There are three key survival needs to everyone in our daily life: food, bed and toilet. How can you deal with them when you travel alone for an adventure in a rural place of China? So, the most important words we learn today is about TOILET talk in Chinese. No mistake!

Just similar to English terms, you have toilet, restroom, washing room, lavatory and …, in Chinese, we have different ways to call toilet too. If you have problem in reading them, please contact ChineseHour teachers online, we are ready to help FREE anytime for you to learn Chinese.

厕所 cèsuǒ,toilet

卫生间 wèishēng jiān

sanitation-room

洗手间 xǐshǒu jiān

washing-hand-room

If you cann’t remember all of them, just try to recognize the two characters as indicated in the picture:

男 nán, Men’s, Gent’s

女 nǚ，Women’s, Ladies

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Attention, there is a slight difference between the three Chinese expressions for toilet:

- 厕所(cèsuǒ) is mostly used for public place, like in tourist sites, gardens, schools, or roadside toilets. And 公共厕所 (gōnggòng cèsuǒ, public toilet/lavatory) is printed often on the wall of the toilet, a separate building most of the time. Sometimes you can easily find the sign by the roadside with Chinese characters or English for toilet. If you are looking for it, you may ask:

** Qǐngwèn, nǎer yǒu cèsuǒ？

 ** 请 问，哪儿 有 厕所？

 (Excuse me, where is the toilet?)

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- 卫生间 (wèishēng jiān, sanitation - room) is mostly refered to the toilet inside buildings like hotels, restaurants, office buildings or private houses. If you are looking for it, you may ask:

 ** Qǐngwèn, wèishēng jiān zài nǎer？

** 请 问， 洗手 间 卫生间在 哪儿？

 (Excuse me, where is the restroom?)

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- 洗手间(xǐshǒu jiān, washing - hand - room). In Chinese hotels and private houses, bathtub and the toilet are in the same room. So when you ask “May I use your 洗手间 (xǐshǒu jiān, washing room)?”, you mean either just wash your hand or use the toilet. You may ask:

** wǒ kěyǐ yòng yíxià nǐ de xǐshǒu jiān ma？

** 我 可以 用 一下 你 的 洗手 间 吗？

(May I use your washing room?)

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If you have problem in reading them, please contact ChineseHour teachers online, we are ready to help FREE anytime for you to learn Chinese. It is good enough to remember these toilet talk in Chinese. And there is a common Chinese euphemism for “I want to use the toilet” , if you can say that fluently, it means have master the essence of Chinese language, as “Do as Chinese do when in China”:

** Duì bu qǐ, wǒ qù fāngbiàn yíxià。

** 对不起，我 去 方便一下。(方便fāngbiàn, convenience)

(Excuse me, I’ll go to the restroom for a while. )

It literally suggests that “I’ll have to go for a convenience”. Indeed, Chinese people are telling the truth that it is not convenient at all if you have such a urgent problem and you can’t find a toilet!

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Again, we reapeat what we have learnt about toilet talk in Chinese, and read aloud in pinyin:

 ** Qǐngwèn, nǎer yǒu cèsuǒ？

 ** 请 问，哪儿 有 厕所？

(Excuse me, where is the toilet?)

** Duì bu qǐ, wǒ qù fāngbiàn yíxià。

** 对不起，我 去 方便一下。

 (Excuse me, I’ll go to the restroom for a while. )

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If you have problem in reading them, please contact ChineseHour teachers online, we are ready to help FREE anytime for you to learn Chinese. Visit ChineseHour.com to learn Mandarin Chinese with native speakers !

At the start of the Silk Road where Chinese silks and merchandise began their journey westward to European traders lies Kublai Khan’s capital, Beijing (‘Northern Capital’). The grandson of the Great Genghis Khan invaded China from the North and cemented Beijing’s position as the Capital.

Home to the Imperial Court for more than 600 years, Beijing’s ancient history stands as constant backdrop to the brashly modern metropolis of today. ‘A city of contrasts’ visitors can expect to see signs of the myriad of changes the city has undergone.

The new lives right along side the old in terms of architecture, people and transport. A sky scraper is located right alongside the shacks made of cardboard and tin, in the same way a Mercedes Benz is a frequent feature on Beijing roads, along with bicycles carrying coal on the back.

The sheer enormity of many of the buildings and spaces particularly public structures such as Tiananmen Square, The Forbidden City, The Temple of Heaven and The Great Hall of the People; make visitors feel very small.

If you can speak Chinese a little bit, it would make you your trip easy, interesting and fruitful. You can visit www.chinesehour.com to learn some basic Chinese before you start a trip to Beijing.

Size is a factor for this city. There are over 15 million residents and it is only getting bigger as the country’s efforts towards rapid modernisation are taking shape in the capital.

There is massive redevelopment and impressive expansion of infrastructure that will more than triple the city’s expressway network and almost double its subway lines by 2008. Up to US$38 billion to US$40 billion will be spent on venues, transport, urban renewal, environmental protection and other projects leading into 2008 alone.

Alongside this structural growth has been an expanding cultural sector and visitors should look to visit the 798 Art Zone and architectural triumphs such as the new CCTV Building and Grand National Theatre as well as the favourite tourist spots, not forgetting to take a day trip to the Great Wall and have some duck on the way!

Beijing has more to offer than simply an impressive array of newly built and award winning sporting venues. Time taken to check out some of the cities vast array of ancient and modern monuments will give visitors a richer experience of the 2008 Olympic Games host city.

If you’re lucky enough to be heading to Beijing for the games with a good sense of adventure and an expectation of anything goes - it won’t disappoint. If you can speak Chinese a little bit, it would make you your trip easy, interesting and fruitful. You can visit www.chinesehour.com to learn some basic Chinese before you start a trip to Beijing.

SNAP SHOT:
Where: N. China 40°04´48″N, 116°35´04″E
Population: 15.244.000 (2005)
Total municipal area: 16,808 square kilometres
Learn Chinese online: www.chinesehour.com
Airport: Beijing International airport
Main Train Station: Beijing Train Station (also Old Station)
City trees: Scholar tree and Oriental cypress
City flowers: Chinese rose and Chrysanthemum
Tourist season: April to October
Climate: From July and August, temperatures in Bejing can hit 38C.
Time Zone: GMT plus eight hours (Perth time)

China is one of the world’s oldest continuous civilisations. Claiming a history dating back 5000 years, it is considered to have made some of the most significant artistic contributions to human kind.

Chinese inventions and culture have permeated the globe. You only need to wrap yourself in silk, open your umbrella or head out to the Opera to experience some of China’s exports, along with fireworks, chopsticks and the humble wheelbarrow. If you can speak Chinese a little bit, it would make you your trip easy, interesting and fruitful. You can visit www.chinesehour.com to learn some basic Chinese before you start a trip to China.

The emergence of Confucianism around the 3rd century BC hugely influenced Chinese culture and it is this ethical tradition or philosophy which formed the basis of governance in China until the 20th Century. To learn about Chinese culture, you can visit ChineseHour.com to get private natvie teachers online anytime.

Although China’s recent history has been tumultuous, marked by conflict and followed by economic setbacks and the Cultural Revolution; in the last decade China has revealed a uniquely speedy transformation. The recent economic reform to a more open market has catapulted China towards modernisation making it the world’s fastest growing economy.

Membership to the World Trade Organisation and a successful bid to hold the Olympic Games in 2008 have been instrumental in exposing the world to the changes which have been taking place in China. China is predicted to overtake France as the world’s most popular tourist destination by 2014. If you can speak Chinese a little bit, it would make you your trip easy, interesting and fruitful. You can visit www.chinesehour.com to learn some basic Chinese before you start a trip to China.

SNAPSHOT:

Full name: People’s Republic of China
Population: 1.3 billion (via UN, 2006)
Capital: Beijing
Largest city: Shanghai
Area: 9.6 million sq km (3.7 million sq miles)
Major language: Mandarin Chinese

Learn Chinese online: www.chinesehour.com
Major religions: Buddhism, Christianity, Islam, Taoism
Life expectancy: 70 years (men), 73 years (women) (UN)
Main exports: Manufactured goods, including textiles, garments, electronics, arms
Internet domain: .cn
International dialing code: 86

THINGS TO KNOW:

• The Chinese Communist Party was formed in 1921.

• The People’s Republic of China was proclaimed in 1949.

• Beijing narrowly lost the vote to host the 2000 Olympic Games to Sydney.

• 8 is a lucky number in China which is why the Games will open at 8pm on the 8th of August 2008

When introducing people in Chinese, the order is surname first, title second

The Chinese seldom call each other by their whole name unless they are close friends or members of the immediate family. When addressing people, it is common practice to use titles like

Mr, xiānshēng 先 生

Mrs, fūren 夫 人

Miss , xiǎojiě 小 姐.

The title is placed after the name, thus Miss Zhuo is Zhuó xiǎojiě in Chinese. ChineseHour teacher has the details.

The word xiānshēng, “mister”, literally means “first born”, which implies respect. Anyone born before me is older than me, and thus earns my respect due to his age. On some occasions xiānshēng is also used with the meaning of “teacher”.

Women do not change their family name when they get married and that is why Miss Liu, after after changing her marital status, will be Mrs Liu. Especially in Hongkong or Taiwan you can also hear the expression tàitai for Mrs. The word xiǎojiě, Miss, is also used when addressing a waitress in a restaurant or a shop assistant. Xiǎo means “little” and jiě stands for “sister”. Nowadays waitresses are often also called xiǎomèi, which translates into “small little sister”.

The reason for this alteration is that the word xiǎojiě has encountered an inflation due to its connotation to sān péi xiǎojiě 三 陪 小 姐”, those young modern “geishas” who accompany guests in restaurants to sing karaoke. If you have any problems in these terms, please turn to ChineseHour private teachers online, they are ready to help you learn Chinese free of charge.

The term “comrade”, tóngzhì 同 志, was still widely used in the 70s and 80s, but not so much any more - at least not between colleagues or amongst average Chinese citizens. Instead, in the office, people call their colleagues Lăo Wáng, “Elder Wang”, or Xiăo Lĭ, “Younger Li”. Here old and young do not really refer to age as such, but to people’s position or status, although in many cases these go hand in hand, as professional experience and success are supposed to accumulate steadily according to the years in service.

The word shīfu 师 傅 originally referred to a master of any specific skill, such as a carpenter, calligraphist, martial arts master etc. It contained the meaning of being a teacher, and thus the apprentice or student would call his master shīfu. Nowadays shīfu is commonly used to address, for example, a cab driver.

The Chinese like to use words that express profession or social status when addressing each other or referring to other people. This kind of underlines the fact that they pay a lot of attention to social roles and the status of each individual - thus defining the pattern of interaction and how people releate to each other. Surname comes before the title, such as in “doctor Zhang”, Zhàng dàifu 张 大 夫, “accountant Li”, Lǐ kuàijì ( 李 会 计), teacher Liu, Liú lǎoshī 刘 老 师 etc.

The importance of social merit
The main rule in addressing Chinese people is that the family name comes before a title, and the family name is also placed before a person’s first name. This just might stem from the Chinese manner of approaching the world and its phenomena from bigger entities to smaller ones. This also explains why in the Chinese society the focus is on social groups rather than on single members of a group. A practical example of this way of thinking is the manner in which the Chinese traditionally write an address on an envelope: first they write the name of the country, then the city and the street address, and finally comes the name of the person who will receive the letter. In most western countries the order is the reverse - the person’s name first, then the city and after that the country name. Placing the family name before the personal given name implies that the family is more important than any individual member of it.

The complexity of family relations

Within Chinese families, people do not call each other by their names, but instead by words indicating their mutual relationship. There are dozens of different names used to address younger or elder sisters, brothers of various ages, uncles and aunties from the mother’s and father’s side, younger brother’s wife, elder sister’s husband, father’s little sister and mother’s younger brother… not to mention cousins of various ages. Better not to try to grasp it all at once.

Children basically call their parents mother and father, and grand parents grand father and grand mother - here again differentiating between grand parents from the either side of the family. And, because the Chinese just love children, these are usually always given nicknames (xiǎomíng, i.e. “littlename”) used within the family, such as “Little Tiger”, “Little Fatty”, “Little Precious”.

ChineseHour.com is your first place to learn Chinese online from native Chinese teachers with diverse courses. Just join us right now!

Beijing 2008 Summer Olympic Games is drawing near. Are you interested in speaking some simple Chinese with Chinese friends when you visit Beijing for the great event? ChineseHour lists the hot Chinese Olympic words and expressions for you. You may start a conversation “我喜欢Wǒ xǐhuan…, I love … “. Practice makes perfect, if you have problems about them, please refer to Chinese teachers at ChineseHour.com right away.

— For speeches:  

和平奥运 hépín gàoyùn

Peaceful Olympics 

和谐奥运héxié àoyùn

Harmonious Olympics  

科技奥运 kējì àoyùn

High-tech Olympics  

绿色奥运 lǜsè àoyùn

Green Olympics  

人文奥运 rénwén àoyùn

People’s Olympics  

安全奥运 ānquán àoyùn

Safe Olympics

— For conversation:

Wish Beijing Olympic Games a great success!
祝北京奥运会圆满成功。
Zhù Běijīng àoyùnhuì yuánmǎn chénggōng.

北京, 加油。Cheerio, Beijing!
Běijīng，jiāyóu.

奥运, 加油。Cheerio, Olympics!
Àoyùn，jiāyóu.

奥运会 àoyùnhuì，Olympic Games
开幕式 kāimùshì，opening ceremony
闭幕式 bìmùshì，closing ceremony

奥运场馆 àoyùn chǎngguǎn，Olympic venues
鸟巢 niǎocháo, Bird’s Nest （China’s National Stadium）
水立方shuǐ lìfāng， Water Cube （National Aquatics Center）
中文时间 Zhōngwén shíjiān，ChineseHour
志愿者 zhìyuànzhě，volunteers
火炬接力 huǒjù jiēlì，Torch Relay

奥运村àoyùn cūn, Olympic Village

— For posters:   

同一个世界 同一个梦想
tongyīgè shìjiè, tongyīgè mèngxiǎng
One World One Dream

点燃激情 传递梦想
Diǎnránjīqíng，chuándìmèngxiǎng
Light the passion, share the dream.

更快 更高 更强
gèngkuài gènggāo gèngqiáng
Faster Higher and Stronger

文明北京 和谐奥运
wénmíng běijīng，héxié àoyùn
Sophisticated Beijing for a harmonious Olympic Games

微笑北京 共享奥运
wēixiàoběijīng，gòngxiǎng àoyùn
Smiling Beijing and inclusive Olympic Games

活力北京 超越梦想
huólì běijīng，chāoyuè mèngxiǎng
Robust Beijing to exceed the Dreams

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Enjoy the Summer Olympic Games  and enjoy learning Chinese at ChineseHour.com!

Any questions in understanding the hot Chinese words for Beijing Olympic Games, please turn to the native Chinese teachers for help at http://www.chinesehour.com/. We are ready to help anytime and free of charge.