APPENDIX:
WORD USAGE EXERCISES
TRANSLATION EXERCISE
- I. Choose between cānguān, fāngwèn and kàn in translating these
sentences.
- 1. What places did you visit when you went to China?
- 2. I don't even have time to visit my friends.
- 3. This is not a formal (zhèngshì) visit. Don't be nervous
(jǐnzhāng).
- II. shāoshù, hěn shào
- 1. There are very few people who will not help others.
- 2. Only a small number of students make (chù) that kind of mistake.
- III. Choose between direction names with -fàng, -bù, and -biān (for
example, běifāng, běibù, and běibiān).
- 1. Northerners like to eat foods made from wheat (miànshí), and
Southerners like to eat rice (mìfàn).
- 2. There are several famous universities in the eastern United
States.
- 3. Hángzhōu is southwest of Shànghài.
- 4. New York is in the northeast.
- 5. Inner Mongolia is west of Manchuria.
- 6. People from northern Taiwan have a different accent from
southerners.
- IV. dǒng, liāojiě, zhīdào, tīngshuō, tīngdóng
- 1. If you understood that I wasn’t going to come, why did you still
stand there waiting for two hours?
- 2. I could understand everything he said, although he spoke with a
very heavy (zhòng) accent (kōuyīn).
- 3. Such a weird (guài) guy is really impossible to understand.
- 4. I understand you’re going to school this summer. Is that true?
- 5. I can understand the Shànghài dialect, but I can't speak it very
well.
- V. gāo, nòng, zuò
- 1. Doing these sentences drives me crazy ("gives one a headache").
- 2. It was very difficult to do scientific experimentation (kěxué
shíyàn) under such circumstances.
- 3. What are you doing there, you naughty child!
TRANSLATION EXERCISE
- I. Choose -zhōng, -lèi, or -gang to translate these sentences:
- 1. How could you think that he was that kind of person?
- 2. She'll eat any kind of food.
- 3. What breed of dog (gǒu) is this?
- 4. We should research these questions by category.
- II. mùqián, xiànzài, zhèihuīr
- 1. Where is he now?
- 2. At present the international situation (guójì xingshì) is
complicated.
- 3. I'm leaving right now.
- 4. It is now 9:26 Běijīng time.
- III. null, yònggōng, shì ("to try")
- 1. Try doing it this way. If it doesn't work, we'll see what we can
do about it later.
- 2. All the students here are hardworking.
- 3. China is hard at work on modernization, and we want to help.
- 4. I tried his office three times today, but no one answered the
phone.
- IV. púbiàn, pǔtōng, píngcháng, liúxíng
- 1. That's a popular saying.
- 2. In Shanghai, for men and women to hold hands (shōu lā shóu) is a
very common thing.
- 3. How much does an ordinary worker here make a month?
- 4. Frisbees (fēipán) are now very common in Běijīng.
- V. wángua'n, guan, zhěngg'e
- 1. The room was filled with smoke (yān).
- 2. His idea (xiángfǎ) was completely wrong.
- 3. I'm afraid he completely misunderstood what I meant.
- 4. The whole article was about how bad their planning had been.
- 5. His whole family came.
- VI. qūbié, chǎbié, bù yiyàng
- 1. There aren't many differences between the big cities of . the
northeastern United States and those of Western
Europe (Xī'ōu).
- 2. I could hardly tell the difference between the twins (zhèduì
shuǎngbǎotǎi).
- 3. Would you explain the difference between these two terms
(míngcí)?
- VII. rènwéi, yīwéi, xiǎng, juéde
- 1. He thought that it was an hour earlier than it really
(shíjìshang) was.
- 2. I think the best way to study a foreign language {wàiyǔ) is to
live in the country where it is spoken.
- 3. What do you think of Běijīng?
- 4. Why do you consider him such a dangerous person?
- 5. A: Has he already gone back?
B: I think so, but I'm not sure.
- VIII. shǒuxiān, xiān, dìyī
- 1. First I stayed in a small town (xiǎozhèn) for a month and then
came here.
- 2. In his office_(r) he is always the first to arrive.
- 3. You have to first get the pronunciation right in order to get the
spelling (pīnxiě) right.
- IX. tiáojiàn, qíngkuàng
- 1. Why don't you apply yourself to your studies? You have such
excellent conditions.
- 2. He can't stand (shòubuliǎo) the situation any longer.
- 3. Under the circumstances, he had no choice but to agree.
- 4. How are business conditions in China these days?
- 5. Conditions have changed greatly in rural China in the past thirty
years.
- 6. Working conditions there are better now than the last time I
visited.
TRANSLATION EXERCISE
- I. Choose miànji, dìqù, -dài, -qū, -bù, or bùfen in translating
these sentences.
- 1. This area is very dirty.
- 2. This area of the city isn't safe.
- 3. The area of this room is nine square meters (jiǔ píngfāng mi).
- 4. In the northeastern area of China, there is a lot of industry.
- 5. This kind of rice is produced in the Jiāngnán area.
- 6. The southwestern part of the United States has a very distinctive
natural environment.
- 7. I don't get the chance to come to this part of town very often.
- 8. This kind of architecture is very popular in these parts.
- II. dàozi, mi, fàn
- 1. His father grows ride.
- 2. This is fried rice, not plain ("white") rice.
- 3. This rice is grown (chūchǎn) only in Guǎngdōng.
- III. fāzhàn, zhang
- 1. Your rice is growing pretty well!
- 2. China's economy has grown slowly during the past two decades.
- 3. The kids are growing so fast.
- 4. Our company has grown quickly.
- 5. Over the past one hundred years, Shàntóu has grown into an
important industrial city.
- IV. jià, jiātíng, jiā(li)rén, -hù
- 1. There are no boys in their family.
- 2. Xiǎo Ping's whole family went to the seashore on Sunday.
- 3. Such a family is rare (bù cháng jiàn) in America.
- 4. Thirty years ago there were only twenty-odd families in this town
(xíàozhèn).
- 5. Next Saturday I'm going up to Bèijīng to see my family.
- 6. Almost every family has a television in our country. Some
families have more than one.
- V. jīqì, jīxiè
- 1. Our country’s machine industry is still young.
- 2. The application (yìngyòng) of large machines started three
hundred years ago.
- 3. Agricultural machinery is badly needed in China.
- 4. Shall I take you to see our new machinery now?
- VI. -kóu, -ge, -wèi
- 1. Will the seven of us fit (in the car)?
- 2. Those three professors all graduated from Harvard (Hàfó).
- 3. How many people are there in your family?
- 4. (When entering a restaurant for dinner) Headwaiter: How many?
You: Four.
- VII. píngjūn, yìban
- 1. The average height (gǎodù) of the students in this class is about
1.6 meters (yìmi liù).
- 2. The average person can eat fifteen to twenty-five jiǎozi.
- 3. On an average day, I can write five pages (yè).
- VIII. rén, rénmín, rénmen, rénjia
- 1. The people would surely not like to keep (báoliú) such a thing in
the constitution (xiànfǎ).
- 2. There isn't much difference between the two brothers (in
personality).
- 3. Friendship involves at least two people.
- 4. I've heard people say that they're going to build (gài) a hotel
at that intersection.
- 5. People naturally prefer to live in a quiet place rather than in
the busy downtown area (nàoshì, "busy downtown area").
- 6. People are people; she's no different from anyone else.
- IX. túpiàn, zhaopi an, huà(r)
- 1. I think that picture is of her mother, but it must have been
taken many years ago.
- 2. Where did you get so many pictures of China?
- 3. The picture that old man (lǎotóuzi) is drawing is really ugly!
TRANSLATION EXERCISE
- I. Choose gài, xiū, jiànzhù, or jiànshè in translating these
sentences:
- 1. This highway was three years'in construction. (It took three
years to finish building this highway.)
- 2. Are those workers building new dormitories?
- 3. Is this how you intend to build a powerful country?!
- 4. Many city walls (chéngqiáng) built in ancient times were
destroyed (huíle) during wars.
- 5. No one may build in this district.
- 6. How long did it take to build this bridge (zhèizuò qiáo)?
- II. kě, zhěn, yidìng, dāngrán, shi ("to be," emphatic)
- 1. He is going to go, but he hasn't decided when yet.
- 2. When you tell him, he's sure to be happy.
- 3. That sure was an interesting movie.
- 4. He sure has a lot of friends!
- 5. Drugs (dùpín) — that's certainly not something to mess with.
- 6. A: Can you tell me why your government didn't send anyone to take
part?
B: Sure I can tell you. It's like this: . . .
- 7. A: Would he know the answer (dá'àn) to this question?
B: I'm sure he would.
- 8. They want to concentrate on only a portion of the work; that just
won't do!
- III. In each sentence, "how old" requires a different translation.
- 1. How old is this building?
- 2. How old are you? (tó a young person)
- 3. How old is your boy?
- 4. How old is your grandfather?
- 5. How old is China?
- 6. How old is this movie?
- 7. How old are these shoes of yours?
- 8. How old are these magazines?
- 9. How old is this chicken soup? (How long since it was made?)
- 10. How old is this bean curd? (How long since it was bought?)
- IV. gú, gǔdài
- 1. That’s an ancient building.
- 2. Man already knew how to cook in ancient times.
- 3. He likes to study (dú) the ancient books.
- 4. XI'an is an ancient city.
- V. chuánguò, jīngguò, guò, guògu
- 1. Ten years have passed, and she's still just as young and pretty
(as before).
- 2. Cross the street and wait for me in front of that building.
- 3. I pass there every day on my way to work (shàng bānde shíhou).
- 4. Time passes so guickly!
- 5. The train passed several stations without stopping.
- 6. When I'm in a hurry, I cut through the park.
- 7. After a month had passed, he felt much better.
- 8. Through the efforts of many people, we have been able to set up
(kāibàn) an elementary school here.
TRANSLATION EXERCISE
- I. bang, bāngzhù, bangmang
- 1. Would you help me?
- 2. I don't need this kind of help.
- 3. He came to help.
- 4. Would you hold this for me for a second?
- 5. I'll help you write the report (bàogào).
- 6. We can help each other.
- II. gè-, mèi-, yī~ ("one")
- 1. Each person has his own ideas. How can he make you do it this
way?
- 2. Each year we have many excellent students.
- 3. Each state has some laws of its own.
- 4. These apples are a dime each.
- 5. Each book he writes is better than the last.
- III. guan, guānxīn, jièyì
- 1. Although she says little, she actually (shíjìshang) cares deeply.
- 2. If you don't mind, I'd like to ask you a few questions.
- 3. People didn't care a bit about those pitiful (kěliánde) children.
- 4. Who cares what you do?!
- 5. Don't mind him!
- IV. qítǎ, biéde, ling(wài), yī-, nèi-
- 1. These sentences are pretty good; the others are too colloquial
(tú).
- 2. Well, you can say he's right about this point, but how about the
other questions?
- 3. One is too weak, the other is too fat (pang).
- 4. When you're taking the test, don't think about other things.
- 5. This vase is not bad, but the other one is even prettier.
- 6. Do you want to know the other reasons?
- 7. Put your other hand here.
- V. -wèi, dìwèi
- 1. I don't like to talk with those who are in high positions.
- 2. India's rice (dàmí) output is the highest ("first") in the world.
- 3. He's too young to be in such a high position.
- VI. bú fàngxìn, dānxīn
- 1. I'm very worried about him. He doesn't look well.
- 2. Without you here I've been sort of anxious.
- 3. What is there to worry about?
- 4. I would really worry if you went alone.
- 5. Don't worry. She's already grown up; she can take care of
herself.
TRANSLATION EXERCISE
- I. gǒngchàng, chang
- 1. The air is really bad because there are so many factories in this
area.
- 2. She'd never been so happy since she came to ("entered") this
factory.
- 3. He works in a camera factory.
- II. méi, hǎokàn, piàoliàng
- 1. She's really a beautiful girl.
- 2. What a beautiful place this is!
- 3. This dress doesn't look good at all. Why do you want to buy it?
- 4. You speak beautiful standard Chinese!
- 5. What a handsome son you have, Department Chief Xú.
- 6. The weather is beautiful today.
- III. chà, bù hào, huài
- 1. His pronunciation is too bad.
- 2. He doesn't speak French well.
- 3. His Japanese isn't bad.
- 4. On the whole, it's a pretty nice place; it's just that the
weather is always bad.
- 5. Bad boy ("child")!
- 6. Conditions here used to be very bad; now they're much better.
- 7. That commune’s level of mechanization is rather poor.
- IV. liǎojiě, zhīdao, rènshi, shóu (shú)
- 1. I didn't know him when we were at Oxford (Niújīn).
- 2. Do you know what happened between them (tamen zhījiān)?
- 3. I know nothing about that.
- 4. You still don't know me too well, do you?
- 5. I knew him, but not very well. We had only met a couple of times.
- 6. I know of him, but I’ve never met him.
- 7. I still~3on’t know Běijīng very well; perhaps we should go
together.
- 8. (To taxi driver) I want to go to the Dàhuá Restaurant. Do you
know it?
- 9. Of the three of us, you know him best. Do you think he would mind
if we did this?
TRANSLATION EXERCISE
- I. Choose háishi... or zuì hǎo in translating these sentences.
- 1. We'd better not go after all. See, it's raining.
- 2. You'd better walk there. It's very hard to drive on that road.
- 3. It’s best to be mentally prepared ("in the heart have
preparation").
- 4. I’d better not drink too much. I have to drive.
- 5. It would be best if I could talk with him in person. Would that
be possible?
- 6. Chinese food is still the tastiest, don't you think?
- II. jiǎshǔ, jià, jiā(li)rén
- 1. This housing is for workers and their families.
- 2. How many people are there in the average worker's family?
- 3. Is your whole family in Huángzhuàng?
- 4. They go home every Saturday to be with their families.
- III. kuài (yào), yào, huì, gang yào, zhèng yào, jiù yào, hěn kuài
jiù
- 1. Be patient. We'll be there soon.
- 2. He's going to get his Ph.D. (bóshì xuéwèi) this summer.
- 3. You've come at the perfect time. I'm just about to pack the
suitcases.
- 4. She'll be happy if you do that.
- 5. Look, it's about to rain.
- 6. It's going to rain today.
- 7. That's what I was just about to say, (but) you didn't give me the
chance to say it.
- 8. She forgot about the matter very soon.
- 9. Three new consulates (lingshìguǎn) are going to open very soon.
- 10. I’m about to die of hunger!
- 11. Don’t worry. I’ll tell him.
- 12. It’s almost over (finished).
- 13. If you don’t stay in touch ("maintain contact") with them, they
forget you very soon.
- 14. He came when I was just about to leave.
- IV. yánzhe, pángbian
- 1. They've planted a lot of trees alongside the river.
- 2. Alongside the street, I saw many new stores.
- 3. They built a railroad alongside the border.
- 4. Just walk along this street, and you'll see a lot of clothing
stores.
- 5. There is a park alongside the factory.
- V. yishàng, shàngmian, -duō OR yixià, xiàmian, bú dào
- 1. There are probably over ten people there.
- 2. He has under twenty students.
- 3. Children ten and over may participate;
- 4. It will cost over fifty dollars.
- 5. We had been going for less than an hour when the car broke down.
- 6. Only buildings with over four stories have elevators.
- 7. Under this brigade there are ten production teams.
- 8. It's been over a month since I saw him last.
- 9. His office is right above mine.
TRANSLATION EXERCISE
- I. Choose dāihuir, děng yíxià, déng (yì)huir, yihòu, or hòulái in
translating these sentences:
- 1. I'll be leaving in a minute.
- 2. Later, when you have time, let's talk, okay?
- 3. Wait a second. I think I hear him coming.
- 4. Later, I found out that she had been a Red Guard.
- 5. Things were very chaotic at that time, but later on they got
better.
- 6. His later short stories are mostly about the Uygurs.
- 7. He'll be here in a while.
- II. fánróng, fādá
- 1. The Táng dynasty was a period (shíqī) when China's culture
flourished.
- 2. I didn't expect that this place would have become so prosperous
in the ten years since I left.
- 3. Livestock farming is well developed in Xinjiang and Inner
Mongolia.
- 4. Japan's industry and commerce are flourishing and the economy is
thriving.
- III. qiǎnwàn, yídìng
- 1. Be sure to bring that book.
- 2. Be sure not to forget to ask him whether he is coming.
- 3. I'll be sure to tell him.
- IV. xiāoxi, xīnwén
- 1. Where did you hear this news?
- 2. There isn't any interesting news in today's paper.
- 3. Is there any news about China?
- 4. She often brought us unpleasant (bù yúkuàide) news.
- 5. Has there been any news about when the meeting will be held?
- 6. What good news is there today?
- 7. News reporters (jizAě) are the best at getting information.