Chinese Vocabulary
Chinese vocabulary is a big part in learning mandarin Chinese. Without words, nothing can be conveyed. A good mastery of mandarin vocabulary words will:
1. greatly improve your Chinese ability in listening, speaking, reading and writing;
2. help you understand better about Chinese phrases and sentences;
3. help you build a solid foundation for learning Chinese grammar;
There are many more benefits of learning Chinese vocabulary, but it is very important to learn Chinese words the right way. It is a good idea to enlarge your Chinese vocabulary words by their categories.
Categories of Chinese Vocabulary
| Categories | Definition | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Nouns | Words that refer to a person, animal, thing or direction | 1. Concrete Nouns - real physical objects 桌子上有一只猫(zhuōzi shànɡ yǒu yìzhī māo) There is a cat on the table. 2. Abstract Nouns - that do not exist as material objects 他的爱情和事业都很顺利(tāde àiqínɡ hé shìyè dōu hěn shùnlì) He is lucky in both love and career. |
| Pronouns | Words that have the function of replacing or indicating things | 1. Personal pronouns 我是美国人(wǒ shì měiɡuórén) I am an American. 2. Demonstrative pronoun 那是一个房子(nà shì yíɡè fánɡzi) That is a house. 3. Interrogative pronoun 这是什么(zhè shì shénme)? What is this? |
| Verbs | Words that describe an action or show possibility, necessity or will | 1. intransitive verb 他醒了(tā xǐnɡ le)。He woke up. 2. transitive verb 我喜欢打篮球(wǒ xǐhuɑn dǎ lánqiú)。I like playing basketball. 3. to show possibility 能(nénɡ) can, 可以(kéyǐ) can 4. to show necessity 应该(yīnɡɡāi) should, 应当(yīnɡdānɡ) should 5. to show will 肯(kěn) be willing to, 愿意(yuàn yì) be willing to |
| Adjectives | Words that are used to describe the quality or the status of a person or a thing Chinese character 的 is often used to connect the adjective and the word it describes, but sometimes it is omitted. | 美丽的姑娘(měilì de ɡūniɑnɡ) beautiful girls 好人(hǎo rén) good people 坏学生(huài xuéshenɡ) bad students |
| Numerals | Words that represent numbers which usually come before quantifiers | 1. Cardinal number 一(yī) one, 二(èr) two, 三(sān) three 2. Ordinal number 第一(dìyī) first, 第二(dìèr) 3. Percentage 百分之二十(bǎi fēn zhī èr shí) 20 percent |
| Quantifiers | Words that show the unit of a thing or an action | 1. To describe a person or a thing 一个人(yí ɡè rén) a person 那头猪(nà tóu zhū) that pig 2. To describe an action 说一遍(shuō yī biàn) to say (something) 看一眼(kàn yì yǎn) to take a look |
| Adverbs | Words that describe or give more information about a verb, adjective, adverb, or phrase | 1. To show an extent 很高(hěn ɡāo) very tall 非常漂亮(fēichánɡ piàoliɑnɡ) very beautiful 2. To show a scope 他们全是老师(tāmen quán shì lǎoshī)。 They are all teachers. 3. To show time 她刚刚吃完饭(tā ɡānɡɡānɡ chī wán fàn) She has just finished eating. 4. To show a negative meaning 我不知道他来自哪里(wǒ bù zhīdào tā láizì nǎlǐ)。 I don’t know where he comes from. |
| Prepositions | Words used to show a place, time, status, reason, method, aim, comparison, etc Prepositions are often used before a noun, noun phrase, pronoun. |
1. to show a place or direction 在(zài) in/on, 向(xiànɡ) towards, 从(cónɡ) from 2. To show time 自从(zìcónɡ) since, 当(dānɡ) when 3. To show a method 用(yònɡ) with, 按照(ànzhào) as 4. To show a reason 因为(yīnwèi) because 5. To show an aim为了(wèile) in order to 6. To show a comparison 比(bǐ) than |
| Conjunctions | Words that connect words, phrases, or clauses in a sentence | 1. Coordinating conjunctions connect items which are the same grammatical type, e.g. words, phrases, clauses. 和(hé) and, 跟(ɡēn) and, 与(yǔ) and, 或(huò) or 2. Common subordinating conjunctions 如果(rúɡuǒ) if, 只要(zhǐyào) as long as, 虽然(suīrán) though |
| Auxiliary Words | Words that add functional or grammatical meaning to the clause, for example, to express modality, tense, emotion, etc Auxiliary words usually don’t have a specific meaning alone. | 1. To express modality 的(de) 地(dì) 得(dé) 2. To express tense 着(zhe) 了(le) 过(ɡuò) 3. To express emotion 吗(mɑ) 呢(ne) 吧(bɑ) |
| Interjections | Words used to show a short sudden expression of emotion | 1. To express joy 哈哈(hāhā) 2. To express sorrow 唉(āi) 哎哟(āiyō) 3. To express anger 哼(hēnɡ) 呸(pēi) 4. To express surprise 唉呀(āiyɑ) 咦(yí) 5. To draw one’s attention 喂(wèi) 6. To reply to one’s call 嗯(èn) 唉(āi) |
After knowing the basic categories of Chinese vocabulary, it is time to explore our "learn Chinese words by trending news" program, which will help you enlarge you mandarin vocabulary the easy way!
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