Understanding Idiomatic Expressions in Mandarin

Learning advanced idiomatic expressions in Mandarin can help you express complicated feelings.

Idiomatic expressions are phrases that don’t make sense if you only consider the individual words.

In this lesson, we will explore some of these phrases. We’ll talk about what they mean, how they are used, and when to use them.

Idiomatic Expressions for Complex Emotions

1. 心如死灰 (xīn rú sǐ huī) - "Heart like dead ash"

   • Meaning: This means feeling very sad or hopeless, as if you're emotionally empty.
   • Example: After that loss, he felt like his heart was dead ash; he had lost all his energy to keep going.

2. 情非得已 (qíng fēi dé yǐ) - "Out of necessity of feelings"

   • Meaning: This means doing something because you have to, not because you want to. This often happens in love situations.
   • Example: She had to make that choice; it wasn’t what she really wanted.

3. 无可奈何 (wú kě nài hé) - "Helpless with no way to deal with it"

   • Meaning: This shows a feeling of giving up and accepting what is happening.
   • Example: When the sudden changes occurred, we could only adapt because we had no other choice.

4. 生不如死 (shēng bù rú sǐ) - "Living is worse than dying"

   • Meaning: This phrase expresses deep sadness, suggesting that life feels too tough to bear.
   • Example: After losing her loved one, she felt that living was worse than dying.

Vocabulary Themes in Business and Economics

• 市场波动 (shìchǎng bōdòng) - Market fluctuations
• 投资风险 (tóuzī fēngxiǎn) - Investment risk
• 经济复苏 (jīngjì fùsū) - Economic recovery
• 资源配置 (zīyuán pèizhì) - Resource allocation

Terms Related to Technology and Innovation

• 信息技术 (xìnxī jìshù) - Information technology
• 人工智能 (réngōng zhìnéng) - Artificial intelligence
• 数字化转型 (shùzì huà zhuǎnxíng) - Digital transformation

Expressions for Talking About Culture

• 文化冲突 (wénhuà chōngtú) - Cultural conflict
• 传统文化 (chuántǒng wénhuà) - Traditional culture

Medical Terms in Chinese

• 心脏病 (xīn zàng bìng) - Heart disease
• 流行病 (liúxíng bìng) - Epidemic

Common Phrases Used Daily

• 加油 (jiāyóu) - "Keep it up" or "You can do it"
• 没事 (méi shì) - "No problem" or "It's nothing"

Vocabulary for Social Issues and Human Rights

• 社会公正 (shèhuì gōngzhèng) - Social justice
• 人权 (rénquán) - Human rights

Using these idiomatic expressions and vocabulary in your Mandarin studies will help improve your language skills. You’ll be better at sharing complex feelings and discussing important topics in business, technology, culture, and social issues.

Try using these phrases in conversations to deepen your understanding of advanced Mandarin!