ChineseDramaFan

不客气。举手之劳。

Strictly speaking, the Chinese language doesn't have any grammar per se, not like the way it has in the English language like present or past tense etc. It is more to do the the sentence structure. There are characters that don't have exact meanings but when used provide the understanding of the sentence. One such character is the "了" character. In that sense, yes, Chinese grammar is easier because there is none (per se).

LOL! Where's your Qiankun pouch? XD

The directions in how you write the characters are important, and can help in memorization. This is particularly so if one wants to write good calligraphy. However, it can work too if you just draw out the characters, as long as they resemble something.

Each line within the characters may not mean anything but has a name to it. A group of the lines can make up a radical or root that would be attached to another character to give the exact meaning of the character.

Sometimes you can guess a character based on the context it is being used. Sometimes you can guess the pronunciation by looking at certain part of the character. Today, the simplified Chinese characters are very easy and many characters can be used universally. The traditional Chinese characters are hard, but are more meaningful. Many of the traditional Chinese characters are pictograms and one can guess the meaning pretty easily.

For all the Chinese historical dramas, the Chinese subtitles are mostly written in simplified version, but the characters used in the drama's scrolls or scripts, including the names of the halls/buildings are all written in traditional Chinese characters (understandably).

Depending on your objectives, there may be different ways of learning. ie. do you want to know how to speak, or understand a dialogue, or write, or read. All these may have different paths. I have family members who can speak fluent Chinese but not read nor write a word. I have family members who read and write Chinese but can't speak nor understand when spoken to. I guess, ultimately, the best way to learn Chinese is of course to be in the country personally, or immerse yourself among the Chinese speakers, like Mark Zuckerburg does.

There is a lot to explain here and it's not easy (I'm the worst teacher on this planet).

Yes, basically, one Chinese character is corresponding to one or a string of words in English. It can have very different meanings depending on the context. There is also a lot of homophones, meaning to say, one sound can be written in different characters, and same sound with different tones may also be written differently. Am I making sense so far?

I feel silly trying to educate you on xianxia and Chinese culture. Now, I see where you're coming from. You find the dialogues dull and the pacing slow. I must admit, it took me awhile to get used to it. Nonetheless, hang in there. It'll get better, especially with Wei Ying. Just the visual alone would make this drama a joy to watch.

You know what? I just have to sigh over this. Talking about best actors and actresses the sort, do you know how many scandals there are? What is "Good" and what is "Bad", I thought we have already learned the lesson in this drama.

Yes, it has indeed turned into a "cult" in some sense. I wonder if you have enjoyed the music? For me, the songs are quite incredible pieces of work. At the point you're right now, I believe you still haven't seen the "real" chemistry between the two leads. If you continue further, you may really get into it. Hang in there. :)

If you want to insist that, I don't know what to say. I love Mozart, but not as much as I love Beethoven and Chopin. So, for people who love Mozart more may say I don't know what I'm talking about, and I don't want to be defensive over that.

Watch Xiao Zhan's latest performance:

https://youtu.be/wWftwVMACnk

Shoot!

This tells us one thing: don't take these stats too seriously. Most can be manipulated. Since school, experience tells me not to look at the grades. A poor grade doesn't mean a person is stupid; neither a good grade to mean a person will be successful.

What matters for The Untamed is: It is successful. In fact, a HUGE SUCCESS. And our beloved Xiao Zhan and Wang Yibo are the highest ranking stars. What more do we want? Why be bothered by those outliers? They are so insignificant. Let's save our energy to talk about more fun stuff, such as things that make our noses bleed. Hehehe!

I guess it depends a lot on how much you enjoy watching this genre of dramas (xianxia) and to a lesser extent, how much you understand the Chinese culture (ie. what the Chinese people value). No matter how much I tout this drama, none of my own family members are impressed by it. So, you're not alone.

For me, this genre is very new. There were a lot of things I couldn't understand (hence appreciate). But as I became more familiar with the story, I started to see more deeply into the intricate relationships between the characters, and that's the fun part. Together with the music, I was totally engaged, and by the end of it, fell in love with it like with no other dramas. More than 3 months later today, I still cannot move away from it.

You may go through the same journey as I did, or you may not. But nonetheless, don't feel too bad for not enjoying something most of us do here. Like another viewer said previously, "It's just a matter of taste."

LOL! This kid is so seductive. Who doesn't lust for him? XD XD XD

Thanks for the heads up. Actually as far as I'm concerned, I just want some news about Yibo and Xiao Zhan, any news at all because I'm missing them so much. :D

IKR? He's so young, so angelic, so cherubic, and yet so ..... (use your imagination. I don't want to give you nose bleed. XD).

The most hilarious thing is (towards the end of the video) when he was asked how many packs (abdomen) he is having now (he used to have 6 packs), he answered as a matter-of-factly, "one pack." XD. Silly and yet so honest Wang Yibo!

Heck! There goes my "pure" and "clean" image of our Zhan Zhan :((

And after your video, this video of Wang Yibo auto-plays:

https://youtu.be/NKXBN2_pn2k

Wang Yibo will be shooting a new double male lead drama, Being a Hero (Ice Rain). Sorry to disappoint you, the other male lead is not Xiao Zhan but Chen Xiao. Shooting will start in February. For the two male leads, one will play a police officer, the other a drug dealer. Which role do you think Yibo will play?

https://youtu.be/yanskE8MaJw