HACKING CHINESE
The Complete Guide to HSK I All the HSK I vocabulary included, with 11 quizzes and 150 questions!
by Eva Dovc
Table of Contents Introduction ............................................................................6 What is an HSK test? .....................................................................................6 Listening comprehension ...............................................................................6 Reading comprehension .................................................................................7 The score ........................................................................................................7 Should you take an HSK test? ........................................................................7 Why study with us? .........................................................................................8
Pinyin ......................................................................................9 Numbers ......................................................................................................11 What You Need to Know .............................................................................11
Quiz I ....................................................................................12 Quiz I (key) ............................................................................14 A Sentence (or Two) ..............................................................16 What You Need to Know .............................................................................16
Quiz II ...................................................................................18 Quiz II (key) ...........................................................................19 Objects ..................................................................................20 What You Need to Know .............................................................................21
Quiz III ................................................................................23 Quiz III (key) .........................................................................25 People ....................................................................................27 What You Need to Know .............................................................................28
Quiz IV ................................................................................30
Quiz IV (key) .........................................................................32 Adjectives ..............................................................................34 What You Need to Know .............................................................................35
Quiz V ...................................................................................38 Quiz V (key) ..........................................................................41 Locations ...............................................................................44 What You Need to Know .............................................................................45
Quiz VI .................................................................................47 Quiz VI (key) .........................................................................50 Verbs I ...................................................................................53 What You Need to Know .............................................................................54
Quiz VII ................................................................................56 Quiz VII (key) ........................................................................59 Verbs II ..................................................................................62 What You Need to Know .............................................................................63
Quiz VIII ..............................................................................65 Quiz VIII (key) ......................................................................68 Time and Date ......................................................................71 What You Need to Know .............................................................................72
Quiz IX .................................................................................74 Quiz IX (key) .........................................................................77 People II ................................................................................80 What You Need to Know .............................................................................80
Quiz X ...................................................................................82
Quiz X (with answers) ...........................................................86 Phrases ...................................................................................90 What You Need to Know .............................................................................91
Quiz XI .................................................................................92 Quiz XI (key) .........................................................................97 HSK I Vocabulary List ........................................................102 For more information ..........................................................109
To V.B.,
for bringing salsa into my life.
Copyright © 2014 Eva Dovc All rights reserved.
Introduction What is an HSK test? HSK stands for
(Hànyǔ shuǐpíng kǎoshì), a Chinese proficiency test for learners
of Chinese as a foreign language. HSK has six levels in total, ranging from beginner to advanced. This book is intended for beginner learners of Chinese, those who are intending to take an HSK test of level I. Level I HSK-takers are able to demonstrate basic knowledge of everyday, conversational Chinese. HSK I is intended for students who have studied Chinese for half an academic year with 2-3 hours of Chinese weekly, or the equivalent of a two-month intensive course. To successfully sit an HSK I, the students are expected to have mastered 150 commonly used words (we will include the entire list at the end of the manual) and basic grammar patterns. At this stage the students are not expected to know calligraphy and won’t be required to write down characters; the main emphasis is on word use and basic grammar. The entire HSK I is thus written in Pinyin. The test itself is made up of two parts: listening and reading comprehension. Each of these sections is further divided into 4 parts with 40 questions in total. It takes around 35 minutes to complete the entire test (it actually takes 40 minutes, since 5 minutes are used at the beginning for administrative purposes and during the course of the test for filling in the answers).
Listening comprehension As stated, listening comprehension is made up of four parts, each part consisting of five questions. In the first part, the students are provided with a picture and a phrase to listen to in a recording. Upon hearing the recording twice, the students have to answer the true or false statement. You don’t have to write down anything, just put down a tick for ‘true’ or X for ‘false’. In the second part the students are provided with a sentence and three pictures. Upon hearing the recording twice, the students have to choose the corresponding picture by ticking the appropriate letter. Part III features a dialogue and several pictures. The students are required to choose the corresponding picture upon hearing the recording twice. In the last part (IV), in the recording the students will listen to a person making a statement. Another person will then ask questions about this statement and provide three possible answers.
Upon hearing the recording twice, the students are required to choose the correct answer based on what they hear.
Reading comprehension Reading comprehension consists of 4 parts, with 5 questions in each of them. In questions 1-5 the test takers will be given a picture and a phrase. They will then have to decide whether the phrase and the picture are consistent with each other, that is, if the Pinyin is correct for the picture. In part II, the test will provide a sentence and several pictures. The student will have to choose the picture that corresponds to the sentence provided. In part III the student will be given five questions and five answers. The objective is to correctly match the questions with the appropriate answer. In the last part, the exam will have a number of sentences, each of them with a word missing. The student must choose the correct answer from the options provided. All items are shown in Pinyin, there is absolutely no need to write down or even recognise characters. However, if you would want to pursue further Chinese studies, you would need to learn characters. HSK IV and up are exclusively in characters, and most students find it hard to make the change between Pinyin written exams and the ones in characters because they didn’t get acquainted with the characters early enough in their studies.
The score The highest score is 200 (100 from each section). The test takers must score at least 120 to pass the test.
Should you take an HSK test? There are usually two main reasons why someone would take an HSK test: first, passing the test is necessary if you intend to enrol into a university course in China. Depending on the major you would want to take, level IV-VI are required. Second, HSK is an objective measurement of your Chinese level, so instead of saying, ‘Hey I studied Chinese for two years,’ you can instead say, ‘Hey I’ve passed an HSK IV’ - which looks much better on your CV. There is also the third reason, which is the one I would choose. I find HSK tests useful, because they give you a specific goal and framework to work with - this is especially important with language studies. What I recommend is the following: I suggest that on top your standard study material, that is, on top of what your syllabus or your tutor requires, you also invest some time revising HSK preparation material.
Why study with us? The present manual includes all the vocabulary that will be presented in the HSK I. We’ve included the 150 words that are included in the HSK I official list and added some others that have appeared in the tests so far. We’ve also included real test examples and exercises that simulate HSK tests, as well as grammar explanations that will benefit your Chinese study in the future. The vocabulary is broken down into 11 simple themes to make your study process easier: numbers, basic sentence structure, objects, people I, adjectives, locations, verbs I, verbs II, time and date, people II and phrases. Each one of the following chapters builds on the previous one, giving the students the opportunity to gradually consolidate the new knowledge in a quick and a efficient way. After the new vocabulary has been introduced, the next part of the chapter is What You Need to Know. This section features brief and practical explanations of grammar patterns and word use. The following Did You Know section features cultural tips and notes. The main part of each chapter is the Quiz. The Quiz features a series of multiple choice questions based on actual HSK tests. You will encounter these types of exercises: Translate, What is the question?, Odd one out and Answer. The Quiz answers are displayed at the end of the chapter, along with the Pinyin. Our sample quizzes are written in characters and even though they include all the vocabulary that you will need to pass an HSK I with ease, the level is more advanced to make sure you excel your test when you decide to take it. We’ve put emphasis on learning characters, as we believe that the early acquaintance and knowledge of Chinese characters is essential for anyone that is serious in achieving language fluency. We know that by learning the characters, you’ll build a solid foundation for you future Chinese language studies and language fluency. Lastly, we believe in learning by testing. Neuroscientists have discovered that we remember better the content that we have been tested on. That is why we have structured this book in a quiz format and we’re able to promise you: if you are able to answer or quiz questions, you are more than ready to breeze through your HSK I. Let’s begin!
Eva and Team M2E
Chapter 1 In this chapter you’ll learn about Chinese pronunciation and numbers in Chinese.
Pinyin By the end of this section you will:
1.
learn about the four tones in Pinyin
2.
learn what Pinyin is and how to use it
The Four Tones Every Chinese characters is made up of one syllable, and these syllables can be pronounced in four different tones (plus the fifth, neutral one).
1) The first tone is a sustained sound, slightly above your speaking pitch. If you’ve ever studied music or watched The Sound of Music you will know about DO-RE-MI. That’s how the first tone in Chinese sounds. In writing, the first tone is symbolized by a short horizontal mark above the vowel. Look at the syllable ma in the first tone: mā (mā means ‘mother’ in Chinese). 2) The second tone is a high, rising pitch tone, and sounds kind of like asking a question. Remember playing Hide and Seek when you were a kid? The way you’d count the numbers 1, 2, 3…, it would actually sound more like 1? 2? 3? That rising intonation is the second tone in Chinese and in writing it’s symbolized by an ascending mark above the vowel: má (má means ‘hemp’). 3) The third tone is a low, dipping tone. Imagine a friend of yours telling you this incredible story that you have a really hard time believing it. After your friend finishes the narration, you reply with an incredulous: ‘Really?’. That’s the third tone in Mandarin Chinese and in writing it has a small letter -V placed above the vowel: mǎ (mǎ means ‘horse’). 4) The fourth tone is a high to low tone, a descending tone that sounds like giving an order. If you are a dog owner, imagine telling your dog to ‘sit’. The sudden, almost angry sounding lowering of your voice is the fourth tone in Chinese. To denote the forth tone, a descending accent is placed above the vowel, the letter -A in this case: mà (mà means ‘to scold’).
5) There is also the fifth, neutral tone which is pronounced soft and short and has no tone mark. There are a 409 syllables in Pinyin excluding the different tones that each syllable can have. What this means is that Chinese has a final list of words (pronunciation-wise), and once you’ve mastered them, you’re done. That is, once you’ve mastered the syllables and pronouncing them in different tones you can merrily tackle any word or sentence in Chinese.
On the downside, since the number of syllables in Mandarin is final, this also means that the same sound can have different meanings when pronounced in different tones. In other words, even though there is a finite number of syllables, the number of characters that they represent is not quite so final. The result is that many characters are pronounced the same. And to make things even more interesting, some syllables also sound very similar, and can have similar meanings: take numbers four and ten, for example. Number four is pronounced sì, and ten as shí.
Numbers Character
Pinyin
Translation
yī
one
èr
two
sān
three
sì
four
wǔ
five
liù
six
qī
seven
bā
eight
jiǔ
nine
líng
zero
What You Need to Know •
Forming numbers between 11-99 is easy in Chinese, it’s like a very simple math exercise! For example, number ’11’ is (2,10) and ’22’ is
in Chinese, meaning 10, 1. Similarly, number ’20’ is (2, 10, 2). Knowing numbers is essential for any form of
communication in Chinese, whether it is going to the store, negotiating a price, taking a bus or talking about date and time. •
‘Zero’ is sometimes written as
, especially in the date format. For example:
is the
year 1900.
Did you know? Number 9 jiǔ sounds like jiǔ that means ‘long’ or, with some imagination ‘longevity’. It’s almost as lucky as number 8 which is considered auspicious (bā sounds like fā , which symbolises prosperity). For example, when you are giving hóngbāo (red envelope with gift money) to the newlyweds, 888 or 999 yuan are both good options.
Quiz I 1. ‘Fifty-six’ is: A) B) C)
2. ‘Ninety-two’ is: A) B) C)
3. ‘Fifty-seven’ is: A) B) C)
4. ‘Eighty’ is: A) B) C)
5. ‘Forty-four’ is: A) B) C)
6.
-
=
A) B) C)
7.
+
=
A) B) C)
8.
+
-
=
A) B) C)
9. A)
…?
B) C)
10. A) B) C)
Quiz I (key) 1. ‘Fifty-six’ is: A)
(shíliù wǔ)
B)
(liùshíwǔ)
C)
(wǔshíliù)
2. ‘Ninety-two’ is: A)
(bāshí'èr)
B)
(shíbā jiǔ)
C)
(jiǔshí'èr)
3. ‘Fifty-seven’ is: A)
(wǔshíqī)
B)
(qīshíwǔ)
C)
(shíwǔ qī)
4. ‘Eighty’ is: A)
(bāshí)
B)
(shíbā)
C)
(bā líng)
5. ‘Forty-four’ is: A)
(shísì shí)
B)
(sìshíyī)
C)
(sìshísì)
6.
(qīshíwǔ) -
A)
(èrshísì)
B)
(sānshísì)
C)
(shísì)
7.
(shíbā) +
A)
(sānshíwǔ)
B)
(sānshíqī)
C)
(sānshísì)
8.
(èrshíyī) +
A)
(shíjiǔ)
B)
(èrshí)
C)
(wǔshíyī) =
(shíjiǔ) =
(èrshísān) -
(èrshísì) =
(èrshíyī)
9.
(shí'èr)
A)
(èrshí)
B)
(shíjiǔ)
(shíwǔ)
(shíbā)…?
(èrshí'èr) (èrshí)
C)
(èrshíyī)
(èrshísì)
10.
(qīshíyī)
(liùshíqī)
A)
(wǔshí'èr)
(sìshíbā)
B)
(sìshíjiǔ)
(sìshíyī)
C)
(wǔshíyī)
(sìshíqī)
(liùshí'èr)
(wǔshíliù)...?
Chapter 2 In this chapter you’ll learn how to form sentences in Chinese.
A Sentence (or Two) By the end of this section you will:
1.
learn how to form questions
2.
learn how to use no/not
3.
learn how to use pronouns and adjectives in Chinese
Character
Pinyin
Translation
wǒ
I; me
nǐ
you
nín
you (formal)
hǎo
good
ma
question particle
ne
question particle
bù
no; not
hěn
very
What You Need to Know •
The difference between
and
is that
is formal and that, generally, you would use it
with people you don’t know well, in formal occasions and when you want to be respectful (for example, when talking to a professor). •
and
are both question particles, that is, we use them in Chinese to form questions.
is
a general question word and the most common (and easiest) way of questions in Chinese, for example:
means ‘How are you?’. You can form a question by simply adding
to
the end of the statement.
is a question particle used for forming follow-up questions. In
this example we had the question ‘How are you’, answered with ‘I’m very well’. Speaker B then continued to say: ‘And you’? •
means ‘no’ or ‘not’ and can be placed either in front of adjectives (like
in this case) or
verbs. •
Adjectives, don’t like to be left alone in Chinese and they tend to come with another word, like
or
. This has to do with the sense of rhythm in Chinese language, which prefers two
or four syllables instead of one or three.
Did you know? Did you know that the large majority of Chinese people share one of 100 surnames? Confusing, I know! Here is the list of the most common surnames - we’ll be using them throughout this book, and sometimes they are used in the tests as well: Lǐ, Wáng, Zhāng, Liú, Chén, Yáng, Zhào.
Quiz II 1.
_ A) / B) C)
2. _? A) B) C)
Quiz II (key) 1.
(Lǐ) (Zhāng)
(Nǐ hǎo!) Hi! (Nǐ hǎo!) Hi! (Nǐ hǎo ma?) How are you? (Wǒ hěn hǎo. Nǐ ne?) I’m very well. And you? (Wǒ hěn hǎo.) I’m very well.
2.
(Wáng)
(Nín hǎo ma?) How are you? ? (Wǒ bù hǎo. Nín ne?) I’m not well. And you? (Wǒ hěn hǎo.) I’m very well.
Chapter 3 In this chapter you’ll learn how to use objects and what measure words are all about.
Objects By the end of this section you will:
1.
learn how to use countable objects with measure words
2.
learn how to use uncountable objects with the measure word
3.
learn how to use this/that, these/those
4.
learn how to ask questions with ‘what’
5.
learn how to use the verb ‘to be’
6.
learn how to use the verb ‘to have’
Character
Pinyin
Translation
yī ge píngguǒ
an apple
yī ge cài
a dish
yī ge bēizi
a cup; a glass
yī běn shū
a book
yī bēi shuǐ
a cup of water
yī bēi chá
a cup of tea
yī bēi jiǔ
a cup of wine (or any type of alcohol)
yī zhī gǒu
a dog
yī zhī māo
a cat
yī xiē yīfu
some clothes
yī xiē dōngxi
some things
yī xiē shuǐguǒ
some fruit
zhè
this
nà
that
shì
am/is/are
shénme
what
yǒu
has/have/there is/there are
méi
no; not
liǎng
two; a couple
What You Need to Know •
Bear in mind that when
is followed by an adjective or verb in the forth tone, its
pronunciation changes into second tone, for example •
To negate verbs in Chinese you need to put this rule is the verb
.
is always negated with
is pronounced as bú shì.
in front of the verb. The only exception to to get
.
•
Chinese nouns are preceded by measure words especially when these nouns are being counted. The structure is as follows: number + measure word + noun, for example: . When using number ‘one’, as in
, the translation can either be ‘one
book’ or simply ‘a book’. •
is the most common measure word used for people and things. It is also the universal measure word, which means that if you can’t think of the appropriate measure word, you can always use
. Thus the phrase
wouldn’t not be entirely correct, but it would be
passable. We recommend that you learn the appropriate measure word for each noun that we are going to study and treat them as a single unit. •
When number two is followed by a measure word (words like which means ‘two’ or ‘a couple’. Thus this is correct: dishes),
•
,
,
), it changes into
(two books),
(two
(two cups).
When a noun is uncountable, for example with words like can use the measure word
which means ‘some’:
(clothes) or (these clothes),
(fruit), we (those
pieces of fruit). •
means ‘this’,
means ‘that’,
means ‘these’ and
means ‘those’.
Did you know? Languages have always influenced each other and this influence is most notable in vocabulary. They frequently borrow words from each other and with time we might even forget where the original word came from. English language, especially, is prone to absorption of new words whether it’s the Japanese ‘samuari’, Spanish ‘taco’, Arabic ‘coffee’ or Hindi ‘shampoo’. Ever since the first contact China had with the Western world in Qing dynasty, the first borrowings started to emerge, such as the unfortunate ‘opium’. In the last three decades the influence of English language has been stronger and stronger with the gradually increasing role of English in the daily lives of Chinese speakers. Chinese language already adopted many English words, but while the meaning remains the same, the English pronunciation is changed into the Chinese one. Here are some English loanwords that exist in modern Chinese: Coke: Coffee: Soda: Whiskey:
kělè kāfēi súdá wèishìjì
Quiz III 1.
_
A) B) C)
2.
_
A) B) C)
3.
_
A) B) C)
4.
_
A) B) C)
5. A) B) C)
_
6.
___
A) B) C)
Odd one out 7.
_
A) B) C)
8.
_
A) B) C)
9.
_
A) B) C)
10. A)
_
B) C)
Quiz III (key) 1.
_
A)
(ge)
B)
(běn)
C)
(zi)
2. A) B) C)
(Nà shì yī _ shū).
_
(Wǒ yǒu sān ge _.)
(yīfu) (gǒu) (píngguǒ)
3. A)
_
(Nà shì shénme? Nà shì yī zhī _.)
(gǒu)
B)
(shuǐguǒ)
C)
(shénme)
4.
_
A)
(èr)
B)
(xiē)
C)
(liǎng)
5.
_
A)
(wǒ)
(Wǒ yǒu _ ge bēizi.)
(Nà shì _ dōngxi?)
B)
(yīfu)
C)
(shénme)
6.
___
A)
(liǎng ge bēizi)
B)
(sān ge píngguǒ)
C)
(Nǐ yǒu shuǐguǒ ma? Shì, wǒ yǒu _ _ _.)
(sì běn shū)
Odd one out 7.
_
A)
(gǒu)
B)
(shū)
C)
(māo)
(Wǒ yǒu sān zhi _.)
8. A)
_
(Nǐ méiyǒu yīxiē _.)
(wǒ)
B)
(dōngxi)
C)
(yīfu)
9.
_
(Wǒ yǒu liǎng ge _.)
A)
(bēizi)
B)
(píngguǒ)
C)
(chá)
10. A) B) C)
_ (jiǔ) (bēizi) (chá)
(Nǐ yǒu yī bēi _ ma?)
Chapter 4 In this chapter you’ll learn about pronouns (I, you, they etc) and other words for people.
People By the end of this section you will:
1.
learn how to use pronouns
2.
learn how to say doctor, teacher and other professions in Chinese
3.
learn how to ask who someone is
4.
learn how to express possession (mine, yours, theirs etc)
5.
learn how to ask whose something is
Character
Pinyin
Translation
tā
she; her
tā
he; him
tā
it
wǒmen
we; us
nǐmen
you(plural)
tāmen
they; them
tāmen
they; them
tāmen
they; them
lǎoshī
a teacher
xuésheng
a student
tóngxué
a classmate
péngyou
a friend
yīshēng
a doctor
xiānsheng
mister
xiǎojie
miss
rén
a person; people
shéi
who
de
grammar particle
shéide
whose
yě
also
dōu
both; all
What You Need to Know •
is a measure word used for people. While
is neutral and can be universally used,
more polite and respectful and therefore is used when we want to be more formal: (that mister)
(this is my teacher).
is
•
is a plural suffix used with pronouns to change them from singular to plural: -> we),
•
•
->
(I
(she -> they).
Tones are important, but sometimes the meaning is only understood from the context. Look at the characters for ‘he’, ‘she’ and ‘eat’, they are all pronounced with the same syllable, with the exactly same tone. So if we hear someone saying: tā de tóngxué, we don’t know whether we are talking about a man or a woman having a classmate. is a particle used for two things: a) to express possession, e.g.: (teacher’s),
(mine),
(theirs); b) it is out between the adjective and a noun (we will discuss this
use in future chapters), but, for a taste: •
->
means ‘also’ as in:
(good + de + book). (She has a dog, I also have a dog).
means ‘all’, for example:
(She
has a dog, you have a dog, I have a dog. We all have a dog).
Did you know? is used to express possession, for example (my teacher), close subject like a friend or a member of a family, or home, we usually drop my friend).
(my cup), but when talking about a . For example: (this is
Quiz IV 1.
_
A) B) C)
2.
_
A) B) C)
3.
_
A) B) C)
4.
_
A) B) C)
Translate 5. A) They are not my students, they are my teachers B) All three of them are doctors
C) All three of them are my students
6. A) We are friends. B) They are people. C) We have friends.
7. A) All my friends are doctors. B) Those people are all my teachers. C) All my teachers are my friends.
8. A) This is my dog, Mike. B) This is my friend, Mike. C) This is my classmate, Mike.
Odd one out 9. A) B) C)
10. A) B) C)
Quiz IV (key) 1.
_
A)
(píngguǒ)
B)
(péngyou)
C)
(nǐmen)
2.
(Nàge rén shì shuí? Nàge rén shì wǒ de _.)
(Nà _ xiǎojie shì wǒ de lǎoshī.)
A)
(wèi)
B)
(běn)
C)
(zhī)
3.
_
A)
(wǒ de tóngxué)
B)
(wǒ de dōngxi)
C)
(yīshēng)
4.
_
A)
(bù)
B)
(shì)
C)
(hǎo)
(Tā shì yīshēng ma? Bù, tā shì _.)
(Tāmen shì hěn _ de péngyou.)
Translate 5.
(Tāmen shì shéi? Tāmen sān ge dōu shì wǒ de xuésheng.)
A) They are not my students, they are my teachers. B) All three of them are doctors.
C) All three of them are my students.
6.
(Wǒmen shì péngyou.)
A) We are friends. B) They are people. C) We have friends.
7.
(Nàxiē rén dōu shì wǒ de lǎoshī.)
A) All my friends are doctors. B) Those people are all my teachers. C) All my teachers are my friends.
8.
(Zhè shì wǒ péngyou, Màikè.)
A) This is my dog, Mike. B) This is my friend, Mike. C) This is my classmate, Mike.
Odd one out 9.
(Wǒ shì lǎoshī, nǐ ne?)
A)
(Wǒ bù shì.)
B)
(Wǒ yě shì. )
C)
(Wǒ dōu shì.)
10. A) B) C)
(Zhège píngguǒ shì shéi de?) (Nàge xuésheng de.) (Nà zhī māo de.) (Nà wèi yīshēng de.)
Chapter 5 In this chapter you’ll learn how to use words like hot, tall, beautiful and other adjectives.
Adjectives By the end of this chapter you will:
1.
learn how to use adjectives in Chinese
2.
be able to use the structure ‘too + adjective’
3.
be able to talk about the weather
4.
be able to ask or tell how much something costs
5.
be able to ask about someone’s age
Character
Pinyin
Translation
dà
big
xiǎo
small
lěng
cold
rè
hot
máng
busy
gāo
tall
piàoliang
pretty
gāoxìng
happy; glad
tiānqì
weather
zěnmeyàng
how
duō
many
shǎo
few
duōshao
how much
jǐ
how many
qián
money
kuài
piece; buck
tài…le
too (adjective)
suì
years (of age)
bǎi
hundred
What You Need to Know •
We use adjectives to describe nouns: how something looks like, how someone feels. In Chinese using adjectives is easy. All you need to do is follow this rule: adjective + example:
(pretty clothes)
(busy teacher).
+ noun. For
•
Chinese currency is called of yuan, which is
•
and
. In spoken Chinese, though, we often say another word instead means ‘a piece’ or ‘a buck’, so to say 5 yuan you could say:
are both used to mean ‘how much’, ‘how many’. The difference is that
usually used with numbers less than 10 and
is
is used with quantities of more than 10.
That’s why when asking about the price we tend to use
Meaning, ‘how much
money’ - because we usually anticipate that the price will be more than 10
. If, on the other
hand, we see a friend carrying a load of books, you don’t know how many, but most probably not more than ten, you would ask: •
? (how many books do you have?).
When asking about someone’s age, we use two forms: if we are asking a child (usually someone less than 10 years old), we can ask them:
If we are dealing with a person
that is older than that we can ask them like this: •
Going back to numbers, the word for hundred is and 211 is
•
, so ‘one hundred’ is
(you have to put that
, two hundred is
for numbers between 110-119, 210-219
etc). For example:
(315),
Structure
is used whenever we want to express a very high degree of
+ adjective +
something, for example: much/many‘ so you could interpret •
(lit. how big are you?).
(718) and
means ‘that’s great’.
(913).
originally has the meaning of ‘too
means ‘too big’. Again, the meaning will depend on the context so as either ‘too busy’ or ‘very busy’.
Compared to some other nations, Chinese are not so focused on discussing the weather. Nevertheless, it is still a valid topic for some small talk and you should be able to say at least something in the lines of
•
(it’s too cold) or
(it’s very hot).
means ‘what’s the weather like?’. If you want to know how someone is you can ask them
Did you know? The bargaining game While bargaining is certainly not one of my favourite things to do, it is definitely something unavoidable. When buying things in China remember to play it cool and not to buy all those kitch-y things that you don’t actually need. Even if something does spike your interest, don’t show it! Remain nonchalant and detached. Also, if you shop in a big city such as Beijing, Guangzhou, or Shanghai, or a huge tourist destination such as the area around the lake in Hangzhou, the prices will be quite high. (PiánYi YīDiǎn, KěYǐ Ma?) Can you do it a little bit cheaper? If they say no, turn around and leave. Chances are they will be calling you back into their store the moment you walk away.
Quiz V 1.
_
A) B) C)
2.
_
A) B) C)
3.
_
A) B) C)
4. A) B) C)
5. A) B) C)
_
6.
_
A) B) C)
Translate 7. A) He has more than 300 hundred yuan. B) He has a lot of money, more than 300. C) He has almost 300 yuan.
8. A) Very hot, not cold B) Hot all the time C) Not cold and not hot
Odd one out 9. A) B) C)
10. A) B) C)
?
11. A) B) C)
12. A) B) C)
Answer 13. A) B) C)
14. A) B) C)
15. A) B) C)
Quiz V (key) 1.
_
A)
(dōu)
B)
(yě)
C)
(tài)
2.
_
A)
(rè)
B)
(máng)
C)
(dà)
3.
_
A)
(duō)
B)
(jǐ)
C)
(shǎo)
4.
_
A)
(bù)
B)
(méi)
C)
(tài)
5.
(Nǐ hěn máng, wǒ _ hěn máng.)
(Zhège píngguǒ hěn _.)
(Nǐ _ suì?)
(Wǒ _ yǒu hěn duō yīfu.)
_
A)
(duō)
B)
(de)
C)
(méi)
(Zhè shì wǒ _ tóngxué, tā hěn piàoliang.)
Translate 6.
(Tā yǒu sānbǎi duō kuài qián.)
A) He has more than 300 hundred yuan. B) He has a lot of money, more than 300. C) He has almost 300 yuan.
7.
(Tiānqì zěnmeyàng? Bù lěng yě bù rè.)
A) Very hot, not cold B) Hot all the time C) Not cold and not hot
Odd one out 8. A)
(Nǐ yǒu duōshao qián?) (Wǒ yǒu liǎngbǎi kuài qián.)
B)
(Wǒ yǒu hěn hǎo qián.)
C)
(Wǒ méiyǒu hěn duō.)
9.
? (Zhège duōshao qián?)
A)
(Zhège liǎngbǎi kuài qián yī ge.)
B)
(Zhège wǔshí kuài qián liǎng ge.)
C)
10. A) B) C)
(Zhège sānshí kuài qián sān.)
(Zhè běn shū zěnmeyàng?) (Tài hǎo le!) (Tài piàoliang le!) (Tài máng le!)
11.
(Zhè wǔ ge píngguǒ duōshao qián?)
A) B)
(shí kuài qián) (shí qián)
C)
(shí kuài qián yī ge)
Answer 12.
(Nǐ yǒu jǐ kuài qián?)
A)
(Wǒ yǒu sān kuài.)
B)
(Wǒ yǒu sān ge.)
C)
(Wǒ yǒu sān běn.)
13.
(Nǐ lěng bù lěng?)
A)
(Wǒ hěn lěng.)
B)
(Wǒ bù hǎo.)
C)
(Wǒ hěn máng.)
14. A) B) C)
(Nǐ zěnmeyàng?) (Wǒ yǒu hěn duō qián.) (Wǒ hěn gāoxìng.) (Wǒ hěn gāo.)
15. A) B) C)
(Zhège bēizi duōshao qián?) (yībǎi shí kuài.) (yībǎi yīshí kuài.) (yībǎi qián)
Chapter 6 In this chapter you’ll learn about locations and different places of business.
Locations By the end of this chapter you will:
1.
learn how to say ‘here’ and ‘there’
2.
learn how to say school, hospital, restaurant and other places of business
3.
learn how to say ‘above’, ‘below’, ‘in front’ and ‘behind’
4.
learn how to ask where something or someone is
5.
learn how to ask where someone lives
Character
Pinyin
Translation
zhèr / zhèlǐ
here
nàr / nàlǐ
there
nǎr / nǎlǐ
where
xuéxiào
a school
jiàoshì
classroom
yīyuàn
a hospital
shāngdiàn
a store
fàndiàn
a restaurant; hotel
fànguǎn
a restaurant
huǒchēzhàn
train station
jiā
home
shàngmian
on top; above
xiàmian
bellow; underneath
qiánmian
in front
hòumian
behind
ZhōngGuó
China
MěiGuó
United States
BěiJīng
Beijing
zhuōzi
a table; desk
yǐzi
a chair
zài
be (at)
zhù
live (at)
What You Need to Know •
and
both mean ‘here’ and
in the pronunciation. The
and
both mean ‘there’, the difference is only
(ér) sound is very common in the Beijing dialect and since
Mandarin Chinese is based on that dialect, you would hear some of the
in standard
Chinese as well (though much much less than in the Beijing dialect and other dialects spoken in northern China). Generally, the
pronunciation is more typical in the northern China and
pronunciation in the south. Both versions are correct and you’d be right no matter
which one you use. •
Bear in mind the slight difference between the words to denote ‘there’ and ‘where’. The question word ‘where’ - written either as for mouth
(see previous point) - has the radical
on the left side of the character. You can notice this same radical in other
question words such as •
or
and
.
To denote where something is we can use the verb
(to be at) or the verb
, which
originally means ‘to have’, but is also used to say ‘there is’ and ‘there are’. Note the difference between these two difference sentence structures: table) and
(There is a cat on top of the table). With
sentence is on the object (the cat), with •
(A cat is on top of the
means ‘a house’ or ‘home’ as in
the focus of the
more focus is on the location itself (the table). (my home), but it is also a measure word for many
types of businesses, for example stores, shops, restaurants and hotels:
(That
shop is very good).
Did you know? lit. means North ( ) + capital ( ). Similarly, (South + capital), is the southern capital and today a big city close to Shanghai and (East + capital) is the Japanese city Tokyo.
Quiz VI 1.
_
A) B) C)
2.
_
A) B) C)
3.
_
A) B) C)
Translate 4. A) A cup of coffee is on the table. B) There is a cup of coffee on the table. C) This cup of coffee is mine.
5. A) Your dog is outside. B) You book is on that table. C) Your cup is on the table.
6. A) The dog on the chair B) The cat on the table C) The dog under the chair
7. A) Where is your home? B) Where are you? C) Are you there?
Answer 8. A) B) C)
9. A) B) C)
10. A) B) C)
11.
?
A) B) C)
12. A) B) C)
Odd one out 13. A) B) C)
14. A) B) C)
15. A) B) C)
Quiz VI (key) 1.
_
A)
(xiàmian)
B)
(shàngmian)
C)
(hòumian)
2. A)
(Nǐ zài qiánmian, wǒ zài nǐ _.)
_
(Nǐmen xuéxiào yǒu _ ge xuésheng?)
(jǐ)
B)
(hěn shǎo)
C)
(hěn duō )
3.
_
A) B) C)
(Tā bù zhù zài xuéxiào, tā zhù zài _.)
(huǒchēzhàn) (shāngdiàn) (jiā)
Translate 4.
(Zhuōzi shàng yǒu yī bēi kāfēi.)
A) A cup of coffee is on the table. B) There is a cup of coffee on the table. C) This cup of coffee is mine.
5.
(Nǐ de shū zài nà zhāng zhuōzi shàng.)
A) Your dog is outside. B) You book is on that table. C) Your cup is on the table.
6.
(zài yǐzi shàng de nà zhī gǒu)
A) That dog on the chair B) That cat on the table C) That dog under the chair
7.
(Nǐ zài nǎr ne?)
A) Where is your home? B) And where are you? C) Are you there?
Answer 8.
(Nǐ jiā zài nǎli?)
A)
(Wǒ zài shāngdiàn.)
B) C)
9. A) B)
(Wǒ jiā zài xuéxiào qiánmian.) (Wǒ zàijiā.)
(Lǎoshī de shū zài nǎli?) (Zhèlǐ yǒu hěn duō shū dōu shì wǒ de.) (Tā de shū zài zhèlǐ.)
C)
(Zhèlǐ méiyǒu hěn duō xuésheng.)
10.
(Wǒ de nàxiē yīfu zài nǎr?)
A)
(Nǐ de yīfu zài yǐzi shàng.)
B) C)
(Nǐ de jiā zài qiánmian.) (Nǐ de yīfu hěn piàoliang. )
11.
? (Zhè shì nǐ de zhuōzi ma?)
A)
(Shì, zhè bù shì wǒ de zhuōzi.)
B)
(Bù shì, zhè shì wǒ de zhuōzi.)
C)
(Shì, zhè shì wǒ de zhuōzi.)
12.
(Nàge fànguǎn zài nǎr?)
A)
(Nàge fànguǎn zài huǒchēzhàn qiánmian.)
B)
(Nàge fànguǎn zài xuéxiào.)
C)
(Nàge fànguǎn hěn hǎo.)
Odd one out 13. A) B) C)
14. A) B) C)
15. A) B) C)
(Zhè shì wǒ jiā.) Tài dà le! Tài piàoliang le! Tài duō le!
(Tā bù zài fàndiàn.) (Tā zài xuéxiào.) (Tā zài yǐzi shàng.) (Tā zài shāngdiàn.)
(Wáng lǎoshī zài nǎr?) (Zài zhuōzi shàng) (Zài yīyuàn) (Zài huǒchēzhàn)
Chapter 7 In this chapter you’ll learn about basic Chinese verbs and objects that go with them.
Verbs I By the end of this section you will:
1.
be able to say what you are doing at a particular moment
2.
talk about what you like or love doing
3.
be able to say what you can or cannot do
4.
be able to say what you need to do and what you would like to do
Character
Pinyin
Translation
kàn
to look; see
zuò
to do; make
chī
to eat
hē
to drink
mǎi
to buy
néng
can; be able to
huì
can
yào
to want; will; need
xiǎng
to think; feel
xuéxí
to study
dú
to read (out loud)
xǐhuan
to like
ài
to love
diànshì
a TV
diànyǐng
a movie
diànnǎo
a computer
mǐfàn
rice
miàn
noodles
jiǎozi
dumplings
What You Need to Know •
Whenever you want to express a continuous action happening in the present, like the English ‘I am doing’, ‘I’m cooking’, you have to put (doing)
•
and
in front of the verb, so in this case:
(cooking). both mean ‘can’, the difference is that
refers to a physical ability and
to a learned ability. See the difference in the following examples:
refers
I am able to drink alcohol I can speak Chinese (
là means ‘spicy’) I am able to eat spicy food. . I can cook Chinese food.
•
means ‘need to’, ‘want to’ or ‘have to’ while something.
•
means ‘think’, ‘plan’ or ‘would like to’ do
means ‘I think of you’ or simply, ‘I miss you’.
The easiest way of forming a question is by putting the question particle statement, for example:
(you are busy),
a question by using the structure can also do this with other verbs. say:
at the end of a
(are you busy?). You can also aks
(is it, or is it not), for instance:
You
means ‘can’. If you want to ask ‘can you cook’ you could
or
Did you know? (miànzi) means ‘face’ in Chinese and it could be interpreted as respect, honor, and it is certainly something that one wouldn’t wish to lose. This might be more difficult than you think; consider these tips for dealing with ‘who should pay dilemma’ at the end of a meal: • if you were invited by a Chinese person, and they chose the restaurant and have ordered, you should definitely let them pay. Similarly, if you were the one inviting your Chinese colleague, you chose the place, even ordered, you should insist on paying no matter what (they will put up a good fight, but you shouldn’t let them win, otherwise they might think less of you). • if you are dining with a Chinese person that is much older than you, or senior in rank, you should let them pay too to save their face • for larger groups, no single person will pay, instead you’ll ‘go AA’ (that’s how they say it in Chinese), which means to ‘go Dutch’ • if you are a young and pretty woman, don’t worry about it, let them pay
Quiz VII 1.
_
A) B) C)
2.
_
A) B) C)
3.
_
A) B) C)
Translate 4. A) I want one bowl of soup and some fruit B) I want a bottle of water, some fruit and a cup of tea C) I want a cup of coffee, a cup of water and a cup of tea
5. A) Do you want it or not? B) Do you like him or not? C) Do you like me or not?
6. A) Do you like some of this cups? B) Of these cups, which one do you like? C) These cups are much nicer than those ones.
Odd one out 7. A) B) C)
8. A) B) C)
9. A) B) C)
Answer 10. A) B) C)
11. A) B) C)
12. A) B) C)
What is the question? 13. D) E) F)
14. A) B) C)
15. A) B) C)
Quiz VII (key) 1.
_
(Nǐ _ zuò shénme?)
A)
(bù)
B)
(méi)
C)
(zài)
2.
_
A)
(zài)
B)
(dōu)
C)
(yǒu)
3.
(Wǒmen _ bù xǐhuan tā.)
_
(Nǐ _ kàn diànyǐng ma?)
A)
(gāoxìng)
B)
(xǐhuan)
C)
(huì)
Translate 4.
(Wǒ yào yī bēi kāfēi, yī bēi shuǐ, yī bēi chá.)
A) I want one bowl of soup and some fruit. B) I want a bottle of water, some fruit and a cup of tea. C) I want a cup of coffee, a cup of water and a cup of tea.
5.
(Nǐ xǐ bù xǐhuan tā?)
A) Do you want it or not? B) Do you like him or not? C) Do you like me or not?
6.
(Zhèxiē bēizi nǐ xǐhuan nǎ yī ge?)
A) Do you like some of this cups? B) Which one of these cups do you like? C) These cups are much nicer than those ones.
Odd one out 7.
(Nǐ zài zuò shénme?)
A)
(Wǒ zài xué Zhōngwén.)
B)
(Wǒ zài mǎi dōngxi.)
C)
(Wǒ zhù zài Zhōngguó.)
8.
(Nǐ xiǎng chī shénme?)
A)
(Wǒ xiǎng chī jiǎozi.)
B)
(Wǒ xiǎng chī miàn.)
C)
(Wǒ xiǎng huíjiā.)
9.
(Nǐ xiǎng qù nǎr?)
A) B) C)
(Wǒ xiǎng qù shāngdiàn mǎi dōngxi.) (Wǒ xiǎng qù fàndiàn chīfàn.) (Wǒ xiǎng nǐ.)
Answer 10. A) B) C)
(Nǐ xǐhuan zuò shénme?) (Wǒ xǐhuan xuéxí Hànyǔ.) (Wǒ huì zuò Zhōngguó cài.) (Wǒ xǐhuan wǒmen de lǎoshī.)
11. A)
(Tā zài mǎi yīfu ma?) (Tā méiyǒu hěn duō yīfu.)
B)
(Tā de nàxiē yīfu dōu bù tài hǎo.)
C)
(Shì, tā zài shāngdiàn mǎi yīfu.)
12. A)
(Nǐ xiǎng kàn shénme diànyǐng?) (Wǒ zài kàn diànyǐng.)
B)
(Wǒ xiǎng kàn Zhōngguó diànyǐng.)
C)
(Wǒ bù xǐhuan kàn diànshì.)
What is the question? 13. D) E) F)
(Tā bù zài kàn diànyǐng, tā zài dú shū.) (Tā zàijiā ma?) (Tā zài kàn diànyǐng ma?) (Tā zài kànshū ma?)
14.
(Wǒ ài zuòfàn.)
A)
(Nǐ ài wǒ ma?)
B) C)
15. A) B) C)
(Nǐ ài nǐ de gǒu ma?) (Nǐ ài zuò shénme?)
(Wǒ zài chī miàn.) (Nǐ zài chī shénme?) (Nǐ zài fàndiàn qiánmian ma?) (Nǐ zài xuéxí ma?)
Chapter 8 In this chapter you’ll learn more verbs and how to use them.
Verbs II By the end of this chapter you will:
1.
be able to use verbs such as ‘speak’, ‘listen’ and ‘write’
2.
be able to introduce yourself and ask for someone’s name
3.
be able to use verbs ‘go’, ‘come’ and ‘return’
4.
be able to say how you go somewhere (by bus, taxi, plane etc)
Character
Pinyin
Translation
shuōhuà
to talk; speak
tīng
to listen; hear
xiě
to write
zuò
sit; ride
kāi
open; drive
shuìjiào
to sleep
jiào
to call; to be called
kànjian
to catch sight of; see
rènshi
to know; recognise
lái
to come
qù
to go
huí
to return
Hànyǔ
Mandarin Chinese
zì
a written character
chē
a car
huǒchē
a train
chūzūchē
a taxi
fēijī
an airplane
mīngzi
a name
What You Need to Know •
means ‘to open’, for example, means ‘to drive’ as in
•
means ‘to sit’, as in example:
(mén) means to open a door. The same verb also
‘to drive a car’,
‘to drive a taxi’.
‘please, sit’, but it also mean to ride (a taxi, a bus, a car). For
‘to take a taxi’,
‘to take a train’.
•
To ask someone, ‘what are you doing’ you can simply say colloquial way of asking the same question is
•
means ‘Mandarin Chinese’,
Another, more
(gàn)
means ‘characters’ and
means ‘Chinese
characters’. •
While
means ‘to see’ or ‘look’,
with someone.
assumes the result: to actually see someone or meet
means ‘I can see you’ (the focus is on the result, I can actually see
you with my own eyes).
would mean ‘I can see you’, as in ‘I can see you tomorrow,
because I have time’ (no focus on the actual result). •
In Chinese language there is no clear distinction between past, present and future events, as in, there are no past, present and future tenses. Instead, the meaning of the sentence is either understood from the context (with the help of ‘time words’ such as last year, yesterday, in the afternoon), or it’s understood from the ‘help words’. These are for the past.
to indicate the future and
can be translated as ‘will’, but as we know it also has other meanings,
observe this in the example sentence:
. We could translate it as ‘I have to go to
US’ or ‘I need to go to US’ or ‘I will go to US’. •
means ‘I went to the shop’. To say ‘I didn’t go to the shop’ we use generally, for negating the verbs we use
means ‘did you go to the shop ’. (but no
):
Remember this:
. But there are two exceptions: the verb
, and
whenever you are dealing with events that happened in the past. In these two cases we use •
.
is used not only to indicate past events, but also, complete events, or changes - this list is not final, but for the sake of brevity and clarity we will stop here. See this example: (I ate);
(I went to US).
Did you know? No matter how bad your Chinese is, your efforts of speaking it will be generally well received in China. Yes, your tones might be all of place and your sentences might be full of (unintentional) double entendres, but you will be welcomed with radiating smiles, winks and general air of approval and good humour. And then it’s their turn to speak. You will be poked and prodded with every and any imaginable question ranging from your age, weight to the price of your clothes, your car and your salary. When you are ready to know what they are actually asking, try slowing them down first: (Qǐng Shuō Màn YīDiǎn. )
Quiz VIII 1.
_
A) B) C)
2.
_
A) B) C)
3.
_
A) B) C)
Translate 4. A) He said he cannot go. B) He said he is very busy. C) He said she is very busy.
5. A) I can cook food, I can speak some Chinese. B) I can speak Chinese, I can write some characters. C) I can write characters, I can cook some dishes.
6. A) I know how to write Chinese. B) I know this character. C) I know how to write that.
Odd one out 7. A) B) C)
8. A) B) C)
9. A) B) C)
What is the question? 10. A) B) C)
11. A) B) C)
12. A) B) C)
Answer 13. A) B) C)
14. A) B) C)
15. A) B) C)
Quiz VIII (key) 1.
_
(Wǒ _ huǒchē qù.)
A)
(mǎi)
B)
(zuò)
C)
(kāi)
2.
_
A)
(lái)
B)
(qù)
C)
(huí)
3.
_
A)
(xiě)
B)
(tīng)
C)
(huà)
(Wǒmen _ jiā le.)
(Shéi zài shuō _ ne?)
Translate 4.
(Tā shuō tā hěn máng.)
A) He said he cannot go. B) He said he is very busy. C) He said she is very busy.
5.
(Wǒ huìshuō Hànyǔ, wǒ néng xiě yīxiē Hànzì.)
A) I can cook food, I can speak some Chinese. B) I can speak Chinese, I can write some characters. C) I can write characters, I can cook some dishes.
6.
(Wǒ rènshi zhège Hànzì.)
A) I know how to write Chinese. B) I know this character. C) I know how to write that.
Odd one out 7.
(Tā huì shénme?)
A)
(Tā huì zuòfàn.)
B) C)
8.
(Tā huì shuō Hànyǔ.) (Tā huì xiězì.)
(Tā zài gàn shénme?)
A)
(Tā zài shuìjiào.)
B)
(Tā zài xuéxí.)
C)
(Tā zài zuòfàn.)
9. A)
(Nàge rén shì shuí? Wǒ bù rènshi.) (Tā shì wǒmen de lǎoshī.)
B) C)
(Tā shì wǒ māma de péngyou.) (Tā bù huì kāichē.)
What is the question? 10. A)
(Tā zài xuéxiào xuéxí.) (Tā shì shéi?)
B)
(Tā zài zuò shénme?)
C)
(Tā de jiā zài nǎli?)
11.
(Shì, hěn xǐhuan.)
A)
(Zhāng lǎoshī zàijiā ma?)
B)
(Nǐ xǐhuan hē chá ma?)
C)
(Nǐ zěnme qù xuéxiào?)
12. A)
(Zuótiān wǒ qù shāngdiàn le
(Nǐ zuótiān mǎi de shuǐguǒ zěnmeyàng?)
B)
(Nǐ zuótiān mǎile jǐ ge píngguǒ?)
C)
(Nǐ zuótiān qù gàn shénme le?)
Answer 13.
(Tā yǒu jǐ běn shū?)
A)
(Tā yǒu sān běn Hànyǔ shū.)
B)
(Nàxiē shū dōu shì wǒ de.)
C)
(Tā bù xǐhuan kànshū.)
14.
(Nǐ huì xiě Hànzì ma?)
A) B)
(Wǒ zài tīng wǒ péngyou shuō Hànyǔ.) (Wǒ bù huì xiě Hànzì.)
C)
(Wǒ bù xǐhuan chī Zhōngguócài.)
15.
(Nǐ kànjianle nàge rén ma?)
A) B) C)
mǎile xiē shuǐguǒ.)
(Wǒ méi kànshū.) (Wǒ bù xǐhuan nàge rén.) (Wǒmen dōu kànjian nàge rén le.)
Chapter 9 In this chapter you’ll learn numerous ‘time words’ and to tell the time in Chinese.
Time and Date By the end of this chapter you will:
1.
be able to say words such as ‘today’, ‘yesterday’, ‘last week’, ‘next year’
2.
know the days of the week
3.
know the names of the months
4.
be able to tell the time in Chinese
Character
Pinyin
Translation
tiān
a day
jīntiān
today
zuótiān
yesterday
míngtiān
tomorrow
xīngqī
a week
xīngqīyī
Monday
xīngqī'èr
Tuesday
xīngqīsān
Wednesday
xīngqīsì
Thursday
xīngqīwǔ
Friday
xīngqīliù
Saturday
xīngqītiān / xīngqīrì
Sunday
shàngwǔ
morning; forenoon
zhōngwǔ
midday; noon
xiàwǔ
afternoon
xiànzài
now
rì
sun; day
yuè
a month
nián
a year
shénme shíhou
when
shíjiān
time
fēnzhōng
minute of time
diǎnzhōng
o’clock
and ‘tomorrow’ is
, but observe the rules for weeks,
What You Need to Know •
‘Yesterday’ is months and years:
, ‘today’ is
(last week),
(this week),
(next week);
(last month),
(this month),
(next month);
(last year),
(this year),
(next year). •
The days of the week are simple in Chinese and so too are the names of the month. All you have to do is put the number between and twelve before the word for ‘month’, for instance: (January),
•
(May),
(November).
The date format in Chinese follows the structure of year + month + day, for example: 2009 8
7
. To ask ‘what date is it today’ you can say:
•
To ask ‘what time is it now?’ you say:
•
To indicate time in Chinese, we don’t use am and pm, instead the words used, for example:
(at nine in the morning)
and
are
(at five in the
afternoon).
Did you know? In the traditional Chinese calendar each year is named after one of the zodiacal animals: dog, pig, rooster, dragon, ox, sheep, horse, rabbit, snake, monkey, rat and tiger. It is believed that one’s character is determined by the animal of the year one was born in; mind you, being a pig is supposed to be good!
Quiz IX 1.
_
A) B) C)
2.
_
A) B) C)
3.
_
A) B) C)
Odd one out 4. A) B) C)
5. A) B)
2014
12
8
C)
12
9
Translate 6. A) I’m free tonight and I’ll be watching TV. B) I’m very busy, I have no time to watch TV. C) If you’re not busy tonight, we can watch TV.
7. A) What day is today? B) At what time are you going to US? C) When are you going to US next month?
8. A) It’s very late, I have to go to sleep. B) It’s eight already, I have to go back. C) It’s eight o’clock, I have to study.
Answer 9. A) B) C)
10. A) B) C)
11. A) B) C)
12. A) B) C) 2
25
13. A) B) C)
What is the question? 14. A) B) C)
15. A) B) C)
Quiz IX (key) 1.
_
Tā shénme _ qù Běijīng?
A)
(shíjiān)
B)
(diǎnzhōng)
C)
(shíhou)
2.
_
A)
(xǐhuan)
B)
(gāoxìng)
C)
3. A)
(Xiàwǔ wǒ qù shāngdiàn, wǒ _ mǎi yīxiē shuǐguǒ.)
(yào)
_
(Nǐ jǐ _ dào huǒchēzhàn?) (shíhou)
B)
(diǎn)
C)
(tiān)
Odd one out 4. A)
(Yī nián yǒu shí'èr ge yuè.)
B)
(Yī ge yuè yǒu sì ge duō xīngqī.)
C)
5.
(Yī ge xīngqī yǒu liù tiān.)
2014
12
8
(Jīntiān shì 2014 nián 12 yuè 8 rì, xīngqīyī.)
A)
(Zuótiān shì xīngqīrì.)
B)
(Míngtiān shì xīngqīsān.)
C)
12
9
(Míngtiān shì 12 yuè 9 rì.)
Translate 6.
(Wǒ hěn máng, méiyǒu shíjiān kàn diànshì.)
A) I’m free tonight and I’ll be watching TV. B) I’m very busy, I have no time to watch TV. C) If you’re not busy tonight, we can watch TV.
7.
(Nǐ xià ge yuè jǐ rì qù Měiguó?)
A) What day is today? B) At what time are you going to US? C) When are you going to US next month?
8.
(Dōu bā diǎn le, wǒ yào huíqù le.)
A) It’s very late, I have to go to sleep. B) It’s eight already, I have to go back. C) It’s eight o’clock, I have to study.
Answer 9. A) B) C)
(Jīntiān jǐ yuè jǐ rì?) (Jīntiān xīngqīliù.) (Jīntiān bāyuè wǔ rì.) (Jīntiān xiàwǔ sāndiǎn zhōng.)
10.
(Xiànzài jǐ diǎnzhōng?)
A)
(Bā diǎn sìshí fēn.)
B)
Xīngqīsān.
C)
(Míngtiān xiàwǔ.)
11.
(Zuótiān shì xīngqījǐ?)
A)
(Zuótiān wǒ bù zàijiā.)
B)
(Zuótiān shì èryuè.)
C)
(Zuótiān shì xīngqīsān.)
12.
(Nǐ shénme shíhou qù Zhōngguó?)
A)
(Shàng ge xīngqīwǔ.)
B) C) 2
(Qùnián bāyuè.) 25
(2 yuè 25 rì, xīngqīsān.)
13. A)
(Nǐ kànjian wǒ de qiánle ma?) (Bù, wǒ méiyǒu qián.)
B)
(Bù, wǒ méiyǒu shíhou.)
C)
Shì, zài zhuōzishàng.
What is the question? 14.
Wǒ míngtiān qù Běijīng, wǒ kāichē qù.
A)
Nǐ shénme shíhou qù Běijīng? Zěnme qù?
B)
Nǐ míngtiān qù Běijīng ma? Wǒ néng qù ma?
C)
15. A)
Běijīng zài nǎr? Zài Zhōngguó ma?
Xiàwǔ wǒ qù shāngdiàn, wǒ xiǎng mǎi yīxiē shuǐguǒ. Nǐ míngtiān xiàwǔ zàijiā ma?
B)
Nǐ de diànhuà duōshao?
C)
Nǐ xiàwǔ qù nǎli?
Chapter 10 In this chapter you’ll learn about family titles and how to say where you are from.
People II By the end of this chapter you will:
1.
be able to use family titles
2.
be able to say where you are from
3.
review what you’ve learned so far
Character
Pinyin
Translation
bàba
father
māma
mother
nǚ'ér
daughter
érzi
son
háizi
a child
Zhōngguórén
a Chinese
Měiguórén
an American
What You Need to Know •
In Chinese culture, family and family members have always played a very important part in someone’s life - this is true even of today. For that reason, each family member has a different title. Of course, there is father and mother, but there is also older brother, younger brother, first aunt, second aunt, big aunt, small aunt, aunts on father’s side, aunts on mother’s side, aunts that are not really aunts, but actually older cousins of your cousins. We don’t wish to overwhelm you, so we’re starting slow, with the basics.
•
means ‘where’, but
by itself means ‘which’. If you want to ask of which nationality
someone is you simply have to use this phrase answer could be •
and
, lit. ‘which country person’. The
(I’m Chinese). are all correct Chinese words.
is used express closeness with the
said cat, dog or child.
Did you know? When walking down the streets of China, no matter how confident your walk and no matter how good your Chinese is, your looks will always betray you and in the eyes of Chinese you shall forever remain a foreigner. Laowai. Many times, that will mean something good: attention and kindness from complete strangers; in some other cases, this attention will be unwanted, especially when you are seen as a potential scam target. Or, if not a scam, you’ll be bugged to buy this and that: bags, watches, shoes, mainly. When approached by a street peddler, or someone offering you their business card or a catalogue, this is what you should say: . ( Bù Yào, Xièxie. ). I don’t want it, thank you.
Quiz X 1.
_
A) B) C)
2.
_
A) B) C)
3. A) B) C)
Odd one out 4. A) B) C)
5. A)
_
B) C)
6.
Translate 7. A) I need to call my Chinese teacher. B) This lady is calling home. C) Miss Wang called my house yesterday.
8. A) Do you like my Chinese father? B) Do you like the Chinese food that my father cooks? C) Have you ever tried Chinese food that my father cooked?
9. D) E) F)
Answer 10.
A) B) C)
11. A) B) C)
12. A) B) C)
What is the question? 13. A) B) C)
14. A) B) C)
15. A) B) C)
Quiz X (with answers) 1. A)
_
(Tāmen yǒu _ ge háizi.)
(duōshao)
B)
(liǎng)
C)
(xiǎo)
2.
_
A)
(huì)
B)
(néng)
C)
(hǎo)
3.
(Wǒ māma bù _ zuòfàn.)
_
A)
(de)
B)
(yě)
C)
(le)
(Xiǎoháizi shuìjiào _ ma?)
Odd one out 4. A) B) C)
5. A)
(Nǐ nǚ'ér de xuéxiào zài nǎr?) (Zài shāngdiàn qiánmian) (Zài fēijīshàng) (Zài huǒchēzhàn qiánmian)
(Nàxiē háizi huì shuō Hànyǔ ma?) (Tāmen huì shuō.)
B)
(Nàxiē háizi dōu bù huì shuō Hànyǔ.)
C)
(Nàxiē háizi dōu shì Měiguórén.)
6.
(Zhèxiē yīfu shì nǚ'ér de.) (Hěn piàoliang!) (Tài piàoliang le !) Tā shì Zhōngguórén.
7. A) B) C)
(Tā de érzi xǐhuan chī shénme shuǐguǒ?) (Tā bù huì.) (Tā dōu bù xǐhuan.) (Tā hěn xǐhuan chī píngguǒ.)
Translate 8.
(Zhè wèi xiǎojie zài gěi jiālǐ dǎ diànhuà.)
A) I need to call my Chinese teacher. B) This lady is calling home. C) Miss Wang called my house yesterday.
9.
(Nǐ xǐhuan wǒ bàba zuò de Zhōngguócài ma?)
A) Do you like my Chinese father? B) Do you like the Chinese food that my father cooks? C) Have you ever tried Chinese food that my father cooked?
Answer 10.
(Nǐ shì nǎguórén?)
A)
(Wǒ zhù zài Běijīng.)
B)
(Dōngjīng hěn piàoliang.)
C)
(Wǒ shì Zhōngguórén.)
11.
(Nǐ jiā yǒu jǐ gè rén?)
A)
(Wǒmen jiā yǒu sì gè rén.)
B) C)
(Wǒmen jiā zài xuéxiào qiánmian.) (Tā de nǚ'ér zàijiā.)
12.
(Nǐ de nǚ'ér zhēn piàoliang, Tā jǐ suì le?)
A)
(Liǎngbǎi kuài.)
B)
(Sānshíwǔ.)
C)
(Qī suì le.)
What is the question? 13.
(Tā shì wǒ de érzi.)
A)
(Tā yǒu jǐ gè érzi?)
B)
(Tā shénme shíhou huílai?)
C)
(Tā shì shéi?)
14.
(Xià ge yuè.)
A) B) C)
(Nǐ zài gàn shénme?) (Bàba shénme shíhou lái Běijīng ne?) (Nǐ māma shénme shíhou mǎile zhège bēizi?)
5.
(Shì wǒ māma zuò de.)
A)
(Nǐ māma shìbushì Zhōngguóren?)
B)
(Zhèxiē Zhōngguócài shì shéi zuò de?)
C)
(Nì huì bù huì zuò Zhōngguócài?)
Chapter 11 In this chapter you’ll learn numerous conversational phrases that you can use everyday.
Phrases By the end of this chapter you will:
1.
be able to introduce yourself
2.
apologise and excuse yourself
3.
be able to have a telephone conversation
4.
ask questions and thank others
Character
Pinyin
Translation
qǐng
please; to invite
qǐngwèn
excuse me, may I ask…?
gěi
to give
xièxie
thank you
bù kèqi
you’re welcome
duìbuqǐ
I’m sorry; excuse me
méi guānxi
never mind; it doesn't matter
wèi
hey; hello
dǎ diànhuà
to make a phone call
zàijiàn
good-bye
xiàyǔ
to rain
gōngzuò
work
zěnme
how
hé
and
What You Need to Know •
means ‘please’, but it also means ‘to invite’ or ‘to treat’. For example,
would
literary be translated as ‘I invite you to eat’, as in, let’s eat together. A more accurate translation would be ‘this meal is my treat’. • •
means ‘can’, but
means ‘a short time’, ‘a moment’.
When you meet someone for the first time it’s polite to say
(It’s a pleasure to
meet you) •
When someone calls you on the phone you should answer with
(hello).
is also used to
attract someone’s attention, for example, you see someone forgetting their glove, so you call after them with
(Hey! Hey!)
Did you know? When in a restaurant, subway station or walking down the street, you might find yourself in a need of a restroom. Although public toilets should be used with caution in China, not all of them are bad and let’s face it, when there’s a need, there’s a way. To ask about the toilet/restroom/WC/loo, you should ask in one of these ways: (CèSuǒ Zài NǎLi?) (XǐShǒuJiān Zài NǎLi?) (WèiShēngJiān Zài NǎLi?) If you want to be more polite, you can put in front of these questions.
Quiz XI 1.
_
A) B) C)
2.
_
A) B) C)
3.
_
A) B) C)
Translate 4. A) Where is your dog? B) Is your cat called Shelly? C) What’s your cat called?
5. A) I can’t go now, I have to cook. B) I can’t drink alcohol, please give me some tea.
6. A) My mom works in a hospital. B) My sister is in the hospital. C) The doctor is seeing my mom.
7. A) I’m too busy, I cannot work. B) It’s too how, I don’t want to work. C) It’s too cold, I don’t want to work now.
8. A) Who doesn’t she want to see tomorrow? B) What does she want to do tomorrow? C) Who is going to see her tomorrow?
9. A) Chinese people like to eat spicy food. B) Chinese people like to eat noodles. C) Chinese people like to eat dumplings.
10. A) How long have you been studying in China B) How many years have you been studying Chinese? C) Did you study Chinese for many years?
11. A) The weather is nice today, let’s go out. B) It rained today, it’s very cold. C) If it’s raining now, it should be very cold.
What is the question? 12. A) B)
—
C)
13. A) B) C)
14.
23
A) B) C)
15. A) B) C)
Odd one out 16. A) B) C)
18258472895
17. A) B) C)
18. A) B) C)
Answer 19. A) B) C)
20. A) B) C)
21. A) B) C)
22. A) B) C)
23. A) B) C)
24. A) B) C)
25. A) B) C)
Quiz XI (key) 1.
_
(Nǐ jiào _ míngzi?)
A)
(shéide)
B)
(shénme)
C)
(zěnme)
2. A)
_
(Hěn _ rènshi nǐ.) (hǎo)
B)
(gāoxìng)
C)
(piàoliang)
3.
_
A)
(zhù)
B)
(yǒu)
C)
(zài)
(Wáng lǎoshī míngtiān _ jiā ma? Wǒ xiǎng qù kàn tā.
Translate 4.
(Nǐ de māo jiào shénme míngzi?)
A) Where is your dog? B) Is your cat called Shelly? C) What’s your cat called?
5.
(Wǒ bù néng hē jiǔ, qǐng gěi wǒ yī bēi rèchá.)
A) I can’t go now, I have to cook. B) I can’t drink alcohol, please give me some tea. C) I can’t drink alcohol, I’m driving a car.
6.
(Māma zài yīyuàn gōngzuò.)
A) My mom works in a hospital. B) My sister is in the hospital. C) The doctor is seeing my mom.
7.
(Tiānqì tài rè le, wǒ bù xiǎng gōngzuò le.)
A) I’m too busy, I cannot work. B) It’s too, I don’t want to work. C) It’s too cold, I don’t want to work now.
8.
(Tā míngtiān xiǎng qù kàn shéi?)
A) Who does she want to see tomorrow? B) What does she want to do tomorrow? C) Who is going to see her tomorrow?
9.
(Zhōngguórén xǐhuan chī jiǎozi.)
A) Chinese people like to eat spicy food. B) Chinese people like to eat noodles. C) Chinese people like to eat dumplings.
10.
(Nǐ xuéle jǐ nián Hànyǔ le?)
A) How long have you been studying in China B) How many years have you been studying Chinese? C) Did you study Chinese for many years?
11.
(Jīntiān xiàyǔ le, hěn lěng.)
A) The weather is nice today, let’s go out. B) It is raining today, it’s very cold.
C) If it’s raining now, but it shouldn’t be cold.
What is the question? 12.
(Wǒ bù yào. Xièxie.)
A)
(Nǐ jiào shénme míngzi?)
B)
(Nǐ jīnnián duō dà?)
C)
(Nǐ yào hēshuǐ ma?)
13.
(Duìbuqǐ, wǒ bùnéng qù.)
A)
(Nǐ jīntiān xiǎng chī shénme?)
B)
(Wǒ jīntiān qǐng nǐ chīfàn, hǎo ma?)
C)
14.
(Jīntiān huì xiàyǔ ma?)
23
(Wǒ jīnnián 23 suì.)
A)
(Nǐ jīnnián jǐ suì?)
B)
(Nǐ jīnnián duō dà?)
C)
(Nǐ jīnnián qù nǎli?)
15.
18258472895
(Wǒ de diànhuà shì 18258472895.)
A)
(Nǐ de diànhuà shì duōshao?)
B)
(Nǐ jiālǐ yǒu diànhuà ma?)
C)
(Nǐ de diànnǎo duōshao qián?)
Odd one out 16. A) B)
(Qǐngwèn xiànzài jǐ diǎnzhōng?) (Xiànzài bā diǎn sānshí fēnzhōng.) (Xiànzài zàixià yǔ.)
C)
17.
(Xiànzài shì xiàwǔ wǔ diǎn.)
(Xièxie nín!)
A)
(Bù kèqi)
B)
Méi guānxi
C)
Duìbuqǐ
18. A) B) C)
Qǐngwèn nǐ shì zuò shénme gōngzuò de? Wǒ shì lǎoshī. Wǒ xǐhuan xiǎo gǒu. Wǒ shì yīshēng.
Answer 19. A)
(Qǐngwèn nín shì nǎguórén?) (Wǒ jiào Màikè.)
B)
(Wǒ shì Měiguórén.)
C)
(Wǒ shì Běijīngrén.)
20. A)
(Nǐ rènshi nàge rén ma?) (Wǒ bù yào, xièxie.)
B)
(Wǒ jiào Màikè.)
C)
(Wǒ rènshi tā.)
21.
(Qǐng nǐ zuò yīhuì.)
A)
(Hǎo de, xièxie.)
B)
(Duìbuqǐ)
C)
(Zàijiàn)
22. A)
(Duìbuqǐ, wǒ jīntiān bù néng hé nǐ qù kàn yīshēng le.) (Hǎo de)
B)
(Méi guānxi)
C)
(Bù kèqi)
23. A)
(Zhōngwǔ wǒ qǐng nǐ chīfàn.) (Méi guānxi)
B)
(Tài hǎole, wǒ xiǎng chī Zhōngguócài.)
C)
24. A) B) C)
25. A)
(Duìbuqǐ, wǒ míngtiān bù zài.)
(Nǐ hē shuǐ ma?) (Méi guānxi) (Hǎo de, xièxie.) (Bù kèqi)
(Wèi, Lǐ xiǎojie zài jiā ma?) (Wèi, Wáng xiǎojie zài ma?)
B)
(Shì, tā zài jiā.)
C)
(Bù yào, xièxie.)
HSK I Vocabulary List No.
Character
Pinyin
Translation
1
ai4
to love; affection; to be fond of; to like
2
ba1
eight; 8
3
ba4 ba5
4
bei1 zi5
5
Bei3 jing1
Beijing, capital of People's Republic of China; Peking; PRC government
6
ben3
roots or stems of plants; origin; source; this; the current; root; foundation; basis; classifier for books, periodicals, files etc; originally
8
bu4
(negative prefix); not; no
7
bu4 ke4 qi5
you're welcome; impolite; rude; blunt; don't mention it
9
cai4
10
cha2
11
chi1
to eat; to have one's meal; to eradicate; to destroy; to absorb; to suffer; to exhaust
12
chu1 zu1 che1
taxi
13
da3 dian4 hua4
to make a telephone call
14
da4
big; huge; large; major; great; wide; deep; oldest; eldest
15
de5
of; structural particle: used before a noun, linking it to preceding possessive or descriptive attributive
16
dian3
drop (of liquid); stain; spot; speck; jot; dot stroke (in Chinese characters); decimal point; point; mark (of degree or level); a place (with certain characteristics); iron bell; o’clock; a little; a bit; some; (point) unit of measurement for type; to touch on briefly; to make clear; to light; to ignite; to kindle; period of time at night (24 minutes) (old); a drip; to dibble; classifier for small indeterminate quantities
17
dian4 nao3
18
dian4 shi4
(informal) father; CL: cup; glass; CL:
|
|
[ge4],
[ge4],
[wei4]
[zhi1],
[zhi1]
dish (type of food); vegetables; vegetable; cuisine; CL: [pan2], [dao4] tea; tea plant; CL:
[bei1],
computer; CL: television; TV; CL:
|
|
|
[hu2]
[tai2]
[tai2],
|
|
[ge4]
No.
Character
Pinyin
Translation
19
dian4 ying3
20
dong1 xi5
21
dou1
all, both; entirely (due to) each; even; already
22
du2
to read; to study; reading of word (i.e. pronunciation), similar to [pin1 yin1]
23
dui4 bu5 qi3
unworthy; to let down; I'm sorry; excuse me; pardon me; if you please; sorry? (please repeat)
24
duo1
many; much; a lot of; numerous; multi-
25
duo1 shao3
number; amount; somewhat
26
er2 zi5
son
27
er4
two; 2; stupid (Beijing dialect)
28
fan4 guan3
restaurant; CL:
[jia1]
29
fei1 ji1
airplane; CL:
[jia4]
30
fen1 zhong1
minute
31
gao1 xing4
happy; glad; willing (to do sth); in a cheerful mood
32
ge4
individual; this; that; size; classifier for people or objects in general
33
gong1 zuo4
34
gou3
35
Han4 yu3
36
hao3
good; well; proper; good to; easy to; very; so; (suffix indicating completion or readiness)
37
he1
to drink; to shout (a command); My goodness!
38
he2
and; together with; with; sum; union; peace; harmony; surname He; Japanese related; Taiwan pr. han4
39
hen3
(adverb of degree); quite; very; awfully
40
hou4 mian5
rear; back; behind; later; afterwards
41
hui2
to circle; to go back; to turn around; to answer; to return; to revolve; Hui ethnic group (Chinese Muslims); time; classifier for acts of a play; section or chapter (of a classic book)
movie; film; CL:
[bu4], [pian4], [chang3]
thing; stuff; person; CL: |
[ge4],
job; work; construction; task; CL: | [xiang4] dog; CL:
|
[mu4],
|
[jian4]
[ge4],
[zhi1],
|
[tiao2]
Chinese language; CL:
|
[men2]
[fen4],
|
No.
Character
Pinyin
Translation
42
hui4
can; be possible; be able to; will; be likely to; be sure to; to assemble; to meet; to gather; to see; union; group; association; CL: | [ge4]; a moment (Taiwan pr. for this sense is hui3)
43
huo3 che1 zhan4
train station
44
ji3
how much; how many; several; a few
45
jia1
home; family; classifier for families or businesses; refers to the philosophical schools of pre-Han China; noun suffix for specialists in some activity such as musician or revolutionary, corresponds to English -ist, -er, -ary or -ian; surname Jia; CL: | [ge4]
46
jiao4
to shout; to call; to order; to ask; to be called; by (indicates agent in the passive mood)
47
jin1 tian1
today; at the present; now
48
jiu3
nine; 9
49
kai1
to open; to start; to turn on; to boil; to write out (a medical prescription); to operate (vehicle); abbr. for | degrees Kelvin
50
kan1
to look after; to take care of; to watch; to guard
51
kan4 jian4
to see; to catch sight of
52
kuai4
lump (of earth); chunk; piece; classifier for pieces of cloth, cake, soap etc; colloquial word for yuan (or other unit of currency such as Hong Kong or US dollar etc), usually as |
53
lai2
to come; to arrive; to come round; ever since; next
54
lao3 shi1
55
le5
(modal particle intensifying preceding clause); (completed action marker)
56
leng3
cold
57
li3
58
ling2
zero; nought; zero sign; fractional; fragmentary; odd (of numbers); (placed between two numbers to indicate a smaller quantity followed by a larger one); fraction; (in mathematics) remainder (after division); extra; to wither and fall; to wither
59
liu4
six; 6
60
ma1 ma5
teacher; CL:
|
[ge4],
[wei4]
lining; interior; inside; internal; also written
mama; mommy; mother; CL:
|
[ge4],
|
[li3]
[wei4]
No.
Character
Pinyin
Translation
61
ma5
(question tag)
62
mai3
to buy; to purchase
63
mao1
cat; CL:
64
mei2
(negative prefix for verbs); have not; not
65
mei2 guan1 xi5
it doesn't matter
66
mi3 fan4
(cooked) rice
67
ming2 tian1
tomorrow
68
ming2 zi5
69
na3
how; which
69
na3 r5
where?; wherever; anywhere
70
na4
that; those; then (in that case); commonly pr. nei4 before a classifier, esp. in Beijing
70
na4 r5
there
71
ne5
(question particle for subjects already mentioned)
72
neng2
to be able to; to be capable of; ability; capability; able; capable; can possibly; (usually used in the negative) to have the possibility of
73
ni3
74
nian2
75
nv3 er2
76
peng2 you5
77
piao4 liang5
78
ping2 guo3
79
qi1
80
qian2
81
qian2 mian4
ahead; in front; preceding; above
82
qing3
to ask; to invite; please (do sth); to treat (to a meal etc); to request
|
[zhi1]
name (of a person or thing); CL:
|
you (informal, as opposed to polite year; CL:
|
[ge4]
[nin2])
[ge4]
daughter friend; CL:
|
[ge4],
[wei4]
pretty; beautiful apple; CL:
|
[ge4],
|
[ke1]
seven; 7 coin; money; CL: |
[bi3]
No.
Character
Pinyin
Translation
83
qu4
to go; to go to (a place); to cause to go or send (sb); to remove; to get rid of; (when used either before or after a verb) to go in order to do sth; to be apart from in space or time; (after a verb of motion indicates movement away from the speaker); (used after certain verbs to indicate detachment or separation); (of a time or an event etc) just passed or elapsed
84
re4
heat; to heat up; fervent; hot (of weather); warm up
85
ren2
86
ren4 shi5
87
ri4
88
san1
89
shang1 dian4
90
shang4
91
shang4 wu3
92
shao3
few; little; lack
93
shei2
who; also pronounced shui2
94
shen2 me5
what?; who?; something; anything
95
shi2
ten; 10
96
shi2 hou5
time; length of time; moment; period
97
shi4
is; are; am; yes; to be
98
shu1
99
shui3
100
shui3 guo3
101
shui4 jiao4
to go to bed; to go to sleep
102
shuo1 hua4
to speak; to say; to talk; to gossip; to tell stories; talk; word
103
si4
four; 4
104
sui4
classifier for years (of age); year; year (of crop harvests)
man; person; people; CL:
|
[ge4],
[wei4]
to know; to recognize; to be familiar with; acquainted with sth; knowledge; understanding; awareness; cognition sun; day; date, day of the month; abbr. for Japan
|
three; 3 store; shop; CL: [jia1],
|
[ge4]
on; on top; upon; first (of multiple parts); previous; last; upper; higher; above; to climb; to go into; to go up; to attend (class or university) morning; CL:
book; letter; CL:
|
[ge4]
[ben3], | [ce4], [bu4]; see also | Book of History
water; river; liquid; beverage; additional charges or income; (of clothes) classifier for number of washes fruit; CL:
|
[ge4]
No.
Character
Pinyin
Translation
105
ta1
he or him; (used for either sex when the sex is unknown or unimportant); (used before sb's name for emphasis); (used as a meaningless mock object); other; another
106
ta1
she
107
tai4
highest; greatest; too (much); very; extremely
108
tian1 qi4
weather
109
ting1
to listen; to hear; to obey; a can (loanword from English "tin"); classifier for canned beverages
110
tong2 xue2
111
wei4
hello (interj., esp. on telephone); hey; to feed (sb or some animal)
112
wo3
I; me; my
113
wo3 men5
we; us; ourselves; our
114
wu3
five; 5
115
xi3 huan5
to like; to be fond of
116
xia4
down; downwards; below; lower; later; next (week etc); second (of two parts); to decline; to go down
117
xia4 wu3
118
xia4 yu3
119
xian1 sheng5
120
xian4 zai4
now; at present; at the moment; modern; current; nowadays
121
xiang3
to think; to believe; to suppose; to wish; to want; to miss
122
xiao3
small; tiny; few; young
123
xiao3 jie5
124
xie1
some; few; several; (a measure word)
125
xie3
to write
126
xie4 xie5
to thank; thanks
127
xing1 qi1
128
xue2 sheng5
(fellow) classmate; CL:
[wei4],
afternoon; p.m.; CL:
|
|
[ge4]
[ge4]
to rain; rainy teacher; Mister (Mr.); husband; doctor (topolect); CL: [ge4], [wei4]
young lady; miss; CL:
week; CL:
|
|
[ge4],
[ge4]
student; school child
[wei4]
|
No.
Character
Pinyin
Translation
129
xue2 xi2
to learn; to study
130
xue2 xiao4
131
yi1
132
yi1 fu5
133
yi1 sheng1
134
yi1 yuan4
135
yi3 zi5
136
you3
137
yue4
138
zai4
(located) at; (to be) in; to exist; in the middle of doing sth; (indicating an action in progress)
139
zai4 jian4
goodbye; see you again later
140
zen3 me5
how?; what?; why?
141
zen3 me5 yang4
how?; how about?; how was it?; how are things?
142
zhe4
this; these; (commonly pr. zhei4 before a classifier, esp. in Beijing)
142
zhe4 r5
here
143
Zhong1 guo2
China; Middle Kingdom
144
zhong1 wu3
145
zhu4
146
zhuo1 zi5
147
zi4
letter; symbol; character; word; CL: | [ge4]; courtesy or style name traditionally given to males aged 20 in dynastic China
148
zuo2 tian1
yesterday
149
zuo4
to do; to make; to produce; to write; to compose; to act as; to engage in; to hold (a party); to be; to become; to function (in some capacity); to serve as; to be used for
150
zuo4
to sit; to take a seat; to take (a bus, airplane etc); to bear fruit; surname Zuo
school; CL:
[suo3]
one; 1; single; a (article); as soon as; entire; whole; all; throughout; "one" radical in Chinese characters (Kangxi radical 1) clothes; CL: doctor; CL:
[jian4],
[tao4]
|
[ge4],
[wei4],
[ming2]
hospital; CL:
[suo3],
[jia1],
[zuo4]
chair; CL:
[ba3],
[tao4]
to have; there is; there are; to exist; to be moon; month; CL:
|
[ge4],
noon; midday; CL: |
|
[lun2]
[ge4]
to live; to dwell; to stay; to reside; to stop table; desk; CL:
|
[zhang1],
[tao4]
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