nàme 那么 I PRON like that ■ 上海没有北京那么 冷。Shànghǎi méiyǒu Běijīng nàme lěng. Shanghai is
not as cold as Beijing. ■ 你那么做，她会 不高兴。Nǐ nàme zuò, tā huì bù gāoxìng. If you
behave like that, she’ll be unhappy. II CONJ in that case, then ■ 你不喜欢吃米饭，那么吃面包吧。
Nǐ bù xǐhuan chī mǐfàn, nàme chī miànbāo ba. You don’t like rice; in that case eat bread. (→ Since
you don’t like rice, have bread instead.) ■ “去北 京的飞机票全卖完了。” “ 那么，我们就
乘火 车去吧。”“Qù Běijīng de fēijī piào quán màiwán le.” “Nàme, wǒmen jiù chéng huǒchē
qù ba.” “The air tickets to Beijing are sold out.” “In that case, let’s go by train.”
NOTE: Although 那么 nàme as a conjunction is glossed as in that case, then, Chinese speakers tend to use
it much more than English speakers use “in that case” or “then.” In colloquial Chinese 那么 nàme is often
shortened to 那 nà, e.g. ■ 你不喜欢 吃米饭，那吃面包吧。 Nǐ bù xǐhuan chī mǐfàn, nà chī miànbāo ba. You don’t like
rice; in that case eat bread.nàr 那儿 PRON same as 那里 nàli. Used colloqui-ally.
nàxiē 那些 PRON those ■ 这些是中文书，那些 是英文书。Zhèxiē shì Zhōngwén shū, nàxiē shì
Yīngwén shū. These are Chinese books. Those are English books.
nàyàng 那样 PRON same as 那么 nàme I PRON
nà 纳 V pay, offer
nàmènr 纳闷儿 V be wondering why (what, who, how, etc.), be puzzled
nàshuì 纳税 V pay taxes 纳税人 nàshuìrén tax-payer
nǎi 奶 N milk
nǎinai 奶奶 N paternal grandmother, granny ■ 奶奶，我上学去了！Nǎinai, wǒ shàngxué qù le! Granny,
I’m going to school!
NOTE: The formal word for paternal grandmother is 祖母 zǔmǔ and that for maternal grandmother is 外
祖母 wàizǔmǔ. While 奶奶 nǎinai is the colloquialism for 祖母 zǔmǔ, that for 外祖母 wàizǔmǔ is 姥姥 lǎolao, or 外
婆 wàipó.
nài 耐 V able to endure
nàifán 耐烦 [v+obj: 耐 tolerate + 烦 irritation] ADJ patient ■ 尽管顾客东挑西拣，营业员也不能露出
不耐烦的样子。Jìnguǎn gùkè dōng-tiāo-xī-jiǎn, yíngyèyuán yě bù néng lùchū bú nàifán de
yàngzi. Even if the customer is very choosy, the shop assistant mustn’t appear impatient.
NOTE: 耐烦 nàifán is only used in its negative form, 不耐烦 bú nàifán.nàixīn 耐心 [modif: 耐 tolerate + 心 heart] ADJ & N patient; patience ■ 除了耐心地等待，没有别的办
法。Chúle nàixīn de děngdài, méiyǒu biéde bànfǎ. There is nothing you can do except wait
patiently. ■ 我看他快要没有耐心了。Wǒ kàn tā kuài yào méiyǒu nàixīn le. I think he will soon
run out of patience.
nàiyòng 耐用 ADJ durable ■ 我们的产品很耐 用。Wǒmen de chǎnpǐn hěn nàiyòng. Our products are
durable. ■ 这种牌子的手表很便宜，但是 不耐用。Zhè zhǒng páizi de shǒubiǎo hěn piányì,
dànshì bú nàiyòng. Watches of this brand are cheap but don’t last long.
nán 男 ADJ (of humans) male (ANTONYM 女 nǚ)
nán háizi男孩子 N boy
nán qīngnián 男青年 N young man
nánrén 男人 N man, men ■ 男人能做的事，女人 也能做。Nánrén néng zuò de shì, nǚrén yě néng
zuò. What men can do, women also can.
nánshēng 男生 N male student/pupil
nánzihàn 男子汉 N a true man, true men
nán 南 N south, southern ■ 很多老年人喜欢住在南 方。Hěn duō lǎoniánrén xǐhuan zhù zài nánfāng.