There’s a Chinese saying that goes: “Lose on one side and gain on the other” (失之东隅，收之桑榆 shī zhī dōng yú, shōu zhī sāng yú). I really felt that this past Sunday.
A few weeks ago, I had to change my communication tool because Microsoft discontinued its Teams Personal Edition in Mainland China on July 28. After two weeks of exploring, I found that the new tool, VooV Meeting, is actually way more useful than the old one.
Here is the story.
My friend helps me with the English questions I come across every week on Sunday evenings. In exchange, I help him learn Chinese. My questions are always very specific, and most of our chatting is in English, which helps me improve my listening and speaking a lot. Because of that, I had been a little worried about whether I was teaching him enough Chinese.
The new tool has eliminated my concerns with AI meeting minutes. Every time, I just need to get the transcript after the meeting and check, revise, summarize, and email it to my friend. Of course, it is not perfect, but at least it provides quite a good structure to remind me of what we talked about.
I’ll show you the latest minutes in case you are also interested in learning Chinese!
Here’s a quick summary of our discussion on Sunday:
- Key Grammar: Uses of “都” (Dōu)
1) Meaning 1 – “All” / “Completely”
Indicates totality or a high degree.
e.g. 都要 (dōu yào) — all need / want;
功课学得都不错 (gōngkè xué de dōu bú cuò) — The homework/studies are all quite good.
2) Meaning 2 – Emphasis (even / at all)
Strengthens tone, often in negative structures.
e.g. 一动都不动 (yī dòng dōu bú dòng) — Doesn’t move at all.
(Here, 都 does not mean “all”, but emphasizes the extreme degree of “not moving”.)
3) Polyphone – “都” as “capital”
When pronounced dū, it means capital city.
e.g. 北京是中国的首都 (Běijīng shì Zhōngguó de shǒudū) — Beijing is the capital of China. - Complement Structure: “出来” (Chūlái)
Three meanings:
1) Physical: Movement from inside to outside, e.g., 种子长出来了 (zhǒngzi zhǎng chūlái le) — The seed sprouted/came out.
2) Result: Completion or achievement, e.g., 计划做出来了 (jìhuà zuò chūlái le) — The plan was made/finished.
3) Abstract: Perception or discovery, e.g., 看出来 (kàn chūlái) — notice/see clearly; 真相出来了 (zhēnxiàng chūlái le) — The truth came out. - Vocabulary & Sentence Patterns
1) 个子 (Gèzi): Refers specifically to human height (not used for buildings).
✅ 高个子 (gāo gèzi) — tall person
❌ Not used for buildings — use 高/矮 (gāo/ǎi) for height, 大/小 (dà/xiǎo) for size, 宽广/狭窄 (kuānguǎng/xiázhǎi) for width.
2) 的 (De): Turns nouns into adjectives, e.g., 红色 → 红色的苹果 (hóngsè → hóngsè de píngguǒ) — red → red apple.
3) Address order: Chinese: largest → smallest (Country → City → District); English: reverse. - Cultural & Lifestyle Notes
1) Solar terms: Mentioned 立秋 (Lìqiū) — Start of Autumn. Tammy plans to resume hiking after the heat.
2) Film: Discussed The Odyssey (《奥德赛》, Àodésài) and its cast’s visit to Shanghai.
3) Measurement differences (China vs. US):
Distance: kilometers (公里, gōnglǐ) vs. miles (英里, yīnglǐ)
Weight: kilograms (公斤, gōngjīn) vs. pounds (磅, bàng)
Volume: liters (升, shēng) vs. gallons (加仑, jiālún)