Chinese Hobby & Leisure Phrases — Talking About Interests, Sports, Arts, and Weekend Plans in Mandarin

Being able to talk about your hobbies (爱好 — ài hào) is one of the best ways to connect with Chinese friends and colleagues. It is one of the most common small-talk topics after work and family. Key vocabulary: 兴趣 (xìng qù) — interest, 爱好 (ài hào) — hobby, 你平时喜欢做什么 (nǐ píng shí xǐ huān zuò shén me) — What do you usually like to do?, 你有什么爱好 (nǐ yǒu shén me ài hào) — What are your hobbies?, 我特别喜欢... (wǒ tè bié xǐ huān...) — I especially like..., 我对...很感兴趣 (wǒ duì... hěn gǎn xìng qù) — I'm very interested in..., 我从小就... (wǒ cóng xiǎo jiù...) — I've been... since I was young, 有空的时候 (yǒu kòng de shí hou) — in my free time, 周末 (zhōu mò) — weekend. Expressing hobby levels: 我刚开始学 (wǒ gāng kāi shǐ xué) — I just started learning, 我是新手 (wǒ shì xīn shǒu) — I'm a beginner, 我玩了一段时间了 (wǒ wán le yī duàn shí jiān le) — I've been doing it for a while, 我是老手了 (wǒ shì lǎo shǒu le) — I'm an old hand / experienced. Common hobby categories: 运动 (yùn dòng) — sports / exercise, 音乐 (yīn yuè) — music, 艺术 (yì shù) — art, 旅行 (lǚ xíng) — travel, 摄影 (shè yǐng) — photography, 做饭 (zuò fàn) — cooking, 读书 (dú shū) — reading, 看电视 (kàn diàn shì) — watching TV, 看电影 (kàn diàn yǐng) — watching movies, 玩游戏 (wán yóu xì) — playing games, 唱歌 (chàng gē) — singing, 跳舞 (tiào wǔ) — dancing.

Sports and exercise are hugely popular in China, from traditional activities to modern fitness trends. Ball sports: 打篮球 (dǎ lán qiú) — play basketball, 踢足球 (tī zú qiú) — play soccer, 打乒乓球 (dǎ pīng pāng qiú) — play table tennis (ping-pong is practically a national sport), 打羽毛球 (dǎ yǔ máo qiú) — play badminton, 打网球 (dǎ wǎng qiú) — play tennis, 打排球 (dǎ pái qiú) — play volleyball. Water sports: 游泳 (yóu yǒng) — swimming, 潜水 (qián shuǐ) — diving / scuba, 冲浪 (chōng làng) — surfing, 划船 (huá chuán) — rowing. Outdoor activities: 跑步 (pǎo bù) — running / jogging, 爬山 (pá shān) — hiking / mountain climbing, 骑自行车 (qí zì xíng chē) — cycling, 露营 (lù yíng) — camping, 钓鱼 (diào yú) — fishing. Winter sports: 滑雪 (huá xuě) — skiing, 滑冰 (huá bīng) — ice skating, 单板滑雪 (dān bǎn huá xuě) — snowboarding.

Fitness and gym: 健身 (jiàn shēn) — fitness / work out, 去健身房 (qù jiàn shēn fáng) — go to the gym, 练肌肉 (liàn jī ròu) — build muscle, 瑜伽 (yú jiā) — yoga, 普拉提 (pǔ lā tí) — Pilates, 跑步机 (pǎo bù jī) — treadmill, 举重 (jǔ zhòng) — weightlifting. Chinese traditional sports: 太极拳 (tài jí quán) — Tai Chi, 功夫 (gōng fu) — Kung Fu / martial arts, 武术 (wǔ shù) — martial arts, 毽子 (jiàn zi) — shuttlecock kicking, 广场舞 (guǎng chǎng wǔ) — square dancing (very popular among older women in public squares). Making plans: 一起去打球吧 (yī qǐ qù dǎ qiú ba) — Let's go play ball together!, 你一般什么时候去健身 (nǐ yī bān shén me shí hou qù jiàn shēn) — When do you usually go work out?, 我们可以周末一起去爬山 (wǒ men kě yǐ zhōu mò yī qǐ qù pá shān) — We can go hiking together on the weekend. Watching sports: 看球赛 (kàn qiú sài) — watch a ball game, 你支持哪个队 (nǐ zhī chí nǎ ge duì) — Which team do you support?, 比分是多少 (bǐ fēn shì duō shǎo) — What's the score?, 进球啦 (jìn qiú la) — Goal! (literally "ball entered!").

Chinese pop culture is vibrant and knowing the right phrases helps you join conversations about the latest shows, songs, and stars. Music: 听音乐 (tīng yīn yuè) — listen to music, 你喜欢什么类型的音乐 (nǐ xǐ huān shén me lèi xíng de yīn yuè) — What type of music do you like?, 流行音乐 (liú xíng yīn yuè) — pop music, 摇滚 (yáo gǔn) — rock, 古典音乐 (gǔ diǎn yīn yuè) — classical music, 民谣 (mín yáo) — folk, 嘻哈 (xī hā) — hip hop, 电子音乐 (diàn zǐ yīn yuè) — electronic music, K-pop (K-pop — Korean pop is very popular), C-pop (C-pop — Chinese pop). Singing: 唱歌 (chàng gē) — sing, 去KTV (qù KTV) — go to karaoke (KTV is the Chinese term for karaoke venues), 你唱得真好听 (nǐ chàng de zhēn hǎo tīng) — You sing really well, 我不会唱 (wǒ bù huì chàng) — I can't sing, 我的主打歌是... (wǒ de zhǔ dǎ gē shì...) — My go-to song is..., 点歌 (diǎn gē) — select/request a song, 合唱 (hé chàng) — duet / sing together. Playing instruments: 弹吉他 (tán jí tā) — play guitar, 弹钢琴 (tán gāng qín) — play piano, 拉小提琴 (lā xiǎo tí qín) — play violin, 吹笛子 (chuī dí zi) — play flute, 打鼓 (dǎ gǔ) — play drums.

Movies and TV shows: 看电影 (kàn diàn yǐng) — watch a movie, 看剧 (kàn jù) — watch TV series / binge-watch, 追剧 (zhuī jù) — follow a TV series / binge-watch (very common expression: literally "chase the drama"), 最近有什么好看的 (zuì jìn yǒu shén me hǎo kàn de) — What's good to watch lately?, 你推荐什么电影 (nǐ tuī jiàn shén me diàn yǐng) — What movie do you recommend?, 这部电影评分很高 (zhè bù diàn yǐng píng fēn hěn gāo) — This movie has a high rating, 上映 (shàng yìng) — in theaters / released, 下线 (xià xiàn) — out of theaters. Genres: 喜剧 (xǐ jù) — comedy, 动作片 (dòng zuò piàn) — action film, 爱情片 (ài qíng piàn) — romance film, 科幻片 (kē huàn piàn) — sci-fi, 恐怖片 (kǒng bù piàn) — horror, 纪录片 (jì lù piàn) — documentary, 动画片 (dòng huà piàn) — animated film. Streaming platforms: 爱奇艺 (Ài Qí Yì) — iQiyi, 腾讯视频 (Téng Xùn Shì Pín) — Tencent Video, 优酷 (Yōu Kù) — Youku, B站 (B zhàn) — Bilibili (very popular for anime, gaming, and youth culture), 抖音 (Dǒu Yīn) — TikTok / Douyin (short videos). Phrases: 你在追什么剧 (nǐ zài zhuī shén me jù) — What show are you currently watching?, 我们去看电影吧 (wǒ men qù kàn diàn yǐng ba) — Let's go watch a movie!, 这个演员是谁 (zhè ge yǎn yuán shì shéi) — Who is this actor?

Social games are a cornerstone of Chinese leisure culture, and knowing how to play — or at least talk about — these games opens many social doors. Majiang (麻将 — má jiàng) is the quintessential Chinese social game, played everywhere from family gatherings to tea houses. Key phrases: 打麻将 (dǎ má jiàng) — play majiang, 你会打麻将吗 (nǐ huì dǎ má jiàng ma) — Can you play majiang?, 我不会，你能教我吗 (wǒ bù huì, nǐ néng jiāo wǒ ma) — I can't, can you teach me?, 三缺一 (sān quē yī) — "three missing one" — the classic invitation when you need one more player, 一缺三 (yī quē sān) — "one missing three" — a joke when you want to play but need three more people, 碰 (pèng) — pung (claim a discarded tile for a triplet), 吃 (chī) — chow (claim a tile for a sequence), 杠 (gàng) — kong (declare four of a kind), 胡了 (hú le) — I won!, 点炮 (diǎn pào) — "fire the cannon" — discard the winning tile for someone else, 自摸 (zì mō) — self-draw win, 清一色 (qīng yī sè) — pure one-suit hand, 七对 (qī duì) — seven pairs, 十三幺 (shí sān yāo) — thirteen orphans (the rarest winning hand).

Modern board games: 桌游 (zhuō yóu) — board games, 狼人杀 (láng rén shā) — Werewolf / Mafia (extremely popular social deduction game), 三国杀 (Sān Guó Shā) — Legends of the Three Kingdoms (Chinese card game based on Romance of the Three Kingdoms), 剧本杀 (jù běn shā) — murder mystery / script-killing (immersive role-playing mystery game — a massive trend in China since 2020), 密室逃脱 (mì shì táo tuō) — escape room. Card games: 扑克 (pū kè) — poker / playing cards, 斗地主 (dòu dì zhǔ) — Fight the Landlord (the most popular three-player card game in China), 掼蛋 (guàn dàn) — Guandan (popular in Jiangsu/Anhui), 升级 (shēng jí) — Level Up (popular couples/four-player game). Gaming phrases: 你会玩...吗 (nǐ huì wán... ma) — Can you play...?, 教我一下 (jiāo wǒ yī xià) — Teach me a bit, 这把不算，再来 (zhè bǎ bù suàn, zài lái) — This round doesn't count, let's go again!, 你太厉害了 (nǐ tài lì hai le) — You're too good / amazing!, 手下留情 (shǒu xià liú qíng) — Go easy on me (literally "show mercy with your hands"). Video games: 打游戏 (dǎ yóu xì) — play video games, 手游 (shǒu yóu) — mobile games, 吃鸡 (chī jī) — battle royale / PUBG (from the winner phrase "大吉大利，今晚吃鸡"), 王者荣耀 (Wáng Zhě Róng Yào) — Honor of Kings (the most popular mobile MOBA in China), 原神 (Yuán Shén) — Genshin Impact, 游戏机 (yóu xì jī) — game console (PS5, Switch, Xbox — all available in China).

Making plans and inviting people out is a key social skill. In Chinese culture, invitations are often extended enthusiastically and may be politely declined once or twice before acceptance — this back-and-forth is normal. Making invitations: 这个周末有空吗 (zhè ge zhōu mò yǒu kòng ma) — Are you free this weekend?, 要不要一起去... (yào bù yào yī qǐ qù...) — Want to go... together?, 我们去...吧 (wǒ men qù... ba) — Let's go..., 我请你 (wǒ qǐng nǐ) — My treat / I'll invite you (pay for you), 我来安排 (wǒ lái ān pái) — I'll arrange it / leave it to me. Responding to invitations: 好啊，什么时候 (hǎo a, shén me shí hou) — Sounds good, when?, 我看看有没有时间 (wǒ kàn kàn yǒu méi yǒu shí jiān) — Let me check if I have time, 不好意思，我有约了 (bù hǎo yì si, wǒ yǒu yuē le) — Sorry, I already have plans, 改天吧 (gǎi tiān ba) — Another day / some other time (common polite refusal), 下次一定 (xià cì yī dìng) — Definitely next time (another common polite response).

Common weekend activities: 逛街 (guàng jiē) — go shopping / window shopping, 逛商场 (guàng shāng chǎng) — go to the mall, 去公园 (qù gōng yuán) — go to the park, 去看展览 (qù kàn zhǎn lǎn) — go see an exhibition, 去博物馆 (qù bó wù guǎn) — go to a museum, 去动物园 (qù dòng wù yuán) — go to the zoo, 去游乐园 (qù yóu lè yuán) — go to an amusement park, 野餐 (yě cān) — picnic, 烧烤 (shāo kǎo) — BBQ, 喝早茶 (hē zǎo chá) — have morning tea / yum cha (dim sum brunch), 喝下午茶 (hē xià wǔ chá) — have afternoon tea, 泡吧 (pào bā) — go bar-hopping / hang out at a bar, 蹦迪 (bèng dí) — go clubbing (literally "bouncing to disco"), 唱K (chàng K) — go to KTV / karaoke. Club and group activities: 加入 (jiā rù) — join, 俱乐部 (jù lè bù) — club, 社团 (shè tuán) — club / society / association, 活动 (huó dòng) — activity / event, 聚会 (jù huì) — gathering / party, 聚餐 (jù cān) — group dinner / eat together. Phrases: 我可以加入吗 (wǒ kě yǐ jiā rù ma) — Can I join?, 有活动叫我 (yǒu huó dòng jiào wǒ) — Let me know if there's an event, 你们一般什么时候聚会 (nǐ men yī bān shén me shí hou jù huì) — When do you usually get together?, 下次一起 (xià cì yī qǐ) — Together next time!, 玩得开心 (wán de kāi xīn) — Have fun! (literally "play happily").