Mandarin Circle

Copyright © 2021 by Language Department, Institute of Teacher Education
Sultan Abdul Halim Campus, Sungai Petani, Kedah, Malaysia. All rights reserved.
This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner
whatsoever without the express written permission of the Editorial Board, except for
the use of brief quotation in a book review.



Printed in Sungai Petani, Kedah.







First Printing, 2021






ISBN NO.:







Language Department


Institute of Teacher Education Sultan Abdul Halim Campus

Jalan Kuala Ketil, 08000 Sungai Petani


Kedah























i

EDITORIAL BOARD






Advisors : Dr. Ridzuan bin Ahmad
Director
Institute of Teacher Education
Sultan Abdul Halim Campus

Dr. Kartini binti Abdul Mutalib
Deputy Director
Institute of Teacher Education
Sultan Abdul Halim Campus



Chief Editor : Encik Ti Heong Poy


Editors : Dr. Norhayu binti Norany


Dr. Mohammad Zeeree bin Kanreng

Puan Quinie Ong Kooi Loo

Puan Kathleen Dass


Puan Nithiavani a/p Subramaniam

Puan Arthiletchemy a/p Suberamaniam




Author : Anis Shasha Binti Ahamad Saleh


Wong Xin Yi

Siti Noorhaliza Binti Abdullah


Lau Jun Jing










ii

KATA ALU-ALUAN TUAN PENGARAH































Assalamualaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh dan Salam Sejahtera,


Terima kasih atas kesempatan dan ruang yang diberi kepada saya
mencoretkan sepatah dua kata dalam penerbitan buku LANGUAGE CIRCLE kali ini.


Tahniah dan syabas diucapkan kepada Jabatan Bahasa dan semua pelajar

atas kejayaan menghasilkan penerbitan LANGUAGE CIRCLE pada kali ini.

Penerbitan sebegini adalah satu usaha yang membanggakan dan memerlukan
komitmen padu daripada semua pihak. Usaha ini juga mencerminkan bakat dan

kebolehan pelajar yang sememangnya mampu digilap dan diasah untuk mencapai

kejayaan bagi mengharumkan nama Institut Pendidikan Guru Kampus Sultan Abdul
Halim ke peringkat yang lebih tinggi.


Penghasilan LANGUAGE CIRCLE ini merupakan satu langkah yang

bertepatan dengan visi dan misi IPGM sebagai peneraju kecemerlangan pendidikan
guru dalam melahirkan guru yang kompeten dan bertaraf dunia. Penguasaan pelbagai

bahasa merupakan aset penting yang harus dimiliki oleh setiap guru bagi

menyerlahkan imej dan prestij profesion sebagai guru berkualiti yang kompeten dan
bertaraf dunia.




iii

Menjadi kewajipan setiap guru untuk sentiasa meningkatkan pengetahuan dan

kemahiran masing-masing bagi memastikan proses pengajaran dan pembelajaran
menjadi lebih bermakna. Dalam menghadapi cabaran abad ke 21, pengetahuan dan

kemahiran terkini hendaklah sentiasa diperkukuhkan dan penguasaan dalam pelbagai
bahasa merupakan satu langkah tepat yang akan dapat membantu guru-guru

mencapai hasrat tersebut. Dengan penguasaan pelbagai bahasa akan memberi

peluang yang lebih luas kepada para guru untuk memanfaatkan maklumat terbaru
yang dapat diteroka melalui pelbagai sumber.


Pada hemat saya, penglibatan pelajar dalam penghasilan LANGUAGE

CIRCLE ini dan pelaksanaannya nanti akan menampilkan kebolehan pelajar dalam

aspek jati diri dan kemahiran kepimpinan. Kedua-dua aspek ini merupakan aspek
penting dalam proses membentuk guru yang berkualiti bukan sahaja dalam aspek

kemahiran dan pengetahuan, malah melangkaui aspek spiritual, sosial dan
kepimpinan.


Akhir kata saya menyeru semua warga IPGKSAH untuk sama-sama terlibat

secara aktif dalam aktiviti-aktiviti LANGUAGE CIRCLE yang dianjurkan demi

menjayakan agenda Pendidikan Negara dan merealisasikan visi dan misi IPG sebagai
Peneraju Kecemerlangan Pendidikan Guru.


































iv

KATA ALU-ALUAN TIMBALAN PENGARAH














Assalamualaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh dan Salam Sejahtera


Alhamdulillah, setinggi-tinggi kesyukuran ke hadrat Allah SWT kerana dengan

limpah kurnia dan izinNya, Jabatan Bahasa Institut Pendidikan Guru Kampus Sultan
Abdul Halim telah berjaya menghasilkan Buku ‘Language Circle’ pada tahun ini yang

melibatkan sembilan jenis bahasa iaitu Perancis, Sepanyol, Arab, Korea, Jepun,
Mandarin, Tamil, Rusia dan juga Bahasa Isyarat (Sign language). Projek Buku

‘Language Circle’ yang telah dihasilkan ini adalah sejajar dengan era kemodenan
globalisasi yang mana kemampuan dan kemahiran bertutur dalam pelbagai bahasa

amat diperlukan agar persefahaman dapat dicapai apabila berkomunikasi dengan

individu yang berlainan bangsa. Kemahiran ini bukan sahaja penting pembangunan
individu tetapi juga memainkan peranan penting kepada bakal guru dan juga negara.



Pada kesempatan ini, saya merakamkan ucapan tahniah kepada semua pihak
khususnya Ketua Jabatan, Jabatan Bahasa, para pensyarah Jabatan Bahasa dan

siswa-siswi pendidik opsyen TESL yang telah menyumbang idea dan kepakaran bagi
menyempurnakan Buku ‘Language Circle’ ini. Saya amat berharap Buku ‘Language

Circle’ yang dihasilkan ini akan berupaya melonjakkan IPG KSAH ke satu tahap
pencapaian yang membanggakan kerana kemahiran menguasai pelbagai bahasa

asing ibarat sebuah jambatan yang akan memudahkan perhubungan dan komunikasi

serta untuk tujuan bertukar fikiran dan maklumat antara bakal guru dengan pelbagai
pihak rakan pembelajaran lain di seluruh dunia.


Bertepatan dengan misi IPGM iaitu melahirkan guru yang kompeten dan berjiwa

pendidik melalui program pembangunan guru yang dinamik ke arah pendidikan
sekolah bertaraf dunia, saya berpandangan Buku ‘Language Circle’ 2021 ini adalah



v

bertepatan dengan hasrat IPGM khususnya dalam melaksanakan Pendidikan

Sepanjang Hayat serta memberi nilai tambah kepada siswa-siswi pendidik, sekali gus
berdiri megah sama tinggi dengan masyarakat seantero dunia untuk bersaing dalam

segala aspek di peringkat global. Bakal guru bukan sahaja dapat merebut peluang
mendalami pelbagai bahasa, meningkatkan pengetahuan malah juga akan dapat

memperkembangkan kemahiran-kemahiran ini di sekolah kelak.


Akhir kata, saya sekali lagi merakam ucapan setinggi tahniah kepada semua

pihak yang terlibat dalam menjayakan projek Buku ‘Language Circle’ IPG KSAH. Saya
juga berdoa agar Buku ‘Language Circle’ yang dihasilkan ini dapat meningkatkan lagi

kecemerlangan IPG KSAH sebagai Peneraju Kecemerlangan Pendidikan Guru yang

berkaliber di peringkat kebangsaan dan antarabangsa.


Sekian, terima kasih.






(Dr.Kartini binti Abdul Mutalib)








































vi

TABLE OF CONTENT

Introduction 1
1.1 Target Audience
1.2 Objective
1.3 Cultural Background History

Topic 1 Pinyin and Tones 6
1.1 Pin Yin
1.2 Vowels and Consonants
1.2.1 Single Vowels in Mandarin
1.2.2 Consonants ZH, CH, SH, R with Compound Vowels
1.3 Tones
1.4 Test Your Pin Yin
1.4.1 Dialogue
1.5 Exercise 1

Topic 2 Pronouns 13
2.1 Basic Pronouns
2.2 Sentence Examples
2.2.1 Dialogue
2.3 Demonstrative Pronouns
2.3.1 This & That
2.3.2 This & That + Measure Word + Noun
2.3.3 These & Those
2.3.4 Here & There
2.4 Exercise 1
2.5 Exercise 2

Topic 3 Greetings and Expressions 26
3.1 Basic Greetings
3.2 Dialogue
3.3 Exercise 1
3.4 Exercise 2
3.5 Exercise 3

Topic 4 Numbers 32
4.1 One to Ten
4.2 Eleven to Nineteen
4.3 Twenty to One Hundred
4.4 Sentence Example
4.5 Exercise 1


vii

Topic 5 Dates and Time 39
5.1 What Date Is It Today?
5.1.1 Year
5.1.2 Month
5.1.3 Week
5.2 Sentence Example
5.2.1 Dialogue
5.3 Exercise 1
5.4 Exercise 2
5.5 Can You Tell The Time?
5.6 Sentence Example
5.7 Exercise 1
5.8 Exercise 2
5.9 Exercise 3

Topic 6 Family Members 52
6.1 How to Properly Address Different Family Members n Mandarin?
6.1.1 Immediate Family
6.1.2 Extended family
6.2 Sentence Examples
6.3 Exercise 1
6.4 Exercise 2

Topic 7 Foods and Taste 62
7.1 Popular Foods in Malaysia
7.2 The Four Tastes
7.3 Sentence Examples
7.4 Dialogue
7.5 Exercise 1

Topic 8 Animals 68
8.1 Classification of Animals
8.2 Birds
8.3 Insects & Small Animals
8.4 Domesticated Animals
8.5 Ocean Animals
8.6 Wild Animals
8.7 Exercise 1
8.8 Exercise 2





viii

Topic 9 Shapes and Colours 81
9.1 The Shapes Around Us
9.2 Colours Around Us
9.3 Sentence Examples
9.4 Dialogue
9.5 Exercise 1

Topic 10 Money and Prices 89
10.1 Vocabulary Related to Money & Price
10.2 What’s The Difference Between Malaysia Money & China Money?
10.3 Daily Situations About Money & Prices Through Dialogue
10.4 Exercise 1
10.5 Exercise 2

Topic 11 Asking for directions / places 97
11.1 Directions
11.2 Short Directions
11.3 Sentence Examples
11.4 Dialogue
11.5 Exercise 1

Bibliography 104





































ix

INTRODUCTION


Mandarin is the most-spoken language in the world, with over 1.5 billion
speakers. There are also several other major dialects existed in Chinese such
as Cantonese, Min, Hakka, Gan, Xiang, and Wu dialect. Mastering a basic
command of Chinese language will enhance one’s communication ability which
enables speakers to have an extra knowledge other than the main language.

1.1 Target Audience


The Mandarin Language Circle is intended for students who have no background in
Mandarin or any character-based language. This Language Circle is also suitable for

all individuals who wish to learn the basics Chinese language for daily communication
purposes. There is no requirement for proficiency in Chinese language. Students are

expected to utilize all online materials (via QR Code or Google Classroom platform)

to ensure success in attaining most of the topics.


1.2 Objective

Participants should be able to:

● Pronounce learned vocabulary and short phrases with correct tones.

● Use basic Mandarin verbally in simple daily conversation.
● Recognize basic Chinese characters.


1.3 Cultural Background History


Ancient Chinese Culture is older than 5000 years. Chinese cultural history has
enormous diversity and variety. The subtle Chinese civilization was rich within the Arts

and Sciences, elaborate Painting and Printing techniques and delicate pottery and
sculpture. Chinese architectural traditions were much respected everywhere on the

planet. Chinese language and literature, philosophy and politics are still reckoned as

a powerful influence. Chinese culture managed to retain its unique identity till the
arrival of Western culture within the mid-19th century.











1

Chinese Religion, Philosophy and Politics: Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism have

left a collective and lasting impression on Chinese culture and tradition. Confucianism
propagated love and rituals signifying respect for society and social hierarchy. Taoism

advocated the controversial philosophy of inaction. Buddhism emphasized on the
requirement to achieve self- emancipation through good deeds.



Ethnic Groups

China is an oversized united multinational state, consisting of 56 ethnic groups. "Han"

Chinese accounts for 91.59% of the Chinese population, and therefore the other 55
groups conjure the remaining 8.41%, per the Fifth National Population Census of

2000. These numerous ethnic groups share China's vast lands but at the identical
time many sleeps in their individual communities. The relationships between the

various ethnic groups are formed over a few years.

Distinct Language


While hundreds of Chinese dialects are spoken across China, a minority language is
not simply a dialect. Rather, it is a language with distinct grammatical and phonological

differences from Chinese. Language families include Sino-Tibetan, Altaic, Indo-

European, Austro-Asiatic, and Austronesian. Twenty-one ethnic minority groups have
unique writing systems.


Chinese Religion

Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism are the three major religions in China, although

it is true to say that Confucianism is a school of philosophy rather than a religion.

(a) Buddhism in China


Buddhism is the most important religion in China. It is generally believed that it
was spread to China in 67 A.D during the Han Dynasty (206 BC-220) from

Hotan in Xinjiang to Central China. During its development in China, it has had
a profound influence on traditional Chinese culture and thoughts, and has

become one of the most important religions in China at that time.









2

(b) Taoism in China


In the Chinese language the word Tao (道) means "way," indicating the way of

thought or life. There are several such ways in China's long history, including

Confucianism and Buddhism. In about the 6th century BC, under the influence
of ideas credited to a person named Lao-tzu, Taoism became "the way".

According to Confucianism, it's influenced every aspect of Chinese culture.

Taoism began as a fancy system of philosophical thought that might be
indulged in by only some individuals. In later centuries it emerged, perhaps

under the influence of Buddhism, as a communal religion. It later evolved as a

preferred folk religion.

(c) Confucianism in China

Confucius was China’s most famous Philosopher. He lived in Ancient China


during the Zhou (周) dynasty. Confucius was a government official, and through

his lifetime (he lived from 551 to 479 B.C.) he saw growing disorder and chaos

within the system. Perhaps because of the turmoil and injustices he saw, he
set himself to develop a brand new moral code that supported respect, honesty,

education, kindness and robust family bonds. His teachings later became the
idea for religious and moral life throughout China.


Chinese Food

Beijing Roast Duck and Hotpot are two popular Chinese foods.


1. Beijing Roast Duck

The origin of the Peking Duck dates back to the Ming dynasty, about 600 years

ago. Chefs from every region in China travelled to the capital Beijing to cook
for the emperor. it had been a prestigious occupation as only the simplest chefs

could enter the palace kitchens. A top cook was even able to reach the rank of

a minister. It absolutely was in these kitchens where dishes of outstanding
quality like the Peking Duck were first created and made to the letter by palace

chefs.




3

However, many of the recipes for such "foods of the emperor" were later

smuggled out of the kitchen and onto the streets of Beijing. With the eventual
fall of the Ching dynasty in 1911, court chefs who left the Forbidden City

founded restaurants around Beijing and brought Peking Duck and other
delicious dishes to the masses.


2. Hotpot

The warm temperature within the hot pot is symbolic of the heat of tender

feeling that those people sitting around it have for one another, while the form

of the apparatus may be a hint at the dearth or complete absence of
irregularities within the man-to-man relationship. Undoubtedly, this manner of

eating isn't only a figurative embodiment but a visible indication of the
willingness to eat from the identical pot and to share the identical lot. this can

be the foremost highly prized merit of group consciousness. the new pot isn't
only a cooking method; it also provides some way of eating. it's not only a

dietary mode; it's also a cultural mode.















































4

TOPIC 1: PINYIN & TONES

Does Chinese language have an alphabet? The answer is yes and no. Chinese
is a character-based language which correspond to its PinYin

1.1 Pinyin is used for writing out the pronunciation and tone of any given
character. Each character corresponds to one syllable of Pinyin.

Eg: The chinese word “你好” (hello) is formed by combining two characters

“你” nĭ (you) and “好” hăo（good）together.














1.2 Vowels and Consonants


Learning Pinyin will help lay the foundation for pronunciation. Chinese Pinyin consists
of initial consonants (b, p, m, f, d, t, n, l, g, k, h, j, q, x, z, c, s, r, zh, ch, sh) and finals
or compound vowels (a, o, e, i, u etc.).



1.2.1 Single Vowels in Mandarin :

a o e i u ü



Single Vowels with four tones





ā á ǎ à




ō ó ǒ ò





5

ē é ě è




ī í ǐ ì



ū ú ǔ ù




ǖ ǘ ǚ ǜ


Scan me for audio







1.2.2 Consonants ZH, CH, SH, R with compound vowels


a ai ao an ang o ong ou



zh zha zhai zhao zhan zhang zhong zhou





ch cha chai chao chan chang chong chou





sh sha shai shao shan shang shou




r rao ran rang rong rou





Make sure to scan me !





6

Complete Mandarin Consonant PinYin chart.









































Scan me.




































7

1.3 Tones

Chinese is a tonal language. There are four tones in Chinese and a fifth neutral

(toneless) tone. It is important to get each syllable right, as they can mean completely
different things when pronounced with the wrong tone.

















Can you guess what the words mean? Scan to know more
















































8

1.4 Test your Pin Yin

1）

Zhè shì wǒ de māmā。

这 是 我 的 妈妈。

This is my mom.

2）

Wèishéme yàmá bù hěn guì？

为什么 亚麻 布 很 贵？

Why is linen expensive?

3）

Qí mǎ shì wǒ de àihào。

骑 马 是 我 的 爱好。
Horse riding is my hobby.


4）

Tā bèi lǎoshī mà le。
他 被 老师 骂 了。

He got scolded by the teacher.

Practice makes progress

























9

1.4.1 Dialogue

Let’s read a conversation between Lily and Aiman.


Nǐ hǎo wǒ shì lìlì。


你 好，我 是 丽丽。
Hello，I am Lily.

Nǐ hǎo, wǒ shì àimàn。
你 好，我 是 艾曼。

Nǐ jīnnián jǐ suì? Hello, I am Aiman.

你 今年 几 岁？
How old are you?
wǒ jīnnián shíjiǔ suì, nǐ ne?
我今年十九岁，你呢？
I am nineteen years old, how about you?



wǒ jīnnián èrshíyī suì。

我 今年 二十一 岁。
Scan me !
I am twenty-one. Hěn gāoxìng rènshí nǐ.

很 高兴 认识 你。
Happy to know you.




Try it with your friends






















10

1.5 Exercise 1

Scan for pronunciation and practice.

1) zhè
这


2) gěi

给


3) qī

七

4) qù

去



5) 门
mén


6) zǒu
走


7) chòu

臭


8) zhōng

中

Check your pronunciation.


















11

TOPIC 2: PRONOUNS


2.1 Basic Pronouns


1) nǐ
你 (you)


Nǐ shì shéi?

你 是 谁？
Who are you?



2) wǒ
我 (I / me)


Wǒ shì mǎlì。

我 是 玛丽。
I am Mary.



3) tā
他 (he / him)


Nǐ rènshi tā ma？

你 认识 他 吗？
Do you know him?
























12

4）tā
她 ( she)


Tā shì mǎlì.
她 是 玛丽。
She is Mary.



5）Tā

它 (it) (animals or objects)





Nǐ gěi tā xǐzǎo le ma？
你 给 它 洗澡 了 吗？
Did you give it a bath yet?



6) Tāmen
它们 (they / them) (animals or objects)







Nǐ gěi tāmen xǐzǎo le ma?
你 给 它们 洗澡 了 吗？
Did you give them a bath yet?






















13

7） Nǐmen
你 们 (you plural/you guys)


Nǐmen shì wǒ de péngyǒu。

你们是我的 朋友。
You guys are my friends.





8） Wǒmen
我 们 (me plural/we/us/our)


Wǒmen shì hǎo péngyǒu。
我们 是 好 朋 友。
We are best friends.




9） Tāmen

他 们 (them)









Tāmen shì hǎo péngyǒu。
他 们 是 好 朋 友。
They are best friends.
















14

10）Yīqǐ

一 起 （together）

Tāmen yīqǐ zǒu lù qù xuéxiào。
他 们 一 起 走 路 去 学 校。

They walk to school together.


11）Wǒ zìjǐ

我 自 己 （myself）



Wǒ zìjǐ zǒu lù qù xuéxiào
我 自 己 走 路 去 学 校。
I walk to school myself.





12）Shì

是（am/ is / are）

Tā shì wǒmen de lǎoshī。

她 是 我 们 的 老 师。
She is our teacher.



13） Hé



和 (and)



Wǒ xǐhuan chī mángguǒ hé píngguǒ。

我 喜 欢 吃 芒 果 和 苹 果。
I like eating mangoes and apples.






15

14）Bù

不 (no / not)




Wǒ bù xǐhuan chī mángguǒ hé píngguǒ。
我 不 喜 欢 吃 芒 果 和 苹 果。
I do not like eating mangoes and apples.




15） Yě

也 (also / too )











Wǒ yě xǐhuān chī mángguǒ hé píngguǒ
我 也 喜 欢 吃 芒 果 和 苹 果。
I also like eating mangoes and apples.




































16

Here’s a Chinese pronoun chart that sums up all the Chinese personal pronouns in

different forms :


1st person 2nd person 3rd person 3rd person 3rd person
(men) (women) (non-human)


singular 我 你 他 她 它

wǒ nǐ tā tā tā
“I,” “we” “you” “he,” “him” “she,” “her” “it”



plural 我们 你们 他们 她们 它们
wǒmen nǐmen tāmen tā men tāmen
“we,” “us” “you” “they,” “them” “they,” “them” “they,” “them”


singular 我的 你的 他的 她的 它的
possessive
wǒ de nǐ de tā de tā de tā de
“my,” “mine” “your,” “his” “her,” “hers” “its”
“yours”



plural 我们的 你们的 他们的 她们的 它们的
possessive
wǒmen de nǐmen de tāmen de tāmen de tāmen de
“our,” “ours” “your,” “their,” “theirs” “their,” “theirs” “their,” “theirs”
“yours”



singular 我自己 你自己 他自己 她自己 它自己
reflexive
wǒ zìjǐ nǐ zìjǐ tā zìjǐ tā zìjǐ tā zìjǐ
“myself” “yourself” “himself” “herself” “itself”


plural 我们自己 你们自己 他们自己 她们自己 它们自己
reflexive
wǒmen zìjǐ nǐmen zìjǐ tāmen zìjǐ tāmen zìjǐ tāmen zìjǐ
“ourselves” “yourselves” “themselves” “themselves” “themselves”





















17

2.2 Sentence Examples


1）Tā méi yǒu chē。




她 没 有 车｡ She doesn’t have a car.


2）Wǒmen shì xuéshēng。

我 们 是 学 生｡ We are students.


3）Tāmen xǐhuan bīngqílín。

他 们 喜 欢 冰 淇 淋｡ They like ice cream.


4）Wǒ zìjǐ qù。

我 自 己 去｡ I will go myself.

5） Nǐ xǐhuan bīngqílín ma?


你 喜 欢 冰 淇 淋 吗? Do you like ice cream?







































18

2.2.1 Dialogue

Àimàn, nǐ yào qù nǎlǐ？

艾曼, 你要去哪里？
Aiman, where are you going?



Wǒ yào qù shāngchǎng。

我要去商场。
I am going to the mall.

Nǐ zìjǐ kāi chē qù ma？

你自己开车去吗?
Are you going by car yourself?


Bù, tāmen huì kāi chē lái jiē wǒ。

不，他们会开车来接我。
No, they will come get me by car.




2.3 Demonstrative pronoun
The next most commonly used type of pronoun in Chinese is the demonstrative
pronoun. This includes words such as “this,” “that,” “these,” and “those.” The usage of
Chinese demonstrative pronouns is very similar to that in English.


2.3.1 This & That



1. zhè

这

This

Zhè shì nǐmen de fángjiān。

这 是 你 们 的 房 间。
This is your room.





19

2. nà

那
that

Nà shì bù kěnéng de。

那 是 不 可 能 的。

That is impossible.

2.3.2 This & That + Measure Word + Noun

这 (zhè), meaning “this,” and 那 (nà), meaning “that,” can also be used before nouns
to demonstrate the subject that one is talking about. However, in Chinese, 这 and 那

can’t be put directly before nouns. Instead, we need the help of 量词 (liàngcí),
meaning “measure words”, or otherwise known as counters or classifiers.

The most universal measure word is 个 (gè). It’s a safe word to use for beginners.
Here are some examples:


● In Chinese: 这个女孩很漂亮。
Pinyin: Zhè gè nǚhái hěn piàoliang.
In English: “This girl is very pretty.”

●
In Chinese: 这个网站很有用。

Pinyin: Zhè gè wǎngzhàn hěn yǒuyòng.
In English: “This website is very useful.”
●
In Chinese: 我爸去过那个国家。

Pinyin: Wǒ bà qù guo nàgè guójiā.
In English: “My dad has been to that country.”
●
In Chinese: 请给我看一下那个钱包。

Pinyin: Qǐng gěi wǒ kàn yíxià nà gè qiánbāo.
In English: “Please let me take a look at that wallet.”


Once you’re more confident with your Chinese, use 这 or 那 with specific measure

words that go with specific nouns. For example:

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1) In Chinese: 这辆车超酷。

Pinyin: Zhè liàng chē chāokù.
In English: “This car is super-cool.”




The measure word in this sentence, 辆 (liàng), is used for vehicles, such as 车 (chē),
meaning “car.”


2) In Chinese: 我看过那本书。

Pinyin: Wǒ kàn guo nà běn shū.
In English: “I’ve read that book.”



The measure word here, 本 (běn) is used for books, or 书 (shū) in Chinese.



2.3.3 These & Those

When demonstrating something with a quantity of more than one, we use 这 (zhè) and

那 (nà) plus the word 些 (xiē).

1. Zhèxiē

这些
these


Zhèxiē háizi wán de hěn kāixīn。

这些孩子玩得很开心。
These kids are having a great time.

2. Nàxiē

那 些
those

Bú yòng dānxīn nàxiē shì。


不用担心那些事。
Don’t worry about those things.


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2.3.4 Here & There



The Chinese words for “here” and “there” also use 这 (zhè) and 那 (nà), plus the suffix

里 (lǐ) or 儿 (ér).

1. Zhè lǐ / Zhèr

这 里 / 这 儿
here


Wǒ lái guo zhèlǐ / zhèr。

我 来 过 这 里 / 这 儿。
I’ve been here.



2. Nàlǐ / nàr
那 里 / 那 儿

there

Nà li / Nàr yǒu yí ge yīyuàn。

那里 / 那儿有一个医院。

There is a hospital over there.


2.3 Exercise 1

Fill in the blanks with the correct answer.


1) He ate all of her cookies = Tā chī wán liǎo tā de bǐnggān。

__ 吃 完 了 __ 的 饼干。


2) My mother said we were good kids= Wǒ māmā shuō wǒmen shì hǎo háizi。

__ 妈妈 说 ___ 是 好 孩 子。


3) They visited the zoo = Tāmen cānguān dòngwùyuán。

__ __ 参 观 动 物 园。





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4) We sweep the floor together = Wǒmen yīqǐ sǎodì。
__ __ __ __ 扫 地。



5) I drove to work myself = Wǒ zìjǐ kāichē shàngbān。
__ __ __ 开 车 上 班。


6) My mother and sister are teachers = Wǒmā hé jiějie shì lǎoshī。

__ 妈 妈 __ 姐姐 __ 老 师。


7) I haven’t seen him too = Wǒ yě méiyǒu jiàn guò tā。

__ __ 没 有 见 过 __。


8) Do not step on the grass = Bùyào cǎi zài cǎodì shàng。

__ __ 踩 在 草 地 上。


9) Have you showered yet? = Nǐ xǐzǎo le ma?
__ 洗 澡 了 吗？


10）It has a tail = Tā yǒu yī tiáo wěibā。

__ 有 一 条 尾 巴。



































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2.4 Exercise 2

Match the characters with the correct meaning.


nǐ
I ; me
你



wǒ together
我



nǐmen
you
你 们 plural




hé
and
和


yī qǐ
She; her
一 起


tā
you
她




























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TOPIC 3: GREETINGS & EXPRESSIONS


3.1 Basic Greetings



1）Nǐ hǎo ma？
你 好 吗？( How are you? )

Wǒ hěn hǎo。
我 很 好。 ( I‘m good )


2) Nǐ chī le ma?

你 吃 了 吗？ ( Have you eaten? )

Wǒ chī le。 / Wǒ hái méi chī。
我 吃 了。 ( I ate ) / 我 还 没 吃。
(I have not eaten)


3) Nǐ hǎo ma？

你 好 吗？( How are you? )

Wǒ hěn hǎo。
我 很 好。 ( I‘m good )


4）Nǐ jiào shén me míng zì。

你 叫 什 么 名 字？( What is your name? )


5） Shàngwǔ hǎo。 / Zǎoshàng hǎo。

上午好。 / 早 上 好。 ( Good morning )


6） Zhōngwǔ hǎo

中 午 好 (good afternoon)









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7）Xiàwǔ hǎo。
下 午 好。 （ Good afternoon ）


8）Wǎnshàng hǎo。

晚 上 好。 （ Good evening ）


9）Hǎojiǔ bùjiàn。

好 久 不 见 。 ( Long time no see )


10） Nǐ yào qù nǎlǐ?

你 要 去 哪里？ ( Where are you going? )


11）Zàijiàn。

再 见。 ( Goodbye )




12）Xièxiè。



谢 谢。 ( Thank you )


13）Bù kèqì。

不 客 气。 (You’re welcome )


14） Duì bù qǐ。

对 不 起。 ( I am sorry )


15） Méi guānxì。

没 关 系。 (it’s okay)

16）Nǐ jīnnián jǐ suì。


你 今 年 几 岁？(How old are you ? )



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3.2 Dialogue


1) Nǐ jīnnián jǐ suì？

你 今 年 几 岁？(How old are you ? )


Wǒ jīnnián èr shí èr suì。

我 今 年 二 十 二 岁( I am 22 years old.)


2) Nǐ hǎo ma？

你 好 吗？( How are you? )

Wǒ hěn hǎo。


我 很 好。 ( I’m good )


3) Nǐ chī le ma？

你 吃 了 吗？ ( Have you eaten? )


Wǒ chī le。 Wǒ hái méi chī。

我 吃 了 ( I ate ) / 我 还 没 吃 (I have not eaten)



































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3.3 Exercise 1


Fill in the blanks with the correct meaning.



吃 chī (eat)


今年


好


对不起

再见


哪里


要


去


早


晚


下午

































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3.4 Exercises 2


Fill in the blanks with the correct meaning.



你叫什么名字？ What is your name?


你今年几岁？


对不起。


你要去哪里？

谢谢。


下午好。


晚上好。


谢谢。


好久不见。


你好吗？





































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3.5 Exercise 3


Fill in the blanks with the correct response

1)


Xièxie

谢 谢







2)


Nǐ jīnnián jǐ suì?

你 今 年 几 岁？





3）




Duìbùqǐ
对 不 起


4）






nǐ jiào shénme míngzì
你 叫 什 么 名 字？


















30

TOPIC 4: NUMBERS


4.1 One to Ten


Let's begin by counting from 0 to 10, which are the most fundamental numbers in
Chinese. Since each number has only one syllable, they are very easy to remember.

yī One
一

èr Two
二

sān Three
三

sì Four
四

wǔ Five
五

liù Six
六

qī Seven
七

bā Eight
八

jiǔ Nine
九

shí Ten

十





















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4.2 Eleven to Nineteen

Once you’ve learned the characters that represent 4 (四), 5 (五), 6 (六), 7 (七), 8 ( 八),

9 (九) and 10 (十), Chinese numbers, up to 99 (九 十九 jiǔshíjiǔ), are quite easy to learn.


For the numbers from 11 to 19, you take “shí” which means “ten” and then put the
small number after it. So you can say “ten one” for “11”, “ten two” for “12”, “ten three”
for “13” and etc.

Shíyī
十 一 (1 1)


Shíèr
十 二 (1 2)


Shísān
十 三 (1 3)


Shísì
十 四 (1 4)


Shíwǔ
十 五 (1 5)


Shíliù
十 六 (1 6)

。。。























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4.3 Twenty to One Hundred

And for 20, 30… 90, you say the small number first and then put “ten” after it. So you
can say “two ten” for “20”, “three ten” for “30”, “nine ten” for “90” and etc.

If there is a small number after “20, 30…”, just put it at the end. It’s like “Two ten one”
and that pattern continues. Two ten two, two ten three, etc. So forty five would just be
“four ten five.”


èrshí
二 十 (20)


èrshíyī
二 十 一 (21)


èrshíèr
二 十 二 (22)


èrshísān
二 十 三 (23)


èrshísì
二 十 四 (24)


èrshíwǔ
二 十 五 (25)

。。。


sānshí
三 十 (30)

sānshí yī

三 十 一 (3 1)


sānshíèr
三 十 二 (3 2)


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sānshísān

三 十 三 (3 3)

sānshísì
三 十 四 (3 4)


sānshíwǔ

三 十 五 (3 5)
。。。

Try counting all the way to ninety-nine! Once you get there you need to know just one
more character and you can say 100:

yìbǎi
一 百 ( 100 )


Scan me to get more context ！













































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4.4 Sentence example



1）Wǒ jīnnián èrshí suì。

我 今 年 二十 岁。
I am twenty years old.


2) Tā yǒu yībǎi kuài。

他 有 一 百 块。
He has a hundred yuan.


3) Tā yǒu wǔ gè xiōngdìjiěmèi。

她 有 五 个 兄 弟 姐 妹。
She has five siblings.


4) Māma mǎi le shíèr běn shū。

妈 妈 买 了 十二 本 书。
Mother bought twelve books.


5) Sìshíliù míng xuéshēng。

四 十 六 名 学 生。
forty six students.

6) Tā hái yǒu sānshíwǔ fēnzhōng。


她 还 有 三 十 五 分 钟。
She has thirty five minutes left.

7) Māma zhèngzài kǎo wǔshí kuài bǐnggān。


妈 妈 正 在 烤 五 十 块 饼 干。
Mom is baking fifty biscuits.







You don’t want to miss out. Scan me!


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4.5 Exercise 1
Fill in the blanks using the correct number sequence.



1）七，八，___，十



2）二十五，二十六，二十七，___



3) ____, 三十二，____, 三十四，三十五



4）三十，____，五十，六十， ____


5) 五十四，_____，五十六，_____




6) ____，____，十二，____，十四



7）八十七，____，八十九，_____


8）九十七，____，九十九，_____





























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4.6 Exercise 2
Write the numbers given in Mandarin character.


1）





2）









3）










4）










5)























37

TOPIC 5: DATES & TIMES

After understanding numbers in Mandarin, do you know what date is it today?

5.1 What date is it today?



年 月 日 / 号



In Chinese they start with the biggest unit and work backwards to the smallest so the
5th of February 2013 in Chinese would be 2013年 2月 5 日 or 二零一三年二月五日


Nián
年 (year)

Yuè
月 (months)



Xīngqí

星 期 （week）

Rì
日 (day)


Hào

号 (day ; number)

Rìqí

日 期 (date)

Zuótiān

昨 天 (yesterday)








38

Jīntiān

今 天 (today)

Míngtiān

明 天 (tomorrow)

Qiántiān
前 天 (2 days ago)

Hòutiān
后 天 (2 days ahead)


5.1.1 Year

For the year, you first speak out all the numbers one by one then add the word (年)
Eg.


2017 = 二零一七年
Èr líng yī qī nián（two zero one seven year）


2002 = 二零零二年
Èr líng líng èr nián（two zero zero two year）

2021 = 二零二一年

Èr líng èr yī nián（two zero two one year）































39