About Mandarin

Mandarin Chinese is a group of similar Chinese language dialects spoken in the northern and
southwestern regions of China. Since one of the dialects is spoken in Beijing, Mandarin Chinese is China's
official language. Mandarin is distinctive from the other Chinese languages in phonology, timing and
vocabulary.

Significance
There is no exact standard in the Chinese language for pronunciation or grammar. The language consists
of many dialects consistent by region. "Mandarin Chinese" refers to a specific group of these dialects,
and "standard Mandarin" is the chief dialect spoken in Beijing. Chinese who speak in other dialects know
Mandarin and speak it as a second language. Therefore, Mandarin Chinese has the largest number of
speakers of any language in the world.

Geography
Geography of Mandarin dialects
The Mandarin dialects are indigenous to northern
and most of southwestern China. As depicted on
the map, Mandarin is spoken in the far
northwestern and northeastern regions, but not
particularly in the central northern area. Mandarin
is also the official language of Taiwan and one of
the four official languages of Singapore.

History
China's geographical regions led to the creation of
the different dialects of the Chinese language. The regions separated by mountains and valleys
developed their own dialect, but could not influence this dialect in other regions because the land's
topography isolated them. The plains regions developed the Mandarin dialects, and due to the flatness
of the land, the dialect could easily spread across the plains. The empire in the 17th century attempted to
make the Beijing dialect the only dialect spoken all across China, but the movement failed. People in
every region spoke their own dialect without a unified language up until the 20th century when the Chinese
government declared the Beijing dialect as the standard Mandarin and as the official language of the
People's Republic. As a result, the dialect spread to other regions as a second language.

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Topic:

How to reply “nǐ hǎo ma?” with a bang!

Àishā : Nǐ hǎo ma?
爱莎 : 你 好 吗？
How are you?

Ālǐ : Wǒ hěn hǎo.

阿里 : 我 很 好.
I’m good.

Ālǐ : ______________________!
阿里 : 好， 很 好， 非常 好!
Good, very good, excellent!

How to show your appreciation?

Àishā : Fēicháng xièxie nǐ!
爱莎 : 非常 谢谢 你!
Thank you very much!

Ālǐ : Bú kèqì
阿里 : 不 客气
You are welcome.

Ālǐ : ___________.
阿里 : 我 的 荣幸。
My pleasure.

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Topic:
How to win people’s heart?
a) Měinǚ / shuàigē
美女 / 帅哥
Beauty / Handsome

b) ________________________.
老板, 你 今天 很 好看。
Boss, you are looking good today.

c) Nǐ de _________ hěn hǎokàn.

你 的 _________ 很 好看。
Your _________ is looking good.

What to say when someone praises you?

a) Xièxie nǐ!
谢谢 你!
Thank you!

b) ________
哪里 哪里
Where got / Normal only

What to say while the customer is waiting?

a) Nǐ yào hē shénme ma?
你 要 喝 什么 吗？
What would you like to drink?

b) _________________?
咖啡， 茶，还是 我？
Coffee, tea, or me?

c) ____________~
开 玩笑 啦~
Joking only la~

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Topic:

How to approach boss?

a) Lǎobǎn, kěyǐ gěi wǒ liǎng fēnzhōng ma?
老板， 可以 给 我 两 分钟 吗？
Boss, can you give me 2 minutes?

b) Bāng wǒ qiānmíng yíxià.

帮 我 签名 一下。
Help me to sign.

c) _____________.
在 这里 签名。
Sign at here.

Escape plan when people keep speaking

Mandarin with you
Ālǐ : Wa, nǐ huì jiǎng HuáYǔ?!
阿里 : 哇，你 会 讲 华语?!
Wow, you can speak Mandarin?!

Àishā : ______________!
爱莎 : 会 一点点 啦!
Can, a little bit la!

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Song Lyrics:
Song Title : Yuèliang dàibiǎo wǒ de xīn (The Moon Represents My Heart)
Singer : Teressa Teng

Chorus:

Nǐ wèn wǒ ài nǐ yǒu duō shēn,

你 问 我 爱 你 有 多 深,
You ask how deeply I love you,

Wǒ ài nǐ yǒu jǐ fēn,
我 爱 你 有 几 分,
How much I love you,

Wǒ de qíng yě zhēn wǒ de ài yě zhēn,

我 的 情 也 真 我 的 爱 也 真,
My feeling is real, my love is also real,

Yuèliàng dàibiǎo wǒ de xīn.

月亮 代表 我 的 心.
The moon represents my heart.

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