Weather & Seasons in Chinese 天气和季节

Weather is the universal icebreaker, and in Chinese it doubles as a first lesson in how the language builds words: 下雨 is "falling rain", 刮风 is "the wind blows", and the four seasons are just 季节 with a season name in front. Here are the words for sky and temperature, the verbs for what the weather does, the four seasons, and the clothes and accessories that go with every kind of day.

• 66 words
• Tone-colored pinyin
• Audio pronunciation on every word
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• 天气tiān qì
  weather
  今天天气不错！

  The weather is fine today!
• 太阳tài yang
  sun
  地球比太阳小。

  The earth is smaller than the sun.
• 晴qíng
  sunny; clear (sky)
  下午大概天转晴。

  The sky will probably turn clear in the afternoon.
• 阴yīn
  cloudy; overcast
  天突然转阴了。

  All of a sudden the sky became overcast.
• 云yún
  cloud
  天上没有一片云。

  There isn't a cloud in the sky.
• 雨yǔ
  rain
  首都天气有雨。

  The weather in the capital is rainy.
• 下雨xià yǔ
  to rain; raining
  绝对将要下雨。

  It'll definitely rain.
• 多云duō yún
  cloudy
  天要变多云了。

  It'll be cloudy.
• 暴雨bào yǔ
  torrential rain; rainstorm
  今天又下暴雨了。

  It stormed again today.
• 雨伞yǔ sǎn
  umbrella
  我打算买新雨伞。

  I will buy a new umbrella.
• 雨衣yǔ yī
  raincoat
  您最好穿一件雨衣。

  You had better put on a raincoat.
• 雪xuě
  snow
  明天预报有雪。

  Tomorrow there is a forecast of snow.
• 下雪xià xuě
  to snow; snowing
  冬天经常下雪。

  There's a lot of snow in the winter.
• 暴雪bào xuě
  blizzard; snowstorm
  昨晚的暴雪把路全堵住了。

  Last night's blizzard blocked all the roads.
• 风fēng
  wind
  我想，风变小了。

  I think the wind's dropping off.
• 微风wēi fēng
  breeze; light wind
  微风吹动树叶。

  A breeze stirred the leaves.
• 打雷dǎ léi
  to thunder; thundering
  外面打雷了，我很害怕！

  It's thundering outside. I'm really scared!
• 闪电shǎn diàn
  lightning
  闪电照亮了天空。

  The lightning lit up the sky.
• 雷雨léi yǔ
  thunderstorm
  雷雨天气请勿登山

  Lightning-prone area: please do not climb
• 刮风guā fēng
  to be windy; the wind blows
  已经刮风两天了。

  It has been windy for two days.
• 暴风雨bào fēng yǔ
  violent storm; rainstorm
  暴风雨中，停电了。

  The electricity failed during the storm.
• 雾wù
  fog; mist
  今天早上起雾了。

  This morning was foggy.
• 飓风jù fēng
  hurricane
  飓风把海边的小船都掀翻了。

  The hurricane flipped over the small boats by the sea.
• 台风tái fēng
  typhoon
  又开始刮台风了。

  A typhoon has also started to rise.
• 彩虹cǎi hóng
  rainbow
  彩虹有七种颜色。

  A rainbow has seven colors.
• 雾霾wù mái
  smog; haze
  今天雾霾很重。

  Smog was very heavy today.
• 霜shuāng
  frost
  今天早上下厚霜了。

  We had a heavy frost this morning.
• 结冰jié bīng
  to freeze over; to ice up
  下周可能会结冰。

  It may freeze next week.
• 潮湿cháo shī
  humid; damp
  夏天总是闷热而又潮湿。

  Summer is always hot and humid.
• 干燥gān zào
  dry (of weather or skin)
  这是片干燥地区，几乎是一片荒漠。

  It is an arid region, almost a desert.
• 闷热mēn rè
  muggy; stuffy and hot
  夏天总是闷热而又潮湿。

  Summer is always hot and humid.
• 晴朗qíng lǎng
  sunny and clear
  天空晴朗，布满了星辰。

  The sky is clear and full of stars.
• 温度wēn dù
  temperature
  今天早上温度降到了零下。

  The temperature has fallen below zero this morning.
• 度dù
  degree (of temperature)
  直角是九十度。

  A right angle has ninety degrees.
• 热rè
  hot (weather); heat
  今天天气很热。

  It's hot today.
• 冷lěng
  cold
  今年夏天很冷。

  Summer is cold this year.
• 暖和nuǎn huo
  warm
  今天比昨天暖和。

  It is warmer today than yesterday.
• 气温qì wēn
  air temperature
  气温突然下降了。

  The temperature has suddenly dropped.
• 零度líng dù
  zero degrees; freezing point
  温度计往往低于零度。

  Thermometers often go below zero.
• 零下líng xià
  below zero (of temperature)
  今天早上温度降到了零下。

  The temperature has fallen below zero this morning.
• 天气预报tiānqì yùbào
  weather forecast
  今天的天气预报说明天有雨。

  Today's weather forecast says it will rain tomorrow.
• 凉快liáng kuai
  pleasantly cool
  秋天的傍晚凉快极了。

  Autumn evenings are pleasantly cool.
• 干gān
  dry
  快点干你的活。

  Go back to doing your work.
• 湿shī
  wet; humid
  我在雨里这么一跑，鞋全湿了。

  My shoes are sodden from walking in the rain.
• 舒服shū fu
  comfortable; to feel well
  我感觉很舒服。

  I felt comfortable.
• 春天chūn tiān
  spring (season)
  春天就要来了。

  Spring will come soon.
• 夏天xià tiān
  summer
  今年夏天很冷。

  Summer is cold this year.
• 秋天qiū tiān
  autumn; fall
  秋天树叶会掉落。

  The leaves fall off the trees in the fall.
• 冬天dōng tiān
  winter
  冬天经常下雪。

  There's a lot of snow in the winter.
• 季节jì jié
  season (of the year)
  秋天是收获的季节。

  Autumn is a reaping season.
• 防晒霜fáng shài shuāng
  sunscreen
  你能在我的背上涂些防晒霜吗？

  Can you put some suntan lotion on my back?
• 太阳镜tài yáng jìng
  sunglasses
  我有一副太阳镜儿。

  I've got a pair of sunglasses.
• 短袖duǎn xiù
  short-sleeved shirt; short sleeves
  夏天我穿短袖衬衫。

  In the summer I wear short-sleeved shirts.
• 短裤duǎn kù
  shorts
  夏天他只穿短裤和背心。

  In summer he wears only shorts and a tank top.
• 拖鞋tuō xié
  slippers; flip-flops
  进屋请先换拖鞋。

  Please change into slippers before coming inside.
• 毛衣máo yī
  sweater
  那件毛衣不错呀！

  That sweater is nice.
• 外套wài tào
  coat; outer jacket
  她需要一件外套。

  She needs a coat.
• 卫衣wèi yī
  hoodie; sweatshirt
  他今天穿着灰色卫衣。

  He is wearing a gray hoodie today.
• 夹克jiā kè
  jacket
  你的护照在你的夹克里吗。

  Is your passport in your jacket?
• 羽绒服yǔ róng fú
  down jacket
  北方的冬天得穿羽绒服。

  In northern winters you have to wear a down jacket.
• 大衣dà yī
  overcoat; topcoat
  那是我的大衣。

  That's my coat.
• 手套shǒu tào
  gloves; mittens
  我的手套尺寸是中号。

  My gloves are size medium.
• 帽子mào zi
  hat; cap
  你戴的那顶帽子很可笑。

  That’s a comical hat you’re wearing.
• 靴子xuē zi
  boots
  我想买些靴子。

  I would like to purchase some boots.
• 牛仔裤niú zǎi kù
  jeans
  他穿了一条牛仔裤。

  He had jeans on.
• 裙子qún zi
  skirt
  她穿着红裙子。

  She was wearing a red skirt.