Chinese
Vocab Builder for commonly used words in Chinese.
能力 (néng lì)
In Chinese, '能力' is used to describe one's power or capacity to do something. It mirrors the English usage of 'ability', employed to speak about a person's skill or proficiency in a certain area. Examples of its use include '她的跑步能力很强' (Her running ability is very strong) or '他的管理能力得到了公认' (His management ability has been recognized).
能量 (néng liàng)
The Chinese word '能量' is used to denote energy in both the physical and metaphysical sense. It can refer to kinetic, potential, thermal, electrical, chemical, nuclear, or other various forms of energy. Additionally, in a broader and more abstract context, it can also be used to express 'vitality' or 'vigorousness'.
脏 (zāng)
The Chinese character '脏' is used to describe something that is not clean or has been contaminated. It can be used in a multitude of contexts, similar to English, such as dirty clothes ('脏衣服'), dirty hands ('脏手'), or a dirty place ('脏地方').
脖子 (bó zi)
The Chinese term for 'neck' is '脖子'. It is a common term and is used in the same contexts as it would be in English, referring to the part of the body which connects the head and the rest of the body.
Example sentences with 脖子 →脚 (jiǎo)
The word '脚' is used in Chinese similar to how 'foot' is used in English. It primarily refers to the lower extremity of the leg, below the ankle. It is used in many of the same contexts and phrases such as 'my foot hurts' or 'I’m standing on one foot'.
脚趾 (jiǎo zhǐ)
In Chinese, the word '脚趾' is used to refer to the five extremities located at the end of our feet. Much like in English, it can be used in a variety of contexts, including discussions about body parts, injuries, shoes, and more. It is a noun and is used similarly to the English word 'toe'.
Example sentences with 脚趾 →脸 (liǎn)
The Chinese word '脸' is used to indicate the facial part of a human or an animal, especially the front part where eyes, nose, mouth and chin are. It can be used in the same context as the English word 'face' such as expressions concerning feelings shown on one's face, or losing face.
脸颊 (liǎn jiá)
The Chinese word for 'cheek' is '脸颊' (liǎn jiá). It is often used in the same contexts as the English word, referring to the area on the face below the eyes and between the nose and the ears. However, it can also be used in a broader sense to mean 'face' or 'visage'.
Example sentences with 脸颊 →腰带 (yāo dài)
腰带, in Chinese specifically refers to the essential accessory that holds up your pants or is used for style in clothing. It is often used in the context of dressing and personal style.
Example sentences with 腰带 →腿 (tuǐ)
The Chinese word for leg, '腿', is used much like the English 'leg', referring to the part of the body from the hip to the foot. This word can be used in variety of contexts, just like its English counterpart. For example, it can be used when talking about human anatomy, in various expressions or idioms, or when simply referring to the legs of a piece of furniture.
膝盖 (xī gài)
The Chinese word '膝盖' is used to refer to the joint in the middle of a person's leg where it bends, the same way 'knee' is used in English. It is a common word and can be used in various contexts, such as describing bodily movements, injuries, or different body parts.
Example sentences with 膝盖 →自从 (zì cóng)
In Chinese, '自从' is a compound conjunction used to indicate the starting point of a time period. It corresponds to 'since' in English. It is often used in sentences to precede the clause that contains the time point when an action started or a situation began. Also, it is always used with '以后' which marks the period after the time point.
自信 (zìxìn)
The Chinese word for confident is '自信', which is often used to express a state of self-assurance. It is typically used to describe someone who believes in their own abilities, qualities, and judgment. It is a positive trait used widely across various contexts, both formal and informal.
Example sentences with 自信 →自动 (zìdòng)
The Chinese word '自动' is used much like the English word 'automatic'. It often refers to a process or action that happens without human intervention. It is a frequently used term in various fields such as automation technology, robotics, cars, etc.
自动地 (zì dòng de)
The Chinese word '自动地' represents an action that is done by a person, machine, or system on its own without anyone making it happen, equivalent to automatically in English. The word is usually used as an adverb in sentences, indicating a spontaneous or programmed series of actions or procedures.
Example sentences with 自动地 →自己 (zì jǐ)
The Chinese word '自己' refers to oneself or itself. It can be used in a variety of contexts such as to refer to oneself (我自己 - myself), in reflexive actions (他喜欢自己的工作 - He likes his own work), or to emphasize a point (我自己做的 - I did it myself).
Example sentences with 自己 →自己的 (Zìjǐ de)
The Chinese word '自己的' is used in the same way the English word 'own' is used. For example, when talking about something that belongs to you or something you have, in Chinese you would use '自己的'. It can be used in various circumstances such as stating ownership of objects or to distinguish something as being personal or unique to oneself.
Example sentences with 自己的 →自然 (zì rán)
The Chinese word '自然' corresponds to 'nature' in English. It refers to the natural world, including the land, animal life, vegetation, and other features and products of the earth, as opposed to humans and human creations. It can be used in a variety of contexts similar to how the English word 'nature' is used, like describing the outdoors (自然环境) or in philosophical contexts (自然法则).
自然地 (zì rán de)
The Chinese word '自然地' can be used in similar contexts as the English word 'naturally'. It expresses occurrence by nature or instinct not by deliberate means. It also indicates something happening as a matter of course. When used in conversation, it generally follows the subject for which it describes the character or characteristic.
Example sentences with 自然地 →自由 (zì yóu)
自由 in Chinese is used to express the concept of 'freedom' or 'liberty'. It can refer to the absence of subjection to foreign domination or despotic government. It is often used in contexts relating to human rights, personal liberties, and democracy.
自行车 (zìxíngchē)
自行车, pronounced as 'zìxíngchē', is the Chinese term for bicycle. Bicycling is a popular form of transportation in China and you will often hear this word. It can be used in various contexts, including to talk about going for a bike ride, owning a bicycle, or even as a mode of transportation.
自豪 (zì háo)
The word '自豪' in Chinese is used to express pride in oneself or a sense of achievement. Like the English word 'proud', '自豪' can be used in a variety of contexts to describe both personal feelings and the pride one might feel for someone else's accomplishments. However, be aware that the context can change the connotation of the word, and it should be used appropriately.
Example sentences with 自豪 →舅舅舅妈和叔叔阿姨 (jiùjiù jiùmā hé shūshū āyí)
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.
舌头 (shé tóu)
The Chinese word for 'tongue' is '舌头' (shétóu). It can be used in a variety of contexts, just like in English, to refer to the muscular organ in the mouth, or metaphorically, such as in the expression 'mother tongue'. However, when translated directly, 'tongue' may not always mean '舌头'. The context always matters in Chinese.
Example sentences with 舌头 →舒适 (shū shì)
The Chinese word '舒适' would be used similarly to how 'comfortable' is used in English. It can be used to describe a variety of things, such as clothes, furniture, or even the atmosphere. In any context where you can describe something as 'comfortable' in English, '舒适' would be an appropriate word to use in Chinese.
Example sentences with 舒适 →舞台 (wǔtái)
The Chinese word '舞台' can be used to refer to a stage for performances. It is also used metaphorically to refer to a setting or a scene where certain activities occur.
航空公司 (háng kōng gōng sī)
The Chinese word '航空公司' is used to denote an organization providing air travel services for traveling passengers and freight. This is the equivalent of 'airline' in English. It can be used in sentences in the same contexts, such as in talking about travel arrangements, luggage issues, flight timings, etc.
Example sentences with 航空公司 →航行 (hang xing)
In Mandarin, '航行' (hang xing) is used to express sailing or navigation, typically of a ship or boat. While it can refer to sailing in a general sense, it can also infer the act of navigation through the air or space, as the character '航' also carries connotations of flight.
Example sentences with 航行 →船 (chuán)
The word '船' in Chinese is used to refer to any kind of water vehicle, ranging from a small rowboat to a massive cruise ship. In sentences, it's commonly used similar to the way 'boat' is used in English. For example, '这艘船很大' means 'This boat is very big'.
船员 (chuán yuán)
The Chinese word '船员' is used to describe a group of people who operate a large vehicle (such as a ship, aircraft, or spacecraft). In different contexts, it might also refer to a group of people working together on a particular task or project.
Example sentences with 船员 →