HSK 1 · Article · 278 characters · Listen: mandarinthewild.com/library/read/how-to-say-what-is-this-in-chinese

这是什么？

How to say what is this in Chinese

Name: ________________ Date: ________

学xué中文zhōngwén，第一dìyī天tiān学xué什么shénme？我wǒ觉得juéde是shì这zhè四sì个gè字zì：“这zhè是shì什么shénme？”

东西dōngxī在zài这儿zhèr，问wèn：“这zhè是shì什么shénme？”东西dōngxī在zài那儿nàr，问wèn：“那nà是shì什么shénme？”想xiǎng知道zhīdào一个yígè东西dōngxī的de中文zhōngwén名字míngzi，可以kéyǐ问wèn：“这个zhège，中文zhōngwén叫jiào什么shénme？”

我wǒ学xué中文zhōngwén三sān个gè月yuè了le。我wǒ的de儿子érzi两liǎng岁suì，也yě在zài学xué说话shuōhuà。我们wǒmen两liǎng个gè人rén，天天tiāntiān都dōu问wèn“这zhè是shì什么shénme”。

早上zǎoshang，儿子érzi看见kànjiàn一yí个gè杯子bēizi，问wèn妈妈māma：“这zhè是shì什么shénme？”妈妈māma说shuō：“这zhè是shì杯子bēizi。”

中午zhōngwǔ，我wǒ看见kànjiàn桌子zhuōzi上shàng有yǒu一些yìxiē东西dōngxī，我wǒ不bù知道zhīdào是shì什么shénme。我wǒ也yě问wèn他tā妈妈māma：“那nà是shì什么shénme？”她tā说shuō：“那nà是shì包子bāozi。”

下午xiàwǔ，儿子érzi问wèn：“这zhè是shì什么shénme？”“那nà是shì什么shénme？”我wǒ也yě问wèn：“这个zhège，中文zhōngwén叫jiào什么shénme？”

他tā妈妈māma说shuō：“你们nǐmen两liǎng个gè，一yì天tiān问wèn我wǒ一百yìbǎi个gè‘这zhè是shì什么shénme’！”

晚上wǎnshang，他tā妈妈māma不bú在家zàijiā。中午zhōngwǔ的de那些nàxiē东西dōngxī，桌子zhuōzi上shàng还有háiyǒu一个yígè。我wǒ看kàn着zhe它tā，想xiǎng：这zhè是shì什么shénme？中午zhōngwǔ他tā妈妈māma说shuō了le，叫jiào什么shénme呢ne？

儿子érzi看kàn了le看kàn，说shuō：“这zhè是shì包子bāozi，爸爸bàba！”

现在xiànzài，我们wǒmen家jiā有yǒu两liǎng个gè中文zhōngwén老师lǎoshī：一个yígè是shì他tā妈妈māma，一个yígè是shì我wǒ两liǎng岁suì的de儿子érzi。

Key words

Word	Pinyin	Meaning
学	xué	to study; to learn
中文	zhōngwén	Chinese (language)
天	tiān	heaven; God
觉得	juéde	to think; to feel
四	sì	four
字	zì	character; written word
东西	dōngxī	east and west
问	wèn	to ask
什么	shénme	what; anything
知道	zhīdào	to know; to be aware of
名字	míngzi	name
三	sān	three

English (for the teacher)

When you learn Chinese, what should you learn on day one? I think it's these four characters: "Zhè shì shénme?", what is this?

When the thing is here, ask: "Zhè shì shénme?" When the thing is over there, ask: "Nà shì shénme?", what is that? To find out a thing's Chinese name, you can ask: "Zhège, Zhōngwén jiào shénme?", what is this called in Chinese?

I've been learning Chinese for three months. My son is two, and he's learning to talk too. The two of us ask "what is this" every day.

In the morning, my son sees a cup and asks his mum, "What is this?" His mum says, "This is a cup."

At noon, I see some things on the table, and I don't know what they are. I ask his mum too, "What is that?" She says, "Those are baozi."

In the afternoon, my son asks, "What is this?" "What is that?" And I ask, "What is this called in Chinese?"

His mum says, "You two ask me 'what is this' a hundred times a day!"

In the evening, his mum isn't home. There's still one of those things from noon on the table. I look at it and think: what is this? His mum told me at noon. What was it called?

My son takes a look and says, "It's a baozi, Dad!"

Now our family has two Chinese teachers: one is his mum, and the other is my two-year-old son.