On this page we offer readers a selection of questions and answers in Mandarin Chinese on a wide range of topics from routine and family, to memories and your hopes and dreams for the future. These questions in Chinese are organised by level. Therefore if your Chinese is at the elementary level you will probably choose the questions at the start of this article. The level of questions in Chinese on this page gets progress more difficult as you work through the page. Therefore your comprehension of these questions can be used to gauge your Mandarin level.
For each question in Chinese we provide a translation into English. This page is perfect for visitors to China who are looking to communicate with Chinese people while they are in the country. Practice these questions and we guarantee you will make some new friends in the Middle Kingdom!
Beginner Questions in Chinese
Beginner level questions in any language will typically focus on basic personal information using simple vocabulary. Typical topics include nationality, interests, friends, work, or family, your home. Below we have collated some basic beginner questions for you to get your Mandarin Chinese speaking off the ground. For each question we have written the Chinese characters for the question, followed by the pinyin, and then the translation in English.
The questions in this section would be suitable for students studying to take the HSK level 1 test. They would also be suitable for people looking to learn some Chinese before their first trip to China. Whatever your motivation, these Mandarin Chinese questions will give beginners a good grounding in what it takes to get your first conversation in Chinese off the ground.
Q. 你叫什么名字？(nǐ jiào shénme míngzi) What is your name?
A. 我叫大卫。（wǒ jiào Dàwèi）My name is David
你从哪里来？(nǐ cóng nǎlǐ lái) Where are you from?
你来子什么国家？(nǐlái zi shénme guójiā) Which country do you come from?
谁是你最好的朋友？(shéi shì nǐ zuìhǎo de péngyou) Who is your best friend?
你的生日是什么时候？（nǐde shēngrì shì shénme shíhou）When is your birthday?
Elementary Questions in Chinese
Elementary Questions about your home in Chinese
A typical topic for discussion at the elementary level is the location where you are living and details about your home…
你住在哪个城市？（nǐ zhùzài nǎge chéngshì）What city do you live in?
你们老家在哪? (nǐ mén lǎo jiā zài nǎ ?) Where is your hometown?
你住在城市还是农村？（nǐ zhùzài chéngshì háishi nóngcūn）Do you live in a city or the countryside?
你现在住的是房子还是公寓？Do you live in a house or an apartment?
你最喜欢的房间是什么？What is your favourite room in your home?
你家有多少个房间？How many rooms are there in your house?
你能窗户看到什么？What can you see from the windows?
问你长大的时候，你最喜欢的房间是什么？What was your favourite room in your home when you were growing up?
Questions about your routine in elementary Mandarin Chinese
Another typical elementary topic to discuss in Mandarin, might be your daily routine. Typical questions at this level on this topic might be about your sleep, meal, school and work routine.Below we provide you some starter ideas for typical Mandarin Elementary level questions on routine. Answers are provided too, you can adapt these to fit around your typical routine. Enjoy…
Q. 你通常几点睡觉吗？ （nǐ tōngcháng jǐdiǎn shuìjiào ma）What time do you usually go to sleep at?
A. 我通常九点半睡觉。 （wǒ tōngcháng jiǔdiǎn bàn shuìjiào）I usually go to sleep at 9.30
Q. 你一般几点起床吗？ （nǐyībān jǐdiǎn qǐchuáng ma） What time do you usually get up at?
A. 我一般六点起床。（wǒ yībān liùdiǎn qǐchuáng）I usually get up at 6am.
Q. 你晚上做什么？(nǐ wǎnshang zuò shénme) What do you do in the evenings?
A. 我检查我个人的邮箱。（wǒ jiǎnchá wǒ gèrén de yóuxiāng）I check my personal emails.
Q。 你一般几点吃午饭吗？（nǐ yībān jǐdiǎn chī wǔfàn ma）What time do you usually have lunch?
A. 我通常吃鸡肉和沙拉的三明治 （wǒ tōngcháng chī jīròu hé shālā de sānmíngzhì）I usually eat chicken and salad sandwiches.
Q。你通常几点上班吗？ （nǐ tōngcháng jǐdiǎn shàngbān ma) What time do you usually start work?
A. 我通常需要早上八点开始工作 （wǒ tōngcháng xūyào zǎoshang bādiǎn kāishǐgōngzuò）I usually start work at 8am.
Questions about friends and family in Elementary Chinese
你有兄弟姐妹吗？Do you have any brothers or sisters?
你爸爸做什么工作？What job does your dad do?
你父亲的名字是什么？（nǐ fùqīn de míngzi shì shénme）What is your Father’s name?
你的爸爸是中国人吗？（nǐde bàba shì Zhōngguórén mǎ）Is your Father Chinese?
你有男朋友吗？（nǐyǒu nánpéngyou mǎ）Do you have a boyfriend?
你有女朋友朋友吗？（nǐyǒu nu:3péngyou péngyou mǎ）Do you have a girlfriend?
Questions about your workplace and workmates in elementary Mandarin
你的老板是男的还是女的？（Nǐde lǎobǎn shì nánde háishi nu:3de）Is your manager male or female?
Intermediate Questions in Chinese
The questions in this section would be suitable for mandarin students looking to practice their vocabulary and grammar for the HSK 4 and HSK 5 tests.
Mandarin Questions and answers about memories in Intermediate Chinese
Q. 你最早的记忆是什么？(nǐ zuìzǎo de jìyì shì shénme ) What is your earliest memory?
A. 我最早的记忆是我在客厅玩玩具。（wǒzuì zǎo de jìyì shì wǒ zài kètīng wán wánjù）My earliest memory is of playing with my toys in the living room.
Q. 当你小时候你最喜欢的房间是什么？（dāng nǐ xiǎo shíhou nǐ zuì xǐhuan de fángjiān shì shénme？）What was your favourite room in your house when you were a kid?
Q. 什么是你第一次收到的礼物? (Nǐ shōudào de dìyī fèn lǐwù shì shénme?) What was the first gift you ever received?
A. 我 四岁的时候我阿姨给我一个圣经。（Wǒ sìsuì deshíhòu wǒ āyí gěiwǒ yīgè Shèngjīng）When I was four years old my Auntie gave me a Bible.
A. 我小的时候非常喜欢我的卧室因为这有很多玩具。（wǒ xiǎode shíhou fēicháng xǐhuan wǒde wòshì yīnwèi zhè yǒu hěnduō wánjù）When I was young my favourite room was my bedroom because it had lots of toys.
Q. 你小的时候尊敬谁？（nǐ xiǎode shíhou zūnjìng shéi）Who did you admire when you were younger?
A. 我小的时候尊敬我的邻居因为他很善良。(wǒ xiǎode shíhou zūnjìng wǒde línjū yīnwèi tā hěn shànliáng) When I was young I respected my neighbour because he was very kind.
Q. 你小的时候什么是你第一次要的工作？ (Nǐ shǎo deshíhòu shénmeshì nǐ dìyīcì yào de gōngzuò?) What was the first job you wanted to do when you were a child?
A. 我小的时候要当士兵。（wǒ xiǎode shíhou yào dāng shìbīng）I wanted to be a soldier when I was younger.
Intermediate Mandarin level questions and answers about life experiences
Deepen your knowledge of your languages partner’s life and also do some self-reflection by practicing these intermediate level Chinese questions about your life experiences. These questions centre on the things you have seen and done and will reveal a lot about you and your partner.
Q. 你去过的最有趣的地方是什么？（nǐ qùguò de zuì yǒuqù de dìfang/dìfāng shì shénme？）What is the most interesting place you have ever been to?
A. 我觉得最有趣的地方是黄河。(wǒ juéde zuì yǒuqù de dìfang shì HuángHé) I think the most interesting place I have been to is the Yellow River.
Q. 你见过或者做过什么是最奇怪的事情？（Nǐ jiànguò huòzhě zuò guò shénmeshì zuì qíguài de shìqing?）What is the strangest thing that you have ever seen or done?
A. 当我在中国的时候，有一次我看到一个人在高速公路上开错了路。(Dàng wǒ zài Zhōngguó deshíhòu yǒuyīcì wǒ kàndào yīgèrén zài gāosùgōnglù shàng kāi cuòliǎo lù) Once when I was in China I saw a man driving the wrong way down a busy motorway.
Q. 什么是你最大的错过的机会 （shénmeshì nǐ zuìdàde cuòguò de jīhuì）What is the biggest opportunity that you missed?
A. 当2006年我决定不在工作中升职 （dàng 2006 nián wǒ juédìng bùzài gōngzuò zhòng shēngzhí）In 2006 I decided not to take up an opportunity for promotion at work.
Q. 谁是你遇到过的最有趣的人？(Shéishì nǐ yùdào guò dezuì yǒuqù de rén?) Who is the most interesting person you have ever met?
A. 我在中国的时候有一个学生。他是非常有意思，很喜欢打太极拳。(Wǒ zài Zhōngguó deshíhòu yǒu yīgè xuésheng tā shìfēi cháng yǒuyìsi. hěn xǐhuan dá tàijíquán). When I was in China I had a very interesting student who liked to practice Tai Chi.
Q. 你认为发生过的最危险或者最可怕的事情是什么？(Nǐ rènwéi fāshēng guò de zuìwēixiǎn huòzhě zuì kěpà de shìqing shì shénme?) What is the most frightening or most dangerous thing that ever happened to you?
A. 三年前我在中国我去一个动物园。我们在吉普车，很多野生动物要找我们。（sānnián qián wǒ zài Zhōngguó wǒqù yīgè dòngwùyuán wǒmen zài jípǔchē hěnduō yěshēngdòngwù yào zhǎo wǒmen）Three years ago I went to a zoo in China. I was in a jeep and lots of the wild animals were trying to find us.
Intermediate Mandarin questions and answers about the cinema and movies
No matter the language, Movies and cinema-going are a popular topic of conversation and a good way of getting to know a person. Therefore we have compiled a few questions you might decide to try out the next time you meet your Chinese friend. The questions that follow are suitable for intermediate level Chinese speakers.
Q。最近都有些什么号看的电影呗？ （zuìjìn dōuyǒuxiē shénme hàokàn de diànyǐng bei）What movies have you watched recently?
A。最近啊？流浪地球, 还有八佰，你看过吗？zuìjìn ā？ liúlàng dìqiú
háiyǒu bā bǎi。 nǐkān guò mǎ？ Recently? I saw the Wandering earth and 800 men。 Have you seen those movies?
Q. 你最喜欢的电影是哪个？(nǐ zuì xǐhuan de diànyǐng shì nǎge?) What is your favourite movie?
A. 我最喜欢的电影是一部美国浪漫/喜剧电影叫flipped 。这个电影是关于两个一起长大的孩子，他们之间波折的关系，他们成长过程中波折的关系. (wǒ zuì xǐhuan de diànyǐng shì yībù Měiguó làngmàn xǐjù diànyǐng jiào Flipped zhège diànyǐng shì guānyú liǎngge yīqǐ zhǎngdà de háizi tāmen zhījiān bōzhé ， guānxi tāmen chéngzhǎng guòchéngzhòng bōzhé de guānxi)
My favourite movie is a comedy/ romance from America. The movie is about the ups and downs in the relationship of two children who grow up together. As well as the developments in their relationship the movie shows us the growth of each character as individuals.
Q. 谁是你最喜欢的演员？(shéi shì nǐ zuì xǐhuan de yǎnyuán) Who is you favourite actor .actress why?
A. 我最喜欢的演员是一个美国人叫Leonardo DiCaprio。他主演很多非常成功的电影包括Titanic （泰坦尼克号）和 The Wolf of Wall Street 华尔街之狼. 我喜欢他因为他能将角色演得栩栩如生. (Wǒ zuì xǐhuan de yǎnyuán shì yīgè Měiguórén jiào Leonardo DiCaprio. Tā zhǔyǎn hěnduō fēicháng chénggōngde diànyǐng bāokuò Titanic (Tàitǎnníkè) hé The Wolf of Wall Street HuáěrJiē zhī láng. wǒ xǐhuan tā yīnwèi tā néng jiāng juésè yǎn de xǔxǔrúshēng.)
My favourite is an American actor called Leonardo DiCaprio. He has starred in several blockbusters including Titanic and the Wolf of Wall Street. I like him because he always brings the characters he plays to life.
Note: 栩栩如生 is an idiom, meaning vivid or lifelike.
Questions in intermediate Mandarin Chinese about how you like to spend your time
Q. 你喜欢和谁在一起花时间？（Nǐ xǐhuan hé shéiyīqǐ huāshíjiān？）Who do you like to spend your time with?
A. 我喜欢和我的另据花时间？（wǒ xǐhuan hé wǒde lìng jù huāshíjiān）I like to spend time with my neighbour.
Q. 你最喜欢什么事情？（nǐ zuì xǐhuan shénmeshì qíng）What activities do you most like to do?
A. 我喜欢看电视。（Wǒ xǐhuan kān/kàn diànshì）I like watching TV.
Q. 在那你花最多的时间？(Zài nǎ nǐ huā zuìduō de shíjiān?) Where do you spend most of your time?
A. 我认为在家因为因为现在我在家工作。Wǒ rènwéi zàijiā yīnwèi xiànzài wǒ zàijiā gōngzuò。I would say at home, because now I am working from home.
Questions in intermediate Mandarin Chinese about the future
Q. 你最想在未来改变自己的什么？(Nǐ zuì xiǎng zàiwèilái gǎibiàn zìjǐ de shénme?) What would you most like to change about yourself in the future?
A. 最想改变的就是少上网 (Zuì xiǎng gǎibiàn de jiùshì shǎoshàngwǎng) The thing I’d like to change most is that I would like to spend less time online