Office Supplies & Desk Items in Chinese 我的桌子上
wǒ de zhuōzi shàng
Office supplies in Chinese is 办公用品 (bàn gōng yòng pǐn).
Also searched for as: desk, office supplies, computer, stapler.
Look closer: what's on your desk? 15 essential on my desk 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.
'On my desk' in Chinese is 我的桌子上 (wǒ de zhuō zi shàng), and notice that the location word 上 (shàng) comes after the noun, not before it as in English. This list zooms in on the things within arm's reach at work or at home: your 键盘 (jiàn pán), 鼠标 (shǔ biāo), 便利贴 (biàn lì tiē) and the 充电器 (chōng diàn qì) you can never find.
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 桌子 | zhuō zi | desk; table |
| 显示器 | xiǎn shì qì | monitor |
| 键盘 | jiàn pán | keyboard |
| 鼠标 | shǔ biāo | mouse (computer) |
| 台灯 | tái dēng | desk lamp |
| 便利贴 | biàn lì tiē | sticky note |
| 订书机 | dìng shū jī | stapler |
| 笔筒 | bǐ tǒng | pen pot |
| 杯子 | bēi zi | cup; mug |
| 文件 | wén jiàn | document |
| 日历 | rì lì | calendar |
| 耳机 | ěr jī | headphones |
| 植物 | zhí wù | plant |
| 充电器 | chōng diàn qì | charger |
| 乱 | luàn | messy |
Usage tips
- The computer mouse is 鼠标 (shǔ biāo), never 老鼠 (lǎo shǔ), which is the animal. 鼠标 is short for 'mouse marker'.
- In speech, 桌子上 often shrinks to 桌上 (zhuō shàng). 杯子 (bēi zi) covers any cup, glass or mug, and 耳机 (ěr jī) covers both earphones and headphones.
- To complain about a messy desk, natives often say 好乱啊 (hǎo luàn a) or 太乱了 (tài luàn le), and the verb for tidying it up is 收拾 (shōu shi).
Common mistakes
- Starting with 在, as in 在桌子上有一个台灯 → sentences saying what's somewhere begin with the place and drop 在: 桌子上有一个台灯 (zhuō zi shàng yǒu yī gè tái dēng).
- Leaving off the location word, as in 我的手机在桌子 → add 上: 我的手机在桌子上 (wǒ de shǒu jī zài zhuō zi shàng).
Mini dialogue
- A你的桌子好乱啊！Nǐ de zhuō zi hǎo luàn a!Your desk is such a mess!
- B我知道。你看见我的充电器了吗？Wǒ zhī dào. Nǐ kàn jiàn wǒ de chōng diàn qì le ma?I know. Have you seen my charger?
- A在键盘下面，便利贴旁边。Zài jiàn pán xià miàn, biàn lì tiē páng biān.It's under the keyboard, next to the sticky notes.
- B找到了，谢谢！下班前我一定收拾一下。Zhǎo dào le, xiè xie! Xià bān qián wǒ yī dìng shōu shi yī xià.Found it, thanks! I'll definitely tidy up before I go home.
Example sentences
- 我的桌子很乱。My desk is a mess.
- 我有两个显示器。I have two monitors.
- 键盘上有咖啡。There's coffee on the keyboard.
- 鼠标没电了。The mouse battery's dead.
- 晚上开台灯。Turn on the desk lamp at night.
- 屏幕上贴满了便利贴。The screen is covered in sticky notes.
- 借我一下订书机。Can I borrow the stapler?
- 笔筒里有很多笔。There are lots of pens in the pen pot.
- 这是我的杯子。This is my mug.
- 桌子上都是文件。The desk is covered in documents.
- 桌上有一个小日历。There's a little calendar on the desk.
- 戴上耳机专心工作。Put your headphones on and focus.
- 我在桌子上放了一盆植物。I put a plant on my desk.
- 我的充电器在抽屉里。My charger is in the drawer.
- 收拾一下，太乱了。Tidy up, it's too messy.
Practise speaking
Ready to use these words? The On my desk speaking island has 8 everyday questions about on my desk to prepare your own answers to.