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WeChat (wēixìn - 微信) is a one-stop social media platform for absolutely anything, well almost. This is why it has become indispensable and the go-to tool for not just Chinese people but foreigners whilst in China. In 2018 its monthly active users passed the 1 billion threshold, propelling its company, Tencent Holdings, above Facebook as one of the most valuable companies in the world. Why and how is WeChat so special, what is the power that lies behind it and its functions. This is a Chinese learner’s short guide.

Zài wēixìn liáotiān er - 在微信聊天儿 - Chat on WeChat

First and foremost it puts the ‘chat’ in WeChat and the social in the ‘we’ , it is a great instant messaging app for chatting and communication:

Yǔyīn xìnxī -语音信息 - Voice messaging

Yǔyīn tōnghuà - 语音通话 - Voice Call

Shìpín tōnghuà - 视屏通话 - Video Call

Wēixìn qún - 微信群 - WeChat Group

You can also send messages and calls in groups, great for work, business, societies, clubs and friends etc.

It also allows you to share your real-time location with others and utilise maps, so you can find your way around – the maps are easy to use even if it is in Mandarin Chinese.

Péngyǒu quān - 朋友圈 - WeChat moments

Drawing more parallels with Facebook and Instagram, WeChat moments is the place where you can share your updates, photos and videos, the moments you want to share to your friendship circle. The Chinese translation of WeChat moments literally means friendship circle.

Wēixìn zhīfù - 微信支付 - WeChat Pay

WeChat has also come to rival another of China’s online platforms, Alibaba’s Alipay (zhīfùbǎo - 支付宝), in terms of mobile and online payment. There is the WeChat wallet (wēixìn qiánbāo - 微信钱包) which you can link to your Chinese bank account. This allows you to pay online, transfer money to others, repay your credit cards, and even top-up your mobile phone.

*In a neat twist on the traditional hóngbāo, you can send digital red envelopes.

Èr wéi mǎ - 二维码 - QR code

WeChat features two QR codes (barcodes)

1). One for WeChat pay – If you want to purchase something, then to pay, your QR code will be scanned, or you can scan the seller’s QR code. You may hear the words “sǎo yīxià nǐ de èr wéi mǎ” - 扫一下你的二维码 meaning to scan your QR code.

2). The other to add people onto your contacts. You may hear the words “Jiā nǐ de wéi xìn” - 加你的微信 meaning to add your WeChat.

Gōngzhòng hào - 公众号 - Public Account

Businesses and organisations can also create their own public account for people to follow. For example here at Instant Mandarin we have our very own WeChat account which you can follow for news, updates, special offers, and for more articles about learning Mandarin Chinese online like this.

Xiǎo chéngxù - 小程序 - Mini Programs (Applets)

WeChat also features many mini programs and sub-applications that provide advanced features. For example major Chinese companies such as JD.com(China’s second largest B2C ecommerce retail platform), Meituan (World’s largest online and on demand delivery platform), and Mobike all have mini programs inside the WeChat platform, what this means is that users don’t have to download, for example Meituan’s own app, but can reach Meituan conveniently through WeChat.

Mobike is one of the world’s largest public bicycle sharing systems, and through their WeChat mini program you can locate the nearest bikes, unlock them with a password and top-up your account.

The Wechat mini programs also contain plenty of mobile games (shǒujī yóuxì - 手机游戏) – don’t get addicted haha!

Qítā de dōngxī - 其他的东西 - Other things

And that’s not it. WeChat also offers many third party services such as the following and more, some of which we have touched upon: News Subscriptions; Ride-Hailing; Air and Train travel; Online Shopping; Food Delivery.

Some of these elements no doubt we’ve seen before but they have been WeChat-ified and what WeChat does is bring them together seamlessly and cohesively on one online platform providing a multipurpose and convenient experience for every user.

If you want to learn more Mandarin Chinese online – we provide professional 1-to-1 lessons. Sign up and apply for your free trial lesson today.