Chinese Basic Chinese Vocabulary Syllabus

Basic Chinese Vocabulary syllabus — full chapter and topic list

Expand any chapter to see its topics and sub-topics. This is the whole examinable outline for Basic Chinese Vocabulary in Chinese, not a summary of it.

1. 1

   Common Greetings

   2 topics

   • Hello and Goodbye
   • Thank You and Sorry
2. 2

   Numbers and Counting

   2 topics

   • Basic Numbers
   • Ordinal Numbers

Basic Chinese Vocabulary flashcards for Chinese

20 of 50 cards from the Basic Chinese Vocabulary deck — real questions with worked answers.

1. How do you say the most common greeting "Hello" in Mandarin Chinese, and what are its characters and pinyin?

   你好 (nǐ hǎo). Literally "you good."

2. What is the polite/formal way to say "Hello" when addressing an elder, teacher, or someone you respect?

   您好 (nín hǎo). 您 (nín) is the respectful form of 你 (nǐ, "you").

3. How do you greet a group of people ("Hello everyone") in Chinese?

   大家好 (dàjiā hǎo). 大家 (dàjiā) means "everyone."

4. What does 早上好 (zǎoshang hǎo) mean, and when is it used?

   "Good morning." 早上 (zǎoshang) means "morning." A shorter casual form is 早 (zǎo).

5. How do you say "Good afternoon" in Chinese?

   下午好 (xiàwǔ hǎo). 下午 (xiàwǔ) means "afternoon."

6. How do you say "Good evening" in Chinese?

   晚上好 (wǎnshang hǎo). 晚上 (wǎnshang) means "evening."

7. What is the standard way to say "Goodbye" in Chinese, and what does it literally mean?

   再见 (zàijiàn). Literally "again see" — i.e., "see you again."

8. How do you say "Good night" (before sleeping) in Chinese?

   晚安 (wǎn'ān). Literally "evening peace."

9. What casual English-borrowed word do young Chinese speakers often use for both "hi" and "bye"?

   拜拜 (bàibài) — from English "bye-bye," used informally for goodbye. "Hi" is often 嗨 (hāi).

10. How do you say "See you tomorrow" in Chinese?

    明天见 (míngtiān jiàn). 明天 (míngtiān) = tomorrow; 见 (jiàn) = see.

11. How do you say "See you later" in Chinese?

    一会儿见 (yíhuìr jiàn) or 回头见 (huítóu jiàn).

12. What is the common informal greeting that literally asks "Have you eaten?" and functions like "How are you?"

    你吃了吗？(nǐ chī le ma?) — literally "Have you eaten?", a traditional friendly greeting.

13. How do you ask "How are you?" in Chinese, and what is a typical reply?

    你好吗？(nǐ hǎo ma?). A typical reply is 我很好 (wǒ hěn hǎo, "I'm very well").

14. What is the most common way to say "Thank you" in Chinese?

    谢谢 (xièxie).

15. How do you say "Thank you very much" in Chinese?

    非常感谢 (fēicháng gǎnxiè) or 多谢 (duōxiè). 非常 (fēicháng) means "extremely."

16. What are the two standard replies to 谢谢 ("Thank you"), meaning "You're welcome"?

    不客气 (bú kèqi, "don't be polite") and 不用谢 (búyòng xiè, "no need to thank").

17. What is a more formal verb for "to thank," often used in writing or formal speech?

    感谢 (gǎnxiè), as in 感谢您 (gǎnxiè nín, "thank you" — respectful).

18. How do you say "Sorry" / "Excuse me (apology)" in Chinese?

    对不起 (duìbuqǐ). Literally conveys "I have wronged you."

19. What is the standard reply to 对不起 ("Sorry"), meaning "It's okay / never mind"?

    没关系 (méi guānxi). Literally "no relation / it doesn't matter."

20. How do you say "Excuse me" to get attention or ask permission to pass (not a deep apology)?

    不好意思 (bù hǎoyìsi) or 请问 (qǐngwèn, "may I ask"). 劳驾 (láojià) is also used to say "excuse me" when passing.

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