Chinese Vocabulary · 中文詞彙中文词汇 Family and Pronoun Words in Chinese 家庭與代名詞詞彙家庭与代名词词汇 jiātíng yǔ dàimíngcí cíhuì Before we get into the vocabulary, a bit of context: traditional Chinese culture puts a lot of weight on respect and harmony within the family, a mindset that traces back to Confucian values. These days, younger generations are drifting away…
Category: HSK 2
Nature and Animal Words in Chinese
Chinese Vocabulary · 中文詞彙中文词汇 Nature and Animal Words in Chinese 自然與動物詞彙自然与动物词汇 zìrán yǔ dòngwù cíhuì Before we get to the vocab, let me tell you about the weirdest family in Chinese mythology: the weather family. There’s 雷公雷公 (léigōng, Thunder Father), 電母电母 (diànmǔ, Lightning Mother), 風伯风伯 (fēngbó, Uncle Wind), 雲童云童 (yúntóng, Cloud Child) — and then,…
Currency exchange
我wǒ要yào把bǎ__A__ 換huàn成chéng__B__ 我wǒ要yào把bǎ__A__ 换huàn成chéng__B__ I’d like to exchange some ____A____ to ____B____ Dialogue 我wǒ： 你好nǐhǎo， 我wǒ要yào把bǎ美金měijīn換huàn成chéng台幣táibì我wǒ： 你好nǐhǎo， 我wǒ要yào把bǎ美金měijīn换huàn成chéng台币táibìI: Hi! I’d like to exchange some US Dollars to Taiwan Dollars. 銀行yínháng員yuán： 好的hǎode， 請qǐng給gěi我wǒ你的nǐde護照hùzhào银行yínháng员yuán： 请qǐng出示chūshì您的nínde护照hùzhàoBank Clerk: Sure. Can I see your passport, please? 我wǒ： 這個zhège請qǐng幫bāng我wǒ換huàn成chéng零錢língqián我wǒ： 这个zhèige请qǐng帮bāng我wǒ换huàn成chéng零钱língqiánI: I’d like to get some change for this. 銀行yínháng員yuán： 好的hǎode， 請qǐng在zài這裡zhèlǐ簽名qiānmíng银行yínháng员yuán： 好的hǎode， 请qǐng在zài这儿zhèr签名qiānmíngBank Clerk: Ok, please sign your name here. Simplified (China) Traditional (Taiwan)…
Chinese Words for Life at School
Chinese Vocabulary · 中文詞彙中文词汇 Chinese Words for Life at School 校園生活詞彙校园生活词汇 xiàoyuán shēnghuó cíhuì Okay, quick reality check before we dive into vocab: school life in Taiwan (and China) is strict. Like, uniform-every-single-day strict. Back in my own high school days, there was an actual hair rule — nothing past 3cm below your ears. Every…
Numbers and Time Words in Chinese
Chinese Vocabulary · 中文詞彙中文词汇 Numbers and Time Words in Chinese 數字與時間詞彙数字与时间词汇 shùzì yǔ shíjiān cíhuì In Chinese culture, not all numbers are treated equally — some are lucky enough to raise a phone number’s resale price, and others are avoided in hospital elevators. The numbers everyone counts with Number Words in Chinese Chinese Pinyin Number…
Date and Season Words in Chinese
Chinese Vocabulary · 中文詞彙中文词汇 Date and Season Words in Chinese 日期與季節詞彙日期与季节词汇 rìqí yǔ jìjié cíhuì Before we get to the date and season words, a little bit about Taiwan’s weather: spring (March–May) is a slow shift from dry to rainy, with daytime temperatures around 23°C — too cold for the beach, but perfect for hot…
Country, Language and Transportation Words in Chinese
Chinese Vocabulary · 中文詞彙中文词汇 Country, Language and Transportation Words in Chinese 國家、語言與交通詞彙国家、语言与交通词汇 guójiā, yǔyán yǔ jiāotōng cíhuì Before we get to the vocabulary, a quick story: if you like riding a bicycle, you will fall in love with Taiwan. Taipei’s Ubike bike-sharing stations are all over the city, many within walking distance of MRT stations…
Body Part and Sport Words in Chinese
Chinese Vocabulary · 中文詞彙中文词汇 Body Part and Sport Words in Chinese 身體與運動詞彙身体与运动词汇 shēntǐ yǔ yùndòng cíhuì Honestly, if you go watch a baseball game in Taiwan for the first time, it barely feels like a regular sports match — it feels more like a concert or a carnival. Every team has its own professional cheerleading…
Food Words in Chinese
Chinese Vocabulary · 中文詞彙中文词汇 Food Words in Chinese 飲食詞彙饮食词汇 yǐnshí cíhuì Quick food culture detour before the vocab: in China, what’s on your plate depends on where you’re from. South of the Yangtze, it’s rice with basically everything. Head north, and it’s all about wheat — dumplings, noodles, steamed buns, the works. And here’s a…