Vocabulary (Review)

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Lesson Transcript

Hi everyone, I'm Yun。嗨大家好，我是芸。(hài dàjiā hǎo, wǒ shì yún).
Welcome to another Chinese whiteboard lesson.
In this lesson, you'll learn how to say where you're from in Chinese.
You'll also learn about some major Chinese cities and fun facts about them.
Let's get started.
Okay, there are six Chinese cities in this list.
Among them, you probably have heard about 北京 (Běijīng) and 上海 (Shànghǎi).
北京 (Běijīng) is the capital of China.
It's all about history and culture, with its famous landmarks like the Forbidden City, the Summer Palace, the Great Wall, etc.
and 上海 (Shànghǎi).
上海 (Shànghǎi) has a population of 26 million, which makes it the biggest city in China.
It is also the largest commercial and financial center in China.
Another major city is 广州 (Guǎngzhōu).
广州 (Guǎngzhōu) is situated in the southern part of China.
As one of China's oldest and largest cities, 广州 (Guǎngzhōu) has been a major trading port for centuries.
It's also famous for its 早茶 (zǎochá) culture, where locals gather together in the early morning for a traditional breakfast.
Next, we have 南京 (Nánjīng).
南京 (Nánjīng) is pretty close to 上海 (Shànghǎi).
It used to be the capital of China.
That's why it ends with 京 (jīng), which means capital, just like 京 (jīng) in 北京 (Běijīng).
成都 (Chéngdū) is famous for its giant pandas, and it's also my favorite city in China.
A lot of young people like its laid-back lifestyle.
It's also the capital of 四川 (Sìchuān) province, which is here.
四川 (Sìchuān) is a province, not a city.
As we said, 成都 (Chéngdū) is the capital city of 四川 (Sìchuān) province.
We also have some names.
美国 (Měiguó), USA.
英国 (Yīngguó), England.
法国 (Fǎguó), France.
日本 (Rìběn), Japan.
Let's look at the dialogue.
Pay attention to how the speaker tells where she's from, and take note if she's from one of the five largest Chinese cities that we just looked at.
你是哪里人 (nǐ shì nǎlǐ rén)? Where are you from? 我是北京人 (wǒ shì Běijīng rén).
I'm from Beijing.
Did you hear where the second speaker is from? Yes, she's from the capital city or 首都 (shǒudū) of China, 北京 (Běijīng).
Let's imagine you're meeting a new friend who is from 南京 (Nánjīng).
How would this person from 南京 (Nánjīng) introduce where he's from? Right, he'd say 我是南京人 (wǒ shì Nánjīng rén).
I'm from 南京 (Nánjīng).
And let's imagine you're meeting a friend who is from 上海 (Shànghǎi).
How would he say? Right, he would say 我是上海人 (wǒ shì Shànghǎi rén).
I'm from 上海 (Shànghǎi).
And another friend who is from 广州 (Guǎngzhōu).
He would say 我是广州人 (wǒ shì Guǎngzhōu rén).
I am from 广州 (Guǎngzhōu).
Can you now recognize the pattern to introduce where you're from? The pattern is 我是 place 人 (wǒ shì place rén).
This literally translates as I am place person.
Like here, I am a Beijing person.
A common mistake for Chinese learners when using this pattern is that they forget to add person or 人 (rén) at the end.
But that would make a totally different sentence.
If you say 我是北京 (wǒ shì Běijīng), that would mean you are 北京 (Běijīng), which is obviously not true.
Also, note that this pattern can be applied to not just cities, but also countries and even states or provinces as we would call them in China.
For example, 四川 (Sìchuān) is a province.
It's known for its spicy food.
You may have seen 四川 (Sìchuān) as part of a dish name in Chinese restaurants.
So someone who is from a small town that nobody knows may introduce where they're from by using a more well-known place name such as 四川 (Sìchuān).
So in this case, he would say 我是四川人 (wǒ shì Sìchuān rén).
I am from 四川 (Sìchuān).
Country names also fit in this pattern.
For example, 我是法国人 (wǒ shì Fǎguó rén).
I am French.
So it literally translates into I am a France person.
So I am French.
And also 我是日本人 (wǒ shì Rìběn rén) literally translates into I am a Japan person. So I am Japanese.

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