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dk
If you are a newbie in Chinese, “怎么说 (how to say…)” is a very useful phrase that you should learn. Also, “这”“这个”“那”“那个” are very common pet phrases in Chinese language. So when Chinese people hesitated and say “这”and “这个”, what do they really mean? What’s the difference between “这”and “那”?
Part I：Chinese 101
Dialogue
A：请问，这个怎么说？
qǐng wèn ，zhè gè zěn me shuō ？
May I ask how do you say this?
B：这是一本书。
zhè shì yī běn shū。
This is a book.
A：那是什么？
nà shì shí me？
B：那是一个苹果。
nà shì yī gè píng guǒ。
That’s an apple.
Words and expressions
【这】zhè;this
这是：This is
【那】nà; that
那是：That is.
【怎么】zěn me:by what means
Grammar: The word "how" can mean a lot of things, and so can its Chinese counterpart. In this case, it means "by what means" or "in what fashion." It precedes verbs.
你怎么过年？
nǐ zěnme guò nián？
How will you spend the New Year?
我怎么联系你？
wǒ zěnme liánxì nǐ？
How can I contact you?
【说】shuō; speak, say
说中文shuō Zhōngwén：to speak Chinese
【书】shū; book
【一个】yī gè：one, an, a
【苹果】píng guǒ： apple
Part II: Language Tips
这Zhe/zhei and 那Na/nei
When Chinese people hesitated and say “这”and “这个”they mean...
The "zhe ge/na ge-Chinese"
Differences between “这”and “那”：Is there a sense of distance? (Geographically and psychologically)
Part III: Story of the Day
EP7 How do you say...怎么说？
熟能生巧：Practice Makes Perfect
熟能生巧
shú néng shēng qiǎo
Practice makes perfect
1000 years ago during the Northern Song Dynasty, an old oil peddler masterfully poured oil into a gourd and told everybody that practice makes perfect.
Literal meaning: Practice makes perfect
E.g
孰能生巧，你不必担心自己的中文口语，只要勤加练习就好了。
shú néng shēng qiǎo，nǐ bú bì dān xīn zì jǐ de zhōng wén kǒu yǔ，zhī yào qín jiā liàn xí jiù hǎo le。
Practice makes perfect, so you don't need to worry about your spoken Chinese proficiency. All you need to do is to practice more.