Have you ever wondered what life was like before the digital age?
The digital age has changed everything, including the way we learn a foreign language. Today, there are more and more people taking language courses online, learning through apps, online language-exchange programmes or even via Skype. All those cannot be achieved without access to the internet, one of the greatest inventions of all time!
And that’s why the first must-know Chinese word you will be learning here relates to the internet or simply “net.”
網/网 pinyin: wǎng; net; internet
网 (net) is the simplified form of 網, which is a combination of 糸 (silk) and 罔 (to deceive). In some context, 网 can mean “internet.” Its traditional form is 網.
上網/上网 pinyin: shàng wǎng; surf the internet
上 (to get on) + 网 (Internet) = 上网 (surf the Internet) [literally] (to get on Internet)
上网 can also mean “connect to the internet” or “have access to the internet.” The traditional form is 上網.
機/机 pinyin: jī; machine
机 is composed of 木 (tree/wood) and 几 (table); 木 provides the meaning while 几 indicates the sound of the character 机 which means “machine.” We would like to interpret it as in ancient times, a lot of machines are made of wood. The traditional form is 機.
手機/手机 pinyin: shǒu jī; cell/mobile phone
Hand (手) + Machine (机) = Cell phone/mobile phone (手机)
The “machine”(机) that can be held by “hand” (手) easily – that’s cell phone! The traditional form is 手機.
手機上網/手机上网 pinyin: shǒu jī shàng wǎng; access the internet by mobile phone
手机 (mobile phone) + 上网 (surf the internet) = 手机上网 (access internet by mobile phone) [literally] (mobile phone surf the internet)
According to the China government, there are more than 800 million internet users in China and 98% of them are accessing the internet by their mobile phones (手机上网). What an interesting statistical fact!
The traditional form is 手機上網!
