A Rainy Weekend
at the Art Market

A small confession: in the video Ivy calls this doorway 六边形 (six-sided) — but if you count the edges, it's actually 八边形 (eight-sided), an octagon. An easy slip! These open, door-less openings are called 洞门 (dòngmén), and they aren't just decoration — each one frames the view behind it like a living painting. The number eight is also lucky in Chinese, echoing 发 (fā, "to prosper") and the 八卦 (eight trigrams).

In old Chinese architecture, the raised wooden beam at the base of a doorway is the 门槛 (ménkǎn). Tradition says you should step over it, never on it. As Ivy mentions, there's even a rule about which foot goes first — 男左女右 (nán zuǒ nǚ yòu), "left for men, right for women." The threshold marked the boundary between inside and outside, family and stranger — so crossing it properly was a small act of respect.

Literally "a drop of wine, not touch." A set four-character phrase used to say someone doesn't drink at all. The structure 滴…不… emphasizes not even the smallest amount.

Ivy says 想的比做的简单多了 — "thinking is much simpler than doing." The pattern 比 (bǐ) makes a comparison, and adding 多了 (duō le) at the end means by a lot. It's the natural way to say "much more" in spoken Chinese.

One of the most-used words in everyday Chinese. Literally "add oil" (as in fuel), it's a way to cheer someone on — or, as Ivy uses it here, to encourage yourself: 我会加油的 (wǒ huì jiāyóu de), "I'll keep at it."