Module 7: Society
Preface Standard Chinese: A Modular Approach originated in an inter-agency 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 Department1s 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 (DLI); 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 1974 in space provided at the Foreign 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 0'Connor of the University of Texas9 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 by Chieh-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.
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: The new grammar listed in the introduction for each unit. 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.) The cultural “background information discussed in some reference notes and contained in each unit1s 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 Module7, 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-l 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-l 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-l 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 under-stand 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 listening), 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 1 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 4) 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 4, 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 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. 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. 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 take-off 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: Wǒ kǎolǜ kǎolǜ. 我虑的虑的。 I'll think it over. (non-committal) Fēicháng hǎo. 非常好。 Great. (enthusiastic) Nà wǒmen shuō hǎo le... 那我们说好了。。。 Then we've agreed. (decisive) Jiù zhèiyang. 就这样。 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 (Nà zěnme kěyǐ ā),lukewarm acceptance (Kěyǐ . . . or Yě hǎo), indecisiveness (M . . , or Nà, wǒ hái 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 found in each unit's introduction. If the teacher 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 4 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 unit1s 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) Unit 1: SOC 1.1, SOC 1.2 Unit 2: SOC 2.1, SOC 2.2 Unit 3: SOC 3.1, SOC 3.2 Unit U: SOC 4.l, SOC 4.2 Unit 5: SOC 5.1, SOC 5.2 Unit 6: SOC 6.1, SOC 6.2 Unit 7: SOC 7.I, SOC 7.2 Unit 8: SOC 8.1, SOC 8.2 Review Tapes: SOC Review 1-U, Tape 1 (Chinese to English) SOC Review 1-U, Tape 2 (English to Chinese) SOC Review 5-8, Tape 1 (Chinese to English) SOC Review 5-8, Tape 2 (English to Chinese)
Objectives 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 Give the English equivalent for any Chinese sentence in the SOC Reference Lists. Say any Chinese sentence in the SOC Reference Lists when cued with its English equivalent. Ask someone about the size of his family, which family members live at home, and where other family members live and why. 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. Discuss the status, duties, and responsibilities of sons in the traditional Chinese family. Discuss the different relationships within the Chinese family, especially those between parents and children, and between mother-in-lav and daughter-in-law. Explain why the large (extended) family was the ideal pattern in traditional Chinese society. SOC, Objectives 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. Understand why early marriage was a common practice in traditional China. Discuss the effects of the development of industry and business on traditional Chinese society. Discuss the concept of filial obedience. Compare the position of women in Chinese society before and after the founding of the People1s Republic of China. Discuss traditional marriage arrangements in China and the roles women were placed in as a result. Understand the government1s policy toward marriage after 1949 and the actual changes that have occurred. 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 Travel Plans
Introduction
Grammar Topics Covered in This Unit The pattern (Verb) de shì... Phrases with guānyú, “concerning,” “about.” The directional ending -lai. The auxiliary verb huì, “might,” “be likely to,“will.” The sentence marker -de, ”that's the way the situation is.
Functional Language Contained in This Unit Offering a visitor something to drink. Responding to an offer of something to drink. Concluding a social visit. Telling someone you can't take the time to explain something but will talk about it later. Presenting a suggestion or proposal to do something. Responding to a suggestion or proposal to so something.
References
Unit 1 Reference List 1. A: Jīntiān wǒ jièdào yìběn hǎo xiǎoshuō. 今天我借到一本好笑说。 Today I borrowed a good novel (from someone). B: Shénme xiǎoshuō,ràng nǐ zénme gāoxìng? 什么小说,让你 怎么高兴? What novel is it that makes you so happy? 2. A: Zhèiběn xiǎoshuō xiěde shì dàlùde qíngkuàng. 这本小说写的是大陆的情况。 This novel is about the situation on the mainland. B: Guānyú dàlùde? Jiè gěi wǒ kànkan xíng bu xíng? 关于大陆的? About the mainland? How about lending it to me to read? 3. A: Xiàge xuéqí nǐ xiǎng yánjiū shénme? 下个学期你想研究生么? What are you going to do research on next semester? B: Hái shi lǎo wèntí: Zhōngguóde zhèngzhi qíngkuàng. 还是老问题: 中国的政治情况。 It's still the same old topic: the political situation in China. 4. A: Zuótiān Xiǎo Míng gěi tā nǚpéngyǒu xiě xìn, xiěde hǎo cháng. 昨天小明给他女朋有写信,写的好长。 Yesterday Xiǎo Míng wrote a letter to his girl friend, and it was really long! B: Niánqīng rén zǒng shi niánqīng rén. Wǒ niánqīngde shíhou yě shi zhèiyang, nǐ wàng le? 年轻人总是年轻人。我年轻的时候也是这样,你忘了? Young people are always young people. When I was young I was like that too, have you forgotten? 5. A: Shǔjiàde shíhou, nǐ xiǎng dào nǎr qù wánwanr? 暑假的时候,你想到哪儿去往往儿? Where do you want to go to summer vacation? B: Wǒ xiǎng dào Yàzhōu jǐge guójiā qu kànkan. 我想到亚洲几个国家去看看。 I'd like to go visit a few countries in Asia. 6. A: Zěnme, nǐ xiǎng yánjiū Yàzhōude wénhuà chuántǒng? 怎么,你想研究亚洲的文化传统? Oh? Do you want to do research on Asia's cultural tradition? B: Bù néng shuō yánjiū. Wǒ zhǐ shi xiǎng qù kànkan nàlide shèhuì qíngkuàng. 不能说研究。我只是想去看看那里的社会情况。 It can't be called research. I just want to go have a look at the social situation there. 7. A: Lǎo Wáng, wǒ jīntiān gǎnjué hěn bu shūfu. Lǎo Wáng, 我今天感觉很不舒服。 Lǎo Wáng, I feel awful today. B: Kuài zuòxia, wǒ qù gěi ni dào bēi chá lai. 快做下,我去给你倒杯茶来。 Sit down and I'll pour you a cup of tea. 8. A: Nǐ qùde nèige dìfang zhèngzhi, jīngji fāngmiànde qíngxing zěnmeyàng? 你去的那个地方政治,经济方面的情形怎么样? What was the political and economic situation like where you went? B: Jǐjù huà shuōbuqīngchu, yǒu shíjiān wǒ zài gēn ni mànmānr shuō ba. 几句话说不清楚,有时间我在跟你慢慢儿说吧。 I can't explain it clearly in just a few sentences; when I have time I'll tell you all about it. 9. A: Yánjiū Zhōngguo xiànzàide wèntí yídìng děi dǒngde Zhōngguó lìshǐ. 研究中国现在的问题一定得懂得中国历史。 To study the problem of China now, you have to understand Chinese history. B: Nǐ shuōde zhèiyidiǎn hěn yàojǐn, wǒ kǎolǜ kǎolǜ. 你说得这一点很要紧,我考虑考虑。 This point of yours is very important; I'll think it over. 10. A: Nǐ zài Zhōngguo zhù liǎngnian, yídìng huì xuéhǎo Zhōngwénde. 你在中国住两年,一定会学好中文的。 If you live in China for two years, you're sure to learn Chinese very well. B: Shì a, yìfāngmiàn kěyǐ xuéhǎo Zhōngwén, yìfāngmiàn yě kěyǐ duō zhīdào yidiǎnr Zhōngguóde shìqing. 是啊,一方面可以学好中文,一方面也可以多知道一点儿中国的事情。 Yes, on the one hand I can learn Chinese well, and on the other hand I can find out more things about China. 11. yìbiān(r)... yìbiān(r) 一边(儿)。。。 一边(儿) doing... while doing... 12. yímiàn...yímiàn... 一面(儿)。。。 一面(儿)。。。 doing... while doing...
Vocabulary cháng to be long chuántǒng 传统 tradition, traditional dàlù 大陆 mainland, continent dào to pour (liquid) -diǎn point dǒngde 懂得 to understand, to grasp, to know -fāngmiàn (-fāngmian) 方面 aspect, side, area, respect gǎnjué 感觉 feeling, sensation, to feel, to perceive guānyú 关于 as to, with regard to, concerning, about guójiā 国家 country, state, nation; national huì might, be likely, will jiè to borrow; to lend jièdao 借到 to successfully borrow -jù sentence; counter for sentences or utterances, often followed by huà, "speech" kǎolǜ 考虑 to consider, to think about mànmānr 慢慢儿 slowly; gradually, by and by; taking one's time; in all details niánqīng 年轻 to be young qíngkuàng 情况 situation, circumstances, condition, state of affairs qíngxing 情形 situation, circumstances, condition, state of affairs ràng to make (someone a certain way) shèhuì 社会 society, social shǔjià 暑假 summer vacation shuōbuqīngchu 说不清楚 can't explain clearly wénhuà 文化 culture xiǎoshuō 小说 fiction, novel (-)xuéqī 学期 semester, term (of school) yánjiū (yánjiu,yánjiù) 研究 to study (in detail), to do research on; research Yàzhōu (Yǎzhōu) 亚洲 Asia yìbiān(r)... yìbiān(r)... 一边(儿)。。。 一边(儿) doing... while doing... yìfāngmiàn(r)...,yìfāngmiàn(r)... 一方面(儿)。。。 一方面(儿)。。。 on one hand... , on the other hand... yímiàn(r)... yímiàn(r)... 一面(儿)。。。 一面(儿)。。。 doing... while doing... zhengzhi 政治 politics, political affairs; political zǒng always; inevitably, without exception, after all, in any case zuòxia 坐下 to sit down
Reference Notes
Notes on №1 1. A: Jīntiān wǒ jièdào yìběn hǎo xiǎoshuō. 今天我借到一本好笑说。 Today I borrowed a good novel (from someone). B: Shénme xiǎoshuō,ràng nǐ zénme gāoxìng? 什么小说,让你 怎么高兴? What novel is it that makes you so happy? jiè: “to borrow” [Also “to lend,” see Notes on No. 2.] Wǒ dào túshūguǎn qù jiè shū. 我到图书馆去借束。 I'm going to the library to borrow [take out] some books. For “from,” use gen or xiàng for people and cóng for place names like the library. Xiàng is used more in written style. Wǒ méi dài qián, xiǎng gēn (xiàng) Níngning qù jiè. 我没带钱,想跟 (相)宁宁去借。 I didn't bring any money, I want to go borrow some from Níngning Wǒ cóng túshūguǎn jièle yì běn Zhīngguo lìshǐ shū. 我从图书馆借了一本中国历史书。 I borrowed a Chinese history book from the library. Cóng 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 wǔ kuài qián. 我从他那儿借了五块钱。 I borrowed five dollars from him. For people, you may also use the common pattern wèn... jiè..., literally “ask... borrow.”: Wǒ wèn tā jièle yīběn shū. 我问她接了一本书。 I borrowed a book from him. Wǒ bù hǎo yìsī wèn bièrén jiè qián. 我不好意思问别人借钱。 I'm too embarrassed to borrow money from other people. jièdao: The ending -dào to expresses that the borrowing results in the thing being obtained. You learned -dào and the similar Běijīng -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 to 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. 我跟他接了一本字典。 I borrowed a dictionary from him. Wǒ qù jièguo, kěshi méi jièdào. 我去借过,可是没借到。 I went and tried to borrow it, but I didn't get it. A: Nǐ cóng túshūguǎn jièdào nèiběn Měiguó lìshí shū le ma? 你从图书馆借到那本美国书了吗? Did you get that American history book out of the library? B: Méiyǒu, dōu jièchūqù le. Dàgài xià Xingīyī cái néng jièdào. 没有,都借出去了。大概下星期一才能借到。 No, they had all been taken out. I probably won't be able to (borrow and) get it until next Monday. Jiè may have certain other directional or resultative endings. Here are examples. Zài zhèr kàn kěyǐ, bù néng jièchūqù. 在这儿看可以,不能借出去。 You can read it here, but you can't take it out. Tā bǎ wǒ de chē jièqù le. 他把我的车街去了。 He borrowed my car (and took it away) Tā bǎ nèiběn shū jièzǒu le 他把那本书街走了。 He borrowed that book (and took it away) Wǒ cóng tā nèr jièlái wǔkuài qián. 我从他那儿借来五块钱。 I borrowed five dollars from him. ràng: “to make” someone a certain way, or “to cause” someone to become a certain way. When used this way, ràng is followed by a person and an adjectival verb. You learned rang as “to let” in the Welfare module: Ràng wǒ kànkan nǐde hùzhào “Let me see your passport.” [Ràng: can also mean “to have,” “To tell,”or “to make” someone do something.] Tā shuōde huà ràng wǒ hěn shēngqì. 他说的话让我很生气。 What he said made me very angry. Tā nàme bú kèqi ràng tā péngyǒu hěn bù hǎo yìsī. 他那么不客气让他朋友很不好意思。 He embarrassed his friend by being so rude. Shénme xiǎoshuō? --ràng nǐ zhème gāoxìng.: There is a pause after the question shénme xiǎoshuō, and the rest of the sentence, ràng nǐ zhème gāoxìng. is like an afterthought. Compare these examples: Zhèi shì shénme kāfēi? --zhème hǎo hē. 这是什么咖啡?--这么好喝。 What kind of coffee is this? It's so good. Zhèi jiù shì nǐ mǎide chē? --zhème nánkàn. 这就是你买的车? --这么难看。 So this is the car you bought? It's so ugly! Nǐ xǐhuān shūxué a? --nàme méi yìsī. 你喜欢数学阿? --那么没意思。 You like math?--such a boring thing!
Notes on №2 2. A: Zhèiběn xiǎoshuō xiěde shì dàlùde qíngkuàng. 这本小说写的是大陆的情况。 This novel is about the situation on the mainland. B: Guānyú dàlùde? Jiè gěi wǒ kànkan xíng bu xíng? 关于大陆的? About the mainland? How about lending it to me to read? 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: A IS B Verb de shi B Tā zuòde shi báicài. 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. A: Nǐ zài Jiāzhōu Dàxué niànde shì shénme? A: 你在加州大学念的大学是什么? A: What is it that you study at the University of California? B: Wǒ niànde shì jīngjixué. B: 我念的经济学。 It's economics. Zhèige diànyǐng jiǎngde shì yīge Zhōngguó rén qù Měiguó wànde shì. 这个电影间的是一个中国人去美国望的是。 This film is about a Chinese going to America to visit. Gāngcái nǐ jiàode shì shénme? Shì fàn háishì miàn? 刚才你叫的是什么?是饭还是面? What did you order just now? Rice or noodles? Nǐ xiànzài shuōde shì wǒ háishì tā? 你现在说的是我还是他? Is the person you're talking about now me or him? Tā hěn xǐhuān kàn shū, kěshì tā kànde dōu shì yìxiē méiyìside xiǎoshuō. 她很喜欢看书,可是他看的都是一些没意思的小说。 He likes to read, but all he reads are stupid novels. dàlù: “continent, mainland” Zhōngguó 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 guānyú (see the note in this section) qíngkuàng: “situation, circumstances 5 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.” Nǐ de qíngkuàng gēn tā de chàbùduō. 你的情况跟他的差不多。 You and he are in about the same situation. Wǒ dìdi de jīngji qīngkuàng bú tài hǎo. 我弟弟的经济情况不太好。 My younger brother's financial situation isn't too good. Nà shì sìshi nián qián de shì, xiànzài qíngkuàng bù tòng le. 那是四十年前的事,现在情况不同了。 That was forty years ago. Now things are different. A: Nǐ néng bù néng gěi wǒ jiǎngjiang nǐ zài dàlùde qíngkuàng? A: 你能不能给我讲讲你在大陆的情况? A: Could you tell me about the way things were for you on the mainland? B: Nǐ de yìsī shì wǒ zìjǐ de qíngkuàng ma? B: 你的意思是我自己的情况吗? B: Do you mean my own situation? Sometimes qíngkuàng means the “picture” about a place (especially an organization); in such cases it may not be necessary to translate it literally. Tā gěi wǒmen jiè shao le tāmen xuéxiào de qíngkuàng. 他给我们介绍了他们学校的情况。 He gave us a presentation (briefing) on their school. (E.g., what grades, how many students and teachers, what subjects are taught, etc.) Wǒ bú tài shúxī Měidàsī de qíngkuàng. 我不太熟悉美大司的情况。 I'm not too familiar with (the way things are at) the Department of American and Oceanic Affairs. guānyú: “with regard to, concerning” The phrase guānyú dàlù de means literally “one concerning the mainland.” Guānyú is rather formal. In everyday speech, the idea of “about” is more often expressed in other ways 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 Jiǎng shénme de? (actually an abbreviated form of Zhèige jiémù [program] shì jiǎng shénme de?). It would sound stilted to use guānyú 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 Shénme diànyǐng?. , but guānyú is often used in formal contexts. Guānyú 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. Guānyú does not occur where you would normally expect to find a prepositional verb phrase (before the verb, e.g., dào Zhōngguó qù). Nor does guānyú 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 guānyú phrase (that is, guānyú and its object) can only occur in the following places in the sentence: (1) Guānyú can occur at the beginning of the sentence to introduce the topic about to be commented on. Guānyú nèijiàn shì, wǒ shénme dōu bù zhìdao. 关于那个件事,我什么都不知道。 Concerning that matter, I don't know anything. (OR I don't know anything about that matter.) Gānyú nèrde qíngkuàng, nǐ gěi wǒ dǎting dǎting hǎo ba? 关于那儿的情况,你给我打听打听好吧? Would you please ask for me about the situation there? Guānyú zhège, nǐmen hái yǒu méiyou shénme wèntí? 关于这个,你们还有没有什么问题? Do you have any other questions about this? (2) Guānyú can also occur in a phrase with -de which modifies a noun. Xièxie nǐ gàosu wǒ zhème duō guānyú dàlùde qíngkuàng. 谢谢你哦告诉我这么多关于大陆的情况。 Thank you for telling me so much about the situation on the mainland. Tā zhīdào hěn duō guānyú zhèi fāngmiàn de shìqing. 他知道很多关于这方面的事情。 He knows a lot (of things) about this field. Wǒmen zhèli méiyǒu duōshǎo guānyú Zhōngguo de shū. 我们这里没有多少关于中国的书。 We don't have very many books about China here. It also occurs in a phrase with -de, the whole phrase acting as a noun. Wǒ cóng Xiǎo Zhào nèr jièlai yī běn shū, shì guānyú Zhōngguó càide, nǐ kànkan. 我从小趙 那儿借来一本书,是关于中国菜的,你看看。 I borrowed a book from Xiǎo Zhào. It's (a book) about Chinese food. Have a look at it. (3) A guānyú phrase (guānyú + noun) is occasionally used alone as an abbreviated sentence. Wǒ zuótiān kànle yige diànyǐng. 我昨天看了一个电影。 I saw a movie yesterday. Shénme diànyǐng? 什么电影? About what? Guānyú Fǎguó ... 关于法国。。。 About France... Guānyú Fǎguóde shénme? 关于法国什么? About what (aspect) of France? Guānyú Fǎguóde jīngji. 关于法国的经济。 About the French economy. Compare the following English and Chinese sentences. Although the parts in parentheses are optional in English, the Chinese sentences would be considered wrong without the underlined -de phrases. (For the first example you need to know xiāoxi, “news.”) Nǐ tīngshuō guānyú Tiětuōde xiāoxi ma? 你听说哦关于铁托的消息吗? Have you heard (the news) about Tito?(i.e., that he had died) Bù yào wèn wǒ guānyú shùxuéde wèntí. 不要问我关于数学的问题。 Don't ask me (any questions) about math. jiè gěi wǒ kànkan: “lend (it) to me to read” In exchange 1, jiě 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 A gěi phrase before jiè would mean “for,” not “to.” Example : Tā gěi wǒ jièle jǐběn shū. “He borrowed a few books for me.” . If the indirect object (person who receives) is a pronoun, gěi may be omitted: Jiè wǒ yìzhī bǐ. 借我一支笔。 Lend me a pen. Jiè gěi wǒ yìzhī bǐ. 借给我一支笔。 Lend me a pen. (In this extremely common sentence, the gěi is more frequently omitted.)
Notes on №3 3. A: Xiàge xuéqí nǐ xiǎng yánjiū shénme? 下个学期你想研究生么? What are you going to do research on next semester? B: Hái shi lǎo wèntí: Zhōngguóde zhèngzhi qíngkuàng. 还是老问题: 中国的政治情况。 It's still the same old topic: the political situation in China. xuéqī : “semester, term.” Since xuéqī means literally just “school-period”, it could conceivably apply to a scholastic term of any length, including quarters. Chinese schools, however, run on semester system (fall-winter, and winter-spring.) Xiànzài yǒude Měiguó dàxué yīge xuéqī zhǐ yǒu shíèr sānge lǐbài. 现在有的美国大学一个学期只有十二三个礼拜。 Some American colleges have semesters which last only twelve or thirteen weeks. Shànge xuéqī nǐ dōu niànle shénme. 上个学期你都念了什么。 What (courses) did you take last semester? Xuéqī may also be used without the counter -ge: shàngxuéqī, xiàxuéqī, yìxuéqī, etc . yánjiū : “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). Tā yánjiūde shi něifāngmiande wèntí? 她研究的是那方面的问题? What area does she study (OR do research on)? Kē jiàoshòu zài jīngji fāngmiande yánjiū shi dàjiā hěn shóuxīde. 科教授在经济方面的研究是大家很熟悉的。 Everyone is familiar with Professor Kē1s research in the area of economics. Tāde yánjiū gōngzuò hěn zhòngyào. 他的研究工作很重要。 His research work is very important. Another meaning is “to look into, to consider, to discuss” (possibilities, opinions, questions) : Zhèige wèntí wǒmen děi yánjiū yanjiu. 这个问题我们得研究研究。 We should discuss (OR look into this) 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.
Notes on №4 4. A: Zuótiān Xiǎo Míng gěi tā nǚpéngyǒu xiě xìn, xiěde hǎo cháng. 昨天小明给他女朋有写信,写的好长。 Yesterday Xiǎo Míng wrote a letter to his girl friend, and it was really long! B: Niánqīng rén zǒng shi niánqīng rén. Wǒ niánqīngde shíhou yě shi zhèiyang, nǐ wàng le? 年轻人总是年轻人。我年轻的时候也是这样,你忘了? Young people are always young people. When I was young I was like that too, have you forgotten? cháng: “to be long” in physical length, or in some cases, time There are other words for “long” in other contexts. When referring to distance, use yuǎn : Lù hěn yuǎn. “It's a long way.” For time, you will also need jiǔ : Tā zǒule duó jiǔ le?, “How long has it been since he left?” . The opposite of cháng is duǎn, “to “be short.” Chángchéng yǒu duō cháng? Yǒu liùqiānduō gōnglǐ (cháng). 长城有多长? How long is the Great Wall? It's over six thousand kilometers (long.) Nǐ xiède tài cháng le, duǎn yidiǎnr, hǎo bu hǎo? 你写的太长了,段一点儿,好不好? You made this (piece of writing) too long. Could you shorten it? Wǒ hěn cháng shíjiān méi kànjian ta le. 我很长时间没看见他了。 I haven't seen him in a long time. (Hěn cháng shíjiān is the same as hěn jiǔ) Wǒ xiǎng nǐ zài nàr zhǎo fángzi yídìng xūyào yige hěn chángde shíjiān. 我想你在哪儿找房子一定需要一个很长的时间。 I'm sure it will take you a long time to find a house there, Tā zài zhèr gōngzuòde shījiān yǒu duō cháng? 他在这儿工作的时间有多长? How long did he work here? niánqīng: “to be young” While the idea of being young is often relative to a particular situation, niánqīng rěn usually means people from the teens through the twenties. 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.” Tā niánqīngde shíhou bǐ xiànzài gèng hǎo kàn. 她年轻的时候比现在更好看。 When she was young she was even more beautiful than now. Niánqīng rén dōu xǐhuan wánr. 年轻人都喜欢玩儿。 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 wèn wo wèntí. 你总是问我问题。 You always ask me questions. Zhèizhǒng shìqing zǒngshi ràng rén hěn gāoxìng. 这种事情总是让人很高兴。 This type of thing always makes one very happy. Zǒng bù, “always not... ” is one way of saying “never” : Tā zǒng bù xǐhuān biérén wèn tā jiālide shì. 他总不喜欢别人问他家的事。 He never likes other people to ask about his family, Zǒng has another use, which is the one you see in exchange 4: Instead of meaning literally “on every occasion” or “at all times,f” zǒng 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 the following examples. Xiǎoháizi zǒng shi xiǎoháizi, dàle jiu hǎo le. 小孩子总是小孩子,大了就好了。 Children will always be children; after they grow up it will be better. Nǐ bú jiè wǒ, wǒ zài zhèr kànkan zǒng kěyi ba? 你不借我,我在这儿看看总可以吧? If you won't lend it [this book] to me, at least I can read it here, can't I? Nǐ niàn shū shi hǎo shì, zǒng bù néng bù chī fàn ba? 你念是好事,总不能不吃饭吧? It's great that you're studying, but after all, you can't go without eating, can you? Nǐ shi Měiguó rén, nǐ zǒng bù néng bù zhīdào Dézhōu zài nǎr ba?! 你是美国人,你总不能不知道德州在哪儿吧? You're an American, you can't very well not know where Texas is, can you?! Nǐ názǒu wǒde shū, zǒng děi wèn wǒ yíxià! 你拿走我的书,总得问我一下! You really should ask before you take one of my books. Zǒng yǒu yìtiān, tā huì huílaide. 总有一天,他会回来的。 Someday he will surely come back. Èrshige bú gòu, nà nǐ shuō sānshige zǒng gòu le ba? 二十个不够,那你说三十个总够了吧? If twenty isn't enough, then thirty should surely be enough, wouldn't you say? A: Gōnggòng qìchē méiyou dào nèige dìfangde, wǒmen děi qí zìxíngchē qù. 公共汽车没有到那个地方的,我们得骑自行车去。 There aren't any buses that go there. We'll have to go by bicycle. Òu, qí chē duō lèi... 欧,汽车多累。。。 Oh, but it's so tiring to ride a bicycle. Zǒng bǐ zǒuzhe qù hǎoduō le. 总比走车去好多了。 Well, it's much better than walking! Lái wǎn yidiǎnr zǒng bǐ bù lái hǎo. 来晚一点儿总笔不来好。 It's better to come a little late than not to come at all. Guānyú nǐ zhèige wèntí, wǒ zhīdào bù duō, dàgài méiyou bànfǎ huídáhǎo. 关于你这个问题,我知道不多,大概没有办法回答好。 I don't know much about this question of yours. I probably can't give you a good answer. Nǐ zǒng zhīdào bǐ wǒmen duō, jiù qǐng nǐ jiǎngjiang ba! 你总知道比我们多,就请你讲讲吧! In any case, you know more than we do, so please try.
Notes on №5 5. A: Shǔjiàde shíhou, nǐ xiǎng dào nǎr qù wánwanr? 暑假的时候,你想到哪儿去往往儿? Where do you want to go to summer vacation? B: Wǒ xiǎng dào Yàzhōu jǐge guójiā qu kànkan. 我想到亚洲几个国家去看看。 I'd like to go visit a few countries in Asia. 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. 这个暑假我不到那儿去。 This summer vacation I'm not going anywhere. Yàzhōu: “Asia” comes from the transliterated word for Asia, Yàxìyà. Zhōu means “continent.” Many people say Yǎzhōu. guójiā: “country, nation, state,” literally, “country-family.” The bound word -guó is used only in certain phrases or compound words. Guójiā is the word to use everywhere else. (Sometimes guó may be used alone, such as in reference to kingdoms or dukedoms of ancient China. But a modern nation is called guójiā.)
Notes on №6 6. A: Zěnme, nǐ xiǎng yánjiū Yàzhōude wénhuà chuántǒng? 怎么,你想研究亚洲的文化传统? Oh? Do you want to do research on Asia's cultural tradition? B: Bù néng shuō yánjiū. Wǒ zhǐ shi xiǎng qù kànkan nàlide shèhuì qíngkuàng. 不能说研究。我只是想去看看那里的社会情况。 It can't be called research. I just want to go have a look at the social situation there. Zěnme?: “oh?; what?; really?” The intonation can change the implication. Zěnme, nǐ yě dào zhèr lái le! 怎么你也到这儿来了! Well, you've come here too! Zěnme? Tā bú shi Zhōngguó rén? Nà tade zhōngwén zěnme zènme hǎo ne? 怎么?他不是中国人?那他的中文怎么怎么好呢? What? He's not Chinese? Then how is his Chinese so good? Nǐ xiàwu yǒu shíjiān ma? 你下午有时间吗? Do you have any time this afternoon? Zěnme? Yǒu shì ma? 怎么?有事吗? Why? Is something happening? wénhuà: “culture, civilization” Also “education, cultural background” as in méiyǒu wénhuàde rén, “an uncultured person” or an “uneducated person.” shèhuì “society; social” Xīn 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 zǎi shèhuìli. Xiānggǎngde shèhuì wèntí hěn duō. 香港的社会问题很多。 Hong Kong sure has a lot of social problems. (e.g., drugs, killings)
Notes on №7 7. A: Lǎo Wáng, wǒ jīntiān gǎnjué hěn bu shūfu. Lǎo Wáng, 我今天感觉很不舒服。 Lǎo Wáng, I feel awful today. B: Kuài zuòxia, wǒ qù gěi ni dào bēi chá lai. 快做下,我去给你倒杯茶来。 Sit down and I'll pour you a cup of tea. gǎnjué: “to feel; feeling” In 7a, gǎnjué is used as a verb. Here are other examples: Nǐ gǎnjué zenmeyàng? 你感觉怎么样? How do you feel? Nǐ jīntiān gǎnjué hǎo yidiǎnr le ma? 你今天感觉好一点儿了吗? Do you feel better today? Wǒ gǎnjué tā jīntiān yǒu diǎnr bu gāoxìng. 我感觉他今天有点儿不高兴。 I get the feeling he's a little unhappy (OR bothered) today. Suīrán wǒ bù fā shāo le, kěshi zǒng gǎnjué hěn lèi. 虽然我不发烧了,可是总感觉很累。 Although I don't have a fever any more, I feel very tired all the time. Here is an example of gǎnjué used as a noun: Zhèi shi wǒde gǎnjué, nǐde kànfa zěnmeyàng? 这时我的感觉,你的看法怎么样? That's my feeling, what is your opinion? zuòxia : “to sit down” Also zuòxialai. Qǐng zuòxia(lai) tán. 清坐下(来)谈。 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 lái used as a directional ending before, as in náxialai, “bring down and here,” or pǎolái “run here.” There are two things to notice about the meaning of lái as a directional ending: 1) Lái can be used after verbs which tell of movement from one place to another, like pǎo, “to run” or , “to carry”; OR after verbs which describe an action without movement from one place to another, such as dào, “to pour.” 2) The thing lái refers to, which is what ends up “here”, may be the subject OR the object of the sentence . For example, in Tā pǎolai le, “He ran here,” it is the subject who performs the action of running and comes here. In Tā xiělai yifēng xìn le, “He has written a letter which has come here,” it is the object xìn which is written and comes here. In Yīfu dōu yǐjīng xǐlai le, “All the clothes have already been washed and brought here,” it is the topic yīfu which were washed and brought here. You will often split lai from the verb by inserting an object like yìbēi chá, as in sentence In fact, in sentence 7B, dào and lai must be split up; lai may not precede the object. The rules allowing lái to precede the object are complex, and here we will just give some examples of usage. Nǐ nǎr jièlai zhème yíliàng pò chē? 你哪儿借来这么一粮破 车? Where did you borrow such a beat-up old car from? Wǒ zuì xǐhuān nǐ cóng Shànghǎi mǎilaide nèijiàn máoyī. 我最喜欢你从上海买来的那间毛衣。 I like the sweater you bought in Shanghai best. Wǒ yídìng gěi nǐ zhǎolai nèiběn shū. OR Wǒ yídìng gěi nǐ zhǎo nèiběn shū lai. 我一定给你找来那本书。 I'll be sure to find that book for you. Nǐ shénme shíhou yǒu shíjiān, dǎ ge diànhuà lai, wǒmen yìqǐ qù kàn diànyǐng. 你什么时候有时间,打个电话来,我们一起去看电影。 When you get the time, give me a call, and we'll go see a movie together. (Lai must follow the object.) Bié wàngle míngtiān yě bǎ nǐde nǚpéngyou dàilai. 别忘了明天也吧你的女朋友带来。 Don't forget to bring your girlfriend tomorrow too.
Notes on №8 8. A: Nǐ qùde nèige dìfang zhèngzhi, jīngji fāngmiànde qíngxing zěnmeyàng? 你去的那个地方政治,经济方面的情形怎么样? What was the political and economic situation like where you went? B: Jǐjù huà shuōbuqīngchu, yǒu shíjiān wǒ zài gēn ni mànmānr shuō ba. 几句话说不清楚,有时间我在跟你慢慢儿说吧。 I can't explain it clearly in just a few sentences; when I have time I'll tell you all about it. 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: “aspect, respect, area, field” Zhèige wèntí yǒu liǎngfāngmiàn. 这个问题有两方面。 There are two aspects to this question. Wǒmen zài zhèifānmiàn zuòde hái bú gòu. 我们在这方面做的还不够。 We haven't done enough in this area. Yīngguó zài jīngjixué fāngmiànde yánjiū zuòde bù shǎo. 英国在经济学方面的研究做的不少。 A lot of research in the area of economics has been done in England. Wǒ méi shìde shihou xǐhuan kànkan wénxué fāngmiànde shū. 我没事的时候喜欢看看文学方面的书。 When I don't have anything to do, I like to read books on the subject of literature. A: Wǒ kànle nǐ xiěde yǐhòu juéde yǒu yìfāngmiàn kěyǐ xiěde gèng hǎo. 我看了你写的以后觉得有一方面可以写得更好。 After reading what you wrote, I feel there's one aspect in which can make it better. B: Něifāngmiàn ne? 哪方面呢? What aspect? “party, side,” referring to a group of people Niǔyuē fāngmiàn dàgài bú huì yǒu shénme wèntí, kěshǐ wǒmen yīnggāi hé Běijīng fāngmiàn xiān shāngliang yixia zài shuō. 纽约方面大概不会有什么问题,可是我们应该和北京方面先商量以下再说。 New York won't have any problem with this, but we should check with Běijīng before going ahead, (meaning groups of people, e.g., offices of a company.) Guānyú zhèige wèntí, liǎng fāngmiànde kànfà yǒu diǎn bù tóng. 关于这个问题,两方面的看法有点不同。 The two sides have somewhat different views on this question. 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” Shuōqīngchu is a compound verb of result. Here are other examples: Wǒ shuōbùqīngchu wèishénme tā shēngqì. 我说不清楚为什么她生气。 I can't really explain why he got angry. Bù shuōqīngchu bù xíng. 不说清楚不行。 It won't do, not to explain it clearly. Tā shuōqīngchu tāde mùdi. 他说清楚他的目的。 He explained his goal clearly. Nǐ néng bu néng shuōqīngchu “niánqíng” hé “xiǎo” de bù tóng? 你能不能说清楚“年轻”和“小”的不同? Can you explain clearly the differences between niánqīng and xiǎo? 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 is added. These adverbs can take the adverbial ending -de. Other examples are kuàikuāir(de), “quickly,” and hǎohāorde, “veil, properly.” Mànmàn(de) or mànmānr(de) has these meanings: “slowly” Don't forget, however, that “slowly” can sometimes be translated by màn alone. Tā mànmānrde zǒu huí jiā qu le. 他慢慢儿的走回家去了。 He slowly walked home. BUT Zǒu màn yidiǎnr. 走慢一点儿。 Walk more slowly. Màn diǎnr zǒu. 慢点儿走。 Walk more slowly. “gradually, bit by bit, by and by” Nǐ gāng lái, duì zhèrde qíngkuàng bù shúxī, mànmānr nǐ jiu zhīdao le. 你刚来,对这儿的情况不熟悉,慢慢儿你就知道了。 You just arrived and are unfamiliar with the situation here, but you'll come to know it by and by. Mànmānrde, tā jiu dǒng le. 慢慢儿的,他就懂了。 Gradually he began to understand. Sentences which instruct someone to mànmānr do this or that can often be translated as “take your time... ,” or “don't rush.” Mànmānr zǒu, zánmen láidejí. 慢慢儿走,咱们来得及。 Let's take our time walking. We'll make it. Bù jí, mànmānr chī, wǒ děng nǐ. 不及,慢慢儿吃,等你。 There's no hurry, so take your time eating. I111 wait for you. With verbs meaning “to tell” someone about something, mànmānr has more of the meaning, “in all details.” Nǐ zuòxia, wǒ mànmānr gēn nǐ jiǎng. 你坐下,我慢慢儿跟你讲。 Sit down and I'll give you the whole story. Wǒ hái xiǎng gēn nǐ duō tántan zhèige shì. 我还想跟你多谈谈这个事。 I'd like to talk some more with you about this. Hǎode, yǐhòu wǒmen mànmàn tán. 好的,以后我们慢慢儿谈。 Okay, later we can talk about it.
Notes on №9 9. A: Yánjiū Zhōngguo xiànzàide wèntí yídìng děi dǒngde Zhōngguó lìshǐ. 研究中国现在的问题一定得懂得中国历史。 To study the problem of China now, you have to understand Chinese history. B: Nǐ shuōde zhèiyidiǎn hěn yàojǐn, wǒ kǎolǜ kǎolǜ. 你说得这一点很要紧,我考虑考虑。 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 tīngdǒng 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 jìde. 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; form, “can't understand,” you just say bù dǒngde. -diǎn : “point” (For the second example, you need to know xīnli, “in one' s heart.”) Ò, hái yǒu yìdiǎn. 哦,还有一点。 Oh, there's one more point [that should be made]. Zhèi, shi ràng rén xīnli zuì bù shūfude yìdiǎn. 这,是让人心理最不舒服的一点。 This is the most upsetting point Nèi yidiǎn wǒmen yǐjīng tánguo le. 那一点我们已经谈过了。 We've been over that point already Wǒ juéde tā shuōde měiyidiǎn dōu duì. 我觉得他说的每一点都对。 I think that every point of his was right. kǎolǜ : “to consider, to think over; consideration” Zhèi yidiǎn wǒmen yīnggāi kǎolǜ. 这一点我们应该考录。 We should consider this point. Wǒ děi hǎohāor kǎolǜ zhèige wèntí. 我得好好儿考虑这个问题。 I have to think this matter over carefully. Zhèi fāngmiànde qíngkuàng nǐ kǎolǜ ma? 这方面的情况你考虑吗? Have you taken this aspect of the matter into consideration?
Notes on №10 10. A: Nǐ zài Zhōngguo zhù liǎngnian, yídìng huì xuéhǎo Zhōngwénde. 你在中国住两年,一定会学好中文的。 If you live in China for two years, you're sure to learn Chinese very well. B: Shì a, yìfāngmiàn kěyǐ xuéhǎo Zhōngwén, yìfāngmiàn yě kěyǐ duō zhīdào yidiǎnr Zhōngguóde shìqing. 是啊,一方面可以学好中文,一方面也可以多知道一点儿中国的事情。 Yes, on the one hand I can learn Chinese well, and on the other hand I can find out more things about China. 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 Yǐjīng shíèrdiǎn bàn le, zhè shíhou shéi huì lái ne? 已经十二点半了,这时候谁回来呢? It's half past twelve. Who would come at this hour? Yídìng yào wǒ qù, tā cái huì qù. 已经要我去,他才会去。 I'll have to go or else he won't go. Cài yàoshi fàngde tài duō le, báobǐng huì pò. 菜要是放的太多了,薄饼会坡。 If you put too much food in, the pancake will break. Nǐde chènshān zāngle bù yàojǐn,wǒ huì gěi nǐ xǐ. 你的衬衫脏了不要紧,我会给你洗。 It doesn't matter that your shirt got dirty. I, ll wash it for you. bú huì Bú dà huì ba? 不大会吧? That's not very likely. Dàgài bú huì shì tā. 大概不会是他。 It is probably not him. Yàoshizài Táiwān mǎi jiù bú huì zhème guì le. 要是在台湾买就不会这么贵了。 If you buy it in Taiwan, it won't be so expensive. Nǐ bú huì zhǎobudào ba? 你不会找不到吧? You won't be unable to find it, will you? Nǐ bú yào jí le, wǒ bú huì chū shìde. 你不要急了,我不会出事的。 Don't get anxious, I won't have an accident. huì...ma? Nǐ kàn jīntiān wǎnshang huì liángkuai yidiǎn ma? 你看今天晚上会凉快一点吗? Do you think it might be cooler tonight? Tā huì qù ma? Tā huì qù. 他回去吗?他回去。 Will he go? He'll go. huì bu huì Míngtiān tā huì bu huì lái? 明天他会不会来? Will he come tomorrow? Wǒmenxiěde nèifēng xìn, dào xiànzài tāmen hái méiyǒu shōudào, wǒmen huì bu huì xiěcuòle dìzhǐ. 我们写的的那封信,到现在他们还没有受到,我们会不会写错了地址。 They still haven't gotten the letter. Could we have written the address wrong? Wǒ bǎ mén kāi le, zhèiyang nǐ huì bu huì juéde tài lěng? 我把门开了,这样你会不会觉得太冷? I opened the door. Will you feel too cold like this? Nǐ kàn jīntiān huì bu huì xià yǔ? 你看今天会不会下雨? Does it look to you as if it might rain today? 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. , Nánjīng), or a carry-over into Standard Chinese from southern dialects. Because of these regional connotations, 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. Sentences with shi in the sense of “it is that... it is a case of.. .” This shi may often be omitted. Wǒ shi bú qù de. 我是不去的。 I'm not going. (More literally, “As for me, it is that I'm not going.”) Zhèige, nǐ shi zhīdaode. 这个,你是知道的。 This you know. Nèige rén (shi) yǒu wèntíde. 那个人(是)有问题的。 There is something wrong with that guy. Nǐ zěnme lái le? 你怎么来了? Why are you here? (Shi) Lǐ xiānsheng jiào wò láide. (是)李先生叫我来的。 Mr. told me to come. Cóngqián wǒ cóng Xiānggǎng mǎi shūde shíhou, měicì dōu (shi) jì zhīpiàode. 从前我从香港买书的时候,每次都(是)及支票的。 In the past whenever I have bought (mail-order) books from Hong Kong, I have always paid by check (lit. ”sent a check”). Sentences with an auxiliary verb (huì, néng, yào, yīnggāi, etc.) Nǐ gàosu ta, tā huì shēngqìde. 你告诉他,他会生气的。 If you tell him he'll get angry. Zài xiě yìliǎngge zhōngtóu, wǒ xiàng néng xiěwánde. 在写一两个钟头,我想能写完的。 If I write for another hour or two, I think I can finish writing it. Nǐ zěnme méi mǎi a, yìdiǎn dōu bú guì, nǐ yīnggāi mǎide. 你怎么没买阿,一点都不贵,你应该买的。 How come you didn't buy it? It's not at all expensive. You should have bought it. Nǐ zhème bù shūfu, jīntiānde huì nǐ bù yīnggāi qùde. 你这么不舒服,今天的会你不应该去的。 Since you're feeling so ill, you shouldn't go to today's meeting. Wǒmen zǒng yǒu yìtiān yào huí dàlùde. 我们总有一天要回大陆的。 There will come a day when we will go back to the mainland. Others: sentences with certain adverts like yídìng, with potential resultative verbs, with the aspect marker -guo, etc. Zhèxiē shū yídìng xūyàode. 这些书一定需要的。 These books are definitely needed. Wǒ hē kāfēi cónglái bú fàng tángde. 我喝咖啡从来不方糖的。 I never take sugar in my coffee. Mápó Dòufu píngcháng dōu yǒu ròude. 麻婆豆腐平常都有肉的。 Mápó Bean curd usually has meat in it. Wǒmende gōngzuō zhēnshi tài duō le, zuòbuwánde. 我们的工作真是太多了,做不完的。 We really have an awful lot of work. We'll never be through with it. Zhèige diànyǐng wǒ cóngqián kànguode. 这个电影我从前看过的。 I've seen this movie before. Bù yàojǐnde. 不要紧的。 It doesn't matter. Hǎode, hǎode. 好的,好的。 All right, all right. yìfāngmiàn... yìfāngmiàn...: This has two meanings: “On one hand..., on the other hand...” or “for one thing..., for another thing...” and “doing... while doing...” Zài Xiānggǎng, yìfāngmiàn nǐ yǒu jīhui hé zhōngguó rén tán huà, yìfāngmiàn kéyi zhǐdao dàlùde qíngkuàng. 在香港,一方面你有机会和中国人谈话,一方面可以知道大陆的情况。 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. Tā yìfāngmiàn kàn diànshì, yìfāngmiàn chī dōngxi. 他一方面看电视,一方面吃东西。 He watches television while eating.
Notes on №11-12 11. yìbiān(r)... yìbiān(r) 一边(儿)。。。 一边(儿) doing... while doing... 12. yímiàn...yímiàn... 一面(儿)。。。 一面(儿)。。。 doing... while doing... yìbiān(r)... yìbiān(r)... and yímiàn (r)... yímiàn (r): Both of these patterns are similar to the second meaning of yìfāngmiàn... yìfāngmiàn... Yìbiān zuò yìbiān xué ba. 一边做一边学吧。 Learn by doing (learn as you do it)! Wǒ yìbiānr tīng yìbiānr xiě. 我一边听一边儿写。 I write as I listen. Wǒmen yìbiān zǒu yìbiān tán, hǎo buhǎo? 我们一边走一边谈,好不好? Let's talk as we walk, okay?
Workbook
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 Píng (B), an exchange student from Hong Kong. A: À! Shì nǐ ya! Hǎo jiǔ bu jiàn! jīntiān zěnme yǒu shíjiān chūlai zǒuzou? 啊!是你啊,好久不见,今天怎么有时间出来走走? Well, it's you! I haven't seen you in a long time! How is it you've got time to come out for a walk today? B: Yíge zhōngtóu yǐqián, wǒ cóng xuéxiào gěi nǐ dǎ diànhuà, nǐ bú zài jiā, gāngcái wǒ dào zhèli fūjìn mǎi dōngxi, jiù lái kànkan. Zhēn bú cuò, nǐ yǐjīng huílai le. 一个钟头以前,我从学校给你打电话,你不在家。刚才我到这里附近买东西,就来看看。真不错,你已经回来了。 I called you an hour ago from school, but you weren't home. I just came over to this neighborhood to do some shopping, so I stopped by to visit. It's great that you're back already. A: Duìbuqǐ, wǒ gāngcái dào péngyou jiā jiè shū qu le. 对不起,我刚才到朋友家借书去了。 Sorry. I just went over to a friend's house to borrow a book. B: Shénme shū? Yòu shi guānyú Zhōngguóde ba? 什么书,又是关于中国的吧? What book? More about China, I bet. A: Duì le, yǒu Xiānggǎngde, dàlùde, yě yǒu Táiwānde, dōu shi xiǎshuōr. Nǐ zuòxia kàn, wǒ qù gěi nǐ dào bēi chá lai. 对了,有香港的,大陆的,也有台湾的,都是小说。你坐下看,我去给你倒杯茶来。 Yes, there are ones from Hong Kong, the mainland and Taiwan, all fiction. Sit down and have a look. I'll go get you a cup of tea. B: Bú yào máfan, shénme hēde dōu xíng. 不要麻烦,什么喝的都行。 Don't go to any trouble. Anything to drink is fine. A: Kěkǒukělè, júzi shuǐr**, háishi píjiǔ? 可口可乐,橘子水,还是啤酒? Coke, orange juice or beer? B: M, júzi shuǐ ba! 嗯,橘子水吧。 Um, orange juice. A: Hǎo, wǒ mǎshàng jiù lái, yào bīngkuàir ma? 好,我马上就来,要冰块吗? Okay, I'll get it right now. Do you want ice cubes? B: Bú yào, xièxie. 不要,谢谢。 No, thanks. B: Tāngmǔ? 汤姆? Tom? A: Ng? (ēn) Yeah? B: Zhè sānge dìfangde shū, ni dōu kàn, ní juéde zěnmeyàng? 这三个地方的书你都看,你觉得怎么样? Reading books from all three of these places, what do you think? A: Wǒde gǎnjué bú shi yíjù huà kéyi shuōqīngchude. Eng... zhème shuō ba, wǒ zǒng juéde dàlù rén, Xiānggǎng rén, hé Táiwān rén dōu shi Zhōngguo rén, tāmen yǒu yíyàngle wénhuà chuántǒng, kěshi yīnwei zhèngzhide qíngkuàng bù tóng, shèhuìde qíngkuàng yě jiu bù yíyàng le. 我的感觉不是一句话可以说清楚的,这么说吧。我总觉得大陆人、香港人和台湾人都是中国人,他们有一样的文化传统,可是因为政治的情况不同,社会的情况也就不一样了。 I can't explain my feelings in just a few words. Hmm...let's say that I've always felt that people on 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. B: Nǐ shuōde duì, dànshi nǐ yào dǒngde Zhōngguo shèhuì, zhǐ kàn shū shi bù gōude. 你说的对,但是你要懂得中国社会,只看书是不够的。 You're right. But if you want to understand Chinese society, it's not enough just to read books. A: Éi, nǐ zhīdào ma, xiànzài xué Zhōngwénde xuéshēng yǒu hěn duō jíhuà dào Zhōngguo qu. Suǒyǐ wǒ jìhuà zài zhèige xuéqī wánle de shihou, qù Zhōngguo kànkan. Érqiě, wǒ hái xiǎng zhǎo ge hǎo péngyou yìqǐ qù. 你知道吗,现在学中文的学生有很多机会到中国去,所以我计划在这个学期完了的时候去中国看看,而且我还想找个好朋友一起去。 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. B: Zuótiān wǒ jiēdao wǒ mǔqinde xìn, tā xǐwàng wǒ huí Xiānggǎng guò shùjià; zěnmeyàng, nǐ hé wo yìqǐ huíqu ba. Nǐ kéyi zhù zai wǒmen jiāli, érqiě, zài Xiānggǎng yìfāngmiàn nǐ yǒu jīhui hé Zhōngguo rén tán huà, yì fāngmiàn kéyi zhīdao dàlù, Xiānggǎng hé Taiwǎnde qíngkuàng, nǐ kàn hǎo bu hǎo? 昨天我接到我母亲的信,她希望我回香港过暑假,怎么样,你和我一起回去吧,你可以住在我们家里。而且在香港,一方面你有机会和中国人谈话,一方面可以知道大陆、香港和台湾的情况,你看好不好? 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. 非常好。 Great. B: Nàme, nǐ hái yào hé nǐ jiāli rén shāngliang yixiar ba? 那么你还要和你家里人商量一下吧? Well then, you'll still want to discuss this a bit with your parents, I suppose? A: Bú bì, gěi fùmǔ dǎ diànhuàde shihou, gàosu tamen wǒde jìhua jiu xíng le. Wǒ yào yánjiū Zhōngguo shèhuì, fùmǔ yídìng huì gāoxìngde. 不必,给父亲打电话的时候告诉他们我的计划就行了。我要研究中国社会,父母一定会高兴的。 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. B: Měiguo niánqīng rén dōu yǒu zìjǐde xiǎngfǎ, zhèi yidiǎnr, wǒ fēicháng xǐhuan. 美国年轻人都有自己的想法,这一点我非常喜欢。 Young people in America really think for themselves (have their own ideas). I really like that. A: Niánqīng rén yǒu zìjǐde xiǎngfǎ shi duìde, kěshi fùmǔde huà yě yīnggai kǎolǜ. 年轻人有自己的想法是对的,可是父母的话也应该考虑。 It's good that young people think for themselves, but you still ought to consider what your parents say. B: M. Nà wǒmen shuōhǎo le, jīnnián shǔjià qù Xianggǎng, xiànzài hái yǒu wǔge yuède shíjiān kéyi zhǔnbèi. 嗯,那我们说好了,今天暑假去香港,现在还有五个月时间可以准备。 This summer vacation we'll go to Hong Kong. We still have five months to prepare. A: Duì, jiù zhème bàn! Jīnnián xiàtiān wǒ jiù yào dào zhèige dìfang dà, rénkǒu duō, lìshǐ yòu chángde guójiā qu le. Hài! Zhèige jìhua zhēn ràng wo gāoxìng! 今年夏天我就要到这个地方大人口多,历史又长的国家去了。嘿,这个计划真让我高兴。 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. B: Hǎo, jiù zhèiyang. Wǒ yinggāi zǒu le! 好吧,就这样,我应该走了。 Good, it's settled. I have to go. A: Nǐ máng shenme! Hái zǎo ne! 你忙什么?还早呢? What's the hurry? It's still early! B: Bù zǎo le, huíqu hái děi niàn shū ne! 早了,回去还去念书呢。 No it isn't. I still have to study when I get back. A: Nà, yǒu shíjiān nǐ zài lái wánr! 那,有时间再来玩。 Well then, come again when you have time! A: Míngtiān jiàn! 明天见! See you tomorrow.
Unit 1, 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 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. 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: xīnshì something weighing on one's mind 心事 zhǎngdà to grow up 长大 dàxuéshēng college student 大学生 gèguó various countries 各国 gāozhōng senior high school 高中 hǎohāor properly, carefully, thoroughly 好好儿 jìzhu to remember 记住
Questions for Exercise 2 Prepare your answers to these questions in Chinese so that you will be able to give them orally in class. How does Xiao Ming's mother know that something is on his mind? How does she bring up the subject? What are his classmates doing over the summer? Why does he think Asian culture is interesting? How does Xiao Ming's mother react to his idea? 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. 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: Wǒde tiān na! My God! 我的天啊 xuéshēnghuì student association 学生会 guānxīn to be concerned about 关心 jìndàishǐ modern history 近代史 xiàndài modern 现代 bǐsá bǐng pizza 比萨饼 gǔshū ancient books 古书
Questions for Exercise 3 Prepare your answers to these questions in Chinese so that you will be able to give them orally in class. Why does the Chinese student object to his roommate studying the classics? Why doesn't the American student like to talk about politics? What other subjects does the Chinese student feel his roommate should become familiar with for a well-rounded education? Does the American student agree? Why or why not? 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 4 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 激动 liùshi niándài the decade of the sixties 六十年代 as soon as gǎibiàn change(s) 改变 liúxia to leave 留下
Questions for Exercise 4 Why was Professor Tang so upset in class? Why did the student visit her professor? What things does she bring him? Why? What recent changes have there been in the state of Chinese literature? What is Professor Tang1s 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: Xiǎo Míng, nǐ zài chī yidiǎnr a. 小明,你再吃一点儿啊. Xiǎo Míng, have some more to eat. B: Mā, wǒ chībǎo le, bù xiǎng chī le. 妈,我吃饱了,不想吃了. I'm full, Mom. I don't want any more. A: Měitian niàn shū niànde zhěme wǎn, zài bu duō chī yidiǎnr, zěnme xíng na? 每天念书,念得这么晚,再不多吃一点儿怎么行呢? You study so late every day, if you keep eating so little, how will that do? B: Wǒ zhēnde chībǎo le, yìdiǎnr dōu bù xiǎng chī le. 我真的吃饱了,一点儿都不想吃了. I've really had enough. I Just don't want any more. A: Háizi, nǐ yǒu shénme xīnshì Kě bu kéyi hé wo tāntan? 孩子,你有什么心事,可不可以和我谈谈? Son, what do you have on your mind? Can you talk about it with me? B: Mā, nǐ zuòxia. Zánmen lái Měiguo sìwǔnián le, láide shihou wǒ hái shi ge háizi, xiànzài yǐjīng shi dàren le. Wǒ suīrán zhǎngdà le, kěshi zuò shénme shìr, háishi xiǎng xiān hé nín tántan. 妈,你坐下.咱们来美国四五年了.来的时候我还是个孩子,现在已经是大人了.我虽然长大了,可是做什么事儿还是想先和您谈谈? 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. A: Hǎode, yoǒ shénme shìr, nǐ jiù shuō ba! 好的,有什么事儿你就说吧. Okay, if you have something you'd like to talk about, go ahead. B: Mā, wǒ yǒu jǐge Měiguo tóngxué, dōu shi xuě Zhōngwénde, jīnnián shǔjià, tāmen xiǎng dào Yàzhōu qù kànkan, wǒ yě xiǎng hé tāmen yìqǐ qù. 妈,我有几个美国同学都是学中文的.今年暑假他们想到亚洲去看看,我也想和他们一起去. 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. A: Dōu shi niánqīng rén ma? 都是年轻人吗? Are they all young people? B: Shì a, dōu shi dàxuéshēng. 是阿,都是大学生. Yes, they're all college students, A: Tāmen qù Yǎzhōu, shi qù wánr háishi qù yánjiū Yǎzhōude zhèngzhi, wénhuà qíngxing? 他们去亚洲是去玩,还是去研究亚洲的政治文化情形? Are they going to Asia for fun or to study the political and cultural situation in Asia? B: Wǒ xiǎng, tāmen juéde Yàzhōu wénhuà hěn yǒu yìsi, Yàzhōu gèguó shèhuìde qíngkuàng yě hěn yǒu yìsi. 我想他们觉得亚洲文化很有意思,亚洲各国社会的情况也很有意思. I think they find Asian culture and the social situation in the Asian countries very interesting. A: Tāmen juéde zuì yǒu yìside dìfang shi nǎr a? 他们觉得最有意思的地方是哪儿啊? Which place do they think is the most interesting? B: Dāngrán shi Zhōngguó! 当然是中国. China, of course! A: Nǐ líkāi Zhōngguo zhǐ yǒu sìwǔnián, jiù xiǎng huíqu le? 你离开中国只有四五年,就想回去了? You left China only four or five years ago, and already you want to go back again? B: Wǒ láide shihou cái shàng gāozhōng, duì Zhōngguo wénhuà dǒngdéde tài shǎo. Wǒ xiǎng wǒ yīnggāi huíqu kànkan. 我来的时候才上高中,对中国文化懂得太少,我想我应该回去看看. When I came I was only in senior high, and ī understood too little about Chinese culture. I think I ought to go back to visit. A: Zhōngguode wénhuà yǐjīng yǒu sìqiānniánde lìshǐ, yǒu yìside dōngxi hěn duō. Nǐ yào yánjiū Zhōngguo wénhuà, wǒ bù fǎnduì. Búguò, zǒu yǐqián, nǐ yídìng yào hé Yěye hǎohāor tán yícì. Tā jǐshínián méiyou huíqu le, yídìng yǒu hěn duō huà yào hé ni shuō. 中国文化已经有四千年的历史,有意思的事情很多。你要研究中国文化,我不反对。不过,走以前你一定要和爷爷好好谈一次。他几十年没有回去了,一定有很多话要和你说。 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 hé Yéye hǎohāor tányitán. 我记住了,一定和爷爷好好谈一谈。 I'll remember. I'll make sure I 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 hái zài niàn shū? Ài, hé bēi píjiǔ xiūxi xiuxi hǎo bu hǎo? 我的天呐,你还在念书?嘿,喝杯啤酒,休息休息,好不好? My God! Are you still studying? Hey, how about taking a break for a beer? B: Hǎo hǎo hǎo, ràng wo bǎ zhèiyidiǎnr kànwán xíng bu xíng? 好好好,让我把这一点看完行不行? Okay, okay, let me finish reading this little bit, okay? A: Hài, nǐ zǒngshi kàn gǔshu? Xiànzài shèhuìde qíngxing, nǐ jiu yìdiǎnr dōu bu kǎolǜ ma? 嗨,你总是看《古书》。现在社会的情形你就一点都不考虑吗? Come on, you're always reading classics! Don't you ever think about the condition of today's society? B: Shéi shuō wǒ bù kǎolǜ, xuéshēnghuìde shì wǒ yě zuòle bù shǎo ma! 谁说我不考虑?学生会的事我也做了不少嘛。 Who says I don't think about it. I've done a lot with the Student Association, you know! A: Nǐ zhēn yǒu y4si! Zuò yidiǎnr xuéshēnghuìde shì jiu shi guānxīn shèhuì le! 真有意思,做一点学生会的事就是关心社会了。 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? 那你说我应该做点什么呢? Well then, what do you think I should do? A: Dàlùshang yǒu nàme duō rén, nǐ zěnme bú wènwen tāmende qíngxing zěnmeyàng? 大陆上有那么多人,你怎么不问问他们的情形怎么样? There are so many people on the mainland, how come you don't try to find out what their situation is like? B: Wǒ juéde zhèngzhi wèntí tài máfan, wǒ bù xiǎng tán zhèngzhi. 我觉得政治问题太麻烦,我不想谈政治。 I think that political problems are too much bother (tedious and involved). I don't like to talk about politics. A: Wǒ yě méiyou yào gēn nǐ tán zhèngzhide yìsi. Wǒde yìsi shi, nǐ yánjiū Zhōngguode shihou, yìfāngmiàn yào kànkan gǔshū, yánjiuyanjiu Zhōngguo chuántǒng wénhuà, yìfāngmiàn yě kéyi kànkan zhèi yìbǎiniánde Zhōngguo lìshǐ. 我也没有要跟你谈政治的意思。我的意思是,你研究中国的时候,一方面要看看《古书》,研究研究中国传统文化,一方面也可以看看这一百年的中国历史。 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. B: Zhèiyidiǎn shi duìde. Zhèi yìxuéqī wǒ bú shi yǒu Zhōngguo jìndàishǐ kè ma? 这一点是对的,这一学期我不是有中国近代时刻吗? You're right about that. I have modern Chinese history class this semester, don't I? A: Wǒ xiǎng chūle shàng xué yǐwài, nǐ hái kéyi kàn yidiǎnr xiǎoshuōr. 我想除了上学以外,你还可以看一点小说儿。 But I think that besides taking classes, you could read some fiction, too. B: Kàn xiǎoshuōr?! Wǒ nǎr yǒu shíjiān kàn shenme xiǎoshuōr? 看小说?我哪有时间看什么小说儿? Read fiction?! When (lit. “where”) do I have time to read any fiction? A: Wǒ zuìjìn zài kàn jǐběnr Zhōngguo jìndài xiǎoshuōr, fēicháng yǒu yìsi. Nǐ rúguǒ xiǎng dǒngde Zhōngguo xiàndài shèhuì, zhēn děi duō kàn diǎnr zhěizhǒng xiǎoshuōr. 我最近在看几本中国近代小说,非常有意思。你如果想懂得中国近代社会,真得多看点这种小说儿。 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. B: Wǒ zěnme kéyi hē nǐ bǐ, nǐ kànde nàme kuài! É, zhèiyang hǎo bu hǎo, nǐ kànwán yǐhòu gàosu wo něiyiběn hǎo yidiǎnr, wǒ zài kàn, xíng bu xíng? 我怎么可以和你一比?你看得那么快?嘿,这样好不好?你看完以后告诉我哪一本好一点,我再看,行不行? 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? A: Hǎo hǎo hǎo, jiù zhèiyang ba! Xiànzài wǒ bú zài máfan nǐ le. Éi, dùi le, jīntiān wǎnshang zánmen chī shénme? Wǒ lái zuò yidiǎnr, hǎo bu hǎo? 好好好,就这样吧。现在我不再麻烦你了。哎,对了,今天晚上咱们吃什么?我来做一点好不好? 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? B: Bú bì zuò le, suíbiàn chī diǎnr ba! Wǒ niànwán zhèiyidiǎnr, zánmen chūqu chī pǐchá bǐng, hǎo bu hao? 不必做了,随便吃点吧。我念完这一点,咱们出去吃披萨铃好不好? 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. 好,你快点儿念,念完咱们就走。 Okay! Hurry up and read, we'll leave right after you finish.
Dialogue and Translation for Exercise 4 At an American university, a student (A), who has studied in Taiwan, comes to see her professor from China, Professor Táng (B). Professor Táng first studied literature in the early 1930's in Shanghai and himself belonged to several literary clubs and publications which included some of the authors he now discusses with his students. A: Táng Xiānsheng, wǒ kéyi jìnlai ma? 唐先生,我可以进来吗? Professor (Teacher) Tang, may I come in? B: Dāngrán, qǐng jìnlai ba! Yǒu shi ma? 当然,请进来吧,有事吗? Of course, please come in! Is there some matter (you want to see me about)? A: Mm, jīntiān shàng kède shihou nín dàgài hěn bu shūfu, wǒ lái kànkan nín. 今天上课的时候,您大概很不舒服,我来看看您。 Um, in class today, you must have felt very bad, so I've come to see you. B: Òu! Hái dàile huār lai! Xièxie ni. 哦,还带了花来,谢谢你。 Oh! You even brought flowers! Thank you. A: Méi shenme, yīnggāide. Táng Xiānsheng, nín xiànzàide gǎnjué zěnmeyàng, hǎo yidiǎnr ma? 没什么,应该的。唐先生,您现在的感觉怎么样?好一点吗? Not at all, it's only proper. Dr. Tang, how do you feel now, better? B: Hǎoduō le, xièxie ni. 好多了,谢谢你。 Much better, thank you, A: Yǒu shénme wǒ kéyi gěi nín zuòde...nín bié kèqi. 有什么我可以给您做的,您别客气。 If there's anything I can do for you... don't be polite. B: Nǐ qù dào liǎngbēi kāfēi lai, hǎo bu hǎo? 我想,今天上课的时候您太激动,现在最好不喝咖啡。 How about going and pouring [us] a couple of cups of coffee? A: Wǒ xiǎng, jīntiān shàng kède shihou nín tài jīdòng, xiànzài zuì hǎo bù hē kāfēi. 我想,今天上课的时候您太激动,现在最好不喝咖啡。 I think that during class today you got too worked up. It would be best if you didn't have any coffee now. B: Hǎo ba, nǐ dào liǎngbēi júzishuǐ lai. Wǒ bú yāo bīng. 好吧,你倒两杯橘子水来,我不要冰。 Okay, then get us two glasses of orange juice. I don't want any ice. A: Hǎode, wǒ jiù lái. 好的,我就来。 Okay, I'll be right back. (She gets the orange Juice out of the refrigerator in Professor Táng's office and brings it over to his desk.) A: Táng Xiānsheng, yǒu yíjù huà wǒ bù zhīdào kéyi bu kéyi shuō. 唐先生,有一句话我不知道可以不可以说。 Dr. Tang, there's something I want to say but I don't know if I can. B: Yǒu shénme huà, nǐ jiù shuō ba! 有什么话,你就说吧。 Whatever you have to say, just say it! A: Nin měici jiang Zhongguo liūshi niandai wěnxuě dou feichang jīdSng, zhěiyangr dui ninde shěntī bu hao! 您每次讲中国六十年代文学,都非常激动,这样对您的身体不好。 Every time you talk about Chinese literature of the sixties you get very agitated. That's bad for your health! B: Wǒ yě zhīdao, kěshi yì tán zhèi fāngmiànde wèntí, zǒngshi ràng wo hěn jīdòng. 我也知道,可是一谈这方面的问题,总是让我很激动。 I know, but as soon as I talk about the topic it always makes me very agitated. A: Zhōngguo wénxué de qíngkuàng zhèijǐnián yǒule hěn dàde gǎilàian. Yǒude shíhou hǎo yidiǎnr, yǒude shíhou bù zěnme hǎo. 中国的事情就是这样,和政治的关系太大,我老了,我没办法懂了。 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. B: Zhōngguode shìqing jiù shi zhèiyàng, hé zhèngzhide guānxi tài dà. Wǒ lǎo le, wǒ méi bànfǎ dǒng le. 中国的事情就是这样,和政治的关系太大,我老了,我没办法懂了。 That's exactly the way things are in China; their relationship with politics is too great. I'm too old, I can't understand it any more. A: Nín shi wǒmende lǎoshī. Rúguǒ nín bù dǒng, shéi dǒng ne? 您是我们的老师,如果您不懂,谁懂呢? But you're our teacher. If you don't understand, who does? B: Èi, yǐhòude yánjiū, jiù shi nǐmen niánqīng rénde shì le. 对,以后的研究就是你们年轻人的事了。 (Sigh) In the future, research will be the job of you young people. A: Táng Xiānsheng, nín bú yào zhèiyangr xiǎng, wǒmen dōu xīwàng yǐhòu Zhōngguo wénxuéde qíngxing huì hǎo yìdiǎnr. Jīntiān wǒ zài túshūguǎn jièle jǐběnr xīn shū, dōu shi bú cuòde. Gěi nín liúxia ba! 好,有时间我看一看。今天我在图书馆借了几本新书,都是不错的,给您留下吧。 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! B: Hǎo, yǒu shíjiān wǒ kànyikan. 好,有时间我看一看。 Okay, I'll look through them when I have time. A: Wǒ zǒu le, nín duō xiūxi yihuǐr. Zàijiàn. 我走了,您多休息一会儿,再见。 I'm going to leave now. You get some more rest. Goodbye. B: Hǎo, zàijiàn. Xièxie nǐ lái kàn wǒ. 好,再见,谢谢你来看我。 All right, goodbye. Thanks for coming to see me. A: Bú kèqi. 不客气 You're welcome. Many authors of considerable fame and accomplishment were persecuted during the Cultural Revolution. One unfortunate instance of this resulted in Lán She's suicide.
Unit 2 Equality of sexes
Introduction
Grammar Topics covered in this unit The uses of biéde, “others(s)” and lìngwài, “other.” The pattern méi... jiù... . The pattern yuè... yuè... , “the more... the more …” The pattern yuè lái yuè... , “more and more … . ” The verb ending -xiaqu, “to continue, ” “to go on.” The prepositional verb xiàng, “like.” The adverb jiù, “as soon/early as that.”
Functional language Contained in This Unit Asking a person's views on an issue. Being tactfully hesitant when asking about a delicate topic. Correcting a false impression given by something you said. Dismissing an idea or proposal.
References
Reference List 1. A: Zhèiběn Fǎwén zhōukān xiāngdāng bú cuò! 这本法文周刊,相当不错。 This French weekly is quite good! B: À! Nǐ xiànzài duì Fǎwén hěn yǒu yánjiū le, néng kàn Fǎwén zázhì le! 啊,你现在对法文很有研究了,能看法文杂志了。 Oh! You know a lot about French now you can read French magazines! 2. A: Nánnǚ píngděng shì bu shi Zhōngguó rénde kànfǎ? 男女平等,是不是中国人的看法? Is equality between men and women a Chinese viewpoint? B: Shì, kěshi nèi shi Zhōngguo rénde xīn guānniàn, bú shi lǎo guānniàn. 是,可是那是中国人的新观念,不是老观念。 Yes, but that's a new concept of the Chinese, not an old one. 3. A: Zhèipiān wénzhāng bù hǎo ma? 这篇文章不好吗? Isn't this article any good? B: Bú shi zhèige yìsi. Wénzhāng bú cuò, jiù shi chángle yidiǎnr. 不是这个意思。文章不错,就是长了一点。 That wasn't what I meant. The article is pretty good, it's just that it's a bit long. B: Nǐ hái yǒu shénme biéde wénzhāng ma? 你还有什么别的巍峨会长吗? Do you have any other articles? 4. A: Nǐ jiēhūn yǐqián yìzhí dōu gēn fùmǔ yìqǐ zhù ma? 你结婚以前一直都跟父母一起住吗? Before you got married did you live with your parents all along? B: Bú shi, wǒ méi jiēhūn jiu líkāi jiā dúlì shēnghuōle qī-bā nián. 不是,我没结婚就离开家,独立生活了七八年。 No, I left home before I got married and lived independently for seven or eight years. 5. A: Nǐ kàn, zhèr yǒu yìpiān guānyù tóngjūde xīnwén. 你看,这儿有一篇关于同居的新闻。 Look, here's a news article about living together. B: Suànle ba. Zhèizhǒng xīnwén yǒu shénme yìsi? 算了吧,这种新闻有什么意思? Forget it. What's interesting about that kind of news? 6. A: Nī jiějie yīxué fāngmiànde shū yuè lái yuè duō le! 你姐姐医学方面的书越来越多了。 Your sister is getting more and more medical books! B: Shì a, tā zài pīnmìng xué yī ne. 是啊,她在拼命学医呢。 Yes, she's studying medicine with all her energy. 7. A: Liú Xiānshengde kè shízài méi yìsi. 刘先生的课实在没意思。 Mr. Liu's class is really boring. B: Nǐ tǐīgxiaqu, mànmānr huì yǒu xìngqude. 你听下去,慢慢会有兴趣的。 If you keep attending it, gradually you'll become interested. 8. A: Xiàng Wáng Jiàoshòu zhèiyangde lǎoshī zhēnshi bù duō. 像王教授这样的老师真是不多。 There really aren't many teachers like Professor Wang. B: Nǐ shuōduì le. Rúguǒ bú shi tā bāngzhu wo, wǒ zhēn bù xiǎng xué le. 你说对了。如果不是他帮助我,我真不想学了。 You're right. If it weren't for the help he's given me, I wouldn't want to study anymore. 9. A: Sānnián yǐqián wǒ jiu bú kào fùmǔ shēnghuó le. 三年以前我就不靠父母生活了。 I stopped depending on my parents for a living three years ago. B: Nǐ néng zìjǐ guǎn zìjī, zhēn bú cuò. 你能自己管自己,真不错。 It's really great that you can take care of yourself [be your own boss]. 10. A: Tā xiěde jǐběn xiǎoshuō xiànzài dōu hěn liúxíng. 他写的几本小说,现在都很流行。 The novels he wrote are all very popular now. B: Nà dāngrān, xiàng tā nèiyang yǒu dìwei yǒu zhǐshide rén, xiěde xiǎoshuō yídìng yǒu yìsi. 那当然,像他那样有地位有知识的人,写的小说一定有意思。 Of course. Novels written by someone with his position and knowledge are sure to be interesting. 11. yǒu bāngzhu 有帮助 to be helpful 12. yǒu dàolǐ 有道理 to make sense 13. zìyóu 自由 to be free; freedom 12. -bèizi 辈子 all one's life, lifetime 15. Xīnwén Zhōukān 新闻周刊 Newsweek 16. fùnǚ 夫女 woman; women, womankind
Vocabulary bāngzhu 帮助 help; to help bèizi 辈子 all one's life, lifetime dàolǐ 道理 principle, truth, hows and whys; reason, argument, sense dìwei 低微 position, status dúlì 獨立 to be independent; independence fùnǚ 夫女 woman; women, womankind guǎn to take care of; to mind, to bother about guānniàn 观念 concept, idea, notion jiéhūn (jiēhūn) 结婚 to get married kào to depend on, to rely on; to lean against; to be near, to be next to liúxíng 流行 to be common, to be popular, to be prevalent méi yìsi 没意思 to be uninteresting, to be boring; to be pointless, to be meaningless; to be a drag; to be without value, not worthy of respect nánnǚ 男女 men and women, male-female piān counter for sheets, articles or pieces of writing píngděng 平等 equality; to be equal (of people) pínmìng 拼命 with all one's might, for all one is worth, desperately, like mad; to risk one's life, to defy death shēnghuó 生活 life; to live; livelihood shízài 實在 really; to be real suàn le 算了 forget it, let's drop the matter,let it go at that; come off it, come on tóngjū 同居 to cohabit; cohabitation wénzhāng 文章 article, essay; prose (writing) style xiàng to be like, to resemble; like; such as xiāngdāng 相当 quite, pretty, considerably -xiaqu 下去 resultative ending which indicates continuing an action xìngqu 兴趣 interest xīnwén 新闻 news Xīnwén Zhōukān 新闻周刊 Newsweek xué yī 学医 to study medicine medical science, medicine (used in phrases like xué yī) yīxué 医学 medical science, medicine yìzhí 一直 all along, continuously, all the time (up until a certain point) yǒu bāngzhu 有帮助 to be helpful yǒu dàoli 有道理 to make sense yǒu xìngqu 有兴趣 to be interested yǒu yánjiū 有研究 to have done research on; to know a lot about yuè...yuè... 越。。。越。。。 the more... the more... yuè lái yuè... 越来越 more and more..., increasingly... zhīshi 知识 knowledge zhōukān 周刊 weekly publication, weekly, magazine, a "weekly" zìyóu 自由 freedom; to be free
Reference Notes
Notes on №1 1. A: Zhèiběn Fǎwén zhōukān xiāngdāng bú cuò! 这本法文周刊,相当不错。 This French weekly is quite good! B: À! Nǐ xiànzài duì Fǎwén hěn yǒu yánjiū le, néng kàn Fǎwén zázhì le! 啊,你现在对法文很有研究了,能看法文杂志了。 Oh! You know a lot about French now you can read French magazines! 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: zhōumò weekend 周末 zhōubào weekly publication, weekly 周报 zhōukān weekly publication 周刊 yuèkān monthly publication 月刊 bàokān newspapers and magazines 报刊 qīkān periodicals 期刊 kānwù publications 刊物 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 4). Tā chǎode cài xiāngdāng hǎo chǐ. 他朝的菜相当好吃。 He cooks pretty well Korean food. Zhèige zhǎnlǎnguǎn xiāngdāng bú cuò. 这个展览馆相当不错。 This exhibition hall is quite good. yǒu 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 míng, “name,” or qián, “money,” to form a phrase which acts like an adjectival verb. You míng is “to be famous,” yǒu qián is “to be rich.” Yǒu yánjiū is just such a phrase. As shown in sentence 1B, to say “knowledgeable ABOUT” something, use the prepositional verb duì, “towards, with regard to,” as in: duì ... yǒu yánjiū 有研究 with regard to a subject of study have research 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.
Notes on №2 2. A: Nánnǚ píngděng shì bu shi Zhōngguó rénde kànfǎ? 男女平等,是不是中国人的看法? Is equality between men and women a Chinese viewpoint? B: Shì, kěshi nèi shi Zhōngguo rénde xīn guānniàn, bú shi lǎo guānniàn. 是,可是那是中国人的新观念,不是老观念。 Yes, but that's a new concept of the Chinese, not an old one. nánnǚ: “male and female,” used only for humans. For animals, “male” is gōng(de) and “female” is mǔ(de), e.g., gōngniú, “bull,” mǔniú, “cow.” Tāde gǒu shi gōngde háishi mǚde? 他的狗是公的还是姆的? Is his dog a male or a female? Yǒu rén shuō kāidāo yǐhòu bù yīnggāi chī gōngjī, yīnggāi chi mǔjī. 有人说开刀以后不应该吃公鸡,应该吃母鸡。 Some people say that after an operation one shouldn't eat rooster; one should eat hen. Nánnǚde shìqing zuì nán shuō. 男女的事情最难说。 Matters between men and women are the hardest to judge. Wǒmen xuéxiào nánnǚ xuéshēng dōu yǒu. 我们学校男女学生都有 There are both men and women students at our school. Nán and may modify nouns referring to people, e.g., nüxuéshēng, “woman student, “ nǚtōngzhì , “woman comrade.” A: Chén Yīngmíng dào nǎr qu le? 陳英明到哪儿去了? Where did Chén Yīngmíng go? B: Tā hé yíge tóngxué chūqu le. 他和一个同学出去了。 He went out with a classmate. A: Shi nántóngxué shi nǚtōngxué? 是男同学是女同学? Was it a male classmate or a female classmate? Nánde and nǚde 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. A: Wǒ mǎi zhèizhǒng xíng bu xíng? 我买这种行不行? Should I buy this kind? B: Bù xíng, zhèi shi nánde yòngde. 不行,这是男的用的。 No, this is for men's use. A: Gāngcái you yíge rén dǎ diànhuà lai zhǎo ni. 刚才有一个人打电话来找你。 Just now someone telephoned for you. B: Shi nánde shi nǚde? 是男的是女的? Was it a man or a woman? nánnǚ píngděng: “equality of the sexes,” literally “man-woman equality.” The marriage law of May 1, 1950, established a policy in the PRC which has 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 nánnǚ bù píngděng, xiànzài bù tóng le. 从前在中国男女不平等,现在不同了。 Formerly men and women were unequal in China. Now it is different. Měiguo rén gēn Zhōngguo rén duì nánnǚ píngděngde guānniàn bú tài yíyàng. 美国人跟中国人对男女平等的观念不太一样。 Americans and Chinese don't have all that similar an idea of 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 zhúyì]). 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 xín 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. Other “good” concepts containing words that haven't been presented yet are dàode guānniàn, “sense of morality,” zǔzhī guānnián, “sense of organization,”and zhèncè guānnián “sense of official policy.” “Bad” concepts have names too [for 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 Zhōngguo rénde guānniàn yǒude yíyàng, yǒude bù yíyàng. 美国人的观念根中国人的观念有的一样,有的不一样。 Sometimes the American way of thinking and the Chinese way is the same, sometimes not. Nǐ kàn ba, zài guò jǐnián nián-qīngrén yīnggāi wǎnliàn wǎnhūn jiù huì biàncheng yizhǒng guānniàn. 你看吧,在过今年年轻应人应该晚恋晚婚就会变成一种观念。 You watch, in a few more years, it will have become an accepted idea that young people should get involved late and marry late. 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”
Notes on №3 3. A: Zhèipiān wénzhāng bù hǎo ma? 这篇文章不好吗? Isn't this article any good? B: Bú shi zhèige yìsi. Wénzhāng bú cuò, jiù shi chángle yidiǎnr. 不是这个意思。文章不错,就是长了一点。 That wasn't what I meant. The article is pretty good, it's just that it's a bit long. B: Nǐ hái yǒu shénme biéde wénzhāng ma? 你还有什么别的巍峨会长吗? Do you have any other articles? -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 bú cuò. 他的文章不错。 His (prose) writing is very good. Bú 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: new situation, the article is now a bit long, or 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: Nǐ hái yào kàn biéde ma? 你还要看别的吗? Would you like to look at some other ones? (UNSPECIFIED OTHERS) Nǐ hái yào kàn lìngwài yíge ma? 你还要看另外一个吗? Would you like to see the other one, too? (A CERTAIN ONE—“THE” OTHER) Contrast also: Zhèiběnr zìdiǎn bù hǎo, wǒ yào lìngwài yìběnr. 这本儿字典不好,我要另外一本儿。 This dictionary is no good. I want the other one. (A CERTAIN OTHER ONE—e.g., the other one which the sales clerk showed you) Zhèiběnr zìdiǎn bù hǎo, wǒ yào biéde. 这本儿字典不好,我要别的。 This dictionary is no good. I want another. (UNSPECIFIED—e.g., you don't know whether the store has any others, but you would like to see some) Other examples: Tāmen liǎngge rén, yíge shi wǒ gēge, lìngwài yíge shi wǒ péngyou. 他们两个人,一个是哦我哥哥,另外一个是我朋友。 Of those two, one is my older brother, and the other is my friend. (A CERTAIN OTHER—“THE“ OTHER) Wǒmen zhèixiē rén lǐbiānr, chùle wǒ dào Xiānggǎng qù yǐwài, biéde rén dōu dào Táiwān qù. 我们这些人里边儿,除了我到香港区意外,别的人都到台湾区。 Of those of us here, only I am going to Hong Kong; all the others are going to Taiwan. (UNSPECIFIED— ANY AND ALL OTHERS IN THE GROUP) Zuótiān láide rén, wǒ zhǐ rènshi Táng Huìyīng, lìngwài sānge rén wǒ dōu bù rènshi. 昨天来的人,我之认识唐惠英,另外三个人我都不认识。 Of the people who came yesterday, I only know Táng Huìyíng. I don't know any of the other three. (CERTAIN OTHERS—“THE“ OTHER ONES) If you do not specify the set of things you are talking about, biéde tends to mean any others in the whole world: Wǒmen zhǐ yǒu zhèiyiběn, méiyou biéde. 我们只有这一本,没有别的。 We only don't have this one volume. We have any others. Wǒmen xūyào biéde shū. 我们需要别的书。 We need (an)other book(s). This last sentence you want to change supplement the one can mean either the content of the book(s) is bad and to another book entirely, or you need other books to you are using. hái...biéde: Now that you have seen how to say “other“” in Chinese, you should note that the words lìngwài and biéde are often used in combination with certain adverbs meaning “additionally” or “again”: hái, zài, and yǒu. For now, concentrate on hái. As used in sentence 3B, it means literally “in addition to what has come before.” Tā hái yào biéde. 他还要别的。 He wants more of them. Tā hái zuòle biéde cài. 他还做了别的菜。 He made other dishes as well. Ní hái zhīdao biéde hao fànguānr ma? 你还指导别的好饭馆儿吗? Do you know any other good restaurants? 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?”) Ní yào shénme? 你要什么? What do you want? Ní yào shénme ma? 你要什么吗? Do you want anything? Ní dōu zhīdao shénme hǎo fànguǎnr? 你都知道什么好饭馆儿? What good restaurants do you know? Ní zhīdao shénme hǎo fànguǎnr ma? 你知道什么好饭馆儿吗? Do you know of any good restaurants?
Notes on №4 4. A: Nǐ jiēhūn yǐqián yìzhí dōu gēn fùmǔ yìqǐ zhù ma? 你结婚以前一直都跟父母一起住吗? Before you got married did you live with your parents all along? B: Bú shi, wǒ méi jiēhūn jiu líkāi jiā dúlì shēnghuōle qī-bā nián. 不是,我没结婚就离开家,独立生活了七八年。 No, I left home before I got married and lived independently for seven or eight years. jiéhūn: “to get married” Also pronounced jiēhūn. Jiéhūn 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? 他们结婚了没有? Have they gotten married yet? (This is the equivalent of “Are they married?”) Tāmen méi jiéhūn. 他们每结婚。 They have not gotten married. (Equivalent to “They are not married.“) Tāmen bù jiéhūn. 他们不结婚。 They are not going to get married. Nī jiéhūn duo jiǔ le? 你结婚多久了 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. Nī shi shénme shihou jiéde hūn? 你是什么时候结婚。 When did you get married? or Nī shi shénme shihou jiéhūnde? 你是什么时候结婚的。 When did you get married? Liú Xiānsheng jiéguo sāncì hūn. 刘先生结果三次婚。 Mr. Liú has been married three times. To say”get married TO SOMEONE“ use the pattern gēn... jiéhūn or hé... Jiéhūn. Tā gēn shéi jiéhūn le? 他跟谁结婚了? 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. Wǒmen yìzhí zài zhèli gōngzuò. 我们一直在这里工作。 We've always worked here. Tā yìzhí zài Táidà niàn shū. 他一直在台大念书。 He studied all along at Taiwan University. Yìzhí can be used with reference to a phrase telling of a period of time (sānnián, “three years,” or jiéhūn yǐqiān, “before getting married”) to say “all during (that time).” Yù yìzhí xiàle sāntiān. 雨一直下了三天。 It rained for three days straight. Often the time phrase and yìzhí are followed by dōu. Tā wǔtiān yìzhí dōu méi xiūxi. 他五天一直都没休息。 He didn't rest for five days on end. wō méi jiēhūn jiu líkāi jiā...: This might look like “l 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...). Tā méi xué sìwǔge yuè Yīngwén jiù shuōde bú cuò le. 他没学四五个月英文就说得不错了。 Before he had studied even three or four months of English, he could speak it pretty well. Tā bìng méi hǎo jiù lái shàng bān le. 他病没好就来上班了。 She came back to work before she had recovered from her illness. Wō gàosu nǐ méi jītiǎn, nī yòu wàng le. 我告诉你没几天,你又忘了。 I told you just a few days ago and you've forgotten again. Méi duō jiǔ, tā jiù shuìzháo le. 没多久,他就睡着了。 He fell asleep before long. Yù xiàle méi duō jiǔ jiù tíng le. 雨下了没多久就停了。 It hadn't rained long when it stopped. dúlì: “to be independent, to be on one's own; independence,” literally “singly stand.” Měiguo shi yīqīqīliùnián dúlìde. 美国是一七七六年独立的。 America became independent in 1776. Zuìjìn jǐnián yǒu jǐge xīn dúlìde guójiā. 最近几年有一个新独立的国家。 There have been several newly independent countries in the last few years. Nèige háizi hěn xǐhuan dúlì shēnghuó, tā zài zhōngxuéde shíhou yǐjīng kāishǐ gōngzuò le. 那个孩子很喜欢独立生活,他在中学的时候已经开始工作了。 That child really likes to he independent. He started to work when he was in high school. Tā zhème dà, jīngJi hái méiyou dúlì. 他这么大,经济还没有独立。 He's so old and still not economically independent. shēnghuó: “to live; life; livelihood” Shēng- is stressed and -huó is unstressed or neutral tone. A zài phrase may come either before or after the verb shēnghuó. Xiongmāo chàbuduō dōu shēnghuó zài gāoshānshang. According to those pandas who answered our surveys... 熊猫差不多都生活在高山上。 Almost all panda bears live in the high mountains. Tā zài shēnghuoshang duì wo hěn zhàogu. 他在生活上对我很照顾。 She takes good care of me in my daily life. Tā xiǎo shíhou shēnghuó qíngxing hěn bù hǎo. 他小时候生活情形很不好。 When he was a child, he lived in very bad circumstances.
Notes on №5 5. A: Nǐ kàn, zhèr yǒu yìpiān guānyù tóngjūde xīnwén. 你看,这儿有一篇关于同居的新闻。 Look, here's a news article about living together. B: Suànle ba. Zhèizhǒng xīnwén yǒu shénme yìsi? 算了吧,这种新闻有什么意思? Forget it. What's interesting about that kind of news? tóngjū: “to live together, to cohabit” 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, tóngjūalmost 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 nánnǚ tóngjū in order to be explicit. xīnwén: “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. [The word for news between people is xiāoxi, “tidings,” (MBD, Unit 5) which has a second meaning of “official news.”] Nǐ kàn diànshi xīnwén le ma? 你看电视新闻了吗? Did you see the television news? Jīntiān bàoshangde xīnwén hěn yǒu yìsi, yīnggāi hǎohāor kànkan. 今天报上的新闻和有意思,应该好好儿看看。 The news in the paper today is very interesting; you should read it carefully. A: Jīntiān tā gàosu wǒ yíge xīnwén, shuō Xiǎo Wáng hé Xiǎo Lǐ “Shíyī” jiēhūn. 今天她沟苏我一个新闻,说小王和小李十一结婚。 Today she told me some real news. She said that Xiǎo Wang and Xiǎo Lǐ are getting married on October 1 (National Day). B: Zhēnde? Zhèi zhēn shi ge dà xīnwén. 真的?这真是个大新闻。 Really? Boy, that really is big news. suàn le: “Forget it.” Suàn is the verb “to calculate, to figure, to compute.” The idiom suàn le is translated as “let it be,” “let it pass,” “drop the matter,” “let it go at that.” Suàn le, bú yào zài wèn tā le. 算了,不要再问他了。 Forget it, don't ask him about it any more. Ràng tā zìjǐ bàn, jiù suàn le. 让他自己版,就算了。 Let him do it himself, and the heck with it. A: Zánmen chūqu chi fàn ba? 咱们出去吃饭吧? How about going out to eat? B: Wǒ jiù xiǎng zài jiāli suíbiàn chī yìdiǎnr suàn le. 我就像在家里便吃一点儿算了。 I just want to eat a little bit at home and leave it at that. Dōu gěi ni, suàn le. 都给你,算了。 Go ahead and take them all. Nǐ yào qù jiù qù, bú qù jiù suàn le. ,你要去就去,不去就算了。 If you want to go, then go. If you don't want to go, then forget it.
Notes on №6 6. A: Nī jiějie yīxué fāngmiànde shū yuè lái yuè duō le! 你姐姐医学方面的书越来越多了。 Your sister is getting more and more medical books! B: Shì a, tā zài pīnmìng xué yī ne. 是啊,她在拼命学医呢。 Yes, she's studying medicine with all her energy. nǐ jiějie yīxué fāngmiànde 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 fāngmiànde, 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: Běijīng de zuì hǎo de fànguǎnr 北京 最好 饭馆儿 Zhōu Xiānsheng de tàitai de péngyou 周先生 太太 朋友 yuè lái 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 越多 越好 “the more the better“ yuè kàn yuè bù dǒng 越看 越不懂 “the more one reads, the more confused one gets” Péngyou yuè duō yuè hǎo. 朋友越多懂好 The more friends you have, the better. Dìtú yuè dà yuè qīngchu. 地图越大越清除。 The larger a map is, the clearer it is. Tā bù xǐhuan qǐng kè, juéde kèren yuè duō yuè máfan. 她不喜欢请客,觉得客人越多越麻烦。 She doesn't like to invite guests; she feels that the more guests there are, the more trouble it is. Wǒ yuè xiǎng yuè pà. 我越想越怕。 The more I thought about it, the more frightened I got. Tā yuè shuō yuè shēngqì. 他越说越生气。 The more he talked, the madder he got. Nèipiān wénzhāng xiěde hěn bu qīngchu, nǐ yuè kàn yuè bù dǒng. 那篇文章写得很不清楚,你越看越不懂。 The article is very unclear. The more you read it, the less you understand. When the verb lái is used in the first blank of this pattern, the whole phrase expresses the idea of “increasingly...” or “...-er and ...-er”: yuè lái yuè gāo 越来 越高 “to become taller and taller” Huáng Tàitaide nǚer yuè lái yuè piàoliang le. 黃太太的女儿越来越漂亮了。 Mrs. Huáng's daughter is getting prettier all the time. Dōngxi yuè lái yuè guì le. 东西越来越贵了。 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 4 of this module.) pīnmìng: “exerting the utmost strength, with all one's might, for all one is worth, desperately, like mad” Pīnmìng means literally “to risk one's life” or “to defy death.” One translation which captures the spirit of pīnmìng is “knocking oneself out.” Shìqing tài duō, tā pīnmìngde zuò yě zuòbuwwán. 事情太多,她拼命的做也做不完。 There's too much to do. She's working like mad and still won't be able to finish. Xiǎoháir yí kànjian lǎoshǔ jiù pīnmìng pǎo huí jiā qu le. 小孩人一看见老鼠就拼命跑回家去了。 As soon as the child saw the rat, he ran like mad for home.
Notes on №7 7. A: Liú Xiānshengde kè shízài méi yìsi. 刘先生的课实在没意思。 Mr. Liu's class is really boring. B: Nǐ tǐīgxiaqu, mànmānr huì yǒu xìngqude. 你听下去,慢慢会有兴趣的。 If you keep attending it, gradually you'll become interested. 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.” Tā shízài yònggōng, měitiān wǎnshang niàn hǎo jǐge zhōngtóu Yīngwén. 他实在用功,每天晚上功念好几个钟头英文。 He is really industrious; every night he studies several hours of English. Wǒ shízài bù zhīdào. 我实在不知道。 I really (OR honestly) don't know. Wǒ shízài gàosu nǐ ba, wǒ bù xiǎng qù. 我实在告诉你吧,我不想去。 I'll tell you the truth: I don't want to go. Yàoshi nǐ shízài méi bànfa, nà jiù suàn le. 要是你实在没办法,那就算了。 If you really can't do it, then Just forget it. Shízài can also be used in speaking of people; when so used it carries the connotation of dependability. Tā zhèige rén hěn shízài. 他这个人很实在。 He is very sincere and dependable. méi yìsi: This phrase, meaning literally '“has no meaning,” has an abundance of uses: uninteresting, boring; Zhèiběn shū zhēn méi yìsi. 这本书真没意思。 This book is really boring. Wǒ kàn nǐ bú bì qù nèige dìfang, méi shenme yìsi. 我看你不必去那个地方,没什么意思。 I don't think you need to go there. It's not particularly fun (interesting) pointless, meaningless; Jīntiān kāi huì, shénme dōu méi zuò, zhēn méi yìsi. We didn't get anything done at today's meeting. How pointless. Tā bù dǒng, zài jiǎng yě méi yìsi. 他不懂,再讲也没意思。 He doesn't understand. It's pointless to try to explain it any more. Tā bú zài, zánmen qù yě méi yìsi, shénme dōu bù néng zuò. 他不再,咱们去也没意思,什么都不能做。 Since he's not there, it would be pointless for us to go. We wouldn't be able to do anything. to be a drag; Tā zài Měiguo, tā àiren zài Déguo, zhēn méi yìsi. 他在美国,他爱人在德国,真没意思。 He's in America and his love is in Germany. What a drag! without value, not worthy of respect, cheap. Zài tā bèihōu shuō zhèiyangrde huà, zhēn méi yìsi! 在他背后说这样儿的话,真没意思。 Talking like that behind her back is really low. tīngxiaqu: “to go on listening” You've seen the action verb tīng, “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.” Zhèiběn shū tài méi yìsi, wǒ kànbuxiàqù le. 这本书台没意思,我看不下去了。 This book is too boring. I can't read on. Nǐ shuōde duì, jiǎngxiaqu. A: G你说的对,讲下去。 That's right. Go on (speaking). àosu wo, hòulái zěnme le? 告诉我,后来怎么了。 Tell me, what happens later? B: Gàosu ni méi yìsi. Nǐ kànxiaqu jiù huì zhīdao le. 告诉你没意思。你看下去就会知道了。 It would be no fun to tell you. Go on reading and you'll find out. Shuōxiaqu a, women dōu ài tīng. 说下去啊,我们都爱听。 Go on talking. We all love to listen. Nǐ zhèiyang děngxiaqu zěnme xíng ne? 你这样等下去怎么行呢? How can you go on waiting like this? yǒu xìngqu: “to be interested” Use the prepositional verb duì to say what you are interested in. Wǒ duì nèijiàn shì yìdiǎnr xìngqu yě méiyou. 我对那件事一点儿兴趣也没有。 I have no interest at all in that matter. Nǐ duì shénmeyàngrde shū zuì yǒu xìngqu? 你对什么言儿的书最有兴趣? What kind of books are you most interested in?
Notes on №8 8. A: Xiàng Wáng Jiàoshòu zhèiyangde lǎoshī zhēnshi bù duō. 像王教授这样的老师真是不多。 There really aren't many teachers like Professor Wang. B: Nǐ shuōduì le. Rúguǒ bú shi tā bāngzhu wo, wǒ zhēn bù xiǎng xué le. 你说对了。如果不是他帮助我,我真不想学了。 You're right. If it weren't for the help he's given me, I wouldn't want to study anymore. xiàng: “to be similar to, to resemble” Xiàng may be used as a full verb or as a prepositional verb. Here it is a full verb: Tā xiàng fùqin, bú xiàng mǔqin. 他像父亲,不像母亲。 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. Yǒu,as used in the second example above, can be thought 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 ... yīyàng... . 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 here. Tā xiang tā gēge nàme cōngming. 她像她哥哥那么聪明。 She's as intelligent as her brother. Nǐ yǒu tā nàme gāo. 你有他那么高。 You're as tall as he is. Nǐ gēn tā yíyàng gāo. 你跟他一样高。 You're the same height as he. Comparison sentences with xiàng must have either yíyàng, zhème (zènme), or name before the main verb. Xiàng makes rather imprecise comparisons; its original meaning is, after all, “resemble” or ““like,” not exact equality. Nǐ xiàng wǒ zhème ná kuàizi. 你像我这么拿筷子。 You hold chopsticks like I do. Xiàng huàr nàme hǎokàn. 像画儿那么好看。 (It's) as beautiful as a painting. Zhèiliǎngtiānde tiānqi xiàng chūntian nàme shūfu. 这两天的天气像春天那么舒服。 The weather the past couple of days has been as nice as spring. Tāde yǎnjing xiàng hǎishuǐ yíyàng lán. 她的眼睛像海水一样兰。 Her eyes are as blue as sea water. The negative comes before the prepositional verb xiàng. Tā bú xiàng tā mèimei nàme cōngming. 他不像他妹妹那么聪明。 He's not as intelligent as his little sister. Nèi shíhou shēnghuó bú xiàng xiànzài zhème hǎo. 那时候生活不像现在这么好。 Life was not as good then as it is now. Xiàng...zhèiyang: Zhèiyang(r) or nèiyang(r) are sometimes used after a noun or pronoun in phrases with xiàng, for example: xiàng tā zhèiyangde rén 像他这样的人。 people like him (lit., “like him this kind of people“œ) xiàng Wang jiàoshòu zhèiyangde 像王教授这样的。 teachers like Professor Wang (lit., lǎoshī “like Professor Wang this kind of teachers”) In such sentences, the zhèiyang(r) or nèiyang(r) are hard to translate into smooth English. It is usually best to leave those words out of the translation. Měitiān dōu xiàng jīntiān zhèiyang jiù shūfu le. 每天都像今天这样就舒服了。 If every day were like today, we would have it easy. Běijīng kǎo yā zhèiyangde cài,tiāntiān chī tài guì le. 北京烤鸭这样的菜天天吃太贵了。 It would be too expensive to eat dishes like Běijīng roast duck every day.
Notes on №9 9. A: Sānnián yǐqián wǒ jiu bú kào fùmǔ shēnghuó le. 三年以前我就不靠父母生活了。 I stopped depending on my parents for a living three years ago. B: Nǐ néng zìjǐ guǎn zìjī, zhēn bú cuò. 你能自己管自己,真不错。 It's really great that you can take care of yourself [be your own boss]. Jiù: The adverb 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,” but it can also be conveyed in English simply by putting extra stress on the time expression. For example, “He's coming TODAY.”(Tā jīntiān jiu láile.). When used this way, jiù is always unstressed or neutral tone. As in sentence 9A, new-situation le is often (but not always) used at the end of a sentence in connection with the adverb jiù. Nǐde yīfu yìhuǐr jiù xǐhǎo le. 你的衣一会儿就洗好了。 Your clothes will be all washed in Just a while (that soon). Míngtiān wǒ jiù yǒu gōngfu, kéyi qù le. 明天我就有工夫,可以去了。 I'll have time to go tomorrow (that soon). Nǐ zài děng yìhuǐr, yìdiǎnzhōng jiù yǒu dìxià huǒchē le. 你在等一会儿,一点种就有地下火车了。 Wait a while longer, there will be a subway train at one o'clock (that soon). Jīntiān zǎoshang wǒ wùdiǎn zhōng jiù qǐlai le. 今天早上我五点钟就起来了。 I got up at five this morning (that early). kào: This verb has several commonly used meanings: to lean against, to lay back on, to depend/rely on, and to be near/next to. Bié kào chēmén. 别靠车门。 Don't lean against the door of the car. Wǒde Yīngwén bù hǎo, xiě wénzhāng wánquán kào zìdiǎn. 我的英文不好,写文章完全靠字典。 My English isn't good. When I write essays, I depend completely on a dictionary. Tā zǒngshi kào zài chuángshang kàn shū. 他总是靠在床上看书。 He's always laying back in bed reading. Mài'āmì shi yíge kào hǎide chéngshì. 迈阿密是一个靠海的城市。 Miami is a city on the sea. guǎn: “to tend/take care of/look after/manage/run/be in charge of” Nǐmen liǎngge chūqu wánr, shéi guǎn háizi? 你们两个出去玩儿,谁管孩子? If you two go out (for fun), who'll look after the kids? Lǐ Xuěméi guǎn jiā guǎnde hǎo. 劉雪管家管得好。 Lǐ Xuěméi runs the house very well. Liú Xiānsheng shi guǎn kǎoshìde. 劉先生是管考试的。 Mr. Liú is in charge of testing. Another meaning is “to care, to bother about, to concern oneself with.” Tā bù xǐhuan guǎn biérénde shì. 他不喜欢管别人的事。 He doesn't like to mind others' business. Wǒ yào zuò shénme, wǒ zìjǐ zhīdao, nǐ shǎo guǎn wǒde shì, hǎo bu hǎo? 我要做什么,我自己知道,你少管我的事,好不好? I know what I want to do, would you please not interfere with my affairs so much! (IMPOLITE) Wǒ bù guǎn, suíbiàn nǐ. 我不管,随便你。 I don't care. Whatever you like. The ending -zháo, “'succeed (in connecting with or touching),” can also be used with guǎn. Guǎnbuzáo means '“can be no concern of..., to be none of one's business.” Zhèi shi wǒmen zìjǐde shì, nǐmen guǎnbuzháo. 这是我门自己的事,你们管不赵。 This is our own affair; it's none of your business. The colloquial Guǎn ta (ne)! expresses brusque dismissal: '“Who cares about him!” or '“Who cares about that!” A: Nǐ jīntiān wǎnshang rúguǒ bú qù, tā huì hěn bu gāoxìng. 你今天晚上如果不去,她会很不高兴。 If you don't go tonight he'll be very unhappy. B: Guǎn ta ne! Wǒ yào niàn shū, méi shíjiān qù. 管他呢!我要念书,没时间去。 Who gives a damn about him! I've got to study; I don't have time to go. zìjǐ.. .zìjǐ: '“oneself” Use the pronoun for “l, 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. chuáng: “bed kǎoshì: “test, exam; testing” Wǒ bù xǐhuan wǒ zìjǐ. 我不喜欢我自己。 I don't like myself, (as said by a confused teenager) Nǐ bù xiǎo le, yīnggāi zhīdao *zhàogu: “to take care of, to care for“ zìjī zhàogu zìjī. 你不小了,应该知道自己照顾自己。 You're not a child anymore; you should know how to take care of yourself. Nī bú yào zìjī gěi zìjī zhǎo máfan. 你不要自己给自己找麻烦。 Don't go asking for trouble for yourself. Tā zhèiyangr zuò, zìjī piàn zìjī. piàn: “to fool, to deceive“ 她这样儿做,自己骗自己。 By doing this, he's only fooling himself.
Notes on №10 through 12 10. A: Tā xiěde jǐběn xiǎoshuō xiànzài dōu hěn liúxíng. 他写的几本小说,现在都很流行。 The novels he wrote are all very popular now. B: Nà dāngrān, xiàng tā nèiyang yǒu dìwei yǒu zhǐshide rén, xiěde xiǎoshuō yídìng yǒu yìsi. 那当然,像他那样有地位有知识的人,写的小说一定有意思。 Of course. Novels written by someone with his position and knowledge are sure to be interesting. 11. yǒu bāngzhu 有帮助 to be helpful 12. yǒu dàolǐ 有道理 to make sense liúxíng: “ to be popular, prevalent, current, widespread, common. This is an adjectival verb. Make it negative with . Zhèizhǒng huà xiànzài hěn liúxíng, kěshi wǒ xiǎng zhè huà bú tài duì. 这种话现在很流行,可是我想这话不太对。 This kind of talk is very popular these days, but I don't think it's very true. Xiànzài chuān duǎn qúnzi bù liúxíng le. 现在穿短裙子不流行了。 It's not popular to wear long skirts anymore. You can also use liúxíng with a phrase following it to mean “to be popular to (do something).” Xiànzài liúxíng chuān cháng qúnzi. 现在流行穿长裙子。 It is popular to wear long skirts now. Zài hěn duō dìfang, yuè lái yuè liúxíng nánnǚ tóngjū le. 在很多地方,越来越流行男女同居了。 In a lot of places, it is getting more and more common for men and women to live together. Liúxíng is also used in compound nouns, such as liúxíngbìng, “epidemic.” Zhè yíge xīngqī yǒu liúxíngbìng, nǐmen jiāde háizi zuì hǎo bié chū men. 着一个星期有流行病,你们家的孩子最好别出门。 This past week there has been an epidemic; it would be best if your children didn't go out. dìwei: “position, place or status (in an organization or society)'” Tāde dìwei hěn gāo. 他的地位很好。 He has a very high position. Nǐ cái gōngzuòle shíjinián jiù yǒule jīntiānde dìwei hěn bù róngyi. 现在流行穿长裙子。 Having worked only ten or so years, it wasn't easy to get the position you have today. Tāmen yào yǒu dúlìde jīngji hé shèhuì dìwei. 他们要有独立的经济和社会地位。 They want independent economic and social status. yǒu zhīshi 有知识 “to be knowledgeable,” literally “to have knowledge” yǒu dàolǐ 有道理 “to make sense,” literally “to have reason” yǒu bāngzhu 有帮助 “to be helpful,” literally “to have help” Here you see three more examples of how you, “to exist, to have,” and a noun can be used to make an adjectival verb. Sometimes the meaning of the resulting phrase is more than Just the sum of its parts. Yǒu xìngqu is “to be interested (in something),” while yǒu yìsi is “to be interesting.” Here are some of the others you have already learned. yǒu guānxi to be related to yǒu míng to be famous 有关系 有名 yǒu yánjiū to be expert yǒu yòng to be useful 有研究 有用
Notes on №13 through 16 13. zìyóu 自由 to be free; freedom 12. -bèizi 辈子 all one's life, lifetime 15. Xīnwén Zhōukān 新闻周刊 Newsweek 16. fùnǚ 夫女 woman; women, womankind -bèizi: This word is usually used with -, as in Wǒ gōngzuòle yíbèizi, xiànzài liùshisuì le, kéyi xiūxixiuxi le. 我工作了一辈子,现在六十岁了,可以休息休息了。 I've worked all my life and am now sixty years old. I can take a little rest now. Jiéhūn shi yíbèizide shì, děi hǎohāor xiǎngxiang. 结婚是一辈子的事,得好好儿想想。 Marriage is a lifetime thing; you should think it over carefully. fùnǚ: In Taiwan, a fùnǚ is generally a married woman, but in PRC usage the word has no connotations about marital status. Fùnǚ 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 Píng (B) encounters Tom (A). B: Èi! Tāngmǔ, nǐ hǎo a! 诶!汤姆,你好啊。 Hey! Hi, Tom! A: Nǐ hǎo, Lǐ Píng! Lái kàn shū ma? 你好,李平,来看书吗。 Hi, Lǐ Ping. Did you come here to do some reading? B: Chīle wǎnfàn, chūlai zǒuzou, dào túshūguǎn kànkan xīn dàode zázhì. 吃了晚饭,出来走走,到图书馆看看新到的杂志。 After dinner I went out for a walk and came to the library to read through some of the new magazines. A: Nǐ zuì xǐhuande Yīngwén zázhì shi shénme? 你最喜欢的英文杂志是什么? What’s your favorite English magazine? B: Ng, Xīnwén Zhōukān. 嗯,新闻周刊。 Um, Newsweek. A: Wèishenme ne? 为什么呢? Why? B: Xīnwén Zhōukān hěn hǎo, duì xué Yīngwén hěn yǒu bāngzhu. 新闻周刊很好,对学英文很有帮助。 Newsweek is very good. It’s a big help in learning English. A: Duì, kàn zhèige zázhì, yìfāngmiàn kéyi xué Yīngwén, yìfāngmiàn kéyi zhīdao Měiguo shèhuìde qíngkuāng, shì bu cuò. Zhèige xīngqī yǒu shénme yǒu yìside wénzhāng ma? 对,看这个杂志,一方面可以学英文,一方面可以知道美国社会的情况,是不错。这个星期有什么有意思的文章吗? Right. When you read it, you can study English at the same time you learn about conditions in American society; it is good. Are there any interesting articles in it this week? B: Yǒu, yǒu yìpiān guānyú nánnǚ píngděngde wénzhāng hěn yǒu yìsi. 有,有一篇关于男女平等的文章很有意思。 Yes, there’s an article about equality of the sexes that’s very interesting. A: Òu, “nánnǚ” píngděng... wǒde nǚpéngyou duì zhèige tímu**tímu, subject, topic (see Unit 5)* hěn yǒu yánjiū. Zěnme? Nǐ yě duì zhèige wèntí yǒu xìngqu ma? 哦,男女平等,我的女朋友对这个题目很有研究。怎么?你也对这个问题有兴趣吗? Oh, equality of the sexes... My girl friend is an expert on the subject. Don’t tell me, are you interested in that issue too? B: Yǒu, wǒ yǒu xìngqu, érqiě xiǎng zhīdao nǐmende kànfǎ. Wǒ kéyi wèn jǐge wèntí ma? 有,我有兴趣,而且想知道你们的看法。我可以问几个问题吗? Yes, I am, and I’d also like to know your views on it. Can I ask a few questions? A: Dāngrán, qǐng wèn ba! 当然,请问吧。 Sure. What would you like to know? B: Zhèipiān wénzhāng shuō, zài hěn duō dìfāng yuè lái yuè liúxíng nánnǚ tóngjū le. Ēn, duìbuqǐ... 这篇文章说,在很多地方越来越流行男女同居了,嗯,对不起。 The article says that in a lot of places, cohabitation is getting more and more common. Uh, excuse me...**The reason Lǐ Píng is being so careful here is that he knows Tom and his girlfriend are living together.* A: Méi shenme, nǐ shuōxiaqu. 没什么,你说下去。 Not at all, go on. B: Zhèipiān wénzhāng hái shuō zhèizhōng shì hé fùnǚde dìwei yǒu guānxi. Zhèi yidiǎn wǒ zhēnshi bù dǒng le. Zhōngguo rénde chuántǒng guānniàn shi, fùnǚ méiyou jiēhūn, bù yīnggāi hé tāde nánpéngyou zhù zai yìqǐ. 这篇文章还说,这种事和妇女的地位有关系。 这一点我真是不懂了。 中国人的传统观念是,妇女没有结婚, 不应该和她的男朋友住在一起。 It also said in the article that this is related to the status of women. I really don’t understand that point. The traditional Chinese idea is that a woman should not live with her boyfriend before they get married. A: Wǒmende guānniàn bú tài yíyàng. Yìxiē fùnǚ, tèbié shi zhīshi fùnǚ, tāmen bú yào kào xiānsheng shēnghuó, tāmen yào yǒu dúlìde jīngji hé shèhui dìwei. Xiàng wǒde nǚpéngyou, tā jiù yǒu zhèiyangde kànfǎ. Erqiě wǒ xiǎng, tóngjūde wèntí hé hěn duō shìqing yǒu guānxi, bù zhǐ shi fùnǚde dìwei wèntí. 我们的观念不太一样, 一些妇女特别是知识妇女, 他们不要靠先生生活, 他们要有独立的经济和社会地位。 像我的女朋友,她就有这样的看法。 而且我想,同居的问题和很多事情有关系,不只是妇女的地位问题。 We have a somewhat different concept. Some women, especially women intellectuals, don’t want to depend on their husbands in order to live; they want to have independent economic and social status. Like my girlfriend; that’s the way her view is. But also, I think that living together has to do with a lot of things. It’s not just a question of the status of women. B: Rúguó kéyi tánde huà, nǐ gěi wo jiǎngjiang zěnmeyàng? 如果可以谈的话,你给我讲讲怎么样。 If it’s all right to talk about it, would you tell me more? A: Hǎo, zhèiyangr ba, wǒ gěi ni tántan wǒde shì, nǐ jiu zhīdao wǒmen zěnme xiǎng le. Wǒde nǚpéngyou, tā shi xué yīde. Xué yī bú shi yíjiàn róngyide shìr. Tā hái yào zài dàxué xuéxí liùnián. 好,这样吧,我给你谈谈我的事,你就知道我们怎么想了。我的女朋友她是学医的,学医不是一件容易的事儿。她还要在大学学习六年。 Okay, how about this. I’ll tell you about my situation, and then you’ll know the way we think. My girlfriend is studying medicine. Studying medicine isn’t the easiest thing. She still has six more years of university. B: Nà nǐmen shénme shíhou jiēhūn ne? 那你们什么时候结婚呢? Then when are you getting married? A: Xiànzài wǒmen hái bù xiǎng jiēhūn. 现在我们还不想结婚。 We don’t want to get married just yet. B: Wèishénme? Nǐmen juéde jiēle hūn, yǒule háizi huì hěn máfan, shì bu shi? 为什么?你们觉得结了婚,有了孩子会不会麻烦是不是? Why not? You think that once you get married and have children it’ll be a lot of trouble, right? A: Bú shi zhèige yìsi. Jiùshi wǒmen jiēhūnle, yě bù yídìng mǎshàng yào háizi. Zhòngyàode shi wǒmen zhèi yíbèizi yào zuò shénme, hái méiyou hǎohāor xiǎngguo ne, yīnggāi xiān xiǎng nèige wèntí. Érqiě wǒmen dōu yuànyi zài jiēhūn yǐqiān qīngchǔde zhīdao zìjǐ xǐhuande nèige rén shi yíge shénmeyàngrde rén. Zhèi yě xūyào shíjiān. 不是这个意思。 就是我们结婚了,也不一定马上要孩子。 重要的是,我们这一辈子要做什么, 还没有好好儿想过呢? 应该先想那个问题。 而且我们都愿意在结婚以前, 清楚地知道自己喜欢的那个人是一个什么样的儿人。 这也需要时间。 That’s not the point. Even if we get married, we won’t necessarily have children right away The important thing is that we haven’t even thought out well what we want to do in our lives. We should think about 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. B: Kěshi yǒu rén huì juéde nǐmen zhèiyang zuò shi yīnwei nǐmen juéde tóngjū bǐ jiēhūn zìyóu. 可是有人会觉得你们这样做,是因为你们觉得同居比结婚自由。 But some people will think you are doing this because you feel that living together is freer than marriage. A: Yǒu rén zhème shuō, kěshi wǒ xiǎng tāmen méi dǒng wǒmende zìyóu shì shénme. 有人这么说,可是我想他们没懂我们的自由是什么。 Some people say that, but I don’t think they have understood what our freedom is. B: Shì shénme ne? 是什么呢? What is it, then? A: Měiguo rén juéde zìjǐ kéyi jìhua zìjǐde shēnghuó shi zuì zhòngyàode zìyóu. Rúguo Měiguo méiyǒu zhèizhǒng zìyóu, jiù bú huì you nàme duō rén xiǎng lái Měiguo le, nǐ shuō wǒ shuōde duì bu dui? 美国人觉得自己可以计划自己的生活, 是最重要的自由。 如果美国没有这种自由, 就不会有那么多人想来美国了。 你说我说的对不对? 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? B: Nǐ shuōde yǒu diǎnr dàoli. Òu... Wǒ hái wàngle wèn ni, jīnnián xiàtiān, nǐde nǚpéngyou néng péi ni dào Xiānggǎng qu ma? 你说的有点儿道理。 哦,我还忘了问你, 今年夏天你的女朋友能陪你到香港去吗? 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? 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 yǒu bāngzhu. 不行。 她计划到德国去念书。 暑假的时候,她要在德国住三个月。 那对她的德文一定很有帮助。 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. B: Duì. 对。 That’s right. A: Zěnmeyàng, nǐ duì Xīnwén Zhōukān zhèipiān wénzhāng hái yǒu shénme biéde kànfǎ ma? 怎么样? 你对新闻周刊这篇文章还有什么别的看法吗? So what about it, do you have any other opinions about that article in Newsweek? B: Kànfǎ yǒu. Zhèige tímu hěn dà, wǒmen yǐhòu mànmàn zài tán. 看法有。 这个题目很大, 我们以后慢慢再谈。 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. 好,以后再谈。 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 is 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; drive xiǎngbuchū can't think up, can't come up with Xiǎo Lín tamen Xiǎo Lín 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. 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: Nà hái yòng shuō That goes without saying duó hào! How great that is! qíguài to be strange Zhōngguo Qīngnián China Youth (a periodical) hòulái afterwards dàodé 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. What was the status of women before liberation? What did the granddaughter read about in the latest issue of China Youth? What is her grandmother's reaction? 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 4 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: shuòshì Master's degree bóshì Ph.D. zhǎobudǎo to be unable to find Zhōngxuéshēng High School Student (a periodical) gāozhōng senior high school fādá to be developed
Questions for exercise 4 What is Xiǎo Lín's mother's major concern about his future? Why doesn't he want to go to college anymore? Who does Xiǎo Lín use as an example of why a college education is useless? What is his mother's position on the advantages of college education in Hong Kong? Does Xiǎo Lín'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 Běijīng. A: Xiǎo Míngzi, jīntiān zěnme yǒu shíjiān zài jiā? 小名字,今天怎么有时间在家? Xiǎo Míngzi, how is it that you have time to be at home today? B: Zěnme méi shíjiān? Líkāi xuéxiào yǐhòu, shíjiān duōduō le. 怎么没时间?离开学校以后时间多多了? How would I not have time? Since I left school, I’ve had lots more time. A: Bié húshuō. Nǐ yǒu gōngzuò le meiyou? 别胡说,你有工作了没有? Cut it out. Do you have a job yet? B: Yǒu gōngzuò! Yǒule gōngzuò hái zài zhèr zuòzhe! Nǐ zhēn yǒu yìsi! 有工作?有了工作还在这儿坐著,你真有意思。 Have a job! If I had a Job would I still be sitting here! You’re something else! A: Ó! Wǒ zhīdao le, nǐ hái méi gōngzuò na!** 噢,我知道了,你还没工作呢? Oh! I see, you still don’t have a job! B: Ng. Lǎoshī** shuō wǒ kéyi děngyiděng. 嗯,老师说我可以等一等。 Uh-huh. My teachers said I can wait a while. A: Nǐ zhèiyang děngxiaqu zěnme xíng ne? Yìtiān méi gōngzuò, yìtiān jiù děi kào fùmǔ a. 你这样等下去怎么行呢?一天没工作,一天就得靠父母啊。 How will it do for you to go on waiting like this? Every day you don’t have a job, you have to depend on your parents. B: Hài, wǒ yě zhīdao, zhèiyang xiàqu bù xíng, kěshi wǒ shízài xiǎngbuchū shenme hǎo bànfa ya! Nī shuōwǒ zěnme bàn? 嗨,我也知道,这样下去不行,35。可是我实在想不出什么好办法呀,你说我怎么办? (Sigh), I know that it won’t do to go on like this, but I really can’t think of any good solution! What do you think I should do? A: Nǐ huì shénme? 你会什么? What do you know how to do? B: Wǒ shénme dōu bú huì. Xiàng Xiǎo Lín tamen huì zuò zhuōzi yǐzi shenmede, yě dōu yǒu gōngzuò le. 我什么都不会,像小林他们会坐桌子、椅子什么的,也都有工作了。 I don’t know how to do anything. Like Xiǎo Lín and the others, who can make tables, chairs, and so on, all have jobs already. A: Éi, nǐ huì bu hui zhào xiàng? 欸,你会不会照相? Say, can you take photographs? B: Bú huì. 不会。 No. A: Nǐ duì zhào xiàng yǒu méiyou xìngqu? 你对照相有没有兴趣? Are you interested in photography? B: Yǒu a! 有啊。 Sure! A: Zhèiyang ba! Wǒ yǒu yíge Rìběn zhàoxiàngjī, wǒ jiāo ni zěnmeyàng zhào xiàng, nǐ jiu kéyi yǒu gōngzuǒ le. 这样吧,我有一个日本照相机,我教你怎样照相,你就可以有工作了。 How about this: I have a Japanese camera. I’ll teach you how to take pictures, and then you can have a job. B: Suàn le ba, huì zhào xiàng zěnme huì yǒu gōngzuò ne! 算了吧,会照相怎么会有工作呢? Come on! How can I have a job by knowing how to take pictures! A: Hài, nǐ zhēn bù cōngming. Měitiān dōu yǒu bù shǎo rén lái Běijīng, shéi bù xiǎng zài Tiān’ānmén qián zhào zhāng xiàng! Nǐ zài zhǎo liǎngge tóngxué, yǒu guǎn zhàoxiàngde, yǒu guǎn shōu qiánde, bú jiù xíng le ma? 嗨,你真不聪明,每天都有不少人来北京,谁不想在天门前照照相?你再找两个同学,有管照相的,有管收钱的,不就行了吗? Tsk, you’re really not on the ball. Every day there are lots of people who come to Běijīng; who doesn’t want to get their picture taken in front of Tiān’ānmén! If you find a couple of classmates, and have one in charge of taking the pictures and one in charge of collecting the money then you’re all set, right? B: Nín shuōde yǒu dàolǐ, jiù zènme bàn! Duì le, yào chūqu zhào xiàng, hái xūyào shēnqǐng ba? 。你说的有道理,就这么办!对了,要出去照相,还需要申请吧。 What you say makes sense; that’s just what I’ll do! Oh yes! If you want to go out and take pictures, you have to apply too, don’t you? A: Nà róngyi. Míngtiān, nǐ qù zhǎo lǎoshī, tāmen huì bāngzhu ni bànde. 。那容易,明天你去找老师,他们会帮助你办的。 That’s easy. Tomorrow, go see your teachers. They’ll help you do it. *Work is assigned, so getting a job is not a matter of personal initiative. Work assignment is done by 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 be 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 (B) and her granddaughter (A) in Běijīng. A: Nǎinai, nín shuō, xīn Zhōngguo, nánnǚ píngděng, fùnǚde dìwei gāoduō le, duì bu dui? 奶奶,您说,新中国男女平等,妇女的地位高多了,对不对? Grandma, don’t you think that in new China, with equality of the sexes the status of women is much higher? B: Nà hái yòng shuō. Wǒmen niánqīngde shihou, fùnǚ zài jiāli, zài shèhuìshang dōu méiyou shenme dìwei, zhǐ yǒu hěn shǎode nǚháizi yǒu jīhui niàn shū. Bú xiàng nǐmen, gēn nánháizi yíyàng, niàn shū, zuǒ shì, duó hǎo! 那还用说,我们年轻的时候,妇女在家里,在社会上都没有什么地位。只有很少的女孩子,有机会念书,不像你们,跟男孩子一样,念书,做事,多好! 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! A: Nǎinai, nà nǐ shuō, tóngjū zhèijiàn shìr shì bu shi duì fùnǚ bù hǎo? 奶奶,那您说,同居这件事儿,是不是对妇女不好? Then what do you think, Grandma, is cohabitation a bad thing for women? B: Nǐ zěnme yuè shuō yuè qíguài le? Zài xīn Zhōngguó nǎr yǒu tóngjūde shìr? 你怎么越说越奇怪了?在新中国,哪儿有同居的事儿? What’s with these odd topics you’re bringing up? Where is there such a thing as cohabitation in new China? A: Zěnme méiyou? Wǒ gāngcái kànde Zhōngguó Qīngniánshang jiù yǒu yìpiān wénzhāng, zhèipiān wénzhāng shuō, yǒu yíge nánháizi hé yíge nǚháizi tóngjū le. 怎么没有?我刚才看的中国青年上,就有一篇文章。这篇文章说,有一个男孩子和一个女孩子同居了。 There isn’t, huh? Well in the China Youth that I just read there's an article that said there was a young man who was living with a young woman. B: Tāmen wèishénme bù jiēhūn? 他们为什么不结婚? Why didn’t they get married? A: Nèige nánde xiǎng shàng dàxué. 那个男的想上大学? The man wanted to go to college. B: Ò , duì le, jiēle hūn jiu bù néng shàng dàxué le. Nà hòulái ne? 哦,对了,结了婚就不能上大学了,那后来呢? Oh, right, you can’t go to college after you’re married. So what happened afterwards? A: Hòulái, nèige nánde zhēn shàng dàxué le. 后来,那个男的真上大学了。 Afterwards, the man really went to college. B: Niànwánle shū tāmen jiēhūn le ba? 念完书,他们结婚了吧? And after he finished school they got married, I suppose? A: Méiyou. Niànwán shū, nèige nánde xiǎng, nèi nǚháizi méi dìwei, yě méi qián, tāmen jiu suàn le. 没有,念完书,那个男的想,那女孩子没地位,也没钱,他们就算了。 No. After he finished school, the guy thought, she didn’t have any status or any money, so they should call it quits. B: Suàn le?! Nà shi shénme huà! Tā hái yǒu méiyou yìdiǎnr dàodé guānniàn! 算了?!那是什么话!他还有没有一点儿道德观念! Call it quits. What kind of thing is that to say! Didn’t he have any sense of morality! A: Dàodé guānniàn?! Hng, xiànzài shèhuishang jiù yǒu zhèizhǒng shìr! Nín shuō zhèi shi wèishénme? 道德观念?!嗯,现在社会上就有这种事儿!您说这是为什么? Sense of morality?! Ha, that's just the sort of thing that society is full of these days! Why do you think that is?! B: Ài! Zhèi shíjǐnián qíqíguàiguàide xīnwén zhēn duō! Shénme shíhou cái néng hǎo yidiǎnr ne? 哎,这十几年奇奇怪怪的新闻,真多!什么时候才能好一点儿呢? (Sigh) The last decade or so there sure has been a lot of strange news! When will it get better? A: Shéi zhīdào! Wǒ xiǎng kuài le! Kuài hǎo yidiǎnr le! 谁知道!我想快了!快好一点儿了! I think it will be soon! It’s going to get better soon!
Dialogue and Translation for Exercise 4 In Hong Kong, a mother (A) and son (B) have just finished dinner.
Unit 3 Family Values
Introduction
Grammar Topics covered in this unit The verb ending -qilai showing the start of an action or condition. The pattern (méi)you shénme (Adjectival Verb). Cónglái bù/méi, “never. “ The adverb cái, “only,” before amounts. The marker -zhe showing the manner of an action. The verb ending -dào for successful reaching/obtaining/finding, “of,” “about” (with certain verbs), successful perceiving (e.g., kàndao, “to see”). The adverb zài, “anymore.” Placement of phrases with the prepositional verb dào, “to,” “up to,” “until.” The use of suǒyǒude, “all.”
Functional Language Contained in This Unit Narrating a brief story about a person. Expressing approval and disapproval of someone's attitude or way of thinking. Expressing puzzlement at a situation. Stressing how understandable a situation is.
References
Reference List
Vocabulary báitiān 白天 daytime biàn to change, to become different biànchéng 变成 to turn into, to become cái only (before an amount) -chéng into chībuxiàqù 吃不下去 cannot eat (cannot get down) cónglái 从来 ever (up till now), always (up till now) cónglái bù/méi 从来不/没 never dào resultative ending used for perception by one of the senses: Jiàndao, kàndao, tīngdao, etc. dào resultative ending used to indicate reaching: xiǎngdao, shuōdao, tándao, etc. , often translated as «about» děng dào 等到 to wait until; when, by the time hēiyè 黑夜 (darkness of) night, nighttime jiǎng to stress, to pay attention to, to be particular about jiātíng 家庭 family kàndao 看到 to see to cry liáo to chat liáo tiān(r) 聊天(儿) to chat ma marker of obviousness of reasoning nánshòu 难受 to be uncomfortable; to feel bad,to feel unhappy nòng (nèng) to do; to fool with; to get nònglai 弄来 to get and bring qíguài 奇怪 to be strange, to be odd, to be surprising -qilai -起来 resultative ending which indicates starting rèxīn 热心 to be enthusiastic and interested; to be warmhearted; to be earnest rèxínqilai 热心起来 to become enthusiastic and interested shuōdao 说道 to speak of; as for suǒyǒude...dōu 所有的。。。都 all xiǎngdào 想到 to think of xiàoshùn 孝顺 to he filial; filial obedience -xiaqu 下去 down (directional ending used for eating or drinking down) xīn heart; mind -yì 亿 hundred million yī tiān dào wǎn 一天到晚 all day long yònggōng 用功 to be industrious, to be hardworking (in one's studies) yǒu yòng 有用 to be useful zhǎng to grow zhǎngdà 长大 to grow up zhòng nán qīng nǚ 重男轻女 to regard males as superior to females zhuàn qián 赚钱 to earn money, to make money zuìjìn 最近 recently; soon zuò to be, to act as
Reference Notes
Notes on №1 rèxīn: “to be enthusiastic and interested; to he warmhearted, to he earnest”There are two meanings for this adjectival verb. It can he used to describe a positive feeling toward a cause or issue, or to describe warm feelings toward other people. Like many adjectival verbs, rèxīn may be used either as a main verb or as an adverb (that is, modifying another verb). As main verb Tā duì xué Zhongwén hěn rèxīn. He's very enthusiastic about studying Chinese. Tā duì rén hěn rèxīn, shénme shíhou dōu xǐhuan bāng rén máng. He's very warmhearted towards people. He always likes to help people out. As an adverb Tā hěn rèxīn yánjiū dàlùde qíngkuāng. She studies the mainland situation very enthusiastically. Hǎo hāizi, nǐ zènme rèxīn bāngzhu biérén, hěn hǎo. Good child. It's good that you're 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. tiào, “to jump, to leap” She jumped up. Zhèige zhuōzi wǒmen táibuqilái, nǐ lái bāngbang máng hǎo bu hǎo? We can't lift this table up. Come and help us, okay? In addition to meaning literally “to go up,” -qilai can be used to tell something 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 Háizi kūqilai le. The child began (has begun) to cry. WITH AN ADJECTIVAL VERB Tiānqi rèqilai le. The weather has warmed up. As with many other compound verbs, the object of the verb may be inserted between the two parts of the verb ending: Bù zhīdào wèishénme, tā xiànzài hēqi jiǔ lai le. I don't know why, but he has started to drink now. Wǒ liùge yuè méi xiǎngguo jiā, kěshi jīntiān xiǎngqi jiā lai le. I haven't thought of home for six months, but today I started to feel homesick. Another function of the ending -qilai is to make generalized statements which are sometimes translated using “when … ing,” or “when it comes to ...ing”: Zhèige yǐzide yàngzi hěn hǎo kàn, kěshi zuòqilai bù shūfu. This kind of chair is very attractive, but when you sit in it, it's uncomfortable. Tā shuōqi Zhōngwén lai zhēn nántīng. It sounds terrible when he speaks Chinese. Zuòqi shì lai, tā bǐ shéi dōu kuài. When it comes to working, he is faster than anyone else. Shuōqilai róngyi, zuòqilai nán. It 's easy to talk about, but hard to do. When -qilai is used this way with verbs of perception, the additional meaning of “it seems” is communicated: Kànqilai tā zhīdao zhèijiàn shì. It looks as if he knows about this matter. Tā kànqilai hěn niánqīng. He looks very young. Tīngqilai hěn yǒu dàolǐ. It sounds reasonable. -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. Wo3 xiǎngqilai le, tā xing Mài. Now I remember, his surname is Mài. qíguài: “to be strange, to be surprising, to be odd” Zhēn qíguài, tā tiāntiān lái, jǐntiān zěnme méi lái ne? How strange. He comes every day. How is it he didn't come today? Nèige shíhou, shénme qíguàide sh4 dōu yǒu, bié shuō le. Back then, there were all kinds of strange things; don't talk about it any more. Tāmende guānxi wǒ juéde hěn qíguài. I find their relationship very strange. 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 tā wèishenme yào zěnme zuò. I really can't understand why he wanted (OR wants) to do that. Wǒ zhēn qíguài zhèijiàn shì tā zěnme kéyi bàndedào. I really can't imagine how he can (OR could) do it. Zhèi méiyou shénme qíguài: “There's nothing strange about that.” Yǒu shénme is used before an adjectival verb, as in yǒu shénme hǎo? méiyou shénme hǎo. yǒu shénme bú duì? A: Tā duì Zhōngguóde qíngkuàng zhīdaode bù shǎo. He knows so much about China! B: Nà yǒu shénme qíguài, tā zài Zhōngguo zhùguo shínián. What's strange about that, he lived in China for ten years!
Notes on №2 nánshòu: “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 xiǎoshí, tài nánshòu le! Twenty hours on an airplane. How uncomfortable! Zhēn ràng rén nánshòu. It really makes one feel bad. Zánmen dōu shi zuò yīshēngde, kànjian bìngren bìngren: “sick person, patient” méi yào chī, zhēn nánshòu. We're both in medicine; seeing sick people without medicine to take was really upsetting. 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). Tīngdàole zhèiyàngrde huà, tā xīnli hěn nánshòu. He was very sad after hearing that kind of talk. 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 , “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 chīdexiàqù/chībuxiàqù and hēdexiàqù/hēbuxiàqù, the syllables -xià and - 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. chīdexiàqù able to eat it down chībuxiàqù unable to eat it down méi chīxiaqu didn't eat it down chīxiaqu le ate it down Wǒ chīde tài bǎo le, chībuxiàqù le. I'm too full, I can't eat any more. Zhèige yào chīxiaqu jiù huì hǎo le. You'll feel better after you take this medicine. -A: Zhèige yào zhēn kǔ, wǒ hēbuxiàqù. This medicine is really bitter. I can't get it down. -B: Méiyou guānxi, kuài diǎnr hēxiaqu jiu kéyi le. 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 hǎo? Let's start to make dinner, okay? Tā bù zhīdào zěnme nòngle hǎoduō qián. Somehow he made himself a lot of money. Wǒ xiǎng nǐ bú bì guǎn zhèijiàn shì, nòngde bù hǎo dōu shi nǐde cuò. I don't think you should try to take charge of this. If you handled it badly it would be all your fault. Shìqing yuè nòng yuè dà, zhēn bù zhǐdǎo zěnme bàn cái hǎo. This matter is getting blown up bigger and bigger. I really don't know what to do. Tā zhème shuō nòngde wǒ zhēn bù hǎo yìsi. His saying that really embarrassed me. Nòng can mean '“to play with, to fool with, to monkey with”: Bié nòng wǒde biǎo. Don't fool with my watch. Nòng can be followed by another verb which shows the result of some action, e.g., nòngzāng, '“to make (something) dirty”; nòngpò, “to break something” (lit., “to make something break”); nòngsǐ, “to kill” (lie. “to make something die”). Examples: Shi shéi bǎ wǒde yǔsǎn nònghuài le? Who was it who broke my umbrella? (literally, “made it so that it broke”) Wǒ qù bǎ zǎofàn nònghǎo. I'll go get breakfast ready. Zhèige wèntí hěn yǎojǐn, děi nòngqīngchu. This question is very important, we must get it clear. Bié nòngzāngle nǐde yīfu. Don't get your clothes dirty. Nǐ nòngcuò le ba, tā qùnián cái cóng dàlù chūlai. You're mistaken, I think. He didn't leave the mainland until last year. Zhèige wèntí, nǐ zuótiān gěi wǒ jiǎngguò le, jīntiān wǒ yòu nòngbudǒng le, nǐ kě bu kéyi zài gěi wǒ jiǎng yícì? Yesterday you explained this question to me, but today I can't understand it again. Could you explain it to me once again? nònglai: “to get and bring (here)” Compare the use of the directional ending -lai in nònglai to its use in Wǒ gěi ni dǎo bēi chá lai, which you learned in Unit 1. Nǐ cóng nǎr nònglaide? Where did you get this from?
Notes on №3 liáo tiān(r): “to chat” Liáo means “to chat,” and tiān(r) acts as its object. Tiān(r) may also be omitted. Wǒmen liáole yíge zhōngtóu. We chatted for an hour. Nǐ shénme shíhou yǒu gōngfu, wǒmen zhǎo ge dìfang liáoliao , tiānr. When you have time, we'll go find a place and chat a while. 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 ('“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 máng dào wǎn '“busy the whole day until late,” or '“busy all day long.” Tā yìtiān dào wǎn dōu zài máng. He's busy all day long. Tā yìtiān dào wǎn shuō tāde qián bú gòu yòng. She's always saying from morning to night that she doesn't have enough money. yònggōng: “to be diligent, to be hardworking” in one's studies Ni3 bú yònggōng jiù bú ràng nǐ niàn dàxué le. If you don't work hard, I won't let you go to college. Wǒmen zhèrde xuésheng dōu hěn yònggōng. All our students here are very 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.” Míngtiān wǒ yào péi wǒ mùqin qù kàn bìng. Tomorrow I'm going along with my mother to see the doctor. Méi rén péi wǒ qù, wǒ jiu bú qù le. If no one goes along with me, I won't go. Wǒmen lái péipei nǐ. We'll keep you company. Lǎo rén chángcháng xǐhuan yǒu rén péizhe tā shuō huà. Older people often like to have someone to keep them company and talk with them.
Notes on №4 cónglái: '“ever (up till now), always (up till now)” Cónglái 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 or méi. The two most common combinations are cónglái bù and cónglái méi. and méi, of course, have different uses; roughly speaking, cónglái bù means “(habitually) never (do X)“ and cónglái méi means '“have never (done X in the past).” With cónglái méi, the verb of the sentence usually takes the aspect marker -guo (experience at any previous time). Tā cónglái bù dào wǒ jiā lái. She never comes to my house. Tā cónglái méi dào wǒ jiā láiguo. She has never been to my house (before). Wǒ cónglái méiyou xiǎngdào xiànzài hái yoǒ zhèiyangde jiātíng, zhèiyangde fùmǔ. I never imagined that there were still families and parents like this these days. 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 zuótiān cái láide, “He didn't get here until yesterday.” In sentence 4B, 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”: Zhǐ/jiù néng zènme zuò. (We) can only do it this way. Wǒmen jǐge rén, zhǐ/jiù yǒu wǒ huì shuō Fǎguo huà. 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 cái xuéle sānnián, jiù shuōde nàme hǎo. He's only studied three years and speaks so well. (AS LITTLE AS THREE YEARS) Tā yígòng cái kànle sānpiān wénzhāng. He only read three articles altogether. (SO FEW) h adverbs normally come only before a verb, cái may stand directly before an amount: Cái wùge rén? Only five people? (SO FEW?) A: Tāde fángzi yìnián cái sānbǎi kuài. His house costs only three hundred dollars a year. (SO LITTLE!) B: Cái zènme yidiǎnr? Is that all? (SO LITTLE?) Sentence 4B illustrates that when speaking about a person's age, cái should be used for “only” rather than jiù. It is also much better to use cái for “only” when speaking about the time of day, the date, etc.: Cái yìdiǎn zhōng, hái láidejí. It's only one o'clock, we can still make it. Jintiān cái shísānhào, hái zǎo ne! Today is only the thirteenth (of the month). It's still early! Cái 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 zhǐ, e.g.: Nǐ jiù gěi ta yidiǎnr ba, “Just give him a little”; Wǒ zhǐ yào chi yìwǎn fàn, “l only want to eat one bowl of rice.” mángzhe niàn shū: “to be busy studying” Máng here is not the state verb “to be busy,” but an action verb, “to busily engage in (something).” Here are other examples: Nǐ zài máng shénme ne? What are you busy with? Wǒ mángle yìtiān le. I have been busily working all day. Tā yìtiān dào ǎan máng zhèige máng nèige. He is busy with all sorts of things all day long. -zhe: In sentence 4B, 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 Mén kāizhe ne, “The door is open.” Often you see the combination verb plus -zhe followed by another verb, as in mángzhe niàn shū. In this case, the verb plus -zhe describes the means or manner of the following verb. Wǒmen zǒuzhe qù. Let's go on foot. Tā pǎozhe xiā lóu qu le. He went running downstairs. Tā kāizhe chē lái le. He came driving a car. Tā názhe dōngxi shàng chē le. Carrying the things, he boarded the bus. Tā zhèi jǐtiān mángzhe kāi huì. The last few days he has been busy with meetings. Tā jízhe zǒu, bǎ yàoshi wàng zai jiāli le. He was in a hurry to leave, and left the keys at home. Wǒmen zǒuzhe liáo tiān. We talked while walking. xiǎngdào: “to think of” -Dào here is not the prepositional verb “to” but the ending for compound verbs of result which you have so far seen in jièdao, “to successfully borrow” and shuōdao, “to talk about.” The verb ending -dào means “to successfully reach/obtain/find.” In the compound verb xiǎngdào, the verb xiǎng expresses the action of thinking about it,and -dào says that your thought “reached to” the idea—came into your head. Another verb like xiǎng in referring to mental activity is kǎolǜ, “to consider,” which you learned in Unit 1, and just as with xiǎng, you can use -dào with kǎolǜ. Here are examples of xiǎngdào and kǎolǜdào. Notice the different translations possible for méi xiǎngdào and xiǎngbudào. Wǒ hái xiǎngdào lìngwài yidiǎn. I've thought of another point. Wǒ xiǎng dàgài jiù nǐ yíge rén lái, shéi xiǎngdào nǐmen dōu lái le! I thought you would probably be the only one coining. Who would have thought all of you would come! Wǒ méi xiǎngdào huì yǒu zhèizhǒng qíngkuàng. I didn't expect this kind of situation. (Lit., “I didn't think there would be this kind of situation.“) Xiǎngbudào tāmen huì zènme kuài jiēhūn. I was surprised they got married so soon. A: Ni méi kǎolǜdào zhèi yidiǎn ba? You didn't consider that point, did you? B: Zěnme kǎolǜdedào nàme duō shìqing! How could I take so many things into consideration!
Notes on №5 xiǎo nǚér: Not “little daughter,” as you might have thought, but “youngest daughter.” Xiǎo and are used, respectively, for the “youngest and “oldest” of brothers and sisters. The ones in between, if there are any, are numbered. For example, a mother would refer to her four sons, starting with the eldest, as her dà érzi, èr érzi, sān érzi, and xiǎo érzi. zhǎngdà: “to grow up” This is a compound verb of result made of zhǎng “to grow” and “to be big.” Nǐ zhǎngdàle xiǎng zuǒ shénme? What do you want to do when you grow up? Sānge yuè bú jiàn, zhèige hǎizi zhǎngdàle bù shǎo. It's been just three months since I last saw this youngster and he has grown quite a bit. bú zài kū le: “doesn't cry anymore” Zài is the adverb which you learned meaning “again.” Here it means “anymore,” referring to the continuing of a situation. Wǒ tài lèi le, méiyou bànfǎ zài xiě le. I'm too tired. I can't write any more. Wǒ bù néng zài chǐ le, zài chī jiù bù shūfu le. I can't eat any more. If I eat more I won't feel well. Bú yào zài xiǎng zhèixiē shìqing le. Stop thinking about these things. Bú yào zài shuō le, hǎo bu hǎo? Don't talk about it anymore, okay? Yǐhòu wǒ bú zài nàme màn le. In the future, I won't be so slow anymore.
Notes on №6 zuò: “to be, to act as” As you are well aware, there are times when you can't use shi to translate English “to be.” One of these is when “to be” means that a person takes on a certain role, position, or occupation. An example is “to be president” as in “I want to be president” or “He was president for eight years.” In such cases you use the same verb “to do”, zuò: Wǒ xiǎode shíhou chángcháng xiǎng jiānglái yào zuò yíge yǐsheng, kěshi xiànzài zhīdao zuò yǐsheng tài nán le. When I was young I often thought I wanted to be a doctor when I grew up, but now I know that it's too hard to be a doctor. Tā cóngqián zuòguo jīngji Bùzhǎng. He was once the Minister of Finance. (You could also say Tā cóngqián shi jǐngji Bùzhǎng.) Zhèi shi wǒ dìyīcì zuò zhǔrén qǐng kè, xīnli hěn jǐnzhāng. zhǔrén, “host, master” jǐnzhāng, “to be nervous, to be tense” This is the first time I am to be host and have guests over. I'm nervous. Phrases like zuò fùmǔde and zuò háizide in the reference list sentence are used to talk about categories of people as defined by a certain role, position, occupation, etc. Zhèizhǒng shìqing, zuò fùmǔde yīnggāi xiān xiǎngdào. Those in the position of parents should foresee things like this. Kàndao xuéshengde Zhōngwén xuéde nàme hǎo, wǒmen zuò lǎoshīde zhēn gāoxìng. When we see that our students have learned their Chinese so well, it makes us teachers very happy. zhòng nán qīng nǚ: “to treat men as important and women as unimportant,” Zhòng is the verb “to be heavy,” with the additional meaning, in literary style, of “to stress, to put importance on.” Qīng is the verb “to be light (in weight),” with an extended meaning in literary Chinese of “to regard lightly, to attach little importance to.” In the traditional Chinese family, a son had a starring role. One reason was that sons assured the family's continuity, something which every man felt was his duty to his ancestors. In addition, the son usually became the family representative after the father's death or retirement. A daughter, on the other hand, was expected to leave the family and become part of her husband's household, so her importance was considerably less than that of a son. This is from an old saying called the Sān Cóng, “the Three Follows,” i.e., the three paths to be followed. The saying is usually quoted in its original classical style: Zài jiā cóng fù, chū jià cóng fū, fū sǐ cóng zǐ, “When at home obey your father, when married, obey your husband., when your husband dies obey your son.” A woman was always subject to a man's authority: a daughter had to obey her father, a wife had to obey her husband, and a widow had to obey her son. Of course, individual women, by their strength, intelligence, and personality, were able to exert great influence on the family, but this was often accomplished indirectly. xiàoshun: This can be used either as a verb with an object, “to be filial toward (someone),” as in the Reference List sentence above, or as an adjectival verb meaning “to be filial”: Zhèige háizi hěn xiàoshun. This child is very filial. In traditional society, filial obedience was regarded as the primary virtue in life and the source of all other virtues. It consisted of respect for one's parents and ancestors, obedience in all cases to one's parents' will, consideration and care for their daily welfare,continuation of the family line, and avoidance of any actions which would shame the good name and reputation of the family. But more than formal adherence to rules of good conduct, filial obedience was also an attitude of warmth, founded in the deep love of son and daughter for their parents. And although its origin and center is the relationship of child to parents, this important concept extended outside the family to govern all other relationships in the life of a Chinese. It was said that if a son was not filial to his parents, he would probably not fulfill the duties of a good husband, a faithful friend, or a loyal citizen.
Notes on №7 báitiān: “daytime; during daylight,” literally “white-day” In the sense of “daylight,” the opposite of báitiān is hēiyè, “dark of night,” literally, “black-night.” In the sense of “daytime, working hours,” the opposite of báitiān is wǎnshang, “evening, night.” Tā báitiān zuò shiì, wǎnshang niàn shū. She works during the day and studies at night. děng dào: “wait until” Here you see the prepositional verb dào “to, up to” used after another verb. (Contrast this with xiǎngdào “to think of” where -dào is used as a verb ending showing result and is written as part of the verb.) You now know two meanings for the prepositional verb dào, one having to do with location and the other with time: location: “to, up to” time: “until” What is the difference between putting your dào phrase after the verb or before it? Dào phrase after verb If the dào phrase tells where or at what time you end up as a result of the action, then it comes after the verb: Wǒ zǒu dào shūfáng wàibian, tīngjian tāmen zài lǐbian shuō huà. I walked up to the door of the study and heard them inside talking. Wǒ yǐjīng kàn dao dìyìbǎilíngyīyè le. I've already read up to page 101. Wǒ zuótiān wǎnshang kàn shū kàn dao sāndiǎnduō zhōng. Last night I read until past three o'clock (in the morning). In sentences which show that something changes location, lái “to this place“ or “to that place“ will usually come at the end of the whole clause: MAIN VERB dào TIME OR PLACE lái OR Tā zǒu dào wǒ qiánmian qu le. He walked in front of me. Qīng bǎ nèijǐběn shū ná dào zhèli lai. Please bring those books here. Dào phrase before the verb Put the dào phrase before lái or when they are the main verb of the sentence: Tā dào Chóngqìng qù le. He has gone to Chongqing. Tā yào dào wǒ zhèr lái. He is coming to my place. If another verb phrase follows the dào phrase, may sometimes be omitted making the dào phrase appear to modify the second verb phrase: A: Wǒmen dào nǎr chī fàn? Where shall we go to eat? B: Dào fàntīng chī fàn. We'll go to the dining room to eat. Literally, these mean “To where shall we eat?” and “We'll to the dining room to eat.” A dào phrase may come before the verb if the phrase shows that a point is reached prior to the action or condition: Dào xiàwu zài tán. Let's wait until the afternoon and then talk. (Contrast tan dào xiàwu, “talk until the afternoon.”)
Notes on №8 cónglái bù: “never, never does...” Earlier in this unit (No. 4), you saw the phrase cónglái méi “have never, had never...” Cónglái itself means “at any time in the past up until now.” Wǒ cónglái bù xiǎng zǎoshang niàn shū. I never feel like studying in the morning. Whether you choose cónglái bù or cónglái méi depends on what kind of verb you are using and how it is normally negated. To summarize what you learned back in the Biographic Information module, STATE verbs (which include adjectival verbs and auxiliary verbs) are always negated with . PROCESS verbs are always negated with méi when referring to an actual state of affairs. ACTION verbs can be negated with or méi depending on the meaning. While there are grammar rules for choosing or méi to negate your verb, there are also semantic reasons for choosing one or the other: Are you generalizing about something habitual or speaking of a specific instance? STATE VERBS (Use . ) Wǒde qián cónglái dōu bú gòu. I have never had enough money. Tā cónglái bù xiǎng zuò zhèiyangde gōngzuò. He never wants / has never wanted to do this kind of work. Wǒ cónglái bù xǐhuan qù Niù Yuē. I never like / have never liked going to New York. PROCESS VERBS (Use méi.) Tā cónglái méi jiēguo hūn. She has never gotten married. Tā cónglái méi bìngguo. He has never gotten sick. Zhèige diànshì cónglái méi huàiguo. This television has never broken. ACTION VERBS ( and méi make a difference in meaning.) 1. Wǒ cónglái méi kànguo zhèiyangrde shū. I have never read a book like this. (PAST EXPERIENCE) 2. Wǒ cónglái bú kàn zhèiyangrde shū. I never read (present) this kind of book OR I never used to read this kind of book. (HABITUAL) Cónglái vs. cóngqián: Cóngqián, “the past,” is a noun, a time word. It may, for example, be the object of the prepositional verb zài, e.g., Zài cóngqián yǒu rén zènme zuò, “in the past, some people did it that way.” Cónglái may also be used as a moveable adverb, in which case it can be translated “in the past, before, formerly”: Wǒ cóngqián (OR Cóngqián wǒ) méiyou chē, xiànzài yǒu le, “Before I didn't have a car, but now I do.” Cónglái, “always (in the past), from the beginning,” is not a noun; it cannot, for example, be the object of the prepositional verb zài. It is used adverbially, always between the subject and the verb. Both cóngqián méi and cónglái méi may sometimes be translated as “never,” but cónglái méi makes a stronger statement. Wǒ cóngqián méi chīguo Zhōngguó cài. I haven't eaten Chinese food before, (There wasn't one time when I ate Chinese food.) Wǒ cónglái méi chīguo Zhōngguó cài. I have never eaten Chinese food (from the very beginning). jiǎng: “to be particular about, to stress, to pay attention to” [Also jiǎngjiu.] Zhèige rén hěn jiǎng chī, hěn jiǎng chuān. This person is fastidious about what he eats and what he wears. Tāmen jiā tài jiǎng guīju guīju: “manners” (see Unit U) . Wǒmen Xiǎo Lán yīnggāi xiǎoxīn. Their family is overly particular about manners. Our Xiǎo Lán should be careful. shuōdao: “to speak of; as for” In this unit, you have seen dào used as a resultative ending “to successfully reach/obtain/find,” as in xiǎngdào, “to think of.” You also saw it as a prepositional verb in děng dào, “wait until.” Here you see another example of -dào as a resultative ending. When -dào is used with verbs of speech, such as shuō, tán or jiǎng, they are translated as “to speak of”or “to talk about.” (In this meaning, -dào is not interchangeable with -zháo.) Wǒmen gāngcái hái shuōdao nǐ, nǐ jiù lái le. We were talking about you just now, and here you are! Jǐntiǎn nǐ gēn ta jiǎngdao wǒ méiyou? Did you talk about me with him today? Wǒ chángcháng xiǎngdào wǒde háizi. I often think of my child. Notice that in sentence 8B, shuōdao is used at the beginning of the sentence to introduce a topic, as we use “when it comes to” or “speaking of” in English. Here are some other examples. Shuōdao jiéhūnde shì, wǒ hái děi xiǎngyixiǎng. When it comes to the marriage, I have to think it over some more. Tándao Zhōngguo wénhuà, tā bǐ wǒ zhīdaode duō. When it comes to Chinese culture, he knows a lot more than I do. Shuōdao Lǐ Xiānsheng, wǒ jiu xiǎngqilai le, hǎo jiǔ méi qù kàn ta le. Speaking of Mr. , it occurs to me that we haven't been to see him in quite a while. zuìjìn: “recently, lately; recent last” zuìjìn may be used as a time word, coming either before or after the subject, but always before the verb. Zuìjìn, wǒmen gōngsí yòu pàile yíge rén qù Xiānggǎng. Recently, our company sent another person to Hong Kong. Wǒ zuìjìn tài máng, méi shíjiān gēn ta shuō. I've been very busy lately, and haven't had time to tell him. In sentence 8B (...nà shi zuìjìn jǐshíniánde xīn guānniàn), zuìjìn is used as an adjective modifying a Number-Counter-Noun. Other examples: Zuìjìn yíge yuè, tā dōu méiyou lái xìn. She hasn't written for the last month. Tā shi zuìjǐn jǐtiān cái láide. She just arrived within the last few days. Besides referring to the near past, zuìjìn can also refer to the near future— “soon“: Tā zuìjìn yào chū guó. He will be going abroad soon. To make it clear you are talking about the future rather than the past, use zuìjìn in combination with auxiliary verbs like yào, xiǎng, dǎsuan, zhǔnbèi, jǐhuà, etc.
Notes on №9 dà jiātíng: “large family; extended family” The phrases dà jiātíng and xiǎo jiātíng, literally “large family” and “small family,” are often used in a specific sense. In traditional Chinese society, dà jiātíng referred not merely to the number of people in the family, but to the number of generations living together. Although opinions on this vary greatly, you need at least three generations living together to be considered a dà jiātíng—an “extended family”—and each generation must be several people “deep.” Ideally, such a family contained a father and mother, all their sons and their wives, their sons' sons and their wives, and all their children, extending to about the fourth generation. A classic example of a dà jiātíng, like the jiǎ family in the novel Dream of the Red Chamber, might include over 130 people all living in households within one complex of houses and courtyards. Do not misuse jiātíng, which refers to the family as an entity, for jiā rén or jiālide rén, which refer to the people in the family. This mistake is easy to make because both ideas can be expressed in English by the word “family”: Wǒ dào Niǔ Yuē qù kàn wǒ jiā rén (OR wǒ jiālide rén). I'm going to New York to see my family. zěnme bù hǎo: “How could they be bad?” or, more idiomatically, “What could be bad about them?” Use zěnme to make a rhetorical question disagreeing with someone else's position. A: Bú duì, bú duì. That's not right, that's not right. B: Zěnme bú duì. What do you mean it's wrong! A: Wǒmen bù kéyi zhèiyangr zuò. We can't do it this way. B: Zěnme bù kéyi?.' Zhèi méiyou shenme bù kéyide. Why not?! There's nothing wrong with it. ma: This little marker is sometimes used at the end of a sentence to imply that the reasoning behind the statement is obvious. It can be translated as “you know” or “after all,” or by a tone of voice conveying that one thinks one's statement is self-evident. (For the following example, you need to know dào lājī, “to take out [lit., 'dump'] the garbage.”) Husband: Wèishenme zǒng děi wǒ zuò fàn ne? Why do I always have to do the cooking? Wife: Nánnǚ píngděng ma! Equality of the sexes.' Husband: Nà hǎo, yǐhòu nǐ guǎn dào lājī. Okay, then from now on, you take care of taking out the garbage. Wife: Wèishenme? Why? Husband: Nánnǚ píngděng ma! Equality of the sexes! suǒyǒude: “all” This is the word for “all” used to modify nouns. (The adverb dōu is used to modify verbs.) Suǒyǒude is mostly used with nouns at the front of the sentence (that is, subjects or objects in topic position). In sentences with suǒyǒude, dōu is almost always used, too. Suǒyǒude cài dōu hěn hǎo chī. All the food is delicious. Suǒyǒude cài wǒ dōu chīwán le. I finished all the food. Suǒyǒude can be used with the construction, in which case dōu goes before the main verb, not before the prepositional verb . Wǒ bǎ suǒyǒude cài dōu chīwán le. I finished all the food. Suǒyǒude can also be used without a noun following it, as long as the context makes it clear what things suǒyǒude refers to: Wǒ xǐhuan gōngyuán, Huáshèngdùn suǒyǒude wǒ dōu qùguo le. I like parks. I've been to all the ones in Washington. Here are some more example sentences with suǒyǒude. Notice that the -de is sometimes omitted. Suǒyǒude kāfēitīng wǒ dōu qùguo. I've been to all the coffeehouses. Rúguo wǒ yǒu qián wǒ jiù yào mǎi suǒyǒu zhèixiē Hàn-Yīng zìdiǎn. If I had money, I'd like to buy all of these Chinese-English dictionaries. Tā dàoguo Měiguo suǒyǒu(de) yǒu yìside dìfang. He has been to all the interesting places in the U.S. : “hundred million”After qiān, “1000,” and wàn, “10,000,” the next single syllable to represent a higher number in Chinese is , “100,000,000.” 1,000 yìqiān 10,000 yíwàn 100,000 shíwàn 1,000,000 yìbǎi wàn (“one million”) 10,000,000 yìqiān wàn 100,000,000 yíyì 1,000,000,000 shíyì (“one billion“)
Notes on №10 kàndao: “to see, to perceive by sight” This is another example of the ending -dao used as part of a compound verb of result. You have now seen -dao meaning to successfully reach/obtain/find “about.” With verbs of perception, the meaning of -dao can be thought of as “successfully reach” by means of the senses, or “to successfully perceive.” Another instance of this is tīngdao “to hear, to perceive by listening.” Běijīng speakers prefer kànjian and tīngjian in many contexts, but kàndao and tīngdao are used by all speakers of Standard Chinese. biàn: “to change, to become different, to transform, to alter“ Zhèige rén zhēnde biàn le, yǐqiān tā bú shi zhèiyangrde. This fellow has really changed, he wasn't this way before. Zhèijiàn máoyī xǐle jǐcì, biàn yánsè le. After this sweater was washed a few times, it changed color. Jǐniān bú jiàn, tā yǐjīng biàn lǎo le. I hadn't seen him for a few years; he had aged a lot. (refers to his appearance) | You can also use biàn in the pattern biàn—de—STATE VERB, as in: Cóng qùnián dào xiànzài, tā biànde jiànkāngduō le. He has become a lot healthier since last year. Wǒ shíjǐnián méi jiàndao ta, bù zhīdào tā biànde zěnmeyàng le? I haven't seen him in over ten years, I wonder what he is like now? -chéng: “become,” “into” This is used with a number of verbs to form a compound: gǎichéng, “to change (one thing) into (another)”; fānyichéng, “to translate into”, zuòchéng “to make into”; zhǎngchéng, “to grow into.” Wǒ bǎ tāde chènshān gǎichéng yíjiàn xiǎoháizide yīfu le. I took his shirt and altered it into an article of clothing for a child. Qǐng nǐ bǎ zhèipiān wénzhāng fānyichéng Rìwén. Please translate this article into Japanese. Zhèige háizi yǐjīng zhǎngchéng dàren le. This child has already grown into an adult.
Notes on №11-12-13 hēiyè: This is mostly used in sentences where báitiān, “(light of) day, daytime,” is contrasted with its opposite (see the first exchange of the review dialogue for this unit). The normal word for “nighttime” is wǎnshang. xīn: The abstract concept “heart,” or, in many contexts, “mind”: Tā(de) xīn hǎo. He has a good heart (i.e., he is kind). Tā zuòle zhèijiàn shì, xīnli hěn nánguò. He felt very bad after he did that. Tā xiěwánle zhěèipiān xiǎoshuō, xīnli hěn gāoxìng. He was very happy after he finished writing this short story. Tā xīnli xiǎngde hé tā zuòde bù yíyàng. He acts differently than he thinks. (For the organ “heart,” use xīnzàng, literally, “heart-organ.”)
Unit 3 Review Dialogue On the flight from Washington to Hong Kong (via New York and Anchorage), Lǐ Píng (B) and Tom (A) are chatting.
Unit 3, 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 is a conversation between a Chinese student and an American student in their dormitory room somewhere in the U.S. 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 you will need to understand this conversation: kěkǒukělè Coca Cola -bān counter for a class of students nǚshēng coeds, women students zǎo a long time ago diào yǎnlèi to cry (lit., “fall tears”)
Questions for Exercise 2 Prepare your answers to these questions in Chinese so that you will be able to give them orally in class. What is the Chinese student's girlfriend studying? Why is he worried about her? What was the traditional Chinese attitude toward educating women? How did the Chinese student first meet his girlfriend? Why do you suppose she would let herself cry in the library?What was her boyfriend's reaction? How was she able to come to college? 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 mother and son in Beijing talk after a day of work. Listen to the conversation once straight through. Then, on the second time through, look below and answer the questions. Here are the new words you will need to understand this conversation: kělián to be pitiful to die bú fàngxīn to worry rìzi days jīngshén energy, spirits
Questions for Exercise 3 Prepare your answers to these questions in Chinese so that you will he able to give them orally in class. What is Wáng Lì's problem? How does the son propose to help her? What problem does the mother see with this proposal? What does the son volunteer to do? What is the mother's reaction to her son's suggestion? What two other things would lift Wáng Lì's spirits? After you have prepared your answers, you may want to look at the translation for the conversation. You may also want to listen to the conversation again to help you pronounce your answers correctly.
Exercise 4 In this conversation, a husband, and wife talk in their home in Běijīng. 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: Qīnghǎi a province in Western China bìngrén sick person, patient fǎnzhèng anyway, in any case chéngli rén yě hǎo, xiāngxia rén yě hǎo. whether it's city people or country people yīyuàn hospital
Questions for Exercise 4 Prepare your answers to these questions in Chinese so that you can give them orally in class. Why was Xiùyún late coming home? Why did she get medicine for her husband? For what reason does she insist he take the medicine? What did they see in Qīnghǎi ten years ago? What are their professions? What kind of situation does the husband hope China will never have again? 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 an American student and a Chinese student in their college dormitory in America.
Dialogue and Translation for Exercise 3 In Běijīng, a mother and son talk after a day of work.
Unit 4 A Family History
Introduction
Grammar Topics covered in this unit More on ne, marker of absence of change/lack of completion. The adverb duō (duó), “how.…” More on indefinite pronouns (“any/no” expressions). Review of you (Noun) phrases.
Functional Language content Contained in this unit Expressing worries or reservations about doing something. Reassuring someone that they need not worry. Asking for clarification of the meaning of what someone just said. Commenting on other's good fortune.
References
Reference List
Vocabulary bàba 爸爸 father, dad, papa bāng máng 帮忙 to help; help bù shǎo 不少 to be quite a lot, to be much, to be many cáichǎn 财产 property chī kǔ 吃哭 to suffer, to undergo hardship dānxīn 但新 to be worried, to be uneasy duó (duō) how...! érxífu(r) (érxífer) 儿媳妇 daughter-in-law fúqi 福气 blessings, good fortune guīju 规矩 rules of proper behavior, social etiquette, manners; rule (of a community or organization), established practice, custom guòqù 过去 the past hái fairly, passably hùxiāng 互相 mutually -jiā -家 counter for families kànbuqǐ 看不起 to look down on, to scorn, to despise lǐmào 礼貌 manners, politeness nǎinai 奶奶 grandmother (on father's side) niánji 年纪 age qǐlai 起来 to get up (in several senses) rén person; body; self rénjia 人家 people; they; he, she; I shēntǐ 身体 body; health shōushi 收拾 to straighten up; to get one's things ready Sì Shū 四书 the Four Books (Dàxué, Zhōngyōng, Lúnyǔ, Mèngzǐ) sūnnǚ 孙女 granddaughter (through one's son) sūnzi 孙子 grandson (through one's son) tǔdì 土地 land xiǎo péngyou 小朋友 little friend; kids yéye 爷爷 grandfather (on the father's side) yòu also yǒu guīju 有规矩 to have manners, to he proper yǒu lǐmào 有礼貌 to he well mannered, to he polite yǒu qián 有钱 to he rich zhǐ hǎo 只好 can only, to have to, to he forced to zhùxialai 住下来 to move and stay (in a place), to settle down
Reference Notes
Notes on №1 zhème zǎo jiu qǐlai le: The adverb jiù is used to stress the earliness (zhème zǎo) of father's getting up. On this use of jiù, review Unit 2, Notes on №9 Here are more examples: Tā wǔdiǎn zhōng jiu qǐlai le. He got up at five (that early). Wǒ mǎshàng jiu lái. I'll be there in a minute. Bù jiù, tā jiu líkāi le. Shortly afterwards, he left. qǐlai: “to get up,” from a bed or just from a sitting position. In an abstract sense it means “to arise,” e.g., “to arise and revolt” [qǐlai gémìng]. Nǐ tiāntiān shénme shíhou qǐlai? When do you get up every day? Tā niánji dà le: Literally, “As for him, the age is now big.” Le is used here to indicate change of state, as it often is in sentences telling a person's age (Tā sānshi suǐ le). You should learn the following typical examples of how to use niánji: Tā (yǒu) duó dà niánji le? How old is he? (USED ONLY OF ADULTS) Tā niánji dà le. He's advanced in years. Tā niánji bù xiǎo le. She's not young any more. Use Nín duó dà niánji le? to ask an adult's age. To ask a child's age, though, say Nǐ duó dà le? or Nǐ yǒu duó dà? or Nǐ jǐsuì (le)? The Chinese are not secretive about their age the way many Westerners are. It is not considered impolite to ask someone's age, even women and old people. As in the West, old people are often proud of their age and glad to let you know it. Měitiān shuìde zǎo: Literally, “every day goes to bed early.” Měitiān is needed in Chinese to express the idea of “habitual” which in English is conveyed simply by the present tense of “goes.” Without měitiān, the Chinese sentence might refer to one particular instance only. For example, it might mean that grandfather went to bed early the night before. shuì, which you may know from the Welfare module, means “to sleep,” but also “to go to bed, to retire.” It is like many verbs in Chinese which can indicate either the continuing performance of an action (sleeping)or the start of an action (trying to sleep, i.e., going to bed). In the following examples, the pair of translations show the ambiguity. In real conversation, of course, the ambiguity rarely causes problems because the listener interprets one way or the other according to the context: Tā shuìle meiyou? Has he gone to bed? Did he sleep (and then get up)? Xià yǔ le ma? Has it started to rain? Did it rain (and then stop)? Diànlíng xiǎngle ma? xiǎng: “to sound, to make a sound” Has the bell gone off? I Did the bell ring (and then stop)? To remove this ambiguity, you can use more specific phrasing. For example, the aspect marker ne specifies absence of change, lack of completion, and so rules out the second translation for each of the above three sentences: Tā shuì ne, “He is sleeping,” Xià yǔ ne, “It's raining,” Diànlíng xiǎng ne,” The bell is ringing.” To be even more specific you could use -zhe, the marker of duration (usually used in combination with ne): Tā shuìzhe ne, Xiàzhe yǔ ne, Diànlíng xiǎngzhe ne. Or you could use the marker zài for ongoing action:Tā zài shuì, “He is(in the midst of) sleeping,” etc. To be the most specific of all, you can use zài, -zhe, and ne all in the same sentence: Tā zài shuìzhe ne, etc. Shuì can also be used to mean “to lie down,” regardless of whether the person sleeps or not. (The meaning “lie down” for shuì is only accepted by some speakers; others always use the verb tang, “to lie down,” which you learned in the Welfare module.) Tā shuì zai dìshang kàn diànshì. He lies on the floor and watches television. Nǐ kàn tā shuì dao zhuōzishang lai le! Look at him lying on the table! shuìde zǎo is another example of a manner expression following a verb plus -de, a structure which was introduced back in the Transportation module (Nǐ kāide tài kuài le, “You are driving too fast”). Shuìde wǎn means either “to go to bed late” or “to sleep late.”
Notes on №2 yéye: “grandfather,” only for the father's father. Back in the Biographic Information module you learned zǔfù for “paternal grandfather.” Yéye is the same person, but is the word you would use when addressing him directly or when talking about him informally. See the diagram under nǎinai below (Notes on No. 3). [One's mother's father is lǎoyé or wàigōng.] Xiǎo péngyou, “little friends,” is a warm term for young children. It may be used either to address children directly or to talk about them in the third person. The host of a children's television show, for example, would address the young viewers as xiǎo péngyou (men). You may someday need to use this word to address a young child whom you don't know, for example, one that you meet on the street. And, of course, xiǎo péngyou is also used in its literal sense to refer to the “young friends” of a child. Xiǎo péngyou.' Tiān hēi le, kuài hui jiā qu ba. Little boy/girl, it's getting dark out. You'd better go back home. Nèixiē xiǎo péngyou dōu zài wàitou wānr ne. Those kids are playing outdoors. liáo tiānr ne: Ne, which you first learned in the sentence Hái méi ne, is the marker which emphasizes ABSENCE OF CHANGE or LACK OF COMPLETION. (it is, in a way, the opposite of le, which marks CHANGED SITUATION or COMPLETION.) In what specific situations can or should you use ne? We can note two kinds of meaning for sentences in which absence-of-change ne often appears: Continued State, e.g., Hái yǒu ne. There is still some more. Hái méiyou ne. Not yet. Ongoing Action, e.g., Tā chī fàn ne. He's eating. Nǎinai zuò fàn ne. Grandma is cooking. Remember also that ne is often used in sentences which contain -zhe, the marker of DURATION (something like continued state), or zài, the marker of ONGOING ACTION. Tā shuì jiào ne. NO CHANGE He is sleeping. Tā shuìzhe ne. DURATION + NO CHANGE Tā zài shuì ne. ONGOING + NO CHANGE There is a famous nursery rhyme which contains two ongoing-action sentences that end in absence-of-change ne. In one of its many versions, the rhyme goes like this (just read and enjoy; ignore the words you don't know): Xiǎo hàozir A little mouse Shàng dēngtáir Went up the lamp stand Tōu yóu he To steal oil to drink Xiàbulái But he couldn't get down Jiào Yéye He called Grandpa Yéye zá suàn ne ^ But Grandpa was crushing garlic.(ne ONGOING ACTION) Jiào Nǎinai He called Grandma Nǎinai zhǔ fàn ne But Grandma was cooking(ne ONGOING ACTION) Jiào Niūer He called Granddaughter Bào māo lai Who brought the cat Zēr! Zā! Děizhao le! Squeak! Scratch! Got him! rén: Besides the meaning of “man, person,” rén can also be used to refer more specifically to someone's (1) character, (2) mental state of “being, or (3) physical self. character Tā rén hěn rèxīn, chángchàng bāngzhu biérén. He is a very warmhearted person. He often helps others. Tā rén zuò shì hǎo yòu xiǎoxīn. He does things well and carefully. Tā rén zhēn bú cuò. He is a very nice person. mental state Tā hēduō le, rén yǒu diǎnr bú tài qīngchu. He had too much to drink and is a little foggy. physical self Nǐ rén hǎo diǎnr le ma? Are you better today? (i.e., your health) A: Cáo Yǔshēng bú shi shuō wǔdiǎn zhōng kāi huì ma? Didn't Cáo Yǔshēng say there would be a meeting at five o'clock? B: Shi a! That's right! A: Tā rén ne? So where is he? Tā gāngcái hái zài zhèr, zěnme yìhuǐr rén bú jiàn le? He was Just here a minute ago, how could he have disappeared so fast? Rén lǎo xīn bu lǎo. (saying) The person is old, but his heart is not old. (“young at heart“) Rén yì zǒu, chá jiu liáng. (saying) As soon as the person has left, the tea gets cold. (describes someone who forgets a friendship no sooner than he has left—often used to describe Americans)
Notes on №3 zhèi liǎngnián: “the last couple of years” Zhèi before an amount of time often means “the last” or “the past.” Liang does not necessarily mean exactly “two” but can mean “a couple,” an indefinite small number. Guò liǎngtiān wǒmen Jjù qù. We are going there in a couple of days. nǎinai: “paternal grandmother” For “grandma and grandpa,” the Chinese order is almost always yéye nǎinai. [A maternal grandmother is called lǎolao or wàipó.] Here is a tree showing what to call grandparents in Chinese. The top two rows are conversational terms used either to address grandparents directly or refer to them. The third row shows the more formal words which you learned in BIO; these are not used in addressing one's grandparents directly. (The labels “Northern” and “Southern,” are generalizations; many more terms exist, but these are widely encountered.) (Northern) (Southern) shēntǐ: “body” OR “health” Tāde shēntǐ zhēn bàng. bàng, “to be great/fantastic/terrific” He is in great shape. Bié zǒngshi pīnmìng niàn shū, děi duō zhùyì shēntǐ. Don't always he knocking yourself out studying; you should look after your health more. hái hǎo: “fairly good” You first learned the adverb hái as meaning “still.” When used before a state verb, hái can also mean that the quality expressed by that verb may still be said to apply, although just barely. Often it may be translated as “fairly, passably”: Zhèige diànyǐng hái bú cuè, suīrán cháng yidiǎn, kěshi duì wǒde Zhōngwén yǒu bāngzhu. The movie was fairly good. Although it was a little long, it was good for my Chinese. Sometimes, however, you will need to find other translations: Nèige fànguǎnr hái kéyi, yǒu jǐge cài nǐ kéyi shìshi. That restaurant isn't too bad. They have a few dishes you might try. A: Nǐ zuìjìn zěnmeyàng? How have you been lately? B: Hái mámahūhū, jiù shi máng yidiǎnr. Eh, all right, just a little busy. A: Zhōngguó yǒu yìqiānniánde lìshǐ... China has one thousand years of history... B: Á, nǐ shuō shenme? Yìqiān-nián?! What? How's that? One thousand years? A: Òu, bú shi, sānqiānnián. Oh, I mean three thousand years. B: Nà hái chàbuduō. That's more like it. shōushi: “to straighten up” Nǐ yīnggāi bǎ nǐde wūzi shōushi shōushi le. You ought to straighten up your room (Le indicates “It's gotten to that point.”) Wǒ xiānsheng zǒngshi shuō wǒ wūzi shōushide bù gānjing. My husband always says I don't keep my room neat. Zhèijiàn shì yì kāishǐ jiù zuòde bù hǎo, xiànzài méi bànfǎ shōushi le. This thing was handled poorly right from the start. Now there's no way it can be remedied. Shōushi xíngli means “to pack one's baggage.”
Notes on №4 Zhāng jiā: “the Zhāng family” In Běijīng pronunciation, the jiā is unstressed and often neutral tone, like a suffix: Zhāngjia. érxífu: “daughter-in-law” In Běijīng, this word is often pronounced ěrxífur or érxífer (note the vowel change). guīju: A definite standard, regulation, or custom which forms part of the conduct of a group of people (e.g., a community, a company, a gang, etc.) Zhào Zhōngguode lǎo guīju, qǐng kède shihou kèren yīnggāi xiān kāishǐ chī. It is an old Chinese custom that when you have guests, the guests should start eating first. Zài qù nèige guójiā yǐqián, zuì hǎo wǒ néng zhīdao yìxiē nèrde guīju. Before going to that country it would best if I could find out about some of their customs. Jūnrén yǒu hěn duō tèbiéde guīju. Military people have a lot of special regulations. Zhè shi wǒmende guīju. That's the way we do things here. Zhème duō guīju! All this formality! Yǒu guīju, as you see in exchange U, means “to have manners, to be proper (in behaviour).” Méi guīju is “to be badly behaved,” said, for example, of a child. (Bù guīju may be used to imply unfaithfulness of a wife.) Zhāng Tàitai jiāo háizi jiāode hǎo, tāde háizi dōu hěn yǒu guīju. Mrs. Zhāng teaches her children well, they are all very well-behaved. Xiǎo Sānr! Bié zhèiyangr. Kèren kànjian nǐ zènme méi guīju, zěnme hǎo yìsi? Cut it out, Xiǎo Sānr. What will the guests think when they see you misbehaving so? fúqi: This is a traditional Chinese concept: the destiny to enjoy happiness in life. It is different from the Western idea of luck [which is closer to Chinese yùnqi]. Luck refers to chance occurrences like winning a lottery, while fúqi refers to one's whole life situation. Some people have more fúqi and some less. In practice, fúqi is measured by a person's wealth, prestige, and especially his or her family situation. In traditional China, for a man to have a lot of sons was reason to say he had fúqi. In exchange 4, the grandmother is said to have fúqi because her daughter-in-law is a very proper or well-behaved woman. Tā zhēn yǒu fúqi, búdàn yǒu yíge hǎo jiātíng, yòu yǒu yíge hǎo gōngzuò. He is really blessed with good fortune. Not only does he have a nice family, but a good job, too. Nǐ fūqi zhēn hǎo, da érzi jìqián, xiǎo nūér sòng huār! You are really blessed with good fortune. Your oldest son sent you money and your little girl gave you flowers! Daughters-in-law: The relationship between the husband's wife and his mother is different in traditional China from in the West. A wife, after all, is considered to become a member of her husband's family, so she is supposed to regard her mother-in-law as her new mother, and show her the same filial obedience. The husband's mother, for her part, tries to find for her son a young woman who will obey and get along with her, who will work hard for the family and around the house.
Notes on №5 guòqù: “the past” Distinguish this noun from the verb “to pass,” which in Běijīng has a neutral-tone qu: guòqu. Since it is a time word, the noun guòqù may go either before the subject or between the subject and verb. Most commonly it is placed at the very beginning of the sentence, before the subject: Guòqu, tā zài Xiānggǎngde shíhou, tā jiāo shū. In the past, when he was in Hong Kong, he taught school. Guòqù, tā bāngguo wǒ hěn duō máng. In the past he has been a great help to me. Guòqù may also be used to modify a noun phrase: Nà dōu shi guòqùde shì le. Those are all things of the past. duō nán: “how difficult.” Duō, in Běijīng often pronounced duó, is used before a state verb to express a high degree, like “how” in English: Jīntiān tiānqi duō hǎo. How nice the weather is today. Nǐ bù zhīdào zài zhèr mǎi diànyīng piào yǒu duō nán. You don't know how hard it is to buy a movie ticket here. Duō piàoliangde háizi a! What a beautiful child! Tā zěnme kéyi zhème shuō? Duó ràng rén shēngqì. How can he say such a thing? How infuriating! Nǐ kàn tā duō xǐhuan niàn shū. Look at how he loves to study. zǒu dào nǎr yě méi rén kànbuqǐ: Nǎr here is used as an indefinite pronoun, “anywhere, no matter where.” You learned about indefinite pronouns in the Meeting module, where you had the sentence Míngtiān xiàwu shénme shíhou dōu kéyi. A question word, such as shéi, shénme, něige or nǎr followed by the adverb dōu before the verb expresses the idea of “any.” When the verb has or méi before it, the pattern expresses the ideas of “nobody, nothing, neither, nowhere,” etc. Shéi dōu kéyi qù. Anyone may go. Shéi dōu bù kéyi qù. No one may go. Shénme dōu kéyi yòng. You may use anything. Shénme dōu bù kéyi yòng. You may not use anything. Něige dōu yíyàng. Any of them would be the same. Něige dōu bù qīngchu. None of them is clear. Nǎr dōu kéyi qù. You can go anywhere. Nǎr dōu méi zhèr hǎo. No place is as good as here. When or méi is used before the verb, the adverb can be used in place of dōu: Shéi yě bù kéyi qù. No one can go. Shénme yě bù kéyi yòng. You may not use anything. Něige yě bù qīngchu. None of them is clear. Nǎr yě méi zhèr hǎo. No place is as good as here. The “any/no” expression may be the subject or object of the sentence, or as in exchange 5, it may be the object of a prepositional verb: Mài gěi shéi dōu kéyi. It's okay to sell it to anyone. Mài gěi shéi dōu bu kéyi. It's not okay to sell it to anyone. Mài gěi shéi yě bu kéyi. Fàng zai nǎr dōu yíyàng. It's the same wherever you put it. Fàng zai nǎr dōu bù yíyàng. It's different every place you put it. Dào něige yóujú qù jì dōu kéyi. It would be all right to go to any post office to mail it. Gēn shéi shuō dōu (OR ) méi guānxi. It doesn't matter who you tell it to. kànbuqǐ: A resultative compound verb meaning “to look down on, to scorn, to despise.” Unlike other resultative verb compounds, this one occurs only with -de- or -bu-. (Méi kànqǐ and kànqǐ le are very rare.) Bié kànbuqǐ zhèixiē xiǎo shì. Don't look down on these little matters. Wǒ zuì kànbuqǐ zhèiyangde rén. I despise this kind of person most. Bù yīnggāi kànbuqǐ fùnǚ, nánrén néng zuǒde shì, nǚrén yě néng zuò. Don't look down on women. Anything a man can do a woman can do. The positive form kàndeqǐ means to treat someone or something seriously because you believe them/it to be capable, important, worthy, etc. It may be translated as “to think a lot of,” “to think highly of”: Wǒ kàndeqǐ ni cái ràng nǐ guǎn zhèijiàn shì. It's only because I think a lot of you that I'm letting you have charge of this matter. Nǐ yàoshi xiǎng ràng biérén kàndeqǐ ni, nǐ děi bǐ biérén zuòde hǎo. If you want to have others think highly of you, you have to do better than they.
Notes on №6 rénjia: This pronoun has a few different meanings. As used in exchange 6 it means “everyone, people (in general), they”: Rénjia dōu shuō nèige dìfang hěn hǎo kàn. People say that place is very pretty. It can also mean “other people” or “someone else”: Zhèiběnr shū dàgài kéyi jiè gěi nǐ, búguò shi rénjiade, wǒ děixiān wènwen. I can probably lend you this book, but it's someone else's. I have to ask them first. Besides referring to unspecified people, rénjia can also refer to specific people. Most often it refers to a specific third party, “he,” “she,” or “they”: Rénjia bú jiè, suàn le ba! If he doesn't want to lend it, then just forget it. - A: Nǐ nǚér yǒu háizi le meiyou? Has your daughter had any children yet? - B: Méiyou—rénjia bú yào.' No—she doesn't want any.' Wǒ gěi rénjia, rénjia bú yào. Zěnme bàn? I tried to give it to her, but she didn't want it. What can you do? Nǐ kàn rénjia Xiǎo Huá xuéde duó hǎo, nǐ ne! Look at how well Xiǎo Huá does in her studies, but you! Rénjia may also refer to the speaker, in other words, “l.” In such a case, the speaker is being intentionally playful, witty, or cute: Nǐ yào ze4nme duō?! Gěi rénjia yidiǎnr ma! You want so much?! Come on, give me a little! Rénjia bù xǐhuan zhèizhōng diànyīng! Wèishénme yídǐng yào qù kàn? I don't like this kind of movie! Why do I have to go see it? Rénjia děng nǐ yíge zhōngtōu le. I've been waiting for you for an hour. Jǐntiǎn shi Xǐngqītiān, ràng rénjia duō shuì yihuǐr ma! Today's Sunday. Let me sleep a little later! 1ǐmào: “manners, etiquette,” the expression in speech and behavior of modesty and respectfulness. This includes politeness of speech, saying the right things at the right times, table manners, and so on. [ is “ritual.” Mào is “appearance.”] Cóngqián zài Zhōngguo lǐmào hěn yàojǐn. Etiquette used to be very important in China. Yǒu lǐmào means “to be well-mannered,” méiyou lǐmào “to be ill-mannered.”
Notes on №7 Zhèi yìjiā rén: “this family” You already know that jiā can be used as a noun meaning “family,” for example, wǒmen jiā, “our family.” But jiā can also be used as a counter. It may be used alone or with the noun rén following. The translation is still “family.” Nèi yijiā, rénrén dōu gōngzuò, yìtiān dào wǎn méi rén zài jiā. Everyone in that family works. There's no one home all day long. Cóng zhèi sānjiā rénde qíngxing, nǐ kéyi zhīdao yìxiē guānyū Zhōngguo rénde shēnghuo. From the situations of these three families, you can learn something about the life of the Chinese. niànguo bù shǎo shū: Literally, “studied a lot of books.” This is the GENERAL OBJECT shū which you first learned back in the Biographic Information module. It doesn't really mean “books,” but anything at all which is studied. Niàn shū Just means “to study, to be in school,” so we translate niànguo bù shǎo shū as “to be very well educated“ or “to have a good education.” Sūnzi, “grandson,” and sūnnǚ, “granddaughter” include only the children of one's son. [The children of one's daughter are called wàisūnzi and wài-sūnnǚ.] Sūnnǚ may also have an -r ending: sūnnǚr (the real Běijīng pronunciation of -nǚr is kind of tricky; ask a native Běijīng speaker to say sūnnǚr for you). Sì Shū: “the Four Books,” which are Dàxué, “The Great Learning”; Zhōngyōng, “The Doctrine of the Mean”; Lúnyǔ, “The Analects of Confucius”; and Mèngzǐ, “Mencius.” Dàxué and Zhōngyōng are chapters from Lǐ Jì, “The Book of Rites,” which were raised to the status of separate “books” by the Southern Song Dynasty philosopher Zhū Xī. After the Song Dynasty, philosophers of the Idealist school looked upon the Four Books as the classics of Confucianism. Many older Chinese you meet today studied the Four Books when they were children.
Notes on №8 yǒu qián: “to be rich,” literally, “to have money.” You have now seen quite a few phrases built around the state verb yǒu: yǒu yìsi to be interesting, to be fun yǒu bāngzhu to be helpful yǒu dàolī to be reasonable, to be logical yǒu xìngqu to be interested yǒu yánjiū to be expert Like other state verbs (such as hǎo, “to be good,” ài, “to love,” huì, “to be able to, to know how to,”), yǒu can be modified by adverbs such as hěn, “very”; fēicháng, “very, extremely”; zhēn, “really”; tài, “too”; etc. hěn yǒu qián. He is very rich. Nèiběn shū zhēn yǒu yìsi. That book is really interesting. Lǐ Píng zuì méi xìngqu. Lǐ Pìng is the least interested. Zènme shuō shízài méiyou dàolǐ. To say that is really unreasonable. You, of course, differs from all other state verbs in that it is made negative with méi instead of . BÙ may nevertheless modify an adverb preceding yǒu: Tā bū tài yǒu qián. He isn't too rich. You cannot use méi in this sentence because the negation goes with tài, not with yǒu. In fact, switching around the order of negative and adverb results in a big difference in meaning: Bū tài yǒu yìsi. Not too interesting. Tài méiyou yìsi. So boring! yǒu qián rén: “wealthy people” This is a sort of compound noun, so -de is not used.
Notes on №9 zhùxialai: “to stay; to settle down” in a place. Zhù can either mean “to live, to reside” or just “to stay” temporarily in a place, The ending -xialai adds the meaning of coming to rest, not going away. Gāng láide shíhou bù zhīdao, zhùxialai yǐhǒu cái zhīdao wèishénme méi rén xǐhuan dào zhèige dìfang lái. When you first get here you don't know, it's only after you've lived here for a while that you realize why nobody likes to come here. A: Wǒ xiànzài qù zhǎo yige lǚguǎn qu. I'm going to go look for a hotel now. B: Méi guānxi, nǐ jiù zài wǒ jiā zhùxialai ba That's all right, why don't you just stay at my house? bāng máng: “to help; help” You first saw this in the Welfare module, Unit 6. Then in Unit 2 of this module, you learned bāngzhu. Both are very common. Bāngzhu is a little more formal than bāng máng, which is purely conversational. Bāng máng is a verb-object phrase (literally, “help-busy,”—“help me in my busyness”). For example, you can say: Bāng wo yìdiǎnr máng. Help me a little. Wǒ zǎi Měiguode shíhou, tā bāngle wǒ bù shǎo máng. He helped me a lot when I was in America. Bāngzhu, however, is just a verb. The word order is therefore simpler with bāngzhu than with bāngmáng. bāngzhu wǒ. bāng wǒde máng. or gěi wǒ bāng máng. He helps me. You can see that when bāng máng is used, the person helped is expressed either (1) in a phrase modifying máng or (2) in a prepositional phrase with gěi. zhǐ hǎo: “can only, have no choice but to” Xiǎ zhème dàde yù, wǒmen zhǐ hǎo bú qù le. Since it's raining so hard, we have no choice but not to go. Dàjiā dōu bú yuànyi péi wo qù, wǒ zhǐ hǎo yíge rén qù le. Nobody wants to go with me. All I can do is go by myself. Qìyóu yuè lái yuè guǐ, hěn duō rén zhǐ hǎo zuò gōnggòng qìchē le. With gasoline getting more and more expensive, many people have no choice hut to take the bus.
Notes on №10 dānxīn: “to he worried (that)” Yǐjīng shíyīdiǎn le, Xiǎo Píng hái méi huílai, tāde fùmǔ hěn dānxǐn. It's eleven o'clock already and Xiǎo Píng hasn't gotten back home yet. His parents are very worried. Nī bú bì dānxīn, háizi dàle, tā zìjǐ huì dǒngde. You don't need to worry. When the child grows up he'll understand. Wǒ dānxīn tāde xuéxí. I'm worried about his studies. Wǒ dānxīn wǒ nǎinaide shēntǐ. I'm worried about my grandmother's health. Wǒ dānxīn tā yǒu shénme wèntí. I'm worried that he has some problem. Tā dānxīn tā zuòbuhǎo nèijiǎn shì. He's worried he won't be able to do it well. zǎi wàihianr: Literally, “on the outside,” a common way of saying “away from home” or “away from one's hometown.” The Chinese have an expression (in literary style), Zǎi jiā qiān rì hǎo, chū wài yì shí nán, “At home one thousand days are good, but when one is on the outside (away from one's hometown) even one moment is difficult.” chī kǔ: “to have a rough time, to suffer hardships” , “bitter,” when referring to life or an experience, means “hardship, suffering, pain.” Tā chīle bù shǎo kǔ cái cóng dàxué bìyè. He went through some rough times before he graduated from college. Méiyou chīguo zhànzhēngde kǔ, jiù bù zhīdao jīntiānde shēnghuó láide bù róngyi. “zhànzhēng, “ war” If you haven't experienced the suffering of war, you don't know that our life today didn't come easily. Néng chī kǔ means “to be able to take hardships,” “to have fortitude.” Zhōngguó hěn duō rénde kànfǎ shi niánqīng rén yīnggāi néng chī kǔ. In China many people think that young people ought to be able to take hardship. Tā nèige rén hěn néng chī kǔ, bú yòng dānxīn. He can take a lot of hardship. Don't worry. hùxiāng: “mutually, reciprocally, with each other” This is an adverb, so it must go after the subject (if there is one) and before the verb. Wǒmen kéyi hùxiāng xuéxí. Nǐ jiāo wǒ Yǐngwén, wǒ jiāo nǐ Zhōngwén. We can learn from each other. You teach me English and I'll teach you Chinese.
Unit 4, Review Dialogue Early in the morning the day after Lǐ Píng (B) and Tom (A) arrive in Hong Kong, Lǐ Píng's grandmother (C) is straightening up the living room, when Lǐ Píng walks in.
Unit 4,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 is a conversation between two neighbors who meet in their courtyard in Beijing. 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: dàjiě "Older Sister," a familiar way of addressing a woman about one's own age or older shàng bānde shàng bān, shàng xuéde shàng xué They're either at the office or at school; some are at the office and others at school. zuòbuliǎo unable to do as soon as gài to build, to construct zhèngfǔ government gāi should
Questions for Exercise 2 Prepare your answers to these questions in Chinese so that you will be able to give them orally in class. Why does Older Sister Lin do all of her own housework? What does she think of her daughter-in-law? What can you infer about what housing is like in Older Sister Lín's neighborhood? From this conversation you can see that a daughter-in-law is very important in the Chinese family. Make a list of her responsibilities. 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 man invites his girlfriend over for dinner. 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: to be afraid shǒuchāode handwritten
Questions for exercise 3 Prepare your answers to these questions in Chinese so that you will be able to give them orally in class. Why is Xiǎo Lán hesitant to go to her boyfriend's home for dinner? Why does Xiǎo Lán think large families are difficult? Where would the couple live if they got married? Why must they wait for a place of their own to live? What does Xiǎo Lán think of bringing to her boyfriend's home that evening? Why? 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 4 In this exercise a grandmother talks with her granddaughter. 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: quánjiā rén the whole family xìngkuī fortunately, luckily guò rìzi to live; to get along rìzi bù hǎo guò hard to get along qiāo mén to knock at the door
Questions for Exercise 4 Prepare your answers to these questions in Chinese so that you will be able to give them orally in class. What does Grandma think of the new generation of daughters-in-law? How does Grandma remember her own experience as a newlywed? What is the difference between "standards of conduct" and "manners"? Why does Grandma reprimand Xiǎo Yún? Do you think she was justified? 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 In Běijīng, two old neighbors meet in their courtyard.
Dialogue and Translation for Exercise 3 In Běijīng, a 24-year-old man (M) talks with his 23-year-old woman friend (F). They have been close friends for a while.
Unit 5 Traditional Attitudes and Modern Changes
Introduction
Grammar Topics covered in this unit The pattern yě hǎo, ...yě hǎo, “whether... or” The adverb cái marking necessary condition. Placement of specifier after a modifying phrase. Wèile, “in order to.“ Comparison of two words for “afterwards,” yǐhòu and hòulái.
Functional Language Contained in this unit Inquiring about customs in the culture. Expressing that you don't understand something and asking another's interpretation of it. Expressing that you don't see the value of something and asking another's point of view on it. Expressing partial agreement, specifying one's reservations.
References
Reference List
Vocabulary bǎochí 保持 to keep, to preserve, to maintain cái only in that case, only under dàduōshù(r) 大多数 the great majority dài generation (counter); era, (historical) period to get dédao 㝵到 to get duōshù(r) 多数 the majority of, most of fādá 发达 to be (highly) developed, to be flourishing, to be prosperous fēngsú 风俗 custom(s) gǎibiàn 改变 to change gōngyè 工业 industry gōngshāngyè 工商业 industry and commerce hǎochù 好处 benefit, advantage hòulái 后来 later, afterwards huó to live; to become alive; to survive; to be live/alive/living; to be movable/moving láodòng 劳动 to labor láodònglì 劳动力 labor force, labor; able-bodied person láolì 劳力 labor force, labor míngbai 明白 to understand, to be clear on, to comprehend; to be clear, to be obvious nóngyè 农业 agriculture shāngyè 商业 commerce, business shēngchǎn 生产 to produce; production shōurù 收入 income, earnings shuōfǎ 说法 way of saying a thing; statement, version, argument to die tímu (tímù) 题目 topic, subject; title; (test) question, problem tīng to heed, to obey (someone's orders) tóngyì 同意 to agree, to consent; agreement, consent wèile 为了 in order to; for the purpose of; for the sake of xíguàn 习惯 habit, custom, usual practice; to be accustomed to, to be used to ...yě hǎo, ...yě hǎo 。。。也好,。。。也好 whether... or...; both... and... yě jiù 也就 accordingly, correspondingly, so yǒu hǎochù 有好处 to be beneficial, to be good (for) zǎohūn 早婚 early marriage; child marriage; to marry as a child, to marry early zhàngfu 丈夫 husband zhàogu 照顾 to take of; care zhèng just, precisely, right
Reference Notes
Notes on №1 zhèiliǎngnián: See Unit 4, Notes on №3 shōurù: “income, earnings” While in English you say “income” is “large” or “small,” in Chinese you say “much” (duō) or “little” (shǎo). Tāde shōurù bù shǎo. Her income isn't small. (lit., “little”) Tāde shōurù bú tài duō. His income isn't very high. shēngchǎn: “to produce (agricultural or industrial products), to manufacture (industrial products); production, operation (of a plant)” Nǐmen dōu shēngchǎn shénme? What (all) do you produce? Yǒu rén shuō xiāngxiade shēngchǎn hé shēnghuó qíngkuàng hǎo yìdiǎn le. Some people say that production and living conditions in the countryside have gotten somewhat better. A: Wō zhǎo Lǐ Guóqiáng. I'm looking for Lǐ Guóqiáng. B: Duìbuqī, xiànzài shi shēngchǎn shíjiān, bù néng zhǎo rén. I'm sorry, it's production time now You can't visit people.
Notes on №2 míngbai: “to he clear on, to understand,” literally, “bright-white” This is an adjectival verb which may or may not he followed by an object: Xiànzài wǒ míngbai le. Now I see. Wǒ míngbai nīde yìsi. I understand what you mean. Gāngcǎi nǐ yòu gěi wǒ jiǎngle yícǐ,wǒ bǐjiǎo míngbai le. Now that you've just explained it to me again, I understand it better. Míngbai can also be used to mean “to be clear, to be obvious,” as in: Zhèijiàn shìqing hěn míngbai. This matter is very clear/obvious. tīngmíngbai: “to hear and understand” This is a compound verb of result with an adjectival verb, míngbai indicating the result. As just stated míngbai can mean either “to understand” or “to be clear,” but tīngmíngbai means only “to understand by listening,” NOT “to hear clearly.” Use tīngqǐngchu to mean “to hear clearly.” Zuótiānde kè wǒ yìdiǎnr dōu tīngbumíngbai. I couldn't understand a thing in yesterday's class. Gāngcāi lǎoshí shuōde wǒ méi tīngqīngchu. I didn't hear (clearly) what the teacher just said. Another verb of perception which can take míngbai to show the result is kàn, “to see, to read.” Nǐ kàn méi kànmíngbai zhèige tímu? Did you understand the (test) question (when you read it)? As a compound verb of result, tīngmíngbai can take the syllables -de- and -bu- to add the meaning of “can” and “can't.“”(For the following example you need to know wàiwén, “foreign language,” and bù guǎn, “no matter.”) Gāng xué yìzhǒng wàiwénde shíhou, bù guǎn tīngdemíngbai tǐngbumíngbai, duō tīng duì nǐ yídìng yǒu hǎochù. When you're just beginning to study a foreign language, it's good for you to listen a lot whether you understand or not. tímu: This noun has three commonly used meanings: (1) “topic, subject,” (2) “title,” and (3) “question, problem” (e.g., on a test or in an exercise). Wǒmen jīntiān huàn yíge tán huàde tímu, tányitǎn shēnghuó fāngmiànde shì. Today let's change the topic of conversation and chat about things from daily life. Zhèiběn shūde tímu shi Zhōngguó de Shèhuì. The title of this book is Chinese Society. Zuótiān kǎoshìde tímu nàme duō, wǒ zhēn bù zhīdao xiān zuò něige hǎo. There were so many problems on yesterday's test, I didn't know which to do first. Zhèiyangde tímu wǒ zài gāozhōng de shihou dōu zuòguo, xiànzài dōu wàngle. gāozhōng, “senior high, short for gǎojí zhōngxué I did this sort of problems when I was in senior high school, but now I have forgotten all about them.
Notes on №3 . . . yě hǎo, . .. yě hǎo: This pattern can mean either (1) “whether... or... ” or (2) “both. . . and....“ Nǐ qù yě hǎo, bú qù yě hǎo, wǒ yídìng qù. Whether or not you are going, I'm going for sure. Tā tīng yě hǎo, bù ting yě hǎo, zǒng yǒu yìtiān tā huì míngbaide. Whether he listens or not, there'll be a day when he understands. Tā lái yě hǎo, bù lái yě hǎo, zánmen xiān chī fàn ba. Whether or not he comes, let's start eating. Nǐ qù yě hǎo, huòshi wǒ qù yě hǎo, zǒng děi yǒu yíge rén qù. Whether you go or I go, somebody has to go. In the review dialogue, you will see an and example of the second meaning, “both... and... ” Búguò wǒ xiǎng, dàlù yě hǎo, Táiwān yě hǎo, jǐshínián lái dōu yǒule hěn dàde gǎibiàn. But I think that both the mainland and Taiwan have undergone big changes in the past few decades. Zhōngguo rén yě hǎo, Měiguo rén yě hǎo, dōu yīnggāi bǎochí tāmende wénhuà chuántōng. Chinese people and American people should both preserve their cultural heritage. cái: You've already seen cái in talking about TIME (“not until”) as in Tā zuótiān cái láide, “He didn't come until yesterday.” Here you see another use of cái, “not unless.” It points out a NECESSARY CONDITION. Zhèijiàn shì, tā guǎn cái xíng. As for this matter, (if) he takes care of it, only in that case will it be okay. “it won't be okay unless he takes care of this matter.” Here are other examples: Shíge cái gòu. “No fewer than ten is enough.” Zhèiyang cái hǎo. “Only in this way is it good.” Piányi wǒ cái mǎi. “I won't buy it unless it's cheap.” Nǐ qù wǒ cái qù. “I won't go unless you do.” Zhèitào pánziwǎn yǒu kèren lāi wǒ cái yòng. “I don't use this set of dishes unless I have guests.” bǎochí: “to keep, to preserve, to maintain” Yàoshi nǐ néng hǎochí měitiān jì sìge xīn zì, yìniān kéyi jì yìqiān duō ge zì le. , “to remember,” can also mean “to commit to memory.” If you can keep on memorizing four new characters a day, you'll he able to memorize over a thousand a year. Zhōngguo shèhuì hěn duō dìfang dōu bǎochízhe lǎode fēngsú xíguǎn. There are a lot of places in Chinese society which are still holding on to old customs and habits.
Notes on №4 láodònglì: “work force,” literally “labor-power” Fùnǚ zài nóngcūn shi xiāngdāng zhòngyàode láodònglì. In rural areas, women are a very important source of labor. Láodònglì may also he used to refer to able-bodied individuals who do manual labor: A: Tāmen jiā yǒu jǐge láodònglì? How many able-bodied persons are there in their family? B: Yǒu sìge bàn láodònglì. There are four and a half. (The half may be a child or an older person who cannot do as much work.) nénglì ability rénlì manpower diànlì electric power tīnglì hearing ability huǒlì firepower; thermal shuǐlì water power, hydraulic dònglì motivating power, force, power, impetus, driving force yě jiù: “accordingly,” literally “also then” Other translations for this are “correspondingly,” “so.” The tone of jiù is often neutral. Tā duì wǒ hěn bú kèqi, wǒ yě jiu bù gēn tā shuō huà le. He was very rude to me, so I won't talk with him anymore. Wǒ jiào ta bú yào bāng wǒ xǐ wǎn, tā yídìng yào xǐ, wǒ yě jiu ràng ta xǐ le. I told him not to help me wash the dishes, but he insisted, so I let him wash them. Wǒ shi liǎngnián yǐqián xuéde Zhōngwén kěshi yìzhí méi jīhui shuō, yě jiu wàng le. I studied Chinese two years ago, but I never had the chance to speak it, so I forgot it. Wǒ xiǎng qù, kěshi méi biérén yào qù, yě jiu suàn le. I wanted to go, but nobody else did, so I said the heck with it. Wǒ gāng xué Zhōngwénde shíhou, hěn zhùyì fāyīn, shíjiān chángle yě jiu bù guǎn le. When I first started studying Chinese I payed a lot of attention to pronunciation, but as time went on, I stopped paying attention to it. hǎochù: “benefit, advantage” You may also hear hǎochù (Neutral-tone -chu). The phrase yǒu hǎochù means “to be advantageous, to be beneficial.” Nǐ tiāntiān dōu hē jiǔ yǒu shénme hǎochù. What good does it do you to drink every day. Use the pattern duì...yǒu hǎochù for “to be good for..., to be of benefit to...”: A: Yǒu rén shuō hē píjiǔ duì shěntǐ yǒu hǎochù. Some people say that it is good for the health (body) to drink beer. B: Bù yídìng ba, wǒ yǒu xuěyā gāo, duì wǒ méi shenme hǎochù. Not necessarily! I have high blood pressure. It's not good for me. Wǒmen yíkuàir niàn shū duì liǎngge rén dōu yǒu hǎochù. It would be advantageous to both of us to study together.
Notes on №5 zài nàr xiě zìde nèige rén: “the person writing over there” Notice once again that the preferred word order is to put the specifier-number-counter between the modifying phrase and the noun. Modifying phrase Specifier-Number-Counter Noun xiě zìde nèige rén hěn hǎo kànde nèi sānge nǚháir It is also possible to put the nèige or zhèige at the head of the phrase (nèige xiě zìde rén) but especially in longer phrases it sounds better to keep nèige or zhèige close to the noun, as in the Reference List sentence above. zhèng: “just, right, exactly, precisely.” Like other adverbs, zhèng is placed in front of a verb. Wǒ zhèng yào zhǎo nǐ shāngliang zhèijiàn shìqing. I was just looking for you to talk about this matter. Nǐ chuān zhèige yánsè zhèng héshì. This color is just right for you (to wear). Wǒ yào kànde zhèng shi zhèiběn shū. This is just the book I want to read. Zuótiān lái kàn nǐde zhèng shi zhèige rén. This is precisely the person who came to see you yesterday. Zhèng shi yīnwei zhèige, tā cái zǒu le. That's precisely why he left. Jiù shi is more colloquial than zhèng shi. For 5B, you could also say Jiù shi tā
Notes on №6 gōngshāngyè: '“industry and commerce“ This is a compound of gōngyè '“industry” and shāngyè, “commerce. “ Gōngyè and nóngyè can also combine as gōngnóngyè, as in gōngnóngyè shēngchǎn, “industrial and agricultural production.” fādá: “to be developed, to be well-developed; to be prosperous, to be flourishing” This is an adjectival verb, that is, it describes a state or condition. A literal translation of the Reference List sentence above might be: “(For) industry-commerce to be flourishing, there is what benefit?” In addition to describing industry, fādá can be used to describe a person's muscular build or a developed country. Zhèige guójiā hěn fādá. This country is very prosperous. Tāmen nàrde wénhuà hěn fādá. The culture there is very developed. Don't confuse the state verb fādá with the action verb fāzhǎn, which can take an object, e.g., fāzhǎn nóngyè, “to develop agriculture.” náli dōu...: “everywhere” Here you see another example of a question word (here náli “where”) used to mean “every...” or “any...” In order to get such a meaning, you must use náli (or shéi, shenme, etc.) before dōu or . Notice that the question word can come in various places in the sentence. Q: Tā xiàtiān xiǎng qù shénme dìfang? Where is he going this summer? B: Tā shénme dìfang dōu bú qù. He is not going anywhere. Q: Shéi yào qù nèibiānr kāi huì? Who is going to the meeting there? A: Shéi dōu qù. Everybody is going. Zěnme zuò dōu bù xíng. Any way you do it, it Just doesn't work. tóngyì: “to agree, to consent; agreement, consent” As a verb, the meaning of tóngyì is the same as in English. But there is a difference in how you say WHO it is you agree with. In Chinese, you don't agree with a person; you agree with an idea, opinion, statement, etc. In sentence 6B, the object zhèi yìdiǎn is up front in the sentence. Notice the placement of the object in the sentences below. Tāde xiǎngfa nǐ tóngyì ma? Do you agree with his opinion? Wǒ tóngyì tāde kànfa. I agree with him (his ideas). CAUTION: Often speakers of English want to say gēn...tongyì because we say “agree with...” in English, but there is no such form in Chinese. Instead, use the last example above. Tóngyì may also be directly followed by a clause, as in Tā bù tóngyì tāmen jiēhūn. He doesn't approve of (OR won't agree to) their getting married. As a noun, tóngyì means “agreement” or “consent.” Wǒmen xūyào tāmende tóngyì cái néng zuò zhèijiàn shì. We need their consent before we can do this.
Notes on №7 This exchange illustrates that old ways of thinking persist in China today. Although in urban areas an increasing number of women are self-sufficient, great variations in social and economic conditions are starkly obvious in a comparison of city and country life. zǎohūn: “early marriage” This can refer to two different things, sometimes causing confusion. First, it refers to the Chinese practice of marrying a young girl off long before she was an adult in order to bring some money into her parents' home and to add to the number of able-bodied workers in her in-laws' home. Her “husband” was also very young—as young as twelve to fourteen years old, and often younger than she. Second, these days zǎohūn can simply mean marrying at a somewhat younger age than is normally expected. This is the meaning in exchange 7. Èrshisìsuì jiēhūn zěnme néng shuō shi zǎohūn? How can you say getting married at twenty-four is early marriage? Zhōngguó guòqù dàduōshù rén dōu zǎohūn. In the past most people in China married at an early age. : “to die” This is a process verb, like bìng “to become ill, to get sick,” and therefore corresponds to the English “to become dead” rather than “to be dead.” is a process verb; it describes an instantaneous change of state. In English one can say of a person with a terminal illness that he “is dying,” but this cannot be translated directly into Chinese. Rather, one must say Tā kuài (yào) sǐ le, “He is about to die,” or Tā huóbuliǎo duō jiǔ le, “He won't live much longer,” or Tā huóbucháng le, “He hasn't long to live.” Tīngshuō Lǎo Liūde fùqin sǐ le. I heard that Lǎo Liu's father has died. The verb is not usually negated with , but rather with méi or hái méi (even when it corresponds to English “to be dead”). Nèi shihou, tā fùqin méi sǐ, kéyi chángcháng zhàogu ta. At that time, his father was alive, and was able to take care of him. can “be used directly” before a noun as an adjective meaning “dead.” Shi sǐde may be used to mean ”is dead.” Zhèi shi yìtiáo sǐ yú. This is a dead fish. Zhèitiáo yú shi sǐde. This fish is a dead one OR This fish is dead. may he considered blunt and uncouth or inauspicious when used for people. To he respectful, use guòqu le, '“passed away,” or qùshì le, ““left the world.” Sometimes you can avoid saying by using hái zài or hái huózhe, '“still living,” e.g., Nèi shihou tā yeée hái zài/hái huózhe, “At that time, his grandfather was still living.” (See Notes on No. 15-) In some parts of traditional China, the usage of was affected by superstition. This is especially true in Taiwan. Even today, during the lunar New Year holidays, some traditionalists take pains to avoid uttering , “to die,” lest they he plagued by had luck and death in the clan for the next twelve months. In Taiwan, the superstition extends to the similar-sounding word , '“four.” Some hospitals have no fourth floor; sìlóu, '“fourth floor,” could too easily become sǐlóu, '“death floor,” in rapid speech. For a similar reason, some motorists refuse to drive cars with license plates hearing the number 4. And if money is given as a wedding present, the figure must not contain the number 4, or the donor would be guilty of wishing death on the couple. zhàogu: '“to look after, to take care of; care” Yǒu zhàogu can mean '“to be well taken care of, to receive good treatment.” (For the first example, you need to know that yòuéryuán means “kindergarten.”) Háizimen zài jiāli bǐ zài yòuéryuánli yǒu zhàogu. The children get better care at home than they would at kindergarten. Tā yíge rén zài jiā, méiyou zhàogu bù xíng. With his being all alone at home, it won't do for him to be without care. Tā bìngde hěn lìhai, xūyào tèbié-(de) zhàogu. He is very ill and needs special care. Tāde háizi duì tā hěn hǎo, tāde shēnghuó yǒu zhàogu. His children are very good to him; his daily needs are well taken care of.
Notes on №8 duōshù(r): “majority, most,” literally, “the larger number” Dàduōshù(r) is “the great majority.” In many instances, there isn't much difference in meaning between duōshù and dàduōshù. Duōshù can be used to modify a noun, as in duōshùdǎng, “the majority party,” or duōshù mínzú, “majority nationalities.” [The opposite of duōshù is shǎoshù, “minority.” See Traveling in China module, Unit 1.] bú shi: “it is not the case that” To translate the subject “not many people” into Chinese, you need to use a verb (shi or yǒu). You can't put directly before hěn duō rén. Other examples: Nèige dìfang, bú shi nǐ xiǎng qù jiù kéyi qù(de), nǐ děi xiān dédao tóngyì. You can't go there any time you want You need to get approval first. Bú shi wǒ bú yuànyi gēn nǐ jiēhūn , shi wǒ fùmǔ bù tóngyì. It's not that I don't want to marry you; it's that my parents don't approve. : “to get, to receive” is much more limited than English “to get.” Use only for passively receiving a prize, a degree, a grade, and the like. (For these examples, you need to know kǎoshì, “test”; yōu, “excellent” Fused in mainland schools like the grade “A” in the U.S.!; fēn, “points”; jiǎng, “prize”; shuóshì, “Master's degree.“) Zuótiānde kǎoshì wǒ déle ge “you.” I got an “A” on yesterday's test. Tǎ déle yìbǎi fēn. He got 100 (points). Shéi dé jiǎng le? Who won the prize? Tā shi něinián déde shuòshì? What year did he receive his Master's degree? is also used for “contracting” diseases. (in the second example, lánwěiyán is “appendicitis.”) Tā dé bìng le, bù néng qù le. He came down with something and cannot go. Tā déle lánwěiyán, děi mǎshǎng kāi dāo. He got appendicitis and had to be operated on immediately. dédao: “to receive, to get, to gain, to obtain” Add the ending -dào to the verb de to get the meaning of successful obtaining (cf. jièdao, “to successfully borrow,” in Unit 1). Tā dédao hùzhào yǐhòu mǎshàng jiù zǒu le. He left immediately after getting his passport. Tā gēn ta jiēhūn, jiù shi xiǎng dédao tāde qián. He only married her to get her money. Hěn duō rén débudào zìyóu. Many people are unable to obtain freedom. Tā cóng zhèli débudào shenme hǎochù. He won't be able to gain anything from this. “To get” in English often means to actively seek to obtain a thing. In those cases, do not use dé(dào). Use such verbs as ná/nádào/nálai, zhǎo/zhǎodào/ zhǎolai, nòngdao/nònglai, or a more specific verb such as mǎi, yào (“to ask for”), jiè; and qǐng(lai) or jiào(lai) for “getting” people.
Notes on №9 wèile: “in order to, for the purpose of; for the sake of.” A phrase with wèile may come at the very front of the sentence or after the subject. Tā wèile yào dào Zhōngguó qù gōngzuò, suóyi xiànzài zài xué Zhōngwén ne. Because he wants to go to China to work, he is studying Chinese now. Wèile kàn diànyǐng, tā méi qù shàng kè. He didn't go to class so he could go see a movie. Wèile may also come after shi: Zhèijiàn shì dōu shi wèile tā. This was done all for him. This prepositional verb covers a range of meanings falling under the categories of (1) benefit, (2) purpose, or (3) motive. It is sometimes hard to pinpoint exactly which of these meanings is the one expressed by a particular sentence. Benefit, sake Wǒ wèile tā cái láide. I came only for his sake. Wǒ wánquán shi wèile nǐ. I am (doing this) entirely for your sake. Purpose, goal Wèile qián, tā shénme dōu zuǒdechūlái. For money, he is liable to do anything Wèile mǎi zhèiběn shū, tā qùle liùge shūdiàn. He went to six bookstores in order to get this book. Nǐ pǎo zhème yuǎnde lù, jiù shi wèile ná zhèizhāng piào? You came all this way just to get that ticket? Wèile bǎochí niánqīng, tā yòng niūnǎi xǐzǎo. She washes with (cow's) milk to preserve her youth. Wèile yào is a common combination which often means the same as wèile: Wèile yào qù kàn péngyou, jīntiān wǒ děi zǎo yìdiǎnr xià bān. In order to go visit a friend, I have to leave work a little early today. Wèile yào niàn shū, wǒ zhèige Xīngqītiān bù chūqu le. I'm not going out this Sunday so that I can study. Wèile bú yào tài lèi, wǒ měitiān dōu zuǒ chē shàng bān. In order not to get too tired, I take the bus to work every day. Wèile néng dúlì shēnghuō, tā hěn zǎo jiù líkāi fùmǔ le. In order to live independently, she left her parents very early. Motive or reason for some act, thought, or feeling Wèile zhèijiàn shì, wǒ juéde hěn bù hǎo yìsi. I feel very embarrassed about (because of) this matter. Wèile zhèijiàn shì, tā yíyè dōu shuìbuzháo jiào. He couldn't get to sleep all night on account of this matter. Wǒ jiù shi wèi(le) zhèijiàn shì láide. I have come precisely because of this matter. Jiù wèi(le) zhème yidiǎnr shì, nǐ jiù shēngqì la? You got angry over such a small thing? Even though you will find that wèile is sometimes idiomatically translated as “because,” as in these last examples, it is still not completely a synonym of yīnwèi. When you want to say “because,” you should use yīnwèi. When you want to say “for the sake of” or “for the purpose of,” use wèile.
Notes on №10 fēngsú: “custom” The definition of fēngsú in a Chinese dictionary reads: '“the sum total of etiquette, usual practices, etc., adhered to over a long period of time in the development of society.” Compare this with xíguàn: “behavior, tendency or social practice cultivated over a long period of time, and which is hard to change abruptly.” Notice that xíguàn may refer to the practices or habits of either an individual or a community, whereas fēngsú refers only to those of a community. Guòqù Zhōngguo yǒu zǎohūnde fēngsú. In the past China had the custom of early (child) marriage. hòulái: “afterwards, later” Both hòulái and yǐhòu are time nouns which can be translated as “afterwards” or “later.” But there are differences between them: Differences in patterns: Yǐhòu can either follow another element (translated as “after...”) or it can be used by itself. Tā láile yǐhòu, wǒmen jiù zǒu le. After he came, we left. Yǐhòu tā méiyou zài láiguo. Afterwards, he never came back again. Hòulái can only be used by itself. Hòulái tā jiù shuì jiào le. Afterwards he went to sleep. Differences in meaning: Both yǐhòu and hòulái may be used to refer to the past. For example, either yǐhòu or hòulái may be used in the sentence: Kāishǐde shíhou tā bù zhīdào zěnme bàn, kěshi hòulái/yǐhòu xiǎngchūle yíge hǎo bànfa In the beginning, he didn't know what to do, but later he thought up a good way. But if you want to say “afterwards” or “later” referring to the future, you can only use yǐhòu. When it refers to the future time, yǐhòu can be translated in various ways, depending on the context: Yǐhòude shìqing, děng yǐhòu zài shuō. Let's wait until the future to see about future matters. Yǐhòu nǐ yǒu kòng, qǐng chánglái wán. In the future when you have time, please come over more often. Wǒ yǐhòu zài gàosu ni. I'll tell you later on. Tāde hāizi shuōle, yǐhòu tā yào gēn yíge Rìběn rén jiēhūn. His child said that someday, he wants to marry a Japanese. Usage: Yǐhòu has the literal meaning of “after that.” It implies that some past event functions as a dividing point in time, a sort of time boundary. Yǐhòu refers to the period from the end of that time boundary up to another point of reference (usually the time of speaking). It is often translated as “since.” Tā zhǐ xiěle yìběn shū, yǐhòu zài méi xiěguo. He only wrote one book, and hasn't written any since (if he is still alive) OR He wrote only one book, and after that never wrote another. (if he is dead) gǎibiàn: “to change; change” Wǒ bù míngbai tā wèishénme háishi bù néng gǎibiàn tāde guānniàn. I don't understand why he still can't change his ideas (way of thinking). Biàn, which you learned in Unit 3, can be used only as a verb, not as a noun. Biàn and gǎibiàn may be interchangeable in a small number of contexts, but there is an essential difference between them: Biàn is a process verb, “to become different,“”and gǎibiàn is an action plus process, “to alter in such a way as to become different.” This can cause English-speaking students confusion because the English verb “change” covers both these meanings. Here are some examples: Tāde xiǎngfā biàn le. His way of thinking changed (became different). Wǒmen yīnggāi gǎibiàn zhèige qíngkuāng. We should change this state of affairs (alter this state of affairs so that it becomes different).
Notes Additional Vocabulary láodòng: The verb “to do physical labor, to labor, to work” or the noun “physical labor, manual labor.” shēngchǎn lāodòng productive labor lāodòng shōurù income from work huó: “to live” huó, shēnghuó, and zhù may all be translated as “to live” but actually have different meanings. Huó basically refers to the body's having life or breath, and is the opposite of . Shēnghuó emphasizes day-to-day living; it is used mostly when describing the needs or quality of daily life. Zhù is used to talk about residence in a particular place, either as one's home, or temporarily (zhù lǚguān, “to stay at a hotel,” and zhù yuàn, “to stay in the hospital”). Yú zài shuǐli cái néng huó. Fish can live only in water. Nèige dìfangde rén kéyi huó dao hěn lǎo. The people there live to be very old. Tā huóde hěn cháng. He had a long life. Tā dàgài huóbucháng le. He probably won't live much longer. Huó often means “to live” in the sense of to survive. Tā jìn yīyuànde shíhou, shéi dōu xiǎng tā bù néng huó le, kěshi tā yòu huóle yìnián cái sǐ. When he went into the hospital, no one thought he could live (survive), but he lived another year before he died. Huó can modify a noun directly, for example, huó yú, “live fish,” huó rén, “living person.” But to say, “is he alive?” you must use huó with the ending -zhe: Tā huózhe ma? Huó can also mean “movable, moving,” as in: huózì, “movable type”; huóyè, “loose-leaf” [huóyèjiāzi is “loose-leaf binder”!; huóshuǐ, “flowing water.” xíguàn: As a noun, this means “habit” or, in a more general sense, “custom, usual practice.” Tǎng zai chuángshang kàn shū shi yíge bù hǎode xíguàn. chuáng, “bed” It's a bad habit to read in bed. Wǒ yǒu zǎo qǐde xíguàn. I'm an early riser. (Lit., “I have the habit of getting up early.”) Tàitai bù xǐhuan tā xiānsheng bànyè yīhòu cái huí jiāde xíguàn. The wife doesn't like her husband's habit of not coming home until after midnight. Zhèige jùzi bù zhīdào wèishenme zènme shuō, zhèi jiù shi wǒmende xíguàn. I don't know why this sentence is said this way. It's just the way we say it. As a verb, xíguàn means “to get/be used to, to become/be accustomed to”: Jīntiān shi wǒ dìyītiān dài yǎnjìng, wǒ hái méi xíguàn. Wǒ xīwàng hěn kuài jiu kéyi xíguàn le. Today is my first day wearing glasses and I'm not used to them yet. I hope I can get used to them quickly. Wǒ hěn bù xíguàn chī zhèrde fàn. I'm not at all used to the food here. Wǒ yījīng xíguàn zhème zuò le, hěn nán gǎi. I'm already used to doing it this way It's very hard to change. tīng: This word, which you already know as “to listen,” can also mean “to heed, to obey” someone's suggestions, directions, or orders. Tā shuōde yǒu dàolǐ, nǐ yīnggāi tīng tāde huà. What he says makes sense. You should listen to him (do as he says). Wǒ gàosu tā yīnggāi zhèiyang zuò, tā bù tīng. I told him he should, do this, but he wouldn't listen. Hǎo ba, tīng nīde. Okay, I'll do as you say. (nǐde is short for nīde huà.)
Unit 5, Review Dialog Lǐ Píng (B), Tom (A), and Lǐ Píng's classmate from Taiwan, Wáng Chéng (D), have Just gone to the movie The Dream of the Red Chamber This novel by Cáo Xuěqín (1724-1764) tells of the twilight years of the Jiǎ family, grown wealthy in the service of Qīng Dynasty emperors. The story revolves around the spoiled and effeminate young man of the house, Jiǎ Bǎoyù (Precious Jade), and his love for his cousin, Lín Dàiyù (Black Jade). . On their way home , they chat.
Unit 5, 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 is a conversation between a grandmother and her high-school-age granddaughter in Tianjin. 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: Zhāng Lǐ Shì an old way of referring to a woman whose own surname is and whose husband's surname is Zhāng zài shuō besides, moreover
Questions for Exercise 2 Prepare your answers to these questions in Chinese so that you can talk about them in class. Can you infer how people generally learn about new policies like birth control in China? What does Grandma think of the new policy? What is the difference between the old and the new custom with regard to taking one's husband's surname after marriage? 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. The translations used in these dialogues are meant to indicate English functional equivalents for the Chinese sentences rather than the literal meaning of the Chinese.
Exercise 3 In this conversation two classmates are talking in Hong Kong about the situation on the mainland. Listen to the conversation once straight through. Then, on the second time through, look below and answer the questions. Here are the new words you will need to understand this conversation: shìchǎng market nóngmín peasant For this conversation, you also need to know what "free markets" are. The Chinese term is zìyóu shìchǎng. These are government-controlled, negotiated-price markets which individual peasants, brigades, or communes hold in the cities at officially designated locations to sell agricultural products, livestock, and fish. After units have fulfilled state quotas for an agricultural sideline product, any surplus (with the exception of certain restricted products) may be sold on the open market. Free markets are supposed to encourage agricultural sideline production, stimulate the exchange of urban and rural products, improve the supply of non-staple foods in the cities, and supplement state-operated commerce.
Questions for Exercise 3 Prepare your answers to these questions in Chinese so that you can talk about them in class. How do free markets help peasants? How do they help agricultural production? How do free markets improve life for people in the cities? What other developments in the countryside do the classmates think will affect the mainland's economic situation? For how long did classmate B's family live in the Jiāngxī countryside? 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 4 In this exercise two classmates in Hong Kong discuss a death in the family of a friend. 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 words and phrases: lǎoxiānsheng old gentleman gǔhuī ashes (of a person) sònghuiqu to take back
Questions for Exercise 4 Prepare your answers to these questions in Chinese so that you can talk about them in class. Where will Mr. Wáng's remains be buried? What was the nature of family clashes between Mr. Wáng and his five sons? From Mr. Wáng's point of view, what were the advantages in having his sons get married young? What did his sons think about early marriage? What did Mr. Wáng gradually come to understand that made him give up trying to have his sons marry early? What sentence can you say to someone in a conversation to suggest that you talk about a different topic? After you have answered these questions, 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 In Tiānjīn, a grandmother talks with her high school age daughter.
Dialogue and Translation for Exercise 3 In Hong Kong, two classmates are talking.
Unit 6 Politics and Culture
Introduction
Grammar Topics covered in this unit -de huà, “if,” “in case.” -Choosing between -guo and -le. More on zài, “in the midst of.” Bù guǎn... , “no matter.” Nǎr used in rhetorical questions to make a denial. Reduplicating adjectival verbs for vividness. and lái expressing purpose. (Amount of time) lái, “'in the past...,” “over the past.…”
Functional Language content in this unit Requesting to speak with someone. Making a comment in order to verify a piece of information. Expressing that you are disturbed by a troublesome circumstance. Expressing scandalized disapproval.
References
Reference List
Vocabulary ài to love àishang 爱上 to fall in love with bǎohù 保护 to protect bù guǎn 不管 no matter (what, whether, etc.) bú xiàng huà 不象话 to be ridiculous, to be outrageous, to be absurd (talk, acts, etc.) cānjiā 参加 to participate in, to take part in, to Join, to attend chéngshì 城市 city; urban dǎng (political) party dǎ zì 大字 to type (on a typewriter) -de huà 的话 if; in case; supposing that duǎnpiān 短篇 short (stories, articles) értóng 儿童 child (formal word) fēn to divide, to separate, to split fēnkāi 分开 to separate, to split up gànbu 干部 cadre Gòngchǎndǎng 共产党 the Communist Party gùshi 故事 story hèn to hate, to loathe, to detest (a) Hóngwèibīng 红卫兵 Red Guard; the Red Guards jiārù 加入 to join jiěfàng 解放 to liberate, to emancipate;liberation jièyì 介意 to mind, to take offense jíjímángmáng 急急忙忙 in a big hurry jímáng 急忙 to be hasty, to be hurried ...lái 。。。来 for the past...(amount of time) lǐngdǎo 领导 to lead, to direct, to exercise leadership (over); leadership; leader, leading cadre nóngcūn 农村 country, rural area; rural;village to enter; to Join rù Tuán 入团 to Join the Communist Youth League (Gòngqingtuán or Gòngchǎnzhǔyì Qīngniántuán) -shang verb ending indicating starting and continuing shàng xué 上学 to go to school; to attend school shìjiè 世界 world shìjièshang 世界上 in the world, in the whole world shíxíng 实行 to practice, to carry out, to put into effect, to implement -tuán group, society Tuán the (Communist Youth) League -xià -下 under xià qí 下棋 to play chess yuányīn 原因 reason, cause zhèngcè 政策 policy zhèngfǔ 政府 government
Reference Notes
Notes on №1 gùshi: “story,” only in the sense of a short, fictional tale. Remember that another word you have learned, xiǎoshuō, can also be used for “story“ in the sense of a literary work. Also take special note that a news “story” should be translated as xīnwěn (NOT gùshi). “To tell stories” is jiǎng (OR shuō) gùshi (don't use the verb gàosu). Nǐmen zhèr yǒu shénme értóng gùshi ma? Do you have any children's stories here? (in a bookstore) Zhèipiān gùshi xiěde zhēn hǎo. This story is very well written. Gùshi may take as a counter either -ge, -duàn, or -piān (for written stories). -de huà: “if,” “in case,” or “supposing that” Used at the end of a clause which tells a hypothetical situation, often in combination with another word for “if” (yàoshi, rúguǒ, etc.) earlier in the same clause. Yàoshi nǐ bú qùde huà, wǒ yě bú qù. If you don't go, I won't go. Chī fàn chībǎo le, yàoshi zài chī de huà, dùzi jiu bù shūfu le. If you eat more after you're already full, your stomach won't feel well. Wǒ qǐlai tài zǎode huà, wǒ jiù huì juéde lèi. If I get up too early I feel tired. Yào shi wǒde huà, wǒ bú nàme zuò. If it had been me, I wouldn't have done it that way. xià qí: “play chess” This is actually a general word for several different kinds of chess or other board games. [Specific names do exist for each game: xiàngqí, “Chinese chess”; tiàoqí, “(the Chinese form of) checkers”; wéiqí, “go” (a board game); guójì xiàngqí (PRC) or xīyáng qí (Taiwan), “international or Western chess”; etc. Nǐ gēn shéi xià qí? Who did you play chess with? Tā xià qí xiàde hěn hǎo. He plays chess very well.
Notes on №2 jiěfàng: “to liberate, to emancipate; liberation“”This word is applied in Communist ideology to the overthrow of what is considered “reactionary” rule. In China today jiěfàng may be used to refer to the actual occupation of an individual area by Communist forces at any time from 1945 up until 1950 (when the administrative authority of the Communist government had finally extended throughout the mainland and Hǎinán Island). For example, if someone says Wǒmen zhèige dìfang jiěfàngde wǎn. Our area was liberated late (in the revolution). this means that Communist forces reached their area at a late date (perhaps in late 1949 or early 1950). Jiěfàng may also be used to refer to the end of “China's War of Liberation,” marked by the official proclamation of the People's Republic of China on October 1, 1949. For example: Jiěfàng yīhòude jǐnián, wǒ zhù zai Shànghǎi. For the first few years after liberation I lived in Shànghǎi. Gòngchǎndǎng: “the Communist party,” literally “share-property party” In a mainland China context, the Communist party is often referred to simply as Dǎng, “the Party.” The official name is Zhōngguó Gòngchǎndǎng, “Chinese Communist Party (CCP).” zhèngcè: “policy” (especially of a government) Zuìjìnde zhèngcè gǎibiàn le. The (government's) policy has changed recently.
Notes on №3 : “to enter” is most often used in literary Chinese. In the spoken language, it is mainly used in a handful of set phrases like rù xué, “to enter school, to start school,” or rù yuàn, “to be hospitalized.” Otherwise, “to enter” is expressed by the verbs jìn, jìnlai, or jìnqu. In the set phrases rù Tuán, “to join the Communist Youth League,” and rù Dǎng, “to Join the Communist Party,” is actually short for the verb jiārù (No. 14 on the Reference List), which means “to join” an organization. Tuán: “the League,” short for Zhōngguó Gòngchǎnzhǔyì Qīngniántuān, “China Communist Youth League,” also abbreviated as Gòngqǐngtuaán. This is a nationwide organization for working youth and students between the ages of fourteen and twenty-five. Its aim is to cultivate members' political awareness and their cultural and scientific knowledge. The League's history goes back to 1922, but its name, goals, and influence have changed over the years. During the Cultural Revolution, the functions of the League were largely taken over by the Red Guards (see note on next page), but in 1973 the League began to recover its former influence. Today, the League organizes political study sessions as well as educational and recreational activities at schools, universities, factories, and other places of work. The League also provides leadership for the Young Pioneers (Shàoxiānduì), an organization for children from seven to fourteen. The connection between the Communist Party and the League is a close one, although the League is independently organized and has its own central committee with a national congress that meets periodically. Policy leadership for the League comes from the Youth Department of the Communist Party Central Committee. By no means do all League members go on to become Party members, but leadership experience in League activities makes many likely candidates for later Party membership. cānjiā: “to Join; to participate in, to take part in; to attend” Cānjiā refers to the action of joining a group or joining in an activity. It also means “to participate” or “to take part in.” Cānjiā is also the word to use for “to attend” a meeting, convention, or other gathering (but not a play, film, or other non-participatory event). Zhōngguó cānjiā Shìjiè Yínháng le. China has Joined the World Bank. Wǒmen jìhuà xià xīngqī kāi ge wǎnhuì,°nǐ xiǎng bu xiǎng cānjiā? wǎnhuì, “ evening party” We're planning to have an evening party next week. Would you like to join in? Dàjiā dōu yīnggāi cānjiā láodòng. Everyone should participate in (physical) labor. Tā cānjiāle yíge xùnliànbān. xùnliànbān, “training class” He is attending a training class OR He attended a training class, (depends on context) Wǒ yào qù cānjiā míngtiān xiàwude huì. I'm going to attend the meeting tomorrow afternoon. rùguo Tuán, cānjiāguo Hóngwèibīng: You were introduced to the marker -guo in the Biographic Information module, with sentences like Nǐ cóngqiān láiguo ma?, “Have you ever been here before?“” You also saw that -guo can provide by itself the meaning of “ever”: Tǎ qùguo Zhōngguó ma?, “Has he ever been to China?” In exchange 3, the speakers use -guo with the meaning of “ever” having done something. Why use -guo and not -le in these sentences? A helpful rule of thumb is to use -guo in Chinese when you would say “ever” in English. But -guo and “ever” do not always correspond; as you can see in sentence 3B, the English does not contain the word “ever.“” The reason speaker B decided to use -guo there rather than le is that he knows Lǎo Wáng's son is no longer in the Red Guards. Using -guo rather than le implies that the Joining (cānjiā) was later undone—that the son is not a Red Guard now. The verb cānjiā tells an action that results in a new state: the action of joining results in the state of being part of something. Similar verbs include zuò, “to sit,” (the action of sitting results in the state of being seated) and chuān (the action of putting on clothes results in the state of the clothes being on). Process verbs as well show the change from one state to a new state, like bìng (to go from wellness to sickness), dào (to go from not being here to being here). When -guo is used with these kinds of verbs it often implies that the resulting state is no longer in effect.' Guo may also be used when the speaker does not know for sure whether the state is still in effect. But do not use -guo when you know for sure that the state is still in effect. For example, if you know that a person has come here and is still here, you can only say Tā lái le. Hóngwèibíng: “the Red Guards,” lit., “Red Guard-Soldiers” It was in Běijīng in 1966 that middle school and college students first began to form groups calling themselves Hóngwèibìng. At that time CCP Chairman Máo Zédōng had been trying with little success to stir up a mass movement against “revisionist” elements in the Chinese Communist Party, and to infuse the country with a new revolutionary spirit. The newly formed Red Guard groups first directed their efforts at reactionary leaders in the schools. After Máo publicly expressed his support for the Red Guards, their movement quickly grew into a major force in the first stage of the Cultural Revolution. Their opposition to Liú Shàoqí, then Chairman (head of state) of the PRC, was instrumental in his downfall. Before long, groups of Red Guards were crisscrossing China by train, bus, any means of transportation—many on foot—to spread the concepts of the Cultural Revolution. The scale of these excursions is difficult to imagine; Red Guards, other student groups, and tag-along— altogether millions of young people—were to be seen everywhere, bringing Běijīng's political movements to the rest of the country. After their inception, the thousands of Red Guard groups nationwide had difficulty forming a cohesive organization, and after the first three years of the Cultural Revolution (1966 to 1968) their power began to wane. They remained a prestige group, however, until their official abolishment in 1978. Outside observers, as well as many Chinese, had mixed opinions of the Red Guards. That they were a major force in stirring the country to join in the movements of the time is beyond question. But the zealous excesses and cruelties of many Red Guards toward people of “undesirable” political or family backgrounds are equally well known.
Notes on №4 ài: “to love” (state verb) Wǒ xiǎng tā shi zhēnde ài nǐ. I think she really loves you. Tā yòu ài xuéxí, òou ài láodòng, shì ge hǎo tóngzhì. She loves study and loves physical labor. She is a good comrade. can also mean “to like, to be fond of” a food, hobby, sport, activity, as in the following examples: etc. It is usually used before a verb, as in the following examples: Wǒ zuì ài chī tángcù páigǔ le! I just love sweet and sour spareribs! Tā zhēn ài jiǎng huà. He really loves to talk. A: Nǐ ài kàn diànyǐng ma? Do you like to go to the movies? B: Bú ài. No. Wǒ fùqin ài xià qí. My father is fond of (playing) chess. àishang: “to fall in love (with someone)” Zài zhèige xuéxiào shàng kè yíge yuè yǐhòu, tā jiu àishang tāde Zhōngwén lǎoshī le. After attending classes at this school for one month, he fell in love with his Chinese teacher. Cóng dìyīcì kànjian ta, wǒ jiu àishang ta le. I fell in love with her right from the first time I saw her. Wǒ zhīdao nǐ bú ài wǒ le, xīhuanshang Wáng Cheng le. I know you don't love me anymore; you've taken a liking to Wáng Chéng. Particularly in Beijing speech, the ending -shang added to some verbs has the meaning of starting and then continuing, “to set about (doing something), to fall into the habit of (doing something), to take to (doing something).” Tāmen yòu xiàshang qí le. They have started to play chess again OR They're back playing chess again. Nǐ yòu chōushang yān le?! chōu yān, “to smoke” You're smoking again?! Rénjia shuì jiào le, nǐ zěnme chàngshang gē le? chàng gē, “to sing (songs)” (a verb plus general object, like niàn shū) There are people trying to sleep. What are you doing singing?! Kànshang means “to take a fancy to, to settle on”: Wǒ kànshang nèizhǒng chē le, děng wǒ yǒule qián wǒ yídìng mǎi yíliàng. I've taken a fancy to that kind of car. When I have money I'll certainly “buy one. àishang Xiǎo Wáng le: A new-situation le is extremely common when presenting an event as “hot news,” as the speaker does in this sentence. Hot news should, after all, he presented to the listener as something he doesn't already know—as a new situation. (For the second example you need to know zǒngtǒng, “president,” and fǎngwèn, “to visit.”) Wǒ zhǎodao yige xīnde gōngzuò le! I've found a new job! Jīntiān bàozhǐshang shuō Měiguo zǒngtǒng yào dào Zhōngguó lái fǎngwèn le. It says in today's paper that the president of the U.S. is going to come visit China! Of course, this le is sometimes optional. It may he omitted in the above two examples, but not in sentence UA. hèn: “to hate,” only in the literal meaning of “to loathe, to detest, to have intense ill feelings toward” Wǒ hèn nèiyìjiā rén. I hate that whole family. Wǒ hèn ta gěi wǒ dàilaile nàme duō máfan. I hate him for bringing me so much trouble. Wǒ zuì hèn zuò zhèizhǒng shi. I detest doing this sort of thing most of all. “To hate” in the milder sense of “to dislike” or “to wish to avoid” is expressed in Chinese by other words. (For the last example below you need to know tǎoyàn, “to dislike, to be disgusted with.”) Zǎoshang wǒ zhēn bú yào qǐlai. I hate to get up in the morning. Zhèiyang máfan nǐ, wǒ zhēn bù hǎo yìsi. I hate to put you to all this trouble. Xiàng tā zhèiyangde rén méiyou yíge hǎo gōngzuò, tài kěxī le. I hate to see someone like him without a good job. Wǒ tǎoyàn mǎi dōngxi. I hate shopping.
Notes on №5 jièyì: “to take offense, to mind” This is mostly used when preceded by a negative word ( or bié). Wǒ shi shuōzhe wánrde, xīwàng nǐ bú yào jièyì. I was kidding (when I said that). I hope you don't take offense. A: Nǐ bú huì jièyì ba? You don't mind, do you? B: Bú huì. No, that's all right. Nǐ jièyì bu jièyì wǒ míngtiān dài ge péngyou qù cānjiā nǐde wǎnhuì? wǎnhuì, “evening party” Do you mind if I take a friend along to your party tomorrow night? dǎ zì: “to type” on a typewriter, literally “to hit characters.” Tā dǎ zì dǎde hěn kuài. He types very fast. here is a general object like huà in shuō huà. Speakers of English are often tempted to say dǎ zì zhèige for “type this,” but that is incorrect. To specify the thing which is typed, use without the word . Some verb endings, especially -chulai, are often used with : Gěi wǒ dǎ yíxiàr (zhèige). Type this for me. Qǐng ni bǎ zhèifēng xìn dǎ yíxiàr. Please type this letter. Wǒ děi qù dǎ yifēng xìn. I have to go type a letter. Nǐ dǎwán nèifēng xìn le ma? Have you finished typing that letter? Nèifēng xìn dǎchulai le meiyou? Has that letter been typed? Wǒ bǎ zhèige dǎchulaile mǎshàng gěi ni sòngguoqu. I'll bring this over to you as soon as I finish typing it. Used as a noun, dǎ zì means “typing” (like the school subject): Wǒ xuéguo dǎ zì. I've studied typing. Tā zài yíge zhōngxué jiāo Yǐngwen dǎ zì. She teaches English typing at a middle school. , by itself, may be used as follows: Wǒ dǎcuòle yíge zì. I typed a character (letter or word) wrong. Zhèiběn shū, zì tài xiǎo. The type is too small in this hook. zài dǎ zì: “He's (in the midst of) typing” You first learned zài, the marker of ongoing action, in Meeting, Unit 2: Tā zài kāi huì, “He is (in the midst of) attending a meeting.” Use zài to specify that an action is in the midst of progressing or evolving. Because zài denotes “continuing action,” it is used with action verbs, which indicate the event has duration. On the other hand, process verbs, which indicate simply a change of state, are not compatible with zài: , “to die,” dào, “to arrive,” tíng, “to (come to a) stop,” , “to go.“” The verb , for example, describes the instantaneous transition from a living state to a dead state. It makes no sense to speak of being “in the midst of dying”; a person is either alive or dead. In English, “ He is dying” may look like an ongoing action, but it actually means "He is very near to passing from a living state to a dead state.” The passing itself is instantaneous. So to translate “He is dying” in Chinese, you have to rephrase the thought, e.g., Tā kuài yào sǐ le, “He is going to die soon”, or Tā huóbuháng le, “He won't live long.” Likewise, you have either arrived (dàole) or not; are either stopped (tíngle) or still moving; are either gone (qùle) or still present. You can make zài negative with either or méi. Questions are usually best formed with shì bu shi zài; some speakers use you méiyou zài or zài bu zai. Sentences with zài often end in ne, the emphatic marker of absence of change (see Unit U, Notes on No. 2).
Notes on №6 bú xiàng huà: “to be outrageous, to be ridiculous, to be absurd” Literally this means “doesn't resemble speech.” As used today, bú xiàng huà may be applied not only to things which are said, but also to situations and people. Zhèiyang zhēn bú xiàng huà, jiù yào qián bú zuò shì, zěnme xíng! This is outrageous! To just want money but not work. How can that do! Bú xiàng huà, bǎ wūzi nòngde zhème luàn, yě bù shōushi shoushi. This is too much! He made the room such a mess and doesn't even straighten up. Zhèige háizi yìtiān dào wǎn wánr, bú niàn shū, zhēn bú xiàng huà. This child plays all day long and doesn't study. He's really too much. bù guǎn: ”no matter...” The first half of a bù guǎn sentence contains either an interrogative word, e.g., Bù guǎn shénme No matter what shéi who shénme shíhou when nǎr where wèishénme why zěnme how duōshǎo how much duó lèi how tired etc or (2) a clause expressing alternatives, e.g., Bù guǎn tā qù bu qù No matter whether he goes or not shì bu shi zhēnde whether it's true or not tā shi Zhōngguo rén háishi Měiguo rén whether he is Chinese or American jīntiān (háishi) míngtiān whether it's today or tomorrow etc. The last half of a bù guǎn sentence usually (not always) has dōu or sometimes . Bù guǎn ní gěi duōshāo qián, wǒ dōu (yě) bú mài. No matter how much money you offer, I'm not selling it. Bù guǎn ní xūyào shénme, tā nèr yídìng (dōu) yǒu. No matter what you need, he is sure to have it at his place. (Dōu is optional and is not used here.) Bù guǎn xià bu xià yǔ, wō dōu qù. Whether it rains or not, I'm going. nǎr: Literally '“where,” used in rhetorical questions to make a denial. Compare this with Náli!, which you learned in the Biographic Information module to deny compliments. A: Zhèixiē fángzi dōu shi nǐde ma? Do these houses all belong to you? B: Nǎr a! Heck no! A: Tā dào nǎr qù le? Where did he go? B: Wǒ nǎr zhīdao! How should I know! (MAY BE IMPOLITE) A: Wǒ qù wèn ta. I'll go ask him. B: Tā nǎr zhīdao! (stress on “”) He doesn't know! (MAY BE IMPOLITE) Sāndiǎn zhōng nǎr néng dào! How could we possibly arrive by three o'clock! értóng: “child” This is the word used in formal contexts. It usually refers to children under approximately ten years of age. értóng wénxué children's literature értóng yīyuàn children's hospital
Notes on №7 duǎnpiān: “short,” of written compositions. Duǎnpiān xiǎoshuō, “short story”?¹In China, the short story began to develop as a genre as early as the Táng and Sòng dynasties. In modern times, Chinese short story writers were greatly influenced by Western short stories. nóngcūn: This has three main uses: “country, rural area”; “rural,” when used to modify a noun; and “rural community, farm village” (counter: ge). In mainland China, this third use is no longer common because of the reorganization of rural areas into communes, with village-sized units becoming production brigades (shēngchǎn dàduì).**** The expressions zhèige cūnr, “this village,” wǒmen cūnr, “our village,” nǐmen cūnr, “your village,” etc., are nevertheless still used in the PRC. In the Welfare module, you learned another word for “country, rural area”: xiāngxià. Xiāngxià and nóngcūn are comparable in meaning. Xiāngxià is chiefly a conversational word, however, rarely used in formal contexts. Xiāngxià may even be used in a disparaging manner; nóngcūn, being more neutral in connotation, cannot. Tāmen Jiā zài nóngcūn. Their home is in the country. Nóngcūnde kōngqì bǐ chéngli hǎoduō le. The air in the country is much better than in the city. Tā māma cóng nóngcūn lái, dàilai hǎo duō xīnxian jídàn. His mother came from the country and brought lots of fresh eggs with her. Tā zài yíge nóngcūn(de) yíyuàn gōngzuō. She works in a rural hospital. Zhèige xuéxiàode xuésheng dōu dào nóngcūn cānjiā lāodòng qu le. The students of this school have all gone to the country to participate in labor. Zhèige nóngcūn yǒu duōshǎo rénkǒu? What is the population of this farm village? (not mainland, usage) gànbu: Usually translated into English by the French word “cadre,” this word has two meanings in China. The word gànbu is also used in Taiwan, although not as frequently as on the mainland, to refer to people in positions of leadership in many kinds of organizations, especially government, the army, and large corporations. First, it can refer to full-time functionaries of the (usually central) Party or government. Second—this is the sense of gànbu in sentence 7B—it can have the broader meaning of any person who has a leadership job. There are cadres in the army, factories, schools, communes, anywhere leadership positions exist. It is always clear who is a gànbu and who is not; positions and people are well defined as cadre or not. Gànbu is contrasted with qúnzhòng, “the masses.” For example, certain meetings may be attended by “cadres” but not by “the masses,” and certain documents are distributed to “cadres” of a certain level but not to “the masses.” Most cadres are “not engaged in production” [tuōchǎn le], but some are “half released from production” [bàn tuōchǎn]. Very few are “not released from production [bù tuōchǎn]. In general, cadres' salaries are higher than ordinary workers, and they have more privileges. Lǎo gànbu is translated as “veteran cadre,” that is, a cadre from before liberation. In the PRC, the English word “cadre” is usually pronounced “cah-der,” with the first syllable stressed.
Notes on №8 jíjímángmáng: “in a great hurry” This comes from a repetition of each syllable of the adjectival verb jímáng, which means “hasty, hurried.” means “anxious” and máng, which you have learned as “busy,” here means “in a rushed manner.” Many adjectival verbs may be reduplicated to make them more vivid. For example: A: Něige shi Chén Bīn? Which (of those people) is Chén Bīn? B: Gāogāode nèige. The tall one. A: Něige gāogāode? Nǐ shi shuō hēihēi shòushòude nèige? Which tall one? You mean the dark, thin one? B: Bú shi. Báibái pàngpàngde nèige. No. The pale (light-complexioned), fat one. Bǎobǎode means “very full”: Wǒ chide bǎobǎode. I'm very full. Adjectival verbs of two syllables are reduplicated in an AABB pattern: repeat the first syllable twice and then the second syllable twice. gāoxìng becomes gāogāoxìngxìng píngcháng becomes píngpíngchángcháng kèqi becomes kèkeqìqì Adjectival verbs reduplicated this way can be used to modify nouns, as in Tā jiù shi yíge píngpíngchángchángderén. He is Just an ordinary fellow. or to modify verbs, as in Wǒmen kèkeqìqìde tántan. Let's talk it over politely. Tāmen gāogāoxìngxìngde zǒu le. They left happily. These reduplicated adjectival verbs are not made negative or used in a comparative sentence. zuò shénme qu: Literally, “you are going in order to do what?” and lái may be used at the end of a sentence to show purpose: “go in order to...” or “come in order to...” Whether you choose lái or depends, in many cases, on the direction of the action; if the direction is towards “here,” use lái , and if it is “away,” use . Wèn tā qu ba! Go ask him! Nǐ kuài máng qu ba! Go about your business! Wǒ kàn ni lai le. I've come to see you. Putting qu or lai before or after the verb phrase gives about the same meaning. In fact, in Běijīng speech, they may be used both before and after the verb phrase. The following three patterns are equivalent: Nī qù wèn tā. You go ask him. Nī wèn tā qu. Nī qù wèn tā qu. Tā lái ná piào le. He came (has come) to get the tickets. Tā ná piào lai le. Tā lái ná piào lai le. Here are more examples: Tā zuò shénme qu le? What did he go to do? Shuì jiào qu le. He went to go to bed. Huí jiā qu le. He went to go home. Xǐ yīfu qu le. He went to do some laundry. Nòng fàn qu le. He went to get dinner ready. Mǎi dōngxi qu le. He went to do some shopping. Sometimes there can he ambiguity about whether qu and lai are being used to express '”purpose” or “direction.” For example, the phrase ná piào lai means “bring the tickets here” if lai is a directional ending, but “come here in order to get the tickets” if lai indicates purpose. shàng xué: This phrase means either “to go to school” in the sense of “it's eight o'clock, the children have already gone to school,” or “to attend school,” as in “I attended high school in Chicago.” Xué is a general object like shū in niàn shū, “to study.” You can replace it by a more specific object such as xiǎoxué, “elementary school,” or Jǐngshān Zhōngxué, “Jǐngshān Middle School.” Tā shàng xué qu le. He has gone to school. Suīrán tā niánji dà le, kěshi tā hái xiǎng shàng xué. Although he's old, he still wants to go to school.
Notes on №9 zhèngfǔ: “government” Zhèng originally meant “political affairs,” and was the word for “government offices.” Tā zài Měiguo zhèngfǔlí gōngzuò. He works in the U.S. government. Distinguish zhèngfǔ from guójiā, “the state.” Here we are not talking about guójiā's other meaning, “country, nation. In PRC terminology, guójiā is the entire organization by means of which the ruling class exercises its rule, including administrative bodies, the military, police, courts, and prisons. Zhèngfǔ refers to the administrative bodies of the state—for example, the State Council. bǎohù: “to protect” from harm or loss, or “to safeguard” huánjìng bǎohù environmental protection fùnǚ értóng bǎohù woman and child protection Cóng xiǎo jiù děi bǎohù yǎnjīng. One should protect one's eyes from the time one is a child. Ní kàn rénjiade chē bǎohùde duó hǎo, nǐde ne?! Look at how well maintained his car is! But yours! Wǒmen yīnggāi bǎohù guójiā cáichǎn. We should protect state property. Even before liberation, the Chinese Communists attempted to allay widespread fears that a Communist government would signal an end to private property by proclaiming bǎohù rénmín cáichǎn as an official policy. shíxíng: “to carry out, to put into practice/effect, to implement” an idea, plan, policy, system, or program. Zhèige jìhuà néng bu néng shíxíng hái shi ge wèntí. Whether or not this plan can be implemented is still a question. Xiàge yuè wǒmen yào kāishǐ shíxíng yìzhǒng xīnde kǎoshì bànfǎ. Next month we are going to put a new method for testing into practice.
Notes on №10 lǐngdǎo: “to lead, to direct, to exercise leadership (over); leadership; leader, leading cadre” Tāde lǐngdǎo nénglì hěn qiáng. nénglì, “ability”; qiáng, “strong” He has great leadership ability. Tā nàme niánqǐng jiu lǐngdǎo naáme duō rén? He is in charge of so many people at such a young age? A: Nǐmende gōngzuò zuòde bú cuò. You do your job well. B: Nà dōu shi zhèngfǔ lǐngdǎode hǎo. It's all thanks to the good leadership of the government. (Lit., “That is all because the government leads well.”) Zhèijiàn shìqing wǒmen děi wènwen lǐngdǎo. We'll have to ask our leading cadres about this. Tā lǐngdǎo zhèige gōngzuò, zhèijiàn shì yídìng zuòbuhǎo. If he directs this project, it surely won't be done well. Gòngqi1ngtuán lǐngdǎo Shàoxiānduì. The Communist Youth League exercises leadership over (provides guidance for) the Young Pioneers. -xià: “under,” used only after certain nouns. The ones you have learned so far in this course are lǐngdǎo, qíngkuàng, bāngzhù, zhàogu. Zài zhèizhǒng qíngkuàngxià, zuì hǎo shénme dōu bú zuò. In this kind of situation, it is best not to do anything. shìjiè: “world.” Zhèige dìfang duì tā lái shuō hǎoxiàng shi yíge xīn shìjiè. To him, this place seemed like a new world. Tā duì dìsān shìjiè guójiāde zhèngzhi qíngkuàng yǒu xìngqu. He is interested in the political situation in third world countries. To say “in the world,“ use shìjièshàng. This is often equivalent to English “in the whole world.” Shìjièshàng méiyou yíge rén xiàng tā zhèiyang. There is no one like him in the world. Ruìshì hiǎo zài shìjièshàng hěn yǒu míng. Swiss watches are famous throughout the world. Shìjiè can also he used to modify other nouns: Zhōngguó shi Shìjiè Yínhángde chéngyuánguō. chéngyuánguō, “member country” China is a member country of the World Bank.
Notes on №11 shínián lái: “for the past ten years” or “over the past ten years” Shínián lái, wǒ xuéle hěn duō Yíngwén. Over the past ten years, I've learned a lot of English. Jǐnián lái wǒ dōu méiyou shōudao tāde xìn le. I haven't gotten any letters from her for the past few years. Lái is usually used with a relatively long period of time, especially months or years. There are no definite rules for how long is “long,” but you would not, for example, use lái to say “for the last half hour” (which would be zhèi bànge zhōngtóu). The expression of time may be preceded by zhèi, “these,” for example, zhèi jǐnián lái, “for the past few years.” chéngshì: “city” or “(comparatively large) town” Originally chéng meant a city wall and shì a “market.” (Shì is now also an administrative unit, as in Běijīng shì, “Běijīng municipality.”) You have already learned the word chéng for “city, town.” Chéng, which originally meant “city walls,” is now mostly used in set phrases such as jìn chéng, “to go into the city, to go into town, to go downtown” (to the part within the original city walls); or chénglǐ, “in the city,” and chéngwài “outside the city” (again using the walls to differentiate the two). Chéng is also used to translate “town” in foreign place names, e.g., Qiáozhìchéng, “Georgetown.” The Chinese also use xiǎo chéng to translate “town” when referring to foreign situations, as in: Tā zhù zai lí Niǔ Yuē bù yuǎnde yíge xiǎo chéngli. He lives in a little town near New York. But xiǎo chéng is not used to speak of a town in China; instead people say “county” (xiàn) or “commune” (gōngshè) or just “place” (dìfang). To translate “city,” chéngshì is the word you will use most often. Lúndūn shi shiJiè yǒu míngde dà chéngshì. London is a world-famous metropolis. Shànghǎi shi shìjièshang zuì dàde chéngshì. Shànghǎi is the largest city in the world. fēnbukāi: “cannot he separated” A more English-sounding translation for sentence 11B would he, “This is directly related to the government's leadership.” The verb fēn means “to separate, to divide,” as in: Wo3men fēn yige píngguǒ, hǎo hu hǎo? Let's split (share) an apple, okay? Bǎ nèige píngguǒ fēn liǎngkuài. Divide the apple in two. Píngguǒ fēn hǎo duō zhǒng. There are lots of different kinds of apples. (Lit., “Apples are divided into many kinds.”) The verb ending -kāi, which you have seen meaning “open” as in dǎkai, here is something like English “apart.” Bǎ háizimen fēnkāi. Keep the children apart. Bǎ hóngde gēn lánde fēnkāi. Keep the red ones separate from the blue ones. Zhèi liǎngzhāng zhǐ shi fēndekāide. These two sheets of paper can he taken apart.
Note on Additional Required Vocabulary yuányīn: “reason, cause” Nà shi shěnme yuányīn? Why is that? A: Shi shénme yuányīn tā jīntiān méi laí? Why is it he didn't come today? B: Shéi zhīdào, wèn tā zìjǐ qu ba! Who knows? Go ask him! Wǒ niàn Zhongwěnde yuányīn shi yīnwei wǒ yào dào Zhonguó qu gōngzuò. The reason I'm studying Chinese is that I am going to go work in China, Wǒ dìng zhème duō Zhōngguó bàozhǐ shi yǒu yuányīnde. Dìng is the same word you learned in the Meeting Module for “to reserve” There's a reason for my subscribing to so many Chinese newspapers. Nǐ zuò zhèige jìhua yǒu méiyou shénme tèbiéde yuányīn? Is there some special reason why you are making this plan? Méiyou shénme tèbiéde yuányīn yào zhèiyangr zuò. There's no particular reason for doing it this way. jiāru: This is the formal word for “to join” (You will recognize jiā, “add,” from cānjiā and , “enter,” from rù Tuán.)
Tape 1 Review Dialog On the balcony of Lǐ Píng's apartment, Tom (A) and Lǐ Píng's sister Lǐ Wén (Ē) have a conversation.
Unit 6, 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 is a conversation in which an evening university teacher visits the home of her student, Gāo Xiǎohuà, who also works in a Shànghǎi factory, to talk with her mother. 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: yèdà evening university pǎolai pǎoqù to run around xuéhuì to learn, to master gōngchǎng factory
Questions for Exercise 2 Prepare your answers to these questions in Chinese so that you can talk about them in class. What kind of student is Xiǎohuà? What was Teacher Liú's main concern in visiting Comrade Fang Bǎolán? What were schools like during the Cultural Revolution? Did Teacher Liú come as a representative of the university, factory, or both? How do you know? 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 exercise a husband and wife in the city of Harbin in northeast China talk at home. 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: Xiǎo Èr the couple's son, "Little No. Two,” so called because he is their second child zhǐ yào as long as, provided that gāogàn senior cadres běnrén herself, himself, oneself, myself, etc.
Questions for Exercise 3 Prepare your answers to these questions in Chinese so that you can talk about them in class. Where did Xiǎo Er go after work? What kind of trouble does Xiǎo Èr's father anticipate? What does Xiǎo Èr's mother think of his girlfriend? To whom does she refer when discussing political trouble? Why? 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 4 In this exercise a student talks with another student from mainland China in their dorm in Hong Kong. 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 word: wénxuéjiā writer, literary man
Questions for exercise 4 Prepare your answers to these questions in Chinese so that you can talk about them in class. Why do the roommates decide to stay home? What do they decide to do instead? Where did Chén Bīn learn to play chess? Why do you suppose he was living there? What was the countryside like during the Cultural Revolution? What did Chén Bīn do besides play chess? After Chén Bīn's experience, what does he think of the situation in mainland China? After you have answered these questions, 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 young woman named Gāo Xiǎohuá works at a factory in Shànghǎi and attends the factory's evening university. One afternoon her teacher (A) at the university pays a visit to Gāo Xiǎohuá's mother, Fāng Bǎolán (B).
Dialogue and Translation for Exercise 3 In the city of Harbin in northeast China, a mother (B) and father (A) talk at home.
Unit 7 Social Problems
Introduction
Grammar Topics covered in this unit (Adjectival Verb)-duō le, “much more... .” (Verb) (Verb) kàn, “try and (Verb).” How to express “not anymore,” “never again.” The pattern cóng X (Verb)-, “to start (Verb)-ing from X.” How to express billions. The pattern lián...dōu..., “even.” The pattern zhǐ yào...jiù..., “provided that.…” Lái indicating that someone will perform a specified action. The pattern bú shi...jiù shi..., “either.•.or.…” Shǐ, “to cause/make/enable.”
Functional Language Contained in this unit Stating hypotheses about the causes of phenomena. Stating hypotheses about the interrelationships of phenomena. Expressing value judgments about abstract phenomena. Expressing different degrees of agreement and disagreement.
References
Reference List
Vocabulary āndìng 安定 to be stable/settled/quiet běnlái 本来 originally, in the beginning, at first; to begin with, in the first place bù néng bu 不能不 to have to, must cóng...(Verb)-qǐ 从。。。起 to start (Verb)ing from... fǎlǜ 法律 law fàn to violate, to offend fàn zuì 犯罪 to commit a crime guǎnggào 广告 advertisement Huáshèngdùn Yóubào 华盛顿邮报 the Washington Post jiǎndān 简单 to be simple jiàoyu 教育 to educate; education jìnbù 进步 to progress; progress (V V) kàn (V V)看 try and (V), (V) and see how it is lái used before a verb to express that something will be done lián...dōu/yě... 连。。。 都/也。。。 even... luàn to be in disorder, to be chaotic, to be in a mess; indiscriminately, recklessly,arbitrarily, any old way luànqībāzāo 乱七八糟 in a mess, in confusion, in disorder; miscellaneous, jumbled, all thrown in together Míng Bào 明报 Míng Bào (a Hong Kong newspaper) shā to kill (in general); to kill(specifically with a knife or knife like instrument); to try to kill shǐ 使 to cause, to enable (followed by a verb) shìjièxìng 世界性 worldwide shòu jiàoyu 受教育 to receive an education xī dú 吸毒 to take drugs -xìng -性 nature, -ness, -ibility yǒu bànfa, (duì...) 有办法,(对。。。) to be able to deal with (something) yǒu xiào 有效 to be effective; to be valid
Reference Notes
Notes on №1 āndìng: “to he political and social stable/settled/quiet,” used to describe lives, countries situations. Ān is “peaceful” and dìng is “settled.” Xiànzài yéye nǎinai shēnghuó āndìng, shénme dōu hǎo. Now grandpa and grandma have a settled life; everything is fine. Wǒ xiǎng zhè hé zhèngzhi bù āndìng yǒu guānxi. I think this has to do with political instability. Zhèige guójiāde zhèngfǔ zhèi jǐnián hěn bù āndìng. These past few years this country's government has been very unstable. Āndìngxiàlai means “to settle down, to calm down,” used in speaking of a situation, a place, or a person's feelings. Xiànzài hāizi dōu yǒu gōngzuò le, shēnghuó cái āndìngxiàlai le. Now that the children all have Jobs, our life has finally settled down. Shèhuìshang fàn zuìde wèntí tài duō, dàjiāde shēnghuó jiu méi bànfa āndìngxiàlai. When there's too much of a crime problem in society, people's life can't settle down. fǎlǜ: “law“ Zhèi yǐjīng biànchengle fǎlǜ. This has already become the law. Zhèige wèntí yǒu fǎlǜ zài, fēicháng qīngchǔ. Laws exist (lit., “there are laws there”) on this question. It's very clear-cut. Yǒu fǎlǜ guǎn zhèjiàn shì ma? Is there a law dealing with this? Wǒmende fǎluǜ bǎohù értóng. Our law protects children. Tā xiànzài niàn fǎlǜ. He is studying law now. xīn fǎlǜ: In March, 1978, after the first session of the Fifth National People's Congress, the Chinese government began to adopt many new laws. Beginning July 1, 1979, the Fifth National People's Congress passed into effect twelve new legal codes, including a criminal code. fàn: “to violate, to offend, to transgress, to commit (wrongs, crimes,errors)” Here are some other words commonly used with the verb fàn: fàn zuì to commit crimes fàn fǎ to break the law fàn guī to violate regulations Zhèige háizi méi xīwàng le, fànle yòu fàn, zǒng shi bù gǎi. There is no more hope for this child. He violates the rules time and again, and never reforms. zuì: “crime, guilt,” used in phrases like fàn zuì, “to commit a crime,” and yǒu zuì, “to be guilty (of a crime).” Wǒ fànle shénme zuì, wèishénme yào chī zhème duō kǔ? What crime have I committed? Why do I have to suffer so much? Tā shi bu shi zhēnde yǒu zuì, lìshǐ huì huídá wǒmende. History will give us an answer as to whether he is really guilty or not. ...shǎoduō le: “a lot less, far fewer” The adjectival verb duō, “to be many, to be much,” can be used after other adjectival verbs which can be qualified by degree, such as hǎoduō le, “a lot better,” duōduō le, “a lot more.” In such phrases, the first adjectival verb is used as a process verb, showing a change of state, and therefore the phrase always ends in le_. Nǐ bǐ yǐqián shòuduō le. shòu, “to be thin” You're a lot thinner than before. Qībānián yǐhòu, dào Zhōngguó qùde jīhui duōduō le. Since '78, there have been a lot more opportunities to go to China.
Notes on №2 Yóubào: “Post,” in the name of a newspaper. The syllable yóu means “post” or “mail,” as in yóujú, “post office.” [Names of other newspapers are translated using the same pattern, X-bào: Shíbào is “Times,” Rìbào is “Daily,” Kuàibào is “Express.”] náqu...: “take away” This is a compound verb of direction. Many of the compound verbs you have seen have three syllables. But like dàolai in Unit 1 of this module (dàolai yìbēi chá), náqu has only two: the main action verb and the relative motion (away). The direction of the action (up, down, in, out, etc.) is not specified. (See the display on the next page.) Main Verb Direction Relative Motion Towards or Away chū lái zǒu jìn pǎo xià kāi shàng bān guò - is used only with -lái, never with -. zhǎozhǎo kàn: '“try to find” Zhǎo is the verb ”to look for, to search.” It is reduplicated here, meaning that the action lasts an indefinite amount of time: “look a little bit.” Kàn following a reduplicated verb means '“and see (if it works, if it's okay, if you can do it, etc.).” Ní shìshi kàn ba. Give it a try and see (if you can do it, if he will cooperate, etc.). Nǐ zuòzuo kàn, zhèige shāfā zhēn shūfu. Sit down and try it out. This sofa is really comfortable. A: Nǐ xiǎng tā kěn jiè wǒ tāde diànshì ma? kěn, ”to be willing to” Do you think he'd be willing to lend me his television? B: Bù zhīdào, nǐ qù wènwen kàn. I don't know. Go ask him and see. A: Wǒ duì nī zhèipiān wénzhāng yǒu bù tóngde kànfǎ. I have a different point of view on (what you say in) your article. B: Nǐ shuōshuo kàn. Let's hear what it is.
Notes on №3 jiàoyu: “to educate; education” Jiào is the same character as jiāo, “to teach,” but in jiàoyu is pronounced with a Falling tone. means ”to cultivate, to raise.” Jiàoyu has some different uses from English “to educate.” It is used not only for institutional education but also for parents' education of their children, and in the PRC for '“education” of the people by the Communist Party. (For the first example, you need to know nǔlì, “to make efforts.”) Fùmǔ yīnggāi jiàoyu háizi nǔlì xuéxí. Parents should teach their children to study hard. Nèige háizi méiyou jiàoyuhǎo. That child was poorly trained (in manners, morals, general knowledge). Wǒmen vào gěi háizi àide jiàoyu. We should give children a loving education. (Taiwan usage) Jiātíng jiàoyu hé xuéxiào jiàoyu yíyàng zhòngyào. Education in the home is Just as important as school education. (Jiātíng jiàoyu consists of parents acting as examples in morals, character, family relations, hygiene, etc. ) Zhèiběn shū duì wǒ jiàoyu hěn dà. This hook has educated me a lot. (PRC usage) Kànle zhèige diànyǐng gěile wǒmen hěn dàde jiàoyu. Seeing this movie has taught us a great deal. (PRC usage) Another sense of jiàoyu is to try through reason to convince a person to do things according to certain rules, instructions, or demands: Nǐ děi jiàoyu jiàoyu nǐde háizi, tā yuè lái yuè huài. You have to try to straighten out your child. He is becoming more and more of a scoundrel. Jiàoyu is commonly used in the phrase shòu jiàoyu, “to receive an education,” which is discussed in No. 5 below. jìnbù: “to make progress, to advance” or, as a noun, “progress.” Literally “to put forward steps.” Yīxué jìnbùde nàme kuài. Medicine is advancing so rapidly. Tāde Yǐngwén yòu jìnbù le. He has made some more progress with his English. Tāde Zhōngwen jìnbù tài màn. His Chinese is progressing too slowly. Jìnbù is commonly used with the verb yǒu, especially you hěn dàde jìnbù. Zuìjìn jīge yuè wǒmende xuéshěng yǒule hěn dàde jìnbù. Our students have made great progress these last few months. Yǒu jìnbù is used as an adjectival verb, “to be improved.” Nèige xuéxiào hěn yǒu jìnbù. That school is greatly improved. In the PRC, jìnbù is used as an adjectival verb meaning “to be (politically) progressive,” that is, suited to the needs of the times and stimulating the development of society. zài yě méiyou...le: “not anymore...” The adverb zài and a negative, such as méiyou, can be used to express the idea of not doing something anymore. There are two word orders: méiyou zài OR zài méiyou For examples of the first pattern, see Unit 3, Notes on No. 5, bú zài kū le, “doesn't cry anymore.” The second pattern is more emphatic. The word zài should be given special stress in these sentences: Wǒ ZÀI bù huilai le! I'm never coming back here again! If is added between zài and the negative, the meaning is about the same. Wǒ ZÀI yě bù chī táng le. I'm never going to eat candy again. Nèitiáo lù hěn wēixiǎn, nǐ ZÀI yě bié zǒu nèitiáo lù le. That road is very dangerous, don't ever take it again. luàn: “to be in disorder, to be in a mess, to be chaotic” Zhèr tài luàn, dào wàimian qu tántan. It's too chaotic (noisy) in here. Let's go outside to talk. Zhèi jǐnián nèige guójiā yǒu diǎnr luàn. That country has been a little bit chaotic the last few years. Shìjiè hǎo duō dìfang hěn luàn. So many places in the world are in disorder. Tāde zhuōzishang zǒng shi hěn luàn. His table top is always a mess. Zhèr tài luàn, jiào xiǎoháir chūqu wánr. It's too noisy in here. Tell the children to go out and play. Duǐbuqǐ, wǒ xiěde hěn luàn, ni kàndedǒng ma? I'm sorry I wrote this so messily. Can you read it? As an adverb, luàn means “arbitrarily” any old way, at random, indiscriminately. Luàn jiang! Baloney! (southern Chinese usage) Bú yào luàn xiě. Don't write it Just any old way. Nǐde dōngxi bú yào dàochù luàn fàng. dàochù, “everywhere” Don't leave your things all over the place. Tāmen zuótiān luàn chī luàn he. They ate and drank like crazy yesterday. Nèige rén luàn gǎo nánnǚ guānxi. He/she is (sexually) loose. Bú yào luàn pǎo. Quit running all over the place. luànqībāzāo: “to be in disorder, to be in a mess,” literally “chaotic-seven-eight-rotten” Some people have-translated this as “at sixes and sevens.” It can refer to physical or moral messes. Duìbuqǐ, fángjiān luànqǐbāzāode, wǒ jīntiǎn hái méiyou shíjiān shōushi. I'm sorry, the room is a mess. I haven't had the time to straighten up yet today. Zhèijiàn shìqing běnlái hěn hǎo, dànshi nèige rén bǎ ta gǎode luànqībāzāo. Everything was fine at first, but then he came along and messed it up. Tā gēn yíge luànqǐbāzāode nánrén chūqu le. She went out with a disreputable (unsavory) character. Luànqībāzāo is not made negative and is not used in comparative sentences.
Notes on №4 Nǐ shuō: Followed by a question, nǐ shuō is used to ask the listener's opinion. The forms nǐ shuō ne or nī shuō shì bu shi may be used at the end of a statement to ask for confirmation. Nǐ shuō wǒ yīnggāi zěnme bàn? What do you think I should do? Wǒ xiǎng jiātíng jiàoyu hé shèhuì jiàoyu dōu bǐ xuéxiào jiàoyu zhòngyào, nǐ shuō ne? I think that education in the home and in society are more important than school education. Do you agree? Nèige guǎnggào hěn yǒu yìsi, nǐ shuō shǐ bu shi? That's a great advertisement, don't you think? zéren: “responsibility, duty” Also pronounced zérèn. Rúguǒ zhèijiàn shìqing zuòde bù hǎo, wǒ yǒu zéren. If this thing isn't done well, it's my responsibility. Lǎoshīde zéren jiù shi bāngzhu xuéshēng hǎohāor xuéxí. The teacher's responsibility is to help the students apply themselves to their studies. A: Jiàoyu háizi shi funǚde zéren ma! Rearing (educating) children is the responsibility of women! B: Xiànzài fùnǚ jiěfàng le, nánrén yě yǒu zéren zuò zhàixiē shìqing. Women are liberated now. Men also have the responsibility to do these things. Shìqing nòng dao xiànzài zhèiyangr, zéren bú zài wǒmen. It is not our responsibility that the situation was made the way it is now. cóng lìshǐ tánqǐ: “begin by talking about history” In Unit 3 of this module, you learned that the directional ending -qilai, besides indicating upward motion, could also be used to indicate beginning an action (Nǐ jiějie zěnme duì zhèngzhi wèntí rèxǐnqilai le?). The ending - in tánqǐ also means “to start,” but is used only in the fixed pattern cóng X (Verb), “to start (Verb)-ing from X.” While the English translation for sentence UB says “begin by talking about history,” the Chinese says literally, “start talking from history.” Zhèijiàn shì cóng nǎr shuōqǐ? Where should I begin? (when about to tell a story, etc.) Wǒ bù zhīdào cóng nǎr xiěqǐ. I don't know where to begin writing. Wǒmen děi cóng tóur zuòqǐ. We have to start from the beginning again. (Cong tour means “from the beginning.”) cóng líng zuòqǐ to start from scratch (lit., “start from zero”)
Notes on №5 shíyì: “one billion,” literally “ten one-hundred-millions” Here are some more examples of how to express billions in Chinese: 1 billion (1,000,000,000) shíyì 1.1 billion (1,100,000,000) shíyīyì 2 billion (2,000,000,000) èrshiyì 10 billion (10,000,000,000) yìbǎiyì 10.5 billion (10,500,000,000) yìbǎilíngwǔyì zài...rénkǒuzhōng: “in the population, of the population” The syllable -zhōng can be added, to nouns, like the locational ending -lǐmiàn, to give the meaning “in” or “among.” It is often used with the verb zài. Zài zheèige jìhuàzhōng wǒmen hái yǒu liǎngge xiǎo wèntí xūyào zài tán. There are still a couple of little questions we have to discuss in this plan. Xuéshēngzhōng yǒu bù shǎo shi cóng nóngcūn láide. Many of the students are from the country. Zài dìsān shìjiè guójiāzhōng, bù shǎo shi Yǎzhōu hé Fēizhōude guójiā. Many of the countries of the third world are countries of Asia and Africa. Shèhuì shēnghuózhōngde wèntí, yě bù néng bú zhùyì a! We can't very well ignore the women problems of life in society. shòu: “to receive” The types of things which can be “received” using the verb shòu are limited. Shòu is usually followed by a verb being used as a noun. Receiver shòu Action Fùnǘ értóng shòu fǎlǚde bǎohù. Women and children receive the protection of the law. Zhèige zhōukān zài Měiguo hěn shòu huānyíng. This weekly is very well received (popular) in the United States. shòu jiàoyu: “to receive an education” Shòuguo jiàoyu means “educated” (because of -guo, which indicates having experienced something). Tā shi (yíge) shòuguo jiàoyude rén, zěnme huì zuò zhèizhǒng shi? She is an educated person. How could she do such a thing? Tā shòuguo dàxué jiàoyu. He has (received) a college education. lián...dōu: “even...” Lia2n is a prepositional verb which literally means “including,” but in the lián...dōu pattern, “even.” A lián phrase always precedes the verb. Either the adverb dōu or is used in a sentence with lián. Notice how lián can be used with subjects, objects, and verbs: With subject Lián Subject dōu/yě . . . . Lián xiǎoháizi dōu dǒng zhèijiàn shì. Even children understand this. Lián shòuguo jiàoyude rén dōu tíngbudǒng tāde huà. Even educated people can't understand what he says. Jīntiān tiānqi bù hǎo, lián tā zhème ài wánrde rén dōu bu chūqu le, nǐ wèishenme yào qù? The weather is bad today. Even he, who likes to play so much, isn't going out. Why are you? Nǐ hái shuō méiyou zhèijiàn shì, bú zhǐ shi Xiānggǎng hàozhǐ, lián Běijīngde bàozhǐ dōu xiěle zhèitiáo xǐnwén. How can you say it's not true. Not only the Hong Kong papers reported this piece of news, it was even in the Běijīng papers. With object lián Object dōu/yě . . . lián zìjǐde míngzi dōu bú huì xiě. He can't even write his own name. lián guǎnggào dōu kàn. He even reads the ads. Tā jīntiān bù shūfu, lián fàn yě bù xiǎng chī le. He isn't feeling well today. He won't even eat. Wǒ lián yíge zì dōu bú jìde le. I don't even remember one word. Jīntiān lián yìdiǎn fēng yě méiyou. There isn't the least bit of wind today. With verb lián lián is often optional in this pattern. Verb dōu/yě méi/bù (Verb) lián kàn dōu méi kàn wǒ. She didn't even look at me. lián tīng dōu bù tīng. He wouldn't even listen. (lián) wèn dōu bú wèn. He didn't even ask.
Notes on №6 Míng Bào: A Hong Kong newspaper known for reporting without an overly dominant political point of view. shǐjièxìng: The syllable -xìng, “character, nature, quality,” can be used after a noun like the English endings -ness, -ity, or -ce, as in “one-sidedness,” “creativity,” “importance.” The resulting abstract noun can be used alone or is frequently used, followed by -de, to modify another noun. kěnéngxǐng possibility, likelihood zhòngyàoxìng importance dúlìxìng independent character xíguànxìng habitual liúxíngxìng epidemic lìshǐxìng historical yàoxìng property of a medicine yóuxìng oiliness : You have learned as “he” or “she,” but sentence 6A is the first time in this course that has been used as “it.” (The word may also be omitted from the sentence without changing the meaning.) You know that Chinese most often does not use any word for “it,” as in Wǒ qù ná. I'll go get it. Zài zhuōzishang. It's on the table. Furthermore, “it” is sometimes expressed in Chinese by repeating the entire noun phrase, for example A: Nǐ néng bāng wǒ zhǎodào zhèiběn shū ma? Can you help me find that book? B: Wǒ yoǒ zhèiběn shū, kéyi sòng gěi nǐ. I have it, and I can give it to you. Least often, “it” is expressed by the pronoun . One stylistic feature of modern written Chinese is that is used for “it” much more than in true spoken Chinese. This was originally an imitation of the structure of Western languages. There is no single rule which will tell you when you can use . It is often used as the object of : Nǐ bǎ ta ná dao nǎr qu le? Wǒ zěnme zhǎobudào? Where did you take it to? How come I can't find it? Hái yǒu yíge jiǎozi, nǐ bǎ ta chīle. There's one more dumpling left; you eat it. bù néng bu: “cannot not”—in other words, “cannot but; have no choice but to; must” The second bu is unstressed and usually neutral tone. Wèile jiātíngde guānxi, wǒ bù néng bu zhèiyang zuò. For the sake of my family, I have no choice but to do this. Gēn zhèizhǒng rén zài yìqǐde shíhou, bù néng bu xiǎoxīn yidiǎnr. When together with this sort of person, one must be rather careful.
Notes on №7 zhǐ yào: “as long as, provided that” This is used in the pattern zhǐ yào...jiù. Bú yào kǎolǜ tài duō, zhǐ yào nǐ xǐhuan jiù hǎo le. Don't think it over so much. If you like it, that's all that matters. Zhǐ yào wǒ jīntiān wǎnshang yǒu kòng, jiù kéyi bǎ zhèiběn shū kànwán. As long as I have time tonight, I can finish reading this hook. Nǐ zhǐ yào bǎ shū niànhǎole, zhǎo gōngzuò jiu méiyou wèntí le. As long as you do well in your studies, you won't have any trouble finding a Job. lái: In commands and suggestions, this verb merely indicates that a person will perform some action, and can usually go untranslated. When talking about one's own intention, lái can be translated as “let me” or “let's.” Wǒ lái wèn ni. Let me ask you. Wo lái shuō liǎngjù. Let me say a few words. Wǒmen lái tántan zhèige wèntí. Let's discuss this question. A: Zhèige zì xiěde duì bu dui? Is this character written correctly? B: Wǒ lái kànkan. Let me take a look. Xiànzài qǐng Wáng Ānmín Tóngzhì lái gěi wǒmen jiǎngjiang huà. Now let's ask Comrade Wáng Ānmín to speak to us. Nǐ kuài qù máng ba! Wǒmen lái shōushi. You go take care of what you have to do. We'll straighten up. Chīle fàn wǒmen zài lái zuò kāfēi. After dinner let's make some coffee, (zài means “then” here.) Wǒmen yìqǐ lái bān. Wǒ lái bān zhèr, nǐ dào nèibianr qù. Let's move this together. I'll take it from here, and you go over there. Lǐ Zhènhàn, qǐng nǐ lái niàn. Lǐ Zhènhàn, would you read aloud please? yǐnggāide: This is short for Wǒ bāngzhu ni shi yīnggāide, “it is right that I help you.” Use the phrase yǐnggāide to respond when someone thanks you for doing a favor which you consider natural under the circumstances.
Notes on №8 bú shi...jiù shi...: “if it's not... then it's...” or “either... or... ” Bú shi tā, jiù shi nǐ, chúle nǐmen yǐwài hái yǒu shéi huì zhèiyang zuò? It was either he or you. Who would do something like that besides one of you? Lǎo Wáng zuò cài, bú shi tài xián jiù shi tài là. Lǎo Wáng's cooking is always either too salty or too hot. Tā bú shi zài jiā, jiù shi zài bàngōngshì, biéde dìfang tā bú huì qù. If he isn't at home, then he's at the office. He wouldn't go anyplace else. Tā bú shi chī zhèige, jiù shi chī nèige, zuǐ méiyou tíngde shihou. zuǐ, “mouth” He's always eating something or other. His mouth never stops going. xī dú: “to take drugs” Literally “to inhale poison,” but used for any method of drug taking. (For the last example you need to know kěkǎyīn, “cocaine,” and hǎiluòyīn, “heroin.”) Tā yìtiān máng dào wǎn, zěnme huì qù xī dú? He's busy all day long. He wouldn't go and take drugs! Nèige háizi xī dú xīle hǎo jǐnián le, shēntǐ yǐjīng huài le. That kid has been taking drugs for years, and his health has gotten bad. Tā xī shénme dú? Kěkǎyīn háishi hǎiluòyīn? What drugs does he take? Cocaine or heroin? shā rén: “to kill, to murder” or “to try (unsuccessfully) to kill/ murder” The Chinese verbs for “kill” often consist of two parts: a verb telling the action (stab, shoot, beat, etc.) and a verb telling the resulting process of dying. Here is a list of some common ones (this is only here to clarify a point of grammar— you don't have to memorize all these words): hàisǐ (by scheming) zhāsǐ (by stabbing) diànsǐ (by electric shock) dúsǐ (by poisoning) diàosǐ (by hanging) biēsǐ (by suffocation or drowning) lēisǐ (by strangling with a cord) qiāsī (by strangling with the hands) yǎsī (by crushing or running over) zhuàngsǐ (by a collision) qìsī (by making someone angry!) dǎsī (by a blow, beating, or gunshot) and the most general term of all: nòngsǐ by any means In classical Chinese, shā originally meant “to kill with a knife” or “to slaughter (an animal).” Today, shā is still used for “to slaughter” or “kill” animals, as in: Nǐ huì bu hui shā jī? Do you know how to kill a chicken? In modern Chinese, shā can have (1) a general meaning or (2) a specific meaning. The general meaning of shā is the same as nòngsǐ or the English “to kill, to murder.” This is the way shā is used when the method of killing is not stated or not known. Tā bǎ nèige rén shāsǐ le. He killed that person. (method not considered) The specific meaning of shā is to kill with a knife or knife like instrument (e.g., a bayonet). In this meaning, shā contrasts with all the other ways of killing listed above. When in your sentence you want to express the method of killing, you must choose an appropriate verb. It would be wrong to say Tā yòng qiāng bǎ nèige rén shāsǐ le. Instead, you should say: qiāng, “gun” Tā yòng qiāng bǎ nèige rén dǎsǐ le. He killed that man with a gun. Shā takes on its specific meaning as soon as you start talking about methods, so in such sentences, you must choose your verb according to the mode of killing. A: Tā bǎ tā tàitai shāsǐ le. He killed his wife. B: Zěnme nòngsǐde? How did he kill her? A: Dúsǐde. He poisoned her. One last point: Shā may express the action of only trying to kill, without implying that the person or animal actually died. Tā shā jī shāle liǎngdāo kěshi méi bǎ ta shāsǐ. He cut the chicken twice, but didn't kill it. shǐ: “to cause, to make” shǐ Object Verb shǐ rén nánshòu makes one sad zhēn shǐ gāoxìng really makes me happy shǐ juéde yǒu xīwàng makes me feel that there's hope shǐ wàngle nèijiàn shiì made him forget that matter Tā xiǎngle bù shǎo bànfǎ, yě méi shǐ tā érzi duì shàng dàxué yǒu xìngqu. He tried lots of different things, but couldn't interest his son in (going to) college. Kàndao tā shǐ wǒ juéde hěn gāoxìng. It made me very happy to see him. If there is an aspect marker, it goes with the verb following shǐ, never with shǐ itself: Shi shénme yuányǐn shǐ tāmen fēnkāi le? What was it that caused them to split up? Shǐ sometimes means “to enable,” particularly if followed by néng or other words of that meaning: Chīle zhèizhōng xīnde yào, shǐ bìngren hǎode hěn kuài. By taking this new medicine, the patient was able (enabled) to recover very quickly. Although shǐ may sometimes be translated by “make,” “make” may not always be translated by shǐ. When “make” means “to compel” someone to do something, it can be translated by jiào: Lǐ Xiānsheng jiào tā zài xiě yícì. Mr. made him write it over again.
Notes on №9 běnlái: “originally, in the beginning, at first; to begin with, in the first place” This is a moveable adverb; that is, it may come before or after the subject, but always before the verb. Běnlái has two main uses: (1) to indicate that the situation was originally one way but then it changed, and (2) to express that something has been the case since the beginning and is still the case. On the next page are examples of both meanings. SITUATION HAS CHANGED Wǒ běnlái bú qù, xiànzài qù le. Originally I wasn't going to go, but now I will. Wǒ běnlái bù xǐhuan ta, kěshi xiànzài xǐhuan ta le. Originally I didn't like her, but now I do. Běnlái shuō shi yào dào Xīngqīwǔ cái néng zuòwán, dànshi wǒ tīngshuō tāmen yào zǎo yidiǎnr zuòwán. Originally it was said that they wouldn't be finished until Friday, but now I hear they're going to finish sooner. Běnlái wǒ xiǎng jīntiān xiàwu qù kàn diànyǐng, hòulái tīngshuō kāi huì. Originally I wanted to go see a movie this afternoon. Later I heard there was a meeting. Oh well. Suàn le, wǒ yǐhòu zài qù ba. I'll go another time. Běnlái wǒ jīntiān yào qù Guǎngzhōu, kěshi tiānqì bù hǎo, dàgài děi míngtiān cái néng zǒu le. Originally I was going to Guǎngzhōu today, but the weather is bad, so now I probably won't be able to go until tomorrow. Zhèijiàn shì běnlái shi kéyi bànde, kěshi shéi xiǎngdào huì yǒu zhèige qíngkuàng? It could have been done, but who expected this to happen? SITUATION WAS LIKE THIS TO START WITH AND STILL IS Translations for this meaning include ”to begin with” and “in the first place.” In this use, běnlái is often followed by jiù. Wǒ běnlái jiù bù xǐhuan ta, xiànzài hái bu xǐhuan ta. I never did like her, and I still don't like her. A: Nǐ bié qù nèige dìfang! Don't go there! B: Wǒ běnlái jiù bú qù. I wasn't going to go there in the first place. A: Nǐ bié zài qù le. Don't ever go there again. B: Wǒ běnlái jiù méi qù. I never did go there. A: Wǒ háishi juéde nǐ yīnggāi qù yítàng. I still think you ought to go there. B: Wǒ běnlái jiù yào qù. I am going. (I was intending to go even before you told me to.) Běnlái jiù gāi zhèiyang bàn. We should have done this in the first place. A: Zhèige kāfēi zěnme zènme hēi? Why is this coffee so black? B: Kāfēi ma, běnlái jiù shi hēide. Coffee is supposed to be black! A clause with běnlái is often related to another with dāngrán: Zhèige dōngxi běnlái jiù shi nǐde, wǒ dāngrán yào huán gei ni! This thing belongs to you; of course I would return it to you. Běnlái tā zài dàxué niànde shi shèhuixué, tā dāngrán duì shèhui wèntí yǒu xìngqu. She studied sociology in college,so of course she's interested in social problems.
Notes on Additional Required Vocabulary yǒu xiào: “to be effective; to be valid” Zhèige yào hěn yǒu xiào. This medicine is very effective. Zhèizhāng piào hái yǒu xiào ma? Is this ticket still valid?
Tape 1 Review Dialog Ping (B), Tom (A), and Wen (E) are talking in the 's living room.
Unit 7, 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 conversation begins when two young friends run into each other at a trolley stop on the west side of Běijīng. 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: bàng to be great, to be fantastic bú jiàn bú sàn! don't leave until we've met up!
Questions for Exercise 2 Prepare your answers to these questions in Chinese so that you can talk about them in class. Where is Xiǎo Liú working and what is he doing there? How does he keep up with his English? What does the article say about education in the U.S.? What does Xiǎo Liú's friend want him to do? 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. 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 exercise two sisters talk in the home of a Chinese family in Washington, D.C. Listen to the conversation once straight through. Then, on the second, time through, look below and answer the questions.
Questions for Exercise 3 Prepare your answers to these questions in Chinese so that you can talk about them in class. Why do they say that the Míng Bào is a good newspaper? What is the procedure for mail-ordering a television for one's relatives in Guangzhou? Why would overseas Chinese want to take advantage of this procedure? (Can't their relatives in China buy a television themselves?) To whom do the sisters want to send the television? Why? In what form will they make the payment? 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 4 In this conversation a father and son in Běijīng talk about religion. 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 words and. phrases: xiāngxìn to believe in jiàotáng church zuò lǐbài to worship, to attend religious services Nán Měi South America tóur head, chief, boss xué hǎo to learn from good examples, to learn to be a good person gōngkè homework, schoolwork, classwork
Questions for exercise 4 Prepare your answers to these questions in Chinese so that you can talk about them in class. What does the son think is so strange? Why is this on his mind? What did the son read in the newspaper? What was his reaction? What does his father have to say about religion? (There are four points.) Xué hǎo is considered very important for teenagers in China. How does this fit into the son's concept of religion? After you have answered these questions, 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 Two young friends run into each other at a trolley stop on the west side of Beijing.
Dialogue and Translation for Exercise 3 Two sisters talk in the home of a Chinese family in Washington, D.C.
Unit 8 Directions for the Future
Introduction
Grammar Topics covered in this unit Action-Process compound verbs. The directional ending -huí, “back.” The patterns “(Verb) dōng (Verb) ” and“ dōng (Verb) ” (Verb). The marker -de after phrases with a parallel structure. The adverb you, “after all,” “anyway.” The adverb phrase yě bu, “don't even,” “won't even,” “wouldn't even.”
Functional Language Contained in this unit Asking for an explanation of the causes/motives behind a situation. Politely asking someone to quiet down. Expressing appreciation to someone for their hospitality. Taking leave of a group of people in the middle of a conversation.
References
Reference List
Vocabulary bófù 伯父 uncle (father's elder brother); term for the father of one's friend bómǔ 伯母 aunt (wife of father's elder brother); term for the mother of one's friend chǎo to be noisy; to disturb by making noise chǎoxǐng 吵醒 to wake (someone) up by being noisy dàishang 带上 to take along (Beijing) dānzi 单子 list; form dǎ zhàng 打仗 to fight a war, to go to war děi kàn (or yào kàn) 得看(要看) to depend on děng when; by the time; till děng yíxià 等以下 wait a while; in a little while gāi should, ought to; to be someone's turn to gànmá 干吗 to do what; (colloquial) why on earth, what for gànshenme 干什么 to do what; (colloquial) why on earth, what for gōngyìpǐn 工艺品 handicrafts guòqu 过去 to pass hǎohāor 好好儿 well; properly; thoroughly hǎoxiàng 好象 to seem as if -huí -回 counter for shì, matter kàn to depend on kànzhe 看着 (followed by a verb) as one sees fit, as one deems reasonable kǎo to take/give an exam, test, or quiz kǎoshì 考试 to take/give an exam, test, or quiz, exam, test lái to do (something), to perform (something), to have (an event), to help oneself (to food, etc.), to join in (a game, etc.) nántīng 难听 to be unpleasant to hear; to sound bad, to offend the ears; to be scandalous quàn to advise, to urge, to try to persuade shǎ to be stupid, to be dumb, to be silly, to be naive shēngyì (shēngyi) 生意 business, trade sòngxíng 送行 to see (someone) off, to wish (someone) a good trip; to give a going-away party téng to be (very) fond of, to be attached to, to dote on wǔjiào 午觉 noontime nap yào kàn (or děi kàn) 要看(得看) to depend on yòu anyway; after all (used in questions and negative statements) yuánlái 原来 original, former; originally, formerly; (expresses finding out the true situation) yuànyi 愿以 to wish, would like, to want to; to be willing to yùnqi 运气 luck zěnme (yì)huí shì 怎()么回事 what's it all about zhème (yì)huí shì 这()么回事 like this zhèi yíxiàzi 这一下子 after this, as a result of this zhème huí shì 这么回事 like this zhènghǎo(r) 正好 it just so happens that, to happen to, as it happens; Just in time, Just right, Just enough
Reference Notes
Notes on №1 kǎoshì: “to take/give a test, or quiz; test, exam” This may be noun used as a verb object compound or as a noun. Kǎo as a verb may be used alone if the context makes it clear. Kǎoshì yǐhou tā lèi le. She was tired after taking the test. Zhèicì kǎoshì tā kǎode bú cuò. He did pretty well on the test this time. Ni3 jīntiān kǎode zěnmeyàng? How did the test(s) go today? Nǐde jīngjixué kǎode zěnmeyàng? How did you do on your economics exam? Wǒ lái kǎokao nǐ. Let me quiz you. Kǎowán shì yǐhòu (OR Kǎowánle yǐhòu), wǒmen qù kàn diànyǐng, hǎo bu hǎo? Let's go to the movies after we're done taking the test. děng yíxià may have its literal meaning, “wait a minute, wait a while,” or it may mean “in a minute, in a while.” “WAIT A MINUTE, WAIT A WHILE” Děng yíxià, wǒ yào dǎ ge diànhuà, dǎwánle wǒmen jiù zǒu, hǎo bu hǎo? Wait a second, I want to make a phone call. We'll go as soon as I'm finished, okay? Nǐ děng yíxià, wǒ lái bāngzhu ni. Wait a second, let me help you with that. “IN A MTNUTE, TN A WHILE” Nǐ xiān chī, děng yíxià wǒ xǐwánle yīfu jiù lái. You go ahead and eat. I'll come as soon as I've finished washing the clothes. Nǐmen xiān zǒu ba, děng yíxià wǒ zài qù. You go ahead and leave. I'll go in a while. Děng yíxià yǒu yíwèi xing Wángde lái zhǎo wǒ, qǐng ni ràng ta jìnlai . In a while a Mr. Wáng will be coming to see me. Please let him in.
Notes on №2 bómǔ: “wife of father's older brother,” but also a term for the mother of one's friend. Relationships between friends are often thought of and even spoken of in terms similar to family relationships. Friends are like brothers and sisters, and therefore a friend's parents are addressed as aunt (bómǔ) and uncle (bófù). shuì wǔjiào: “to take a nap,” literally “to sleep the afternoon sleep.” Wǔshuì shíjiǎn is “afternoon nap time,” as in a school or organization. Wǒ jīntiān méi shíjiǎn shuì wǔjiào. I didn't have time to take my afternoon nap today. A: Jīntiān nǐmen yǒu meiyou wǔshuì shíjiǎn? Do you have an afternoon nap today? B: Méiyou. Zhōngfàn yǐhòu jiù kǎi huì. No. We have a meeting right after lunch. Many Chinese take a rest after the midday meal. Work, school, and store schedules often make time for this, especially in hot weather. X: “Sh.:” This is the “word” you use to signal someone to keep quiet. It is said with rounded lips—like whispering the syllable . chǎoxǐng: “to wake up by making noise” Chǎo can mean “to be noisy,” or as in chǎoxǐng, “to disturb by being noisy.” [it can also mean “to quarrel, to squabble.”] Xǐng (Welfare module, Unit 1+) is “to wake up,” a process verb. The compound chǎoxǐng is therefore made up of an action verb plus a process verb, with the meaning by performing the action, to cause the process (change of state) to occur. You can use this pattern to make a lot of useful compound verbs: Nǐ zǒulèi le ba, zuòxia xiūxi yihuǐr. You must be tired (from walking). Sit down and rest a while. A: Tā zěnme bìng le? Shì bu shi zuótiān hēde tài duō? How come he got sick? Was it that he had too much to drink yesterday? B: Bú shi hēde tài duō, shi chīde tài duō chībìng le. No, he didn't have too much to drink. He got sick from eating too much. Nǐ shuìgòu le ma? Did you get enough sleep? Tā bǎ yǎnjing kūhóng le. She cried her eyes red.
Notes on №3 shēngyì: “business, trade” Also pronounced shēngyi. yào kàn: “depends on...” By itself, kàn (which you know as “to look at” and “to think, to have the opinion that”) has another meaning, “to depend on, to be up to, to be determined by.” Often yào or děi is added before it. A: Nǐ míngtiān shi qù háishi bú qù? Are you going tomorrow or not? B: Ng, děi kàn tiānqi. Mm, that depends on the weather. A: Wǒ jǐntiǎn kéyi zǎo diǎnr huí jiā ma? Can I go home early today? B: (Yào) kàn nī zuòdewán zuòbuwán zhèixiē shì. That depends on whether you can finish these tasks. A: Nī néng gēn wǒmen qù Jiāzhōu ma? Can you go to California with us? B: Jiù kàn shíjiān le, yào shi xiàtiān jiu kéyi le. That only depends on the time. If it's in the summer I can go. Kàn nǐde le! It's all up to you now! yùnqi: “luck; to be lucky” This word can be used either as a noun or as an adjectival verb. The following sentences show some of its uses as a noun: Tāde yùnqi zhēn bú cuò. He really has good luck. Nǐ yùnqi zhēn hǎo! You're really lucky! [To say “to be unlucky,” use dǎoméi or bù zǒu yùn.]
Notes on №4 dàihuí: “to bring/take back” You have seen huí used as a main verb meaning “to return to,” in huí jiā, “to return home,” and huí guó, “to return to one's country,” and with the endings -lai and -qu as in huílai, “to come back.” Here you see it used as a directional ending. Dàihuí can only be used if it is followed by a place name, like Měiguó in sentence UA. Otherwise you should use dàihuilai or dàihuiqu, depending on whether the direction is toward or away from the point of reference. Zhèixiē cài wǒmen chībuwán, kéyi dàihuiqu ma? We can't finish these dishes (of food May we take them back with us? A: Zènme yuǎnde lù, zǒubuhuíqù le ba? It's such a long way. We can't walk back, can we? B: Zǒudehuíqù. Xiànzài cái wǔdiǎn zhōng, zǒuhuiqu zhǐ yào yíge bàn zhōngtóu jiu gòu le. Sure we can. It's only five o'clock now. It will only take an hour and a half to walk back. Nǐ bǎ péngyou sòngqu yǐhòu, děi bǎ chē kāihuilai, wǒ yào yòng. After you've dropped your friend off, you have to drive the car back here I want to use it. zhènghǎo(r): (1) “just right; just in time; just enough” Nǐ zhèishuāng xié wǒ chuān zhènghǎo (r). These shoes of yours fit me just right. Nǐ láide zhènghǎo(r), wǎn jifēn zhōng wǒ jiu zǒu le. You came just in time. If you'd come a few minutes later, I would have already left. Zhèixiē qián zhènghǎo(r) mǎi nèige diànshì. This money is just enough to buy that T.V. (2) “to be opportune” Nǐ zài zhèr zhènghǎo(r), bāng wǒ yíge máng. It's a good thing (lit., “opportune”) you're here. You can help me out. (3) “as it happens, it just so happens” Jīntiān zhènghǎo(r) pèngdao Lǐ Xiānsheng, jiù bǎ shìqing bàn le. pèngdao, “to run into, to come across” I just happened to run into Mr. today, so I took care of that matter. Wǒ běnlái xiǎng xiàge yuè mǎi shāfā, jīntiān zhènghǎo(r) pèngdao héshìde, jiù mǎi le. shāfā, “sofa” I was originally going to buy a sofa next month, but today I happened to come across the right kind, so I bought it. dàishang: “to take along with one” In the Běijīng dialect, the verb ending -shang is sometimes used to mean “along with” a person. (For the first example you need to know , “to carry from the hand at the side of the body.”) Tā tíshang shūhāo jiu zǒu le. She picked up her schoolbag and left. Zhèige sǎn nǐ náshang ba. Take this umbrella along with you. Nǐ bàoshang háizi, wǒ názhe zhèige. You carry the child, and I'll hold this. Speakers who are not from Běijīng would use different endings in these cases, for example -zhe or -qu (depending on the meaning of the sentence).
Notes on №5 guòqù: “to pass, to go over” Contrast guòqu (neutral-tone qu) with guòqù (Falling-tone ), “the past” (see Unit U of this module). Guòlai is “to come over.” Nǐ guòqu kànkan. Go over there and take a look. Menkǒu guòqu yíge rén. Someone passed by the door. Nàr guòlai yíge rén. Someone is coming over from there. Yìhuīr jiu guòqu le. It will pass in Just a while. Kuài guòlai! Come on over here! Guòlai zuò yihuǐr ba. Come over (to my house) for a while. (Lit., “Come over to sit awhile.“) Guòlai! C'mere! OR Get over here. (CAN BE IMPOLITE) Guòqu is also a polite or respectful word for “to die,” similar to English “to pass away.” As mentioned in Unit 5» Chinese often avoid using the stark-sounding . hǎohāor: “well; industriously; properly; thoroughly” In Unit 1 of this module, you learned mànmānr “slowly,” which is a reduplication of the adjectival verb màn “to be slow.” In Běijīng conversation, the second màn is said with the first tone, and -r is added, making mànmānr. In many other parts of China, it is said as mànmàn. Likewise, Běijīng hǎohāor is often heard as hǎohǎo elsewhere. Reduplication allows an adjectival verb to be used before a verb as a modifier, with or without -de, for example, mànmàn(de) chī, “to eat slowly,” hǎohǎo(de) tīng, “to listen well.” Hǎohǎorde (hǎohǎode) has more specific meanings than just “well.” It can mean “properly,” “thoroughly,” or “nicely,” or “in perfectly good condition, with nothing the least bit wrong.” Xiànzài hǎohǎorde niàn shū, yǐhòu hǎohǎorde gōngzuò. Study properly now, and do your job properly later on. Gāngcái hai hǎohāorde, xiànzài bù zhī zěnme huí shì yòu kūqilai le. Everything was fine just a minute ago. Now I don't know what happened, but she's crying again. Zhèngzhide shìqing gēn xiǎohǎizi wánr yíyàng, liǎngtiān yǐqián hái hǎohāorde, liǎngtiān yǐhòu jiu dǎqilai le. Politics is like children playing. First everything's fine, and then a couple of days later they're fighting. xiǎng dōng xiǎng xǐ: “to think of this and that, to let one's mind wander” Dōng, “east,” and , “west,” are used in the patterns (Verb) dōng (Verb) and dōng (Verb) (Verb) to express that a person's action has no definite aim or that something is done haphazardly. More examples: kàn dōng kàn xī looking here and there xué dōng xué xī studying this and that zǒu dōng zǒu xī walking all about zhǎo dōng zhǎo xī searching here and there You can also say dōng xiǎng xǐīxiǎng, dōng kàn xī kàn, etc. Here are some examples in sentences: Guò mǎlùde shíhou, bié zhème kàn dōng kàn xīde, duó wēixiǎn a! Don't let your eyes wander when you cross the street. It's very dangerous ! Tā zǒng shi xué dōng xué xīde yǐjīng shínián le, hái méi cóng dàxué bìyè. He's been studying this and that for ten years, and still hasn't graduated from college. Nǐ shénme dōngxi diū le, zhǎo dōng zhǎo xīde. You're hunting all over the place. What did you lose? Zhèi liǎngnián wǒ yìzhí zǒu dōng zǒu xī, méi shíjiān gēn jiāli rén zài yìqǐ. The past couple of years I've been traipsing all over the place, and haven't had any time to be with my family. ...-de: Here you see a new use of the marker -de. After certain phrases, especially ones with a parallel structure, -de means “that way,” describing a way of looking, acting, or just a state of affairs. (For the following examples, you need these three items: lǎo, “all the time, always”; bù huāng bù máng, “calm, not the least bit flustered”; and dǎ zhēn, “to get an injection. ”) Nǐ gànmá lǎo zǒuchū zǒujìnde?! How come you keep walking in and out?.' Shíjiǎn kuài dào le, nǐ zěnme hái bù huāng bù mángde? It's almost time, how can you be so calm? Zhèi bànge duō yuè, yòu dǎ zhēn yòu chī yàode, tāde tuǐ hǎoxiàng yǐjíng hǎo le. During the past half month or so, with all the injections and medications , her leg seems to have already recovered. Zhèi shi shénme xié! Yìzhī dà yìzhī xiǎode! What kind of shoes are these, with one bigger than the other!
Notes on №6 téng: “to be fond of, to be attached to, to dote on” Zhèige háizi, bù guǎn nǐ zěnme téng ta, tā yě bu tīng huà. This kid! No matter how fond of him you are, he never does what you say. Nǎinai zhēn téng wǒ dìdi! Grandma is really attached to (OR dotes on) my younger brother. Zhèi háizi zhēn kěài! Ràng rén bù néng bu téng! kěài “to be loveable/adorable” This child is adorable; you can't help but be fond of him! Tā tèbié téng érzi, zǒng pà tā chībuhǎo. She is especially attached to her son, and is always afraid that he won't eat well. zěnme huí shì: “what happened; what's it all about; what's the story” Also said as zěnme yìhuí shì. Zěnme here means zěnmeyàng, “what kind, of what nature.“”Huí is a counter for shì, as in Yǒu zhèihuí shi ma?, “is there such a thing?” or “Did such a thing (really) happen?” In the phrase zěnme yìhuí shì, the number is often dropped from yìhuí just as it can be dropped in phrases like chī (yí)ge píngguǒ, “eat an apple.” Zhèi shi zěnme huí shì? Wūli zěnme nàme zāng? What is this, anyway? Why is this room so dirty? Zhèi shi zěnme huí shì? Dōngxi yìtiān bǐ yìtiān guì! What's going on, anyway? Things are getting more and more expensive every day. zènme huí shì: Also zhème huí shì. This phrase has two main uses: Used before telling the facts or details of an event, as in sentence 6B. Said after one learns the facts or outcome of an event, e.g., Yuánlái shi zhème huí shì! Oh, so that's the story. Yào zhīdao shi zhème huí shì wǒ jiu bù lái le. If I had known that was what it was all about, I wouldn't have come.
Notes on №7 zhǎo: Literally, “to look for,” but when the object is a person it can mean, “to call on” a person. This is the way zhǎo is used in sentence 7A, hence the translation “going to see Xiǎo Lán,” rather than “going to look for Xiǎo Lán. Xīngqītiān tǎ zǒngshi qù zhǎo péngyou. On Sundays, he always goes to see his friends. Zhèizhǒng wèntí zhǎo tǎ méi cuò! When you have that kind of problem, you won't go wrong if you go to him. Zhǎo wǒ méi yòng, wǒ bù guǎn zhè shì. It's useless to come to me about this matter, I'm not in charge of it. gàn shénme: “to do what; what for, why” Gàn is the verb “to do.” Gàn shénme and the similar gànmá can be used to ask what someone is doing; like wèishénme, except with a livelier, more conversational tone; or rhetorically, to question the value or use of something. Nǐ gànmá ne? What are you doing? Nǐ míngtiǎn gàn shénme? What are you doing tomorrow? Gàn shénme lǎo gēnzhe wǒ!? gēn, “to follow” What are you doing always following me? Gànma mǎi zhèige? Nàme guì! What did you buy this for? It's so expensive! Ní gànma zǒng tīng tāde?! How come you always do what he says?! Haá zài zhèr gàn shénme? Kuài hui jiā ba! Why are you still here? Hurry up and go home! Zhèi shi xiǎo shìqing ma! Ní gànma zhème shēngqì? This is such a small matter! Why should you get so angry? Zhèige dōngxi shi gànmáde? What's this thing for? A: Wǎnshang ní yídìng dào tā jiā qù yítàng. You have to go to her house tonight. B: Gàn shenme? What for? A: Bǎ zhèige sòngqu. To take this to her. Lián ní dou bú qù, wǒ gàn shenme qù?! If you aren't even going, why should I go? yòu: You have seen the adverb you meaning (1) “again,” as in Nǐ yòu lái le, “You're here again” and (2) “both.. .and... ,” as in Yòu hǎo yòu piányi, “Both good and inexpensive.” In sentence 7A, you is used to stress that the speaker thinks what he is saying is a strong reason why something should he otherwise. This you is usually used in sentences with the verb made negative, or in rhetorical questions (those to which no answer is expected). IN SENTENCES WITH THE VERB MADE NEGATIVE Tā yòu bù shǎ. He's no dummy, after all. Wǒ yòu bù zhīdào jīntiān xià yǔ. After all, I didn't know it was going to rain today. Ní yòu méi kànjianguo ta, nǐ zěnme zhīdao tā bù hǎo? You've never seen him, after all; how could you know he's no good? Tā yòu bú shi wàijiāoguān, zěnme zài dàshiguǎn gōngzuò? He's not a diplomat, after all; why is he working in the embassy? IN RHETORICAL QUESTIONS Tā yòu zhīdao shénme? What does he know, anyway? (Means, ”He doesn't know anything.”) Shéi yòu néng kànde nàme yuǎn ne? Who could have seen that far ahead, after all? (Means, ”No one could have seen that far.”) Bùzhǎng yòu zěnmeyàng? So what if he's a (government) minister? (Means, “The fact that he's a government minister is unimpressive.”) Yàoshi tā bù néng zuò, shéi yòu néng zuò ne? If he can't do it, who can? (Means, “if he can't, nobody can.“) quàn: “to advise” or “to try to persuade” a person. This describes the action of talking to someone in order to bring them around to a certain way of thinking. Sentence 7B might be translated simply as, “Don't get upset, I'll talk to him.” Wǒ quàn ni háishi bú yào xué wénxué, bìyè yǐhòu zhǎo gōngzuò nán na. My advice to you is not to study literature. It would be awfully hard to find a job after you graduate. Tāde shì nǐ bú yào quàn, tā huì gěi ni zhǎo máfande. You'd better not try to advise him about his affairs, otherwise he'll give you trouble.
Notes on №8 gāi: “should; ought to; to be someone's turn to (do something)” Gāi is an auxiliary verb very similar in meaning to yīnggāi. Kuài qīdiǎn bàn le, wǒ gāi shàngbān qu le. It's almost seven-thirty. I should be leaving for work. Wǒ gāi shuō shénme ne? What should I say? Gāi is frequently used before the subject of a clause. In such cases it can also mean “to be (someone's) turn to (do something).” Míngtiān gāi tā qǐng kè le. Tomorrow it's his turn to treat. Zhèixiē shì běnlái gāi wǒ zuòde, bìngle zhèi jǐtiān, tǒngshìmen dōu bāng máng zuòwán le. It should have been me who did these things in the first place, but with me being sick the past few days, my colleagues finished them all for me. Zhèicì gāi wǒ qǐng ni kàn diànyǐng le. This time it's my turn to treat you to a movie. Gāi nǐ zǒu le OR Gāi nǐ le. Your move OR It's your turn, (in playing a game) kànzhe: In front of another verb, kànzhe means “(do something) as one sees fit.” The “locking” in kànzhe refers to looking at the situation in order to decide what one is able to do and what is best to do. The most common phrase in which kànzhe appears is kànzhe bàn, “to do as one thinks best.” A: Nǐ shuō wǒ shi qù hǎo ne? Háishi bú qù hǎo? Do you think it would be best for me to go or not to go? B: Zěnme shuō ne? Nǐ kànzhe bàn ba! What should I say? Do what you think best! A: Nī yào mǎi shénme yánsède chènshǎn? What color shirt do you want to buy? B: Nǐ kànzhe mǎi ba. Buy what you think best. dǎ zhàng: “to fight a war, to go to war” This is a verb plus general object, like niàn shū. Zhàng is not used by itself (except in a construction like Zhèi yízhàng dǎle hǎojǐge yuè, “This battle/war was fought for many months,” in which zhàng simply precedes instead of following it). If you want to say “war” by itself, you have to use another word, zhànzhēng, which is taught in the next module.
Notes on №9 sòngxíng: (1) “to see off, to wish (someone) a good trip” Xiàwǔ liǎngdiǎn wǒ dào jīchǎng gěi Zhāng Xiansheng, Zhāng Tàitai sòngxíng. At two this afternoon I'm going to the airport to see Mr. and Mrs. Zhāng off. (2) “to give a going-away party” A: Nǐ jīntiǎn wǎnshang yǒu meiyou shì? Are you busy tonight? B: Wǒmen jīntiǎn wǎnshang chūqu chī fàn, gěi péngyou sòngxíng. We're going out for dinner tonight to have a going-away party for a friend. zhèi yíxiàzi: “as a result of this” This means that something has happened which brings a new turn to the situation. It can often be translated into English simply by using the word “now.” (in sentence 9B, it may be best just to omit it from the translation.) Qián lái le, zhèi yíxiàzi kéyi mǎi fángzi le! The money has come. Now we can buy the house! Zhèi yíxiàzi zāogāo le, wǒde qián bú gòu le. This is terrible! I don't have enough money (e.g., to pay for the things I just brought to the cashier). děng: “when, by the time; till” This word, which you first learned as “to wait,” can have these other meanings in a dependent clause. This use is similar to that of děng dào, which you learned in Unit 3 may be used for “when” or “by the time.” Děng wǒ dàole Běijīng wǒ cái zhīdao tā yě zài Běijīng. It wasn't till I got to Běijīng that I found out he was there too.
Notes on №10” shǎ: “to be stupid, to be silly, to be naive“ Nī zhēn shǎ! Qián fàng zai yínhángli duó hǎo! Fàng zai jiāli gàn shénme? You're really silly. It's such a good idea to put your money in a bank, what are you keeping it at home for? Shǎ háizi, bié zǒng wèn nèixiē shǎ wèntí, hǎo bu hǎo? You silly kid, would you quit asking such silly questions all the time? zǎo: Besides “early,” zǎo can also mean “before, sooner,” or “long ago.” Here are more examples. Tāmen jīge nútóngxué zǎo jiu pǎo dao hǎibiānr qu wánr le. Those women students took off for the beach a long time ago. Hài! Wǒ zǎo lái yìtiān jiu hǎo le. (Sigh) If only I had come a day earlier. Sometimes zǎo only conveys the speaker's feeling of regret and irritation. “A long time ago” might actually be no more than a moment ago. In such cases, zǎo can be translated by intonation alone: Nī zěnme bù zǎo shuō! Xiànzài hái láidejí ma? Why didn't you say so (before)'. How can we make it in time now? Wǒ zǎo zhīdào tā shi zhèige yàngzi jiu bú huì zhème shǎ le. If I had known that he was this way I wouldn't have been so naive. yě bu: “don't even, won't even, wouldn't even” do something that one should do. Bādiǎn bàn le, nǐ yě bu zǎo diǎnr jiào wo, wǒ xiànzài láibují le. It's half past eight! Why didn't you get me up before? Now I won't make it in time. Ní yě bu kuài diǎnr shōushi, wǒmen dōu děngjí le. Will you hurry up and get your things ready? We're all getting itchy (from waiting). Tā yě bu kuài diǎnr lái, cài yījīng liáng le! What is keeping him [“Won't he even come a little faster“]? The food is cold already! yuánlái: (1) “originally” In this meaning, it is usually interchange able with běnlái, which you learned in Unit 7. Tā yuánlái bù chī ròu, xiànzài bù zhídào zěnme chīqilai le. He didn't used to eat meat. No he's started eating it for some reason. Wǒ yuánlái méi jìhua qù Ōuzhōu, hòulái tā yídìng yào qù, wǒ yě jiu gēnqu wánrle yítàng. gēn, “to follow, to go along with” I hadn't originally planned to go to Europe. Then she insisted on going, so I went along for the fun of it. (2) Used when revealing a fact which was not previously known, especially when that fact provides an explanation or solution to a puzzling situation. This can sometimes be translated by “it turns out that...” or by “So...'.” (Běnlái cannot be used for this meaning.) Wǒ xiǎng shi tā xiěde, yuánlái jiù shi ní xiěde! Oh, so you wrote this! I thought he wrote it. À! Yuánlái nǐ jiù shi Xú Xiansheng? Huānyíng, tài huānyíng le! Oh! So you're Mr. ? Welcome! Welcome indeed! À, yuánlái shi zhème huí shi! Oh! So that's what happened! (3) Yuánláide may be used to modify a noun, with the meaning “original”: Wǒmen yuánláide jìhua shi xiàge Xīngqíwǔ qù. Our original plan was to go next Friday. Tāmen yuánláide fángzi zài chéngwàitou, xiànzài bān dao chéngli qu zhù le. Their original house was outside the city, (but) now they've moved into the city.
Tape 1 Review Dialog In Lǐ Píng and Tom's room, Tom (A) is getting his things packed, when Lǐ Píng (B) comes in.
Unit 8, 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 In this exercise a mother and son talk in their apartment in Hangzhou. 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: xiǎo diǎnr shēngr a little more quietly bǎo to wrap tán liǎn'ài to be in love, to be going together (having a courtship)
Questions for Exercise 2 Prepare your answers to these question in Chinese so that you can talk about them in class. Why is his sister going to America? Why is she talking handicrafts? What will happen this evening? What news does he learn about his sister? Does his mother seem nervous? How can you tell? 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 answers. The translations used in these dialogue are meant to indicate the English functional equivalent for the Chinese sentences rather than the literal meaning of the Chinese.
Exercise 3 In this conversation a mother talks to her daughter in Běijīng about her grandparents. Listen to the conversation once straight through. Then, on the second time through, look below and answer the questions. Here are the new words for this conversation: qiánxiē nián a few years back zài shuō besides, moreover
Questions for Exercise 3 Prepare your answers to these questions in Chinese so that you can talk about them in class. What is Xiǎo Yún doing? Why? What is the latest news about Xiǎo Yún's grandfather? Why does the mother seem to have little regard for the company she talks about? According to the mother, what is the grandfather's attitude toward work? What does the mother ask her daughter to write into the letter to grandfather? 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 4 This conversation takes place in the office of a factory in Běijīng when an older man and a younger man are on the night shift. Listen to the conversation straight though once. Then rewind the tape ans listen again. On the second time through, answer the questions. You will need the following words and phrases: Lǎo Shīfu old master gémìng revolution Zhū Lǎozǒng an affectionate name for Zhū Dé, a military leader of China and commander of the Eighth Route Army during the war of resistance against Japan. jūnduì army
Questions for exercise 4 Prepare your answers to these questions in Chinese so that you can talk about them in class. What did Wáng Lǎo Shífu do before the war of resistance against Japan? Was it a secure job? What happened to his business during the war of resistance against Japan? What did “Zhū Lǎozǒng” (Zhū Dé) do at that time? What did Wáng Lǎo Shīfu do for Zhū Lǎozǒng? After you have answered these questions, 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 (B) and her son (A) talk in their apartment in Hángzhōu.
Dialogue and Translation for Exercise 3 In Běijīng a mother (B) talks with her daughter (A).
Vocabulary àishàng 爱上 to fall in love with ài to love āndìng 安定 to be peaceful and stable, to be quiet and settled bàba 爸爸 father, dad, papa báitiān 白天 daytime bāng máng 帮忙 to help; help bāngzhu 帮助 to help; help; as a help to, for bàng to be great, to be fantastic, to be terrific -bān -班 counter for class of students bǎohù 保护 to protect bǎoshí 保持 to keep, to preserve, to maintain bāo to wrap bèihòu 背后 behind someone's back -bèizi -辈子 all one's life, lifetime běnlái 本来 originally, in the beginning, at first; to begin with, in the first place běnrén 本人 herself, himself, oneself, myself, etc. biànchéng 变成 to change into biàn to change, to become different bǐcǐ 彼此 each other, one another, both; the same to you bìngrén 病人 sick person, patient bǐsà bǐng 比萨饼 pizza to compare bómǔ 伯母 aunt (wife of father's elder brother); (term for the mother of one's friend) bóshì 博士 Ph.D. bú fàngxīn 不放心 to worry bù guǎn 不管 no matter (what, whether, etc.) bù huāng bù máng 不慌不忙 calm, not the least bit flustered bú jiàn bú sàn 不见不散 don't leave until we've met up bù jiǎndān 不简单 not ordinary, not commonplace; remarkable bù néng bu 不能不 to have to, must bù shǎo 不少 to be quite a lot, to be much, to be many bú shi... jiù shi... 不是。。。 就是。。。 if it isn't... then it's; either... or... bú xiàng huà 不像话 to be ridiculous, to be outrageous, to be absurd (talk, acts, etc.) cáichǎn 财产 property cái only in that case, only under this condition cái only (before an amount) cānjiā 参加 to participate in, to take part in; to join; to attend chàng gē 唱歌 to sing (songs) cháng to be long chǎoxǐng 吵醒 to wake (someone) up by being noisy chǎo to be noisy; to disturb by making noise chéngshì 城市 city; urban chéngyuánguó 成员国 member country -chéng -成 (verb ending) into chībuxiàqù 吃不下去 to be unable to eat chī kǔ 吃苦 to suffer, to undergo hardship chōu yān 抽菸 to smoke (tobacco) chuáng bed chuántǒng 传统 tradition, traditional cōnglái bù/méi 从来不/从来没 never (up till now) cónglái 从来 ever (up till now), always (up till now) cóng... (verb)-qǐ 从。。。 -起 to begin (verb)-ing from. cūnr 村儿 village dāduōshù(r) 大多数(儿) the great majority dàishang 带上 to take along (Běijīng) -dài -代 generation; era, (historical) period dājiě 大姐 older sister (a respectful term of address for a woman about one's own age or older) dàlù 大陆 mainland, continent dǎng (political) party dānxīn 担心 to be worried, to be uneasy dānzi 单子 list; form dàochù 到处 everywhere dàodé 道德 morality, morals, ethics dào lāji 倒垃圾 to take out (dump) the garbage dàolǐ 道理 principle, truth , hows and whys; reason, argument, sense dào to pour, to dump -dào -到 (resultative ending used for perception to one of the senses: jiàndao, kàndao, tīngdao, etc.) -dào -到 (resultative ending used to indicate reaching; in xiǎngdào, tándào, etc., translated as “about” or “of” dàxuéshēng 大学生 college student dǎ zhàng 打仗 to fight a war, to go to war dǎ zhēn 打针 to get an injection dǎ zì 打字 to type (on a typewriter) dédao 得到 to receive, to get -de huà 的话 if; in case; supposing that děi kàn 得看 to depend on děng dào 等到 wait until; when, by the time děng yíxià 等以下 wait a minute; in a little while děng when; by the time; till to get -diǎn -点 point diào yǎnlèi 掉眼泪 to cry, shed tears dìwei 地位 position, status dǒngde 懂得 to understand, to grasp, to know duǎnpiān 短片 short (stories, articles) dúlì 独立 to be independent; independence duó (duō) how (to what extent) duó hǎo! 多好! how great that is! duōshù(r) 多数 (儿) the majority (of), most (of) éi say! (interjection telling that the speaker Just thought of something) értóng 儿童 child (formal word) érxífu(r) (-fer) 儿媳妇(儿) daughter-in-law fādá 发达 to be (highly) developed, to be fǎlǜ 法律 law fǎnduì 反对 to oppose, to be against -fāngmiàn (-mian) -方面 aspect, side, area, respect fǎngwèn 访问 to visit fǎnzhèng 反正 anyway, in any case fàn zuì 犯罪 to commit a crime fàn to violate, to offend, to commit; to have an attack (of an old disease) fān to translate fāzhǎn 发展 to develop, to expand, to grow fēngsú 风俗 custom(s) fēnkāi 分开 to separate, to split up fēn points fēn to divide, to separate, to split fùnü 妇女 woman; women, womankind fúqi 夫妻 blessings, good fortune gǎibiàn 改变 to change; change(s) gài to build, to construct gāi should, ought to gāi will probably gànbu 干部 cadre gǎnjué 感觉 feeling, sensation; to feel, to perceive gànmá 干嘛 to do what; (colloquial) why on what for gàn shenme 干什么 to do what; (colloquial) why on earth, what for gǎnxiè 感谢 to be thankful, to be grateful gāogàn 高干 senior cadres gāozhōng 高中 senior high school gèguó 各国 various countries gémìng 革命 revolution gēn to follow Gòngchǎndǎng 共产党 Communist Party gōngchǎng 工厂 factory, mill, plant, works gōnggong 公公 grandfather, grandpa (paternal) gōngkè 功课 homework Gòngqīngtuán 共青团 Communist Youth League gōngshāngyè 工商业 industry and commerce gōngyè 工业 industry gōngyìpǐn 工艺品 handicrafts gōng male (for animals) guǎnggào 广告 advertisement guānniàn 观念 concept, idea, notion guānxīn 关心 to be concerned/care about guānyú 关于 as to, with regard to, concerning, about guǎn to take care of; to mind, to bother about gǔhuī 骨灰 bone ashes, ashes (of a person) guīju 规矩 rules of proper behavior, social etiquette, manners; special customs, established practice, rule (of guójiā 国家 country, state, nation; national guòqù 过去 the past guòqu 过去 to pass; to pass away, to die guò rìzi 过日子 to live; to get along gùshi 故事 story gǔshū 古书 ancient book hǎiluòyīn 海洛因 heroin hái fairly, passably hǎochù 好处 benefit, advantage hǎohāor 好好儿 properly, carefully, thoroughly hǎo shi hǎo, kěshi… 好是好,可是 well, okay, but… hǎoxiàng 好像 to seem as if, to seem like hēiyè 黑夜 (darkness of) night, nighttime hèn to hate, to loathe, to detest Hóngwèibīng 红卫兵 (a) Red Guard; the Red Guards hòulái 后来 later, afterwards Huáshèngdùn Yóubào 华盛顿邮报 Washington Post huì might; to be likely to; will -huí counter for shì matter huó to live; to become alive; to survive; to be live/alive/living; mobile, moving húshuō 胡说 to talk nonsense; nonsense, drivel hùxiāng 互相 mutually jiǎndān 简单 to be simple jiǎngjiu 讲究 to be particular about; to be elegant, to be tasteful jiǎng prize jiǎng to stress, to pay attention to, to be particular about jiàotáng 教堂 church, cathedral jiàoyu 教育 to educate; education jiārù 加入 to join jiātíng 家庭 family -jiā counter for families jīdòng 激动 to be agitated, to be worked up jièdao 借到 to successfully borrow jiěfàng 解放 to liberate, to emancipate; liberation jiéhūn (jiēhūn) 结婚 to get married jièyì 介意 to mind, to take offense jiè to borrow; to lend jíjímángmáng 急急忙忙 in a hurry, extremely rushed jímáng 急忙 to be hasty, to be hurried jìnbù 进步 to progress; progress jìndàishǐ 近代史 modern history jīngshén 精神 energy, spirits jīnr 今儿 today (Běijīng) jǐnzhāng 紧张 to be nervous, to be upset jìzhu 记住 to remember to remember; to commit to memory jūnduì 军队 army júzi shuǐ(r) 橘子水(儿) orange juice (Běijīng) -jù -句 sentence; (counter for sentences utterances, often followed by huà, “speech”) kànbuqǐ 看不起 to look down on, to scorn, to despise kàndao 看到 to see kànzhe 看着 (followed by a verb) as one sees fit, as one deems reasonable kàn to depend on kǎolǜ 考虑 to consider, to think about; consideration kǎoshì 考试 to take/give an exam, test, or quiz; exam, test kǎo to take/give an exam, test, or quiz kào to depend on, to rely on; to lean against; to be near, to be next to kěài 可爱 to be loveable, to be adorable kěkǎyīn 可卡因 cocaine Kěkǒukělě 可口可乐 Coca Cola kělián 可怜 to be pitiful kěn to be willing to to cry lái * for the past, (amount of time) ...lái 。。。来 to do (something), to perform (something), to have (an event), to help oneself to (food, etc.), to Join in (a game, etc.) lái used before a verb to express that something will be done lājī 垃圾 garbage lánwěiyán 阑尾炎 appendicitis láodònglì 劳动力 labor force, labor; able-bodied person láodòng 劳动 to labor lǎolao 姥姥 grandmother, grandma (maternal) láolì 劳力 labor force; labor lǎo shīfu 老师傅 old master lǎoshǔ (láoshu) 老鼠 mouse or rat lǎoxiānsheng 老先生 old gentlemen lǎoyé 姥爷 grandfather, grandpa (maternal) lǎozǒng 老总 (used with surname as an affectionate term for a high-ranking PLA commander) lǎo all the time, always lián... dōu/yě... 连。。。 都/也 even... liáo tiān(r) 聊天(儿) to chat liáo to chat liǎ Běijīng colloquial word meaning liǎngge, two lǐmào 礼貌 manners, politeness lǐngdǎo 领导 to lead, to direct, to exercise leadership (over); leadership; leader, leading cadre liùshi niándài 六十年代 the decade of the sixties liúxia 留下 to leave liúxíng 流行 to be common, to be popular, to be prevalent luànqībāzāo 乱七八糟 in a mess, in confusion, in disorder; miscellaneous, motley, all thrown in together luàn to be in disorder, to be in a mess, to be chaotic; arbitrarily, recklessly, any old way mànmānr (mànmàn) 慢慢儿(慢慢) slowly; gradually, by and by; taking one1s time (doing something); (tell) all about, in all details ma (marker for obviousness of reasoning) méi yìsi 米意思 to be uninteresting/boring; to be pointless/meaningless; to be a drag; to be without value, not worthy of respect, cheap míngbai 明白 to understand, to be clear on, to comprehend; to be clear, to be intelligible Míng Bào 明报 Ming Pao (a Hong Kong newspaper) female (for animals) nà hái yòng shuō 那还用说 that goes without saying nǎinai 奶奶 grandmother (paternal) Nán Měi 南美 South America nánnǚ 男女 men and women, male-female nánshòu 难受 to be uncomfortable; to feel bad, to feel unhappy nántīng 难听 to be unpleasant to hear; to sound bad, to offend the ears; to be scandalous nénglì 能力 ability ne used in questions asking the whereabouts of someone/something niánji (niánjì) 年纪 age niánqīng 年轻 to be young nóngcūn 农村 country, rural area; rural nònglai 弄来 to get and bring nóngmín 农民 peasant nong (něng) to do; to fool with; to get nóngyè 农业 agriculture nǔlì 努力 to make efforts nǚsheng 女生 coed, woman student pǎolai pǎoqù 跑来 跑去 to run around to be afraid pèngdao 碰到 to run into, to come across -piān -篇 counter for sheets, articles or pieces of writing piàn to fool, to deceive píngděng 平等 equality; to be equal (of people) pīnmìng 拼命 with all one's might, for all one is worth, desperately, like mad; to risk one's life, to defy death pīzhǔn 批准 to give permission, to approve; approval, permission, sanction pópo 婆婆 grandmother, grandma qiáng to be strong qiāng gun qiánxiē nián 前些年 a few years back, in recent years qiāo mén 敲门 to knock at the door qíguài 奇怪 to be strange, to be odd, to be surprising -qilai -起来 (resultative ending which indicates starting) qǐlai 起来 to get up (in several senses) Qīnghǎi 青海 a province in western China qíngkuàng 情况 situation, circumstances, condition, state of affairs qíngxing 情形 situation, circumstances, condition, state of affairs quánjiā rén 全家人 the whole family quàn to advise, to urge, to try to persuade ràng to make (someone a certain way) rénjia 人家 people; other people; someone else; they; he, she; I rén person; self; body rèxīnqilai 热心起来 to become enthusiastic and interested rèxīn 热心 to be enthusiastic and interested, to be warmhearted, to be earnest rìzi 日子 day; date; time rù Tuán 入团 to join the Communist Youth League (Gòngqīngtuán or Gòngchǎnzhǔyì Qīngniántuán) to enter; to join (an organization) shāfā 沙发 sofa shàng xué 上学 to go to school; to attend school shāngyè 商业 commerce, business -shang -上 verb ending indicating starting and continuing Shàoxiānduì 少先队 Young Pioneers shǎ to be stupid, to be dumb, to be silly, to be naive shā to kill (means unspecified); to kill (specifically, with a knife or knife-like instrument); to try to kill shèhuì 社会 society; social shēngchǎn 生产 to produce; production shēnghuó 生活 to live; life; daily life; livelihood shēngyì (shēngyi) 生意 business, trade shēnqǐng 申请 to apply (for) shēntǐ 身体 body; health shìchǎng 市场 market shìjièshang 世界上 in the world, in the whole world shijièxìng 世界性 worldwide, cosmopolite shìjiè 世界 world shíxíng 实行 to practice, to carry out, to put into effect, to implement (a method, policy, plan, reform, etc.) shízaì 实在 really; to be real shǐ 使 to cause (followed by a verb), to make, to enable shǒuchāode 手抄的 handwritten shòu jiàoyu 受 教育 to receive an education shōurù 收入 income, earnings shōushi 收拾 to straighten up; to get ones things ready shòu to receive shòu to be thin shǔjià 暑假 summer vacation shuōbuqīngchu 说不清楚 can't explain clearly shuōdao 说到 to speak of; as for shuōfǎ 说法 way of saying a thing; statement, version, argument shuòshì 硕士 Master's degree Sì Shū 四书 the Four Books (Dàxué, Zhōngyōng, Lúnyǔ, Mèngzǐ) sīxiǎng 思想 thought, way of thinking to die sònghuiqu 送回去 to take/escort back sòngxíng 送行 to see (someone off), to wish (someone) a good trip; to give a going-away party suàn le 算了 forget it, let's drop the matter, let it go at that; come off it, come on sūnnǚ 孙女 granddaughter (through one's son) sūnzi 孙子 grandson (through one's son) suǒyǒude... dōu 所有的。。。 都 all tán liàn'ài 谈恋爱 to be in love, to be going together (courtship) tǎoyàn 讨厌 to dislike, to be disgusted with téng to be very fond of, to be attached to, to dote on 7 tiào to jump, to leap tímu (-mù) 题目 topic, subject; title; examination question, test problem tīng to heed (advice), to obey (orders) to carry (from the hand at the side of the body) tóngjū 同居 to cohabit; cohabitation tóngyì 同意 to consent, to agree tóur 头儿 head, chief, boss Tuán (Communist Youth) League -tuán -团 group, society tǔdì 土地 land (V V) kan (V V) 看 try and (v), (v) and see how it wàigōng 外公 grandfather, grandpa (maternal) wàipó 外婆 grandmother, grandma (maternal) wàiwén 外文 foreign language wǎnhuì 晚会 evening party wǎnliàn wǎnhūn 晚恋晚婚 late involvement and late marriage wèile 为了 in order to; for the purpose of; for the sake of wénhuà 文化 culture; schooling, education, literacy wénxuéjiā 文学家 writer, literary man wénzhāng 文章 article, essay; prose (writing) style wǒde tiān na! 我的天阿! my God! wǔjiào 午觉 noontime nap xiàndài 现代 to be modern; contemporary; modern times xiǎngbuchū 想不出 can't think up, can't come up with xiāngdāng 相当 quite, pretty, considerably xiǎngdao 想到 to think of xiāngxìn 相信 to believe (in); to trust, to be convinced (that) xiàng to be like, to resemble; like; such as xiǎng to sound, to make a sound xiǎo diǎnr shēng(r) 小点儿声(儿) a little more quietly xiǎo péngyou 小朋友 little friend; kids xiàoshun 孝顺 to be filial; filial obedience xiǎoshuō(r) 小说 fiction, novel xiǎo young xià qí 下棋 to play chess -xiaqu -下去 down (directional ending used for eating or drinking down) -xiaqu -下去 resultative ending which indicates continuing an action -xià -下 under xī dú 吸毒 to take drugs; drug taking xíguàn 习惯 habit, custom, usual practice; to be accustomed to, to be used to xìngkuī 幸亏 fortunately, luckily xìngqu 兴趣 interest -xìng -性 nature, -ness, -ity xīnli 心里 in one's heart, in one's mind xīnshì 心事 something weighing on one's mind, worry Xīnwén Zhōukān 新闻周刊 Newsweek xīnwén 新闻 news xīn heart xué hǎo 学好 to learn from good examples, to learn to be a good person xuéhuì 学会 to learn, to master xuéqī 学期 semester, term (of school) xuéshēnghuì 学生会 student association xué yī 学医 to study medicine xùnliànbān 训练班 training class yánjiū (-jiu, -jiù) 研究 to study (in detail), to do research on; research yào kàn 要看 to depend on Yàzhōu (Yǎ-) 亚洲 Asia yèdà 业大 evening university yě gāi 也该 really should ...yě hǎo, ...yě hǎo 。。。也好, 。。。也好 whether... or...; both... and... yě jiù 也就 accordingly, correspondingly, so yéye 爷爷 grandfather (paternal) yìbiān(r)... yìbiān(r)... 以便(儿)。。。 以便(儿)。。。 doing... while doing... yìfāngmiàn..., yìfāngmiàn... 一方面。。。,一方面 。。。 on the one hand... on the other hand; for one thing..., for another thing... yìjiāzi 一家子 one family; the whole family; the same family yímiàn(r)... yímiàn(r)... 一面(儿)。。。一面(儿)。。。 doing... while doing... yìtiān dào wǎn 一天到晚 all day long yīxué 医学 medical science, medicine yīyuàn 医院 hospital yìzhí 一直 all along, continuously, all the time (up until a certain point) as soon as -yì 亿 hundred million medical science, medicine (used in phrases like xuě yī) yònggōng 用功 to be hardworking, to be industrious (in one's studies) yǒu bànfǎ, (duì... ) 有办法,(对。。。) to be able to deal with (something) yǒu bāngzhu 有帮助 to be helpful yǒu dàolǐ 有道理 to make sense yòuéryuán 幼儿园 kindergarten yǒu guīju 有规矩 to have manners, to be proper yǒu hǎochù 有好处 to be beneficial, to be good (for) yǒu lǐmào 有礼貌 to be well mannered, to be polite yǒu qián 有钱 to be rich yǒu * to come up to (a certain level) yǒu xiào 有效 to be effective; to be valid yǒu xìngqu 有兴趣 to be interested yǒu yánjiū 有研究 to have done research on; to know a lot about yǒu yòng 有用 to be useful yōu excellent yòu also yòu anyway; after all yuánlái 原来 original, former; originally, formerly; it turns out that..., so...! (expresses finding out the true situation) yuányīn 原因 reason, cause yuànyi 愿意 to wish, would like, to want to; to be willing to yuè lái yuè... 越来越。。。 more and more..., increasingly yuè... yuè... 越。。。越。。。 the more... the more... yùnqi 运气 luck zài shuō 再说 furthermore, besides, moreover zài yě bù/méi 再也不/没 never again zǎohūn 早婚 early marriage; child marriage; to marry as a child; to marry early zǎo a long time ago zěnme (yì)huí shì 怎么一回事 what's it all about zéren (-rèn) 责任 responsibility zhǎngdà 长大 to grow up zhàngfu 丈夫 husband zhǎng to grow zhànzhēng 战争 war zhāobudào 找不到 can't find, to be unable to find zhàogu 照顾 to take care of; care zhèi yíxiàzi 这一下子 after this, as a result of this zhème (yì)huí shì 这么一回事 like this zhèngcè 政策 policy zhèngfǔ 政府 government zhènghǎo(r) 正好(儿) it Just so happens that, to happen to, as it happens; just in time. Just right, just enough zhèngzhi 政治 politics; political zhèng just, precisely, right zhǐ hǎo 只好 can only, to have to, to be forced to zhīshi 知识 knowledge zhǐ yào 只要 provided that, as long as Zhōngguó Qīngnián 中国青年 China Youth (a periodical) zhòng nán qīng nǚ 重男轻女 to regard males as superior to females Zhōngxuéshēng 中学生 High School Student (a periodical) -zhōng -中 in zhōukān 周刊 weekly publication, weekly magazine zhuàn qián 赚钱 to earn money, to make money zhǔrén 主人 host, master zhùxialai 住下来 to move and stay (in a place), to settle down zhǔyào 主要 mainly zìyóu shìchǎng 自由市场 free market zìyóu 自由 freedom; to be free zōngjiào 宗教 (organized) religion zǒngtǒng 总统 president zǒng always; inevitably, without exception; after all, in any case zuìjìn 最近 lately, recently; the near future, soon zuǐ mouth zuì crime, guilt zuòbuliǎo 做不了 to be unable to do zuò lǐbài 做礼拜 to worship, to go to church zuòxia 坐下 to sit down zuò to be, to act as