次，妻子到了岛上，鸡汤还 很热，她把米线放进鸡汤，这样，米线就也是热的 了。 那天以后，妻子每天用这个锅给他送汤和米线。 妻子还放上各种蔬菜和肉，所以他的身体更好了！ 读书人非常喜欢吃这个，他告诉了别人。后来，人 们叫它“过桥米线”。 现在，过桥米线是云南最有名的食物。 如果你去吃过桥米线，你会发现，鸡汤、米线、 生肉片、蔬菜被分着放在不一样的碗里，你要把它 们放在一起吃。 因为鸡汤非常热，所以你要先把生肉片放进去，这 样生肉片就熟了。然后，你可以放其他东西进去。 不过，鸡汤还是很热，吃的时候要小心哦！ 过桥米线的做法和吃法都很特别，有机会一定要 去云南尝尝过桥米线哦！ (编辑：抹茶公主)

TMM | 07

面条

VOCAB!

miàn tiáo noodles

桥

qiáo bridge

受欢迎

shòu huān yíng popular / well-received

食物

shí wù food

故事

gù shì old practice

很久

hěn jiǔ quite / very (long) time / (long) duration of time

中心

zhōng xīn center / heart / core

锅

guō pot; pan; wok; cauldron / pot-shaped thing

蔬菜

shū cài vegetables

有名的

yǒu míng de famous / well-known

熟

shú cooked (of food) / ripe (of fruit) / mature (of seeds) / familiar / skilled / done / also pr. [shóu]

机会

jī huì opportunity / chance / occasion

TMM | 08

r e m m gra ew br 语法：才

在一些句子里，“才”+do sth. 表达花了很长时间/很大的努力做到的意思。In many cases, when you see 才 in a sentence, it means someone took a long time or a lot of effort to get the result.

Structure: + do sth.

才

： 你怎么才来？ 意思是怎么来得这么晚？

Example a. ( ) Why did you just arrive? (implying why are you so late?)

这个单词我读了 次才记住。 意思是我花了很久才记住这个单词。

b.

100 ( ) I finally memorized this word after reading a hundred times. (implying I spent a long time memorizing this word.)

这篇文章分为四个部分：开头、故事、吃法、结尾。其中，故事是主要的部分，可以重点阅读， 然后把这个故事，用自己话讲一次。 读故事和讲故事的时候，多注意表示时间和动作的词语，比如“很久以前”、“那天以后”、“后 来”、“然后”、“做”、“走”、“送”、“放”等等。

This article is divided into four parts: the beginning, the story, how to eat, and the end. Among them, the story is the main part, you can focus on reading, and then tell this story in your own words.

When reading and telling stories,please pay more attention to words that express time and action, such as "a long time ago", "after that day", "later", "then", "do", "walk", "send", "let go". "wait”, etc.

TMM | 09

ASIAN CULTURE

龙的 传说 The Legend of the Dragon

Lots of kids love dragons. I’m not a kid, but I love dragons, too.

However, it looks like Chinese people have a special relationship with dragons. They don’t love dragons. Instead, they respect and admire dragons. To them, dragons represent royal families.

Actually, Jackie Chen’s Chinese name is Cheng Long, which means to become a dragon.

INTERMEDIATE LEVEL READING TIME: 3 MIN

What does a dragon look like to Chinese people? Why do they have those special relationships with dragons? You will find the answer in the article below.

TMM | 10

龙有哪些动物的特征？ Q: 2. 中国的龙和西方的龙有什么不一样？ Q: 1.

在中国，龙是经常出现在传说里的动物。 在中国龙的身上，你可以看到一些很像其他动物的地方：鹿的角，鱼的鳞，蛇的身体等等。 为什么龙是这样呢？ 有人说，因为很久以前，有一个皇帝，名字叫黄帝。他打了胜仗，把很多部落统一起来了。 这些部落以前用不同的动物当图腾，有的是马，有的是鸟，有的是鹿，有的是蛇……所以，他把 所有的图腾放在了一起，这就是龙。 后来，龙开始出现在很多地方，也变成了皇帝的象征。 还有一个传说。很久以前，中国有两个皇帝：炎帝和尧帝。他们的妈妈都梦到了龙，之后就 生下了他们。人们觉得龙就是皇帝，所以，炎帝和尧帝都是皇帝。 后来，中国人都把自己叫做”龙的后人”。 龙不仅长得很特别，还有很大的能力。它可以在天上飞、在水里游，还可以变出云、雨、水 和火等。 另外，和西方的龙不一样的是，中国的龙大部分都是好的。你可以在和皇帝有关的地方看到 龙。在中国，很多寺庙里也有龙。 不是所有的龙都长得一样，不同样子的龙，意思也不一样。如果你有机会去看一些中国古代 的建筑，你可以看看，那里有没有龙？他们都长什么样子？ 编辑：抹茶公主)

(

TMM | 11

经常

VOCAB!

jīng cháng frequently / constantly / regularly / often / dayto-day / everyday / daily

传说

chuán shuō legend / folklore / to repeat from mouth to mouth / they say that...

胜仗

shèng zhàng victory / victorious battle

统一

tǒng yī to unify / to unite / to integrate

图腾

tú téng totem (loanword)

象征

xiàng zhēng emblem / symbol / token / badge / to symbolize / to signify / to stand for

能力

néng lì capability / ability

部分

bù fen part / share / section / piece

有关

yǒu guān to have sth to do with / to relate to / related to / to concern / concerning

寺庙

sì miào temple / monastery / shrine

古代

gǔ dài ancient times / olden times

TMM | 12

r e m m gra ew br 语法：不仅，还

不仅……还……”是一个句型，意思是not only...but also…。跟“不仅……还……”意思很像的 是“不但……而且”。不仅……还…… is a sentence structure. It means not only… but also….

There is a similar structure 不但……而且…… which has a similar meaning.

Structure： 不仅 + words/phrase/sentences + 还 + words/phrase/sentences 不但+ words/phrase/sentences +还 + words/phrase/sentences Example： a. 她不仅长得漂亮，还学习很好。/ 她不但长得漂亮，而且学习很好。 She is not only pretty but also studies well. b. 这份工作不仅让他更有钱，还让他更有自信。/因为这份工作，他不但更有钱了，而且更 有自信了。 “

This job not only made him more wealthy but also made him more confident.

这篇文章主要讲了为什么龙象征皇帝，还有龙的特征有哪些。龙长得像很多动物，也有很多不同的能 力。 因为没有人真的见过龙，但是还是要描述龙，所以文中用了很多“像”和借了其他的动物特征。所以， 阅读的时候，可以注意怎么描述一个事物，特别是不真实的事物，可以多用“像”，和其他事物的特征，让 人们更容易想象。 This article mainly talks about why the dragon symbolizes the emperor and the characteristics of the dragon. Dragons look like many animals and have many different abilities.

Because no one has seen a dragon, it is still necessary to describe it, so the text uses a lot of "like" and borrows other animal characteristics. Therefore, when reading, you can pay attention to how to describe something, especially an unreal thing, and you can use "like" and characteristics of other things to make it easier for people to imagine.

TMM | 13

LEARNING IS A PROCESS NO ONE CAN DO FOR YOU BESIDES YOURSELF

THE MIMIR MAGAZINE TMM | 14

TRENDS

How do the Chinese Take Selfies?

TMM | 15

中国人自拍的方法 很特别吗？

INTERMEDIATE LEVEL READING TIME: 3 MIN

It’s funny to see selfie pictures taken by people from all over the world. Those from a Chinese person are

especially interesting because the girls in the pictures don’t look real. Their faces are small, and their bodies are slim.

Plus, in my opinion, the pictures don’t look natural, and the body gestures and the color of the environment. The following article talks about how Chinese people like to take selfies.

I like selfies that look natural and fun, and pictures should catch the moment I feel comfortable and happy. But hey, at the end of the day, there’s nothing good or bad about how people take selfies. We should all feel free to do whatever makes us feel good when taking pictures.

If you don’t know how Chinese do their selfies and are curious, you should read about it here to be mentally prepared when you take pictures with them!

Q:

中国人自拍和其他国家的人有什么不一样？

自拍”就是selfie。 世界上很多国家的人都喜欢自拍。但是，有人说，中国人自拍的方法和外国人很不一 样。 “

其他国家的人自拍，有时候做鬼脸、有时候大笑，非常自然和真实。中国人自拍，大多会把手机举得比较 高，这样，脸看起来很小；女生常常会微笑，不会大笑，因为这样看起来比较甜美；很多人一起自拍的时 候，会自拍的人，总是站在后面，因为这样看起来不会很胖；有的女生喜欢把对着相机的腿轻轻放在前面 一点，这样她的腿看起来又瘦又长……最后，中国女生喜欢用Photoshop这样的软件，把照片的颜色和照片 里的人变亮变美。 当然，中国80后、90后、00后自拍的方法也不太一样。有的人喜欢用手做V字，有的人喜欢微笑，有的人 喜欢酷酷的样子。有空的时候，你可以在网上找到很多关于他们自拍特点的讨论，都非常有意思。 不论在世界哪个国家，自拍都是一个很好的记录生活和记录自己的方法。但是，你在社交网站上看到别人 美美的照片的时候，要记得，很多人自拍的照片和他们真实的自己，可能不一样哦！ 只要你生活得快乐，而且用照片记录了快乐的回忆，自拍就是一件有意义的事情！ （编辑：凯西） TMM | 16

自拍

zì pāi to take a picture or video of oneself / to take a selfie / selfie

世界

VOCAB!

shì jiè world

方法

fāng fǎ method / way / means

做鬼脸

zuò guǐ liǎn to pull a face / to grimace / to scowl

举

jǔ to lift / to hold up / to cite / to enumerate / to act / to raise / to choose / to elect / act / move / deed

微笑

wēi xiào smile

软件

ruǎn jiàn (computer) software

特点

tè diǎn characteristic (feature) / trait / feature

讨论

tǎo lùn to discuss

不论

bù lùn whatever / no matter what (who, how etc) / regardless of / not to discuss

记录

jì lù to record / record (written account) / note-taker / record (in sports etc) /

社交网站

shè jiāo wǎng zhàn social networking site

回忆

huí yì to recall / memories

意义

yì yì sense / meaning / significance / importance TMM | 17

r e m m gra ew br 语法：不论，都 不论……都……”是一个常见的句型no matter… still…。 不论……都……is a typical sentence structure. It means no matter … still… “

Structure: + sentence, (subject)

不论

都 + sentence.

Example: a.

No matter how long it takes, I will wait for you. b.

No matter what, I will support you. c.

No matter what you say, I don’t believe it.

不论多久，我都会等你。 不论怎样，我都会支持你。 不论你说什么，我都不信。

本文分为四个部分，开头、中国人自拍的方法、不同年代人的自拍、对自拍的评价和总结。其中，最主要的部 分是中国人自拍的方法。 阅读的时候，注意对人物动作和表情的描写。比如“举”、“站”、“放”、“微笑”、“大笑”、“做鬼脸”等。可以在阅读 以后，尝试模仿每句话描写的动作和表情，并用自己的语言描述一次。 This article is divided into four parts, the beginning, the method of Chinese selfies, the selfies of people of different generations, the evaluation, and the summary of selfies. Among them, the most essential part is how Chinese people take selfies.

When reading, pay attention to the description of the character's movements and expressions. For example, "lift", "stand", "release", "smile", "laugh", "make faces" and so on. After reading, try to imitate the actions and expressions described in each sentence and describe it in your own words.

TMM | 18

Monochrome

TREANDS

Dating in Silicon Valley 约会在硅谷 This is a modern dating story featuring a Chinese girl, Lianne, who works in Silicon Valley. Her personal dating experience is not that good, and she feels the inequality between man and women in terms of pursuing their careers while balancing marriage and kids. Feelings are feelings. And people should feel free to express their feelings and their opinions.

TMM | 19

I’m not defending guys, but the scope of samples are another factor we need to take into consideration. People in big cities like Los Angeles, New York City, San Francisco and Silicon Valley here have quite a different life as people who live in other places. The stress level, working environment and speed of daily life can shift human natures sometimes. Besides, dating apps only attract certain type of people. There are still a majority of men and women outside of dating apps who are looking for true love.

Maybe in modern days, it’s even more important than ever to come back to the basics, and meet some real people at a coffee shop, with whom you carry a conversation and even develop a relationship naturally, instead of digging into an app with a single goal.

Anyways, why don’t you read about Lianne’s personal story and tell me what you think?

Lianne

约会在硅谷

ADVANCED LEVEL READING TIME: 6 MIN

是什么样的人？ 为什么 觉得她遇到的这几个男生很自私？

Q: 1. Lianne Q: 2.

Lianne

来自中国，她从小就聪明，学习好。因为想多挣钱，她来美国学了 ，做了一个女程序员。现在，她在硅谷的一家大科技公司上班。她每个 月挣很多钱，但是工作很忙，没什么生活。 Lianne没有很多爱好，有时间的时候，她除了看电视、跟朋友出去吃饭， 就是在约会App上找男朋友。她想找爱吃爱笑、会关心女生的男生。而 且，她即使结婚，也不想要自己的孩子。 最近半年，她前后认识了三个男生。他们来自不同的国家，但也都是硅谷 的程序员。他们都40岁左右，也都离过婚。 Lianne CS

这些男生看起来很帅，身材也好。因为他们很注意每天吃的东西，和每天 健身的时间。Lianne对他们的第一印象都不错。 在硅谷，这样的单身男女有很多。他们聪明，学历高，工作好，挣钱多， 除了工作，平时很注意自己的生活和健康。我一直不明白，为什么这样的 人会单身。在别人看来，他们都很不错，应该会有很多人喜欢。 周日上午，Lianne给我打电话，因为她觉得这里的男生都不是她想要的。 “他们听起来都不错呀。”我在电话上说。 “对，听起来。但是他们说到自己的前妻的时候，都说，当时我们年轻，前 妻非常聪明能干，所以我们都想好好挣钱、努力工作、实现自己的梦想。 然后到了快四十岁，我想要孩子，有完整的家，她不想。而且我也不想让 她在快四十岁的时候，经历生孩子的痛苦。最后，我们决定离婚。” Lianne接着说：“我很同情他们的前妻。因为一个男人四十岁，还可以找二 十几岁的女生，他们的前妻离婚的时候四十岁，她们的选择就很少。这些 男人怎么可以轻松地说，我们想要的不一样，就跟一个从年轻时候就陪自 己一起努力的女生离婚呢？” TMM | 20

当女人想要和男人一样的东 西的时候，她就要受到惩 罚。” 33岁的Lianne说。 “

我明白了Lianne的意思，“你说得对”我说。 “他们有没有在二十多岁的时候，就告诉他们的妻子一定要孩子？为什么他 们等到快四十岁的时候，突然这么说呢？而且，他们有没有跟自己的妻子 聊过领养的选择呢？不论他们说什么，都是在给自己的自私找借口。二十 岁到三十岁，大家都年轻，女生也想为了梦想努力。然后到了四十岁，不 再年轻，自己的丈夫突然因为孩子要离婚。她们除了工作，还有多少其他 的选择？当女人想要和男人一样的东西的时候，她们就要受到惩罚。” 硅谷有很多单身男女，他们很多人也都用约会APP。但是APP上都是什么 呢？是手机和手机、照片和照片在聊天，还是人和人、心和心在聊天？科 技，应该更快地帮我们找到真爱，但是为什么现在，越来越多的朋友告诉 我，找到真爱很难呢？ (编辑：凯西)

TMM | 21

惩罚

chéng fá penalty / punishment / to punish

挣钱

zhèng qián to make money

VOCAB!

程序员

chéng xù yuán programmer

硅谷

Guī gǔ Silicon Valley

科技

kē jì science and technology

本文分为四个部分，开头、中国人自 拍的方法、不同年代人的自拍、对自拍 的评价和总结。其中，最主要的部分是 中国人自拍的方法。 阅读的时候，注意对人物动作和表 情的描写。比如“举”、“站”、“放”、“微 笑”、“大笑”、“做鬼脸”等。可以在阅读 以后，尝试模仿每句话描写的动作和表 情，并用自己的语言描述一次。 This article is divided into four parts, the beginning, the method of Chinese selfies, the selfies of people of different generations, the evaluation, and the summary of selfies. Among them, the most essential part is how Chinese people take selfies.

When reading, pay attention to the description of the character's movements and expressions. For example, "lift", "stand", "release", "smile", "laugh", "make faces" and so on.

After reading, try to imitate the actions and expressions described in each sentence and describe it in your own words.

即使

jí shǐ even if / even though

结婚

jié hūn to marry / to get married

身材

shēn cái stature / build (height and weight) / figure

注意

zhù yì to take note of / to pay attention to

健身

jiàn shēn to exercise / to keep fit / to work out / physical exercise

第一印象

dìyīyìnxiàng first / number one / primary impression (sth that stays in one's mind) / a memory

学历

xué lì educational background / academic qualifications

单身

dān shēn unmarried / single

前妻

qián qī ex-wife / late wife

能干

néng gàn capable / competent TMM | 22

努力

nǔ lì great effort / to strive / to try hard

实现

shí xiàn to achieve / to implement / to realize / to bring about

VOCAB!

梦想

mèng xiǎng (fig.) to dream of / dream

完整

wán zhěng complete / intact

经历

jīng lì experience

痛苦

tòng kǔ pain / suffering / painful

决定

jué dìng to decide (to do something) / to resolve / decision

离婚

lí hūn to divorce / divorced from (one's spouse)

同情

tóng qíng to sympathize with / sympathy

选择

xuǎn zé to select / to pick / choice / option / alternative

轻松

qīng sōng light / gentle / relaxed / effortless / uncomplicated / to relax / to take things less seriously

年轻

nián qīng young

领养

lǐng yǎng adoption / to adopt (a child)

自私

zì sī selfish / selfishness

借口

jiè kǒu to use as an excuse / on the pretext / excuse / pretext TMM | 23

r e m m gra ew br 除了，就是 除了 就是

语法

1. ” …… ……“ B. If not A, then it’s B. besides or if not…then.

是一个句型，意思是: Besides …/ If not.. then it’s … 除了A，就是B，意思是Besides A, there’s 也跟“不是A，就是B”的意思比较像。除了……就是…… is a sentence structure, which means 除了A就是B means besides A, there’s B. / If not A, then it’s B.

Structure: + words/phrases/sentences

除了

，就是 + words/phrases/sentences

： 他没有时间出来玩，因为他除了工作，就是在陪家人。 她的朋友都很厉害，除了医生，就是律师、会计。

Example a.

He doesn’t have time to hang out, because he is either at work or being with families. b.

(Her friends are all very powerful, besides doctors, they are lawyers are accountants.)

越来越 越来越“在中文里非常常见，“越来越”+adj. 意思是more and more + adj. 越来越 is very common in Chinese. Adding an adj. after 越来越, it means more and more adj.

2. ”

Structure: +adj.

越来越

Example: a. more and more b. less and less c. happier and happier d. busier and busier

越来越多 越来越少 越来越开心 越来越忙

P.S.

除了adj.以外，“越来越”后面也可以加“喜欢”、“爱”、“讨厌”等表达感情的动词。Besides adding adj., you can also add words like like, love, hate or other verbs that express feelings. 比如：我越来越喜欢她了。For example: I like her more and more.

TMM | 24

LIFE & SCIENCE

Beginner Level Reading Time: 2 min

芒果怎么变成花？

HOW TO MAKE A MANGO FLOWER

？

This is a light reading, as there are fewer words and shorter sentences than the previous articles. In this article, you will read about how to cut Mango into a “flower”. It’s quite simple to do, but through reading, you can learn lots of action words. Imagine, it would be super cool if you can cut mangos while describing your actions in Chinese.

TMM | 25

你爱吃芒果吗？ 我妈妈可以把芒果切得像花一样，我非常喜欢吃。 今天我来分享妈妈切芒果的方法，你也可以学会！ 1. 把芒果洗干净，放在菜板上。 2. 用刀把芒果切成两片，不要切到果核。 现在，你有了两片芒果肉，一个芒果核。

Q:

？ 子 样 的 花 成 切 怎么把芒果 TIPS

拿一片果肉，皮在下，果肉在上。用刀从 果肉的上边轻轻切到下边，这样从上到下， 多切几下；再用刀从果肉的左边轻轻切到右 边，这样从左到右，多切几下。 4. 另一片果肉也用一样的方法切。 现在，你已经切好了两片果肉。 拿起一片，果皮在下，用手指在果皮的中间 轻轻顶一下，一朵花就出来啦！ (编辑：豆子) 3.

本文主要是动作描写，操作性 比较强，可以阅读后动手操 作，然后用自己的语言描述这 些动作，加深印象。

This article is mainly about the descriptions of actions, which are highly operable.

You can do it as you are reading, and then describe these actions in your own words to deepen your impression.

TMM | 26

VOCAB!

切

qiē to cut / to slice

菜板

cài bǎn chopping board / cutting board

果肉

guǒ ròu pulp

果皮

guǒ pí (fruit) peel

手指

shǒu zhǐ finger

本文主要是动作描写，操作性比较强，可 以阅读后动手操作，然后用自己的语言描述这 些动作，加深印象。 This article is mainly about the descriptions of actions, which are highly operable. You can do it as you are reading, and then describe these actions in your own words to deepen your impression.

TMM | 27

14 /

Before reading this article, I never thought of this question: what kind of water do penguins drink? They live in the south pole which is surrounded by oceans. As a result, they only have salty water coming from the sea. Do they drink that?

LIFE & SCIENCE

企鹅喝水

PENGUINS DRINK “WATER” Besides that question, you’ll also find how to describe a cute animal in simple Chinese. Some words like color and movements are very useful in daily life. It’s also a light reading.

So, why don’t we start now?!

TMM | 28

BEGINNER LEVEL READING TIME: 2 MIN

Q:

企鹅是什么样的动物？

在地球的南极，生活着一群企鹅。他 们有黑色的衣服、白色的肚皮，还有黄色 的脚、红色的嘴巴。它们常常聚在一起， 走路的时候左右摇摆。小企鹅宝宝跟在爸 爸妈妈身边，非常可爱。

ENG

N UI S

P

其实，想要在南极活下去，一点都不容 易。虽然企鹅看起来笨笨的，它们要解决很 多很多的难题。 如果你也喜欢它们，想知道更多关于企鹅们 的生活，可以看一下2005年的纪录片《帝企 鹅日记》。 那么，你想没想过，企鹅们在南极，喝 什么水？南极只有冰、雪和海水。海水那么 咸，我们人类不可以喝海水，企鹅可以喝 吗？ 是的，企鹅可以喝海水。

所以，今天的问题是：为什么企鹅可 以喝海水？ A. 因为企鹅喜欢吃盐 B. 因为企鹅的身体很特别，可以去掉海水里 的盐 C. 因为企鹅找不到其他的水，只能喝海水 D. 因为南极的海水没有盐 大家猜一猜，答案是哪一个？（答案 见杂志最后） (编辑：凯西) TMM | 29

地球

dì qiú the earth

南极

VOCAB!

nán jí south pole

生活

shēng huó life / activity / to live / livelihood

群

qún group / crowd / flock, herd, pack etc

企鹅

qǐ é penguin

聚

jù to congregate / to assemble / to mass / to gather together / to amass / to polymerize

摇摆

yáo bǎi to sway / to wobble / to waver

容易

róng yì easy / likely / liable (to)

虽然

suī rán although / even though / even if

解决

jiě jué to settle (a dispute) / to resolve / to solve / to dispose of / to dispatch

纪录片

jì lù piàn newsreel / documentary (film or TV program)

咸

xián salted / salty / stingy / miserly

盐

yán salt

猜

cāi to guess

TMM | 30

r e m m gra ew br 语法：有，还有 有 …… 还有 ……” 是一个简单但常见的句型，前后连接并列的两个或几个事物。在句子 里，“有”前面会加上人物或者地点。有……还有……is a very simple but common structure, which usually connects two or several parallel parts. In a sentence, before 有 there are “

usually subjects like people or adverbial like places.

Structure: Subject/Adverbial +

有 + words/phrases, 有 + words/phrases，还有 + words/phrases

Example: a.

She has beautiful eyes, lips, long hair and sweet voice. b.

On the bookshelf, there are books in different languages. There are English books, French books and Chinese books.

她有漂亮的眼睛和嘴唇，还有长长的头发和甜美的声音。 书架上有很多不同语言的书，有英文书、法文书，还有中文书。

本文最值得重点阅读的，是对企鹅的描写。从它们的颜色到体态，怎么生动地形容和描写一个动物，是 比较重要的。通过阅读对企鹅的描写，读者可以尝试用同样的方法，描述其他的动物，比如猫、狗等。 The most important thing to read in this article is the description of penguins. From their color to body shape, how to vividly describe an animal is important. By reading the descriptions of penguins, readers can try to describe other animals, such as cats, dogs, etc., in the same way.

TMM | 31

ASIAN CULTURE

ONE HEART V.S. THREE HEARTS

一个心和三个心 意思大不同！

TMM | 32

In the Chinese language, there are many idioms. I’m sure when you are learning Chinese, those are very important elements in your vocabulary. Chinese idioms usually consist of four words, which contain concentrated meanings, sometimes even long stories. It’s very efficient once you leant an idiom you can use it to save a lot of time describing a whole thing/feeling.

BEGINNER LEVEL READING TIME: 3 MIN

一心一意”的意思好还是不好？ 三心二意”的意思好还是不好？

Q: 1. “ Q: 2. “

In this article today, it’s about two similar idioms which have completely opposite meanings. The words are pretty simple. I’m sure once you understand the meanings of the two idioms, it won’t take you long to remember and get ready to use them.

TMM | 33

中文里有很多成语。有时候，两个看起来很 像的成语，意思可能完全相反，比如 “ 一心一 意”和“三心二意”。 一心一意 一个人有一个心，他一个心只想一件事，是 很专心的意思。他做事情时，任何其他的事情都 不想。这个人做事的时候，心里的目标只有一 个，不会因为其他事情分心。 比如，我的朋友Kevin，一直很想做老师，不想 做其他的事情。我们可以说： “Kevin一心一意想做老师。” 又比如，我的朋友达达每次看书的时候都很专 心，我们可以说： “达达在一心一意地看书，他现在不想和我们说 话。” 三心二意 三心二意”比刚才多了两个“心”！ “三”在中文里是“多”的意思，所以这里是说，一个人心里有很多很多想法，不知道选哪个好；或者， 一个人有很多事情，想一起都做，但可能都做不好。 “

一般来说，“三心二意”都是不好的意思。 比如，明天达达要考试了，他一边看书一边看电视。我们可以说： “达达，你如果三心二意地看书，很可能明天考试考不好。” 美国有一句话，和三心二意的意思有点像“Jack of all trades, master of none”，你觉得呢？ 差了两个心，意思就完全不一样了，是不是很有意思？ 今天这两个意思相反的成语：“一心一意”和“三心二意”，你学会了吗？ 编辑：抹茶公主)

( TMM | 34

VOCAB!

成语

chéng yǔ Chinese set expression, typically of 4 characters, often alluding to a story or historical quotation / idiom / proverb / saying / adage

专心

zhuān xīn to concentrate / absorption / concentration / engrossed

目标

mù biāo target / goal / objective

分心

fēn xīn to distract

刚才

gāng cái just now / a moment ago

一般来说

yī bān lái shuō generally speaking

差

chà to differ from / to fall short of / lacking

相反

xiāng fǎn opposite / contrary

TMM | 35

r e m m gra ew br 语法：一边，一边 一边……一边……” 是一个简单但很常见的句型，前后连接两个动作，在英文里，是be doing sth. while doing sth else的意思。前后两个动作没有先后顺序的区别，因为两个动作是同时进行的。 一边……一边……is a simple but very common structure, connecting two actions, and it means “

be doing sth. while doing sth. else. But the two actions usually don’t have a sequence, because the two actions happen at the same time.

Structure: Subject +

一边 + doing A + 一边 + doing B Example： 1. 他一边走路一边玩手机。 He is playing on his phone while walking 1. 妈妈一边做饭一边照顾弟弟。

Mom is cooking while taking care of my little brother.

本文主要讲了“一心一意”和“三心二意”两个看起来很像，但意义完全不一样的成语。读了这 篇文章，读者应该会知道怎么使用和在什么情况下使用这两个成语。

This article mainly talks about "one heart and one mind" and "three hearts and two hearts", two idioms that look similar but have completely different meanings. After reading this article, readers should know how and under what circumstances to use these two idioms.

TMM | 36

TEACHER'S NOTE

The end ...

This issue of the magazine has 3 beginner-level

If you are not in China, but in another country, then

articles, 4 intermediate-level articles and 1 advanced-

there may be some Chinese in that country as well.

level article. You can start from beginner level to

How do they date there? Are their dating

advanced level, with intensive reading of beginner and

experience the same as Lianne's? If you are also

intermediate

dating, would you

advanced articles. Of course, you can also choose a

一心一意 "single-mindedly" see only one guy/girl, or would you 三 心 二 意 "half-

few articles from your favorite topics to beginner with

heartedly" see several guys/girls?

I hope that after reading this issue, you know how to

Some people say that penguins are geese who

eat Beijing Roast Duck and Yunnan Guoqiao Rice

work in enterprises, because their skin looks like

Noodles, as well as the stories behind them. That way,

they are wearing suits. Do you like penguins? Can

the next time you go to China, you can eat Peking duck

you use the words you learned to describe how

and rice noodles while telling stories to your friends. If

cute penguins are?

articles

and

extensive

reading

of

you see a girl taking a selfie next to you, I hope you will not be surprised, because you already know that the

Finally, if you also like to eat mango, next time you

way Chinese people take selfies is very different from

eat a mango, try cutting the mango into flowers!

that in the West. When eating Peking duck, if the restaurant is in an old building in Beijing, you may pay

By the way, have you thought about the "Penguin

attention to whether there is a dragon on this old

Drinking Water" question? The answer is B. Did you

building. Because you know the legend of the dragon,

get it right?

you understand why the dragons are there.

TMM | 37

Glossary

TMM | 38

Glossary

TMM | 39

Glossary

TMM | 40

Glossary

TMM | 41

Glossary

TMM | 42

Coming Next In the next issue, the following questions will be answered: 1. Do you want to travel with WWOOF? 2. What if you run out of gas on the freeway?

3. How to make egg-fried rice in 10 min?

4. What is a walnut cookie?

5. Why do Chinese people love to lose weight?

6. What does your dog hate?

7. What if you can't fall asleep in a new environment?

8. What are watermelons' favorites?

LEARN & BE CURIOUS ISSN 2835-5970

www.themimir.com