Mandarin Chinese · HSK 3.0 Band 1 · Chapter 5

你是哪国人Where are you from

Nǐ shì nǎ guó rén

Countries, nationality, the question word 哪. Introduces Dashan, the foreign exchange student. Cultural section §1: How Chinese names work.

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你是哪国人— Where are you from?

  1. 马小明hǎo! jiàoxiǎomíng.Hello! My name is Ma Xiaoming.
  2. 大山hǎo, jiàoshān.Hi, I'm Dashan.
  3. 马小明shān, shìguórén?Dashan, where are you from?
  4. 大山shìwàiguórén.I'm a foreigner.
  5. 马小明shìzhōngguórén. shìxuéshēng.I'm Chinese. I'm also a student.
  6. 大山shìxuéshēng! menshìtóngxué!I'm a student too! We're classmates!
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介绍同学— Introducing a classmate

  1. 马小明xièxiǎowén, jièshàodepéngyǒu.Xie Xiaowen, let me introduce my friend.
  2. 马小明zhèshìshān. shānshìwàiguórén.This is Dashan. Dashan is a foreigner.
  3. 谢小文hǎo, shān. jiàoxièxiǎowén.Hi Dashan. I'm Xie Xiaowen.
  4. 大山rènshi, hěngāoxìng!Nice to meet you!
  5. 谢小文rènshishì.Nice to meet you too.
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汉字— Chinese characters

  1. 大山shìwàiguórén. shìxuéshēng.I'm a foreigner. I'm also a student.
  2. 高老师shān, rènshihànma?Dashan, do you know Chinese characters?
  3. 大山rènshi! rènshi"zhōngguó""běijīng".I do! I know '中国' and '北京'.
  4. 高老师tàihǎole. zhōngwénshìhàn, hànshìzhōngwén.Excellent. Chinese (中文) is characters; 汉语 is Chinese (language).
  5. 大山shìzhōngguórén! shì. shìwàiguórén.I'm Chinese too! ...No, I'm a foreigner.
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pronounwhich

guó

nouncountry

guójiā

nouncountry; nation

běijīng

nounBeijing

wàiguó

nounforeign country

zhōngwén

nounChinese (written)

hàn

nounChinese character

jièshào

verbto introduce

rènshi

verbto know (a person)

shān

pn.Dashan (persona — foreign exchange student)

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which

哪儿 nǎr — where哪里 nǎlǐ — where (more formal)哪个 nǎge — which one
wài

outside (in 外国)

外国 wàiguó — foreign country外边 wàibiān — outside另外 lìngwài — in addition; additionally; another

introduce (in 介绍, ch5)

介绍 jièshào — to introduce

(in 介绍)

介绍 jièshào — to introduce
zhè

this

这个 zhè ge — this one这些 zhèxiē — these这边 zhèbiān — this side

(in 认识 = know a person)

认识 rènshi — to know (a person)认真 rènzhēn — serious(ly); careful(ly) (recall Bk2)认为 rènwéi — believe; think (recall Bk2)

(in 认识)

认识 rènshi — to know (a person)
hěn

very (required degree adverb)

(in 高兴)

高兴 gāoxìng — happy; pleased高高兴兴 gāogāo-xìngxìng — happily; cheerfully (AABB reduplication of 高兴)兴趣 xìngqù — interest

north (in 北京)

北京 Běijīng — Beijing北方 běifāng — north

capital (in 北京)

北京 Běijīng — Beijing
tài

too (excessively)

不太 bùtài — not very (often softens an adjective in a negative direction)太极 tàijí — tai chi
liǎo

(particle: change of state)

多了 duō le — much more (large-degree complement: A 比 B + adj + 多了)极了 jí le — extremely (X) — emphatic suffix on adj累死了 lèi sǐ le — dead tired (colloquial intensifier)
jiā

home; family

国家 guójiā — country; nation家人 jiārén — family member回家 huí jiā — go home
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whichWriting

9 strokesleft-rightradical 口

Phono-semantic compound: 口 (mouth) + 那 (nà, phonetic). Question word — "which?"

guócountryWriting

8 strokesenclosureradical 囗

囗 (enclosure / walls) + 玉 (jade / treasure). Original sense: "a place enclosed by walls containing treasure" = country. Anchors 中国 (ch4), 哪国 (this chapter), 国家 (this chapter).

běinorth (in 北京)Writing

5 strokesleft-right

Pictograph: two people back-to-back. Original sense: "back" — extended to "north" (Chinese houses traditionally face south, so north is the "back").

jīngcapital (in 北京)Writing

8 strokestop-bottom

Pictograph: a tall structure / city gate. Original sense: "a large building" — extended to "capital city." Anchors 北京 (Beijing).

wénwriting; culture (in 中文 / 谢小文)Recognition

4 strokesstandalone

(written) character (in 汉字 / 名字)Recognition

6 strokestop-bottomradical 宀

jiè(in 介绍 = introduce)Recognition

4 strokestop-bottomradical 亻

shào(in 介绍)Recognition

8 strokesleft-rightradical 纟

rèn(in 认识 = know a person)Recognition

4 strokesleft-rightradical 讠

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Asking with 哪 — nationality

Explanation

哪 is the question word for "which" — used when selecting from a set. For nationality: 哪国人 (literally "which-country person"). For objects: 哪个 (which one, ch12). The pattern 你是哪国人? = "you are [which country] person?"

Examples

  • 你是哪国人?Where are you from?
  • 我是中国人.I am Chinese.
  • 他是外国人吗?Is he a foreigner?
  • shìzhōngguórén.I am also Chinese.
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四个声调The Four Tones

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中国人的名字How Chinese names work

When Chinese people introduce themselves, they say their family name FIRST, then their given name. Your classmate is 'Ma Xiaoming' — 马 is the family name, 小明 is his given name.

Family name first

In China, 马小明 = 马 (family name) + 小明 (given name). Western students always get this wrong the first time. A teacher is 高老师 (Teacher Gao) — not 'Gao Teacher'.

Family names are short

Most Chinese family names are just one character: 王 (Wang), 李 (Li), 张 (Zhang), 刘 (Liu), 陈 (Chen). Not as long as Western surnames.

小 + family name = friend

Among friends, '小 + family name' is friendly: 小马 = 'Little Ma'. '老 + family name' is for elders or close friends (老李 = 'Old Li' — affection, not insult). For teachers / managers: family name + title (高老师, 林经理).

Next time a Chinese friend introduces themselves, listen for the family name first — that's how to address them.

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