Participation
in Chinese vocabulary challenge, May 2025



30 minutes
0.5h

30 minutes

Reviewing the first 10 characters in the list for the radical 木 mù which means 'tree'.

https://www.archchinese.com/chinese_english_dictionary.html?rad=6728

30 minutes
0.5h

Reviewing the first 10 characters in the list for the radical 日 rì which means 'day'.

https://www.archchinese.com/chinese_english_dictionary.html?rad=65e5

30 minutes
0.5h

Reviewing the first 10 characters in the list for the radical 手 shǒu which means 'hand'.

https://www.archchinese.com/chinese_english_dictionary.html?rad=624b

35 minutes
0.58h

Reviewing the first 10 characters in the list for the radical 心 xīn which means 'heart'.

https://www.archchinese.com/chinese_english_dictionary.html?rad=5fc3

35 minutes
0.58h

Reviewing the first 10 words in the list for 山 (shān) radical which means 'mountain, hill".

https://www.archchinese.com/chinese_english_dictionary.html?rad=5c71

35 minutes
0.58h

Reviewing 小 (xiǎo) radical, with only 9 characters in the list (including the radical 'xiao')
This character 小 (xiǎo) alone makes up 258 words

• 小 (xiǎo): Small, little.
• 少 (shǎo): Few, less; young (when referring to age).
• 尔 (ěr): (literary) You, your; that, those.
• 弥 (mí): Full, filling; to spread, to extend.
• 尖 (jiān): Pointed, sharp; tip, peak.
• 尘 (chén): Dust, dirt; the mundane world.
• 尚 (shàng): Still, yet; to value, to esteem; to be about to.
• 崇 (chóng): To revere, to admire; high, lofty.
• 尝 (cháng): To taste; to try; ever, once (indicating past experience).

https://www.archchinese.com/chinese_english_dictionary.html?rad=5c0f

30 minutes
0.5h

Reviewing 子 (zǐ) radical, choosing the first 10 characters in the list (including the radical 'zi')and these words make up many words of their own.

子 (zǐ) – child; son
孑 (jié) – alone; solitary
孓 (jué) – larva; tadpole
孔 (kǒng) – hole; opening
孕 (yùn) – pregnant
字 (zì) – written character
存 (cún) – to exist; to store
孙 (sūn) – grandson
孚 (fú) – trust; sincerity
孛 (bèi) – comet; ancient or classical usage

https://www.archchinese.com/chinese_english_dictionary.html?rad=5b50

45 minutes
0.75h

Reviewing 女 (nǚ) radical, choosing the first 10 characters in the list (including the radical 'nǚ' and these words make up many words of their own.

女 (nǚ) - female, woman, daughter
奴 (nú) - slave, servant
奶 (nǎi) - milk, breasts, (informal) grandma
好 (hǎo) - good, well, fine, okay, very
奸 (jiān) - treacherous, traitorous, adultery
她 (tā) - she, her
好 (hǎo) - good, well, fine, okay, very
妒 (dù) - jealous, envy
如 (rú) - like, as, as if
妃 (fēi) - imperial concubine
安 (ān) - peaceful, tranquil, safe, secure, content.

https://www.archchinese.com/chinese_english_dictionary.html?rad=5973

55 minutes
0.92h

Reviewing 大 (dà) radical, choosing the first 16 characters in the list (including the radical 'da'), and these words make up many words of their own.

1. 大 (dà) – big, large
2. 天 (tiān) – sky, heaven, day
3. 太 (tài) – too, very
4. 夫 (fū) – husband, man
5. 天 (tiān) – sky, heaven, day
6. 央 (yāng) – center
7. 夯 (hāng) – to tamp, to compact (used in construction)
8. 失 (shī) – to lose, to miss
9. 头 (tóu) – head
10. 夷 (yí) – ancient tribe name, calm, to level
11. 夸 (kuā) – to boast, to praise
12. 夹 (jiā) – to clip, to press from both sides
13. 奕 (yì) – grand, elegant (also used in names)
14. 夺 (duó) – to snatch, to seize
15. 奇 (qí) – strange, rare
16. 奈 (nài) – how (usually used with 无奈 = helpless)

https://www.archchinese.com/chinese_english_dictionary.html?rad=5927

45 minutes
0.75h

Reviewing 夕 (xī) radical, from a list of only eight words (including the radical 'xi').
The words below are made from the radical, and some of these words make up many more words. This is another small list, but 外 (wài) alone makes up 228 words!

夕 (xī): evening, sunset
外 (wài): outside, outer, foreign
夙 (sù): early morning, former, previous
多 (duō): many, much, a lot of
夜 (yè): night
夠 (gòu): enough, sufficient
黃 (huáng): yellow
夥 (huǒ): a lot, numerous, group

https://www.archchinese.com/chinese_english_dictionary.html?rad=5915

15 minutes
0.25h

Reviewing 士 (shì) radical, only five words (including the radical 'shi') from the list. The words below are made from the radical, and some of these words make up many more words! The list may be small, but 士 (shì) alone makes up 88 words!

士 (shì): soldier, professional
壬 (rén): ninth of the Heavenly Stems
壯 (zhuàng): strong, robust
壹 (yī): one (mainly used in banks)
壺 (hú): pot, kettle
壽 (shòu): long life, age

https://www.archchinese.com/chinese_english_dictionary.html?trad=58eb

60 minutes
1.0h

Reviewing 土 (tǔ) radical, taking 17 words (including the radical 'tu') from the list. The words below are made from the radical, and some of these words make up many more words! I am reading as many as possible. Just so many!😄

土 (tǔ): earth, soil, ground
圳 (zhèn): irrigation ditch
地 (dì): ground, earth, field, place, land
在 (zài): to be at/in/on; exist
圭 (guī): jade tablet (ancient symbol of rank) 圹 (kuàng): grave, tomb; open space
垠 (yín): boundary, limit; bank (of a river)
坊 (fāng): neighborhood, district; workshop
坑 (kēng): pit, hole; to bury
址 (zhǐ): site, location, address
坨 (tuó): lump, mound, clod
均 (jūn): even, equal; all, without exception
坎 (kǎn): pit, hole; threshold; uneasy
圾 (jī): rubbish, garbage, refuse
坐 (zuò): to sit; to take (a seat); to travel by
坏 (huài): bad, spoiled, broken, ruined
垃 (lā): garbage, refuse, trash

https://www.archchinese.com/chinese_english_dictionary.html?trad=571f

45 minutes
0.75h

Reviewing 囗 (wéi) radical, taking 13 words (including the radical 'wei') from the list. The words below are made from the radical, and some of these words make up many more words!

囗 (wéi) — enclosure
囚 (qiú) — prisoner; to imprison
四 (sì) — four
囝 (jiǎn) — a traditional character meaning "child" or "son,"
回 (huí) — to return; to go back; to revolve
囟 (xìn) — top of the head; skull
因 (yīn) — cause; reason; because of; due to
囡 (nān) — child, daughter
团 (tuán) — group; organization; circle
囤 (tún) — to store; to stash; a stockpile or storage area
囫 (hú) — whole; entire; not broken.
园 (yuán) — garden; park; orchard.
困 (kùn) — sleepy, trapped

https://www.archchinese.com/chinese_english_dictionary.html?rad=56d7

35 minutes
0.58h

Reviewing 口 (kǒu) radical and eleven words (including the radical 'kou') below made from the radical, along with the many words made from majority of the eleven words. I always choose the first 10 to 11 words with radicals because there are so many!

口 (kǒu) – mouth
可 (kě) – can; may; able to
古 (gǔ) – ancient
右 (yòu) – right (direction)
召 (zhào) – to summon; to call
叮 (dīng) – to sting; to urge repeatedly
叭 (bā) – sound of a horn or trumpet; used in transliterations
吃 (chī) – to eat
司 (sī) – to manage; department
回 (huí) – to return
叫 (jiào) – to call; to be called

https://www.archchinese.com/chinese_english_dictionary.html?trad=53e3

30 minutes
0.5h

Reviewing 力 (lì) radical and eleven words (including the radical 'li' )below made from the radical, along with the many words made from majority of the ten words.

力 (lì) – strength / power
劝 (quàn) – to advise / to urge
办 (bàn) – to handle / to do
功 (gōng) – achievement / merit
加 (jiā) – to add / to increase
务 (wù) – affair / task
励 (lì) – to encourage
劳 (láo) – labor / work
动 (dòng) – to move
助 (zhù) – to help / assist
努 (nǔ) – to exert / to strive

https://www.archchinese.com/chinese_english_dictionary.html?rad=529b

30 minutes
0.5h

Reviewing 刀 /刂  (dāo) radical and the ten words below made from the radical, along with the many words made from majority of the ten words.

刀 knife - dāo刂
刁 diāo - wicked, tricky
刃 rèn- blade
分 fēn/fèn - divide, part, minute
切 qiē/qiè - cut, slice
刈 yì - mow, cut (grass)
刊 kān - to print, to publish a
刑 xíng - punishment
列 liè - row, line, list
划 huá/huà/huai - row, plan, scratch

https://www.archchinese.com/chinese_english_dictionary.html?rad=5200

30 minutes
0.5h

Reviewing 冂 (jiōng) radical and the eight words below made with the radical, and the words made from the eight words which are many.

1. 冂 (jiōng) – open country, borders (a radical, not commonly used alone)
2. 册 (cè) – book, volume, register
3. 再 (zài) – again, once more
4. 冒 (mào) – to emit, to risk, to forge
5. 冀 (jì) – to hope, Hebei province (old abbreviation)
6. 冤 (yuān) – injustice, grievance
7. 最 (zuì) – most, the most, -est (superlative)

https://www.archchinese.com/chinese_english_dictionary.html?rad=5182

27 minutes
0.45h

I'm selecting a Chinese radical from the 214-character radical chart and learning vocabulary and phrases built from that radical. I'm starting with the radical "人 rén", meaning "person." This single radical is found in over 234 words—and many of those words lead to even more vocabulary! 
Here is my first 10 from the character 'ren' with their basic meaning. Some of these words did not have other words while others had many words.

1.人 — 人类 (rénlèi) — humanity, mankind
2. 亿 — 十亿 (shí yì) — one billion
3. 什 — 什么 (shénme) — what
4. 仁 — 仁爱 (rén'ài) — benevolence, kindness (Confucian term)
5. 仂 — 仂力 (lìlì) — residual force (rare/academic use)
6. 仃 — 伶仃 (língdīng) — lonely, desolate
7. 仄 — 仄声 (zèshēng) — oblique tone in Classical Chinese poetry
8. 仅 — 仅仅 (jǐnjǐn) — only, merely
9. 仆 — 仆人 (púrén) — servant
10. 仇 — 仇恨 (chóuhèn) — hatred

Radical 'ren' list : https://www.archchinese.com/chinese_english_dictionary.html?rad=4eba

Radical list: https://www.archchinese.com/arch_chinese_radicals.html




Challenge time progress:100%
Goal progress:106.9%
Score10.69
Rank3rd
Hours reported10.69
Goal10h