Climbing terms to know when climbing in China
When it comes to climbing, English is the most commonly used language for communication. If you speak English you should be able to communicate with another climber of a different nationality. However, that is not the case if you are climbing with Chinese in China. Having been to Yangshuo for a climbing trip, I notice just how much my Mandarin sucks. I am Chinese by the way from Singapore, I need to highlight this because not all Chinese are from China. Rock climbing in Yangshuo is amazing, with beautiful mountains, great food and friendly locals.
Local climbers are friendly, and I feel comfortable communicating with them in Mandarin. But when it comes to climbing terms it sounded alien to me. Communicating with my China climbing partner requires a lot of guesswork. I had no idea what these Chinese climbing terms were supposed to mean. So I need to make an educated guess every time I hear his climbing command.
After the trip, I decided to compile a list of Chinese climbing terms and translate them into English with the help of a few reliable bilingual Chinese climbers. But if you happen to be a Chinese from China and find any of the translations incorrect, please let me know and provide me with the correct translation. I would appreciate it and make the necessary amendments.
Types of climbing
Top roping – 顶绳攀爬
Lead climbing – 先锋
Multipitch – 接 组、多段绳距攀登
Bouldering – 抱石
Equipment
Rope – 绳
Carabiner – 铁锁
Belay device – 保护装置
Quickdraw – 快挂
Safety sling – 安全吊索
Anchor – 顶链
Harness – 安全带
Climbing Calls
Belay – 保护
Slack – 松绳、放绳、给绳
Take/Tight – 收绳、收紧
Falling – 坠落
Lower me – 下降
Climbing Holds
Jug – 很大的支点
Undercling – 反抠
Side pull – 侧拉
Gaston – 横拉
Crimp – 抠点
Pinch – 捏
Sloper – 包
Climbing Beta and Techniques
Layback – 侧身
Dropknee – 折膝
Flagging – 挂旗法
Dyno – 动态
Handhold – 手点
Foothold – 脚点
Crux – 难点
Words of Encouragement
Allez – 加油 (feel free to throw in a touch of tongue curl at the end eg.加油rrrrrrr to make it sound more authentic)
If you can’t read Chinese words please click here for Google Translate.
These translations should be sufficient for you to communicate with the local Chinese climbers. For our non-Mandarin-speaking climbers, I apologise there is nothing I can do for you.
