Chinese for dummies

Tai Lieu Chat Luong



Chinese
3rd Edition

by Dr. Wendy Abraham


Chinese For Dummies®, 3rd Edition
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Manufactured in the United States of America
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1


Contents at a Glance
Introduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Part 1: Getting Started with Chinese. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
CHAPTER 1:
CHAPTER 2:
CHAPTER 3:
CHAPTER 4:
CHAPTER 5:
CHAPTER 6:

Chinese in a Nutshell: The Spoken Word. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
The Written Word: Checking Out Chinese Characters. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Warming Up with the Basics: Chinese Grammar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Getting Started with Basic Expressions: N H o!. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
. . . . . . . . . . 65
Speaking Chinese at Home. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85

Part 2: Chinese in Action . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Dining Out and Shopping for Food. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
CHAPTER 9:
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
CHAPTER 10: Exploring the Town. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157
CHAPTER 11: Taking Care of Telecommunications. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169
CHAPTER 12: Chinese at School and Work. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187
CHAPTER 13: Recreation and Outdoor Activities. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207
CHAPTER 7:

CHAPTER 8:

Part 3: Chinese on the Go . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

219

CHAPTER 14: Planning

a Trip. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221
CHAPTER 15:.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 233
CHAPTER 16: Getting Around. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 249
CHAPTER 17: Asking

for Directions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 267
CHAPTER 18:
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 281
CHAPTER 19: Handling Emergencies. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 297

Part 4: The Part of Tens. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
CHAPTER 20:.
CHAPTER 21:

311

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 313
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 317

Part 5: Appendixes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

321

APPENDIX A:. .

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
323
APPENDIX B:Chinese Verbs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 355
APPENDIX C:. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
359

Index. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

365



Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
About This Book. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Foolish Assumptions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Icons Used in This Book. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Where to Go from Here . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

1
3
4
4
5

PART 1: GETTING STARTED WITH CHINESE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Chinese in a Nutshell: The Spoken Word. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Grasping Chinese Dialects. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . .

10
11
12
13
14
15
17

The Written Word: Checking Out Chinese

Characters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Perusing Pictographs, Ideographs, and the Six Scripts . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . .
Following the Rules of Stroke Order. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Rule 1. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Rules 2 through 9 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . .
. . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

22
24
25
25
25
26
28
29

Warming Up with the Basics:
Chinese Grammar. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
. . . . . . . . . . . . .
Nouns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Getting into Verbs, Adverbs, Negation, and Possession . . . . . . . . . . . .
Verbs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Adverbs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
u: Total negation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Getting possessive with the particle de. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Table of Contents

32
33
36
38
39
39
44
44
47

v


. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
The question particle ma . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Yes/no choice questions using bù between repeating verbs. . . . . 47
Interrogative pronouns. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .48

Getting Started with Basic Expressions: N H o!. . . . . 51
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Asking people for their names . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Greeting and Chatting. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Addressing new friends and strangers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .55
Conversing around the clock. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Talking about the weather. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59

Finding out where people are from . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63

Getting Your Numbers, Times, and
Measurements Straight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Counting in Chinese . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Numbers from 1 to 10 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Numbers from 11 to 99 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Numbers from 100 to 9,999. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Ordinal numbers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Telling Time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Asking and stating the time. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Naming the months . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

66
66
67
68
69
69

70
70
71
71
71
75
76
77
77
80
81

Speaking Chinese at Home . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Hanging Out at Home. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Hunting for an Apartment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Decorating Your New Digs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
The bedroom. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
The bathroom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

vi

Chinese For Dummies

85
86
89
89
91
92

The kitchen. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
The living room . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
The basement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
The attic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

92
93
94
95

PART 2: CHINESE IN ACTION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
Getting to Know You: Making Small Talk. . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Establishing a Connection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108

Dining Out and Shopping for Food . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

111

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
Sitting down to eat and practicing proper table manners . . . . . . 114
Getting to Know Chinese Cuisines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
Dining Out . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116
Understanding what’s on the menu. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125
Dipping into some dim sum. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
Finding the restrooms. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .128
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
All the Tea in China. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
Taking Your Chinese to Go. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132

Shopping Made Easy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

137

Going to Stores . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Just browsing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Asking for help. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Shopping for Clothes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Comparing two items. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Asking about the color and material . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

137
140
141
141
143
143

145
146
149
150

Table of Contents

vii


Shopping for Other Items . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
Hunting for antiques. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153
Negotiating prices at the night market. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .153
. . . . . . . . . . . . 154

viii

Exploring the Town. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

157

Attending a Performance. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Asking whether someone has done something. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Visiting Historical Sites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Hopping Around Bars and Clubs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

157
158
160
160
161
163
165
167

Taking Care of Telecommunications. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

169

Getting Familiar with Telephone Terms. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Ringing hotels and places of business. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Phoning a client. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Recording and understanding greeting messages. . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Checking Your Email. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Going Online . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

169
171

172
173
174
175
177
177
177
178
180
182
183

Chinese at School and Work. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

187

Going to School. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Schools and supplies. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Exams and semesters. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Degrees and diplomas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Scheduling and planning a meeting. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Starting the meeting. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Ending the meeting. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

188
188
189
190
191
192
195
195
196
198
198
199
201

Chinese For Dummies


Recreation and Outdoor Activities. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

207

Naming Your Hobbies. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Exploring Nature. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Tapping into Your Artistic Side . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Striking Up the Band. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

208
210
213

213
215

PART 3: CHINESE ON THE GO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

219

Planning a Trip. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

221

Talking about When You Want to Travel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . .
Packing for Your Trip. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

221
222
223
227
228
229

Making Cents of Money . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

233

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Hong Kong dollars. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Singapore dollars. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Using cash. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Doing Your Banking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Tips on Tipping. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

234
234
235
236
236
236
239
240
241
242
243
244
244

Getting Around. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

249

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Going through customs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Navigating Around Town . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Hailing a cab. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Hopping on the bus. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Riding the rails. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

249
250
253
254
257
257
260
262

Table of Contents

ix


x

Asking for Directions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

267

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
r
l . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Getting direction about directions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

267
269
270
271
274
276
276

Finding a Place to Stay. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

281

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Checking In Before You Hit the Pool. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Taking Advantage of Hotel Service. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Counting on convenience. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Checking Out Before Heading Out. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

282
285

287
287
288
292

Handling Emergencies. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

297

Calling for Help in Times of Need. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Deciding whether to see a doctor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Calling the Police. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

297
298
299
300
305
306
308
308
309

PART 4: THE PART OF TENS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

311

Ten Ways to Learn Chinese Quickly. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

313

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Check Out a Peking Opera Performance. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Cook with a Wok . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Shop for Food in Chinatown . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Search Online. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Watch Kung-Fu Flicks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Be Curious and Creative. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

313
314
314
314
315
315
315
316
316
316

Chinese For Dummies

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 317
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 317
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 318
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 318
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 318
Never Take Food with the Wrong End of Your Chopsticks . . . . . . . . . 319
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 319
. . . . . . . .319
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 320
Never Accept Food, Drinks, or Gifts Without First Refusing
a Few Times. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 320
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 320

PART 5: APPENDIXES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

321

APPENDIX A:

Chinese-English Mini-Dictionary. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

323

APPENDIX B:

Chinese Verbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

355

APPENDIX C:

Fun & Games Answer Key. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

359

INDEX

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 365

Table of Contents

xi



Introduction

G

lobalization has made familiarity with other people, cultures, and languages not only preferable but also essential in the 21st century. With the
help of the Internet and a bevy of social media growing at a dizzying rate,
reaching out and touching someone on the other side of the earth has become as
easy as clicking a mouse, using a smartphone, or clicking on to RenRen (the
Chinese equivalent of Facebook) or Weibo (the Twitter of China). And yet nothing
quite beats the excitement of a face-to-face encounter with someone who hails
from the other side of the globe in his or her own language. Communication in
cyberspace doesn’t even come close.
Whether you’re an inveterate traveler, going overseas for business, studying

abroad, adopting a child, interested in frequenting Chinatown, befriending a
Chinese-speaking classmate or co-worker, or just plain curious about China,
­
Chinese For Dummies, 3rd Edition, can help you get acquainted with enough ­Chinese
to carry on a decent conversation on any number of topics. You won’t become

order some food. It also gives you some invaluable cultural tips so that you not
the right behavior at the right time.
I designed this book to help guide you toward the successful use of one of the most

About This Book
The good news is that you can use Chinese For Dummies, 3rd Edition, anytime,
­anywhere. No mandatory class sessions, no exams, and no homework assignments to dread. Need to get to a new city for a business meeting? Just turn to the
customs, get to the airport on time, or do some negotiating. Have to make a sudhow to tell your caregivers exactly what ails you.

Introduction

1


Pay attention to a few conventions that can help you navigate this book’s
contents:

»» Chinese terms are set in boldface to make them stand out.
»» Pronunciations and meanings appear in parentheses immediately after the
Chinese terms. The English translations are in italics.

»» This book uses the

(pin-yin) (Literally: spelling the way it sounds)

Romanization system of Chinese words. What does that mean? Well, if you go to
China, you see signs in Chinese characters all around, but if you look for someRoman letters will be of
Communists in the 1950s, so seeing in this book is good practice for you.

»» In this edition of Chinese For Dummies,

many places and appear after the initial transliteration from the
at precisely that for thousands of years, especially for the more complicated
characters that took as many as 20 separate strokes of the writing brush to
create traditional Chinese characters.
Lucky for you, many of the more complicated Chinese characters were
and these are used in mainland China today. (You can read more about
traditional) characters are

»» Another thing you should keep in mind as you begin to understand Chinese is
Knowing the gist of what you hear or see is more important than knowing
phrase meaning so-so literally translates as horse horse tiger tiger

The following elements in this book help reinforce the new terms and phrases
you’re studying:

»» Talkin’ the Talk dialogues: Nothing beats seeing and hearing an actual

2

Chinese For Dummies


appear in the accompanying online audio tracks so you can practice the
sentences after you hear how they should sound. With the tonal nature of the

Chinese language, this feature is indispensable as you learn Chinese.

»» Words to Know:

highlight useful additional words beyond the dialogue.

»» Fun & Games activities: Working through word games, cracking crossword
a great way to gauge your progress and tease your brain at the same time.

The beauty of this book is that it can be all things to all people. You don’t have to
­ rammar. Read as much or as little as you want, as quickly or as slowly as you like.
g
Whatever interests you is what you should focus on. And remember: You’re
­discovering a language that simultaneously represents one of the world’s oldest
civilizations and one of its fastest-growing economies in the 21st century.

Foolish Assumptions
Some of the foolish assumptions I made about you while writing Chinese For
­Dummies, 3rd Edition, are that

»»
»»

tofu, which you picked up while
grocery shopping.
want to pick up some useful words, phrases, and sentence constructions to

»»
»»

Introduction

3


Icons Used in This Book
Cute little icons occasionally appear in the left-hand margins, next to sidebars,
and with the Talkin’ the Talk dialogues throughout this book. These beacons shed
light on what kind of information you’re looking at and can help you locate certain

study of Chinese easier.

reminder about particularly important information concerning Chinese.

Chinese friend.
This icon clues you in on fascinating bits of information about China and Chinese
culture. Knowledge of a culture goes hand in hand with knowledge of a foreign
language, so these icons help light the way as you embark on your journey.

though this book doesn’t focus primarily on grammar, your successful execution
of the language can only be enhanced by paying attention to little grammatical
rules as they pop up.

Beyond the Book

numbers all in a handy portable format. Just go to www.dummies.com and search

better handle on correct pronunciation. Just go to www.dummies.com/go/chinesefd.

4

Chinese For Dummies


Where to Go from Here
Chinese is often considered one of the toughest languages in the world to master.
Don’t worry. The good news is that you’re not trying to master it. All you want to
do is be understandable when you open your mouth so that you don’t ask for the
men’s room when you really want the ladies’ room. All you have to do now is keep
whichever chapter piques your curiosity, listen to the accompanying online audio
tracks at home or in your car, and keep practicing your favorite Chinese phrases
when you’re with your family and friends in Chinatown.

Introduction



1

Getting Started
with Chinese


Get the lowdown on all the essentials of Chinese.
Find out how to pronounce Chinese sounds (and tones)
like a native.
Discover how to make sense of the Chinese writing
system.
Practice stringing Chinese words together so that they
make sense.

Figure out how to count in Chinese.
Try speaking Chinese around your home.
Communicate in Chinese with all the cultural trimmings.


IN THIS CHAPTER

»» Exploring Chinese dialects
»» Taking a look at the pīnyīn system
»» Getting a handle on basic Chinese
sounds
»» Understanding basic Chinese idioms,
phrases, and gestures

1

Chinese in a Nutshell:
The Spoken Word

T

ime to get your feet wet with the basics of Chinese. This chapter gives you
cial language of both the People’s Republic of China and Taiwan) like a
native speaker and helps you get a handle on the four tones that distinguish
write in Taiwan (traditional) versus the kind of characters written in the People’s

basics down, I show you how to construct basic Chinese phrases.

The best thing you can do when learning a foreign language is to not worry about

after snooping through Chinese For Dummies, 3rd Edition.

CHAPTER 1 Chinese in a Nutshell: The Spoken Word

9


language. In fact, you can’t quite master the language without absorbing a little of

you’re contributing to international friendship no matter what comes out.

Grasping Chinese Dialects
begin to utter one iota of Chinese. If you don’t do it now, you may be too shocked
later on when it sinks in that you’ve taken on a language that has hundreds (yes,

may have heard of before.

by more people on earth than any other language today. Pretty much a quarter of
China, regardless of whatever additional dialects people speak at home or in their

With only four tones, Guānhuà
() (Gwan-hwah) (Mandarin
the
who were also known as Mandarins]) has served as the
hybrid language of China since the 15th century because this dialect was based
Guānhuà, mainlanders in China now call it P tōnghuà (
)
). People in 
Taiwan, in Hong
Kong, and in overseas Chinese communities call it Guóy (

) (Gwaw-yew)
the national language). You may also hear it referred to as Zhōngwén
(Joong-wun) (the language of the Chinese people) and Hàny
(
)
(Hahn-yew) (the language of the Han people), because the Chinese have often
of the golden eras of Chinese history. Because Chinese is the language of ethnic
Chinese and China’s minority groups, the more all-encompassing term Zhōngwén
is preferred.
The term Ptōnghuà is used to refer to Mandarin in the People’s Republic of
China, and the term Guóy is the term used for Mandarin in Taiwan. You can
­simply say Hàny anywhere.

10

PART 1 Getting Started with Chinese


Major Chinese Dialects
Dialect

Pronunciation

Region Where Spoken

P tōnghuà/Guóy
(Mandarin) (
)/
(
)

Poo-toong-hwah/
Gwaw-yew

North of the Yangzi River, but is taught in schools

Wú
( )

Woo

Shanghai, southeastern Anhui, and much of Zhejiang

Xiāng

Shyahng

Hunan

Gàn
( )

Gahn

Jiangxi, southern Anhui, and southeastern Hubei

Kèjiā (Hakka)

Kuh-jyah

Scattered parts of eastern and southwestern Guangxi
and in northern Guangdong (Canton)

Yuè (Cantonese)
( )

Yweh

Southeastern Guangxi, Guangdong (Canton),
and Hong Kong

M n (Taiwanese)
( )

Meen

Fujian, southern Zhejiang, northeastern Guangdong,
Hainan, and Taiwan

of China and is spoken all over Taiwan

P ny n Spelling: Beijing, Not Peking
To spell the way it sounds
pīnyīn . For decades,
Chinese had been transliterated (written/spelled with the characters of other languages’ alphabets) in any number of ways. Finally, in 1979, the People’s Republic
pīnyīn
pīnyīn.
You should keep in mind the following quick facts about some of the initial sounds
in Mandarin when you see them written in the relatively new pīnyīn

»» J: Sounds like the g in gee whiz. An i often follows a j. J

kuài qián? ?

()? (Jee kwye chyan?) means How much money?

»» Q: Sounds like the ch in cheek. In Chinese, you never see it followed by a u like
it is in English, but an i always follows it, possibly before another vowel or a
consonant. Qīngd o (
) (Cheeng-daow) beer used to be spelled
Ch’ing tao or Tsingtao.

»» X: Sounds like the sh in she. It’s the third letter that’s often followed by an i.
One famous Chinese leader, Dèng Xi opíng (
peeng), boasted this letter in his name.

) (Dung Shyaow-

CHAPTER 1 Chinese in a Nutshell: The Spoken Word

11