Both the word ただ and だけ can often be translated as "just" or "only" in English. So what's the difference?

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Two Wise Monkeys Japanese Podcast

Ep.3 ただ vs だけ

This week Mona and I discuss the idiom: play it by ear. 


You can read along by accessing the full transcript at ⁠american-idiom.com

Brentoni's English Podcast

028 - play it by ear

My spouse and I discuss three novels we read about ancient Egyptian queens. 

List of novels and who it's about:
Daughter of the Gods- Hatshepsut (Pharaoh)
Nefertiti- about the famous queen Nefertiti
The Heretic Queen- Nefertari

Learn English with Stories

Ancient Egyptian Queens

The character "目- Mù " is a pictographic character depicting an eye.

It has multiple meanings and usages, Today we are gonna take a look at some of the main points:

Frist, As an Independent Word, It refers to 
1.眼睛- Yǎn jing - eyes, The organ of vision.

2.看 - Kàn - look, Derived from the function of the eye, it means to observe with the eyes.
Example:	
他目不转睛地看着比赛。- Tā mù bù zhuǎn jīng de kàn zhe bǐ sài 。
-He watched the game without blinking.
目睹了整个过程 - Mù dǔ le zhěng gè guò chéng 
- Witnessed the whole event 

Compound words

1.目光 - Mù guāng - Vision: A person's gaze or attention.
Example: 		
他的目光炯炯有神。- Tā de mù guāng jiǒng jiǒng yǒu shén 。
- His eyes are piercing.

2.目的-Mù dì - Purpose: Goal, intention.
Example:		
他的目的是通过考试。- Tā de mù dì shì tōng guò kǎo shì 。 
- His purpose is to pass the exam.

3.题目-Tí mù - Title/ question
Example: 	
作文的题目- Zuò wén de tí mù - The essay title 

4.目录 - Table of contents
Example:	
这本书的目录- Zhè běn shū de mù lù 
-The book's table of contents

5.项目- Xiàng mù - Item/ project
Example:	
工作中的重要项目。-Gōng zuò zhōng de zhòng yào xiàng mù 。 
-Important projects at work

Idioms and Fixed Phrases

"目不暇接 - Mù bù xiá jiē" : Describes an overwhelming number of things to see.

The Chinese idiom "目不暇接- Mù bù xiá jiē" translates to "too much to see" in English. It is often used to describe a situation where there are so many things to see that one's eyes don't have enough time to rest on any single thing. 

In a more general sense, it can be used to express the idea of being overwhelmed by numerous sights or activities happening all at once. 

Another common translation is "a feast for the eyes," emphasizing the abundance and variety of visually appealing elements.


每日一字

In this episode we are going to learn a Real Chinese Conversation【First meeting - informal occasion】. 
--------------------------------------------------
Step 1: Listen and catch the words you know already, have a guess about the content.
Step 2: Check the script to learn one by one. 
Step 3: Listen and repeat after it.
Step 4: Practice until you can perform the dialogue. 
--------------------------------------------------
A: 嗨，我叫阿明，你叫什么呀？
hāi ， wǒ jiào ā míng ， nǐ jiào shén me ya ？
Hi, I'm Aming. What's your name?
B: 我叫小美。
wǒ jiào xiǎo měi 。
I'm Xiaomei.
A: 你是第一次来这里吗？
nǐ shì dì yī cì lái zhè lǐ ma ？
Is this your first time here?
B: 对啊。你以前来过吗？
duì a 。 nǐ yǐ qián lái guò ma ？
Yeah. Have you been here before?
A: 嗯，我经常来。
en ， wǒ jīng cháng lái 。
Yesh, I come often.
B: 那你可以给我介绍介绍吗？
nà nǐ kě yǐ gěi wǒ jiè shào jiè shào ma ？
Can you introduce a bit for me?
A: 可以啊。我们每个星期六晚上都有派对。你可以在这里认识很多新朋友。
kě yǐ a 。 wǒ men měi gè xīng qī liù wǎn shàng dōu yǒu pài duì 。 nǐ kě yǐ zài zhè lǐ rèn shi hěn duō xīn péng yǒu 。
Yeah. We have parties every Saturday night. You can meet a lot of new people here.
太好了。我就是想来认识一些新朋友。
tài hǎo le 。 wǒ jiù shì xiǎng lái rèn shi yì xiē xīn péng yǒu 。
That's great. I did come to meet some new people.
我们加个微信吧。
wǒ men jiā gè wēi xìn ba 。
Could I have your WeChat？
可以啊。我扫你。
kě yǐ a 。 wǒ sǎo nǐ 。
Sure. Let me scan your QR code.
嗯，加上了。以后多联系。
en ， jiā shàng le 。 yǐ hòu duō lián xì 。
Okay, done. Keep in touch in future.
嗯，有时间可以聊一聊。
en ， yǒu shí jiān kě yǐ liáo yì liáo 。
Yeah, we can talk a bit when have time.

Yuli's Chinese Channel

初次见面-非正式场合 First meeting - informal occasion（Beginner）

Tired of abandoning your language resolutions by mid-February? This episode reveals why traditional goal-setting fails for advanced learners—and introduces a game-changing monthly mission system that keeps you motivated all year long. Discover how to turn vague aspirations like "improve my English" into measurable pronunciation victories, one month at a time. Perfect for learners who know there's more progress to make but can't see the next step forward.

British Pronunciation Tips 

Why Your Language Goals Fail by February - Setting language goals that actually work

Un viaggio pieno di sorprese! 

Capitolo 5 - Roma

In this Chillchat podcast, Karen and Baiwei chatted about classic liquor and cocktails, as well as expressions about drinking at a bar.


Chillchat (Learn Chinese and Chill)

 酒吧中文101 Chinese Phrases That You Can Use at a Bar

Note: This podcast is intended for language learning ONLY. Not for promoting or criticizing any political party or ideology. Let’s keep it friendly and accessible to all :)

Also, all of the experiences are the hosts’ own experiences so please do your own research if you need more information.