Chinese phrasebook

Mandarin Chinese is the official language of Mainland China and Taiwan, and is one of the official languages of Singapore. In English, it is often just called "Mandarin" or "Chinese". In China, it is called Putonghua (普通话), meaning "common speech", while in Taiwan it is referred to as Guoyu (國語), "the national language." In Singapore, it is referred to as Huayu (华语). It has been the main language of education in the People's Republic of China (excluding Hong Kong and Macau) and Taiwan since the 1950s. While not an official language, it is also commonly studied and spoken by the ethnic Chinese minority in Malaysia.

Chinese script in Chinatown, Singapore

This article is about Standard Mandarin Chinese. For Cantonese Chinese (official language in Hong Kong and Macau), see Cantonese phrasebook

Phrasebooks for other varieties of Chinese are listed at China#Talk.

Note that while the spoken Mandarin in the above places is more or less the same, the written characters are different. Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau all still use traditional characters, whereas Mainland China and Singapore use a simplified derivative.

Understand

Map of Chinese Languages

China is host to a wide variety of related languages (often referred to as dialects), of which Standard Mandarin is just one register. Within the Chinese language family, there are 7-10 major branches, each of which contain their own varieties of languages. Languages from different branches (such as Mandarin and Cantonese) are completely mutually unintelligible, whereas languages within the same branch (such as Standard Mandarin and Sichuanese) may share limited intelligibility.

Despite the wide variance in Chinese languages, they all share the same standardized writing system (using either Traditional or Simplified character sets). This is made possible by the fact that the Chinese writing system is logographic, meaning individual characters represent ideas as opposed to phonetic sounds. What this means is that one character which would be pronounced completely differently in any number of Chinese languages will all be written identically and understood to mean the same thing. Therefore speakers of different Chinese languages who are completely unable to understand each others' spoken speech can effectively communicate via writing. The challenge with a logographic writing system, however, is the huge number of characters required to adequately represent different words: The average Chinese dictionary indexes ~20,000 characters, with an educated Chinese person likely knowing around ~8,000, while a typical newspaper requires the reader to know at least 3,000 characters.

Following the establishment of the People's Republic of China (PRC), formal simplifications were made to a large number of common characters in order to reduce the number of strokes required to write them, with the aim of increasing literacy. This has led to a two current standards for Chinese writing: Simplified and Traditional characters. Simplified characters are the standard for Singapore and the mainland PRC, whereas Traditional characters are retained as the standard in Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan.

About one fifth of the people in the world speak some form of Chinese as their native language. It is a tonal language that is related to Burmese and Tibetan. In addition, the Dungan language, which is spoken in some parts of Russia, is considered to be a variant of Mandarin but uses the Cyrillic alphabet instead of Chinese characters.

The writing system is used by other countries as well, although the languages are not related. The Korean writing system historically used Chinese characters, but completely adopted their own 'Hangul' system since the 1950s. South Koreans still learn the basics of Chinese characters, and some basic Chinese characters are still occasionally used and widely understood; Japanese uses a mixed writing system comprising of Chinese characters and its own 'kana' system, although over time the meaning of some characters has diverged significantly from those used in China. The Vietnamese language (which uses a distinctive version of the Latin alphabet) has borrowed many words from Chinese, and at one time used Chinese characters as well.

Standard Mandarin is based on the Mandarin dialect of the Beijing area, and is almost universally understood and spoken (in conjunction with local languages) across China and Taiwan as a result of being the primary language of education and the media. Travelers headed to the special administrative regions (SARs) of Hong Kong or Macau will largely encounter native Cantonese speakers. Mandarin is largely understood in the SARs, though speaking ability varies widely, and particularly in Hong Kong, the use of Mandarin is a touchy political issue. Those heading for Taiwan or southern Fujian may find the Minnan dialect useful as well.

Chinese is infamous for being difficult to learn. While English speakers will initially have problems with the tones, acquiring vocabulary (since Chinese has few loan words from European languages), and recognizing the many different characters, the grammar is refreshingly simple. Most notably, Chinese grammar does not have conjugation, tenses, gender, plurals or other complicated morphological rules found in other major languages such as English or French.

Pronunciation guide

The pronunciation guide below uses Hanyu pinyin, the official romanization of the People's Republic of China and Taiwan. Until recently, Taiwan used the Wade-Giles system, which is quite different, then switched to Tongyong pinyin, only slightly different from Hanyu pinyin, and now officially uses Hanyu pinyin just like the People's Republic.

Pinyin allows very accurate pronunciation of Mandarin for those who understand it, although the way that it uses letters like q, x, c, z and even i is not at all intuitive to the English speaker since some of these sounds do not exist in English or many other languages. Thus, studying the pronunciation guide below carefully is essential. After you master the pronunciation you will need to move on to the next challenge: using accurate tones whilst speaking.

While Hanyu pinyin is immensely useful as a pronunciation guide for Mandarin learners, it is much less useful as a form of written communication, as many Chinese cannot read pinyin, and even those that do will find it awkward. So stick to Chinese characters for written communication.

Some pinyin vowels (especially "e", "i", "ü") can be tricky, so it is best to get a native speaker to demonstrate. Also, beware of the spelling rules listed in the exceptions below.

a 

as in father; otherwise, pronounced as in "awesome"

a in ian and yan

as "e" in "bet" or "text" (just the English short "e" sound)

e 

unrounded back vowel (IPA [ɤ]), similar to duh; in unstressed syllables, a schwa (IPA [ə]), like idea

i 

as in see or key;
after ch, sh, zh, c, s, z or r, not really a vowel at all but just a stretched-out consonant sound

o 

as in more
after b, p, m, or f, as in war

u 

as in soon; but read ü in ju, qu, yu and xu

ü 

as in French lune or German grün

Vowel combinations

These are the most important vowel combinations in Chinese:

ai 

as in pie

ao

as in pouch

ei 

as in pay

ia

as in ya

ia in ian (but not iang)

as in 'yes

iao

as in meow

ie

as in yes

iong

as in Pyongyang

iu

as in yodel

ou

as in mow

ua

as in want

uo

as in war

Consonants

Chinese stops distinguish between aspirated and unaspirated, not unvoiced and voiced as in English, and Chinese lacks voiced stops. Aspirated sounds are pronounced with a distinctive puff of air as they are pronounced in English when at the beginning of a word, while unaspirated sounds are pronounced without the puff, as in English when found in clusters.

Place a hand in front of your mouth and compare pit (aspirated) with spit (unaspirated) to see the difference. Note that the list below only gives approximate pronunciations, as many of these consonants have no equivalent in English. As Mandarin does not have voiced stops or affricates, all the consonants listed in the "unaspirated" column should be pronounced unvoiced.

	Unaspirated		Aspirated
b	as in spot	p	as in pit
d	as in stop	t	as in tongue
g	as in skin	k	as in king
j	as in itchy	q	as in cheap
zh	as in jungle	ch	as in chore
z	as in pizza	c	as in rats

Here are the other consonants in Chinese:

m 

as in mow

f 

as in fun

n 

as in none or none

l 

as in lease

h 

as in her

x 

as in sheep, but softer than sh

sh 

as in shoot

r 

as in fair

s 

as in sag

ng 

as in sing

w 

as in wing but silent in wu. Before a, ai, ang, eng, and/or o

y 

as in yet but silent in yi, yu

If you think that is a fairly intimidating repertoire, rest assured that many Chinese people, particularly those who are not native Mandarin speakers, will merge many of the sounds above (especially c with ch and z with zh). Other sounds that you may hear merged, depending on the region, include s with sh, f with h, l with n, l with r, and n with ng.

Exceptions

There are a fairly large number of niggling exceptions to the basic rules above, based on the position of the sound:

wu- 

as u-, so 五百 (五百) wubai is pronounced "ubai"

yi- 

as i-, so 一个 (一個) yige is pronounced "ige"

yu- 

as ü-, so 豫园 (豫園) Yuyuan is pronounced "ü-üan"

Tones

How do I put my tone marks? If you are confused by how to put tone marks above the Hanyu Pinyin, follow the steps below: Always insert tone marks above the vowels. If there is more than one vowel letter, follow the steps below: (1) Insert it above the 'a' if that letter is present. For example, it is rǎo and not raǒ (2) If not, insert it above 'o'. For example, guó and not gúo (3) Insert it above the letter 'e' if the letters 'a' and 'o' are not present. For example, jué and not júe (4) If only 'i', 'u' and 'ü' are the only present letters, insert it in the letter that occurs last. For example, jiù and not jìu, chuí and not chúi. Note, if the vowel present is ü, the tone mark is put in addition to the umlaut. For example, lǜ

There are four tones in Mandarin that must be followed for proper pronunciation. Never underestimate the importance of these tones. Consider a vowel with a different tone as simply a different vowel altogether, and you will realize why Chinese will not understand you if you use the wrong tone — mǎ is to mā as "I want a cake" is to "I want a coke". Be especially wary of questions that have a falling tone, or conversely exclamations that have an "asking" tone (eg jǐngchá, police). In other words, pronounced like does not imply meaning. While Mandarin speakers also vary their tone just like English speakers do to differentiate a statement from a question and convey emotion, it is much more subtle. Do not try it until you have mastered the basic tones.

1. first tone ( ā ) 

flat, high pitch that is more sung instead of spoken.

2. second tone ( á ) 

low to middle, rising pitch that is pronounced like the end of a question phrase (Whát?).

3. third tone ( ǎ ) 

mid-low to low: for two consecutive syllables in the third tone, the first syllable is pronounced as if it is in the second tone. For example, 打扰 dǎrǎo is pronounced as dárǎo. (When stressed, the third tone is sometimes pronounced mid-low to low to high, dipping pitch.)

4. fourth tone ( à ) 

high to low, rapidly falling pitch that is pronounced like a command (Stop!).

5. fifth tone 

neutral pitch that is rarely used by itself (except for phrase particles) but frequently occurs as the second part of a phrase.

Phrase list

All phrases show both the simplified characters (used in mainland China and Singapore) and the traditional characters (used in Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau) in the following format:

English phrase 

Simplified characters (Traditional characters) Hanyu Pinyin

Basics

To be or not to be? Chinese does not have words for "yes" and "no" as such; instead, questions are typically answered by repeating the verb. Here are common examples: To be or not to be 是(是) shì, 不是(不是) bú shì To have or not have / there is or is not 有(有) yǒu, 没有(没有) méi yǒu To be right or wrong 对(對) duì, 不对(不對) bú duì

Hello. 

你好。 (你好。) Nǐ hǎo.

Hello. (only on the telephone) 

喂。 (喂。) Wéi. (In Singapore and Malaysia, the English "hello" is typically used instead)

How are you? 

你好吗？ (你好嗎？) Nǐ hǎo ma? 身体好吗？(身體好嗎？) Shēntǐ hǎo ma?

Fine, thank you. 

很好, 谢谢。 (很好，謝謝。) Hěn hǎo, xièxie.

May I please ask, what is your name? 

请问你叫什么名字？ (請問你叫什麼名字？) Qǐngwèn nǐjiào shěnme míngzi?

What is your name? 

你叫什么名字？ (你叫什麼名字？) Nǐ jiào shénme míngzi?

My name is ______ . 

我叫 _____ 。 (我叫 _____ 。) Wǒ jiào ______ .

Nice to meet you. 

很高兴认识你。 (很高興認識你。) Hěn gāoxìng rènshí nǐ. / 幸会。 (幸會。) Xìng huì.

Please. 

请。 (請。) Qǐng.

Thank you. 

谢谢。 (謝謝。) Xièxie.

You're welcome. 

不客气。 (不客氣。) Bú kèqi.

Excuse me. (getting attention) 

请问。 (請問。) qǐng wèn.

Excuse me. (begging pardon) 

打扰一下。 (打擾一下。) Dǎrǎo yixià / 麻烦您一下。 (麻煩您一下。) Máfan nín yíxià.

Excuse me. (coming through) 

对不起。 (對不起。) ‘’Duìbùqǐ’’ / 请让一下。 (請讓一下。) Qǐng ràng yixià

I'm sorry. 

对不起。 (對不起。) Duìbuqǐ.

It's okay. (polite response to "I'm sorry")

没关系。 (沒關系。) méiguānxi.

Goodbye 

再见。 (再見。) Zàijiàn

Goodbye (informal) 

拜拜。 (拜拜。) Bai-bai (Byebye)

I can't speak Chinese. 

我不会说汉语。 (我不會說漢語。) Wǒ bú huì shuō hànyǔ.

Do you speak English? 

你会说英语吗？ (你會說英語嗎？) Nǐ huì shuō Yīngyǔ ma?

Is there someone here who speaks English? 

这里有人会说英语吗？ (這裏有人會說英語嗎？) Zhèlĭ yǒu rén hùi shuō Yīngyǔ ma?

Help! (in emergencies)

救命！ (救命!) Jiùmìng!

Good morning. 

早安。 (早安。) Zǎo'ān.

Good evening. 

晚上好。 (晚上好。) Wǎnshàng hǎo.

Good night. 

晚安。 (晚安。) Wǎn'ān.

I don't understand. 

我听不懂。 (我聽不懂。) Wǒ tīng bu dǒng.

Where is the toilet? 

厕所在哪里？ (廁所在哪裡？) Cèsuǒ zài nǎli?

Where is the bathroom（polite)? 

洗手间在哪里？ (洗手間在哪裡？) Xǐshǒujiān zài nǎli?

How do you say ____? 

____ 怎么说？ (____ 怎麼說？) ____ zěnme shuō?

Problems

Asking a question in Chinese There are many ways to ask a question in Chinese. Here are two easy ones for travelers... Verb/Adj. + 不 (不) bù + Verb/Adj.  Example - 好不好？ （好不好？）hăo bù hăo? - Is that okay? / Are you all right? (literally - good not good?) Exception - 有没有？ （有沒有？） yŏu méi yŏu? - Do you have? (literally - have not have?) Sentence + 吗 （嗎） ma  Example - 你是中国人吗？ （你是中國人嗎？） nĭ shì zhōngguóren ma? - Are you Chinese? (literally - you are Chinese + ma)

Leave me alone. 

不要打扰我。 (不要打擾我。) búyào dǎrǎo wǒ

I don't want it! (useful for people who come up trying to sell you something) 

我不要！ (我不要！) wǒ búyào!

Don't touch me! 

不要碰我！ (不要碰我！) búyào pèng wǒ!

I'll call the police. 

我要叫警察了。 (我要叫警察了。) wǒ yào jiào jǐngchá le

Police! 

警察！ (警察！) jǐngchá!

Stop! Thief! 

住手！小偷！ (住手！小偷！) zhùshǒu! xiǎotōu!

I need your help. 

我需要你的帮助。 (我需要你的幫助。) wǒ xūyào nǐde bāngzhù

It's an emergency. 

这是紧急情况。 (這是緊急情況。) zhèshì jǐnjí qíngkuàng

I'm lost. 

我迷路了。 (我迷路了。) wǒ mílù le

I lost my bag. 

我的包丢了。 (我的包丟了。) wǒ de bāo diūle

I lost my wallet. 

我的钱包丢了。 (我的錢包丟了。) wǒ de qiánbāo diūle

I'm sick. 

我生病了。 (我生病了。) wǒ shēngbìng le

I've been injured. 

我受伤了。 (我受傷了。) wǒ shòushāng le

I need a doctor. 

我需要医生。 (我需要醫生。) wǒ xūyào yīshēng

Can I use your phone? 

我可以打个电话吗？ (我可以打個電話嗎？) wǒ kěyǐ dǎ ge diànhuà ma?

Going to the doctor

Doctor

医生 (醫生) yīshēng

Nurse

护士 (護士) hùshi

Hospital

医院 (醫院) yīyuàn

Chinese medicine

中药 (中藥) zhōngyào

Western medicine

西药 (西藥) xīyào

I am sick.

我生病了。 (我生病了。) wǒ shēngbìng le

My _____ hurts.

我的 ____ 疼/痛。 ( 我的 ____ 疼/痛。) wŏde ____ téng/tòng

Painful

疼/痛 (疼/痛) téng/tòng

Sick/Uncomfortable

不舒服 (不舒服) bù shūfu

Itchy/ticklish

痒(痒) yǎng

Sore (In muscle strains)

酸(酸) suān

Fever

发热 (發熱) fārè / 发烧 (發燒) fāshāo

Cough

咳嗽 (咳嗽) késòu

Sneeze

打喷嚏 (打噴嚏) dǎ pēntì

Diarrhoea

拉肚子 (拉肚子) lā dùzi / 泻肚子 (瀉肚子) xiè dùzi

Vomiting

呕吐 (嘔吐) ŏu tù

Running nose

流鼻涕 (流鼻涕) liú bítì

Phlegm

痰 (痰) tán

Cut/wound

割伤 (割傷) gēshāng / 伤口 (傷口) shāngkǒu

Burn

烧伤 (燒傷) shāoshāng

Hands

手 (手) shǒu

Arms

手臂 (手臂) shǒubì / 胳膊 (胳膊) gēbo

Fingers

手指 (手指) shǒuzhǐ

Wrist

手腕 (手腕) shǒuwàn

Shoulder

肩膀 (肩膀) jiānbǎng

Feet

脚 (腳) jiǎo

Toes

脚趾 (腳趾) jiáozhǐ

Legs

腿 (腿) tuǐ

Nails

指甲 (指甲) zhǐjia

Body

身体 (身體) shēntǐ

Eyes

眼睛 (眼睛) yǎnjīng

Ears

耳朵 (耳朵) ěrduo

Nose

鼻子 (鼻子) bízi

Face

脸 (臉) liǎn

Hair

头发 (頭髮) tóufa

Head

头 (頭) tóu

Neck

脖子 (脖子) bózi / 颈项 (頸項) jǐngxiàng

Throat

喉咙 (喉嚨) hóulóng

Chest

胸 (胸) xiōng

Abdomen

肚子 (肚子) dùzi / 腹 (腹) fù

Hip/Waist

腰 (腰) yāo

Buttocks

屁股 (屁股) pìgu

Back

背 (背) bèi

Medical Insurance

医疗保险 (醫療保險) yīliáo bǎoxiǎn

Doctor's fees

医生费 (醫生費) yīshēng fèi

Prescription

处方 (處方) chǔfāng / 药方 (藥方) yàofāng

Medicine

药 (藥) yào

Pharmacy

药店 (藥店) yàodiàn

Numbers

Number gestures Chinese people use a set of gestures for the numbers 1-10. They're a useful way to communicate prices and quantities, especially if you're having trouble understanding or pronouncing the Chinese word for a number. The gestures vary a bit by region. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 (may be interpreted as 5 by Malaysian or Singaporean Chinese and as 8 by Guangdong & Hong Kong locals) 8 (may be interpreted as 7 in some regions, such as Guangdong, Fujian, Hong Kong and Taiwan and by Malaysian or Singaporean Chinese) 9 (will be interpreted as the verb "to die" in Singapore) 10 10 (alternative)

Chinese numbers are very regular. While Western numerals have become more common and are universally understood, the Chinese numerals shown below are still used, particularly in informal contexts like markets.

0

〇 (〇) / 零 (零) líng

1

一 (一) yī (幺 yāo is sometimes used when reading numbers like ID card or telephone numbers, but never in writing)

2

二 (二) èr (两(兩) liǎng is used when specifying quantities)

3

三 (三) sān

4

四 (四) sì

5

五 (五) wǔ

6

六 (六) liù

7

七 (七) qī

8

八 (八) bā

9

九 (九) jiǔ

10

十 (十) shí

11

十一 (十一) shí-yī

12

十二 (十二) shí-èr

13

十三 (十三) shí-sān

14

十四 (十四) shí-sì

15

十五 (十五) shí-wǔ

16

十六 (十六) shí-liù

17

十七 (十七) shí-qī

18

十八 (十八) shí-bā

19

十九 (十九) shí-jiǔ

20

二十 (二十) èr-shí

21

二十一 (二十一) èr-shí-yī

22

二十二 (二十二) èr-shí-èr

23

二十三 (二十三) èr-shí-sān

30

三十 (三十) sān-shí

40

四十 (四十) sì-shí

50

五十 (五十) wǔ-shí

60

六十 (六十) liù-shí

70

七十 (七十) qī-shí

80

八十 (八十) bā-shí

90

九十 (九十) jiǔ-shí

Shí kuài or sì kuài? In southern China, Taiwan, Malaysia and Singapore, many speakers don't distinguish the sh and s sounds, which means that in these areas, the only reliable difference between shí (ten) and sì (four) is the tone. So if you're talking to someone from southern China, it's important to listen for the tone when they tell you a number, lest you think something costs 4 yuan when it's really 10.

For numbers above 100, any "gaps" must be filled in with 零 líng, as e.g. 一百一 yībǎiyī would otherwise be taken as shorthand for "110". A single unit of tens may be written and pronounced either 一十 yīshí or just 十 shí.

100

一百 (一百) yī-bǎi

101

一百零一 (一百零一) yī-bǎi-líng-yī

110

一百一十 (一百一十) yī-bǎi-yī-shí

111

一百一十一 (一百一十一) yī-bǎi-yī-shí-yī

200

二百 (二百) èr-bǎi (written) or 两百 (兩百) liǎng-bǎi (colloquial)

300

三百 (三百) sān-bǎi

500

五百 (五百) wǔ-bǎi

1000

一千 (一千) yī-qiān

2000

二千 (二千) èr-qiān (written) or 两千 (兩千) liǎng-qiān (colloquial)

Numbers starting from 10,000 are grouped by in units of four digits starting with 万 (萬) wàn (ten thousand). "One million" in Chinese is thus "hundred ten-thousands" 一百万 (一百萬), and "one billion" is "ten hundred-millions" 十亿 (十億).

10,000

一万 (一萬) yī-wàn

10,001

一万零一 (一萬零一) yī-wàn-líng-yī

10,002

一万零二 (一萬零二) yī-wàn-líng-èr

20,000

二万 (二萬) èr-wàn (written) or 两万 (兩萬) liǎng-wàn (colloquial)

50,000

五万 (五萬) wǔ-wàn

100,000

十万 (十萬) shí-wàn

200,000

二十万 (二十萬) èr-shí-wàn

1,000,000

一百万 (一百萬) yī-bǎi-wàn

10,000,000

一千万 (一千萬) yī-qiān-wàn

100,000,000

一亿 (一億) yī-yì

1,000,000,000

十亿 (十億) shí-yì

1,000,000,000,000

一万亿 (一萬億) yī-wàn-yì or 一兆 (一兆) yī-zhào

number _____ (train, bus, etc.) 

number measure word (路(路) lù, 号(號) hào, ...) _____ (火车 (火車) huǒ chē, 公共汽车 (公共汽車) gōng gòng qì chē, etc.)

Measure words are used in combination with a number to indicate an amount of something, similar to how English requires "two pieces of furniture" rather than just "two furniture". w:measure_word

When unsure, use 个 (個) ge; even though it may not be correct, you will probably be understood because it is the generic and most common measure word.

one person

一个人 (一個人) yí ge rén

two apples

两个苹果 (兩個蘋果) liǎng ge píngguǒ

Note that two of something always uses 两 (兩) liǎng rather than 二 (二) èr).

half 

半 (半) bàn

less than 

少于 (少於) shǎoyú

more than 

多于 (多於) duōyú

more 

更 (更) gèng

Financial forms

There are also more complex forms of these characters, used in financial contexts to prevent fraud. Most travellers are unlikely to need to recognize them, but they are used in situations such as writing cheques and printing banknotes.

Everyday character

零/〇

一

二

三

四

五

六

七

八

九

十

百

千

万 (萬)

亿 (億)

Financial character

零 (零)

壹 (壹)

贰 (貳)

叁 (參)

肆 (肆)

伍 (伍)

陆 (陸)

柒 (柒)

捌 (捌)

玖 (玖)

拾 (拾)

佰 (佰)

仟 (仟)

萬 (萬)

億 (億)

Value

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

100

1,000

10,000

100,000,000

Time

now 

现在 (現在) xiànzài

later 

以后 (以後) yǐhòu / 稍后(稍後) shāohòu

before 

以前 (以前) yǐqián

morning 

早上 (早上) zǎoshang / 上午 (上午) shàngwǔ

noon

中午 (中午) zhōngwǔ

afternoon 

下午 (下午) xiàwǔ

evening 

傍晚 (傍晚) bàngwǎn

night 

晚上 (晚上) wǎnshang

midnight

半夜 (半夜) bànyè / 午夜 (午夜) wǔyè

Clock time

What time is it? 

现在几点？ (現在幾點？) Xiànzài jǐ diǎn?

It is nine in the morning.

早上9点钟。 (早上9點鐘。) Zǎoshàng jǐu diǎn zhōng.

3:30 PM

下午3点半 (下午3點半) Xiàwǔ sān diǎn bàn / 下午3点30分 (下午3點30分) Xiàwǔ sāndiǎn sānshí fēn

3:38 PM

下午3点38分 (下午3點38分) Xiàwǔ sāndiǎn sānshíbā fēn

In formal writing, 时 (時) shí is used instead of 点 (點) diǎn to indicate hours when telling time. Therefore, the time 3:30 PM would be written as 下午3时30分 in formal writing. This form is, however, not used in speech.

Duration

_____ minute(s) 

_____ 分钟 (分鐘) fēnzhōng

_____ hour(s) 

_____ 小时 (小時) xiǎoshí

_____ day(s) 

_____ 天(天) tiān / _____ 日 (日) rì

_____ week(s) 

_____ 星期 (星期) xīngqī

_____ month(s) 

_____ 月 (月) yùe

_____ year(s) 

_____ 年 (年) nián

Days

today 

今天 (今天) jīntiān

yesterday 

昨天 (昨天) zuótiān

the day before yesterday

前天 (前天) qiántiān

tomorrow 

明天 (明天) míngtiān

the day after tomorrow

后天 (后天) hòutiān

this week 

这个星期 (這個星期) zhège xīngqī

last week 

上个星期 (上個星期) shàngge xīngqī

next week 

下个星期 (下個星期) xiàge xīngqī

Weekdays in Chinese are easy: starting with 1 for Monday, just add the number after 星期 (星期) xīngqī. In Taiwan and Singapore, 星期 (星期) is pronounced xīngqí (second tone on the second syllable).

Sunday 

星期天 (星期天 ) xīngqītiān / 星期日 (星期日) xīngqīrì

Monday 

星期一 (星期一) xīngqīyī

Tuesday 

星期二 (星期二) xīngqīèr

Wednesday 

星期三 (星期三) xīngqīsān

Thursday 

星期四 (星期四) xīngqīsì

Friday 

星期五 (星期五) xīngqīwǔ

Saturday 

星期六 (星期六) xīngqīliù

In colloquial usage, 星期 (星期) can also be replaced with 礼拜 (礼拜) lǐbài and 周 (周) zhōu, but only 礼拜天 (禮拜天) lǐbàitiān and 周日 (周日) zhōurì are used, while 礼拜日 (禮拜日) or 周天 (周天) are not used.

Months

Months in Chinese are also easy: starting with 1 for January, just add the number before 月 (月) yuè.

January 

一月 (一月) yī yuè

February 

二月 (二月) èr yuè

March 

三月 (三月) sān yuè

April 

四月 (四月) sì yuè

May 

五月 (五月) wŭ yuè

June 

六月 (六月) liù yuè

July 

七月 (七月) qī yuè

August 

八月 (八月) bā yuè

September 

九月 (九月) jiŭ yuè

October 

十月 (十月) shí yuè

November 

十一月 (十一月) shí yī yuè

December 

十二月 (十二月) shí èr yuè

Writing Dates

Writing dates in the lunar calendar If you are attempting to name a date in the Chinese lunar calendar, add the words 农历 (農歷) before the name of the month to distinguish it from the months of the solar calendar, although it is not strictly necessary. There are some differences: The words 日(日) rì/ 号(號) hào are generally not required when stating dates in the lunar calendar; it is assumed. Besides that, the 1st Month is called 正月 (正月) zhēngyuè. If the number of the day is less than 11, the word 初 (初) is used before the value of the day. Besides that, if the value of the day is more than 20, the word 廿 (廿) niàn is used, so the 23rd day is 廿三 (廿三) for example. 15th day of the 8th lunar month (the mid-autumn festival) (农历)八月十五 ((農歷)八月十五) (nónglì) bāyuè shí-wǔ. 1st day of the 1st lunar month (农历)正月初一 ((農歷)正月初一) (nónglì) zhèngyuè chūyī. 23rd day of the 9th lunar month (农历)九月廿三 ((農歷)九月廿三) (nónglì) jiŭ yuè niànsān.

When writing the date, you name the month (number (1-12) + 月 (月) yuè), before inserting the day (number (1-31) + 日(日) rì/ 号(號) hào). Note that the usage of 号(號) hào, which is more often used in spoken language, is more colloquial than that of 日(日) rì, which is more often used in written documents.

6th January

一月六号 (一月六號) yī yuè liù hào or 一月六日 (一月六日) yī yuè liù rì

25th December

十二月二十五号 (十二月二十五號) shí-èr yuè èr-shí-wǔ hào

Colours

black 

黑色 (黑色) hēi sè

white 

白色 (白色) bái sè

grey 

灰色 (灰色) huī sè

red 

红色 (紅色) hóng sè

blue 

蓝色 (藍色) lán sè

yellow 

黄色 (黄色) huáng sè

green 

绿色 (綠色) lǜ sè / 青色 (青色) qīng sè

orange 

橙色 (橙色) chéng sè

purple 

紫色 (紫色) zǐ sè

brown 

褐色 (褐色) he sè / 棕色 (棕色) zōng sè

gold 

金色 (金色) jīn se

Do you have it in another colour?  

你们有没有其他颜色? (你們有沒有其他顏色?) nǐmen yǒu méiyǒu qítā yánsè ?

Sè means 'colour' so hóng sè is literally 'red colour'. More common for brown and easier to remember is 'coffee colour': 咖啡色 (咖啡色) kā fēi sè

Transportation

Bus and Train

How much is a ticket to _____? 

去______的票多少钱? (去______的票多少錢?) qù _____ de piào duō shǎo qián?

Do you go to... (the central station)? 

去不去... (火车站)? (去不去... (火車站)?) qù bu qù... (huǒ chē zhàn)

Directions

How do I get to _____ ? 

怎么去_____? (怎麼去_____?) zěnme qù _____?

...the train station? 

...火车站? (...火車站?) ...huǒchēzhàn?

...the bus station? 

...汽车站? (汽車站?) ..qìchēzhàn? (China) / ...巴士站? (..巴士站?) ...bāshìzhàn? (Singapore)

...the airport? 

...飞机场? (...飛機場?) ...fēi jī chǎng?

street 

街 (街) jiē

road 

(路) 路 lù

Turn left. 

左转 (左轉) zuǒ zhuǎn

Turn right. 

右转 (右轉) yòu zhuǎn

Go straight

直走 (直走) zhízŏu

I've reached my destination

到了 (到了) dàole

U-turn

掉头 (掉頭) diàotóu

Taxi driver

师傅 (師傅) shīfu

Please use the meter machine

请打表 (請打表) qǐng dǎbiǎo

Please turn up the aircon/heater

请把空调开大点儿。 (請把空調開大點兒。) qǐng bǎ kōngtiáo kāi dàdiǎn(r) (China) / 请把冷气开大一点。 (請把冷氣開大一點。) qǐng bǎ lěngqì kāi dà yīdiǎn (Singapore)

left 

左边 (左邊) zuǒbiān

right 

右边 (右邊) yòubiān

straight ahead 

往前走 (往前走) wǎngqián zǒu

north 

北 (北) bĕi

south 

南 (南) nán

east 

东 (東) dōng

west 

西 (西) xī

Taxi

Taxi 

出租车 (出租車) chū zū chē (in China) / 计程车 (計程車) jìchéngchē (in Taiwan) / 德士 (德士) dé shì (in Singapore)

Take me to _____, please. 

请开到_____。 (請開到_____。) qǐng kāidào _____。

Lodging

Common signs 入口 (入口)  Entrance [rùkǒu] 出口 (出口)  Exit [chūkǒu] 推 (推)  Push [tuī] 拉 (拉)  Pull [lā] 厕所 (廁所) / 洗手间 (洗手間)  Toilet [cèsuǒ] / [xǐshǒujiān] 男 (男)  Men [nán] 女 (女)  Women [nǚ] 禁止 (禁止)  Forbidden [jìnzhǐ] 吸烟 (吸煙)  Smoking [xīyān]

Do you have any rooms available? 

你们有房间吗？ (你們有房間嗎？) Nǐmen yǒu fángjiān ma?

Does the room come with... 

有没有... (有沒有...) Yǒu méiyǒu…

...bedsheets? 

...床单？ (...床單？) ...chuángdān?

...a bathroom? 

...浴室？ (浴室？) ...yùshì? (in China) / ...冲凉房？ (...沖涼房？) ...chōngliángfáng? (in Singapore)

...a telephone? 

...电话？ (...電話？) ...diànhuà?

...a TV? 

...电视？ (...電視？) …diànshì?

I will stay for _____ night(s). 

我打算住_____夜。 (我打算住_____夜。) Wǒ dǎsuàn zhù _____ yè.

Do you have a safe? 

你们有没有保险箱？ (你們有沒有保險箱？) Nǐmen yǒu méiyǒu bǎoxiǎn xiāng?

Can you wake me at _____? 

请明天早上_____叫醒我。 (請明天早上_____叫醒我。) Qǐng míngtiān zǎoshàng _____ jiàoxǐng wǒ.

I want to check out. 

我现在要走。 (我現在要走。) Wǒ xiànzài yào zǒu.

Money

The base unit of currency in Chinese is the 元 (yuán), which could be translated as "dollar", or simiply transliterated as "yuan", depending on what currency you are referring to. In financial contexts, such as when writing cheques and printing banknotes, 元 is written as 圆 (圓). One yuan is divided into 10 角 (jiǎo), which is in turn divided into 10 分 (fēn). Collquially, the yuan is often referred to as the 块 (kuài), while the jiao is referred to as the 毛(máo).

pay

付 (付) fù

cash

现金 (現金) xiàn jīn / 现钱 (現錢) xiàn qián / 钞票 (鈔票) chāopiào

credit card

信用卡 (信用卡) xìn yòng kǎ

debit card

借记卡 (借記卡) jiè jì kǎ

check

支票 (支票) zhīpiào

foreign exchange

外汇 (外匯) wài huì

to change money

换钱 (換錢) huàn qián

exchange rate

汇率 (匯率) huìlǜ

Chinese yuan

人民币 (人民幣) rénmínbì

Taiwan dollars

新台币 (新臺幣) xīn tái bì / 台币 (臺幣) tái bì

Hong Kong dollars

港币 (港幣) gǎng bì

Singapore dollars

新加坡元 (新加坡元) xīnjiāpō yuán / 新币 (新幣) xīn bì

Malaysian ringgit

马来西亚令吉 (馬來西亞令吉) mǎláixīyà lìngjí / 马币 (馬幣) mǎ bì

US dollars

美元 (美元) mĕi yuán / 美金 (美金) mĕi jīn

Euros

欧元 (歐元) ōu yuán

British pounds

英镑 (英鎊) yīng bàng

Eating

Reading a Chinese Menu Look for these characters to get an idea of what you're ordering. With help from The Eater's Guide to Chinese Characters (J. McCawley). dīng 丁 (丁) (cubed/diced) piàn 片 (片) (thinly sliced) sī 丝 (絲) (shredded) kuài 块 (塊) (chunk/cut into bite-sized pieces) qiú 球 (球) (curled) chăo 炒 (炒) (stir-fried) zhá 炸 (炸) (deep-fried) kăo 烤 (烤) (dry-roasted) shāo 烧 (燒) (roasted w/ sauce)

Can I look at the menu, please?

请给我看看菜单。 (請給我看看菜單。) qǐng gěi wǒ kànkan càidān.

Do you have an English menu?

你有没有英文菜单？ (你有沒有英文菜單？) nǐ yŏu méi yǒu yīngwén càidān?

(Listen for...

Yes, we have one. 

有(有) yǒu

No, we don't. 

没有 (沒有) méi yǒu)

Are you Buddhist? If you're a vegetarian traveling in China, you may find that a common reaction to 我吃素 wǒ chī sù is 你信佛吗？ nǐ xìn fó ma? (Are you Buddhist?). As with other yes-or-no questions, the correct responses repeat the verb: Yes 信 xìn No 不信 bú xìn

I'm a vegetarian 

我吃素 (我吃素) wǒ chī sù / 我吃斋 (我吃齋) wǒ chī zhāi

I only eat Halal food. 

我只吃清真食品 (我只吃清真食品) wǒ zhǐ chī qīngzhēn shípǐn

breakfast 

早饭 (早飯) zǎofàn / 早餐 (早餐) zǎocān

lunch 

午饭 (午飯) wǔfàn / 中饭 (中飯) zhōngfàn / 午餐 (午餐) wǔcān

supper 

晚饭 (晚飯) wǎnfàn / 晚餐 (晚餐) wǎncān

beef 

牛肉 (牛肉) niúròu

pork 

猪肉 (豬肉) zhūròu，or sometimes simply 肉 (肉) ròu.

mutton 

羊肉 (羊肉) yángròu

chicken 

鸡 (雞) jī

duck 

鸭 (鴨) yā

fish

鱼 (魚) yú

cheese 

奶酪 (奶酪) nǎilào

eggs 

鸡蛋 (雞蛋) jīdàn

bread 

面包 (麵包) miànbāo

noodles 

面条 (麵條) miàntiáo

fried rice

炒饭 (炒飯) chǎofàn

dumpling

饺子 (餃子) jiǎozi

rice 

米饭 (米飯) mĭfàn

coffee 

咖啡 (咖啡) kāfēi

black coffee

黑咖啡 (黑咖啡) hēi kāfēi

milk

奶 (奶) nǎi / 牛奶 (牛奶) niúnǎi (The former is more general, while the latter specifically refers to cow's milk.)

butter

奶油 (奶油) nǎiyóu (in China) / 牛油 (牛油) niúyóu (in Singapore)

sugar

糖 (糖) táng (Also means "candy".)

tea (drink) 

茶 (茶) chá

green tea

绿茶 (綠茶) lǜ chá

scented tea

花茶 (花茶) huāchá

black tea

红茶 (紅茶) hóngchá

juice 

果汁 (果汁) guǒzhī

water 

水 (水) shuĭ

natural mineral water

矿泉水 (礦泉水) kuàngquán shuǐ

beer 

啤酒 (啤酒) píjiŭ

red/white wine 

红/白 葡萄酒 (紅/白 葡萄酒) hóng/bái pútáojiŭ

It was delicious. 

好吃极了。 (好吃極了。) hǎochī jí le

The check, please. 

买单 (買單) mǎidān / 请结帐。(請結帳。) qǐng jiézhàng

Bars

Do you serve alcohol? 

卖不卖酒？ (賣不賣酒？) mài búmài jiǔ?

Is there table service? 

有没有餐桌服务？ (有沒有餐桌服務？) yǒu méiyǒu cānzhuō fúwù?

A beer/two beers, please. 

请给我一杯/两杯啤酒。 (請給我一杯/兩杯啤酒。) qǐng gěiwǒ yìbēi/liǎngbēi píjiǔ

A glass of red/white wine, please. 

请给我一杯红/白葡萄酒。 (請給我一杯紅/白葡萄酒。) qǐng gěi wǒ yìbēi hóng/bái pútáojiǔ

A pint, please. 

请给我一品脱。(請給我一品脫。) qǐng gěi wǒ yìpǐntuō

A bottle, please. 

请给我一瓶。 (請給我一瓶。) qǐng gěi wǒ yìpíng

_____ (hard liquor) and _____ (mixer), please. 

请给我_____和_____。 (請給我_____和_____。) qǐng gěi wǒ _____ hé _____

whiskey 

威士忌 (威士忌) wēishìjì

vodka 

伏特加 (伏特加) fútèjiā

rum 

兰姆酒 (蘭姆酒) lánmǔjiǔ

water 

水 (水) shuǐ

mineral spring (i.e. bottled) water 

矿泉水 (礦泉水) kuàngquánshuǐ

boiled water

开水 (開水) kāishuǐ

club soda 

苏打水 (蘇打水) sūdǎshuǐ

tonic water 

通宁水 (通寧水) tōngníngshuǐ

orange juice 

橙汁 (橙汁) chéngzhī

Coke (soda) 

可乐 (可樂) kělè

Do you have any bar snacks? 

有没有吧台点心？ (有沒有吧臺點心？) yǒu méiyǒu bātái diǎnxīn?

One more, please. 

请再给我一个。 (請再給我一個。) qǐng zài gěi wǒ yígè'

Another round, please. 

请再来一轮。 (請再來一輪。) qǐng zàilái yìlún

When is closing time? 

几点打烊/关门？ (幾點打烊/關門？) jǐdiǎn dǎyáng/guānmén?

Where is the toilet? 

厕所在哪里？ (廁所在那裏？) cèsuǒ zài nǎli?

Where is the washroom? 

洗手间在哪儿？ (洗手間在哪兒？) xǐshǒujiān zài nǎr?

Shopping

Bargaining (还价 (還價) huán jià) is possible (and expected) in markets and many small shops. The first price you are given will usually be hugely inflated - it's up to you to haggle it down to something more acceptable. This will probably feel awkward if you aren't used to it, and you may worry about ending up cheating the seller. Don't worry - sellers won't take a price that's too low, and you will usually end up agreeing on a price that's considerably lower than the starting one but still allows the seller to make a profit. Try starting at around 20-30% of the original price; you can always work up from there. The exceptions to the rule are supermarkets, large department stores, bookshops and some of the higher end boutiques, most of which will have signs letting you know that haggling is unacceptable in these stores.

Do you have this in my size? 

有没有我的尺码？ (有沒有我的尺碼？) yǒu méiyǒu wǒde chǐmǎ?

How much is this? 

这个多少钱？ (這個多少錢？) zhège duōshǎo qián?

That's too expensive. 

太贵了。 (太貴了。) tài guì le

Would you take _____? 

_____元可以吗？ (_____元可以嗎？) _____ yuán kěyǐ ma?

expensive 

贵 (貴) guì

cheap 

便宜 (便宜) piányi

I can't afford it. 

我带的钱不够。 (我帶的錢不夠。) wǒ dài de qián búgòu

I don't want it. 

我不要。 (我不要。) wǒ bú yào

You're cheating me. 

你欺骗我。 (你欺騙我。) nǐ qīpiàn wǒ Use with caution!

I'm not interested. 

我没有兴趣。 ( 我沒有興趣。) wǒ méiyǒu xìngqù

OK, I'll take it. 

我要买这个。 (我要買這個。) wǒ yào mǎi zhège

Do you need a carrier-bag? / Yes / No 

你要不要袋子？ nǐ yào bu yào dàizi? / 要 yào / 不要 bú yào

Please provide me with a carrier-bag. 

请给我个袋子。 (請給我個袋子。) qǐng gěi wǒ ge dàizi

Do you ship (overseas)? 

可以邮寄到海外吗？ (可以郵寄到海外嗎？) kěyǐ yóujì dào hǎiwài ma?

I need... 

我要_____ (我要_____) wǒ yào _____

...toothpaste. 

牙膏 (牙膏) yágāo

...a toothbrush. 

牙刷 (牙刷) yáshuā

...tampons. 

卫生棉条 (衛生棉條) wèishēng miántiáo

...soap. 

肥皂 (肥皂) féizào

...shampoo. 

洗发精 (洗髮精) xǐfàjīng

...pain reliever. e.g., aspirin or ibuprofen 

止疼药 (止疼藥) zhǐténg yào

...cold medicine. 

感冒药 (感冒藥) gǎnmào yào

...stomach medicine. 

胃肠药 (胃腸藥) wèicháng yào

...a razor. 

剃须刀 (剃鬚刀) tìxūdāo

...an umbrella. 

雨伞 (雨傘 ) yǔsǎn

...sunblock lotion. 

防晒霜 (防晒霜) fángshàishuāng

...a postcard. 

明信片 (明信片) míngxìnpiàn

...postage stamps. 

邮票 (郵票) yóupiào

...batteries. 

电池 (電池) diànchí

...writing paper. 

纸 (紙) zhǐ

...a pen. 

笔 (筆) bǐ

...a pencil. 

铅笔 (鉛筆) qiānbǐ

...glasses. 

眼镜 (眼鏡) yǎnjìng

...English-language books. 

英文书 (英文書) Yīngwén shū

...English-language magazines. 

英文杂志 (英文雜誌) Yīngwén zázhì

...an English-language newspaper. 

英文报纸 (英文報紙) Yīngwén bàozhǐ

...a Chinese-English dictionary. 

汉英词典 (漢英詞典) Hàn-Yīng cídiǎn

...an English-Chinese dictionary. 

英汉词典 (英漢詞典) Yīng-Hàn cídiǎn

Driving

I want to rent a car. 

我想要租车。 (我想要租車。) wǒ xiǎngyào zūchē

Can I get insurance? 

我可以买保险吗？ (我可以買保險嗎？) wǒ kěyǐ mǎi bǎoxiǎn ma?

stop (on a street sign) 

停 (停) tíng

one way 

单行道 (單行道 ) dānxíngdào

yield 

让路 (讓路) rànglù

no parking 

禁止停车 (禁止停車) jìnzhǐ tíngchē

speed limit 

速度限制 (速度限制) sùdù xiànzhì

gas (petrol) station 

加油站 (加油站) jiāyóuzhàn

petrol 

汽油 (汽油) qìyóu

diesel 

柴油 (柴油) cháiyóu

Authority

I haven't done anything wrong. 

我没有做错事。 (我沒有做錯事。) wǒ méiyǒu zuòcuò shì

It was a misunderstanding. 

这是误会。 (這是誤會。) zhè shì wùhuì

Where are you taking me? 

你带我去哪里？ (你帶我去哪里？) nǐ dài wǒ qù nǎlǐ?

Am I under arrest? 

我被捕了吗？ (我被捕了嗎？) wǒ bèibǔle ma?

I am an American/Australian/British/Canadian citizen. 

我是 美国/澳洲/英国/加拿大 公民。 (我是 美國/澳洲/英國/加拿大 公民。) wǒ shì měiguó/àozhōu/yīngguó/jiānádà gōngmín

I want to talk to the American/Australian/British/Canadian embassy/consulate. 

我希望跟 美国/澳洲/英国/加拿大 的 大使馆/领事馆 联系。 (我希望跟 美國/澳洲/英國/加拿大 的 大使館/領事館 聯繫。) wǒ xīwàng gēn měiguó/àozhōu/yīngguó/jiānádà de dàshǐguǎn/lǐngshìguǎn liánxì

I want to talk to a lawyer. 

我希望跟律师联系。 (我希望跟律師聯繫。) wǒ xīwàng gēn lǜshī liánxì

Can I just pay a fine now? 

我可以支付罚款吗？ (我可以支付罰款嗎？) wǒ kěyǐ zhī fù fákuǎn ma?

Telephone and the Internet

Telephone & Internet In most Chinese cities, there are no telephone booths. Instead, small street shops have telephones which can usually be used for national calls. Look for signs like this: 公用电话 (公用電話) Public Telephone Most cafes are cheaper than in hotels. Many mid-range hotels and chains now offer free wireless or plug-in internet. Those cafes are quite hidden sometimes and you should look for the following Chinese characters: 网吧 (網吧) / 网咖 (網咖) Internet Cafe

mobile phone 

手机 （手機） shǒujī (China) / 手提电话 （手提電話）shǒutí diànhuà (Singapore)

Can I make international calls here? 

可以打国际电话吗? (可以打國際電話嗎?) kěyǐ dǎ guójì diànhuà ma?

How much is it to America/Australia/Britain/Canada? 

打到 美国/澳洲/英国/加拿大 是多少钱? (打到 美國/澳洲/英國/加拿大 是多少錢?) dǎdào měiguó/àozhōu/yīngguó/jiānádà shì duōshǎo qián?

Where can I find an Internet cafe? 

哪里有网吧? (哪裏有網吧?) nǎlǐ yǒu wǎng bā?

How much is it per hour? 

一小时是多少钱? (一小時是多少錢?) yī xiǎoshí shì duōshǎo qián?

Learning more

Chinese language learning is flourishing as foreigners recognize the importance of gaining the ability to effectively communicate with a population of 1.3+ billion people. Due to the rapid rise of the Chinese teaching industry however, finding consistent quality instruction can be difficult. Many Chinese language schools and institutes have opened up over the past decade both abroad as well as within China, though before enrolling it is definitely recommended to thoroughly research and speak with current or former students to ensure that effective education is being provided.

For independent learners, it is imperative that one first master tones and the pinyin system before beginning to build vocabulary. The Hanyu Shuiping Kaoshi (HSK) or Chinese Proficiency Test is China's standardized test for Chinese language proficiency (equivalent to the English TOEFL or IELTS). The HSK provides detailed guides for essential vocabulary and grammatical concepts in increasing level of fluency up to Level VI, which represents full written and oral abilities in the language. A good idea for practicing is to make Chinese friends online since millions of young people in China also look for somebody to practice English with.

• Chinese (Wikibooks.org): Free lessons providing detailed grammar explanations, audio samples and stroke order animations.
• Day Day Up Chinese: Online textbook with dialogues, example sentences, grammar, vocabulary and cultural notes, and some practice exercises
• Digital Dialects Chinese: Interactive games for learning Chinese in both Pinyin and simplified characters.
• ZhongWen Red: Free basic online Mandarin tutorials with audio.
• Chinese Flashcards: Annotated Texts, Flashcards, Multiple choice tests
• Mandarin Toplist: List of the major Mandarin instructional websites with short reviews
• a keyboard for typing Chinese characters for Firefox
• Mandarin phrasebook app for travelers
• Dear Dim Sum, daily small bites Chinese lessons