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<HTML> <HEAD><TITLE>English words from Chinese</TITLE></HEAD> <BODY BGCOLOR="#FFE0E0"> <IMG Align=Top SRC="yingzi/chinese.gif"> <H2>English words from Chinese</H2> <br></b>This list parallels my similar pages on words from <a href="arabic.html">Arabic</a> and <A HREF="indianwd.html">Amerindian languages</a>. The main sources are the OED, the AHD, a number of Chinese dictionaries, <a href="http://www.zhongwen.com/">ZhongWen.com</a>, and Wikipedia (for nailing down the exact characters). <p>I’ve included a number of proper names, partly because it's fun to know that (e.g.) <i>Mao</i> means 'wool', partly because Chinese place names tend to have clear, simple etymologies with useful words in them. <p><font color="#800080">M.</font> = Mandarin, <font color="#800080">C.</font> = Cantonese (given, I’m afraid, in whatever transliteration was near at hand). I use = rather than ← to emphasize that the relationship between the two is cognacy, not derivation. That is, the Cantonese word doesn’t derive from the Mandarin; both derive from an older Middle Chinese form. <p><font color="#008000">Japanese</font> has borrowed Chinese words at various periods. For instance, the <i>gei </i>in <i>geisha </i>doesn’t derive directly from modern Mandarin <i>yì</i>, but from an earlier stage of the language, closer to Middle Chinese <i>ng<u>i</u>äi</i> (Karlgren’s reconstruction). Note that Japanese words may be constructed from Chinese morphemes rather than borrowed as a unit, much as we created 'telephone' from Greek elements. (Another complication: some words are <i>ateji</i>, which use Chinese characters for their phonetic value only; these aren't always easy to recognize.) <p>Thanks to Hirofumi Nagamura, Philip Newton, bicoherent, Ran, Rachel Kronick, and Marnen Laibow-Koser for corrections. <p>Based on all these words, look at <a href="#know">all the Chinese you know!</a> <hr> <br><b>aikido</b> - <font color="#008000">Japanese</font> <i>aikidō</i> ← <font color="#800080">M.</font> hé ‘unite’ + qì ‘chi’ + dào ‘way’<b> <br>banzai</b> - <font color="#008000">Japanese</font> ← <font color="#800080">M.</font> wànsuì ‘10,000 years’<b> <br>Beijing</b>- <font color="#800080">M.</font> běijīng ‘northern capital’<b> <br>bok choy</b> - <font color="#800080">C.</font> baak choy = <font color="#800080">M.</font> báicài ‘white vegetable’<b> <br>bonsai</b> - <font color="#008000">Japanese</font> ← <font color="#800080">M.</font> pén ‘basin’ + zāi ‘plant’ (but the <font color="#800080">M.</font> term is now <i>pénj</i><i>ǐ</i><i>ng</i>) <br><b>bonze</b> - <font color="#008000">Japanese</font> <i>bonsō</i> ← <font color="#800080">M.</font> <i>fánsēng</i> ‘Buddhist monk’; <i>fán</i> ← <font color="#606060">Sanskrit</font> <i>brāhmaṇas</i> ‘Brahmins’<b> <br>bushido</b> - <font color="#008000">Japanese</font> <i>bushidō</i> ← wǔshì ‘warrior (war-person)’ + dào ‘way’<b> <br>Canton</b> - <font color="#800080">M.</font> Guǎngdōng ‘wide east’— now the name of the province not the city, which is Guǎngzhōu ‘wide state’ <b> <br>chai</b> - <font color="#606060">Russian</font> ‘tea’ ← <font color="#800080">M.</font> chá <br>Jackie <b>Chan</b> - <font color="#800080">C.</font> chan = <font color="#800080">M.</font> chén ‘arrange’, a common surname <br><b>cheongsam</b> - <font color="#800080">C.</font> = <font color="#800080">M.</font> chángshān ‘long clothes’ <br><b>chi</b> - <font color="#800080">M.</font> <i>qì</i> ‘breath, spirit, vitality’<b> <br>China</b> - <font color="#606060">Sanskrit</font> <i>Chīna </i>← (probably) <font color="#800080">M.</font> Qín dynasty<b> <br>china</b> (ware) - <font color="#606060">Persian</font> <i>chīnī</i>— the first (17th century) citations in English are apt to be spelled <i>chiney, cheney</i>— ← <font color="#606060">Sanskrit</font> <i>Chīna (q.v.)</i><b> <br>chin chin </b>(toast) - <font color="#800080">M.</font> <i>qing-qing</i><b> <br>Ching</b> - <font color="#800080">M.</font> Qīng dynasty = ‘pure’<b> <br>chop chop </b>(fast) - Pidgin ← <font color="#800080">C.</font> kap <b> <br>chop suey</b> - <font color="#800080">C.</font> zaap6 seoi3<font size=+1> </font>= <font color="#800080">M.</font> zásuì ‘mixed pieces’ <br><b>chopsticks</b> - loose Pidgin translation of <font color="#800080">C.</font> fai chi = <font color="#800080">M.</font> kuàizi ‘fast ones’ <br><b>chow mein</b> - <font color="#800080">C.</font> chau mīn = <font color="#800080">M.</font> chǎomiàn ‘stir-fried noodles’ <b> <br>chow </b>(dog) - Pidgin ← <font color="#800080">C.</font> kau = <font color="#800080">M.</font> gǒu <br><b>chow</b> (food) - Pidgin ← <font color="#800080">M.</font> chǎo ‘stir-fry’ <b> <br>Chung-Kuo</b> - <font color="#800080">M.</font> Zhōngguó ‘middle country’, i.e. China<b> <br>Confucius</b> - <font color="#606060">Latin</font> ← <font color="#800080">M.</font> Kǒng fūzǐ ← family name kǒng ‘hole’ + a title, ‘master’<b> <br>daimyo</b> - <font color="#008000">Japanese</font> <i>daimyō</i> ← <font color="#800080">M.</font> dàmíng ‘big name’ <b> <br>dazibao</b> - <font color="#800080">M.</font> dàzìbào ‘big character newspaper’<b><font color="#ff0000"> <br></b></font><b>dim sum</b> - <font color="#800080">C.</font> dim2 sam1 = <font color="#800080">M.</font> diǎn xīn ‘order heart’ <br><b>dojo</b> - <font color="#008000">Japanese</font> <i>dōjō </i>← <font color="#800080">M.</font> dào ‘way’ + chǎng ‘yard’ (i.e. ‘place of the Way’)<b> <br>egg foo young </b>- <font color="#800080">C.</font> fu yung = <font color="#800080">M.</font> fúróng ‘hibiscus’<b> <br>feng shui</b> - <font color="#800080">M.</font> fēngshuǐ ‘wind-water’<b> <br>futon</b> - <font color="#008000">Japanese</font>, from earlier <i>hoton</i> ← <font color="#800080">M.</font> pú ‘reed’ + tuán ‘body, mass’; the use of 布 (<font color="#800080">M.</font> bù ‘cloth’) is a modern substitution. <br><b>gaijin</b> - <font color="#008000">Japanese</font> ‘foreigner’ ← <font color="#800080">M.</font> wàirén ‘outsider’ = ‘outside, foreign’ + ‘person’<b> <br>geisha </b>- <font color="#008000">Japanese</font> ← <font color="#800080">M.</font> yì ‘art’ + zhě ‘person’ <br><b>General Tso’s chicken</b> - after Zuǒ Zōngtáng; zuǒ = ‘left’<b> <br>ginkgo</b> - a misreading of <font color="#008000">Japanese</font> 銀杏 as gin + kyo = <font color="#800080">M.</font> yínxìng ‘silver apricot’ <br><b>ginseng</b> - <font color="#800080">M.</font> rénshēn ‘man’ + ‘ginseng’<b> <br>gwailo</b> - <font color="#800080">C.</font> gwai2 lou2 = <font color="#800080">M.</font> guǐlǎo ‘ghost’ + a despective suffix, probably etymologically equivalent to lǎo ‘old’ <br><b>gung ho</b> - <font color="#800080">M.</font> gōng hé ‘work together’, introduced into English by Major Evans Carlson; apparently an abbreviation for <i>gōngyè hézuòshè</i> ‘industrial workers cooperative’<b> <br>haiku</b> - <font color="#008000">Japanese</font> ← <font color="#800080">M.</font> páijù ‘amusement-sentence’<b> <br>Han</b> - <font color="#800080">M.</font> Hàn, name of the dynasty, which has become the normal word for ethnic Chinese <br><b>Hanoi</b> - <font color="#707000">Vietnamese</font> ← <font color="#800080">M.</font> hé ‘river’ + nèi ‘inside’ <br><b>hanzi</b> - <font color="#800080">M.</font> hànzì ‘Chinese character’ <br><b>hapkido</b> - <font color="#804000">Korean</font> ← <font color="#800080">M.</font> hé ‘unite’ + qì ‘chi’ + dào ‘way’ <br><b>Ho Chi Minh</b> - <font color="#707000">Vietnamese</font> ← <font color="#800080">M.</font> hú zhìmíng ‘lake’ + ‘goal-bright’ <br><b>Hong Kong</b> - <font color="#800080">C.</font> Hēunggóng = <font color="#800080">M.</font> Xiānggǎng ‘fragrant port’ <br><b>Huang Ho</b> - <font color="#800080">M.</font> Huáng Hé ‘yellow river’; <i>hé</i> was the original name of the river, but became generalized to refer to any river, so that an adjective was needed <br><b>Hunan</b> - <font color="#800080">M.</font> Húnán ‘lake-south’, the lake being Dòngtíng <br><b>I Ching </b>- <font color="#800080">M.</font> yìjīng ‘change-classic’ <br><b>Japan</b> - <font color="#A0A000">Malay</font> ← <font color="#800080">M.</font> Rìběn ‘sun-origin’ <br><b>judo</b> - <font color="#008000">Japanese</font> <i>jūdō</i> ← <font color="#800080">M.</font> róudào ‘gentle way’ <br><b>jujitsu</b> - <font color="#008000">Japanese</font> <i>jūjutsu </i>← <font color="#800080">M.</font> róushù ‘gentle art’ <br><b>kanji</b> - <font color="#008000">Japanese</font> ← <font color="#800080">M.</font> hànzì ‘Chinese character’ <br><b>kendo</b> - <font color="#008000">Japanese</font> <i>kendō</i> ← <font color="#800080">M.</font> jiàndào ‘sword-way’ <br><b>ketchup</b> - <font color="#A0A000">Malay</font> <i>kecap</i> ‘vinegary sauce’ ← <font color="#800080">Amoy</font> kētsiap ‘fish brine’; 1st character uncertain; 2nd is <font color="#800080">M.</font> zhī ‘juice’ <br><b>kirin</b> - <font color="#008000">Japanese</font> ← <font color="#800080">M.</font> qílín; OED defines as ‘male + female’ <br><b>koan</b> - <font color="#008000">Japanese</font> <i>kōan</i> ← <font color="#800080">M.</font> gōng àn ‘fair, public’ + ‘case, plan’; said to be an abbreviation for <i>gōngfǔ àndú</i> ‘public (legal) documents’— something like ‘case law’ <br><b>kowtow</b> - <font color="#800080">M.</font> kòutóu ‘knock head’ <br><b>kumquat</b> - <font color="#800080">C.</font> gam1 gwat1 = <font color="#800080">M.</font> jīnjú ‘golden orange’ <br><b>kung fu</b> - <font color="#800080">C.</font> gōngfū ‘work, service’ = ‘merit’ + ‘man’ <br><b>kung pao</b> - <font color="#800080">C.</font> gōngbǎo ‘palace-defend’ (a military title-- specifically, the guardian of a prince) <br><b>Kuomintang </b>- <font color="#800080">C.</font> Guómíndǎng ‘nation-people-party’ <br><b>Kyoto</b> - <font color="#008000">Japanese</font> <i>Kyōto</i> ← <font color="#800080">M.</font> jīngdū ‘capital-capital’ <br><b>Lao Tze</b> - <font color="#800080">M.</font> lǎo ‘old’ + zǐ ‘son’ <br><b>li</b> (measure) - <font color="#800080">M.</font> lǐ <br><b>loquat</b> - <font color="#800080">C.</font> luh kwat = <font color="#800080">M.</font> lújú ‘reed orange’ <br><b>lose face </b>- loan-translation of diū liǎn ‘lose face’<b><br>lychee</b> - <font color="#800080">M.</font> lìzhī ‘litchi’ + ‘branch’ <br><b>mahjongg </b>- <i>ma chiung</i> = <font color="#800080">M.</font> májiāng ‘hemp general’; the ‘sparrow’ referred to in OED and AHD seems to be a confusion with a <font color="#800080">C.</font> alternate name <br><b>manga</b> - <font color="#008000">Japanese</font> ← <font color="#800080">M.</font> mànhuà ‘unrestricted picture’ <br><b>Mao</b> - <font color="#800080">M.</font> máo ‘fur, wool’ (his given name Zédōng is ‘radiance’ + ‘east’) <br><b>Meiji</b> - <font color="#008000">Japanese</font> ← <font color="#800080">M.</font> míngzhì ‘bright-rule’ <br><b>Ming</b> - <font color="#800080">M.</font> míng ‘bright’ <br><b>miso</b> - <font color="#008000">Japanese</font> ← <font color="#800080">M.</font> wèicēng ‘taste-noisy’ <br><b>Mulan</b> - <font color="#800080">M.</font> mùlán ‘magnolia’ = ‘wood-orchid’ <br><b>nihao</b> - <font color="#800080">M.</font> nǐhǎo ‘hello’ = ‘you’ + ‘good’ <br><b>ninja</b> - <font color="#008000">Japanese</font> ← <font color="#800080">M.</font> rěnzhě ‘endure-person’ <br><b>oolong</b> - <font color="#800080">M.</font> wūlóng ‘black dragon’ <br><b>pekoe</b> - <font color="#800080">Amoy</font> pak-ho = <font color="#800080">M.</font> báiháo ‘white down’ <br><b>Peking</b> - <font color="#800080">C.</font> Bākgīng ← <font color="#800080">M.</font> Běijīng ‘northern capital’ <br><b>pinyin</b> - <font color="#800080">M.</font> pīnyīn ‘join sound’ <br><b>qigong</b> - <font color="#800080">M.</font> qìgōng ‘breath work’ <br><b>ricksha</b> - <font color="#008000">Japanese</font> <i>jinrikisha </i>← <font color="#800080">M.</font> rénlìchē ‘man-power-vehicle’ <br><b><A HREF="ranma.html">Ranma</a></b> - <font color="#008000">Japanese</font> ← <font color="#800080">M.</font> luànmǎ ‘wild horse’ <br><b>ronin</b> - <font color="#008000">Japanese</font> <i>rōnin</i> ← <font color="#800080">M.</font> làngrén ‘wave man’, metaphorically, ‘wanderer’ <br><b>samisen</b> - <font color="#008000">Japanese</font> <i>shamisen</i> ← <font color="#800080">M.</font> sān + wèi + xiàn ‘three taste cord’ (perhaps <i>wèi</i> is used as a measure word here); earlier English cites like <i>shamshin</i> (1616) come directly from the <font color="#800080">M.</font> sānxián ‘three-string’ <br><b>sampan</b> - <font color="#800080">M.</font> sānbǎn ‘three planks’; the modern <font color="#800080">M.</font> term however is shānbǎn <br><b>sensei</b> - <font color="#008000">Japanese</font> ‘master, teacher’ ← <font color="#800080">M.</font> xiānshēng ‘gentleman, ancestor’ = ‘first’ + ‘born’ <br><b>seppuku</b> - <font color="#008000">Japanese</font> ← <font color="#800080">M.</font> qiēfù ‘cut belly’ <br><b>Shanghai</b> - <font color="#800080">M.</font> Shànghǎi ‘‘upper sea’ <br><b>Shantung</b> - <font color="#800080">M.</font> Shāndōng ‘mountain-east’, these being the Taihang mountains <br><b>Shaolin</b> - <font color="#800080">M.</font> shǎolín ‘young forest’ <br><b>shar-pei</b> - <font color="#800080">M.</font> shāpí ‘sandy skin’ <br><b>shihtzu</b> - <font color="#800080">M.</font> shēzi gǒu ‘lion dog’ <br><b>Shinto</b> - <font color="#008000">Japanese</font> <i>Shintō</i> ← shéndào ‘god way’ <br><b>shogun</b> - <font color="#008000">Japanese</font> <i>shōgun</i> ← jiāngjūn ‘general’ = ‘use’ + ‘army’ <br><b>shunga</b> - <font color="#008000">Japanese</font> ← <font color="#800080">M.</font> chūnhuà ‘spring picture’ <br><b>silk</b> - <font color="#606060">Old English</font> <i>sioluc</i>. From here the journey is tortuous, perhaps a little too much so: <font color="#606060">Old Slavonic</font> <i>šelkŭ</i> ← <font color="#606060">Greek</font> <i>Sēres</i> ‘Orientals’, i.e. perhaps ‘the silk people’ ← some Altaic precursor of <font color="#505090">Mongolian</font> <i>sirkek</i> ← <font color="#800080">Old Chinese</font> <i>si-</i>, <font color="#800080">M.</font> <i>sī</i> <br><b>souchong</b> - <font color="#800080">C.</font> siu chung = <font color="#800080">M.</font> xiǎozhǒng ‘small sort’. <i>Lapsang</i> is a proper name <br><b>soy</b> - <font color="#008000">Japanese</font> shōyu ← <font color="#800080">M.</font> jiàngyóu ‘paste’ + ‘oil’ <br><b>Sun Yat Sen</b> - <font color="#800080">C.</font> ← <font color="#800080">M.</font> Sūn Yìxiān ← sūn ‘grandchild’ + ‘excellent immortal’ <br><b>Szechwan</b> - Sìchuān ‘four rivers’, short for <i>chuānxiá sì lù</i> ‘rivers-gorges four provinces’ <br><b>tae kwon do</b> - <font color="#804000">Korean</font> ‘kick-punch-way’ ← <font color="#800080">M.</font> táiquándào ‘trample-punch-way’ <br><b>Tai Chi</b> <b>(Chuan) </b>- tàijíquán ‘too extreme fist’ <br><b>taikonaut</b> - <font color="#800080">M.</font> tàikōng ‘heaven’ <br><b>Taiwan</b> - Táiwān ‘platform bay’, though probably ‘platform’ is only used for its sound, to represent a native non-Chinese name <br><b>Tang</b> - <font color="#800080">M.</font> Táng, name of the dynasty<b><font color="#ff0000"> <br></b></font><b>Tao</b> - <font color="#800080">M.</font> dào ‘way’ <br><b>tea</b> - <font color="#800080">Amoy</font> te = <font color="#800080">M.</font> chá <br><b>Tienanmen<font color="#ff0000"> </b></font>- <font color="#800080">M.</font> tiān’ānmén ‘heaven-calm-gate’ <br><b>tofu </b>- <font color="#008000">Japanese</font> <i>tōfu</i> ← <font color="#800080">M.</font> dòufǔ ‘beans-rotten’ <br><b>Tokyo </b>- <font color="#008000">Japanese</font> <i>Tōkyō</i> ← <font color="#800080">M.</font> Dōngjīng ‘eastern capital’; <i>Tonkin</i> has the same etymology, borrowed into <font color="#707000">Vietnamese</font> <br><b>tong</b> - <font color="#800080">C.</font> tong = <font color="#800080">M.</font> táng ‘meeting hall’ <br><b>tycoon</b> - <font color="#008000">Japanese</font> <i>taikun </i>← dàjūn ‘great monarch’ <br><b>typhoon</b> - <font color="#800080">C.</font> tai fung = <font color="#800080">M.</font> dǎfēng ‘great wind’ <br><b>wok</b> - <font color="#800080">C.</font> = <font color="#800080">M.</font> guō <br><b>won ton</b> - <font color="#800080">C.</font> wan tan = <font color="#800080">M.</font> húntún ‘irregular pasta’ <br><b><A HREF="faye.html">Wong</a></b> - <font color="#800080">C.</font> wong ← <font color="#800080">M.</font> wáng ‘king’ <br><b>Xinhua</b> (News Agency) - <font color="#800080">M.</font> xīnhuá ‘new’ + ‘flowery, China’ <br><b>yang</b> - <font color="#800080">M.</font> yáng ‘sun, bright, masculine’ <br><b>Yangtze</b> - <font color="#800080">M.</font> Yángzǐ Jiāng ‘raise’ + diminutive + ‘large river’, a local name for the lower reaches; the <font color="#800080">M.</font> for the entire river is Cháng Jiāng ‘long-river’; <i>jiāng</i> was the original name of the river, but this was generalized to all rivers, necessitating a disambiguating adjective <br><b>yen </b>(money) - <font color="#008000">Japanese</font> ← <font color="#800080">M.</font> yuán ‘round’ <br><b>yen</b> (yearning) - <font color="#800080">C.</font> yan = <font color="#800080">M.</font> yǐn ‘addiction’ <br><b>yin</b> - <font color="#800080">M.</font> yīn ‘moon, dark, feminine’ <br><b>yuan</b> (money) - <font color="#800080">M.</font> yuán ‘round’ <br><b>zaibatsu</b> - <font color="#008000">Japanese</font> ← <font color="#800080">M.</font> cái ‘wealth’ + fá ‘wealthy person or family’ <br><b>Zen</b> - <font color="#008000">Japanese</font> ← <font color="#800080">M.</font> <i>chán(nǎ)</i> ‘meditation’ ← <font color="#606060">Sanskrit</font> <i>dhyāna</i> <br><b>Zhou Enlai</b> - <font color="#800080">M.</font> zhōu ‘circle’, a common surname; <i>Ēnlái</i> is ‘favor-comes’ <p>Also of note are <i>loan-translations</i> which appeared in Chinese Pidgin English, including <i>long time no see, look-see, no can do, no go</i>. <p>Disappointingly, <i>ping-pong</i> doesn't come from Chinese; so <font color="#800080">M.</font> pīngpāng is a rare borrowing from English. <hr> <h2><a name="know">Look at all the Chinese you know!</a></h2> One of the frustrations of learning Chinese is the relative lack of cognates... all the words seem exotic. <p>But in fact there are quite a few words we've been exposed to, as this list shows. It's simply an index of all the characters from the above word list. <p>See below for <a href="#sound">pronunciation tips</a>. <p>安 <b>ān</b> - peace, calm • <font color="#404040">Tiananmen</font> <br>案 <b> àn</b> - case, plan • <font color="#404040">koan</font> <br>白 <b>bái</b> - white • <font color="#404040">bok choy, pekoe</font> <br>板 <b>bǎn</b> - plank • <font color="#404040">sampan</font> <br>保 <b>bǎo</b> - defend • <font color="#404040">kung pao</font> <br>报 <b>bào</b> - newspaper • <font color="#404040">dazibao</font> <br>北 <b>běi</b> - north • <font color="#404040">Beijing, Peking, Taipei</font> <br>本 <b>běn</b> - origin • <font color="#404040">Japan</font> <br>财 <b>cái</b> - wealth • <font color="#404040">zaibatsu</font> <br>菜 <b>cài</b> - vegetable • <font color="#404040">bok choy</font> <br>噌 <b>cēng</b> - noisy • <font color="#404040">miso</font> <br>茶 <b>chá</b> - tea • <font color="#404040">chai, tea</font> <br>禅 <b>chán</b> - meditation • <font color="#404040">Zen</font> <br>长 <b>cháng</b> - long • <font color="#404040">cheongsam, Chang river</font> <br>场 <b>chǎng</b> - yard • <font color="#404040">do<u>jo</u></font> <br>炒 <b>chǎo</b> - stir-fry • <font color="#404040">chow mein, chow</font> <br>车 <b>chē - </b>car, vehicle • <font color="#404040">ricksha</font> <br>陈 <b>chén</b> - arrange; a surname • <font color="#404040">Jackie Chan</font> <br>川 <b>chuān</b> - river • <font color="#404040">Szechwan</font> <br>春 <b>chūn</b> - spring • <font color="#404040">shunga</font> <br>大 <b>dà </b>- big • <font color="#404040">daimyo, dazibao, tycoon, typhoon</font> <br>党 <b>dǎng</b> - party • <font color="#404040">Kuomintang</font> <br>道 <b>dào</b> - way • <font color="#404040">aikido, bushido, dojo, judo, kendo, Shinto, Tao, tae kwon do</font> <br>点 <b>diǎn</b> - order • <font color="#404040">dim sum</font> <br>东 <b>dōng</b> - east • <font color="#404040">Canton, Guangdong, Tokyo</font> <br>豆 <b>dòu </b>- bean • <font color="#404040">tofu</font> <br>都 <b>dū</b> - capital, metropolis • <font color="#404040">Kyoto</font> <br>阀 <b>fá</b> - wealthy person or family • <font color="#404040">zai<u>batsu</u></font> <br>风 <b>fēng</b> - wind • <font color="#404040">feng shui, typhoon</font> <br>夫 <b>fū</b> - man • <font color="#404040">kung fu</font> <br>芙蓉 <b>fúróng</b> - hibiscus • <font color="#404040">egg foo young</font> <br>腐 <b>fǔ</b> - rotten • <font color="#404040">tofu</font> <br>腹 <b>fù</b> - belly • <font color="#404040">seppuku</font> <br>港 <b>gǎng </b>- port • <font color="#404040">Hong Kong</font> <br>工 <b>gōng</b> - work • <font color="#404040">gung ho, qigong</font> <br>功 <b>gōng</b> - merit • <font color="#404040">kung fu</font> <br>公 <b>gōng</b> - fair, public • <font color="#404040">koan</font> <br>宫 <b>gōng</b> - palace • <font color="#404040">kung pao</font> <br>狗 <b>gǒu</b> - dog • <font color="#404040">chow</font> <br>广 <b>guǎng</b> - wide • <font color="#404040">Canton, Guangdong</font> <br>鬼 <b>guǐ</b> - ghost • <font color="#404040">gwailo</font> <br>锅 <b>guō </b> - wok • <font color="#404040">wok</font> <br>国 <b>guó</b> - country • <font color="#404040">Chung-kuo, Kuomintang, Zhongguo</font> <br>海 <b>hǎi </b>- sea • <font color="#404040">Shanghai</font> <br>汉 <b>Hàn</b> - Han dynasty • <font color="#404040">Han, hanzi, kanji</font> <br>毫 <b>háo</b> - down, hair • <font color="#404040">pekoe</font> <br>好 <b>hǎo</b> - good • <font color="#404040">nihao</font> <br>合 <b>hé -</b> unite, together • <font color="#404040"><u>ai</u>kido, gung ho, hapkido</font> <br>河 <b>hé</b> - river • <font color="#404040">Huang Ho, Hanoi</font> <br>湖 <b>hú </b>- lake • <font color="#404040">Hunan, Ho Chi Minh, Hu Jintao</font> <br>华 <b>huá</b> - flowery, splendid; China • <font color="#404040">Xinhua</font> <br>画 <b>huà </b>- picture • <font color="#404040">manga</font> <br>黄 <b>huáng</b> - yellow • <font color="#404040">Huang Ho</font> <br>馄 <b>hún</b> - irregular - won ton</font> <br>极 <b>jí</b> - extreme • <font color="#404040">Tai Chi</font> <br>剑 <b>jiàn -</b> sword • <font color="#404040">kendo</font> <br>将 <b>jiāng</b> - use • <font color="#404040">mahjongg, shogun</font> <br>江 <b>jiāng</b> - river • <font color="#404040">Yangtze <u>Kiang</u></font> <br>酱 <b>jiàng</b> - paste • <font color="#404040">soy</font> <br>金 <b>jīn</b> - gold • <font color="#404040">kumquat</font> <br>京 <b>jīng </b>- capital • <font color="#404040">Beijing, Nanjing, To<u>kyo</u>, Kyoto</font> <br>经 <b>jīng</b> - classic; stable • <font color="#404040">I Ching</font> <br>橘 <b>jú</b> - orange • <font color="#404040">kumquat, loquat</font> <br>句 <b>jù</b> - sentence • <font color="#404040">haiku</font> <br>军 <b>jūn</b> - army • <font color="#404040">shogun</font> <br>君 <b>jūn</b> - monarch • <font color="#404040">tycoon</font> <br>空 <b>kōng</b> - sky, empty • <font color="#404040">taikonaut</font> <br>孔 <b>kǒng</b> - hole • <font color="#404040">Confucius</font> <br>叩 <b>kòu</b> - knock • <font color="#404040">kowtow</font> <br>兰 <b>lán</b> - orchid • <font color="#404040">Mulan</font> <br>浪 <b>làng </b>- wave • <font color="#404040">ronin</font> <br>老 <b>lǎo</b> - old • <font color="#404040">Lao Tze, gwailo</font> <br>里 <b>lǐ</b> - Chinese mile • <font color="#404040">li</font> <br>荔 <b>lì</b> - lychee • <font color="#404040">lychee</font> <br>力 <b>lì</b> -power • <font color="#404040">ricksha</font> <br>林 <b>lín</b> - forest • <font color="#404040">Shaolin</font> <br>龙 <b>lóng</b> - dragon • <font color="#404040">oolong</font> <br>芦 <b>lú</b> - reed • <font color="#404040">loquat</font> <br>乱 <b>luàn</b> - wild • <font color="#404040">Ranma</font> <br>麻 <b>má</b> - hemp • <font color="#404040">mahjongg</font> <br>马 <b>mǎ</b> - horse • <font color="#404040">Ranma</font> <br>漫 <b>màn</b> - overflow, unrestricted • <font color="#404040">manga</font> <br>毛 <b>máo</b> - fur, wool • <font color="#404040">Mao Zedong</font> <br>门 <b>mén</b> - gate • <font color="#404040">Tiananmen</font> <br>面 <b>miàn </b>- flour, noodles • <font color="#404040">chow mein</font> <br>民 <b>mín</b> - people • <font color="#404040">Kuomintang</font> <br>名 <b>míng</b> - name • <font color="#404040">daimyo</font> <br>明 <b>míng</b> - bright; Ming dynasty • <font color="#404040">Ming, Ho Chi Minh, Meiji</font> <br>木 <b>mù</b> - wood • <font color="#404040">Mulan</font> <br>南 <b>nán </b>- south • <font color="#404040">Hunan, Nanjing, Viet <u>Nam</u> </font> <br>內 <b>nèi </b>- inside • <font color="#404040">Hanoi</font> <br>你 <b>nǐ -</b> you • <font color="#404040">nihao</font> <br>俳 <b>pái </b>- amuse • <font color="#404040">haiku</font> <br>盆 <b>pén</b> - basin • <font color="#404040">bonsai</font> <br>皮 <b>pí</b> - skin • <font color="#404040">shar-pei</font> <br>拼 <b>pīn </b>- join • <font color="#404040">pinyin</font> <br>蒲 <b>pú</b> - type of reed • <font color="#404040">futon</font> <br>气 <b>qì </b>- breath, spirit, vitality • <font color="#404040">ai<u>ki</u>do, qigong</font> <br>切 <b>qiē </b>- cut • <font color="#404040">seppuku</font> <br>秦 <b>Qín</b> - Chin dynasty • <font color="#404040">Chin, China, china</font> <br>清 <b>Qīng</b> - pure; Ching dynasty • <font color="#404040">Ching</font> <br>拳 <b>quán</b> - fist • <font color="#404040">Tai Chi Chuan, tae kwon do</font> <br>人 <b>rén</b> - person • <font color="#404040">gaijin, ginseng, jinriksha, ro<u>nin</u></font> <br>忍 <b>rěn</b> - endure • <font color="#404040"><u>nin</u>ja</font> <br>日 <b>rì </b>- sun • <font color="#404040">Japan</font> <br>柔 <b>róu</b> - gentle • <font color="#404040">judo, jujitsu</font> <br>三 <b>sān</b> - three • <font color="#404040">samisen, sampan</font> <br>沙 <b>shā</b> - sand • <font color="#404040">shar-pei</font> <br>山 <b>shān </b>- mountain • <font color="#404040">Shantung, Sun Yat-<u>sen</u></font> <br>衫 <b>shān </b>- clothes • <font color="#404040">cheongsam</font> <br>上 <b>shàng</b> - upper • <font color="#404040">Shanghai</font> <br>少 <b>shào</b> - young • <font color="#404040">Shaolin</font> <br>参 <b>shēn </b>- ginseng • <font color="#404040">ginseng</font> <br>神 <b>shén </b>- god • <font color="#404040">Shinto</font> <br>生 <b>shēng </b>- born • <font color="#404040">sensei</font> <br>狮 <b>shī</b> - lion • <font color="#404040">shihtzu</font> <br>术 <b>shù -</b> art • <font color="#404040">ju<u>jitsu</u></font> <br>水 <b>shuǐ</b> - water • <font color="#404040">feng shui</font> <br>丝 <b>sī</b> - silk • <font color="#404040">silk</font> <br>四 <b>sì </b>- four • <font color="#404040">Szechwan</font> <br>岁 <b>suì</b> - year • <font color="#404040">banzai</font> <br>碎 <b>suì</b> - piece • <font color="#404040">chop suey</font> <br>孙 <b>sūn </b>- grandson • <font color="#404040">Sun Yat-sen</font> <br>台 <b>tái</b> - platform • <font color="#404040">Taiwan, Taipei</font> <br>跆 <b>tái</b> - trample, kick • <font color="#404040">tae kwon do</font> <br>太 <b>tài</b> - too • <font color="#404040">Tai Chi, taikonaut</font> <br>堂 <b>táng</b> - meeting hall • <font color="#404040">tong</font> <br>唐 <b>Táng </b>- Tang dynasty • <font color="#404040">Tang</font> <br>天 <b>tiān</b> - sky, heaven • <font color="#404040">Tiananmen</font> <br>头 <b>tóu -</b> head • <font color="#404040">kowtow</font> <br>团 <b>tuán -</b> ball, body, organization • <font color="#404040">futon</font> <br>外 <b>wài </b>- outside, foreign • <font color="#404040">gaijin</font> <br>湾 <b>wān</b> - bay • <font color="#404040">Taiwan</font> <br>万 <b>wàn</b> - 10,000 • <font color="#404040">banzai</font> <br>王 <b>wáng</b> - king • <font color="#404040">(Faye or Kar-Wai) Wong, wang-khan</font> <br>味 <b>wèi</b> - taste • <font color="#404040"><u>mi</u>so, samisen</font> <br>乌 <b>wū</b> - black • <font color="#404040">oolong</font> <br>武 <b>wǔ</b> - war • <font color="#404040"><u>bu</u>shido</font> <br>先 <b>xiān </b>- first • <font color="#404040">sensei</font> <br>弦 <b>xián </b>- string • <font color="#404040">shamshin (earliest cite for samisen)</font> <br>线 <b>xiàn </b>- thread • <font color="#404040">samisen</font> <br>香 <b>xiāng </b>- fragrant • <font color="#404040">Hong Kong</font> <br>小 <b>xiǎo </b>- small • <font color="#404040">souchong</font> <br>心 <b>xīn </b>- heart • <font color="#404040">dim sum</font> <br>新 <b>xīn</b> - new • <font color="#404040">Xinhua</font> <br>杏 <b>xìng </b>- apricot • <font color="#404040">ginkgo</font> <br>阳 <b>yáng</b> - sun, bright, masculine • <font color="#404040">yang</font> <br>扬 <b>yáng</b> - raise • <font color="#404040">Yangtze </font> <br>艺 <b>yì</b> - art • <font color="#404040"><u>gei</u>sha</font> <br>易 <b>yì</b> - change, easy • <font color="#404040">I Ching</font> <br>音 <b>yīn</b> - sound • <font color="#404040">pinyin</font> <br>阴 <b>yīn</b> - moon, dark, feminine • <font color="#404040">yin</font> <br>银 <b>yín</b> - silver • <font color="#404040">ginkgo</font> <br>瘾 <b>yǐn</b> - addiction - yen</font> <br>英 <b>yīng</b> - outstanding; English • <font color="#404040"><a href="yingzi/yingzi.htm">yingzi</a></font> <br>油 <b>yóu </b>- sauce • <font color="#404040">soy</font> <br>元 <b>yuán</b> - round; currency (etymologically 圆, but now written with the character for ‘first’) • <font color="#404040">yen, yuan</font> <br>杂 <b>zá</b> - mixed • <font color="#404040">chop suey</font> <br>栽 <b>zāi </b>- plant • <font color="#404040">bonsai</font> <br>张 <b>zhāng</b> - open, look • <font color="#404040"><a href="zhang.htm">Fuschia Chang</a></font> <br>者 <b>zhě</b> - person • <font color="#404040">gei<u>sha</u>, ninja</font> <br>汁 <b>zhī </b>- juice • <font color="#404040">ketchup</font> <br>治 <b>zhì </b>- govern • <font color="#404040">Meiji</font> <br>志 <b>zhì </b>- will, aspiration • <font color="#404040">Ho Chi Minh</font> <br>中 <b>zhōng</b> - middle • <font color="#404040">Chung-kuo, Zhongguo</font> <br>种 <b>zhǒng</b> - sort • <font color="#404040">souchong</font> <br>周 <b>zhōu</b> - middle • <font color="#404040">Zhou Enlai, Chow Yun-Fat</font> <br>子 <b>zǐ</b> - son, diminutive • <font color="#404040">Confucius, Lao Tze, shihtzu, Yangtze</font> <br>字 <b>zì</b> - character • <font color="#404040">dazibao, hanzi, kanji</font> <br>左 <b>zuǒ</b> - left (hand); a surname • <font color="#404040">General Tso’s chicken</font> <hr> <h4><a name="sound">Pronunciation tips</a></h4> Chinese seems designed to defeat romanizers-- there’s no system that suggests pronunciations to English speakers without explanations. The pinyin romanization used in the above list shouldn’t be read as if it were English. It would take pages and sound clips to teach really correct pronunciation; but you can use these rules as a starting point: <p><i>Consonants</i> <ul> <li>The sounds <b>b d g</b> don’t differ from <b>p t k</b> by voicing; rather, the latter series are aspirated, the first aren’t. Technically, the <b>b</b> in <i>běn</i> is an unaspirated p, like our p in <i>spend</i>, as opposed to the aspirated p in <i>pen</i>. If that doesn’t make much sense to you, English <b>b d g</b> aren’t <i>terribly</i> wrong. <li><b>h</b> is a velar fricative, like German ch in <i>Bach</i>. <li>As a first approximation, <b>ch zh q j</b> can all be pronounced like English <b>ch</b>. However, <b>ch zh</b> are <b>retroflex</b>, while <b>q j</b> are palatalized. And <b>zh j</b> are unaspirated. Don’t pronounce <b>j</b> like a French j. <li>Also as a first approximation, <b>sh x</b> can be pronounced like English <b>sh</b>. In fact <b>sh</b> is retroflexed and <b>x</b> is palatalized. <li>Pronounce <b>c z</b> as <b>ts</b>. The <b>z</b> is unaspirated. <li>Initial <b>r-</b> is retroflex, though to me it sounds assibilated, like a cross between American English r and zh. </ul><i>Vowels</i><ul> <li>The pinyin vowels are a bit quirky (though other systems are really no better). Somewhat strangely, <b>-ian</b> is pronounced <b>i<font face="symbol">e</font>n</b>, <b>-ong</b> is pronounced <b><font face="symbol">u</font>ng</b>, and <b>-ui</b> is <b>-wei</b>. <li><b>i</b> after <b>ch j sh s z c</b> isn’t so much a vowel as a voiced prolongation of the consonant. <b>shi</b> sounds, in fact, very much like English <i>sure</i>, while <b>chi zhi</b> sound like <i>churr, jurr</i>. <b>si</b> is <b>sz</b>-- which looks impossible but in fact isn’t hard at all to say. </ul><i>Tones</i><ul> <li><b>First </b> tone (<b>mā</b>) is just a high pitch: a word in first tone should be noticeably higher than your normal tone of voice. <li><b>Second</b> tone (<b>má</b>) is a rising pitch, much as we’d use in the initial syllable in “Ma? You there?” <li><b>Third</b> tone (<b>mǎ</b>), in isolation, drops from a neutral pitch, then rises again ; in connected speech, it just drops. Think “Ma, are you listening?” <li><b>Fourth</b> tone (<b>mà</b>) drops from a high pitch. “Ma! Stop that!” </ul> <hr> <p><center><A HREF="default.html"><img src="homer.gif" border=0 alt="Home"></A><center> </BODY></HTML>