The following is a list I’ve compiled of the most common word-homophones* in Chinese.
This may be useful for your general study, since there are so many homophones in Mandarin.
*I say “word-homophones” deliberately, since I’m referring specifically to 同音词 (homophones made up of multi-character words), not 同音字 (“character-homophones”, when two characters have the same pronunciation).
Most Common 同音词 (Word-Homophones) in Mandarin
yóuyú: 由于 (“because of; due to”) and 鱿鱼 (“squid”)
chénmò: 沉默 (“silent; taciturn”) and 沉没 (“to sink”)
jìyì: 记忆 (“remember”) and 技艺 (“skill; art”)
jiāodài: 交代 or 交待 (“to hand over; to explain; to make clear; et al”) and 胶带 (“tape”)
yuányīn: 原因 (“cause; origin; reason”) and 元音 (“vowel”)
bēijù: 悲剧 (“tragedy”) and 杯具 (“cups; tragedy, as a euphemism”)
wángguó: 王国 (“kingdom”) and 亡国 (“country/kingdom heading for destruction or that has vanished”)
quánlì: 权利 (“power; right; privilege”) and 权力 (“power; authority”)
yìyì: 意义 (“sense; meaning; significance”) and 异议 (“objection; dissent”), plus 意译 (“meaning-based translation”)
mílù: 迷路 (“to get lost”) and 麋鹿 (“Père David’s deer; milu”)
bǐshì: 鄙视 (“despise; disdain; look down upon”) and 笔试 (“written examination”)
lìzi(zǐ): 例子 (“example”) and 粒子 (“grain; particle”)
shǒushì: 手势 (“gesture; signal”) and 首饰 (“jewellery”), plus 守势 (“defensive position”)
gōngshì: 公式 (“formula”) and 攻势 (“military offensive”)
xiāngjiāo: 香蕉 (“banana”) and 相交 (“to cross over; to intersect; to make friends”)
xíngli(lǐ): 行李 (“luggage”) and 行礼 (“to salute”)
lìhai(hài): 厉害 (“ferocious; awesome; et al”) and 利害 (“pros and cons”)
dǔzhù: 堵住 (“to block up”) and 赌注 (“stake (in a gamble)”)
qǐngkè: 请客 (“to entertain guests”) and 顷刻 (“instantly”)
zhìfú: 制服 (“to subdue; to check; uniform; et al”) and 制伏 (“to overpower; to control; et al”)
pípa: 枇杷 (“loquat”) and 琵琶 (“pipa, the Chinese lute”)
róngyì: 容易 (“easy”) and 溶液 (“solution, in chemistry” – this homophone exists in Taiwan only, in mainland China it is pronounced róngyè)
shèngshì: 盛世 (“prosperous period”) and 盛事 (“grand occasion”)
bàofù: 报复 (“revenge”) and 抱负 (“aspiration; ambition”)
jùbiàn: 巨变 (“massive changes”) and 剧变 (“fast change”)
xīnsuān: 心酸 (“sad”) and 辛酸 (“spicy and sour” – can also be used as a metaphor for sadness)
pǐnwèi: 品味 (“to sample; to taste”) and 品位 (“rank; grade; aesthetic taste”)
zhēnchá: 侦查 (“to detect; to investigate”) and 侦察 (“to investigate a crime; to scout; et al”)
guǎnzhì: 管制 (“to control; to supervise”) and 管治 (“to govern”)
yǐnqíng: 隐情 (“facts one wishes to keep secret; ulterior motive”) and 引擎 (“engine”)
guòdù: 过度 (“excessive”) and 过渡 (“to cross over; et al”)
mùdì: 目的 (“goal”) and 墓地 (“graveyard; burial ground; cemetery”)
In addition, any word with “shi” or “li” in Mandarin can be a gamble. There are two particular utterances which may represent the worst homophony in Putonghua:
shìlì, which can stand for:
- 势力: power; ability to influence
- 视力: vision; eyesight
- 示例: example; typical case
- 事例: to illustrate; typical case
- 势利: selfishly concerned with gaining advantages for oneself; favourable
and gōnglì, which can refer to:
- 公历: Gregorian calendar
- 公立: public (facility, institution, etc)
- 功力: merit; efficacy; et al
- 功利: utility
- 工力: skill and force; manpower
Hope there are some readers out there who find this post helpful. If you have any additions please leave a comment.
You may also be interested in reading 74 Switch-Around Words in Mandarin to complement your studies.
In Taichung about 20 years ago, I saw an advertising mural on the front door of an optician’s clinic, depicting in cartoon style various kinds of professionals and scholars wearing eyeglasses, with a caption below reading:
近世
進士
盡是
近視
These were written in the traditional script. Written in simplified characters, they read:
近世进士尽是近视: “Jìnshì jìnshì jìnshì jìnshì”!!
“These days, a successful candidate to the highest functions is without exception myopic”.
Of course, 胶袋 in the south (Guangdong and perhaps other areas) means ‘plastic bag’.
Just thought of another one to add to the list:
gōngdiàn: 宫殿 (“palace”) and 供电 (“to supply electricity”)
I’ve found some more:
– xùnqíng: 1) “flood situation” and 2) “be swayed by personal considerations”
– zhōngqíng: 1) (V.) “to be/fall in love” 钟 情 :eg. 一 见 钟 情 fall in love at first sight
and 2) (N.) “emotion” 衷 情
and even more interesting:
rénshì (4 different homophones) =
1. 人 士 : public figure
o 知 名 人 士 famous figure
2. 人 世 : the world
o 他 离 开 人 世 已 经 5 年 了 。
It’s already five years since he passed away.
3. 人 事 : human affairs
a. (指 人 员 安 排) personnel
b. (指 人 际 关 系) personal relations
c. (指 人 情 事 理) the ways of the world
他 这 么 大 了 , 应 该 懂 点 人 事 了 。
At his age, he ought to know the ways of the world.
d. (指 人 的 意 识) consciousness (of the outside world)
等 我 赶 到 时 , 他 已 人 事 不 知 。
By the time I got there, he’d already lost consciousness
4. 人 氏 : people native to a place, native-born
not to be confounded with (different tones)
– rènshí 认 识 1)to know; 2) knowledge, understanding
– rènshì 任 事 1) to have a job; 2) to take up a task
And here’s some more with the “terrible two”: “li” and “shi”:
– lìshí which can refer to:
立 时 (immediately-time) : same as 立刻 : lì-kè = immediately, right away
历 时 (calendar-time): to last [a period of time]; to take [a period of time]
砾 石 (debris-stone): gravel; (formal): whetstone
NOTE: 立 (lì) can mean 1) stand up; upright; 2) immediately
– lìshì which can refer to:
力 士 (strength-soldier) : a man of great strength, strong man
市 利 (market-interest/profit) : (formal): profits; (dialect): a good market
But also: 惟 利 是 图 wéi lì shì tú “only interested in profit”
立 式 (upright-style/pattern) : vertical, upright
立 誓 (upright-vow/pledge) : take an oath, vow
I’ve found two more:
– kăoshì: (N. & V.) 考试 “exam, test, quiz” and (V.) 考释 “make philological studies of ancient texts”
– shūyè: (N.) 书 页 “book page, printed page” and (N.) 输 液 “infusion” (medicine)
Hi,
First of all, congrats on your great article.
I would like to know whether in chinese there are polysemous disyllabic words made up of disyllabic morphemes, that is a word made up of two characters and which when (at least one of) its syllables are pronounced differentely, this not being due to sandhi effects, a different meaning is obtained.
I know there are polyphonic polysemous characters with different meanings when their pronunciation change, so in theory this should be possible.
Hope to hear news soon.
Thanks in advance.
I think you mean words which have multiple readings? There are many, like:
大夫 dàifu and dàfū
劳动 láodòng and láodong
结果 jiéguǒ and jiēguǒ
庄子 zhuāngzi and Zhuāngzǐ
好学 hǎoxué and hàoxué
老子 lǎozi and Lǎozǐ
受累 shòulěi and shǒulèi
托儿 tuō’ér and tuōr
当年 dāngnián and dàngnián
对头 duìtóu and duìtou
Is that what you are referring to?