Everyday Chinese: 28 lessons, from hello to the news

white; in vain; free of charge; (bound form) (of facts, the truth, a situation) clear; evident (e.g. 真相大白 (zhēnxiàngdàbái)); (bound form) plain; without additions (e.g. 白饭 (báifàn)); (bound form) to explain; to state (e.g. 辩白 (biànbái)); (bound form) to give a disdainful look (e.g. 白了他一眼 (báiletāyīyǎn)); (bound form) vernacular (e.g. 白话 (báihuà)); (bound form) spoken lines in opera (e.g. 念白 (niànbái)); (bound form) reactionary; anti-communist (e.g. 白区 (báiqū))

黑hēi

black; dark; sinister; secret; shady; illegal; to hide (sth) away; to vilify; (loanword) to hack (computing)

红色hóngsè

red (color); revolutionary

蓝色lánsè

blue (color)

绿色lǜsè

green

黄色huángsè

yellow; vulgar; lewd; pornographic

白色báisè

white; fig. reactionary; anti-communist

黑色hēisè

black

灰色huīsè

gray; ash gray; grizzly; pessimistic; gloomy; dispirited; ambiguous

粉色fěnsè

pink

紫色zǐsè

purple; violet (color)

clothes

shirt; blouse

trousers; pants

skirt

shoe

socks; stockings

hat; cap; (fig.) label; bad name

外套wàitào

outer garment; jacket; coat

毛衣máoyī

(wool) sweater

眼镜yǎnjìng

spectacles; eyeglasses

手表shǒubiǎo

wristwatch

包bāo

to cover; to wrap; to hold; to include; to take charge of; to contract (to or for); package; wrapper; container; bag; …

钱包qiánbāo

purse; wallet

伞sǎn

umbrella; parasol; damask silk

穿chuān

to bore through; to pierce; to perforate; to go through (e.g. a tunnel); to cross (e.g. a street); to thread; to string together; to wear; to put on (clothes, shoes etc.); verb complement indicating thoroughness or completion

戴dài

to put on or wear (glasses, hat, gloves etc); to respect; to bear; to support

脱tuō

to shed; to take off; to escape; to get away from

旗袍qípáo

cheongsam, a traditional Chinese dress for women, originally a long robe worn by Manchu women, later modernized in 20th-century Shanghai into a close-fitting dress with a high collar and side slits

时间shíjiān

(concept of) time; (duration of) time; (point in) time

小时xiǎoshí

hour

分钟fēnzhōng

minute

秒miǎo

second (unit of time); arc second (angular measurement unit); (coll.) instantly

天tiān

day; sky; heaven

星期xīngqī

week; day of the week; Sunday

月yuè

moon; month; monthly

年nián

year; grain; harvest (old)

early morning

morning

noon; midday

afternoon; p.m.

evening; night; in the evening

night

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Saturday

Sunday

weekend

vacation

birthday

date

early; morning; Good morning!; long ago; prematurely

晚wǎn

evening; night; late

以前yǐqián

before; formerly; previous; ago

以后yǐhòu

after; later; afterwards; following; later on; in the future

已经yǐjīng

already

点diǎn

to touch briefly; to tap; to mark with a dot; to check off (on a list); to order (food etc); to select; to mention; to bring up (a topic or person); to hint at; to imply; to administer (eye medicine etc) in drops; to light (a fire, a lamp etc); to ignite; to nod (one's head) in agreement; to beckon by moving (one's hand) up and down; point; dot; spot; speck; dot stroke in Chinese characters; …

刻kè

quarter (hour); moment; to carve; to engrave; to cut; oppressive; classifier for short time intervals

spring (season)

summer

autumn

winter

every day