pǔ tōng huà
standard chinese [language]
你会说普通话吗？
Nǐ huì shuō pǔtōnghuà ma?
Can you speak Mandarin?
我想学普通话。
Wǒ xiǎng xué pǔtōnghuà.
I want to learn Mandarin.
普通话是中国官方语言。
Pǔtōnghuà shì zhōngguó guānfāng yǔyán.
Mandarin is the official language of China.
国语 (guóyǔ)
National language
华语 (huáyǔ)
Chinese language
方言 (fāngyán)
dialect
土话 (tǔhuà)
local dialect
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The Chinese word 普通话 (pǔtōnghuà) is a compound of two characters: 普通 (pǔtōng) and 话 (huà). 普通 means "common" or "general", while 话 means "speech" or "language". So, 普通话 literally means "common speech" or "general language".The term 普通话 was first used in the early 20th century to refer to the standard variety of Mandarin Chinese that was being promoted by the Chinese government. This variety was based on the Beijing dialect, and it was intended to be used as a lingua franca throughout China.Today, 普通话 is the official language of China, and it is spoken by over 1 billion people. It is also one of the most widely spoken languages in the world.The etymology of 普通话 is a reminder of the importance of communication in Chinese culture. The Chinese people have always placed a high value on being able to understand each other, and 普通话 has played a vital role in making this possible.
