{"id":6722,"date":"2016-01-22T13:38:51","date_gmt":"2016-01-22T13:38:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.digmandarin.com\/?p=6722"},"modified":"2023-08-31T05:05:44","modified_gmt":"2023-08-31T05:05:44","slug":"a-how-to-for-picking-up-in-chinese","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.digmandarin.com\/a-how-to-for-picking-up-in-chinese.html","title":{"rendered":"Master the Art of ‘Picking Up’ in Chinese: Translations You Need to Know!"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
Stop giggling at the back! When you saw the title, did you think we were diving into the world of dating and romance in Chinese class today? Well, instead we\u2019ll be focusing on a much more practical aspect of the language: translations of the English phrase “to pick up” in Mandarin Chinese! <\/p>\n\n\n\n
From acquiring new skills to answering phone calls, the Chinese language contains a rich variety of expressions that vary depending on the context. And hey, don’t worry, we might just touch upon the dating scene too! But first, let’s begin with a more academic example to whet your appetite for knowledge!<\/p>\n\n\n
\u5b66\u4f1a(xu\u00e9 hu\u00ec)-pick up a skill<\/h2>\n\n\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
In this phrase, \u5b66 (xu\u00e9) means ‘learn’ or ‘study,’ and \u4f1a (hu\u00ec) means ‘master a skill.’ When you combine the two, you get ‘pick up a skill.’ You can use this structure with either a verb phrase or a noun.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For example:<\/s><\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u5b66\u4f1a\u505a\u996d(xu\u00e9 hu\u00ec zu\u00f2f\u00e0n) Pick up cooking<\/li>
\u5b66\u4f1a\u82f1\u8bed(xu\u00e9 hu\u00ec y\u012bngy\u01d4) Pick up English<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n
\u63a5(ji\u0113)-pick up the phone<\/h2>\n\n\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\u63a5 (ji\u0113) has multiple meanings, but in this case, we’re referring to \u63a5\u7535\u8bdd (ji\u0113 di\u00e0nhu\u00e0), which means to pick up a phone call. In case you’re wondering, “to hang up” is \u6302\u7535\u8bdd (gu\u00e0 di\u00e0nhu\u00e0).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For example:<\/s><\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u522b\u6302\u7535\u8bdd (bi\u00e9 gu\u00e0 di\u00e0nhu\u00e0) Don\u2019t hang up.<\/li>
\u5feb\u63a5\u7535\u8bdd\uff01\uff08ku\u00e0i ji\u0113 di\u00e0nhu\u00e0\uff09Pick up the phone!<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n
\u4f60\u4eca\u5929\u4f1a\u53bb\u63a5\u4ed6\u5417\uff1f(N\u01d0 j\u012bnti\u0101n hu\u00ec q\u00f9 ji\u0113 t\u0101 ma?) Will you go pick her up today?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u8bf7\u4e94\u70b9\u6765\u673a\u573a\u63a5\u6211\u3002(Q\u01d0ng w\u01d4di\u01cen l\u00e1i j\u012bch\u01ceng ji\u0113 w\u01d2.) Please come to the airport to pick me up at 5 o\u2019clock.<\/p>\n\n\n
No, I didn’t make a mistake. In Chinese, the equivalent phrase for “pick-me-up” is \u9e21\u6c64 (j\u012b t\u0101ng), which literally means “chicken soup.” Just like how chicken soup can make you feel better when you’re sick, the Chinese use the term \u9e21\u6c64 (j\u012b t\u0101ng) to refer to expressions and kind words that uplift your spirits as well! Here’s a serving of \u9e21\u6c64 (j\u012b t\u0101ng) for you: \u660e\u5929\u4f1a\u66f4\u597d.<\/p>\n\n\n
I suspect that the word \u76ae\u5361 (p\u00edk\u01ce) is borrowed from English. It sounds just like “pickup,” doesn’t it? In China, only a few people drive pickup trucks, especially in cities. Chinese people believe that the only reason someone would drive a \u76ae\u5361 (p\u00edk\u01ce) is if they work as a truck driver.<\/p>\n\n\n
\u642d\u8baa (d\u0101sh\u00e0n) – pick up someone romantically<\/h2>\n\n\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
Finally, here’s the moment you’ve been waiting for! \u642d\u8baa (d\u0101sh\u00e0n) is used when you approach and strike up a conversation with someone. It’s a verb, but in most cases, you can’t directly use an object with it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, “I picked her up” is NOT \u6211\u642d\u8baa\u5979 (W\u01d2 d\u0101sh\u00e0n t\u0101). No, no, no.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The correct way to use it would be:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For example:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u4ed6\u559c\u6b22\u5728\u9152\u5427\u642d\u8baa\u3002(T\u0101 x\u01d0huan z\u00e0i ji\u01d4b\u0101 d\u0101sh\u00e0n.) He likes to pick up people at bars.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u4ed6\u5411\u5979\u642d\u8baa\u3002(T\u0101 xi\u00e0ng t\u0101 d\u0101sh\u00e0n.) He picked her up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, I must warn you that \u642d\u8baa (d\u0101sh\u00e0n) carries a slightly negative connotation in Chinese, especially among more traditional individuals. So, if you want to use it, please be cautious. Otherwise, you might be considered a \u4e0d\u6b63\u7ecf (b\u00f9 zh\u00e8ngj\u012bng), or a bad person.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When it comes to approaching someone, some phrase books might teach you words like:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But in my opinion, using these words will give the impression that you’re only interested in picking someone up rather than forming a genuine relationship. They are also not very creative. So, last but not least, let’s learn the best sentence to use for \u642d\u8baa (d\u0101sh\u00e0n)!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For example:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u6211\u4e0d\u61c2\u8fd9\u4e2a\u3002\u4f60\u53ef\u4ee5\u5e2e\u6211\u5417? (W\u01d2 b\u00f9 d\u01d2ng zh\u00e8ge. N\u01d0 k\u011by\u01d0 b\u0101ng w\u01d2 ma?) I don\u2019t understand this. Can you help me?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Find something with characters, a menu, a ticket, or a message, and ask them the question. Chinese people are patient, and who knows, maybe you’ll even make a new friend or meet someone special along the way!<\/p>\n\n\n
Closing Thoughts<\/h2>\n\n\n
Congratulations! You’ve now explored the many uses of “picking up” in Mandarin Chinese. From acquiring new skills to answering phone calls, and even exploring the delicate realm of dating, you’ve gained insights into the various translations and cultural nuances of this seemingly simple phrase.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Remember, in your quest to learn and connect with Chinese speakers, it’s essential to approach each situation with respect and cultural sensitivity. Whether you’re using \u5b66\u4f1a (xu\u00e9 hu\u00ec) to pick up a skill, \u63a5 (ji\u0113) to pick up a phone call, or even venturing into the realm of \u642d\u8baa (d\u0101sh\u00e0n) to pick up someone romantically, always be mindful of the context and the impact your words may have.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, armed with this newfound knowledge, go forth and explore the Chinese language with confidence!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Stop giggling at the back! When you saw the title, did you think we were diving into the world of dating and romance in Chinese class today? Well, instead we\u2019ll be focusing on a much more practical aspect of the language: translations of the English phrase “to pick up” in Mandarin Chinese! From acquiring new…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":29,"featured_media":6723,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,176],"tags":[79,77,93,78,80,84],"post_series":[],"class_list":["post-6722","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-learn-mandarin-online","category-usage","tag-advanced","tag-beginner","tag-how-to-use","tag-intermediate","tag-self-study","tag-vocabulary","entry","has-media"],"yoast_head":"\n
'Picking Up' in Chinese: Translations You Need to Know<\/title>\n
<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=index-1277.html \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"'Picking Up' in Chinese: Translations You Need to Know\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Stop giggling at the back! When you saw the title, did you think we were diving into the world of dating and romance in Chinese class today? Well, instead we\u2019ll be focusing on a much more practical aspect of the language: translations of the English phrase “to pick up” in Mandarin Chinese! From acquiring new…\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.digmandarin.com\/a-how-to-for-picking-up-in-chinese.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2016-01-22T13:38:51+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-08-31T05:05:44+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.digmandarin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/pick-up-in-chinese.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"845\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"449\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Vera Zhang\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@digmandarin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@digmandarin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Vera Zhang\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.digmandarin.com\/a-how-to-for-picking-up-in-chinese.html\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.digmandarin.com\/a-how-to-for-picking-up-in-chinese.html\",\"name\":\"'Picking Up' in Chinese: Translations You Need to Know\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.digmandarin.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.digmandarin.com\/a-how-to-for-picking-up-in-chinese.html#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.digmandarin.com\/a-how-to-for-picking-up-in-chinese.html#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.digmandarin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/pick-up-in-chinese.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2016-01-22T13:38:51+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-08-31T05:05:44+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.digmandarin.com\/#\/schema\/person\/517612ca081a848e8f45e116f9c295b2\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.digmandarin.com\/a-how-to-for-picking-up-in-chinese.html#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.digmandarin.com\/a-how-to-for-picking-up-in-chinese.html\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.digmandarin.com\/a-how-to-for-picking-up-in-chinese.html#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.digmandarin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/pick-up-in-chinese.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.digmandarin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/pick-up-in-chinese.jpg\",\"width\":845,\"height\":449},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.digmandarin.com\/a-how-to-for-picking-up-in-chinese.html#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.digmandarin.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Master the Art of ‘Picking Up’ in Chinese: Translations You Need to Know!\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.digmandarin.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.digmandarin.com\/\",\"name\":\"\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.digmandarin.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.digmandarin.com\/#\/schema\/person\/517612ca081a848e8f45e116f9c295b2\",\"name\":\"Vera Zhang\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.digmandarin.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.digmandarin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/v.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.digmandarin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/v.jpg\",\"caption\":\"Vera Zhang\"},\"description\":\"After graduating from East China Normal University in 2005, Vera Zhang (\u5f20\u6653\u4e3d) started her career in teaching Chinese as a second language. Her first teaching job was teaching high school Chinese in Philippines and realized how much she loved this job. In 2007, she came back Shanghai and spent 7 years in ChinesePod. During that, she also went to America to learn language learning knowledge and curriculum editing by teaching in a high school. Now she works in a start-up company and has developed a new Chinese learning app-HelloChinese. She hopes she can share her knowledge in Chinese and make Chinese learning easy and fun.\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.digmandarin.com\/author\/verazhang\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"'Picking Up' in Chinese: Translations You Need to Know","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.digmandarin.com\/a-how-to-for-picking-up-in-chinese.html","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"'Picking Up' in Chinese: Translations You Need to Know","og_description":"Stop giggling at the back! When you saw the title, did you think we were diving into the world of dating and romance in Chinese class today? Well, instead we\u2019ll be focusing on a much more practical aspect of the language: translations of the English phrase “to pick up” in Mandarin Chinese! From acquiring new…","og_url":"https:\/\/www.digmandarin.com\/a-how-to-for-picking-up-in-chinese.html","article_published_time":"2016-01-22T13:38:51+00:00","article_modified_time":"2023-08-31T05:05:44+00:00","og_image":[{"width":845,"height":449,"url":"https:\/\/www.digmandarin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/pick-up-in-chinese.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Vera Zhang","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@digmandarin","twitter_site":"@digmandarin","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Vera Zhang","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.digmandarin.com\/a-how-to-for-picking-up-in-chinese.html","url":"https:\/\/www.digmandarin.com\/a-how-to-for-picking-up-in-chinese.html","name":"'Picking Up' in Chinese: Translations You Need to Know","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.digmandarin.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.digmandarin.com\/a-how-to-for-picking-up-in-chinese.html#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.digmandarin.com\/a-how-to-for-picking-up-in-chinese.html#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.digmandarin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/pick-up-in-chinese.jpg","datePublished":"2016-01-22T13:38:51+00:00","dateModified":"2023-08-31T05:05:44+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.digmandarin.com\/#\/schema\/person\/517612ca081a848e8f45e116f9c295b2"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.digmandarin.com\/a-how-to-for-picking-up-in-chinese.html#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.digmandarin.com\/a-how-to-for-picking-up-in-chinese.html"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.digmandarin.com\/a-how-to-for-picking-up-in-chinese.html#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.digmandarin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/pick-up-in-chinese.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.digmandarin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/pick-up-in-chinese.jpg","width":845,"height":449},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.digmandarin.com\/a-how-to-for-picking-up-in-chinese.html#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.digmandarin.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Master the Art of ‘Picking Up’ in Chinese: Translations You Need to Know!"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.digmandarin.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.digmandarin.com\/","name":"","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.digmandarin.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.digmandarin.com\/#\/schema\/person\/517612ca081a848e8f45e116f9c295b2","name":"Vera Zhang","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.digmandarin.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.digmandarin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/v.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.digmandarin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/v.jpg","caption":"Vera Zhang"},"description":"After graduating from East China Normal University in 2005, Vera Zhang (\u5f20\u6653\u4e3d) started her career in teaching Chinese as a second language. Her first teaching job was teaching high school Chinese in Philippines and realized how much she loved this job. In 2007, she came back Shanghai and spent 7 years in ChinesePod. During that, she also went to America to learn language learning knowledge and curriculum editing by teaching in a high school. Now she works in a start-up company and has developed a new Chinese learning app-HelloChinese. She hopes she can share her knowledge in Chinese and make Chinese learning easy and fun.","url":"https:\/\/www.digmandarin.com\/author\/verazhang"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.digmandarin.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6722","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.digmandarin.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.digmandarin.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.digmandarin.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/29"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.digmandarin.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6722"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.digmandarin.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6722\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.digmandarin.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6723"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.digmandarin.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6722"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.digmandarin.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6722"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.digmandarin.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6722"},{"taxonomy":"post_series","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.digmandarin.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/post_series?post=6722"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.digmandarin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/pickup_1.jpg)
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.digmandarin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/pickup_2.jpg)
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.digmandarin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/pickup_3.jpg)
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.digmandarin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/pickup_4.jpg)
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.digmandarin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/pickup_5.jpg)
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.digmandarin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/pickup_6.jpg)