Although he couldn't remember any details of the accident, having been knocked unconscious by the force of the truck's initial impact, Xiao Li found himself scarred by the collision in unexpected ways. Even months after waking up in a Shunyi hospital, the young man would find his thoughts drifting off at the strangest of times. And his memory was not what it had been in the past, something particularly problematic for someone in the service profession.

Learning Chinese? This is a Chinese lesson for Absolute Beginners. This means that even if you don't know any Chinese, we keep things simple enough that this lesson should be accessible to you. If you're a higher-level student, check out our massive archive for tons more difficult lessons covering everything from simple grammar patterns to advanced colloquial Chinese. And let us know if you have any feedback by writing us at service@popupchinese.com.
 said on
July 18, 2012
nice and friendly!
 said on
July 18, 2012
@annlkoren,

谢谢 :)

--Echo

echo@popupchinese.com
 said on
July 19, 2012
Is this water on average potable in the coastal cities (i.e. Shanghai)?
 said on
July 19, 2012
@Zhongguatravel,

The government insists the water is safe in the same way it insists the air is safe. I don't think anyone here really knows the details, but it's pretty clear no-one believes them. Just for fun, I asked Echo which she thought was safer the drink, the tap water in Beijing or the milk. Her answer? "Hmmm... that's a difficult question."

 said on
July 20, 2012
@Zhanguatravel,

No, basically we can't drink tap water in China.

--Amber

amber@popupchinese.com
 said on
July 21, 2012
一个典型的一天,住在中国的人什么喝?
 said on
July 22, 2012
@LincolnDog,

水,茶,牛奶,可乐这样的饮料。

--Echo

echo@popupchinese.com
 said on
July 22, 2012
茅台、二锅头、五粮液…

:-)
 said on
July 22, 2012
但这些饮料有水。先烧开所有呢? 这是很难想象的。(Murrayjames - 哈哈!)
 said on
July 23, 2012
Is your pronunciation of "cold" very standard? Pinyin should be "leng" but it sounds as if you are saying "liang". Just wanted to clarify so I don't get it wrong
 said on
July 23, 2012
@extol_33, it is "liang". The word is "cool", not "cold".
 said on
July 23, 2012
@Extol33,

Don't worry, Echo's pronunciation is as perfect and "standard" as they come. Echo is a Beijinger, so her accent is the most desirable of all.

Generally speaking, Chinese people use 凉 liang2 in most places where we'd use 冷 leng3, especially when it comes to talking about "cold" drinks or "cold" food, 凉菜 liang2 cai4.
 said on
July 23, 2012
@murrayjames&LincolnDog,

茅台、二锅头、五粮液可不是“典型的一天”喝的,不要误导LincolnDog,哈哈!

--Amber

amber@popupchinese.com
 said on
July 23, 2012
是的 murrayjames,我只是一个新秀(菜鸟?),不要误导!
 said on
July 23, 2012
@LincolnDog,

哈哈,这些水都是先经过工厂处理的(或者没处理,谁知道呢)。

--Echo

echo@popupchinese.com
 said on
July 23, 2012
Well thank you very much for the prompt reply and the great information.

@xiao hu

Are you saying that it would be inappropriate to say 冷菜?Or is it just preferred to say 凉菜?When would 凉快 be used? Once again thanks for the help
 said on
July 23, 2012
Echo's pronouncation is utterly depressing if you look at a tone pitch analysis, because you can actually see perfect, smooth tone pronouncation. And then I look at my own and it's like... a seismograph in an earthquake :-P
 said on
July 24, 2012
@extol_33,

No, we wouldn't say 冷菜, just 凉菜. 凉快 is used to describe the weather/temperature, like 今天真凉快 (The weather is cool today).

@Noah.Pflugradt,

Haha, thanks! You will get there one day too... of course, with Popup Chinese :D

--Echo

echo@popupchinese.com
 said on
January 22, 2013
who are u echo
 said on
January 22, 2013
@acyarger,

Take a look at the bottom part :) http://www.popupchinese.com/how-to-learn-chinese

--Echo

echo@popupchinese.com
 said on
May 11, 2013
very nice lesson. congratulation guys!
 said on
April 4, 2015
My first lesson with you guys. Just wanted to say that the material is is very well presented and explored! Well done!