Integrated Chinese

Level 1 Part 1
Textbook
Simplified Characters

Third Edition
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LESSON 1 Greetings
第一课 问好
Dì yī kè Wèn hǎo

SAMPLE
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
In this lesson, you will learn to use Chinese to
• Exchange basic greetings;
• Request a person’s last name and full name and provide your own;
• Determine whether someone is a teacher or a student;
• Ascertain someone’s nationality.

RELATE AND GET READY

In your own culture/community—
1. How do people greet each other when meeting for the first time?
2. Do people say their given name or family name first?
3. How do acquaintances or close friends address each other?
20 Integrated Chinese • Level 1 Part 1 • Textbook

Dialogue I: Exchanging Greetings

你好 ！
SAMPLE LANGUAGE NOTES

你好！(Nǐ hǎo!) is a common form of greeting.

你好！ It can be used to address strangers upon first
introduction or between old acquaintances. To

请问 ，你 贵姓？ respond, simply repeat the same greeting.

请问 (qǐng wèn) is a polite formula to be used
我姓 李。你呢 ？ 1 2 to get someone’s attention before asking a question
or making an inquiry, similar to “excuse me, may I
我姓王。李小姐 ， please ask…” in English.

你叫3什么名字？ You can replace 你 (nǐ) with its honorific form, 您

(nín), if you wish to be more polite and respectful.

我叫李友。王先生， See Lesson 6, Dialogue I, Language Note 1.

小姐 (xiǎojiě) is a word with two third tone
你叫什么名字？ syllables. The tone sandhi rule applies, thus making
小 (xiǎo) a second tone. The
我叫王朋。 the first third tone
second syllable 姐 (jiě) can also be pronounced in
the neutral tone.
 Lesson 1 • Greetings 21

Nǐ hǎo !

Nǐ hǎo !

Qǐng wèn , nǐ guì xìng?

Wǒ xìng1 Lǐ. Nǐ ne2?

Wǒ xìng Wáng. Lǐ xiǎojiě , nǐ jiào3shénme míngzi?

Wǒ jiào Lǐ Yǒu. Wáng xiānsheng, nǐ jiào shénme míngzi?

Wǒ jiào Wáng Péng.

VOCABULARY

1. 你 nǐ pr you

2.

3.
好
请SAMPLE hǎo

qǐng
adj

v
fine; good; nice; O.K.; it’s settled

please (polite form of request); to treat or to

invite (somebody)

4. 问 wèn v to ask (a question)

5. 贵 guì adj honorable; expensive

6. 姓 xìng v/n (one’s) surname is...; to be surnamed; surname

[See Grammar 1.]

7. 我 wǒ pr I; me

8. 呢 ne qp (question particle) [See Grammar 2.]

9. 小姐 xiǎojiě n Miss; young lady

10. 叫 jiào v to be called; to call [See Grammar 3.]

11. 什么 shénme qpr what

22 Integrated Chinese • Level 1 Part 1 • Textbook

VOCABULARY

12. 名字 míngzi n name

13. 先生 xiānsheng n Mr.; husband; teacher

Proper Nouns

14. 李友 Lǐ Yǒu (a personal name)

李 lǐ (a surname); plum

15. 王朋 Wáng Péng (a personal name)

王 wáng (a surname); king

Grammar
SAMPLE
1. The Verb 姓 (xìng)

姓 (xìng) is both a noun and a transitive verb. When it is used as a verb, it must be followed by an
object.

A: 你姓什么？
Nǐ xìng shénme?

(What is your surname? Lit: You are surnamed what?)

B: 我姓李。
Wǒ xìng Lǐ.

(My surname is Li.)

姓 (xìng) is usually negated with 不 (bù). [See Grammar 6.]

 Lesson 1 • Greetings 23

A: 你姓李吗?
Nǐ xìng Lǐ ma?

(Is your family name Li?)

B: 我不姓李。
Wǒ bú xìng Lǐ.

(My surname is not Li.)

It is incorrect to say: *我不姓。 *Wǒ bú xìng.

However, when 姓 (xìng) is used with 贵(guì) to form a respectful or polite expression to
ask for someone’s surname, the proper way to inquire and to respond is as follows:

A: 你贵姓？
Nǐ guì xìng?

(What is your surname?) (Lit: Your honorable surname is…?)

Remember to drop the honorific 贵 when you reply:

B:
SAMPLE
我姓王。
Wǒ xìng Wáng.

(My surname is Wang.)

It is incorrect to say: *我贵姓王。 *Wǒ guì xìng Wáng.

你贵姓 (Nǐ guì xìng) by saying 免贵姓王
One may also hear people respond to

(Miǎn guì xìng Wáng), 免贵姓李 (Miǎn guì xìng Lǐ). Lit: Dispense with the honorable.

[My] surname is Wang/Li.

2. Questions Ending with 呢 (ne)

呢 (ne) often follows a noun or pronoun to form a question when the content of the
question is already clear from the context.

A: 请问, 你贵姓?
Qǐng wèn, nǐ guì xìng?

(What’s your family name, please?)

24 Integrated Chinese • Level 1 Part 1 • Textbook

B: 我姓李，你呢？
Wǒ xìng Lǐ, nǐ ne?

(My family name is Li. How about you?)

A: 你叫什么名字?
Nǐ jiào shénme míngzi?

(What’s your name?)

B: 我叫王朋，你呢？
Wǒ jiào Wáng Péng, nǐ ne?

(My name is Wang Peng. How about you?)

When 呢 (ne) is used in this way, there must be some context. In each of the two examples above,
the context is provided by the preceding sentence, 我姓李 (Wǒ xìng Lǐ) in (1), and 我叫

王朋 (Wǒ jiào Wáng Péng) in (2).

The verb
SAMPLE
3. The Verb 叫 (jiào)

叫 (jiào) has several meanings. It means “to be called” in this lesson. Like 姓 (xìng), it
must be followed by an object, which can be either a full name or a given name, but seldom a given
name that consists only of one syllable.

A: 你叫什么名字?
Nǐ jiào shénme míngzi?

(What is your name?)

B: 我叫王朋。
Wǒ jiào Wáng Péng.

(My name is Wang Peng.)

叫 (jiào) is usually negated with 不 (bù). [See Grammar 6.]

A: 你叫李生吗?
Nǐ jiào Lǐ Shēng ma?

(Is your name Li Sheng?)

 Lesson 1 • Greetings 25

B: 我不叫李生。
Wǒ bú jiào Lǐ Shēng.

(My name is not Li Sheng.)

From the examples above, we can see that the basic word order in a Chinese sentence runs
like this:

Subject + Verb + Object

The word order remains the same in statements and questions. Remember that you don’t
place the question word at the beginning of a question as you do in English, unless that
question word is the subject. (See more on word order in Grammar 2 in Lesson 2 and
Grammar 1 in Lesson 4.)

Language Practice

A. Mix and mingle

A:
SAMPLE
Walk around the classroom and get to know your classmates:

你好！ A: Nǐ hǎo!

B: 。 B: .

A: 请问，你贵姓？ A: Qǐng wèn, nǐ guì xìng?

B: 我姓 。 B: Wǒ xìng .

你呢？ Nǐ ne?

A: 我姓 ， A: Wǒ xìng ,

我叫 ， wǒ jiào ,

你叫什么名字？ nǐ jiào shénme míngzi?

B: 。 B: Wǒ jiào .
26 Integrated Chinese • Level 1 Part 1 • Textbook

B. Meeting for the first time/Getting acquainted

Complete the following exchange between two people who have never met
before. Do a role play based on the exchange.

A: 你好！ A: Nǐ hǎo!

B: 。 B: .

A: 我姓 , A: Wǒ xìng ,

请问，你贵姓？ qǐng wèn, nǐ guì xìng?

B: 。 B: .

A: , A: ,

你叫什么名字？ nǐ jiào shénme míngzi?

B: 我叫 SAMPLE 。 B: Wǒ jiào .
 Lesson 1 • Greetings 27

Dialogue II: Asking about Someone's Nationality

SAMPLE
王先生，你是 老师吗5？ 4 LANGUAGE NOTE

The original tone of 不 is a

我不6 是老师，我是学生。 4th tone “bù”. However, when

李友，你呢？
followed by another 4th tone
syllable,不 changes to 2nd
tone, as in 不是 (bú shì).
我也7是学生。你是
中国人吗？
是，我是北京人。你是
美国人吗？
是，我是纽约人。
28 Integrated Chinese • Level 1 Part 1 • Textbook

Wáng xiānsheng, nǐ shì4 lǎoshī ma5?

Wǒ bú6 shì lǎoshī, wǒ shì xuésheng. Lǐ Yǒu, nǐ ne?

Wǒ yě7 shì xuésheng. Nǐ shì Zhōngguó rén ma?

Shì, wǒ shì Běijīng rén. Nǐ shì Měiguó rén ma?

Shì, wǒ shì Niǔyuē rén.

VOCABULARY

1. 是 shì v to be [See Grammar 4.]

2. 老师 lǎoshī n teacher

3. 吗 ma qp (question particle) [See Grammar 5.]

4. 不 bù adv not; no [See Grammar 6.]

5.

6.
学生
也
SAMPLE xuésheng

yě
n

adv
student

too; also [See Grammar 7.]

7. 人 rén n people; person

Proper Nouns

8. 中国 Zhōngguó China

9. 北京 Běijīng Beijing

10. 美国 Měiguó America

11. 纽约 Niǔyuē New York

 Lesson 1 • Greetings 29

Grammar

4. The Verb 是 (shì)

In Chinese, 是 (shì) is a verb which can be used to link two units that are in some way
equivalent. These two units can be nouns, pronouns, or noun phrases, e.g.,

A: 你是老师吗?
Nǐ shì lǎoshī ma?

(Are you a teacher?)

B: 我是老师。
Wǒ shì lǎoshī.

(I am a teacher.)

李友是学生。

SAMPLE
Lǐ Yǒu shì xuésheng.

(Li You is a student.)

是 (shì) is usually negated with 不 (bù). [See also Grammar 6 below.]

王朋不是美国人。
Wáng Péng bú shì Měiguó rén.

(Wang Peng is not American.)

5. Questions Ending with 吗 (ma)

When 吗 (ma) is added to the end of a declarative statement, that statement is turned into
a question. To answer the question in the affirmative, drop the 吗 (ma) from the end of the

question; to answer the question in the negative, drop the 吗 (ma), and insert a negative

adverb— usually 不 (bù)—before the verb. [See also Grammar 6 below.]

30 Integrated Chinese • Level 1 Part 1 • Textbook

Question: 你是老师吗？
Nǐ shì lǎoshī ma?

(Are you a teacher?)

Affirmative answer: 我是老师。

Wǒ shì lǎoshī.

(I am a teacher.)

Negative answer: 我不是老师。

Wǒ bú shì lǎoshī.

(I am not a teacher.)

Question: 你姓王吗？
Nǐ xìng Wáng ma?

(Is your family name Wang?)

Affirmative: 我姓王。

SAMPLE
Wǒ xìng Wáng.

(My family name is Wang.)

Negative: 我不姓王。
Wǒ bú xìng Wáng.

(My family name is not Wang.)

This is a typical business card. Circle the person’s family name.

Where is this person located?
 Lesson 1 • Greetings 31

6. The Negative Adverb 不 (bù)

In Chinese there are two main negative adverbs. One of the two, 不 (bù), occurs in this
lesson.

我不是北京人。
Wǒ bú shì Běijīng rén.

(I am not from Beijing.)

李友不是中国人。
Lǐ Yǒu bú shì Zhōngguó rén.

(Li You is not Chinese.)

老师不姓王。
Lǎoshī bú xìng Wáng.

SAMPLE
(The teacher’s surname is not Wang.)

我不叫李中。
Wǒ bú jiào Lǐ Zhōng.

(My name is not Li Zhong.)

7. The Adverb 也 (yě)

The adverb 也 (yě) basically means “too” or “also.” In Chinese, adverbs, especially one-
syllable adverbs, normally appear after subjects and in front of verbs. They usually cannot

precede subjects or follow verbs. The adverb 也 (yě) cannot be put before the subject or at
the very end of a sentence.

我也是学生。
Wǒ yě shì xuésheng.

(I’m a student, too.)

王朋是学生，李友也是学生。
Wáng Péng shì xuésheng, Lǐ Yǒu yě shì xuésheng.

(Wang Peng is a student. Li You is a student, too.)

32 Integrated Chinese • Level 1 Part 1 • Textbook

你是中国人，我也是中国人。
Nǐ shì Zhōngguó rén, wǒ yě shì Zhōngguó rén.

(You are Chinese. I am Chinese, too.)

(3a) 你是中国人，*我是中国人也。
Nǐ shì Zhōngguó rén, *wǒ shì Zhōngguó rén yě.

(3b) 你是中国人，*也我是中国人。
Nǐ shì Zhōngguó rén, *yě wǒ shì Zhōngguó rén.

When the adverb 也 (yě) is used together with the negative adverb 不 (bù), 也 (yě) is placed
before 不 (bù), e.g.

王朋不是老师，李友也不是老师。
Wáng Péng bú shì lǎoshī, Lǐ Yǒu yě bú shì lǎoshī.

(Wang Peng is not a teacher. Li You is not a teacher, either.)

SAMPLE
你不是纽约人，我也不是纽约人。
Nǐ bú shì Niǔyuē rén, wǒ yě bú shì Niǔyuē rén.

(You are not from New York. I am not from New York, either.)

Language Practice

C. 是…吗 (shì…ma)

Based on the text of Lesson 1 and your own situation, ask and answer the
following questions with a partner.

EXAMPLE 王朋◆学生 Wáng Péng ◆ xuésheng

A: 王朋是学生吗? A: Wáng Péng shì xuésheng ma?

B: 王朋是学生。 B: Wáng Péng shì xuésheng.

1. 李友 ◆ 美国人 1. Lǐ Yǒu ◆ Měiguó rén

2. 王朋 ◆ 中国人 2. Wáng Péng ◆ Zhōngguó rén

 Lesson 1 • Greetings 33

3. 李友 ◆ 美国学生 3. Lǐ Yǒu ◆ Měiguó xuésheng

4. 王朋 ◆ 北京人 4. Wáng Péng ◆ Běijīng rén

5. 李友 ◆ 纽约人 5. Lǐ Yǒu ◆ Niǔyuē rén

6. 你 ◆ 学生 6. Nǐ ◆ xuésheng

D. 不 (bù)
Based on the text of Lesson 1 and your own situation, ask and answer the following
questions with a partner.

EXAMPLE

A: 李小姐叫李朋吗？ A: Lǐ xiǎojiě jiào Lǐ Péng ma?

B: 李小姐不叫李朋。 B: Lǐ xiǎojiě bú jiào Lǐ Péng.

1.
SAMPLE
李友是中国人吗？
2. 你是王朋吗?
1. Lǐ Yǒu shì Zhōngguó rén ma?

2. Nǐ shì Wáng Péng ma?

3. 王朋是纽约人吗？ 3. Wáng Péng shì Niǔyuē rén ma?

4. 王先生叫王友吗？ 4. Wáng xiānsheng jiào Wáng Yǒu ma?

5. 你叫李友吗？ 5. Nǐ jiào Lǐ Yǒu ma?

E. 也 (yě)
Based on the text of Lesson 1 and your own situation, ask and answer the
following questions with a partner.

1. 王朋是中国人， 1. Wáng Péng shì Zhōngguó rén,

你也是中国人吗？ nǐ yě shì Zhōngguó rén ma?

2. 李友是纽约人， 2. Lǐ Yǒu shì Niǔyuē rén,

你也是纽约人吗？ nǐ yě shì Niǔyuē rén ma?

34 Integrated Chinese • Level 1 Part 1 • Textbook

3. 王朋不是老师，你呢？ 3. Wáng Péng bú shì lǎoshī, nǐ ne?

4. 李友不是中国人，你呢？ 4. Lǐ Yǒu bú shì Zhōngguó rén, nǐ ne?

5. 王朋姓王， 5. Wáng Péng xìng Wáng,

你也姓王吗？ nǐ yě xìng Wáng ma?

F. “I’m American. How about you? Where are you from?”

Walk around the classroom and find out about your classmates’ nationality,
state, or city origins. Remember that, to say that you are from America, California,
人 (rén: person) to the name of the country,
or Boston, simply attach the word
state, or city: 我是美国(Měiguó)/California/Boston 人(rén).

A: 我是美国人，你呢? A: Wǒ shì Měiguó rén, nǐ ne?

B:

A:
……。
SAMPLE
你是Kentucky (the state of your
B: ……

A: Nǐ shì Kentucky (the state of your

current residence)人吗？ current residence) rén ma?

B: 我是…人。/ B: Wǒ shì … rén./

我不是…人，我是…人。 Wǒ bú shì… rén, wǒ shì …rén.

A: 你是(pick a city in your A: Nǐ shì (pick a city in your

respondent’s home state) 人吗？ respondent’s home state) rén ma?

B: 我是(Louisville) 人。你呢？ B: Wǒ shì (Louisville) rén, nǐ ne?

A: 我是(Portland) 人。 A: Wǒ shì (Portland) rén.

 Lesson 1 • Greetings 35

HOW ABOUT YOU?

Where are you from?

1. 英国 Yīngguó pn Britain; England

2. 法国 Fǎguó pn France

3. 德国 Déguó pn Germany

4. 日本 Rìběn pn Japan

5. 韩国 Hánguó pn South Korea

6. 加拿大 Jiā’nádà pn Canada

7. 墨西哥 Mòxīgē pn Mexico

8. 印度 Yìndù pn India

9.

10.

11.
SAMPLE
越南
加州
夏威夷
Yuènán

Jiāzhōu

Xiàwēiyí
pn

pn

pn
Vietnam

California

Hawaii

12. 上海 Shànghǎi pn Shanghai

If your country/state/city is not listed above, please ask your teacher and make a note here:

我是 人。
Wǒ shì rén.
36 Integrated Chinese • Level 1 Part 1 • Textbook

Culture Highlights

Most Chinese family names 姓 (xìng) are monosyllabic. There are,

however, a few disyllabic family names such as 欧阳 (Ōuyáng) and
司徒 (Sītú). The number of Chinese family names is fairly limited.
According to the most recent census, the most common family names are
李 (Lǐ), 王 (Wáng), 张 (Zhāng), 刘 (Liú), and 陈 (Chén).
Family names precede official titles or other forms of address:
王先生 (Wáng xiānsheng, literally, Wang Mister),
李老师 (Lǐ lǎoshī, literally, Li Teacher), etc. When
addressing strangers, it is proper to say 先生 (xiānsheng,
Mr.) or 小姐 (xiǎojiě, Miss) following their
family name.

姓 (xìng) are sometimes called 姓氏

SAMPLE
Family names
(xìngshì). 姓 (xìng) were originally passed down along
maternal lines. Indeed, some of the most ancient Chinese family
names such as 姬 (Jī), 妫 (Guī), 姒 (Sì), 姚 (Yáo), and
姜 (Jiāng) as well as the character 姓 (xìng) contain the fe- These are the first sixteen surnames listed
in the Hundred Surnames. Do you recognize
male radical, 女 (nǚ). Aristocratic men and women were born any of them?

with a 姓 (xìng). However, only aristocratic men would have

a 氏 (shì) as a secondary family name. By the Western Han
period (207 BCE–8 CE), 姓 (xìng) and 氏 (shì) had become
indistinguishable, and even commoners had acquired family
names or 姓 (xìng).
When talking about Chinese family names, most Chinese
people will reference or mention the Hundred Surnames,

百家姓 (Bǎi Jiā Xìng). The book records the known family
names of the Northern Song Dynasty in the 10th century. The
400-plus family names included in the work are arranged in
quatrains with each eighth character rhymed. The book
was a popular reading primer recited by schoolchildren. There are dictionaries to interpret the
Hundred Surnames. This is the cover of one
of those dictionaries.
 Lesson 1 • Greetings 37

In Chinese, family names 姓 (xìng) always precede personal or given names

名 (míng). Personal names usually carry auspicious or positive meanings.
They can be either monosyllabic, written in one character, or disyllabic,
written in two characters. In Chinese culture, a person is seldom referred to
by his or her family name alone, especially if the family name is monosyllabic.

For example, Wang Peng 王朋 (Wáng Péng), should not be referred to

simply as Wang.

When meeting someone for the first time, it is polite to first ask for his or her

family name, rather than his/her full name. Then the question 你叫什么
名字？(Nǐ jiào shénme míngzi? What is your name?) can be asked to find
out his or her given name or full name.

SAMPLE
In Chinese culture the use of given names often suggests a much higher degree
of intimacy than is the case in the West. If one’s given name is monosyllabic,
its use is even more limited, usually confined to one’s lover or spouse. For
example, Wang Peng’s girlfriend can address him as Peng, especially in letters,
but most people would call him Wang Peng rather than Peng.

Do you know any people with these family names?

毕 (Bì); 蔡 (Cài); 陈 (Chén); 高 (Gāo); 黄 (Huáng); 李 (Lǐ);
林 (Lín); 刘 (Liú); 罗 (Luó); 毛 (Máo); 史 (Shǐ); 王 (Wáng);
吴 (Wú); 谢 (Xiè); 徐 (Xú); 许 (Xǔ); 杨 (Yáng); 姚 (Yáo); 叶 (Yè);
张 (Zhāng); 郑 (Zhèng); 周 (Zhōu)
38 Integrated Chinese • Level 1 Part 1 • Textbook

Pronunciation Exercises

Practice the following initials:

b p d t

1. bǎo pǎo dā tā

2. bān pān dí tí

3. bù pù duì tuì

4. bō pō dīng tīng

5. bēng pēng dēng tēng

Practice the following initials:

j q z c

1.
2.
3.
4.
jiāo

jǐng

jīn

jiè
SAMPLE qiāo

qǐng

qīn

qiè
zāi

zǎo

zì

zè
cāi

cǎo

cì

cè

5. jiàn qiàn zhè chè

Practice the following initials:

sh s x

1. shà sà xià

2. shàn sàn xiàn

3. shēn sēn xīn

4. shēng sēng xīng

 Lesson 1 • Greetings 39

Practice the following tones:

1. tiāntiān 2. jīnnián 3. jīnglǐ 4. shēngqì
5. xīngqī 6. fādá 7. fāzhǎn 8. shēngdiào

Practice the following tone combinations:

1. nǐ hǎo 2. Lǐ Yǒu 3. lǎohǔ 4. zhǎnlǎn
5. hǎo duō 6. nǐ lái 7. hǎo shū 8. qǐng wèn

Practice the following syllables in neutral tones:

1. xiānsheng 2. míngzi 3. xiǎojie 4. shénme
5. wǒ de 6. nǐ de 7. tā de 8. shéi de

SAMPLE
40 Integrated Chinese • Level 1 Part 1 • Textbook

English Text
Dialogue I
Wang Peng: How do you do?
Li You: How do you do?
Wang Peng: What’s your family name, please? (lit. Please, may I ask… your honorable surname
is…?)
Li You: My family name is Li. What’s yours? (lit. I am surnamed Li, and you?)
Wang Peng: My family name is Wang. Miss Li, what’s your name?
Li You: My name is Li You. Mr. Wang, what’s your name?
Wang Peng: My name is Wang Peng.

Dialogue II
Li You: Mr. Wang, are you a teacher?
Wang Peng: I’m not a teacher, I’m a student. Li You, how about you?
Li You: I’m a student, too. Are you Chinese?
Wang Peng: Yes, I’m from Beijing (lit. I’m a Beijing-er). Are you American?
Li You: Yes, I’m from New York (lit. I’m a New Yorker).

SAMPLE
PROGRESS CHECKLIST
Before proceeding to Lesson 2, be sure that you can complete the following
tasks in Chinese:

I am able to

Exchange basic greetings;

Say my last name and full name;
Ask someone’s last name and full name;
Say if I am a student or not;
State my nationality;
Ask someone's nationality.

Please review the lesson if any of these tasks seem difficult.