[2024-08-23] Discover Chinese Culture & Learn New Words!

钩

gōu

The Chinese word for 'hook' is '钩'. It is used in the same context as in English, referring to a piece of metal or other hard material curved or bent back at an angle, for catching hold of or hanging things on. In addition, it can also be used in a metaphorical sense like in English to mean 'to attract or to trap'.

Here's how to use it:

• 她用钩子把窗帘拉开。
  Tā yòng gōuzi bǎ chuānglián lā kāi.
• 我忘了钩钩我裤子的腰带。
  Wǒ wàng le gōu gōu wǒ kùzi de yāodài.
• 请用钩子把画挂上。
  Qǐng yòng gōuzi bǎ huà guà shàng.

主人

zhǔ rén

In Chinese, '主人' refers to a person who receives or entertains other people as guests. It is often used in both social and official scenarios. For example, the host of a party or the host of a television show can both be called '主人'. The character '主' means 'main or leading' and '人' means 'person', in combination they refer to someone who takes the leading role in welcoming and entertaining others.

Here's how to use it:

• 主人生气了。
  Zhǔrén shēngqì le.
• 这是主人的房间。
  Zhè shì zhǔrén de fángjiān.
• 主人很善良。
  Zhǔrén hěn shànliáng.

流

liú

In Chinese, '流' (liú) captures the essence of how things move smoothly and continuously in a certain direction, just like 'flow' in English. It is widely used in various contexts, such as '流星' (liú xīng) meaning 'shooting star', with the flow referring to their rapid movement across the sky. Another example includes '流感' (liú gǎn) referring to 'flu' delineating how rapidly and widely the disease can spread.

Here's how to use it:

• 这首歌流传了很久。
  Zhè shǒu gē liúchuánle hěn jiǔ.
• 地下水向低处流。
  Dìxiàshuǐ xiàng dī chù liú.
• 血液在我们身体中流通。
  Xuèyè zài wǒmen shēntǐ zhōng liútōng.

地址

zhǐ dì

The Chinese term for 'address' is '地址' (zhǐ dì). It's commonly used exactly like its English counterpart - when providing locations for physical destinations, mailing correspondence or electronic (web, email) resources.

Here's how to use it:

• 你能告诉我你的地址吗？
  Nǐ néng gàosù wǒ nǐ de dìzhǐ ma?
• 这个地址太远了。
  Zhègè dìzhǐ tài yuǎnle.
• 这个地址是正确的。
  Zhègè dìzhǐ shì zhèngquè de.

浴

yù

The Chinese word '浴' is used to refer to actions like taking a shower or bathing. This word is often paired with other words to create phrases like '洗澡' or '浴室', meaning 'take a shower' or 'bathroom' respectively.

Here's how to use it:

• 我要去浴室。
  Wǒ yào qù yùshì.
• 我们的浴用品在哪?
  Wǒmen de yù yòngpǐn zài nǎ?
• 我需要浴帽。
  Wǒ xūyào yùmào.

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