Chinese for Beginners: Basic Chinese Course - Lesson 1

Introduction

• How to introduce yourself in Chinese

Saying Hello

• Nihao (你好)
  • Pronounced: nǐ hǎo
  • Literal meaning: good, well, okay
  • Interpretation: I bet you're doing good/okay today
  • Tone: Both characters have a third tone when spoken individually, but "nǐ hǎo" changes to second-third tone when together

Introducing Yourself

• A Chinese name structure: Last name (1 character) + First name (1 or 2 characters)
  • Example 1: Bruce Lee
    • Chinese name: 李小龙 (Lǐ Xiǎolóng)
    • Meaning: Little Dragon
  • Example 2: Jackie Chan
    • Chinese name: 成龙 (Chéng Lóng)
    • Meaning: To become a dragon

Two Ways to Introduce Yourself

1. Wǒ xìng [Last Name] (我姓 [Last Name])

• Literal meaning: My last name is [Last Name]
• Example: 我姓 李 (Wǒ xìng Lǐ)

2. Wǒ jiào [Full Name] (我叫 [Full Name])

• Literal meaning: I am called [Full Name]
• Example: 我叫 成龙 (Wǒ jiào Chéng Lóng)

Rules for Introduction

• Using full name: Can use both last and first name
  • Example: 我叫 李小龙 (Wǒ jiào Lǐ Xiǎolóng)
• Using first name only: Only if the first name has 2 characters
  • Example: Cannot say: 我叫 李 (Wǒ jiào Lǐ) if first name has 1 character
  • Can say: 我叫 小龙 (Wǒ jiào Xiǎolóng) if first name has 2 characters

Practice

1. Introduce yourself using "Wǒ xìng [Last Name]"
2. Introduce yourself using "Wǒ jiào [Full Name]"
3. Say hello and introduce yourself: 你好 (Nǐ hǎo)

Recap and Review

• Quick review of all introduced phrases
• Encouraged to do quizzes for better retention

Next Steps

• Learn useful ways to memorize characters
• Sign up for more learning materials
• Subscribe, like, comment, and share

Conclusion

• Practice and repeat the phrases
• See you next time!