Mandarin is the official language in China and Taiwan, as well as one of the official languages in Hong Kong, Macau and Singapore. In China itself, the language is called Pǔtōnghuà (standard language). It is most similar to, but not completely identical to, the dialect in the north of Beijing. In Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan it is written in traditional characters, in China and Singapore with simplified ones from that.
General information
Chinese has no conjugations and declinations, and nouns do not distinguish between singular and plural. The word order is subject-predicate-object, yes / no questions are indicated by a "ma?" The commonly used form of address is "nǐ", "nín" is only used in cases of particular courtesy (e.g. when businesses are soliciting customers, towards high-ranking or significantly older personalities).
pronunciation
There are different types of transliteration, in the following the Pinyin transliteration is used, which is common in the PRC. Syllables end either in vowels or in n or ng or r. The descriptions here should provide a first clue, the best one is to ask To speak a few words to a native speaker, because some sounds, and of course the tones, have no or only a very rough equivalent in German.
Vowels
- a
- Pronunciation different: after i and u like e in fett; at the end of the syllable like a in Bar; before n and ng as well as vowels as in Wand
- e
- Pronunciation different: before most consonants, often like e in fett, often between the German e and i.
- i
- long at the end of the syllable (as in L.iebe); just before n and ng (like ich); after s, sh, zh, ch rather indicated, like open e (no German equivalent)
- O
- how O in Onkel; after a like au
- u
- how u in U-Train; after q, j and x like ü in Üexercise
- ü
- how ü in Üexercise
Consonants
- b
- how b in B.ett
- c
- like German ts (aspirated)
- d
- how d in D.Oh
- f
- how f in F.nec
- G
- how G in Gabel
- H
- how ch in therech
- j
- how j in english Jeep
- k
- like German k
- l
- how l in lache
- m
- like German m
- n
- how n in Name
- p
- how p in P.east
- q
- how ch in Tschüss
- r
- like english r
- s
- how ß
- t
- how t in Ttelephone
- w
- like the English w (e.g. in war)
- x
- how ch in ich
- y
- how j in Jacke
- z
- how z in Zaun
Character combinations
- ai
- how egg in eggche
- ao
- like German ouch
- egg
- how Ey
- ia
- before n like iä (with a stressed but short ä), otherwise like German ia
- ie
- like the initial sound in someone (emphasis on the e)
- iu
- as in German with a short i; after l, emphasis on i, otherwise on u
- ou
- is a sound like O and u spoken very quickly one after the other
- among others
- after j, q, and x like üä (with stressed but short ä), otherwise as in German among others (with accentuated but short a)
- ch
- how ch
- sh
- how sch
- zh
- how dsch (voiced d)
- ng
- (only at the end of the syllable) as in lang
The sounds
In Chinese, every syllable also has a certain tone. So a word has fixed tones, different tones mean different words, as long as they exist at all. There are four stressed and one neutral tone, which are marked with diacritical marks in Pinyin (here using the vowel a, without neutral):
1st tone
The first tone is consistently high and the volume remains constant. Pinyin: ā
2nd tone
Here the tone contour is rising as with questions in German, although it already starts at a medium to high level. Pinyin: á
3rd tone
The height here is first falling from an average level, then rising again. Pinyin: ǎ
4th tone
The pitch drops sharply here, the pronunciation is comparatively short and intense. Pinyin: à
Idioms
An overview of the most important idioms. The order is based on the likely frequency of their use: First the phrase in German, then the translation into simplified Chinese characters and the pronunciation in brackets (in Pinyin, see above).
Basics
- Good day.
- 你好。 (Nǐ hǎo. )
- How are you?
- 你 好吗？ (Nǐ hǎo ma? )
- Good thank you.
- 很好 ， 谢谢。 (Hěn hǎo, xièxie. )
- What's your name?
- 你 叫 什么 （名字）？ (Nǐ jiào shénme (míngzi)? )
- My name is _____.
- 我 叫 ___。 (Wǒ jiào _____. )
- Nice to meet you.
- 很 高兴 认识 你。 (Hěn gāoxìng rènshi nǐ. )
- Mr
- 先生 (xiānsheng )
- (Wife
- 太太 (tàitài)
- Mrs
- 女士 (nǚshì )
- Fräulein (more common than in German)
- 小姐 (xiǎojiě )
- You're welcome.
- 请。 (Qǐng. )
- Thanks.
- 谢谢。 (Xièxie. )
- Thank you very much.
- 不用 谢 (Bú yòng xìe. )
- Yes.
- 对。 (Youì. )
- No.
- 不是。 (Bú shì. )
- Sorry.
- 对不起。 (Duìbùqǐ. )
- Goodbye
- 再见。 (Zài jiàn. )
- I don't (hardly) speak _____.
- 我 不 说 ___。 (Wǒ bù shuō _____. )
- Do you speak English?
- 你 说 英语 吗？ (Nǐ shuō yīngyǔ ma? )
- Does anyone here speak English?
- 有人 说 英语 吗？ (Yǒu rén shuō yīngyǔ ma? )
- Do you speak German?
- 你 说 德语 吗？ (Nǐ shuō déyǔ ma? )
- Does anyone here speak German?
- 有人 说 德语 吗？ (Yǒu rén shuō déyǔ ma? )
- Help!
- 救命！ (Jiù mìng! )
- Attention!
- 小心! (Xiǎoxīn! )
- Good Morning.
- 早安。 (Zǎo ān. )
- Good evening.
- 晚上 好。 (Wǎnshàng hǎo. )
- Good night.
- 晚安。 (Wǎn ān. )
- I do not understand that.
- 我 听 不懂。 (Wǒ tīng bù dǒng. )
- Where is the toilet?
- 厕所 在 哪里？ (Cèsuǒ zài nǎlǐ? )
Problems
- I do not need that.
- 不用 了。 (Bú yòng le. )
- I do not want that! (have or buy)
- 不要！ (Bú yào! )
- Leave me in peace!
- 不要 打扰 我。 (Bú yào dǎrǎo wǒ! )
- Do not touch me!
- 不要 碰 我！ (Bú yào pèng wǒ! )
- I'm calling the police!
- 我 叫 警察 了！ (Wǒ jiào jǐngchá le! )
- Police!
- 警察! (Jǐngchá! )
- Stop the thief!
- 住手 ， 小偷！ (Zhùshǒu, xiǎotōu! )
- Can you help me?
- 你 可以 帮助 我 吗？ (Nǐ kěyǐ bāngzhù wǒ ma? )
- This is an emergency.
- 这 是 紧急 情况。 (Zhè shì jǐnjí qíngkuàng. )
- I'm lost.
- 我 迷路 了。 (Wǒ mílù le. )
- I lost my bag.
- 我 丢 了 我 的 包。 (Wǒ diū le wǒ de bāo. )
- I've lost my wallet.
- 我 丢 了 我 的 钱包。 (Wǒ diū le wǒ de qiánbāo. )
- I'm sick.
- 我 生病 了。 (Wǒ shēng bīng le. )
- I'm injured.
- 我 受伤 了。 (Wǒ shòu shāng le. )
- I need a doctor
- 我 需要 看 医生。 (Wǒ xūyào kàn yīshēng. )
- Can I use your telephone?
- 我 可以 用 您 的 电话 吗？ (Wǒ kěyǐ yòng nǐn de diànhuà ma? )
numbers
- 0
- 〇 or 零 (líng )
- 1
- 一 (yī )
- 2
- 二 (he ) or 两 (liǎng) for time and quantity information, e.g. E.g .: 两瓶 啤酒 for two bottles of beer
- 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 )
- 30
- 三十 (sān shí )
- 40
- 四十 (sì shí )
- 50
- 五十 (wǔ shí )
- 60
- 六十 (liù shí )
- 70
- 七十 (qī shí )
- 80
- 八十 (bā shí )
- 90
- 九十 (jiǔ shí )
- 100
- 一百 (yī bǎi )
- 101
- 一百 〇 一 (yī bǎi líng yī ) Here the zeros 〇 (líng ), otherwise 一百 一 (yī bǎi yī ) understood as an abbreviation for 110.
- 110
- 一百 一 十 (yī bǎi yī shí )
- 111
- 一百 一 十一 (yī bǎi yī shí yī )
- 200
- 二百 (èr bǎi )
- 300
- 三百 (sān bǎi )
- 500
- 五百 (wǔ bǎi )
- 1000
- 一千 (yī qiān )
- 2000
- 二千 (èr qiān )
- 10,000
- 一 万 (wàn )
- 20,000
- 二万 (èr wàn )
- 100,000
- 十万 (shí wàn )
- 1,000,000
- 一 百万 (yī bǎi wàn )
- 10,000,000
- 一 千万 (yī qiān wàn )
- 100,000,000
- 一 亿 (yī yì )
- 1,000,000,000
- 十亿 (shí yì )
time
- now
- 现在 (xiànzài )
- later
- 以后 (yǐhòu )
- before
- 以前 (yǐqián )
- today
- 今天 (jīntiān )
- yesterday
- 昨天 (zuótiān )
- tomorrow
- 明天 (míngtiān )
- (the morning
- 早上 (zǎoshàng )
- Noon
- 中午 (zhōngwǔ )
- Eve
- 晚上 (wǎnshàng )
- night
- 夜 (yè )
- afternoon
- 下午 (xiàwǔ )
- this week
- 这个 星期 (zhè ge xīngqī )
- last week
- 上个星期 (shàng ge xīngqī )
- next week
- 下个星期 (xià ge xīngqī )
Time
- an hour
- 一点 （钟） (yīdiǎn (zhōng) )
- two o'clock
- 两点 （钟） (liǎngdiǎn (zhōng) )
- Noon
- 中午 (zhōngwǔ )
- thirteen o'clock
- 下午 一点 （钟） (xiàwǔ yīdiǎn (zhōng) )
- fourteen O `clock
- 下午 两点 （钟） (xiàwǔ liǎngdiǎn (zhōng) )
- morning
- 上午 (shàngwǔ )
- afternoon
- 下午 (xiàwǔ )
Duration
- ____ minute (s)
- ____ 分钟。 (____ fēnzhōng. )
- ____ hour (s)
- ____ 个 小时。 (____ ge xiǎoshí. )
- ____ week (s)
- ____ 个 星期。 (____ ge xīngqī. )
- ____ month (s)
- ____ 个 月。 (____ ge yué. )
- ____ year (s)
- ____ 年。 (____ nián. )
Days
- Sunday
- 星期天 or 星期日 (xīngqītiān or xīngqīrì (written language) )
- Monday
- 星期一 (xīngqīyī )
- Tuesday
- 星期二 (xīngqī'èr )
- Wednesday
- 星期三 (xīngqīsān )
- Thursday
- 星期四 (xīngqīsì )
- Friday
- 星期五 (xīngqīwǔ )
- Saturday
- 星期六 (xīngqīliù )
Months
- January
- 一月 (yīyuè )
- February
- 二月 (èryuè )
- March
- 三月 (sānyuè )
- April
- 四月 (sìyuè )
- May
- 五月 (wǔyuè )
- June
- 六月 (liùyuè )
- July
- 七月 (qīyuè )
- August
- 八月 (bāyuè )
- September
- 九月 (jiǔyuè )
- October
- 十月 (shíyuè )
- November
- 十一月 (shíyīyuè )
- December
- 十二月 (shíèryuè )
Colours
- black
- 黑色 (hēisè )
- White
- 白色 (báisè )
- Gray
- 灰色 (huīsè )
- red
- 红色 (hóngsè )
- blue
- 蓝色 (lánsè )
- yellow
- 黄色 (huángsè )
- green
- 绿色 (lǜsè )
- orange
- 橙色 (chéngsè )
- violet
- 紫色 (zǐsè )
- brown
- 咖啡色 (kāfēisè )
money
- Can I pay with _____?
- 我 能用 ___ 来 付钱 吗？ (Wǒ néng yòng _____ lái fù qián ma? )
- Hong Kong dollars
- 港币 (gǎngbì )
- yen
- 日元 (rìyuán )
- Euro
- 欧元 (ōuyuán )
- american dollars
- 美元 (měiyuán )
- Credit card
- 信用卡 (xìnyòngkǎ )
- Traveler checks
- 旅行支票 (lǚxíng zhīpiào )
- What is the rate?
- 汇率 是 多少？ (hǔilǜ shì duōshǎo? )
- Can you change me some money?
- 你 能 不能 换 我 的 钱？ (Nǐ néng bù néng huàn wǒ de qián? )
- Where can I change money?
- 我 在 哪里 可以 换钱？ (Wǒ zài nǎlǐ kěyǐ huàn qián? )
- Where is there an ATM?
- 哪里 有 自动 提款机？ (Nǎlǐ yǒu zìdòngtíkuǎnjī? )
- I am looking for a bank.
- 我 找 一个 银行。 (Wǒ zhǎo yī ge yínháng. )
- money
- 钱 (qián )
- Change
- 零钱 (língqián )
- Can you give me a little more change?
- 你 能 不能 多 给 我 点 零钱？ (Nǐ néng bù néng duō gěi wǒ diǎn língqián? )
accommodation
- Do you have a room?
- 你们 有 房间 吗？ (Nǐmen yǒu fángjiān ma? )
- What does a room cost for one / two people?
- 单 人 ／ 双人 房间 多少 钱？ (Dānrén / Shuāngrén fángjiān duōshǎo qián? )
- Is there in the room ...
- 房间 有 ___ 吗？ (Fángjiān yǒu _____ ma? )
- ... a duvet
- 床單 (chuángdān )
- ...a telephone
- 电话 (diànhuà )
- ...a TV
- 电视 (diànshì )
- Do you have a room?
- 你们 有 ___ 的 房间 吗？ (Nǐmen yǒu _____ de fángjiān ma? )
- calmer
- 更 安静 (gèng ānjìng )
- bigger
- 更大 (gèng dà )
- cheaper
- 更 便宜 (gèng piányì )
- Ok I'll take it.
- 好 ， 我 要。 (Hǎo, wǒ yào. )
- I want to stay _____ night (s).
- 我 想 住 ___ 个 晚上。 (Wǒ xiǎng zhù _____ ge wǎnshàng. )
- Do you have a safe?
- 你们 有 保险箱 吗？ (Nǐmen yǒu bǎoxiǎn xiāng ma? )
- Is there going to be breakfast ?
- 有 早饭 吗？ (Yǒu zǎofàn ma? )
- What time is breakfast?
- 早饭 是 什么 时候？ (Zǎofàn shì shénme shíhòu? )
- Please clean my room.
- 请 你 扫 我 的 房间。 (Qǐng nǐ sǎo wǒ de fángjiān. )
- Please wake me up at _____ tomorrow morning.
- 请 你 明天 早上 ___ 叫醒 我。 (Qǐng nǐ míngtiān zǎoshàng _____ jiàoxǐng wǒ. )
- I want to check out.
- 我 想 退房。 (Wǒ xiǎng tuì fáng. )
eat
- Do you have a table for _____ person (s)?
- 你们 有 ___ 个人 的 桌子 吗？ (Nǐmen yǒu ___ ge rén de zhuōzi ma? )
- Could I have the menu?
- 我 想看 菜单。 (Wǒ xiǎng kàn càidān. )
- Is there a house specialty?
- 你们 有 什么 特色 菜？ (Nǐmen yǒu shénme tèsè cài? )
- Is there a local specialty?
- 有 本地 的 名菜 吗？ (Yǒu běndì de míngcài ma? )
- I'm vegetarian.
- 我 不 吃肉。 (Wǒ bù chī ròu. )
- I do not eat pork.
- 我 不吃 猪肉。 (Wǒ bù chī zhūròu. )
- I don't eat beef.
- 我 不吃 牛肉。 (Wǒ bù chī niúròu. )
- I don't want monosodium glutamate (flavor enhancer).
- 请 不放 味精。 (Qǐng bú fàng wèijīng. )
- breakfast
- 早饭 (zǎofàn )
- Having lunch
- 午饭 (wǔ fàn )
- Between meal / snack
- 小吃 (xiǎo chī )
- dinner
- 晚饭 (wǎn fàn )
- I would like _____.
- 我 要 _____。 (Wǒ yào _____. )
- chicken
- 鸡肉 (jīròu )
- beef
- 牛肉 (niúròu )
- ham
- 腿 (doǐ )
- fish
- 鱼 (yú )
- sausage
- 香肠 (xiāngcháng )
- cheese
- 奶酪 (nǎilào )
- Eggs
- 鸡蛋 (jīdàn )
- salad
- 沙拉 (shālā )
- rice
- 米饭 (mǐfàn )
- (fresh) vegetables
- 蔬菜 (shūcài )
- (fresh fruits
- 水果 (shuǐguǒ )
- loaf
- 面包 (miànbāo )
- toast
- 烤 面包 片 (kǎo miànbāopiàn )
- Pasta
- 面条 (miàntiáo )
- Beans
- 荳子 (dòuzi )
- Could I have a glass of _____?
- 请 你 给 我 一杯 ___。 (Qǐng nǐ gěi wǒ yī bēi _____. )
- Could I have a bowl _____?
- 请 你 给 我 一碗 ___。 (Qǐng nǐ gěi wǒ yī wǎn _____. )
- Could I have a bottle of _____?
- 请 你 给 我 一瓶 ___。 (Qǐng nǐ gěi wǒ yī píng _____. )
- coffee
- 咖啡 (kāfēi )
- tea
- 茶 (chá )
- juice
- 果汁 (guǒzhī )
- Mineral water
- 矿泉水 (kuàngquánshuǐ )
- water
- 水 (shuǐ )
- Red wine / white wine
- 红 葡萄酒 (hóng pútáojiǔ ) / 白 葡萄酒 (bái pútáojiǔ )
- beer
- 啤酒 (píjiǔ )
- Liquor
- 白酒 (báijiǔ )
- I want some _____.
- 我 要 一些 _____。 (Wǒ yào yīxiē _____. )
- salt
- 食盐 (shíyán )
- pepper
- 胡椒 (hújiāo )
- butter
- 黄油 (huángyóu )
- knife
- 刀子 (dāozi )
- fork
- 叉子 (chāzi )
- chopsticks
- 筷子 (kuàizi )
- Good Appetite! (literally "Eat slowly!")
- 慢慢 吃！ (Mànmàn chī. )
- Bottom up!
- 干杯！ (Gānbēi! )
- Excuse me, waiter?
- 喂 ， 服务员。 (Wéi, fúwùyuán. )
- I'm done.
- 我 吃完 了。 (Wǒ chī wán le. )
- It was delicious.
- 很好 吃。 (Hěn hǎo chī. )
- The Bill please.
- 请 结帐。 (Qǐng jié zhàng. )
shop
- How much is it?
- 这个 多少 钱？ (Zhè ge duōshǎo qián? )
- This is too expensive.
- 太贵 了。 (Tài guì le. )
- expensive
- 贵 (guì )
- cheap
- 便宜 (piányì )
- Ok, I want to take it.
- 好 ， 我 买。 (Hǎo, wǒ mǎi. )
- There is not any.
- 没有。 (Méiyǒu.)
- Can i have a bag
- 请 给 我 袋子。 (Qǐng gěi wǒ dàizi. )
- I will ...
- 我 要 ___. (Wǒ yào _____. )
- ... toothpaste
- 牙膏 (yágāo )
- ...a toothbrush
- 牙刷 (yáshuā )
- ...Soap
- 肥皂 (féizào )
- ...Shampoo
- 洗发 精 (xǐfàjīng )
- ...Painkiller
- 止痛 药 (zhǐtòngyào )
- ... cough medicine
- 止咳 药 (zhǐkéyào )
- ...Tampon
- 卫生 棉条 (wèishēng miántiáo )
- ...a postcard
- 明信片 (míngxìnpiàn )
- ... postage stamps
- 邮票 (yóupiào )
- ...Stationery
- 信纸 (xìnzhǐ )
- ... a ballpoint pen
- 圆珠笔 (yuánzhūbǐ )
- ...a pencil
- 铅笔 (qiānbǐ )
- a German-language book
- 德 文书 (déwén shū )
- a German-language booklet / magazine
- 德文 杂志 (déwén zázhì )
- a German-language newspaper
- 德文 报纸 (déwén bàozhǐ )
- a Chinese-German dictionary
- 中德 词典 (zhōng-dé cídiǎn )
- a German-Chinese dictionary
- 德 中 词典 (dé-zhōng cídiǎn )
Drive
- I would like to rent a car.
- 我 要 租车。 (Wǒ yào zū chē. )
- Can I get the insurance?
- 我 能 不能 买 保险？ (Wǒ néng bù néng mǎi bǎoxiǎn? )
- STOP
- 停 (tíng )
- one way street
- 单行 道 (dānxíngdào )
- Please drive a little slower!
- 请 你 慢 点 开。 (Qǐngnǐ màn diǎn kāi. )
- No parking
- 禁止 停车 (jìnzhǐ tíng chē )
- detour
- 交通 改道 (jiāotōng gǎidào )
- speed limit
- 速度限制 (sùdù xiànzhì )
- a gas station
- 加油站 (jiāyóuzhàn )
- petrol
- 汽油 (qìyóu )
- Unleaded gasoline
- 无铅 汽油 (wúqiān qìyóu )
- petroleum
- 煤油 (méiyóu )
- diesel
- 柴油 (cháiyóu )
- the car
- 汽车 (qìchē )
- the omnibus
- 公共汽车 (gōnggòng qìchē )
- the long-distance bus
- 长途 巴士 (chángtu bāshì )
- the train
- 火车 (huǒchē )
- The plane
- 飞机 (fēijī )
- the subway
- 地铁 (dìtiě )
direction
- Where is _____?
- ____ 在 哪里？ (____ zài nǎlǐ? )
- the station
- 火车站 (huǒchēzhàn )
- the bus stop
- 车站 (chēzhàn )
- the airport
- 机场 (jīchǎng )
- the street
- ___ (马) 路 (_____ (mǎ) lù )
- a gas station
- 加油站 (jiāyóuzhàn )
- How do I get _____?
- 怎么 走到？ (Zěnme zǒu dào _____? )
- to the central station
- 火车 总站 (huǒchē zǒngzhàn )
- to the station
- 车站 (chēzhàn )
- to the airport
- 机场 (jīchǎng )
- to the subway
- 地铁 (dìtiě )
- north
- 北 (běi )
- Northeast
- 东北 (dōngběi )
- Northwest
- 西北 (xīběi )
- east
- 东 (dōng )
- west
- 西 (xī )
- south
- 南 (nán )
- southeast
- 东南 (dōngnán )
- southwest
- 西南 (xīnán )
- right
- 右边 (yòubiān )
- Left
- 左边 (zuǒbiān )
bus and train
- Where is this bus / train going?
- 这 台 车 到 哪里？ (Zhè tái chē dào nǎli? )
- Does this bus / train stop in _____?
- 这 台 车 在 ___ 停 吗？ (Zhè tái chē zài ___ tíng ma? )
- How much does a ticket to _____ cost?
- 去 ___ 的 票 多少 钱？ (Qù ___ de piào duōshǎo qián? )
- A ticket to _____, please.
- 我 要买 一张 去 ___ 的 票。 (Wǒ yào mǎi yī zhāng qù ___ de piào. )
authority
- I did nothing wrong.
- 我 没有 做错 事。 (Wǒ méiyǒu zuò cuò shì. )
- It was a misunderstanding.
- 这 是 误会。 (Zhè shì wùhuì. )
- Where are you taking me
- 你 带 我 去 哪里？ (Nǐ dài wǒ qù nǎlǐ? )
- Am i arrested?
- 我 被捕 了 吗？ (Wǒ bèi bǔ le ma? )
- I would like to speak to the German / Austrian / Swiss embassy.
- 我 想跟 德国 ／ 奥地利 ／ 瑞士 的 大使馆 联系。 (Wǒ xiǎng gēn Déguó / Àodìlì / Ruìshì de dàshǐguǎn liánxì. )
- I want to speak to a lawyer.
- 我 想跟 律师 联系。 (Wǒ xiǎng gēn lǜshī liánxì. )
- Can't I just pay a fine?
- 我 可以 支付 罚款 吗？ (Wǒ kěyǐ zhīfù fákuǎn ma? )
