Ever feel like your Chinese textbook taught you all the words but none of the magic that makes a conversation flow? This collection of about 1,000 phrases and expressions is your shortcut to real-life Chinese-the stuff people actually say at the market, on WeChat, and around the dinner table. We cut the formal fluff and kept only the phrases that keep conversations moving.
Every phrase is paired with a clear meaning and a practical example, so you won’t just memorize a string of characters; you’ll know exactly when and how to use it. No guesswork-just vocabulary that helps you connect, react, and sound more like yourself.
Ready to study offline? A free PDF is waiting below the table-just click the button to grab your copy.
Use this list as a starting point, then keep going in the Yak Yacker Chinese section for more words, phrases, and study-friendly reference pages.
Quick Quiz
Think you’ve already got a handful of these phrases under your belt? Try the quick quiz below to see which ones are solid and which could use a little more practice.
Browse the Full List
| Phrase | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 往往 | wǎng wǎng | often; frequently |
| 待遇 | dài yù | treatment; pay; wages |
| 律师 | lǜ shī | lawyer |
| 得意 | dé yì | proud of oneself; pleased with oneself; complacent |
| 心情 | xīn qíng | mood; frame of mind; CL:個|个[gè] |
| 必然 | bì rán | inevitable; certain; necessity |
| 必要 | bì yào | necessary; essential; indispensable |
| 必需 | bì xū | to need; to require; essential |
| 必须 | bì xū | to have to; must; compulsory |
| 忘记 | wàng jì | to forget |
| 快乐 | kuài lè | happy; merry |
| 忽然 | hū rán | suddenly; all of a sudden |
| 怀疑 | huái yí | to doubt; to suspect; doubt |
| 态度 | tài du | manner; bearing; attitude |
| 怎么 | zěn me | variant of 怎麼|怎么[zěn me] |
| 怎么样 | zěn me yàng | how?; how about?; how was it? |
| 性别 | xìng bié | gender; sex; distinguishing between the sexes |
| 性格 | xìng gé | nature; disposition; temperament |
| 总是 | zǒng shì | always |
| 总结 | zǒng jié | to sum up; to conclude; summary |
| 恐怕 | kǒng pà | fear; to dread; I'm afraid that... |
| 恶劣 | è liè | vile; nasty; of very poor quality |
| 悲观 | bēi guān | pessimistic |
| 情况 | qíng kuàng | circumstances; state of affairs; situation |
| 惭愧 | cán kuì | ashamed |
Free Simplified Chinese Vocab List and Flashcard PDFs to Download
Use the buttons below to download your free printable vocabulary resources — no signup required.
