Did you learn  “renshi and zhidao ［ 认识 vs 知道 ]” in your textbook? Find them too difficult to use because of the same English meaning “to know”.

Let me break it down for you with a brief English explanation and a few easy examples.

How to use ” zhidao 知道“

To express what you know or what you are aware of in a conversation, you say “zhidao 知道”. For example :

A：你知道这个地方吗？ nǐ zhī dào zhè ge dì fāng ma？( Do you know this place? )

B：我不知道 wǒ bù zhī dào。( I don’t know )

A：你知道这首歌吗？nǐ zhī dào zhè shǒu gē ma？( Do you know this song? )

B：我知道 wǒ zhī dào。( I know )

A：你知道Obama 是谁吗？nǐ zhī dào Obama shì shuí ma？( Do you know Obama ? )

B：我知道Obama 是谁。wǒ zhī dào Obama shì shuí。( I know who is Obama. )

How to use ” renshi 认识 “

To express who you know (in person) or what you are familiar with in a conversation, you say “renshi 认识”. For example :

A：你认识Obama 吗？ nǐ rèn shi ma？ Do you know Obama (in person)?

B：我不认识 。wǒ bú rèn shi 。 I don’t know Obama (in person).

A：很高兴认识你。 hěn gāo xìng rèn shi nǐ 。I am happy to meet you

B：我也是 。wǒ yě shì。Me too

So now it is your turn to take a quiz to test yourself and make a sample sentence with renshi and zhidao!

Take A Quiz 

In this quiz, you will receive a question sheet and an answer sheet. You are asked to fill in the blank with the right word and translate each sentence. Once you are done, check your answer with my answer sheet.

Click  http://3languageadventure.com/blog/chinese-lesson-33-knowing-how-to-use-renshi-and-zhidao-认识-vs-知道-］/ to get them. 

Now It’s Your Turn

In the comments below, write a sample sentence with renshi and zhidao