Tsinghua Chinese: Start Talking With 1.3 Billion People

TSINGHUA
CHINESE
START TALKING WITH
1.3 BILLION PEOPLE
TSINGHUA UNIVERSITY
CONTENTS
Rules given in terms of English pronunciation ................................................................................. 0

Pronunciation of initials ................................................................................................................................... 1
Pronunciation of finals ..................................................................................................................................... 2
Dialogue ................................................................................................................................................ 4
Lesson 1 Greetings ........................................................................................................................................... 4
Lesson 2 Self-introduction ............................................................................................................................... 7
Lesson 3 Transportation ................................................................................................................................... 9
Lesson 4 Food ................................................................................................................................................ 12
Lesson 5 Accomodation ................................................................................................................................. 15
Lesson 6 Shopping ......................................................................................................................................... 17
Vocabulary .......................................................................................................................................... 20
Lesson 1 Greetings ......................................................................................................................................... 20
Lesson 2 Self-introduction ............................................................................................................................. 23
Lesson 3 Transportation ................................................................................................................................. 26
Lesson 4 Food ................................................................................................................................................ 32
Lesson 5 Accommodation .............................................................................................................................. 38
Lesson 6 Shopping ......................................................................................................................................... 42
Chinese characters (Hanzi) ............................................................................................................... 46

Lesson 1 ......................................................................................................................................................... 46
Lesson 2 ......................................................................................................................................................... 47
Lesson 3 ......................................................................................................................................................... 48
Lesson 4 ......................................................................................................................................................... 49
Lesson 5 ......................................................................................................................................................... 50
Lesson 6 ......................................................................................................................................................... 51

Search Learn Mandarin Chinese on www.edx.org to find our free online course.
All Pinyins in this textbook are based on The Basic Rules of the Chinese Phonetic Alphabet
Orthography enacted by the National Educational Commission and the National Language
Commission of China.

Learn Mandarin Chinese
Rules given in terms of English pronunciation

(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinyin)
Pronunciation of initials
English
Pinyin IPA Explanation
approximation
b [p] spit unaspirated p, as in spit
p [p] pay strongly aspirated p, as in pit
m [m] may as in English mummy
f [f] fair as in English fun
d [t] stop unaspirated t, as in stop
t [t] take strongly aspirated t, as in top
n [n] nay as in English nit
l [l] lay as in English love
g [k] skill unaspirated k, as in skill
k [k] kay strongly aspirated k, as in kill
roughly like the Scots ch. English h as in hay or, more closely in
some American dialects, hero is an acceptable approximation. The
h [x] loch best way to produce this sound is by very slowly making a "k" sound,
pausing at the point where there is just restricted air flowing over the
back of your tongue (after the release at the beginning of a "k")
No equivalent in English, but similar to an unaspirated "-chy-" sound

when said quickly. Like q, but unaspirated. Is similar to the English
j [t] churchyard name of the letter G. Not the s in Asia, despite the common English
pronunciation of "Beijing". The sequence "ji" word-initially is the
same as the Japanese pronunciation of () ji.
No equivalent in English. Like punch yourself, with the lips spread

wide with ee. Curl the tip of the tongue downwards to stick it at the
q [t] punch yourself
back of the teeth and strongly aspirate. The sequence "qi" word-
initially is the same as the Japanese pronunciation of () chi.
No equivalent in English. Like -sh y-, with the lips spread and the tip
of your tongue curled downwards and stuck to the back of teeth when
x [] push yourself
you say ee. The sequence "xi" is the same as the Japanese
pronunciation of () shi.
Rather like ch (a sound between choke, joke, true, and drew, tongue
zh [t] junk
tip curled more upwards). Voiced in a toneless syllable.
1

as in chin, but with a flat tongue; very similar to nurture in American

ch [t] church
English, but strongly aspirated.
as in shoe, but with a flat tongue; very similar to marsh in American

sh [] shirt
English
Similar to the English r in reduce, but with a flat tongue and lightly
r [] ray
fricated.
unaspirated c, similar to something between suds and cats; as in

z [ts] reads
suds in a toneless syllable
like the English ts in cats, but strongly aspirated, very similar to the
c [ts] hats
Czech, Polish and Slovak c.
s [s] say as in sun
w [w] way as in water.
y [j],[] yea as in yes. Before a u, pronounce it with rounded lips.
Pronunciation of finals
Form with zero
Pinyin IPA Explanation
initial
-i is a buzzed continuation of the consonant following z-, c-, s-, zh-,

ch-, sh- or r-.
-i [ ], [] (n/a)
(In all other cases, -i has the sound of bee; this is listed below.)
a [a] a like English father, but a bit more fronted
a back, unrounded vowel (similar to English "duh", but not as

e [] e
open)
ai [i ] ai like English eye, but a bit lighter
ei [ei ] ei as in hey
ao [u ] ao approximately as in cow; the a is much more audible than the o
ou [ou ] ou as in so
an [n] an like British English ban, but more central
en [n] en as in taken
as in Austrian Angst.
ang [] ang (Starts with the vowel sound in father and ends in the velar nasal;
like song in some dialects of American English)
eng [] eng like e in en above but with ng appended
2

starts with the vowel sound in book and ends with the velar nasal
ong [] (n/a)
sound in sing
er [] er similar to the sound in bar in American English
i [i] yi like English bee
ia [i a] ya as i + a; like English yard
as i + ; but is very short; e (pronounced like ) is pronounced

ie [i e] ye
longer and carries the main stress (similar to the initial sound inyet)
iao [i u ] yao as i + ao
iu [i ou ] you as i + ou
ian [i n] yan as i + an; like English yen
in [in] yin as i + n
iang [i ] yang as i + ang
ing [i ] ying as i + eng
iong [i ] yong as i + ong
u [u] wu like English oo
ua [u a] wa as u + a
as u + o where the o (compare with the o interjection) is

uo, o [u o] wo
pronounced shorter and lighter (spelled as o after b, p, m or f)
uai [u i ] wai as u + ai, as in English why
ui [u ei ] wei as u + ei
uan [u n] wan as u + an
un [u n] wen as u + en; as in English won
uang [u ] wang as u + ang
(n/a) [u ] weng as u + eng
as in German ber or French lune.

u, [y] yu
(Pronounced as English ee with rounded lips)
ue, e [y e] yue as + ; the is short and light
uan [y n] yuan as + an
un [yn] yun as + n
3

Dialogue
Lesson 1 Greetings
Video 2
N ho!

Video 3
Nn ho!

Video 4
Dng Losh, nn ho!
Video 5
A: Nmen ho!
B: L losh, nn ho!

Video 6
Zoshang ho!

4

Video 7
A: Xixie!
B: B kqi!
A: Duxi!
B: B kqi!
Video 8
A: Bhoysi!
B: Mi gunxi!
A: Dubuq!
B: Mi gunxi!
5

Video 9
A: Zijin!
B: Zijin!
A: Mngtin jin!
B: Mngtin jin!
A: Zijin!
B: Bibi!
6

Lesson 2 Self-introduction
Dialogue 1
A: N ho! W sh L L.
B: L losh, nn ho! W sh fi. Jindo nn hn goxng.
Dialogue 2
A: N sh n gu rn?
B: W sh Migu rn.
A: N jio shnme mngzi?
B: W jio Mik.
Dialogue 3
A: Qng wn tmen sh ...?
B: T sh w de bba, t sh w de mma.
A: Nmen ho, hunyng nmen!
B: Xixi! Jindo nn hn goxng!
7

Dialogue 4
A: Qngwn nn de dinhu sh shnme?
B: W de dinhu sh 139 1024 5678.
A: Qngwn nn de yuxing sh shnme?
B: W de yuxing sh ....
139 1024 5678
8

Lesson 3 Transportation
Dialogue 1
A: N ho! Qngwn ynhng zi nr?
B: Zi n bin.
A: Zul duchng shjin?
B: Q b fnzhng.
Dialogue 2
A: Nn ho! Nn q nr?
B: Shfu nnho! W q Tin'n Mn.
A: Ho de.
... ...
A: Tin'n Mn do le.
B: Dusho qin?
A: 50 kui.
9

B: Gi nn. Xixie!
A: B kqi. Zijin!
50
Dialogue 3
A: Nn ho, w mi y zhng Yktng.
B: Yjn sh 20 kui.
A: Qng chng 30 kui.
B: Ho, ygng 50 kui.
20
30 30
50
Dialogue 4
A: Nn ho! W mi y zhng pio.
B: Nn q nr?
A: W q Qnghu Dxu.
10

B: Ling kui.
11

Lesson 4 Food
Dialogue 1
A: Hunyng gungln, nn j wi?
B: Sn wi.
A: Nn yu ydng ma?
B: Miyu.
A: Zh bin qng.
Dialogue 2
A: Fwyun, nn ho! Din ci!
B: Nn xing ch shnme?
A: Y g Gngbo Jdng, y wn mfn.
B: Nn h shnme?
A: W h ch.
12

A: Fwyun, midn.
B: Ho de. Ygng 50 kui.
A: Gi nn. Xixie!
50
Dialogue 3
A: Nn ho! Nn yo shnme?
B: Y g hnbo, y g d shtio, y bi kl.
A: Kl yo zhng bi hishi d bi?
B: Zhng bi, ji bng, xi xi!
Dialogue 4
A: Qngwn nn h shnme?
13

B: Y bi kfi.
A: R de hishi bng de?
B: R de. Qngwn cnjnzh zi nr?
A: Zi nr.
14

Lesson 5 Accomodation
Dialogue 1
A: Nn ho! W yo rzh.
B: Nn de hzho?
A: Qngwn, mitin shnme shjin tu fng
B: Zhngw 12 din yqin.
12
Dialogue 2
AQngwn, fngjin li yu WiFi ma
BYu ,sh minfi de.
A: Hn zocn ma?
BHn zocn.
WiFi WiFi
Dialogue 3
15

A: Nn ho! W de fngjin li miyu r shu.
B: B nng xzo, sh ma?
A: Sh de.
B: Qng sho dng.
Dialogue 4
A: Nn ho! w yo tu fng.
B: Nn de fng k?
A: Gi nn.
B: Ho de, xixie!
16

Lesson 6 Shopping
Dialogue 1
A: Nn ho! Qngwn pnggu dusho qin y jn?
B: 7 kui y jn.
A: Nn nng pinyi ydinr ma?
B: Yjng hn pinyi le.
A: Tin bu tin?
B: Hn tin, mi de rn hn du.
A: W yo 3 jn.
B: Nn hi yo bide ma?
A: B yo le, xixie!
Dialogue 2
17

A: Qngwn zh jin T-x yu M ho de ma?
B: Yu.
A: Qngwn yu bis de ma?
B: Yu, qng shshi zh jin.
A: Zh jin hn hsh, w mi zh jin.
B: Xixie!
A: Qngwn ky shu xnyngk ma?
B: Ky, qng shr mm.
A: Xixie!
T M T M
Dialogue 3
A: Nn ho, w xing mi y g shuj.
B: Qngwn nn xing mi n g pizi?
18

A: Huwe.
A: W yo y g shuj tocn.
B: Nn kn, zh zhng tocn ky ma?
A: Y g yu dusho qin?
B: 38kui.
A: Ho de, w yo zh zhng tocn.
B: Xixi!
38
19

Vocabulary
This vocabulary list is authorized by Pleco Software Chinese Dictionaries.
Lesson 1 Greetings
Pinyin Part of English definition Example Simplified Traditional
speech chinese Chinese
n pron. you W li wn n.
Let me ask you.

n ho hello (a common N hoMin!
form of greeting, HelloBeauty!
used at any time of
the day, requiring the
same phrase as an
answer; also used at
the beginning of
informal letters)
nn pron. you (courteous, as Losh, nn zo!
opposed to informal Good morning,
n) teacher

losh n. teacher (sometimes Losh din le mng.
used as a form of The teacher called the
address) roll.

nmen pron. you (second person Gi nmen y jin shr.
plural) Here's a job for you.

zoshang n. (early) morning Zoshang ho
Good morning
!
xixie v. thank Xixie n, w b hu
chu yn.
No, thanks. I don't
smoke.
,
b kq youre welcome. /

duxi many thanks; thanks
a lot
ho adj. good; fine; nice etc. Tinq zhn ho!
The weathers really
nice!
20

bhoysi to be sorry (for Rng n ji dng le,

inconveniencing sb) zhn bhoysi.
Im sorry to have kept
you waiting.

mi gunxi it doesnt matter; its Dubuqdng n do
nothing; thats all le.
right; never mind Mi gunxi.
Excuse me for getting in
your way. thats all
right.

dubuq Im sorry; sorry; Dubuqw di zu le.
excuse me; pardon Excuse me, but ill have
me; I beg your to go now.
pardon
zijin goodbye; see you Mzi jin!
again Goodbye, mum!
!
mngtin n. tomorrow W mngtin q kn t.
Ill go and see him
tomorrow

jin v. see; catch sight of; Gitin jin
meet; See you later!

w pron. I or me T ishng le w.
Shes fallen in love with
me.

t pron. he or him W cngli miyu
jinguo t.
Ive never seen him
before.

t pron. she or her T sn tin mi li le.
She hasnt been here for
three days.

21

t pron. it B t rng le ba.

Throw it away.

wmen pron. we or us Wmen xyo bngzh.
We need help.

tmen pron. they or them Tmen li xing'i yjng
(referring to people du nin.
or men) They have a deep love for
each other already.

tmen pron. they or them (used Tmen du sh nz
when the referent is piqidu duyun. (Traditional
feminine) All of them are members Chinese
of the womens has only
volleyball team. one form of
they)

tngxu n. fellow student; tngbn tngxu
schoolmate classmate

zhngw n. noon; midday W b zhngw ch
de hi mi xiq ne.
I am not hungry at all.
I havent finished
digesting my lunch yet.

xiw n. afternoon Xiw jin!
See you in the afternoon!

wnshang n. (in the)evening; (at) Wnshang ho!
night Good evening!
!
22

Lesson 2 Self-introduction
sh v. correct; right N shude sh.
What you said is right.

jindo v. to see N jindo t le miyu
Did you meet him?

hn adv. very; very much; quite T zh g rn ho de hn.
Hes a very good man.

goxng adj. glad; happy; cheerful Yu jin do nti
goxng
le.
Im extremely glad to see
you again.

n pron. (used in questions) N q nr le
which; what Where have you been?

gu n. country; natio; state T sh Ynggu rn.
He is british.

rn n. human being; person; Rn z yu ling hu.
people The character is made
up of two strokes.

jio v. cry; shout; call; W jio Peter.
My name is Peter.
Peter
shnme pron. (used before a noun or N shu shnme
by itself) Eh? Or pardon?

mngzi n. name or given name N jio shnme mngzi
May i know your name?

guxng what is your name Nn guxng
Whats your name, please?

xng n. surname; family (or T xng Wng.
clan) name He is surnamed wang.

qngwn excuse me; please Qngwnnn guxng
Excuse me, whats your
23

name?

de (used after an W de mqn
attribute) My mother

bba n. papa; dad; father N de bba
Your father

mma n. ma; mum; mummy; N de mma
mother Your mother

hunyng v. welcome; greet Hunyng nn do Bijng
li
Welcome to beijing!

dinhu n. telephone; phone T zhngzi d dinhu.
Hes on the phone.

yuxing n. postbox; mailbox /

xinsheng n. teacher; mister(mr.); Zngtng xinsheng!
gentleman; sir Mr. President!
!
nsh n. (a polite term for a Nshmen!
woman, married or xinshengmen
unmarried) lady; Ladies and gentlemen!
madam
fwyun n. waiter or waitress /

shfu n. master worker (a T sh w de rmn shfu.
qualified worker as He is the master who
distinct from an initiated me into the craft.
apprentice)
y n. mothers sister; aunt;
a
form of address for a
woman of ones
parents generation;
auntie
min n. a beautiful woman
24

shuig n. handsome guy
Ynggu n. Britain; England
Fgu n. France
Dgu n. Germany
Bx n. Brazil
Ynd n. India
Jind n. Canada
Xbny n. Spain
Ydl n. Italy /

Xnjip n. Singapore
Yunn n. Viet nam
Rbn n. Japan
gge n. (elder) brother T de gge b jio t q.

His brother did not allow
him to go.

ddi n. younger brother T sh w de ddi.
He is my younger brother.

jijie n. elder sister Jijie sng w y bn sh .
My sister gave me a book.

mimei n. younger sister; W de mimei sh
younger woman fwyun.
My sister is an attendant.

nn n. boyfriend
pngyou
n n. girlfriend
pngyou
25

Lesson 3 Transportation
ynhng n. bank T do ynhng hukun q
le.
He went to the bank to
remit some money.

zi v. (located) at; (to be) N zi nr
in; Where are you?
to exist
nr pron. where? N shng nr q le /
Where have you been?

n pron. that; those; then (in W b cng doguo nr.
that I have never been there.
case)
bin n. side; edge; margin; Zhngy zi wmen zh
border bin.
Justice is on our side.

zul v. to walk; to go on foot Zh hizi gng hu zul.
The baby has just learnt to
walk.

du adj. many; much; a lot of; Tmen ji rnku b du.
more There arent many people
in their family.

chng adj. length; long; forever; y chng y dun
always; one short, one long

shjin n. time; period Shjin libuj le.
There isnt enough time.

fnzhng n. minute Huch wndin shw
fnzhng.
The train is 15 minutes
overdue.

q v. to go; to go to (place); N shngw q hishi
to cause to go or send xiw qgunxi b d.
(sb) It wont make much
difference whether you go
in the morning or in the
26

afternoon.

do v. to (a place); up to; to W mngtin xiw sn
go; to arrive din b do.
Ill definitely be there at 3
p.m. Tomorrow.

ho de ok
le (modal particle t znme zu le?

intensifying Why, hes gone?
preceding ?
clause); (completed
action marker)
dusho how much; how Dole dusho rn?
many; How many people were
which (number); as present?
much as ?
qin n. coin; money Zh g dusho qin
How much it this?

kui n. rapid; quick; speed; Hishi zu fij kui.
rate; soon; almost; to Its much faster to travel
make haste by plane after all.

gi n. to; for; to give; to W gile n wsh yun.
allow; I gave you 50 yuan.
to do sth(for sb)
mi v. buy; purchase N mile ma mi mi.
Did you buy it? no, I
didnt.

zhng n. sheet of paper; Dubuqn zh zhng sh
classifier yun w zho b ki.
for flat objects, sheet; Sorry, I have no small
classifier for votes change for your 10-yuan
note.

yjn n. deposit; down tuhu yjn
payment return a deposit

27

qng to ask; to invite; Qng n bng g mng.

please Will you give me a hand?
(do sth)
chng v. to fill; to satisfy; to chng din
fulfill; charge (a battery)

ygng v. altogether Ygng dusho rn
How many are there
altogether?

pio n. ticket; ballot; bank W yun y zhng de
note; chopio.
A five-yuan bill.

dxu n. university; college koshng dxu
be admitted to a university

ling num. two; both; some; a T zule ling g zhngtu
few ci zu do.
It took him two hours to
get there.

shngchng n. shopping mall; Xdn shngchng
shopping center; the Xidan bazaar
department store
chosh n. supermarket
binldin n. convenience store
kfi gun n. caf; coffee shop
fngun n. restaurant xi fngun

eat (or dine) in a restaurant

jib n. bar; pub; saloon
minbo n. bakery
din
wishngjin n. bathroom; toilet; wc
zubin left; the left side; to

the
left of
28

yubin right side; right, to the Qng wng yubin y

right ydinr.
Please move a little to the
right.

qinbin front; the front side; T zuzi qinbin. /
in front of He was marching in the
fore.

hubin back; rear; behind /

zu gui to the left side /

yu gui to the right side /

zh zu go straight
dng east
x west
nn south
bi north
fn n. 0.01 yuan (unit of li yun sn jio w fn

money); a point(in 6.35 yuan
sport or games);
minute; unit of length
equivalent
to 0.33cm
kui n. piece; classifier for Y g yu zhng rbi
pieces of cloth, cake, wsh kui.
soap etc; classifier for Earn (or make) 250 yuan a
money and month.
currency units
jio n. angle; corner; horn; Zhjio wi jish d.
unit A right angle is an angle of
of money equal to 0.1 90 degrees.
yuan
29

dti n. subway; metro dti chku /

subway exit

dti pio n. subway ticket /

dti zhn n. subway station /

13 ho xin n. line 13 13 13
chku n. an exit dti chku

subway exit

hun chng v. to change train hun chng huch /
(plane, bus); transfer change to a train
between modes of
transport
gngjio ch n. public transport /
vehicle;
town bus
fij n. airplane W zu fij q Shnghi.
Ill go to shanghai by
plane.

fijchng n. airport T do fij chng
jipngyou.
He went to the airport to
meet his friends.

Shnghi n. Shanghai T sh Shnghi rn.
municipality, B ba.
central east china, He comes from Shanghai.
abbr. No, I doubt it.
to h
Bijng n. Peking university Jixu y Bijng Dxu.
Dxu Study at Peking
University.

Ggng n. The Palace Museum; Tmen mngtin q
abbr. for Ggng cngun Ggng.
Bwyun Theyre going to visit the
Palace Museum tomorrow.
30

Chngchng n. The Great Wall Tmen q Chngchng

wn de hn kixn.
They went on a trip to the
Great wall and enjoyed
themselves very much.t

Tin Tn n. Temple of Heaven (in Tin Tn Jinji
Beijing) A short guide to the
Temple of heaven

31

Lesson 4 Food
gungln n. (former) to honor with Hn rngxng g gu
ones presence; to pngyou
attend gungln w gu shud .
We are honored with
having foreign friends in
our capital.

j pron. How much; how Nmen gr j g
many; How many of you boys are
several; a few there altogether in your
family?

wi n. Position; location; Zhn shji d-y wi
place; seat; classifier Rank first in the world
for people(honorific)
yu v. To have; there is; N knjin le miyu
there mi yu.
are; to exist; to be Did you see him?no, I
didnt.

ydng v. To schedule in Zi ydng shjin.
advance At the fixed time.

ma (question particle for T zhdo m B
yes-no questions) t b zhdo.
Does he know? No,
he doesnt.

miyu v. havent; hasnt; B duw miyu nme
doesnt shu.
exist; to not have; to No, I didnt say that.
not
be
zh pron. this; these Zh y bn yu dusho
xusheng
How many pupils are there
in this class?

din v. point; dot; o clock; to Ch sh fn s din.
32

order (food in a Ten (minutes) to four.

restaurant)
ci n. dish (type of food); Zhme du ci w ch bu
vegetable; cuisine xi.
I cant eat all this food.

xing v. to think; to believe; to n y zhme xing!
suppose; to wish; to Oh, so you feel the same
want way!

ch v. to eat; to consume; to Nn zi ch ydinr ba.
eat at (a cafeteria etc.) B lexi xie!
How about having some
more? No more, thanks!

g individual; this; that; N g b znme gu.
classifier for people or That's not very expensive.
objects in general
wn n. bowl; cup T ch le sn wn ci bo.
He wasnt full until he had
eaten three bowls.

mfn n. (cooked) rice bi mfn
(cooked) rice

h v. to drink Gi w y bi shu h.
Give me a cup of water (to
drink).

ch n. tea; tea plant Qng n gi w do bi ch.
Please give me a cup of tea.

yo v. to want; to ask for; Shi y b yo.
will; going to (as Nobody wants it.
future auxiliary); may;
must
hnbo n. hamburger (loanword)
d adj. big; huge; large; Hu, nme d

major; great; wide; Good heavens! That big!
deep; older
shtio n. french fries; french
33

fried potatoes; chips
kl n. (loanword) cola
zhng adj. within; among; in; shji shj zhngy

middle; center; the mid-1800s; the middle
of the 19th century

hishi or; still; nevertheless N xing ch pnggu ne
hishi ch l ne
Would you like to have an
apple or a pear?

ji v. to add; plus r ji sn dngy w.
Two plus three makes five.

bng n. ice B n png pji bngshng.
Ice the bottle of beer.

kfi n. coffee (loanword ) Kfi li sho fng dinr
tng.
Dont put too much sugar
in the coffee.

r adj. to warm up; to heat Zh j tin r de hn.
up; hot (of weather); Its been very hot these last
heat few days.

cnjnzh n. paper napkin
jku n. abstain from certain W xinzi jkub nng

food (as when ill); ch l de.
avoid certain foods; Im on a diet now and cant
be on diet eat anything hot.

d tng n. hall; lounge Cng d tng li zuch
ling
g rn.
Two people came out of the
hall.

34

dn jin n. separate room (in a

hotel, restaurant, etc.)
zhuzi n. table; desk Zh zhng zhuzi ti zhn
dfang.
That desk takes up too
much space (or room).

yzi n. chair Wmen hi sho ling b
yzi.
Were still two chairs short.

bizi n. cup; glass Bizi li le.
The cups cracked.

pnzi n. tray; plate; dish dun pnzi
carry a tray

kuizi n. chopsticks yng kuizi ji ci
pick up food with
chopsticks

dozi n. knife
chzi n. fork
shozi n. scoop; ladle
mintio n. noodles Zhme y d wn mintio

w shzi ch bu lio.
I really cant finish such a
bowlful of noodles.

mntou n. steamed roll; steamed
bun; steamed bread
jiozi n. dumpling; pot-sticker bo jiozi
make jiaozi (dumplings)

hntun n. won ton N tngch shu li bng
w bo hntun ho bu ho?
Will you stop working for a
moment and help me make
won ton?

35

bozi n. steamed stuffed bun T b bozi du ch le.

He ate up all the stuffed
buns.

dujing n. soy milk Bn din zosh gngyng
dujing.
We sell soya-bean milk in
the morning.

sun l n. hot and sour soup; Zh g sun l tng hn ho
tng sour and spicy soup h.
This vinegar-pepper soup is
so delicious.

lch n. green tea
hngch n. black tea
bngjlng n. ice cream /

nix n. milkshake (loanword)
pnggu n. apple pie

pi
nini n. milk
xub n. sprite (soft drink)
r qiokl n. hot chocolate

fnqi n. ketchup
jing
zh j n. fried chicken
mk n. mocha (loanword)
kbqnu n. cappuccino (coffee)

nti n. latte (loanword)
mi sh n. caf americano
36

nngsu n. espresso
kfi
pji n. beer
guzh n. juice
37

Lesson 5 Accommodation
rzh n. to check in (at a hotel
etc.)
hzho n. passport T ynwi mi hzho
bi qinfn hugu.
He was sent back to his
country because he had no
passport.

mitin adv. every day; everyday T mitin chngpo.
He goes long-distance
running every day.

tu v. to retreat; to decline; ydo knnan ju b hutu
to never shrink from
move back; to difficultieds
withdraw
fng n. house; room Wmen zh jn le xn fng.
Weve moved into a new
house.

zhngwn n. chinese; chinese b yngwn fny chng
written zhngwn
language; chinese translate the english into
writing chinese

yqin adv. before; formerly; Shr din bn yqin gn
previous; ago huqu hi ch de shng fn.
If we get back before
twelve thirty, we wont be
too late for lunch.

fngjin n. room W de fngjin sh xio
ksh qu hn shfu.
My room is small;
however, its very
comfortable.

li adv. interior; inside; W znsh zhzi ji li.
internal Im staying at home for the
38

time being.

minfi adj. free (of charge) minfi r chng
admission free

hn v. to keep; to contain Zh j hu bohn hoj
cng ysi.
This statement has quite a
few implications.

zocn n. breakfast
shu n. water; river; liquid W de gngb mi shu le.

My pen has run dry.

b adv. (negative prefix); not; Mi bu q.
no Cant afford to buy.

nng v. can; to be able to; Zhr nng tngch m
might possibly Zhr b nng.
Can we park here?
No. Parking is not
allowed here.

xzo v. to bathe; to take a
shower
sh de yes, thats right
sho adv. somewhat; a little shosho xixi yxi.

take a brief rest; take a
breather

dng v. class; rank; grade; dng yi dng
equal to; to wait for; wait a bit
to await
k n. card; calorie; cassette kpin
card

bizi n. quilt T zutin wnshang bizi
mi gi hozholing le .
He didnt cover himself up
well last night and now hes
got a cold.
39


zhntou n. pillow Zh ge zhntou hn
runhuo.
This pillow is very soft.

chungdn n. bed sheet B chungdn ppng.
Smooth out the sheet.

chunglin n. window curtains T cizi dngzi shang gu
chunglin.
He stepped onto the stool to
put up the curtains.

shf n. sofa (loanword) snrn shf
tree-seater settee

dng n. lamp; light; lantern gun dng
turn off the light

yokng q n. remote control
ysh n. bathroom (room used

for bathing)
mtng n. chamber pot; wooden
pan used as toilet;
toilet bowl
wi shng n. toilet paper; bathroom
zh tissue
x f shu n. shampoo (liquid) /

my l n. shower gel /

mojn n. towel Zhr yu mojn.
Heres a towel.

ygng n. bathtub Gi ygng li fngshng
shu.
Turn on the water in the
bathtub.

40

jidin n. wine shop; pub

(public house); hotel;
restaurant
kuiji n. express inn
jidin /

qngnin n. youth hostel
lsh
qch n. motel
lgun
mn s n. Bed & Breakfast
41

Lesson 6 Shopping
pnggu n. apple Gi n y g pnggu.
Heres an apple for you.

jn n. catty; weight eaual to b jn
0.5 kg eight jin

ydinr adv. a bit; a little Nn zi ch ydinr b?
B lexixie!
How about having some
more? No more,
thanks!
?
!
yjng adv. already Tmen xing'i yjng du
nin.
They have been in love for
a number of years.

tin adj. sweet i yzh shu zhn tin
na
Ah, this water is really
sweet!

hi adv. still; still more; yet; Mngtin de ywn k hi
even more; even; shng bu shng?
also; Shall we have our chinese
else lessons tomorrow or not?

bi de else; other
jin n. item; component; Zh j jin dngxi yq

classifier for events, dusho qin
things, clothes etc. How much is that
altogether?

T x n. T-shirt T T
ho n. ordinal number; day Zh xi xio le ling ho.

of a month; mark;
sign; size
bis n. white
42

sh v. to test; to try; W y xing sh shi.

experiment Id also like to have a try.

hsh v. suitable; fitting; Zh shung xi w chun
decent; to fit zhng hsh .

ky v. can; may; possible; Ling g du kybgu
able to; not bad; pretty zhge bjio ho y din
good Either will do, but this one
is a bit better.

shu v. to brush; to paint; to shu k
daub; to paste up swipe your card

xnyngk n. credit card
shr v. to import; to input
mm n. code; secret code; ychng mm

password; pin number enciphering

shuj n. cell phone; mobile
phone
pizi n. sign; trademark; brand T de chzi sh shnme
Pizi?
What mark is his car?

tocn n. set meal; product or
service package (e.g.
for a cell phone
subscription)
zhng n. species; kind; type; T nnggu shu sn zhng
classifier for types, wiguy.
kinds, sorts He can speak three foreign
languages.

yu n. moon; month; sn g du yu
monthly more than three months

pto n. grape ptoji
grape wine

43

l n. pear
hulnggu n. red pitaya; dragon

fruit; dragon pearl
fruit
xgu n. watermelon
yuzi n. pomelo (citrus

maxima or c. grandis)
chngzi n. orange (the fruit) /

comi n. strawberry (the plant
or the fruit)
yngto n. cherry
chny n. underclothes; Chny p le y g dng. /

undergarments; shirt Have a hole in ones shirt.

wito n. overcoat; loose coat; Zh jin wito n chun le
outer garment tng h shn de.
This coat fits you perfectly.

moy n. woollen sweater; d moy
sweater; woolly knit a sweater

shuto n. gloves; mittens Shuto znme b jin le?
What have i done with my
gloves?

kzi n. trousers; pants
xizi n. shoes
wzi n. socks; stockings; hose
rn z tu n. flip-flops
chngzh n. rechargeable card /

k

U pn n. usb flash drive U U /

44

shbio n. mouse (computing) /

bjbndin n. laptop
no /

dinch n. (electric) cell; battery tiyngnng dinch
solar cell

chngdin n. charger; battery
q charger
45

Chinese characters (Hanzi)
Lesson 1
Chinese Pinyin Meaning Order of strokes
character
y one
r two
sn three
s four
w five
li six
q seven
b eight
ji nine
sh ten
bi hundred
qin thousand
46

Lesson 2
character
n female
nn male
rn people
d big
tin sky
ho good
47

Lesson 3
character
shn mountain
shu water
y rain
m wood;
tree
hu fire
sn forest
ln woods
xi rest
yn cloud
48

Lesson 4
character
ru meat
ni ox
yng sheep
y fish
j chickwn
m horse
m mother
mi beautiful
49

Lesson 5
character
ch vehicle
q steam
r enter
ku mouth
n safe
qun complete
50

Lesson 6
character
shng birth
r day
kui fast
l happy
yu moon;
month
i love
51

Tsinghua Chinese: Start Talking With 1.3 Billion People

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TSINGHUA

Rules given in terms of English pronunciation ................................................................................. 0

Chinese characters (Hanzi) ............................................................................................................... 46

Rules given in terms of English pronunciation

b [p] spit unaspirated p, as in spit

p [p] pay strongly aspirated p, as in pit

m [m] may as in English mummy

f [f] fair as in English fun

d [t] stop unaspirated t, as in stop

t [t] take strongly aspirated t, as in top

n [n] nay as in English nit

l [l] lay as in English love

g [k] skill unaspirated k, as in skill

k [k] kay strongly aspirated k, as in kill

No equivalent in English, but similar to an unaspirated "-chy-" sound

No equivalent in English. Like punch yourself, with the lips spread

as in chin, but with a flat tongue; very similar to nurture in American

as in shoe, but with a flat tongue; very similar to marsh in American

unaspirated c, similar to something between suds and cats; as in

s [s] say as in sun

w [w] way as in water.

y [j],[] yea as in yes. Before a u, pronounce it with rounded lips.

-i is a buzzed continuation of the consonant following z-, c-, s-, zh-,

a [a] a like English father, but a bit more fronted

a back, unrounded vowel (similar to English "duh", but not as

ai [i ] ai like English eye, but a bit lighter

ao [u ] ao approximately as in cow; the a is much more audible than the o

an [n] an like British English ban, but more central

eng [] eng like e in en above but with ng appended

er [] er similar to the sound in bar in American English

i [i] yi like English bee

ia [i a] ya as i + a; like English yard

as i + ; but is very short; e (pronounced like ) is pronounced

ian [i n] yan as i + an; like English yen

iang [i ] yang as i + ang

ing [i ] ying as i + eng

iong [i ] yong as i + ong

u [u] wu like English oo

as u + o where the o (compare with the o interjection) is

uai [u i ] wai as u + ai, as in English why

un [u n] wen as u + en; as in English won

uang [u ] wang as u + ang

(n/a) [u ] weng as u + eng

as in German ber or French lune.

ue, e [y e] yue as + ; the is short and light

Dng Losh, nn ho!

B: L losh, nn ho! W sh fi. Jindo nn hn goxng.

A: N jio shnme mngzi?

A: Qng wn tmen sh ...?

A: Nmen ho, hunyng nmen!

B: Xixi! Jindo nn hn goxng!

A: Qngwn nn de dinhu sh shnme?

B: W de dinhu sh 139 1024 5678.

A: Qngwn nn de yuxing sh shnme?

139 1024 5678

A: N ho! Qngwn ynhng zi nr?

A: Zul duchng shjin?

B: Shfu nnho! W q Tin'n Mn.

A: Nn ho, w mi y zhng Yktng.

A: Qng chng 30 kui.

B: Ho, ygng 50 kui.

A: Nn ho! W mi y zhng pio.

A: Hunyng gungln, nn j wi?