网球

• Pinyin: wǎng qiú
• Hanzi breakdown: 网 = net; 球 = 王 (king, phonetic) + 求 — ball. A ball sport played over a net

Meaning

Tennis. A sport played with rackets and a ball on a court divided by a net.

Refers to both the sport and the ball itself. Tennis gained popularity in China especially after the success of Chinese player Li Na. Common phrases include 打网球 (play tennis), 网球场 (tennis court), and 网球拍 (tennis racket).

Examples

1. 我周末喜欢打网球。 I like to play tennis on weekends.
2. 公园里有网球场。 There is a tennis court in the park.
3. 她是我们学校网球队的。 She is on our school's tennis team.

Usage Guide

Context: sports, hobbies, exercise

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 你会打网球吗？(Can you play tennis?)
• 周末一起去打网球吧。(Let's go play tennis this weekend.)

Don't Say

• 踢网球 (Don't use 踢 for tennis — 踢 is for kicking sports like football; tennis uses 打 because you hit the ball with a racket)

Origin & History

网 (wǎng, net) + 球 (qiú, ball). A ball sport played over a net.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal