STANDARD CHINESE: A MODULAR APPROACH

STUDENT TEXT AND WORKBOOK

MODULE 7: SOCIETY

Before starting Unit 1 of this module, you should have completed core modules 1 through 6 and the optional modules Personal Welfare, Restaurant, and Hotel.

May 1981

Copyright (c) 1980 "by John H. T. Harvey, Lucille A. Barale, Roberta S. Barry and Thomas E. Madden

PREFACE

Standard Chinese; A Modular Approach originated in an interagency-conference held at the Foreign Service Institute in August 1973 to address the need generally felt in the U.S. Government language training community for improving and updating Chinese materials to reflect current usage in Beijing and Taipei.

The conference resolved to develop materials which were flexible enough in form and content to meet the requirements of a wide range of government agencies and academic institutions.

A Project Board was established consisting of representatives of the Central Intelligence Agency Language Learning Center, the Defense Language Institute, the State Department’s Foreign Service Institute, the Cryptologic School of the National Security Agency, and the U.S. Office of Education, later Joined by the Canadian Forces Foreign Language School. The representatives have included Arthur T. McNeill, John Hopkins, and John Boag (CIA); Colonel John F. Elder III, Joseph C. Hutchinson, Ivy Gibian, and Major Bernard Muller-Thym (DLl); James R. Frith and John B. Ratliff III (FSI); Kazuo Shitama (NSA); Richard T. Thompson and Julia Petrov (OE); and Lieutenant Colonel George Kozoriz (CFFLS).

The Project Board set up the Chinese Core Curriculum Project in 197^ in space provided at the Forign Service Institute. Each of the six U.S. and Canadian government agencies provided funds and other assistance.

Gerard P. Kok was appointed project coordinator, and a planning council was formed consisting of Mr. Kok, Frances Li of the Defense Language Institute, Patricia O’Connor of the University of Texas, Earl M. Rickerson of the Language Learning Center, and James Wrenn of Brown University. In the fall of 1977, Lucille A. Barale was appointed deputy project coordinator. David W. Dellinger of the Language Learning Center and Charles R. Sheehan of the Foreign Service Institute also served on the planning council and contributed material to the project. The planning council drew up the original overall design for the materials and met regularly to review their development.

Writers for the first half of the materials were John H.T. Harvey, Lucille A. Barale, and Roberta S. Barry, who worked in close cooperation with the planning council and with the Chinese staff of the Foreign Service Institute. Mr. Harvey developed the instructional formats of the comprehension and production self-study materials, and also designed the communication-based classroom activities and wrote the teacher’s guides. Lucille A. Barale and Roberta S. Barry wrote the tape scripts and the student text. By 1978 Thomas E. Madden and Susan C. Pola had joined the staff. Led by Ms. Barale, they have worked as a team to produce the materials subsequent to Module 6.

All Chinese language material was prepared or selected by Chuan 0. Chao, ying-chi Chen, Hsiao-jung Chi, Eva Diao, Jan Hu, Tsung-mi Li, and Yunhui C. Yang, assisted for part of the time byChieh-fang Ou Lee, Ying-ming Chen, and Joseph Yu Hsu Wang. Anna Affholder, Mei-li Chen, and Henry Khuo helped in the preparation of a preliminary corpus of dialogues.

Administrative assistance was provided at various times by Vincent Basciano, Lisa A. Bowden, Jill W. Ellis, Donna Fong, Renee T.C. Liang, Thomas E. Madden, Susan C. Pola, and Kathleen Strype.

The production of tape recordings was directed by Jose M. Ramirez of the Foreign Service Institute Recording Studio. The Chinese script was voiced by Ms. Chao, Ms. Chen, Mr. Chen, Ms. Diao, Ms. Hu, Mr. Khuo, Mr. Li, and Ms. Yang. The English script was read by Ms. Barale, Ms. Barry, Mr. Basciano, Ms. Ellis, Ms. Pola, and Ms. Strype.

The graphics were produced by John McClelland of the Foreign Service Institute Audio-Visual Staff, under the general supervision of Joseph A. Sadote, Chief of Audio-Visual.

Standard Chinese: A Modular Approach was field-tested with the cooperation of Brown University; the Defense Language Institute, Foreign Language Center; the Foreign Service Institute; the Language Learning Center; the United States Air Force Academy; the University of Illinois; and the University of Virginia.

Colonel Samuel L. Stapleton and Colonel Thomas G. Foster, Commandants of the Defense Language Institute, Foreign Language Center, authorized the DLIFLC support necessary for preparation of this edition of the course materials.

James R. Frith, Chairman

3ninese Core Curriculum Project Board

CONTENTS

Preface

Introduction Section 1: To the Student .....

Section 2: To the Teacher  

List of Tapes for Module 7

Objectives for the Society Module . .

UNIT 1 Travel Plans Introduction ...... .....

Reference List . . . .

Vocabulary .

Reference Notes   

(Verb) de shi...

Review Dialogue

Workbook

Exercise Dialogues

UNIT 2 Equality of the Sexes Introduction

Reference List

Vocabulary . .

Reference Notes

biěde, "other(s)" yuè lai yuè..., "more and more... ’’

The adverb jiù, "as soon/early as that" Review Dialogue

Workbook.............   .

Exercise Dialogues

UNIT 3 Family Values Introduction

Reference List

Vocabulary

Reference Notes

The verb ending -qilai: the start of an action or condition conglai bù/měi, "never" cai, "only, ' before amounts

-zhe showing the manner of an action

The verb ending -dào: —successful reaching/obtaining/finding

—(with verbs of speech) "of," "about"

—successful perceiving (kàndao)

The adverb zài, "anymore"

Placement of phrases with dào, "to," "up to," "until" Review Dialogue

Workbook

Exercise Dialogues

UNIT U A Family History Introduction

Reference List

Vocabulary . . .

Reference Notes

More on ne, marker of absence of change/lack of completion

Terms for grandparents

More on indefinite pronouns ("any/no" expressions) bāngzhu and bang máng

Review Dialogue......................  .

Workbook

Exercise Dialogues

UNIT 5 Traditional Attitudes and Modern Changes Introduction........................  .

Reference List

Vocabulary

Reference Notes

Necessary condition marked by cái

Placement of specifier after a modifying phrase "In order to" yǐhòu and hòulái compared

Review Dialogue

Workbook

Exercise Dialogues

UNIT 6 Politics and Culture Introduction

Reference List

Vocabulary

Reference Notes

-de huà, "if," "in case" More on -guo vs. -le bù guan..., "no matter..." Reduplicating adjectival verbs for vividness qù and lai expressing purpose

Review Dialogue

Workbook

Exercise Dialogues

UNIT 7 Social Problems

Introduction

Reference List

Vocabulary

Reference Notes.....................  215

(Verb) (Verb) kàn, "try and. (Verb)”

"Not anymore," "never again"

líán.. .dōu..., "even"

zhǐ yào. ♦. jiù..., "provided, that..."

bú shi.. ■ .1 iù shi. ♦., "if not.. .then."either.. .or..."

Review Dialogue

Workbook........................  . . . 23U

Exercise Dialogues ...................... .

UNIT 8 Directions for the Future

Introduction

Reference List

Vocabulary

Reference Notes .................. ......

Action-Process compound verbs

The directional ending -huí

you, "after all," "anyway"

yě bu, "don’t even," "won’t even"

Review Dialogue

Workbook........................  . . . 26k

Exercise Dialogues

Vocabulary

INTRODUCTION

• SECTION 1: TO THE STUDENT

With the Society module, you are taking a step up to a new level of expression in Chinese. Up till now, you have been dealing with relatively short sentences about concrete situations. In this module, you will start to encounter longer sentences and more abstract statements. The transition will take some time, but you can make it easier on yourself by developing methodical ways of approaching the new material in each unit. The following suggestions may help.

Keep in mind from here on in that the two skills you will continue to work on, production and comprehension, are no longer expected to stay at approximately the same level. It is natural for your ability to understand what others say to increase more rapidly than your ability to express your own thoughts. As you work through the Society module, bear in mind that, while you are asked to understand all the dialogues, you are required to be able to produce only a limited part of the language you will hear. This is specified in the module objectives, the unit vocabulary lists, and the introductions to the units.

How to Use the Book

Each unit of this book presents quite a bit of new information—much more than anyone can master in a few days* time. This is because information has also been included simply for comparison or for your future reference. This is what you should master in each unit:

• (1) The new grammar listed in the introduction for each unit.

• (2) The basic meanings of each vocabulary item. (Related meanings may be given in the reference notes for purposes of comparison, but you are not required to remember them.)

• (3) The cultural background information discussed in some reference notes and contained in each unit’s review dialogue.

You may find it helpful to read through the reference notes three times. On the first time through, read only the notes on cultural background. The second time, go through the notes that explain new grammatical structures. The third time, read only the notes on the meanings and usage of new words. For review, test yourself on the example sentences in the notes by covering the Chinese column and trying to translate the English column into Chinese. Check your answer immediately.

How to Use the Tapes

Starting with Module 7, there will be only two thirty-minute tapes per unit, instead of five.

Tape 1 introduces the material on the Reference List, giving you a chance to learn to understand these sentences and to practice saying them. Tape 1 replaces both the C-l and P-1 tapes which you used in Modules 1 through 6.

You will find that the Tape 1 is denser in content and faster paced than either the C-l or P-1 tapes. The number of new vocabulary items in each unit has been increased from 20-25 to 30-35* You will also notice that the sentences have increased in length. Since you must learn to understand as well as say these sentences from a single tape, you may find that you need to rewind the tape and review the presentation of each sentence several times. In addition, explanations which were formerly found on the C-l and P-1 tapes are now found only in the Reference Notes.

Tape 2 replaces the C-2 and P-2 tapes. Each Tape 2 will start off with a review of the sentences from the Reference List. This will be followed by three exercise dialogues. You should listen to each dialogue until you understand it thoroughly. The workbook which accompanies Tape 2 describes the setting of the conversation and provides you with the new vocabulary you need to understand it. (You are not required to learn these additional vocabulary items.) The workbook also contains questions about each dialogue, for which you will need to prepare answers in Chinese. Your teacher will ask you to answer these and other questions about the conversation in class.

When you listen to the recorded dialogues, aim only for comprehension of the ideas. Whether or not you can repeat the sentences word for word is not critical. Since they are in colloquial style, the dialogues sometimes contain phrasing which you are not expected to be able to imitate at this stage, yet with a little effort (it is expected to take repeated listenings), you will understand.

• SECTION 2: TO THE TEACHER

The format of the core modules from this point on differs considerably from those preceding, and teaching methods should be adapted to the requirements of this new format. Below are a few suggestions on how to use this and subsequent core modules.

How to Use the Reference Notes

The reference notes in Society include grammatical explanations, discussions of the usage of new words, and some cultural background information. They are called "reference” notes for a reason: they are here for the student’s present and future reference. They are not intended as material for classroom study or discussion, for in these later modules, as in the first six, the bulk of classroom time should be spent in the actual use of Chinese. The thoroughness of the notes is intended to relieve you of the need to give lectures on grammar and usage and allow you to devote most of your time with students to live practice of the language. You should familiarize yourself with the content of the notes so that when students pose questions on word usage or a new structure, you can simply refer them to the relevant note.

The copiousness of example sentences in the notes has a double purpose. First, along with the idiomatic English translations, they show the versatility of the vocabulary items they introduce; at this level of study, a single English translation can seldom fully do justice to the range of nuances expressed by a Chinese word. Second, students can use the example sentences at home for translation practice, either Chinese-English or English-Chinese, using a strip of paper to cover the target-language column and then checking their answer for immediate reinforcement.

How to Use the Exercise Dialogues

The three exercise dialogues in each unit (exercises 2, 3, and U) present completely different situations and characters from the unit review dialogue, but include the same new vocabulary and structures. They provide extra listening comprehension practice at normal conversational speed, an area which should receive increased attention from both student and teacher beginning with this module.

The language of many of the exercise dialogues is very colloquial and thus a change from the style of the preceding modules. At this stage, students must accustom themselves to hearing everyday Chinese, and if given ample practice, their comprehension will improve quickly. But bear in mind that students are not expected to be able to produce sentences in this colloquial style, only to understand them.

The taped exercises 2, 3, and H, are to be listened to outside of class as many times as is necessary for the student to answer the questions in the workbook section. In class, the teacher should ask the questions, rephrased in Chinese, and have students answer from their notes or, preferably, from

memory. If students bring up questions on colloquialisms contained in the dialogues at this time, handle them quickly; avoid digressions on expressions which are not required for production. The point of this activity is for the students to talk—to practice saying the new words and structures of the unit.

Further Classroom Activities

• (1) Use the subjects discussed in the dialogues as points of departure for class discussions in which the teacher takes the part of the Chinese who wants to understand American society and the American students try to explain their ways of thinking and doing things. Depending on class size, the level of the students, and individual students’ competitiveness or reticence, these conversations will need to be more or less structured. If necessary in order to maintain the flow of ideas or to keep a small number of students from dominating the discussion, everyone can be asked to outline possible answers before coming to class, or the teacher may prepare an outline for the students.

• (2) Students can be asked to tell the story of the review dialogue or an exercise dialogue in their own words. This can be done by the whole class together; if one student omits an important point in the story, another student can remind him of it or supply it himself.

• (3) Have students pick out from the reference list and the dialogues certain sentences which serve a particular communicative function. The Chinese material in this book is especially suited to this type of exercise because of the colloquial tone of the dialogues and the range of emotions and linguistic functions displayed within them. For example, the students may be asked to find a sentence that conveys enthusiasm toward an idea, one that conveys tentativeness when asking a question about a delicate subject, or one that conveys a desire to be helpful. Using the sentences thus found as takeoff points, the teacher can then ask the students to come up with other sentences with the same linguistic function, or ask them to change elements of the sentence to vary its function.

For example, Unit 1 of Society presents some sentences (in the reference list and dialogues) that can be used as responses to proposals:

Wo kǎolu kǎolu.                     I’ll think it over, (non-committal)

Fěicháng hǎo.                       Great, (enthusiastic)

Na women shuohǎo le . . .           Then we’ve agreed . . . (decisive)

Jiù zhèiyang.                       It’s settled, (decisive)

Students can be asked to add to this list sentences expressing a wider range of responses to a proposal, e.g., flat rejection (Bù xíng!), scandalization (Na zěnme kéyi a!), lukewarm acceptance (Kěyǐ . . . or Ye hǎo), indecisiveness (M ♦ . ♦ or Nà, wo hǎi děi xiǎngyixiǎng or Zài shuō ba), etc. If you make up supplementary exercises, you may find it effective to base them on the communicative functions of sentences contained in each unit. A list of these functions will be founcjl in each unit’s introduction.

(U) If the teachér and students find that the new grammar needs to be separately discussed in class, such sessions should be confined to a review of the essential new structures, as listed in each unit’s introduction.

Review

The two review tapes consist simply of exercises requiring the students to translate the reference list sentences for Units 1 to U and 5 to 8, respectively. The original order of the sentences in the text has been scrambled. The first section of each tape is translation from Chinese to English, the second from English to Chinese.

Because material introduced in this module is frequently repeated in subsequent lessons, regular review will not be as important as in the earlier modules, where the situational nature of the lessons means that some vocabulary introduced in order to handle one kind of situation occurs in that one module only. However, if desired, one of each unit’s exercise dialogues can be reserved for review: have students listen to only two instead of all three exercise dialogues while doing the unit, and then return to the third dialogue several units later to brush up on the vocabulary and structures.

TAPES FOR MODULE 7 (SOC)

MODULE 7: SOCIETY

The Society Module (SOC) will provide you with the linguistic skills and cultural background information you need to visit a Chinese family, discuss some aspects of family life and society, to find out how someone’s family fits into the pattern of traditional Chinese society, and how it reflects the changes of modern society.

Before starting this module, you must take and pass the MTG Criterion Test. In addition, it is assumed that by this point you will have already completed the optional modules Personal Welfare, Restaurant, and Hotel; vocabulary from these modules is now considered taught.

The SOC Criterion Test will focus largely on this module, but material from the first six core modules and associated resource modules is also included.

OBJECTIVES

Upon successful completion of this module, you should be able to

• 1. Give the English equivalent for any Chinese sentence in the SOC Reference Lists.

• 2. Say any Chinese sentence in the SOC Reference Lists when cued with its English equivalent.

• 3. Ask someone about the size of his family, which family members live at home, and where other family members live and why.

• U. Use the rules of Chinese etiquette in social visits: the proper times for visiting; the custom of offering refreshments to visitors and the type of response expected from the visitor; and some polite ways to end a social visit.

• 5. Discuss the status, duties, and responsibilities of sons in the traditional Chinese family.

• 6. Discuss the different relationships within the Chinese family, especially those between parents and children, and between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law.

• 7. Explain why the large (extended) family was the ideal pattern in traditional Chinese society.

• 8. Use the proper-terms for referring to your own or someone else’s children, and understand the terms for addressing one’s children directly; use the terms for paternal grandparents; use the terms for the parents of one’s friend.

• 9. Understand why early marriage was a common practice in traditional China.

• 10. Discuss the effects of the development of industry and business on traditional Chinese society.

• 11. Discuss the concept of filial obedience.

• 12. Compare the position of women in Chinese society before and after the founding of the People’s Republic of China.

• 13. Discuss traditional marriage arrangements in China and the roles women were placed in as a result. Understand the government’s policy toward marriage after 19^-9 and the actual changes that have occurred.

1U. Explain and defend some of your personal views on topics such as equality of the sexes, the status of women, living together, marriage, parent-child relationships, care of the elderly, the effects of political and economic conditions on society, crime, and drug abuse.

UNIT 1

Travel Plans

INTRODUCTION

Grammar Topics Covered in This Unit

• 1. The pattern (Verb) de shi....

• 2. Phrases with guānyu, ’’concerning,” "about."

• 3. The directional ending -lai.

U. The auxiliary verb huì, "might," "be likely to," "will."

5. The sentence marker -de, "that’s the way the situation is."

Functional Language Contained in This Unit

• 1. Offering a visitor something to drink.

• 2. Responding to an offer of something to drink.

• 3. Concluding a social visit.

• 4. Telling someone you can’t take the time to explain something but will talk about it later.

• 5. Presenting a suggestion or proposal to do something.

• 6. Responding to a suggestion or proposal to so something.

• 1. A: Jīntiǎn wo jiedao yiběn hǎo xiǎoshuō.

B: Shénme xiǎoshuō, rang ni zènme gāoxìng?

• 2. A: Zhèiběn xiǎoshuō xiěde shi dàlùde qíngkuàng.

B: Guānyu dàlùde? Jiè gěí wǒ kànkan xíng hu xíng?

• 3. A: Xiàge xuéqǐ nǐ xiǎng yánjiū shénme?

B: Hai shi lǎo wèntí: Zhōng-guode zhèngzhi qíngkuàng.

Today I borrowed a good novel (from someone).

What novel is it that makes you so happy?

This novel is about the situation on the mainland.

About the mainland? How about lending it to me to read?

What are you going to do research on next semester?

It’s still the same old topic: the political situation in China.

• 4. A: Zuótiǎn Xiǎo Ming gěi tā nùpéngyou xiě xìn, xiěde hǎo cháng!

B: Niánqǐng rén zǒng shi niánqǐng rén. Wǒ niánqīngde shihou yě shi zhèiyang, nǐ wàng le?

5- A: Shǔjiàde shihou, nǐ xiǎng dào nǎr qu wánrwanr?

• B: Wǒ xiǎng dào Yàzhōu jīge guojiǎ qu kànkan.

• 6. A: Zěnme, nǐ xiǎng yánjiū Yàzhōude wénhuà chuántǒng?

• B: Bù néng shuō yánjiū. Wǒ zhǐ shi xiǎng qù kànkan nàlide shèhuì qíngkuàng.

• 7. A: Lǎo Wáng, wǒ jīntiǎn gǎnjué hen bu shūfu.

B: Kuài zuǒxia, wǒ qù gěi ni dào bēi chá lai.

Yesterday Xiǎo Ming wrote a letter to his girl friend, and it was really long!

Young people are always young people. When I was young I was like that too, have you forgotten?

Where do you want to go over summer vacation?

I’d like to go visit a few countries in Asia.

Oh? Do you want to do research on Asia’s cultural tradition?

It can’t be called research. I just want to go have a look at the social situation there.

Lǎo Wáng, I feel awful today.

Sit down and I’ll go pour you a cup of tea.

• 8. A: Nǐ qùde nèige dìfang zhèngzhi, jīngji fǎngmiànde q íngxing zěnmeyàng?

B: Jǐjù huà shuōbuq ǐngchu, you shíjiǎn wo zài gen ni mànmǎnr shuo ba.

What was the political and economic situation like where you went?

I can’t explain it clearly in just a few sentences; when 1 have time I’ll tell you all about it.

• 9. A: Yǎnjiū Zhōngguo xiànzàide wèntí yídìng děi dongde Zhongguo lìshǐ.

• B: N? shuōde zheiyidiǎn hen yàojǐn, wo kǎolu kǎolu.

• 10. A: Nǐ zài Zhōngguo zhù liǎng-niǎn, yídìng huì xuéhǎo Zhōngwénde.

B: Shi a, yìfǎngmiàn kéyi xuéhǎo Zhōngwén, yìfǎngmiàn yě kéyi duo zhīdao yidiǎnr Zhōngguode shìqing.

To study the problems of China now, you have to understand. Chinese history.

This point of yours is very important; I’ll think it over.

If you live in China for two years, you’re sure to learn Chinese very well.

Yes, on the one hand I can learn Chinese well, and on the other hand I can find out more things about China.

ADDITIONAL REQUIRED VOCABULARY

• 11. yìbiān(r)...yìbiǎn(r)

• 12. yímiàn...yímiàn...

  doing...while doing...

  doing...while doing..•

  
  

  	VOCABULARY
  cháng chuántong	to be long tradition, traditional
  dàlù dào -diǎn dongde	mainland, continent to pour point to understand, to grasp, to know
  -fāngmiàn (-fāngmiàn)	aspect, side, area, respect
  ganjué	feeling, sensation; to feel,
  guānyu	to perceive as to, with regard to, concerning, about
  guójiā	country, state, nation; national
  huì	might, be likely to, will
  jiè jièdao -jù	to borrow; to lend to successfully borrow sentence; (counter for sentences or utterances, often followed by huà, ’’speech”)
  kaolū	to consider, to think about
  mànmānr (mànmàn)	slowly; gradually, by and by; taking one’s time; in all details
  niánqīng	to be young
  qíngkuàng	situation, circumstances, condition, state of affairs
  qíngxing	situation, circumstances, condition, state of affairs
  rang	to make (someone a certain way)
  shèhuì shǔj ià shuōbuqīngchu	society, social summer vacation can’t explain clearly
  wénhuà	culture
  xiǎoshuō (-)xuéqǐ	fiction, novel semester, term (of school)
  yánj íū (yán j íu, yán j iù)	to study (in detail), to do research on; research
  Yàzhōu (Yāzhōu)	Asia

  yìbiǎn(r)...yìbiān(r)... yìfǎngmiàn..., yìfǎngmiàn...	doing...while doing... on the one hand..., on the other hand; for one thing..., for another...; doing...while doing...
  yímiàn(r)...yímiàn(r)...	doing...while doing...
  zhèngzhi zǒng	politics, political affairs; political always; inevitably, without exception, after all, in any case
  zuòxia	to sit down

Unit 1, Reference Notes

• 1. A: Jīntiān wǒ 'jiè dao yìběn         Today I "borrowed a good

hǎo xiǎoshuō.                     novel (from someone).

B: Shenme xiǎoshuō, rang ni        What novel is it that

zènme gāoxìng?                  makes you so happy?

Notes on No. 1

jiè: "to borrow" CAlso "to lend," see Notes on No. 2.3

Wo dào túshūguǎn qù jiè shū.       I’m going to the library to borrow

Etake outJ some books.

For "from," use gēn or xiàng° for people and cong for place names like the library.

I didn’t bring any money. I want to go borrow some from Níngning.

Cong can only be followed by a person if the person is made into a place name, for example by the addition of nèr (nàli):

Wǒ cóng tā nèr jièle wūkuài qián. I borrowed five dollars from him.

For people, you may also use the common pattern wen...jiè... , literally "ask. . .borrow. .

Wǒ bù hǎo yìsi wen biérén jiè I’m too embarrassed to borrow money qián.                               from other people.

jièdao: The ending -dào expresses that the borrowing results in the thing being obtained. You learned -dào and the similar Beijing -zháo in the verb jiēdao/jiēzhao, "to receive," in the Meeting module.

You need to know not only what the ending -dào means, but also when to use it and when not to. This can’t be summed up in one neat formula, but you will see from the following examples that -dào is used when there was a question of not being able to get the thing. Jiè by itself does not necessarily imply obtaining, so you can use it in situations when you tried to borrow something but couldn’t get it.

Wǒ gēn tā jièle yìběn zìdiǎn.

°Xiàng is used more in written style.

Zhèi Jiù shi nǐ mǎide chē?— So this is the car you bought? It’s zènme nánkàn!                       so ugly!

Nǐ xǐhuan shùxué a?—name méi You like math?—such a boring thing! yìsi .*

• 2. A: Zhèiběn xiǎoshuō xiěde shi This novel is about the dàlùde qíngkuàng.                situation on the mainland.

• B: Guānyu dàlùde? Jiè gěi wo About the mainland? How about kànkan xíng bu xíng?            lending it to me to read?

Notes on No. 2

xiě: This verb which you learned as "to write" is also one of several ways that "about" is expressed in Chinese.’ When used with this meaning, xiě usually appears in the (Verb) de shi construction discussed immediately below.

xiěde shi: This structure, (Verb) de shi, is a major structure of Chinese, so pay extra attention! Use (Verb) de shi when the verb is not new information and you want to focus instead on the identity of the thing talked about. The pattern itself makes an equational sentence, that is, an A EQUALS B sentence:

"What he’s making is cabbage."

In sentence 2A, the verb xiě is not new information because any novel must "be written about" something. The object dàlùde qíngkuàng is new information which is focused on.

dàlù: "continent, mainland" Zhōngguo dàlù is "mainland China," which may also be called dàlù for short just as we say "the mainland".

’other ways are by using the verb jiǎng, "to talk about," as in Zhèiběn shū jiǎng shénme?, "What is this book about?"; and guānyu. (see the note in this section).

qíngkuàng: ' ’’situation, circumstances, state of affairs, condition’’ Used much more frequently in Chinese than any single one of these translations is used in English. Sometimes the Chinese language uses qíngkuàng when in English we would just say ’’things’’ or ’’the way things are.”

Sometimes qíngkuàng means the ’’picture” about a place (especially an organization); in such cases it may not be necessary to translate it literally.

He gave us a presentation (briefing) on their school. (E.g., what grades, how many students and teachers, what subjects are taught, etc.)

I’m not too familiar with (the way things are at) the Department of American and Oceanic Affairs.

guānyu: ’’with regard to, concerning” The phrase guānyu dàlùde means literally ’’one concerning the mainland." Guānyu is rather formal. In everyday speech, the idea of "about" is more often expressed in other ways , but guānyu is often used in formal contexts.

Guānyu is a prepositional verb, which means it is followed by a noun (its object) and is related to the main verb. It is not the best behaved of prepositional verbs, however. Guānyu does not occur where you would normally expect to find a prepositional verb phrase (before the verb, e.g., dào Zhōngguo qù). Nor does guānyu occur in a sentence the way "about” does in English. "About" phrases in English are free to occur after the verb, e.g., "talk about Chinese history," "think about your problem." A guānyu phrase (that is, guānyu and its object) can only occur in the following places in the sentence:

Other ways include using the verbs jiǎng and xiě (see Notes on No. 2). For example, if I am watching a T.V. program and you walk into the room and want to ask, "What's this about?" the most "everyday" way would be Jiang shenme de? (actually an abbreviated form of Zhèige jiěmù Cprogram] shi jiǎng shenme de?). It would sound stilted to use guānyu in such an informal situation.You see another example of how "about" is expressed in Chinese on the next page under number (3) in the little dialogue: "About what?" is Shenme diànyǐng?.

(1) Guānyú can occur at the beginning of the sentence to introduce the topic about to be commented on.

jiè gěi wo kànkan: ’’lend (it) to me to read” In exchange 1, jiè was translated ’''borrow.’’ Now you see it used for ”to lend.” To say ’’lend something to someone,” the gěi phrase always follows the verb jiè.° If the indirect object (person who receives) is a pronoun, gěi may be omitted:

Jiè wo yìzhī bī. I

Jiè gěi wo yìzhī bǐ. /             Lend me a pen.

(In this extremely common sentence, the gěi is more frequently omitted.)

• 3. A: Xiàge xuéqī nǐ xiǎng            What are you going to do

yánj iū shénme?                  research on next semester?

• B: Hai shi lǎo wèntí: Zhong- It’s still the same old topic: guóde zhèngzhi qíngkuàng.       the political situation in China.

xueqī: "semester, term” Since xueqī means literally just "school-period,” it could conceivably apply to a scholastic term of any length, including quarters. Chinese schools, however, run on the semester system (fall-winter and winter-spring).

Xiànzài yǒude Měiguo dàxué yíge Some American colleges have semesters xueqī zhǐ you shíèr-sānge lǐbài. which last only twelve or thirteen weeks.

Shàngge xuéqī nǐ dōu niànle        What (courses) did you take last

shénme?                             semester?

Xuéqī may also be used without the counter -ge: shàngxuéqī, xiàxuéqī, yìxué-qī, etc.

yanjiū: ’’to do research on” a topic (usually at the graduate level or above). Sometimes may be translated as ”to study" (in depth, not just preparing for a test).

Another meaning is ’’to look into, to consider, to discuss” (possibilities, opinions, questions):

A gěi phrase before jiè would mean ’’for," not "to." Example: Tā gěi wo jièle jǐběn shū, "He borrowed a few books for me.”

Zhèige wentí women děi yánjiū We should, discuss (OR look into this) yanjiu.                             question.

zhèngzhi: "politics, political affairs; political"

Keep in mind that because of China’s political system, the word zhèngzhi has a different set of meanings than we are used to. This is a large question which we will not go into in depth here. But to give you an idea of this concept, here is the definition of zhèngzhi from a Chinese dictionary.*

zhèngzhi; The concentrated expression of economics. It comes into being on a particular economic base, serves the economic base, and has a tremendous influence on economic development. In a class society, economic interests are the most fundamental interests of the different classes. In order to safeguard their own interests, the classes inevitably wage intense class struggle among each other. Therefore, class struggle and handling relations between the classes becomes the main content of politics. The relations which politics must handle are the internal relations of a class, relations between the classes, relations between nationalities, and international relations. Politics is manifested in policies and activities in the areas of national life and international relations of political parties, social groups, and social forces which represent certain classes. The politics of the exploiting class has as its aim to oppress the working people and to preserve its own narrow interests. In the politics of the proletariat, bourgeois rule is overthrown with revolutionary violence under the leadership of the proletarian political party, and the dictatorship of the proletariat is established; after power has been seized, socialist revolution is carried through to the end, class struggle is properly waged, and contradictions between ourselves and the enemy as well as contradictions among the people . . . are properly handled; then the focus of struggle is progressively turned towards engaging in the cause of socialist construction and devoting major efforts to developing production, and creating the conditions needed to completely abolish classes and bring about communism.

Note in particular how the politicization of everyday personal relations in the PRC has resulted in zhèngzhi being used in a host of phrases such as "political influence," "political relations," "political background," "political qualifications," etc.

Cíhǎi, Shanghai Císhū Chūbǎnshè, 1979.

Notes on No. H

chang: ”to he long" in physical length, or in some cases, time.” The opposite of chāng is duǎn, "to he short."

Tā zǎi zhèr gōngzuòde shíjiān you How long did he work here?

niánqǐng: "to he young" While the idea of being young is often relative to a particular situation, niánqǐng rén usually means people from the teens through the twenties.

Tā niánqīngde shihou hǐ xiǎnzǎi When she was young she was even more gèng hǎo kǎn.                       beautiful than now.

Niánqǐng rén dǒu xǐhuan wánr. All young people like to have fun.

zǒng: "always, invariably" Like other adverbs such as zhēn, "really," and hái, "still," zǒng is often followed by shi.

Nǐ zǒngshi wen wo wentí.           You always ask me questions.

’There are other words for "long” in other contexts. When referring to distance, use yuǎn: Lu hěn yuǎn, "it’s a long way." For time, you will also need jiǔ: Tā zǒule duo jiǔ le?, "How long has it been since he left?"

’’Remember that xiǎo is another word for "young": Tā bǐ wǒ xiǎo yísuì, "He’s a year younger than I." Wǒ xiǎode shihou usually means "When I was a child. When speaking to a child, you would say Nǐ hái xiǎo for "You’re still young.

Zheizhong shiqing zongshi rang This type of thing always makes one rén hěn gāoxìng.                   very happy.

Zong bù, ’’always not..., ” is one way of saying ’’never”:

Tā zong bù xǐhuan biérěn wen tā He never likes other people to ask Jiālide shi.                        about his family.

Zong has another use, which is the one you see in exchange U: Instead of meaning literally ”on every occasion” or ”at all times,” zong is used to suggest that a certain state of affairs should be obviously true, regardless of other circumstances. Translations for this meaning depend upon the context; some are ’’after all, surely, always, in any case, when all is said and done, inevitably, eventually.” Other possible translations are suggested in

5. A: Shǔjiàde shihou, nǐ xiang Where do you want to go dào nār qu wánrwanr?            over summer vacation?

B: Wǒ xiang dào Yàzhōu             I’d like to go visit a few

jǐge guōjiā qu kànkan.          countries in Asia.

Notes on No. 5

shǔjià: ’’summer vacation" In China, summer vacation starts in August and ends in September for high schools; college ends in June and starts in late August.

Zhèige shǔjià wǒ bú dào nǎr qù. This summer vacation I’m not going anywhere.

Yàzhōu: "Asia" Yà comes from the transliterated word for Asia, Yàxìyà. Zhou means "continent." Many people say Yazhōu.

guōjiā: "country, nation, state," literally, "country-family." The bound word -guō is used only in certain phrases or compound words. Guōjiā is the word to use everywhere else. (Sometimes guō may be used alone, such as in reference to kingdoms or dukedoms of ancient China. But a modern nation is called guōjiā.)

wénhuà: ’’culture, civilization” Also ’’education, cultural background" as in méiyou wénhuàde rén, "an uncultured person" or an "uneducated person."

shèhuì: "society; social" Xin shèhuì and jiù shèhuì are jargon for the new and old societies (after and before the socialist transformation), "in society" is more often zài shèhuìshang, less frequently zài shèhuìli.

Notes on No. 7

gǎnjué: "to feel; feeling" In 7a» gǎnjué is used as a verb. Here are other examples:

Nǐ gǎnjué zěnmeyàng?               How do you feel?

Nǐ jīntiǎn gǎnjué hǎo yidiǎnr Do you feel better today? le ma?

Wǒ gǎnjué tǎ jīntiǎn you diǎnr I get the feeling he’s a little bu gāoxìng.                         unhappy (OR bothered) today.

Suīrǎn wǒ bù fǎ shǎo le, kěshi Although I don’t have a fever any zǒng gǎnjué hěn lèi.               more, I feel very tired all the

time.

Here is an example of gǎnjué Used as a noun:

Zhèi shi wǒde gǎnjué, nǐde kànfa That’s my feeling, what is your zěnmeyàng?                          opinion?

zuòxia: "to sit down" Also zuòxialai.

Qǐng zuòxia(lai) tan.              Have a seat and let’s talk about it.

dào...lai: Dào is "to pour"; dàolai is "to pour and bring here." You have seen lai used as a directional ending before, as in náxialai, "bring down and here," or pǎolǎi "run here." There are two things to notice about the meaning of lai as a directional ending: 1) Lai can be used after verbs which tell of movement from one place to another, like pǎo, "to run" or nǎ, "to carry"; OR after verbs which describe an action without movement from one place to another, such as dào, "to pour." 2) The thing lai refers to, which is what ends up "here," may be the subject OR the object of the sentence. For example, in Tǎ pǎolai le, "He ran here," it is the subject tǎ who performs the action of running and comes here. In Tǎ xiělai yìfēng xìn le, "He has written a letter which has come here," it is the object xìn which is

■written and comes here. In Yǐfu dōu yǐjīng xǐlai le, ’’All the clothes have already been washed and brought here,” it is the topic yǐfu which were washed and brought here.

You will often split lai from the verb by inserting an object like yìbēi chá, as in sentence ?B. In fact, in sentence ?B, dào and lai must be split up; lai may not precede the object. The rules allowing lai to precede the object are complex, and here we will just give some examples of usage.

Notes on No. 8

fāngmiàn: ’’aspect; area; respect; side” This noun is used without a counter. It is a useful, sometimes overused word. You won’t have any trouble understanding how fāngmiàn is used, but there will be sentences where you wouldn’t have thought to use it. When translating, it is sometimes better just to leave fāngmiàn out of the English than to strain to use the word ’’aspect,” ’’side,” etc.

Fāngmiàn has two main uses:

(1) ’’aspect, respect, area, field"

Yīngguo zai jīngjixue fāngmiande A lot of research in the area of yánjiū zuòde bù shǎo.              economics has been done in England.

Wǒ méi shide shihoU xǐhuan kànkan When I don’t have anything to do I wénxué fāngmiànde shū.             like to read books on the subject

of literature.

qíngxing; In most cases interchangeable with qíngkuàng. In present-day Běijīng speech, at least among the younger generation, qíngkuàng is the more common of these two words.

shuōbuqīngchu: ’’can’t say/explain clearly” Shuōqīngehu is a compound verb of result. Here are other examples:

mànmānr: Also mànmàn. Many adjectival verbs can be doubled to make an adverb, which is used between the subject and the verb. In Běijīng speech, when you double certain adjectival verbs of one-syllable, the second one becomes first tone (no matter what its original tone) and -r_ is added. These adverbs can take the adverbial ending -de. Other examples are kuàikuāir(de), ’’quickly,” and hǎohāorde, ’’well, properly. ”

Mànmàn(de) or mànmānr(de) has these meanings:

• (1) ’’slowly” Don’t forget, however, that ’’slowly” can sometimes be translated by màn alone.

Tā manmānrde zou hui Jia qu le. He slowly walked, home.

BUT Zou man yidiǎnr. I

Man diǎnr zou. J                  Walk more slowly.

• (2) "gradually, hit by bit, by and by"

Nǐ gang lai, duì zhèrde qíngkuàng You Just arrived and are unfamiliar bù shúxī, mànmānr. nǐ Jiu zhīdao with the situation here, but you’ll le.                                 come to know it by and by.

Manmānrde, tā Jiu dong le.         Gradually he began to understand.

• (3) Sentences which instruct someone to mànmānr do this or that

  can often be translated as take your

  Mànmānr zou, zánmen lāidejí.

  Bù jí, mànmānr chī, wǒ deng nǐ.

  (U) With verbs meaning "to tell" more of the meaning "in all details."

  Nǐ zuòxia, wǒ mànmānr gēn ni Jiang.

  Wǒ hái xiǎng gēn ni duō tántan zhèijiàn shi.

  Hǎode, yǐhòu women mànmàn tan.

  
  

  time..., or don't rush.

  Let’s take our time walking. We’ll make it.

  There's no hurry, so take your time eating. I’ll wait for you.

  someone about something, mànmānr has

  Sit down and I’ll give you the whole story.

  I’d like to talk some more with you about this.

  Okay, later we can talk all about it.

  
  

  9. A: Yanjiū Zhōngguo xiànzàide wèntí yídìng dei dǒngde Zhōngguo lìshī.

  B: Nǐ shuōde zhèiyidiǎn hen yàojīn, wǒ kǎolu kǎolu.

  Notes on No. 9

  
  

  To study the problems of China now, you have to understand Chinese history.

  This point of yours is very important ; I’ll think it over.

  
  

dǒngde: "to understand" Narrower in use than dǒng. You dǒngde the meaning of a word, the implications or significance of an event, or the way to do something; but not a foreign language (that you dǒng), nor what the teacher Just said (that you tǐngdǒng le), nor someone else's feelings (that you liǎojiě, which will be presented in the Traveling in China module).

You have seen the component -de in the verbs rènde and J ide. It is only used in a handful of verbs, sometimes acting like a resultative ending. For example, you can say rènbude, "can’t recognize," and Jìbude, "can’t remember," but you may not use dǒngde in the potential form; for "can’t understand," you Just say bù dǒngde.

Notes on No. 10

huì: "might, be likely to, will" You already know huì meaning "to know how to, can." Here you see huì used in a new way, to express likelihood. As you can see from these three English translations, huì ranges in meaning from possible to probable to definite. The context may be sufficient to indicate which, but often the degree of probability is not important to the message, and there might be no single "correct" English translation. Various adverbs can be added before huì to clarify the degree of certainty, for example, yídìng, "definitely," dàgài, "probably," yěxǔ, "perhaps," etc.

Here are some examples of how huì can be used to indicate likelihood:

huì

nǐ huì zǒucuòde: So far you have seen -de used as a marker of possession or of modification, and in the shi...de construction. Here it is used in an entirely new way: at the end of a sentence, -de can mean ’’that’s the way the situation is.” Generally speaking, this -de is used in emphatic assertions or denials, especially those expressing probability, necessity, desire, etc.

Usage note: Unless the sentence contains shi or is understood to have an omitted shi, the majority of native Běijīng speakers seem to feel that this -de is nánfāng huà, southern Chinese (e.g., Nanjing), or a carry-over into Standard Chinese from southern dialects. Because of these regional connotatior you needn’t try to use it a lot; it will be enough for you to understand this -de; in fact, you will see that in most of the following examples, the -de is completely unnecessary.

(3) Others: sentences with certain adverbs like yídìng, with potential resultative verbs, with the aspect marker -guo, etc.

Bú yào j ǐnde.

Hǎode, hǎode.

yìfǎngmiàn...yìfǎngmiàn...: This hand..., on the other hand...” or "for and (2) "doing...while doing..."

Zài Xiǎnggǎng yìfǎngmiàn nǐ you jǐhui he Zhōngguo rén tán huà, yìfǎngmiàn kéyi zhīdao dàlùde qíngkuàng.

Tǎ yìfǎngmiàn kàn diànshì, yìfǎngmiàn chī dōngxi.

11. yìbiǎn(r)...yìbiǎn(r)...

12. yímiǎn(r)...yímiàn(r)...

Notes on Nos. 11 and 12

yìbiǎn(r)...yìbiǎn(r)... and doing..." Both of these patterns miàn...yìfǎngmiàn....

Yìbiǎn zuò yìbiǎn xué ha.’

Wǒ yìbiǎnr ting yìbiǎnr xie.

Women yìbiǎn zǒu yìbiǎn tán, hǎo bu hǎo?

Unit 1, Tape 1, Review Dialogue

As Tom (A) (Tāngmǔ), a graduate student in Chinese Area Studies at Georgetown University, is studying in his apartment, a knock comes at the door. It is his classmate Lǐ Ping (B), an exchange student from Hong Kong.

B:      Tǎngmǔ? .*                                  Tom?

• A: Ng?                                  Yeah?

B:     Zhè sǎnge dìfangde shū, nǐ dōu Reading books from all three of

kàn, nǐ juéde zěnmeyàng?           these places, what do you think?

A:     Wǒde gǎnjué bú shi yíjù huà        I can’t explain my feelings in °Kěkǒukěle, ’’Coca-Cola”; júzi shuǐ(r), "orange juice" (Běijīng usage)

kéyi shuōqīngchude. Eng... zhème shuō ba, wo zong juéde dàlù rén, Xianggang rén, hé Taiwan rén dōu shi Zhōngguo rén, tāmen you yíyàngde wénhuà chuán-tong, kěshi yīnwei zhèngzhide qíngkuàng bù tong, shèhuìde qíngkuàng yě jiu bù yíyàng le.

• B: Nǐ shuōde duì, dànshi nǐ yào

dǒngde Zhōngguo shèhuì, zhǐ kàn shū shi bú gòude.

• A: Ei, ni zhidao ma, xianzai xue

Zhōngwénde xuéshēng you hěn duō jǐhui dào Zhōngguo qu. Suoyǐ wǒ jìhuà zài zhèige xuéqī wánle de shihou, qù Zhōngguo kànkan. Erqiě, wǒ hái xiǎng zhǎo ge hǎò péngyou yìqī qù.

• B: Zuotiān wǒ jiēdao wǒ mǔqinde

xìn, tā xīwàng wǒ hui Xianggang guò shǔjià; zěnmeyàng, nǐ hé wo yìqǐ huíqu ba. Nǐ kéyi zhù zai women jiāli, érqiě, zài Xianggang yìfǎngmiàn nǐ you jǐhui hé Zhōngguo rén tán huà, yì fāngmiàn kéyi zhīdao dàlù, Xiǎnggǎng hé Tai-wǎnde qíngkuàng, nǐ kàn hǎo bu hǎo?

just a few words. Hmm...let’s say that I’ve always felt that people oh the mainland, in Hong Kong and Taiwan are all Chinese, all have the same cultural tradition, but because the political situations are different, the social situations are also different.

You’re right. But if you want to understand Chinese society, it’s not enough just to read books.

Say, you know, students of Chinese have a lot of opportunities to go to China now. So I’m planning to go to China for a visit when this semester is over. And what’s more, I’d like to find a good friend to go with.

Yesterday I got a letter from my mother, and she’d like me to come back to Hong Kong for summer vacation. How about going back with me? You can stay at our house; what’s more, in Hong Kong, on the one hand you’ll have a chance to talk with Chinese and on the other hand you can learn about the situation on the mainland, in Hong Kong and in Taiwan. What do you think?

• A: Fēicháng hǎo!

• B: Nàme, nǐ hái yào hé nǐ jiāli

rén shāngliang yixiar ba?

• A: Bú bì, gěi fùmǔ dǎ diànhuàde

shihou, gàosu tamen wǒde jìhua jiu xíng le. Wǒ yào yánjiū Zhōngguo shèhuì, fùmǔ yídìng huì gāoxìngde.

• B: Měiguo niánqīng rén dōu you

zìjǐde xiǎngfǎ, zhèi yidiǎnr, wǒ fēicháng xǐhuan.

• A: Niánqīng rén you zìjǐde xiǎngfǎ

shi duìde, kěshi fùmǔde huà yě yīnggāi kǎolu.

Great!

Well then, you’ll still want to discuss this a bit with your parents, I suppose?

That’s not necessary. When I call them, I’ll tell them my plan, and then everything should be all right. I’m sure they’ll be happy that I want to study Chinese society.

Young people in America really think for themselves (have their own ideas). I really like that.

It’s good that young people think for themselves, but you still ought to consider what your parents say.

V   VW      W

• B: M. Na women shuōhao le, jīn-

nián shǔjià qù. Xianggang, xiàn-zài hái you wǔge yuède shíjiān kéyi zhǔribèi •

• A: Duì, jiù zhème ban! Jīnnián

xiàtiān wǒ jiù yào dào zhèige dìfang dà, rénkǒu duō, lìshǐ you chángde guojiā qu le. Hài! Zhèige jìhua zhēn ràng wo gāoxìng!

• B: Hǎo, jiù zhèiyang. Wǒ yīnggāi

zǒu le!

• A: Nǐ māng shenme! Hái zǎo ne!

• B: Bù zǎo le, huíqu hái dǒi niàn

shū ne!

• A: Nà, you shíjiān nǐ zài lái

wánr!

• B: Hǎo, míngtiān jiàn.

• A:     Míngtiān jiàn!

Mm. Well then we have decided. This summer vacation we’ll go to Hong Kong. We still have five months to prepare.

Right, that’s what we’ll do. This summer we will go to that country with a large area, a great population, and a long history. Boy, this plan really makes me happy.

Good, it’s settled. I have to go.

What’s the hurry? It’s still early!

No it isn’t. I still have to study when I get back.

Well then, come again when you have time!

Okay, see you tomorrow.

See you tomorrow.

Exercise 1

This exercise is a review of the Reference List sentences in this unit. The speaker will say a sentence in English, followed by a pause for you to translate it into Chinese. Then a second speaker will confirm your answer.

All sentences from the Reference List will occur only once. You may want to rewind the tape and practice this exercise several times.

Exercise 2

This exercise contains a conversation in which a Chinese mother and son, who have lived in the United States for five years, discuss the possibility of his taking a summer trip to China.

The conversation occurs only once, you’ll probably want to rewind the tape listen a second time.

Here are the new words and phrases conversation:

xīnshì

zhǎngdà

dàxuéshēng

gèguó

gāozhōng

hǎohāor

jìzhu

After listening to it completely, and answer the questions below as you

you will need to understand this

something weighing on one’s mind, worry

to grow up

college student

various countries

senior high school

properly, carefully, thoroughly

to remember

Questions for Exercise 2

Prepare your answers to these questions in Chinese so that you will be able to give them orally in class.

• 1. How does Xiao Ming’s mother know that something is on his mind? How does she bring up the subject?

• 2. What are his classmates doing over the summer?

• 3. Why does he think Asian culture is interesting?

H. How does Xiǎo Ming’s mother react to his idea?

5. What advice does she give?

After you have answered these questions yourself, you may want to take a look at the translation for this conversation. You may also want to listen to the dialogue again to help you practice saying your answers.

Note: The translations used in these dialogues are meant to indicate the English functional equivalents for the Chinese sentences rather than the literal meaning of the Chinese.

Exercise 3

In this conversation a Chinese student studying at a university in the U.S. comes home on a Friday night and finds his American roommate engrossed in his studies.

Listen to the conversation once straight through. Then, on the second time through, look below and answer the questions.

Here are the new words and phrases you will need to understand this conversation:

Questions for Exercise 3

Prepare your answers to these questions in Chinese so that you will be able to give them orally in class.

• 1. Why does the Chinese student object to his roommate studying the classics?

• 2. Why doesn’t the American student like to talk about politics?

• 3. What other subjects does the Chinese student feel his roommate should become familiar with for a well-rounded education?

• U. Does the American student agree? Why or why not?

5. What will the roommates do after the American student finishes his homework?

After you have answered these questions yourself, you may want to take a look at the translation for this conversation. You may also want to listen to the conversation to help you practice saying the answers which you have prepared.

Exercise U

In this exercise, an American university student visits her Chinese literature professor after class in his office.

Listen to the conversation straight through once. Then rewind the tape and listen again. On the second time through, answer the questions.

You will need the following new words and phrases:

jīdòng                            to get worked up, to be agitated

liùshi niándài                     the decade of the sixties

yī                                    as soon as

gǎibiàn                             change(s)

liúxia                            to leave

Questions for Exercise H

• 1. Why was Professor Tang so upset in class?

• 2. Why did the student visit her professor?

• 3. What things does she bring him? Why?

• H. What recent changes have there been in the state of Chinese literature?

• 5. What is Professor Tang’s attitude about the future?

After you have answered these questions yourself, you may want to take a look at the translation for this conversation. You may also want to listen to the conversation again to help you pronounce your answers correctly.

Dialogue and Translation for Exercise 2

A mother and her son who immigrated to America from China five years ago are talking after dinner:

• A: Xiao Ming, nǐ zài chī yidiǎnr      Xiao Ming, have some more to eat.

a.

• B: Mā, wǒ chībǎo le, bù xiang chǐ     I’m full, Mom. I don’t want any

le.                                      more.

• A: Měitiǎn niàn shū niànde zhème

wan, zài bu duo chī yidiǎnr, zěnme xíng na?

• B: Wǒ zhēnde chībǎo le, yidiǎnr

dōu bù xiǎng chī le.

• A: Háizi, nǐ you shenme xīnshì

Kě bu kéyi he wo tantan?

You study so late every day, if you keep eating so little, how will that do?

I’ve really had enough. I just don’t want any more.

Son, what do you have on your mind? Can you talk about it with me?

• B: Ma, nǐ zuòxia. Zanmen lai

Měiguo sìwǔniǎn le, lǎide shihou wo hái shi ge háizi, xiànzài yǐjīng shi dàren le. Wǒ suīrán zhǎngdà le, kěshi zuò shenme shir, háishi xiǎng xiān he nín tántan.

• A: Hǎode, you shenme shir, nǐ

jiù shuo ba!

• B: Mǎ, wǒ you jǐge Měiguo tong-

xue, dou shi xue Zhōngwénde, jīnnián shǔjià, tāmen xiǎng dào Yàzhōu qù kànkan, wǒ yě xiǎng he tǎmen yìqǐ qù.

• A: Dou shi niánqīng ren ma?

• B: Shi a, dōu shi dàxueshěng.

• A: Tāmen qù Yǎzhōu, shi qù wánr

háishi qù yánjiū Yǎzhōude zhèngzhi, wenhuà qíngxing?

• B: Wǒ xiǎng, tǎmen juéde Yàzhōu

wenhuà hěn you yìsi, Yàzhōu gèguo shèhuìde qíngkuàng yě hěn you yìsi.

Mom, sit down. We’ve been in America for four or five years now. When we came I was still a child, but now I’m an adult. But even though I’ve grown up, whenever I do something I still like to discuss it with you first.

Okay, if you have something you’d like to talk about, go ahead.

Mom, I have a few American classmates who study Chinese. This summer vacation, they want to go to Asia, and I’d like to go with them.

Are they all young people?

Yes, they’re all college students.

Are they going to Asia for fun or to study the political and cultural situation in Asia?

I think they find Asian culture and the social situation in the Asian countries very interesting.

• A: Tāmen juéde zuì you yìside         Which place do they think is the

dìfang shi nǎr a?                  most interesting?

• B: Dāngrán shi Zhōngguo!

• A: Nǐ líkǎi Zhōngguo zhī you

sìwǔnian, jiù xiǎng huíqu le?

• B: Wǒ láide shihou cài shàng

gāozhōng, duì Zhōngguo wénhuà dǒngdéde tài shǎo. Wǒ xiang wǒ yīnggāi huíqu kànkan.

• A: Zhōngguode wénhuà yǐjīng you

sìqiǎnniánde lìshǐ, you yìside dōngxi hen duō. Nǐ yào yánjiū Zhōngguo wénhuà, wǒ bù fǎnduì. Búguò, zǒu yǐqián, nǐ yídìng yào he Yéye hǎohāor tan yícì. Ta jǐshínián méiyou huíqu le, yídìng you hen duō huà yào he ni shuō.

China, of course!

You left China only four or five years ago, and already you want to go hack again?

When I came I was only in senior high, and I understood too little about Chinese culture. I think I ought to go back to visit.

Chinese culture already has four thousand years of history, and there are many interesting things. I’m not against your wanting to study Chinese culture. But before you go you have to talk it over thoroughly with Grandpa. He hasn’t been back in several decades and I’m sure he’ll have a lot to say to you.

• B: Wǒ jìzhu le, yídìng he Yeye        I’11 remember. I’ll make sure I

hǎohāor tanyitan.                   talk it over thoroughly with Grandpa.

Dialogue and Translation for Exercise 3

Two classmates, an American (B) and a Chinese (A), share an apartment somewhere in America. The American is at home studying Shǐ Jì, Records of the Historian, a classical history. His Chinese classmate comes in the door.

• A: Wǒde tiān na! Nǐ hai zài niàn My God! Are you still studying?

shū? Ai, he bēi píjiǔ xiūxi Hey, how about taking a break for xiuxi hǎo bu hǎo?                  a beer?

• B: Hǎo hǎo hǎo, ràng wo bǎ

zhèiyidiǎnr kànwán xíng bu xíng?

• A: Hài, nǐ zongshi kàn gūshū!

Xiànzài shèhuìde qíngxing, nǐ jiu yìdiǎnr dōu bu kǎolu ma?

• B: Shéi shuō wǒ bù kǎolu, xué-

shēnghuìde shi wǒ yě zuòle bù shǎo ma!

• A: Nǐ zhen you yìsi! Zuò

yidiǎnr xuéshěnghuìde shi jiu shi guǎnxīn shèhuì le!

Okay, okay, let me finish reading this little bit, okay?

Come on, you’re always reading classics! Don’t you ever think about the condition of today’s society?

Who says I don’t think about it. I’ve done a lot with the Student Association, you know!

You’re something else! Just doing a little work with the Student Association means you’re concerned about society!

• B: Nà nǐ shuō, wǒ yīnggāi zuò

diǎn shénme ne?

• A: Dàlùshang you name duō rén,

nǐ zenme hu. wènwen tāmende qíngxing zěnmeyàng?

• B: Wǒ juéde zhèngzhi wèntí tài

máfan, wǒ bù xiǎng tan zhèngzhi.

• A: Wǒ yě méiyou yào gēn nǐ tan

zhèngzhide yìsi. Wǒde yìsi shi, nǐ yánjiù ZhŌngguode shihou, yìfāngmiàn yào kànkan gǔshū, yánjiuyanJiu Zhōngguo chuántǒng wénhuà, yìfāngmiàn yě kéyi kànkan zhèi yìbǎiniánde Zhōngguo lìshǐ.

• B: Zhèiyidiǎn shi duìde. Zhèi

yìxuéqī wo bú shi you Zhōngguo jìndàishǐ kè ma?

A:     Wǒ xiǎng chúle shàng xué yǐwài,

nǐ hái kéyi kàn yidiǎnr xiǎo-shuōr.

B:     Kàn xiǎoshuōr?! Wǒ nǎr you

shíjiān kàn shenme xiǎoshuōr?

• A: Wǒ zuìjìn zài kàn jǐběnr

Zhōngguo jìndài xiǎoshuōr, fēi-cháng you yìsi. Nǐ rúguǒ xiǎng dǒngde Zhōngguo xiàndài shèhuì, zhēn děi duō kàn diǎnr zhèi-zhǒng xiǎoshuōr.

• B: Wo zěnme kéyi hé nǐ bǐ, nǐ

kànde nàme kuàiJ E, zhèiyang hǎo bu hǎo, nǐ kànwán yǐhòu gàosu wo něiyiběn hǎo yidiǎnr, wǒ zài kàn, xíng bu xíng?

• A: Hǎo hǎo hǎo, jiù zhèiyang ba!

Xiànzài wǒ bú zài máfan ni le. Ei, dui le, jintian wanshang zánmen chī shénme? Wǒ lái zuò yidiǎnr, hǎo bu hǎo?

• B: Bú bì zuò le, suíbiàn chī

diǎnr ba! Wǒ niànwán zhèiyi-diǎnr, zánmen chūqu chī pǐchá bǐng, hǎo bu hǎo?

Well then, what do you think I should do?

There are so many people on the mainland, how come you don’t try to find out what their situation is like?

I think that political problems are too much bother (tedious and involved). I don’t like to talk about politics.

I didn’t mean I wanted to talk politics with you. I mean that as you study China, on the one hand you should read the classics and study traditional Chinese culture, but on the other hand you can also read some Chinese history of the past hundred years.

You’re right about that. I have modern Chinese history class this semester, don’t I?

But I think that besides taking classes, you could read some fiction, too.

Read fiction?! When (lit. ’’where”) do I have time to read any fiction?

Lately I’ve been reading a few modern Chinese novels which are very interesting. If you want to understand modern Chinese society, you really have to read more of this kind of fiction.

How can I compare with you; you read so fast! Hey, how about this: after you’ve finished reading them, tell me which book is best and then I’ll read it, okay?

Okay, that’s what we’ll do. Now I’ll leave you alone. Oh yeah—what are we going to eat tonight? I’ll make something, okay?

You don’t have to make anything. Why don’t we just have something easy. After I finish reading this, how about going out and having a pizza?

A:     Hǎo! Nǐ kuài diǎnr niàn,

niànwán zánmen Jiu zǒu.

Okay! Hurry up and read, -we’ll leave

Dialogue and Translation for Exercise

At an American university, a student (A), who has studied in Taiwan, comes to see her professor from China, Professor Tang (B).°

• A: Tang Xiǎnsheng, wǒ kéyi            Professor (Teacher) Tang, may I come

Jinlai ma?

• B: Dǎngrán, qǐng Jinlai ha! You

shi ma?

• A: Mm, Jīntiān shàng kède shihou

nín dàgài hěn bu shūfu, wo lai kànkan nín.

• B: ōu! Hái dàile huār lai!

Xièxie ni.

• A: Mei shenme, yīnggǎide. Tang

Xiansheng, nín xiànzàide gǎnjué zěnmeyàng, hǎo yidiǎnr ma?

• B: Hǎoduǒ le, xièxie ni.

• A: You shenme wo kéyi gěi nín

zuòde...nín hie kèqi.

• B: Nǐ qù dào liǎngbēi kāfěi lai,

hǎo bu hǎo?

• A: Wo xiǎng, Jīntiān shàng kède

shihou nín tài Jǐdòng, xiànzài zuì hǎo bù he kāfěi.

• B: Hǎo ba, nǐ dào liǎngbēi Juzi-

shuǐ lai. Wo bú yào bǐng.

• A: Hǎode, wǒ Jiù lai.

(She gets the orange Juice out of the and brings it over to his desk.)

in?

Of course, please come in! Is there some matter (you want to see me about)?

Um, in class today, you must have felt very bad, so I’ve come to see you.

Oh! You even brought flowers! Thank you.

Not at all, it’s only proper. Dr. Tang, how do you feel now, better?

Much better, thank you.

If there’s anything I can do for you...don’t be polite.

How about going and pouring CusZ a couple of cups of coffee?

I think that during class today you got too worked up. It would be best if you didn’t have any coffee now.

Okay, then get us two glasses of orange Juice. I don’t want any ice.

Okay, I’ll be right back.

ìfrigerator in Professor Tang’s office

A:     Tang Xiansheng, you yíjù huà

■wǒ bù zhīdào keyi bu kéyi shuō.

• B: You shénme huà, nī jiù shuō

ba!

• A: Nín měicì jiǎng Zhōngguo

liùshi niándài wénxué dōu fēicháng jīdòng, zhèiyangr duì nínde shēntī bù hǎo!

• B: Wǒ yě zhīdao, kěshi yì tan

zhèi fāngmiànde wèntí, zǒngshi ràng wo hěn jīdòng.

• A: Zhōngguo wénxuéde qíngkuàng

zhèijíniǎn yǒule hěn dàde gǎibiàn. Yǒude shihou hǎo yidiǎnr, yǒude shihou bù zěnme hǎo.

• B: Zhōngguode shìqing jiù shi

zhèiyàng, hé zhèngzhide guānxi tài dà. Wǒ lǎo le, wǒ méi bànfǎ dong le.

• A: Nín shi wǒmende lǎoshī. Rūguǒ

nín bù dong, shéi dong ne?

• B: Èi, yīhòude yanjiū, jiù shi

nīmen nianqīng rénde shi le.

• A: Tang Xiansheng, nín bú yào

zhèiyangr xiǎng, women dōu xīwàng yǐhòu Zhōngguo wénxuéde qíngxing huì hǎo yidiǎnr. Jīntiǎn wǒ zài tūshūguǎn jièle jīběnr xīn shū, dōu shi bú cùòde. Gěi nín liūxia ba!

• B: Hǎo, you shíjiān wǒ kànyikan.

• A: Wǒ zǒu le, nín duō xiūxi

yihuǐr. Zàijiàn.

• B: Hǎo, zài jiàn. Xièxie nī

lai kàn wo.

A:     Bu kèqi.

Dr. Tang, there’s something I want to say but I don’t know if I can.

Whatever you have to say, just say it!

Every time you talk about Chinese literature of the sixties you get very agitated." That’s bad for your health!

I know, but as soon as I talk about the topic it always makes me very agitated.

There have been big changes in the state of Chinese literature in the past few years. Sometimes it’s been a little better and sometimes it hasn’t been too good.

That’s exactly the way things are in China; their relationship with politics is too great. I’m too old, T can’t understand it any more.

But you’re our teacher. If you don’t understand, who does?

(Sigh) In the future, research will be the job of you young people.

Dr. Tang, don’t think that way. All of us hope that the state of Chinese literature will get better in the future. I got a few new books out of the library today which are all pretty good. I’ll leave them with you!

Okay, I’ll look through them when I have time.

I’m going to leave now. You get some more rest. Good-bye.

All right, good-bye. Thanks for coming to see me.

You’re welcome.

Many authors of considerable fame and accomplishment were persecuted during the Cultural Revolution. One unfortunate instance of this resulted in Lǎo Shě’s suicide.

soc

UNIT 2

Equality of the Sexes

INTRODUCTION

Grammar Topics Covered in This Unit

• 1. The uses of hiéde, ’’other(s)” and lìngwài, ’’other.”

• 2. The pattern méi...jiù....

• 3. The pattern yuè...yuè..., "the more...the more....”

• 4. The pattern yuè lai yuè..., "more and more....’’

• 5. The verb ending -xiaqu, "to continue," "to go on."

• 6. The prepositional verb xiang, "like."

• 7. The adverb jiù, "as soon/early as that."

Functional Language Contained in This Unit

• 1. Asking a person’s views on an issue.

• 2. Being tactfully hesitant when asking about a delicate topic.

• 3. Correcting a false impression given by something you said.

• U. Dismissing an idea or proposal.

• 1. A: Zhèiběn Fǎwén zhōukān xiāngdāng bú cuò!

B: A! Nǐ xiànzài duì Fǎwén hěn you yánjiū le, néng kàn Fǎwén zázhì le!

This French weekly is quite good!

Oh! You know a lot about French now you can read French magazines!

• 2. A: Nannū píngděng shi bu shi Zhōngguo rénde kànfǎ?

B: Shi, kěshi nèi shi Zhōngguo rénde xīn guānniàn, bú shi lǎo guānniàn.

Is equality between men and women a Chinese viewpoint?

Yes, but that’s a new concept of the Chinese, not an old one.

• 3. A: Zhèipiān wénzhāng bù hǎo ma?

• B: Bú shi zhèige yìsi. Wénzhāng bú cuo, jiù shi chángle yidiǎnr.

B: Nǐ hai you shénme biéde wénzhāng ma?

Isn’t this article any good?

That wasn’t what I meant. The article is pretty good, it’s just that it’s a bit long.

Do you have any other articles?

U. A: Nǐ jiēhūn yǐqiān yìzhí dōu gēn fùmù yìqǐ zhù ma?

B: Bú shi, wǒ méi jiēhūn jiu líkāi jiā dúlì shēnghuole qī-bā nián.

5- A: Nǐ kàn, zhèr you yìpiān guānyú tongj ūde xǐnwén.

• B: Suànle ba. Zhèizhǒng xǐnwén you shénme yìsi?

Before you got married did you live with your parents all along?

No, I left home before I got married and lived independently for seven or eight years.

Look, here’s a news article about ’’living together."

Forget it. What’s interesting about that kind of news?

• 6. A: Nǐ jiějie yǐxué fāngmiànde shū yuè lai yuè duō le!

B: Shi a, tā zài pǐnmìng xué yǐ ne.

Your sister is getting more and more medical books!

Yes, she’s studying medicine with all her energy.

• 7. A: Liú Xiānshengde kè shizài méi yìsi.

B: Nǐ tǐngxiaqu, mànmānr huì you xìngqude.

• 8. A: Xiàng Wang Jiàoshòu zhèi-yangde lǎoshī zhěnshi bù duo.

• B: Nǐ shuoduì le. Rúguǒ bú shi tā bāngzhu -wo, wo zhěn bù xiǎng xué le.

• 9- A: Sǎnnián yǐqián wǒ jiu bú kào fùmú shěnghuó le.

• B: Nǐ neng zìjǐ guan zìjǐ, zhěn bú cuò.

Mr. Liú’s class is really boring.

If you keep attending it, gradually you’ll become interested.

There really aren’t many teachers like Professor Wang.

You’re right. If it weren’t for the help he’s given me, I wouldn’t want to study anymore.

I stopped depending on my parents for a living three years ago.

It’s really great that you can take care of yourself Ebe your own boss!.

• 10. A: Tā xiěde jǐběn xiǎoshuō xiànzài dōu hěn liúxíng.

B: Nà dāngran, xiàng tā nèiyang you dìwei you zhǐshide rén, xiěde xiǎoshuō yídìng you yìsi.

The novels he wrote are all very popular now.

Of course. Novels written by someone with his position and knowledge are sure to be interesting.

ADDITIONAL REQUIRED VOCABULARY

• 11. you bāngzhu

• 12. you dàolǐ

• 13. zìyōu

11. -bèizi

15. Xǐnwěn Zhōukān

16. fùnú

(resultative ending which indicates continuing an action)

interest

news

Newsweek

to study medicine

medical science, medicine (used in phrases like xué yī)

medical science, medicine

all along, continuously, all the time (up until a certain point)

to he helpful

to make sense

to he interested

to have done research on; to know a lot about

the more...the more...

more and more..., increasingly...

knowledge

weekly publication, weekly magazine, a "weekly”

freedom; to be free

Unit 2, Reference Notes

Notes on No. 1

zhōukān: ’’weekly publication, weekly magazine” One of the meanings for zhōu is ’’week.” (Other meanings include ’’cycle, circuit.”) Kān is a word element meaning ”to print, to publish" or "a periodical, a publication." Notice that this is a different word from the falling-tone kàn "to read." Some other words using these syllables (which you will often hear, but need not learn now) are:

xiāngdāng: "quite, pretty," as in "quite a lot" or "pretty good." This word is not quite as positive as zhēn "really, truly," but more so than hái, "fairly, rather" (which will be presented in Unit U).

Tā chǎode cài xiāngdāng hǎo chī. He cooks pretty well.

Zheige zhǎnlǎnguǎn xiāngdāng This exhibition hall is quite good, bú cuò.

you yánjiū: "to have done research on, to know a lot about, to be expert on, to be knowledgeable about." You have often seen you used with a noun, such as ming, "name," or qián, "money," to form a phrase which acts like an adjectival verb. You míng is "to be famous," you qián is "to be rich." You yánjiū is just such a phrase.

As shown in sentence IB, to say "knowledgeable ABOUT" something, use the prepositional verb duì, "towards, with regard to," as in:

"to know a lot about (something)"

le: The marker le is used twice in the sentence above to show a new situation. This person’s French seems to have improved because NOW he knows a lot about French and can read magazines.

2. A: Nánnu píngděng shi bu shi Is equality between men and women Zhōngguo rénde kànfǎ?          a Chinese viewpoint?

B: Shi, kěshi nèi shi Zhōngguo Yes, but that’s a new concept of the rénde xīn guānniàn, bú         Chinese, not an old one.

shi lǎo guānniàn.

Notes on No. 2

nánnu: ’’male and female,” used only for humans.’

Nannúde shiqing zui nan shuō. Matters between men and women are the hardest to judge.

Women xuéxiào nánnu xuéshēng There are both men and women students dōu you.                            at our school.

Nán and nú ma^r modify nouns referring to people, e.g., nuxuéshēng, ’’woman student, ” nutōngzhì, ’’woman comrade. ’’

• A: Chen Yīngmíng dào nǎr qu le? Where did Chen Yīngmíng go?

• B: Tā he yíge tongxué chūqu le. He went out with a classmate.

• A: Shi nántōngxué shi              Was it a male classmate or a female

nutōngxué?                       classmate?

Nánde and nude are sometimes used for ’’man" and "woman," but when used to refer to an individual (e.g., nèige nánde) they are rather impolite. When used for "men" and "women" in general or to distinguish between the sexes, they are, however, acceptable.

nánnu píngděng: "equality of the sexes," literally "man-woman equality." The marriage law of May 1, 1950, established a policy in the PRC which has

’For animals, "male" is gōng(de) and "female" is mǔ(de), e.g., gōngniú, "bull," mǔniú, "cow."

Some people say that after an opera' tion one shouldn’t eat rooster; one should eat hen.

remained, basically the same up to the present day. It forbade bigamy, polygamy , and the traditional practice of adopting a young girl for the purpose of later marrying her to one’s son. It also fixed a minimum age for marriage, urged the acceptance of remarriage of widows, allowed divorce by mutual consent, and gave women the choice not to take their husband’s surname at marriage. Today, although traditional attitudes toward women and marriage persist especially in rural China, official policy has made some tangible inroads toward the goal of equality. Most importantly, men and woman are regarded as equal under the law. They receive the same schooling. They must receive equal compensation for equal work. (it is expected, however, that women doing heavy physical work are not as strong or productive as men, and so their pay will be correspondingly lower.) In addition, the leadership of communes, production teams, and unions must include special women personnel who represent the interests of women in matters of politics, finance, work, and personal relations.

píngděng: This word is both a noun and a verb: "to be equal; equality"

Cóngqián zài Zhōngguo nánnū bù Formerly men and women were unequal píngděng, xiànzài bù tong le. in China. Now it is different.

Měiguo^rén gēn Zhōngguo rén duì Americans and Chinese don’t have nánnù píngděngde guānniàn bú all that similar an idea of tài yíyàng.                         equality of the sexes.

guānniàn: "way of thought, concept; sense (of), mentality (of)" This is a way of thinking about the larger issues of life, the way "things"

(values, responsibilities, and so on) should be.  One guānniàn is only part

of a whole system of attitudes, thoughts and beliefs. In given contexts, you can sometimes translate it as an "idea" held by a person or group (but it

does not mean "idea" as in "I have a good idea" ("this would be zhúyìZI).  In a

society, ways of thinking come and go; people have a mixture of xīn guānniàn, "new ways of thought, new ideas," and lǎo guānniàn, "old ways of thought, old ideas." Ways of thinking which are no longer current are called jiù guānniàn, "outmoded ways of thinking." For instance, equality of the sexes is a xīn guānniàn; the idea that arranged marriages are superior to marriages of free choice is a lǎo guānniàn; the idea of child brides as acceptable and practical is a jiù guānniàn. Some guānniàn are considered "correct" and "good" by the majority, and some are considered "incorrect" and "bad." Jiātíng guānniàn, "a sense of family," is usually considered good. "Bad" concepts have names too Cfor example, sīyǒu guānniàn, "sense of personal ownership"]. People are sometimes criticized because their such-and-such guānniàn is too weak or too strong, and they are told accordingly either to strengthen it or get rid of it.

Měiguo rénde guānniàn gēn          Sometimes the American way of thinking

Zhōngguo rénde guānniàn yōude and the Chinese way is the same, yíyàng, yōude bù yíyàng.           sometimes not.

’other "good" concepts containing words that haven’t been presented yet are dàodé guānniàn, "sense of morality," zùzhī guānniàn, "sense of organization," and zhengcè guānniàn, "sense of official policy."

Notes on No. 3

-piān: This is a counter. First, -piān is the counter for whole short pieces of writing, such as articles or essays. Second, -piān can count single sheets of paper with writing or printing on them (compare yìzhāng zhǐ which is a sheet of paper without regard to what is on it). Third, -piān(r) by itself means a leaf of a book; that is, yìpiān(r) equals both sides of one page.

wénzhāng: (1) ’’a writing, literary composition, article, essay" (counter: -piān); (2) "prose style," as in

Tāde wénzhāng bù cuò.              His (prose) writing is very good.

Bù shi zhèige yìsi: "That wasn’t what I meant," or more literally, "Not that meaning (the one you just said)."

jiù shi...: Jiù here means "merely, only, just."

chángle yidiǎnr: "a little bit too long." The marker le following an adjectival verb, such as "to be long" can mean either: 1) new situation, the article is now a bit long, or 2) excessive degree, the article is a bit too long. You’ve seen the second meaning in sentences such as Tài hǎo le, "That’s wonderful!" Sentence 3B tells you that the speaker feels the article is overly long.

biéde: "other, others" Distinguish in Chinese between biéde, "others in general," and lìngwài, "another" or "the other." Use biéde when you are not specifying "which others." Use lìngwài + Number + Counter when you refer to a certain "other" or certain "others." Contrast this pair of sentences: °wǎnliàn wǎnhūn: "late involvement and late marriage" This refers to waiting until young people are in their late twenties before they become romantically involved or think of marriage.

'“’biàncheng: "to change into" (SOC Unit 3)

wo dào Xiǎnggǎng qù yīwài, hiéde rén dōu dào Táiwān qù. to Hong Kong; all the others are going to Taiwan. (UNSPECIFIED— ANY AND ALL OTHERS IN THE GROUP)

Tā hái yào biéde.                   He wants more of them.

Tā hái zuòle biéde cài.            He made other dishes as well.

Nǐ hái zhīdao biéde hǎo fànguǎnr Do you know any other good restaurants? ma?

shénme; "any" The meaning of shénme is changed from "what" to "any" by the question word ma at the end of the sentence. (Without ma, the sentence would mean, "What other articles do you have?")

Nǐ yào shénme?                     What do you want?

Nǐ yào shénme ma?                  Do you want anything?

Nǐ dōu zhīdao shénme hǎo fàn- What good restaurants do you know? guǎnr?

Nǐ zhīdao shénme hǎo fàn-          Do you know of any good restaurants?

guǎnr ma?

U. A: Nǐ jiēhūn yǐqián yìzhí dōu Before you got married did you gēn fùmǔ yìqǐ zhù ma?          live with your parents all along?

• B: Bu shi, wǒ méi jiēhūn jiu No, I left home before I got married líkāi jiā dūlì shēnghuōle and lived independently for seven qī-bā nián.                     or eight years.

Notes on No. U

jiéhūn: "to get married" Also pronounced jiēhūn. Jiēhūn is a process verb, not a state verb. It is often seen with an aspect marker such as le, or negated with méi.

Tāmen jiéhūnle méiyou?             Have they gotten married yet? (This

is the equivalent of "Are they married?")

Tāmen méi jiéhūn.                   They have not gotten married. (Equi

valent to "They are not married.")

Tāmen bù jiéhūn.                    They are not going to get married.

Nǐ Jiéhūn duo jiū le?              Have long have you been married?

Jiéhūn is a verb-object compound, literally meaning "to knot marriage." Jié and hūn can be separated by aspect markers, such as -de or -guo.

Nǐ shi shénme shihou jiéde hūn? When did you get married? or Nǐ shi shénme shihou jiéhūnde?

Liu Xiānsheng jiéguo sāncì hūn. Mr. Liu has been married three times.

To say ’’get married TO SOMEONE” use the pattern gēn...jiéhūn or he...jiéhūn.

Tā gēn shéi jiéhūn le?             To -whom did he get married?

yìzhí: "all along, continuously, always" You have seen yìzhí, "straight," used to refer to direction, as in yìzhí zǒu. Here yìzhí is used to refer to time.

Women yìzhí zài zhèli gōngzuò. We’ve always worked here.

Tā yìzhí zài Táidà niàn shū.       He studied all along at Taiwan

University.

Yìzhí can he used with reference to a phrase telling of a period of time (sānniān, "three years,’’ or jiéhūn yǐqiān, "before getting married") to say "all during (that time)."

Yū yìzhí xiàle sāntiān.            It rained for three days straight.

Often the time phrase and yizhí are followed by dou.

Tā wǔtiān yìzhí dōu méi xiūxi. He didn’t rest for five days on end.

wǒ méi jiēhūn jiu líkāi jiā...; This might look like "I didn’t get married and left home," but is actually "when I wasn’t yet married, I already left home." The order of events is made explicit by méi... (hadn’t yet...) and jiù... (already...).

Měiguo shi yīqīqīliùniān dūlìde. America became independent in 1776.

• 5. A: Nǐ kàn, zhěr you yìpiān        Look, here’s a news article on

guānyu. tóngjūde xǐnwén.        "living together."

• B: Suànle ha. Zhèizhǒng          Forget it. What’s interesting about

xǐnwén you shénme yìsi?        that kind of news?

Notes on No. $

tóngjū: "to live together, to cohabit" Jū is a literary word for "to live." Although some dictionaries define tóngjū simply as "to live together," giving examples such as an uncle and nephew living together, tóngjū almost always implies sexual relations. It may even be used to describe romances of shorter durations, whether or not a household was set up. You’ll notice that in some dialogues in this unit, the speakers prefer the phrase nánnù tóngjū in order to be explicit.

xǐnwén: "news" This is the word for "news" as in "the evening news," "the news in the paper today," "official news." It is not the word for news between friends, unless one is joking about the importance of what is about to be said. EThe word for news between people is xiāoxi, "tidings," (MBD, Unit 5) which has a second meaning of "official news."!

Nǐ kàn diànshi xǐnwén le ma?       Did you see the television news?

Jīntiān bàoshangde xǐnwén hěn      The news in the paper today is very

you yìsi, yīnggāi hǎohāor          interesting; you should read it

kànkan.                             carefully.

“According to those pandas who answered our surveys.

suǎn le: "Forget it." Suǎn is the verb "to calculate, to figure, to compute." The idiom suǎn le is translated as "let it be," "let it pass," "drop the matter," "let it go at that."

Suǎn le, bú yǎo zǎi wen tā le. Forget it, don’t ask him about it any more.

Rǎng tā zìjǐ bǎn, jiù suǎn le. Let him do it himself, and the heck with it.

nǐ jiějie yīxué fāngmiǎnde shū: "your sister’s medical books" To say just "your sister’s books" you put a -de on jiějie: Nǐ jiějiede shū. But -de is not used after jiějie in 6a. This is because of the modifying phrase yīxué fāngmiǎnde, which ends in -de. To have two -de phrases in a row before a noun is often considered stylistically bad; the way to get around it is to keep only the last -de. Other examples:

Zhōu Xiānsheng E-deJ tǎitai -de péngyou

yuè lai yuè duō le: "more and more..." The pattern yuè...yuè... is used to express the idea "the more...the more..." Fill in the blanks with verbs (state or action).

| yuè duō | yuè hǎo |

"the more the better"

yue kan | yue bu dong

"the more one reads, the

more confused one gets"

When the verb lai is used in the first blank of this pattern, the whole phrase expresses the idea of "increasingly..." or ”...-er and ...-er":

| yuè lai | yuè gāo | "to become taller and taller"

Huang Tàitaide nùér yuè lai yuè Mrs. Huang’s daughter is getting piàoliang le.                       prettier all the time.

Dōngxi yuè lai yuè guì le.         Things are getting more and more

expensive.

zài: Zài is the marker of ongoing action which you learned in the Meeting module, Unit 2: Tā xiànzài zài kāi huì, "She is attending a meeting now." Note that zài is used in sentence 6b even though the action of studying is not necessarily going on at this very second, but only at intervals. She might not be studying right when this sentence is said, but she still is going to medical school. Likewise, if you are in the middle of a novel, you can say Wǒ zài kàn yiběn xiǎoshuō even if you have put it aside for a day or two.

zài...ne: Sentences with zài, the marker of ongoing action, often end in ne, the marker of absence of change or lack of completion. (See Unit 2 of the Transportation module and Unit U of this module.)

pǐnmìng: "exerting the utmost strength, with all one’s might, for all one is worth, desperately, like mad" Pǐnmìng means literally "to risk one’s life" or "to defy death." One translation which captures the spirit of pǐnmìng is "knocking oneself out."

There’s too much to do. She’s working like mad and still won’t be able to finish.

If you keep attending it, gradually you’ll become interested.

Notes On No. 7

shízài: ’’really, indeed, honestly; to be true, to be real” This is an adjectival verb which is most often used as an adverb meaning ’’really, actually.”

Shízài can also be used in speaking of people; when so used it carries the connotation of dependability.

He is very sincere and dependable.

méi yìsi: This phrase, meaning literally ’’has no meaning,” has an abundance of uses: (1) uninteresting, boring; (2) pointless, meaningless; (3) to be a drag; (U) without value, not worthy of respect, cheap.

He doesn’t understand. It’s pointless to try to explain it any more.

"lǎoshu: ”rat” (LIC 2)    °°yònggōng: "to be industrious” (SOC 3)

Tā bú zài, zánmen qù yě méi yìsi, Since he’s not there, it -would be shénme dou bù néng zuò.            pointless for us to go. We wouldn’t

be able to do anything.

(3) Tā zài Měiguo, tā àiren zài        He’s in America and his love is in

Déguo, zhēn méi yìsi.              Germany. What a drag!

(U) Zài tā bèihòu° shuō zhèiyangrde Talking like that behind her back huà, zhēn méi yìsi!                 is really low.

tīngxiaqu: "to go on listening" You’ve seen the action verb ting, "to listen" and the directional ending -xiàqu "to go down" before. Here xiàqu is not used as a directional ending, but rather a resultative ending ’’to continue, to go on." As a resultative verb, tīngxiaqu may take de and bu as middle syllables to make verbs which say "can*' and ’’cannot."

xiàng: "to be similar to, to resemble" Xiàng may be used as a full bèihòu: "behind the back"

verb or as a prepositional verb. Here it is a full verb:

Tā xiàng fùqin, "bu xiàng mǔqin. He resembles his father, not his mother.

As a prepositional verb, xiàng is used in making comparisons. Notice the similarity of the word order between comparison sentences with xiàng and those with you and gēn.

Tā xiàng tā gēge nàme cōngming. She’s as intelligent as her brother.

Nǐ you tā nàme gāo.                 You’re as tall as he is.

Nǐ gēn tā yíyàng gāo.              You’re the same height as he.

Comparison sentences with xiàng must have either yíyàng, zhème (zenme), or nàme before the main verb. Xiàng makes rather imprecise comparisons; its original meaning is, after all, "resemble” or "like," not exact equality.⁰

You hold chopsticks like I do. (It’s) as beautiful as a painting. The weather the past couple of days has been as nice as spring.

Her eyes are as blue as sea water.

The negative bù comes before the prepositional verb xiàng.

Tā bú xiàng tā mèimei nàme         He’s not as intelligent as his

cōngming.                           little sister.

Nèi shihou shēnghuó bú xiàng Life was not as good then as it xiànzài zhème hāo.                  is now.

Xiàng...zhèiyang: Zhèiyang(r) or něiyang(r) are sometimes used after a noun or pronoun in phrases with xiàng, for example:

xiàng tā zhèiyangde rén            people like him (lit., "like him this

kind of people")

xiàng Wang Jiàoshèu zhèiyangde teachers like Professor Wang (lit., lāoshī                             "like Professor Wang this kind of

teachers")

^uYǒu, as used in the second example above, can be thought of as meaning "comes up to (a certain level)." Gēn, which is usually used with yíyàng as in the example just cited, connotes exact comparison, so when your sentence compares concrete, measurable qualities like height or weight, it is usually better to use ...gēn...yíyàng.... For example, Nǐ gēn tā yíyàng gāo states explicitly that you are the same height as he, so it would be inappropriate to use xiàng there.

In such sentences, the zhèiyang(r) or nèiyang(r) are hard to translate into smooth Engli sh: It is usually "best to leave those words out of the translation.

Notes on No. 9

jiù: The adverh jiù is often used after expressions of time, and stresses that the time when the event happens is comparatively prompt, soon, or early. The English translations may vary; this use of jiù has the flavor of "as soon as that" or "as early as that," hut it can also he conveyed in English simply hy putting extra stress on the time expression. For example, "He’s coming TODAY!" (Tā jīntiān jiu lai le!). When used this way, jiù is always unstressed or neutral tone.

As in sentence 9A, new-situation le is often (hut not always) used at the end of a sentence in connection with the adverh jiù.

kào: This verh has several commonly used meanings: (1) to lean against, to lay hack on, (2) to depend/rely on, and (3) to he near/next to.

Bié kào chēmén.                     Don’t lean against the door of the

car.

Wǒde Yīngwén hù hǎo, xiě           Jfy English isn’t good. When I write

wénzhāng wānquān kào zìdiǎn.       essays, I depend completely on a

dictionary.

Wǒ bù guǎn, suíbiàn nǐ.            I don’t care. Whatever you like.

The ending -zhào, "succeed (in connecting with or touching)," can also be used with guǎn. Guǎnbuzháo means "can be no concern of..., to be none of one’s business."

Zhèi shi women zìjǐde shi,         This is our own affair; it’s none

nǐmen guǎnbuzháo.                   of your business.

The colloquial Guǎn ta (ne).* expresses brusque dismissal: "Who cares about him!" or "Who cares about that!"

zìjǐ...zìjǐ: "oneself" Use the pronoun wǒ for "I, me, my, mine," but use zìjǐ or wǒ zìjǐ for "myself." Depending on the context, zìjǐ can mean "myself, yourself, him/herself, ourselves, themselves." Sometimes zìjǐ is used twice in the same clause, as in sentence 9B.

I don’t like myself. (as said by a confused teenager)

chuáng: "bed"

kǎoshì: "test, exam; testing"

°zhàogu: "to take care of, to care for" (Society, Unit 5) piàn: "to fool, to deceive"

dìwei: ’’position, place or status (in an organization or society)”

you zhīshi: ”to he knowledgeable,” literally ”to have knowledge" you dàolǐ: "to make sense," literally "to have reason" you hāngzhu: "to he helpful," literally "to have help"

Here you see three more examples of how you, "to exist, to have," and a noun can he used to make an adjectival verh. Sometimes the meaning of the resulting phrase is more than just the sum of its parts. You xìngqu is "to he interested (in something)," while you yìsi is "to he interesting." Here are some of the others you have already learned.

you guānxi     to he related to you míng       to he famous

you yánjiū    to he expert        you yòng       to he useful

13.  zìyóu                               to he free; freedom

ill.  -hèizi                               all one’s life, lifetime

15.  Xǐnwén Zhōukān                     Newsweek

16.  fùnù.                                woman; women, womankind

Notes on Nos. 13 through 16

-hèizi: This word is usually used with yī-, as in

Wǒ gōngzuòle yíhèizi, xiànzài I’ve worked all my life and am now

fùnu: In Taiwan, a fùnù is generally a married woman, hut in PRC usage the word has no connotations about marital status. Fùnù is also used in a collective sense, "women" or "womankind."

Unit 2, Tape 1, Review Dialogue

At the entrance to Lauinger Library at Georgetown University, Lǐ Ping (B) encounters Tom (A).

°tímu, "subject, topic" (see Unit 5)

°The reason Lǐ Ping is being so careful here is that he knows Tom and his girlfriend are living together.

wèntí. Erqiě women dōu yuànyi zài jiēhūn yǐqián qīngchùde zhīdao zìjǐ xīhuande nèige rén shi yíge shénmeyàngrde rén. Zhèi yě xūyào shíjiān.

B:     Kěshi you rén huì juéde

nǐmen zhèiyang zuò shi yīnwei nīmen juéde tongjū hi jiēhūn zìyóu.

• A: You rén zhème shuō, kěshi wǒ

xiǎng tāmen méi dong wǒmende zìyóu shi shénme.

• B: Shi shénme ne?

• A: Měiguo rén juéde zìjǐ kéyi

jìhua zìjǐde shēnghuó shi zuì zhòngyàode zìyóu. Ruguo Měiguo méiyou zhèizhǒng zìyóu, jiù hú huì you name duō rén xiǎng lai Měiguo le, nǐ shuō wǒ shuōde duì hu dui?

• B: Nǐ shuōde you diǎnr dàoli.

Ou . . . Wǒ hái wangle wèn ni, jīnnián xiàtiān, nǐde nupéngyou néng péi ni dào Xianggang qu ma?

• A: Bù xíng. Tā jìhua dào Déguo

qu niàn shū. Shǔjiàde shihou tā yào zài Déguo zhù sānge yuè, nà duì tāde Déwén yídìng hěn you hangzhu.

• B: Duì.

• A: Zěnmeyàng, nǐ duì Xīnwén Zhōu

kān zhèipiān wénzhāng hái you shénme hiéde kànfǎ ma?

• B: Kànfǎ you. Zhèige tímu hěn

dà, women yǐhòu mànmàn zài tán.

that problem first. What’s more, we each want to have a clear idea of of what kind of person the other is before we get married. And that takes time.

But some people will think you are doing this because you feel that living together is freer than marriage.

Some people say that, but I don’t think they have understood what our freedom is.

What is it, then?

Americans feel that to be able to plan their own life is the most important freedom. If America didn’t have that kind of freedom, there wouldn’t be so many people who want to come here. Don’t you think I’m right?

There’s something to what you say. Oh ... I forgot to ask you something else: Will your girlfriend be able to come with you to Hong Kong this summer?

No. She’s planning to go to school in Germany. During summer vacation she's going to live in Germany for three months. I’m sure that will help her German a lot.

That’s right.

So what about it, do you have any other opinions about that article in Newsweek?

Yes, I have other opinions about it. But it’s a big topic. We can talk all about it later.

A:     Hǎo, yǐhòu zài tán.

Okay, we’ll talk about it later.

Unit 2, Tape 2 Workbook

Exercise 1

This exercise is a review of the Reference List sentences in this unit. The speaker will say a sentence in English, followed by a pause for you to translate it into Chinese. Then a second speaker will confirm your answer.

All sentences from the Reference List will occur only once. You may want to rewind the tape and practice this exercise several times.

Exercise 2

This exercise ia a conversation in which a young man in Beijing talks with a middle-aged man about a problem.

The conversation occurs only once. After listening to it completely, you’ll probably want to rewind the tape and answer the questions below as you listen a second time.

Here are the new words and phrases you will need to understand this conversation:

húshuō                              to talk nonsense; drivel

xiǎngbuchū                          can’t think up, can’t come up with

Xiao Lin tamen                     Xiǎo Lin and the others

shēnqǐng                            to apply for

Questions for Exercise 2

Prepare your answers to these questions in Chinese so that you will be able to give them orally in class.

• 1. Propose a reason why Xiǎo Míngzi is no longer in school. (Hint: What are his other friends doing? What is the policy emphasis in China on careers for youth?)

• 2. Is Xiǎo Míngzi looking for a job? Why or why not?

• 3. What kind of job does his middle-aged friend suggest?

• 4. To whom must Xiǎo Míngzi apply before he goes out to take pictures?

After you have answered these questions yourself, you may want to take a look at the translation for this conversation. You may also want to listen to the dialogue again to help you practice saying your answers.

Note: The translations used in these dialogues are meant to indicate the English functional equivalents for the Chinese sentences rather than the literal meaning of the Chinese.

Exercise 3

In this conversation a grandmother and her granddaughter discuss sexual equality and changes in morality in new China.

Listen to the conversation once straight through. Then, on the second time through, look below and answer the questions.

Here are the new words and phrases you will need to understand this conversation:

That goes without saying

How great that is!

to be strange

China Youth (a periodical) afterwards

morality, morals, ethics

Questions for Exercise 3

Prepare your answers to these questions in Chinese so that you will be able to give them orally in class.

• 1. What was the status of women before liberation?

• 2. What did the granddaughter read about in the latest issue of China Youth?

• 3. What is her grandmother’s reaction?

U. What things does a "sense of morality" probably include for the grandmother?

After you have answered these questions yourself, you may want to take a look at the translation for this conversation. You may also want to listen to the conversation to help you practice saying the answers which you have prepared.

Exercise 1

In this exercise, as a mother and son finish dinner, they discuss his future.

Listen to the conversation straight through once. Then rewind the tape and listen again. On the second time through, answer the questions.

You will need the following new words and phrases:

Questions for Exercise k

• 1. What is Xiao Lin’s mother’s major concern about his future?

• 2. Why doesn’t he want to go to college anymore?

• 3. Who does Xiǎo Lin use as an example of why a college education is useless?

• U. What is his mother’s position on the advantages of college education in Hong Kong?

5. Does Xiǎo Lin’s mother act as an advisor or does she expect her son to obey her wishes on this matter?

After you have answered these questions yourself, you may want to take a look at the translation for this conversation. You may also want to listen to the conversation again to help you pronounce your answers correctly.

Dialogue and Translation for Exercise 2

Conversation "between a middle-aged man (A) and a young man (B) in Beijing.

B:      Bú huì.                                No.

°Work is assigned, so getting a joh is not a matter of personal initiative. Work assignment is done hy the work assignment committee of the city district under coordination of the citywide office.

°"Teachers, while not directly involved in the assignment of work, can he influential in the process. There is a group of teachers in each high school or university who make specific recommendations to city offices which decide whether a student finds work ;in the city or is sent to the country.

Dialogue and Translation for Exercise 3

Conversation between a grandmother Bǎijǐng.

• A: Nǎinai, nín shuō, xín Zhōngguo,

nánnu píngděng, fùnude dìwei gāoduō le, duì bu dui?

• B: Nà hái yòng shuō. Wgmen

niánqīngde shihou, fùnú zài jiāli, zài shèhuìshang dōu méiyou shenme dìwei, zhǐ you hěn shǎode núháizi you jǐhui niàn shū. Bu xiàng nǐmen, gēn nánháizi yíyàng, niàn shū, zuò shi, duo hǎo!

A:     Nǎinai, nà nǐ shuō, tóngjū

zhèijiàn shir shi bu shi duì fùnù bù hǎo?

(B) and her granddaughter (A) in

Grandma, don’t you think that in new China, with equality of the sexes the status of women is much higher?

That goes without saying. When we were young, women didn’t have much status in the family or in society. Only a very few girls had a chance to study. It wasn’t like the way it is for you, who study and work just the same as boys. How great that is!

Then what do you think, Grandma, is cohabitation a bad thing for women?

B:     Hǎo. Nín yào he chá ma? Wǒ

qù dào.

A:     Dǒng yíxià, ràng wo kànkan,

nǐde màoyī shi hu shi pò le? Míngtiān wo dǒi qù gǒi ni mǎi jiàn xīnde.

B:     Mā, wǒ hú yào xīnde, zhèijiàn

hai kéyi chuān ne.

Do you want to drink some tea? I’ll go pour it.

Wait a second, let me see, is your sweater torn? Tomorrow I’ll have to go huy you a new one.

Mom, I don’t want a new one. I can still wear this one.

A:     Tiān lǒng le, nǐ xūyào yíjiàn

xīn maoyī, wǒ huì gǒi ni yùhei-hǎo. Míngnián nī shàng dàxuéde shihou, wǒ huì duō gǒi ni yùhei jǐjiàn xīn yīfu.

B:     Bú yǒng le, wǒ hù xiǎng shàng

dàxué le.

A:     Wǒishénme? Nī hú shi yào

xué yī ma?

B:     Bù shǎo rén shuō hú shàng

dàxué yǒ kéyi gōngzuò, yǒ yíyàng kéyi shēnghuo. Wèishénme yídìng yào shàng dàxué ne?

• A: Zhǒizhǒng huà xiànzài hǒn

liúxíng, kǒshi wǒ xiǎng zhè huà hú tài duì.

• B: Wǒishénme? Youde rén zài

dàxuéli pīnmìng niàn shū, xiàng women jiā duìmiànde Zhōu Xian-sheng, duì shùxué nàme you yan-jiū, déle shuoshi, hoshì, hai hu shi zhǎohudào gōngzuò!

• A: Zhōu Xianshengde qíngxing

gēn hiérén hù tong, suírǎn tā xiāngdāng you zhīshi, kǒshi tā hù xīhuande gōngzuò tā jiu hú zuò, nà dāngrān hù róngyi zhǎo-dào gōngzuò.

• B: Duì le, tā hù xǐhuan zuò

lǎoshī, tā jiù xǐhuan xiǒ wénzhāng, zài Zhōngxuéshēng zhōu-kānshang wǒ hái kànjianguo tāde wénzhāng ne!

The weather’s getting cold, you need a new sweater. I’ll get one ready for you. Next year when you go to college I’ll get a few more new things ready for you to wear.

You don’t need to, I don’t want to go to college anymore.

Why not? Don’t you want to study medicine?

A lot of people say that you can work and live just the same without going to college. Why is it necessary to go to college?

This kind of talk is very popular these days, hut I don’t think it’s very true.

Why not? Some people study like mad at a university, like Mr. Zhōu who lives across from us; he’s such an expert in mathematics, he’s got a Master’s degree and a Ph.D., and isn’t he still unahle to find a joh!

Mr. Zhou’s situation is different from other people’s. Although he is quite knowledgeable, he won’t take a joh he doesn’t like. So of course it isn’t easy for him to find a joh.

Right. He doesn’t like to he a teacher, he just likes to write articles. I’ve even seen his articles in the weekly High School Student!

• A: Tāde wénzhāng hǎo hu hǎo?          Are his articles good.?

• B: Hǎo, kěshi hù róngyì dong,         Yes, hut they’re not easy to

zhōngxuéshēng kàn zhèiyangde       understand. They're too hard for

wénzhāng tài nan le.               high school students to read.

A:     Suóyi, nǐ hù néng shuō Zhōu

Xianshengde qíngxing jiù shi dǎjiāde qíngxing. Wǒ xiǎng, kéyi zhèiyang shuō: niǎnguo hěn duō shūde rén hù yídìng you hěn hǎode gōngzuò. Kěshi duō niàn yidiǎnr shū duì zhǎo gōngzuò yídìng you hāngzhu.

B:     Kěshi, wǒde jǐge tóngxué

gāozhōng méiyou niànwán jiu zuò shi le, xiǎnzài tāmende shēnghuó dōu hú yòng kào fùmǔ le, tāmen dōu dúlì le.

A:     Dànshi wǒ xiǎng, shèhuì háishi

xūyào you zhīshide rén, shèhuì yuè fādá yuè xūyǎo you zhīshi. Nī shuō duì hu dui?

B:      Duì!

• A: Name hǎo le, nī nian dǎxuéde

shi zěnmeyàng?

• B: Mm . . . wǒ zài xiǎngyixiǎng.

So you can’t say that Mr. Zhou’s situation is everyone’s situation. I think you might say this: someone who has had a lot of education doesn’t necessarily get a very good job. But getting more education will certainly he helpful in looking for a joh.

But several classmates of mine started working before they had finished high school, and now they don’t have to depend on their parents to support them; they're all independent.

But I think that society still needs knowledgeable people. The more developed society is, the more it needs knowledge. Don’t you think so?

Right!

All right then, what about the matter of your going to college?

Mm . . . I’ll think it over some more.

A:     Hǎo, women míngtiān zài            Okay, we’ll talk more about it

tantan.                              tomorrow.

UNIT 3

Family Values

INTRODUCTION

ar Topics Covered in This Unit

• 1. The verb ending -qilai showing the start of an action or condition.

• 2. The pattern (méi)yǒu shénme (Adjectival Verb).

• 3. Conglái bù/méi, ’’never."

U. The adverb cái, "only," before amounts.

• 5. The marker -zhe showing the manner of an action.

• 6. The verb ending -dào for (1) successful reaching/obtaining/finding, (2) "of," "about" (with certain verbs), (3) successful perceiving (e.g., kàndao, "to see").

• 7. The adverb zài, "anymore."

• 8. Placement of phrases with the prepositional verb dào, "to," "up to," "until."

• 9. The use of suǒyoude, "all."

Functional Language Contained in This Unit

• 1. Narrating a brief story about a person.

• 2. Expressing approval and disapproval of someone’s attitude or way of thinking.

• 3. Expressing puzzlement at a situation.

U. Stressing how understandable a situation is.

• 1. A: Nī jiějie xiǎnzǎi zěnme duì zhèngzhi wentí rèxīnqilai le?

B: Zhèi méiyou shénme qíguài, tā jīnnián kāishǐ xué zhèngzhixué le.

• 2. A: Nǐ zěnme hù chī le?

• B: Wǒde wèi hěn nánshòu, chību-xiǎqù le.

A: Nà to gěi ni nòng dianr tāng lai.

How is it that your older sister has become so interested and enthusiastic about political questions now?

There’s nothing strange about that, she started studying political science this year.

Why aren’t you eating?

My stomach is uncomfortable, I can’t eat anymore.

I’ll go get you some soup then.

• 3. A: Wǒ qù zhǎo Xiǎo Lan liáo tiānr.

• B: Nǐ hié qù le, tā yìtiān dào wǎn yònggǒng, méi shíjiān péi ni liáo tiānr.

h. A: Wang jiā Xiǎo Lan conglāi méiyou nánpéngyou ma?

B: Tā cāi shíjiǔsuì, mángzhe nian shū, hai méiyou xiǎngdǎo zhèixie shir ne!

• 5- A: Wǒde xiǎo nuér liǎngsānsuìde shihou cháng kū, xiǎnzǎi zhǎngdǎ le, bú zài kū le.

I’m going to go look for Xiǎo Lan to have a chat.

Don’t go, she works hard all day long and doesn’t have the time to chat with you.

Hasn’t the Wang family’s Xiǎo Lan ever had a boy friend?

She’s only nineteen years old, busy studying, and hasn’t thought of these things yet!

My youngest daughter cried a lot when she was two or three years old, but now she has grown up and doesn’t cry anymore.

• 6. A: Zuò fùmǔde bù yīnggāi zhòng nan qīng nú.

Those who are parents shouldn’t regard males as superior to females.

B: Duì. Zuò háizide yě yīnggāi xiǎoshun fùmǔ.

Right. And those who are children should show filial obedience to their parents.

• 7. A: Nǐ dìdi Haitian zài Jiā ma?

B: Bú zài, nǐ děng dào wǎnshang zài dǎ diànhuà lai Ba.

• 8. A: Zhōngguó rénconglái hù Jiǎng nánnù píngděng ma?

B: Shuodao nannù pmgdeng, na shi zuìjìn Jǐshíniánde xīn guanniàn.

Is your younger Brother at home during the day?

Wo, wait until the evening and then call him.

Didn’t the Chinese ever stress equality between men and women?

As for equality of the sexes, that’s a new concept of the last few decades.

• 9. A: Dà Jiātíng you shénme hǎo?

B: Zěnme bù hǎo? Ren duō, zhuàn qiande rén yě duō ma!

A: Yàoshi suǒyōude rén dōu xiàng nín zhèiyang xiǎng, Zhōngguó xiànzài bù zhīdào you duōshao yì rén le!

What’s good about large families?

What could be bad about them? After all, if there are more people, there are also more people earning money!

If everyone thought the way you do, who knows how many hundreds of millions of people there would be in China now!

• 10. A: Nǐ zhèicì hui guo kàndao nǐ lǎojiāde rén le ma?

B: Kàndao le. Tāmen shěng-huóde bú cuò, wǒ lǎojiā yě biànchéng yíge hěn rènaode dìfangr le.

Did you see the people in your hometown on this visit back to your country?

Yes. They’re living pretty well, and my hometown has become quite a bustling place.

ADDITIONAL REQUIRED VOCABULARY

• 11. you yòng

• 12. hēiyè

• 13. xīn

to be useful

(darkness of) night, nighttime

heart

VOCABULARY

to think of

to he filial; filial obedience

down (directional ending used for eating or drinking down)

heart; mind

hundred million

all day long

to be industrious, to be hardworking (in one’s studies)

to be useful

to grow

to grow up

to regard males as superior to females

to earn money, to make money

recently; soon

to be, to act as

rèxǐn: ’’to be enthusiastic and interested; to be warmhearted, to be earnest" There are two meanings for this adjectival verb. It can be used to describe a positive feeling toward a cause or issue, or to describe warm feelings toward other people.

Like many adjectival verbs, rèxǐn may be used either as a main verb or as an adverb (that is, modifying another verb).

As an adverb

Tā hěn rèxǐn yánjiū dàlùde         She studies the mainland situa-

qíngkuàng.                          tion very enthusiastically.

Hǎo hāizi, nī zènme rèxǐn          Good child. It’s good that you’re

bāngzhu biérén, hěn hǎo.           so eager to help others.

-qilai: As a verb by itself, qǐlái means "to rise up." As part of a compound verb, -qilai has several different functions. First, it can be a directional or resultative ending meaning "go up, rise up (physically)":

Tā zhànqilai le.                    He stood up.

Tā tiàoqilai le.’                  She jumped up.

Zhèige zhuōzi women tāibuqilái, We can’t lift this table up. nǐ lāi bāngbang māng hǎo bu        Come and help us, okay?

hǎo?

°tiào, "to jump, to leap"

In addition to meaning literally "to go up," -qilai can be used to tell some thing about the aspect of the verb: to show "the start of the action or condition." In the example in the Reference List above, -qilai indicates that older sister’s enthusiasm has newly started up. Other examples:

(WITH AN ACTION VERB) Haizi kūqilai le.

(WITH AN ADJECTIVAL VERB) Tiānqi rèqilai le.

As with many other compound verbs, the object of the verb between the two parts of the verb ending:

Another function of the ending -qilai is to make generalized statements which are sometimes translated using "when ...ing,’’ or "when it comes to ...ing":

-Qilai is also used in several idiomatic expressions where its meaning is harder to pinpoint, e.g., xiǎngqilai, "to think of, to remember," where -qilai seems to indicate the coming "up" into consciousness of an idea.

Wǒ xiǎngqilai le, tā xing Mai. Now I remember, his surname is Mǎi.

qíguài: "to be strange, to be surprising, to be odd"

In colloquial style, the verb qíguài is also used to mean "to find it strange that..., can’t understand (why)..., can’t imagine (how)...," e.g.,

Wǒ zhēn qíguài zhèijiàn shi tā I really can’t imagine how he can zěnme kéyi bàndedào.                 (OR could) do it.

Zhèi méiyou shénme qíguài: "There’s nothing strange about that." You shénme is used before an adjectival verb, as in

Notes on No. 2

nānshòu: "to feel uncomfortable; to feel bad, to feel unhappy, literally , "to find something hard to bear" This adjectival verb can be used to describe physical aches and pains, or emotional ones.

Zài fēijīshang zuòle èrshige Twenty hours on an airplane. How xiǎoshí, tài nānshòu le!           uncomfortable!

Zhēn ràng rén nānshòu.              It really makes one feel bad.

To make it clear you are talking about sadness and not a physical pain, you can use the phrase xīnli hěn nánshòu (xīn, No. 13 on this reference list, being the equivalent of either the heart or mind in such instances).

chībuxiàqù: "unable to eat (it all) up" Here you see an example of -xiàqù used for its meaning as a directional ending. While in English we might say "eat it UP," the Chinese, more analytically, say "eat it down." Using the verb hē, "to drink," you can also say hēxiaqu, "to drink down." The meaning of chīxiaqu and hēxiaqu might be better conveyed as "to take in" or "to get down" food or drink; you use these verbs when you want to stress getting food or drink down into the stomach, rather than just the action of eating.

As a resultative verb, chīxiaqu and hēxiaqu may take -de- or -bu- as a middle syllable for the additional meaning of "can" or "cannot." In chīde-xiàqù/chībuxiàqù and hēdexiàqù/hēbuxiàqù, the syllables -xià and -qù are still somewhat stressed (you can still hear their falling tones), whereas they are unstressed and often neutral tone in the words chīxiaqu and hēxiaqu.

This medicine is really bitter. I can’t get it down.

Sure you can. Just drink it down real fast.

nòng: This is a very common verb with several especially useful meanings. First of all it means "to do, to make" in a broad, vague sense:

Zánmen kāishǐ nòng fàn, hǎo bu Let’s start to make dinner, okay? hǎo?

Tā bù zhīdào zěnme nòngle hǎoduō Somehow he made himself a lot of qián.                                money.

°bìngren: "sick person, patient"

nònglai: "to get and bring (here)" Compare the use of the directional ending -lai in nònglai to its use in Wǒ gěi ni dào bēi chā lai, which you learned in Unit 1.

Where did you get this from?

Notes on No. 3

liǎo tiān(r): ”to chat” Liǎo means "to chat," and tiān(r) acts as its object. Tiān(r) may also be omitted.

Women liāole yíge zhōngtou.        We chatted for an hour.

Nǐ shénme shihou you gōngfu, When you have time, we’ll go find women zhǎo ge dìfang liāoliao a place and chat a while, tiānr.

Nǐ bié qù le: "don’t go" The English translation here can’t really be adequate without getting cumbersome. The one syllable le tells you that not going is a change from what was earlier expected. To show the meaning of the marker le for new situation, the translation might be "Change your plans and don’t go."

yìtiān dào wǎn: "all day long" The syllable yǐ ("one") is sometimes used to mean "the whole, the entire." Yìtiān dào wǎn can be literally translated as "the whole day until late," but is also often used to mean "all the time, always." You can use the whole phrase as you would a time-when word (e.g., jīntiān), or you can split it up with a verb, as in yìtiān māng dào wǎn "busy the whole day until late," or "busy all day long."

Women zherde xuésheng dōu hen All our students here are very yònggōng.                           hardworking.

péi: "to accompany; to keep somebody company" In the Transportation module, you saw the verb péi meaning "to accompany, to go along with" in the sentence Tā qǐng wo péi tā yìqǐ qù lúxíng, "She asked me to accompany her on her trip." Here you see péi used in another sense, "to keep someone company."

H. A: Wang jiā Xiǎo Lan conglái       Hasn’t the Wang family’s Xiǎo Lan

méiyou nānpéngyou ma?           ever had a boyfriend?

B: Tā cái shíjiǔsuì, mángzhe       She’s only nineteen years old, busy

niàn shū, hai méiyou            studying, and hasn’t thought of

xiǎngdào zhèixie shir ne!       these things yet!

Notes on No, 4

conglai: ’’ever (up till now), always (up till now)” Conglai means that something remains the same or unchanged from the past up to now. It is almost always followed by an adverb—jiù, dōu, or the negatives bù or méi. The two most common combinations are conglai bù and conglai méi. Bù and méi, of course, have different uses; roughly speaking, conglai bù means "(habitually) never (do X)" and conglai méi means "have never (done X in the past)." With conglái méi, the verb of the sentence usually takes the aspect marker -guo (experience at any previous time).

cái: In the Transportation Module, you saw the adverb cái used to mean "then and only then" or "not until then." It was used to talk about something that happened later than expected, for example, Tā shi zuotiān cái láide, "He didn’t get here Until yesterday." In sentence 1|B, you see cái (still an adverb) used to mean "only" a certain amount.

Cái means "only" in the sense of "as little as," "so little." It stresses that the amount is less than expected, less than normal, etc.

You already know two other adverbs which mean "only": zhǐ and jiù. Cái is used with the meaning "only" strictly before amounts, while zhǐ and jiù are also used for "only" in the sense of "no other way" or "no others":

(We) can only do it this way.

I am the only one of us who can speak French.

(Cái may not be used in such sentences.)

(That is, it could have been, should have been, or might later become more.)

Tā cai xuéle sānnián, jiù          He’s only studied three years and

shuode name hǎo.                    speaks so well. (AS LITTLE AS

THREE YEARS)

Tā yígòng cǎi kànle sānpiān wen- He only read three articles zhāng.                              altogether. (SO FEW)

Although adverbs normally come only before a verb, cǎi may stand directly before an amount:

Cai wùge rén?                       Only five people? (SO FEW?)

• A: Tāde fāngzi yìniān cǎi         His house costs only three hundred

sānbǎi kuǎi.                    dollars a year. (SO LITTLE!)

• B: Cai zènme yidiǎnr?             Is that all? (SO LITTLE?)

Sentence UB illustrates that when speaking about a person’s age, cai should be used for "only" rather than jiù. It is also much better to use cai for "only" when speaking about the time of day, the date, etc.:

Cai yìdiǎn zhōng, hai lāidejí. It’s only one o’clock, we can still make it.

Jīntiǎn cǎi shísānhǎo, hái zǎo Today is only the thirteenth (of the ne!                                 month). It’s still early!

Cǎi is not used in sentences meaning the speaker imposes a restriction on an amount. This includes suggestions, instructions, commands, wishes, or sentences expressing intention. In these sentences, use jiù or zhī, e.g.: Nī jiù gěi ta yidiǎnr ba, "Just give him a little"; Wǒ zhī yǎo chī yìwǎn fan, "l only want to eat one bowl of rice."

māngzhe niǎn shū: "to be busy studying" Mang here is not the state verb "to be busy," but an action verb, "to busily engage in (something)." Here are other examples:

Nī zǎi māng shénme ne?             What are you busy with?

Wǒ mangle yìtiǎn le.                I have been busily working all day.

Tā yìtiǎn dǎo wǎn māng zhèige He is busy with all sorts of things māng nèige.                         all day long.

-zhe: In sentence UB, you see the marker -zhe used in a sentence with word order like that of one in the Directions module: Zǒuzhe qù kéyi ma? "Can you get there by walking?" -Zhe is the marker of DURATION. It may be attached to an action or process verb. The combination action verb plus -zhe refers to the duration of the action, that is, the action has started and is continuing, e.g., Tā pǎozhe ne, "He is running." The combination process verb plus -zhe refers to the duration of the new state entered into through the process (remember that "process" here means a change from one state to another), for example, Tā bìngzhe ne, "He is ill," or Men kāizhe ne, "The door is open."