Essential Chinese Verb-Object Phrases: Your Key to Sounding Natural

Tuesday, November 18, 2025

When learning Chinese, many beginners notice something strange: you know every word in a sentence, but when you put them together, it still doesn’t sound natural—at least, not like a native speaker. Why? One big reason is the use of fixed verb-object phrases in Chinese. These are set word combinations, just like English “phrasal verbs” (for example, “take a shower” or “do homework”). They are the building blocks of everyday Chinese.Below are some of the most common verb-object phrases, organized by theme. 

Daily Life

刷牙 (shuā yá): brush teeth

  • Example:
    每天早晚都要刷牙。
    měi tiān zǎo wǎn dōu yào shuā yá.
    You should brush your teeth every morning and night.

洗脸 (xǐ liǎn): wash face

  • Example:
    早上用冷水洗脸很舒服。
    zǎo shang yòng lěng shuǐ xǐ liǎn hěn shū fu.
    It feels good to wash your face with cold water in the morning.

洗澡 (xǐ zǎo): take a shower

  • Example:
    运动后我想洗澡。
    yùn dòng hòu wǒ xiǎng xǐ zǎo.
    After exercising, I want to take a shower.

刮胡子 (guā hú zi): shave beard

  • Example:
    爸爸每天刮胡子。
    bà ba měi tiān guā hú zi.
    Dad shaves his beard every day.

School & Work

写作业 (xiě zuò yè): do homework

  • Example:
    学生们在图书馆写作业。
    xué shēng men zài tú shū guǎn xiě zuò yè.
    The students do their homework in the library.

上课 (shàng kè): attend class

  • Example:
    我们上午八点上课。
    wǒ men shàng wǔ bā diǎn shàng kè.
    We have class at 8 a.m.

上班 (shàng bān): go to work

  • Example:
    妈妈坐地铁去上班。
    mā ma zuò dì tiě qù shàng bān.
    Mom takes the subway to go to work.

开会 (kāi huì): have a meeting

  • Example:
    今天下午经理要开会。
    jīn tiān xià wǔ jīng lǐ yào kāi huì.
    The manager will have a meeting this afternoon.

Leisure & Entertainment

看电视 (kàn diàn shì): watch TV

  • Example:
    爷爷喜欢看电视新闻。
    yé ye xǐ huan kàn diàn shì xīn wén.
    Grandpa likes watching TV news.

拍照 (pāi zhào): take photos

  • Example:
    我们在公园拍照吧！
    wǒ men zài gōng yuán pāi zhào ba!
    Let’s take photos in the park!

踢足球 (tī zú qiú): play football (soccer)

  • Example:
    男生们放学后踢足球。
    nán shēng men fàng xué hòu tī zú qiú.
    The boys play football after school.

打篮球 (dǎ lán qiú): play basketball

  • Example:
    我每周打篮球三次。
    wǒ měi zhōu dǎ lán qiú sān cì.
    I play basketball three times a week.

Going Out

坐公交 (zuò gōng jiāo): take the bus

  • Example:
    我经常坐公交去学校。
    wǒ jīng cháng zuò gōng jiāo qù xué xiào.
    I often take the bus to school.

打车 (dǎ chē): take a taxi

  • Example:
    下雨时我们打车回家。
    xià yǔ shí wǒmen dǎ chē huí jiā.
    When it rains, we take a taxi home.

买东西 (mǎi dōng xi): go shopping/buy things

  • Example:
    周末超市里很多人买东西。
    zhōu mò chāo shì lǐ hěn duō rén mǎi dōng xi.
    A lot of people go shopping in the supermarket on weekends.

逛公园 (guàng gōng yuán): stroll in the park

  • Example:
    老人们喜欢早上逛公园。
    lǎo rén men xǐ huan zǎo shang guàng gōng yuán.
    Elderly people like to stroll in the park in the morning.

Special Usage Tips

Adding measure words: If you want to talk about a specific number, add a measure word in the middle.

Example: 

  • 拍一张照片 
    pāi yì zhāng zhào piàn
    take one photo
  • 开一个会 
    kāi yí gè huì
    have one meeting

Object at the front: Sometimes, especially in negative sentences, the object comes before the verb.

Example: 

  • 作业写完了 
    zuò yè xiě wán le
    Homework is done.

Verb reduplication: Some verbs can be repeated to sound more casual or relaxed.

Example: 

  • 散散步 
    sàn sàn bù
    take a little walk
  • 听听歌
    tīng tīng gē
    listen to some music

Have you learned all these verb-object pairs? Try making your own combinations and see how natural your Chinese sounds!

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