What's the English word for the Chinese food jiaozi? Perhaps you would say “dumpling”. But in fact, you can just say Jiaozi? It has been added to the Oxford English Dictionary.
People in English -- speaking countries now understand more Chinese words and their spelling in pinyin, according to a recent report by the China Foreign Languages Publishing Administration.
The CFLPA studied 50 media platforms in eight English - speaking countries, including the US, the UK and India. The report listed the top 100 Chinese words that people in these countries use the most.
“Shaolin”, a place in China that is famous for kung fu, was at the top of the list. Other popular words include “yin yang”, “gugong”, “nihao”, “wushu”, “qi”, “qigong”, “renminbi” and “majiang”.
Some of the words are related not only to Chinese culture, but also politics, economics and technology. These words include zhongguomeng( Chinese Dream), yi dai yi lu ( the Belt and Road Initiative, 一带一路)and zhifubao (Alipay).
Why have these words become popular? It may be because of increased interest in learning Chinese. The Confucius Institute, which offers Chinese lessons, has set up 1073 classrooms in 140 countries and areas, with 2.1 million students, People's Daily reported.
Chinese products are very popular around the world. For people in many foreign countries, products from China are part o their daily lives and may help them understand China better, China Daily noted.
