Book 1, Lesson 1: First Introductions
The complete vocabulary list for A Course in Contemporary Chinese Book 1, Lesson 1—covering greetings, introductions, and your first conversations in Mandarin.
Welcome to your first lesson in Mandarin Chinese.
Note: This page serves as a companion to the A Course in Contemporary Chinese series by the Mandarin Training Center of the National Taiwan Normal University. You can use this post as a reference, but we strongly advise you to purchase the book to get the full didactic value it offers.
Book 1, Lesson 1 of A Course in Contemporary Chinese (Dangdai) introduces the foundational vocabulary you need for basic introductions and polite conversation. These are the words you will use on your first day in Taiwan—at the airport, meeting your teacher, greeting classmates, and navigating your first café order.
This lesson establishes patterns you will use throughout your Mandarin journey: how to greet people, how to ask questions, how to express preferences, and how to be polite.
The Theme: Arrivals and Introductions
The scenario of Lesson 1 is an arrival. Someone is being picked up at the airport. Names are exchanged. Pleasantries are offered. Tea and coffee are discussed.
This is not arbitrary. The Dangdai curriculum is built around realistic scenarios that mirror the experiences of students arriving in Taiwan to study Mandarin. You are learning the exact phrases you will need in your first hours in the country.
The vocabulary divides into several categories:
Personal Pronouns
The building blocks of any sentence—“I,” “you,” “we,” “he.” Mandarin pronouns are simpler than English in some ways (no case changes) but require attention to plural forms (我們, 你們).
Question Words and Particles
Mandarin forms questions differently than English. The particle 嗎 turns statements into yes/no questions. Words like 什麼 (what), 哪 (which), and 呢 (and you?) are essential for basic inquiry.
Polite Expressions
Taiwanese culture places high value on politeness. This lesson introduces the essential courtesies: 謝謝 (thank you), 不客氣 (you’re welcome), 對不起 (sorry), 請 (please), and 歡迎 (welcome).
Basic Verbs
The verbs in this lesson—是 (to be), 叫 (to be called), 喝 (to drink), 喜歡 (to like), 要 (to want)—form the skeleton of countless sentences you will build throughout your studies.
Food and Drink
Your first nouns beyond people: 茶 (tea), 咖啡 (coffee), 烏龍茶 (oolong tea). Taiwan’s tea culture runs deep, and you will encounter these words daily.
Countries and Nationalities
Taiwan, Japan, America—and the question word 哪國 (which country). These allow you to discuss where you and others are from.
Vocabulary Table
Click any character to view stroke order, pronunciation, and example sentences in our dictionary.
| Character | Pinyin | Meaning | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 陳月美 | Chén Yuèměi | (Personal name) | Proper noun |
| 李明華 | Lǐ Mínghuá | (Personal name) | Proper noun |
| 王開文 | Wáng Kāiwén | (Personal name) | Proper noun |
| 你 | nǐ | you (singular) | Pronoun |
| 來 | lái | to come | Verb |
| 是 | shì | to be; is; am; are | Verb |
| 小姐 | xiǎojiě | Miss; young lady | Noun |
| 嗎 | ma | (question particle) | Particle |
| 接 | jiē | to pick up; to receive | Verb |
| 我們 | wǒmen | we; us | Pronoun |
| 我 | wǒ | I; me | Pronoun |
| 這 | zhè | this | Demonstrative |
| 先生 | xiānshēng | Mr.; sir; gentleman | Noun |
| 好 | hǎo | good; well | Adjective |
| 姓 | xìng | surname; to be surnamed | Verb/Noun |
| 叫 | jiào | to be called; to call | Verb |
| 你們 | nǐmen | you (plural) | Pronoun |
| 臺灣 | Táiwān | Taiwan | Proper noun |
| 歡迎 | huānyíng | to welcome; welcome | Verb |
| 請問 | qǐngwèn | may I ask; excuse me | Phrase |
| 是的 | shìde | yes; that’s right | Phrase |
| 謝謝 | xièxiè | thank you | Phrase |
| 不客氣 | bù kèqì | you’re welcome | Phrase |
| 你好 | nǐ hǎo | hello | Phrase |
| 請 | qǐng | please; to invite | Verb |
| 喝 | hē | to drink | Verb |
| 茶 | chá | tea | Noun |
| 很 | hěn | very | Adverb |
| 好喝 | hǎohē | delicious (for drinks); tasty | Adjective |
| 什麼 | shénme | what | Question word |
| 人 | rén | person; people | Noun |
| 喜歡 | xǐhuān | to like | Verb |
| 呢 | ne | (particle: and you? what about…?) | Particle |
| 他 | tā | he; him | Pronoun |
| 不 | bù | not; no | Adverb |
| 哪 | nǎ | which; where | Question word |
| 要 | yào | to want; to need; will | Verb |
| 咖啡 | kāfēi | coffee | Noun |
| 烏龍茶 | wūlóng chá | oolong tea | Noun |
| 日本 | Rìběn | Japan | Proper noun |
| 美國 | Měiguó | United States; America | Proper noun |
| 對不起 | duìbùqǐ | sorry; excuse me | Phrase |
| 哪國 | nǎ guó | which country | Phrase |
Key Grammar
Asking Questions with 嗎
Mandarin forms yes/no questions by adding 嗎 to the end of a statement:
- 你是李小姐嗎？ — Are you Miss Li?
- 這是咖啡嗎？ — Is this coffee?
The word order does not change. You simply add the particle.
Introducing Yourself
Two patterns appear in this lesson for stating your name:
- 我姓王。 — My surname is Wang. (Using 姓 for family name)
- 我叫王開文。 — I’m called Wang Kaiwen. (Using 叫 for full name)
The Particle 呢
When someone asks you a question, you can bounce it back with 呢:
- A: 你好嗎？ — How are you?
- B: 我很好，你呢？ — I’m good, and you?
This particle is extremely common in conversation and makes your speech sound natural.
Negation with 不
To negate most verbs, place 不 before them:
- 我不喜歡咖啡。 — I don’t like coffee.
- 他不是日本人。 — He isn’t Japanese.
Cultural Notes
Names in Chinese
Chinese names place the family name first. 王開文 is “Wang Kaiwen”—Wang is the surname, Kaiwen is the given name. When addressing someone formally, you use their surname plus a title: 王先生 (Mr. Wang), 李小姐 (Miss Li).
Tea Culture
Taiwan is famous for its tea, particularly 烏龍茶 (oolong tea). Offering tea to guests is a fundamental courtesy. When someone offers you tea, the polite response is to accept—or to decline gracefully with 謝謝，不用了 (Thank you, no need).
Politeness Markers
Taiwanese Mandarin tends toward indirectness and politeness. You will notice 請 (please) and 請問 (may I ask) appearing frequently. Using these markers makes your speech sound respectful rather than demanding.
Study Tips
This is your foundation. Every word in this lesson will appear hundreds of times throughout the Dangdai curriculum. Invest the time to learn them thoroughly now.
Write the Characters by Hand
Stroke order matters for retention. Characters like 我, 你, 是, and 好 will become so automatic that you stop thinking about them—but only if you build the motor memory through writing practice.
Our dictionary contains detailed stroke order animations for every character in this lesson. Click any character in the table above to see exactly how it should be written—stroke by stroke, in the correct sequence. Reference these animations when practicing. Writing characters incorrectly builds bad habits that are difficult to unlearn later.
Practice the Phrases Aloud
你好, 謝謝, 不客氣, 對不起—these should become reflexive. You should be able to produce them without thinking.
Use Spaced Repetition
These 44 vocabulary items are manageable, but they are just the beginning. The Dangdai curriculum contains over 5,000 vocabulary items across six books. Building strong retention habits now prevents the “review snowball” that derails many students later.
Zhong Chinese offers flashcards mapped directly to this lesson—and every lesson in the Dangdai curriculum. Our spaced repetition system, powered by the FSRS algorithm, schedules reviews at the optimal moment before you forget. You learn the words once; we ensure they stay learned.
Rather than managing your own flashcard deck or hoping passive exposure will be enough, let the algorithm handle the scheduling. You focus on showing up. We focus on making sure these 44 words are still accessible when you need them in Lesson 10, Book 3, or your TOCFL exam.
Welcome to your Mandarin journey. 歡迎！
Ready to apply these principles?
Start mastering Chinese with our science-backed curriculum.