中文这门语言经常被描述为难以掌握的象征，并且当非中文使用者遇到自己无法理解的事物时，他们经常会提到中文。当我开始学习中文时，我曾经怀疑这么一种“难”语言怎么能成为世界上最广泛使用的语言之一。即使我自认为在技能水平方面处于最低的5%之内，我依然相信那些在这个最低的5%范围内的人比我更擅长，因为他们能说这种复杂的语言。这个类比激励我更加关注这种独特的语言。
The Chinese language is often portrayed as a symbol of difficulty and is frequently cited by non-Chinese speakers when they encounter something they cannot understand. When I began learning Chinese, I questioned how such a “difficult” language could be spoken by one of the largest populations in the world. Even if I consider myself among the lowest 5% in terms of skill level, I still believe that those within this lowest 5% are better than me because they can speak this complex language. This analogy motivated me to pay closer attention to this unique language.
20 of the most commonly used Mandarin Chinese words
| Chinese Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 我 | wǒ | I, me |
| 你 | nǐ | you |
| 他/她 | tā | he/she |
| 是 | shì | to be |
| 不 | bù | not |
| 了 | le | (particle indicating past tense) |
| 在 | zài | at, in, on |
| 有 | yǒu | to have |
| 这 | zhè | this |
| 那 | nà | that |
| 我们 | wǒmen | we, us |
| 你们 | nǐmen | you (plural) |
| 他们/她们 | tāmen | they, them |
| 什么 | shénme | what |
| 时候 | shíhou | time, moment |
| 怎么 | zěnme | how |
| 为什么 | wèishénme | why |
| 哪里 | nǎlǐ | where |
| 谁 | shéi | who |
| 可以 | kěyǐ | can, may |
20 commonly used Mandarin Chinese sentences
| Chinese Sentence | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 你好 | Nǐ hǎo | Hello |
| 你叫什么名字？ | Nǐ jiào shénme míngzi? | What is your name? |
| 我叫 _ | Wǒ jiào _ | My name is _. |
| 谢谢 | Xièxiè | Thank you |
| 对不起 | Duìbùqǐ | Excuse me / I am sorry |
| 是的 | Shì de | Yes |
| 不是 | Bù shì | No |
| 你好吗？ | Nǐ hǎo ma? | How are you? |
| 我很好，谢谢 | Wǒ hěn hǎo, xièxiè | I am fine, thank you |
| 你从哪里来？ | Nǐ cóng nǎlǐ lái? | Where are you from? |
| 我从 _ 来 | Wǒ cóng _ lái | I am from _. |
| 你能帮我吗？ | Nǐ néng bāng wǒ ma? | Can you help me? |
| 厕所在哪里？ | Cèsuǒ zài nǎlǐ? | Where is the bathroom? |
| 这个多少钱？ | Zhège duōshǎo qián? | How much is this? |
| 我喜欢这个 | Wǒ xǐhuān zhège | I like this |
| 我不明白 | Wǒ bù míngbái | I don’t understand |
| 现在几点了？ | Xiànzài jǐ diǎn le? | What time is it? |
| 你能帮我吗？ | Nǐ néng bāng wǒ ma? | Can you help me? |
| 我饿了 | Wǒ è le | I am hungry |
| 我爱你 | Wǒ ài nǐ | I love you |
Numbers from 1 to 10 in Chinese along with their English transliterations:
| Number | Chinese (Simplified) | Transliteration |
|---|---|---|
| 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 |
Here’s a combined table showing the numbers from 1 to 10 in both Japanese and Chinese, along with their English transliterations:
| Number | Japanese | Transliteration (Japanese) | Chinese (Simplified) | Transliteration (Chinese) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 一 | ichi | 一 | yī |
| 2 | 二 | ni | 二 | èr |
| 3 | 三 | san | 三 | sān |
| 4 | 四 | shi/yon | 四 | sì |
| 5 | 五 | go | 五 | wǔ |
| 6 | 六 | roku | 六 | liù |
| 7 | 七 | shichi/nana | 七 | qī |
| 8 | 八 | hachi | 八 | bā |
| 9 | 九 | kyuu/ku | 九 | jiǔ |
| 10 | 十 | juu | 十 | shí |
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