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Peace Corps / China 11/28/2006 
Chinese Language 
Mandarin 
Peace Corps / China 
Chinese Basic Lessons for Invitees, Peace Corps / China Page 1 of 28
Peace Corps / China 11/28/2006 
The script accompanies the following 15 audio tracks: 
CN_Mandarin_Lesson_1 (Time 3:39) (File Size:1.5MB) 
CN_Mandarin_Lesson_2 (Time 14:52)(File Size:6.1MB) 
CN_Mandarin_Lesson_3 (Time 4:45) (File Size:1.95MB) 
CN_Mandarin_Lesson_4 (Time 2:07) (File Size:873KB) 
CN_Mandarin_Lesson_5 (Time 3:14) (File Size:1.3MB) 
CN_Mandarin_Lesson_6 (Time 4:22) (File Size:1.8MB) 
CN_Mandarin_Lesson_7 (Time 3:01) (File Size:1.24MB) 
CN_Mandarin_Lesson_8 (Time 3:37) (File Size:1.49MB) 
CN_Mandarin_Lesson_9 (Time 1:24) File Size:576KB) 
CN_Mandarin_Lesson_10 (Time 1:50)(File Size:757KB) 
CN_Mandarin_Lesson_11 (Time 1:19)(File Size:544KB) 
CN_Mandarin_Lesson_12 (Time 1:12)(File Size:497KB) 
CN_Mandarin_Lesson_13 (Time 2:41)(File Size:1.1MB) 
CN_Mandarin_Lesson_1 4 (Time 1:01)(File Size:420KB) 
CN_Mandarin_Lesson_1 5 (Time 1:25)(File Size:588KB) 
Chinese Basic Lessons for Invitees, Peace Corps / China Page 2 of 28
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Table of Contents 
Lesson 1 Introduction to Chinese Language P4 
Lesson 2 Phonetics P5 
Lesson 3 Basic Grammar P9 
Lesson 4 Greetings P11 
Lesson 5 Introductions P12 
Lesson 6 Numbers/Prices P14 
Lesson 7 Food & Drink P16 
Lesson 8 Some Chinese Dishes P18 
Lesson 9 Useful Phrases P19 
Lesson 10 Sick and Emergency P20 
Lesson 11 Direction and Places P21 
Lesson 12 Clothes and Colors P22 
Lesson 13 Time P23 
Lesson 14 Family P25 
Lesson 15 Home Items P26 
Appendix: Measure words in Chinese (no audio) P27 
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Lesson 1 Introduction to Chinese Language 
Mandarin is the official language of the People’s Republic of China. It is the dialect spoken in the capital Beijing. It is taught in all schools and is used for television and broadcast. Almost the entire population understands Mandarin. The language taught in Pre-Service Training (PST) is Mandarin. 
Chinese is a language with a large number of words with the same pronunciation but a different meaning; what distinguishes these ‘homophones’ is their ‘tonal’ quality – the raising and lowering of pitch on certain syllables. Mandarin has four tones – high, rising, falling-rising and falling, plus a fifth ‘neutral’ tone. To illustrate, look at the word ma which has four different meanings according to tone: 
High m<a ‘mother’ 
Rising m>a ‘hemp’ or ‘numb’ 
Falling-rising m[a ‘horse’ 
Falling m]a ‘to scold’ or ‘swear’ 
Writing System 
Chinese is not a phonetic language and the characters do not bear any resemblance to actual pronunciation. Chinese is often referred to as a language of pictographs. 
There are about 56,000 characters, but the vast majority of these are archaic. It is commonly felt that a well-educated, contemporary Chinese might know and use between 6000 and 8000 characters. To read a Chinese newspaper you will need to know 2000 to 3000, but 1200 to 1500 would be enough to get the gist. 
Each Chinese character represents a spoken syllable, so many people declare that Chinese is a ‘monosyllabic language.’ Actually, it’s more a case of having a monosyllabic writing system. While the building block of the Chinese language is indeed the monosyllabic Chinese character, Chinese words are usually a combination of two or more characters. You could think of Chinese words as being compounds. 
Phonetic system – Pinyin 
In 1958 China adopted a system of writing their language using the Roman alphabet. It's known as Pinyin. It is used in this course. 
Grammar 
Chinese grammar is much simpler than that of European languages. There are no articles (a/the), no tenses and no plurals. The basic point to bear in mind is that, like English, Chinese word order is subject-verb-object. In other words, a basic English sentence like ‘I (subject) love (verb) you (object)’ is constructed in exactly the same way in Chinese.. 
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Lesson 2: Phonetics 
There are 6 basic vowels and 21 consonants in Mandarin Chinese. A syllable always consists of a vowel (V) or a consonant with a vowel (CV), such as ba, fo, ne. Consonant clusters, two or more consonants used in succession, are not permitted in Chinese. Syllabic combinations common in English such as VC (up, at), CVC (big, pat, map), CCVC (bred, dread, stone), CVCC (mask, best, sand), CCV (fly, blue, grow) CCCV (screw, spray, stray), VCC (old, and, ink), VCCC (Olds, ants, amps), CCVCC (brand, trains, swings), CVCCC (tests, tenths, lunged), CVCCCC (thirsts, texts, worlds), CCVCCC (slurps, prints, flirts), CCCVC (street, squat, strut), CCCVCC (struts, squats, sprained), and CCCVCCC (scrimps, sprints, squelched) are not possible in Chinese. CVC, on the other hand, is possible in Chinese, but the final C can only be the nasal sounds -n and -ng and the retroflex –r, such as jing, nan, yong and er. Consonants are often called initials because they invariably appear initially in a word with the exception of the final - n, -ng or r, which can appear finally. Vowels are also called finals because they appear medially or finally in a word. Vowels can stand by themselves when no initial consonant is present. 
Let’s learn the finals (vowels) first: 
MANDARIN 
SIMILAR ENGLISH SOUND 
EXAMPLE (PINYIN & CHARACTER) 
NOTE 
a 
Father 
b]a爸 
e 
fur 
c]e测 
i 
see 
d]i地 
o 
or 
p>o婆 
u 
flute 
b]u不 
` 
German ‘f`r’ 
L]` 绿 
Written as ‘u’ when appearing after ‘j q x’ 
ai 
fly 
n[ai 奶 
ao 
now 
h[ao好 
ei 
day 
m[ei美 
ia 
yard 
xi]a下 
ie 
yes 
xi]e谢 
iu 
yolk 
li]u六 
ou 
low 
l>ou楼 
ua 
wah 
hu<a花 
you ate 
yu]e月 
‘`e’ stands for a syllable by itself, so it is written as ‘yue’, with the 2 dots dropped 
`e 
ui 
way 
hu]i会 
uo 
war 
zu]o做 
iao 
miaow 
y]ao要 
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uai 
why 
ku]ai快 
an 
upon 
m]an慢 
en 
broken 
w]en问 
ang 
town 
f>ang房 
eng 
ehng 
p]eng碰 
er 
her 
]er二 
ian 
yen 
di[an点 
iang 
yahng 
li>ang xi>e凉 
in 
inn 
x<in心 
ing 
eeng 
t<ing听 
iong 
yohng 
y]ong用 
ong 
song 
d<ong冬 
uan 
wand 
gu<an关 
un 
when 
h<un昏 
uang 
wong 
hu>ang 黄 
`an 
you an 
qu>an 全 
`n 
yuen 
j<un 军 
Now the initials (consonants): 
MANDARIN 
SIMILAR ENGLISH SOUND 
EXAMPLE (PINYIN & CHARACTER) 
NOTE 
Bb 
boy 
b]a爸 
Pp 
paper 
p>o婆 
Mm 
mother 
m<a妈 
Ff 
food 
f<a发 
Dd 
door 
d]a大 
Tt 
tall 
t<a他 
Nn 
name 
n[i你 
Ll 
life 
l]e乐 
Gg 
girl 
g]e个 
Kk 
kid 
k]e客 
Hh 
high 
h>e和 
Jj 
jeans 
ji[e姐 
the lips do not protrude 
Qq 
cheese 
qi>an钱 
Xx 
shock 
xi<u休 
the lips do not protrude 
Zz 
kids 
zu]o坐 
Cc 
cats 
c<a 擦 
Not a equivalent in English 
Ss 
sir 
s<an三 
Zhzh 
joy 
zh[ao找 
pronounced without rounding and protruding the lips 
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Chch 
child 
chu>ang床 
See above 
Shsh 
shoe 
shu<o说 
See above 
Rr 
red 
ru[an软 
See above 
Vv 
visit 
Only to spell foreign words 
Ww 
white 
w[o我 
Is actually ‘u’ when ‘u’ stands for a syllable by itself 
Yy 
year 
y[ou有 
Is actually ‘i’ (see above) 
Some sounds are especially difficult for English speakers to remember, and have similar pronunciations. The sound q, for example, sounds a little like ch. Similar pairs are x and sh, and j and zh. 
Please listen and repeat the following words: 
zi ci si zhi chi shi ri ji qi xi 
Tones 
High < high, flat, continuous tone 
Rising > rising tone similar to the intonation used in the question 
What?’ 
Falling-rising [ tone that falls then rises. You'll hear many Mandarin 
speakers ‘swallow’ the rising sound, only giving it a clear 
falling-rising pattern far emphasis. 
Falling ] falling tone, similar to the one used when yelling ‘Damn!’ 
To help you get close, here's a brief try at tones, transcribed in English. Consider the syllable ‘mmm’ (a non-syllable in Mandarin). Then, 
¯ The high level tone is what you might say in English if you were asked a question, and you had to think about it before answering. It's high, and it's a constant tone: “Mmm, sixteen, I think.” 
> The rising tone is like a question: “Mmm? I didn't catch that.” 
[ The low level tone is what you might say in English to express doubt, or disbelief: “Mmm...I don't know about that.” 
] The falling tone is like an interjection: “Mmm! Well, I'll be!” 
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Listen and repeat: 
first tone second tone third tone fourthtone 
<a >a [a ]a 
m<a m>a m[a m]a 
t<ang t>ang t[ang t]ang 
q<ing q>ing q[ing q]ing 
y<an y>an y[an y]an 
gu<o gu>o gu[o gu]o 
Choose the syllables you heard: 
1. d]idi[an b<aobi[an t<ongh>ong d]aodi[an 
d]it[an b[aopi]an g]ongt>ong d]aoti>an 
z]aizu]o x<ingqi>u c<ant<ing c]esu[o 
c>aicu]o j<iy>ou k]anx]in ji>ecu]o 
2. ji<an xu>e yu<e r]i c>eng r]ou xu[an 
zh<an shu<i ju<e z]i q[ing z[ou ju[an 
zh[un ch>en yu]e ji<ang c<ang zh[en ch<un y>un zh<ang sh<ang 
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Lesson 3: Basic Grammar 
Mandarin grammar is relatively straightforward. There are no verb conjugations, no plurals, no articles (a/the), and no gender or tenses. At an elementary level, sentence order is similar to English: subject-verb-object. For example, the sentence ‘I study Chinese’ follows exactly the same word order in Mandarin: 
I study Chinese. W[o xu>e h]any[u。(lit: I study Chinese) 
Let’s learn a few words first: 
this zh]e 
that n]a 
to be sh]i 
tea ch>a 
rice/meal f]an 
cup b<eizi 
egg j<id]an 
question particle m<a 
no b]u 
what sh>enme 
Then you can talk about objects: 
This is tea. 
That is rice. 
This is a cup. 
That is an egg. 
Zh]e sh]i ch>a。 
N]a sh]i f]an。 
Zh]e sh]i b<eizi。 
N]a sh]i j<id]an。 
Note: ‘Sh]i’ is ‘to be’. It is generally followed by a noun which defines the subject/topic. It is not normally followed by an adjective on its own. 
How to form a question? 
A very simple way to form a question in Chinese is by putting a question particle ‘ma’ at the end of a sentence that would otherwise be a plain statement. English counterparts of these questions are usually formed by syntactically more complicated “transformational” processes such as movement of the verb to the beginning of the sentence. 
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Is this tea? 
Yes./ No. 
Zh]e sh]i ch>a ma? 
Sh]i / B>u sh]i。 
Is that rice? 
Yes. /No. 
N]a sh]i f]an ma? 
Sh]i / B>u sh]i。 
Is this a cup? 
Yes./No. 
Zh]e sh]i b<eizi ma? 
Sh]i / B>u sh]i。 
Is that an egg? 
Yes. /No. 
N]a sh]i j<id]an ma? 
Sh]i / B>u sh]i。 
Note: The word ‘b]u’ is the negative word. It precedes the verb to indicate that something does not happen. Here its tone changes from the fourth to the second because it is followed by a fourth tone. You will learn the rule in the future. 
So how do you ask what something is? 
‘什么Sh>enme’ is the interrogative word ‘what’. The most important feature about Chinese interrogative pronouns is that, unlike English practice which shifts all interrogative pronouns to the beginning of the question, Chinese keeps them in the position in the sentence where the answers would be expected. 
What is this? 
This is tea. 
What is that? 
That is a cup. 
Zh]e sh]i sh>enme? 
Zh]e sh]i ch>a。 
N]a sh]i sh>enme? 
N]a sh]i b<eizi。 
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Lesson 4: Greetings 
Vocabulary 
you (singular) n[i 
I, me w[o 
good, all right h[ao 
goodbye z]aiji]an 
morning z[ao 
morning z[aosh]ang 
afternoon xi]aw[u 
evening w[ansh]ang 
Dialogue 1 
Greetings in all circumstances 
A: How are you? 
B: How are you? 
A: Goodbye. 
B: Goodbye. 
A: N[[i h[ao。 
B: N[i h[ao。 
A: Z]aiji]an。 
B: Z]aiji]an。 
Note: N[i h[ao. This is a common, slightly formal, greeting. Literally it would translate as “You are good,” or if conceived of as a question, “Are you fine?” However, it is not really a question. The response is usually simply N[i h[ao again. Other common greetings used among friends or acquaintances are: 
Dialogue 2: 
Greet people in the morning 
Good morning. 
Good morning. 
A: Z[ao。(or Z[aosh]ang h[ao。) 
B: Z[ao。(or Z[aosh]ang h[ao。) 
Note: You can change the morning ‘z[aosh]ang’ to afternoon ‘xi]aw[u’ or evening ‘w[ansh]ang’ respectively, and add good ‘h[ao’ to greet people in different times of a day. 
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Lesson 5: Introductions 
Vocabulary 
May I ask...? Q[ingw]en... 
you (singular) n[i 
what sh>enme 
name m>ingzi 
I, me w[o 
call, to be called, to be named ji]ao 
(V) to be surnamed; (N) surname x]ing 
a male’s name Zh<ang W[ei 
Dialogue 1 
Ask for the whole name 
A: May I ask your name? 
B: I’m called Zhang Wei. 
A: Q[ingw]en, n[i ji]ao sh>enme m>ingzi? 
B: W[o ji]ao Zh<ang W[ei。 
Dialogue 2: 
Ask for the family name and the given name 
A: May I ask your surname? 
B: My family name is Wang. 
I’m called Wang Jiande. 
And you? 
What is your name? 
A: My family name is Zhang. I am called Zhang Wei. 
A: Q[ingw]en, n[i x]ing sh>enme? 
B: W[o x]ing W>ang, 
ji]ao W>ang Ji]and>e。 
N[i ne? 
N[i ji]ao sh>enme m>ingzi? 
A: W[o x]ing Zh<ang, ji]ao Zh<ang W[ei。 
Note: In a Chinese name, the surname or family name always comes first, followed by the given name. Most surnames consist of a single character, though some have two. 
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Given names may be either one or two characters. Depending on social circumstances, individuals identify themselves either 
(1) by surname only: W[o x]ing Zh<ang 
or 
(2) by full name: W[o ji]ao Zh<ang W[ei, or W[o sh]i Zh<ang W[ei. 
The personal pronouns: 
I/me w[o 
You n[i 
He/him t<a 
She/her t<a 
It t<a 
We/us w[omen 
You (pl.) n[imen 
They/them t<amen 
Note: Chinese personal pronouns are very simple. There is no distinction for case. 'W[o' is 'w[o’ regardless of whether it is the subject of the sentence or the object of the verb, and the same is true for the second and third person pronouns. Nor is there a distinction for gender. ‘T<a’ is ‘t<a’, whether it refers to a woman or a man. 
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Lesson 6 Numbers and Prices 
Numbers 1-10: 
one y<i 一 
two ]er 二 (When counting, two is ]er二, when used with 
measure words, it is li[ang两) 
three s<an 三 
four s]i 四 
five w[u 五 
six li]u 六 
seven q<i 七 
eight b<a 八 
nine ji[u 九 
ten sh>i 十 
Numbers 10 - 1billion: 
The Chinese number system is quite simple and generally easy to learn. Multiples of 10 are made by stating the multiple and then 10 – so 20 is literally ‘two ten’. If you learn the numbers from one to 10, you can count to 100 without having to learn any new vocabulary. 
The Chinese counting system is based on units of 10. These multiply as follows: 
10 sh>i 十 
100 b[ai 百 
1000 qi<an 千 
10,000 w]an 万 
100,000 sh>iw]an 十万 
1 million b[aiw]an 百万 
10 million qi<anw]an 千万 
100 million w]anw]an; y]i 亿 
1 billion sh>i y]i 十亿 
Ordinal numbers: 
Simply prefix any number with d]i, and it becomes an ordinal: 
1st d]i y<i 
2nd d]i’ ]er 
3rd d]i s<an 
10th d]i sh>i Chinese Basic Lessons for Invitees, Peace Corps / China Page 14 of 28
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Dialogue 1 
Asking for the price 
Excuse me, how much is this? 
Ten yuan. 
I want this one. Thanks. 
A: Q[ing w]en, zh]ege du<osh[ao qi>an? 
B: Sh>i-ku]ai qi>an。 
A: W[o y]ao zh]ege。Xi]exi]e。 
Dialogue 2 
Asking for items in the grocery 
What do you want to buy? 
I want to buy mineral water. How much is it (per bottle)? 
Two-sixty. How many bottles do you want? 
Four. 
A: N[i y]ao m[ai sh>enme? 
B: W[o y]ao m[ai ku]angqu>anshu[i。Du<osh[ao qi>an y]i-p>ing? 
A: Li[ang-ku]ai-li]u。 Y]ao j[i-p>ing? 
B: S]i-p>ing。 
Vocabulary 
this zh]ege 
that n]age 
which n[age 
how much? how many? du<osh[ao 
money qi>an 
"dollar" or Chinese yuan ku]ai yu>an is slightly more formal 
want y]ao 
thanks, thank you xi]exie 
buy m[ai 
mineral water ku]angqu>anshu[i 
(Measure word) bottle p>ing 
how many? (up to ten or so) j[i- another meaning is ‘several’ 
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Lesson 7 Food and Drinks 
Vocabulary 
1. rice m[if]an 
2. noodle mi]anti>ao 
3. dumpling ji[aozi 
4. bread mi]anb<ao 
5. vegetable sh<uc]ai 
6. pork zh<ur]ou 
7. beef ni>ur]ou 
8. fish y>u 
9. water shu[i 
10. mineral water ku]angqu[anshu[i 
11. coffee k<af<ei 
12. tea ch>a 
13. milk ni>un[ai. 
14. juice gu[o zh<i. 
15. beer p>iji[u 
16. yogurt su<ann[ai 
17.bowl w[an 
18. plate p>anzi 
19.cup b<eizi 
20. bottle p>ingzi 
21. sugar t>ang 
22. salt y>an 
23. chili l]aji<ao 
24.oil y>ou 
25.MSG w]eijing 
26.hot r]ede; t]angde 
27. iced b<ingd]ongde 
28.and h>e 
Phrases & Sentences: 
I’d like to have noodles. W[o y]ao mi]anti>ao。 
I don’t want noodles. W[o b>uy]ao mi]anti>ao。 
Do you have… or not? Y[ou m>eiy[ou…? 
Don't make it too hot. B>uy]ao t]ai l]a。 Chinese Basic Lessons for Invitees, Peace Corps / China Page 16 of 28
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I like dumplings. W[o x[ihu<an ji[aozi。 
I don’t like rice. W[o b]ux[ihu<an m[if]an。 
Can I have the bill, please? M[aid<an/Su]anzh]ang。 
Please try to use the vocabulary above to substitute these sentences. 
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Lesson 8 Some Chinese Dishes 
Cold Dishes (Appetizers): 
1. li>angb]an ji<angd]ou Boiled cowpeas with chili sauce 
2. p]aoc]ai pickles 
Hot Dishes (Main Course): 
1. y>uxi<ang r]ous<i Stir fried shredded pork with “YuXiang” sauce 
2. hu>igu<o r]ou Twice cooked pork 
3. y>uxi<ang qi>ezi Stir fried eggplant with “YuXiang” sauce 
4. g<ongb]ao j<id<ing Spicy chicken with peanuts 
5. f<anqi>e ch[ao j<id]an Scrambled eggs with tomato 
6. t>angc]u p>aig[u Sweet and sour spare ribs 
Vegetable: 
1. h[up>i q<ingji<ao Fried/Tiger-skin green pepper 
2. t[ud]ou s<i Stir fried shredded potatoes 
3. t>angc]u li>anb>ai Stir fried cabbage with sweet and sour sauce 
4. g<anbi[an s]ij]id]ou Fried kidney beans 
Noodles: 
1. f<anqi>e j<id]an mi]an Noodles with egg & tomato 
2. z>aji]ang mi]an Noodles with meat sauce 
3. ni>ur]ou mi]an Noodles with beef 
4. h>ongy>ou shu[iji[ao Boiled dumplings with chili sauce 
5. q<ingt<ang shu[iji[ao Boiled dumplings 
6. ch<aosh[ou Boiled soft dumplings with soup 
Rice & Grains 
1. m[if]an Rice 
2. d]an ch[aof]an Fried rice with egg 
3. b<ab[ao zh<ou 8-treasures Porridge 
Fruits: 
1. p>inggu[o apples 
2. xi<angji<ao bananas 
3. j>uzi tangerines 
4. x<igu<a watermelon 
5. t>aozi peaches 
6. l>izi pears 
7. c[aom>ei strawberries 
Please say “I like …” and “I don’t like …” in Chinese by using above vocabulary. 
Please visit a Chinese restaurant in your hometown to try out some dishes and try your Chinese Language! Chinese Basic Lessons for Invitees, Peace Corps / China Page 18 of 28
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Lesson 9 Useful Phrases 
1. Thank you. Xi]exi]e。 
2. You’re welcome B>uxi]e。 
3. I am sorry. Du]ibuq[i。 
4. That’s all right M>eigu<anx]i。 
5. May I ask…? Q[ingw]en… 
6. Do you speak English? N[i hu]ishu<o y<ingy[u ma? 
7. I am an American. W[o sh]i m[eigu>o r>en。 
8. I am a Peace Corps volunteer. W[o sh]i H>ep>ing du]iyu>an。 
9. I don’t speak Chinese. W[o b>uhu]i h]any[u。 
10.Do you understand? N[i n>eng t<ingd[ong ma? 
11.I don’t understand. W[o t<ing b]ud[ong。 
12. Please say it again. Q[ing z]ai shu<o y>ibi]an。 
13. Please speak slowly. Q[ing shu<o m]an y]idi[an。 Chinese Basic Lessons for Invitees, Peace Corps / China Page 19 of 28
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Lesson 10 Sickness and Emergency 
Sick 
I am sick. W[o sh<engb]ing le。 
I have a cold. W[o g[anm]ao le。 
I am allergic to this. W[o du]i zh]ege gu]om[in。 
I am tired. W[o l]ei le。 
I want to go to bed. W[o xi[ang shu]iji]ao le。 
Where is the bathroom? X[ish[ouji<an z]ai n[a? 
I need to go to the hospital. W[o y]ao d]ao y<iyu]an。 
May I ask where the hospital is? Q[ingw]en, y<iyu]an z]ai n[a? 
Emergency 
Help! Ji]u m]ing! 
Police! J[ingch>a! 
May I use your telephone? W[o k[ey[i y]ong n[ide di]anhu]a ma? 
I need to call the police 110. W[o y]ao d[a y<ao-y<ao-l>ing。 
(y<ao is an alternate pronunciation for the number one, used because y<i is easily confused with q<i, especially on the telephone) 
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Lesson 11 Direction and Places 
Direction 
Where is the…? …z]ai n[ar? 
On the left Z]ai zu[o bi<an。 
On the right Z]ai y]ou bi<an。 
Straight-ahead Qi>an bi<an。 
Near by F]u j]in。 
Not far from here L>i zh]er b]u yu[an。 
Above Sh]ang bi<an。 
Behind H]ou bi<an。 
Places 
shop sh<angdi]an 
street ji<e(d]ao) 
restaurant f]angu[an 
school xu>exi]ao 
classroom ji]aosh]i 
office b]ang<ongsh]i 
bus station ch<ezh]an 
railway station hu[och<ezh]an 
Chinese Basic Lessons for Invitees, Peace Corps / China Page 21 of 28
Peace Corps / China 11/28/2006 
Lesson 12 Clothes and Colors 
Clothes Y<ifu 
pants k]uzi 
blouse w]ait]ao 
shirt ch]ensh<an 
skirt q>unzi 
jacket ji>ak]e 
shoes xi>e 
sandals li>angxi>e 
slippers tu<oxi>e 
Colors y>ans]e 
white b>ai (s]e) 
black h<ei (s]e) 
red h>ong (s]e) 
yellow hu>ang (s]e) 
blue l>an (s]e) 
green l]ü (s]e) 
gray hu<<i (s]e) 
brown z<ong/h]e (s]e) 
Chinese Basic Lessons for Invitees, Peace Corps / China Page 22 of 28
Peace Corps / China 11/28/2006 
Lesson 13 Time 
Vocabulary: 
Days of the week X<ingq<i 
Monday X<ingq<i y<i 
Tuesday X<ingq<i ]er 
Wednesday X<ingq<i s<an 
Thursday X<ingq<i s]i 
Friday X<ingq<i w[u 
Saturday X<ingq<i li]u 
Sunday X<ingq<i ti<an 
Weekend Zh<oum]o 
Months Yu]e 
January y<i yu]e 
February ]er yu]e 
March s<an yu]e 
April s]i yu]e 
May w[u yu]e 
June li]u yu]e 
July q<i yu]e 
August b<a yu]e 
September ji[u yu]e 
October sh>i yu]e 
November sh>i y<i yu]e 
December sh>i ]er yu[e 
Chinese Basic Lessons for Invitees, Peace Corps / China Page 23 of 28
Peace Corps / China 11/28/2006 
year ni>an 
month yu]e 
day r]i/h]ao 
hour di[an 
minute f<en 
yesterday zu>oti<an 
today j<inti<an 
tomorrow m>ingti<an 
Phrases & Sentences: 
What time is it? J[i di[an le? 
It is 9:10. Ji[u di[an sh>i f<en。 
What day is it? J<inti<an x<ingq<i j[i? 
Today is Monday. J<inti<an x<ingq<i y<i。 
What is the date of today? J<inti<an j[ih]ao? 
Today is May 1st. J<inti<an w[uyu]e y<ih]ao。 Chinese Basic Lessons for Invitees, Peace Corps / China Page 24 of 28
Peace Corps / China 11/28/2006 
Lesson 14 Family 
mother m<ama 
father b]aba 
older sister ji[ejie 
younger sister m]eimei 
older brother g<ege 
younger brother d]idi 
daughter n[ü’er 
son >erzi 
grandmother n[ainai 
grandfather y>eye 
niece zh>in[ü 
nephew zh>izi 
man n>anr>en 
woman n[ür>en 
boy n>anh>ai’r 
girl n[üh>ai’r 
Chinese Basic Lessons for Invitees, Peace Corps / China Page 25 of 28
Peace Corps / China 11/28/2006 
Lesson 15 Home Items 
glass / cup b<eizi 
chopsticks ku]aizi 
bowl w[an 
plate p>anzi 
spoon t<angsh>i 
fork ch<azi 
knife d<ao 
table zhu<ozi 
chair y[izi 
door m>en 
window chu<ang 
home ji<a 
hotel b<ingu[an 
room f>angji<an 
bathroom w]eish<eng ji<an/c]esu[o 
toilet m[at[ong 
toilet paper w]eish<eng zh[i 
soap f>eiz]ao 
towel m>aoj<in 
bed chu>ang 
bed sheet chu>angd<an 
blanket t[anzi 
pillow zh[entou 
Chinese Basic Lessons for Invitees, Peace Corps / China Page 26 of 28
Peace Corps / China 11/28/2006 
Appendix 
Measure words in Chinese: 
(No Audio) 
In Chinese, as in other languages, nouns may be differentiated into a number of categories. The largest category is the common nouns, which covers tangible, discrete entities, e.g. 大人d]ar>en adult, 树sh]u tree, etc. The other noun categories are a) proper nouns, e.g. 中国zh<onggu>o China, 张伟Zh<ang W[ei (name of a person); b) material nouns (for non-discrete entities), e.g. 茶ch>a tea; c) and abstract noun (for non-tangible entities), e.g. 文化w>enhu]a culture, 经济j<ingj]i economy. The Chinese common nouns, unlike English ones, make no distinction in form between singular and plural: 
cup/cups 
a/one cup 
two cups 
b<eizi 
y>i g]e b<eizi 
li[ang g]e b<eizi 
egg/eggs 
an/one egg 
two eggs 
j<id]an 
y>i g]e j<id]an 
li[ang g]e j<id]an 
Another important feature of the common noun in Chinese is that when it is used with a numeral, the numeral has to have a measure word between it and the noun. g]e is by far the most common measure word and it can occur with a wide range of nouns. 
one person 
two eggs 
three cups 
four elder brothers 
five plates 
six teachers 
seven water melons 
y>i g]e r>en 
li[ang g]e j<id]an 
s<an g]e b<eizi 
s]i g]e g<ege 
w[u g]e p>anzi 
li]u g]e l[aosh<i 
q<i g]e x<igu<a 
Chinese Basic Lessons for Invitees, Peace Corps / China Page 27 of 28
Peace Corps / China 11/28/2006 
eight balls 
nine kids 
ten cities 
b<a g]e p>iqi>u 
ji[u g]e h>aizi 
sh>i g]e ch>engsh]i 
A considerable number of nouns or sets of nouns are linked with particular measure words. We will learn more about measure words in the future. 
Chinese Basic Lessons for Invitees, Peace Corps / China Page 28 of 28

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Basic Chinese (Mandarin) Language Course

  • 1. Peace Corps / China 11/28/2006 Chinese Language Mandarin Peace Corps / China Chinese Basic Lessons for Invitees, Peace Corps / China Page 1 of 28
  • 2. Peace Corps / China 11/28/2006 The script accompanies the following 15 audio tracks: CN_Mandarin_Lesson_1 (Time 3:39) (File Size:1.5MB) CN_Mandarin_Lesson_2 (Time 14:52)(File Size:6.1MB) CN_Mandarin_Lesson_3 (Time 4:45) (File Size:1.95MB) CN_Mandarin_Lesson_4 (Time 2:07) (File Size:873KB) CN_Mandarin_Lesson_5 (Time 3:14) (File Size:1.3MB) CN_Mandarin_Lesson_6 (Time 4:22) (File Size:1.8MB) CN_Mandarin_Lesson_7 (Time 3:01) (File Size:1.24MB) CN_Mandarin_Lesson_8 (Time 3:37) (File Size:1.49MB) CN_Mandarin_Lesson_9 (Time 1:24) File Size:576KB) CN_Mandarin_Lesson_10 (Time 1:50)(File Size:757KB) CN_Mandarin_Lesson_11 (Time 1:19)(File Size:544KB) CN_Mandarin_Lesson_12 (Time 1:12)(File Size:497KB) CN_Mandarin_Lesson_13 (Time 2:41)(File Size:1.1MB) CN_Mandarin_Lesson_1 4 (Time 1:01)(File Size:420KB) CN_Mandarin_Lesson_1 5 (Time 1:25)(File Size:588KB) Chinese Basic Lessons for Invitees, Peace Corps / China Page 2 of 28
  • 3. Peace Corps / China 11/28/2006 Table of Contents Lesson 1 Introduction to Chinese Language P4 Lesson 2 Phonetics P5 Lesson 3 Basic Grammar P9 Lesson 4 Greetings P11 Lesson 5 Introductions P12 Lesson 6 Numbers/Prices P14 Lesson 7 Food & Drink P16 Lesson 8 Some Chinese Dishes P18 Lesson 9 Useful Phrases P19 Lesson 10 Sick and Emergency P20 Lesson 11 Direction and Places P21 Lesson 12 Clothes and Colors P22 Lesson 13 Time P23 Lesson 14 Family P25 Lesson 15 Home Items P26 Appendix: Measure words in Chinese (no audio) P27 Chinese Basic Lessons for Invitees, Peace Corps / China Page 3 of 28
  • 4. Peace Corps / China 11/28/2006 Lesson 1 Introduction to Chinese Language Mandarin is the official language of the People’s Republic of China. It is the dialect spoken in the capital Beijing. It is taught in all schools and is used for television and broadcast. Almost the entire population understands Mandarin. The language taught in Pre-Service Training (PST) is Mandarin. Chinese is a language with a large number of words with the same pronunciation but a different meaning; what distinguishes these ‘homophones’ is their ‘tonal’ quality – the raising and lowering of pitch on certain syllables. Mandarin has four tones – high, rising, falling-rising and falling, plus a fifth ‘neutral’ tone. To illustrate, look at the word ma which has four different meanings according to tone: High m<a ‘mother’ Rising m>a ‘hemp’ or ‘numb’ Falling-rising m[a ‘horse’ Falling m]a ‘to scold’ or ‘swear’ Writing System Chinese is not a phonetic language and the characters do not bear any resemblance to actual pronunciation. Chinese is often referred to as a language of pictographs. There are about 56,000 characters, but the vast majority of these are archaic. It is commonly felt that a well-educated, contemporary Chinese might know and use between 6000 and 8000 characters. To read a Chinese newspaper you will need to know 2000 to 3000, but 1200 to 1500 would be enough to get the gist. Each Chinese character represents a spoken syllable, so many people declare that Chinese is a ‘monosyllabic language.’ Actually, it’s more a case of having a monosyllabic writing system. While the building block of the Chinese language is indeed the monosyllabic Chinese character, Chinese words are usually a combination of two or more characters. You could think of Chinese words as being compounds. Phonetic system – Pinyin In 1958 China adopted a system of writing their language using the Roman alphabet. It's known as Pinyin. It is used in this course. Grammar Chinese grammar is much simpler than that of European languages. There are no articles (a/the), no tenses and no plurals. The basic point to bear in mind is that, like English, Chinese word order is subject-verb-object. In other words, a basic English sentence like ‘I (subject) love (verb) you (object)’ is constructed in exactly the same way in Chinese.. Chinese Basic Lessons for Invitees, Peace Corps / China Page 4 of 28
  • 5. Peace Corps / China 11/28/2006 Lesson 2: Phonetics There are 6 basic vowels and 21 consonants in Mandarin Chinese. A syllable always consists of a vowel (V) or a consonant with a vowel (CV), such as ba, fo, ne. Consonant clusters, two or more consonants used in succession, are not permitted in Chinese. Syllabic combinations common in English such as VC (up, at), CVC (big, pat, map), CCVC (bred, dread, stone), CVCC (mask, best, sand), CCV (fly, blue, grow) CCCV (screw, spray, stray), VCC (old, and, ink), VCCC (Olds, ants, amps), CCVCC (brand, trains, swings), CVCCC (tests, tenths, lunged), CVCCCC (thirsts, texts, worlds), CCVCCC (slurps, prints, flirts), CCCVC (street, squat, strut), CCCVCC (struts, squats, sprained), and CCCVCCC (scrimps, sprints, squelched) are not possible in Chinese. CVC, on the other hand, is possible in Chinese, but the final C can only be the nasal sounds -n and -ng and the retroflex –r, such as jing, nan, yong and er. Consonants are often called initials because they invariably appear initially in a word with the exception of the final - n, -ng or r, which can appear finally. Vowels are also called finals because they appear medially or finally in a word. Vowels can stand by themselves when no initial consonant is present. Let’s learn the finals (vowels) first: MANDARIN SIMILAR ENGLISH SOUND EXAMPLE (PINYIN & CHARACTER) NOTE a Father b]a爸 e fur c]e测 i see d]i地 o or p>o婆 u flute b]u不 ` German ‘f`r’ L]` 绿 Written as ‘u’ when appearing after ‘j q x’ ai fly n[ai 奶 ao now h[ao好 ei day m[ei美 ia yard xi]a下 ie yes xi]e谢 iu yolk li]u六 ou low l>ou楼 ua wah hu<a花 you ate yu]e月 ‘`e’ stands for a syllable by itself, so it is written as ‘yue’, with the 2 dots dropped `e ui way hu]i会 uo war zu]o做 iao miaow y]ao要 Chinese Basic Lessons for Invitees, Peace Corps / China Page 5 of 28
  • 6. Peace Corps / China 11/28/2006 uai why ku]ai快 an upon m]an慢 en broken w]en问 ang town f>ang房 eng ehng p]eng碰 er her ]er二 ian yen di[an点 iang yahng li>ang xi>e凉 in inn x<in心 ing eeng t<ing听 iong yohng y]ong用 ong song d<ong冬 uan wand gu<an关 un when h<un昏 uang wong hu>ang 黄 `an you an qu>an 全 `n yuen j<un 军 Now the initials (consonants): MANDARIN SIMILAR ENGLISH SOUND EXAMPLE (PINYIN & CHARACTER) NOTE Bb boy b]a爸 Pp paper p>o婆 Mm mother m<a妈 Ff food f<a发 Dd door d]a大 Tt tall t<a他 Nn name n[i你 Ll life l]e乐 Gg girl g]e个 Kk kid k]e客 Hh high h>e和 Jj jeans ji[e姐 the lips do not protrude Qq cheese qi>an钱 Xx shock xi<u休 the lips do not protrude Zz kids zu]o坐 Cc cats c<a 擦 Not a equivalent in English Ss sir s<an三 Zhzh joy zh[ao找 pronounced without rounding and protruding the lips Chinese Basic Lessons for Invitees, Peace Corps / China Page 6 of 28
  • 7. Peace Corps / China 11/28/2006 Chch child chu>ang床 See above Shsh shoe shu<o说 See above Rr red ru[an软 See above Vv visit Only to spell foreign words Ww white w[o我 Is actually ‘u’ when ‘u’ stands for a syllable by itself Yy year y[ou有 Is actually ‘i’ (see above) Some sounds are especially difficult for English speakers to remember, and have similar pronunciations. The sound q, for example, sounds a little like ch. Similar pairs are x and sh, and j and zh. Please listen and repeat the following words: zi ci si zhi chi shi ri ji qi xi Tones High < high, flat, continuous tone Rising > rising tone similar to the intonation used in the question What?’ Falling-rising [ tone that falls then rises. You'll hear many Mandarin speakers ‘swallow’ the rising sound, only giving it a clear falling-rising pattern far emphasis. Falling ] falling tone, similar to the one used when yelling ‘Damn!’ To help you get close, here's a brief try at tones, transcribed in English. Consider the syllable ‘mmm’ (a non-syllable in Mandarin). Then, ¯ The high level tone is what you might say in English if you were asked a question, and you had to think about it before answering. It's high, and it's a constant tone: “Mmm, sixteen, I think.” > The rising tone is like a question: “Mmm? I didn't catch that.” [ The low level tone is what you might say in English to express doubt, or disbelief: “Mmm...I don't know about that.” ] The falling tone is like an interjection: “Mmm! Well, I'll be!” Chinese Basic Lessons for Invitees, Peace Corps / China Page 7 of 28
  • 8. Peace Corps / China 11/28/2006 Listen and repeat: first tone second tone third tone fourthtone <a >a [a ]a m<a m>a m[a m]a t<ang t>ang t[ang t]ang q<ing q>ing q[ing q]ing y<an y>an y[an y]an gu<o gu>o gu[o gu]o Choose the syllables you heard: 1. d]idi[an b<aobi[an t<ongh>ong d]aodi[an d]it[an b[aopi]an g]ongt>ong d]aoti>an z]aizu]o x<ingqi>u c<ant<ing c]esu[o c>aicu]o j<iy>ou k]anx]in ji>ecu]o 2. ji<an xu>e yu<e r]i c>eng r]ou xu[an zh<an shu<i ju<e z]i q[ing z[ou ju[an zh[un ch>en yu]e ji<ang c<ang zh[en ch<un y>un zh<ang sh<ang Chinese Basic Lessons for Invitees, Peace Corps / China Page 8 of 28
  • 9. Peace Corps / China 11/28/2006 Lesson 3: Basic Grammar Mandarin grammar is relatively straightforward. There are no verb conjugations, no plurals, no articles (a/the), and no gender or tenses. At an elementary level, sentence order is similar to English: subject-verb-object. For example, the sentence ‘I study Chinese’ follows exactly the same word order in Mandarin: I study Chinese. W[o xu>e h]any[u。(lit: I study Chinese) Let’s learn a few words first: this zh]e that n]a to be sh]i tea ch>a rice/meal f]an cup b<eizi egg j<id]an question particle m<a no b]u what sh>enme Then you can talk about objects: This is tea. That is rice. This is a cup. That is an egg. Zh]e sh]i ch>a。 N]a sh]i f]an。 Zh]e sh]i b<eizi。 N]a sh]i j<id]an。 Note: ‘Sh]i’ is ‘to be’. It is generally followed by a noun which defines the subject/topic. It is not normally followed by an adjective on its own. How to form a question? A very simple way to form a question in Chinese is by putting a question particle ‘ma’ at the end of a sentence that would otherwise be a plain statement. English counterparts of these questions are usually formed by syntactically more complicated “transformational” processes such as movement of the verb to the beginning of the sentence. Chinese Basic Lessons for Invitees, Peace Corps / China Page 9 of 28
  • 10. Peace Corps / China 11/28/2006 Is this tea? Yes./ No. Zh]e sh]i ch>a ma? Sh]i / B>u sh]i。 Is that rice? Yes. /No. N]a sh]i f]an ma? Sh]i / B>u sh]i。 Is this a cup? Yes./No. Zh]e sh]i b<eizi ma? Sh]i / B>u sh]i。 Is that an egg? Yes. /No. N]a sh]i j<id]an ma? Sh]i / B>u sh]i。 Note: The word ‘b]u’ is the negative word. It precedes the verb to indicate that something does not happen. Here its tone changes from the fourth to the second because it is followed by a fourth tone. You will learn the rule in the future. So how do you ask what something is? ‘什么Sh>enme’ is the interrogative word ‘what’. The most important feature about Chinese interrogative pronouns is that, unlike English practice which shifts all interrogative pronouns to the beginning of the question, Chinese keeps them in the position in the sentence where the answers would be expected. What is this? This is tea. What is that? That is a cup. Zh]e sh]i sh>enme? Zh]e sh]i ch>a。 N]a sh]i sh>enme? N]a sh]i b<eizi。 Chinese Basic Lessons for Invitees, Peace Corps / China Page 10 of 28
  • 11. Peace Corps / China 11/28/2006 Lesson 4: Greetings Vocabulary you (singular) n[i I, me w[o good, all right h[ao goodbye z]aiji]an morning z[ao morning z[aosh]ang afternoon xi]aw[u evening w[ansh]ang Dialogue 1 Greetings in all circumstances A: How are you? B: How are you? A: Goodbye. B: Goodbye. A: N[[i h[ao。 B: N[i h[ao。 A: Z]aiji]an。 B: Z]aiji]an。 Note: N[i h[ao. This is a common, slightly formal, greeting. Literally it would translate as “You are good,” or if conceived of as a question, “Are you fine?” However, it is not really a question. The response is usually simply N[i h[ao again. Other common greetings used among friends or acquaintances are: Dialogue 2: Greet people in the morning Good morning. Good morning. A: Z[ao。(or Z[aosh]ang h[ao。) B: Z[ao。(or Z[aosh]ang h[ao。) Note: You can change the morning ‘z[aosh]ang’ to afternoon ‘xi]aw[u’ or evening ‘w[ansh]ang’ respectively, and add good ‘h[ao’ to greet people in different times of a day. Chinese Basic Lessons for Invitees, Peace Corps / China Page 11 of 28
  • 12. Peace Corps / China 11/28/2006 Lesson 5: Introductions Vocabulary May I ask...? Q[ingw]en... you (singular) n[i what sh>enme name m>ingzi I, me w[o call, to be called, to be named ji]ao (V) to be surnamed; (N) surname x]ing a male’s name Zh<ang W[ei Dialogue 1 Ask for the whole name A: May I ask your name? B: I’m called Zhang Wei. A: Q[ingw]en, n[i ji]ao sh>enme m>ingzi? B: W[o ji]ao Zh<ang W[ei。 Dialogue 2: Ask for the family name and the given name A: May I ask your surname? B: My family name is Wang. I’m called Wang Jiande. And you? What is your name? A: My family name is Zhang. I am called Zhang Wei. A: Q[ingw]en, n[i x]ing sh>enme? B: W[o x]ing W>ang, ji]ao W>ang Ji]and>e。 N[i ne? N[i ji]ao sh>enme m>ingzi? A: W[o x]ing Zh<ang, ji]ao Zh<ang W[ei。 Note: In a Chinese name, the surname or family name always comes first, followed by the given name. Most surnames consist of a single character, though some have two. Chinese Basic Lessons for Invitees, Peace Corps / China Page 12 of 28
  • 13. Peace Corps / China 11/28/2006 Given names may be either one or two characters. Depending on social circumstances, individuals identify themselves either (1) by surname only: W[o x]ing Zh<ang or (2) by full name: W[o ji]ao Zh<ang W[ei, or W[o sh]i Zh<ang W[ei. The personal pronouns: I/me w[o You n[i He/him t<a She/her t<a It t<a We/us w[omen You (pl.) n[imen They/them t<amen Note: Chinese personal pronouns are very simple. There is no distinction for case. 'W[o' is 'w[o’ regardless of whether it is the subject of the sentence or the object of the verb, and the same is true for the second and third person pronouns. Nor is there a distinction for gender. ‘T<a’ is ‘t<a’, whether it refers to a woman or a man. Chinese Basic Lessons for Invitees, Peace Corps / China Page 13 of 28
  • 14. Peace Corps / China 11/28/2006 Lesson 6 Numbers and Prices Numbers 1-10: one y<i 一 two ]er 二 (When counting, two is ]er二, when used with measure words, it is li[ang两) three s<an 三 four s]i 四 five w[u 五 six li]u 六 seven q<i 七 eight b<a 八 nine ji[u 九 ten sh>i 十 Numbers 10 - 1billion: The Chinese number system is quite simple and generally easy to learn. Multiples of 10 are made by stating the multiple and then 10 – so 20 is literally ‘two ten’. If you learn the numbers from one to 10, you can count to 100 without having to learn any new vocabulary. The Chinese counting system is based on units of 10. These multiply as follows: 10 sh>i 十 100 b[ai 百 1000 qi<an 千 10,000 w]an 万 100,000 sh>iw]an 十万 1 million b[aiw]an 百万 10 million qi<anw]an 千万 100 million w]anw]an; y]i 亿 1 billion sh>i y]i 十亿 Ordinal numbers: Simply prefix any number with d]i, and it becomes an ordinal: 1st d]i y<i 2nd d]i’ ]er 3rd d]i s<an 10th d]i sh>i Chinese Basic Lessons for Invitees, Peace Corps / China Page 14 of 28
  • 15. Peace Corps / China 11/28/2006 Dialogue 1 Asking for the price Excuse me, how much is this? Ten yuan. I want this one. Thanks. A: Q[ing w]en, zh]ege du<osh[ao qi>an? B: Sh>i-ku]ai qi>an。 A: W[o y]ao zh]ege。Xi]exi]e。 Dialogue 2 Asking for items in the grocery What do you want to buy? I want to buy mineral water. How much is it (per bottle)? Two-sixty. How many bottles do you want? Four. A: N[i y]ao m[ai sh>enme? B: W[o y]ao m[ai ku]angqu>anshu[i。Du<osh[ao qi>an y]i-p>ing? A: Li[ang-ku]ai-li]u。 Y]ao j[i-p>ing? B: S]i-p>ing。 Vocabulary this zh]ege that n]age which n[age how much? how many? du<osh[ao money qi>an "dollar" or Chinese yuan ku]ai yu>an is slightly more formal want y]ao thanks, thank you xi]exie buy m[ai mineral water ku]angqu>anshu[i (Measure word) bottle p>ing how many? (up to ten or so) j[i- another meaning is ‘several’ Chinese Basic Lessons for Invitees, Peace Corps / China Page 15 of 28
  • 16. Peace Corps / China 11/28/2006 Lesson 7 Food and Drinks Vocabulary 1. rice m[if]an 2. noodle mi]anti>ao 3. dumpling ji[aozi 4. bread mi]anb<ao 5. vegetable sh<uc]ai 6. pork zh<ur]ou 7. beef ni>ur]ou 8. fish y>u 9. water shu[i 10. mineral water ku]angqu[anshu[i 11. coffee k<af<ei 12. tea ch>a 13. milk ni>un[ai. 14. juice gu[o zh<i. 15. beer p>iji[u 16. yogurt su<ann[ai 17.bowl w[an 18. plate p>anzi 19.cup b<eizi 20. bottle p>ingzi 21. sugar t>ang 22. salt y>an 23. chili l]aji<ao 24.oil y>ou 25.MSG w]eijing 26.hot r]ede; t]angde 27. iced b<ingd]ongde 28.and h>e Phrases & Sentences: I’d like to have noodles. W[o y]ao mi]anti>ao。 I don’t want noodles. W[o b>uy]ao mi]anti>ao。 Do you have… or not? Y[ou m>eiy[ou…? Don't make it too hot. B>uy]ao t]ai l]a。 Chinese Basic Lessons for Invitees, Peace Corps / China Page 16 of 28
  • 17. Peace Corps / China 11/28/2006 I like dumplings. W[o x[ihu<an ji[aozi。 I don’t like rice. W[o b]ux[ihu<an m[if]an。 Can I have the bill, please? M[aid<an/Su]anzh]ang。 Please try to use the vocabulary above to substitute these sentences. Chinese Basic Lessons for Invitees, Peace Corps / China Page 17 of 28
  • 18. Peace Corps / China 11/28/2006 Lesson 8 Some Chinese Dishes Cold Dishes (Appetizers): 1. li>angb]an ji<angd]ou Boiled cowpeas with chili sauce 2. p]aoc]ai pickles Hot Dishes (Main Course): 1. y>uxi<ang r]ous<i Stir fried shredded pork with “YuXiang” sauce 2. hu>igu<o r]ou Twice cooked pork 3. y>uxi<ang qi>ezi Stir fried eggplant with “YuXiang” sauce 4. g<ongb]ao j<id<ing Spicy chicken with peanuts 5. f<anqi>e ch[ao j<id]an Scrambled eggs with tomato 6. t>angc]u p>aig[u Sweet and sour spare ribs Vegetable: 1. h[up>i q<ingji<ao Fried/Tiger-skin green pepper 2. t[ud]ou s<i Stir fried shredded potatoes 3. t>angc]u li>anb>ai Stir fried cabbage with sweet and sour sauce 4. g<anbi[an s]ij]id]ou Fried kidney beans Noodles: 1. f<anqi>e j<id]an mi]an Noodles with egg & tomato 2. z>aji]ang mi]an Noodles with meat sauce 3. ni>ur]ou mi]an Noodles with beef 4. h>ongy>ou shu[iji[ao Boiled dumplings with chili sauce 5. q<ingt<ang shu[iji[ao Boiled dumplings 6. ch<aosh[ou Boiled soft dumplings with soup Rice & Grains 1. m[if]an Rice 2. d]an ch[aof]an Fried rice with egg 3. b<ab[ao zh<ou 8-treasures Porridge Fruits: 1. p>inggu[o apples 2. xi<angji<ao bananas 3. j>uzi tangerines 4. x<igu<a watermelon 5. t>aozi peaches 6. l>izi pears 7. c[aom>ei strawberries Please say “I like …” and “I don’t like …” in Chinese by using above vocabulary. Please visit a Chinese restaurant in your hometown to try out some dishes and try your Chinese Language! Chinese Basic Lessons for Invitees, Peace Corps / China Page 18 of 28
  • 19. Peace Corps / China 11/28/2006 Lesson 9 Useful Phrases 1. Thank you. Xi]exi]e。 2. You’re welcome B>uxi]e。 3. I am sorry. Du]ibuq[i。 4. That’s all right M>eigu<anx]i。 5. May I ask…? Q[ingw]en… 6. Do you speak English? N[i hu]ishu<o y<ingy[u ma? 7. I am an American. W[o sh]i m[eigu>o r>en。 8. I am a Peace Corps volunteer. W[o sh]i H>ep>ing du]iyu>an。 9. I don’t speak Chinese. W[o b>uhu]i h]any[u。 10.Do you understand? N[i n>eng t<ingd[ong ma? 11.I don’t understand. W[o t<ing b]ud[ong。 12. Please say it again. Q[ing z]ai shu<o y>ibi]an。 13. Please speak slowly. Q[ing shu<o m]an y]idi[an。 Chinese Basic Lessons for Invitees, Peace Corps / China Page 19 of 28
  • 20. Peace Corps / China 11/28/2006 Lesson 10 Sickness and Emergency Sick I am sick. W[o sh<engb]ing le。 I have a cold. W[o g[anm]ao le。 I am allergic to this. W[o du]i zh]ege gu]om[in。 I am tired. W[o l]ei le。 I want to go to bed. W[o xi[ang shu]iji]ao le。 Where is the bathroom? X[ish[ouji<an z]ai n[a? I need to go to the hospital. W[o y]ao d]ao y<iyu]an。 May I ask where the hospital is? Q[ingw]en, y<iyu]an z]ai n[a? Emergency Help! Ji]u m]ing! Police! J[ingch>a! May I use your telephone? W[o k[ey[i y]ong n[ide di]anhu]a ma? I need to call the police 110. W[o y]ao d[a y<ao-y<ao-l>ing。 (y<ao is an alternate pronunciation for the number one, used because y<i is easily confused with q<i, especially on the telephone) Chinese Basic Lessons for Invitees, Peace Corps / China Page 20 of 28
  • 21. Peace Corps / China 11/28/2006 Lesson 11 Direction and Places Direction Where is the…? …z]ai n[ar? On the left Z]ai zu[o bi<an。 On the right Z]ai y]ou bi<an。 Straight-ahead Qi>an bi<an。 Near by F]u j]in。 Not far from here L>i zh]er b]u yu[an。 Above Sh]ang bi<an。 Behind H]ou bi<an。 Places shop sh<angdi]an street ji<e(d]ao) restaurant f]angu[an school xu>exi]ao classroom ji]aosh]i office b]ang<ongsh]i bus station ch<ezh]an railway station hu[och<ezh]an Chinese Basic Lessons for Invitees, Peace Corps / China Page 21 of 28
  • 22. Peace Corps / China 11/28/2006 Lesson 12 Clothes and Colors Clothes Y<ifu pants k]uzi blouse w]ait]ao shirt ch]ensh<an skirt q>unzi jacket ji>ak]e shoes xi>e sandals li>angxi>e slippers tu<oxi>e Colors y>ans]e white b>ai (s]e) black h<ei (s]e) red h>ong (s]e) yellow hu>ang (s]e) blue l>an (s]e) green l]ü (s]e) gray hu<<i (s]e) brown z<ong/h]e (s]e) Chinese Basic Lessons for Invitees, Peace Corps / China Page 22 of 28
  • 23. Peace Corps / China 11/28/2006 Lesson 13 Time Vocabulary: Days of the week X<ingq<i Monday X<ingq<i y<i Tuesday X<ingq<i ]er Wednesday X<ingq<i s<an Thursday X<ingq<i s]i Friday X<ingq<i w[u Saturday X<ingq<i li]u Sunday X<ingq<i ti<an Weekend Zh<oum]o Months Yu]e January y<i yu]e February ]er yu]e March s<an yu]e April s]i yu]e May w[u yu]e June li]u yu]e July q<i yu]e August b<a yu]e September ji[u yu]e October sh>i yu]e November sh>i y<i yu]e December sh>i ]er yu[e Chinese Basic Lessons for Invitees, Peace Corps / China Page 23 of 28
  • 24. Peace Corps / China 11/28/2006 year ni>an month yu]e day r]i/h]ao hour di[an minute f<en yesterday zu>oti<an today j<inti<an tomorrow m>ingti<an Phrases & Sentences: What time is it? J[i di[an le? It is 9:10. Ji[u di[an sh>i f<en。 What day is it? J<inti<an x<ingq<i j[i? Today is Monday. J<inti<an x<ingq<i y<i。 What is the date of today? J<inti<an j[ih]ao? Today is May 1st. J<inti<an w[uyu]e y<ih]ao。 Chinese Basic Lessons for Invitees, Peace Corps / China Page 24 of 28
  • 25. Peace Corps / China 11/28/2006 Lesson 14 Family mother m<ama father b]aba older sister ji[ejie younger sister m]eimei older brother g<ege younger brother d]idi daughter n[ü’er son >erzi grandmother n[ainai grandfather y>eye niece zh>in[ü nephew zh>izi man n>anr>en woman n[ür>en boy n>anh>ai’r girl n[üh>ai’r Chinese Basic Lessons for Invitees, Peace Corps / China Page 25 of 28
  • 26. Peace Corps / China 11/28/2006 Lesson 15 Home Items glass / cup b<eizi chopsticks ku]aizi bowl w[an plate p>anzi spoon t<angsh>i fork ch<azi knife d<ao table zhu<ozi chair y[izi door m>en window chu<ang home ji<a hotel b<ingu[an room f>angji<an bathroom w]eish<eng ji<an/c]esu[o toilet m[at[ong toilet paper w]eish<eng zh[i soap f>eiz]ao towel m>aoj<in bed chu>ang bed sheet chu>angd<an blanket t[anzi pillow zh[entou Chinese Basic Lessons for Invitees, Peace Corps / China Page 26 of 28
  • 27. Peace Corps / China 11/28/2006 Appendix Measure words in Chinese: (No Audio) In Chinese, as in other languages, nouns may be differentiated into a number of categories. The largest category is the common nouns, which covers tangible, discrete entities, e.g. 大人d]ar>en adult, 树sh]u tree, etc. The other noun categories are a) proper nouns, e.g. 中国zh<onggu>o China, 张伟Zh<ang W[ei (name of a person); b) material nouns (for non-discrete entities), e.g. 茶ch>a tea; c) and abstract noun (for non-tangible entities), e.g. 文化w>enhu]a culture, 经济j<ingj]i economy. The Chinese common nouns, unlike English ones, make no distinction in form between singular and plural: cup/cups a/one cup two cups b<eizi y>i g]e b<eizi li[ang g]e b<eizi egg/eggs an/one egg two eggs j<id]an y>i g]e j<id]an li[ang g]e j<id]an Another important feature of the common noun in Chinese is that when it is used with a numeral, the numeral has to have a measure word between it and the noun. g]e is by far the most common measure word and it can occur with a wide range of nouns. one person two eggs three cups four elder brothers five plates six teachers seven water melons y>i g]e r>en li[ang g]e j<id]an s<an g]e b<eizi s]i g]e g<ege w[u g]e p>anzi li]u g]e l[aosh<i q<i g]e x<igu<a Chinese Basic Lessons for Invitees, Peace Corps / China Page 27 of 28
  • 28. Peace Corps / China 11/28/2006 eight balls nine kids ten cities b<a g]e p>iqi>u ji[u g]e h>aizi sh>i g]e ch>engsh]i A considerable number of nouns or sets of nouns are linked with particular measure words. We will learn more about measure words in the future. Chinese Basic Lessons for Invitees, Peace Corps / China Page 28 of 28