Despite significant differences between different countries in terms of language, languages have always influenced each other. An example of this is loanwords, an interconnection of different languages where one finds similarities between words even though they belong to different languages.

Because there are many loanwords in the Chinese language, learning loanwords can be an essential tool to make it easier to learn Chinese.

In Chinese, loanwords are often translated into Chinese characters that express the sounds or meaning of the loanword. Sometimes it can be a combination of both the sounds (phonetically) and the meaning of the loanword expressed in Chinese characters.

Three groups of loanwords in Chinese

Three types of loanwords are frequently used in Chinese. One type of loanwords is Chinese words that use Chinese characters to bring out the sounds of the foreign word. An example of this is the word ‘pudding’ which is translated to bù dīng 布丁.

While this translation conveys the pronunciation because each character has its meaning, one sometimes chooses Chinese characters with similar pronunciations that have implications related to the foreign word. An example of this is Coca-Cola, which is translated to kě kǒu kě lè 可口可乐.

The first characters kě kǒu 可口 mean “thirsty”, and the Chinese last character lè 乐 means ‘happy’ or ‘happiness’.

In group two, we find words that partly express the sound and partly express the meaning in Chinese. An example of this is mó tuō chē 摩托车, where the sound mó tuō 摩托 comes from the word ‘engine’ and chē 车 means ‘cycle’.

Another type of loanwords in Chinese is words that describe the meaning of the loanword in Chinese characters. An example of this is hēi bǎn 黑板. Here hēi 黑 means ‘black’ and bǎn 板 means ‘board’, which comes from the English word ‘blackboard’.

10 popular foreign words in Chinese

Here are some loanwords that are common in China, with examples of how to use them.

āsīpīlín 阿司匹林 aspirin

Chinese: 有些病人不适合服用阿司匹林。
Pinyin: Yǒuxiē bìngrén bù shìhé fúyòng āsīpīlín.
English: Some patients are not suitable for taking aspirin.

bókè 博客 blog

Chinese: 我想把昨天拍的照片发到博客上。
Pinyin: Wǒ xiǎng bǎ zuótiān pāi de zhàopiàn fā dào bókè shàng.
English: I want to post the photos I took yesterday on the blog.

hēi kè 黑客 hacker

Chinese: 公司财务系统遭到了黑客攻击。
Pinyin: Gōngsī cáiwù xìtǒng zāo dàole hēikè gōngjī.
English: The company’s financial system was attacked by hackers.

jí ta 吉他 guitar

Chinese: 他喜欢弹吉他。
Pinyin: Tā xǐhuān tán jítā
English: He likes to play the guitar.

kǎ lù lǐ 卡路里 calories

Chinese: 运动能有效燃烧卡路里.
Pinyin: Yùndòng néng yǒuxiào ránshāo kǎlùlǐ.
English: Exercise can effectively burn calories.

kù 酷 cool

Chinese: 这个小孩很酷。
Pinyin: Zhège xiǎohái hěn kù.
English: This kid is cool.

hēi bǎn 黑板 blackboard

Chinese: 我没戴眼镜，看不清黑板上的字。
Pinyin: Wǒ méi dài yǎnjìng, kàn bù qīng hēibǎn shàng de zì.
English: I don’t wear glasses and can’t read the words on the blackboard.

mó tuō chē 摩托车 motorcycle

Chinese: 他每天骑摩托车上班。
Pinyin: Tā měitiān qí mótuō chē shàngbān.
English: He rides a motorcycle to work every day.

péi gēn 培根 bacon

Chinese: 我想要点培根。
Pinyin: Wǒ xiǎngyào diǎn péigēn.
English: I want some bacon.

shā fā 沙发 sofa

Chinese: 我习惯躺在沙发上看电视剧。
Pinyin: Wǒ xíguàn tǎng zài shāfā shàng kàn diànshìjù.
English: I am used to lying on the sofa and watching TV series.

Loanwords in marketing: Translation of foreign company names and brands in China

Foreign words in Chinese are often used in marketing in China. Foreign companies should translate their name or the name of the products or services they offer to Chinese when they enter the Chinese market. Why? Because China is a large market, with over 1.4 billion people.

Furthermore, most sales and marketing activities in China are in Chinese. Part of the reason for this is that only a small portion of Chinese living in China have a good level of English.

Foreign companies often seek to have a Chinese name that captures the essence of the original name. One of the most successful foreign brands in China is Coca Cola. The Chinese name for Coca Cola is kěkǒu kělè 可口可乐. As we have already explained, the Chinese name means ‘thirsty’ and ‘happy’, a good and relevant choice of Chinese characters.

The Chinese translation of ‘Chanel’, or what is called transliteration of foreign names, is xiāng nài is 香奈儿. Here, the Chinese character xiāng 香 has a sound similar to the first part of Chanel, while the character means ‘fragrant’. Thus, this is an appropriate character to use. The last part of the name, nài er 奈儿, is the last part of Chanel in a phonetic (sound) translation.

As we have already pointed out, China should be seen as an individual market, and most of the marketing in the Chinese market is done in Chinese. Thus, it is the Chinese name xiāng nài er 香奈儿 that Chinese customers use in communication.

Some companies have not been so successful in choosing Chinese names.

When entering the Chinese market, Mercedes Benz initially chose the Chinese name bēn sǐ 奔死. This was a phonetic translation, where they wanted to have a Chinese name with a similar pronunciation as Benz. Although this name sounds like Benz, the meaning of each of the Chinese characters was not taken into consideration.

The Chinese character bēn 奔 means ‘to run fast’, ‘storm ahead’ and sǐ 死 means ‘death’ sǐ 死. ‘Running to death’ is not a name you want to promote when selling cars.

After realizing the mistake, they changed the name to bēn chí 奔驰. The character bēn 奔 ‘to run fast’, ‘storm ahead’ was the same, and the new character chí 驰 means ‘speed’, ‘gallop’, which is a much better message to communicate to potential customers in China.

DO YOU WANT TO LEARN MORE MANDARIN CHINESE OR KNOW SOMEONE WHO WANTS TO?

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We offer private lessons and group classes at all levels, HSK 1-6, children, adults, business. All Mandarin Chinese classes are offered in classrooms or online.

Do you know anyone who wants to learn Chinese? We will give you 500 US dollars as a bonus as a part of our program “Refer a friend – get $ 500” if your friend or others you introduce to us start taking Chinese classes at our school. Register here if this is interesting for you!

Communication through the use of symbols is an essential part of Chinese society. For example, the Chinese use numbers as symbols to convey specific meanings. Since this is common in China, we should try our best to understand which numbers the Chinese see as lucky numbers or numbers that bring misfortune.

When learning Chinese, it is helpful to know something about Chinese culture and habits. If you do, it will be easier to avoid misunderstandings when communicating with Chinese.

Learning the Chinese culture and how symbols such as numbers are used in practice will make it easier to use Chinese words and expressions correctly.

ÈR 二 2 - LUCKY

In China, èr 二 2 is a lucky number because it represents “double” or a “pair”. Chinese people view “double” as something positive that brings happiness, as it stands for “balance and harmony”.

Many decorations for celebrations come in pairs, and gifts are also given in even numbers. For Chinese New Year, banners are placed symmetrically on both sides of the door.

For traditional Chinese weddings, decorations often include the word xǐ 囍, which is a combination of doubling the word xǐ 喜, meaning “happiness”. Thus, the character xǐ 囍 is known as shuāng xǐ 双喜 or “double happiness”.

Companies also repeat Chinese words (doubling) in names and advertising slogans, hoping this will positively impact the outcome.

SĀN 三 3 - LUCKY

Sān 三 3 sounds like shēng 生, which means “life” or “to give birth” in Chinese.

Chinese culture emphasizes family and strong, healthy children, so shēng 生 has a positive meaning.

In China, sān 三 3 is also a symbol for the three essential stages of human life: birth, marriage, and death. Therefore Chinese people view sān 三 3 as an auspicious number.

SÌ 四 4 - UNLUCKY

Sì 四 4 is a number you should avoid using in China. The Chinese word sì 四 4 sounds like the word sǐ 死, “death”, and is therefore seen as a number that brings misfortune.

While visiting China, You may have noticed that there is no fourth floor in some hospitals.

And in some elevators in Chinese hotels, they skip the fourth floor and go from sān 三 3 directly to wǔ 五 5.

LIÙ 六 6 - LUCKY

The number liù 六 6 in Chinese sounds like liú 流, which means “to float” and liù 溜, which means “fast” in Chinese. That something “floats” is seen in China as something that goes forward and brings wealth.

When six is paired together several times to make 66, 666 or 6666, these are considered lucky numbers.
The number 666 (liù liù liù 六六六) is used to express admiration or positivity towards a situation.

There is also a popular Chinese proverb that says, liù liù dà shùn 六六大顺, which means “everything goes smoothly”.

BĀ 八 8 - LUCKY

Bā 八 8 in Chinese, has a similar pronunciation as to the word “to flourish” fā 發.

In China, the number 8 is a lucky number. And when you add 8 to other numbers, the new number that contains the number eight is also considered a lucky number.

Wealthy Chinese pay money to get a license plate on their cars or a cell phone number with as many 8s as possible. In 2003, the telephone number “+86 28 8888 8888” was sold to Sichuan Airlines for 2.33 million CNY (approximately USD 280,000).

In 2008, the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics took place at the exact time 8/8/2008 at 8:08.08 pm.

Many international airlines that have planes arriving in or departing from China use number 8 in the flight number. For example, the Air Canada route from Shanghai to Toronto is Flight AC88, the British Airways route from Chengdu to London is Flight BA88, and the Air Astana route from Beijing to Almaty is Flight KC888.

JIŬ 九 9 - LUCKY

The number jiŭ 九 9 in Chinese sounds like the word jiŭ 久, meaning “long-lasting” or “eternity”. Both characters have the same pronunciation (tone).

The number is used at Chinese weddings and birthdays and represents longevity—many Chinese send 99 roses to express eternal love.

The number 9 has been a popular number for Chinese emperors. Many emperors wore coats with 9 dragons, officials were organized into a 9-rank system, the empire was divided into 9 continents etc.

The Forbidden City is also known for having a total of 9,999 and a half rooms.
As the highest single-digit number, 9 represents completeness in traditional Chinese culture.

COMBINING LUCKY NUMBERS IN CHINESE

Some combinations of lucky numbers are worth learning as they are often seen in China.

Chinese people use wǔ èr líng 五二零 520 to express wǒ ài nǐ 我爱你, which means “I love you” in Chinese. This number is often used when chatting online, and by writing 520 in a message to a partner, you express love for that person.

The number combination yī sān yī sì 一三一四 1314 sounds the same as yī shēng yī shì 一生一世, which can be translated directly to the «whole life».

This number is used in conjunction with wǔ èr líng 五二零 520. You will then get wǔ èr líng yī sān yī sì 五二零一三一四 5201314, which means “I love you forever”.

DO YOU WANT TO LEARN MORE MANDARIN CHINESE OR KNOW SOMEONE WHO WANTS TO?

If you want to learn Mandarin Chinese, feel free to REGISTER FOR A FREE TRIAL CLASS HERE or send me an email (Chen Huimin):huimin@laerkinesisk.no.

We offer private lessons and group classes at all levels, HSK 1-6, children, adults, business. All Mandarin Chinese classes are offered in classrooms or online.

When learning Chinese, remembering new Chinese words can be challenging. In this article, we share some tips that will make it easier to remember the Chinese characters and words you learn more effectively.

1. GET EXPOSED TO MORE CHINESE WORDS

When trying to remember Chinese words, it helps to be exposed to words repeatedly.

For example, you can put Chinese name tags on things you use daily.
First, check the dictionary to find the word you want to learn, such as ‘computer mouse’ shǔbiāo 鼠标. Write the name down on a piece of paper and then attach it to the mouse.

When you use the mouse, as you probably do several times a day, you will see the label with the Chinese word. In the beginning, you can start with pinyin (the way you pronounce the word). Later, once you are familiar with the word, you can add Chinese characters to the name tag.

2. LEARN PATTERNS OF CHINESE CHARACTER RADICALS

For some Chinese characters, one can learn the words in groups according to their radicals or the roots of the Chinese character. Learning words in groups according to their radicals will make it easier to recognize new Chinese characters.

An example is the radical 氵, which many also call 三点水 (sān diǎn shuǐ / 3 drops of water) or shuǐ (water).

Chinese characters with this radical usually refer to something wet: hé 河 river, hǎi 海 sea, làng 浪 wave, chí 池 dam, hú 湖, hàn 汗 sweat, yè 液 liquid, etc.

3. FOCUS ON PRONUNCIATION AND READ ALOUD

As you begin to learn Mandarin Chinese, it is important to focus on pronouncing the Chinese words correctly. You should read aloud and follow vocabulary and sentences.

And if you take a Mandarin Chinese course, the Chinese teacher will correct you. If you pronounce a word incorrectly, the Chinese teacher will tell you how to pronounce it correctly and how to use the word in practice.

Since Chinese is a tonal language, different pronunciation means different words. Do not mix the notes. This will make the Chinese do not understand what you are trying to say.

For example, if you say: ‘xióngmāo’ 熊猫 with a second and a first note, this means panda. If you mix the tones and say ‘xiōngmáo’ 胸毛 with the first note and the second note, this means chest hair.

4. LEARN SOUND COMPONENTS IN THE CHINESE CHARACTERS

You may have tried to memorize Chinese words without knowing what the word in front of you means or how to pronounce the word.

One way to identify the pronunciation of a Chinese character is to find sound components within certain characters.

For example, you can find the ma 马 component in many characters: 吗，妈，骂，码 with a ma pronunciation.

Although the tone of these characters is not the same, identifying the ma 马 sound will help you with the characters.

5. WRITE THE CHINESE CHARACTERS YOU LEARN

Although it may seem like a very traditional way of studying, it is useful to write Chinese characters with pencil and paper. This will help you feel the flow of the Chinese character you have written. The more you write the characters you learn, the easier it is to remember them when you see them.

You can obtain a TIAN ZI GE NOTEBOOK as a supplement to Chinese language studies. You can use this type of notebook to practice writing Chinese characters. Each square containing one character is divided into four quadrants, which guide the correct placement of each element in the Chinese characters you learn to write.

Both children and adults who learn Chinese characters and how to write Chinese can use a TIAN ZI GE NOTEBOOK .

6. TAKE A CHINESE COURSE

If you take a course in Chinese, you will have a systematic way of learning the words and signs. You will receive immediate feedback on pronunciation from the Chinese teacher.

An effective way to correct the mistakes you make when you pronounce, read and write Chinese characters incorrectly and are corrected in class.
In other words, it is not only important to get instruction on how to do it right by the Chinese teacher, but also how to correct the mistake you have made.

The Chinese class will give you new perspectives, and the interaction with the teacher will inspire you. You will learn the language more effectively and gain a better understanding of Chinese culture.

DO YOU WANT TO LEARN MORE MANDARIN CHINESE OR KNOW SOMEONE WHO WANTS TO?

If you want to learn Mandarin Chinese, feel free to REGISTER FOR A FREE TRIAL CLASS HERE or send me an email (Chen Huimin):huimin@laerkinesisk.no.

We offer private lessons and group classes at all levels, HSK 1-6, children, adults, business. All Mandarin Chinese classes are offered in classrooms or online.

Gāng 刚 and gāngcái 刚才 are two words that are often used in different situations in Mandarin Chinese. Both of these words mean “just, a moment ago” and refer to actions that happened a short time ago.

But even though the meaning is the same, the use of these two Chinese words is not always the same.

GĀNG 刚 AND GĀNGCÁI 刚才

Although you can place both words in front of verbs, gāng 刚 and gāngcái 刚才 are not the same.

Gāng 刚 is an adverb and is placed directly in front of the verb or an adjective. Gāngcái 刚才 cannot be placed in front of an adjective.

Gāng 刚 is used only directly in front of the verb and cannot be used at the beginning of the sentence before the subject.

Structure:

Subject + gāng 刚 + verb / adjective

Examples:

Wǒ gāng líkāi.
我刚离开.
I just left.
Wǒmen gāng dào jiā
我们刚到家.
We just got home.

When gāngcái 刚才 is connected to an activity, it is placed either before or after the subject.

Structure:

Subject + gāngcái 刚才 + verb / gāngcái 刚才 + subject + verb

Examples:

Wǒ gāngcái kàn dào tā.
我刚才看到他.
I just saw him.

Gāngcái nǐ chī le shénme?
刚才你吃了什么?
What did you just eat?

You can use gāngcái 刚才 to change a noun to something that happened right now.

Structure:

Gāngcái 刚才 + de 的 + noun

Examples:

Gāngcái de qíngkuàng hěn wéixiǎn.
刚才的情况很危险.

The situation right now was very dangerous.
Gāngcái de shùxuétí tài nán le.

刚才的数学题太难了.
The math question (which we just looked at) was too difficult.

GĀNG 刚 AND GĀNGCÁI 刚才 CAN REFER TO DIFFERENT PERIODS

Gāngcái 刚才 is a fixed, absolute verb that represents a moment ago, and emphasizes that the action took place recently.

The time gāngcái 刚才 expresses in Mandarin Chinese is short but depends on the situation. Although it may take a few seconds or a few minutes, it rarely means more than 30 minutes.

Example:

Gāngcái nàgè rén shì shéi?
刚才那个人是谁?
Who was that person (that we just met)?

And because it is a verb, you can not use gāngcái 刚才 with other verbs and to refer to events of a certain duration.

Gāng 刚 emphasizes that the action just took place, but the length of the time frame is relative and depends on what the speaker means by “just”. Whether it’s a few minutes, a few hours, a few weeks or months ago.

Examples:

Tā gāng dào jiǔdiàn méi duōjiǔ.
他刚到酒店没多久.
He just arrived at the hotel not long ago.

‘Gang’ can also be used with a specific time to show how long it took from when an action occurred.
The structure is then:

Subject + gāng 刚 + verb + object + duration.

Examples:

Wǒ bān lái Hángzhōu gāng mǎn 2 nián.
我搬来杭州刚满2年.

I have been moving to Hangzhou for (just exactly) 2 years.
会议刚开始5分钟.

Huìyì gāng kāishǐ 5 fēnzhōng.
The meeting has just started 5 minutes ago.

Gāng 刚 usually does not require a le 了 in the sentence, especially when talking about a verb with a precise result.
Since gāngcái 刚才 refers to recent actions that have been completed, sentences with gāngcái 刚才 often include le 了.

If there is a time gap between the action that just happened and the current situation or something that has changed since then, gāngcái 刚才 is used more often.

Example:

Tā gāngcái hái zài gōngsī, xiànzài yǐjīng huí jiāle.
他刚才还在公司, 现在已经回家了
He was just in the office (company) but has already gone home.

DO YOU WANT TO LEARN MORE MANDARIN CHINESE OR KNOW SOMEONE WHO WANTS TO?

If you want to learn Mandarin Chinese, feel free to REGISTER FOR A FREE TRIAL CLASS HERE or send me an email (Chen Huimin): huimin@laerkinesisk.no.

We offer private lessons and group classes at all levels, HSK 1-6, children, adults, business. All Mandarin Chinese classes are offered in classrooms or online.

It is important to know when to use the words you learn in the right situation when learning a language.

When translating from a language into Chinese, different word choices will often have more than one meaning.

The word “can” is an example of this. When we use “can” as an auxiliary verb, we should know that this word has many meanings in Mandarin Chinese.

Therefore, it is important to know what context and situation we are going to use the Chinese word.

THE THREE MODAL VERBS HUÌ 会, NÉNG 能 AND KĚYǏ 可以

The three modal verbs huì 会, néng 能 and kěyǐ 可以 are often translated as “can”. Sometimes they are explained as such: huì 会 means “know how to”, néng 能 means “to be able to”, and kěyǐ 可以 means “to have permission to.”

However, the use of these words in Mandarin Chinese overlaps somewhat. We will now explain in more detail how to use them properly.

BASIC MEANINGS

The words huì 会, néng 能 and kěyǐ 可以 sometimes overlap in meaning.

However, you can divide their use into 3 categories:

1. huì 会 can mean “to know how to”, expressing an action you have learned.

2. néng 能 can mean “to be able”, which describes having a special ability.

3. kěyǐ 可以 can mean “to be allowed”, and expresses having another person’s permission.

When do these words overlap in the way you use them?

Ability in the sense of “knowing how”. Here you can use both huì 会 and néng 能.

Permission. Here you can use néng 能 or kěyǐ 可以.

Note that when permission is not granted, you say bù kěyǐ 不可以.

EXPRESS ABILITY

Both huì 会 and néng 能 can express the ability to do something.

Structure

huì 会／ néng能 + Verb

Examples:

Wǒ huì kāi chē.

我会开车.

I can drive.

Wǒ huì shuō Zhōngwén.

我会说中文.

I can speak Chinese.

EXPRESS PERMISSION

Structure:

kěyǐ 可以 / néng 能 + Verb

Examples

A: Jīnglǐ, wǒ kěyǐ wǎn diǎn shàngbān ma?

A: 经理, 我可以晚点上班吗?

A: Manager, can I start working a little later?

B: kěyǐ

B: 可以.

B: That’s fine.

A: Wǒ néng hē jiǔ ma?

A: 我能喝酒吗?

A: Can I drink alcohol?

B: Bù néng.

B: 不能.

B: (You) can not (do it).

EXPRESS OPPORTUNITY

Néng 能 and kěyǐ 可以 can also express possibility.

Structure:

kěyǐ 可以 / néng 能 + Verb

Examples

Wǒmen néng bù néng qù lǚyóu?

我们能不能去旅游?

Can we go travelling?

Míngtiān wǒmen kě bù kěyǐ zài jiā kàn diànyǐng?

明天我们可不可以在家看电影?

Can we stay home and watch a movie tomorrow?

TALK ABOUT THE FUTURE

Huì 会 can also mean that something is going to happen.

Structure:

huì 会 + Verb / Adj.

Examples

Xià zhōu wǒ huì chūchāi.

下周我会出差.

I’m going on a business trip next week.

Wǒ huì qù Hángzhōu lǚyóu.

我会去杭州旅游.

I’m going to travel to Hangzhou.#

EMPHASIZE SOMETHING

By placing hěn 很 in front of huì 会, we emphasize the ability and skill of the action presented. Hěn huì 很会 means that you are very good at doing something.

Structure:

hěn 很 + huì 会／ néng 能 + Verb

If you say hěn néng shuō 很能说 means that someone speaks a lot, while hěn huì shuō 很会说 means that someone is good at expressing themselves in spoken language.

Examples:

I’m going to change.

他很会唱歌.

He’s really good at singing.

Tā hěn néng shuō.

她很能说.

She really talks a lot.

8 CHINESE SKILLS WILL HELP YOU GET A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF THE BUSINESS CLIMATE IN CHINA AND NEW IDEAS

If you want to do business in China and Chinese communities, it’s essential to have at least some basic Chinese skills. This will help you better understand the business climate in China and new ideas. Even if you’re not planning on doing business in China, learning Chinese can still be beneficial. It can help you understand Chinese culture and history better, and it can also be a valuable skill to have in general.

China is also the fastest-growing consumer market, so communicating with and understanding how Chinese consumers act is a huge plus.

It’s important to remember that business is done differently in different countries. Many ways of doing business in other countries are not necessarily better or worse than how you do business. They are just different.

If you learn Chinese for business, you will learn more about how the Chinese economy works and how Chinese people do business. Some ways to run a business may seem strange but can be surprisingly profitable.

They can also help you develop new ideas by showing how other cultures and markets do things well.

China is one of the countries whose economy is growing the fastest. Many new technologies, trends, skills, and ways of doing business are used. Understanding the Chinese economy and business trends will also teach you how business is done worldwide.

BUSINESS CHINESE COURSES AT LC CHINESE SCHOOL

The benefits of learning Chinese for business are immense. Imagine knowing the language of one of the biggest economies in the world. You’ll be well on your way to understanding its business culture and building meaningful connections with Chinese-speaking people. Speaking Chinese fluently will take some time, effort, and patience. However, it is one of the most significant investments you can make in your career.

At LC Chinese School, you’ll find a supportive environment to help you learn Chinese, whether you’re just starting to learn a new language or are already well on your way to speaking it fluently.

We have classes tailored to each student’s goals so that you can spend your time working with the Chinese language more efficiently. You can take Business Chinese classes to move up in your career. These courses can be made for groups or one-on-one programs tailored to your industry’s needs.

We also have beginner classes where the focus is on pronunciation, the tonal system, and pinyin, not the Chinese characters so that you can save time and learn more quickly.

Our trainers are skilled and can teach courses like intensive boot camps, classes that focus on business and corporate-speak, small group classes, and one-on-one tutoring in a casual setting.

Your business Chinese will improve quickly if you learn from professional schools and teachers with a lot of experience. Business Chinese is an area where LC Chinese School has done a lot of good work. We have helped people from all over the world who work in China, especially with our Business Chinese courses.

Online Chinese courses make Chinese language learning easier for you as a business person because you don’t have to worry about where you’ll learn or how you’ll fit it into your busy schedules.

DO YOU WANT TO LEARN MORE MANDARIN CHINESE OR KNOW SOMEONE WHO WANTS TO?

If you want to learn Mandarin Chinese, feel free to REGISTER FOR A FREE TRIAL CLASS HERE or send me an email (Chen Huimin): huimin@laerkinesisk.no.

We offer private lessons and group classes at all levels, HSK 1-6, children, adults, business. All Mandarin Chinese classes are offered in classrooms or online.

The use of large numbers in Mandarin Chinese is different from many other languages. Unlike some languages that form numbers based on the number 1000 in large numbers, numbers between 10,000 and 100,000,000 in Mandarin Chinese are based on how many tens of thousands they have and a set of rules for numbers from 100,000,000 and up.

DIFFERENT NUMBER UNITS

Mandarin Chinese has many number units with unique words for each unit.

Two of the most commonly used number units are:

wàn 万: ten thousand

yì 亿: one hundred million

TEN THOUSAND - WÀN 万

Many people who study Mandarin Chinese find it difficult to learn and use the number unit wàn 万. Instead of dividing “twelve thousand” numerically into “12,000” into parts of three digits, Divide this number as in Mandarin Chinese: “1.2000”. Here you say yī wàn liǎng qiān 一万两千, “one ten thousand” yī wàn 一万 and “two thousand”

liǎng qiān 两千.

10000

1.0000 yīwàn 一万 one ten thousand

13000

1.3000 yī wàn sān qiān 一万三千 one ten thousand, three thousand

13600

1.3600 yī wàn sān qiān liù bǎi 一万三千六百 one ten thousand, three thousand, six hundred

66700

6.6700 liù wàn liù qiān qī bǎi 六万六千七百 six ten thousand, six thousand, seven hundred

HUNDRED MILLION - YÌ 亿

After 99 999 999, we use another new numerical unit, yì 亿, “one hundred million.”

A number like 1,101,110,000 you print out as: shí yī yì yī bǎi yī shí yī wàn 十一亿一百一十一万.

You can divide this into two parts:

Part 1: 11 x 100 000 000, 11 x yì 亿

Part 2: 111 x 10000, 111 x wàn 万

THE MANDARIN CHINESE NUMBER STRUCTURE

1 000 000 000
shí yì 十亿 one billion

100 000 000 000
yì 亿 hundred million

10 000 000
qiān wàn 千万 ten million

1 000 000
bǎi wàn 百万 one million

100 000
shí wàn 十万 hundred thousand

10 000
wàn 万 ten thousand

1000
qiān 千 thousand

100
bǎi 百 hundred

10
shí 十 ten

1
yī 一 one

The following pattern constructs any number from 10,000 to 100,000,000:
number 10,000
number 1000
number 100
number 10
number 1
If you use numbers of one hundred or tens, you replace many zeros in a row with a zero – líng 零.

SOME NUMBER EXAMPLES

sì bǎi liù shí wǔ 四百六十五 465

yī qiān líng bā shí jiǔ 一千零八十九 1089

sān wàn wǔ qiān qī bǎi bā shí jiǔ 三万五千七百八十九 35789

shí liù wàn liù qiān bā bǎi èr shí yī 十六万六千八百二十一 166821

sānshí wǔ wàn líng liù bǎi qī shí sān 三十五万零六百七十三 350673

jiǔ bǎi wǔ shí liù wàn sì qiān sān bǎi sān shí 九百五十六万四千三百三十 9564330

jiǔ bǎi líng yī wàn yī qiān líng sān shí sì 九百零一万一千零三十四 9011034

yīqiān líng sān wàn sìqiān èrbǎi yīshíwǔ 一千零三万四千二百一十 10034215

yī yì liù qiān qī bǎi bā shí jiǔ wàn sān qiān sì bǎi èr shí 一亿六千七百八十九万三千 87 九万三千 87

An important thing to know when learning large numbers in Mandarin Chinese is that the numbers follow categories of up to 4 digits. When you get to the fifth digit, from wàn 万 (10 ^ 4 10000) onwards, there is a new numeric name in Chinese consisting of up to 4 new digits:

shí 十 10 ^ 1 10
bǎi 百 10 ^ 2 100
qiān 千 10 ^ 3 1000
wàn 万 10 ^ 4 10000
yì 亿 10 ^ 8 100 000 000
zhào 兆 10 ^ 12 1 000 000 000 000 000
jīng 京 10 ^ 16 10 000 000 000 000 000 000 000
gāi 垓 10 ^ 20 100 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000
zǐ 秭 10 ^ 24 1 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000

DO YOU WANT TO LEARN MORE MANDARIN CHINESE OR KNOW SOMEONE WHO WANTS TO?

If you want to learn Mandarin Chinese, feel free to REGISTER FOR A FREE TRIAL CLASS HERE or send me an email (Chen Huimin):huimin@laerkinesisk.no.

We offer private lessons and group classes at all levels, HSK 1-6, children, adults, business. All Mandarin Chinese classes are offered in classrooms or online.

When expressing time in Chinese, use: “diǎn 点” and “fēn 分”:

hour number + 点 (diǎn – time)

number + 分 (fēn – minutes).

One follows the principle of going from “the largest unit of time, and then to the smallest unit”.
“Diǎn 点” means “clock”, which indicates a full hour. For example :

5:00 → wǔ diǎn 五点
9:00 → jiǔ diǎn 九点
3:00 → sān diǎn 三点

Note: When you say 2 o’clock in Chinese, you say “liǎng diǎn 两点” (liǎng diǎn) “instead of” èr diǎn 二点”.

If the time you want to say is not a “full hour”, use “fēn 分” minutes
The pattern is then:

hour number + diǎn 点 (full clock hours) number of minutes + fēn 分 (minutes).

For example:

4:30 → sì diǎn sān shí fēn 四点三十分
12:10 → shí èr diǎn shí fēn 十二点十分
2:05 → liǎng diǎn líng wǔ fēn 两点零五分

CHINESE NUMBERS 11-60

When saying numbers from 11 to 19 in Chinese, use the formula “10 + x”. X is the number added to 10. For example:

shí èr 十二 12
shí bā 十八 18

The numbers from 21 to 29 follow a similar pattern, “20 + x”:

èr shí 二十 20 or 2×10
èr shí sān 二十三 23 or 2×10 + 3

Numbers from to 99 follow the same pattern:

sān shí 三十 30
sān shí èr 三十二 32
sì shí 四十 40
sì shí èr 四十二 42

MINUTES MORE THAN OR LESS THAN 10

When the minutes are more than 10 or exactly 10, read out the number that represents the minute as you normally do. For example,

9:40 jiǔ diǎn sì shí 九点四十

When the minutes are below 10, you can read “zero” – 零 (líng) before the number corresponding to the minute.

For example, 9:08. You can read this as 九点零八 (jiǔ diǎn líng bā) – which means “nine o’clock zero eight”.

Alternatively, you can also put the word 分 (fēn) – which means “minute” after any “hour + minutes” structure.

If it’s 9:20, you can either say: jiǔ diǎn èr shí 九点二十 or jiǔ diǎn èr shí fēn 九点二十分.

If it’s 9:02, you can say jiǔ diǎn líng wǔ 九点零二 or jiǔ diǎn líng èr fēn 九点零二分

When the minutes are in one digit, you can also say minutes plus fēn 分. If it’s 9:02, you can say:

jiǔ diǎn èr fēn 九点二分

HOW DO YOU SAY "HALF" AND "QUARTER"?

To say “half” we use 半 (bàn). For example:

liù diǎn bàn 六点半 6:30.

To indicate quarters we say 一刻 (yí kè). For example:

liù diǎn yí kè 六点一刻 6:15.

Remember that You can not say “ten to” in Chinese, nor “quarter to”.

DO YOU WANT TO LEARN MORE MANDARIN CHINESE OR KNOW SOMEONE WHO WANTS TO?

If you want to learn Mandarin Chinese, feel free to REGISTER FOR A FREE TRIAL CLASS HERE or send me an email (Chen Huimin): huimin@laerkinesisk.no.

We offer private lessons and group classes at all levels, HSK 1-6, children, adults, business. All Mandarin Chinese classes are offered in classrooms or online.

In this article, we go through some grammatical parts from HSK 1 考试水平考试 which is level 1 in the Chinese Proficiency Test.

When you express dates in Chinese, the order is month yuè 月, date hào 号 / rì 日, and then the day of the week.

What is important is that the “largest units of time come before the smallest” when saying dates in Chinese. First, you say the month yuè 月, then the date and finally the day.

HOW TO SAY NUMBERS IN CHINESE

Before we go on to explain how to say dates in Chinese, we must first explain how to say numbers in Chinese.

1 yī 一
2 èr 二
3 sān 三
4 sì 四
5 wǔ 五
6 liù 六
7 qī 七
8 bā 八
9 jiǔ 九
10 shí 十
11 shíyī 十一
12 shíèr 十二
13 shísān 十三
14 shísì 十四
15 shíwǔ 十五
16 shíliù 十六
17 shíqī 十七
18 shíbā 十八
19 shíjiǔ 十九
20 èrshí 二十
21 èrshíyī 二十一
22 èrshíèr 二十二
23 èrshísān 二十三
24 èrshísì 二十四
25 èrshíwǔ 二十五
26 èrshíliù 二十六
27 èrshíqī 二十七
28 èrshíbā 二十八
29 èrshíjiǔ 二十九
30 sānshí 三十
31 sānshíyī 三十一

MONTHS IN CHINESE

The names of the months in Chinese are based on the word 月 (yuè), which means “month” and a number. To say January to December, start with the number corresponding to the order of the month and then 月 (yuè).

January 一月 yī yuè
February 二月 èr yuè
March 三月 sān yuè
April 四月 sì yuè
May 五月 wǔ yuè
June 六月 liù yuè
July 七月 qī yuè
August 八月 bā yuè
September 九月 jiǔ yuè
October 十月 shí yuè
November 十一月 shí yī yuè
December 十二月 shí èr yuè

When saying the months, use cardinal numbers (one, two, three, etc.) instead of ordinary numbers (first, second, third, etc.).

THE DAYS OF A MONTH IN CHINESE

Dates in Chinese follow the same pattern of months: First, you say the day’s number, then the word 号 (hào) which means “date“.

As with months, you use cardinal numbers (one, two, three, etc.) instead of ordinary numbers (first, second, third, etc.) for dates in Chinese, such as 二号 (èr hào) and not 第二号 ( dì èr hào).

first 一号 yī hào
andre 二号 èr hào
third, 三号 sān hào
fourth 四号 sì hào
fifth 五号 wǔ hào
sjette 六号 liù hào
seventh 七号 qī hào
eighth 八号 bā hào
niende 九号 jiǔ hào
tiende 十号 shí hào
ellevte 十一号 shíyī hào
tolvte 十二号 shíèr hào
thirteenth 十三号 shí sān hào
fourteenth 十四号 shísì hào
femtende 十五号 shíwǔ hào
sexten 十六号 shíliù hào
seventeenth 十七号 shíqī hào
attende 十八号 shíbā hào
nittende 十九号 shíjiǔ hào
tjuende 二十号 èrshí hào
tjueførst 二十一号 èrshíyī hào
tjueandre 二十二号 èrshíèr hào
tjuetredje 二十三号 èrshísān hào
tjuefjerde 二十四号 èrshísì hào
tjuefemte 二十五号 èrshíwǔ hào
tjuesjette 二十六号 èrshíliù hào
tjuesyvende 二十七号 èrshíqī hào
twenty-eight 二十八号 èrshíbā hào ‘
tjueniende 二十九号 èrshíjiǔ hào
thirty 三十号 sānshí hào

When you say the date in Chinese, hào is informal and used orally, while rì 日 is more formal and used in writing. When writing a date, rì 日 should be used.

In Chinese it will then be:
1: jiǔyuè 2: shíyī hào 3: xīngqīliù.
1: 9月 2: 11号 3: 星期六
1: September 2: 11. 3: Saturday
Here shíyīhào means the eleventh. When writing Chinese, write shíyī rì or the 11th day.

Other examples

Example 1

1: jiǔyuè 2: èrshíèrhào 3: xīngqīsān
1: 9 月 2: 22号 3: 星期三
1: 9. September 2: 22. 3: Wednesday

Example 2

1: shíyuè 2: sānshíyīhào 3: xīngqīrì
1:10月, 2: 31号, 3: 星期日.
1: October 2 2: 31. 3: Sunday

WEEKDAYS

As we have already pointed out, Chinese dates are written and read from the larger unit. A year is read digit by digit, followed by the character “年”. A month or date reads the whole number followed by “yuè 月” and hào 号 / rì 日.

A day of the week is expressed by “week” “xīngqī 星期” plus a number. For example, “August 8, 2008, Friday” is read “èr líng líng bā nián bāyuè bāhào, xīngqīwǔ”. Because Friday is the fifth day in the week, one reads “week” “xīngqī 星期” + 5 wǔ.

When we say “Sunday”, we use “week” “xīngqī 星期” plus “tiān 天” or “rì 日”

Example 1

Jīntiān shì èr líng èr yī nián shí yuè shíliù hào.

今天是二零二一年十月十六号

Today is October 16, 2021.

Example 2

A: Jīntiān shì xīngqí jǐ?

B: Jīntiān jiǔ yuè shíèr hào, xīngqīrì.

A: 今天是星期星期几？

B: 今天9月12号星期日。

A: What day is today?

B: Today is September 12, Sunday.

Example 3

A: Nǐde shēngrì shì jǐ yuè jǐ hào?

B: Wǒde shēngrì shì shí yuè shíqī rì.

A: 你的生日是几月几号？

B: 我的生日是10月17日。

A: When is your birthday?

B: My birthday is on October 17th.

DO YOU WANT TO LEARN MORE MANDARIN CHINESE OR KNOW SOMEONE WHO WANTS TO?

If you want to learn Mandarin Chinese, feel free to REGISTER FOR A FREE TRIAL CLASS HERE or send me an email (Chen Huimin): huimin@laerkinesisk.no.

We offer private lessons and group classes at all levels, HSK 1-6, children, adults, business. All Mandarin Chinese classes are offered in classrooms or online.

When you start learning Chinese, you may want to choose a good Chinese name. An easy way to come up with a Chinese name is by transliterating your name into Chinese, which means creating a Chinese name from the sounds of your name.

Here are some examples of transliterated names

Tom: Tāng mǔ 汤姆

Maria: Mǎ lì yà 玛丽亚

But what if you want to choose a more common Chinese name and not a transliterated name that most foreigners use?

CHOOSE A COMMON CHINESE NAME

Chinese names usually have a specific meaning, as all Chinese characters mean something. If you do not choose a name with the correct characters, your name may sound strange.

Since the meaning of each Chinese character is different, it is easy to make a mistake if you do not know the Chinese culture and language well enough when choosing characters for the name. If you are not careful, you can risk strange character combinations that mean something bad.

For example, there are foreigners who have chosen Chinese names that are not common in China. Some have chosen the name Cǎihuā 采花, unaware that the word is often used to refer to rapists and not its literal meaning which is “picking flowers”.

And some foreigners transcribe their names into Chinese names without understanding the direct or indirect result of the transliteration. An example is the name “Charlotte”, a name that some transliterates to Xià luò tè 夏洛特, which sounds like shā le tā 杀了他 / 她 shā le tā, which means to kill him/her.

And it is also important to understand that choosing a good Chinese name with good Chinese characters is seen as important in Chinese culture. Thus one has the saying,

búpà shēnɡ cuò mìnɡ, jiù pà qǐcuòmínɡ 不怕生错命，就怕起错名

“People are not afraid of a tough life, but rather afraid of picking a wrong name.”

GENERAL RULES FOR CHINESE NAMES

Most Chinese names consist of three characters. All Chinese names begin with the family name and then the first name.

Although China has a large population, only about 100 Chinese surnames are in use. 20-30 of these names are the most common surnames in China.

Chinese first names usually have one or two characters. Most family names have one character. Some Chinese names consist of two characters, for example: 司马 sī mǎ, 欧阳 ōu yánɡ, 长孙 zhǎnɡ sūn, 公孙 ɡōnɡ sūn etc.

FACTORS TO CONSIDER WHEN CHOOSING A CHINESE NAME

When choosing a name, there are some factors to consider: the meaning of the Chinese characters, how the name sounds and what expectation Chinese people get when they hear the name.

There are also many cultural factors to know about. Few may know that different characters are often used in male and female names.

Some names are especially for girls, some are for boys. For example, for a Spanish name like Juan, this is a name that many translate to 娟. However, this character means ‘beautiful’ and ‘graceful’ and is a popular name for Chinese girls. It is not recommended that men use this name.

Chinese characters in popular Chinese names for boys include,

力 lì, “power”

雄 xióng, “hero”

子 zǐ, “son”

Chinese characters in popular female Chinese names include

夏 xià, “summer”

雪 xuě, “snow”

丽 lì, “beautiful”

If you as a man use Chinese characters that it is common for Chinese women to use, most Chinese will consider your name to be strange.

CHOOSE A GOOD CHINESE NAME

By choosing a Chinese name with Chinese characters that most Chinese recognize, and not infrequent characters that were commonly used in ancient times in China, you can prevent your Chinese friends from not knowing how to read your name.

The number of foreigners with Chinese names is growing, but not every name chosen is a good name. Many Chinese names used by foreigners can have unforeseen and rather bad meanings as each Chinese character has a specific meaning

There are also a few Chinese taboos that do not exist in Western culture. For example, using the name of parents or grandparents is seen as good in many countries. In China, many people consider it disrespectful to give a person the same name that the older generation used.

Also remember the saying “When you are in Rome, do as the Romans do” or as this Chinese saying goes, rùxiāng suísú 入乡随俗 “When you enter a village, follow the local customs.”

So when you live in China, it might be a good idea to use a name that the Chinese like and do not find strange.

GET HELP FROM A CHINESE

Since most Chinese living in China speak little English, foreigners who want to be remembered by the Chinese should have a Chinese name. Having a Chinese name is also important when building a closer and more intimate relationship with the Chinese.

Those who want a good Chinese name should consider asking for advice.

It can be a good idea to let different Chinese people check your name before deciding which Chinese name to choose. Make sure the name does not sound or mean anything terrible, and check that it both looks and sounds good to a Chinese person.

Hopefully, you choose a Chinese name that makes you proud and a name the Chinese like!

DO YOU WANT TO LEARN MORE MANDARIN CHINESE OR KNOW SOMEONE WHO WANTS TO?

If you want to learn Mandarin Chinese, feel free to REGISTER FOR A FREE TRIAL CLASS HERE or send me an email (Chen Huimin): huimin@laerkinesisk.no.

We offer private lessons and group classes at all levels, HSK 1-6, children, adults, business. All Mandarin Chinese classes are offered in classrooms or online.

Chinese Proficiency Test or HSK (Hànyǔ shuǐpíng kǎoshì 汉语水平考试) is an international standardized test of Chinese language skills. It assesses students who do not have Chinese as their mother tongue’s abilities to use the Chinese language in practice.

HSK consists of six levels: HSK level 1, HSK level 2, HSK level 3, HSK level 4, HSK level 5 and HSK level 6.

MAKE A PLAN FOR YOUR PREPARATIONS

Maybe you are now in a situation where you need an HSK score to demonstrate your Chinese level to potential employers, in your Chinese work visa application or study application.

Or maybe you have tangible proof of what level of Chinese you have that you want to show others?

If you are studying Chinese and need formal or official proof of your Chinese level, the HSK test is the best and safest way to get this.

Whatever reason you have for wanting to take the HSK test, it is important in the first instance to make a plan for the preparation ahead.

Even students with strong language skills may have difficulty passing exams. No matter how confident you are with your Chinese skills, it will help if you continue to spend time getting to know the structure and content of the HSK test through effective, targeted practice.

HAVE A BASIC OVERVIEW OF THE HSK TEST: USING HSK 4 AS AN EXAMPLE

It is important to understand the basic content and structure of HSK. Let’s look at the HSK 4 test:

There are 3 sections:

1. Listening, 45 questions, 30 minutes.

2. Reading: 40 questions, 40 minutes

3. Writing/typing on a keyboard on the online HSK test: 15 questions, 25 minutes.

Extra listening time: 5 minutes

Total time on the HSK 4 test: 1 time and 40 minutes

Although the highest possible score is 300, only 180 is required to pass HSK 4.
At the HSK 4 level, the exam covers a predefined vocabulary of 1200 words.

The writing section of the traditional paper-based HSK 4 contains five questions that involve handwriting a sentence in Chinese based on a given image and word.

If you have problems writing in Chinese at the same time as you want to pass the HSK test, you should consider taking the exam online since the online version of the HSK test does not require you to write Chinese characters by hand. When taking the test online, it is enough to enter the characters on the PC instead of typing them by hand.

Generally, we recommend taking the Online HSK test, as you then do not have to write every Chinese character by hand, something that is more difficult for many foreigners.

You get the same HSK diploma and certificate regardless of whether you complete the test online or offline.

THE IMPORTANCE OF REMEMBERING CHINESE VOCABULARY

Starting to work with your vocabulary is a good basis for passing the HSK test. In fact, there is a predefined vocabulary for each HSK level.

The vocabulary needed for each level in the HSK test is:

HSK level 1: 150 words

HSK level 2: 300 words

HSK level 3: 600 words

HSK level 4: 1200 words

HSK level 5: 2500 words

HSK level 6: 5000 words

USE FLASHCARDS WHEN STUDYING CHINESE

When you have finished reading some of the study material you use to prepare for the test, you should focus on looking up unfamiliar words in dictionaries. You can then make flashcards, either electronic or paper, to help you remember Chinese characters and words you found difficult.

It would help if you make flashcards for unfamiliar words that often pop up as you prepare for the HSK test.

If you do this, you will end up having flashcards aimed at the words that will appear on the test itself.

TRY TO IMPROVE YOUR OVERALL CHINESE LEVEL BEFORE THE ACTUAL TEST

It is important to spend time improving the overall level of Chineseness if you have time before the actual test date.

Are you, for example planning to take the HSK test at level 4, you can take Chinese classes and study Chinese books at a higher level than HSK 4 (HSK 5, 6).

Chinese texts at a higher level, such as HSK 5, are covering the vocabulary needed to pass the HSK 4 test.

Entering the test with an improved overall Chinese level increases the chance of passing the HSK test.

DO YOU WANT TO LEARN MORE MANDARIN CHINESE OR KNOW SOMEONE WHO WANTS TO?

If you want to learn Mandarin Chinese, feel free to REGISTER FOR A FREE TRIAL CLASS HERE or send me an email (Chen Huimin): huimin@laerkinesisk.no.

We offer private lessons and group classes at all levels, HSK 1-6, children, adults, business. All Mandarin Chinese classes are offered in classrooms or online.