Chinese
Vocab Builder for commonly used words in Chinese.
早 (zǎo)
The Chinese word '早' is used similarly to how 'early' is used in English. You can use it to describe something happening or someone who is doing something ahead of the usual or expected time. For example, waking up '早' means getting up early.
早上 (zǎoshang)
The Chinese word '早上' is used to refer to the time period typically between sunrise to noon. It is often used in daily conversations and formal writings in the same context as how 'morning' is used in English.
早安 (zǎo ān)
The common greeting 'good morning' has been translated to Chinese as '早安'. This term is used in the morning to greet others. The characters '早' means 'early' and '安' means 'peace' wishing a peaceful morning to others.
早餐 (zǎocān)
In Chinese, 'breakfast' is translated to '早餐' (zǎocān). It is used in regular conversations to describe the meal eaten in the morning. It is widely used in the same context as the English word 'breakfast'. In most instances, natives use it to talk about the first meal of the day encouraging everyone that breakfast is very important.
Example sentences with 早餐 →时钟 (shí zhōng)
In Chinese, the word for 'clock' is '时钟'. '时钟' is a noun that is used in reference to an instrument used for indicating and maintaining the time of the day, typically hung on the wall or placed on a desk. It is mostly used in sentences such as '请看看时钟' meaning 'Please look at the clock'.
时间 (shíjiān)
In Chinese, '时间' refers to the concept of time. This can refer to any point in time that is measurable in seconds, minutes, hours, days, months, or years or any generalized duration. It can also be used in various contexts such as asking about the '时间' (time) or describing how much '时间' (time) something takes.
昂贵 (áng guì)
In Chinese, '昂贵' is used to describe something that is of high cost, just like the English word 'expensive'. It can be used when speaking about housing, merchandise, or any items that require a large amount of money to purchase. But bear in mind, '昂贵' isn't used to describe the action of spending. Instead, it is used to describe the condition of being high in price or cost.
Example sentences with 昂贵 →昆虫 (kūn chóng)
The Chinese word '昆虫' is used to refer to small animals that we often call bugs or insects in English. In China, there is great variety in types of insects due to the country's vast size and diverse climates. Just like in English, this word can be used in a variety of contexts - to talk about nature, biology, or even just what you saw in the park this afternoon.
Example sentences with 昆虫 →明天 (míng tiān)
The Chinese word '明天' (míng tiān) represents tomorrow. It is used in the same way as in English, to refer to the day after the present day. It is a compound of two characters: 明 (míng) which means 'bright' and 天 (tiān) which means 'day'. They are combined to symbolically mean 'the bright day', or 'the day after the current day'. This word is widely used in Chinese conversations and writings to indicate future plans or events.
Example sentences with 明天 →明天见 (míng tiān jiàn)
The phrase '明天见' is a common Chinese phrase used to express the sentiment of 'see you tomorrow'. It is used when parting ways and is indicative of an intention to meet or communicate again the next day. '明天' means 'tomorrow', and '见' means 'see'. It is appropriate in both formal and informal contexts.
明显 (míngxiǎn)
The Chinese word '明显' means 'obvious' in English and is usually used to describe something easily perceived or understood. It can be used to describe a wide range of situations such as visible differences, clear evidence, or obvious signs.
Example sentences with 明显 →星星 (xīng xīng)
The Chinese word for star is '星星'. It is used similar to English, in the literal context of a celestial star in the night sky, or metaphorically referring to famous individuals, or 'movie stars'. You may encounter this word in poems, stories, songs, and daily conversation.
春 (chūn)
In Chinese, the word for 'spring' is '春'. This term is used quite similarly to the English word, referring to the season that succeeds winter and precedes summer. It's often associated with renewal, growth, and the blossoming of flowers.
Example sentences with 春 →昨天 (zuótiān)
In Chinese, '昨天' is most commonly used to refer to the day before today, which is equivalent to the English word 'yesterday'. It is widely used in daily conversations as well as in literature. The term can be used at the beginning, middle, or end of sentences depending on the context.
Example sentences with 昨天 →是 (shì)
In Chinese, the word '是' serves as the verb 'to be'. It is primarily used to link two nouns, or a noun and an adjective, making a statement of equality, identification or classification. However, in Chinese, '是' is not used to link a noun and an adjective directly in the way 'to be' does in English.
是否 (shì fǒu)
The Chinese term '是否' is used in a similar context as 'whether' in English. It is usually used when expressing doubt or uncertainty and when talking about a choice between two options. It is used in conjunction with questions or in statements to express conditional or hypothetical scenarios.
是的 (shì de)
'是的' is the Chinese word for 'yeah'. It is commonly used in conversations to agree with or affirm something, similar to how 'yeah' is used in English. However, formal Mandarin often requires more explicit agreement or disagreement, so '是的' is more commonly used in casual or colloquial speech.
显然 (xiǎn rán)
In Chinese, '显然' is used to describe something that is evident or obvious. It is often used in statements where the speaker is pointing out a fact that should be easily seen or understood. Like similar terms in English, '显然' can be used either definitively, to indicate that there is no doubt about a situation, or tentatively, to suggest that evidence points towards certain conclusion, but it is not yet confirmed.
显示 (xiǎn shì)
The Chinese word '显示' is the direct translation of the English word 'display'. It is used in the same way as 'display' in English when it comes to referring to make something visible or apparent. For example, a monitor 'displays' an image, in Chinese, we would say a monitor '显示' an image. The word can be used in various contexts like television screens, digital displays, and any public showing or an indication of a particular state or condition.
Example sentences with 显示 →显著地 (xiǎnzhù de)
The Chinese word '显著地' is used to express that something is substantial or noticeable in an important way. It is the equivalent of the English word 'significantly'. It is often used in formal contexts, both written and spoken.
晚 (wǎn)
The Chinese word '晚' is used to express the concept of something being late or delayed. It can also denote the concept of being late at night. It is commonly used in various sentences, as in '你为什么总是那么晚?' which translates to 'Why are you always so late?'
晚上 (wǎnshàng)
The Chinese term for 'evening' is '晚上', which is used to denote the period of time from sunset to bedtime (roughly). In many contexts, '晚上' can also refer to 'night', as the distinction between 'evening' and 'night' is not as clear in Chinese as it is in English.
Example sentences with 晚上 →晚安 (wǎn'ān)
The Chinese word '晚安' is commonly used as a greeting before bedtime or when leaving a group during the evening. It is directly equivalent to the English phrase 'good night'. This word signifies wishing someone a peaceful and quiet night.
晚餐 (wǎncān)
In Chinese, '晚餐' is commonly used to refer to the evening meal, or what is often called 'dinner' in English. However, note that '晚餐' can be more formally used for meals that take place late in the evening, while '晚饭' is used casually or in daily conversation.
Example sentences with 晚餐 →普通 (pǔ tōng)
The Chinese word '普通' is used to describe something that is common or normal, not special in any way. It could be used in various contexts, such as describing people, objects or even situations. It is similar to how we use the word 'ordinary' in English.
暂停 (zàn tíng)
In Chinese, '暂停' is widely used in the same context as 'pause' in English. It can mean a brief stop in action or speech. It can be used in a context like 'Press the pause button' - '按暂停按钮'. It can also be used to express a short delay, as in, 'Let's take a pause' - '我们来暂停一下'.
Example sentences with 暂停 →暗示 (àn shì)
The Chinese word '暗示' means 'imply'. It is used similarly to the English term, applying to situations where something isn't directly stated. Instead, it's suggested or hinted at without being explicitly mentioned. This can be utilized in descriptions, narratives, or dialogue, where the speaker wishes to allude to something indirect.
Example sentences with 暗示 →暴露 (bào lù)
The Chinese word '暴露' is used in a similar context as the English word 'expose'. It can be used to express revealing or uncovering something, typically something dishonest or illegal. For example, to expose a secret or to expose corruption. It is also used to indicate someone or something being uncovered and made more vulnerable, such as 'expose oneself to danger'.
曲棍球 (qū gùn qiú)
The Chinese word '曲棍球' refers to the sport of hockey. It is used in the same context as the English word 'hockey' and refers to the team sport in which two teams, using a stick with a curved end (hockey stick), try to shoot a hard ball into the opponent's goal.
曲线 (qūxiàn)
In Chinese, '曲线' is used to represent a curve or things showing a smooth continuous bending line. It could be used in various contexts in mathematics, road descriptions, body shapes or even to describe smooth changes.