Decoding Chinese Homophones: Understanding the Meaning Behind Similar Pronunciations

Homophones can be one of the biggest enigmas learners face when it comes to the Chinese language. First, picture this: two sentences, both containing the character “花” (huā), yet discussing entirely unrelated concepts.

1. 一朵漂亮的花儿。(Yī duǒ piàoliàng de huār. )
2. 他今天花了一百元。(Tā zuátiān huā le yībǎi yuán.)

How can a single character mean completely different things? Are they one word or two? And why do they sound exactly the same? Today, we’ll crack the code on several groups of homophones to help boost your Chinese comprehension.

Homonyms in Chinese are words that sound the same but have unrelated meanings. This is common in many languages because there are limited syllables, and new concepts require new words that will inevitably share the same pronunciation as existing words.

Mandarin Chinese has around 1200 syllables thanks to its four tones, resulting in numerous homonyms. Homonyms in Chinese can be classified as homographs or homophones, and we’ll focus on the latter.

Homophones are words that share the same pronunciation and character but possess different, unrelated meanings. It’s important to note that homophones are distinct words, unlike polysemes, which have multiple meanings within a single word.

Take another look at the two examples mentioned earlier:

花¹ (huā): 一朵漂亮的花儿。(Yī duǒ piàoliàng de huār. )
A beautiful flower.

花²  (huā): 他昨天花了一百元。(Tā zuátiān huā le yībǎi yuán.)
He spent 100 yuan yesterday.

The meanings of these sentences are distinctly unrelated – the first refers to a “flower,” while the second refers to “spending.” Surprisingly, they share the same character. Hence, 花¹(huā)and 花²(huā)belong to a group of homophones.

Now, look at the following two sentences :

1. 他在教室里。 (Tā zài jiàoshì li.) He is in the classroom now.
2. 他们在食堂里吃饭。(Tāmen zài shítáng li chī fàn. )They have meals in the canteen.

Sentence (1) uses 在(zài) as a verb, indicating the location of a person or thing, while in sentence (2), 在(zài)  functions as a preposition expressing both location and time. Are they homophones? No, they aren’t, as there is a clear connection between the meanings – they both indicate location. Therefore, these two meanings belong to a single word, 在(zài).

In the next section, we’ll analyze several groups of homophones to look at their meanings in different contexts.

1. 花（花¹、花²）

In the book “International Curriculum for Chinese Language Education“, the character 花(huā) is categorized as a level three (HSK3) word. This character, originally created in ancient China, was initially a pictographic representation and later evolved into a phonogram. The illustration below demonstrates this transformation.

The meaning of 花¹(huā) represents the very essence of a plant from which seeds or fruits develop. It often refers to brightly colored and short-lived components. Other meanings of 花¹(huā), as depicted in the chart below, are derived from this primary definition.

花1
Flower; blossom; bloom	一朵花 (yī duǒ huā ) a flower	noun
Anything resembling a flower	雪花 (xuě huā) snowflake
Fireworks	烟花(yān huā) fireworks
Young and beautiful girl or woman	校花(xiào huā)
Multicoloured; coloured；variegated	小花狗(xiǎo huā gǒu) spotted puppy   花蝴蝶(huā hú dié) variegated butterfly	adj
blurred; dim	眼花(yǎn huā)have dim eyesight
Fancy; florid; flowery; showy	你的字太花了。(Nǐ de zì tài huā le .)   Your handwriting is too fancy.

On the other hand, 花²(huā) functions as a verb, indicating the action of “spending” or “expending.” For instance, it is used in phrases like “花钱” (huāqián, spend money) or “花时间” (huā shíjiān, spend time).

花2
spend；expend	花钱(huā qián) spend money   很花时间 (hěn huā shí jiān ) take a lot of time

2. 白 (白¹ 、白²、白³、白⁴)

When you learn about colors, one example is 白色(báisè) which means white. In the book “International Curriculum for Chinese Language Education,” 白(bái) is classified as a level 2 (HSK2) word, but it doesn’t explicitly mention that 白(bái) is part of a group of homophones.

白(bái) has four different meanings that we’ll explore. Similar to 花(huā), this character originated in ancient China and originally depicted the shape of candlelight.

The first meaning of 白(bái) is “bright and clear,” as seen in phrases like “东方发白” (dōngfāng fā bái), meaning “the east turns white,” and “真相大白” (zhēnxiàng dà bái) meaning “the truth becomes clear.” Later, it also came to represent the color white, as in the sentence “我买了一条白裙子” (Wǒ mǎi le yītiáo bái qúnzi) which translates to “I bought a white dress.” There are further meanings for 白¹ (bái), which you can explore in the chart below.

白1
Bright	东方发白(dōngfāng fā bái)   The eastern sky is turning grey; day breaks.	adj
Clear	真相大白(zhēnxiàng dà bái) Come out in the wash.
White	我买了一条白裙子。(Wǒ mǎi le yī tiáo bái qúnzi.)   I bought a white dress.
Nothing inside	白开水 (báikāishuǐ) Plain boiled water.
Funeral affairs	白事(báishì)
Look at somebody with the white of the eye—give somebody a condescending or superior look	我白了他一眼。 (Wǒ bái le tā yī yǎn.)   I gave him a condescending look.	verb

As an adverb, 白²(bái)” has the following meanings:

白2
In vain; to no purpose; for nothing	白跑了一回 (bái pǎo le yī huí)   Make a fruitless trip	adv
Free of charge	白送  (bái sòng)  give away free (of charge)

白³(bái) functions as an adjective and indicates something written or pronounced incorrectly, specifically referring to a Chinese character. For instance, “你把字念白了”( nǐ bǎ zì niàn bái le) means “you pronounced the character incorrectly,” which has the same meaning as “你把字念错了”( nǐ bǎ zì niàn cuò le).

白3
(of a chinese character) written incorrectly or mispronounced	你把字念白了。(Nǐ bǎ zì niàn bái le. )   You pronounced the character incorrectly.	adj

白⁴(bái) requires combination with other morphemes to form a complete word and cannot be used alone.

白4
State; explain	我对她表白了。(Wǒ duì tā biǎobái le.)   I expressed love for her.

3. 别 （别¹、别²、别³、别⁴）

The word 别(bié) is categorized as a level two (HSK2) word and belongs to a group of four homophones,  each with its own distinct meaning. The character 别(bié) originated as an associative compound, with a knife on the left side and a bone on the right. By combining these two parts, 别(bié) originally meant “to dissect” or “to separate” (分剖, fēnpōu). This is also the primary meaning of 别(bié)1, as illustrated in the chart below.

别1
Leave; part	别了，我的家乡。(Bié le, wǒ de jiāxiāng.)   Goodbye, my hometown.	verb
Other; another	别人  (biérén)  other people	pronoun
别2
Differentiate;   distinguish	区别真假 (qūbié zhēn jiǎ)   distinguish whether it’s true or false	verb
Difference; distinction	男女有别 (nánnǚ yǒu bié)   there is a distinction between the sexes	noun
Classification;   category	性别 (xìngbié)   gender
别3
Fasten with a pin or clip	把表格别在一起。   (Bǎ biǎogé bié zài yīqǐ.) Pin （or clip）the forms together.	verb
Stick in	把门别上 (bǎ mén bié shàng)   bolt the door
别4
(used in giving commands or advice) don’t ; had better not	别忘了。(Bié wàng le.)   Don’t forget.	adv

4. 生气 （生气¹，生气²）

Polysyllabic words can also be homophones, such as the word 生气(shēng qì)  which. Take a look at the chart below for more examples.

生气1
angry	妈妈很生气。(māma hěn shēngqì.)   Mother is very angry.	verb
生气2
lively	小孩子是最有生气的。   (Xiǎo háizi shì zuì yǒu shēngqì de.) Children are the most lively people.	noun

We hope this article has provided you with some insights into the homophones found in Mandarin Chinese, where one word can carry multiple unrelated meanings.

By gaining this understanding, you can enhance your vocabulary and expand your Chinese comprehension. Embracing the nuances of homophones in the language will empower you to communicate more precisely and naturally.

Now it’s your turn to put these terms into practice and master them.