Unit 4

1.A:Qǐngwèn, nǐ shì nǎrde rén?请问, 你是哪儿的人?May I ask, where are you from?
 B:Wǒ shì Dézhōu rén.我是德州人。I'm from Texas.
     
2.A:Qǐngwèn, Āndésen fūren shì nǎrde rén?请问,安德森夫人是哪儿的人?May I ask, where is Mrs. Andersen from?
 B:Tā shì Dézhōu rén.她是德州人。She is from Texas too.
     
3.A:Tā shì Yīngguó rén ma?她是英国人吗?Is he English?
 B:Bú shì, tā bú shì Yīngguó rén.不是,他不是英国人。No, he is not English.
 A:Tā àiren ne?他爱人呢?And his wife?
 B:Tā yě bú shì Yīngguó rén.他也不是英国人。She isn't English either.
     
4.A:Qǐngwèn, Qīngdǎo zài nǎr?请问,青岛在哪儿?May I ask, where is Qīngdǎo?
 B:Qīngdǎo zài Shāndōng.青岛在山东。Qīngdǎo is in Shāndōng.
     
5.A:Qǐngwèn, nǐ lǎojiā zài nǎr?请问, 你老家在哪儿?May I ask, where is your family from?
 B:Wǒ lǎojiā zài Āndàlüè.我老家在安大略。My family is from Ontario.
 B:Wǒ lǎojiā zài Shāndōng.我老家在山东。My family is from Shāndōng.
     
6.A:Chén Shìmín tóngzhì zài nǎr?陈世民同志在哪儿?Where is comrade Shìmín?
 B:Tā zài nàr.他在那儿。He's there.
     
7.A:Qīngdǎo zài nǎr?青岛在哪儿?Where is Qīngdǎo?
 B:Zài zhèr.在这儿。It's here.
     
8.A:Nǐ àiren xiànzài zài nǎr?你爱人现在在哪儿?Where is your wife now?
 B:Wǒ àiren xiànzài zài Jiānádà.我爱人现在在加拿大。My wife is in Canada now.
àiren爱人spouse
Āndàlüè安大略Ontario
Dézhōu德州Texas
fūren夫人Lady, Madame, Mrs., wife (of a high ranking person)
Jiānádà加拿大Canada
lǎojiā老家original home
nàr (nèr)那儿there
Qīngdǎo青岛a city name
Qǐngwèn请问May I ask?
xiànzài现在now
also, too, either
zàito be in/at/one
zhèr这儿here

Additional required vocabulary not presented on C-1 and P-1 tapes.

Learn the pronunciation and location of any five cities and five provinces of China on the maps on page 80-81.


1.A:Qǐngwèn, nǐ shì nǎrde rén?请问,你是哪儿的人?May I ask, where are you from?
 B:Wǒ shì Dézhōu rén.我是德州人。I'm from Texas.

Qǐngwèn: Literally, qǐng means "request," and wèn means "ask (for information)." Qǐngwèn is used as English speakers use "excuse me," to get someone's attention in order to ask him a question.

[Note]Note

Qǐngwèn is NOT the word used for saying "excuse me" when you step on some­one's foot. For that, you say duìbuqǐ .

2.A:Qǐngwèn, Āndésen fūren shì nǎrde rén?请问,安德森夫人是哪儿的人?May I ask, where is Mrs. Andersen from?
 B:Tā shì Dézhōu rén.他是德州人。She is from Texas too.

Names: In the People's Republic, a foreigner is known by the standard phonetic equivalent of his full name. His given name is followed by his surname, which is followed by the appropriate title, Mr. David Anderson will be called Dàiwèi Āndésèn Xiānsheng . In Taiwan, there is no set way of giving names to foreigners. Sometimes, as in the PRC, a phonetic equivalent of the full name is used (though there are no standard versions). Sometimes, the equivalent is based entirely on the surname. Mr. Anderson, for instance, might be Ān Désēn Xiānsheng . The surname may also be translated, as when "King" is translated into Wáng. It is also common to base the Chinese surname on the first syllable of the original surname, and the Chinese given name on something else (often the original given name). In Taiwan, Dàwèi is a common phonetic equivalent for "David." "Mr. David Anderson," therefore, might be Ān Dàwèi Xiānsheng .

Here is a chart of SOME of the Chinese names that might be given to Mr. David Anderson.



Titles: In the PRC, a foreign man is addressed as Xiānsheng, and a married woman as either Fūren or Taìtai, depending on her status. The term Fūren is an especially respectful term used to address the wife of a high-ranking official or businessman. Fūren is also used this way on Taiwan.

An unmarried foreign woman in the PRG may be addressed as xiǎojiě "Miss." Married or unmarried women may be addressed as Nǚshì. or "Ma'am." Nǚshì will be introduced in BIO, Unit 1.

The term Tóngzhì, "Comrade," was originally used only by members of the Communist Party to address other members. It is now the general term of address used by all Chinese adults in the PRC. It should be remembered, though, that Tóngzhì does carry a distinct political implication. Visitors in the People's Republic, who are not citizens and who do not take part in efforts to realize Communist ideals, will not be addressed as Tóngzhì and should not feel obliged to address anyone else as such.

is an adverb meaning "also," or "too." It always comes before the verb.

3.A:Tā shì Yīngguó rén ma?他是英国人吗?Is she English?
 B:Bú shì, tā bú shì Yīngguó rén.不是,他不是英国人。No, he is not English.
 A:Tā àiren ne?他爱人呢?And his wife?
 B:Tā yě bú shì Yīngguó rén.他也不是英国人。She isn't English either.

Àiren, which originally meant "loved one," "sweetheart or "lover," is used in the PRC for either "husband" or "wife," i.e., for "spouse."

The possessive phrase Tā Àiren, "his wife" (or, "her husband"), is formed by putting the words for "he" (or "she") and "spouse" together.

The marker -de (which you have seen in nǎrde rén) is not needed when the possessive relationship is felt to be very close. (See also the notes on No. 5.)

in a negative sentence is usually translated as "either." In this case, comes between and the verb. Possible English translations for , in both affirmative and negative sentences, are:

Tā yě shi Yǐngguo rén.她也是英国人。

She is English too.

She is also English.

Tā yě bú shi Yǐngguo rén. 她也不是英国人。

She is not English either.

She is also not English.

4.A:Qǐngwèn, Qīngdǎo zài nǎr?请问,青岛在哪儿?May I ask, where is Qīngdǎo?
 B:Qīngdǎo zài Shāndōng.青岛在山东。Qīngdǎo is in Shāndōng.

Zài is the verb "to be in/at/on," that is, "to be somewhere." Zài involves location, while shì involves identity, "to be someone/something."

5.A:Qǐngwèn, nǐ lǎojiā zài nǎr?请问,你老家在哪儿?May I ask, where is your family from?
 B:Wǒ lǎojiā zài Āndàlüè.我老家在安大略。My family is from Ontario.
 B:Wǒ lǎojiā zài Shāndōng.我老家在山东。My family is from Shāndōng.

Literally, lǎojiā is "old home" ("original home," "ancestral home," "native place"), that is, the place you and your family are from. When a Chinese asks you about your lǎojiā, he probably wants to know about your hometown, the place where you grew up.

When you ask a Chinese about his lǎojiā however, he will tell you where his family came from originally. A Chinese whose grandparents came from the province of Guǎngdōng will give that as his lǎojiā, even if he and his parents have spent all of their lives in Sìchuān.

Nǐ lǎojiā zài nǎr? (literally "Where is your original home?") asks for the LOCATION of the town you come from.

The question is answered with zài plus the name of the province (or state) that the town is located in: Wǒ lǎojiā zài Dèzhōu (Āndàlüè, Shāndōng). Nǐ lǎojiā shi nǎr? (translated into English as "What is your original home?" asks about the IDENTITY of the town you come from. That question is answered with shì plus the name of the town (or city): Wǒ lǎojiā shi Jiūjǐnshān (Qǐngdǎo, Shànghǎi).

Compare:

Wó lǎojiā zài Guǎngdōng.我老家在廣東。My original home is in Guǎngdōng.
Wǒ lǎojiā shi Guǎngzhōu.我老家是广州。My original home is Guǎngzhōu.

The possessive nǐ lǎojiā, like tā àiren, does not require a possessive marker. However, if more than one word must be used to indicate the possessor, -de is often inserted after the last word: nǐ àirende lǎojiā, "your spouse's original home" or "where your spouse's family comes from."

6.A:Chén Shìmín tóngzhì zài nǎr?陈世民同志在哪儿?Where is comrade Shìmín?
 B:Tā zài nàr.他在那儿。He's there.
     
7.A:Qīngdǎo zài nǎr?青岛在哪儿?Where is Qīngdǎo?
 B:Zài zhèr.在这儿。It's here.
     
8.A:Nǐ àiren xiànzài zài nǎr?你爱人现在在哪儿?Where is your wife now?
 B:Wǒ àiren xiànzài zài Jiānádà.我爱人现在在加拿大。My wife is in Canada now.

You have learned three words for asking and telling about locations.

nǎr哪儿where
nàr (nèr)那儿there
zhèr这儿here

Notice that the question word nǎr is in the Low tone, while the answer words nàr and zhèr are both in the Falling tone. Also notice that the vowel sound in zhèr is different from that in nǎr and nàr. (Some speakers prefer nèr to nàr.) When you are talking about movable things and people that you presume are not nearby ("nearby," being approximately within pointing range), you usually ask where they are NOW. The "present time" word may be omitted if the time has been established earlier in the conversation.

Nǐ àiren xiànzài zài nǎr?你爱人现在在哪儿?Where is your wife now?
Tā zài Běijīng.她在北京。She's in Běijīng (now).

If you ask about someone or something you presume to "be nearby (a pair of scissors in a drawer, for instance, or a person in a group across the room), you do not use xiànzài.

In English, the words "here" and "there" are used to refer to locations of any size. In Chinese, however, zhèr and nàr are usually not used for cities, provinces, and countries (with the exception that you may use zhèr to refer to the city you are in). Instead, you repeat the name of the place.

Compare these two exchanges in Beìjĭng:

Country:

Mǎdǐng Xiānsheng xiànzài zài Zhōngguó ma?

Tā xiànzài zài Zhōngguó.

He is here now.

City:

Mǎdǐng Xiānsheng xiànzài zài Shànghǎi ma?

Tā bú zài Shànghǎi; tā zài zhèr.

He is not there; he is here.

Jiānádà "Canada": Although the middle syllable of this word is marked with the Rising tone, at a normal rate of speech you will probably hear Jiānādà.

Table 1.25. Ask the appropriate "where" question, as in the example.

Statement Answer
    
1.

Zhāng tóngzhì fūren shì Běijīng rén.

张同志夫人是北京人。

Comrade Zhāng's wife is from Běijīng.

 

Qǐngwèn, Zhāng fūren shì nǎrde rén?

请问张夫人是哪儿的人?

May I ask, where is Mrs. Zhāng from?

    
2.

Huáng tóngzhì fūren shì Shànghǎi ren.

黄同志夫人是上海人。

Comrade Huáng's wife is from Shànghǎi.

 

Qǐngwèn, Huáng fūren shì nǎrde rén?

请问黄夫人是哪儿的人?

May I ask, where is Mrs. Huáng from?

    
3.

Wáng tóngzhì fūren shì Nánjīng rén.

王同志夫人是南京人。

Comrade Wáng's wife is from Nánjīng.

 

Qǐngwèn, Wáng fūren shì nǎrde ren?

请问黄夫人是哪儿的人?

May I ask, where is Mrs. Wáng from?

    
4.

Lǐ tóngzhì fūren shì Guǎngzhōu rén.

李同志夫人是广州人。

Comrade 's wife is from Guǎngzhōu.

 

Qǐngwèn, Lǐ fūren shì nǎrde rén?

请问李夫人是哪儿的人?

May I ask, where is Mrs. from?

    
5.

Zhào tōngzhì fūren shì Xiānggǎng ren.

赵同志夫人是香港。

Comrade Zhào's wife is from Xiānggǎng.

 

Qǐngwèn, Zhào fūren shì nǎrde ren?

请问赵夫人是哪儿的人?

May I ask, where is Mrs. Zhào from?

    
6.

Máo tóngzhì fūren shì Qīngdǎo ren.

毛同志夫人是青岛人。

Comrade Máo's wife is from Xiānggǎng.

 

Qǐngwèn, Máo fūren shì nǎrde rén?

请问毛夫人是哪儿的人?

May I ask, where is Mrs. Máo from?

    
7.

Chén tóngzhì fūren shì Běijīng rén.

陈同志夫人是北京人。

Comrade Chén's wife is from Xiānggǎng.

 

Qǐngwèn, Chén fūren shì nǎrde rén?

请问陈夫人是哪儿的人?

May I ask, where is Mrs. Chén from?


Table 1.28. Add to the statement.

Statement Answer
    
1.

Zhào xiānsheng bú shì Táiwān rén.

赵先生不是台湾人。

Mr. Zhào isn't from Táiwān.

 

Zhào xiānsheng yě bú shì Táiwān rén.

赵先生也不是人。

Mr. Zhào isn't from Táiwān either.

    
2.

Lǐ xiānsheng bú shì Táiběi ren.

李先生不是台北人。

Mr. isn't from Táiběi.

 

Lǐ xiānsheng yě bú shì Táiběi ren.

李先生也不是台北人。

Mr. isn't from Táiběi either.

    
3.

Wáng xiānsheng bú shì Táizhōng ren.

王先生不是台中人。

Mr. Wáng isn't from Táizhōng.

 

Wáng xiānsheng yě bú shì Táizhōng ren.

王先生也不是台中人。

Mr. Wáng isn't from Táizhōng either.

    
4.

Huáng xiānsheng bú shì Táinán rén.

黄先生不是台南人。

Mr. Huáng isn't from Táinán.

 

Huáng xiānsheng yě bú shì Táinán rén.

黄先生也不是台南人。

Mr. Huáng isn't from Táinán either.

    
5.

Liú xiānsheng bú shì Táidōng rén.

刘先生不是台東人。

Mr. Liú isn't from Táidōng.

 

Liú xiānsheng yě bú shì Táidōng rén.

刘先生也不是台東人。

Mr. Liú isn't from Táidōng either.

    
6.

Hú xiānsheng bú shì Jīlóng rén.

胡先生不是基隆市人。

Mr. isn't from Jīlóng.

 

Hú xiānsheng yě bú shì Jīlóng rén.

胡先生也不是基隆市人。

Mr. isn't from Jīlóng either.

    
7.

Chén xiānsheng bú shì Gāoxióng rén.

陈先生不是高雄人。

Mr. Chén isn't from Gāoxióng.

 

Chén xiānsheng yě bú shì Gāoxióng rén.

陈先生也不是高雄人。

Mr. Chén isn't from Gāoxióng either.


Table 1.29. Give a negative answer to the statements..

Question Answer
    
1.

Mǎ tóngzhì shì Běijīng rén ma?

马同志是北京人吗?

Is comrade from Běijīng?

 

Tā bú shì Běijīng rén.

他/她不是北京人。

He/she isn't from Běijīng.

    
2.

Tā àiren ne?

他/她爱人呢?

And his/her spouse?

 

Tā àiren yě bú shì Běijīng rén.

他/她爱人也不是北京人。

He/she isn't from Běijīng either.

    
3.

Zhāng tóngzhì shì Shànghǎi rén ma?

张同志是上海人吗?

Is comrade Zhāng from Shànghǎi?

 

Tā bú shì Shànghǎi rén.

他/她不是上海人。

He/she isn't from Shànghǎi.

    
4.

Tā àiren ne?

他/她爱人呢?

And his/her spouse?

 

Tā yě bú shì Shànghǎi rén.

他/她也不是上海人。

He/she isn't from Shànghǎi either.

    
5.

Jiāng tóngzhì shì Nánjīng rén ma?

蒋同志是南京人吗?

Is comrade Jiāng from Nánjīng?

 

Tā bú shì Nánjīng rén.

他/她不是南京.

He/she isn't from Nánjīng.

    
6.

Tā àiren ne?

他/她爱人呢?

And his/her spouse?

 

Tā yě bú shì Nánjīng rén.

他/她也不是南京人。

He/she isn't from Nánjīng either.

    
7.

Chén tóngzhì shì Guǎngzhōu rén ma?

陈同志是广州人吗?

Is comrade Chén from Guǎngzhōu?

 

Tā bú shì Guǎngzhōu rén.

他/她不是广州人。

He/she isn't from Guǎngzhōu.

    
8.

Tā àiren ne?

他/她爱人呢?

And his/her spouse?

 

Tā yě bú shì Guǎngzhōu rén.

他/她也不是广州人。

He/she isn't from Guǎngzhōu either.

    
9.

Sūn tóngzhì shì Chéngdū rén ma?

孙同志是成都人吗?

Is comrade Sūn from Chéngdū?

 

Tā bū shì Chéngdū rén.

他/她不是成都人。

He/she isn't from Chéngdū.

    
10.

Tā àiren ne?

他/她爱人呢?

And his/her spouse?

 

Tā yě bú shì Chéngdū rén.

他/她也不是成都人。

He/she isn't from Chéngdū either.

    
11.

Máo tóngzhì shì Qīngdǎo rén ma?

毛同志是青岛人吗?

Is comrade Máo from Qīngdǎo?

 

Tā bú shì Qīngdǎo rén.

他/她不是青岛人。

He/she isn't from Qīngdǎo.

    
12.

Tā àiren ne?

他/她爱人呢?

And his/her spouse?

 

Tā yě bú shì Qīngdǎo rén.

他/她也不是青岛人。

He/she isn't from Qīngdǎo either.

    
13.

Yáng tóngzhì shì Běijīng rén ma?

杨同志是北京人吗?

Is comrade Yáng from Běijīng?

 

Tā bú shì Běijīng rén.

他/她不是北京人。

He/she isn't from Běijīng.

    
14.

Tā àiren ne?

他/她爱人呢?

And his/her spouse?

 

Tā yě bú shì Běijīng rén.

他/她也不是北京人。

He/she isn't from Běijīng either.


Table 1.31. Transform the statement according to the model.

Statement Answer
    
1.

Lín tóngzhì shì Húběi rén.

林同志哦是河北。

Comrade Lín is from Húběi.

 

Lín tóngzhìde lǎojiā zài Húběi.

林同志的老家在河北。

Comrade Lín's family is from Húběi.

    
2.

Wáng tóngzhì shì Shānxī rén.

王同志哦是陕西。

Comrade Wáng is from Shānxī.

 

Wáng tóngzhìde lǎojiā zài Shānxī.

王同志的老家在陕西。

Comrade Wáng's family is from Shānxī.

    
3.

Huáng tóngzhì shì Shānxī rén.

黄同志哦是陕西。

Comrade Huáng is from Shānxī.

 

Huáng tóngzhìde zài Shānxī.

黄同志的老家在陕西。

Comrade Huáng's family is from Shānxī.

    
4.

Gāo tóngzhì shì Fújiàn rén.

局同志哦是福建。

Comrade Gāo is from Fújiàn.

 

Gāo tóngzhìde zài Fújiàn.

局同志的老家在福建。

Comrade Gāo's family is from Fújiàn.

    
5.

Lǐ tóngzhǐ shì Sǐchuān rén.

李同志哦是四川。

Comrade is from Sǐchuān.

 

Lǐ tóngzhìde zài Sìchuān.

李同志的老家在四川。

Comrade 's family is from Sǐchuān.

    
6.

Zhōu tóngzhì shì Zhèjiāng rén.

周同志哦是浙江。

Comrade Zhōu is from Zhèjiāng.

 

Zhōu tóngzhìde zài Zhèjiāng.

周同志的老家在浙江。

Comrade Zhōu's family is from Zhèjiāng.

    
7.

Máo tóngzhì shì Húnán rén.

毛同志哦是湖南。

Comrade Máo is from Húnán.

 

Máo tóngzhìde zài Húnán.

毛同志的老家在湖南。

Comrade Máo's family is from Húnán.


Table 1.32. Respond according to the cue.

Statement Cue Answer
      
1.

Tā àiren zài nǎr?

他/她爱人在哪儿?

Where is his/her spouse?

 

Měiguó

美国

 

Tā àiren xiànzài zài Měiguó.

他/她爱人现在在美国。

His/Her spouse is in America now.

      
2.

Tā àiren zài nǎr?

他/她爱人在哪儿?

Where is his/her spouse?

 

Jiānádà

加拿大

 

Tā àiren xiànzài zài Jiānádà.

他/她爱人现在在加拿大。

His/Her spouse is in Canada now.

      
3.

Tā àiren zài nǎr?

他/她爱人在哪儿?

Where is his/her spouse?

 

Yīngguó

英国

 

Tā àiren xiànzài zài Yīngguó.

他/她爱人现在在英国。

His/Her spouse is in England now.

      
4.

Tā àiren zài nǎr?

他/她爱人在哪儿?

Where is his/her spouse?

 

Déguó

德国

 

Tā àiren xiànzài zài Déguó.

他/她爱人现在在德国。

His/Her spouse is in Germany now.

      
5.

Tā àiren zài nǎr?

他/她爱人在哪儿?

Where is his/her spouse?

 

Měiguó

美国

 

Tā àiren xiànzài zài Měiguó.

他/她爱人现在在美国。

His/Her spouse is in America now.

      
6.

Tā àiren zài nǎr?

他/她爱人在哪儿?

Where is his/her spouse?

 

Fàguó

法国

 

Tā àiren xiànzài zài Fàguó.

他/她爱人现在在法国。

His/Her spouse is in France now.

      
7.

Tā àiren zài nǎr?

他/她爱人在哪儿?

Where is his/her spouse?

 

Èguó

俄国

 

Tā àiren xiànzài zài Èguó.

他/她爱人现在在俄国。

His/Her spouse is in Russia now.