Mandarin World Phrase Book

We hope this book will help you during your first few weeks or months in
China. We have written this book into sections that allow you to look for things
by theme or situation.

Contents
Chapter 1 - Pinyin-How to say it.
Chapter 2 - Basic Communication
Chapter 3 - Questions
Chapter 4 - Numbers and measurements
Chapter 5 - Colors and sizes.
Chapter 6 - Some adjectives
Chapter 7 - Some verbs
Chapter 8 - Some adverbs
Chapter 9 - At the airport
Chapter 10 - In a taxi
Chapter 11 - At the hotel
Chapter 12 - Giving/Asking for directions and being lost
Chapter 13 - Sick! At the hospital
Chapter 14 - Eating
Chapter 15 - Shopping-its too expensive!
Chapter 16 - At the pub
Chapter 17 - On Business/At the office/In the classroom
Chapter 18 - At the beach or up a mountain
Chapter 19 - Emotions!
Chapter 20 - At the bank.
Small Talk!
Chapter 21 - Family
Chapter 22 - Friends
Chapter 23 - Weather
Chapter 24 - My Country
Chapter 25 - Work
Chapter 26 - Hobbies

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 Chapter 1- Pinyin- How to say it.
Below is an overview of pinyin- the system used to write down how
Chinese words are pronounced. The following websites and links may help
you to learn the pronunciation. But it isn’t easy.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinyin
http://www.learnchineseabc.com/chinese-pinyin-initials.htm

The following will hopefully help you not mangle the language too much!

B: like in bag a: like in far iong: like in o + wrong

P: like in pack o: like in awe ua: like in water
M: like in mark e: like in mother uo: like in wall
F: like in far I: like in bee uai: like in wi fi
D: like in dark u: like in nude uan: like in one
T: like in tally ǖ: like in loo un: like in fun
N: like in navy er: like in are uang: like in o+ sung
L: like in lad ai: like in I ǖe: like in loo + mother
G: like in gap ei: like in eight ǖan: like in loo + man
K: like in karma ao: like in ow!
n: like in loo + n
H: like in happy ou: like in over
J: like in jeans an: like in man
Q: likes in cheap en: like in then
X: like sh in share ang: like in angle
Zh: like‘j’ in Japan eng: like in sung
Ch: like in cheese ong: like in wrong
Sh: like in ship ia: like in Asia
R: like ‘r’ in leisure ie: like in air
Z: like ‘ds’ in reads iao: like in yell
C: like ‘ts’ in cats iu: like in ill
S: like in Sam ian: like in Ian
Y: like in yes in: like in pin
W: like in water ing: like in ping

My suggestion would be, when convenient, to simply point to the phrase in

this book than trying to speak too much!

In Chinese there are also four tones they change the meaning of the word-
in this book however I’m not going to bother you too much with the tones, from
the context hopefully people will work out what you are saying and vise-verse.
However with time, and some interaction you should find you will get an ear for
these tones. Listen to see how the locals say it.

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 Chapter 2- Basic Communications
Informally, if we meet a friend on the street, we normally say: “Hi, have you
had your meal?” or “Where are you going?” The questions are just a greeting.
It doesn’t mean they are inviting you to dinner or really care where you are
going. When it is the case of two gentlemen, they often will shake hands.

In Chinese families, we rarely say “Thank you” to other family members or

close friends for help or some service. But don’t take this in a wrong way and
think Chinese people are not friendly to each other in the same way as
Westerners. People will think you are treating him or her as a stranger, and
seem to lack intimacy if you use thank you too much in Chinese culture.

 I don’t understand. (if somebody is speaking to you)

Wo ting bu dong 我听不懂
 I don’t understand. (for something written)
Wo kan bu dong 我看不懂
 Could you speak more slowly please？
Ni keyi shuo man yidian ma? 你可以说慢一点吗？
 Could you repeat that?
Qing zai shuo yibian 请再说一遍
 Look here.(point at phrase book sentence you want them to read!)
Kan zheli 看这里
 I don't know!
Wo buzhidao 我不知道
 Can you speak English？
ni hui shuo yingyu ma? 你会说英语吗？

 Hello ni hao 你好
 Bye zaijian 再见
 Good morning zaoshang hao 早上好
 Good afternoon xiawu hao 下午好
 Good night wan an 晚安
 Thanks xiexie 谢谢
 Your welcome biekeqi 别客气 or buyongxie 不用谢
 Sorry dui bu qi 对不起
 Please qing 请
 I wo 我
 No thanks buyao xie 不要谢
 You ni 你
 You (plural) nimen 你们
 We/us wo men 我们
 He ta 他

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 She ta 她
 It ta 它
 Yes shi 是
 No bu 不
 Toilet cesuo 厕所

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 Chapter 3 - Questions

 What is that?
Na shi shenme? 那是什么？

 What is this?
Zhe shi shenme? 这是什么？

 Where is XXX?
XXX zai nali? XXX 在那里?

 Who is he?
Ta shi shui? 他是谁？

 Who is she?
Ta shi shui? 她是谁

 What do I call this?

Zhe ge zenme shuo？ 这个怎么说？

 How to say XXX?

Zenme shuo XXX? 怎么说 XXX?

 What’s your name?

Ni jiao shenme mingzi? 你叫什么名字？

 My name is XXX
Wo jiao XXX 我叫 XXX

 What’s the time?

Jidian le 几点了 (See number chapter for answer!)

 Its XXX o’clock-

XXX dian le. XXX 点了

 It’s half past XXX –

XXX dian ban le. XXX 点半了

 How much is this?

Zhege duoshao qian? 这个多少钱？(See number chapter for answer)

 Its XXX yuan.

Zhe ge shi XXX kuaiqian 这个是 XXX 块钱。

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 Chapter 4 - Numbers
This can be quite complicated, but let me try to explain.

One yi 一 eleven shiyi 十一 one hundred yibai 一百

Two er 二 twelve shier 十二 one thousand yiqian 一千
Three san 三 thirteen shisan 十三 ten thousand yiwan 一万
Four si 四 fourteen shisi 十四 one million yibaiwan 一百万
Five wu 五 fifteen shiwu 十五 Zero ling 零
Six liu 六 sixteen shiliu 十六 one half yiban 一半
Seven qi 七 seventeen shiqi 十七 one quarter yike 一颗
Eight ba 八 eighteen shiba 十八
Nine jiu 九 nineteen shijiu 十九
Ten shi 十 twenty ershi 二十

With numbers you can add above twenty by simply adding

the tens number with the unit number.
So twenty five is ershi (twenty) and wu (five)
Twenty is simply two ten er (2) and shi (ten)
So twenty five is 2 10 5 er shi wu.
Thus 40 is si shi 4 and 10

One hundred is yi bai 一百

Two hundred is er bai 二百
Thousand is qian or 千
So five thousand is wu qian 五千
Ten thousand is wan 万
So 40,000 is si wan 四万
And 120 thousand would be shi er wan ( 10+2+10,000) 二十万
and lastly one million is yi bai wan 一百万 or (1+100+10,000) One lot of 100 10,000s!

Sometimes when we are talking about room numbers or telephone numbers we

pronounce “one” (yi) as yao instead.

For two things as in a pair of things we say liang instead or er.

Numbers
Lucky numbers are based on Chinese words that sound similar to other
Chinese words. The numbers 6, 8, and 9 are believed to have auspicious
meanings because they sound similar to words that have positive meanings.

 The number 6 in Mandarin is pronounced the same as "liu" and it

similar to "fluid” or “smooth” and is therefore considered good for
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 business.
 The word for "eight" sounds similar to the word which means "prosper"
or "wealth".
 The number 9 is a homophone of the word for "long lasting" and as
such is often used in weddings.
 Number 4 is considered an unlucky number in Chinese because it is
nearly homophonous to the word "death". In East Asia, some buildings
do not have a 4th floor.

Measurement：

Kilo gongjin 公斤 ie 2 kilos liang gongjin

Pound jin 斤
Metre mi 米 ie 3 metres san mi
Kilometer gongli 公里
Foot yingli 英里
Liter sheng 升
Centimeter limi 厘米
millimeter haomi 毫米
minute fenzhong 分钟
second miao 秒
hour xiaoshi 小时
day tian 天
week xingqi 星期
month yue 月
year nian 年
dollar yuan/kuai 元、块
cent fen 分
ten cents mao or jiao 毛，角

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 Chapter 5 - Colors and sizes

 Colors
Red
You may feel it’s quite interesting that many Chinese love to wear red
especially for weddings or birthdays of elderly people. While it stands for blood,
bad luck or even disaster in Western countries. However, red symbolizes good
fortune and joy in China. Red is found everywhere during the Chinese New
Year and other holidays and family gatherings. A red envelope is a monetary
gift which is given in Chinese society during holiday or special occasions. The
red color of the packet symbolizes good luck. Red is strictly forbidden at
funerals as it is a color of happiness.

Yellow/gold
Yellow, corresponding with earth, is considered the most beautiful color.
Yellow was the color of Imperial China and is held as the symbolic color of the
five legendary emperors of ancient China. In ancient china, ordinary people
were not allowed to use the color but everyone has the right to use it now.
Yellow often decorates royal palaces, altars and temples, and the color was
used in the robes and attire of the emperors.
Yellow also represents freedom from worldly cares and is thus esteemed in
Buddhism. Monks’ garments are yellow, as are elements of Buddhist temples.
Yellow is also used as a color of mourning for Chinese Buddhists.

Black and white

Black and white is used to represent the unity of Yin and Yang. Ancient
Chinese regarded black as the king of colors and honored black more than any
other color. In modern China, black is used in daily clothing. Black may also be
used during a funeral to symbolize the spirit's return to the heavens and people
wear black ribbons on their arms.
White is also the color of mourning. Unlike the Western meanings of purity,
chastity, holiness and cleanliness, white is associated with death and is used
predominantly in funerals in Chinese culture. Ancient Chinese people wore
white clothes and hats only when they mourned for the dead (Some places of
China still follow this tradition).

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Colors
Colors as adjectives are used in front of the noun
with a “de” as a joining word between the adjective and
noun.
So “red car” is hongse de che 红色的车

Red hongse 红色
Blue lanse 蓝色
Green lǖse 绿色
Yellow huangse 黄色
White baise 白色
Black heise 黑色
Grey huise 灰色
Pink fenhongse 粉红色
Brown kafeise 咖啡色
Purple zese 紫色
Orange chengse 橙色

To say light (colour) you need to add the word 浅 qian in front of the word, to say dark
you need to add 深 shen in front of the color.

Sizes
With the adjectives below you don't need to add “de”.
A big apple Yi ge da pingguo 一个大苹果

Big da 大
Small xiao 小
Medium zhong 中
Long chang 长
Short duan 短
Tall gao 高
High gao 高

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 Chapter 6 - Some adjectives

Fat pang 胖 Thin shou 瘦 Pretty piaoliang 漂亮 Handsome shuai 帅

Ugly chou 丑 Old lao 老 Young nianqing 年轻 New xin 新

Expensive gui 贵 Cheap pianyi 便宜 Good hao 好 Bad huai 坏

Chapter 7-Some verbs

Run pao跑 Walk zoulu 走路 Jump tiao 跳

Eat chi 吃 Drink he 喝 Sleep shui 睡

Go qu 去 Come lai 来 Travel lǖyou 旅游

Play wan 玩 Sing change 唱歌 Dance tiaowu 跳舞

Listen ting 听 Talk shuohua 说话 Read du 读

Write xie 写 Look kan 看 Look for zhao 找

Swim youyong 游泳 Climb pa 爬 Ride qi 骑

Drive kaiche 开车

Chapter 8-Some adverbs

Quickly kuai 快 Slowly man 慢 Badly buhao 不好

Well hao 好 Loudly chao 吵 Quietly anjing 安静

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 Chapter 9-At the airport
Airport feiji chang 飞机场
Airplane feiji 飞机
Visa qianzheng 签证
Passport huzhao 护照
Immigration churu jingbianfang
jianchazhan 出入境边防检查站
Quarantine haiguan 海关
Waiting room jihoushi 候机室
Boarding card dengji pai 登机牌
Plane ticket feiji piao 飞机票
Luggage xingli 行李
Information desk zixun chu 咨询处
Flight hangban 航班
Taxi chuzu che 出租车
Airport bus jicheng basi 机场大巴
Boarding gate dengji kou 登机口
Take off qifei 起飞
Arrivals daoda 到达
Departures chufa 出发
Security check anjian 安检
Delayed tuichi 推迟 wandian 晚点
Duty free products mianshui shangpin 免税商品
Cancelled quxiao 取消
First class toudeng cang 头等舱
Business class shangwu cang 商务舱
Economy class jingji cang 经济舱
Luggage cart shoutui che 手推车

Where is the XXX?

XXX zai nar li? XXX 在哪里？
How long until my flight takes off?
Wode hangban haiyou duochang shijian qifei? 我的航班还有多长时间起
飞？

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 Chapter 10-In a taxi
Traffic
Crossing the road in China can be a little more dangerous than back home,
it is best to look both ways when crossing the road as bikes, motorbikes and
cars may not give you right away like back in your own country. This may take
a while to get used to. Motorbikes and bikes also have a tendency to be ridden
on the footpath, its best to pay attention when you are walking as people don’t
always give pedestrians right of way.

Hotel
jiudian 酒店
Business card
mingpian 名片
Address
dizhi 地址
Taxi
chuzu che 出租车
Where to?
Qu nar? 去哪？
I want to go to XXX.
Wo yao qu XXXX 我要去 XXX
How long to get to XXX?
qu XXXX xuyao duochang shijian?
(See chapter on numbers for answers)
Is it far?
Yuan ma? 远吗？
How much?
Duoshao qian? 多少钱?
Please give me a receipt.
qing geiwo yizhang fapiao. 请给我一张发票。
Please slow down!
Qing kai man yidian 请开慢一点
I’m here.
Wo dao le. 我到了。
Stop!
tingche 停车
Are we here?
Daole ma? 到了吗？

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 Chapter 11-At the hotel
Passport
huzhao 护照
Deposit
yajin 押金
Key
yaoshi 钥匙
Single room
danren fang 单人房
Double room
shuangren fang 双人房
Room service
kefang fuwu 客房服务
Restaurant
canting/fandian 餐厅、饭店
Credit card
xinyong ka 信用卡
Cash
xianjin 现金
Safe
baoxianxiang 保险箱
I want to check in.
wo yaokai yige fangjian 我要开一个房间。
I have a reservation
wo you yuding 我有预定。
I want to check out
woyao tuifang 我要退房
I want a XXX
woyao yige XXX 我要一个 XXX
Is there a XXX here?
Zheli you XXX ma? 这里有 XXX 吗？
Do you have a free room?
You kongfang ma? 有空房吗？
My name is XXX
Wo jiao XXX 我叫 XXX
I want to stay for XXX days.
Wo yao zhu XXX tian. 我要住 XXX 天
How much a day?
Yi tian duoshao qian? 一天多少钱？
I want to change my room.
Wo yao huange fangjian. 我要换个房间。

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 Chapter 12-Giving/Asking for directions and being lost

I’m lost!
Wo milu le 我迷路了。
How do I get to XXX?
zenme qu XXX? 怎么去 XXX?
Where is XXX?
XXX zai nali? XXX 在哪里？
Take a bus
zuo gongche 坐公车
Take a taxi
zuo chu zuche 坐出租车
Take the subway
zuo ditie 坐地铁
Go straight ahead
wangqian zou 往前走
Turn Left
zuo guai 左拐
Turn Right
you guai 右拐
Cross the road
guo malu 过马路
Is it far?
Yuan ma? 远吗？

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 Chapter 13-Sick! At the hospital

Doctor yisheng 医生
Hospital yiyuan 医院
Injection dazhen 打针
Intravenous drip da diaozhen 打吊针
Medicine yao 药
pharmacy/chemist yaodian 药店
insurance baoxian 保险
Operation shoushu 手术
Pain tong/teng 痛、疼
Dizzy touyun 头晕
I don’t feel well.
wo bu shufu 我不舒服
I’ve got a cold.
wo ganmao le 我感冒了
I’ve got a headache.
wo tou teng 我头疼
My XXX hurts.
wode XXX teng 我的 XXX 疼
I need to see a doctor.
wo xuyao kan yisheng 我需要看医生
Call me an ambulance.
wo xuyao jiuhuche 我需要救护车
I’m going to vomit.
wo yao tu 我要吐
I have insurance.
wo you baoxian 我有保险。
We need to operate.
women yao kaidao 我们要开刀。
I need to take medicine.
wo xuyao chi yao 我需要吃药。
What’s the problem?
Nali bushufu? 哪里不舒服？

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 Chapter 14-Eating
 Table manners
We use chopsticks or sometimes even grasp rice directly with our hands.
The thin and long chopsticks cannot be used to cut food, so we usually use our
teeth to act as knives sometimes. We hold our food, meat or vegetables, with
the chopsticks, send them to our mouth to bite off a part of it and keep the
other part of food on the chopsticks. That’s the usual way we eat. We are also
used to holding up our bowls near our mouth when having rice or soup. It is
unfair that all these habits are considered rude in your eyes, please
understand it’s a different behavior and we use different tools to eat.
It is noted that we usually share all food in the middle of the table rather
than on individual plates。

Interesting facts about chopsticks:

 Do not stick chopsticks vertically into your food when not using them,
especially not into rice, as this will make Chinese people think of
funerals. Only at funerals are chopsticks (or sticks of incense) stuck
into the rice that is put onto the altar.
 Do not wave your chopsticks around in the air too much or play with
them.
 Do not stab or skewer food with your chopsticks. Pick food up by
exerting sufficient pressure with the chopsticks to grasp the food
securely and move it to your mouth or bowl. It is considered bad form
to drop food, so ensure it is gripped securely before taking it out of the
bowl. Holding one’s bowl close to the dish when serving oneself or
close to the mouth when eating helps.
 To separate a piece of food into two pieces, exert controlled pressure
on the chopsticks while moving them apart from each other. This
needs much practice.
 Some consider it unhygienic to use the chopsticks that have been near
(or in) one’s mouth to pick food from the central dishes. Serving
spoons or chopsticks can be provided, and in this case you will need to
remember to alternate between using the serving chopsticks to move
food to your bowl and your personal chopsticks for transferring the
food to your mouth.

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 Food
Some Chinese eat snakes,
frogs, even rats or insects, especially
for people in Guangdong province.
Another thing is that we eat animal’s
necks, feet or even heads
sometimes, especially for ducks and
chickens. And when we cook meat,
we usually do not take out the bone.
Eat chi 吃
Drink he 喝
Delicious haochi 好吃
Yuck! Buhaochi 不好吃
Restaurant fandian 饭店
Western xifang 西方
Chinese zhongfan 中饭
Snack xiaochi 小吃
Breakfast zaofan 早饭
Lunch wufan 午饭
Dinner wanfan 晚饭
Menu caidan 菜单
Waiter/waitress fuwuyuan 服务员
Beer! Pijiu 啤酒
Tea cha 茶
Rice mifan 米饭
Spicy la 辣
Sweet tian 甜
Sour suan 酸
Bitter ku 苦
Hot re 热
Cold leng 冷
Salty xian 咸
Oily you 油
Beef niurou 牛肉
Chicken jirou 鸡肉
Fish yu 鱼
Potato tudou 土豆
Lamb yangrou 羊肉
Pork zhurou 猪肉
Egg jidan 鸡蛋
The bill please maidan 买单
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I’d like to order diandan 点单
I’m hungry
wo e le 我饿了
I want this.
Woyao zhege 我要这个
Is this spicy?
La ma? 辣吗？
I don’t want spicy stuff!
Wo buyao lade dongxi 我不要辣的东西
That's all!
goule 够了
A table for XX
XXX wei XXX 位
I’d like to have it to go.
Daizou. 带走
Can you pack this for me?
keyi geiwo dabao ma? 可以给我打包吗？
Do you have a private room?
You baojian ma? 有包间吗？
This is too XXX
zhege tai XXX 这个太 XXX
No pork please
wo buchi zhurou 我不吃猪肉
No seafood please
wo buchi haixian 我不吃海鲜
No meat please
wo buchi rou 我不吃肉
Where’s my food?
Wo de cai ne? 我的菜呢？
Please give me a XXX
qing geiwo yi ge XXX 请给我一个 XXX
Spoon shaozi 勺子
Fork chazi 叉子
Knife daozi 刀子
Chopsticks kuaizi 筷子
Glass beizi 杯子
Bowl wan 碗
It’s my treat! Wo qingke 我请客
Bottoms Up! Gan bei! 干杯
Cheers! Peng bei! 碰杯

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 Chapter 15-Shopping-its too expensive!
In a lot of markets bargaining is to be expected, and if you look like a
foreigner, then there is a good chance prices are going to start of a little higher
than they should be. Don’t be shy to ask for a cheaper price, after all it doesn't
hurt to ask! Larger stores and supermarkets of course, are not places to try
and bargain down the price.

Shop shangdian 商店
Market shichang 市场
Supermarket chaoshi 超市
Shop Assistant! fuwuyuan 服务员
Credit card xinyong ka 信用卡
Cash xianjin 现金
How much is this?
Duoshao qian? 多少钱?
Can I have a cheaper price?
Keyi you pianyi yidian ma? 可以
有便宜一点吗？
It’s too expensive!
Tai guile 太贵了
Can I have a look?
Wokeyi Kankan ma? 我可以看
看吗？
Can I try it on?
Wo keyi shiyishi ma? 我可以试
一试吗？
Could I have a bag please?
Wokeyi youge daizi ma? 我可以有个袋子吗？

Mandarin World Phrase Book 19 w w w. m a n d a r i n w o r l d . c om . c n

 Chapter 16-At the pub

Beer! Pijiu 啤酒
Wine! Putao jiu 葡萄酒
Red hong 红
White bai 白
Cocktail jiwei jiu 鸡尾酒
Cold! Bingde 冰的
Waiter/watress/barkeep fuwuyuan 服
务员
Food shiwu 食物
Toilet cesuo 厕所
Pool taiqiu 台球
Bottoms Up! Gan bei! 干杯
Cheers! Peng bei! 碰杯
Drunk zuile 醉了
Where is the toilet?
Cesuo zai nail? 厕所在哪里？
I’m going to vomit?
Wo yaotu 我要吐
Another bottle!
Zailai yiping 再来一瓶
Another glass!
Zailai yibei 再来一杯
Do you want to play pool?
Ni yao da taiqiu ma? 你要打台球吗？
Do you want to play darts?
Ni yao wan feibiao ma? 你要玩飞镖吗？
Its my treat
Wo qingke 我请客
No ice!
Buyao bingkuai！ 不要冰块！

Mandarin World Phrase Book 20 w w w. m a n d a r i n w o r l d . c om . c n

 Chapter 17- On Business/At the office/In the classroom
Meeting hui 会
Have a meeting kaihui 开会
Presentation yanjiang 演讲
Name card mingpian 名片
Negotiation tanpan 谈判
Company gongsi 公词
Go on a business trip chuchai 出差
Office bangong shi 办公室
Computer diannao 电脑
Printer dayin ji 打印机
Photocopier fuyin ji 复印机
Manager jingli 经理
Receptionist qiantai 前台
Classroom jiaoshi 教室
Teacher laoshi 老师
Student xuesheng 学生
Blackboard heiban 黑板
Whiteboard baiban 白班
Textbook keben 课本
Test kaoshi 考试
Study xuexi 学习
School xuexiao 学校
Homework zuoye 作业
Turn to page XX
fandao di XX ye 翻到第 XX 页

Mandarin World Phrase Book 21 w w w. m a n d a r i n w o r l d . c om . c n

 Chapter 18-At the beach or up a mountain!
Sand shazi 沙子
Beach haitan 海滩
Sea hai 海
Swim youyong 游泳
Umbrella san 伞
Mountain shan 山
Steep dou 陡
Be careful! xiaoxin 小心
Scenery fengjing 风景

Chapter 19-Emotions!
Happy kaixin 开心
Sad sanxin 散心
Angry shengqi 生气
Surprised chijing 吃惊
Worried danxin 担心
Tired lei 累
Bored wuliao 无聊
Scared haipa 害怕
Interested ganxing qu 感兴趣
How do you feel? Ni zenme yang? 你怎么样？
I am XXX wo XX 我 XXX
I’m homesick wo xiangjia 我想家

Chapter 20 At the bank

Bank yinghang 银行
Change money huanqian 还钱
Foreign currency waibi 外币
Password mima 密码
Open an account kaige zhanghu 开个账户
Passport huzhao 护照
Transfer money huikuan 汇款
Please enter your password
qing shuru nide mima 请输入你的密码

Mandarin World Phrase Book 22 w w w. m a n d a r i n w o r l d . c om . c n

 Small Talk
j i ā tíng
Chapter 21-Family 家庭

Useful words
对话 （dialogue）
n ǐ jiā zài n ǎ
A: 你 家 在 哪？（where do you live?）

w ǒ jiā zài shàng hǎi

B: 我 家 在 上 （I live in Shanghai）
海。

zài shàng hǎi n ǎ

A: 在 上 海 哪？（Where in Shanghai ?）

zài hóng kǒu

B: 在 虹 口 。（Hong Kou）

zhēn d e m a tài qiǎo l e w ǒ jiā y ě zài hóng kǒu

A: 真 的 吗？太 巧 了 ，我 家 也 在 虹 口 。
（Really? What a coincidence! I live in
Hongkou, too）

n ǐ shì d ú shēng z ǐ m e
B: 你 是 独 生 子 么？（Are you the only child in your family?）

shì d e nǐ ne
A: 是 的，你 呢？ （Yes, and you?）

ò w ǒ yǒu y ī g è d ì d ì h é liǎng g è mèi mèi

B: 哦，我 有 一 个 弟 弟 和 两 个 妹 妹 。
Oh, I have one younger brother and two younger sisters.
t ā men hái zài shàngxué m e
A: 他 们 还 在 上 学 么？（Are they still in school?）

liǎng g è mèimèi yǐjīnggōngzuò l e y ī g è zài à o d à l ì y à lìng y ī g è zài běijīng dàn d ì d ì hái

B: 两 个 妹 妹 已 经 工 作 了，一 个 在 澳大利亚，另 一 个 在 北 京 ，但 弟弟 还

zàishànghǎidúdàxué
在 上 海 读 大 学。
（My sisters are already working now, one is in Australia and the other one is in Beijing,
but my brother is still studying at university in Shanghai.）

;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;

Mandarin World Phrase Book 23 w w w. m a n d a r i n w o r l d . c om . c n

 jiā rén
家 人 (family member)

jiā p ǔ
家 谱 （family tree）

yé yé nǎi nai lǎo lǎo lǎo yé

爷 爷 奶 奶 姥 姥 姥 爷
Grandfather Grandmother Grandmother Grandfather
on father’s on father’s on mother’s on mother’s
side side side side

gū gū shū shū bà ba mā mā jiù jiù yí mā

姑 姑 叔 叔 爸爸 妈妈 舅 舅 姨 妈
Aunt Uncle fù qīn Uncle Aunt
mǔ qīn
父亲 母亲

gē gē jiě jiě wǒ
我 dì dì mèimèi
哥哥 姐 姐 弟弟 妹妹
Older Older Me
Younger Younger
brother sister brother sister

n ǐ f ù m ǔ shēn t ǐ hǎo m a
A: 你 父 母 身 体 好 吗？（How are your parents?）

tǐng hǎo d e dōu hěn yìng lǎng

B: 挺 好 的，都 很 硬 朗 。（Pretty good, they are in very good health）

n ǐ f ù qīn tuì xiū l e b a

A: 你 父 亲 退 休 了 吧？（ Has your father retired?）

duì d e t ā xiàn zài zài liàn tài j í n e

B: 对 的。他 现 在 在 练 太 极 呢！
（Yep, he is learning Taiji now.）

Mandarin World Phrase Book 24 w w w. m a n d a r i n w o r l d . c om . c n

 péng y ǒ u
Chapter 22-Friends 朋友

n à g e dài mào z i d e n ǚ hái shì shuí

A: 那 个 戴 帽 子 的 女 孩 是 谁 ？（Who is that girl with the hat?）

n ǐ shì shuō n à g e cháng tóu f à d e n ǚ hái m e

B: 你 是 说 那 个 长 头 发 的 女 孩 么？（The girl with the long hair?）

shì d e n ǐ rèn shi t ā m e

A: 是 的， 你 认 识 她 么？（ Yep, do you know her?）

n à dāng rán t ā k ě shì w ǒ zuì yào hǎo d e péng yǒu

B: 那 当 然 ！ 她 可 是 我 最 要 好 的 朋 友 。
（ Of course, she is my best friend.）

n ǐ hǎo n ǐ jiào shén m e míng z ì

A: 你 好 ！ 你 叫 什 么 名 字 ？（Hi, what is your name?）

w ǒ jiào chǔ tíng tíng nǐ ne

B: 我 叫 储 婷 婷 。你 呢？(My name is Tingting Chu. How about you?)

w ǒ jiào xiè l ù l ù rèn shi n ǐ hěn gāo xìng

A: 我 叫 谢 露 露，认 识 你 很 高 兴 。（My name is Lulu Xie, nice to meet you. ）

rèn shi n ǐ w ǒ y ě hěn gāo xìng n ǐ shìshànghǎi běn d ì rén m e

B: 认 识 你 我 也 很 高 兴 。你 是 上 海 本 地 人 么？
（Are you local Shanghainese?）
b ú shì d e w ǒ shì ā n huī rén
A：不 是 的，我 是 安 徽 人 。(No, I am from Anhui.)

n ǐ jué d e shàng hǎi zěn m e yàng

B：你 觉 得 上 海 怎 么 样 ？(How about Shanghai?)

hái b ú cuò dàn shì fáng z ū tài guì l e

A：还 不 错 ，但 是 房 租 太 贵 了。(Not too bad, but the rent is too expensive.)

n ǐ jīn tiān w ǔ y ī fàng jià huí lǎo jiā yāo

A: 你 今 天 五 一 放 假 回 老 家 么 ？
Are you going back to your hometown this Labor‘s Day?
hái b ù què dìng n e b ù zhī dào shí jiān k ě gòu n ǐ yǒu shén yāo ā n pái n e
B: 还 不 确 定 呢，不 知 道 时 间 可 够 . 你 有 什 么 安 排 呢 ？
I’ve not decide yet, and I am not sure if there is enough time. Do you have any plans?
w ǒ men d ǎ suan q ù x ī táng wán liǎng tiān
A: 我 们 打 算 去 西 塘 玩 两 天。

Mandarin World Phrase Book 25 w w w. m a n d a r i n w o r l d . c om . c n

 We are going to Xitang for two days.
x ī táng w ǒ hái méi yǒu q ù guò n e
B: 西 塘 ？我 还 没 有 去 过 呢.
Xitang? I never had been there before.
n à yào b ù n ǐ gēn w ǒ men y ì q ǐ q ù b a rén duō hǎo wán diǎn
A: 那 要 不 你 跟 我 们 一 起 去 吧？人 多 好 玩 点 。
Why don’t come with us? It will be fun with more people traveling together.

Mandarin World Phrase Book 26 w w w. m a n d a r i n w o r l d . c om . c n

 tiān q ì
Chapter 23-Weather 天气

jīn tiān tài yáng zhēn d à shì g è d à qíng tiān

A: 今 天 太 阳 真 大，是 个 大 晴 天！
What a sunny day!
zhēn hǎo xià l e zhè m e duō tiān d e y ǔ w ǒ dāi zài jie l i dōu kuài f ā méi l e
B: 真 好 ！下 了 这 么 多 天 的 雨，我 呆 在 家 里 都 快 发 霉 了 。
Great! It was raining these days. I've stay home so long I'm going moldy!
jiù shì zhè m e hǎo d e tiān q ì w ǒ men chū q ù huó dòng huó dòng b a
A: 就 是 ，这 么 好 的 天 气 ，我 们 出 去 活 动 活 动 吧！
Right, we should go and enjoy the nice weather.
shì g è hǎo zhǔyì n à wǒmen q ù huángshān zěnyāoyàng zhènghǎo w ǒ hái néng huí tàng lǎojiā
B: 是 个 好 主意 ，那 我们 去 黄 山 怎 么 样？ 正 好 我 还 能 回 趟 老家

kànkan w ǒ b à m ā
看 看 我 爸 妈。
That is a good idea. Shall we go to Yellow Mountain? And I can go back to my
hometown to visit my parents.
n à g ū j ì gòu qiàng q ù huáng shān zhì shǎo yào sān tiān
A: 那 估 计 够 呛 。去 黄 山 至 少 要 三 天。
I’m afraid not. It takes at least 3 days to reach the Yellow Mountain.
n à w ǒ men q ù sēn lín gōng yuán shāo kǎo b a y ì tiān jiù xing l e
B: 那 我 们 去 森 林 公 园 烧 烤 吧? 一 天 就 行 了。
How about a BBQ in the Forest Park? Just one day is enough for that.
kě yǐ w ǒ lái d ǎ diàn huà duō jiào xiē rén
A: 可 以，我 来 打 电 话 多 叫 些 人 。
OK. I will call some friends to come.

Mandarin World Phrase Book 27 w w w. m a n d a r i n w o r l d . c om . c n

 z ǔ guó
Chapter 24-My Country 祖国

n ǐ shì n ǎ l i rén
A：你 是 哪 里 人 ？
Where are you from?
w ǒ shì měi guó rén nǐ ne
B：我 是 美 国 人 ！你 呢？
I am American, how about you?
w ǒ shì zhōng guó rén
A：我 是 中 国 人。
I am Chinese.
zhēn d e m a w ǒ yǒu hěn duō zhōng guó péng yǒu n ǐ lái z ì zhōngguó n ǎ g è chéngshì
B： 真 的 吗？我 有 很 多 中 国 朋 友 。你 来 自 中 国 哪 个 城 市?
Really? I have many Chinese friends. Which city are you from?
A: 安徽省合肥的，去年到上海来的。
Hefei in Anhui province, I came to Shanghai last year.

About China

h u á b ě i běijīngshì tiānjīnshì héběishěng shānxīshěng nèiměnggǔzìzhìqū

【华 北】 北 京 市 天 津 市 河 北 省 山 西 省 内蒙古自治区

d ō n g b ě i liáoníngshěng jílínshěng hēilóngjiāngshěng

【东 北】 辽 宁 省 吉 林 省 黑 龙 江 省
Mandarin World Phrase Book 28 w w w. m a n d a r i n w o r l d . c om . c n
h u á d ō n g shànghǎishì jiāngsūshěng zhèjiāngshěng ānhuīshěng fújiànshěng jiāngxīshěng shāndōngshěng
【华 东】 上 海 市 江 苏 省 浙 江 省 安徽省 福 建 省 江 西 省 山 东 省

z h ō n g n á n hénánshěng húběishěng húnánshěng guǎngdōngshěng guǎngxīzhuàngzúzìzhìqū hǎinánshěng

【中 南】 河 南 省 湖 北 省 湖 南 省 广 东 省 广西壮族自治区 海 南 省

x ī n á n chóngqìngshì sìchuānshěng guìzhōushěng yúnnánshěng x ī zàng z ì zhì q ū

【西 南】 重 庆 市 四 川 省 贵 州 省 云 南 省 西 藏 自治区

x ī běi shǎn x ī shěng gān s ù shěng qīnghǎishěng níngxiàhuí z ú z ì zhì q ū xīnjiāngwéi w ú ě r z ì zhì q ū
【西 北 】 陕 西 省 甘肃 省 青海 省 宁 夏 回 族自 治 区 新 疆 维 吾尔自 治 区

gǎng à o tái xiānggǎng t è biéxíngzhèng q ū à o mén t è biéxíngzhèng q ū táiwānshěng

【 港 澳 台】 香 港 特别 行 政 区 澳门特别 行 政 区 台 湾 省

Mandarin World Phrase Book 29 w w w. m a n d a r i n w o r l d . c om . c n

 gōng z u ò
Chapter 28-Work 工作

zhè shì w ǒ d e péng yǒu m ǎ l ì l ì t ā shì y ī míng jiào shī

A: 这 是 我 的 朋 友 马 莉 莉，她 是 一 名 教 师。
This is my friend Lili Ma, she is a teacher.
n ǐ hǎo lì lì w ǒ shì m ǎ k è rèn shi n ǐ hěn gāo xìng n ǐ zài n ǎ l i jiāo shū
B: 你 好 ！莉 莉！我 是 马 克！认 识 你 很 高 兴 ! 你 在 哪 里 教 书 ？
Hi, Lili! I am Mark! Nice to meet you! Where do you teach?
rèn shi n ǐ w ǒ y ě hěn gāo xìng w ǒ zài y ù cuǐ hàn y ǔ jiào zhōng wén
C: 认 识 你 我 也 很 高 兴 ! 我 在 育 璀 汉 语 教 中 文。
Nice to meet you, too! I teach Chinese at Mandarin World.
hǎo j í l e w ǒ y ì zhí xiǎng xué x í zhōng wén k ě shì w ǒ d e zhōngwén tài chà l e
B: 好 极 了！我 一 直 想 学 习 中 文 ，可 是 我 的 中 文 太 差 了。
Awesome! I've always wanted to learn Mandarin, but my Chinese is really poor.
bié dān xīn r ú guǒ n ǐ yǒu xìng q ù k ě y ǐ lái w ǒ men xué xiào zuò y ī g è miǎn fèi d e c è
C: 别 担 心 ！如 果 你 有 兴 趣 可 以 来 我 们 学 校 做 一 个 免 费 的 测

shì
试。
Don’t worry! You can come to our school to do a free test if you want.
tīng q ǐ lái hěn b ú cuò yào t í qián y ù yuē m e
B： 听 起 来 很 不 错 ！要 提 前 预 约 么？
That sounds great! Do I need to make an appointment?
zuì hǎo shì w ǒ men d e bàn gōng diàn huà shì n ǐ k ě y ǐ d ǎ diàn huà y ù yuē
C: 最 好 是 ! 我 们 的 办 公 电 话 是 123456，你 可 以 打 电 话 预 约 。
That would be best! 123456 is our office number, and you can make an appointment
by phone.
tài hǎo l e xiè xiè n ǐ
B: 太 好 了，谢 谢 你！
That’s wonderful! Thank you!

Mandarin World Phrase Book 30 w w w. m a n d a r i n w o r l d . c om . c n

[Useful words]
jīng l ǐ
经 理 manager

wén yuán
文 员 clerk

gōng chéng shī

工 程 师 engineer

y ī shēng
医 生 doctor

m ì shū
秘 书 secretary

h ù shi
护 士 nurse

nóng mín
农 民 farmer

gōng rén
工 人 worker

qián tái
前 台 receptionist

Mandarin World Phrase Book 31 w w w. m a n d a r i n w o r l d . c om . c n

 à i hào
Chapter 29-Hobbies 爱好

n ǐ zhōu m ò dōumángshén m e n e
A: 你 周 末 都 忙 什 么呢？
What do you do on the weekend?
méishénme t è b i é d e jiànjiànpéngyǒu kànkandiànyǐng guàngguàng j i ē bei
B: 没 什 么 特别的！见 见 朋 友 ，看看 电 影 ， 逛 逛 街呗！
Nothing special! Meeting friends, watching movies and going shopping.
n à n ǐ xǐhuan d ǎ májiàng
A: 那你喜欢打 麻 将 么？
Do you like playing Mah-jongg?
wǒ t è b i é m í májiàng dànshì wǒzǒngshìzhǎobùdàopáiyǒu
B: 我特别迷 麻 将 ，但是我 总 是 找不到 牌 友 。
I am fond of Mah-jongg, but I always can’t find any players.
n ǐ yǒushén m e à i hào
A: 你 有 什 么爱 好 ?
What is your hobby?
w ǒ x ǐ huan yóuyǒng nǐ ne
B: 我喜 欢 游 泳 。你呢？
I like swimming. How about you?
w ǒ à i chàng g ē dànshì w ǒ b ù x ǐ huan tiào w ǔ
A: 我爱 唱 歌 ，但 是 我不喜 欢 跳 舞 。
I love singing, but I don’t like dancing.
n ǐ x ǐ huanshén m e yùndòng m a
B: 你喜 欢 什 么 运 动 吗？
Do you like any sport?
w ǒ tǎoyàn yùndòng w ǒ nìngyuàn kànshū
A: 我 讨 厌 运 动 ， 我 宁 愿 看 书 。
I hate sports, and I prefer reading.

Mandarin World Phrase Book 32 w w w. m a n d a r i n w o r l d . c om . c n

 I would like to thank the online dictionary www.nciku.com its free
dictionary was very useful in the writing of this phrase book.

And also I would like to thank http://www.wpclipart.com/ for their public

domain clip art.

This phrase book was produced by Kevin Lewis and Niya Chu.

You are welcome to use it and send it to your friends, to print it out and
use it as a guide, but I hope you will be so kind as to not change the book, or to
claim this as your own publication. This book is completely free-if somebody
sold it to you-well go ask them for your money back!

Kevin Lewis and Niya Chu both work for Mandarin World a Mandarin
Language school in Shanghai. Here you can learn much more Chinese than
what is available in here.

If you have any comments or suggestions about this book, about learning
Chinese in general, or about studying at our school please feel free to contact
me at kevin.lewis@mandarinworld.com.cn

Kevin Lewis
www.mandarinworld.com.cn
Principal of Mandarin World Language School
Jiaxing Building 3rd Floor Suite 3A,
877 Dongfang Road,
Pudong New Area,
Shanghai
People’s Republic of China
200122

Mandarin World Phrase Book 33 w w w. m a n d a r i n w o r l d . c om . c n