Chinese (Mandarin)/Print version
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Table of contents
Text / 课文
Introduction / 介绍
Pronunciation
- Pinyin Pronunciation Basics
- Pronunciation of Initials
- Pronunciation of Finals
- Possible Initial-Final Combinations
- Using Tones
Text / 课文
- Hello! - 第一课:你好!
- Are you busy today? - 第二课:今天你忙不忙?
- An introduction to particles - 第三课:助词
- Word order and Verbs - 第四课:词序和动词
- Measure words/Counters - 第五课:量词
- More on interrogatives - 第六课:疑问助词
- What's this? - 第七课:这是什么?
- Who is she? - 第八课:她是谁?
- Where is the railway station? - 第九课:火车站在哪里?
- A telephone conversation - 第十课:电话
- Taiwan - 第十一课:台湾
- Mandarin is so interesting! - 第十二课:华语真好玩
- I'm sick - 第十三课:我生病了
- Drinking tea - 第十七课:喝茶
- China - 第十八课:中国
Introduction / 介绍
About Chinese
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The Chinese cultural sphere of influence |
The Chinese language (汉语/漢語, 华语/華語 or 中文; Pinyin: Hanyu, Huayu, Zhongwen) is a member of the Sino-Tibetan family of languages. About one-fifth of the world speaks some form of Chinese as its native language, making it the most common natively-spoken language in the world.
There is great internal variety within Chinese, and spoken Chinese languages such as Standard Mandarin (Putonghua), Shanghainese (Wu), and Cantonese, which are not mutually intelligible. Nevertheless, there is a single standardized form of Chinese known as Standard Mandarin (国语), which is based on the dialect of Beijing, which is in turn its own Mandarin dialect, among a large and diverse group of Chinese dialects spoken in Northern and Southwestern China. Standard Mandarin is the official language of Mainland China and Chinese Taiwan, one of four official languages of Singapore, and one of six official languages of the United Nations. Standard Mandarin also corresponds to the modern standard written Chinese language used by people speaking all forms of Chinese from all corners of China, including Mandarin, Wu, Cantonese, Hakka, Min-nan, and so forth. This textbook will teach Standard Mandarin, both spoken and written.
Chinese grammar is in many ways simpler than European languages (for example, you will see no tenses, plurals, or subject-verb agreement), but there are also plenty of pitfalls that will trip up the unsuspecting beginner (for example, you will encounter tones, measure words, and discourse particles, which do not feature as strongly in European languages.) In addition, the complexity of the writing system often daunts newcomers, as Chinese is one of the few languages in the world that does not use an alphabet or a syllabary; instead, thousands of characters are used, each representing a word or a part of a word. However, most complex Chinese characters are composed of only a few hundred simpler characters and many contain phonetic hints. There is a common Western misconception of Chinese writing as having thousands of distinct and idiomatic symbols each representing a single word, however, Chinese writing is surprisingly mnemonic, granted it is not as simple as the writing of Romance languages. The government of China has developed a system of writing Standard Mandarin pronunciation in the Roman alphabet, known as Hanyu Pinyin, or simply, pinyin (汉语拼音/漢語拼音, "spelling according to sounds"). Hanyu Pinyin is used to write out Chinese words phonetically in an effort to help learners of Chinese with their pronunciation. This wikibook will teach you Hanyu Pinyin first, before any actual sentences. All examples and new vocabulary will always be given together with Hanyu Pinyin.
There are two character sets: Simplified Chinese characters (简体字/簡體字, Pinyin: Jiǎntǐzì) and Traditional Chinese characters (繁体字/繁體字, Pinyin: Fǎntǐzi). Traditional characters trace their lineage through thousands of years of Chinese history, and continue to be used in Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, and among many overseas Chinese. Simplified Chinese characters were the result of reforms carried out in Mainland China to increase literacy rates and is now used in Singapore as well. The two systems share many of the same characters or with systematic, predictable reductions in stroke; however, some changes are not as formulaic. As a result, most native Chinese speakers are able to write in only one of the two systems, though they can usually read both. You are recommended to do the same. It is considered easier for people who learn Traditional to read both sets than people who learn Simplified only, but Simplified characters are less intimidating for beginners. In this wikibook, all examples and vocabulary are given in both systems, and you are encouraged to choose one system and stick with it throughout.
Chinese characters have also been used in the past by other neighbouring Asian countries, and are still being used by some of them today. Some older Koreans still know how to read and write Chinese characters, but although the members of younger generations are taught Chinese characters or hanja, they are rarely used and unnecessary for literacy in Korean, with the native alphabet, hangul. Chinese characters are occasionally used for abbreviations, to clarify technical vocabulary (as Chinese serves roughly the same role in Korean that Latin serves in English), and to write family and many personal names. The Japanese still preserve many Chinese characters or kanji today and use them along with two syllabaries to write the Japanese language.
Expectations
This textbook will assume that you have no prior knowledge of Chinese, but are willing to take Chinese as a serious subject of study. Each lesson contains a combination of new vocabulary and new grammar in a gradual progression, building on previous lessons.
Each lesson should be appropriate for a week's worth of daily classes, so don't feel overwhelmed by the amount of material per lesson. Learning to write new characters will probably be your limiting factor, so split up the memorization of a lesson's characters over two or three days and use class time mostly for work on grammar and speaking skills.
Lesson Sections
Each lesson consists of five parts:
- Dialogue. Here you will see a dialogue carried out by two or more people. All texts are given in 4 versions: Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Hanyu Pinyin, and an English translation.
- Grammar. This section breaks down all of the new sentence structures introduced in the dialogue and shows example sentences to reinforce them.
- Vocabulary. New vocabulary for the lesson, with translation and pronunciation. Every newly introduced character will be linked to an image or animation showing its stroke order.
- Examples. A page of sentences and phrases giving more examples based on the lesson material.
- Exercises. Questions and activities to test comprehension of the material. May be used as homework or as review material for lesson exams.
Speaking and Pronunciation
- Learn pinyin. Not only is it used throughout this book to explain proper pronunciation, it is needed to look up words in dictionaries and to type in Chinese.
- Pay attention to the tones. Since there are so few syllables in Chinese, there are many homonyms, making attention to tones very important. Learning to write the pinyin with correct tones at the same time as you learn the characters will improve your pronunciation and your listening comprehension.
- Read the text aloud. Speaking (and hearing yourself speak) will help reinforce the text in your memory. Exaggerating the tones can help you remember them. In Chinese, character (something that when writing takes a space unit), word (which may include some characters or a single character), and sentence may be different from English. When speaking Chinese, the pronunciation of each character should be a single unit.
- Find a language partner. There may be a Chinese language club in a nearby city or university. There are also free websites on the Internet that can help you set up a language exchange using Skype or other VoIP programs. Two examples are The Mixxer and E-Tandem.
- Use a Text To Speech (TTS) service. In other words, have a computer read the text for you. Free examples include Google Translate and imtranslator.net. Google Translate can not only read the text (the volume icon, not available for large texts) but also give you the pinyin (the A with the umlaut), and, of course, translate.
- Consume Chinese media. Immersing yourself in Chinese after learning the basics will make learning easier. To learn pronunciation, make the voices of native speakers your constant companions, and after finishing this book, continue to immerse yourself—you will have learned enough to take on Chinese "in the wild". A wide variety of multimedia options exist for exposing your ears to native Chinese speakers. Two of the best sites for easy listening materials are Popup Chinese and ChineseClass101.com. Advanced learners can listen to broadcasts of Xinhua, China's official news network, or visit Youku, a Chinese incarnation of YouTube (YouTube is blocked in China, and Facebook as well, for that matter). Download as much audio as you can from these sites to your MP3 player and start listening. You can listen to Chinese whenever you're in the car, commuting, or doing mechanical tasks. Note that, since Internet Explorer 6 is still a popular browser in China, Chinese websites may seem a bit quirky, and video streaming services may not work at all on modern browsers.
Reading and Writing
- Practice writing—a lot. When you study, write a character at least ten times, and more if you have trouble remembering it. You can find special grid paper for writing practice with Chinese characters on the Internet; for example, PDF sheets are available on UVM's web site, and a practice sheet generator is available at www.chinesetools.eu (or original site, French). The output is set up as a grid, so that a typical printer can print 11 characters with 8 boxes each per page in portrait mode, giving each character one row, or 5 characters with 17 boxes each, and so on. In landscape mode, a printer can print 8 characters with 11 boxes each per page, or 4 characters with 23 boxes each giving each character two lines. Remember to quiz yourself periodically to test your memory and to find which characters you need to practice more. As you write, think of the sound and meaning of the character, or say it out loud. Check out the East Asian Calligraphy wikibook for more help with Chinese writing. Learn the correct stroke order initially and write carefully, looking at the printed character each time before copying. Actually writing is important to establish a 'motor memory' of each character, which will allow your writing to flow more easily.
- Use a flashcard program. Many people use flash cards memorize information, but there's often much time wasted reviewing what they already know well, or in relearning what they forgot. The free programs Anki and Mnemosyne, can optimize your review schedule using their algorithms. They can also use audio for pronunciation help and 3-sided cards to study reading, writing, and translation separately. You can download free cardsets, export your own, or write them yourself to fully customize your character selection.
- Look for radicals. Radicals are components of Chinese characters that you will see repeated over and over again. Learning the meaning of radicals will help you to see the connections between similar categories of words. Many characters are comprised of radical-phonetic pairings, where the radical is the "root" that hints at the meaning of the word, while another part of the character hints at the sound of the word. Learning to spot radicals is also useful since they can be used when looking up words when you don't know the pinyin in Chinese dictionaries.
- Buy a dictionary. They're useful for looking up new words or just browsing. Beginner's dictionaries have larger fonts, usage examples, and Pinyin pronunciation, all of which are sometimes missing in comprehensive dictionaries. CC-CEDICT is a thorough Chinese-English dictionary available under Creative Commons. KTdict C-E is a free iOS app that uses CEDICT. A good physical dictionary that provides many example sentences and phrases is The Starter Oxford Chinese Dictionary (Simplified characters only). A good online dictionary would be nciku. It is searchable by pinyin, characters, and sketches, via a drawing panel. It not only contains definitions, also shows the stroke order of a character, and gives examples of its use.
Suggested Reading Materials
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- Children's story books (the characters are easier, many include pinyin or zhuyin for difficult characters)
- Xinhua is the official Chinese news network, but again, it is mostly for advanced learners.
- Pinyin/Pinyin-English News Summary
Pronunciation
Pinyin Pronunciation
This lesson shows the pronunciation of pinyin, the standard Romanization system used for Mandarin Chinese and the one that will be used throughout the textbook. While most of the letters are the same or very close to the English usage, there are some important differences.
Pronunciation Basics
Mandarin Chinese may sound strange, but is actually relatively easy for English speakers to pick up—much easier than it is for Mandarin-speakers to learn English. A large part of the reason is that Chinese has a very limited sound inventory, meaning there are not many sounds in the language, and hardly any new ones if you already know English. On the other hand, that means Chinese-speakers trying to grasp English must learn to produce dozens of entirely new sounds—remember that as you proceed through these first lessons on pronunciation!
One very different aspect of Chinese is its use of tones. Because of its limited sound inventory, the pitch, also known as the tone or inflection, is used to help differentiate between words. Words with different tones usually have entirely different meanings, but may have the same base with different radicals. While some dialects of Chinese have up to nine tones, Mandarin is comparatively easy with only four. It's often difficult for beginners to distinguish the tone of a word, especially when not sure of the context, people who do not speak a tonal language are not used to listening for pitch in conversation. Speaking Chinese is like singing, but even if you have perfect pitch, it may be hard to follow or reproduce what seems like a roller coaster ride of tonal transitions. Don't worry though, you'll improve by listening and practicing. These lessons will describe how to understand and reproduce all the syllables and tones of Mandarin.
If you know another Romanization system or the IPA
If you are familiar with Zhuyin (bopomofo), Tongyong Pinyin, or the Wade-Giles system of Romanization, Wikipedia has an equivalency chart comparing the different systems. Learn to use Hanyu Pinyin—the more common Romanization system for Chinese, which will be used for this book.
The IPA, or International Phonetic Alphabet, is a standard set of symbols that can be used to write any sound from any human language. The sounds of pinyin are listed below in IPA.
The Mandarin syllable
There are three parts to all syllables in Mandarin; the initial, the final, and the tone. In pinyin, the tone, initial, and final are represented as follows:
Tone
The tone is represented by a tone mark placed on top of the syllable. There are exactly four tone marks: ˉ, ˊ, ˇ, and ˋ. The two dots on ü (like a German umlaut) do not have to do with the tone, so if you see ǖ, ǘ, ǚ, or ǜ, the symbol above the dots represents the tone.
Initial
The initial is...
- in the beginning of a syllable
- a consonant (excluding y, or w)
- usually one letter, except for zh, ch, sh
Final
The final is made up of the letter(s) after a syllable's initial, not including the tone mark. A final...
- begins with a vowel
- can be made of 1-4 characters
- ends with a vowel, n, ng, or r
Exceptions to initial-final combinations in syllables
Some syllables have no initial or no final. In Pinyin, this is shown as follows:
- For syllables with no final:
- an unpronounced i is added to the end of the syllable
- Occurs only with the following initials:zh, ch, sh, r, z, c, s
- For syllables with no initial:
- if the final begins with an i, it is replaced with a y
- if the final begins with an u, it is replaced with a w
- if the final begins with an ü, it is replaced with yu
- Exceptions to the above:
- i alone is replaced by yi
- iu is replaced by you
- in is replaced by yin
- ing is replaced by ying
- u alone is replaced by wu
- ui is replaced by wei
- un is replaced by wen
- ueng is replaced by weng
One other exception:
- when combined with initials j, q, x; any ü in a final is changed to u.
Please note that the pronunciation of these syllables is not according to the English pronunciation of the letters. The next few pages give examples of how initials and finals are pronounced, put together, and how to use tones.
Remember, since hearing is very important for learning to speak, audio samples and the voices of native speakers should be your constant companions.
Pronunciation of initials
Pinyin | IPA | Explanation | Examples |
---|---|---|---|
b | [p] | unaspirated p, as in spit | 帮 bāng, to help 包 bāo, (Chinese) bun |
p | [pʰ] | as in English | 炮 pào, gun; cannon |
m | [m] | as in English | 马 mǎ, horse |
f | [f] | as in English | 风 fēng, wind |
d | [t] | unaspirated t, as in stand | 大 dà, big 刀 dāo, knife |
t | [tʰ] | as in English | 头 tóu, head |
n | [n] | as in English | 男 nán, male |
l | [l] | as in English | 老 lǎo, old |
g | [k] | unaspirated k, as in skill | 格 gé, grid 歌 gē, song |
k | [kʰ] | as in English | 看 kàn, to see |
h | [x] | like the English h if followed by "a"; otherwise it is pronounced more roughly (not unlike the Scots ch) | 好 hǎo, good 喝 hē, to drink 画 huà, to draw |
j | [tɕ] | like q, but unaspirated. (To get this sound, first take the sound halfway between joke and check, and then slowly pass it backwards along the tongue until it is entirely clear of the tongue tip.) While this exact sound is not used in English, the closest match is the j in ajar, not the s in Asia; this means that "Beijing" is pronounced like "bay-jing", not like "beige-ing". | 叫 jiào, to call 家 jiā, home, family 近 jìn, close 尖 jiān, sharp |
q | [tɕʰ] | like j above, but with strong aspiration. Similar to church; pass it backwards along the tongue until it is free of the tongue tip | 气 qì, air, gas 桥 qiáo, bridge |
x | [ɕ] | like sh, but take the sound and pass it backwards along the tongue until it is clear of the tongue tip; very similar to the final sound in German ich, Portuguese enxada, luxo, xícara, puxa, and to huge or Hugh in some English dialects | 小 xiǎo, little, small 心 xīn, heart 想 xiǎng, to think; to want |
zh | [tʂ] | ch with no aspiration (take the sound halfway between joke and church and curl it upwards); very similar to merger in American English, but not voiced | 长 zhǎng, to grow 中 zhōng, center, middle 重 zhòng, heavy |
ch | [tʂʰ] | Like zh above, but with strong aspiration. Similar to chin, but with the tongue curled upwards; very similar to nurture in American English, but strongly aspirated | 吃 chī, to eat 茶 chá, tea |
sh | [ʂ] | as in shinbone, but with the tongue curled upwards; very similar to undershirt in American English | 沙 shā, sand 手 shǒu, hand 上 shàng, up, on |
r | [ɻ] | similar to the English r in rank, but with the lips spread and with the tongue curled upwards | 日 rì, sun 热 rè, hot |
z | [ts] | unaspirated c (halfway between beds and bets), (more common example is suds) | 紫 zǐ, purple |
c | [tsʰ] | like ts, aspirated (more common example is cats) | 草 cǎo, grass 次 cì, time(s) |
s | [s] | as in sun | 送 sòng, to send |
y | [j], [ɥ] | as in English. If followed by a u, pronounce it with rounded lips | 月 yuè, moon 音 yīn, tone |
w | [w] | as in English | 外 wài, outside |
Pronunciation of finals
Pinyin | IPA | Final-only form | Explanation |
---|---|---|---|
a | [a] | a | if ending a syllable, then as in "father" |
o | [ɔ] | (n/a) | plain continental 'or'. Only used in certain interjections. |
e | [ɤ], [ə] | e | when occurring at the end of a syllable and not in the combinations of ie, üe, ue, then a backward, unrounded vowel, which can be formed by first pronouncing a plain continental "o" (AuE and NZE law) and then spreading the lips without changing the position of the tongue. That same sound is also similar to English "duh", but not as open. Many unstressed syllables in Chinese use the schwa (idea), and this is also written as e. |
ê | [ɛ] | (n/a) | as in "bet". Only used in certain interjections. |
ai | [aɪ̯] | ai | like English "eye", but a bit lighter |
ei | [eɪ̯] | ei | as in "hey" |
ao | [ɑʊ̯] | ao | approximately as in "cow"; the a is much more audible than the o |
ou | [oʊ̯] | ou | as in "so", "dough" |
an | [an] | an | starts with plain continental "a" (AuE and NZE bud) and ends with "n"; as in "stun", "fun" |
en | [ən] | en | as in "taken" |
ang | [ɑŋ] | ang | as in German Angst, including the English loan word angst (starts with the vowel sound in father and ends in the velar nasal; as in "flung", "dung", "young";like song in American English) |
eng | [əŋ] | eng | like e in en above but with ng added to it at the back |
er | [ɑɻ] | er | like ar (exists only on own, or as last part of final in combination with others- see bottom of list) |
i | [i] | yi | like English "ee", except when preceded by "c", "ch", "r", "s", "sh", "z" or "zh"; in these cases it should be pronounced as a natural extension of those sounds in the same position, but slightly more open to allow for a clear-sounding vowel to pass through |
ia | [i̯a] | ya | as i + a; like English "yard" or the name "iago" |
io | [iou] | (n/a) | as i + o; like English slang "yo"; (only exists as a final-only interjection) |
ie | [i̯ɛ] | ye | as i + ê; but is very short; e (pronounced like ê) is pronounced longer and carries the main stress (similar to the initial sound ye in yet) |
iai | [iɑi] | yai | as i + ai; like "yi" in "yikes"; (only exists as final-only form "yai") |
iao | [i̯ɑʊ̯] | yao | as i + ao |
iu | [i̯oʊ̯] | you | as i + ou |
ian | [i̯ɛn] | yan | as i + an; like English yen |
in | [in] | yin | as i + en; as in the English word "in"; |
iang | [i̯ɑŋ] | yang | as i + ang |
ing | [iŋ] | ying | as i + eng |
u | [u] | wu | like English "oo", except in xu and yu, where it is pronounced as u |
ua | [u̯a] | wa | as u + a |
uo, o | [u̯ɔ] | wo | as u + o (as o after initials b, p, m and f); the o is pronounced shorter and lighter than in the o final |
uai | [u̯aɪ̯] | wai | as u + ai |
ui | [u̯eɪ̯] | wei | as u + ei; here, the i is pronounced like ei |
uan | [u̯an] | wan | as u + an |
un | [u̯ən] | wen | as u + en; like the on in the English won |
uang | [u̯ɑŋ] | wang | as u + ang; like the ang in English angst or anger |
ong | [ʊŋ], [u̯əŋ] | weng | as u + eng; starts with the vowel sound in book and ends with the velar nasal sound in sing |
ü | [y] | yu | as in German "üben" or French "lune" (To get this sound, say "ee" with rounded lips) |
üe | [y̯œ] | yue | as ü + ê; the ü is short and light |
üan | [y̯ɛn] | yuan | as ü + an; |
ün | [yn] | yun | as ü + en; |
iong | [i̯ʊŋ] | yong | as ü + eng; |
Finals that are a combination of finals above + er final | ||
---|---|---|
Pinyin | IPA | Explanation |
e'r | [ɤɻ] | as e + er (not to be confused with er final on its own- this form only exists with an initial character before it) |
air, anr | [ɑɻ] | as ai + er, an + er |
aor | [ɑʊ̯ɻ] | as ao + er |
our | [oʊ̯ɻ] | as ou + er |
angr | [ɑŋɻ] | as ang + er |
iar, ianr | [i̯ɑɻ] | as ia + er, ian + er |
inr, ir | [i̯əɻ] | as in + er, i + er |
ingr | [i̯əŋɻ] | as ing + er |
ur | [uɻ] | as u + er |
uor | [u̯ɔɻ] | as uo + er |
uir | [u̯əɻ] | as ui + er |
ongr | [ʊŋɻ] | as ong + er |
ür | [y̯əɻ] | as ü + er |
Using Tones
Every syllable in Chinese has a clearly defined pitch of voice associated with it to distinguish characters with the same sound from each other. Unfortunately, there is no indication of the tone given when reading a character, so the tones for words must be individually memorized. To help with this, pinyin uses four easily-remembered diacritical marks to tell you what the tones of words are. The diagram to the right shows the pitch changes of the four tones on a five-bar scale going from lowest (1), to highest (5), while the five tone marks are:
- First tone (阴平)( ˉ ), high level.
- Second tone (阳平)(ˊ), middle rising.
- Third tone (上声)( ˇ ), low dipping.
- Fourth tone (去声)(ˋ), high falling.
- Tone of unstressed syllable (轻声)(without any marks), low level.
Tone marks are always placed over vowels, never consonants. If there is more than one vowel in the syllable, the mark placement is determined by three simple rules.
- If there is an a or an e, the tone goes on the a or the e. No pinyin syllable contains both an a and an e.
- In the ou combination, the o takes the tone mark.
- In all other cases, the final vowel gets the tone mark.
Pronouncing the tones
Say the first tone as if you were singing a high note. The second tone is pronounced like a question in English, with your pitch rising at the end of the syllable. Third tones are low and extended, noticeably longer than the other tones because of the dip. The fourth tone is said abruptly and forcefully, like a curt command in English. The neutral tone's pitch depends on the tone that precedes it. It is described more fully below, but in general, they are pronounced quickly and softly. The classic example used to show the difference tones make is:
|
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In many cases, several characters can have exactly the same syllable and tone. For example, along with 马, the characters 码 and 蚂 are also pronounced exactly the same (mǎ). 马 can be used alone to mean the animal "horse." It can also be combined with other characters for new meanings. 马上mǎshàng-immediately; 马球mǎqiú-polo; 马路mǎlù-street; etc. Other characters with the same pronunciation will be used differently as well. 数码相机shùmǎ xiàngjī-digital camera; 蚂蚁mǎyǐ-ant; etc. Since these characters alone sound exactly the same in conversation, the only way to distinguish them is through context.
Tone changes
The third tone, with its dip-and-rebound, is hard to fit into a continuous sentence. This is why the third-tone changes depending on its environment. There are two rules:
- If a third tone comes before another third tone, then it is pronounced as a second tone.
- If a third tone comes before any other tone, then it only dips, and doesn't rebound and is called a half-third tone (see image).
Because of these broad rules, the majority of third tones you encounter will be spoken as second tones or half-third tones. Be mindful of this because the written tone marks remain unchanged despite the differences in actual pronunciation.
Neutral Tones
Some syllables don't have a tone and carry no tone mark. They are not stressed, and they take their tone from the syllable before them:
- If it follows a first- or second-tone syllable, then the toneless syllable is mid-range.
- If it follows a third-tone syllable, then the toneless syllable is high, as if the dip-and-rebound of the third-tone continues right into it.
- If it follows a fourth-tone syllable, then the toneless syllable is low, as if the fall of the fourth-tone continues right into it.
Test and Review
Lessons / 课程
Lesson 1: 你好!
It is appropriate to start off the introduction to Chinese with the common greeting 你好 ‹nǐ hǎo› (“hello”)。 Below is a dialogue between two people meeting each other for the first time.
Dialogues
Dialogue 1
|
Simplified Characters | Traditional Characters | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
金妮: | 你好。 | 金妮: | 你好。 | |
欧文: | 你好。 | 歐文: | 妳好。 | |
金妮: | 我叫金妮。你叫什么名字? | 金妮: | 我叫金妮。你叫什麽名字? | |
欧文: | 我叫欧文。 | 歐文: | 我叫歐文。 |
Pīnyīn | English | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Jīnní: | Nǐ hǎo. | Ginny: | Hello. | |
Ōuwén: | Nǐ hǎo. | Owen: | Hello. | |
Jīnní: | Wǒ jiào Jīnní. Nǐ jiào shénme míngzi? | Ginny: | I'm Ginny. What's your name? | |
Ōuwén: | Wǒ jiào Ōuwén. | Owen: | I'm Owen. |
Dialogue 2
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|
Problems listening to this file? See media help. |
Simplified Characters | Traditional Characters | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
金妮: | 他们是谁? | 金妮: | 他們是誰? | |
欧文: | 她是艾美,她是中国人。他是东尼,他是美国人。 | 歐文: | 她是艾美,她是中國人。他是東尼,他是美國人。 | |
金妮: | 你也是美国人吗? | 金妮: | 你也是美國人嗎? | |
欧文: | 不是,我是英国人。你呢?你是哪国人? | 歐文: | 不是,我是英國人。你呢?你是哪國人? | |
金妮: | 我是法国人。 | 金妮: | 我是法國人。 |
Pīnyīn | English | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Jīnní: | Tāmen shì shéi? | Ginny: | Who are they? | |
Ōuwén: | Tā shì Àiměi, tā shì Zhōngguórén. Tā shì Dōngní, tā shì Měiguórén. | Owen: | She is Amy. She's Chinese. He's Tony, an American. | |
Jīnní: | Nĭ yě shì Měiguórén ma? | Ginny: | Are you also American? | |
Ōuwén: | Bú shì. Wǒ shì Yīngguórén. Nǐ ne? Nǐ shì nǎ guó rén? | Owen: | No, I'm British. How about you? Which nationality are you? | |
Jīnní: | Wǒ shì Fǎguórén. | Ginny: | I'm French. |
Vocabulary
Simplified | Traditional (if diff.) | Pīnyīn | Part of speech | English [m.] | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1a. | 你 ![]() |
nǐ | (pro) | you (singular, masculine) | |
1b. | 妳 ![]() |
妳 ![]() |
nǐ | (pro) | you (singular, feminine) |
2. | 好 ![]() |
hǎo | (adj) | good | |
3. | 们 ![]() |
們 ![]() |
men | (particle) | (noun plural marker) |
4a. | 你们 ![]() |
你們 ![]() |
nǐmen | (pro) | you all (plural, masculine) |
4b. | 妳们 ![]() |
妳們 ![]() |
nǐmen | (pro) | you all (plural, feminine) |
5. | 我 ![]() |
wǒ | (pro) | I, me | |
6. | 我们 ![]() |
我們 ![]() |
wǒmen | (pro) | we, us |
7. | 他 ![]() |
tā | (pro) | he, him | |
8. | 她 ![]() |
tā | (pro) | she, her | |
9. | 他们 ![]() |
他們 ![]() |
tāmen | (pro) | they, them (masc.) |
10. | 她们 ![]() |
她們 ![]() |
tāmen | (pro) | they, them (fem.) |
11. | 叫 ![]() |
jiào | (v) | to be named, (lit.) to call | |
12. | 什么 ![]() |
什麽 ![]() |
shénme | (pro) | what |
13. | 名字 ![]() |
míngzi | (n) | name | |
14. | 是 ![]() |
shì | (v) | to be (am/is/are) | |
15. | 谁 ![]() |
誰 ![]() |
shéi OR shuí | (pro) | who, whom |
16. | 国 ![]() |
國 ![]() |
guó | (n) | country |
17. | 人 ![]() |
rén | (n) | person [个 ![]() ![]() |
|
18. | 也 ![]() |
yě | (adv) | also | |
19. | 吗 ![]() |
嗎 ![]() |
ma | (part) | (question particle for yes or no questions) |
20. | 呢 ![]() |
ne | (part) | (question particle for known context) | |
21. | 哪 ![]() |
nǎ OR něi | (pro) | what, which | |
22. | 不 ![]() |
bù | (adv) | (negates verbs) |
Proper Nouns
Simplified | Traditional (if diff.) | Pīnyīn | English | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1. | 金妮 | Jīnní | Ginny | ||
2. | 欧文 | 歐文 | Ōuwén | Owen | |
3. | 艾美 | Àiměi | Amy | ||
4. | 东尼 | 東尼 | Dōngní | Tony | |
5. | 中国 ![]() |
中國 ![]() |
Zhōngguó | China | |
6. | 美国 ![]() |
美國 ![]() |
Měiguó | America | |
7. | 英国 ![]() |
英國 ![]() |
Yīngguó | Britain | |
8. | 法国 ![]() |
法國 ![]() |
Fǎguó | France |
Forming the nationality is usually as simple as adding on 人 ‹rén› (“person”) to the country name. 中国
‹Zhōngguó› (“China”) becomes 中国人
‹Zhōngguó rén› (“a person of Chinese nationality”), and so forth.
Grammar
Basic Sentences
The sentence structure of Chinese is very similar to that of English in that they both follow the pattern of Subject-Verb-Object (SVO). Unlike many languages, verbs in Chinese are not conjugated and noun and adjective endings do not change. They are never affected by things such as time or person. |
S + V + O |
---|
1. 我叫艾美。
- Wǒ jiào Àiměi.
- I'm called Amy.
Sentences using shì [是]
S + 是 + O |
---|
1. 我是中国人。
- Wǒ shì Zhōngguórén.
- I am a Chinese person.
2. 她是金妮。
- Tā shì Jīnní.
- She is Ginny.
3. 她们是英国人。
- Tāmen shì Yīngguórén.
- They are English.
是 ![]() ![]() ![]() |
S + 不 + 是 + O |
---|
1. 他不是东尼。
- Tā bú shì Dōngní.
- He is not Tony.
2. 我不是美国人。
- Wǒ bú shì Měiguórén.
- I am not American.
Articles
There are no articles in Chinese grammar. While English noun clauses often begin with "a", "an", or "the", Chinese is less verbose.
An example:
- 我是中国人。
- Wǒ shì Zhōngguórén.
- I am [a] Chinese person.
An "a" appears in the English translation, but the singular and indefinite nature of 中国人 ‹Zhōngguórén› (“Chinese person”) is just inferred in Chinese.
The question particle 吗
‹ma›
Adding the modal particle 吗 ![]() |
The declarative example sentence in #1 is transformed into an interrogative in #2.
1. 她是金妮。
- Tā shì Jīnní.
- She is Ginny.
2. 她是金妮吗?
- Tā shì Jīnní ma?
- She is Ginny ?
The question particle 呢
‹ne›
1. 我叫东尼, 你呢?
- Wǒ jiào Dōngní, nǐ ne?
- I'm called Tony. How about you?
2. 艾美是中国人, 他呢?
- Àiměi shì Zhōngguórén, tā ne?
- Amy is Chinese. How about him?
Question words
1. 他们是哪国人?
- Tāmen shì nǎ guó rén?
- What nationality are they? (literally, "They are what country person?")
2. 谁是美国人?
- Shéi shì Měiguórén?
- Who is American?'
3. 她是谁?
- Tā shì shéi?
- Who is she? (literally, "She is who?")
Lesson 2: 今天你忙不忙?
Lesson 2 contains a dialogue of two students discussing their classes for the day.
Dialogues
Dialogue 1
Simplified Characters | Traditional Characters | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
东尼: | 艾美,早上好(早安)。 | 東尼: | 艾美,早上好(早安)。 | |
艾美: | 早。你好吗? | 艾美: | 早。你好嗎? | |
东尼: | 我很好,谢谢。你呢? | 東尼: | 我很好,謝謝。你呢? | |
艾美: | 我也很好。你今天忙吗? | 艾美: | 我也很好。你今天有空嗎? | |
东尼: | 今天我很忙。我有五门课。 | 東尼: | 今天我很忙。我有五門課。 | |
艾美: | 五门?太多了!我今天只有一门。 | 艾美: | 五門?太多了!我今天只有一門。 | |
东尼: | 一门?太少了! | 東尼: | 一門?太少了! | |
Pīnyīn | English | |||
Dōngní: | Àiměi, zăoshang hǎo (zǎo'ān). | Tony: | Good morning, Amy. | |
Àiměi: | Zăo. Nǐ hǎo ma? | Amy: | Good morning. How are you? | |
Dōngní: | Wǒ hěn hǎo, xièxie. Nǐ ne? | Tony: | I'm fine, thanks. And you? | |
Àiměi: | Wǒ yě hěn hǎo. Nǐ jīntiān (máng ma?) (yǒukòng ma?) | Amy: | I'm also fine. Are you busy today? | |
Dōngní: | Jīntiān wǒ hěn máng. Wǒ yǒu wǔ-mén kè. | Tony: | I'm very busy today. I have five classes. | |
Àiměi: | Wǔ-mén? Tài duō le! Wǒ jīntiān zhĭyǒu yī-mén. | Amy: | Five? That's too many! Today I only have one. | |
Dōngní: | Yī-mén? Tài shǎo le! | Tony: | One? That's too few! |
Dialogue 2
Simplified Characters | Traditional Characters | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
东尼: | 艾美,下午好。 | 東尼: | 艾美,下午好。 | |
艾美: | 下午好。你那五门课上完了吗? | 艾美: | 下午好。你那五門課上完了嗎? | |
东尼: | 上了三节,你呢? | 東尼: | 上了三節。你呢? | |
艾美: | 上完了,下午想去公园。 | 艾美: | 上完了,下午想去公園。 | |
东尼: | 哦。这个计划不错。 | 東尼: | 哦。這個計劃不錯。 | |
艾美: | 谢谢夸奖。那么,明天见! | 艾美: | 謝謝夸獎。那麼,明天見! | |
东尼: | 明天见。 | 東尼: | 明天見。 | |
Pīnyīn | English | |||
Dōngní: | Àiměi, xiàwǔ hǎo. | Tony: | Good afternoon, Amy. | |
Àiměi: | Xiàwǔ hǎo. Nǐ nà wǔ-mén kè shàng-wánle ma? | Amy: | Good afternoon. Did you finish your five classes? | |
Dōngní: | Shàng-le sān-jié, nǐ ne? | Tony: | I finished 3 of them. And you? | |
Àiměi: | Shàng-wánle, xiàwǔ xiǎng qù gōngyuán. | Amy: | I'm free now. I am going to the park. | |
Dōngní: | O. Zhègè jìhuà bùcuò. | Tony: | Oh. That's a good plan. | |
Àiměi: | Xièxiè kuājiǎng. Nàme, míngtiān jiàn! | Amy: | Thanks a lot. Hey, see you tomorrow. | |
Dōngní: | Míngtiān jiàn! | Tony: | See you. |
Vocabulary
Simplified (traditional in parentheses) | Pīnyīn | Part of speech | English [m.] | |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | 一 | yī | (adj) | one |
2. | 二 | èr | (adj) | two |
3. | 三 | sān | (adj) | three |
4. | 四 | sì | (adj) | four |
5. | 五 | wǔ | (adj) | five |
6. | 六 | liù | (adj) | six |
7. | 七 | qī | (adj) | seven |
8. | 八 | bā | (adj) | eight |
9. | 九 | jiǔ | (adj) | nine |
10. | 十 | shí | (adj) | ten |
11. | 早 | zăo | (n) | morning (often spoken alone as a shortened form to mean "good morning" just like with English) |
12. | 安 | ān | (adj) | peaceful |
13. | 早安 | zăo'ān | (phrase) | good morning |
14. | 很 | hěn | (adv) | very |
15. | 谢谢 (謝謝) | xièxie | (v) | thanks |
16. | 天 | tiān | (n) | day/sky |
17. | 今天 | jīntiān | (n) | today |
18. | 忙 | máng | (adj) | busy |
19. | 有 | yǒu | (v) | to have, possess |
20. | 没(沒) | méi | (adv) | negates yǒu |
21. | 门 (門) | mén | (m) | (measure word for school courses) |
22. | 课 (課) | kè | (n) | class [節-measure word for class] |
23. | 太 | tài | (adv) | too, extremely |
24. | 了 | le | (part) | (combines with 太 - see grammar) |
25. | 多 | duō | (adj) | many |
26. | 少 | shăo | (adj) | few |
27. | 只 | zhĭ | (adv) | only, merely |
28. | 都 | dōu | (adv) | all,both |
29. | 早上好 | zǎoshàng hǎo | (phrase) | good morning |
30. | 下午好 | xiàwǔhǎo | (phrase) | good afternoon |
Grammar
The adverb Hěn [很]
Though translated as "very", Hěn [很] has a weaker meaning than it does in English. It is often added before a single-syllable adjective just to enhance the rhythmic flow of the sentence. Hěn is used before the adjective in affirmative sentences, but not in negative sentences or questions. A common mistake of beginners is to insert shì [是] into adjectival sentences, but this usage is incorrect as shì can only be used to equate combinations of nouns, noun phrases and pronouns. |
1. 我很忙。
- Wǒ hěn máng
- I am (very) busy.
Le [了] as emphasizer
The particle le [了] has many different functions in Chinese, but in this case, it serves to add emphasis to the verb or adjective of the sentence. It can be seen paired with tài [太] to express excessiveness. |
1. 太多了。
- Tài duō le.
- (That's) too many.
2. 太少了。
- Tài shăo le.
- (That's) too few.
Affirmative-negative questions
A sentence can be made into a question by having both affirmative and negative options together. To answer in the affirmative, the verb or adjective is repeated. (An affirmative adjective in this case is usually preceded by hěn [很] to avoid a comparative tone.) Responding in the negative is simply saying "not verb" or "not adjective". |
S + V 不 V + O? |
---|
Example:
Because the bù in affirmative-negative questions is often said quickly, marking the tone on bù is not strictly necessary in their case. |
Q: 他是不是东尼?
- Tā shì bu shì Dōngní?
- Is he Tony?
- literally, "he is/is not Tony?"
A: 是的。(是,他是/嗯,他是。)or 不是。 (不,他不是。)
The de is not necessary. You can simply answer 是 (shì). |
- Shì de. (Shì tā shì) or Bú shì (Bù tā bú shì).
- Yes (he is). or No (he isn't).
S + adj. 不 adj.? (The second adjective can be omitted.) |
---|
Example:
Q:艾美今天忙不忙?/艾美今天忙不?
- Àiměi jīntiān máng bù (máng)?
- Is Amy busy today?
- literally, "Today, Amy busy/not busy"
A: 她很忙。or 她不忙。
- Tā hěn máng. or Tā bù máng.
- Yes, she's (very) busy. or No, she's not busy.
Sentences using yǒu [有]
Yǒu [有] means to have and indicates possession. |
S + 有 + O |
---|
Example:
我有三门课。
- Wǒ yǒu sān mén kè.
- I have three classes.
Yǒu is negated when preceded by méi [没]. |
S + 没 + 有 + O |
---|
Example:
今天,他们没有课。
- Jīntiān tāmen méi yǒu kè.
- Today, they don't have any classes.
Yǒu is negated when preceded by méi [没]. |
S + 一 + O + 都没有 |
---|
Example:
The adverb 都 (dōu) is required here in front of 没有 to emphasize the lack of a single one of the object. Also, be sure to remember to place the proper measure word between 一 and the object. |
今天,他们一门课都没有。
- Jīntiān tāmen yì mén kè dōu méi yǒu.
- Today, they don't have a single class.
Lesson 3: 助詞
The Chinese language employs heavy usage of particles to modify the meaning of characters and sentences. Since Chinese has neither inflections nor tense, the mastery of particles is an absolute must if one is to fully comprehend both written and spoken Chinese. Below, you will find some of the most common particles in everyday Chinese.
The De {的} particle as possessive
The particle de [的] can be used to indicate possession. It is roughly equivalent to the contraction "X's" in English, where X is the subject. |
Example:
她 的 名字 是 金妮。 Tā de míngzi shì Jīnní. Her name is Ginny.
sometimes the "的" is following an adjective to make meaning clearer. |
Example 她是一个美丽的姑娘
Ta shi yige meili de gu’niang. She is a beautiful girl.
The Le {了} / Liăo {了} particle
Perfective Aspect Particle
The {了} particle is used mainly to indicate a completed action (this overlaps somewhat with the English perfect aspect, i.e. "to have gone", "to have eaten"). |
Example:
他 走 了。 Tā zŏu le. He has gone.
※The "le" here is used to modify 走 (zŏu, to go) into an action which has already been completed.
The {了} can also be used as an imperative, that is, a command which is issued by the subject |
Example:
別 再 打扰 我 了! 別 再 打擾 我 了! Bié zài dărăo wŏ le! Do not bother me again!
※In this instance, le is used in conjunction with bié ("do not") to form an imperative. Note: most imperatives are not formed using this construction.
The {了} , as in Liăo (a homographic variant) can be used to indicate the subject's capability in doing such and such. |
Example:
我 实在 吃 不 了 了。 我 實在 吃 不 了 了。 Wŏ shízài chī bù liăo le. I cannot possibly eat any more.
At first glance, this sentence may seem a bit daunting as it includes two instances of the le particle, paired side-by-side. However, the first le is understood to be liăo given its placement (bù + le is a nonsensical pairing). Therefore, liăo serves to indicate the capability of eating any further and le emphasizes this assertion.
The Zhe [着] particle showing continuation
The particle Zhe [着] is used after a verb to show that the action is in progress or that the results from that action are continuing. |
1. 他睡着觉时有人敲门。
- Tā shuìzhe jiào shí yŏurén qiāomén.
- While he was sleeping, someone knocked on the door.
2. Alternatively you could take out "着" and say "他睡觉时有人敲门。"
The Zháo [着] particle indicating accomplishment
The particle Zháo [着] is used after a verb to show accomplishment or result.
Note: It is not to be confused with the identically written particle Zhe, which shows continuation (Lesson 3). |
1. 我终于把东西买着了!
(我終於把東西買著了!)
- Wŏ zhōngyú bă dōngxī măi zháo le.
- I've finally been able to buy this item!
And another word, dào [到], can be seen as a substitution for 着, in most cases they are interchangeable.
2. 他在行窃时被当场抓到。
- Tā zài xíng qìe shí beì dāng chǎng zhuā dào.
- He was(is) caught in the act of stealing.
The 把 + N + V + 着(到)了 construction is particularly useful and should be studied.
The De [得] particle indicating degree
The particle de [得] is used in few special constructs to indicate degree of complement (how fast, how early, how expensive, etc.). It has no equivalent in English but must be used to indicate the meanings below. |
S + V + 得 + adjective |
1. 我说得很好.
- Wŏ shuō de hěn hăo.
- I speak very well.
This construct often requires a context to gain its full meaning.
If you wish to speak more specifically about an action, the two constructs below demonstrate the use of 得 with a direct object.
S + V + O + V + 得 + adjective |
2. 我说中文说得很好.
- Wŏ shuō zhōngwén shuō de hěn hăo.
- I speak Chinese very well.
Note the dual-use of the verb.
O + S + V + 得 + adjective |
3. 中文我说得很好.
- Zhōngwén wŏ shuō de hěn hăo.
- I speak Chinese very well.
This construct emphasizes the object (here being "Chinese").
S + O + V + 得 + adjective |
4. 我中文说得很好.
- Wŏ zhōngwén shuō de hěn hăo.
- I speak Chinese very well.
This expression is the simplification of the 2nd expression by eliminating the 1st verb. This form is even more frequently used than the 2nd expression above.
Vocabulary
Simplified | Traditional (if diff.) | Pīnyīn | Part of speech | English [m.] | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1. | 走 | zǒu | (v) | to walk, leave | |
2. | 打扰 | 打擾 | dărăo | (v) | to bother |
3. | 实在 | 實在 | shízài | (adv) | emphatically, etc. |
4. | 吃 | chī | (v) | to eat | |
5. | 睡觉 | 睡覺 | shuìjiào | (v) | to sleep |
6. | 时 | 時 | shí | (n) | (lit.) time. When used in conjunction with a verb, it means "when/as" that action is taking place |
7. | 敲 | qiāo | (v) | to knock | |
8. | 门 | 門 | mén | (n) | door, gate |
9. | 终于 | 終於 | zhōngyú | (adv) | finally, eventually |
10. | 东 | 東 | dōng | (adj) | east |
11. | 西 | xī | (adj) | west | |
12. | 东西 | 東西 | dōngxī | (n) | a general expression for "thing" |
13. | 玩 | wán | (n) | Only be used express that "play" the game.It can't be used like "play the piano" or "play video"...etc. | |
13. | 喝 | hē | (v) | drink |
Lesson 4: Word order and Verbs
Basic Word Order
Subject-Verb-Object
The order of most Chinese sentences, like in English, is S-V-O, that is Subject-Verb-Object.
- 我看这本书。
- 我看這本書。
- Wǒ kàn zhè běn shū.
- I read this book.
Word order in Chinese is more rigid than in English. However, sometimes you may find sentences that seem to defy normal word order. For example, 我住在中国。wǒ zhù zài zhōngguó. The English translation does this too: I live in China. The reason for this is that "in China" is a preposition (prepositions indicate place or time) that is tacked on to the main sentence—"I live." More examples:
- 下午一点半,我们走。
- Xiàwǔ yīdiǎn bàn, wǒmen zǒu.
- At 1:30 in the afternoon, we'll go.
- 在青岛,我看到了。
- Zài qīngdǎo, wǒ kàn dào le.
- In Qingdao, I saw it.
As in English, a preposition can also appear after a subject.
- 我在我家看这本书。
- 我在我家看這本書。
- Wǒ zài wǒ jiā kàn zhè běn shū.
- I read this book at my house.
- 我明天看这本书。
- 我明天看這本書。
- Wǒ míngtiān kàn zhè běn shū.
- I will read this book tomorrow.
When using both a preposition for time and a preposition for place, put the preposition for time first.
- 我明天在我家看这本书。
- 我明天在我家看這本書。
- Wǒ míngtiān zài wǒ jiā kàn zhè běn shū.
- I will read this book at my house tomorrow.
- 明天在我家,我看这本书。
- 明天在我家,我看這本書。
- Míngtiān zài wǒ jiā, wǒ kàn zhè běn shū.
- Tomorrow at my house, I will read this book.
- 明天,我在我家看这本书。
- 明天,我在我家看這本書。
- Míngtiān, wǒ zài wǒ jiā kàn zhè běn shū.
- Tomorrow, I will read this book at my house.
Note the variation in word order. You can also place a preposition for place, but not for time, at the end of a sentence.
- 我看这本书在我家。
- 我看這本書在我家。
- Wǒ kàn zhè běn shū zài wǒ jiā.
- I read this book at my house.
Topic-Comment
Another structure for Chinese sentences is topic-comment. That is, the first thing mentioned is the topic of discussion and then the speaker will add a comment following that.
It is used to emphasize a certain part of the sentence. In the following example, the speaker wants to emphasize that he is going to read the particular book being discussed.
- 这本书,我明天在我家看。
- 這本書,我明天在我家看。
Zhè běn shū, wǒ míngtiān zài wǒ jiā kàn.
- I will read this book tomorrow.
Comparisons Using bǐ [比]
Comparisons can be made using bǐ [比]. Adverbs (like 不,也,只,都)and any auxiliary verbs are placed before bǐ in the sentence. The amount of the disparity between the two is placed after the adjective. |
A 比 B + Adj. |
---|
- 她比我忙。
- Tā bǐ wǒ máng.
- She is busier than I am.
- 东尼也比我忙很多。
- 東尼也比我忙很多。
- Dōngní yě bǐ wǒ máng hěn duō.
- Tony is also a lot busier than I am.
Notes
Lesson 5: Measure words
Measure Words/量词(liàngcí)
In Chinese, most specified or numbered nouns must be preceded by measure words, also known as classifiers, according to the type of object. Consider the English phrase, "two pairs of pants." Like the word "pair," Chinese measure words are placed between the noun and the preceding number. |
1. 这本书里没有一个汉字。
- Zhè bĕn shū lǐ méi yŏu yí gè Hànzì.
- This book doesn’t contain one Chinese character.
2. 那间宿舍有六十个学生。
- Nà jiān sùshè yŏu liùshí ge xuésheng.
- That dorm has sixty students.
The phrase 一朵花 (yī duǒ huā) means "one flower," but how would you say "a pile of flowers?" It's simple: just change the classifier. The phrase 一堆花 (yī duī huā) means "a pile of flowers." You could also say 一把花 (yī bǎ huā; a handful of flowers), 一桶花 (yī tǒng huā; a bucket of flowers), or 一种花 (yī zhòng huā; a kind of flower). You can see that measure words act as adjectives.
In Chinese, like in English, you can omit the noun if it's already known, leaving only the classifier. 你看到那种(花)吗? (Nǐ kàn dào nà zhǒng (huā) ma?) means "Did you see that kind (of flower)?" You can see that measure words also act as nouns.
Measure words are also used with demonstrative pronouns (this, that). For example, 这朵花 means "this flower," and 那朵花 means "that flower."
You might also encounter something like this: 书架上有书本。 (Shūjià shàng yǒu shūběn.) which means "The bookshelf has books on it." Note that the classifier is after the noun. This signifies multiple books where the exact number is not important, here translated "books." The sentence 书架上有书。, means the same as above, but is without the classifier.
Some Common Measure Words
Column key: Trad. is Traditional, Simp. shows changes made for the simplified variant (if any).
Trad. | Simp. | Pinyin | Main uses | Example |
---|---|---|---|---|
個 | 个 | ge | individual things, people — usage of this classifier in conjunction with any noun is generally accepted if the person does not know the proper classifier. | 一个书包 yí ge shūbāo, a schoolbag |
把 | bǎ | "handful", "fistful" — objects that can be held or grabbed (knives, scissors, keys; also chairs) | 一把刀 yì bă dāo. One knife.
一把盐 yì bă yán. A handful of salt. |
|
包 | bāo | "package", "bundle" | 一包纸巾 yì bāo zhǐ jīn. A package of paper towels. | |
杯 | bēi | "cup" — drinks | 一杯水 yì bēi shuǐ. A cup of water. | |
本 | běn | "volume" — any bound print or written matter (books, etc.) | 一本书 yì běn shū. A book. | |
册 | cè | slimmer volumes of books | ||
次 | cì | "time" — opportunities, accidents | 两次 liǎng cì. Twice. 三次 sān cì. Three times. | |
滴 | dī | "droplet" — water, blood, and other such fluids | 一滴水 yì dī shuǐ. A drop of water. | |
點 | 点 | diǎn | ideas, suggestions, can also mean "a bit" | 你睡一点。 Nǐ shuì yīdiǎn. Sleep a bit. |
堆 | duī | "pile" — anything in a pile | 一堆书 yī duī shū. A pile of books. | |
朵 | duǒ | flowers, clouds | 一朵花 yì duŏ huā. One flower. | |
份 | fèn | newspapers, jobs | 一份报 yì fèn bào. A newspaper | |
根 | gēn | thin, slender objects, lit. "a root of a..." (needles, pillars, grass, vegetable roots etc.) | 一根针 yì gēn zhēn. A needle | |
家 | jiā | gathering of people (families, companies, etc.) | 一家人 yī jiā rén. A family of people. | |
架 | jià | objects with a "frame" or structure; generally used for machines or mechanical objects (esp. cars, planes, etc.) | 一架飞机 yī jià fēijī. One plane. | |
件 | jiàn | matters, clothing, etc. | 一件衣服 yí jiàn yī fù. An article of clothing. | |
節 | 节 | jié | "a section" — of bamboo, tutorials and classes, etc. | |
輛 | 辆 | liàng | automobiles, bicycles, vehicles, etc. | 一辆车 yí liàng chē. One car. |
面 | miàn | any flat and smooth objects, lit. "a surface of a..." (mirrors, flags, walls, etc.) | 一面镜子 yí miàn jìng zi. One mirror | |
匹 | pǐ | horses and other mounts, or rolls/bolts of cloth | 一匹马 yì pǐ mă. One horse. | |
片 | piàn | "slice" — any flat object, like cards, slices of bread, tree leaves, etc. | 一片叶子 yì piàn yè zi. One leaf. | |
瓶 | píng | "bottle" — drinks | ||
扇 | shàn | objects that open and close (doors, windows) | 一扇门 yì shàn mén. One door | |
艘 | sōu | ships | 一艘船 yì sōu chuán. One ship. | |
所 | suǒ | any buildings, apartment | ||
台 | tái | heavy objects (TVs, computers, etc.) and performances (esp. in theatre, etc.) | 一台电脑 yī tái diànnǎo. One computer. | |
條 | 条 | tiáo | long, narrow, flexible objects (fish, trousers, etc.) | 一条鱼 yì tiáo yú. One fish. |
頭 | 头 | tóu | "head" — herd animals (pigs, cows, sheep etc., never for fowls or birds), hair | 一头牛 yì tóu niú. One head of cattle (Literally translated into English, "头" means head). |
位 | wèi | polite classifier for people (e.g. gentlemen, professors, customers) | 几位?Jǐ wèi? How many (people)? | |
些 | xiē | "some" — anything that's plural | 一些书 yī xiē shū. Some books. Never 两些书 | |
張 | 张 | zhāng | "sheet" — squarish or rectangular flat objects (paper, tables, etc.), faces, bows, paintings, tickets, constellations | 一张纸 yì zhāng zhǐ. One piece of paper. |
支 | zhī | stick-like objects (pens, chopsticks, etc.) | 一支笔 yì zhī bǐ. One pen. | |
隻 | 只 | zhī | one of a pair (e.g. hands, limbs), animals (birds, cats, etc.) | 一只狗 yì zhī gŏu. One dog. |
種 | 种 | zhǒng | types or kinds of objects, ideas, etc. | |
棟 | 栋 | dǒng | building object | 一栋房子 yí dòng fáng zí. One house |
See Chinese measure words on Wikipedia for a more complete reference.
Lesson 6: What do you want to buy? 你想要買什麼?
王明:你好,李红。 李红:嗨!王明。你去哪儿? |
Wang Ming: Nǐ hǎo, Lǐ Hóng. Li Hong: Hài! Wáng Míng. Nǐ qù nǎr? |
Wang Ming: Hello, Li Hong. Li Hong: Hi, Wang Ming. Where are you going? |
NOTE: It's also appropriate with close friends (ones who you would use "你" (nǐ) instead of "您" (nín) with) to greet with "哎" (aì), the closest equivalent in English being "Hey". This can precede or even take place of the traditional "你好" greeting, and partially serves as an attention-getter. However, if the pronunciation of "哎" (aì) is stretched/lengthened, it may sound as if you are complaining about something, which uses the same word.
Vocabulary
- 嗨 / hài = hi
- 去 / qù = go
- 哪儿 (哪兒) / nǎr = where
- 图书馆 (圖書館) / túshūguǎn = library
- 再见 (再見 / zàijiàn = bye, goodbye (literally: see you again)
Lesson 7: 这是什么? What's this?
Text 1
You can check out the translations here.
王明:这是什么? 李红:这是书。 |
Wáng Míng: Zhè shì shěnme? |
Text 2
王明是中国人。 王明是学生。 |
Wáng Míng shì Zhōngguórén. Wáng Míng shì xuéshēng. |
Vocabulary
|
n. Wang Ming [personal name] [Wang= Family Name, Ming=First name/Personal name] |
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n. Li Hong [personal name] [Li= Family Name, Hong= First/Personal name] |
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pron. this |
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v. to be (is/are) |
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pron. what |
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pron. that |
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n. pen; a generic term for all pens |
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n. fountain pen |
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n. pencil |
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n. ballpoint pen |
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n. brush (calligraphy pen) |
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n. magazine |
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n. newspaper |
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n. book |
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n. pamphlet |
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final interrogative particle used to form a question sentence |
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adv. no |
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n. dictionary |
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n. person/people |
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n. PRC Chinese (中国:China 人:people) |
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n. Foreigners (外:Outside 国:Country 人:People) |
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n. Japanese (日本:Japan 人:People) |
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n. British (英国:Britain 人:People) |
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n. Singaporean (新加坡:Singapore) |
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n. American |
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n. student |
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n. teacher |
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n. principal |
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n. Smith |
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n. American |
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n. friend |
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n. lawyer |
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n. notepads |
Stroke orders
More stroke orders will be added if it's helpful.
Grammar
Chinese Names
In Chinese names, the family name comes before the given name. Family names are passed down paternally and usually have only one character. Chinese given names are usually two characters long, but may also be one character.
Hence a man called 王明 (Wáng Míng) is addressed as Mr. Wang, not Mr. Ming. A woman called 李红 (Lǐ Hóng) is addressed as Mrs./Miss Li. However, if the person has a western personal name, it is presented in the GIVEN-NAME/FAMILY-NAME format, following the Western convention. Hence if 李红 (Lǐ Hóng) has a western-style personal name of Mary, she is usually introduced as "Mary Li" and not "Li Mary" |
In this lesson, we learn how to say "something is something" in Chinese. The first thing you need to know is that the sentence structure of Chinese is very similar to that of English in that they both follow the pattern of Subject-Verb-Object (SVO). But unlike many Western languages, verbs in Chinese aren't conjugated and noun and adjective endings don't change. They are never affected by things such as time or person.
这(/那)是什么?
This sentence means "What's this/that?":
- 这是什么?(What's this?)
- 那是什么?(What's that?)
The sentences, if broken down literally, shows that the ordering of words differs in English and Chinese:
这/那 | 是 | 什么 | ? |
this/that | is | what | ? |
The order of the sentences may seem a little bit tricky, but don't worry about that, we will discuss this later.
A 是 B
This sentence means "A is B."
"是" (shì), the equational verb to be, can be used as the English is or equals. When used in a simple Subject-Verb-Object sentence, the subject defines the object. Since Chinese verbs never change, no other forms for shì exist such as was or am in English. Also, articles like a and the are absent in Chinese. They are not translated.
For example:
- 这是书 (zhe4 shi4 shu1): this is (a) book.
- 那是杂志 (na4 shi4 za2 zhi4): that is (a) magazine.
A 不是 B
This sentence means "A is not B." in which shì is negated when preceded by "不" (bu). "不" literally means "no", "not".
For example:
- 这不是书 (zhè bú shì shū): this is not (a) book.
Now, we come back to the "what's this/that?" questions. We already see that the order is a bit tricky comparing to the English question order. But comparing to the latter pattern "A 是 B", we find the similarity: their orders are identically the same. In fact, like particles, question words make statements into questions without changing the order of the sentence. To make one, simply substitute the QW in for place the subject would be in the answer.
Comparison:
- 这是书。(This is (a) book.)
- 这是什么?(This is what?)
- 那是杂志。(That is (a) magazine.)
- 那是什么?(That is what?)
吗
"吗"(ma) is a final interrogative particle used to form a question sentence. Adding this character at the end of a statement transforms the sentence into a question.
Example 1:
- 这是书 (zhe4 shi4 shu1)。(This is (a) book.)
-
-
-
- ↓
-
-
- 这是书吗 (zhe4 shi4 shu1 ma)?(Is this (a) book?)
-
Example 2:
- 这不是杂志 (zhe4 bu2 shi4 za2 zhi4)。(This is not (a) magazine.)
-
-
-
- ↓
-
-
- 这不是杂志吗(zhe4 bu2 shi4 za2 zhi4 ma)?(Isn't this (a) magazine?)
-
是/不
"是" (shi4) can be used to answer a simple yes/no question. In this case, "是" means yes, whilst "不" (bu2) or "不是" (bu2 shi4) means no (literally, not is).
How to answer yes/no questions correctly in Chinese? Usually, it's the same as in English, but pay attention if the questions are negative, like "Isn't this a book?". In Chinese, you answer to the questions, not the fact. If the question itself is a negative answer, use "不是" or simply "不", vice versa. For example:
- A: 这不是书吗?zhe4 bu2 shi4 shu1 ma? (Isn't this (a) book? = This is not a book, right?)
- B: 是,这不是书。shi4, zhe4 bu2 shi4 shu1. (No, this is not (a) book. = You are right; this is not a book.)
- B: 不,这是书。bu4, zhe4 shi4 shu1. (Yes, this is (a) book. = You're wrong; this is a book.)
A asks if that's a book in a negative way. If the object is not a book, you should nevertheless approve A's saying first. So we use "是" to acknowledge that A is correct, and then say "this is not (a) book" to emphasis A is right; In the case of that is a book, you should deny A's saying first, using "不" (no) to point out A is wrong, then make a new statement by noting that "这是书" (this is (a) book). One more example:
- 他今天晚上不来参加宴会了,对吗?(He's not going to the party tonight, is he?)
- 不,他肯定要来。(Yes, he's definitely coming.)
- 是 啊,他很忙呢!(No, he's so busy!)
的
Character "的" (de) indicates that the previous word has possession of the next one. In English it functions like 's or like the word of but with the position of possessor and possessee switched. For example:
- 史密斯(Shǐ mì Sī)的书(shū: book) <-> Smith's book
- 王明的钢笔 <-> Wang Ming's pen
- 约翰** (Yuēhàn: John)的朋友** (péngyǒu: friend) <-> John's friend or a friend of John's
Exercise
- Replace the underline words, and practice.
- 史密斯是美国人。
- 英国人
- 法国人
- 这不是杂志。
- 书
- 笔记本*
- 铅笔
- 史密斯是美国人。
- Replace the underline words, and then answer the questions with both positive answers and negative answers.
- Example:
- 史密斯是法国人吗?
- 是,史密斯是法国人。
- 不,史密斯不是法国人。
- 那是杂志吗?
- 钢笔
- 铅笔
- 报纸*
- 王明是学生吗?
- 律师
- 老师*
- 作家*
- Translate the following English into Chinese.
- Wang Ming is not a teacher. Wang Ming is a student. Wang Ming is a Chinese. Wang Ming is not an American.
- Answer(答):王明不是位老師,王明是位學生。王明是位中國人,(但)王民不是位美國人。
- Smith is a lawyer. Smith is not a writer. Smith is an American. Smith is not a French.
- Answer(答):Smith是位律師,Smith不是位作家。Smith是位美國人,Smith不是位法國人。
- This is Smith's book. That is Wang Ming's pen.
- Answer(答):這是Smith的書,那是王明(Wang Ming)的筆。
- Wang Ming is not a teacher. Wang Ming is a student. Wang Ming is a Chinese. Wang Ming is not an American.
Further reading
Read the following article, and then answer the questions in Chinese.
- 你好(nǐhǎo, hello),我(wǒ, I)是王明。我是学生,我是中国人。这是史密斯。史密斯是我的1 朋友,史密斯是律师。那是史密斯的妻子(qīzi, wife),安娜(Ana)。安娜是我的英语(yīngyǔ, English language)老师。
-
- 1."我 的" means "my", we will discuss this in the next lesson.
Questions:
- Who is "I"?
- What does Smith do?
- Who is Ana?
- What does Ana do?
Useful phrases
Greetings. How to greet people in Chinese?
|
Translation for the text
Chinese characters | Sentences breakdown | English translation |
Text 1
王明:这是什么? |
Text 1
Wang Ming: This is what? |
Text 1
Wang Ming: What's this? |
Text 2
王明是中国人。 |
Text 2
Wang Ming is Chinese. |
Text 2
Wang Ming is a Chinese. |
Lesson 8
她是谁?
Dialogues
You can check out the translation here
Dialogue 1
Simplified Characters | Traditional Characters |
---|---|
杨勋:你今天好吗? |
楊勳:你今天好嗎? |
Pīnyīn | |
Yáng Xūn: Nǐ jīn tiān hǎo mā? |
Dialogue 2
Simplified Characters | Traditional Characters | Pinyin |
---|---|---|
王明:我叫王明。你叫什么名字? |
王明:我叫王明。你叫什麼名字? |
Wáng míng: Wǒ jiào wáng míng. Nǐ jiào shén me míng zì? |
Vocabulary
Simplified | Traditional (if diff.) | Pīnyīn | Part of speech | English [m.] | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1. | 周朱丽 | 周朱麗 | [Zhōu Zhūlì]] | (proper noun) | Person's Name |
2. | 但是 | dànshì | (conjunction) | But, However | |
3. | 比较 | 比較 | bǐjiào | by comparison | |
4. | 喜欢 | 喜歡 | xǐhuan | (verb) | to like |
5. | 为什么 | 為什麼 | [wèishénme | (adverb) | Why (lit. "because of what?"). |
6. | 因为 | 因為 | yīnwèi | (conjunction) | because |
7. | 听起来 | 聽起來 | tīng qǐlai | (phrase) | Sounds like |
8. | 聪明 | 聰明 | cōngmíng | (adjective) | intelligent |
9. | 哪里 | 哪裡 | nǎli | (noun) | lit. Nowhere, can be used as a polite response to a complement. |
10. | 不敢当 | 不敢當 | bùgǎndāng | (phrase) | I don't accept (not at all) / polite response to a compliment |
11. | 还没 | 還沒 | háiméi | (conjunction) | not yet |
12. | 图书馆 | 圖書館 | túshūguǎn | (noun) | library |
13. | 名字 | míngzi | (noun) | name | |
14. | 女朋友 | nǚpéngyǒu | (noun) | girlfriend | |
15. | 昨天 | zuótiān | (noun) | yesterday |
Grammar
Translation of the text
Chinese characters | Sentences breakdown | English translation |
Text 1
楊勳:你今天好嗎? |
Text 1 | Text 1
Yang Xun: How are you today? |
Chinese characters | Sentences breakdown | English translation |
Text 2
王明:我叫王明。你叫什麼名字? |
Text 2
Wang Ming: I called Wang Ming. You called what name? |
Text 2
Wang Ming: My name is Wang Ming. What is your name? |
Lesson 9: 請問火車站在哪裡?
Dialogues
Dialogue 1
(濃濃開車中,碰到路人妙妙)
濃濃:不好意思,請問火車站在哪裡? 妙妙:往前開,遇到紅綠燈右轉,它就在你的左手邊。 (Nóng Nóng: kāichē zhōng, pèngdào lùrén Miào Miào) |
Dialogue 2
(天龍在跟"話多且頻尿的"陳阿捷問路中…以下是對話)
天龍:不好意思,請問火車站怎麼走? 腦子進水阿捷:恩…你可以再說一遍嗎?。 (Tiān Lóng zài gēn "huà duō qiě pín suī de" Chén A Jié wènlù zhōng yǐxià shì duìhuà) VocabularyTraditional (simplified) 不好意思 (不好意思)(bùhǎo yìsi) phrasesorry / to feel embarrassed請問 (请问)(qǐngwèn) phrasemay I ask... 火車站 (火车站)(huǒchē zhàn) phrasetrain station 開車 (开车)(kāichē) to drive a car 碰到 (碰到)(pèngdào) to come across 路人 (路人) (lùrén) passerby 往前 (往前)(wǎngqián) to move forwards 紅綠燈 (红绿灯)(hónglǜdēng) nountraffic light Taiwan - 第十一课:台湾Traditional Characters台灣是一個海島。 Simplified Characters台湾是一个海岛。 EnglishTaiwan is an island. Vocabulary东南 dōngnán south east Grammar美丽 Appendices / 附录Chinese languagesChinese, Cantonese (Sinitic)Note: Cantonese is a tonal language. Pronunciations provided below include numbers indicating tone. Tone 1 is high and level/falling; 2 is medium and rising; 3 is medium and level; 4 is low and falling; 5 is low and rising, 6 is low and level. For more info, see Standard Cantonese. The characters shown are Traditional Chinese characters. Pronunciation is given using Jyutping and IPA. However, non-use of the tones will not hinder comprehension for such simple phrases.
Note: Cantonese, like most of the other Chinese languages, does not actually have words for “yes” and “no”. Translations for “yes” and “no” given above actually mean “it is” and “it is not” and can be used for questions asking for confirmation. However, for certain yes/no questions, one would normally respond with the verb or the negation of the verb. For instance, to respond to a question such as “do you want to go?” one would respond with “want” or “not want”. Chinese, Mandarin (Sinitic)Note || Mandarin Chinese is a tonal language. Tone 1 (e.g. mā) is high and level; 2 (e.g., má) is rising; 3 (e.g., mǎ) is low dipping; 4 (e.g., mà) is falling. Also note that the first set of characters preceding the slashes are in simplified Chinese characters and the ones following the slashes are in traditional characters. If the simplified- and traditional-character versions of a phrase are identical, only one phrase is shown.
Chinese, Shanghainese (Sinitic)Note: Chinese characters for Shanghainese are not standardized and are provided for reference only. IPA transcription is for the Middle period of modern Shanghainese (中派上海话), pronunciation of those between 20 and 60 years old.
Unlike Mandarin, Shanghainese actually has the direct “yes” (eh/ei) similar to English. Chinese, Min Nan / Taiwanese (Sinitic)The Han characters provided below are for reference only. They are not necessarily standard.
Everyday PhrasesThere are several phrases that may be useful to learn if you are going to visit China. All phrases have the Chinese characters as well as the pinyin spelling and tone intonation next to them. Pinyin is the convention officially adopted in China for transcribing Chinese characters into Western-style alphabet. Greetings
Yes and No
Please and Thank You
Getting Attention
Apology
Farewells
Praise
Toast
Finding the Bathroom
Please add all vocabulary that is used in this book, and any more that should be included in the first year's worth of Chinese lessons. This is not meant to be a full dictionary with thousands of entries (see Wiktionary for that), but a reference for users of this textbook.
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W
X
Y
Z
Lesson1Matching Sentences1c,2g,3d,4b,5f,6a,7h,8e Chinese, like all languages, has its own set of unique greetings which may be seemingly strange to learners of the language (this is particularly true if the two cultures are vastly different). Below, you will find commonly-used Mandarin greetings and farewells, along with corresponding pinyin pronunciations. Hello
Good morning
Good afternoon
Good evening / Good night
Good-bye
Chinese New Year Greetings
Table of Possible Combinations of Chinese Initials and FinalsThe table below shows all possible combinations of initials and finals in Pinyin (not including -r modified syllables). It also does not reflect the use of tones. Some combinations may only be valid with the use of one tone, while others may be valid with multiple tones.
^ Chinese ^ | <<Pronunciation of Finals | Possible Initial-Final Combinations | Using Tones>> Number System (数字系统)基本用字 Basic Characters
Parenthesized entries are the complex forms, which are used mainly in notarized, official documents, and when writing checks. An exception is zero; the complex form is more widely used. The complex forms are known in English as banker's anti-fraud numerals, in Chinese as 大写 dà xiě (which is the same term for "capital letter"). They are necessary because, since normal Chinese characters are so simple, a forger could easily change 三十 to 五千 with just three strokes. Some have other uses as well (for example, 贰 èr can also mean "to betray"). See Standard numbers for more information. 个十百千万 Larger Numbers
等等 (děngděng) etc.
等等 etc.
等等 etc.
等等 etc.
等等 etc. 更大的数字(亿兆) Even Larger Numbers
等等 etc. 中文中零的用法 The Use of Zero in ChineseIf a number ends in zero, there is no need to include the zero character. For example,
However, if the zero character does not end the number (i.e., it is followed by a non-zero character), it is necessary to include the zero character, while the "tens-place" characters are dropped. For example,
Note that the "十" in the first example and the "百" in the second example are dropped. If a zero digit is followed by one or more zero digits, only one zero character is need. For example,
数字手势 Chinese Gestures for NumbersNote:
Source: commons:数字手势 Here's a list of some nations and regions, with their names in Chinese. Note that the country's name can also be used as an adjective. For example, 日本货 (rìběn huò) means "Japanese goods," and is derived from 日本 (rìběn; Japan) and 货 (huò; goods). As an aside, China imports a good number of products from Japan. Between 2001 and 2007, it was the greatest exporter to China, beating the European Union, South Korea, and Taiwan.[1] You could also say 日本椅子 (rìběn yǐzi; Japanese chair), 日本食品 (rìběn shípǐn; Japanese food products), and 日本动画片 (rìběn dònghuà piàn; Japanese cartoons). Terms like these can be shortened, for example, 日货 means the same thing. You can see 日 is an adjective which means "pertaining to Japan," i.e., "Japanese." Another way to describe its function is that it acts like a "root," much like in English. Headlines are often abbreviated this way. For example, 中俄合作 (zhōng é hézuò) can mean "China and Russia cooperate" or "Sino-Russian cooperation." In common conversation, however, excessive abbreviation is undesirable, because it often leads to ambiguity.
Asia 亚洲 / 亞洲 Yàzhōu
Oceania 大洋洲 Dàyángzhōu
America 美洲 Měizhōu
Europe 欧洲 / 歐洲 Ōuzhōu
Africa 非洲 Fēizhōu
The word for radical in Chinese is 偏旁 (piānpáng), or simply 旁 (páng). A radical, or component of a character, usually indicates its meaning. 水 (shuǐ; water) with a 冫 becomes 冰 (bīng, ice). The 冫 hints that the character pertains to ice, like the "glaci-" in glacier. Radicals may also be used to differentiate characters that sound alike. 东 (dōng; east, owner) with a 冫 becomes 冻 (dòng; to freeze, jelly). Radicals, like characters, sometimes suggest their meaning by their appearance, for example, the 亻 in 他 (tā; him) is a compressed 人, and the 氵 in 江 (jiāng; river) looks like three water droplets. Radicals reduce the amount of memorization needed, be it for the language's ancient inventors or for you. In Chinese, the large number of homophones and rhyming words make this scheme possible. A character can have multiple radicals, for example, 捌 (bā; eight, see Numbers). Traditionally, the left part of composite characters was referred to as “piān” and the right side referred to as “páng.” Now, all parts of compound characters are generally referred to as “piānpáng.” For example, the left part of a compound character is referred to as 左偏旁 (zuǒ piānpáng), and the right side as 右偏旁 (yòu piānpáng). Names of Radicals 中文偏旁的名称一笔画 One Stroke
二笔画 Two Strokes
三笔画 Three Strokes
四笔画 Four Strokes
五笔画 Five Strokes
六笔画 Six Strokes
七笔画 Seven Strokes
Mandarin, like any language, has its own slang words and informal meanings for some common words. For example, 同志 (tóngzhì - comrade, a commonly used honorific) now has a second meaning of "gay person", and the female equivalent 小姐 (xiǎojiě, often used with service personnel such as waitresses) can also refer to a prostitute. Below is a partial list of common slang terms. The letters "xx" stand for someone or something, lit. gives a literal translation, and equiv. refers to an equivalent English expression. Slang List
External links
This history of the Chinese Wikibook highlights milestones along the book's development. 2006
2005
2004
2003
ContributorsThe Chinese Wikibook was started 2003 December 13. Below is a list of users who have contributed greatly to the authoring of this Wikibook. Please add your username if you have made substantial additions and/or revisions to this textbook. Use *{{user|username}} to add a name.
M4RC0, Yug and Wikic all made substantial contributions to the Chinese stroke order project on Wikicommons, which are used in our lessons. Peter Isotalo, also of Wikicommons, contributed the first audio samples used in this Wikibook. In addition, the authors would like to thank the development team in relation with the Wikimedia Foundation and its affiliates, without whom our text could not be so accessible. Ways to ContributeInternationalizationKeep the Simplified/Traditional Versions in SyncThe Chinese Wikibook has two identical versions; Simplified and Traditional. This is done to unclutter the textbook and to meet the needs of people either interested in the characters used in China or used in Taiwan. However, whenever a change is made in one version, it is not automatically carried over, so periodic checks must be made to ensure that the two remain in sync. This sometimes involves translating from one script to the other, but often only involves copying formatting changes. Translate PagesCurrently, the English version is the most developed of the Chinese Wikibooks. If you know another language, please check if a Chinese book is started in that language and compare it to this one. You can make changes to their content based on ideas gained here, or do a wholesale translation of this textbook into the target language. Since the Chinese can stay the same across languages, a lot of work can be saved in this way. Translation efforts have been started in the following languages: Even if a translation has been done at one time, it may have been incomplete or not been updated to reflect recent changes on the English site. Please work to keep them current. If you can only do a partial translation, leave a note to later contributors linking back to your source (a good candidate for using Templates). Add InterWiki LinksIf you can't translate pages, but know enough of a language to locate the corresponding Chinese Wikibook, you can make Interwiki links. You can see them on the Wikibooks Sidebar listed under "in other languages" when available. They are typically placed at the very end of a page using a simple format. Here is the list used for the Chinese TOC page: [[it:Corso di cinese/Indice]] [[pl:Chiński]] [[es:Chino]] <!-- 在以上的课程里中文是一样的, 在以下的课程里中文是不同的 --> [[fr:Enseignement du chinois]] [[de:Chinesisch]] [[ja:中国語]] [[nl:Mandarijn]] The ones listed above the divider are translations of this book. The ones below are of their own design. In addition to the main page, Lesson pages, Stroke Order pages and anything else can be interwikied as long as the content is the same. Stroke Order ImagesThere is a project on Wikicommons to upload images and animations of the stroke order for characters. There are directions on how to contribute. It's easy with the use of some free programs and can be done even with only a basic understanding of Chinese. Please contribute so that we'll have a standardized reference for our Wikibook users. Have a look at the stroke order pages for each lesson to see what our immediate needs are: Sound SamplesWith a microphone and a read through the recording guidelines for the Spoken Wikipedia you can contribute audio examples. Sound samples are particularly important for beginners, especially ones who are studying alone with no teacher or native speaker on hand. You can see what has been uploaded so far at Category:Chinese pronunciation. Peter Isotalo started, but a native speaker would be best. Welcome to the main Planning page for the Chinese Wikibook. Unless your comment only pertains to a particular lesson, discuss your ideas here so that the overall planning discussion is not spread across many lesson pages. Initial planning and continued coordination of effort is extremely important to help reduce the need for reworking later. New issues are entered here, with the most recent at the bottom of the page. Please review the Table of Contents to see if your issue has already been raised; also check the archives (see below) in case it was discussed some time ago. Please observe the following guidelines:
Chinese Wikibook Purpose and AudienceThis book is intended to be a complete learning resource center for students of Mandarin Chinese. Dialects, such as Cantonese, will be covered by their own Wikibooks and be linked to in the See Also section of the Table of Contents (TOC). It should teach listening comprehension and speaking as well as reading and writing using whatever technologies are most appropriate (includes audio for text and animations for stroke orders). The audience is the serious studier of Chinese, either at the high school or college level. Casual learners looking for a few choice phrases or unwilling to spend the time learning characters can be served adequately by the Chinese Phrasebook on Wikivoyage. Younger audiences can have age-appropriate material created for them in WikiJunior. Intermediate- or Advanced-Level modules may be added, but because of the cumulative nature of a language text (explained below), it would probably be best to focus efforts on the Introductory Level first and make continuations of the series later. The Need for PlanningLanguage Wikibooks faces some unique challenges from a planning perspective. It's harder to produce a quality, integrated work in language instruction than in other subjects, like Biology or Physics. Those you can break into discrete units and still read about it—topics within the subject can be rearranged or meaningfully read even in isolation from the rest of the text. Not so with an elementary language text. All the grammar and vocabulary that you learn is cumulative, so everything can only stack one way. Flipping ahead (or falling behind) more than a few chapters and you're lost. Order matters, so we use the a sequential naming scheme (Lesson 1, Lesson 2,...), not a topic-based one (Asking Questions, Giving Directions,...). To avoid late-stage reorganizations that would neccessarily be painful with lots of work going to waste, we should agree on a 'Lesson Roadmap' beforehand and then flesh it out. I think a Wiki can really work for this, but that the project still needs a common format and approach. A standard outline for lessons would help a lot with that, so, may I suggest that the lessons of this text each include the components outlined below. Lesson Roadmap
Subjects Areas to CoverGreetings Getting around (a city)
Chapter Three: Buying Things
Eating
Sports
Your House
Immediate family and relatives Education
Going to the Zoo / Wo men qu dong wu yuan Decided Conventions
Unresolved IssuesLicenseGNU Free Documentation License
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