About the verb library
This library contains 1,000 distinct simplified-Chinese verb headwords. Each entry provides a selected English meaning, Mandarin pinyin, and at least one example with its pinyin and English translation.
Source and license
Meanings, word types, word pinyin, and most examples come from English Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. The October 25, 2026 extraction used the October 1, 2026 Wiktionary dump. Each verb links to its original dictionary entry. The library also includes 13 original teaching examples, explicitly labeled on their pages; these examples and their pinyin and English translations were written for this site.
Adapted dictionary data and the original teaching examples are available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0. Changes include selection, simplified-script normalization, field formatting, and highlighting. Read the attribution notice or download the searchable index. Selected source records and the full dataset are included with the project source.
How entries were selected
The selection includes 40 fundamental single-character verbs and 960 additional verb headwords. The fundamentals use explicitly selected verb meanings from dictionary entries that may be classified as “Character,” with standard Mandarin readings. When a suitable source example was unavailable, we wrote an original teaching example. Other entries require a verb sense, a standard Mandarin reading, and a translated example associated with that same dictionary sense. Quoted passages, alternative-form entries, and explicitly obsolete, archaic, dialect-only, or vulgar senses are excluded. Examples use simplified characters; dictionary examples retain source-provided pinyin, and original examples include explicitly written pinyin. No automatic translation is used.
The reading of the highlighted word is checked against its pinyin in the example, including tone marks. Some dictionaries retain lexical tones for 一 and 不 rather than respelling their spoken tone changes. Listen in context and consult the source when comparing conventions.
A frequency estimate helps prioritize the eligible words. This is a useful selection, not a definitive ranking of the 1,000 most common Mandarin verbs. It includes some advanced and specialized vocabulary. Chinese dictionaries may classify descriptive words as stative verbs; the entry’s selected meaning and example show the use being taught.
Review and limitations
Structural checks verify complete translations, pinyin, source links, unique headwords, and target ranges. Editorial spot checks supplement those checks. The full library has not received an independent Mandarin teacher’s review; source dictionaries can contain errors or usage that varies by region and context.
We retain dictionary sense and example associations and distinguish original examples from dictionary examples. Additional meanings may exist beyond the selected sense. This library is not an HSK syllabus.
Studying verbs
Mandarin verbs do not conjugate for person or tense. The grammar reference explains time expressions, aspect, word order, and other sentence patterns. Saved verbs stay in this browser and do not sync between devices.