Regions and peoples of China Chinese vocabulary: Intermediate (HSK 4-6)

我住在首都。

Wǒ zhù zài shǒudū.

I live in the capital.

首都天气有雨。

Shǒudū tiānqì yǒu yǔ.

The weather in the capital is rainy.

多求不如省费

duō qiú bùrú shěng fèi

asking many is not as good as saving expense

这辆车很省油。

Zhè liàng chē hěn shěng yóu.

This car is very economical on gas.

我家在这座城市的东部。

Wǒjiā zài zhè zuò chéngshì de dōngbù.

My home is in the eastern part of this city.

你去过这个国家的东部吗？

Nǐ qùguo zhège guójiā de dōngbù ma?

Have you ever been to the east of this country?

你去过中国的西部吗？

Nǐ qùguo Zhōngguó de xībù ma?

Have you ever been to the western part of China?

西部的夏天比这里凉快。

Xībù de xiàtiān bǐ zhèlǐ liángkuai.

Summers in the west are cooler than here.

她们现在在法国南部。

Tāmen xiànzài zài Fǎguó nánbù.

They are now in the south of France.

他们是从法国南部来的。

Tāmen shì cóng Fǎguó nánbù lái de.

They come from the south of France.

他家在城市的北部。

Tājiā zài chéngshì de běibù.

His home is in the northern part of the city.

你去过中国北部吗？

Nǐ qùguo Zhōngguó běibù ma?

Have you ever been to northern China?

上海在中国。

Shànghǎi zài Zhōngguó.

Shanghai is in China.

他没去上海。

Tā méi qù Shànghǎi.

He didn't go to Shanghai.

台湾能帮助。

Táiwān néng bāngzhù.

Taiwan can help.

世界依赖台湾。

Shìjiè yīlài Táiwān.

The world depends on Taiwan.

长城和长江都很长。

Chángchéng hé Cháng Jiāng dōu hěn cháng.

The Great Wall and the Yangtze River are both very long.

长江是中国最长的河。

Cháng Jiāng shì Zhōngguó zuì cháng de hé.

The Yangtze is the longest river in China.

云南住着很多少数民族。

Yúnnán zhùzhe hěn duō shǎoshùmínzú.

Many ethnic minorities live in Yunnan.

中国有五十多个少数民族。

Zhōngguó yǒu wǔshí duōge shǎoshùmínzú.

China has more than fifty ethnic minorities.

中国有56个民族。

Zhōngguó yǒu wǔshíliù gè mínzú.

There are 56 ethnic groups in China.

世界上有很多不同的民族。

Shìjiè shàng yǒu hěn duō bùtóng de mínzú.

There are a lot of different peoples in the world.

维吾尔族主要住在新疆。

Wéiwú'ěrzú zhǔyào zhù zài Xīnjiāng.

The Uyghur people mainly live in Xinjiang.

你吃过维吾尔族的烤肉吗？

Nǐ chīguo Wéiwú'ěrzú de kǎoròu ma?

Have you ever had Uyghur grilled meat?

傣族人住在云南的南部。

Dǎizú rén zhù zài Yúnnán de nánbù.

The Dai people live in the south of Yunnan.

你去过傣族人住的地方吗？

Nǐ qùguo Dǎizú rén zhù de dìfang ma?

Have you ever been to the places where the Dai people live?

世界是一个小村。

Shìjiè shì yí gè xiǎo cūn.

The world is a small village.

他的村屋在海岸上。

Tā de cūn wū zài hǎi'àn shàng.

His cottage is on the coast.

我住在这区。

Wǒ zhù zài zhè qū.

I live in this place.

儿童区在哪里？

Értóng qū zài nǎlǐ?

Where's the children's section?

我们游遍全国各地。

Wǒmen yóu biàn quánguó gèdì.

We travelled all over the country.

往返各地的收费如下。

Wǎngfǎn gèdì de shōufèi rúxià.

Round-trip fares to each destination are as follows.

你吃过天津的包子吗？

Nǐ chīguo Tiānjīn de bāozi ma?

Have you ever had the steamed buns from Tianjin?

我爸爸在天津工作了十年。

Wǒ bàba zài Tiānjīn gōngzuòle shínián.

My dad worked in Tianjin for ten years.

重庆的夏天又热又长。

Chóngqìng de xiàtiān yòu rè yòu cháng.

Summers in Chongqing are hot and long.

我姐姐明年要去重庆上大学。

Wǒ jiějie míngnián yào qù Chóngqìng shàng dàxué.

My older sister is going to university in Chongqing next year.

藏族的节日很热闹。

Zàngzú de jiérì hěn rènao.

The Tibetan festivals are very lively.

那位藏族老人在山里养了很多牛。

Nà wèi Zàngzú lǎorén zài shān lǐ yǎngle hěn duō niú.

That elderly Tibetan man raises many cattle in the mountains.

我同事是回族，他不吃猪肉。

Wǒ tóngshì shì Huízú, tā bùchī zhūròu.

My coworker is Hui and doesn't eat pork.

你知道回族的节日是怎么过的吗？

Nǐ zhīdào Huízú de jiérì shì zěnme guò de ma?

Do you know how the Hui people celebrate their festivals?

我的同事是满族，家在东北。

Wǒ de tóngshì shì Mǎnzú, jiā zài Dōngběi.

My colleague is Manchu, and her family is from the northeast.

满族人以前住在中国的东北。

Mǎnzú rén yǐqián zhù zài Zhōngguó de Dōngběi.

The Manchu people used to live in northeast China.

河南在中国的中部，人口很多。

Hénán zài Zhōngguó de zhōngbù, rénkǒu hěn duō.

Henan is in central China and has a large population.

这个周末我想去中部的城市看看。

Zhège zhōumò wǒ xiǎng qù zhōngbù de chéngshì kànkan.

This weekend I want to visit a city in the central region.

这地区很安静。

Zhè dìqū hěn ānjìng.

The area was quiet.

华南地区常常下大雨。

Huánán dìqū chángcháng xià dàyǔ.

It often rains heavily in South China.

他喜欢地理和历史。

Tā xǐhuan dìlǐ hé lìshǐ.

He likes geography and history.

我对地理很感兴趣。

Wǒ duì dìlǐ hěn gǎnxìngqù.

I'm very interested in geography.

古巴位于中美洲。

Gǔbā wèiyú Zhōngměizhōu.

Cuba is located in the Americas.

图书馆位于市中央。

Túshūguǎn wèiyú shì zhōngyāng.

The library is in the middle of the city.

人口快如风

rénkǒu kuài rú fēng

people's mouths are fast as wind

人口正在增长。

Rénkǒu zhèngzài zēngzhǎng.

The population is growing.

我爷爷一直住在一个小县里。

Wǒ yéye yìzhí zhù zài yí gè xiǎo xiàn lǐ.

My grandfather has always lived in a small county.

他用三年时间治理好了这个县。

Tāyòng sān nián shíjiān zhìlǐ hǎole zhège xiàn.

He took three years to get this county well governed.

入乡随乡,入街随街

rù xiāng suí xiāng,rù jiē suí jiē

enter a village, follow the village; enter a street, follow the street

城和乡的生活很不一样。

Chéng hé xiāng de shēnghuó hěn bù yíyàng.

Life in the city and life in the countryside are very different.

我姐姐明年要去澳门工作。

Wǒ jiějie míngnián yào qù Àomén gōngzuò.

My older sister is going to work in Macao next year.

澳门很小，但是游客非常多。

Àomén hěn xiǎo, dànshì yóukè fēicháng duō.

Macao is small, but it has a great many tourists.

我哥哥在省会工作。

Wǒ gēge zài shěnghuì gōngzuò.

My older brother works in the provincial capital.

广东的省会是哪个城市？

Guǎngdōng de shěnghuì shì nǎge chéngshì?

Which city is the capital of Guangdong Province?

朝鲜族的传统节日是哪天？

Cháoxiǎnzú de chuántǒng jiérì shì nǎ tiān?

What day is the traditional festival of the Korean ethnic group?

朝鲜族学生在学校里也学汉语吗？

Cháoxiǎnzú xuésheng zài xuéxiào lǐ yě xué Hànyǔ ma?

Do ethnic Korean students also study Chinese at school?

彝族的火把节在夏天举行。

Yízú de huǒbǎjié zài xiàtiān jǔxíng.

The Yi people's Torch Festival is held in the summer.

四川和云南都有很多彝族人。

Sìchuān hé Yúnnán dōu yǒu hěn duō Yízú rén.

Both Sichuan and Yunnan have many Yi people.

土家族的歌声很好听。

Tǔjiāzú de gēshēng hěn hǎotīng.

Tujia singing sounds very beautiful.

你去过土家族的村子吗？

Nǐ qùguo Tǔjiāzú de cūnzi ma?

Have you ever been to a Tujia village?

哈萨克族主要住在哪里？

Hāsàkèzú zhǔyào zhù zài nǎlǐ?

Where do the Kazakh people mainly live?

哈萨克族人大多住在新疆北部。

Hāsàkèzú rén dàduō zhù zài Xīnjiāng běibù.

Most Kazakh people live in northern Xinjiang.

广西有很多瑶族村子。

Guǎngxī yǒu hěn duō Yáozú cūnzi.

There are many Yao villages in Guangxi.

瑶族的衣服颜色很漂亮。

Yáozú de yīfu yánsè hěn piàoliang.

The clothes of the Yao people are very colorful and beautiful.

白族人喜欢在家里种花。

Báizú rén xǐhuan zài jiālǐ zhònghuā.

The Bai people like to grow flowers at home.

我在云南认识了一对白族夫妻。

Wǒ zài Yúnnán rènshile yíduì Báizú fūqī.

In Yunnan I got to know a Bai couple.

纳西族的古老文字很特别。

Nàxīzú de gǔlǎo wénzì hěn tèbié.

The ancient writing of the Naxi people is very special.

你想不想去纳西族的村子看看？

Nǐ xiǎng bùxiǎng qù Nàxīzú de cūnzi kànkan?

Would you like to go and see a Naxi village?

你听过黎族的传统舞蹈吗？

Nǐ tīngguo Lízú de chuántǒng wǔdǎo ma?

Have you heard of the traditional dances of the Li people?

那个黎族村子的风景特别美。

Nàge Lízú cūnzi de fēngjǐng tèbié měi.

The scenery of that Li village is especially beautiful.

侗族的鼓楼很有名。

Dòngzú de gǔlóu hěn yǒumíng.

The Dong people's drum towers are very famous.

侗族的鼓楼是村里最热闹的地方。

Dòngzú de gǔlóu shì cūnlǐ zuì rènao de dìfang.

The drum tower of the Dong people is the liveliest place in the village.

他常去港澳台出差。

Tā cháng qù gǎng'àotái chūchāi.

He often goes on business trips to Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan.

去港澳台旅游需要办什么证件？

Qù gǎng'àotái lǚyóu xūyào bàn shénme zhèngjiàn?

What documents do I need to travel to Hong Kong, Macao or Taiwan?

中华民族是一个大家庭。

Zhōnghuámínzú shì yí gè dàjiātíng.

The Chinese people are one big family.

五十六个民族组成了中华民族。

Wǔ shíliù gè mínzú zǔchéngle Zhōnghuámínzú.

Fifty-six ethnic groups make up the Chinese people.

你是哪个省份的人？

Nǐ shì nǎge shěngfèn de rén?

Which province are you from?

中国有三十多个省份。

Zhōngguó yǒu sānshí duōge shěngfèn.

China has more than thirty provinces.

黄河水,难清

Huáng Hé shuǐ,nán qīng

Yellow River water: hard to get clear (to invite)

黄河水,倒不完

Huáng Hé shuǐ,dào bù wán

Yellow River water: can't finish pouring (telling)

他刚来这镇上。

Tā gāng lái zhè zhèn shàng.

He's new in town.

我来这个镇有十年了。

Wǒ lái zhège zhèn yǒu shínián le.

It's been ten years since I came to this town.

你去过华北的农村吗？

Nǐ qùguo Huáběi de nóngcūn ma?

Have you ever been to the countryside in North China?

华北的冬天又干又冷。

Huáběi de dōngtiān yòu gàn yòu lěng.

Winters in North China are dry and cold.

上海和杭州都在华东。

Shànghǎi hé Hángzhōu dōu zài Huádōng.

Shanghai and Hangzhou are both in East China.

华东的夏天又热又潮湿。

Huádōng de xiàtiān yòu rè yòu cháoshī.

Summers in East China are hot and humid.

华南的冬天不太冷。

Huánán de dōngtiān bú tài lěng.

Winters in South China are not very cold.

华中的夏天非常热。

Huázhōng de xiàtiān fēicháng rè.

Summers in Central China are very hot.

武汉是华中最大的城市。

Wǔhàn shì Huázhōng zuì dà de chéngshì.

Wuhan is the largest city in Central China.

沿海城市夏天常有台风。

Yánhǎi chéngshì xiàtiān cháng yǒu táifēng.

Coastal cities often have typhoons in summer.

沿海城市的夏天又热又湿。

Yánhǎi chéngshì de xiàtiān yòu rè yòu shī.

Summers in coastal cities are hot and humid.