事 shì — matter; thing; item; work; affair
我有一件事想问你。Wǒ yǒu yí jiàn shì xiǎng wèn nǐ.I have something to ask you.
Common words: 没事儿 (méi shì r)、事情 (shì qing)、故事 (gù shì)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "thing"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "thing", including 事 (shì), 物 (wù), 品 (pǐn), 首 (shǒu), 项 (xiàng). Study pinyin, English meanings…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "thing" covers 5 different Chinese characters — 事 (shì), 物 (wù), 品 (pǐn), 首 (shǒu), 项 (xiàng) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 5 characters do not share a sound — their readings span shì, wù, pǐn, shǒu, xiàng — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 事 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 事 shìmatter; thing; item; work; affairUseful words: 没事儿, 事情
- 物 wùthing; object; matterUseful words: 动物, 礼物
- 品 pǐnconduct; grade; thing; product; goodUseful words: 作品, 食品
- 首 shǒuhead; chief; first (occasion); first (thing); measure word for poemsUseful words: 首先, 首都
- 项 xiàng(surname); back of neck; item; thingUseful words: 项目, 项链
Common words for these 5 "thing" characters
Anchor each of these 5 characters in a word you can picture — start with 事 (shì) — so "thing" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
没事儿méi shì rto have spare time; free from work; it's not important; it's nothing事情shì qingaffair; matter; thing; business故事gù shìold practice动物dòng wùanimal礼物lǐ wùgift; present食物shí wùfood作品zuò pǐnwork (of art); opus食品shí pǐnfoodstuff; food; provisions商品shāng pǐncommodity; goods; merchandise首先shǒu xiānfirst of all; in the first place
See each character in a sentence
Each character below is shown in a short example sentence with pinyin and an English translation — the quickest way to feel the difference between the 5 ways to say "thing".
物 wù — thing; object; matter
商店里的货物很多。Shāng diàn lǐ de huò wù hěn duō.There are many goods in the store.
Common words: 动物 (dòng wù)、礼物 (lǐ wù)、食物 (shí wù)
品 pǐn — conduct; grade; thing; product; good
这家商店的产品质量很好。Zhè jiā shāng diàn de chǎn pǐn zhì liàng hěn hǎo.The products of this shop are of good quality.
Common words: 作品 (zuò pǐn)、食品 (shí pǐn)、商品 (shāng pǐn)
首 shǒu — head; chief; first (occasion); first (thing); measure word for poems
我很喜欢这首歌。Wǒ hěn xǐ huan zhè shǒu gē.I really like this song.
Common words: 首先 (shǒu xiān)、首都 (shǒu dū)、首次 (shǒu cì)
项 xiàng — (surname); back of neck; item; thing
这项工作还没有完成。Zhè xiàng gōng zuò hái méi yǒu wán chéng.This task is not yet finished.
Common words: 项目 (xiàng mù)、项链 (xiàng liàn)、事项 (shì xiàng)
All 5 characters
Open 事、物、品 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.