When the weather outdoors gets warmer, flowers appear and birds become active. Spring has sprung (春天来了)! 【小题1】 You go to bed, and the next morning you awake to a new world—one that is greener and more colorful. The same can be said for expressions that use the word “spring”.

Now one of the fastest growing things in nature is the mushroom. One day mushrooms are nowhere to be found. 【小题2】 So, when something happens suddenly and often over a large area, we can say it springs up like mushrooms.

【小题3】 After videos about making cupcakes mushrooms became popular online, cupcake stores sprang up like mushrooms all over town.

We use the term “to spring” to describe anything that happens without warning. So if someone springs big news on you, the news comes to you from out of the blue. 【小题4】

Let’s say two people, Tara and Sam, own a business called Tara and Sam’s Roof Repair. Then one day, Tara sprang big news on Sam. She was moving to Alaska in a week! She wanted out of the business.

Sam wasn’t prepared for this. He asked, “A week? How can you spring this news on me? 【小题5】”

Next time you have news, try not to spring it on someone unless you want them to be shocked (震惊的). In that case (情况), spring away!

It’s never too early or too late to learn Chinese. If you have no time to attend classes, don’t worry. There are online courses for all levels of learners.