How To Describe Graphs And Charts In Chinese

Explaining a chart in Chinese can feel weirdly dramatic. One line goes up and suddenly everyone becomes an economist. The good news is that you do not need advanced business Chinese to do this well.

This guide gives you the core words, sentence patterns, and chart phrases you actually need. Every key item includes simplified Chinese, pinyin, English meaning, and a real example sentence, because staring at a line graph in silence is not a language strategy.

Essential Visual Cards

Basic Chart Types In Chinese

• 折线图 zhéxiàntú — line graph
  这个折线图 Zhège zhéxiàntú 显示了温度变化。
  Zhège zhéxiàntú xiǎnshì le wēndù biànhuà.
  This line graph shows temperature changes.
• 饼图 bǐngtú — pie chart
  这个饼图 Zhège bǐngtú 显示了市场份额。
  Zhège bǐngtú xiǎnshì le shìchǎng fèné.
  This pie chart shows market share.
• 表格 biǎogé — table
  这个表格 Zhège biǎogé 列出了主要数据。
  Zhège biǎogé lièchū le zhǔyào shùjù.
  This table lists the main data.
• 曲线 qūxiàn — curve; line on a graph
  这条曲线 Zhè tiáo qūxiàn 上升得很快。
  Zhè tiáo qūxiàn shàngshēng de hěn kuài.
  This curve rises quickly.

Core Trend Words You Will Use All The Time

These six verbs carry most of the workload when you describe charts in Chinese. They are not glamorous, but neither is a quarterly report.

How To Add Speed And Intensity

Native-style chart descriptions often add an adverb or adjective to show how much something changed. That is where your sentences stop sounding like textbook leftovers.

Useful Sentence Patterns For Describing Charts

These patterns are the real money. Learn them, swap in your own nouns, and suddenly you can describe almost any graph without panicking at the projector.

• 从 A 到 B，……上升了……
  从一月到三月，销售额上升了百分之十五。
  Cóng yīyuè dào sānyuè, xiāoshòué shàngshēng le bǎifēnzhī shíwǔ.
  From January to March, sales revenue rose by 15 percent.
• ……在……期间下降了……
  用户数量在暑假期间下降了。
  Yònghù shùliàng zài shǔjià qījiān xiàjiàng le.
  The number of users declined during the summer vacation period.
• ……达到……
  四月的销售额达到了最高点。
  Sìyuè de xiāoshòué dádào le zuìgāodiǎn.
  Sales in April reached the highest point.
• ……跌到……
  价格在五月跌到了最低点。
  Jiàgé zài wǔyuè diē dào le zuìdīdiǎn.
  The price fell to the lowest point in May.
• ……一直保持稳定
  成本在下半年一直保持稳定。
  Chéngběn zài xiàbànnián yìzhí bǎochí wěndìng.
  Costs stayed stable throughout the second half of the year.
• ……先上升，然后下降
  访问量先上升，然后下降。
  Fǎngwènliàng xiān shàngshēng, ránhòu xiàjiàng.
  Traffic first rose and then fell.
• ……与……相比
  今年的数据与去年相比更高。
  Jīnnián de shùjù yǔ qùnián xiāngbǐ gèng gāo.
  This year’s data are higher compared with last year’s.
• ……占……的百分之……
  移动用户占总用户的百分之七十。
  Yídòng yònghù zhàn zǒng yònghù de bǎifēnzhī qīshí.
  Mobile users account for 70 percent of total users.
• ……高于……
  A 产品的销量高于 B 产品。
  A chǎnpǐn de xiāoliàng gāoyú B chǎnpǐn.
  Product A’s sales are higher than Product B’s.
• ……低于……
  今年二月的收入低于一月。
  Jīnnián èryuè de shōurù dīyú yīyuè.
  Revenue in February this year was lower than in January.
• ……呈现……趋势
  这个市场呈现上升趋势。
  Zhège shìchǎng chéngxiàn shàngshēng qūshì.
  This market shows an upward trend.
• ……出现了波动
  价格在年中出现了波动。
  Jiàgé zài niánzhōng chūxiàn le bōdòng.
  Prices fluctuated in the middle of the year.

Words For Peaks, Lows, And Comparison

Mini Rule Guide: Percentage, Point, And Time

Ready-Made Sentences For Presentations

• 这张图表显示了过去一年的销售趋势。
  Zhè zhāng túbiǎo xiǎnshì le guòqù yī nián de xiāoshòu qūshì.
  This chart shows the sales trend over the past year.
• 从整体来看，数据呈现上升趋势。
  Cóng zhěngtǐ láikàn, shùjù chéngxiàn shàngshēng qūshì.
  Overall, the data show an upward trend.
• 第一季度增长最快。
  Dì-yī jìdù zēngzhǎng zuì kuài.
  The first quarter saw the fastest growth.
• 第二季度出现了明显下降。
  Dì-èr jìdù chūxiàn le míngxiǎn xiàjiàng.
  A clear decline appeared in the second quarter.
• 到了年底，数据恢复并继续上升。
  Dào le niándǐ, shùjù huīfù bìng jìxù shàngshēng.
  By the end of the year, the data recovered and continued to rise.
• A 类产品的表现优于 B 类产品。
  A lèi chǎnpǐn de biǎoxiàn yōuyú B lèi chǎnpǐn.
  Category A products performed better than Category B products.
• 这一部分占总数的百分之三十。
  Zhè yī bùfen zhàn zǒngshù de bǎifēnzhī sānshí.
  This part accounts for 30 percent of the total.
• 价格虽然有波动，但总体比较稳定。
  Jiàgé suīrán yǒu bōdòng, dàn zǒngtǐ bǐjiào wěndìng.
  Although prices fluctuated, they were relatively stable overall.

Practice Section

Try reading the English and saying the Chinese aloud. Yes, aloud. Your brain is not a silent spreadsheet.

• Sales rose sharply in July.
  七月的销售额急剧上升。
  Qīyuè de xiāoshòué jíjù shàngshēng.
• The number of users stayed stable from March to May.
  从三月到五月，用户数量保持稳定。
  Cóng sānyuè dào wǔyuè, yònghù shùliàng bǎochí wěndìng.
• The price fell to the lowest point in February.
  价格在二月跌到了最低点。
  Jiàgé zài èryuè diē dào le zuìdīdiǎn.
• Mobile users account for 60 percent of the total.
  移动用户占总数的百分之六十。
  Yídòng yònghù zhàn zǒngshù de bǎifēnzhī liùshí.
• Compared with last year, this year’s profit is higher.
  与去年相比，今年的利润更高。
  Yǔ qùnián xiāngbǐ, jīnnián de lìrùn gèng gāo.

Common Mistakes And Fixes

• Using 增加 zēngjiā and 增长 zēngzhǎng like they are identical
  They are close, but 增加 zēngjiā often focuses on an increase in number or amount, while 增长 zēngzhǎng is very common for growth over time.
  用户增加了一千人。
  Yònghù zēngjiā le yī qiān rén.
  Users increased by 1,000.
  今年利润增长很快。
  Jīnnián lìrùn zēngzhǎng hěn kuài.
  Profit is growing quickly this year.
• Mixing up 增加到 zēngjiā dào and 增加了 zēngjiā le
  增加到 zēngjiā dào = increase to. 增加了 zēngjiā le = increase by.
  用户增加到五千人。
  Yònghù zēngjiā dào wǔ qiān rén.
  Users increased to 5,000.
  用户增加了五百人。
  Yònghù zēngjiā le wǔ bǎi rén.
  Users increased by 500.
• Forgetting the time phrase
  Without a time phrase, chart descriptions can sound incomplete.
  从一月到三月，销量上升了。
  Cóng yīyuè dào sānyuè, xiāoliàng shàngshēng le.
  Sales rose from January to March.
• Using 很 hěn everywhere
  For charts, words like 大幅 dàfú, 小幅 xiǎofú, 迅速 xùnsù, and 逐渐 zhújiàn sound much more natural.
  价格大幅下降。
  Jiàgé dàfú xiàjiàng.
  Prices dropped substantially.

Quick Reference Summary

Learning how to describe graphs and charts in Chinese is really about learning a small set of high-frequency verbs and patterns. Master 上升 shàngshēng, 下降 xiàjiàng, 增长 zēngzhǎng, 波动 bōdòng, and a few time phrases, and your chart descriptions become clear, natural, and surprisingly professional.