HSK 1 in A Nutshell

HSK
IN A NUTSHELL
1
HSK 1 In A Nutshell
Hands-On Chinese series
© 2020 by Standard Chinese Academy
Main editor: Yanis Za rópulos
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Table of Contents
The Basics dǎdiànhuà / 打电话 13 gāoxìng / 高兴 31
Introduction i dà / 大 14 gè / 个 32
The Writing System iii de / 的 15 gōngzuò / 工作 33
Reading & Pronunciation v diǎn / 点 16 gǒu / 狗 34
Key Grammar Points ix diànnǎo / 电脑 17 hànyǔ / 汉语 35
diànshì / 电视 18 hǎo / 好 36
The Words
diànyǐng / 电影 19 háo / 号 37
ài / 爱 1
dōngxī / 东⻄ 20 hē / 喝 38
bā / 八 2
dōu / 都 21 hé / 和 39
bàba / 爸爸 3
dú / 读 22 hěn / 很 40
bēizi / 杯子 4
duìbuqǐ / 对不起 23 hòumiàn / 后面 41
běijīng / 北京 5
běn / 本 6 duō / 多 24 huí / 回 42
bù / 不 7 duōshǎo / 多少 25 huì / 会 43
bùkèqi / 不客气 8 érzi / 儿子 26 jī / 几 44
cài / 菜 9 èr / 二 27 jiā / 家 45
chá / 茶 10 fàndiàn / 饭店 28 jiào / 叫 46
chī / 吃 11 fēijī / ⻜机 29 jīntiān / 今天 47
chūzūchē / 出租⻋ 12 fēnzhōng / 分钟 30 jiǔ / 九 48

kāi / 开 49 nǐ / 你 73 shū / 书 97
kān / 看 50 nián / 年 74 shuǐ / 水 98
kànjiàn / 看⻅ 51 nǚ'ér / 女儿 75 shuǐguǒ / 水果 99
kuài / 块 52 péngyou / 朋友 76 shuìjiào / 睡觉 100
lái / 来 53 piàoliang / 漂亮 77 shuō / 说 101
lǎoshī / 老师 54 píngguǒ / 苹果 78 sì / 四 102
le / 了 55 qī / 七 79 suì / 岁 103
lěng / 冷 56 qiánmiàn / 前面 80 tā / 他 104
lǐ / 里 57 qián / 钱 81 tā / 她 105
liù / 六 58 qǐng / 请 82 tài / 太 106
māma / 妈妈 59 qù / 去 83 tiānqì / 天气 107
mǎ / 吗 60 rè / 热 84 tīng / 听 108
mǎi / 买 61 rén / 人 85 tóngxué / 同学 109
māo / 猫 62 rènshi / 认识 86 wéi / 喂 110
méiguānxi / 没关系 63 sān / 三 87 wǒ / 我 111
méiyǒu / 没有 64 shāngdiàn / 商店 88 wǒmen / 我们 112
mǐfàn / 米饭 65 shǎng / 上 89 wǔ / 五 113
míngzi / 名字 66 shàngwǔ / 上午 90 xǐhuan / 喜欢 114
míngtiān / 明天 67 shǎo / 少 91 xià / 下 115
nǎ / 哪 68 shéi / 谁 92 xiàwǔ / 下午 116
nǎr / 哪儿 69 shénme / 什么 93 xiàyǔ / 下雨 117
nā / 那 70 shí / 十 94 xiānsheng / 先生 118
ne / 呢 71 shíhou / 时候 95 xiànzài / 现在 119
néng / 能 72 shì / 是 96 xiǎng / 想 120

xiǎo / 小 121 zhù / 住 145 Verbs 168
xiǎojie / 小姐 122 zhuōzi / 桌子 146 Nouns 169
xiē / 些 123 zì / 字 147
xiě / 写 124 zuótiān / 昨天 148
xièxie / 谢谢 125 zuò / 坐 149
xīngqī / 星期 126 zuò / 做 150
xuésheng / 学生 127
Reading Material
xuéxí / 学习 128
Text 1 153
xuéxiào / 学校 129
Text 2 155
yī / 一 130
Text 3 157
yīdiǎnr / 一点儿 131
Text 4 159
yīfu / 衣服 132
Text 5 161
yīshēng / 医生 133
yīyuàn / 医院 134 At a Glance
yǐzi / 椅子 135 Useful phrases 165
yǒu / 有 136 Numerals 165
yuè / 月 137 Personal Pronouns 165
zàijiàn / 再⻅ 138 Days of the Week 166
zài / 在 139 Time 166
zěnme / 怎么 140 Degree 166
zěnmeyàng / 怎么样 141 Months 166
zhè / 这 142 Location 166
zhōngguó / 中国 143 Question Words 167
zhōngwǔ / 中午 144 Adjectives 167

基 THE
本 BASICS
The Basics Introduction
Introduction
Standard Chinese - or simply Mandarin - is the ”standard” variety of Chinese and one of the of -
cial languages of China. It is spoken by hundreds of millions of people, in the People’s Republic
of China, Taiwan and Singapore, as well as in many other countries as a minority language.
However, this doesn’t mean that

it is the only language spoken in
China. In fact, there are many dif-
ferent languages and dialects spo-
ken, some of them not even mu-
tually intelligible. Thus, using the
term Chinese to describe the lan-
guage of China (or Standard Chi-
nese) could easily be considered a
misnomer.
In this book, we will deal with

Standard Chinese - or 普通話
(pǔtōnghuà).
Basically, Standard Chinese is

nothing but a standardized version
of Mandarin with:
• Pronunciation based on the

Beijing dialect
• Vocabulary coming from var-

ious Mandarin dialects
• Grammar based on the writ-

ten vernacular Chinese
So, there you are! Ready to start?
Different dialects spoken in China

i
Introduction The Basics
ii
The Basics The Writing System
The Writing System
The Chinese writing system is based on the Chinese characters, or 汉子 (hànzi), a set of lo-
gograms having their origins in the oracle bone script. The rst oracle bone inscriptions were
discovered at the Yinxu ruins, in the modern Chinese province of Henan, and date back to the
2nd millenium BC - making it the oldest writing system in the world still in use. Yes, we are
talking about more than 4.000 years ago!
It is those initial scripts that evolved into the current writing system of the chinese language and
that gave birth to the two main writing systems in use:
• Simpli ed Chinese characters -

promoted since the 1950’s by
the government of the People’s
Republic of China to encourage
literacy; they are currently used
of cially in the People’s Repub-
lic of China, Malaysia and Singa-
pore. It is also the main script for
Standard Chinese, and thus the
one used in this book.
• Traditional Chinese characters -

emerged from the clerical script
during the 5th century and re-
The character for the word ài (love)
main almost unaltered till now;
it is the of cially used script in
Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau.
The two writing systems may present differences in several characters while many are identical.
In any case, we are talking about two writing systems for the same language - and by no means
two distinct languages.
iii
The Writing System The Basics
Generally, one character corresponds to a phoneme - that is a spoken syllable - and a meaning
(or various ones) and can be used to form a word, either alone, or along with other characters.
In fact, the majority of Chinese words consist of two or more characters.
In total, it is estimated that there

are tens of thousands of differ-
ent characters. But don’t be
afraid! No matter how intimidat-
ing this sounds, functional literacy
in China requires the knowledge
of around 3 to 4 thousand charac-
ters, and in order to be ” uent” 1
to 2 thousand characters would suf-
ce.
The good news
It is estimated that with only 150

characters - for example, the ones
required for HSK 1 - you would be
able to recognize roughly 50% of
all written Chinese. Amazing, isn’t
it?
At rst, being used to the alphabets

of Western languages, these char-
acters may all look like incompre-
hensible symbols. But then, stop
and think how many symbols are
around us every day, which you can
instantly recognize and interprete
without even knowing how: before
you even notice, with just a little
An example of Chinese calligraphy (Tang Dynasty) bit of practice, you will also be able
to recognize and understand many,
many characters!
iv
The Basics Reading & Pronunciation
Reading & Pronunciation
Chinese is a tonal language. That is: every syllable may be pronounced in 4 different ways,
depending on the pitch. Yes, pretty much like singing out loud every single syllable.
The tones in Mandarin are:
• 1st tone: A high level tone

(Pinyin: mā, Wade-Giles: ma1)
• 2nd tone: A rising tone, starting from middle pitch

(Pinyin: má, Wade-Giles: ma2)
• 3rd tone: A low, initially falling tone, and then rising to high pitch
(Pinyin: mǎ, Wade-Giles: ma3)
• 4th tone: A sharp, falling tone, reaching the lowest possible pitch
(Pinyin: mà, Wade-Giles: ma4)
v
Reading & Pronunciation The Basics
Also, note that we may consider the existence of an extra 5th tone - basically the ”no tone”, a
neutral pronunciation without pitch variation which is usually marked like (Pinyin: ma, Wade-
Giles: ma).
Pinyin is the standard form of romanization of the Chinese language

- and used throughout this book. Basically, it’s nothing but an attempt to represent the
phonetics of the Chinese language, using the Latin alphabet; plus the tones we mentioned
above. So, in order to learn how to read it properly, don’t miss the following pronunciation
tables ▼
Vowels
Pinyin Variants IPA Example in Chinese Equivalent in English
a a 安 (Ān) car
e e 也 (yě) hey
-n(g) ə 本 (běn) atop
-r ɚ 二 (èr) fern
i i 李 (lǐ) city
zh-,ch-,sh-,r- ɻ̩ 吃 (chī) cousin
z-,c-,s- ɹ̩ 子 (zǐ) cousin (retroflex)
o o 末 (mò) boy
-ng ʊ 用 (yòng) book
u u 土 (tǔ) cool
ü y 雨 (yù) bee (with rounded lips)
y j 牙 (yá) yes
vi
The Basics Reading & Pronunciation
Consonants
Pinyin IPA Example in Chinese Equivalent in English
b p 幇 (bāng) span
c tsʰ 此 (cǐ) cats
ch ʈʂʰ 吃 (chī) cheer (with strong aspiration)
d t 端 (duān) stop
f f 非 (fēi) fan
g k 干 (gān) skin
h x 火 (huǒ) loch (in Scottish)
j tɕ 叫 (jiào) cheap (soft)
k kʰ 口 (kǒu) kin
l l 来 (lái) leaf
m m 明 (míng) moon
n n 泥 (ní) noon
p pʰ 滂 (pāng) pan
q tɕʰ 去 (qù) cheap (with strong aspiration)
r ɻ 日 (rì) row (with tongue curled)
s s 矢 (sī) same
sh ʂ 滂 (shǐ) show (with tongue curled)
t tʰ 透 (tòu) top
w w 我 (wǒ) water
x ɕ 晓 (xiǎo) sheep (soft)
z ts 子 (zǐ) cats (without aspiration)
zh ʈʂ 之 (zhī) cheer (with tongue curled)
vii
Reading & Pronunciation The Basics
Tone changes
Another important aspect of Chinese pronunciation are tone changes, or sandhi. That is: a
syllable that would otherwise have a speci c tone changes according to the tone of the syllable
that follows it.
Although, at an early stage, you shouldn’t bother too much about tone changes,
it’s good to know that they do exist. And the sooner you master them, the sooner you’ll be
able to get the pronunciation spot on!
• 不 (bù): normally pronounced in the 4th tone, it changes to the 2nd tone, when followed
by another 4th tone syllable, e.g. 不是 (búshì)
• 一 (yī): when it means ” rst”, it’s in the 1st tone; when the following tone is a 4th tone it
changes to the 2nd tone, e.g. 一次 (yícì); and in every other case, it’s a 4th tone, e.g. 一
般 (yìbān)
• 3rd + 3rd = 2nd + 3rd: when you nd two consecutive 3rd tones, the rst one becomes a
2nd tone, e.g. 你 (nǐ) + 好 (hǎo) = 你好 (níhǎo)
viii
The Basics Key Grammar Points
Key Grammar Points
Now that you have an idea of how the language is read and written, let’s move to a more interest-
ing part, the grammar; or basically the lack thereof. Yes, you heard right: there is no grammar,
at least the way you usually think of grammars, in western languages.
What you won’t nd in Chinese

• Articles: a noun standing alone
would normally imply the defi-
nite article (the), while the equiv-
alent of the indefinite article
(a/an) would be with 一, e.g. 一
个苹果 (an apple).
• Genders: if you have ever

studied any romance language
or German, perhaps you’ve al-
ready come across noun gen-
ders. Thankfully, Chinese has no
such thing either.
• Plurals: Chinese normally has no plural marker. There is the 们 (men) suf x, but only for
personal pronouns, e.g. 我 (wǒ) - ”I”, 我们 (wǒmen) - ”we” and optionally for nouns that
represent people, e.g. 朋友 (péngyou) - ”friend”, 朋友们 (péngyoumén) - ”friends”. An-
other marker is 些 (xiē) for pluralizing the demonstrative pronouns 这 (zhè) and 那 (nà)，
but this too is totally optional.
• Noun in ection: the language almost entirely lacks in ection and words have only one
grammatical form; they simply don’t change.
• Verb conjugation: same as above: there is no such thing as conjugation in Chinese. A

verb is a verb and its form never changes. Verb tenses are expressed - if at all - with the
use of particles.
ix
Key Grammar Points The Basics
What you will nd in Chinese

• No spaces: There is no clear dividing lining between characters and words. Basically, a text
in Chinese is simply a string of characters with no spaces in between and word boundaries
can be confusing, since at times it may entirely depend on the context.
• Word order: Chinese is mainly an SVO (Subject-Object-Verb) language, like English. How-
ever, it also shares elements with SOV languages, for example relative clauses coming be-
fore the noun they modify. Also, the sentence structure can at times be challenging for an
English speaker. (▶ See next section for more details)
• Adjectives as verbs: In Chinese, an adjective that follows and modi es the subject of a
verb - that is, a predicate adjective - functions at the same time like a verb. In this case, for
example with the verb 是 (shì) - ”to be” or the preposition 在 (zài) - ”to be at”, the verb
can be omitted, e.g. 我很高。(Wǒ hěn gāo.) - ”I am tall” (literally ”I tall”).
• Negation: In order to negate any verb or predicate adjective (▲ See above), we’ll use
不 (bù), e.g. 我不吃雞。(Wǒ bù chī jī) - ”I don’t eat chicken”. In case we deal with
the verb 有 (yǒu) - ”there is”/”to exist”, or any other verb referring to the past, we should
use 没 (méi) instead, e.g. 他们没看⻅我们。(Tāmen méi kànjiàn wǒmen) - ”They didn’t
see us”.
• Asking questions: Asking yes/no questions can be achieved by simply adding the particle
吗 (ma), e.g. 你吃鸡吗? (nǐ chī jī ma?) - ”Do you eat chicken?” (literally ”You eat chicken
[ma]?”). If there is a question word, then it goes exactly where the item being asked about
would go (▶ See next section for more details), e.g. 你说什么? (nǐ shuō shénme) - ”What
did you say?” (literally ”You say what?”).
• The possessive particle 的 (de): Whenever you want to express possession - the English
apostrophe-’s or the ”... of ...” equivalent - the 的 particle comes to the rescue, e.g. 我的房
子。(wǒ de fángzi) - ”My house” (literally ”I [de] house”. The possessive particle may be
omitted in intimate relationships, such as when talking about somebody’s father or mother.
The same particle may be used, but not necessarily, between an attributive adjective and
a noun, e.g. 黑的⻢ (hēi de mǎ) - ”black horse”.
x
The Basics Key Grammar Points
• Locative phrases: in Chinese, expressing location may involve a preposition, a post-position,

both or neither. For example, e.g. 座子上 (zhuōzi shàng) - ”on the table” (literally ”table-
on” but 在美国 (zài měiguó) - ”in the US”.
• Classi ers: The elephant in the room - classi ers or measure words are one of the most
interesting and exotic elements of the Chinese language. Think of it this way: the same
way in English we’d say ”a pair of trousers” and never ”a trousers” (although, in fact, we’re
talking about one single item), in Chinese, everything - and I mean every single noun - is
”a something of ...”. That is a classifier.
And when should you use them? Basically, whenever we use numerals or demonstratives,
we have to. This means that you practically have to learn every noun along with the
appropriate classi er, e.g. 一本书 (yī běn shū) - ”a book” (literally ”a [ben - classi er]
book”
Although at rst it may seem like a daunting task, sooner or later you will realize that it
comes quite naturally. In the meantime, do note that there is a ”generic” classi er - that is,
one you may use with any noun and probably get away with it: 个 (gè), e.g. 三个月 (sān
gè yuè) - ”Three months” (literally ”Three [ge - classi er] months”). If you don’t choose
an appropriate classi er, it may not be grammatically correct, but chances are you will be
perfectly understood.
Word Order in Chinese

Chinese, as we’ve already mentioned, is a SVO language - that is, sentences follow a Subject-
Verb-Object pattern, pretty much like in English:
An interesting point of difference with English is topic prominence: in Chinese, the topic (the main
point of the sentence) is usually placed at the beginning of the sentence while the relevant new
information follows, e.g. 院子里停着⻋ (Yuànzi lǐ tíngzhe chē.) - ”The card is parked in the
car” (literally ”Yard-[in] park(ed) car”).
In this case, the topic of the sentence is 院子 (the yard) and the new information about it (that a
car is parked in it) follows as a comment.
xi
Key Grammar Points The Basics
In case there are more elements to the sentence - apart from the subject, verb and object - such
as a time or place, the situation gets a bit more complicated:
A pattern to easily memorize the word order in Chinese
• Time: time references usually go immediately after the subject, e.g. 我今天很忙。(wǒ
jīntiān hěn máng) - ”I’m very busy today” (literally ”I today very busy”). Occasionally,
they may also precede the subject, e.g. 昨天下雨。(zuótiān xià yǔ) - ”It rained yesterday”
(literally ”Yesterday rain(ed)”).
• Location: place references usually go before the verb, but after any time references, e.g.
我星期一在家看电影。(wǒ xīngqí yī zàijiā kàn diànyǐng) - ”I watched a movie at home on
Monday” (literally ”I Monday at-home watch(ed) movie”). However, there are exceptions
to the rule, where the place reference goes immediately after the verb, e.g. with the verbs
住 (zhù) - ”to live”, 走 (zǒu) - ”to walk” or 坐 (zuò) - ”to sit”.
• Duration: duration references usually go after the verb (and after any location references,
in case they exist), e.g. 我学习了二个月。(wǒ xuéxíle èr gè yuè) - ”I studied for two
months”.
• Adverbs of manner: adverbs of manner or adverbial phrases always go before the verb and
between any time and location references, e.g. 我昨天高高兴兴地在家里吃米饭。(Wǒ
zuótiān gāogāoxìngxìng de zài jiālǐ chī mǐfàn) - ”I happily ate rice at home yesterday.”
(literally ”I yesterday happy-[de] at-home eat rice”).
• Instrument: references to the ”instrument” (with what?) always go before the verb and after
any other references of time or place, e.g. 她用电脑工作。(Tā yòng diànnǎo gōngzuò) -
”She works with a computer.” (literally ”She with-computer work”).
• Objects: in a sentence, the object always follows the verb. If there are more than one
objects, for example an indirect and a direct object, then the indirect one is the rst one
to be mentioned, just like in English, e.g. 我给她一本书。(Wǒ gěi tā yī běn shū) - ”I gave
her a book.” (literally ”I give she [ben - classi er] book”).
xii
字 THE
WORDS
The Words ài
RADICAL
爱 ài
■ (v) to love
■ (v) to like
■ (n) love, affection ài
♦ to love, to like, to be fond of; love, af-

fection • (ideographic) To bring a friend
友 into one’s house 冖
wǒ ài nǐ hé bàba
我爱你和爸爸 I love you and dad.
wǒ ài zhèlǐ de rénmen
我爱这里的人们 I love the people here.
wǒ de māo huì ài shàng zhège

我的猫会爱上这个 My cats will love this.
rènshì tā de rén dōu ài tā

认识他的人都爱他 He was loved by everyone that knew him.
1
bā The Words
RADICAL
八 bā
■ (num) 8, eight
bā
♦ eight; all around, all sides • (ideo-

graphic) Two bent lines meaning ”to di-
vide”
xiànzài bā diǎn zhōng

现在八点钟 It’s eight o’clock.
wǒ zuó wǎn shuìle

我昨晚睡了
bā gè xiǎoshí jué I slept for eight hours last night.
八个小时觉
yī èr sān sì wǔ liù
一二三四五六
qī bā jiǔ shí
One, two, three, four, ve, six,
seven, eight, nine, ten.
七八九十
2
The Words bàba
RADICAL
爸爸 bàba
■ (n) dad, father [informal]
bà
Classi er
♦ father, papa • (pictophonetic) father
• 个 gè ▷ general
• 位 wèi ▷ for people [polite]
tā shì wǒ de bàba
他是我的爸爸 He is my dad.
xiànzài wǒ bàba bù zài jiā

现在我爸爸不在家 My dad is not at home for the moment.
tā hé tā bàba yīyàng gāo

他和他爸爸一样高 He is as tall as his father.
3
bēizi The Words
RADICAL
杯子 bēizi
■ (n) cup
■ (n) glass
bēi
♦ cup, glass; measure word for liquids •

(pictophonetic) tree
bēizi zài zhuō shàng
杯子在桌上
The cup is on the table. zi
zhè shì shéi de bēizi

♦ son, child; seed, egg; fruit; small
这是谁的杯子 thing • (pictographic) A child in a wrap,
Whose cup is this? with outstretched arms but bundled legs
nǎge bēizi shì nǐ de

哪个杯子是你的
Which cup is yours?
Classi er
• 只 zhī ▷ one of a pair; animals
4
The Words běijīng
RADICAL
北京 běijīng
■ (pr n) Beijing, capital of

the People’s Republic of China
běi
♦ north; northern; northward • (picto-

wǒ xiànzài zài běijīng graphic) Two people 匕 sitting back-to-
我现在在北京 back; phonetic loan for ”north”
I am in Beijing right now.
wǒ shì shàng gè yuè jīng

我是上个月
lái de běijīng
来的北京 ♦ capital city • (pictographic) A capital
I came to Beijing last month. building on a hill
wǒ shì zài běijīng

我是在北京
xuéxí zhōngwén de
学习中文的
I study Chinese in Beijing.
5
běn The Words
RADICAL
本 běn
■ (cl) classi er for books,

periodicals, les, etc
■ (n) root běn

■ (n) origin, source
♦ root, origin, source; basis • (ideo-

graphic) A tree 木 with its roots high-
lighted
zhè běn shū bùshì wǒ de

这本书不是我的 This book isn’t mine.
zài zhuōzi shàng yǒu běn shū

在桌子上有本书 There is a book on the table.
nǐ dúle nà běn shū ma

你读了那本书吗 You’ve already read the book?
6
The Words bù
RADICAL
不 bù
■ (det) no, not
■ (adv) no bù
♦ no, not, un-; negative pre x • (ideo-

graphic) A bird ying toward the sky 一
wǒ bùshì yīshēng
我不是医生
I’m not a doctor.
不 + verb/adjective = not ...
wǒ bù è If you want to negate a present or future
我不饿 verb, other than 有, you may normally
I am not hungry. use 不, e.g. 我不忙。(I’m not busy) or 我
不知道。(I don’t know).
wǒ tīng bù dǒng
我听不懂
I don’t understand.
tāmen xiànzài dōu bùzàijiā

他们现在都不在家
They are not all at home right now.
7
bùkèqi The Words
RADICAL
不客气 bùkèqi
■ (v phr) you’re welcome

bù ▶ See page 7
■ (adj) impolite, rude
kè
bù kèqì ♦ guest, traveller; customer • (ideo-

不客气 graphic) A person 各 welcomed under
You’re welcome. one’s roof 宀; 各 also provides the pro-
nunciation
谢谢 bù kèqì
Xièxiè 不客气
qì
Thanks. Don’t mention it.
nǐ yàoshi zài gěi ♦ air, gas; steam, vapor; anger • (ideo-

你要是再给 graphic) A person 亻 breathing air
wǒmen gōngsī chūyángxiàng wǒ
我们公司出洋相我
kě jiù bù kèqìle
可就不客气了
If you make fun of our company again,
we certainly won’t be polite to you.
8
The Words cài
RADICAL
菜 cài
■ (n) dish
■ (n) vegetable
cài
Classi er
♦ vegetables; order, dish; food • (picto-
• 盘 pán ▷ at objects; dishes phonetic) plant
• 道 dào ▷ linear projections; or-

ders; courses of food; questions
zhè cài hěn měiwèi

这菜很美味 This dish is delicious.
nǐmen yǒu shénme cài

你们有什么菜 What kind of food do you have?
nǐ xǐhuān zuò cài ma

你喜欢做菜吗 Do you like cooking?
9
chá The Words
RADICAL
茶 chá
■ (n) tea
■ (n) tea plant

chá
♦ tea; tea leaves; tea plant • (pictopho-

Classi er netic) plant
• 杯 bēi ▷ liquids (water,juice,etc)

in cup, glass
• 壶 hú ▷ liquids in a pot or kettle
nǐ hē chále ma
你喝茶了吗 Did you drink tea?
wǒ bù xǐhuān hē chá
我不喜欢喝茶 I don’t like tea.
wǒ yǒu shíhòu hē chá

我有时候喝茶 I often drink tea.
10
The Words chī
RADICAL
吃 chī
■ (v) to eat
■ (v) to consume
chī
■ (v) to destroy, to eradicate
♦ to eat; to drink; to suffer, to endure, to

bear • (pictophonetic) mouth
wǒ xiǎng chī
我想吃 I would like to eat.
jīntiān wǔfàn nǐ chī shénme

今天午饭你吃什么 What are you eating for lunch?
zài nǐmen guójiā chī mǐfàn ma

在你们国家吃米饭吗 Do you eat rice in your country?
11
chūzūchē The Words
RADICAL
出租⻋ chūzūchē
■ (n) taxi
chū
Classi er
♦ to go out, to send out; stand; pro-
duce • (ideographic) A sprout 屮 grow-
• 辆 liàng ▷ wheeled vehicles, ing out of a container 凵
e.g. cars
zū
nǎ'er yǒu chūzū chē

哪儿有出租⻋
♦ to rent, to lease; tax, rent • (ideo-
Where is the taxi?
graphic) Regularly paid 且 tribute in
tā shì chūzū chē grain 禾
她是出租⻋
sījī ma
chē
司机吗
Is she a taxi driver?
♦ cart, vehicle; to move in a cart • (pic-
tographic) Simpli ed form of 車, a cart
with two wheels, seen from above
12
The Words dǎdiànhuà
RADICAL
打电话 dǎdiànhuà
■ (v phr) to make
a telephone call
dǎ
♦ to attack, to beat, to hit, to strike • (pic-

dǎ diànhuà huí jiā tophonetic) hand
打电话回家
Call home!
diàn
wǒ gěi tā dǎ diànhuà de
我给她打电话的
shíhòu tā bùzài
♦ electricity; electric; lightning • (ideo-
时候她不在 graphic) Simpli ed form of 電; lightning
She was out when I called. 申 from a storm cloud 雨
zuótiān wǒ dǎ diànhuà
昨天我打电话
lái de shíhòu nǐ huà
来的时候，
zài gànshénme
你在干什 ♦ talk, speech; language, dialect • (ideo-
graphic) A spoken 讠 tongue 舌; 舌
What were you doing when I called you
also provides the pronunciation
yesterday?
13
dà The Words
RADICAL
大 dà
■ (adj) big, large
■ (adj) great dà
■ (adj) wide
♦ big, great, vast, high, deep • (ideo-
■ (adj) deep
graphic) A man 人 with outstretched
■ (adv) very much arms
zhè háizi duō dà le

这孩子多大了 How old is this child?
zhè méishénme dàbùliǎo de

这没什么大不了的 It’s no big deal.
dàjiā dōu shì zhèyàng xiǎng de

大家都是这样想的 Everybody thinks so.
14
The Words de
RADICAL
的 de
■ (part) of ... [possession]
■ (part) for attributes

de
■ (part) for nominal expressions
♦ aim, goal; of; possessive particle; -self

suf x
zhè shì wǒmen de xuéxiào

这是我们的学校
This is our school. subject + 的 + noun = ’s ...
tāmen dōu shì yīyàng In order to show possession, similar to
他们都是一样 the English ’s, in Chinese you may use
de ma the particle 的, e.g. 我的老师。(My
teacher). In cases where the relation is
的吗 close - as with home or family - the par-
Are they both the same? ticle may be omitted, e.g. 我家。(My
home)
zhège dōngxī shì nǐ
这个东⻄是你
de ma
的吗
Is that thing yours?
15
diǎn The Words
RADICAL
点 diǎn
■ (n) point
■ (n) dot
diǎn
■ (phr) o’clock
■ (cl) classi er for ideas, sugges-

tions, etc ♦ dot, point, speck • (pictophonetic) re
sān diǎn hrs + 点 + mins [+ 分] = time

三点 If you want to express the time, just the
follow the above formula, e.g. 八点。(8
Three o’clock. o’clock) or 四点三十分。(4:30). Also
note that, in spoken Mandarin, the 分 is
jiǔ diǎn sānshíwǔ
often omitted.
九点三十五
9:35.
wǒ gōngsī qī diǎn xiūxí

我公司七点休息
My of ce takes a break at seven
o’clock.
16
The Words diànnǎo
RADICAL
电脑 diànnǎo
■ (n) computer
diàn ▶ See page 13
Classi er nǎo
• 台 tái ▷ heavy objects, esp. ma-

chines ♦ brain • (pictophonetic) esh
zhè shì wǒ de diànnǎo

这是我的电脑 This is my computer.
zhè tái diànnǎo shì bùshì nǐ de

这台电脑是不是你的 This computer is yours, isn’t it?
shàng gè yuè wǒ mǎile

上个月我买了
yī táixīn diànnǎo I bought a new computer last month.
一台新电脑
17
diànshì The Words
RADICAL
电视 diànshì
■ (n) television, TV
shì
Classi er
♦ to look at, to inspect, to observe, to
• 台 tái ▷ heavy objects, esp. ma- regard • (pictophonetic) see
chines
wǒ bù xǐhuān kàn diànshì

我不喜欢看电视 I don’t like watching TV.
wǒ bù gāoxìng kàn diànshì

我不高兴看电视 I don’t feel like watching TV.
nǐ jīntiān yǒu kàn diànshì ma

你今天有看电视吗 Are you watching TV today?
18
The Words diànyǐng
RADICAL
电影 diànyǐng
■ (n) movie
■ (n) lm
yǐng
wǒ xǐhuān kàn diànyǐng
我喜欢看电影
I like watching movies.
zuótiān wǒ qù diànyǐngyuàn ♦ shadow; image, re ection; photo-

昨天我去电影院 graph • (pictophonetic) sunlight
Yesterday I went to the movies.
tāmen yīqǐ qù kàn diànyǐng

他们一起去看电影
Classi er
They go to movies together.
• 部 bù ▷ novels, movies
• 片 piàn ▷ ’slice’; at objects,

cards, etc
• 场 chǎng ▷ public spectacles,

games, lm
19
dōngxī The Words
RADICAL
东⻄ dōngxī
■ (n) thing
■ (n) stuff
dōng
■ (pron) something
■ (pron) anything
♦ east, eastern, eastward • (picto-
graphic) Simpli ed form of 東, the sun
日 rising behind a tree 木
wǒ hǎoduō tiān méi

我好多天没 xī
chī dōngxīle
吃东⻄了
♦ west, western, westward • (picto-
I haven’t eaten anything for many days.
graphic) A bird settling into its nest, rep-
resenting sunset; compare 東
wǒ hěn gāoxìng méiyǒu mǎi
我很高兴没有买
zhèyàng de dōngxī
这样的东⻄
I’m glad that I didn’t buy something like
this.
20
The Words dōu
RADICAL
都 dōu
■ (adv) all, both
dōu
Subject + 都 + ...
Putting 都 after the subject - and before
the verb - of a sentence usual implies a ♦ all, each, entirely, whole; metropolis;
meaning of ’all of...’ or ’both of...’, e.g. capital • (pictophonetic) city
我们都在北京。(We are all in Beijing)
wǒmen dōu hěn máng

我们都很忙 We are all very busy.
lái de dōu shì péngyǒu

来的都是朋友 Whenever you come, you are welcome.
wǒ shénme dōu bùxiǎng hē

我什么都不想喝 I don’t want to drink anything.
wǒ shénme dōu bù xǐhuān

我什么都不喜欢 I don’t like anything.
21
dú The Words
RADICAL
读 dú
■ (v) to study
■ (v) to read
■ (v) to learn dú
♦ to study, to learn; to read, to pro-

nounce • (ideographic) To show off 卖
one’s literacy 讠
nǐ zàidú nǎ běn shū

你在读哪本书 What book are you reading?
tā bù huì dú zhège zì
他不会读这个字 He cannot read this word.
wǒ zài xuéxiào dúshū

我在学校读书 I study at school.
wǒ zàidú nǐ de shū
我在读你的书 I’m reading your book.
22
The Words duìbuqǐ
RADICAL
对不起 duìbuqǐ
■ (phr) I’m sorry, excuse me
■ (phr) sorry? [please repeat]

duì
♦ correct, right; facing, opposed • (ideo-

graphic) A pair 又 of hands 寸
duìbùqǐ wǒ shōuhuí wǒ dehuà
对不起我收回我的话 bù ▶ See page 7
I’m sorry. I take back my words.
duìbùqǐ wǒ méiyǒu tīngjiàn

对不起，我没有听
qǐ
nǐ shuōhuà
⻅你说
I’m sorry, I didn’t hear you.
♦ to begin, to initiate; to rise, to stand
up • (pictophonetic) walk
23
duō The Words
RADICAL
多 duō
■ (adj) much, many
■ (adv) a lot
duō
■ (adv) more
■ (adv) often
♦ much, many, multi-; more than,
■ (phr) how ...? over • (ideographic) Two nights 夕, sug-
gesting many
nǐ yǒu hěnduō péngyǒu ma

你有很多朋友吗 Subject + 多 + adjective = How ... ?
In order to ask about the degree of an
Do you have many friends?
adjective, you may use the word 多, e.g.
zhège xuéxiào yǒu hěnduō xuéshēng
你多高？（How tall are you?)
这个学校有很多学生
This school has many students.
24
The Words duōshǎo
RADICAL
多少 duōshǎo
■ (adj) how much? how many?

duō ▶ See page 24
■ (n) number
■ (n) amount
shǎo
♦ few, little; less; inadequate • (picto-

graphic) Grains of sand; 小 provides the
pronunciation and meaning
多少 + noun = How many ... ?
In order to make a question like ’how
many...?’, you may use the word 多少,
e.g. 你每天吃多少个苹果？（How many
apples do you eat every day?)
yǒu duōshǎo rén néng zuò

有多少人能做 How many people can do that?
nǐ jiā yǒu duōshǎo rén

你家有多少人 How many people are in your family?
nǐ yǒu duōshǎo péngyǒu

你有多少朋友 How many friends do you have?
25
érzi The Words
RADICAL
儿子 érzi
■ (n) son
ér
♦ son, child • (pictographic) Simpli ed

Classi er form of 兒, a picture of a child; com-
pare 人
zi ▶ See page 4
tā yǒu sān gè er zi
他有三个儿子 He has three sons.
wǒ érzi bù tīng wǒ huà

我儿子不听我话 My son doesn’t obey me.
tā duì tā érzi hěn shēngqì

他对他儿子很生气 He was angry with his son.
26
The Words èr
RADICAL
二
二
èr
■ (num) 2, two
èr
♦ two; twice • (ideographic) Two paral-

lel lines; compare 一 (one) and 三 (three)
yī nián yǒu shí'èr gè yuè

一年有十二个月 One year has twelve months.
shí'èr yuè yǒusānshíyī tiān

十二月有三十一天 December has thirty-one days.
wǒ shí'èr diǎn chūqù chī wǔfàn

我十二点出去吃午饭 I go out for lunch at twelve.
27
fàndiàn The Words
RADICAL
饭店 fàndiàn
■ (n) hotel
■ (n) restaurant
fàn
♦ meal, food; cooked rice • (pictopho-

netic) food
wǒ xiǎng qù fàndiàn
我想去饭店
chī wǎnfàn
吃晚饭 diàn
I want to have dinner in a restaurant.
wǒmen defàndiàn shì zuì hǎo de ♦ shop, store; inn, hotel • (pictopho-
我们的饭店是最好的 netic) building
Our restaurant is the best.
wǒ céng zài yījiā

我曾在一家
fàndiàn gōngzuòguò Classi er
饭店工作过
I once worked in a restaurant. • 个 gè ▷ general
• 家 jiā ▷ gathering of people; es-

tablishments
28
The Words fēijī
RADICAL
⻜机 fēijī
■ (n) airplane
fēi
♦ to y, to dart; high • (pictographic) A

bird apping its wings
zhè shì tā de fēijī
这是他的⻜机
This is his plane.
jī
wǒmen shì zuò fēijī
我们是坐⻜机
qù hánguó de ♦ desk; machine; moment, opportu-
去韩国的 nity • (ideographic) A table 几 made of
wood 木; 几 also provides the pronun-
We went to Korea by plane. ciation
fēijī jiàng zài yī xiǎoshí

⻜机将在一小时
hòu qǐfēi
后起⻜ Classi er
The plane will take off in one hour.
• 架 jià ▷ aircraft; pianos; ma-
chines
29
fēnzhōng The Words
RADICAL
分钟 fēnzhōng
■ (n) minute
fēn
♦ to divide, to allocate; fraction; small

unit of time or other quantity • (ideo-
yī fēnzhōng yǒu liùshí miǎo graphic) Pieces 八 being further subdi-
一分钟有六十秒 vided with a knife 刀
A minute has sixty seconds.
wǒ shí fēnzhōng hòu

zhōng
我十分钟后
yǒu kòng
有空
♦ clock; bell • (pictophonetic) metal
I will be free in ten minutes.
néng bùnéng qǐng nǐ

能不能请你
děng jǐ fēnzhōng
等几分钟
Would you please wait for a few
minutes?
30
The Words gāoxìng
RADICAL
高兴 gāoxìng
■ (adj) happy, glad
gāo
wǒ zuótiān hěn gāoxìng

我昨天很高兴
♦ tall, lofty; high, elevated • (picto-
I was happy yesterday.
graphic) A tall palace
nǐ kàn lái bu
你看来不
dà gāoxìng xìng
大高兴
You don’t look so happy.
♦ to thrive, to prosper, to ourish
hěn gāoxìng nǐ shì
很高兴你是
duì de
对的
I’m glad you were right.
31
gè The Words
RADICAL
个 gè
■ (cl) classi er for people

or objects in general
gè
♦ this, that; single; measure word for in-

dividuals • (ideographic) A tally 丨 of
people 人
shí gè nánrén
十个男人
Ten men.
tāmen xǐhuān nàgè

number + 个 + noun
他们喜欢那个
In order to use a numeral in front of a
They love that.
noun, you also have to use a ’classi er’
or measure word in between. The most
zhèxiē rén lǐ nǎge shì
common one, which you can also use
这些人里哪个是 when you simply don’t remember a more
nǐ de péngyǒu appropriate classi er, is 个, e.g. 六个朋
你的朋友友。(Six friends)
Which one of these people is your
friend?
32
The Words gōngzuò
RADICAL
工作 gōngzuò
■ (v) to work
■ (v) to operate [a machine] gōng

■ (n) job, work
■ (n) task ♦ labor, work; laborer, worker • (pic-

tographic) A spade or other workman’s
tool
zuò
nǐ xiǎng zuò shénme gōngzuò
你想做什么工作
What do you want to do for work? ♦ to make; to write, to compose; to act,
to perform • (ideographic) A person 亻
wǒ jīntiān bùxiǎng gōngzuò making something for the rst time 乍;
我今天不想工作乍 also provides the pronunciation
I don’t want to work today.
wǒ de gōngzuò shì shénme

我的工作是什么
Classi er
What are my tasks?
• 项 xiàng ▷ items; projects
33
gǒu The Words
RADICAL
狗 gǒu
■ (n) dog
gǒu
Classi er
♦ dog • (pictophonetic) dog
• 条 tiáo ▷ long, narrow, exible

objects; rivers; pertaining to hu-
man lives
nǐ de gǒu zài nǎlǐ

你的狗在哪里 Where’s your dog?
nàxiē gǒu dōu hěn dà

那些狗都很大 Those dogs are big.
34
The Words hànyǔ
RADICAL
汉语 hànyǔ
■ (n) the Chinese language
hàn
汉语 - the name of
♦ Chinese people; Chinese language •
the Chinese language - actually means
(ideographic) Simpli ed form of 漢; the
the language of the Han people, one of
Han 𦰩 river 氵
the ethnic groups of China -
constituting 92% of its population,
while in Taiwan they make almost 97%
of the population. Another way to refer yǔ
to the Chinese language is 普通話
(pǔtōnghuà), literally meaning ’normal
language’, a standardized version of
Mandarin based on the Beijing dialect. ♦ words, language; saying, expression •
(pictophonetic) words
zhè běn hànyǔ shū duì wǒmen

这本汉语书对我们
lái shuō bu shì hěn nán
This Chinese book is not
too dif cult for us.
来说不是很难
35
hǎo The Words
RADICAL
好 hǎo
■ (v) good
■ (adv) well
hǎo
■ (adv) very
♦ good, excellent, ne; proper, suitable;

well • (ideographic) A woman 女 with a
son 子
tā shìgè hěn hǎo
他是个很好
de lǎoshī
的老师
你好！
He is a very good teacher.
or... ’Nǐ hǎo’ is the simplest way to say
hello in Chinese - which basically means
wǒ de péngyǒurén dōu
’you well’. If you want to ask something
我的朋友人都 like ’How do you do?’, all you have to
hěn hǎo say is 你好吗？(Nǐ hǎo ma?)
很好
My friends are all really nice.
nǐ de àihào shì shénme

你的爱好是什么
What’s your hobby?
36
The Words háo
RADICAL
号 háo
■ (n) day of the month
■ (n) cry, roar

hào
♦ mark, sign; symbol; number; to call,

number + 号 = ..th of the month to cry, to roar • (pictophonetic) mouth
If you want to say the date in Chinese,
you’ll most likely want to specify the day
of the month; this is what 号 is for, e.g.
是二月四号。（It’s February the forth)
shì shí yuè sān hào

是十月三号 It’s October the third.
jīntiān shì jǐ hào

今天是几号 What’s the date today?
jīntiān shì jǐ yuè jǐ hào

今天是几月几号 What is the date today?
37
hē The Words
RADICAL
喝 hē
■ (v) to drink
hē
♦ to drink; to shout, to call out • (picto-

phonetic) mouth
zuótiān tā hēle hěnduō

昨天他喝了很多 He drank a lot yesterday.
nǐ zuótiān hē chále ma
你昨天喝茶了吗 Did you drink tea yesterday?
nǐ xiǎng hē diǎn shénme ma

你想喝点什么吗 Do you want to drink anything?
wǒ xǐhuān yībiān hē
我喜欢一边喝
kāfēi yībiān kànshū I like to read books while drinking coffee.
咖啡一边看书
38
The Words hé
RADICAL
和 hé
■ (conj) and
hé
noun + 和 + noun
♦ harmony, peace; calm, peaceful •
You can use it pretty much like the En- (pictophonetic) mouth
glish ’and’, but only to connect nouns,
e.g. 我喝茶和咖啡。(I drink tea and
coffee). 和 is not be used as a linking
word, neither for connecting verbs, nor
sentences.
nǐ hé wǒ shì hǎo péngyǒu

你和我是好朋友 You and I are good friends.
tā xiǎng hé wǒmen yī qǐlái

他想和我们一起来 He wants to come with us.
wǒ néng hé lǎoshī shuōhuà ma

我能和老师说话吗 May I speak with the teacher?
39
hěn The Words
RADICAL
很 hěn
■ (adv) very
■ (adv) quite
hěn
♦ very, quite, much • (pictophonetic)

step
wǒ hěn gāoxìng nǐmen
我很高兴你们
dōu zài
都在
I’m glad that you guys are here. 很 + adjective = (very) ...
If you want to simply link a subject with
wǒ de àirén hěn huì zuò fàn
an adjective, instead of using 是，you
我的爱人很会做饭 may simply use 很 - without it necessar-
My lover is great at cooking. ily meaning ’very’, e.g. 我很高兴。(I’m
happy)
nà gāo gè'er nǚrén
那高个儿女人
hěn piàoliang
很漂亮
The tall woman is beautiful.
40
The Words hòumiàn
RADICAL
后面 hòumiàn
■ (adv) behind
■ (adv) later, afterwards

hòu
■ (n) back, rear
♦ after; behind, rear; descendants
shéi duǒ zài liánzi hòumiàn

miàn
谁躲在帘子后面
Who is hiding behind the curtain?
♦ face; surface, side; plane, dimen-
tā zhàn zài tā
sion • (pictographic) A person’s face
他站在他
mǔqīn de hòumiàn
⺟亲的后面
He’s standing behind his mother.
tā cáng dào yīgè

他藏到一个
dà shítou hòumiànle
大石头后面了
He hid himself behind a large rock.
41
huí The Words
RADICAL
回 huí
■ (v) to return, to go back
■ (v) to answer
huí
♦ to return, to turn around; a time •

(ideographic) Originally, a spiral signify-
ing return
wǒ zhèngzài huí bàn gōng shì

我正在回榜公示 I’m coming back to the of ce.
wǒ bù huì zài huíláile

我不会再回来了 I’m never coming back here again.
nǐ shénme shíhòu huí jiā

你什么时候回家 When will you return home?
wǒ hěn gāoxìng nǐ huíláile

我很高兴你回来了 I’m glad you came over.
42
The Words huì
RADICAL
会 huì
■ (v) can, to be able to
■ (aux v) will, to be likely to

huì
♦ to assemble, to meet; meeting; associ-

ation, group • (ideographic) People 人
zěnme huì yǒu speaking 云
怎么会有
Why would there be?
nǐ shì zěnme xuéhuì

你是怎么学会会 + verb = can/will ...
shuōhuà de By using it along a verb, you can form
说话的 the future tense, e.g. 今天我不会吃
How did you learn to speak? 饭。(Today, I won’t eat) or express an ac-
quired skill/ability, e.g. 他会说中文。(I
zài zhè li yǒurén can speak Chinese)
在这里有人
huì shuō hànyǔ ma
会说汉语吗
Can anyone here speak Mandarin?
43
jī The Words
RADICAL
几
几
jī
■ (adv) how many? how much?
■ (adj) some, several jǐ

■ (n) small table
♦ small table; how many; a few, some •
(pictographic) A small table; compare
丌
nǐ jīntiān jǐ diǎn
你今天几点
huí jiā
几 + classi er + noun =
回家 How many ...?
What time will you go home today? By adding 几 along with the appropriate
classi er before a noun, you can form a
nǐ xuéle jǐ nián question asking about quantity, e.g. 你
你学了几年们有几个孩子？(How many kids do you
de hànyǔ have?)
的汉语
How many years have you studied
Chinese for?
nǐmen huì yǒu jǐ gè rén qù

你们会有几个人去
How many of you will there be?
44
The Words jiā
RADICAL
家 jiā
■ (n) home
■ (n) family
jiā
Classi er
♦ house, home, residence; family • (pic-
• 个 gè ▷ general tophonetic) roof
wǒ xiǎng tā bù huì zàijiālǐ

我想她不会在家里 I do not think that she is at home.
nǐ shénme shíhòu néng lái wǒjiā

你什么时候能来我家 When can you come to my home?
zhè yījiā rén yīqǐ kàn diànyǐng

这一家人一起看电影 The family is watching a movie together.
45
jiào The Words
RADICAL
叫 jiào
■ (v) to call, to shout
■ (v) to be called
jiào
■ (v) to order
■ (v) to ask
♦ cry, shout; to call, to greet, to hail •
(pictophonetic) mouth
tā jiào shénme míngzì

他叫什么名字 subject + 叫 + name =
What is his name? ... ’s name is ...
If you want to say your name or ask for
nǐ jiào shénme míngzì
somebody else’s name, all you have to
你叫什么名字 do is use the verb 叫, e.g. 我叫李。(My
What’s your name? name is Li)
wǒ zài jiào tāmen huílái

我在叫他们回来
I’m calling them back.
46
The Words jīntiān
RADICAL
今天 jīntiān
■ (adv) today
■ (adv) now jīn
♦ modern, current; today, now • (ideo-

graphic) A mouth 亼 talking about
things
-天: Yesterday, today
and tomorrow
If you want to memorize and recognize tiān
the three words easily, remember the last
character:
♦ sky, heaven; god, celestial • (ideo-
• 昨天 (zuótiān): yesterday graphic) The heavens 一 above a man
大
• 今天 (jīntiān): today
• 明天 (míngtiān): tomorrow
jīntiān wǒ huí jiā

今天我回家 Today I’m going home.
wǒmen jīntiān yǒu hěnduō fàn

我们今天有很多饭 Today we have a lot of food.
47
jiǔ The Words
RADICAL
九 jiǔ
■ (num) 9, nine
jiǔ
♦ nine • (pictographic) An elbow
wǒ yǒuyī mǐ jiǔ gāo

我有一米九高 I’m 1.9 meters tall.
wǒ zài yījiǔqī'èr nián

我在一九七二年
shí yuè shí rìchūshēng I was born on October 10th, 1972.
十月十日出生
wǒ shì zài yījiǔliù'èr nián
我是在一九六二年
sān yuè èrshí'èr rìchūshēng de I was born on March 22nd, 1962.
三月二十二日出生的
48
The Words kāi
RADICAL
开 kāi
■ (v) to open
■ (v) to turn on kāi

■ (v) to start
♦ to open; to start, to initiate, to be-
gin • (ideographic) Simpli ed form of
開; hands 廾 lifting the latch 一 of a
door
tā kāimén
他开⻔ He opened the door.
wǒ dǎkāi diànnǎo
我打开电脑 I switched on the computer.
nǐ xǐhuān kāichē ma
你喜欢开⻋吗 Do you like to drive?
49
kān The Words
RADICAL
看 kān
■ (v) to see
■ (v) to look
kàn
■ (v) to watch
■ (v) to read
♦ to look, to see; to examine, to scru-
■ (v) to visit
tinize • (ideographic) Shielding one’s
eyes 目 with a hand 手 to look to the
distance
wǒ guòqù kàn yī kàn

我过去看一看 I’ll go to take a look.
wǒ xǐhuān kàn diànyǐng

我喜欢看电影
ér bùshì kàn diànshì I like to watch movies instead of watching
TV.
而不是看电视
wǒ jīntiān qù kàn yǎnchūle

我今天去看演出了 I went to see a show today.
50
The Words kànjiàn
RADICAL
看⻅ kànjiàn
■ (v) to see
kàn ▶ See page 50
■ (v) to catch sight of [sth/sb]
jiàn
♦ to see, to observe, to meet, to appear •

(ideographic) Simpli ed form of 見; a
man 儿 with the eye 目 emphasized
wǒ kànjiàn nǐ zuò fànle

我看⻅你做饭了 I saw you cooking.
wǒ kànjiàn nǐ zài kàn tā

我看⻅你在看她 I saw you looking at her.
tāmen méi kànjiàn wǒmen

他们没看⻅我们 They didn’t see us.
51
kuài The Words
RADICAL
块 kuài
■ (cl) classi er for

pieces of cloth, cake, soap, etc
■ (cl) classi er for money and cur- kuài

rency units
■ (n) piece
♦ piece, lump, chunk; dollar; mea-
■ (n) chunk sure word for currency • (pictophonetic)
earth
shéi xiǎnglái yīkuài pài

谁想来一块派 Who wants a slice of pie?
nǐ xiànzài yǒu jǐ kuài diànchí ya

How many batteries
你现在有几块电池呀
do you have right now?
nà tái diànnǎo shì huā sānqiān
那台电脑是花三千
kuài mǎi de This computer cost three thousand dollars.
块买的
52
The Words lái
RADICAL
来 lái
■ (v) to come
■ (v) to arrive
lái
♦ to arrive, to come, to return; in the

来 [+ place] future, later on • (ideographic) A wheat
plant that has not yet borne fruit; com-
To indicate movement towards the loca-
pare 來
tion of the speaker, we use 来, e.g. 你什
么时候来？(When do you arrive?)
tā yǒu shí huì lái kàn wǒ

他有时会来看我 He sometimes comes to see me.
nǐ kàn qǐlái bu gāoxìng

你看起来不高兴 You don’t seem happy.
tā bù huì zàilái zhè'erle

他不会再来这儿了 He won’t come here again.
53
lǎoshī The Words
RADICAL
老师 lǎoshī
■ (n) teacher
lǎo
Classi er
♦ old, aged; experienced • (picto-
graphic) A person bent over with long
• 个 gè ▷ general hair 匕 and a crutch; compare ⺹
shī
♦ teacher, professional, master • (ideo-

graphic) To skillfully wield 帀 a knife
刂
tā hé wǒ shì lǎoshī
他和我是老师 He and I are teachers.
shéi shì nǐ de lǎoshī

谁是你的老师 Who is your teacher?
54
The Words le
RADICAL
了 le
■ (part) marker of completion
■ (part) marker to intensify preced- le,

ing clause liǎo
♦ clear; to nish; particle of completed

action • (pictographic) A child swaddled
in blanklets; compare 子
tā chūqùle
她出去了
She went out.
wǒ zài yīyuàn zhùle verb + 了 = completed action

我在医院住了了 is one of the most versatile particles in
yīgè xīngqí Chinese. One of the most common uses
一个星期 is to indicate a completed action, e.g.
他去学校了。(He went to school). An-
I stayed in hospital for a week.
other common use is to indicate some-
thing equivalent to the English ’not any-
wǒ ér zǐ xiànzài hé wǒ
more’, e.g. 我不想喝茶了。(I don’t want
我儿子现在和我 to drink tea anymore)
yīyàng gāole
一样高了
My son is now as tall as I am.
55
lěng The Words
RADICAL
冷 lěng
■ (adj) cold
lěng
♦ cold, cool; lonely • (pictophonetic)

ice
wǒ xǐhuān lěng chá

我喜欢冷茶 I like cold tea.
zuótiān bùshì hěn lěng

昨天不是很冷 It was not very cold yesterday.
jīntiān méi zuótiān lěng

今天没昨天冷 It is less cold today than it was yesterday.
tiānqì yī tiāntiān lěng xiàláile

天气一天天冷下来了 The weather is getting colder day by day.
56
The Words lǐ
RADICAL
里 lǐ
■ (n) interior
■ (adj) internal
lǐ
■ (adv) inside
♦ unit of distance equal to 0.5km; vil-

lage; lane • (ideographic) Unit of mea-
sure for farm 田 land 土
nà běn shū zài zhèlǐ
那本书在这里
That book’s over here.
tāmen dōu zài zhèlǐ -里: Where? Here, there

他们都在这里 If you want to memorize and recognize
the three words easily, remember the last
They are here.
character:
wǒmen zài nǎlǐ jiànmiàn • 哪里 (nǎlǐ): where?
我们在哪里⻅面
• 这里 (zhèlǐ): here
Where are we going to meet?
• 那里 (nàlǐ): there
57
liù The Words
RADICAL
六 liù
■ (num) 6, six
liù
♦ six
tāmen zhī jiān

他们之间
xiāng chà liù suì
There’s a six-year age difference
between them.
香差六岁
jīntiān shì xīngqíliù

今天是星期六 Today is Saturday.
míngtiān shì xīngqíliù ma

明天是星期六吗 Is tomorrow Saturday?
liù yuè xiàle hěnduō tiān de yǔ

六月下了很多天的雨 We have many rainy days in June.
58
The Words māma
RADICAL
妈妈 māma
■ (n) mom, mother [informal]
mā
Classi er
♦ mother, mama • (pictophonetic)
woman
wǒ bùshì nǐ de māmā
我不是你的妈妈 I’m not your mother.
nǐ de māmā huì kāichē ma

你的妈妈会开⻋吗 Can your mother drive a car?
māmā xiǎngniàn tā zàidú

妈妈想念她在读
The mother missed her daughter
dàxué de nǚ'ér
who was away at college.
大学的女儿
59
mǎ The Words
RADICAL
吗 mǎ
■ (part) question marker
ma
nǐ shì yīgè rén lái ♦ nal interrogative particle • (pictopho-

你是一个人来 netic) mouth
zhè'er de ma
这儿的吗
Did you come here alone?
nǐ bù hé wǒ yīqǐ clause + 吗 = question

你不和我一起 Any statement can be converted to a
hē diǎn chá ma yes/no question, simply by adding the
particle 吗 at the end, e.g. 你喜欢牛奶
喝点茶吗吗。(Do you like milk?)
Won’t you have some tea with me?
nǐ de jiějiě zài zhèlǐ

你的姐姐在这里
shàngxué ma
上学吗
Does your sister study there?
60
The Words mǎi
RADICAL
买 mǎi
■ (v) to buy, to purchase
mǎi
♦ to buy, to purchase; to bribe, to per-

suade
tā zài mǎi píngguǒ

他在买苹果 He’s buying apples.
zhè běn shū wǒ zuótiān mǎile

这本书我昨天买了 I bought the book yesterday.
wǒ jīntiān qù mǎi yīfúle

我今天去买衣服了 I am going to buy clothes today.
tā jiānchí yāomǎi
他坚持要买
nà liàng chē He insisted on buying that car.
那辆⻋
61
māo The Words
RADICAL
猫 māo
■ (n) cat
māo
Classi er

♦ cat • (pictophonetic) animal
tā hěn xǐhuān māo

她很喜欢猫 She adores cats.
māo zài nǎlǐ shuìjiào

猫在哪里睡觉 Where is the cat sleeping?
nà bùshì māo nà shì gǒu

那不是猫那是狗 That’s not a cat. It’s a dog.
62
The Words méiguānxi
RADICAL
没关系 méiguānxi
■ (phr) it doesn’t matter,

never mind
méi
♦ not, none, gone; to bury; to sink, to

méiguānxì drown • (pictophonetic) water
没关系
No problem.
guān
méiguānxì wǒ lái zuò
没关系我来做
Don’t worry. I’ll do it. ♦ frontier pass; to close, to shut; relation
nǐ xǐ bù xǐhuān méiguānxì
你喜不喜欢没关系
Whether you like it or not doesn’t xì
matter.
♦ system; line, link, connection • (picto-

phonetic) thread
63
méiyǒu The Words
RADICAL
没有 méiyǒu
■ (v) to not have

méi ▶ See page 63
■ (v) to not exist
■ (v) there isn’t/aren’t

yǒu
♦ to have, to own, to possess; to exist •

wǒmen méiyǒu zuò hǎo (pictophonetic)
我们没有做好
We’ve not done well.
tā méiyǒu nǚ péngyǒu
他没有女朋友没有 + verb
没有 generally means ’not have’ or ’there
He has no girlfriend.
isn’t’, e.g. 我没有问题。(I have no ques-
tions). However, it may also be used to
wǒjiā méiyǒu diànnǎo
negate a past action - in place of 不, e.g.
我家没有电脑我没有去。(I didn’t go). Also note that,
I don’t have a computer at home. in spoken Mandarin, the 有 is often omit-
ted.
64
The Words mǐfàn
RADICAL
米饭 mǐfàn
■ (n) rice [cooked]
mǐ
Classi er
♦ rice, millet, grain • (pictographic)
Grains of rice
• 碗 wǎn ▷ for food in a bowl, e.g.
soup, rice, etc
fàn ▶ See page 28
• 顿 dùn ▷ for meals
wǒ zài chī mǐfàn

我在吃米饭 I’m eating rice.
xiànzài wǒ chī mǐfàn

现在我吃米饭 I’m eating rice now.
nǐmen yǒu méiyǒu mǐfàn

你们有没有米饭 Do you have rice?
65
míngzi The Words
RADICAL
名字 míngzi
■ (n) name [of a person/thing]
míng
zhè běn shū de míngzì ♦ name; position, rank, title • (ideo-

这本书的名字 graphic) A name called out 口 to hail
shì shénme
someone at night 夕
是什么
What’s the title of the book?
zì
wǒmen wèn tā jiào
我们问他叫
shénme míngzì
♦ character, letter, symbol, word • (ideo-
什么名字 graphic) A child 子 in a house 宀; 子
We asked him what he was called. also provides the pronunciation
nǐ gěi nǐ érzi qǐ
你给你儿子起
shénme míngzì
什么名字 Classi er
What did you name your son?
66
The Words míngtiān
RADICAL
明天
日
míngtiān
■ (adv) tomorrow
míng
♦ bright, clear; to explain, to under-

stand, to shed light • (ideographic) The
light of the sun 日 and moon 月
tiān ▶ See page 47
míngtiān wǒ néng qù nǐ jiā

明天我能去你家 I can go to your house tomorrow.
nǐ míngtiān zài zhèlǐ ma

你明天在这里吗 Will you be here tomorrow?
méi rén zhīdào míngtiān

没人知道明天
huì fāshēng shénme
No one knows
what will happen tomorrow.
会发生什么
67
nǎ The Words
RADICAL
哪 nǎ
■ (adj) which?
■ (adv) where? [in 哪里 / 哪儿]

nǎ
♦ which? where? how? • (pictophonetic)

mouth
nǎge bēizi shì nǐ de

哪个杯子是你的 Which cup is yours?
nǎge shì wǒde

哪个是我的 Which one is mine?
wǒmen zài nǎ'er jiànmiàn

我们在哪儿⻅面 Where shall we meet?
nǐ zài nǎlǐ kànjiàn tāle

你在哪里看⻅他了 Where did you see him?
68
The Words nǎr
RADICAL
哪儿 nǎr
■ (adv) where?
nǎ ▶ See page 68
■ (adv) wherever
■ (adv) anywhere ér ▶ See page 26
nà běn shū zài nǎ'er

那本书在哪儿 Where is the book?
nǐ zài nǎ'er xuéxí

你在哪儿学习 Where do you study?
xuéxiào zài nǎ'er

学校在哪儿 Where is the school?
tā xiànzài zhù zài nǎ'er

她现在住在哪儿 Where does she live now?
69
nā The Words
RADICAL
那 nā
■ (adj) that
■ (adv) there [in 那里]

nà
♦ that, that one, those
kàn nàgè fángzi

看那个房子 Look at that house!
wǒ xiǎng qù nàlǐ
我想去那里 I wanted to go there.
nà nǐ shì zěnme zuò de

那你是怎么做的 How did you do that?
nà hěn kěxiào
那很可笑 That will be funny.
70
The Words ne
RADICAL
呢 ne
■ (part) marker for

bounceback questions
né,
■ (part) indicator of strong af rma-
tion
ne
■ (part) continuation of a state or ac-

tion ♦ wool; interrogative or emphatic nal
particle • (pictophonetic) mouth
nǐ bàba ne
clause + 呢 = question
你爸爸呢
If you want to form a ’what about...?’
What about your father? question, basically without having to re-
peat the body of a former sentence, you
nǐ zěnme bù shuìjiào ne may use the particle 呢 at the end, e.g.
你怎么不睡觉呢你好吗？我很好。你呢？( How are you?
I’m ne. What about you?)
Why don’t you go to sleep?
nǐ zài nàlǐ zuò

你在那里做
shénme ne
什么呢
What are you doing there?
71
néng The Words
RADICAL
能 néng
■ (v) can, to be able to
■ (v) may
■ (v) to be possible to néng
♦ can, may; capable, full of energy •

能 + verb (pictographic) A bear’s head 厶, body
In order to some show speci c ability or ⺼, and claws 匕
possibility/permission, you may use the
verb 能, e.g. 你能帮我吗？(Can you help
me?) or 我能去公园吗？(May I go to the
park?)
nǐmen bùnéng zhème zuò

你们不能这么做 You cannot do this.
wǒmen néng bù dǎle ma

我们能不打了吗 Can we stop ghting?
nǐ néng bù shuō nàgèle ma

你能不说那个了吗 Could you stop saying that?
72
The Words nǐ
RADICAL
你 nǐ
■ (pron) you [informal]
■ (pron) you [plural in 你们]

nǐ
♦ you, second person pronoun • (ideo-

您: The polite ’you’ graphic) Pronoun 尔 for a person 亻
If you want to be polite, or in a more for-
mal setting, instead of 你 you should use
您(nín), e.g. 您好吗？(How are you [po-
lite] doing?)
nǐ zài chī mǐfàn

你在吃米饭 You are eating rice.
nǐmen zàijiā ma
你们在家吗 Are you home?
rènshì nǐ hěn gāoxìng

认识你很高兴 Very happy to meet you.
nà shì nǐ de shū
那是你的书 That is your book.
73
nián The Words
RADICAL
年 nián
■ (n) year
nián
number + 年 = ... year

♦ year; anniversary; a person’s age •
If you want to say the date in Chinese, (ideographic) A man 干 carrying grain,
you’ll most likely need to mention the representing the annual harvest
year; for that, you may use the word 年,
e.g. 是二月四号。（It’s February the forth)
1986 nián 10 yuè 27 hào

1986 年 10 月 27 号 October 27, 1986
wǒ míngnián xiǎng xué hànyǔ

我明年想学汉语 I want to learn Chinese next year.
tā zuónián chūshēng
她昨年出生 She was born last year.
74
The Words nǚ’ér
RADICAL
女儿 nǚ'ér
■ (n) daughter
nǚ
♦ woman, girl; female • (pictographic)

Classi er A woman turned to the side
• 个 gè ▷ general ér ▶ See page 26

wǒ yǒu yīgè nǚ'ér

我有一个女儿 I have a daughter.
tā yǒusān gè nǚ'ér
他有三个女儿 He has three daughters.
tā de nǚ'ér dōu hěn piàoliang

她的女儿都很漂亮 All of her daughters are beautiful.
75
péngyou The Words
RADICAL
朋友 péngyou
■ (n) friend
péng
tā shì wǒ de péngyǒu ♦ friend, pal, acquaintance • (ideo-

他是我的朋友 graphic) Two people 月 walking to-
gether
He is my friend.
nǐ bùshì wǒ de péngyǒule
yǒu
你不是我的朋友了
You’re not my friend anymore.
♦ friend, companion; fraternity • (ideo-
méiyǒu yīgè péngyǒu láile graphic) Two hands 又 joined, represent-
没有一个朋友来了 ing friendship; 又 also provides the pro-
nunciation
No friends came.
Classi er
76
The Words piàoliang
RADICAL
漂亮 piàoliang
■ (adj) pretty, beautiful
piào
nǐ hěn piàoliang
你很漂亮
♦ to drift, to oat; to be tossed about;
You’re very pretty.
bleach • (pictophonetic) water
tā shífēn piàoliang
他十分漂亮
He is very handsome. liàng
wǒ bǐ tā piàoliang
我比她漂亮 ♦ bright, brilliant, radiant, light • (picto-
I’m prettier than her. graphic) A lit oil lamp
nǐ tài piàoliangle
你太漂亮了
You’re so beautiful!
77
píngguǒ The Words
RADICAL
苹果 píngguǒ
■ (n) apple
píng
wǒ zài chī gè píngguǒ ♦ apple; duckweed, Artemisia • (picto-

我在吃个苹果 phonetic) plant
I am eating an apple.
tāmen xǐhuān píngguǒ guǒ

他们喜欢苹果
They like apples.
♦ fruit, nut; result • (ideographic) Fruit
wǒ chīle zhège píngguǒ 田 growing on a tree 木
我吃了这个苹果
I ate that apple.
Classi er
• 颗 kē ▷ small objects or objects

appearing to be small
78
The Words qī
RADICAL
七 qī
■ (num) 7, seven
qī
♦ seven
tā yǒu qī gè er zi
他有七个儿子 He has seven sons.
qī jiǎn èr děngyú wǔ
七减二等于五 Seven minus two equals ve.
wǒ de péngyǒu shíqī suìle

我的朋友十七岁了 My friend is seventeen.
jīntiān shì qī yuè èrshíwǔ hào

今天是七月二十五号 Today is the 25th July.
79
qiánmiàn The Words
RADICAL
前面 qiánmiàn
■ (adv) ahead
■ (adv) in front of
qián
■ (adv) above
■ (adj) preceding
♦ in front, forward; former, preceding
miàn ▶ See page 41
méiyǒu rén pǎo zài tā qiánmiàn

没有人跑在他前面 No one ran ahead of him.
wǒ zài xuéxiào qiánmiàn děng nǐ

我在學校前面等你 I’ll wait for you in front of the school.
wǒjiā qiánmiàn yǒuyī jiàn shūdiàn

我家前面有一間書店 There is a bookstore in front of my house.
80
The Words qián
RADICAL
钱 qián
■ (n) coin
■ (n) money
qián
♦ money, currency, coins • (pictopho-

netic) money
qǐng gěi wǒ qián

请给我钱 Please give me money.
zhè dōngxī duōshǎo qián

这东⻄多少钱 How much is this thing?
tā méiyǒu hěnduō qián

他没有很多钱 He doesn’t have much money.
wǒ xiànzài méiyǒu qián

我现在没有钱 I don’t have money now.
81
qǐng The Words
RADICAL
请 qǐng
■ (v phr) please [do sth]
■ (v) to ask, to request
■ (v) to invite qǐng
♦ to ask, to request; to invite; please •

请 + verb (pictophonetic) speech
In order to politely ask somebody to do
something, we use the verb 请, e.g. 请
坐。(Please, have a sit)
qǐng kàn zhè běn shū

请看这本书 Please have a look at this book.
jīntiān shì wǒ qǐngkè

今天是我请客 Today is my treat.
jīntiān wǒ lái qǐngkè

今天我来请客 It’s my treat today.
82
The Words qù
RADICAL
去
厶
qù
■ (v) to go
■ (v) to pass [for time]

qù
■ (v) to die [as a euphemism]
♦ to go away, to leave, to depart
去 + place
To indicate movement towards a place
away from the speaker, we use 去, e.g.
你要去哪里？(Where do you want to go?)
wǒ xǐhuān qù xuéxiào
我喜欢去学校 I like to go to school.
yīqǐ chūqù hē bēi zěnme yàng

Would you like to go out
一起出去喝杯怎么样
to have a drink somewhere?
wǒmen qù diànyǐngyuàn zěnme yàng
我们去电影院怎么样 How about going to the cinema?
83
rè The Words
RADICAL
热 rè
■ (adj) hot [weather]
■ (n) heat
■ (v) to warm up, to heat up rè
♦ heat, fever, zeal • (pictophonetic) re
jīntiān tiānqì hěn rè

今天天气很热 It’s hot today.
yī tiān tiān rè qǐláile

一天天热起来了 It is becoming warmer day by day.
zuótiān de tiānqì hěn rè

昨天的天气很热 It was hot yesterday.
84
The Words rén
RADICAL
人 rén
■ (n) person
■ (n) people rén

■ (n) man
♦ man, person; people • (pictographic)
The legs of a human being
Classi er
hěn gāoxìng rén shì nǐ

很高兴人是你 You are a very happy person.
zhèxiē shì rén

这些是人 These are people.
tā xǐhuān yǒuqù de rénmen

他喜欢有趣的人们 He likes interesting people.
85
rènshi The Words
RADICAL
认识 rènshi
■ (v) to know
■ (v) to recognize rèn

■ (v) to get acquainted [with sb]
♦ to know, to recognize, to under-
■ (n) knowledge
stand • (pictophonetic) speech
shí
wǒ bù rènshì nàgè rén
我不认识那个人
♦ knowledge; to understand, to recog-
I don’t know that person. nize, to know • (pictophonetic) speech
wǒ rènshì zhèxiē xuéshēng

我认识这些学生
I know these students.
wǒ rènshì tā de jiějiě
我认识她的姐姐
I know her sister.
86
The Words sān
RADICAL
三 sān
■ (num) 3, three
sān
♦ three • (ideographic) Three parallel

lines; compare 一 (one) and 二 (two)
jīntiān shì sān yuè wǔ hào

今天是三月五号 Today is the fth of March.
wǒmen sān gè dōu shì xuéshēng

我们三个都是学生 All three of us are students.
zhèxiē píngguǒ nǐmen sān gèrén fēn

这些苹果你们三个人分 Divide these apples between you three.
87
shāngdiàn The Words
RADICAL
商店 shāngdiàn
■ (n) shop, store
shāng
Classi er
♦ commerce, business, trade • (picto-
• 家 jiā ▷ gathering of people; es- phonetic) bright
tablishments
wǒ xiǎng qù shāngdiàn
我想去商店 I want to go to the store.
tā qùle shāngdiàn
他去了商店 He went to the store.
zhèlǐ yǐqián yǒu gè shāngdiàn

这里以前有个商店 There used to be a store right here.
88
The Words shǎng
RADICAL
上 shǎng
■ (adv) above, on top of
■ (adj) upper
shàng
■ (adj) previous
■ (adj) rst ♦ above, on top, superior; to go up;

to attend; previous • (ideographic) One
stroke on top of another; compare 下)
tā zài shāfā shàng

它在沙发上 It’s on the sofa.
nǐ shénme shíhòu ài shàng wǒ de

你什么时候爱上我的 When did you fall in love with me?
tā shì shàng gè xuéqí

他是上个学期
lái de ma Did he get here last term?
来的吗
rénmen zěnme néng
人们怎么能
zài fēijī shàng shuìjiào
How do people manage
to sleep on the plane?
在⻜机上睡觉
89
shàngwǔ The Words
RADICAL
上午 shàngwǔ
■ (n) morning
shàng ▶ See page 89
wǔ
Classi er
♦ noon; 7th terrestrial branch
jīntiān shàngwǔ xià yǔ

今天上午下雨 It will rain this morning.
zuótiān shàngwǔ xià dàyǔ

昨天上午下大雨 It rained hard yesterday morning.
nǐ zuótiān shàngwǔ zài nǎlǐ

你昨天上午在哪裡 Where were you yesterday morning?
90
The Words shǎo
RADICAL
少 shǎo
■ (adj) few, little

shǎo ▶ See page 25
■ (adv) rarely, seldom
■ (v) to lack
tā hē hěn shǎo de shuǐ

他喝很少的水 He drank very little of the water.
wǒ hěn shǎo zhème shēngqì

我很少这么生气 I’m rarely this angry.
zhèyàng de dōngxī hěn shǎo

这样的东⻄很少 There are so few things like this.
91
shéi The Words
RADICAL
谁 shéi
■ (interr pron) who?
shuí
♦ who? whom? whose? anyone? • (pic-

tophonetic) speech
zhèxiē shì shéi de shū

这些是谁的书 Whose books are these?
nǐ hé shéi yīqǐ qù nà
你和谁一起去那 Who are you going with?
nǐ zài nà'er jiànle shéi

你在那儿⻅了谁 Who did you meet there?
92
The Words shénme
RADICAL
什么 shénme
■ (interr pron) what?
shén
♦ what? mixed, miscellaneous • (ideo-

graphic) A le of ten 十 people 亻
nǐ zài zhèlǐ de gōngzuò
你在这里的工作
shì shénme me
是什么
What’s your job here? ♦ interrogative particle
nǐ néng kàn chū yǒu

你能看出有
shénme bùtóng ma
什么不同吗
Can you see the difference?
nǐ zài zhè'er de shíhòu

你在这儿的时候
xiǎng zuò shénme
想做什么
What do you want to do while you’re
here?
93
shí The Words
RADICAL
十 shí
■ (num) 10, ten
shí
♦ ten, tenth; complete; perfect
zuótiān wǒ shí diǎn qù shuìjiàole

昨天我十点去睡觉了 I went to bed at ten yesterday.
tā shuìle shí gè xiǎoshí juéle

他睡了十个小时觉了 He’s been asleep for ten hours now.
wǒ rènshìle tā yǒu shí niánle

我认识了他有十年了 I’ve known him for ten years.
94
The Words shíhou
RADICAL
时候 shíhou
■ (n) time
■ (n) moment
shí
■ (n) period
♦ time, season; period, era, age • (picto-

phonetic) day
nǐ shénme shíhòu shuìjiào

你什么时候睡觉
When is your bedtime? hòu
nǐ shénme shíhòu chūshēng de
你什么时候出生的
When were you born? ♦ to wait, to expect; to visit; to greet •
(pictophonetic) person
nǐ shénme shíhòu qǐláile
你什么时候起来了
When did you get up?
什么时候 + ... = when ... ?

什么时候 literally means ’what time’ and
is the Chinese equivalent of ’when...?’,
e.g. 什么时候来？(When will you arrive?)
95
shì The Words
RADICAL
是 shì
■ (v) to be
■ (adv) yes
shì
♦ to be; indeed, right, yes; okay • (ideo-

graphic) To speak 日 directly 疋
zhè shì yīgè píngguǒ

这是一个苹果 This is an apple.
zhèxiē dōngxī bùshì wǒ de

这些东⻄不是我的 These things aren’t mine!
kàn qǐlái zhè dōu shì tiānshū

看起来这都是天书 That was all Chinese to me.
shéi shì nǐ de hànyǔ lǎoshī

谁是你的汉语老师 Who is your Chinese teacher?
96
The Words shū
RADICAL
书 shū
■ (n) book
shū
♦ book, letter, document; writing •

(ideographic) A mark made by a pen ⺺
zhè shì yī běn shū
这是一本书
This is a book.
hěnduō xuéshēng mǎile zhè

Classi er
很多学生买了这
běn shū
• 本 běn ▷ ’volume’; bound print
本书 material, like books
Many students bought the book.
• 册 cè ▷ volumes of books
zhèxiē shū hé yīfú dōu
这些书和衣服都
shì nǐ de
是你的
These books and clothes are all yours.
97
shuǐ The Words
RADICAL
水 shuǐ
■ (n) water
■ (n) beverage shuǐ

■ (n) liquid
♦ water, liquid, lotion, juice • (picto-
■ (n) river
graphic) A river running between two
banks; compare 川
wǒ hēle yībēi shuǐ

我喝了一杯水 Classi er
I drank a cup of water.

• 杯 bēi ▷ liquids (water,juice,etc)
in cup, glass
tā hēle sān bēi shuǐ
他喝了三杯水 • 瓶 píng ▷ objects in a bottle
He drank three glasses of water. • 滴 dī ▷ a droplet of some liquid
wǒmen hēle yīdiǎn shuǐ

我们喝了一点水
We drank a little.
98
The Words shuǐguǒ
RADICAL
水果 shuǐguǒ
■ (n) fruit
shuǐ ▶ See page 98
guǒ ▶ See page 78
Classi er
tā hěn shǎo chī shuǐguǒ

他很少吃水果 He seldom eats fruits.
nǐ zuì xǐhuān shénme shuǐguǒ

你最喜欢什么水果 What fruit do you like the best?
wǒ zǎofàn zhǔyào chī shuǐguǒ

我早饭主要吃水果 I mostly have fruit for breakfast.
99
shuìjiào The Words
RADICAL
睡觉 shuìjiào
■ (v) to go to bed
■ (v) to sleep
shuì
wǒmen zài shuìjiào

♦ to sleep, to doze • (pictophonetic) eye
我们在睡觉
We are going to sleep.
tā zài chēzi lǐ shuìjiào

jué
她在⻋子里睡觉
She sleeps in the car.
♦ conscious; to nap, to sleep; to wake
kàn lái tā zhǐyǒu up • (pictophonetic) see
看来他只有
zài shuìjiào shí bù
在睡觉时不
chī dōngxī
吃东⻄
It seems that the only time he isn’t
eating is when he’s sleeping.
100
The Words shuō
RADICAL
说 shuō
■ (v) to speak
■ (v) to say
shuō
■ (v) to explain
♦ to speak, to say; to scold, to upbraid •

(pictophonetic) speech
wǒ shuō zhōngwén
我说中文 I speak Chinese.
rénmen shì zhèyàng shuō de

人们是这样说的 So they say.
tā duì nǐ shuōle xiē shénme

他对你说了些什么 What did he say to you?
zhè shénme dōu shuōmíng bùliǎo

这什么都说明不了 It doesn’t mean anything.
101
sì The Words
RADICAL
四 sì
■ (num) 4, four
sì
The most... feared

♦ four • (ideographic) A child 儿 in a
number in Chinese:
room with four walls 囗
The word for the number 4 - 四 (sì) -
and the word ’death’ - 死 (sǐ) - sound so
much alike, that people tend to avoid it
as a sign of bad luck. Even in apartment
buildings, you may notice the 4th oor
missing and the elevators going straight
from the 3rd oor to the... 5th one!
jīntiān wǒ sì suìle
今天我四岁了 Today I turn four years old.
wǒmen de zhuā fàn shì

我们的抓饭是
sì kuài qián Our rice costs four yuan.
四块钱
102
The Words suì
RADICAL
岁 suì
■ (n) year
■ (phr) years old

suì
♦ year; years old, age; harvest

number + 岁 = ... years old
If you want to say someone’s age, all you
have to do is say the number of years fol-
lowed by 岁, e.g. 我 33 岁。(I’m 33 years
old)
tā hé wǒ tóng suì
他和我同岁 He’s the same age as me.
nǐ yǒushí suì ma
你有十岁吗 Are you ten years old?
míngnián nǐ huì shì jǐ suì

明年你会是几岁 How old will you be next year?
103
tā The Words
RADICAL
他 tā
■ (pron) he, him
■ (poss adj) his [in 他的]

tā
■ (pron) he/she [when the sex is un-
known or not important]
♦ other, another; he, she, it • (ideo-

graphic) An additional, ”also” 也 per-
son 亻
dàjiā dōu rènshì tā de míngzì

大家都认识他的名字 Everybody knows his name.
tā hěn shǎo hé jiālǐ rén chīfàn

他很少和家里人吃饭 He rarely eats with his family.
tā shì wǒ tàitài
他是我太太
rènshì de yīgèrén He is acquainted with my wife.
认识的一个人
104
The Words tā
RADICAL
她 tā
■ (pron) she, her
■ (poss adj) her [in 她的]

tā
♦ she, her • (ideographic) A woman 女

beside you 也
tā yīgè zì dōu
她一个字都
méi duì wǒ shuō She didn’t say even one word to me.
没对我说
tā shì shénme shíhòu chūshēng de

她是什么时候出生的 When was she born?
tā bùshì tā kàn
她不是她看
qǐlái dì nàyàng She is different from how she looks.
起来的那样
105
tài The Words
RADICAL
太 tài
■ (adv) very
■ (adv) extremely, too much tài

■ (adj) greatest
♦ very, too much; big; extreme • (ideo-
graphic) A giant 大 with a normal-sized
man 丶 for scale
nǐ de yīfú tài piàoliangle

你的衣服太漂亮了 Your clothes are extremely beautiful.
zhèxiē hànzì duì wǒmen lái shuō

这些汉字对我们来说
bu tài nán
These Chinese characters
are not too dif cult for us.
不太难
zhè běn shū duì nǐ lái shuō dú
这本书对你来说读
qǐlái tài nánle This book is too dif cult for you to read.
起来太难了
106
The Words tiānqì
RADICAL
天气 tiānqì
■ (n) weather
qì ▶ See page 8
xiànzài de tiānqì zěnme yàngle

现在的天气怎么样了 What’s the weather like now?
jīntiān de tiānqì zěnme yàng

今天的天气怎么样 How is the weather today?
tiānqì lěngle
天气冷了 The weather is getting cold.
tiānqì rèdiǎn er méiguānxì

天气热点儿没关系 I don’t mind if the weather is hot.
107
tīng The Words
RADICAL
听 tīng
■ (v) to hear
■ (v) to listen
tīng
♦ to hear, to listen; to understand; to

obey • (ideographic) Words 口 reaching
an ear 斤
wǒ tīng shuōle tāmen

我听说了他们 I heard about them.
nǐ zài tīng wǒ shuō ma

你在听我说吗 Do you hear what I’m saying?
nǐmen zài tīng wǒ shuō ma

你们在听我说吗 Are you all listening to me?
108
The Words tóngxué
RADICAL
同学 tóngxué
■ (n) classmate
■ (v) to study at the same school

tóng
♦ same, similar; together with, alike •

Classi er (ideographic) Sharing a common 凡
tongue 口

xué
♦ learning, knowledge, science; to

study, to go to school • (ideographic) A
building 冖 where children 子 study;
⺍ provides the pronunciation
xiàmiàn xiě shàng wǒmen

下面写上我们
bān tóngxué de míngzì
Underneath we wrote the names
of the students in our class.
班同学的名字
109
wéi The Words
RADICAL
喂 wéi
■ (interj) hello? [when

answering the phone]
■ (n) hey
wèi
■ (v) feed an animal
♦ interjection used to call attention •

(pictophonetic) mouth
wèi zhāngxiānshēng zài ma

喂张先生在吗 Hello, is Mr. Zhang there?
qǐng měitiān wèi yīxià gǒu

请每天喂一下狗 Please feed the dog every day.
tā shì wèi wǒmen de

她是喂我們的
gǒu de rén She is the one who feeds our dog.
狗的人
110
The Words wǒ
RADICAL
我 wǒ
■ (pron) I, me
■ (poss adj) my [in 我的]

wǒ
♦ I, me, my; our, us • (ideographic) A

hand 扌 holding a weapon 戈
wǒ bù fēi
我不⻜ I don’t y.
tā ài wǒ
她爱我 She loves me.
tāmen shuō wǒ shì lǎo nǚrén

他们说我是老女人 They say that I’m an old woman.
zhège rén bùshì wǒ de péngyǒu

这个人不是我的朋友 This person is not my friend.
111
wǒmen The Words
RADICAL
我们 wǒmen
■ (pron) We, us
wǒ ▶ See page 111
■ (poss adj) our [in 我们的]
men
♦ plural marker for pronouns and some

nouns • (pictophonetic) people
wǒmen shì xuéshēng

我们是学生 We are students.
wǒmen míngtiān néng jiànmiàn ma

我们明天能⻅面吗 Can we meet tomorrow?
wǒmen de shūbāo yīyàng

我们的书包一样 Our schoolbags are the same.
tā huì zài nàlǐ jiàn wǒmen

他会在那里⻅我们 He’ll meet us there.
112
The Words wǔ
RADICAL
五 wǔ
■ (num) 5, ve
wǔ
♦ ve; surname • (ideographic) Five el-

ements (the cross with the extra stroke)
between heaven 一 and earth 一
sān jiā wǔ děngyú bā

三加五等于八 Three plus ve equals eight.
wǒ èrshíwǔ suìle
我二十五岁了 I’m twenty- ve.
tā wǔ diǎn zhōng huílái de

他五点钟回来的 He came back at ve.
wǒ shì bùshì wǔ yuè chūshēng de

我是不是五月出生的 Was it in May that I was born?
113
xǐhuan The Words
RADICAL
喜欢 xǐhuan
■ (v) to like
■ (v) to be fond of
xǐ
wǒ xǐhuān chá
♦ to love; to enjoy, to be happy; joy-
我喜欢茶 ful, glad • (ideographic) Singing 口 and
I like tea. beating drums 壴
wǒ bù xǐhuān
我不喜欢
nǐ de nǚ péngyǒu
huān
你的女朋友
I don’t like your girlfriend.
♦ happy, glad, joyful
wǒ gāoxìng nǐ xǐhuān
我高兴你喜欢
wǒ de péngyǒu
我的朋友
I’m glad you liked my friends.
114
The Words xià
RADICAL
下 xià
■ (adv) below
■ (adv) downwards xià

■ (adj) lower
♦ below, underneath; inferior; to bring
■ (adj) next
down; next • (ideographic) One stroke
■ (adj) second [of two parts] under another; compare 上 (above)
xià zhōuyī kāixué

下周一开学 School starts next Monday.
tā pǎo xià lóutī

他跑下楼梯 He ran down the stairs.
wǒ xiàqù bāng tā zuò fàn

我下去帮他做饭 I went down to help him cook.
115
xiàwǔ The Words
RADICAL
下午 xiàwǔ
■ (n) afternoon
xià ▶ See page 115
■ (adv) p.m.
wǔ ▶ See page 90
Classi er
xīngqísān xiàwǔ wǒ zài

星期三下午我在 I will be here Wednesday afternoon.
nǐ jīntiān xiàwǔ huì zàijiā ma

你今天下午会在家吗 Will you be at home this afternoon?
nǐmen jīntiān xiàwǔ zài

你们今天下午在
xuéxiào zuò xiē shénme
What are you doing
at school this afternoon?
学校做些什么
116
The Words xiàyǔ
RADICAL
下雨 xiàyǔ
■ (v) to rain
xià ▶ See page 115
■ (n) rain
yǔ
♦ rain • (pictographic) Rain drops falling

from a cloud 帀
míngtiān bù huì xiàyǔ

明天不会下雨 It will not rain tomorrow.
míngtiān huì xiàyǔ ma

明天会下雨吗 Will it rain tomorrow?
shàng gè yuè méi zěnme xiàyǔ

上个月没怎么下雨 We had little rain last month.
117
xiānsheng The Words
RADICAL
先生 xiānsheng
■ (n) mister / Mr.
xiān
xiānshēng xiǎojiě nǐmen mǎidiǎn ♦ rst, former, previous • (ideographic)

先生小姐你们买点 Someone stepping 止 in front of an-
shénme shǒushì other person 儿
什么首饰
Sir and Miss, what type of jewellery are
you looking to buy? shēng
wǒ rènshì shǐmìsī xiānshēng
我认识史密斯先生 ♦ life, lifetime; birth; growth • (ideo-
yǒu hǎoduō niánle graphic) A shoot 屮 growing in the soil
有好多年了土
I’ve known Mr Smith for many years.
xiānshēng qǐng bié shēng wǒ de

先生，请别生我
qì wǒ shì xīn lái de gōngrén
的气我是新来的工
Please don’t get mad, sir! I’m a new
worker!
118
The Words xiànzài
RADICAL
现在 xiànzài
■ (adv) now
■ (adv) at present, at the moment

xiàn
■ (adj) modern, current
♦ to appear, to manifest; current, now •

(ideographic) To see ⻅ jade 王; ⻅ also
provides the pronunciation
wǒ xiànzài néng qùle ma
我现在能去了吗
May I go now? zài
wǒ xiànzài bùxiǎng chī wǔfàn

我现在不想吃午饭 ♦ at, in, on; to exist; used to indicate
I don’t want to eat lunch now. the present progressive tense • (picto-
phonetic) earth
nǐ xiànzài zài nǎlǐ gōngzuò
你现在在哪里工作
Where do you work now?
119
xiǎng The Words
RADICAL
想 xiǎng
■ (v) to want, to wish
■ (v) to think, to suppose
■ (v) to believe xiǎng

■ (v) to miss [sb/sth]
♦ to believe, to wish for; to consider, to

plan, to think • (pictophonetic) mind
wǒ xiǎng shuōhuà
我想说话
I want to speak.
想 + verb
méi rén xiǎng qù wǒ de guójiā
If you want a wish, a desire or something
没人想去我的国家 like ’I would like to...’, then you should
Nobody wants to visit my country. use the verb 想, e.g. 我想吃米饭。（I
would like to eat rice)
nǐ xiǎng shénme shíhòu
你想什么时候
jiàn tāmen
⻅他们
When do you want to meet them?
120
The Words xiǎo
RADICAL
小 xiǎo
■ (adj) small, tiny
■ (adj) young xiǎo

■ (adj) few
♦ small, tiny, insigni cant • (ideo-
graphic) Dividing 八 by a line 亅
zhè běn shū hěn xiǎo

这本书很小 This book is very small.
bùshì yǒu yīdiǎn xiǎo ma

不是有一点小吗 Isn’t it a bit small?
nà fángzi fēicháng xiǎo

那房子非常小 That house is very small.
121
xiǎojie The Words
RADICAL
小姐 xiǎojie
■ (n) girl
xiǎo ▶ See page 121
■ (n) young lady
■ (n) Miss
jiě
♦ elder sister; miss, young lady • (picto-

tā kàn dào phonetic) woman
他看到
yī wèi piàoliang xiǎojiě
一位漂亮小姐
He saw a pretty girl. Classi er
xiǎojiě wǒ juédé bú shūfú
小姐我觉得不舒服
Miss! I feel sick. • 位 wèi ▷ for people [polite]
wǒ néng hé bùlǎng
我能和布朗
xiǎojiě shuōhuà ma
小姐说话吗
May I talk to Miss Brown?
122
The Words xiē
RADICAL
些 xiē
■ (adj) some, several
■ (adj) few
xiē
■ (cl) classi er indicating a small
amount
♦ little, few; rather, somewhat • (picto-

phonetic) two
zhèxiē shì wǒmen de shūzhuō

这些是我们的书桌
These are our desks. 一些 + noun = some ...
If you want to express something along
wǒ zài zhè'er yǒuyīxiē péngyǒu the lines of the English ’some ...’, you
我在这儿有一些朋友 should use the word 一些, e.g. 给我一
I have a few friends here. 些时间。(Give me some time)
zhèxiē tiān tāmen

这些天他们
hěn shǎo kàn diànshì
很少看电视
They seldom watch television these
days.
123
xiě The Words
RADICAL
写 xiě
■ (v) to write
xiě
♦ to write; to draw, to sketch; to com-

pose
wǒ xiěle zhè běn shū

我写了这本书 I wrote this book.
tā bù huì dúshū xiězì

她不会读书写字 She can’t write or read.
wǒ xǐhuān xiě shī

我喜欢写诗 I like to write poetry.
tā huì bù huì xiě zhège zì

他会不会写这个字 Can he write this character?
124
The Words xièxie
RADICAL
谢谢 xièxie
■ (v) to thank
■ (v phr) thanks! thank you!
xiè
♦ to thank; to refuse politely • (pictopho-

netic) speech
xiān xièxièle
先谢谢了 Thanks in advance.
xièxiè nǐ yāoqǐng wǒ chīfàn

谢谢你邀请我吃饭 Thank you for inviting me to dinner.
xièxiè nèitiān wǎnshàng qǐng

谢谢那天晚上请
wǒ chīle fàn
Thank you very much for having me
to dinner the other night.
我吃了饭
125
xīngqī The Words
RADICAL
星期 xīngqī
■ (n) week
■ (n) day of the week

xīng
♦ star, planet; a point of light • (picto-

星期 + number = day phonetic) sun
In Chinese, if you want to learn the
names for the days of the week, all you
have to know is how to count - with the
only exception of Sunday: 星期一, 星期 qī
二，星期三，星期四，星期五，星期六，
星期天 (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday,
Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday)
♦ a period of time; date, time; phase •

(pictophonetic) moon
jīntiān shì xīngqíyī

今天是星期一 It’s Monday today.
zhè xīngqí tā huì hěn máng

这星期他会很忙 He will be very busy this week.
126
The Words xuésheng
RADICAL
学生 xuésheng
■ (n) student
xué ▶ See page 109
■ (n) schoolchild
shēng ▶ See page 118
Classi er
• 班 bān ▷ for groups of people;

class
tā shì gè hào xuéshēng

他是个好学生 He is a good student.
wǒ shì yīgè dàxuéshēng

我是一个大学生 I am a university student.
yǒu gè xuéshēng xiǎngjiàn nǐ

有个学生想⻅你 A student wants to see you.
127
xuéxí The Words
RADICAL
学习 xuéxí
■ (v) to learn
■ (v) to study
xí
♦ to study, to practice; habit
nǐ zài nǎlǐ xuéxí

你在哪里学习 Where did you study?
wǒ hěn xǐhuān xuéxí zhōngwén

我很喜欢学习中文 I am very interested in learning Chinese.
wǒ bùxiǎng xuéxí nǐ de yǔ
我不想学习你的语 I don’t want to learn your language.
128
The Words xuéxiào
RADICAL
学校 xuéxiào
■ (n) school
Classi er xiào
• 所 suǒ ▷ for buildings whose

purpose is explicitly stated, like
hospitals, schools, etc
♦ school; military eld of cer • (picto-
phonetic) wood
nǐ zuótiān méi lái xuéxiào

你昨天没来学校 You did not come to school yesterday.
zuótiān nǐ méiyǒu qù xuéxiào

昨天你没有去学校 I didn’t go to school yesterday.
wǒ shì zhège xuéxiào de xuéshēng

我是这个学校的学生 I am a student of this school.
wǒ bù xiǎng qù xuéxiào
我不想去学校 I don’t want to go to school!
129
yī The Words
RADICAL
一
一
yī
■ (num) 1, one
■ (art) a/an yī
■ (adj) single
■ (adj) entire, whole ♦ one; a, an; alone • (ideographic) Rep-

resents heaven (天), earth (旦), or the
number 1
nǐ de yīgè péngyǒu
你的一个朋友
zài wǒmen zhèlǐ We have one of your friends here with us.
在我们这里
zhè wǔ gè nǚrén wǒ yīgè
这五个女人我一个
dōu bù rènshì I don’t know any of the ve ladies.
都不认识
wǒ huì zài yīgè yuè hòu
我会在一个月后
huílái hé nǐmen jiànmiàn I will be back to join you in one month.
回来和你们⻅面
130
The Words yīdiǎnr
RADICAL
一点儿 yīdiǎnr
■ same as 一点
yī ▶ See page 130
■ (adv) a little, a bit
diǎn ▶ See page 16
■ (adj) a few
ér ▶ See page 26
wǒ huì shuō yīdiǎnr

我会说一点儿 I can talk for a bit.
wǒ mǎi yīdiǎnr píngguǒ

我买一点儿苹果 I bought some apples.
wǒ yīdiǎn qián yě méiyǒu

我一点儿钱也没有 I don’t have any money.
131
yīfu The Words
RADICAL
衣服 yīfu
■ (n) clothes
yī
wǒ mǎile xiē yīfú ♦ cloth; clothes, apparel; dress, coat •

我买了些衣服 (pictographic) A woman’s dress
I have bought some clothes.
xǐ yīfú shì wǒ fú
洗衣服是我
de gōngzuò
的工作 ♦ clothes; to dress, to wear; to take
Doing the laundry is my job. medicine • (ideographic) A person 卩
putting on 又 a coat 月
nǐ tóngxué de yīfú
你同學的衣服
hěn piàoliang
很漂亮
Your classmate’s clothes are very pretty. Classi er
• 件 jiàn ▷ clothing, matters, etc
• 套 tào ▷ set of things, e.g.

books, collectibles, clothes, etc
132
The Words yīshēng
RADICAL
医生 yīshēng
■ (n) doctor
yī
tā shì yīshēng lái de ♦ to cure, to heal, to treat; doctor;

他是医生来的 medicine • (pictophonetic) arrow
He is a doctor.
shēng ▶ See page 118
nǐ qù kàn yīshēngle ma
你去看医生了吗
Did you see a doctor?
wǒ de yīshēng jiào Classi er

我的医生叫
shénme míngzì • 个 gè ▷ general
什么名字 • 位 wèi ▷ for people [polite]
What’s the name of my doctor?
• 名 míng ▷ honori c, or persons
with perceived higher social rank,
e.g. doctors, lawyers, politicians,
royalty
133
yīyuàn The Words
RADICAL
医院 yīyuàn
■ (n) hospital
yī ▶ See page 133
yuàn
Classi er
• 所 suǒ ▷ for buildings whose ♦ court, yard, courtyard; school • (picto-

purpose is explicitly stated, like phonetic) place
hospitals, schools, etc
• 家 jiā ▷ gathering of people; es-

tablishments
tā xiǎng zài yīyuàn gōngzuò

她想在医院工作 She wants to work at the hospital.
zhè shì yījiā hǎo yīyuàn

这是一家好医院 This is a good hospital.
tā yī xiǎoshí qián líkāile yīyuàn

她一小时前离开了医院 She left the hospital an hour ago.
134
The Words yǐzi
RADICAL
椅子 yǐzi
■ (n) chair
yǐ
Classi er
• 把 bǎ ▷ objects that can be hold

♦ chair, seat • (pictophonetic) wood
in one’s hand
• 套 tào ▷ set of things, e.g. zi ▶ See page 4

māo zài yǐzi shàng shuìjiào

猫在椅子上睡觉 The cat sleeps on the chair.
nǐ de yǐzi hé wǒ de
你的椅子和我的
hěn xiàng Your chair is identical to mine.
很像
135
yǒu The Words
RADICAL
有 yǒu
■ (v) to have
yǒu ▶ See page 64
■ (v) there is/are
■ (v) to exist
Expressing possession or existance

In Chinese, whenever you want to ex-
press that someone ’has’ something or
tā yīgè péngyǒu dōu méiyǒu that ’there is’ something, 有 is the verb
他一个朋友都没有 to use, e.g. 你有钱。(You have money)
or 这里有很多中国人。(There are many
He does not have any friends.
Chinese people here)
shūzhuō shàng yǒu yīgè píngguǒ
书桌上有一个苹果
There is one apple on the desk.
wǒ méiyǒu rèn chūlái tāmen

我没有认出来他们
I did not recognise them.
136
The Words yuè
RADICAL
月
月
yuè
■ (n) month
■ (n) moon yuè
♦ moon; month • (pictographic) A cres-

cent moon
Classi er
• 轮 lún ▷ round object
tā shàng gè yuè bùzài

她上个月不在 She wasn’t there last month.
shàng gè yuè shì shíyī yuè ma

上个月是十一月吗 Was last month November?
kàn lái tā huì zài xià

看来他会在下
gè yuè lái
It looks like he’ll be
coming here next month.
个月来
137
zàijiàn The Words
RADICAL
再⻅
冂
zàijiàn
■ (interj) goodbye!
■ (interj) see you again later!

zài
♦ again, twice, re- • (pictographic) Two

sh 冉 caught on a line 一
jiàn ▶ See page 51
wǒ bù huì zàijiàn tāle

我不会再⻅他了 I will not see him any more.
wǒmen bù huì zàijiàn nǐle

我们不会再⻅你了 We won’t see you again.
tāmen bù huì zài jiànmiànle

他们不会再⻅面了 They would never meet again.
138
The Words zài
RADICAL
在 zài
■ (prep) [to be] in, at

zài ▶ See page 119
■ (part) [indicating an action in
progress]
在 + place/verb
在 is mainly used to indicate current
zài wǒ de zhuō shàng state - pretty much like the Spanish
在我的桌上 verb ’estar’. When followed by a
place/location, it means that somebody
yǒu yī běn shū
is somewhere, e.g. 她在北京。(She is
有一本书 in Beijing). When followed by a verb,
There’s a book on my desk. it shows an action in progress - like the
present continuous tense, e.g. 我爸爸在
yǒu duōshǎo rén zài 打电话。(My father is making a phone
有多少人在 call)
nàlǐ gōngzuò
那里工作
How many people work there?
wǒ bù zài de shíhòu
我不在的时候
yǒu méiyǒu rén lái
有没有人来
Did anyone come in my absence?
139
zěnme The Words
RADICAL
怎么 zěnme
■ (adv) how?
zěn
怎么 + verb
♦ what? why? how? • (pictophonetic)
If you want to ask ’how’ - by what means heart
- in Chinese, you would use 怎么, e.g. 東
京大学怎么去? (How to get to the Uni- me ▶ See page 93
versity of Tokyo?)
tā duì wǒ de chē zěnme kàn

她对我的⻋怎么看 What does she think about my car?
nǐ shì zěnme rènshì tā de

你是怎么认识他的 How did you get to know him?
nǐ xiǎng zěnme zuò

你想怎么做 How do you want to do it?
140
The Words zěnmeyàng
RADICAL
怎么样 zěnmeyàng
■ (adv) how?
zěn ▶ See page 140
■ (adv) how about?
me ▶ See page 93
怎么 vs 怎么样
yàng
if you want to ask ’how’ - about how
something is or what it looks like - you
may choose 怎么样, instead of 怎么, e.g.
北京怎么样？(How is Beijing?)
♦ form, pattern, shape, style • (pictopho-
netic) tree
gōngzuò zěnmeyàng
工作怎么样 How is work?
nǐ jīntiān zěnmeyàng
你今天怎么样 How are you doing today?
jīntiān tiānqì zěnmeyàng

今天天气怎么样 What’s the weather like today?
141
zhè The Words
RADICAL
这 zhè
■ (adj) this, these
■ (pron) this, these

zhè
♦ this, these; such; here
zhè bù hǎo
这不好 This is not good.
zhè shì yī běn shū

这是一本书 This is a book.
zhè shì nǐ de wǔfàn ma

这是你的午饭吗 Is this your lunch?
zhèxiē shū dōu shì wǒ de

这些书都是我的 All of these books are mine.
142
The Words zhōngguó
RADICAL
中国 zhōngguó
■ (pr n) China
zhōng
♦ central; center, middle; amidst; to

wǒ xiǎng tā bùshì hit (target), to attain; China; Chinese •
我想他不是 (ideographic) A line 丨 through the cen-
zhōngguó rén ter of a box 口
中国人
I think he is not Chinese.
guó
wǒ xiǎng xuéxí zhōngwén
我想学习中文
ránhòu qù zhōngguó
♦ country, nation, state; national • (ideo-
然后去中国 graphic) Treasure 玉 within a country’s
I want to learn Chinese and go to China. borders 囗
wǒ zài zhōngguó xuéxíle

我在中国学习了
shí gè yuèle
十个月了
I’ve been studying in China for ten
months.
143
zhōngwǔ The Words
RADICAL
中午 zhōngwǔ
■ (n) afternoon
zhōng ▶ See page 143
■ (n) noon
wǔ ▶ See page 90
zhōngwǔ shí'èr diǎn

Classi er
中午十二点
At noon. • 个 gè ▷ general
jīntiān zhōngwǔ nǐ zàijiā
今天中午你在家
You are at home today noon time.
nǐ zhōngwǔ chīle shénme

你中午吃了什么
What did you eat in the afternoon?
jīntiān zhōngwǔ wǒmen

今天中午我们
chūqù chīfàn ma
出去吃饭吗
Are we going out to eat this afternoon?
144
The Words zhù
RADICAL
住 zhù
■ (v) to live
■ (v) to reside
zhù
■ (v) to stay
♦ to reside, to live at, to dwell, to lodge;

to stop • (ideographic) A person 亻 who
hosts 主; 主 also provides the pronunci-
ation
nǐ zhù nǎlǐ
你住哪里 Where do you live?
wǒ zuótiān zhù zài tā jiā

我昨天住在他家 I stayed at his place yesterday.
tā zhù zài píngguǒ lǐmiàn

他住在苹果里面 He lives inside an apple.
tā xǐhuān zhù zài dōngjīng

她喜欢住在东京 She likes to live in Tokyo.
145
zhuōzi The Words
RADICAL
桌子 zhuōzi
■ (n) table
■ (n) desk
zhuō
zhè shì yī zhāng zhuōzi

♦ table, stand, desk, counter
这是一张桌子
This is a table. zi ▶ See page 4
shū zài zhuōzi shàng

书在桌子上
The book is on the table.
Classi er
māo zuò zài zhuōzi shàng
猫坐在桌子上 • 张 zhāng ▷ ’sheet’; at objects,
The cat is sitting on the table. tables, paintings, tickets, etc
zhuōzi shàng de shū shì shéi de • 套 tào ▷ set of things, e.g.

桌子上的书是谁的
Whose book is this on the desk?
146
The Words zì
RADICAL
字 zì
■ (n) character
zì ▶ See page 66
■ (n) letter
■ (n) symbol
■ (n) word
Classi er
wǒ rènshì hànzì
我认识汉字
I know the Chinese characters.
tā bù huì dú
他不会读
zhège zì
这个字
He cannot read this word.
wǒ méiyǒu shuō fǎyǔ de

我没有说法语的
yīgè zì
一个字
I don’t speak a word of French.
147
zuótiān The Words
RADICAL
昨天 zuótiān
■ (adv) yesterday
zuó
♦ yesterday; formerly, in the past • (pic-

tophonetic) day
zuótiān méi xuéshēng qù nà

昨天没学生去那 No students went there yesterday.
tā zuótiān lái kàn wǒmen

她昨天来看我们 She came to see us yesterday.
zuótiān xiàle yītiān de yǔ

昨天下了一天的雨 Yesterday it rained all day.
148
The Words zuò
RADICAL
坐 zuò
■ (v) to sit
■ (v) to take [a bus, an airplane, etc]

zuò
♦ seat; to sit; to ride, to travel by • (ideo-

graphic) Two people 从 sitting on the
ground 土
wǒ néng zuò zhèlǐ ma

我能坐这里吗 Can I sit here?
lǎorén zuòle xiàlái

老人坐了下来 The old man sat down.
nǐmen xiǎng zuò yīxià ma

你们想坐一下吗 Do you want to sit down?
xuéshēngmen xiànzài dōu

学生们现在都
zuò zài zhuō qián The students are all at their desks now.
坐在桌前
149
zuò The Words
RADICAL
做 zuò
■ (v) to do
■ (v) to make
■ (v) to produce zuò

■ (v) to become
■ (v) to be used for

♦ to work, to make; to act • (ideo-
graphic) Someone 亻 who causes things
to happen 故; 故 also provides the pro-
nuncation
wǒ huì zuò de
我会做的 I will do it.
wǒmen shénme dōu zuò bùliǎo

我们什么都做不了 We can do nothing.
zhège cài shì zěnme zuò de

这个菜是怎么做的 How is this dish made?
wǒ shénme dōu bùxiǎng duì tā zuò

我什么都不想对她做 I want nothing to do with her.
150
读 READING
物 MATERIAL
Reading Material Text 1
E F
玛丽: 你好。 Mǎlì: Nǐ hǎo.
约翰: 你好。 Yuēhàn: Nǐ hǎo.
Mǎlì: Wǒ jiào Mǎlì. Nǐ jiào shénme

玛丽: 我叫玛丽。你叫什么名字？
míngzì?
约翰: 我叫约翰。 Yuēhàn: Wǒ jiào Yuēhàn.
玛丽: 她是谁？ Mǎlì: Tā shì shéi?
Yuēhàn: Tā shì Xiùlán. Tā shì

约翰: 她是秀兰。她是中国人。
zhōngguó rén.
玛丽: 你也是中国人吗？ Mǎlì: Nǐ yěshì zhōngguó rén ma?
Yuēhàn: Bùshì. Wǒ shì měiguó rén.

约翰: 不是。我是美国人。你呢？
Nǐ ne?
玛丽: 我是德国人。 Mǎlì: Wǒ shì déguó rén.
H G
153
Text 1 Reading Material
Mary: Hello.
John: She is Xiulan. She is Chinese.
John: Hello.
Mary: Are you also Chinese?
Mary: My name is Mary. What is your name?
John: No. I am American. How about you?
John: My name is John.
Mary: I am German.
Mary: Who is she?
154
E F
玛丽：早上好，秀兰。 Mǎlì: Zǎoshang hǎo, Xiùlán.
秀兰：早上好。你好吗？ Xiùlán: Zǎoshang hǎo. Nǐ hǎo ma?
玛丽：我很好，谢谢。你呢？ Mǎlì: Wǒ hěn hǎo, xièxiè. Nǐ ne?
Xiùlán: Wǒ yě hěn hǎo. Nǐ jīntiān

秀兰：我也非常好。你今天忙吗？
máng ma?
Mǎlì: Jīntiān wǒ tài máng. Wǒ

玛丽：我今天太忙了。今天下午我要去
jīntiān xiàwǔ yào qù dàxué. Wǒ yǒu
大学上课。我有四节课。
sì jié kè.
Xiùlán: Tài duōle! Nǐ míngtiān xiǎng

秀兰：太多课了！明天你想去喝茶吗？
hē chá ma?
玛丽：好主意！谢谢。 Mǎlì: Hǎo zhǔyì! Xièxiè.
秀兰：明天⻅！ Xiùlán: Míngtiān jiàn!
玛丽：再⻅！ Mǎlì: Zàijiàn!
H G
155
Mary: Good morning, Xiulan.

Xiulan: Too many! Do you want to have
Xiulan: Good morning. How are you? some tea tomorrow?
Mary: I’m ne, thank you. How about you? Mary: Good idea! Thank you.
Xiulan: I am also very good. Are you busy

today? Xiulan: See you tomorrow!
Mary: I am too busy today. I am going to Mary: Bye!

university this afternoon. I have four classes.
156
E F
Zuótiān, tiānqì fēicháng rè. Jīntiān,
昨天，天气非常热。今天，天正在下雨，
tiān zhèngzài xià yǔ, suǒyǐ Mǎlì hé
所以玛丽和秀兰去了商店。
Xiùlán qùle shāngdiàn.
玛丽：我想要买一些书。 Mǎlì: Wǒ xiǎng yāomǎi yīxiē shū.
秀兰：什么？我听不⻅你。这里人太多 Xiùlán: Shénme? Wǒ tīng bùjiàn nǐ.

了。 Zhèlǐ rén tài duōle.
Mǎlì: Wǒ xiǎng yāomǎi yīxiē yīfú,

玛丽：我想要买一些衣服，我也想要买
wǒ yě xiǎng yāomǎi yīxiē shū. Wǒ
一些书。我想要学习法语。
xiǎng yào xuéxí fǎyǔ.
Xiùlán: Nà tài bàngle! Wǒ ài xuéxí

秀兰：那太棒了！我爱学习语言。
yǔyán.
Mǎlì: Nǐ xiǎng yāomǎi shénme

玛丽：你想要买什么东⻄吗？
dōngxī ma?
秀兰：是的，因为工作，我想要买一台 Xiùlán: Shì de, yīnwèi gōngzuò, wǒ

新电脑。 xiǎng yāomǎi yī táixīn diànnǎo.
玛丽：你要在这里买吗？ Mǎlì: Nǐ yào zài zhèlǐ mǎi ma?
Xiùlán: Jīntiān zǎoshang wǒ dǎ

秀兰：今天早上我打电话给商店了，他
diànhuà gěi shāngdiànle, tāmen
们告诉我他们有一台很好的电脑。但是
gàosù wǒ tāmen yǒuyī tái hěn hǎo
我没有钱。
de diànnǎo. Dànshì wǒ méiyǒu qián.
Mǎlì: Méi wèntí! Wǒ kěyǐ gěi nǐ yīxiē

玛丽：没问题！我可以给你一些钱！
qián!
H G
157
Yesterday, the weather was very hot. Today, Mary: Do you want to buy anything?
it is raining, so Mary and Xiulan went to the
shops. Xiulan: Yes, I want a new computer for my
job.
Mary: I want to buy some books.
Mary: And will you buy it here?
Xiulan: What? I didn’t hear you. There are
too many people here. Xiulan: I called the shop this morning and
they told me they have a good one. But I
Mary: I want to buy some clothes and I also don’t have money.
want some books. I want to learn French.
Mary: No problem! I can give you some
Xiulan: That’s great! I love learning lan- money!
guages.
158
E F
约翰从学校回到家。 Yuēhàn cóng xuéxiào huí dàojiā.
Tā de māo zhèng zuò zài tā de yǐzi

他的猫正坐在他的椅子上。
shàng.
Zhè zhǐ māo yī zhěnggè zǎochén

这只猫一整个早晨都一直在睡觉。
dōu yīzhí zài shuìjiào.
“Nǐ zài zhèlǐ gànshénme?”Yuēhàn

“你在这里干什么？”约翰说，“你为什么 shuō,“nǐ wèishéme bù zuò dào
不坐到那儿，坐到桌子上？这是我的椅 nà'er, zuò dào zhuōzi shàng? Zhè
子！我想要读书！” shì wǒ de yǐzi! Wǒ xiǎng yào
dúshū!”
Dāngrán, zhè zhǐ māo bù huì

当然，这只猫不会说话。
shuōhuà.
Qùnián tā de péngyǒu bǎ zhè zhǐ

去年他的朋友把这只猫送给了他。
māo sòng gěile tā.
Tā bùshì tèbié piàoliang, dàn tā

它不是特别漂亮，但他非常爱他的猫。
fēicháng ài tā de māo.
也许，在电视上看一部电影是个更好的 Yěxǔ, zài diànshì shàng kàn yī bù

主意…… diànyǐng shìgè gèng hǎo de zhǔyì...
H G
159
John returns home from school. The cat of course cannot speak.
His cat is sitting on his chair. His friend gave it to him last year.
All the morning the cat has been sleeping. It’s not very beautiful but he loves his cat very
much.
”What are you doing here?” says John, ”Why
don’t you sit there, on the table? This is my Perhaps, it would be a better idea to watch a
chair! I want to read a book!” movie on the television...
160
E F
“Kàn!”, Mǎlì shuō,“nà li yǒu yījiā
“看！”，玛丽说，“那里有一家餐厅！你
cāntīng! Nǐ xiǎng chī diǎn dōngxī
想吃点东⻄吗？我想吃米饭。”
ma? Wǒ xiǎng chī mǐfàn.”
“Wǒ fēicháng è,”Xiùlán shuō,“wǒ

“我非常饿，”秀兰说，“我能叫我的爸爸
néng jiào wǒ de bàba māmā yě
妈妈也过来吗？”
guòlái ma?”
“当然。” “Dāngrán.”
“他们是非常好的人，你会喜欢他们 “Tāmen shì fēicháng hǎo de rén, nǐ

的！” huì xǐhuān tāmen de!”
“Tài bàngle. Wǒ yě huì jiào wǒ de

“太棒了。我也会叫我的朋友过来的。
péngyǒu guòlái de. Zuò chūzū chē
坐出租⻋的话，他十分钟内就会到这里
dehuà, tā shí fēnzhōng nèi jiù huì
了！”
dào zhèlǐle!”
她们都很高兴。 Tāmen dōu hěn gāoxìng.
H G
161
”Look!”, said Mary, ”there is a restaurant ”They are very good people. You will like
there! Do you want to eat something? I them!”
would love some rice”
”Great. I will tell my friend to come too. By
”I’m very hungry”, said Xiulan, ”Can I tell taxi, he’ll be here in 10 minutes!”
my dad and mom to come too?”
They were both very happy.
”Of course.”
162
词
汇 AT A
GLANCE
表
At a Glance Useful phrases, Numerals & Personal Pronouns
Useful phrases
hello 你好 nǐ hǎo
how do you do? 你好吗？ nǐ hǎo ma
good morning 早上好 zǎoshang hǎo
good afternoon 下午好 xiàwǔ hǎo
good night 晚安 wǎn'ān
please 请 qǐng
thanks 谢谢 xièxie
you’re welcome 不客气 bùkèqi
sorry 对不起 duìbuqǐ
no problem 没关系 méiguānxi
Numerals Personal Pronouns
0 / zero 零 líng I 我 wǒ
1 / one 一 yī
you (sing.) 你 nǐ
2 / two 二 èr
he 他 tā
3 / three 三 sān
4 / four 四 sì she 她 tā
5 / ve 五 wǔ it 它 tā
6 / six 六 liù
we 我们 wǒmen
7 / seven 七 qī
you (pl.) 你们 nǐmen
8 / eight 八 bā
9 / nine 九 jiǔ
they 他们 tāmen
她们 tāmen
10 / ten 十 shí 它们 tāmen
165
Days, Months & Adverbs At a Glance
Days of the Week Months
Monday 星期一 xīngqī yī January 一月 yī yuè
Tuesday 星期二 xīngqī èr February 二月 èr yuè
Wednesday 星期三 xīngqī sān March 三月 sān yuè
Thursday 星期四 xīngqī sì April 四月 sì yuè
Friday 星期五 xīngqī wǔ May 五月 wǔ yuè
Saturday 星期六 xīngqī liù June 六月 liù yuè
Sunday 星期天 xīngqī tiān July 七月 qī yuè
August 八月 bā yuè
Time September 九月 jiǔ yuè
October 十月 shí yuè

afterwards 后面 hòumiàn
November 十一月 shí yī yuè
now 现在 xiànzài December 十二月 shí èr yuè
today 今天 jīntiān
tomorrow 明天 míngtiān
Location
yesterday 昨天 zuótiān above 上 shǎng
behind 后面 hòumiàn
below 下 xià
Degree
downwards 下 xià
a little 一点儿 yīdiǎnr here 这里 zhèlǐ
in front of 前面 qiánmiàn
a lot 多 duō
inside 里 lǐ
too [much] 太 tài
there 那 nàlǐ
very 很 hěn upwards 上 shǎng
166
At a Glance Question Words & Adjectives
Question Words Adjectives
what? 什么 shénme beautiful 漂亮 piàoliang
big 大 dà
which? 哪 nǎ
cold 冷 lěng
who? 谁 shéi
few 少 shǎo
when? 什么时候 shénme shíhou
good 好 hǎo
where? 哪里 nǎlǐ happy 高兴 gāoxìng

哪儿 nǎr
hot 热 rè
why? 为什么 wèi shénme
small 小 xiǎo
how? 怎么 zěnme some 些 xiē
怎么样 zěnmeyàng
that 那 nā
how 多少 duōshǎo
many? 几 jī this 这 zhè
167
Verbs At a Glance
Verbs
arrive 来 lái look 看 kān
be 是 shì love 爱 ài
be [at] 在 zài make 做 zuò
buy 买 mǎi may 能 néng
call 叫 jiào open 开 kāi
can 会 huì phone 打电话 dǎdiànhuà
come 来 lái rain 下雨 xiàyǔ
do 做 zuò read 读 dú
drink 喝 hē request 请 qǐng
eat 吃 chī return 回 huí
exist 有 yǒu say 说 shuō
go 去 qù see 看⻅ kànjiàn
have 有 yǒu sit 坐 zuò
hear 听 tīng sleep 睡觉 shuìjiào
know 认识 rènshi speak 说 shuō
learn 学习 xuéxí want 想 xiǎng
like 喜欢 xǐhuan week 星期 xīngqī
listen 听 tīng work 工作 gōngzuò
live [at] 住 zhù write 写 xiě
168
At a Glance Nouns
Nouns
afternoon 下午 xiàwǔ miss 小姐 xiǎojie
airplane ⻜机 fēijī mister (Mr.) 先生 xiānsheng
apple 苹果 píngguǒ money 钱 qián
Beijing 北京 běijīng month 月 yuè
book 书 shū morning 上午 shàngwǔ
cat 猫 māo mother 妈妈 māma
chair 椅子 yǐzi movie 电影 diànyǐng
character 字 zì name 名字 míngzi
China 中国 zhōngguó noon 中午 zhōngwǔ
Chinese 汉语 hànyǔ people 人 rén
classmate 同学 tóngxué restaurant 饭店 fàndiàn
clothes 衣服 yīfu rice 米饭 mǐfàn
computer 电脑 diànnǎo school 学校 xuéxiào
cup 杯子 bēizi shop 商店 shāngdiàn
daughter 女儿 nǚ'ér son 儿子 érzi
day 天 tiān student 学生 xuésheng
dish 菜 cài table 桌子 zhuōzi
doctor 医生 yīshēng taxi 出租⻋ chūzūchē
dog 狗 gǒu tea 茶 chá
father 爸爸 bàba television 电视 diànshì
friend 朋友 péngyou thing 东⻄ dōngxī
fruit 水果 shuǐguǒ time 时候 shíhou
home 家 jiā water 水 shuǐ
hospital 医院 yīyuàn weather 天气 tiānqì
minute 分钟 fēnzhōng year 年 nián
169

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HSK

Standard Chinese Academy

The Basics dǎdiànhuà / 打电话 13 gāoxìng / 高兴 31

The Writing System iii de / 的 15 gōngzuò / 工作 33

Reading & Pronunciation v diǎn / 点 16 gǒu / 狗 34

Key Grammar Points ix diànnǎo / 电脑 17 hànyǔ / 汉语 35

běn / 本 6 duō / 多 24 huí / 回 42

bùkèqi / 不客气 8 érzi / 儿子 26 jī / 几 44

chá / 茶 10 fàndiàn / 饭店 28 jiào / 叫 46

chī / 吃 11 fēijī / ⻜机 29 jīntiān / 今天 47

chūzūchē / 出租⻋ 12 fēnzhōng / 分钟 30 jiǔ / 九 48

kān / 看 50 nián / 年 74 shuǐ / 水 98

kànjiàn / 看⻅ 51 nǚ'ér / 女儿 75 shuǐguǒ / 水果 99

kuài / 块 52 péngyou / 朋友 76 shuìjiào / 睡觉 100

lái / 来 53 piàoliang / 漂亮 77 shuō / 说 101

lǎoshī / 老师 54 píngguǒ / 苹果 78 sì / 四 102

lěng / 冷 56 qiánmiàn / 前面 80 tā / 他 104

liù / 六 58 qǐng / 请 82 tài / 太 106

māma / 妈妈 59 qù / 去 83 tiānqì / 天气 107

mǎi / 买 61 rén / 人 85 tóngxué / 同学 109

māo / 猫 62 rènshi / 认识 86 wéi / 喂 110

méiguānxi / 没关系 63 sān / 三 87 wǒ / 我 111

méiyǒu / 没有 64 shāngdiàn / 商店 88 wǒmen / 我们 112

mǐfàn / 米饭 65 shǎng / 上 89 wǔ / 五 113

míngzi / 名字 66 shàngwǔ / 上午 90 xǐhuan / 喜欢 114

míngtiān / 明天 67 shǎo / 少 91 xià / 下 115

nǎ / 哪 68 shéi / 谁 92 xiàwǔ / 下午 116

nǎr / 哪儿 69 shénme / 什么 93 xiàyǔ / 下雨 117

nā / 那 70 shí / 十 94 xiānsheng / 先生 118

ne / 呢 71 shíhou / 时候 95 xiànzài / 现在 119

néng / 能 72 shì / 是 96 xiǎng / 想 120

xiǎojie / 小姐 122 zhuōzi / 桌子 146 Nouns 169

xiē / 些 123 zì / 字 147

xiě / 写 124 zuótiān / 昨天 148

xièxie / 谢谢 125 zuò / 坐 149

xīngqī / 星期 126 zuò / 做 150

yīyuàn / 医院 134 At a Glance

yǐzi / 椅子 135 Useful phrases 165

yǒu / 有 136 Numerals 165

yuè / 月 137 Personal Pronouns 165

zàijiàn / 再⻅ 138 Days of the Week 166

zài / 在 139 Time 166

zěnme / 怎么 140 Degree 166

zěnmeyàng / 怎么样 141 Months 166

zhè / 这 142 Location 166

zhōngguó / 中国 143 Question Words 167

zhōngwǔ / 中午 144 Adjectives 167

However, this doesn’t mean that

In this book, we will deal with

Basically, Standard Chinese is

• Pronunciation based on the

• Vocabulary coming from var-

• Grammar based on the writ-

So, there you are! Ready to start?

Different dialects spoken in China

The Writing System

• Simpli ed Chinese characters -

• Traditional Chinese characters -

In total, it is estimated that there

The good news

It is estimated that with only 150

At rst, being used to the alphabets

Reading & Pronunciation