Kilo Lingo

(tuán duì) - team in Mandarin

tuánduì

Traditional: 團隊

#2007 of 5,000 Core 5000

Translation

team

Word origin

A compound of 团 (tuán, group, to gather into a ball) and 队 (duì, squad, line of people).

Origin
compound
Root
团 (tuán, group) + 队 (duì, squad)

Stroke order

Stroke order for 团

Stroke order for 队

Examples

We are a very good team.

The team he leads won the match.

This needs the whole team working together.

Everyone on the team works hard.

She has just joined our team.

团队 (tuán duì) is the workplace word for a team: a group of people working towards one goal. It is what you use at the office, on a project, in a start-up.

For a sports team, Mandarin prefers 队 on its own or with the sport attached: 足球队 (football team), 国家队 (national team). Calling a football side a 团队 is not wrong but sounds like management-speak, so stick with 队.

团队 also does adjectival duty in fixed phrases: 团队精神 (team spirit), 团队合作 (teamwork). Those two turn up constantly in job adverts and appraisal forms, so they are worth learning as a block.

Where this fits

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Mandarin · Free printables

团队: worksheet, infographic and listicle

Free printable study downloads for the Mandarin word "团队" (team): a worksheet with the answer key built in, an infographic, and a sentence listicle. Open any one to view, print or save.

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This word is part of lesson 41.