中文
zhōngwén
The English phrase "chinese language" is translated into Chinese as 中文 (zhōngwén).
中文 is the most common way to refer to the Chinese language in general contexts, such as when discussing language proficiency or the names of courses. It is a broad term that encompasses both the written and spoken Chinese languages as a whole.
What does it mean word for word?
The term 中文 consists of 中, meaning "middle" and 文, meaning "written language/culture".
Which one should you use?
While 中文 is a general term for the language or a cultural entity, 汉语 (hànyǔ) specifically refers to the spoken language of the Han people. If you want to specify the standard Mandarin dialect used in mainland China, use 普通话 (pǔtōnghuà).
Is it said differently in some regions?
The term 华语 (huáyǔ) is commonly used in regions such as Southeast Asia. Other specific languages include 粤语 (yuhtyúh) for Cantonese and 客家話 (hak^1gaa^1 waa^2) for Hakka.
How do you pronounce it?
zhōngwén
Did you know?
- Because 中文 refers to the 'written language', a person can be proficient in 中文 without actually being able to speak a single word of any Chinese dialect.
- The character 中 in 中文 refers to 'middle', reflecting the ancient Chinese view of their civilization being the 'Middle Kingdom'.
- The term 普通话 literally translates to 'common speech', reflecting a political effort to create a unified standard language for a country with hundreds of mutually unintelligible dialects.
Examples in context
- 你知道那么多关于中文的东西，就好像你是中国人一样啊。You know so many things about the Chinese language… It's just as if you were Chinese yourself.This sentence is useful for describing someone's high level of knowledge regarding the 中文 language.Tatoeba #578226 by sysko, translation #578232 by FeuDRenais2
- 我正在学习汉语。I am currently studying Chinese.
- 这是一本中文词典。This is a Chinese dictionary.
- 新加坡流行音乐大多是华语歌曲。Most popular music in Singapore is in the Chinese language.
- 你会说中文吗？Nǐ huì shuō Zhōngwén ma?Can you speak Chinese?
- 他在学中文。Tā zài xué Zhōngwén.He is studying Chinese.
Example conversation
At a language school office.
- 梓涵 Zihan你想学习中文吗？Nǐ xiǎng xuéxí Zhōngwén ma?Do you want to study Chinese?
- 俊杰 Junjie是的，我想学。Shì de, wǒ xiǎng xué.Yes, I want to study.
- 梓涵 Zihan俊杰，那我们一起报名吧。Jùnjié, nà wǒmen yìqǐ bàomíng ba.Junjie, let's sign up together then.
- 俊杰 Junjie好主意！Hǎo zhǔyì!Good idea!
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
