Classical Chinese/Vocabulary
This is a list of basic verbs, nouns, pronouns, adjectives, and grammatical particles. Pronunciations used are from Mandarin Chinese (see Mandarin Chinese Tones).
| Character | Romanisation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 吾 | wú | I, me |
| 台 | tái | you, thou |
| 爾 | ěr | you, thou, thus |
| 為 | wéi/wèi | become, as, do, because, for |
| 近 | jìn | near, close |
| 遠 | yuǎn | far, distant |
| 言 | yán | word, speak, language |
| 日 | rì | day, sun (not to be confused with 曰) |
| 曰 | yuē | say (not to be confused with 日) |
| 我 | wǒ | I, me, we, us |
| 臣 | chén | I (used when speaking to a superior or for sign of respect; literally, servant, official) |
| 君 | jūn | lord, ruler, monarch |
| 國 | guó | country, state, nation, empire, kingdom, fief |
| 大 | dà | large, great, big |
| 小 | xiǎo | small, tiny |
| 善 | shàn | good, virtuous, benevolent |
| 害 | hài | bad, evil, corrupt |
| 惡 | ē/wù | bad, evil, hate |
| 多 | duō | many, much, multiple |
| 鳥 | niǎo | bird |
| 道 | dào | the Dao; way, path, road; Daoism, school of thought |
| 玉 | yù | jade |
| 風 | fēng | wind, style, news |
| 興 | xìng/xīng | growth, prosperity, flourish, grow |
| 是 | shì | this, that, these, those |
| 士 | shì | scholar, warrior, official, minister |
| 土 | tǔ | earth, soil |
| 水 | shuǐ | water |
| 火 | huǒ | fire |
| 金 | jīn | metal, money, gold |
| 經 | jīng | Chinese Classic, sacred book |
| 木 | mù | wood, tree |
| 母 | mǔ | mother |
| 時 | shí | time, when, period |
| 世 | shì | time, generation, world, era, epoch |
| 天 | tiān | sky, heaven |
| 神 | shén | spirit, god, soul, mysterious |
| 治 | zhì | rule, govern, government |
| 知 | zhī | know, knowledge, understand |
| 舊 | jiù | old, ancient, antiquated |
| 法 | fǎ | law, method, way, Legalism |
| 子 | zǐ | son; prince; sir; gentleman; you or him (depending on usage) |
| 字 | zì | word, character |
| 使 | shǐ | cause, make, enable, use, employ |
| 於 | yú | to, in, for, at (depends on usage) |
| 昨 | zuó | yesterday |