Chinese · Elementary (A2) · Chapter 10 of 12
Describing people
她长什么样？Tā zhǎng shénme yàng?
Describe what people look like and what they're like in Chinese: 长得, 着 for what someone is wearing, and phrases like “the person in red”.
In this chapter you'll learn to
- Describe someone's looks with 长得 (zhǎng de)
- Say what someone is wearing with 着 (zhe)
- Point someone out: “the person wearing red”
- Describe someone's personality, then and now
Listen
At work in Xi'an, Zheng Hui asks her colleague Feng Kai to meet her cousin at the airport. Listen to the whole dialogue first, then line by line.
Zheng Hui
冯凯，明天下午你有空吗？能不能帮我去机场接我表姐？
Féng Kǎi, míngtiān xiàwǔ nǐ yǒu kòng ma? Néng bu néng bāng wǒ qù jīchǎng jiē wǒ biǎojiě?
Feng Kai, are you free tomorrow afternoon? Could you pick up my cousin at the airport for me?
Feng Kai
可以啊。我没见过她，她长什么样？
Kěyǐ a. Wǒ méi jiànguo tā, tā zhǎng shénme yàng?
Sure. I've never met her. What does she look like?
Zheng Hui
她个子很高，长得很漂亮，头发很长。
Tā gèzi hěn gāo, zhǎng de hěn piàoliang, tóufa hěn cháng.
She's tall and very pretty, and she has long hair.
Feng Kai
长头发的人很多啊。
Cháng tóufa de rén hěn duō a.
Lots of people have long hair.
Zheng Hui
你看这张照片。穿着红衣服的那个人是她。
Nǐ kàn zhè zhāng zhàopiàn. Chuānzhe hóng yīfu de nàge rén shì tā.
Look at this photo. The one in red is her.
Feng Kai
哦，她戴着眼镜。她性格怎么样？
Ò, tā dàizhe yǎnjìng. Tā xìnggé zěnmeyàng?
Oh, she wears glasses. What's she like?
Zheng Hui
小时候她很害羞，现在很热情，很爱说话。
Xiǎoshíhou tā hěn hàixiū, xiànzài hěn rèqíng, hěn ài shuōhuà.
When she was little she was very shy. Now she's very warm and loves to chat.
Feng Kai
那太好了。她几点到？
Nà tài hǎo le. Tā jǐ diǎn dào?
Great. What time does she arrive?
Zheng Hui
下午三点半。太谢谢你了！
Xiàwǔ sān diǎn bàn. Tài xièxie nǐ le!
Half past three in the afternoon. Thank you so much.
Feng Kai
不客气。她叫什么名字？
Bú kèqi. Tā jiào shénme míngzi?
You're welcome. What's her name?
Zheng Hui
她叫林佳，比我大两岁。
Tā jiào Lín Jiā, bǐ wǒ dà liǎng suì.
Her name is Lin Jia. She's two years older than me.
Feng Kai
好，明天我去接她。
Hǎo, míngtiān wǒ qù jiē tā.
OK, I'll pick her up tomorrow.
Understand
What does she look like? 长得…
长 has two readings. As a verb, (zhǎng) means “to grow”, and (Tā zhǎng shénme yàng?) asks “what does she look like?”. (zhǎng de) + adjective describes looks: (tā zhǎng de hěn piàoliang), she's very pretty; (tā zhǎng de hěn shuài), he's handsome.
As an adjective, (cháng) means “long”: (tóufa hěn cháng), her hair is long. For height use (gèzi), build: (gèzi hěn gāo), tall; (gèzi bù gāo), not tall. Chinese says “her hair is long” rather than “she has long hair”.
| Chinese | Meaning |
|---|---|
| (gèzi hěn gāo) | tall |
| (gèzi bù gāo) | not tall, short |
| (tóufa hěn cháng) | long hair |
| (tóufa hěn duǎn) | short hair |
| (zhǎng de hěn piàoliang) | pretty, good-looking |
穿着, 戴着 and “the person in red”
(zhe) after a verb shows a state that lasts: (tā chuānzhe hóng yīfu), she's wearing red; (tā dàizhe yǎnjìng), he's wearing glasses. Use (chuān) for clothes and shoes, and (dài) for glasses, hats and watches.
To pick someone out, put the description before the person, joined with (de): (chuān hóng yīfu de nàge rén), the person (who is) wearing red. English puts the description after (“the person in red”), Chinese puts it first, with 的 in between. 着 can stay or go: (chuānzhe hóng yīfu de nàge rén) is also fine.
- 戴眼镜的那个人是我表姐。Dài yǎnjìng de nàge rén shì wǒ biǎojiě.The person with glasses is my cousin.
- 长头发的那个人是谁？Cháng tóufa de nàge rén shì shéi?Who's the person with long hair?
- 他今天穿着一件白衬衫。Tā jīntiān chuānzhe yí jiàn bái chènshān.He's wearing a white shirt today.
What is she like? Then and now
(xìnggé) is someone's personality: (Tā xìnggé zěnmeyàng?) What's she like? Describe it with (hěn) + adjective, as usual. (ài) + verb means “loves to”: (ài shuōhuà), loves to talk.
To contrast the past with today, use (xiǎoshíhou…, xiànzài…), as a child…, now…. The verbs don't change: the time words do the work.
| Chinese | English |
|---|---|
| (rèqíng) | warm, friendly, welcoming |
| (hàixiū) | shy |
| (ānjìng) | quiet |
| (ài shuōhuà) | chatty |
- 小时候我很害羞，现在不害羞了。Xiǎoshíhou wǒ hěn hàixiū, xiànzài bú hàixiū le.I was very shy as a child, but I'm not any more.
More in the grammar: Adjectives and 很 · 的: possession and describing · 在, 正在 and 着 · 得: how well something is done
New words
- 接jiēto pick up, to meet (someone arriving) · (qù jīchǎng jiē tā), to pick her up at the airport; (jīchǎng), airport. (bāng wǒ), to help me, for me
- 表姐biǎojiě(older female) cousin · Usually has a different surname from you. See the tip at the end of the chapter.
- 长得zhǎng deto look (+ adjective) · (Tā zhǎng shénme yàng?), what does she look like?
- 个子gèziheight, build · (gèzi hěn gāo), tall
- 头发tóufahair (on the head)
- 长chánglong · Same character as (zhǎng), to grow, with a different reading.
- 着zhe(shows a lasting state) · (chuānzhe), wearing
- 戴dàito wear (glasses, a hat, a watch)
- 眼镜yǎnjìngglasses
- 性格xìnggépersonality, character
- 小时候xiǎoshíhouas a child, when (I was) little
- 害羞hàixiūshy
- 热情rèqíngwarm, friendly, welcoming
- 短duǎnshort (in length) · for people's height, say (gèzi bù gāo) or (ǎi)
Practise
1.Match the words with their meanings.
Pick a word on the left, then its meaning on the right.
2.How do you say “He's wearing glasses”?
3.Put the words in order: the person in red is my cousin.
Tap the words below in the right order.The person in red is my cousin.
4.In (tā tóufa hěn cháng), how is 长 read?
5.Put the words in order: she's tall and very pretty.
Tap the words below in the right order.She's tall and very pretty.
0 of 5 exercises done.
Say it out loud
她长什么样？
Tā zhǎng shénme yàng?
What does she look like?
Listen, then say it out loud, as close to the recording as you can.
Check
Five questions on this chapter. Then mark it as finished to add its words to your review deck.
0 of 5 answered.