Chinese Government Vocabulary — Words for State & Politics
If you want to read a Chinese newspaper or follow the news, government and political vocabulary is where to invest — these words appear constantly in formal Chinese. This page gathers them: 政府 (government), 国家 (country), 法律 (law), 人民 (people), each with its English meaning, pinyin, and a button to hear it. Two notes for English speakers. First, Chinese uses characters, but every word here carries pinyin too, so you can say it and learn it while the characters become familiar over time; many of these terms are two-character compounds whose parts make sense together once you know them. Second, Mandarin is tonal — pitch distinguishes otherwise identical syllables — and tones live only in the sound, never the spelling. The 🔊 button is how you get them right: press it for a native pronunciation. Read the table to tie character, pinyin and meaning together, then take the words into the game below, where matching each one trains your recognition and your ear at the same time.
Key words explained
- parliament 议会 The new law was debated in parliament.
- senate 参议院 The bill passed the senate by a narrow vote.
- congress 国会 Members of congress returned from the recess.
- council 委员会 The town council approved the new park.
- assembly 大会 The regional assembly meets twice a year.
- ministry 部门 The ministry announced new funding for schools.
- minister 部长 The minister answered questions from reporters.
- mayor 市长 The mayor opened the festival with a short speech.
All 90 Chinese government words
| English | Pronunciation | Chinese | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|
| parliament | /ˈpɑːrləmənt/ | 议会 | |
| senate | /ˈsɛnɪt/ | 参议院 | |
| congress | /ˈkɑːŋɡrɪs/ | 国会 | |
| council | /ˈkaʊnsəl/ | 委员会 | |
| assembly | /əˈsɛmbli/ | 大会 | |
| ministry | /ˈmɪnɪstri/ | 部门 | |
| minister | /ˈmɪnɪstər/ | 部长 | |
| mayor | /ˈmeɪər/ | 市长 | |
| governor | /ˈɡʌvərnər/ | 州长 | |
| senator | /ˈsɛnətər/ | 参议员 | |
| representative | /ˌrɛprɪˈzɛntətɪv/ | 代表 | |
| executive | /ɪɡˈzɛkjʊtɪv/ | 行政部门 | |
| judiciary | /dʒuːˈdɪʃiˌɛri/ | 司法部门 | |
| legislature | /ˈlɛdʒɪsleɪtʃər/ | 立法机构 | |
| republic | /rɪˈpʌblɪk/ | 共和国 | |
| vote | /voʊt/ | 投票 | |
| democracy | /dɪˈmɑːkrəsi/ | 民主 | |
| constitution | /ˌkɑːnstɪˈtuːʃən/ | 宪法 | |
| referendum | /ˌrɛfəˈrɛndəm/ | 公投 | |
| ballot | /ˈbælət/ | 选票 | |
| candidate | /ˈkændɪdɪt/ | 候选人 | |
| constituency | /kənˈstɪtʃuənsi/ | 选区 | |
| majority | /məˈdʒɔːrɪti/ | 多数 | |
| minority | /maɪˈnɔːrɪti/ | 少数 | |
| opposition | /ˌɑːpəˈzɪʃən/ | 反对派 | |
| coalition | /ˌkoʊəˈlɪʃən/ | 联合 | |
| party | /ˈpɑːrti/ | 政党 | |
| manifesto | /ˌmænɪˈfɛstoʊ/ | 宣言 | |
| ideology | /ˌaɪdiˈɑːlədʒi/ | 意识形态 | |
| treaty | /ˈtriːti/ | 条约 | |
| legislation | /ˌlɛdʒɪsˈleɪʃən/ | 立法 | |
| amendment | /əˈmɛndmənt/ | 修正案 | |
| reform | /rɪˈfɔːrm/ | 改革 | |
| petition | /pɪˈtɪʃən/ | 请愿书 | |
| protest | /ˈproʊtɛst/ | 抗议 | |
| veto | /ˈviːtoʊ/ | 否决权 | |
| decree | /dɪˈkriː/ | 法令 | |
| sovereignty | /ˈsɑːvrɪnti/ | 主权 | |
| independence | /ˌɪndɪˈpɛndəns/ | 独立 | |
| governance | /ˈɡʌvərnəns/ | 治理 | |
| authority | /əˈθɔːrɪti/ | 权威 | |
| corruption | /kəˈrʌpʃən/ | 腐败 | |
| monarchy | /ˈmɑːnərki/ | 君主制 | |
| dictatorship | /dɪkˈteɪtərʃɪp/ | 独裁 | |
| liberty | /ˈlɪbərti/ | 自由 | |
| crime | /kraɪm/ | 犯罪 | |
| suspect | /ˈsʌspɛkt/ | 嫌疑人 | |
| investigation | /ɪnˌvɛstɪˈɡeɪʃən/ | 调查 | |
| warrant | /ˈwɔːrənt/ | 搜查令 | |
| defendant | /dɪˈfɛndənt/ | 被告 | |
| prosecution | /ˌprɑːsɪˈkjuːʃən/ | 起诉 | |
| witness | /ˈwɪtnɪs/ | 证人 | |
| testimony | /ˈtɛstɪmoʊni/ | 证词 | |
| jury | /ˈdʒʊri/ | 陪审团 | |
| verdict | /ˈvɜːrdɪkt/ | 判决 | |
| sentence | /ˈsɛntəns/ | 刑罚 | |
| appeal | /əˈpiːl/ | 上诉 | |
| conviction | /kənˈvɪkʃən/ | 定罪 | |
| acquittal | /əˈkwɪtəl/ | 无罪释放 | |
| punishment | /ˈpʌnɪʃmənt/ | 惩罚 | |
| rights | /raɪts/ | 权利 | |
| prison | /ˈprɪzən/ | 监狱 | |
| bail | /beɪl/ | 保释金 | |
| custody | /ˈkʌstədi/ | 羁押 | |
| parole | /pəˈroʊl/ | 假释 | |
| oath | /oʊθ/ | 誓言 | |
| complaint | /kəmˈpleɪnt/ | 投诉 | |
| ruling | /ˈruːlɪŋ/ | 裁决 | |
| statute | /ˈstætʃuːt/ | 法规 | |
| welfare | /ˈwɛlˌfɛr/ | 福利 | |
| benefit | /ˈbɛnɪfɪt/ | 补贴 | |
| public service | /ˈpʌblɪk ˈsɜːrvɪs/ | 公共服务 | |
| civil servant | /ˈsɪvəl ˈsɜːrvənt/ | 公务员 | |
| census | /ˈsɛnsəs/ | 人口普查 | |
| federal | /ˈfɛdərəl/ | 联邦 | |
| municipal | /mjuːˈnɪsɪpəl/ | 市政 | |
| supreme | /suːˈpriːm/ | 最高 | |
| military | /ˈmɪlɪˌtɛri/ | 军事 | |
| army | /ˈɑːrmi/ | 军队 | |
| civilian | /sɪˈvɪliən/ | 平民 | |
| ambassador | /æmˈbæsədər/ | 大使 | |
| diplomat | /ˈdɪpləmæt/ | 外交官 | |
| sanction | /ˈsæŋkʃən/ | 制裁 | |
| alliance | /əˈlaɪəns/ | 联盟 | |
| summit | /ˈsʌmɪt/ | 峰会 | |
| bureau | /ˈbjʊroʊ/ | 局 | |
| commissioner | /kəˈmɪʃənər/ | 专员 | |
| bureaucracy | /bjʊˈrɑːkrəsi/ | 官僚主义 | |
| lobby | /ˈlɑːbi/ | 游说 | |
| nonprofit | /ˌnɑːnˈprɑːfɪt/ | 非营利 |
Tired of memorizing word lists? Reading a table won't make these stick. Speakka turns vocabulary into a falling-words game — catch the word before it lands and the meaning sticks because you played it. A new way to learn vocabulary that doesn't feel like studying.
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