‘Happy New Year’ in Chinese language

Happy New Year 2012. I hope you have had a great start to the year, but have you learned how to say Happy New Year in Chinese language yet?

新年快乐 (Xīn nián kuàilè): Happy New Year

Now let’s break it down:

新 (xīn): new
年 (nián): year
快乐 (kuàilè): happy

And how do you say Merry Christmas?

圣诞快乐 (Shèngdàn kuàilè): Merry Christmas

Let’s look at few other examples:

周末快乐 (Zhō mò kuàilè): Happy weekend/Have a great weekend
生日快乐 (Shēngrì kuàilè): Happy birthday

Or you can also say

祝你生日快乐 (Zhù nǐ shēngrì kuàilè): Happy birthday to you
祝 (zhù): wish

Reduplication of verbs in Chinese language

You must have seen verbs being repeated in Chinese language, like the one below:

学习学习 (xuéxí xuéxí)

No, it’s not a mistake. Verbs are reduplicated as shown above to denote short duration of actions. It can also be used to express an attempt. Reduplication of verbs softens the tone of a sentence, making it more relaxed and informal.

The reduplicated form of monosyllabic verbs is A一A, and the reduplicated form of disyllabic verbs is ABAB:

看一看(kàn yī kàn)

想一想(xiǎng yī xiǎng)

学习学习(xuéxí xuéxí)

认识认识(rènshi rènshi)

Let’s look at some examples of how they are used in sentences:

我可以看一看吗？

Wǒ kěyǐ kàn yī kàn ma?

Can I look at it quickly?

我想跟他们认识认识

Wǒ xiǎng gēn tāmen rènshi rènshi

I want to meet them

Some more Chinese expressions

Earlier we looked at Some daily Chinese expressions. That list was definitely not exhaustive, and today we will add few more to it. Let’s keep it simple this time around:

啊 (ā) is used to express amazement

啊！这个地方这么漂亮！

Ā! Zhège dìfāng zhème piàoliang!

Oh, This place is so beautiful!

啊 (á) is used when you want an answer

啊？ 你说什么？

Á? Nǐ shuō shénme?

Pardon?

啊 (ǎ) is used to express surprise

啊，你有什么问题？

Ǎ, Nǐ yǒu shénme wèntí?

Gosh, what’s your problem?

啊 (à) is used to express sudden realization

啊，你是她的男朋友！

À, Nǐ shì tā de nánpéngyǒu!

Ah, so you are her boyfriend.

Yes, I have been saying again and again: TONES ARE IMPORTANT.

How are words formed in Chinese language?

Some of my friends who don’t speak Chinese find it really hard to understand how are the words formed in Chinese language. Unlike English, Chinese language doesn’t have letters which can be combined to form words. So does that mean that there is a unique character for every single word in Chinese language? If you have been following this blog, by now you should have figured out that’s not the case.

We have already learned that the same character, with the same pronunciation and tone, can have more than one meaning depending on the context and use. Please review the post Three uses of 想 (xiǎng). So yes, there isn’t a unique character for every single word in Chinese language.

But today we are going to look at how a Chinese character can be combined with other characters to form new words. Let’s use a character we recently learned, 手 (shǒu), as our example.

手 (shǒu): hand

Now let’s combine it with other characters:

手表(shǒubiǎo): wristwatch

手册(shǒucè): handbook; manual

手机(shǒujī): cell phone

手绢(shǒujuàn): handkerchief

手铐(shǒukào): handcuffs

手球(shǒuqiú): handball

手套(shǒutào): gloves

I hope this gives you some idea of how some of the Chinese words are formed. Please check out The 好 (hǎo) words of Chinese language if you are looking for another similar post.

Some daily Chinese expressions

You must be familiar with expressions like Ah! Oh! etc in English language. Chinese language has similar expressions to indicate different emotions as well. Let’s look at some of them:

哎呀 (āiyā): an expression of wonder, shock, etc.

哎呀，你为什么告诉她？

Āiyā, nǐ wèishéme gàosu tā?

Oh! Why did you tell her?

哎呦 (āiyōu): an exclamation usually indicating disappointment

哎呦，我还没有做功课

Āi yōu, wǒ hái méiyǒu zuò gōngkè

Ah! I still haven’t done my homework.

噢 (ō): an expression indicating a sudden realization

噢， 他是你的哥哥

Ō, tā shì nǐ dí gēgē

Oh! He is your brother.

Another character, same sound but different tone, can also be used in a similar context:

哦 (ó): an expression to indicate a sudden realization

哦，是这样

Ó, shì zhèyàng

Oh! That’s how it is

American cities in Chinese language

We have already learned how to say America in Chinese language. Ever wondered how different American cities are called in Chinese language? Below are some of the major American cities and their Chinese names:

波士顿 (Bōshìdùn): Boston

华盛顿 (Huáshèngdùn): Washington DC

芝加哥 (Zhījiāgē): Chicago

纽约 (Niǔyuē): New York

旧金山 (Jiùjīnshān): San Francisco

洛杉矶 (Luòshānjī): Los Angeles

And here are some cities from 加拿大 (Jiānádà):

温哥华 (Wēngēhuá): Vancouver

魁北克 (Kuíběikè): Quebec

多伦多 (Duōlúnduō): Toronto

蒙特利尔 (Méngtèlìěr): Montreal

Please feel free to add to this list. And by the way this is how you say city in Chinese language:

城市 (chéngshì): city

More uses of 起来 (qǐlái)

We have already looked at one of the uses of 起来 (qǐlái). The examples we used were:

看起来不错(kàn qǐlái bu cuò): Looks ok

听起来好玩儿(tīng qǐlái hǎowán er): Sounds fun

In this case it is used to indicate impressions. As one of my readers rightly commented, there are more uses of 起来 (qǐlái). Below are three other uses:

To indicate an upward motion

站起来 (zhàn qǐlái): to stand up

把旗举起来 (bǎ qí jǔ qǐlái): to raise a flag

To indicate the beginning or extension of a motion, an action or a condition

唱起来(chàng qǐlái): to start singing

哭起来(kū qǐlái): to burst out crying

However, please note that it is used only in the cases where the start of an action is very distinct, catching everyone’s attention.

To indicate the fulfillment of a purpose or completion of an action

想起来(xiǎng qǐlái): to remember (something you have been trying to remember)

包起来(bāo qǐlái): to wrap something up

Three uses of 想 (Xiǎng)

The Chinese character 想 (xiǎng) can mean three different things depending on how it is used. Since it is a pretty commonly used character, let’s look at its three uses:

(i) 想 + Somebody/Something

我想你 (Wǒ xiǎng nǐ): I miss you

When used in this form, 想 means to miss somebody/something.

If someone says that to you and you feel the same way too, then you can respond

我也想你(Wǒ yě xiǎng nǐ): I miss you too

想家(Xiǎng jiā): homesick

家(jiā): home/family

(ii) 想 + Verb Phrase

我想去中国(Wǒ xiǎng qù Zhōngguó): I want to go to China

In the above structure, 想 means the desire to do something.

(iii) 想 + Clause

我想他是中国人(Wǒ xiǎng tā shì Zhōngguórén): I think he is Chinese

Here 想 is used to express someone’s opinion.

But how to ask someone what he or she is thinking

你在想什么？(Nǐ zài xiǎng shénme?): What are you thinking?

Chinese people love basketball

Posters like one below are found everywhere in Chinese cities. But why do the Chinese people love basketball so much?

The popularity of NBA is believed to have surged in China after Yao Ming was selected as the first overall pick in 2002 NBA draft. It is estimated that his first NBA game attracted more than 200 million viewers in China. In 2008, the number of NBA fans in China was estimated to be around 450 million, and 300 million people were estimated to play basketball in China. 20% of all NBA.com traffic comes from China, and NBA was the 10^th most popular search on Google in China.

So let’s learn how to say the most popular sports in China in Chinese language

篮(lán):basket

球(qiú):ball

篮球(lánqiú): basketball

Here are few other sports involving a球 (qiú):

足球(zúqiú): soccer/football

橄榄球(gǎnlǎnqiú): American football

排球(páiqiú): volleyball

冰球(bīngqiú): ice hockey

乒乓球(pīngpāng qiú): ping pong/table tennis

网球(wǎngqiú): tennis

Feel free to leave a comment and add your favorite sports to this list.

Some basic Chinese sentences

I have already talked about different ways of saying Hello in Chinese language. Now let’s go a step further and learn some basic Chinese sentences. Here are some of the first questions you will learn in any language:

你叫什么名字？(Nǐ jiào shénme míngzì?): What is your name?

你多大？(Nǐ duōdà?): How old are you?

你是哪国人？(Nǐ shì nǎ guórén?): Which country are you from?

And this is how you respond

我叫马思文 (Wǒ jiào Mǎ Sī Wén): My name is Ma Si Wen

我四十岁 (Wǒ sì shí suì): I am forty years old

A little tongue twister for you, I am not really forty years old.

我是巴西人 (Wǒ shì bāxī rén): I am Brazilian

And just trying to be cool here, not from Brazil either.

Textbook learning however doesn't always help. Once a stranger in China asked me where I was from:

你是从哪里来的？(Nǐ shì cóng nǎlǐ lái de?): Where are you from?

I had no clue what she was talking about because I only understood “Nǐ shì nǎ guórén?”

Kan Guo Lai

I believe that learning a song is a great way to learn a language, and my Chinese teachers thought so too. Today I will share with you all the first song I was taught in my Chinese class, which also happens to be one of my favorite Chinese songs. In my opinion, this is also the most popular Chinese song among foreigners. That is the reason why it is sung not only in Chinese classrooms but also in Karaoke bars across China.

看过来
对面的女孩看过来	duìmiàn de nǚhái kàn guòlái
看过来，看过来	kàn guòlái, kàn guòlái
这里的表演很精彩	zhèlǐ de biǎoyǎn hěn jīngcǎi
请不要家装不理不睬	qǐng bùyào jiǎzhuāng bù lǐ bù cǎi
对面的女孩看过来	duìmiàn de nǚhái kàn guòlái
看过来，看过来	kàn guòlái, kàn guòlái
不要被我的样子吓坏	bùyào bèi wǒde yàngzi xià huài
其实我很可爱	qíshí wǒ hěn kěài

Here is the English translation

Girl from across, look over here

Look over here, look over here

The performance is very spectacular

Please don’t pretend to ignore me

Girl from across, look over here

Look over here, look over here

Don’t be frightened by my appearance

Really, I am very cute!

And this is how it ends…

哎。。。算了，回家吧

Āi. . . suàn le, huí jiā ba

Ah…forget it, let’s go home

This is a really fun song. Hope you will enjoy it.

Is America beautiful?

Few posts ago, I asked “Why is America called美国 (Měi Guó)?” Just in case you already forgot, 美国 (Měi Guó) translates to beautiful country.

美(Měi): beautiful

国(Guó): state

Well, it could just be because the Chinese people think that America is beautiful. No matter how the Sino-US relations maybe, I have generally found a fondness for America among the Chinese people. I don’t really know why America was named 美国 (Měi Guó), but I think the explanation given by a friend of mine is worth sharing.

美(Měi) from 美国 (Měi Guó) sounds very similar to the second syllable in America. And since 美 (Měi) has a good meaning as well, the Chinese people decided to name America as 美国 (Měi Guó). And she gave me few other examples too, which really convinced me:

德国(Dé Guó): Deutschland (Germany)

德(Dé): virtue, morals

英国(Yīng Guó): England

英(Yīng): brave

法国(Fǎ Guó): France

法(Fǎ): law

The four tones of Chinese

Many of you have wanted to know more about the tones, and seems like some of you have a wrong understanding of what the tones are. A friend of mine asked me if tones in Chinese were like English words with multiple pronunciations and meanings. He used the word polish as his example.

pol·ish [pol-ish]: to make smooth and glossy, especially by rubbing or friction

Po·lish [poh-lish]: of, pertaining to, or characteristic of Poland, its inhabitants, or their language

When said differently the word polish can mean two completely different things. While I like his analogy, the Chinese tones are not exactly the same. So I thought it will be a good idea to write one more post on the tones. Let’s look at a different example this time.

1^st tone (flat): 低 (dī): low

2^nd tone (rising): 笛 (dí): flute

3^rd tone (falling & rising): 底 (dǐ): bottom

4^th tone (falling): 地 (dì): land

Maybe this video will help