6-Year-Old Granddaughter of President Trump Warms Hearts in China

Recently, U.S. president Donald Trump made his first trip to Asia. This trip included a visit to Beijing, where President Trump was greeted by Chinese President Xi Jinping with the friendly meeting over tea and a lavish dinner in the Forbidden City. However, even among the most powerful people in the world, the biggest star of the evening was Arabella Kushner, granddaughter of President Trump. Arabella is six years old in the video, but she's not new to Chinese. Ever since she was just 16 months old, Arabella has been studying Mandarin Chinese with a native Chinese tutor and nanny. President Trump presented a prerecorded video of Arabella greeting and singing in Mandarin Chinese as a reminder of the "shared humanity" between China and the U.S.

Arabella's prerecorded video included a Mandarin greeting to President Xi and the first lady:

"习爷爷，你好. 彭奶奶，你好 (Xíyéye, nǐ hǎo. Péng nǎinai, nǐ hǎo.). Hello, Grandpa Xi. Hello, Grandma Peng."

Then, she sang a traditional song titled "我们的田野 (Wǒmen de tiányě)" which is thought to date back to the 1200s and was traditionally part of a child's education in China.

The lyrics are evocative and poetic, describing some of the most famous images of the traditional Chinese landscape, such as rice fields and lotus flowers in lakes.

You can read the lyrics below and learn to sing along with Arabella!

Wǒmen de tiányě,
我们 的 田野，
Our fields,

Měilì de tiányě.
美丽 的 田野。
Beautiful fields.

Bìlǜ de héshuǐ, liú guò wúbiān de dàotián.
碧绿 的 河水，流 过 无边 的 稻田。
The jade-green river flows past sweeping rice fields;

Wúbiān de dàotián, hǎoxiàng qǐfú de hǎimiàn.
无边 的 稻田， 好像 起伏 的 海面。
The sweeping rice fields are like a swinging ocean.

Píngjìng de hú zhōng, kāi mǎn le héhuā.
平静 的 湖 中，开 满 了 荷花。
The quiet lake is studded with lotus flowers.

Jīn sè de lǐyú, zhǎng dé duōme de féidà.
金 色 的 鲤鱼，长 得 多么 的 肥大。
Golden carps are so big and fat.

Húbiān de lúwěi zhōng, cáng zhe wúshù de yěyā.
湖边 的 芦苇 中， 藏 着 无数 的 野鸭。
Flocks of wild ducks are hiding in the reeds.

Some important vocabulary from the song…Read More

Do you ever put in more than you receive? Philosophers say that giving, not receiving, is the true path to happiness. However, sometimes you find yourself "in over your head" and losing money on an investment of your time and finances. Other times, you spend your time and effort trying to impress someone but with no results. It's frustrating!

In Mandarin Chinese we have a verb that describes this disappointing effort with no results. We use the word "倒贴 (dàotiē)" for this. Essentially, it means "to lose" but has another popular application as well.

Let's break it down:

倒贴 (dàotiē) = a verb, meaning to lose money instead of making money; to pay for the keeping of an unprofitable business; to lose money unexpectedly.
倒 (dào) = to fall;
贴 (tiē) = to stick.

倒贴 (dàotiē) also has another application applying to a woman investing effort (and money) in a man. More on that later.

Use #1:
The most common meaning of "倒贴 (dàotiē)" is "to lose money" when you should be making money. It can be applied in business, in some real estate venture, or any other situation in which you're at a loss and "in over your head".

Example:
Zhè cì de shēngyì, wǒmen dàotiē le hěn duō qián.
这 次 的 生意， 我们 倒贴 了 很 多 钱。
We lost a lot of money in this business.

Use #2:

Quiz:

A. You open a new business and you slowly make profits.
B. You share the bills in a romantic relationship.
C. You did many things to please a man who doesn't like you.
D. Your boyfriend pays your bills as you finish your college degree.
See Answer