Chinese (Mandarin)/Print version

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Chinese (Mandarin)

The current, editable version of this book is available in Wikibooks, the open-content textbooks collection, at
//en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Chinese_(Mandarin)

Permission is granted to copy, distribute, and/or modify this document under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 License.

Table of contents

Text / 课文

Introduction / 介绍

About Chinese
中文是什么？

How to use this textbook
如何使用这本教科书

How to study Chinese
如何学习中文

Pronunciation

Pinyin Pronunciation Basics

Pronunciation of Initials

Pronunciation of Finals

Possible Initial-Final Combinations

Using Tones

Text / 课文

1. Hello! - 第一课：你好！
2. Are you busy today? - 第二课：今天你忙不忙?
3. An introduction to particles - 第三课：助词
4. Word order and Verbs - 第四课：词序和动词
5. Measure words/Counters - 第五课：量词
6. More on interrogatives - 第六课：疑问助词
7. What's this? - 第七课：这是什么?
8. Who is she? - 第八课：她是谁?
9. Where is the railway station? - 第九课：火车站在哪里？
10. A telephone conversation - 第十课：电话
11. Taiwan - 第十一课：台湾
12. Mandarin is so interesting! - 第十二课：华语真好玩
13. I'm sick - 第十三课：我生病了
14. Drinking tea - 第十七课：喝茶
15. China - 第十八课：中国

About Chinese

中华人民共和国 (中国)	新加坡共和国 (新加坡)
People's Republic of China (China)	Republic of Singapore (Singapore)
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 are not mutually intelligible. Nevertheless, there is a single standardized form of Chinese known as Standard Mandarin, which is based on the dialect of Beijing, which in turn is just one dialect within Mandarin, a large and diverse group of Chinese dialects spoken in Northern and Southwestern China. Standard Mandarin is the official language of the 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. The Western perception of Chinese writing as having thousands of distinct and idiomatic symbols each representing a word is false. Chinese writing is surprisingly mnemonic, granted it is not as simple as Spanish writing. The government of China has developed a system of writing Standard Mandarin pronunciation in the Roman alphabet, known as Hanyu Pinyin or 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 back 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 there and in Singapore. The two systems share many of the same characters unchanged 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 may be 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 younger generation 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:

1. 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.
2. Grammar. This section breaks down all of the new sentence structures introduced in the dialogue and shows example sentences to reinforce them.
3. 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.
4. Examples. A page of sentences and phrases giving more examples based on the lesson material.
5. 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 for typing 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 speaking) will help reinforce the text in your memory. Exaggerating the tones can help you remember them.
• Find a language partner. There may be a Chinese Language club in a nearby city or university. There are also free sites on the internet that can help set you up with a language exchange using Skype or other VoIP programs. Two examples are The Mixxer and E-Tandem.
• Listen to Chinese media. A wide variety of multimedia options exist for exposing your ears to native Chinese speaking. Two of the best sites for good listening materials are Popup Chinese and ChineseClass101.com. Download as much audio as you can from these sites to your MP3 player and start listening. Your goal is to listen to Chinese audio whenever you're in the car, or commuting, or doing other mechanical tasks.

Reading and Writing

• Practice writing — a lot. When you study, write each character at least ten times, or more if you still have trouble remembering them. Quiz yourself periodically to test your memory and to find which characters you need more practice on. As you write, think of the sound and meaning of the character, or say it out loud. Check out the East Asian Calligraphy book for more help with Chinese writing. Learn the right 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, allowing your writing to flow easily once you get started.

• Use a flashcard program. Many people use flash cards memorize information, but there's often much time wasted reviewing what you already know well, or in relearning what you didn't review in time to refresh your memory. The free programs Anki and Mnemosyne (Windows/Mac/Linux), can optimize your review schedule to be more efficient. It can also handle 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 your own for the most personal benefit and to fully customize your character selection.

A radical highlighted in 3 characters

• 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 as they are used when looking up unfamiliar words in Chinese dictionaries.

• Buy a dictionary. Useful for looking up new words or just browsing. Get a beginner's dictionary so that you can have a larger font, usage examples and Pinyin pronunciation, all of which are sometimes missing in comprehensive dictionaries. Get a second dictionary later on if you can't find every word you need. A good choice that provides many example sentences and phrases would be The Starter Oxford Chinese Dictionary (sorry, Simplified version only).

Suggested Reading Materials

• Children's story books (the characters are easier, many include pinyin or zhuyin for difficult or even all characters)
• Take a look at various condensed dictionaries to get a feel for the characters

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 create 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 inventory, pitches of voice are used to help differentiate words. 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. Even if you have perfect pitch, it may be hard to follow or reproduce what can seem like a rollercoaster ride of tonal transitions. Don't worry though, as you'll improve with practice. 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 most common Romanization system for Chinese, which will be used for the rest of the text.

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 (not including 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.

---

Pronunciation of initials

Pinyin	IPA	Explanation	Examples
b	[p]	unaspirated p, as in spit	宝贝 baǒbeì, baby; treasure
p	[pʰ]	as in English	炮弹 pàodàn, bomb
m	[m]	as in English	马车 mǎ chē, cart
f	[f]	as in English	发财 fācaí, make fortune
d	[t]	unaspirated t, as in stand	伟大 wěidà, great
t	[tʰ]	as in English	太平 taìpíng, peaceful
n	[n]	as in English	男人 nánren, man
l	[l]	as in English	老人 lǎorén, old people
g	[k]	unaspirated k, as in skill	格式 géshì, format
k	[kʰ]	as in English	客人 kèren, guest
h	[x]	like the English h if followed by "a"; otherwise it is pronounced more roughly (not unlike the Scots ch)	喝水 hēshuǐ, drinking water
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".	教堂 jiàotáng, Eglise, church; 家 jiā, home or family
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	生气 shēngqì, angry
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	小孩 xiǎohaí, child
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	着火 zháohǔo, on fire
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	吃饭 chīfàn, eat dinner; 吵架 chǎojià, dispute
sh	[ʂ]	as in shinbone, but with the tongue curled upwards; very similar to undershirt in American English	沙漠 shāmò, desert
r	[ɻ]	similar to the English r in rank, but with the lips spread and with the tongue curled upwards	日 r(ì),sun; 热情 rèqíng, passion
z	[ts]	unaspirated c (halfway between beds and bets), (more common example is suds)	妻子 qīzi, wife; 章子怡 Zhāng Zǐyí, Name of a Chinese actress.
c	[tsʰ]	like ts, aspirated (more common example is cats)	小草 xǐaocǎo, grass; 次 cì, one time
s	[s]	as in sun	拉萨 Lāsà, Lhasa, capital of Tibet Autonomous Region; 苏州 sūzhoū, capital of the province of Jiansu, near Shanghai
y	[j], [ɥ]	as in English. If followed by a u, pronounce it with rounded lips	月亮 yuèliang, moon
w	[w]	as in English	外国人 wàiguórén, foreigner

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

Relative pitch changes of the four 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:

1. First tone (阴平)( ˉ ), high level.
2. Second tone (阳平)(ˊ), middle rising.
3. Third tone (上声)( ˇ ), low dipping.
4. Fourth tone (去声)(ˋ), high falling.
5. 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.

1. 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.
2. In the ou combination, the o takes the tone mark.
3. In all other cases, the final vowel gets the tone mark.

Pronouncing the tones

Each bar of this musical staff represents the relative pitch changes when saying tones 1, 2, 3 and 4

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:

妈(mā) 麻(má) 马(mǎ) 骂(mà) 吗(·ma) (Being "mother", "hemp", "horse", "scold" and a question particle, respectively.)

The shape of the 3rd tone when before 1st, 2nd and 4th tones

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:

1. If a third tone comes before another third tone, then it is pronounced as a second tone.
2. 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:

1. If it follows a first- or second-tone syllable, then the toneless syllable is mid-range.
2. 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.
3. 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

Mandarin One: Lesson One

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

• Listen to audio (OggVorbis, 91KB)

	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

• Listen to audio (OggVorbis, 191KB)

	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  ‹gè› (個  )]
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]

The equational verb 是  ‹shì› (“to be”) can be used as the English is or equals. 是  ‹shì› can only be used to equate combinations of nouns, noun phrases, and pronouns. In Chinese, 是  ‹shì› (“to be”) is not used with adjectives, as it is in English, as in, "He is cold."

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  ‹shì› is negated when preceded by 不  ‹bù› (“not”). 不  ‹bù› is normally 4th tone, but changes to a 2nd tone when it precedes another 4th tone.

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:

1. 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  ‹ma› to the end of a sentence makes a statement into a question. There is no change in word order unlike in English.

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›

Using the ending modal particle 呢  ‹ne› makes a question when the context is already known, similar to saying "How about...?" in English. A common circumstance is when you wish to repeat a question that was just asked for another subject. Simply add 呢  ‹ne› to the end of the noun or pronoun to ask "How about this".

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

Question words like 哪  ‹nǎ› (“what”) and 谁  ‹shéi› (“who”) also make statements into questions without changing the order of the sentence. In Chinese, each question word appears where its answer would complete the surrounding sentence.

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。		東尼:	艾美，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

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.

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 is S-V-O, that is Subject-Verb-Object.

1. 我看这本书。

我看這本書。

Wǒ kàn zhèi běn shū.

I am reading this book.

When using a time phrase, the time phrase will fall after the subject and before the verb. So we can now think of our structure as S-T-V-O: Subject-Time-Verb-Object.

1. 我明天看这本书。

我明天看這本書。

Wǒ míngtiān kàn zhèi běn shū.

I will read this book tomorrow.

The next thing we can add to the sentence is a place phrase. This will fall after the time phrase. The structure can now be expanded to S-T-P-V-O: Subject-Time-Place-Verb-Object.

1. 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 zhèi běn shū.

I will read this book at my house tomorrow.

In English, we can move these parts of the sentence around, but word order in Chinese is fixed.

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.

1. 这本书，我明天在我家看。

這本書，我明天在我家看。

Zhèi 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.

1. 她比我忙。

Tā bǐ wǒ máng.

She is busier than I am.

2. 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.

Lesson 5: Measure words

Measure Words/量词（liang4ci2)

In Chinese, most specified or numbered nouns must be preceded by measure words according to the type of object. It is like the English use of “pair” in the phrase “two pairs of pants”. Like the word “pair,” Chinese measure words are placed between the noun and the preceding number or demonstrative pronoun.

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.

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" — 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"
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.)
架		jià	objects with a "frame" or structure; generally used for machines or mechanical objects (esp. cars, planes, etc.)	一架車 yì jià chē. One car.
件		jiàn	matters, clothing, etc.	一件衣服 yí jiàn yī fù
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 objects, 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 (in theatre esp., etc.)
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 (Literally translated into English, "头" means head. So literally we are saying one head of cattle.)
位		wèi	polite classifier for people (e.g. "gentleman", "professors")
張	张	zhāng	"sheet" — squarish or rectangular flat objects (paper, tables, etc.), faces, bows, paintings, tickets, constellations	一张纸 yì zhāng zhĭ. One piece of paper.
支		zhī	stick-like objects (pens, chopsticks, etc.)	一支笔 yì zhī bî. 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

A more complete reference list of Chinese measure words can be found in the Wikipedia.

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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？ 王明：我去图书馆。你呢？ 李红：回家。 王明：再见。 李红：再见。

Wang Ming: Nǐ hǎo, Lǐ Hóng. Li Hong: Hài! Wáng Míng. Nǐ qù nǎr? Wang Ming: Wǒ qù túshūguǎn, nǐ ne? Li Hong: Huí jiā. Wang Ming: Zài jiàn. Li Hong: Zài jiàn.

Wang Ming: Hello, Li Hong. Li Hong: Hi, Wang Ming. Where are you going? Wang Ming: I'm going to the library. What about you? Li Hong: Going home. Wang Ming: See you. Li Hong: See you.

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)

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Lesson 7: 这是什么? What's this?

Text 1

You can check out the translations here.

• Listen to audio

王明：这是什么？ 李红：这是书。 王明：那是什么？ 李红：那是钢笔。 王明：那是杂志吗？ 李红：不，那不是杂志。那是字典。

Wáng Míng: Zhè shì shěnme? Lǐ Hóng: Zhè shì shū. Wáng Míng: Nà shì shěnme? Lǐ Hóng: Nà shì gāngbǐ. Wáng Míng: Nà shì zázhì ma? Lǐ Hóng: Bù, nà bùshì zázhì. Nà shì zìdiǎn.

Text 2

• Listen to audio

王明是中国人。 王明是学生。 史密斯是美国人。 史密斯是王明的朋友。 史密斯是律师。

Wáng Míng shì Zhōngguórén. Wáng Míng shì xuéshēng. Shīmìsī shì Měiguórén. Shīmìsī shì Wángmíng de péngyǒu. Shīmìsī shì lǜshī.

Vocabulary

王明 (Wáng Míng)	n. Wang Ming [personal name] [Wang= Family Name, Ming=First name/Personal name]
李红／李紅 (Lǐ Hóng)	n. Li Hong [personal name] [Li= Family Name, Hong= First/Personal name]
这/這 (zhè)	pron. this
是 (shì)	v. to be (is/are)
什么／甚麼 (Mainland shěnme and Taiwan shěme)	pron. what
那 (nà)	pron. that
笔 (bǐ)	n. pen; a generic term for all pens
钢笔 (gāngbǐ)	n. fountain pen
铅笔 (qiānbǐ)	n. pencil
原子笔 (yuánzíbǐ)	n. ballpoint pen
毛笔 (máobǐ)	n. brush (calligraphy pen)
杂志 (zázhì)	n. magazine
报纸 (bàozhī)	n. newspaper
书本 (shūběn)	n. book
传单 (chuándān)	n. pamphlet
吗 (ma)	final interrogative particle used to form a question sentence
不 (bù)	adv. no
字典 (zìdiǎn)	n. dictionary
人 (rén)	n. person/people
中国人 (Zhōngguórén)	n. PRC Chinese (中国：China　人：people)
外国人 (WàiGuórén)	n. Foreigners (外：Outside　国：Country　人：People)
日本人 (Rìběnrén)	n. Japanese (日本：Japan 人：People)
英国人 (Yīngguórén)	n. British (英国：Britain 人：People)
新加坡人 (Xīnjiāpōrén)	n. Singaporean （新加坡：Singapore)
美国人 (měiguórén)	n. American
学生 (xuéshēng)	n. student
老师 (lǎoshī)	n. teacher
校长 (xiàozhǎng)	n. principal
史密斯 (Shǐmìsī)	n. Smith
美国人 (Měiguórén)	n. American
朋友 (péngyǒu)	n. friend
律师 (lǜshī)	n. lawyer

笔记本/筆記本 (bǐjìběn) 铅笔/鉛筆 (qiānbǐ) 英国人/英國人 (Yīngguórén) 法国人/法國人 (Fǎguórén) 报纸/報紙 (bàozhǐ) 老师/老師 (lǎoshī) 作家 (zuòjiā)

n. notepads n. pencil n. British people n. French people n. newspaper n. teacher n. writer

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?":

1. 这是什么？(What's this?)
2. 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:

1. 这是书 (zhe4 shi4 shu1): this is (a) book.
2. 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:

1. 这是书。(This is (a) book.)
2. 这是什么？(This is what?)

1. 那是杂志。(That is (a) magazine.)
2. 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:

1. 史密斯(Shǐ mì Sī)的书(shū: book) <-> Smith's book
2. 王明的钢笔 <-> Wang Ming's pen
3. 约翰** (Yuēhàn: John)的朋友** (péngyǒu: friend) <-> John's friend or a friend of John's

Exercise

1. Replace the underline words, and practice.
   1. 史密斯是美国人。
      • 英国人
      • 法国人
   2. 这不是杂志。
      • 书
      • 笔记本*
      • 铅笔
2. 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。
   1. 那是杂志吗？
      • 钢笔
      • 铅笔
      • 报纸*
   2. 王明是学生吗？
      • 律师
      • 老师*
      • 作家*
3. Translate the following English into Chinese.
   1. 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。
   2. 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。
   3. 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。

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:

1. Who is "I"?
2. What does Smith do?
3. Who is Ana?
4. What does Ana do?

Useful phrases

Greetings. How to greet people in Chinese? 你好！(nǐhǎo): Hello! 嗨！(hài): Hi! 幸會 (xìng huì) Great to meet you! 你吃过饭了吗？(nǐ chī guò fàn le ma?): Have you had your meal? (This is a causal greeting between friends etc. But it doesn't mean you are asked to a dinner! Another derivation of this phrase commonly used in Beijing is "你吃了吗？") 再见。(zàijiàn): Goodbye 拜拜。(bāibāi): Bye-bye 回头见。(huítóu jiàn): See you later.

Translation for the text

Chinese characters	Sentences breakdown	English translation
Text 1 王明：这是什么？ (王明：這是什麼？) 李红：这是书。 (李紅：這是書。) 王明：那是什么？ (王明：那是什麼？) 李红：那是钢笔。 (李紅：那是鋼筆。) 王明：那是杂志吗？ (王明：那是雜誌嗎？) 李红：不，那不是杂志。那是字典。 (李紅：不，那不是雜誌。那是字典。)	Text 1 Wang Ming: This is what? Li Hong: This is book. Wang Ming: That is what? Li Hong: That is pen. Wang Ming: That is magazine (final interrogative particle)? Li Hong: No, that not is magazine, this is dictionary.	Text 1 Wang Ming: What's this? Li Hong: This is a book. Wang Ming: What's that? Li Hong: That's a pen. Wang Ming: Is this a magazine? Li Hong: No, that's not a magazine. That's a dictionary.
Text 2 王明是中国人。 王明是学生。 史密斯是美国人。 史密斯是王明　的　朋友。 史密斯是律师。	Text 2 Wang Ming is Chinese. Wang Ming is student. Smith is American. Smith is Wang Ming's friend. Smith is lawyer.	Text 2 Wang Ming is a Chinese. Wang Ming is a student. Smith is an American. Smith is Wang Ming's friend. Smith is a lawyer.

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她是谁？

Dialogues

You can check out the translation here

Dialogue 1

Simplified Characters	Traditional Characters
杨勋：你今天好吗？ 何铭：我很好。 杨勋：你吃饭了吗？ 何铭：还没。 杨勋：要不要一起去吃饭？ 何铭：好啊。我昨天看到你跟一个女生去图书馆，她是谁？ 杨勋：她是我的女朋友，她叫陈洁。 何铭：原来你有女朋友，这么厉害啊！ 杨勋：哪里，不敢当。我们要去哪里吃饭？ 何铭：不用了。	楊勳：你今天好嗎？ 何銘：我很好。 楊勳：你吃飯了嗎？ 何銘：還沒。 楊勳：要不要一起去吃飯？ 何銘：好啊。我昨天看到你跟一個女生去圖書館，她是誰？ 楊勳：她是我的女朋友，她叫陳潔。 何銘：原來你有女朋友，這麼厲害啊！ 楊勳：哪裡，不敢當。我們要去哪裡吃飯？ 何銘：不用了。
Pīnyīn
Yáng Xūn: Nǐ jīn tiān hǎo mā? Hé Míng: Wǒ hěn hǎo. Yáng Xūn: Nǐ chī fàn le mā? Hé Míng: Hái méi. Yáng Xūn: Yào bú yào yì qǐ qù chī fàn? Hé Míng: Hǎo ā. Wǒ zuó tiān yǒu kàn dào nǐ gēn yī ge nǔ shēng qù tú shū guǎn, tā shì shuí? Yáng Xūn: Tā shì wǒ di nǔ péng yǒu, tā jiào chén jié. Hé Míng: Yuán lái nǐ yǒu nǔ péng yǒu, zhè me lì hài a! Yáng Xūn: Nǎli, bùgǎndāng. Wǒ men yào qì nǎ lǐ jī fàng? Hé Míng: Bú yòng le.

Dialogue 2

Simplified Characters	Traditional Characters
王明：我叫王明。你叫什么名字？ 李红：我叫李红。 王明：她的名字是什么？ 李红：她的名字是周朱麗。 王明：周朱麗是一个很好的名字。 李红：是，但是我比较喜欢你的名字。 王明：为什么比较喜欢我的名字？ 李红：因为你的名字听起来很聪明。 王明：哪里，我不敢当。	王明：我叫王明。你叫什麼名字？ 李紅：我叫李紅。 王明：她的名字是什麼？ 李紅：她的名字是周朱麗。 王明：周朱麗是一個很好的名字。 李紅：是，但是我比較喜歡你的名字。 王明：為什麼比較喜歡我的名字？ 李紅：因為你的名字聽起來很聰明。 王明：哪裡，我不敢當。

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		nǔpéngyǒu	(noun)	girlfriend
15.	昨天		zuótiān	(noun)	yesterday

Translation of the text

Chinese characters	Sentences breakdown	English translation
Text 1 楊勳：你今天好嗎? 何銘：我很好。 楊勳：你吃飯了嗎？ 何銘：還沒。 楊勳：要不要一起去吃飯? 何銘：好啊。我昨天看到你跟一個女生去圖書館,她是誰? 楊勳: 她是我的女朋友,她叫陳潔。 何銘: 原來你有女朋友,這麼厲害啊! 楊勳: 哪裡, 不敢當。我們要去哪裡吃飯? 何銘: 不用了。	Text 1	Text 1 Yang Xun: How are you today? He Ming: I'm very good. Yang Xun: Have you eaten yet? He Ming: Not yet. Yang Xun: Would you like to go eat together? He Ming: Sure. Yesterday, I saw you go with a female student to the library, who is she? Yang Xun: She is my girlfriend, her name is Chen Jie. He Ming: Al along you have had a girlfriend, it's so good! Yang Xun: Thanks, that's flattering. Where do you want to go to eat? He Ming: Doesn't matter.

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Chinese characters	Sentences breakdown	English translation
Text 2 王明：我叫王明。你叫什麼名字？ 李紅：我叫李紅。 王明：她的名字是什麼？ 李紅：她的名字是周朱麗。 王明：周朱麗是一個很好的名字。 李紅：是, 但是我比較喜歡你的名字。 王明: 為什麼比較喜歡我的名字? 李紅: 因為你的名字聽起來很聰明。 王明: 哪裡, 我不敢當。	Text 2 Wang Ming: I called Wang Ming. You called what name? Li Hong: I called Li Hong. Wang Ming: Her name is what? Li Hong: Her name is Zhou Zhuli. Wang Ming: Zhou Zhuli is very good name. Li Hong: Yes, but I relatively (implied: more) like your name. Wang Ming: Why (lit: for what) relatively like my name? Li Hong: Because your name sounds (lit: hear-startup, hear-start-come) intelligent. Wang Ming: Where, I don't dare to be so.	Text 2 Wang Ming: My name is Wang Ming. What is your name? Li Hong: My name is Li Hong. Wang Ming: What is her name? Li Hong: Her name is Zhou Zhuli. Wang Ming: Zhou Zhuli is a very good name. Li Hong: Yes, but I like your name better. Wang Ming: Why do you like my name better? Li Hong: Because your name sounds very intelligent. Wang Ming: Oh no, i can't say that.

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。 濃濃：這樣大約要花多久時間呢？ 妙妙：大概要花十分鐘。 濃濃：所以是往前開，紅綠燈右轉，車站在我的左邊，大概十分鐘囉? 妙妙：是這樣沒錯。 濃濃：非常感謝你。 (Nóng Nóng: kāichē zhōng, pèngdào lùrén Miào Miào) Nóng Nóng: bùhǎoyìsi, qǐngwèn huǒchēzhàn zài nǎlǐ? Miào Miào: wǎngqián kāi yùdào hónglǜdēng yòuzhuǎn tā jiù zài nǐde zuǒshǒu bian. Nóng Nóng: zhèyàng dàyuē yào huā duōjiǔ shíjiān ne? Miào Miào: dàgài yào huā shífēn zhōng. Nóng Nóng: suǒyǐ shì wǎngqián kāi, hónglǜdēng yòuzhuǎn, chēzhàn zài wǒde zuǒbian, dàgài shífēn zhōng luo? Miào Miào: shì zhèyàng méicuò. Nóng Nóng: fēicháng gǎnxiè nǐ.

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？。 天龍：不好意思，請問火車站怎麼走？。 腦子進水阿捷：哦!你好，我不是真理大學的學生。 天龍：……。 (Tiān Lóng zài gēn "huà duō qiě pín suī de" Chén A Jié wènlù zhōng yǐxià shì duìhuà) Tiān Lóng: bù hǎo yìsi, qǐngwèn huǒchēzhàn zěnme zǒu? Nǎozi jìnshuǐ A Jié: ēn, nǐ kěyǐ zài shuō yībiàn ma? Tiān Lóng: bù hǎo yìsi, qǐngwèn huǒchēzhàn zěnme zǒu? Nǎozi jìnshuǐ A Jié: O! Nǐ hǎo, wǒ bùshi zhēnlǐ dàxué de xuésheng. Tiān Lóng: ....... Vocabulary Traditional (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 台灣位於中國東南處。 它有各種文化，有名的特產。 它處於大陸架上。所以有海鮮。 它有山脈，所以有美麗風景。 Simplified Characters 台湾位于中国东南处。 它有各种文化，有名的特产。 它处于大陆架上。所以有海鲜。 它有山脉，所以有美丽风景。 English Taiwan is south east of China. It has a variety kinds of culture, famous local products. It is on the continental shelf. So there is seafood. It has mountains, it has beautiful scenery. Pronunciation tai2wan1wei4yu2zhong1guo2dong1nan2chu4 ta1you3ge4zhong3wen2hua4,you3ming2de5te4chan3. ta1chu3yu2da4lu4jia4shang4.suo3yi3you3hai3xian1 ta1you3shan1mai4,suo3yi3you3mei3li4feng1jing3 Vocabulary 东南 dong1nan2 south east 山脉 shan1mai4 mountain 特产 te4chan3 local products 海鲜 hai3xian1 seafood 大陆架 da4lu4jia4 continental shelf 风景 feng1jing3 scenery 文化 wen2hua4 culture Grammar 美丽的风景/beautiful scenery Sometimes Chinese people don't use ‘的’for adj.They speak Chinese like‘美丽风景’‘免费图书（Free book）’Chinese (Mandarin)/Mandarin is so interesting Chinese (Mandarin)/I'm sick Chinese (Mandarin)/Drinking tea Chinese (Mandarin)/China Appendices / 附录 Chinese languages Chinese, 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. Translation Phrase Jyutping IPA Cantonese: 廣東話 gwong2 dung1 waa2 /kwɔːŋ2 tʊŋ1 wɑː2/ hello 你好 nei5 hou2 /nei5 hou2/ good-bye 再見 zoi3 gin3 /tsɔːi3 kiːn3/ bye-bye 拜拜 baai1 baai3 /pɑːi1 pɑːi3/ please 唔該 m4 goi1 /m̩4 kɔːi1/ thank you (for gifts) 多謝 do1 ze3 /tɔː1 tsɛː3/ thank you (for services rendered) 唔該 m4 goi1 /m̩4 kɔːi1/ sorry 對唔住 deoi3 m4 zyu6 /dɵy3 m̩4 tsyː6/ this one 呢個 ni1 go3 or nei1 go3 /niː1 kɔː3/ or /nei1 kɔː3/ that one 嗰個 go2 go3 /kɔː2 kɔː3/ how much/many? (ask for quantity) 有幾多個呀 yau5 gei2 do1 go3 aa3 /jɐu5 kei2 tɔː1 kɔː3 ɑː3/ how much? (ask for amount of money) 幾多錢呀 gei2 do1 cin2 aa3 /kei2 tɔː1 ts̚in2 ɑː3/ yes 係 hai6 /hɐi6/ no 唔係 m4 hai6 /m̩4 hɐi6/ correct/right 啱 am1 /a:m1/ incorrect/wrong 唔啱 m4 am1 /m̩4 a:m1/ I don’t understand 我唔明 ngo5 m4 ming4 /ŋɔː5 m̩4 mɪŋ4/ Where's the washroom (toilet, lavatory)? 洗手間喺邊度呀？ sai2 sau2 gaan1 hai2 bin1 dou6 aa3 /sɐi2 sɐu2 kɑːn1 hɐi2 piːn1 tou6 ɑː3/ Do you speak English? 你識唔識講英文呀？ nei5 sik1 m4 sik1 gong2 jing1 man2 aa3 /nei5 sɪk1 m̩4 sɪk1 kɔːŋ2 jɪŋ1 mɐn2 ɑː3/ 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. Translation Phrase Pinyin IPA Pronunciation Remarks Literal meaning Mandarin Chinese 国语 / 國語or 普通话 / 普通話 (Guóyǔ) (Pǔtōnghuà) [kwɔ̌ jỳ] [pʰù tʰʊ̋ŋ xwɑ̂] || (gwo yu) (poo-toong-hwa) || National language Common speech hello 你好 (ní hǎo) [nǐ xàw] (knee-how) You're good good-bye 再见 / 再見 (zàijiàn) [tsâj ʨjɛ̂n] (dzai-jyen) Meet again, lit “to the next sighting” please 请 / 請 (qǐng) [ʨʰìŋ] (cheeng) thank you 谢谢 / 謝謝 (xièxie) [ɕjɛ̂-ɕjɛ̂] (shyeh-shyeh) good morning 早安 (zǎo'ān) good night 晚安 (wǎn'ān) good luck （祝你）好运 / （祝你)好運 ((zhù nǐ) hǎoyùn) that one 那个 / 那個 (nèige) [nêj gə] (nay guh) See Usage Note 1 sorry 对不起 / 對不起 (duìbuqǐ) (dway boo chee) no problem 没关系 / 沒關係 (méiguānxì) (may gwan shee) how much? 多少 (duōshǎo) [twɔ̋ ʂàw] (dwo shahw) Many few English 英文 (Yīngwén) [jɪ̋ŋ wə̌n] (ing wen) Can you speak English? 你会说英文吗 / 你會說英文嗎 Nǐ huì shuō Yīngwén ma? yes 是 (''shì) /ʂɻ̂/ (sher as in sherpa) See Usage Note 2 [It] is no 不 (bù) [pû] (boo) where's the toilet? 厕所在哪里 / 廁所在哪裏 (cèsuǒ zài nǎli?) [tsʰɤ̂ swɔ̀ tsâj nɑ̌ lì] ||(tsuh swo dzai nah lee?) || Not the politest, but you'll get your point across! Bathroom at/in where generic toast 干杯 / 乾杯 (gānbēi) [ka̋n pe̋j] (gahn bay) Dry glass/cup The second syllable of “nèige” is actually a generic measure word; it is replaced by the appropriate measure word for the noun it refers to. You may therefore hear a number of different syllables after the initial nèi. In many parts of southern China, nèi is also pronounced nà. This actually means “it is” and can only be used in an answer to a question with the verb “to be” (in casual speech, this can be neglected). Languages like Chinese, Irish, Toki Pona, and Welsh do not have words for “yes” or “no”. Instead you repeat the main verb of the question in your answer. Shaking your head in affirmation or negation works as expected, though speakers should ensure they are answering negative questions as literally asked – answering in the negative to “You don’t like him?” would indicate that you do like him. 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. translation Northern Wu Lumazi IPA Simplified Chinese Shanghainese (language): Zanheghaewo Zanheireiwo [zɑ̃.'he.ɦɛ.ɦʊ] 上海咸话 Shanghainese (people): Zanhegnin Zanheinin [zɑ̃.'he.ɲɪɲ] 上海人 I ghoo, gnou wo, ngu [ɦʊ], [ŋu] 我 we or I álá aelae [ɐˑ.lɐʔ] 阿拉 he/she ji yi [ɦi] 伊 they jila yila [ɦi.la] 伊拉 you (sing.) non non [noŋ] 侬 you (plural) na na [na] 人那 hello: non ho non ho [noŋ hɔ] 侬好 good-bye: tsewe tzeiwei [ˈtse.ɦue] 再会 thank you: ziaja non zhaya non [ʑ̻ia.ja noŋ] 谢谢侬 sorry: tevéchi teivechi [te.vəˑ.ʨʰi] 对勿起 but, however: daezu, daezu ne deizi, deizi nei [dɛ.zɿ], [dɛ.zɿ.ne] 但是, 但是呢 please: tshin chin [ʨʰɪɲ] 请 that one: etsá, itsá eitzae, itzae [ˈe.tsɐʔ], [i.tsɐʔ] 哎只, 伊只 there: etá, itá eitae, itae [ˈe.tɐʔ], [i.tɐʔ] 哎耷, 伊耷 over there: emitá, imitá eimitae, imitae [ˈe.mi.tɐʔ], [i.mi.tɐʔ] 哎米耷, 伊米耷 here: gétá getae [gəˑ.tɐʔ] 搿耷 to have jeuté youte [ɦiɤɯ.təʔ] 有得 to exist, here, present: láhe laehei [lɐˑ.he] 辣海 now, current: jieze yizei [ɦi.ze] 现在 what time is it?: jieze citie tson? yizei citi tzon? [ɦi.ze ʨi.ti 'tsoŋ] 现在几点钟？ where: ghalitá, sadifan ralitae, sadifan [ɦa.ɺi.tɐʔ], [sa.di.fɑ̃] 何里耷, 啥地方 what: sa sa [sa] 啥 who: sagnin sanin [sa.ɲɪɲ] 啥人 why: wesa weisa [ɦue.sa] 为啥 when: sazencuan sazenkuan [sa.zəɲ.kuɑ̃] 啥辰光 how: nanen, nana, nanenca nanen, nana, nanenka [na.nəɲ], [na.na], [na.nəɲ.ka] 哪能, 哪哪, 哪能家 how much?: cidie a? cidi a? [ʨi.di 'a] 几钿啊? yes: eh ei [ˈe] 哎 no: m, vézu, mmé, vio m, vezi, mme, vio [m̩], [vəˑ.zɿ], [m̩məʔ], [viɔ] 呒、勿是、呒没 telephone number: diewo ghodeu diwo rodou [di.ɦʊ ɦɔ.dɤɯ] 电话号头 home: ólihian oelishan [oˑ.ɺi.ɕiã] 屋里向 Come to our house and play. to álá ólihian le bésian. to aelae oelishan lei beshan. [tɔ ɐˑ.lɐʔ oˑ.ɺi.ɕiɑ̃ le bəˑ.ɕiã] 到阿拉屋里向来孛相（白相）！ Where's the restroom?: daseucae lélá ghalitá? dasoukei lelae ralitae? [da.sɤɯ.kɛ ɺəˑ.ɺɐʔ ɦa.ɺi.tɐʔ] 汏手间勒勒何里耷? Have you eaten dinner?: javae chícoulé va? yavei chiekule va? [ɦia.vɛ ʨʰɪˑ.ku.ləʔ va] 夜饭吃过了伐? I don’t know: ghoo véhioté. wo veshote. [ɦʊ vəˑ.ɕiɔ.təʔ] 我勿晓得 Do you speak English?: non Inven weté can va? non Inven weite kan va? [noŋ ˈɪn.vəɲ ɦue.təʔ kã va] 侬英文会得讲伐? I love you: ghoo e non! wo ei non. [ɦʊ e noŋ] 我爱侬！ I adore you: ghoo emó non. wo eimoe non. [ɦʊ e.moʔ noŋ] 我爱慕侬 I like you a lot: ghoo lo huoehi non ghé! wo lo hueushi non re. [ɦʊ ɺɔ ˈhuø.ɕi noŋ ɦəʔ] 我老欢喜侬个！ news sinven shinven [ɕɪɲ.vəɲ] 新闻 dead sithélé shithele [ɕi.tʰəˑ.ləʔ] 死脱了 alive wéláhe welaehei [ɦuəˑ.lɐˑ.he] 活辣海 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. Translation Characters Romanization Remarks Min Nan 閩南語 Bân-lâm-gú Taiwanese 臺灣話 Tâi-oân-oē Hokkien 福建話 Hok-kiàn-oē Hello. 食飽未? Chia̍h pá boeh? (literally, Eaten full yet? Note: This greeting came about at a time when most of Taiwan was in poverty, so to say that one has had enough to eat would be to imply that the person is “doing well”.) Goodbye. 平安 Pêng-an. (literally, Peace, can also be used as a greeting; primarily Christian usage.) Please 拜託 Pài-thok Thank you 勞力 Ló·-la̍t 感謝 (Kám-siā) (literally, "be grateful for, praise") or 感恩 (Kám-ún) is more common in Taiwan. That one 彼個 Hit-ê how much? 若濟? goā choē? is 是 Sī not 唔是 m̄-sī (literally, "not is") Sorry 失禮 Sit-le Embarrassed! 歹勢! Pháiⁿ-sè! (often used in response when offered/given something by a host) I don't understand. 我聽無. Goá thiaⁿ bô. (literally, "I hear not") Where's the bathroom? 便所佇叨? Piān-só· tī toh? (literally "bathroom is where?") Cheers! 呼乾啦! Hō· ta lah! (literally, Let it [the cup/glass] be dry [empty]!) Do you speak English? 你咁講英語? Lí kám kóng Eng-gú? Everyday Phrases There 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 你好　- ni3hao3 - How are you; hello. 很好　- hen3hao3 - Very well. 我还不错　- wo3hai2bu4cuo4 - I'm OK (not bad). 亲会 - xing4hui4 - Very pleased to meet you (polite/formal address). 早上好 - zao3shang hao3 - Good morning. 早安 - zao3an1 - Good morning; have a peaceful morning. 晚上好 - wan3shang4 hao3 - Good evening. 晚安- wan3an1 - Good evening; have a peaceful evening. 欢迎　- huan1ying2 - Welcome. Yes and No 是 - shi4 - Yes; is so. 对 - dui4 - Yes; that's correct. 不 - bu4 - Not. 不是 - bu4shi4 - No; not so. 唯 - wei3 - Yes/Hello (only used when answering the phone). Please and Thank You 请 - qing3 - please (do something). 谢谢 - xie4xie - Thank you. 多谢 - duo1xie4 - Thanks a lot. 太客气 - tai4ke4qi - You are too courteous (polite). 不敢当 - bu4gan3dang1 - Thank you/I dare not accept the honor (chivalrous, harking a former age). 不客气 - bu4ke4qi - You are welcome/no need for formalities. 别客气 - bie2ke4qi - You are welcome/no need for formalities. 不谢 - bu4xie4 - Not at all/no need to thank me. 不用谢 - bu4yong4xie4 - Not at all/no need to thank me. 理当的 - li3dang1de - Certainly (it's only proper)/"courtesy demands it" (formal). 哪里 - na3li3 - Not at all (informal). Getting Attention 对不起 - dui4buqi3 - Excuse me. Apology 对不起 - dui4buqi3 - Sorry. 很对不起 - hen3dui4buqi3 - Very sorry. Farewells 再见。- zai4jian4 - Goodbye; see you again. 明天见 - ming2tian1jian4- See you tomorrow. 回头见。- hui2tou2jian4 - See you. 拜拜 - baibai - Borrowed from English, Bye Bye. Praise 恭喜 - gong1xi3 - Congratulations Toast 干杯 - gan1bei1 - Cheers; bottom's up. Finding the Bathroom 请问厕所在哪儿? - qing3wen4 ce4suo3 zai3 nar3 - Excuse me (may I ask), where is the toilet? 请问洗手间在哪里? - qing3wen4 xi3shou3jian1 zai3 na3li3 - Excuse me (may I ask), where is the washroom? Pinyin-Hanzi-English Chinese-English dictionary WrittenChinese.Com Free Online Chinese-English Dictionary Search results are ranked by frequency of occurrence in everyday Chinese text. Yahoo!奇摩字典 Multilingual Chinese Dictionary 9 languages (English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Russian...) Chinese <-> English Online Dictionary with Pinyin and Zhuyin. Chinese <-> Dictionary search in Chinese, pinyin or English zhongwen A Chinese Dictionary Ting Audio Dictionary Chinese English dictionary with Illustration sentences Chinese <-> English Online Dictionary with English pronunciation and Pinyin (Simplified Chinese简体) Chinese <-> English Online Dictionary with traditional characters and flashcards Chinese <-> French Online Dictionary with flashcards Please add all vocab words that are used in the lessons of this book, or any more that you think 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 English [m.] Simplified (traditional in parentheses) Pīnyīn Part of speech Lesson Introduced B English [m.] Simplified (traditional in parentheses) Pīnyīn Part of speech Lesson Introduced bad 坏 (壞) huài adj. busy 忙 máng (adj) 2 bus [辆] 公共汽车 (公共汽車) gōnggòngqìchē (n) C English [m.] Simplified (traditional in parentheses) Pīnyīn Part of speech Lesson Introduced car 汽车 (汽車) qìchē noun city 城市 chéngshì noun computer 电脑 / 计算机 (電腦) dìannǎo / jisuanji noun country 国家 (國家) guójīa noun D English [m.] Simplified (traditional in parentheses) Pīnyīn Part of speech Lesson Introduced dangerous 危险 (危險) wēixǐan adj. dog 狗 gǒu noun E English [m.] Simplified (traditional in parentheses) Pīnyīn Part of speech Lesson Introduced F English [m.] Simplified (traditional in parentheses) Pīnyīn Part of speech Lesson Introduced Frog 青蛙 qingwa noun Fish 魚 yu noun French 法國 faguo noun G English [m.] Simplified (traditional in parentheses) Pīnyīn Part of speech Lesson Introduced good 好 hǎo adj. H English [m.] Simplified (traditional in parentheses) Pīnyīn Part of speech Lesson Introduced I English [m.] Simplified (traditional in parentheses) Pīnyīn Part of speech Lesson Introduced J English [m.] Simplified (traditional in parentheses) Pīnyīn Part of speech Lesson Introduced K English [m.] Simplified (traditional in parentheses) Pīnyīn Part of speech Lesson Introduced knife 刀 dāo noun L English [m.] Simplified (traditional in parentheses) Pīnyīn Part of speech Lesson Introduced land 地 di noun love 爱 (愛) ài verb M English [m.] Simplified (traditional in parentheses) Pīnyīn Part of speech Lesson Introduced meter (metric unit) 米 mǐ noun, also see rice money 钱 qián noun mountain 山 shān noun N English [m.] Simplified (traditional in parentheses) Pīnyīn Part of speech Lesson Introduced now 现在 (現在) xìanzaì noun O English [m.] Simplified (traditional in parentheses) Pīnyīn Part of speech Lesson Introduced P English [m.] Simplified (traditional in parentheses) Pīnyīn Part of speech Lesson Introduced please 请 (請) Qǐng verb Q English [m.] Simplified (traditional in parentheses) Pīnyīn Part of speech Lesson Introduced R English [m.] Simplified (traditional in parentheses) Pīnyīn Part of speech Lesson Introduced rice 米 mǐ noun person 人 rén noun S English [m.] Simplified (traditional in parentheses) Pīnyīn Part of speech Lesson Introduced T sunny day 今天是主要多云的。 晴朗日间。 东北风。 气温是大约20 - 24度。 明天是主要多云的与少许雨。 东部对东北风。 气温是大约20 - 23 度。 后天是晴朗的。 向东风。 气温是大约20 - 23度。qing tian U English [m.] Simplified (traditional in parentheses) Pīnyīn Part of speech Lesson Introduced up 上 shàng noun V English [m.] Simplified (traditional in parentheses) Pīnyīn Part of speech Lesson Introduced volcano 火山 huǒshān noun W English [m.] Simplified (traditional in parentheses) Pīnyīn Part of speech Lesson Introduced water 水 shuǐ (noun) we, us 我们 (我們) wǒmen (pro) 1 week 星期, 周 xingqi, zhou (noun) what 什么 (什麼) shénme (pro) 1 which, what 哪 nǎ; něi (pro) 1 who, whom 谁 (誰) shéi; shuí (pro) 1 winter 冬天 dongtian (n) X English [m.] Simplified (traditional in parentheses) Pīnyīn Part of speech Lesson Introduced Y English [m.] Simplified (traditional in parentheses) Pīnyīn Part of speech Lesson Introduced Z English [m.] Simplified (traditional in parentheses) Pīnyīn Part of speech Lesson Introduced zebra 斑马 (斑馬) bānmǎ noun Lesson1 Matching Sentences 1c,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 你好。 Nǐ hǎo; The standard "hello" greeting. Literally means "you good." 您好。 Nín hǎo; The same "hello" greeting as above, except that 您 (nín), like in many European languages, is the polite form of "you", used when addressing elders, or teachers etc. 你好吗? Nǐ hǎo ma?; More often used following a greeting than not, however, this can be used as a "hello" by itself. 您好吗? Nín hǎo ma?; The same as the "Nǐ hǎo ma?" above, again, except that this is used as a more polite form. 你怎么样? Nǐ zěnmeyàng?; "What's up?", "How are you doing?" 幸会 Xìnghuì! "Nice to meet you!" 久仰 Jiǔyǎng; An extremely polite greeting that is not commonly used between friends, but rather between professionals meeting for the first time. 久闻大名 Jiǔwéndàmíng; This greeting should be reserved for use towards those whom you have extreme respect for. Literal translation: "Your name is famous" / "I have heard much about you" Good morning 早上好 Zǎoshàng hǎo; Standard morning greeting. Literally means "早上 zǎoshang" (morning), "好 hǎo" (good). 早 Zǎo; Also good morning. 早安 Zǎo'ān; Literally "Peace at morning". Good afternoon 下午好 Xìawǔ hǎo! Seldom used in the Republic of China. 午安 Wǔ'ān; note: seldom used in the Mainland. Most used in the Republic of China. Good evening / Good night 晚上好 Wǎnshang hǎo; Good evening! 晚安 Wǎn'ān; Literally "Peace at night", Good night. Good-bye 再见 Zàijiàn; Literally "See you again". 明天见 Míngtiān jiàn; Literally "See you tomorrow". 拜拜 Báibái/bàibài/bāibai; From English "Bye-Bye". Widely used in Hong Kong, Taiwan (ROC) and most urbanised parts of mainland China. 掰掰 (Báibái/bàibài/bāibai) is the variant character form that is gaining popularity in ROC. 回头见 Huítóu jiàn: roughly equivalent to "see you soon", used in northern China. 回见 Huíjiàn; usually used in Beijing or written Chinese. 再会 Zàihuì: Literally "[we'll] hello again". Usually used in Shanghai or other part of China, and sometimes used at the end of TV programs. Chinese New Year Greetings Xīnniánkuàilè 新年快乐 Happy New Year Gōngxǐfācái 恭喜发财 Gongxifacai ^ Chinese ^ | <<Pronunciation of Finals | Possible Initial-Final Combinations | Using Tones>> Table of Possible Combinations of Chinese Initials and Finals The 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. Pinyin table Initials Pinyin table (no initial) b p m f d t n l g k h j q x zh ch sh r z c s Group a Finals (no final) zhi chi shi ri zi ci si (no final) Group a Finals a a ba pa ma fa da ta na la ga ka ha zha cha sha za ca sa a o o bo po mo fo o e e me de te ne le ge ke he zhe che she re ze ce se e ê ê ai ai bai pai mai dai tai nai lai gai kai hai zhai chai shai zai cai sai ai ei ei bei pei mei fei dei nei lei gei hei zhei shei zei ei ao ao bao pao mao dao tao nao lao gao kao hao zhao chao shao rao zao cao sao ao ou ou pou mou fou dou tou nou lou gou kou hou zhou chou shou rou zou cou sou ou an an ban pan man fan dan tan nan lan gan kan han zhan chan shan ran zan can san an en en ben pen men fen nen gen ken hen zhen chen shen ren zen cen sen en ang ang bang pang mang fang dang tang nang lang gang kang hang zhang chang shang rang zang cang sang ang eng eng beng peng meng feng deng teng neng leng geng keng heng zheng cheng sheng reng zeng ceng seng eng er er er Group i Finals i yi bi pi mi di ti ni li ji qi xi i Group i Finals ia ya lia jia qia xia ia io yo io ie ye bie pie mie die tie nie lie jie qie xie ie iai yai iai iao yao biao piao miao diao tiao niao liao jiao qiao xiao iao iu you miu diu niu liu jiu qiu xiu iu ian yan bian pian mian dian tian nian lian jian qian xian ian in yin bin pin min nin lin jin qin xin in iang yang niang liang jiang qiang xiang iang ing ying bing ping ming ding ting ning ling jing qing xing ing Group u Finals u wu bu pu mu fu du tu nu lu gu ku hu zhu chu shu ru zu cu su u Group u Finals ua wa gua kua hua zhua chua shua ua uo wo duo tuo nuo luo guo kuo huo zhuo chuo shuo ruo zuo cuo suo uo uai wai guai kuai huai zhuai chuai shuai uai ui wei dui tui gui kui hui zhui chui shui rui zui cui sui ui uan wan duan tuan nuan luan guan kuan huan zhuan chuan shuan ruan zuan cuan suan uan un wen dun tun lun gun kun hun zhun chun shun run zun cun sun un uang wang guang kuang huang zhuang chuang shuang uang ong weng dong tong nong long gong kong hong zhong chong rong zong cong song ong Group ü Finals ü yu nü lü ju qu xu ü Group ü Finals üe yue nüe lüe jue que xue üe üan yuan lüan juan quan xuan üan ün yun lün jun qun xun ün iong yong jiong qiong xiong iong Pinyin table (no initial) b p m f d t n l g k h j q x zh ch sh r z c s Pinyin table Initials Colour Legend: "regular" initial or final Final is in Group a or is a direct combination of: i+Group a final u+Group a final ü+Group a final Final of i, u, ü groups is a modified combination of: i+Group a final u+Group a final ü+Group a final syllable is direct combination of initial and final (or follows rules for standalone initials and finals, explained in pronunciation basics) syllable is modified combination of initial and final Modified i, u, and ü group finals: The following finals in the i, u, and ü groups are a modified combination of i, u or ü with a group a final: ie=i+ê iu=i+ou in=i+en ing=i+eng ui=u+ei un=u+en ong=u+eng üe=ü+ê ün=ü+en iong=i+u+eng ^ Chinese ^ | <<Pronunciation of Finals | Possible Initial-Final Combinations | Using Tones>> Number System (数字系统) 基本用字 Basic Characters Listen to audio 0: 〇 (零) líng 1: 一 (壹) yī 2: 二 (Simplified:贰;Traditional:貳) èr 3: 三 (Simplified:叁;Traditional:叄、參) sān 4: 四 (肆) sì 5: 五 (伍) wǔ 6: 六 (Simplified:陆;Traditional:陸) liù 7: 七 (柒) qī 8: 八 (捌) bā 9: 九 (玖) jiǔ 10: 十 (拾) shí 100: 百 (佰) bǎi 1000: 千 (仟) qiān 10,000: Simplified:万;Traditional萬 wàn 100,000,000: Simplified:亿;Traditional億 yì 1,000,000,000,000: 兆 zhào Parenthesized entries are the complex forms, which are used mainly in notarized, official documents. An exception is zero wherein the complex form is more widely used. 个十百千万 Units, Tens, Hundreds, Thousands and Myriads 十一 shí yī eleven 十二 shí èr twelve 等等 (děngděng) etc. 二十一 èr shí yī twenty-one 二十二 èr shí èr twenty-two 等等 etc. 一百 yī bǎi one hundred 一百零一 yī bǎi líng yī one hundred one 一百五十八 yī bǎi wǔ shí bā one hundred fifty eight 二百三十* èr bǎi sān shítwo hundred thirty 等等 etc. 一千 yī qiān one thousand 七千二百五十三 qī qiān liǎng bǎi wǔ shí sān seven thousand two hundred fifty-three 等等 etc. 一万 yī wàn one myriad or ten thousand 四万三千 sì wàn sān qiān forty-three thousand 等等 etc. 更大的数字（亿兆） Larger Numbers 一亿五千万 yī yì wǔ qiān wàn 150,000,000 one hundred fifty million 两亿零八十万 liǎng yì líng bā shí wàn 200,800,000 two hundred million eight hundred thousand 等等 etc. 中文中零的用法 The usage of ling2 in Chinese If a number ends in zero, there is no need to include the zero character. For example, 350: 三百五十 1350: 一千三百五十 1600: 一千六百 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, 305: 三百零五 (not 三百零十五) 1035: 一千零三十五 (not 一千零百三十五) 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, 1006: 一千零六 (not 一千零零六) 300,250: 三十萬零二百五十 8,000,300: 八百萬零三百 数字手势 Chinese Gestures for Numbers 1 一 yī 2 二 èr 3 三 sān 4 四 sì 5 五 wǔ 6 六 liù 7 七 qī (may be interpreted as 5 by Malaysian or Singaporean Chinese) 8 八 bā (may be interpreted as 7 in some regions) 9 九 jiǔ 10 十 shí or 0 零 líng 10 十 shí 10 十 shí Note: This gesture of nine is not available in Taiwan. The third sign of ten is uncommon in both Taiwan and mainland China. Source: commons:数字手势 Here's a list of some nations (regions) and their names in Chinese. Asia 亚洲 / 亞洲 Yàzhōu East Asia 东亚 / 東亞 Dōngyă English 英文 Simplified 简体字 Traditional 繁體字 Pinyin 拼音 China 中国 中國 Zhōngguó Hong Kong 香港 Xiānggăng Japan 日本 Rìbĕn Macao 澳门 澳門 Àomén North Korea 朝鲜 北韓 Cháoxǐan / Běicháoxǐan / BěiHán South Korea 韩国 南韓 Hánguó / Nánhán / Náncháoxǐan Taiwan,China 中国台湾 中國臺灣 Zhōngguó Táiwān Southeast Asia 东南亚 / 東南亞 Dōngnányà English 英文 Simplified 简体字 Traditional 繁體字 Pinyin 拼音 Brunei 文莱 汶萊 Wénlái (...Dálŭsàlángúo) Cambodia 柬埔寨 柬埔寨 Jiănpŭzhài East Timor 东帝汶 東帝汶 Dōngdìwèn Indonesia 印度尼西亚 印度尼西亞 Yìndùníxīyă (also 印尼 Yìnní) Laos 老挝/寮国 寮國 Lǎowō/Liáoguó Malaysia 马来西亚 馬來西亞 Măláixīyă Myanmar 缅甸 緬甸 Miăndiàn Philippines 菲律宾 菲律賓 Fēilǜbīn Singapore 新加坡 Xīnjiāpō Thailand 泰国 泰國 Tàiguó Vietnam 越南 Yuènán South Asia 南亚 / 南亞 Nányà English 英文 Simplified 简体字 Traditional 繁體字 Pinyin 拼音 Bangladesh 孟加拉国 孟加拉國 Mèngjiālāguó Bhutan 不丹 Bùdān India 印度 Yìndù (not to be confused with Indonesia 印尼 Yìnní) Maldives 马尔代夫 馬爾地夫(馬爾代夫) Mă'ěrdàifù Nepal 尼泊尔 尼泊爾 Níbó'ěr Pakistan 巴基斯坦 Bājīsītăn Sri Lanka 斯里兰卡 斯里蘭卡 Sīlĭlánkă Central Asia 中亚 / 中亞 Zhōngyà English 英文 Simplified 简体字 Traditional 繁體字 Pinyin 拼音 Afghanistan 阿富汗 Āfùhàn Kazakhstan 哈萨克斯坦 哈薩克(哈薩克斯坦) Hāsàkèsītǎn Kyrgyzstan 吉尔吉斯坦 吉爾吉斯(吉爾吉斯坦) Jíěrjísīsītǎn Mongolia 蒙古 Ménggŭ Tajikistan 塔吉克斯坦 塔吉克 Tăjíkèsītǎn Turkmenistan 土库曼斯坦 土庫曼(土庫曼斯坦) Tŭkùmànsītǎn Uzbekistan 乌兹别克斯坦 烏茲別克(烏茲別克斯坦) Wūzībiékèsītǎn Southwest Asia (Middle East) 西南亚 (中东) / 西南亞 (中東) Xīnányà (Zhōngdōng) English 英文 Simplified 简体字 Traditional 繁體字 Pinyin 拼音 Armenia 亚美尼亚 亞美尼亞 Yàmĕiníyà Azerbaijan 阿塞拜疆 亞塞拜然 Ãsàibàijiāng Bahrain 巴林 巴林 bālín Cyprus 塞浦路斯 塞浦勒斯 Sàipǔlùsī Georgia 格鲁吉亚 喬治亞 Gélǔjíyà Iran 伊朗 伊朗 Yīlăng Iraq 伊拉克 伊拉克 Yīlākè Israel 以色列 以色列 Yǐsèliè Jordan 约旦 約旦 Yuēdàn Kuwait 科威特 科威特 Kēwēitè Lebanon 黎巴嫩 黎巴嫩 Líbānèn Oman 阿曼 阿曼 Ãmàn Qatar 卡塔尔 卡達 Kǎtǎ'ĕr Saudi Arabia 沙特阿拉伯 沙烏地阿拉伯(沙特阿拉伯) Shātè'ālābó Syria 叙利亚 敘利亞 Xùlìyà Turkey 土耳其 土耳其 Tǔ'ĕrqí United Arab Emirates 阿拉伯联合酋长国 阿拉伯聯合大公國(阿拉伯聯合酋長國) Ãlābó Liánhé Qiúchángguó Yemen 也门 葉門(也門) Yĕmén Oceania 大洋洲 Dàyángzhōu English 英文 Simplified 简体字 Traditional 繁體字 Pinyin 拼音 Australia 澳大利亚 澳大利亞(澳洲) Àodàlìyà Kiribati 基里巴斯 吉里巴斯 Jīlǐbāsī Fiji 斐济 斐濟 Fěijì Marshall Islands 马绍尔群岛 馬紹爾群島 Mǎshào'ěr Qúndǎo Micronesia 密克罗尼西亚 密克羅尼西亞 Mìkèluóníxīyà Nauru 瑙鲁 諾魯 Nǎolǔ New Zealand 纽西兰(新西兰) 紐西蘭(新西蘭) Niŭxīlán (Xīnxīlán) Palau 帕劳 帛琉(貝勞) Pàláo Papua New Guinea 巴布亚新几内亚 巴布亞新幾內亞 Bābùyà Xīnjǐnèiyà Samoa 萨摩亚 薩摩亞 Sàmóyà Solomon Islands 所罗门群岛 所羅門群島 Suǒluómén Qúndǎo Tonga 汤加 東加(湯加) Tāngjiā Tuvalu 图瓦卢 吐瓦魯(圖瓦盧) Tùwǎlú (Túwǎlǔ) Vanuatu 瓦努阿图 萬那杜(瓦努阿圖) Wǎnǔ'ātú America 美洲 Měizhōu North America 北美洲 Běi Měizhōu English 英文 Simplified 简体字 Traditional 繁體字 Pinyin 拼音 Canada 加拿大 Jiānádà Cuba 古巴 Gŭbā Mexico 墨西哥 Mòxīgē United States 美国 美國 Měiguó Central America 中美洲 Zhōngměizhōu English 英文 Simplified 简体字 Traditional 繁體字 Pinyin 拼音 Belize 伯利兹 貝里斯 Bólìzī/Bèilǐsī Costa Rica 哥斯达黎加 哥斯大黎加 Gēsīdálíjīa El Salvador 萨尔瓦多 薩爾瓦多 Sà'ěrwǎduō Guatemela 危地马拉 瓜地馬拉 Wēidìmālā/Guādìmǎlā Honduras 洪都拉斯 宏都拉斯 Hóngdūlāsī Nicaragua 尼加拉瓜 尼加拉瓜 Níjiālāguā Panama 巴拿马 巴拿馬 Bānámǎ Caribbean Islands 加勒比 Jiālèbǐ Qǔndǎo English 英文 Simplified 简体字 Traditional 繁體字 Pinyin 拼音 Antigua and Barbuda 安提瓜和巴不达 Āntíguā hé Bābùdá Bahamas 巴哈马 巴哈馬 Bāhāmǎ Barbados 巴巴多斯 Bābāduōsī Dominica 多米尼加 多明尼加 Duōmǐníjiā Dominican Republic 多米尼加共和国 多明尼加共和國 Duōmǐníjiā Gònghéguó Grenada 格林纳达 格瑞那達 Gélínnàdá/Géruìnàdá Haiti 海地 海地 Hǎidì Jamaica 牙买加 牙買加 Yámǎijiā Puerto Rico 波多黎各 Bōduōlígè St. Kitts and Nevis 圣基茨和尼维斯 Shèngjīcí hé Níwéisī St. Lucia 圣卢西亚 聖露西亞 Shèng Lúxīyà /Shèng Lùxīyà St. Vincent and the Grenadines 圣文森特和格林纳丁斯 聖文森 Shèng Wénsēntè hé Gélínnàdīngsī Trinidad and Tobago 特里尼达和多巴哥 千里達 Tèlǐnídá hé Duōbāgē/Qiānlǐdá South America 南美洲 Nán Měizhōu English 英文 Simplified 简体字 Traditional 繁體字 Pinyin 拼音 Argentina 阿根廷 Āgēntíng Bolivia 玻利维亚 玻利維亞 Bōlìwéiyà Brazil 巴西 Bāxī Chile 智利 Zhìlì Colombia 哥伦比亚 哥倫比亞 GēLúnBǐYà Ecuador 厄瓜多尔 厄瓜多爾 Èguāduō'ěr Falkland Islands (UK) 马尔维纳斯群岛 福克蘭群島 Mǎ'ěrwéinàsī Qúndǎo/Fúkèlán Qúndǎo French Guiana (France) 法属圭亚那 法屬蓋亞那 Fáshǔ Guīyànà/Fàshǔ Guīyǎnà Guyana 圭亚那 蓋亞那(圭亞那) Guīyànà/Guīyǎnà Paraguay 巴拉圭 Bālāguī Peru 秘鲁 秘魯 BìLŭ (NOT MìLŭ) Suriname 苏里南 蘇里南 SŭLĭNán Uruguay 乌拉圭 烏拉圭 Wūlāguī Venezuela 委内瑞拉 Wěinèiruìlā Europe 欧洲 / 歐洲 Ōuzhōu English 英文 Simplified 简体字 Traditional 繁體字 Pinyin 拼音 Albania 阿尔巴尼亚 阿爾巴尼亞 Ā'ěrbāníyà (mainland) Ā'ěrbāníya (Taiwan) Andorra 安道尔 安道爾 Āndào'ěr Austria 奥地利 奧地利 Àodìlì Armenia 亚美尼亚 亞美尼亞 Yàměiníyà(mainland)̀ Yǎměiníyǎ (Taiwan) Azerbaijan 阿塞拜疆 阿塞拜疆 Āsàibàijiāng Belarus 白俄罗斯 白俄羅斯 Bái'éluósī Belgium 比利时 比利時 Bǐlìshí Bosnia and Herzegovina 波斯尼亚和黑塞哥维那 波士尼亞赫塞哥維納 Bōsīníyǎ hé hēisāigēwéinà(mainland) Bōshìníyǎhèsāigēwéinà (Taiwan) Bulgaria 保加利亚 保加利亞 Bǎojiālìyà (mainland) Bǎojiālìyǎ (Taiwan) Croatia 克罗地亚 克羅埃西亞 Kèluódìyà (mainland) Kèluódìyǎ (Taiwan) Czech Republic 捷克 Jiékè Denmark 丹麦 丹麥 Dānmài Estonia 爱沙尼亚 愛沙尼亞 Àishāníyà (mainland) Àishāníyǎ (Taiwan) France 法国 法國 Fǎguó (mainland) Fàguó (Taiwan) Finland 芬兰 芬蘭 Fēnlán Georgia 格鲁吉亚 佐治亞 Gélǔjíyà (mainland) Zuǒzhìyǎ (Taiwan) Germany 德国 德國 Déguó Greece 希腊 希臘 Xīlà Hungary 匈牙利 匈牙利 Xiōngyálì Iceland 冰岛 冰島 Bīngdǎo Ireland 爱尔兰 愛爾蘭 Ài'ěrlán Italy 意大利 Yìdàlì Latvia 拉脱维亚 拉脫維亞 Lātuōwéiyà (mainland) Lātuōwéiyǎ (Taiwan) Liechtenstein 列支敦士登 Lièzhīdūnshìdēng Lithuania 立陶宛 Lātáowǎn Luxembourg 卢森堡 盧森堡 Lúsēnbǎo Macedonia 马其顿 馬其頓 Mǎqídùn Malta 马耳他 馬耳他 Mǎ'ěrtā Moldova 摩尔多瓦 摩爾多瓦 Mó'ěrduōwā Monaco 摩纳哥 摩納哥 Mónàgē Netherlands 荷兰 荷蘭 Hélán Norway 挪威 Nuówēi Poland 波兰 波蘭 Bōlán Portugal 葡萄牙 Pútáoyá Romania 罗马尼亚 羅馬尼亞 Luómǎnǐyà Russia 俄罗斯 俄羅斯 Éluósī San Marino 圣马力诺 聖馬力諾 Shèng Mǎlìnuò Serbia and Montenegro 塞尔维亚和黑山 塞爾維亞和蒙特內哥羅 Sài'érwéiyà hé HēIshān Slovakia 斯洛伐克 Sīluòfákè Slovenia 斯洛文尼亚 斯洛維尼亞 Sīluòwénníyà Spain 西班牙 Xībānyá Switzerland 瑞士 Ruìshì Sweden 瑞典 Ruìdiǎn Turkey 土耳其 Tǔ'ěrqí Ukraine 乌克兰 烏克蘭 Wūkèlán United Kingdom 英国 英國 Yīngguó Africa 非洲 Fēizhōu English 英文 Simplified 简体字 Traditional 繁體字 Pinyin 拼音 Algeria 阿尔及利亚 阿爾及利亞 Ā'ěrjílìyà Angola 安哥拉 安哥拉 Āngēlā Benin 贝宁 貝寧 Bèiníng Botswana 博斯瓦纳 波札那 Bósīwǎnà Burkina Faso 布基纳法索 布吉納法索 Bùjīnàfǎsuǒ Burundi 布隆迪 蒲隆地 Búlóngdí Cameroon 喀麦隆 喀麥隆 Kāmàilóng Cape Verde 佛得角 維德角 Fódéjiǎo/Wéidéjiǎo Central African Republic 中非共和国 中非共和國 Zhōngfēi Gònghéguó Chad 乍得 查德 Zhādé/Chádé Comoros 科摩罗 Kēmóluó Democratic Republic of the Congo 刚果民主共和国 剛果民主共和國 Gāngguǒ Mínzhǔ Gònghéguó Republic of the Congo 刚果共和国 剛果共和國 Gāngguǒ Gònghéguó Côte d'Ivoire 象牙海岸/科特迪瓦 象牙海岸 Xiàngyá Hǎi'àn/ Kētèdíwǎ Djibouti 吉布提 吉布地 Jíbùtí Egypt 埃及 埃及 Āijí Equatorial Guinea 赤道几内亚 赤道幾內亞 Chìdào Jĭnèiyà Eritrea 厄立特里亚 Èlìtèlǐyà Ethiopia 埃塞俄比亚 衣索比亞 Āisài'ébǐyà Gabon 加蓬 加彭 Jiāpéng The Gambia 冈比亚 甘比亞 Gāngbǐyà/Gānbǐyà Ghana 加纳 迦魶 Jiānà Guinea 几内亚 幾內亞 Jǐnèiyà Guinea-Bissau 几内亚比绍 幾內亞比索 Jǐnèiyà-bǐshào Kenya 肯尼亚 肯亞 Kěnníyà/Kěnyǎ Lesotho 莱索托 賴索托 Láisuǒtuō Liberia 利比里亚 賴比瑞亞 Lìbǐlǐyà Libya 利比亚 利比亞 Lìbǐyà Madagascar 马达加斯加 馬達加斯加 Mǎdájiāsījiā Malawi 马拉维 馬拉威 Mǎlāwéi Mali 马里 馬利 Mǎlǐ Mauritania 毛里塔尼亚 茅利塔尼亞 Máolǐtǎníyà Mauritius 毛里求斯 Máolǐqiúsī Morocco 摩洛哥 摩洛哥 Móluògē Mozambique 莫桑比克 莫三比克 Mòsāngbǐkè Namibia 纳米比亚 納米比亞 Nàmǐbǐyà Niger 尼日尔 Nírì'ěr Nigeria 尼日利亚 奈及利亞 Nírìlìyà Rwanda 卢旺达 盧安達 Lúwàngdá São Tomé and Príncipe 圣多美与普林西比 聖多美及普林西比 Shèng Duōměi yǔ Pǔlínxībǐ Senegal 塞内加尔 塞內加爾 Sàinèijiā'ěr Seychelles 塞舌尔 塞席爾 Sàishé'ér Sierra Leone 塞拉利昂 獅子山 Sàilālì'áng Somalia 索马里 索馬利亞 Suǒmǎlǐ South Africa 南非 南非 Nánfēi Sudan 苏丹 蘇丹 Sūdān Swaziland 斯威士兰 史瓦濟蘭 Sīwēishìlán Tanzania 坦桑尼亚 坦尚尼亞 Tǎnsāngníyà Togo 多哥 多哥 Duōgē Tunisia 突尼斯 突尼西亞 Tūníxīyà Uganda 乌干达 烏干達 Wūgāndá Zambia 赞比亚 尚比亞 Zànbǐyà Zimbabwe 津巴布韦 辛巴威 Jīnbābùwéi 中文偏旁部首名称 Names of Radicals and Character Parts Information from Google '偏旁，又称部件，是合体字的结构单位。原来把合体字的左边称「偏」，右边称「旁」；后来把合体字的结构部分统称为「偏旁」。比如位于合体字的左面，称「左偏旁」；右面，称「右偏旁」。 Pianpang are components of characters that are made up of more than one part. Originally, the left part of composite characters was referred to as “pian” and the right side referred to as “pang.” Now, all parts of compound characters are generally referred to as “pianpang.” For example, the left part of a compound character is referred to as “zuo pianpang” and the right side the “you pianpang.” 偏旁 Pianpang 名称 Name 拼音 Pinyin 例子 Examples 一笔画 One Stroke 一 横 Héng 丁、丝、上 丨 竖 Shù 中、丰、串 亅 竖钩 Shùgōu 事、予 丿 撇 Piě 九、乍、乃 乛 折 Zhé 买 乚 竖弯钩 Shù​wān​gōu 乜、也、乱 丶 点 Diǎn 以、义、主 二笔画 Two Strokes 勹 包字头 Bāo zì tóu 勺、勾、匀 冫 两点水 Liǎng diǎn shuǐ 冰、习、净 卜 卜字旁 Bǔ zì páng 卡、卤、卧 厂 偏厦 Piānshà 厕、原、厚 刂 立刀旁 Lì dāo páng 刬、刘、判 匚 三框栏 Sān kuàng lán 匠、匹、 区 阝 双耳旁 双耳刀 左耳刀 右耳刀 Shuāng'ěr páng 阞、队、阡 邓、邗、邘 卩 单耳旁 Dān ěr páng 卫、卬、卮 冂 同字框 Tóng zì kuàng 冃、内、冈 冖 秃宝盖 Tū bǎo gài 冗、冘、写 凵 凶字框 Xiōng zì kuàng 凶、凹、凸 亻 单人旁 Dān rén páng 亿、什、仁 厶 私字 Sī zì 厾、去、厹 亠 文字头 Wénzì tóu 亡、交、亢 讠 言字旁 Yán zì páng 计、订、讣 廴 建之旁 Jiàn zhī páng 延、廷、廸 三笔画 Three Strokes 艹 草字头 Cǎo zì tóu 艺、艻、艾 屮 出字头 Chū zì tóu 屯、屰 彳 双人旁 Shuāng rén páng 彴、彷、彸 巛 三拐 Sān guǎi 巠、巢、巤 辶 走之儿 走之底 Zǒu zhīr 边，辽、 巡 廾 弄字底 Nòng zì dǐ 开、弁、异 广 广字旁 广字头 Guǎng zì páng 庀、庄、庆 宀 宝盖 宝盖头 Bǎo gài 宁、它、宄 犭 反犬旁、 犬犹 Fǎn quǎn páng, quǎn yóu 犯、犰、犴 彡 三撇 Sān piě 形、彤、彦 饣 食字旁 Shí zì páng 饥、饧、 饨 扌 提手旁、 剔手旁 Tí shǒu páng, tī shǒu páng 扎、扐、扑 氵 三点水 Sān diǎn shuǐ 氿、汀、汁 纟 绞丝旁、 乱绞丝 Jiǎo sī páng, luàn jiǎo sī 纠、纡、红 土 提土旁、 剔土旁 Tí tǔ páng, tī tǔ páng 圢、圣、圥 忄 竖心旁、 竖心 Shù xīn páng, shù xīn 忆、忉、忋 尢 尤字旁 Yóu zì páng 尤、尥、尨 夂 折文 Zhé wén 处、夆、备 子 子字旁 Zǐ zì páng 孔、孕、孖 丬 将字旁 Jiāng zì páng 壮、状、将 囗 方匡 Fāng kuāng 囚、四、囝 门 门字旁 Mén zì páng 闩、闪、闫 四笔画 Four Strokes 灬 四点 Sì diǎn 炁、炰、点 火 火字旁 Huǒ zì páng 灭、灯、灰 礻 示字旁、 示补 Shì zì páng, shì bǔ 礼、礽、社 王 斜玉旁、 斜玉旁 Xié yù páng, xié yù páng 玉、玊、玍 木 木字旁 Mù zì páng 未、末、本 牛 牛字旁、 剔牛 Niú zì páng, tī niú 牝、牠、牡 五笔画 Five Strokes 疒 病字旁、 病旁 bìng zì páng, bìng páng 疓、疔、疕 衤 衣字旁、 衣补 yī zì páng, yī bǔ 初、补、衦  春字头 Chūn zì tóu 奉、奏、秦 罒 四字头 Sì zì tóu 罗、罘、罚 皿 皿字底、 皿墩 mǐn zì dǐ, mǐndūn 盂、盃、盅 钅 金字旁 Jīn zì páng 钆、钇、针 禾 禾木旁 Hé mù páng 禿、秀、私 癶 登字头 Dēng zì tóu 癸、発、登 六笔画 Six Strokes 米 米字旁 Mǐ zì páng 籴、娄、籸 虍 虎字头 Hǔ zì tóu 虎、虏、虐 ⺮ 竹字头 Zhú zì tóu 竺、笃、竼 七笔画 Seven Strokes ⻊ 足字旁 Zú zì páng 趴、趵、趷 Mandarin, like any language, has its own slang words and informal meanings of common words. For example, 同志 (tongzhi - comrade, a commonly used honorific) now has a second meaning of "gay person", and the female equivalent 小姐 (xiaojie, often used with service personnel such as waitresses) can also refer to a prostitute. Slang List 酷 ku4 cool (好酷喔 hao3 ku4 oh5: that's cool!) 帥 shuai4 (of a guy) good looking, handsome 帥呆(了) shuai4dai1(le5) 1. (of a guy) very goodlooking, a hunk 2. (of a situation) very good 爽 shuang3 (very) comfortable, pleasing (as in 我昨天去按摩超爽(的) 'The massage yesterday was very comfortable' 過隱 guo4yin3 (very) comfortable, pleasing 超 chao1 extremely / super (as in 超冷 'very cold', 超酷 'very cool' etc) 惹 re3 upset, annoy, get on someone nerves(as in 你幹嘛老是惹我 'why do you always get on my nerves?') 離譜 li2pu3 preposterous, far from normalcy (as in 你這樣作實在是太離譜 'you are really out of line doing things like that') 扯 che3 farfetched, unimaginable, defying all logic (as in 很扯! 'unbelievable', 太扯了吧! 'that is ridiculous', 你扯到哪裡去? 'what are you talking about?' ) 扯xx(的)後腿 che3 xx (de5)hou4tui3 be a drag on someone, be a hindrance 正 zheng4 good quality, high class (as in 正妹 'a classy chick', 他的女朋友很正 'he has a knock out girl friend') 耍 shua3 cheat, deceive (as in 你想耍我嗎? 'you must be kidding') 耍嘴皮 shua3zui3pi2 talk slickly 耍賴 shua3lai4 act indifferent, don't do what one's supposed to do 賴皮 lai4pi2 see 耍賴 混 hun4 partake in a given activity (work, study etc) in a lazy and unserious manner (as in 我這裡已經快混不下去了 'I'm about to get kicked out of here' (school or company etc), 你還想混多久? 'How much longer are you planning to go on like this?') 模魚 mo2yu2 be lazy on the job (lit. rub fish) 爛 lan4 crappy 爛攤子 lan4tan1zi5 someone's bad situation (that they leave to you) (as in 我可以收他的爛攤子 '(and now) I can take care of the mess he created') 爛醉 lan4zui4 piss drunk 爛掉 lan4diao4 gone bad (of something that was formerly OK) 爛好人 lan4hao3ren2 a person that tries to please everyone and can never say no (creating problems for the people around him) 透 tou4 1. to go through 2. (as a suffix) extremely (as in 爛透了 'extremely crappy') 嚇死 xia4si3 terrified (as in 嚇死我了 'I'm scared shitless') 難搞 nan2gao3 difficult to please, hard to deal with 修理 xiu1li3 1. repair 2. mess somebody up, punish 休想 xiu1xiang3 (as an utterance) no way, don't even think about it, in your dreams 吹牛 chui1niu2 brag 自大 zi4da4 arrogant, overbearing 臭屁 chou4pi4 arrogant, overbearing (lit. stinking fart) 擺架子 bai3jia4zi5 put on an air, arrogant 假君子 jia3jun1zi5 a wolf in sheep's clothes (lit. fake gentleman) 上流社會 shang4liu2she4hui4 the upper crust of society, the rich and famous 黑社會 hei1she4hui4 the underworld 流氓 liu2mang2 gangster, loodlum 老大 lao3da4 the big boss 小弟 xiao3di4 1. young male child 2. younger members of a gang 吵架 chao3jia4 quarrel, have an argument 鬥嘴 dou4zui3 quarrel, have an argument (lit. fighting with the mouth) 打架 da3jia4 (physically) fight, exchange blows 把風 ba3feng1 be on the look out (during a heist) 壞胚子 huai4pei1zi5 a bad element (said of a person (mostly as a joke) ) 好兄弟 hao3xiong1di4 1. ghosts, spirits of the deceased 2. good friends / like brothers 不乾淨 bu2gan1jing4 1. not clean 2. haunted (by ghosts) 夜總會 ye4zong3hui4 1. nightclub 2. graveyard 豬頭 zhu1tou2 idiot (lit. pig's head) 笨蛋 ben4dan4 idiot (lit. stupid egg) 昏蛋 hun1dan4 asshole (lit. turbid egg) 壞蛋 huai4dan4 asshole (lit. rotten egg) 王八蛋 wang2ba1dan4 asshole (lit. king eight egg) 白痴 bai2chi1 idiot, retard (lit. white fool) 蠢貨 chun3huo4 idiot (not used a lot) 傻瓜 sha3gua1 fool (sometimes used lovingly) 小子 xiao3zi3 insignificant person, 'prick' 瘋子 feng1zi5 crazy person 發瘋 fa1feng1 go crazy 娘娘腔 niang2niang2qiang1 sissy, girly dude 傢伙 jia1huo5 1. person (mostly used negatively), 2. gun 毒蟲 du2chong2 junky, someone on drugs 吸毒 xi1du2 take drugs 上隱 shang4yin3 get addicted to something (can be drugs, but can also refer to good things such as sports) 崩潰 beng1kui4 (mentally) collapse (of a person) 欠 xx qian4 xx 1. owe xx (like 欠錢 'owe money', 欠情 'owe someone a favor') 2. asking for a xx (as in 欠念 'asking for a verbal dress down', 欠揍 'asking for a beating') 放xx鴿子 fang4 xx ge1zi5 stand xx up, be a no-show (as in 不要放我鴿子喔 'don't stand me up!') 吃xx(的)豆腐 chi1 xx (de)dou4fu3 touch a woman in such a manner that it is close to (but not yet) borderline sexual harassment (as in 不要吃我的豆腐 'don't touch me', 你想吃我的豆腐嗎? 'would you like to touch me?') 沒水準 mei2shui3zhun3 have no class, low level (of a person) 沒家教 mei2jia1jiao4 unmannered, not well behaved, impolite (lit. without home teaching, i.e., without parents that instilled basic manners into their offspring) 下流 xia4liu2 1. downstream 2. uncoth, low class, shameless, low life 土 tu3 1. earth, soil 2. of no class, like a buffoon (as in 你的衣服好土喔! 'your clothes are so low class!') 飆車 biao1che1 (in car / motorcycle) ride like crazy, race xx族 xx zu2 people that xx (like 上班族 'people that work', 飆車族 'people that drive too fast', 草莓族 'the younger generation that doesn't understand hard work (that bruise like strawberries) )' 種草莓 zhong4cao3mei2 give someone a hickey 丟臉 diu1lian3 loose face, embarrass (as in 你在朋友的面前這樣說我真丟臉 'the way you spoke about me in front of our friends really made me loose face') 沒面子 mei2main4zi5 loose face (as in 你害我沒面子 'you made me loose face') 厚臉皮 hou4lian3pi2 thick skinned, willing to ask for / demand things other people would not dare demand 囂張 xiao1zhang1 brazen, shameless 酒吧 jiu3ba1 bar 酒店 jiu3dian4 1. hotel 2. restaurant 3. hostess bar (Taiwan only) 夜店 ye4dian4 nightclub 夜貓子 ye4mao1zi5 someone with a rich nightlife 恐龍妹 kong3long2mei4 ugly chick (literally 'dinosaur girl') 辣妹 la4mei4 hot chick (literally 'spicy girl') 放電 fang4dian4 1. give off electricity 2. (of women) 'create an air filled with feminine attraction' 把妹 ba3mei4 hunt for girls, on the prowl for female companionship 把馬子 ba3ma3zi5 same as 'ba3 mei4' 把凱子 ba3kai3zi5 hunt for (rich) hunks (by women) 亂講 luan4jiang3 nonsense 放屁 fang4pi4 1. fart 2. speak nonsense 廢話 fei4hua4 as retort to a superfluous utterance: 'tell me something I didn't already know' (lit. garbage talk) 囉嗦 luo2suo1 talk too much (as in 你很囉嗦 'you talk too much', 不要囉嗦了 'stop rambling!') 哈啦 ha1la1 argue, incessantly talk to try to convince someone of something (as in 你不用哈啦這麼多, 就直接認錯吧! 'stop arguing and just admit you're wrong!', 哇,你很會哈啦喔! wow, you really know how to argue! (to get things your way) ) 閉嘴 bi4zui3 shut up! 插嘴 cha1zui3 interrupt (someone talking) (as in 你不要老是插嘴 'stop interrupting me') 頂嘴 ding3zui3 talk back, be a wise guy (as in 如果你再頂嘴我就修理你 'I am going to take care of you if you talk back to me again') xx 個屁 / xx 個頭 xx ge5pi4 / xx ge5tou2 both are similar to 'my ass' as a suffix (as in A: 這電影好浪漫喔 B: 浪漫個屁阿! A: This movie is so romantic.. B: romantic my ass!) 小弟弟 xiao3di4di4 1. little brother 2. male reproductive organ (小)雞雞 (xiao3)ji1ji1 male reproductive organ 小鳥 xiao3niao3 1. a small bird 2. male reproductive organ 那話兒 na4huar4 male reproductive organ (lit. 'that talk') 蛋 dan4 1. egg 2. (of the male reproductive organ) balls (as in 打架的時候要好好保護你的蛋(蛋) 'when fighting you have protect your balls') 奶子 nai3zi5 (female) breasts 高潮 gao1chao2 1. high tide 2. orgasm 做愛 zuo4ai4 make love 炒飯 chao3fan4 1. fry rice 2. make love 上床 shang4chuang2 1. go to bed 2. make love 色狼 se4lang2 sex maniac 變態 bian4tai4 someone with sick sexual preferences (有)外遇 (you3)wai4yu4 having an affair 劈腿 pi1tui3 having an affair 一夜情 yi1ye4qing2 one night stand (lit. emotions for one night) 分手 fen1shou3 (of a relationship) break up 追 zhui1 1. to follow, pursuit 2. to try to get a relationship with someone (as in 他還在追那個美妹嗎? 'is he still after that pretty girl?') 狐狸精 hu2li2jing1 a woman that steals another woman's man (lit. a fox spirit) 母老虎 mu3lao3hu3 a very dominant wife (lit. mother tiger) 幹 gan4 1. to do (something), as in 幹活 'work' 2. [vulgar] as an exclamation: 'f**k!' 3. [vulgar] make love 幹掉 gan4diao4 to kill someone 幹你娘 gan4ni3niang2 [very vulgar] do the act with your mother (never to be used in public unless one wants to appear boorish) 幹嘛 gan4ma2 1. as a stand alone phrase: 'what is it now?', 'what do you want now?' (indicating a certain irritation) 2. why (inpolite) (as in '你幹嘛花這麼多錢買這麼爛的東西? 'Why would you spend so much money buying something as crappy as that?') (他)媽的 (ta1)ma1de5 [vulgar] 1. as loose utterance: shit! 2. can be used to add punching power to an otherwise bland phrase (as in 你也他媽的夠了吧! 'you are really out of line!') 操 cao4 1. operate (a machine etc) 2. [vulgar] perform the act (from 肏 which has the same pronunciation) 操你媽的屄 cao4ni3ma1de5bi1 [very vulgar] perform the act with your mother (never use in public, or for that matter, at home) 屌 diao3 1. (among guys) used as utterance to show admiration or approval 2. male reproductive organ 老外 lao3wai4 foreigner (not necessarily a negative term) 洋妞 yang2niu1 foreign chick 阿都仔 a1dou1zai3 foreigner (Taiwan only) 同志 tong2zhi4 1. comrade (communist jargon), 2. gay/lesbian 小姐 xiao3jie3 1. young woman 2. (China) girl working in a hostess bar 3. (China) prostitute 檳榔西施 bin1lang2xi1shi1 betelnut beauty: a young, attractive (and usually scantily clad) girl hired to sell betelnuts in street stalls (西施 is the name of a classic beauty from China's past) 殺價 sha1jia4 haggle, get the price down (but no matter how hard you try as foreigner you will be made to pay more) 動手 dong4shou3 1. start (doing something) 2. hit someone 動手腳 dong4shou3jiao3 to sabotage something / cheat by modifying something 灌醉 guan4zui4 get someone drunk 海量 hai3liang4 be able of holding one's liquor (a highly valued 'asset' in the Chinese sport of drinking each other under the table) 灌水 guan4shui3 1. (of a business) sell inferior goods that have been tampered with (like adding water to milk) 2. (of sports) loose a game on purpose 黑貨 hei1huo4 goods that have been tampered with, potentially causing serious health issues 排馬屁 pai2ma3pi4 kiss up to other people 排排屁股走(人) pai2pai2pi4gu3zou3(ren2) run away, take off without caring for the consequences (while engaged in a relationship or project) 條子 tiao2zi5 cop 內鬼 nei4gui3 snitch 飯桶 fan4tong3 1. bucket that holds rice 2. a guy that lives off his girlfriend, a no good bum 吃軟飯 chi1ruan3fan4 living off your girlfriend (lit. eat soft rice) 毛毛的 mao2mao2de5 creapy, give one the goosebumps (as in 他那樣瞪我, 我都覺得毛毛的 'the way he stared at me made me feel spooked') 人情味 ren2qing2wei4 'the smell of human feelings': used to describe a situation where people are friendly and care for each other (as in 中國很有人情味) 累死了 lei4si3le5 exhausted, very tired (老)油條 (lao3)you2tiao2 a slick person (油條 is a staple food consisting of a long stick of deep fried batter) 狗仔(隊) gou3zai3(dui4) paparazi 小強 xiao3qiang2 cockroach (lit. little strong (one) ) 炒魷魚 chao3you2yu2 1. fry squid 2. fire someone (from a job) 睡過頭 shui4guo4tou2 oversleep 賴床 lai4chuang2 stay in bed (too long), not getting up 昏昏欲睡 hun1hun1yu4shui4 sleepy 拖拖拉拉 tuo1tuo1la1la1 slow, sluggish, tardy 溼達達(的) shi1da2da2(de5) soaking wet A ei1 steal (as in A錢) A片 ei1pian4 a porn movie K書 kei1shu1 study (as in pounding something into one's head) SPP song1piao4piao4 no class, (Taiwan only, based on Hoklo dialect) External links Chinese Chat Codes - This page contains numeric codes used in chatting or pager messages similar to English acronyms like IMHO (In My Humble Opinion) or LOL (Laughing Out Loud). Chinese Slang Dictionary - A dictionary of Chinese slang, colloquialism, curse, vulgarism, dialect, street talk, with Chinese characters, pinyin romanization, and English version This history of the Chinese Wikibook highlights milestones along the book's development. 2006 March 17 A PDF Version is created and the first audio samples are added to vocabulary March 13 Print version created 2005 October Chinese is elected October's Book of the Month, the first language text to do so June 12 First stroke order images linked from vocabulary March First nomination for Book of the Month. One vote (or 37 minutes) shy of High school extensions' 5 votes. Chinese would also be the runner-up in August and September. Translated versions of the Chinese Wikibook appear in Spanish (March 13), Italian (July 19) and Polish (August 20). 2004 December 29 First Table of Contents December 22 Planning page added December 19 Major rewrite of Lesson 1 2003 December 13 First edit by Yacht Contributors The 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. everlong (discuss · email · contribs · logs · count) Taoster (discuss · email · contribs · logs · count) Ran (discuss · email · contribs · logs · count) 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 Contribute Internationalization Keep the Simplified/Traditional Versions in Sync The 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. Saint Jerome, the patron saint of translators. Translate Pages Currently, 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. There are translation efforts started in the following languages: Italiano Polski Español 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 Links If 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 Images Black to red fade Gif animations There 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: Lesson 1 — Lesson 2 — Lesson 3 Sound Samples With 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: Place your question at the bottom of the list; Title the question (by placing the title between equals signs like this: == title ==); Sign your name and date (by adding four tildes: ~~~~). Post a new comment Chinese Wikibook Purpose and Audience This 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 WikiTravel. 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 Planning Language 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 Lesson 1: Hello! (你好！) - Basic Sentences and Questions Simple Sentences SVO sentence structure The equational verb shi [是] and its negation with bu [不] Verb 叫 Intro to Questions Ma [吗] and ne [呢] particles Question words (for now, only shei [谁] and na/nei [哪]) Lesson 2: Are you busy today? (今天你忙不忙?) - Measure Words, Possession and Affirmative-Negative Questions Measure Words (the most commonly used, like 个、本、张) The possessive verb you [有] and its negation with mei [没] More Questions! Affirmative-Negative 是不是 Questions 有没有 Questions Unit 3: 今天星期三 - Numbers, Days, Aux. Verbs, de [的] Numbers (to 100) year, month, day, week etc. Auxiliary Verbs, the de [的] particle Lesson TBA: Unordered List of Grammar Explanations - Even w/o example sentences grammar can be explained nonetheless Comparisons Using bǐ [比] The le [了] particle indicating a completed action indicating a past event expressing change of state or situation adding emphasis Time when - time of day, hour and minutes, morning/night how long - duration of time Directions/Placement Words (NESW, L/R, li3, li2, zai4, bian1) Pronunciation of yi1 (b/c of tone changes) Complement of degree de ordinal numbers di Complement of direction qu/lai Compliment of result ba the suggestion particle as preposition guo denoting experience of something (some) members of family reduplication emphasis using shi...de How to use a Radical Index (for C-E Glossary) Basic rules for writing Chinese characters Subjects Areas to Cover Greetings Getting around (a city) Where is the post office? How far is it to the school? Public transport Conversation in a taxi Chapter Three: Buying Things How much is that shirt? Haggling Eating Eating Out At the supermarket The grocer A meal at home Traditional Chinese cooking Sports What do you play? Talking about a match Skiing Mountaineering Yachting Surfing Your House Description of house Traditional Chinese furniture Living in a community Immediate family and relatives Education This is my school Afterschool activities School subjects Going to the Zoo / Wo men qu dong wu yuan Decided Conventions The Title Page leads to the main TOC, not the Cover Page. The Cover Page can be linked from the TOC and used in Print versions. Hanyu Pinyin is used as the only Romanization format, though equivalency charts to other systems provided[1]. Tone marks are used instead of tone numbers. Traditional or Simplified characters appear only in the Lesson Text and in parentheses in the Vocabulary sections—not in titles, example sentences, or exercises. Traditional pages are linked as parallel subpages of every Simplified page. On every Traditional page, a parentdirectory link links back to the Simplified version, always providing a toggle button between versions. Unresolved Issues License GNU Free Documentation License Version 1.3, 3 November 2008 Copyright (C) 2000, 2001, 2002, 2007, 2008 Free Software Foundation, Inc. <http://fsf.org/> Everyone is permitted to copy and distribute verbatim copies of this license document, but changing it is not allowed. 0. PREAMBLE The purpose of this License is to make a manual, textbook, or other functional and useful document "free" in the sense of freedom: to assure everyone the effective freedom to copy and redistribute it, with or without modifying it, either commercially or noncommercially. Secondarily, this License preserves for the author and publisher a way to get credit for their work, while not being considered responsible for modifications made by others. 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COPYING IN QUANTITY If you publish printed copies (or copies in media that commonly have printed covers) of the Document, numbering more than 100, and the Document's license notice requires Cover Texts, you must enclose the copies in covers that carry, clearly and legibly, all these Cover Texts: Front-Cover Texts on the front cover, and Back-Cover Texts on the back cover. Both covers must also clearly and legibly identify you as the publisher of these copies. The front cover must present the full title with all words of the title equally prominent and visible. You may add other material on the covers in addition. Copying with changes limited to the covers, as long as they preserve the title of the Document and satisfy these conditions, can be treated as verbatim copying in other respects. If the required texts for either cover are too voluminous to fit legibly, you should put the first ones listed (as many as fit reasonably) on the actual cover, and continue the rest onto adjacent pages. If you publish or distribute Opaque copies of the Document numbering more than 100, you must either include a machine-readable Transparent copy along with each Opaque copy, or state in or with each Opaque copy a computer-network location from which the general network-using public has access to download using public-standard network protocols a complete Transparent copy of the Document, free of added material. If you use the latter option, you must take reasonably prudent steps, when you begin distribution of Opaque copies in quantity, to ensure that this Transparent copy will remain thus accessible at the stated location until at least one year after the last time you distribute an Opaque copy (directly or through your agents or retailers) of that edition to the public. It is requested, but not required, that you contact the authors of the Document well before redistributing any large number of copies, to give them a chance to provide you with an updated version of the Document. 4. MODIFICATIONS You may copy and distribute a Modified Version of the Document under the conditions of sections 2 and 3 above, provided that you release the Modified Version under precisely this License, with the Modified Version filling the role of the Document, thus licensing distribution and modification of the Modified Version to whoever possesses a copy of it. In addition, you must do these things in the Modified Version: Use in the Title Page (and on the covers, if any) a title distinct from that of the Document, and from those of previous versions (which should, if there were any, be listed in the History section of the Document). You may use the same title as a previous version if the original publisher of that version gives permission. List on the Title Page, as authors, one or more persons or entities responsible for authorship of the modifications in the Modified Version, together with at least five of the principal authors of the Document (all of its principal authors, if it has fewer than five), unless they release you from this requirement. State on the Title page the name of the publisher of the Modified Version, as the publisher. Preserve all the copyright notices of the Document. Add an appropriate copyright notice for your modifications adjacent to the other copyright notices. Include, immediately after the copyright notices, a license notice giving the public permission to use the Modified Version under the terms of this License, in the form shown in the Addendum below. Preserve in that license notice the full lists of Invariant Sections and required Cover Texts given in the Document's license notice. Include an unaltered copy of this License. Preserve the section Entitled "History", Preserve its Title, and add to it an item stating at least the title, year, new authors, and publisher of the Modified Version as given on the Title Page. If there is no section Entitled "History" in the Document, create one stating the title, year, authors, and publisher of the Document as given on its Title Page, then add an item describing the Modified Version as stated in the previous sentence. Preserve the network location, if any, given in the Document for public access to a Transparent copy of the Document, and likewise the network locations given in the Document for previous versions it was based on. These may be placed in the "History" section. You may omit a network location for a work that was published at least four years before the Document itself, or if the original publisher of the version it refers to gives permission. For any section Entitled "Acknowledgements" or "Dedications", Preserve the Title of the section, and preserve in the section all the substance and tone of each of the contributor acknowledgements and/or dedications given therein. Preserve all the Invariant Sections of the Document, unaltered in their text and in their titles. Section numbers or the equivalent are not considered part of the section titles. Delete any section Entitled "Endorsements". Such a section may not be included in the Modified version. Do not retitle any existing section to be Entitled "Endorsements" or to conflict in title with any Invariant Section. Preserve any Warranty Disclaimers. If the Modified Version includes new front-matter sections or appendices that qualify as Secondary Sections and contain no material copied from the Document, you may at your option designate some or all of these sections as invariant. To do this, add their titles to the list of Invariant Sections in the Modified Version's license notice. These titles must be distinct from any other section titles. You may add a section Entitled "Endorsements", provided it contains nothing but endorsements of your Modified Version by various parties—for example, statements of peer review or that the text has been approved by an organization as the authoritative definition of a standard. You may add a passage of up to five words as a Front-Cover Text, and a passage of up to 25 words as a Back-Cover Text, to the end of the list of Cover Texts in the Modified Version. Only one passage of Front-Cover Text and one of Back-Cover Text may be added by (or through arrangements made by) any one entity. If the Document already includes a cover text for the same cover, previously added by you or by arrangement made by the same entity you are acting on behalf of, you may not add another; but you may replace the old one, on explicit permission from the previous publisher that added the old one. The author(s) and publisher(s) of the Document do not by this License give permission to use their names for publicity for or to assert or imply endorsement of any Modified Version. 5. COMBINING DOCUMENTS You may combine the Document with other documents released under this License, under the terms defined in section 4 above for modified versions, provided that you include in the combination all of the Invariant Sections of all of the original documents, unmodified, and list them all as Invariant Sections of your combined work in its license notice, and that you preserve all their Warranty Disclaimers. The combined work need only contain one copy of this License, and multiple identical Invariant Sections may be replaced with a single copy. If there are multiple Invariant Sections with the same name but different contents, make the title of each such section unique by adding at the end of it, in parentheses, the name of the original author or publisher of that section if known, or else a unique number. Make the same adjustment to the section titles in the list of Invariant Sections in the license notice of the combined work. In the combination, you must combine any sections Entitled "History" in the various original documents, forming one section Entitled "History"; likewise combine any sections Entitled "Acknowledgements", and any sections Entitled "Dedications". You must delete all sections Entitled "Endorsements". 6. COLLECTIONS OF DOCUMENTS You may make a collection consisting of the Document and other documents released under this License, and replace the individual copies of this License in the various documents with a single copy that is included in the collection, provided that you follow the rules of this License for verbatim copying of each of the documents in all other respects. You may extract a single document from such a collection, and distribute it individually under this License, provided you insert a copy of this License into the extracted document, and follow this License in all other respects regarding verbatim copying of that document. 7. AGGREGATION WITH INDEPENDENT WORKS A compilation of the Document or its derivatives with other separate and independent documents or works, in or on a volume of a storage or distribution medium, is called an "aggregate" if the copyright resulting from the compilation is not used to limit the legal rights of the compilation's users beyond what the individual works permit. When the Document is included in an aggregate, this License does not apply to the other works in the aggregate which are not themselves derivative works of the Document. If the Cover Text requirement of section 3 is applicable to these copies of the Document, then if the Document is less than one half of the entire aggregate, the Document's Cover Texts may be placed on covers that bracket the Document within the aggregate, or the electronic equivalent of covers if the Document is in electronic form. Otherwise they must appear on printed covers that bracket the whole aggregate. 8. TRANSLATION Translation is considered a kind of modification, so you may distribute translations of the Document under the terms of section 4. Replacing Invariant Sections with translations requires special permission from their copyright holders, but you may include translations of some or all Invariant Sections in addition to the original versions of these Invariant Sections. You may include a translation of this License, and all the license notices in the Document, and any Warranty Disclaimers, provided that you also include the original English version of this License and the original versions of those notices and disclaimers. In case of a disagreement between the translation and the original version of this License or a notice or disclaimer, the original version will prevail. If a section in the Document is Entitled "Acknowledgements", "Dedications", or "History", the requirement (section 4) to Preserve its Title (section 1) will typically require changing the actual title. 9. TERMINATION You may not copy, modify, sublicense, or distribute the Document except as expressly provided under this License. Any attempt otherwise to copy, modify, sublicense, or distribute it is void, and will automatically terminate your rights under this License. However, if you cease all violation of this License, then your license from a particular copyright holder is reinstated (a) provisionally, unless and until the copyright holder explicitly and finally terminates your license, and (b) permanently, if the copyright holder fails to notify you of the violation by some reasonable means prior to 60 days after the cessation. Moreover, your license from a particular copyright holder is reinstated permanently if the copyright holder notifies you of the violation by some reasonable means, this is the first time you have received notice of violation of this License (for any work) from that copyright holder, and you cure the violation prior to 30 days after your receipt of the notice. Termination of your rights under this section does not terminate the licenses of parties who have received copies or rights from you under this License. If your rights have been terminated and not permanently reinstated, receipt of a copy of some or all of the same material does not give you any rights to use it. 10. FUTURE REVISIONS OF THIS LICENSE The Free Software Foundation may publish new, revised versions of the GNU Free Documentation License from time to time. Such new versions will be similar in spirit to the present version, but may differ in detail to address new problems or concerns. See http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/. Each version of the License is given a distinguishing version number. If the Document specifies that a particular numbered version of this License "or any later version" applies to it, you have the option of following the terms and conditions either of that specified version or of any later version that has been published (not as a draft) by the Free Software Foundation. If the Document does not specify a version number of this License, you may choose any version ever published (not as a draft) by the Free Software Foundation. If the Document specifies that a proxy can decide which future versions of this License can be used, that proxy's public statement of acceptance of a version permanently authorizes you to choose that version for the Document. 11. RELICENSING "Massive Multiauthor Collaboration Site" (or "MMC Site") means any World Wide Web server that publishes copyrightable works and also provides prominent facilities for anybody to edit those works. A public wiki that anybody can edit is an example of such a server. A "Massive Multiauthor Collaboration" (or "MMC") contained in the site means any set of copyrightable works thus published on the MMC site. "CC-BY-SA" means the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 license published by Creative Commons Corporation, a not-for-profit corporation with a principal place of business in San Francisco, California, as well as future copyleft versions of that license published by that same organization. "Incorporate" means to publish or republish a Document, in whole or in part, as part of another Document. An MMC is "eligible for relicensing" if it is licensed under this License, and if all works that were first published under this License somewhere other than this MMC, and subsequently incorporated in whole or in part into the MMC, (1) had no cover texts or invariant sections, and (2) were thus incorporated prior to November 1, 2008. The operator of an MMC Site may republish an MMC contained in the site under CC-BY-SA on the same site at any time before August 1, 2009, provided the MMC is eligible for relicensing. How to use this License for your documents To use this License in a document you have written, include a copy of the License in the document and put the following copyright and license notices just after the title page: Copyright (c) YEAR YOUR NAME. Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.3 or any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no Invariant Sections, no Front-Cover Texts, and no Back-Cover Texts. A copy of the license is included in the section entitled "GNU Free Documentation License". If you have Invariant Sections, Front-Cover Texts and Back-Cover Texts, replace the "with...Texts." line with this: with the Invariant Sections being LIST THEIR TITLES, with the Front-Cover Texts being LIST, and with the Back-Cover Texts being LIST. If you have Invariant Sections without Cover Texts, or some other combination of the three, merge those two alternatives to suit the situation. If your document contains nontrivial examples of program code, we recommend releasing these examples in parallel under your choice of free software license, such as the GNU General Public License, to permit their use in free software.