Chinese
Vocab Builder for commonly used words in Chinese.
哪个 (nǎ gè)
The Chinese word '哪个' translates to 'which' in English. It is used in questions to ask someone to make a choice or select from a pre-determined options or list. It is very similar to 'which' in English where 'which' also asks for a specific item or thing from a set of items or things.
哪里都不 (nǎlǐ dōu bù)
The Chinese equivalent of the word 'nowhere' is '哪里都不', usually used in phrases or sentences, not often used alone. It's use is context dependent and it directly translates to 'nowhere' in English.
哭 (kū)
The Chinese word for 'cry' is 哭 [kū]. It is used in similar context to the English word 'cry', both emotionally, such as crying out of sadness, and physically, such as crying tears. It can be used as a verb in sentences.
Example sentences with 哭 →哲学 (zhé xué)
The Chinese word '哲学' is used in the same context as the English word 'philosophy'. It is typically used to refer to the study of fundamental questions about existence, reality, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and ethics. It can be used in academic, casual, or formal contexts, mostly by those in education, literature, or intellectual conversations.
唱 (chàng)
The Chinese word for 'sing' is '唱' (chàng). It is used in Chinese in much the same way as 'sing' is used in English, to refer to the act of producing musical sounds with the voice. It can be used in various contexts, such as singing in a concert, singing a song, or singing along to music.
商业 (shāng yè)
The Chinese word for business, '商业', broadly refers to activities related to buying or selling goods or services. It can be used in the same contexts as the English word 'business'. For example, you can say '我在商业上非常成功' which means 'I am very successful in business'.
商店 (shāngdiàn)
The Chinese word for store is '商店'. It is used in the same context as the English word 'store'. It could be a grocery store, a clothing store, or any other sort of shop where goods are sold. In a sentence, you might say, '我要去商店' which means 'I'm going to the store.'
啤酒 (píjiǔ)
In Chinese, '啤酒' refers to beer, an alcoholic beverage commonly made from water, barley, hops, and yeast. It is consumed in a wide range of social settings and is a staple in many cultural celebrations and traditions. It can be found in various restaurants, bars, and pubs in China, and it is traditionally consumed chilled.
Example sentences with 啤酒 →喂 (wèi)
'喂' in Chinese can be used in both the context of feeding an animal or addressing someone when answering the phone in a casual manner. However, in the context of translation from 'feed' in English, this is usually regarding the action of giving food to a person, animal, or plant. For example, '我喂了狗' means 'I fed the dog'.
Example sentences with 喂 →善良 (shàn liáng)
In Chinese, '善良' means kind. It is often used to describe someone's personality or attitude. It depicts a person who is well-meaning and shows compassion and understanding towards others. It can be used in various contexts, such as '他是个善良的人' which means 'He is a kind person'.
喉咙 (hóu lóng)
The word '喉咙' is used in Chinese to refer to the part of the body that is the passage for food to the esophagus and air to the lungs. Just like in English, it can be used figuratively as well. For example, in phrases about having a sore throat or raising one's voice.
Example sentences with 喉咙 →喜欢 (xǐ huān)
The Chinese word for 'like' is '喜欢' and is used similarly to the English term. For instance, 'I like you' can be translated as '我喜欢你'. It's typically used to express fondness or enjoyment for something or someone.
喝 (hē)
The Chinese word '喝' is commonly used to refer to the action of drinking any kind of liquid, similarly to the English word 'drink'. It can be used in a variety of contexts, for instance in '喝水' (Drink water), '喝茶' (Drink tea), '喝酒' (Drink alcohol). Moreover, it can also be used in expressions such as '喝彩', which means cheer for somebody or something.
喝醉 (hē zuì)
In Chinese, '喝醉' represents the state of being drunk. This term is generally used after someone consumes too much alcohol. This term can also be used metaphorically to describe being heavily engrossed or lost in something, akin to being drunk.
Example sentences with 喝醉 →喷雾 (pēn wù)
The Chinese word '喷雾' is used to describe the action or result of spraying, equivalent to 'spray' in English. It can be used for spraying liquid, perfume, water, or any other substance that can be dispersed in small droplets. It is mostly used in the context of eventually dispersing or spreading a substance evenly over an area through the use of pressure or force.
Example sentences with 喷雾 →嘴唇 (zuǐchún)
In Chinese, the word for 'lip' is '嘴唇'. It is used similarly to English, referring to the soft, moving parts at the opening of our mouths. It's used in various contexts, from simple ones like 'her lips are red', to more metaphorical ones, such as 'to keep one’s lips sealed'.
Example sentences with 嘴唇 →噪音 (zào yīn)
The Chinese word '噪音' is used to describe sounds that are loud, undesired, disruptive or unpleasant, similar to how we use 'noise' in the English language. It can refer to noise from any sources, such as traffic, loud music, or people talking loudly.
Example sentences with 噪音 →四 (sì)
In Chinese, '四' signifies the number 4. It is often used in the same way as it is in English; to denote the amount of something. For instance, '四本书' would mean 'four books'. One cultural point is that the pronunciation of '四' is similar to '死'which means death, so it's considered an unlucky number in some contexts.
回复 (huí fù)
The Chinese word '回复' means reply or response, it can be used in various contexts just like the English word 'reply'. It could refer to a response to an email, a reply to a message, or an answer to a question. In Chinese grammar, '回复' can function as a verb or a noun, depending on the context.
回应 (huí yìng)
The Chinese word '回应' is used similarly to the English word 'response'. It could be used in a variety of contexts including but not limited to providing a reply to a question, reacting to a certain event, or giving feedback on an issue. In Chinese, '回应' has the same versatility as its English counterpart.
回答 (huí dá)
The Chinese word '回答' means 'answer'. It is typically used in contexts where a response or solution to a question or problem is being given. Just like the English word 'answer', '回答' can be used in both formal and informal settings.
Example sentences with 回答 →回顾 (huí gù)
In Chinese, the word '回顾' is used to refer to the action of reviewing, recalling, or looking back. It's often used when referring to reviewing study materials, recalling past events, or taking a retrospective view. It can be used in various contexts such as study, work, life events etc.
因为 (yīn wèi)
The Chinese phrase, '因为,' pronounced as 'yīn wèi,' is used in similar contexts to the English word 'because.' It is used to express a cause or reason for an action or situation, typically before stating the consequence or effect. For example, 'I'm late because there was a lot of traffic.' would be '我迟到了，因为有很多交通。' in Chinese.
因此 (yīn cǐ)
The Chinese word '因此' is often used in formal written or spoken Chinese to mean 'therefore' or 'thus'. It's typically used to illustrate a cause-and-effect relationship between two clauses. Finding the right context for using '因此' requires some practice since it is not always used the same way as 'thus' is in English.
因素 (yīn sù)
The Chinese word '因素' is used similarly to the English word 'factor'. It is often used to describe one of the elements contributing to a particular result or situation. For instance, it can be used in a sentence like '这个决定是由许多因素影响的' which translates to 'This decision was influenced by many factors'.
团结 (tuánjié)
The Chinese word '团结' is used in a similar context as in English. It can often be seen in political, social, or team situations to express cohesion and collaboration. It can be used in phrases like '团结一致' (unanimous unity) or '团结力量大' (unity is strength).
Example sentences with 团结 →团队 (tuán duì)
The word '团队' in Chinese is used to refer to a group of people who collaborate to achieve a common goal, just like 'team' in English. In sentences, it is used in a similar context as in English, to talk about groups in workplaces, sports, and other cooperative environments.
困难 (kùn nán)
In Chinese, '困难' is used to describe situations, tasks or problems that are hard to deal with or to do. Just like in English, it can be used in various contexts.
固体 (gù tǐ)
In Chinese, '固体' refers to 'solid', one of the fundamental states of matter. It's often used in the context of physical states of matter, for describing tangible things or in figurative phrases to express someone or something as reliable or strong.
Example sentences with 固体 →固定 (gùdìng)
The Chinese word '固定' means 'fixed' in English. In modern Mandarin language, it carries the connotations of something that is steady, unchangeable, or set in place. It is often used to describe objects, items, or concepts that are secure and do not fluctuate.
Example sentences with 固定 →