Book 1, Lesson 2: Family and Home

Lesson 2 brings you into the home.

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.

After the arrivals and introductions of Lesson 1, Book 1 Lesson 2 of A Course in Contemporary Chinese (Dangdai) shifts focus to family—the people you live with, the relationships that define you, and the vocabulary you need to describe them.

This is deeply practical material. Within your first weeks in Taiwan, someone will ask about your family. A classmate will show you photos. A host family will introduce their relatives. You need the words to participate in these conversations.

The Theme: Family and Home

The scenario of Lesson 2 is a home visit. Someone is invited inside. Photos are examined. Family members are identified and discussed. Questions are asked about siblings, parents, and occupations.

The vocabulary divides into several categories:

Family Members

The core of this lesson—words for parents, siblings, and extended family. Mandarin distinguishes between older and younger siblings (哥哥 vs 弟弟, 姐姐 vs 妹妹), a distinction English does not make.

Home and Objects

Your first vocabulary for physical spaces and things: 家 (home), 房子 (house), 照片 (photo), 書 (book). These nouns will appear constantly throughout your studies.

Descriptive Words

Adjectives to describe people and things: 漂亮 (beautiful), 好看 (good-looking), 多 (many). These allow you to move beyond simple identification to actual description.

Numbers and Measure Words

Your first encounter with 幾 (how many) and the measure word 個. Mandarin requires measure words between numbers and nouns—a grammatical feature that takes time to master.

Polite Expressions

New courtesies for home visits: 請進 (please come in), 您 (formal “you”), 伯母 (aunt/mother of a friend). Taiwanese culture has specific vocabulary for polite interaction with elders.

Vocabulary Table

Click any character to view stroke order, pronunciation, and example sentences in our dictionary.

Character	Pinyin	Meaning	Type
張怡君	Zhāng Yíjūn	(Personal name)	Proper noun
馬安同	Mǎ Āntóng	(Personal name)	Proper noun
的	de	(possessive/descriptive particle)	Particle
家人	jiārén	family; family members	Noun
家	jiā	home; family	Noun
漂亮	piàoliang	beautiful; pretty	Adjective
房子	fángzi	house; building	Noun
坐	zuò	to sit	Verb
好	hǎo	good; well	Adjective
有	yǒu	to have; there is/are	Verb
多	duō	many; much	Adjective
照片	zhàopiàn	photo; photograph	Noun
都	dōu	all; both	Adverb
照相	zhàoxiàng	to take a photo	Verb
張	zhāng	(measure word for flat objects)	Measure word
好看	hǎokàn	good-looking; attractive	Adjective
誰	shéi	who	Question word
姐姐	jiějie	older sister	Noun
妹妹	mèimei	younger sister	Noun
爸爸	bàba	father; dad	Noun
媽媽	māma	mother; mom	Noun
請進	qǐng jìn	please come in	Phrase
田中誠一	Tiánzhōng Chéngyī	(Japanese name: Tanaka Seiichi)	Proper noun
伯母	bómǔ	aunt (father’s elder brother’s wife); polite term for friend’s mother	Noun
您	nín	you (formal/respectful)	Pronoun
名字	míngzi	name	Noun
書	shū	book	Noun
哥哥	gēge	older brother	Noun
老師	lǎoshī	teacher	Noun
看書	kànshū	to read (books)	Verb phrase
幾	jǐ	how many; several	Question word
個	gè	(general measure word)	Measure word
沒	méi	not; have not	Adverb
兄弟	xiōngdì	brothers	Noun
姐妹	jiěmèi	sisters	Noun
五	wǔ	five	Number
兩	liǎng	two (used before measure words)	Number

Key Grammar

The Particle 的

This lesson introduces 的, one of the most common particles in Mandarin. It functions primarily as a possessive marker and a connector between modifiers and nouns:

Possessive:

• 我的家人 — my family
• 她的照片 — her photo
• 老師的書 — the teacher’s book

Descriptive:

• 漂亮的房子 — beautiful house
• 好看的照片 — good-looking photo

You will use 的 in nearly every sentence you construct. Master it now.

Measure Words: 個 and 張

Mandarin requires measure words between numbers and nouns. English does this occasionally (“a piece of paper,” “a cup of coffee”), but Mandarin does it always.

個 (gè) is the general-purpose measure word:

• 一個人 — one person
• 三個哥哥 — three older brothers
• 幾個姐妹？ — how many sisters?

張 (zhāng) is used for flat objects:

• 一張照片 — one photo
• 五張紙 — five sheets of paper

Using the wrong measure word marks you as a beginner. Using the correct one signals competence.

有 (yǒu) — To Have / There Is

有 serves double duty:

Possession:

• 我有兩個姐姐。 — I have two older sisters.
• 你有兄弟嗎？ — Do you have brothers?

Existence:

• 這裡有很多照片。 — There are many photos here.

沒 (méi) — Negating 有

Unlike most verbs (negated with 不), 有 is negated with 沒:

• 我沒有妹妹。 — I don’t have a younger sister.
• 他沒有兄弟。 — He doesn’t have brothers.

This is an exception you must memorize. 不有 is incorrect.

都 (dōu) — All/Both

都 is an adverb meaning “all” or “both.” It must come before the verb:

• 我們都是學生。 — We are all students.
• 他們都很好看。 — They are all good-looking.
• 照片都很漂亮。 — The photos are all beautiful.

幾 (jǐ) — How Many

幾 asks “how many” for small numbers (typically under 10):

• 你有幾個兄弟？ — How many brothers do you have?
• 這是幾張照片？ — How many photos is this?

For larger quantities, 多少 is used instead (introduced in later lessons).

兩 vs 二

Both mean “two,” but they are used differently:

兩 (liǎng) is used before measure words:

• 兩個人 — two people
• 兩張照片 — two photos

二 (èr) is used for counting, phone numbers, and ordinals:

• 一、二、三 — one, two, three
• 第二 — second

This distinction trips up many learners. When in doubt before a measure word, use 兩.

Cultural Notes

Family Structure in Taiwan

Taiwanese society traditionally emphasizes family. Questions about your family—how many siblings you have, what your parents do, whether you are married—are common and not considered intrusive. Be prepared to discuss your family early and often.

Age-Based Sibling Terms

Mandarin distinguishes older from younger siblings:

• 哥哥 (older brother) vs 弟弟 (younger brother)
• 姐姐 (older sister) vs 妹妹 (younger sister)

This reflects the cultural importance of birth order. The older sibling carries different responsibilities and receives different respect than the younger. When introducing siblings, you specify which.

The Formal 您

您 is the respectful form of 你. Use it with:

• Elders (anyone significantly older than you)
• Teachers and professors
• People in positions of authority
• Parents of friends (as in this lesson)

Using 您 when 你 would suffice is not wrong—it simply sounds very polite. Using 你 when 您 is expected can be rude.

伯母 and Kinship Terms for Non-Relatives

Taiwanese culture extends family terminology to non-relatives as a sign of respect. When visiting a friend’s home, you might address their mother as 伯母 (bómǔ)—literally “father’s elder brother’s wife,” but used broadly for “aunt” or “ma’am.”

This system of honorific kinship terms is complex and varies by region. For now, know that 伯母 is a safe, respectful way to address a friend’s mother.

請進 — Welcoming Guests

When someone arrives at your home, 請進 (please come in) is the standard invitation. The guest typically removes their shoes at the entrance—this is nearly universal in Taiwan. Offering tea or water immediately upon entry is customary.

Study Tips

Write the Characters by Hand

This lesson introduces characters with higher stroke counts: 漂, 亮, 照, 媽, 爸. These require careful attention to stroke order.

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. Correct stroke order now prevents confusion later when characters become more complex.

Practice Family Vocabulary Actively

Draw your own family tree and label it in Chinese. Practice describing your family aloud:

• 我有一個哥哥，沒有姐姐。
• 我的媽媽是老師。
• 我們家有五個人。

The more you personalize this vocabulary, the faster it will stick.

Master 的 Through Repetition

的 appears constantly. Build sentences with it until the pattern is automatic:

• 我的書 (my book)
• 漂亮的房子 (beautiful house)
• 姐姐的照片 (older sister’s photo)
• 好看的家人 (good-looking family)

Use Spaced Repetition

These 36 vocabulary items build directly on Lesson 1. Combined, you now have 80 words—the foundation of basic conversation.

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. The vocabulary you learn in Lesson 2 will still be accessible when you need it in Lesson 12.

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 words become permanent.

Welcome to the family. 歡迎！