ChineseClass101 Culture Class: Essential Chinese Vocabulary Curriculum
What are the 5 most popular sweets in China? What vocabulary do you need to know to have a conversation with Chinese-speaking locals? You’ll learn all this and more in this Culture Class Series! Vocabulary is essential to mastering Chinese. In this 25-lesson series, you’ll learn the *most* essential Chinese vocabulary words related to culture and daily life. These words have been hand picked by our Chinese native speakers and cover topics like popular Chinese dishes, national holidays, and cities.
| Lesson # | Title (English) |
Topic (English) |
Target sentences (Target Language) |
| 1 | National Holidays | Daily Life | 春节 端午节 清明节 中秋节 国庆节 |
| 2 | Food | Food & Drink | 饺子 汤圆 粽子 火锅 小笼包 |
| 3 | Drinks | Food & Drink | 乌龙茶 普洱茶 白酒 啤酒 珍珠奶茶 |
| 4 | Home-cooked Meals | Food & Drink | 东坡肉 宫保鸡丁 叉烧 麻婆豆腐 皮蛋 |
| 5 | Sweets and Desserts | Food & Drink | 金银馒头 老婆饼 龙须糖 沙琪玛 龟苓膏 |
| 6 | Fruits | Food & Drink | 荔枝 哈密瓜 龙眼 桃 枇杷 |
| 7 | Vegetables | Food & Drink | 番茄 红薯 胡萝卜 大白菜 辣椒 |
| 8 | Food Souvenirs | Food & Drink | 茶 腊肉 蛋挞 茅台 月饼 |
| 9 | Pop and Traditional Culture | Society & Culture | 京剧 书法 儒家思想 武术 中医 |
| 10 | Traditional Clothing | Society & Culture | 旗袍 莲履 襦裙 深衣 唐装 |
| 11 | Historical Figures | Society & Culture | 秦始皇 孔子 武则天 孙中山 毛泽东 |
| 12 | Animals | Geography & Nature | 大熊猫 东北虎 扬子鳄 金丝猴 丹顶鹤 |
| 13 | Plants | Geography & Nature | 冬虫夏草 梅 当归 牡丹 水仙 |
| 14 | Geographical Features | Geography & Nature | 喀斯特地貌 哈尼梯田 戈壁沙漠 黄土高原 内蒙古大草原 |
| 15 | Cities | Geography & Nature | 北京 上海 广州 南京 香港 |
| 16 | Sports | Recreation & Leisure | 足球 游泳 乒乓球 羽毛球 太极拳 |
| 17 | Tourist Attractions and Places | Recreation & Leisure | 长城 故宫 兵马俑 少林寺 香格里拉 |
| 18 | Common Things in the Home | People & Homes | 泡菜坛 炕 屏风 盆栽 春联 |
| 19 | Medicines and drugs | Health & Emergencies | 云南白药 创可贴 板蓝根冲剂 念慈庵川贝枇杷膏 阿司匹林 |
| 20 | Natural disasters | Health & Emergencies | 地震 台风 洪水 沙尘暴 干旱 |
| 21 | Modes of transportation | Transportation & around town | 公交车 地铁 出租车 私家车 自行车 |
| 22 | Shops or services in town | Transportation & around town | 菜市场 药店 超市 加油站 书店 |
| 23 | Chain Stores | Transportation & around town | 屈臣氏 同仁堂 国美电器 沃尔玛 大润发 |
| 24 | Musicians and Artists | Fine Arts | 梅兰芳 王羲之 苏轼 邓丽君 张学友 |
| 25 | Writers | Fine Arts | 李白 金庸 老舍 鲁迅 莫言 |