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Archive for the 'Chinese Grammar' Category

100 Chinese Adverbs You Need to Know

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Have you ever wondered why your speech or writing is so dry? Maybe you just need a little guide on using different parts of speech, such as adverbs. Adverbs are very useful in creating an interesting and well-structured sentence. As a Chinese learner, I’m certain that you can’t wait to know more about Chinese adverbs.

Adverbs describe verbs, adjectives, and even other adverbs. Without their beautiful polish for your sentences, conversations can become raw and lifeless. Fortunately, you’re in the right place to learn some of the most useful Chinese adverbs to avoid this problem. 
In this article, we’ll talk about what an adverb is and how to use them, and provide you with a comprehensive Chinese adverbs list. Take good advantage of the words in this list, because they’ll greatly help your conversational skills!

Log in to Download Your Free Cheat Sheet - Useful Verbs in Chinese Table of Contents
  1. What is an Adverb?
  2. Chinese Adverbs of Time
  3. Chinese Adverbs of Frequency
  4. Chinese Adverbs of Mood or Attitude
  5. Chinese Adverbs of Manner
  6. Chinese Adverbs of Degree
  7. How ChineseClass101 Can Help You Learn More Chinese
Group of Friends Talking Over Coffee

Let’s spice up your conversations with some proper Chinese adverbs!

1. What is an Adverb?

Top Verbs

Adverbs in Chinese are called 副词 (fù cí), and like in most other languages, the adverbs modify verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs. 

So how do you use an adverb in Chinese, and where does it go in a sentence?

Chinese adverbs are usually placed before the main verb of a sentence, which is after the subject. However, in some cases, they do come at the very beginning of a sentence (or after the main verb) due to the flexibility of the Chinese language.

When an adverb is used to modify a verb, you can usually spot the adverb by the particle 地 (de), which is very similar to the suffix “ly” in English. 

A typical structure for a sentence containing a Chinese adverb is “Subject + Adjective + 地 + Verb.” For example:

In Chinese: 我认真地做了笔记。

Pinyin: Wǒ rèn zhēn de zuò le bǐ jì.

In English: “I took notes carefully.”

Of course, there’s so much more to explore. In the following sections, we’ll provide examples of how Chinese adverbs work in real-life situations.

2. Chinese Adverbs of Time

A clock with Roman Numerals Against a Faded Calendar Background

Time is something that ties into our daily life, so we surely need to master some Chinese time adverbs! 

1. Today – 今天 (jīn tiān)

In Chinese: 我今天没有去学校。

Pinyin: Wǒ jīn tiān méi yǒu qù xué xiào.

In English: “I didn’t go to school today.”

2. Yesterday – 昨天 (zuó tiān)

In Chinese: 我昨天去看望了奶奶。

Pinyin: Wǒ zuó tiān qù kàn wàng le nǎi nai. 

In English: “I visited my grandmother yesterday.”

3. Tomorrow – 明天 (míng tiān)

In Chinese: 医生说妈妈明天就会痊愈了。

Pinyin: Yī shēng shuō mā ma míng tiān jiù huì quán yù le. 

In English: “The doctor said mom will be well tomorrow.”

4. The day before yesterday – 前天 (qián tiān)

In Chinese: 前天我们家刚刚领养了一只小猫。

Pinyin: Qián tiān wǒ men jiā gāng gāng lǐng yǎng le yī zhī xiǎo māo. 

In English: “The day before yesterday, our family adopted a little kitten.”

5. The day after tomorrow – 后天 (hòu tiān)

In Chinese: 我们后天就要开学了。

Pinyin: Wǒ men hòu tiān jiù yào kāi xué le. 

In English: “Our school will start the day after tomorrow.”

6. Last year – 去年 (qù nián)

In Chinese: 去年我去法国旅游了。 

Pinyin: Qù nián wǒ qù fǎ guó lǚ yóu le. 

In English: “I went on a trip to France last year.”

7. Soon – 马上 (mǎ shàng)

In Chinese: 我马上就到。

Pinyin: Wǒ mǎ shàng jiù dào. 

In English: “I will be there soon.”

8. Late – 迟 (chí)

In Chinese: 抱歉,我来迟了。 

Pinyin: Bào qiàn, wǒ lái chí le. 

In English: “Sorry, I came late.”

9. First – 首先 (shǒu xiān)

In Chinese: 首先你要自己相信自己,别人才能相信你。

Pinyin: Shǒu xiān nǐ yào zì jǐ xiàng xìn zì jǐ, bié rén cái néng xiàng xìn nǐ. 

In English: “First, you need to have faith in yourself, and then others will believe in you.”

10. Lastly – 最后 (zuì hòu)

In Chinese: 最后,他决定去出国留学。 

Pinyin: Zuì hòu, tā jué dìng qù chū guó liú xué. 

In English: “Lastly, he decided to go study abroad.”

11. Finally – 终于 (zhōng yú)

In Chinese: 我们终于看到了极光。 

Pinyin: Wǒ men zhōng yú kàn dào le jí guāng. 

In English: “We finally got to see the Aurora.”

12. Eventually – 最终 (zuì zhōng)

In Chinese: 我们最终还是没能看到流星。

Pinyin: Wǒ men zuì zhōng hái shì méi néng kàn dào liú xīng. 

In English: “We didn’t get to see the shooting star in the end (eventually).”

13. Before – 之前 (zhī qián)

In Chinese: 每次睡觉之前我都习惯喝一杯牛奶。

Pinyin: Měi cì shuì jiào zhī qián wǒ dōu xí guàn hē yī bēi niú nǎi. 

In English: “Every time before I go to sleep, I am used to drinking a cup of milk.”

14. After – 之后 (zhī hòu)

In Chinese: 我洗完澡之后,就直接去睡觉了。

Pinyin: Wǒ xǐ wán zǎo zhī hòu, jiù zhí jiē qù shuì jiào le. 

In English: “After I took a shower, I went directly to bed.”

15. Now – 现在 (xiàn zài)

In Chinese: 他现在心情很不好,谁都不理。  

Pinyin: Tā xiàn zài xīn qíng hěn bù hǎo, shuí dōu bù lǐ. 

In English: “He is not in a good mood right now; he wouldn’t even talk to anyone.”

16. Currently – 目前 (mù qián)

In Chinese: 姐姐告诉我她目前还不想考虑结婚。

Pinyin: Jiě jie gào sù wǒ tā mù qián hái bù xiǎng kǎo lǜ jié hūn. 

In English: “My older sister told me that she currently doesn’t want to think about getting married.”

17. Already – 已经 (yǐ jīng)

In Chinese: 一切都已经来不及了。 

Pinyin: Yī qiè dōu yǐ jīng lái bù jí le. 

In English: “It’s already too late to change what happened.” 

18. Recently – 最近 (zuì jìn)

In Chinese: 我最近感到非常焦虑。

Pinyin: Wǒ zuì jìn gǎn dào fēi cháng jiāo lǜ. 

In English: “Recently, I feel very anxious.”

19. Still – 仍然 (réng rán)

In Chinese: 我们明知道梦想很遥远,却仍然会去为之努力。

Pinyin: Wǒ men míng zhī dào mèng xiǎng hěn yáo yuǎn, què réng rán huì qù wéi zhī nǔ lì. 

In English: “We are very aware of how faraway dreams are, but we still try our hardest for them.”

20. Immediately – 立即 (lì jí)

In Chinese: 每次有朋友需要帮助,我都会立即伸出援助之手。 

Pinyin: Měi cì yǒu péng yǒu xū yào bāng zhù, wǒ dōu huì lì jí shēn chū yuán zhù zhī shǒu. 

In English: “Every time there are friends who need my help, I immediately give them a hand.”

21. In the past – 以前 (yǐ qián)

In Chinese: 妹妹以前从来不吃蔬菜。 

Pinyin: Mèi mei yǐ qián cóng lái bù chī shū cài. 

In English: “In the past, my younger sister never ate vegetables.”

22. Previously – 曾经 (céng jīng)

In Chinese: 我曾经是一个很没有自信的人。

Pinyin: Wǒ céng jīng shì yī gè hěn méi yǒu zì xìn de rén. 

In English: “I used to be a person who was very unconfident.”

23. Later – 后来 (hòu lái)

In Chinese: 我们后来再也没有见过面。

Pinyin: Wǒ men hòu lái zài yě méi yǒu jiàn guò miàn. 

In English: “We never saw each other again later (afterwards).”

24. Then – 然后 (rán hòu)

In Chinese: 我和每一位朋友说了再见,然后缓缓走入了机场,准备开始新的人生旅程。 

Pinyin: Wǒ hé měi yī wèi péng yǒu shuō le zài jiàn, rán hòu huǎn huǎn zǒu rù le jī chǎng, zhǔn bèi kāi shǐ xīn de rén shēng lǚ chéng. 

In English: “I said goodbye to every single one of my friends, then I slowly walked into the airport, ready to start a new journey of my life.”

25. Tonight – 今晚 (jīn wǎn)

In Chinese: 今晚我们会去男朋友会带我去我最喜欢的餐厅吃饭。

Pinyin: Jīn wǎn wǒ men huì qù nán péng yǒu huì dài wǒ qù wǒ zuì xǐ huān de cān tīng chī fàn. 

In English: “My boyfriend will take me to my favorite restaurant tonight.”

26. This morning – 今早 (jīn zǎo)

In Chinese: 今早我很早就起床为自己做了早饭。

Pinyin: Jīn zǎo wǒ hěn zǎo jiù qǐ chuáng wèi zì jǐ zuò le zǎo fàn. 

In English: “This morning, I woke up early and made breakfast for myself.”

27. Yet – 还 (hái)

In Chinese: 他现在正处于青年时期,所以还会变得更成熟的。

Pinyin: Tā xiàn zài zhèng chù yú qīng nián shí qī, suǒ yǐ hái huì biàn de gèng chéng shú de.

In English: “He is a teenager now, so he is yet to become more mature.”

28. A while ago – 刚刚 (gāng gāng)

In Chinese: 我刚刚才刷完牙,妈妈就叫我去吃水果。

Pinyin: Wǒ gāng gāng cái shuā wán yá, mā ma jiù jiào wǒ qù chī shuǐ guǒ.

In English: “I just brushed my teeth a while ago, and now my mom is calling me to have some fruit.

3. Chinese Adverbs of Frequency

More Essential Verbs

29. Never – 从不 (cóng bù)

In Chinese: 我们家的人从不抽烟。

Pinyin: Wǒ men jiā de rén cóng bù chōu yān.

In English: “People in our family never smoke.

30. Seldom – 很少 (hěn shǎo)

In Chinese: 由于身体不好,她很少出家门。

Pinyin: Yóu yú shēn tǐ bù hǎo, tā hěn shǎo chū jiā mén. 

In English: “She seldom goes out because of her bad health.”

31. Hardly – 几乎不 (jī hū bù)

In Chinese: 她几乎不去餐馆吃饭。

Pinyin: Tā jǐ hū bú qù cān guǎn chī fàn. 

In English: “She hardly eats at restaurants.”

32. Sometimes – 有时 / 偶尔 (yǒu shí / ǒu ěr)

In Chinese: 我家小狗有时/偶尔会咬东西。

Pinyin: Wǒ jiā xiǎo gǒu yǒu shí /ǒu ěr huì yǎo dōng xi.

In English: “Sometimes, my dog likes to bite stuff.”

33. Often – 经常 (jīng cháng)

In Chinese: 他经常去图书馆学习。 

Pinyin: Tā jīng cháng qù tú shū guǎn xué xí. 

In English: “He often goes to the library to study.”

34. Usually – 通常 (tōng cháng)

In Chinese: 我通常不会在下雨天出门。 

Pinyin: Wǒ tōng cháng bú huì zài xià yǔ tiān chū mén. 

In English: “I don’t usually go out on a rainy day.”

35. Always – 总是 (zǒng shì)

In Chinese: 爷爷总是记不住我的生日。

Pinyin: Yé ye zǒng shì jì bú zhù wǒ de shēng rì.

In English: “My grandfather always forgets my birthday.”

36. All the time – 一直 (yī zhí)

In Chinese: 我会一直努力成为我想成为的人。

Pinyin: Wǒ huì yī zhí nǔ lì chéng wéi wǒ xiǎng chéng wéi de rén. 

In English: “I will always try my best to become the person I want to be.”

37. Forever – 永远 (yǒng yuǎn)

In Chinese: 美好的回忆值得永远被铭记。

Pinyin: Měi hǎo de huí yì zhí dé yǒng yuǎn bèi míng jì. 

In English: “Good memories deserve to be remembered forever.”

38. Every day – 每天 (měi tiān)

In Chinese: 每天按时吃一日三餐对我们的健康很重要。 

Pinyin: Měi tiān àn shí chī yī rì sān cān duì wǒ men de jiàn kāng hěn zhòng yào. 

In English: “It’s very important to eat all three meals on a regular basis every day.”

39. Weekly – 每周 (měi zhōu)

In Chinese: 我每周都会去健身房至少两次。

Pinyin: Wǒ měi zhōu dōu huì qù jiàn shēn fáng zhì shǎo liǎng cì. 

In English: “I go to the gym at least twice a week.”

40. Annually – 每年 (měi nián)

In Chinese: 我们每年都会去为去世的祖母献花。

Pinyin: Wǒ men měi nián dōu huì qù wèi qù shì de zǔ mǔ xiàn huā. 

In English: “We give flowers to my deceased grandmother annually.”

41. Monthly – 每月 (měi yuè)

In Chinese: 我每月都会结算自己的支出。

Pinyin: Wǒ měi yuè dōu huì jié suàn zì jǐ de zhī chū. 

In English: “I calculate my budget monthly.”

42. Mostly – 主要 (zhǔ yào)

In Chinese: 这次会议主要是为了商讨团队建设。

Pinyin: Zhè cì huì yì zhǔ yào shì wèi le shāng tǎo tuán duì jiàn shè. 

In English: “The purpose of this meeting is to discuss the team-building exercises.”

43. Suddenly – 突然 (tū rán)

In Chinese: 老师突然出现在我的身后,吓了我一大跳。

Pinyin: Lǎo shī tū rán chū xiàn zài wǒ de shēn hòu, xià le wǒ yī dà tiào. 

In English: “My teacher suddenly appeared behind my back, which scared me a lot.”

44. By chance – 偶然 (ǒu rán)

In Chinese: 昨天我偶然遇到了多年未见的中学同班同学。

Pinyin: Zuó tiān wǒ ǒu rán yù dào le duō nián wèi jiàn de zhōng xué tóng bān tóng xué. 

In English: “Yesterday, I met (by chance) a classmate from my middle school whom I haven’t seen in years.”

45. Again – 又 (yòu)

In Chinese: 我再一次忘记了带作业去学校。 

Pinyin: Wǒ zài yī cì wàng jì le dài zuò yè qù xué xiào. 

In English: “I forgot to bring my homework to school again.”

46. Repeatedly – 屡次 (lǚ cì)

In Chinese: 我们不应该屡次犯同样的错误。

Pinyin: Wǒ men bù yīng gāi lǚ cì fàn tóng yàng de cuò wù. 

In English: “We should not repeatedly make the same mistake.”

47. Constantly – 不断 (bú duàn)

In Chinese: 只要一个人不断提高自我,总有一天他会闪耀的。

Pinyin: Zhǐ yào yī gè rén bú duàn tí gāo zì wǒ, zǒng yǒu yī tiān tā huì shǎn yào de. 

In English: “As long as one constantly improves oneself, eventually one day he will shine.”

4. Chinese Adverbs of Mood or Attitude

A Woman Making an Angry, Disappointed Face

What’s wrong? You’ve got some attitude? Well, express them in adverbs!

48. Luckily – 幸亏 (xìng kuī)

In Chinese: 幸亏有你的帮忙,不然还不知道会发生什么呢。

Pinyin: Xìng kuī yǒu nǐ de bāng máng, bù rán hái bù zhī dào huì fā shēng shén me ne. 

In English: “Luckily, I got your help; otherwise, who knows what’s going to happen.”

49. Unexpectedly – 居然 (jū rán)

In Chinese: 我不敢相信自己居然在歌唱比赛中获得了第一名。

Pinyin: Wǒ bù gǎn xiàng xìn zì jǐ jū rán zài gē chàng bǐ sài zhōng huò dé le dì yī míng. 

In English: “I can’t believe that I got first place so unexpectedly at a singing contest.”

50. As expected – 果然 (guǒ rán)

In Chinese: 你果然没有让我失望。

Pinyin: Nǐ guǒ rán méi yǒu ràng wǒ shī wàng. 

In English: “As expected, you did not disappoint me.”

51. Perhaps – 也许 (yě xǔ)

In Chinese: 也许是你误解了他。

Pinyin: Yě xǔ shì nǐ wù jiě le tā. 

In English: “Perhaps you misunderstood him.”

52. Maybe – 可能 (kě néng)

In Chinese: 他可能起床晚了,也许过一会就到了,不要着急。

Pinyin: Tā kě néng qǐ chuáng wǎn le, yě xǔ guò yī huì jiù dào le, bú yào zháo jí. 

In English: “Maybe he woke up late; perhaps he will arrive later, don’t worry.”

53. Probably – 大概 (dà gài)

In Chinese: 花都开了,春天大概快到了。

Pinyin: Huā dōu kāi le, chūn tiān dà gài kuài dào le. 

In English: “All the flowers are blooming; spring is probably almost here.”

54. Simply – 简直 (jiǎn zhí)

In Chinese: 你简直不可理喻。 

Pinyin: Nǐ jiǎn zhí bù kě lǐ yù. 

In English: “You are simply inexplicable.”

55. Anyways – 无论如何 (wú lùn rú hé)

In Chinese: 无论如何我一定要坚持到最后。 

Pinyin: Wú lùn rú hé wǒ yī dìng yào jiān chí dào zuì hòu. 

In English: “I will keep doing what I’m doing until the end anyways.”

56. Obviously – 明明 (míng míng)

In Chinese: 你明明是一个很善良的人,为什么要说话这么伤人呢?

Pinyin: Nǐ míng míng shì yī gè hěn shàn liáng de rén, wéi shén me yào shuō huà zhè me shāng rén ne? 

In English: “You are obviously a kind person, so why would you always say such hurtful things?”

57. In any case – 反正 (fǎn zhèng)

In Chinese: 反正不管怎样都是输,为什么就不能选择放弃呢? 

Pinyin: Fǎn zhèng bù guǎn zěn yàng dōu shì shū, wéi shén me jiù bù néng xuǎn zé fàng qì ne? 

In English: “I would lose in any case, so why not just give up instead?”

58. No wonder – 难怪 (nán guài)

In Chinese: 难怪你不肯和我出去,原来是因为今晚有约会要去。 

Pinyin: Nán guài nǐ bù kěn hé wǒ chū qù, yuán lái shì yīn wèi jīn wǎn yǒu yuē huì yào qù. 

In English: “No wonder you don’t want to hang out with me, it’s because you’ve got a date tonight.”

59. Not necessarily – 未必 (wèi bì)

In Chinese: 她未必也把你当作亲密的朋友。

Pinyin: Tā wèi bì yě bǎ nǐ dāng zuò qīn mì de péng you. 

In English: It’s not necessarily that she thinks of you as her close friend as well. 

60. Certainly – 必定 (bì dìng)

In Chinese: 这里一定是我们要找的地方。

Pinyin: Zhè lǐ yī dìng shì wǒ men yào zhǎo de dì fang.

In English: “This is certainly the place we are looking for.”

61. Only – 只 (zhǐ)

In Chinese: 我只是一个平凡的人。 

Pinyin: Wǒ zhǐ shì yī gè píng fán de rén. 

In English: “I am only a commonplace person.”

62. Merely – 仅仅 (jǐn jǐn)

In Chinese: 仅仅是因为他没有不在场证明,便被警察断定是凶手。 

Pinyin: Jǐn jǐn shì yīn wéi tā méi yǒu bú zài chǎng zhèng míng, biàn bèi jǐng chá duàn dìng shì xiōng shǒu. 

In English: “Merely because he doesn’t have an alibi, he is judged as the criminal by the cops.”

63. As long as – 只要 (zhǐ yào)

In Chinese: 只要我还有能力,就永远不会停止学习。

Pinyin: Zhǐ yào wǒ hái yǒu néng lì, jiù yǒng yuǎn bú huì tíng zhǐ xué xí. 

In English: “As long as I am still able to, I will never stop learning.”

64. Just – 就 (jiù)

In Chinese: 我就不小心碰了一下这件艺术品,它就碎掉了。

Pinyin: Wǒ jiù bù xiǎo xīn pèng le yī xià zhè jiàn yì shù pǐn, tā jiù suì diào le. 

In English: “I just touched this artwork by accident, and it broke.”

65. No matter – 不管 (bù guǎn)

In Chinese: 不管明天如何,我都会一直活好当下。

Pinyin: Bù guǎn míng tiān rú hé, wǒ dōu huì yī zhí huó hǎo dāng xià. 

In English: “No matter what happens tomorrow, I will still live in the moment.”

66. If – 假如 (jiǎ rú)

In Chinese: 假如有一天我便成了穷人,我也有办法让自己活得开心。

Pinyin: Jiǎ rú yǒu yī tiān wǒ biàn chéng le qióng rén, wǒ yě yǒu bàn fǎ ràng zì jǐ huó de kāi xīn. 

In English: “If someday I became poor, I would still be able to live a happy life.”

67. Happily – 开心地 (kāi xīn de)

In Chinese: 朋友十分开心地拆开了我送她的生日礼物。 

Pinyin: Péng you shí fēn kāi xīn de chāi kāi le wǒ sòng tā de shēng rì lǐ wù. 

In English: “My friends happily opened my birthday gift for her.”

68. Decidedly – 坚决地 (jiān jué de)

In Chinese: 对于我的提议,她坚决地摇了摇头。 

Pinyin: Duì yú wǒ de tí yì, tā jiān jué de yáo le yáo tóu. 

In English: “She decidedly shook her head to the suggestion I offered.”

69. Absolutely – 绝对 (jué duì)

In Chinese: 弟弟保证自己以后绝对再也不淘气了。

Pinyin: Dì di bǎo zhèng zì jǐ yǐ hòu jué duì zài yě bù táo qì le. 

In English: “My younger brother promised that he won’t be naughty anymore.”

5. Chinese Adverbs of Manner

A Thai Woman Bowing Respectfully

Everyone has his own way of doing things. What’s yours?

70. Slowly – 慢 (màn)

In Chinese: 蜗牛爬得很慢。 

Pinyin: Wō niú pá de hěn màn. 

In English: “Snails move very slowly.”

71. Quickly – 快 (kuài)

In Chinese: 他跑步很快。

Pinyin: Tā pǎo bù hěn kuài. 

In English: “He runs very quickly.”

72. Gradually – 逐渐 (zhú jiàn)

In Chinese: 在搬家一个月后,我终于逐渐适应了新环境。 

Pinyin: Zài bān jiā yī gè yuè hòu, wǒ zhōng yú zhú jiàn shì yìng le xīn huán jìng. 

In English: “A month after I moved, I gradually adapted to the new environment.”

73. Mutually – 互相 (hù xiāng)

In Chinese: 互相尊重是人们之间能够好好相处的首要条件。 

Pinyin: Hù xiāng zūn zhòng shì rén men zhī jiān néng gòu hǎo hǎo xiàng chǔ de shǒu yào tiáo jiàn. 

In English: “To mutually respect each other is the first rule people should follow if they want to get along.”

74. By oneself – 亲自 (qīn zì)

In Chinese: 我最喜欢的歌星竟然亲自为粉丝制作了礼物。

Pinyin: Wǒ zuì xǐ huan de gē xīng jìng rán qīn zì wèi fěn sī zhì zuò le lǐ wù. 

In English: “My favorite singer made the gifts for his fans all by himself.”

75. Carefully – 认真地 (rèn zhēn de)

In Chinese: 学生们认真地读着考卷。 

Pinyin: Xué shēng men rèn zhēn de dú zhe kǎo juàn. 

In English: “The students are reading the exam carefully.”

76. Quietly – 安静地 (ān jìng de)

In Chinese: 她安静地回到了自己的座位上。 

Pinyin: Tā ān jìng de huí dào le zì jǐ de zuò wèi shàng.

In English: “She quietly returned to her own seat.”

77. Really – 真的 (zhēn de)

In Chinese: 我真的很喜欢这个城市。

Pinyin: Wǒ zhēn de hěn xǐ huan zhè gè chéng shì. 

In English: “I really like this city very much.”

78. Well – 很好地 (hěn hǎo)

In Chinese: 我现在已经可以很好地独立生活了。

Pinyin: Wǒ xiàn zài yǐ jīng kě yǐ hěn hǎo de dú lì shēng huó le. 

In English: “I can now live by myself independently very well.”

79. Together – 一起 (yī qǐ)

In Chinese: 我们一起努力成为自己想成为的人吧。 

Pinyin: Wǒ men yī qǐ nǔ lì chéng wéi zì jǐ xiǎng chéng wéi de rén ba.

In English: “Let’s work hard together to become the person we want to become.”

80. Alone – 单独 (dān dú)

In Chinese: 她是一个安静的人,很喜欢单独呆着。

Pinyin: Tā shì yī gè ān jìng de rén, hěn xǐ huan dān dú dāi zhe.

In English: “She is a quiet person and likes to spend time alone.”

81. Hard – 努力地 (nǔ lì de)

In Chinese: 即使作为一名残疾人,他也一直努力地锻炼身体。

Pinyin: Jí shǐ zuò wéi yī míng cán jí rén, tā yě yī zhí nǔ lì de duàn liàn shēn tǐ. 

In English: “Even though he is disabled, he still tries hard to exercise.”

82. Basically – 基本 (jī běn)

In Chinese: 只要是周末,我基本上都会熬夜。

Pinyin: Zhǐ yào shì zhōu mò, wǒ jī běn shàng dōu huì áo yè. 

In English: “As long as it’s on the weekends, I basically would stay up late.”

83. Almost – 几乎 (jī hū)

In Chinese: 当我听到这个好消息时,我高兴得几乎都要跳起来了。

Pinyin: Dāng wǒ tīng dào zhè gè hǎo xiāo xi shí, wǒ gāo xìng de jī hū dōu yào tiào qǐ lái le. 

In English: “When I heard the good news, I was so happy that I almost jumped up high.”

84. Altogether – 一共 (yī gòng)

In Chinese: 这次参加面试的一共有二十个人。  

Pinyin: Zhè cì cān jiā miàn shì de yī gòng yǒu èr shí gè rén. 

In English: “There are twenty people altogether who attended the interview.”

85. Both – 都 (dōu)

In Chinese: 我和妈妈最喜欢的颜色都是蓝色。

Pinyin: Wǒ hé mā ma zuì xǐ huan de yán sè dōu shì lán sè. 

In English: “Both my mom’s and my favorite color is blue.”

86. Thoroughly – 通通 (tōng tōng)

In Chinese: 我要把这个自助餐的所有好吃的通通都尝一遍。 

Pinyin: Wǒ yào bǎ zhè gè zì zhù cān de suǒ yǒu hǎo chī de tōng tōng dōu cháng yī biàn. 

In English: “I am going to thoroughly try every single one of the delicious foods in this restaurant.”

6. Chinese Adverbs of Degree

Little Girl Daydreaming

How strong is your feeling and how do you express it with an adverb? Let’s find out!

87. Very – 非常 (fēi cháng)

In Chinese: 我非常羡慕会弹钢琴的人。

Pinyin: Wǒ fēi cháng xiàn mù huì dàn gāng qín de rén. 

In English: “I am very jealous of people who can play the piano well.”

88. So – 很 (hěn)

In Chinese: 妈妈是一个很善良的人。 

Pinyin: Mā ma shì yī gè hěn shàn liáng de rén. 

In English: “My mom is a very kind person.”

89. Pretty – 挺 (tǐng)

In Chinese: 她画画挺好的。

Pinyin: Tā huà huà tǐng hǎo de.

In English: “She draws pretty good.”

90. Particularly – 特别 (tè bié)

In Chinese: 我特别欣赏这位艺术家的风格。 

Pinyin: Wǒ tè bié xīn shǎng zhè wèi yì shù jiā de fēng gé. 

In English: “I particularly appreciate the style of this artist.”

91. Quite – 相当 (xiāng dāng)

In Chinese: 他打篮球相当出色。 

Pinyin: Tā dǎ lán qiú xiàng dāng chū sè. 

In English: “He plays basketball quite amazingly.”

92. Too – 太 (tài

In Chinese: 你也太冲动了。 

Pinyin: Nǐ yě tài chōng dòng le.

In English: “You are too impulsive.”

93. Extremely – 极其 (jí qí)

In Chinese: 她极其善于和人沟通。

Pinyin: Tā jí qí shàn yú hé rén gōu tōng. 

In English: “She is extremely good at communicating with people.”

94. Relatively – 比较 (bǐ jiào)

In Chinese: 我爸爸是一个比较保守的人。 

Pinyin: Wǒ bà ba shì yī gè bǐ jiào bǎo shǒu de rén. 

In English: “My dad is a relatively conservative person.”

95. Totally – 十分 (shí fēn)

In Chinese: 妹妹在钢琴比赛上的表现十分出色。

Pinyin: Mèi mèi zài gāng qín bǐ sài shàng de biǎo xiàn shí fēn chū sè. 

In English: “My younger sister’s performance for the piano contest was totally outstanding.”

96. Especially – 格外 (gé wài)

In Chinese: 今天的阳光格外明媚。 

Pinyin: Jīn tiān de yáng guāng gé wài míng mèi. 

In English: “Today’s sunshine is especially strong.”

97. Even more – 更加 (gèng jiā)

In Chinese: 现在全球变暖更加严重了。

Pinyin: Xiàn zài quán qiú biàn nuǎn gèng jiā yán zhòng le. 

In English: “Global warming is getting even more serious now.”

98. A bit – 稍微 (shāo wēi)

In Chinese: 请问你可以稍微向前挪一下吗?

Pinyin: Qǐng wèn nǐ kě yǐ shāo wēi xiàng qián nuó yī xià ma? 

In English: “Can you please move forward a bit?”

99. The most – 最 (zuì)

In Chinese: 我最喜欢在夏天吃西瓜了。

Pinyin: Wǒ zuì xǐ huan zài xià tiān chī xī guā le. 

In English: I like to eat watermelon during summer the most.

100. More and more – 越发 (yuè fā)

In Chinese: 太阳变得越发灼热了。

Pinyin: Tài yáng biàn de yuè fā zhuó rè le. 

In English: “The sun is becoming more and more hot.”

7. How ChineseClass101 Can Help You Learn More Chinese

Now, after thoroughly reading our Chinese adverb lists, I hope you’ve enjoyed a pleasant Chinese-learning journey. From Chinese grammar rules for adverbs to those practical example sentences for daily life, we’ve covered everything you need to know about Chinese adverbs for now. 

Are there any Chinese adverbs we didn’t cover that you want to know? Drop us a comment and we’ll do our best to help you out!

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Log in to Download Your Free Cheat Sheet - Useful Verbs in Chinese

100 Classic Chinese Verbs in Daily Life

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Verbs are an essential component of a sentence, and they’re at the core of our conversations as they provide key information. Everyone knows that a sentence isn’t complete without a verb! 
It’s not difficult to master the basic rules of common Chinese verbs as they don’t have any conjugation. However, there are additional phrases you can add to the sentence in order to indicate a certain time frame and make the sentence sound more natural. Now, let’s dive right into this simple introduction to common Chinese verbs!

Log in to Download Your Free Cheat Sheet - Useful Verbs in Chinese Table of Contents
  1. Physical Verbs vs. Mental Verbs
  2. Linking Verbs
  3. Helping Verbs
  4. Chinese Verbs and Essentials of Grammar
  5. Conclusion

1. Physical Verbs vs. Mental Verbs

Top Verbs

Some of the most useful Chinese verbs are action verbs, and like in English, there are two kinds of action verbs: physical and mental. We have a list for each one! 

1- Physical verbs

  • To go – 去 (

In Chinese: 我明天去阿姨家给她过生日。

Pinyin: Wǒ míng tiān qù ā yí jiā gěi tā guò shēng rì. 

In English: “I am going to my aunt’s house to celebrate her birthday.”

  • To come – 来 (lái)

In Chinese: 我很期待你来我家做客。

Pinyin: Wǒ hěn qī dài nǐ lái wǒ jiā zuò kè. 

In English: “I look forward to having you as a guest to come to my house.”

  • To look – 看 (kàn)

In Chinese: 快看!这里的景色多美啊。 

Pinyin: Kuài kàn! Zhè lǐ de jǐng sè duō měi a. 

In English: “Look! How beautiful the landscape is here.”

  • To tell – 告诉 (gào sù)

In Chinese: 老师告诉我们要学会培养自己独立思考的能力。

Pinyin: Lǎo shī gào sù wǒ men yào xué huì péi yǎng zì jǐ dú lì sī kǎo de néng lì. 

In English: “The teacher told us to learn to think independently.”

  • To ask – 问 (wèn)

In Chinese: 没有方向感的我经常向别人问路。 

Pinyin: Méi yǒu fāng xiàng gǎn de wǒ jīng cháng xiàng bié rén wèn lù. 

In English: “I have no sense of direction, so I always ask others for directions.”

  • To try – 尝试 (cháng shì)

In Chinese: 我想要尝试更多的亚洲美食。

Pinyin: Wǒ xiǎng yào cháng shì gèng duō de yà zhōu měi shí.

In English: “I want to try more Asian food.”

  • To promise – 承诺 (chéng nuò)

In Chinese: 爸爸承诺我会在我明年的生日送我一部相机。

Pinyin: Bà ba chéng nuò wǒ huì zài wǒ míng nián de shēng rì sòng wǒ yī bù xiàng jī. 

In English: “Dad promised to give me a camera for my birthday next year.”

Group Planning Things Around a Table

In Chinese: 我希望将来可以找一份自己热爱的工作。

Pinyin: Wǒ xī wàng jiāng lái kě yǐ zhǎo yī fèn zì jǐ rè ài de gōng zuò. 

In English: “I hope to find a job that I am passionate about in the future.”

  • To eat – 吃 (chī)

In Chinese: 我很喜欢吃披萨。

Pinyin: Wǒ hěn xǐ huan chī pī sa. 

In English: “I love eating pizza.”

  • To drink – 喝 ()

In Chinese: 在夏天喝橙汁是一件非常享受的事情。

Pinyin: Zài xià tiān hē chéng zhī shì yī jiàn fēi cháng xiǎng shòu de shì qing. 

In English: “It’s a very enjoyable thing to drink orange juice in summer.”

  • To take – 拿 ()

In Chinese: 请拿好您的随身物品。

Pinyin: Qǐng ná hǎo nín de suí shēn wù pǐn. 

In English: “Please take care of your belongings.”

  • To give – 给 (gěi)

In Chinese: 我给了他一封信。

Pinyin: Wǒ gěi le tā yī fēng xìn. 

In English: “I gave him a letter.”

  • To use – 用 (yòng)

In Chinese: 我不知道怎么用这款相机。

Pinyin: Wǒ bù zhī dào zěn me yòng zhè kuǎn xiàng jī. 

In English: “I have no idea how to use this camera.”

  • To find – 找 (zhǎo)

In Chinese: 她很擅长玩捉迷藏,我们每次都要找她很久。

Pinyin: Tā hěn shàn cháng wán zhuō mí cáng, wǒ men měi cì dōu yào zhǎo tā hěn jiǔ.

In English: “She is very good at hide-and-seek; we always take a long time to find her.”

  • To write – 写 (xiě)

In Chinese: 她很喜欢写诗。

Pinyin: Tā hěn xǐ huan xiě shī. 

In English: “She really enjoys writing poems.”

  • To run – 跑 (pǎo)

In Chinese: 我听说兔子跑得很快。

Pinyin: Wǒ tīng shuō tù zi pǎo de hěn kuài. 

In English: “I heard that rabbits run fast.”

  • To hear – 听 (tīng)

In Chinese: 狗可以听到很多人类耳朵听不到的声音。

Pinyin: Gǒu kě yǐ tīng dào hěn duō rén lèi ěr duǒ tīng bú dào de shēng yīn. 

In English: “Dogs can hear many sounds that the human ear can’t.”

  • To dance – 跳舞 (tiào wǔ)

In Chinese: 他跳舞很好。

Pinyin: Tā tiào wǔ hěn hǎo. 

In English: “He dances well.”

A Woman Smiling Brightly
  • To smile – 微笑 (wēi xiào)

In Chinese: 她总是微笑着向每一个人问好。

Pinyin: Tā zǒng shì wēi xiào zhe xiàng měi yī gè rén wèn hǎo. 

In English: “She always smiles and says hello to everyone.”

  • To explain – 解释 (jiě shì)

In Chinese: 请你把这件事的发生过程解释清楚。

Pinyin: Qǐng nǐ bǎ zhè jiàn shì de fā shēng guò chéng jiě shì qīng chǔ. 

In English: “Please clearly explain how this happened.”

  • To buy – 买 (mǎi)

In Chinese: 很多女生都喜欢买包和化妆品。

Pinyin: Hěn duō nǚ shēng dōu xǐ huān mǎi bāo hé huà zhuāng pǐn. 

In English: “Many girls like to buy purses and makeup supplies.”

  • To sell – 卖 (mài)

In Chinese: 这家店卖的很多东西都是二手的。

Pinyin: Zhè jiā diàn mài de hěn duō dōng xī dōu shì èr shǒu de. 

In English: “This shop sells many second-hand items.”

  • To arrive – 到达 (dào dá)

In Chinese: 每个人都准时到达了会议现场。

Pinyin: Měi gè rén dōu zhǔn shí dào dá le huì yì xiàn chǎng. 

In English: “Everyone arrived on time to the meeting.”

  • To pay – 付款 (fù kuǎn)

In Chinese: 请问我应该在哪里付款?

Pinyin: Qǐng wèn wǒ yīng gāi zài nǎ lǐ fù kuǎn? 

In English: “Can you please tell me where I can pay?”

  • To drive – 开车 (kāi chē)

In Chinese: 妈妈总会开车接我放学。

Pinyin: Mā ma zǒng huì kāi chē jiē wǒ fàng xué. 

In English: “My mom always drives to pick me up after school.”

  • To sing – 唱歌 (chàng gē)

In Chinese: 妹妹总喜欢唱歌给我听。

Pinyin: Mèi mei zǒng xǐ huan chàng gē gěi wǒ tīng. 

In English: “My younger sister always likes to sing for me.”

  • To marry – 结婚 (jié hūn)

In Chinese: 他终于和自己心爱的女孩结婚了。

Pinyin: Tā zhōng yú hé zì jǐ xīn ài de nǚ hái jié hūn le. 

In English: “He finally marries the girl he loves.”

  • To wear – 穿 (chuān)

In Chinese: 不是所有女孩都喜欢穿裙子。

Pinyin: Bú shì suǒ yǒu nǚ hái dōu xǐ huan chuān qún zi. 

In English: “Not all girls like to wear dresses.”

  • To walk – 走 (zǒu)

In Chinese: 我很喜欢吃完饭之后在街上走走。

Pinyin: Wǒ hěn xǐ huan chī wán fàn zhī hòu zài jiē shàng zǒu zǒu. 

In English: “I like to walk on the streets after finishing a meal.”

  • To travel – 旅行 (lǚ xíng)

In Chinese: 他喜欢去有田园气息的地方旅游。

Pinyin: Tā xǐ huan qù yǒu tián yuán qì xī de dì fang lǚ yóu. 

In English: “He likes to travel around rural places.”

  • To study – 研究 (yán jiū)

In Chinese: 这位科学家研究了很多学术性论文。

Pinyin: Zhè wèi kē xué jiā yán jiū le hěn duō xué shù xìng lùn wén. 

In English: “This scientist has studied many academic papers.”

A Woman Sitting Down and Playing a 
Guitar
  • To learn – 学习 (xué xí)

In Chinese: 我突然一时兴起想学习吉他了。

Pinyin: Wǒ tū rán yī shí xìng qǐ xiǎng xué xí jí tā le. 

In English: “On a whim, I suddenly wanted to learn guitar.”

  • To stop – 停 (tíng)

In Chinese: 一只小蝴蝶停在了花朵上。

Pinyin: Yī zhī xiǎo hú dié tíng zài le huā duǒ shàng. 

In English: “A butterfly stopped on a flower.”

  • To stay – 留下 (liú xià)

In Chinese: 吃完饭后,有几个朋友在我家留下打游戏。 

Pinyin: chī wán fàn hòu, yǒu jǐ gè péng yǒu zài wǒ jiā liú xià dǎ yóu xì. 

In English: “After we ate, a few friends stayed at my house to play games.”

  • To send – 发送 (fā sòng)

In Chinese: 我已经把简历发送出去了。 

Pinyin: Wǒ yǐ jīng bǎ jiǎn lì fā sòng chū qù le. 

In English: “I already sent my resume.”

  • To sleep – 睡觉 (shuì jiào)

In Chinese: 每次一吃完饭我就想睡觉。

Pinyin: Měi cì yī chī wán fàn wǒ jiù xiǎng shuì jiào. 

In English: “Every time I finish a meal, I want to go to sleep.”

  • To say – 说 (shuō)

In Chinese: 可以请你再说一遍吗?

Pinyin: Kě yǐ qǐng nǐ zài shuō yī biàn ma?

In English: “Can you please say that again?”

  • To get – 得到 (dé dào)

In Chinese: 我很想得到这款限量版的球鞋。 

Pinyin: Wǒ hěn xiǎng dé dào zhè kuǎn xiàn liàng bǎn de qiú xié. 

In English: “I really want to get this pair of limited edition shoes.”

  • To own – 拥有 (yōng yǒu)

In Chinese: 我真想拥有一只小狗。

Pinyin: Wǒ zhēn xiǎng yōng yǒu yī zhī xiǎo gǒu. 

In English: “I really want to own a puppy.”

  • To receive – 收到 (shōu dào)

In Chinese: 你收到我的邮件了吗? 

Pinyin: Nǐ shōu dào wǒ de yóu jiàn le ma? 

In English: “Did you receive my email?”

  • To protect – 保护 (bǎo hù)

In Chinese: 我们都要有保护小动物的意识。

Pinyin: Wǒ men dōu yào yǒu bǎo hù xiǎo dòng wù de yì shí.

In English: “We should all have the sense to protect animals.

  • To provide – 提供 (tí gòng)

In Chinese: 这家店提供免邮的服务。

Pinyin: Zhè jiā diàn tí gòng miǎn yóu de fú wù. 

In English: “This shop provides free shipping service.”

  • To read – 读 ()

In Chinese: 他很热爱阅读,经常随手带着一本书。

Pinyin: Tā hěn rè ài yuè dú, jīng cháng suí shǒu dài zhe yī běn shū. 

In English: “He loves to read and always takes a book with him wherever he goes.”

  • To put – 放 (fàng)

In Chinese: 请你在读完这本书之后把它放回图书馆。

Pinyin: Qǐng nǐ zài dú wán zhè běn shū zhī hòu bǎ tā fàng huí tú shū guǎn. 

In English: “Please put this book back in the library after you are done with reading.”

  • To play – 玩 (wán)

In Chinese: 很多小孩都喜欢在沙滩边玩沙子。

Pinyin: Hěn duō xiǎo hái dōu xǐ huan zài shā tān biān wán shā zi. 

In English: “Many kids like to play in sand at the beach.”

An Upset Man with His Hand in His Fist on the Wall
  • To lose – 失去 (shī qù)

In Chinese: 很多时候我们只有在失去了之后才会珍惜。

Pinyin: Hěn duō shí hou wǒ men zhī yǒu zài shī qù le zhī hòu cái huì zhēn xī.

In English: “Very often, we only start to cherish something after we lose it.”

  • To leave – 离开 (lí kāi)

In Chinese: 妈妈在上班离开家前叮嘱我要记得吃药。

Pinyin: Mā ma zài shàng bān lí kāi jiā qián dīng zhǔ wǒ yào jì de chī yào. 

In English: “Mom reminded me to take the medicine right before she left home to go to work.”

  • To invite – 邀请 (yāo qǐng)

In Chinese: 姐姐邀请了很多亲戚去参加她的婚礼。

Pinyin: Jiě jie yāo qǐng le hěn duō qīn qi qù cān jiā tā de hūn lǐ.

In English: “My older sister invited many families to go to her wedding.”

  • To help – 帮助 (bāng zhù)

In Chinese: 爸爸是个很善良的人,他很喜欢帮助别人。 

Pinyin: Bà ba shì gè hěn shàn liáng de rén, tā hěn xǐ huan bāng zhù bié rén. 

In English: “My dad is a very kind person, he really likes to help others.”

  • To cook – 做饭 (zuò fàn)

In Chinese: 现在很多人都忙得没有时间做饭,经常叫外卖。

Pinyin: Xiàn zài hěn duō rén dōu máng de méi yǒu shí jiān zuò fàn, jīng cháng jiào wài mài. 

In English: “Many people nowadays are too busy to have time to cook; they always get take-out.”

2- Mental verbs

  • To know – 知道 (zhī dào)

In Chinese: 很多人明知道抽烟是不健康的,还是忍不住经常抽烟。

Pinyin: Hěn duō rén míng zhī dào chōu yān shì bú jiàn kāng de, hái shì rěn bú zhù jīng cháng chōu yān. 

In English: “Many people know that smoking is unhealthy, but they still can’t help smoking.”

  • To think – 认为 (rèn wéi)

In Chinese: 我认为你这么做是不对的。

Pinyin: Wǒ rèn wéi nǐ zhè me zuò shì bú duì de. 

In English: “I think it is not right for you to do it.”

  • To want – 想要 (xiǎng yào)

In Chinese: 我想要环球旅游。

Pinyin: Wǒ xiǎng yào huán qiú lǚ yóu. 

In English: “I want to travel all over the world.”

  • To believe – 相信 (xiāng xìn)

In Chinese: 我相信总有一天我的梦想会实现的。

Pinyin: Wǒ xiàng xìn zǒng yǒu yī tiān wǒ de mèng xiǎng huì shí xiàn de.

In English: “I believe that my dream will come true one day.”

  • To expect – 期待 (qī dài)

In Chinese: 小孩子总是很期待自己的圣诞节礼物。

Pinyin: Xiǎo hái zi zǒng shì hěn qī dài zì jǐ de shèng dàn jié lǐ wù. 

In English: “Children always look forward to their Christmas gift.”

  • To understand – 明白 (míng bái)

In Chinese: 长大后,我逐渐明白了很多事。

Pinyin: Zhǎng dà hòu, wǒ zhú jiàn míng bái le hěn duō shì. 

In English: “I started to understand many things while growing up.”

  • To like – 喜欢 (xǐ huān)

In Chinese: 我非常喜欢读书。

Pinyin: Wǒ fēi cháng xǐ huan dú shū.

In English: “I like reading very much.”

  • To hate – 讨厌 (tǎo yàn)

In Chinese: 我曾经很讨厌吃西兰花。

Pinyin: Wǒ céng jīng hěn tǎo yàn chī xī lán huā. 

In English: “I used to hate eating broccoli.” 

  • To love – 爱 (ài)

In Chinese: 爱是一件于人类而言不可缺少的东西。 

Pinyin: Ài shì yī jiàn yú rén lèi ér yán bù kě quē shǎo de dōng xi. 

In English: “Love is something that is necessary for humans.”

  • To remember – 记得 (jì de)

In Chinese: 我仍然记得自己大学毕业的那天有多么兴奋。

Pinyin: Wǒ réng rán jì de zì jǐ dà xué bì yè de nà tiān yǒu duō me xìng fèn. 

In English: “I still remember how excited I was on the day I graduated from college.”

  • To wish – 祝愿 (zhù yuàn)

In Chinese: 今天是奶奶的生日,我祝愿她可以长命百岁。

Pinyin: Jīn tiān shì nǎi nǎi de shēng rì, wǒ zhù yuàn tā kě yǐ zhǎng mìng bǎi suì.

In English: “Today is my grandmother’s birthday; I wish her to have longevity.”

  • To respect – 尊重 (zūn zhòng)

In Chinese: 我们可以不认同别人的选择,但一定要学会尊重。

Pinyin: Wǒ men kě yǐ bú rèn tóng bié rén de xuǎn zé, dàn yī dìng yào xué huì zūn zhòng. 

In English: “It’s okay not to agree with other people’s choices, but we should at least learn to respect them.”

  • To trust – 信任 (xìn rèn)

In Chinese: 我的朋友们都非常信任我。

Pinyin: Wǒ de péng you men dōu fēi cháng xìn rèn wǒ. 

In English: “My friends trust me a lot.”

  • To agree – 同意 (tóng yì)

In Chinese: 爸爸终于同意让我一个人去旅行了。

Pinyin: Bà ba zhōng yú tóng yì ràng wǒ yī gè rén qù lǚ xíng le. 

In English: “My dad finally agreed to let me travel alone.”

  • To fear – 害怕 (hài pà)

In Chinese: 我弟弟很害怕坐过山车。

Pinyin: Wǒ dì di hěn hài pà zuò guò shān chē. 

In English: “My younger brother fears being on a roller coaster very much.”

Baby’s Hands on the Hands of Its Parents and Grandparents
  • To support – 支持 (zhī chí)

In Chinese: 我的父母很支持我去学跳舞。

Pinyin: Wǒ de fù mǔ hěn zhī chí wǒ qù xué tiào wǔ. 

In English: “My parents support me in learning to dance very much.”

  • To encourage – 鼓励 (gǔ lì)

In Chinese: 我经常鼓励我的朋友们去尝试新鲜事物。

Pinyin: Wǒ jīng cháng gǔ lì wǒ de péng you men qù cháng shì xīn xiān shì wù.

In English: “I always encourage my friends to try new things.”

  • To reflect – 反省 (fǎn xǐng)

In Chinese: 每个人犯了错之后应该好好反省。 

Pinyin: Měi gè rén fàn le cuò zhī hòu yīng gāi hǎo hǎo fǎn xǐng. 

In English: “Everyone should reflect upon his mistake after it’s made.”

  • To regret – 后悔 (hòu huǐ)

In Chinese: 我很后悔自己当初没有好好努力学习。

Pinyin: Wǒ hěn hòu huǐ zì jǐ dāng chū méi yǒu hǎo hǎo nǔ lì xué xí. 

In English: “I really regret that I did not study hard before.”

  • To miss – 想念 (xiǎng niàn)

In Chinese: 我很想念曾经在学校的日子。

Pinyin: Wǒ hěn xiǎng niàn céng jīng zài xué xiào de rì zi. 

In English: “I miss the days when I went to school.”

  • To let – 让 (ràng)

In Chinese: 在我的帮助下,妈妈终于答应让妹妹出去玩了。

Pinyin: Zài wǒ de bāng zhù xià, mā ma zhōng yú dá yīng ràng mèi mei chū qù wán le. 

In English: “With my help, mom finally let my younger sister go out to have some fun.”

A Woman with Pleading, Hopeful Hands in Front of Chest
  • To hope – 希望 (xī wàng)

In Chinese: 我希望世界可以永远和平。 

Pinyin: Wǒ xī wàng shì jiè kě yǐ yǒng yuǎn hé píng. 

In English: “I hope this world will be forever peaceful.”

  • To guess – 猜测 (cāi cè)

In Chinese: 我猜测凶手可能是这个人。

Pinyin: Wǒ cāi cè xiōng shǒu kě néng shì zhè gè rén.

In English: “I guess that the criminal is this person.”

  • To express – 表达 (biǎo dá)

In Chinese: 我希望每个人都能勇于表达自我。

Pinyin: Wǒ xī wàng měi gè rén dōu néng yǒng yú biǎo dá zì wǒ. 

In English: “I hope everyone is free to express themselves.”

  • To decide – 决定 (jué dìng)

In Chinese: 我决定今天一个人去购物。

Pinyin: Wǒ jué dìng jīn tiān yī gè rén qù gòu wù.

In English: “I decided to go shopping by myself today.”

  • To accept – 接受 (jiē shòu)

In Chinese: 我接受你的选择。

Pinyin: Wǒ jiē shòu nǐ de xuǎn zé. 

In English: “I accept your choice.”

  • To change – 改变 (gǎi biàn)

In Chinese: 与其尝试去改变别人,倒不如学着去去理解和接受。

Pinyin: Yǔ qí cháng shì qù gǎi biàn bié rén, dào bù rú xué zhe qù qù lǐ jiě hé jiē shòu. 

In English: “Rather than changing people, we should learn to understand and accept.”

  • To admit – 承认 (chéng rèn)

In Chinese: 他终于承认了自己的错误。

Pinyin: Tā zhōng yú chéng rèn le zì jǐ de cuò wù. 

In English: “He finally admitted his own mistake.”

  • To allow – 允许 (yǔn xǔ)

In Chinese: 我不允许这种事情再发生。

Pinyin: Wǒ bù yǔn xǔ zhè zhǒng shì qing zài fā shēng. 

In English: “I won’t allow this kind of thing to happen again.”

2. Linking Verbs

More Essential Verbs

More Chinese language verbs you should know are the linking verbs. These are verbs that allow you to connect two ideas through a type of action. Read the Chinese verbs list below and the accompanying examples to get a better idea of how they work.

  • To see – 看 (kàn)

In Chinese: 我只相信我的双眼所看到的真相。

Pinyin: Wǒ zhǐ xiāng xìn wǒ de shuāng yǎn suǒ kàn dào de zhēn xiàng. 

In English: “I only believe in the truth that I see with my own eyes.”

  • To smell – 闻 (wén)

In Chinese: 我妈妈做的饭闻起来可香了。

Pinyin: wǒ mā mā zuò de fàn wén qǐ lái kě xiāng le.

In English: “My mom’s cooking smells really good.”

  • To taste – 尝 (cháng)

In Chinese: 快来尝尝我做的这道点心吧。

Pinyin: Kuài lái cháng chang wǒ zuò de zhè dào diǎn xīn ba. 

In English: “Come and try the pastry I just made.”

  • To sound – 听起来 (tīng qǐ lái)

In Chinese: 这首歌听起来节奏很欢乐。

Pinyin: Zhè shǒu gē tīng qǐ lái jiē zòu hěn huān lè. 

In English: “This song sounds very cheerful with these beats.”

  • To feel – 感觉 (gǎn jué)

In Chinese: 我感觉不太舒服。

Pinyin: wǒ gǎn jué bú tài shū fu. 

In English: “I don’t feel very well.”

  • To appear – 显得 (xiǎn de)

In Chinese: 她总是显得自己很有钱。

Pinyin: Tā zǒng shì xiǎn de zì jǐ hěn yǒu qián.

In English: “She always makes herself appear to be like a rich person.”

  • To turn/open – 打开 (dǎ kāi)

In Chinese: 能不能帮我把风扇打开?

Pinyin: Néng bu néng bāng wǒ bǎ fēng shàn dǎ kāi. 

In English: “Can you turn on the fan for me?”

Additional notes: In Chinese, we use the same word for “turn” and “open.”

  • To become – 成为 (chéng wéi)

In Chinese: 我希望长大之后成为一个对社会有用的人。

Pinyin: Wǒ xī wàng zhǎng dà zhī hòu chéng wéi yī gè duì shè huì yǒu yòng de rén. 

In English: “I hope I will become someone who is helpful to our society after I grow up.”

  • To seem – 似乎 (sì hū)

In Chinese: 他似乎不想和我们一起出去吃饭。

Pinyin: Tā sì hū bù xiǎng hé wǒ men yī qǐ chū qù chī fàn.

In English: “He doesn’t seem like he wants to eat out with us.”

3. Helping Verbs

Now we’ll talk about Chinese helping verbs because these are words you’ll need to use all the time. There are two types of helping verbs: modal and auxiliary.

Woman Talking with Her Coworkers

1- Chinese Modal Verbs

  • Can – 能 (néng)

In Chinese: 请问我能借用一下你的手机打电话吗?

Pinyin: Qǐng wèn wǒ néng jiè yòng yī xià nǐ de shǒu jī dǎ diàn huà ma?

In English: “Can I borrow your phone to make a call, please?”

  • May – 可以 (kě yǐ)

In Chinese: 你可以先吃完饭再给我回电话。

Pinyin: Nǐ kě yǐ xiān chī wán fàn zài gěi wǒ huí diàn huà. 

In English: “You may finish your meal first and then call me back.”

  • Must – 必须 (bì xū)

In Chinese: 你必须在凌晨十二点之前回家。

Pinyin: Nǐ bì xū zài líng chén shí èr diǎn zhī qián huí jiā.

In English: “You must come back home before 12 A.M.”

  • Will – 将 (jiāng)

In Chinese: 我相信你将会是最棒的。

Pinyin: Wǒ xiàng xìn nǐ jiāng huì shì zuì bàng de.

In English: “I believe that you will be the best.”

  • Shall – 应当 (yīng dāng)

In Chinese: 我们应当去别的地方谈谈这件事吗?

Pinyin: Wǒ men yīng dāng qù bié de dì fang tán tan zhè jiàn shì ma? 

In English: “Shall we go somewhere else to talk about it?”

  • Should – 应该 (yīng gāi)

In Chinese: 你应该把捡到的钱包送到警察局。

Pinyin: Nǐ yīng gāi bǎ jiǎn dào de qián bāo sòng dào jǐng chá jú.

In English: “You should take the purse you found to the police station.”

  • Would – 将会 (jiāng huì)

In Chinese: 我经常在想,如果当初没有遇见你,现在的我将会是怎样的呢?

Pinyin: Wǒ jīng cháng zài xiǎng, rú guǒ dāng chū méi yǒu yù jiàn nǐ, xiàn zài de wǒ jiāng huì shì zěn yàng de ne? 

In English: “I always wonder if I hadn’t met you, what would happen to me?” 

  • Might – 也许 (yě xǔ)

In Chinese: 我也许不会选择出国留学。

Pinyin: Wǒ yě xǔ bú huì xuǎn zé chū guó liú xué.

In English: “I might not choose to go study abroad.”

2- Chinese Auxiliary Verbs

  • To be – 是 (shì)

In Chinese: 他是一个善良的人。

Pinyin: Tā shì yī gè shàn liáng de rén.

In English: “He is a kind person.”

  • To do – 做 (zuò)

In Chinese: 我喜欢做家务。

Pinyin: Wǒ xǐ huan zuò jiā wù.

In English: “I like doing housework.”

  • To have – 有 (yǒu)

In Chinese: 你有订书器可以借我一下吗?

Pinyin: Nǐ yǒu dìng shū qì kě yǐ jiè wǒ yī xià ma? 

In English: “Do you have a stapler that I can borrow?”

  • To need – 需要 (xū yào)

In Chinese: 我需要你的帮助。 

Pinyin: Wǒ xū yào nǐ de bāng zhù.

In English: “I need your help.”

4. Chinese Verbs and Essentials of Grammar

Negative Verbs

So, how do Chinese verbs work?

As we mentioned before, there’s no conjugation in Chinese verbs, and common Chinese verbs placement is just as simple as it is in most other languages: Subject + Verb Phrase + Object. 

However, since no conjugation is required for common verbs in Chinese, we usually use aspect particles to modify verbs so that they specify the time and make a sentence sound more natural. For example, 了 (le), 着 (zhe), and 过 (guò) are the most common ones that can be added after a verb. 了 (le) and 过 (guò) are used to indicate past tense, while 着 (zhe) is used to indicate the current time.

Here are some examples to help you better understand this Chinese verbs grammar point:

  • In Chinese: 我在看着你的孩子呢。 

  Pinyin: Wǒ zài kān zhe nǐ de hái zi ne. 

  In English: “I am babysitting your child right now.”

  • In Chinese: 你吃过药了吗?

  Pinyin: Nǐ chī guò yào le ma? 

  In English: “Did you take your medicine?”

  • In Chinese: 昨天我看见了一只流浪狗。

  Pinyin: Zuó tiān wǒ kàn jiàn le yī zhī liú làng gǒu. 

  In English: “I saw a street dog yesterday.”

When you want to use an adverb to modify a verb, you can use this formula: Verb + 得 (de) + Adverb. 

  • In Chinese: 他跑得快。

Pinyin: Tā pǎo de kuài. 

In English: “He runs fast.”

Lastly, if you ever want to negate verbs in your sentence, the adverbs 不 () and 没 (méi) are commonly used to negate a verb. In general, the difference between these two words is that 不 () is used more for the future tense or a habitual action, while 没 (méi) is used to refer to the past tense.

  • In Chinese: 我昨天忙得都没来得及吃午饭。

Pinyin: Wǒ zuó tiān máng de dōu méi lái de jí chī wǔ fàn. 

In English: “I was too busy to eat lunch yesterday.”

  • In Chinese: 我不想今天去购物。

Pinyin: Wǒ bù xiǎng jīn tiān qù gòu wù. 

In English: “I don’t want to go shopping today.”

5. Conclusion

Don’t get overwhelmed by these Chinese verbs and essentials of grammar just yet. As long as you keep practicing, they’ll become a piece of cake before you know it. Chinese language is an art that you can never learn enough of because there’s so much diversity. Go to ChineseClass101.com, and as you continue learning there, you’ll master these common verbs in Chinese and many more beautiful words to enrich your sentences. 

Before you go, let us know in the comments how you feel about Chinese verbs now. Are there any essential Chinese verbs that you still want to know? We look forward to hearing from you! 

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Personal Pronouns and More: A List of Chinese Pronouns

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Quiz: Can you list all the pronouns you know? They don’t have to be Chinese pronouns; they can be in English or your native language. 

Now, what would be the first five pronouns on your list? 

Naturally, most of us first think of pronouns like “I,” “me,” “you,” “he,” and “they,” which are all personal pronouns. We sometimes forget that the list of pronouns goes on. 

There are possessive pronouns like “his” or “her,” demonstrative pronouns like “this” or “that,” interrogative pronouns like “what” or “where,” and so on.

Before we move on to this big, extensive, and complete list of all pronouns in Chinese, get a sneak peek at the essential list of the most useful pronouns on ChineseClass101.com to see how many you already know! 

Ready? Let’s learn Chinese pronouns!

Log in to Download Your Free Cheat Sheet - Beginner Vocabulary in Chinese Table of Contents
  1. Chinese Personal Pronouns
  2. Chinese Demonstrative Pronouns
  3. Chinese Interrogative Pronouns
  4. Conclusion

1. Chinese Personal Pronouns

Introducing Yourself

Personal pronouns are the most frequently used type of pronouns. Imagine how you would invite your friend to your party without using personal pronouns: “Adam wants to invite Nick to Adam’s party this weekend. Would Nick like to come?” That’s amusingly wordy.

Personal pronouns can be further broken down into smaller categories. 

1- Singular Personal Pronouns 

Let’s first sum up all the singular forms of Chinese personal pronouns. 

Keep in mind that all Chinese pronouns can be used as a subject or an object in a sentence. There’s no different forms for different parts of the sentence, like the difference between “he” and “him” in English. 

1. First Person Singular

In Chinese:
Pinyin:
In English: “I” or “me”

Example sentences:
  • In Chinese: 我是玛丽。
    Pinyin: Wǒ shì Mǎlì.
    In English: “I’m Mary.” 
    (我 as a subject)

  • In Chinese: 你是在笑我吗?
    Pinyin: Nǐ shì zài xiào wǒ ma?
    In English: “Are you laughing at me?”
    (你 as an object)

2. Second Person Singular

In Chinese:
Pinyin:
In English: “you”

Example sentences:
  • In Chinese: 你是谁?
    Pinyin: Nǐ shì shéi?
    In English: “Who are you?” 
    (你 as a subject)

  • In Chinese: 我爱你。
    Pinyin: Wǒ ài nǐ.
    In English: “I love you.”
    (你 as an object)

When speaking with people who are senior in age or social status, such as teachers, supervisors, customers, or even strangers, it’s more polite and respectful to use the other form of 你, which is:

In Chinese:
Pinyin: nín
In English: (honorific/formal) “you”

Example sentence:
  • In Chinese: 谢谢您的建议。
    Pinyin: Xièxie nín de jiànyì.
    In English: “Thank you for your advice.”

3. Third Person Singular

In Chinese:
Pinyin:
In English: “he” or “him”

Example sentences:
  • In Chinese: 他在找你。
    Pinyin: Tā zài zhǎo nǐ.
    In English: “He is looking for you.”

  • In Chinese: 你认识他吗?
    Pinyin: Nǐ rènshi tā ma?
    In English: “Do you know him?”

In Chinese:
Pinyin:
In English: “she” or “her”

Example sentences:
  • In Chinese: 她不会来。
    Pinyin: Tā búhuì lái.
    In English: “She won’t be here.”

  • In Chinese: 我记得她,但是她不记得我。
    Pinyin: Wǒ jìde tā , dànshì tā bú jìde wǒ.
    In English: “I remember her, but she doesn’t remember me.”

In Chinese:
Pinyin:
In English: “it” (animal or object) 

它 () is often used to refer to an animal or an object that’s been mentioned, regardless of gender.

Example sentences:
  • In Chinese: 这是大白。它是一个机器人。
    Pinyin: Zhè shì Dàbái. Tā shì yí ge jīqìrén.
    In English: “This is Baymax. It is a robot.”

  • In Chinese: 大家都很喜欢它。
    Pinyin: Dàjiā dōu hěn xǐhuan tā.
    In English: “Everybody likes it very much.”

You may have noticed that Chinese has three different words for the third personal pronoun. 他 () is for men, 她 () is for women, and 它 () is for non-humans. However, they’re all pronounced the same way, which could make listening a little tricky. Make sure you check the context in case of confusion. 

Also be careful with the 他 () for “he” and the 她 () for “her” in Chinese characters. The right side of these two characters is the same. What you need to pay attention to is the radicals on the left side. 他 has the radical 亻which is often used to indicate “person” or “man,” whereas 她 has the radical 女 () which means “woman.”

If you’re interested in learning more about Chinese characters, check out this video lesson on ChineseClass101.com that shows you the common way to decipher Chinese characters.

As for the non-human “it,” 它 () can’t be used as an impersonal pronoun to serve as a subject in a sentence. For example, in English, we can say “It’s raining,” or “It’s difficult.” In Chinese, the “it” doesn’t translate to 它. In fact, the “it” in these two sentences is often omitted in Chinese translation.

2- Plural Personal Pronouns 

Making plural personal pronouns in Chinese is simple and convenient. You only need to stick the word 们 (men) after each singular pronoun. 

1. First Person Plural

In Chinese: 我们
Pinyin: wǒmen
In English: “we” or “us”

Reminder: The pinyin for “we” (wǒmen) may look the same as “women” in English, but they’re not the same! Don’t forget that Pinyin is not English.

Example sentence:
  • In Chinese: 你看见我们了吗?
    Pinyin: Nǐ kànjiàn wǒmen le ma?
    In English: “Do you see us now?”

2. Second Person Plural

In Chinese: 你们
Pinyin: nǐmen 
In English: “you” (plural)

Example sentence:
  • In Chinese: 你们去哪?
    Pinyin: Nǐmen qù nǎ?
    In English: “Where are you going?”

The plural form of the honorific 您 (nín) is still 你们 (nǐmen), not 您们 (nínmen). You might have seen the word 您们, but it’s an incorrect word! Yep, even native speakers make mistakes when speaking Chinese. 

In order to be more polite when addressing a group of people, use phrases like 您二位 (nín èr wèi) and 您几位 (nín jǐ wèi), which are the more courteous ways to say “you two” and “you guys.”

Example sentence:
  • In Chinese: 抱歉让您几位久等了。
    Pinyin: Bàoqiàn ràng nín jǐ wèi jiǔ děng le.
    In English: “Sorry to have kept you guys waiting.”

3. Third Person Plural

In Chinese: 他们
Pinyin: tāmen
In English: “they” or “them”

This word is often used to refer to more than one male, or a mixed group of males and females.

Example sentence:
  • In Chinese: 他们终于到了。
    Pinyin: Tāmen zhōngyú dàole .
    In English: “They are finally here.”

In Chinese: 她们
Pinyin: tāmen
In English: “they” or “them” (female)

Example sentence:
  • In Chinese: 我低估了她们。
    Pinyin: Wǒ dīgū le tāmen.
    In English: “I underestimated them.”

In Chinese: 它们
Pinyin: tāmen
In English: “they” or “them”  (animals or objects)

Example sentence:
  • In Chinese: 你给它们洗澡了吗?
    Pinyin: Nǐ gěi tāmen xǐzǎo le ma?
    In English: “Did you give them a bath yet?”

3- Possessive Personal Pronouns

Making Chinese possessive pronouns from the personal pronouns is also quite easy. In this case, you need the possessive particle 的 (de) after all of the personal pronouns. 

“Personal pronoun + 的 (de)” can be used the same way as an adjective before a noun, or they can be used as a noun by themselves. 

Here’s an example of the possessive form of the second singular pronoun:

In Chinese: 你的
Pinyin: nǐde
In English: “your” or “yours”

Example sentences:
  • In Chinese: 你的新衬衫很好看。
    Pinyin: Nǐ de xīn chènshān hěn hǎokàn.
    In English: “Your new shirt looks great.”

  • In Chinese: 这个新衬衫是你的。
    Pinyin: Zhège xīn chènshān shì nǐ de.
    In English: “This new shirt is yours.”

An example of first plural possessive:

In Chinese: 我们的
Pinyin: wǒmen de
In English: “our” or “ours”

Example sentences:
  • In Chinese: 她是我们的老师。
    Pinyin: Tā shì wǒmen de lǎoshī.
    In English: “She is our teacher.”

  • In Chinese: 这排位子都是我们的。
    Pinyin: Zhè pái wèizi dōu shì wǒmen de.
    In English: “This row of seats is all ours.”

In some circumstances, the particle 的 can be omitted. A very common situation for 的 to be dropped is in colloquial speech, when possessive pronouns are used before close relationships, such as one’s family members, friends, home, or office. For example, it’s grammatically correct to say:

  • In Chinese: 我的妈妈回来了。
    Pinyin: Wǒde māma huílai le.
    In English: “My mom is back.”

But it sounds a bit formal. In everyday conversations, people are more likely to say:

  • In Chinese: 我妈回来了。
    Pinyin: Wǒ mā huílai le.
    In English: “My mom is back.”

In this sentence, not only is the word 妈妈 (māma), or “mom,” shortened and casualized to 妈 (), or “ma,” but the possessive pronoun 我的 (wǒde), meaning “my,” is also shortened to 我 (). 

Here’s another example of when 的 is dropped in a possessive pronoun in everyday language:

  • In Chinese: 他公司离这里不远。
    Pinyin: Tā gōngsī lí zhèli bù yuǎn. 
    In English: “His company is not far from here.”

Instead of using 他的公司 for “his company,” 他公司 is more often used in casual situations. 

4- Reflexive Personal Pronouns

Woman Pointing at Herself

Somehow in conversations, we always end up talking about ourselves. The pronouns that end with “-self” or “-selves” in English are called reflexive personal pronouns. 

In Chinese, we can also use a suffix after personal pronouns to make them reflexive and intensified. In this case, we add the word 自己 (zìjǐ), meaning “self.”

For example:

In Chinese: 我自己
Pinyin: wǒ zìjǐ
In English: “myself”

Example sentence:
  • In Chinese: 我自己看到的。
    Pinyin: Wǒ zìjǐ kàn dào de.
    In English: “I saw it myself.”

In Chinese: 你们自己
Pinyin: nǐmen zìjǐ
In English: “yourselves”

Example sentence: 
  • In Chinese: 照顾好你们自己。
    Pinyin: Zhàogu hǎo nǐmen zìjǐ.
    In English: “Take care of yourselves.”

Here’s a Chinese pronoun chart that sums up all the Chinese personal pronouns in different forms:

1st person2nd person3rd person (men)3rd person (women)3rd person (non-human)
singular我 

“I,” “we”
你 

“you”
他 

“he,” “him”
她 

“she,” “her”
它 

“it”
plural我们 
wǒmen
“we,” “us”
你们 
nǐmen
“you”
他们 
tāmen
“they,” “them”
她们 
tāmen
“they,” “them”
它们 
tāmen
“they,” “them”
singular possessive我的
wǒde 
“my,” “mine”
你的
nǐde
“your,” “yours”
他的
tāde
“his”
她的
tāde
“her,” “hers”
它的
tāde
“its”
plural possessive我们的
wǒmen de
“our,” “ours”
你们的
nǐmen de
“your,” “yours”
他们的
tāmen de
“their,” “theirs”
她们的
tāmen de
“their,” “theirs”
它们的
tāmen de
“their,” “theirs”
singular reflexive我自己
wǒ zìjǐ
“myself”
你自己
nǐ zìjǐ
“yourself”
他自己
tā zìjǐ
“himself”
她自己
tā zìjǐ
“herself”
它自己 
tā zìjǐ
“itself”
plural
reflexive
我们自己
wǒmen zìjǐ
“ourselves”
你们自己
nǐmen zìjǐ
“yourselves”
他们自己
tāmen zìjǐ
“themselves”
她们自己
tāmen zìjǐ
“themselves”
它们自己
tāmen zìjǐ
“themselves”

2. Chinese Demonstrative Pronouns

Basic Questions

The next most commonly used type of pronoun in Chinese is the demonstrative pronoun. This includes words such as “this,” “that,” “these,” and “those.” The usage of Chinese demonstrative pronouns is very similar to that in English. 

1- This & That 

In Chinese:
Pinyin: z
In English: “this”

Example sentence: 
  • In Chinese: 这是你们的房间。
    Pinyin: Zhè shì nǐmen de fángjiān.
    In English: “This is your room.”

In Chinese:
Pinyin:
In English: “that”

Example sentence: 
  • In Chinese: 那是不可能的。
    Pinyin: Nà shì bù kěnéng de.
    In English: “That is impossible.”

2- This & That + Measure Word + Noun

这 (z), meaning “this,” and 那 (), meaning “that,” can also be used before nouns to demonstrate the subject that one is talking about. However, in Chinese, 这 and 那 can’t be put directly before nouns. Instead, we need the help of 量词 (liàngcí), meaning “measure words,” or otherwise known as counters or classifiers. 

The most universal measure word is 个 (). It’s a safe word to go to for beginners. Here are some examples:

  • In Chinese: 这个女孩很漂亮。
    Pinyin: Zhègè nǚhái hěn piàoliang.
    In English: “This girl is very pretty.”

  • In Chinese: 这个网站很有用。
    Pinyin: Zhègè wǎngzhàn hěn yǒuyòng.
    In English: “This website is very useful.”

  • In Chinese: 我爸去过那个国家。
    Pinyin: Wǒ bà qù guo nàgè guójiā.
    In English: “My dad has been to that country.”

  • In Chinese: 请给我看一下那个钱包。
    Pinyin: Qǐng gěi wǒ kàn yíxià nàgè qiánbāo.
    In English: “Please let me take a look at that wallet.”

这 (z) and 那 () are sometimes pronounced as zhèi and nèi in colloquial speech. Both pronunciations are correct. It’s only a matter of personal preference. 

Also, in everyday language, 这个 (zhèige) and 那个 (nèige) are used as filler sounds, or so-called vocalized pauses, like “uh” and “um” in English. You’ll be surprised how often you hear Chinese people stutter with 这个 (zhèige) and 那个 (nèige) in conversations! 

Once you’re more confident with your Chinese, use 这 or 那 with specific measure words that go with specific nouns. For example:

  • In Chinese: 这辆车超酷。
    Pinyin: Zhè liàng chē chāokù.
    In English: “This car is super-cool.”

The measure word in this sentence, 辆 (liàng), is used for vehicles, such as 车 (chē), meaning “car.”

  • In Chinese: 我看过那本书。
    Pinyin: Wǒ kàn guo nà běn shū.
    In English: “I’ve read that book.”

The measure word here, 本 (běn) is used for books, or 书 (shū) in Chinese. 

3- These & Those

When demonstrating something with a quantity of more than one, we use 这 (zhè) and 那 () plus the word 些 (xiē).

In Chinese: 这些
Pinyin: zhèxiē
In English: “these”

Example sentence:
  • In Chinese: 这些孩子玩得很开心。
    Pinyin: Zhèxiē háizi wán de hěn kāixīn.
    In English: “These kids are having a great time.”

In Chinese: 那些
Pinyin: nàxiē
In English: “those”

Example sentence:
  • In Chinese: 不用担心那些事。
    Pinyin: Bú yòng dānxīn nàxiē shì.
    In English: “Don’t worry about those things.”

4- Here & There 

The Chinese words for “here” and “there” also use 这 (zhè) and 那 (), plus the suffix 里 () or 儿 (ér). 

In Chinese: 这里 / 这儿
Pinyin: zhèlǐ / zhèr
In English: “here”

Example sentence:
  • In Chinese: 我来过这里 / 这儿。
    Pinyin: Wǒ lái guo zhèlǐ / zhèr.
    In English: “I’ve been here.”

In Chinese: 那里 / 那儿
Pinyin: nàlǐ / nàr 
In English: “there”

Example sentence:
  • In Chinese: 那里 / 那儿有一个医院。
    Pinyin: Nàli / Nàr yǒu yí ge yīyuàn.
    In English: “There is a hospital over there.”

In general, 这里 (zhèlǐ), meaning “here,” and 那里 (nàlǐ), meaning “there,” are used more often in the southern part of China. In the northern part of China, people tend to use a lot of 儿化音 (ér huà yīn), which in this case are 这儿 (zhèr) and 那儿 (nàr). 

5- This Way & That Way

To say “this way” or “that way,” we need to put the word 边 (biān) after 这 (zhè) and 那 (). 

In Chinese: 这边
Pinyin: zhèbiān
In English: “this way”

Example sentence:
  • In Chinese: 这边请。
    Pinyin: Zhèbiān qǐng.
    In English: “This way, please.”

In Chinese: 那边
Pinyin: nàbiān
In English: “that way”

Example sentence:
  • In Chinese: 厕所在那边。
    Pinyin: Cèsuǒ zài nàbiān.
    In English: “The restroom is over there.”

3. Chinese Interrogative Pronouns

Question Words in English

Humans are curious creatures. We like to ask questions. The words that we use to ask questions are called interrogative pronouns. 

In English, they often appear at the beginning of a question, with a reconstructed word order from a declarative sentence (or any other sentence that makes a statement). 

In Chinese, the word order in a question remains the same as in a declarative sentence. Therefore, asking questions in Chinese is easy. 

First, think about how you would answer the question in a declarative sentence, then replace the word or phrase that answers the question with an interrogative pronoun. 

The table below summarizes the most commonly used Chinese interrogative pronouns. 
Example sentences are given with both a literal translation and a natural English translation, so you can get a better idea of where interrogative pronouns go and what the word order is like in Chinese questions.

In ChinesePinyinIn EnglishExample SentenceLiteral TranslationNatural English Translation
什么shénme “what”你叫什么名字?
Nǐ jiào shénme míngzi?
“You’re called what name?”“What is your name?”
什么时候shénme shíhòu “when”我们什么时候见面?
Wǒmen shénme shíhòu jiànmiàn?
“We when meet?”“When shall we meet?”
哪里/哪儿nǎlǐ / nǎr?“where”电梯在哪里/哪儿?
Diàntī zài nǎlǐ / nǎr?
“Elevator/escalator at where?”“Where is the elevator/escalator?”
哪个/哪些nǎge / nǎxiē“which” (s) / “which” (p)哪个是你的手机?
Nǎge shì nǐ de shǒujī?

你喜欢哪些运动?
Nǐ xǐhuān nǎxiē yùndòng?
“Which is your cell phone?”



“You like which sports?”
“Which one is your phone?”



“Which sports do you like?”
shéi“who”她是谁?
Tā shì shéi?
“She is who?”“Who is she?”
多少duōshǎo“how many” / “how much”这个多少钱?
Zhège duōshǎo qián?
“This how much money?”“How much money is this?”
为什么wèishénme“why”他们为什么这么生气?
Tāmen wèishénme zhème shēngqì?
“They why so angry?” “Why are they so mad?”
怎么zěnme“how”请问,人民广场怎么走?
Qǐngwèn, rénmín guǎngchǎng zěnme zǒu?
“May I please ask, People’s Square how to walk?”
“Excuse me, how do I get to People’s Square?”

4. Conclusion

Improve Listening

Now if you were asked to take the quiz at the beginning of this article again, how many Chinese pronouns would you be able to put down?

You should have at least forty-six words on your list! 
Learning new words in groups like we did in this Chinese pronouns list has proven to be a great language-learning method to increase vocabulary. ChineseClass101.com has hundreds of vocabulary lists for you to add to your word bank. Sign up for a free lifetime account today so you can enjoy more Chinese learning fun with us!

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Chinese Grammar 101: Chinese Sentence Structures

Thumbnail

“I heard Chinese grammar is very difficult. Is it true?”

We often get this question from people who are attempting to learn Chinese.

Well, the answer is yes and no. Take Chinese sentence structure and word order for example. Making basic sentences with a subject, verb, and object is super-easy, just like in English. But when there are more elements involved, such as adverbs and time phrases, things get a little more complicated.

If you’re an absolute beginner who would like to experience the joy of forming a perfect Chinese sentence on your own, or if you’ve ever been frustrated with the placement of words in sentences, this article is for you!

Log in to Download Your Free Cheat Sheet - Beginner Vocabulary in Chinese Table of Contents
  1. Basic Chinese Language Word Order
  2. Advanced Sentence Structures
  3. The Golden Rule of Chinese Word Order
  4. Transforming a Sentence into a Question
  5. Sentence Building Exercises
  6. Conclusion

1. Basic Chinese Language Word Order

Improve Listening

1.1 S + V + O

Chinese is an SVO language, like English and many other Romance languages.

Not sure what SVO is? Don’t worry. We’ll explain with a sample sentence.

S (Subject)V (Verb)O (Object)
喜欢这个。
xǐhuanzhège.
Ilikethis.

S is for the subject. V is for the verb. O is for the object. The basic word order in Chinese is Subject + Verb + Object.

Let’s look at another SVO-structured sentence:

S (Subject)V (Verb)O (Object)
在学中文。
zài xuéZhōngwén.
Iat (am) study(ing)Chinese.

Note: Since Chinese verbs don’t conjugate, some “aid words” will be added to indicate tense. For example, to express an action that’s in progress, as in the example above, we use the word 在 (zài), meaning “at,” plus a verb. We can view 在学 (zài xué), or “at study,” as the verb phrase “to be studying.”

1.1.1 Exceptions

Granted that the Chinese language is pretty flexible, there are cases—especially in colloquial language—where we can bend the SVO rule a little.

For example, when the object or subject is clear to the audience, they can be omitted.
The subject in the following sentence is omitted.

VO
我。
shì.
(It) isme.

The object in the following sentence is omitted.

SV
喜欢。
xǐhuan.
Ilike (it).

When special attention needs to be brought to the object, it can even be put at the beginning of a sentence.

OSV
这个xǐhuan.
Zhègexǐhuan.
ThisIlike.

2. Advanced Sentence Structures

Don’t you wish the world was as simple as an SVO sentence? Well, even sentences get sophisticated with packed information, like “where,” “when,” “how,” and so on.

One common mistake that beginners make concerning the word order of Chinese sentences is that they tend to put the phrases with extra information at the end. However, this is often not the correct way of forming the sentence.

2.1 S + Place + V + O

Phrases suggesting the location should go BEFORE the verb.

1)

SPlaceVO
在家中文。
zài jiāxuéZhōngwén.
Iat homestudyChinese.

2)

SPlaceV
他们在门外聊天。
Tāmenzài ménwàiliáotiān.
Theyoutside the doorchat.

Note: Sample sentence 2) doesn’t have an object. Verbs like 聊天 (liáotiān) are composed of an action verb and a complement which can be considered the object. In this case, 聊 is the action verb and 天 is the complement.

2.1.1 Exceptions

However, location phrases are used AFTER a verb in some rare cases with certain verbs. These special verbs include:

  • (zuò), “to sit”
  • 站 (zhàn), “to stand”
  • 走 (zǒu), “to walk”
  • 住 (zhù), “to live”
  • 留 (liú), “to stay”
  • (tíng), “to park”
  • 放 (fàng), “to put”

These verbs usually indicate motion towards something. The location phrases serve as a complement explaining where the action leads to.

With these special verbs, the order is S + Special Verb + Place.

English MeaningS + Special Verb + PlaceNote
“Put the suitcase on top.”行李箱
Xínglǐ xiāng fàng shàngmian.

Literal translation:
“Suitcase (should be) put on top.”

行李箱上面放。x
Xínglǐ xiāng shàngmian fàng.
The location phrase 上面 (shàngmian), or “on top,” is where the action 放 (fàng), meaning “to put,” is supposed to happen next. So 上面 (shàngmian) is used after 放 (fàng).
“You walk on the left side.”左边
Nǐ zǒu zuǒbiān.

Literal translation:
“You walk left side.”

你左边走。x
Nǐ zuǒbiān zǒu.
左边 (zuǒbiān), or “on the left side,” is where the speaker wants the listener to walk. Therefore, it’s 走左边 (zǒu zuǒbiān), or “walk on the left side,” rather than 左边走, or “left side walk.”
“I live in Beijing.” 北京
Wǒ zhù Běijīng.

Literal translation:
“I live Beijing.”

我北京住。x
Wǒ Běijīng zhù.
Other than 我住北京 (Wǒ zhù Běijīng), you can also say 我住在北京。(Wǒ zhù zài Běijīng.) Literally, it means “I live in Beijing.

2.2 S + Time + V + O

Just like place phrases, time phrases also go BEFORE the verb.

As we learned a little earlier, 在 (zài), meaning “at,” is used to indicate the progressive tense. Besides that, time phrases can also be used to make a sentence more explicit. For example, 现在 (xiànzài), meaning “now,” is often used when something is happening at the moment.

STimeV (at + V = V-ing)O
现在在学中文。
xiànzàizài xuéZhōngwén.
Inowat (am) study(ing) Chinese.

For things that happened in the past, we can use the “aid word” 了 (le) to indicate the past tense. There are many other time phrases you can include, such as:

  • 昨天 (zuótiān), “yesterday”
  • 上个礼拜 (shàngge lǐbài), “last week”
  • 去年 (qùnián), “last year”
STimeV ( V + 了 = V-ed)O
昨天学了中文。
zuótiānxué leZhōngwén.
IyesterdaystudiedChinese.

Note that the time phrases we talk about here refer to a specific point in time, answering the question “When?” They do not refer to a “time period,” which would answer “For how long?” When the duration of time is involved, it’s another long story.

Also, if special attention needs to be brought to the time, these time phrases can be placed at the beginning of a sentence. For example, we can say 现在我在学中文 (Xiànzài wǒ zài xué Zhōngwén) to tell someone “Right now, I’m learning Chinese.”

2.3 S + Manner + V + O

Manner is often described using adverbs that tell “how” the action happens. Like time and place words, they also go BEFORE the verb.

1)

SMannerVO
非常喜欢这个。
fēichángxǐhuanzhège.
Iextremelylikethis.

2)

SMannerVO
开心地中文。
kāixīn dexuéZhōngwén.
IhappilystudyChinese.

2.4 S + Instrument + V + O

Instrument here is the equivalent of “by…” or “with…” in English, describing the tool or method used for the action. As you may have guessed, they also go BEFORE the verb.

SInstrumentVO
用手机中文。
yòng shǒujīxuéZhōngwén.
Iby using my phonestudyChinese.

Here comes a question: When there’s more than one “BEFORE the verb” element in a sentence, what are the Chinese word order rules? For example, when there’s time, place, manner, and instrument at the same time, how should you arrange them?

Here’s an example:

昨天开心地在家用手机中文

Wǒ zuótiān kāixīn de zàijiā yòng shǒujī xué Zhōngwén.

Word-by-word translation: “I yesterday happily at home by using the phone studied Chinese.”

As you can see, the word order in this sentence is:

S + Time + Manner + Place + Instrument + V + O

This is the most common and natural order of words. Of course, when certain things need to be emphasized, they could be brought to the front of the sentence. Even though it’s very rare to use all of the above elements in one sentence in a real-life conversation, it’s good for a Chinese learner to know the proper way to arrange them.

3. The Golden Rule of Chinese Word Order

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(smiley cartoon person under golden sun)

At this point, a pattern in Chinese sentence structure seems to be getting more clear. The descriptive part always goes first, such as 开心地学中文 (kāixīn de xué Zhōngwén), meaning “happily study Chinese,” 用手机学中文 (yòngshǒujī xué Zhōngwén), meaning “using the phone to study Chinese,” and 在家学中文 (zài jiā xué Zhōngwén), meaning “at home study Chinese.”

Even though there are a handful of exceptions, as we mentioned earlier, as a general rule:

Modifiers go before the modified.

Not only does the golden rule apply to verbs, but also to nouns.

For example, 红色的行李箱 (hóngsè de xínglǐ xiāng) means “red suitcase.” 红色 (hóngsè), or “red,” modifies 行李箱 (xínglǐ xiāng), meaning “suitcase.” So 红色 (hóngsè) goes before 行李箱 (xínglǐ xiāng).

放在上面的行李箱 (fàngzài shàngmiàn de xínglǐ xiāng) translates as “the suitcase that’s put on top.” The noun 行李箱 (xínglǐ xiāng), or “suitcase,” still comes after the modifying phrase 放在上面 (fàngzài shàngmiàn), or “to put on top.”

4. Transforming a Sentence into a Question

Finally, we’ll be looking into how to form questions in Chinese. You may be surprised how easy it is!

4.1 Yes-or-No Questions

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(woman holding cards with no and yes)

Questions that are answered with a “yes” or “no” can be referred to as yes-or-no questions. So, what’s the word order in Chinese sentences after transforming them into such a question?

To form a yes-or-no question, all you need is the particle 吗 (ma), which turns a sentence into a question.

Examples:

Sentence+ 吗 Question
你喜欢这个。
Nǐ xǐhuan zhège.
“You like this.”
+吗?

你喜欢这个吗?
Nǐ xǐhuan zhège ma?
“Do you like this?”
他在学中文。
Tā zài xué Zhōngwén.
“He’s studying Chinese.”
+吗?

他在学中文吗?
Tā zài xué Zhōngwén ma?
“Is he studying Chinese?”
她不住北京。
Tā bú zhù Běijīng.
“She doesn’t live in Beijing.”
+吗?

她不住北京吗?
Tā bú zhù Běijīng ma?
“Doesn’t she live in Beijing?”

4.2 Forming Other Questions

To form other types of questions, it only takes three steps.

Step 1: Think about how you would answer the question in a complete sentence.

Step 2: Find the question word you need.

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(question words in English)

Step 3: Replace the part you’re asking about with the question word.

Oh wait, don’t forget to change the period to a question mark!

Examples:

SentenceQuestion Word Question
你喜欢这个。
Nǐ xǐhuan zhège.
“You like this.”
什么
shénme
“what”
你喜你喜欢什么?
Nǐ xǐhuan shénme?
“What do you like?”
她明天去北京。
Tā míngtiān qù Běijīng.
“She is going to Beijing tomorrow.”
什么时候
shénme shíhou
“when”
她什么时候去北京?
Tā shénme shíhou qù Běijīng?
“When is she going to Beijing?”
我在学中文。
Wǒ zài xué Zhōngwén.
“I’m studying Chinese.”

shéi
“who”
谁在学中文?
Shéi zài xué Zhōngwén?
“Who is studying Chinese?”
他们在门外聊天。
Tāmen zài ménwài liáotiān.
“They’re chatting outside the door.”
哪里
nǎlǐ
“where”
他们在哪里聊天?
Tāmen zài nǎlǐ liáotiān?
“Where are they chatting?”

What a confidence booster, right?

Be sure to visit our website to check out the top 25 Chinese questions you need to know.

5. Sentence Building Exercises

https://cdn.innovativelanguage.com/sns/em/2019/landing+pages/Infographic/Improve+Pronunciation/export/Chinese_improve_pronunciation.png

Now it’s time for some Chinese word order practice! Try out the new Chinese grammar skills you’ve just gained from reading this article.

Here are your building blocks:

Subject: 你 (), “you”
Verb: 喝 (), “to drink”
Object: 水 (shuǐ), “water”
Place: 在教室 (zài jiàoshì), “in the classroom”
Time: 五点 (wǔdiǎn), “five o’clock”
Manner: 偷偷地 (tōutōude), “secretly”
Instrument: 用碗 (yòng wǎn), “with a bowl”
Modifier: 冰 (bīng), “ice-cold”
Question Word: 什么 (shénme), “what”

Your building task is to make Chinese sentences from the English translations on the left side. If you like, use the hint in the middle. Put your answers on the right side.

EnglishHintAnswer
“You drank water.”S + V + O
“You drank water in the classroom at five.” S + Time + Place + V + O
“You secretly drank water with a bowl.” S + Manner + Instrument + V + O
“You drank ice-cold water at five o’clock.”S + Time + Verb + Modifier + O
“Did you drink water?” S + V + O + 吗?
“What did you drink?” S + V + Question Word?

(No peeking until you’re done!)

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(hourglass indicating time is up)

Good job! Now you can check your answers.

EnglishHintAnswer
“You drank water.”S + V + O你喝了水。
Nǐ hē le shuǐ.
“You drank water in the classroom at five.” S + Time + Place + V + O你五点在教室喝了水。
Nǐ wǔdiǎn zài jiàoshì hē le shuǐ.
“You secretly drank water with a bowl.” S + Manner + Instrument + V + O你偷偷地用碗喝了水。
Nǐ tōutōude yòng wǎn hē le shuǐ.
“You drank ice-cold water at five o’clock.”S + Time + Verb + Modifier + O你五点喝了冰水。
Nǐ wǔdiǎn hē le bīngshuǐ.
“Did you drink water?” S + V + O + 吗?你喝了水吗?
Nǐ hē le shuǐ ma?
“What did you drink?” S + V + Question Word?你喝了什么?
Nǐ hē le shénme?

6. Conclusion

Now, if I ask YOU the question from the beginning of this article, what would your answer be?

“Is Chinese grammar difficult?”

中文的语法难吗?

Zhōngwén de yǔfǎ nán ma?

Whether your answer is yes or no, I hope this article will at least provide you with a better understanding of Chinese syntax and gives you more confidence when interacting with native Chinese speakers. This is what ChineseClass101.com was designed for.
If you haven’t subscribed to our weekly updated lessons created by our experienced Chinese teachers, you’re missing out on a lot of great Chinese learning resources! Go to ChineseClass101.com and get a free lifetime account today!

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The Ultimate Guide on How to Tell Time in Chinese

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As a Chinese language-learner, one of the things you likely wonder about often is how to tell time in Chinese. Everything we do is seamlessly associated with time. We consume time every day and are always in a running competition with it. We care about time, and time has become one of the most important topics in our everyday lives. It’s important to stay on track with what you do, no matter where you are; further, you should do your best to be on time for certain events. This is why time in Chinese culture plays a big role.

“Time” in Chinese is 时间 (shí jiān). The rules for telling the time in Mandarin Chinese are all straightforward and simple to follow, so let go of your fears and proceed with confidence.

With ChineseClass101.com, learning time in Chinese is fun and effective at the same time! 

Log in to Download Your Free Cheat Sheet - Time Phrases in Chinese Table of Contents
  1. How to Ask for the Time
  2. The Hours in Chinese
  3. The Minutes in Chinese
  4. Hours Divided into Minutes
  5. General Time References of the Day
  6. Chinese Time Adverbs
  7. Common Phrases Regarding Time
  8. Bonus: Proverbs and Sayings
  9. Conclusion

1. How to Ask for the Time

You need to always keep track of your own time.

Woman Pointing at Clock
  • In Chinese: 现在几点了?

Pinyin: Xiàn zài jǐ diǎn le. 

In English: What time is it?

  • In Chinese: 请问你知道现在的时间吗?

Pinyin: Qǐng wèn nǐ zhī dào xiàn zài de shí jiān ma? 

In English: Do you have the time, please?

  • In Chinese: 请问[会议]是什么时候?

Pinyin: Qǐng wèn [huì yì] shì shí me shén hou? 

In English: What time is the [meeting]?

Feel free to replace the event in the brackets with any other event.

2. The Hours in Chinese

Can you express the time in Chinese precisely?

A Wall Clock

In China, people are used to the twenty-four-hour clock. In order to master telling the time in Mandarin Chinese, let’s get to know these two important vocabulary words first: 

  • 小时 (xiǎo shí) — hour
  • 点钟 (diǎn zhōng) — o’clock

As we mentioned above, “hour” in Chinese is 小时 (xiǎo shí), and 钟头 (zhōng tóu) is another way to say “hours” in daily conversation; it’s less formal than 小时 (xiǎo shí). 

However, to make it more convenient for speech, we usually just say the simplified version of 点钟 (diǎn zhōng), which is 点 (diǎn). 

Now, how do you say the time in Chinese exactly? Easy.

To express any hour, all you need to do is say the number first and add 点 (diǎn) / 点钟 (diǎn zhōng) right after. For example, four o’clock would be 四点 (sì diǎn) / 四点钟 (sì diǎn zhōng). 

Here’s a list of time words in Chinese that will help you understand how the twenty-four-hour clock works:

  • 一点钟 (yī diǎn zhōng) — 1 o’clock
  • 两点钟 (liǎng diǎn zhōng) — 2 o’clock
  • 三点钟 (sān diǎn zhōng) — 3 o’clock
  • 四点钟 (sì diǎn zhōng) — 4 o’clock
  • 五点钟 (wǔ diǎn zhōng) — 5 o’clock
  • 六点钟 (liù diǎn zhōng) — 6 o’clock
  • 七点钟 (qī diǎn zhōng) — 7 o’clock
  • 八点钟 (bā diǎn zhōng) — 8 o’clock
  • 九点钟 (jiǔ diǎn zhōng) — 9 o’clock
  • 十点钟 (shí diǎn zhōng) — 10 o’clock
  • 十一点钟 (shí yī diǎn zhōng) — 11 o’clock
  • 十二点钟 (shí èr diǎn zhōng) — 12 o’clock
  • 十三点钟 (shí sān diǎn zhōng) — 13 o’clock
  • 十四点钟 (shí sì diǎn zhōng) — 14 o’clock
  • 十五点钟 (shí wǔ diǎn zhōng) — 15 o’clock
  • 十六点钟 (shí liù diǎn zhōng) — 16 o’clock
  • 十七点钟 (shí qī diǎn zhōng) — 17 o’clock
  • 十八点钟 (shí bā diǎn zhōng) — 18 o’clock
  • 十九点钟 (shí jiǔ diǎn zhōng) — 19 o’clock
  • 二十点钟 (èr shí diǎn zhōng) — 20 o’clock
  • 二十一点钟 (èr shí yī diǎn zhōng) — 21 o’clock
  • 二十二点钟 (èr shí èr diǎn zhōng) — 22 o’clock
  • 二十三点钟 (èr shí sān diǎn zhōng) — 23 o’clock
  • 二十四点钟 (èr shí sì diǎn zhōng) — 24 o’clock
  • 零点 (líng diǎn) — 0 o’clock

Usage in a sentence:

In Chinese: 现在是16点钟。

Pinyin: Xiàn zài shì shí liù diǎn zhōng.

In English: It’s 4 PM.

Additional Notes: 

Remember that when referring to time and currency, 两 (liǎng) is used for “two” instead of 二 (èr), which is used more commonly for counting.

3. The Minutes in Chinese

Time

分钟 (fēn zhōng) is one of the most important time words in Chinese, meaning “minute.” Usually, people simplify it and just say 分 (fēn), which means the same thing. To express any specific minute at any hour, you just need to follow this formula: [number] “点 (diǎn) / 点钟 (diǎn zhōng)” + [number] “分 (fēn).”

Usage in a sentence:

In Chinese: 现在是三点十八分。

Pinyin: Xiàn zài shì sān diǎn shí bā fēn. 

In English: It’s 3:18 right now.

4. Hours Divided into Minutes

点半 (diǎn bàn) – half

Structure: 

In Chinese: 现在的时间是[点钟数字] 点 + 分钟

In English: It’s [number of the clock] o’clock + minutes

Usage in a sentence:

In Chinese: 现在的时间是三点半。

Pinyin: Xiàn zài de shí jiān shì sān diǎn bàn. 

In English: It’s half past three now.

一刻 (yī kè) – quarter

Usage in a sentence:

In Chinese: 现在的时间是五点一刻。

Pinyin: Xiàn zài de shí jiān shì wǔ diǎn yī kè. 

In English: It’s a quarter past five right now.

5. General Time References of the Day

Improve Listening

What if you just want to give an approximate time in Chinese? Here are some words you can use to tell someone a general time of day.

  • 早晨 (zǎo chén) — early morning
  • 日出 (rì chū) — sunrise
  • 下午 (xià wǔ) — afternoon
  • 晚上 (wǎn shàng) — evening
  • 中午 (zhōng wǔ) — noon
  • 日落 (rì luò) — sunset
  • 夜里 (yè lǐ) — at night 
  • 半夜 (bàn yè) — midnight
  • 凌晨 (líng chén) — before dawn

Usage in a sentence: 

In Chinese: 我喜欢在[下午]的时候吃水果。

Pinyin: Wǒ xǐ huan zài [xià wǔ] de shí hou chī shuǐ guǒ. 

In English: I like to eat fruit in the afternoon.

Additional Notes:

Feel free to replace the example time reference in the brackets with any of the other time words in Chinese above. You can also check out our article regarding dates in Chinese here.

6. Chinese Time Adverbs

Remember to arrange your time wisely.

Man Looking at His Watch

Time adverbs in Chinese can help you communicate with more-detailed and complete sentences. Here are the most common ones.

现在 (xiàn zài) – right now

Usage in a sentence: 

In Chinese: 抱歉,我现在很忙,待会给你回电话。

Pinyin: Bào qiàn, wǒ xiàn zài hěn máng, dāi huì gěi nǐ huí diàn huà. 

In English: Sorry, I am very busy right now. I will call you back in a bit.

目前 (mù qián) – currently

Usage in a sentence: 

In Chinese: 我目前正在专心复习考试。

Pinyin: Wǒ mù qián zhèng zài zhuān xīn fù xí kǎo shì. 

In English: Currently, I am focusing on reviewing the exam.

同时 (tóng shí) – meanwhile / at the same time

Usage in a sentence: 

In Chinese: 我可以同时出色地完成很多件事。

Pinyin: Wǒ kě yǐ tóng shí chū sè de wán chéng hěn duō jiàn shì. 

In English: I can multitask very well.

之前 (zhī qián) – before

Usage in a sentence: 

In Chinese: 每次睡觉之前,我都喜欢阅读一会。 

Pinyin: Měi cì shuì jiào zhī qián, wǒ dōu xǐ huan yuè dú yī huì. 

In English: Every time before I go to sleep, I like to read for a little while.

之后 (zhī hòu) – after

Usage in a sentence: 

In Chinese: 我习惯在吃饭之后喝一杯果汁。

Pinyin: Wǒ xí guàn zài chī fàn zhī hòu hē yī bēi guǒ zhī. 

In English: I am used to drinking a cup of juice after a meal.

很快 (hěn kuài) – soon

Usage in a sentence: 

In Chinese: 我很快就可以帮你辅导作业了。

Pinyin: Wǒ hěn kuài jiù kě yǐ bāng nǐ fǔ dǎo zuò yè le. 

In English: I will be helping you with your homework soon.

立刻 (lì kè) – immediately

Usage in a sentence: 

In Chinese: 每次收到短信,我都会立刻回复。

Pinyin: Měi cì shōu dào duǎn xìn, wǒ dōu huì lì kè huí fù. 

In English: Every time I receive a message, I reply immediately.

差不多 (chà bu duō) – almost

Usage in a sentence: 

In Chinese: 我差不多快到了。 

Pinyin: Wǒ chà bu duō kuài dào le. 

In English: I am almost there.

过一会儿 (guò yī huìr) – in a little while

Usage in a sentence: 

In Chinese: 他过一会儿就会回来了。

Pinyin: Tā guò yī huìr jiù huì huí lái le. 

In English: He will be back in a little while.

很久 (hěn jiǔ) – for a long time

Usage in a sentence: 

In Chinese: 我们曾经做了很久的好朋友。

Pinyin: Wǒ men céng jīng zuò le hěn jiǔ de hǎo péng you. 

In English: We were good friends for a long time.

任何时候 (rèn hé shí hou) – any time

Usage in a sentence: 

In Chinese: 在任何时候,只要你需要我,我就会陪在你身边。 

Pinyin: Zài rèn hé shí hou, zhī yào nǐ xū yào wǒ, wǒ jiù huì péi zài nǐ shēn biān. 

In English: I will be with you at any time as long as you need me.

尽快 (jìn kuài) – as soon as possible

Usage in a sentence: 

In Chinese: 我尽快把邮件发给你。

Pinyin: Wǒ jìn kuài bǎ yóu jiàn fā gěi nǐ. 

In English: I will send you the email as soon as possible.

Additional Notes: 

Usually, adverbs are added to the beginning of a sentence, after the subject.

7. Common Phrases Regarding Time

It can be tough to catch up with time sometimes!

Woman Looking at Watch

时间 (shí jiān), which is “time” in Chinese, can be tight and precious, or hard to manage. Time in Chinese culture is always an important topic to discuss as our everyday arrangements depend on it. Sometimes we have to apologize for being late, and sometimes we just want to ask other people to be on time. Here are some of the most common phrases for talking about time in Chinese that will certainly help you communicate with others.

  • In Chinese: 赶紧的!  

Pinyin: Gǎn jǐn de! 

In English: Hurry up!

  • In Chinese: 抱歉,我迟到了。

Pinyin: Bào qiàn, wǒ chí dào le.

In English: Sorry that I’m late.

  • In Chinese: 我现在就出发。

Pinyin: Wǒ xiàn zài jiù chū fā. 

In English: I will be going right now.

  • In Chinese: 以防堵车,我打算提前半小时出发。

Pinyin: Yǐ fáng dǔ chē, wǒ dǎ suàn tí qián bàn xiǎo shí chū fā. 

In English: Just in case there’s traffic, I plan to leave thirty minutes early.

  • In Chinese: 请提前到达集合地点。

Pinyin: Qǐng tí qián dào dá jí hé dì diǎn. 

In English: Please arrive early at the meeting place.

  • In Chinese: 请准时到。

Pinyin: Qǐng zhǔn shí dào.

In English: Please be on time.

8. Bonus: Proverbs and Sayings

We should always cherish the time no matter what.

Sign with Time Words on Them

Here are some proverbs and idioms about time in Chinese that will help you sound like a native speaker.

  • In Chinese: 时间就是金钱。

Pinyin: Shí jiān jiù shì jīn qián. 

In English: Time is money.

  • In Chinese: 一寸光阴一寸金,寸金难买寸光阴。

Pinyin: Yī cùn guāng yīn yī cùn jīn, cùn jīn nán mǎi cùn guāng yīn. 

In English: An inch of gold will not buy an inch of time, and you can’t buy an inch of time with an inch of gold.

  • In Chinese: 时间会治愈一切。

Pinyin: Shí jiān huì zhì yù yī qiē. 

In English: Time heals all wounds. 

  • In Chinese: 时光飞逝。

Pinyin: Shí guāng fēi shì. 

In English: Time flies.

9. Conclusion

Basic Questions

Now, I hope you’ve mastered the art of how to tell time in Chinese. If you’re a Chinese language-learner who’s full of curiosity and a desire to learn more, then our online lessons will be just perfect for a diligent individual like you. Visit ChineseClass101.com today to acquire a once-in-your-lifetime Chinese learning experience!

Before you go, let us know in the comments how you feel about telling the time in Chinese now. To practice, tell us what time it is where you are, in Chinese! 🙂 We look forward to hearing from you. 

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100+ Common Nouns in Chinese for Beginners



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Talking about nouns, everyone is familiar with them, because we talk about them every single day. It’s just such an active participant in our daily conversations that we can’t ignore them, especially as a diligent language learner. As a Chinese beginner, you’ve probably struggled with nouns in Chinese sentences and how to use them in Chinese grammar.

The word “noun” in Chinese language is 名词 (míng cí). Nouns in Chinese grammar structures aren’t difficult to master, and they follow exactly the same rules as nouns do in English. As subjects, they’re placed before verbs; as objects, they’re placed after verbs.

We’ve prepared a variety of Chinese nouns lists for you to enjoy, and each of these basic Chinese nouns is accompanied by example sentences. You’ll also be able to see these examples and nouns in Chinese pinyin for your learning convenience. Let’s start!

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Table of Contents
  1. Appliances
  2. Technology
  3. Transportation
  4. Restaurant
  5. School Essentials
  6. Occupation
  7. Family Members
  8. Body Parts
  9. Time
  10. Animals
  11. Conclusion


1. Appliances


Nouns 1

In today’s world, some of the top Chinese nouns you should know are those related to appliances. Keep these words handy, and try using them in your next conversation to practice!

1. Television – 电视 (diàn shì)

In Chinese: 看电视是一件很放松的事。
Pinyin: Kàn diàn shì shì yí jiàn hěn fàng sōng de shì.
In English: Watching television is a very relaxing thing to do.

2. Refrigerator – 冰箱 (bīng xiāng)

In Chinese: 记得把吃不完的食物即时放回冰箱里。
Pinyin: Jì de bǎ chī bu wán de shí wù jí shí fàng huí bīng xiāng li.
In English: Remember to put the leftovers in the refrigerator.

3. Air Conditioner – 空调 (kōng tiáo)

In Chinese: 夏天真是个需要空调的季节。
Pinyin: Xià tiān zhēn shì gè xū yào kōng tiáo de jì jié.
In English: Summer is an air-conditioner-essential season.

4. Washer – 洗衣机 (xǐ yī jī)

In Chinese: 在原来没有洗衣机的年代, 大家都习惯用手洗衣服。
Pinyin: Zài yuán lái méi yǒu xǐ yī jī de nián dài, dà jiā dōu xí guàn yòng shǒu xǐ yī fu.
In English: Back when there was no washer, people were used to washing clothes by hand.

5. Microwave – 微波炉 (wēi bō lú)

In Chinese: 微波炉真是个方便的发明,能快速把食物加热。
Pinyin: Wēi bō lú zhēn shì gè fāng biàn de fā míng, néng kuài sù bǎ shí wù jiā rè.
In English: Microwaves are such a convenient invention; they can heat up food so fast.

6. Fan – 风扇 (fēng shàn)

In Chinese: 比起空调,我还是更喜欢风扇的自然风。
Pinyin: Bǐ qǐ kōng tiáo, wǒ hái shì gèng xǐ huan fēng shàn de zì rán fēng.
In English: Instead of the air conditioner, I prefer the natural wind that a fan produces.

7. Hair Dryer – 吹风机 (chuī fēng jī)

In Chinese: 比起让头发自然干,我更喜欢用吹风机。
Pinyin: Bǐ qǐ ràng tóu fa zì rán gān, wǒ gèng xǐ huān yòng chuī fēng jī.
In English: I prefer to use a hair dryer instead of letting my hair dry naturally.

8. Toothbrush – 牙刷 (yá shuā)

In Chinese: 牙刷上容易产生细菌,所以需要经常更换。
Pinyin: Yá shuā shang róng yì chǎn shēng xì jūn, suǒ yǐ xū yào jīng cháng gèng huàn.
In English: It’s easy to produce bacteria on a toothbrush, so it’s necessary to get new ones regularly.

2. Technology


As you learn Chinese nouns, this is a category you really can’t skip! Here are the most common Chinese nouns associated with technology.

Man looking at Cellphone

We are living in a technology-dependent era!



1. Computer – 电脑 (diàn nǎo)

In Chinese: 电脑真是一个伟大的发明,为人们提供了不少便利。
Pinyin: Diàn nǎo zhēn shì yí gè wěi dà de fā míng, wèi rén men tí gòng le bù shǎo biàn lì.
In English: Computers are a spectacular invention that provide so much convenience for humans.

2. Laptop – 笔记本电脑 (bǐ jì běn diàn nǎo)

In Chinese: 我有随身携带笔记本电脑的习惯。
Pinyin: Wǒ yǒu suí shēn xié dài bǐ jì běn diàn nǎo de xí guàn.
In English: I have a habit of taking my laptop everywhere with me.

3. Tablet – 平板电脑 (píng bǎn diàn nǎo)

In Chinese: 在上课时,我一般用平板电脑记笔记。
Pinyin: Zài shàng kè shí, wǒ yī bān yòng píng bǎn diàn nǎo jì bǐ jì.
In English: When I am in a class, I usually use a tablet to take notes.

4. Cellphone – 手机 (shǒu jī)

In Chinese: 现代人的生活都离不开手机。
Pinyin: Xiàn dài rén de shēng huó dōu lí bu kāi shǒu jī.
In English: In modern society, it’s hard to live without our phones.

5. Headphones – 耳机 (ěr jī)

In Chinese: 戴上耳机听音乐的时候,我彷佛在另一个世界。
Pinyin: Dài shang ěr jī tīng yīn yuè de shí hou, wǒ fǎng fú zài lìng yí gè shì jiè.
In English: When I wear my headphones to listen to music, I feel like I’m in a whole different world.

6. Charger – 充电器 (chōng diàn qì)

In Chinese: 我每天出门都会带上手机充电器,以防万一。
Pinyin: Wǒ měi tiān chū mén dōu huì dài shang shǒu jī chōng diàn qì, yǐ fáng wàn yī.
In English: Every time I leave the house, I take my phone charger with me just in case.

7. Wifi – Wifi (Wifi)

In Chinese: 我喜欢在有Wifi的咖啡馆写作业。
Pinyin: Wǒ xǐ huān zài yǒu Wifi de kā fēi guǎn xiě zuò yè.
In English: I like to go to coffee shops that provide wifi and do my homework there.

8. Application – 软件 (ruǎn jiàn)

In Chinese: 我喜欢在手机上下载很多不同的软件。
Pinyin: Wǒ xǐ huān zài shǒu jī shang xià zǎi hěn duō bù tóng de ruǎn jiàn.
In English: I like to download many different types of applications on my phone.

9. Website – 网站 (wǎng zhàn)

In Chinese: 我最近在学习网站设计。
Pinyin: Wǒ zuì jìn zài xué xí wǎng zhàn shè jì.
In English: Recently, I have been learning about website design.

10. Photo – 照片 (zhào piàn)

In Chinese: 我很喜欢看老照片怀念过去。
Pinyin: Wǒ hěn xǐ huān kàn lǎo zhào piàn huái niàn guò qù.
In English: I enjoy looking at old pictures to reminisce.

11. Account – 账号 (zhàng hào)

In Chinese: 很多网站要求用户注册账号之后才能进行购物。
Pinyin: Hěn duō wǎng zhàn yāo qiú yòng hù zhù cè zhàng hào zhī hòu cái néng jìn xíng gòu wù.
In English: Many websites require users to have an account in order to make a purchase there.

12. Password – 密码 (mì mǎ)

In Chinese: 我经常忘记自己设置的密码。
Pinyin: Wǒ jīng cháng wàng jì zì jǐ shè zhì de mì mǎ.
In English: I often forget about the password I set up for myself.

3. Transportation


Bus on a Road

What is your favorite type of transportation?



1. Airplane – 飞机 (fēi jī)

In Chinese: 我仍然记得自己小时候第一次坐飞机有多么兴奋。
Pinyin: Wǒ réng rán jì de zì jǐ xiǎo shí hou dì yī cì zuò fēi jī yǒu duō me xīng fèn.
In English: I still remember how excited I was, at a young age, when I was on an airplane for the first time.

2. Train – 火车 (huǒ chē)

In Chinese: 我喜欢坐火车去旅游。
Pinyin: Wǒ xǐ huan zuò huǒ chē qù lǚ yóu.
In English: I like to take a train for traveling.

3. Subway – 地铁 (dì tiě)

In Chinese: 我觉得地铁是最方便的交通工具之一。
Pinyin: Wǒ jué de dì tiě shì zuì fāng biàn de jiāo tōng gōng jù zhī yī.
In English: I think the subway is one of the most convenient transportation methods.

4. Bus – 公交车 (gōng jiāo chē)

In Chinese: 我之所以会迟到,是因为没有赶上公交车。
Pinyin: Wǒ zhī suǒ yǐ huì chí dào, shì yīn wèi méi yǒu gǎn shang gōng jiāo chē.
In English: The reason why I was late is because I missed the bus.

5. Taxi – 出租车 (chū zū chē)

In Chinese: 我很喜欢跟出租车司机聊天。
Pinyin: Wǒ hěn xǐ huan gēn chū zū chē sī jī liáo tiān.
In English: I like talking to taxi drivers.

6. Bike – 自行车 (zì xíng chē)

In Chinese: 我非常喜欢骑自行车,因为骑车的时候可以看到街头的景色。
Pinyin: Wǒ fēi cháng xǐ huan qí zì xíng chē, yīn wèi qí chē de shí hou kě yǐ kàn dào jiē tóu de jǐng sè.
In English: I enjoy riding a bike because I get to see beautiful scenery on the streets.

7. Airport – 机场 (jī chǎng)

In Chinese: 每天在机场都有很多人依依不舍地分别。
Pinyin: Měi tiān zài jī chǎng dōu yǒu hěn duō rén yī yī bù shě de fēn bié.
In English: At the airport, each day there are so many people who are saying goodbyes though they don’t want to.

8. Train Station – 火车站 (huǒ chē zhàn)

In Chinese: 有很多人在火车站过夜。
Pinyin: Yǒu hěn duō rén zài huǒ chē zhàn guò yè.
In English: Many people are spending the night at the train station.

9. Bus Stop – 公交车站 (gōng jiāo chē zhàn)

In Chinese: 过了马路你就会看到公交车站。
Pinyin: Guò le mǎ lù nǐ jiù huì kàn dao gōng jiāo chē zhàn.
In English: You will see the bus stop once you go across the road.

10. Traffic Light – 红绿灯 (hóng lǜ dēng)

In Chinese: 开车等红绿灯时千万不能看手机。
Pinyin: Kāi chē děng hóng lǜ dēng shí qiān wàn bù néng kàn shǒu jī.
In English: Don’t ever look at your phone while waiting for a traffic light in the car.

11. Intersection – 十字路口 (shí zì lù kǒu)

In Chinese: 等你过了十字路口,往右转就可以看见我们了。
Pinyin: Děng nǐ guò le shí zì lù kǒu, wǎng yòu zhuǎn jiù kě yǐ kàn jiàn wǒ men le.
In English: After you pass the intersection, just turn right and you will see us immediately.

4. Restaurant



Chef Seasoning a Dish

Who doesn’t enjoy eating at a restaurant which serves delicious food?



Now, here are common Chinese nouns food-lovers should be sure to memorize! These words are essential for restaurants in particular.

1. Table – 桌子(zhuō zi)

In Chinese: 我们在五号桌等你。
Pinyin: Wǒ men zài wǔ hào zhuō děng nǐ.
In English: We will be waiting for you at table 5.

2. Menu – 菜单 (cài dān)

In Chinese: 请问可以再给我们一份菜单吗?
Pinyin: Qǐng wèn kě yǐ zài gěi wǒ men yí fèn cài dān ma?
In English: Can you give us one more menu, please?

3. Waiter – 服务员 (fú wù yuán)

In Chinese: 这个餐厅的服务员很友好。
Pinyin: Zhè gè cān tīng de fú wù yuán hěn yǒu hǎo.
In English: The waiters at this restaurant are very friendly.

4. Bill – 账单 (zhàng dān)

In Chinese: 麻烦您给我们一下账单。
Pinyin: Má fan nín gěi wǒ men yí xià zhàng dān.
In English: Please give us the bill.

5. Spoon – 勺子 (sháo zi)

In Chinese: 比起筷子,我喜欢用勺子吃米饭。
Pinyin: Bǐ qǐ kuài zi, wǒ xǐ huan yòng sháo zi chī mǐ fàn.
In English: I like to eat rice with a spoon instead of chopsticks.

6. Chopsticks – 筷子 (kuài zi)

In Chinese: 很多西方国家的人不会用筷子。
Pinyin: Hěn duō xī fāng guó jiā de rén bú huì yòng kuài zi.
In English: Many western people don’t know how to use chopsticks.

7. Plate – 盘子 (pán zi)

In Chinese: 在家里,妈妈负责做饭,我负责洗盘子。
Pinyin: Zài jiā li, mā ma fù zé zuò fàn, wǒ fù zé xǐ pán zi.
In English: Mom is in charge of cooking, and I am in charge of washing dishes in the house.

8. Bowl – 碗 (wǎn)

In Chinese: 请给我来一碗面。
Pinyin: Qǐng gěi wǒ lái yì wǎn miàn.
In English: Please give me a bowl of noodles.

9. Water – 水 (shuǐ)

In Chinese: 夏天非常干燥,我们更应该多喝水。
Pinyin: Xià tiān fēi cháng gàn zào, wǒ men gèng yīng gāi duō hē shuǐ.
In English: Summer is a dry season; we should drink even more water.

10. Tea – 茶 (chá)

In Chinese: 茶是中国很重要的一个文化之一。
Pinyin: Chá shì zhōng guó hěn zhòng yào de yí gè wén huà zhī yī.
In English: Tea is one of the most important cultural aspects in China.

11. Vegetables – 蔬菜 (shū cài)

In Chinese: 多吃蔬菜对身体有好处。
Pinyin: Duō chī shū cài duì shēn tǐ yǒu hǎo chù.
In English: Eating vegetables is good for your health.

12. Seafood – 海鲜 (hǎi xiān)

In Chinese: 海鲜自助是我的最爱之一。
Pinyin: Hǎi xiān zì zhù shì wǒ de zuì ài zhī yī.
In English: The seafood buffet is one of my favorite places.

5. School Essentials



Graduate Student Holding a Diploma

Don’t you miss being a student?



1. College – 大学 (dà xué)

In Chinese: 我很期待大学的生活。
Pinyin: Wǒ hěn qī dài dà xué de shēng huó.
In English: I am looking forward to my college life.

2. High School – 高中 (gāo zhōng)

In Chinese: 在过去的高中三年时间里,我们都成长了许多。
Pinyin: Zài guò qù de gāo zhōng sān nián shí jiān li, wǒ men dōu chéng zhǎng le xǔ duō.
In English: In the past three years at high school, we all grew up a lot.

3. Middle School – 初中 (chū zhōng)

In Chinese: 我很想念我初中结识的朋友。
Pinyin: Wǒ hěn xiǎng niàn wǒ chū zhōng jié shí de péng you.
In English: I miss my friends from middle school very much.

4. Elementary School – 小学 (xiǎo xué)

In Chinese: 小学是我最无忧无虑的日子。
Pinyin: Xiǎo xué shì wǒ zuì wú yōu wú lǜ de rì zi.
In English: The days at elementary school were the happiest time ever.

5. Class – 班级 (bān jí)

In Chinese: 我觉得我们班级是最优秀的。
Pinyin: Wǒ jué de wǒ men bān jí shì zuì yōu xiù de.
In English: I think my class is the best one of all.

6. Book – 书 (shū)

In Chinese: 请把你的书打开到第90页。
Pinyin: Qǐng bǎ nǐ de shū dǎ kāi dào dì jiǔ shí yè.
In English: Please open your book to the 90th page.

7. Teacher – 老师 (lǎo shī)

In Chinese: 我的老师是一位值得敬佩的人。
Pinyin: Wǒ de lǎo shī shì yí wèi zhí dé jìng pèi de rén.
In English: My teacher is someone that deserves respect and admiration.

8. Student – 学生 (xué shēng)

In Chinese: 学生时期的我很听父母的话。
Pinyin: Xué shēng shí qī de wǒ hěn tīng fù mǔ de huà.
In English: When I was a student, I used to be very obedient to my parents.

9. Classmate – 同班同学 (tóng bān tóng xué)

In Chinese: 我的同班同学们都十分友好。
Pinyin: Wǒ de tóng bān tóng xué men dōu shí fēn yǒu hǎo.
In English: All my classmates are very friendly.

10. Major – 专业 (zhuān yè)

In Chinese: 我很开心选择的专业是自己所热爱的。
Pinyin: Wǒ hěn kāi xīn xuǎn zé de zhuān yè shì zì jǐ suǒ rè ài de.
In English: I am very happy that the major I chose for myself is something I am passionate about.

11. Exam – 考试 (kǎo shì)

In Chinese: 我觉得自己在这次的考试中发挥得很好。
Pinyin: Wǒ jué de zì jǐ zài zhè cì de kǎo shì zhōng fā huī de hěn hǎo.
In English: I think I did very well on this exam.

12. Homework – 作业 (zuò yè)

In Chinese: 很多学生都会拖到快交作业了才开始写。
Pinyin: Hěn duō xué shēng dōu huì tuō dào kuài jiāo zuò yè le cái kāi shǐ xiě.
In English: Many students procrastinate until the homework is due.

6. Occupation



Nouns 2

1. Doctor – 医生 (yī shēng)

In Chinese: 医生是一个神圣的职业。
Pinyin: Yī shēng shì yí gè shén shèng de zhí yè.
In English: Being a doctor is a divine occupation.

2. Lawyer – 律师 (lǜ shī)

In Chinese: 作为一名律师,你需要拥有出色的口才。
Pinyin: Zuò wéi yì míng lǜ shī, nǐ xū yào yōng yǒu chū sè de kǒu cái.
In English: As a lawyer, you need to have excellent eloquence.

3. Nurse – 护士 (hù shi)

In Chinese: 昨天给我打针的护士很友善。
Pinyin: Zuó tiān gěi wǒ dǎ zhēn de hù shi hěn yǒu shàn.
In English: The nurse who gave me a shot yesterday was very nice.

4. Chef – 厨师 (chú shī)

In Chinese: 一名好厨师会把自己对下厨的全部热情注入到食物中。
Pinyin: Yì míng hǎo chú shī huì bǎ zì jǐ duì xià chú de quán bù rè qíng zhù rù dào shí wù zhōng.
In English: An excellent chef will devote all his passion into the food he cooks.

5. Police – 警察 (jǐng chá)

In Chinese: 想成为一名警察,一定要敢于奉献。
Pinyin: Xiǎng chéng wéi yì míng jǐng chá, yí dìng yào gǎn yú fèng xiàn.
In English: You have to be brave enough to dedicate your life in order to become a police officer.

7. Family Members



Nouns 3

1. Family – 家庭 (jiā tíng)

In Chinese: 家庭是无法被取代的。
Pinyin: Jiā tíng shì wú fǎ bèi qǔ dài de.
In English: Nothing can replace a family.

2. Mom / Dad – 妈妈 / 爸爸 (mā ma / bà ba)

In Chinese: 妈妈 / 爸爸很宠爱弟弟。
Pinyin: Mā ma / Bà ba hěn chǒng ài dì di.
In English: Mom / Dad spoils my younger brother a lot.

3. Parents – 父母 (fù mǔ)

In Chinese: 我和父母就像朋友一般亲近。
Pinyin: Wǒ hé fù mǔ jiù xiàng péng you yì bān qīn jìn.
In English: My parents and I are as close as friends.

4. Husband / Wife – 丈夫 / 妻子 (zhàng fu / qī zǐ)

In Chinese: 她/他与自己的丈夫/妻子十分恩爱。
Pinyin: Tā / Tā yǔ zì jǐ de zhàng fu / qī zǐ shí fēn ēn ài.
In English: She / He is very loving with her / his husband / wife.

5. Daughter / Son – 女儿 / 儿子 (nǚ ér / ér zi)

In Chinese: 即使离得很远,他的女儿 / 儿子还是会经常去看他。
Pinyin: Jí shǐ lí de hěn yuǎn, tā de nǚ ér / ér zi hái shì huì jīng cháng qù kàn tā.
In English: His daughter / son visits him a lot even though they are far away from each other.

6. Grandmother / Grandfather (from Dad’s side) – 奶奶 / 爷爷 (yé ye / nǎi nai)

In Chinese: 我最后悔的事情就是奶奶 / 爷爷去世的时候我没来得及去送行。
Pinyin: Wǒ zuì hòu huǐ de shì qing jiù shì nǎi nai / yé ye qù shì de shí hou wǒ méi lái de jí qù sòng xíng.
In English: The thing that I regret the most was not being able to be with my grandmother / grandfather when she / he was gone.

7. Grandmother / Grandfather (from Mom’s side) – 姥姥 / 姥爷 (lǎo lao / lǎo ye)

In Chinese: 姥姥 / 姥爷经常给我做好吃的。
Pinyin: Lǎo lao / Lǎo ye jīng cháng gěi wǒ zuò hǎo chī de.
In English: My grandmother / grandfather always cooks delicious food for me.

8. Body Parts



Nouns 4

1. Body – 身体 (shēn tǐ)

In Chinese: 因为昨天爬了一整天的山,导致我现在身体酸疼。
Pinyin: Yīn wèi zuó tiān pá le yì zhěng tiān de shān, dǎo zhì wǒ xiàn zài shēn tǐ suān téng.
In English: Since I was hiking all day yesterday, my body is now feeling sore all over the place.

2. Head – 头 (tóu)

In Chinese: 我刚才一不小心磕到了头。
Pinyin: Wǒ gāng cái yí bù xiǎo xīn kē dào le tóu.
In English: I hit my head by accident just now.

3. Arm – 胳膊 (gē bo)

In Chinese: 爸爸的胳膊力气很大,我记得小时候经常被他举起来。
Pinyin: Bà ba de gē bo lì qi hěn dà, wǒ jì de xiǎo shí hòu jīng cháng bèi tā jǔ qǐ lái.
In English: My dad’s arms are very strong; I remember I used to be lifted up by him when I was little.

4. Leg – 腿 (tuǐ)

In Chinese: 那位舞蹈演员的腿可真柔韧。
Pinyin: Nà wèi wǔ dǎo yǎn yuán de tuǐ kě zhēn róu rèn.
In English: That dancer’s legs are really flexible.

5. Eye – 眼睛 (yǎn jīng)

In Chinese: 虽然她的眼睛是盲的,但是她心灵的眼睛一直是明亮的。
Pinyin: Suī rán tā de yǎn jīng shì máng de, dàn shì tā xīn líng de yǎn jīng yì zhí shì míng liàng de.
In English: Her eyes are blind, but the eyes of her heart will always stay bright.

6. Nose – 鼻子 (bí zi)

In Chinese: 狗的鼻子嗅觉十分灵敏。
Pinyin: Gǒu de bí zi xiù jué shí fēn líng mǐn.
In English: A dog’s nose possesses strong olfaction.

7. Mouth – 嘴 (zuǐ)

In Chinese: 弟弟经常在吃饭的时候用嘴吸溜面条。
Pinyin: Dì di jīng cháng zài chī fàn de shí hou yòng zuǐ xī liu miàn tiáo.
In English: My younger brother always slurps noodles with his mouth while eating.

8. Face – 脸 (liǎn)

In Chinese: 你的脸上有东西。
Pinyin: Nǐ de liǎn shang yǒu dōng xi.
In English: There is something on your face.

9. Hand – 手 (shǒu)

In Chinese: 初次见面时握手是一种礼貌的行为。
Pinyin: Chū cì jiàn miàn shí wò shǒu shì yì zhǒng lǐ mào de xíng wéi.
In English: Shaking hands the first time you meet someone is a polite gesture.

10. Foot – 脚 (jiǎo)

In Chinese: 昨天在跑步时,我一不小心扭伤了脚。
Pinyin: Zuó tiān zài pǎo bù shí, wǒ yí bù xiǎo xīn niǔ shāng le jiǎo.
In English: When I was running yesterday, I injured my foot by accident.

9. Time



Here are the most important Chinese time nouns for you to study! Knowing these words will greatly benefit you in day-to-day life.

1. Today – 今天 (jīn tiān)


2. Tomorrow – 明天 (míng tiān)


3. The Day Before Yesterday – 前天 (qián tiān)


4. The Day After Tomorrow – 后天 (hòu tiān)

In Chinese: 今天 / 明天 / 前天 / 后天是我最好的朋友的生日。
Pinyin: Jīn tiān / míng tiān / qián tiān / hòu tiān shì wǒ zuì hǎo de péng you de shēng rì.
In English: Today / Tomorrow / The day before yesterday / The day after tomorrow is my best friend’s birthday.

5. Week – 周 (zhōu)


Monday – 周 (zhōu yī)

Tuesday – 周二 (zhōu èr)

Wednesday – 周三 (zhōu sān)

Thursday – 周四 (zhōu sì)

Friday – 周五 (zhōu wǔ)

Saturday – 周六 (zhōu liù)

Sunday – 周日 (zhōu rì)


In Chinese: 周六是我一周中最喜欢的日子。
Pinyin: Zhōu liù shì wǒ yì zhōu zhōng zuì xǐ huān de rì zi.
In English: Saturday is my favorite day of the week.

6. Day – 天 (tiān)

In Chinese: 再过十天就是我的生日了,这让我感到非常激动。
Pinyin: Zài guò shí tiān jiù shì wǒ de shēng rì le, zhè ràng wǒ gǎn dào fēi cháng jī dòng.
In English: My birthday is in ten days and this makes me very excited.

7. Month – 月 (yuè)

In Chinese: 每年的二月份是中国的春节。
Pinyin: Měi nián de èr yuè fèn shì zhōng guó de chūn jié.
In English: Every year in February is the Chinese New Year.

8. Year – 年 (nián)

In Chinese: 不管多少年过去,我们的友谊还是没有变。
Pinyin: Bù guǎn duō shǎo nián guò qu, wǒ men de yǒu yì hái shì méi yǒu biàn.
In English: No matter how many years have passed by, there is not a single thing that’s changed in our friendship.

9. Time – 时间 (shí jiān)

In Chinese: 时间就是金钱。
Pinyin: Shí jiān jiù shì jīn qián.
In English: Time is money.

10. Hour – 小时 (xiǎo shí)

In Chinese: 他每次至少迟到一个小时。
Pinyin: Tā měi cì zhì shǎo chí dào yí gè xiǎo shí.
In English: He is always at least an hour late every time.

11. Minute – 分钟 (fēn zhōng)

In Chinese: 我还有五分钟就到。
Pinyin: Wǒ hái yǒu wǔ fēn zhōng jiù dào.
In English: I will be there in five minutes.

10. Animals



Tiger Cub being Bottle Fed

Are you an animal lover?



1. Cat – 猫 (māo)

In Chinese: 猫是一种十分敏捷的动物。
Pinyin: Māo shì yì zhǒng shí fēn mǐn jié de dòng wù.
In English: Cats are very agile animals.

2. Dog – 狗 (gǒu)

In Chinese: 狗是人类最忠实的朋友。
Pinyin: Gǒu shì rén lèi zuì zhōng shí de péng you.
In English: Dogs are the most loyal friend for humans.

3. Bird – 鸟 (niǎo)

In Chinese: 我喜欢清晨的鸟叫声。
Pinyin: Wǒ xǐ huan qīng chén de niǎo jiào shēng.
In English: I enjoy birds’ singing in the morning.

4. Squirrel – 松鼠 (sōng shǔ)

In Chinese: 小松鼠吃东西的样子很可爱。
Pinyin: Xiǎo sōng shǔ chī dōng xi de yàng zi hěn kě ài.
In English: The way squirrels eat food is so adorable.

5. Snake – 蛇 (shé)

In Chinese: 蛇是一种冷血动物。
Pinyin: Shé shì yì zhǒng lěng xuè dòng wù.
In English: Snakes are cold-blooded animals.

6. Horse – 马 ()

In Chinese: 马是人类最原始的交通工具之一。
Pinyin: Mǎ shì rén lèi zuì yuán shǐ de jiāo tōng gōng jù zhī yī.
In English: Horses are one of the most primary transportation methods for humans.

7. Deer – 鹿 ()

In Chinese: 我从没有在森林中见到过鹿。
Pinyin: Wǒ cóng méi yǒu zài sēn lín zhōng jiàn dao guo lù.
In English: I’ve never seen a deer in the woods.

8. Fish – 鱼 ()

In Chinese: 鱼儿们自由自在地在水中嬉戏着。
Pinyin: Yú er men zì yóu zì zài de zài shuǐ zhōng xī xì zhe.
In English: Fish are swimming freely and playfully in the water.

9. Pig – 猪 (zhū)

In Chinese: 猪看起来很笨,实际上很聪明。
Pinyin: Zhū kàn qǐ lái hěn bèn, shí jì shang hěn cōng míng.
In English: Although pigs seem to be dumb, they are actually very smart.

10. Cow – 牛 (niú)

In Chinese: 牛的力气很大。
Pinyin: Niú de lì qì hěn dà.
In English: Cows have great strength.

11. Conclusion


Remember that “noun” in Chinese is 名词 (míng cí), and we’re sure that after this long journey of studying these Chinese nouns lists, your brain must have absorbed some of the common Chinese nouns. Even if you haven’t memorized all 100+ Chinese nouns, know that you’ve taken a great step toward getting there, and practice is your best friend!

Of course, there’s a lot more to talk about when it comes to nouns in the Chinese language; these treasures are all waiting for you at ChineseClass101.com. Whether you’re looking for nouns in Chinese grammar structures or nouns in the Chinese language in general, we have everything ready for you there! Click on the link to collect your treasure right now!

And before you go, let us know in the comments what new nouns in Chinese you learned! Are there any Chinese nouns you still want to know? We look forward to hearing from you!

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China Life Event Messages: Happy New Year in Chinese & More

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Sometimes, a single sentence can allow humans to easily connect with each other, especially wishes phrases that everyone wants to hear. There are some unique life events, and different ways of celebrating them, in every single country even between the local people, and that’s where they share the same values and embrace each other’s traditions. So how do you wish someone well in Chinese? And what can you gain from learning how to say Happy New Year in Chinese, and other holiday greetings?

As a language learner, such events can establish a great communication channel with native speakers and provide a better look at the local culture so you can really be a part of it. In China, you can have a variety of opportunities to get involved, as long as you know the right thing to say. Now is the best time to learn those phrases of congratulations in Chinese that pave your way toward integrating into Chinese culture!

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Table of Contents

  1. Birthday
  2. Mid-Autumn Festival
  3. Chinese Congratulations: Graduation
  4. Lantern Festival
  5. Chinese New Year Congratulations
  6. Wedding
  7. Bad News
  8. Death/Funeral
  9. Injured/Sick
  10. Holidays
  11. Conclusion

1. Birthday

Happy Birthday

Undeniably, birthdays are one of the biggest events across all cultures! Traditionally, Chinese people like to eat longevity noodles, which is a type of noodle that’s all in one string. Nowadays, however, more and more people eat western birthday cakes. Now, imagine that you’re invited to a birthday party and don’t know how to say Happy Birthday in Chinese. How embarrassing is that? Don’t worry, though; the answer is here for you!

In Chinese: 生日快乐!
Pinyin: Shēng rì kuài lè!
In English: Happy birthday!
Usage: Natural for both speaking and writing; informal.

In Chinese: 恭喜你又长大了一岁。
Pinyin: Gōng xǐ nǐ yòu zhǎng dà le yī suì.
In English: Congratulations on growing a year older.
Usage: More natural for writing; formal.

In Chinese: 恭喜你又向成年迈出了一步!
Pinyin: Gōng xǐ nǐ yòu xiàng chéng nián mài chū le yī bù.
In English: Congratulations that you are one step closer to becoming an adult!
Usage: More natural for writing; formal.

2. Mid-Autumn Festival

Full Moon

Mid-Autumn Festival happens when there is a full moon.

Mid-Autumn Festival is another holiday where Chinese people like to unite together with their families. On the night of this holiday, the moon will be completely round. In ancient times, people appreciated the moon in an artistic way, which is why there’s so much Chinese old-style poetry about the moon during the Mid-Autumn Festival. The staple food for this holiday is called 月饼 (yuè bǐng), meaning “moon cake.” It looks round and golden like the moon, usually with a whole salted duck egg inside.

Eat mooncake and appreciate the moon with families!

In Chinese: 中秋节快乐。
Pinyin: Zhōng qiū jié kuài lè.
In English: Happy Mid-Autumn Festival.
Usage: Natural for both speaking and writing; formal.

In Chinese: 祝你们合家欢乐。
Pinyin: Zhù nǐ men hé jiā huān lè.
In English: Wish you a happy family.
Usage: More natural for writing; formal.

In Chinese: 你吃月饼了吗?
Pinyin:chī yuè bǐng le ma?
In English: Did you eat a mooncake?
Usage: More natural for speaking; informal.

3. Chinese Congratulations: Graduation

Graduation Cap on Stack of Books

Graduation means a whole new chapter in life!

Graduations in China are very similar to other graduation ceremonies. Students take pictures and wish each other a bright future. Despite celebrating academic achievements, people may shed some tears on their graduation, as it could be time to part with some of their close friends from school. One way to keep the beautiful memories alive is to sign each other’s uniforms.

In Chinese: 毕业快乐。
Pinyin: Bì yè kuài lè.
In English: Happy graduation!
Usage: More natural for writing; formal.

In Chinese: 祝你前程似锦。
Pinyin: Zhù nǐ qián chéng sì jǐn.
In English: Hope you will have a bright future.
Usage: Natural for both speaking and writing; formal.

In Chinese: 希望你毕业之后一切顺利。
Pinyin: Xī wàng nǐ bì yè zhī hòu yī qiē shùn lì.
In English: Hope everything goes well for you after graduation.
Usage: Natural for both speaking and writing; informal.

4. Lantern Festival

Red Lanterns

Let’s put on some lanterns for the Lantern Festival!

The fifteenth day of the lunar calendar is the Lantern Festival, a holiday that’s arranged very close to the Chinese New Year. On this special day, Chinese people eat 元宵 / 汤圆 (yuán xiāo / tāng yuán), a dessert made from glutinous rice flour, to celebrate. They also give each other riddles to solve with a theme associated with the holiday.

In Chinese: 元宵节快乐!
Pinyin: Yuán xiāo jié kuài lè!
In English: Happy Lantern Festival!
Usage: Natural for both speaking and writing; formal.

In Chinese: 我来给你出个灯谜吧。
Pinyin: Wǒ lái gěi nǐ chū gè dēng mí ba.
In English: Let me give you a riddle.
Usage: More natural for speaking; informal.

In Chinese: 祝您一家人团团圆圆。
Pinyin: Zhù nín yī jiā rén tuán tuán yuán yuán.
In English: Wish your family a great reunion.
Usage: More natural for writing; formal.

5. Chinese New Year Congratulations

Remains of Fireworks on the Ground

When you see these, you know Chinese New Year is running right now!

Wondering how to say “Happy New Year” in Chinese? Well, you better know that if you’re studying Chinese, because the Chinese New Year is like Christmas in western countries. On this important holiday, people celebrate it by eating dumplings, visiting family, and lighting fireworks. If you ever want to be a part of Chinese culture, learn how to wish congratulations on Chinese New Year with some must-know phrases for the Chinese New Year!

In Chinese: 新年快乐,恭喜发财!
Pinyin: Xīn nián kuài lè, gōng xǐ fā cái!
In English: Happy new year, (I) wish you prosperity.
Usage: More natural for writing; informal.

In Chinese: 祝您万事如意。
Pinyin: Zhù nín wàn shì rú yì.
In English: May all your wishes come true.
Usage: More natural for writing; formal.

In Chinese: 我在这给您拜年了!
Pinyin: Wǒ zài zhè gěi nín bài nián le!
In English: Allow me to give you my new year’s blessing!
Usage: More natural for speaking; informal.

6. Wedding

Marriage Proposal

Traditionally, Chinese couples wore red for their wedding. However, modern Chinese weddings are very similar to western wedding ceremonies. A special custom that Chinese people still like to do is to give 份子钱 (fèn zi qián), or “gift money,” to the newly married couple for a wedding. This Chinese congratulations gift is one of the defining aspects of a Chinese wedding.

What do you say at a Chinese wedding? Make sure to study the Chinese marriage congratulations below to have something to say when you’re invited to a wedding!

In Chinese: 新婚快乐!
Pinyin: Xīn hūn kuài lè!
In English: Happy new wedding!
Usage: Natural for both speaking and writing; formal.

In Chinese: 祝你们长长久久。
Pinyin: Zhù nǐ men cháng cháng jiǔ jiǔ.
In English: I wish you a long time together.
Usage: More natural for writing; formal.

In Chinese: 祝你们一生恩爱幸福。
Pinyin: Zhù nǐ men yī shēng ēn ài xìng fú.
In English: Wishing you a lifetime of love and happiness.
Usage: More natural for writing; formal.

7. Bad News

Of course, there are always dark sides of life as long as there are bright sides. Now that we’ve learned all the happy Chinese wishes phrases, it’s time to learn some comforting phrases to show your support when hearing bad news.

In Chinese: 一切都会好起来的。
Pinyin: Yī qiè dōu huì hǎo qǐ lái de.
In English: Everything will get better.
Usage: More natural for speaking; informal.

In Chinese: 节哀顺变。
Pinyin: Jié āi shùn biàn.
In English: Please save your sadness and let things slide (for someone’s loss).
Usage: More natural for speaking; formal.

In Chinese: 别难过了,有我在呢。
Pinyin: Bié nán guò le, yǒu wǒ zài ne.
In English: Don’t be sad, I’m here for you.
Usage: More natural for speaking; informal.

8. Death/Funeral

Death is an inevitable topic in every culture, China included. The Chinese have a holiday where people go to the graveyard of their dead families to clean the grave and awake the past family memories. If you ever accompany someone on this special holiday, or go to a Chinese funeral, here are some Chinese wishes phrases you can use for the dead.

In Chinese: 安息吧,你会永远在我们的心里。
Pinyin: Ān xī ba, nǐ huì yǒng yuǎn zài wǒ men de xīn lǐ.
In English: Rest in peace and know that you will always be in our hearts.
Usage: More natural for speaking; informal.

In Chinese: 一路走好。
Pinyin: Yī lù zǒu hǎo.
In English: Have a good trip.
Usage: Natural for both speaking and writing; formal.

In Chinese: 希望你在天堂一切都好。
Pinyin: Xī wàng nǐ zài tiān táng yī qiè dōu hǎo.
In English: Hope everything is good in heaven.
Usage: More natural for writing; informal.

9. Injured/Sick

We are all human, and we may get injured or sick once in a while. When we’re in such a vulnerable state, we need nothing more than a heartwarming wish from loved ones. Traditionally, staple foods for sick people are boiled chicken soup or some porridge; if you ever want to show your care beyond words, that’s the way to go. But for now, let’s first learn some basic Chinese phrases for condolences, such as “wishing you good health” in Chinese. Here are some phrases to show your friends and loved ones that you care!

In Chinese: 好好照顾自己。
Pinyin: Hǎo hǎo zhào gù zì jǐ.
In English: Take care of yourself.
Usage: Natural for both speaking and writing; informal.

In Chinese: 快点好起来啊。
Pinyin: Kuài diǎn hǎo qǐ lái a.
In English: Get well soon.
Usage: More natural for writing; informal.

In Chinese: 祝您身体健康。
Pinyin: Zhù nín shēn tǐ jiàn kāng.
In English: Wishing you good health.
Usage: More natural for writing; formal.

10. Holidays

More Chinese wish phrases? No problem! There are many more unique holidays in China that you may not know! For example, the Chinese traditional Valentine’s Day is on July 7, which originated from a romantic fairytale of the Weaver Girl. Now, modern Chinese couples like to celebrate Valentine’s Day on May 20 because the pronunciation of 520 in Chinese sounds very similar to “I love you” in Chinese. Holidays like April Fool’s Day are a huge thing in China as well. Many young people take advantage of this day to confess their romantic feelings for one another! Lastly, you’ll learn how to say Chinese Christmas greetings and happy holidays in Mandarin Chinese.

In Chinese: 情人节/七夕快乐。
Pinyin: Qíng rén jié /Qī xī kuài lè.
In English: Happy Valentine’s Day.
Usage: Natural for both speaking and writing; formal.

In Chinese: 愚人节快乐!
Pinyin: Yú rén jié kuài lè!
In English: Happy April Fool’s Day!
Usage: Natural for both speaking and writing; formal.

In Chinese: 圣诞节快乐!
Pinyin: Shèng dàn jié kuài lè!
In English: Merry Christmas!
Usage: Natural for both speaking and writing; formal.

In Chinese: 假期快乐!
Pinyin: Jiǎ qī kuài lè!
In English: Happy holidays!
Usage: Natural for both speaking and writing; formal.

11. Conclusion

Basic Questions

Now, do you remember how to say “happy holidays” in Mandarin Chinese? How about Happy New Year or Merry Christmas in Chinese? This article certainly is a life-saver when it comes to being involved in life events. Now you don’t ever have to worry about being awkward during such occasions.

We’re dedicated to fulfilling every language learner’s needs. If you have any more questions about Chinese in store for us, visit ChineseClass101 to start an adventure in finding those answers. You won’t regret it!

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Top 100 Must-know Chinese Adjectives

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What is an adjective in Chinese? You may have wondered as a beginner in Chinese, considering adjectives’ ability to help you shine in conversation or writing. Without effective Chinese adjectives, a conversation can become dull, and you may easily lose the interest of your listeners.

By the end of this article, you’ll be able to describe your personality in Chinese, talk about the weather in Chinese, and even understand Chinese adjective placement so you can speak fluently. Everything you need can be found in our guide to the top 100 common Chinese adjectives we’ve customized just for you. Now, don’t worry; we’ve prepared some basic Chinese adjectives that can bring your speech to another level!

Adjectives in Chinese modify 名词 (míng cí), nouns. But where do adjectives go in Chinese sentences?

Before we continue to our Chinese adjectives list, keep in mind these two rules you should follow for structuring a sentence with common Chinese adjectives:

  1. Chinese subjective + very + adjective
  2. Adjective + of + noun

With a little bit more knowledge about Chinese adjectives grammar, you’re now ready to go and learn Chinese adjectives. Let’s get straight into our Chinese adjectives list that everyone should master, whether you want to become a skillful talker or an excellent storyteller!

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Table of Contents

  1. Describing Dimensions, Sizes, Distance, Number, Frequency, etc.
  2. Describing Value
  3. Describing Feeling & Sense
  4. Personalities and Human Behaviors
  5. Describing Speed, Difficulty, Importance, etc.
  6. Describing Colors in Chinese
  7. Describing Shapes & Textures in Chinese
  8. Describing Weather in Chinese
  9. Chinese Food Adjectives for Describing Taste
  10. Adjectives in Chinese for Describing a Situation
  11. Describing Physical Traits or Physical Conditions
  12. Describing Appearance in Chinese
  13. How Can You Go Beyond Common Chinese Adjectives?

1. Describing Dimensions, Sizes, Distance, Number, Frequency, etc.

Most Common Adjectives

1- 大的 (dà de) vs. 小的 (xiǎo de)

Meaning: Big

Usage in a sentence:

In English: Today is my birthday; my parents bought a big birthday cake for me.
Pinyin: Jīn tiān shì wǒ de shēng rì, bà ba mā ma gěi wǒ mǎi le yí gè hěn dà de shēng rì dàn gāo.
In Chinese: 今天是我的生日,爸爸妈妈给我买了一个很大的生日蛋糕。

Meaning: Small / Little

Usage in a sentence:

In English: I saw a little cat in my yard today.
Pinyin: Jīn tiān wǒ zài zì jiā yuàn zi li kàn jiàn le yì fzhī xiǎo māo.
In Chinese: 今天我在自家院子里看见了一只小猫。

2- 窄的 (zhǎi de) vs. 宽阔的 (kuān kuò de)

Meaning: Narrow

Usage in a sentence:

In English: This corner is too narrow to get our car through.
Pinyin: Zhè ge guǎi jiǎo tài zhǎi le, wǒ men de chē shì guò bú qù de.
In Chinese: 这个拐角太窄了,我们的车是过不去的。

Meaning: Wide

Usage in a sentence:

In English: The park near my house is very wide and big; many kids love to go there and play.
Pinyin: Wǒ jiā fù jìn de gōng yuán hěn kuān kuò, hěn duō hái zi dōu xǐ huān qù nà lǐ wán shuǎ.
In Chinese: 我家附近的公园很宽阔,很多孩子都喜欢去那里玩耍。

3- 高的 (gāo de) vs. 矮的 (ǎi de)

Meaning: Tall

Usage in a sentence:

In English: Every time I get taller, my parents are happy for me because it is the mark of me growing up.
Pinyin: Měi cì wǒ zhǎng gāo fù mǔ dōu hěn wèi wǒ gāo xìng, yīn wèi zhè shì wǒ chéng zhǎng de yìn jì.
In Chinese: 每次我长高父母都很为我高兴,因为这是我成长的印记。

Meaning: Short

Usage in a sentence:

In English: My friend is very short, but he is very good at shooting a basketball.
Pinyin: Suī rán wǒ péng you hěn ǎi, dàn tā tóu lán fēi cháng zhǔn.
In Chinese: 虽然我朋友很矮,但他投篮非常准。

4- 重的 (zhòng de) vs. 轻的 (qīng de)

Meaning: Heavy

Usage in a sentence:

In English: Because we needed to move today, I had to carry a lot of heavy furniture.
Pinyin: Yīn wèi jīn tiān yào bān jiā, wǒ bù dé bù bān le hěn duō hěn zhòng de jiā jù.
In Chinese: 因为今天要搬家,我不得不搬了很多很重的家具。

Meaning: Light

Usage in a sentence:

In English: My sister is only three years old; she is very light and easy to carry.
Pinyin: Wǒ mèi mei cái sān suì, bào qǐ lai hěn qīng, háo bú fèi lì.
In Chinese: 我妹妹才三岁,抱起来很轻,毫不费力。

5- 高的 (gāo de) vs. 低的 (dī de)

Meaning: High

Usage in a sentence:

In English: During my trip, I had a ride on a hot air balloon, and it went up high.
Pinyin: Lǚ xíng qī jiān wǒ zuò le rè qì qiú, shēng dào le hěn gāo de dì fang.
In Chinese: 旅行期间我坐了热气球,升到了很高的地方。

Additional notes: In Chinese, tall and high are the same thing, which actually makes it easier to remember. So don’t freak out when you see them used for different meanings in English!

Meaning: Low

Usage in a sentence:

In English: The expert said that the risk of this stock is relatively low.
Pinyin: Zhuān jiā shuō zhè zhī gǔ piào fēng xiǎn jiào dī.
In Chinese: 专家说这只股票风险较低。

6- 近的 (jìn de) vs. 远的 (yuǎn de)

Meaning: Close

Usage in a sentence:

In English: The supermarket is very close to my house; it only takes me five minutes to walk there.
Pinyin: Chāo shì lí wǒ jiā fēi cháng jìn, zǒu lù wǔ fèn zhōng jiù dào.
In Chinese: 超市离我家非常近,走路五分钟就到。

Meaning: Far

Usage in a sentence:

In English: Today is my grandmother’s birthday, so no matter how far away she is, we’ll make it to her birthday party.
Pinyin: Jīn tiān shì lǎo lao de shēng rì, suǒ yǐ jiù suàn lí de zài yuǎn, wǒ men yě yào qù wèi tā qìng shēng.
In Chinese: 今天是姥姥的生日,所以就算离得再远,我们也要去为她庆生。

7- 一些 (yì xiē)

Meaning: Some

Usage in a sentence:

In English: Yesterday, my friend taught me how to bake some bread, and I’m going to bring some home and let mom taste them.
Pinyin: Zuó tiān péng you jiāo wǒ zuò le yì xiē miàn bāo, wǒ dǎ suàn ná huí jiā gěi mā ma cháng chang.
In Chinese: 昨天朋友教我做了一些面包,我打算拿回家给妈妈尝尝。

8- 任何的 (rèn hé de)

Meaning: Any

Usage in a sentence:

In English: I won’t allow any of my friends to get hurt.
Pinyin: Wǒ bú huì yǔn xǔ rèn hé yí gè wǒ de péng you bèi shāng hài.
In Chinese: 我不会允许任何一个我的朋友被伤害。

9- 几个 (jǐ gè)

Meaning: A few

Usage in a sentence:

In English: Although I don’t have that many friends, there are always a few of them whom I can confide in.
Pinyin: Suī rán wǒ de péng you méi yǒu nà me duō, dān zǒng yǒu jǐ gè shì hé wǒ jiāo xīn de.
In Chinese: 虽然我的朋友没有那么多,但总有几个是和我交心的。

10- 很多的 (hěn duō de)

Meaning: Many

Usage in a sentence:

In English: I heard that this restaurant is very good; there are always so many people waiting in line.
Pinyin: Wǒ tīng shuō zhè jiā cān tīng hěn hǎo chī, zǒng shì yǒu hěn duō rén zài pái duì.
In Chinese: 我听说这家餐厅很好吃,总是有很多人在排队。

11- 很少的 (hěn shǎo de)

Meaning: Little / Few

Usage in a sentence:

In English: I waited a long time in line just to buy a certain flavor of ice cream, but when it was my turn, there were only a few choices left.
Pinyin: Wèi le mǎi zhè kuǎn bīng jī líng, wǒ pái le hěn cháng shí jiān de duì. Dàn děng dào wǒ de shí hou, zhǐ shèng xia hěn shǎo de xuǎn zé.
In Chinese: 为了买这款冰激凌,我排了很长时间的队。但等到我的时候,只剩下很少的选择。

2. Describing Value

1- 好的 (hǎo de)

Thumbs-Up!

Let’s give good people a thumbs-up!

Meaning: Good

Usage in a sentence:

In English: My younger sister is a very good child; she especially loves to take care of little animals.
Pinyin: Wǒ mèi mei shì gè hěn hǎo de hái zi, tā tè bié ài hù xiǎo dòng wù.
In Chinese: 我妹妹是个很好的孩子,她特别爱护小动物。

2- 糟糕的 (zāo gāo de)

Meaning: Terrible

Usage in a sentence:

In English: I lost my favorite toy, and I am in a terrible mood right now.
Pinyin: Wǒ bǎ xīn ài de wán jù diū le, xiàn zài xīn qíng fēi cháng zāo gāo.
In Chinese: 我把心爱的玩具丢了,现在心情非常糟糕。

3- 棒的 (bàng de)

Meaning: Amazing

Usage in a sentence:

In English: Today, I went to watch a theater show at my school, and all the actors’ performances were amazing.
Pinyin: Jīn tiān wǒ qù kàn le xué xiào de huà jù yǎn chū, yǎn yuán men de biǎo xiàn dōu bàng jí le.
In Chinese: 今天我去看了学校的话剧演出,演员们的表现都棒极了。

4- 差的 (chà de)

Meaning: Bad

Usage in a sentence:

In English: During a teacher-parent conference, my teacher explained to my mom why my grade has been bad recently.
Pinyin: Jiā zhǎng huì shang, lǎo shī xiàng mā ma jiě shì le wǒ zuì jìn chéng ji jiào chà de yuán yīn.
In Chinese: 家长会上,老师向妈妈解释了我最近成绩较差的原因。

3. Describing Feeling & Sense

1- 凉的 (liáng de) vs. 热的 (rè de)

Meaning: Cold

Usage in a sentence:

In English: The pastry that mom baked was already cold when I got home.
Pinyin: Děng wǒ huí jiā de shí hou, mā ma zuò hǎo de diǎn xīn yǐ jīng liáng le.
In Chinese: 等我回家的时候,妈妈做好的点心已经凉了。

Meaning: Hot

Usage in a sentence:

In English: My mom told me to eat the freshly made bun while it’s still hot.
Pinyin: Mā ma shuō ràng wǒ chèn rè bǎ gāng zuò hǎo de bāo zi chī le.
In Chinese: 妈妈说让我趁热把刚做好的包子吃了。

2- 烫的 (tàng de)

Meaning: Burning

Usage in a sentence:

In English: Coffee can be burning (hot) when it’s freshly brewed.
Pinyin: Kā fēi gāng zhǔ hǎo de shí hou hěn tàng.
In Chinese: 咖啡刚煮好的时候很烫。

3- 温暖的 (wēn nuǎn de)

Book Whose Pages Are Making a Heart

Do you ever feel a certain way, but don’t know the right adjective to describe it in Chinese? We will show you the way!

Meaning: Heartwarming

Usage in a sentence:

In English: My teammates are so united that this whole team feels like one big heartwarming home.
Pinyin: Wǒ de duì yuán men dōu fēi cháng tuán jié, zhè ràng wǒ men de duì wu jiù xiàng yí gè wēn nuǎn de dà jiā tíng yí yàng.
In Chinese: 我的队员们都非常团结,这让我们的队伍就像一个温暖的大家庭一样。

4- 暖和的 (nuǎn huo de)

Meaning: Warm

Usage in a sentence:

In English: The room finally started to get warm after the heater was turned on.
Pinyin: Nuǎn qì dǎ kāi zhī hòu, fáng jiān lǐ zhōng yú nuǎn huo qǐ lai le.
In Chinese: 暖气打开之后,房间里终于暖和起来了。

5- 柔软的 (róu ruǎn de)

Meaning: Soft

Usage in a sentence:

In English: I like to lean on my dog; his hair is very soft and comfortable to be leaned on.
Pinyin: Wǒ hěn xǐ huan kào zài wǒ jiā de gǒu shēn shang, tā de pí máo hěn róu ruǎn, kào qǐ lai hěn shū fu.
In Chinese: 我很喜欢靠在我家的狗身上,他的皮毛很柔软,靠起来很舒服。

6- 舒服的 (shū fu de)

Meaning: Comfortable

Usage in a sentence:

In English: My favorite thing is lying on the beach while enjoying the feeling of the wind blowing through my face; it just feels so comfortable.
Pinyin: Wǒ zuì xǐ huān tǎng zài hǎi tān shàng, xiǎng shòu hǎi fēng yíng miàn chuī lái de gǎn jué, shū fu jí le.
In Chinese: 我最喜欢躺在海滩上,享受海风迎面吹来的感觉,舒服极了。

7- 疼的 (téng de)

Meaning: Painful

Usage in a sentence:

In English: Tomorrow, I will have to get my teeth pulled. Hopefully it won’t be that painful.
Pinyin: Wǒ míng tiān jiù yào qù bá yá le, xī wàng bú huì hěn téng.
In Chinese: 我明天就要去拔牙了,希望不会很疼。

8- 痛苦的 (tòng kǔ de)

Meaning: Bitter

Usage in a sentence:

In English: The dog that’s been with me ever since I was little just passed away. This makes me feel extremely bitter.
Pinyin: Wǒ cóng xiǎo dào dà yǎng de gǒu qù shì le, zhè ràng wǒ gǎn dào shí fēn tòng kǔ.
In Chinese: 我从小到大养的狗去世了,这让我感到十分痛苦。

4. Personalities and Human Behaviors

Papers with Happy and Sad Faces On Them

How do you describe your personality in Chinese? Here are the answers!

1) Personalities

When you introduce yourself during an interview, or when you talk about personality traits with friends, have you ever wondered how to describe your personality in Chinese Mandarin? Here are the most common Chinese personality adjectives that you can use!

1- 善良的 (shàn liáng de)

Meaning: Kind

Usage in a sentence:

In English: My sister is an extremely kind person; she always tries her best to help others.
Pinyin: Jiě jie shì gè shí fēn shàn liáng de rén, tā zǒng shì huì jié jìn quán lì qù bāng zhù bié rén.
In Chinese: 姐姐是个十分善良的人,她总是会竭尽全力去帮助别人。

2- 开明的 (kāi míng de)

Meaning: Open-minded

Usage in a sentence:

In English: My parents are very open-minded people; they never intervene with my own decisions.
Pinyin: Wǒ de fù mǔ dōu shì fēi cháng kāi míng de rén, tā men cóng lái dōu bú huì gān shè wǒ de jué dìng.
In Chinese: 我的父母都是非常开明的人,他们从来都不会干涉我的决定。

3- 幽默的 (yōu mò de)

Meaning: Hilarious

Usage in a sentence:

In English: My English teacher’s class is so hilarious that I can’t help but crack up.
Pinyin: Wǒ yīng yǔ lǎo shī de kè shí zài shì tài yōu mò le, wǒ zǒng shì rěn bú zhù hā hā dà xiào qǐ lái.
In Chinese: 我英语老师的课实在是太幽默了,我总是忍不住哈哈大笑起来。

4- 友好的 (yǒu hǎo de)

Meaning: Friendly

Usage in a sentence:

In English: She is very friendly and easy to get along with.
Pinyin: Tā shì yí gè fēi cháng yǒu hǎo bìng qiě hǎo xiāng chǔ de rén.
In Chinese: 她是一个非常友好并且好相处的人。

5- 疯狂的 (fēng kuáng de)

Man Screaming

Just admit it, we all get crazy sometimes!

Meaning: Crazy

Usage in a sentence:

In English: There are always some crazy and strange ideas in my younger brother’s head.
Pinyin: Wǒ dì di de nǎo dài li zǒng yǒu hěn duō fēng kuáng gǔ guài de xiǎng fǎ.
In Chinese: 我弟弟的脑袋里总有很多疯狂古怪的想法。

6- 开朗的 (lěng jìng de) vs. 内向的 (nèi xiàng de)

Meaning: Outgoing

Usage in a sentence:

In English: He is very popular among people, and everyone likes how outgoing he is.
Pinyin: Tā de rén yuán tè bié hǎo, rén rén dōu xǐ huān tā kāi lǎng de xìng gé.
In Chinese: 他的人缘特别好,人人都喜欢他开朗的性格。

Meaning: Introverted

Usage in a sentence:

In English: Even though she seems to be very introverted, once she is acquainted with you, she will become especially talkative.
Pinyin: Suī rán tā kàn qǐ lai shí fēn nèi xiàng, dàn yí dàn hé nǐ shú luò qǐ lai, tā jiù huì yí xià zi biàn de huà tè bié duō.
In Chinese: 虽然她看起来十分内向,但一旦和你熟络起来,她就会一下子变得话特别多。

2) Feelings

1- 快乐的 / 开心的 (kuài le de / kāi xīn de)

Meaning: Happy

Usage in a sentence:

In English: My friends and I were all very happy at our senior prom last night.
Pinyin: Zài zuó wǎn de bì yè wǔ huì shang, wǒ hé wǒ de péng you men dōu wán de hěn kāi xīn.
In Chinese: 在昨晚的毕业舞会上,我和我的朋友们都玩得很开心。

2- 烦躁的 (fán zào de)

Meaning: Agitated

Usage in a sentence:

In English: I feel so agitated because I am not sure whether I did well on the test or not.
Pinyin: Yīn wèi wǒ bú què dìng zì jǐ dào dǐ kǎo méi kǎo hǎo, suǒ yǐ gǎn jué yì cháng fán zào.
In Chinese: 因为我不确定自己到底考没考好,所以感觉异常烦躁。

3- 沮丧的 (jǔ sàng de)

Meaning: Upset

Usage in a sentence:

In English: I thought I was capable of acing this interview, but I can’t believe it turned out this badly. It makes me so upset.
Pinyin: Wǒ běn yǐ wéi zì jǐ duì zhè gè miàn shì hěn yǒu bǎ wò, méi xiǎng dào fā huī de zhè me chà, zhè ràng wǒ gǎn dào shí fēn jǔ sàng.
In Chinese: 我本以为自己对这个面试很有把握,没想到发挥得这么差,这让我感到十分沮丧。

4- 伤心的/难过的 (shāng xīn de)

Meaning: Sad

Usage in a sentence:

In English: My younger sister dropped her cake on the floor by accident, and she got so sad that she started to cry.
Pinyin: Mèi mei yí bù xiǎo xīn bǎ dàn gāo diào dao le dì shang, shāng xīn de kū le qǐ lai.
In Chinese: 妹妹一不小心把蛋糕掉到了地上,伤心的哭了起来。

5- 孤单的 (gū dān de)

Meaning: Lonely

Usage in a sentence:

In English: Ever since I went to study abroad, I often feel very lonely.
Pinyin: Lái dao guó wài liú xué zhī hòu, wǒ jīng cháng gǎn dào shí fēn gū dān.
In Chinese: 来到国外留学之后,我经常感到十分孤单。

6- 百感交集的 (bǎi gǎn jiāo jí de)

Meaning: Emotional

Usage in a sentence:

In English: Every night when everything gets quiet around me, I become emotional and start to overthink things.
Pinyin: Měi dāng wǎn shang yè shēn rén jìng de shí hou, wǒ jiù huì biàn de bǎi gǎn jiāo jí, kāi shǐ xiǎng hěn duō bù gāi xiǎng de shì qíng.
In Chinese: 每当晚上夜深人静的时候,我就会变得百感交集,开始想很多不该想的事情。

7- 冲动的 (chōng dòng de) vs. 冷静的 (lěng jìng de)

Meaning: Impulsive

Usage in a sentence:

In English: We should not make a decision when we are being impulsive.
Pinyin: Wǒ men bù yīng gāi zài chōng dòng de shí hou zuò jué dìng.
In Chinese: 我们不应该在冲动的时候做决定。

Meaning: Calm

Usage in a sentence:

In English: I’m trying to put her at ease and make her calm.
Pinyin: Wǒ shì zhe ān fǔ tā, hǎo ràng tā lěng jìng xià lai.
In Chinese: 我试着安抚她,好让她冷静下来。

5. Describing Speed, Difficulty, Importance, etc.

Improve Pronunciation

1- 快的 (kuài de) vs. 慢的 (màn de)

Meaning: Fast

Usage in a sentence:

In English: I can’t believe how fast the bus arrived once I got to the bus stop.
Pinyin: Wǒ bù gǎn xiàng xìn zì jǐ gāng dào gōng jiāo chē zhàn, gōng jiāo chē jiù fēi cháng kuài de dào zhàn le.
In Chinese: 我不敢相信自己刚到公交车站,公交车就非常快地到站了。

Meaning: Slow

Usage in a sentence:

In English: A sloth is probably the slowest animal in the world.
Pinyin: Shù lǎn dà gài shì shì jiè zuì màn de dòng wù zhī yī le.
In Chinese: 树懒大概是世界最慢的动物之一了。

2- 简单的 (jiǎn dān de)

Meaning: Simple

Usage in a sentence:

In English: I just want a simple life and I don’t want to always overthink.
Pinyin: Wǒ zhǐ xiǎng yào yí gè jiǎn dān de shēng huó, bù xiǎng zǒng shì xiǎng nà me duō.
In Chinese: 我只想要一个简单的生活,不想总是想那么多。

3- 容易的 (róng yì de) vs. 困难的 (kùn nán de)

Meaning: Easy

Usage in a sentence:

In English: This math question is too easy for a highschool student.
Pinyin: Zhè dào shù xué tí duì yí gè gāo zhōng shēng ér yán shí zài shì tài róng yì le.
In Chinese: 这道数学题对一个高中生而言实在是太容易了。

Meaning: Difficult

Usage in a sentence:

In English: It is very difficult for someone who is not confident to perform on stage.
Pinyin: Duì yú yí gè bú zì xìn de rén lái shuō, shàng tái biǎo yǎn shì fēi cháng kùn nán de.
In Chinese: 对于一个不自信的人来说,上台表演是非常困难的。

4- 重要的 (zhòng yao de) vs. 无关紧要的 (wú guān jǐn yào de)

Meaning: Important

Usage in a sentence:

In English: A passport is a very important document; make sure to check your backpack again for your passport before you leave for the airport.
Pinyin: Hù zhào shì hěn zhòng yào de zhèng jiàn, qù jī chǎng zhī qián yí dìng yào zài jiǎn chá yí biàn hù zhào shì fǒu zài bāo lǐ.
In Chinese: 护照是很重要的证件,去机场之前一定要再检查一遍护照是否在包里。

Meaning: Trivial

Usage in a sentence:

In English: It’s okay if your money is stolen; you can make more as long as you are safe. Compared to one’s safety, everything else seems trivial.
Pinyin: Qián bèi tōu méi yǒu guān xì, hái kě yǐ zài zhèng, zhǐ yào nǐ rén shēn ān quán méi yǒu chū wèn tí jiù hǎo, bǐ qǐ ān quán qí tā dōu shì wú guān jǐn yào de shì qíng.
In Chinese: 钱被偷没有关系,还可以再挣,只要你人身安全没有出问题就好,比起安全其他都是无关紧要的事情。

6. Describing Colors in Chinese

1- 红色的 (hóng sè de)

Meaning: Red

Usage in a sentence:

In English: Most roses are red.
Pinyin: Dà duō shù méi guī dōu shì hóng sè de.
In Chinese: 大多数玫瑰都是红色的。

2- 蓝色的 (lán sè de)

Meaning: Blue

Usage in a sentence:

In English: The sky is very blue today.
Pinyin: Jīn tiān de tiān kōng yí piàn wèi lán.
In Chinese: 今天的天空一片蔚蓝。

3- 绿色的 (lǜ sè de)

Meaning: Green

Usage in a sentence:

In English: Grass becomes extra green after a rain.
Pinyin: Xià guò yǔ zhī hòu, xiǎo cǎo men biàn de gé wài de lǜ.
In Chinese: 下过雨之后,小草们变得格外得绿。

4- 黄色的 (huáng sè de)

Meaning: Yellow

Usage in a sentence:

In English: Bananas are yellow.
Pinyin: Xiāng jiāo shì huáng sè de.
In Chinese: 香蕉是黄色的。

5- 黑色的 (hēi sè de)

Meaning: Black

Usage in a sentence:

In English: I wish to have hair that is black and pretty.
Pinyin: Wǒ xiǎng yǒu yì tóu wū hēi piāo liang de tóu fa.
In Chinese: 我想有一头乌黑漂亮的头发。

6- 白色的 (bái sè de)

Meaning: White

Usage in a sentence:

In English: In fairytales, angels wear white clothes.
Pinyin: Chuán shuō zhōng tiān shǐ chuān zhe bái sè de yī fu.
In Chinese: 传说中天使穿着白色的衣服。

7- 深色的 (shēn sè de)

Meaning: Dark-colored

Usage in a sentence:

In English: Every time the moon rises, it throws light on the dark sky.
Pinyin: Měi dāng yuè liang shēng qǐ, shēn sè de tiān kōng biàn yǒu le yì mǒ guāng máng.
In Chinese: 每当月亮升起,深色的天空便有了一抹光芒。

8- 浅色的 (qiǎn sè de)

Meaning: Light-colored

Usage in a sentence:

In English: It would look better if you match these clothes with light-colored shoes.
Pinyin: Zhè jiàn yī fu pèi qiǎn sè de xié gèng hǎo kàn.
In Chinese: 这件衣服配浅色的鞋更好看。

7. Describing Shapes & Textures in Chinese

1- 圆形的 (yuán xíng de)

Meaning: Round

Usage in a sentence:

In English: The bottom of the pillar is round.
Pinyin: Zhè ge zhù zi de dǐ bù shì yuán xíng de.
In Chinese: 这个柱子的底部是圆形的。

2- 环形的 (huán xíng de)

Meaning: Circular

Usage in a sentence:

In English: If the road is too circular, it would be hard for a beginning driver.
Pinyin: Rú guǒ dào lù guò yú huán xíng de huà, duì yú xīn shǒu sī jī huì bǐ jiào yǒu nán dù.
In Chinese: 如果道路过于环形的话,对于新手司机会比较有难度。

3- 光滑的 (guāng huá de) vs. 粗糙的 (cū cāo de)

Meaning: Smooth

Usage in a sentence:

In English: My skin became especially smooth after I put on some lotion.
Pinyin: Tú wán hù shǒu shuāng zhī hòu wǒ de pí fū biàn de yì cháng guāng huá.
In Chinese: 涂完护手霜之后我的皮肤变得异常光滑。

Meaning: Tough

Usage in a sentence:

In English: These clothes feel very tough on the outside; it doesn’t seem to have good quality.
Pinyin: Zhè jiàn yī fu wài miàn mō qǐ lai shí fēn cū cāo, zhì liàng kàn qǐ lai bú shì hěn hǎo.
In Chinese: 这件衣服外面摸起来十分粗糙,质量看起来不是很好。

8. Describing Weather in Chinese

1- 晴朗的 (qíng lǎng de)

Meaning: Sunny

Usage in a sentence:

In English: Today it’s very sunny; it’d be good to take a walk outside.
Pinyin: Jīn tiān de tiān qì shí fēn qíng lǎng, hěn shì hé chū qù sàn sàn bù.
In Chinese: 今天的天气十分晴朗,很适合出去散散步。

2- 闷热的 (mēn rè de)

Meaning: Humid

Usage in a sentence:

In English: I don’t like humid weather; it makes people feel like it’s hard to breathe.
Pinyin: Wǒ bù xǐ huan mēn rè de tiān qì, huì gǎn jué ràng rén chuǎn bú guò qì lai.
In Chinese: 我不喜欢闷热的天气,会感觉让人喘不过气来。

3- 多风的 (duō fēng de)

Meaning: Windy

Usage in a sentence:

In English: It’s been very windy recently. The trees outside always make noise while being blown around.
Pinyin: Zuì jìn tiān qì hěn duō fēng, wài miàn de shù jīng cháng bèi chuī de dà shēng xiǎng.
In Chinese: 最近天气很多风,外面的树经常被吹得大声响。

4- 多雨的 (duō yǔ de)

Meaning: Rainy

Usage in a sentence:

In English: Recently, California has been very rainy.
Pinyin: Jiā zhōu zuì jìn shí fēn duō yǔ.
In Chinese: 加州最近十分多雨。

5- 多云的 (duō yún de)

Meaning: Cloudy

Usage in a sentence:

In English: Today is very cloudy; it seems like it’s going to rain.
Pinyin: Jīn tiān tiān qì duō yún, kàn qǐ lai hǎo xiàng yào xià yǔ.
In Chinese: 今天天气多云,看起来好像要下雨。

Additional notes: For more weather words in Chinese, check out our Chinese weather article!

9. Chinese Food Adjectives for Describing Taste

1- 甜的 (tián de)

Meaning: Sweet

Usage in a sentence:

In English: My favorite fruits are grapes, because they taste perfectly sweet.
Pinyin: Wǒ zuì xǐ huān de shuǐ guǒ jiù shì pú tao, chī qǐ lai tián tián de.
In Chinese: 我最喜欢的水果就是葡萄,吃起来甜甜的。

2- 咸的 (xián de)

Meaning: Salty

Usage in a sentence:

In English: I still remember the very first time I tried to cook, I used lots of salt because I thought it was sugar, so the final dish was extremely salty.
Pinyin: Wǒ hái jì de zì jǐ dì yī cì zuò fàn de shí hou, bǎ yán dāng chéng le táng fàng jìn le cài li, dǎo zhì zuì hòu chéng pǐn hěn xián.
In Chinese: 我还记得自己第一次做饭的时候,把盐当成了糖放进了菜里,导致最后成品很咸。

3- 酸的 (suān de)

Meaning: Sour

Usage in a sentence:

In English: Pregnant women typically prefer sour food.
Pinyin: Huái yùn de nǚ rén yì bān bǐ jiào xǐ huān chī suān de shí wù.
In Chinese: 怀孕的女人一般比较喜欢吃酸的食物。

4- 苦的 (kǔ de)

Meaning: Bitter

Usage in a sentence:

In English: My younger sister hates taking medicine because it tastes too bitter for her.
Pinyin: Wǒ mèi mei fēi cháng tǎo yàn chī yào, yīn wèi shí zài shì tài kǔ le.
In Chinese: 我妹妹非常讨厌吃药,因为实在是太苦了。

5- 辣的 (là de)

Meaning: Spicy

Usage in a sentence:

In English: I can’t handle spicy food, even though I was born in Sichuan.
Pinyin: Wǒ bìng bú shì hěn néng chī là de shí wù, jìn guǎn wǒ shì zài sì chuān chū shēng de.
In Chinese: 我并不是很能吃辣的食物,尽管我是在四川出生的。

6- 麻的 (má de)

Meaning: A pungent flavor that makes your mouth feel numb

Usage in a sentence:

In English: Sichuan pepper can make your tongue go numb.
Pinyin: Sì chuān de huā jiāo kě yǐ ràng nǐ de shé tou fā má.
In Chinese: 四川的花椒可以让你的舌头发麻。

10. Adjectives in Chinese for Describing a Situation

1- 危险的 (wēi xiǎn de)

Meaning: Dangerous

Usage in a sentence:

In English: It’s very dangerous to go out alone as a kid when it’s dark outside.
Pinyin: Zuò wéi yí gè xiǎo hái, tiān hēi zhī hòu yí gè rén chū mén shì hěn wēi xiǎn de.
In Chinese: 作为一个小孩,天黑之后一个人出门是很危险的。

2- 好玩的 (hǎo wán de)

Meaning: Fun

Usage in a sentence:

In English: This amusement park is such a fun place to go.
Pinyin: Zhè ge yóu lè yuán zhēn shì yí gè hǎo wán de dì fang.
In Chinese: 这个游乐园真是一个好玩的地方。

3- 有趣的 (yǒu qù de) vs. 无聊的 (wú liáo de)

Meaning: Interesting

Usage in a sentence:

In English: This storybook is so interesting. I already can’t wait to see what happens in the next chapter.
Pinyin: Zhè běn gù shì shū kě zhēn yǒu qù, wǒ yǐ jīng pò bù jí dài xiǎng yào zhī dào xià yì zhāng huì fā shēng shén me le.
In Chinese: 这本故事书可真有趣,我已经迫不及待想要知道下一章会发生什么了。

Meaning: Boring

Usage in a sentence:

In English: All my roommates are out traveling; being by myself is so boring.
Pinyin: Shì yǒu dōu chū qù lǚ xíng le, yí gè rén shēng huó de rì zi hǎo wú liáo a.
In Chinese: 室友都出去旅行了,一个人生活的日子好无聊啊。

4- 刺激的 (cì jī de)

Meaning: Exciting

Usage in a sentence:

In English: It is so exciting to be on a roller coaster!
Pinyin: Zuò guò shān chē shí zài shì tài cì jī le!
In Chinese: 坐过山车实在是太刺激了!

11. Describing Physical Traits or Physical Conditions

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Here are some adjectives in Mandarin Chinese to talk about physical traits or conditions. These are essential for describing people in Chinese!

1- 老的 (lǎo de) vs. 年轻的 (nián qīng de)

Meaning: Old

Usage in a sentence:

In English: Bodies can turn old, but hearts can always remain young.
Pinyin: Shēn tǐ kě yǐ biàn lǎo, dàn xīn kě yǐ yǒng yuǎn bǎo chí nián qīng.
In Chinese: 身体可以变老,但心可以永远保持年轻。

Meaning: Young

Usage in a sentence:

In English: When we are young, we should be brave and pursue our dreams.
Pinyin: Chèn zhe wǒ men hái nián qīng, jiù yào yǒng gǎn de qù zhuī mèng.
In Chinese: 趁着我们还年轻,就要勇敢地去追梦。

2- 强壮的 (qiáng zhuàng de) vs. 弱小的 (ruò xiǎo de)

Meaning: Strong

Usage in a sentence:

In English: He always exercises at the gym, so his body is very strong.
Pinyin: Tā jīng cháng qù jiàn shēn fáng duàn liàn, suǒ yǐ shēn tǐ fēi cháng qiáng zhuàng.
In Chinese: 他经常去健身房锻炼,所以身体非常强壮。

Meaning: Weak

Usage in a sentence:

In English: I heard that she always gets sick and isn’t very healthy, so no wonder she appears to be very weak.
Pinyin: Tīng shuō tā jīng cháng shēng bìng, shēn tǐ hěn bù hǎo, guài bu de kàn qǐ lai nà me ruò xiǎo.
In Chinese: 听说她经常生病,身体很不好,怪不得看起来那么弱小。

3- 病的 (bìng de)

Meaning: Sick

Usage in a sentence:

In English: I had to stay in bed and rest the whole day today, because I was sick.
Pinyin: Wǒ jīn tiān yì zhěng tiān dōu zài chuáng shàng tǎng zhe xiū xi, yīn wèi wǒ bìng le.
In Chinese: 我今天一整天都在床上躺着休息,因为我病了。

4- 敏捷的 (mǐn jié de)

Meaning: Agile

Usage in a sentence:

In English: Rabbits are very agile animals; their size is small, but they run very fast.
Pinyin: Tù zi shì fēi cháng mǐn jié de dòng wù, suī rán tǐ xíng xiǎo, dàn què pǎo de hěn kuài.
In Chinese: 兔子是非常敏捷的动物,虽然体型小,但却跑得很快。

12. Describing Appearance in Chinese

1- 漂亮的 (piào liang de)

Meaning: Pretty

Usage in a sentence:

In English: The dress that model is wearing looks so pretty, even though it’s overpriced.
Pinyin: Nà ge mó tè chuān de qún zi zhēn piāo liang, suī rán jià gé guò gāo le.
In Chinese: 那个模特穿的裙子真漂亮,虽然价格过高了。

2- 丑陋的 (chǒu lòu de) vs. 美丽的 (měi lì de)

Meaning: Ugly

Usage in a sentence:

In English: An ugly appearance is born with, but an ugly heart is caused by ourselves.
Pinyin: Chǒu lòu de wài biǎo kě yǐ shì tiān shēng de, dàn chǒu lòu de nèi xīn què shì wǒ men zì jǐ zào chéng de.
In Chinese: 丑陋的外表可以是天生的,但丑陋的内心却是我们自己造成的。

Meaning: Beautiful

Usage in a sentence:

In English: The nature here is so beautiful that I can’t take my eyes off it.
Pinyin: Zhè lǐ de zì rán fēng jǐng shí zài shì tài guò měi lì le, yǐ zhì yú wǒ gēn běn wú fǎ jiāng mù guāng zhuǎn yí dào bié de dì fang.
In Chinese: 这里的自然风景实在是太过美丽了,以至于我根本无法将目光转移到别的地方。

3- 胖的 (pàng de) vs. 瘦的 (shòu de)

Meaning: Fat

Usage in a sentence:

In English: Although he looks a bit fat, he can run really fast.
Pinyin: Suī rán tā kàn qǐ lai yǒu xiē pàng, dàn tā pǎo bù fēi cháng kuài.
In Chinese: 虽然他看起来有些胖,但他跑步非常快。

Meaning: Thin

Usage in a sentence:

In English: She looks so incredibly thin that I think she barely eats.
Pinyin: Tā kàn qǐ lai shí zài shì guò yú shòu le, yǐ zhì yú wǒ jué de tā jī hū dōu bù zěn me chī dōng xi.
In Chinese: 她看起来实在是过于瘦了,以至于我觉得她几乎都不怎么吃东西。

4- 苗条的 (miáo tiao de)

Meaning: Skinny

Usage in a sentence:

In English: She is on a diet right now because she wants to get skinny.
Pinyin: Tā yīn wèi xiǎng yào biàn shòu, xiàn zài zhèng zài jiē shí zhōng.
In Chinese: 她因为想要变瘦,现在正在节食中。

5- 好看的 (hǎo kàn de)

Meaning: Good-looking

Usage in a sentence:

In English: It’s good to have a good-looking appearance, but it’s even more important to have a kind heart on the inside.
Pinyin: Yōng yǒu yí gè hǎo kàn de wài biǎo gù rán shì hǎo de, dàn yōng yǒu yì kē shàn liáng de nèi xīn gèng wéi zhòng yào.
In Chinese: 拥有一个好看的外表固然是好的,但拥有一颗善良的内心更为重要。

6- 可爱的 (kě ài de)

Meaning: Adorable

Usage in a sentence:

In English: All the little animals in the zoo are so adorable!
Pinyin: Dòng wu yuán li de xiǎo dòng wu men dōu hǎo kě ài ya!
In Chinese: 动物园里的小动物们都好可爱呀!

7- 有魅力的 (yǒu mèi lì de)

Meaning: Attractive

Usage in a sentence:

In English: This young actor is so attractive.
Pinyin: Zhè wèi nián qīng de nán yǎn yuán kě zhēn yǒu mèi lì.
In Chinese: 这位年轻的男演员可真有魅力。

8- 贫穷的 (pín qióng de) vs. 富有的 (fù yǒu de)

Meaning: Poor

Usage in a sentence:

In English: I wish I could help those poor people who can’t afford food.
Pinyin: Wǒ zhēn xī wàng zì jǐ kě yǐ bāng zhù nà xiē qióng de chī bu qǐ fàn de rén men.
In Chinese: 我真希望自己可以帮助那些穷得吃不起饭的人们。

Meaning: Rich

Usage in a sentence:

In English: I hope to become a rich person in the future.
Pinyin: Wǒ xī wàng yǐ hòu huì chéng wéi yí gè fù yǒu de rén.
In Chinese: 我希望以后会成为一个富有的人。

9- 有气质的 (yǒu qì zhi de)

Woman in a Fancy Red Dress

What kind of adjective would you use to describe this model? Let’s learn it!

Meaning: To have an attractive air

Usage in a sentence:

In English: This model seems to have an attractive air to her.
Pinyin: Zhè ge mó tè kàn qǐ lai hěn yǒu qì zhi.
In Chinese: 这个模特看起来很有气质。

Additional notes: For all the Chinese Mandarin adjectives we mentioned above, we primarily put them in dictionary form with 的 (de), meaning “of” in English. However, while structuring actual sentences, this can often be omitted to make it sound more natural. That’s why you often see 的 in the dictionary, but don’t hear it in daily talks.

13. How Can You Go Beyond Common Chinese Adjectives?

Now, let me ask you this question again: What is adjectives’ meaning in Chinese? Is the word 形容词 etched in your memory now? Did our Chinese adjectives list enrich your vocabulary? I’m certain the answer is positive.

These 100 common Chinese adjectives may sound overwhelming at first, but always keep in mind that practice makes perfect! To practice your knowledge, tell us about yourself in the comments below using some of these Chinese adjectives!

Whether you wish to get more Chinese adjectives PDF or wish to get more enchanted in the wonder of Chinese language other than Chinese mandarin adjectives, remember that you are only one click away from getting the magic from our amazing resourceful website ChineseClass101.com. We are here waiting for your arrival so you can join our journey together in studying Chinese!

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Learn Chinese from Great Shows & Chinese Movies on Netflix

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This is probably one of the nicest ways to start your Friday night: Crawling into your soft bed with a comfortable blanket, watching some of the best Chinese movies on Netflix, and maybe indulge in some pizza or a scoop of ice cream? Right. Who doesn’t want this while still not falling behind on other priorities? After all, watching shows can be time-consuming.

Well, did you know that as a language-learner, you can have both? With a little more focus and effort, you can definitely turn your show-watching time into valuable learning time. If you really want to learn Chinese, Netflix can actually be a very valuable learning tool!

From the classic ancient battle scenes that flood your vision with vivid imagery to a bittersweet romantic love story that evokes your nostalgia for youth, here we have a list of the best Chinese shows on Netflix (and a couple of the best Chinese movies on Netflix) that will guide you straight to success in your Chinese learning. At least one of these best Chinese Netflix series or films will be your cup of tea.

Can’t wait to start another obsession and begin the binge-watching? Ready to learn Chinese on Netflix?

We’ve prepared a short guide to our favorite Netflix Chinese titles. Let’s jump right into our list of the best Chinese movies on Netflix and other great shows to help you enrich your Chinese skills!

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Table of Contents

  1. 致我们单纯的小美好 – A Love So Beautiful
  2. 画皮 2 – Painted Skin: The Resurrection
  3. 喜欢你 – This is Not What I Expected
  4. 西游记之孙悟空三打白骨精 – The Monkey King 2
  5. 香蜜沉沉烬如霜 – Ashes of Love
  6. 流星花园 – Meteor Garden
  7. 甄嬛传 – Empresses in the Palace
  8. 白夜追凶 – Day and Night
  9. 温暖的弦 – Here to Heart
  10. 天盛长歌 – The Rise of Phoenixes
  11. Conclusion

1. 致我们单纯的小美好 – A Love So Beautiful

A Love So Beautiful is a show based on Zhao Ganqian’s novel of the same name. This Netflix Chinese drama tells the story of Chen Jiang’s and Xiaoxi Chen’s journey of growing up together over the past nineteen years. Although it always seemed to be unrequited love, Xiaoxi never gives up on this love-pursuing journey with great perseverance and hope. Starting from an innocent childhood, the love story ends beautifully after all the ups and downs of life.

If you’re curious about how a school romance is in China, this Popular Chinese Netflix show is the perfect pick for you. Relive the golden years of youth along with the main characters in this lighthearted and relaxing show.

In this Chinese Netflix drama, you’ll learn some popular phrases that young Chinese people like to use; they’re casual and useful for daily life. Remember to take some notes!

  • In Chinese: 一辈子那么长,我才不会只喜欢你一个人;一辈子那么长,没想到我真的只喜欢你一个人。
    Pinyin: Yí bèi zi nà me cháng, wǒ cái bú huì zhǐ xǐ huān nǐ yí gè rén; yí bèi zi nà me cháng, méi xiǎng dào wǒ zhēn de zhǐ xǐ huān nǐ yí gè rén.
    In English: A lifetime is so long, I won’t only like you. A lifetime is so long, I can’t believe I really did only like you.
  • In Chinese: 感谢
    Pinyin: gǎn xiè
    In English: appreciate
  • In Chinese: 勇气
    Pinyin: yǒng qì
    In English: courage
  • In Chinese: 吵架
    Pinyin: chǎo jià
    In English: argue

2. 画皮 2 – Painted Skin: The Resurrection

Xiaowei is a yokai who is on a quest to receive a heart to become human, while Princess Jing is desperate to recover her ruined appearance to keep her lover, Huo Xin. When they’re all on the edge of death, the power of love awakens. Will a miracle happen to give the characters a happy ending?

This unique Chinese fantasy on Netflix depicts the concept of yokai in Asian culture. If you’re interested in such a mythical creature, be sure to check this one out!

  • In Chinese: 没有了心,我会怎样?
    Pinyin: Méi yǒu le xīn, wǒ huì zěn yàng?
    In English: What would I become without a heart?
  • In Chinese: 心
    Pinyin: xīn
    In English: heart
  • In Chinese: 相信
    Pinyin: xiàng xìn
    In English: believe
  • In Chinese: 换
    Pinyin: huàn
    In English: exchange

3. 喜欢你 – This is Not What I Expected

Gu Shengnan is an amazing chef who secretly has a relationship with the manager of the hotel. After being dumped, she becomes desperate and encounters a sophisticated and sharp guy named Lu Jin, who was on his way to buy the hotel. Although they have completely different personalities, the two of them eventually find their unique bond and happily hold hands together. If you want to enrich your expectation for relationships, this Netflix Chinese drama is a must-watch.

This show is also great if you’re a foodie. You can learn some food phrases in Chinese so that you’ll be a master while ordering food in a restaurant in China!

  • In Chinese: 爱情是不期而遇的,你不能计划这件事,碰到之后就自己说了算。
    Pinyin: Ài qíng shì bù qī ér yù de, nǐ bù néng jì huá zhè jiàn shì, pèng dào zhī hòu jiù zì jǐ shuō le suàn.
    In English: Love is always out of expectations, you cannot plan it, but you are your own boss once you encounter it.
  • In Chinese: 职位
    Pinyin: zhí wèi
    In English: position (for work)
  • In Chinese: 普通
    Pinyin: pǔ tōng
    In English: ordinary
  • In Chinese: 讨厌
    Pinyin: tǎo yàn
    In English: hate

4. 西游记之孙悟空三打白骨精 – The Monkey King 2

Have you ever heard of the classic literary work Journey to the West? The answer is probably yes, and this Chinese fantasy on Netflix is ready for you to watch now! In this movie, the original plot retains its character. The Monkey King’s priority is to protect the traveling monk from the evil White Bone Spirit, who seeks immortality through killing the monk and eating his flesh.

This is one of the best Chinese Netflix movies and is an interesting version of the classic. Watch this lovely piece to experience the gist of one of the most classic literary works in Chinese history. You won’t be disappointed!

  • In Chinese: 不要用你心中的对与错去衡量别人的对与错。
    Pinyin: Bú yào yòng nǐ xīn zhōng de duì yǔ cuò qù héng liàng bié rén de duì yǔ cuò.
    In English: Do not judge other people’s right or wrong based on your own standards.
  • In Chinese: 一世
    Pinyin: yī shì
    In English: a lifetime
  • In Chinese: 对
    Pinyin: duì
    In English: the right
  • In Chinese: 错
    Pinyin: cuò
    In English: fault

5. 香蜜沉沉烬如霜 – Ashes of Love

This is another great Chinese fantasy on Netflix that you definitely can’t miss! The Flower Goddess predicts that her daughter, Jin Mi will be tortured a great deal as she experiences love in the future, just like her own bitter experience. Determined to stop this tragedy, she gives Mi the Loveless Pill to prevent her from falling in love. And that’s how everything starts. This is a bittersweet love tale that depicts the struggles and love between Mi and Xufeng for three lifetimes in reincarnations.

The cultural aspect of this show is fascinating. You’ll be amazed by the concept of Xian (仙), which is an immortal being who lives above the sky in Chinese culture. This show reveals a glimpse of these interesting figures, as well as some poetic phrases about love to impress your other half with! Here’s some vocabulary for one of the best Chinese dramas on Netflix!

  • In Chinese: 遇我,在你懂爱之前。爱我,在你伤我之后。
    Pinyin: Yù wǒ, zài nǐ dǒng ài zhī qián. Ài wǒ, zài nǐ shāng wǒ zhī hòu.
    In English: You met me before you know love. You love me after you hurt me.
  • In Chinese: 爱
    Pinyin: ài
    In English: love
  • In Chinese: 伤害
    Pinyin: shāng hài
    In English: hurt
  • In Chinese: 曾经
    Pinyin: céng jīng
    In English: the past

6. 流星花园 – Meteor Garden

This is one of the most classic Netflix Chinese dramas of all time. Shancai is an ordinary girl, but with great perseverance to achieve something at her dream university. Unfortunately, it wasn’t easy at the very beginning. She was excluded by other rich students who looked down on her. Due to some misunderstandings, Shancai has made a terrible impression on four of the most popular guys at school. But later, as she shows her true character, one of the guys (Dao Mingsi), falls for her and starts to create an incredible bond with her.

Always fancying your own romantic relationship? Feeling nostalgic for your first love? Then you’re on the right track! This show will not only let you relive your youth, but also includes a variety of helpful daily phrases in Chinese for you to learn!

  • In Chinese: 如果道歉有用的话,还要警察干嘛啊?
    Pinyin: Rú guǒ dào qiàn yǒu yòng de huà, hái yào jǐng chá gàn ma ā?
    In English: If an apology is helpful, why would we need police officers?
  • In Chinese: 学校
    Pinyin: xué xiào
    In English: school
  • In Chinese: 上课
    Pinyin: shàng kè
    In English: go to class
  • In Chinese: 喜欢
    Pinyin: xǐ huān
    In English: like

7. 甄嬛传 – Empresses in the Palace

When it comes to Chinese history, Netflix has some great stuff, like this fascinating Netflix Chinese historical drama.

This is a story that highlights feminism. It successfully portrays the Royal Concubines in the Qing Dynasty, who have dedicated their entire youth and beauty inside the Forbidden City, and are in a constant struggle regarding battles of love, power, and wealth. One such woman is the main character Zhenhuan, who grows from an innocent young girl to a sophisticated woman in the pursuit of the queen of the kingdom.

If you’re obsessed with history, this will be a fabulous opportunity for you to understand how history played its role in feminism during the Qing dynasty, as well as the complexity of Chinese empires. You may hear some ancient phrases throughout the show, but most of the dialogue will be in modern language. Watch this show to learn how to speak with elegance and professionalism.

  • In Chinese: 人是活给自己看的,不是他人的一句话就能左右自己,让自己活出潇洒自我。
    Pinyin: Rén shì huó gěi zì jǐ kàn de, bú shì tā rén de yī jù huà jiù néng zuǒ yòu zì jǐ, ràng zì jǐ huó chū xiāo sǎ zì wǒ.
    In English: We live for ourselves, not for being manipulated by something that other people say, let yourself live like a free soul.
  • In Chinese: 少女
    Pinyin: shǎo nǚ
    In English: girl
  • In Chinese: 皇帝
    Pinyin: huáng dì
    In English: emperor
  • In Chinese: 结局
    Pinyin: jié jú
    In English: the end

8. 白夜追凶 – Day and Night

Guan Hongfeng, the head of the Criminal Investigation Department, solves a variety of complex cases to help his twin brother who has been accused of murder. If you’re a big fan of suspense and criminal shows, you’ll definitely fall in love with this show and always wonder what’s gonna happen next.

The intense and eye-catching scenes will give your eyes a feast! Don’t miss this show if you love Sherlock Holmes and other detective stories. Enjoy learning the most native Chinese while immersing yourself in the suspenseful atmosphere!

  • In Chinese: 人都是习惯的奴隶。
    Pinyin: Rén dōu shì xí guàn de nú lì.
    In English: Humans are the slave of habits.
  • In Chinese: 哥哥
    Pinyin: gē ge
    In English: older brother
  • In Chinese: 弟弟
    Pinyin: dì di
    In English: younger brother
  • In Chinese: 孪生
    Pinyin: luán shēng
    In English: twin

9. 温暖的弦 – Here to Heart

Best Ways to Learn

In the mood for a Netflix Chinese romance drama? Check this one out!

Wennuan, an accomplished professional woman, without hesitance quits her high-paying job in England to work as an assistant under CEO Zhan Nanxian Zhan, who was once her lover, in the determination to rekindle the love once shared. After going through all the struggles in the current dynamic market, they not only end up together with more connection and understanding in their relationship, but also improve the whole high-tech industry to thrive under a healthier environment.

The business background is a plus for this show if you’re interested in the field. Don’t hesitate to watch it and learn some professional phrases. Take advantage of this free lesson, and you’ll improve your career in both Chinese language and business fields!

  • In Chinese: 人遇到挫折,其实有的时候,是一件好事情,只有当你遇到挫折的时候,才会知道,谁对你不离不弃,一直陪在你身边。
    Pinyin: Rén yù dào cuò zhé, qí shí yǒu de shí hòu, shì yī jiàn hǎo shì qíng, zhǐ yǒu dāng nǐ yù dào cuò zhé de shí hòu, cái huì zhī dào, shuí duì nǐ bú lí bú qì, yī zhí péi zài nǐ shēn biān.
    In English: It’s actually a good thing to encounter setbacks because only when that happens, you will be able to know who will always stand by your side and never leave you alone.
  • In Chinese: 温暖
    Pinyin: wēn nuǎn
    In English: warm
  • In Chinese: 离开
    Pinyin: lí kāi
    In English: leave
  • In Chinese: 公司
    Pinyin: gōng sī
    In English: company

10. 天盛长歌 – The Rise of Phoenixes

Ning Yi, the ambitious sixth prince of the ruling kingdom, is used to putting his inner struggles and sadness behind a mask. Feng Zhiwei has tasted the bitterness of life and aspired to thrive in the empire. The two have battled against each other through love and hatred. Will Zhiwei eventually take revenge against her enemies—including her lover, Ning Yi—or will she decide to embrace the precious love she finally encounters?

This is an exciting and well-plotted Chinese action Netflix show based on the novel Huang Quan. Once you’ve started, you won’t stop wondering what twist the show will prepare for you. Of course, while enjoying the show, don’t forget to take notes on the well-crafted lines! It’ll boost your eloquence in speech to another level.

  • In Chinese: 向前看和放弃,是有区别的。
    Pinyin: Xiàng qián kàn hé fàng qì, shì yǒu qū bié de.
    In English: There is a difference between moving on and giving up.
  • In Chinese: 权利
    Pinyin: quán lì
    In English: power
  • In Chinese: 改变
    Pinyin: gǎi biàn
    In English: change
  • In Chinese: 国
    Pinyin: guó
    In English: country

11. Conclusion

Improve Pronunciation

By now, you must’ve found a show or movie you’re excited to watch! You should also have a better idea of what to expect from Netflix Chinese content, and how to use it for your benefit. Remember to take advantage of all these valuable Chinese shows on Netflix, and with some effort, you’ll find yourself absorbing the language at an incredibly fast pace. How better to master the language than to learn Chinese with Netflix?

What? You’ll finish them in an instant? Don’t worry. Stay hungry and visit us at ChineseClass101.com to acquire more fun resources and lessons for a thrilling journey of studying Chinese! This will be your paradise!

Until next time, let us know which of these Chinese language Netflix shows or movies do you want to see first, and why? We’re curious. 😉

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Master the Most Useful Chinese Grammar Conjunctions

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What’s the secret weapon to achieving more fluent Chinese?

You must have struggled with Chinese grammar as a beginner. But after all that sweat and hard work, you may have reached a higher level in Chinese grammar now and are eagerly looking for something more exciting to perfect your sentences. One of the keys is to utilize Chinese grammar conjunctions.

Conjunctive adverbs are a significant part of every language in both writing and speaking. They allow you to connect ideas, make comparisons, string together sentences, and most importantly, make your speech flow more smoothly and naturally. Without proper conjunctions, your speech may not function as effectively as it should. This makes Chinese conjunctions for intermediate language-learners a can’t-miss lesson!

Don’t panic just yet! Conjunctions in the Chinese language function just like English conjunctions. They indicate to the listener about different relationships between subclauses to help you better understand the sentence. Now, we’ve prepared for you a Chinese conjunction words list.

Let’s go straight to them, and enhance your Chinese learning!

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Table of Contents

  1. What is a Conjunction?
  2. Chinese Conjunctions to Correlate Similar Thoughts
  3. Chinese Conjunctions to Express Condition
  4. Chinese Conjunctions to Express Cause (Chinese Causal Conjunctions)
  5. Chinese Conjunctions to Express Opposition
  6. Chinese Conjunctions to Express Purpose
  7. Final Thoughts

1. What is a Conjunction?

Sentence Patterns

A conjunction is a phrase that’s used to connect ideas or related sentences to make them join smoothly together. In Chinese grammar, conjunctions are very similar to English conjunctions, although there are some special ones that don’t make much sense in English but are considered common Chinese conjunctions.

2. Chinese Conjunctions to Correlate Similar Thoughts

The most common conjunctions in Chinese are those that correlate similar thoughts. In this Chinese conjunctions list, you’ll find all the words and information you need to do so smoothly!

1- With / And

Person Hiking

Would you like to go hiking with your friends?

Meaning #1:

In English: With
Pinyin: hé / gēn / yǔ / tóng
In Chinese: 和 / 跟 / 与 / 同

Usage in a sentence:
In English: The weather today is very nice, so I decided to hike with my best friend.

Pinyin: Jīn tiān tiān qì hěn hǎo, yú shì wǒ jué dìng hé / gēn / yǔ / tóng zuì hǎo de péng yǒu chū qù dēng shān.

In Chinese: 今天天气很好,于是我决定和 / 跟 / 与/ 同最好的朋友出去登山。

Grammar Explanation:
In this case, the word indicates being accompanied by someone or something.

Meaning #2:

In English: And
Pinyin: hé / gēn / yǔ / tóng
In Chinese: 和 / 跟 / 与 / 同

Usage in a sentence:
In English: My sister and I went shopping yesterday.

Pinyin: Wǒ hé jiě jie zuó tiān yì qǐ qù guàng jiē le.

In Chinese: 我和姐姐昨天一起去逛街了。

Grammar Explanation:
In this case, it’s used to connect words that share the same part of speech.

Additional Notes:
These four words are basically the same, and can be replaced by each other. However, a slight difference between them is that 和 () and 跟 (gēn) are used more often in speech, while 与 () and 同 (tóng) are more suitable for writing and sound more formal.

2- Or

Pair of Baby Bottles with Mother and Child in Background

Drinking milk everyday is a good habit!

In English: Or
Pinyin: huò / huò zhě
In Chinese: 或 / 或者

Usage in a sentence:
In English: I like to add sugar or honey in my milk.

Pinyin: Wǒ xǐ huān zài niú nǎi lǐ jiā táng huò / huò zhě fēng mì.

In Chinese: 我喜欢在牛奶里加糖或 / 或者蜂蜜。

Grammar Explanation:
Here, the word is used to connect alternative words or clauses.

Additional Notes:
There isn’t really a huge difference between 或 (huò) and 或者 (huò zhě). However, 或 (huò) is used more frequently for connecting small words since it’s a simpler version of 或者 (huò zhě), while 或者 (huò zhě) can be used for a longer alternative clause.

3- As well as

Remember to wear formal clothing at a job fair!

In English: As well as
Pinyin: yǐ jí
In Chinese: 以及

Usage in a sentence:
In English: When you go to a job fair, it’s necessary to wear formal clothing and bring your notebook and pens, as well as the most important thing which is your resume.

Pinyin: Nǐ qù cān jiā zhāo pìn huì shí wù bì yào shēn zhuó zhèng zhuāng, dài shàng bǐ jì běn hé bǐ, yǐ jí zuì zhòng yào de jiǎn lì.

In Chinese: 你去参加招聘会时务必要身着正装,带上笔记本和笔,以及最重要的简历。

Grammar Explanation:
Here, the word simply means “additionally.”

4- Also

Cupcake with Sparkler In It

Do you like making wishes at your birthday party?

In English: Also
Pinyin: bìng qiě
In Chinese: 并且

Usage in a sentence:
In English: I am very sick today, I am afraid I cannot make it to your birthday party, also the time doesn’t allow either.

Pinyin: Wǒ jīn tiān bìng de hěn lì hài, qù bù liǎo nǐ de shēng rì pài duì le, bìng qiě shí jiān yě lái bù jí le.

In Chinese: 我今天病得很厉害,去不了你的生日派对了,并且时间也来不及了。

Grammar Explanation:
This word means “in addition to.”

5- What’s more

Flights That Are Cancelled

The schedule can be tight when you need to catch a flight!

In English: What’s more
Pinyin: hái yǒu
In Chinese: 还有

Usage in a sentence:
In English: You have to remember to bring your passport before you head to the airport. What’s more, leave a little bit early just in case.

Pinyin: Zài qù jī chǎng zhī qián nǐ yī dìng yào jì dé dài shàng zì jǐ de hù zhào, hái yǒu jì dé zǎo diǎn chū fā, yǐ fáng wàn yī.

In Chinese: 在去机场之前你一定要记得带上自己的护照,还有记得早点出发,以防万一。

Grammar Explanation:
To add something that has a greater degree of importance.

Additional Notes:
Unlike how we use this conjunction in English, remember to avoid putting a comma after 还有.

6- Both

Person Sitting On the Edge of a Cliff

Do you plan to travel to somewhere as beautiful as this?

In English: Both
Pinyin: dōu
In Chinese: 都

Usage in a sentence:
In English: Both my friend and I are looking forward to our trip this year on summer break.

Pinyin: Wǒ péng yǒu hé wǒ dōu fēi cháng qī dài jīn nián shǔ jià de lǚ yóu.

In Chinese: 我朋友和我都非常期待今年暑假的旅游。

Grammar Explanation:
This conjunction in Chinese is used to describe two subjects or objects that are identified in the same way.

7- Not only … but also …

In English: Not only … but also…
Pinyin: bú dàn…ér qiě… / bù jǐn…hái …
In Chinese: 不但……而且…… / 不仅……还……

Usage in a sentence:
In English: I not only enjoy eating delicious food but also love how proud I feel while cooking.

Pinyin: Wǒ bú dàn / bù jǐn xiǎng shòu chī měi shí de kuài gǎn, ér qiě / hái rè ài xià chú shí de chéng jiù gǎn.

In Chinese: 我不但 / 不仅享受吃美食的快感,而且 / 还热爱下厨时的成就感。

Grammar Explanation:
This Chinese conjunction is used to express ideas in parallelism, although the second conjunction usually indicates a more important idea.

Additional Notes:
The two sets of conjunctions mean exactly the same thing and can be used the same way. However, in English, we usually don’t put a comma between the two conjunctions; remember to put a comma between the two clauses that the two Chinese conjunctions lead, to make it sound more smooth.

3. Chinese Conjunctions to Express Condition

Improve Listening

The next Chinese language conjunctions we’ll look at are those used to express condition. This is an essential skill to have for fluent speech and writing!

1- If

In English: If
Pinyin: rú guǒ / tǎng ruò / yào shì / jiǎ rú
In Chinese: 如果 / 倘若 / 要是 / 假如

Usage in a sentence:
In English: If it doesn’t rain tomorrow, let’s have a picnic at the park.

Pinyin: Rú guǒ / tǎng ruò / yào shì / jiǎ rú míng tiān bú xià yǔ, wǒ men jiù qù gōng yuán yě cān ba.

In Chinese: 如果 / 倘若 / 要是 / 假如明天不下雨,我们就去公园野餐吧。

Grammar Explanation:
This Chinese conjunction is used to express a hypothesis.

Additional Notes:
These four words all mean the same thing and they can substitute one another.

2- As long as

In English: As long as
Pinyin: zhǐ yào
In Chinese: 只要

Usage in a sentence:
In English: As long as you promise not to tell anyone, I will share this secret with you.

Pinyin: Zhǐ yào nǐ bǎo zhèng bù gēn bié rén shuō, wǒ jiù bǎ zhè gè mì mì gào sù nǐ.

In Chinese: 只要你保证不跟别人说,我就把这个秘密告诉你。

Grammar Explanation:
This conjunction is only used when a particular situation is provided.

3- If not / Otherwise

In English: If not / Otherwise
Pinyin: bù rán / fǒu zé
In Chinese: 不然 / 否则

Usage in a sentence:
In English: I think she must be sick; if not / otherwise, she would never skip a class according to her hardworking personality.

Pinyin: Wǒ jué de tā yī dìng shì shēng bìng le, bù rán / fǒu zé yǐ tā qín fèn de xìng gé shì bú huì quē kè de.

In Chinese: 我觉得她一定是生病了,不然 / 否则以她勤奋的性格是不会缺课的。

Grammar Explanation:
This conjunction is used if a different condition is brought up than what was mentioned.

Additional Note:
Just like in English, these words indicate almost the same meaning. However, 否则 (fǒu zé) sounds more serious.

4- Only…then…

In English: Only…then…
Pinyin: zhǐ yǒu… cái…
In Chinese: 只有……才……

Usage in a sentence:
In English: Only when you develop confidence in yourself, then other people will recognize how good you are.

Pinyin: Zhǐ yǒu nǐ zì jǐ duì zì jǐ xiān yǒu le xìn xīn, bié rén cái néng rèn kě nǐ de yōu xiù.

In Chinese: 只有你自己对自己先有了信心,别人才能认可你的优秀。

Grammar Explanation:
This conjunction is used in a unique situation, where only in one particular condition can a specified result occur.

5- No matter

In English: No matter
Pinyin: bù guǎn
In Chinese: 不管

Usage in a sentence:
In English: No matter what happens, my friends will always stand by me.

Pinyin: Bù guǎn fā shēng shén me, wǒ de péng yǒu zǒng shì jiān dìng de zhàn zài wǒ shēn biān.

In Chinese: 不管发生什么,我的朋友总是坚定地站在我身边。

Grammar Explanation:
This conjunction can also mean “in spite of” or “despite.”

6- Unless

In English: Unless
Pinyin: chú fēi
In Chinese: 除非

Usage in a sentence:
In English: You are not allowed to park here, unless you are disabled.

Pinyin: Nǐ bù kě yǐ zài zhè lǐ tíng chē, chú fēi nǐ shì cán jí rén.

In Chinese: 你不可以在这里停车,除非你是残疾人。

Grammar Explanation:
This can also mean “except for the fact that…”

7- However

In English: However
Pinyin: wú lùn rú hé
In Chinese: 无论如何

Usage in a sentence:
In English: However, I can’t let you risk this.

Pinyin: Wú lùn rú hé wǒ yě bù néng ràng nǐ mào zhè gè xiǎn.

In Chinese: 无论如何我也不能让你冒这个险。

Grammar Explanation:
This can also mean “no matter what happens.”

4. Chinese Conjunctions to Express Cause (Chinese Causal Conjunctions)

Improve Listening Part 2

1- Thus

In English: Thus
Pinyin: yīn cǐ
In Chinese: 因此

Usage in a sentence:
In English: Yesterday the rain was incredibly heavy, thus I could not visit my grandmother as promised.

Pinyin: Zuó wǎn yǔ xià de shí zài tài dà le, yīn cǐ wǒ bìng méi yǒu rú yuē qù bài fǎng wài pó.

In Chinese: 昨晚雨下得实在太大了,因此我并没有如约去拜访外婆。

Grammar Explanation:
This can also mean “as a result” or “because of which was mentioned.”

2- Because…so…

In English: Because…so…
Pinyin: yīn wèi…suǒ yǐ…
In Chinese: 因为……所以……

Usage in a sentence:
In English: Because my brother is sick today, I had to stay at home and take care of him.

Pinyin: Yīn wèi dì di jīn tiān shēng bìng le, suǒ yǐ wǒ bù dé bù liú zài jiā lǐ zhào gù tā.

In Chinese: 因为弟弟今天生病了,所以我不得不留在家里照顾他。

Grammar Explanation:
This can also mean “for the reason of … which leads to…”

Additional Notes:
Unlike English conjunctions, we usually need to use “because” and “so” at the same time to make a reasonable sentence and explain the relationship more clearly.

3- Because of

In English: Because of
Pinyin: yóu yú
In Chinese: 由于

Usage in a sentence:
In English: Because of my personal mistake, it made our whole team lose the opportunity to be in the first position.

Pinyin: Yóu yú wǒ yī gè rén de shī wù, dǎo zhì le wǒ men zhěng gè duì wǔ shī qù le qǔ dé dì yī de jī huì.

In Chinese: 由于我一个人的失误,导致了我们整个队伍失去了取得第一的机会。

Grammar Explanation:
This can also mean “it comes from the thing that…” or “the reason of something particular.”

4- The reason why…it’s because…

In English: The reason why…it’s because…
Pinyin: zhī suǒ yǐ…shì yīn wèi…
In Chinese: 之所以……是因为……

Usage in a sentence:
In English: The reason why I couldn’t make my sister’s wedding, it’s because I just had a surgery a little while ago and had to rest at the hospital for some days.

Pinyin: Wǒ zhī suǒ yǐ méi néng qù jiě jie de hūn lǐ, shì yīn wèi zài bù jiǔ zhī qián wǒ zuò le yī chǎng shǒu shù, bù dé bú zhù yuàn xiū xi yī duàn shí jiān.

In Chinese: 我之所以没能去姐姐的婚礼,是因为在不久之前我做了一场手术,不得不住院休息一段时间。

Grammar Explanation:
The conjunction itself is pretty straightforward. The set of conjunctions introduce the result first, and then introduce the reason that caused the former clause.

5. Chinese Conjunctions to Express Opposition

1- But

In English: But
Pinyin: dàn shì
In Chinese: 但是

Usage in a sentence:
In English: I planned to learn how to cook a western meal today, but I forgot to buy the necessary ingredients.

Pinyin: Wǒ jīn tiān běn lái jì huá xué xí zuò yī dùn xī cān, dàn shì wàng jì mǎi xū yào de shí cái le.

In Chinese: 我今天本来计划学习做一顿西餐,但是忘记买需要的食材了。

Grammar Explanation:
This conjunction is used to introduce something that contrasts with what was mentioned before.

2- Yet

In English: Yet
Pinyin: kě shì
In Chinese: 可是

Usage in a sentence:
In English: My dad really wants me to become a doctor just like him in the future, yet it’s not what I’m passionate about.

Pinyin: Bà ba fēi cháng xī wàng wǒ néng xiàng tā yī yàng jiāng lái chéng wéi yī míng yī shēng, kě shì zhè bìng bú shì wǒ rè ài de zhí yè.

In Chinese: 爸爸非常希望我能像他一样将来成为一名医生,可是这并不是我热爱的职业。

Grammar Explanation:
This can also mean “but at the same time.”

3- However

In English: However
Pinyin: rán ér
In Chinese: 然而

Usage in a sentence:
In English: I thought there would be a happy ending for this TV show, however, it was not like I imagined.

Pinyin: Wǒ yǐ wéi zhè gè diàn shì jù zuì hòu yī dìng shì gè xǐ jù jié wěi, rán ér bìng bú shì wǒ xiǎng de nà yàng.

In Chinese: 我以为这个电视剧最后一定是个喜剧结尾,然而并不是我想的那样。

Grammar Explanation:
This conjunction is used to indicate a turning point or a different result from what was expected.

Additional Notes:
A comma can be used after this conjunction, if the sentence after it is long and there is a natural pause in speaking. If the sentence after it is short and there’s no pause needed in speaking, don’t use a comma after this conjunction.

6. Chinese Conjunctions to Express Purpose

1- So that

In English: So that
Pinyin: yǐ biàn
In Chinese: 以便

Usage in a sentence:
In English: I will put the backup key underneath the carpet by the door so that you can come in when I’m not home.

Pinyin: Wǒ huì bǎ bèi yòng yào shi fàng zài mén qián de tǎn zi xià miàn, yǐ biàn wǒ bú zài jiā shí nǐ kě yǐ jìn lái.

In Chinese: 我会把备用钥匙放在门前的毯子下面,以便我不在家时你可以进来。

Grammar Explanation:
This is used when describing how you’re going to make it convenient for something, or to serve a purpose for something.

7. Final Thoughts

If you’ve developed a great understanding of these Mandarin Chinese conjunctions, then congratulations! You’re officially an intermediate learner in Chinese now. If you’re still not content with what you’ve learned so far, and are desperate to enrich your Chinese skills, feel free to check out our website at ChineseClass101.com.

We offer a variety of fun Chinese lessons, both about interesting Chinese local culture and professional language teaching. You’ll find it extremely difficult to be disappointed with your Chinese learning when using our website.

We hope you enjoyed learning about conjunctions with us, and that you were able to take away something valuable. Which of these conjunctions do you plan on practicing soon? Were our Chinese conjunctions examples helpful, or are you still struggling to understand some of these Chinese conjunctions? Let us know in the comments!

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