A Simple Guide to Talking About the Weather in Chinese

Whether you want to chat with friends in China or plan a trip, talking about the weather is a perfect way to start. Today, we will learn how to describe different weather conditions in Chinese. By the end, you'll be able to understand weather forecasts and even say “今天阳光真好！” (jīn tiān yáng guāng zhēn hǎo!) which means "The sunshine is really nice today!"

Core Vocabulary

First, remember this essential phrase:

• 今天天气怎么样？  
  jīn tiān tiān qì zěn me yàng?
  How's the weather today?

Common Weather Conditions:

• 晴天 (qíng tiān): Sunny  
• 阴天 (yīn tiān): Cloudy  
• 下雨 (xià yǔ): To rain  
• 小雨 (xiǎo yǔ): Light rain  
• 中雨 (zhōng yǔ): Moderate rain  
• 大雨 (dà yǔ): Heavy rain  
• 暴雨 (bào yǔ): Torrential rain  
• 下雪 (xià xuě): To snow  
• 小雪 (xiǎo xuě): Light snow  
• 大雪 (dà xuě): Heavy snow  
• 风 (fēng): Wind  
• 强风/大风 (qiáng fēng / dà fēng): Strong wind
• 台风 (tái fēng): Typhoon  
• 雾 (wù): Fog  
• 热 (rè): Hot  
• 冷 (lěng): Cold  

How to Describe the Weather: Three Simple Sentence Structures

You can describe the weather using the following three simple ways.

Sentence Structure A: 今天 + [Weather Word]

• 今天晴天。 
  jīn tiān qíng tiān. 
  It's sunny today.
• 今天大雨。  
  jīn tiān dà yǔ. 
  It's heavy rain today.
• 今天大雪。  
  jīn tiān dà xuě.  
  It's heavy snow today.

Sentence Structure B: 在 + 下/刮 + [Rain/Snow/Wind]

• 在下雨。 
  zài xià yǔ.  
  It is raining.
• 要下雪了。 
  yào xià xuě le.  
  It is going to snow.
• 刮大风了。  
  guā dà fēng le.  
  The strong wind is blowing.

Sentence Structure C: 今天很 + [Hot/Cold/Warm/Cool]

• 今天很热。  
  jīn tiān hěn rè. 
  It's very hot today.
• 今天很冷。  
  jīn tiān hěn lěng.  
  It's very cold today.

Scenario Dialogue: Watching the Weather Forecast

Host: 大家好，来看一下全国的天气预报。  
          dà jiā hǎo, zài kàn yí xià quán guó de tiān qì yù bào.
          Hello everyone, let's take a look at the national weather forecast.

Host: 北京，今天晴天，很温暖。  
          běi jīng, jīn tiān qíng tiān, hěn wēn nuǎn. 
          Beijing, it's sunny today and very warm.

Host: 上海，明天阴天，下午有小雨。  
          shàng hǎi, míng tiān yīn tiān, xià wǔ yǒu xiǎo yǔ.  
          Shanghai, tomorrow will be cloudy with light rain in the afternoon.

Host: 广州，今天有暴雨和强风，请大家小心。  
         guǎng zhōu, jīn tiān yǒu bào yǔ hé qiáng fēng, qǐng dà jiā xiǎo xīn.  
         Guangzhou, there will be torrential rain and strong winds today, please be careful.

Host: 哈尔滨，今天晚上会下雪，很冷。  
         hā ěr bīn, jīn tiān wǎn shàng huì xià xuě, hěn lěng. 
         Harbin, it will snow tonight and it will be very cold.

Quiz: How Would You Say It?

Look at the pictures and choose the correct Chinese expression.

Answer: B B A B

Now you have mastered the basic skills to talk about the weather in Chinese. You can describe sunny days, cloudy days, rain, and snow, and express how hot or cold you feel. This will make your everyday conversations in Chinese much more natural!