If you’ve been learning Chinese for a while, you’ve probably heard this word very early on:
东西(Dōng xi). Most textbooks translate it as “thing.”
Simple. Neutral. Harmless.But here’s what many learners don’t realize until much later:
“东西” is one of the …
Nǐ zěn me le? 你怎么了？ What’s wrong?
Wǒ yǒu diǎn bù shū fu. 我有点不舒服。 I don’t feel very well.
Nǎ lǐ bù shū fu? 哪里不舒服？ Where does it hurt?
Tóu yǒu diǎn téng. 头有点疼。 My head hurts a bit.
Nà nǐ xiān xiū xi yī …
Kě yǐ ma 可以吗 Can I
Wǒ kě yǐ wán ma? 我可以玩吗？ Can I play?
Wǒ kě yǐ chī ma? 我可以吃吗？ Can I eat?
Wǒ kě yǐ qù ma? 我可以去吗？ Can I go?
Wǒ kě yǐ mǎi zhè ge ma? 我可以买这个吗？ Can I buy this?…
Fú wù yuán, mǎi dān. 服务员，买单。 Check, please.
Hǎo de, shāo děng. 好的，稍等。 Okay, one moment.
Qǐng wèn Xiàn jīn hái shì shuā kǎ? 请问现金还是刷卡？ Cash or card?
Shuā kǎ ba. 刷卡吧。 Card, please.
Hǎo de, Yào fā piào ma? 好的，要发票吗？ Do you need a …
Wèi shén me 为什么 Why
Wèi shén me yào shàng xué? 为什么要上学？ Why do we go to school?
Wèi shén me yào shuì jiào? 为什么要睡觉？ Why do we need to sleep?
Wèi shén me bù kě yǐ wán? 为什么不可以玩？ Why can’t I play?
Wèi shén …
Zěn me 怎么 How
Zhè ge zěn me wán? 这个怎么玩？ How do we play this?
Zěn me qù xué xiào? 怎么去学校？ How do we go to school?
Zěn me shuō? 怎么说？ How do you say it?
Zěn me zuò? 怎么做？ How do I do it?…
Duō shǎo 多少 How much / How many
Zhè ge duō shǎo qián? 这个多少钱？ How much is this?
Yǒu duō shǎo gè? 有多少个？ How many are there?
Nǐ yào duō shǎo? 你要多少？ How many do you want?
Wǒ hái néng wán duō shǎo fēn zhōng? …
I’ve been teaching Mandarin to adult learners for years. And if there’s one sentence I hear over and over again, it’s this:“I’m just not good at Chinese.”
But here’s what I want to say — honestly, and professionally: Most of the time, you’re not bad …
Shén me 什么 What
Zhè shì shén me? 这是什么？ What is this?
Wǒ men chī shén me? 我们吃什么？ What are we eating?
Shén me shí hòu chī fàn? 什么时候吃饭？ When do we eat?
Zhè shì shén me yán sè? 这是什么颜色？ What color is this?
Nǐ …
Animated films aren’t just entertainment — they’re a shortcut to real emotional language.
And few movies do this better than Zootopia.
If you’re learning Mandarin, you may already know basic phrases. But sounding natural in Chinese requires more than vocabulary — it requires …
Nǐ qù nǎ lǐ? 你去哪里？ Where are you going?
Wǒ yào qù shāng diàn. 我要去商店。 I’m going to the store.
Nǐ qù gàn má? 你去干嘛？ What are you going to do?
Wǒ yào qù mǎi dōng xī. 我要去买东西。 I’m going to buy something.
Mǎi shén …
Nǎ lǐ 哪里 Where
Wǒ men qù nǎ lǐ? 我们去哪里？ Where are we going?
Nǐ zài nǎ lǐ? 你在哪里？ Where are you?
Shū zài nǎ lǐ? 书在哪里？ Where is the book?
Shū bāo zài nǎ lǐ? 书包在哪里？ Where is my backpack?
Nǎ lǐ kě yǐ …
Zhēn yí hàn 真遗憾 What a pity / That’s unfortunate
Tài kě xī le 太可惜了 What a shame / Too bad
Yǒu diǎn yí hàn 有点遗憾 A bit disappointing
Bù yào tài nán guò 不要太难过 Don’t be too sad
Nǐ yǐ jīng hěn bàng le …
Shén me shí hòu 什么时候 When
Bà ba shén me shí hòu huí lái? 爸爸什么时候回来？ When will dad come back?
Wǒ men shén me shí hòu qù kàn diàn yǐng? 我们什么时候去看电影？ When are we going to watch a movie?
Wǒ men shén me shí hòu …
Nǐ zài zuò shén me? 你在做什么？ What are you doing?
Wǒ zài zuò zuò yè. 我在做作业。 I’m doing homework.
Wǒ zài kàn shū. 我在看书。 I’m reading.
Wǒ zài tīng gē. 我在听歌。 I’m listening to music.
Wǒ zài kàn diàn shì. 我在看电视。 I’m watching TV.
Wǒ …
If you’re studying in New Zealand, you already know the job market is competitive.
Good grades, internships, and fluent English are expected — not impressive. So what actually makes candidates stand out today?
For a growing number of students, the answer is Mandarin Chinese.…
Wǒ xiǎng yào zhè ge. 我想要这个。 I want this.
Zhè ge shì shén me? 这个是什么？ What is this?
Wǒ yào yī fèn zhè ge. 我要一份这个。 I want one of this.
Bù yào là. 不要辣。 Not spicy.
Zài yào yī gè. 再要一个。 One more.
Hái yào …
Hái hǎo 还好 It’s okay / Not bad (neutral, emotionally reserved)
Zuì jìn máng ma? 最近忙吗？ Have you been busy lately?
Hái hǎo. 还好。 It’s okay.
Méi shén me 没什么 It’s nothing / Nothing much (often means “I don’t want to talk about it”)
Nǐ …
Wǒ jǐn kuài chǔ lǐ. 我尽快处理。 I’ll handle it as soon as possible.
Shāo hòu huí fù. 稍后回复。 I’ll reply later.
Zàn shí yǒu diǎn máng. 暂时有点忙。 I’m a bit busy for now.
Gǎi tiān zài chǔ lǐ. 改天再处理。 I’ll handle it another day.
Wǒ …
