Chinese is a language with unique characteristics that make it very different from many other languages. One of the greatest difficulties when learning Chinese is avoiding literal translations, since the meaning of Chinese words is deeply influenced by the context in which they are used.

For example, the character 上 [shàng] can mean "up", "above", "begin" or even "attend", depending on the context. Similarly, 见 [jiàn] can mean "see", "meet someone" or "perceive". In other languages, it would be difficult to find a single word that encompasses all these nuances, which demonstrates the importance of understanding the context to comprehend the correct meaning.

In addition, there are words and concepts in other languages that do not have a direct translation into Chinese. In these situations, it is necessary to be ingenious and look for alternative ways to express the same idea, even if it is not literally.

The key to successfully learning Chinese is to keep an open mind, understanding that it is not always possible to establish an exact word-for-word correspondence within a sentence. Instead, try to understand and convey the full meaning of sentences and concepts as a whole.