How To Speak Basic Chinese Phrases
- August 7, 2008
- 20,650 Views
from
mrmanoog
(and 5 others) Subscribe
-
Writer
Rosemarie_Lennon
-
Director
Marcus Manoogian
-
Actor
Lucy Walters
- Voice Over Artist Winnie Huang
-
Actor
pscerri
Planning a visit to China? These phrases may come in handy.
You Will Need
- Language skills
- A good memory
Step 1: Say hello
Say “Ni hao” when you meet someone — or want to meet them. It means “Hello.” Add “ma” at the end — “Ni hao ma?”—and you’re asking, “How are you?”
Step 2: Introduce yourself
Introduce yourself by saying, “Ni hao, wo jiao…” which means, “Hello, my name is…” Then ask for their name: “Ni jiao shenme-mingzi?”
Step 3: How are you?
If someone asks, “Chifanle meiyou?” — “Have you eaten?” — just nod yes and say, “Xie xie,” which means “thanks.”
This question is the equivalent of asking, “How are you?”
Step 4: Be polite
Remember your manners! Use “ging,” “duibuqi,” and “bu kuh qi”—“please,” “excuse me,” and “you’re welcome.”
Step 5: Buy someone a drink
Ask “Wo ke yi qing ni he yi bei ba”—“May I buy you a drink?”
“Pi jiu” means “beer” and “hong jiu” means “wine.”
Step 6: Get a price
Inquire about a price by saying, “Duoshao qian?”—or “How much?”
The Chinese currency is called renminbi, and the units are yuan, jiao (also known as mao), and fen.
Step 7: Find a bathroom
Should you need to freshen up, ask, “Ce suo zai nar?”—“Where can I find a restroom?”
Step 8: Express admiration
To express your admiration, say, “Wo xi huan ni”—“I like you.” “Ni zhen piao liang” means “You are wonderful.”
Step 9: Ask for a kiss
Request a kiss with “Wo xiang wen ni?”
Context is everything—the word for kiss, “wen,” is the same word for smell.
Step 10: Get directions to a hospital
To find a hospital, ask, “Yiyuan zai nar?”
Step 11: Ask your roommates to quiet down
Kindly ask your roommates to quiet down by saying, “bi zui,” which means “shut your trap.”
Step 12: Find the train or bus
When it’s time to depart, find your way to public transportation by asking, “Huoche zhan zai nar ” — “Where is the train station?” — or “Qong qong qiche zai nar ” — “Where is the bus station?”
Step 13: Say goodbye
Bid a fond farewell with “zai jian.” Or you can just say, “Bye, bye.”
Mandarin Chinese is the most widely spoken language in the world, followed by English and Hindi.
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Comments (19)
Although the spoken words for 'smell' and 'kiss' SOUND similar, there is a distinction in the way these words are pronounced. The written words (characters) for 'smell' and 'kiss' are two totally different words.
over 3 years ago by howtofilm
Wrong. 吻（wen3) means to kiss, whereas 闻(wen2) means to smell. They are different tones and to Chinese speakers might as well be different words. This video is filled with various other mispronunciations and pseudo-facts, and the woman doing the voicing is clearly an ABC with a characteristic non-standard accent. Not to mention the various words that spring to the screen, which are inaccurate at best and wrong at worst. Do not use this video to learn basic Chinese phrases.
over 3 years ago by thenatman
I said although the spoken words (might) SOUND similar (to non-Chinese speakers), there is a distinction in the way these words are pronounced. I did not explain the different tones in the Chinese language, but thank you for elaborating for all who are interested in learning Chinese!
over 3 years ago by howtofilm
This is really beautifully done.
over 3 years ago by Rosemarie_Lennon
I agree and I've seen you before chinese: xa lu ven ja qwa booka
about 1 year ago by Lildjdelio
Lucy looks great in this one! Who's the handsome Maltese fellow?
over 3 years ago by mr_stewart
AWESOME!! It's worth while to learn bit of Chinese. ^^ Very clear voice, love it!
over 3 years ago by Jujube
OK, this is really well done. All the young teenagers are super interested in ANYTHING chinese...will forward it on! :-) Very educational, and interesting
over 3 years ago by michellesings
As a Chinese,I'm happy to see that short video and here are many people like my mother tongue,hehe...
over 3 years ago by april_apple
u dont need to be so self pity
over 2 years ago by finished_
u dont need to be so self pity
over 2 years ago by finished_
I like the background track...it's pretty crispy, nice head nodding music.
over 3 years ago by clayton
lol
^ . ^
this is sooo cool!!!
love it! &;lt;3
over 3 years ago by tegannie
i love it!!!!!!
over 3 years ago by supertechmonkeymedia1
EXCELLENT VOICE, I HEAR AGAIN AND AGAIN AND LEARNED
SOME CHINESE ALREADY.
over 3 years ago by EHWDC98
haha love the peoples expressions. well done!
over 3 years ago by Zafarali_Ahmed
我能免费教你们。我是中国四川成都的大学生。
I can teach you free.and I ｃｏｍｅ ｆｒｏｍ ｓｉｃｈｕａｎ，Ｃｈｉｎａ．
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