暖气 – Nuǎnqì

Lingualyrical · Quick Lesson – Heater – Mandarin around the House

Text Translation Below

The following text translation breaks down each word individually so you can follow along with the audio or use it as a quick reference.

Phrase Dictionary

Heater = 暖气 nuǎnqì
暖气已经打开了。 (Nuǎnqì yǐjīng dǎkāi le.): The heater is already turned on.
- 暖气 (Nuǎnqì): heater, heating
  - 暖 (nuǎn): warm, heating
  - 气 (qì): air, gas
- 已经 (yǐjīng): already
- 打开 (dǎkāi): turn on, open
  - 打 (dǎ): hit, strike (but in this context, part of the compound meaning “to open” or “to turn on”)
  - 开 (kāi): open
- 了 (le): particle indicating completed action or change. In this case changing ‘turn on’ to ‘turned on’

Phrases and Translations

暖气已经打开了。
- English: The heater is already turned on.
- Pinyin: Nuǎnqì yǐjīng dǎkāi le.

Words of Interest

In Mandarin Chinese, the particle “了 (le)” is used to indicate a change of state or the completion of an action. When “了” is added to a verb, it often signifies that the action has been completed or that there is a change from a previous state.

打开 (dǎkāi) by itself means “to open” or “to turn on.” It describes the action in its ongoing or general form.
打开了 (dǎkāi le) means “opened” or “turned on.” The addition of “了” indicates that the action of opening or turning on has been completed, or that the state has changed from being closed or off to being open or on.

So, in the context of the sentence “暖气已经打开了” (Nuǎnqì yǐjīng dǎkāi le), the use of “了” after “打开” indicates that the heater has already been turned on, and this action is complete or the state of the heater has changed from off to on.

“热 (jiārè) vs 暖气 (nuǎnqì)

加热 (jiārè):
- Literally translates to “to heat up” or “to warm up.”
- It is a verb that refers to the process of making something warmer or hotter, such as heating food in a microwave or warming water on a stove.
- Example: 加热食物 (jiārè shíwù) – Heat up the food.
暖气 (nuǎnqì):
- Literally translates to “warm air” or “heating.”
- It is a noun that refers to a heating system or heater used to warm up a room or a building, especially during cold weather.
- Example: 打开暖气 (dǎkāi nuǎnqì) – Turn on the heater.

In summary, “加热” is a verb that describes the action of heating something up, while “暖气” is a noun that refers to a heating system or device.

Heater: Quick Mandarin Lesson