I Meant Chinese Style (Not Chinese Food)! With a slight change in pronunciation, foreigners can often be misunderstood when speaking Chinese. One of the ways this happens is when a foreigner refers to something having a “Chinese style”, but ends up getting mistaken for having said “Chinese food.”…
医院 (yīyuàn) Hospital (Beginner)
The character “医 (yī)” means to cure and “院 (yuàn)” means courtyard
literally, but here it means hospital.
Example: Xījīng yīyuàn shì shǎnxīshěng zuì dà de yīyuàn. 西京 医院 是 陕西省 最 大 的 医院。 Xijing Hospital is the largest hospital in Shaanxi province.…
跑题 (pǎotí) Digress into a Different Subject (Advanced)
The character “跑 (pǎo)” means to run; “题 (tí)” means topic or subject.
Example:
Zhècì zuòwén wǒ hǎoxiàng xiě pǎotí le. 这次 作文 我 好像 写 跑题了。 I seem to digress from the subject in this essay writing.…
户外 (hùwài) Outdoor (Intermediate)
The character “户 (hù)” means door; “外 (wài)” means outside.
Example:
A: Zhège zhōumò zhǔnbèi zěnme guò yɑ? 这个 周末 准备 怎么 过 呀？ Do you have any plans for this weekend?
B: Wǒ xiǎng qù hùwài yùndòng yí xià. 我 想 去 户外 运动 一 下。 Ｉwant to do outdoor exercise.…
行李 (xíngli) Luggage/Baggage (Intermediate)
The character “行 (xíng)” means to walk; “李 (lǐ)” means plum or a surname. Example:
Wàichū shí wèi fāngbiàn qǐjiàn jìnliàng shǎo dài xíngli. 外出 时 为 方便 起见 尽量 少 带 行李。
Considering the problem of convenience, you should bring as little luggage as possible when travel.…
太极拳 (tàijíquán) Tai-Chi (Intermediate)
The character “太 (tài)” means too or over; “极 (jí)” means pole or top and “拳 (quán)” means fist. Example:
Tàijíquán liúchuán zhìjīn yǎnhuà chūle bùtóng de liúpài. 太极拳 流传 至今 演化 出了 不同 的 流派。
Tai Chi has spread until now and has evolved into different schools.…
咖啡 (kāfēi) Coffee (Beginner)
Both the characters “咖 (kā)” and “啡 (fēi)” mean coffee.
Example:
Yǒu rén rènwéi hē kāfēi kěyǐ tíshén ne. 有 人 认为 喝 咖啡 可以 提神 呢。 Some people think that drinking coffee can refresh oneself. // // …
温暖 (wēnnuǎn) Warm (Beginner) Both the characters “温 (wēn)” and “暖 (nuǎn)” mean warm.
Example:
Chūntiān dào le, wēnnuǎn de yángguāng zhào zài shēn shàng, shūfu jí le! 春天 到 了，温暖 的 阳光 照 在 身 上， 舒服 极 了！ Spring is coming; it’s so comfortable when I feel the warm sunshine on my body!…
眼镜 (yǎnjìng) Spectacles/Glasses (Beginner)
The character “眼 (yǎn)” means eye and “镜 (jìng)” means glass. Example:
Xiànzài hěnduō xuéshēng dōu dàishàng le jìnshì yǎnjìng. 现在 很多 学生 都 戴上 了 近视 眼镜。 Now many students wear glasses.
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乐观 (lèguān) Optimistic (advanced)
The character “乐 (lè)” means happy; “观 (guān)” means view.
Tā jíshǐ zài zuì zāogāo de shíhou yě zǒngshì fēicháng lèguān. 她 即使 在 最 糟糕 的 时候 也 总是 非常 乐观。 She was always optimistic, even when things were at their worst.…
股票 (gǔpiào) Stock/ Share (Intermediate) The character “股 (gǔ)” means share; “票 (piào)” means ticket or bank note.
Example:
A: Nín hǎo, wǒ xiǎng zīxún yí xià jǐzhǒng gǔpiào de zuì xīn jiàgé. 您 好， 我 想 咨询 一下 几种 股票 的 最 新 价格。 Hello, I want to consult the latest quotations on several stocks.…
打扫 (dǎsǎo) To Sweep/ To Do the Cleaning (Intermediate)
The character “打 (dǎ)”refer to hit and “扫 (sǎo)” refers to to sweep.
Měi gè zhōumò tā dōu chèdǐ dǎsǎo yí xià fángzi. 每 个 周末 她 都 彻底 打扫 一 下 房子。 She cleaned the house thoroughly every weekend.…
散步 (sànbù) Go for a Walk/ Take a Walk (Beginner)
The Chinese character “散 (sàn)” means leisurely here and “步 (bù)” means to go on foot.
Wǎnfàn hòu wǒmen qù sànbù ba! 晚饭 后 我们 去 散步 吧！
阳光 (yángguāng) Sunshine (Beginner)
The character “阳 (yáng)” refers to the sun and “光 (guāng)” refers to light.
Jīntiān tiānqì bú cuò, yángguāng zhào zài wǒ liǎn shàng, hěn shūfu. 今天 天气 不 错， 阳光 照 在 我 脸 上， 很 舒服。 The weather is pretty good today; it’s so comfortable when I feel the sunshine on my face.…
打篮球 (dǎ lánqiú) Play Basketball (Beginner)
The character “打 (dǎ)” means to hit, but in this word it means to play. “篮 (lán)” means basket and “球 (qiú)” means ball.
A: Nǐ xǐhuan dǎ lánqiú ma? 你 喜欢 打 篮球 吗？
Do you like playing basketball?…
In the commercial, the foreign monk broke three pieces of bricks with his bare hands.…
春天 (chūntiān) Spring (Beginner)
The character “春 (chūn)” means spring and “天 (tiān)” means sky or day.
Chūntiān lái le, wǒmen zhōumò qù páshān ba. 春天 来了，我们 周末 去 爬山 吧。
Spring is coming; let’s go hiking on the weekend.
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取款 (qǔkuǎn) To Withdraw Money (Intermediate)
The character “取 (qǔ)” means to get; “款 (kuǎn)” means money.
A: Yǒu shénme kěyǐ bāng nín ma? 有 什么 可以 帮 您 吗？
Can I help you? B: Shìde, wǒ xiǎng qǔkuǎn. 是的， 我 想 取款。
Yes, please.…
存款 (cúnkuǎn) To Deposit Money (Intermediate)
The character “存 (cún)” means to deposit; “款 (kuǎn)” means money.
Example:
A: Yǒu shénme kěyǐ bāng nín ma? 有 什么 可以 帮 您 吗？ Can I help you?
B: Shìde, wǒ xiǎng cúnkuǎn. 是的， 我 想 存款。 Yes, please.…
