Word Play
The simplicity of the sounds in Mandarin Chinese and the way they can be recycled with tones makes word play and symbolism a big and fun part of Chinese culture.
#encoding
De-coding Mandarin Chinese
Most of us are used to an “encoding” approach to foreign languages and hope that if we learn to encode for long enough then we’ll eventually be able to navigate the world in that foreign language. A “de-coding” approach means starting with something from the world and enabling you to make sense of it yourself.