Now that the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games have already started, it is just about the right time to practice some sports terms in Chinese, so that you'll get the tones right when cheering for the Chinese team!

Let's continue our lesson and learn more vocabulary related to leisure time activities.

In this lesson, we will go see a movie and learn some other Chinese vocabulary related to amusing ourselves.

The Chinese saying wáng yáng bŭ láo (亡羊补牢), “even if you have lost some sheep, it’s never too late to mend the fence," is a reminder that when we meet misfortune, we should not despair, instead, we should do our best to ensure the same mischance will not occur again.

When the Chinese want to express deep gratitude for someone's good work or generosity, they might say jié căo xián huán. It literally means “to tie grass into a bundle and hold a jade ring in the mouth.” And why would they use such a strange expression? Read on and find out.

With the Chinese New Year approaching, now would be a good time to remember the importance of gift-giving in Chinese culture. Giving and receiving gifts plays a big part in maintaining guanxi, or good relations, and this principle applies to personal as well as business relationships.

In this lesson, we will learn to make an appointment for today or tomorrow.

International credit cards have found their way to China already some time ago, but in many smaller shops and street vendors' desks, especially outside the big cities, you should not count on getting by with just plastic money. Better to keep some cash in your wallet and rehearse the basics of currency exchange terminology.

Jīdàn lĭ tiāo gútou (鸡蛋里挑骨头) literally means "to pick bones from an egg." Jīdàn means egg, lĭ means to be inside something, tiāo means to pick and gútou means bones.

In this lesson, we will learn to ask people if they have time to do something with us.