Daily Routine in Chinese 日常生活
rìcháng shēnghuó
Daily life in Chinese is 日常生活 (rì cháng shēng huó).
Also searched for as: daily life, my day, routine, everyday life.
What do you do every day? 20 essential daily routine 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.
Describing your day is one of the first real conversations most learners have, and this list takes you from 起床 (qǐ chuáng), 'to get up', to 睡觉 (shuì jiào), 'to go to sleep'. Many of the verbs are verb-object pairs, such as 刷牙 (shuā yá), 'brush your teeth', and 洗澡 (xǐ zǎo), 'have a shower'. With 每天 (měi tiān), 'every day', and a few clock times, you can explain your whole routine.
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 起床 | qǐ chuáng | to get up |
| 刷牙 | shuā yá | to brush teeth |
| 洗脸 | xǐ liǎn | to wash one's face |
| 洗澡 | xǐ zǎo | to shower; to bathe |
| 穿衣服 | chuān yī fu | to get dressed |
| 吃早饭 | chī zǎo fàn | to have breakfast |
| 出门 | chū mén | to go out |
| 上班 | shàng bān | to go to work |
| 回家 | huí jiā | to go home |
| 做作业 | zuò zuò yè | to do homework |
| 看电视 | kàn diàn shì | to watch TV |
| 睡觉 | shuì jiào | to sleep |
| 做梦 | zuò mèng | to dream |
| 每天 | měi tiān | every day |
| 习惯 | xí guàn | habit |
| 累 | lèi | tired |
| 困 | kùn | sleepy |
| 闹钟 | nào zhōng | alarm clock |
| 早睡早起 | zǎo shuì zǎo qǐ | early to bed, early to rise |
| 周末 | zhōu mò | weekend |
Usage tips
- Times go before the verb: 我七点起床 (wǒ qī diǎn qǐ chuáng), not 我起床七点. 每天 (měi tiān) often pairs with 都 (dōu): 我每天都跑步 (wǒ měi tiān dōu pǎo bù).
- Many of these are separable verbs, so extra words go in the middle: 洗个澡 (xǐ gè zǎo), 'have a quick shower', or 刷了牙 (shuā le yá), 'brushed my teeth'.
- 累 (lèi) means physically or mentally tired, while 困 (kùn) means sleepy; after a long day you can be 累 without being 困.
Common mistakes
- Putting the duration after a separable verb's object, as in 我睡觉八个小时. Say 我睡了八个小时 (wǒ shuì le bā gè xiǎo shí) or 我睡了八个小时的觉.
- Translating 'I'm used to it' with 用 (yòng), 'to use': the word is 习惯 (xí guàn), as in 我习惯了 (wǒ xí guàn le) or 我还不习惯早起 (wǒ hái bù xí guàn zǎo qǐ).
Mini dialogue
- A你每天几点起床？Nǐ měi tiān jǐ diǎn qǐ chuáng?What time do you get up every day?
- B六点半。我习惯早上洗澡。Liù diǎn bàn. Wǒ xí guàn zǎo shang xǐ zǎo.Half six. I usually have a shower in the morning.
- A这么早！我的闹钟七点半才响。Zhè me zǎo! Wǒ de nào zhōng qī diǎn bàn cái xiǎng.That early! My alarm doesn't go off until half seven.
- B所以你上班常常迟到吧？Suǒ yǐ nǐ shàng bān cháng cháng chí dào ba?So you're often late for work, then?
Example sentences
- 我每天七点起床。I get up at seven every day.
- 睡觉前别忘了刷牙。Don't forget to brush your teeth before bed.
- 他起床后先洗脸。He washes his face first after getting up.
- 我习惯晚上洗澡。I usually have a shower in the evening.
- 快穿衣服，要迟到了！Hurry up and get dressed, we're going to be late!
- 你今天吃早饭了吗？Have you had breakfast today?
- 我八点出门去学校。I leave home for school at eight.
- 她坐地铁上班。She takes the underground to work.
- 下班后我直接回家。I go straight home after work.
- 孩子们正在做作业。The children are doing their homework.
- 爷爷喜欢晚上看电视。Grandpa likes watching TV in the evening.
- 太晚了，快去睡觉吧。It's late. Off to bed now.
- 我昨天晚上做梦梦到了奶奶。Last night I dreamt about Grandma.
- 我每天走路去上班。I walk to work every day.
- 早上跑步是他的习惯。Running in the morning is a habit of his.
- 上了一天班，我好累。I'm so tired after a day at work.
- 我有点儿困，想睡一会儿。I'm a bit sleepy and want a quick nap.
- 我的闹钟没响，起晚了。My alarm clock didn't go off, so I overslept.
- 医生说要早睡早起。The doctor says I should go to bed early and get up early.
- 你周末一般做什么？What do you usually do at weekends?
Practise speaking
Ready to use these words? The Daily routine speaking island has 8 everyday questions about daily routine to prepare your own answers to.