False friends: Chinese–English
150 traps for an English speaker: single English words that Chinese splits into several, words that sit in a different place, and phrases that go wrong when translated word for word. On the left is what you want to say, next to it the Chinese word for it — and only then the trap. If all you know is what a word does not mean, you are still stuck in the conversation.
One English word, two Chinese ones
Where English has one verb or one adjective and Chinese has two or three, and the dictionary hands you the wrong one. The word you chose is a real word and nearly fits, which is why these mistakes outlast all the others.
| You mean | That is | Not this one | Because that means |
|---|---|---|---|
| to know (a person) | 认识 | 知道 | to know a fact; to know about something |
| 你知道他住在哪儿吗？Do you know where he lives?A person you have met is somebody you 认识: 我认识她. 我知道她 only says you have heard of her. | |||
| to see (catch sight of) | 看见 | 看 | to look at, to watch, to read — the action, not whether you saw anything |
| 我每天晚上看一会儿书。I read for a little while every evening.看 is what your eyes do; 看见 says they found something. 我看了，没看见: I looked, and did not see it. | |||
| interesting | 有意思 | 意思 | meaning; what somebody means |
| 这个词是什么意思？What does this word mean?Without 有 there is no interest, only meaning. The opposite, 没意思, is boring. | |||
| a thing (a matter to deal with) | 事 | 东西 | a thing you can see and touch; stuff |
| 我去超市买点儿东西。I’m going to the supermarket to buy a few things.我有事, I’ve got something on; 没事, it’s nothing. Read with a full tone, 东西 is simply east and west. | |||
| two (before a measure word) | 两 | 二 | two in counting, in larger numbers, in dates and in order |
| 今天是二月十二号。Today is the twelfth of February.Before a measure word, two is 两: 两个人, 两杯茶. 二 stays in counting, in 十二 and in 第二, second. | |||
| hot (spicy) | 辣 | 热 | hot to the touch; hot, of the weather |
| 今天三十五度，太热了！It’s thirty-five degrees today — far too hot!Chilli heat is 辣: 这个菜辣不辣？ asks whether the dish is spicy. | |||
| tall (of a person) | 高 | 长 | long |
| 这条裤子太长了。These trousers are too long.People are 高 and 矮; things that stretch out are 长 and 短. The same character read 长 means to grow. | |||
| how are you? (as a greeting) | 你好 | 你好吗 | how are you? — a real question about somebody’s wellbeing, mostly to somebody you have not seen for a while |
| 好久不见，你好吗？工作忙不忙？Long time no see — how are you? Busy at work?Between people who meet every day, 你好 is enough, and friends often skip even that and ask 吃了吗？ or 去哪儿？, which want no real answer. | |||
| to be (before an adjective: she is tall) | 很 | 是 | to be — links two nouns: she is a teacher |
| 我妈妈是医生。My mother is a doctor.A Chinese adjective is its own verb and needs no “is”: 她很高. The 很 there hardly means very; without it the sentence sounds like a comparison. | |||
| how (in what way) | 怎么 | 怎么样 | how is it? what is it like? what do you think? |
| 你觉得这家饭馆怎么样？What do you think of this restaurant?The way to do something is asked with 怎么 before the verb: 这个字怎么写？ 怎么样 asks for a judgement. | |||
| rice (uncooked) | 大米 | 饭 | cooked rice; a meal |
| 你吃饭了吗？Have you eaten?Grains in a sack are 大米 or just 米; once cooked they are 米饭. 饭 alone is a meal, rice or not. | |||
| bread | 面包 | 面 | noodles; flour |
| 我中午常常吃一碗面。At lunchtime I often have a bowl of noodles.面包 is a flour bun, and that is what bread is called. 面 on its own, like 面条, means noodles. | |||
| to see (meet up with somebody) | 见 | 看见 | to catch sight of, to spot |
| 我在公园里看见一只小狗。I saw a little dog in the park.Seeing a friend for a coffee is 见, or 见面 without an object: 明天见, see you tomorrow. | |||
| to hear | 听见 | 听 | to listen; to listen to |
| 我喜欢一边做饭一边听音乐。I like listening to music while I cook.你听！ asks somebody to listen. Whether a sound reached you is 听见: 我没听见, I didn’t hear. | |||
| to find | 找到 | 找 | to look for |
| 我在找我的钥匙，你看见了吗？I’m looking for my keys — have you seen them?找 is the search; 到 after it says the search succeeded. English uses two verbs, Chinese one verb and an ending. | |||
| to help (somebody) | 帮 | 帮忙 | to help out, to lend a hand — takes no object |
| 搬家那天，很多朋友来帮忙。On the day of the move, lots of friends came to help.帮忙 already contains its object, 忙, so it cannot take a second one. Say 帮我, 帮助我, or 帮我一个忙. | |||
| to learn (to do something) | 学 | 学习 | to study — schoolwork, a subject, learning in general |
| 快考试了，他每天学习到很晚。The exams are coming, and he studies until late every night.A skill takes 学: 学开车, 学游泳. 学习 before another verb sounds like a school report. | |||
| can (know how to) | 会 | 能 | can — be able to, be in a position to, at this moment |
| 我今天感冒了，不能去上班。I’ve got a cold today, so I can’t go to work.A skill you have learned is 会: 我会游泳. 能 is about circumstances — whether you are able to, now. | |||
| can (be allowed to) | 可以 | 会 | can — know how to; also, will probably |
| 明天会下雨，别忘了带伞。It will probably rain tomorrow — don’t forget your umbrella.Permission is 可以: 这儿可以抽烟吗？ Asked with 会, the question is whether something is likely to happen. | |||
| again (once more, later) | 再 | 又 | again — of something that has already happened again |
| 他昨天又迟到了。He was late again yesterday.Looking forward, again is 再: 请再说一遍, please say it again. Looking back, it is 又. | |||
| to wear (glasses, a watch) | 戴 | 穿 | to wear or put on clothes and shoes |
| 外面很冷，多穿点儿衣服。It’s cold out — put some more clothes on.Whatever you pull on over your body or your feet takes 穿; whatever you put on top or attach — a hat, glasses, a watch, a ring, a mask — takes 戴. | |||
| to play (the piano, the guitar) | 弹 | 玩 | to play — have fun, play a game, go out with friends |
| 周末我们去公园玩了。At the weekend we went to the park and had fun.Each instrument has its own verb: 弹 for strings you pluck and keys you press, 拉 for the violin, 吹 for a flute. | |||
| to play (football) | 踢 | 打 | to hit; to play a ball game with the hands or a racket |
| 下课以后，我们常常去打篮球。After class we often go and play basketball.Football is kicked: 踢足球. Most ball games played with the hands or a racket take 打. With 玩 a ball game sounds like messing about rather than playing a match. | |||
| to tell (somebody something) | 告诉 | 说 | to say, to speak — the person spoken to is not its object |
| 他说他明天不来了。He said he won’t be coming tomorrow after all.You 告诉 a person: 请告诉我. With 说 the person needs 跟 or 对: 我跟他说了. | |||
| to think (have an opinion) | 觉得 | 想 | to think about; to miss somebody; to want to |
| 我很想我的家人。I miss my family very much.我想… can mean I think, but it is first of all I would like to, and before a person, I miss. For an opinion, 我觉得… is the safe choice. | |||
| to take (bring along) | 带 | 拿 | to take in your hand, to pick up, to hold, to fetch |
| 你能帮我拿一下这个包吗？Could you hold this bag for me for a moment?拿 is about your hand. Whatever goes with you — an umbrella, your passport, a friend — is 带: 我带你去, I’ll take you there. | |||
| to take (a bus, a train) | 坐 | 带 | to take along, to bring — a thing or a person |
| 出门的时候，我总是带一把伞。I always take an umbrella when I go out.Any vehicle you ride in takes 坐, to sit: 坐地铁, 坐飞机. A bicycle or a horse, which you sit astride, takes 骑. | |||
| to return (give back) | 还 | 回 | to go back, to come back — of a person |
| 我下个月回国。I’m going back to my country next month.Giving back what you borrowed is 还: 我明天还你钱. The same character read 还 means still. | |||
| to go for a walk | 散步 | 走 | to walk; very often, to leave |
| 时间不早了，我该走了。It’s getting late — I should be going.我走了 means I’m off, not I walked. Going somewhere on foot is 走路, and a walk for pleasure 散步. | |||
| a topic (to talk about) | 话题 | 问题 | a question; very often a problem, something that has gone wrong |
| 我的电脑出问题了。Something has gone wrong with my computer.没问题 is no problem, and 有问题 on its own sounds like trouble. A subject for conversation is a 话题; a question in an exam is a 题. | |||
| young (of an adult) | 年轻 | 小 | small; of age, young as a child, or younger than somebody |
| 我比哥哥小三岁。I’m three years younger than my brother.她很年轻 says she is young; 她很小 says she is a child, or small. Before a surname, as in 小王, it is a friendly way to address a younger colleague. | |||
| old (of a thing: worn, not new) | 旧 | 老 | old — of people, or of long standing |
| 他是我的老朋友，我们认识二十年了。He’s an old friend; we’ve known each other for twenty years.A coat, a phone or a car that has been used is 旧. On things, 老 means old in years or long established: 老房子, a house built long ago; 老地方, the usual place. | |||
| excuse me (sorry to bother you) | 不好意思 | 对不起 | I’m sorry — a real apology for something you did wrong |
| 对不起，我把你的杯子打破了。I’m sorry, I’ve broken your cup.Asking a stranger something, squeezing past, being a little late: 不好意思. 对不起 admits a fault and weighs more than English sorry. | |||
| and then (in a story) | 然后 | 和 | and — joins two nouns, never two sentences |
| 我和妹妹都喜欢唱歌。My sister and I both like singing.Two actions in a row are joined by nothing at all, or by 然后: 我先洗澡，然后吃饭. Two adjectives take 又…又 or 而且. | |||
| or (in a question) | 还是 | 或者 | or — in a statement, listing possibilities |
| 周末我一般看书或者去爬山。At weekends I usually read or go walking in the hills.你喝茶还是咖啡？ asks which. 或者 lists options without asking anything. | |||
| a little (before an adjective: a bit expensive) | 有点儿 | 一点儿 | a little — after an adjective, when comparing or asking for more or less |
| 能便宜一点儿吗？Could you make it a bit cheaper?有点儿 stands before the adjective and usually complains: 有点儿贵, a bit too dear. 一点儿 follows it: 贵一点儿, a little dearer. | |||
| to have to, must | 得 | 有 | to have, to own; there is |
| 我有一个弟弟和一个妹妹。I have a younger brother and a younger sister.Obligation is 得 in speech and 必须 when it is firm: 我得走了, I have to go. It is the character of the particle 得, read another way. | |||
| when (in a question) | 什么时候 | 的时候 | when, while — introduces a time, never asks for one |
| 我吃饭的时候不看手机。I don’t look at my phone while I’m eating.你什么时候到？ asks when. …的时候 stands after a whole clause, where English puts when at the front. | |||
| last (week, month) | 上 | 最后 | last — the final one; in the end |
| 我们等了很久，最后他还是没来。We waited a long time, and in the end he didn’t come.Last week is 上个星期 and next week 下个星期 — up is earlier, down is later. Last year, though, is 去年. | |||
| wine | 葡萄酒 | 酒 | alcohol; any alcoholic drink — beer, wine or spirits |
| 他开车，所以今天不喝酒。He’s driving, so he isn’t drinking today.Wine made from grapes is 葡萄酒, red wine 红酒. 喝酒 is drinking alcohol of any kind. | |||
| a female friend | 朋友 | 女朋友 | a girlfriend — in the romantic sense only |
| 他下个月要带女朋友回家见父母。Next month he’s taking his girlfriend home to meet his parents.A friend who happens to be a woman is simply a 朋友, and that is true when a woman says it too. 男朋友 works the same way. | |||
| handsome | 帅 | 漂亮 | pretty, beautiful — of women, clothes, places; also, of work, very well done |
| 你的新裙子真漂亮！Your new skirt is really pretty!A good-looking man is 帅 or 好看. 干得漂亮 means nicely done! | |||
| a teacher (at a school) | 老师 | 师傅 | a skilled worker, a master of a craft — and a polite way to address a driver, a cook or a repairman |
| 师傅，去火车站多少钱？How much is it to the railway station, please?A teacher in a classroom is a 老师. 师傅 is for somebody who works with their hands, and in a taxi it is the normal way to speak to the driver. | |||
| first floor (British: one floor up) | 二楼 | 一楼 | the ground floor — floors are counted from the street |
| 超市在一楼，一进门就是。The supermarket is on the ground floor, just inside the door.China counts floors the American way: the floor you walk in on is 一楼, and the one above it 二楼. A basement floor is 地下一层. | |||
| news (from a friend: any news?) | 消息 | 新闻 | the news — on television, the radio or a news site |
| 我爸爸每天晚上七点看新闻。My father watches the news at seven every evening.What you hear about people you know is a 消息: 有他的消息吗？, any news of him? Good news is 好消息. | |||
| to agree (to a request) | 答应 | 回答 | to answer, to reply to a question |
| 老师问的问题，她都回答对了。She answered all the teacher’s questions correctly.Saying yes to what somebody asks of you is 答应: 他答应帮我, he agreed to help me. Agreeing with an opinion is 同意. | |||
| to post (a letter, a parcel) | 寄 | 送 | to give as a present; to deliver; to take somebody somewhere or see them off |
| 下雨了，我开车送你回家吧。It’s raining — let me drive you home.What goes by post is 寄: 寄信, 寄包裹. A message on a phone is sent with 发. | |||
| to rent (a flat) | 租 | 借 | to borrow, or to lend, without paying |
| 我从图书馆借了两本小说。I borrowed two novels from the library.When money changes hands it is 租: 租房子, 租车. Who gets the book is shown around 借: 借给他 lends it to him. | |||
| to visit (a museum, a factory) | 参观 | 看望 | to call on a person — a relative, an older person, a friend who is ill |
| 周末我去医院看望了奶奶。At the weekend I went to the hospital to visit my grandmother.A place you walk round and look at is 参观: 参观博物馆. A town you see as a tourist is 游览, or simply 去…玩. | |||
| to meet (by chance) | 遇到 | 见面 | to meet by arrangement — takes no object |
| 我们约好三点在门口见面。We’ve arranged to meet at the entrance at three.Running into somebody is 遇到 or 碰到. 见面 already holds its object, so the person comes with 跟: 跟他见面. | |||
| to go to bed | 睡觉 | 睡着 | to fall asleep |
| 电影太长了，我看着看着就睡着了。The film was so long that I fell asleep watching it.Going to bed is 睡觉; whether sleep came is 睡着, with 着 in the second tone: 昨天我很晚才睡着, I didn’t get to sleep till late last night. | |||
| once through (from start to finish) | 遍 | 次 | a time, an occasion — how often something happens |
| 我去过上海两次。I’ve been to Shanghai twice.Reading a book through, watching a film from beginning to end, saying a sentence all the way: each time is a 遍. 次 only counts. | |||
| to visit (a relative, a sick friend) | 看望 | 访问 | to pay an official visit; to interview; to visit a website |
| 这个网站每天有很多人访问。Lots of people visit this website every day.A friend or a relative is visited with 看 or, more warmly, 看望. 访问 belongs to delegations, interviews and websites. | |||
| the right moment, timing | 时机 | 机会 | a chance, an opportunity |
| 这是一个去国外工作的好机会。This is a good chance to work abroad.A 机会 is something you get or miss; 时机 is the moment at which acting works: 时机还不成熟, the time isn’t right yet. | |||
| a doctor (medical) | 医生 | 博士 | a doctor — the academic title; a doctorate |
| 她在北京读博士，研究语言学。She’s doing a doctorate in linguistics in Beijing.One title for two jobs is an English habit. In Chinese the physician is a 医生 or a 大夫, and 王博士 is somebody with a doctorate. | |||
| college (British: for sixteen- to eighteen-year-olds) | 高中 | 学院 | a college at university level; a school or faculty within a university |
| 他在一所音乐学院学钢琴。He studies the piano at a conservatoire.The last years of school are 高中, high middle school. A 学院 gives degrees, and a large university is divided into them. | |||
| public school (British: a private school) | 私立学校 | 公立学校 | a state school, run with public money |
| 我上的是一所普通的公立学校。I went to an ordinary state school.A British trap only. Chinese says what the English word hides: 公立, set up by the public, and 私立, set up privately. | |||
The characters say something else
Words you can read character by character and still misunderstand. The parts are real and the sum is not: a horse and “on” make “at once”, and a small heart is a careful one.
| You mean | That is | Not this one | Because that means |
|---|---|---|---|
| a big family | 大家庭 | 大家 | everybody, all of you |
| 大家好，我叫李明。Hello everyone, my name is Li Ming.大家 is the whole group present, not a household. A large family is a 大家庭. | |||
| a short while | 一会儿 | 小时 | an hour |
| 从这儿到机场要一个小时。It takes an hour from here to the airport.A 小时, a small time, is a full sixty minutes. A little while is 一会儿: 等一会儿, wait a moment. | |||
| small-minded, petty | 小心眼 | 小心 | careful; look out! |
| 路很滑，开车小心点儿。The road is slippery — drive carefully.The small heart of 小心 is an attentive one, not a mean one. On a sign it is a warning: 小心地滑, slippery floor. | |||
| on horseback | 骑马 | 马上 | at once, right away |
| 你等一下，我马上来。Hang on, I’ll be right there.Riding a horse is 骑马, and sitting on one 骑在马上. 马上 is said dozens of times a day and never about horses. | |||
| lively, full of energy | 有活力 | 生气 | to be angry |
| 妈妈生气了，因为我又没收拾房间。Mum is angry because I didn’t tidy my room again.Read as life and breath, 生气 does mean vitality in a few written phrases, but in speech it is anger: 别生气, don’t be cross. | |||
| open-hearted, frank | 坦率 | 开心 | happy, having a good time |
| 今天玩得真开心！We had a great time today!Saying what you think openly is 坦率 or 直率. 开心 is cheerful, and 祝你开心 a common good wish. | |||
| correct, not wrong | 对 | 不错 | pretty good, not bad |
| 这家店的咖啡很不错。The coffee in this café is pretty good.不错 praises, a little cautiously, the way English quite good does. For an answer that is right, use 对: 你说得对. | |||
| the next class | 下节课 | 下课 | class is over; to finish a lesson |
| 下课以后我去食堂吃饭。After class I go to the canteen to eat.上课 is a lesson starting and 下课 one ending — the same up and down as 上班 and 下班. | |||
| fire engine | 消防车 | 火车 | a train |
| 我们坐火车去西安，要五个小时。We’re taking the train to Xi’an; it takes five hours.The fire in 火车 goes back to the first steam engines, and the name stayed. A fire engine is a 消防车, a fire-fighting vehicle. | |||
| steam train | 蒸汽火车 | 汽车 | a car; any motor vehicle |
| 他买了一辆新汽车。He’s bought a new car.The 汽 in 汽车 is vapour or gas — steam in 蒸汽, petrol in 汽油 — and the word means any motor vehicle. In everyday speech a car is just 车. | |||
| a younger sister | 妹妹 | 小姐 | Miss; a young woman |
| 李小姐，这是您的房卡。Here is your room card, Ms Li.After a surname 小姐 is polite. Called out on its own to a waitress it can sound wrong, and 服务员 is the safer word. | |||
| to put oil in (when cooking) | 放油 | 加油 | come on! keep going! — and, at a petrol station, to fill up |
| 比赛的时候，大家都在喊：“加油！”During the match everybody was shouting “Come on!”加油 is also what friends say before an exam or an interview. Oil in a pan goes in with 放: 少放点儿油, use less oil. | |||
| a little angry | 有点儿生气 | 小气 | stingy, mean with money; also petty |
| 他很小气，从来不请别人吃饭。He’s really stingy — he never treats anybody to a meal.The 气 here is temperament, not temper. The opposite of 小气 is 大方, generous. | |||
| a big place | 大地方 | 大方 | generous; at ease, natural in manner |
| 她很大方，经常给同事带吃的。She’s very generous and often brings food in for her colleagues.Of clothes or a design, 大方 means simple and tasteful. A place is 地方, with the earth in front. | |||
| dessert (after a meal) | 甜点 | 点心 | a snack: pastries, buns, dumplings — in the south, dim sum |
| 早上没时间，我吃了几块点心就出门了。There was no time this morning, so I had a couple of pastries and went out.点心 are eaten whenever you are hungry, not at the end of a meal. Many Chinese meals have no sweet course at all; fruit often takes its place. | |||
| lover, sweetheart | 恋人 | 爱人 | husband or wife — an older mainland word for a spouse |
| 我爱人在银行工作。My husband works at a bank.Younger people more often say 老公 and 老婆. A 情人 is usually a lover outside a marriage, so 恋人 or 男朋友 is safer. | |||
| an old woman | 老太太 | 老婆 | wife — informal and affectionate |
| 我老婆包的饺子特别好吃。The dumplings my wife makes are especially good.An elderly woman is a 老太太; spoken to directly, 阿姨 or 奶奶 is friendlier. 老婆 is about marriage, not age. | |||
| an old man | 老人 | 老公 | husband — informal |
| 她老公每天接孩子放学。Her husband picks the children up from school every day.An elderly man is a 老人, or 老大爷 in friendly speech. Neither 老公 nor 老婆 says anything about how old anybody is. | |||
| the eldest child | 老大 | 先生 | Mr, sir; after my or her, a husband |
| 我先生今天出差了。My husband is away on business today.Born first is what the characters say. 王先生 is Mr Wang; 我先生, said by a woman, is my husband. The eldest child is 老大. | |||
| hot-headed | 冲动 | 热心 | warm-hearted, keen to help |
| 邻居王阿姨很热心，常常帮我们收快递。Mrs Wang next door is very kind and often takes in our parcels.Somebody who acts without thinking is 冲动, and a quick temper 脾气急. 热心 is always a compliment. | |||
| rude, rough with people | 粗鲁 | 粗心 | careless |
| 他太粗心了，又把名字写错了。He’s so careless — he’s written the name wrong again.The coarse heart of 粗心 is a careless one, and its opposite is 细心, careful. Rude behaviour is 粗鲁 or 没礼貌. | |||
| to lose heart | 灰心 | 放心 | to stop worrying, to feel reassured |
| 到了就给我打电话，这样我就放心了。Ring me when you get there, then I won’t worry.Putting your heart down means letting the worry go: 你放心吧, don’t worry. Losing courage is 灰心, a heart gone to ash. | |||
| to stop caring | 不在乎 | 关心 | to care about, to be concerned for |
| 谢谢你的关心，我已经好多了。Thank you for asking after me — I’m much better now.The 关 here is concern, as in 关系, a connection — not shutting a door. Not caring is 不在乎: 我不在乎, I don’t mind either way. | |||
| an important person | 大人物 | 大人 | an adult, a grown-up |
| 这是大人的事，小孩子别管。This is grown-ups’ business — children keep out of it.A big person is simply one who has grown up. Somebody important is a 大人物, a big figure. | |||
| meaningless, pointless | 没有意义 | 没意思 | boring, dull |
| 这个电影太没意思了，我看了一半就走了。The film was so boring that I left halfway through.意义 is meaning in the deep sense, significance; 意思 is what a word means — and whether something is any fun. | |||
| hard to see | 看不清 | 难看 | ugly, unpleasant to look at |
| 这件衣服的颜色太难看了。The colour of this top is really ugly.难 before a verb of the senses makes the sensation unpleasant, not difficult: 难吃, tastes bad. Too dark or too small to make out is 看不清. | |||
| hard to hear | 听不清 | 难听 | unpleasant to listen to; of words, rude |
| 他唱歌很难听，可是他自己很喜欢唱。His singing is awful, but he loves to sing.说话难听 is being rude. A bad line on the phone is 听不清: 我听不清，你大声点儿. | |||
| noisy | 吵 | 热闹 | lively, bustling — and that is a good thing |
| 过年的时候全家人都在一起，很热闹。At New Year the whole family is together, and the house is full of life.Noise you want to stop is 吵: 太吵了. A street, a festival or a party that is 热闹 is busy in the way people enjoy. | |||
| terrible, awful | 糟糕 | 厉害 | formidable, impressive — high praise; of pain or weather, severe |
| 你会说五种语言？真厉害！You speak five languages? That’s amazing!The characters look harsh, and in 疼得厉害, hurting badly, they are. Said of a person, it is admiration. Something that has gone badly wrong is 糟糕. | |||
| a cream cake | 奶油蛋糕 | 雪糕 | an ice cream on a stick, an ice lolly |
| 天太热了，我们买两根雪糕吧。It’s so hot — let’s buy two ice lollies.Snow and cake are both in the name and neither is in the thing. Ice cream in a tub or a cone is 冰淇淋. | |||
| butter | 黄油 | 奶油 | cream; whipped cream |
| 我喝咖啡不放奶油。I don’t take cream in my coffee.Both are milk fat, and the name follows the colour: butter in a block is 黄油, yellow fat. In a cake shop 奶油 is the whipped topping. | |||
| white wine | 白葡萄酒 | 白酒 | a strong clear spirit distilled from grain |
| 白酒很烈，我只喝了一小杯。Baijiu is very strong — I only had a small glass.白酒 is far stronger than any wine, and at a banquet it is drunk in small glasses, in toasts. White wine from grapes is 白葡萄酒. | |||
| running water (from the tap) | 自来水 | 开水 | boiled water — boiling hot, or boiled and left to cool |
| 请给我一杯开水。A glass of hot water, please.The 开 here means boiling: 水开了, the water’s boiling. Tap water, the water that comes by itself, is 自来水. | |||
| a foreigner | 外国人 | 外人 | an outsider — somebody not of the family or the group |
| 你别客气，我们都不是外人。Don’t stand on ceremony — we’re all friends here.外人 is about belonging, not nationality: a neighbour can be one, and a foreign friend may not be. Somebody from another country is a 外国人. | |||
| a great idea | 好主意 | 大意 | careless, not paying attention |
| 我太大意了，出门忘了锁门。I was so careless — I forgot to lock the door when I went out.Read 大意, with a full tone on the second syllable, the same characters are the gist of a text. An idea is a 主意 or, more formally, a 想法. | |||
| the underground (railway) | 地铁 | 地道 | authentic, genuine — of food, an accent, a way of speaking |
| 他的北京话说得很地道。He speaks really authentic Beijing dialect.With a full fourth tone, 地道 is a tunnel dug under the ground. The underground railway is 地铁, iron under the ground. | |||
| a little person, a child | 小孩儿 | 小人 | a mean, petty person who does harm behind people’s backs |
| 他是个小人，当面一套，背后一套。He’s a nasty piece of work — he says one thing to your face and another behind your back.Its opposite is 君子, a person of honour. A child is a 小孩儿. | |||
| deep down, at heart | 内心 | 当心 | look out! be careful |
| 当心！前面有车！Watch out! There’s a car coming!A close relative of 小心, and mostly shouted. Feelings deep down are 内心: 内心深处, in your heart of hearts. | |||
| to add vinegar | 放醋 | 吃醋 | to be jealous — in love |
| 他跟别的女孩跳舞，他女朋友吃醋了。He danced with another girl, and his girlfriend got jealous.Jealousy of other kinds, at work or between friends, is 嫉妒. 吃醋 is almost always about a partner. | |||
| the meaning of life | 人生的意义 | 生意 | business, trade, a deal |
| 他在南方做生意，很少回家。He does business in the south and rarely comes home.做生意 is to be in business, and 生意不错, business is good. Meaning in a life is 意义. | |||
| water level (of a river) | 水位 | 水平 | a level of skill or quality, a standard |
| 他的中文水平提高得很快。His Chinese is improving fast.Water lying flat is where the word comes from, and it is nearly always about ability now: 生活水平, standard of living. How high a river stands is its 水位. | |||
| a redhead | 红头发的人 | 红人 | somebody in favour — with the boss, or with the public |
| 他是老板面前的红人。He’s the boss’s favourite.Red is the colour of success and good luck, and a 红人 is somebody it has rubbed off on. 走红 is to become popular. | |||
| red eyes (from crying) | 眼睛红了 | 眼红 | envious |
| 看到邻居买了新车，他有点儿眼红。When he saw the neighbours had bought a new car, he felt a bit envious.English goes green with envy; Chinese goes red. Eyes that are red from crying or tiredness are 眼睛红了, with the noun first. | |||
| to go swimming in the sea | 去海边游泳 | 下海 | to give up a secure job and go into business |
| 他以前是老师，后来下海开了一家公司。He used to be a teacher; later he went into business and started a company.Fishermen still 下海 in the literal sense, but in town the sea is the market. Going in for a swim is 下水 or simply 去游泳. | |||
Borrowed, and changed on the way
Words taken from English by their sound, or translated part by part, that kept only one of the English meanings — or picked up one English never had.
| You mean | That is | Not this one | Because that means |
|---|---|---|---|
| car (a private car) | 轿车 | 卡车 | a lorry, a truck |
| 一辆大卡车停在门口。A big lorry is parked at the entrance.The 卡 is the sound of English car, but the word has always meant a goods vehicle. A car is a 轿车, or in speech just 车. | |||
| motor, engine | 发动机 | 摩托 | a motorbike |
| 他每天骑摩托去上班。He rides his motorbike to work every day.The full word is 摩托车, a motor vehicle, and the motor alone came to mean the bike. A car engine is a 发动机; a small electric motor is a 马达. | |||
| cool (pleasantly cold) | 凉快 | 酷 | cool — stylish, impressive |
| 他的新发型真酷！His new haircut is really cool!The evening air, a shady spot, a breeze: 凉快. Cold in a way that is not pleasant, as of food left standing, is 凉. | |||
| a bar (of chocolate, of soap) | 块 | 酒吧 | a bar that serves drinks |
| 下班以后我们去酒吧喝一杯吧。Let’s go to a bar for a drink after work.A bar of chocolate is counted, not named: 一块巧克力, 一块肥皂. The 吧 of 酒吧 also turns up in 网吧, an internet café. | |||
| lemonade (British: fizzy) | 汽水 | 柠檬水 | water or a drink with real lemon in it, usually still |
| 我每天早上喝一杯温柠檬水。Every morning I drink a glass of warm lemon water.Any sweet fizzy drink is a 汽水, gas water, with the flavour in front: 柠檬汽水 is fizzy lemonade. | |||
| model (a small copy of a building) | 模型 | 模特 | a fashion model; somebody who poses |
| 她个子很高，以前当过模特。She’s very tall and used to work as a model.A model plane or a model of a building is a 模型; a role model is a 榜样. | |||
| tank (for water) | 水箱 | 坦克 | a tank — the armoured military vehicle |
| 博物馆门口放着一辆旧坦克。There’s an old tank standing outside the museum.Containers are 箱 or 罐: a water tank is a 水箱, a petrol tank an 油箱. | |||
| a toast (to somebody’s health) | 敬酒 | 吐司 | sliced white bread, toasted or not |
| 我早饭一般吃两片吐司，喝一杯牛奶。For breakfast I usually have two slices of bread and a glass of milk.Raising a glass to somebody is 敬酒, and the word everybody says as they drink is 干杯. 吐司 is the loaf of sandwich bread itself, before any toaster. | |||
| pudding (British: any dessert) | 甜品 | 布丁 | a set, wobbly dessert, like a custard or a jelly |
| 这家店的芒果布丁很有名。This shop’s mango pudding is famous.The sweet course is 甜品 or 甜点. A steamed or a Christmas pudding has no common Chinese name and is usually explained. | |||
| fan (electric, for cooling) | 电扇 | 粉丝 | fans of a star; also thin glass noodles |
| 这位歌手在网上有很多粉丝。This singer has lots of fans online.The loanword is only the person; the noodles are older and have nothing to do with English. A hand fan is a 扇子. | |||
| a show (on television) | 节目 | 秀 | a show in the sense of a display — a fashion show; as a verb, to show off |
| 他总是喜欢秀自己的新手机。He always loves showing off his new phone.Television and radio have 节目: 我最喜欢的节目. 时装秀 is a fashion show, and 作秀 putting on a show for appearances. | |||
| a party (political) | 政党 | 派对 | a party — a social gathering, usually an informal one |
| 周六晚上我要去参加一个生日派对。On Saturday evening I’m going to a birthday party.An ordinary get-together is more often a 聚会. A political party has a word of its own, 党. | |||
| jacket (of a suit) | 西装上衣 | 夹克 | a short casual jacket, often with a zip |
| 降温了，出门穿件夹克吧。It’s turned colder — wear a jacket when you go out.A suit is a 西装, Western dress, and its jacket the 上衣. A warm winter coat is a 外套 or a 大衣. | |||
| club (for golf) | 球杆 | 俱乐部 | a club — a group of members, or the place where they meet |
| 他参加了学校的登山俱乐部。He’s joined the school mountaineering club.The stick is a 球杆, a ball pole, as for billiards. A heavy club used as a weapon is a 棍子. | |||
| pound (money) | 英镑 | 磅 | a pound in weight |
| 这个箱子有五十磅重。This suitcase weighs fifty pounds.The money has its own word, 英镑, English pound. Weight in China is usually given in 公斤, or in 斤, half a kilo. | |||
| to swipe a card (to pay) | 刷卡 | 打卡 | to clock in at work; online, to visit a famous spot and post a photo of it |
| 我们公司早上九点以前要打卡。At our company you have to clock in before nine.The card in both words came from English. Paying with one is 刷卡, brushing the card; paying with a phone is 扫码, scanning the code. | |||
| green (inexperienced) | 新手 | 绿色 | green; also free of chemicals, environmentally friendly |
| 为了环境，我们应该多选择绿色出行，少开车。For the sake of the environment we should travel in greener ways and drive less.Somebody new to a job is a 新手, a new hand, or a 菜鸟 in joking speech. The eco sense of green came into Chinese with the idea. | |||
| a quarrel (a shouting match) | 吵架 | 冷战 | a cold war — and, between partners or friends, refusing to speak to each other |
| 他们俩冷战了一个星期，谁也不理谁。The two of them gave each other the silent treatment for a week.A loud row is 吵架; 冷战 is what follows when nobody shouts and nobody speaks. The historical sense is there too, but at home this is the one you will hear. | |||
| hair salon | 理发店 | 沙龙 | a salon — a gathering for talk about books, art or ideas |
| 这家书店每个周末都有读书沙龙。This bookshop holds a reading salon every weekend.Where you have your hair cut is a 理发店; a beauty salon is a 美容院. | |||
| soda (American: any fizzy drink) | 碳酸饮料 | 苏打 | soda — the chemical, as in baking soda or soda crackers |
| 苏打饼干不太甜，很适合当早饭。Soda crackers aren’t very sweet and make a good breakfast.苏打水 is soda water. A can of something sweet and fizzy is a 汽水 in speech and a 碳酸饮料 on a label. | |||
| a mosaic (made of tiles) | 镶嵌画 | 马赛克 | small mosaic tiles; and, far more often, the blurred squares that hide a face or a number in a picture |
| 发照片之前，他给车牌打了马赛克。Before posting the photo, he blurred out the number plate.A picture made of small stones or pieces of glass is a 镶嵌画. 打马赛克 is to pixelate. | |||
Look alike, sound alike
Pairs that differ by one stroke or one tone, and both halves are real words. With a pinyin keyboard the wrong one is a single keystroke away.
| You mean | That is | Not this one | Because that means |
|---|---|---|---|
| to sell | 卖 | 买 | to buy |
| 我想买一张去上海的火车票。I’d like to buy a train ticket to Shanghai.One stroke and one tone apart: 买, third tone, buys; 卖, fourth tone, with the extra cross on top, sells. Together, 买卖 is trade. | |||
| to buy | 买 | 卖 | to sell |
| 他在市场卖水果。He sells fruit at the market.A way to remember it: the seller has more on top, the goods to sell. The tones say it too — mǎi dips, mài drops. | |||
| she | 她 | 他 | he |
| 他是我哥哥。He is my older brother.Spoken, both are tā, and nobody hears a difference. Written, 她 has the woman radical 女 and 他 the person radical; 它 is it. | |||
| to sit | 坐 | 做 | to do, to make |
| 我妈妈做的菜最好吃。My mum’s cooking is the best.Same sound, same tone. 坐 shows two people sitting on the ground; 做 has the person radical on the left. | |||
| at, in (a place) | 在 | 再 | again — later, next time |
| 明天再说吧。Let’s talk about it tomorrow.在 says where; 再 looks forward to doing something again, as in 再见, see you again. Native writers mix them up in quick messages, and it is still a mistake. | |||
| a hundred | 百 | 白 | white |
| 她穿了一件白衬衫。She’s wearing a white shirt.A hundred is white with a line on top, and it is said in the third tone, not the second: 一百. | |||
| right (not left) | 右 | 左 | left |
| 到了路口往左拐。Turn left at the junction.The two share their top. 左 has 工 underneath, and 右 a mouth, 口 — think of the right hand bringing food to the mouth. | |||
| too (excessively) | 太 | 大 | big |
| 这双鞋有点儿大。These shoes are a bit big.The dot makes the difference: 太大了, too big, uses both. 犬, a dog, has its dot at the top right instead. | |||
| four | 四 | 十 | ten |
| 我们班有十个学生。There are ten students in our class.sì and shí differ in the tone and in the h, and many speakers in the south make only the first difference. When a number matters, say it twice, show it on your fingers or write it down. | |||
| a horse | 马 | 妈 | mum, mother |
| 妈，我回来了！Mum, I’m home!The textbook tone pair, and a real one: 妈 is 马 with the woman radical added, and the tone moves from the third to the first. | |||
| thirsty | 渴 | 喝 | to drink |
| 你想喝点儿什么？What would you like to drink?Water on the left for thirst, 渴; a mouth on the left for drinking, 喝. 我渴了, I’m thirsty. | |||
| already | 已经 | 自己 | oneself; on one’s own |
| 这是我自己做的蛋糕。I made this cake myself.已 and 己 differ only in how far the last stroke closes: half-way for already, not at all for self. | |||
| a thousand | 千 | 干 | to do; read gān, dry |
| 你在干什么呢？What are you up to?千 starts with a slanting stroke at the top; 干 has a flat one. Read 干, the same character means dry, as in 干净, clean. | |||
| to wear (a hat) | 戴 | 带 | to take along, to bring; also a belt or a strap |
| 出国别忘了带护照。Don’t forget to take your passport when you go abroad.Same sound and tone. 戴, the complicated one, is for what you put on your head or body; 带 for what you carry with you. | |||
| dumplings (boiled) | 水饺 | 睡觉 | to sleep, to go to bed |
| 太晚了，快去睡觉吧。It’s very late — off to bed.The tones are the whole difference: shuǐjiǎo, two third tones, against shuìjiào, two fourth. In a restaurant they decide whether you get dinner. | |||
| soup | 汤 | 糖 | sugar; sweets |
| 我喝咖啡不加糖。I take my coffee without sugar.First tone and the water radical: 汤, soup. Second tone and the rice radical: 糖, sugar. | |||
| window | 窗户 | 床 | a bed |
| 这张床有点儿硬。This bed is a bit hard.chuāng, first tone, is the window; chuáng, second, the bed. On paper the two share nothing. | |||
| noon | 中午 | 牛 | a cow, an ox |
| 农民养了三头牛。The farmer keeps three cows.One stroke: 牛 pushes its middle stroke up through the top, and 午 does not. | |||
| to rest | 休息 | 身体 | the body; health |
| 祝你身体健康！Wishing you good health!休 is a person leaning against a tree, resting; 体 adds one stroke at the foot of the tree. | |||
| medicine | 药 | 要 | to want; to be going to |
| 我要一杯咖啡。I’d like a coffee.Same sound and tone, so a pinyin keyboard offers both. The grass radical on top marks the herbs: 吃药, to take medicine. | |||
| may I ask … ? (polite opening) | 请问 | 亲吻 | to kiss |
| 电影最后，两个人在雨中亲吻。At the end of the film, the two of them kiss in the rain.qǐngwèn against qīnwěn: the tones and an -ng separate a polite question from a kiss. Land firmly on the -ng of qǐng, and the first word is safe. | |||
| salt | 盐 | 烟 | smoke; a cigarette |
| 这儿不能抽烟。You can’t smoke here.盐 rises; 烟 stays level. 请少放点儿盐, less salt please, is worth practising. | |||
| entrance | 入口 | 人口 | population; the number of people in a household |
| 这个城市的人口越来越多。This city’s population keeps growing.入, to enter, leans the other way from 人, a person. Signs read 入口 and 出口, entrance and exit. | |||
| husband | 丈夫 | 大夫 | a doctor — the spoken word, above all in a hospital |
| 大夫说我得多休息几天。The doctor says I need to rest for a few more days.丈 and 大 look alike at a glance, and the words sound nothing alike: 丈夫, and 大夫 with an unusual reading of the first character. | |||
| jade | 玉 | 王 | a king; also one of the commonest surnames |
| 我的中文老师姓王。My Chinese teacher’s surname is Wang.The dot makes the jade: 玉. Without it, 王 is a king. | |||
| to take an exam | 考试 | 烤 | to roast, to bake, to grill |
| 他最喜欢吃烤鸭。His favourite food is roast duck.Same sound and tone; the fire radical 火 on the left makes it cooking. 考 alone is to test, and 烤肉 is grilled meat. | |||
| tea | 茶 | 查 | to check, to look up |
| 这个字我不认识，得查一下词典。I don’t know this character — I’ll have to look it up.Same sound, same tone, different top: grass for the leaf, 茶; a tree for 查. | |||
| the weekend | 周末 | 未来 | the future |
| 我对未来很有信心。I feel very confident about the future.末, the end, has the longer stroke on top; 未, not yet, has the shorter one. The end of the week is 周末, the end of the month 月底. | |||