Chinese GCSE
Chinese GCSE glossary
72 key terms for Chinese GCSE, A to Z, each linked to the topic pages that use it.
A
- Aspect Marker (动态助词)
- A particle placed immediately after a verb to indicate that an action is completed.Pearson Edexcel
- Aspect Particle
- Particles like 了 (completed action) and 过 (past experience) that indicate the state of an action.Pearson Edexcel
- Aspect Particle (动态助词 dòng tài zhù cí)
- A particle attached to a verb to indicate the state of an action.Pearson Edexcel
- Aspect Particle 了 (le)
- A particle placed after a verb to indicate that an action has been completed.Pearson Edexcel
C
- Chengyu (成语)
- Traditional four-character Chinese idioms, often carrying historical meaning.Pearson Edexcel
- Cognate/Loan Word
- Words borrowed from English that sound similar, like 酷 (kù - cool) or 逻辑 (luóji - logic).Pearson Edexcel
- Complex Conjunctions
- Paired linking words like 虽然...但是 (although...but) or 不仅...而且 (not only...but also) that join two clauses.Pearson Edexcel
- Complex Connective (连词)
- Paired conjunctions that link two clauses, such as 虽然...但是 (although...but) or 不但...而且 (not only...but also).Pearson Edexcel
- Complex Connectives (虽然...但是)
- Paired conjunctions meaning 'Although...Pearson Edexcel
- Complex Structure
- Sentences using paired conjunctions like 虽然...但是...Pearson Edexcel
- Complex Structures (复杂句型)
- Sentences that link two clauses together, such as 虽然...但是...Pearson Edexcel
- Conjunctions / 连词 (liáncí)
- Words that link clauses together, such as 因为...所以...Pearson Edexcel
- Connective (连词)
- Words that link clauses or sentences, such as 虽然...但是 (although...but) or 因为...所以 (because...therefore).Pearson Edexcel
- Connectives (连词)
- Words that link clauses together, such as 但是 (but), 所以 (therefore), 另外 (furthermore).Pearson Edexcel
D
- Degree Adverbs
- Words like 很 (very), 非常 (extremely), 比较 (relatively) used before adjectives.Pearson Edexcel
F
- False Friends
- Words that look or sound similar but have different meanings.Pearson Edexcel
G
- Golden Week (黄金周)
- Week-long national holidays in China where massive domestic travel occurs.Pearson Edexcel
H
- High-Speed Rail (高铁 - gāotiě)
- China's modern bullet train network, a key mode of domestic travel.Pearson Edexcel
I
- Intention Verbs
- Auxiliary verbs used to express desire or plans, such as 想 (xiǎng - want to) or 打算 (dǎsuàn - plan to).Pearson Edexcel
J
- Justification
- Providing a reason for an opinion, typically using connectives like 因为 (because) and 所以 (therefore).Pearson Edexcel
- Justification (理由 lǐ yóu)
- Providing a reason for an opinion, usually introduced by 因为 (because).Pearson Edexcel
- Justification Structure
- The grammatical pairing used to give a reason and a result.Pearson Edexcel
- Justified Opinion
- Stating a preference and immediately following it with a reason, typically using 因为 (because).Pearson Edexcel
L
- Location Phrase
- The structure '在 + Place' used to indicate where an action occurs.Pearson Edexcel
- Location Phrase (在 + Place)
- The structure used to say where an action takes place.Pearson Edexcel
M
- Measure Word (Classifier)
- A word used between a number and a noun (e.g., 一个老师 a teacher, 一家公司 a company).Pearson Edexcel
- Measure Word (量词 - liàngcí)
- A classifier word required when counting nouns or using demonstratives (this/that).Pearson Edexcel
- Measure Word (量词 liàng cí)
- A classifying word that must be inserted between a number and a noun.Pearson Edexcel
- Measure Word (量词)
- A classifier used with numbers to count nouns.Pearson Edexcel
- Measure Words (Classifiers)
- Words inserted between a number/demonstrative and a noun.Pearson Edexcel
- Measure Words (量词)
- Words placed between a number and a noun.Pearson Edexcel
- Modal Verb
- Verbs like 想 (want to), 打算 (plan to), 会 (will) that express intention or possibility.Pearson Edexcel
- Modal Verb (e.g., 想, 要, 打算)
- A verb placed before the main verb to express intention or desire.Pearson Edexcel
- Modal Verb (能愿动词 néng yuàn dòng cí)
- A helper verb that expresses ability, permission, or desire, placed before the main verb.Pearson Edexcel
- Modal Verbs
- Verbs like 打算 (plan to), 想 (want to), that go before the main action verb to indicate intention.Pearson Edexcel
N
- Negative Markers
- 不 (bù) is used to negate present/future actions or states.Pearson Edexcel
O
- Opinion Justification
- Providing a reason for a stated view, typically using 因为 (because).Pearson Edexcel
- Opinion Verbs (认为 / 觉得)
- Verbs used to express personal thoughts.Pearson Edexcel
P
- Particle 了 (le)
- A grammatical particle placed after a verb or at the end of a sentence to indicate a completed action or a change of state.Pearson Edexcel
- Past Marker '过' (guo)
- A particle placed immediately after a verb to indicate a past experience (e.g., 我做过兼职 - I have done a part-time job).Pearson Edexcel
- Past Markers
- Characters like 了 (le) or 过 (guo) that indicate completed actions.Pearson Edexcel
- Pinyin (拼音)
- The official romanization system for Standard Chinese, using letters and tone marks to represent pronunciation.Pearson Edexcel
R
- Radical (部首 bù shǒu)
- The graphical component of a Chinese character under which the character is traditionally listed in a dictionary.Pearson Edexcel
- Radical (部首)
- The graphical component of a Chinese character under which the character is traditionally listed in a dictionary.Pearson Edexcel
- Register
- The level of formality used in language.Pearson Edexcel
- Register (Formal vs Informal)
- The level of formality in language.Pearson Edexcel
- Repair Strategy
- Phrases used in speaking exams to correct yourself or pause naturally, such as 对不起，我的意思是 (Sorry, what I mean is...).Pearson Edexcel
S
- S-T-V-O Word Order
- Subject - Time - Verb - Object.Pearson Edexcel
- Subject-Predicate Structure
- The basic sentence structure where the subject performs an action.Pearson Edexcel
- Subject-Verb-Object (SVO)
- The basic sentence structure in Chinese, similar to English (e.g., 我 爱 环境 - I love the environment).Pearson Edexcel
- Subordinate Clause
- A dependent clause that adds information to the main sentence, often introduced by words like 的时候 (when).Pearson Edexcel
T
- Time Marker / 时间词 (shíjiān cí)
- Words that indicate when an action happens (e.g., 将来, 现在, 以前).Pearson Edexcel
- Time Markers (时间词)
- Words placed at the start of a sentence or after the subject to indicate tense, since Chinese verbs do not conjugate (e.g., 以前, 现在, 将来).Pearson Edexcel
- Time Phrase
- Words indicating when an action happens (e.g., 昨天 yesterday, 将来 in the future).Pearson Edexcel
- Time Phrase (时间词 shí jiān cí)
- Words indicating when an action happens (e.g., 昨天, 明年).Pearson Edexcel
- Time Phrases
- Words indicating when an action happens (e.g., 明天 tomorrow, 去年 last year).Pearson Edexcel
- Time Word (时间词)
- Words that indicate when an action happens (e.g., 昨天, 现在, 将来).Pearson Edexcel
- Time Word Placement
- The grammatical rule that time words (yesterday, tomorrow, next week) must be placed before the verb, usually immediately after the subject.Pearson Edexcel
- Time Word Position
- In Chinese, words indicating time (yesterday, next year, in the future) must be placed at the beginning of the sentence or immediately after the subject,…Pearson Edexcel
- Time Words placement
- In Chinese, time words (like 'yesterday', 'next year') must go at the beginning of the sentence or immediately after the subject, NEVER at the end.Pearson Edexcel
- Timeframe Markers
- Words that indicate when an action happens, since Chinese verbs do not conjugate.Pearson Edexcel
- Tone (声调 shēng diào)
- The pitch contour of a syllable that determines its meaning in Chinese.Pearson Edexcel
- Tone (声调)
- The pitch contour of a syllable.Pearson Edexcel
- Tones (声调)
- The pitch contour of a syllable in Mandarin.Pearson Edexcel
Other terms
- 不但...而且... (bùdàn... érqiě...)
- A complex conjunction meaning 'not only...Pearson Edexcel
- 会 (huì)
- An auxiliary verb meaning 'will' or 'to know how to', used to indicate future intention or learned ability.Pearson Edexcel
- 兼职 (jiānzhí)
- Part-time work, often done by students alongside their studies.Pearson Edexcel
- 因为...所以... (yīnwèi...suǒyǐ...)
- A paired conjunction meaning 'because...Pearson Edexcel
- 对...感兴趣 (duì... gǎn xìngqù)
- A set phrase meaning 'to be interested in something'.Pearson Edexcel
- 成为 (chéngwéi)
- A verb meaning 'to become', used specifically for changes in status or profession.Pearson Edexcel
- 打算 (dǎsuàn)
- An auxiliary verb meaning 'to plan to'.Pearson Edexcel
- 是...的 Construction
- A grammar frame used to emphasize details (time, place, manner) of a past event.Pearson Edexcel
Where these terms come from
Each definition is one we publish on a Chinese GCSE topic page or study guide. Open a term to see how each exam board words it and which topic it belongs to. For the full course, go to Chinese revision or the glossary for every subject.
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