Learn Chinese Phrases for Describing People
Introduction to Describing People in Chinese
Describing people requires one to have a vocabulary of words before they can pull off the act. Describing people in a foreign language is particularly difficult if you don't have the right words to help you do it. The Chinese language is one such example. If you are leaning the Chinese language you are bound to realize that it is very difficult to describe someone if you don't have the right vocabulary. Description of people varies from language to language and so for the foreigner learning the Chinese language needs to be extra careful when doing that lest they sound offensive. When describing people many languages differ and their expressions too. The way people describe themselves in a language is often inspired by their way of life and the environment they live in. the things they appreciate and the things they hate are the very things that form their vocabulary when doing a description of people.
For example the Chinese express themselves in a comparative manner and it is common to find a description of someone being compared to an animal-the best case in point being a comparison to a cow in most Chinese expressions. In Chinese when someone has done another a favor or has come through for another when one really needed a favor, the recipient will often compliment the savior of the situation as a cow. The cow comparison in this instance depicting the heroic act and the great feeling of gratitude the recipient of the favor has for the hero. It also expresses the deep sense of appreciation by someone who has been done a big favor. For other languages, it might prove highly vulgar if you compared one to a cow. It is important to therefore understand the environment that you are living in before learning the language and practicing it on real people.
Common Chinese Phrases
He's smart. - 他很聰明。 - ta1 hen3 cong1 ming2
He's funny. - 他很幽默。 - ta1 hen3 you1 mo4
He's handsome. - 他很帥。 - ta1 hen3 shuai4
He's immature. - 他很幼稚。 - ta1 hen3 you4 zhi4
He's like a kid. - 他像個孩子。 - ta1 xiang4 ge4 hai2 zi
He worries too much. - 他總是太擔心了。 - ta1 zong3 shi4 tai4 dan1 xin1
He thinks too much. - 他想太多了。 - ta1 xiang3 tai4 duo1 le
He works hard. - 他工作很努力。 - ta1 gong1 zuo4 hen3 nu3 li4
He's cheerful - 他很開朗。 - ta1 hen3 kai1 lang3
He's confident. - 他很自信。 - ta1 hen3 zi4 xin4
He's decisive. - 他很果斷。 - ta1 hen3 guo3 duan4
He's reliable. - 他很可靠。 - ta1 hen3 ke3 kao4
He's focused. - 他很專心。 - ta1 hen3 zhuan1 xin1
He's gentle. - 他很溫柔。 - ta1 hen3 wen1 rou2
He's loyal. - 他很忠誠。 - ta1 hen3 zhong1 cheng2
He's selfish. - 他很自私。 - ta1 hen3 zi4 si1
Conclusion
This article provides you with the relevant expressions that you may need to communicate within the Chinese communicate especially when doing a description of the people around you. You need a good vocabulary of the Chinese descriptive words and you need a deep understanding of the Chinese values in order to understand the Chinese expressions and contextualize them correctly. The right Chinese phrases used in description of people talks a lot about the user, the sense of respect the user has for the people around him or her.
Resources
- Chinese Language Learning Reviews
A resource of the most popular learning Chinese methods currently around. - Learn Chinese StudyChat
Animated picture flashcards for learning Chinese - Scribe Origins Learning Hanzi Flashcards
This app covers over 4800 Japanese characters and traditional and simplified Chinese characters in a variety of games. Includes all characters for JLPT, JOYO, HSK, TOCFL, Taiwan school system and Hong Kong school system.
