Vocab Builder for commonly used words in Chinese.
In Chinese, '一' is used to represent the English word 'a'. It is commonly used in front of a noun in Chinese language to indicate a singular quantity, just like 'a' in English.
Example sentences with 一 →The Chinese word for 'some' is '一些'. It is used in the same way as in English, to indicate an unspecified amount or number. For example, 'I need some apples' translates to '我需要一些苹果'.
In Chinese, the term '一共' is used when they want to express the total amount/count/quantity of something. Like in English, the term 'altogether' is being used to show the comprehensive quantity of any subject. It is mostly used in both formal and informal contexts.
Example sentences with 一共 →'一切' is a Chinese word that is used to refer to all things or everything in a comprehensive way, encompassing all parts, aspects or details. It is used in various contexts, just like 'everything' in English.
In Chinese '一刻' means quarter, usually used to refer to a quarter of the hour. It can also be used to describe a portion or sector, but it is less common. Similar to English, '一刻' can also mean a moment or a brief period of time.
Example sentences with 一刻 →一半 (yībàn) translates literally to 'one half' in English, and its usage is pretty identical to English. It can be used to refer to half of an object, an amount or a quantity, time, etc. It can be used in both a literal and a figurative context. It can also be combined with other words to create different meanings. For example, 一半天空 (yībàn tiānkōng) refers to 'half the sky', a phrase often used to emphasize the importance of women in society.
The Chinese word '一堆' is used similarly to how 'bunch' is used in English. It refers to a group or collection of things, or sometimes, people. This could be a bunch of flowers, a bunch of keys, or even a bunch of people. The concept hinges on the idea of multiples combined together.
Example sentences with 一堆 →In Chinese, '一对' is used to refer to a pair or a couple of something. It is often used in contexts where items come in twos. For instance, a pair of shoes would be '一对鞋'. Just like in English, it can be used in both a literal and abstract sense.
Example sentences with 一对 →The Chinese word '一旁' translates to 'aside' in English. This word is generally used the same way as in English - to indicate that something is to the side or NOT the main focus. For example, you could put your bag '一旁' or to the side. The word can be used in both formal and informal contexts and it doesn't have any particular connotations that learners need to be aware of.
Example sentences with 一旁 →The Chinese word '一次' is an adverb mostly used to mean 'once' or 'one time.' It can be used to refer to an occurrence that happened one time in the past, is happening now, or will happen in the future. It is often used in conversations or sentences to denote the frequency of an event.
The Chinese phrase '一群朋友' refers to a group or gathering of friends. It is used to describe a social setting where a definite number of friends gather. It can be used in a sentence much similar to its English counterpart. For example, '我和我的一群朋友去夜店' translates to 'I am going to the club with a group of my friends.'
The word '一致' is used in Chinese to describe something that does not change and stays the same. It is often used in context where one is talking about consistency in actions, attitudes, characteristics or results. It can also indicate agreement or unanimity among a group.
Example sentences with 一致 →The Chinese word '一致性' refers to the state or quality of always acting or behaving in the same way, or of always happening in the same way. It's often used in daily conversation, academia, programming languages, documentation among others, where uniformity or coherence is needed.
The Chinese word '一般' is an adjective that is commonly used to describe that something is ordinary, common, general, or usual. It can be used in various contexts such as describing an object, a situation, or a person. For example, '一般人' means 'ordinary people' and '一般情况下' means 'usually' or 'generally.',
The Chinese word for 'together' is '一起'. It is used to indicate doing something with someone or something, much like how 'together' is used in English. It is used in both casual and formal contexts.
The Chinese character '七' refers to the number seven. It is part of the counting system and can be used in date, time, quantity, and many other places in Chinese language that require numerical value.
The Chinese word for husband is 丈夫. It is often used in the same context as in English, to refer to a married man considered in relation to his spouse.
The Chinese word for 'three' is '三', pronounced as 'sān'. It is used in the exact same context as the English word 'three'. For example, when counting numbers, talking about three of something, or mentioning the third item or person.
The Chinese word for 'sandwich' is '三明治'. It is often used in the same context as it is in English. It can refer to a meal consisting of two pieces of bread with meat, cheese, or other fillings between them, or to express this dish in places like restaurants, menus, food-related conversations and writings.
Example sentences with 三明治 →The Chinese word '三月' is used to denote the third month of the year, which is March in English. Similar to its English counterpart, it can be used in various contexts where reference to this particular month or timeframe is necessary. It neither denotes a verb such as 'moving forward' nor a type of music as in English context.
Example sentences with 三月 →In Chinese, the word '上' corresponds to the English term 'up'. It is frequently used in the same context as in English, to denote something that is at a higher place or position. It is used as an adjective, verb or preposition based on the context. The setup and structure of the sentence often helps determine its exact meaning. However, it may also have idiosyncratic uses such as indicating the fact of being in use or operation (as in 'the computer is up').
Example sentences with 上 →The word '上升' in Chinese is used to describe an upward movement or an increase in something, similar to how we use 'rise' in English. It could be used in various contexts, like rise in temperature, rise of a phenomenon, or even metaphorically like rise to power.
The Chinese term for 'god' is '上帝' (Shàngdì). It is used across different religions to refer to a supreme deity or divine power. It is often used in Christianity to refer to God. As with English, the use of the term can vary greatly depending on religious and cultural context.
The Chinese word '上诉' is used in the context of law and order for referring to an application to a higher court for a decision to be reversed. It can also be used to describe a serious or urgent request.
Example sentences with 上诉 →In Chinese, the word 'upper' can be translated to '上面', which is used to describe something being on top or above something else. It can also be used as an adjective to describe the top part of an object or area. It is commonly seen in various contexts.
Example sentences with 上面 →The Chinese word '下' is equivalent to 'down' in English. This character is used in various contexts, similar to English, to indicate a direction or position that is lower. It's worth highlighting that '下' is used in many compound words and phrases, and the specific meaning can often only be understood based on the context.
The Chinese word '下一个' means 'next' in English. It is commonly used to refer to the subsequent person or thing in an ordered sequence. For example, '下一个人' means 'next person', and '下一个月' means 'next month'.
In Chinese, '下午' represents the period of the day after midday (12:00 PM) and before evening, often regarded as the time after lunch until sunset. It's an integral part of expressing time of day in Chinese context.
Example sentences with 下午 →The Chinese word '下午好' is usually used as a polite greeting during noon or afternoon time. It's equivalent to the English phrase 'Good Afternoon'. It's used when you meet someone for the first time in the day during the afternoon, or when starting a conversation in the afternoon.
In Chinese, '下次见' is a common phrase used when you are saying goodbye to someone and you know that you will see them again in the future. It signifies the speaker's anticipation of the next meeting. It can be used in casual or formal conversations and can be used with friends, family, or work colleagues.