FOR200 Mandarin Foreign Language Vocabulary

Course Overview and Objectives

  • Course Metadata: FOR200 - FOREIGN LANGUAGE MANDARIN (Date: 08/19/26; Instructor: Guillo Arianne Lǎoshī)

  • Lesson 1 Objectives (The Rich Culture of China):

    • Learn the history of the Chinese language.

    • Identify and pronounce Mandarin basic tones, greetings, and basic numbers.

    • Demonstrate understanding of the basic foundation of Mandarin.

  • Lesson 2 Objectives (Introducing Yourself):

    • Greet others.

    • Learn basic classroom expressions in Mandarin.

    • Tell others your name and nationality.

  • Lesson 3 - Part 1 Objectives (Basic Greetings / Leave-Takings):

    • Appreciate Chinese culture.

    • Practice basic greetings through conversations.

  • Lesson 3 - Part 2 Objectives (The Myth of the Chinese Zodiac Signs):

    • Appreciate Chinese culture.

    • Tell one's Chinese zodiac sign.

    • Use "zhè shì" and "nà shì".

    • Use "zhè ge" and "nà ge".

  • Lesson 4 Objectives (Telling Your Birthday in Chinese):

    • Appreciate the culture of China.

    • Tell the date, day, and birthday correctly.

Linguistic Background and Chinese Dialectology

  • Broad vs. Narrow Definition of Chinese:

    • The long duration of Chinese history has given the term 'Chinese' a wide range of applications, encompassing standard Chinese as well as regional languages/dialects such as Cantonese and Hokkien.

    • In its narrowest sense, 'Chinese' refers specifically to Modern Standard Chinese, commonly called Mandarin by English speakers.

  • Five Major Chinese Dialect Groupings:

    • Cantonese (Yuè)

    • Shanghainese (Wú)

    • Fukienese or Hokkien (Mǐn)

    • Hakka (Kèjiā)

    • Hoisan (Táishān)

  • Dialects, Romanization, and Geographic Distribution:

    • Hokkien vs. Fukien vs. Fujian:

    • Hokkien: The name of the dialect itself; widely used across Southeast Asia (such as Singapore and Malaysia).

    • Fukien / Fookien: An older English spelling derived from Mandarin or Cantonese pronunciations of Fujian province; standard in the Philippines.

    • Fujian (pinyin): The modern Mandarin pinyin romanization for the province, standard in mainland China.

    • Key Distinction: Hokkien and Fukien are distinct romanizations of the same regional language, whereas Mandarin is an entirely different, standardized language.

    • Hokkien vs. Mandarin vs. Cantonese:

    • Mandarin: Standardized, official language based on the Beijing dialect. Features a northern basis, fewer tones (4 primary tones), and a simpler sound system than southern varieties. Primary medium of education and media.

    • Cantonese: Spoken across Southern China, Hong Kong, and many overseas communities; recognized for having 6 to 9 distinct tones.

    • Hokkien / Fukien (Min Nan): Originates from Fujian province; preserves archaic features of ancient Chinese; features 7 to 8 tones. Widely spoken in Taiwan, Southeast Asia (Philippines, Malaysia), and within the Filipino-Chinese (Fil-Chi) community.

Roots and Terminology of Standard Chinese

  • Regional Terminology for Modern Standard Chinese:

    • Putōnghuà (普通话 - 'the common language'): The official term in the People's Republic of China (PRC), carrying a legacy established in the early 20th century.

    • Guóyǔ (国语 - 'the national language'): The official term utilized in Taiwan, with usage dating back to 1918.

    • Huáyǔ (华语 - 'the language of the Huá'): The official term utilized in Singapore; 'Huá' represents an ancient name for the Chinese people.

    • Hànyǔ (汉语 - 'the language of the Han'): Term frequently used in ordinary speech to denote the language of the Han ethnic majority.

    • Zhōngwén (中文 - 'Chinese-language'): Commonly used designation for the written or spoken Chinese language in general speech.

Mandarin Phonetics and Tonal System

  • Tone Structure and Symmetry:

    • Tones are described using the terms 'high (and level)', 'rising', 'low', and 'falling'.

    • These descriptive terms highlight the inherent symmetry of the Mandarin tonal system: high balanced against low, and rising balanced against falling.

  • Numerical and Nominal Tone Designations:

    • Modern Chinese refers to tones numerically using digits 1–4 (一 yī, 二 èr, 三 sān, 四 sì) paired with the word for sound, shēng [shuhng]:

    • First Tone: yīshēng (High and level contour)

    • Second Tone: èrshēng (Rising contour)

    • Third Tone: sānshēng (Low contour)

    • Fourth Tone: sìshēng (Falling contour)

    • Toneless Syllables: Designated as qīngshēng ('light-toned' or neutral tone).

    • English Reference: Referred to as 'first', 'second', 'third', and 'fourth' tones.

    • Pinyin Orthography: Tone markers are placed over the principal vowel letter of a syllable.

Classroom Expressions and Vocabulary

  • Mandatory Classroom Expressions:

    • Nǐ hǎo! — How do you do? / Hello!

    • Dàjiā hǎo — Hello, everyone!

    • Nǐmen hǎo — Hello, everyone!

    • Lǎoshī hǎo — Hello, teacher!

    • Kāishǐ shàngkè — Let's begin the class!

    • Qǐng gēn wǒ niàn — Please repeat after me.

    • Qǐng nǐ niàn — Please read aloud.

    • Qǐng nǐ shōu — Please say it.

    • Qǐng kàn dì __ yě — Please see the page…

    • Dàjiā yìqǐ shuō — Everybody says it together.

    • Wǒ bù dǒng — I don't understand.

    • Yǒu wèntí ma? — Any questions?

    • Wǒ yǒu wèntí — I have a question.

    • Qǐng jǔ shǒu — Please raise your hands.

    • Xià kè — Class is dismissed.

    • Xièxiè! — Thanks! / Thank you!

    • Bù kèqì — You are welcome. / No problem.

    • Zhè shì shénme — What is this?

    • Qǐng zài shuō yī biàn — Please say it again.

    • Zàijiàn — Good bye! / See you!

  • Essential Personal Identification Vocabulary:

    • Nín — You (polite and respectful form for elders or superiors)

    • Hǎo — Good, fine

    • Wǒ (written Wc in source text) — I, me

    • Xìng (written Xíng in header) — To be surnamed

    • Wáng — Wang (example surname)

    • Jiào — To be called

    • Shénme — What (question pronoun)

    • Míngzì — Name

    • Shì — To be (am, is, are)

    • Rén — People, person

    • Tā — He, him / She, her

    • Zhāng — Zhang (example surname)

    • Qǐngwèn — May I ask you… / Excuse me…

    • Guìxìng — Polite form to ask for someone's surname

    • Nǎ guórén — Interrogative phrase used to ask someone's nationality

    • Měiguó rén — American person

    • Táiwān rén — Taiwanese person

    • Nín ne — How about you? / And you?

    • Wáng Míngwén — Example full name

    • Měiguó — America

    • Xiānshēng — Mr. / Gentleman

    • Xiǎojiě — Miss / Ms.

Grammar Fundamentals: Surnames, Names, and Identities

  • Verb "Xìng" (To Be Surnamed):

    • Xìng is a verb that must be followed by a surname.

    • Sentence Pattern: Subject + xìng + Surname

    • Examples:

    • Wǒ xìng Wáng. → I am (surnamed) Wang.

    • Wǒ xìng Lee. → I am (surnamed) Lee.

    • Wǒ xìng Zhāng. → I am (surnamed) Zhāng.

  • Verb "Jiào" (To Be Called / Named):

    • Jiào is a verb followed by a given name, first name, or full name.

    • Sentence Pattern: Subject + jiào + Given Name / Full Name

    • Examples:

    • Wǒ jiào Míngwén. → I am (called) Mingwen.

    • Wǒ jiào Gloria. → I am (called) Gloria.

    • Wǒ jiào Wáng Míngwén. → I am (called) Wang, Mingwen. / My full name is Wang, Mingwen.

    • Wǒ xìng Lee, jiào Gloria. → I am (surnamed) Lee and I am called Gloria. / My surname is Lee, my first name is Gloria.

  • Linking Verb "Shì" (To Be):

    • Shì links two nominal units that are equivalent. It is followed by a given name, full name, or nationality.

    • Sentence Pattern: Subject + shì + Name / Nationality

    • Examples:

    • Wǒ shì Míngwén. → I am Mingwen.

    • Wǒ shì Gloria Lee. → I am Gloria Lee.

    • Wǒ shì Táiwān rén. → I am Taiwanese.

    • Gloria Lee shì Měiguó rén. → Gloria Lee is American.

  • Interrogative Pronoun "Shénme" (What):

    • In questions containing a question pronoun, word order remains identical to declarative sentences.

    • Used to inquire about given names or full names.

    • Sentence Pattern: Subject + Verb + Shénme (+ Noun)

    • Examples:

    • Tā jiào shénme míngzì? → What is his name?

    • Qǐngwèn nín jiào shénme míngzì? → May I ask what your name is?

    • Míngwén xìng shénme? → What is Mingwen's last name?

Chinese Cultural Rules, Taboos, and Naming Traditions

  • Proper Chopstick Etiquette:

    • Focuses on respect, hygiene, and avoiding superstitions associated with death or misfortune.

    • Rule 1: Never stick chopsticks upright into a bowl of rice (resembles funeral incense offerings).

    • Rule 2: Never point at individuals using chopsticks.

    • Rule 3: Always transfer food to your personal bowl before eating, rather than eating directly from shared communal platters.

  • Gift-Giving Taboos:

    • Shoes Superstition: Giving shoes as a gift is considered bad luck. The Mandarin word for shoes (鞋 xié) is homophonous with 邪 (xié), meaning "evil".

  • Structure and Order of Names:

    • Chinese names place the family surname first, followed by a one- or two-character given name.

    • Most full names consist of two or three Chinese characters in total.

    • Traditional Chinese names do not employ Western-style middle names.

  • Language Structure:

    • Contains over 20,000 distinct characters.

    • Does not possess an alphabet.

Conversational Mandarin: Basic Greetings and Leave-Takings

  • Conversation 1 (Greeting Teachers and Formal Contacts):

    • Speaker A: Nǐ hǎo. (你好。) — Hello.

    • Speaker B: Lǎoshī hǎo. (老师好。) — Hello, teacher.

    • Speaker A: Lǐ xiānsheng hǎo. (李先生好。) — Hello, Mr. Lee.

  • Conversation 2 (Morning and Afternoon Greetings):

    • Speaker A: Zǎo ān. (早安。) — Good morning.

    • Speaker B: Zǎo. (早。) — Good morning.

    • Speaker A: Wǔ ān. (午安。) — Good afternoon.

    • Speaker B: Wǔ ān. (午安。) — Good afternoon.

  • Conversation 3 (Evening Greetings and Departures):

    • Speaker A: Wǎn shàng hǎo. (晚上好。) — Good evening.

    • Speaker B: Wǎn shàng hǎo. (晚上好。) — Good evening.

    • Speaker A: Nǐ hǎo ma? (你好吗？) — How are you?

    • Speaker B: Wǒ hěn hǎo. / Hǎo. (我很好 / 好。) — I'm very fine. / Fine.

    • Speaker A: Wǒ zǒu le. (我走了。) — I'm leaving.

    • Speaker B: Zài jiàn. (再见。) — Goodbye.

  • Conversation 4 (Inquiries, Responses, and Hospitality):

    • Speaker A: Nǐ hǎo ma? (你好吗？) — How are you?

    • Speaker B: Wǒ hěn hǎo. / Hǎo. / Hái kě yǐ. (我很好。/ 好。/ 还可以。) — I'm very fine / fine. / Not bad.

    • Speaker A: Nǐ ne? (你呢？) — How about you?

    • Speaker A: Wǒ yě hěn hǎo. Xiè xie. (我也很好。谢谢。) — I am also very fine. Thank you.

    • Speaker B: Qǐng zuò. Qǐng hē chá / kā fēi. (请坐。请喝茶/咖啡。) — Please sit. Please drink tea/coffee.

    • Speaker A: Hǎo de. Xiè xie. (好的。谢谢。) — Okay. Thank you.

Chinese Zodiac System and Demonstratives

  • The Twelve Chinese Zodiac Signs (生肖):

    • 1. 鼠 — shǔ — Rat

    • 2. 牛 — niú — Ox

    • 3. 虎 — hǔ — Tiger

    • 4. 兔 — tù — Rabbit

    • 5. 龙 — lóng — Dragon

    • 6. 蛇 — shé — Snake

    • 7. 马 — mǎ — Horse

    • 8. 羊 — yáng — Sheep

    • 9. 猴 — hóu — Monkey


    1. 鸡 — jī — Rooster / Chicken


    1. 狗 — gǒu — Dog


    1. 猪 — zhū — Pig

  • Desire and Preference Vocabulary:

    • yào — Want

    • bú yào — Don't want

    • xǐhuān — Like

    • bù xǐhuān — Don't like

  • Grammar 1: Demonstratives "Zhè shì" and "Nà shì":

    • Definitions: Zhè shì = This is; Nà shì = That is.

    • Declarative Pattern: Zhè / Nà + shì + Noun

    • Zhè + shì + píngguǒ = This is (an) apple.

    • Zhè shì shū. = This is (a) book.

    • Nà shì dàngāo. = That is (a) cake.

    • Interrogative Pattern: Zhè / Nà + shì + Noun + ma?

    • Zhè shì shū ma? = Is this a book?

    • Nà shì dàngāo ma? = Is that a cake?

  • Grammar 2: Demonstratives with Measure Words ("Zhè ge" and "Nà ge"):

    • Pattern: Zhè / Nà + measure word (ge) + Noun

    • Examples:

    • Zhè ge rén. = This person.

    • Zhè ge fáng zi. = This house.

    • Zhè ge dōng xī. = This thing.

    • Sentential Applications:

    • Wǒ yào zhè ge diàn nǎo. = I want this computer.

    • Wǒ xǐhuān nà ge yǐnliào. = I like that drink.

Temporal Expressions: Calendar, Dates, and Birthdays

  • Birthday Greeting Expression:

    • 祝你生日快乐！ (Zhù nǐ shēng rì kuài lè!) — Wishing you a happy birthday!

  • Temporal and Calendar Vocabulary:

    • qí — Period, time

    • Tiān — Day

    • Jīntiān — Today

    • míngtiān — Tomorrow

    • zuótiān — Yesterday

    • Qiántiān — The day before yesterday

    • hòutiān — The day after tomorrow

    • xīngqí — Weekday (formal)

    • Lǐ bài — Weekday (semi-formal)

    • Xià gè xīngqí — Next week

    • Shàng gè xīngqí — Last week

    • Yītiān — One day

    • Liǎng tiān — Two days

    • Liù tiān — Six days

    • yīgè xīngqí — One week

    • liǎng gè xīngqí — Two weeks

  • Nomenclature and Pattern for Days of the Week:

    • Days of the week in Chinese do not derive from Latin names as in English; they follow a logical numerical system.

    • Pattern: Prefix meaning "weekday" (xīngqí) + Chinese cardinal number.

    • Start of Week: Chinese calendar weeks begin on Monday (assigned number 1).

    • Sunday Anomaly: Sunday uses characters for "sun" (rì) or "sky/god" (tiān) due to historical Christian missionary influence.

    • Weekly Sequence:

    • Monday → 1 → xīngqí yī

    • Tuesday → 2 → xīngqí'èr

    • Wednesday → 3 → xīngqísān

    • Thursday → 4 → xīngqísì

    • Friday → 5 → xīngqíwǔ

    • Saturday → 6 → xīngqíliù

    • Sunday → 7 → xīngqítiān / xīngqírì

  • Nomenclature and Pattern for Months:

    • Based on the word yuè (月, meaning "month") paired with a simple numerical sequence.

    • Pattern: Cardinal number (1–12) + yuè.

    • Monthly Sequence:

    • Yī yuè → January

    • èr yuè → February

    • sān yuè → March

    • sì yuè → April

    • wǔ yuè → May

    • liù yuè → June

    • qī yuè → July

    • bā yuè → August

    • jiǔ yuè → September

    • shí yuè → October

    • shíyī yuè → November

    • shí'èr yuè → December

  • Days of the Month:

    • Pattern: Cardinal day number + hào (号, meaning "date").

    • Chinese utilizes cardinal numbers (1, 2, 3) rather than ordinal numbers (first, second, third) for dates.

  • Expressing Years in Mandarin:

    • Rule: Express the year by pronouncing each digit individually, followed by the word nián (年, year).

    • Examples:

    • 2021 → Èr líng èryī nián

    • 2005 → Èr líng líng wǔ nián

    • 1997 → Yījiǔjiǔqī nián

    • December 25, 2021 → Written as 2025年12月25日

    • June 24, 2024 → Written as 2024年6月24日

  • Inquiring and Answering About Dates and Birthdays:

    • Date Inquiries:

    • Jīntiān (shì) jǐ hào? → What's the date today?

    • Jīntiān shì 7 hào. → Today is the 7th.

    • Jīntiān shì 3 yuè 15 hào → Today is March 15.

    • Jīntiān shì 9 yuè 20 hào → Today is September 20.

    • Personal Birthday Inquiries:

    • Nǐ de shēngrì shì jǐ yuè jǐ hào? → When is your birthday?

    • Wǒ de shēngrì shì bā yuè èrshíbā. → My birthday is August 28.

    • Third-Person Birthday Inquiries:

    • Nǐ māma de shēngrì shì jǐ yuè jǐ hào? → When is your mother's birthday?

    • Wǒ māma de shēngrì shì shíyī yuè shíyī. → My mother's birthday is November 11.

Practice Dialogues and Conversational Drills

  • Dialogue Drill 1 (Tone Application and Surname Identification):

    • S2: Nǐ hǎo a?

    • S1: Wǒ hǎo, nǐ ne?

    • S2: Hǎo, xièxie.

    • S2: Xiǎojiě, nín guìxìng? Nǐ búxìng Wáng ma?

    • S1: Wǒ búxìng Wáng.

    • S3: Nǐ xìng Fāng ma?

    • S1: Wǒ búxìng Fāng.

    • S4: Nǐ xìng Táng ma?

    • S1: Wǒ xìng Táng.

    • S5: Xiǎojiě, nǐ jiào shénme míngzi? Nǐ jiào Měilíng ma?

    • S1: Wǒ bújiào Měilíng.

    • S6: Nǐ jiào Měili ma?

    • S1: Wǒ jiào Měili. Wǒ shì Táng Měili.

  • Dialogue Drill 2 (Birthday and Age Exchange Template):

    • Person A: Qǐngwèn, nǐ de shēngrì shì jǐ yuè jǐ hào?

    • Person B: Wǒ de shēngrì shì ____ yuè ____ hào. Nǐ ne?

    • Person A: ____ yuè ____ hào.

    • Person B: Nǐ duōdà?

    • Person A: Wǒ ____ suì. Nǐ ne?

    • Person B: Wǒ ____ suì.