13 Unit 4

13.1 References

13.1.1 Reference List

1. A: Wo xiǎng qù Táinán wán jitiān.
我想去臺南玩幾天。
I’m thinking of going to Táinán to relax for a few days.
2. A: Zuò Gōnglùjú xíng bu xíng?*
坐公路局行不行?
Would it be all right to take the bus?
B: Dào Táinán qù zuò Gōnglùjú bú dà fāngbian.
到臺南去坐公路局不大方便。
To go to Táinán, it’s not very convenient to take the bus.
3. C: Shì zuò huǒchē qu hǎo ne, háishi zuò Gōnglùjú qu hǎo ne?
是坐火車去好呢,還是坐公路局好呢?
Is it better to go by train or to go by bus?
D: Zuò huǒchē qu hǎo.
坐火車去好。
It’s better to go by train.
4. E: Nǐ shuō shi zuò huǒchē qu hǎo ne, háishi zuò Gōnglùjú qu hǎo ne?
你説是坐火車去好呢,還是坐公路局好呢?
Would you say it’s better to go by train or to go by bus?
F: Dào Táinán zuò huǒchē zuì fāngbian.
到臺南坐火車最方便。
To Táinán, it’s most convenient to take the train.
5. A: Děi xiān mǎi piào ma?
得先買票嗎?
Is it necessary to buy tickets ahead of time?
B: Nǐ zuì hǎo liǎngsāntiān yǐqián qù mǎi piào.
你最好兩三天以前去買票。
It would be best for you to go to buy your tickets two or three days ahead of time.
6. A: Zuò Gōnglùjú yě děi xiān mǎi piào ma?
坐公路局也得先買票嗎?
If I take the bus, is it also necessary to buy tickets ahead of time?
B: Bú bì xiān mǎi piào.
不必先買票。
It’s not necessary to buy tickets ahead of time.
7. B: Nǐ yào zuò shěnme shíhoude chē?
你要坐什麽時候的車?
What train do you want to take?
A: Wǒ yào zuò shàngwǔde chē.
我要坐上午的車。
I want to take a morning train.
8. B: Duìbuqǐ, shàngwǔde piào dōu màiwán le.
對不起,上午票都賣完了。
I’m sorry, the tickets for the morning trains are all sold out.
9. chuán
boat, ship
10. dìtiě
地鐵
subway (abbreviation for dìxià tiědào)
11. dìxià huǒchē
地下火車
underground train, subway
12. wán (wánr)
玩 (玩兒)
to play, to relax, to enjoy oneself
13. -wán
to be finished (occurs in compound verbs of result)

13.1.2 Vocabulary

bú bì 不必 not necessary, don’t have to
chuán boat, ship
dìtiě 地鐵 subway (abbreviation for dìxià tiedào)
dìxià huǒchē 地下火車 underground train, subway
fāngbian 方便 to be convenient
Gōnglùjú 公路局 Bureau of Highways (Taiwan)
huǒchē 火車 train
liǎngsān- 兩三 two or three
màiwán le 賣完了 to be sold out
wán (wánr) 玩 (玩兒) to play, to relax, to enjoy oneself
-wán to be finished (occurs in compound verbs of result)
xiān ahead of time, beforehand
zuì hǎo 最好 it would be best to
huá chuán 划船 to row a boat
sàn bù 散步 to take a walk
shān hill, mountain
shuǐ rivers, lakes (literally, "water")
yóuyǒng 游泳 to swim

13.1.3 Reference Notes

13.1.3.1 Notes on №1
1. A: Wo xiǎng qù Táinán wán jitiān.
我想去臺南玩幾天。
I’m thinking of going to Táinán to relax for a few days.

The basic meaning of the verb wán is “to play.” It is often best translated into English as “to relax,” “to enjoy oneself.”

13.1.3.2 Notes on №2
2. A: Zuò Gōnglùjú xíng bu xíng?*
坐公路局行不行?
Would it be all right to take the bus?
B: Dào Táinán qù zuò Gōnglùjú bú dà fāngbian.
到臺南去坐公路局不大方便。
To go to Táinán, it’s not very convenient to take the bus.

Gōnglùjú, “the Bureau of Highways” in Taiwan, is the agency which administers the island’s intercity bus system. The phrase zuò Gōnglùjú means “to take a Bureau of Highways bus.” This phrasing is analogous to “I’m going by Greyhound.” In talking about the buses themselves, you would have to say Gōnglùjúde chē, “the buses of the Bureau of Highways”:

Gōnglùjúde chē hěn shūfu.

公路局的車很舒服。

The buses of the Bureau of Highways are very comfortable. (shūfu, “to be comfortable”)

Sentences containing both dào and zuò phrases: The zuò phrase usually comes first in a sentence with both a prepositional phrase expressing destination (dào...) and a prepositional phrase expressing means of conveyance (zuò...). However, if the destination is being stressed, the dào phrase may be placed at the beginning of the sentence, in the topic position. (See the second sentence in exchange 2.)

Tā měitiān zuò gōnggòng qìchē dào xuéxiào lái.

他每天坐公共汽車到學校來。

He rides the bus to school every day.

Dào yínháng qù, tā bú zuò gōnggòng qìchē. Tā zǒu lù qu.

到銀行去,他不坐公共汽車。 她走路去。

To go to the bank, he doesn’t take the bus. He walks there,

Bú dà might also be translated as “not too,” “not so.”

13.1.3.3 Notes on №3
3. C: Shì zuò huǒchē qu hǎo ne, háishi zuò Gōnglùjú qu hǎo ne?
是坐火車去好呢,還是坐公路局好呢?
Is it better to go by train or to go by bus?
D: Zuò huǒchē qu hǎo.
坐火車去好。
It’s better to go by train.

Shi...háishi: In a choice-type question, shi and háishi serve to mark off the choices more clearly. Below are some of the most common ways of asking the question “Do you want the red one or the yellow one?”

Nǐ yào hóngde, háishi yào huángde? (PREFERRED FORMS)

你要紅的,還是要黃的?

Nǐ shi yào hóngde, háishi yào huángde?

你是要紅的,還是要黃的?

Nǐ yào hóngde, huángde? (FAMILIAR, VERY COLLOQUIAL; NO PAUSE AT COMMA)

你要紅的,黃的?

Nǐ shi yào hóngde, shi yào huángde? (LEAST PREFERRED; shi UNSTRESSED HERE)

你是要紅的,是要黃的?

The marker ne clarifies the choices in a choice-type question. Ne may be placed after one or the other choice or after both choices.

Nǐ jīntiān qù ne, háishi míngtiān qù?

你今天去呢,還是明天去?

Are yǒu going today or tomorrow?

Nǐ jīntiān qù, háishi míngtiān qù ne?

你今天去,還是明天去呢?

Nǐ jīntiān qù ne, shi míngtiān qù ne? (COMMUNICATES GENUINE PERPLEXITY) .

你今天去呢,是明天去呢?

Zuò huǒchē qu hǎo: Here a whole phrase, which could also be a sentence, is used as the subject of the sentence.

Zuò huǒchē qù hǎo.

坐 火車 去 好。

ride train go good

Hǎo is translated here as “better,” not as “good.” Adjectival verbs used alone (i.e., not modified by words such as hěn and tài) usually express comparison.

Něige xuésheng hǎo?

哪個學生好?

Which student is better?

Shéi kuài?

誰快?

Who is faster?

13.1.3.4 Notes on №4
4. E: Nǐ shuō shi zuò huǒchē qu hǎo ne, háishi zuò Gōnglùjú qu hǎo ne?
你説是坐火車去好呢,還是坐公路局好呢?
Would you say it’s better to go by train or to go by bus?
F: Dào Táinán zuò huǒchē zuì fāngbian.
到臺南坐火車最方便。
To Táinán, it’s most convenient to take the train.

When nǐ shuō begins a question, the phrase is translated as “would you say” or “do you think.”

13.1.3.5 Notes on №5
5. A: Děi xiān mǎi piào ma?
得先買票嗎?
Is it necessary to buy tickets ahead of time?
B: Nǐ zuì hǎo liǎngsāntiān yǐqián qù mǎi piào.
你最好兩三天以前去買票。
It would be best for you to go to buy your tickets two or three days ahead of time.

The adverb xiān may sometimes be translated as “ahead of time,” “beforehand.”

Zuì hǎo, “best,” acts as an adverb in exchange 5, coming after the subject in the second sentence. Zuì hǎo is used to offer advice politely, not to warn a person that he had “better” or “best” do something.

Liǎngsāntiān: When approximate amounts, such as “two or three,” are given in Chinese, the numbers are read together, with no equivalent of “or.” This system is also used when two words are combined to indicate an approximate date.

sìwǔge rén

四五個人

four or five people

mínghòutiān

明後天

tomorrow or the day after

Qībāyuè
七八月

July or August

Liǎngsāntiān yǐqián: For “ahead of time,” “in advance,” yǐqián is used (instead of xiān) when the amount of time is stated. Yǐqián follows the word indicating the amount of time.

Nǐ děi xiān qù mǎi piào.

你得先去買票。

You have to go ahead of time to buy tickets.

Nǐ děi liǎngsāntiān yǐqián qù mǎi piào.

你得兩三天以前去買票。

You have to go two or three days ahead of time to buy tickets.

13.1.3.6 Notes on №6
6. A: Zuò Gōnglùjú yě děi xiān mǎi piào ma?
坐公路局也得先買票嗎?
If I take the bus, is it also necessary to buy tickets ahead of time?
B: Bú bì xiān mǎi piào.
不必先買票。
It’s not necessary to buy tickets ahead of time.

Zuò Gōnglùjú, “if I take the bus”: The beginning of the first sentence in exchange 6 is translated with an “if” in English. Literally, the Chinese sentence is “Take the bus, also have to beforehand buy tickets?” In a sense the “if” part of the sentence is a kind of topic in Chinese, providing the setting for the second part of the sentence. In Chinese, the setting or condition can often be put in the topic position. In English, a particular word must be used to clarify the relationship of the first part of the sentence to the second part.

Zuò Gōnglùjú,....

If I take the bus,....

When one takes the bus,....

For taking the bus,....

To take the bus,....

Bú bì, “not necessary,” “don’t have to,” is the phrase to use as the negative of the auxiliary děi, “must,” “have to.” Děi cannot be made negative.1

13.1.3.7 Notes on №7
7. B: Nǐ yào zuò shěnme shíhoude chē?
你要坐什麽時候的車?
What train do you want to take?
A: Wǒ yào zuò shàngwǔde chē.
我要坐上午的車。
I want to take a morning train.

Shénme shíhoude chē has been translated simply as “what train.” More literally, the phrase means “a train (arriving at) what time.”

13.1.3.8 Notes on №8
8. B: Duìbuqǐ, shàngwǔde piào dōu màiwán le.
對不起,上午票都賣完了。
I’m sorry, the tickets for the morning trains are all sold out.

Wán, “to end,” ”to be over,” cannot take a direct object.

Wánle ma?

完了嗎?

Is it over?

Wánle meiyou?

玩了沒有?

Is it over yet?

Hái méi wán ne.

還沒完呢?

It isn’t over yet.

By itself, the expression Wán le! means “That’s all,” “There’s no more,” or “That’s it!” People often end speeches and recordings with Wán le!

Màiwán le, “to be sold out,” literally “sell finished”: Here is another example of a compound verb of result.

🛈︎
Note

In DIR, Unit U, you learned kànjian, “to see,” literally “look-perceive.”

All examples which have been presented in this and previous modules occur with completion le.

Compound verbs of result communicate both the action being performed and its result. In compound verbs of result, the first verb indicates the action; and the second, the result. Not every action verb is used in compound verbs of result, nor are verbs indicating the result always predictable.

When -wán is used as an ending, it indicates finishing, as in Wǒ hái méi shuōwán, “I haven’t finished speaking yet,” or depletion, as in màiwán le, “sold out,” and yòngwán le, “used up.” In English, you might Just say “finished,” without indicating what you have finished doing. In Chinese, the action which has been finished is usually mentioned.

Wǒ chīwán le.

我吃完了。

I have finished eating.

Wǒ huàwán le.

我畫完了。

I have finished drawing.

Wǒ kànwán le.

我看完了。

I have finished reading.

Wǒ hái méi shuōwán ne.

我還沒説完呢。

I have not finished talking yet.

Tā hái méi zuòwán ne.

他還沒做完呢。

He has not finished (doing something) yet.

13.2 Drills