电话

diànhuà

telephone

"Electric speech"

电 lightning; electricity 

话 "speech," "words," or "talk"

打电话

dǎ diànhuà

我就是

wǒ jiù shì

speaking / that's me

"I just am!"

哪位

nǎ wèi

which person? who

(when addressing someone respectfully)

哪  "which"

位  polite counter for people; measure word

     (replaces 个 gè to show respect)

您X是哪位？

Who are you?

May I ask who’s calling?

"You are which person?"

您好

nín hǎo

hello

polite form of 你好, using 您 for respect

时间

shíjiān

time

"period-interval"

时  "season," "period" (the passage of time)

间  "gap between," "interval" (the segmentation of time)

对不起

duìbuqǐ

sorry, excuse me

对  "toward," "facing"

不  "not," "no"

起  "to rise," "to begin"

facing [you] + not + rise → "cannot face you" or "unable to stand up [to expectations]"; the phrase conveys humility, remorse, and acknowledgment of fault

上午

shàngwǔ

两节课

liǎng jié kè

two class periods,

two lessons

两  "two"

节  a measure word used for class periods,

     lessons, or sections of something

课  "lesson" or "class"    

什么时候

shénme shíhou

when

什么  "what"

时  "time", "hour"

候  "wait", "occasion"

时候  refers to a particular point in time or a general

         period (e.g., when it rains, when I was young);

         often used in questions about timing;

时间  refers to clock time, duration, or a span of time

         (e.g., I have no time, What time is it?)

以后

yǐhòu

after; behind

starting from now (or a given time) onward

以  originally means "with" or "by means of", but

     in "以后", it functions as a temporal marker

     to emphasize "from this point onward";

后  alone can mean "after," but adding 以 (yǐ)

     makes it more explicit that the time is relative

     to a reference point

以前

yǐhòu

before

from (以) the front (前) → before this point in time

以  originally means "with" or "by means of", but

     in "以后", it functions as a temporal marker

     to emphasize "from this point onward";

前  "front"; "before"

要是

yàoshi

if; suppose

"suppose it is..."

要  "want", "need"; in "要是", it takes on a

     hypothetical sense ("suppose"), implying

     "assuming" or "were to"

是  "to be"; un "要是", it strengthens the hypothetical

       mood, making the condition more explicit (like "if it

       were the case")

方便

fāngbiàn

convenient, to make things easy

"method-convenient"

方  "direction", "method", or "square"; in "方便", it

      implies "a way to make things smooth" or

      "suitable arrangement"

便  "convenient", "easy", or "expedient"; in 方便,

     it emphasizes ease or practicality 

办公室

bàngōngshì

office

"a room for handling official matters"

办  "to handle", "to do", or "to manage"

公  "public", "official", or "shared"

室  "room", or "chamber"

到 + [place] + 去

dào...qù

go to [place]

到  "to arrive at", or "to go to"

去  "to go"

没问题

méi wèntí

no problem, that’s fine

没  "no", "not have"

问  "ask", "question"

题  "topic", "problem", or "question"

谢谢您

xièxie nín

thank you

(in a polite and respectful way)

别客气

bié kèqi

You're welcome,

no need to thank

"Don't stand on ceremony"

别  "don't", "do not"

客  "guest", "polite"

气  "air", "manner", or "tone"

客气  implies "politeness" or "being ceremonious" (like a

         guest’s formal behavior)

开会

kāihuì

to hold/attend a meeting

"hold meeting"

开  "to open", "to star", "to hold", or "to operate"

会  "meeting", "gathering", or "can"

打电话

dǎ diànhuà

make a telephone call

When telephones were first introduced in China (late 19th/early 20th century), users had to physically crank a handle or "strike" a bell to generate a signal. This mechanical action likely inspired the verb 打 ("to hit")

介绍

jièshào

to introduce, introduction

介 (bridge) + 绍 (transmit)

"to connect and relay information"

介  "to interpose", "to mediate"; In ancient Chinese,

      介 depicted a person standing between two others;

绍  "to continue", "to connect"

一下

yíxià

one time, once

softens the verb, meaning "briefly" or "for a moment"

请帮我一下！

Qǐng bāng wǒ yīxià 

Please help me!

你坐一下

nǐ zuò yīxià

你说一下。

Nǐ shuō yīxià 

一点

yīdiǎn

一会儿

yīhuǐr

问一下

wèn yīxià

说一下

shuō yīxià

介绍一下

jièshào yīxià

Take a quick look.

less abrupt than 你看！

Please wait a moment!

Softer than just 请等！

exam, to take a test

"a trial evaluation"

考  "to examine," or "to inspect", "to verify"

试  "to try", "to experiment"

没有意思

méiyǒu yìsi

not interesting, boring

"does not have meaning"

我就是

wǒ jiù shì

下个

xià

准备

zhǔnbèi

to prepare, preparation

准 (set a standard) + 备 (equip)

"to arrange things according to a plan"

准  "to allow", "to permit"; "accurate," "standard"

备 "to prepare", "to equip"

练习

liànxí

to practice, to exercise

练 (drill) + 习 (learn)

"to refine through repeated learning"

练  "to train" or "to polish skills"

习  "to learn", "to study", or "to practice"

好啊

hǎo a

OK, sure, sounds good

"Good! (with feeling)"

好  "good", "OK"  

啊  modal particle (adds emotion); turns a neutral

     "好" into a friendly, lively response;

但是

dànshì

but, however

但  "but" or "only"

是  "is/are/am", but in compound words like this,

     it often adds emphasis or formality

见面

jiànmiàn

to meet (in person)

"to see someone face-to-face"

见  "to see," "to meet," or "to perceive"

面  "face" or "surface"

上上个月

一个月

yí ge yuè

一月

yīyuè

 一个月以后

yí ge yuè yǐhòu

3 days ago

"the day before 前天"

大  can imply "greater," "older," or "further back"

     when used in time-related terms

前天  "the day before yesterday" (2 days ago)

前天

qiántiān

the day before yesterday

前  "front/before,"

天  "day"

前天 = 2 days before today

后天

大后天

Dàhòutiān

大前年

Dà qiánnián

前年

qiánnián

去年

qùnián

后年

Hòu nián

大后年

Dà hòu nián

现在

xiànzài

now

现  "to appear," "to manifest," or "visible"

在  "to exist," "to be at," or "location/time"

不用

búyòng

不必

búbì

星期天

xīngqītiān

Sunday

the "heavenly day" of the weekly cycle

星期日

xīngqīrì

Sunday

Formal (e.g., calendars)

法文

Fǎwén

日文

rìwén

德文

Dé wén

韩文

hánwén

俄文

É wén

西班牙文

xībānyá wén

意大利

yìdàlì wén

葡萄牙文

pútáoyá wén

希腊文

xīlà wén

拉丁文

lādīng wén

手机

shǒujī

cell/mobile phone

手  "hand"

机  "machine", "device"

中文

zhōngwén

汉语

Hànyǔ

Chinese language

"the language of Han people"

约时间

yuē shíjiān

就是

Jiùshì

有事儿吗？

yǒu shìr ma?

Do you need something?

What’s up?

“Do (you) have something (going on)?”