Mandarin Chinese: Pinyin, Characters and Vocabulary

Pinyin

• miànbāo means "bread"
• miàntiáo means "noodles"
• diànnão means "computer"
• diànhuà means "telephone"
• xiàtiān means "summer"
• qùnián means "last year"
• tiào wǔ means "to dance"
• shuì jiào means "to sleep"
• diàndēng means "lamp"
• diànchí means "battery"
• diànyǐng means "movie"
• diànshì means "television"
• chàng gē means "to sing"
• fùxí means "to review"
• Hànyǔ means "Chinese language"
• Hànzì means "Chinese characters"
• jiànkāng means "healthy"
• dìtú means "map"
• dìtiě means "subway"
• jiàn miàn means "to meet"

Characters

• The single component characters that are being introduced are 在 (zài), 子(zi), 工(gōng).

Character Structure

• Half-enclosed structure characters are: 店 diàn (store), 习 xí (to study), 这 zhè (this), 同 tóng (same), 凶 xiōng (fierce), 医 yī (doctor).

Radicals

• 走之旁 (辶) is related to walking.
• 门字旁 (门) is usually related to a room or a door

New Vocabulary

• 小 (xiǎo): small (e.g., 小学生 xiǎoxuéshēng - elementary school student, 小商店 xiǎoshāngdiàn - small shop, 小杯子 xiǎobēizi - small cup, 小猫 xiǎomāo - kitten)
• 那儿 (nàr): there, that place (<> 这儿 zhèr - here, this place)
• 椅子 (yǐzi): chair (一把椅子 yī bǎ yǐzi - a chair)
• 下面 (xiàmiàn): below, under (椅子下面 yǐzi xiàmiàn - under the chair, 书下面 shū xiàmiàn - below the book)
• 工作 (gōngzuò): to work, work (你的工作 nǐ de gōngzuò - your work, 我的工作 wǒ de gōngzuò - my work, 李月的工作 Lǐ Yuè de gōngzuò - Li Yue's job, 李月的工作是老师 Lǐ Yuè de gōngzuò shì lǎoshī - Li Yue's job is a teacher. 不工作 bù gōngzuò - not working A: 你妈妈工作吗？ Nǐ māma gōngzuò ma? - Does your mother work? B: 我妈妈不工作。 Wǒ māma bù gōngzuò. - My mother does not work.)
• 儿子 (érzi): son (一个儿子 yī ge érzi - a son, 你儿子 nǐ érzi - your son, 李老师的儿子 Lǐ lǎoshī de érzi - Teacher Li's son <> 女儿 nǚ'ér - daughter)
• 医院 (yīyuàn): hospital (去医院 qù yīyuàn - to go to the hospital A: 你去哪儿？ Nǐ qù nǎr? - Where are you going? B: 我去医院。 Wǒ qù yīyuàn. - I am going to the hospital.)
• 医生 (yīshēng): doctor (是医生shì yīshēng - is a doctor, 他是医生 tā shì yīshēng - he is a doctor, 李老师的儿子是医生。 Lǐ lǎoshī de érzi shì yīshēng. - Teacher Li's son is a doctor.)
• 爸爸 (bàba): dad (你爸爸 nǐ bàba - your dad, 我爸爸 wǒ bàba - my dad, 我朋友的爸爸 wǒ péngyǒu de bàba - my friend's dad, 我朋友的爸爸是医生。 Wǒ péngyǒu de bàba shì yīshēng. - My friend's dad is a doctor. <> 妈妈 māma - mom)

Grammar Points

• "在" as a verb is to indicate location using the structure, Subject + (不) + 在 + Location/Direction.
• "哪儿" as an interrogative pronoun used in the structure, Subject + (不) + 在 + 哪儿 + 动词.
• "在" as a preposition is used in the structure, Subject + 在 + Location/Direction + Verb.
• "呢" as an Interrogative Particle, used in the structure Subject + 在 + 哪儿 + 呢? or Subject + 呢?

Text 1 Vocabulary and Grammar

• 小猫 (xiǎo māo) - kitten, 小狗 (xiǎo gǒu) - puppy, 哪儿 (nǎr) - where, 那儿 (nàr) - there, 在 (zài) - in, at, on, in.
• Conversations include asking where a kitten and puppy are, using "在哪儿？" (zài nǎr?). Responses indicate their location using "在" (zài) and directional words below the chair "在椅子下面" (zài yǐzi xiàmiàn).

Text 2 Vocabulary and Grammar

• 车站 (chēzhàn) - railway station, 工作 (gōngzuò) - to work, 学校 (xuéxiào) - school,儿子 (ér zi) - son,醫院 (yī yuàn) - hospital, 医生 (yī shēng) - doctor
• Conversations include asking where someone works, "你在哪儿工作？" (Nǐ zài nǎr gōngzuò?).
• A works at school "我在学校工作" (Wǒ zài xuéxiào gōngzuò).
• The son works at the hospital and is a doctor "我儿子在医院工作，他是医生" (Wǒ érzi zài yīyuàn gōngzuò, tā shì yīshēng).

Text 3 Vocabulary and Grammar

• 打电话 (dǎ diànhuà) - on the phone, 爸爸 (bàba) - father, 家 (jiā) - home
• Conversations include asking if dad is home, using "你爸爸在家吗？" (Nǐ bàba zài jiā ma?)
• If the answer is no, the follow up question is, "他在哪儿呢？" (Tā zài nǎr ne?) - Where is he?
• The response is: "他在医院" (Tā zài yīyuàn) - He is at the hospital.