停
tíng
Stop
停 (tíng) is the most common and versatile way to say “stop” in Mandarin Chinese. It can be used for stopping movement, an action, or a vehicle. It's a fundamental verb you'll hear often.
When to use it
Neutral. It can be used as a direct command. To tell someone to “stop doing something,” you would often use 别 (bié) or 不要 (bùyào) followed by the verb. For stopping a vehicle, 停车 (tíngchē) is more specific. If you mean to “stop working” or “take a break,” 休息 (xiūxi) is usually more appropriate.
How to pronounce it
Sounds like “ting,” with the 'i' like 'ee' in 'see' and the 'ng' like in 'sing'. It's a rising tone, so your voice goes up.
Other ways to say it
- 停止tíng zhǐstop (more formal, for an action or process)
- 停车tíng chēstop a car / park
- 别动bié dòngdon't move / stop moving (as a command)
Examples
请停一下。
qǐng tíng yí xià 。
Please stop for a moment.
车停了。
chē tíng le 。
The car stopped.
停止争吵！
tíng zhǐ zhēng chǎo ！
Stop arguing!
Pro tip: While 停 can be used alone as a command, adding 一下 (yīxià) like '停一下' (tíng yīxià) makes it sound softer and more polite, meaning 'stop for a moment'.
Related phrases
和平 · Peace钱 · Money闭嘴 · Shut up
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