ICANN 46 - Beijing Playing Card Deck

A special one-off Chinese language and culture card deck designed by ICANNWiki staff member Vivian Hua.

See all Playing Card Decks.

Language: Mandarin Chinese & Pinyin

Chinese words are romanized throughout this deck with a system called pīnyīn (拼音), the official system of translating Chinese characters into Latin script in China, Taiwan, and Singapore. Below are some introductory ideas.

Mandarin's Four Accent Tones

• First tone (Flat / High Level)
• Second tone (Rising / High-Rising)
• Third tone (Falling-Rising / Low)
• Fourth tone (Falling / High-Falling)
• Fifth tone (Neutral)

Pronunciation Guide

q	As in “punch yourself” (no English equivalent)
x	As in “push yourself” (no English equivalent)
zh	With a sharpness found in words like “choke”
z	Unaspirated c, like a mix of “suds” and “cats”
c	Strongly aspirated c, as in “hats”
i	As in “bee”, but if proceeded by z-, c-, s-, zh-, ch-, sh-, or r-, those sounds are extended
ei	As in “hey”
ou	As in “so”
ang	As in the German “Angst”
ua	Like “wa”
ui	Like “wei”

Language: Notable Chinese Dialects

Mandarin (官话 or guān huà) - 836 million Spoken in northern and southwestern China, and the official language of Singapore and Taiwan. When one refers to Putonghua or Chinese, one is generally referring to Mandarin.

Wu or Shanghainese (吴语 or wú yǔ) - 77 million Spoken in the provinces of Jiangsu and Zhejiang, and in the municipality of Shanghai. It also includes the Shanghai dialect and is sometimes considered a representative of all Wu dialects, though not all Wu dialects are mutually intelligible.

Yue or Cantonese (粤语 or yuè yǔ) - 71 million Spoken in Guangdong, Guangxi, Hong Kong, Macau, and parts of Southeast Asia. The term “Cantonese” may cover all the Yue dialects, including Taishanese, or specifically the Canton dialect of Guangzhou and Hong Kong. Not all Yue dialects are mutually intelligible.

Min languages (闽语 or mǐn yǔ) - 60 million Spoken in Fujian, Taiwan, and parts of Southeast Asia. The largest Min language is Hokkien, and its dialects are notably mutually intelligible.

Others include Xiang or Hunanese, Hakka, and Gan.

Language: Greetings & Common Phrases

Chinese Characters	Pinyin	English Translation
你好	nǐ hǎo	hello
喂	wei	hello (phone)
你好吗?	nǐ hǎo ma?	how are you?
你怎么样?	nǐ zěnme yàng?	what’s up?
我很好	wǒ hěn hǎo	i am well
好久不见	hǎo jiǔ bù jiàn	long time no see
我走了	wǒ zǒu le	i am leaving
明天见	míng tiān jiàn	see you tomorrow
再见	zài jiàn	goodbye
拜拜	bài bài	bye-bye

Language: Introductions

Chinese Characters	Pinyin	English Translation
我的名字是...	wǒ de míng zì shì	my name is...
你叫什么名字？	nǐ jiào shén mē míng zì?	what is your name?
我是从 ____ 来得。	wǒ shì cóng ____ lái de	i am from ____.
我很高兴认识你。	wǒ hěn gāo xìng rèn shi nǐ	i am pleased to meet you.
我在 ____ 打工。	wǒ zài ____ dǎ gōng	i work at ____.

Language: Dates & Times

Chinese Characters	Pinyin	English Translation
昨天	zuó tiān	yesterday
今天	jīn tiān	today
明天	míng tiān	tomorrow
上午	shàng wǔ	morning
中午	zhōng wǔ	noon
下午	xià wǔ	afternoon
晚上	wǎn shàng	evening
上礼拜	shàng lǐ bài	last week
这礼拜	zhè lǐ bài	this week
下礼拜	xià lǐ bài	next week

Language: Numbers

Chinese Characters	Pinyin	Translation
一	yī	1
二	èr	2
三	sān	3
四	sì	4
五	wǔ	5
六	liù	6
七	qī	7
八	bā	8
九	jiǔ	9
十	shí	10
二十	èr shí	20
二十五	èr shí wǔ	25
一百	yī bǎi	100
一百五十	yī bǎi wǔ shí	150

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Vocabulary: 女 - nǚ (female)

Chinese Characters	Pinyin	Translation
女人	nǚ rén	woman
女孩子	nǚ hái zǐ	female child

Vocabulary: 男 - nán (male)

Chinese Characters	Pinyin	Translation
男人	nán rén	man
男孩子	nán hái zǐ	male child

Vocabulary: 朋友 - péng yǒu (friend/friends)

Chinese Characters	Pinyin	Translation
好朋友	hǎo péng yǒu	good friend
男朋友	nán péng yǒu	boyfriend
女朋友	nǚ péng yǒu	girlfriend

Vocabulry: 钱 - qián (money)

Ancient Chinese coins are round with a square hole in the middle; their design reflected the Chinese view of the earth as square and the heavens as a circle.

A coin can also be a visual pun for “before your eyes”, because the hole in its center is called an “eye” and the coin has the same pronunciation as the word “before” (qián or 前).

Vocabulary: 漂亮 - piào liàng (beautiful)

Chinese Characters	Pinyin	Translation
美丽	měi lì	beautiful
潇洒	xiāo sǎ	handsome
性感	xìng gǎn	sexy

Vocabulary: 高兴 - gāo xìng (happy / glad)

Chinese Characters	Pinyin	Translation
快乐	kuài lè	happy / joyful
幸福	xìng fú	happy / blessed

Vocabulary: 可爱 - kě ài (cute)

Chinese Characters	Pinyin	Translation
喜欢	xǐ huān	(to) like
喜爱	xǐ ài	favorite
最可爱	zuì kě ài	cutest

Dining: Types of Food

Chinese Characters	Pinyin	Translation
饭	fàn	rice
饼	bǐng	pancake
面	miàn	noodles
水果	shuǐ guǒ	fruit
粥	zhōu	congee
汤	tāng	soup
火锅	huǒ guō	hot pot
甜点	tián diǎn	dessert

In Chinese culture, noodles symbolize longevity. It is customary to eat them on one’s birthday, while attempting not to break the strands.

Dining: Specific Foods

Chinese Characters	Pinyin	Translation
炸酱面	zhá jiàng miàn	noodles w/ soybean sauce and pork
油條	yóu tiáo	chinese “donut”
饺子	jiǎo zǐ	dumpling
馄饨	hún tún	wonton
八寶飯	bā bǎo fàn	“8 treasure rice”
葱油饼	cōng yóu bǐng	green onion pancake
北京烤鸭	běi jīng kǎo yā	peking duck
炒饭	chǎo fàn	fried rice
汤面	tāng miàn	noodle soup
豆浆	dòu jiāng	soy milk

Dining: Dining Out

Chinese Characters	Pinyin	Translation
我要订一个...	wǒ yào dìng yī gè	i want to order a...
我最喜吃...	wǒ zuì xǐ huān chī...	i most like to eat...
这盘菜很好吃。	zhè pán cài hěn hǎo chī	this dish is very delicious.
我(不)想喝酒。	wǒ (bù) xiǎng hē jiǔ	i (don’t) want to drink alcohol.
干杯!	gān bēi	a toast! (literal translation: dry cup)

Dining: 素 - sù (vegetarian)

Chinese Characters	Pinyin	Translation
素菜	sù cài	vegetable dish
豆腐	dòu fǔ	tofu
大白菜	dà bái cài	chinese cabbage

Dining: 肉 - ròu (meat)

Chinese Characters	Pinyin	Translation
牛肉	niú ròu	beef
鸡肉	jī ròu	chicken
猪肉	zhū ròu	pork

Dining: 海鲜 - hǎi xiān (seafood)

Chinese Characters	Pinyin	Translation
鱼	yú	fish
螃蟹	páng xiè	crab
虾	xiā	shrimp

Dining: 北京烤鸭 - běi jīng kǎo yā (peking duck)

Peking Duck is a duck dish from Beijing that has been prepared since the imperial era. It is now considered the national dish of China, and has a rich history that has spanned across many dynasties. By the mid-20th century, it had garnered international attention and favor as a culinary dish.

For the dish, ducks are raised for 65 days, with 45 days spent in a free-range environment and the remaining spent in an environment where they are force-fed four times a day. Prior to cooking, they are plucked, rinsed, and pumped with air to separate their skin from their fat. The ducks are then soaked in boiling water and hung up to dry. While hung, they are glazed with a layer of maltose syrup, and are later roasted for 24 hours until their skins turn shiny brown.

• .duck is a Brand TLD proposed by Johnson Shareholdings.

Dining: 饭 - fàn (meal / rice)

Chinese Characters	Pinyin	Translation
吃饭	chī fàn	eat a meal
早饭	zǎo fàn	breakfast
午饭	wǔ fàn	lunch
晚饭	wǎn fàn	dinner

Dining: 茶 - chá (tea)

Chinese Characters	Pinyin	Translation
红茶	hóng chá	black tea
绿茶	lǜ chá	green tea
乌龙茶	wū lóng chá	oolong tea

Directions & Navigation: Emergency Phrases

Chinese Characters	Pinyin	Translation
救命!	jiù mìng	help!
快叫警察来!	kuài jiào jǐnɡ chá lái	call the police quickly!
快叫医生来!	kuài jiào yī shenɡ lái	call the doctor quickly!
我迷路了。	wǒ mí lù le	i am lost.
洗手间在哪里?	xǐ shǒu jiān zài nǎ lǐ?	where is the restroom?

Directions & Navigation: Asking & Giving Directions

Chinese Characters	Pinyin	Translation
请问 _____ 在哪里?	qǐng wèn _____ zài nǎ lǐ	excuse me, where is (the) _____?
(司機) 请带我去...	(sī jī) qǐng dài wǒ qù...	(driver) please bring me to...
北京国际饭店	běi jīng guó jì fàn diàn	beijing international hotel
左转 / 右转 / 一直走	zuǒ zhuǎi / yòu zhuǎi / yī zhí zǒu	on this street / right turn / go straight

Because most taxi drivers do not speak English, copying down important addresses can prove helpful.

Directions & Navigation: Subway Guide to Tourist Sites

Chinese Characters	Pinyin	Translation	Subway Stops
紫禁城	zǐ jin chéng	forbidden city	tiananmen east, tiananmen west, qianmen station; walk north to meridian gate
天安门广场	tiān ān mén guǎng chǎng	tiananmen square	tiananmen east, tiananmen west, qianmen station; walk north to meridian gate
鸟巢	niǎo cháo	national stadium (“bird’s nest”)	olympic sports center station; exit from b1 or b2; walk north
长城	cháng chéng	great wall	jishuitan station; transfer to bus no. 919
天坛	tiān tán	temple of heaven	tiantan dongmen station, leave exit a; find east gate
明十三陵	míng shí sān líng	ming tombs	tiantongyuan bei station; transfer to bus no. 22

Subway hours are from 5:00 to 22:30, and are extremely crowded during rush hour. For frequent travelers, a pre-paid card can be purchased for a refundable deposit.

Directions & Navigation: Subway Quick Guide

Line 1:
Runs east-west from Sihui East to Pingguoyuan; passes along Chang’an street, Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square and Wangfujing.

Line 2:
Loop line that follows the old city walls; starts and ends at Xizhimen; serves Lama Temple and Beijing Railway Station.

Line 4:
Runs north-south; serves Beihai Park, Beijing University and Beijing South Station.

Line 5:
Runs north-south to the east of Line 4; close to Olympic Park and Temple of Heaven.

Line 6:
Runs west-east to the north of Line 1 and to the south of the upper half circle of Line 2; connects to lines 10, 5, 2, 9, and 4.

Line 8:
Short line; serves the Olympic Stadium.

Line 9:
Short line; serves the Fengtai district and Beijing West Railway Station.

Line 10:
Loop line around the city; close to the Olympic Stadium, the embassy district, the Sanlitun; connects to every numbered line in the system excluding Line 15.

Line 13:
Elevated light rail; serves the suburban Haidian district and Wudaokou; forms an arc that starts at Xizhimen and ends and Dongzhimen.

Line 15:
Runs west-east to the north of Line 10; passes through WangJing CBD; transfer from Line 13 necessary until the line is completed in 2015.

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