2: 韵母: i, u, ü
Pronouns and Their Forms
| Base | With 们 (Plural) | With 的 (Possession) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 我 (wǒ) - I/me | 我们 (wǒmen) - we/us | 我的 (wǒ de) - my/mine | |
| 你 (nǐ) - you | 你们 (nǐmen) - you all | 你的 (nǐ de) - your/yours | |
| 他 (tā) - he | 他们 (tāmen) - they | 他的 (tā de) - his | |
| 她 (tā) - she | 她们 (tāmen) - they (female) | 她的 (tā de) - hers | Same pronunciation as male form |
New Vocabulary
| Character | Pinyin | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 鸡 | jī | chicken | |
| 七 | qī | seven | |
| 西 | xī | west | |
| 西瓜 | xīguā | watermelon | Second syllable often unstressed in casual speech |
| 们 | men | plural marker | Never used alone; attaches to pronouns |
| 很 | hěn | very | Used between subject and adjective |
| 也 | yě | also/too | Comes after subject |
| 的 | de | possession marker | Pronounced like "duh" |
Grammar Particles
| Particle | Pinyin | Usage | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| 吗 | ma | Question marker | 你好吗？(nǐ hǎo ma?) - How are you? |
| 的 | de | Possession | 我的 (wǒ de) - mine |
| 们 | men | Plural | 我们 (wǒmen) - we |
Important Rules
- 们 (men) is only used with pronouns and some animate nouns
- Word order: Subject + 也 (yě) + Rest of sentence
- Possession: Owner + 的 (de) + Object
- In casual speech, second syllables of common words (like 西瓜 xīguā) are often unstressed
Finals Review
- i, u, ü (German ü with dots)
- Character structure often has left and right radicals
Character Components & Radicals
Examples from Our Vocabulary
| Character | Left Radical | Right Side | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 好 | 女 (nǚ) woman | 子 (zǐ) child | good (woman + child = good) |
| 她 | 女 (nǚ) woman | 也 (yě) also | she (female + pronoun marker) |
| 鸡 | 鸟 (niǎo) bird | 几 (jī) table | chicken (bird + phonetic) |
| 西 | 覀 (yà) cover | 一 (yī) one | west |
Common Left-Right Radical Combinations
| Character | Left Radical | Right Side | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 说 | 讠(speech) | 兑 (duì) | to speak |
| 河 | 氵(water) | 可 (kě) | river |
| 想 | 相 (xiāng) | 心 (xīn) heart | to think |
| 树 | 木 (mù) wood | 尌 (shù) | tree |
| 妈 | 女 (nǚ) woman | 马 (mǎ) horse | mother |
Common Semantic Radicals
| Radical | Meaning | Example Characters |
|---|---|---|
| 氵 | water | 河 (hé) river, 海 (hǎi) sea |
| 女 | woman | 好 (hǎo) good, 妈 (mā) mother |
| 讠 | speech | 说 (shuō) speak, 话 (huà) words |
| 木 | wood/tree | 树 (shù) tree, 林 (lín) forest |
| 心 | heart | 想 (xiǎng) think, 恋 (liàn) love |
Radical Position Rules
- Some radicals only appear on the left (like 讠, 氵)
- Some can appear in multiple positions (like 心)
- Left-right structure (左右结构) is most common
- Some characters also have top-bottom or enclosure structures
Common Phrases and Combinations
| Chinese | Pinyin | Literal Meaning | Actual Usage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 你好 | nǐ hǎo | you good | Hello |
| 你好吗？ | nǐ hǎo ma? | you good [question]? | How are you? |
| 我很好 | wǒ hěn hǎo | I very good | I'm very well |
| 你呢？ | nǐ ne? | you [question]? | And you? |
| 我也很好 | wǒ yě hěn hǎo | I also very good | I'm good too |
| 早上好 | zǎo shang hǎo | morning up good | Good morning |
| 你们好 | nǐmen hǎo | you[plural] good | Hello everyone |
| 我们的 | wǒmen de | we [possession] | our/ours |
| 他们的 | tāmen de | they [possession] | their/theirs |
| 你们的 | nǐmen de | you[plural] [possession] | your/yours (plural) |