Learn Chinese by watching the 2026 Winter Olympics men's figure skating

The figure skating competition at the 2026 Winter Olympics is held from February 6th to 19th, 2026 at the Milan Ice Rink in Italy. The competition includes five events: one men's event, one women's event, and three mixed events.

 

Following current events, today I will introduce some Chinese expressions related to the Olympics.

 

First, how to express "2026 Winter Olympics Men's Figure Skating" in Chinese?

 

1. The Chinese expression for "winter" is "冬季" (dōng jì).

 

"冬" (dōng) is the same as "winter," and "季" (jì) is the same as "season." Together, "冬季" means "winter," and it's generally used to express competitive events rather than the more colloquial "冬天" (dōng tiān).

 

2. The Chinese expression for "Olympic Games" is "奥运会" (ào yùn huì).

 

The Chinese transliteration of "Olympic Games" is actually "奥利匹克运动会" (ào lì pǐ kè yùn dòng huì), but it's usually shortened to "奥运会" (ào yùn huì). "奥" (ào) is short for "奥林匹克" (ào lín pǐ kè), and "运会" (yùn huì) is short for "运动会" (yùn dòng huì). Therefore, the complete expression is "奥运会" (ào yùn huì).

 

3. The Chinese expression for figure skating is “花样滑冰” (huā yàng huá bīng).

 

Before the early 20th century, the most important part of figure skating was drawing special patterns on the ice with skates, including the perfect figure eight. Later, increasingly complex patterns were designed.

 

In Chinese, patterns are often described using the character “花” (huā), meaning flower or floral. For example, clothing with many patterns can be called a “花布衫” (huā bù shān). Given the rich variety of patterns involved in figure skating, using “花样” (huā yàng) is a natural expression.

 

Translating “skating” as “滑冰” (huá bīng) is a straightforward and easy-to-understand translation. “冰” (bīng) means “ice,” and “滑” (huá) represents “gliding.”

 

4. The Chinese expression for competition is “比赛” (bǐ sài).

 

“比赛” (bǐ sài) can be widely used to describe various competitive activities with a comparative element and a winner. Examples include “象棋比赛” (xiàng qí bǐ sài) and “游戏比赛” (yóu xì bǐ sài).

 

5. The Chinese expression for "Men" is simply "男子" (nán zǐ).

 

While "men" is generally translated as "男人" (nán rén), official expressions typically use formal written language rather than colloquial speech.

 

Therefore, the Chinese expression for "2026 Winter Olympics Men's Figure Skating" is "2026年冬季奥运会男子花样滑冰".

 

Since it's a competitive sport, there will definitely be Champion, runner-up, and third place. How are Champion, runner-up, and third place expressed in Chinese?

 

6. The Chinese expression for "Champion" is "冠军" (guàn jūn).

 

"冠军" is a long-standing Chinese expression. In ancient China, it referred to a warrior with exceptional martial arts skills as "勇冠三军" (yǒng guàn sān jūn). This term was also used to bestow such a title upon military generals to commend their bravery. For example, Emperor Wu of the Western Han Dynasty bestowed the title "冠军侯" (guàn jūn hóu) upon Huo Qubing, who successfully led a northern expedition against the Xiongnu. This means he was the best in the army.

 

7. The Chinese expression for "runner-up" is "亚军" (yà jūn).

 

"亚" (yà) means second, and "军" (jūn) means army. The literal meaning is second place in the army, but it's actually a metaphor.

 

8. The Chinese expression for "third place" is "季军" (jì jūn).

 

"季" (jì) means third. In Chinese, this character is also used to refer to the third-born son in a family. For example, Emperor Gaozu of Han was the third son, and his given name was "刘季" (Liú Jì), meaning "the third-ranking man in the Liu family."

 

Okay, finally, let me introduce the expressions for place names. This event was held in Italy, so "意大利" (Yì dà lì) is directly transliterated into Chinese as "意大利" (Yì dà lì) , and "米兰" (Mǐ lán) is also transliterated into Chinese as "米兰" (Mǐ lán).

 

Did you learn anything today? Feel free to leave your questions in the comments section.

以下是全文的中文翻译：

年冬季奥运会花样滑冰比赛于2026年2月6日至19日在意大利米兰滑冰馆进行。比赛共设5个小项，包括1个男子小项、1个女子小项和3个混合小项。

紧跟时事热点，今天我将会为你介绍奥运会相关的一些中文表达。

首先，2026 winter olympics men figure skating如何用中文表达？

1.winter的中文表达是“冬季”。

“冬”就是“winter”，“季”即“season”。两个字合一起“冬季”就是winter的意思，一般竞技比赛的相关表达都会用“冬季”而不是更加口语化的“冬天”。

2.Olympic Games的中文表达是“奥运会”

Olympic Games的中文音译其实是“奥利匹克运动会”，但一般中文都会简称“奥运会”，“奥”就是“奥林匹克”的简称，“运会”就是“运动会”的简称。所以整个词汇的表达就是“奥运会”。

3.Figure skating的中文表达是“花样滑冰”

在20世纪初以前，花样滑冰运动最重要的部分，是要用冰刀在冰面上画出特殊的图案，包括完美的八字形，即 figure 8。随后人们设计出了越来越多复杂的图案。

而图案在中文的表达中经常可以用“花”来概括，比如有很多图案的衣服可以称之为“花布衫”。这项滑冰运动涉及的图案如此丰富用“花样”来表达也是自然而然的了。

而“skating”翻译为“滑冰”则是正常的意译，比较容易理解。“冰”即是“ice”的意思，“滑”代表“Gliding”。

4.competition的中文表达就是“比赛”

“比赛”可以广泛用于表达各种有对比性质的分出输赢的竞技活动。比如“象棋比赛”，“游戏比赛”等等。

5.Men的中文表达就是“男子”

一般men可以翻译为“男人”，而在官方的表达一般都是用一些正式的书面语，而不是口语。

因此，2026 winter olympics men figure skating的中文表达就是“2026年冬季奥运会男子花样滑冰比赛”。

既然是竞技比赛，肯定会分Champion, runner-up and third place，那么Champion, runner-up and third place如何用中文表达？

6.Champion的中文表达是“冠军”

“冠军”是一个历史悠久的中文表达，在中国古代，称呼军中武艺超群的勇士为“勇冠三军”。也会用这个词给一些武将授予这样的称号表彰他们的英勇，比如西汉汉武帝就封成功北伐匈奴的霍去病封为“冠军侯”。意思就是他是军中第一名。

7.runner-up的中文表达是“亚军”

“亚”是第二的意思，“军”是军队的意思，表面意思就是军队中第二名，实际上是一个比喻。

8.third place的中文表达是“季军”

“季”的意思是第三，这个字在中文中还用于表达兄弟中排行第三的人，比如汉高祖排行第三，他的本名就是“刘季”，意思就是“刘家中排名第三的男子”。

好了在最后我再介绍一下地名的表达，这次活动是在意大利举行的，“意大利”直接音译为中文“意大利”，而“米兰”也一样音译为“米兰”。

今天，你学会了吗？欢迎在评论区说出你的疑问。