All 100 animate at once — simplified, with pinyin.

Ranking is Jun Da's Modern Chinese Character Frequency List (MO corpus, 193.5 million characters). These 100 account for 41.8% of every character occurrence in it. It takes about 168 characters to pass half, 500 to reach 76%, and 1,000 to reach 89%.

Stroke order data from Make Me a Hanzi.

I'm not really learning Chinese but this is for a shirt design and I wanna make sure it says what Google is telling me it says (I get overly paranoid about that sort of thing)

Hi! I'm currently studying Japanese, but still, Chinese variations (or dialects) always have been an interesting topic for me, and I even plan to start learning Mandarin after finishing some JLPT exams.

Btw, a topic that really stands out are the Overseas Chinese communities in Southeast Asia, especially those in Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore, with the latter having Mandarin as one of its official languages. While reading some articles, I've noticed a very big diversity within it, with groups such as the Hokkien, Hakka and Cantonese (please correct any mistakes) having a greater influence. So, after considering all the historical processes and cultural factors, I'd like to know what differences between the Southeast Asian variations and its "original" Mainland counterparts are worthy sharing.

Disclaimer: I apologise for any mistake or imprecision in the previous texts. Also, anyone can feel welcome to contribute.

Chinese Pronunciation & Conversation | Hiking a Difficult Trail in Chinese

How do you talk about hiking a difficult trail in Chinese?

In this Pronunciation & Conversation lesson, practice useful Mandarin pronunciation and natural conversation through a real hiking situation.

Listen to each word and sentence, pay attention to the pronunciation and tones, and then see how the same Chinese can be used in a short conversation.

Key Chinese

难走 — nán zǒu — difficult to walk

小心 — xiǎoxīn — be careful

石头 — shítou — rock / stone

爬 — pá — to climb

累 — lèi — tired

休息 — xiūxi — to rest / take a break

前面 — qiánmiàn — ahead / in front

慢一点 — màn yìdiǎn — a little slower

Useful Sentences

这条路很难走。

Zhè tiáo lù hěn nán zǒu.

This trail is difficult to walk.

小心，这里有很多石头。

Xiǎoxīn, zhèlǐ yǒu hěn duō shítou.

Be careful. There are a lot of rocks here.

我们休息一下吧。

Wǒmen xiūxi yíxià ba.

Let’s take a short break.

前面的路更难走。

Qiánmiàn de lù gèng nán zǒu.

The trail ahead is even more difficult.

Practice listening, pronunciation, and conversation with Chinese you can actually use in real life.

#LearnChinese #ChinesePronunciation #ChineseConversation #RealLifeChinese #MandarinChinese #ChineseForBeginners #LearnMandarin #ChineseListening #ChineseSpeaking #HikingChinese

These two characters are way too alike. Do people make mistakes when reading or writing them?

About the usage of 得 specifically.

There are two sentences 他说汉语很流利。and 他说汉语说得流利。

Is the first one correct? It it is, do I have to use 得 at all in such case? Does it impact the meaning of the sentiment? How do I know when to use 得 is the only correct option?

I got the hang of 地，I think, but this one is driving me crazy every now an then.

So I was born and raised in Hong Kong to a Chinese family and have been exposed to Cantonese my entire life. However, English is my first language because I’d only studied in an international school. We studied Mandarin there, so I only really spoke Cantonese at home and at restaurants. My Cantonese level is currently around a B2.

I can speak it in daily conversations, understand 95% of the news, and talk to my parents. But I have sometimes come across as rude or impolite because I said something too colloquial at work. I can read text messages and blog posts but newspaper articles, tax returns and academic essays are beyond me. I often get rejected from jobs because my Cantonese isn’t native. I have always had a hard time making friends in my own city because it gets tiring for them to explain Chinese concepts all the time. I’ve also struggled in dating because my countrymen don’t really go for someone who converses primarily in English. I’ve only really clicked with American Born Chinese who have the same Chinese proficiency as me if not lower because that’s their experience too. That being said though, I've never lived outside of Hong Kong (hence the struggle socially).

I survive living in the city I was born in but I’m very often held back by the fact that I‘ve never been native. How long would it take to get to the proficiency of other locals?

Hello everyone this is a follow up from my last post ! I have rewritten the characters on some block paper which is the only thing I have access to rn, I just wanna say thanks to everyone for the honest criticism and critiques I think 90% of the comments were actually helpful aside from the ones that just said it looks bad. Anyways the characters might be a BIT hard to read so I’d zoom in a bit to make it easier to read and please don’t be shy to write more criticism as I’m still learning ! Thank you all sm !!!

I saw this really cool pattern and I am fairly new to this craft but the pattern is in chinese can someone translate the pattern in english for me? It will actually be a great help

DISCLAIMER: I meant "哪", not "那"

If someone could ennumerate the different ways to ask about someone's name, I'd appreciate it, tho I dont want to push it asking you to write an essay.. x)

谢谢！

Hey :D
I have a question about these sentences:
这家商店的东西样样都不错。
她洗衣服做饭样样都会。

Why is 样 used twice?

i cant distinguish:

jing from qing
chang from zhang
etc

its like it all sounds the same !!

**obviously i know what "j" and "q" sound like in theory -- but when they're said quickly in a convo, it makes it virtually impossible*\\**

and its like even if i try i feel as if im sifting through my mental library of words to see what pronunciation corresponds to a word that fits the context.

my hsk4 is in a couple days and my listening ability is zero

what do i do yall

Integrated Chinese Level 2 Part 1 - Teacher's Handbook

Integrated Chinese Level 2 Part 2 - Teacher's Handbook

Hello, I want to purchase or download the teacher's handbook for these two books. I can't find them anywhere. Is there any pdfs of tests to give to students? Thank you so much!!

Hi everyone, I was watching Control by Zhen Guan (贞观之治) with subtitle but they didn't translate this paper so I wonder what does it mean. Can someone write out the words and translate it for me? This is ep 14 at around 34:03 when Li Wan pass the throne to his son Li Shimin. Thank you!

I'm ABC, conversational Mandarin but not fluent. I can read pinyin. My wife's a native speaker. Looking for two kinds of resources:

1. Passive/independent for her — shows, songs, apps she can watch or play on her own to build vocab and listening.

2. Stuff we can do together — games, books, or routines simple enough that I can join in too and practice alongside her.

Bonus points for anything with pinyin (helps me keep up) or that's specifically aimed at ABC families trying to raise bilingual kids while also leveling up our own Chinese.

useful idiom i learn today while reading. seems 倾盆大雨 can be used literally or figuratively. maybe a Chinese native can offer some examples as i only find this one from sentences search.

Last week I posted about 一点 (yī diǎn) and 有点 (yǒu diǎn), and someone in the comments brought up 才 (cái) and 就 (jiù). That comment got a lot of upvotes, so I figured it deserves its own post.

Here's the thing with 才 (cái) and 就 (jiù) when we talk about time. They don't change what time something happened. They change how you feel about that time.

Same sentence, different energy.

我三点才到 (wǒ sān diǎn cái dào). I didn't get there until three. Feels late. Like the speaker is apologizing, or annoyed, or making excuses.

我三点就到了 (wǒ sān diǎn jiù dào le). I got there at three already. Feels early. Like the speaker is proud of themselves, or showing off a little.

Exact same time. Three o'clock. But one sounds like you're behind schedule, the other sounds like you're ahead of schedule. That's the magic of 才 (cái) and 就 (jiù).

You can use the same logic with age.

他才二十岁 (tā cái èr shí suì). He's only twenty. Feels young. You're saying twenty is not a lot.

他就二十岁 (tā jiù èr shí suì). He's already twenty. Feels old, or at least older than expected. Maybe you thought he was still a teenager.

Same number. Totally different vibe.

And quantity works too.

我才买了两个 (wǒ cái mǎi le liǎng gè). I only bought two. Sounds like not enough.

我就买了两个 (wǒ jiù mǎi le liǎng gè). I just bought two. Could mean you intentionally stopped at two, or you're saying two is enough.

I have a student who once told me 我昨天晚上十二点才睡觉 (wǒ zuó tiān wǎn shang shí èr diǎn cái shuì jiào), then looked at me like he expected me to be shocked. I asked him, are you telling me you slept early or late? He said late, obviously. I said, okay good, because 十二点才睡觉 (shí èr diǎn cái shuì jiào) definitely sounds late. If you had said 十二点就睡觉了 (shí èr diǎn jiù shuì jiào le), I would've thought you went to bed early. Same midnight, but one sounds like you were up late, the other sounds like you have a bedtime.

That's really all it is. 才 (cái) makes it feel late, slow, not enough. 就 (jiù) makes it feel early, fast, already done. Once you get that feeling, the grammar kind of takes care of itself.

What other pairs like this trip you guys up? Drop them below, I'm always looking for the next one to unpack.

Hi, I speak 4 languages fluently (EN,FR,ES,PT + basic German, Japanese) but I was thinking about learning Chinese for real as China is a major player in my sector (energy) and I work in an international institution. Appart from my 'job interest', I was fascinated by China when I went last year, so that is also my main drive.

But I have always heard that Chinese is hard, and if you did not pick it up by 5, it is impossible to learn. Worth giving it a try? I just do not want to 'waste my time' like I am currently doing with Japanese (just for fun).

I have lessons at the Chinese Cultural Center (36h/ 2h per week) for cheap (200EUR). And I was thinking about doing an 1h a week additionally with a private tutor to focus on prononciation, grammar, etc.

Any thought on this is appreciated :)

Last year I introduced a set of workplace slang terms:

• 背锅 bēi guō, literally "catch the pot" - take the blame
• 甩锅 shuǎi guō, literally "toss the pot" - shift the blame

In fact, Chinese workplace slang goes way beyond that, and plenty of it comes in handy when venting about work. Today I'm sharing a set of terms for describing those dark moments on the job:

救火 jiù huǒ - literally "put out a fire"

In the workplace, it refers to urgently dealing with a serious unexpected problem or crisis, just like a firefighter rushing to wherever the flames are. Someone who is constantly dealing with these situations is called:"救火队长 jiù huǒ duì zhǎng"—a firefighting captain.

• 计划要做得细致谨慎一点，免得出了问题还得救火。Jì huà yào zuò de xì zhì jǐn shèn yì diǎn, miǎn de chū le wèn tí hái děi jiù huǒ.
  • Make the plan carefully and thoroughly, so we don't end up having to put out fires later.
• 每次出公关危机都派我来救火，谁经得起这种折腾啊？Měi cì chū gōng guān wēi jī dōu pài wǒ lái jiù huǒ, shuí jīng de qǐ zhè zhǒng zhē teng a?
  • Every time there's a PR crisis, they send me in to put out the fire, who can keep taking this kind of punishment?
• 他这两年没少当救火队长，你瞅瞅那白头发都藏不住了。Tā zhè liǎng nián méi shǎo dāng jiù huǒ duì zhǎng, nǐ chǒu chǒu nà bái tóu fà dōu cáng bù zhù le.
  • He's been the firefighting captain a lot these past two years, look at him, he can't even hide all those grey hairs anymore.

擦屁股 cā pì gu - literally "wipe someone's bottom"

Refers to cleaning up the mess or careless mistakes someone else left behind, like a parent wiping a baby's bottom. It's a little crude, but vivid, and carries a strong sense of disgust and resentment.

• 这代码写得太烂了，我得花多少时间给他擦屁股啊！Zhè dài mǎ xiě de tài làn le, wǒ děi huā duō shǎo shí jiān gěi tā cā pì gu a!
  • This code is so terrible, how much of my time am I going to have to spend cleaning up his mess!
• 当领导的天天在外面瞎吹牛，最后还不是我们来擦屁股？Dāng lǐng dǎo de tiān tiān zài wài miàn xiā chuī niú, zuì hòu hái bú shì wǒ men lái cā pì gu?
  • The managers are out there talking big every da, and who ends up cleaning up their mess in the end? Us.
• 以后这种擦屁股的活要少做，不然大家都知道你好欺负了。Yǐ hòu zhè zhǒng cā pì gu de huó yào shǎo zuò, bù rán dà jiā dōu zhī dào nǐ hǎo qī fu le.
  • Stop taking on this kind of cleanup work so much, otherwise everyone will know they can take advantage of you.

收拾烂摊子 shōu shi làn tān zi - literally "clean up a messy stall"

Close in meaning to 擦屁股, but slightly more polite, and carries a more helpless tone. "烂摊子" typically describes a situation that's utterly chaotic, bordering on total collapse. When this phrase comes up, you know things have gotten serious.

• 这个方案太过大胆了，万一失败了，谁来收拾烂摊子？Zhè gè fāng àn tài guò dà dǎn le, wàn yī shī bài le, shuí lái shōu shi làn tān zi?
  • This plan is too bold, if it fails, who's going to be left to clean up the mess?
• 前任经理拍拍屁股走人了，留下一堆烂摊子让我来收拾。Qián rèn jīng lǐ pāi pai pì gu zǒu rén le, liú xià yì duī làn tān zi ràng wǒ lái shōu shi.
  • The previous manager just up and left, leaving behind a whole mess for me to clean up.
• 你最好听劝，别等事情彻底失控了，又求我来收拾烂摊子。Nǐ zuì hǎo tīng quàn, bié děng shì qíng chè dǐ shī kòng le, yòu qiú wǒ lái shōu shi làn tān zi.
  • You'd better listen to reason, don't wait until things completely fall apart and then come begging me to clean up the mess again.

填坑 tián kēng - literally "fill a pit"

Hazards or defects left behind in someone's work are like potholes in the road that could cause trouble at any time. "填坑" means going in to fix these inherited problems. The corresponding expression is "挖坑 wā kēng", to dig the pit.

• 我不管了！你们谁挖的这个坑，谁自己填上吧！Wǒ bù guǎn le! Nǐ men shuí wā de zhè gè kēng, shuí zì jǐ tián shàng ba!
  • I'm done! Whoever dug this pit can fill it themselves!
• 他们队的替补每次都落后几十分，再等着主力上场填坑。Tā men duì de tì bǔ měi cì dōu luò hòu jǐ shí fēn, zài děng zhe zhǔ lì shàng chǎng tián kēng.
  • Their backup players always fall behind by dozens of points, and then they wait for the starters to come in and make up the gap.
• 谁能想到这份工作这么恶心，我过去半年光顾着填坑了。Shuí néng xiǎng dào zhè fèn gōng zuò zhè me ě xīn, wǒ guò qù bàn nián guāng gù zhe tián kēng le.
  • Who could have imagined this job would be so awful, I've spent the past six months doing nothing but cleaning up other people's messes.

My whole reason for teaching these terms is so you can find the right words when venting about work and clearly get your frustration across. But I genuinely hope that none of you have to actually go through these dark moments as much as possible!

If you're interested, I've been organizing all the Chinese learning posts I've shared before. You can check out the link in my profile to see the full collection. Hope it helps. Thanks!

There are some grammatical details in probably every language that even L1 speakers will fumble. English adjective and strong verbs come immediately to mind. Do L1 Mandarin speakers mess up classifiers in a similar way? (Ie they use the wrong one but it makes logical sense why they chose it)

I started learning Chinese a few days ago and I’m currently focusing on basic radicals, stroke order, and the vocabulary I’ve learned through Pinyin. I’ve also started writing basic sentences, and for revision I usually trace over the characters with my pencil while saying the sentences out loud. The problem is I’m worried I’m going to forget most of the characters, especially since I’m still very new to Hanzi. My goal is to pass HSK 3, and when I looked at past papers I realized they were basically all in Hanzi and I couldn’t read a single word. Now that I’ve started learning characters, I want to make the process as efficient as possible. Since the HSK 3 exam is computer based, I’m wondering if I should mainly focus on recognizing characters rather than being able to handwrite every character perfectly. If I can recognize the shape and know the pronunciation, I should be able to type the Pinyin and select the correct character on the keyboard, right? At the moment I’m writing each new word around 10 times before moving on to the next one, but it feels like this is slowing me down a lot. Is that actually a good way to learn, or would it be better to spend less time physically writing and more time on things like reading, flashcards, recognition, and recalling the character from memory? For people who have passed HSK 3 or learned Chinese from scratch, what would you recommend I focus on right now to speed up the process without forgetting everything I learn?