Chinese Basic Chinese Vocabulary Syllabus

What does 请 (qǐng) mean, and how is it used for politeness?

请 (qǐng) means "please" and "to invite." It precedes requests, e.g., 请坐 (qǐng zuò, "please sit").

What does 麻烦你 (máfan nǐ) express, and when is it used?

"Sorry to trouble you / may I trouble you." Used when politely asking someone for a favor. 麻烦 (máfan) = trouble/bother.

How do you say "It's my fault" as part of an apology in Chinese?

是我的错 (shì wǒ de cuò). 错 (cuò) means "mistake/fault."

How do you say "No" in response to 谢谢 when insisting no thanks are needed, and "You're too kind"?

哪里哪里 (nǎli nǎli) is a modest deflection; 您太客气了 (nín tài kèqi le) means "You're too polite/kind."

What is the character and pinyin for the number "one"?

一 (yī).

What is the character and pinyin for the number "two" when counting?

二 (èr).

What is the character and pinyin for "three"?

三 (sān).

What are the characters and pinyin for "four" and "five"?

四 (sì) = four; 五 (wǔ) = five.

What are the characters and pinyin for "six" and "seven"?

六 (liù) = six; 七 (qī) = seven.

What are the characters and pinyin for "eight" and "nine"?

八 (bā) = eight; 九 (jiǔ) = nine.

What is the character and pinyin for "ten"?

十 (shí).

How are the numbers 11 through 19 formed in Chinese? Give 11, 15, and 19 as examples.

As $10 + n$: place 十 (10) then the digit. $11 = $ 十一 (shíyī), $15 = $ 十五 (shíwǔ), $19 = $ 十九 (shíjiǔ).

How are the tens (20, 30, ... 90) formed in Chinese? Give 20 and 50.

As $n \times 10$: digit then 十. $20 = $ 二十 (èrshí), $50 = $ 五十 (wǔshí).

How do you form two-digit numbers like 21, 45, and 99 in Chinese?

As $(\text{tens digit}) \times 10 + (\text{ones digit})$: $21 = $ 二十一 (èrshíyī), $45 = $ 四十五 (sìshíwǔ), $99 = $ 九十九 (jiǔshíjiǔ).

What is the character and pinyin for "hundred," and how do you say 100 and 200?

百 (bǎi) = hundred. $100 = $ 一百 (yìbǎi); $200 = $ 二百 (èrbǎi) or 两百 (liǎngbǎi).

What are the characters for "thousand" and "ten-thousand" in Chinese?

千 (qiān) = thousand ($1{,}000$); 万 (wàn) = ten-thousand ($10{,}000$).

What is the character and pinyin for "zero" in Chinese?

零 (líng), sometimes written 〇.

When does Chinese use 两 (liǎng) instead of 二 (èr) for "two"?

两 (liǎng) is used before a measure word or for quantities (e.g., 两个 liǎng gè, "two [items]"), while 二 (èr) is used for counting, ordinals, and in larger numbers.

How do you say a phone number or read digits individually, e.g., the number 105?

Digits are read one by one: $105 = $ 一零五 (yī líng wǔ) when read as digits, but as a quantity it is 一百零五 (yìbǎi líng wǔ).

Why is the number 四 (sì, "four") considered unlucky in Chinese culture?

Because 四 (sì) sounds similar to 死 (sǐ, "death"). This is called homophonic superstition; buildings may skip floor 4.

Why is the number 八 (bā, "eight") considered lucky in Chinese culture?

Because 八 (bā) sounds similar to 发 (fā) in 发财 (fācái, "to get rich"), so it is associated with prosperity.

What character turns a cardinal number into an ordinal number in Chinese, and where is it placed?

第 (dì) is placed before the number: ordinal $= $ 第 $+ $ number. E.g., 第一 (dì-yī, "first").

How do you say "first," "second," and "third" in Chinese?

第一 (dì-yī) = first; 第二 (dì-èr) = second; 第三 (dì-sān) = third.

How do you say "fourth," "fifth," and "tenth" as ordinals in Chinese?

第四 (dì-sì) = fourth; 第五 (dì-wǔ) = fifth; 第十 (dì-shí) = tenth.

When an ordinal is followed by a noun, what is usually inserted, and what is the pattern? Give "the first person."

A measure word is inserted: 第 $+ $ number $+ $ measure word $+ $ noun. E.g., 第一个人 (dì-yī gè rén, "the first person").

How do you say ordinals for days of the week (Monday through Saturday) in Chinese?

星期 (xīngqī) $+ $ number: 星期一 (Monday, "week-one") through 星期六 (Saturday). Note Sunday is the exception: 星期天/星期日 (xīngqītiān/rì).

How does Chinese express "the last one" (as opposed to an ordinal position)?

最后 (zuìhòu), e.g., 最后一个 (zuìhòu yí gè, "the last one"). It does not use 第.

How do you ask "Which (ordinal position)?" in Chinese, e.g., "Which floor?"

第几 (dì-jǐ), using 几 (jǐ, "how many/which number"). E.g., 第几层？(dì-jǐ céng?, "Which floor?").

Compare the cardinal and ordinal for "two": how do you say "two" vs. "the second"?

Cardinal (with measure word) uses 两个 (liǎng gè) for "two [items]," but the ordinal "second" is 第二 (dì-èr) — always 二, never 两, in ordinals.

How do you say "Number 1" / "the champion" idiomatically, and how does it differ from the plain ordinal 第一?

第一名 (dì-yī míng) means "first place / rank one" (名 = rank), while 第一 (dì-yī) alone is simply the ordinal "first." 冠军 (guànjūn) specifically means "champion."