Connected to the breath of earth

Connected to the breath of earth

The Chinese phrase for “down to earth” is 接地气 (jiē dì qì), or “connected to the breath of earth.” I was thinking about this phrase the other day, because while the concepts are the same, the translations are a bit different.  In English, the idea of...
The Chinese word for “rest”.

The Chinese word for “rest”.

休息 or xiū xi means “to rest” in Chinese.  Looking at each individual word can reveal insight into what it means to rest: 休 or xiū translate to “stop for a period of time”, and 息 (xi) means “to take a breath”.  Everyone rests in their own way. Some pick up...
China’s medical check

China’s medical check

Hooray, we exited quarantine this week! Next, we needed to get through China’s mandatory medical check in order to secure our working visas and resident’s permits. Note: this has nothing to do with COVID. In fact, every time we’ve come to work in...