Post on 18-Dec-2015
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Basic Chinese Cultural Notes
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The most common greetings in Chinese are (n ho, hello) and (nn ho, how do you do?).
is the polite form used when talking to older people, superiors, customers and so on.
(zoshng ho, good morning) and (wnshng ho, good evening) are used in the morning or in the evening respectively.
(hunyng, welcome) is commonly used to welcome somebody.
In shops and restaurant the expression (hunyng gungln, welcome) can often be heard.
When meeting somebody after a long time (ho ji b jin, long time no see) can be added to the greetings or .
On the telephone (wi, hello) is the most common greeting.
Greetings 1 of 1
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The most common goodbyes are the following:
zijin goodbye
mngtin jin see you tomorrow
mnzu goodbye take care
wn'n good night
1 of 1 Goodbyes
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Names1 of 1In Chinese the surname proceeds the given name. The surname normally consists of a single syllable (character).Common surnames are:
Given names normally consist of one or two characters. Unlike surnames, given names come in a much greater variety. Here are some well known names:
Chinese people sometimes adapt their names to the Western fashion of first names preceeding the surname. It can then be difficult to decide which is which, but looking for common surnames can help.
Li Wang Zhang Zhao Chen Yang Wu Liu Huang Zhou Xu Zhu Lin Sun Ma Hu Zheng Guo Xiao Xie He Xu Song Shen Luo Han Deng Liang Ye Gao
Mao Zedong Chairman of the Chinese Communist Party, Founder of the Peoples Republic of China
Zhou Enlai First Prime Minister of the Peoples Republic of China Deng Xiaoping Chairman of the Chinese Communist Party, responsible for the opening up of
China after 1978
Lu Xun famous Chinese writer (Lu Xun is his pen name, his real name was (Zhou Shuren))
Yao Ming famous Chinese basketball player Sun Zhongshan better known as Sun Yatsen, the father of the Chinese Republic Tang Wei famous Chinese actress Cheng Long better known as Jackie Chan - film star Li An known as Ang Lee, famous film director
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Asking for a name1 of 2
In a formal situation you enquire after someones name by saying:
More informally you can also say:
Or if the context is clear:
If you just want to give your surname, you can say:
If you want to give your full name you can say:
In reply you can say in a formal situation:
? nn guxng What is your name? (literally: what is your honourable surname?)
? n jio shnme mngzi What is your name ?
...? n sh You are ...?
w xng wng My surname is Wang.
w jio wng xiolng My name is Wang Xiaolong.
mingu xng wng My surname is Wang. (literally: my worthless surname is Wang.)
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Asking for a name2 of 2
Or you can combine the two:
If you give your own name you can easily ask after the other persons name by saying
NB: (xng) is used to ask for and give a surname. ( jio) is used to ask for and give first names or full names.
The simplest answer of course is:
w xng wng jio wng xiolng
I am Wang, Wang Xiaolong.
, ? w sh wng xiolng, n ne?
I am Wang Xiaolong and you are ...?
w sh wng xiolng I am Wang Xiaolong.
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xinsheng Mr Mr Wang sh Ms (formal) Ms Wang (formal) titai Mrs Mrs Wang xioji Miss Miss Wang
losh Teacher Teacher Wang shfu Master Master Wang (used for craftsman, taxidrivers etc.) jngl Manager Manager Wang jioshu Professor Professor Wang mshu Secretary Secretary Wang
Forms of addressThe general form of address is the persons surname followed by his or her title.The generic titles are:
It is common to add the job title after a persons name. The job title can also be used as a form of address by itself. Common titles are:
When addressing friends it is common to use their surname preceeded by or depending on their age relative to yours.
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y aunty bf uncle
xio young (young) Wang lo old (old) Wang
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Introductions1 of 1To introduce another person you can use the following expression:
for example:
, [Name] [Title] rng w li jisho yxi, zh sh ... Let me introduce ...
, [Name] [Title] rng w li jisho jisho, zh sh ... Let me introduce ...
, rng w li jisho yxi, zh sh l losh
Let me introduce teacher Li.
, rng w li jisho jisho, zh sh wng jngl
Let me introduce manager Wang.
NB: If you introduce yourself dont use a title after your name.
Dont say: w sh wng jngl I am Manager Wang.
Say instead:
w xng wng. w sh dlng gngs de jngl
My surname is Wang. I am the Manager of the Dalong company.
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Polite expressions1 of 1In a formal situation you enquire after someones name by saying:
start an enquiry qngwn Excuse me, may I ask
to catch somebody's attention
dibuq excuse, sorry
dibuq mfn n sorry to bother you
dibuq d ro le n sorry to disturb you
say thank you xixie thank youafter being thanked , b kqi, b yng xi dont mention it
to apologize
dibuq sorry
(stronger) zhn boqin apologies
to reply to an apology mi wnt no problem
mi gunxi it doesnt matter
after a complement nlnl not at all (lit. where?)
nn gujing le you are flattering me
(n sh n de ba?) That is yours, isn't it?
(b yo lun zu a) Don't go too far!
In Chinese a number of sentence final particles are used to soften the tone of a request:
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Good wishes and congratulations1 of 1
ITo express good wishes you can say / (zhh n/nn) followed by the occasion:
To wish somebody good look you can use (dj):
To congratulate somebody you can say gngxgngx. To congratulate somebody on occasion of a specific event you can say (qngzh) followed by the event:
zhn xnnin kuil Happy New Year
zhn shngdn kuil Merry Christmas
zhn shngr kuil Happy Birthday
kiy dj Good luck with your new business
qngzh by Congratulations on your graduation
qngzh jihn Congratulations on your marriage
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yye paternal grandfather ninai paternal grandmother loye maternal grandfather lolao maternal grandmother
shshu father's younger brother shm wife of father's younger brother
bf father's older brother bm wife of father's older brother
gm paternal aunt gfu husband of paternal aunt
y maternal aunt yfu husband of maternal aunt
jijiu maternal uncle jimu wife of maternal uncle
bba father mma mother
w I
ddi younger brother mimei younger sister
gge older brother jijie older sister
hizi child, children
n'r daughter rzi son
Relationship terms in Chinese are quite complex.
Family1 of 1
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Education1 of 2
shxu Mathematics jngj Economics
kxu The sciences jnrng Finance
huxu Chemistry gunl Management
wl Physics lsh History
shngw Biology dl Geography
jsunj Computing wnxu Literature
yxu Medicine yngwn English
Chinese education begins with primary school (xioxu) and then continues to middle and high school (zhngxu) and finally university (dxu)
Students are generally called (xusheng). Teachers are called (losh) or ( jiosh). A professor is called ( jioshu).
Commen subjects are:
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Education2 of 2
xusheng Students
, jiosh, losh Lecturer
jioshu Professor
xush xuwi B.A.
shush xuwi Masters
bsh xuwi PhD
There are many universities ( dxu) in China. Amongst the most famous ones are:
bijng dxu Beijing University
qnghu dxu Tsinghua University (in Beijing)
rnmn dxu People's University (in Beijing)
jitng dxu Jiaotong University (in Shanghai)
Research is called (ynji)
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Professions1 of 1
losh teacher
jioshu professor
msh secretary
gngrn worker
yshng doctor
hshi nurse
shngrn businessman
kuiji accountant
sj driver
jsh mechanic
gngchngsh engineer
Some of the more common professions are:
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Chinese Festivals1 of 1
Festival Simplified Chinese
Pinyin Date Description
Spring Festival , xnnin, Day 1 of lunar month 1 Chinese New Year
Lantern Festival
yunxioji Day 15 of lunar month 1 Lantern parades, lion dancing
Qingming Festival
qngmngji 104 days after winter solstice
visiting and cleaning ancestral graves
Dragon Boat Festival
dunwji Day 5 of lunar month 5 dragon boat racing, eating rice wraps, commemorating Qu Yuan
Double Seven Festival
qx 1Day 7 of lunar month 7 related to the story of and (Zhi N,Ni Lng)
Mid-autumn Festival
zhngqiji Day 15 of lunar month 8 Mooncakes, Legend of (chng, the Lady on the Moon)
There are a number of traditional Chinese festivals. Below are the most common ones.
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Chinese Zodiac1 of 1
..., 1996,2008, 2020, ... sh rat
..., 1997,2009, 2021, ... ni ox
..., 1998,2010, 2022, ... h tiger
..., 1999,2011, 2023, ... t rabbit
..., 2000,2012, 2024, ... lng dragon
..., 2001,2013, 2025, ... sh snake
..., 2002,2014, 2026, ... m horse
..., 2003,2015, 2027, ... yng sheep
..., 2004,2016, 2028, ... hu monkey
..., 2005,2017, 2029, ... j rooster
..., 2006,2018, 2030, ... gu dog
..., 2007,2019, 2031, ... zh pig
There are a number of traditional Chinese festivals. Below are the most common ones.
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Language and People1 of 1
zhngwn Chinese language
hny Chinese language (lit. language of the Han people)
guy Chinese language (lit. national language)
huy Chinese language
ptnghu Standard Mandarin (lit. common language)
gungdnghu Cantonese
, yngwn, yngy English
, fwn, fy French
, dwn, dy German
ydlywn, ydly Italian
To say where somebody is from add (rn) to the name of the country.Examples:
To ask what country somebody is from, say ? (n sh n gu rn) What country are you from?
The names of languages are normally formed by adding (wn) or (y) to the name of the country.Examples:
zhnggurn Chinese migurn American
ynggurn English xnxlnrn New Zealander
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Ethnic groups1 of 1
Ethnic group Simplified Chinese
Size Location
Han 1300 Million all of China
Zhuang 18 Million Southern provinces
Manchu 11 Million same as Han
Hui 10 Million Northern and Western China, mainly Muslims
Miao 9 Million Southern China, especially Yunnan
Uyghurs 9 Million Xinjiang
Yi 4 Million Southern China
Tujia 8 Million Hubei, Hunan
Mongols 6 Million Northern China
Tibetan 5-10 Million Western China
China recognizes 56 ethnic groups. The biggest by far are the Han, which make up about 92% of the Chinese population and just under 20% of the world population.
The table below lists the larger ethnic groups, their approximate size and geographical location.
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Chinese currency1 of 1
The standard Chinese currency is (rnmnb).
The official designation of the notes and coins are:
In spoken Chinese you will often hear (kui) for Yuan and (mo) for Jiao.
Before 1947 many Chinese banks (ynhng) and other organisations issued their own notes, so there are a large number of old Chinese banknotes in existence, although not in circulation.
yun Yuan
jio 1/10 of a Yuan
fn 1/10 of a Jiao
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Tea and Drinks1 of 1
China is famous for its many different types of tea (ch).
Some of the common types of tea are:
Tea comes in a pot (h) and is drank in cups (bi).
Other drinks are:
l ch green tea
hng ch black tea
mlihu ch jasmine tea
jhu ch chrysanthemum tea
lngjng ch dragon well tea
wlng ch Oolong tea
kfi coffee
rshu hot water
kungqunshu mineral water
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Where to get food and drink1 of 1
There are a number of locations where you can get food and drink from:
A waiter or waitress is usually called: (fwyun). A waitress may also be called (xiojie), however in some parts of China using is considered impolite. The cook is called (chsh).
Many Chinese restaurants have private rooms for smaller parties. These rooms are called: (bojin) separate room.
fndin restaurant (incidentially can also mean hotel)
jib bar
chgun teahouse
cntng dining hall
kfigun caf
kuicndin fast food restaurant
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Chinese dishes1 of 2
A Chinese meal normally consists of a number of dishes shared between everbody, not a series of courses. Parties in a restaurant often sit around a turntable (zhunpn) with everbody helping themselves to the food from the dishes placed on the turntable. Chinese food is eaten with chopsticks (kuizi) rather than knife and fork , (do, ch).
There are a very large number of dishes, some of the best known are:
mp dufu stir fried tofu in hot sauce
gngbo jdng spiced diced chicken
tng u lotus root with sugar
bijng koy Beijing roast duck
shu zh y fish filets in hot chilli oil
hu gu ru double-cooked pork slices
fnqi cho dn tomato with fried egg
chnjun spring roll
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Chinese dishes2 of 2
Ingredients: Seasoning:
ru meat l hot, spicy
niru beef ljio pepper
jru chicken sun sour
zhru pork tngc sweet and sour
y fish c vinegar
du beans tng sugar
shci vegetables yn salt
mfn rice xin salty
mintio noodles
You may also look out for the following characters to give you a clue:
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Hotel1 of 2
A hotel is called (fndin) or (bngun) - guest house.
The range of rooms are:
You check in at reception (qinti fw), where you fill in the registration form (dngjbio), and are told your room number (fngjin hom) and given your room key/card / (yoshi /k).
dnrn jin single room
shungrn jin double room
biozhn jin standard room
hohu tojin luxury suite
kngtio Air-conditioning
dinsh Television
dinhu telephone
rshu hot water (in a thermos flask)
zocn breakfast
ysh bathroom
Typical facilities are:
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Paying1 of 2
You can either pay by cash (xinjn) or credit card (xnyngk).
The bill is called (zhngdn) and you call for the bill by either saying (midn) or ( jizhng).
After paying you will receive a receipt (fpio) or (shuj).
tends to be a small or automatically produced receipt, while is used for a more substantial, especially produced receipt. Sellers pay tax based on .
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Bargain and discounts1 of 2
In China it is normal to haggle over prices in markets (shchng) and similar places but not in modern department stores (bihudin).
To give a discount is called (dzh). The discount given is expressed as the amount remaining not the amount taken off the price:
a 20% discount would be , a 60% discount would be .
To say that something is to expensive use ! (ti gu le)
(gu) is expensive,
(pinyi) is inexpensive/bargain.
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Measurements1 of 2
Both traditional Chinese measurements and metric measurements are in common use. Metric measurements usually use the prefix , traditional measurements use no prefix or the prefix (meaning market).
gngfn gram
ling 50 grams
jn half a kilogram
gngjn kilogram
dn 50 kilograms
() (gng)dn ton
shm 0.0667 hectares
gngm 100 square metre
shqng 6.6667 hectares
gngqng hectare
Common Chinese measurements
Weight
Area
.../cont
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Measurements2 of 2
shfn 1/3 centimetre
gngfn 1 centimetre
shch 1/3 metre
gngch metre
shzhng 3 1/3 metre
shl 1/2 kilometre
gngl kilometre
shng litre
du 10 litre
Common Chinese measurements (Cotinued)
Length
Volume
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Buildings1 of 1
There are a number of traditional and modern types of buildings in China.
The number of floors are counted from 1, so is the ground floor, is the first floor etc. Floor thirteen is often omitted.
A floor is called (lu) or (cng). is also used for the number of a building. (t zh ling ho lu) means She lives in Building No.2.
s h yun courtyard house (traditional house in Beijing)
sh k mn stone gate house (traditional house in Shanghai)
htong alley
d sh high-rise
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Public Places1 of 1
Common public places are:
yuj post office
gngyun park
dngwyun zoo
bwgun museum
shzhngtng town hall
pichsu police station
huchzhn train station
chzhn bus station
yyun hospital
csu toilet
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Towns1 of 1
Common public places are:
The names of non Chinese cities are usually transcriptions of their original names:
bijng Beijing (capital, administrative centre)
shnghi Shanghai (commercial centre)
xinggng Hongkong (commercial centre) nnjng Nanjing (former capital)
whn Wuhan (big industrial centre) tinjn Tianjin (port to the west of Beijing)
x'n Xian (ancient capital) gungzhu Guangzhou, Canton
hngzhu Hangzhou (famous for its tea and gardens)
szhu Suzhou (the 'Venice' of China)
qngdo Qingdao (famous for its beer) chngqng Chongqing (biggest city in the world)
chngd Chengdu (capital city of Sichuan province)
lndn London niyu New York
hushngdn Washington bl Paris
bln Berlin zhjig Chicago
lum Rome dngjng Tokyo
hnchng Seoul
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Administrative regions1 of 2
Provinces: shng
Autonomous regions: zzhq
Directly governed cities: zhxish
Special administrative regions: tbixngzhngq
nhu Anhui fjin Fujian gns Gansu gungdng Guangdong
(Canton)
hinn Hainan hbi Hebei
hilngjing Heilongjiang hnn Henan
hbi Hubei hnn Hunan
jings Jings jln Jilin
lionng Liaoning qnghi Qinghai
shnx Shaanxi shndng Shandong
shnx Shanxi schun Sichuan
tiwn Taiwan ynnn Yunnan
zhjing Zhejiang
The names of non Chinese cities are usually transcriptions of their original names:
Provinces
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Administrative regions2 of 2
gungxzhungzzzhq Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region
nimnggzzhq Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region
nngxihuzzzhq Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region
xnjingwiw'rzzhq Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region
xzngzzhq Tibet Autonomous Region
Autonomous Regions
Municipalities under central control
Special administrative regions
bijng Beijing tinjn Tianjin
xinggng Hongkong omn Macau
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zhnggu China
ynggu England, Britain fgu France dgu Germany migu United States gu Russia hngu Korea
odly Australia
xnxln New Zealand rbn Japan ydl Italy i'rln Ireland xbny Spain xnjip Singapore rudin Schweden rush Switzerland yunn Vietnam
Countries1 of 1
Country names are either formed by adding (gu)to a syllable sounding similar to the countrys actual name, or the Chinese name is a transcription of the countrys name:
To ask what country somebody is from, say:? (n sh n gu rn) What country are you from?
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Continents1 of 1
yzhu Asia
fizhu Africa mizhu America uzhu Europe
The names of continents end in (zhu).
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End of Basic Chinese Grammar - Index
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family tree: Button 58: