Standard Chinese, a modular approach.
Orientation module, Unit 1.
Comprehension Tape 1.
This is the first tape of a unit on questions and answers about names.
The unit should be studied along with the resource module on pronunciation and romanization,
which uses Chinese personal names for most of its examples of Chinese sounds and spellings.
This is a comprehension tape.
You are not required to say anything as you work on it, only to listen.
There is no reading or writing involved.
Your objective is to be able to understand all the Chinese sentences on the tape.
These are summarized at the end of the tape for review and self-testing.
In the following conversational exchange, an American in Taiwan by the name of Daniel King
is asked who he is and responds with his adopted Chinese name,Wang Danyin.
Wang is a translation of King.
Danyin is a phonetic approximation of Daniel.
For each line of exchange, you will hear the English once and then the Chinese twice.
Listen.
Who are you?
你是谁?
I'm Wang Danyin.
我是王大年.
The word that makes the first line a question, of course, is the word that means who.
谁?
Listen to the exchange again and try to spot the word for who.
谁?
Who are you?
你是谁?
I'm Wang Danyin.
我是王大年.
In the English sentence, who are you?
The question word who comes first.
Notice in the Chinese sentence,谁 comes last.
Listen again.
Who are you?
你是谁?
I'm Wang Danyin.
我是王大年.
If we translate the Chinese question word for word, it's more like you are who.
Here's the word for you.
你.
Listen for you.
In Chinese,你.
Who are you?
你是谁?
I'm Wang Danyin.
我是王大年.
Here's the word for I.
我.
Listen for I.
我.
In the answer.
Who are you?
你是谁?
I'm Wang Danyin.
我是王大年.
We have now looked at each word in this exchange.
Except for the R in Who are you and the M in I'm Wang Danyin.
Chinese does not distinguish between M and R.
Listen to M or R.
是.是.是.
Listen for M and R, both 是 in the exchange.
Who are you?
你是谁?
I'm Wang Danyin.
我是王大年.
You may have noticed that 是 is weakening these sentences to a toneless SH sound.
Listen.
你是谁?
我是王大年.
This weakening of 是 is rather like the weakening of M and R in the English contractions I'm and you're.
Later you'll find that SH is not weakened when it is emphasized or in slow deliberate speech.
Of course this is just when you'd say I am or you are in English.
You just heard the exchange we've been working on live without the English and without repetition.
Now listen to a new exchange live.
你是谁?
我是胡玫琳.
What's going on?
Listen again.
你是谁?
我是胡玫琳.
This time Mr. King is finding out the woman's name.
Here's how it goes.
Who are you?
你是谁?
I'm Hu Meiling.
我是胡玫琳.
Now listen to both of the exchanges we've had between Mr. King and Ms. Hu live.
你是谁?
我是王大年.你是谁?
我是胡玫琳.
Again.
你是谁?
我是王大年.你是谁?
我是胡玫琳.
Up to this point Mr. King and Ms. Hu have been discussing each other and themselves using 你
and 我 or I.
Now listen to them discuss a third person, Mr. Ma Ming Li.
Who is he?
他是谁?
He's Ma Ming Li.
他是 Ma Ming Li.
Did you pick out the word for he?
Here it is.
他.
Listen for他, meaning he in the exchange.
Who is he?
他是谁?
He's Ma Ming Li.
他是 Ma Ming Li.
We said that sure could be translated either as am or are.
Here after he, it translates as is.
Chinese has the same form of the verb for the first, second and third person.
I am, you are and he is.
I simply,我是,你是 and他是.
Listen for this as Ms. Hu runs through our cast of characters for Mr. King.
I notice that sure is in its weakened, timeless form.
I'm Hu Meiling.
我是胡玫琳.
You're Wang Danian.
你是王大年.
He's Ma Ming Li.
他是 Ma Ming Li.
Since sure translates as am, are or if.
It will be simpler just to identify it as the verb to be from here on.
Later we'll find even more reasons for this simplification.
But sure also translates as was, as were, and even as will be.
This is typical of Chinese verbs.
A single form does all the work.
When you study a European language, you have to learn a variety of forms and ending.
When you study Chinese, you don't.
You have to learn only one form for each verb.
Listen to Ms. Hu run through the cast again, lot.
我是胡玫琳.
你是王大年.
他是 Ma Ming Li.
Now listen to Mr. King do the same.
我是王大年.
你是胡玫琳.
他是 Ma Ming Li.
So far we've had i, you, and he.
But we haven't had she.
Listen carefully as Mr. King identifies Mr. Ma and Ms. Hu for us.
He's Ma Ming Li.
他是 Ma Ming Li.
She's Hu Mei Ling.
他是胡玫琳.
Notice that both he and she are Ta.
This is another distinction Chinese gets along without.
Listen again, lot.
他是 Ma Ming Li.
他是胡玫琳.
Again.
他是 Ma Ming Li.
他是胡玫琳.
Listen to Ms. Hu as Mr. King for his surname.
What's your surname?
你姓啥?
My surname's King.
我姓王.
There are two new words in this exchange.
Let's take them up one at a time.
Here's the word for what?
什么?
Listen for what?
什么?
What's your surname?
你姓啥?
My surname's King.
我姓王.
Notice that what?
什么?
comes at the end of the question as does Hu.
Let's compare questions with who and what.
Who are you?
你是谁?
What's your surname?
你姓啥?
The other new word 姓.
They be translated to be surname.
Listen.
姓.
Listen for 姓 to be surname.
What's your surname?
你姓啥?
My surname's King.
我姓王.
Since both are verbs,姓 works in the sentence just like sure.
Despite the fact that we translate them with quite different English constructions.
For example, my surname is versus I am.
If we translate word for word,
we can see how the Chinese is actually put together with 姓 functioning like sure.
You are surnamed what?
你姓啥?
I am surnamed 王.
我姓王.
Here's another example.
He is surnamed what?
他姓啥?
He is surnamed 马.
他姓马.
Compare the answers.
I am 王大年.
And my surname's 王.
I am 王大年.
我是 王大年.
I am surnamed 王.
我姓王.
Now let's see if you can tell the difference between questions like 你是谁,which call for the full name,
and questions like 你姓什么,which call for the surname alone.
In the pause after the following questions,
decide whether it's the full name or the surname alone which is being asked for.
Then listen to the answer to see if you are right.
你是谁?
我是 王大年.
你姓什么?
我姓 王.
他是谁?
他是 马 名 李.
他姓 什么?
他姓 马.
你是谁?
我是 胡 美 林.
你姓 什么?
我姓 胡.
他姓 什么?
他姓 马.
他是 谁?
他是 马 名 李.
Now let's take a look at the traditional titles,
Mr. Misses and Miss,which are still used in the Republic of China,
and also the title Comrade,
which has replaced them in the People's Republic.
Here's the word for Mr.
先生.
Listen for Mr.
先生 in this exchange.
Who is he?
他是谁?
He is Mr.
马.
他是 马 先生.
Notice that the title follows the name.
Listen again.
Who is he?
他是谁?
He is Mr.
马 先生.
In this example,the title followed the surname alone.
It may also follow the full name.
Listen.
Who is he?
他是谁?
He is Mr.
马 名 李.
他是 马 名 李 先生.
When you address someone in Chinese,
you usually use the surname and title.
Listen to Miss.
Who address Mr.
King as she asks her question.
Mr.
王.
Who is he?
王 先生.
他是谁?
王 先生.
他是谁?
He is Mr.
马 名 李.
他是 马 名 李 先生.
The title 先生 is also used by itself to mean sir.
Listen.
Sir.
Who is he?
先生.
他是谁?
先生.
他是谁?
He is Mr.
马.
他是 马 先生.
As in English,
the title Mrs.
is used by husband's surname or full name.
Here's the word for Mrs.
太太.
Listen for Mrs.
太太.
Sir.
Who is she?
先生.
他是谁?
先生.
他是谁?
She is Mrs.
马.
他是 马 太太.
Listen for太太 again.
Mr.
王.
Who is she?
王 先生.
他是谁?
王 先生.
他是谁?
She is Mrs.
马 名 李.
他是 马 名 李 太太.
Listen to the last two exchanges again.
Live.
先生.
他是谁?
他是 马 太太.
王 先生.
他是谁?
他是 马 名 李 太太.
Here's the word for Mrs.
小姐.
Listen for Mrs.
小姐.
In this exchange.
Mr.
王.
王 先生.
他是谁?
王 先生.
他是谁?
She is Mrs.
马.
他是 马 小姐.
Here it is again.
Live.
王 先生.
他是谁?
他是 马 小姐.
Now listen to Mr.
King run through the whole cast of characters.
Live.
我是 王 大年.
你是 胡 美 林 小姐.
他是 马 先生.
他是 马 太太.
他是 马 小姐.
Again.
我是 王 大年.
你是 胡 美 林 小姐.
他是 马 先生.
他是 马 太太.
他是 马 小姐.
Let's see if you have
先生 太太 and 小姐
straight in your mind.
In each of the following sentences
you decide whether it is Mr.
马, Mrs.
马, or Mrs.
马, who is being referred to.
他是 马 先生.
He is Mr.
马.
他是 马 太太.
She is Mrs.
马.
他是 马 先生.
He is Mr.
马.
他是 马 小姐.
She is Mrs.
马.
他是 马 太太.
She is Mrs.
马.
他是 马 小姐.
She is Mrs.
马.
On the mainland,
things are much simpler.
Everyone has the title
comrade.
Here's the word for comrade.
同志.
比如说 从 Zeiss
或者以钱ORD
으로发问
即使他在ホ箱上
她是方寶蘭,她是方寶蘭。
你姓什麼?
我姓胡,我是胡美玲。
胡小姐,我姓林,哦,她是誰?
她是馬名李先生。
again
你姓什麼?
我姓胡,我是胡美玲。
胡小姐,我姓林,哦,她是誰?
她是馬名李先生。
now you hear the same conversation with pauses after each line.
use the pauses to translate the line to yourself.
after the pauses, I'll give the english.
你姓什麼?
what's your surname?
我姓胡。
my surname's 胡。
我是胡美玲。
I am 胡美玲。
胡小姐,我姓林。
my surname's 林。
哦,她是誰?
哦,呼吸。
她是馬名李先生。
he's Mr. 馬名李。
if you feel you need more work on the sentences just covered, here they are for review.
each line is followed by a pause during which you may translate the line into English.
afterwards, I'll give the English.
你是誰?
who are you?
你姓什麼?
what's your surname?
她姓馬。
his surname's 馬。
我是王大年。
I am 王大年。
你姓什麼?
what's your surname?
她是馬名李同志。
please come at 馬名李。
先生,她是誰?
sir, who is he?
你是誰?
who are you?
她姓什麼?
what's your surname?
我姓王。
my surname's 王。
我是胡美玲。
她是馬太太。
she is Mrs. 馬。
她是方寶蘭同志。
she is 她們的方寶蘭。
她是誰?
who is he?
她是馬名李先生。
he's Mr. 馬名李。
我是王大年。
I am 王大年。
她是 馬小姐。
she is Mrs. 馬。
她是 馬太太。
she is Mrs. 馬。
This is the end of orientation module unit 1 comprehension tape 1.