How Chinese Actually Express I Love You In Mandarin Chinese
In this article, we are going to introduce how Chinese people actually express ‘I love you’, or their love towards someone, in Mandarin Chinese. We will also introduce some common vocabulary, slang, and idioms used in Chinese to describe relationships.
I moved to the States about 10 years ago. Recognizing the difference between how Americans and Chinese express their love was an interesting topic.
As many of you may know, how to say I love you in Chinese, is “我爱你 Wǒ ài nǐ.” But what you may not know, was that when I grew up in my family, I never heard my parents say “我爱你 Wǒ ài nǐ” to each other, at least not in front of me. And this is a very typical case in a Chinese family. Don’t get me wrong. My parents love each other. I have no doubt of that. They express their love in actions, not really verbally. They take care of each other whether they are rich or poor, whether they are healthy or sick.
Love can be deep or shallow. But no matter what you experience, express it! Let the one you love know of your love for them, by your actions or verbally!
Because of the cultural differences, do you know how Chinese actually say ‘I love you’ in Chinese? Let’s learn how Chinese actually express their love in Chinese.
How Chinese Actually Express love In Mandarin Chinese
我喜欢你。/ 我喜歡你。 Wǒ xǐhuān nǐ. I like you.
This is the most common phrase used when Chinese express that they are attracted to someone. Keep this in mind, when we say “我喜欢你 Wǒ xǐhuān nǐ” in Chinese, it doesn’t necessarily mean we have less feelings towards someone compared to when you say “I love you” in English. We are just not used to saying the word “爱 ài” out loud!
你很可爱。/ 你很可愛。nǐ hěn kě ài. You are cute.
This can be used when you think the person looks cute or you find their behavior adorable.
你很漂亮。/ 你很漂亮。nǐ hěn piào liang. You are pretty.
You can use this to tell a girl that you think she is pretty. It is not necessary for her to be your girlfriend. When people flirt in Chinese, this is something they will say to a girl.
你很帅。/ 你很帥。Nǐ hěn shuài. You are handsome.
Pretty much the same usage as the one above. Just this is said to a boy or a man.
我觉得你很好看！/ 我覺得你很好看！Wǒ juédé nǐ hěn hǎokàn!I think you are pretty good looking.
好看 hǎokàn literally means “good to look.” If you think someone is pretty or handsome, besides telling them pretty or handsome, you can also use this general term, “好看 hǎokàn.”
我想跟你在一起。/ 我想跟你在一起。 Wǒ xiǎng gēn nǐ zài yīqǐ. I want to be with you.
The translation is “I want to be with you,” we particularly refer to “to be with you” in a relationship, not just for a few minutes or a few hours.
我很想你。 / 我很想你。 Wǒ hěn xiǎng nǐ. I miss you.
I will say this is another common and indirect way to express your love in Mandarin Chinese. If you haven’t seen your partner for a little while, this is a great way to tell them your love and feelings for them.
妳可以做我女朋友吗？ / 妳可以做我女朋友嗎？ Nǎi kěyǐ zuò wǒ nǚ péngyǒu ma? Could you be my girlfriend?
It used to be common for a boy to pursue a girl and it was rarely seen vice versa. But I have to say it is so different nowadays. So, of course, you are welcome to replace “女朋友 nǚ péngyǒu girlfriend” with “男朋友 nán péngyǒu boyfriend.”
我爱你。/ 我愛你。 Wǒ ài nǐ. I love you.
In the older generation, people are not used to expressing their love by saying 我爱你. But I do notice that since the Internet and travel have become popular, western culture has started to mix with Chinese culture. The younger generation is not shy about expressing their feelings to their significant one with 我爱你.
A fun fact about the “爱 ài love” character in Chinese: Whenever I teach the word “爱 ài” in Chinese, I always mention that I prefer this character in traditional Chinese rather than simplified. If you compare these two characters,
Simplified 爱
Traditional 愛
Do you see the difference? In the middle of the traditional character, there is a “心 xīn,” which means “heart” in Chinese. Who can love without a heart?!
你愿意嫁给我吗？ / 你願意嫁給我嗎？ Nǐ yuànyì jià gěi wǒ ma? Would you marry me?
A fun culture fact: Do you know we have a few different characters for being “married” to someone?
嫁 jià is used when a woman is “married” to a man. For instance,
她去年嫁给 Michael 了。Tā qùnián jià gěi Michael.
She married Michael last year.
娶 qǔ means a man “marries” a woman. For instance,
我娶了初恋女友。Wǒ qǔle chūliàn nǚyǒu.
I married my first girlfriend.
结婚 / 結婚 jiéhūn To get married
This is the most general term that we use for getting married in Chinese.
我们结婚了！ Wǒmen jiéhūnle!
We got married!
我们结婚吧！ wǒ men jié hūn ba
Let’s get married!
If you are in a stable relationship and both of you commit to each other, then it is time for you to say this “我們結婚吧！ wǒ men jié hūn ba!”
一见钟情 / 一見鍾情 yījiànzhōngqíng Love at first sight
You can use this idiom when you have a crush on someone at first sight. For instance,
我对她一见钟情。 Wǒ duì tā yījiànzhōngqíng.
I fell in love with her at first sight.
执子之手，与子偕老 / 執子之手，與子偕老 zhí zǐ zhī shǒu, yǔ zi xiélǎo
This idiom literally means
执 to grasp
子 noun suffix
之 possessive particle
手 hands
与 together with
偕老 to grow old together
So, if you combine the meanings together, to hold your hand, to grow old with you. We usually use this to bless them when someone gets married. I personally really like this idiom. The moment you decide to hold a person’s hand, you wish to hold that same hand to the end. In today’s generation there are now less and less couples willing to commit the rest of their lives together. This idiom reminds me that when making a commitment, you have to work at it.
有情人终成眷属 / 有情人終成眷屬 yǒuqíng rén zhōng chéng juànshǔ Love will find a way
We use this saying to describe a couple that has been through some hard times and they have finally worked everything out to be together. For instance,
This phrase means you have a crush on someone secretly. The person you have a crush does not know your feelings toward him or her. For instance,
我暗恋他一年了。
Wǒ ànliàn tā yī niánle.
I am secretly in love with him
表白 biǎo bái and 告白 gào bái To express feelings, confess to someone
Both phrases mean to express, to reveal one’s feelings. But we mostly use them when we adore or admire someone. For instance,
她暗恋他很长一段时间了，她终于今天要去告白了。
Tā ànliàn tā hěn zhǎng yīduàn shíjiānle, tā zhōngyú jīntiān yào qù gàobáile.
She has secretly been in love with him for a while. She will finally confess today.
专一 / 專一 zhuān yī One-track mind, focused on one thing
We use this phrase to describe a person who focuses on only one thing or one person at a time. When we use this in a relationship, it means someone is not looking around. He or she only has love for one person.
There is another similar phrase, 专情 zhuān qíng, which we only use to describe a person who is faithful in a relationship. For instance,
他是一个很专情的人，他跟他女朋友在一起五年了。
Tā shì yīgè hěn zhuān qíng de rén, tā gēn tā nǚ péngyǒu zài yīqǐ wǔ niánle.
He is a faithful boyfriend. He and his girlfriend has been together for 5 years.
花心 / 花心 huāxīn Fickle (in love affairs), unfaithful
On the other hand, this is the phrase to describe a person opposite to the above. If we say someone is “花心 huāxīn,” it means someone who is unfaithful in the relationship.
Two people in a relationship where there is a big age gap. This saying originally used to describe a romance where the man was significantly older than the woman. But it also can refer to a woman who is much older than the man.
网恋 wǎngliàn Internet dating, Internet relationship
This phrase is used to describe a relationship that starts on the Internet and may remain on the Internet for a while. For instance,
他和他女朋友是网恋认识的。
Tā hé tā nǚ péngyǒu shì wǎngliàn rènshì de.
He and his girlfriend got to know each other on the Internet.
What to Call and Introduce Our Significant One as in Mandarin Chinese
In this section, we will introduce some vocabulary that we use in Chinese to cell and introduce our significant one.
男朋友 / 男朋友 nán péngyǒu Boyfriend and
女朋友 / 女朋友 nǚ péngyǒu Girlfriend
These two are the most common phrases to refer to your boyfriend or girlfriend. But there is one thing to keep in mind. In English, some females will use “girlfriend” to refer to their close female friends. We never used “女朋友 nǚ péngyǒu” in this situation.
宝贝 bǎo bèi Baby and
北鼻 běi bí baby
Both phrases have similar pronunciations with the English word “baby.” We use these two phrases when describing our significant one. We use them in conversations, as well as in text messages.
未婚夫 wèi hūn fū iancé and
未婚妻 wèi hūn qī fiancée
When you would like to introduce your fiancé or fiancée to others, you can say,
他是我未婚夫。Tā shì wǒ wèihūnfū.
He is my fiancé.
她是我未婚妻。Tā shì wǒ wèihūnqī.
She is my fiancée.
We have quite a few phrases to describe husband and wife in Chinese. Let’s learn how to use them!
老公 lǎo gōng, this is the most common one to call your husband. You can use it privately. You can also use it to introduce your husband in a rather informal setting. Same usage as 老婆 lǎo pó. Let’s see some examples,
You have learned how to say I love you in Chinese and the many related vocabulary, sayings, and idioms. What do you call your significant one in your language? Share with us in the comments!
30 Best Chinese and Taiwanese Snacks You Should Try
– The Ultimate Guide to Chinese Snacks and Taiwanese Snacks
Who doesn’t love snacks? Around the world, Asian snacks are very well-known for their many varieties and tastes. I grew up in Taiwan and moved to the States in 2008. The city I live in does not have a huge Asian market, so that’s why every time when I am back to Taiwan to visit family and relatives, eating snacks is one of my daily, must-have routines!
Here, I am going to introduce you to the 30 best Chinese snacks & Taiwanese snacks you should definitely try!
In this article, it not only shows you what those snacks are, but also includes many pictures and videos that I took while I was in Taiwan. Let’s go unbox these delicious, tasty, and flavorful Chinese snacks.
凤梨酥 / 鳳梨酥 fènglí sū Pineapple Cakes
If you have tried some Chinese snacks, you must know pineapple cakes. But a fun fact you might not know is that traditional pineapple cakes did not have pineapples as an ingredient or main ingredient. The filling was mainly made from winter melon and sugar. Then in recent years, more and more people liked the filling to be not only sweet but also mixed with some sourness. So, people started making the filling with pineapple and sugar.
You can make pineapple cakes at home. They are actually not hard to make. As an immigrant like me, it is not easy to find hometown snacks in some cities, so this is one of the traditional Chinese snacks you can make at home.
I found this recipe on YouTube. I have tried this recipe quite a few times and really like it. But I did make some changes. I double the amount of the dough, while keeping the same amount of the filling. The baker in the video did not use a mold to shape the cakes. I found that it is doable if you don’t have one. Another reason I like to share this recipe is it also has English subtitles with the video.
科学面 / 科學麵 kēxué miàn Science Noodles
This Taiwan Instant Noodle has been popular since I was a child. The name Science Noodles is literally translated from its name on the package. “科學 / 科学 kēxué” is science. The most popular way to eat this noodle is to break the noodles into small chunks before the package is opened. Then when you open it, there is a seasoning package inside. Mix the seasoning package with the noodles and shake it!
Egg rolls are one of the most popular Chinese snacks, but not every brand is classic. If you go to an Asian store to find egg rolls, Serena should be the first one you look for. 喜年来蛋卷 / 喜年來蛋捲 xǐ nián lái dàn juǎn. Serena egg rolls are made by Serena Foods Incorporation. Just like its name, the shape of the egg rolls is long and hollow. The egg roll is VERY fragile (as you can tell from the short clip below!). You have to have a container or a napkin to catch the crumbs while you are eating.
Serena egg rolls package
Serena egg rolls: 4 rolls in a package
Serena egg rolls are long and hollow
义美泡芙 / 義美泡芙 / yì měi pào fú Puff
This mini puff is not like the kind that is freshly made from bakeries. They have 6 different flavors you can easily find in the stores in Taiwan. There are, chocolate, lemon, strawberry, milk, custard pudding, and vanilla choco. Their classic ones are chocolate, milk, and strawberry.
The size of a puff is bite-sized. The texture of the crust is crispy. Some people find that it tastes even better after you freeze it! If you can get a box, try it this way!
Puff in the store
Vanilla Choco puff
牛肉干/ 牛肉乾 niúròu gān Beef Jerky
It is funny to say that beef jerky really gave me a culture shock when I just arrived in the States. When I first saw beef jerky in a store in the US, I thought it would be about the same as the ones I had in Taiwan. And I found out I was wrong. Most of the beef jerky in the United States is pretty dry. The ones in Taiwan are flavorful and not as dry as the ones in the US. The main reason is they are made in different ways. Most of the beef jerky from the United States is put in a dehydrator while the meat is still raw (after marinating). But the ones in Taiwan, they cook the meat first and then dehydrate or bake them in an oven. When they cook, most of the sauce from marinating will be cooked into the meat. The juice will make the jerky softer. Spicy beef jerky has become popular in recent years.
Beef jerky in the store.
Flavors:
Top row left to right: KaoLiang Spicy Flavor Beef Jerky, Original Flavor Beef Jerky
Bottom row left to right: Original Flavor, Spicy Hot Beef Jerky
巧克力酥片 / 巧克力酥片 qiǎokèlì sū piàn Crunchoco
This is a round and thick Crunchoco. It is made by one of the most famous food companies, “I MEI 義美 yì měi.” There are two flavors, dark chocolate, and milk chocolate. Crunchoco has sliced almonds on the top. It comes with in an individual pack. Crunchoco is easy to break apart. Some people prefer to eat as it whole, while some prefer to break it apart. I have not tried it personally, but I know some people even have it with milk!
This is one of my TOP 3 snacks.
Left to right: Original (milk chocolate), Dark chocolate.
Crunchoco is pretty thick. It is as thick as the wide of my thumb.
北海鳕鱼香丝 / 北海鱈魚香絲 běihǎi xuěyú xiāng sī North Sea Fishnacks
Another snack that is well known to Asian snack seekers. North Sea Fishnack is made by the Yofeng food company. This is the original fishnacks. Since it is so popular, plenty of others have tried to follow suit. But if you can find the “North Sea,” stick with this brand and you won’t regret it! The original fishnacks were long and thin. But later on, they introduced a newer kind that is wide. North Sea Fishnacks are chewy and with a bit of spiciness, but the spiciness goes away fast. Most kids can handle it. Besides the original flavor, now they also have a spicy flavor.
North Sea Fishnacks
Left to right: Original thin Fishnacks, Wide spicy Fishnacks
虾味先 / 蝦味先 xiā wèi xiān Shrimp Strips
These shrimp strips are made by the Yuzong Food Company. The length of the strips is about the same as the vegetable strips you can find in the States. But the shrimp strips are not hollow. The strips are crispy. They have expanded from the original flavor to three more flavors. They are spicy, kimchi, and spicy pot as you can see from the picture below.
可乐果 / 可樂果 kě lè guǒ Pea Crackers
The pea crackers have a unique shape, like spiral pasta. They are crispy. There was only the original flavor when I was a kid, but they have many fancy flavors now, like basil, wasabi, lemon pink salt, Szechuan spices, seaweed, and spicy. I have tried most of them and I loved everyone I tried!
I have included both “旺旺仙貝 wàngwàng xiān bèi” and “雪餅 xuě bǐng” in the same section because they are pretty similar. They are both crackers made of rice. The texture is crunchy. They are also both mixed with salty and sweet flavors.
Want Want Senbei packages
“雪餅 / 雪饼 xuě bǐng” literally means “snow crackers.” As you can see in the picture below, it has a white drops layer and it looks like snow. That’s where the name comes from.
Dried seaweed is another popular snack in Taiwan. They come in a few different sizes. Some of them are as small as half an iPhone 6 screen, while some of them are bigger and you can make a sushi roll out of it.
Check out the video and see how many kinds of seaweed we have in a grocery store. They are all just like snacks. You can just open them and eat. One of the popular ways is to put rice on the top of a piece of seaweed and fold it.
There are many dried seaweed choices in the store. They even have their own aisle!
Small size seaweed, 6 pieces per pack. 48 packs in a bag.
Bigger size seaweed that you can place rice in the middle and make rice sushi.
蘇打餅乾 / 苏打饼干 sūdǎ bǐnggān Crackers
Besides my beef jerky shock, salty crackers also changed my expectations as well!
The square salty crackers we have in Taiwan are not plain slat. There are three main flavors you should be able to find, seaweed, vegetable, and green onion, as you can see in the picture below.
This soft sugar-flour cake reminds me of an American snack, Rice Krispie Treats. They are similar but Sachima do not have marshmallows as an ingredient. The texture is fluffy. It mainly consists of flour, butter, and rock sugar.
水果乾 / 水果干 shuǐguǒ gān Dried Fruits
Part of China and Taiwan are located in tropical areas. That is why we are able to get many different varieties of fruits. I believe that this one of the main reasons that dried fruit is so popular in China and Taiwan. Here is a long list with some pictures to prove how much we love our dried fruits!
芒果干 / 芒果乾 mángguǒ gān, Dried mangos
青芒果干 / 青芒果乾 qīng mángguǒ gān, Dried green mangoes
芭乐干 / 芭樂乾 bā lè gān, Dried guavas
红心芭乐干 / 紅心芭樂乾 hóng xīn bā lè gān, Dried red guavas
凤梨干 / 鳳梨乾 fènglí gān, Dried pineapples
草莓干 / 草莓乾 cǎoméi gān, Dried strawberries
杨桃干 / 楊桃乾 yángtáo gān, Dried star fruits
龙眼干 / 龍眼乾 lóngyǎn gān, Dried longans
洛神干 / 洛神乾 luòshén gān, Dried roselles
奇异果干 / 奇異果乾 qíyì guǒ gān, Dried kiwifruits
蕃茄干 / 蕃茄乾 fānqié gān, Dried tomatoes
香蕉干 / 香蕉乾 xiāngjiāo gān, Dried bananas
柠檬干 / 檸檬乾 níngméng gān, Dried lemons
橘子干 / 橘子乾 júzi gān, Dried oranges
柚子干 / 柚子乾 yòuzi gān, Dried pomelo fruits
蜜餞 / 蜜饯 mìjiàn Preserved Fruits
Preserved fruits are usually not considered as healthy as fresh fruits and dried fruits, since they need to have added preservatives to keep the fruits edible for a long time. They are usually sourer than dried fruits. The most popular preserved fruit is plum.
山楂餅 shānzhā bǐng / 仙楂餅 Xiān zhā bǐng Haw flakes
Haw flakes are Chinese sweets made from the fruit of the Chinese hawthorn. Haw flakes can be as thin as two millimeters. But you also can find thicker ones in the stores. These can be as thick as 1 centimeter.
This sweet and tangy Chinese snack is usually served to guests along with tea, or as a treat for children. A fun fact that some of you might know is that most of Chinese herbal medicine is made in a liquid form, and they are bitter. Some Chinese people take these flakes with these bitter Chinese herbal medicines or have a piece of haw flake after having bitter Chinese herbal medicines.
陳皮梅 Chan Pui Mui Preserved Plums
Chan Pui Mui is preserved and candied plums that are flavored with orange peel. It was made from plums, orange peel, and sugar.
When I first tried Chan Pui Mu, its look did not amaze me. But I convinced myself to try it, since I love most preserved plums. I was glad I did try it. There is a reason why it has stayed in the market for such a long time! It is really tasty if you like sweet and sour snacks.
果凍 / 果冻 guǒdòng Jelly
“果凍 / 果冻 guǒdòng” literally means “fruit frozen.” The original idea was from freezing fruits. When I was a kid, jelly was a simple jelly. They had different colors for the different fruit flavors they were made from. The container was smaller than the ones I find these days.
Jelly has got so popular now, and I found the “coconut-jelly and lychee jelly” is most people’s favorite. The coconut-jelly is cut into small cubes. The lychee flavor jelly is mixed with a few small coconut-jelly cubes in a jelly container.
The ones below are also popular with kids:
Coconut-Jelly Mango Flavor Jelly
Coconut-Jelly Assorted Jelly
Tropical Mix Fruit Jelly
糖果 / 糖果 tángguǒ Candy
When talking about snacks, we can’t skip candy! Before we jump into the candies I love, let’s learn some candy-related vocabulary.
糖果 / 糖果 tángguǒ Candy
軟糖 / 软糖 ruǎn táng Soft candy / Gummy
硬糖 / 硬糖 yìng táng Hard candy
牛奶糖 / 牛奶糖 Niúnǎi táng Caramel
牛軋糖 / 牛轧糖 niú gá táng Nougat
棒棒糖 / 棒棒糖 Bàng bàng táng Lollipop
太妃糖 / 太妃糖 Tài fēi táng Toffee
棉花糖 / 棉花糖 Miánhuā táng Marshmallow
口香糖 / 口香糖 Kǒuxiāngtáng Chewing gum
泡泡糖 / 泡泡糖 Pàopaotáng Bubble gum
巧克力 / 巧克力 qiǎokèlì Chocolate
大白兔奶糖 / 大白兔奶糖 Dàbái tù nǎi táng White Rabbit Candy
White rabbit candy is definitely the top candy that defined many people’s childhoods. It is popular worldwide. People remember it has edible rice wrapper and the rich milk flavor comes right after.
If you like Asian snacks, you must have heard of Morinaga before. Morinaga came from Japan originally. But Taiwan Morinaga was established in 1961.
Morinaga milk caramel was the very first product Taiwan Morinaga made. This milk caramel is soft and combines milk and caramel flavors. This definitely is the classic. The original package is a small box that contains 12 square milk caramels. Now they also have individual packs with cube shapes in it.
嗨啾 / 嗨啾 hāi jiū Hi-Chew
When talking about candies, Hi-Chew may be many kids’ first candy that jumps into their mind. Hi-Chew is made by Morinaga. It was originally from Japan but soon became very popular everywhere. Hi-Chew has many flavors. If you visit a different country, you may find flavors that you are not able to find in your area. According to Wikipedia, Hi-Chew is available in 14 flavors in the United States: watermelon, strawberry, green apple, dragon fruit, mango, grape, peach, banana, melon, cherry, kiwi, açai, pineapple, and (exclusive to Hawaii) lilikoi.
Yogurt soft candy is popular among children as well. Like the ones in the picture below.
Some parents do not allow candy for their little ones, but they may consider giving them yogurt soft candy. Some of the brands add probiotic within it, so parents may believe it is better for kids.
番石榴糖 / 蕃石榴糖 Fān shíliú táng Guava Candy
Guava candy was loved by most of my students when I was a high school Chinese teacher in the United States. This guava candy is a round hard candy. It has a rich guava flavor. Since the candy size is pretty small, it is pretty easy to eat them non-stop!
森永多乐糖 台湾特产水果硬糖 / 森永多樂糖 台灣特產水果硬糖 Sēnyǒng duō lè táng táiwān tèchǎn shuǐguǒ yìng táng Morinaga Taiwan Specialty Fruits Hard Candy
Another kind of candy that is made by the Morinaga Company. I did not have this kind of candy when I was little. I found this one a few years ago when I went back to visit my family in Taiwan.
There are 5 fruit flavors in the can, mango, peach, passion fruit, lychee, and guava. They are all pretty close to the real fruit flavor in my opinion. My favorite is lychee!
牛轧糖 / 牛軋糖 niú gá táng Nougat
As you can tell from its Chinese name, you may guess “nougat” did not originate from the Chinese language. So probably it was not first made in our culture. Yes, you are right. There are different stories about where it was from. According to Wikipedia, many legends exist around nougat’s origins. The early recipes for white nougat were probably borrowed from Central Asia.
The original nougats were made from honey, almond, and egg white. But when nougats came to Taiwan, the bakers changed the ingredients. They used milk powder as the main ingredient along with sugar, butter, egg white, nuts, and dried fruit bits. The texture is between soft candy and hard candy.
“口香糖 / 口香糖 kǒuxiāngtáng” literally means “mouth smell good candy.” And “泡泡糖 / 泡泡糖 pàopaotáng” literally means “bubble candy.”
When I was little, there were two famous gum brands. They were “青劍口香糖 / 青剑口香糖 qīng jiàn kǒuxiāngtáng” and “飛壘口香糖 / 飞垒口香糖 fēi lěi kǒuxiāngtáng.”
青劍口香糖 / 青剑口香糖 qīng jiàn kǒuxiāngtáng is the brand “Doublemint.” It is a piece of chewing gum. You can’t really make a bubble from it. But the minty flavor can help get rid of food smells in the mouth.
Even though “飛壘口香糖 / 飞垒口香糖 fēi lěi kǒuxiāngtáng” prints “口香糖 / 口香糖 kǒuxiāngtáng” on its label, it is also a bubble gum. It was actually well known for being able to make a big bubble out of it.
Now, Airwave and Extra gums are taking over the gum market in Taiwan.
堅果 / 坚果 jiānguǒ Nuts
Nuts are one of the Chinese snacks we will give as a gift in Chinese culture. We like to have nuts while chatting, watching TV, watching movies, and when we get bored. There are some nuts we like that are pretty common in other cultures, like 開心果 / 开心果 kāixīn guǒ, pistachio, and 花生 / 花生 huāshēng, peanut. There is one I really like but I came to realize that some people find this Chinese snack “quite interesting,” it is 杏仁小魚 xìngrén xiǎo yú, Almond and Fish Snack Mix.
Nuts section in the store
杏仁小魚 xìngrén xiǎo yú Almond and Fish Snack Mix
Its name says everything. It is mixed with almond and fish. But the fish is not the fresh big fish you find in the seafood department in a grocery store. There are small fish. Those small fish can be a few different kinds of fish but mainly are clove fish.
“杏仁小魚 Almond and Fish Snack Mix,” its name says everything. It is a mix of almond sand fish. But the fish is not the fresh big fish you find in the seafood department in a grocery store. There are small fish. Those small fish can be a few different kinds of fish but are mainly clove fish.
As spicy flavors are being accepted by more people, Huangfeihung peanuts have become a popular product when you go to Asian stores in the United States. If you like spicy flavors and nuts, this is the must-try snack. The peanuts are not only seasoned with dried red peppers, but also mixed with Sichuan peppercorns that will numb your tough. Some people enjoy the numb feeling. I will even keep the dried red peppers and the Sichuan peppercorns for later. I will have them to either eat straight or stir fried with vegetables or chicken.
Chinese New Year Snack Box
When the time approaches for Chinese New Year, you may notice that many stores, shops, receptions of companies, apartments and residential building entrances will place a bowl or a box by the entrance. A variety of goodies are in there. When there are little kids visiting a relative’s house, the host will offer the box and let the little ones have whatever they would like to take. If you shop in a store, and they have a bowl with goodies, you are welcome to take a couple of them. All of these symbolize that you will have a sweet New Year.
In all of the Chinese textbooks, this is the one that will be used most. Hello in Chinese, 你好 nǐ hǎo. In a real life setting, we do use this Chinese expression to greet people, but usually to people that are not our close friends and family members. You can use 你好 nǐ hǎo to greet your colleagues, someone you just meet, or whoever does not have a close relationship with you.
This has similar usage with the one above. The difference is “您好 nín hǎo” is a more polite way to greet. You usually greet someone with “您好 nín hǎo” who is older than your generation, or someone that you would respect, regardless of whether they are older or younger than you.
I would like to express a cultural difference here. Not too long after I came to the States, I became a high school Chinese teacher. Teaching students Chinese was not my biggest challenge, communicating with my colleagues and the parents were. In Chinese culture, we highly prioritize social status. When we address other people, we most likely address them with their family name and title if they have one.
For instance,
If someone is a lawyer and his last name is 王 wáng, then we call him 王律师 Wáng lǜshī.
If someone owns a business (she is the boss) and her last name is 林 lín, then we call her 林老板 Lín lǎobǎn.
If someone is a teacher and his last name is 张 zhāng, then we call him 张老师 Zhāng lǎoshī.
How is this cultural aspect related to this Chinese expression? Well, as mentioned before, we use “您好 nín hǎo” to greet someone who is older than you and someone you respect. But who do we respect in Chinese culture? Well, a very general way to explain it, is that someone who may have a higher social status, is someone for you to show your respect to.
您贵姓？/ 您貴姓？ Nín guìxìng? What is your surname?
Literally this means “What is your honorable surname?” Use “您” and “贵” to be polite when asking people for their surnames.
最近怎么样？ / 最近怎麼樣？ zuìjìn zěnme yàng? How have you been lately?
This Chinese expression is translated as “how have you been lately?” “最近 zuìjìn” means lately, recently. And “怎么样 zěnme yàng” can be translated to “how about…” or “how is/are…” So, when you combine both together, you get the meaning.
People usually use this phrase to greet someone they know and haven’t seen them for a while. For instance,
They usually are used in a general setting. You can use them to greet your friends, your co-workers, your boss, even someone you may not know. They also can be used as an opening to a speech when timing is appropriate.
For instance,
各位先生女士，晚上好。Gèwèi xiānshēng nǚshì, wǎnshàng hǎo.
Good evening, Ladies and gentlemen!
喂 / 喂 wéi Hello (on the phone)
This Chinese expression is kind of vague since we only use it on the phone. It can be translated to “hello.” When answering the phone in Chinese, we usually say,
Since everyone is not exact the same when answering the phone, you can simply just say “喂 wéi,” or add a few more words like in the example above.
干嘛呢？/ 幹嘛呢？ gàn ma ne? What are you doing?
This Chinese expression is often in mainland China rather than in Taiwan. As I grew up in Taiwan, I was not used to this way of greeting. It sounded rude. It sounds like “Hey, what the heck are you doing!?” to me. But later on, I realized that in mainland China, especially in the north of China, people like to greet their friends or colleagues with this greeting. They are not really curious as to what you are really doing, it is just a way to start the conversation. I found it pretty neat!
再见 / 再見 zàijiàn Goodbye, See you
This is the general way to say goodbye. It can be used in both formal and informal settings.
拜拜 / 拜拜 bàibài Goodbye, see you!
Even though 再见 is the one that all the textbooks used for goodbye in Chinese, I have to admit, I use 拜拜 bàibài much more often than 再见 zàijiàn when I say goodbye.
As you can see from the pronunciation, 拜拜 comes from “bye bye.”
明天见 / 明天見 míngtiān jiàn See you tomorrow!
This means to see you tomorrow!
(End of school today, you are saying goodbye to your friend…)
A: 拜拜！Bàibài!
See you!
B: 再见！明天见！Zàijiàn! Míngtiān jiàn!
See you tomorrow!
You also can replace “明天 míng tiān” with other different time words if you have set an appointment to see each other again. For instance,
星期五 xīngqīwǔ Firday
我们星期五见！Wǒmen xīngqīwǔ jiàn!
See you Friday!
Or a time with more details
星期五晚上八点 8 pm Friday
Xīngqíwǔ wǎnshàng bā diǎn
那我们星期五晚上八点在电影院见吧！
Nà wǒmen xīngqíwǔ wǎnshàng bā diǎn zài diànyǐngyuàn jiàn ba!
Let’s meet at the theater at 8 pm on Friday!
回头见 / 回頭見 huítóu jiàn See you later! Bye!
This is a more informal way to say bye.
回 return, turn around
头 head
见 to see
If you combine those three words’ meanings together, it literally means “to see each other when you turn around the head.” You can think of it this way: when saying goodbye, that also means you are heading in a different direction. When you turn your head around, you are heading in the same direction, that’s when you will see each other again.
再联络 / 再聯絡 zài liánluò Keep in touch
再 again
联络 to get in touch with, to contact
Example,
那我们再联络喔！Nà wǒmen zài liánluò ō!
Let’s keep in touch!
告辞 / 告辭 gàocí To say goodbye, to take one’s leave
This is a formal and polite way to say goodbye. You can use this Chinese expression this way,
我先告辞了！Wǒ xiān gàocíle!
I will take my leave.
对不起，他还有点事，所以我们先告辞了。
Duìbùqǐ, tā hái yǒudiǎn shì, suǒyǐ wǒmen xiān gàocíle.
Sorry! He has some business to attend to later, so we will take our leave.
好久不见 / 好久不見 hǎojiǔ bùjiàn Long time no see
The first two words “好久” mean “long time,” and “不” means “no, not.” The last word “見” means to meet, to see. If you have not seen a friend for a while, when you finally meet him, you can simply greet him with “好久不見.”
后会有期 / 後會有期 hòuhuìyǒuqī Hope to see you again
This idiom is used when saying goodbye. It means hope to see you again. The literal meanings of each word are:
后 means after.
会 means to see, to meet.
有 means to have, to exist.
期 means date.
So, it is not hard to understand the meaning when you put them together. When you say goodbye, you hope there is a date in the future, you will meet again.
一路顺风 / 一路順風 Yīlù shùnfēng Have a pleasant journey
If you would like to wish your friend to have a safe and good trip.
惊讶 / 驚訝 jīngyà amazed, astonished, to surprise, amazing
我很惊讶看到他恢复得很好！
Wǒ hěn jīngyà kàn dào tā huīfù dé hěn hǎo!
I am amazed to see he has recovered really well.
累 / 累 lèi tired, weary, to wear out
工作了一整天，爸爸妈妈都很累了。
Gōngzuòle yī zhěng tiān, bàba māmā dōu hěn lèile.
Dad and mom worked all day. They are really tired.
伤心 / 傷心 shāngxīn to grieve, to be broken-hearted, to feel deeply hurt
The literal meaning of this expression is “hurt heart.”
听到爷爷过世的消息，他伤心极了。
Tīng dào yéyé guòshì de xiāoxī, tā shāngxīn jíle.
He heard the news that his grandpa had passed away, it broke his heart.
不好意思 / 不好意思 bù hǎoyìsi to feel embarrassed, to find it embarrassing, to be sorry (for inconveniencing someone)
From the meanings of 不好意思 bù hǎoyìsi, you should understand that this phrase can be used in a few different settings. See the examples below:
不好意思，我迟到了。
Bù hǎoyìsi, wǒ chídàole.
I am sorry (I feel embarrassed) that I am running late.
不好意思，可以麻烦你帮我拿那本书吗？太高了，我拿不到。
Bù hǎoyìsi, kěyǐ máfan nǐ bāng wǒ ná nà běn shū ma? Tài gāole, wǒ ná bù dào.
Sorry to trouble you, can you get that book for me? It is too high. I am not able to reach it.
好笑 / 好笑 hǎoxiào laughable, funny, ridiculous
他这个人很幽默，说话很好笑！
Tā zhège rén hěn yōumò, shuōhuà hěn hǎoxiào!
He has a really good sense of humor. The way he talks is funny!
担心 / 擔心 dānxīn anxious, worried, to worry, to be anxious
我们担心新冠状病毒疫情的扩散。
Wǒmen dānxīn xīn guānzhuàng bìngdú yìqíng de kuòsàn.
We worry that the outbreak of Covid-19 will spread.
火大 / 火大 huǒ dà angry, annoyed, pissed
This Chinese expression is more like slang. It literally means fire and big, big fire. If you describe a person who is in a “big fire,” that means he is pissed at the moment.
我现在很火大，不要跟我说话！
Wǒ xiànzài hěn huǒ dà, bùyào gēn wǒ shuōhuà!
I am pissed! Don’t talk to me!
For emotion-related Chinese idioms, you can visit one of our trending posts, Emotion related Chinese idioms. There are five types of emotion, joy and happiness, smile and laugh, fear and dread, cry and weep, and anger and rage, with three frequently-used idioms for each type, totaling 15 idioms.
借过 / 借過 jièguò Excuse me (i.e. let me through, please)
We use “excuse me” in different settings. “借过 / 借過 jièguò” is translated as “excuse me” but is only used when you would like to pass through somewhere.
对不起，借过一下！谢谢！
Duìbùqǐ, jièguò yīxià! Xièxiè!
Excuse me, just passing through. Thank you!
祝 / 祝 zhù to wish To wish, to express good wishes
We use this word quite often. Whenever we would like to wish others. For instance:
祝你生日快乐！Zhù nǐ shēngrì kuàilè!
Wish you happy birthday!
祝你新年快乐！Zhù nǐ xīnnián kuàilè!
Wish you happy New Year!
祝你一路顺风！Zhù nǐ yīlù shùnfēng!
Wish you have a smooth trip!
祝你早日康复！Zhù nǐ zǎorì kāngfù!
Wish you get well soon!
辛苦 / 辛苦 xīnkǔ Exhausting, arduous, to work hard, hardship
谢谢妳很辛苦地照顾我们！
Xièxie nǎi hěn xīnkǔ de zhàogù wǒmen!
Thank you for your hard work in taking care of us.
久仰大名 / 久仰大名 jiǔyǎng dàmíng I have been looking forward to meeting you for a long time
久 long time
仰 raise the head to look; look up to
大 big, great
名 name
If you put all of the separate meanings together, you get the meaning. We use this idiom when we first meet a person that we have heard about (from others.) You already had a good impression about them. Then when you meet them, you can say,
您好，久仰大名！
Nín hǎo, jiǔyǎng dàmíng!
Hello! I have been looking forward to meeting you for a long time.
(I know it sounds weird when translating into English. No one will say that in English!! But in Chinese, we use a simple idiom to express our respect.)
目中无人 / 目中無人 mùzhōngwúrénTo consider everyone else is beneath you, you’re so arrogant that no-one else matters
目 eye
中 center, middle
无 negative, no, not
人 people, mankind
It literally means there is no one in your eyes. You think you are above everyone else.
For instance,
他目中无人的态度，让人很火大！
Tā mùzhōngwúrén de tàidù, ràng rén hěn huǒ dà!
His arrogant attitude really makes people pissed!!
Learning Chinese expressions, proverbs, and idioms
太…了 / 太…了 tài…le too…
This is the expression used when you would like to express something is too…. You can add an adjective in the blank. Below are some adjective examples:
Study is like rowing upstream: not advancing is to drop back.
We use this proverb to encourage students that learning is a nonstop process. It is not only a motto for students, but also for everyone. If you do not learn something every day, that means you are worse off than yesterday.
三人行，必有我师。Sānrén xíng, bìyǒu wǒ shī.
In a group of three people, there will always be one person I can learn from.
This means you always can learn something from others.
青出于蓝，而胜于蓝 Qīngchūyúlán, ér shèng yú lán
Indigo blue is extracted from the indigo plant but is bluer than the plant it comes from.
耕耘 means plowing and weeding. But it also means to work or study diligently
收获 means to harvest, to reap, to gain
We usually use this proverb to encourage students that there are no freebies when it comes to learning and studying. You have to work hard first then you will gain.
Example
一分耕耘, 一分收获，你的努力會有回報的。
Yī fēn gēngyún, yī fēn shōuhuò. Nǐ de nǔlì huì yǒu huíbào de.
Practice makes perfect, diligence makes up for one’s dullness
熟能生巧 literally means with familiarity you learn the trick.
It is all about practicing. How can you become familiar with something new? Practice. If you think you are lacking some skills, you can make up by practicing over and over!
好学不倦 / 好學不倦 hàoxué bù juàn
好学 eager to study
不倦 tireless
This idiom is used to describe a learner that is eager to learn and does not get tired of learning.
Example
他是一個好學不倦的學生，他覺得學習是件有趣的事。
Tā shì yīgè hào xué bù juàn de xuéshēng, tā juédé xuéxí shì jiàn yǒuqù de shì.
He is a student who is diligent in learning. He has found learning is quite interesting.
学海无边 / 學海無邊 xué hǎi wúbiān
No limits to what one still has to learn
学海 Sea of learning
无边 no horizon, no limit
Example,
学海无边，人可以一生都在学习。
Xué hǎi wúbiān, rén kěyǐ yīshēng dōu zài xuéxí.
There is no end to learning. You can be learning your whole life.
不耻下问 / 不恥下問 bùchǐxiàwèn
Not to feel ashamed to ask and learn from one’s subordinates
When you would like to ask if someone has something, use this Chinese expression,
(你) 有没有….? Place the object in the blank. For instance,
你有没有地图？
Nǐ yǒu méiyǒu dìtú?
Do you have a map?
… 多少钱？ / … 多少錢？… Duōshǎo qián? How much is …?
When traveling, we often want to buy some souvenirs or something we may not get in our own country. To know how to ask how much a product costs is an important skill!
这个多少钱？
Zhège duōshǎo qián?
How much is this?
我想去… / 我想去… Wǒ xiǎng qù… I would like to go to …
我想去东方明珠。
Wǒ xiǎng qù dōngfāngmíngzhū.
I want to go to The Oriental Pearl Tower.
… 在哪里？/ … 在哪裡？… Zài nǎlǐ? Where is …?
请问，这家饭馆在哪里？
Qǐngwèn, zhè jiā fànguǎn zài nǎlǐ?
Excuse me, where is this restaurant?
厕所 / 廁所 Cèsuǒ Restroom
If you are in a hurry to go to a restroom, use this word or with the sentence structures above!
For instance,
请问，厕所在哪里？
Qǐngwèn, cèsuǒ zài nǎlǐ?
Excuse me, where is the restroom?
你会说英文吗？/ 你會說英文嗎？Nǐ huì shuō yīngwén ma? Can you speak English?
You can’t deny that English is the universal language. When you travel to a country that does not speak your native language, English probably is the one you may have in common with others. If you travel to China, Taiwan, or other areas that speaks Chinese, try this, 你会说英文吗？Nǐ huì shuō yīngwén ma?
Chinese Restaurant Expressions
Arriving at a Chinese restaurant expression
订位 / 訂位 dìng wèi Making a reservation
Here are a few examples of how you can use this phrase in a Chinese expression.
请问有订位吗？/ 請問有訂位嗎？qǐngwèn yǒu dìng wèi ma?
Do you have a reservation?
我有订位 / 我有訂位 Wǒ yǒu dìng wèi
I have a reservation.
我没有订位 / 我沒有訂位 Wǒ méiyǒu dìng wèi
I do not have a reservation.
几位? / 幾位？jǐ wèi? How many people?
The waiter or waitress may ask you how many people when they greet you. This is usually how they ask and how you should respond.
服务员：几位？ Fúwùyuán: Jǐ wèi?
Waiter: How many?
客人：四位。 Kèrén: Sì wèi.
Customer: Four.
服务员：好的，三加一。 Fúwùyuán: Hǎo de, sān jiā yī.
Waiter: Ok. Three plus one.
The reason I use “four” people here is because I would also like to talk about Chinese culture. Since four is an unlucky number in Chinese culture, service people are trained to avoid saying this number in front of their customers. They are not sure if their customers would mind. If they need to say the number 4, they usually use 3+1 instead. Isn’t that cool?
Ordering and eating food, Chinese expressions
菜单 / 菜單 càidān menu
这是我们的菜单，您先看一下 zhè shì wǒmen de càidān, nín xiān kàn yīxià.
This is our menu, you can take a look first.
今日特餐 / 今日特餐 jīnrì tè cān Today’s special
你们的今日特餐是什么？nǐmen de jīnrì tè cān shì shénme?
What is today’s special?
点，点餐 / 點，點餐 diǎn, diǎn cān order, order meal
A: 您要点餐了吗？
Nín yàodiǎn cānle ma?
Are you ready to order?
B: 好，我要点一份猪肉炒饭。
Hǎo, wǒ yàodiǎn yī fèn zhūròu chǎofàn.
Yes. I would like to order a pork fried rice.
甜点 / 甜點 tiándiǎn dessert
饮料 / 飲料 yǐnliào drink
我可以有…? / 我可以有…? wǒ kěyǐ yǒu…? May I have…?
可以(请你)给我…吗？/ 可以(請你)給我…嗎？Kěyǐ (qǐng nǐ) gěi wǒ… Ma? Could you give me…?
If you need something, here are the sentence structures you can use. Below is some vocabulary that you may need in a restaurant.
Thank you for coming! We are looking forward to seeing you again!
Popular Chinese Internet Slang
剩女 / 剩女 shèngnǚ
This Chinese expression is literally translated as “Left-Over Women.” It is used to describe a woman who is passing the age that most women would get married at, which is around the mid 30s.
留守儿童 / 留守兒童 liúshǒu értóng Left-Behind Children
This phrase is used to describe children that are not living with their parents. It is becoming a big social problem that young couples go to work in the city to have a better income. Their children have to stay in the country for many reasons. One of the main reasons is both parents are working, and no one can take care of the young kids. Sending them to daycare is another expense. Another reason is if the parents are not residents of the city, they and their kids are not qualified to receive some benefits and even education. So, the children will stay in the country with their grandparents. We call this kind of children, “left-behind” children.
学霸 / 學霸 xué bà top student
学 studying, learning, knowledge
霸 hegemon, tyrant , feudal chief, to rule by force, (in modern advertising) master
We combine these two words to a phrase to describe a person that is good at studying. He or she is the top student in the class. But this phrase only applies to those people that are good at academic subjects. They are not necessarily good at other skills.
He has been the top student since he was little. None of the exams or tests can defeat him.
网红 wǎng hóng Internet celebrity
网 means Internet, net.
红 means red, hot
This phrase has become quite popular in recent years in China and Taiwan. Since everyone (or almost everyone!) has a smartphone and Internet, people start making their own videos. Some videos go viral and the person becomes famous. We call this kind of people “网红 wǎng hóng.” It is like our YouTubers here, but there is no YouTube in China.
友谊的小船说翻就翻 / 友誼的小船說翻就翻 yǒuyì de xiǎochuán shuō fān jiù fān
Let’s talk about the literal meaning of this Chinese expression below..
友谊 friendship
小船 little boat
翻 capsize, overturn
说 + action + 就 + action… It literally means as soon as you say something then you immediately do it. The sentence structure means that a specific action is made without serious consideration.
This literally translates to “Friendship is like a little boat, it easily capsizes”. The Chinese expression is used to express when someone feels let down by their friend.
富二代 / 富二代 fù èr dài Rich second generation
The actual meaning is also the literal meaning. This phrase is used to describe the children of entrepreneurs who became wealthy under Deng Xiaoping’s economic reforms in the 1980s. This phrase has a negative meaning. It implies that a child that does not have his or her own ability to make money. They are used to living a wealthy life. They just rely on their parents’ wealth.
But if people would like to describe a person who has that background, but yet still works hard, they can still use this phrase but add more details after. For instance,
他虽然是个富二代，但是还是从公司的基层员工做起。
Tā suīrán shìgè fù èr dài, dànshì háishì cóng gōngsī de jīcéng yuángōng zuò qǐ.
Even though he is from a wealthy family, he still works as a basic level worker in a company.
官二代 / 官二代 guān èr dài children of officials
In China, being an official means you hold some power in your hands. Having this power and relationships sometimes is even more powerful than having money. With that being said, a child of officials may have more privileges than other kids.
官宣 guān xuān Official announcement
This term is short for “官方宣布.”
官方 means Official
宣布 means to announce, announcement
官宣 guān xuān is originally used as a noun, but now we sometime use it as a verb. This new phrase was first used in 2018 on China social media saying that a famous Chinese actress “官宣 guān xuān” her marriage news on Webo. Soon this phrase was being used everywhere.
他还没承认他们的关系，等官宣吧！
Tā hái méi chéngrèn tāmen de guānxì, děng guān xuān ba!
He has not admitted their relationship yet. Let’s wait for the official announcement.
佛系 fó xì Buddhist style
This phrase is used to describe a ‘Zen’ attitude. It can be used in both positive and negative ways. For example, Coronavirus is a big thing in 2019 and 2020. Some people are being sarcastic when they say their government uses “佛系 fó xì” attitude to prevent the outbreak. It means they think their government is not as proactive as they would like.
补刀 bǔ dāo
补 to add on, to make up for
刀 knife
This slang means to attack someone who is already under fire.
There is another saying that has a similar meaning, 伤口上撒盐 Shāngkǒu shàng sā yán, which literally means pouring salt on the wound.
吃货 chī huò foodie
吃 to eat
货 the goods
This Chinese expression is used to describe a person that can really eat a lot, or a person that puts eating above all other interests.
He is really a foodie! He finished two bowls of rice and he is only three!
Counting from 1-100 is a must-have skill when it comes to learning a new language. In this article, we will cover Chinese numbers 1-100 and everything you need to know about Chinese numbers! This article will take about at least 30 minutes to read. Worth to read. But if you do not have enough time to read the whole article, use the table of contents below and jump to the “Numbers in Mandarin Chinese Conclusion” section. Here are the topics we will talk about…
Let’s learn the numbers in Mandarin Chinese!! We start with Chinese numbers 1-100.
Chinese Numbers 1-10
Here is how we write numbers 1 to 10 in Mandarin Chinese. In my opinion, there is not really a shortcut for numbers 1-10. You just have to memorize it.
Let’s start with the first three, the easest numbers to remember.
Number 1 in Chinese is just one horizontal line: 1 一 yī.
Number 2 in Chinese just adds one more line. 2 二 èr. The bottom line is slightly longer than the one above
Number 3 in Chinese Three horizontal lines. Keep in mind that the middle line is the shortest. And the bottom line is the longest: 3 三 sān.
Wouldn’t it be nice if number 4 follows the same pattern as numbers 1 to 3? But it doesn’t. Let’s list the next numbers from 4-10.
4 四 sì
5 五 wǔ
6 六 liù
7 七 qī
8 八 bā
9 九 jiǔ
10 十 shí
Chinese Numbers 11-19
Don’t worry about learning memory any tricks. Just memorize and practice a few more times if necessary. Once you are familiar with the numbers 1-10, the numbers 11-20 are actually pretty easy, since it follows a simple pattern.
The pattern goes like this…
11=10+1, so 11 in Chinese is 十一 shíyī (literally “ten one”)
12=10+2, so 12 in Chinese is 十二 shíèr (“ten two”)
The same pattern applies to 13 through 19. Try saying those numbers before reading below!
Did you get those right?
13=10+3, so 13 in Chinese is 十三 shísān (“ten three”)
14=10+4, so 14 in Chinese is 十四 shísì (“ten four”)
15=10+5, so 15 in Chinese is 十五 shíwǔ (“ten five”)
16=10+6, so 16 in Chinese is 十六 shíliù (“ten six”)
17=10+7, so 17 in Chinese is 十七 shíqī (“ten seven”)
18=10+8, so 18 in Chinese is 十八 shíbā (“ten eight”)
19=10+9, so 19 in Chinese is 十九 shíjiǔ (“ten nine”)
Chinese Numbers Pattern for Tens
After learning numbers 1 through 19, we come to the number 20.
In Mandarin Chinese, the tens numbers follow the same pattern as hundreds, thousands, etc.
For example, we say two hundred to mean two hundred (2 x 100). So instead of twenty, we say “two ten.”
So 20 in Chinese is 二十 èrshí (literally “two ten”)
All the tens numbers follow this pattern.
30 in Chinese is 三十 sānshí (“three ten”)
40 in Chinese is 四十 sìshí (“four ten”)
You can guess the rest.
Chinese Numbers 21-100
With the two patterns, you can form any number less than from 1 to 99.
Here are some examples…
21=20+1, so 21 in Chinese is 二十一 èrshíyī (literally “two ten one”)
22=20+2, so 22 in Chinese is 二十二 èrshíèr (“two ten two”)
29=20+9, so 29 in Chinese is 二十九 èrshíjiǔ (“two ten nine”)
38=30+8, so 38 in Chinese is 三十八 sānshíbā (“three-ten eight”)
66=60+6, so 66 in Chinese is 六十六 liùshíliù (“six-ten six”)
And so on…
The last thing you are going to learn in this section is 100!
Hundred is “百 bǎi”
One hundred is 一百 *yìbǎi
* Notice that the tone for “一” has changed from the first tone to the fourth tone. See “Tone Change Rules” below for detail.
To review, here is the table below for Chinese numbers 1-100
Number
Hanzi
Pinyin
0
零 / 〇
Líng
1
一
Yī
2
二
Èr
3
三
Sān
4
四
Sì
5
五
Wǔ
6
六
Liù
7
七
Qī
8
八
Bā
9
九
Jiǔ
10
十
Shí
11
十一
Shí yī
12
十二
Shí èr
13
十三
Shí sān
14
十四
Shí sì
15
十五
Shí wǔ
16
十六
Shí liù
17
十七
Shí qī
18
十八
Shí bā
19
十九
Shí jiǔ
20
二十
Èr shí
21
二十一
Èr shí yī
22
二十二
Èr shí èr
23
二十三
Èr shí sān
24
二十四
Èr shí sì
25
二十五
Èr shí wǔ
26
二十六
Èr shí liù
27
二十七
Èr shí qī
28
二十八
Èr shí bā
29
二十九
Èr shí jiǔ
30
三十
Sān shí
31
三十一
Sān shí yī
32
三十二
Sān shí èr
33
三十三
Sān shí sān
34
三十四
Sān shí sì
35
三十五
Sān shí wǔ
36
三十六
Sān shí liù
37
三十七
Sān shí qī
38
三十八
Sān shí bā
39
三十九
Sān shí jiǔ
40
四十
Sì shí
41
四十一
Sì shí yī
42
四十二
Sì shí èr
43
四十三
Sì shí sān
44
四十四
Sì shí sì
45
四十五
Sì shí wǔ
46
四十六
Sì shí liù
47
四十七
Sì shí qī
48
四十八
Sì shí bā
49
四十九
Sì shí jiǔ
50
五十
Wǔ shí
51
五十一
Wǔ shí yī
52
五十二
Wǔ shí èr
53
五十三
Wǔ shí sān
54
五十四
Wǔ shí sì
55
五十五
Wǔ shí wǔ
56
五十六
Wǔ shí liù
57
五十七
Wǔ shí qī
58
五十八
Wǔ shí bā
59
五十九
Wǔ shí jiǔ
60
六十
Liù shí
61
六十一
Liù shí yī
62
六十二
Liù shí èr
63
六十三
Liù shí sān
64
六十四
Liù shí sì
65
六十五
Liù shí wǔ
66
六十六
Liù shí liù
67
六十七
Liù shí qī
68
六十八
Liù shí bā
69
六十九
Liù shí jiǔ
70
七十
Qī shí
71
七十一
Qī shí yī
72
七十二
Qī shí èr
73
七十三
Qī shí sān
74
七十四
Qī shí sì
75
七十五
Qī shí wǔ
76
七十六
Qī shí liù
77
七十七
Qī shí qī
78
七十八
Qī shí bā
79
七十九
Qī shí jiǔ
80
八十
Bā shí
81
八十一
Bā shí yī
82
八十二
Bā shí èr
83
八十三
Bā shí sān
84
八十四
Bā shí sì
85
八十五
Bā shí wǔ
86
八十六
Bā shí liù
87
八十七
Bā shí qī
88
八十八
Bā shí bā
89
八十九
Bā shí jiǔ
90
九十
Jiǔ shí
91
九十一
Jiǔ shí yī
92
九十二
Jiǔ shí èr
93
九十三
Jiǔ shí sān
94
九十四
Jiǔ shí sì
95
九十五
Jiǔ shí wǔ
96
九十六
Jiǔ shí liù
97
九十七
Jiǔ shí qī
98
九十八
Jiǔ shí bā
99
九十九
Jiǔ shí jiǔ
100
一百
Yì bǎi
And you also can download this infographic (just right click and download it!)
After learning Chinese numbers 1-100, let’s move on to the higher numbers.
Chinese Numbers 100 and Up (Large Numbers in Chinese)
– Chinese Characters for Hundred, Thousand, Ten Thousand, Hundred Million and Trillion.
Hundred: 百 bǎi – 100 (2 zeros)
Thousand: 千 qiān – 1000 (3 zeros)
Ten thousand: 万 wàn – 10000 (4 zeros)
Hundred million: 亿 yì – 10000000 (7 zeros)
Trillion: 兆 zhào – 1000000000000 (12 zeros)
– Numbers 101-109
This is how we read the number 101 in Chinese,
101 一百零一 yì bǎi líng yī (零 líng means “zero”)
一百零一 broke down into individual character, literally means “one-hundred-zero-one”
102 一百零二 yì bǎi líng èr
“一百” “零” and “二” literally means “one-hundred-zero-two”
Follow the same pattern for the next few numbers up to 109.
– Numbers 110-119
For the numbers 10 to 19 within large numbers, it gets a bit tricky.
For number 110, we read as “一百 一十 yìbǎi yīshí” instead of “一百十 yìbǎishí.” Normally we just say 十 shí for ten, but in the large numbers, we add 一 yī in front of 十 shí.
Same for the rest,
111, we read as “一百 一十一 yìbǎi yīshíyī” literally means “one-hundred-one-ten-one.”
112, we read as “一百 一十二 yìbǎi yīshíèr” literally means “one-hundred-one-ten-two.”
This will apply to all the larger numbers when 10 to 19 are involved. For 3910, we read as “三千九百 一十 sān qiān jiǔ bǎi yī shí.” Or literally “three-thousand-one-hundred-one-ten.”
– Numbers 120-200
These next numbers are pretty straight forward.
120 is read as 一百二十 (one-hundred-two-ten)
156 is read as 一百五十六 (one-hundred-five-ten-six)
178 is read as 一百七十八 (one-hundred-seven-ten-eight)
190 is read as 一百九十 (one-hundred-nine-ten)
200 can be read as 二百, but the more common way say 200 is “两百 liǎngbǎi.” You can learn more about this in the “Chinese number 2: When to say 二 èr? When to say 两 liǎng?” section below.
– Numbers 201-999
Let’s try some bigger numbers. See if you can say them correctly.
506
418
790
816
999
Check your answers below.
506 五百零六 “five-hundred-zero-six”
418 四百一十八 “four-hundred-one-ten-eight”
790 七百九十 “seven-hundred-nine-ten”
816 八百一十六 “eight-hundred-one-ten-six”
999 九百九十九 “nine-hundred-nine-ten-nine”
Download this infographic! It not only includes Chinese numbers 1-100, also the numbers up to
– Numbers 1000 and up
When talking about large numbers, the main points we should address,
First, We place commas every four digits, unlike in English, where commas are placed every three digits. (Note: since international communications are very common nowadays, placing commas every three digits are getting popular in China and Taiwan.)
In Mandarin Chinese, here are the categories for each comma in ascending order: “small number,” “万 wàn, Ten thousand,” “亿 yì, Hundred Million,” and “兆 zhào, Trillion.”
As you can see from the infographic above, there are 4 digits in each category.
The place values for each category are as follows:
Small numbers category: 个 ge, 十 shí, 百 bǎi, and 千 qiān.
万 wàn category: 万, 十万, 百万, and 千万
亿 yì category: 亿, 十亿, 百亿, and 千亿
兆 zhào category: 兆, 十兆, 百兆, and 千兆
Let’s use this big number as an example: 7915348
How do we write and read this number in Chinese? Don’t panic! Let’s learn this step by step!
Write down the numbers in numerals (just the numbers). → 7915348
Place a comma every 4 digits → 791,5348.
The first 3 numbers are 791, which you will say 七百九十一 (“seven-hundred-nine-ten-one”). Because this number is in the “万 Wàn category,” we combine them as “七百九十一万” (“seven-hundred-nine-ten-one-ten thousand“).
The last 4 numbers are 5348, which you will say 五千三百四十八. (“five-thousand-three-hundred-four-ten-eight”)
Combine step 3 & 4, this is how you say this number 七百九十一万五千三百四十八. (“seven-hundred-nine-ten-one-ten thousand-five-thousand-three-hundred-four-ten-eight“)
Not too hard, right!?
And what happens if you hear someone say a large number in Chinese? Here is how to figure out what that number is:
Write down the number in Chinese characters or pinyin. For instance, you hear 九十八万七千一百二十 jiǔ shí bā wàn qī qiān yī bǎi èr shí
See if there is/are “万” “亿”, “兆” in the number. In this case, you will find “万”
Separate them by categories. In this case, the number is separated into two categories, 1. small numbers, and 2. 万 wàn ten thousand.
In the 万 wàn category, you see the characters “九十八”, and that is “98” (don’t worry about “万” here. It is just for the category.)
In the small numbers group, you see the characters “七千一百二十,” and that is “7120.”
Combine step 4 & 5, and we get the number 987120.
Do you know how to deal with large numbers in Chinese now? Try quizzing yourself with this infographic. The answer key is upside down.
You can come here to download the high-quality “big numbers in Chinese” infographic.
The Use of Zero in Chinese
Zero is a bit tricky in Chinese. That is why there is a whole section devoted to this. But don’t worry, once you learn the rules, it’ll become second nature to you.
– When The Tens Digit Is Zero in Numbers Larger Than 100
For numbers greater than 100 with a zero in the tens place, the structure is like this: x + 百 + 零 + y
101: 一百零一 (one-hundred-zero-one)
305: 三百零五 (three-hundred-zero-five)
407: 四百零七 (four-hundred-zero-seven)
908: 九百零八 (nine-hundred-zero-eight)
– Zero in The Ones Digit
The structure is like this: x + 百 + y + 十
110: 一百一十 (one-hundred-one*-ten)
760: 七百六十 (seven-hundred-six-ten)
920: 九百二十 (nine-hundred-two-ten)
*If the number is just 10, we just say ten 十 shí. But in numbers above 100, we say “one” before the ten.
– One Thousand and Up
Similar to the rules in hundreds. But if you have more than ONE ZERO in a row, you just say “zero” once.
1001: 一千零一 (one-thousand-zero)
3,0002: 三万零二 (three-ten thousand-zero-two)
5080: 五千零八十 (five-zero-eight-zero)
But wait! You may be asking… what if you hear someone say a large number and you hear “líng,” how do you know if that is just one zero or multiple zeros? Let’s cover that now.
If you hear… 八亿零五十万零九十 bā yì líng wǔ shí wàn líng jiǔ shí
Separate by categories: “兆”, “亿”, “万” and small numbers. So in this case, it becomes “八亿” “零五十万” and “零九十”.
Remember in Chinese each category has 4 digits since we put commas at every 4 digits.
The first one is “八亿”, so you can write “8.” Then we have “零五十万” which is “五十.” So that is a “50” in the 万 category. Because there are 4 digits in each category, we need to put 2 zeros before the 50. It becomes “0050.” Then “零九十”, which is “九十 90.” So it becomes “0090.” Combine all of them together and we get the number “8,0050,0090.”
Practice with the numbers below. Answers are upside down.
If you would like to download the high-quality “zeros in Chinese,” click here!
Watch this video to learn!
Now that we have learned how to say any numbers from zero to 1,000,0000,0000 in Chinese, you may wonder if there are ways to say even bigger numbers in Chinese? Of course, there are higher numbers, but we won’t go into it here. The numbers from zero to a trillion should keep you busy for a while.
Chinese Number 2: When to Say 二 èr? When to Say 两 liǎng?
If you have learned Chinese for a little while, you may notice that when we see “2,” we sometimes pronounce it as “二 èr,” but sometimes we say it as “两 liǎng.” So when do we say which? The infographic below will walk us through it.
We use 二 èr in these two circumstances:
When giving a phone number
If your number is 432-722-1272, we read it as 四三二 七二二 一二七二
2.When saying the ordinal number, which means “second”
For the “second one,” we read it as 第二个 (dì èr ge)
For the “second time,” we read it as 第二次 (dì èr cì)
We use 两 liǎng…
When talking about “two of something” or “both”
For “two cups of tea,” we say 两杯茶
When counting numbers, it becomes a bit tricky… But don’t worry. Let me explain. Here is an example number: 2,2222,2222,2222
Rule #1: We always read “2” as “二” if it is in the “ones” place of the small numbers category.
Rule #2: Every “2” in the “tens” place of “兆”, “亿”, “万” or “small numbers” categories, we always read as “二“. Which you can see in red. (So ALL THE RED ONES read as 二)
Rule #3: Every “2” in the “thousands” and “hundreds” place of “兆”, “亿”, “万” and “small numbers” categories, we always read as “两”. Which you can see in blue.
Rule #4: If the “2” is the only number in its category, e.g., 2,3782, we read the 2 as “两” even though it is in the ones place of that category. So we say “两万三千七百八十二.” Notice that the second “2” is “二” which follows Rule #1 above.
Another example, 2,8503,9278, we read the 2 as “两” even though it is in the ones place of that category. So we say “两亿八千五百零三万九千两百七十八.” Notice that the second “2” is “两” as well, which follows Rule #3 above.
Rule #5: If the “2” is in the “ones” place of “兆”, “亿”, “万” categories, but has other numbers before it, then we read it as “二.” E.g., 32, 6282, we say 三十二万六千两百八十二
Quick review
Just remember the number above,
2 in reds place say “二”,
2 in blues say “两”,
2 in highlights: if they are the only number in their category, say “两”, otherwise say “二.”
We made a video to teach you step-by-step (up to 4 digits). Visit our Patreon page to check out more videos and infographics.
Chinese Phone Numbers
In China
When giving a phone number, you just read the digits. But there is one thing to keep in mind,
For the number “1,” when giving the phone number in China, we pronounce it as “yāo.” The reason for doing this is to differentiate the sound of the number “1” from the number “7,” which is “qī.” Normally “1” is pronounced 一 yī which can sometimes be confused with 七 qī.
In mainland China, cell phone numbers have 11 digits in the format 1xx-xxxx-xxxx. The first three digits (e.g. 13x, 14x,15x,17x and 18x) designate the mobile phone service provider.
For instance, if you are giving your cell phone number to a new friend, your cell phone number is 134-5678-9012 (This is just a made-up number, but it could still be a real number. Don’t actually call this number.)
To say this number in Chinese, you would say Yāo sān sì wǔ liù qī bā jiǔ líng yāo èr
In Taiwan, the number 1 is pronounced as “yī.”
In Taiwan, cell phone numbers have 10 digits in the format 09xx-xxx-xxx. Originally, the first four digits were used to designate the service provider. But a few years ago, they changed the policy, so that you can transfer your number to a different provider.
Emergency Numbers in China and Taiwan
In China
Police 110
Ambulance 120
Fire 119
In Taiwan
Police 110
Ambulance and Fire: 119
It seems like a lot of numbers to remember, but the most important number is 110. In any emergency, just call this number and they will connect you to the proper department.
Dates and Times in Chinese
Soon after I started learning English as a second language, I realized that the months and the dates of the week are complicated in English. (So please don’t complain Chinese is hard.)
In Mandarin Chinese, once you know the numbers, you pretty much can say any time element in Chinese. Let’s dive in!
Keywords to know:
Year in Chinese: 年 nián.
The year of 2019: 二〇一九 年 (èr líng yī jiǔ nián, “two-zero-one-nine-year”).
The year of 2020: 二〇二〇 年 (èr líng èr líng nián, “two-zero-two-zero-year”).
Month in Chinese: 月 yuè.
January: 一月 yīyuè. The first month of the year, simply just add number 1, 一 yī, before 月 yuè. The same pattern applies to all the months.
March: 三月 (sān yuè).
December: 十二月 (shí èr yuè)
Date: 日 rì or 号 hào.
3rd day of the month: 三日 (sān rì)
October 6: 十月六日 (shí yuè liù rì) or 十月六号 (shí yuè liù hào)
Week: 星期 xīngqī*
Monday: 星期一 (xīngqī yī)
Tuesday: 星期二 (xīngqī èr)
Friday: 星期五 (xīngqī wǔ)
Sunday: 星期日 (xīngqī rì) or 星期天 (xīngqītiān).
* 星期 xīngqī is used in China, whereas 星期 xīngqí is used in Taiwan. Note the difference in tones.
Hour: 点 diǎn
3 o’clock: 三点 (sān diǎn)
9 o’clock: 九点 (jiǔ diǎn)
Minute: 分 fēn
9:10: 九点十分 (jiǔ diǎn shí fēn)
12:59: 十二点 五十九分 (shíèr diǎn wǔshíjiǔ fēn)
Second: 秒 miǎo
One second: 一秒 (yì miǎo)
Ten seconds: 十秒 (shí miǎo)
A little tip in Chinese grammar: whenever we talk about time, we always put the time elements in the order from largest to smallest. (I call it the Chinese time order slide. Check out the infographic below.)
For instance,
3 o’clock on Tuesday → We say the day first, then the time → 星期二 三点
September 11th, 2001→ We say the year first, then the month, and lastly the day → 两千零一 年 九月十一日
Numbers can be used when talking about age. Here are some keywords for you to know first.
Hanzi
Pinyin
English
岁
suì
Year old
月
yuè
Month
几
jǐ
How many
几岁
jǐsuì
How old
半
bàn
Half
Simple phrase examples:
Six years old: 六岁 (liù suì)
Three and a half years old: 三岁 半 (sān suì bàn)
Eight months old: 八个月 (bā ge yuè)
How old: 几岁 (jǐ suì)
Full-sentence examples:
I am six years old this year: 我今年六岁。(wǒ jín nián liù suì)
My dad is forty years old: 我爸爸四十岁。
A: How old is your little brother? 你弟弟几岁？
B: He is three and a half years old. 他三岁半。
Chinese Ordinal Numbers
Earlier when we talked about dates in Chinese, you may have noticed that Chinese is simpler than English. Ordinal numbers work the same way.
These are pretty straight forward. The structure of a simple phrase is just adding the word “第 dì” before the number.
Simple phrase examples:
First: 第一 (dì yī)
Second: 第二 (dì èr)
Third: 第三 (dì sān)
When we use ordinal numbers, they usually don’t appear by themselves. For instance,
If you won “first place” in a competition. (“first” is accompanied with “place”)
If you are having the second cup of coffee today.
If you just finished watching the “third movie” for the day.
In Chinese, the structure will look like this:
第 + number + (measure word) + noun
Examples:
First place: 第一名(dì yī míng)
Second cup of coffee: 第二杯咖啡 (dì èr bēi kā fēi)
Third movie: 第三个电影 (dì sān ge diàn yǐng)
What Are The Lucky Numbers in Chinese? And What Are Unlucky Numbers in Chinese?
In most cultures, some numbers are more meaningful than others. Knowing the lucky, as well as unlucky, numbers in Chinese will help you understand a bit of Chinese culture. Let’s start with the auspicious numbers in Mandarin Chinese.
Number 2 is considered a lucky number in Chinese. In Chinese culture, good things come in pairs.
Number 6 is also considered a lucky number in Chinese. Its pronunciation “liù” is close to the word “流 liú” which means “flow.” Many businesses display this number somewhere in their facility, especially by the front entrance. They believe that display this number will signify that fortune will flow in.
Number 8 is another lucky number in Chinese. Its pronunciation “bā” rhymes with the word “发 fā” which means “worth” and “fortune.” The year when China hosted the Beijing Olympics, the opening ceremony started at 8:08 pm on 8/8/2008. And that is no coincidence!
Number 9 is considered a lucky number in Chinese. Its pronunciation “jiǔ” is the same as the word “久 jiǔ” which means long and forever. It is believed that this number represents a long-lasting life.
So far we’ve looked at the common lucky numbers in Chinese culture.
Are there any inauspicious numbers in Chinese?
Number 4 is considered unlucky in Chinese because its pronunciation is very close to 死 sǐ, which means “death” in Chinese. In many buildings in China, like hospitals and apartments, they even skip the “fourth-floor.” So there is a third floor and the floor above it is the “fifth floor.”
Other numbers can be either lucky or unlucky depending on the occasion.
Number 0
Lucky: Some consider this number as the beginning of everything.
Unlucky: Zero represents “no” or “nothing.” Some believe it brings “no fortune.”
Number 1
Lucky: It can mean the first place in a competition.
Unlucky: It can also mean loneliness or solitude, not able to be paired. The “Singles Day” in China is November 11 (11/11.)
Number 3
Lucky: 三 sān sounds like “生 shēng.” 生 shēng means “birth” and “life.”
Unlucky: But 三 sān also sounds like “散 sàn,” which means “break” or “separate,” as in relationships.
Number 5
Lucky: Five is associated with the five elements in Chinese philosophy. We call it “五行 wǔ xíng,” which includes Earth, Fire, Metal, Water, and Wood. Another example of number five in Chinese history is that the Tiananmen gate has five arches.
Unlucky: The pronunciation for number 5 is “wǔ,” and sounds like the word “无 wú,” which means “do not have any.”
Number 7
Lucky: “七 qī,” Chinese Valentine’s Day is on the seventh month of the lunar calendar.
Unlucky: The seventh month of the lunar calendar is also known as the “ghost” month. Some people believe the door of hell will open on the first day and close on the last day of the month.
Chinese Number Slang
The internet and texting have become important parts of our life. So knowing some Chinese internet slang may be necessary. Let’s talk about some Chinese number slang.
1314 (yī sān yī sì)
Meaning: Forever.
1314 sounds similar to 一生一世 (yì shēng yí shì), which means “for the rest of my life” or “forever.”
250 (èr bǎi wǔ):
Meaning: Idiot
Many of the Chinese slang is related to the pronunciation, but not this one. This is an insulting slang. It comes from the fact that Chinese coins used to have a hole in the middle so that they could be strung together in amounts of 1000 (called a diào (吊). The term bàn diào zi (半吊子), or half a diào, referred to someone not having full knowledge. Bàn diào zi (半吊子) was used to describe oneself in a humble manner and not necessarily negative. However, half of a half diào, which is 250, or èr bǎi wǔ (二百五) was half of the half-wit, which definitely is an insult.
484 (sìbāsì):
Meaning: Yes or no.
484 sounds similar to 是不是 (shì bú shì), which means yes or not in Chinese.
520 (wǔ èr líng):
Meaning: I love you. The pronunciation of 520 is pretty close to “I love you” in Chinese, which is 我爱你 (wǒ ài nǐ).
I have heard people tell me that they don’t think 520 sounds like 我爱你 (wǒ ài nǐ). Well, I understand the point. But expressing love is always an important part of any language. Typing numbers is pretty fast and easy. These three numbers are the closest pronunciation to express “I love you” in Chinese. So that’s why it is used!
555 (wǔ wǔ wǔ):
Meaning: Crying noise.
555 sounds similar to the Chinese onomatopoeia for the crying noise, which is 呜呜呜(wū wū wū).
7456 (qī sì wǔ liù):
Meaning: I am so angry!
气死我了(qì sǐ wǒ le) sounds like 7456. It literally means (something or someone) is angering me to death!
88 (bābā) (881, 886):
Meaning: Goodbye.
88 sounds like “bye-bye” in English. 881 sounds like bye byeeee. And 886 represents adding “了” after bye-bye. It could roughly translate to “bye-bye then” in English.
995 (jiǔjiǔwǔ):
Meaning: Help me!
995 sounds like 救救我(jiùjiùwǒ) which means “help me.”
Don’t worry! We’re not doing any difficult math here. Just a few examples to show you how to say some simple math in Chinese.
Keywords to know
Math symbol
Hanzi
Pinyin
➕
加
jiā
➖
减
jiǎn
✖️
乘(以)
chéng (yǐ)
➗
除(以)
chú (yǐ)
=
等于
děngyú
…%
百分之...
bǎifēnzhī…
.
点
diǎn
X / Y
Y分之X
Y fēnzhī X
>
大于
dàyú
<
小于
xiǎoyú
3+5=8, we read as “三 加 五 等于 八”
9-7=2, we read as “九 减 七等于 二”
4*6=24, we read as “四 乘以 六 等于 二十四”
72/8=9, we read as “七十二 除以 八 等于 九”
45.6, we read as “四十五 点 六”
0.03, we read as “零 点 零 三”
½, we read as “二 分之 一” (In Chinese, the denominator is first, then the numerator)
80%, we read as “百分之 八十” (80% equals 80/100, so we say the 100 first, then the 80)
5 > 3, we read as “五 大于 三”
4 < 8, we read as “四 小于 八”
Tone Change Rules for Number 1
There are a few cases in Chinese where you have to change the pronunciation of a certain character. Number 1 一 yī happens to be one of them.
We read 一 as “yī” when “一” appears as a number in a series, address, dates, etc…
For instance:
2011年1月11日: we read it as èr líng yīyī nián yī yuè shíyī rì
311: we read as sānbǎi yīshíyī
We read 一 as “yí” when “一” is followed by a character in the 4th tone
For instance: 一片 yí piàn. 片 piàn is in the 4th tone, so 一 is pronounced in the 2nd tone yí
We read 一 as “yì” when “一” is followed by a character in the other tones (1st, 2nd, 3rd and neutral tone)
For instance:
一双 yì shuāng
一条 yì tiáo
一本 yì běn
一个 yì ge
If you are curious about what other situations the tone would be changed, check out this article “Tone change rules.”
Chinese Number Writing in Complex Forms
It is rarer to see this in daily life. Here is the list of the complex forms of numbers in Mandarin Chinese characters.
0: 零 líng
1: 壹 yī
2: 貳 èr
3: 參 sān
4: 肆 sì
5: 伍 wǔ
6: 陸 liù
7: 柒 qī
8: 捌 bā
9: 玖 jiǔ
10: 拾 shí
100: 佰 bǎi
1000: 仟 qiān
10000: 萬 wàn
1,0000,0000: 億 yì
1,0000,0000,0000: 兆 zhào
Number
Normal Chinese Character
Complex Form
Pinyin
0
零/〇
零
líng
1
一
壹
yī
2
二
貳
èr
3
三
參
sān
4
四
肆
sì
5
五
伍
wǔ
6
六
陸
liù
7
七
柒
qī
8
八
捌
bā
9
九
玖
jiǔ
10
十
拾
shí
100
百
佰
bǎi
1000
千
仟
qiān
10000
万
萬
wàn
1,0000,0000
亿
億
yì
1,0000,0000,0000
兆
兆
zhào
Chinese numbers in complex forms are used mainly in notarized, official documents (like contracts), and when writing checks. An exception is zero; the complex form is much more widely used than a casual circle (“0”). The complex forms are known in English as banker’s anti-fraud numerals, in Mandarin Chinese as 大寫 dàxiě (which is the same term for “capitalized letters”). They are necessary because normal Chinese characters are too simple, so a forger could easily change some numbers. For instance, let’s take the number 110, which is 一百一十. A forger just needs to add three strokes (shown in red below) to change 110 to 370, 三百七十. Using the complex form (參佰柒拾) will prevent this kind of forgery.
Chinese Number Gestures
Number gestures are similar around the world. Below is the table of the most commonly used gestures for numbers 1-10 in different parts of the Chinese speaking world. Numbers 1-6 are the same. But 7-10 differ based on the region. How do these hand gestures compare to yours?
Numbers in Mandarin Chinese Conclusion
Chinese Numbers 1-10
1 一 yī
2 二 èr
3 三 sān
4 四 sì
5 五 wǔ
6 六 liù
7 七 qī
8 八 bā
9 九 jiǔ
10 十 shí
Chinese Numbers 11-19 Pattern
11=10+1, so 11 in Chinese is 十一 shíyī (literally “ten one”)
The same pattern applies to 12 through 19
Chinese Numbers Pattern for Tens
20 in Chinese is 二十 èrshí (literally “two ten”)
All the tens numbers follow this pattern.
Chinese Numbers 21-100
21=20+1, so 21 in Chinese is 二十一 èrshíyī (literally “two ten one”)
The same pattern applies to 12 through 99
One hundred is 一百 yìbǎi
Chinese Numbers 100 and Up (Large Numbers in Chinese)
Hundred: 百 bǎi – 100 (2 zeros)
– Numbers 101-109
101 一百零一 yì bǎi líng yī (零 líng means “zero”)
The same pattern applies to 102 through 109
– Numbers 110-119
110 一百 一十 yìbǎi yīshí
111 一百 一十一 yìbǎi yīshíyī
The same pattern applies to 112 through 119
– Numbers 120-200 Examples
120 一百二十
156 一百五十六
200 is “两百 liǎngbǎi
– Numbers 201-999 Examples
506 五百零六 “five-hundred-zero-six”
418 四百一十八 “four-hundred-one-ten-eight”
– Numbers 1000 and up
Thousand: 千 qiān – 1000 (3 zeros)
Ten thousand: 万 wàn – 10000 (4 zeros)
Hundred million: 亿 yì – 10000000 (7 zeros)
Trillion: 兆 zhào – 1000000000000 (12 zeros)
The Use of Zero in Chinese
– When The Tens Digit Is Zero in Numbers Larger Than 100
x + 百 + 零 + y
101: 一百零一 (one-hundred-zero-one)
305: 三百零五 (three-hundred-zero-five)
– Zero in The Ones Digit
x + 百 + y + 十
760: 七百六十 (seven-hundred-six-ten)
– One Thousand and Up
Similar to the rules in hundreds. But if you have more than ONE ZERO in a row, you just say “zero” once.
1001: 一千零一 (one-thousand-zero)
Chinese Number 2: When to Say 二 èr? When to Say 两 liǎng?
We use 二 èr when…
Giving a phone number
Saying the ordinal number, which means “second”
For the “second one,” we read it as 第二个 (dì èr ge)
We use 两 liǎng…
When talking about “two of something” or “both”
For “two cups of tea,” we say 两杯茶
Chinese Phone Numbers
In China
When giving a phone number, you just read the digits. For the number “1,” when giving the phone number in China, we pronounce it as “yāo.”
In Taiwan, the number 1 is pronounced as “yī.”
Emergency Numbers in China and Taiwan
In China
Police 110
Ambulance 120
Fire 119
In Taiwan
Police 110
Ambulance and Fire: 119
Dates and Times in Chinese
whenever we talk about time, we always put the time elements in the order from largest to smallest.
September 11th, 2001→ We say the year first, then the month, and lastly the day → 两千零一 年 九月十一日
Age in Chinese
Six years old: 六岁 (liù suì)
Three and a half years old: 三岁 半 (sān suì bàn)
Chinese Ordinal Numbers
First: 第一 (dì yī)
Second: 第二 (dì èr)
Third: 第三 (dì sān)
The Lucky Numbers and Unlucky Numbers in Chinese
Lucky numbers: 2, 6, 8, 9
Unlucky number: 4
Chinese Number Slang
1314 (yī sān yī sì), Meaning: Forever.
250 (èr bǎi wǔ), Meaning: Idiot
484 (sìbāsì), Meaning: Yes or no.
520 (wǔ èr líng), Meaning: I love you.
555 (wǔ wǔ wǔ), Meaning: Crying noise.
7456 (qī sì wǔ liù), Meaning: I am so angry!
88 (bābā) (881, 886), Meaning: Goodbye.
995 (jiǔjiǔwǔ), Meaning: Help me!
Simple Math in Chinese Examples
3+5=8, we read as “三 加 五 等于 八”
9-7=2, we read as “九 减 七等于 二”
4*6=24, we read as “四 乘以 六 等于 二十四”
72/8=9, we read as “七十二 除以 八 等于 九”
45.6, we read as “四十五 点 六”
0.03, we read as “零 点 零 三”
½, we read as “二 分之 一” (In Chinese, the denominator is first, then the numerator)
80%, we read as “百分之 八十” (80% equals 80/100, so we say the 100 first, then the 80)
5 > 3, we read as “五 大于 三”
4 < 8, we read as “四 小于 八”
Tone Change Rules for Number 1
We read 一 as “yī” when “一” appears as a number in a series, address, dates, etc…
We read 一 as “yí” when “一” is followed by a character in the 4th tone
We read 一 as “yì” when “一” is followed by a character in the other tones (1st, 2nd, 3rd and neutral tone)
Who doesn’t love fruit?! Everyone loves it! But how do you say these different fruits in Mandarin Chinese? We have listed more than 30 fruits in the infographic below. We include names of fruits in Mandarin Chinese, Pinyin, English and in pictures.
Fruit-related Vocabulary in Chinese
Before learning the whole list of fruits, let’s start with some fruit-related vocabulary:
We also made a video to show what dragon fruit looks like when you cut it open
西瓜 xīguā, Watermelon
葡萄柚 pútáo yòu, Grapefruit
杏 xìng, Apricot
菠萝 bōluó, Pineapple
*凤梨 fènglí
* In mainland China, it is called: 菠萝 bōluó.
In Taiwan, it is called: 凤梨 fènglí
But both of them can be understood in both places.
桃子 táozi, Peach
橙子 chéngzi, Orange
柿子 shìzi, Persimmon
哈密瓜 hāmìguā, Cantaloupe
柠檬 níngméng, Lemon
木瓜 mùguā, Papaya
芒果 mángguǒ, Mengo
香蕉 xiāngjiāo, Banana
梨 lí, Pear
莱姆 lái mǔ, Lime
牛油果 niúyóuguǒ, Avocado
**酪梨 lào lí
** In mainland China, it is called: 牛油果 niúyóuguǒ.
In Taiwan, it is called: 酪梨 lào lí
The name “牛油果 niúyóuguǒ” is not that popular in Taiwan. Avocados are not a fruit that you can easily find in the market. And when you do, it is quite expensive in Taiwan.
猕猴桃 Míhóutáo, Kiwi
***奇异果 qíyì guǒ
***In mainland China, it is called: 猕猴桃 Míhóutáo.
In Taiwan, it is called: 奇异果 qíyì guǒ
青苹果 qīng píngguǒ, Green apple
山竹 shānzhú, Mangosteen
百香果 bǎixiāng guǒ, Passion fruit
李子 lǐzǐ, Plum
无花果 wúhuāguǒ, Fig
葡萄 pútáo, Grape
蓝莓 lánméi, Blueberry
黑莓 hēiméi, Blackberry
Fruits in Chinese Infographic
Fruits in Chinese Video
Chinese Exotic Fruits
Most of the fruits we listed above are pretty common, but some are pretty unique that you rarely find in grocery stores in the States. For instance, “山竹 shānzhú, mangosteen,” “火龙果 huǒlóng guǒ, dragon fruit,” and “莲雾 lián wù, wax apple.” We list a few more Chinese exotic fruits and have a brief introduction for each of them. I hope one day you will have a chance to enjoy them. But in the meantime, let’s get to know some Chinese fruits!
龙眼 lóngyǎn, Longan
The Chinese name of longan literally means dragon eye. Longan is a tropical fruit. The skin color of the longan is brown and it is not edible. Since it is a tropical fruit, it is not easy to grow in the climate of most areas in the States. The fruit is sweet and juicy. The color of the fruit is white and slightly clear. The seed is in the middle and is round with a dark brown/black color.
荔枝 lìzhī, Lychee
Lychee is similar to longan, and is really sweet. It is also a tropical fruit. The size is a bit bigger than a longan. The skin color is usually dark red, although if it is picked before it is ripe, its skin color might be a mix with a bit of green and red. Its seed is smaller than a longan, and its shape is not round but oval.
释迦 shì jiā, Sugar Apple
释迦 shì jiā is literally the shortened name of Buddha. The reason they name this fruit “释迦 shì jiā” is because of this shape. Its shape looks like a Buddha’s head. See the picture below.
释迦 shì jiā is a high-carb fruit, as you can tell from its English name. It is a very sweet fruit. It contains many seeds in one fruit.
We made you a video to show you how 释迦 shì jiā looks like when you open it! Check out this video
There is another new kind of fruit called, Cherinoia “凤梨释迦 fènglí shì jiā.” 凤梨 fènglí is pineapple. It looks a bit different from the original one, and the bumps are not as big and round. The fun fact about this fruit is that it is not a mix of sugar apple and pineapple. The name is actually from the shape. The fruit is a cross between Annona cherimola and Annona squamosa. The taste is not as sweet as sugar apples.
This is what Cherinoia“凤梨释迦 fènglí shì jiā” looks like. As you can see from the picture below, the shape is a bit different from 释迦 shì jiā.
杨桃 yángtáo, Star Fruit / Carambola
The tree of this fruit is cultivated throughout tropical areas. The fruit has distinctive ridges running down its sides. The entire fruit is edible and it is usually eaten out of your hand. Star fruit juice is a popular street drink in Taiwan. In the United States, carambolas are grown in tropical and semitropical areas, including Texas, South Carolina, Louisiana, California, Virginia, Florida, and Hawaii.The color of the fruit is usually yellow or green.
番石榴 fān shíliú / 芭乐 bā lè, Guava
Guavas usually have light green skin with either a white or red color inside. You can see the pictures below. The skin is edible, there is no need to peel it. There are seeds in the center, and the center is usually softer and sweeter. Some people do not like the seeds so they will cut and shape the guavas in a crescent-shape. The size of a guava fruit is about the size of a baseball.
Guavas are not usually as sweet as longans and lychees. But Guavas are rich in dietary fiber and vitamin C, with moderate levels of folic acid, and low in calories for a typical serving.
This is what guava looks like when you cut it open
榴梿 liú lián, Durian
To be honest, as a fruit lover, I have only tried durian ONCE. From many people I know and from what I’ve heard, people who try durians either love it a lot or never try it again.
The shape of the durian fruit ranges from oblong to round, the color of its husk from green to brown, and its flesh from pale yellow to red, depending on the species. Durian has a strong and unique odor. Some people find it unpleasant, while others think it is a pleasantly sweet fragrance.
The durian fruit is ready to eat when its husk begins to crack. The fruit can grow up to a size of about 12 inches.
