Family Life in Chinese 家庭生活
jiātíng shēnghuó
Family life in Chinese is 家庭生活 (jiā tíng shēng huó).
Also searched for as: home life, family time, family activities.
What happens at home with them? 15 essential family life 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.
Family life in Chinese centres on togetherness and duty, which shows in words like 团聚 (tuán jù), the whole family getting together, and 孝顺 (xiào shùn), being good to your parents. This topic covers daily life at home, from 家务 (jiā wù), housework, to 陪 (péi), keeping someone company, plus the feelings that come with family, such as 想家 (xiǎng jiā), being homesick.
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 团聚 | tuán jù | to get together (family) |
| 回家 | huí jiā | to go home |
| 照顾 | zhào gu | to look after |
| 陪 | péi | to keep someone company |
| 聊天 | liáo tiān | to chat |
| 吵架 | chǎo jià | to argue |
| 关心 | guān xīn | to care about |
| 想家 | xiǎng jiā | to be homesick |
| 家务 | jiā wù | housework |
| 家庭聚会 | jiā tíng jù huì | family gathering |
| 长辈 | zhǎng bèi | elders; older generation |
| 听话 | tīng huà | obedient; to do as told |
| 孝顺 | xiào shùn | to be good to one's parents |
| 一家人 | yī jiā rén | the whole family |
| 养 | yǎng | to raise (children, pets) |
Usage tips
- 陪 (péi) has no neat English equivalent: it means spending time with someone for their sake, as in 陪父母吃饭 (péi fù mǔ chī fàn), and is a key way of showing care in Chinese families.
- Spring Festival is the main time for 团聚 (tuán jù); the reunion dinner on New Year's Eve is called 年夜饭 (nián yè fàn), and many people travel long distances to be home for it.
- 听话 (tīng huà), literally 'listen to words', is the usual praise for a well-behaved child, and parents say 要听话 (yào tīng huà), 'be good', much as English speakers do.
Common mistakes
- Using 照顾 (zhào gu) when you just mean spending time together: 照顾 is looking after someone who needs care, whereas visiting grandparents to keep them company is 陪 (péi).
- Using 吵架 (chǎo jià) for any disagreement: it means a heated quarrel. For a calm discussion, say 讨论 (tǎo lùn).
Mini dialogue
- A你春节回家吗？Nǐ Chūn jié huí jiā ma?Are you going home for Spring Festival?
- B回。我在国外一年了，很想家。Huí. Wǒ zài guó wài yī nián le, hěn xiǎng jiā.Yes. I've been abroad for a year and I'm really homesick.
- A你父母一定很高兴。Nǐ fù mǔ yī dìng hěn gāo xìng.Your parents must be really pleased.
- B是啊，一家人终于可以团聚了。我要多陪陪他们。Shì a, yī jiā rén zhōng yú kě yǐ tuán jù le. Wǒ yào duō péi pei tā men.Yes, the whole family can finally get together. I want to spend lots of time with them.
Example sentences
- 春节一家人团聚。The whole family gets together at Spring Festival.
- 我周末回家看父母。I go home to see my parents at weekends.
- 姐姐照顾妹妹。The older sister looks after the younger one.
- 我陪奶奶去公园。I'm keeping grandma company at the park.
- 晚饭后我们一起聊天。We chat together after dinner.
- 兄弟俩又吵架了。The two brothers are arguing again.
- 妈妈很关心我的身体。Mum really cares about my health.
- 在国外的时候我常常想家。I was often homesick when I lived abroad.
- 我们轮流做家务。We take turns doing the housework.
- 这个周末有家庭聚会。There's a family gathering this weekend.
- 过年要给长辈拜年。At New Year you visit your elders to wish them well.
- 这个孩子很听话。This child is very well behaved.
- 他对父母很孝顺。He's very good to his parents.
- 我们一家人都喜欢吃饺子。Our whole family loves dumplings.
- 养孩子不容易。Raising children isn't easy.
Practise speaking
Ready to use these words? The Family life speaking island has 8 everyday questions about family life to prepare your own answers to.