Speaking • Social Situations
Talking About Weather in Mandarin Chinese
Weather is one of the most natural conversation openers in any culture, and Chinese is no different. 今天天气怎么样？(What is the weather like today?) is a perfectly natural icebreaker. This page covers describing conditions, seasons, forecasts, and the casual weather remarks that fill everyday conversation.
Describing Current Weather
| 汉字 Chinese | 拼音 Pīnyīn | English |
|---|---|---|
今天天气怎么样？ | jīntiān tiānqì zěnmeyàng? | What is the weather like today? |
天气很好。 | tiānqì hěn hǎo. | The weather is very nice. |
今天很热。 | jīntiān hěn rè. | It is very hot today. |
今天很冷。 | jīntiān hěn lěng. | It is very cold today. |
下雨了。 | xià yǔ le. | It is raining. / It has started raining. |
下雪了。 | xià xuě le. | It is snowing. / It has started snowing. |
很闷热。 | hěn mēn rè. | It is very muggy / stuffy hot. |
有点凉。 | yǒudiǎn liáng. | It is a little cool / chilly. |
刮风了。 | guā fēng le. | The wind is picking up. / It is windy. |
Weather Forecasts
| 汉字 Chinese | 拼音 Pīnyīn | English |
|---|---|---|
今天会下雨吗？ | jīntiān huì xià yǔ ma? | Will it rain today? |
天气预报说…… | tiānqì yùbào shuō…… | The weather forecast says… |
明天可能会下雨。 | míngtiān kěnéng huì xià yǔ. | It might rain tomorrow. |
今天有雷阵雨。 | jīntiān yǒu léi zhènyǔ. | There will be thunderstorms today. |
晴天 | qíng tiān | Clear / Sunny day |
阴天 | yīn tiān | Overcast / Cloudy day |
大风警告 | dàfēng jǐnggào | Strong wind warning |
Seasons
| 汉字 Chinese | 拼音 Pīnyīn | English |
|---|---|---|
春天 | chūntiān | Spring |
夏天 | xiàtiān | Summer |
秋天 | qiūtiān | Autumn / Fall |
冬天 | dōngtiān | Winter |
你喜欢哪个季节？ | nǐ xǐhuān nǎge jìjié? | Which season do you like? |
春天花开了。 | chūntiān huā kāi le. | The flowers bloom in spring. |
夏天太热了。 | xiàtiān tài rè le. | Summer is too hot. |
秋高气爽 | qiū gāo qì shuǎng | The sky is high and the air is crisp in autumn (idiom) |
Weather-Related Small Talk
| 汉字 Chinese | 拼音 Pīnyīn | English |
|---|---|---|
今天天气真好！ | jīntiān tiānqì zhēn hǎo! | The weather is really nice today! |
真热啊！ | zhēn rè a! | It's so hot! |
冷死了！ | lěng sǐ le! | It's freezing! (lit. cold to death) |
你带伞了吗？ | nǐ dài sǎn le ma? | Did you bring an umbrella? |
最近天气变化很大。 | zuìjìn tiānqì biànhuà hěn dà. | The weather has been very changeable recently. |
好久没下雨了。 | hǎojiǔ méi xià yǔ le. | It hasn't rained for a long time. |
这里的冬天比我家冷多了。 | zhèlǐ de dōngtiān bǐ wǒ jiā lěng duō le. | The winter here is much colder than back home. |
Usage Notes
Weather events like rain and snow use the verb 下 (xià, to fall/descend): 下雨 (it rains), 下雪 (it snows), 下冰雹 (it hails). To say 'it is raining' you simply say 下雨了 or 在下雨. There is no 'it' subject in Mandarin — the verb stands alone.
冷死了 (freezing cold, lit. cold to death) and 热死了 (boiling hot, lit. hot to death) are common hyperboles. The 死了 construction intensifies adjectives dramatically. These are casual — avoid in formal contexts.
天气预报 (tiānqì yùbào) means weather forecast. In China, the main TV weather forecasts air at around 7:55pm after CCTV News. Apps like 墨迹天气 (Moji Weather) and 高德地图 (Amap) are popular for real-time forecasts.
Chinese has many seasonal four-character idioms. 秋高气爽 (autumn sky high, air crisp) describes the pleasant clear autumn air. 春暖花开 (spring warm flowers bloom) evokes the arrival of spring. These add colour to weather conversation.