16 Unit 7

16.1 References

16.1.1 Reference List

1. A: Lǎo Sòng, zěnmeyàng? Máng ne?
老宋,怎麽樣?忙呢?
Sòng, how are things going? Are you busy?
B: Bù zěnme máng. Nǐ yǒu shì ma?
不怎麽忙。你有事嗎?
Not especially busy. Can I do something for you?
2. A: Wǒ Sìyue Shísìhào yào dào Guǎngzhōu qù. Qǐng ni gěi wo dìng yìzhāng fēijī piào.
我四月十四號要到廣州去。請你給我訂一張飛機票。
I’m going to Guǎngzhōu on April 14. Please reserve a plane ticket for me.
B: Hǎo
好。
Sure.
3. B: Piào dìnghǎo le.
票訂好了。
The ticket has been reserved.
A: Něibān fēijī? Jǐdiǎn zhōng qǐfēi?
那班飛機?幾點鐘起飛。
Which flight? What time does it take off?
B: Jiǔdiǎn shíwǔfēn qǐfēi.
九點十五分起飛。
It takes off at 9:15.
4. A: Zhèibān fēijī zhí fēi Guǎngzhōu ma?
這班飛機直飛廣州嗎?
Does this flight go directly to Guǎngzhōu?
B: Shì, zhí fēi Guǎngzhōu.
是,直飛廣州。
Yes, it flies directly to Guǎngzhōu.
5. A: Cóng Sānlǐtún dào fēijīchǎng yào duōshao shíjiān?
從三里屯到飛機場要多少時間?
How much time does it take to go from Sānlǐtún to the airport?
B: Yào sìshifēn zhōng.
要四十分鐘。
It takes forty minutes.
6. A: Rúguo wǒ bādiǎn zhōng líkāi jiā, láidejí ba?
如果我八點鐘離開家,來得及吧?
If I leave home at eight o’clock, I can make it in time. Right?
B: Láidejí.
來得及。
Yes.
7. A: Qǐng ni míngtiān zǎoshang pài ge chē lái jiē wo.
請你明天早上派個車來接我
Please send a car to pick me up tomorrow morning.
B: Hǎo. Wǒ míngtiān bādiǎn zhōng pài chē sòng ni dào fēijīchǎng qu.
好。我明天八點鐘派車送你到飛機場去。
Okay. I’ll send a car at eight o’clock tomorrow to take you to the airport.
8. -hǎo le
好了
to be satisfactorily completed
9. lǚguǎn
旅館
hotel
10. shuōhǎo le
説好了
to have come to an agreement (about something); (something) has been agreed on
11. xiǎnghǎo le
想好了
to have reached a conclusion (about something); (something) has been thought out
12. yàoshi
要是
if (alternate word for rúguǒ)
13. zuòhǎo le
做好了
to have finished doing (something); (something) has been finished

16.1.2 Vocabulary

bù zěnme 不怎麽 not especially, not particularly
dìng to reserve
dìnghǎo le 訂好了 to have (been) reserved
fēi to fly
fēijī 飛機 airplane
fēijīchǎng 飛機場 airport
Guǎngzhōu 廣州 (name of a city in the PRC—Canton)
-hǎo le 好了 to be satisfactorily completed
jiē to meet/pick up/get (someone)
lǎo to be old
lǚguǎn 旅館 in years hotel
máng to be busy
pài to send/assign (a person to do something)
qǐfēi 起飛 to take off (airplane)
rúguǒ (rúguo) 如果 if
Sānlǐtún 三里屯 (a district in Běijīng where many Foreign diplomats and Chinese people from other countries live)
shuōhǎo le 説好了 to have come to an agreement (about something); (something) has been agreed on
xiǎnghǎo le 想好了 to have reached a conclusion (about something); (something) has been thought out
yàoshi 要是 if
zhí directly
zuòhǎo le 做好了 to have finished doing (something); (something) has been finished
chū chāi 出差 to go on a business trip
chùzhǎng 處長 division chief
gǎnbushàng 趕不上 won’t be able to catch (a plane, train, etc.)
hái hǎo 還好 fairly good/well
kāi huì 開會 to attend a meeting/conference

16.1.3 Reference Notes

16.1.3.1 Notes on №1
1. A: Lǎo Sòng, zěnmeyàng? Máng ne?
老宋,怎麽樣?忙呢?
Sòng, how are things going? Are you busy?
B: Bù zěnme máng. Nǐ yǒu shì ma?
不怎麽忙。你有事嗎?
Not especially busy. Can I do something for you?

The greeting zěnmeyàng is more informal than nǐ hǎo a. Zěnmeyàng is used only if the two people already know each other.

Máng ne? and Máng ma? are translated into English as “Are you busy?” However, the two Chinese questions are not interchangeable. When a speaker asks the question Máng ma? he really wants to find out whether someone is busy. On the other hand, Máng ne? is an example of the Chinese custom of greeting a person by stating the obvious. The speaker is simply acknowledging the fact that the listener is busy. The question mark following Máng ne? shows that the speaker is inviting the listener to comment. You might think of Máng ne? as something like the English “Well, it looks like you are working hard,” which invites a response like “Sure am” or “Oh, I’m really not doing much of anything.”

Ne may be used in many sentences to comment on what the person being addressed is doing at the moment:

Chī fàn ne?

吃飯呢?

Having dinner, I see?

Zài zhèr ne?

在這兒呢?

Well, you’re here?

Mǎi dōngxi ne?

買東西呢?

Doing some shopping, eh?

These sentences are almost greetings in themselves.

The overall intonation of the question Máng ma? is higher than that of a statement. The intonation of Máng ne? is somewhat lower. Listen carefully to the tape.

Bù zěnme may precede a state verb. The expression would then mean “not especially,” “not particularly.”

Wǒ bù zěnme xǐhuan nèiběn shū.

我不怎麽喜歡那本書。

I don’t particularly like that book.

Wǒ bù zěnme qīngchu.

我不怎麽清楚。

I’m not particularly clear on this. (This isn’t very clear to me.)

Wǒ jīntiān bù zěnme hǎo.

我今天不怎麽好。

I’m not particularly well today.

Tā bù zěnme yǒu qián.

他不怎麽有錢。

He’s not especially rich.

Wǒ bù zěnme xiǎng qù.

我不怎麽想去。

I don’t especially want to go.

Contrast bù zěnme with bú zènme, “not as much as that”:

Wǒ bú zenme xǐhuan kàn diànyǐngr.

我不怎麽喜歡看電影兒。

I don’t like to go to the movies that much, (i.e., as much as someone else just mentioned)

[106]

Wǒ bù zěnme xǐhuan kàn diànyǐngr.

我不怎麽喜歡看電影兒。

I don’t particularly like to go to the movies.

16.1.3.2 Notes on №2
2. A: Wǒ Sìyue Shísìhào yào dào Guǎngzhōu qù. Qǐng ni gěi wo dìng yìzhāng fēijī piào.
我四月十四號要到廣州去。請你給我訂一張飛機票。
I’m going to Guǎngzhōu on April 14. Please reserve a plane ticket for me.
B: Hǎo
好。
Sure.
16.1.3.3 Notes on №3
3. B: Piào dìnghǎo le.
票訂好了。
The ticket has been reserved.
A: Něibān fēijī? Jǐdiǎn zhōng qǐfēi?
那班飛機?幾點鐘起飛。
Which flight? What time does it take off?
B: Jiǔdiǎn shíwǔfēn qǐfēi.
九點十五分起飛。
It takes off at 9:15.

Dìnghǎo is a compound verb of result. When used as the final element in a compound verb of result, hǎo indicates that the action described by the initial verb has been brought to a successful conclusion.

The same form of the verb, dìnghǎo, is used to describe an object having something done to it and a person doing something to an object.

Piào dìnghǎo le.

票訂好了

The ticket has been reserved.

Wǒ bǎ piào dìnghǎo le.

我把票訂好了

I have reserved the ticket.

Here are additional examples of compounds with the result-ending -hǎo:

Wǒmen yǐjīng shuōhǎo le.

我們已經説好了。

We have already come to an agreement about it. (We have already talked it out to a conclusion.)

Nǐ xiǎnghǎo le meiyou?

你想好了沒有?

Have you reached a conclusion yet? (Have you thought it out to a conclusion yet?)

Wǒ yǐjīng bǎ jīntiān wǎnshàng yào chīde dōngxi zuòhǎo le.

我已經把今天晚上要吃的東西做好了。

I have already finished making the things we are going to eat tonight.

Nǐde xíngli zhǔnbèihǎo le ma?

你的行李准備好了嗎?

Is your luggage ready?

16.1.3.4 Notes on №4
4. A: Zhèibān fēijī zhí fēi Guǎngzhōu ma?
這班飛機直飛廣州嗎?
Does this flight go directly to Guǎngzhōu?
B: Shì, zhí fēi Guǎngzhōu.
是,直飛廣州。
Yes, it flies directly to Guǎngzhōu.

Zhèibān fēijī, “this flight”: In Chinese, the specifier zhèi- is used to refer to what has Just been talked about. In English, “that” and “the” are used for the same purpose.

The adverb zhí is not used in as many situations as is its English translation, “directly,” “straight.” In other contexts, the word for “directly” or “direct” would be zhíjiē, and the word for “straight” would be yìzhí.

16.1.3.5 Notes on №5
5. A: Cóng Sānlǐtún dào fēijīchǎng yào duōshao shíjiān?
從三里屯到飛機場要多少時間?
How much time does it take to go from Sānlǐtún to the airport?
B: Yào sìshifēn zhōng.
要四十分鐘。
It takes forty minutes.
16.1.3.6 Notes on №6
6. A: Rúguo wǒ bādiǎn zhōng líkāi jiā, láidejí ba?
如果我八點鐘離開家,來得及吧?
If I leave home at eight o’clock, I can make it in time. Right?
B: Láidejí.
來得及。
Yes.

Rúguo is one of the commonest words in Chinese for “if.” Another widely used word for “if” is yàoshi. (See Additional Required Vocabulary, No. 12.) You have already learned that the idea of “if” may be conveyed in Chinese without any special word:

Zuò Gōnglùjú děi xiān mǎi piào ma?

坐公路局得先買票嗎?

If I take the bus, is it necessary to buy tickets ahead of time?

Bādiǎn zhōng líkāi jiā láidejí ba?

八點鐘離開家來得及吧?

If I leave home at eight o’clock, I can make it in time. Right?

16.1.3.7 Notes on №7
7. A: Qǐng ni míngtiān zǎoshang pài ge chē lái jiē wo.
請你明天早上派個車來接我
Please send a car to pick me up tomorrow morning.
B: Hǎo. Wǒ míngtiān bādiǎn zhōng pài chē sòng ni dào fēijīchǎng qu.
好。我明天八點鐘派車送你到飛機場去。
Okay. I’ll send a car at eight o’clock tomorrow to take you to the airport.

The verb pài means “to send/assign someone [to do something].

Ge: You have already learned that, when toneless, yíge means “a,” not “one.” In the first sentence of exchange 7, yǒu see that yíge can be reduced to the one syllable ge. This reduction happens most frequently when “a” follows the sentence verb.

zhǎo ge ren

找個人

to look for someone (i.e., a person)

chī ge píngguǒ

吃個蘋果

to eat an apple

The verb jiē means “to meet,” as in “meeting someone at the station,” or “to get,” “to pick up,” as in “I’ll come by to get you (pick you up) about eight o’clock.”

Pài ge chē lái jiē wo, literally “send a car to come pick me up”: In English, “come” may be omitted. In Chinese, lái must separate the action (pài ge chē) from the purpose of the action (jiē wo).Either lái or qù may be used to mark purpose expressions, depending on the direction of the action.

The verb sòng means “to take/escort someone” in the last sentence of exchange 7. Sòng may also mean “to send” in the sense of “delivering an object,” in contrast with the verb pài, which means “to send a person.”

Qǐng pài ge rén dào wǒ jiā lái.

請派個人到我家來。

Please send a man over to my house.

Qǐng bǎ zhuōzi sòng dao wǒ jiā qù.

請把桌子送到我家去。

Please deliver the table to my house.

16.1.3.8 Notes on Additional Vocabulary
8. -hǎo le
好了
to be satisfactorily completed
9. lǚguǎn
旅館
hotel
10. shuōhǎo le
説好了
to have come to an agreement (about something); (something) has been agreed on
11. xiǎnghǎo le
想好了
to have reached a conclusion (about something); (something) has been thought out
12. yàoshi
要是
if (alternate word for rúguǒ)
13. zuòhǎo le
做好了
to have finished doing (something); (something) has been finished

Lǚguǎn is the general term for any kind of hotel. When following a verb or the prepositional verb zài, lǚguǎn may be followed by the locational ending -li, “in,” or there may be no locative ending. This is also the case with other place words naming institutions, business establishments, and organizations.

Tā zài zhèige lǚguǎnli (OR zài zhèige lǚguǎn) zhùle liǎngge yuè.

他在這個旅館裏(OR 在這個旅館)住了兩個月。

He stayed in this hotel for two months.

16.1.3.9  Vocabulary booster: animals

bear xióng
camel luòtuo 駱駝
cat māo
chicken
cow niú
deer 鹿
dog gǒu
donkey
duck
elephant xiàng
fish
fox húli 狐狸
goat shānyáng 山羊
horse
lion shīzi 獅子
monkey hóuzi 猴子
mouse/rat lǎoshǔ 老鼠
panda xióngmǎo 熊貓
pig zhū
sheep yáng
tiger lǎohǔ 老虎
turkey huǒjī 火鷄
wolf láng

16.2 Drills