Marriage, Birth and Death

The purpose of the Module on Customs Surrounding Marriage, Birth and Death is to furnish you with the linguistic skills and cultural Background information you need to take part in conversations about changing attitudes and practices with regard to courtship, marriage, birth, divorce, death and funerals in China, and to conduct yourself in a culturally appropriate manner when you come in contact with Chinese people at the time of one of these significant events in their lives. Before starting the MBD module, you should have at least completed the Arranging a Meeting Module. You may, of course, use this module at any later point in the course.

When you have finished this module, you should be able to: Ask about the age when most people get married. Ask about how a wedding is celebrated and what differences there are in marriage practices between the city and the country. Ask about the current local customs regarding gifts for weddings, births, and funerals. Ask about the frequency of divorce. Talk about the functions and statuses of the people who play a role in arranging a present-day traditional marriage. Ask questions about the bride, the groom, and the ceremony in a modern-day wedding. Ask about population control efforts, changes in population control policy, restrictions on young people having children, what factors are taken into consideration in family planning, and how old most couples are when they have children. Congratulate a new mother. Ask about a new-born infant's health, appetite, and weight, and describe the baby in terms of traditional values. Talk about the traditional beliefs and practices with regard to the mother's health before and after giving birth. Present condolences to someone whose relative has died, comfort and express concern for that person. Ask, after deciding if appropriate, about the circumstances of the death and the funeral. Apologize for not being able to attend a funeral. Ask what attire and behavior are appropriate when attending a funeral.

tíchàng: “to advocate, to promote, to initiate, to recommend, to encourage” Zhè shi shéi tíchàngde? Who advocates this? niánqīng: “to be young” (literally “years-light” or “years green”. There are two different characters with the same sound used for the second syllable.) Tā zhènme niánqīng, zhènme piàoliang! She's so young and so beautiful! Wǒ niánqīngde shíhou, bù xǐhuan kàn shū. When I was young, I didn't like to read. Zhèixiē niánqīng rén dōu ài kàn diànyǐng. These young people all love to go to the movies. Nèige niánqīngde Zhōngguo rén, Yīngwén shuōde bú cuò. That young Chinese person speaks pretty good English. jiéhūn: “to get married”, also pronounced jiēhūn. Notice that in Chinese you talk of “getting married”, while in English we talk of “being married”. And it follows grammatically that jiéhūn is a process verb, not a state verb. Jiéhūn will always be seen with an aspect marker such as le or will be negated with méi. Tāmen jiéhūnle méiyou? Have they gotten married yet? (This is the equivalent of 'Are they married?) Nǐ jiéhūn duó jiǔ le? How long have you been married? jiéhūn is a verb-object compound, literally meaning “to knot marriage”. jié and hūn can be separated by aspect markers, such as de or guo. Nǐ shi shénme shíhou jiéde hūn? OR Nǐ shi shénme shíhou jiéhūnde? When did you get married? Wáng Xiānsheng jiéguo sāncì hūn. Mr. Wáng has been married three times. To say “get married to someone” use the pattern gēn ... jiéhūn. Tā gēn shéi jiéhūn le? To whom did he get married?

wǎnliàn wǎnhūn: “late involvement and late marriage”. Wǎnliàn is an abbreviation for wǎn liàn'ài, “mature love”, (liàn'ài means “romantic love, courtship”), and wǎnhūn is an abbreviation for wǎn jiéhūn, “late marriage”. This policy has been promoted since the 1960s, but only actively enforced since the 1970s. It is difficult to generalize about the required minimum marriage ages, as they differ from city to city and might be non-existent in certain rural and national minority areas, where the government is trying to increase the population. The minimum age has been progressively raised over the years, until 1978 when the rules were eased a bit. In general, if the combined ages of the couple exceeds fifty years (or the female's age exceeds the male's), then the marriage is allowable.

qīngnián: “youth, young person”. Do not confuse this noun with the adjectival verb niánqīng, “to be young”. (See Notes on No. 1) In this sentence, the noun qīngnián is used to modify the noun lǎoshī, “teacher”. A: Wǒ jìde sānshinián yǐqián nǐ tèbié ài chī táng. I remember that thirty years ago you especially loved to eat candy. B: Shì a, nèi shíhou wǒmen dōu háishi qīngnián. Xiànzài lǎo le, yá bù xíng le. Yes. Back then we were all young people. Now I'm old, and my teeth aren't good any more. nǔlì: “to be hardworking, to diligent”, or as an adverb, “diligently,be hard”. Tā suīrán hěn nǔlì, kěshi tāde Yīngwen háishi bù xíng. Although he's very hardworking, his English is still not good enough. Wǒ děi nǔlì xué Zhōngwén. I have to study Chinese very hard.

nóngcūn: “rural areas, countryside, village”. Nóngcūnde kōngqì bǐ chéngli hǎoduō le. The air in the country is much better than in the city. Tāmen jiā zài nóngcūn zhù. Their family lives in the country. shíxíng: “to practice, to carry out (a method, policy, plan, reform)”. Nǐ zhèige jìhua hěn hǎo, kěshi wǒ xiǎng bù néng shíxíng. This plan of yours is very good, but I don't think it can be carried out. Zhèige bànfa yǐjīng shíxíngle sānge xīngqīle, kěshi jiéguǒ bù hǎo. This method has been in practice for three weeks, but the results aren't good.

chéng: “to constitute, to make, to become”. Tǎde xuéxí yìzhí hěn hǎo, bìyè yǐhòu ānpai gōngzuò bù chéng wèntí. His studies have been good all along, so after he graduates, setting up a job for him won't constitute a problem. Wǒde nǚer xiànzài chéngle jiějie, tǎ zhēn xǐhuan tāde xiǎo mèimei. My daughter has become an older sister. She really likes her little sister. fēngqì: “established practice, custom; general mood”. Xiànzài yǒu bù shǎo qīngnián bú yào zài shāngdiànli mài dōngxi, zhèizhǒng fēngqì zhēn bù hǎo. There are a lot of young people now who don't want to sell things in shops. This practice is really bad. Xiànzài zài Zhōngguo, yòu yǒule niàn shūde fēngqì. Now in China there is again a general atmosphere of study.

hé: “with”. You have seen hé used between two nouns or pronouns as a conjunction meaning “and”. Here you see it used as a prepositional verb meaning “with”. The word gēn, which you have seen, also has both meanings, “and” and “with”. Formerly, gēn was the most frequently used word for “with” or “and” in the Mandarin spoken in North China, and he was more often written. But he has come into wide conversational use in pǔtōnghuà. In addition to this variation, school children in Taiwan are sometimes taught to say hàn instead of he, which is the same character with another pronunciation. Generally speaking, if you use hé or gēn you should not have any problem being understood by any speaker of Standard Chinese. liàn'ài: “to fall in love, to be in love; romantic love, courtship”. This is the socially acceptable way to describe a romantic relationship between two people. Notice that liàn'ài can be used both as noun and as a verb. (Liàn'ài is written with an apostrophe to show where the syllable division is: liàn ài, not lià nài.) Tāmen liàn'àile hǎojinián le. They've been in love for quite a few years now. Tāmen xiànzài kāishǐ liàn'ài le. They've just started to fall in love. Wǒmende liàn'ài zhǐ yǒu sāntiān, jiù bù xíng le. Our love is only three days old and already it's over. The noun liàn'ài is often used in the phrase tán liàn'ài, “to be romantically involved” or more literally “to talk of love”. Tāmen liǎngge tán liàn'ài yǐjīng tánle hěn jiǔ le. The two of them have been in love for quite a while now. Wǒ méiyou hé tā tán liàn'ài. I'm not in love with her. In China young people tend to go out in groups. When two people are seen going out alone, then it is assumed that they have serious intentions for the future.

kě: “really, certainly”. This is an adverb which intensifies state verbs. Kě can be used before a negative. Tāmen liǎngge kě hǎo le! The two of them are very good friends. Kě bú shì ma! Isn't that so! (Really! or No kidding!) Nà kě bù xíng! That really won't do! Nà kě bú shì yíjiàn hǎo shì. That's really not a good thing. Nǐ kě yào xiǎoxīn! You've got to be careful! Although some Chinese are fond of using the word kě, to other Chinese it may sound too full of local color with which they do not identify.

An American exchange student talks with her language teacher. They are both in their late twenties.

...zài èrshiwǔliùsuì yǐhòu cái jiéhūn: This is quite a change from Imperial times, when females might be married off at age thirteen and males at age six so as to insure the family fortunes or fend off economic difficulties later. Nonetheless, regulations are less strict in the countryside today, where one can marry perhaps at age twenty.

yíshì: “ceremony, function” This can be used to refer to a range of different ceremonies, from the signing of a treaty or agreement to the taking of marital vows. In old China, marriages were celebrated extravagantly. It was not uncommon to find families going into debt because of the joyous occasion, which marked a new generation added to the family line. This elaborate ritual served to strengthen familial bonds and the newlyweds' feeling of obligation owed to the family. In PRC cities of today, lack of extra money and coupons to purchase food for guests, celebration space, and free time for preparation limit the celebration often to procedural formality alone—registration with the local police bureau. Wedding dinners may still be enjoyed in the countryside, where there are fewer restrictions on time and food.

qīnqi: “relatives” Qīnqi is slightly different from the English word “relatives” in that it does not include one's immediate family, that is parents or children, but is used to refer to all other relatives. (One's immediate family are called jiāli rén.) Nǐmen jiā qīnqi duō ma? Do you have a lot of relatives in your family? Wǒmen jiā qīnqi kě duō le! We have lots of relatives in our family. sònggei: “give (a gift) to …” The verb song has several meanings. One is “to send”, as in Wǒ bǎ nǐde xíngli sòngshangqu le, “I sent your luggage upstairs.” Another is to give someone something as a present. Here you see sòng with the prepositional verb gěi “for, to” after it. You have also seen jiāogei, “to hand over to ..., to submit to...”. When gěi is used after the main verb as a prepositional verb, it must be followed by the indirect object, that is, the person or thing to whom something is given. Gěi can also be used this way with jì “to send”, and mài “to sell”. Wǒ bǎ zhèijiàn yīfu jìgei wǒ mèimei le. I sent this piece of clothing to my younger sister. Tā bǎ fángzi màigei wǒ le. He sold his house to me. In these examples the direct object, clothing or house, is up front in the sentence, making it necessary to use gěi to put the indirect object after the main verb. This usually happens in sentences where the object is specific and the bǎ construction is preferred. When song is followed by an indirect object, however, the gěi is usually optional. Wǒ yào sòng ta yíge xiǎo lǐwù. I am going to give him a small present. Wǒ yào sònggei ta yíge xiǎo lǐwù. I am going to give him a small present. ...sònggei ni shénme lǐwù?: Wedding gifts for friends and relatives in the PRC are generally “useful” items. Common among these are nuǎnpíng, hot water jugs; huāpíng, vases; táidēng, table lamps; bǐ, pens; liánpěn, wash basins; or cānjù, kitchen items. zuò: “to act as, to serve as”. Tāmen sònggei wo yìxiē xiǎo lǐwù zuǒ jìniàn. is literally “They gave me a few small presents to serve as mementos.” Zhèige xuéxiǎo bìyède xuésheng, hěn duō dōu zuò lǎoshī le. A lot of students who graduated from this school have become teachers. Yòng zhèiběn xīn shū zuò lǐwù, hǎo bu hǎo? Would it be okay to use this new book as a present? Zuò, “to act as, to serve as” is often seen used with yòng, “to use” as in the example above, yòng ... zuò ..., “to use (something) as (something) else”. jìniàn: “memento, remembrance; to commemorate”. Wǒ gěi ta yìzhāng zhàopiàn zuò jìniàn. I'll give him a photo as a memento.

xǔduō: “many; a great deal (of), lots (of)”. Xǔduō is used as a number (it can be followed by a counter) to modify other nouns. A: Hái yǒu duōshao qián? How much money is there left? B: Hái yǒu xǔduō. There's still a lot left, or There's a lot more. Tā mǎile xǔduō (zhāng) huàr. He bought a lot of paintings. Xǔduō has several things in common with hěn duō, in addition to similarity of meaning. Used as modifiers in front of nouns, both xǔduō and hěn duō can (1) be used alone, (2) be used with de, and (3) be followed by a counter, but not usually -ge. Tā rènshi xǔduō rén. Tā rènshi hěn duō rén. He knows a lot of people. Tā jiànle xǔduō(de) rén. Tā jiànle hen duō(de) rén. He saw (met with) a lot of people. Bìchǔli yǒu hěn duō (jiàn) dàyī. There are a lot of overcoats in the closet. Tā xiěle xǔduō (běn) shū. He wrote a lot of books. Hěn duō is probably more common than xǔduō. Some speakers feel that they do not use xǔduō in conversation; many speakers, however, do not feel any restriction about using it in conversation. ...zhùdao nǚjiār qu: “to go live with the wife's family” You've seen the prepositional verb dào used after main verbs, as in nádao lóushàng qu, “take it upstairs”. Following verbs expressing some kind of motion, the use of dào is fairly straightforward. But in the above example from the Reference List, dào is used with a verb which is not usually thought of as expressing motion, zhù, “to live, to inhabit”. Here is another example of zhù used in a phrase expressing motion: Tā shi zuótiān zhùjinlaide. He moved in yesterday. The verbs zhàn “to stand” and zuò “to sit” can also be used in phrases expressing motion. Qǐng ni zhàndao nèibianr qu, hǎo bu hǎo? Would you please go stand over there. Qǐng ni zuòdao qiǎnbianr qu, hǎo bu hǎo? Would you please go sit up front. Due to the lack of housing, which might involve a wait of from one to three years for newlyweds, it is not infrequent now to find the groom join the household of his new bride. This is in contrast to former tradition, which stated that the woman became part of the man's family, and of course, moved into his family's house. In the past, for the groom to join the household of his new bride carried special significance. It was called rù zhuì and might take place when a family had only female children and the father wanted his daughter's husband to take his last name in order to carry on the family line. qūbié: “difference” When expressing the difference between two things, use ... gēn ... yǒu qūbié. Zhèiběn zìdiǎn gēn nèiběn yǒu hěn dàde qūbié. There is a big difference between this dictionary and that one. Zhèige xuéxiào gēn nèige xuéxiào yǒu shénme qūbié? What is the difference between this school and that one? Zhèiliǎngge bànfǎde qūbié zài nǎr? What is the difference between these two methods? Kě bú shì ma!. : “Yes, indeed!, I'll say!”, or more literally, “Isn't it so! Kě bú shì ma! is often used in northern China to indicate hearty agreement, or to indicate that something makes perfect sense to the speaker, something like English “Well, of course!” or “Really!”. bù shǎo: Literally “not a little”, in other words, “quite a lot”. Tā yǒu bù shǎo huà yào gēn ni shuō. He has a lot he wants to say to you. Zài Měiguo bù shǎo rén yǒu qìchē. In America a lot of people have cars. érqiě: “furthermore, moreover” Jīntiǎn tiānqi bù hǎo, érqiě hǎoxiàng yào xià xuě. The weather is bad today, and furthermore it looks as if it's going to snow. Ěrqiě is often used in the pattern bú dan...érqiě “not only ... but also...” or “not only ... moreover...”: Zhèizhěng huǎr hú dàn hǎo kàn, érqiě fēicháng xiāng. This kind of flower is not only pretty, but it's also very fragrant. Wǒ bú dàn ài chī táng, érqiě shénme tián dōngxi dōu ài chī. I not only like to eat candy, (moreover) I like to eat anything sweet. Tā bú dàn xuéguo Zhōngwén, érqiě xuéde bú cuò. Not only has he studied Chinese, but moreover he has learned it quite well. Wǒ bù dàn méiyou hé tā tán liàn'ài, érqiě wǒ yě bú dà xǐhuan ta. Not only am I not in love with her, moreover I don't like her very much.

The American exchange student and her language teacher continue their conversation:

shuāngfāng: “both sides, both parties” Zhèijiàn shìqing shi Zhōngguo hé Měiguo shuāngfāng dōu zhīdaode. This matter is known to both America and China. bǐcǐ: “the one and the other; each other, mutually” Suīrán wǒmen méiyou shuō huà, kěshi bǐcǐ dōu zhīdao, tāde bìng méiyou bànfa le. Although we didn't say anything, we both knew. There was nothing that could be done for his illness. A: Zhōumō hǎo! Have a nice weekend. B: Bǐcǐ, bǐcǐ! You too! liǎojiě: “to understand; to acquaint oneself with, to try to understand” Zhèijiàn shì, wǒ bù dǒng, hái děi qù liǎojiě yíxià. I don't understand this, I have to go back and try to understand it again. Wǒ liǎojiě ta. I understand her. Tā juéde tā méiyou yíge péngyou zhēnde liǎojiě tā. He feels that he doesn't have a single friend who really knows him. Notice that when you want to say “to know someone” meaning “to understand someone”, the Chinese word to use is liǎojiě, not rènshi (which simply means to have made someone's acquaintance)

...líhūnde bú tài duō: “There aren't many people getting divorced …;” Líhūnde, “those (people) who get divorced”, is a noun phrase in which líhūn is nominalized by -de.

fūfù: “husband and wife, married couple”. Tāmen fūfù liǎngge dōu fēicháng hǎo. Those two (that couple) are both very nice. bú zài yíge dìqū gōngzuò: “do not work in the same region”. Yíge, “one”, is frequently used to mean “one and the same”. Here are some more examples: Wǒmen dōu zài yíge xuéxiào niàn shū. All of us go to the same school. Tāmen liǎngge dōu shi yíge lǎoshī jiāochulaide. They are both the product of the same teacher.

tànqǐnjià: “leave for visiting family”. Tàn qīn means to visit one's closest relatives, usually parents, a spouse, or children. Míngtiān tā jiù qù Shànghǎi tàn qīn le. Tomorrow he's going to Shanghai to visit his family.

zǒngshi: “always, all the time”. This adverb may also occur as zǒng. Tā zǒngshi ài qù Huáměi kāfēitīng. He always loves to go to the Huáměi Coffeehouse. nénggòu: “can, to be able to”. This is a synonym of něng.

jīngguo: “to pass by or through, to go through”. Jīngguo can mean 1) to pass by or through something physically, or 2) to go through an experience. Jīngguo zhèicì xuéxí yǐhòu wǒ kě qīngchu duō le. As a result of this study, I see things a lot more clearly. Wǒ měitiān xià bān huí jiāde shíhou, dōu jīngguo Bǎihuò Dàlóu. Every day on my way home from work I pass by the Bǎihuò Dàlóu. Nǐ jīngguo zhèige wūzide shíhou, nǐ méiyou kànjian wǒmen zài lǐtou gōngzuò ma? When you passed by this room, didn't you see us working inside? xiāngdāng: “quite, pretty (good, degree of'. etc.); considerable, a considerable degree of” Tāde shēntǐ xiāngdāng hǎo. His health is quite good. kǎolǜ: “to consider; consideration” Wǒ yǐjīng kǎolǜguo le, tā háishi yīnggāi shàng dàxué. I have already given it consideration he should still go to college. dànshi: “but”, a synonym of kěshi. Wǒ yǐjīng qùguo le, dànshi wǒ méiyou kàndao ta. I already went there, but I didn't see her.

nánnǚ: “male and female”. Nānnǚde shìqing zuì nán shuō. Matters between men and women are the hardest to judge. yīngdāng: “should, ought to”. Yīngdāng is a less-frequently heard word for yīnggāi. These two words share in common the following meanings: “should” in the sense of obligation or duty. Zánmen shi tóngzhì, yīngdāng (or yīnggāi) bǐcǐ bāngmáng. We two are comrades, we should help each other. “ought to” in the sense of “it would be suitable to”. Wàitou lěng, nǐ yīnggāi (or yīngdāng) duō chuān yìdiǎnr. It's cold out, you should put on some more clothing. “should” in the sense of “it would be desirable to”. Nǐ yīnggāi (or yīngdāng) shìyishi, zhēn hǎo wánr. You should try this, it's fun. “should” in the sense of “it is expected”. Shídiǎn zhōng le, tā yīnggāi (or yīngdāng) kuài dào le. It's ten o'clock, he should be here soon. Tā xué Zhōngwén xuéle sānnián le, yīnggāi xuéde bú cuò le. He's been studying Chinese for three years, he should be pretty good by now. bǐjiào: “relatively, comparatively, by comparison”. Also pronounced bǐjiǎo. Jīntiān bǐjiào rè. It's hotter today. Zhèijiàn yīfu gǎile yǐhòu, bǐjiào hǎo yìdiǎnr. After this article of clothing is altered, it will be better. Zhèi liǎngtiān tā bǐjiào shūfu yìdiǎnr, bù zěnme fā shāo le. The past couple of days he's been feeling better, he doesn't have such a high fever any more. You may sometimes hear Chinese speakers use bǐjiào before other adverbial expressions like bú tài “not too”, bù zěnme “not so”, bú nàme “not so” or hen “very”. Careful speakers, however, feel that bǐjiào should not be used in such cases.

huì: “will; might; be likely to”. The auxiliary verb huì is used to express likelihood here. Míngtiān tā huì bu hui lái? Will he come tomorrow? Wǒ qù bǎ mén guānhǎo, nǐ huì bu hui juéde tài rè? If I go close the door, will you feel too hot? jiějué: “to solve, to settle (a problem), to overcome (a difficulty)”. Nǐ bú yao jí, qiǎnde wèntí yǐjīng jiějué le. Don't get anxious, the problem of money has already been solved.

A graduate student in Chinese studies talks with an exchange student from Peking.

...nánjia hái yào sòng xǔduō lǐwù ma?: In traditional China, the groom's family gave gifts to the bride's family to compensate for the loss of their daughter. (For the loss of the daughter might also entail a substantial loss of property and servants.) In Taiwan, it is still the man's family who in most cases pays for the wedding arrangements. In the PRC today, these customs no longer exist. Xiànzài Zhōngguo líhūnde duō bu duō?: Although allowed by law with the mutual consent of both parties, it is not easy to obtain a divorce in the PRC. With the exceptions of one party being either politically questionable or terminally ill, the majority of couples are asked to resolve their differences via study and group criticism. ...yǒu yìxiē fūfù bú zài yíge dìfang gōngzuò: Many couples still have to be split up in order for each to have work. (Jobs are arranged for and assigned by the local government.) This is, of course, a great hardship since it is improbable that either will be able to arrange a transfer of job to the other's work-place. The splits are arranged in order to increase rural population and provide labor for rural jobs. The partner left in the city, usually the woman, can go to the countryside to join her spouse, but rural life is so difficult that this is not likely. ...suǐràn měinián yǒu bànge yuède tànqīnjià: There are two types of leave for visiting one's family in the PRC. One is for unmarried children to return home to see their parents, the other is for couples who are assigned to different places for work. These trips are paid for by one's work unit (but communes have no family leave provisions). If the person on leave is working relatively near his home, he is allowed a fifteen day visit once per year and a worker who is located relatively far from home can take a thirty day visit once every two years.

bǐcǐ 彼此 each other, mutually; you too, the same to you bǐjiào (bījiǎo) 比较 relatively, comparatively; fairly, rather bú dàn 不但 not only bù shǎo 不少 quite a lot, quite a few chéng 成 to become, to constitute, to make chéngshì 城市 city dànshi 但是 but érqiě 而且 furthermore fēngqì 风气 common practice; general mood fēngsū 风俗 custom fūfù 夫妇 married couple, husband and wife gǎibiàn 改变 to change hé 和 with; and huì 会 might, to be likely to, will jiéhūn 结婚 (jiehūn) to get married jiějué 解决 to solve jingguò 经过 to go through, to pass by or through jìniàn 纪念 memento, memorial kǎolǜ 考虑 to consider; consideration kě 可 indeed, really kě bū shi ma! 可不是吗 I’ll say, yes indeed, that’s for sure liàn’ài 恋爱 to be romantically involved with; love liǎojiě (liáojie) 了解 to understand; understanding líhūn 离婚 to get divorced lǐwù (lǐwu) 礼物 gift, present nánjiā(r) 男家 the husband’s family nánnǚ 男女 male and female nénggòu 能够 can, to be able to niánqīng 年轻 to be young nóngcūn 女家 rural area, countryside nǚjiā(r) 女家 the wife’s family nǔlì 努力 to be hardworking, to be diligent; diligently, hard qīngnián 青年 youth, young person qīnqi 亲戚 relatives qūbié 区别 difference, distinction shíxíng 实行 to practice, to carry out (a method, policy, plan, ‘reform, etc.) shuāngfāng 双方 both sides, both parties sòng 送 to give (something as a gift) tànqīn 探亲 to visit relatives (usually means immediate family) tànqīnjià 探亲家 leave for visiting family tíchàng 提倡 to advocate, to promote, to initiate wǎnliàn wǎnhūn 晚恋晚婚 late involvement and late marriage xiāngdāng 相当 quite, pretty, very xǔduō 许多 many; a great deal (of), a lot (of) yīngdāng 应当 should, ought to yíshì 仪式 ceremony yìzhí 一直 all along, all the time (up until a certain point) zhèngfǔ 政府 government zhùdao 住到 to move to, to go live at zǒngshi 总是 always zuò 作，做 to serve as, to act as; as

xiáojie: “daughter”. You have seen xiáojie meaning “Miss” or ”young lady”. Here it is used to mean “daughter”. Note, however, that it is used only in referring to someone else's daughter, not in referring to one's own daughter(s). Tā yǒu jǐwèi xiáojie? How many daughters does he have? Nǐmen xiáojie zhēn piàoliang. Your daughter is really pretty. Xiáojie, meaning either “Miss” or “daughter”, is not in current usage in the PRC. dā xǐde rìzi: “wedding day”, literally “big joyful day”. Xǐ “to be glad, joyful”, is used in several expressions having to do with weddings. The character for xǐ is often used as a decoration. For weddings, two xǐ characters together are used as a decoration.

rén hěn lǎoshi: “he's very honest”. Rén, “person”, can he used to refer to a person's character. It can he used with a noun or pronoun before it, for example Tā rén hěn lǎoshi, literally “As for him, his person is very honest”. The wording Tā rén ... is often used to talk about the way someone truly is: Tā rén hěn ài bāngzhu bié rén. He (is the sort of person who) likes to help others. Liú Xiānsheng rén hěn tèbié, shénme shìqing dōu yào wèn yige wèishenme. Mr. Liú is a different sort of person, he has to ask “why” about everything. Tā rén hén kèqi. He's a very polite sort of person. Sometimes rén refers to a person's mental state of being: Wǒ hēde tài duō, rén hái yǒu diǎnr bu qīSngchu. I had too much to drink and I'm still a little foggy. Rén also sometimes refers to a person's physical self. This meaning is mostly used in situations where a contrast is implied, something like “And as for the person himself, ...”. For example: Wǒ yìzhí zhǐshi hé tā tōng diànhuà, jīntiān zǎoshang, cái dìyīcì jiàn miàn, tā rén fēicháng piàoliàng. All along I had only talked to her over the phone, but this morning I met her for the first time. She's very beautiful. Tāmen jiéhūn bu dào yíge yuè, xiānsheng jiù dào Jiāzhōu niàn shū qu le, rén zài Měiguo, xīn zài Tǎiwān, shū zěnme niàndehǎo ne? They hadn't even been married for one month when her husband went to California to go to school. He was in America, but his heart was in Taiwan, how could he possibly study well?

jiāowǎng: “to associate with, to have dealings with”, often said of boyfriend-girlfriend relationships. Wǒ hé tā méiyou shénme tèbiéde jiāowǎng. There's no special relationship between him and me. (Said by a daughter in explanation to her mother.) In the PRC jiāowǎng is not used this way; use rènshi, “to know (a person)” or jiāo péngyou, “to make friends” instead. In the PRC, you will hear jiāowǎng used in phrases such as lǐangguo rénmínde jiāowǎng, “the contact (association) between the peoples of these two countries”.

nánfāng: “the bridegroom's side”, a phrase which often refers to the bridegroom himself, and sometimes refers to the bridegroom's family, relatives, and friends collectively. Nánfāng, “the bridegroom's side”, happens to be a homonym of nánfāng, “the South”. Zhōngguo rén jiéhūnde shíhou, nánfāng dà qǐng kè. When Chinese get married, the groom's family hosts a big feast. Jiéhūn yǐqiǎn nánfāng nǚfāng bǐcǐ sòng lǐ. Before a marriage, the groom's side and the bride's side give each other gifts. [Nǚfāng means “the bride's side,” referring either to ”the bride” herself, or to “the bride's family, relatives, and friends collectively”.] shóu: “to be familiar with ...” Also pronounced shú. Shóu is used with hé for people and with duì for places. Wǒ hé tā hen shóu. I know him very well. Tā duì Tǎiběi hěn shóu. She knows Taipei very well. Shóu also means “to be cooked sufficiently” and “to be ripe”. zǎo: You've learned this as the verb “to be early”, now you see it used to mean “long ago”. Wǒ zǎo zhǐdào nǐ bù huílai. I knew long ago that you wouldn't come back. Wǒ zǎo tīngshuō le. I heard about it long ago. Zǎo is usually followed by jiù to stress the idea of “as early as that”. Wǒ zǎo jiù gàosu tā nèijiàn shì le. I told him that long ago. (Said to correct an impression that he didn't actually know it so early. ) Wǒ zǎo jiù xiǎng lái kàn ni, yìzhí méi shíjiān. I've been meaning to come see you for a long time, but I never had the time. tíqǐn: “to bring up a proposal of marriage” Traditionally, the man's parents would visit the parents of the woman they wished their son to marry in order to bring up the subject of marriage. The situation in Taiwan is changing rapidly today, but some marriages are still proposed in this way. More frequently, however, the children simply inform their parents of their own arrangement. dāying: “to agree (to something), to consent, to promise” Tā dǎying gěi wo nèijiàn dōngxi, zěnme tā xiànzài yòu bù gěi le? He agreed to give me that thing. How is that now he won't give it to me? Nǐ dāying ta le, dāngrán yīnggāi péi ta qù. You promised him, of course you should go with him. Nǐ dāying zuòde shì, yídìng yào zuòdào. You must do what you promise to do. Nǐ dāyinglede shì, wèishénme bú zuò? Why don't you do this thing that you have promised? Nǐ dāyingguode shì, jiù yīnggāi zuòdào. You ought to do things that you promise. Wǒ méi dāying gěi ni yíge hùzhào. I didn't promise to give you a passport. Dāyjng can also mean “to answer”. Tā jiào ni, nǐ zěnme méi dāying? He called you, how come you didn't answer?

tánlai tánqù: “to talk over”. Tánlai tánqù, yě bù néng jiějué zhèige wèntí. We discussed it for a long time, but still couldn't solve the problem. Tánlai tánqù, tánde hěn yǒu yìsi. It got very interesting, conversing back and forth. juédìng: “to decide”. Wǒ juédìng yào qù. I've decided that I'm going. Wǒ yǐjīng juédìng jiù zhènme bàn. I've already decided that it'll be this way. Wǒ hái méi juédìng gāi zěnme bàn. I haven't yet decided what should be done. Notice that when you want to say “I can't decide whether (to do something)” or “I haven't decided whether (to do something)”, the object of juédìng is a choice-type question. Wǒ hái méi juédìng qù bu qù. I haven't yet decided whether to go or not. Wǒ bù néng juédìng wǒ qù bu qù. I can't decide whether to go or not. Wǒ hěn nán juédìng ràng bu ràng ta qù. I'm having a hard time deciding whether to let him to or not. Wǒ shì bu shi gāi huíqu hěn nán juédìng. It's hard to decide whether or not I should go back. hòulái: “afterwards, later”. You have already learned another word which can be translated as “afterwards” or “later”: yǐhòu. Yǐhòu and hòulái are both nouns which express time. Here is a brief comparison of them. Yǐhòu can either follow another element, in which case it is 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 shuì jiào le. Afterwards, he went to sleep. Both yǐhòu and hòulái may be used to refer to the past. (For example, in the reference list sentence, yǐhòu may be substituted for hòulái. 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 cháng lái wán. In the future when you have the time, please come over more often. Wo yǐhòu zài gàosu ni. I'll tell you later on. Tāde háizi shuōle, yǐhòu tā yào gēn yíge Rìběn rén jiéhūn. His child said that someday, he wants to marry a Japanese. Usage Note: Yǐhòu has the meaning of “after that”. It can imply that some past event functions as a dividing point in time, as a sort of time boundary, and yǐhòu refers to the period from the end of that time boundary up to another point of reference (usually the time of speaking). In this usage 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. Ránhòu stresses the succession of one event upon the completion of a prior event. Wǒ shàngwū zhǐ yǒu liǎngjié kè, ránhòu jiù méi shì le, wǒmen kéyi chuqū wánr. I have only two classes in the morning, and after that I don't have anything else to do, so we can go out play. háishi: “in the end, after all” You have seen háishi meaning “still” that is, that something remains the same way as it was. Here háishi is used to mean that the speaker feels that, all things considered, something is the case after all. Háishi tā duì. He is right, after all.

jūxíng: “to hold (a meeting, banquet, celebration, ceremony, etc.)” For this example you need to know that diǎnlǐ means “ceremony”. Míngtiān jǔxíng bìyè diǎnlǐ. Tomorrow the graduation ceremony will be held.

hái: “even, (to go) so far as to” You have seen hái meaning “still” -as in Nǐ hái zài zhèr!, “You're still here!”. You've also seen hái meaning “also, additionally”, as in Wǒ hái yào mǎi yìpǐng qìshuǐ., “I also want to buy a bottle of soda.” Here you see hái meaning additionally in the sense of additional effort. The sentence Nǐmen hái sòng huār lái, hái expresses the speaker's feeling that sending flowers went beyond what was expected or necessary. zhēn shi tài xièxie le: “I really thank you so much.” You have seen tài used to mean “very, extremely”, as in Tài hǎo le!, “Wonderful!”. Notice that here it is used with xièxie.

A woman goes to visit her old friend and to present her with a gift for her daughter and future son-in-law.

Guǒbǐn Dàfàndiàn bù zhǐ shi dìfang piàoliang, nàlide cài yě tèbié hǎo. Traditional wedding foods included huāshēng, peanuts; liánzǐ, lotus seeds; and zǎozi, dates, all of which symbolize fertility in that shēng(zǐ) means “give birth to” (a son); liǎnzǐ sounds like part of the phrase liǎnshēng guìzǐ, “have sons consecutively”; and zǎozi sounds like part of zǎoshēng guìzǐ, “have an early son.” The wedding marked the beginning of that generation's carrying on of the family line. Today few adhere to these symbols and food is served according to family preference. Bú shi mǎide, shi Xiùyún zìjǐ zuòde: Wedding gowns in Taiwan these days are frequently hand-made or tailor-made, as tailoring is affordable and the quality of work surpasses that of ready-made items. Brides may wear two gowns: a white one for the ceremony (which may be in a church nowadays) and a traditional Chinese red one at the celebration.

xìn Jīdūjiào: “to believe in (Protestant) Christianity”. This is one way of saying “to be a (Protestant) Christian”.

xìn Fó: “to believe in Buddha”. This is one way of saying “to be a Buddhist”.

zài fǎyuàn: “in court” Zài is the verb “to be in, at, or on”, in other words “to be located (someplace)”. Zài must be followed by a place word or a place phrase. Just what is considered to be a place word or phrase may be difficult for the non-native speaker to figure out. Words which are not considered to be place words or phases must have a locational ending such as -li or -shang added to them. (Nǐ zài chēshang mǎi piào., “You buy the ticket on the bus.”) The names of institutions in Chinese are considered to be place words. The phrase “in court” does not need a locational ending, zài fǎyuàn. Here are some other words which can function as place words by themselves. Many of these end with syllables such as -shi (shǐ) “house, apartment”, -jú “office, shop”, -diàn “inn, shop”, -chǎng “field, open ground”, -tīng “hall, room”, -suǒ “place, room”, -jiān “house, rooms”, guǎn “public office, hall”. Jīntiān xiàwu zài bàngōngshì jiàn! See you at the office this afternoon! Zài běnshì yǒu wǔge yóuzhèngjú! There are five post offices in this city! Nǐ zài cáiféngdiàn zuòde ba? You must have had that made at a tailor's. Nǐ zài cāntīng kàndao ta le ma? Did you see him in the dining room? Other words which behave in a similar way are: càishichǎng market fùjìn area cèsuǒ toilet fúwùtái service desk dàfàndiàn hotel Gōngānjú Bureau of Public Security shāngdiàn store gōngsī company dàlou building gōngyù apartment dàshiguǎn embassy gōngyuǎn park dìqū region huìkèshì reception room fàndiàn restaurant huǒchēzhàn railroad station fàngjiān room jǐngchájú police station fànguǎnzi restaurant kāfēitīng coffeehouse fàntīng dining room lǎojiā hometown fēijichǎng airport and many more... including proper names of Restaurants, buildings, associations, organizations, etc. gōngzhèng: “notarization, government witness”. A gōngzhèng rén is a notary public.

rù xí: “to take one's seat at a banquet”, literally “to enter the mat(ted area)”. Wǒmen kuài diǎnr zhǔnbèi, tāmen liùdiǎn zhōng jiù yào rù xí le. Let's get ready a little faster, the banquet starts at 6:00.

fùzá: “to be complicated, to be complex”. Questions, problems, or situations can be fùzá if there are many pieces or factors figuring into the problem. It is also possible to use fùzá to imply that the situation is messy, problem-ridden. Tāmen jiāde qíngkuàng tài fùzá, wǒ gǎobuqīngchu. Their family situation is too complicated, I can't make heads or tails of it. (This sentence has an ambiguity in both languages.) Zhèige wèntí tài fùzá, hěn nán shuōqīngchu. This question is so complicated, it's very hard to explain it clearly. Zhèige jùzi tài fùzá, zuì hǎo bú zhèiyangr xiě. This sentence is too complicated, it would be best not to write it this way. Fùzá can also be used in a complimentary way. (For this example you need to know that sìxiǎng means “thinking, thought”.) Tāde sìxiǎng hěn fùzá. His thinking is very complex. This sentence might be said of an Einstein. The opposite of fùzá in this case would, be jiǎndān “to be simple”, as in “simple-minded”. Fùzá is also pronounced fǔzā.

yìjiàn: “idea, view, opinion, suggestion”. Gāngcái tā tánle duì zhèiběn shūde yìjian, wǒ juéde duì wǒmen hěn yǒu bāngzhu. He just told us his opinions on this book, and I feel that they're really helpful to us. Wǒ hěn xiǎng zhīdào, zài zhèige wèntíshang, Zhōngguo zhèngfǔde yìjian shi shénme? I'd very much like to know what the Chinese government's view is on this question. Wǒ xiāng xiān qù Shànghǎi, zài dào Wǔhàn, nǐde yìjian zěnmeyang? I'd like to go to Shànghǎi first and then to Wǔhàn, what's your opinion? Wǒde yìjian shi xiān qù Wǔhàn, zài dào Shànghǎi qu. Yīnwei zài guò yíge yuè, Wǔhàn fēicháng rèle. My opinion is to first go to Wǔhàn, then to Shànghǎi, because after a month, Wǔhàn will be extremely hot.

zhènghūn: “to witness a marriage”. Witnesses formerly were persons of good reputation and venerable old age. Today, familiarity is most important. The witness makes a brief speech during the ceremony and stamps the marriage certificate with his name seal. He receives no remuneration for this service, but is honored to have been asked.

dù mìyuè: “to spend one's honeymoon”. Dù is the verb “to spend, to pass” (something which is an amount of time, like a holiday). Mìyuè is literally “honey-moon”. huímén: “the bride's first visit to her own family on the third day after the wedding”, literally “return to the door”. When the newlyweds return home for this first visit, the family of the bride is given a chance to entertain the couple. More friends and relatives are invited and introduced to them. (It is the groom's family which arranges the marriage ceremony.)

xǐjiǔ: “wedding banquet”. Notice that in the Reference List sentence the phrase lái chī xǐjiǔ is translated as “to come to the wedding banquet”. A more literal translation might be “come to eat a wedding feast!”. The verb chī could also be rendered into English by “attend” or “take part”, as in “Be sure to come take part in the wedding banquet the day after tomorrow”.

hūnlǐshàng: “at the wedding”. Notice that in English you say “at the wedding” while in Chinese you say hūnlǐshàng, literally “on the wedding”. -Shàng would also be the locative ending to use for “at the meeting” (huìshàng). jièshaorén: “introducer”. This is one person in the cast of people who play a part in getting two people together in marriage. Originally, the “introducer” functioned in much the same way as match-makers - finding a good mate for a friend or relative. Today, most young people find their own mates. The “introducer”, however, still have a ceremonial function. They accompany the bride and groom during the ceremony (one for the bride and one for the groom). zuò méi: “to act as the go-between for two families whose children are to be married”. This person arranged the details of the match. He acted as a go-between for the families of the bride and groom, settling points which were usually of a financial nature. Often the zuò méide was also the jièshaorén. Traditionally, the go-between was an older woman who made a profession of it. She was paid for her services in money if the family was wealthy or in the best pork legs if they were poor. Today any adult can act as the go-between, although the practice is becoming less and less common. During the wedding ceremony, the go-between places his stamp on the wedding certificate. Wo gěi ni zuò méi, hǎo bu hǎo? I'll act as go-between for you, all right? Zhāng Tàitai qǐng wo tǐ tāde nǚér zuò méi. Mrs. Chang asked me to act as go- between for her daughter.

júzhǎng: “head of an office or bureau”. Júzhǎng is only used when the Chinese name of the office or bureau ends with the syllable -jú, as in yóuzhèngjú, “post office”. You've also seen bùzhǎng, “minister of a bureau” and kēzhǎng, “section chief”. duōnián: “many years”. Here are some examples: Wǒmen duōnián bú jiàn le. We haven't seen each other for many years. Wǒmen zài yìqǐ gōngzuòle duōnián le. We've been working together for many years. Wǒ zhù zài zhèr duōnián le, kěshi méi tīngshuōguo zhèige rén. I've been living here for many years, but I've never heard of this person.

tándao: “to talk about, to speak of”. This is used to refer to something that was just brought up in conversation. You have seen dào used as a main verb meaning “to go to, to arrive at”, and as a prepositional verb meaning “to towards”. Now you see that dào is also used as a verb ending. Literally, it means “to, up to”, but its translation into English sometimes changes, depending on the meaning of the verb it is used with. When used with tán, “to talk, to chat”, -dào can be translated as “about” or “of”. Here are some other examples of -dào used with verbs you've already studied: Wǒmen gāngcái hái shuōdao nǐ, nǐ jiù lái le. We were even talking of you Just now, and here you are! Jīntiān nǐ gēn ta jiǎngdao wo méiyou? Did you talk about me with him today? Wǒ chángchang xiǎngdao wǒde háizi. I often think of my child. Notice that in the Reference List sentence, tándao is used at the beginning of the sentence to introduce a topic, like we use “speaking of ...” in English. Here are some other examples: Tándao jiéhūnde shì, wǒ hái děi xiǎngyixiang. When it comes to talking about marriage, I have to think it over. Tándao zěnme xiě Zhōngguo zì, tā bǐ wǒ zhīdaode duō. When we talk about writing Chinese characters, he knows a lot more than I do. yě: “really, after all”. You have seen yě meaning “too, also. Another common meaning of yě is “(even though) ... nevertheless, still”. For example: Wǒ suīrán shi Zhōngguorén wǒ yě huì shuō yìdiǎn Yǐngwén. Although I am Chinese, I can still speak a little English. A: Zhèige diànyǐng zěnmeyàng? How was the movie? B: Bú shi hěn hǎo, dànshi yě hái kéyi. It wasn't great, but it was pretty good nevertheless. Wǒ suīrán méi dàoguo Tiān Men, yě zài diànshìshang Ān kànjianguo. Although I've never been to Tian An Men, I've seen it on television. In addition, yě often is used to contrast the thought expressed in the sentence with another thought. This meaning can be paraphrased something like this: “in spite of anything which might be believed to the contrary, indeed what I am saying is true.” Sometimes, however, yě is used when there is not much to contrast it with, and means little more than “we really ought to agree that what I am saying is true.” There are many different possible ways to translate this yě into English. The following examples are meant to show some of its range of meaning and some of its possible translations. Xiànzài shíyīdiǎn bàn le, wǒ yě yào shàng kè le, wǒmende wèntí míngtiān zài tán ba! It's eleven-thirty. I really have to be going to class. Let's talk about our question tomorrow, okay? Zhōngguo rénkǒu tài duō, zhèngfǔ tíchàng wǎnliàn wǎnhūn yě shi yīnggāide. The population of China is too large, it really is right for the government to promote late marriage and late involvement. Tāmen wèishénme yào líhūn, wǒ yě bù zhīdào. Why they wanted to get a divorce, I really don't know. A: Nǐ zěnme hái méi bǎ zhèxiē yīfu xǐwán? How come you still haven't finished washing these clothes? B: Wǒ yě bú shi nǐde yòngren, báitiān wǒ yě shàng bān, wǒ méiyou zhènme duō shíjiān. I'm not your servant, after all; I work during the day too, and I don't have all that much time. Nǐ xiànzài yě gāi míngbai le ba? Now you (really) ought to understand, don't you? Wǒmen liǎngge rènshi yě yǒu jǐnián le, nǐ yīnggāi liǎojiě wo. We have known each other for several years, after all; you ought to understand me.

...liǎngge háizi yào dào fǎyuàn gōngzhèng jiéhūn: Traditional wedding ceremonies were held at home or in ancestral halls (not in temples or pagodas). Modern ones are likely to be held in hotels or restaurants, as there is more room and food is then easier to prepare. Tāmen jìhua yào dào Ālǐ Shān qù: Ālǐ Shān and Rìyuè Tán (Sun-Moon Lake) are the two most popular honeymoon spots on Taiwan. An average honeymoon stay might last one week.

ài 唉 (sound of sighing) dàxǐ 大喜 great rejoicing dàxǐde rìzi 大喜的日子 wedding day dāying 答应 to agree (to something), to consent, to promise dù 度 to pass dù mìyuè 度蜜月 to go on a honeymoon, to spend one's honeymoon duōnián 多年 many years fǎyuàn 法院 court of law Fó 佛 Buddha fùzá (fǔzá) 复杂 to be complicated gōngzhèng jiēhūn 公证结婚 civil marriage hái 还 even, (to go) so far as to háishi 还是 after all hòulái 后来 later, afterwards húi mén 回门 the return of the bride to her parents' home (usually on the third day after the wedding) hūnlǐ 婚礼 wedding jiàotáng 教堂 church jiāowǎng 交往 to associate with, to have dealings with jīdūjiào 基督教 Christianity jiēhūn lǐfú 结婚礼服 wedding gown (dress) jièshaorén 介绍人 introducer juédìng 决定 to decide jǔxíng 举行 to hold (a meeting, ceremony, etc.) júzhǎng 局长 head of an office or bureau (of which the last syllable is jú) ...-lái...-qù 。。。-来。。。-去 (indicates repeating the action over and over again) lǎoshi (lǎoshí) 老实 to be honest mǎnyì 满意 to be pleased mìyuè 蜜月 honeymoon nánfāng 男方 the groom's side, the groom's family nēnggàn 能干 to be capable rén 人 person, self, body rù xí 入席 to take one’s seat (at a gathering, meeting, or banquet) shàngjìn 上进 to be ambitious shú 熟 to be familiar (with), to know well tándao 谈到 to talk about; speaking of ... tánlai tánqù to talk back and forth tíqīn 提亲 to bring up a proposal of marriage xiǎojiě (xiáojie) 小姐 daughter (referring to someone else’s daughter) xījiù 喜酒 wedding banquet; wedding wine xìn 信 to believe (in) xìn Fó 信佛 to be a Buddhist xīnláng 新郎 bridegroom xīnniáng 新娘 bride yě 也 indeed, in fact, admittedly yìjian 意见 opinion záo 早 long ago zhènghūn 征婚 to witness a marriage zhènghūnrén 征婚人 chief witness at a wedding ceremony zū 租 to rent zuò méi 做媒 to act as go-between (for the families of a man and woman considering marriage) càishichǎng 菜市场 market cèsuǒ 厕所 toilet dàfàndiàn 大饭店 hotel shāngdiàn 商店 store dàlou 大楼 building dàshiguǎn 大使馆 embassy dìqū 地区 region fàndiàn 饭店 restaurant fàngjiān 房间 room fànguǎnzi 饭馆子 restaurant fàntīng 饭厅 dining room fēijichǎng 飞机场 airport fùjìn 附近 area fúwùtái 服务台 service desk Gōngānjú 公安局 Bureau of Public Security gōngsī 公司 company gōngyù 公寓 apartment gōngyuǎn 公园 park huìkèshì 会客室 reception room huǒchēzhàn 火车站 railroad station jǐngchájú 警察局 police station kāfēitīng 咖啡厅 coffeehouse lǎojiā 老家 hometown

kòngzhi: “to control; control”. This can also he translated as “to dominate; to command”. Zhèige fǎngjiānde wēndù kòngzhude hù hǎo, yìhuǐr lěng, yìhuǐr rè. The temperature in this room isn't well regulated. It's cold one minute and hot the next. Shíjiān méi bànfa kòngzhi, shéi yě bànbudao. There is no way to control time; no one can do it. Tāde bìng yǐjīng kòngzhizhù le, yěxǔ jǐtiān yǐhòu, tā huì hǎoqilai. His illness is under control now; maybe in another few days he will start to get better. Yǒu yìxiē rén kòngzhile zhèijià fēijī, hú ràng ta qǐfēi. Some people have taken control of this airplane and won't let it take off. chénggōng: “to succeed; to be successful“. Zhèihěn shū chénggōng le. This hook was a success. Zhèihěn shū xiěde hěn chénggōng. His hook was written very successfully, (i.e., His hook came off very well.) Zhèige tāng chénggōng le, dàjiā dōu ài chī. This soup is a success, everyone loves it. Zhǐ yào nǐ nǔlì, nǐde shìqing yídìng néng chénggōng. So long as you work hard at it, your effort is sure to succeed.

zuòdào: “to achieve, to make (a goal)”. In Unit 2, Part II, you saw tándao “to talk about, to speak of”, with the ending -dào meaning literally “to, up to”. Here you see -dào used as an ending after the verb zuò “to make”. You may think of -dào in zuòdào as conveying the meaning of reaching a goal. Zhèijiān shi, wǒ yǐjīng zuòdào le. I have already succeeded in doing this. Nǐ shuōguo, zuótiān nǐ yào qù, nǐ zuòdào le ma? You said that you wanted to go yesterday. Did you do so? sān tōngguò: “the three approvals”. The “three approvals” have ”been in effect since 1973/74. At that time, the minimum marriage age was pushed upward, but most recently it has been relaxed to ages twenty-five for males and twenty-three for females. Most couples must still wait a number of years before they can have a child. The sāntōngguò guīdìng for city residents effectively means that, without these three approvals for a child, a pregnancy must end in abortion or else the child will have to live without food rations. (A government slogan is Yíge zuì hǎo, liǎngge gòule, “One is best, two is enough.”) Applications to have children are reviewed and permission granted or denied by one's work unit, based on the total allowable city quota. A third child is strongly discouraged and life would be very difficult for it should it be born. Special gifts, privileges, and awards are given to one-child families. In the countryside, one can find four to six children in a household, but they of course could not easily move to the city.

yě jiùshi shuō: “to mean; in other words, that is to say”. Jìhuà shēngyù yě jiùshi shuō yào yǒu jìhuade shēng xiǎoháir. Planned parenthood means having children in a planned way. “Hébì” yě jiùshi shuō “wèishénme xūyào”. “Hébì” means “why must”. Tā bù néng zài shēng xiǎoháizi, yě jiùshi shuō wǒmen juéde tā zhìbuhǎo le. She can't have children any more; that is to say, we feel that she cannot be cured. Tā bù gěi ni dǎ diànhuà hǎoxiàng yě jiùshi shuō tā bù xīhuan ni. The fact that he doesn't telephone you would seem to imply that he doesn't like you. Dàifu shuō tā bù néng chī ròu, yě jiùshi shuō chi ròu duì tāde shēntǐ bù hǎo. The doctor said that he couldn't eat meat, in other words, eating meat isn't good for his health. When what follows is a more pointed explanation of what has just been said, jiùshi shuō can be used in place of yě jiùshi shuō, e.g. Tā bù kéyi shēng háizi, jiùshi shuō tā hái méiyou zuòdao sān tōngguò. She cannot have a child; that is to say, she has not yet gotten the three approvals. tóngyì: “consent, agreement; to agree, to agree with (what someone says or thinks)”. A: Tóngyì bu tongyì? Do you agree? B: Wǒ bù tóngyì. I don't agree. Wǒ bù tóngyì nǐde huà. I don't agree with what you say. Although in English we can say “I agree with you”, in Chinese it is wrong to say either Wǒ gēn nǐ tóngyì or Wǒ tóngyì ni. Tóngyì can be used in two ways: without an object, or with an object like tā shuōde “what he said”, tāde huà “what he said”, tāde jìhua “his plan”, tāde yìjian “his opinion”. If you want to say “I don't agree with you”, you can say Wǒ bù tóngyì, Nǐ shuōde, wǒ bù tóngyì, Wǒ bù tóngyì nǐde huà, Wǒ bù tóngyì nǐde yìjian, etc.

dānwèi: W(work) unit”. This word is used in the PRC as a cover term for any organization or department of an organization. It may, for instance refer to a factory, a school, a government organization, a store, or an army unit. Nǐ zài něige dānwèi gōngzuò? is a common way of asking where someone works; compared with Nǐ zài nǎr gōngzuò?, the question Nǐ zài něige dānwèi gōngzuò? sounds more official. Wǒmen dānwèi yǒu hěn duō nǚ lāoshī. There are a lot of women teachers in our unit. (Here, dānwèi refers to a school. ) To specify that you are talking about a place of work, you can say gōngzuò dānwèi, as in the Reference List sentence. jūmín wěiyuánhuì: “neighborhood committee”. The official duties of a neighborhood committee are diverse, ranging from sanitation maintenance to political study. Its actual role and duty remain ambiguous, as well as its relationship with the government. Although the government pays a committee's elected delegates, there is no official connection between the two. The power of the committee in local affairs remains large. pàichūsuǒ: “local police station”. The local police station is the lowest level of the Bureau of Public Security. In addition to taking care of matters of a criminal nature, the pàichūsuǒ is familiar with the history and political situation of every one of its residents. Along with the gōngzuò dānwèi and the jūmín wěiyuánhuì, it affects the daily life of each citizen.

gēnju: “according to, on the basis of; basis”. Nǐ gēnju shénme shuō zhèige huà? On what basis do you say this? Nǐ shuōde huà yǒu méiyou gēnju? Is there a basis for what you're saying? pīzhǔn: “to give official permission (to someone to do something)”. Dānwèi pīzhǔn ta jiēhūn le. Her unit gave her permission to marry. Xuéxiào pīzhǔn ta qù Shànghǎi le. His school gave him permission to go to Shanghai. Wǒ mǎi zhèige diànshì shi dédao pīzhǔnde. I got permission to buy this television. fùnǚmen: “women”. -Men is a plural ending for nouns and pronouns. You have seen it in the pronouns women, zánmen, nǐmen, and tāmen. After a noun, however, -men is never obligatory. It is usually used with nouns which designate humans (although in literature you may sometimes see it used with nouns referring to animals as well). Nǚshimen, xiānshengmen. Ladies and gentlemen. Note that the group referred to by a noun phrase with -men must be of unspecified number; it is wrong to say liàngge fùnǚmen or sānge jiàoshòumen, etc.

gègè: “each and every, all of the various”. The first gè (a specifier like zhèi-) literally means “each...” or “the various, the different...”. The second ge is the counter ge, as in yíge rén “one person”. Jiǔyuèli, gègè xuéxiào dōu kāi xué le. In September all the schools open. Měiguode gègè zhōu dōu yǒu zíjǐde zhèngfǔ. Each of the American states has its government. zēngjiā: “to increase; to increase by (such-and-such an amount)”. Jīnnián wǒmen xuéxiàode xuéshēng zēngjiā le. The students in our school increased this year. Zhèige yīyuànde bìngrén bù néng zài zēngjiā le. The patients in this hospital cannot increase any further. Zhèijǐtiān nǐ máng bu máng, zài gěi ni zēngjiā yìdiǎnr gōngzuò, hǎo bu hāo? Have you been busy the past few days? Would it be okay if I give you some more work to do? Wǒmen dānwèi yòu zēngjiāle liǎngge bàngōngshì. They added two more offices on to our unit. yídìng: “specific, certain, definite, set”. In addition to the meaning of yídìng which you already know, namely “certainly, surely”, it can also mean “set (by regulation, decision, or convention), fixed, particular,” as in: Tā bàn shìqing yǒu yídìng bànfa. He goes about doing things with a definite method. Měiniān zài yídìngde rìzi, tā dōu huíqu kàn māma. Every year he goes back to see his mother on a set date.

shìqū: “city proper, municipal area”, the area within a chěngshì where population and buildings are relatively concentrated. Shìqū is used when you are emphasizing the city proper or contrasting it to the suburbs [jiāoqū]. It is an administratively more exact term than chěngshì. [The Peking municipal area, Běijīng shìqū, is made up of eight urban districts, chéngqū.] chūshēnglü: “birth rate”. Chūshēng means “to be born”. The chūshēnglü is usually considered to be the number of births per one thousand population in one year.

fēnpèi: “distribute; allot; assign; distribution”. Wǒ tīngshuō xiàge yuè jiù kéyi gěi ni fēnpei gōngzuò. I've heard that you'll be assigned work next month. Wǒ xīwang néng zǎo yìdiān fēnpèidào fángzi. I hope that housing can be assigned soon. Tīngshuō tā fēnpèi dào Dōngběi qù gōngzuò le. I've heard that he has been assigned to go work in Manchuria. míng'é: “the number of people assigned or allowed; quota of people”. Míng'é does not exactly correspond to “quota”. “Quota” is a fixed number of places which must be filled. Míng'é is (1) a fixed number of places which must not be exceeded, or (2) one such place. Bābǎige míng'é is literally “800 name given-numbers”, i.e. “a quota of 800 names.”

bìyùn: Literally, “avoid-pregnancy”, i.e. “contraception”. Shíxíng bìyùn “to carry out (the government policy of encouraging) contraception, to practice birth control”.

miǎnfèide: Literally “exempt from charge”, i.e. “free (of charge)” Zhèige zhǎnlǎn kéyi miǎnfèi cānguān. You can visit this exhibit for free. Sānyuè Báhào, fùnǚ hé háizi dào gōngyuán qù dōu shi miǎnfēide. On March 8th, women and children can go to parks free of charge. Lüxíng bù piányi a! Fēijīpiào kě bú shi miǎnfèide. Travelling is not cheap. Plane tickets are certainly not free!

dédao: “to receive, to get”. Tā dédao hùzhào yǐhòu mǎshàng jiù zōu le. He left immediately after getting his passport. Tā dédao pīzhǔn kéyi liúzai Běijīng gōngzuò. He has gotten permission to stay in Peking to work. yìjiān xīn fángzi: “a new room”. Notice that although you have seen fāngzi meaning “house”, it is being used here in the wider sense of “a place to live”. In this phrase it is preceded by the counter for rooms of a house, jiān. Thus the whole phrase means “a new room”, not “a new house”. Living quarters in Peking and many other Chinese cities are very scarce. (Housing in Shanghai is more critical than Peking.) When a newly married couple applies for housing, they will be assigned a room that does not exceed 8-10 square meters. Rarely do living quarters have private baths, toilets, or kitchens. Later, when children come along, they will continue to live in the same size room.

A Canadian tourist talks with her guide:

chǎnjià: “maternity leave”. The syllable chǎn, literally “to give birth to” is used in compounds meaning “maternity, delivery, birth”. It can also be used outside the context of human reproduction in compounds meaning “to produce, production”, as in chǎnpǐn “product”.] gōngzī: “wages, pay”, literally “labor-capital”. ...yǒu chānjià, hái yǒu gōngzi: For a normal birth, a woman is given fifty-six days of paid leave; for a difficult birth, seventy days; and for twins, ninety days after the birth. After this period, one hour per day is allowed off in order to nurse the baby.

gèzhōng: “various kinds, every kind”. Gè “each” is a specifier like zhèi- “this” or nèi- “that”. As a specifier, it can be followed by counters. Here you see gè- used with the counter -zhǒng “types, kinds, sort, species”. Here are some other ways gè- is used: Tā néng dào gèguō qù lǚxíng zhēn bú cuò. It's great that he can go to all sorts of countries. Xuéshengmen yīnggāi yǒu gèrénde xuéxi jìhua. Students should each have their own plan of study. Míngtiānde diànyǐngr piào gègè dānwèi dōu you. Each and every unit has movie tickets for tomorrow. Sometimes gè- is followed directly by the noun. Jīntiān xiàwu gè dānwèi dōu kāi huì. This afternoon every unit is having a meeting. bìyùn gōngju: “contraceptive devices”. This does not refer to birth control pills. [Bìyùnpǐn “birth control products” includes both bìyùnyào “birth control pills” and bìyùn gōngjù.] jìhuà shēngyù: “family planning, planned parenthood”. Jìhuà means “plan; to plan”. Shēngyù literally means “to give birth to and raise”.

juéyù: “sterilization,” or “to sterilize, to be sterilized,” applies to operations for men and women. Sterilization for women is still much more common than for men; and more prevalent in the cities than in the countryside. Tā juédìng juéyù. He has decided on sterilization. Juéyù shi jiějué Zhōngguo rénkōu wèntíde yíge hāo bànfa. Sterilization is one good way to solve China's population problem. shǒushù: “surgery”. Dàifu gěi ta zuòde shǒushù hěn chénggōng. The surgery the doctor performed on him was very successful.

shībài: “to fail”. Tā zuò mǎimai shībài le. He failed in business. Nǐ gēnju shénme shuō tā shībài le? On what basis do you say that he failed? réngōng liúchǎn: “abortion”, more literally, “artificial miscarriage”. dào yīyuàn qu zuò réngōng liúchǎn: “go to the hospital to have an abortion performed”. Zuò réngōng liúchǎn here means “to have an abortion done”, not of course “to do an abortion”. Compare the following two sentences: Yīshēng gěi ta zuòle réngōng liúchǎn. The doctor performed an abortion on her. Tā zuòle réngōng liúchǎn. She had an abortion. In the first sentence, the subject of the sentence (yīshēng) performed the abortion. In the second sentence, the subject of the sentence (tā) had the abortion performed. In some cases, a verb-object in Chinese can mean either “to do something” or “to have something done”. Here are some more examples: Zhènme hǎode yīfu, shéi gěi nǐ zuòde? Who made such nice clothes for you? Zài Měiguo zuò yīfu hěn guì. It's really expensive to have clothes made in America. jià: “leave, vacation”. You have seen this as part of the word chǎnjià “maternity leave”. Here you see it used by itself.

shǎoshù mínzú: “minority nationalities”, often translated as “national minorities”. Besides the Han people, China has over fifty national minorities which are spread out over fifty to sixty percent of the land area and make up six percent of the total population of the country. The largest minorities are the Mongols (mostly in the Nèi Měnggú Zìzhìqū, “Inner Mongolian Autonomous Region”), the Hui (Chinese Muslims), Tibetans, Uighur (in the Xīnjiāng Wéiwúěr Zìzhìqū, “Xinxiang Uighur Autonomous Region”), and the Miao (found in several southern provinces). Shǎoshù mínzúde yīfu dōu hěn hǎo kàn. The clothing of the national minorities is very beautiful. Zhōngguo yǒu wǔshijǐge shǎoshùmínzú. China has fifty-odd minority nationalities.

xiāngxìn: “to believe (that), to trust (someone), to believe in, to have faith in”. Wǒ xiāngxìn, wǒmen liǎngguó rénmínde yǒuyì yídìng huì búduàn fāzhǎn. I believe that the friendship between the people of our two countries will constantly grow. Compare xiāngxìn to the verb xìn, which you learned in the last unit. For the second example you need to know yóu is a verb meaning “it's up to...”. Bié xìn tāde huà. Don't believe what he says. Xìn bu xìn yóu nǐ. Believe it or not, as you like. hōngtáng: “brown sugar”, literally “red sugar”. The Chinese often use brown sugar in cooking and for medicinal purposes. For example, a common remedy for colds is a hot drink made by boiling ginger root and brown sugar in water [jiāngtāng], or simply brown sugar water [tángshuǐ]. chǎnfù: “a woman who has given birth within the last month”. [Contrast this word with yùnfù “a pregnant woman”. The birth of a child is celebrated on the successful completion of the first month of life. yíngyǎngpǐn: “a nutritional food item”. Yíngyǎng means “nutrition”, for example: Dòujiāng hěn yǒu yíngyǎng. Soy bean milk is very nutritious. -Pǐn is a syllable used in many words to mean “item, article, product”, [for example jìniànpǐn “souvenir”, yòngpǐn “item of use”, chǎnpǐn “produce”, gōngyèpǐn “industrial product”]. As the Reference List sentence shows, the mother's health continues to be an important consideration even after the child is born. Both mother's and baby's health are carefully attended to after birth, while Western medicine emphasizes the mother's health only as long as she is carrying the child.

bù tóng: “to be not the same, to be different”. This is often used in the pattern ...hé ... bù tóng, “...is different from ...”. Hùzhào hé lǚxíngzhèng wánquán bù tóng, nǐ bú yào nòngcuò le. A passport and a travel permit are completely different. Don't mistake them. Zhèige gōngchǎng jīnnián hé qùniánde qíngkuàng hěn bù tóng. The situation in the factory this year is very different from last year. Bù tóng can also be used as a noun as in Tāde dānwèi hé nǐde yǒu hěn dàde bù tong. There is a big difference between his work unit and yours. You should be aware that tóng “same”, cannot be used as the main verb of a sentence to mean “to be the same”. To say, “These two things are the same”, you must say Zhèiliǎngge dōngxi shi yíyàngde. qīnjìn: “to be close (to), to be on intimate terms (with)”. Zhèiliǎngge rén hěn qīnjìn. These two are on intimate terms. Dàjiā dōu yuànyi qīnjìn ta. Everyone wants to be friends with him.

shǒuxiān: “first (of all), in the first place, first; first, before anyone/anything else”. Jīntiān dàjiā kāi huì shōuxiān shi yào jiějué wǒmen chǎng shēngchǎnshàngde wèntí. The first thing we want to do at today's meeting is to solve our factory's problems in production. Zài fàndiànli shōuxiān yào zhùyi jiějuéhāo kèrenmende chī fàn hé xiūxi wèntí. A hotel must first of all pay attention to solving the dining and rest problems of the guests. Zuìjìn wàiguo péngyou hěn duō. Wǒmen shōuxiān yào jiějué zhùde wèntí. Recently there have been many foreign friends. We must first of all solve the lodging problems. xiānhuā: “fresh flowers”, as opposed ed to dried or artificial flowers, which the Chinese are also fond of. wánjù: “(children's) toy”. Míngtiān érzi guò shēngrì, gěi ta mǎi ge wánjù. Tomorrow is let's buy our boy's birthday, him a toy.

gèdì: “each place; various places” Here you see the specifier -gè “each” used in another compound. Here are some more examples: Wǒ hěn xiang dào Měiguo gèdì qù kànyikàn, Měiguo shi ge wěidàde guójiā. I'd very much like to go visit lots of places in America. America is a great country. Zài Zhōngguo gèdì cānguān yǒulānle sānge xīngqi, wǒ gāi huí guǒ le. I've visited and sight-seen lots of places in China for three weeks, it's time to go back home.

A Canadian student in Peking interviews a population control worker:

Rénmen shēng háizide shíhou, qīnqi péngyou sòng bu sòng lǐwù?: As stated in the dialogue, friends and relatives in the PRC give useful items for the baby, like clothes, hats, cups, or perhaps a chicken for the mother. These are presented casually.

bìyùn 避孕 contraception bù tong 不同 to be different chǎnfù 产妇 a woman who has given birth within the last month chǎnjià 产假 maternity leave chénggōng 成功 to succeed, to be successful chūshēnglü 出生率 birth rate dānwèi 单位 unit -dào 到 indicates successful accomplishment of something dédao 得到 to receive, to get fēnpèi 分配 to assign, to apportion, to allot gèdì 各地 the various places, each place gègè 各个 various gēnjù (gēnju) 根据 according to, based on gèzhǒng 各种 various kinds, types gōngzī 工资 wages, pay hóngtáng 红糖 brown sugar jià 假 vacation, leave jiātíng 家庭 family jìhua shēngyù 计划生育 planned parenthood, family planning juéyù 绝育 sterilization jūmín wěiyuánhuì 居民委员会 neighborhood committee kòngzhi 控制 to control -men -们 plural suffix miǎnfèi 免费 to be free of charge ming’é 名额 the number of people assigned or allowed, quota (of people) nóngmín 农民 peasant nǚ 女 female pàichūsuǒ(r) 派出所儿 the local police station pīzhǔn 批准 to give official permission qíngkuàng 情况 situation qīnjìn 亲近 to be close (to a person) réngōng liúchǎn 人工流产 abortion sān tōngguò 三通过 “the three approvals” shǎoshù mínzú 少数民族 minority nationality, national minority shēngyù 生育 to give birth to and raise shībài 失败 to fail shìqū 市区 urban area or district shōushù 手术 operation, surgery shōuxiān 首先 first shùmu 数目 number tongguò 通过 to pass, to approve tóngyì 同意 to consent, to agree wánjù 玩具 toy xiāngxìn 相信 to believe xiānhuā 鲜花 fresh flowers xiǎoháir 小孩儿 child, children yě jiù shi shuō 也就是说 to mean; in other words yìbān 一般 ordinary, general, common yìbānde shuō 一般地说 generally speaking yídìng 一定 to be specific yíngyǎngpǐn 营养品 food items of special nutritional value zengjiā 增加 to increase

fúqi: “blessings, good fortune, luck”. Wǒ hěn yǒu fúqi, érzi bāng wo bù shǎo máng. I'm very fortunate, my son helps me a lot. Nǐ zhēn méi fúqi, gāng chū mén jiù xià yǔ le. You really have bad luck. You just leave on a trip and then it rains.

xífu: “daughter-in-law, son's wife”. Tā xífu hǎo piàoliang! Her daughter-in-law is so beautiful! Wǒ xífu gōngzuò mángjíle. My daughter-in-law is very busy. tóu-: “first”, (literally “head”) as in tóuyitiān, “the first day”. Tóu- is used much like dì-: before a number and a counter, which may or may not be followed by a noun. tóuyicì the first time tóuyige rén the first person tóuliǎngge rén the first two people tóusānběn the first three volumes In tóuyige, tóu- is stressed and yi is in the neutral tone. Also notice that the word for “two” is liǎng- (not èr as is usually the case when a counter follows). Now here is a comparison of tóu- and dì-: Tóuyige rén and dìyíge rén are both translated as “the first person” and tóuyige is for the most part interchangeable with dìyíge. Although the yī in tóuyige is unstressed and written without a tone mark over it, the yī in dìyíge is stressed and said with a second tone (or sometimes with a first tone). The word for “two” is liǎng after tóu-, but èr after dì-. Dìèrge means “the second one”, while tóuliāngge means “the first two”. Tóu- must be used with a counter, but dì- can be used with just a number after it. Here are some examples of dì- used with a number but no counter after it: Wǒ yào mǎi zhège dōngxi. Dìyī, zuòde hěn hāo; dìèr, hěn piányi. I'm going to buy this. First, it's very well made; second, it's inexpensive. Tā shi dìyī, wǒ shi dìèr. He is first, I'm second. But tóuyī-, tóuliāng-, tóusān- always have a counter word after the number. tāi: This is the counter for pregnancies, whether carried to term or not. Literally tāi means “embryo”. The expression tóuyitāi can also be said tóutāi. Tóusāntāi dōu shi nǚde, dào dìsìtāi cái shēngle ge érzi. The first three babies were all girls it wasn't until the fourth that she had a boy. Tā shēng tóutǎide shíhou, shēntǐ bú cuò. Shēng dìèrtāide shíhou jiù bù xíng le. When she had her first baby, she was still in pretty good health. But when she had her second, it wasn't good any more. shēng: “to give birth to...” Notice that the Chinese verb shēng is used in an active sense which is not always reflected in the English. Compare the various translations of shēng in the Reference List, the above examples and the dialogue. sūnzi: “grandson”. This only refers to the son of one's son. The son of one's daughter and son-in-law is called wàisūnzi. Here is a chart showing how these terms relate to each other.

hóngbāo: “A red envelope with money in it, given as a gift or bribe”. These gifts of money may be given to children by people at least a generation older. This usually happens at festive occasions, like New Years or a birthday. The amount given varies greatly but there is one thing to remember: Do not give an amount with the number four in it! The number four, sì, closely resembles the verb “to die,” sǐ, and is therefore considered unlucky. Chinese youth were without any real opportunity to make money in the past, so this is one way that it is made up for. xiǎo bǎobao: Literally “little treasure”, in other words “the little darling” or “the baby”. This word is usually used by women. Some people use the word bǎobao (with or without xiǎo) in addressing or speaking about babies or children. The second bǎo in bǎobao is neutral tone; even though it was originally also third tone, it does not make the first bǎo change to a rising tone, as you might expect (e.g. nǎli). The first bǎo in bǎobao is pronounced low, without any rise in pitch. (Some people also say bǎobǎo and xiǎo bǎobǎo.) [There are many other words used to refer to babies. Some terms used by both men and women include (xiǎo) bēibì, (xiǎo) guāiguai, xiǎo jiǎhuo. Some terms used mostly by men include xiǎo bēibei and xiǎo budiǎnr.]

bù gǎn dāng: “I'm flattered”. Literally, this means “I dare not assume (the honor you pay me)”. This is a polite response to a compliment (such as “You speak Chinese very well”), to a respectful gesture (such as helping someone put on their coat), or to a respectful phrase (like “Qǐngjiǎo”).

pòfei: “spend money (on someone)”, also sometimes translated as “to spend recklessly“. Ràng nín pòfei. or Jiào nín pòfei. I have caused you to spend a lot, of money. (i.e., “you shouldn't have spent all that money on me”) Tā shi wǒ sūnzi, wèi ta pòfei liǎngge qián shi yīnggāide. He's my grandson, it's only right that I should spend a little money on him. Tā shēngrìde shíhou, Wáng Xiānsheng pòfeide zhēn bù shǎo. For his birthday, Mr. Wáng really spent quite a bit of money on him.

yǒu duō zhòng: “how heavy?” Zhòng is the adjectival verb “to be heavy”. Notice the similarity between asking age, weight and height. In each the pattern is literally “have how much (of some quality)”. Nǐ yǒu duō dǎ? How old are you? Nèizhāng zhuōzi yǒu duō zhòng? How heavy is that table? Tā yǒu duō gāo? How tall is she? bàng: “pound (unit of weight)”. In addition to the traditional Chinese units of weight such as dàn “picul (100 liters approximately)”, jīn “catty (1 1/3 lbs.)”, liǎng “tael (105 grams approximately)”, and the metric system of weights, such as gōngliǎng “100 grams” and gōngjīn “kilogram”, you also find customary American units such as “pound” used.

gāng wèile tā bù jiǔ: This means “It's only been a short while SINCE I fed him.”, NOT “I fed him for only a short while.” Chinese can distinguish between the duration of a continued activity and the duration of something not happening by putting these two types of duration phrases in different places in the sentence. Let's review time when and time spent, and take a look at how you express TIME WITHIN WHICH something didn't happen and TIME ELAPSED since something happened. Simple duration phrases, that is phrases telling how long an activity went on, follow the verb. These contrast with phrases telling the time when something happened, which come before the verb. Simple duration Tā zài Xiānggǎng zhù liǎngtiān. He's staying in Hong Kong for two days. Tā zuòle wǔfēn zhōng, jiù zǒu le. He sat for five minutes and then left. Time when Tā shi zuǒtian dàode. She arrived yesterday. The amount of time something did not happen, that is the TIME WITHIN WHICH the activity has not taken place, is expressed in negative sentences with time phrases before the verb. Time Within with a Negative Verb Wǒmen yìnián méi jiàn le. We haven't seen each other for a year. Wǒ yǐjīng yíge yuè méi qù nàr le. I haven't been going there for a month now. To express the time elapsed since an activity took place the duration phrase is again placed after the verb. Time elapsed in an affirmative sentence Wǒ zuòwánle yǐjīng yíge zhōngtóu le. I've been done for an hour already. Tā cái zǒule yíge xīngqi. It's been only a week since he left. Wǒ gāng líkāi zhèige wūzi bù jiǔ. I've been out of the room only a short while.

chī nǎi: “to eat (mother's) milk”, in other words, “to breastfeed” and by extension “to drink milk”, even from a bottle. Similarly, wèi nǎi can mean “to feed milk (to a baby)” without specifying mother's milk or otherwise. To distinguish between breast feeding and bottle feeding, one can say chī māmade nǎi, “to eat mother's milk”. And from the mother's point of view, one can say māma zìji gěi háizi wèi nǎi, “the mother nurses the child herself.”

Tǎ zhǎngde hěn piàoliang: “She's very pretty.” Zhǎngde piàoliang literally means “grow pretty”, but it should be translated simply as “is pretty”. Zhǎngde ... is often used in descriptions of the appearance of living things. In these cases, zhǎngde ... is absent of any meaning such as “has grown ...”, “has come to be ...” or “has become ...”; it simply means “is, are”. Tǎ zhǎngde hěn hǎokàn. She is very beautiful. Tā zhǎngde gēn wǒ yíyàng gāo. She is just as tall as I am. Tāde liǎn zhǎngde gēn wǒ mèimei yíyàng. Her face looks just like my little sister. There is almost no difference in meaning between Tā hěn piàoliang and Tā zhǎngde hěn piàoliang. Both are used frequently. But there is a difference in meaning between Tā zhǎngde hěn gāo and Tā zhǎnggāo le: the former means “He is very tall”, and the latter “He has grown tall”.

fúxiàng: “auspicious physiognomy”. This phrase implies something more than “lucky face”. The word fú expresses the destiny of a person to enjoy a life of good fortune. Xiàng is a person's looks considered from the point of view of fortune telling. Traditionally, it was believed that a person's destiny could be determined from the individual variations of his hands, bones, face, ears, hair, and so forth. The xiàng includes the face, ears, hairline, and bumps on the head. ...ěrduo zhǎngde zhēn dǎ: Portraits of some of the most admired men in Chinese history depict them with long ears. (Long ears are thought to indicate wisdom.) It was thought that rulers in particular were so endowed. Buddha is also pictured with long ears, as he appeared in Indian portrayals.

mǎnyuè: “thirtieth day after a child is born”, literally, “full-month”. (it also means “full moon”.) This refers to a baby's completion of the first full month of life and is a cause of celebration. Wángjiā háizi kuài mǎnyuè le, qǐng dàjiā qù chī mǎnyuè jiù The Wáng's baby is about to be a month old, and they're asking everyone to go take part in the “full month” banquet. chuī fēng: Literally, “to blow wind”, but actually “to be in a current of air, a draft, the wind”. Although what blows is the wind, fēng “wind” seems to be in the object position in this phrase. Chǎnfù bù keyi chuī fēng does not mean “Women recently delivered of a child cannot blow wind”, but rather, “Women recently delivered of a child cannot have wind blow on them.” Traditionally, Chinese women were to stay out of drafts because of the very poor overall health situation of the country, and because of the importance of caring for the next generation. Of the three (Confucian) ways to be unfilial, the worst was to be heir less. Nǐde bìng gāng hǎo, bú yào chūqu chuī fēng. You're just over your illness, don't go out in a draft.

zuò yuèzi: Literally, “to sit the yuèzi”, yuèzi being the month after giving birth during which a woman is supposed to take special care of her health. There are different motivations underlying this custom. Woman's most important function (indeed her only one) was to aide in perpetuating the family line. Therefore it was essential to take special precautions for her own health so that she would nurse a healthy baby. Another idea was that a woman's body at this time was “dirty” and to avoid offending the door gods she should not go past them. Tā zuò yuèzide shíhou, kě xiǎoxìn, méi chūguo yìtiān mén. During the first month after delivery she was extremely careful. She didn't go out once. xiǎoxīn: “to be careful”, literally, “small-heart”. Xiǎoxīn is an adjectival verb which can be used with or without an object following. Tā zhèige rén bù zěnmeyàng, hé tā zuò péngyou yào xiǎoxīn. This guy is nothing special, you'd better be careful making friends with him. Xiǎoxīn! Qiánbianr shi hóngdēng. Careful! There's a red light up ahead. Xiǎoxīn nèige rén! Be careful of that person! Xiǎoxīn guò mǎlù. Be careful crossing the street.

shēnglěng: “raw or cold foods”. Traditional Chinese medicine divides foods into yin and yang Yīn are “cool” (liángxìngde) foods, that is, foods that make the system cool; yáng foods are “hot” (rèxìngde), that is, they make the system hot. These characteristics are not dependant on the degree temperature at which the food is eaten, but are rather inherent in the food. For example crab, white sugar, and most vegetables and fruits are yīn or cool while hot pepper, lard, millet, brown sugar, and certain fruits such as cantaloupe and lichee nuts are all particularly yáng or hot. Generally speaking, yáng foods harmonize with body temperature while yīn foods shock the system. Nonetheless, a balance between the two kinds of foods must be maintained. Too much yáng food can cause the body's “heat” to rise too much (shàng huǒ), minor symptoms of which might include a cough, fever, dry mouth, blisters on the tongue, and constipation. On the ocher hand, too much yīn food is bad for the stomach and can cause diarrhea. The body's “heat” (huǒ) can be regulated by eating one or the other kind of foods. Thus in hot weather, when the huǒ naturally rises, one should eat “cool” foods to lower the (huǒ (qīng huǒ), and in the winter one should eat “hot” foods. Likewise, certain illnesses call for the eating of one kind of food or the other: one should eat “cool” foods to counteract infections and fevers, while one should eat “hot” foods to build up one's strength if one has a disease which makes him weak. In particular, women giving birth should eat plenty of the “hot” type of foods. Shēnglěng, raw or cold foods, have also traditionally been considered bad for women who are pregnant or have just given birth. Given sanitary conditions in traditional China, this is understandable. Chī shēnglěngde dōngxi yídìng yào xǐgānjing. When eating raw things, be sure to wash them well. dé: “to get, a catch (a disease)”; Dé bìng means “to get an illness”. Wǒ dé bìng yǐhòu, méi bànfa niàn shū le. After I got sick, I couldn't study any more. Tā de bìng yǐqián, shēntǐ hen hāo. Before she got ill, her health was very good. Tā déde shi shénme bìng? What illness was it that she got? Here are some examples of dé followed by the name of an illness: Tā dé gānmào yǐhòu, jiù méiyou chūlaiguo. He didn't go out after he got a cold. Qùniān dōngtiān, tā déle xuěyā gāo. Last winter, he got high blood pressure. Here are some more examples sentences showing various uses of dé: Jīnniān guò shēngrì wǒ déle yìběn xīn shū. I got a new book on my birthday this year. Xiǎodì jīntiān néng dé hǎojǐ ge hongbāo! Little brother will be able to get a lot of “red envelopes” today! Of course, dé cannot be used in all cases when we would say “get” in English. For one thing, de only means to receive passively, whereas English “get” sometimes denotes actively seeking to obtain, as in “I'm going to the supply room to get some paper and pens”, or “I got a package of cereal at the supermarket”. In these cases, dé would not be appropriate in Chinese. To show you some other ways in which the English word “get” is expressed in Chinese, here are some Chinese sentences which do not use dé although the English translation uses “get”: Zuótiān lái nǐde diānhuā le. Yesterday you got a phone call (but you weren't here to get it. Zuótian wǒ jiēdāo tāde diànhuà le. Yesterday I got a phone call from him (and was there to receive it. Tā zēngjiā gōngzī le. He got a raise in wages. Tā jiā xīnshuǐ le. He got a raise in salary. Wǒ shōudàole yíge zhāngdān. I got a bill. Wǒ cóng tā nār bǎ jiègei tade nèiběn shū náhuilai le. I got the book back which I lent him. Yě gěi wǒ nǎ yíge lai. Get one for me too. Cóng shénme dìfang wǒ néng mǎidao yíge xiāng zhèiyangrde? Where can I get (buy) one of those? fēngshī: “rheumatism”, literally “wind-humid”. Tā yǒu fēngshī, tiān yì lěng tuǐ téngde lìhai. He has rheumatism, as soon as it gets cold, his leg hurts severely. pèng: “to touch”, only in the sense of one object coming into contact with another. The verb pèng can also mean to come into contact with something in a violent way, “to hit, to bump into”. Whether pèng means merely “to touch” or “to bump into” must be determined by context. Nǐ bié pèng zhèige zhuōzi. Don't touch this table. Tāde chē kě bùdeliǎo. Biérén pèng dōu bù néng pèng, gèng bú yào shuō jièqu kāi le! His car is terrific! Other people can't even touch it, not to mention borrowing it to drive! [Some other words meaning “to touch” are āi “to be close to, to be next to, to be touching”] Tā zuì pà dǎ zhēn. Zhēn hái méi āidao ta, tā jiù dà jiao. She is extremely afraid of getting shots. She cries out before the needle has even touched her. dòng: “to touch, to handle” Nǐ bié dòng wo zhuōzishangde dōngxi, děng yìhuǐr wǒ huílaile zìjǐ shōushi. Don't touch the things on my desk, in a while when I come back I'll straighten them up myself. mō: “to feel, to rub, to touch” Here you also need to know that ruǎn means “to be soft, yielding to the touch”. Zhèijiàn yīfu zhēn hǎo, mōshangqu ruǎnruǎnde; chuānzhe yídìng hěn shūfu. This piece of clothing is really nice very soft to the touch; it must be very comfortable [to wear.]

tǎng: “to lie down”. This is an action verb. Under most circumstances it requires some kind of complement: either a zài phrase telling where the subject ended up in a lying position, as in Tā tǎngzai chuángshang le. He lay down on the bed. or the durative aspect marker -zhe, as in Tā zài chuángshang tǎngzhe. He is/was lying on the bed. or the directional ending -xia(lái), as in Dàifu jiào wo tǎngxia. The doctor told me to lie down. or the completion le, as in Tǎngle bàntiān, háishi bu shūfu. I lay down for quite a long time, but still felt ill. Tā tǎngle yìhuǐr, jiù juéde hǎo yìdiǎnr le. After I laid down for a while, I felt better. huǐfu: “to restore; to return to (an original state); to recover (one's health)”. Zhèige gōngchāng yǐjīng huīfu shēngchǎn le. This factory has already restored production. (Production in many areas was stopped during the turmoil of the Great Cultural Revolution.) Tā qiánjǐnián dào nóngcūn qu le. Zuìjìn cái huīfu gōngzuò. She went to the countryside several years ago. Only recently did she return to work. A: Wǒ shàngge yuè shēng bìngle, zhèige xīngqi cái huīfu yìdiǎnr. I was sick last month and only this week am feeling like myself again. B: Kàn nǐde yàngzi, huīfude bú cuò. Looking at your appearance I'd say you're pretty well recovered.

qiānwàn: “by all means, for sure” literally “thousand ten-thousands”. Nèitiáo jiēshang chē tài duō, nǐ qiānwàn bié qù. There are too many cars on that street, you are absolutely not to go there. Nǐ gāng xué kāi chē, qiānwàn xiāoxīn. You've only just learned to drive a car, be sure to be careful. Qiānwàn zhùyì, bú yào xiěcuò le, xiěcuòle kě máfan. Be sure to be careful, don't write this incorrectly, if you do it'll be so much trouble. dāngxīn: “to watch out, to watch oneself, to be cautious”. Not to be confused with dānxīn, “to worry”. Gāng xiàle xuě, chū mén dāngxīn! It's just snowed, watch yourself when you go out. Kāi chē shàng jiē dāngxīn yìdiǎnr a! Watch yourself when you go out driving downtown!

jiéguǒ: “as a result, and so ...”. One of the uses of this word is to connect the thought of one sentence with the next. (Another is as the noun “result(s)”.) It provides a transition from one sentence to another, as in “As a result, then...” Below is a monologue which takes place in Peking, in which the speaker uses the word jiéguo in this way several times. (This is not meant to be an example of eloquence; in fact, you should not use jiéguo as repetitively as this speaker.) Wǒ tīngshuō Xiǎo Wáng hé Xiǎo Lǐ tán liàn'ài le. Tánde zěnme yàng ne? Tánde bú cuò. Liǎngge rén dōu méiyou yìjian. Jiéguǒ Xiǎo Wángde fùqin bù tóngyì. Zhèijiàn shi kě jiù bù hǎo bàn le. Xiǎngle bàntiān, jiéguǒ háishi Xiǎo Wáng qù zhǎo jūmín wěiyuánhuì. Jūwěihuìde gànbu hé Xiǎo Wáng tánle bàntiān, jiéguǒ hái bù xíng. Zěnme bàn? Xiǎo Wáng yòu qù zhǎo pàichūsuǒ. Pàichūsuǒde gànbu yòu lái hé Lǎo Wáng tánle bàntiān, háishi méiyou jiéguǒ. Zuìhòu nǐ xiǎng zěnmeyàng, Xiǎo Lǐ zìjǐ lái hé Lǎo Wáng tánle, shuō jiéhūn yīhòu bù bānchuqu zhù, tā zhàogu lǎorénjiā. Zhèihuǐr Lǎo Wáng mǎnyì le. Jiéguǒ Xiǎo Wáng Xiǎo Lǐ gāogāoxìngxìng jiéhūn le. I heard that Xiǎo Wáng and Xiǎo Lǐ are in love. How serious? Really serious. The two of them had no problems with the idea (of getting married). But then Xiǎo Wáng's father didn't agree. The whole thing became difficult to arrange. They thought for a long time, and as a result it was Xiǎo Wáng who went to seek out the neighborhood committee. The neighborhood committee cadres talked with Old Wáng (Xiǎo Wáng's father) for a long time. But then it still didn't go over. What to do? Xiǎo Wáng then went to seek out the local police station. And the police station cadres went to talk with Old Wáng too, but still no result. Well what do you think happened in the end? Xiǎo Lǐ went herself to talk with Old Wáng. She said that after they married they wouldn't move out, that she would take care of the old gentleman. That's when Old Wáng became satisfied. So in the end Xiǎo Wáng and Xiǎo Lǐ were happily married. tòngkǔ: “to be in pain, to be suffering”. Tā nèi shíhou hěn tòngkū. She was in a great deal of pain at that time. Liàn'ài shībàile tā hěn tòngkū. It was very hard on him when they broke up. Zhèijiàn shìqing ràng ta fēicháng tòngkū. This matter pained him a great deal.

duó kuài: “how fast!” Duó or the alternate form duóme is used in exclamatory sentences to mean “how ...!” Here are some more examples: Nǐ kàn cái shuōle liǎngjù huà, tā jiù bù gāoxìng le. Duó ràng rén bù hǎo yìsi! You see you only have to say two sentences and she gets unhappy. It really makes a person embarrassed! Zhèi kùzi zhènme duǎn, chuǎnshang duó nánshòu! These pants are so short, when you wear them they'll be so uncomfortable. Zhèiběn shū xiěde duó hǎo! This book is so well written! Wǒ bǎ chē yǎoshi fàngzi chuángshang. Duó bèn! I left the car keys on the bed. How stupid! yíxiǎzi: “in a flash, at one blow, at one fell swoop, all at once, in no time”. Wǒ huà hái méi shuōwán, tā yíxiàzi jiù shēngqì le. Shéi zhīdao wèishénme? I hadn't yet finished speaking when he got angry all of a sudden. Who knows why?

Wángjiā: “the Wáng family”, referring either to the people, the social unit, or their home (in which case it can be used as a place word). pàng: “to be fat, to get fat”. The verb pàng can be used in two ways: one as an adjectival verb “to be fat”, the other as a process verb “to get fat”. To the Chinese, a fat baby is not only a healthy baby, it is a beautiful one. Plumpness and roundness are two features admired in babies and children. Adjectival verb (state) Tā hěn pàng. He is fat. Tǎ xiǎo shíhou bú pàng. She wasn't fat when she was little. Wǒ hěn pà pàng, shénme dou bù gǎn chī. I'm afraid of being fat, I don' dare eat anything. Process verb Zuìjìn shēntī hǎole, tā pàng duō le. Lately his health got better and he got very fat. Nǐ shì bu shi pàngle yìdiǎndiǎn, Èrgē a? Haven't you put on just a little bit of weight, Older Brother?

hóngdàn: Red eggs symbolize a combination of lucky influences: red is the color of happiness and dignity, while eggs are symbols of health and prosperity to the farmer. Hóngdàn are sometimes also used as gifts from a newly-engaged couple to their friends.

-bàng 镑 pound (unit of weight) bǎobao (bǎobǎo) 宝宝 baby, darling (term of endearment for a young child) bīngxiāng 冰箱 refrigerator, ice box bù gǎn dāng 不敢当 I’m flattered, You shouldn't have, I don't deserve this chī nǎi 吃奶 to nurse, to suckle chuī fēng 吹风 to have air blow on oneself, to be in a draft dāngxīn 当心 to watch out dé 得 to get duó kuài! 多快 how fast! ěrduo 耳朵 ear fēngshī 风湿 rheumatism fúqi 福气 blessings, luck fúxiàng 福祥 lucky physiognomy hóngbāo 红包 a red envelope with a gift or bribe of money in it hóngdàn 红蛋 eggs dyed red huīfu 恢复 to recover jiēguǒ (jiēguǒ) 结果 as a result; result, results mǎnyuè 满月 a full month after the birth of a baby mǎnyuèjiǔ 满月酒 celebration meal one month after a baby is born pàng 胖 to be fat pèng 碰 to touch pòfei 颇费 to spend a lot of money (on someone), to go to some expense qiānwàn 千万 by all means, be sure to; (in com bination with a negative sentence) by no means, under no circumstances shēnglěng 生冷 raw or cold foods shēngxialai 生下来 to be born sūnzi 孙子 grandson -tāi 胎 birth tǎng 躺 to lie,lie down, to recline tòngkǔ 痛苦 to be painful tóuyige 头一个 the first tóuyìtāi 头一台 the first pregnancy, the first baby tuō nínde fú 托您的福 thanks to your lucky influence, many thanks Wángjiā 王家 the Wáng family wèi 喂 to feed xiǎo bǎobao (xiǎo bǎobǎo) 小宝宝 baby, darling (term of endearment for a young child) xiǎoxīn 小心 to be careful xífu 媳妇 daughter-in-law yíxiàzi 一下子 an instant, a moment, a while yuèzi 月子 month of confinement after giving birth to a child zhǎng 成 to grow; to be (pretty, etc.) zhòng 重 to be heavy zuò yuèzi 坐月子 to go through the month of confinement and special care after childbirth

zuìjìn; “lately, recently; in the near future”. This word can either refer to the near past or the near future. A: Tā zuìjìn zěnmeyàng? How has she been lately? A: Tā zuìjìn zěnmeyàng? How has she been lately? B: Zuìjìn tā hěn hǎo. Lately she's, been very well. Wǒ zuìjìn zài niàn shū. I've been studying lately. Wǒ zuìjìn yào dào Jiāzhōu qù. I'm going to be going to California in the near future. chūchāi: “to go away on official business”. Míngtiān chūchāi, jǐntiān hěn máng. Tomorrow I'm going away on business, so today is a busy day. Zhècì chūchāi, qù shénme dìfang? Where are you going on this business trip? Zhèjiàn shì, děng wo chūle chāi yǐhòu zài bàn. I'll get to this matter after my business trip. Zhècì chūchāi huílai, kéyi dài diǎn dōngxi gěi ni. When I come back from this business trip, I'll be able to bring you back a little something. cānjiā: “to participate in; to attend; to go to (a meeting, gathering, performance, etc.); to join”. Wǒ jìhua xià Xīngqīyī yào dào Niǔ Yüē qu wár. Nǐ xiǎng bu xiǎng cānjiā? I'm planning to go to New York next week to relax. Do you want to join in? Wǒ yào cānjiā míngtiān xiàwude huì. I'm going to attend the meeting tomorrow afternoon. Zuǒtiān wǒmen gěi Zhāng Tàitai sòngxíng, nǐ yě cānjiā le ma? Yesterday when we gave the going-away party for Mrs. Zhāng, did you come too?

zài shàng Xīngqīèr: “on last Tuesday”. Notice that zài is used here with an expression stating a time when something occurs. In this sentence, zài is optional. Here are some more examples: Zhège huì zài xiàge yuè kāi. This meeting will be held next month. Zhège haizi zài qùniǎn qiūtiān kāishǐ zài jiā niàn shū le. This child began studying at home last fall. Wǒ zài shàngge lǐbài mǎile yíjiàn jiéhūn lǐfū. Last week I bought a wedding gown. Zài Yījiǔliùsānnián wǒ rènshile ta. I met him in 1963. Zài Yījiǔwǔlíngniǎn wǒ jiù kànguo zhèběn shū. I read this book back in 1950. zǔmǔ: “(paternal) grandmother”. Remember that this refers exclusively to the father's mother. The mother's mother is wàizǔmǔ. [A grandmother is usually addressed by her son's children as nǎinai.] Here is a chart showing these terms: qùshì: “to pass away”. Literally, this means “to go (from this) world”. It is a euphemism for sǐ “to die”, which is introduced in Unit 6. Xiǎo Wángde fùqin qùshì yǐjīng liǎngniǎn le. It's been two years since Xiǎo Wáng's father died. xiāoxi: “news, information, tidings”. Zhèiliǎngtiān bàozhǐshang yǒu hěn duō guānyu Zhōngguode xiǎoxi. The past couple of days there's been a lot of news about China in the newspaper. Jīntiǎn bàozhǐshang yǒu shénme xīn xiǎoxi? What news is there in the newspaper today? Wǒmen jiā liǎngge yuè méiyou xìn le, shénme xiāoxi dōu méiyou. Our family hasn't sent a letter in two months, there's no news at all. (Said by one family member who is separated from the rest.) Xiāoxi can be used with the counter -ge to mean “a piece of news, an item of news”: Wǒ yǒu yíge hǎo xiāoxi. I have a piece of good news.

diàosāng: “to present one's condolences at a funeral, to attend a funeral”. At a traditional funeral, the guests, by groups, present their condolences to the family of the deceased in a brief formal ceremony. Jīntiān wǒ qù diàosāng, jiàndao nín jiā lǎotàitai. Today when I was at the funeral I saw your grandmother.

sānglǐ: “the funeral ceremony”. [Sāng- in some combinations means “funeral”, for example, sāngfú “funeral clothing”, or sāngshì “funeral”.] On a volunteer basis, family, friends, and villagers help with funeral preparations. Members of the immediate family stay with the coffin to guard it during the day and sleep with it at night.

yíxiàng: “always (up to now)”. This adverb indicates that something has been so all along up until now (and may either continue the same way or else change). Wǒ yíxiàng ài chī tián diǎnxin. I've always like to eat sweet snacks. Tā yíxiàng niàn shū niànde hěn hǎo. He has always done very well in his studies. Wú Lǎoshī yíxiàng xǐhuan háizi. Teacher Wú has always liked children. Xià Xiānsheng yíxiàng hěn kèqi. Mr. Xià has always been very polite. hūrǎn: “suddenly”. This is a time word. It may go before the verb, or at the front of the sentence. Wǒ hūrǎn xiǎngqilai, wǒde xìn hái méiyou jì. I suddenly remembered that I hadn't mailed my letter yet. Hūrán, tā pǎolai le, hǎoxiàng yǒu shénme shì. Suddenly, he came running in, as if there were something wrong. Hūrán tiān xià yǔ le, xiàde hāo dà. Suddenly it started raining, raining very hard. Tā jìnlai zuòle yìhuǐr, hūrán jiù zǒu le. He came in and sat down for a while, and then left all of a sudden. zài yě bù hē le: “will never drink again”. Sometimes people ask what is the word for “never” in Chinese. The answer is that “never” is not expressed by one word, but rather by a combination of adverbs and negative. Not only is “never” rendered into Chinese by several words, but the word patterns are different for sentences expressing completed action, habitual action, or planned action. For these examples you need to know that yǒngyuǎn is the word for “forever”. Wǒ cónglai méi chīguo Zhōngguo cài. I've never eaten Chinese food. Wǒ cónglái bu kàn nèiyangde shū. I've never read those kinds of books, Tāde wèntí yǒngyuǎn bù néng jiějué. His problems can never be solved. Wǒ zài yě bú qù nàli le. I'll never go there again. The adverb zài and a negative, such as méiyou, can be used to express the idea of not doing something anymore. Bìng hāole yǐhòu, tā méiyou zài hē jiǔ. After he got well, he didn't drink anymore. Yǐhòu wǒ bú zài zuò le. In the future I won't do it again. Bú yào zài dǎ ta le. Don't hit him any more. If zài is placed in front of the negative, the meaning of the phrase is more emphatic. Wǒ zài bù huílai le! I'm never coming back here again! If yě is added between zài and the negative, the meaning is approximately the same. Wǒ zài yě bù chī táng le. I'm never going to eat candy again. Nèitiáo lù bù hāo zǒu, nǐ zài yě bié zǒu nèitiáo lù le. That road is hard to go on, don't ever take it again. Nǐ zài yě bié kàn zhèzhǒng shū le. Don't ever read, this kind of book again. Nàge fàndiànde cài tài guì, wǒ zhǐ qùle yícì, jiù zài yě méi qùguo le. That restaurant is too expensive; I only went there once and then I never went back again. Wǒmen shi tǒngxué, kěshi líkāi xuéxiào yǐhòu, wǒ jiù zài yě méi kànjian ta le. We were schoolmates, but after we left the school, I never saw him again. Sānge yuè yǐqián xiàguo yìchǎng yǔ, yǐhòu jiù zài yě méi xiàguo le. Three months ago it rained once, and since then it hasn't rained again. More on “Again”: Up until now you've seen zài “again” used in sentences which did not express a completed event and yòu used in sentences which did. Míngtiān zài lái ba. Come again tomorrow! Òu, nǐ yòu lái le. Oh, you've come again! But there are further qualifications on the use of “again” in Chinese. While zài always refers to activities which have not yet occurred, that is future activities or events, yòu is not totally limited to activities or events which are completed or past. You may be used in present or future situations if the thing being talked about is so certain that it may be treated like something which has actually happened. Míngtiān yòu shi Xīngqīyī le. And tomorrow is Monday again. Zhè yòu yào duōshao qián a? And how much money is needed again for this? Zhèi yìtiān yòu yào wán le. And this day is about to end too. (Said at the end of a long busy day with many things left to do.) Xiànzài wǒ yòu yǒu gōngzuò le. Now I have a job again.

fàn: “to have an attack (of a disease), to have a recurrence of, to revert to (an old habit)”. Tā yòu fàn lǎo máobìng le, zhèjǐtiān hěn bu shūfu. hat old problem of his is acting up again. He hasn't been feeling well the last few days. Shàngge yuè tā fàn bìng le, xuěyā hǎo gāo! Last month he had a recurrence; and his blood pressure was really high! Bié fan nǐde lǎo mǎobìng le, kuài qù shàng xué qu ba! Don't fall back into your old habit (of skipping school), get yourself to school. xīnzàngbìng: “heart disease”. Xīnzàng is “heart”.

gǎnjǐn: “in a hurry”. This adverb means that someone decided to hurry up and start doing something. It can often be translated as “to hurry up and”, or “to rush to (do something)”. Here are some examples: Nàbiān chū chēhuò le, nǐ gǎnjǐn qù kànkan! There's been a car accident over there, hurry up and go look! Jīntiǎn xiàwǔ, tā zǒu le, zhōngwǔ wǒ gǎnjǐn péi ta qù chī wǔfàn. He was leaving this afternoon, so at noontime I hurried to go out to lunch with him. Kuài jiǔdiǎn le, wǒ yào gǎnjǐn zǒu le. It's almost nine o'clock. I have to hurry up and leave. Gǎnjǐn means only that someone hurries to start the action. It does not mean that the action is finished quickly. For example, to say “He made dinner in a hurry, so it didn't come out well”, meaning that he finished cooking it in a very short time, you cannot use gǎnjǐn; you could say Yǐnwei tā zuò fàn zuòde tài kuài, suǒyi zuòde bù hǎo. tā lǎorénjiā: Lǎorénjiǎ is a respectful way of referring to or addressing old people. When addressing someone directly, it is almost always preceded by nǐ or nín, as in Qǐngwèn nín lǎorénjiā, dào Zhōngshān Lù zěnme zǒu? Excuse me, sir, how do I get to Zhōngshān Road? Nǐ lǎorénjiā, zuìjìn zěnmeyàng? Shēntǐ hǎo ba? How have you been lately? Have you been in good health, I hope? A third party can be referred to as tā lǎorénjiā: Tā lǎorénjiā shuō le, zhèjiàn shì búbì jízhe bàn. He said that we don't need to be in a rush to do this. Wǒ gěi tā lǎorénjiā soòg yidiǎn diǎnxin lái. I've come to give him some pastries. Wǒ wènguo wǒ zǔfù le, tā lǎorénjia shuō míngnián zánmen quánjiā qù Shànghǎi. I asked my grandfather, and he said our whole family is going to Shànghǎi next year. Here are two examples of lǎorénjia being used as a respectful word for “old people”: Jǐntiān, liǎngwèi lāorénjia tánde hěn gāoxìng. Today those two (old people) had a very pleasant conversation. Lǎorénjiamen dōu xǐhuan chī ruǎnde dōngxi. Older people like to eat soft foods. In Peking, the syllable lǎo in lǎorénjia receives the heaviest stress of the three syllables, and jia is in the neutral tone. sòng: “to take (someone somewhere), to escort (someone somewhere), to see someone off or out”. The basic meaning of this word is to accompany someone who is leaving, but as you can see from the various translations given, song can be used in a wide variety of circumstances. Here are some examples: Wǒ qù bǎ kèren sòngdao dàmén wàitou. I'm going to show the guests out the front door. Nǐ sòng ta huí jiā Escort her home, or Walk her home. or Take her home. Tā míngtiān zǒu, wǒmen dào jīchǎng qu sòng ta. She's leaving tomorrow and we're going to the airport to see her off. Wǒ sòng ta dào xuéxiào qu. I took him to school. (E.g., I drove him there or I walked there with him.) To specify that you are taking someone in a car, you can phrase your sentence this way: Wǒ kāi chē sòng ta dào xuéxiào qu. I drove her to school.

jīngguò: You have seen jǐngguo meaning “to go thru”. Here it is used to mean “though” in the sense of “by means of”. It can also be translated as a “result of”, “after”, “through”, or “via”. Tā shēntǐ yìzhí bù hǎo, dànshi wǒ xiǎng jīngguò yíduàn shíjiānde bǎoyǎng, kěnéng huì hǎo yìdiǎn. His health has been bad all along, but I think after a short period of taking care of himself, he might get a little better. Jīngguò sāntiānde kǎolǜ, wǒ juédìng hé tā jiēhūn. After three days of consideration, I've decided to marry him. Jīngguò dàjiǎde nǔlì, zhèjiàn shìqing chénggōng le. As a result of everyone's hard work, this matter has succeeded. Zhège jìhua bìxū jīngguò tǎolùn. This plan must go through discussion. jíjiù: “emergency treatment; to administer emergency treatment, to receive emergency treatment”. Notice that jíjiù can mean to give or get emergency treatment. Jīntiān yǐjīng shi jíjiùde dìsāntiān le, bù zhīdào yǒu méiyou xīwàng. Today is already the third day of emergency (intensive care) treatment. I don't know if there's any hope. Tāde chēzi yǐjīng wánle, rén zài jíjiù. His car is finished (totalled), and he himself is undergoing emergency treatment. Gāngcái chū chēhuò, yǒu jǐge rén shòushāng le, yīshēng zhèngzài jíjiù. There's just been a car accident, and several people were injured. The doctor is administering first-aid. Jíjiù refers only to aid given in incidents of a relatively serious nature, usually those where life is in danger; for example, cases of severe injury or acute attacks of an illness. jiùguolai: “to save”, literally “to save over”. The directional verb ending guòlai “over” sometimes shows the recovery of an original desirable or normal state. For example, in jiùguolai it implies the change from a condition in which death is imminent to one in which the patient can be expected to live. Dàren qíngkuàng hai hǎo, háizi jiùbuguòlai le. The adult's condition is all right, but the child cannot be saved. Zhège jùzi xiěcuò le, wǒ yào bǎ ta gǎiguolai. This sentence is wrong, I have to correct it. Zhège dìzhǐ xiěde bú duì, nín děi gǎiguolai. This address is wrong, you have to correct it. Zuò huǒchē zuòle sāntiān lèihuài le, yào shuì yídà jiào cái néng xiūxiguolai. After three days on the train, I'm exhausted. I'll have to have a good long sleep before I can be well rested. Shàngwù mángle sìwǔge zhòngtou zhōngwǔ shuì ge wǔjiào, rén jiù xiūxiguolai le. In the morning I ran around for four or five hours, but then after a nap at noon, I felt very rested. Tiān tài lěng, hē kǒu jiǔ jiù nuǎnhuoguolai le. The weather is too cold, a sip of wine will warm you up. Wǒ hǎoxiàng bìng le, chuān zhènme duō yīfu dōu méi bànfǎ nuǎnhuoguolai. I seem to be sick, I've got on all these clothes and I still can't get warm.

bǎozhòng: “to take care of oneself, to take care of (one's health)”. Hǎohǎo bǎozhòng shēntǐ, bié lèihuài le. Take good care of your health, don't wear yourself out. In telling someone be sure to take to care of himself, bǎozhòng is usually preceded by duō or duōduō “more (than usual)”. Yílù píng'ān, duō bǎozhòng. Have a good trip, and take good care of yourself. Nǐde bìng gāng hǎo, duōduō bǎozhòng. You just got over your illness, take real good care of yourself.

guòqu: “to pass away”. Like English “pass away”, this is a euphemism for “to die”. Tāde zǔfù zuótiān wǎnshang guòqu le. His grandfather passed away last night. Nǐ mùqin shi shénme shíhou guòqude? When did your mother pass away? Wǒ mǔqin guòqude shíhou, wǒ hái hěn xiǎo. I was still very young when my mother passed away. niánji: “(a person's) age”. Here are some frequently used patterns you should learn by heart: Nín duó dà niánji le? How old are you? (polite way of asking an adult's age) Tā niánji bù xiǎo le. She's not young any more. Tā niánji dà le. OR Tā shàngle niánji le. He's getting on in years [Although the adjectival verb dà “to be big” is used after niánji to mean “to be old”, when you want to say “to be young”, you should use the adjectival verb qīng “to be light” rather than xiǎo “to be small”; for example, Tā niánji hái qīng, bù yīnggāi ràng ta qù gōngzuò, “He's still young, you shouldn't make him go get a job.”]

píngjìng: “to be calm”. Píngjìngxiàlai, “to calm down”. Shuǐshàng yìzhī chuán dōu méiyou, yě méiyou fēng, hěn píngjìng. There wasn't a single boat on the water, and there was no wind. It was very calm. Kànjian jiāli rén dōu hěn hǎo, xīnli píngjìngdeduō le. When I saw that everyone in the family was all right, I felt much calmer. As in the last example above, pingjìng is often used with xīnli “in the heart” to describe one's emotional state. Jīntiān tā hěn shēngqì, wǒ méi bànfa ràng ta píngjìngxiàlai. He got very angry today and there was no way I could get him to calm down.

méi néng: “was not able to”. Here you see the auxiliary verb néng used with the negative méi. You have learned that state verbs (auxiliary verbs are one type of state verbs) are negated with bù, (bù hǎo, bù zhīdao) not with méi. Here, however, you see méi néng instead of bù néng. This is an exception to the rule that all state verbs are always negated with bù. Actually, either bù néng or méi néng would be acceptable in this sentence. Some speakers, however, feel that there is a subtle difference between bù néng and méi néng when referring to an event in the past. For example, one can say Wǒ zuótiān méi néng qù as well as Wǒ zuótiān bù néng qù. Wǒ zuótiān méi néng qù hints at the fact that there was a failure to attain the state of being able to go, whereas Wǒ zuótiān bù néng qù merely describes the state of being unable to go, without making any implications about failure (to attain the state of being able to go). Such a subtle difference in implication may make very little difference in the actual import of a sentence in some contexts, although in other contexts it may be of some significance. (For the first example sentence, you need to know that mìmi means “secret”.) Zuótiān nǐ wèn wo, wǒ bù néng gàosu ni, yīnwei zhè shi mìmi. Yesterday when you asked me, I couldn't tell you, because it's a secret. Zuótiān, nǐ wèn wo, wǒ méi néng gàosu ni, yīnwei Zhāng Sān zhàn zai pángbiān, wǒ bù xiǎng ràng ta zhīdao. Yesterday when you asked me, I couldn't tell you, because Zhāng Sān was standing there, and I didn't want to let him know about it. gǎnhuilai: “to rush back”. Dōu liùdiǎn zhōng le, wǒ xiǎng tā dàgài gǎnbuhuílai le. It's six o'clock already, I think she probably won't make it back in time. Xiàwǔ wǔdiǎn zhōng, wǒmen yǒu ge huì, nǐ gǎndehuílai gǎnbuhuílai? At five in the afternoon we have a meeting. Can you make it back in?

A woman goes to visit her friend after hearing of her father's death:

dǎ chángtú diànhuà: “to make a long-distance telephone call”. Qǐng nǐmen shēngyin xiǎo yídiǎn, wǒ zài dǎ chángtú diànhuà ne! Would you all be a little quieter, please? I'm making a long-distance call! You saw in the Post Office-Telephone Module that diànhuà can also be used with the meaning “a telephone call” as in Yǒu nǐde diànhuà, “There's a telephone call for you”. Chángtú diànhuà can be used in the same way: Wèi! Xiǎo Sānr! Yǒu nǐde chángtú diànhuà! Xiǎo Sānr! There's a long-distance phone call for you! In the Meeting Module you saw the expression lái diànhuà “a telephone call is received” or “make a telephone call here”. Here is chángtú diànhuà used in the same pattern: Jīntiān zǎoshàng yǒu rén gěi ni lái chángtú diànhuà le, nǐ bú zài. This morning someone called long- distance for you, but you weren't here.

guòshì: “to pass away, to die”. You have now seen “to die” expressed three different ways: guòqu, qùshì, and guòshì. All may be used in conversation, although guòqu is probably the most common.

shāngxīn: Literally, “to wound the heart”. “To be grieved, to be hurt, to be sad, to be broken-hearted”. A: Tā zhènme shāngxīn, wèishénme? Why is he so broken-hearted? B: Tā nǚpengyou zǒu le, zěnme néng bù shāngxǐn? His girlfriend left, how can he not be broken-hearted? Wǒmen jiāde gǒu sǐle, wǒ shāngxīnle hǎo cháng shíjiān. After the family dog died, I was broken-hearted for a real long time. Nàme hǎode yíge háizi sǐle, zhēn ràng rén shāngxǐn. It really grieves one for such a good child to die.

chángshòu: “long life, longevity; to live a long life”. Yào xiǎng chángshòu, jiù bù yīnggāi dūo hē jiu. If you want to live a long life, you shouldn't drink excessively. Běifāng chángshòude rén bǐ Nánfāng duō. There are more people who live long in the North than in the South.

zài shuō: “furthermore, moreover, in addition, besides”. Often following a clause with zài shuō, one of the adverbs yě “also” or you “also” is used. A: Zěnmeyàng? Jīntiān nǐ néng lái ma? How about it? Can you come today? B: Zhèiliǎngtiān xià xuě, wǒ gǎnmào le, tiānqi yòu zhènme bù hǎo, zài shuō háizi tài xiǎo, bǎ tā yíge rén fàngzai jiāli, wǒ bú fàngxīn. Gǎitiān, wǒ yídìng lái, hǎo bu hǎo? It's snowed these two days, and I caught a cold, and the weather is so bad. Moreover the child is too small to leave alone at home. I would worry. I'll come for sure another day, okay? Tā hěn nénggàn, zài shuō yòu nàme piàoliang, nǐ jiù tóngyì le ba? She's very capable, and what's more, she's so beautiful too. So you will agree (to marry her), won't you? (said by a matchmaker to a young man) A: Wō děng ni bàntiān le, wǒ yào hé ni tán yixia. I've been waiting for you for ages. I want to have a talk with you. B: Wǒ gāng xià kè. Zài shuō wǒ hái méi chī fàn ne! Gǎitiān zài shuō ba! I just got out of class. And furthermore I haven't eaten yet! Let's talk some other day!

nánguò: “to be sad, to be distressed, to feel bad”. This adjectival verb can be used to refer to either physical or emotional distress. Yīshēng shuō tā mǔqinde bìng hěn lìhai, wǒmen dōu hěn nánguò. The doctor said his mother's illness was very serious, and we were all very sad. Jīntiān tā chīle hǎo duō shēngcài, xiànzài dùzili nánguò le. He ate a lot of raw vegetables today, so now his stomach hurts (he feels bad) . Bié nánguò le, rén yǐjīng sǐle nánguò yě méiyou yòng le. Don't be sad, he's already dead, and it's no use being sad. Jīntiān Sòng Lǎoshī hěn nánguò. Teacher Sòng is very sad today. Xiǎo Wángde jiāli yǒu nàme duō máfan. Zhēn ràng rén nánguò. There's so much trouble in Xǐao Wáng's family, it really makes a person sad.

běnlái: “originally, at first, in the first place”. Běnlái wǒ xiǎng jǐntiān xiàwu qù kàn diànyǐng. Hòulái tīngshuō kāi huì. Suànle, wǒ yǐhòu zài qù ba. Originally I wanted to go see a movie this afternoon. Later I heard there was a meeting. So I'll forget it and go another time. Běnlái wǒ jīntiān qù Guangzhou, tiānqì bù hǎo, dàgài děi míngtiān cái néng zǒu le. Originally I was going to Canton today, but the weather is bad so I'll probably have to wait until tomorrow before X can leave. yíbèizi: “all one's life, in one's (whole) life, throughout one's life, as long as one lives, a lifetime”. Zhèngfù bāng tā bǎ zài wàiguōde qián zhǎohuilai le. Tā yíbèizi yě méiyou jiànguo zhènme duō qián, hǎo gāoxìng. The government helped her get back money she had outside the country. She had never seen so much money in her whole life. She was really happy. Tā yǒu sānge érzi, wèi zhèi sānge érzi mángle yíbèizi. Xiànzài lǎole, gāi xiūxi xiūxi le. She has three sons and for these three sons she was busy her whole life. Now she is old and should take it easy. shēnbiān: “at/by one's side; (have something) on one, with one”. Wǒ yǒu yíge háizi zài nóngcūn, yíge háizi zài shēnbiān. I have one child out in the country and one child here with me. Rúguo tā shēnbiān yǒu hǎo jǐge háizi jiù méiyou bànfǎ chūlai gōngzuò. If she has several children at her feet, then she just can't go out and work.

dàgē; “oldest brother”. Remember that “older brother” is gēge, but the oldest of several children is dàgē. In addition dàgē can be used between men to show a friendly relationship of unequal status. qùbuliǎo: “cannot go”. This is a compound verb or result, like kànbujian “cannot see” or chībubǎo “cannot eat one's fill”. The ending -liǎo is in compounds of potential result (those with -de- or -bu- between the main verb and the resultative ending) with the meaning of “be able to”. You may be thinking (and rightly so) that this is just the meaning added by the use of -de- or -bu-. This has led some people to label -liǎo as a “dummy” resultative ending since it does not seem to add any additional information like other more specific endings do (e.g. wan “finish”). Wàimian shēngyīn hǎo dà. Shízài shuìbuliǎo jiào. It's so noisy outside. I really can't sleep at all. Jīntiān tíng diàn, kànbuliǎo diǎnyǐngr. Today they're turning off the electricity, so we can't watch the movie. Wǒ zuìjìn dùzi bù shūfu, chībuliǎo shēngcài. My stomach has been uncomfortable lately, I can't eat lettuce. Zhènme duō cài, chībuliǎo le! So many dishes, we won't be able to eat them! Xiàwu wǒ yǒu shì, qùbuliǎo túshūguǎnle, míngtiān zài shuō ba. This afternoon I'm busy, I can't go to the library, let's talk about it tomorrow. Nǐ jiǔdiǎn zhōng xià bān, jīntiān wǎnhuì nǐ qùdeliǎo qubuliǎo? You get off work at 9:00, can you go to the evening meeting? Nǐ bú yào dāo jīchǎng lái sòng wo, nǐ yì kū wǒ jiù zōubuliǎo le. Don't come to the airport to see me off; as soon as you start to cry, I won't be able to leave.

jiānglái: “in the future”. Like other time words, jiānglai can be used between the subject and the verb, or at the front of the sentence before the subject. Jiānglái ZhōngMěi guānxi yuè lái yuè hǎo, wǒmen zài Měiguo jiù bǐjiào róngyi mǎidào Zhōngguode dōngxi. In the future as Sino-American relations get better and better, it will be easier for us to buy Chinese goods in America. Wǒ jiānglái yào dào Shànghǎi lǐngshìguān qù gōngzuò. In the future I want to work in the consulate in Shànghǎi.

ānxīn: “to feel at ease, to set one's mind at ease, to be at peace; to keep one's mind (on something)”. Tā xiānshēng nǔlì zuò shì, tā keyi ānxīn dú shū. With her husband working hard at his Job, she could keep her mind on her studying. Wǒde hāizi gōngzuòde hěn hāo, wǒ yě jiù ānxīn le. My child is doing well at work, and I can now feel at ease.

bìngqiě: “furthermore, moreover, and, besides”. Wǒ yào bā gōngzuò zuò hǎo, bìngqiě yào bā Zhōngwén xuéhǎo. I want to do a good job at work and do a good job studying Chinese. Zhèige hāizi hěn nùlì bìngqiě hěn cōngmīng. This child is very industrious and intelligent too. Wǒ jìhua zhèige xīngqī bǎ zhèipiān wénzhāng xiěwán, bìngqiě fānyicheng Zhōngwén. I plan to finish writing this essay this week and furthermore translate it into Chinese.

After the funeral of an elderly man who came to Taiwan from the mainland, a friend comes to visit the family:

ānxīn 安心 to be without worry, to feel at ease to feel relieved běnlái 本来 originally bìngqiě 并且 moreover, and cānjiā 参加 to take part in; to attend chángshòu 长寿 long life, longevity; to live a long time chūchāi 出差 to be out of town on business dǎ chángtū diànhuà 大长途电话 to make a long-distance phone call dàgē 大哥 oldest brother diàosāng 吊嗓 to present one’s condolences at a funeral, to attend a funeral érnǚ 儿女 children fàn 犯 to have an attack (of an old disease) gǎndeshàng 干得上 to be able to catch up, to be able to make it in time gǎnhuilai 赶回来 to rush back gǎnjīn 赶紧 quickly gǔhuī 骨灰 bone ashes guòqu 过去 to pass away, to die guòshì 过世 to pass away, to die huǒzàng 火葬 to cremate; cremation hūrǎn 忽然 suddenly jiānglái 将来 the future, someday jíjiù 急救 first aid; to administer emergency treatment jiùguolai 就过来 to save lǎorénjiā 老人家 polite way of addressing or referring to an old person (nǐ lǎorénjiā, tā lǎorénjiā) -liǎo 了 can, to be able to nánguò 难过 to be sad niánji (niánjì) 年纪 age píngjìng 平静 to be calm qubuliǎo 去不了 cannot go qùshì 去世 to pass away, to die sānglǐ 丧礼 funeral shāngxīn 伤心 to be grieved, to be sorrowful, to be heartbroken shēnbiān 身边 one’s vicinity, one’s immediate surroundings sòng 送 to escort, to take (someone to a place) xiāoxi 消息 news xīnzàng 心脏 heart xīnzàngbìng 心脏病 heart disease yíbèizi 一辈子 all one’s life yíxiang 一向 (have) always, (had) always, consistently, all along zài shuō 再说 furthermore, besides zàng 葬 to bury zuìjìn 最近 recently; soon zǔmǔ 祖母 grandmother (on the father’s side)

māma: “mother, mom” Although this can he used as a term of address, like English “Mom” or “Mommy”, it can also he used in informal conversation to refer to one's own or someone else's mother, as in wǒ māma “my mother”, or tā māma “his mother”. For the term of direct address “Mom”, Mā is probably more commonly used than Māma. Wǒ māma shàng bān qu le. My mother has left for work. Xiàwù, Māma jiù zuò huǒche lāi kàn wǒ le. This afternoon, Mom came hy train to visit me. sǐ: “to die” This is a process verb, like bìng “to become ill, to get sick”, and therefore corresponds more closely to the English “to become dead” than it does “to be dead”. In English one can talk about a person who has a terminal illness, saying “He is dying”, but this does not translate directly into Chinese. In Chinese one can say Tā kuài (yào) sǐle, “He is about to die,” or Tā huòbuliǎo duó jiù le, “He won't live much longer.” Tīngshuō Lǎo Liùde fùqin sǐ le. I heard that Lǎo Liù's father has died. Sǐ can be used directly before a noun as an adjective, meaning “dead”. Shi sǐde may be used to mean “is dead”. Zhè shi yìtiāo sǐ yú. This is a dead fish. Zhèitiáo yú shi sǐde. This fish is (a) dead (one).

shì fǒu: “is it (true) or isn't it (true that) ...” This phrase is a more formal-sounding equivalent of shì bu shi; fǒu in literary Chinese means “or not”. In spoken Standard Chinese, the use of shì fǒu is more restricted than shi bu shi. First of all, shì fǒu has a more educated, formal ring to it than shì bu shi. Secondly, shì fǒu is usually used only before another verbal expression, as in the following examples: Zhèzhǒng tiān shì fǒu huì xià yù? Is (this weather) going to rain? Jīnnián dōngtiān, nǐ shì fǒu xiǎng dào Màiāmì qu? Are you hoping to go to Miami this winter? Nǐ shì fǒu zhùnbèi ànzhao zhège jìhua qù zuò? Are you planning to act according to this plan? Nǐ yīnggāi xiǎngyixiǎng, nǐ duì zhège rén shì fǒu liǎojiě. You ought to think about whether you understand this person or not. Nǐ niánji bù xiǎo le, nǐ shì fǒu kǎolüguo jiéhūnde wèntí? You're not young anymore, have you considered the question of marriage? Jīnnián, nǐmen xuéxiàode xuéshēng shì fǒu zēngjiā le? This year did the (number of) students in your school increase? Wǒ bù zhīdào wǒde yìjian shì fǒu néng dédao tóngyì. I don't know whether my opinion will be agreed with or not. Zhèizhǒng dōngxi zài zhèli shì fǒu mǎidedāo? Can this sort of thing be bought here?

chū bìn: “to transport the coffin to the burial place or to the tomb”. Literally, this means “take out the coffin”. Liújiā míngtiān chū bin. The Liú's have the funeral procession tomorrow. Zuótiān, Liú Xiānsheng gěi tā fùqin chūle bin yǐhòu, huí jiā jiù bìng le. Yesterday, after Mr. Liú accompanied his father's coffin to the cemetery he went home and then got sick.

guīju: “fixed standards of conduct, regulations, or customs”. Ànzhao Zhōngguode guīju, gěi sǐrén chūle bìn yǐhòu hái yào zuò shénme? According to Chinese custom, after accompanying the coffin of the deceased to the cemetery, what else should be done? Kèren lái le, zài máng yě yào hē bēi chá, zhè shi wǒmende guīju. When a guest comes, no matter how busy he is, he should have a cup a cup of tea. This is our custom. Yǒu guīju means “to have manners”: Zhège háizi bù dǒng shì, méi guīju, zhēn ràng rén bù hǎo yìsi. This child does not understand about things, he has no manners. It really embarrasses a person. Wángjiāde lǎodā zhǎngde hǎokàn, yoò yǒu guīju, zhēn hǎo. The Wáng's oldest son is good looking and he is well mannered. He's really great. Guīju as an adjectival verb means “to be proper, to be correct (of a person)”. Lǎo Wangde nǚér rén hěn guīju. Lǎo Wáng's daughter is very proper.

dōu: Some of the uses of dōu do not correspond to “all”. “All” in English is often described as “collective”, that is, referring to all the members in a group. Dōu in Chinese is often described as “distributive”, that is referring to the members of a group as individuals. This usage sometimes is translated as “each”. Notice that in the Reference List sentence dōu in combination with yìbān and another noun produces this meaning. Hěn duō Zhōngguo rén dàole Měiguo dōu xiǎng niàn shū. A lot of Chinese want to study after they get to the United States. Qiánjǐnián, xǔduō xuéshēng bìyè yǐhōu dōu dào nóngcūn qu le. Several years ago many students went to the countryside after they graduated. Yìbān Zhōngguo rén dōu juéde xué Yīngwén bǐ xué Zhōngwén nán. The average Chinese thinks that English is harder to learn than Chinese. wǎnlián: “funeral scroll, scroll of condolence”, literally “elegiac-couplet”. [Lián is short for duìlián “a written or inscribed couplet (pair of parallel sentences)“.] Traditionally, white cloth scrolls in one to three strips were written for the deceased by friends. More recently a new practice has developed which is to send scrolls or wreaths bearing one character: diàn, “to sacrifice.” Sending flowers has been brought in by Western custom. Xiàwǔ wǒ dào Liújiā qu, nǐ gěi xiě ge wǎnliàn hǎo bu hǎo? This afternoon I'm going to the Liú's, could you write a funeral scroll for them? huò: “or”. You have learned huòshi and huòzhě for “or”. Huō is a more literary variant, but it can still be heard in conversation. Jīntiān wǎnshang huò míngtiān wǎnshang nǐ dào wǒ zhèli lái yítàng hǎo bu hǎo? Come over to my house tonight or tomorrow night, okay? huāquān: “flower wreath”, literally “flower circle”. Wǒ xiǎng mǎi ge huāquān gěi Liújiā sōngqu. I want to buy a flower wreath to send to the Liú's.

fǎnzhèng: “anyway, anyhow, either way, in any case, all the same”. Fǎnzhèng may come either before or after the subject of the sentence. Nǐ jí shenme, fǎnzhèng gǎnbushàng kāi huì le, mànmàn zǒu ba! What are you so anxious for, we won't make it in time for the meeting anyway, so let's just take our time! Fǎnzhèng wǒ bù mǎi, méi qián méi guānxi. I'm not going to buy it anyway, so it doesn't matter that I don't have any money. Wǒ fǎnzhèng méi shì, wǒmen jiù tántan zhèige wèntí ba. I don't have anything to do anyway, so let's talk about this. Fǎnzhèng wǒ yào qù, nǐ bú qù yě kéyi. I'm going anyway; it's okay if you don't go or It's okay if you don't go; anyway, I'm going. Fǎnzhèng is often prefaced by a clause beginning with bù guǎn “no matter whether...”: Bù guǎn nǐ qù bu qù, fǎnzhèng wǒ yào qù. No matter whether you go or not, I'm going anyway.

rúhé: “how; how about; in what way”. This is a literary word which means about the same as zěnmeyàng. In a more plain, colloquial style, the Reference List sentence could also be said as Wǒmen qù mǎi yige huāquān zěnmeyàng? Spoken Standard Chinese draws more on the written style in an area like Taiwan, where a majority of the population learn Standard Chinese in school, rather than at home. A speaker from Peking might consider Wǒmen mǎi yige huāquān rúhé to sound a little stiff and unnatural. You should be able to understand rúhé, but use it yourself only in speaking with people who use it, or in writing. Míngtiān Lǎo Zhāng qǐng wǒmen dǎjiā chī fàn, nǐ juéde rúhá? Tomorrow Lǎo Zhāng has invited all of us to eat, what do you think? Zhèjiàn shìde jiéguǒ rúhé? What was the outcome of this matter? ”Jiào wǒ rúhé bù xiǎng ta?” “(it makes me so that) How could I not miss her?” (name of famous popular song of the 30's)

huā: “to be multicolored”. Jīntiān tā chuānle yíjiàn huā yīfu, hǎo piàoliàng! Today she's wearing a multicolored dress. It's gorgeous!

Nǎ néng ràng ni pòfei: Nǎ or nǎr (Peking) is used in rhetorical questions. Tā méi qián, nǎ néng jiēhūn! He has no money, how can he get married? Zài Yéye nali nǎ(r) néng nàme shuō huà! How can you talk like that in front of Grandpa? Nǐ shi wǒmen jiāde rén, nǎ(r) néng bú ràng ni zhīdao zánmen jiāde shì ne? You're family, how could we not let you know what's going on in our family? Wǒ shuōde shi jǐbǎiniánqiánde shì, nà shíhoude Měiguo nǎ(r) yǒu shenme chéngshì! I'm talking about something several hundred years ago, how could America have had any cities at that time? A: Wǒ nǎ(r) míngbai! Like heck I understand! B: Nǐ nàme cōngmingde rén, nǎ(r) huì bù míngbai! You're such a smart person, how could you not understand? Nǐ kàn, nǎ(r) yǒu zhèyang bàn shìde, bù jīngguò jūmín wěiyuánhuì, jiù xiǎng shēng háizi, nǎ nǎ(r) xíng? Look, how can you go about things like this? You want to have a child without going through your neighborhood committee, how can that be okay? Tā yìzhí zǎi chéngli zhùzhe, nǎ(r) dàoguo nóngcūn ne! When has he ever been to the countryside! He's always lived in the city! A: Zěnmeyàng? Xiǎo Zhāng kuǎi jiēhūn le ba? How's it going? Is Xiǎo Zhāng going to get married soon? B: Nǎr a! Nǚjiā fùmǔ bú yuǎnyi , máfan dà le! You must be kidding! The girl's parents don't want it. There's a lot of trouble.

jiù shi le: This phrase is used at the end of a sentence to mean “...that's all”. It can have several different implications, depending on the context: “Don't worry, this matter can simply be taken care of like this.” (something is virtually taken care of) Wǒ yòu wàngle bǎ shū dàilai, búguǒ wǒ yídìng jiègei ni jiù shi le. I forgot to bring the book again, but I'm going to lend it to you for sure, don't worry. Wǒ zhào nín shuōde bàn jiù shi le. I'll simply do as you say. Děng yixià gěi ni bàn jiù shi le, nǐ jí shenme! I'll take care of it for you in a moment, don't worry, why are you so anxious? Ànzhao zhège jìhua zuò jiù shi le, yǒu shénme hǎo tánde?! Do it according to this plan and that's all there is to it! What else is there to discuss? “Only, just this, nothing more than this”. Zhèliǎngge háizi chàbuduō, búguǒ Lǎo Dà cōngming yidiǎnr jiù shi le. These two children are about the same, but the older one is a little more intelligent, that's all. Tā lái, méiyou shénme shi, búguǒ xiǎng yào nàběn shū jiù shi le. When he came he wasn't up to anything special, he just wanted that book, that's all. “ that's all that can be done about it.” Fǎnzhèng wǒ gēn ni shuōguo jiù shi le. In any case, I've told you, and that's all I can do.

zhǐ yào: “as long as, so long as, if only”. Zhǐ yào wǒ jīntiān wǎnshang yǒu kòng, jiù kéyi bǎ zhèběn shū kànwán. As long as I have time tonight, I can finish reading this book. dā: “to travel by, to take (a bus, car, train, boat, etc.)” Wǒ yě yào dào xuéxiào qu, dā nínde chē xíng bu xíng? I'm going to school too, can I get a ride with you? Wǒ dācuòle chē, jiéguǒ pǎodao Běitóu qu le. I got on the wrong bus, and ended up in Běitóu. Měitiān wǒ dā sìlù chē shàng bān. I take the Route 1 bus to work every day.

héqilai: “to combine, to put together, to unite”. He is a verb meaning “to combine, to put together, to unite, to merge”. You should learn to use he in the following combinations: hézai yìqǐ “to combine (two or more things together)”, héqilai “to combine (forces), to come together, to put together”, héchéng “to combine into, to merge into”. Wǒmen liǎngjiā héqilai mǎixiale zhè liùjiān fángzi. Our two families bought these six rooms together. Zhèliāngge jùzi hécheng yíge, róngyi shuō yidiǎnr. If you combine these two sentences into one, it's easier to say. Zhèliāngbān hézai yìqǐ, zhǐ yǒu shíge xuéshēng, hái bú suàn tài duō. If these two classes are combined, there are only ten students; that's still not too many.

xiǎode: “know”. This is a synonym of zhīdao, and can be used in most of the same ways that zhīdao can be used. Xiǎode is not, however, commonly used in Peking; it is mostly used in southern areas. gōngmù: “public cemetery”. Gāngcái tā yòu dào gōngmù qu le, gěi tā māma sòng yibǎ huā. Just now she went to the cemetery again and left a-bunch of flowers (on her mother's grave).

Two friends who work together at the Bank of Taiwan are having a talk:

rènwéi: “to think (that), to consider (that), to believe (that)”. This is a very common verb used to express that someone has formed an opinion or made a judgment about a person or thing. Wǒ rènwéi zhè shi yíge hěn zhòngyàode wèntí. I think this is a very important question. Wǒ bú rènwéi nǐ yīnggāi zuò zhèjiàn shi. I don't think you should do this. fēngshuǐ: Literally “wind and water”, this means the geographical outlay of something to be built, such as a grave or the foundation of a house. The traditional Chinese science of fēngshuǐ, or geomancy, is concerned with the good and bad influences which the location of a grave or building are believed to exert over a family and its descendants. In particular, the dead are influenced by and able to influence the celestial bodies for the benefit of the living. Each family, therefore, is naturally interested in arranging the most auspicious placement for it's family grave. Zhège fángzide fēngshuǐ bù hǎo. The fēngshuǐ of this house is no good. Zhèlide fēngshuǐ bú cuò. The fēngshuǐ here is pretty good.

zǐsūn: “sons and grandsons”, or used in a more general sense, “offspring descendants”. For this example, you have to know that Huángdì means “the Yellow Emperor”, a legendary ruler thought of as the father of Chinese civilization. Zhōngguo rén dōu shi Huangdìde zǐsūn. The Chinese are all descendants of the Yellow Emperor. hōudài: “descendants, posterity, later generations”. Wǒmende hōudài dōu yīnggāi jìzhu zhèijiàn shì! Our descendants should all remember this! Tā méiyou hōudài. He is without descendants. fādá: “to be prosperous, to be flourishing; to be developed, to be well-developed”. For the first example, you need to know that gōngshāngyè means “industry and commerce”. Měiguode gōngshāngyè fēichāng fādǎ. America's industry and commerce are very developed. Zhèijiā rénjiā hěn fādǎ. This family is prosperous.

jiǎngjiu: “to be particular about, to be meticulous about, to pay attention to, to strive for”. Zhège rén hěn jiǎngjiu chī, hěn jiǎngjiu chuān. This person is particular about what he eats and what he wears. Nèige háizi tài jiǎngjiu chuān. That kid pays too much attention to what she wears. Jiǎngjiu can also mean “to be elegant”. Nǐmen jiāde jiāju zhēn jiǎngjiu. Your furniture is truly elegant. guānniàn: “way of thinking, concept, notion, view, sense (of), mentality (of).” Měiguo rénde guānniàn gēn Zhōngguo rénde guānniàn yǒude yíyàng, yǒude bù yíyàng. Sometimes the American way of thinking and the Chinese way is the same, sometimes not. Nǐ kàn ba, zài guò jǐniān niánqīngrén yīnggāi wǎnliàn wǎnhūn jiù huì biàncheng yizhǒng guānniàn. You watch, in more few years, it will have become an accepted notion that young people should get involved late and marry late.

míxìn: “to be superstitious (about); superstition”. Shāngcháode shíhou Zhōngguo rén bǐjiào míxìn, xiànzài bǐjiào bù míxìn le. During the Shang Dynasty, the Chinese were relatively superstitious, now they aren't so much any more. Yǒude Zhōngguo rén míxìn fēngshuǐ. Some Chinese are superstitious about fengshui. tǔzàng: “to bury (a dead person)”, literally “ground-bury”. This word is used only in contrast to other ways of disposing of a dead body, for example cremation or burial at sea. [If no contrast with other forms of disposal is implied, then the word for “to bury” is simply zàng (for formal burials), mái (for informal burials), máizàng, or ānzàng (literally “peacefully bury”, a respectful term).] Éguo rén shuōguo tāmen yào māizàng Měiguo. The Russians said they wanted to bury Americans. huǒzàng: “to cremate; cremation”. In this word, you may think of zàng “to bury” as extended to mean “to dispose of (a dead body)”. Huǒ means “fire”.

yídào: “together”. You have already learned yìqǐ and yíkuàir for “together”. Yídào is mostly used by speakers of southern Mandarin and is little used by northerners. Yàohuá hé tāde nǚpéngyou yídào kàn diànyǐngr qu le. Yàohuā and his girlfriend went to see a movie. Háizimen zài yídào wánr. The children are playing together.

dàdōu: “for the most part, mostly”. Another word with the same meaning which is probably used by more people than dàdōu is dàduō. Zài Yìndu rénmín dàdōu (or dàduō) xìn Yìndujiào. In India the people are mostly Hindu. Zhōngguo rén dàduō shi nóngmín. Chinese for the most part are rural people. shǒubì: “arm (from the wrist to the shoulder)”. Other words for “arm” used in different regions are gēbei and gēbo (Peking gēbe). Xiǎo Lǐ gēbo shòule shāng, Xiǎo Wángde tuǐ yě shòule shang. Xiǎo Lǐ was hurt in the arm, and also Xiǎo Wáng was hurt in the leg. Gāngcái, wǒ bù xiǎoxin pèngdaole ménshang, dào xiànzài shǒubì hái téng ne. Just now I was careless and bumped into the door, and my arm still hurts now. dàixiào: “to wear mourning”. Formerly, people wore certain types of clothes while in mourning (sackcloth or white from head to foot). Nowadays, customs differ widely, but some small item is usually still worn to indicate a death in the family. These include a white flower in the hair, a coarse cloth patch on the arm or in the hair, or a black armband. Tā fùqin sǐle kuài sānnián le, tā hái dàixiào ne! Her father has been dead for almost three years and she is still wearing mourning!

cōnglái bù: “never, never does...”. In the last unit, you saw the pattern cónglái méi(you), meaning “have never...” or “had never...”. Cōnglái means “from the past up until now (it has always been this way)”. Wǒ cōnglái bú yuànyi zǎoshang niàn shū. I never want to study in the morning. huī: “to be gray”. Zài Zhōngguo dàduōshù rén dōu xǐhuan chuān lánsè hé huīsède yīfu. The great majority of people in China like to wear blue or gray clothing,

qiānmíngbù: “guest book”, literally, “sign-name record book”. qián míng: “to sign one's name”. Qǐng ni zài zhèli qiān míng. Please sign here. xíguàn: “custom, habit”. The definition of xíguàn in a Chinese dictionary reads: “behavior, tendency, or social practice cultivated over a long period of time, and which is hard to change abruptly”. Compare this with fēngsú “custom”, which you learned in Unit 1: “the sum total of etiquette, usual practices, etc. adhered to over a long period of time in the development of society”. Notice that xíguàn may refer to the way of an individual or of a community, whereas fēngsú only refers to the way of a community.

An American student attending Taiwan National University is talking with a Chinese classmate and friend:

Funeral procedures in the PRC today are very simple. In the interest of sanitation (bodies might have some communicable disease) and economy (ground burials are expensive and consume government agricultural land), deceased city residents are required to be cremated. By government regulation the immediate family is allowed two days of paid leave, sàng jià. The funeral involves someone saying a few kind words about the deceased in the presence of relatives and people from his work unit. Those present are dressed plainly, bearing a white flower. Ashes are placed in carved wood or porcelain boxes in a gǔhuī cúnfàngchù, a building reserved for this purpose. It is not necessary to give anything to the family of the deceased but people sometimes give money or other small items. In the countryside, there might be a large feast at the deceased's home. There is an attitude which says a funeral is a time of gladness when the deceased enters the world of the non-living. [A funeral is a “white joyous event,” bái xīshì. A wedding is a “red event.” Together they are sometimes referred to as hóngbái xīshì, red and white joyous events.]

bìnyíguǎn 殡仪馆 funeral home chū bìn 出殡 to hold a funeral procession cónglái bù 从来不 never cónglái dōu 从来都 always (in the past) cónglái méi 从来没 have never dā 打 travel by, take (a taxi, bus, train, airplane, etc.) dàdōu 大都 for the most part dài xiào 带孝 to wear mourning fādá 发达 to be developed, to be prosperous fǎnzhèng 反正 anyway, in any case fēngshuǐ 风水 the Chinese science of geomancy (that is, the influence of landscape on people and their fortunes) gāi 该 should, ought to gōngmù 公墓 public cemetery guānniàn 观念 concept, notion, view guīju 规矩 special customs, established rules héqilai 合起来 to combine, to join together hòudài 后代 descendants huā 花 to be multicolored huāquān 花圈 flower wreath huī 灰 to be gray huò 或 or huǒzàng 火葬 cremation jiǎngjiu 讲究 to be particular about; to be elegant, to be tasteful Jílè Bìnyíguǎn 极乐殡仪馆 Paradise Funeral Home (in Tapei) jiù shì le 就是了 ..., that’s all māma 妈妈 mother, mom míxin 迷信 to be superstitious; superstition nǎ (náli, nǎr) 那（那里，那儿） how (used in rhetorical questions to deny something) qiān míng 签名 to sign one’s name qiānmíngbù 签名簿 guest book rènwéi 认为 to think that, to believe that rúhé 如何 how, in what way; how (someone or something) is; how is it (literary form) shì fǒu 是否 literary form meaning shi bu shi shǒubì 手臂 arm sǐ 死 to die tǔzàng 土葬 burial (the word used in contrast to cremation or burial at sea) wǎnliàn 挽联 funeral scroll xiǎode 晓得 to know xíguàn 习惯 habit, custom Yàngmíngshān 阳明山 a mountain in suburban Taipei yídào 一道 together zhǐ yào 只要 as long as, if only zǐsūn 子孙 descendants

ài 唉 (sound of sighing) ānxīn 安心 to be without worry, to feel at ease to feel relieved -bàng 镑 pound (unit of weight) bǎobao (bǎobǎo) 宝宝 baby, darling (term of endearment for a young child) běnlái 本来 originally bǐcǐ 彼此 each other, mutually; you too, the same to you bǐjiào (bījiǎo) 比较 relatively, comparatively; fairly, rather bìngqiě 并且 moreover, and bīngxiāng 冰箱 refrigerator, ice box bìnyíguǎn 殡仪馆 funeral home bìyùn 避孕 contraception bú dàn 不但 not only bù gǎn dāng 不敢当 I’m flattered, You shouldn't have, I don't deserve this bù shǎo 不少 quite a lot, quite a few bù tong 不同 to be different càishichǎng 菜市场 market cānjiā 参加 to take part in; to attend cèsuǒ 厕所 toilet chǎnfù 产妇 a woman who has given birth within the last month chángshòu 长寿 long life, longevity; to live a long time chǎnjià 产假 maternity leave chénggōng 成功 to succeed, to be successful chéngshì 城市 city chéng 成 to become, to constitute, to make chī nǎi 吃奶 to nurse, to suckle chū bìn 出殡 to hold a funeral procession chūchāi 出差 to be out of town on business chuī fēng 吹风 to have air blow on oneself, to be in a draft chūshēnglü 出生率 birth rate cónglái bù 从来不 never cónglái dōu 从来都 always (in the past) cónglái méi 从来没 have never dǎ chángtū diànhuà 大长途电话 to make a long-distance phone call dàdōu 大都 for the most part dàfàndiàn 大饭店 hotel dàgē 大哥 oldest brother dài xiào 带孝 to wear mourning dàlou 大楼 building dāngxīn 当心 to watch out dànshi 但是 but dānwèi 单位 unit -dào 到 indicates successful accomplishment of something dàshiguǎn 大使馆 embassy dàxǐde rìzi 大喜的日子 wedding day dàxǐ 大喜 great rejoicing dāying 答应 to agree (to something), to consent, to promise dā 打 travel by, take (a taxi, bus, train, airplane, etc.) dédao 得到 to receive, to get dé 得 to get diàosāng 吊嗓 to present one’s condolences at a funeral, to attend a funeral dìqū 地区 region dù mìyuè 度蜜月 to go on a honeymoon, to spend one's honeymoon duó kuài! 多快 how fast! duōnián 多年 many years dù 度 to pass ěrduo 耳朵 ear érnǚ 儿女 children érqiě 而且 furthermore fādá 发达 to be developed, to be prosperous fàndiàn 饭店 restaurant fàngjiān 房间 room fànguǎnzi 饭馆子 restaurant fàntīng 饭厅 dining room fǎnzhèng 反正 anyway, in any case fàn 犯 to have an attack (of an old disease) fǎyuàn 法院 court of law fēijichǎng 飞机场 airport fēngqì 风气 common practice; general mood fēngshī 风湿 rheumatism fēngshuǐ 风水 the Chinese science of geomancy (that is, the influence of landscape on people and their fortunes) fēngsū 风俗 custom fēnpèi 分配 to assign, to apportion, to allot Fó 佛 Buddha fūfù 夫妇 married couple, husband and wife fùjìn 附近 area fúqi 福气 blessings, luck fúwùtái 服务台 service desk fúxiàng 福祥 lucky physiognomy fùzá (fǔzá) 复杂 to be complicated gǎibiàn 改变 to change gāi 该 should, ought to gǎndeshàng 干得上 to be able to catch up, to be able to make it in time gǎnhuilai 赶回来 to rush back gǎnjīn 赶紧 quickly gèdì 各地 the various places, each place gègè 各个 various gēnjù (gēnju) 根据 according to, based on gèzhǒng 各种 various kinds, types Gōngānjú 公安局 Bureau of Public Security gōngmù 公墓 public cemetery gōngsī 公司 company gōngyuǎn 公园 park gōngyù 公寓 apartment gōngzhèng jiēhūn 公证结婚 civil marriage gōngzī 工资 wages, pay guānniàn 观念 concept, notion, view gǔhuī 骨灰 bone ashes guīju 规矩 special customs, established rules guòqu 过去 to pass away, to die guòshì 过世 to pass away, to die háishi 还是 after all hái 还 even, (to go) so far as to héqilai 合起来 to combine, to join together hé 和 with; and hóngbāo 红包 a red envelope with a gift or bribe of money in it hóngdàn 红蛋 eggs dyed red hóngtáng 红糖 brown sugar hòudài 后代 descendants hòulái 后来 later, afterwards huāquān 花圈 flower wreath huā 花 to be multicolored huīfu 恢复 to recover huìkèshì 会客室 reception room húi mén 回门 the return of the bride to her parents' home (usually on the third day after the wedding) huì 会 might, to be likely to, will huī 灰 to be gray hūnlǐ 婚礼 wedding huǒchēzhàn 火车站 railroad station huǒzàng 火葬 cremation huǒzàng 火葬 to cremate; cremation huò 或 or hūrǎn 忽然 suddenly jiǎngjiu 讲究 to be particular about; to be elegant, to be tasteful jiānglái 将来 the future, someday jiàotáng 教堂 church jiāowǎng 交往 to associate with, to have dealings with jiātíng 家庭 family jià 假 vacation, leave jīdūjiào 基督教 Christianity jiēguǒ (jiēguǒ) 结果 as a result; result, results jiēhūn lǐfú 结婚礼服 wedding gown (dress) jiéhūn 结婚 (jiehūn) to get married jiějué 解决 to solve jièshaorén 介绍人 introducer jìhua shēngyù 计划生育 planned parenthood, family planning jíjiù 急救 first aid; to administer emergency treatment Jílè Bìnyíguǎn 极乐殡仪馆 Paradise Funeral Home (in Tapei) jǐngchájú 警察局 police station jingguò 经过 to go through, to pass by or through jìniàn 纪念 memento, memorial jiùguolai 就过来 to save jiù shì le 就是了 ..., that’s all juédìng 决定 to decide juéyù 绝育 sterilization jūmín wěiyuánhuì 居民委员会 neighborhood committee jǔxíng 举行 to hold (a meeting, ceremony, etc.) júzhǎng 局长 head of an office or bureau (of which the last syllable is jú) kāfēitīng 咖啡厅 coffeehouse kǎolǜ 考虑 to consider; consideration kě bū shi ma! 可不是吗 I’ll say, yes indeed, that’s for sure kě 可 indeed, really kòngzhi 控制 to control ...-lái...-qù 。。。-来。。。-去 (indicates repeating the action over and over again) lǎojiā 老家 hometown lǎorénjiā 老人家 polite way of addressing or referring to an old person (nǐ lǎorénjiā, tā lǎorénjiā) lǎoshi (lǎoshí) 老实 to be honest liàn’ài 恋爱 to be romantically involved with; love liǎojiě (liáojie) 了解 to understand; understanding -liǎo 了 can, to be able to líhūn 离婚 to get divorced lǐwù (lǐwu) 礼物 gift, present māma 妈妈 mother, mom mǎnyì 满意 to be pleased mǎnyuèjiǔ 满月酒 celebration meal one month after a baby is born mǎnyuè 满月 a full month after the birth of a baby -men -们 plural suffix miǎnfèi 免费 to be free of charge ming’é 名额 the number of people assigned or allowed, quota (of people) míxin 迷信 to be superstitious; superstition mìyuè 蜜月 honeymoon nǎ (náli, nǎr) 那（那里，那儿） how (used in rhetorical questions to deny something) nánfāng 男方 the groom's side, the groom's family nánguò 难过 to be sad nánjiā(r) 男家 the husband’s family nánnǚ 男女 male and female nēnggàn 能干 to be capable nénggòu 能够 can, to be able to niánji (niánjì) 年纪 age niánqīng 年轻 to be young nóngcūn 女家 rural area, countryside nóngmín 农民 peasant nǚjiā(r) 女家 the wife’s family nǔlì 努力 to be hardworking, to be diligent; diligently, hard nǚ 女 female pàichūsuǒ(r) 派出所儿 the local police station pàng 胖 to be fat pèng 碰 to touch píngjìng 平静 to be calm pīzhǔn 批准 to give official permission pòfei 颇费 to spend a lot of money (on someone), to go to some expense qiānmíngbù 签名簿 guest book qiān míng 签名 to sign one’s name qiānwàn 千万 by all means, be sure to; (in com bination with a negative sentence) by no means, under no circumstances qíngkuàng 情况 situation qīngnián 青年 youth, young person qīnjìn 亲近 to be close (to a person) qīnqi 亲戚 relatives qūbié 区别 difference, distinction qubuliǎo 去不了 cannot go qùshì 去世 to pass away, to die réngōng liúchǎn 人工流产 abortion rènwéi 认为 to think that, to believe that rén 人 person, self, body rúhé 如何 how, in what way; how (someone or something) is; how is it (literary form) rù xí 入席 to take one’s seat (at a gathering, meeting, or banquet) sānglǐ 丧礼 funeral sān tōngguò 三通过 “the three approvals” shāngdiàn 商店 store shàngjìn 上进 to be ambitious shāngxīn 伤心 to be grieved, to be sorrowful, to be heartbroken shǎoshù mínzú 少数民族 minority nationality, national minority shēnbiān 身边 one’s vicinity, one’s immediate surroundings shēnglěng 生冷 raw or cold foods shēngxialai 生下来 to be born shēngyù 生育 to give birth to and raise shībài 失败 to fail shì fǒu 是否 literary form meaning shi bu shi shìqū 市区 urban area or district shíxíng 实行 to practice, to carry out (a method, policy, plan, ‘reform, etc.) shǒubì 手臂 arm shōushù 手术 operation, surgery shōuxiān 首先 first shuāngfāng 双方 both sides, both parties shùmu 数目 number shú 熟 to be familiar (with), to know well sǐ 死 to die sòng 送 to escort, to take (someone to a place) sòng 送 to give (something as a gift) sūnzi 孙子 grandson -tāi 胎 birth tándao 谈到 to talk about; speaking of ... tǎng 躺 to lie,lie down, to recline tánlai tánqù to talk back and forth tànqīnjià 探亲家 leave for visiting family tànqīn 探亲 to visit relatives (usually means immediate family) tíchàng 提倡 to advocate, to promote, to initiate tíqīn 提亲 to bring up a proposal of marriage tongguò 通过 to pass, to approve tòngkǔ 痛苦 to be painful tóngyì 同意 to consent, to agree tóuyige 头一个 the first tóuyìtāi 头一台 the first pregnancy, the first baby tuō nínde fú 托您的福 thanks to your lucky influence, many thanks tǔzàng 土葬 burial (the word used in contrast to cremation or burial at sea) Wángjiā 王家 the Wáng family wánjù 玩具 toy wǎnliàn wǎnhūn 晚恋晚婚 late involvement and late marriage wǎnliàn 挽联 funeral scroll wèi 喂 to feed xiāngdāng 相当 quite, pretty, very xiāngxìn 相信 to believe xiānhuā 鲜花 fresh flowers xiǎo bǎobao (xiǎo bǎobǎo) 小宝宝 baby, darling (term of endearment for a young child) xiǎode 晓得 to know xiǎoháir 小孩儿 child, children xiǎojiě (xiáojie) 小姐 daughter (referring to someone else’s daughter) xiǎoxīn 小心 to be careful xiāoxi 消息 news xífu 媳妇 daughter-in-law xíguàn 习惯 habit, custom xījiù 喜酒 wedding banquet; wedding wine xìn Fó 信佛 to be a Buddhist xīnláng 新郎 bridegroom xīnniáng 新娘 bride xīnzàngbìng 心脏病 heart disease xīnzàng 心脏 heart xìn 信 to believe (in) xǔduō 许多 many; a great deal (of), a lot (of) Yàngmíngshān 阳明山 a mountain in suburban Taipei yě jiù shi shuō 也就是说 to mean; in other words yě 也 indeed, in fact, admittedly yìbānde shuō 一般地说 generally speaking yìbān 一般 ordinary, general, common yíbèizi 一辈子 all one’s life yídào 一道 together yídìng 一定 to be specific yìjian 意见 opinion yīngdāng 应当 should, ought to yíngyǎngpǐn 营养品 food items of special nutritional value yíshì 仪式 ceremony yíxiang 一向 (have) always, (had) always, consistently, all along yíxiàzi 一下子 an instant, a moment, a while yìzhí 一直 all along, all the time (up until a certain point) yuèzi 月子 month of confinement after giving birth to a child zài shuō 再说 furthermore, besides zàng 葬 to bury záo 早 long ago zengjiā 增加 to increase zhǎng 成 to grow; to be (pretty, etc.) zhèngfǔ 政府 government zhènghūnrén 征婚人 chief witness at a wedding ceremony zhènghūn 征婚 to witness a marriage zhǐ yào 只要 as long as, if only zhòng 重 to be heavy zhùdao 住到 to move to, to go live at zǐsūn 子孙 descendants zǒngshi 总是 always zuìjìn 最近 recently; soon zǔmǔ 祖母 grandmother (on the father’s side) zuò méi 做媒 to act as go-between (for the families of a man and woman considering marriage) zuò yuèzi 坐月子 to go through the month of confinement and special care after childbirth zuò 作，做 to serve as, to act as; as zū 租 to rent