"Mandarin" • Chinese-English Dictionary

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普通话 pǔ tōng huà Mandarin (common language) / Putonghua (common speech of the Chinese language) / ordinary speech
官话 guān huà "officialese" / bureaucratic language / Mandarin
一声 yī shēng first tone in Mandarin (high, level tone)
鸳鸯 yuān yang mandarin ducks / affectionate couple
鸳鸯 yuān yāng (bird species of China) mandarin duck (Aix galericulata) / (fig.) affectionate couple / happily married couple
虾米 xiā mǐ small shrimp / dried, shelled shrimps / (Tw) (coll.) what (from Taiwanese 啥物, Tai-lo pr. [siánn-mih], equivalent to Mandarin 什麼|什么[shen2 me5])
贪官 tān guān corrupt official / grasping functionary / greedy mandarin
猩猩 xīng xing orangutan / (slang) dialect speaker whose speech is corrupted by Standard Mandarin
四声 sì shēng the four tones of Middle Chinese: level tone 平聲|平声, rising tone 上聲|上声, departing tone 去聲|去声 / and entering tone 入聲|入声 / the four tones of Modern Standard Mandarin
马褂 mǎ guà buttoned mandarin jacket of the Qing dynasty 清代[Qing1 dai4] (1644-1911)
鳜鱼 guì yú mandarin fish / Chinese perch (Siniperca chuatsi)
平声 píng shēng level or even tone / first and second tones in modern Mandarin
桂鱼 guì yú mandarin fish
去声 qù shēng falling tone / fourth tone in modern Mandarin
蜜柑 mì gān mandarin orange / tangerine
上声 shǎng shēng falling and rising tone / third tone in modern Mandarin
野鸳鸯 yě yuān yāng wild mandarin duck / (derog.) illicit lovers / unorthodox couple
橘 jú mandarin orange (Citrus reticulata) / tangerine
鸳 yuān mandarin duck
鸯 yāng mandarin duck
睇 dì to look down upon (classical) / to see / to look at (Cantonese) / Mandarin equivalent: 看[kan4]
鳜 guì mandarin fish / Chinese perch (Siniperca chuatsi)
瞓 xùn to sleep (Cantonese) / Mandarin equivalent: 睡[shui4]
瞓 fèn to sleep (Cantonese) / Mandarin equivalent: 睡[shui4]
鸂鶒 xī chì a kind of water bird resembling a mandarin duck
注音符号 Zhù yīn Fú hào Mandarin phonetic symbols (MPS), phonetic alphabet for Chinese used esp. in Taiwan, also known colloquially as Bopomofo (after the first four letters of the alphabet:ㄅㄆㄇㄈ)
咁 gān so (Cantonese) / Mandarin equivalent: 這樣|这样[zhe4 yang4]
陆克文 Lù Kè wén Kevin Rudd (1957-), Australian politician, proficient in Mandarin, prime minister 2007-2010 and 2013
冇 mǎo to not have (Cantonese) / Mandarin equivalent: 沒有|没有[mei2 you3]
乜嘢 miē yě what? (Cantonese) / Mandarin equivalent: 什麼|什么[shen2 me5]
唔好睇 wú hǎo dì unattractive (Cantonese) / Mandarin equivalent: 不好看[bu4 hao3 kan4]
喥 dù used in location words (Cantonese) / Mandarin equivalent: 裡|里[li3]
喺 xǐ to be at, in or on (Cantonese) / Mandarin equivalent: 在[zai4]
嗰 gě that (Cantonese) / Mandarin equivalent: 那[na4]
嘅 kài possessive particle (Cantonese) / Mandarin equivalent: 的[de5]
国语注音符号第一式 Guó yǔ zhù yīn fú hào dì yī shì Mandarin Phonetic Symbols 1 (official name of the phonetic system of writing Chinese used in Taiwan) / Bopomofo / abbr. to 注音一式[zhu4 yin1 yi1 shi4]
奸官 jiān guān a treacherous official / a mandarin who conspires against the state
屋企 wū qǐ home / family (Cantonese) / Mandarin equivalent: 家[jia1]
揾食 wèn shí to earn one's living (Cantonese) / Mandarin equivalent: 謀生|谋生[mou2 sheng1]
攰 guì totally exhausted (Cantonese) / Mandarin equivalent: 累[lei4]
母汤 mǔ tāng (Tw) (slang) don't / must not / won't do / (from Taiwanese 毋通, Tai-lo pr. [m̄-thang], similar to Mandarin 不要[bu4 yao4] or 不行[bu4 xing2])
注音一式 zhù yīn yī shì Mandarin Phonetic Symbols 1 / Bopomofo / abbr. for 國語注音符號第一式|国语注音符号第一式[Guo2 yu3 zhu4 yin1 fu2 hao4 di4 yi1 shi4]
眼瞓 yǎn xùn sleepy (Cantonese) / Mandarin equivalent: 睏|困[kun4]
瞓觉 xùn jiào to sleep (Cantonese) / Mandarin equivalent: 睡覺|睡觉[shui4 jiao4]
第一声 dì yī shēng first tone in Mandarin / high, level tone
第三声 dì sān shēng third tone in Mandarin / falling-rising tone
第二声 dì èr shēng second tone in Mandarin / rising tone
第四声 dì sì shēng fourth tone in Mandarin / falling tone
翘舌音 qiào shé yīn retroflex sound (e.g. in Mandarin zh, ch, sh, r)
舌尖后音 shé jiān hòu yīn retroflex sound (e.g. in Mandarin zh, ch, sh, r)
西红柿炒鸡蛋 xī hóng shì chǎo jī dàn scrambled chicken egg with fresh tomato (well known Mandarin dish)
边度 biān dù where? (Cantonese) / Mandarin equivalent: 那裡|那里[na3 li3]
鸳鸯蝴蝶 yuān yang hú dié Mandarin ducks and butterfly (i.e. love birds) / derogatory reference to populist and romantic writing around 1900
鸳鸯蝴蝶派 yuān yang hú dié pài Mandarin ducks and butterfly (i.e. love birds) literary school around 1900, criticized as populist and romantic by socialist realists
训读 xùn dú a reading of a written Chinese word derived from a synonym (typically, a vernacular synonym) (e.g. in Mandarin, 投子[tou2 zi5] may be pronounced as its synonym 色子[shai3 zi5], and in Wu dialects, 二 / is pronounced as its synonym 兩|两 / "liahn") / to pronounce a word using such a reading / (Japanese linguistics) kun-reading, a pronunciation of a kanji derived from a native Japanese word that matches its meaning rather than from the pronunciation of the character in a Sinitic language at the time it was imported from China (Note: A kun-reading of a character is distinguished from its on-reading(s) 音讀|音读[yin1 du2]. For example, 山 / has a kun-reading "yama" and an on-reading "san".)
江淮官话 jiāng huái guān huà Jianghuai Mandarin
揾 wěn to look for (Cantonese) / Mandarin equivalent: 找[zhao3]
嘅 gě possessive particle (Cantonese) / Mandarin equivalent: 的[de5]
鸳鸯戏水 yuān yāng xì shuǐ lit. mandarin ducks playing in the water / fig. to make love
㶉鶒 xī chì a kind of waterbird resembling a mandarin duck
川普 Chuān pǔ Sichuanese pidgin (the mix of Standard Mandarin and Sichuanese dialect) / (Tw) surname Trump
眼瞓 yǎn fèn sleepy (Cantonese) / Mandarin equivalent: 睏|困[kun4]
瞓觉 fèn jiào to sleep (Cantonese) / Mandarin equivalent: 睡覺|睡觉[shui4 jiao4]
𠮶 gè that (Cantonese) / Mandarin equivalent: 那[na4]
广普 Guǎng pǔ Guangdong pidgin (a mix of Standard Mandarin and Cantonese)
港普 Gǎng pǔ Hong Kong pidgin (a mix of Standard Mandarin and Cantonese)
代志 dài zhì (Tw) (coll.) matter / thing / (Taiwanese, Tai-lo pr. [tāi-tsì], equivalent to Mandarin 事情[shi4 qing5])
尬舞 gà wǔ (slang) to battle each other in street dancing (derived from Taiwanese 較, which sounds similar to Mandarin 尬[ga4]) / (slang) to perform weird dance moves
三小 sān xiǎo (Tw) (vulgar) what the hell? (from Taiwanese 啥潲, Tai-lo pr. [siánn-siâ], equivalent to Mandarin 什麼|什么[shen2 me5])
塑料普通话 sù liào pǔ tōng huà (coll.) Mandarin Chinese spoken with a thick regional accent
猩化 xīng huà (slang) (of a dialect) to be corrupted by Standard Mandarin
Chinese Tones