A toddler has fallen asleep standing up, face on the sofa, with the lollipop still in his hand. He never let go of the 棒棒糖.
棒棒糖 (bàng bàng táng) means “lollipop.” 棒 is a stick and 糖 is candy or sugar: stick-stick candy.
Count lollipops with 根 (gēn): 一根棒棒糖 (yì gēn bàngbàngtáng).
我想吃棒棒糖。 — Wǒ xiǎng chī bàngbàngtáng. — I want a lollipop.
他手里拿着一根棒棒糖。 — Tā shǒu li názhe yì gēn bàngbàngtáng. — He is holding a lollipop.
A baby in a yellow onesie lies on a quilt with fists up and one leg kicking, ready for a fight. That is baby 功夫.
功夫 (gōngfu) means “kung fu,” Chinese martial arts; the English word comes from it. The 夫 is usually said light, even though the drawing marks it fū.
功夫 also means time and effort: 花功夫 (huā gōngfu), to put in effort. Chinese martial arts are also called 武术 (wǔshù).
他会功夫。 — Tā huì gōngfu. — He knows kung fu.
学好中文要花很多功夫。 — Xué hǎo Zhōngwén yào huā hěn duō gōngfu. — Learning Chinese well takes a lot of effort.
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The urinal is too high, so two kids work as a team: one gets down on his hands and knees, and the other stands on his back to reach. This is the 卫生间.
卫生间 (wèishēngjiān) means “bathroom” or “restroom.” 卫生 means hygiene and 间 means room.
You will also hear 洗手间 (xǐshǒujiān), “hand-washing room,” the polite word, and 厕所 (cèsuǒ), the plain word for toilet. Signs say 男 for men and 女 for women.
请问，卫生间在哪儿？ — Qǐngwèn, wèishēngjiān zài nǎr? — Excuse me, where is the bathroom?
卫生间在二楼。 — Wèishēngjiān zài èr lóu. — The bathroom is on the second floor.
A small boy holds a grown man straight up over his head with one hand, like a weightlifter. That is 强壮.
强壮 (qiángzhuàng) means “strong,” physically strong and sturdy. 强 means strong or powerful, and 壮 means robust.
强 on its own often describes ability: 他的能力很强 (tā de nénglì hěn qiáng), he is very capable.
他的身体很强壮。 — Tā de shēntǐ hěn qiángzhuàng. — He is very strong.
多运动，身体会更强壮。 — Duō yùndòng, shēntǐ huì gèng qiángzhuàng. — Exercise more and you’ll get stronger.
A baby sleeps curled up inside a giant tire, using the hollow of the wheel as a cradle. Wherever you sleep is your 床.
床 (chuáng) means “bed.” The outer part, 广, is a roof shape, and inside is 木, wood.
Count beds with 张 (zhāng), the measure word for flat things: 一张床. To get up is 起床 (qǐchuáng), literally “rise from bed.”
我七点起床。 — Wǒ qī diǎn qǐchuáng. — I get up at seven.
这张床很舒服。 — Zhè zhāng chuáng hěn shūfu. — This bed is very comfortable.
A boy rests his chin on the table in front of an empty plate, with a bowl, a spoon and a fork set out beside it. Dinner is not ready yet, and he is 饿.
饿 (è) means “hungry.” The left side, 饣, is the food radical, the same one as in 饭 (fàn), meal. The opposite is 饱 (bǎo), full.
People usually say it with 了: 我饿了 (wǒ è le), I’m hungry.
我饿死了！ — Wǒ è sǐ le! — I’m starving!
你饿不饿？ — Nǐ è bu è? — Are you hungry?
A cat sits in the window as a can of paint tips off the ledge onto the kid below, who bursts into tears. Look who is up there: a 猫.
猫 (māo) means “cat.” Say it and it sounds a lot like a cat’s meow. A kitten is 小猫 (xiǎo māo).
Count cats with 只 (zhī), the measure word for most animals: 一只猫 (yì zhī māo), one cat.
我家有两只猫。 — Wǒ jiā yǒu liǎng zhī māo. — We have two cats at home.
猫喜欢睡觉。 — Māo xǐhuan shuìjiào. — Cats love to sleep.
