7 Unit 1

7.1 Introduction

7.1.1 Topics Covered in this Unit

  1. Questions and answers about full names and surnames.

  2. Titles and terms of address (“Mr.,” “Mrs.,” etc.).

7.1.2 Prerequisites to the Unit

(Be sure to complete these before starting the unit.)

  1. Background Notes

  2. P&R 1 (Tape 1 of the resource module on Pronunciation and Romanization), the tones.

  3. P&R 2 (Tape 2 of the resource module on Pronunciation and Romanization), the tones.

7.1.3 Materials You Will Need

  1. The C-1 and P-1 tapes, the Reference List and Reference Notes.

  2. The drill tape (1D-1)

7.1.4 About the C-1 and P-1 Tapes

The C-1 and P-1 tapes are your introduction to the Chinese words and structures presented in each unit. The tapes give you explanations and practice on the new material. By the time you have worked through these two tapes, you will be competent in understanding and producing the expressions introduced in the unit.

With the C-1 tape, you learn to understand the new words and structures. The material is presented in short conversational exchanges, first with English translations and later with pauses which allow you to translate. Try to give a complete English translation for each Chinese expression. Your goal when using the C-1 tape is to learn the meanings of all the words and structures as they are used in the sentences.

With the P-1 tape, you learn to put together these sentences. You learn to pronounce each new word and use each new structure. When the recorded instructions direct you to pronounce a word or say a sentence, do so out loud. It is important for you to hear yourself speaking Chinese, so that you will know whether you are pronouncing the words correctly. Making the effort to say the expression is a big part of learning it. It is one thing to think about how a sentence should be put together or how it should sound. It is another thing to put it together that way or make it sound that way. Your goal when using the P-1 tape is to produce the Target List expressions in Chinese when given English equivalents. At the end of each P-1 tape is a review of the Target List which you can go over until you have mastered the expressions.

At times, you may feel that the material on a tape is being presented too fast. You may find that there is not enough time allowed for working out the meaning of a sentence or saying a sentence the way you want to. When this happens, stop the tape. If you want to, rewind; Use the control buttons on your machine to make the tape manageable for you most and to get the most out of it.

7.1.5 About the Reference List and the Reference Notes

The Reference List and the Reference Notes are designed to be used before, during, or directly after work with the C-1 and P-1 tapes.

The Reference List is a summary of the C-1 and P-1 tapes. It contains all sentences which introduce new material, shoving you both the Chinese sentences written in romanization and their English equivalents. You will find that the list is printed so that either the Chinese or the English can be covered to allow you to test yourself on comprehension, production, or romanization of the sentences.

The Reference Notes give you information about grammar, pronunciation, and cultural usage. Some of these explanations duplicate what you hear on the C-1 and P-1 tapes. Other explanations contain new information.

You may use the Reference List and Reference Notes in various ways. For example, you may follow the Reference Notes as you listen to a tape, glancing at an exchange or stopping to read a comment whenever you want to. Or you may look through the Reference Notes before listening to a tape, and then use the Reference List while you listen, to help you keep track of where you are. Whichever way you decide to use these parts of a unit, remember that they are reference materials. Don’t rely on the translations and romanizations as subtitles for the C-1 tape or as cue cards for the P-1 tape, for this would rob you of your chance to develop listening and responding skills.

7.1.6 About the Drills

The drills help you develop fluency, ease of response, and confidence. You can go through the drills on your own, with the drill tapes, and the teacher may take you through them in class as well.

Allow more than half an hour for a half-hour drill tape, since you will usually need to go over all or parts of the tape more than once to get full benefit from it.

The drills include many personal names, providing you with valuable pronunciation practice. However, if you find the names more than you can handle the first time through the tape, replace them with the pronoun whenever possible. Similar substitutions are often possible with place names.

Some of the drills involve sentences which you may find too long to understand or produce on your first try, and you will need to rewind for another try. Often, particularly the first time through a tape, you will find the pauses too short, and you will need to stop the tape to give yourself more time. The performance you should aim for with these tapes, however, is full comprehension and full, fluent, and accurate production while the tape rolls.

The five basic types of drills are described below.

  1. Substitution Drills: The teacher (T) gives a pattern sentence which the student (S) repeats. Then the teacher gives a word or phrase (a cue) which the student substitutes appropriately in the original sentence. The teacher follows immediately with a new cue.

    • T: Are you an American?

    • S: Are you an American?

    • T: (cue) English

    • S: Are you English?

    • T: (cue) French

    • S: Are you French?

    Example 1.1 Here is an English example of a substitution drill:

  2. Transformation Drills: On the basis of a model provided at the beginning of the drill, the student makes a certain change in each sentence the teacher says.

    • T: I’m going to the bank.

    • S: I’m not going to the bank.

    • T: I’m going to the store.

    • S: I’m not going to the store.

    Example 2.1 Here is an English example of a transformation drill, in which the student is changing affirmative sentences into negative ones:
  3. Response Drills: On the basis of a model given at the beginning of the drill, the student responds to questions or remarks by the teacher as cued by the teacher.

    • T: What is his name? (cue) Harris

    • S: His name is Harris.

    • T: What is her name? (cue) Noss

    • S: Her name is Noss.

    Example 3.1 Here is an English example of a response drill:
  4. Expansion Drills: The student adds something to a pattern sentence as cued by the teacher.

    • T: He isn’t Chinese, (cue) Japanese.

    • S: He isn’t Chinese. He’s Japanese.

    • T: She isn’t German. (cue) French.

    • S: She isn’t German. She’s French.

    Example 4.1 Here is an English example of an expansion drill:
  5. Combination Drills: On the basis of a model given at the beginning of the drill, the student combines two phrases or sentences given by the teacher into a single utterance.

    • T: I am reading a book. John gave me the book.

    • S: I am reading a book which John gave me.

    • T: Mary bought a picture. I like the picture.

    • S: Mary bought a picture which I like.

    Example 5.1 Here is an English example of a combination drill:

7.2 References

7.2.1 Reference list

1. A: Nǐ shi shéi? 你是誰? Who are you?
B: Wǒ shi Wáng Dànián. 我是王大年。 I’m Wáng Dànián.
2. A: Nǐ shi shéi? 你是誰? Who are you?
B: Wǒ shi Hú Měilíng. 我是胡美玲。 I’m Hú Měilíng.
3. A: Tā shi shéi? 他是誰? Who is he?
B: Tā shi Mǎ Mínglǐ 他是馬明理。 He is Mǎ Mínglǐ.
4. A: Tā shi Mǎ Mínglǐ. 他是馬明理。 He is Mǎ Mínglǐ.
B: Tā shi Hú Měilíng. 她是胡美玲。 She is Hú Měilíng.
5. A: Nǐ xìng shénme? 你姓什麼? What is your surname?
B: Wǒ xìng Wáng. 我姓王。 My surname is Wáng.
6. A: Tā xìng shénme? 他姓什麼? What is his surname?
B: Tā xìng Mǎ. 他姓馬。 His surname is .
7. A: Tā shi shéi? 他是誰? Who is he?
B: Tā shi Mǎ xiānsheng. 他是馬先生。 He is Mr. .
8. A: Tā shi shéi? 他是誰? Who is he?
B: Tā shi Mǎ Mínglǐ xiānsheng. 他是馬明理先生。 He is Mr. Mǎ Mínglǐ.
9. A: Wáng xiānsheng, tā shi shéi? 王先生,他是誰? Mr. Wáng, who is he?
B: Tā shi Mǎ Mínglǐ xiānsheng. 他是馬明理先生。 He is Mr. Mǎ Mínglǐ.
10. A: Xiānsheng, tā shi shéi? 先生,他是誰? Sir, who is he?
B: Tā shi Mǎ xiānsheng 他是馬先生。 He is Mr. .
11. A: Xiānsheng, tā shi shéi? 先生,她是誰? Sir, who is she?
B: Tā shi Mǎ tàitai. 她是馬太太。 She is Mrs. .
12. A: Wáng xiānsheng, tā shi shéi? 王先生,她是誰? Mr. Wáng, who is she?
B: Tā shi Mǎ Mínglǐ tàitai. 她是馬明理太太。 She is Mrs. Mǎ Mínglǐ.
13. A: Wáng xiānsheng, tā shi shéi? 王先生,她是誰? Mr. Wáng, who is she?
B: Tā shi Mǎ xiǎojiě. 她是馬小姐。 She is miss .
14. A: Tā shi shéi? 他是誰? Who is he?
B: Tā shi Mǎ Mínglǐ tóngzhì. 他是馬明理同志。 He is Comrade Mínglǐ.
15. A: Tóngzhì, tā shi shéi? 同志,她是誰? Comrade, who is she?
B: Tā shi Fāng Bǎolán. 她是方寶蘭。 She is Fāng Bǎolán.
16. A: Tóngzhì, tā shi shéi? 同志,她是誰? Comrade, who is she?
B: Tā shi Fāng Bǎolán tóngzhì. 她是方寶蘭同志。 She is Comrade Fāng Bǎolán.

7.2.2 Vocabulary

you
shéi who
shénme 什麼 what
shì to be
他,她,它 he, she, it
tàitai 太太 Mrs. , wife, married woman, lady
tóngzhì 同志 comrade
I
xiānsheng 先生 Mr. , sir, husband, teacher
xiǎojiě (xiǎojie) 小姐 Miss, lady, daughter (polite)
xìng to be surnamed

7.2.3 Reference Notes

7.2.3.1 Notes on № 1-4
1. A: Nǐ shi shéi? 你是誰? Who are you?
B: Wǒ shi Wáng Dànián. 我是王大年。 I’m Wáng Dànián.
2. A: Nǐ shi shéi? 你是誰? Who are you?
B: Wǒ shi Hú Měilíng. 我是胡美玲。 I’m Hú Měilíng.
3. A: Tā shi shéi? 他是誰? Who is he?
B: Tā shi Mǎ Mínglǐ 他是馬明理。 He is Mǎ Mínglǐ.
4. A: Tā shi Mǎ Mínglǐ. 他是馬明理。 He is Mǎ Mínglǐ.
B: Tā shi Hú Měilíng. 她是胡美玲。 She is Hú Měilíng.

The verb shì means “to be” in the sense of “to be someone or something,” as in “I am Daniel King.” It expresses identity. (In Unit 4 you will learn a verb which means “to be” in another sense, “to be somewhere,” as in “I am in Běijīng.” That verb expresses location.) The verb shì is in the Neutral tone (with no accent mark) except when emphasized.

Unlike verbs in European languages, Chinese verbs do not distinguish first, second, and third persons. A single form serves for all three persons.

shi Wáng Dànián. I am Wáng Dànián.
shi Hú Měilíng. You are Hú Měilíng.
shi Mǎ Mínglǐ. He is Mǎ Mínglǐ.

Later you will find that Chinese verbs do not distinguish singular and plural, either, and that they do not distinguish past, present, and future as such. You need to learn only one form for each verb.

The pronoun is equivalent to both “he” and “she.” (and it), but the writing is different: he ↠ , she ↠ , it ↠ .

The question Nǐ shi shéi? is actually too direct for most situations, although it is all right from teacher to student or from student to student. (A more polite question is introduced in Unit 2.)

Unlike English, Chinese uses the same word order in questions as in statements.

shi shéi? Who is he?
shi Mǎ Mínglǐ? He is Mǎ Mínglǐ.

When you answer a question containing a question word like shéi. “who,” simply replace the question word with the information it asks for.

7.2.3.2 Notes on № 5-6
5. A: Nǐ xìng shénme? 你姓什麼? What is your surname?
B: Wǒ xìng Wáng. 我姓王。 My surname is Wáng.
6. A: Tā xìng shénme? 他姓什麼? What is his surname?
B: Tā xìng Mǎ. 他姓馬。 His surname is .

Xìng is a verb, “to be surnamed.” It is in the same position in the sentence as shì, “to be.”

shi Wáng Dànián.
I am Wáng Dànián.
xìng Wáng.
I am surnamed Wáng.

Notice that the question word shénme. “What,” takes the same position as the question word shéi “who.”

shi shéi?
You are who?
xìng shénme?
You are surnamed what?

Shénme is the official spelling. However, the word is pronounced as if it were spelled shémma, or even shéma (often with a single rise in pitch extending over both syllables.) Before another word which begins with a consonant sound, it is usually pronounced as if it were spelled shém.

7.2.3.3 Notes on № 7-8
7. A: Tā shi shéi? 他是誰? Who is he?
B: Tā shi Mǎ xiānsheng. 他是馬先生。 He is Mr. .
8. A: Tā shi shéi? 他是誰? Who is he?
B: Tā shi Mǎ Mínglǐ xiānsheng. 他是馬明理先生。 He is Mr. Mǎ Mínglǐ.

After the verb shì you may have the full name alone, the surname plus title, or the full name plus title.

shi Mínglǐ
shi xiānsheng.
shi Mínglǐ xiānsheng.

Xiānsheng, literally “first-born,” has more of a connotation of respectfulness than “Mr.” Xiānsheng is usually applied only to people other than oneself. Do not use the title xiānsheng (or any other respectful title, such as Jiàoshòu, “Professor” when giving your own name. If you want to say “I am Mr. Jones,” you may say Wǒ xìng Jones.

When a name and title name are said together, logically enough it is the name which gets the heavy stress: WÁNG xiānsheng, You will often hear the title pronounced with no full tones: WÁNG Xiansheng.

7.2.3.4 Notes on № 9-12
9. A: Wáng xiānsheng, tā shi shéi? 王先生,他是誰? Mr. Wáng, who is he?
B: Tā shi Mǎ Mínglǐ xiānsheng. 他是馬明理先生。 He is Mr. Mǎ Mínglǐ.
10. A: Xiānsheng, tā shi shéi? 先生,他是誰? Sir, who is he?
B: Tā shi Mǎ xiānsheng 他是馬先生。 He is Mr. .
11. A: Xiānsheng, tā shi shéi? 先生,她是誰? Sir, who is she?
B: Tā shi Mǎ tàitai. 她是馬太太。 She is Mrs. .
12. A: Wáng xiānsheng, tā shi shéi? 王先生,她是誰? Mr. Wáng, who is she?
B: Tā shi Mǎ Mínglǐ tàitai. 她是馬明理太太。 She is Mrs. Mǎ Mínglǐ.

When you address someone directly, use either the name plus the title or the title alone. Xiānsheng must be translated as “Sir” when it is used alone, since “Mr.” would not capture its respectful tone. (Tàitai, however, is less respectful when used alone. You should address Mrs. as Mǎ tàitai..)

7.2.3.5 Notes on № 13-16
13. A: Wáng xiānsheng, tā shi shéi? 王先生,她是誰? Mr. Wáng, who is she?
B: Tā shi Mǎ xiǎojiě. 她是馬小姐。 She is miss .
14. A: Tā shi shéi? 他是誰? Who is he?
B: Tā shi Mǎ Mínglǐ tóngzhì. 他是馬明理同志。 He is Comrade Mínglǐ.
15. A: Tóngzhì, tā shi shéi? 同志,她是誰? Comrade, who is she?
B: Tā shi Fāng Bǎolán. 她是方寶蘭。 She is Fāng Bǎolán.
16. A: Tóngzhì, tā shi shéi? 同志,她是誰? Comrade, who is she?
B: Tā shi Fāng Bǎolán tóngzhì. 她是方寶蘭同志。 She is Comrade Fāng Bǎolán.

See the Background Notes on Chinese Personal Names and Titles for tóngzhì. “Comrade,” and the use of maiden names.

7.3 Drills

7.3.1 Substitution drill.

Cue Answer

1.

Mǎ Mínglǐ

馬明理

Tā shi Mǎ Mínglǐ

他是馬明理。

He is Mǎ Mínglǐ.

2.

Hú Měilíng

胡美玲

Tā shi Hú Měilíng

她是胡美玲。

She is Hú Měilíng.

3.

Wáng Dànián

王大年

Tā shi Wáng Dànián

他是王大年。

He is Wáng Dànián.

4.

Lǐ Shìmín

李世民

Tā shi Lǐ Shìmín

他是李世民。

He is Lǐ Shìmín.

5.

Liú Lìróng

劉麗容

Tā shi Liú Lìróng

她是劉麗容。

She is Liú Lìróng.

6.

Zhāng Bǎolán

張寶蘭

Tā shi Zhāng Bǎolán.

她是張寶蘭。

She is Zhāng Bǎolán.

7.3.2 Response Drill

When the cue is given by a male speaker, male students should respond. When the cue is given by a female speaker, female students should respond.

Question Cue Answer

1.

Nǐ shi shéi?

你是誰?

Who are you?

Wáng Dànián

王大年

Wǒ shi Wáng Dànián

我是王大年。

I am Wáng Dànián.

2.

Nǐ shi shéi?

你是誰?

Who are you?

Hú Měilíng

胡美玲

Wǒ shi Hú Měilíng.

我是胡美玲。

I am Hú Měilíng.

3.

Nǐ shi shéi?

你是誰?

Who are you?

Liú Shìmín

李世民

Wǒ shi Liú Shìmín.

我是李世民。

I am Liú Shìmín.

4.

Nǐ shi shéi?

你是誰?

Who are you?

Chén Huìrán

陳蕙然

Wǒ shi Chén Huìrán.

我是陳蕙然。

I am Chén Huìrán.

5.

Nǐ shi shéi?

你是誰?

Who are you?

Huáng Déxián

黃德賢

Wǒ shi Huáng Déxián.

我是黃德賢。

I am Huáng Déxián.

6.

Nǐ shi shéi?

你是誰?

Who are you?

Zhào Wǎnrú

趙婉如

Wǒ shi Zhào Wǎnrú.

我是趙婉如。

I am Zhào Wǎnrú.

7.

Nǐ shi shéi?

你是誰?

Who are you?

Jiǎng Bīngyíng

蔣冰瑩

Wǒ shi Jiǎng Bīngyíng.

我是蔣冰瑩。

I am Jiǎng Bīngyíng.

8.

Nǐ shi shéi?

你是誰?

Who are you?

Gāo Yǒngpíng

局永平

Wǒ shi Gāo Yǒngpíng.

我是高永平。

I am Gāo Yǒngpíng.

7.3.3 Response drill.

Question Cue Answer

1.

Tā shi shéi?

他是誰?

Who is he?

Mǎ xiānsheng

馬先生

Mr.

Tā shi Mǎ xiānsheng.

他是馬先生。

He is Mr. .

2.

Tā shi shéi?

她是誰?

Who is she?

Hú tàitai.

胡太太

Mrs.

Tā shi Hú tàitai.

她是胡太太。

She is Mrs. .

3.

Tā shi shéi?

他是誰?

Who is he?

Máo xiānsheng

毛先生

Mr. Máo

Tā shi Máo xiānsheng.

他是毛先生。

He is Mr. Máo.

4.

Tā shi shéi?

他是誰?

Who is he?

Zhāng tóngzhì

張同志

Comrade Zhāng

Tā shi Zhāng tóngzhì.

他是張同志。

He is Comrade Zhāng.

5.

Tā shi shéi?

她是誰?

Who is she?

Liú xiǎojiě

劉小姐

Miss Liú

Tā shi Liú xiǎojiě.

她是劉小姐。

She is Miss Liú.

6.

Tā shi shéi?

他是誰?

Who is he?

Mǎ xiānsheng

馬先生

Mr.

Tā shi Mǎ xiānsheng.

他是馬先生

He is Mr. .

7.

Tā shi shéi?

她是誰?

Who is she?

Zhào tàitai.

趙太太

Mrs. Zhào

Tā shi Zhào tàitai.

她是趙太太。

She is Mrs. Zhào.