Chinese Vocabulary: Social Relations
An essential collection of Chinese vocabulary related to social relations. Suitable for beginners.
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支持 (zhī chí)
support
The Chinese word '支持' is used similarly to the English word 'support'. It can be used both in the context of providing emotional or moral support, and in the context of providing physical support. For example, one can '支持' a friend who is going through a difficult time, or a pillar can '支持' a building.
教父 (jiào fù)
godfather
In Chinese, '教父' refers to the man who promises at a Christian baptism to help a child, and often to look after it if its parents die. It can also refer to a person who is influential or to a leader in a particular field.
教育 (jiào yù)
education
The Chinese word for 'education' is '教育'. It is used in the same context as in English, describing the process of receiving or giving systematic instruction, especially at a school or university. The term can be used in various contexts such as 'primary education', 'special education', 'distance education', etc.
朋友 (péngyou)
friend
This is a common word used to refer to a person whom one knows and with whom one has a bond of mutual affection. In Chinese, it is often used to express the concept of friendship.
Example sentences with 朋友 →母亲 (mǔqīn)
mother
The word '母亲' (mǔqīn) is a fairly formal word for mother in Chinese. It is often used in contexts where respect is particularly emphasized, such as in written works and formal conversation. For a more familiar term often used for mother in daily conversation, the word '妈妈' (māmā) is used.
熟人 (shúrén)
acquaintance
This word is used to refer to someone you know slightly, but are not close friends with. It is a common word to introduce the relationship of not-close friends.
Example sentences with 熟人 →父亲 (fù qīn)
father
The word '父亲' is the formal word for father in Chinese language. It is used in formal situations or when showing respect. In more casual situations, the word '爸爸' might be used instead.
男朋友 (nán péngyǒu)
boyfriend
This term is used to refer to a male partner in a romantic or sexual relationship. It is commonly used in spoken and written Mandarin Chinese. For example, 我的男朋友很帅 means 'My boyfriend is very handsome'.
祖父 (zǔ fù)
The grandfather
The Chinese word '祖父' is used to refer to the father of one's parent, paternal or maternal. Similar to the usage in English, it is commonly used in formal and informal settings. In Chinese culture, the family and ancestors are greatly respected, which is also reflected in the language.
舅舅舅妈和叔叔阿姨 (jiùjiù jiùmā hé shūshū āyí)
The aunts and uncles
In Chinese, the words used for aunts and uncles are different depending on whether they are on the mother's side or father's side of the family. '舅舅' is your mother's brother, '舅妈' is your mother's brother's wife, '叔叔' is your father's younger brother, and '阿姨' can refer to your father's younger brother's wife, or your mother's sister. This distinction in Chinese more precisely captures the familial relationship compared to English.
表亲 (biao qin)
The cousin
The Chinese word '表亲' is utilized to refer to a cousin in English. It is mostly used in the context of family, particularly referring to a child of one's uncle or aunt. It is commonly utilized in both conversational and written Chinese.
邀请 (yāoqǐng)
invite
邀请, pronounced as 'yāoqǐng', is often used in contexts dealing with inviting someone to an event, meeting, or party. It is often used in both formal and informal speech. Its usage is similar to the usage of 'invite' in English. However, 'yāoqǐng' is not typically used as a colloquial slang like how 'invite' is sometimes used in English to imply other meanings.
Example sentences with 邀请 →链接 (liàn jiē)
link
The Chinese word '链接' means 'link' in English. It is often used in the context of internet or connection between two things or ideas. For example, you might use '链接' when talking about a hyperlink on a website or a connection between two trains.
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