Architecture, Sculpture & Painting Vocabulary
A collection of Chinese words related to the fields of architecture, sculpture, and painting for English-speaking beginners.
刷子 (shuā zi)
brush
In Chinese, the word for 'brush' is '刷子'. It can be used in similar contexts as in English, such as when referring to paint brushes, hair brushes or toothbrushes. It can also be used in broader contexts, such as to 'brush' or 'swipe' a card.
Example sentences with 刷子 →博物馆 (bó wù guǎn)
museum
The Chinese word for museum is '博物馆'. It is used in the same context as it is in English, referring to a place where collections of artifacts or other items of artistic, cultural, historical, or scientific importance are stored and displayed.
复制 (fù zhì)
copy
The Chinese word '复制' is used similar to the English word 'copy'. It can be used when referring to making an identical or close copy of something, whether it be a physical object or in digital context such as copying text or a file.
Example sentences with 复制 →尺寸 (chǐ cùn)
size
The Chinese word '尺寸' is used to denote the size or dimension of objects. It can refer to both physical dimensions like height, width or length and non-physical ones like the size of a group or team. Just like in English, the word '尺寸' can be used as a noun in most contexts.
建筑 (jiànzhù)
building
In Chinese, '建筑' refers to a structure with a roof and walls, such as a house or factory. It is often used in relation to buildings both large and small, and can refer to the process and product of construction. It can also extend to mean any man-made structure.
教堂 (jiàotáng)
church
The Chinese word '教堂' refers to a place of worship for Christians, similar to the English word 'church'. It can be used in various contexts, whether it refers to the physical building itself, or the congregation of people within the Christian community.
新鲜 (xīn xiān)
fresh
The word '新鲜' translates to 'fresh' in English. It's widely used in daily Chinese conversation, especially when discussing food. It's important to note that freshness is universally respected in Chinese culture - therefore, the term is used quite frequently.
油漆 (yóu qī)
paint
The Chinese word for 'paint' is '油漆'. It is used in the same way as in English, referring to a colored substance which is spread over a surface to give it a new look or protective coating. For example, ‘我要用红色油漆画这个墙’ (I want to paint this wall with red paint).
Example sentences with 油漆 →画 (huà)
draw
The Chinese word '画' is used to mean 'draw', 'sketch', or 'paint'. Similar to English, it can be used in multiple contexts including drawing a picture or drawing a conclusion.
画家 (huàjiā)
painter
The Chinese word '画家' is used to refer to a person who paints as a profession. It can be used in a variety of contexts, such as discussing art, professions, or hobbies. Like many professions in Chinese, it combines a verb and a noun - in this case, '画' (draw/paint) and '家' (a suffix indicating an expert).
画画 (huà huà)
drawing
In Chinese, 'draw' is '画' and 'drawing' is '画画'. It is used to describe the action of creating pictures, diagrams or patterns, usually with a pen or pencil, but also with other mediums. It is commonly used in context like '我喜欢画画' which means 'I like drawing'.
Example sentences with 画画 →设计 (shè jì)
design
The Chinese word for 'design' is '设计'. This is a noun used to define the process of creating or planning something in a way that is new and different. It can refer to anything from designing a building to a website. It is often used in contexts like fashion design ('服装设计'), industrial design ('工业设计'), and graphic design ('平面设计').
设计师 (shè jì shī)
designer
The Chinese word '设计师' directly translates to 'designer' in English and is commonly used in the context of someone who plans the look or workings of something prior to it being made, by preparing drawings or plans.
Example sentences with 设计师 →风景 (fēng jǐng)
landscape
The Chinese word '风景' refers to the scenery or view of a place, similar to the English word 'landscape'. It can be used to describe the views in nature, such as mountains, rivers, forests, but can also be used in other contexts to describe what one sees, like the 'landscape' of a city.