Chinese
Vocab Builder for commonly used words in Chinese.
个人 (gè rén)
In Chinese, '个人' is used to refer to an individual or personally related situations. It can be used in various situations similar to the English use of the word 'personal', such as in '个人信息' (personal information), '个人喜好' (personal preference), etc.
个体 (gè tǐ)
In Chinese, the word '个体' is used to refer to an individual or a single entity. It can be used to describe both people and things. For example, in the phrase '每个个体都有其独特性' means 'Each individual has its uniqueness'.
个性 (gè xìng)
In Chinese, the term '个性' is used to describe someone's unique set of characteristics, traits, or behaviors, much like the English term 'personality'. It is a common word used in conversations, and it often reflects a person's inherent and distinctive qualities.
Example sentences with 个性 →中 (zhōng)
The Chinese word for 'middle' is used similarly to the English word. It can be used to express the middle of an area, object, or period of time. It is often used in conjunction with other characters to form compound words.
Example sentences with 中 →中央 (zhōng yāng)
In Chinese, '中央' is used to describe something at the center or middle of something else. It is generally used in both a spatial and metaphorical sense, equivalent to the English concept of 'central'. For instance, it can refer to a physical location that is at the center of a particular area, or it can refer to a concept or issue that is of primary importance or interest.
中心 (zhōngxīn)
The Chinese word '中心' is used mostly in the same way as its English counterpart 'center'. It can refer to the middle point of a space or shape, or to the hub of some activities or functions. Semi-formal in language level, it's widely used in various contexts.
中等 (zhōngděng)
In Chinese, '中等' is used to indicate the medium level or size of something. It can be used to describe the size of clothes and shoes, the level of difficulty and quality, and the degree of satisfaction.
Example sentences with 中等 →中风 (zhōng fēng)
The term '中风' refers to a stroke in Chinese, literally translating to 'strike in the middle'. It's used to describe a sudden loss of consciousness resulting when the rupture or occlusion of a blood vessel leads to oxygen lack in the brain. The term applies in both medical and casual conversational contexts.
Example sentences with 中风 →临时 (lín shí)
The Chinese word '临时' is used to describe something that is not permanent, or only lasts for a short period of time. Similar to English word 'temporary', it is used in various contexts including work, living arrangements, or events.
Example sentences with 临时 →义务 (yìwù)
In Chinese, '义务' refers to an action or a state that one is bound to by duty, legality or morality. It is usually used to express obligations in social, moral, and legal contexts. For example, paying taxes is a '义务' that you must fulfill as a citizen. It can also refer to a service or a favor you are expected to do without pay because it is morally right or legally required.
为 (wèi)
In Chinese, '为' (wèi) is the direct translation of 'for'. It is a flexible word often used to imply a purpose or reason for doing something, similar to how 'for' is used in English. It's worth noting that its usage can vary based on context, particularly in more complex sentences or expressions.
Example sentences with 为 →为什么 (wèi shén me)
The Chinese word '为什么' is a question word used to ask for the reason or purpose of something. It is commonly used in queries similar to how 'why' is used in English.
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.
Example sentences with 主人 →主动 (zhǔ dòng)
In Chinese, '主动' refers to the act of taking the lead, doing something proactively or voluntarily. It is often used to describe a person's behavior or attitude wherein they show willingness or motivation to act without being asked to do so. It can be used in various contexts, similar to how 'initiative' is used in English.
Example sentences with 主动 →主要 (zhǔ yào)
In Chinese, 主要 (zhǔ yào) is used similarly to the word 'main' in English. It is commonly used to indicate the primary or most important aspect of something. It can be used in various contexts such as 主要的问题 (main problem), 主要原因 (main reason), etc.
主要地 (zhǔ yào dì)
In Mandarin Chinese, '主要地' means 'primarily'. It's a common adverb used to indicate that something is predominantly or mostly a certain way. For example, it would be used in a sentence like '她主要地回答了他的问题', which translates to 'She primarily answered his questions.'
Example sentences with 主要地 →主题 (zhǔ tí)
In Chinese, '主题' is used to describe the central topic or focal point of something like a discussion, study, or piece of art. It is similar to how the English word 'subject' is used.
举例说明 (jǔ lì shuō míng)
The Chinese word '举例说明' is used in the same context as the English word 'illustrate'. It is used to explain a specific situation or concept through a vivid instance or picture, aiming to make the context clear and understandable.
Example sentences with 举例说明 →之前 (zhī qián)
The Chinese word '之前' is frequently used in both oral and written language. It is applied to denote something that happened or existed before a particular point in time. It's often placed after the noun or time word it modifies, and can be used both in negative and positive sentences.
之后 (zhī hòu)
The Chinese word '之后' directly translates to 'after' in English. It is used to imply something happening later in time or place in Chinese sentences. For example, '我吃饭之后去上班' translates to 'I go to work after having a meal'.
之间 (zhī jiān)
The Chinese word '之间'(zhī jiān) corresponds to 'between' in English. It is often used to represent a relationship, indicating that something is in the middle of two objects or points in time. It is widely used in both formal and informal settings.
乐团 (yue4 tuan2)
The Chinese word '乐团' is used to refer to a large ensemble of instrumental musicians, typically including string, brass, woodwind sections, and sometimes a percussion section as well. It can be found in various music genres, and it plays a central role in Western classical music.
Example sentences with 乐团 →乐趣 (lè qù)
The Chinese word '乐趣' embodies the idea of amusement, enjoyment or entertainment, much like the English word 'fun'. It can be used in various contexts to describe things that are enjoyable, amusing or entertaining. It is a common word that can be used in everyday conversation.
Example sentences with 乐趣 →乐队 (yuèduì)
In Chinese, '乐队' is used to refer to a group of individuals who perform music together. It usually consists of members playing different types of musical instruments.
乘客 (chéng kè)
The Chinese word '乘客' refers to someone who travels in a vehicle, such as a car, bus, or train, but does not drive it or work on it. In English, this word is translated as 'passenger'. It is commonly used in transportation related contexts.
Example sentences with 乘客 →九月 (jiǔ yuè)
In Chinese, September is expressed as '九月', which literally translates to 'ninth month'. This is because in the Chinese calendar, September is considered the ninth month of the year. It follows the solar calendar, hence the sequential numbering of the months.
也 (yě)
The Chinese word '也' is used in the same way as the English word 'also'. It is usually used in the middle or end of a sentence to show that something else is or may be the case. It can also be used to add more information or to emphasize something.
也不 (yě bù)
In Chinese, '也不' is used similar to the word 'neither' in English as to say neither one thing nor the other. It often appears in the context of a sentence with the verb or predicate occurring after '也不'. So, the structure of usage is usually subject + '也不' + verb/predicate.
也许 (yě xǔ)
The Chinese word '也许' is used to express uncertainty or possibility, very similar to the English word 'maybe'. In Chinese sentence, it can be placed at the beginning or middle of a sentence to indicate the speaker's unsure attitude.
习惯 (xíguàn)
The Chinese word for 'habit' is '习惯', pronounced as 'xíguàn'. It signifies the regularly repeated actions or the tendencies that people do with or without realization. It is widely used in different contexts same way as in English.
Example sentences with 习惯 →