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Chinese phrasebookChinese phrasebookWikiPedia:Chinese language '''Chinese''' is spoken in China (including Hong Kong and Taiwan), Singapore as well as the ethnic chinese minorities in many countries. It is spoken by a fifth of the world's population. It is a tonal language that is related to ''Burmese'' and ''Tibetan''. Although Japanese and Korean use Chinese written characters they are not related to Chinese. Also the unrelated Vietnamese phrasebook|Vietnamese language has borrowed many words from chinese. Although the Chinese consider that they only have a single language, there are major regional dialectal differences that would be considered to be separate languages in other parts of the world. In many cases the regional dialects are not clearly regionalised but vary gradually across a region. Thus linguists can identify anywhere between seven and seventeen separate chinese ''languages'' where the speakers of different dialects are mutually unintelligible. '''Mandarin''' Chinese, covered here, is considered the official dialect. However, the Cantonese phrasebook|Cantonese dialect, for example, is widely spoken, especially in the former British colony of Hong Kong and by the ethnic minorities in other countries. While formally written Mandarin can be read by speakers of both dialects, the spoken languages are, for most purposes, mutually unintelligible and will require translation. Mandarin Chinese is now being uniformly taught in the schools of China. ==Pronunciation guide== The pronunciation guide below uses [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinyin Hanyu pinyin], the official romanization of the People's Republic of China. Until recently, Taiwan used the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wade-Giles Wade-Giles] system, which is quite different, but has recently officially switched to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tongyong_Pinyin Tongyong pinyin], which is only slightly different. ===Vowels=== ;a :as in f'''a'''ther ;e :as in th'''e''' h'''e'''n ;i :as in p'''i'''ng or k'''ey'''; after ''sh'', ''zh'', or ''r'', as in sh'''irr'''; after ''s'' or ''z'', hold the '''z''' and make a vowel of it ;o :as in s'''aw''' or s'''u'''ng ;u :as in s'''oo'''n; but as '''ü''' in ''ju'', ''qu'' and ''xu'' ;ü :as in French l'''u'''ne ===Consonants=== Chinese stops distinguish ''aspirated'' and ''unaspirated'', not ''voiceless'' and ''voiced'' as in English. So '''p''', '''t''', and '''k''' should be pronounced with a puff of air. ;b :as in '''b'''all or s'''p'''all ;c :as in ra'''ts''' ;ch :as in '''ch'''ore ;d :as in '''d'''o or s'''t'''ew ;f :as in '''f'''un ;g :as in '''g'''ang ;h :as in '''h'''er ;j :as in '''j'''eer ;k :as in '''k'''ing ;l :as in '''l'''ease ;m :as in '''m'''ow ;n :as in '''n'''o'''n'''e ;ng :as in si'''ng''' ;p :as in '''p'''it ;q :as in '''ch'''eap ;r :as in '''g'''enre or fai'''r''' ;s :as in '''s'''ag ;sh :as in '''sh'''oot ;t :as in '''t'''ongue ;w :as in '''w'''ing ;x :as in '''sh'''eep ;y :as in '''y'''et ;z :as in re'''d z'''ebra ;zh :as in '''j'''ungle ===Exceptions=== There are a fairly large number of niggling exceptions to the basic rules above, based on the position of the sound. Some of the more notable ones include: ; -ian :as '''-ien''', so ??? ''Tian'anmen'' is pronounced "T'''ien''''anmen" ; wu- :as '''u-''', so ?? ''wubai'' is pronounced "'''u'''bai" ; yi- :as '''i-''', so ?? ''yige'' is pronounced "'''i'''ge" ; yü- :as '''ü-''' ===Tones=== There are four tones in Mandarin that must be followed for proper pronunciation. ; first tone ( a ) : flat, high pitch ; second tone ( á ) : low to middle, rising ; third tone ( a ) : middle to low to high, dipping ; fourth tone ( à ) : high to low, falling There is also a fifth tone, the neutral tone, which is used rarely, mostly for phrase particles. ==Phrase list== All phrases shown in here use the simplified characters used in mainland China and Singapore. ===Basics=== ; Hello. : ??? Ni hao. ; How are you? : ???? Ni hao ma? ; Fine, thank you. : ??, ??? Hen hao, xie-xie. ; What is your (first) name? : ??????? Ni jiào shénme míngzi? ; My name is ______ . : ?? _____ ? Wo jiào ______ . ; Nice to meet you. : ??????? Yùjiàn nín hen gáoxìng. ; Please. : ?? Qing. ; Thank you. : ??? xìexie. ; You're welcome. : ???? Bú kèqi. ; Yes. : ?? Shì. ; No. : ??? Bú shì. ; Excuse me. (''getting attention'') : ??, qing wèn ; Excuse me. (''begging pardon'') : Da jiao yi-xia ; ?????, Má fan nin yí xià. ; I'm sorry. : ???? Duì bù qi. ; Goodbye : ??? Zài jiàn ; Goodbye (''informal'') : Bai-bai ; I can't speak Chinese [well]. : ??????? Wo bú hùi shuo hànyu. ; Do you speak English? : ??????? Ni hùi shuo yingyu ma? ; Is there someone here who speaks English? : ?????????? Zheli you ren hui shuo Yingyu ma? ; Help! : ?? jìu mìng ; Good morning. : ???? Zaoshàng hao. ; Good evening. : ???? Wanshàng hao. ; Good night. : ??? Wan an. ; I don't understand. : ????? Wo ting bu dong. ; Where is the toilet? : ?????? Césuo zài nali? ''To be translated later'' ===Problems=== ===Numbers=== Chinese numbers are very regular. While Arabic (Western) numerals have become more common, the Chinese numerals shown below are still used, particularly in informal contexts like markets. ; 0 ?, ? : líng ; 1 ? : yi ; 2 ? : èr ; 3 ? : san ; 4 ? : sì ; 5 ? : wu ; 6 ? : lìu ; 7 ? : qi ; 8 ? : ba ; 9 ? : jiu ; 10 ? : shí ; 11 ?? : shí-yi ; 12 ?? : shí-èr ; 13 ?? : shí-san ; 14 ?? : shí-sì ; 15 ?? : shí-wu ; 16 ?? : shí-lìu ; 17 ?? : shí-qi ; 18 ?? : shí-ba ; 19 ?? : shí-jiu ; 20 ?? : èr-shí ; 21 ??? : èr-shí-yi ; 22 ??? : èr-shí-èr ; 23 ??? : èr-shí-san ; 30 ?? : san-shí ; 40 ?? : sì-shí ; 50 ?? : wu-shí ; 60 ?? : lìu-shí ; 70 ?? : qi-shí ; 80 ?? : ba-shí ; 90 ?? : jiu-shí For numbers above 100, any "gaps" must be filled in with ? ''líng'', as eg. ??? ''yibaiyi'' would otherwise be taken as shorthand for "110". A single unit of tens may be written and pronounced either ?? ''yishí'' or just ? ''shí''. ; 100 ?? : yi-bai ; 101 ???? : yi-bai-líng-yi ; 110 ???? : yi-bai-yi-shí ; 111 ????? : yi-bai-yi-shí-yi ; 200 ?? : èr-bai ; 300 ?? : san-bai ; 500 ?? : wu-bai ; 1000 ?? : yi-qian ; 2000 ?? : èr-qian Numbers above 10,000 are grouped by in units of four digits, starting with ? ''wàn'' (ten thousand). "One million" in Chinese is thus "hundred tenthousands" (???). ; 1,0000 ?? : yi-wàn ; 1,0001 ???? : yi-wàn-líng-yi ; 1,0002 ???? : yi-wàn-líng-èr ; 2,0000 ?? : èr-wàn ; 5,0000 ?? : wu-wàn ; 10,0000 ?? : shí-wàn ; 20,0000 ??? : èr-shí-wàn ; 100,0000 ??? : yi-bai-wàn ; number _____ (''train, bus, etc.'') : number '''''measure word''''' (lu4 or hao4 etc.) _____ (huo3 che1, gong1 gong4 qi4 chi1, etc. ''Measure words are used in combination with a number to indicate the count of mass nouns. Check out [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/measure_word here] for more details.) ; half : ? bàn (''...'') ; less : shao3yu1 (''...'') ; more : duo1yu1 (''...'') ===Time=== ; now : ?? xiànzài ; later : ??, yihòu ''or'' shaohòu ; before : ??, yiqián ; morning : ??, zaoshàng ; afternoon : ??, xiàwu ; night : ??, wanshàng ====Clock time==== ; What time is it? : ????? Xiànzài ji dian? ; It is nine in the morning. : ??9??? Zaoshàng jiu dian zhong. ; Three-thirty PM. : ??3??. Xiàwu san dian bàn. ====Duration==== ; _____ minute(s) : _____ ?? fenzhong ; _____ hour(s) : _____ ?? xiaoshí ; _____ day(s) : _____ ? tian ; _____ week(s) : _____ ?? xingqi ; _____ month(s) : _____ ? yùe ; _____ year(s) : _____ ? nián ====Days==== ; today : ?? jintian ; yesterday : ?? zuótian ; tomorrow : ?? míngtian ; this week : ???? zhège xingqi ; last week : ???? shàngge xingqi ; next week : ???? xiàge xingqi Weekdays in Chinese are easy: starting with 1 for Monday, just add the number after ?? xingqi. ; Sunday : ??? xingqitian ''or'' xing1 qi1 ri4 ''or'' xing1 qi1 qi1 ; Monday : ??? xingqiyi ; Tuesday : ??? xingqièr ; Wednesday : ??? xingqisan ; Thursday : ??? xingqisì ; Friday : ??? xingqiwu ; Saturday : ??? xingqilìu ====Months==== Months in Chinese are also easy: starting with 1 for January, just add the number after ? yùe. ; January : ??, yi yùe ; February : ??, èr yùe ; March : ??, san yùe ; April : ??, sì yùe ; May : ??, wu yùe ; June : ??, liù yùe ; July : ??, qi yùe ; August : ??, ba yùe ; September : ??, jiu yùe ; October : ??, shí yùe ; November : ???, shí yi yùe ; December : ???, shí èr yùe ''Tips: From January to December, you just need to use this pattern: number (1-12) + yùe'' ====Writing Time and Date==== ===Colors=== ; black : hei1 se4 ; white : bai2 se4 ; gray : hui1 se4 ; red : hong4 se4 ; blue : lan2 se4 ; yellow : huang2 se4 ; green : lü4 se4 ; orange : cheng2 se4 ; purple : zi3 se4 ; brown : he4 se4, cong3se4 ''Tips: Se4 means 'color', therefore, 'hong2 se4' is 'red color'(literally).'' ===Transportation=== ====Bus and Train==== ; How much is a ticket to _____? : qu _____ de piao duoshao qian? ====Directions==== ; How do I get to _____ ? : zenme qu _____? ; ...the train station? : ...huoche zhan ; ...the bus station? : ...qiche zongzhan ; ...the airport? : ...jichang ; street : jie ; Turn left. : zuobianr zhuanwan ; Turn right. : youbianr zhuanwan ; left : zuobianr ; right : youbianr ; straight ahead : yizhi ; north : bei ; south : nan ; east : dong ; west : xi ====Taxi==== ; Taxi! : Taxi! (''...'') (literally) chuzu qi che ; Take me to _____, please. : qing kaidao _____ ===Lodging=== ; Do you have any rooms available? : nimen you fangjian ma? ; Does the room come with... : you meiyou... ; ...bedsheets? : ...sábanas? (''...'') ; ...a bathroom? : ...yushi? ; ...a telephone? : ...dianhua? ; ...a TV? : ...dianshi? ; I will stay for _____ night(s). : wo dasuan zhu _____ ; Do you have a safe? : ni men you mei you bao xian xiang? ; Can you wake me at _____? | qing mingtian zaoshang _____ jiaoxing wo? ; I want to check out. : wo xianzai yao zou. ;I'm am a VIP member. Please upgrade me. : Wo she yi ge VIP. Ching gei wo sheng gi ;I want a room with a view. : Wo yao yi ge you fung jing de fang jian ;This room smells like smoke. Give me a new room. : Je ge fang jian yo yen wei. Ge wo yi ge xin fang jian ===Money=== ===Eating=== ; Can I look at the menu, please? : qing geo wo kankan caidan? ; I'm a vegetarian. : wo shi chisu de ; breakfast : zao fan ; lunch : wu fan ''or'' zhong fan ; supper : wan fan ; beef : niurou ; cheese : nailao ; eggs : jidan ; bread : mianbao ; noodles : miantiao ; rice : dami ; coffee : kafei ; tea (''drink'') : cha ; juice : zumo (''...'') ; water : shui ; beer : pijiu ; red/white wine : hong/bai putao jiu ; This tastes horrible. Take it back now! : Je ge hen nan che. Na jo! ===Bars=== ; whiskey : weishiji ; vodka : futejia ; water : shui ; orange juice : juzizhi ===Shopping=== ; I don't want it : Bu2yao4, xie4xie. ; Too expensive : Tai4 gui4. ; Do you have it in another color? : You3 mei2you3 ling4wai4 yan3se4? ; Too small : Tai4 xiao3. ; Too big : Tai4 da4. ===Driving=== ===Authority=== ; Police : jing3cha2 ==Learning more== *[http://www.zhongwen.com/ Zhongwen.com]: Chinese to English dictionary and other resources presented in English; searchable by English meanings; Chinese text displayed as graphics (i.e. does not require any Chinese font). *[http://www.chinawestexchange.com/ China West Exchange]: Free Cantonese and Mandarin lessons and a discussion board. *[http://www.asinah.org/blog/2004/12/english-chinese-dictionary-gb-big5.html Translate Chinese]: English / Chinese Dictionary. *[http://humanum.arts.cuhk.edu.hk/Lexis/Lindict/ Chinese to English Dictionary]: searchable by English meanings; Chinese text in Big5 code (i.e. requires Chinese font). *[http://www.unet.univie.ac.at/~a9305416/ Chinese Linguistics]: Sites on Chinese linguistics (in English). *[http://www.chineselanguage.org/CCDICT/index.html Chinese Characters Dictionary]: supports Japanese, Korean, Cantonese, Hakka etc. *[http://deall.ohio-state.edu/chan.9/c-links.htm Marjorie Chan's ChinaLinks]: A large collection of Web resources by a professor of linguistics at Ohio State University First page | Prev | Next | Last page |
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