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💗 🏊 运动 (yùn dòng) - Sports & Exercise

Learn essential vocabulary for sports and exercise activities. Practice discussing physical activities, expressing fitness goals, and talking about sports preferences using HSK1-HSK2 level vocabulary.

Chinese lesson from Sunday, June 29, 2025

🏃 Exercise Activities

Learn how to talk about different sports and exercise activities using simple, practical expressions with familiar characters.

Perfect for beginners and essential concepts

📚 Key Phrase: 跑步 (pǎo bù)

📖

Grammar Focus

💗 Sports and Exercise

Today we learn essential phrases for talking about sports and physical activities using characters you already know. These expressions help you discuss fitness, sports preferences, and exercise routines comfortably.
🏃 Exercise Activity Pattern:
做 + [activity]

做 means "to do" for activities:
• 做运动 (zuò yùn dòng) - do exercise
• 跑步 (pǎo bù) - run/jog (literally "run steps")

打 means "to hit/play" for ball sports:
• 打球 (dǎ qiú) - play ball
🏊 Sports Action Pattern:
[sport verb] + [object]
• 游泳 (yóu yǒng) - swim (literally "swim stroke")
• 打球 (dǎ qiú) - play ball
• 一起玩 (yì qǐ wán) - play together

Each sport has its specific action verb.
每天
měi tiān
Every day
📅 Frequency Expression:
每天 is the most common way to express daily frequency:
• 每 (měi) - every
• 天 (tiān) - day

Perfect for describing exercise routines!
💪 Physical State Expressions:
• Tired: 很累 (hěn lèi) - very tired
• Healthy: 很健康 (hěn jiàn kāng) - very healthy
• Together: 一起玩 (yì qǐ wán) - play together

These describe how you feel during/after exercise.
💡 Cultural Insight:
In Chinese culture, 做运动 (doing exercise) is highly valued for maintaining health. 很健康 (being healthy) is considered a blessing, and many people exercise 每天 (every day) as part of their routine, often 一起玩 (playing together) with friends or family.
跑步
pǎo bù
Run, jogging
Correr, trotar

词汇 Vocabulary Practice

Practice writing the phrases from today's Chinese lesson!

跑步
pǎo bù
English:
Run, jogging
Español:
Correr, trotar
游泳
yóu yǒng
English:
Swimming
Español:
Nadar
打球
dǎ qiú
English:
Play ball
Español:
Jugar pelota
做运动
zuò yùn dòng
English:
Do exercise
Español:
Hacer ejercicio
很累
hěn lèi
English:
Very tired
Español:
Muy cansado
很健康
hěn jiàn kāng
English:
Very healthy
Español:
Muy saludable
每天
měi tiān
English:
Every day
Español:
Todos los días
一起玩
yì qǐ wán
English:
Play together
Español:
Jugar juntos

文化 Cultural Insights

🏃 Morning Exercise Culture

In China, 跑步 (running) and 做运动 (doing exercise) are very popular in parks and public spaces, especially in the morning. Many people gather in groups to exercise together, creating a strong community exercise culture.

🏊 Swimming and Water Sports

游泳 (swimming) is considered one of the best exercises in Chinese culture. Many cities have public swimming pools, and swimming is taught as an important life skill. It's associated with both fitness and safety.

⚽ Ball Sports and Team Activities

打球 (playing ball) includes many sports like basketball, ping pong, and badminton. These activities often emphasize 一起玩 (playing together) and building relationships through sports, making exercise a social activity.

💪 Fitness Conversations

Master expressions for discussing fitness goals, sports preferences, and exercise experiences using everyday vocabulary patterns.

For students ready to dive deeper

📖 Reading Practice

📖 运动时间 - Exercise Time

Xiǎo Wáng xǐ huan zuò yùn dòng, tā měi tiān dōu pǎo bù.
小王喜欢做运动，他每天都跑步。
Tā de péng you wèn: "Nǐ bù lèi ma?"
他的朋友问："你不累吗？"
Xiǎo Wáng shuō: "Yǒu diǎn lèi, dàn shì hěn jiàn kāng."
小王说："有点累，但是很健康。"
Zhōu mò, tā men yì qǐ qù yóu yǒng.
周末，他们一起去游泳。
Yóu yǒng hòu, tā men qù dǎ qiú.
游泳后，他们去打球。
Xiǎo Wáng shuō: "Yì qǐ wán zhēn gāo xìng!"
小王说："一起玩真高兴！"

📝 Vocabulary from this reading:

有点
yǒu diǎn
a little bit
但是
dàn shì
but
周末
zhōu mò
weekend
高兴
gāo xìng
happy

作业 Homework & Practice

💗 Sports & Exercise Practice

📝 Writing Practice:
1. Write 5 sentences about your exercise using: 我每天 + [exercise activity]
2. Create sports conversations: A: 你做运动吗？ B: 我... A: 累吗？
3. Write 3 sentences using 一起玩 in different sports contexts

🗣️ Speaking Practice:
4. Practice talking about exercise: 做运动, 跑步, 游泳, 打球
5. Learn to express physical states: 很累, 很健康, 有点累

🎯 Real Life Application:
6. Describe your weekly exercise routine using: 每天, 周末, 有时候
7. Learn 3 more sports words: 踢足球, 打篮球, 骑自行车

💡 Bonus Challenge:
Create a full sports conversation from planning to playing together

🌟 Cultural Reflection:
Think about: How does exercise culture differ between your country and China? What makes group exercise special in Chinese culture?

Practice Checklist:

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