Gym & Fitness in Chinese 健身房
jiànshēnfáng
Gym in Chinese is 健身房 (jiàn shēn fáng).
Also searched for as: gym, work out, fitness, exercise.
Where do you go to get fit? 15 essential at the gym words in Mandarin Chinese, with pinyin and English. Open it in the app to hear each word, tick off the ones you know and turn them into flashcards.
The word for gym in Chinese is 健身房 (jiàn shēn fáng), literally a 'room for building up the body'. These words cover everything from joining up, 办卡 (bàn kǎ), and booking a personal trainer to the equipment, the exercises and the aching legs the next day. You'll also learn the two big goals gym-goers talk about: 减脂 (jiǎn zhī), burning fat, and 增肌 (zēng jī), building muscle.
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 健身房 | jiàn shēn fáng | gym |
| 办卡 | bàn kǎ | to get a membership card |
| 私教 | sī jiào | personal trainer |
| 跑步机 | pǎo bù jī | treadmill |
| 举重 | jǔ zhòng | to lift weights |
| 哑铃 | yǎ líng | dumbbell |
| 做俯卧撑 | zuò fǔ wò chēng | to do push-ups |
| 拉伸 | lā shēn | to stretch |
| 出汗 | chū hàn | to sweat |
| 肌肉 | jī ròu | muscle |
| 减脂 | jiǎn zhī | to burn fat |
| 增肌 | zēng jī | to build muscle |
| 体重 | tǐ zhòng | body weight |
| 坚持 | jiān chí | to keep at it |
| 酸 | suān | sore; aching |
Usage tips
- 办卡 (bàn kǎ) literally means 'to get a card', because gym memberships in China are usually sold as cards, such as a 年卡 (nián kǎ), annual membership.
- 酸 (suān) normally means sour, but it also describes the dull ache in your muscles after exercise: 腿好酸 (tuǐ hǎo suān), 'my legs are so sore'.
- Exercises usually take 做 (zuò), as in 做俯卧撑 (zuò fǔ wò chēng) and 做仰卧起坐 (zuò yǎng wò qǐ zuò), sit-ups, but you 举 (jǔ) weights and 跑 (pǎo) on the treadmill.
Common mistakes
- Saying 我很汗 for 'I'm sweaty' → 汗 is a noun, so say 我出汗了 (wǒ chū hàn le) or 我出了很多汗 (wǒ chū le hěn duō hàn).
- Treating 坚持 (jiān chí) only as 'insist' → in fitness it means sticking with it, as in 坚持锻炼 (jiān chí duàn liàn), 'keep exercising regularly'.
Mini dialogue
- A你最近常去健身房吗？Nǐ zuì jìn cháng qù jiàn shēn fáng ma?Have you been going to the gym much lately?
- B对，我办了一张年卡，每周去三次。Duì, wǒ bàn le yī zhāng nián kǎ, měi zhōu qù sān cì.Yes, I got an annual membership. I go three times a week.
- A你在减脂还是增肌？Nǐ zài jiǎn zhī hái shi zēng jī?Are you trying to burn fat or build muscle?
- B减脂。我每次在跑步机上跑半个小时，然后拉伸。Jiǎn zhī. Wǒ měi cì zài pǎo bù jī shang pǎo bàn ge xiǎo shí, rán hòu lā shēn.Burn fat. Each time I do half an hour on the treadmill, then stretch.
- A真厉害！我昨天去了一次，今天腿好酸。Zhēn lì hai! Wǒ zuó tiān qù le yī cì, jīn tiān tuǐ hǎo suān.Impressive! I went once yesterday and my legs are so sore today.
Example sentences
- 我每周去三次健身房。I go to the gym three times a week.
- 我在健身房办了一张年卡。I got an annual gym membership.
- 私教一节课三百块。A personal training session costs 300 yuan.
- 我在跑步机上跑了半个小时。I ran on the treadmill for half an hour.
- 他喜欢举重。He likes lifting weights.
- 这对哑铃有多重？How heavy are these dumbbells?
- 我能做二十个俯卧撑。I can do twenty push-ups.
- 运动后要拉伸。Stretch after exercising.
- 我出了很多汗。I'm really sweaty.
- 他的肌肉很发达。He's very muscular.
- 我在减脂。I'm trying to burn fat.
- 他在增肌，吃很多鸡胸肉。He's bulking up and eats a lot of chicken breast.
- 我的体重减了五公斤。I've lost five kilos.
- 健身最重要的是坚持。The key to fitness is sticking with it.
- 今天腿好酸。My legs are so sore today.
Practise speaking
Ready to use these words? The At the gym speaking island has 8 everyday questions about at the gym to prepare your own answers to.