Do you have the habit of making notes when studying Chinese? Since this blog is primarily about learning Mandarin and sharing knowledge (for what it’s worth), I’ll just might as well share my Chinese vocabulary notes here. What are these notes? Well, I watch Chinese content and to challenge myself a little I make notes of those words that seem most relevant to me.
Afu – renting an apartment in Shanghai!
I guess most Chinese learners who watch Chinese YouTube content have heard of “Afu” Thomas, the guy from Germany who married a woman from Shanghai and has been living in this insane mega-city since 2016. In China, he’s an internet celebrity who gets recognized on the street. In Germany, he appeared in talkshows, met with the Federal President and published a book about his experiences with his Chinese family.
In other words, Afu is quite a character, but most of all, he’s a prolific Youtuber who publishes new videos on a weekly basis. Many of them – like this one here – concern different aspects of life in Shanghai: is it better to rent or to buy an apartment in Shanghai? What are the costs? In this video, he interviews several seemingly random people who rent a place in Shanghai and all have their own story to tell. Afu always tackles interesting topics, challenges himself and people open up to him to share their thoughts.
Key vocabulary
Finding an apartment to rent in Shanghai, judging from this video, (for a reasonable price and located somewhat favorably) is really tough. Many people here seem to be in a “make or break” situation where things just have to work out or else… Especially young people are eager to make their success in Shanghai, even when this means living in a tiny one-room apartment.
| 常住人口 | chángzhù rénkǒu | permanent residents |
| 中国最大的城市之一 | Zhōngguó zuìdà de chéngshì zhī yī | Chinas nr. 1 largest city |
| 外来常住人 (42%) | wàilái chángzhù rén | permanent residents not from Shanghai |
| 租房 (居住方式) | zūfáng (jūzhù fāngshì) | rent an apartment |
| 10平方米 / 平米 / 平方 | 10 píngfāng mǐ/ píngmǐ/ píngfāng | 10 m² |
| 独立的公寓 | dúlì de gōngyù | separate apartment |
| 采光 | cǎiguāng | light / lighting |
| 租金 / 月租 | Zūjīn/ yuèzū | the rent |
| 包括水电费 | bāokuò shuǐdiàn fèi | including water, electricity (costs) |
| 不包括服务费 | bù bāokuò fúwù fèi | not including service costs |
| 押金 | yājīn | deposit |
| 双人床 | shuāngrén chuáng | double bed |
| 温馨 | wēnxīn | great |
| 时尚 | shíshàng | trendy |
| 实习工资 | shíxí gōngzī | internship salary (just enough to pay the rent) |
| 经济支持 | jīngjì zhīchí | financial support |
| 上海房价 | Shànghǎi fángjià | Shanghai housing prices |
| 设施 | shèshī | facilities |
| 房间内的布置 | fángjiān nèi de bùzhì | the layout of the room |
| 室友 | shìyǒu | roommates |
| 磨合 | móhé | rub along, learn to get along |
| 独居的女孩 | dújū de nǚhái | single girl tenants |
| 类似的房子 | lèisì de fángzi | similar apartment |
| 兄弟姐妹们 | xiōngdì jiěmèimen | brothers and sisters |
| 物价 | wùjià | prices |
| 小区环境 | xiǎoqū huánjìng | neighborhood environment |
| 公用的卫生间 | gōngyòng de wèishēngjiān | public toilet |
| 加起来 | jiā qǐlái | added together, in sum |
| 通勤时间 | tōngqín shíjiān | Commuting time |
| 注意的点 | zhùyì de diǎn | points to note |
| 签合同 / 前一年合同 | qiān hétóng/ qián yī nián hétóng | sign a (one year) contract |
| 转租 | zhuǎnzū | to sublet |
| 二房东 | èr fángdōng | principal tenant |
| 租客 | zūkè | tenant |
| 涨租金 | zhǎng zūjīn | raise the rent |
| 主卧 | zhǔ wò | master bedroom |
Key sentences
| 面积有155平方米 | Miànjī yǒu 155 píngfāngmǐ. | The area is 155 m². |
| 我可以接受，因为在上海嘛 毕竟活着就行 | Wǒ kěyǐ jiēshòu, yīnwèi zài Shànghǎi ma, bìjìng huózhe jiùxíng. | I can tolerate it, because in Shanghai surviving is enough. |
| 租金的话3000不到一点点 | Zūjīn dehuà 3000 bù dào yī diǎndiǎn. | When it comes to the rent, it’s about 3000 Yuan. |
| 你跟你的室友原则上有没有什么差异? | Nǐ gēn nǐ de shìyǒu yuánzé shàng yǒu méiyǒu shé me chāyì? | Are there any major differences between you and your roommates？ |
| 租金是多少？ | Zūjīn shì duōshǎo? | how much is the rent? |
| 如果从这里到市中心大概要多久？ | (Rúguǒ) cóng zhèlǐ dào shì zhōngxīn dàgài yào duōjiǔ? | How far is it from here to the city center? |
| 这里一平方大概是多少钱？ | Zhèlǐ yī píngfāng dàgài shì duōshǎo qián? | What’s the price per square meter? |
Mandarin Corner – Live Streaming in China is Exploding!
I’ve posted about Mandarin Corner before and really enjoy their content. This video is about the booming livestreaming sector in China. This online phenomenon still hasn’t come to the attention of most people outside of China, but it’s huge! And it’s not only about shopping too! In this podcast episode, Aileen and her guest discuss try to explain why 直播 has become so popular and which types of livestreaming are popular with which audience.
- 虎牙 hǔyá (a name of a live streaming platform)
- 斗鱼 dòuyú (a name of a live streaming platform)
- 熊猫TV xióngmāo (a name of a live streaming platform)
- 映客 yìngkè (a name of a live streaming platform)
Key vocabulary
I learned there are several sorts of 直播, 美女直播 and 游戏直播 being most popular with the boys. You may have heard about 吃播 where livestreamers eat huge quantities of food. One 19-year-old dude even “bit the dust” due to his extreme 吃播 lifestyle which included “high-carbohydrate, high-calorie and oily food” and lack of sleep. 整容 直播 , plastic surgery livestreaming, also seems to be a thing.
| 直播 | zhíbō | livestreaming |
| 直播平台 | zhíbō píngtái | livestreaming platform |
| 美女直播 | měinǚ zhíbō | beautiful girls livestream |
| 游戏直播 | yóuxì zhíbō | gaming livestream |
| 最火 | zuìhuǒ | most popular |
| 对着镜头 | duì zhe jìngtóu | facing the camera |
| 粉丝 | fěnsī | fans |
| 观众 | guānzhòng | audience |
| 主播 | zhǔbō | livestreamer |
Why do people watch this kind of stuff? According to this podcast, it’s a mixture of boredom and loneliness. I’d definitely add a lack of a sense of meaning to that. Meaningful relations, a meaningful profession, you know the thing. I mean why do people spend so many hours on their phone, even after work? On the other hand, this livestreaming is a technological miracle as well.
| 虚拟 | xūnǐ | virtual |
| 虚拟 礼物 | xūnǐ lǐwù | virtual gift |
| 跑车 | pǎochē | sports car |
| 整容 | zhěngróng | plastic surgery |
| 表演 | biǎoyǎn | perform |
| ⾊情 | sèqíng | pornographic |
| 节⽬ | jiémù | program |
| 污秽 | wūhuì | dirty |
| 词汇 | cíhuì | words, vocabulary |
| 吃播 | chībō | food livestream |
Key sentences
| 但最火的还是美女直播和游戏直播 | Dàn zuì huǒ de háishì měinǚ zhíbò hé yóuxì zhíbò. | But the most popular are “beauty” livestreaming and gaming livestreaming. |
| ⽹红脸的特质是⽩⽪肤，⼤眼睛，⾼⿐⼦，尖下巴等等。 | Wǎng hóngliǎn de tèzhì shì bái pí fū, dà yǎnjīng, gāo bí zi, jiān xiàbā děng děng. | The characteristics of a red face are white skin, large eyes, tall, pointed chin and so on. |
ActNormal – 30 days social media detox
The main negative impact from using social media – according these girls – is that you start to envy almost everybody else. “They are leading the perfect life, why can’t I?” Secondly, spending time on social media leads to buying lots of unnecessary stuff. They address several of these social media related problems and share tips to free yourself and cultivate healthier habits. Not something I’d normally watch, but interesting nonetheless, because they introduce hipster (minimalist, anti-consumerism) lifestyle ideas to a Chinese (mainly female, slightly upper-class) audience who are looking for more fulfilled and productive lives.
| 引发攀比心理 | yǐnfā pānbǐ xīnlǐ | Trigger comparison psychology |
| 脱离 | tuōlí | Get rid of |
| 购买焦虑 | gòumǎi jiāolǜ | Buying anxiety |
| 广告是富人的乞讨 | guǎnggào shì fù rén de qǐtǎo | Advertising is begging for the rich |
| 价值观 | jiàzhíguān | Values |
| 认同自己的价值观 | rèntóng zìjǐ de jiàzhíguān | Confirm / agree with your own values |
| 时间管理 | shíjiān guǎnlǐ | time management |
| 刺激 | cìjī | provoke / stimulate |
攀比心理 is something I somewhat recognize from my own usage of social media, for example when I see some Facebook friend traveling in a warm country while I’m at home “in lockdown”. You simply can’t help comparing your sad situation to this other person who seems to having be the time of his life. 手机上瘾 is another keyword in this whole discussion.
| 手机上瘾 | shǒujī shàngyǐn | mobile phone addiction |
| 30天手机&社交媒体戒断挑战 | 30 tiān shǒujī & shèjiāo méitǐ jièduàn tiǎozhàn | 30 days phone & social media withdrawal challenge |
| 戒断 | jièduàn | to withdraw / quit (something addictive) |
| 刷手机 | shuā shǒujī | swipe your phone |
| 提高工作效率 | tígāo gōngzuò xiàolǜ | increase work efficiency |
| 确定自己的目标 | quèdìng zìjǐ de mùbiāo | determine your goals |
| 美妆 | měizhuāng | makeup |
| 断舍离 | duàn shě lí | to break away from / cut off |
| 记录 | jìlù | to record / write down |
| 替代 | tìdài | to substitute |
That’s it for this month! Let’s see what November brings. Feel free to leave a comment down below!
Graded Chinese readers
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