Chinese Starter Kit
中文基础包 — 你的第一堂中文课
Everything a complete beginner needs for the first 30 minutes of Mandarin: the 4 tones, pinyin essentials, 20 survival phrases, your first 10 characters, and numbers. Read it here, or take the PDF.
1 · The Four Tones四个声调
Every syllable carries one of four tones. Same letters, different tone, different word — this is the #1 skill to get right on day one.
| Tone | Example | Pitch pattern | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st (high) | mā | High and flat — like singing a note | 妈 mother |
| 2nd (rising) | má | Rising — like asking "what?" | 麻 hemp |
| 3rd (dipping) | mǎ | Down, then up — like a sigh of doubt | 马 horse |
| 4th (falling) | mà | Sharp falling — like a firm "no!" | 骂 to scold |
2 · Pinyin in 5 Minutes拼音速览
Pinyin is Mandarin in Latin letters. Most sounds are close to English — just watch out for these seven:
| Pinyin | Sounds like | Example |
|---|---|---|
| q | "ch" in cheese | 起 qǐ — to rise |
| x | "sh" but softer | 谢 xiè — thank |
| zh | "j" in jump | 中 zhōng — middle |
| c | "ts" in cats | 菜 cài — food / vegetable |
| z | "ds" in beds | 早 zǎo — early |
| r | like "s" in measure | 人 rén — person |
| ü | lips rounded, say "ee" | 绿 lǜ — green |
3 · 20 Essential Phrases二十句必备
Greetings, politeness, shopping, emergencies — the twenty sentences that carry a whole first trip to China.
| 中文 | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 你好 | Nǐ hǎo | Hello |
| 早上好 | Zǎoshang hǎo | Good morning |
| 谢谢 | Xièxie | Thank you |
| 不客气 | Bú kèqi | You're welcome |
| 对不起 | Duìbuqǐ | Sorry / excuse me |
| 没关系 | Méi guānxi | It's okay / no problem |
| 再见 | Zàijiàn | Goodbye |
| 是 / 不是 | Shì / Bú shì | Yes (is) / no (is not) |
| 我叫… | Wǒ jiào… | My name is… |
| 你叫什么名字？ | Nǐ jiào shénme míngzi? | What's your name? |
| 我不懂 | Wǒ bù dǒng | I don't understand |
| 你会说英文吗？ | Nǐ huì shuō Yīngwén ma? | Do you speak English? |
| 多少钱？ | Duōshao qián? | How much is it? |
| 太贵了！ | Tài guì le! | Too expensive! |
| 便宜一点吧 | Piányi yìdiǎn ba | Can you make it cheaper? |
| 卫生间在哪里？ | Wèishēngjiān zài nǎlǐ? | Where is the restroom? |
| 我要这个 | Wǒ yào zhège | I want this one |
| 买单 | Mǎidān | Check, please |
| 好吃！ | Hǎochī! | Delicious! |
| 干杯！ | Gānbēi! | Cheers! |
4 · Your First 10 Characters最初的十个汉字
Characters aren't random — many are drawings. Learn these ten and you'll start spotting them inside bigger characters everywhere.
Try it: 木 + 木 = 林 (forest). 人 + 人 = 从 (to follow). Characters are Lego.
5 · Numbers数字
Build any number: 11 = 十一 (ten-one), 25 = 二十五 (two-ten-five), 368 = 三百六十八. Now you can hear any price.
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