Lesson 031 To Blow, To Rain, To Snow

Yajie: Perfect Chinese your way, in only five minutes a day. Hi everyone, Welcome to this edition of Chinese Studio. I’m Yajie.
Cam: 早上好(zaoshang hao). And I’m Cam. You know Yajie, I’m planning a trip to Chicago in the United States.  Its nickname is the “windy city”.  How do I say “windy” in Chinese?
Yajie: Just listen up!

***************Key words of the day
Today we’ll continue talking about the weather. 刮风, to blow. 春天北京经常刮风。It’s often windy during the spring in Beijing. 下雨, to rain. 下雪, to snow. All in today’s Chinese Studio.
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Yajie: 刮, g-u-a, the first tone, means blow.
Cam: 刮(guā).
Yajie: 风, feng, the first tone, wind.
Cam: 风 (fēng).
Yajie: 刮风.
Cam: 刮风(guā fēng).
Yajie: So in Chinese “Today it’s windy” is 今天刮风。
Cam: 今天刮风 (jīntiān guāfēng).
Yajie: It’s often windy in Beijing during the spring.. 春天北京经常刮风。
Cam: 春天北京经常刮风 (chūntiān Běijīng jīngcháng guāfēng).
Yajie: 春天 means spring. And summer is 夏天(xiàtiān), ,fall is 秋天and winter is冬天(dōngtiaān)
Cam: chun tian, xia tian, qiu tian, dong tian.
Yajie: Very good. 经常means often.
Cam: 经常 (jīngcháng).
Yajie: Could you read with me again the phrase刮风 (guāfēng)?
Cam: Sure, 刮风 (guāfēng).

Conversations (1)

Yajie: In recent years it’s becoming hotter and hotter in the summer of Shanghai, and it rains a lot there. So in Chinese we say, 夏天上海经常下雨。
Cam: 夏天上海经常下雨 (xiàtiān Shànghǎi jīngchaáng xià yǔ)。
Yajie: 经常 means often.
Cam: 经常 (jīngcháng).
Yajie: 下雨means to rain.
Cam: 下雨 (xià yǔ).
Yajie: 下, x-i-a, the fourth tone, to fall.
Cam: 下(xià). And 雨 is rain, yes?
Yajie: Right.

Conversations (2)

Yajie: 雪, x-u-e, the third tone.
Cam: 雪(xuě).
Yajie: We just learned下雨,which means to rain. Can you guess how to say, today it’s snowing?
Cam: Well, I think it should be 今天下雪, because the snow is also falling down from the sky, just like the rain. Am I right?
Yajie: yes, very descriptive. For example, 哈尔滨冬天下很大的雪。It snows heavily in Harbin in the winter.
Cam: 哈尔滨冬天下很大的雪 (Hāérbīn de dōngtiān xià hěn dà de xuě)。
Yajie: 很大. 很, h-e-n, third tone means very.
Cam: 很(hěn).
Yajie: 大, d-a, the fourth tone, big or large. 
Cam: 大 (dà).
Yajie:哈尔滨冬天下很大的雪。It snows heavily in Harbin in the winter.
Cam: 哈尔滨冬天下很大的雪 (Hāérbīn de dōngtiān xià hěn dà de xuě)。

Conversations (3)

***************Key words reminder
刮风, to blow. 春天北京经常刮风。It’s often windy during the spring in Beijing. 下雨, to rain. 上海夏天经常下雨。It rains a lot during the summer in Shanghai. 下雪, to snow. 哈尔滨冬天下很大的雪。It snows heavily in Harbin in the winter.