Learn how to say where you're from
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| Hi everyone, I'm Yun。嗨大家好，我是芸。(hài dàjiā hǎo, wǒ shì yún). |
| Welcome to another Chinese whiteboard lesson. |
| In this lesson, you'll learn how to say where you're from in Chinese. |
| You'll also learn about some major Chinese cities and fun facts about them. |
| Let's get started. |
| Okay, there are six Chinese cities in this list. |
| Among them, you probably have heard about 北京 (Běijīng) and 上海 (Shànghǎi). |
| 北京 (Běijīng) is the capital of China. |
| It's all about history and culture, with its famous landmarks like the Forbidden City, the Summer Palace, the Great Wall, etc. |
| and 上海 (Shànghǎi). |
| 上海 (Shànghǎi) has a population of 26 million, which makes it the biggest city in China. |
| It is also the largest commercial and financial center in China. |
| Another major city is 广州 (Guǎngzhōu). |
| 广州 (Guǎngzhōu) is situated in the southern part of China. |
| As one of China's oldest and largest cities, 广州 (Guǎngzhōu) has been a major trading port for centuries. |
| It's also famous for its 早茶 (zǎochá) culture, where locals gather together in the early morning for a traditional breakfast. |
| Next, we have 南京 (Nánjīng). |
| 南京 (Nánjīng) is pretty close to 上海 (Shànghǎi). |
| It used to be the capital of China. |
| That's why it ends with 京 (jīng), which means capital, just like 京 (jīng) in 北京 (Běijīng). |
| 成都 (Chéngdū) is famous for its giant pandas, and it's also my favorite city in China. |
| A lot of young people like its laid-back lifestyle. |
| It's also the capital of 四川 (Sìchuān) province, which is here. |
| 四川 (Sìchuān) is a province, not a city. |
| As we said, 成都 (Chéngdū) is the capital city of 四川 (Sìchuān) province. |
| We also have some names. |
| 美国 (Měiguó), USA. |
| 英国 (Yīngguó), England. |
| 法国 (Fǎguó), France. |
| 日本 (Rìběn), Japan. |
| Let's look at the dialogue. |
| Pay attention to how the speaker tells where she's from, and take note if she's from one of the five largest Chinese cities that we just looked at. |
| 你是哪里人 (nǐ shì nǎlǐ rén)? Where are you from? 我是北京人 (wǒ shì Běijīng rén). |
| I'm from Beijing. |
| Did you hear where the second speaker is from? Yes, she's from the capital city or 首都 (shǒudū) of China, 北京 (Běijīng). |
| Let's imagine you're meeting a new friend who is from 南京 (Nánjīng). |
| How would this person from 南京 (Nánjīng) introduce where he's from? Right, he'd say 我是南京人 (wǒ shì Nánjīng rén). |
| I'm from 南京 (Nánjīng). |
| And let's imagine you're meeting a friend who is from 上海 (Shànghǎi). |
| How would he say? Right, he would say 我是上海人 (wǒ shì Shànghǎi rén). |
| I'm from 上海 (Shànghǎi). |
| And another friend who is from 广州 (Guǎngzhōu). |
| He would say 我是广州人 (wǒ shì Guǎngzhōu rén). |
| I am from 广州 (Guǎngzhōu). |
| Can you now recognize the pattern to introduce where you're from? The pattern is 我是 place 人 (wǒ shì place rén). |
| This literally translates as I am place person. |
| Like here, I am a Beijing person. |
| A common mistake for Chinese learners when using this pattern is that they forget to add person or 人 (rén) at the end. |
| But that would make a totally different sentence. |
| If you say 我是北京 (wǒ shì Běijīng), that would mean you are 北京 (Běijīng), which is obviously not true. |
| Also, note that this pattern can be applied to not just cities, but also countries and even states or provinces as we would call them in China. |
| For example, 四川 (Sìchuān) is a province. |
| It's known for its spicy food. |
| You may have seen 四川 (Sìchuān) as part of a dish name in Chinese restaurants. |
| So someone who is from a small town that nobody knows may introduce where they're from by using a more well-known place name such as 四川 (Sìchuān). |
| So in this case, he would say 我是四川人 (wǒ shì Sìchuān rén). |
| I am from 四川 (Sìchuān). |
| Country names also fit in this pattern. |
| For example, 我是法国人 (wǒ shì Fǎguó rén). |
| I am French. |
| So it literally translates into I am a France person. |
| So I am French. |
| And also 我是日本人 (wǒ shì Rìběn rén) literally translates into I am a Japan person. So I am Japanese. |
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