Chinese Intermediate Chinese Vocabulary Syllabus

Intermediate 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 Intermediate Chinese Vocabulary in Chinese, not a summary of it.

1. 1

   Food and Dining

   2 topics

   • Common Foods
   • Ordering in a Restaurant
2. 2

   Travel and Directions

   2 topics

   • Asking for Directions
   • Common Travel Phrases

Intermediate Chinese Vocabulary flashcards for Chinese

21 of 50 cards from the Intermediate Chinese Vocabulary deck — real questions with worked answers.

1. How do you say "rice (cooked)" in Chinese, and what is its pinyin?

   米饭 (mǐfàn) — cooked rice, a staple food.

2. What is the Chinese word for "noodles," including characters and pinyin?

   面条 (miàntiáo) — noodles.

3. How do you say "dumplings" (the boiled/filled kind) in Chinese?

   饺子 (jiǎozi) — dumplings.

4. What is the Chinese word for "vegetables," and what other common meaning does the same character carry on a menu?

   蔬菜 (shūcài) means "vegetables." The character 菜 (cài) alone also means "dish/course" on a menu.

5. How do you say "beef" and "chicken" in Chinese?

   牛肉 (niúròu) = beef; 鸡肉 (jīròu) = chicken. 肉 (ròu) means "meat."

6. What is the Chinese word for "fish" (as food) and "pork"?

   鱼 (yú) = fish; 猪肉 (zhūròu) = pork.

7. How do you say "egg" and "tofu" in Chinese?

   鸡蛋 (jīdàn) = egg; 豆腐 (dòufu) = tofu.

8. What are the Chinese words for "soup" and "fried rice"?

   汤 (tāng) = soup; 炒饭 (chǎofàn) = fried rice.

9. How do you say "fruit" in Chinese, and give two common examples with pinyin.

   水果 (shuǐguǒ) = fruit. Examples: 苹果 (píngguǒ) = apple; 香蕉 (xiāngjiāo) = banana.

10. What is the Chinese word for "bread" and for "steamed bun" (plain)?

    面包 (miànbāo) = bread; 馒头 (mántou) = plain steamed bun.

11. How do you say "tea" and "coffee" in Chinese?

    茶 (chá) = tea; 咖啡 (kāfēi) = coffee.

12. What are the Chinese words for "water" and "milk"?

    水 (shuǐ) = water; 牛奶 (niúnǎi) = milk.

13. How do you say "spicy," "sweet," and "sour" in Chinese?

    辣 (là) = spicy; 甜 (tián) = sweet; 酸 (suān) = sour.

14. What are the Chinese words for "salty" and "bitter"?

    咸 (xián) = salty; 苦 (kǔ) = bitter.

15. How do you say "hot pot" and "barbecue/grilled skewers" in Chinese?

    火锅 (huǒguō) = hot pot; 烧烤 (shāokǎo) = barbecue / grilled skewers.

16. What is the polite phrase to call a waiter or get service in a Chinese restaurant?

    服务员 (fúwùyuán) — literally "service staff." You call out "服务员!" to get the waiter's attention.

17. How do you say "I would like to order" / "we're ready to order" in Chinese?

    我要点菜 (wǒ yào diǎn cài) — "I want to order dishes." 点菜 (diǎn cài) = to order food.

18. What is the standard way to ask "Can I see the menu?" in Chinese?

    请给我菜单 (qǐng gěi wǒ càidān) — "Please give me the menu." 菜单 (càidān) = menu.

19. How do you ask "What do you recommend?" to a Chinese waiter?

    有什么推荐的? (yǒu shénme tuījiàn de?) — "Do you have any recommendations?" 推荐 (tuījiàn) = to recommend.

20. How do you say "I'll have this one" while pointing at a menu item in Chinese?

    我要这个 (wǒ yào zhège) — "I want this one." 这个 (zhège) = this one.

21. How do you tell a waiter "I'm vegetarian" in Chinese?

    我吃素 (wǒ chī sù) — "I eat vegetarian." 素 (sù) refers to vegetarian food; 荤 (hūn) refers to meat dishes.

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