| Most
Frequently Used Expressions |
| The expressions in this section are
ones you'll use again and again-they are the
fundamental building blocks of conversation.They
will help you to express your wants or needs,and
they include some simple question forms.We suggest
that you become very familiar with these
phrases. |
| Hello. |
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| yes |
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| not so |
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| right |
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| wrong |
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| maybe |
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| please |
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| thank you. |
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| You're welcome. |
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| good |
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| wonderful |
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| beautiful |
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| May I trouble you? |
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| Excuse me. |
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- ( to apologize for something)
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| I'm very sorry. |
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| Just a second. |
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| Is it convenient? |
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| O.K. |
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| That's all right. |
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| It doesn't matter. |
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| Forget it. Never mind. |
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| No problem. |
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| No hurry. |
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| Good morning. |
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| Good night. |
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| Goodbye. (see you later) |
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| See you tomorrow. |
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| Forms of
Address |
| The following are traditional forms of
address.They were used extensively in
prerevolutionary China but fell into disuse,
especially during the Cultural Revolution of the
1960s and 1970s, when they were condemned as
bourgeois.To the extent that they have been uesd
at all in recent years, they have been reserved
for very famous and high-ranking people.The titles
are now making a comeback, however.They are often
used to describe foreign guest and in turn may be
used to good effect by foreigners-the Chinese
rather like hearing these titles,in fact.. It's
best not to use TONGZHI "comrade", when speaking
with the Chinese, however,even though they tend to
use it frequently among themselves; as a guest in
their country you are not, strictly speaking, a
corade. |
| Sir |
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| Madame |
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| Miss |
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| Ms. |
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| Comrade |
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| Communications |
| Do you speak English? |
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| I sprak a little Chinese. |
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| Do you understand? |
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| I understand. |
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| I don't understand. |
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| Let me think. |
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| What ? |
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| What did you say ? |
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| How do you say _____ in Chinese? |
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| What does this ( that ) mean? |
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| Please speak more slowly. |
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| Please repeat. |
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| That is not important. |
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| Introductions |
|
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| Getting
Around |
| Where is ____ ? |
__________ |
|
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| Please help me. |
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| I'm lost. |
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| We're lost. |
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| Where are my friends? |
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| Where is the tourist bus? |
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| I am looking for______ . |
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| Which way did they go? |
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| Shopping |
| How much does it cost? |
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| I'd like___. |
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| Please give me____. |
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| Please show me_____. |
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| just right |
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| approximately;more or less |
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| Miscellaneous |
| I'm hungry. |
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| I'm thirsty. |
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| I 'm tired. |
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| I don't feel well. |
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| I'm sick. |
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| What's that? |
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| What's up?How's everything? |
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| Do you know ? |
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| I don't know. |
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| Questions |
| Where is _____ ? |
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| When? |
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| How much? |
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| Who? |
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| Why? |
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| How? |
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| What? |
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| Which? |
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| Problems (
Emergenices) |
| Help! ( for life-threatening
emergencies only ) |
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| I need help quickly ! |
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| Be careful ! Watch out ! |
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| Look ! |
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| Listen ! |
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| Wait ! |
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| Fire ! |
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| Stop him ! |
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| I have lost ____ |
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| He has stolen____ |
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| Complications |
| I haven't done anything
wrong. |
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| I want to go to__________ |
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|
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| Can you help me, please? |
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| Who speaks English ? |
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| I need an interpreter. |
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|
| Numbers |
You will use numbers the moment you arrive in
China,whether it be toexchange money ay
airport,pay a taxi diver,or describe the length of
your stay to a customs offcial or hotel clerk.Here
we list the cardinal numbers, give the rule for
converting a cardinal to an ordinal number,and
also specify fractions and other useful
measures.
| 0 |
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| 1 |
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| 2 |
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- ( when used in collaboration with measure
words)
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| 3 |
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| 4 |
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| 5 |
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| 6 |
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| 7 |
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| 8 |
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| 9 |
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| 10 |
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| 11 |
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| 12 |
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| 13 |
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| 14 |
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| 15 |
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| 16 |
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| 17 |
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| 18 |
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| 19 |
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| 20 |
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| 21 |
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| 22 |
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| 30 |
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| 31 |
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| 40 |
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| 50 |
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| 60 |
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| 70 |
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| 80 |
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| 90 |
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| 100 |
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| 101 |
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| 102 |
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| 103 |
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| 110 |
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| 120 |
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| 130 |
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| 200 |
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| 201 |
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| 300 |
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| 400 |
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| 500 |
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| 600 |
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| 1,000 |
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| 1,001 |
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| 1,100 |
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| 1,200 |
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| 1,350 |
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| 2,000 |
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| 5,000 |
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| 10,000 |
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| 100,000 |
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| 1,000,000 |
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| 10,000,000 |
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| 100,000,000 |
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| 1,000,000,000 |
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| Ordinal
Numbers |
Making cardinal number into ordinal number is a
simple task in Chinese.You simply add the prefix  to the number.Note the
following examples:
| first |
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| second |
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| third |
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| fourth |
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| tenth |
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| fiftieth |
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| one hundredth |
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| one thousandth |
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| Fractions and
Quantities |
| a half |
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| half a |
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| a quarter |
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| three-quarters |
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| a third |
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| two-thirds |
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| a cup of |
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| a dozen of |
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| a kilogram of |
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| a catty of ( Chinese measurement ) |
|
| a liter of |
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| a little bit of |
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| a lot of |
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| a pair of |
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| enough of |
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| too much of |
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| ratio |
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| _______percent |
_____ |
|
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| _______times as much |
____ |
|
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|
_____
