I gather than you can get the most mileage out of Mandarin than any other Chinese language. Any of you guys actually learn the language?

I am giving it a rather low key try - I am noticing that the structure of the language is similar to Thai, although the vocabulary is completely different. Probably like English and Sanskrit.

Despite several trips to China, haven't really picked up on all the "essential" mandarin. Ran across some words that are not in the Lonely Planet dictionery. I hope others will add to the list of essential words one should know for China. Beware that pronounciation is key to Mandarin is it is a Tonal language.

tào = condom

bìmian shòuyùn = avoid becoming pregnant

yuèjing = mens/period

gangjiào = anal/ass fuck

fengféi = rich, full, curvy

koujiao or chuixiao = oral sex

rujiao = tit fuck

suo = suck

shiwen = French kiss

qinzui, wen = kiss

shunwen = suck and lick

xishun = suck

shìtian or shìshun = lick

xitian = breasts, bosom, bust

mimi = tuttar / tits

jìngluán = spasm, convulsion, orgasm

tóngfáng = sleep together

cha; = bang

bengguo = “beating the pots” (fucking)

yinnáng = balls

jiba; = penis

xìng = sex

xìngjiao = have sex

xìngyù = sexlust

qiàoyìng = hard on

sègui = sex maniac

yànqíng = erotic

cào = fuck

yànshi = erotic adventures

wo kào = I'll be damned (with a touch of surprise)

chui laba = blowjob (“blow the horn”)

jingyè = semen

bi = cunt (bad word do not use)

boo shr laobi; = NO old hag (old cunt)

shabi; = idiot (stupid cunt)

ròudòng = meat dungeon or "pussy"

boo shr fentáo = NO fag

yinmáo = pubic hair

shénnu; = goddess (prostitute)

yáozi = prostitute (also brothel)

changliáo = whore house, brothel

yìngzhào nulang = call girl

ànmónu = massage girl

fàlángmèi = hair salon sister

péinu = escort girl

KTV xiaoji = karaoke escort

piáokè = whore monger, brothel customer

yanhuaxiàng = red-light district

nusè = female charms; sexual partner

niaotíngtíng = delicate and graceful (girl)

juésè = exceedingly beautiful (girl)

yaomèi = sexy, enchanting (mei is beautiful)

yùti = the naked body of a beautiful woman

chimí = infatuation

Thanks for the list Merlin (even though I doubt I'll ever be able to pronounce any words in Mandarin correctly).

Hmm sounds like somebody has recently caught a case of the yellow fever!

Yes MX, always had yellow fever, but realized knowing some Mandarin and having a "guide" is very important in China.

Here are other useful word I heard very often

Szufa = content, feels good.

Ting Boo Dong = I Don't understand (Ting Dong with "boo")

Dong Ma? = Do you understand?

Mei Gwoh = American

Shway = water

knee tzaun nar lee lei = what's your name

knee tzaun nar lee lei = where you from?

knee how = how are you?

Wore = I

Knee = You

tar = he/she/it

wore yeow = I want ...

dor sheow chen = how much?

tie gway la = too much

When? = Shenme shihou?
Where? = Zai na li?
I want to go to = Wo yao qu
Telephone = Dianhua
Police =Jingcha
Toilet =Cesuo
Very good, = hen hao
Let's go = zou ba
What time is it? = Ji dian?
Hotel = Fandian
I'm lost = Wo milu le
Taxi = chu zu qi che

useful to know adding "boo" negates the word.

There was one word my friend used often that meant "leave me alone mami, I'll pick my own".

merlin, I get quite a chuckle reading your phonetic spellings The first half of your phrases look was a wades-giles romanization, whereas the later half is chinese pinyin. The first step in learning chinese is getting pinyin and tones down cold-- well worth the minimal effort required and you can then use just about any pinyin dictionary and get the pronunciation close.


couple comments:
Ting Boo Dong = I Don't understand (Ting Dong with "boo")

You either say "ting bu dong" or "bu dong".

Wore = I

it's "wo." Sounds much more like "wa" rather than than "wore"

tar = he/she/it

"ta"


useful to know adding "boo" negates the word.

It can be used just prior to a verb.

Great advice DM, no wonder the girls never understand me :-) As you noticed, this is mixed-bag collection of terms from here and there; too bad Pimsler doesn't teach the essential stuff to practice.

I chuckled because way back when I tried to do the exact same thing... I wrote things down how my ears heard them in an attempt to make it easier. Unfort. it leads to butchering the words and no one could understand a word. Learning pinyin (a couple days) was by far the best investment in terms of learning the language.

Best of luck learning. Finding a hot gal or two to tutor you is very inspiring. They may even cook you some dumplings if they are from up north.

Takes more than a couple lessons to get the pronunciation and tones down on Mandarin. I have had a tutor for 2 months and still don't have the tones down.

By the way, the book we are using is called Integrated Chinese Chapter 1 Part 1, Simplified Characters. THis uses the pinyin system and you must buy the version with the CD's to help you hear the native speakers. That and quite a few podcasts should be enough, along with a tutor.

I would say the word "Wo" doesnt sound like "Wa" at all. It's nearly impossible to describe how it sounds as the o is a flat sound and it is a falling/rising tone with the "a" not coming unitl the falling part of the tone. As far grammar, Mandarain is extremely easy but the pronunciation/tone part of the language is a bitch.

Blazers, learning to pronouce pinyin properly can be had in a couple days-- as that is exactly how long I spent doing so in college (and I'm certainly not the quickest language learner). Learning pinyin is done with the second tone. Then you add tones 1-4 practice... The basics on the four tones is easy to learn, but hard to master in dialogue as your probably encountering.

As for "Wo". there is no flat part at all-- "o" is third tone. Let me know when your up for it and call me on the cell and only speak chinese-- I'm curious how your making out ...


I personally found chinese fairly easy to grasp and even though it is hard (and worthless) to write how things sound--just write in pinyin or learn chinese characters. Then again, I learned in grad school with 6 hours of lecture weekly and while living with a chinese grad student as well, whose wife became a tutor. Thai IMHO is 1000% harder to get become proficient with. I'm sure it's different for everyone tho.

I think my tutor is real strict with exact tones and pronunciation so its making it difficult. The language itself is basic. Thai wasnt easy either. Spanish was by far the hardest to learn, verbs are a bitch. I did say Wo is a third tone but the o is not the o like OH...just hard to write roman letters to describe the correct sound. Now that I have the pronuciation pretty well, the language learning is going quick.

Good thing your tutor is strict-- without proper prounciation, no one is going to understand a word

w"o" is pinyin and how it is spelt in china-- not phonetic.

Keep plugging away-- makes exploits in china take on a whole new dimension. Is the tutor cute? Where does she hail from?

(Message edited by donmarco on July 14, 2007)

The 3 mega course units for Pimsleur Mandarin seems to be the best and most comprehensive so far IMO, thanks to Sukhumvitter for hooking me up with the complete lesson. Rosetta Stone course in Mandarin is a waste of $$ IMO.