This document provides a Mandarin language lesson on introductions and asking for names. It includes vocabulary and phrases for asking someone's family name, asking for their full name, and introducing oneself by stating one's full name. Example dialogues are provided showing polite ways to ask for and share names in Mandarin. Key vocabulary covered includes terms for family name, name, honorable, question particles, and titles like Mr. and Miss. The lesson concludes with a brief cultural note about the color red in Chinese weddings.

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2. Nǐ hǎo
Lesson 7 on Basic Mandarin!
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3. Revision
Translation
Mandarin
Miss
Xiǎo jiě
Mister/ Mr.
Xiān sheng
Mrs.
Fū ren
Female friend/ girlfriend
Nǚ péngyǒu
Male friend/ boyfriend
Nán péngyǒu
Young friend
Xiǎo péngyǒu
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4. Revision
English
Mandarin
I
Wǒ
To be surnamed
Xìng
To be called
Jiào
My family name is Wáng
Wǒ xìng Wáng
My name is Wáng Péng
Wǒ jiào Wáng Péng
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5. Lesson objectives
1
Learning family names!
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6. What's in store today?
Today we will learn how to
ask someone's name and surname!
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7. Introductions
Let’s begin by learning the vocabulary
for family names, names etc…!
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8. Introductions
May I ask = Qǐng wèn
Pease = Qǐng
Ask = Wèn
Together 'Qǐng wèn' implies,
'Please may I ask?'
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9. Tonal tip
‘Qǐng’ is pronounced in the falling rising tone,
also known as the third tone
Remember that ‘Qǐng’ starts with a ‘ch’ tone
‘Wèn’ is pronounced in the falling tone,
also known as the fourth tone
Let’s hear you say ‘Qǐng Wèn’
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10. Introductions
May I ask
Qǐng wèn
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11. Introductions
Your name = Nín xìng
Your = Nín
Name = Xìng
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12. Introductions
Your name
Nín xìng
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13. Introductions
Please may I ask your name ?
Qǐng wèn nín xìng ?
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14. Grammar tip
While the previous sentence is
grammatically correct, it is often polite to
add the word, 'honorable' before asking
someone's name
Let's learn how to say
'honorable' in Mandarin!
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15. Introductions
Honorable = Guì
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16. Tonal tip
‘Guì’ is pronounced in the falling tone, also
known as the fourth tone
Let’s hear you say Guì
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17. Introductions
honorable
Guì
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18. Etiquette conversation
May I
↓
Qǐng
ask
↓
wèn
your
↓
nín
honorable
↓
guì
family name
↓
xìng
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19. Etiquette conversation
May I ask your honorable family name?
Qǐng wèn nín guì xìng?
Nín = your
Xìng = family name
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20. Grammar tip
Did you notice that 'Nin' is used both for
'your' as well as 'you' ?
This is because in Mandarin we use the same
words
for pronouns and adjectives derived from them.
Thus, Nín = your, is the same as Nín = you
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21. Introductions
Furthermore, to ask someone else's name,
one would say 'And you'? , let's see how do
we translate this in Mandarin!
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22. Introductions
And you ? =Nǐ ne
We already know ‘Nǐ’ means you,
and ‘ne’ is a question particle
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23. Introductions
And you?
Nǐ ne?
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24. Revision
English
Mandarin
Honorable
Guì
Question particle
Ne
What about you, and you
Nǐ ne
May I ask
Qǐng wèn
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25. Let's see if you remember…
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26. Pick the right option
How do we say 'May I ask'?
1
2
3
Qǐng wèn
Nǐ ne
Guì ne
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27. Pick the right option
How do we say 'May I ask'?
1
2
3
Qǐng wèn
Nǐ ne
Guì ne
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28. Etiquette conversation
My
↓
family name
↓
Wǒ
xìng
is
↓
……..
↓
……..
and
↓
you
↓
nǐ
ne
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29. Etiquette conversation
My family name is ……
Wǒ xìng.........
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30. Grammar tip
nǐ ne? = and you?
You may remember Ne is a question particle
used to convert statements to questions
Ending with ne makes a question when
the context is already known
A common circumstance is when you wish to
repeat
a question that was just asked for another subject,
as in the case we are discussing right now
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31. Etiquette conversation
My family name is ……, and you?
Wǒ xìng......, nǐ ne?
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32. Etiquette conversation
English
Mandarin
Wáng
May I ask your honorable family
Qǐng wèn , nín guì
peng
name?
xìng?
Lǐ Yǒu
My family name is Lǐ,
and you?
Wáng
My family name is
Peng
Wáng
Wǒ xìng Lǐ, nǐ ne?
Wǒ xìng Wáng
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33. Let's see if you remember…
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34. Try yourself
How do we say
'My family name is Lǐ, and you?'
1
2
Wǒ xìng Lǐ, nǐ ne?
Wǒ hěn hǎo, nǐ ma?
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35. Try yourself
How do we say
'My family name is Lǐ, and you?'
1
2
Wǒ xìng Lǐ, nǐ ne?
Wǒ hěn hǎo, nǐ ma?
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36. Introductions
Now lets go ahead and learn how to ask someone's
name! The vocabulary required for
this will be ‘What’ and ‘Name’
Let’s start!
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37. Introductions
What = Shénme
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38. Tonal tip
‘Shénme’ is pronounced in the mid rising
tone, also known as the second tone
Let’s hear you say Shénme
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39. Introductions
What
Shénme
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40. Introductions
Name = Míngzi
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41. Tonal tip
‘Míngzi’ is pronounced in the mid rising
tone, also known as the second tone
Let’s hear you say Míngzi
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42. Introductions
Name
Míngzi
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43. Revision
English
What
Name
Mandarin
Shénme
Míngzi
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44. More greetings
What's
↓
Shénme
your
↓
nǐ
name
↓
míngzi
(called)
↓
jiào
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45. More greetings
What's your name?
Nǐ jiào shénme míngzi?
Literally, 'you called
what name? '
Jiào = to be called
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46. Introductions
Now let us take a case where we have the family
name, but
want to know the first name of a person For the
purpose of
this conversation, we'll assume the surname of the
person
to be Wáng and first name to be 'Peng'
As we will see, in Chinese culture we always give
our
Surname before our First name'
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47. Introductions
Mr.
↓
Xiān sheng
Wáng
what is your name
↓
↓
↓
↓
Wáng shénme
nǐ míngzi
(called)
↓
jiào
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48. Introductions
Mr. Wáng , what is your name?
Wáng xiān sheng, nǐ jiào shénme míngzi?
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49. Introductions
I
↓
Wǒ
am
called
↓
jiào
Wáng
↓
Wáng
Péng
↓
Péng
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50. Introductions
My name is Wáng Péng/I am called Wáng Péng
Wǒ jiào Wáng Péng
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51. Introductions
Miss
↓
xiǎo jiě
Li
↓
Lǐ
what
↓
shénme
is your
↓
nǐ
name
↓
míngzi
called
↓
jiào
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52. Introductions
Miss Li, what is your name?
Lǐ xiǎo jiě, nǐ jiào shénme míngzi?
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53. Introductions
My
↓
Wǒ
name
↓
jiào
is
Lǐ
↓
Lǐ
Yǒu
↓
Yǒu
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54. Introductions
My name is Lǐ Yǒu
Wǒ jiào Lǐ Yǒu
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55. Grammar tip
Notice that unlike English, titles (Mr./Miss)
come after the name of the person,
not before!
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56. Etiquette conversation
English
Lǐ Yǒu
Wáng Péng
Mandarin
My name is Yǒu, what is
Wǒ jiào Yǒu, nǐ jiào
your name?
shénme míngzi?
My name is Wáng Péng
Wǒ jiào Wáng Péng
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57. Etiquette conversation
English
Wáng Péng
Mr. Wáng , what is
Wáng xiān sheng, nǐ
your name?
jiào shénme míngzi
Miss Lǐ, what is your
Lǐ Yǒu
Mandarin
Lǐ xiǎo jiě, nǐ jiào
name?
shénme míngzi
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58. Let's see if you remember…
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59. Pick the right option
How do we say
'My name is Lǐ Yǒu'?
1
2
3
Wǒ jiào
Lǐ yǒu
Lǐ xiǎo
jiě
Nǐ jiào
shénme
míngzi
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60. Pick the right option
How do we say
'My name is Lǐ Yǒu'?
1
2
3
Wǒ jiào
Lǐ yǒu
Lǐ xiǎo
jiě
Nǐ jiào
shénme
míngzi
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61. Revision
English
Mandarin
Wáng
May I ask your honorable family
Qǐng wèn, nín guì
Péng
name?
xìng?
Lǐ Yǒu
Wáng
Péng
Lǐ Yǒu
Wáng
Péng
My family name is Lǐ, and
you?
Wǒ xìng Lǐ, nǐ ne?
My family name is Wáng
Wǒ xìng Péng
My name is Yǒu, what is
Wǒ jiào Yǒu, nǐ jiào
your name?
shénme míngzi?
I am called Wáng Péng
Wǒ jiào Wáng Péng
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62. Culture Leaf
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63. Culture leaf
The color Red in Chinese culture usually
means good luck. Red is often worn in
weddings to ward off any bad luck
to the new bride and groom
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64. Culture Leaf
A red envelope is a monetary gift which is given in
Chinese society during holiday or special occasions.
The red color of the packet symbolizes good luck.
Red is strictly forbidden at funerals as it
traditionally symbolized happiness
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65. What's next?
In the next lesson, we will discuss sentences
describing professions, etc…
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66. Credits
Content
Team CultureAlley, Sunny Dang
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Color_in_Chinese
_culture
Images
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Laisee.jpg
Oldie
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67. See you at the Alley!
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