FSI-Chinese/Numerisés-new/Texte-7.txt

FSI - Standard Chinese - Module 07 SOC - Student Text and Workbook
Foreign Service Institute

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STANDARD CHINESE A Modular Approach

MODULE 7: SOCIETY  STUDENT TEXT AND WORKBOOK

SPONSORED BY

AGENCIES OF THE UNITED STATES AND CANADIAN GOVERNMENTS

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Presidio of Monterey, CA 93944-5006

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STANDARD CHINESE: A MODULAR APPROACH

STUDENT TEXT AND WORKBOOK

MODULE 7: SOCIETY

Before starting Unit 1 of this module, you should have completed core
modules 1 through 6 and the optional modules Personal Welfare,
Restaurant, and Hotel.

May 1981

PREFACE

Standard Chinese: A Modular Approach originated in an interagency
conference held at the Foreign Service Institute in August 1973 to
address the need generally felt in the U.S. Government language training
community for improving and updating Chinese materials to reflect
current usage in Beijing and Taipei.

The conference resolved to develop materials which were flexible enough
in form and content to meet the requirements of a wide range of
government agencies and academic institutions.

A Project Board was established consisting of representatives of the
Central Intelligence Agency Language Learning Center, the Defense
Language Institute, the State Department’s Foreign Service Institute,
the Cryptologic School of the National Security Agency, and the U.S.
Office of Education, later joined by the Canadian Forces Foreign
Language School. The representatives have included Arthur T. McNeill,
John Hopkins, and John Boag (CIA); Colonel John F. Elder III, Joseph C.
Hutchinson, Ivy Gibian, and Major Bernard Muller-Thym (DLl); James R.
Frith and John B. Ratliff III (FSl); Kazuo Shitama (NSA); Richard T.
Thompson and Julia Petrov (OE); and Lieutenant Colonel George Kozoriz
(CFFLS).

The Project Board set up the Chinese Core Curriculum Project in 197 in
space provided at the Forign Service Institute. Each of the six U.S. and
Canadian government agencies provided funds and other assistance.

Gerard P. Kok was appointed project coordinator, and a planning council
was formed consisting of Mr. Kok, Frances Li of the Defense Language
Institute, Patricia O’Connor of the University of Texas, Earl M.
Rickerson of the Language Learning Center, and James Wrenn of Brown
University. In the fall of 1977, Lucille A. Barale was appointed deputy
project coordinator. David W. Dellinger of the Language Learning Center
and Charles R. Sheehan of the Foreign Service Institute also served on
the planning council and contributed material to the project. The
planning council drew up the original overall design for the materials
and met regularly to review their development.

Writers for the first half of the materials were John H.T. Harvey,
Lucille A. Barale, and Roberta S. Barry, who worked in close cooperation
with the planning council and with the Chinese staff of the Foreign
Service Institute. Mr. Harvey developed the instructional formats of the
comprehension and production self-study materials, and also designed the
communication-based classroom activities and wrote the teacher’s guides.
Lucille A. Barale and Roberta S. Barry wrote the tape scripts and the
student text. By 1978 Thomas E. Madden and Susan C. Pola had Joined the
staff. Led by Ms. Barale, they have worked as a team to produce the
materials subsequent to Module 6.

All Chinese language material was prepared or selected by Chuan 0. Chao
Ying-chi Chen, Hsiao-Jung Chi, Eva Diao, Jan Hu, Tsung-mi Li, and Yunhui
C. Yang, assisted for part of the time by Chieh-fang Ou Lee, Ying-ming
Chen, and Joseph Yu Hsu Wang. Anna Affholder, Mei-li Chen, and Henry
Khuo helped in the preparation of a preliminary corpus of dialogues.

Administrative assistance was provided at various times by Vincent
Basciano, Lisa A. Bowden, Jill W. Ellis, Donna Fong, Renee T.C. Liang,
Thomas E. Madden, Susan C. Pola, and Kathleen Strype.

The production of tape recordings was directed by Jose M. Ramirez of the
Foreign Service Institute Recording Studio. The Chinese script was
voiced by Ms. Chao, Ms. Chen, Mr. Chen, Ms. Diao, Ms. Hu, Mr. Khuo, Mr.
Li, and Ms. Yang. The English script was read by Ms. Barale, Ms. Barry,
Mr. Basciano, Ms. Ellis, Ms. Pola, and Ms. Strype.

The graphics were produced by John McClelland of the Foreign Service
Institute Audio-Visual Staff, under the general supervision of Joseph A.
Sadote, Chief of Audio-Visual.

Standard Chinese: A Modular Approach was field-tested with the
cooperation of Brown University; the Defense Language Institute, Foreign
Language Center; the Foreign Service Institute; the Language Learning
Center; the United States Air Force Academy; the University of Illinois;
and the University of Virginia.

Colonel Samuel L. Stapleton and Colonel Thomas G. Foster, Commandants of
the Defense Language Institute, Foreign Language Center, authorized the
DLIFLC support necessary for preparation of this edition of the course
materials.

[]

Jamies R. Frith, Chairman

Chinese Core Curriculum Project Board

CONTENTS

Preface

Introduction Section 1: To the Student

Section 2: To the Teacher

List of Tapes for Module 7

Objectives for the Society Module

UNIT 1 Travel Plans Introduction

Reference List

Vocabulary

Reference Notes

Phrases with guǎnyú, "concerning," "about"

The directional ending -lai

huì, "might," "be likely to," "will"

The sentence marker -de, "that’s the way the situation is" Review
Dialogue

Workbook

Exercise Dialogues

UNIT 2 Equality of the Sexes Introduction

Reference List

Vocabulary

Reference Notes ........................ by

biěde, "other(s)" ___V       Ifxu.____          ____ ft

xiàng, "like**

The adverb Jiù, "as soon/early as that" Review Dialogue

Workbook

Exercise Dialogues

UNIT 3 Family Values Introduction

Reference List

Vocabulary

Reference Notes

The verb ending -qilai: the start of an action or condition cáí7 "only,"
before amounts

-zhe showing the manner of an action

The verb ending -dào: —successful reaching/obtaining/finding

—(with verbs of speech) "of," "about"

—successful perceiving (kàndao)

The adverb zài, "anymore"

Placement of phrases with dào, "to," "up to," "until" Review Dialogue

Workbook

Exercise Dialogues

UNIT h A Family History Introduction

Reference List

Vocabulary

Reference Notes

More on ne, marker of absence of change/lack of completion

Terms for grandparents

More on indefinite pronouns ("any/no" expressions)

bāngzhu and bang máng Review Dialogue

Workbook

Exercise Dialogues

UNIT 5 Traditional Attitudes and Modern Changes Introduction

Reference List

Vocabulary

Reference Notes

..,yě hao, ...yě hǎo, "whether...or..."

Necessary condition marked by cái

Placement of specifier after a modifying phrase "in order to"

Review Dialogue

Workbook

Exercise Dialogues

UNIT 6 Politics and Culture Introduction

Reference List

Vocabulary

Reference Notes

-de hua, if, in case

More on -guo vs. -le

Reduplicating adjectival verbs for vividness qù and lai expressing
purpose

Review Dialogue

Workbook

Exercise Dialogues

UNIT 7 Social Problems Introduction

Reference List

Vocabulary

Reference Notes ........................ 215

-duo le, "much more" "Not anymore," "never again"

lián...dōu..., "even"

zhǐ yào... Jiù..., "provided that..."

hú shi...,1 iù shi... , "if not.. .then..."either.. .or..."

Review Dialogue

Workhook

Exercise Dialogues

UNIT 8 Directions for the Future

Introduction

Reference List

Vocabulary

Reference Notes

Action-Process compound verbs

The directional ending -huí you, "after all," "anyway" yě bu, "don’t
even," "won’t even"

Review Dialogue

Workbook

Exercise Dialogues

Vocabulary

INTRODUCTION

-   SECTION 1: TO THE STUDENT

With the Society module, you are taking a step up to a new level of
expression in Chinese. Up till now, you have "been dealing with
relatively short sentences about concrete situations. In this module,
you will start to encounter longer sentences and more abstract
statements. The transition will take some time, but you can make it
easier on yourself by developing methodical ways of approaching the new
material in each unit. The following suggestions may help.

Keep in mind from here on in that the two skills you will continue to
work on, production and comprehension, are no longer expected to stay at
approximately the same level. It is natural for your ability to
understand what others say to increase more rapidly than your ability to
express your own thoughts. As you work through the Society module, bear
in mind that, while you are asked to understand all the dialogues, you
are required to be able to produce only a limited part of the language
you will hear. This is specified in the module objectives, the unit
vocabulary lists, and the introductions to the units.

How to Use the Book

Each unit of this book presents quite a bit of new information—much more
than anyone can master in a few days’ time. This is because information
has also been included simply for comparison or for your future
reference. This is what you should master in each unit:

-   (1) The new grammar listed in the introduction for each unit.

-   (2) The basic meanings of each vocabulary item. (Related meanings
    may be given in the reference notes for purposes of comparison, but
    you are not required to remember them.)

-   (3) The cultural background information discussed in some reference
    notes and contained in each unit’s review dialogue.

You may find it helpful to read through the reference notes three times.
On the first time through, read only the notes on cultural background.
The second time, go through the notes that explain new grammatical
structures. The third time, read only the notes on the meanings and
usage of new words. For review, test yourself on the example sentences
in the notes by covering the Chinese column and trying to translate the
English column into Chinese. Check your answer immediately.

How to Use the Tapes

Starting with Module 7, there will he only two thirty-minute tapes per
unit, instead of five.

Tape 1 introduces the material on the Reference List, giving you a
chance to learn to understand these sentences and to practice saying
them. Tape 1 replaces both the C-l and P-1 tapes which you used in
Modules 1 through 6.

You will find that the Tape 1 is denser in content and faster paced than
either the C-l or P-1 tapes. The number of new vocabulary items in each
unit has been increased from 20-25 to 30-35. You will also notice that
the sentences have increased in length. Since you must learn to
understand as well as say these sentences from a single tape, you may
find that you need to rewind the tape and review the presentation of
each sentence several times. In addition, explanations which were
formerly found on the C-l and P-1 tapes are now found only in the
Reference Notes.

Tape 2 replaces the C-2 and P-2 tapes. Each Tape 2 will start off with a
review of the sentences from the Reference List. This will be followed
by three exercise dialogues. You should listen to each dialogue until
you understand it thoroughly. The workbook which accompanies Tape 2
describes the setting of the conversation and provides you with the new
vocabulary you need to understand it. (You are not required to learn
these additional vocabulary items.) The workbook also contains questions
about each dialogue, for which you will need to prepare answers in
Chinese. Your teacher will ask you to answer these and other questions
about the conversation in class.

When you listen to the recorded dialogues, aim only for comprehension of
the ideas. Whether or not you can repeat the sentences word for word is
not critical. Since they are in colloquial style, the dialogues
sometimes contain phrasing which you are not expected to be able to
imitate at this stage, yet with a little effort (it is expected to take
repeated listenings), you will understand.

-   SECTION 2: TO THE TEACHER

The format of the core modules from this point on differs considerably
from those preceding, and teaching methods should be adapted to the
requirements of this new format. Below are a few suggestions on how to
use this and subsequent core modules.

How to Use the Reference Notes

The reference notes in Society include grammatical explanations,
discussions of the usage of new words, and some cultural background
information. They are called ’’reference” notes for a reason: they are
here for the student’s present and future reference. They are not
intended as material for classroom study or discussion, for in these
later modules, as in the first six, the bulk of classroom time should be
spent in the actual use of Chinese. The thoroughness of the notes is
intended to relieve you of the need to give lectures on grammar and
usage and allow you to devote most of your time with students to live
practice of the language. You should familiarize yourself with the
content of the notes so that when students pose questions on word usage
or a new structure, you can simply refer them to the relevant note.

The copiousness of example sentences in the notes has a double purpose.
First, along with the idiomatic English translations, they show the
versatility of the vocabulary items they introduce; at this level of
study, a single English translation can seldom fully do justice to the
range of nuances expressed by a Chinese word. Second, students can use
the example sentences at home for translation practice, either
Chinese-English or English-Chinese, using a strip of paper to cover the
target-language column and then checking their answer for immediate
reinforcement.

How to Use the Exercise Dialogues

The three exercise dialogues in each unit (exercises 2, 3, and h)
present completely different situations and characters from the unit
review dialogue, but include the same new vocabulary and structures.
They provide extra listening comprehension practice at normal
conversational speed, an area which should receive increased attention
from both student and teacher beginning with this module.

The language of many of the exercise dialogues is very colloquial and
thus a change from the style of the preceding modules. At this stage,
students must accustom themselves to hearing everyday Chinese, and if
given ample practice, their comprehension will improve quickly. But bear
in mind that students are not expected to be able to produce sentences
in this colloquial style, only to understand them.

The taped exercises 2, 3, and h, are to be listened to outside of class
as many times as is necessary for the student to answer the questions in
the workbook section. In class, the teacher should ask the questions,
rephrased in Chinese, and have students answer from their notes or,
preferably, from

memory. If students "bring up questions on colloquialisms contained in
the dialogues at this time, handle them quickly; avoid digressions on
expressions which are not required for production. The point of this
activity is for the students to talk—to practice saying the new words
and structures of the unit

Further Classroom Activities

-   (1) Use the subjects discussed in the dialogues as points of
    departure for class discussions in which the teacher takes the part
    of the Chinese who wants to understand American society and the
    American students try to explain their ways of thinking and doing
    things. Depending on class size, the level of the students, and
    individual students’ competitiveness or reticence, these
    conversations will need to "be more or less structured. If necessary
    in order to maintain the flow of ideas or to keep a small number of
    students from dominating the discussion, everyone can be asked to
    outline possible answers before coming to class, or the teacher may
    prepare an outline for the students.

-   (2) Students can be asked to tell the story of the review dialogue
    or an exercise dialogue in their own words. This can be done by the
    whole class together; if one student omits an important point in the
    story, another student can remind him of it or supply it himself.

-   (3) Have students pick out from the reference list and the dialogues
    certain sentences which serve a particular communicative function.
    The Chinese material in this book is especially suited to this type
    of exercise because of the colloquial tone of the dialogues and the
    range of emotions and linguistic functions displayed within them.
    For example, the students may be asked to find a sentence that
    conveys enthusiasm toward an idea, one that conveys tentativeness
    when asking a question about a delicate subject, or one that conveys
    a desire to be helpful. Using the sentences thus found as takeoff
    points, the teacher can then ask the students to come up with other
    sentences with the same linguistic function, or ask them to change
    elements of the sentence to vary its function.

For example, Unit 1 of Society presents some sentences (in the reference
list and dialogues) that can be used as responses to proposals:

Wǒ kǎolu kǎolu.                    I’ll think it over. (non-committal)

Fěichǎng hǎo.                       Great. (enthusiastic)

Nà women shuohǎo le . . .           Then we’ve agreed . . . (decisive)

Jiù zhèiyang.                        It’s settled, (decisive)

Students can be asked to add to this list sentences expressing a wider
range of responses to a proposal, e.g., flat rejection (Bù xíng!),
scandalization (Nà zěnme kéyi a*), lukewarm acceptance (Kěyǐ . . . or Yě
hǎo), indecisiveness (M . . . or Nà, wǒ hǎi děi xiǎngyixiǎng or Zài shuō
ba). etc. If you make up supplementary exercises, you may find it
effective to base them on the communicative functions of sentences
contained in each unit. A list of these functions will be found in each
unit’s introduction.

(U) If the teacher and students find that the new grammar needs to be
separately discussed in class, such sessions should be confined to a
review of the essential new structures, as listed in each unit’s
introduction.

Review

The two review tapes consist simply of exercises requiring the students
to translate the reference list sentences for Units 1 to U and 5 to 8,
respectively. The original order of the sentences in the text has been
scrambled. The first section of each tape is translation from Chinese to
English, the second from English to Chinese.

Because material introduced in this module is frequently repeated in
subsequent lessons, regular review will not be as important as in the
earlier modules, where the situational nature of the lessons means that
some vocabulary introduced in order to handle one kind of situation
occurs in that one module only. However, if desired, one of each unit’s
exercise dialogues can be reserved for review: have students listen to
only two instead of all three exercise dialogues while doing the unit,
and then return to the third dialogue several units later to brush up on
the vocabulary and structures.

TAPES FOR MODULE 7 (SOC)

Unit 1:

Unit 2:

Unit 3:

Unit U:

Unit 5:

Unit 6:

Unit 7:

Unit 8:

SOC 1.1, SOC 1.2 SOC 2.1, SOC 2.2 SOC 3.1, SOC 3.2 SOC U.l, SOC U.2 SOC
5.1, SOC 5.2 soc 6.1, soc 6.2

SOC 7.1, SOC 7.2

SOC 8.1, SOC 8.2

Review Tapes: SOC Review 1-U, Tape 1 (Chinese to English)

SOC Review 1-U, Tape 2 (English to Chinese) SOC Review 5-8, Tape 1
(Chinese to English) SOC Review 5-8, Tape 2 (English to Chinese)

MODULE 7: SOCIETY

The Society Module (SOC) will provide you with the linguistic skills and
cultural background information you need to visit a Chinese family,
discuss some aspects of family life and society, to find out how
someone’s family fits into the pattern of traditional Chinese society,
and how it reflects the changes of modern society.

Before starting this module, you must take and pass the MTG Criterion
Test. In addition, it is assumed that by this point you will have
already completed the optional modules Personal Welfare, Restaurant, and
Hotel; vocabulary from these modules is now considered taught.

The SOC Criterion Test will focus largely on this module, but material
from the first six core modules and associated resource modules is also
included.

OBJECTIVES

Upon successful completion of this module, you should be able to

-   1. Give the English equivalent for any Chinese sentence in the SOC
    Reference Lists.

-   2. Say any Chinese sentence in the SOC Reference Lists when cued
    with its English equivalent.

-   3. Ask someone about the size of his family, which family members
    live at home, and where other family members live and why.

it. Use the rules of Chinese etiquette in social visits: the proper
times for visiting; the custom of offering refreshments to visitors and
the type of response expected from the visitor; and some polite ways to
end a social visit.

-   5. Discuss the status, duties, and responsibilities of sons in the
    traditional Chinese family.

-   6. Discuss the different relationships within the Chinese family,
    especially those between parents and children, and between
    mother-in-law and daughter-in-law.

-   7. Explain why the large (extended) family was the ideal pattern in
    traditional Chinese society.

-   8. Use the proper-terms for referring to your own or someone else’s
    children, and understand the terms for addressing one’s children
    directly; use the terms for paternal grandparents; use the terms for
    the parents of one’s friend.

-   9. Understand why early marriage was a common practice in
    traditional China.

-   10. Discuss the effects of the development of industry and business
    on traditional Chinese society.

-   11. Discuss the concept of filial obedience.

-   12. Compare the position of women in Chinese society before and
    after the founding of the People’s Republic of China.

-   13. Discuss traditional marriage arrangements in China and the roles
    women were placed in as a result. Understand the government’s policy
    toward marriage after 19^9 and the actual changes that have
    occurred.

1U. Explain and defend some of your personal views on topics such as
equality of the sexes, the status of women, living together, marriage,
parent-child relationships, care of the elderly, the effects of
political and economic conditions on society, crime, and drug abuse.

UNIT 1

Travel Plans

INTRODUCTION

Grammar Topics Covered in This Unit

-   1. The pattern (Verb) de shi....

-   2. Phrases with guanyu, "concerning," "about."

-   3. The directional ending -lai.

-   U. The auxiliary verb huì, "might," "be likely to," "will."

5. The sentence marker -de, "that’s the way the situation is."

Functional Language Contained in This Unit

-   1. Offering a visitor something to drink.

-   2. Responding to an offer of something to drink.

-   3. Concluding a social visit.

U. Telling someone you can’t take the time to explain something but will
talk about it later.

5. Presenting a suggestion or proposal to do something.

6. Responding to a suggestion or proposal to so something.

1. A: Jīntiān wǒ jièdao yìběn hǎo xiǎoshuō.

B: Shénme xiǎoshuō, rang ni zènme gāoxìng?

Today I "borrowed a good novel (from someone).

What novel is it that makes you so happy?

2. A: Zhèiběn xiǎoshuō xiěde shi dàlùde qíngkuàng.

B: Guānyu dàlùde? Jiè gěi wǒ kànkan xíng bu xíng?

3. A: Xiàge xuéqī ní xiǎng yánjiū shénme?

B: Hái shi lǎo wentí: Zhōng-guóde zhèngzhi qíngkuàng.

h. A: Zuótiān Xiǎo Ming gěi tā nùpéngyou xiě xìn, xiěde hǎo cháng!

B: Niánqīng rén zǒng shi niánqīng rén. Wo niánqīngde shihou yě shi
zhèiyang, nī wàng le?

This novel is about the situation on the mainland.

About the mainland? How about lending it to me to read?

What are you going to do research on next semester?

It’s still the same old topic: the political situation in China.

Yesterday Xiǎo Ming wrote a letter to his girl friend, and it was really
long!

Young people are always young people. When I was young I was like that
too, have you forgotten?

5. A: Shǔ^iàde shihou, nī xiǎng dào nǎr qu wànrwanr?

B: Wǒ xiǎng dào Yàzhōu Jīge guǒjiā qu kankan.

6. A: Zenme, nī xiǎng yánjiū Yàzhōude wénhuà chuántǒng?

B: Bù néng shuō yánjiū. Wǒ zhī shi xiǎng qù kànkan nàlide shèhuì
qíngkuàng.

Where do you want to go over summer vacation?

I’d like to go visit a few countries in Asia.

Oh? Do you want to do research on Asia’s cultural tradition?

It can’t be called research. I Just want to go have a look at the social
situation there.

7. A: Lǎo Wáng, wǒ Jīntiān gǎnJué hen bu shūfu.

Lǎo Wáng, I feel awful today.

B: Kuài zuòxia, wǒ qù gěi ni dào bēi chá lai.

Sit down and I’ll go pour you a cup of tea.

-   8. A: Nǐ qùde nèige dìfang zhèngzhi, jīngji fāngmiànde qíngxing
    zěnmeyàng?

B: Jǐjù huà shuōbuqǐngchu, you shíjiān wǒ zài gen ni mànmānr shuō ba.

-   9. A: Yǎnjiū Zhōngguo xiànzàide wèntí yídìng děi dongde Zhōngguo
    lìshǐ.

-   B: Nǐ shuōde zhèiyidiǎn hen yàojīn, wǒ kǎolù kǎolū.

-   10. A: Nǐ zài Zhōngguo zhù liǎng-nián, yídìng huì xuéhǎo Zhōngwénde.

B: Shi a, yìfāngmiàn kéyi xuéhǎo Zhōngwén, yìfāngmiàn yě kéyi duō zhīdao
yidiǎnr Zhōngguóde shìqing.

What was the political and economic situation like where you went?

I can’t explain it clearly in just a few sentences; when I have time
I’ll tell you all about it.

To study the problems of China now, you have to understand Chinese
history.

This point of yours is very important; I’11 think it over.

If you live in China for two years, you’re sure to learn Chinese very
well.

Yes, on the one hand I can learn Chinese well, and on the other hand I
can find out more things about China.

ADDITIONAL REQUIRED VOCABULARY 11. yìbiān(r)...yìbiān(r) 12.
yímiàn...yímiàn...

doing...while doing...

doing...while doing...

+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
|                                   | VOCABULARY                        |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| cháng chuántǒng                   | to be long                        |
|                                   |                                   |
|                                   | tradition, traditional            |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| dàlù dào -diǎn dǒngde             | mainland, continent               |
|                                   |                                   |
|                                   | to pour                           |
|                                   |                                   |
|                                   | point                             |
|                                   |                                   |
|                                   | to understand, to grasp, to know  |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| -fāngmiàn (-fāngmiàn)             | aspect, side, area, respect       |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| gǎnjué                            | feeling, sensation; to feel, to   |
|                                   | perceive                          |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| guānyú                            | as to, with regard to,            |
|                                   | concerning, about                 |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| guojiā                            | country, state, nation; national  |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| huì                               | might, be likely to, will         |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| Jiè                               | to borrow; to lend                |
|                                   |                                   |
| J ièdao                           | to successfully borrow            |
|                                   |                                   |
| -Jù                               | sentence; (counter for sentences  |
|                                   | or utterances, often followed by  |
|                                   | huà, "speech")                    |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| kǎolu                             | to consider, to think about       |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| mànmānr (mànmàn)                  | slowly; gradually, by and by;     |
|                                   | taking one’s time; in all details |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| niánqīng                          | to be young                       |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| qíngkuàng                         | situation, circumstances,         |
|                                   | condition, state of affairs       |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| qíngxing                          | situation, circumstances,         |
|                                   | condition, state of affairs       |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| rang                              | to make (someone a certain way)   |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| shèhuì                            | society, social simmer vacation   |
|                                   | can’t explain clearly             |
| shǔjià shuōbuqīngchu              |                                   |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| wénhuǎ                            | culture                           |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| xiǎoshuō (-)xuéqī                 | fiction, novel                    |
|                                   |                                   |
|                                   | semester, term (of school)        |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| yánjiū (yánjiu, yánjiù)           | to study (in detail), to do       |
|                                   | research on; research             |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| Yàzhōu (Yǎzhōu)                   | Asia                              |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+

yìbiān(r). . .yìbiān(r).. .

yìfāngmiàn..., yìfāngmiàn...

yímiàn(r)...yímiàn(r)...

doing...while doing...

on the one hand..., on the other hand; for one thing..., for another...;
doing...while doing...

doing...while doing...

zhèngzhi zǒng

zuòxia

politics, political always; inevitably, after all, in any

to sit down

affairs; political without exception, case

Unit 1, Reference Notes

1. A: Jintiān wǒ jièdao yìběn hǎo xiǎoshuō.

Today I borrowed a good novel (from someone).

What novel is it that makes you so happy?

B: Shénme xiǎoshuō, rang ni zènme gāoxìng?

Notes on No. 1

jiè: ”to borrow” CAlso ”to lend,” see Notes on No. 2.3

Wǒ dào túshūguǎn qù jiè shū.       I’m going to the library to borrow

Etake outl some books.

For "from,” use gēn or xiang" for people and cong for place names like
the library.

Wǒ méi dài qián, xiǎng gēn (xiǎng) Níngning qù jiè.

Wǒ cōng túshūguǎn jièle yìběn Zhōngguó lìshǐ shū.

I didn’t bring any money. I want to go borrow some from Níngning.

I borrowed a Chinese history book from the library.

Cong can only be followed by a person if the person is made into a place
name, for example by the addition of nèr (nǎli):

Wǒ cóng tā nèr jièle wǔkuǎi qián. I borrowed five dollars from him.

For people, you may also use the common pattern wèn...jiè..., literally
”ask...borrow...”:

Wǒ wèn ta jièle yiběn shū.         I borrowed a book from him.

Wǒ bù hǎo yìsi wèn biérén jiè      I’m too embarrassed to borrow money

qián.                               from other people.

jièdao: The ending -dǎo expresses that the borrowing results in the
thing being obtained. You learned -dǎo and the similar Běijīng -zháo in
the verb jiēdao/jiēzhao, ”to receive,” in the Meeting module.

You need to know not only what the ending -dǎo means, but also when to
use it and when not to. This can’t be summed up in one neat formula, but
you will see from the following examples that -dǎo is used when there
was a question of not being able to get the thing. Jiè by itself does
not necessarily imply obtaining, so you can use it in situations when
you tried to borrow something but couldn’t get it.

Wǒ gēn tā jièle yìběn              I borrowed a dictionary from him.

zìdiǎn.

Xiǎng is used more in written style.

Wǒ qù jièguo, kěshi méi jièdao.

-   A: Ni cong túshūguān jièdao nèiběn Mǒiguo lìshí shū le ma?

-   B: Méiyǒu, dōu jièchuqu le. Dàgài xià Xīngqiyi cái néng jièdao.

I went and tried to "borrow it, "but

I didn’t get it.

Did you get that American history "book out of the library?

No, they had all been taken out.

I probably won’t be able to (borrow and) get it until next Monday.

Jie may have certain other directional or resultative endings. Here are

examples.

Zài zhèr kàn kéyi, bù néng jièchuqu.

Tā bǎ wǒde chē jièqu le.

Tā ba nèiběn shū jièzǒu le.

Wǒ cong tā nèr jièlai wǔkuài qián.

You can read it here, but you can’t take it out.

He borrowed my car (and took it away).

He borrowed that book (and took it away).

I borrowed five dollars from him.

rang: ’’to make’’ someone a certain way, or ’’to cause’’ someone to
become a certain way. When used this way, rang is followed by a person
and an adjectival verb. You learned rang as ’’to let’’ in the Welfare
module: Rang wǒ kànkan nǐde hùzhào, ’’Let me see your passport.’’ I Rang
can also mean ”to have,” ”to tell,’’ or ”to make” someone do something.]

Tā shuōde huà rang wo hen shēng- What he said made me very angry, qi.

Tā name bú kèqi rang tā péngyou hen bù hǎo yìsi.

He embarrassed his friend by being so rude.

Shénme xiāoshuō?—rang ni zhème gāoxìng: question shénme xiāoshuǒ, and
the rest of the sentence, is like an afterthought. Compare these
examples:

There is a pause after the rang ni zhème gāoxìng

Zhèi shi shénme kāfēi?—zhème hǎo hē.

Zhèi jiù shi ni māide chē?— zènme nánkàn!

Ni xǐhuan shùxué a?—name méi yìsi!

What kind of coffee is this? It’s so good.

So this is the car you bought? It’s so ugly!

You like math?—such a boring thing!

2. A: Zhèiběn xiǎoshuō xiěde shi dàlùde qíngkuàng.

B: Guānyú dàlùde? Jiè gěi wǒ kànkan xíng bu xíng?

This novel is about the situation on the mainland.

About the mainland? How about lending it to me to read?

Notes on No. 2

xiě: This verb which you learned as ”to write” is also one of several
ways that ’’about” is expressed in Chinese. When used with this meaning,
xiě usually appears in the (Verb) de shi construction discussed
immediately below.

xiěde shi: This structure, (Verb) de shi, is a major structure of
Chinese, so pay extra attention! Use (Verb) de shi when the verb is not
new information and you want to focus instead on the identity of the
thing talked about. The pattern itself makes an equational sentence,
that is, an A EQUALS B sentence:

  ---------- ----- ---------
  A          IS    B
  VERB de    shi   B
  Tā zuóde   shi   báicài.
  ---------- ----- ---------

’’What he’s making is cabbage.”

In sentence 2A, the verb xiě is not new information because any novel
must ”be written about” something. The object dàlùde qíngkuàng is new
information which is focused on.

-   A: Nǐ zài JiāzhŌu Dàxué niànde shi shénme?

-   B: Wǒ niànde shi JīngJixué.

Zhèige diànyīng Jiāngde shi yige Zhōngguo rén qù Měiguo wánde shi.

Gāngcái nǐ Jiàode shi shénme? Shi fan háishi miàn?

Nǐ xiànzài shuōde shi wǒ háishi tā?

Tā hěn xǐhuan kàn shū, kěshi tā kànde dōu shi yìxiē méi yìside xiǎoshuō.

What is it that you study at the University of California?

It’s economics.

This film is about a Chinese going to America to visit.

What did you order Just now? Rice or noodles?

Is the person you’re talking about now me or him?

He likes to read, but all he reads are stupid novels.

dàlù: ’’continent, mainland” Zhōngguo dàlù is ’’mainland China,” which
may also be called dàlù for short Just as we say ’’the mainland”.

''other ways are by using the verb Jiang, ”to talk about,” as in Zhèiběn
shū Jiang shénme?, ’’What is this book about?”; and guānyu (see the note
in this section).

qíngkuàng: "situation, circumstances, state of affairs, condition" Used
much more frequently in Chinese than any single one of these
translations is used in English. Sometimes the Chinese language uses
qíngkuàng when in English we would just say "things" or "the way things
are."

Nǐde qíngkuàng gēn tāde chàbuduō.

Wǒ dìdide jíngji qíngkuàng bu tài hǎo.

Nà shi sìshinián qiánde shi, xiànzài qíngkuàng bù tong le.

-   A: Nǐ néng bu néng gěi wǒ jiǎng-jiang nǐ zài dàlùde qíngkuàng?

-   B: Nǐde yìsi shi wǒ zìjǐde qíngkuàng ma?

You and he are in about the same situation.

Líy younger brother’s financial situation isn’t too good.

That was forty years ago. Now things are different.

Could you tell me about the way things were for you on the mainland?

Do you mean my own situation?

Sometimes qíngkuàng means the "picture" about a place (especially an
organization); in such cases it may not be necessary to translate it
literally.

Tā gěi women jièshaole tāmen He gave us a presentation (briefing)
xuéxiàode qíngkuàng.               on their school. (E.g., what

grades, how many students and teachers, what subjects are taught, etc. )

Wǒ bù tài shùxī Měidàsīde          I’m not too familiar with (the way

qíngkuàng.                          things are at) the Department of

American and Oceanic Affairs.

guānyù: ’’with regard to, concerning" The phrase guānyù dàlùde means
literally "one concerning the mainland." Guānyù is rather formal. In
everyday speech, the idea of "about" is more often expressed in other
ways*, but guānyù is often used in formal contexts.

Guānyù is a prepositional verb, which means it is followed by a noun
(its object) and is related to the main verb. It is not the best behaved
of prepositional verbs, however. Guānyù does not occur where you would
normally expect to find a prepositional verb phrase (before the verb,
e.g., dào Zhōngguo qù) ■ Nor does guānyù occur in a sentence the way
"about" does in English. "About" phrases in English are free to occur
after the verb, e.g., "talk about Chinese history," "think about your
problem." A guānyù phrase (that is, guānyù and its object) can only
occur in the following places in the sentence:

Other ways include using the verbs jiǎng and xiě (see Notes on No. 2).
For example, if I am watching a T.V. program and you walk into the room
and want to ask, "What’s this about?" the most "everyday" way would be
Jiǎng shenme de? (actually an abbreviated form of Zhèige jiēmù CprogramJ
shi jiǎng shenme de?). It would sound stilted to use guānyu in such an
informal situation. You see another example of how "about" is expressed
in Chinese on the next page under number (3) in the little dialogue:
"About what?" is Shénme diànyǐng?.

(1) Guānyú can occur at the "beginning about to "be commented, on.

Guānyú nèijiān shi, wǒ shénme dōu "bù zhīdāo.

Guānyú nèrde qíngkuāng, ni gěi wo dating dating hǎo ba?

Guānyú zhèige, nǐmen hái you méiyou shénme wèntí?

(2) Guānyú can also occur in a phrase

Xièxie ni gàosu wo zhème duō guānyú dàlùde qíngkuāng.

Tā zhǐdao hen duo guānyú zhèi-fāngmiānde shìqing.

Women zhèli méiyou duōshao guānyú Zhōngguode shū.

of the sentence to introduce the topic

Concerning that matter, I don't know anything. (OR I don't know anything
about that matter.)

Would you please ask for me about the situation there?

Do you have any other questions about this?

with -de which modifies a noun.

Thank you for telling me so much about the situation on the mainland.

He knows a lot (of things) about this field.

We don't have very many books about China here.

It also occurs in a phrase with -de, the whole phrase acting as a noun.

Wo cong Xiao Zhāo ner jièlai yi-běn shū, shi guānyú Zhōngguo cāide, nǐ
kànkan.

(3) A guānyú phrase (guānyú + noun) viated sentence.

I borrowed a book from Xiǎo Zhao. It's (a book) about Chinese food. Have
a look at it.

is occasionally used alone as an abbre

Wǒ zuótiān kànle yige diānyǐng.

Shénme diānyǐng?

Guānyú Fǎguo...

Guānyú Fǎguode shénme?

Guānyú Fǎguode jǐngji.

I saw a movie yesterday.

About what?

About France...

About what (aspect) of France?

About the French economy.

Compare the following English and Chinese sentences. Although the parts
in parentheses are optional in English, the Chinese sentences would be
considered wrong without the underlined -de phrases. (For the first
example you need to know xiāoxi, "news.")

Nǐ tīngshuō guānyú Tiǎtuōde xiāoxi ma?

Bú yāo wen wo guānyú shùxuéde wèntí.

Have you heard (the news) about Tito? (i.e., that he had died)

Don't ask me (any questions) about math.

jiè gěi wǒ kànkan: "lend (it) to me to read" In exchange 1, jiè was
translated "borrow." Now you see it used for "to lend." To say "lend
something to someone," the gěi phrase always follows the verb jiè.* If
the indirect object (person who receives) is a pronoun, gěi may be
omitted:

Jiè wo yìzhī bǐ. I

Jiè gěi wo yìzhī bǐ. í              Lend me a pen.

(in this extremely common sentence, the gěi is more frequently omitted.)

3. A: Xiàge xuéqǐ nǐ xiǎng            What are you going to do

yánjiū shénme?                  research on next semester?

B: Hài shi lǎo wèntí: Zhōng- It’s still the same old topic: guóde
zhèngzhi qíngkuàng.       the political situation in China.

xueqǐ: "semester, term" Since xuéqǐ means literally just
"school-period," it could conceivably apply to a scholastic term of any
length, including quarters. Chinese schools, however, run on the
semester system (fall-winter and winter-spring).

Xiànzài yěude Měiguo dàxué yíge Some American colleges have semesters
xuéqǐ zhǐ you shíèr-sānge lǐbài. which last only twelve or thirteen
weeks.

Shàngge xuéqǐ nǐ dōu niànle        What (courses) did you take last

shénme?                             semester?

Xuéqǐ may also be used without the counter -ge: shàngxuéqǐ, xiàxuéqǐ,
yìxuéqǐ, etc.

yánjiū: "to do research on" a topic (usually at the graduate level or
abovehSometimes may be translated as "to study" (in depth, not just
preparing for a test).

Tā yánjiūde shi něifāngmiande wèntí?

Kē Jiàoshòu zài jīngji fāngmian-de yánjiū shi dàjiā hěn shóuxīde.

Tāde yanjiū gōngzuò hěn zhèng-yào.

Another meaning is "to look into, ties, opinions, questions):

What area does she study (OR do research on)?

Everyone is familiar with Professor Kē’s research in the area of
economics.

His research work is very important.

to consider, to discuss" (possibili-

A gěi phrase before jiè would mean "for," not "to." jièle jǐběn shū, "He
borrowed a few books for me."

Example: Tā gěi wo

Zhèige wèntí women děi yánjiū We should discuss (OR look into this)
yanjiū.                             question.

zhèngzhi: "politics, political affairs; political"

Keep in mind that "because of China’s political system, the word
zhèngzhi has a different set of meanings than we are used to. This is a
large question which we will not go into in depth here. But to give you
an idea of this concept, here is the definition of zhèngzhi from a
Chinese dictionary.*

zhèngzhi: The concentrated expression of economics. It comes into being
on a particular economic base, serves the economic base, and has a
tremendous influence on economic development. In a class society,
economic interests are the most fundamental interests of the different
classes. In order to safeguard their own interests, the classes
inevitably wage intense class struggle among each other. Therefore,
class struggle and handling relations between the classes becomes the
main content of politics. The relations which politics must handle are
the internal relations of a class, relations between the classes,
relations between nationalities, and international relations. Politics
is manifested in policies and activities in the areas of national life
and international relations of political parties, social groups, and
social forces which represent certain classes. The politics of the
exploiting class has as its aim to oppress the working people and to
preserve its own narrow interests. In the politics of the proletariat,
bourgeois rule is overthrown with revolutionary violence under the
leadership of the proletarian political party, and the dictatorship of
the proletariat is established; after power has been seized, socialist
revolution is carried through to the end, class struggle is properly
waged, and contradictions between ourselves and the enemy as well as
contradictions among the people . . . are properly handled; then the
focus of struggle is progressively turned towards engaging in the cause
of socialist construction and devoting major efforts to developing
production, and creating the conditions needed to completely abolish
classes and bring about communism.

Note in particular how the politicization of everyday personal relations
in the PRC has resulted in zhèngzhi being used in a host of phrases such
as "political influence," "political relations," "political background,"
"political qualifications," etc.

Cíhǎi, Shanghai Císhū Chūbánshè, 1979.

U. A: Zuotian Xiao Ming gei ta nupengyou xie xin, xiede hǎo cháng!

B: Niánqīng rén zǒngshi niánqīng rén.Wǒ niánqīngde shihou yě shi
zhèiyang, ní wàng le?

Yesterday Xiao Ming wrote a letter to his girl friend, and it was really
long!

Young people are always young people; when I was young I was like that
too, have you forgotten?

Notes on No. U

cháng: "to be long" opposite of cháng is duǎn,

in physical length, "to be short. ’’

Chángchéng you duo cháng?

You liùqiānduō gōnglí (cháng).

Ní xiěde tài cháng le, duǎn yidiǎnr, hǎo bu hǎo?

Wǒ hěn cháng shíjiān méi kànjian ta le.

Wǒ xiǎng ní zài nàr zhǎo fángzi yídìng xūyào yige hěn chángde shíjiān.

Tā zài zhèr gōngzuòde shíjiān you duo cháng?

niánqīng: "to be young

or in some cases, time. The

How long is the Great Wall?

It’s over six thousand kilometers (long).

You made this (piece of writing) too long. Could you shorten it?

I haven’t seen him in a long time. (Hěn cháng shijiān is the same as hěn
jiǔ)

I’m sure it will take you a long time to find a house there.

How long did he work here?

While the idea of being young is often

relative to a particular situation, the teens through the twenties.”

niánqīng rén usually means people from

Tā niánqīngde shihou bī xiànzài When she was young she was even more
gěng hǎo kàn.                      beautiful than now.

Niánqīng rén dōu xíhuan wánr. All young people like to have fun.

zǒng: "always, invariably" Like other adverbs such as zhēn, "really,"
and hái, "still," zǒng is often followed by shi.

Ní zǒngshi wen wo wèntí.           You always ask me questions.

’There are other words for "long" in other contexts. When referring to
distance, use yuǎn: Lu hěn yuǎn, "it’s a long way." For time, you will
also need jiǔ: Tā zǒule duo jiǔ le?, "How long has it been since he
left?"

Remember that xiǎo is another word for "young": Tā bí wǒ xiǎo yísuì,
"He's a year younger than I." Wǒ xiǎode shihou usually means "When I was
a child." When speaking to a child, you would say Ní hái xiǎo for
"You’re still young."

Zheizhong shiqing zongshi rang This type of thing always makes one rén
hěn gāoxìng.                   very happy.

Zǒng bù, "always not...," is one way of saying "never":

Tā zǒng bù xǐhuan biérén wen tā He never likes other people to ask
jiālide shi.                         about his famjly.

Zǒng has another use, which is the one you see in exchange U: Instead of
meaning literally "on every occasion" or "at all times," zǒng is used to
suggest that a certain state of affairs should be obviously true,
regardless of other circumstances. Translations for this meaning depend
upon the context; some are "after all, surely, always, in any case, when
all is said and done, inevitably, eventually." Other possible
translations are suggested in

the following examples.

Xiǎoháizi zǒng shi xiǎoháizi, dale jiu hǎo le.

Nǐ bú Jiè wo, wǒ zài zhèr kàn-kan zǒng kéyi ba?

Nǐ niàn shū shi hǎo shi, zǒng bù néng bù chi fan ba?

Nǐ shi Měiguo rén, nǐ zǒng bù néng bù zhǐdào Dézhǒu zài nǎr ba?.’

Nǐ názǒu wǒde shū, zǒng děi wen wo yíxiǎ!

Zǒng you yìtiān, tā huì huílaide.

Èrshige bū gòu, nà nǐ shuō sān-shige zǒng gòu le ba?

-   A: Gōnggòng qìchē méiyou dào nèige dìfangde, women děi qí zìxíngchē
    qu.

-   B: ōu, qí chē duo lèi...

A: Zǒng bǐ zǒuzhe qù hǎoduō le.

Lai wan yidiǎnr zǒng bǐ bù lai hǎo.

Children will be children; after they grow up it will be better.

If you won’t lend it Cthis book! to me, at least I can read it here,
can’t I?

It’s great that you’re studying, but after all, you can’t go without
eating, can you?

You’re an American, you can’t very well not know where Texas is, can
you?.’

You really should ask before you take one of my books.

Someday he will surely come back.

If twenty isn’t enough, then thirty should surely be enough, wouldn’t
you say?

There aren’t any buses that go there. We’ll have to go by bicycle.

Oh, but it’s so tiring to ride a bicycle.

Well, it’s much better than walking!

It’s better to come a little late than not to come at all.

-   A: Guānyu nǐ zhèige wèntí, wǒ zhīdaode bù duō, dàgài méiyou bànfǎ
    huídáhāo.

-   B: Nǐ zǒng zhǐdaode bī wǒmen duō, jiù qǐng ni jiangjiang ba!

I don’t know much about this question of yours. I probably can’t give
you a good answer.

In any case, you know more than we do, so please try.

5. A: Shǔjiàde shihou, nǐ xiǎng       Where do you want to go

dào nǎr qu wánrwanr?            over summer vacation?

B: Wǒ xiǎng dào Yàzhōu             I’d like to go visit a few

jǐge guojiā qu kànkan.          countries in Asia.

Notes on No. 5

shùjià: ’’summer vacation" In China, summer vacation starts in August
and ends in September for high schools; college ends in June and starts
in late August.

Zhèige shùjià wǒ bú dào nǎr qù. This summer vacation I’m not going
anywhere.

Yàzhōu: "Asia" Yà comes from the transliterated word for Asia, Yàxìyà.
Zhōu means "continent.~ Many people say Yazhōu.

guojiā: "country, nation, state," literally, "country-family." The bound
word -guō is used only in certain phrases or compound words. Guojiā is
the word to use everywhere else. (Sometimes guō may be used alone, such
as in reference to kingdoms or dukedoms of ancient China. But a modern
nation is called guojiā.)

6. A: Zenme, nǐ xiǎng yánjiū Yàzhōude wenhuà chuántǒng?

B: Bù néng shuō yánjiū. Wǒ zhǐ shi xiǎng qù kànkan nàlide shèhuì
qíngkuàng.

Notes on No. 6

Zenme?:  "oh?; what?; really?"

tion.

Zènme, nǐ yè dào zhèr lai le!

Zènme? Tā bū shi Zhōngguo rén? Nà tāde Zhōngwén zènme zènme hǎo ne?

-   A: Nǐ xiàwu you shíjiān ma?

-   B: Zènme? You shi ma?

Oh? Do you want to do research on Asia’s cultural tradition?

It can’t be called research. I just want to go have a look at the social
situation there.

The intonation can change the implica-

Well, you’ve come here too!

What? He’s not Chinese? Then how is his Chinese so good?

Do you have any time this afternoon?

Why? Is something happening?

wénhuà: "culture, civilization" Also "education, cultural background’’
as in méiyou wénhuàde rén, "an uncultured person" or an "uneducated
person."

shèhuì: "society; social" Xīn shèhuì and jiù shèhuì are jargon for the
new and old societies (after and before the socialist transformation).
"in society" is more often zài shèhuìshang, less frequently zài
shèhuìli.

Xiānggǎngde shèhuì wèntí zhēn duō.

Hong Kong sure has a lot of social problems, (e.g., drugs, killings)

7. A: Lao Wang, wǒ Jīntiān gǎnjué hen bu shūfu.

Lao Wang, I feel awful today.

B: Kuài zuòxia, wǒ qù gěi ni dào bēi chá lai.

Sit down and I’ll go get you a cup of tea.

Notes on No. 7

gǎn jué: "to feel; feeling" In are other examples:

Nǐ gǎnjué zěnmeyàng?

Nǐ jīntiān gǎnjué hǎo yidiǎnr le ma?

Wǒ gǎnjué tā jīntiān you diǎnr bu gāoxìng.

Suīrán wǒ bù fā shāo le, kěshi zǒng gǎnjué hen lèi.

Here is an example of gǎnjué used as

Zhèi shi wǒde gǎnjué, nīde kànfa zěnmeyàng?

7a, gǎnjué is used as a verb. Here

How do you feel?

Do you feel better today?

I get the feeling he’s a little unhappy (OR bothered) today.

Although I don’t have a fever any more, I feel very tired all the time.

noun:

That’s my feeling, what is your opinion?

zuòxia: "to sit down" Also zuòxialai.

Qǐng zuòxia(lai) tan.

Have a seat and let’s talk about it.

dào...lai: Dào is "to pour"; dàolai is "to pour and bring here." You
have seen lai used as a directional ending before, as in nǎxialai,
"bring down and here," or pǎolāi "run here." There are two things to
notice about the meaning of lai as a directional ending: 1) Lai can be
used after verbs which tell of movement from one place to another, like
pǎo, "to run" or nā, "to carry"; OR after verbs which describe an action
without movement from one place to another, such as dào, "to pour." 2)
The thing lai refers to, which is what ends up "here," may be the
subject OR the object of the sentence. For example, in Tā pǎolai le, "He
ran here," it is the subject tā who performs the action of running and
comes here. In Tā xiělai yìfēng xìn le, "He has written a letter which
has come here," it is the object xìn which is written and comes here. In
Yǐfu dōu yǐjǐng xǐlai le, "All the clothes have already been washed and
brought here," it is the topic yǐfu which were washed and brought here.

You will often split lai from the verb by inserting an object like yìbēi
chá, as in sentence 7B. In fact, in sentence 7B, dào and lai must be
split up; lai may not precede the object. The rules allowing lai to
precede the object are complex, and here we will just give some examples
of usage.

Nǐ nǎr jièlai zhème yíliàng pò

Where did you borrow such a beat-up

old car from?

Wǒ zuì xǐhuan nǐ cóng Shanghai mǎilaide nèijiàn máoyī.

I like the sweater you bought in Shanghai best.

Wǒ yídìng gěi ni zhǎolai něiběn shū OR Wǒ yídìng gěi ni zhǎo něiběn shū
lai.

Nǐ shénme shihou you shíjiān, dǎ ge diànhuà lai, wǒmen yìqǐ qù kàn
diànyǐng.

Bié_(w)wàngle míngtiān yě bǎ nǐde nūpéngyou dàilai.

I’ll be sure to find that book for you.

When you get the time, give me a calx, and we’ll go see a movie
together. (Lai must follow the object.)

Don’t forget to bring your girlfriend tomorrow too.

  ------- ----------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  8. A:   Nǐ qùde něige dìfang, zhèngzhi, jīngji fāngmiànde qíngxing zěnmeyàng?   What was the political and economic situation like where you went?
  B:      Jǐjù huà shuǒbuqǐngchu, yǒu shíjiān wǒ zài gēn ni mànmānr shuō ba.      I can’t explain it clearly in just a few sentences; when I have time I’ll tell you all about it.
  ------- ----------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Notes on No. 8

fāngmiàn: "aspect; area; respect; side" This noun is used without a
counter. It is a useful, sometimes overused word. You won’t have any
trouble understanding how fāngmiàn is used, but there will be sentences
where you wouldn’t have thought to use it. When translating, it is
sometimes better just to leave fāngmiàn out of the English than to
strain to use the word "aspect," "side," etc.

Fāngmiàn has two main uses:

(1) "aspect, respect, area, field"

Zheige wěntí you liǎngfāngmiàn.    There are two aspects to this

question.

Wǒmen zài zhěifāngmiàn zuǒde       We haven’t done enough in this area,

hái bu gòu.

Yīngguo zài jīngjixué fāngmiànde yánjiū zuòde bù shǎo.

Wǒ méi shìde shihou xíhuan kànkan wénxué fāngmiànde shū.

-   A: Wǒ kànle ní xiěde yíhòu juéde you yìfāngmiàn kéyi xiěde gèng hǎo.

-   B: Něifāngmiàn ne?

(2)

A lot of research in the area of economics has been done in England.

When I don’t have anything to do I like to read books on the subject of
literature.

After reading what you wrote, I feel there’s one respect in which you
can make it better.

What respect?

party, side, referring to a group of people

Niǔyuē fāngmiàn dàgài bū huì you shénme wentí, kěshi women yīnggāi hé
Běijǐng fāngmiàn xiān shāngliang yixia zài shuō.

Guānyū zhèige wèntí, liǎng fāngmiànde kànfǎ you diǎn bù tong.

New York won’t have any problem with this, but we should check with
Běijīng before going ahead, (meaning groups of people, e.g., offices of
a company.)

The two sides have somewhat different views on this question.

qíngxing: In most cases interchangeable with qíngkuàng. In present-day
Běijīng speech, at least among the younger generation, qíngkuàng is the
more common of these two words.

shuōbuqǐngchu: ’’can’t say/explain clearly” Shuǒqǐngchu is a compound

verb of result. Here are other examples:

Wǒ shuōbuqīngchu wèishenme tā shěngqì.

Bù shuōqǐngchule bù xíng.

Tā shuōqīngchule tāde mùdi.

Ní néng bu néng shuōqīngchu ’’niánqīng” hé ’’xiǎo” de bù tong?

I can’t really explain why he got angry.

It won’t do not to explain it clearly.

He explained his goal clearly.

Can you explain clearly the differences between niánqīng and xiǎo?

mànmānr: Also mànmàn. Many adjectival verbs can be doubled to make an
adverb, which is used between the subject and the verb. In Běijīng
speech, when you double certain adjectival verbs of one-syllable, the
second one becomes first tone (no matter what its original tone) and -r_
is added. These adverbs can take the adverbial ending -de. Other
examples are kuàikuāir(de), ’’quickly,” and hǎohāorde, ’’well,
properly.”

Mànmàn(de) or manmānr(de) has these meanings:

-   (1) ’’slowly” Don’t forget, however, that ’’slowly” can sometimes be
    translated by man alone.

Tā mànmānrde zǒu huí jiā qu le. He slowly walked home.

BUT Zǒu man yidiǎnr. I

Man diǎnr zǒu. J                  Walk more slowly.

-   (2) "gradually, bit by bit, by and by"

Nǐ gang lai, duì zhèrde qíngkuàng You just arrived and are unfamiliar bù
shúxī, mànmānr nī Jiu zhīdao with the situation here, but you’ll le.
                                 come to know it by and by.

Mànmānrde, tā Jiu dong le.         Gradually he began to understand.

-   (3) Sentences which instruct someone to mànmānr do this or that can
    often be translated as "take your time...," or "don’t rush."

Mànmānr zǒu, zānmen lāidejí.       Let’s take our time walking. We’ll

make it.

Bù jí, mànmānr chī, wǒ děng nī.

(U) With verbs meaning "to tell" more of the meaning "in all details. ’’

Nī zuòxia, wǒ mànmānr gēn ni jiǎng.

Wǒ hái xiǎng gēn ni duō tāntan zhèijiàn shi.

Hǎode, yīhòu wǒmen mànmàn tan.

There’s no hurry, so take your time eating. I’ll wait for you.

someone about something, mànmānr has

Sit down and I’ll give you the whole story.

I’d like to talk some more with you about this.

Okay, later we can talk all about it.

9. A: Yanjiū Zhōngguo xiànzàide wèntí yídìng děi dǒngde Zhōngguo lìshī.

To study the problems of China now you have to understand Chinese
history.

B: Nī shuōde zhèiyidiǎn hěn yàojīn, wǒ kǎolu kǎolu.

This point of yours is very important; I’ll think it over.

Notes on No. 9

dǒngde: "to understand" Narrower in use than dǒng. You dǒngde the
meaning of a word, the implications or significance of an event, or the
way to do something; but not a foreign language (that you dǒng), nor
what the teacher just said (that you tīngdǒng le), nor someone else’s
feelings (that you liǎojiě, which will be presented in the Traveling in
China module).

You have seen the component -de in the verbs rènde and j ide. It is only
used in a handful of verbs, sometimes acting like a resultative ending.
For example, you can say rènbude, "can’t recognize," and jìbude, "can’t
remember," but you may not use dǒngde in the potential form; for "can’t
understand," you just say bù dǒngde.

-dian: "point” one’s heart.")

(For the second example, you need to know xīnli, "in

0, hái you yìdiǎn.

Zhèi shi rang rén xīnli zuì bù shūfude yìdiǎn.

Nèi yidiǎn women yǐjīng tánguo le.

Wǒ juéde tā shuōde měiyidiǎn dōu duì.

Oh, there’s one more point [that should be made J.

This is the most upsetting point.

We’ve been over that point already.

I think that every point of his was right.

kǎolū:

"to consider, to think over; consideration"

Zhèi yidiǎn women yīnggāi kǎolū.

Wǒ děi hǎohāor kǎolū zhèige wèntí.

Zhèi fāngmiànde qíngkuàng nī kǎolule ma?

We should consider this point.

I have to think this matter over carefully.

Have you taken this aspect of the matter into consideration?

10. A: Nī zài Zhōngguo zhù liǎng-nián, yídìng huì xuéhǎo Zhōngwénde.

B: Shi a, yìfāngmiàn kéyi xuéhǎo Zhongwén, yìfāngmiàn yě kéyi duō zhīdao
yidiǎnr Zhǒngguóde shìqing.

If you live in China for two years you’re sure to learn Chinese very
well.

Yes, on the one hand I can learn Chinese well, and on the other hand I
can find out more things about China.

Notes on No. 10

huì: "might, be likely to, will" You already know huì meaning "to know
how to, can." Here you see huì used in a new way, to express likelihood.
As you can see from these three English translations, huì ranges in
meaning from possible to probable to definite. The context may be
sufficient to indicate which, but often the degree of probability is not
important to the message, and there might be no single "correct" English
translation. Various adverbs can be added before huì to clarify the
degree of certainty, for example, yídìng, "definitely," dàgài,
"probably," yěxǔ, "perhaps," etc.

Here are some examples of how huì can be used to indicate likelihood:
huì

Yījīng shíèrdiān bàn le, zhè It’s half past twelve. Who would shihou
shéi huì lai ne?            come at this hour?

Yídìng yào wǒ qù, tā cái huì qù. I’ll have to go or else he won’t go.

Cai yàoshi fàngde tai duō le, baobǐng huì pò.

Nǐde chènshān zāngle bù yàojǐn, wǒ huì gěi nǐ xǐ.

bu huì

Bu dà huì ba?

Dàgài bu huì shi tā.

Yàoshi zài Taiwan māi jiù bu huì zhème guì le.

Nǐ bu huì zhǎobudào ba?

Nǐ bu yào jí le, wǒ bù huì chū shide.

huì...ma?

Nǐ kàn jīntiān wǎnshang huì liāngkuai yidiǎn ma?

Tā huì qù ma? Tā huì qù.

huì bu huì

Míngtiān tā huì bu huì lai?

Women xiěde nèifēng xìn, dào xiànzài tāmen hāi meiyou shōudào, women huì
bu hui xiěcuǒle dìzhǐ?

Wǒ bǎ men kāi le, zhèiyang nǐ huì bu hui juěde tài lěng?

If you put too much food in, the pancake will break:.

It doesn’t matter that your shirt got dirty. I’ll wash it for you.

That’s not very likely.

It’s probably not him.

If you buy it in Taiwan, it won’t be so expensive.

You won’t be unable to find it, will you?

Don’t get anxious, I won’t have an accident.

Do you think it might be cooler tonight?

Will he go? He’ll go.

Nǐ kàn jīntiān huì bu hui xià yǔ?

Will he come tomorrow?

They still haven’t gotten the letter we wrote. Could we have written the
address wrong?

I opened the door. Will you feel too cold like this?

Does it look to you as if it might rain today?

nǐ huì zǒucuǒde: So far you have seen -de used as a marker of possession
or of modification, and in the shi... de construction. Here it is used
in an entirely new way: at the end of a sentence, -de can mean "that’s
the way the situation is.’’ Generally speaking, this -de is used in
emphatic assertions or denials, especially those expressing probability,
necessity, desire, etc.

Usage note: Unless the sentence contains shi or is understood to have an
omitted shi, the majority of native Běijīng speakers seem to feel that
this -de is nānfāng huà, southern Chinese (e.g., Nanjing), or a
carry-over into Standard Chinese from southern dialects. Because of
these regional connotations you needn’t try to use it a lot; it will be
enough for you to understand this -de; in fact, you will see that in
most of the following examples, the -de is completely unnecessary.

(1) Sentences with shi in the sense of This shi may often he omitted.

Wǒ shi bú qùde.

Zhèige, nǐ shi zhīdaode.

Nèige rén (shi) you wèntíde.

-   A: Nǐ zènme lai le?

-   B: (Shi) Lī Xiānsheng Jiao wǒ laide.

"it is that..., it is a case of..."

I’m not going. (More literally, "As for me, it is that I’m not going.’’)

This you know.

There’s something wrong with that guy

Why are you here?

Mr. Lǐ told me to come.

Cóngqián wǒ cóng Xianggang         In the past whenever I have bought

mǎi shūde shihou, měicì            (mail-order) books from Hong Kong,

dōu (shi) jì zhīpiàode.             I have always paid by check (lit.,

"sent a check").

(2) Sentences with an auxiliary verb (huì, néng, yào, yǐnggāi, etc.)

Nǐ gàosu ta, tā huì shēngqìde.

Zài xiě yìliǎngge zhōngtóu, wǒ xiǎng néng xièwánde.

Nǐ zènme méi mǎi a, yìdiǎn dōu bú guì, nǐ yǐnggāi mǎide.

Nǐ zhème bù shūfu, Jīntiānde huì nǐ bù yǐnggāi qùde.

Women zǒng you yìtiān yào hui dàlùde. ¹

If you tell him he’ll get angry.

If I write for another hour or two I think I can finish writing it.

How come you didn’t buy it? It’s 1 at all expensive. You should ha¹
bought it.

Since you’re feeling so ill, you shouldn’t go to today’s meeting.

There will come a day when we will go back to the mainland.

Zhèixiē shū yídìng xūyaode.

Wǒ he kāfēi cōnglái bú fàng tángde.

Mapó Doùfu píngcháng dōu yǒu ròude.

Wǒmende gōngzuò zhēnshi tài duō le, zuòbuwánde.’

Zhèige diànyǐng wǒ cóngqián kànguode.

These books are definitely needed.

I never take sugar in my coffee.

Mapó Beancurd usually has meat in it.

We really have an awful lot of work.

We’ll never be through with it.

I’ve seen this movie before.

Bu yào.jǐnde.

Tt doesn't, matter.

Hǎode, hǎode.

All right, all right.

yìfāngmiàn...yìfāngmiàn...: Th i s hand..., on the other hand..." or
"for and (?) "doing...while doing..."

Zài Xianggang yìfāngmiàn nǐ you Jǐhui he Zhōngguo ren tan huà,
yìfāngmiān keyi zhǐdao dalude qíngkuāng.

Tā yìfāngmiàn kàn diànshì, yì-fāngmiàn chǐ dōngxi.

1]. yìbiān(r)...yìbiān(r).. .

12. yímiàn(r)...yímiàn(r)...

has two meanings: (1) "on (die one one thing..., for another thing..."

In Hong Kong, on the one hand you'll have a chance to talk with Chinese
and on the other hand you can learn about the situation on the mainland

He watches television while eating.

doing...whi1c doing ...

doing...while doing ...

Notes on Mos. 11 and 12

yìbiān(r)...yìbiān(r)... and doing. . . Both of these patterns
mian...yìfāngmiàn. ...

Yìbiān zuò yìbiān xué ba.'

Wo yìbiānr ting yìbiānr xiě.

Women yìbiān zǒu yìbiān tan, hǎo bu hǎo?

yímiàní r)...yímiàn(r)..■: "doing...whi I e are similar to the second
meaning of yì fāng-

Learn by doing (learn as you do it).'

I write as 1 listen.

Let's talk as we walk, okay?

Unit 1, Tape 1, Review Dialogue

As Tom (A) (Tāngmǔ), a graduate student in Chinese Area Studies at
Georgetown University, is studying in his apartment, a knock comes at
the door It is his classmate Lǐ Ping (B), an exchange student from Hong
Kong.

-   A: A! Shi ni ya! Hao Jiǔ Bu jiàn!

Jīntiān zenme you shíjiān chūlai zouzou?

B; Yíge zhōngtóu yǐqián, wo cóng xuéxiào gei ni dǎ diànhuà, ní bú zài
jiā, gāngcái wo dào zhèli fūjìn mǎi dōngxi, jiù lái kàn-kan. Zhen bú
cuò, ni yījīng huilai le.

A:     Duìbuqī, wǒ gāngcái dào

péngyou jiā jiè shū qu le.

-   B: Shénme shū? You shi guānyú

Zhōngguóde ba?

A:     Duì le, you Xiānggǎngde,

dàlùde, ye you Táiwānde, dōu shi xiāoshuōr. Ni zuòxia kàn, wo qù gei ni
dào bēi chá lai.

Well, it’s you! I haven’t seen you in a long time! How is it you've got
time to come out for a walk today?

I called you an hour ago from school, but you weren't home. I just came
over to this neighborhood to do some shopping, so I stopped by to visit.
It's great that you're back already.

Sorry. I just went over to a friend's house to borrow a book.

What book? More about China, I bet.

Yes, there are ones from Hong Kong, the mainland and Taiwan, all
fiction. Sit down and have a look. I'll go get you a cup of tea.

  ---- ------------------------------------- -----------------------------------------------------
  B:   Bú yào máfan, shénme hēde dōu xíng.   Don't go to any trouble. Anything to drink is fine.
  A:   Kěkōukelè, Júzi shuīr , háishi        Coke, orange Juice or beer?
       píjiù?                                
  B:   M, júzi shui ba!                      Um, orange juice.
  A:   Hao, wo mashàng j iù lái, yào         Okay, I'll get it right now. Do
       bīngkuàir ma?                         you want ice cubes?
  B:   Bú yào, xièxie.                       No, thanks.
  ---- ------------------------------------- -----------------------------------------------------

(Li Ping sits down and leafs through the books, and Tom returns with

two

glasses of orange juice. )

B:

Tāngmǔ?.'

Tom?

A:

Ng?

Yeah?

B:

Zhè sānge dìfangde shū, ni dōu

Reading books from

all three of

kàn, ní juéde zenmeyàng?

these places, what do

you think?

A:

Wǒde gānjué bú shi yíjù huà

I can't explain my

feelings in

°Kekoukělè, "Coca-Cola"; júzi shuí(r), "orange juice" (Beijing usage)

kéyi shuōqīngchude. Eng... zhème shuō ba, wǒ zǒng Juéde dàlù rén,
Xianggang rén, he Taiwan rén dōu shi Zhōngguo rén, tāmen you yíyàngle
wénhuà chuán-tǒng, kěshi yīnwei zhèngzhide qíngkuàng bù tong, shèhuìde
qíngkuàng yě jiu bù yíyàng le.

Nǐ shuōde duì, dànshi nǐ yào dǒngde Zhōngguo shèhuì, zhǐ kàn shū shi bù
gōude.

Ei, nǐ zhīdào ma, xiànzài xué Zhōngwénde xuéshēng you hen duō jíhui dào
Zhōngguo qu. Suǒyǐ wǒ jìhuà zài zhèige xuéqī wánle de shihou, qù
Zhōngguo kànkan. Erqiě, wǒ hái xiǎng zhǎo ze hǎo péngyou yìqǐ qù.

Zuótiān wǒ Jiedao wǒ mǔqlnde xìn, tā xǐwàng wǒ hui Xiānggǎng guo shùjià;
zěnmeyàng, nǐ he wo yìqǐ huíqu ba. Nǐ kéyi zhù zai wǒmen jiāli, erqiě,
zài Xianggang yìfāngmiàn nǐ you Jīhui hé Zhōngguo rén tan huà, yì
fāngmiàn kéyi zhīdao dàlù, Xiānggǎng he Tai-wǎr.ie qíngkuàng, nǐ kàn hǎo
bu hǎo?

Fēicháng hǎo.’

Name, nǐ hái yào he nǐ jiāli rén shāngliang yixiar ha?

Bu bì, gěi fùmǔ dǎ diànhuàde shihou, gàosu tamen wǒde jìhua Jiu xíng le.
Wo yào yánjiū Zhōngguo shèhuì, fùmǔ yídìng huì gāoxìngde.

just a few words. Hmm...let's say that I've always felt that people on
the mainland, in Hong Kong and Taiwan are all Chinese, all have the same
cultural tradition, but because the political situations are different,
the social situations are also different.

You're right. But if you want to understand Chinese society, it's not
enough Just to read books.

Say, you know, students of Chines'-have a lot of opportunities to go to
China now. So I'm planning to go • ' China for a visit when this
se®est<‘r is over. And what's more, I'd like to find a good friend to go
with.

Yesterday I got a letter from my mother, and she'd like me to come back
to Hong Kong for summer vacation. How about going back with me? You can
stay at our house; what's more, in Hong Kong, on the one hand you'll
hav'-a chance to talk with Chinese and on the other hand you can learn
about * m situation m the na'.r.l and . ^(:)n Hong Kong and in Taiwan.
What do you think

Great.'

Well then, you'll still want to discuss this a bit with your parents, I
suppose?

That's not necessary. When I call them, I'll tell them my plan, and then
everything should be all right. I'm sure they'll be happy that I want to
study Chinese society.

Měiguo niánqīng rén dōu you zìjǐde xiǎngfǎ, zhèi yidiǎnr, wǒ fēicháng
xǐhuan.

Young people in America really think for themselves (:’.ave tneir cwn
ideas). T really like that.

Niánqīng rén you zìjǐde xiǎngfǎ shi duìde, kěshi fùmǔde huà vě ymggai
kaolu.

It's good that young people think for tneicselves, bun you still ought
to consider wha' ycur •arents say.

B:     M. Na women shuōhǎo le, Jin-

nián shǔjià qù Xianggang, xiànzài hái you wǔge yuède shíjiān kéyi
zhǔnbèi.

-   A: Duì, Jiù zhème bàn! Jīnnián

xiàtiān wǒ Jiù yào dào zhèige dìfang dà, rénkǒu duō, lìshǐ you chángde
guójiā qu le. Hài Zhèige Jìhua zhēn ràng wo gāoxìng!

-   B: Hǎo, jiù zhèiyang. Wǒ yinggāi

zǒu le!

-   A: Nǐ máng shenme! Hái zǎo ne!

-   B: Bù zǎo le, huíqu hái děi niàn

shū ne!

-   A: Nà, you shíjiān nǐ zài lái

wánr!

-   B: Hǎo, míngtiān jiàn.

-   A:     Míngtiān Jiàn!

Mm. Well then we have decided.

This summer vacation we'll go to Hong Kong. We still have five months to
prepare.

Right, that's what we'll do. This summer we will go to that country with
a large area, a great population, and a long history. Boy, this plan
really makes me happy.

Good, it's settled. I have to go.

What's the hurry? It's still early!

No it isn't. I still have to study when I get back.

Well then, come again when you have time!

Okay, see you tomorrow.

See you tomorrow.

Exercise 1

This exercise is a review of the Reference List sentences in this unit.
The speaker will say a sentence in English, followed, by a pause for you
to translate it into Chinese. Then a second speaker will confirm your
answer.

All sentences from the Reference List will occur only once. You may want
to rewind the tape and practice this exercise several times.

Exercise 2

This exercise contains a conversation in which a Chinese mother and son,
who have lived in the United States for five years, discuss the
possibility of his taking a summer trip to China.

The conversation occurs only once, you’ll probably want to rewind the
tape listen a second time.

Here are the new words and phrases conversation:

xīnshì

zhǎngdà

dàxuéshēng

gèguó

gāozhōng

haohSor

Jìzhu

After listening to it completely, and answer the questions below as you

you will need to understand this

something weighing on one’s mind, worry

to grow up

college student

various countries

senior high school

properly, carefully, thoroughly

to remember

Questions for Exercise 2

Prepare your answers to these questions in Chinese so that you will be
able to give them orally in class.

-   1. How does Xiao Ming’s mother know that something is on his mind?
    How does she bring up the subject?

-   2. What are his classmates doing over the summer?

-   3. Why does he think Asian culture is interesting?

í+. How does Xiǎo Ming’s mother react to his idea?

5. What advice does she give?

After you have answered these questions yourself, you may want to take a
look at the translation for this conversation. You may also want to
listen to the dialogue again to help you practice saying your answers.

Note: The translations used in these dialogues are meant to indicate the
English functional equivalents for the Chinese sentences rather than the
literal meaning of the Chinese.

Exercise 3

In this conversation a Chinese student studying at a university in the
U.S. comes home on a Friday night and finds his American roommate
engrossed in his studies.

Listen to the conversation once straight through. Then, on the second
time through, look below and answer the questions.

Here are the new words and phrases you will need to understand this
conversation:

Wode tiān na!

My God!

xuéshēnghuì

guānxīn

student association to be concerned about

jìndàishī                         modern history

xiàndài                             modern

pǐchá bíng                        pizza

gushū                               ancient books

Questions for Exercise 3

Prepare your answers to these questions in Chinese so that you will be
able to give them orally in class.

-   1. Why does the Chinese student object to his roommate studying the
    classics?

-   2. Why doesn’t the American student like to talk about politics?

-   3. What other subjects does the Chinese student feel his roommate
    should become familiar with for a well-rounded education?

Does the American student agree? Why or why not?

5. What will the roommates do after the American student finishes his
homework?

After you have answered these questions yourself, you may want to take a
look at the translation for this conversation. You may also want to
listen to the conversation to help you practice saying the answers which
you have prepared.

Exercise 4

In this exercise, an American university student visits her Chinese
literature professor after class in his office.

Listen to the conversation straight through once. Then rewind the tape
and listen again. On the second time through, answer the questions.

You will need the following new words and phrases:

Jidòng

to get worked up, to be agitated

liùshi niándài

the decade of the sixties

yí                                   as soon as

gaibi an                               change(s)

liúxia                             to leave

Questions for Exercise h

-   1. Why was Professor Tang so upset in class?

-   2. Why did the student visit her professor?

-   3. What things does she bring him? Why?

What recent changes have there been in the state of Chinese literature?

5. What is Professor Tang’s attitude about the future?

After you have answered these questions yourself, you may want to take a
look at the translation for this conversation. You may also want to
listen to the conversation again to help you pronounce your answers
correctly.

Dialogue and. Translation for Exercise 2

A mother and. her son who immigrated, to America from China five years
ago

are talking after dinner:

-   A: Xiǎo Ming, nǐ zài chǐ yidiǎnr

a.

-   B: Mā, wǒ chibǎo le, bù xiǎng chǐ

le.

-   A: Měitiān niàn shū niànde zhème

wan, zài bu duō chi yidiǎnr, zěnme xíng na?

-   B: Wǒ zhēnde chibǎo le, yidiǎnr

dōu bù xiǎng chi le.

-   A: Hǎizi, nǐ you shénme xǐnshì

Kě bu kéyi hé wo tántan?

-   B: Mā, ni zuòxia. Zanmen lai

Měiguo sìwǔnián le, lāide shihou wǒ hai shi ge haizi, xiànzài yǐjīng shi
dàren le. Wǒ suīran zhǎngdà le, kěshi zuò shénme shir, haishi xiǎng xiān
he nín tántan.

-   A: Hǎode, you shénme shir, nǐ

jiù shuō ba!

-   B: Mā, wǒ you Jǐge Měiguo tōng-

xué, dōu shi xué Zhōngwénde, jīnnián shujià, tāmen xiǎng dào Yàzhōu qù
kànkan, wǒ yě xiǎng hé tǎmen yìqǐ qù.

-   A: Dōu shi nianqīng rén ma?

-   B: Shi a, dōu shi dàxuéshěng.

-   A: Tāmen qù Yǎzhōu, shi qù wánr

háishi qù yánjiū Yǎzhōude zhèngzhi, wénhuà qíngxing?

-   B: Wǒ xiǎng, tāmen juéde Yàzhōu

wénhuà hěn you yìsi, Yàzhōu gèguō shèhuìde qíngkuàng yě hěn you yìsi.

Xiǎo MÍng, have some more to eat.

I’m full, Mom. I don’t want any more.

You study so late every day, if you keep eating so little, how will that
do?

I’ve really had enough. I Just don’t want any more.

Son, what do you have on your mind? Can you talk about it with me?

Mom, sit down. We’ve been in America for four or five years now. When we
came I was still a child, but now I’m an adult. But even though I’ve
grown up, whenever I do something I still like to discuss it with you
first.

Okay, if you have something you’d like to talk about, go ahead.

Mom, I have a few American classmates who study Chinese. This summer
vacation, they want to go to Asia, and I’d like to go with them.

Are they all young people?

Yes, they’re all college students.

Are they going to Asia for fun or to study the political and cultural
situation in Asia?

I think they find Asian culture and the social situation in the Asian
countries very interesting.

-   A: Tāmen Juéde zuì you yìside

dìfang shi nǎr a?

-   B: Dāngrán shi Zhōngguo!

-   A: Nǐ líkāi Zhōngguo zhǐ you

sìwǔniān, Jiù xiǎng huíqu le?

-   B: Wǒ laide shihou cái shàng

gāozhōng, duì Zhōngguo wénhuà dǒngdede tài shǎo. Wǒ xiǎng wǒ yǐnggāi
huíqu kànkan.

-   A: Zhōngguode wénhuà yǐjīng you

sìqiānniānde lìshǐ, yōu yìside dōngxi hěn duo. Nǐ yào yánjiù Zhōngguo
wénhuà, wǒ bù fǎnduì. Búguò, zǒu yǐqián, nǐ yídìng yào hé Yéye hǎohāor
tan yícì. Tā Jǐshíniān méiyou huíqu le, yídìng you hěn duō huà yào hé ni
shuō.

-   B: Wǒ Jìzhu le, yídìng hé Yéye

haohāor tányitán.

Which place do they think is the most interesting?

China, of course!

You left China only four or five years ago, and already you want to go
back again?

When I came I was only in senior high, and I understood too little about
Chinese culture. I think I ought to go back to visit.

Chinese culture already has four thousand years of history, and there
are many interesting things. I’m not against your wanting to study
Chinese culture. But before you go you have to talk it over thoroughly
with Grandpa. He hasn’t been back in several decades and I’m sure he’ll
have a lot to say to you.

I’ll remember. I’ll make sure I talk it over thoroughly with Grandpa.

Dialogue and Translation for Exercise 3

Two classmates, an American (B) and a Chinese (A), share an apartment
somewhere in America. The American is at home studying Shǐ Jì, Records
of the Historian, a classical history. His Chinese classmate comes in
the door.

-   A: Wǒde tiān, na! Nǐ hái zài niàn

shù? Ai, he bēi píjiǔ xiūxi xiuxi hǎo bu hǎo?

-   B: Hǎo hǎo hǎo, ràng wo bǎ

zhèiyidiǎnr kànwàn xíng bu xíng?

bty God! Are you still studying? Hey, how about taking a break for a
beer?

Okay, okay, let me finish reading this little bit, okay?

-   A: Hài, nǐ zǒngshi kàn gǔshù!

Xiànzài shèhuìde qíngxing, nǐ Jiu yìdiǎnr dōu bu kǎolù ma?

-   B: Shéi shuō wǒ bù kǎolù, xué-

shēnghuìde shi wǒ yě zuòle bù shǎo ma!

-   A: Nǐ zhén you yìsi! Zuò

yidiǎnr xuéshěnghuìde shi Jiu shi guānxǐn shèhuì le!

Come on, you’re always reading classics! Don’t you ever think about the
condition of today’s society?

Who says I don’t think about it. I’ve done a lot with the Student
Association, you know!

You’re something else! Just doing a little work with the Student
Association means you’re concerned about society*

B:

A:

Na nǐ shuō, wo yǐnggāi zuò diǎn shénme ne?

Dàlùshang you name duō rén, nǐ zenme bu wènwen tamende qíngxing
zěnmeyàng?

Wǒ Juéde zhèngzhi wèntí tài máfan, wǒ bù xiǎng tan zhèngzhi.

Wo yě méiyou yào gēn nǐ tan zhèngzhide yìsi. Wǒde yìsi shi, nǐ yanjiū
Zhōngguode shihou, yìfāngmiàn yào kànkan gǔshǔ, yánjiuyanjiu Zhōngguo
chuántōng wénhuà, yifāngmiàn yě kéyi kànkan zhèi yìbǎiniānde Zhōngguo
lìshǐ.

B:

A:

B:

A:

B:

A:

Zhèiyidiǎn shi duìde. Zhèi yìxuéqǐ wǒ bú shi you Zhōngguo jìndàishǐ kè
ma?

Wǒ xiǎng chúle shàng xué yīwài, nǐ hai kéyi kàn yidiǎnr xiǎo-shuōr.

Kàn xiǎoshuōr?! Wǒ nǎr you shíjiān kàn shenme xiǎoshuōr?

Wǒ zuìjìn zài kàn Jǐběnr Zhōngguo Jìndài xiǎoshuōr, fēicháng you yìsi.
Nī rúguǒ xiǎng dǒngde Zhōngguo xiàndài shèhuì, zhēn děi duō kàn
diǎnrzhèi-zhǒng xiǎoshuōr.

Wǒ zenme kéyi hé nī bī, nī kànde nàme kuài! E, zheiyang hǎo bu hǎo, nī
kànwán yīhòu gàosu wo něiyiběn hǎo yidiǎnr, wǒ zài kàn, xíng bu xíng?

Hǎo hǎo hǎo, Jiù zhèiyang ba! Xiànzài wǒ bú zài máfan ni le. Ei, duì le,
Jīntiān wǎnshang zánmen chī shénme? Wǒ lái zuò yidiǎnr, hǎo bu hǎo?

BÚ bì zuò le, suíbiàn chǐ diǎnr ba! Wǒ niànwán zhèiyi-diǎnr, zánmen
chūqu chī pǐchá bǐng, hǎo bu hǎo?

Well then, what do you think I should do?

There are so many people on the mainland, how come you don’t try to find
out what their situation is like?

I think that political problems are too much bother (tedious and
involved). I don’t like to talk about politics.

I didn’t mean I wanted to talk politics with you. I mean that as you
study China, on the one hand you should read the classics and study
traditional Chinese culture, but on the other hand you can also read
some Chinese history of the past hundred years.

You’re right about that. I have modern Chinese history class this
semester, don’t I?

But I think that besides taking classes, you could read some fiction,
too.

Read fiction?! When (lit. "where”) do I have time to read any fiction?

Lately I’ve been reading a few modern Chinese novels which are very
interesting. If you want to understand modern Chinese society, you
really have to read more of this kind of fiction.

How can I compare with you; you read so fast! Hey, how about this: after
you’ve finished reading them, tell me which book is best and then I’ll
read it, okay?

Okay, that’s what we’ll do. Now I’ll leave you alone. Oh yeah—what are
we going to eat tonight? I’ll make something, okay?

You don’t have to make anything. Why don’t we Just have something easy.
After I finish reading this, how about going out and having a pizza?

A:     Hǎo! Ní kuài diǎnr niàn,

niànwán zǎnmen jiu zǒu.

Okay! Hurry up and read, we’ll leave right after you finish.

Dialogue and Translation for Exercise U

At an American university, a student (A), who has studied in Taiwan,
comes to see her professor from China, Professor Tang (B).*

A:     Tang Xiǎnsheng, wǒ kéyi            Professor (Teacher) Tang, may
I come

jìnlai ma?                           in?

-   B: Dǎngrán, qǐng jìnlai ba! You Of course, please come in! Is

shi ma?                            there some matter (you want to see

me about)?

-   A: Mm, jǐntiǎn shàng kède shihou

nín dàgài hěn bu shūfu, wǒ lái kànkan nín.

-   B: Ou! Hai dàile huār lai!

Xièxie ni.

-   A: Mei shenme, yǐnggāide. Tang

Xiansheng, nín xiànzàide gǎnjué zěnmeyàng, hǎo yidiǎnr ma?

-   B: Hǎoduō le, xièxie ni.

-   A: You shénme wǒ kéyi gěi nín

zuòde...nín bié kèqi.

-   B: Nǐ qù dào liǎngbēi kāfěi lai,

hǎo bu hǎo?

-   A: Wǒ xiǎng, Jǐntiǎn shàng kède

shihou nín tài jīdòng, xiànzài zuì hǎo bù he kǎfēi.

-   B: Hǎo ba, nǐ dào liǎngbēi Júzi-

shu? lai. Wǒ bú yào bīng.

A:     Hǎode, wǒ Jiù lái.

(She gets the orange Juice out of the and brings it over to his desk.)

Um, in class today, you must have felt very bad, so I’ve come to see
you.

Oh! You even brought flowers!

Thank you.

Not at all, it’s only proper. Dr. Táng, how do you feel now, better?

Much better, thank you.

If there’s anything I can do for you...don’t be polite.

How about going and pouring Cusl a couple of cups of coffee?

I think that during class today you got too worked up. It would be best
if you didn’t have any coffee now.

Okay, then get us two glasses of orange Juice. I don’t want any ice.

Okay, I’ll be right back.

refrigerator in Professor Táng’s office

'Professor Táng first studied literature in the early 1930’s in Shànghǎi
and himself belonged to several literary clubs and publications which
included some of the authors he now discusses with his students.

-   A: Tang Xiansheng, you yíjù huà

-   •wǒ bù zhīdào kéyi bu kéyi shuō.

-   B: You shénme huà, nǐ jiù shuō

ba!

-   A: Nín měicì Jiang Zhōngguo

liùshi niándài wénxué dōu fēicháng Jīdòng, zhèiyangr duì nínde shēntī bù
hǎo!

-   B: Wǒ yě zhīdao, kěshi yì tan

zhèi fāngmiànde wèntí, zǒngshi rang wo hen Jīdòng.

-   A: Zhōngguo wénxuéde qíngkuāng

zhèijīnián youle hěn dàde gǎibiàn. Yǒude shíhou hǎo yidiǎnr, yǒude
shíhou bù zěnme hǎo.

-   B: Zhōngguode shìqing Jiù shi

zhèiyàng, hé zhèngzhide guānxi tài dà. Wǒ lǎo le, wǒ méi bànfǎ dong le.

-   A: Nín shi wǒmende lǎoshī. Ruguǒ

nín bù dong, shéi dong ne?

-   B: Èi, yīhòude yánjiū, Jiù shi

nǐmen niánqīng rénde shi le.

-   A: Tang Xiansheng, nín bu yào

zhèiyangr xiǎng, women dōu xīwàng yīhòu Zhōngguo wénxuéde qíngxing huì
hǎo yidiǎnr. Jīntiān wǒ zài tùshūguǎn Jièle Jīběnr xīn shu, dōu shi bu
cuòde. Gěi nín liúxia ba!

-   B: Hǎo, you shiJian wo kànyikan.

-   A: Wǒ zǒu le, nín duō xiūxi

yihuīr. Zàijiàn.

-   B: Hǎo, zài Jiàn. Xièxie nī

lai kàn wo.

A:     Bu kèqi.

Dr. Tang, there’s something I want to say but I don’t know if I can.

Whatever you have to say, Just say it!

Every time you talk about Chinese literature of the sixties you get very
agitated." That’s bad for your health!

I know, but as soon as I talk about the topic it always makes me very
agitated.

There have been big changes in the state of Chinese literature in the
past few years. Sometimes it’s been a little better and sometimes it
hasn’t been too good.

That’s exactly the way things are in China; their relationship with
politics is too great. I’m too old, I can’t understand it any more.

But you’re our teacher. If you don’t understand, who does?

(Sigh) In the future, research will be the Job of you young people.

Dr. Tang, don’t think that way. All of us hope that the state of Chinese
literature will get better in the future. I got a few new books out of
the library today which are all pretty good. I’ll leave them with you!

Okay, I’ll look through them when I have time.

I’m going to leave now. You get some more rest. Good-bye.

All right, good-bye. Thanks for coming to see me.

You’re welcome.

Many authors of considerable fame and accomplishment were persecuted
during the Cultural Revolution. One unfortunate instance of this
resulted in Lǎo Shě’s suicide.

UNIT 2

Equality of the Sexes

INTRODUCTION

Grammar Topics Covered in This Unit

-   1. The uses of biěde, "other(s)" and lìngwài, "other."

-   2. The pattern měi...jiu....

-   3. The pattern yuè...yuè..., "the more...the more...."

-   U. The pattern yuè lai yuè.... "more and more...."

-   5. The verb ending -xiaqu, "to continue," "to go on."

-   6. The prepositional verb xiang, "like."

-   7. The adverb jiù, "as soon/early as that."

Functional Language Contained in This Unit

-   1. Asking a person's views on an issue.

-   2. Being tactfully hesitant when asking about a delicate topic.

-   3. Correcting a false impression given by something you said.

-   U. Dismissing an idea or proposal.

-   1. A: Zhèiběn Fǎwén zhōukān xiāngdāng bú cuò!

B: A! Nǐ xiànzài duì Fǎwén hen you yánjiū le, néng kàn Fǎwén zázhì le!

This French weekly is quite good!

Oh! You know a lot about French now you can read French magazines!

-   2. A: Nánnū píngděng shi bu shi Zhōngguo rénde kànfǎ?

B: Shi, kěshi nèi shi Zhōngguo rénde xīn guānniàn, bú shi lǎo guānniàn.

Is equality between men and women a Chinese viewpoint?

Yes, but that's a new concept of the Chinese, not an old one.

-   3. A: Zhèipiān wénzhāng bù hǎo ma?

B: Bú shi zhèige yìsi. Wénzhāng bú cuò, jiù shi chángle yidiǎnr.

B: Nǐ hái you shénme biéde wénzhāng ma?

Isn’t this article any good?

That wasn’t what I meant. The article is pretty good, it’s just that
it’s a bit long.

Do you have any other articles?

h. A: Nǐ jiēhūn yīqián yìzhí dōu gēn fùmǔ yìqǐ zhù ma?

B: Bú shi, wǒ méi jiēhūn jiu líkāi jiā dúlì shēnghuōle qī-bā nián.

-   5. A: Nǐ kàn, zhèr you yìpiān guānyù tōngjūde xǐnwén.

B: Suànle ba. Zhèizhǒng xǐnwén you shénme yìsi?

Before you got married did you live with your parents all along?

No, I left home before I got married and lived independently for seven
or eight years.

Look, here’s a news article about ’’living together."

Forget it. What’s interesting about that kind of news?

-   6. A: Nī jiejie yǐxué fāngmiànde shū yuè lái yuè duō le!

B: Shi a, tā zài pǐnmìng xué

yǐ ne.

Your sister is getting more and more medical books!

Yes, she’s studying medicine with all her energy.

-   7. A: Liu Xiānshengde kè shízài méi yìsi.

B: Nǐ tǐngxiaqu, mànmānr huì you xìngqude.

-   8. A: Xiang Wang Jiàoshòu zhèi-yangde lǎoshǐ zhēnshi bù duo.

-   B: Nǐ shuōduì le. Ruguǒ bú shi tā bāngzhu wo, wǒ zhēn bù xiǎng xué
    le.

-   9. A: Sānnián yīqián wǒ jiu bú kào fùmǔ shēnghuo le.

-   B: Nī néng zìjǐ guan zìjī, zhēn bú cuò.

Mr. Liu’s class is really boring.

If you keep attending it, gradually you’ll become interested.

There really aren’t many teachers like Professor Wang.

You’re right. If it weren’t for the help he’s given me, I wouldn’t want
to study anymore.

I stopped depending on my parents for a living three years ago.

It’s really great that you can take care of yourself Cbe your own
bossí'.

-   10. A: Tā xiěde jǐběn xiǎoshuō xiànzài dōu hěn liúxíng.

-   B: Nà dāngrān, xiàng tā nèiyang you dìwei you zhǐshide rén, xiěde
    xiǎoshuō yídìng you yìsi.

The novels he wrote are all very popular now.

Of course. Novels written by someone with his position and knowledge are
sure to be interesting.

ADDITIONAL REQUIRED VOCABULARY

-   11. you bāngzhu

-   12. you dàolī

-   13. zìyou

12*. -bèizi

15. Xǐnwén Zhōukān

16. fùnu

to be helpful

to make sense

to be free; freedom

all one’s life, lifetimi

Newsweek

woman; women, womankind

+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
|                                   | VOCABULARY                        |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| bāngzhu                           | help; to help                     |
|                                   |                                   |
| -bèizi                            | all one’s life, lifetime          |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| dàolǐ                             | principle, truth, hows and whys;  |
|                                   | reason, argument, sense           |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| dìwei dull                        | position, status                  |
|                                   |                                   |
|                                   | to be independent; independence   |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| funú                              | woman; women, womankind           |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| guan                              | to take care of; to mind, to      |
|                                   | bother about                      |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| guānniàn                          | concept, idea, notion             |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| jiéhūn (jiēhūn)                   | to get married                    |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| kào                               | to depend on, to rely on; to lean |
|                                   | against; to be near, to be next   |
|                                   | to                                |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| liúxíng                           | to be common, to be popular, to   |
|                                   | be prevalent                      |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| méi yìsi                          | to be uninteresting, to be        |
|                                   | boring;                           |
|                                   |                                   |
|                                   | to be pointless, to be            |
|                                   | meaningless; to be a drag; to be  |
|                                   | without value, not worthy of      |
|                                   | respect                           |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| nánnū                             | men and women, male-female        |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| -pi an                            | (counter for sheets, articles or  |
|                                   | pieces of writing)                |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| píngděng pínmìng                  | equality; to be equal (of people) |
|                                   | with all one’s might, for all one |
|                                   | is worth, desperately, like mad;  |
|                                   | to risk one’s life, to defy death |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| shēnghuó shizài suàn le           | life; to live; livelihood         |
|                                   |                                   |
|                                   | really; to be real                |
|                                   |                                   |
|                                   | forget it, let’s drop the matter, |
|                                   | let it go at that; come off it,   |
|                                   | come on                           |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| tóngjū                            | to cohabit; cohabitation          |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| wénzhāng                          | article, essay; prose (writing)   |
|                                   | style                             |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| xiang                             | to be like, to resemble; like;    |
|                                   | such as                           |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| xi āngdāng                        | quite, pretty, considerably       |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+

+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| -xiaqu                            | (resultative ending which         |
|                                   | indicates continuing an action)   |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| xìngqu                            | interest                          |
|                                   |                                   |
| xinwén                            | news                              |
|                                   |                                   |
| Xinwén Zhōukān                    | Newsweek                          |
|                                   |                                   |
| xué yī                            | to study medicine                 |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| yī                                | medical science, medicine (used   |
|                                   | in phrases like xué yī)           |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| yīxué yìzhí                       | medical science, medicine         |
|                                   |                                   |
|                                   | all along, continuously, all the  |
|                                   | time (up until a certain point)   |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| you bāngzhu you dàolī you xìngqu  | to be helpful                     |
| you yánjiū                        |                                   |
|                                   | to make sense                     |
|                                   |                                   |
|                                   | to be interested                  |
|                                   |                                   |
|                                   | to have done research on; to know |
|                                   | a lot about                       |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| yuè...yuè...                      | the more...the more...            |
|                                   |                                   |
| yuè lai yuè...                    | more and more..., increasingly... |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| zhīshi zhōukān                    | knowledge                         |
|                                   |                                   |
|                                   | weekly publication, weekly        |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| zìyou                             | magazine, a "weekly" freedom; to  |
|                                   | be free                           |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+

1. A: Zhèiběn Fǎwén zhōukān xiāngdāng bú cuò.’

B: A.’ Nǐ xiànzài duì Fǎwén hěn you yánjiū le, néng kàn Fǎwén zázhì le.’

This French weekly is quite good.’

Oh.’ You know a lot about French now you can read French magazines!

Notes on No. 1

zhōukān: ’’weekly publication, weekly magazine’’ One of the meanings for
zhōu is ’’week." (Other meanings include ’’cycle, circuit.’’) Kān is a
word element meaning "to print, to publish" or "a periodical, a
publication." Notice that this is a different word from the falling-tone
kàn "to read." Some other words using these syllables (which you will
often hear, but need not learn now) are:

+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| zhōumò zhōubào zhōukān yuèkān     | weekend                           |
| bàokān qīkān kānwù                |                                   |
|                                   | weekly publication, weekly weekly |
|                                   | publication                       |
|                                   |                                   |
|                                   | monthly publication newspapers    |
|                                   | and magazines periodicals         |
|                                   |                                   |
|                                   | publications                      |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+

xiāngdāng: "quite, pretty," as in "quite a lot" or "pretty good." This
word is not quite as positive as zhēn "really, truly," but more so than
hái, "fairly, rather" (which will be presented in Unit U).

Tā chǎode cài xiāngdāng hǎo chǐ. He cooks pretty well.

Zhèige zhǎnlǎnguǎn xiāngdāng       This exhibition hall is quite good,

bú cuò.

you yánjiū: "to have done research on, to know a lot about, to be expert
on, to be knowledgeable about." You have often seen you used with a
noun, such as ming, "name," or qián, "money," to form a phrase which
acts like an adjectival verb. You míng is "to be famous," you qián is
"to be rich." You yánjiū is Just such a phrase.

As shown in sentence IB, to say "knowledgeable ABOUT" something, use the
prepositional verb duì, "towards, with regard to," as in:

  ----------------- ---------------------- ----------------
  duì               ......                 you yánjiū
  (with regard to   Ca subject of study2   have research)
  ----------------- ---------------------- ----------------

"to know a lot about (something)"

le: The marker le is used twice in the sentence above to show a new
situation. This person’s French seems to have improved because NOW he
knows a lot about French and can read magazines.

2. A: Nánnū píngděng shi bu shi Is equality between men and women
Zhōngguo rénde kànfǎ?          a Chinese viewpoint?

B: Shi, kěshi nèi shi Zhōngguo Yes, but that’s a new concept of the
rénde xin guānniàn, bú         Chinese, not an old one.

shi lǎo guānniàn.

Notes on No. 2

nánnū: "male and female," used only for humans.

Nánnūde shìqing zuì nan shuō. Matters between men and women are the
hardest to judge.

Women xuéxiào nánnū xuéshēng       There are both men and women students

dōu you.                             at our school.

W                                                         X X

Nan and nū ma^r modify nouns referring to people, e.g., nuxuésheng,
"woman student, ’’ nutōngzhì , "woman comrade. "

-   A: Chen Yīngmíng dào nǎr qu le?    Where did Chen Yīngmíng go?

-   B: Tā he yíge tóngxué chūqu le.    He went out with a classmate.

A: Shi nántóngxué shi               Was it a male classmate or a female

nutōngxué?                      classmate?

Nánde and nūde are sometimes used for "man" and "woman," but when used
to refer to an individual (e.g., nèige nánde) they are rather impolite.
When used for "men" and "women" in general or to distinguish between the
sexes, they are, however, acceptable.

-   A: Wǒ mǎi zhèizhǒng xíng bu xíng? Should I buy this kind?

-   B: Bù xíng, zhèi shi nánde yòngde. No, this is for men’s use.

-   A: Gāngcái you yíge rén dǎ diàn- Just now someone telephoned for
    you. huà lai zhǎo ni.

-   B: Shi nánde shi nude?              Was it a man or a woman?

nánnū píngděng: "equality of the sexes," literally "man-woman equality."
The marriage law of May 1, 1950, established a policy in the PRC which
has *For animals, "male" is gōng(de) and "female" is mǔ(de), e.g.,
gōngniū, "bull," mǔniū, "cow."

Tāde gǒu shi gōngde háishi mǔde?   Is his dog a male or a female?

You rén shuō kāidāo yihòu bù       Some people say that after an opera-

yīnggāi chi gōngjī, yīnggāi        tion one shouldn’t eat rooster;

chi mǔjī.                            one should eat hen.

remained basically the same up to the present day. It forbade bi
gamypolygamy, and the traditional practice of adopting a young girl for
the purpose of later marrying her to one’s son. It also fixed a minimum
age for marriage, urged the acceptance of remarriage of widows, allowed
divorce by mutual consent, and gave women the choice not to take their
husband’s surname at marriage. Today, although traditional attitudes
toward women and marriage persist especially in rural China, official
policy has made some tangible inroads toward the goal of equality. Most
importantly, men and woman are regarded as equal under the law. They
receive the same schooling. They must receive equal compensation for
equal work. (it is expected, however, that women doing heavy physical
work are not as strong or productive as men, and so their pay will be
correspondingly lower.) In addition, the leadership of communes,
production teams, and unions must include special women personnel who
represent the interests of women in matters of politics, finance, work,
and personal relations.

píngděng: This word is both a noun and a verb: "to be equal; equality"

Cóngqián zài Zhōngguo nánnū bù Formerly men and women were unequal
píngděng, xiànzài bù tong le. in China. Now it is different.

Měiguo rén gēn Zhōngguo rén duì Americans and Chinese don't have nánnù
píngděngde guānniàn bú       all that similar an idea of

tài yíyàng.                         equality of the sexes.

guānniàn: "way of thought, concept; sense (of), mentality (of)" This is
a way of thinking about the larger issues of life, the way "things"

(values, responsibilities, and so on) should be. One guānniàn is only
part

of a whole system of attitudes, thoughts and beliefs. In given contexts,
you can sometimes translate it as an "idea" held by a person or group
(but it

does not mean "idea" as in "I have a good idea" Cthis would be zhúyìl).
In a

society, ways of thinking come and go; people have a mixture of xīn
guānniàn, "new ways of thought, new ideas," and lao guānniàn, "old ways
of thought, old ideas." Ways of thinking which are no longer current are
called jiù guānniàn, "outmoded ways of thinking." For instance, equality
of the sexes is a xín guānniàn; the idea that arranged marriages are
superior to marriages of free choice is a lǎo guānniàn; the idea of
child brides as acceptable and practical is a jiù guānniàn. Some
guānniàn are considered "correct" and "good" by the majority, and some
are considered "incorrect" and "bad." Jiātíng guānniàn, "a sense of
family," is usually considered good.’ "Bad" concepts have names too Efor
example, síyǒu guānniàn, "sense of personal ownership"!. People are
sometimes criticized because their such-and-such guānniàn is too weak or
too strong, and they are told accordingly either to strengthen it or get
rid of it.

Měiguo rénde guānniàn gēn Zhōngguo rénde guānniàn yǒude yíyàng, yǒude bù
yíyàng.

Sometimes the American way of thinking and the Chinese way is the same,
sometimes not.

’Other "good" concepts containing words that haven’t been presented yet
are dàodé guānniàn, "sense of morality," zǔzhí guānniàn, "sense of
organization," and zhèngcè guānniàn, "sense of official policy."

Nǐ kàn ba, zài guò jǐnián nián-qīngrén yīnggāi wǎnliàn wǎnhūn jiù huì
biàncheng ° yizhǒng guānniàn.

You watch, in a few more years, it will have become an accepted idea
that young people should get involved late and marry late.

3. A: Zhèipiān wenzhang bù hǎo ma?

B: Bú shi zhèige yìsi. Wénzhāng bú cuò, jiù shi chángle yidiǎnr.

B: Nǐ hái you shénme biéde wénzhāng ma?

Notes on No. 3

Isn’t this article any good?

That wasn’t what I meant. The article is pretty good, it’s just that
it’s a bit long.

Do you have any other articles?

-piān: This is a counter. First, -piān is the counter for whole short
pieces of writing, such as articles or essays. Second, -piān can count
single sheets of paper with writing or printing on them (compare yìzhāng
zhǐ which is a sheet of paper without regard to what is on it). Third,
-piān(r) by itself means a leaf of a book; that is, yìpiān(r) equals
both sides of one page.

wénzhāng: (1) ”a writing, literary composition, article, essay"
(counter: -piān); (2) "prose style," as in

Tāde wénzhāng bú cuò.

His (prose) writing is very good.

Bú shi zhèige yìsi: "That wasn’t what I meant," or more literally, "Not
that meaning (the one you just said)."

jiù shi...: Jiù here means "merely, only, just."

chángle yidiǎnr: "a little bit too long." The marker le following an
adjectival verb, such as "to be long" can mean either: 1) new situation,
the article is now a bit long, or 2) excessive degree, the article is a
bit too long. You’ve seen the second meaning in sentences such as Tai
hǎo le, "That’s wonderful.”’ Sentence 3B tells you that the speaker
feels the article is overly long.

biéde: "other, others" Distinguish in Chinese between biéde, "others in
general," and lìngwài, "another" or "the other." Use biéde when you are
not specifying "which others." Use lìngwài + Number + Counter when you
refer to a certain "other" or certain "others." Contrast this pair of
sentences■ "wǎnliàn wǎnhūn: "late involvement and late marriage" This
refers to waiting until young people are in their late twenties before
they become romantically involved or think of marriage.

*"biàncheng: "to change into" (SOC Unit 3)

Nǐ hái yào kàn biéde ma?

Nǐ hái yào kàn lìngwài yíge ma?

Contrast also:

Zhèiběnr zìdiǎn bù hǎo, wǒ yào lìngwài yìběnr.

Zhèiběnr zìdiǎn bù hǎo, wǒ yào biéde.

Would you like to look at some other ones? (UNSPECIFIED OTHERS)

Would you like to see the other one, too? (A CERTAIN ONE—"THE" OTHER)

This dictionary is no good. I want the other one. (A CERTAIN OTHER
ONE—e.g., the other one which the sales clerk showed you)

This dictionary is no good. I want another. (UNSPECIFIED—e.g., you don’t
know whether the store has any others, but you would like to see some)

Other examples:

Tāmen liǎngge rén, yíge shi wǒ gēge, lìngwài yíge shi wǒ péngyou.

Women zhèixiē rén lǐbiānr, chùle wǒ dào Xianggang qù yīwài, biéde rén
dōu dào Taiwan qù.

Zuótiān láide rén, wǒ zhǐ rènshi Tang Huìyíng, lìngwài sānge rén wǒ dōu
bù rènshi.

Of those two, one is my older brother, and the other is my friend. (A
CERTAIN OTHER—"THE" OTHER)

Of those of us here, only I am going to Hong Kong; all the others are
going to Taiwan. (UNSPECIFIED— ANY AND ALL OTHERS IN THE GROUP)

Of the people who came yesterday, I only know Tang Huìyíng. I don't know
any of the other three.

(CERTAIN OTHERS—"THE" OTHER ONES)

If you do not specify the set of things mean any others in the whole
world:

you are

talking about, biéde tends to

Women zhǐ you zhèiyiběn, méiyou biéde.

We only don't

have this one volume. We have any others.

Women xūyào biéde shū.

We need (an)other book(s).

This last sentence you want to change supplement the one

can mean either 1) the content of the book(s) is bad and to another book
entirely, or 2) you need other books to you are using.

hái...biéde: Now that you have seen how to say "other" in Chinese, you
should note that the words lìngwài and biéde are often used in
combination with certain adverbs meaning "additionally" or "again": hái,
zài, and you. For now, concentrate on hái. As used in sentence 3B, it
means literally "in addition to what has come before."

Tā hai yào biéde.                   He wants more of them.

Tā hai zuōle hiéde cài.             He made other dishes as well.

Ní hai zhīdao hiéde hao fànguānr Do you know any other good restaurants?
ma?

shénme: "any" The meaning of shénme is changed from "what" to "any" hy
the question word ma at the end of the sentence. (Without ma, the
sentence would mean, "What other articles do you have?")

Ní yào shénme?                     What do you want?

Ní yào shénme ma?                  Do you want anything?

Ní dōu zhīdao shénme hao fàn- What good restaurants do you know? guǎnr?

Ní zhīdao shénme hǎo fàn-          Do you know of any good restaurants?

guǎnr ma?

U. A: Nī jiēhūn yíqián yìzhí dōu Before you got married did you gēn fùmǔ
yìqī zhù ma?          live with your parents all along?

B: Bu shi, wǒ méi jiēhūn jiu No, I left home Before I got married líkāi
jiā dull shēnghuōle and lived independently for seven qī-bā nián.
                    or eight years.

Notes on No. U

jiéhūn: "to get married" Also pronounced jiēhūn. Jiéhūn is a process
verb, not a state verb. It is often seen with an aspect marker such as
le, or negated with méi.

Tāmen jiéhūnle méiyou?             Have they gotten married yet? (This

is the equivalent of "Are they married?")

Tāmen méi jiéhūn.                  They have not gotten married. (Equi

valent to "They are not married.")

Tāmen bù jiéhūn.                   They are not going to get married.

Nī jiéhūn duo jiǔ le?              Have long have you been married?

Jiéhūn is a verb-object compound, literally meaning "to knot marriage."
Jié and hūn can be separated by aspect markers, such as -de. or -guo.

Nī shi shénme shihou jiéde hūn? When did you get married? or Nī shi
shénme shihou jiéhūnde?

Liu Xiānsheng Jiéguo sāncì hūn. Mr. Liu has been married three times.

To say "get married TO SOMEONE" use the pattern gēn...jiéhūn or
he...Jiéhūn.

Tā gēn shéi jiéhūn le?             To whom did he get married?

yìzhí: "all along, continuously, always” You have seen yìzhí,
"straight," used to refer to direction, as in yìzhí zōu. Here yìzhí is
used to refer to time.

Women yìzhí zài zhèli gōngzuò. We’ve always worked here.

Tā yìzhí zài Taidà niàn shū.       He studied all along at Taiwan

University.

Yìzhí can "be used with reference to a phrase telling of a period of
time (sānnian, "three years," or jiéhūn yǐqiān, "before getting
married") to say "all during (that time)."

Yù yìzhí xiàle sāntiān.

It rained for three days straight.

Often the time phrase and yìzhí are followed by dōu.

Tā wūtiān yìzhí dōu méi xiūxi. He didn’t rest for

wō méi jiehūn jiu líkāi jiā...: This might look like married and left
home,’’ but is actually "when I wasn’t yet left home." The order of
events is made explicit and jiù... (already.••)•

five days on end.

”l didn’t get married, I already

Tā méi xué sìwǔge yuè Yīngwén Jiù shuōde bú cuò le.

Tā bìng méi hǎo Jiù lai shàng ban le.

Wō gàosu nǐ méi Jītiǎn, nī you wàng le.’

Méi duō jiǔ, tā jiù shuìzháo le.

Yù xiàle méi duō jiù jiù ting le.

by méi... (hadn’t yet.•.)

Before he had studied even three or four months of English, he could
speak it pretty well.

She came back to work before she had recovered from her illness.

I told you Just a few days ago and you’ve forgotten again.

He fell asleep before long.

It hadn’t rained long when it stopped.

literally

dúlì: "to be independent, to be on one’s own; independence, singly
stand."

Měiguo shi yīqīqīliùnián dúlìde.

Zuìjìn jǐniàn you Jǐge xīn dúlìde guōjiā.

America became independent in 1776.

There have been several newly independent countries in the last few
years.

Neige háizi hěn xǐhuan dull        That child really likes to he inde-

shēnghuó, tā zài zhōngxuéde        pendent. He started to work when

shíhou yǐjíng kāishǐ gōngzuò le. he was in high school.

Tā zhème dà, JīngJi hái méiyou He's so old and still not econom-dúlì.
                              ically independent.

shēnghuo: "to live; life; livelihood" Sheng- is stressed and -huo is
unstressed or neutral tone. A zài phrase may come either before or after
the verb shēnghuo.

Xiongmāo chàbuduō dōu shēnghuo zài gāoshānshang.

Almost all panda bears live in

the high mountains.

Tā zài shēnghuoshang duì wo hěn zhàogu.

Tā xiǎo shíhou shēnghuo qíngxing hěn bù hǎo.

She takes good care of me in my daily life.

When he was a child, he lived in very bad circumstances.

5. A: Nǐ kàn, zhèr you yìpiān        Look, here's a news article on

guānyú tongJude xǐnwén.         "living together."

B: Suànle ba. Zhèizhǒng          Forget it. What's interesting about

xǐnwén you shénme yìsi?        that kind of news?

Notes on No. 5

tongjū: "to live together, to cohabit" Jū is a literary word for "to
live.²’ Although some dictionaries define tongjū simply as "to live
together," giving examples such as an uncle and nephew living together,
tongjū almost always implies sexual relations. It may even be used to
describe romances of shorter durations, whether or not a household was
set up. You'll notice that in some dialogues in this unit, the speakers
prefer the phrase nannū tongju in order to be explicit.

xǐnwén: "news" This is the word for "news" as in "the evening news,"
"the news in the paper today," "official news." It is not the word for
news between friends, unless one is Joking about the importance of what
is about to be said. EThe word for news between people is xiāoxi,
"tidings," (MBD, Unit 5) which has a second meaning of "official news."3

Nǐ kàn diànshi xǐnwén le ma?       Did you see the television news?

Jintiān bàoshangde xǐnwén hěn      The news in the paper today is very

you yìsi, yīnggāi hǎohāor          interesting; you should read it

kànkan.                              carefully.

-   A: Jintiān tā gàosu wǒ yíge xinwén, shuō Xiǎo Wáng he Xiǎo Lǐ
    "Shíyī" jiēhūn.

-   B: Zhēnde? Zhèi zhēn shi ge dà xǐnwén.

Today she told me some real news. She said that Xiǎo Wang and Xiǎo Lǐ
are getting married on October 1 (National Day).

Really? Boy, that really is big news

suàn le: "Forget it." Suàn is the verb "to calculate, to figure, to
compute." The idiom suàn le is translated as "let it be," "let it pass,"
"drop the matter," "let it go at that. ’’

Suàn le, bu yào zài wèn tā le.

Ràng tā zìjǐ bàn, jiù suàn le.

Forget it, don’t ask him about it any more.

Let him do it himself, and the heck with it.

-   A: Zánmen chūqu chi fàn ba?

-   B: Wǒ jiù xiǎng zài jiāli suíbiàn chī yidiǎnr suàn le.

Dōu gěi ni, suàn le.

Nǐ yào qù jiù qù, bú qù jiù suàn le.

How about going out to eat?

I just want to eat a little bit at home and leave it at that.

Go ahead and take them all.

If you want to go, then go. If you don’t want to go, then forget it.

6. A:

Nǐ jiějie yīxué fāngmiànde shū yuè lái yuè duō le.’

B: Shǐ a, tā zài pīnmìng xué yī ne.

Your sister is getting more and more medical books!

Yes, she’s studying medicine with all her energy.

Notes on No. 6

nǐ jiějie yīxué fāngmiànde shū: "your sister’s medical books" To say
just "your sister’s books" you put a -de on jiějie: Nǐ Jiějiede shū. But
-de is not used after jiějie in 6A. This is because of the modifying
phrase yīxué fāngmiànde, which ends in -de. To have two -de phrases in a
row before a noun is often considered stylistically bad; the way to get
around it is to keep only the last -de. Other examples:

Běijīng C-dei

zuì hǎo -de fànguǎnr

Zhōu Xiānsheng E-del tàitai -de péngyou

yuè lái yuè duō le: "more and more..." The pattern yuè...yuè... is used
to express the idea "the more...the more..." Fill in the blanks with
verbs (state or action).

  --------- ---------
  yuè duō   yuè hao
  --------- ---------

"the more the better"

yue kan | yue bu dong

"the more one reads, the

more confused one gets"

Péngyou yuè duō yuè hǎo.

Dìtú yuè dà yuè qīngchu.

Tā bù xǐhuan qǐng kè, juéde kèren yuè duō yuè máfan.

Wǒ yuè xiǎng yuè pà.

Tā yuè shuō yuè shēngqì.

Nèipiān wénzhāng xiěde hěn bu qīngchu, nǐ yuè kàn yuè bù dong.

The more friends you have, the better.

The larger a map is, the clearer it is.

She doesn't like to invite guests; she feels that the more guests there
are, the more trouble it is.

The more I thought about it, the more frightened I got.

The more he talked, the madder he got.

The article is very unclear. The more you read it, the less you
understand.

When the verb lai is used in the first blank of this pattern, the whole
phrase expresses the idea of "increasingly..." or "...-er and ...-er":

I yuè lai | yuè gāo |

"to become taller and taller"

Huang Taitaide nuer yue lai yue Mrs. Huang's daughter is getting
piàoliang le.                      prettier all the time.

Dōngxi yuè lai yuè guì le.         Things are getting more and more

expensive.

zài: Zài is the marker of ongoing action which you learned in the
Meeting module, Unit 2: Tā xiànzài zài kāi huì, "She is attending a
meeting now." Note that zài is used in sentence 6B even though the
action of studying is not necessarily going on at this very second, but
only at intervals. She might not be studying right when this sentence is
said, but she still is going to medical school. Likewise, if you are in
the middle of a novel, you can say Wǒ zài kàn yiběn xiǎoshuō even if you
have put it aside for a day or two.

zài...ne: Sentences with zài, the marker of ongoing action, often end in
ne, the marker of absence of change or lack of completion. (See Unit 2
of the Transportation module and Unit h of this module.)

pǐnmìng: "exerting the utmost strength, with all one’s might, for all
one is worth, desperately, like mad" Pǐnmìng means literally "to risk
one’s life" or "to defy death." One translation which captures the
spirit of pǐnmìng is "knocking oneself out."

Shìqing tài duo, tā pīnmìngde zuǒ yě zuòbuwān.

There’s too much to do. She’s working like mad and still won’t be able
to finish.

Xiǎoháir yí kànjian lǎoshǔ³ jiù pīnmìng pǎo hui Jiā qu le.

As soon as the child saw the rat, he ran like mad for home.

7. A: Liu Xiānshengde kè shízài méi yìsi.

B: Nǐ tǐngxiaqu, mànmānr huì you xìngqude.

Notes On No. 7

Mr. Liu’s class is really boring.

If you keep attending it, gradually you’ll become interested.

shízài:

’’really, indeed, honestly; to be true

an adjectival verb which is most often actually.”

Tā shízài yonggong”, měitiān wǎnshang niàn hǎo jǐge zhōngtéu Yīngwén.

Wǒ shízài bù zhīdào.

Wǒ shízài gàosu nǐ ba, wǒ bù xiǎng qù.

Yàoshi nǐ shízài méi bànfa, nà Jiù suàn le.

Shízài can also be used in speaking connotation of dependability.

Tā zhèige rén hěn shízài.

to be real” This is used as an adverb meaning ’’really,

He is really industrious; every night he studies several hours of
English.

I really (OR honestly) don’t know.

I’ll tell you the truth: I don’t want to go.

If you really can’t do it, then Just forget it.

of people; when so used it carries the

He is very sincere and dependable.

méi yìsi: This phrase, meaning literally ’’has no meaning,” has an
abundance of uses: (1) uninteresting, boring; (2) pointless,
meaningless; (3) to be a drag; (U) without value, not worthy of respect,
cheap.

-   (1) Zhèiběn shū zhēn méi yìsi.

Wǒ kàn nǐ bú bì qù nèige dìfang, méi shenme yìsi.

-   (2) Jīntiān kāi huì, shénme dōu méi zuò, zhēn méi yìsi.

Tā bù dong, zài Jiang ye méi yìsi.

This book is really boring.

I don’t think you need to go there.

It’s not particularly fun (interesting)

We didn’t get anything done at today’s meeting. How pointless.

He doesn’t understand. It’s pointless to try to explain it any more.

Tā bú zài, zánmen qù yě méi yìsi, shénme dōu bù néng zuò.

-   (3) Tā zài Měiguo, tā àiren zài Déguo, zhēn méi yìsi.

(U) Zài tā bèihōu° shuō zhèiyangrde huà, zhēn méi yìsi!

Since he’s not there, it would be pointless for us to go. We wouldn’t be
able to do anything.

He’s in America and his love is in Germany. What a drag!

Talking like that behind her back is really low.

tīngxiaqu: "to go on listening" You’ve seen the action verb ting, "to
listen" and the directional ending -xiàqu "to go down" before. Here
xiàqu is not used as a directional ending, but rather a resultative
ending "to continue, to go on." As a resultative verb, tīngxiaqu may
take de and bu as middle syllables to make verbs which say "can" and
"cannot."

Zhèiběn shū tài méi yìsi, wǒ kànbuxiàqù le.

Nǐ shuōde duì, Jiǎngxiaqu.

-   A: Gàosu wo, hòulái zěnme le?

-   B: Gàosu ni méi yìsi. Nǐ kàn-xiaqu Jiù huì zhīdao le.

Shuōxiaqu a, women dōu ài tīng.

Nǐ zhèiyang děngxiaqu zěnme xíng ne?

you xìngqu: "to be interested" what you are interested in.

Wǒ duì nèijiàn shi yidiǎnr xìngqu yě méiyou.

Nǐ duì shénmeyàngrde shū zuì you xìngqu?

This book is too boring. I can’t read on.

That’s right. Go on (speaking).

Tell me, what happens later?

It would be no fun to tell you. Go on reading and you’ll find out.

Go on talking. We all love to listen.

How can you go on waiting like this?

Use the prepositional verb duì to say

I have no interest at all in that matter.

What kind of books are you most interested in?

8. A: Xiàng Wang Jiàoshòu zhèi- There really aren’t many teachers yangde
lǎoshī zhēnshi bù       like Professor Wáng.

duō.

B: NǏ shuōduì le. Rúguo bú       You’re right. If it weren’t for

shi tā bāngzhu wo, wǒ          the help he’s given me, I

zhēn bù xiang xué le.          wouldn’t want to study anymore.

Notes on No. 8

xiàng: "to be similar to, to resemble" Xiàng may be used as a full verb
or as a prepositional verb. Here it is a full verb:

Tā xiang fùqin, bú xiang mǔqin. He resembles his father, not his mother.

As a prepositional verb, xiang is used in making comparisons. Notice the
similarity of the word order between comparison sentences with xiang and
those with you and gēn.

Tā xiang tā gēge name cōngming. She's as intelligent as her brother.

Nǐ you tā name gāo.                 You're as tall as he is.

Nǐ gēn tā yíyāng gāo.              You're the same height as he.

Comparison sentences with xiang must have either yíyàng, zhème (zènme),
or name before the main verb. Xiang makes rather imprecise comparisons;
its original meaning is, after all, "resemble” or "like,” not exact
equality.*

Nǐ xiang wǒ zhème ná kuàizi.

Xiang huàr name hǎokàn.

Zhèiliǎngtiānde tiānqi xiang chūntian name shūfu.

Tāde yǎnjing xiang hǎishuǐ yíyàng lán.

You hold chopsticks like I do. (It’s) as beautiful as a painting.

The weather the past couple of days has been as nice as spring.

Her eyes are as blue as sea water.

The negative bù comes before the prepositional verb xiang.

Tā bú xiang tā mèimei name         He's not as intelligent as his

cōngming.                           little sister.

Nèi shihou shēnghuo bú xiang Life was not as good then as it xiànzài
zhème hǎo.                  is now.

Xiàng...zhèiyang: Zhèiyang(r) or nèiyang(r) are sometimes used after a
noun or pronoun in phrases with xiàng, for example:

xiàng tā zhèiyangde rén            people like him (lit., "like him this

kind of people")

xiàng Wang Jiàoshòu zhèiyangde teachers like Professor Wang (lit.,
lǎoshī                              "like Professor Wang this kind of

teachers")

In such sentences, the zhèiyang(r) or nèiyang(r) are hard to translate
into smooth English. It is usually best to leave those words out of the
translation.

Měitiān dōu xiàng jīntiān zhèi- If every day were like today, we yang
jiù shūfu le.                 would have it easy.

Beijing kao yā zhèiyangde cài, It would be too expensive to eat tiāntiān
chī tài guì le.           dishes like Běijīng roast duck

every day.

  ---- ---- ------------------------------------------------ -------------------------------------------------------------------------
  9.   A:   Sānnián yīqián wo Jiu bú kào fùmǔ shēnghuó le.   I stopped depending on my parents for a living three years ago.
       B:   Nī néng zìjī guān zìjī, zhēn bú cuò.             It's really great that you can take care of yourself (be your own boss)
  ---- ---- ------------------------------------------------ -------------------------------------------------------------------------

Notes on No. 9

Jiù: The adverb jiù is often used after expressions of time, and
stresses that the time when the event happens is comparatively prompt,
soon, or early. The English translations may vary; this use of jiù has
the flavor of ’’as soon as that" or "as early as that," but it can also
be conveyed in English simply by putting extra stress on the time
expression. For example, "He's coming TODAY.'" (Tā jīntiān jiu lái
le.*). When used this way, jiù is always unstressed or neutral tone.

As in sentence 9A, new-situation le is often (but not always) used at
the end of a sentence in connection with the adverb jiù.

Nǐde yīfu yìhuīr Jiù xīhāo le.

Míngtiān wǒ Jiù you gōngfu, kéyi qù le.

Nī zài děng yìhuīr, yìdiān-zhōng Jiù you dìxià huǒchē le.

Your clothes will be all washed in Just a while (that soon).

I'll have time to go tomorrow (that soon).

Wait a while longer, there will be a subway train at one o'clock (that
soon).

Jīntiān zǎoshang wǒ wùdian zhōng jiù qīlai le.

I got up at five this morning (that early).

kào: This verb has several commonly used meanings: (1) to lean against,
to lay back on, (2) to depend/rely on, and (3) to be near/next to.

Bié kào chēmén.                    Don't lean against the door of the

car.

Wǒde Yīngwén bù hāo, xie           My English isn't good. When I write

wénzhāng wánquán kào zìdiān.       essays, I depend completely on a

dictionary.

Tā zǒngshi kào zài chuāngshang* kàn shū.

Mài’āmì shi yíge kào hǎide chéngshì.

guǎn: ”to tend/take care of/look

Nǐmen liǎngge chūqu wānr, shéi guǎn hāizi?

Lǐ Xuěméi guǎn jiā guǎnde hǎo.

Liu Xiansheng shi guǎn kǎo-shìde.’

Another meaning is ”to care, to "bother

Tā bù xǐhuan guǎn biérénde shi.

Wǒ yào zuò shénme, wǒ zìjǐ zhīdao, nǐ shǎo guǎn wǒde shi, hǎo bu hǎo?

Wǒ bù guǎn, suíbiàn nǐ.

He’s always laying back in bed reading.

Miami is a city on the sea.

after/manage/run/be in charge of”

If you two go out (for fun), who’ll look after the kids?

Lǐ Xuěméi runs the house very well

Mr. Liu is in charge of testing.

about, to concern oneself with.”

He doesn’t like to mind others’ business.

I know what I want to do, would you please not interfere with my affairs
so much! (IMPOLITE)

I don’t care. Whatever you like.

The ending -zhāo, ’’succeed (in connecting with or touching),” can also
be used with guǎn. Guǎnbuzhāo means ’’can be no concern of..., to be
none of one’s business.”

Zhèi shi women zìjǐde shi, nǐmen guǎnbuzhāo.

This is our own affair; it’s none of your business.

The colloquial Guǎn ta (ne)! expresses brusque dismissal: ’’Who cares
about

him!” or ’’Who cares about that!”

-   A: Nǐ Jīntiān wǎnshang ruguǒ bu qù, tā huì hěn bu gāoxìng.

-   B: Guǎn ta ne! Wo yào niàn shū, méi shíjiān qù.

If you don’t go tonight he’ll be very unhappy.

Who gives a damn about him! I’ve got to study; I don’t have time to go.

zìjǐ.. .zìjǐ: ’’oneself” Use the pronoun wǒ for ”l, me, my, mine,” but
use zìjǐ or wǒ zìjǐ for ’’myself.” Depending on the context, zìjǐ can
mean ’’myself, yourself, him/herself, ourselves, themselves.” Sometimes
zìjǐ is used twice in the same clause, as in sentence 9B.

Wǒ bù xǐhuan wǒ zìjǐ.

chuáng: ’’bed

kǎoshì: ’’test, exam; testing”

I don’t like myself, (as said by a confused teenager)

Nǐ bù xiǎo le, yinggāi zìjī zhàogu zìjī.

zhīdao

Nī bú yào zìjī gěi zìjī zhǎo máf an.

Tā zhèiyangr zuò, zìjī pian”

zìjī.

You’re not a child anymore; you should know how to take care of
yourself.

Don’t go asking for trouble for yourself.

By doing this, he’s only fooling himself.

-   10. A: Tā xiěde jīběn xiǎoshuō xiànzài dōu hěn liúxíng.

-   B: Nà dāngrán, xiàng tā nèiyang you dìwei yōu zhīshide rén, xiěde
    xiǎoshuō yídìng yōu yìsi.

-   11. yōu bāngzhu

-   12. yōu dàolī

Notes on Nos. 10 through 12

liúxíng: ’’

The novels he wrote are all very popular now.

Of course. Novels written by someone with his position and knowledge are
sure to be interesting.

to be helpful

to make sense

common. ’’ negative with bù.

This kind of talk is very popular these days, but I don’t think it’s
very true.

It’s not popular to wear long skirts anymore.

following it to mean "to be popular to

It is popular to wear long skirts now.

In a lot of places, it is getting more and more common for men and women
to live together.

to be popular, prevalent, current, widespread

This is an adjectival verb. Make it

Zhèizhōng huà xiànzài hěn liúxíng, kěshi wō xiǎng zhè huà bú tài duì.

Xiànzài chuān duǎn qúnzi bù liúxíng le.

You can also use liúxíng with a phrase (do something)."

Xiànzài liúxíng chuān cháng qúnzi.

Zài hěn duō dìfang, yuè lái yuè liúxíng nánnu tóngjū le.

Liúxíng is also used in compound nouns, such as liúxíngbìng, "epidemic."

Zhè yíge xlngqī yōu liúxíng-       This past week there has been an

bìng, nīmen Jiāde háizi            epidemic; it would be best if

zuì hǎo bié chū men.               your children didn’t go out.

*zhàogu: "to take care of, to care for" (Society, Unit 5) piàn: "to
fool, to deceive"

dìwei: "position, place or status

Tāde dìwei hen gāo.

Nǐ cái gōngzuòle shíjinián jiù yǒule Jīntiānde dìwei hen bù rōngyi.

Tāmen yào you dúlìde jīngji he shèhuì dìwei.

(in an organization or society)’’

He has a very high position.

Having worked only ten or so years, it wasn’t easy to get the position
you have today.

They want independent economic and social status.

you zhǐshi: "to be knowledgeable," literally "to have knowledge" you
dàolǐ: "to make sense," literally "to have reason" you bāngzhu: "to be
helpful," literally "to have help"

Here you see three more examples of how you, "to exist, to have," and a
noun can be used to make an adjectival verb. Sometimes the meaning of
the resulting phrase is more than Just the sum of its parts. You xìngqu
is "to be interested (in something)," while you yìsi is "to be
interesting." Here are some of the others you have already learned.

you guānxi you yánjiū

to be related to yòu míng to be expert        you yòng

to be famous to be useful

13• zìyóu

-   14. -bèizi

-   15. Xǐnwén Zhōukān

-   16. fùnū

Notes on Nos. 13 through 16

-bèizi: This word is usually used

Wo gōngzuòle yíbèizi, xiànzài liùshisuì le, kéyi xiūxixiuxi le.

to be free; freedom

all one’s life, lifetime

Newsweek

woman; women, womankind

with yī-, as in

I’ve worked all my life and am now sixty years old. I can take a little
rest now.

Jiéhūn shi yíbèizide shi, děi Marriage is a lifetime thing; you hǎohāor
xiǎngxiang.                 should think it over carefully.

fùnū: In Taiwan, a funū is generally a married woman, but in PRC usage
the word has no connotations about marital status. Fùnū is also used in
a collective sense, "women" or "womankind."

Unit 2, Tape 1, Review Dialogue

At the entrance to Lauinger Library at Georgetown University, Lǐ Ping
(B) encounters Tom (A).

B:     Èi! Tāngmǔ, nǐ hǎo a!              Hey! Hi, Tom!

-   A: Nǐ hǎo, Lǐ Ping! Lai kàn          Hi, Lǐ Ping. Did you come here
    to

shū ma?                              do some reading?

B:     Chile wǎnfàn, chūlai zǒuzou,

dào túshūguǎn kànkan xīn dàode zázhì.

-   A: Nǐ zuì xǐhuande Yǐngwén zázhì

shi shénme?

-   B: Ng, Xǐnwén Zhōukān.

-   A: Wèishenme ne?

-   B: Xǐnwén Zhōukān hěn hǎo, duì

xué Yǐngwén hěn you bāngzhu.

-   A: Duì, kàn zhèige zázhì, yìfāng

miàn kéyi xué Yǐngwén, yìfāngmiàn kéyi zhīdao Měiguo shèhuìde qíngkuāng,
shi bu cud. Zhèige xīngqī you shénme yěu yìside wénzhāng ma?

-   B: You, yěu yìpiān guānyú nánnū

píngděngde wénzhāng hěn you yìsi.

-   A: Ou, "nánnū píngděng"...wěde

nupéngyou duì zhèige tímu’ hěn yěu yánjiū. Zěnme? Nǐ yě duì zhèige wèntí
you xìngqu ma?

-   B: You, wǒ you xìngqu, érqiě

xiǎng zhīdao nǐmende kànfǎ. Wo kéyi wèn jǐge wèntí ma?

-   A: Dāngrán, qǐng wèn ba!

-   B: Zhèipiān wénzhāng shuō, zài

hěn duō dìfāng yuè lái yuè liú-xíng nánnū tongjū le. E, duì-

After dinner I went out for a walk and came to the library to read
through some of the new magazines.

What’s your favorite English magazine?

Um, Newsweek.

Why?

Newsweek is very good. It’s a big help in learning English.

Right. When you read it, you can-study English at the same time you
learn about conditions in American society; it is good. Are there any
interesting articles in it this week?

Yes, there’s an article about equality of the sexes that’s very
interesting.

Oh, "equality of the sexes"...My girl friend is an expert on the
subject. Don’t tell me—are you interested in that issue too?

Yes, I am, and I’d also like to know your views on it. Can I ask a few
questions?

Sure. What would you like to know?

The article says that in a lot of places cohabitation is getting more
and more common. Uh, excuse

*tímu, "subject, topic" (see Unit 5)

buqǐ...

-   A: Méi shenme, nǐ shuōxiaqu.

-   B: Zhèipiān wénzhāng hái shuō

zhèizhōng shi hé fùnude dìwei you guānxi. Zhèi yidiǎn wǒ zhēnshi bù dong
le. Zhōngguo rénde chuántǒng guānniàn shi, fùnu méiyou jiēhūn, bù
yīnggāi hé tāde nánpéngyou zhù zai yìqī.

-   A: Wǒmende guānniàn bú tài yí

yàng. Yìxiē fùnu, tèbié shi zhīshi fùnu, tāmen bú yào kào xiānsheng
shēnghuó, tāmen yào you dúlìde jīngji hé shèhui dìwei. Xiàng wǒde
nupéngyou, tā jiù you zhèiyangde kànfǎ. Erqiě wǒ xiǎng, tóngjūde wèntí
hé hěn duō shining you guānxi, bù zhī shi fùnude dìwei wèntí.

-   B: Rúguo kéyi tánde huà, nī gěi

wo jiǎngjiang zěnmeyàng?

-   A: Hǎo, zhèiyangr ba, wǒ gěi ni

tántan wode shi, nī jiu zhīdao women zěnme xiǎng le. Wǒde nupéngyou, tā
shi xué yīde. Xué yī bú shi yíjiàn rongyide shir. Tā hái yào zài dàxué
xuéxí liùnián.

-   B: Nà nīmen shénme shihou jiēhūn

ne?

-   A: Xiànzài women hái bù xiǎng

jiēhūn.

-   B: Weishénme? Nīmen juéde jiēle

hūn, yǒule háizi huì hěn máfan, shi bu shi?

A:     Bú shi zhèige yìsi. Jiùshi

women jiēhūnle, yě bù yídìng mǎshàng yào háizi. Zhǒngyàode shi women
zhèi yíbèizi yào zuò shénme, hái méiyou hǎohāor xiǎng-guo ne, yīnggāi
xiān xiǎng nèige

me. . .

Not at all, go on.

It also said in the article that this is related to the status of women.
I really don’t understand that point. The traditional Chinese idea is
that a woman should not live with her boyfriend before they get married.

We have a somewhat different concept. Some women, especially women
intellectuals, don’t want to depend on their husbands in order to live;
they want to have independent economic and social status. Like my
girlfriend— that’s the way her view is. But also, I think that living
together has to do with a lot of things. It’s not just a question of the
status of women.

If it’s all right to talk about it, would you tell me more?

Okay, how about this. I’ll tell you about my situation, and then you’ll
know the way we think. My girlfriend is studying medicine. Studying
medicine isn’t the easiest thing. She still has six more years of
university.

Then when are you getting married?

We don’t want to get married just yet.

Why not? You think that once you get married and have children it’ll be
a lot of trouble, rigjrt?

That’s not the point. Even if we get married, we won’t necessarily have
children right away The important thing is that we haven’t even thought
out well what we want to do in our lives. We should think about

°The reason Lī Ping is being so careful here is that he knows Tom and
his girlfriend are living together.

wèntí. Erqiě wǒmen dōu yuànyi zài jiēhūn yǐqiān qīngchǔde zhīdao zìjī
xǐhuande nèige rén shi yíge shénmeyàngrde rén. Zhèi yě xūyào shíjiān.

-   B: Kěshi you rén huì juéde

nīmen zhèiyang zuò shi yīnwei nīmen juéde tóngjū bǐ jiēhūn zìyóu.

-   A: You rén zhème shuō, kěshi wǒ

xiǎng tāmen méi dǒng wǒmende zìyóu shi shénme.

-   B: Shi shénme ne?

-   A: Měiguo rén Juéde zìjī kéyi

jìhua zìjǐde shēnghuó shi zuì zhòngyàode zìyóu. Rūguo Měiguo méiyǒu
zhèizhǒng zìyóu, jiù bú huì you name duō rén xiǎng lai Měiguo le, nī
shuō wǒ shuōde duì bu dui?

-   B: Nī shuōde you diǎnr dàoli.

Ou . . . Wǒ hai wangle wèn ni, jīnniàn xiàtiān, nǐde nupéngyou néng péi
ni dào Xiānggǎng qu ma?

-   A: Bù xíng. Tā jìhua dào Déguo

qu niàn shū. Shǔjiàde shihou tā yào zài Déguo zhù sānge yuè, nà duì tāde
Déwén yídìng hěn you bāngzhu.

-   B: Duì.

-   A: Zěnmeyàng, nī duì Xǐnwén Zhōu

kān zhèipiān wénzhāng hai you shénme biéde kànfǎ ma?

-   B: Kanfǎ you. Zhèige tímu hěn

dà, women yīhòu mànmàn zài tan.

A:     Hǎo, yīhòu zài tan.

that problem first. What’s more, we each want to have a clear idea of of
what kind of person the other is before we get married. And that takes
time.

But some people will think you are doing this because you feel that
living together is freer than marriage.

Some people say that, but I don’t think they have understood what our
freedom is.

What is it, then?

Americans feel that to be able to plan their own life is the most
important freedom. If America didn’t have that kind of freedom, there
wouldn’t be so many people who want to come here. Don’t you think I’m
right?

There’s something to what you say. Oh ... I forgot to ask you something
else: Will your girlfriend be able to come with you to Hong Kong this
summer?

No. She’s planning to go to school in Germany. During summer vacation
she’s going to live in Germany for three months. I’m sure that will help
her German a lot.

That’s right.

So what about it, do you have any other opinions about that article in
Newsweek?

Yes, I have other opinions about it. But it’s a big topic. We can talk
all about it later.

Okay, we’ll talk about it later.

Unit 2, Tape 2 Workbook

Exercise 1

This exercise is a review of the Reference List sentences in this unit.
The speaker will say a sentence in English, followed by a pause for you
to translate it into Chinese. Then a second speaker will confirm your
answer.

All sentences from the Reference List will occur only once. You may want
to rewind the tape and practice this exercise several times.

Exercise 2

This exercise ia a conversation in which a young man in Beijing talks
with a middle-aged man about a problem.

The conversation occurs only once. After listening to it completely,
you'll probably want to rewind the tape and answer the questions below
as you listen a second time.

Here are the new words and phrases you will need to understand this
conversation:

húshuō                              to talk nonsense; drivel

xiangbuchū                         can't think up, can't come up with

Xiao Lin tamen                     Xiao Lin and the others

shēnqǐng                           to apply for

Questions for Exercise 2

Prepare your answers to these questions in Chinese so that you will be
able to give them orally in class.

-   1. Propose a reason why Xiao Míngzi is no longer in school. (Hint:
    What are his other friends doing? What is the policy emphasis in
    China on careers for youth?)

-   2. Is Xiao Míngzi looking for a job? Why or why not?

-   3. What kind of job does his middle-aged friend suggest?

1. To whom must Xiao Míngzi apply before he goes out to take pictures?

After you have answered these questions yourself, you may want to take a
look at the translation for this conversation. You may also want to
listen to the dialogue again to help you practice saying your answers.

Note: The translations used in these dialogues are meant to indicate the
English functional equivalents for the Chinese sentences rather than the
literal meaning of the Chinese.

Exercise 3

In this conversation a grandmother and her granddaughter discuss sexual
equality and changes in morality in new China.

Listen to the conversation second time through, look below

once straight through. Then, on the and answer the questions.

Here are the new words and conversation:

phrases you will need to understand this

Nà hái yòng shuō

That goes without saying

duo hào!

How great that is!

qíguài

to be strange

Zhōngguo Qīngnián

China Youth (a periodical)

hòulái

afterwards

dàodé

morality, morals, ethics

Questions for Exercise 3

Prepare your answers to these questions in Chinese so that you will be
able to give them orally in class.

-   1. What was the status of women before liberation?

-   2. What did the granddaughter read about in the latest issue of
    China Youth?

-   3. What is her grandmother’s reaction?

-   h. What things does a "sense of morality" probably include for the
    grandmother?

After you have answered these questions yourself, you may want to ta a
look at the translation for this conversation. You may also want to li
to the conversation to help you practice saying the answers which you
hav prepared.

Exercise

In this exercise, as a mother and. son finish dinner, they discuss his
future.

Listen to the conversation straight through once. Then rewind the tape
and listen again. On the second time through, answer the questions.

You will need the following new words and phrases:

shuoshi

bóshì

zhǎobudǎo Zhōngxuěshēng gāozhōng

fādá

Master’s degree

Ph.D.

to be unable to find

High School Student (a periodical) senior high school

to be developed

Questions for Exercise h

-   1. What is Xiǎo Lin’s mother’s major concern about his future?

-   2. Why doesn’t he want to go to college anymore?

-   3. Who does Xiǎo Lin use as an example of why a college education is
    useless?

-   U. What is his mother’s position on the advantages of college
    education in Hong Kong?

5. Does Xiǎo Lin’s mother act as an advisor or does she expect her son
to obey her wishes on this matter?

After you have answered these questions yourself, you may want to take a
look at the translation for this conversation. You may also want to
listen to the conversation again to help you pronounce your answers
correctly.

wǒ kéyi

Dialogue and. Translation for Exercise 2

Conversation between a middle-aged man

-   A: Xiǎo Míngzi, jīntiān zěnme you

shíjiān zài jiā?

-   B: Zěnme méi shíjiān? Líkāi

xuéxiào yīhòu, shíjiān duōduō le.

-   A: Bié hushuō■ Nǐ you gōngzuò

le meiyou?

-   B: You gōngzuò! Yǒule gōngzuò

hái zài zhèr zuòzhe! you yìsi!

Ni zhēn

-   A: Ao! Wǒ zhīdao le,

    nī hái méi

gōngzuò na!

s       _(w)      • •

-   B: Ng. Laoshi shuo

děngyiděng.

-   A: Nǐ zhèiyang děngxiaqu zěnme

xíng ne? Yìtiān méi gōngzuò, yìtiān jiù děi kào fùmǔ a.

-   B: Hài, wǒ yě zhīdao, zhèiyang

xiàqu bù xíng, kěshi wǒ shizài xiǎngbuchū shenme hǎo bànfa ya! Nī shuō
wǒ zěnme bàn?

-   A: Nī huì shénme?

-   B: Wǒ shénme dōu bú huì. Xiàng

Xiǎo Lin tamen huì zuò zhuōzi yǐzi shenmede, yě dōu you gōngzuò le.

-   A: Ei, nǐ huì bu hui zhào xiàng?

    (A) and a young man (B) in Běijīng.

    Xiǎo Míngzi, how is it that you have time to be at home today?

    How would I not have time? Since I left school, I’ve had lots more
    time.

    Cut it out. Do you have a job yet?

    Have a job! If I had a Job would I still be sitting here! You’re
    something else!

    Oh! I see, you still don’t have a job!

    Uh-huh. My teachers said I can wait a while.

    How will it do for you to go on waiting like this? Every day you
    don’t have a job, you have to depend on your parents.

    (Sigh), I know that it won’t do to go on like this, but I really
    can’t think of any good solution! What do you think I should do?

    What do you know how to do?

    I don’t know how to do anything. Like Xiǎo Lin and the others, who
    can make tables, chairs, and so on, all have jobs already.

    Say, can you take photographs?

-   B: Bú huì.                                    No.

*Work is assigned, so getting a job is not a matter of personal
initiative. Work assignment is done by the work assignment committee of
the city district, under coordination of the citywide office.

"Teachers, while not directly involved in the assignment of work, can be
influential in the process. There is a group of teachers in each high
school or university who make specific recommendations to city offices
which decide whether a student finds work in the city or is sent to the
country.

-   A: Nǐ duì zhào xiang you méiyou

xìngqu?

-   B: You a

-   A: Zhèiyang ba! Wǒ you yíge Rìběn

zhàoxiàngjī, wǒ jiao ni zěnmeyàng zhào xiàng, nǐ jiu kéyi you gōngzuǒ
le.

-   B: Suàn le ba, huì zhào xiàng

zěnme huì you gōngzuǒ ne!

-   A: Hài, nǐ zhēn bù cōngming.

Měitiān dōu you bù shǎo rén lai Beijing, shéi bù xiǎng zài Tiān’ānmén
qián zhào zhang xiàng! Nǐ zài zhao liǎngge tóngxué, you guǎn
zhàoxiàngde, you guǎn shōu qiánde, bu jiù xíng le ma?

-   B: Nín shuōde you dàolǐ, jiù

zenme ban! Duì le, yào chūqu zhào xiàng, hái xūyào shēnqǐng ba?

-   A: Nà róngyi. Míngtiān, nǐ qù

zhǎo lǎoshī, tāmen huì bāngzhu ni bànde.

Are you interested in photography?

Sure!

How about this: I have a Japanese camera. I’ll teach you how to -take
pictures, and then you can have a job.

Come on! How can I have a job by knowing how to take pictures!

Tsk, you’re really not on the ball. Every day there are lots of people
who come to Běijīng; who doesn’t want to get their picture taken in
front of Tiān’ānmén! If you find a couple of classmates, and have one in
charge of taking the pictures and one in charge of collecting the money
then you’re all set, right?

What you say makes sense; that’s just what I’ll do! Oh yes—if you want
to go out and take pictures, you have to apply, too, don’t you?

That’s easy. Tomorrow, go see your teachers. They’ll help you do it.

Dialogue and Translation for Exercise 3

Conversation between a grandmother Běijīng.

A:     Nǎinai, nín shuō, xīn Zhōngguo,

nánnū píngděng, fùnude dìwei gāoduō le, duì bu dui?

-   B: Nà hái yǒng shuō. Women

niánqīngde shihou, fùnū zài jiāli, zài shěhuìshang dōu méiyou shenme
dìwei, zhǐ you hěn shǎode nūháizi you jǐhui niàn shū. Bu xiàng nǐmen,
gēn nánháizi yíyàng, niàn shū, zuǒ shi, duo hǎo!

A:     Nǎinai, nà nǐ shuō, tongjū

zhèijiàn shir shi bu shi duì fùnù bù hǎo?

(B) and her granddaughter (A) in

Grandma, don’t you think that in new China, with equality of the sexes
the status of women is much higher?

That goes without saying. When we were young, women didn’t have much
status in the family or in society. Only a very few girls had a chance
to study. It wasn’t like the way it is for you, who study and work just
the same as boys. How great that is!

Then what do you think, Grandma, is cohabitation a bad thing for women?

B:     Nǐ zěnme yuè shuō yuè qíguài

le? Zài xīn Zhōngguo nǎr you tōngjūde shir?

-   A: Zěnme méiyou? Wǒ gāngcái

kànde Zhōngguo Qǐngniánshang jiù you yìpiān wénzhāng, zhèipiān wénzhāng
shuō, you yíge nánháizi he yíge nùháizi tōngjū le.

-   B: Tāmen wèishénme bù jiēhūn?

-   A: Nèige nánde xiǎng shàng dàxué.

-   B: Ou, duì le, jiēle hūn jiu hù

néng shàng dàxué le. Nà hòulǎi ne?

-   A: Hòulái, nèige nánde zhēn shàng

dàxué le.

-   B: Niànwánle shū tāmen jiēhūn le

ha?

-   A: Méiyou. Niànwán shū, nèige

nánde xiǎng, nèi nuháizi méi dìwei, yě méi qián, tāmen jiu suàn le.

-   B: Suàn le?.’ Nà shi shénme huà!

Tā hái you méiyou yidiǎnr dàodé guānniàn!

-   A: Dàodé guānniàn?! Hng, xiànzài

shèhuishang jiù you zhèizhǒng shir! Nín shuō zhèi shi wèishénme?

-   B: Ai! Zhèi shíjǐnián qíqíguài-

guàide xǐnwén zhēn duō! Shénme shihou cái néng hǎo yidiǎnr ne?

-   A: Shéi zhīdào! Wǒ xiǎng kuài

le! Kuài hǎo yidiǎnr le!

What’s with these odd topics you’re bringing up? Where is there such a
thing as cohabitation in new China?

There isn’t, huh? Well in the China Youth that I just read there's an
article that said there was a young man who was living with a young
woman.

Why didn’t they get married?

The man wanted to go to college.

Oh, right, you can’t go to college after you’re married. So what
happened afterwards?

Afterwards, the man really went to college.

And after he finished school they got married, I suppose?

No. After he finished school, the guy thought, she didn’t have any
status or any money, so they should call it quits.

Call it quits.’ What kind of thing is that to say! Didn’t he have any
sense of morality!

Sense of morality?.' Ha, that's just the sort of thing that society is
full of these days! Why do you think that is?!

(Sigh) The last decade or so there sure has been a lot of strange news!
When will it get better?

I think it will be soon! It’s going to get better soon!

Dialogue and Translation for Exercise U

In Hong Kong, a mother (A) and son (B) have just finished dinner.

A:     Xiǎo Lin, chīle fàn bú yào

niàn shū le, xiūxi xiuxi ba!

Xiǎo Lin, don't study any more after dinner, just relax a bit!

-   B: Hǎo. Nín yào he chǎ ma? Wǒ

qù dào.

-   A: Deng yíxià, ràng wo kànkan,

nǐde máoyí shi bu shi pò le? Míngtiān wǒ děi qù gěi ni mǎi jiàn xínde.

-   B: Mā, wǒ bú yào xinde, zhèijiàn

hai kéyi chuān ne.

-   A: Tiān lěng le, nǐ xūyào yíjiàn

xǐn máoyǐ, wǒ huì gěi ni yùbei-hǎo. Míngniàn nǐ shàng dàxuéde shihou, wǒ
huì duō gěi ni yùbei jijiàn xǐn yīfu.

-   B: Bú yòng le, wǒ bù xiǎng shàng

dàxué le.

-   A: Wèishénme? Nǐ bú shi yào

xué yī ma?

-   B: BÙ shǎo rén shuō bú shàng

dàxué yě kéyi gōngzuò, yě yíyàng kéyi shēnghuó. Wèishénme yídìng yào
shàng dàxué ne?

-   A: Zhèizhōng huà xiànzài hěn

liúxíng, kěshi wǒ xiǎng zhè huà bú tài duì.

-   B: Wèishénme? Yǒude rén zài

dàxuéli pǐnmìng niàn shū, xiàng women Jiā duìmiànde Zhōu Xian-sheng, duì
shùxué nàme you yān-jiū, déle shuòshì, boshì, hái bu shi zhǎobudào
gōngzuò!

-   A: Zhōu Xianshengde qíngxing

gēn biérén bù tong, suírǎn tā xiāngdāng you zhīshi, kěshi tā bù xǐhuande
gōngzuò tā jiu bú zuò, nà dāngrán bù róngyi zhǎo-dào gōngzuò.

-   B: Duì le, tā bù xǐhuan zuò

lǎoshǐ, tā Jiù xǐhuan xiě wénzhāng, zài Zhōngxuéshēng zhōu-kānshang wǒ
hái kànjianguo tāde wénzhāng ne!

Do you want to drink some tea? I’ll go pour it.

Wait a second, let me see, is your sweater torn? Tomorrow I’ll have to
go buy you a new one.

Mom, I don’t want a new one. I can still wear this one.

The weather’s getting cold, you need a new sweater. I’ll get one ready
for you. Next year when you go to college I’ll get a few more new things
ready for you to wear.

You don’t need to, I don’t want to go to college anymore.

Why not? Don’t you want to study medicine?

A lot of people say that you can work and live Just the same without
going to college. Why is it necessary to go to college?

This kind of talk is very popular these days, but I don’t think it’s
very true.

Why not? Some people study like mad at a university, like Mr. Zhōu who
lives across from us; he’s such an expert in mathematics, he’s got a
Master’s degree and a Ph.D., and isn’t he still unable to find a job!

Mr. Zhou’s situation is different from other people’s. Although he is
quite knowledgeable, he won’t take a Job he doesn’t like. So of course
it isn’t easy for him to find a job.

Right. He doesn’t like to be a teacher, he just likes to write articles.
I’ve even seen his articles in the weekly High School Student .*

-   A: Tāde wénzhāng hǎo bu hǎo?

-   B: Hǎo, kǎshi bù rongyì dong,

zhōngxuéshēng kàn zhèiyangde wénzhāng tài nan le.

-   A: Suóyi, nǐ bù néng shuō Zhōu

Xianshengde qíngxing jiù shi dàjiāde qíngxing. Wǒ xiǎng, kéyi zhèiyang
shuō: niànguo hěn duō shūde rén bù yídìng you hěn hǎode gōngzuǒ. Kěshi
duō niàn yidiǎnr shū duì zhǎo gōngzuǒ yídìng you bāngzhu.

-   B: Kěshi, wǒde jīge tongxué

gāozhōng méiyou niǎnwán jiu zuǒ shile, xiànzài tāmende shēnghuo dōu bū
yòng kào fùmǔ le, tāmen dōu dūlì le.

-   A: Dànshi wǒ xiǎng, shèhuì hǎishi

xūyào you zhīshide rén, shèhuì yuè fādá yuè xūyào you zhīshi. Nǐ shuō
duì bu dui?

-   B: Duì!

-   A: Name hǎo le, nǐ niàn dàxuéde

shi zěnmeyàng?

-   B: Mm . . . wǒ zài xiǎngyixiǎng.

A:     Hǎo, women míngtiān zài

tantan.

Are his articles good?

Yes, but they’re not easy to understand. They’re too hard for high
school students to read.

So you can’t say that Mr. Zhou’s situation is everyone's situation. I
think you might say this: someone who has had a lot of education doesn't
necessarily get a very good job. But getting more education will
certainly be helpful in looking for a job.

But several classmates of mine started working before they had finished
high school, and now they don't have to depend on their parents to
support them; they're all independent.

But I think that society still needs knowledgeable people. The more
developed society is, the more it needs knowledge. Don't you think so?

Right!

All right then, what about the matter of your going to college?

Mm . . . I'll think it over some more.

Okay, we'll talk more about it tomorrow.

UNIT 3

Family Values

INTRODUCTION

Gra

rm HI

ar Topics Covered in This Unit

-   1. The verb ending -qilai showing the start of an action or
    condition.

-   2. The pattern (méi)you shénme (Adjectival Verb).

-   3. Cónglái bù/méi, "never. ’’

h. The adverh cái, "only," "before amounts.

-   5. The marker -zhe showing the manner of an action.

-   6. The vert ending -dào for (1) successful
    reaching/obtaining/finding, (2) "of," "about" (with certain
    verbs), (3) successful perceiving (e.g., kàndao, "to see").

-   7. The adverb zài, "anymore."

-   8. Placement of phrases with the prepositional verb dào, "to," "up
    to," "until."

-   9. The use of suǒyoude, "all."

Functional Language Contained in This Unit

-   1. Narrating a brief story about a person.

-   2. Expressing approval and disapproval of someone’s attitude or way
    of thinking.

-   3. Expressing puzzlement at a situation.

U. Stressing how understandable a situation is.

  ---- ---- ------------------------------------------------------------------ -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  1.   A:   Nǐ jiějie xiànzài zěnme duì zhèngzhi wèntí rèxīnqilai le?          How is it that your older sister has become so interested and enthusiastic about political questions now?
       B:   Zhèi méiyou shénme qíguài, tā jīnnián kāishǐ xué zhèngzhixué le.   There’s nothing strange about that, she started studying political science this year.
  2.   A:   Nǐ zěnme bù chī le?                                                Why aren’t you eating?
       B:   Wǒde wèi hěn nánshòu, chību-xiàqù le.                              My stomach is uncomfortable, I can’t eat anymore.
       A:   Nà wǒ gěi ni nòng dianr tāng lai.                                  I’ll go get you some soup then.
  ---- ---- ------------------------------------------------------------------ -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

ADDITIONAL REQUIRED VOCABULARY

  ----- ---------- --------------------------------
  11.   you yòng   to be useful
  12.   hěiyè      (darkness of) night, nighttime
  13.   xīn        heart
  ----- ---------- --------------------------------

+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
|                                   | VOCABULARY                        |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| báitiān biàn biàncheng            | daytime                           |
|                                   |                                   |
|                                   | to change, to become different to |
|                                   | turn into, to become              |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| cái                               | only (before an amount)           |
|                                   |                                   |
| -chéng chíbuxiàqù cónglái         | into                              |
|                                   |                                   |
|                                   | cannot eat (cannot get down)      |
|                                   |                                   |
|                                   | ever (up till now), always        |
|                                   |                                   |
|                                   | (up till now)                     |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| cónglái bù/méi                    | never                             |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| -dào                              | (resultative ending used for      |
|                                   | perception by one of the senses:  |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| -dào                              | Jiàndao, kàndao, tīngdao, etc.)   |
|                                   | (resultative ending used to       |
|                                   | indicate reaching: xiǎngdao,      |
|                                   | shuōdao, tán-dao, etc. , often    |
|                                   | translated as "about")            |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| děng dào                          | to wait until; when, by the time  |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| hēiyè                             | (darkness of) night, nighttime    |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| Jiǎng                             | to stress, to pay attention to,   |
|                                   | to be particular about            |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| Jiātíng                           | family                            |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| kàndao kū                         | to see to cry                     |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| liáo                              | to chat to chat                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| liáo tian(r)                      |                                   |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| ma                                | (marker of obviousness of         |
|                                   | reasoning)                        |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| nánshòu                           | to be uncomfortable; to feel bad, |
|                                   | to feel unhappy                   |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| nòng (neng) nònglai               | to do; to fool with; to get to    |
|                                   | get and bring                     |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| qíguài                            | to be strange, to be odd, to be   |
|                                   | surprising                        |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| -qilai                            | (resultative ending which         |
|                                   | indicates starting)               |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| rèxīn                             | to be enthusiastic and            |
|                                   | interested; to be warmhearted; to |
|                                   | be earnest                        |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| rèxínqilai                        | to become enthusiastic and        |
|                                   | interested                        |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| shuōdao                           | to speak of; as for all           |
|                                   |                                   |
| suǒyǒude...dōu                    |                                   |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+

+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| xiǎngdào xiǎoshun                 | to think of                       |
|                                   |                                   |
| -xiaqu                            | to he filial; filial obedience    |
|                                   |                                   |
|                                   | down (directional ending used for |
|                                   | eating or drinking down)          |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| xǐn                               | heart; mind                       |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| -yì                               | hundred million                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| yì tian dào wan yònggōng          | all day long                      |
|                                   |                                   |
|                                   | to be industrious, to be          |
|                                   | hardworking (in one’s studies)    |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| you yòng                          | to be useful                      |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| zhang                             | to grow                           |
|                                   |                                   |
| zhǎngdà                           | to grow up                        |
|                                   |                                   |
| zhòng nan qīng nū zhuàn qián      | to regard males as superior to    |
|                                   | females                           |
| zuìjìn zuò                        |                                   |
|                                   | to earn money, to make money      |
|                                   |                                   |
|                                   | recently; soon                    |
|                                   |                                   |
|                                   | to be, to act as                  |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+

3. A: Wǒ qù zhǎo Xiǎo Lan liáo tiānr.

B: Nǐ bié qù le, tā yìtiān dào wan yònggōng, mei shijiān péi ni liào
tiānr.

I’m going to go look for Xiǎo Lan to have a chat.

Don’t go, she works hard all day long and doesn’t have the time to chat
with you.

U. A: Wang jiā Xiǎo Lan cónglái méiyou nánpéngyou ma?

B: Tā cai shíjiùsuì, mángzhe niàn shū, hái méiyou xiǎngdào zhèixie shir
ne.’

5. A: Wǒde xiǎo nuér liǎngsānsuìde shihou cháng kū, xiànzài zhǎngdà le,
hū zài kū le.

Hasn’t the Wang family’s Xiǎo Lan ever had a hoy friend?

She’s only nineteen years old, busy studying, and hasn’t thought of
these things yet.’

My youngest daughter cried a lot when she was two or three years old,
but now she has grown up and doesn’t cry anymore.

6. A: Zuò fùmǔde bù yīnggāi zhòng nan qīng nu.

Those who are parents shouldn’t regard males as superior to females.

B: Duì. Zuò háizide yě yīnggāi xiàoshun fùmū.

Right. And those who are children should show filial obedience to their
parents.

-   7- A: Nǐ dìdi báitiān zài Jiā ma?

B: Bu zài, nǐ děng dào wǎnshang zài dǎ diànhuà lai ba.

-   8. A: Zhōngguo rén conglái bù jiǎng nánnù píngděng ma?

B: Shuōdao nánnū píngděng, nà shi zuìjìn jǐshíniánde xīn guānniàn.

-   9. A: Da jiātíng you shénme hǎo?

B: Zenme bù hǎo? Rén duō, zhuàn qiánde rén yě duō ma!

Is your younger brother at home during the day?

No, wait until the evening and then call him.

Didn’t the Chinese ever stress equality between men and women?

As for equality of the sexes, that's a new concept of the last few
decades.

A: Yàoshi suōyōude rén dōu xiàng nín zhèiyang xiǎng, Zhōngguo xiànzài bù
zhīdào you duōshao yì rén le!

-   10. A: Nǐ zhèicì hui guó kàndao nǐ lǎojiāde rén le ma?

B: Kàndao le. Tāmen shěng-huóde bu cuò, wo lǎojiā yě biànchéng yíge hěn
rènaode dìfangr le.

What's good about large families?

What could be bad about them? After all, if there are more people, there
are also more people earning money!

If everyone thought the way you do, who knows how many hundreds of
millions of people there would be in China now!

Did you see the people in your hometown on this visit back to your
country?

Yes. They’re living pretty well, and my hometown has become quite a
bustling place.

  ------- ------------------------------------------------------------------ --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  1. A:   Nǐ jiějie xiànzài zěnme duì zhèngzhi wèntí rèxīnqilai le?          How is that your older sister has become so interested and enthusiastic about political questions now?
  B:      Zhèi méiyou shénme qíguài, tā jīnnián kāishǐ xué zhèngzhixué le.   There’s nothing strange about that, she started studying political science this year.
  ------- ------------------------------------------------------------------ --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Notes on No. 1

rèxīn: "to be enthusiastic and interested; to he warmhearted, to he
earnest"There are two meanings for this adjectival verh. It can he used
to describe a positive feeling toward a cause or issue, or to describe
warm feelings toward other people.

Like many adjectival verbs, rèxīn may be used either as a main verb or
as an adverb (that is, modifying another verb).

As main verb

Tā duì xué Zhongwén hěn rèxīn.

He’s very enthusiastic about studying Chinese.

Tā duì rén hěn rèxīn, shénme shíhou dōu xǐhuan bāng rén máng.

As an adverb

Tā hěn rèxīn yánjiū dàlùde qíngkuāng.

Hǎo hāizi, nǐ zènme rèxīn bāngzhu biérén, hěn hǎo.

He’s very warmhearted towards people. He always likes to help people
out.

She studies the mainland situation very enthusiastically.

Good child. It’s good that you’re so eager to help others.

-qilai: As a verb by itself, qǐlāi means "to rise up." As part of a
compound verb, -qilai has several different functions. First, it can be
a directional or resultative ending meaning "go up, rise up
(physically)":

Tā zhànqilai le.

Tā tiàoqilai le.

Zhèige zhuōzi women tāibuqilāi, nǐ lai bangbang máng hǎo bu hǎo?

He stood up.

She jumped up.

We can’t lift this table up. Come and help us, okay?

tiào, "to jump, to leap"

In addition to meaning literally ”to go up," -qilai can "be used to tell
something about the aspect of the verb: to show *’the start of the
action or condition." In the example in the Reference List above, -qilai
indicates that older sister’s enthusiasm has newly started up. Other
examples:

(WITH AN ACTION VERB)

Haizi kūqilai le.                   The child began (has begun) to cry.

(WITH AN ADJECTIVAL VERB)

Tiānqi rèqilai le.                 The weather has warmed up.

As with many other compound verbs, the object of the verb may be
inserted between the two parts of the verb ending:

Bù zhīdao wèishénme, tā xiànzài I don’t know why, but he has started
hēqi jiù lai le.                    to drink now.

Wǒ liùge yuè méi xiāngguo jiā, I haven’t thought of home for kěshi
jīntiān xiāngqi jiā          six months, but today I started

lai le.                              to feel homesick.

Another function of the ending -qilai is to make generalized statements
which are sometimes translated using "when ...ing," or "when it comes to
...ing":

Zheige yizide yangzi hěn hāo kàn, kěshi zuòqilai bù shūfu.

Tā shuōqi Zhōngwén lai zhēn nāntīng.

Zuòqi shi lai, tā bī shéi dōu kuài.

Shuōqilai rōngyi, zuòqilai nan.

When -qilai is used this way with verbs of "it seems" is communicated:

Kànqilai tā zhīdao zhèijiàn shi.

Tā kànqilai hěn niánqīng.

Tīngqilai hěn you dàolī.

This kind of chair is very attractive, but when you sit in it, it’s
uncomfortable.

It sounds terrible when he speaks Chinese.

When it comes to working, he is faster than anyone else.

It * s easy to talk about, but hard to do.

of perception, the additional meaning

It looks as if he knows about this matter.

He looks very young.

It sounds reasonable.

-Qilai is also used in several idiomatic expressions where its meaning
is harder to pinpoint, e.g., xiangqilai, "to think of, to remember,"
where -qilai seems to indicate the coming "up" into consciousness of an
idea.

Wo xiǎngqilai le, tā xing Mài. Now I remember, his surname is Mài.

qiguài: "to be strange, to be surprising, to be odd"

qiguai, ta tiantian lai, Jǐntiǎn zěnme méi lái ne?

Nèige shihou, shénme qíguàide shi dōu you, bié shuō le.

Tāmende guānxi wǒ Juéde hěn qíguài.

In colloquial style, the verb qíguài is that..., can’t understand
(why).?., can

Wǒ zhēn qíguài tā wèishenme yào zěnme zuò.

Wo zhēn qíguài zhèiJiàn shi tā zěnme kéyi bàndedào.

How strange. He comes every day. How is it he didn’t come today?

Back then, there were all kinds of strange things; don’t talk about it
any more.

I find their relationship very strange.

also used to mean "to find it strange t imagine (how)...," e.g.,

I really can’t understand why he wanted (OR wants) to do that.

I really can’t imagine how he can (OR could) do it.

Zhèi méiyou shénme qíguài: "There’s nothing strange about that." You
shénme is used before an adjectival verb, as in

  ---------- --------------- ---------
  Nà         you shénme      hǎo?
  Nà         méiyou shénme   hǎo.
  Gàosu ta   you shénme      bú duì?
  ---------- --------------- ---------

"What’s so good about that?"

"There’s nothing good about that." "What’s wrong with telling him?"

-   A: Tā duì Zhōngguóde qíngkuàng zhǐdaode bù shǎo.’

-   B: Nà you shénme qíguài, tā zài Zhongguo zhùguo shínián.

-   2. A: Nǐ zěnme bù chǐ le?

-   B: Wǒde wèi hěn nánshòu, chǐbu-xiǎqù le.

A: Nà wǒ gěi ni nòng dianr tāng lai.

He knows so much about China!

What’s strange about that, he lived in China for ten years!

Why aren’t you eating?

My stomach is uncomfortable, I can’t eat anymore.

I’ll go get you some soup then.

Notes on No. 2

nánshòu: "to feel uncomfortable; to feel bad, to feel unhappy,"
literally , "to find something hard to bear" This adjectival verb can be
used to describe physical aches and pains, or emotional ones.

Zài fēijīshang zuòle èrshige xiǎoshí, tài nánshòu le!

Zhēn ràng rén nánshòu.

Twenty hours on an airplane. How uncomfortable!

It really makes one feel bad.

Zánmen dōu shi zuò yīshēngde, kànjian bìngren’ méi yào chi, zhēn
nánshòu.

We’re both in medicine; seeing sick people without medicine to take was
really upsetting.

To make it clear you are talking about sadness and not a physical pain,
you can use the phrase xīnli hěn nánshòu (xīn, No. 13 on this reference
list, being the equivalent of either the heart or mind in such
instances).

Tīngdàole zhèiyàngrde huà, tā He was very sad after hearing xīnli hěn
nánshòu.                 that kind of talk.

chībuxiàqù: ’’unable to eat (it all) up" Here you see an example of
-xiàqù used for its meaning as a directional ending. While in English we
might say "eat it UP," the Chinese, more analytically, say "eat it
down." Using the verb hē, "to drink," you can also say hēxiaqu, "to
drink down." The meaning of chīxiaqu and hēxiaqu might be better
conveyed as "to take in" or "to get down" food or drink; you use these
verbs when you want to stress getting food or drink down into the
stomach, rather than just the action of eating.

As a resultative verb, chīxiaqu and hēxiaqu may take -de- or -bu- as a
middle syllable for the additional meaning of "can" or "cannot." In
chīde-xiàqù/chībuxiàqù and hēdexiàqù/hēbuxiàqù, the syllables -xià and
-qù are still somewhat stressed (you can still hear their falling
tones), whereas they are unstressed and often neutral tone in the words
chīxiaqu and hēxiaqu.

chīdexiàqù chībuxiàqù méi chīxiaqu chīxiaqu le

able to eat it down unable to eat it down didn’t eat it down ate it down

Wǒ chīde tài bǎo le, chībuxiàqù I’m too full, I can’t eat any more le.

Zhèige yào chīxiaqu jiù huì hǎo You’ll feel better after you take le.
                                this medicine.

-   A: Zhèige yào zhēn kǔ, wǒ hēbuxiàqù.

-   B: Méiyou guānxi, kuài diǎnr hēxiaqu jiu kéyi le.

nòng: This is a very common verb

ings. First of all it means "to do, to

Zánmen kāishī nòng fàn, hǎo bu hǎo?

This medicine is really bitter. I can’t get it down.

Sure you can. Just drink it down real fast.

with several especially useful mean' make" in a broad, vague sense:

Let’s start to make dinner, okay?

Tā bù zhīdào zěnme nòngle hǎoduō Somehow he made himself a lot of qián.
                               money.

"bìngren: "sick person, patient"

Wǒ xiǎng nǐ bú bì guan zhèijiǎn shi, nòngde bù hǎo dōu shi nǐde cuò.

Shìqing yuè nòng yuè da, zhēn bù zhǐdǎo zěnme ban cái hǎo.

Tā zhème shuō nòngde wǒ zhēn bù hǎo yìsi.

I don’t think you should try to take charge of this. If you handled it
badly it would be all your fault.

This matter is getting blown up bigger and bigger. I really don’t know
what to do.

His saying that really embarrassed me.

Nong can mean ’’to play with, to fool

Bie nòng wǒde biǎo.

Nòng can be followed by another verb e.g., nòngzāng, ’’to make
(something) (lit., "to make Csomething! break’’); thing! die”).
Examples:

Shi shéi bǎ wǒde yùsǎn nònghuǎi le?

with, to monkey with”:

Don’t fool with my watch.

which shows the result of some action, dirty”; nòngpò, ”to break
something" nòngsǐ, "to kill" (lit., "to make Csome

Who was it who broke my umbrella? (literally, "made it so that it
broke")

Wǒ qù bǎ zǎofǎn nònghǎo.

Zhèige wèntí hěn yǎojǐn, děi nòngqǐngchu.

Bié nòngzāngle nǐde yǐfu.

Nǐ nòngcuò le ba, tā qùnián cái cōng dàlù chūlai.

Zhèige wèntí, nǐ zuótiān gěi wo jiǎngguò le, jīntiān wǒ you nòngbudong
le, nǐ kě bu kéyi zai gěi wo jiǎng yícì?

I’ll go get breakfast ready.

This question is very important, we must get it clear.

Don't get your clothes dirty.

You’re mistaken, I think. He didn’t leave the mainland until last year.

Yesterday you explained this question to me, but today I can’t
understand it again. Could you explain it to me once again?

nònglai: "to get and bring (here)" Compare the use of the directional
ending -lai in nònglai to its use in Wǒ gěi ni dǎo bēi chá lai, which
you learned in Unit 1.

Nǐ cong nǎr nònglaide?

Where did you get this from?

3. A: Wǒ qù zhǎo Xiǎo Lan liǎo tiānr.

B: Nǐ Lie qù le, tā yìtiān dao wǎn yònggōng, méi shíjiān péi ni liào
tiānr.

I’m going to go look for Xiǎo Lan to have a chat.

Don’t go, she works hard all day long and doesn’t have the time to chat
with you.

Notes on No. 3

liāo tiān(r): ”to chat” Liao means ”to chat,” and tiān(r) acts as its
object^Tiān(r)~may also be omitted.

Women liāole yíge zhōngtōu.        We chatted for an hour.

Nǐ shénme shihou you gōngfu, When you have time, we’ll go find women
zhǎo ge dìfang liāoliao a place and chat a while, tiānr.

Nǐ bié qù le: ’’don’t go” The English translation here can’t really be
adequate without getting cumbersome. The one syllable le tells you that
not going is a change from what was earlier expected. To show the
meaning of the marker le for new situation, the translation might be
’’Change your plans and don ’ t go. ”

yìtiān dào wǎn: ’’all day long” The syllable yǐ (’’one”) is sometimes
used to mean ’’the whole, the entire.” Yìtiān dào wǎn can be literally
translated as ’’the whole day until late,” but is also often used to
mean ’’all the time, always.” You can use the whole phrase as you would
a time-when word (e.g., jǐntiǎn), or you can split it up with a verb, as
in yìtiān máng dào wǎn ’’busy the whole day until late,” or ’’busy all
day long.”

Tā yìtiān dào wǎn dōu zài māng.    He’s busy all day long.

Tā yìtiān dào wǎn shuō tāde        She’s always saying from morning

qián bú gòu yòng.                  to night that she doesn’t have

enough money.

yònggōng: ”to be diligent, to be hardworking” in one’s studies

Nī bú yònggōng jiù bú rang ni If you don’t work hard, I won’t let niàn
dàxué le.                      you go to college.

Women zhèrde xuésheng dōu hěn All our students here are very yònggōng.
                           hardworking.

péi: ”to accompany; to keep somebody company” In the Transportation
module, you saw the verb péi meaning_(w)”to accompany, to go along with”
in the sentence Tā qǐng wo péi tā yìqǐ qù lúxíng, "She asked me to
accompany her on her trip.”Here you see péi used in another sense, "to
keep someone company."

Míngtiān wǒ yào péi wǒ mùqin qù kàn bìng.

Tomorrow I’m going along with my mother to see the doctor.

Méi rén péi wǒ qù, wǒ Jiu "bú qù le.

Women lái péipei nǐ.

Lǎo rén chángcháng xǐhuan you rén péizhe tā shuō huà.

If no one goes along with me, I won’t go.

We’11 keep you company.

Older people often like to have someone to keep them company and talk
with them.

h. A: Wáng jiā Xiǎo Lán conglái méiyou nánpéngyou ma?

B: Tā cái shíjiǔsuì, mángzhe niàn shū, hái méiyou xiǎngdào zhèixie shir
ne!

Hasn’t the Wáng family’s Xiǎo Lan ever had a boyfriend?

She’s only nineteen years old, busy studying, and hasn’t thought of
these things yet.’

Notes on No. U

conglái: ’’ever (up till now), always (up till now)” Conglái means that
something remains the same or unchanged from the past up to now. It is
almost always followed by an adverb—jiù, dōu, or the negatives bù or
méi. The two most common combinations are conglái bù and cónglái méi. Bù
and méi, of course, have different uses; roughly speaking, conglái bù
means "(habitually) never (do X)’’ and cónglái méi means ’’have never
(done X in the past)." With cónglái méi, the verb of the sentence
usually takes the aspect marker -guo (experience at any previous time).

Tā cónglái bù dào wǒ Jiā lái.

Tā cónglái méi dào wǒ jiā láiguo.

Wǒ cónglái méiyou xiǎngdào xiànzài hái you zhèiyangde jiātíng,
zhèiyangde fùmǔ.

She never comes to my house.

She has never been to my house (before).

I never imagined that there were still families and parents like this
these days.

cái: In the Transportation Module, you saw the adverb cái used to mean
"then and only then" or "not until then." It was used to talk about
something that happened later than expected, for example, Tā shi zuótiān
cái láide, "He didn’t get here until yesterday." In sentence UB, you see
cái (still an adverb) used to mean "only" a certain amount.

Cái means "only" in the sense of "as little as," "so little." It
stresses that the amount is less than expected, less than normal, etc.

You already know two other adverbs which mean "only": zhǐ and jiù. Cái
is used with the meaning "only" strictly before amounts, while zhǐ and
Jiù are also used for "only" in the sense of "no other way" or "no
others":

Zhǐ/Jiù néng zènme zuò.             (We) can only do it this way.

Wǒmen jǐge rén, zhǐ/jiù you wǒ I am the only one of us who can speak huì
shuō Fǎguo huà.                 French.

(Cái may not be used in such sentences.)

(That is, it could have "been, should have "been, or might later "become
more.)

Tā cái xuéle sānnián, jiù shuōde name hǎo.

He’s only studied three years and speaks so well. (AS LITTLE AS THREE
YEARS)

Tā yígòng cái kànle sānpiān wen- He only read three articles zhāng.
                              altogether. (SO FEW)

Although adverbs normally come only before a verb, cái may stand
directly before an amount:

Cái wùge rén?

-   A: Tāde fángzi yìnián cái sānbǎi kuài.

-   B: Cái zènme yidiǎnr?

Only five people? (SO FEW?)

His house costs only three hundred dollars a year. (SO LITTLE!)

Is that all? (SO LITTLE?)

Sentence UB illustrates that when speaking about a person’s age, cái
should be used for "only" rather than jiù. It is also much better to use
cái for "only" when speaking about the time of day, the date, etc.:

Cái yìdiǎn zhōng, hái láidejí.

It’s only one o’clock, we can still

make it.

Jintiān cái shísānhào, hái zǎo ne!

Today is only the thirteenth (of the month). It’s still early!

Cái is not used in sentences meaning the speaker imposes a restriction
on an amount. This includes suggestions, instructions, commands, wishes,
or sentences expressing intention. In these sentences, use jiù or zhǐ,
e.g.: Nǐ jiù gěi ta yidiǎnr ba, "Just give him a little"; Wǒ zhǐ yào chi
yìwǎn fan, "l only want to eat one bowl of rice."

mángzhe niàn shū: "to be busy studying" Máng here is not the state verb
"to be busy," but an action verb, "to busily engage in (something)."
Here are other examples:

Nǐ zài máng shénme ne?             What are you busy with?

Wǒ mángle yìtiān le.                I have been busily working all day.

Tā yìtiān dào wan máng zhèige He is busy with all sorts of things máng
nèige.                         all day long.

-zhe: In sentence hB, you see the marker -zhe used in a sentence with
word order like that of one in the Directions module: Zǒuzhe qù kéyi ma?
"Can you get there by walking?" -Zhe is the marker of DURATION. It may
be attached to an action or process verb. The combination action verb
plus -zhe refers to the duration of the action, that is, the action has
started and is continuing, e.g., Tā pǎozhe ne, "He is running." The
combination process verb plus -zhe refers to the duration of the new
state entered into through the process (remember that "process" here
means a change from one state to

another), for example, Tā bìngzhe ne, "He is ill," or Men kāizhe ne,
"The door is open."

Often you see the combination verb plus -zhe followed by another verb,
as in mángzhe niàn shū. In this case, the verb plus -zhe describes the
means or manner of the following verb.

Women zǒuzhe qù.

Tā pǎozhe xiā lóu qu le.

Tā kāizhe chē lái le.

Tā názhe dōngxi shàng chē le.

Tā zhèi jǐtiān mángzhe kāi huì.

Tā jízhe zǒu, bǎ yàoshi wàng zai jiāli le.

Women zǒuzhe liáo tiān.

Let’s go on foot.

He went running downstairs.

He came driving a car.

Carrying the things, he boarded the bus.

The last few days he has been busy with meetings.

He was in a hurry to leave, and left the keys at home.

We talked while walking.

xiǎngdào: "to think of" -Dào here is not the prepositional verb "to" but
the ending for compound verbs of result which you have so far seen in
jièdao, "to successfully borrow" and shuōdao, "to talk about." The verb
ending -dào means "to successfully reach/obtain/find." In the compound
verb xiǎngdào, the verb xiǎng expresses the action of thinking about it,
and -dào says that your thought "reached to" the idea—came into your
head.

Another verb like xiǎng in referring to mental activity is kǎolū, "to
consider," which you learned in Unit 1, and just as with xiǎng, you can
use -dào with kǎolū. Here are examples of xiǎngdào and kǎolùdào. Notice
the different translations possible for mei xiǎngdào and xiǎngbudào.

Wǒ hái xiǎngdào lìngwài yidiǎn.

Wǒ xiǎng dàgài jiù nǐ yíge rén lái, shéi xiǎngdào nǐmen dōu lái le!

Wǒ méi xiǎngdào huì you zhèi-zhǒng qíngkuàng.

Xiǎngbudào tāmen huì zenme kuài jiēhūn.

A: Ni mei kaolūdao zhei yidian ba?

B: Zěnme kǎoludedào nàme duō shìqing!

I’ve thought of another point.

I thought you would probably be the only one coining. Who would have
thought all of you would come!

I didn’t expect this kind of situation. (Lit., "I didn’t think there
would be this kind of situation.")

I was surprised they got married so soon.

You didn’t consider that point, did you?

How could I take so many things into consideration!

5. A: Wǒde xiǎo nūér liǎngsānsuìde My youngest daughter cried a lot
shihou cháng kū, xiànzài        when she was two or three years

zhǎngdà le, bú zài kū le.       old, but now she has grown up

and doesn’t cry anymore.

Notes on No. $

xiǎo nūér: Not "little daughter," as you might have thought, but
"youngest daughter." Xiǎo and dà are used, respectively, for the
"youngest" and "oldest" of brothers and sisters. The ones in between, if
there are any, are numbered. For example, a mother would refer to her
four sons, starting with the eldest, as her dà érzi, èr érzi, sān érzi,
and xiǎo érzi.

zhǎngdà: "to grow up" This is a compound verb of result made of zhang
"to grow" and dà "to be big."

Nǐ zhǎngdàle xiǎng zuǒ shénme? What do you want to do when you grow up?

Sānge yuè bū jiàn, zhèige hǎizi It’s been just three months since I
zhǎngdàle bù shǎo.                 last saw this youngster and he has

grown quite a bit.

bū zài kū le: "doesn’t cry anymore" Zài is the adverb which you learned
meaning "again." Here it means "anymore," referring to the continuing of
a

situation.

Wǒ tài lèi le, méiyou bànfǎ zài xiě le.

Wǒ bù néng zài chǐ le, zài chī jiù bù shūfu le.

Bū yào zài xiǎng zhèixiē shìqing le.

Bū yào zài shuō le, hǎo bu hǎo?

Yǐhòu wǒ bū zài name màn le.

I’m too tired. I can’t write any more.

I can’t eat any more. If I eat more I won’t feel well.

Stop thinking about these things.

Don’t talk about it anymore, okay?

In the future, I won’t be so slow anymore.

6. A: Zuò fùmǔde bù yǐnggāi            Those who are parents shouldn’t

zhòng nan qǐng nu.              regard males as superior to

females.

B: Duì. Zuò háizide yě yǐnggāi Right. And those who are children
xiàoshun fùmǔ.                  should show filial obedience to

their parents.

Notes on No. 6

zuò: "to be, to act as" As you are well aware, there are times when you
can’t use shi to translate English "to be." One of these is when "to be"
means that a person takes on a certain role, position, or occupation. An
example is "to be president" as in "I want to be president" or "He was
president for eight years." In such cases you use the same verb "to do",
zuò:

Wǒ xiǎode shihou chángcháng xiǎng When I was young I often thought
jiānglái yào zuò yíge yǐsheng,     I wanted to be a doctor when

kěshi xiànzài zhīdao zuò yǐsheng   I grew up, but now I know that

tài nán le.                          it’s too hard to be a doctor.

Tā congqián zuòguo Jīngji Bùzhǎng. He was once the Minister of Einance.
(You could also say Tā cóngqián shi Jǐngji Bùzhǎng.)

Zhèi shi wǒ dìyǐcì zuò zhǔrén This is the first time I am to be qīng kè,
xīnli hěn jǐnzhāng.°° host and have guests over. I’m nervous.

Phrases like zuò fùmǔde and zuò háizide in the reference list sentence
are used to talk about categories of people as defined by a certain
role, position, occupation, etc.

Zhèizhǒng shìqing, zuò fùmǔde Those in the position of parents yǐnggāi
xiān xiǎngdào.             should foresee things like this.

Kàndao xuéshengde Zhōngwén         When we see that our students have

xuéde nàme hǎo, women zuò          learned their Chinese so well, it

lǎoshīde zhēn gāoxìng.             makes us teachers very happy.

zhòng nán qīng nǔ: "to treat men as important and women as unimportant,"
Zhòng is the verb "to be heavy," with the additional meaning, in
literary style, of "to stress, to put importance on." Qīng is the verb
"to be light (in weight)," with an extended meaning in literary Chinese
of "to regard lightly, to attach little importance to."

In the traditional Chinese family, a son had a starring role. One reason
was that sons assured the family’s continuity, something which every man
felt was his duty to his ancestors. In addition, the son usually became
the family representative after the father’s death or retirement. A
daughter, on the other hand, was expected to leave the family and become
part of her

zhǔrén, "host, master"     **,jǐnzhāng, "to be nervous, to be tense"
husband’s household, so her importance was considerably less than that
of a son. A woman was always subject to a man’s authority: a daughter
had to obey her father, a wife had to obey her husband, and a widow had
to obey her son.’ Of course, individual women, by their strength,
intelligence, and personality, were able to exert great influence on the
family, but this was often accomplished indirectly.

xiàoshun: This can be used either as a verb with an object, "to be
filial toward (someone)," as in the Reference List sentence above, or as
an adjectival verb meaning "to be filial":

Zhèige háizi hěn xiàoshun.         This child is very filial.

In traditional society, filial obedience was regarded as the primary
virtue in life and the source of all other virtues. It consisted of
respect for one’s parents and ancestors, obedience in all cases to one’s
parents’ will, consideration and care for their daily welfare,
continuation of the family line, and avoidance of any actions which
would shame the good name and reputation of the family. But more than
formal adherence to rules of good conduct, filial obedience was also an
attitude of warmth, founded in the deep love of son and daughter for
their parents. And although its origin and center is the relationship of
child to parents, this important concept extended outside the family to
govern all other relationships in the life of a Chinese. It was said
that if a son was not filial to his parents, he would probably not
fulfill the duties of a good husband, a faithful friend, or a loyal
citizen.

7. A: Nǐ dǐdi báitiān zài jiā ma?

B: Bu zài, nǐ děng dào wǎnshang zài dǎ diànhuà lai ba.

Is your younger brother at home during the day?

No, wait until the evening and then call him.

Notes on No. 7

báitiān: "daytime; during daylight," literally "white-day" In the sense
of "daylight," the opposite of báitiān is hēiyè, "dark of night,"
literally, "black-night." In the sense of "daytime, working hours," the
opposite of báitiān is wǎnshang, "evening, night."

Tā báitiān zuò shǐ, wǎnshang       She works during the day and

niàn shū.                            studies at night.

děng dào: "wait until" Here you see the prepositional verb dào "to, up
to" used after another verb. (Contrast this with xiǎngdào "to think of"
where -dào is used as a verb ending showing result and is written as
part of the verb.) You now know two meanings for the prepositional verb
dào, one having to do with location and the other with time: ’This is
from an old saying called the Sān Cong, "the Three Follows," i.e., the
three paths to be followed. The saying is usually quoted in its original
classical style: Zài jiā cong fù, chū jià cong fū, fū sǐ cong zǐ, "When
at home obey your father, when married, obey your husband., when your
husband dies obey your son."

-   (1) location: "to, up to"

-   (2) time: "until"

What is the difference between putting your dào phrase after the verb or
before it?

Dào phrase after verb

If the dào phrase tells where or at what time you end up as a result of
the action, then it comes after the verb:

Wǒ zǒu dào shūfáng wàibian, ting- I walked up to the door of the study
Jian tāmen zài lǐbian shuō huà. and heard them inside talking.

Wǒ yǐjīng kàn dao dìyìbǎilíngyī I’ve already read up to page 101. yè le.

Wǒ zuótiān wǎnshang kàn shū        Last night I read until past three

kàn dao sāndiǎnduō zhōng.          o’clock (in the morning).

In sentences which show that something changes location, lai "to this
place" or qù "to that place" will usually come at the end of the whole
clause:

I MAIN VERB dào TIME OR PLACE lai OR qu~|

Tā zǒu dào wǒ qiánmian qu le.      He walked in front of me.

Qīng bǎ nèijǐběn shū ná dào        Please bring those books here,

zhèli lai.

Dào phrase before the verb

-   a. Put the dào phrase before lai or qù when they are the main verb
    of the sentence:

Tā dào Chongqing qù le.            He has gone to Chongqing.

Tā yào dào wǒ zhèr lái.             He is coming to my place.

-   b. If another verb phrase follows the dào phrase, qù may sometimes
    be omitted making the dào phrase appear to modify the second verb
    phrase:

-   A: Women dào nǎr chī fàn?          Where shall we go to eat?

-   B: Dào fàntīng chī fàn.             We’ll go to the dining room to
    eat.

(Literally, these mean "To where shall we eat?" and "We’ll to the dining
room eat.")

-   c. A dào phrase may come before the verb if the phrase shows that a
    point is reached prior to the action or condition:

à, "page"

Dào xiàwu zài tan.

Let’s wait until the afternoon and then talk. (Contrast tan dào xiàwu,
"talk until the afternoon.")

8. A: Zhōngguo rén conglái bù j iǎng nánnù píngděng ma?

B: Shuōdao nánnu píngděng, nà shi zuìjin jǐshíniánde xìn guānniàn.

Notes on No. 8

Didn’t the Chinese ever stress equality between men and women?

As for equality of the sexes, that’s a new concept of the last few
decades.

conglái bù: "never, never does... Earlier in this unit (No. h), you saw
the phrase conglai mei "have never, had never..." Conglái itself means
"at any time in the past up until now."

Wǒ conglái bù xiǎng zǎoshang       I never feel like studying in the

niàn shū.                            morning.

Whether you choose conglái bù or conglái mei depends on what kind of
verb you are using and how it is normally negated. To summarize what you
learned back in the Biographic Information module, STATE verbs (which
include adjectival verbs and auxiliary verbs) are always negated with
bù. PROCESS verbs are always negated with mei when referring to an
actual state of affairs. ACTION verbs can be negated with bù or méi
depending on the meaning. While there are grammar rules for choosing bù
or méi to negate your verb, there are also semantic reasons for choosing
one or the other: Are you generalizing about something habitual or
speaking of a specific instance?

STATE VERBS (Use bù. )

Wǒde qián conglái dōu bu gòu.

Tā cónglái bù xiǎng zuò zhèiyangde gōngzuò.

Wǒ cónglái bù xíhuan qù Niù Yuē.

PROCESS VERBS (Use mei.)

Tā cónglái méi jiēguo hūn.

Tā cónglái méi bìngguo.

Zhèige diànshì cónglái méi huài-guo.

I have never had enough money.

He never wants/has never wanted to do this kind of work.

I never like/have never liked going to New York.

She has never gotten married.

He has never gotten sick.

This television has never broken.

ACTION VERBS (Bù and méi make a difference in meaning.)

(1) Wǒ conglái méi kànguo zhèi-yangrde shū.

I have never read a book like this. (PAST EXPERIENCE)

(2) Wǒ conglái bú kàn zheiyangrde shū.

I never read (present) this kind of book OR I never used to read this
kind of book. (HABITUAL)

Conglái vs. cóngqián: Cóngqián, "the past," is a noun, a time word. It
may, for example, be the object of the prepositional verb zài, e.g., Zài
congqián you rén zenme zuò, "in the past, some people did it that way."
Conglai may also be used as a moveable adverb, in which case it can be
translated "in the past, before, formerly": Wǒ congqián (OR Cóngqián wǒ)
méiyou chē, xiànzài you le, "Before I didn't have a car, but now I do."

Conglái, "always (in the past), from the beginning," is not a noun; it
cannot, for example, be the object of the prepositional verb zài. It is
used adverbially, always between the subject and the verb. Both cóngqián
méi and conglái méi may sometimes be translated as "never," but conglái
méi makes a stronger statement.

Wǒ cóngqián méi chiguo Zhōngguo I haven't eaten Chinese food before,
cài.                                 (There wasn't one time when I ate

Chinese food.)

Wǒ conglái méi chīguo Zhōngguo cai.

jiǎng: "to be particular about, jiǎngjiu.J

Zhèige rén hěn jiǎng chi, hěn jiǎng chuān.

Tāmen jiā tài jiǎng guīju.’ Women Xiǎo Lán yīnggāi xiǎoxīn.

I have never eaten Chinese food (from the very beginning).

to stress, to pay attention to" LAlso

This person is fastidious about what he eats and what he wears.

Their family is overly particular about manners. Our Xiǎo Lán should be
careful.

shuōdao: "to speak of; as for" In this unit, you have seen dào used as a
resultative ending "to sucessfully reach/obtain/find," as in xiǎngdào,
"to think of." You also saw it as a prepositional verb in děng dào,
"wait until." Here you see another example of -dao as a resultative
ending. When -dao is used with verbs of speech, such as shuō, tán or
jiǎng, they are translated as "to speak of" or "to talk about." (In this
meaning, -dao is not interchangeable with -zháo.)

Women gāngcái hái shuōdao nǐ, We were talking about you just nǐ jiù lái
le.                      now, and here you are!

Jǐntiǎn nǐ gēn ta jiǎngdao wǒ Did you talk about me with him méiyou?
                            today?

Wǒ chángcháng xiǎngdào wǒde        I often think of my child,

háizi.

“guīju: "manners" (see Unit U)

Notice that in sentence 8B, shuōdao is used at the beginning of the
sentence to introduce a topic, as we use "when it comes to" or "speaking
of" in English. Here are some other examples.

Shuōdao jiéhūnde shi, wǒ hai       When it comes to the marriage, I

děi xiǎngyixiǎng.                  have to think it over some more.

Tandao Zhōngguo wénhuà,            When it comes to Chinese culture,

tā bǐ wǒ zhīdaode duō.              he knows a lot more than I do.

Shuōdao Lǐ Xiansheng, wǒ jiu xiǎngqilai le, hǎo jiǔ méi qù kàn ta le.

zuìjǐn: "recently, lately; recent word, coming either before or after
the

Zuǐjǐn, women gōngsí you pàile yíge rén qù Xianggang.

Wǒ zuǐjǐn tài máng, méi shíjiān gēn ta shuō.

Speaking of Mr. Lǐ, it occurs to me that we haven’t been to see him in
quite a while.

last" Zuǐjǐn may be used as a time subject, but always before the verb.

Recently, our company sent another person to Hong Kong.

I’ve been very busy lately, and haven’t had time to tell him.

zuìjǐn is used as

In sentence 8B (,..nà shi zuìjǐn jǐshíniánde xīn guānniàn), an adjective
modifying a Number-Counter-Noun. Other examples:

Zuìjǐn yíge yuè, tā dōu méiyou She hasn’t written for the last month,
lai xìn.

Tā shi zuìjǐn jǐtiān cái láide. She just arrived within the last few
days.

Besides referring to the near past, zuìjǐn can also refer to the near
future— "soon":

Tā zuìjǐn yào chū guo.             He will be going abroad soon.

To make it clear you are talking about the future rather than the past,
use zuìjǐn in combination with auxiliary verbs like yào, xiǎng, dǎsuan,
zhǔnbèi, jǐhuà, etc.

9. A: Dà jiātíng yǒu shénme hǎo?

B: Zěnme bù hǎo? Rén duō, zhuàn qiánde rén yě duo ma!

A: Yàoshi suǒyǒude rén dōu xiàng nín zhèiyang xiǎng, Zhōngguo xiànzài bù
zhǐdào yǒu duōshao yì rén le!

What’s good about large fami lies?

What could be bad about them? After all, if there are more people there
are also more people earning money.’

If everyone thought they way you do, who knows how many hundreds of
millions of people there would be in China now!

Notes on No. 9

dà jiātíng: "large family; extended family" The phrases dà jiātíng and
xiǎo jiātíng, literally "large family" and "small family," are often
used in a specific sense. In traditional Chinese society, dà jiātíng
referred not merely to the number of people in the family, but to the
number of generations living together. Although opinions on this vary
greatly, you need at least three generations living together to be
considered a dà jiātíng—an "extended family"—and each generation must be
several people "deep." Ideally, such a family contained a father and
mother, all their sons and their wives, their sons’ sons and their
wives, and all their children, extending to about the fourth generation.
A classic example of a dà jiātíng, like the Jiǎ family in the novel
Dream of the Red Chamber, might include over 130 people all living in
households within one complex of houses and courtyards.

Do not misuse jiātíng, which refers to the family as an entity, for jiā
rén or jiālide rén, which refer to the people in the family. This
mistake is easy to make because both ideas can be expressed in English
by the word "family":

Wǒ dào Niǔ Yuē qù kàn wǒ Jiā rén I’m going to New York to see my (OR wǒ
jiālide rén).                family.

zěnme bù hǎo: "How could they be bad?" or, more idiomatically, "What
could be bad about them?" Use zěnme to make a rhetorical question
disagreeing with someone else’s position.

-   A: Bú duì, bú duì.                 That’s not right, that’s not
    right.

-   B: Zěnme bú duì.’                   What do you mean it’s wrong!

-   A: Women bù kéyi zhèiyangr zuò.   We can’t do it this way.

-   B: Zěnme bù kéyi?.’  Zhèi méiyou   Why not?! There’s nothing wrong
    with

shenme bù kéyide.               it.

ma: This little marker is sometimes used at the end of a sentence to
imply that the reasoning behind the statement is obvious. It can be
translated as "you know" or "after all," or by a tone of voice conveying
that one thinks one’s statement is self-evident. (For the following
example, you need

to know dào lājī, "to take out Hit.,

Husband: Wèishenme zǒng děi wǒ zuò fàn ne?

Wife: Nǎnnu píngděng ma!

H: Nà hǎo, yǐhǒu nǐ guǎn dào lājǐ.

W: Wèishenme?

H: Nannu píngděng ma!

’dump’] the garbage.")

Why do I always have to do the cooking?

Equality of the sexes.’

Okay, then from now on, you take care of taking out the garbage.

Why?

Equality of the sexes!

suǒyǒude: "all" This is the word for "all" used to modify nouns. (The
adverb dōu is used to modify verbs.) Suǒyǒude is mostly used with nouns
at the front of the sentence (that is, subjects or objects in topic
position). In sentences with suǒyǒude, dōu is almost always used, too.

Suǒyǒude cài dōu hěn hǎo chi. All the food is delicious.

SuǒySude cài wǒ dōu chīwán le. I finished all the food.

Suǒyǒude can be used with the bǎ construction, in which case dōu goes
before the main verb, not before the prepositional verb bǎ.

Wǒ bǎ suǒyǒude cài dōu chiwán le. I finished all the food.

Suǒyǒude can also be used without a noun following it, as long as the
context makes it clear what things suǒyǒude refers to:

Wǒ xǐhuan gōngyuán, Huáshèngdùn I like parks. I’ve been to all the
suǒyǒude wǒ dōu qùguo le.          ones in Washington.

Here are some more example sentences with suǒyǒude. Notice that the -de
is sometimes omitted.

Suǒyǒude kāfēitīng wǒ dōu qùguo.

Ruguo wǒ you qián wǒ jiù yào mǎi suǒyǒu zhàixiē Hàn-Yīng zìdiǎn.

Tā dàoguo Měiguo suǒyǒu(de) you yìside dìfang.

I’ve been to all the coffeehouses.

If I had money, I’d like to buy all of these Chinese-English
dictionaries.

He has been to all the interesting places in the U.S.

yì: "hundred

single syllable to

million" After qiān, "1000," and wan, "10,000," the next represent a
higher number in Chinese is yì, "100,000,000."

1,000

10,000

100,000

1,000,000

10,000,000

100,000,000

1,000,000,000

yìqiān

yíwàn

shíwàn

yìbǎi wàn ("one million")

yìqiān wàn

yíy\

shíyì ("one billion")

10. A: Nǐ zhàicì hui guo kàndao nǐ lǎojiāde rén le ma?

B: Kàndao le. Tāmen shēng-huóde bú cuò, wǒ lǎojiā yě biànchéng yíge hěn
rànaode dìfangr le.

Did you see the people in your hometown on this visit back to your
country?

Yes, they’re living pretty well, and my hometown has become quite a
bustling place.

Notes on No. 10

kàndao: "to see, to perceive by sight" This is another example of the
ending -dao used as part of a compound verb of result. You have now seen
-dao meaning (1) "to successfully reach/obtain/find" and (2) "about."
With verbs of perception, the meaning of -dao can be thought of as
"sucessfully reach" by means of the senses, or "to successfully
perceive." Another instance of this is tīngdao "to hear, to perceive by
listening."

Běijīng speakers prefer kànjian and tīngjian in many contexts, but
kàndao and tīngdao are used by all speakers of Standard Chinese.

biàn: "to change, to become different, to transform, to alter"

+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| Zhèige rén zhēnde biàn le, yǐqiān | This fellow has really changed,   |
| tā bú shi zhèiyangrde.            | he wasn’t this way before.        |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| Zhèijiàn máoyī xǐle jǐcì, biàn    | After this sweater was washed a   |
| yānsè le.                         | few times, it changed color.      |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| Jǐniān bú jiàn, tā yǐjīng biàn    | I hadn’t seen him for a few       |
| lǎo le.                           | years;                            |
|                                   |                                   |
|                                   | he had aged a lot. (refers to his |
|                                   | appearance)                       |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+

You can also use biàn in the pattern biàn—de—STATE VERB, as in:

Cong qùniàn dào xiànzài, tā        He has become a lot healthier

biànde jiànkāngduō le.             since last year.

Wo shíjīnián méi jiàndao ta,       I haven’t seen him in over ten years,

bù zhīdào tā biànde zěnme-         I wonder what he is like now?

yang le?

-chéng: "become," "into" This is used with a number of verbs to form a
compound: gǎichéng, "to change (one thing) into (another)"; fānyichéng,
"to translate into"; zuòchéng, "to make into"; zhǎngchéng, "to grow
into."

Wǒ bā tāde chènshān gǎichéng yíjiàn xiǎoháizide yīfu le.

Qīng ni bā zhàipiān wénzhāng fānyichéng Rìwén.

Zhèige haizi yǐjīng zhǎngchéng dàren le.

I took his shirt and altered it into an article of clothing for a child.

Please translate this article into Japanese.

This child has already grown into an adult.

-   11. you yòng                           to be useful

-   12. hēiyè                               (darkness of) night,
    nighttime

-   13. xīn                                heart; mind

Notes on Nos. 12 and 13

hēiyè: This is mostly used in sentences where baitiān, "(light of) day,
daytime," is contrasted with its opposite (see the first exchange of the
review dialogue for this unit). The normal word for "nighttime" is
wǎnshang.

xīn: The abstract concept "heart, Tā(de) xīn hǎo.

Tā zuòle zhèijiàn shi, xīnli hěn nánguò.

Tā xiěwánle zhěipiān xiǎoshuō, xīnli hěn gāoxìng.

Tā xīnli xiǎngde he tā zuòde bù yíyàng.

(For the organ "heart,

use xīnzàng, literally,

or, in many contexts, "mind":

He has a good heart (i.e., he is kind).

He felt very bad after he did that.

He was very happy after he finished writing this short story.

He acts differently than he thinks.

"heart-organ.")

Unit 3, Review Dialogue

On the flight from Washington to Hong Kong (via New York and.
Anchorage), Lǐ Ping (B) and Tom (A) are chatting.

-   A: Zai fēijǐshang zuòle zhème yì-

tiān, gǎnjué zěnmeyàng?

-   B: Zhēn bu shūfu, měicì zuò fēi-

jī dōu xiàng shēng bìng yíyàng. Tèbié shi zài fēijǐshang huànle shíjiān,
bāitiān biànchengle hēiyè, hēiyè biànchengle bái-tiān, tài nánshòu le!

-   A: Duì le, bù shūfude shihou

yǐnggāi hē diǎnr bǐngshuǐr. Wǒ qù gěi ni nòng dianr bǐngshuǐr lai, hǎo
bu hǎo?

-   B: Hǎo shi hǎo, kěshi wǒ shizài

hēbuxiàqù le. . . . Suàn le ba, women liàoliao tiānr, yěxǔ huì hǎo
yidiǎnr.

-   A: Zài guò jǐge zhōngtóu nǐ jiu

dào jiā le, xiǎng jiā ma?

-   B: Xiǎng. Zài Měiguo liǎngniān

le, yìtiān māng dào wǎn, méiyou xiǎngguo jiā, kěshi xiànzài xiǎngqi jiā
lai le. Nǐ shuō qíguài bu qíguài?

-   A: Nà méiyou shénme qíguài. Rén

ma, zǒng yào you diǎnr jiātíng guānniàn. Tèbié shi Zhōngguo rén;
Zhōngguo rén shi jiǎng xiàoshunde.

-   B: Wǒ juéde zuò fùmǔ shi hěn bù

rōngyide, háizi yǐnggāi xiàoshun fùmǔ.

-   A: Zhèige xiǎngfǎ shi nǐ fùmǔ

jiāo nide ma?

-   B: Bu shi, shi shèhuì jiāo wode.

How do you feel after being on a plane all day like this?

I don’t feel well at all. Every time I take a plane it’s like getting
ill. Especially with the time change on the plane, daylight turning into
night and night turning back into daylight, how uncomfortable!

Right; You should have some ice water when you don’t feel well. I’ll go
get you some ice water, okay?

Well, okay, but I really couldn’t drink any. . . . Forget it, let’s just
chat and maybe it’ll get a little better.

Just another few hours and you’ll be home. Are you homesick?

Yes. The whole two years I was in America, I was busy all day long and
never got homesick, but now here I am feeling homesick. Don’t you think
that’s strange?

There’s nothing strange about that. People are people! They have to have
a sense of attachment to their family. Especially Chinese people; the
Chinese put a lot of importance on filial obedience.

I think that it’s very difficult to be parents, so children ought to be
filial toward their parents.

Did your parents teach you that way of thinking?

No, society taught it to me. My

“hǎo shi hǎo, kěshi... means literally, ’’as for being all right, it is
all right, but...” This means "It is. okay, but..." or in more idiomatic
English, "Well, okay, but..."

Wǒ mǔqin conglái bù he wo tan xiàoshun.

-   A: Zhēnde?

-   B: Zhēnde. Wǒ dìyǐcì zhuàn qián-

de shihou, cái shíwǔsuì. Hui dao Jiāli, Jiù bǎ kǒudàili suǒ-yǒude qián
dōu gěi wǒ mǔqin le, hái shuō wǒ yǐhòu yào xiàoshun mama.

-   A: Nǐ mama zěnme shuō?

-   B: Tǎ kū le. Tā shuō wǒ néng

dull, néng zài shèhuishang zuò ge you yòngde rén Jiù shi zuì hǎode
xiàoshun. Wǒ gěi tāde qián, tā dōu gěi wo mǎicheng shū. Yǐhòu, wǒ Jiu
gèng yònggōng le.

-   A: Zhēn shi yíwěi hǎo māma.

-   B: Shi. . . . Wǒ xiě xìn gěi tā,

gàosu ta wǒ yào hé yíwèi Měiguó péngyou yìqǐ huilai guò shǔjià, tā hěn
gāoxìng. Tā hěn huānyíng nǐ lái.

-   C: Duìbuqǐ, liǎngwèi xiānsēn,

nǐmen yào hē diǎn sénme?

B:     Wǒ bū dà shūfu, bǔ yào shenme.

C:     Ou, bú dà sūfǔ, yìbēi zè cá,

hǎo bu hǎo?

B:     Hǎode, xièxie ni.

A:     Wǒ lái yipíng píjiǔ. Nǐmen

you méiyou Heineken?

C:      Yǒu.

A:     Xièxie.

C:     Bǔ kèqì.  Zèiwèi xiānsēn, nǐ

hái yào sénme, qǐng gàosu wǒ.

mother never talks to me about filial obedience.

Really?

Really. The first time I made money I was only fifteen. When I got home,
I gave all the money I had in my pocket to my mother, and I said that in
the future I must be filial toward her.

What did she say?

She cried. She said that if I could be independent and be a useful
person in society that would be the best way to show filial obedience.
She used all the money I gave her to buy books for me. After that, I
worked even harder.

She's really a good mother.

Yes, she is. . . . She was very happy when I wrote her telling her that
I was going to come back with an American friend for the summer
vacation. She's very glad to have you at (welcomes you to) our house.

Excuse me, what would you two gentlemen like to drink?

I'm not feeling too well, I don't want anything.

Oh, you don't feel well? How about a cup of hot tea?

All right, thank you.

I'd like a beer. Do you have Heineken?

Yes.

Thank you.

You're welcome. Sir, if you want anything else, please let me know.

We have altered the spelling to show the stewardess's non-standard
pronunciation.

B:     Hǎode, xièxie ni.

-   A: Women shuō dao nǎr le? Duì le,

nīmen jiāli chúle nǐ fùmǔ he zǔmǔ yǐwài hái you shénme rén ma?

-   B: Nǐ wangle, wo hái you yíge

mèimei, zài yínháng zuò shìde.

-   A: Ou, duì le, n? gēn wo shuōguo,

wǒ zěnme wangle ne!

-   B: Shuōdao wo mèimei, Jiù xiǎngdào

wǒ mǔqin. Nǐ zhidao zài Zhōng-guō, zhòng nán qīng nude guānniàn háishi
yǒude. Kěshi wǒ mèimei shi líkāi dàxué yǐhòu you zài Yīngguó niànle
liǎngnián shū cái zuò shìde. Zhèi yě yào gǎnxiè wǒ mǔqin.

-   A: Nǐ mèimei xiànzài zh? zuò shi,

háishi yě niàn diǎnr shū?

-   B: Tā zhǐ zuò shi. Buguò tā hěn

rèxīn yánjiū dàlùde qíngxing, cháng kàn hěn duō guānyu dàlùde shū. Tā
cháng shuō, "Wo shi Zhōngguo rén, dàlùshang you shí-yì Zhōngguo rén, wǒ
zěnme kéyi bù zhídào tāmende shēnghuó, gōngzuò, hé xuéxíde qíngkuàng ne?

-   A: Tāde huà hěn you dàolǐ.

-   B: Tā you hěn duō dàlù láide

péngyou; nǐ hé tā tántan, yě huì Juéde hěn you yìsi.

-   A: Tā duì dàlùde qíngxing zenme

rèxǐn, nǐ mǔqin you shénme kànfa ma?

-   B: Tā cháng shuō: "Háizi zhǎng-

dàle, tāmen yào zǒu shénme lù yīnggāi zìjī kǎolū."

A:     Zhēn hǎo, shízài shi tài hǎo

le.

All right. Thank you.

Now, where were we? Oh yes: Is there anyone else in your family besides
your parents and your grandmother?

You’ve forgotten that I also have a younger sister who works in a bank.

Oh, of course. You told me before. How could I have forgotten!

Mentioning my sister reminds me of my mother again. You know, in China
people still have the concept that men are superior to women. But after
my sister graduated from college, she studied for two more years in
England before she started working. That was also thanks to my mother.

Does your sister Just work now, or does she also take some classes?

She’s Just working, but she studies the mainland situation very
enthusiastically. She reads a lot of books about the mainland. She often
says, "I’m Chinese, and there are one billion Chinese on the mainland.
How can I be ignorant of the way they live, work, and study?"

What she says is quite right.

She has a lot of friends from the mainland; you’ll find it very
interesting to talk with her.

Does your mother have anything to say about her enthusiastic interest in
the situation on the mainland?

She often says, "When children grow up, they should decide for
themselves what road they want to take."

That’s great! That’s really wonderful.

*gǎnxiè, "to be grateful/thankful to"

B:     Deng dao nǐ jiàndao tade shihou, When you meet her I’m sure
you’ll

nǐ yídìng huì xǐhuan ta, yě huì like her, and our home, too. xǐhuan
wǒmen jiāde.

A:     Yídìng!

I’m sure I will, too!

Exercise 1

This exercise is a review of the Reference List sentences in this unit.
The speaker will say a sentence in English, followed by a pause for you
to translate it into Chinese. Then a second speaker will confirm your
answer.

All sentences from the Reference List will occur only once. You may want
to rewind the tape and practice this exercise several times.

Exercise 2

This exercise is a conversation between a Chinese student and an
American student in their dormitory room somewhere in the the U.S.

The conversation occurs only once. After listening to it completely,
you’ll probably want to rewind the tape and answer the questions below
as you listen a second time.

Here are the new words you will need to understand this conversation:

Kěkǒukělè

Coca Cola

-ban                                (counter for a class of students)

nūshēng                            coeds, women students

zǎo                                 a long time ago

diào yǎnlèi                        to cry (lit., "fall tears")

Questions for Exercise 2

Prepare your answers to these questions in Chinese so that you will be
able to give them orally in class.

-   1. What is the Chinese student’s girlfriend studying? Why is he
    worried about her?

-   2. What was the traditional Chinese attitude toward educating women?

-   3. How did the Chinese student first meet his girlfriend?

-   U. Why do you suppose she would let herself cry in the library?

What was her boyfriend’s reaction?

5. How was she able to come to college?

After you have answered these questions yourself, you may want to take a
look at the translation for this conversation. You may also want to
listen to the dialogue again to help you practice saying your answers.

Note: The translations used in these dialogues are meant to indicate the
English functional equivalents for the Chinese sentences rather than the
literal meaning of the Chinese.

Exercise 3

In this conversation a mother and son in Beijing talk after a day of
work.

Listen to the conversation second time through, look helow

Here are the new words you kělián sǐ hu fàngxīn rìzi jǐngshen

once straight through. Then, on the and answer the questions.

will need to understand this conversation

to he pitiful

to die

to worry

days

energy, spirits

Questions for Exercise 3

Prepare your answers to these questions in Chinese so that you will he
ahle to give them orally in class.

-   1. What is Wang Li’s problem?

-   2. How does the son propose to help her?

-   3. What problem does the mother see with this proposal? What does
    the son volunteer to do?

U. What is the mother’s reaction to her son’s suggestion?

5. What two other things would lift Wáng Li’s spirits?

After you have prepared your answers, you may want to look at the
translation for the conversation. You may also want to listen to the
conversation again to help you pronounce your answers correctly.

Exercise 1+

In this conversation, a husband, and wife talk in their home in Běijīng.

Listen to the conversation straight through once. Then rewind the tape
and listen again. On the second time through, answer the questions.

You will need the following new words:

  ----------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------
  Qīnghǎi                                   (a province in Western China)
  bìngrén                                   sick person, patient
  fǎnzhèng                                  anyway, in any case
  chéngli rén yě hǎo, xiāngxia rén yě hǎo   whether it's city people or country people
  yīyuàn                                    hospital
  ----------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------

Questions for Exercise h

Prepare your answers to these questions in Chinese so that you can give
them orally in class.

-   1. Why was Xiùyun late coming home?

-   2. Why did she get medicine for her husband? For what reason does
    she insist he take the medicine?

-   3. What did they see in Qīnghǎi ten years ago?

-   h. What are their professions?

5. What kind of situation does the husband hope China will never have
again?

After you have answered these questions yourself, you may want to take a
look at the translation for this conversation. You may also want to
listen to the conversation again to help you pronounce your answers
correctly.

Dialogue and Translation for Exercise 2

Conversation between an American student and a Chinese student in their
college dormitory in America.

-   A: Nǐ zěnme yíge rén zài zhèli?

Hide nūpéngyou ne?

-   B: Zài tūshūguǎn niàn tāde

Jīngjixué.

-   A: Tā zhēn yònggōng! Zhème hǎode

tiānqi, hái zài pīnmìng niàn shū!

-   B: Shi a! Gāngcái, wǒ qù gěi

ta sòngle yidiǎn Kěkǒukělè, wǒ gēn ta shuō, zhèiyang niànxiaqu shi yào
shēng hìngde, kěshi tā bù ting, háishi zài nar niàn.

-   A: Wǒ xiǎng nīde nūpengyou you

diǎnr tèbié, women bānlide jīge nūshēng zǎo jiu pǎo dao hǎi-biānr qu
wánr le.

-   B: Zhè he tāde jiātíng yǒu guānxi.

A:     Zěnme ne?

B:     Tāde fùmù yǒu zhòng nan qīng

nude lǎo guānniàn. Tāmen xiǎng érzi shi zìjīde, nuér zhǎngdàle zǒng yào
Jiēhūnde, Jiēle hūn Jiù shi biérén Jiāde rén le, niàn shū you shénme
yòng?

A:     Wǒ conglái méiyou xiǎngdào,

xiànzài hái yǒu zhèiyangde Jiātíng, zhèiyangde fùmǔ.

B:     Zhè méiyou shénme qíguài, bǎ

lǎo guānniàn biàncheng xìn guānniàn bu shi yíjiàn róngyide shi.

A:     Nà, nīde nūpéngyou yǒu xiōng-

dì Jiěmèi ma?

How come you’re all alone here? Where’s your girlfriend?

She’s in the library studying her economics.

She really works hard! The weather is so nice, and she’s still knocking
herself out studying.

That’s right! Just now, I went to take her a Coke, and I told her she
was going to get sick if she kept on studying like this, but she
wouldn’t listen. She Just went on studying.

I think your girlfriend is a little unusual. Several of the women
students in our class took off for the beach a long time ago.

It has to do with her family.

What do you mean?

Her parents have the old idea of regarding men as superior to women.
They think that a son is theirs, but a daughter gets married sooner or
later when she grows up, and after she’s married she belongs to another
family, so what use is it for her to get an education?

I never imagined that there were still families and parents like that
these days.

There’s nothing so strange about that; it’s not an easy thing to change
one’s old ideas into new ideas.

Then, does your girl friend have any brothers and sisters?

B:     Yǒu, Jiù yǒu yíge gēge.

Yes, Just one older brother.

A:     Tā niàn shū niànde hǎo bu hǎo? How does he do in school?

B:     Mǎmǎhūhū, wǒ xiǎng tā bú shi

yíge hěn yònggōngde xuéshēng.

-   A: Nǐ rènshi ta?

-   B: Rènshi. Wǒ he tāmen shi

zhōngxué tóngxué, tā gēge zhīdao tā niànwánle zhōngxué jiu kéyi shàng
dàxué, kěshi tā fùmǔ bú ràng mèimei niàn dàxué. Wǒ kàndao tā changcháng
yíge rén zài túshūguǎn diào yǎnlèi, jiù wèn ta wèishénme, mànmànde, wǒ
jiu zhīdao tāde qíngxing le.

-   A: 0, shi zhèiyang.’ Nà tā shi

zěnme lái dàxué niàn shūde ne?

-   B: Wǒ fùmǔ bāngzhu ta. ^ùnián,

tā zìjī yě zhuànle diǎn qián. Wǒ mǔqin shuō zhèige háizi zènme xiǎng
niàn shū, women duō bāngzhu ta yidiǎnr, ràng ta hǎohāo niàn shū ba.’
Zhèi-yàng tā jiù bú zuò shi, zhǐ niàn shū le.

-   A: Shi zhèiyang.’ Women qù

kànkan ta, ràng ta xiūxi-xiuxi.

-   B: Hǎo, zǒu.’

Just so-so, I don’t think he’s a very hard worker.

You know him?

Yes. We were classmates in high school. Her brother knew that after he
finished high school he could go to college, but her parents wouldn’t
let her go. I used to see her alone in the library, crying, and I asked
her why. Gradually, I found out about her situation.

Oh, so that’s the story! So then, how was it that she came to college?

My parents helped her out. Also, last year she earned some money on her
own. My mother said she wanted so badly to study, that we should help
her out and let her do it properly.’ This way she can just study without
having to work.

Oh, is that so! Let’s go see her, and make her take a break.

Good, let’s go!

Dialogue and Translation for Exercise 3

In Běijīng, a mother and son talk after a day of work.

-   A: Mā, nín dào nǎr qu le?

-   B: Zài Lǎo Wáng jiā zuòle yihuǐr.

-   A: Wáng LǏde qíngkuàng hǎo

yidiǎnr ma?

-   B: Hǎo yidiǎnr, bù kū le, kěshi

háishi yìtiān dào wǎn méiyou yíjù huà.

-   A: Zhēn ràng rén nánshòu.

-   B: Kě bu shi ma, shizài shi

kělián, Wáng Li fùqin sǐle cái

Where have you been, Mom?

I was over at Lǎo Wáng’s for a while.

Is Wáng Li’s situation better now?

Somewhat better. She isn’t crying anymore, but she still doesn’t say a
thing all day long.

It really makes one feel bad.

Doesn’t it, though? It’s really pitiful: first Wáng Li’s father

bànnián mǔqin you sǐ le. Báitiān hǎo yidiǎnr, dàjiā ké^i qù péipei ta.
Wǎnshang, nū-háizi yíge rén zài jiāli, zhēn rang rén bú fàngxǐn.

-   A: Mā, wǒ xiǎngdào yíge hǎo

bǎnfǎ, rang Wang LÌ bān dao zánmen jiā lái ba! Nín gēn tā liáoliao
tiānr, yěxǔ huì hǎo yidiǎnr.

-   B: Mm, zhèige bǎnfǎ hǎo shi hǎo,

kěshi zánmen jiā jiù zhè liǎngjiān xiǎo wūzi, wǒ bǎ nǐ fang zai nǎr ne?

-   A: Wǒ xiǎng Wáng Lì bānlái yǐhoù

wǒ kéyi zǎi Wáng jiā zhù jǐtiān, děng Wáng Lìde qíngkuàng hǎo yì-diǎnr,
wǒ zǎi bānhuilai ma!

-   B: Hǎo háizi, nǐ zhème rèxīn

bāngzhu biérén, hěn hǎo. . . . Wáng Li hěn xiàoshun, zhèixiē rìzi, tā
huì chángcháng xiǎng tāde fùmǔ, duō hé tā tántan, mǎnmānrde, tā huì hǎo
yidiǎnr.

-   A: Wǒ zǎi qù zhǎozhao tā cóng-

qiánde tǒngxué, rǎng tamen dōu lái hé ta tántan, péi ta chūqu zǒuzou.

-   B: Duì le, děngdǎo tā shàng

bān le, jiù hǎo le. Rén mángde shihou jǐngshén huì hǎo yìxiē.

-   A: Duì. Nà zánmen xiànzài jiù

qù jiē ta ba!

-   B: Děngyiděng, bǎ wūzi shōushi-

hǎo zài qù.

-   A: Wǒ gēn nín yíkuàir shōushi.

dies, and then less than half a year later her mother dies, too. During
the daytime it’s not so bad, everybody goes and keeps her company. But
in the evening the girl is alone at home. It really makes one worry.

Mom, I’ve thought of a good way (to solve the problem). Have Wáng Lì
move to our house! If you can chat with her, maybe that will help.

That is a good idea, but our place only has these two small rooms. Where
would I put you?

I think I could go live at the Wáng's house. When Wáng Li’s condition is
a little better, I’ll move back here!

Good boy. It’s good that you’re so eager to help others. . . . Wáng Lì
is very filial, and she’ll miss her parents a lot during this time. If
we talk with her a lot, gradually, she'll get better.

I’ll go call on some of her former classmates and have them come talk
with her and go out for walks with her.

Right. When she starts work, everything will be all right. When a person
is busy, their spirits improve.

Right. Well, let's go get her right now!

Wait. Let’s straighten up the room before we go.

I’ll straighten it up with you.

Dialogue and. Translation for Exercise U

A husband, and wife talk in Běijīng.

-   A: Xiùyun, nǐ huílai le. Jīntiān

zěnme zěnme wǎn?

-   B: Xiàle bānr, wǒ you qù mǎi

diSnr yào.

-   A: Wǒ xiǎng wǒ yǐjīng hǎo le,

hái mǎi shénme yào?

-   B: Nǐ cái yìtiān bù fā shāo, jiù

shuō hǎo le? Kuài yidiǎnr bǎ zhèi liǎngzhǒng yào dōu chīxiaqu.

-   A: Wǒ nǎr xūyào zěnme duō yào!

-   B: Zhèizhǒng gǎnmào bu shi

yìtiān liǎngtiān jiù huì hǎode, nǐ yídìng děi bǎ zhèi jǐzhǒng yào dōu
chīle.

-   A: Hǎo hǎo hǎo, wǒ chī.

-   B: Wǒ gěi ni dào bēi rèshuǐ lai,

xiànzài jiù chī.

-   A: Ei°, shuōdao chī yào, wǒ jiu

xiǎngqilai le, nǐ hái jìde shí-nián qián, zánmen zài Qīnghǎi xiāngxià
kànjiande nèijiàn shi ma?

Hi Xiùyun, you’re back. How come you’re so late tonight?

After work I went to buy some medicine.

I think I’ve already recovered. What are you buying medicine for?

Your fever has only been gone for one day and you say you’ve recovered?
Come on and take these two medicines.

As if I needed all this medicine!

This kind of cold doesn’t get better in just a day or two.

You have to take all of these medicines.

Okay, okay, I’ll take them.

I’ll get you a cup of hot water, and you take them right now.

Say, speaking of taking medicine reminds me, do you remember what we saw
out in the country of Qīnghǎi ten years ago?

-   B: Zěnme bu jìde, zánmen dōu shi

zuò yīshēngde, kànjian bìngren méi yào chī, zhēn nánshòu.

-   A: Kěshi, hái yǒu rén shuō

zhèizhǒng qíngxing méi guānxi, fanzhèng Zhōngguo rén duō, zhēn shi bù
jiǎng dàolǐ!

-   B: Hài! Nèige shihou, shénme

qíguàide shir dōu you, bié shuō le.

A:     Kéyi bù shuō, kěshi bū huì

wàng. Zhōngguo yǒu jǐyì rén, chéngli rén yě hǎo, xiāngxià

How could I forget. We’re both doctors; seeing sick people without
medicine to take was really upsetting.

But you know what some people say? They say that this sort of situation
doesn’t matter, that there are plenty of Chinese anyway. How crazy!

(Sigh). Back then, there were all sorts of strange things; don’t talk
about it any more.

We don’t have to talk about it, but we won't forge* it. ■ .er ■■ are
several hundred million peonle in China.

Ei is an interjection which tells that the speaker just thought of
something.

ren yě hǎo, you hing hù néng kàn yǐsheng, you hing méi yào chide shi,
zài yě hù néng you le.

-   B: NǏ shuōde duì. Hǎo le, hǎo le,

nǐde hing cái hǎo yidiǎnr, nǐ chile yào zǎo diǎnr xiūxi ha.

-   A: Wǒ xiān hǎ yào chile, děng

yihuǐr, wo hái děi chūqu yítàng, yiyuànli hái you jǐjiàn shi děi hàn, wǒ
qù kàn yixia jiu huilai.

-   B: Zǎo diǎnr huílai.’

Whether it’s people in the city or people in the country, we can’t have
any more situations where people are sick and yet unahle to see a doctor
or get medicine.

You’re right. Okay, your illness is only a little better, after you take
your medicine go to hed early.

I’ll take the medicine now, but I have to go out again in a while. I
still have a few things I have to take care of at the hospital. I’ll be
back right after I go take a look there.

Don’t come back too late.’

soc

UNIT U

A Family History

INTRODUCTION

Grammar Topics Covered, in This Unit

-   1. More on ne, marker of absence of change/lack of completion.

-   2. The adverb duō (duō), "how....”’

-   3. More on indefinite pronouns ("any/no" expressions).

-   U. Review of you (Noun) phrases.

Functional Language Contained in This Unit

-   1. Expressing worries or reservations about doing something.

-   2. Reassuring someone that they need not worry.

-   3. Asking for clarification of the meaning of what someone just
    said.

U. Commenting on other’s good fortune.

-   1. A: Nǐ Laba zhème zǎo jiu qǐlai le!

B: Tā niánji dà le, měitiān shuìde zǎo.

Your father got up so early!

He’s getting on in years, and

he goes to bed early.

-   2. A: Xiǎo Wangde yeye you he nèixie xiǎo péngyou liáo tiānr ne!

B: Tā rén hěn hǎo, hěn xǐhuan háizi.

Xiǎo Wang’s grandfather is talking with those kids again!

He’s a very good person, and he likes children a lot.

-   3. A: Zhèi liǎngnián nǐ nǎinai shēntǐ hǎo ma?

B: Hái hǎo, you shihou hái néng qǐlai shōushi shoushi wūzi.

U. A: Zhāng jiāde érxífu hěn you guǐju.

B: Shi a, Zhāng jiā nǎinai zhēn you fuqi.

-   5. A: Guòqù, Zhōngguo rén chū guō niàn shū duō nán!

B: Xiànzài hǎo le, zǒu dao nǎr yě méi rén kànbuqǐ le.

-   6. A: Rénjia dōu juéde Xiǎo Wáng shi ge hěn yōu lǐmàode háizi.

Has your grandmother’s health been good the past couple of years?

Fairly good; sometimes she can still get up and straighten up the room.

The Zhāng family’s daughter-in-law is a proper young woman.

Yes, the Zhāng family’s grandmother is really blessed with good fortune.

In the past how difficult it was for Chinese to go abroad to study!

Now it’s better, no matter where they go, no one looks down on them
anymore.

Everyone feels Xiǎo Wáng is a very well-mannered child.

-   7. A: Zhèi yì jiā rén dōu niànguo bù shǎo shū.

    B:

    8.

    A:

    B:

Tǐngshuō tāmende sūnzi sūnnu xiànzài dōu niàn Si Shū ne!

Tāmen Jiā guòqù shi you qián rén, you bù shǎo cáichǎn.

Nǐ shuōde cáichǎn shi tǔdǐ ba?

This whole family has had quite a good education.

I understand that their grandsons and granddaughters are (all) studying
the Four Books now!

Their family used to be rich. They had quite a lot of property.

The property you’re talking about is land, isn’t it?

9.

B:

Nǐ zhùxialai ba, yě kéyi gěi women bāng dianr máng.

Wǒ báitiān you kè, zhǐ hǎo wǎnshang zuò diǎnr shǐ.

Stay (live) here and you can help us a bit.

I have classes during the day;

I can only work at night.

-   10. A: Wǒ mǔqin zǒng dānxǐn wǒ gěge zài wàibianr chǐ kǔ.

-   B: Tāmen Jǐge xiǎo péngyou hùxiāng bāng máng, bú huì chǐ kǔde.

My mother is always worried that my older brother is having a rough time
away from home.

His bunch of friends help each other out. They don’t have such a rough
time.

+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
|                                   | VOCABULARY                        |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| baba                              | father, dad, papa                 |
|                                   |                                   |
| bang máng bù shǎo                 | to help; help                     |
|                                   |                                   |
|                                   | to be quite a lot, to be much, to |
|                                   | be many                           |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| cáichǎn chī kǔ                    | property                          |
|                                   |                                   |
|                                   | to suffer, to undergo hardship    |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| dānxīn duo (duō)                  | to be worried, to be uneasy       |
|                                   | how...                            |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| érxífu(r) (érxífer)               | daught er-in-law                  |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| fuqi                              | blessings, good fortune           |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| guīju                             | rules of proper behavior, social  |
|                                   | etiquette, manners; rule (of a    |
|                                   | community or organization),       |
|                                   | established practice, custom      |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| guòqù                             | the past                          |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| hái hùxiāng                       | fairly, passably mutually         |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| -jiā                              | (counter for families)            |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| kànbuqǐ                           | to look down on, to scorn, to     |
|                                   | despise                           |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| lǐmào                             | manners, politeness               |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| nǎinai niánji                     | grandmother (on father’s side)    |
|                                   | age                               |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| qǐlai                             | to get up (in several senses)     |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| rén                               | person; body; self people; they;  |
|                                   | he, she; I                        |
| rénjia                            |                                   |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| shēntǐ shōushi                    | body; health                      |
|                                   |                                   |
|                                   | to straighten up; to get one’s    |
|                                   | things ready                      |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| Si Shū                            | the Four Books (Dàxué, Zhōngyōng, |
|                                   | Lúnyǔ.                            |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| sūnnū sūnzi                       | Mèngzǐ)                           |
|                                   |                                   |
|                                   | granddaughter (through one’s son) |
|                                   | grandson (through one’s son)      |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| tǔdì                              | land                              |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| xiǎo péngyou                      | little friend; kids               |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+

yéye you you guǐju you lǐmào you qián

zhǐ hǎo zhùxialai

grandfather (on the father’s side) also

to have manners, to he proper

to he well mannered, to he polite

to he rich

can only, to have to, to he forced to

to move and stay (in a place), to settle down

Unit U, Reference Notes

1. A: Nǐ “baba zhème zǎo jiu           Your father got up so early.

qǐlai le.

B: Tā niánji dà le, měitiān        He’s getting on in years, and

shuǐde zǎo.                     he goes to bed early.

Notes on No. 1

zhème zǎo jiu qǐlai le: The adverb jiù is used to stress the earliness
(zhème zǎo) of father’s getting up. On this use of jiù, review Unit 2,
Notes on No. 9• Here are more examples:

Tā wǔdiǎn zhōng jiu qǐlai le. He got up at five (that early).

Wǒ mǎshàng jiu lái.                 I’ll be there in a minute.

Bù jiù, tā jiu líkāi le.           Shortly afterwards, he left.

qǐlai: "to get up," from a bed or just from a sitting position. In an
abstract sense it means "to arise," e.g., "to arise and revolt" Cqǐlai
gemǐngi.

Nǐ tiāntiān shénme shihou qǐlai? When do you get up every day?

Tā niánji dà le: Literally, "As for him, the age is now big." Le is used
here to indicate change of state, as it often is in sentences telling a
person’s age (Tā sānshi suǐ le).

You should learn the following typical examples of how to use niánji:

Tā (you) duo dà niánji le?         How old is he? (USED ONLY OF ADULTS)

Tā niánji dà le.                    He’s advanced in years.

Tā niánji bù xiǎo le.              She’s not young any more.

Use Nín duo dà niánji le? to ask an adult’s age. To ask a child’s age,
though, say Nǐ duo dà le? or Nǐ you duo dà? or Nǐ jǐsuǐ (le)?

The Chinese are not secretive about their age the way many Westerners
are. It is not considered impolite to ask someone’s age, even women and
old people. As in the West, old people are often proud of their age and
glad to let you know it.

Měitiān shuǐde zǎo: Literally, "every day goes to bed early." Měitiān is
needed in Chinese to express the idea of "habitual" which in English is
conveyed simply by the present tense of "goes." Without měitiān, the
Chinese sentence might refer to one particular instance only. For
example, it might mean that grandfather went to bed early the night
before.

shuì, which you may know from the Welfare module, means "to sleep," hut
also "to go to hed, to retire." It is like many verbs in Chinese which
can indicate either the continuing performance of an action (sleeping)
or the start of an action (trying to sleep, i.e., going to hed). In the
following examples, the pair of translations show the ambiguity. In real
conversation, of course, the ambiguity rarely causes problems because
the listener interprets one way or the other according to the context:

{Has he gone to bed?

Did he sleep (and then get up)?

{Has it started to rain?

Did it rain (and then stop)?

í Has the bell gone off?

Diànlíng xiǎngle’ ma?             (

I Did the bell ring (and then stop)?

To remove this ambiguity, you can use more specific phrasing. For
example, the aspect marker ne specifies absence of change, lack of
completion, and so rules out the second translation for each of the
above three sentences: Tā shuì ne, "He is sleeping," Xià yǔ ne, "It’s
raining," Diànlíng xiǎng ne, "The bell is ringing." To be even more
specific you could use ~zhe, the marker of duration (usually used in
combination with ne): Tā shuìzhe ne, Xiàzhe yǔ ne, Diànlíng xiǎngzhe ne.
Or you could use the marker zài for ongoing action:Tā zài shuì, "He is
(in the midst of) sleeping," etc. To be the most specific of all, you
can use zài, -zhe, and ne all in the same sentence: Tā zài shuìzhe ne,
etc.

Shuì can also be used to mean "to lie down," regardless of whether the
person sleeps or not. (The meaning "lie down" for shuì is only accepted
by some speakers; others always use the verb tang, "to lie down," which
you learned in the Welfare module.)

Tā shuì zai dìshang kàn diànshì. He lies on the floor and watches
television.

Nǐ kàn tā shuì dao zhuōzishang Look at him lying on the table! lai le!

shuìde zǎo is another example of a manner expression following a verb
plus -de, a structure which was introduced back in the Transportation
module (Nǐ kāide tài kuài le, "You are driving too fast"). Shuìde wǎn
means either "to go to bed late" or "to sleep late."

*xiǎng: "to sound, to make a sound"

-   A: Xiǎo Wangde yéye you he nèixie xiǎo péngyou liáo tiānr ne.’

-   B: Tā rén hěn hǎo, hěn xǐhuan háizi.

Xiǎo Wang’s grandfather is talking with those kids again.’

He’s a very good person, and he likes children a lot.

Notes on No. 2

yéye: "grandfather,” only for the father’s father. Back in the
Biographic Information module you learned zǔfù for "paternal
grandfather." Yéye is the same person, but is the word you would use
when addressing him directly or when talking about him informally. See
the diagram under nǎinai below (Notes on No. 3). COne's mother's father
is lǎoyé or wàigōng.1

Xiǎo péngyou, "little friends," is a warm term for young children. It
may be used either to address children directly or to talk about them in
the third person. The host of a children's television show, for example,
would address the young viewers as xiǎo péngyou(men). You may someday
need to use this word to address a young child whom you don't know, for
example, one that you meet on the street. And, of course, xiǎo péngyou
is also used in its literal sense to refer to the "young friends" of a
child.

Xiǎo péngyou.' Tiān hēi le, kuài Little boy/girl, it's getting dark hui
jiā qu ba.'                      out. You'd better go back home.

Nèixiē xiǎo péngyou dōu zài        Those kids are playing outdoors,

wàitou wānr ne.

liāo tiānr ne: Ne, which you first learned in the sentence Hái méi ne,
is the marker which emphasizes ABSENCE OF CHANGE or LACK OF COMPLETION.
(it is, in a way, the opposite of le, which marks CHANGED SITUATION or
COMPLETION.) In what specific situations can or should you use ne? We
can note two kinds of meaning for sentences in which absence-of-change
ne often appears:

(1) Continued State, e.g.,

Hai you ne.                          There is still some more.

Hai méiyou ne.                       Not yet.

(2) Ongoing Action, e.g.,

Tā chī fàn ne.                       He's eating.

Nǎinai zuò fàn ne.                  Grandma is cooking.

Remember also that ne is often used in sentences which contain -zhe, the
marker of DURATION (something like continued state), or zài, the marker
of ONGOING ACTION.

Tā shuì jiào ne.

Tā shuìzhe ne.

Tā zài shuì ne.

(NO CHANGE)

(DURATION + NO CHANGE) (ONGOING + NO CHANGE)

He is sleeping.

There is a famous nursery rhyme which contains two ongoing-action
sentences that end in ahsence-of-change ne. In one of its many versions,
the rhyme goes like this (just read and enjoy; ignore the words you
don’t know):

Xiǎo hàozir

Shàng dēngtáir

Tōu you he

Xiabulái

Jiao Yéye

Yéye zá suàn ne ^(ONGOING ACTION)

Jiào Nǎinai       y'

Nǎinai zhǔ fan ne^

Jiào Niūer

Bào māo lai

Zēr! Zā! Deizhao le!

A little mouse

Went up the lampstand To steal oil to drink But he couldn’t get down He
called Grandpa

But Grandpa was crushing garlic He called Grandma But Grandma was
cooking He called Granddaughter Who "brought the cat Squeak! Scratch!
Got him!

rén: Besides the meaning of ’’man, person," rén can also "be used to
refer more specifically to someone’s (1) character, (2) mental state of
"being, or (3) physical self.

(1) character

Tā rén hěn rèxīn, chāngchàng bāngzhu biérén.

Tā rén zuò shi hǎo you xiǎoxīn.

Tā rén zhēn bú cuò.

-   (2) mental state

Tā hēduō le, rén yòu diǎnr bú tài qīngchu.

-   (3) physical self

Nǐ rén hǎo diǎnr le ma?

-   A: Cao Yǔshēng bú shi shuō wǔ-diǎn zhōng kāi huì ma?

-   B: Shi a!

A: Tā rén ne?

Tā gāngcái hái zài zhèr, zěnme yìhuǐr rén bú Jiàn le?

Rén lǎo xǐn bu lǎo.

He is a very warmhearted person.

He often helps others.

He does things well and carefully.

He is a very nice person.

He had too much to drink and is a little foggy.

Are you better today? (i.e., your health)

Didn’t Cáo Yǔshēng say there would be a meeting at five o’clock?

That’s right!

So where is he?

He was Just here a minute ago, how could he have disappeared so fast?

(saying) The person is old, but his heart is not old. ("young at heart")

Ren yì zǒu, chá jiu liáng.

(saying) As soon as the person has left, the tea gets cold. (describes
someone who forgets a friendship no sooner than he has left—often used
to describe Americans)

3. A: Zhèi liǎngnián nǐ nǎinai shēntǐ hǎo ma?

B: Hái hǎo, you shihou hái néng qǐlai shōushi shoushi wūzi.

Has your grandmother’s health been good the past couple of years?

Fairly good; sometimes she can still get up and straighten up the room.

Notes on No. 3

zhèi liǎngnián: "the last couple of years" Zhèi before an amount of time
often means "the last" or "the past." Liang does not necessarily mean
exactly "two" but can mean "a couple," an indefinite small number.

Guo liǎngtiān women Jiù qù.

We are going there in a couple of days.

nǎinai: "paternal grandmother" For "grandma and grandpa," the Chinese
order is almost always yéye nǎinai. LA maternal grandmother is called
lǎolao or wàipó.J Here is a tree showing what to call grandparents in
Chinese. The top two rows are conversational terms used either to
address grandparents directly or refer to them. The third row shows the
more formal words which you learned in BIO; these are not used in
addressing one’s grandparents directly. (The labels "Northern" and
"Southern," are generalizations; many more terms exist, but these are
widely encountered.)

(Northern) (Southern)

[]

shēntǐ: "body" OR "health"

Tāde shēntǐ zhēn bang.’

He is in great shape.

"bang, "to be great/fantastic/terrific"

Bié zǒngshi pīnmìng niàn shū, děi duo zhùyì shēntǐ.

Don’t always he knocking yourself out studying; you should look after
your health more.

hái hǎo: "fairly good" You first learned the adverb hái as meaning
"still." When used before a state verb, hái can also mean that the
quality expressed by that verb may still be said to apply, although just
barely. Often it may be translated as "fairly, passably":

Zhèige dianyǐng hái bū cuè,        The movie was fairly good. Although

suīrán cháng yidiǎn, kěshi         it was a little long, it was

duì wǒde Zhōngwén you bāngzhu. good for my Chinese.

Sometimes, however, you

Nèige fànguǎnr hái keyi, yǒu jǐge cài nǐ keyi shishi.

-   A: Nǐ zuìjìn zěnmeyàng?

-   B: Hái mámahūhū, jiù shi máng yidiǎnr.

-   A: Zhōngguo you yìqiānniánde lìshǐ...

-   B: A, nǐ shuō shenme? Yìqiān-nián?.’

-   A: ōu, bū shi, sānqiānnián.

-   B: Nà hái chàbuduō.

shōushi: "to straighten up"

Nǐ yīnggāi bǎ nǐde wūzi shōushi shoushi le.

Wǒ xiansheng zǒngshi shuō wǒ wūzi shōushide bù gānjing.

Zhèijiàn shi yì kāishǐ jiù zuòde bù hǎo, xiànzài méi bànfǎ shōushi le.

will need to find other translations:

That restaurant isn’t too bad. They have a few dishes you might try.

How have you been lately?

Enh, all right, just a little busy.

China has one thousand years of history...

What? How’s that? One thousand years?.’

Oh, I mean three thousand years.

That’s more like it.

You ought to straighten up your room (Le indicates "It’s gotten to that
point.")

My husband always says I don’t keep my room neat.

This thing was handled poorly right from the start. Now there’s no way
it can be remedied.

Shōushi xíngli means "to pack one’s baggage."

U. A: Zhāng jiāde érxífu hěn yǒu guǐju.

B: Shi a, Zhāng jiā nǎinai zhēn you fūqi.

The Zhāng family’s daughter-in-law is a proper young woman.

Yes, the Zhāng family’s grandmother is really blessed with good fortune.

Notes on No. U

Zhāng jia: "the Zhāng family" In Běijīng pronunciation, the jiā is
unstressed and often neutral tone, like a suffix: Zhāngjia.

érxífu: "daughter-in-law" In Běijīng, this word is often pronounced

ěrxífur or érxífer (note the vowel change).

guīju: A definite standard, regulation, or custom which forms part of
the conduct of a group of people (e.g., a community, a company, a gang,
etc.)

Zhao Zhōngguode lǎo guīju, qīng kède shihou kèren yīnggāi xiān kāishǐ
chī.

Zai qù nèige guójiā yīqián, zuì hǎo wǒ neng zhīdao yìxiē nèrde guīju.

Jūnrén you hěn duō tèbiéde guīju.

Zhè shi wǒmende guīju.

Zhème duō guīju!

It is an old Chinese custom that when you have guests, the guests should
start eating first.

Before going to that country it would best if I could find out about
some of their customs.

Military people have a lot of special regulations.

That’s the way we do things here.

All this formality!

You guīju, as you see in exchange U, means "to have manners, to be
proper (in benavior)." Mei guīju is "to be badly behaved," said, for
example, of a child. (Bù guīju may be used to imply unfaithfulness of a
wife.)

Zhāng Taitai jiāo háizi jiāode Mrs. Zhāng teaches her children well,
hǎo, tāde háizi dōu hěn you        they are all very well-behaved,

guīju.

Xiǎo Sānr! Bié zhèiyangr. Ke- Cut it out, Xiǎo Sānr. What will the ren
kànjian nǐ zènme méi           guests think when they see you mis-

guīju, zěnme hǎo yìsi?             behaving so?

fúqi: This is a traditional Chinese concept: the destiny to enjoy
happiness in life. It is different from the Western idea of luck Ewhich
is closer to Chinese yùnqiZI. Luck refers to chance occurrences like
winning a lottery, while fúqi refers to one’s whole life situation. Some
people have more fúqi and some less. In practice, fúqi is measured by a
person’s wealth, prestige, and especially his or her family situation.
In traditional China, for a man to have a lot of sons was reason to say
he had fúqi. In exchange U, the grandmother is said to have fúqi because
her daughter-in-law is a very proper or well-behaved woman.

Tā zhēn yōu fúqi, búdàn yōu yíge   He is really blessed with good for-

hǎo jiātíng, you yōu yíge hǎo tune. Not only does he have a nice
gōngzuò.                             family, but a good job, too.

Nǐ fūqi zhēn hǎo, da érzi jì       You are really blessed with good for-

qián, xiǎo nūér song huār!         tune. Your oldest son sent you

money and your little girl gave you flowers

Daughters-in-law: The relationship between the husband’s wife and his
mother is different in traditional China from in the West. A wife, after
all, is considered to become a member of her husband’s family, so she is
supposed to regard her mother-in-law as her new mother, and show her the
same filial obedience. The husband’s mother, for her part, tries to find
for her son a young woman who will obey and get along with her, who will
work hard for the family and around the house.

5. A: Guòqù, Zhōngguo rén chū guō niàn shū duo nán.’

B: Xiànzài hǎo le, zǒu dao nǎr yě méi rén kànbuqǐ le.

In the past how difficult it was for Chinese to go abroad to study.’

Now it’s better, no matter where they go, no one looks down on them
anymore.

Notes on No. 5

guòqù: "the past" Distinguish this noun from the verb "to pass," which
in Beijing has a neutral-tone qu: guòqu. Since it is a time word, the
noun guòqù may go either before the subject or between the subject and
verb. Most commonly it is placed at the very beginning of the sentence,
before the subject:

Guòqu, tā zài Xiānggǎngde shihou, In the past, when he was in Hong tā
jiāo shū.                         Kong, he taught school.

Guòqù, tā bāngguo wo hěn duō máng. In the past he has been a great help
to me.

Guòqù may also be used to modify a noun

Nà dōu shi guòqùde shi le.’

duō nán: "how difficult.’" Duō, used before a state verb to express a

Jīntiān tiānqi duō hǎo.

Nǐ bù zhīdào zài zhèr mǎi diàn-yīng piào you duō nán.’

Duō piàoliangde háizi a.’

Tā zěnme kéyi zhème shuō? Duō ràng rén shěngqì.’

Nǐ kàn tā duō xǐhuan niàn shū.

phrase:

Those are all things of the past.’

in Běijīng often pronounced duō, is high degree, like "how" in English:

How nice the weather is today.

You don’t know how hard it is to buy a movie ticket here.’

What a beautiful child!

How can he say such a thing? How infuriating!

Look at how he loves to study.

zǒu dào nǎr yě méi rén kànbuqǐ: Nǎr here is used as an indefinite
pronoun, "anywhere, no matter where." You learned about indefinite
pronouns in the Meeting module, where you had the sentence Míngtiān
xiàwu shénme shíhou dōu kéyi. A question word, such as shéi, shénme,
něige or nǎr followed by the adverb dōu before the verb expresses the
idea of "any." When the verb has bù or méi before it, the pattern
expresses the ideas of "nobody, nothing, neither, nowhere," etc.

Shéi dōu kéyi qù.                   Anyone may go.

Shéi dōu bù kéyi qù.                No one may go.

Shénme dōu kéyi yòng.

Shénme dōu bù kéyi yòng.

Něige dōu yíyàng.

Něige dōu bù qīngchu.

Nǎr dōu kéyi qù.

Nǎr dōu méi zhèr hǎo.

You may use anything.

You may not use anything.

Any of them would be the same.

None of them is clear.

You can go anywhere.

No place is as good as here.

When bù or méi is used before the verb, the adverb yě can be used in
place of dōu:

Shéi yě bù kéyi qù.                 No one can go.

Shénme yě bù kéyi yòng.            You may not use anything.

Něige yě bù qíngchu.               None of them is clear.

Nǎr yě méi zhèr hǎo.                No place is as good as here.

The "any/no" expression may be the subject or object of the sentence, or
as in exchange 5, it may be the object of a prepositional verb:

Mai gěi shéi dōu kéyi.              It’s okay to sell it to anyone.

Mai gěi shéi dōu bu kéyi.           It’s not okay to sell it to any-

Mài gěi shéi yě bu kéyi. J            one.

Fang zai nǎr dōu yíyàng.           It’s the same wherever you put it.

Fàng zai nǎr dōu bù yíyàng.        It’s different every place you put
it.

Dào něige yóujú qù jì dōu kéyi. It would be all right to go to any post
office to mail it•

Gēn shéi shuō dōu (OR yě) méi It doesn’t matter who you tell it to.
guānxi.

kànbuqǐ: A resultative compound verb meaning "to look down on, to scorn,
to despise." Unlike other resultative verb compounds, this one occurs
only with -de- or -bu-. (Méi kànqǐ and kànqǐ le are very rare.)

Bié kànbuqǐ zhèixiē xiǎo shi. Don’t look down on these little matters.

Wǒ zuì kànbuqǐ zhèiyangde rén. I despise this kind of person most.

Bù yǐnggāi kànbuqǐ fùnū, nánrén    Don’t look down on women. Anything

néng zuǒde shi, nùrén yě néng a man can do a woman can do. zuò.

The positive form kàndeqǐ means to treat someone or something seriously
because you believe them/it to be capable, important, worthy, etc. It
may be translated as "to think a lot of," "to think highly of":

Wǒ kàndeqǐ ni cái ràng nǐ guan zhèijiàn shi.

Nǐ yàoshi xiǎng ràng biérén kàndeqǐ ni, n? děi bī biérén zuò-de hǎo.

It’s only because I think a lot of you that I’m letting you have charge
of this matter.

If you want to have others think highly of you, you have to do better
than they.

6. A: Rénjia dōu juéde Xiǎo Wáng Everyone feels Xiǎo Wáng is a very shi
ge hěn you lǐmàode          well-mannered child,

háizi.

Notes on No. 6

rénjia: This pronoun has a few different meanings. As used in exchange 6
it means "everyone, people (in general), they":

Rénjia dōu shuō nèige dìfang hěn People say that place is very pretty,
hǎo kàn.

It can also mean "other people" or "someone else":

Zhèiběnr shū dàgài kéyi jiè gěi I can probably lend you this book, nī,
būguò shi rénjiade, wǒ děi but it’s someone else’s. I have xiǎn wènwen.
                       to ask them first.

Besides referring to unspecified people, rénjia can also refer to
specific people. Most often it refers to a specific third party, "he,"
"she," or ’’they":

Rénjia bu jiè, suàn le ba.’

-   A: Nǐ nūér you háizi le meiyou?

-   B: Méiyou—rénjia bú yào.’

Wǒ gěi rénjia, rénjia bú yào. Zěnme ban?

Nǐ kàn rénjia Xiǎo Huá xuéde duo hǎo, nǐ ne.’

If he doesn’t want to lend it, then just forget it.’

Has your daughter had any children yet?

No—she doesn’t want any.’

I tried to give it to her, but she didn’t want it. What can you do?

Look at how well Xiǎo Huá does in her studies, but you.’

Renjia may also refer to the speaker, in other words, "l." In such a
case, the speaker is being intentionally playful, witty, or cute:

Nǐ yào zenme duō?.’ Gěi rénjia yidiǎnr ma.'

Rénjia bù xǐhuan zhèizhōng diànyīng.' Wèishénme yídǐng yào qù kàn?

Rénjia děng nǐ yíge zhōngtōu le.

Jǐntiǎn shi Xǐngqǐtiān, ràng rénjia duō shuì yihuǐr ma!

You want so much?! Come on, give me a little!

I don't like this kind of movie!

Why do I have to go see it?

I’ve been waiting for you for an hour.

Today's Sunday. Let me sleep a little later!

1ǐmào: "manners, etiquette," the expression in speech and behavior of
modesty and respectfulness. This includes politeness of speech, saying
the right things at the right times, table manners, and so on. CLǏ is
"ritual." Mào is "appearance."!

Congqian zài Zhōngguo lǐmào hěn yàojǐn.

Etiquette used to be very important in China.

Yōu lǐmào means "to be well-mannered," méiyou lǐmào "to be
ill-mannered."

7. A: Zhèi yǐjiā rén dōu niànguo bù shǎo shū.

B: Tīngshuō tāmende sūnzi sūnnū xiànzài dōu ni àn Si Shū ne.'

This whole family has had quite a good education.

I understand that their grandsons and granddaughters are (all) studying
the Four Books now!

Notes on No. 7

Zhèi yìjiā rén: "this family" You already a noun meaning "family," for
example, women jiā, also be used as a counter. It may be used alone ing.
The translation is still "family."

know that jiā can be used as "our family." But jiā can or with the noun
rén follow-

Nèi yijiā, rénrén dōu gōngzuò, yìtiān dào wǎn méi rén zài jiā.

Everyone in that family works.

There's no one home all day long.

Cong zhèi sānjiā rénde qíngxing, nǐ kéyi zhīdao yìxiē guānyū Zhōngguo
rénde shēnghuo.

From the situations of these three families, you can learn something
about the life of the Chinese.

niànguo bù shǎo shū: Literally, "studied a lot of books." This is the
GENERAL OBJECT shū which you first learned back in the Biographic
Information module. It doesn't really mean "books," but anything at all
which is studied. Niàn shū Just means "to study, to be in school," so we
translate niànguo bù shǎo shū as "to be very well educated" or "to have
a good education."

Sūnzi, "grandson," and sūnnu, "granddaughter" include only the children
of one’s son. CThe children of one’s daughter are called wàisūnzi and
wài-sūnnu.i Sūnnu may also have an -r ending: sūnnur (the real Běijīng
pronunciation of -nur is kind of tricky; ask a native Běijīng speaker to
say sūnnur for you).

Si Shū: "the Four Books," which are Daxué, "The Great Learning";
Zhōng-yōng, "The Doctrine of the Mean"; Lunyǔ, "The Analects of
Confucius"; and Mèngzǐ, "Mencius." Dàxué and Zhōngyōng are chapters from
Lǐ Jì, "The Book of Rites," which were raised to the status of separate
"books" by the Southern Song Dynasty philosopher Zhū Xī. After the Song
Dynasty, philosophers of the Idealist school looked upon the Four Books
as the classics of Confucianism. Many older Chinese you meet today
studied the Four Books when they were children.

8. A: Tāmen jiā guòqù shi yǒu qián Their family used to be rich, rén,
yǒu bù shǎo cáichǎn.       They had quite a lot of property.

B: Nǐ shuōde cáichǎn shi           The property you’re talking

tǔdì ba?                        about is land, isn’t it?

Notes on No. 8

yǒu qián: "to be rich," literally, "to have money." You have now seen
quite a few phrases built around the state verb yǒu:

you yìsi to you bāngzhu to yǒu dǎolī to you xìngqu to yǒu yánjiū to

be interesting, to be fun

be helpful

be reasonable, to be logical

be interested

be expert

Like other state verbs (such as hǎo, "to be good," ài, "to love," huì,
"to be able to, to know how to,"), yǒu can be modified by adverbs such
as hěn, "very"; fēicháng, "very, extremely"; zhēn, "really"; tài, "too";
etc.

  ------------ -------- ---------------
  Tā           hěn      yǒu qián.
  Nèiběn shū   zhēn     you yìsi.
  Lǐ Ping      zuì      méi xìngqu.
  Zenme shuō   shízài   méiyou dàolǐ.
  ------------ -------- ---------------

"He is very rich."

"That book is really interesting." "Lǐ Ping is the least interested."
"To say that is really unreasonable.

You, of course, differs from all other state verbs in that it is made
negative with méi instead of bù. BÙ may nevertheless modify an adverb
preceding yǒu:

Tā bū tài yǒu qián.

He isn’t too rich.

You cannot use méi in this sentence because the negation goes with tài,
not with yǒu. In fact, switching around the order of negative and adverb
results in a big difference in meaning:

Bū tài you yìsi.

Tài méiyou yìsi.’

Not too interesting.

So boring!

you qián rén:

"wealthy people" This is a sort of compound noun, so

-de is not used.

9. A: Nǐ zhùxialai ba, yě kéyi        Stay (live) here and you can help

gěi wǒmen bāng dianr            us a bit.

máng.

B: Wǒ báitiān you kè, zhǐ hǎo I have classes during the day; wǎnshang
zuò diǎnr shǐ.          I can only work at night.

Notes on No. 9

either mean The ending not going away.

zhùxialai: "to stay; to settle down" in a place. Zhù can "to live, to
reside" or just "to stay" temporarily in a place, -xialai adds the
meaning of coming to rest,

Gang láide shihou bù zhīdao, zhùxialai yǐhǒu cái zhīdao wèishénme méi
rén xǐhuan dǎo zhèige dìfang lái.

-   A: Wǒ xiǎnzǎi qù zhǎo yige lùguǎn qu.

-   B: Méi guānxi, nǐ jiù zǎi wǒ jiā zhùxialai baJ

bāng máng: "to help; help" Unit 6. common.

When you first get here you don’t know, it’s only after you’ve lived
here for a while that you realize why nobody likes to come here.

I’m going to go look for a hotel now

That’s all right, why don’t you just stay at my house?

You first saw this in the Welfare module, Both are very

Then in Unit 2 of this module, you learned bāngzhu.

Bāngzhu is a little more formal than bāng máng, which is purely

conversational.

Bāng máng is a verb-object phrase (literally, "help-busy,"—"help me in
my busy-ness"). For example, you can say

Bāng wo yidiǎnr máng.              Help me a little.

Wǒ zǎi Měiguode shihou, tā         He helped me a lot when I was in

bāngle wǒ bù shǎo máng.            America.

Bāngzhu, however, is just a verb. The word order is therefore simpler
with bāngzhu than with bāngmáng.

  ---- ---- ----------------------
       Tā   bāngzhu wo.
       Tā   bāng      wǒde máng.
  or   Tā   gěi wo    bāng máng.
  ---- ---- ----------------------

"He helps me."

You can see that when bāng máng is used, the person helped is expressed
either (1) in a phrase modifying máng or (2) in a prepositional phrase
with gěi.

zhǐ hǎo: "can only, have no choice hut to"

Xiǎ zhème dàde yù, women zhǐ hǎo hú qù le.

Dǎjiǎ dōu hú yuǎnyi péi wo qù, wō zhǐ hǎo yíge rén qù le.

Oqyou yuè lai yuè guǐ, hěn duō rén zhǐ hǎo zuò gōnggòng qìchē le.

Since it’s raining so hard, we have no choice hut not to go.

Nobody wants to go with me. All I can do is go hy myself.

With gasoline getting more and more expensive, many people have no
choice hut to take the hus.

10. A: Wō mùqin zǒng dǎnxǐn wǒ gēge zǎi wǎihianr chǐ kù.

B: Tāmen jīge xiǎopéngyou hùxiǎng hang mǎng, hú huì chǐ kǔde.

Notes on No. 10

dǎnxǐn: "to he worried (that)"

Yǐjīng shíyīdiǎn le, Xiǎo Ping hái méi huílai, tāde fùmǔ hěn dǎnxǐn.

Nī hú hi dǎnxǐn, háizi dale, tǎ zìjī huì dǒngde.

Wǒ dǎnxǐn tǎde xuéxí.

Wǒ dǎnxǐn wǒ nǎinaide shēntǐ.

Wǒ dǎnxǐn tǎ you shénme wèntí.

Tǎ dǎnxǐn tǎ zuòbuhǎo nèijiǎn shi.

My mother is always worried that my older brother is having a rough time
away from home.

His bunch of friends help each other out. They don’t have such a rough
time.

It’s eleven o’clock already and Xiǎo Ping hasn’t gotten back home yet.
His parents are very worried.

You don’t need to worry. When the child grows up he’ll understand.

I’m worried about his studies.

I’m worried about my grandmother’s health.

I’m worried that he has some problem.

He’s worried he won’t be able to do it well.

zǎi wǎihianr: Literally, "on the outside," a common way of saying "away
from home" or "away from one’s hometown." The Chinese have an expression
(in literary style), Zǎi jiǎ qiǎn rì hǎo, chū wǎi yì shi nán, "At home
one thousand days are good, but when one is on the outside (away from
one’s hometown) even one moment is difficult."

chǐ kǔ: "to have a rough time, to suffer hardships" Kǔ, "bitter," when
referring to life or an experience, means "hardship, suffering, pain."

Tǎ chīle bù shǎo kù cái cong dǎ- He went through some rough times xué
bìyè.                           before he graduated from college.

Méiyou chīguo zhànzhēngde’ kǔ, If you haven’t experienced the suffer-jiù
bù zhīdao jīntiānde shēng- ing of war, you don’t know that our huó láide
bù róngyi.                life today didn’t come easily.

Neng chi kǔ means "to be able to take hardships," "to have fortitude."

Zhōngguo hěn duō rénde kànfǎ shi   In China many people think that young

niánqīng rén yīnggāi néng chī people ought to be able to take kǔ.
                                 hardship.

Tā neige rén hěn néng chī kǔ, He can take a lot of hardship. Don’t bú
yòng dānxīn.                    worry.

hùxiāng: "mutually, reciprocally, with each other" This is an adverb, so
it must go after the subject (if there is one) and before the verb.

Women kéyi hùxiāng xuéxí. Nǐ We can learn from each other. You jiāo wo
Yǐngwén, wō Jiāo ni        teach me English and I’ll teach you

Zhōngwén.                            Chinese.

"zhànzhēng, "war"

Unit b, Review Dialogue

Early in the morning the day after Hong Kong, Lǐ Ping’s grandmother (C)
is when Lǐ Ping walks in.

B:     Nǎinai, nín zhēn zǎo. Wǒ mā

ne? *

C:     Tā ya, chūqu mǎi cai le. Erzi

huilai le, zǒng yào duō mǎi diǎnr cài ma.’ Nǐde péngyou ne? Tā hái
méiyou qǐlai La?

B:      Qilai le, xǐ liǎn ne.

C:     Xiǎo Ping a, nǐde péngyou

Jiao shénme míngzi, wǒ you wang le.

B:      Jiao ’’Tāngmǔ.’’

C:     5, "Tāngmǔ," hái hǎo jì. Nǐ hé

tā shuō, dàole zánmen jiā, Jiù shi yìjiā rén, shénme shir dōu bié kèqi.
Tā yí kèqi, wǒ Jiu hù zhidao zěnme bàn hǎo le.

B:     Wǒmen huilai yǐqián zài Tāngmǔ

Jiā zhùle liǎngtiān, tā Laba māma duì wǒ hěn hǎo. Tāngmǔ rén yě hěn hǎo,
zài Měiguode shihou, tā gěi wo bù shǎo bāngzhu.

C:     Ò, zhèiyang hǎo, niánqīng rén

yǐnggāi hùxiāng bāng máng. Ai.’ Jìde nī yéye zài Rìběn nèi shihou,
pīnmìng niàn shū, rénjia Rìběn rén háishi kànbuqǐ ya, nǎr you shénme
Rìběn péngyou. Zhǐ hǎo Jīge Zhōngguo xuésheng zhù zai yìqǐ. Ai.’

B:     Nǎinai, guǒqùde shi Jiu bié qù

xiǎng ta le.

Lǐ Ping (B) and Tom (A) arrive in straightening up the living room,

You’re up so early, Grandma. Where’s Mom?

Oh, she went out to buy some groceries. When a son comes back, you’ve
always got to buy some extra food. Where’s your friend? He’s not up yet,
is he?

Yes, he’s up. He’s washing his face.

Xiǎo Ping, what’s your friend’s name? I’ve forgotten it again.

"Tom. ’’

Hm, "Tom," that’s fairly easy to remember. You tell him that in our
house he’s Just part of the family and he shouldn’t be polite about
anything. Once he starts in with the politeness, I won’t know what to
do.

Before we came back we stayed at Tom’s house for a couple of days. His
parents were very nice to me. Tom is also a very good person; when we
were in America, he helped me a lot.

Mm. That’s good. Young people ought to help each other out. (Sigh) I
remember when your grandfather was in Japan, he studied like crazy, but
those Japanese still looked down on him. He didn’t have any Japanese
friends to speak of. The Chinese students just had to live together.
(Sigh)

Grandma, don’t go thinking about things from bygone days anymore.

Questions ending in ne often ask the whereabouts of someone or
something, hence the translation "Where’s Mom?"

C:     Xiànzài hǎodeduō le, nǐ zài

wàibianr niàn shū, wǒ bu nàme dǎnxǐn le.                   ...

(Tom enters. )

A:     Lǐ Nǎinai , nín zǎo!

C:     Zǎo, Tāngmǔ, zuòle yìtiān fēijǐ

bù duō shuì yihuǐr?

-   A: Shuìgòu le. Lǐ Nǎinai, nín

zuòzhe ba, women bāng nín shōushi.

C:     Duō you līmàode háizi!

These days, it’s much better. I don’t worry so much about you out there
studying.

Good morning, Grandma Lǐ!

Good morning, Tom. After a day on the airplane don’t you want to get
some more sleep?

No, I’ve gotten enough sleep. Grandma Lǐ, you sit down, we’ll straighten
up for you.

What a well-mannered child!

A:     Lǐ Nǎinai, nín he érzi, érxífur

zhù zai yìqǐ, sūnzi, sūnnǔ yě cháng lái, nínde fúqi zhēn hǎo.

C:     Shéi shuō bú shi ne? Wǒ cháng

shuō, women jiāde fúqi dōu shi wǒ nà xiàoshunde érxífur dàilaide.

-   B: Wǒ nǎinai you gāi’ shuō women

jiāde lìshǐ le.

A:     Lǐ Nǎinai, zhèixiē shir nín

gěi wǒ jiǎngjiang xíng bu xíng?

-   C: Hǎo wa. Shuōqilái huà jiu

cháng le.’” Wǒ he Xiǎo Ping yéye dōu shi Shěnyáng rén. Rìben rén láile
yǐhòu, cáichǎn ya, tǔdì ya, dōu bù néng guan le, líkāi jiā pǎo dàole
Nánfāng. Xiǎo Ping bàba zài Shànghǎi niàn shū cái rànshile women zhèige
érxífu.

Grandma Lǐ, you’re so fortunate to live with your son and
daughter-in-law, and to have your grandson and grandaughter come often.

That’s for sure. I often say that the good fortune of our f ami 1y was
all brought to us by that filial daughter-in-law of mine.

Here goes Grandma telling our family history again.

Grandma Lǐ, could you tell me about these things?

Sure! It’s a long story. Xiao Ping’s grandfather and I are both from
Shěnyáng (Mukden). When the Japanese came, we couldn’t bother with our
property or land any more; we left our home and fled to the South.. Xiǎo
Ping’s father didn’t meet our daughter-in-law’ until he was going to
school in Shànghǎi.

*Tom knows that this way of addressing Grandma is proper for a friend of
her grandson. He intentionally calls her Lǐ Nǎinai as soon as he sees
her in order to establish the relationship.

”gāi: "will probably"

’’’More literally, "When it comes to telling it, the talk is long."
’’’’Notice that grandma’s phrasing shows that the woman is first a
daughter-in-law, then a wife.

A:     Nei shihou nuhaizi shang da-

xuéde duō hu duō?

C:     Méiyou xiànzài zhème duō.

Women érxífu jiā xiāngdāng yǒu qián, érqiě yídàjiā rén yǒu qī-hāshígè,
zài Sūzhōu shéi dōu zhīdao tāmen jiā.

-   A: Zhèiyangrde jiātíng’ guīju

yídìng bù shǎo.

C:     Shéi shuō hu shi ne.’ Tāmen

jiāde xiáojie bù néng zài wài-hianr niàn shū, zhǐ néng qīng lāoshǐ dào
jiāli jiāo diǎnr Si Shū shenmede. Xiǎo Ping mǔqin juéde yíge fùnǔ yào
zài shèhuìshang dull, yídìng děi chūqu niàn shū. Jiù zhèiyang, tā cái
pǎo dào Shànghǎi niàn shū qu le.

A:     Zài nèi shihou, zhēn hu róngyi.

C:     Zài dàxuéde shíhou, Xiǎo

Píngde fùmǔ shi hěn hǎode péngyou, kěshi zěnme hàn ne? Women shénme dōu
méiyou le, yě méiyou qián, zìjǐde érzi zěnme néng hé zhèiyangr yíwèi
xiáojie jiēhūn ne? Xiǎo Ping mā hu name xiǎng. . . .

A:     Tā zěnme xiǎng?

C:     Tā shuō tā yào zhǎo yíge zìjǐ

xǐhuande rén jiēhūn, dìwei he qián dōu hu zhǒngyào. Ai, tā chile duōshao
kǔ cái líkāile nèige dà jiātíng.

A:     Nà, nǐmen zěnme dào Xiānggǎng

lái le ne?

C:     Tāmen zài Yīngguó niànwán shū

jiù lái Xiānggǎng zuǒ shi, yìnián yǐhòu you hǎ women jiē-lai le,
zhèiyangr yìjiā rén cái zài Xiānggǎng zhùxialai le. Xiànzài wǒ niánji dà
le, jiāli dà shir xiǎo shir dōu shi Xiǎo

Were there many women who went to college in those days?

Not as many as there are now. My daughter-in-law’s family was quite
rich, and there were seventy or eighty people in that one big family.
Everyone in Sūzhōu knew them.

A family like that must have had a strict code of behavior.

You bet they did! Their young ladies couldn’t go to school outside the
home: they could only hire a teacher to come to the house and teach them
a little of the Four Books and so forth. Xiǎo Ping’s mother felt that if
a woman wanted to be independent in society, she had to leave home to
study. That’s why she ran away to Shànghǎi to go to school.

That must have been really hard back then.

When they were in college, Xiǎo Ping’s parents were very good friends,
but what were we to do? We didn’t have a thing left, and we didn’t have
any money. How could our (own) son marry a young lady like that? But
Xiǎo Ping’s mother didn’t think so. . . .

What did she think?

She said she wanted to find a person she herself liked to get married
to, and that status and money weren’t important. (Sigh) What she went
through to leave that big family.

Well then, how did you come to Hong Kong?

When they finished school in England they came to Hong Kong to work; a
year later they brought us out, and then our whole family settled here.
Now that I’m getting on in years, Xiǎo Ping’s mother takes care of all
the big and small matters

Ping mùqin guan. Nǐ shuō wǒ fúqi hǎo, zhēn shi yidiǎnr yě bū cuò.

-   B: Nǎinai, wǒ mǎ kuài huilai le

ba?

-   C: Kuài huilai le, women qù bǎ

zǎofàn nònghǎo ba.

A, B: Hǎo, zǒu ba.

here at home. So when you say I’m blessed with good fortune, you’re
absolutely right.

Grandma, Mom will be home soon, won’t she?

Yes. Let’s go get breakfast ready.

Okay, let’s go.

Unit U, Tape 2 Workbook

Exercise 1

This exercise is a review of the Reference List sentences in this unit.
The speaker will say a sentence in English, followed by a pause for you
to translate it into Chinese. Then a second speaker will confirm your
answer.

All sentences from the Reference List will occur only once.

You may

want to rewind the tape and practice this exercise several times.

Exercise 2

This exercise is a conversation between two neighbors who meet in their
courtyard in Beijing.

The conversation occurs only once. After listening to it completely,
you’ll probably want to rewind the tape and answer the questions below
as you listen a second time.

Here are the new words and phrases you will need to understand this
conversation:

Dàjiě

shàng bānde shàng bān, shàng xuéde shàng xué

zuòbuliǎo

yí

gai

zhàngfǔ

gāi

"Older Sister," a familiar way of addressing a woman about one's own age
or older

They're either at the office or at school; some are at the office and
others at school

unable to do

as soon as

to build, to construct

government

should

Questions for Exercise 2

Prepare your answers to these questions in Chinese so that you will be
able to give them orally in class.

-   1. Why does Older Sister Lin do all of her own housework?

-   2. What does she think of her daughter-in-law?

-   3. What can you infer about what housing is like in Older Sister
    Lin's neighborhood?

-   k. From this conversation you can see that a daughter-in-law

is very important in the Chinese family. Make a list of her
responsibilities.

After you have answered these questions yourself, you may want to take a
look at the translation for this conversation. You may also want to
listen to the dialogue again to help you practice saying your answers.

Note: The translations used in these dialogues are meant to indicate the
English functional equivalents for the Chinese sentences rather than the
literal meaning of the Chinese.

Exercise 3

In this conversation a Chinese man invites his girlfriend over for
dinner.

Listen to the conversation once straight through. Then, on the second
time through, look below and answer the questions.

Here are the new words and phrases you will need to understand this
conversation:

pa                                  to be afraid

shǒuchāode                         handwritten

Questions for Exercise 3

Prepare your answers to these questions in Chinese so that you will be
able to give them orally in class.

-   1. Why is Xiao Lan hesitant to go to her boyfriend’s home for
    dinner?

-   2. Why does Xiao Lan think large families are difficult?

-   3. Where would the couple live if they got married? Why must they
    wait for a place of their own to live?

-   U. What does Xiao Lan think of bringing to her boyfriend’s home that
    evening? Why?

After you have answered these questions yourself, you may want to take a
look at the translation for this conversation. You may also want to
listen to the conversation to help you practice saying the answers which
you have prepared.

Exercise U

In this exercise a grandmother talks with her granddaughter.

Listen to the conversation straight through once. Then rewind the tape
and listen again. On the second time through, answer the questions.

You will need the following new words and phrases:

quánjiā rén

xìngkuí

guò rìzi

rìzi bù hǎo guò

qiāo men

Questions for Exercise U

the whole family fortunately, luckily to live; to get along hard to get
along to knock at the door

Prepare your answers to these questions in Chinese so that you will be
able to give them orally in class.

-   1. What does Grandma think of the new generation of
    daughters-in-law?

-   2. How does Grandma remember her own experience as a newlywed?

-   3. What is the difference between "standards of conduct" and
    "manners"?

U. Why does Grandma reprimand Xiǎo Yun? Do you think she was justified?

After you have answered these questions yourself, you may want to take a
look at the translation for this conversation. You may also want to
listen to the conversation again to help you pronounce your answers
correctly.

Dialogue and Translation for Exercise 2

In Beijing, two old neighbors meet in their courtyard.

-   A: Lin Dajiě, xī yifu na!

-   B: Bù xī zěnme ban, shàng bānde

shàng ban, shàng xuéde shang xué, jiālide shir hai bu shi dōu děi wǒ
zuò!

-   A: Haizimen dōu mang, you nín zài

jiā, gěi tamen bāng bù shǎo mángr.

-   B: Ai, nianJi dà le, zuòbuliāo

duōshǎo shir le!

-   A: Wǒ kàn, nín érxífur zài jiāde

shihour, yě bāng nín zuò bù shǎo shi a.

-   B: Nǐ shuōde yidiǎnr yě bú cuò,

wǒ nèige érxífur bǐ wǒ érzi hāo-duō le, yí dào jiā, you zuò fàn, you xǐ
yifu, you shōushi wūzi, ài! Kěxi wǒ bù néng shénme shir dōu kào ta ya.

-   A: Wèishenme ne?

-   B: Rénjia duō mang! Yíge yuè cái

néng hui jiā yícì.

-   A: Nà tā bù néng zài nín jiāli

zhùxialai ma?

-   B: Bù xíng a! Wūzi tài xiǎo!

Erxífur huílaile, ràng ta zhù zai nǎr?

A:     Shi a! Yàoshi you fángzi,

yijiā rén zhù zai yíkuàir, hùxiāng bāngmángr, nà you duō hǎo! Duì le,
ting wǒ nuér shuō, tāmen xuéxiào nèibiānr gàile hǎo duō xīn fángzi.

Older Sister Lin, doing your laundry?

If I didn’t do it what would we do; everyone is either at the office or
at school, don’t I have to do all the house work in the end!

Your children are all busy, but you’re at home helping them out a lot.

(Sigh), I’m getting old, I can’t do very much any more!

I see that when your daughter-in-law is home she helps you do a lot of
things too.

You’re absolutely right. That daughter-in-law of mine is much better
than my son. As soon as she gets to the house, she cooks and washes and
straightens up the room. (Sigh), it’s too bad I can’t depend on her for
everything.

Why not?

She’s so busy! She can only come home once a month.

Well, can’t she move in with you?

That wouldn’t do! The house is too small! If my daughter-in-law came
back, where would I have her stay?

Yes! If you had enough housing, how nice it would be to have the whole
family living together and helping each other. Oh yes—I hear from my
daughter that a lot of new buildings have been built over by their
school.

B:     Fángzi wèntí shi ge dà shir,

zhèngfǔ bú huì bù guǎn. Yǒule xǐn fangzi, zánmen jiu hǎo le.

-   A: Kě bu shi ma! Dàole nèige

shihour, nín jiu bú yòng dǎnxǐn le. Nín gēn nín érxífur yídìng néng bǎ
zhèige jiā nòngde shūshufufude.

-   B: Shi a! Nà jiu hǎo le!

-   A: Hǎo, Lin Dàjiě, bù zǎo le,

wǒ yě gāi hui jiā zuò fàn qu le. You shíjiān zài liáo a.

-   B: Méi shir jiu lái zuòzuo.

Màn zǒu a!

The housing problem is a big thing; the government wouldn’t ignore it.
After we get some new housing Tin this areai we’ll be all right.

That’s for sure! When that time comes you won’t have to worry any more.
I’m sure you and your daughter-in-law will be able to make a very
comfortable home.

Yes.’ Then everything will be all right.’

All right, Older Sister Lin, it’s getting late, and I should really be
going back home to fix dinner. We’ll chat some more when we have time.

Stop in sometime when you’re not busy. Take care!

Dialogue and Translation for Exercise 3

In Běijīng, a S^-year-old man (M) talks with his 23-year-old woman
friend

(F). They have been close friends for

M:     Xiǎo Lán, jǐntiǎn wǒ bàba zài

jiā, wǎnshang dào women jiā chǐ fàn ba!

F:     Wǒ bú qù.

M:     Wèishénme? Wǒ bàba rén hěn

hǎo, nǐ bú bì dǎnxǐn.

F:      Wǒ mā shuō . . .

M:     Nǐ mā shuō shénme?

F:     Wǒ mā shuō: nǐ jiā rén duō, nǐ

yéye, nǎinai hái zài, xiōngdì jiěmèi hǎojǐgè, jiāli guīju yě bù shǎo, pà
wǒ qùle yǐhòu chǐ kǔ.

a while.

Xiǎo Lán, my father is home today, why don’t you have dinner at our
house tonight?

I’m not going.

Why? My father’s a very good person you don’t have to worry.

My mother said . . .

What did your mother say?

My mother said that you have a big family. Your grandparents are still
alive, you have so many brothers and sisters, and your family has such a
strict code of behavior, that she was afraid I would have a rough time
after I went Ci.e., after I married you and went to live with your
family!.

“shūshufufude, "very comfortable" *“yě gāi, "really should"

M:     Hai, nǐ xiǎngde tài duō le, wo

nainai guòqǔ zuò érxífude shihou chǐguo hěn duō kǔ, suōyǐ tā duì wō mama
tèbié hǎo, nǐ xiǎng wǒ nǎinai, wǒ mama tāmen zěnme huì rang ni chǐ kǔ
ne?

F:     Xiànzài dāngrán hái hǎo, yǐhòu

ne? Yídàjiā rén zhǔ zai yíkuàir, shíjiān chángle zǒng shi hěn máfande.

M:     Zhèi yidiǎn wǒ yě xiǎngdàole,

niánji dàle, xiǎngfa youde shihou he niánqīng rén bǔ tài yíyàng, yǐhòu
youle fángzi women bānchulai jiu xíng le.

F:     Shénme shíhour cái néng yǒu

fángzi ne?

M:     Bié jí, wǒ xiǎng bǔ huì děng

hěn cháng shíjiānde.

F:     Èng.

M:     Nàme, jīntiān wǎnshang dào

women jiā qu, hǎo ma?

F:     Mm . . . Jīntiān wǎnshang dōu

yǒu shéi?

M:     Zhǐ yǒu wǒ bàba, māma, hé wǒ,

xiōngdì jiěmèi dōu bǔ zài.

F:     Nà, yéye, nǎinai ne?

M:     Yéye nǎinai hē cháde shihou

guòlai zuò yixiar, ránhòu jiu hui tāmen wūzi xiūxi qu le.

F:     Tōuyicì qǔ, wǒ dài diǎnr

shénme hǎo a?

M:     Shénme dōu bǔ yào dài.

Oh come on, you’re thinking too much. Back when my grandmother was a
daughter-in-law she had quite a rough time, so she’s particularly good
to my mother. Really, how could my grandmother and mother give you a
hard time.’

Of course it’s okay now, but how about later on? When a large family
lives together, it always gets difficult after a while.

I’ve thought of that too. When people get older, their way of thinking
is sometimes kind of different from young people. Afterwards when we get
a place Cof our own] we’ll move out, and then it will be all right.

And when will we be able to get a place to live?

Don’t worry, I don’t think we’ll have to wait too long.

Mm.

Then, how about going to our house tonight?

Mm . . . Who’s going to be there tonight?

Just my father, mother, and I. None of my brothers and sisters will be
there.

What about your grandparents?

They’ll come out and sit for a while when we have tea, and then they’ll
go back to their room to rest.

What should I bring, since this is my first visit?

Don’t bring anything at all.

"Fángzi here refers to any type of housing, including an apartment or
just a room. The housing situation in Běijīng is so tight that this
couple will probably have to wait months to get one room.

F:     Na zěnme xíng? Tǐngshuō nǐ

yéyede zì xiěde hěn hǎo a?

M:     Shǐ a, zěnme la?

F:     Wǒ hàha you yítǎo shǒuchāode

Si Shū, song gěi nǐ yéye hǎo hu hǎo?

M:     Na tài hǎo le.

F:     Wǒ hui jiā shōushi yixiar jiu

lái.

M:     Děng yihuǐr wǒ lái jiē ni a.’

B:      Èi!

How can I do that? I hear your grandfather is very good at writing
characters?

That’s right. Why?

My father has a handwritten copy of the Four Books. How about if I give
it to your grandfather?

That would be great.

I’m going to go home now to straighten up a bit and then I’ll be right
there.

I’ll come and get you in a while.’

Okay.’

Dialogue and Translation for Exercise U

Conversation between a grandmother

-   A: Xiǎo Yun na.’ Bādiǎn ban le,

hai bu qǐlai.’

-   B: Nǎinai, jintiān shi Xīngqītiān,

rang rénjia duō shuì yihuǐr ma.’

-   A: Xiǎnzǎide niánqīng rén zhēn

you fūqi, shuì dao bādiǎn ban hái bu xiǎng qǐ. Women zuò érxífu-de
shihou, wǔdiǎn zhōng jiu děi qǐlai, zuò quánjiā rénde zǎofǎn le, nǎr
néng shuì dao bādiǎn ban?!

-   B: Nà dōu shi guǒqùde shir le!

A:     Shi a. Guǒqùde shi, zhēn shi

méi bǎnfar shuō. Wǒ gēn nǐ yéye jiēhūnde shihou, nǐ yéye Jiā hěn you
qián, yě you bù shǎo tǔdì, wǒmen jiāli méi shenme cáichǎn, dǎole rénjia
jiāli, yídàjiā rén dōu kǎnzhe wǒ zhèige xīn láide érxífu. Zěnme ban ne?
Wǒ zhī-hǎo zuǒle zhèiyangr zuǒ nèi-yangr*, yìtiān dǎo wǎn méiyou tíngde
shihou. Ai! Xìngkuī nǐ

zuǒle zhèiyangr zuǒ nèiyangr: ’’After i.e., "do one task after another."

and granddaughter in Běijīng.

Xiǎo Yun! It’s half past eight, aren’t you getting up!

Grandma, today’s Sunday. Let me sleep a little later!

Young people today are so fortunate. They sleep until eight-thirty and
still don’t want to get up. When we were daughters-in-law, we had to get
up at five o’clock and make breakfast for the whole family. Who could
sleep until eight-thirty!

Those are all things of the past!

Yes. The things of the past are really sad to recall. When I married
your grandfather, his family was rich and had a lot of land. Our family
didn’t have much property. When I arrived in his household, everyone in
that huge family stared at me, the new daughter-in-law. What could I do?
Just keep slaving away. I didn’t stop the whole day long. (Sigh) It’s a
good thing your grandfather

having done this thing, do that thing,"

yéye shi ge hao rén, wode rìzi cái hǎo guò yidiǎnr.

B:     Xiànzài bù tong le, xiànzài

niánqīng rén jiéhūn yīhòu hú yòng zài dǎnxǐn zhèixiē le.

-   A: Kěshi guīju háishi děi you a!

Dei you lǐmào, jiǎli lǎorén dōu qǐlai le, nǐ hái shuì zài chuángshang,
nà zěnme xíng?

-   B: Hǎo le, hǎo le, nǎinai, wǒ mǎ-

shàng jiu qǐlai le. Nī tīng, shéi zài qiǎo men na?!

-   A: Hái wen shenme?’ Hái hu shi

nīde péngyou lái le.

-   B: Láojià, láojià, hǎo nǎinai,

nín qù kǎi mén ha, wǒ kuài hǎ wūzi shōushi yixiar.

A:     Hǎo hǎo hǎo, wǒ jiù qù, kuài

shōushi ha!

was a good man; that’s the only thing that made life a little easier.

Things are different now. Now young people don’t have to worry about
that sort of thing after they get married.

But you still have to have standards of conduct! You have to have
manners. If the old people in the family are up and you’re still in hed
sleeping, is that any way to act?

Okay, okay, grandma. I’ll get up right away. Listen, who’s knocking at
the door?.’

You have to ask? It’s your friend, of course.

Oh, please, please, would you go get the door, dear grandma? I’ll
straighten the room real quickly.

Okay, I’ll get it right away. You hurry and straighten up.

°Hái, "still" is used in rhetorical questions; here it implies "The
answer to your question is so obvious, why are you still asking?"
Shénme, here in the neutral tone, means "why, what for" rather than
"what."

°Hái bu shi is used in rhetorical questions; literally, it means, "Is it
not still (a case of...)," or in more colloquial English, "Could it be
anything but...." Here, it is best translated as "of course."

°hǎo nǎinai: A rather theatrical, humorously cajoling form of address,
"dear grandma." The girl uses this term in order to get her grandmother
to do her the favor of answering the front door.

UNIT 5

Traditional Attitudes and Modern Changes

INTRODUCTION

Grammar Topics Covered in This Unit

-   1. The pattern yě hǎo, ...yě hǎo, "whether... or"

-   2. The adverb cai marking necessary condition.

-   3. Placement of specifier after a modifying phrase.

-   U. Wèile, "in order to."

-   5- Comparison of two words for "afterwards," yǐhòu and hòulǎi.

Functional Language Contained in This Unit

-   1. Inquiring about customs in the culture.

-   2. Expressing that you don’t understand something and asking
    another’s interpretation of it.

-   3. Expressing that you don’t see the value of something and asking
    another's point of view on it.

-   4. Expressing partial agreement, specifying one's reservations.

    +-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+
    | 1.              | A:              | Zhèi liǎngnián, | What has your   |
    |                 |                 | nǐmende shōurù  | income been     |
    |                 |                 | zěnmeyàng?      | like the past   |
    |                 |                 |                 | couple of       |
    |                 |                 |                 | years?          |
    +-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+
    |                 | B:              | Zhèi liǎngnián, | The past couple |
    |                 |                 | nongyè          | of years,       |
    |                 |                 | shēngchǎn       | agricultural    |
    |                 |                 | qíngkuàng bu    | production      |
    |                 |                 | cuò, shōurù yě  | conditions have |
    |                 |                 | hái hǎo.        | been pretty     |
    |                 |                 |                 | good, and our   |
    |                 |                 |                 | income has been |
    |                 |                 |                 | all right, too. |
    +-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+
    | 2.              | A:              | Tāde shuōfǎ wǒ  | I didn’t        |
    |                 |                 | méi ting-dong,  | understand the  |
    |                 |                 | nǐ tǐngmíngbai  | way he said     |
    |                 |                 | le ma?          | that. Did you   |
    |                 |                 |                 | understand it?  |
    +-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+
    |                 | B:              | Méiyou, wǒ yě   | No, I didn’t    |
    |                 |                 | méi             | understand it   |
    |                 |                 | tīngmíngbai,    | either.         |
    |                 |                 | érqiě zhèige    |                 |
    |                 |                 | tímu yě tài nán | Moreover this   |
    |                 |                 | le.             | topic is too    |
    |                 |                 |                 | hard.           |
    +-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+

    +-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
    | -   7. A: Tā wèishénme zǎohūn?    | Why did she get married early?    |
    |                                   |                                   |
    | B: Qùnián tā fùqin sǐ le, méi rén | Last year her father died and     |
    | zhàogu ta, zhǐ hǎo jiehūn le.     | there was no one to take care of  |
    |                                   | her. All she could do was get     |
    | -   8. A: Duōshù rén dōu xǐhuan   | married.                          |
    |     zìyou.                        |                                   |
    |                                   | Most people like freedom.         |
    | -   B: Kěshi, hú shi hěn duō rén  |                                   |
    |     néng dédao zìyou.             | But not many people can obtain    |
    |                                   | freedom.                          |
    | -   9. Weile néng hùxiāng zhàogu, |                                   |
    |     tāmen yìjiā sāndài zhù zai    | All three generations live        |
    |     yiqi.                         | together so that they can take    |
    |                                   | care of each other.               |
    | -   10. A: Tīngshuō cóngqián,     |                                   |
    |     nǐmen zhèli you hěn duō you   | I’ve heard that in the past you   |
    |     yìside fēngsú.                | had a lot of interesting customs  |
    |                                   | here.                             |
    | -   B: Shi a. Hòulái gōngshāngyè  |                                   |
    |     fādá le, fēngsú yě gǎibiàn    | Yes. Later, when industry and     |
    |     le.                           | commerce developed, customs       |
    |                                   | changed, too.                     |
    | ADDITIONAL REQUIRED VOCABULARY    |                                   |
    |                                   | to labor; labor                   |
    | -   11. láodòng                   |                                   |
    |                                   | labor force, labor                |
    | -   12. láolì                     |                                   |
    |                                   | industry                          |
    | -   13. gōngyè                    |                                   |
    |                                   | business, commerce                |
    | 11. shāngyè                       |                                   |
    |                                   | the great majority                |
    | -   15. dàduōshù(r)               |                                   |
    |                                   | to live; to become alive; to      |
    | -   16. huó                       | survive; to be live/alive/living; |
    |                                   | to be movable/moving              |
    | -   17- xíguàn                    |                                   |
    |                                   | habit, custom, usual practice; to |
    | -   18. ting                      | be accustomed to, to be used to   |
    |                                   |                                   |
    |                                   | to heed, to obey (someone’s       |
    |                                   | orders)                           |
    +-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+

VOCABULARY

+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| bǎochí                            | to keep, to preserve, to maintain |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| cái                               | only in that case, only under     |
|                                   | this condition                    |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| dàduōshù(r)                       | the great majority                |
|                                   |                                   |
| -dài                              | generation (counter); era,        |
|                                   | (historical) period               |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| de dédao duōshù(r)                | to get                            |
|                                   |                                   |
|                                   | to get                            |
|                                   |                                   |
|                                   | the majority of, most of          |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| fādá                              | to be (highly) developed, to be   |
|                                   | flourishing, to be prosperous     |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| fēngsú                            | custom(s)                         |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| gǎibiàn gōngyè gōngshāngyè        | to change                         |
|                                   |                                   |
|                                   | industry                          |
|                                   |                                   |
|                                   | industry and commerce             |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| hǎochù hòulái huó                 | benefit, advant age               |
|                                   |                                   |
|                                   | later, afterwards                 |
|                                   |                                   |
|                                   | to live; to become alive; to      |
|                                   | survive; to be live/alive/living; |
|                                   | to be movable/moving              |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| láodòng láodònglì láolì           | to labor                          |
|                                   |                                   |
|                                   | labor force, labor; able-bodied   |
|                                   | persor labor force, labor         |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| míngbai                           | to understand, to be clear on, to |
|                                   | comprehend; to be clear, to be    |
|                                   | obvious                           |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| nóngyè                            | agriculture                       |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| shāngyè shēngchǎn shōurù shuōfǎ   | commerce, business                |
|                                   |                                   |
|                                   | to produce; production            |
|                                   |                                   |
|                                   | income, earnings                  |
|                                   |                                   |
|                                   | way of saying a thing; statement, |
|                                   | version, argument                 |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| sǐ                                | to die                            |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| tímu (tímù)                       | topic, subject; title; (test)     |
|                                   | question, problem                 |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| ting tóngyì                       | to heed, to obey (someone’s       |
|                                   | orders) to agree, to consent;     |
|                                   | agreement, consent                |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| wèile                             | in order to; for the purpose of;  |
|                                   | for the sake of                   |
|                                   |                                   |
|                                   | lUT                               |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+

xíguàn                             habit, custom, usual practice; to

be accustomed to, to be used to

. . .yě hǎo, ...yě hǎo                  whether...or...; both...and...

+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| yě jiù you hǎochù                 | accordingly, correspondingly, so  |
|                                   | to be beneficial, to be good      |
|                                   | (for)                             |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| zǎohūn                            | early marriage; child marriage;   |
|                                   | to marry as a child, to marry     |
|                                   | early                             |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| zhàngfu zhǎogu zhèng              | husband                           |
|                                   |                                   |
|                                   | to take of; care                  |
|                                   |                                   |
|                                   | just, precisely, right            |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+

3. A: Xué pinyin yě hǎo, bù xué pinyin yě hǎo, Zhōngguo zì zong děi xue.

B: Shi a, zhèiyang Zhōngguo wénhuà cái néng bǎochíxiàqù.

Whether you study romanization or not, you’ll always have to study
Chinese characters.

Yes, this is the only way Chinese culture can continue to be preserved.

U. A: Jiāli láodònglì duō, shēnghuo yě jiù huì hǎo yidiǎnr.

B: Kěshi xiànzài rénkǒu duō bù yídìng yǒu shénme hǎochù.

5. A: Zài nàr xiě zìde neige rén shi bu shi tā zhàngfu?

B: Zheng shi tā!

6. A: Gōngshāngyè fādá you shénme haochù?Nali dōu name zāng!

B: Zhèi yìdiǎn wǒ bù tōngyì, gōngshāngyè fādá you bù shǎo hǎochù.

If a family has more manpower, then it follows that life will be a
little better.

But now it’s not necessarily an advantage to have a lot of people.

Is that person writing over there her husband?

That’s him all right!

What benefit is there in having a flourishing industry and commerce?
It’s so dirty everywhere!

I don’t agree with that. There are a lot of benefits to having a
flourishing industry and commerce.

1. A: Zhèi liSngnián, nīmende shōurù zěnmeyàng?

B: Zhèi liSngnián, nongyè shēngchǎn qíngkuàng hú cuò, shōurù yě hái hao.

What has your income heen like the past couple of years?

These past couple of years agricultural production conditions have heen
pretty good, and income is all right, too.

Notes on No. 1

zhèiliǎngnián: See Unit U, Notes on No. 3-

shōurù: "income, earnings" While in English you say "income" is "large"
or "small," in Chinese you say "much" (duō) or "little" (shǎo).

Tāde shōurù hù shao.               Her income isn’t small. (lit.,
"little")

Tāde shōurù hú tài duō.            His income isn’t very high.

shēngchǎn: "to produce (agricultural or industrial products), to
manu-facture (industrial products); production, operation (of a plant)"

Nīmen dōu shēngchǎn shénme?

Yōu rén shuō xiāngxiade shēngchǎn hé shēnghuo qíngkuàng hǎo yìdiǎn le.

-   A: Wō zhǎo Lī Guoqiáng.

-   B: Duìhuqī, xiànzài shi shēngchǎn shíjiān, hù néng zhǎo rén.

What (all) do you produce?

Some people say that production and living conditions in the countryside
have gotten somewhat better.

I’m looking for Lī Guoqiáng.

I’m sorry, it’s production time now You can’t visit people.

2. A: Tāde shuōfǎ wō méi tīng-dōng, nī tīngmínghai le ma?

B: Méiyou, wō yě méi tīngmínghai, érqiě zhèige tímu yě tài nán le.

I didn’t understand the way he said that. Did you understand it?

No, I didn’t understand it either.

Moreover, this topic is too hard.

Notes on No. 2

mínghai: "to he clear on, to understand," literally, "hright-white" This
is an adjectival verh which may or may not he followed hy an object:

Xiànzài wō míngbai le.

Now I see.

Wō míngbai nīde yìsi.

I understand what you mean.

Gāngcǎi nǐ you gěi wǒ jiǎngle Now that you've just explained it to yícǐ,
wo bǐjiǎo míngbai le.        me again, I understand it better.

Míngbai can also be used to mean "to be clear, to be obvious," as in:

Zhèijiàn shìqing hěn míngbai. This matter is very clear/obvious.

tīngmíngbai: "to hear and understand" This is a compound verb of result
with an adjectival verb, míngbai indicating the result. As just stated
míngbai can mean either "to understand" or "to be clear," but
tingmíngbai means only "to understand by listening," NOT "to hear
clearly." Use tīngqǐng-chu to mean "to hear clearly."

Zuótiānde ke wǒ yidiǎnr dōu tīngbumíngbai.

I couldn't understand a thing in yesterday's class.

Gāngcāi lǎoshí shuōde wo méi tīngqīngchu.

I didn't hear (clearly) what the teacher just said.

Another verb of perception which can take míngbai to show the result is
kàn, "to see, to read."

Nǐ kàn méi kànmíngbai zhèige       Did you understand the (test)
question

tímu?                               (when you read it)?

As a compound verb of result, tingmíngbai can take the syllables -de-
and -bu- to add the meaning of "can" and "can't." (For the following
example you need to know wàiwén, "foreign language," and bù guǎn, "no
matter.")

Gang xué yìzhong wàiwénde shihou, When you're just beginning to study bù
guǎn tīngdemíngbai tǐngbu-      a foreign language, it's good for

míngbai, duō ting duì nǐ yídìng    you to listen a lot whether you

you hǎochù.                         understand or not.

tímu: This noun has three commonly used meanings: (1) "topic, subject,"
(2) "title," and (3) "question, problem" (e.g., on a test or in an
exercise).

Wǒmen jīntiān huàn yíge tan huàde tímu, tányitǎn shēnghuó fāngmiànde
shi.

Today let's change the topic of conversation and chat about things from
daily life.

Zhèiběn shūde tímu shi Zhōngguó-

The title of this book is Chinese

de Shèhuì."

Society.

Zuótiān kǎoshìde tímu name duō, wǒ zhēn bù zhīdao xiān zuò něige hǎo.

There were so many problems on yesterday's test, I didn't know which to
do first.

Zhèiyangde tímu wǒ zài gāozhōng de shihou dōu zuòguo, xiànzài dōu
wangle.

I did this sort of problems when I was in senior high school, but now I
have forgotten all about them.

"gāozhōng, "senior high," short for gǎojí zhōngxué

3. A: Xué pinyin yě hǎo, bù xué pinyin yě hǎo, Zhōngguo zì zǒng děi xué.

B: Shi a, zhèiyang Zhōngguo wénhuà cai néng bǎochíxiàqù.

Whether you study roma.ni y.a+.ì nn or not, you’ll always have to study
Chinese characters.

Yes, this is the only way Chinese culture can continue to be preserved.

Notes on No. 3

. . . yě hǎo, . .. yě hǎo: This pattern can mean either (1) ’’whether...
or... ”

or (2) ’’both. . . and....’’

Nǐ qù yě hǎo, bú qù yě hǎo, wo yídìng qù.

Tā ting yě hǎo, bù ting yě hǎo, zǒng you yìtiān tā huì míngbaide.

Tā lái yě hǎo, bù lái yě hǎo, zánmen xiān chī fàn ba.

Nǐ qù yě hǎo, huòshi wō qù yě hǎo, zǒng děi you yíge rén qù.

In the review dialogue, you will see an and..

Buguò wō xiǎng, dàlù yě hǎo, Tái-wān yě hǎo, jǐshínián lái dōu yōule hěn
dàde gǎibiàn.

Zhōngguo rén yě hǎo, Měiguo rén yě hǎo, dōu yīnggāi bǎochí tāmende
wénhuà chuántōng.

Whether or not you are going, I'm going for sure.

Whether he listens or not, there'll be a day when he understands.

Whether or not he comes, let's start eating.

Whether you go or I go, somebody has to go.

example of the second meaning, "both...

But I think that both the mainland and Taiwan have undergone big changes
in the past few decades.

Chinese people and American people should both preserve their cultural
heritage.

cái: You've already seen cái in talking about TIME ("not until") as in
Tā zuotiān cái láide, "He didn't come until yesterday." Here you see
another use of cái, "not unless." It points out a NECESSARY CONDITION.

Zhèijiàn shi,

tā guǎn

cái xíng.

As for this

(if) he takes

only in that

case

matter,

care of it,

will it be

okay.

"it won't be okay unless he takes care of this matter."

Here are other examples:

+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| Shi ge Zhèiyang Piānyi Nǐ qù      | cāi gòu.                          |
|                                   |                                   |
| Zhèitào pānziwǎn you kèren lāi    | cāi hǎo. wǒ cāi mǎi. wǒ cāi qù.   |
|                                   |                                   |
|                                   | wǒ cāi yòng.                      |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+

"No fewer than ten is enough." "Only in this way is it good." "I won’t
huy it unless it’s cheap." "I won't go unless you do." "I don’t use this
set of dishes

unless I have guests."

bǎochí: "to keep, to preserve, to maintain"

Yàoshi nǐ néng hǎochí měitiān jì’ sìge xǐn zì, yìniān kéyi jì yìqiān duō
ge zì le.

Zhōngguo shèhuì hěn duō dìfang dōu hǎochízhe lǎode fēngsú xíguǎn.

If you can keep on memorizing four new characters a day, you'll he ahle
to memorize over a thousand a year.

There are a lot of places in Chinese society which are still holding on
to old customs and hahits.

  ---- ---- ------------------------------------------------------- -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  U.   A:   Jiāli lāodònglì duō, shēnghuo yě jiù huì hǎo yidiǎnr.   If a family has more manpower, then it follows that life will be a little better.
       B:   Keshi xiànzài rénkǒu duō bù yídìng you shénme hǎochù.   But now it's not necessarily an advantage to have a lot of people.
  ---- ---- ------------------------------------------------------- -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Notes on No. h

lāodònglì: "work force," literally "lahor-power"

Fùnu zài nóngcūn shi xiāngdāng In rural areas, women are a very
zhòngyàode lāodònglì.              important source of labor.

Lāodònglì may also he used to refer to ahle-hodied individuals who do
manual labor:

-   A: Tāmen jiā you jǐge lāodònglì? How many able-bodied persons are
    there in their family?

-   B: You sìge ban lāodònglì.        There are four and a half. (The
    half

may be a child or an older person who cannot do as much work.)

-lì hy itself means "power" or "ability," and is used in combinations:

nénglì    ability                  rénlì     manpower

diànlì    electric power           tīnglì    hearing ability

huōlì     firepower; thermal       shuǐlì    water power, hydraulic

dònglì motivating power, force,                  power

impetus, driving force

°Jì, "to remember," can also mean "to commit to memory."

yě Jiù: "accordingly," literally "also then" Other translations for this
are "correspondingly," "so." The tone of Jiù is often neutral.

Tā duì wǒ hěn hu kèqi, wo yě Jiu "bù gēn tā shuō huà le.

Wo Jiao ta bu yào bāng wo xǐ wan, tā yídìng yào xí, wǒ yě Jiu ràng ta xǐ
le.

Wǒ shi liangnián yǐqián xuéde Zhōngwén kěshi yìzhí mei Jihui shuō, yě
Jiu wàng le.

Wǒ xiǎng qù, kěshi méi biérén yào qù, yě Jiu suàn le.

Wo gang xué Zhōngwénde shíhou, hěn zhùyì fāyīn, shíjiān chángle yě Jiu
bù guǎn le.

He was very rude to me, so I won’t talk with him anymore.

I told him not to help me wash the dishes, but he insisted, so I let him
wash them.

I studied Chinese two years ago, but I never had the chance to speak it,
so I forgot it.

I wanted to go, but nobody else did, so I said the heck with it.

When I first started studying Chinese I payed a lot of attention to
pronunciation, but as time went on, I stopped paying attention to it.

hǎochù: "benefit, advantage" You may also hear hǎochù (Neutral-tone
-chu). The phrase yǒu hǎochù means "to be advantageous, to be
beneficial."

Nǐ tiāntiān dōu he Jiǔ you shénme hǎochù.’

What good does it do you to drink every day.’

Use the pattern duì...yǒu hǎochù for "to be good for..., to be of
benefit to..

-   A: You rén shuō he piJiǔ duì shěntǐ you hǎochù.

-   B: Bù yídìng ba, wǒ you xuěyā gāo, duì wo méi shenme hǎochù.

Some people say that it is good for the health (body) to drink beer.

Not necessarily! I have high blood pressure. It’s not good for me.

Women yíkuàir niàn shū duì liǎngge rén dōu yǒu hǎochù.

It would be advantageous to both of us to study together.

-   5. A: Zài nàr xiě zìde nèige rén Is that person writing over there
    shi bu shi tā zhàngfu?          her husband?

-   B: Zheng shi tā!                    That’s him all right!

Notes on No. 5

zài nàr xiě zìde nèige rén: ’’the person writing over there" Notice once
again that the preferred word order is to put the
specifier-number-counter between the modifying phrase and the noun.

Specifier-Number-

Modifying phrase____________Counter__________Noun

  --------------- ----------- --------
  xiě zìde        nèige       rén
  hěn hǎo kànde   nèi sānge   nuháir
  --------------- ----------- --------

It is also possible to put the nèige or zhèige at the head of the phrase
(nèige xiě zìde rén) but especially in longer phrases it sounds better
to keep nèige or zhèige close to the noun, as in the Reference List
sentence above.

zhèng: "just, right, exactly, precisely Like other adverbs, zhèng is
placed in front of a verb.

Wo zheng yao zhao ni shangliang zhèijiàn shìqing.

Nǐ chuān zhèige yánsè zhèng héshì.

Wǒ yào kànde zhèng shi zhèiběn shū.

Zuótiān lái kàn nǐde zhèng shi zhèige rén.

Zhèng shi yǐnwei zhèige, tā cái zǒu le.

Jiù shi is more colloquial than zhèng shi tā!

I was just looking for you to talk about this matter.

This color is just right for you (to wear).

This is just the book I want to read.

This is precisely the person who came to see you yesterday.

That’s precisely why he left.

shi. For 5B, you could also say Jiù

6. A: Gōngshāngyè fādá you shénme hǎochù? Náli dōu nàme zāng!

B: Zhèi yìdiǎn wǒ bú tōngyì, gōngshāngyè fādá you bù shǎo hǎochù.

What benefit is there in having a flourishing industry and commerce?
It’s so dirty everywhere!

I don’t agree with that. There are a lot of benefits to having a
flourishing industry and commerce.

Notes on No. 6

gōngshāngyè: ’’industry and commerce’’ This is a compound of gōngyè
’’industry'* and shāngyè, "commerce. ’’ Gōngyè and nongyè can also
combine as gōngnongyè, as in gōngnongyè shēngchǎn, "industrial and
agricultural production."

fādá: "to be developed, to be well-developed; to be prosperous, to be
flourishing" This is an adjectival verb, that is, it describes a state
or condition. A literal translation of the Reference List sentence above
might be: "(For) industry-commerce to be flourishing, there is what
benefit?" In addition to describing industry, fādá can be used to
describe a person’s muscular build or a developed country.

Zhèige guójiā hěn fādá.            This country is very prosperous.

Tāmen nàrde wenhuà hěn fādá.       The culture there is very developed.

Don’t confuse the state verb fādá with the action verb fāzhǎn, which can
take an object, e.g., fāzhǎn nongyè, "to develop agricultureT”

náli dōu...: "everywhere" Here you see another example of a question
word (here náli "where") used to mean "every..." or "any..." In order to
get such a meaning, you must use náli (or shéi, shenme, etc.) before dōu
or yě. Notice that the question word can come in various places in the
sentence.

Q: Tā xiàtiān xiǎng qù shénme dìfang?

B: Tā shénme dìfang dōu bú qù.

Q: Shéi yào qù nèibiānr kāi huì?

A: Shéi dou qù.

Zěnme zuò dōu bù xíng.

Where is he going this summer?

He is not going anywhere.

Who is going to the meeting there?

Everybody is going.

Any way you do it, it Just doesn’t work.

tongyì: "to agree, to consent; agreement, consent" As a verb, the
meaning of tongyì is the same as in English. But there is a difference
in how you say WHO it is you agree with. In Chinese, you don’t agree
with a person; you agree with an idea, opinion, statement, etc. In
sentence 6B, the object zhèi yìdiǎn is up front in the sentence. Notice
the placement of the object in the sentences below.

Tāde xiǎngfa ní tongyì ma?

Do you agree with his opinion?

Wo tongyì tāde kànfa.

I agree with him (his ideas).

CAUTION: Often speakers of English want to say gēn...tongyì because we
say "agree with..." in English, but there is no such form in Chinese.
Instead, use the last example above. Tongyì may also be directly
followed by a clause, as in

Tā bù tongyì tāmen jiēhūn.

He doesn’t approve of (OR won’t agree to) their getting married.

As a noun, tongyì means "agreement” or "consent."

Women xūyào tāmende tongyì cái néng zuò zhèijiàn shi.

We need their consent before we can do this.

-   7. A: Tā wèishénme zāohūn?             Why did she get married
    early?

B: Qùnián tā fùqin sǐ le, méi Last year her father died and there rén
zhàogu ta, zhǐ hao          was no one to take care of her, so

jiēhūn le.                        all she could do was get married.

Notes on No. 7

This exchange illustrates that old ways of thinking persist in China
today. Although in urban areas an increasing number of women are
self-sufficient, great variations in social and economic conditions are
starkly obvious in a comparison of city and country life.

zāohūn: "early marriage" This can refer to two different things,
sometimes causing confusion.

First, it refers to the Chinese practice of marrying a young girl off
long before she was an adult in order to bring some money into her
parents’ home and to add to the number of able-bodied workers in her
in-laws’ home. Her "husband" was also very young—as young as twelve to
fourteen years old, and often younger than she.

Second, these days zāohūn can simply mean marrying at a somewhat younger
age than is normally expected. This is the meaning in exchange 7-

Ershisìsuì jiēhūn zěnme néng       How can you say getting married at

shuō shi zāohūn?                   twenty-four is early marriage?

Zhōngguo guòqù dàduōshù rén dōu In the past most people in China zāohūn.
                             married at an early age.

sǐ: "to die" This is a process verb, like bìng "to become ill, to get
sick," and therefore corresponds to the English "to become dead" rather
than "to be dead." Sǐ is a process verb; it describes an instantaneous
change of state. In English one can say of a person with a terminal
illness that he "is dying," but this cannot be translated directly into
Chinese. Rather, one must say Tā kuài (yào) sǐ le, "He is about to die,"
or Tā huōbuliāo duō jiǔ le, "He won’t live much longer," or Tā
huōbucháng le, "He hasn’t long to live."

Tīngshuō Lāo Liūde fùqin sǐ le. I heard that Lāo Liu’s father has died.

The verb sǐ is not usually negated with bù, but rather with méi or hái
méi (even when it corresponds to English "to be dead").

Nèi shihou, tā fùqin méi sǐ,       At that time, his father was alive,

kéyi chángcháng zhàogu ta.         and was able to take care of him.

Sǐ can "be used directly "before a noun as an adjective meaning "dead."
Shi side may "be used to mean ”is dead.”

Zhèi shi yìtiáo sǐ yu.              This is a dead fish.

Zhèitiáo yu shi side.              This fish is a dead one OR This

fish is dead.

Sǐ may he considered "blunt and uncouth or inauspicious when used for
people. To he respectful, use guòqu le, ’’passed away,” or qùshì le,
’’left the world.” Sometimes you can avoid saying sǐ hy using hái zài or
hái huozhe, ’’still living,” e.g., Nèi shihou tā yeye hái zài/hái
huozhe, ”At that time, his grandfather was still living.” (See Notes on
No. 15-)

In some parts of traditional China, the usage of sǐ was affected hy
superstition. This is especially true in Taiwan. Even today, during the
lunar New Year holidays, some traditionalists take pains to avoid
uttering sǐ, ”to die,” lest they he plagued hy had luck and death in the
clan for the next twelve months. In Taiwan, the superstition extends to
the similar-sounding word si, ’’four.” Some hospitals have no fourth
floor; sìlou, ’’fourth floor,” could too easily become sǐlou, ’’death
floor,” in rapid speech. For a similar reason, some motorists refuse to
drive cars with license plates hearing the number h. And if money is
given as a wedding present, the figure must not contain the number h, or
the donor would be guilty of wishing death on the couple.

zhàogu: ’’to look after, to take care of; care” You zhàogu can mean ’’to
be well taken care of, to receive good treatment.” (For the first
example, you need to know that yòueryuán means ’’kindergarten.”)

Háizimen zài Jiāli bǐ zài yòuér-yuánli you zhàogu.

Tā yíge rén zài jiā, méiyou zhàogu bù xíng.

Tā bìngde hěn lìhai, xūyào tèbié-(de) zhàogu.

Tāde háizi duì tā hěn hǎo, tāde shēnghuó you zhàogu.

The children get better care at home than they would at kindergarten.

With his being all alone at home, it won’t do for him to be without
care.

He is very ill and needs special care.

His children are very good to him;

his daily needs are well taken care of.

-   8. A: Duōshù rén dōu xǐhuan zìyou.    Most people like freedom.

B: Kěshi, hú shi hěn duō rén néng But not many people can obtain dédao
zìyou.                      freedom.

Notes on No. 8

duōshù(r): "majority, most," literally, "the larger number" Dàduōshù(r)
is "the great majority." In many instances, there isn’t much difference
in meaning between duōshù and dàduōshù. Duōshù can be used to modify a
noun, as in duōshùdǎng, "the majority party," or duōshù mínzú, "majority
nationalities." CThe opposite of duōshù is shǎoshù, "minority." See
Traveling in China module, Unit 1.J

bú shi: "it is not the case that" To translate the subject "not many
people" into Chinese, you need to use a verb (shi or you). You can’t put
bù directly before hěn duō rén. Other examples:

Nèige dìfang, bú shi nǐ xiǎng qù jiù kéyi qù(de), nǐ děi xiān dédao
tongyì.

Bú shi wǒ bú yuànyi gēn ni jiēhūn , shi wǒ fùmǔ bù tongyì.

You can’t go there any time you want You need to get approval first.

It’s not that I don’t want to marry you; it’s that my parents don’t
approve.

dé: "to get, to receive" Dé is much more limited than English "to get."
Use dé only for passively receiving a prize, a degree, a grade, and the
like. (For these examples, you need to know kǎoshì, "test"; yōu,
"excellent" Fused in mainland schools like the grade "A" in the U.S.!;
fēn, "points"; jiǎng, "prize"; shuǒshì, "Master’s degree.’’)

Zuótiānde kǎoshì wǒ déle ge        I got an "A" on yesterday’s test,

"you."

Tǎ déle yìbǎi fēn.                  He got 100 (points).

Shéi dé jiǎng le?                  Who won the prize?

Tā shi něiniǎn déde shuǒshì?       What year did he receive his Master’s

degree?

De is also used for "contracting" diseases. (in the second example,
lǎnwěiyǎn is "appendicitis.")

Tā dé bìng le, bù néng qù le. He came down with something and cannot go.

Tā déle lānwěiyán, děi mǎshǎng He got appendicitis and had to be kāi
dāo.                            operated on immediately.

dedao: "to receive, to get, to gain, to obtain" Add the ending -dào to
the verb de to get the meaning of successful obtaining (cf. jièdao, "to
successfully borrow," in Unit 1).

Tā dédao hùzhào yǐhòu mǎshàng He left immediately after getting jiù zǒu
le.                         his passport.

Tā gēn ta jiēhūn, jiù shi xiǎng dédao tāde qián.

Hěn duō rén débudào zìyóu.

Tā cóng zhèli débudào shenme hǎochù.

He only married her to get her money.

Many people are unable to obtain freedom.

He won’t be able to gain anything from this.

"To get" in English often means to actively seek to obtain a thing. In
those cases, do not use dé(dào). Use such verbs as ná/nádào/nálai,
zhǎo/zhǎodào/ zhǎolai, nòngdao/nònglai, or a more specific verb such as
mǎi, yào ("to ask for"), jiè; and qǐng(lai) or jiào(lai) for "getting"
people.

-   9. Wèile néng hùxiāng zhàogu,          All three generations live
    together

tāmen yìjiā sāndài zhù zai          so that they can take care of each

yìqǐ.                                 other.

Notes on No. 9

wèile: "in order to, for the purpose of; for the sake of" A phrase with
wèile may come at the very front of the sentence or after the subject.

Tā wèile yào dào Zhōngguo qù Because he wants to go to China to gōngzuǒ,
suóyi xiànzài zài xué work, he is studying Chinese now. Zhōngwén ne.

Wèile kàn diànyǐng, tā méi qù He didn’t go to class so he could go shàng
kè.                            see a movie.

Wèile may also come after shi:

Zhèijiàn shi dōu shi wèile tā. This was done all for him.

This prepositional verb covers a range of meanings falling under the
categories of (1) benefit, (2) purpose, or (3) motive. It is sometimes
hard to pinpoint exactly which of these meanings is the one expressed by
a particular sentence.

Benefit, sake

Wǒ wèile tā cái láide.             I came only for his sake.

Wǒ wánquán shi wèile nǐ.           I am (doing this) entirely for your

sake.

Purpose, goal

Wèile qián, tā shenme dōu zuǒde-chūlái.

Wèile mǎi zhèiběn shū, tā qùle liùge shūdiàn.

Nǐ pǎo zhème yuǎnde lù, jiù shi wèile ná zhèizhāng piào?

Wèile bǎochí niánqīng, tā yòng niūnǎi xǐzǎo.

Wèile yào is a common combination

Wèile yào qù kàn péngyou, jīntiān wǒ děi zǎo yidiǎnr xià bān.

Wèile yào niàn shū, wǒ zhèige Xǐngqītiān bù chūqu le.

Wèile bú yào tài lèi, wǒ měitiān dōu zuǒ chē shàng bān.

Wèile néng dull shēnghuō, tā hěn zǎo jiù líkāi fùmǔ le.

For money, he is liable to do anything

He went to six bookstores in order to get this book.

You came all this way just to get that ticket?

She washes with (cow's) milk to preserve her youth.

which often means the same as wèile:

In order to go visit a friend, I have to leave work a little early
today.

I'm not going out this Sunday so that I can study.

In order not to get too tired, I take the bus to work every day.

In order to live independently, she left her parents very early.

Motive or reason for some act, thought, or feeling

Wèile zhèijiàn shi, wǒ juéde hěn bù hǎo yìsi.

I feel very embarrassed about (because of) this matter.

Wèile zhèijiàn shi, tā yíyè dōu shuìbuzháo jiào.

Wǒ jiù shi wèi(le) zhèijiàn shi láide.

He couldn't get to sleep all night on account of this matter.

I have come precisely because of this matter.

Jiù wèi(le) zhème yidiǎnr shi, You got angry over such a small nǐ jiù
shēngqì la?                  thing?

Even though you will find that wèile is sometimes idiomatically
translated as "because," as in these last examples, it is still not
completely a synonym of yǐnwèi. When you want to say "because," you
should use yǐnwèi. When you want to say "for the sake of" or "for the
purpose of," use wèile.

-   10. A: Tīngshuō cóngqián, nǐmen I’ve heard that in the past you had
    zhèli you hěn duō you           a lot of interesting customs here,

yìside fēngsú.

-   B: Shi a. Hòulái gōngshāngyè Yes. Later, when industry and fādále,
    fēngsú yě gǎibiàn le. commerce developed, customs changed, too.

Notes on No. 10

fēngsú: "custom” The definition of fēngsú in a Chinese dictionary reads:
’’the sum total of etiquette, usual practices, etc., adhered to over a
long period of time in the development of society.” Compare this with
xíguàn: "behavior, tendency or social practice cultivated over a long
period of time, and which is hard to change abruptly." Notice that
xíguàn may refer to the practices or habits of either an individual or a
community, whereas fēngsú refers only to those of a community.

Guòqù Zhōngguo you zǎohūnde        In the past China had the custom

fēngsú.                             of early (child) marriage.

hòulái: "afterwards, later" Both hòulái and yǐhòu are time nouns which
can be translated as "afterwards" or "later." But there are differences
between them:

(1) Differences in patterns: Yǐhòu can either follow another element
(trans-lated as "after...") or it can be used by itself.

Tā láile yǐhòu, women Jiù zou le. After he came, we left.

Yǐhòu tā méiyou zài láiguo.        Afterwards, he never came back again.

Hòulái can only be used by itself.

Hòulái tā jiù shuì jiào le.        Afterwards he went to sleep.

(2) Differences in meaning:  Both jrǐhòu and hòulái may be used to refer
to

the past. For example, either yǐhòu or hòulái may be used in the
sentence

Kāishǐde shihou tā bù zhǐdào zěnme bàn, kěshi hòulái/yǐhòu xiǎngchūle
yíge hǎo

bànfa, "in the beginning, he didn’t know what to do, but later he
thought up a good way."

But if you want to say "afterwards" or "later" referring to the future,
you can only use yǐhòu. When it refers to the future time, yǐhòu can be
translated in various ways, depending on the context:

Yǐhòude shìqing, děng yǐhòu zài Let’s wait until the future to see shuō•
                               about future matters.

Yǐhòu n? you kòng, qǐng cháng In the future when you have time, lái wán.
                           please come over more often.

Wo yǐhòu zài gàosu ni.             I’ll tell you later on.

Tāde hāizi shuōle, yǐhòu tā        His child said that someday, he wants

yào gēn yíge Rìběn rén jiēhūn. to marry a Japanese.

Usage Note: Yǐhòu has the literal meaning of "after that." It implies
that some past event functions as a dividing point in time, a sort of
time boundary. Yǐhòu refers to the period from the end of that time
boundary up to another point of reference (usually the time of
speaking). It is often translated as "since."

Tā zhǐ xiěle yìběn shū, yǐhòu He only wrote one book, and hasn’t zài méi
xiěguo.                     written any since (if he is still

alive) OR He wrote only one book, and after that never wrote another.
(if he is dead)

gāibiàn: "to change; change"

Wǒ bù míngbai tā wèishénme háishi I don’t understand why he still can't
bù néng gaibiàn tāde guānniàn. change his ideas (way of thinking).

Biàn, which you learned in Unit 3, can be used only as a verb, not as a
noun. Biàn and gāibiàn may be interchangeable in a small number of
contexts, but there is an essential difference between them: Biàn is a
process verb, "to become different," and gāibiàn is an action plus
process, "to alter in such a way as to become different."This can cause
English-speaking students confusion because the English verb "change"
covers both these meanings. Here are some examples:

Tāde xiāngfā biàn le.              His way of thinking changed (became

different).

Women yínggāi gāibiàn zhèige       We should change this state of

qíngkuāng.                          affairs (alter this state of affairs

so that it becomes different).

Notes on Additional Required Vocabulary

lāodòng: The verb "to do physical labor, to labor, to work" or the noun
"physical labor, manual labor."

shēngchān lāodòng                  productive labor

lāodòng shōurù                     income from work

huo: "to live" Huō, shēnghuo, and zhù may all be translated as "to live"
but actually have different meanings. Huo basically refers to the body’s
having life or breath, and is the opposite of sǐ. Shēnghuo emphasizes
day-to-day living; it is used mostly when describing the needs or
quality of daily life. Zhù is used to talk about residence in a
particular place, either as one’s home, or temporarily (zhù lūguān, "to
stay at a hotel," and zhù yuan, "to stay in the hospital").

Yu zai shuǐli cai neng huo.         Fish can live only in water.

Nèige dìfangde rén kéyi huó dao    The people there live to be very

hěn lǎo.                             old.

Tā huóde hěn cháng.

Tā dàgài huóbucháng le.

Huó often means "to live" in the sense

Tā Jin yīyuànde shihou, shéi dōu xiǎng tā bù néng huó le, kěshi tā you
huóle yìnián cái sǐ.

Huó can modify a noun directly, for example, huó yu, live fish," huó
rén, "living person." But to say, "is he alive?" you must use huó with
the ending -zhe: Tā huozhe ma?

Huó can also mean "movable, moving," as in: huózì, "movable type";
huóyè, "loose-leaf" Chuóyèjiāzi is "loose-leaf binder"!; huóshuǐ,
"flowing water."

xíguàn: As a noun, this means "habit" or, in a more general sense,

"custom, usual practice."

Tǎng zai chuángshang⁴ kàn shū shi yíge bù hǎode xíguàn.

Wo you zǎo qǐde xíguàn.

Taitai bù xǐhuan tā xiānsheng bànyè yīhòu cái hui jiāde xíguàn.

Zhèige jùzi bù zhīdào wèishenme zènme shuō, zhèi jiù shi wǒmen-de
xíguàn.

He had a long life.

He probably won’t live much longer.

of "to survive":

When he went into the hospital, no one thought he could live (survive),
but he lived another year before he died

It’s a bad habit to read in bed.

I’m an early riser. (Lit., "I have the habit of getting up early.")

The wife doesn’t like her husband’s habit of not coming home until after
midnight.

I don’t know why this sentence is said this way. It’s just the way we
say it.

'to get/be used to,

As a verb, xíguàn means

Jīntiān shi wǒ dìyītiān dài yǎn-jìng, wǒ hái méi xíguàn. Wǒ xīwàng hěn
kuài jiu kéyi xíguàn le.

Wǒ hěn bù xíguàn chī zhèrde fàn.

Wǒ yījīng xíguàn zhème zuò le, hěn nán gǎi.

to become/be accustomed to":

Today is my first day wearing glasses and I’m not used to them yet. I
hope I can get used to them quickly.

I’m not at all used to the food here.

I’m already used to doing it this way It’s very hard to change.

ting: This word., which you already know as "to listen," can also mean
"to heed, to obey" someone’s suggestions, directions, or orders.

Tā shuōde yǒu dàolǐ, nǐ yīnggāi What he says makes sense. You should
ting tāde huà.                      listen to him (do as he says).

Wǒ gàosu tā yīnggāi zhèiyang       I told him he should, do this, but

zuò, tā bù tīng.                   he wouldn't listen.

Hǎo ba, tīng nīde.                  Okay, I’ll do as you say. (nīde is

short for nīde huà.)

Lǐ Ping (B), Tom (A), and Lī Ping’s classmate from Taiwan, Wáng Chéng
(D), have Just gone to the movie The Dream of the Red Chamber*. On their
way home , they chat.

B:   Tāngmǔ, nī zěnme bù shuō huà?

A:   Duìbuqī, kàn zhèige diànyīng,

shizài ràng rén bu shūfu, tèbié shi kàn dao nèige dìfangr . . .

D:   Nǎge dìfang?

-   A: Jiù shi Dàiyù side shihou . . .

-   B: Ng, duì le, Dàiyù sīde shihou

zhèng shi Bǎoyù Jiēhūnde shihou. Kan dao zhèli, zhēn shi ràng rén hěn bu
shūfu.

D:   Nīmen you méiyou zhùyidào, hěn

duō nude kàn dao zhège dìfang dōu kū le.

-   A: Wǒ kàndao le. Ai, yǒude shihou,

wǒ zhēnde bù míngbai, wèishenme hěn duō shūli háishi shuō Zhōng-guō
chuántǒngde dà Jiātíng you bù shǎo hǎochu, hǎochu zài náli? Wèile bǎochí
dà Jiātíngde chuán-tǒng, ràng niánqīngde yídài huò-zhě Jīdài chī name
duō kǔ, zhè Jiù shi dà Jiātíngde hǎochù ma?

D:   Dà Jiātíngde hǎochù xiànzài bu

duō le. Nīmen zhīdào Zhōngguode dà Jiātíng gēn lìshī you guānxī.
Zhōngguo shi nongyè shèhuì, shēngchǎn dōu yào kào rénlì, shéi Jiāde
láolì duō, shéi Jiāde shēnghuo Jiù huì hǎo yìdiǎn. Lī Ping, nǐ xiǎng shi
bu shi zhèyàng ne?

-   B: Shi, shi zhèiyangde.

A:   Nàme, xiànzài qíngxing bù tong

How come you aren’t talking, Tom?

I’m sorry. Watching this movie was really distressing. Especially when
it got to that part . . .

Which part?

The part when Dàiyù dies . . .

Mm, right, Dàiyù dies Just when Bǎoyù is getting married. At that point,
I really felt uncomfortable.

Did you notice, a lot of women started crying when it got to that part.

Yes. (Sigh) Sometimes I really don’t understand why a lot of books say
that there were many advantages to the traditional Chinese large family.
What advantages? Just in order to preserve the tradition of the large
family, the younger generation or generations were made to suffer so
much. That’s the advantage of the large family?

The large family doesn’t have many advantages any more. You know, the
large family has to do with Chinese history. China was an agricultural
society, and production depended on manpower. If a family had a larger
labor force they had a better life. Lī Ping, do you think that’s right?

Yes, that’s right.

But now the situation is different.

’This novel by Cáo Xuěqín (172U?-1?6U) tells of the twilight years of
the Jiǎ family, grown wealthy in the service of Qīng Dynasty emperors.
The story revolves around the spoiled and effeminate young man of the
house, Jiǎ Bǎoyù (Precious Jade), and his love for his cousin, Lin Dàiyù
(Black Jade).

le, xiànzài gōngshāngyè fādá le, wèishenme hái yǒu ren shuō dà Jiātíng
hao ne?

D:   Dà Jiātíngde guānniàn yǐjíng

yǒu Jǐqiānniánde lìshǐ le, yào gaibiàn tā, xūyào bǐjiào chángde shíjiān.
Dàlùde qíngxing wǒ bù qíngchu, Taiwānde qíngxing shi dà Jiātíng yuè lái
yuè shǎo le. Suīrán Zhōngguo rén xǐhuan dà Jiātíng, Juédé dàjiā zhù zai
yìqǐ, hùxiāng yǒu zhàogu, dànshi gōngshāngyè fādá le, gōngzuòde Jíhuì
duō le, xiǎo Jiātíng yě Jiu yuè lái yuè duō le.

B:   Xiànzài dà Jiātíng yuè lái yuè

shǎo, zǎohūnde fēngsú yě Jiu méiyou le.

A:

Zāohūn hé dà Jiātíng yǒu shénme

guānxi ma?

D:   You guānxi. Zhè zhǔyào° shi láo-

lìde wèntí.

B:   Nǐ xiǎng, zāohūn, zǎo you háizi,

Jiāli láodònglì duō, lǎorén yě Jiu kéyi zǎo yidiǎn dédào zhàogu.

A:   Kěshi zài gōngshāngyè shèhuìli,

duōshù lǎorén dōu yǒu shōurù. Xiànzài Táiwān yǐjíng shi gōngshāngyè
shèhuì, zhèiyangde wèntí yě Jiu méiyou le.

B:   Dànshi, nǐ bié wàngle, dàlù hái

shi nongyè shèhuì, zhàogu lǎorén-de wèntí hái shi dà wèntí, zǎohūnde
fēngsú yě háishi yǒu.

A:   Nǐ dàgài nòngcuòle ba, dàlùde

zhèngfù zěnme huì tongyì rénmen zāohūn ne?

Now that industry and commerce are highly developed, why do some people
still say that the large family is good?

The concept of the large family has already existed for several thousand
years. It’ll take a rather long time to change it. I don’t know about
the situation on the mainland. But on Taiwan, the situation is that
there are fewer and fewer large families. Although the Chinese like big
families and think that if everyone lives together they can take care of
each other, industry and commerce are flourishing and there are more Job
opportunities, so there are more and more small families.

Now as large families grow fewer and fewer, the custom of child marriage
will disappear.

Is child marriage related to the large family?

Yes. It’s mainly a question of labor force.

After all, with child marriage, children are born sooner, the family has
more work hands, and the old people can get taken care of sooner.

But in an industrial-commercial society, most of the old people have an
income. Today Taiwan is already an industrial-commercial society, so
that kind of problem doesn’t exist there anymore.

But don’t forget that the mainland is still an agricultural society.
Caring for old people is still a big problem, and the custom of child
marriage still exists there.

You must be mistaken. How could the government on the mainland agree to
let people marry as children?

zhǔyào, "mainly"

B:   Wǒ shuōde shi nóngcūn,! shénme

zǎohūn na, zhòng nán qīng nú a, zhèizhǒng shi zǒng shi he Jīngji bù fādá
you guānxide.

D:   Wǒ shizài bù xǐhuan zaohūn. Wo

xiang duōshù zǎohūnde rén hòulái-de shēnghuó dōu you diǎn wèntí.

B:   Tèbié shi fùnū.

-   A: Duì le, wǒ tīngshuōguo zhèiyang

yìzhong shuōfā: Zhōngguo fùnu méiyou Jiēhūn yǐqián yào ting fùmǔde,
Jiele hūn děi tīng zhàngfude, zhàngfu sǐle děi tīng érzide.^ Qīngwèn,
Zhōngguo fùnu shénme shihou cái néng you tāmen zìjǐde xiǎngfǎ, shénme
shihou cái néng you yidiǎnr zìyóu ne?

-   B: Ou, xiànzài méiyou rén Jiǎng

zhèixiē le.

-   A: Suīrán méiyou rén Jiǎng, kěshi

zhèizhǒng chuántong sīxiǎng^ hái-shi you a!

D:   Nī shuōde yě you dàolǐ, háishi

nàjù huà, Jīqiānniánde lǎo guānniàn bǔ shi hěn kuài kéyi gǎibiànde.

-   B: Ììg, búguò wǒ xiǎng, dàlù yě

hǎo, Táiwān yě hǎo, Jīshínián lái dōu yǒule hěn dàde gǎibiàn, fùnude
dìwei yě dōu yǒule tígāo, chuántǒngde guānniàn yě zài biàn.

A:   Ng, zheyidian wo tongyi.

I’m talking about rural areas, Things like child marriage or regarding
males as superior to females always have to do with an undeveloped
economy.

I really don’t like child marriage. I think that most people who are
married as children have problems later on in life.

Especially women.

Right. I’ve heard a saying to the effect that before a Chinese woman
gets married she has to obey her parents, after she gets married she has
to obey her husband, and after her husband dies she has to obey her son.
I ask you, when will Chinese women be able to think for themselves? When
will they be able to have a little freedom?

Nobody is strict about those customs anymore.

Nobody is strict about them, but the traditional thinking is still
there!

That’s right. It’s still the same old story. Ideas which are several
thousand years old can’t be changed very quickly.

Yeah, but I think that both the mainland and Taiwan have undergone big
changes in the past few decades. The status of women has improved, and
traditional ideas are changing.

Mm, that I agree with.

I'nóngcūn, "rural area" (See Unit 6)

^Zhōngguo funu meiyou jiēhūn yiqian yao tīng fùmǔde: (1) méiyou jiēhūn
yǐqián is completely equivalent to Jiēhūn yǐqián "before getting
married". The méiyou does not change the meaning. (2) Tīng fùmǔde is
equivalent to tīng fùmǔde huà, "to obey one’s parents."

^sīxiǎng, "thought, thinking" (See Life in China module, Unit h)

^tígāo, "raise, improve(ment)" (See Traveling in China module, Unit 2)

B:   Hǎo, women dào jiǎ le. Wang

Chéng jìnqu zuòzuo ba!

D:   Hǎo, jìnqù yíxià.

Okay, we are at my house. Come in for a while, Wang Chéng, okay?

Okay, I’ll come in for a while.

Exercise 1

This exercise is a review of the Reference List sentences in this unit.
The speaker will say a sentence in English, followed, by a pause for you
to translate it into Chinese. Then a second speaker will confirm your
answer.

All sentences from the Reference List will occur only once. You may want
to rewind the tape and practice this exercise several times.

Exercise 2

This exercise is a conversation between a grandmother and her
high-school-age granddaughter in Tianjin.

The conversation occurs only once. After listening to it completely
you’ll probably want to rewind the tape and answer the questions below
as you listen a second time.

Here are the new words and phrases you will need to understand this
conversation:

Zhāng Lǐ Shi                        (an old way of referring to a

woman whose own surname is Lǐ and whose husband’s surname is Zhāng)

zài shuō                           besides, moreover

Questions for Exercise 2

Prepare your answers to these questions in Chinese so that you can talk
about them in class.

-   1. Can you infer how people generally learn about new policies like
    birth control in China?

-   2. What does Grandma think of the new policy?

-   3. What is the difference between the old and the new custom with
    regard to taking one’s husband’s surname after marriage?

After you have answered these questions yourself, you may want to take a
look at the translation for this conversation. You may also want to
listen to the dialogue again to help you practice saying your answers.

Note: The translations used in these dialogues are meant to indicate
English functional equivalents for the Chinese sentences rather than the
literal meaning of the Chinese.

Exercise 3

In this conversation two classmates are talking in Hong Kong about the
situation on the mainland.

Listen to the conversation once straight through. Then, on the second
time through, look below and answer the questions.

Here are the new words you will need to understand this conversation:

shichang                           market

nóngmín                            peasant

For this conversation, you also need to know what "free markets" are.
The Chinese term is zìyou shìchǎng. These are government-controlled,
negotiated-price markets which individual peasants, brigades, or
communes hold in the cities at officially designated locations to sell
agricultural products, livestock, and fish. After units have fulfilled
state quotas for an agricultural sideline product, any surplus (with the
exception of certain restricted products) may be sold on the open
market. Free markets are supposed to encourage agricultural sideline
production, stimulate the exchange of urban and rural products, improve
the supply of non-staple foods in the cities, and supplement
state-operated commerce.

Questions for Exercise 3

Prepare your answers to these questions in Chinese so that you can talk
about them in class.

-   1. How do free markets help peasants? How do they help agricultural
    production?

-   2. How do free markets improve life for people in the cities?

-   3. What other developments in the countryside do the classmates
    think will affect the mainland’s economic situation?

-   U. For how long did classmate B’s family live in the Jiangxi
    countryside?

After you have answered these questions yourself, you may want to take a
look at the translation for this conversation. You may also want to
listen to the conversation to help you practice saying the answers which
you have prepared.

.Exercise U

In this exercise two classmates in Hong Kong discuss a death in the
family of a friend.

Listen to the conversation straight through once. Then rewind the tape
and listen again. On the second time through, answer the questions.

You will need the following words and phrases:

lǎoxiānsheng                       old gentleman

gǔhuī                               ashes (of a person)

sònghuiqu                          to take back

Questions for Exercise U

Prepare your answers to these questions in Chinese so that you can talk
about them in class.

-   1. Where will Mr. Wang’s remains be buried?

-   2. What was the nature of family clashes between Mr. Wang and his
    five sons?

-   3. From Mr. Wang’s point of view, what were the advantages in having
    his sons get married young?

-   U. What did his sons think about early marriage?

5. What did Mr. Wang gradually come to understand that made him give up
trying to have his sons marry early?

6. What sentence can you say to someone in a conversation to suggest
that you talk about a different topic?

After you have answered these questions, you may want to take a look at
the translation for this conversation. You may also want to listen to
the conversation again to help you pronounce your answers correctly.

Dialogue and Translation for Exercise 2

In Tiānjīn, a grandmother talks with her high school age daughter.

-   A: Xiǎolán, kàn hào na!

-   B: Nǎinai, jǐntiǎn hàoshang shuōle,

"Yíge zuì hǎo, liǎngge gòu le, sānge tài duō"!

-   A: Shénme? "Yíge zuì hǎo"? Wǒ

méi tīngmínghai.

-   B: Nà shi shuō shēng háizi, shēng

yíge zuì hǎo, liǎngge jiù gòu le, sānge tài duō.

-   A: _(w)"Shēng yíge zuì hǎo"? Shēng ge nuháizi zěnme hàn? Hái děi zài
    shēng yíge nánde ma!

-   B: Ei, nǎinai, nuháizi you shenme

hù hǎo? Nánháizi yě hǎo, nuháizi yě hǎo, dōu shi zìjīde háizi ya!

-   A: Nà hù yíyàng, nuháizi jiēle hūn,

shēngle háizi, háizi děi xing zhàngfude xìngr, nī xiǎng nánháizi he
nuháizi yíyàng ma?

-   B: _(w)Nà wǒ hù tongyì. Nín yě shi nude, nín wèishenme nàme kànbuqī
    fùnu a?

-   A: Bu shi kànhuqǐ, shèhuìde qíng

xing jiù shi zhèiyangr. Nǐ yéye xing Zhāng, wǒ zìjǐ xing LǏ, jiēhūn
yǐhòu rénjia jiào wo Zhāng Lǐ Shi, zěnme méiyou rén jiào wo Lǐ Zhāng
Shi?

-   B: Zhèi shi jiù fēngsú, xiànzài

méiyou zhèixiē shuōfǎr le. Wǒ shi Zhāng Xiǎolán, jiēhūn yǐhòu wǒ hái shi
Zhāng Xiǎolán.

-   A: Yǐhòu háizi yě xing Zhāng ma?

-   B: Zěnme bù kéyi, nín kàn duìmiànr-

de Wáng Āyí, yǒule háizi jiào Wang Lin, yě méiyou rén shuō bù kéyi ma!
Zài shuō, duō shēng háizi you

Reading the paper, Xiǎolán?

Grandma, today it says in the paper, "One is best, two are enough, three
are too many"!

What? "One is best"? I don't understand.

It's about having children. It's best to have one, two are enough, and
three are too many.

"It's best to have one"? What do you do if you have a girl? Then you
have to try to have a boy!

But Grandma, what's wrong with girls? Boys or girls, they're all one's
own children!

It's not the same thing. When a girl gets married and has a child, the
child has to take the husband's surname. You think boys are the same as
girls?

That I don't agree with. You're a woman too. Why do you look down on
women so much?

It's not that I look down on them. That's the way society is. Your
grandfather's name is Zhāng and mine is Lǐ. After we got married people
called me Zhāng LǏ Shi. Why didn't anyone call me Lǐ Zhāng Shi!

That's the old custom. Those terms aren't used anymore. I'm Zhāng
Xiǎolán, and after I get married I'll still be Zhāng Xiǎolán.

And will your children use the surname Zhāng too?

Why not? Look at Auntie Wáng across the way. When she had her child it
was called Wáng LÍn, and no one said there was anything wrong with that.

shénme hǎochur, dajiā shōurù dōu bù duō, háizi duōle, dàren duō kǔ!

A:   Hǎole, hāole, jiù suàn nǐ shuōde

duì. Kuài chī fàn ba! Chīwánle hái děi shàng xué qu na!

Besides, what’s the advantage in having a lot of children? Everyone has
a small income, and if there are a lot of children, how hard it is for
the adults!

Okay, okay, let’s say you’re right. Hurry up and eat! You have to go to
school after you finish eating!

Dialogue and Translation for Exercise 3

In Hong Kong, two classmates are talking.

-   A: Nǐ zuìjìn kàn bào le meiyou?

-   B: Shénme bào?

-   A: Dàlù bàozhī. You yíjiàn shìqing

hěn you yìsi, bù zhīdào nǐ zhùyì le meiyou?

-   B: Shénme shi?

-   A: Zìyóu shìchāng.

-   B: Ng, wǒ yě kàndao le, wǒ xiàng

zhei shi yíge bāngzhu nóngmín zhuàn qiánde hāo bànfa.

-   A: Lìngwài yidiǎn, nóngmínde shōurù

duō le, duì nóngyè shēngchǎn yě you hāochu.

-   B: Duì, wǒ xiǎng wèile ràng xiāng-

xiade shēngchǎn hé shēnghuó qíngkuàng hǎo yidiǎn, zhèiyangde shìchāng
yǐnggāi bànxiaqu.

-   A: Erqiě, chéngli rénde shēnghuó yě

huì hǎo yidiǎnr, tāmen kéyi zài zìyóu shìchāng mǎidao xīnxiande cài,
zhēnshi bú cuò.

-   B: Yǐhòu zìyóu shìchāng yuè bàn

yuè hǎo, xiāngxiade xiǎo gōngshāngyè yě huì fādáqilai, dàlùde jīngji
qíngkuàng huì you hěn dàde gǎibiàn.

Have you been reading the papers lately?

What papers?

The mainland newspapers. I wonder if you’ve noticed something very
interesting.

What?

Free markets.

Mm, I’ve seen that too. I think it’s a good way to help peasants make
money.

And another point is that it will be good for agricultural production if
the peasants’ income goes up.

Right. I think they ought to continue running these markets in order to
make production and living conditions in the country better.

What’s more, life will be better for people in the cities. They can buy
fresh foods at the free markets. It’s really pretty good.

In the future, free markets will get better and better, small industry
and commerce in the countryside will begin to prosper, and there will be
big changes in the mainland’s economic situation.

-   A: Wǒ jìde nǐ lǎojiā zài Jiangxi.

-   B: Shi. Ting wǒ fùqin shuō, tāmen

jǐdài rén dōu zhù zai Jiāngxǐ xiāngxià.

-   A: Xiànzài lǎojiā hái yǒu rén ha?

-   B: Yǒu, wǒ tíngshuō nerde qíngkuàng

xiànzài hú cuò le.

-   A: Nà hǎo, yǒu jíhui xiǎng huíqu

kànkan ha?

-   B: Yídìng!

I remember your family is from Jiāngxǐ.

Yes. My father tells me that they lived in the Jiāngxǐ countryside for
several generations.

You still have family there, don’t you?

Yes. I understand that the situation there is pretty good now.

That’s good, if you have the chance do you want to go hack to visit?

Sure!

Dialogue and Translation for Exercise u

Conversation between two classmates in

-   A: Wǒ tíngshuō Wang Tāode fùqin sǐ

le.

-   B: Shi. Wang Tāo hé tā mǔqin xià

Xīngqīyī yào bǎ lǎoxiānshengde gǔhuǐ sònghuiqu.

-   A: Tāmen lǎojiā zài nǎr?

-   B: Zài Guǎngdōng.

-   A: Tíngshuō Wang Lǎoxiānsheng huó-

zhede shihou chángcháng xǐhuan tan lǎojiāde shir?

-   B: Shi a! Wang Lǎoxiānsheng rén

hěn hǎo, jiù shi yǒu diǎnr lǎo guānniàn, zǒng xiǎng bǎochí dà jiātíngde
chuántǒng, kěshi jiā-lide niánqīng rén duōshu dōu bù ting tāde huà, you
shihou tā yě hěn bu gāoxìng.

A: ' Nǐ néng bu néng gěi wo jiǎng-jiang ne?

Hong Kong.

I hear that Wang Tāo’s father died.

Yes. Wang Tāo and his mother are going to take the old gentleman’s ashes
back next Monday.

Where’s their family from?

Guǎngdōng.

I understand that when Mr. Wang was alive he often liked to talk about
the way things were back in their old home, is that right?

Yes! Mr. Wang was a very good person, but he was a bit old-fashioned in
his way of thinking. He always wanted to keep the tradition of the large
family, but most of the young people in the family wouldn’t listen to
him. So sometimes he was very displeased.

Can you tell me about it?

°It is the custom to take the remains back to one’s hometown.

B:   Xíng a! Wáng Lǎoxiānsheng you

wǔge érzi, tā yuànyi érzimen zǎohūn, tā xiǎng, zǎo jiēhūn, zǎo you
sūnzi, nà duo hǎo!

-   A: Zǎohūn, lǎorén yě kéyi zǎo

yidiǎnr you zhàogu, zhè bú cuò.

-   B: Wáng Lǎoxiānsheng zhèng shi

zhèige yìsi. Keshi érzimen bú nàme xiǎng.

-   A: Tāmen zěnme xiǎng?

-   B: Tāmen shuō nèizhǒng "zǎohūn,

jiāli láodònglì duō, shōurù jiu duō, shēnghuo jiu hǎo" de xiǎngfǎ shizài
shi tài jiù le. Tāmen shi niánqīng rén, tāmende guānniàn dōu shi xīnde.

-   A: Wáng Lǎoxiānsheng zěnme bàn ne?

-   B: Hòulái tā mànmànde yě míngbai

xiànzài gēn guòqù wánquán bù tong le, tā yě jiù bù shuō shenme le. Suōyi
yìzhí dào Wáng Xiān-sheng sǐ, Jiāli yě méiyou shenme dà wèntí.

-   A: Hǎo le, women huàn ge tímu ba,

tántan nīde qíngxing. Nī zuìjìn zěnmeyàng? Niàn shū niànde hǎo bu hǎo?

-   B: Bu cuò, jiù shi máng. Jǐntiǎn

you diǎn shíjiān xiūxi xiuxi, women qù hē chá hǎo bu hǎo?

A:   Hǎo, zǒu ba!

Sure! Mr. Wáng had five sons. He wanted his sons to marry early.

He thought that if Chis sons3 got married young, he would get grandsons
sooner, and how great that would be.

With early marriage, old people can be cared for sooner; that's good
too.

That's exactly what Mr. Wáng had in mind. But his sons didn't think
think so.

What did they think?

They thought the idea that "early marriage brings the family more
manpower, and therefore more income and a better life" is really too
old. They're young people and all their ideas are new ones.

What did Mr. Wáng do?

Later he gradually came to understand that things are completely
different now from the way they used to be, so he stopped talking about
it. So there weren't any big problems in the family up until Mr. Wáng
died.

Okay, let's change the subject and talk about your situation. How have
you been lately? Are your studies going well?

Pretty well, its just that I'm busy. But today I have time to take a
break. Let's go have some tea, okay?

Okay, let's go!

UNIT 6 Politics and. Culture

INTRODUCTION

Grammar Topics Covered, in This Unit

-   1. -de huà, ’’if," ”in case.”

-   2. Choosing between -guo and -le.

-   3. More on zài, "in the midst of.”

-   U. Bù guǎn. .. , ’’no matter.’’

-   5. Nǎr used in rhetorical questions to make a denial.

-   6. Reduplicating adjectival verbs for vividness.

-   7. Qù and lai expressing purpose.

-   8. (Amount of time) lai, ’’in the past...,” ’’over the past....’’

Functional Language Contained in This Unit

-   1. Requesting to speak with someone.

-   2. Making a comment in order to verify a piece of information.

-   3. Expressing that you are disturbed by a troublesome circumstance.

-   U. Expressing scandalized disapproval.

-   1. A: Nǐ yàoshi xiǎng tīng gùshi-de huà, wǒ gěi ni jiǎng yíge ya!

B: Suàn Le. Wǒmen xiǎ qí ba!

-   2. A: Tīngshuǒ jiěfàng yǐhòu, Gǒngchǎndǎng zuǒle xiě hǎo shi.

B: Eng, you xiě zhèngcè shi hú cuò, you xiě hú tǎi hǎo.

-   3. A: Lǎo Wangde érzi rùguo Tuan ma?

B: Méiyou, tīngshuǒ cānjiǎguo Hongwèibīng.

U. A: Nǐ tīngshuǒ le ma, Lǎo Zhǎngde nuér àishang Xiǎo Wang le.

B: Zhè zhēn shi mafan shir, Lǎo Zhang zuì hen Wang-jiǎde rén.

5. A: Rúguo nī hú jièyìde huà, wǒ xiǎng hé nǐde mishu tan Jifēn zhōng.

B: Tā zài dǎ zì, mashàng Jiù lai.

If you want to listen to a story, I’ll tell you one.

Forget it. Let’s play chess.

I’ve heard that the Communist Party did some good things after
liberation. ⁵

Yes, some policies were all right, hut some weren’t too good.

Did Lǎo Wang’s son ever Join the Communist Youth League?

No, hut I’ve heard that he was in the Red Guards.

Have you heard? Lǎo Zhang’s daughter has fallen in love with Xiǎo

Wáng.

This is really trouble. Lǎo Zhāng really hates the Wáng family.

If you don’t mind, I’d like to talk with your secretary for a few
minutes.

He’s typing, he’ll be here in a moment.

6.

A:

Zhèige háizi bú xiàng huà, bù guǎn zěnme shuō dōu bù tīng.

B: Duì ma, zhè nǎr xiàng Xīn Zhōngguode értong!

This child is too much. No matter what you say, he Just doesn’t listen.

Yes, he’s certainly no Cnot like anyl child of "New China."

-   7. A: Zhèipiān duǎnpiān xiǎoshuō xiěde shi shénme?

-   B: Xiěde shi yíge nongcūn

gànhude gùshi.

-   8. A: Nǐ Jí Jímángmángde, zuò shénme qu a?

-   B: Shàng xué qu a!

-   9. A: Zhèngfǔ shǐ hu shi hǎohù rénmende cáichǎn?

-   B: Shǐ. Zhèngfǔ shíxíng

hǎohù rénmen cáichǎnde zhèngcè.

-   10. Zài Gòngchǎndǎng lǐngdǎoxià, Zhōngguo zài shǐjièshangde dìwei
    yǒule hěn dàde gǎihiàn.

What is this short story about?

It’s the story of a cadre in a rural area.

What are you in such a hurry to go do?

I’m going to school!

Does the government protect people’s property?

Yes. The government is carrying out a policy of protecting people’s
property.

Under the leadership of the Communist Party, China’s position in the
world has changed greatly.

-   11. A: Shínián lái, zhèi liǎngge chéngshǐde gōngshāngyè yuè lái yuè
    fādá le.

B:   Zhè hé zhèngfǔde lǐngdǎo

shi fēnbùkāide.

In the past ten years industry and commerce in these two cities have
hecome more and more developed.

This can’t he separated from the government’s leadership.

ADDITIONAL REQUIRED VOCABULARY

-   12. dang

-   13. yuányīn

1U. Jiārù

political party; (capital D-) the (Communist) Party

reason, cause

to Join

+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
|                                   | VOCABULARY                        |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| ài àishang                        | to love                           |
|                                   |                                   |
|                                   | to fall in love with              |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| bǎohù                             | to protect                        |
|                                   |                                   |
| bù guan                           | no matter (what, whether, etc.)   |
|                                   |                                   |
| bú xiàng huà                      | to be ridiculous, to be           |
|                                   | outrageous, to be absurd (talk,   |
|                                   | acts, etc.)                       |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| canjiā                            | to participate in, to take part   |
|                                   | in, to Join, to attend            |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| chéngshì                          | city; urban                       |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| dang dǎ zì -de huà duǎnpiān       | (political) party to type (on a   |
|                                   | typewriter) if; in case;          |
|                                   | supposing that short (stories,    |
|                                   | articles)                         |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| értóng                            | child (formal word)               |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| fen fēnkāi                        | to divide, to separate, to split  |
|                                   | to separate, to split up          |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| gànbu Gòngchǎndǎng gùshi          | cadre                             |
|                                   |                                   |
|                                   | the Communist Party story         |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| hen                               | to hate, to loathe, to detest (a) |
|                                   | Red Guard; the Red Guards         |
| Hóngwàibīng                       |                                   |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| Jiǎrù Jiěfàng jièyì jíjímángmang  | to join                           |
| jímáng                            |                                   |
|                                   | to liberate, to emancipate;       |
|                                   | liberation                        |
|                                   |                                   |
|                                   | to mind, to take offense          |
|                                   |                                   |
|                                   | in a big hurry                    |
|                                   |                                   |
|                                   | to be hasty, to be hurried        |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| ...lái lǐngdǎo                    | for the past...(amount of time)   |
|                                   | to lead, to direct, to exercise   |
|                                   |                                   |
|                                   | leadership (over); leadership;    |
|                                   | leader, leading cadre             |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| nóngcūn                           | country, rural area; rural;       |
|                                   | village                           |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| ru                                | to enter; to Join                 |
|                                   |                                   |
| rù Tuan                           | to Join the Communist Youth       |
|                                   | League (Gòngqingtuán or           |
|                                   | Gòngchǎnzhǔyì Qīngniántuán)       |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| -shang                            | (verb ending indicating starting  |
|                                   | and continuing)                   |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| shàng xué                         | to go to school; to attend school |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+

+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| shijiè shijièshang shíxíng        | world                             |
|                                   |                                   |
|                                   | in the world, in the whole world  |
|                                   |                                   |
|                                   | to practice, to carry out, to put |
|                                   | into effect, to implement         |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| -tuán Tuan                        | group, society                    |
|                                   |                                   |
|                                   | the (Communist Youth) League      |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| -xia xia qí                       | under                             |
|                                   |                                   |
|                                   | to play chess                     |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| yuányīn                           | reason, cause                     |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| zhèngcè zhèngfǔ                   | policy government                 |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+

1. A: Nǐ yàoshi xiǎng tīng gùshi- If you want to listen to a story, de
huà, wǒ gěi ni Jiang        I’ll tell you one.

yíge ya!

B: Suàn le. Women xià qí ha! Forget it. Let’s play chess.

Notes on No. 1

gùshi: "story," only in the sense of a short, fictional tale. Remember
that another word you have learned, xiǎoshuō, can also be used for
"story" in the sense of a literary work. Also take special note that a
news "story" should be translated as xǐnwěn (NOT gùshi).

"To tell stories" is Jiǎng (OR shuō) gùshi (don’t use the verb gàosu).

Nǐmen zhèr yǒu shénme értǒng Do you have any children’s stories gùshi
ma?                          here? (in a bookstore)

Zhèipiān gùshi xiěde zhēn hǎo. This story is very well written.

Gùshi may take as a counter either -ge, -duàn, or -pian (for written
stories).

-de huà: "if," "in case," or "supposing that" Used at the end of a
clause which tells a hypothetical situation, often in combination with
another word for "if" (yàoshi, rúguǒ, etc.) earlier in the same clause.

Yàoshi nǐ bu qùde huà, wǒ yě bu If you don’t go, I won’t go. qù.

Chǐ fàn chībǎo le, yàoshi zài chǐ If you eat more after you’re already
de huà, dùzi Jiu bù shūfu le. full, your stomach won’t feel well.

Wǒ qǐlai tài zǎode huà, wǒ Jiù If I get up too early I feel tired, huì
Juéde lèi.

Yào shi wǒde huà, wǒ bu nàme zuò. If it had been me, I wouldn’t have

done it that way.

xià qí: "play chess" This is actually a general word for several
different kinds of chess or other board games. CSpecific names do exist
for each game: xiàngqí, "Chinese chess"; tiàoqí, "(the Chinese form of)
checkers"; wéiqí, "go" (a board game); guojì xiàngqí (PRC) or xǐyáng qí
(Taiwan), "international or Western chess"; etc.J

Nǐ gēn shéi xià qí?

Who did you play chess with?

Tā xià qí xiàde hěn hǎo.

He plays chess very well.

2. A: Tīngshuǒ jiěfàng yīhòu, Gòngchǎndǎng zuole xiě hǎo shi.

B: Eng, you xiě zhèngcè shi hú cuò, you xiē hú tài hǎo.

I’ve heard that the Communist Party did some good things after
liberation.

Yes, some policies were all right, hut some weren’t too good.

Notes on No. 2

jiěfàng: "to liberate, to emancipate; liberation" This word is applied
in Communist ideology to the overthrow of what is considered
"reactionary" rule. In China today jiěfàng may be used to refer to the
actual occupation of an individual area by Communist forces at any time
from 19^+5 up until 1950 (when the administrative authority of the
Communist government had finally extended throughout the mainland and
Hǎinán Island). For example, if someone says

Women zhèige dìfang jiěfàngde Our area was liberated late (in the wǎn.
                               revolution).

this means that Communist forces reached their area at a late date
(perhaps in late 19^+9 or early 1950). Jiěfàng may also be used to refer
to the end of "China’s War of Liberation," marked by the official
proclamation of the People’s Republic of China on October 1, 19^+9. For
example,

Jiěfàng yīhòude jīnián, wǒ zhù For the first few years after liber-zai
Shànghǎi.                       ation I lived in Shànghǎi.

Gòngchǎndǎng: "the Communist party," literally "share-property party" In
a mainland China context, the Communist party is often referred to
simply as Dǎng, "the Party.” The official name is Zhongguo Gòngchǎndǎng,
"Chinese Communist Party (CCP)."

zhèngcè: "policy" (especially of a government)

Zuìjìnde zhèngcè gǎibiàn le.       The (government’s) policy has changed

recently.

3. A: Lǎo Wangde érzi rùguo Tuán ma?

B: Méiyou, tīngshuǒ cānjiāguo Hǒngwèibīng.

Notes on No. 3

Did Lǎo Wang’s son ever join the Communist Youth League?

No, but I’ve heard that he was in the Red Guards.

rù: "to enter" Rù is most often used in literary Chinese. In the spoken
language, it is mainly used in a handful of set phrases like rù xué, "to
enter school, to start school," or rù yuàn, "to be hospitalized."
Otherwise, "to enter" is expressed by the verbs jin, jìnlai, or jìnqu.

In the set phrases rù Tuán, "to join the Communist Youth League," and rù
Dǎng, "to Join the Communist Party," rù is actually short for the verb
jiǎrù (No. 11+ on the Reference List), which means "to join" an
organization.

Tuan: "the League," short for Zhongguo Gòngchǎnzhùyì Qīngniāntuān,
"China Communist Youth League," also abbreviated as Gòngqingtuān. This
is a nationwide organization for working youth and students between the
ages of fourteen and twenty-five. Its aim is to cultivate members’
political awareness and their cultural and scientific knowledge. The
League’s history goes back to 1922, but its name, goals, and influence
have changed over the years. During the Cultural Revolution, the
functions of the League were largely taken over by the Red Guards (see
note on next page), but in 1973 the League began to recover its former
influence. Today, the League organizes political study sessions as well
as educational and recreational activities at schools, universities,
factories, and other places of work. The League also provides leadership
for the Young Pioneers (Shàoxiǎnduì), an organization for children from
seven to fourteen.

The connection between the Communist Party and the League is a close
one, although the League is independently organized and has its own
central committee with a national congress that meets periodically.
Policy leadership for the League comes from the Youth Department of the
Communist Party Central Committee. By no means do all League members go
on to become Party members, but leadership experience in League
activities makes many likely candidates for later Party membership.

cānjiǎ: "to Join; to participate in, to take part in; to attend"

Canjiā refers to the action of Joining a group or Joining in an
activity. It also means "to participate" or "to take part in." Cānjiǎ is
also the word to use for "to attend" a meeting, convention, or other
gathering (but not a play, film, or other non-participatory event).

Zhōngguo cānjiǎ Shìjiè Yínháng le.

Women jìhuà xià xīngqī kai ge wanhuì,° nǐ xiǎng bu xiǎng cānjiǎ?

Dàjiǎ dou yinggāi cānjiǎ lāodòng.

Tā cānjiāle yíge xùnliànbǎn."

Wǒ yào qù cǎnjiǎ míngtiǎn xiàwude huì.

China has Joined the World Bank.

We’re planning to have an evening party next week. Would you like to
Join in?

Everyone should participate in (physical) labor.

He is attending a training class OR He attended a training class,
(depends on context)

I’m going to attend the meeting tomorrow afternoon.

rùguo Tuan, cǎnjiǎguo Hongwèibing: You were introduced to the marker
-guo in the Biographic Information module, with sentences like NǏ
cōngqiān lāiguo ma?, "Have you ever been here before?" You also saw that
-guo can provide by itself the meaning of "ever": Tǎ qùguo Zhōngguo ma?,
"Has he ever been to China?" In exchange 3, the speakers use -guo with
the meaning of "ever" having done something.

"wǎnhuì, "evening party"       xùnliànbǎn, "training class"

Why use -guo and not -le in these sentences? A helpful rule of thumb is
to use -guo in Chinese when you would say "ever" in English. But -guo
and "ever" do not always correspond; as you can see in sentence 3B, the
English does not contain the word "ever." The reason speaker B decided
to use -guo there rather than le is that he knows Lǎo Wang’s son is no
longer in the Red Guards. Using -guo rather than le implies that the
Joining (cānjiā) was later undone—that the son is not a Red Guard now.

The verb cānjiā tells an action that results in a new state: the action
of Joining results in the state of being part of something. Similar
verbs include zuò, "to sit," (the action of sitting results in the state
of being seated) and chuān (the action of putting on clothes results in
the state of the clothes being on). Process verbs as well show the
change from one state to a new state, like bìng (to go from wellness to
sickness), dào (to go from not being here to being here). When -guo is
used with these kinds of verbs it often implies that the resulting state
is no longer in effect.’

Hongwèibíng: "the Red Guards," lit., "Red Guard-Soldiers" It was in
Beijing in 1966 that middle school and college students first began to
form groups calling themselves Hóngwèibìng. At that time CCP Chairman
Máo Zedong had been trying with little success to stir up a mass
movement against "revisionist" elements in the Chinese Communist Party,
and to infuse the country with a new revolutionary spirit. The newly
formed Red Guard groups first directed their efforts at reactionary
leaders in the schools. After Mao publicly expressed his support for the
Red Guards, their movement quickly grew into a major force in the first
stage of the Cultural Revolution. Their opposition to Liu Shàoqí, then
Chairman (head of state) of the PRC, was instrumental in his downfall.
Before long, groups of Red Guards were crisscrossing China by train,
bus, any means of transportation—many on foot—to spread the concepts of
the Cultural Revolution. The scale of these excursions is difficult to
imagine; Red Guards, other student groups, and tagalongs— altogether
millions of young people—were to be seen everywhere, bringing Beijing’s
political movements to the rest of the country.

After their inception, the thousands of Red Guard groups nationwide had
difficulty forming a cohesive organization, and after the first three
years of the Cultural Revolution (1966 to 1968) their power began to
wane. They remained a prestige group, however, until their official
abolishment in 1978.

Outside observers, as well as many Chinese, had mixed opinions of the
Red Guards. That they were a major force in stirring the country to Join
in the movements of the time is beyond question. But the zealous
excesses and cruelties of many Red Guards toward people of "undesirable"
political or family backgrounds are equally well known.

’-Guo may also be used when the speaker does not know for sure whether
the state is still in effect. But do not use -guo when you know for sure
that the state is still in effect. For example, if you know that a
person has come here and is still here, you can only say Tā lái le.

b. A: Ní tīngshuǒ le ma, Lǎo Zhāngde nuěr àishang Xiǎo Wang le.

B: Zhè zhēn shi máfan shir, Lǎo Zhang zuì hen Wáng jiāde rén.

Notes on No.

Have you heard? Lǎo Zhang’s daughter has fallen in love with Xiǎo Wáng.

This is really trouble. Lǎo Zhang really hates the Wáng family.

ài: ’to love (state verb)

Wǒ xiǎng tǎ shi zhènde ài ní. I think she really loves you.

Tā you ài xuéxí, you ài láodòng, She loves study and loves physical shi
ge hǎo tongzhì.                 labor. She is a good comrade.

Ai can also mean to like, to be fond etc. It is usually used before a
verb,

Wǒ zuì ài chī tángcù páigǔ le!

Tā zhēn ài jiǎng huà.

-   A: Nǐ ài kàn diànyǐng ma?

-   B: Bú ài.

Wǒ fùqin ài xià qí.

àishang: "to fall in love (with

Zài zhèige xuéxiào shàng kè yíge yuè yǐhòu, tā jiu àishang tāde Zhōngwén
lǎoshī le.

Cong dìyīcì kànjian ta, wǒ jiu àishang ta le.

Wǒ zhīdao nī bú ài wo le, xīhuan shang Wáng Cheng le.

a food, hobby, sport, activity, as in the following examples:

I just love sweet and sour spareribs!

He really loves to talk.

Do you like to go to the movies?

No.

My father is fond of (playing) chess.

someone)’’

After attending classes at this school for one month, he fell in love
with his Chinese teacher.

I fell in love with her right from the first time I saw her.

I know you don’t love me anymore; you’ve taken a liking to Wáng Cheng.

Particularly in Beijing speech, the ending -shang added to some verbs
has the meaning of starting and then continuing, "to set about (doing
something), to fall into the habit of (doing something), to take to
(doing something)."

Tāmen you xiàshang qí le.

Nī you chōushang yān* le?!

They have started to play chess again OR They’re back playing chess
again.

You’re smoking again?!

chǒu yān, "to smoke"

Rénjia shuì jiào le, nǐ zěnme chàngshang gē le?.’

There are people trying to sleep. What are you doing singing?.'

Kànshang means "to take a fancy to, to settle on":

Wǒ kànshang nèizhǒng chē le, děng wǒ yǒule qián wǒ yídìng mǎi yíliàng.

I've taken a fancy to that kind of car. When I have money I'll cer
tainly "buy one.

àishang Xiǎo Wang le: A new-situation le is extremely common when
presenting an event as "hot news," as the speaker does in this sentence.
Hot news should, after all, he presented to the listener as something he
doesn't already know—as a new situation. (For the second example you
need to know zǒngtǒng, "president," and fǎngwèn, "to visit.")

Wǒ zhǎodao yige xīnde gōngzuò I've found a new joh! le!

Jǐntiǎn hàozhǐshang shuō Měiguo It says in today's paper that the
zǒngtǒng yào dào Zhōngguo lái president of the U.S. is going to fǎngwèn
le.                          come visit China!

Of course, this le is sometimes optional. It may he omitted in the above
two examples, hut not in sentence UA.

hen: "to hate," only in the literal meaning of "to loathe, to detest, to
have intense ill feelings toward"

Wǒ hen nèiyìjiā rén.               I hate that whole family.

Wǒ hen ta gěi wo dàilaile name I hate him for bringing me so much duō
máfan.                           trouble.

Wǒ zuì hen zuò zhèizhōng shi. I detest doing this sort of thing most of
all.

"To hate" in the milder sense of "to dislike" or "to wish to avoid" is
expressed in Chinese by other words. (For the last example below you
need to know tǎoyàn, "to dislike, to be disgusted with.")

Zǎoshang wǒ zhēn bú yào qǐlai.     I hate to get up in the morning.

Zhèiyang máfan nǐ, wǒ zhēn bù hǎo I hate to put you to all this yìsi.
                              trouble.

Xiàng tā zhèiyangde rén méiyou I hate to see someone like him yíge hǎo
gōngzuò, tài kěxī le. without a good job.

Wǒ tǎoyàn mǎi dōngxi.

I hate shopping.

*chang gē, "to sing (songs)" (a verb plus general object, like niàn shū)

-   5. A: Rúguo nǐ bú jièyìde huà, wǒ xiǎng he nǐde mishu tan jifěn
    zhong.

B: Tā zài dǎ zì, mǎshàng jiù lái.

If you don’t mind, I’d like to talk with your secretary for a few
minutes.

He’s typing, he’ll be here in a moment.

Notes on No. $

jièyì: "to take offense, to mind' a negative word (bù or bié).

Wǒ shi shuǒzhe wánrde, xīwàng nǐ bú yào jièyì.

-   A: Nǐ bú huì jièyì ba?

-   B: Bú huì.

Nǐ Jièyì bu Jièyì wǒ míngtiān dài ge pengyou qù canjiā nǐde wǎnhuì⁶?

This is mostly used when preceded by

I was kidding (when I said that). I hope you don’t take offense.

You don’t mind, do you?

No, that’s all right.

Do you mind if I take a friend along to your party tomorrow night?

dǎ zì: "to type" on a typewriter, literally "to hit characters."

Tā dǎ zì dǎde hěn kuài.            He types very fast.

Zì here is a general object like huà in shuo huà. Speakers of English
are often tempted to say dǎ zì zhèige for "type this," but that is
incorrect. To specify the thing which is typed, use dǎ without the word
zì. Some verb

endings, especially -chulai, are often

Gěi wo dǎ yíxiàr (zhèige).

Qǐng ni bǎ zhèifēng xìn dǎ yíxiàr.

Wǒ děi qù dǎ yifeng xìn.

Nǐ dǎwán nèifēng xìn le ma?

Nèifēng xìn dǎchulai le meiyou?

Wǒ bǎ zhèige dǎchulaile mǎshàng gěi ni sòngguoqu.

Used as a noun, dǎ zì means "typing"

Wǒ xuéguo dǎ zì.

Tā zài yíge zhōngxué Jiāo Yǐngw dǎ zì.

used with da:

Type this for me.

Please type this letter.

I have to go type a letter.

Have you finished typing that letter?

Has that letter been typed?

I’ll bring this over to you as soon as I finish typing it.

like the school subject):

I’ve studied typing.

She teaches English typing at a middle school.

Zì, by itself, may be used as follows:

Wǒ dǎcuòle yíge zì.                I typed a character (letter or word)

wrong.

Zhèiběn shū, zì tài xiǎo.

The type is too small in this hook.

zài dǎ zì: "He’s (in the midst of) typing" You first learned zài, the
marker of ongoing action, in Meeting, Unit 2: Tā zài kāi huì, "He is (in
the midst of) attending a meeting." Use zài to specify that an action is
in the midst of progressing or evolving.

Because zài denotes "continuing action," it is used with action verbs,
which indicate the event has duration. On the other hand, process verbs,
which indicate simply a change of state, are not compatible with zài:
sǐ, "to die," dào, "to arrive," ting, "to (come to a) stop," qù, "to
go." The verb sǐ, for example, describes the instantaneous transition
from a living state to a dead state. It makes no sense to speak of being
"in the midst of dying"; a person is either alive or dead." Likewise,
you have either arrived (dàole) or not; are either stopped (tingle) or
still moving; are either gone (qùle) or still present.

You can make zài negative with either bù or méi. Questions are usually
best formed with shi bu shi zài; some speakers use you méiyou zài or zài
bu zai.

Sentences with zài often end in ne, the emphatic marker of absence of
change (see Unit U, Notes on No. 2).

-   6. A: Zhèige háizi bú xiàng huà, This child is too much. No matter
    bù guǎn zěnme shuō dōu         what you say, he Just doesn’t

bù ting.                        listen.

B: Duì ma, zhè nǎr xiàng Xīn Yes, he’s certainly no Cnot like Zhōngguōde
értōng!             any] child of "New China."

Notes on No. 6

bú xiàng huà: "to be outrageous, to be ridiculous, to be absurd"
Literally this means "doesn’t resemble speech." As used today, bú xiàng
huà may be applied not only to things which are said, but also to
situations and people.

Zhèiyang zhēn bú xiàng huà, Jiù yào qián bú zuò shi, zěnme xíng!

Bú xiàng huà, bǎ wūzi nòngde zhème luàn, yě bù shōushi shoushi.

This is outrageous! To Just want money but not work. How can that do!

This is too much! He made the room such a mess and doesn’t even
straighten up.

Zhèige háizi yìtiān dào wan wánr, This child plays all day long and bú
niàn shū, zhēn bú xiàng huà. doesn’t study. He’s really too much.

bù guan: ”no matter...” The first half of a bù guan sentence contains
either (1) an interrogative word, e.g.,

  --------- --------------- ----------------
  Bù guǎn   shénme          No matter what
            shéi            who
            shénme shihou   when
            nǎr             where
            wèishénme       why
            zěnme           how
            duōshǎo         how much
            duo lèi         how tired
                            etc
  --------- --------------- ----------------

or (2) a clause expressing alternatives, e.g.,

  --------- ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  Bù guǎn   tā qù bu qù shi bu shi zhēnde tā shi Zhōngguo rén háishi Měiguo rén jintiǎn (háishi) míngtiān   No matter whether he goes or not whether it’s true or not whether he is Chinese or American whether it’s today or tomorrow etc.
  --------- ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The last half of a bù guan sentence usually (not always) has dōu or
sometimes yě.

Bù guan ní gěi duōshāo qián, wō dōu (yě) bú mài.

Bù guan ní xǔyào shénme, tā nèr yídìng (dōu) yōu.

No matter how much money you offer, I’m not selling it.

No matter what you need, he is sure to have it at his place. (Dōu is
optional and yě is not used here.)

Bù guan xià bu xià yǔ, wō dōu qù. Whether it rains or not, I’m going.

nǎr: Literally ’’where,” used in rhetorical questions to make a denial.
Compare this with Náli!, which you learned in the Biographic Information
module to deny compliments.

-   A: Zhèixiē fángzi dōu shi nǐde ma?

-   B: Nǎr a!

-   A: Tā dào nǎr qù le?

-   B: Wō nǎr zhīdao!

-   A: Wō qù wen ta.

-   B: Tā nǎr zhidao! (stress on "tā")

Do these houses all belong to you?

Heck no!

Where did he go?

How should I know! (MAY BE IMPOLITE)

I’ll go ask him.

He doesn’t know! (MAY BE IMPOLITE)

Sāndiǎn zhōng nǎr néng dào!

How could we possibly arrive by three o’clock!

értong: "child" This is the word used in formal contexts. It usually
refers to children under approximately ten years of age.

értong wénxué értong yīyuàn

children’s literature children’s hospital

-   7. A: Zhèipiān duǎnpiān xiǎoshuō What is this short story about?
    xiěde shi shénme?

B:   Xiěde shi yíge nongcūn        It’s the story of a cadre in a

gànbude gùshi.                rural area.

Notes on No. 7

duǎnpiān: "short," of written compositions. Duǎnpiān xiǎoshuō, "short
story"?¹In China, the short story began to develop as a genre as early
as the Tang and Song dynasties. In modern times, Chinese short story
writers were greatly influenced by Western short stories.

nongcūn: This has three main uses: (1) "country, rural area"; (2)
"rural," when used to modify a noun; and (3) "rural community, farm
village" (counter: ge). In mainland China, this third use is no longer
common because of the reorganization of rural areas into communes, with
village-sized units becoming production brigades (shēngchǎn dàduì).

In the Welfare module, you learned another word for "country, rural
area": xiāngxià. Xiāngxià and nongcūn are comparable in meaning.
Xiāngxià is chiefly a conversational word, however, rarely used in
formal contexts. Xiāngxià may even be used in a disparaging manner;
nongcūn, being more neutral

in connotation, cannot.

Tāmen Jiā zài nongcūn.

Nōngcūnde kōngqì bǐ chéngli hǎoduō le.

Tā māma cong nongcūn lai, dàilai hǎo duō xīnxian Jídàn.

Tā zài yíge nongcūn(de) yíyuàn gōngzuō.

Zhèige xuéxiàode xuésheng dōu dào nongcūn cānjiā lāodòng qu le.

Their home is in the country.

The air in the country is much better than in the city.

His mother came from the country and brought lots of fresh eggs with
her.

She works in a rural hospital.

The students of this school have all gone to the country to participate
in labor.

’The expressions zhèige cūnr, "this village," wǒmen cūnr, "our village,"
nǐmen cūnr, "your village," etc., are nevertheless still used in the
PRC.

Zhèige nóngcūn yǒu duōshǎo         What is the population of this farm

rénkǒu?                              village? (not mainland, usage)

gànbu: Usually translated into English "by the French word "cadre," this
word has two meanings in China.⁷ First, it can refer to full-time
functionaries of the (usually central) Party or government. Second—this
is the sense of gànhu in sentence 7B—it can have the broader meaning of
any person who has a leadership job. There are cadres in the army,
factories, schools, communes, anywhere leadership positions exist. It is
always clear who is a gànbu and who is not; positions and people are
well defined as cadre or not. Gànbu is contrasted with qúnzhòng, "the
masses." For example, certain meetings may be attended by "cadres" but
not by "the masses," and certain documents are distributed to "cadres"
of a certain level but not to "the masses."

Most cadres are "not engaged in production" Ctuōchǎn lei, but some are
"half released from production" Ebàn tuōchǎnJ. Very few are "not
released from production" Ebù tuōchǎnJ. In general, cadres’ salaries are
higher than ordinary workers, and they have more privileges.

Lǎo gànbu is translated as "veteran cadre," that is, a cadre from before
liberation.

In the PRC, the English word "cadre" is usually pronounced "cah-der,"
with the first syllable stressed.

-   8. A: Nǐ jíjímangmangde zuò         What are you in such a hurry to

shénme qu a?                   go do?

B:   Shàng xué qu a!               I’m going to school!

Notes on No. 8

jíjímangmǎng: "in a great hurry" This comes from a repetition of each
syllable of the adjectival verb jímang, which means "hasty, hurried." Jí
means "anxious" and mang, which you have learned as "busy," here means
^īn a rushed manner."

Many adjectival verbs may be reduplicated to make them more vivid. For
example:

-   A: Něige shi Chén Bin?

-   B: Gǎogāode neige.

-   A: Něige gǎogāode? Nǐ shi shuō hēihēi shòushòude neige?

-   B: Bú shi. Báibǎi pàngpàngde neige.

Which (of those people) is Chén Bin? The tall one.

Which tall one? You mean the dark, thin one?

No. The pale (light-complexioned), fat one.

Bǎobǎode means "very full":

Wǒ chide bǎobǎode.

I’m very full.

Adjectival verbs of two syllables are reduplicated in an AABB pattern:
repeat the first syllable twice and then the second syllable twice.

gāoxìng        becomes        gāogāoxìngxìng

píngcháng     becomes        píngpíngchángcháng

kèqi           becomes        kèkeqìqì

Adjectival verbs reduplicated this way can be used to modify nouns, as
in

Tā Jiù shi yíge píngpíngcháng- He is Just an ordinary fellow, chángde
rén.

or to modify verbs, as in

Women kèkeqìqìde tántan.           Let's talk it over politely.

Tāmen gāogāoxìngxìngde zǒu le.

They left happily.

These reduplicated adjectival verbs are not made negative or used in a
comparative sentence.

zuò shénme qu: Literally, "you are going in order to do what?" Qù and
lái may be used at the end of a sentence to show purpose: "go in order
to..." or "come in order to..." Whether you choose lai or qu depends, in
many cases, on the direction of the action; if the direction is towards
"here," use lai, and if it is "away," use qu.

Wen tā qu ba!                       Go ask him!

Nǐ kuài máng qu ba!                Go about your business!

Wǒ kàn ni lai le.                   I’ve come to see you.

Putting qu or lai before or after the verb phrase gives about the same
meaning. In fact, in Běijīng speech, they may be used both before and
after the verb phrase. The following three patterns are equivalent:

Nī qù wen tā.

Nī wen tā qu.

You go ask him.

He came (has come) to get the tickets.

Nī qù wen tā qu.

Tā

Tā

Tā

lái ná piào le.

ná piào lai le. lái ná piào lai le.

Here are more examples:

Tā zuò shénme qu le? Shuì Jiào qu le. Hui Jiā qu le. Xī yīfu qu le. Nòng
fàn qu le. Mǎi dōngxi qu le.

What did he go to do?

He went to go to bed.

He went to go home.

He went to do some laundry.

He went to get dinner ready.

He went to do some shopping.

Sometimes there can he ambiguity about whether qu and lai are being used
to express ’’purpose” or "direction.” For example, the phrase ná piào
lai means "bring the tickets here" if lai is a directional ending, but
"come here in order to get the tickets" if lai indicates purpose.

shàng xué: This phrase means either "to go to school" in the sense of
"it’s eight o’clock, the children have already gone to school," or "to
attend school," as in "I attended high school in Chicago." Xué is a
general object like shū in niàn shū, "to study." You can replace it by a
more specific object such as xiǎoxué, "elementary school," or Jíngshān
Zhōngxué, "Jíngshān Middle School."

Tā shàng xué qu le.                 He has gone to school.

Suīrán tā niānji dà le, kěshi Although he’s old, he still wants to tā
hái xiang shàng xué.            go to school.

9. A: Zhěngfǔ shi bu shi bǎohù rénmende cáichǎn?

B:   Shi. Zhengfǔ shíxíng

bǎohù rénmen caichande zhèngcè.

Does the government protect people’s property?

Yes. The government is carrying out a policy of protecting people’s
property.

Notes on No. 9

zhèngfǔ: "government" Zhèng originally meant "political affairs," and fǔ
was the word for "government offices."

Tā zài Měiguo zhèngfǔlí gōngzuò. He works in the U.S. government.

Distinguish zhèngfǔ from guojiā, "the state."* In PRC terminology,
guojiā is the entire organization by means of which the ruling class
exercises its rule, including administrative bodies, the military,
police, courts, and prisons. Zhèngfǔ refers to the administrative bodies
of the state—for example, the State Council.

bǎohù: "to protect" from harm or loss, or "to safeguard"

huánjìng bǎohù

fùnu értong bǎohù

Cong xiǎo jiù děi bǎohù yǎnjīng.

Ní kàn rénjiade chē bǎohùde duo hǎo, níde ne?!

Women yǐnggāi bǎohù guojiā cáichǎn.

environmental protection

woman and child protection

One should protect one’s eyes from the time one is a child.

Look at how well maintained his car is! But yours!

We should protect state property.

Here we are not talking about guojiā*s other meaning, "country, nation."

Even "before liberation, the Chinese Communists attempted to allay
widespread fears that a Communist government would signal an end to
private property "by proclaiming bǎohǔ rénmín cáichǎn as an official
policy.

shíxíng: "to carry out, to put into practice/effect, to implement" an
idea, plan, policy, system, or program.

Zhèige jìhuà néng bu néng shíxíng Whether or not this plan can be im-hái
shi ge wèntí.                   plemented is still a question.

Xiàge yuè women yào kāishǐ shi- Next month we are going to put a new
xíng yìzhǒng xínde kǎoshì          method for testing into practice,

bànfǎ.

-   10. Zài Gòngchǎndǎng lǐngdǎoxià, Zhongguo zài shìjièshangde dìwei
    yǒule hěn dàde gaibiàn.

Notes on No. 10

lǐngdǎo: "to lead, to direct, to leader, leading cadre"

Tāde lǐngdǎo nénglì hěn qiáng.°

Tā nàme niánqǐng jiu lǐngdǎo name duō rén?

-   A: Nǐmende gōngzuò zuòde bú cuò.

-   B: Nà dōu shi zhèngfǔ lǐngdǎode hǎo.

Under the leadership of the Communist Party, China’s position in the
world has changed greatly.

Zhèijiàn shìqing women děi wèn-wen lǐngdǎo.

Tā lǐngdǎo zhèige gōngzuò, zhèijiàn shi yídìng zuòbuhǎo.

Gòngqǐngtuán lǐngdǎo Shàoxiān-duì.

exercise leadership (over); leadership;

He has great leadership ability.

He is in charge of so many people at such a young age?

You do your job well.

It’s all thanks to the good leadership of the government. (Lit., "That
is all because the government leads well.")

We’ll have to ask our leading cadres about this.

If he directs this project, it surely won’t be done well.

The Communist Youth League exercises leadership over (provides guidance
for) the Young Pioneers.

so

-xià: "under," used only after certain nouns. The ones you have learned
far in this course are lǐngdǎo, qíngkuàng, bāngzhù, zhàogu.

Zài zhèizhǒng qíngkuàngxià, zuì In this kind of situation, it is hǎo
shénme dōu bú zuò.              best not to do anything.

“nénglì, "ability"; qiáng, "strong"

shi j iè: ’’world.”

Zhèige dìfang duì tā lái shuō To him, this place seemed like a new
hǎoxiàng shi yíge xǐn shìjiè. world.

Tā duì dìsān shìjiè guójiāde       He is interested in the political

zhèngzhi qíngkuàng you xìngqu. situation in third world countries.

To say "in the world,’’ use shìjièshàng. This is often equivalent to
English ’’in the whole world."

Shìjièshàng méiyou yíge rén        There is no one like him in the

xiàng tā zhèiyang.                 whole world.

Ruìshì hiǎo zài shìjièshàng hěn Swiss watches are famous throughout you
ming.                           the world.

Shìjiè can also he used to modify other nouns:

Zhōngguo shi Shìjiè Yínhángde China is a member country of the
chéngyuánguō.°                      World Bank.

11. A: Shínián lái, zhèi liǎngge In the past ten years, industry and
chéngshìde gōngshāngyè         commerce in these two cities have

yuè lái yuè fādá le.           become more and more developed.

B: Zhè hé zhèngfǔde lǐngdǎo This can’t be separated from the shi
fēnbukāide.                government’s leadership.

Notes on No. 11

shínián lái: "for the past ten years" or "over the past ten years"

Shínián lái, wǒ xuéle hěn duō Over the past ten years, I’ve learned
Yíngwén.                            a lot of English.

Jǐnián lái wǒ dōu méiyou shōudao I haven’t gotten any letters from her
tāde xìn le.                        for the past few years.

Lái is usually used with a relatively long period of time, especially
months or years. There are no definite rules for how long is "long," but
you would not, for example, use lái to say "for the last half hour"
(which would be zhèi bànge zhōngtōu).

The expression of time may be preceded by zhèi, "these," for example,
zhèi jǐnián lái, "for the past few years."

chéngshì: "city" or "(comparatively large) town" Originally chéng meant
a city wall and shi a "market." (Shi is now also an administrative unit,
as in Běijīng shi, "Běijīng municipality.’’) "chéngyuánguō, "member
country"

You have already learned the word chéng for "city, town." Cheng, which
originally meant "city walls," is now mostly used in set phrases such as
jin cheng, "to go into the city, to go into town, to go downtown" (to
the part within the original city walls); or chénglǐ, "in the city," and
chéngwài "outside the city" (again using the walls to differentiate the
two). Chéng is also used to translate "town" in foreign place names,
e.g., Qiáozhìchéng, "Georgetown." The Chinese also use xiǎo chéng to
translate "town" when referring to foreign situations, as in

Tā zhù zai lí Niǔ Yuē hù yuǎnde He lives in a little town near New yíge
xiǎo chéngli.                  York.

But xiǎo chéng is not used to speak of a town in China; instead people
say "county" (xiàn) or "commune" (gōngshè) or Just "place" (dìfang).

To translate "city," chéngshì is the word you will use most often.

Lúndūn shi shiJiè you míngde       London is a world-famous metropolis,

dà chéngshì.

Shànghǎi shi shìjièshang zuì       Shànghǎi is the largest city in the

dàde chéngshì.                      world.

fēnhukāi: "cannot he separated" A more English-sounding translation for
sentence 11B would he, "This is directly related to the government's
leadership."

The verh fēn means "to separate, to divide," as in

Women fēn yige píngguǒ, hǎo hu Let's split (share) an apple, okay? hǎo?

Bǎ nèige píngguǒ fēn liǎngkuài. Divide the apple in two.

Píngguǒ fēn hǎo duo zhong.         There are lots of different kinds

of apples. (Lit., "Apples are divided into many kinds.”)

The verh ending -kāi, which you have seen meaning "open" as in dǎkai,
here is something like English "apart."

Bǎ hāizimen fēnkāi.                 Keep the children apart.

Bǎ hóngde gēn lānde fēnkāi.        Keep the red ones separate from the

hlue ones.

Zhèi liǎngzhāng zhǐ shi fēnde- These two sheets of paper can he kāide.
                              taken apart.

Notes on Additional Required. Vocabulary

yuányǐn: "reason, cause"

Nà shi shénme yuányǐn?

-   A: Shi shénme yuányǐn ta jīntiān méi lái?

-   B: Shéi zhīdao, wèn tā zìjǐ qu ha!

Wo niàn Zhōngwénde yuányǐn shi yīnwei wǒ yào dào Zhongguo qu gōngzuò.

Wo ding’ zhème duō Zhōngguo hàozhǐ shi yǒu yuányīnde.

  ----- -----------------------------
  Why   is that?
  Why   is it he didn’t come today?
  Who   knows? Go ask him!
  ----- -----------------------------

The reason I’m studying Chinese is that I am going to go work in China.

There’s a reason for my subscribing to so many Chinese newspapers.

Nǐ zuò zhèige jìhua yǒu méiyou shénme tèbiéde yuányǐn?

Is there some special reason why you are making this plan?

Méiyou shénme tèbiéde yuányǐn yào zhèiyangr zuò.

There’s no particular reason for doing it this way.

jiārù: This is the formal word for "to join." (You will recognize jiā,
"add," from canjiā and rù, "enter," from rù Tuan.)

Ding is the same word you learned in the Meeting module for "to
reserve."

On the balcony of Lǐ Ping’s apartment, Tom (A) and Lǐ Ping’s sister Lǐ
Wen (Ē) have a conversation.

A:     Lǐ Wen, nǐ yíge rén zài zhèr       Are you playing chess all by
your-

xia qi?

E:     Suíbiàn wānrwanr, jǐntiǎn Bàba

bú zài jiā, píngchāng zǒng shi wǒ he Bàba xià qí. Zenme, nǐ yě xiǎng
wánr ma?

A:     Bù, wǒ bú tài huì xià; rúguǒ

nǐ you kǒng, wǒ xiǎng he ni liāoliao.

E:     Wǒ yě zhěng xiǎng he ni liao

liao ne, qǐng zuò.’ Rúguǒ nǐ bú Jièyìde huà, wǒ xiǎng wen nǐ liǎngge
wèntí.

A:     Bú yào kèqi, qǐng wen ba.’

E:     Měiniǎn shǔjiàde shihou, nǐ

dōu líkāi jiā, yíge rén qù lùxíng ma?

A:     Chàbuduō shi zhèiyangr.

E:     Nàme, nǐde fùmǔ hěn you qian

ba?

A:     Tāmen dōu zài dàxué jiāo shū,

bú shi hěn you qiánde rén, érqiě wǒ luxíngde qian dōu shi wǒ zìjǐ
zhuànde. Píngchāng shàng xuéde shihou, wǒ hai zuò diǎnr shir, xiàng dǎ
zì, fānyi diǎnr xiǎo wénzhāng shenmede. Zhuànle qian, shǔjiàde shihou
chūqu zǒuzou, kànkan shìjiè.

E:     Zhēn bú cuò. Nǐ néng fānyi,

nàme nǐde Zhōngwén hěn hǎo le? Néng shuō yě néng kàn?

A:     Néng kàn yidiǎnr. Wo duì

Zhōngguo wénhuà, Zhōngguo shè-huì hěn you xìngqu, hěn xiǎng yanjiū
yanjiū. Suǒyǐ, rúguǒ nǐ

self out here, Li Wen?

Just fooling around. My father isn’t home today. Usually he and I play
against each other. What’s up? Do you want to play too?

No, I’m not too good at chess. But if you’ve got the time I’d like to
chat with you a bit.

It just so happens I felt like talking with you myself. Have a seat. If
you don’t mind, I’d like to ask you a couple of questions.

Certainly, go right ahead.

Do you leave home and go traveling by yourself every summer?

Just about.

Then your parents must be very rich, I guess?

They both teach college, Csol they’re not very rich; besides, I earn my
own travel money. During the school year I usually do some outside work
like typing, translating little articles, and so on. Then when I’ve
earned the money I go away to see the world during summer vacation.

That’s great. If you’re able to translate, your Chinese must be very
good. You can speak and also read?

I can read a little. I’m very interested in Chinese culture and society,
and I’d like very much to study them. So, if you don’t mind,

°Lǐ Wén may be working out chess strategies or playing Chinese chess
(which can be done alone).

E:

A:

E:

A:

A:

E:

A:

E:

bú jièyìde huà, wo yě hěn xiǎng wèn nǐ jǐge wèntí.

Qīng!

Tīng Lǐ Ping shuō, nǐ zhīdao xiě dàlùde qíngkuàng.

Wo you hěn duō tóngxué he péngyou, tāmen dōu shi cong dàlù laide. Tāmen
zài nàr shēnghuole èrsānshínián, dāng-rán hěn qīngchù. Wo he tamen
chángcháng zài yìqǐ, yě jiù zhīdaole yidiǎnr.

Tīngshuǒ, Zhōngguo zhèngfǔ shíxíng nánnù píngděngde zhèngcè, suōyi
Zhōngguo fùnǔde dìwèi tígāole hěn duō, Jiātíngde qíngkuàng yě he Jiěfàng
yǐqián bù yíyàng le.

Nī shuōde duì. Zài Gòngchǎndǎng lǐngdǎoxià, bù guǎn shi nongcūn háishi
chéngshì, nu-háizi hé nánháizi yíyàng, dōu kéyi shàng xué, zhǎngdàle yě
yíyàng ké^ri you gōngzuò. Jiātíng, fùnu hé értong, dōu kéyi dédao
shèhuìde bǎohù.

Zhè bú shi hěn hǎo ma?

Mm, yīnggāi shi hěn hǎo, kěshi cōng Liù Liù nián dào Qī Liù niàn, zài
zhèi shíniánlī, shèhuì-shang yǐnwèi zhèngzhide yuányǐn youle hěn duō
wèntí. Wo kéyi gěi ni jiǎng yige gùshi.

Nǐ kuài shuōshuo ba!

Nī tīngzhe, ā. You yíwèi lǎo gànbu, zài Shànghǎi gōngzuò. Tā zhǐ you
yíge nuér. Kěshi zài Liù Qī niánde shihour, līngdǎo shuō tā you zhèngzhi
wèntí.

I’d like to ask you a few questions.

Be my guest!

I hear from Lǐ Ping that you know a bit about the situation on the
mainland.

I have a lot of classmates and friends who come from the mainland. They
lived there for twenty or thirty years, so naturally they know quite
well what goes on there. I spend a lot of time with them, so I’ve gotten
to know something about it too.

I understand that the Chinese government carries out a policy of
equality of men and women, so the position of women has improved a great
deal, and families are in quite a different way than before liberation.

That’s right. Under the leadership of the Communist Party, no matter
whether in the countryside or the cities, girls can go to school Just as
boys can, and when they grow up they can also get jobs Just the same.
Families, women and children all receive society’s protection.

That’s great, isn’t it?

Yeah, it ought to be great, but in the ten years from *66 to *?6, a lot
of social problems came about because of political reasons. I can tell
you a story.

Oh, please do!

Listen t" this. There was this old cadre who worked in Shànghǎi. She
only had one daugher. But in ’67 the the leadership said she had
political problems.

A:     Zāogāo.’ Na tā nǔér yě yǒu

māfan le.

E:     Yidiǎnr dōu t>ú cuǒ. Zhèige

nǔhāizi bù néng rù Tuan, bù néng cānjiǎ Hongwèibīng. Péngyou, tongxué
dōu líkāile ta. Yǒude shihour, zài dàjiēshang, hěn shóuxǐde rén yě
hǎoxiàng bú rènshi ta yíyàng.

A:     Nà, tā zěnme bàn ne?

E:     Nèige shíhou, tā juéde shēng-

huó zhěn shi yidiǎnr xīwàng yě méiyou. Tā kāishí hèn tāde mǔqin. Tā yào
líkāi ta, tā yào líkāi tāde jiā.

A:     Hǒulái ne?

E:     Hǒulāi, tāmen zhēnde fēnkāi le.

Nuér dàole nóngcǔn.

A:     Zhèiyang, tāde qíngkuāng huì

hǎo yidiǎnr ba?

E:     Yidiǎnr yě méiyou. Zài nongcǔn

suīrān tā gōngzuòde hěn hǎo, tā hāishi méiyou shénme zhèngzhi shēnghuo,
lǐngdǎo hé rénmen yě méiyou yīnwei tā líkāile mǔqin jiu gāibiàn duì tāde
kànfǎ.

A:     Nà, tā dàgài bú huì you shénme

péngyou, yě bù róngyi àishang shénme rén.

E:     Shi. Tài nan le. Tā àishangle

yíge nānhāizi, nèige nānhāizi yě ài tā, érqiě yīnwei tā, bù né^g yǒu ge
bǐjiǎo hǎode gōngzuǒ.

A:     Zhè shízài tài bú xiàng huà le.

E:     Jiǔniān yǐhòu, lǐngdǎo nǒng-

qǐngchǔ le, tā mǔqin méiyou wèntí. Zhèige nuhāizi jíjímāng-māng pǎohuí
Shànghǎi, kěshi tā zài yě jiànbudào tāde mǔqin le. Tā mǔqin yǐjīng sǐ
zài yīyuànli le.

Uh-oh.’ Then her daughter was in for some trouble too.

Absolutely right. This girl couldn’t join the (Communist Youth), League
or the Red Guards. Her friends and classmates all left her. Sometimes
when she was walking down the street, people she knew well would act as
if they didn’t know her.

Well then, what did she do?

At that time she felt that her life was completely hopeless. She began
to hate her mother. She wanted to leave her. She wanted to leave her
home.

And after that?

Afterwards, they really did split up. The daughter went to the
countryside.

That way her situation got a little better, I guess?

Not a bit. Although she worked very well in the countryside, she still
didn’t have any political life. The leadership and the people didn’t
change their opinion of her just because she left her mother, either.

Well then, she probably didn’t have any friends, and it probably wasn’t
easy to fall in love with anyone.

Yes. It was really hard. She fell in love with a boy, and he loved her.
But because of her, he couldn’t get a better job.

That’s really absurd.

Nine years later, the leadership got it straightened out that her mother
was (politically) okay. The girl rushed back to Shanghai in a flurry,
but she was never to see her mother again. She had already died in a
hospital.

A:

E:

A:

E:

E:

A:

E:

A:

Yíge jiātíng jiù zhèiyang wan le! Ní zěnme huì zhīdao zhèige gùshi?

Yàoshi nī zhùyi yíxiàr Qī Qī nian, Qī Bā niande Zhōngguo bào-zhī, jiu
kéyi kàndao hěn duō zhèiyangde gùshi. Wo zài gěi ni jièshao yìhěn shū.

Shénme shū?

Zhōngguo Yī Jiǔ Qī Qī nian dào Yī Jiu Ofc Bā nian Duǎnpiān Xiǎoshuō.

Nī zhīdao, ruguo yōu rén xiǎng dōngde Zhōngguo shèhuì, Jiù yídìng yào
yánjiū cōng Liù Liù nian dào Qī Liù niànde qíngkuàng. Yánjiūle yīhòu cai
néng míngbai jīntiānde Zhōngguo zhèngfǔ hé Zhōngguo rén wèishenme yào
gǎi-biàn zhè shínián lái zhèngzhi-shang, Jīngjishangde qíngkuàng, ràng
Zhōngguo rén zhěnde dédao jiěfàng.

Nī néng bāng wo zhǎodào nèiběn shū ma?

Wō yōu zhèiběn shū, kéyi song’ gei ni. Kàn shū hái bu gòu, yōu jīhui qù
dàlù kànkan.

Wō yōu jīhui yídìng qù.

Just like that, a family was destroyed! How do you happen to know this
story?

If you watched the newspapers in '77 and ’78 you could see lots of
stories like that. Let me recommend a book to you, too.

What book?

Chinese Short Stories of 1977-1978.

You know, if someone wants to understand Chinese society they have to
study the situation from ’66 to ’76. Only after you’ve studied it can
you understand why today the Chinese government and people are trying to
change the political and economic conditions of the past ten years and
let the Chinese people really be liberated.

Can you help me find that book?

I have it, and I can give it to you. But reading isn’t enough. If you
get the chance, go visit the mainland.

If I get the chance, I certainly will.

*Sòng here means ”to give” something as a gift.

Exercise 1

This exercise is a review of the Reference List sentences in this unit.
The speaker will say a sentence in English, followed by a pause for you
to translate it into Chinese. Then a second speaker will confirm your
answer.

All sentences from the Reference List will occur only once. You may want
to rewind the tape and practice this exercise several times.

Exercise 2

This exercise is a conversation in which an evening university teacher
visits the home of her student, Gāo Xiǎohuà, who also works in a
Shànghǎi factory, to talk with her mother.

The conversation occurs only once. After listening to it completely,
you’ll probably want to rewind the tape and answer the questions below
as you listen a second time.

Here are the new words and phrases you will need to understand this
conversation:

yèdà                                evening university

pǎolai pǎoqù                       to run around

xuéhuì                              to learn, to master

gōngchǎng                          factory

Questions for Exercise 2

Prepare your answers to these questions in Chinese so that you can talk
about them in class.

-   1. What kind of student is Xiǎohuà?

-   2. What was Teacher Liu’s main concern in visiting Comrade Fang
    Bǎolán?

-   3. What were schools like during the Cultural Revolution?

U. Did Teacher Liu come as a representative of the university, factory,
or both? How do you know?

After you have answered these questions yourself, you may want to take a
look at the translation for this conversation. You may also want to
listen to the dialogue again to help you practice saying your answers.

Note: The translations used in these dialogues are meant to indicate the
English functional equivalents for the Chinese sentences rather than the
literal meaning of the Chinese.

Exercise 3

In this exercise a husband and wife in the city of Harbin in northeast
China talk at home.

Listen to the conversation once straight through. Then, on the second
time through, look below and answer the questions.

Here are the new words and phrases you will need to understand this
conversation:

Xiǎo Èr                             (the couple’s son, "Little No. Two,”

so called because he is their second child)

zhǐ yào                            as long as, provided that

gāogàn                              senior cadres

běnrén                             herself, himself, oneself,

myself, etc.

Questions for Exercise 3

Prepare your answers to these questions in Chinese so that you can talk
about them in class.

-   1. Where did Xiǎo Er go after work?

-   2. What kind of trouble does Xiǎo Èr’s father anticipate?

-   3. What does Xiǎo Èr’s mother think of his girlfriend?

-   4. To whom does she refer when discussing political trouble? Why?

After you have answered these questions yourself, you may want to take a
look at the translation for this conversation. You may also want to
listen to the conversation to help you practice saying the answers which
you have prepared.

Exercise 4

In this exercise a student talks with another student from mainland
China in their dorm in Hong Kong.

Listen to the conversation straight through once. Then rewind the tape
and listen again. On the second time through, answer the questions.

You will need the following new word:

wénxuéJiā

writer, literary man

Questions for Exercise U

Prepare your answers to these questions in Chinese so that you can talk
about them in class.

-   1. Why do the roommates decide to stay home? What do they decide to
    do instead?

-   2. Where did Chén Bin learn to play chess? Why do you suppose he was
    living there?

-   3. What was the countryside like during the Cultural Revolution?

-   4. What did Chén Bin do besides play chess?

-   5. After Chén Bin’s experience, what does he think of the situation
    in mainland China?

After you have answered these questions, you may want to take a look at
the translation for this conversation. You may also want to listen to
the conversation again to help you pronounce your answers correctly.

Dialogue and Translation for Exercise 2

A young woman named Gāo Xiǎohuá works at a factory in Shànghǎi and
attends the factory’s evening university. One afternoon her teacher (A)
at the university pays a visit to Gāo Xiǎohuá*s mother, Fāng Bǎolán (B).

-   A: Nǐ shi Fāng Bǎolán Tongzhì

ma?

-   B: Shi. Nín guìxìng?

-   A: Wǒ xing Liu, shi Gāo Xiǎohuá

Tongzhì zài yèdàde lǎoshī.

-   B: Ou, shi Xiǎohuáde lǎoshī.

Kuài qǐng jìnlai zuò.

Are you Comrade Fāng Bǎolán?

Yes. May I ask your name?

My name is Liú. I’m Comrade Gāo Xiǎohuá*s teacher at the evening
university.

Oh, Xiǎohuá*s teacher! Please come in and sit down.

(Gāo sits down and Fāng brings some tea.)

-   B: Liu Lǎoshī, Xiǎohuá zài yèdà

zěnmeyàng a?

-   A: Xiǎohuá hěn yònggōng, xuéxide

hěn hǎo. Kěshi wǒ zǒng juéde Xiǎohuá shēntǐ bú gòu hǎo. Měitiān dōu
hǎoxiàng hěn lèi, shi bu shi shuìde bú gòu?

-   B: Yidiǎnr dōu bú cuò, shi

xiūxide bú gòu. Zhèi háizi měitiān huílai niàn shū dōu děi niàn dao
liǎng-sāndiǎn zhōng.

-   A: Xiànzàide niánqīng rén zhèi

yang niàn shū shi you yuányīnde.

-   B: Shéi shuō bú shi ne? Shínián

lái xuéxiàode qíngxing tài bú xiàng huà le. Nèi shihou háizi-men
niànbuliǎo shū, cānjiāle Hōngwèibīng, yìtiān dào wǎn zài wàibiānr pǎolai
pǎoqù, shénme yě méi xuéhuì. Xiànzài cānjiāle gōngzuò, zài bú niàn shū,
zěnme néng bǎ gōngzuò zuòhǎo ne?

-   A: Kěshi, shíniánde shū bú shi

shítiān bànyuè* kéyi niànwánde.

How is Xiǎohuá doing in the evening university, Teacher Liú?

Xiǎohuá is very hardworking and does very well in her studies, but it
does seem to me that her health is not good enough. She seems tired
every day. Is it because she doesn’t get enough sleep?

Absolutely right. She doesn’t get enough rest. Every day the child comes
home and studies until two or three o’clock.

There’s a (good) reason for the way young people study now.

That’s for sure! For the past ten years conditions in the schools have
been unspeakable. During that time, students couldn’t study. They joined
the Red Guards and were out running around from morning till night. They
didn’t learn a thing. Now that they are participating in work, if they
go on without studying, how can they do their work well?

But you can’t complete ten years of study in ten days or half a month.

’This is an idiom for "a short time.”

Women zuò lǎoshǐde, zuò fùmǔde hái děi bǎohù tāmende jiànkāng. Bù neng
ràng tāmen tài lèi le. Nǐmen Xiǎohuá měitiān yídìng yào zǎo diǎnr xiūxi.

-   B: Zhēn xièxie nín. Nín huíqu

yǐhòu yě tì wǒmen xièxie gōngchǎng he yèdàde lǐngdǎo.

-   A: Bú kèqi. Zhèixiē dōu shi wǒmen

yínggāi zuòde.

-   B: Wǒ yě huì zhàogu Xiǎohuá, ràng

tā hǎohāor gōngzuò, hǎohǎor xuéxi.

-   A: Hǎo, wǒ zǒu le. Zàijiàn!

-   B: Zàijiàn! You kòngr lái zuò a!

Those of use who are teachers and parents still must protect their
health. We can't let them get too tired. Your Xiǎohuá must go to bed
earlier.

Thank you very much. When you get back, thank the leadership at the
factory and the evening university.

Not at all. All this is what we should be doing.

And I’ll take care of Xiǎohuá, and see that she works well and studies
well.

All right. I’ll be on my way. Good-bye.

Good-bye. When you have time, come over and sit a while.

Dialogue and Translation for Exercise 3

In at

the city of Harbin in northeast China, a mother (B) and father (A) talk
home.

V       _(w) V     _(v)

-   A: Ei, Xiao Er xiale ban, Jiji-

mángmángde you dào nǎr qù le?

-   B: Tā shuō, qù gēn tāde yíge tǒng-

xué xué Yǐngwén dǎ zì.

-   A: Xué Yǐngwén dǎ zì? Shi nán-

tóngxué háishi nùtongxué?

-   B: Jiù shi shàngcì láiguode nèige

nutongxué.

-   A: _(w)Xiǎo Er yàoshi àishang nèige

nǔháizi jiù máfan le.

-   B: You shénme máfan? Nà háizi

shi dàxuéshēng, you you lǐmào, láile hái bāng wǒ zuò fàn shenme-de. You
shénme bù hǎo?

-   A: Nǐ zhǐdao shénme? Tā fùqin

you zhèngzhi wèntí.

Say, where did Xiǎo Èr go off to in such a rush after work?

He said he was going to learn English typing from a classmate.

To learn English typing? Was it a male classmate or a female classmate?

It’s the female classmate who was over last time.

If Xiǎo Er falls in love with that girl it’s going to be trouble.

What trouble? That girl is a college student, and well mannered. And
when she came over she even helped me cook and so on. What's wrong with
that?

What do you know? Her father has political problems.

-   B: Bu duì ha?.’ Wǒ tīng Xiǎo Èr

shuō, jīnniān xiàtiān tā rù Tuan le. Yàoshi tā fùqin yǒu zhèngzhi
wèntíde huà, tā néng rù Tuan ma?

-   A: Néng, xiànzài you zhèngcè, zhǐ

yào hāizi hǎo, jiù kéyi rù Tuan, bù guǎn tā fùmǔde wèntí you duo dà.

-   B: Zhè jiù duì le ma, wǒ shuō

nèi hāizi shi hǎo hāizi!

-   A: Bù xíng, hāishi děi ràng tāmen

fēnkāi, yǐhòu māfan tài duō!

-   B: Shéi méiyou māfan? Gāogànde

hāizi jiù méiyou māfan le? Lin Biāo cóngqiān yě shi dà gànhur, nǐ néng
ràng nǐ érzi gěn tā nuér jiēhūn ma?

-   A: Hǎo hǎo hǎo, hié shuō le.

Hāizide shi zhēn hù hǎo hàn!

-   B: You shénme hù hǎo hànde?! Zhǐ

yào nèi hāizi hěnrén hǎo, tāmen you hùxiāng xǐhuan, jiù xíng le.

-   A: Hǎo hǎo hǎo! Tīng nīde.

You must he wrong! I’ve heard from Xiǎo Èr that she joined the
(Communist Youth) League this summer. If her father had political
problems, could she join the League?

Yes. Now there’s a policy that as long as the child is good, he or she
can enter the League, no matter how great his or her parents’ problems
are.

There you have it, then! I said she was a good child.

No, it won’t do. We should still make them break up. There will be too
much trouble later on.

Who doesn’t have trouble? Do you think the children of senior cadres
don’t have any trouble? Lin Biāo was a big cadre too, but would you let
your son marry his daughter?

Okay, okay. Don’t say any more! Children’s matters are really hard to
handle.

What’s hard to handle? As long as the girl herself is good, and they
like each other, it will be fine.

Okay. We’ll do as you say.

Dialogue and Translation for Exercise H

In Hong Kong, a student (A) talks with in their dorm.

A:     Chén Bīn, jīntiān wǎnshang bù

chūqu ma?

-   B: Wàimian zài xià yǔ, bù xiǎng

chūqu le, nǐ ne?

-   A: Wǒ yě bù chūqu, women xià qí

hǎo bu hǎo?

-   B: Hǎo a!

another student from mainland China (B)

Chén Bīn, aren’t you going out tonight?

It’s raining outside. I don’t want to go out. How about you?

I don’t want to go out either.

How about playing chess?

Okay!

-   A: Duì le, nǐ xià qí xiàde zhème

hǎo, shi zài nǎr xuéde?

-   B: Nnnn . . .

-   A: Duìbuqī, rúguo nǐ bú jièyìde

huà, jiù jiǎng gěi wo tíngting.

-   B: Méiyou shenme.  Nǐ zhǐdao,

wǒ zài nongcūn zhùguo shinian.

-   A: Wǒ zhǐdao.

-   B: Wǒ zhùde nèige dìfang zài shān-

li, méiyou gōnggòng qìchē, gèng méiyou huǒchē. Erqiě, nèige shihou wǒ
jiālide rén yě dōu cōng chéngshì bān dao xiāngxià qu le.

-   A: Nà, nī yìnián sānbǎi liùshiwǔ-

tiān bù líkāi nèige dìfang le?

-   B: Jiù shi.

-   A: Nǐ měitiān zuò shénme ne?

-   B: Nèige dìfang you ge xiǎo tú

shūguǎn .

-   A: Lībianr you shénme shū?

-   B: Ou, chúle zhèngzhi shū yīwài,

jiù shi értong gùshi, méi shénme yìsi.

-   A: Nà nǐ zěnme bàn?

-   B: Túshūguǎnli yě you rén xià qí,

wǒ gēn tāmen xué, mànmànde, wǒ xià qí xiàde bú cuò le.

-   A: Chúle xià qí nī hái zuò shénme?

-   B: Ou, xiěguo yidiǎn duǎnpiān

xiǎoshuō.

-   A: Òu! Nǐ shi ge wénxuéjiā! You

jǐhui gěi wo kànkan, xíng bu xíng?

Say, you play chess so w*»ll. Where did you learn it?

Mnnn . . .

Excuse me, if you don’t mind, tell me about it.

That’s all right. You know I lived in the country for ten years.

I know.

The place I lived was in the mountains. There were no buses, much less
trains. Also, at that time my whole family had moved from the city to
the country.

Then you didn’t leave the place 365 days a year?

That’s right.

So what did you do every day?

There was a small library there.

What kind of books did it have?

Oh, apart from political books, there were only children’s stories,
which weren’t very interesting.

Well then, what did you do?

There were people who played chess in the library. I learned from them.
By and by I began to play chess pretty well.

What did you do besides playing chess?

Oh, I wrote a few short stories.

Oh, you’re a writer! When you have a chance, let me read some, okay?

-   B: Xiěde bù hǎo.

-   A: Hai, hu yào kèqi ma! Duì le,

you yíge wèntí, wǒ hěn zǎo jiù xiǎng wen ni.

-   B: Shénme wèntí?

-   A: Xiànzài nǐ dàole Xianggang,

kàndàole hù tōngde shìjiè, nǐ xiǎng shénme? Nǐ hú hèn nèi shíniánde
shenghuo ma?

-   B: Měi yícì xiǎngdào nèi shí

niánde shēnghuo, wǒ dōu hěn nánshòu, kěshi nèi hú shi wǒ yíge rénde shi,
shi shèhuìde wèntí. Wǒ xiǎng xiànzài zhèngfǔde zhèngcè yǒule gǎihiàn. Wǒ
xí-wàng zài zhèige zhèngfǔ lǐngdǎo-xiàde Zhōngguo rén hú yào zài you nèi
shíniánde qíngkuàng.

A:     Wǒ yě xǐwàng. Hǎo, women

xià qí ha.

They’re not very good.

Oh, don’t he polite! Oh yes, there’s a question I’ve heen wanting to ask
you for a long time.

What?

Now that you’ve come to Hong Kong and seen a different world, what do
you think? Aren’t you hitter about life during those ten years?

I’m always sad whenever I think of those ten years of life. But I am not
alone in this, it’s a problem of society. I think that the government’s
policy has changed. I hope that under the leadership of this government,
what went on during those ten years will never happen to the Chinese
people again.

Me too. Okay, let’s play chess.

UNIT T

Social Problems

INTRODUCTION

Grammar Topics Covered, in This Unit

-   1. (Adjectival Verb)-duō le, "much more...."

-   2. (Verb) (Verb) kàn, "try and (Verb)."

-   3. How to express "not anymore," "never again."

U. The pattern cong X (Verb)-qǐ, "to start (Verb)-ing from X."

-   5. How to express billions.

-   6. The pattern lián...dōu..., "even."

-   7. The pattern zhǐ yào...Jiù..., "provided that...."

-   8. Lái indicating that someone will perform a specified action.

-   9. The pattern bú shi...Jiù shi..., "either.•.or...."

-   10. Shǐ, "to cause/make/enable."

Functional Language Contained in This Unit

-   1. Stating hypotheses about the causes of phenomena.

-   2. Stating hypotheses about the interrelationships of phenomena.

-   3. Expressing value Judgments about abstract phenomena.

-   U. Expressing different degrees of agreement and disagreement.

-   1. A: Nǐ juéde zuìjin shèhuìshang āndìng yidiǎnr ma?

B: Dāngrán, yǒule xǐn fǎlù, fàn zuìde rén shǎoduō le.

-   2. A: Wǒ xiǎng kànkan jǐntiǎn you shénme guǎnggào.

B: Zhèr you yífèn Huáshèngdùn Youbào, náqu zhǎozhǎo kàn ha!

Do you think society has heen calmer lately?

Of course. Since there have heen new laws, there are far fewer people
committing crimes.

I’d like see what ads there are today.

Here’s a copy of the Washington Post. Take it and try to find some.

-   3. A: Zuìjin jǐnián jiàoyu gōngzuò you hěn dàde jìnbù.

B: Shi a, xuéxiàoli zài yě méiyou shénme luànqǐbāzāo-de qíngkuàng le.

U. A: Nǐ shuō, zōngjiàode zéren shi shénme?

B: Zhèi hú shi yíge j iǎndānde wèntí, wǒmen děi cong lìshǐ tánqǐ.

5. A: Zài dàlùde shíyì rénkǒu-zhōng you duǒshǎo shi shòuguo jiàoyude?

B: Wǒ xiǎng xiànzài lián lí chéngshì hěn yuǎnde nǒngcūn dōu you xuéxiào,
shòuguo jiàoyude rén dàgài hù shǎo.

There’s heen a lot of progress in work in education these past few
years.

Yes, schools aren’t so messed up anymore.

What do you think the responsibility of religion is?

That’s not a simple question. We have to begin by talking about history.

How many of the one billion people on the mainland have received an
education?

I think that now even villages far from the city have schools, so there
are probably a lot of people who are educated.

6. A: Ming Bào bú cuò, shìjièxìng- The Ming Pao is not bad. It has de
xǐnwén tā dōu yǒu.          all the world news.

B: Duì le. Ming Bào bú cuò, Yes, the Ming Pao is quite good. You bù néng
bu kàn.                have to read it.

-   7. A: Zhǐ yào nǐ lái hang máng women jiù yǒu hànfa.

B: Zhè yǒu shénme? Yinggāide ma.

-   8. A: Nǐ kàn, zhèipiān wénzhāngli hú shi xǐ dú, jiù shi shā rén.

B: Kàn zhèizhǒng xǐnwén, zhǐ néng shǐ rén nánshòu. Suàn le, hú yào kàn
le.

As long as you help out, we’ll he ahle to do it.

This is nothing. It’s only right.

Look, there’s nothing in this article hut taking drugs and killing.

Reading this kind of news will only make you feel had. Forget it, don’t
read it.

-   9. Běnlái tāde Zhōngwén hú cuò, líkāi Zhōngguo jiǔle, wàngle hěn
    duō.

Originally, his Chinese was pretty good, hut he’s heen away from China
for a long time and he’s forgotten a lot.

ADDITIONAL REQUIRED VOCABULARY

10. luàn

11. yǒu xiào

to he confused, to he chaotic to he effective; to he valid

VOCABULARY

+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| āndìng                            | to "be stable/settled/quiet       |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| běnlái                            | originally, in the beginning, at  |
|                                   | first; to begin with, in the      |
|                                   | first place                       |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| "bù néng bu                       | to have to, must                  |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| cóng...(Verb)-qǐ                  | to start (Verb)-ing from...       |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| fǎlū fan fàn zuì                  | law                               |
|                                   |                                   |
|                                   | to violate, to offend to commit a |
|                                   | crime                             |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| guǎnggào                          | advert i s ement                  |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| Huáshèngdùn Youbào                | the Washington Post               |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| j iǎndān jiàoyu jìnbù             | to be simple                      |
|                                   |                                   |
|                                   | to educate; education to          |
|                                   | progress; progress                |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| (V V) kàn                         | try and (V), (V) and see how it   |
|                                   | is                                |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| lái                               | (used before a verb to express    |
|                                   | that something will be done)      |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| lián...dōu/yě... luàn             | even...                           |
|                                   |                                   |
|                                   | to be in disorder, to be chaotic, |
|                                   | to be in a mess;                  |
|                                   | indiscriminately, recklessly,     |
|                                   | arbitrarily, any old way          |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| luànqībāzāo                       | in a mess, in confusion, in       |
|                                   | disorder; miscellaneous, jumbled, |
|                                   | all thrown in together            |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| Ming Bào                          | Ming Pao (a Hong Kong newspaper)  |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| shā                               | to kill (in general); to kill     |
|                                   | (specifically with a knife or     |
|                                   | knifelike instrument); to try to  |
|                                   | kill                              |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| shǐ                               | to cause, to enable (followed by  |
|                                   | a verb)                           |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| shìjièxìng shòu jiàoyu            | worldwide to receive an education |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| xī dú                             | to take drugs                     |
|                                   |                                   |
| -xing                             | nature, -ness, -ibility           |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| you bànfa, (duì...) you xiào      | to be able to deal with           |
|                                   | (something) to be effective; to   |
|                                   | be valid                          |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+

zài yě bù/méi zéren zhǐ yào -zhōng zōngjiào zuǐ

never again responsibility if only in; among (organized) religion crime;
guilt

1. A: Nǐ Juéde zuìjǐn shèhuìshang ending yidiǎnr ma?

_    „ _(w)      „ _(w) à

B: Dangran, youle xin falu, fàn zuìde rén shǎoduō le.

Do you think society has "been a little calmer lately?

Of course. Since there have "been new laws, there are far fewer people
committing crimes.

Notes on No. 1

ending: "to he

political and social

stable/settled/quiet," used to describe lives, countries situations. Ān
is "peaceful" and ding is "settled."

Xiànzài yéye nǎinai shēnghuo anding, shénme dōu hǎo.

Wo xiǎng zhè hé zhèngzhi bù ending yǒu guānxi.

Zhèige guójiāde zhèngfǔ zhèi Jǐnián hěn bù āndìng.

Āndìngxiàlai means "to situation, a place, or

Now grandpa and grandma have a settled life; everything is fine.

I think this has to do with political instability.

These past few years this country’s government has been very unstable.

a

settle down, to calm down," used in speaking of a person’s feelings.

Xiànzài hāizi dōu you gōngzuò le, shēnghuo cái āndìngxiàlai le.

Now that the children all have Jobs, our life has finally settled down.

Shèhuìshang fàn zuìde wèntí tài duō, dàjiāde shēnghuo jiu méi bànfa
āndìngxiàlai.

When there’s too much of a crime problem in society, people’s life can’t
settle down.

fǎlu: "law"

Zhèi yǐjíng biànchengle fǎlǔ.

Zhèige wèntí you fǎlu zài, fēi-cháng qingchǔ.

Yǒu fǎlu guǎn zhèjiàn shi ma?

Wǒmende fǎlǔ bǎohù értóng.

Tā xiànzài niàn fǎlu.

This has already become the law.

Laws exist (lit., "there are laws there") on this question. It’s very
clear-cut.

Is there a law dealing with this?

Our law protects children.

He is studying law now.

xin fǎlǔ: In March, 1978, after the first session of the Fifth National
People’s Congress, the Chinese government began to adopt many new laws.
Beginning July 1, 1979, the Fifth National People’s Congress passed into
effect twelve new legal codes, including a criminal code.

fàn: "to violate, to offend, to transgress, to commit (wrongs, crimes,
errors)" Here are some other words commonly used with the verh fàn:

fàn zuì to commit crimes         fàn fǎ to break the law

fàn guī to violate regulations

Zhèige háizi méi xīwàng le,        There is no more hope for this child,

fànle you fàn, zong shi bù         He violates the rules time and again,

gǎi.                                and never reforms.

zuì: "crime, guilt," used in phrases like fàn zuì, "to commit a crime,"
and you zuì, "to be guilty (of a crime)."

Wǒ fànle shénme zuì, wèishénme yào chi zhème duō kǔ?

What crime have I committed? Why do I have to suffer so much?

Tā shi bu shi zhēnde you zuì, lìshǐ huì huida wǒmende.

History will give us an answer as to whether he is really guilty or not.

...shǎoduō le: "a lot less, far fewer" The adjectival verb duō, "to be
many, to be much," can be used after other adjectival verbs which can be
qual-fied by degree, such as hǎoduō le, "a lot better," duōduō le, "a
lot more." In such phrases, the first adjectival verb is used as a
process verb, showing a change of state, and therefore the phrase always
ends in le_.

Nǐ bǐ yǐqián shòuduō le.

Qībānián yǐhòu, dào Zhōngguo

qùde jǐhui duōduō le.

You’re a lot thinner than before.

Since '?8, there have been a lot more opportunities to go to China.

  ---- ---- ---------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------ ------------------------------------------------
  2.   A:   Wǒ xiǎng kànkan jīntiān you shénme guǎnggào.               I’d like today.          see what ads there are
       B:   Zhèr you yífèn Huáshèngdùn Youbào, náqu zhǎozhǎo kàn ba!   Here’s a Post, ' some.   copy of the Washington take it and try to find
  ---- ---- ---------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------ ------------------------------------------------

Notes on No. 2

Youbào: "Post," in the name of a newspaper. The syllable you means
"post" or "mail," as in yōujú, "post office." CNames of other newspapers
are translated using the same pattern, X-bào: Shíbào is "Times," Rìbào
is "Daily," Kuàibào is "Express."!

náqu...: "take away" This is a compound verb of direction. Many of the
compound verbs you have seen have three syllables. But like dàolai in
Unit 1 of this module (dàolai yìbēi chá), náqu has only two: the main
action verb and the relative motion (away). The direction of the action
(up, down, in, out, etc.) is not specified. (See the display on the next
page.) °shc>u, "to be thin"

Relative Motion

+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| Main Verb                         | Direction    Towards or Away      |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| ná ì zěu 1 pǎo > kāi I bān J      | r chu "Ù Jin                      |
|                                   |                                   |
|                                   | / xià \        flái               |
|                                   |                                   |
|                                   | \ shàng /       ]qù               |
|                                   |                                   |
|                                   | gUO                               |
|                                   |                                   |
|                                   | I qǐ’ J                           |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+

°-qī- is used only with -lái, never with -qù.

zhǎozhǎo kàn: ’’try to find” Zhǎo is the verb ”to look for, to search.”
It is reduplicated here, meaning that the action lasts an indefinite
amount of time: ’’look a little bit.” Kàn following a reduplicated verb
means ’’and see (if it works, if it’s okay, if you can do it, etc.).”

Ní shishi kàn ba.

Nǐ zuòzuo kàn, zhèige shāfā zhēn shūfu.

-   A: Nī xiǎng tā kěn° Jiè wo tāde diànshì ma?

-   B: Bù zhīdào, nǐ qù wènwen kàn.

• A: Wo duì nī zhèipiān wenzhāng you bù tóngde kànfǎ.

B: Nī shuōshuo kàn.

Give it a try and see (if you can do it, if he will cooperate, etc.).

Sit down and try it out. This sofa is really comfortable.

Do you think he’d be willing to lend me his television?

I don’t know. Go ask him and see.

I have a different point of view on (what you say in) your article.

Let’s hear what it is.

3. A: ZuìJin jǐnián Jiàoyu gōngzuò you hěn dàde jìnbù.

B: Shi a, xuēxiàoli zài yě meiyou shenme luànqībāzāo de qíngkuàng le.

There’s been a lot of progress in work in education these past few
years.

Yes, schools aren’t so messed up anymore.

Notes on No. 3

Jiàoyu: ”to educate; education” Jiào is the same character as Jiāo, ”to
teach,” but in jiàoyu is pronounced with a Falling tone. Yù means ”to
cultivate, to raise.Jiàoyu has some different uses from English ”to
educate.” It is used not only for institutional education but also for
parents’ education of their children, and in the PRC for ’’education” of
the people by the Communist Party. (For the first example, you need to
know nǔlì, ”to make efforts.”)

*kěn, ”to be willing to”

Fùmǔ yǐnggāi jiàoyu háizi nǔlì xuexí.

Nèige háizi meiyou jiàoyuhǎo.

Wǒmen vào gěi háizi aide jiàoyu.

Jiātíng jiàoyu he xuéxiào Jiàoyu yíyàng zhòngyào.

Zhèiběn shū duì wǒ jiàoyu hěn dà.

Kànle zhèige diànyǐng gěile women hěn dàde jiàoyu.

Parents should teach their children to study hard.

That child was poorly trained (in manners, morals, general knowledge).

We should give children a loving education. (Taiwan usage)

Education in the home is Just as important as school education. (Jiātíng
jiàoyu consists of parents acting as examples in morals, character,
family relations, hygiene, etc. )

This hook has educated me a lot. (PRC usage)

Seeing this movie has taught us a great deal. (PRC usage)

Another sense of jiàoyu is to try through reason to convince a person to
do things according to certain rules, instructions, or demands:

Nǐ děi jiàoyu jiàoyu nǐde háizi, You have to try to straighten out tā
yuè lái yuè huài.               your child. He is becoming more

and more of a scoundrel.

Jiàoyu is commonly used in the phrase shòu Jiàoyu, "to receive an
education," which is discussed in No. 5 below.

jìnbù: "to make nrogress, to advance" or, as a noun, "progress."
Literally "to put forward steps."

Yīxué jìnbùde nàme kuài.           Medicine is advancing so rapidly.

Tāde Yǐngwén you jìnbù le.         He has made some more progress with

his English.

Tāde Zhōngwen jìnbù tài màn.       His Chinese is progressing too
slowly.

Jìnbù is commonly used with the verb you, especially you hěn dàde jìnbù.

Zuìjin jīge yuè wǒmende xuéshěng Our students have made great progress
yǒule hěn dàde jìnbù.              these last few months.

You jìnbù is used as an adjectival verb, "to be improved."

Nèige xuexiào hěn you jìnbù.       That school is greatly improved.

In the PRC, jìnbù is used as an adjectival verb meaning "to be
(politically) progressive," that is, suited to the needs of the times
and stimulating the development of society.

zài yě méiyou...le: "not anymore..." The advert zài and a negat ive,
such as méiyou, can be used to express the idea of not doing something
anymore. There are two word orders:

méiyou ì                                      C(yě)    méiyou

) zài             OR            zài <

bú J                                       I(yě)    bù

For examples of the first pattern, see Unit 3, Notes on No. 5» bú zài kū
le, "doesn't cry anymore."

The second pattern is more emphatic. The word zài should be given
special stress in these sentences:

Wǒ ZAI bù huilai le!

I'm never coming back here again!

If yě is added between zai and the negative, the meaning is about the
same.

Wǒ ZAI yě bù chi tang le.          I'm never going to eat candy again.

Nèitiáo lù hěn wēixiǎn, nǐ ZAI     That road is very dangerous, don't

yě bié zǒu neitiao lù le.          ever take it again.

luàn: "to be in disorder, to be in a mess, to be chaotic"

Zhèr tài luàn, dào wàimian qu tantan.

Zhèi jǐnián nèige guojiā yǒu diSnr luàn.

Shìjiè hǎo duō dìfang hěn luàn.

Tāde zhuōzishang zǒng shi hěn luàn.

Zhèr tài luàn, Jiào xiǎoháir chūqu wánr.

Duǐbuqǐ, wǒ xiěde hěn luàn, ni kàndedǒng ma?

As an adverb, luàn means "arbitrarily, iy.”

Luàn Jiang!

Bú yào luàn xiě.

Nǐde dōngxi bú yào dàochù luàn fang.

*dàochù, "everywhere"

It's too chaotic (noisy) in here.

Let's go outside to talk.

That country has been a little bit chaotic the last few years.

So many places in the world are in disorder.

His table top is always a mess.

It's too noisy in here. Tell the children to go out and play.

I'm sorry I wrote this so messily.

Can you read it?

any old way, at random, indiscriminate-

Baloney! (southern Chinese usage)

Don't write it Just any old way.

Don't leave your things all over the place.

Tāmen zuótiān luān chǐ luān he.

Nèige rén luān gǎo nánnù guānxi.

Bu yào luàn pǎo.

luànqībāzāo: "to be in disorder, seven-eight-rotten" Some people have
sevens." It can refer to physical or

Duìbuqǐ, fángjiān luànqǐbāzāode, wǒ jǐntiǎn hái méiyou shíjiān shōushi.

Zheijiàn shìqing běnlái hěn hǎo, dànshi nèige rén bǎ ta gǎode
luànqībāzāo.

Tā gēn yíge luànqǐbāzāode nánrén chūqu le.

They ate and drank like crazy yesterday.

He/she is (sexually) loose.

Quit running all over the place.

to be in a mess," literally "chaotic-translated this as "at sixes and

moral messes.

I’m sorry, the room is a mess. I haven’t had the time to straighten up-
yet today.

Everything was fine at first, but then he came along and messed it up.

She went out with a disreputable (unsavory) character.

Luànqībāzāo is not made negative and is not used in comparative
sentences.

h. A: Nī shuō, zōngjiàode zéren shi shénme?

B: Zhèi bú shi yíge jiǎndānde wèntí, women děi cóng lìshǐ tánqǐ.

What do you think the responsibility of religion is?

That’s not a simple question. We have to begin by talking about history.

Notes on No. h

shuō: Followed by a question, nī shuō is used to ask the listener’s

The forms nǐ shuō ne or nī shuō shi bu shi may be used at the end

opinion.

of a statement to ask for confirmation.

Nī shuō wǒ yīnggāi zěnme bàn?

Wǒ xiǎng jiātíng jiàoyu hé shè-huì jiàoyu dōu bǐ xuéxiào jiàoyu
zhòngyào, nī shuō ne?

Nèige guǎnggào hěn you yìsi, nī shuō shi bu shi?

What do you think I should do?

I think that education in the home and in society are more important
than school education. Do you agree?

That’s a great advertisement, don’t you think?

zéren: "responsibility, duty" Also pronounced zérèn.

Rúguǒ zhèijiàn shiqing zuòde bù hǎo, wǒ you zéren.

If this thing isn’t done well, it’s my responsibility.

Lǎoshīde zéren jiù shi bāngzhu xuéshēng hǎohāor xuexí.

-   A: Jiaoyu haizi shi funúde zéren ma!

-   B: Xiànzài fùnu jiěfàng le, nánrén yě you zéren zuò zhàixiē shìqing.

Shìqing nòng dao xiànzài zhài-yangr, zéren bú zài wǒmen.

The teacher’s responsibility is to help the students apply themselves to
their studies.

Rearing (educating) children is the responsibility of women!

Women are liberated now. Men also have the responsibility to do these
things.

It is not our responsibility that the situation was made the way it is
now.

cong lìshǐ tánqǐ: ’’begin by talking about history’’ In Unit 3 of this
module, you learned that the directional ending -qilai, besides
indicating upward motion, could also be used to indicate beginning an
action (Nǐ jiějie zěnme duì zhengzhi wentí ràxǐnqilai le?). The ending
-qǐ in tanqǐ also means ”to start,” but is used only in the fixed
pattern cóng X (Verb)qǐ, "to start (Verb)-ing from X.” While the English
translation for sentence UB says "begin by talking about history," the
Chinese says literally, "start talking from history."

Zheijiàn shi cong nǎr shuōqǐ? Where should I begin? (when about to tell
a story, etc.)

Wǒ bù zhǐdào cong nǎr xiěqǐ.       I don’t know where to begin writing.

Women děi cong tour zuòqǐ.         We have to start from the beginning

again. (Cong tour means "from the beginning.")

cong ling zuòqǐ                    to start from scratch (lit., "start

from zero")

5. A: Zài dàlùde shíyì rénkǒuzhōng you duoshǎo shi shòuguo jiàoyude?

B: Wǒ xiǎng xiànzài lián lí chéngshì hěn yuǎnde nongcun dōu you xuéxiào,
shòuguo jiàoyude rén dàgài bù shǎo.

How many of the one billion people on the mainland have received an
education?

I think that now even villages far from the city have schools, so there
are probably a lot of people who are educated.

Notes on No. 5

shíyì: "one billion," literally "ten one-hundred-millions" Here are some
more examples of how to express billions in Chinese:

1 billion

1.1 billion

2 billion

10 billion

10.5 billion

1,000,000,000

1,100,000,000

2,000,000,000

10,000,000,000

10,500,000,000

shíyì shíyǐyì èrshiyì yìbǎiyì yìbǎilíngwǔyì

zài...rénkōuzhōng: "in the population, of the population" The syllable
-zhōng can be added, to nouns, like the locational ending -lǐmiàn, to
give the meaning "in" or "among." It is often used with the verb zài.

Zài zheige jìhuàzhōng women hái you liǎngge xiǎo wèntí xūyào zài tan.

There are still a couple of little questions we have to discuss in this
plan.

Xuéshēngzhōng you bù shǎo shi cong nongcūn láide.

Zài dìsān shìjiè guójiāzhōng, bù shǎo shi Yǎzhōu he Fēizhōude guojiā.

Many of the students are from the country.

Many of the countries of the third world are countries of Asia and
Africa.

Shèhuì shēnghuózhōngde wèntí, We can't very well ignore the women yě bù
néng bú zhùyì a.' problems of life in society.

shòu: "to receive" The types of things which can be "received" using the
verb shòu are limited. Shòu is usually followed by a verb being used as
a noun.

Zhèige zhōukān zài Měiguo hěn shòu huānyíng.

This weekly is very well received (popular) in the United States.

  --------------------- --------- -----------------------------
  (Receiver)            shòu      (Action)
  Fùnu ertong           shòu      falúde baohu.
  (Women and children   receive   the protection of the law.)
  --------------------- --------- -----------------------------

shòu jiàoyu: "to receive an education" Shòuguo jiàoyu means "educated"
(because of -guo, which indicates having experienced something).

She is an educated person. How could she do such a thing?

Tā shi (yíge) shòuguo jiàoyude rén, zěnme huì zuò zhèizhōng shi?

Tā shòuguo dàxué jiàoyu.

He has (received) a college education.

lián...dōu: "even..." Lian is a prepositional verb which literally means
"including," but in the lián...dōu pattern, "even." A lián phrase always
precedes the verb. Either the adverb dōu or yě is used in a sentence
with lián. Notice how lián can be used with subjects, objects, and
verbs:

With subject

Lián (Subject)

dōu/yě . . . .

+-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| Lián Lián             | xiǎoháizi shòuguo j   | dōu dong zhèijiàn     |
|                       | iào-                  | shi.                  |
|                       |                       |                       |
|                       | yude rén              | dōu tíngbudǒng tāde   |
|                       |                       | huà.                  |
+-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+

"Even children understand this."

"Even educated people can't understand what he says."

Jintiān tiānqi bù hǎo, lián tā zhème ài wánrde rén dōu hu chūqu le, nǐ
wèishenme yào qù?

Nǐ hai shuō méiyou zhèijiàn shi, hú zhǐ shi Xiānggǎng hàozhǐ, lián
Běijīngde hàozhǐ dōu xiěle zhèitiáo xǐnwén.

The weather is had today. Even he, who likes to play so much, isn't
going out. Why are you?

How can you say it's not true. Not only the Hong Kong papers reported
this piece of news, it was even in the Beijīng papers.

With object

lián (Object)         dōu/yě . . . •

+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+
| Tā              | lián lián       | zìjǐde míngzi   | dōu bú huì xiě. |
|                 |                 | guǎnggào        | dōu kàn.        |
| Tā              |                 |                 |                 |
+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+

"He can't even write his own name." "He even reads the ads."

Tā jīntiān bù shūfu, lián fàn yě bù xiǎng chī le.

Wō lián yíge zì dōu bú jìde le.

Jīntiān lián yìdiǎn fēng yě méiyou.

He isn't feeling well today. He won't even eat.

I don't even remember one word.

There isn't the least bit of wind today.

With verb

lián’ (Verb) dōu/yě méi/bù (Verb)

  ---- -------- ------ ----- -------------
  Tā   lián     kàn    dōu   méi kàn wo.
  Tā   lián     tīng   dōu   bù tīng.
  Tā   (lián)   wèn    dōu   bú wèn.
  ---- -------- ------ ----- -------------

"She didn't even look at me." "He wouldn't even listen." "He didn’t even
ask."

’lián is often optional in this pattern.

-   A: Zhāng Sān shi nǐde lǎo péngyou ba?

    Zhāng Sān is an old friend of yours, isn't he?

    I've never even met him. How could he be an old friend of mine?

    You didn't even taste the dish. How could you know it doesn’t taste
    good?

-   B: Wo lián Jiàn dōu méi Jiànguo ta, zěnme huì shi lǎo péngyou ne?

Nǐ lián cháng dōu méi cháng, zěnme zhīdao zhèige cài bù hǎo chī ne?

-   6. A: Ming Bào bú cuò, shìjièxìng- The Ming Pao is not bad. It has
    de xǐnwén tā dōu you.          all the world news.

B: Duì le. Ming Bào bú cuò, Yes, the Ming Pao is quite good, you bù néng
bú kàn~               have to read it.

Notes on No. 6

Ming Bào: A Hong Kong newspaper known for reporting without an overly
dominant political point of view.

shǐjièxǐng: The syllable -xing, "character, nature, quality," can be
used after a noun like the English endings -ness, -ity, or -ce, as in
"onesidedness," "creativity," "importance." The resulting abstract noun
can be used alone or is frequently used, followed by -de, to modify
another noun.

  -------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------
  kěnéngxǐng                             possibility, likelihood
  zhòngyàoxìng                           importance
  dulìxìng                               independent character
  xíguànxìng                             habitual
  liúxíngxìng                            epidemic
  lìshǐxìng                              historical
  yàoxìng                                property of a medicine
  youxìng                                oiliness
  tā: You have learned tā as "he'        " or "she," but sentence 6A is the first
  time in this course that tā has been   used as "it." (The word tā may also
  -------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------

be omitted from the sentence without changing the meaning.) You know
that Chinese most often does not use any word for "it," as in

Wǒ qù ná.                             I’ll go get it.

Zài zhuōzishang.                     It * s on the table.

Furthermore, "it" is sometimes expressed in Chinese by repeating the
entire noun phrase, for example

-   A: Nǐ néng bāng wo zhǎodào        Can you help me find that book?

zhèiběn shū ma?

-   B: Wǒ you zhèiběn shū, kéyi       I have it, and I can give it to
    you.

song gei ni.

Least often, "it" is expressed by the pronoun tā.° There is no single
rule which will tell you when you can use tā. It is often used as the
object of bā:

Nǐ bǎ ta ná dao nǎr qu le? Wǒ Where did you take it to? How come zěnme
zhǎobudào?                    I can’t find it?

Hái you yíge Jiǎozi, nǐ bǎ ta There’s one more dumpling left; you chile.
                                eat it.

bù néng bu: "cannot not"—in other words, "cannot but; have no choice but
to; must" The second bu is unstressed and usually neutral tone.

Wèile Jiātíngde guānxi, wǒ bù For the sake of my family, I have no néng
bu zhèiyang zuò.              choice but to do this.

Gēn zhèizhǒng rén zài yìqǐde       When together with this sort of

shihou, bù néng bu xiǎoxīn         person, one must be rather careful,

yidiǎnr.

°One stylistic feature of modern written Chinese is that tā is used for
"it" much more than in true spoken Chinese. This was originally an
imitation of the structure of Western languages.

-   7. A: Zhǐ yào nǐ lái hang máng As long as you help out, we’ll he
    women Jiù yǒu bànfa.           ahle to do it.

B: Zhè you shénme? Yǐnggāide This is nothing. It’s only right! ma!

Notes on No. 7

zhǐ yào: "as long as, provided that" This is used in the pattern

zhǐ yào...Jiù.

Bu yào kǎolu tài duō, zhǐ yào nǐ Don’t think it over so much. If you
xǐhuan Jiù hǎo le.                 like it, that’s all that matters.

Zhǐ yào wǒ Jīntiān wǎnshang yǒu kòng, Jiù kéyi hǎ zhèiběn shū kànwán.

As long as I have time tonight, I

can finish reading this hook.

Nǐ zhǐ yào hǎ shū niànhǎole, zhǎo gōngzuò Jiu méiyou wèntí le.

As long as you do well in your studies, you won’t have any trouble
finding a Joh.

lái: In commands and suggestions, this verb merely indicates that a
person will perform some action, and can usually go untranslated. When
talking about one’s own intention, lái can be translated as "let me" or
"let’s."

Wǒ lái wèn ni.

Wo lái shuō liǎngjù.

Women lái tántan zhèige wèntí.

-   A: Zhèige zì xiěde duì bu dui?

-   B: Wo lái kànkan.

Xiànzài qǐng Wáng Anmín Tongzhì lái gěi women JiǎngJiang huà.

Nǐ kuài qù máng ba! Women lái shōushi.

Chile fàn women zài lái zuò kāfēi.

Wǒmen yìqǐ lái ban. Wo lái ban zhèr, nǐ dào nèibianr qù.

Lǐ Zhènhàn, qǐng nǐ lái niàn.

Let me ask you.

Let me say a few words.

Let’s discuss this question.

Is this character written correctly?

Let me take a look.

Now let’s ask Comrade Wáng Anmín to speak to us.

You go take care of what you have to do. We’ll straighten up.

After dinner let’s make some coffee, (zài means "then" here.)

Let’s move this together. I’ll take it from here, and you go over there

Lǐ Zhènhàn, would you read aloud please?

yǐnggāide: This is short for Wo bāngzhu ni shi yīnggāide, "it is right
that I help you." Use the phrase yǐnggāide to respond when someone
thanks you for doing a favor which you consider natural under the
circumstances.

8. A: Nǐ kàn, zhèipiān wénzhāngli bú shi xǐ dú, jiù shi shā rén.

B: Kàn zhèizhōng xǐnwén, zhǐ néng shǐ rén nánshòu. Suàn le, bú yào kàn
le.

Look, there’s nothing in this article but taking drugs and killing
people.

Reading this kind of news will only make you feel bad. Forget it, don’t
read it.

Notes on No. 8

"if it’s not...then it’s..." or "either...or..."

bú shi...jiù shi...:

Bú shi tā, jiù shi nǐ, chúle nǐmen yǐwài hái you shéi huì zhèiyang zuò?

It was either he or you. Who would do something like that besides one of
you?

Lǎo Wang’s cooking is always either too salty or too hot.

If he isn’t at home, then he’s at the office. He wouldn’t go anyplace
else.

He’s always eating something or other. His mouth never stops going.

Lǎo Wáng zuò cài, bú shi tài xián jiù shi tài là.

Tā bú shi zài jiā, jiù shi zài bàngōngshì, biéde dìfang tā bú huì qù.

Tā bú shi chǐ zhèige, jiù shi chǐ nèige, zuǐ° méiyou tíngde shihou.

xǐ dú: "to take drugs" Literally "to inhale poison," but used for any
method of drug taking. (For the last example you need to know kěkǎyǐn,
"cocaine," and hǎiluòyǐn, "heroin.")

Tā yìtiān máng dào wǎn, zěnme He’s busy all day long. He wouldn't huì qù
xǐ dú?                       go and take drugs!

Nèige háizi xǐ dú xīle hǎo Jǐ- That kid has been taking drugs for nián
le, shēnt? yǐjīng huài le. years, and his health has gotten bad.

Tā xǐ shénme dú? Kěkǎyǐn háishi What drugs does he take? Cocaine or
hǎiluòyǐn?                          heroin?

shā rén: "to kill, to murder" or "to try (unsuccessfully) to kill/
murder" The Chinese verbs for "kill" often consist of two parts: a verb
telling the action (stab, shoot, beat, etc.) and a verb telling the
resulting process of dying. Here is a list of some common ones (this is
only here to clarify a point of grammar—you don't have to memorize all
these words):

hàisǐ (by scheming)

zhāsǐ (by stabbing)

diànsǐ (by electric shock) dúsǐ (by poisoning)

zuǐ, "mouth"

diàosǐ (by hanging)

biēsǐ (by suffocation or drowning) lēisǐ (by strangling with a cord)
qiāsī (by strangling with the hands) yǎsī (by crushing or running over)
zhuàngsǐ (by a collision) qìsī (by making someone angry!) dǎsī (by a
blow, beating, or gunshot)

and the most general term of all

nòngsǐ (by any means)

In classical Chinese, shā originally meant "to kill with a knife" or "to
slaughter (an animal)." Today, shā is still used for "to slaughter" or
"kill" animals, as in

Nǐ huì bu hui shā Jī?              Do you know how to kill

a chicken?

In modern Chinese, shā can have (1) a general meaning or (2) a specific
meaning.

(1) The general meaning of shā is the same as nòngsǐ or the English "to
kill, to murder." This is the way shā is used when the method of killing
is not stated or not known.

Tā bā nèige rén shāsǐ le.          He killed that person. (method not

considered)

(2) The specific meaning of shā is to kill with a knife or knifelike
instrument (e.g., a bayonet). In this meaning, shā contrasts with all
the other ways of killing listed above. When in your sentence you want
to express the method of killing, you must choose an appropriate verb.
It would be wrong to say Tā yòng qiāng bǎ nèige rén shāsǐ le. Instead,
you should say

Tā yòng qiāng bǎ nèige rén dǎsǐ He killed that man with a gun. le.

Shā takes on its specific meaning as soon as you start talking about
methods, so in such sentences, you must choose your verb according to
the mode of killing.

-   A: Tā bǎ tā tāitai shāsǐ le. He killed his wife.

-   B: Zěnme nòngsǐde?                How did he kill her?

A: Dúsǐde.                         He poisoned her.

One last point: Shā may express the action of only trying to kill,
without implying that the person or animal actually died.

Tā shā jī shāle liǎngdāo kěshi He cut the chicken twice, but didn’t méi
bǎ ta shāsǐ.                    kill it.

‘qiāng, "gun"

shi: "to cause, to make"

shǐ (Object) (Verb) . . .

+-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| shǐ zhēn shǐ shǐ shǐ  | rén wo wo tā          | nanshòu               |
|                       |                       |                       |
|                       |                       | gāoxìng               |
|                       |                       |                       |
|                       |                       | juéde you xǐwàng      |
|                       |                       | wàngle nèijiàn        |
|                       |                       |                       |
|                       |                       | shi                   |
+-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+

Tā xiǎngle bù shǎo banfǎ, yě méi shǐ tā érzi duì shàng dàxué you xìngqu.

Kàndao tā shǐ wo Juéde hěn gāo-xìng.

makes one sad

"really makes me happy"

"makes me feel that there’s hope

"made him forget that matter"

He tried lots of different things, but couldn't interest his son in
(going to) college.

It made me very happy to see him.

If there is an aspect marker, it goes with the verb following shǐ, never
with shǐ itself:

Shi shénme yuányǐn shǐ tāmen       What was it that caused them to

fēnkāi le?                           split up?

Shǐ sometimes means "to enable," particularly if followed by néng or
other words of that meaning:

Chile zhèizhōng xīnde yào, shǐ By taking this new medicine, the
pa-bìngren hǎode hěn kuài.            tient was able (enabled) to
recover

very quickly.

Although shǐ may sometimes be translated by "make," "make" may not
always be translated by shǐ. When "make" means "to compel" someone to do
something, it can be translated by jiào:

Lǐ Xiānsheng jiào tā zài xiě       Mr. Lǐ made him write it over again,

yícì.

-   9- Běnlǎi tāde Zhōngwén bú cuò,       Originally, his Chinese was
    pretty

líkāi Zhōngguo jiǔle, wàngle       good, but he’s been away from

hěn duō.                             China for a long time and has

forgotten a lot.

Notes on No. 9

běnlǎi: "originally, in the beginning, at first; to begin with, in the
first place" This is a moveable adverb; that is, it may come before or
after the subject, but always before the verb.

Běnlǎi has two main uses: (1) to indicate that the situation was
originally one way but then it changed, and (2) to express that
something has been the case since the beginning and is still the case.
On the next page are examples of both meanings.

(1) SITUATION HAS CHANGED

Wǒ běnlái bú qù, xiànzài qù le.

Wǒ běnlái bù xǐhuan ta, kěshi xiànzài xǐhuan ta le.

Běnlái shuō shi yào dào Xīngqī-wù cái néng zuòwán, dànshi wo tíngshuō
tāmen yào zǎo yidiǎnr zuòwán.

Běnlái wǒ xiǎng jīntiān xiàwu qù kàn diànyīng, hòulái tíngshuō kāi huì.
Suàn le, wǒ yǐhòu zài qù ba.

Běnlái wǒ Jīntiān yào qù Guǎng-zhōu, kěshi tiānqì bù hǎo, dàgài děi
míngtiān cái néng zǒu le.

Zhèijiàn shi běnlái shi kéyi bànde, kěshi shéi xiǎngdào huì yǒu zhèige
qíngkuàng?

(2) SITUATION WAS LIKE THIS TO START

Originally I wasn’t going to go, but now I will.

Originally I didn’t like her, but now I do.

Originally it was said that they wouldn’t be finished until Friday, but
now I hear they’re going to finish sooner.

Originally I wanted to go see a movie this afternoon. Later I heard
there was a meeting. Oh well.

I’ll go another time.

Originally I was going to Guǎngzhōu today, but the weather is bad, so
now I probably won’t be able to go until tomorrow.

It could have been done, but who expected this to happen?

:TH AND STILL IS

Translations for this meaning include ”to begin with" place." In this
use, běnlái is often followed by Jiù.

and "in the first

Wǒ běnlái Jiù bù xǐhuan ta, xiànzài hái bu xǐhuan ta.

-   A: Nǐ bié qù nèige dìfang!

-   B: Wǒ běnlái Jiù bú qù.

-   A: Nǐ bié zài qù le.

-   B: Wǒ běnlái Jiù méi qù.

-   A: Wǒ háishi Juéde nǐ yīnggāi qù yítàng.

-   B: Wǒ běnlái Jiù yào qù.

Běnlái Jiù gāi zhèiyang bàn.

-   A: Zhèige kāfēi zěnme zènme hēi?

-   B: Kāfēi ma, běnlái Jiù shi hēide.

I never did like her, and I still don’t like her.

Don’t go there!

I wasn’t going to go there in the first place.

Don’t ever go there again.

I never did go there.

I still think you ought to go there.

I am going. (I was intending to go even before you told me to.)

We should have done this in the first place.

Why is this coffee so black?

Coffee is supposed to be black!

A clause with běnlái is often related to another with dāngrán:

Zhèige dōngxi běnlái Jiù shi nǐ- This thing belongs to you; of course
de, wǒ dāngrán yào huán gei ni! I would return it to you.

Běnlái tā zài dàxué niànde shi She studied sociology in college,
shèhuixué, tā dāngrán duì she- so of course she’s interested in hui
wèntí you xìngqu.              social problems.

Note on Additional Required Vocabulary

you xiào: "to be effective; to be valid"

Zhèige yào hěn you xiào.           This medicine is very effective.

Zhèizhāng piào hái you xiào ma? Is this ticket still valid?

Lǐ Ping (B), Tom (A), and Lǐ Wen (E) are talking in the Li’s living
room.

-   A: Nǐ zài kàn shénme hàozhǐ?

-   B: Ming Bào. Ming Bào hú cuò,

hěn you yìsi.

E:    Zài Měiguo yě xiàng Xiānggǎng

zhèiyang, shénme luànqībāzāode xǐnwén dōu wang hàozhǐshang xiě ma?

-   A: Píngchāng wǒ kàn Huashèngdùn

Youbào. Zhèige hàozhǐ hú cuò, guōnèi, guōwàide xǐnwén dōu you, dāngrán
guǎnggào yě hù shǎo. Zhōngwén hàozhǐ, wǒ yě kàn, nèi shànghianr yě you
nǐ shuōde nèizhong "luànqībāzāo" de xǐnwén.

-   B: Nimen zhèiyang shuō, wǒ hù

zěnme tōngyì. Shénme shi "luàn-qǐhāzāo"? Shèhuì shēnghuó běnlái jiù shi
zhèiyang ma.’

E:    Suàn le ba.’ Jīntiān shi shā

rén, míngtiān shi xī dú, wǒ bú yào kàn.

A:    Kàn háishi xūyào kànde, yǐnwèi

shèhuì shēnghuózhōngde wèntí, wǒmen yě bù néng bú zhùyì a!

E:    Xiānggǎngde shèhui wèntí zhēn

duō! Shénme dìfangrde rén dōu you, shénmeyàngrde wèntí yě dōu you.

-   A: Shèhui wèntí shi shìjièxìngde,

bù zhǐ shi Xiānggǎng you.

E:    Ng, nàme, rénmen duì zhèixie

wèntí jiu méiyou shénme bànfǎr ma?

-   B: Bànfǎ hěn duō, dìfang bù tong,

bànfǎ yě bù yíyàng. Kěshi zhèixiē bànfǎ shi bu shi you xiào jiu bù
zhīdào le.

What newspaper are you reading?

Ming Pao. It’s pretty good, very interesting.

In America is it the same as in Hong Kong: they put all kinds of crazy
news in the paper?

I usually read the Washington Post. It’s a pretty good paper. It has
domestic as well as international news. Of course there are a lot of
ads, too. I read Chinese newspapers too, and they have "all kinds of
crazy news ’’ in them, as you put it.

I don’t really agree with what you are saying. What is "all kinds of
crazy news"? That’s exactly the way life in society is!

Forget it! Today it’s killing, tomorrow it’s drugs. I don’t want to read
that.

We still need to read it, because we can’t very well ignore the problems
of life in society.

Hong Kong sure has a lot of social problems. There are people from
everywhere, and all kinds of problems.

Problems in society are worldwide. Hong Kong isn’t the only place that
has them.

Mm, then is there nothing people can do about these problems?

There are a lot of ways to deal with them. Different places have
different ways of dealing with them. But whether these ways work or not
is another question.

-   A: You rén shuō zǒngjiào shi

yìzhōng banfǎ, bù guǎn shénme Jiào, dōu shi Jiào rén zuò hǎo shìrde.
Kěshi wō xiǎng jiàoyu hěn zhōngyào, shòu jiàoyude rén yuè duō, shèhuide
wèntí yuè shǎo.

-   B: Erqiě jīngji fāda yě hěn yào-

jǐn. Jīngji bù fǎdáde dìfang, rénmen fàn zuìde jīhui Jiu gèng duō.

E:    Jiù shi ma, rén yào chī fàn,

lián fàn dōu chībubǎo, tāmen zěnme néng bú fàn zuì ne?

-   A: Wō xiǎng méi nàme jiǎndān.

Fàn zuì hé hěn duō shi yōu guānxi, tèbié shi hé jiātíng yōu guānxi.

E:    Nī jiǎngjiang kàn.

A:    Zài jīngji fādáde dìfang, xiǎo

jiātíng yuè lái yuè duō, érqiě fùmǔmen dōu yōu gōngzuò, dōu hěn máng,
méiyou shíjiān duō guǎn háizi. You xiě niánqīngde fùmǔ yě hěn shǎo
xiǎngdào zìjīde zéren, méiyou shénme jiātíng guānniàn.

E:    Nǐde huà yōu dàolī, kěshi dà

lùde qíngxing ne? Nīmen zěnme xiǎng?

-   B: Shi a. Dàlù jīngji bù fādá,

érqiě dàjiā yě dōu yōu jiātíng guānniàn. Kěshi, kànkan bàozhī, dàlùshang
fàn zuìde rén yě bù shǎo.

-   A: Wō xiǎng zhè hé zhèngzhi bù

āndìng yōu guānxi, tèbié shi cóng Liù Liù nián dào Qī Liù nián.

Some people say that religion is one way. No matter what the religion,
it always teaches people to do good. But I think education is important.
The more educated people there are, the fewer social problems there will
be.

And also, a developed economy is important. In places where the economy
isn’t well-developed, there are more opportunities for people to connnit
crimes.

Exactly. People have to eat. If they can’t even get enough to eat, how
can you expect them not to commit crimes?

I don’t think it’s so simple. Crime is related to many different things,
especially to the family.

Would you explain what you mean?

Where the economy is developed, there are more and more small families;
also, both parents have jobs and are very busy, so they don’t have time
to take good care of the children. Some young parents seldom think of
their own responsibilities and don’t have much of a sense of family
attachment.

That makes sense. But what about the situation on the mainland? What do
you two think?

Yeah, the mainland’s economy isn’t developed, and furthermore everyone
has a sense of attachment to the family. But read the papers: there are
quite a few people committing crimes on the mainland too.

I think this has to do with the political instability, especially from
’66 to ’?6.

-   B: Shi ma, nèige shihou, shénme

fǎlu dōu méiyou. Lián fàn zuì hú fàn zuì dōu nòngbuqīngchu, shèhui wèntí
zěnme huì shǎo?

A:    Nǐde kànfǎ, wǒ hěn tongyì. Wǒ

xiǎng, zhǐ yǒu shǐ zhèngzhi āndìng, JǐngJi, wénhuà fādá, cái néng shǐ
shèhui jìnbù.

(Grandma Lǐ walks in.)

G:    Nǐmen zài tán shénme, tánde

zhème gāoxìng?

A:    Lǐ Nǎinai, women zài tán shèhui

wèntí.

G:    Hǎo le, nǐmen tángòu le meiyou?

Chile fàn zài tán xíng hu xíng?

-   A, B, E: Xíng, chile fàn zài tán.

Yes. During that time there wasn't any law at all. If you can’t even
tell the difference between committing a crime and not committing one,
how can social problems be reduced?

I agree very much with your view. I think that society can only be made
to progress if the political situation is stabilized and the economy and
culture are made to flourish.

What are you talking about so cheerfully?

We’re talking about social problems, Grandma Lǐ.

Well, have you talked enough? How about continuing the conversation
after dinner?

Okay! We’ll talk more after dinner.

Unit 7, Tape 2 Workbook

Exercise 1

This exercise is a review of the Reference List sentences in this unit.
The speaker will say a sentence in English, followed by a pause for you
to translate it into Chinese. Then a second speaker will confirm your
answer.

All sentences from the Reference List will occur only once. You may want
to rewind the tape and practice this exercise several times.

Exercise 2

This conversation begins when two young friends run into each other at a
trolley stop on the west side of Běijīng.

The conversation occurs only once. After listening to it completely,
you’ll probably want to rewind the tape and answer the questions below
as you listen a second time.

Here are the new words and phrases you will need to understand this
conversation:

bang                               to be great, to be fantastic

bú jiàn bú                          don’t leave until we’ve met up’,

sàn!

Questions for Exercise 2

Prepare your answers to these questions in Chinese so that you can talk
about them in class.

-   1. Where is Xiǎo Liú working and what is he doing there?

-   2. How does he keep up with his English?

-   3. What does the article say about education in the U.S.?

U. What does Xiǎo Liú’s friend want him to do?

After you have answered these questions yourself, you may want to take a
look at the translation for this conversation. You may also want to
listen to the dialogue again to help you practice saying your answers.

Note: The translations used in these dialogues are meant to indicate the
English functional equivalents for the Chinese sentences rather than the
literal meaning of the Chinese.

Exercise 3

In this exercise two sisters talk in the home of a Chinese family in
Washington, D.C.

Listen to the conversation once straight through. Then, on the second,
time through, look helow and answer the questions.

Questions for Exercise 3

Prepare your answers to these questions in Chinese so that you can talk
about them in class.

-   1. Why do they say that the Ming Pao is a good newspaper?

-   2. What is the procedure for mail-ordering a television for one’s
    relatives in Guangzhou?

-   3. Why would overseas Chinese want to take advantage of this
    procedure? (Can’t their relatives in China buy a television
    themselves?)

-   h. To whom do the sisters want to send the television? Why?

5. In what form will they make the payment?

After you have answered these questions yourself, you may want to take a
look at the translation for this conversation. You may also want to
listen to the conversation to help you practice saying the answers which
you have prepared.

Exercise h

In this conversation a father and son in Běijīng talk about religion.

Listen to the conversation straight through once. Then rewind the tape
and listen again. On the second time through, answer the questions.

  ----------------------------------- ------------------------------------------
  You will need the following words   and. phrases:
  xiāngxìn                            to believe in
  j iàotáng                           church
  zuò lǐbài                           to worship, to attend religious services
  Nan Měi                             South America
  tour                                head, chief, boss
  xué hao                             to learn from good examples, to
  ----------------------------------- ------------------------------------------

learn to be a good person

gōngkè

homework, schoolwork, classwork

Questions for Exercise U

Prepare your answers to these questions in Chinese so that you can talk
about them in class.

-   1. What does the son think is so strange? Why is this on his mind?

-   2. What did the son read in the newspaper? What was his reaction?

-   3. What does his father have to say about religion? (There are four
    points.)

-   U. Xué hǎo is considered very important for teenagers in China. How
    does this fit into the son’s concept of religion?

After you have answered these questions, you may want to take a look at
the translation for this conversation. You may also want to listen to
the conversation again to help you pronounce your answers correctly.

Dialogue and Translation for Exercise 2

Two young friends run into each other at a trolley stop on the west side
of

Beijing.

-   A: Hēi, Xiǎo Liu! Hǎo jiū hú jiàn.

Nǐ xiànzài zài nǎr gōngzuò ne?

-   B: Jiù zài zhèr, Beijing Túshūguǎn.

-   A: Hei, hǎo gōngzuò! Zài túshūguǎn

zuò shénme?

-   B: Fǎnyì.

-   A: Yīngwén fǎnyì?

-   B: Yǐngwén fǎnyì.

-   A: Nǐ zhēn you hànfa! Xuéle jǐ-

niande Yīngwén zhēn you yòng le. Xiànzài zài fǎnyi shénme?

-   B: Jintiǎn fǎnyide shi Huashèngdùn

Yoùbàode yìpiǎn wénzhāng, xiěde shi guǎnyú jiàoyude wèntí.

-   A: Zhēn hù jiǎndǎn°! Lian hàozhǐ

dōu néng fǎnyi le. Nī you shí-jiǎn ma? Néng hu néng gěi wo jiǎng diǎnr?

-   B: Wǎnshang wǒ hai děi xué Yīngwén, jiù néng gēn ni liáo jīfēn
    zhōng.

-   A: Nǐ hái xué Yīngwén?

-   B: Yīngwén hú gòu, hù néng hù xué

ya!

-   A: Shéi jiǎo ni?

-   B: Wǒ gēge jīnnián xiàtiǎn cong

Měiguo huilai le, tǎ jiāo wo.

Hey, Xiǎo Liú! Long time no see. Where are you working now?

Right here, at the Beijing Library.

Hey, what a great joh! What do you do there?

Translation.

English translation?

English translation.

You’re really something! Those few years you’ve spent studying English
really turned out to he useful. What are you translating now?

Today I’m translating an article from the Washington Post on the topic
of education.

That’s amazing! You can even translate newspapers now. Do you have some
time? Can you tell me a little about it?

Tonight I have to study English, so I can only chat with you for a few
minutes.

You’re still studying English?

My English isn’t good enough. I have to study!

Who teaches you?

My brother came back from the U.S. this summer. He’s teaching me.

°bù jiǎndǎn, "not simple/ordinary/commonplace," in other words,
"amazing, phenomenal."

-   A: Zhēn hang’. Duì le, kuài’ shuō-

shuo nèipiān wenzhāng, wǒ tǐngshuō zài Meiguo shòuguo dàxué jiàoyude rén
hěn duō.

-   B: Duì le, Měiguo shi dàxuéshēng

zuì duōde guójiā.

-   A: Zhēnde?

-   B: Zhēnde, dàjiā yìfāngmiàn gōngzuò,

yìfāngmiàn xuéxí, yōu bù shāo rén dōu’ wǔshisuì le, hái zài dàxué niàn
shū ne.

-   A: Wō xiǎng zhèi shi Měiguo Jìnbù-

de yíge yuányǐn! Zhèipiān wénzhāng nǐ fānwánle ma?

-   B: Kuài fānwán le, dàgài míngtiān

jiu fānwán le.

-   A: Néng bu néng gěi wo kànkan?

—Zhōngwénde.

-   B: Wō wen yíxià wōmende lǐngdǎo,

dàgài méiyou shenme wèntí.

-   A: Nà míngtiān wǎnshang liùdian

bàn, wō hái zài zhèr děng ni, bú jiàn bú sàn a!

-   B: Xíng, bú jiàn bú sàn!

That’s fantastic! Oh yeah, tell me about that article. I hear that there
are a lot of people with a college education in the U.S.

Yes, the U.S. is the country with the most college students (in the
world).

Really?

Really. Everyone works and studies at the same time. There are quite a
few people who even at the age of fifty are still studying at a
university.

I think that’s also a reason why America is so progressive! Have you
finished translating the article?

Almost. I’ll probably finish tomorrow.

Could you give it to me to read?

—the Chinese.

I’ll ask our leader. There probably won’t be any problem.

Then tomorrow evening at six-thirty I’ll wait for you here. And don’t
leave until we’ve met up!

Okay, we won’t leave until we’ve met up!

’kuài here should not be translated as "quickly" or "hurry up"; it
simply conveys the eagerness of the speaker to hear about the article,
something like the British, "Do tell me about that article."

° °Dōu here means "as much as, even," so dōu wǔshisuì le means "as old
as fifty" or "even fifty years old."

”’Fānwán le means the same as fānyiwán le, "finished translating."

Dialogue and Translation for Exercise 3

Two sisters talk in the home of a Chinese family in Washington, D.C.

A:   Èrjiě, nǐ kàn shénme hào ne?

B:   Ming Bào, wǒ xǐhuan zhèige

hàozhǐ, hù zuǒ yě hú you.

-   A: Erqiě, shìjièxìngde xǐnwén tā

dōu you. Zhèige hào zhēnde hú cuò.

-   B: Wǒ yě xǐhuan tāde guǎnggào, duì

women zhèixie zhù zai guǒwàide Zhōngguo rén hěn yǒu yòng.

-   A: Nǐ kànjian shénme guǎnggào le,

zhème yǒu xìngqu?

-   B: Nǐ lai kàn, zhèr yǒu yige

diànshì guǎnggào.

-   A: Zěnme shuōde?

-   B: Zhèige guǎnggào shuō, zhǐ yào

women jì yìzhāng zhīpiào dào Xiānggǎng, Jiù kéyi gěi Jiāli rén mǎi cǎisè
diànshì le.

-   A: Shi ma? Dàlù rén mǎi diànshì

hù rōngyi. Women lái kànkan, kàn néng hu néng gěi yéye nǎinai mǎi ge
diànshì.

-   B: Bànfa shi zhèiyangr: Women hǎ

qian hé yéyede dìzhī Jì dao Xiānggǎng, Xiānggǎngde gōngsī Jì yìzhāng
dānzi gěi tāmen, tāmen jiu kéyi zài Guǎngzhōude hǎihuò gōngsǐ qǔ diànshì
le.

-   A: Rúguǒ nèige diànshì hù hǎo

zěnme hàn?

-   B: Nà shi gōngsǐde zéren, tāmen

yídìng kéyi gěi° huàn yige hǎode.

What newspaper are you reading, Sister No. Two?

Ming Pao. I like it; it's neither too left nor too right.

And it has all the world news. It's really quite a good paper.

I like its advertisements too. They are very useful to us Chinese who
live abroad.

What ad did you see that you're so interested in?

Come look, there's an ad for a television here.

What does it say?

It says that if we just send a check to Hong Kong, we can huy a color
television for our family.

Oh? It's not easy for people on the mainland to huy televisions. Let's
look and see if we can huy a T.V. for grandpa and grandma.

This is the way it works: We send the money and grandpa's address to
Hong Kong, and the company in Hong Kong sends them a receipt,’ and then
they can pick up the television at a department store in Guǎngzhōu.

What if the television has something wrong with it?

That's the company's responsibility. I'm sure they would exchange it for
a good one.

Dānzi here refers to a tíhuòdān, "bill of lading," hence it may be
translated loosely as "receipt." (The specific translation for "receipt"
is shōujù or fāpiào.)

°°Gěi is a colloquial abbreviation for gěi tamen, "for them."

+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| B:   Duì, women jǐntiǎn jiù bǎ    | Right. Let’s send out the check   |
|                                   | today.                            |
| zhǐpiào jìchuqu.                  |                                   |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+

A:   M, nà bú cuò, xiànzài yéye

nǎinai shēnghuo ǎndìng, shénme dōu hǎo, jiù shi shǎo yige diànshì. Yōule
diànshì, tāmen yídìng hěn gāoxìng.

Mm, that’s good. Now grandpa and

grandma have a settled life, and all

is well for them; the

only thing

they

lack is a television.

When they

have

a television I’m sure happy.

they’ll be

very

Dialogue and Translation for Exercise U

A father (B) and son (A) talk in Beijing.

-   A: Bàba! Xiànzài zěnme you zenme

duō rén xiāngxìn zǒngjiào le, zhēn qíguài!

-   B: Nǐ kànjian shénme shi le?

-   A: Zài lùkǒurshang nèige jiàotāng,

jǐntiǎn yōu hěn duō rén zài ner zuò lǐbài, yě yōu niánqīngde rén!

-   B: Wōmende fǎlū shuō Zhōngguo rén

kéyi yōu zǒngjiào zìyou, zhèi méiyou shénme qíguài ma!

-   A: Wō jìde bàoshang shuō, zài Nan

Měide yíge guojiā yōu yìzhōng shénme zōngjiào yōu hěn duō rén xiāngxìn,
zhèixiē rén bǎ zìjǐde qián dōu gěile zhèige zōngjiào-de tour, kěshi
zhèige tour shi ge huàirén, xīdú, shā rén, shénme luānqǐbāzāode shir dōu
zuò. Suóyi wō juéde zōngjiào zìyou yě bù yídìng hǎo.

-   B: Zōngjiào bú shi yíjiàn Jiǎndān-

de shi. Zōngjiào hé fàn zuì méiyou yídìngde guānxi. Zōngjiào yōu tāde
dúlìxìng, yōude shihou hé zhèngzhi, wénhuà yōu guānxi, yōude shihou
méiyou. Děng dào nǐ zhǎngdàle yǐhòu, rúguǒ n? yōu xìngqu kéyi yánjiū
yanjiu.

Dad, how come there are so many people who believe in religion now? It’s
so strange!

Why, what have you seen?

In that church on the corner, today there were a lot of people
worshiping. There were young people there too.

Our law does give the Chinese people freedom of religion. There’s
nothing strange about that!

I remember it said in the newspaper that there was some religion in
South America a lot of people believed in, and the people gave all their
money to the head of this religion, but he was a bad person who took
drugs and killed people and did all sorts of crazy things. So I don’t
think that freedom of religion is necessarily good.

Religion isn’t a simple thing. It doesn’t have a definite relationship
to crime. Religion has its independent character; sometimes it’s related
to politics and culture, and sometimes it isn’t. When you grow up, if
you’re interested, you can study it.

“yìzhōng shénme zōngjiào, "some religion" Shénme here acts as an
indefinite pronoun modifying zōngjiào and means that the speaker does
not know how to describe or specify the religion precisely.

-   A: Wǒ tingshuǒ shìjièshang you hěn

duō bù tóngde zōngjiào, yě you hěn duō you yìside zōngjiào gùshi, zài
zhèixiě gùshili you xiě shi ràng rén xué hǎo, shi duì rén you hǎochùde.

-   B: Zhèi shi zhēnde. Yánjiū zōng-

Jiào xūyào hěn duōde zhishi, tèbié shi lìshǐ zhishi, shi hěn you yìside.
Hǎo le, zhèige wèn-tí women yǐhòu zài tan. Nǐde gōngkè zuòwánle meiyou?

-   A: Hái you yidiǎnr, wǒ mǎshàng

jiù qù zuò.

-   B: Hǎo, kuài qù ba! Zuòwánle

gōngkè zài tan.

A:    Hǎo!

I hear that there are many different religions in the world and that
there are a lot of interesting religious stories. Some of the stories
have the purpose of teaching people from good examples, so they’re good
for people.

That’s true. To study religion, you need a lot of knowledge, especially
a knowledge of history. It’s very interesting. All right, we’ll talk
about this question later. Is your homework done?

I still have a little. I’ll go do it right away.

Okay, hurry up! When you’ve finished your homework, we’ll talk some
more.

Okay!

UNIT 8 Directions for the Future

INTRODUCTION

Grammar Topics Covered in This Unit

-   1. Action-Process compound verbs.

-   2. The directional ending -hui, "hack."

-   3. The patterns (Verb) dong (Verb) xi and dǒng (Verb) xi (Verb).

-   U. The marker -de after phrases with a parallel structure.

5. The adverb you, "after all," "anyway."

6. The adverb phrase yě bu, "don't even," "won't even," "wouldn't even."

Functional Language Contained in This Unit

-   1. Asking for an explanation of the causes/motives behind a
    situation.

-   2. Politely asking someone to quiet down.

-   3. Expressing appreciation to someone for their hospitality.

-   U. Taking leave of a group of people in the middle of a
    conversation.

-   1. A: Míngtiān clou yǒu shéi kǎoshì ?

-   B: Deng yíxià wǒ gěi ni xiě yíge dānzi.

-   2. A: Bomǔ shuì wǔjiào ne ha?

-   B: X, xiǎo shēng diǎnr. Bié bǎ ta chǎoxǐng le.

-   3. A: Nǐ kàn zhèicìde shēngyì zěnmeyàng?

-   B: Bù zhǐdào. Yào kàn yùnqi le.

U. A: Wǒ xiǎng qù mǎi xiě gǒngyìpǐn dàihuí Meiguo.

-   B: Wǒ zhèr zhènghǎo yǒu jǐjiàn, nǐ dōu dàishang ba.

-   5. A: Hǎoxiàng shi Xiǎo L? cǒng ménkǒur guòqu le.

-   B: N? hǎohāorde zài zhèr niàn shù ba! Bié xiǎng dōng xiǎng xīde.

Who’s taking the test tomorrow?

I’ll write you a list in a minute.

Is your mother taking a Enoontime3 nap?

Sh! Keep it down. Don’t wake her up.

How do you think business will go this time?

I don’t know. It depends on luck.

I want to go buy some handicrafts to take back to America.

I just happen to have some here.

Take them with you.

That looked like Xiǎo L? who just passed by the door.

You just tend to your studies

Eproperly!! Don’t be thinking of this and that.

-   6. A: Qùnián tade Yǐngwén hái shuō-de name nántǐng, jīnnián hǎoxiàng
    hǎoduǒ le. Shi zěnme hui shi?

B: Shi zenme hui shi, tā mùqin téng ta, song ta qù Yīngguó niànle yìnián
shù.

Last year his English still sounded so awful, but this year it seems a
lot better. What happened?

It’s this way: his mother dotes on him and sent him to school in England
for a year.

-   7. A: Tā hái qù zhǎo Xiǎo Lán gàn shenme, rénjia you bù xǐhuan ta!

What is he going to see Xiǎo Lán for? After all, she doesn’t like him.

-   B: Nǐ bié jí, wǒ lái quànquan ta.

Don’t get upset, I’ll try to persuade him.

+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| -   8. A: Nǐ shuō wō gāi hu gai   | Do you think I should go?         |
|     qu?                           |                                   |
|                                   | You do as you see fit, hut I hear |
| -   B: Nǐ kànzhe hàn ha, tíngshuō | that there’s about to he a war    |
|     nèige dìfangr kuài dǎ zhang   | there.                            |
|     le.                           |                                   |
|                                   | Just now when I went to see Dr.   |
| -   9. A: Gāngcái wǒ qù gěi Wáng  | Wang off, he said he would he     |
|     Dàifu sòngxíng, tā shuō tā    | willing to see you CmedicallyD.   |
|     yuànyi gěi nín kànkan.        |                                   |
|                                   | (Now) that’s great. I’ll go see   |
| -   B: Zhèi yíxiàzi hǎo le. Děng  | him when he gets hack.            |
|     tā huilai wō qù kàn ta.       |                                   |
|                                   | What a stupid kid, why didn’t you |
| -   10. A: Zhèige shǎ háizi,      | tell me about this before, since  |
|     zènme dàde shir yě hu zǎo     | it’s such an important thing.     |
|     diǎnr gàosu wo!               |                                   |
|                                   | I did tell you, but you’ve        |
| B: Wō yuánlái gēn nín shuōguo,    | forgotten.                        |
| nín wàng le.                      |                                   |
|                                   | (colloquial) why on earth, what   |
| ADDITIONAL REQUIRED VOCABULARY    | for; to do what                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| -   11. gànmá                     | to do (something), to perform     |
|                                   | (something), to have (an event),  |
| -   12. lái                       | to help oneself (to food, etc.),  |
|                                   | to Join in (a game, etc.)         |
| -   13. hófù                      |                                   |
|                                   | uncle (father's elder brother);   |
|                                   | term for the father of one's      |
|                                   | friend                            |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+

VOCABULARY

bófù

bómǔ

uncle (father’s elder brother); term for the father of one’s friend

aunt (wife of father’s elder brother); term for the mother of one’s
friend

chǎo

chǎoxǐng

dàishang

dānzi

dǎ zhang

děi kàn (or yào kàn)

děng

děng yíxià

gāi

gànmá

gànshenme

gōngyìpǐn

guòqu

hǎohǎor

hǎoxiàng

-hui

kàn

kànzhe

kǎo

kǎoshì

lai

to be noisy; to disturb by making noise

to wake (someone) up by being noisy

to take along (Beijing)

list; form

to fight a war, to go to war

to depend on

when; by the time; till

wait a while; in a little while

should, ought to; to be someone’s turn to

to do what; (colloquial) why on earth, what for

to do what; (colloquial) why on earth, what for

handicrafts

to pass

well; properly; thoroughly to seem as if

(counter for shi, ’’matter")

to depend on

(followed by a verb) as one sees fit, as one deems reasonable

to take/give an exam, test, or quiz

to take/give an exam, test, or quiz;

exam, test

to do (something), to perform (something), to have (an event), to help
oneself (to food, etc.), to join in (a game, etc.)

nántíng

to be unpleasant to hear; to sound bad, to offend the ears; to be
scandalous

quàn

shǎ

to advise, to urge, to try to persuade

to be stupid, to be dumb, to be silly, to be naive

shēngyì (shēngyi) sòngxíng

téng

wǔj iào

yào kàn (or děi kàn)

yuánlái

yuànyi

yùnqi

zěnme (yì)huí shi

zenme (yì)huí shi zhèi yíxiàzi zhème hui shi zhènghǎo(r)

"business, trade

to see (someone) off, to wish (someone) a good trip; to give a
going-away party

to be (very) fond of, to be attached to, to dote on

noontime nap

to depend on

anyway; after all (used in questions and negative statements)

original, former; originally, formerly; (expresses finding out the true
situation)

to wish, would like, to want to; to be willing to

luck

what's it all about

like this

after this, as a result of this

like this

it just so happens that, to happen to, as it happens; Just in time, Just
right, Just enough

Unit fl, Reference Notes

1. A: Míngtiān dōu you shéi

kǎoshì?

B: l)ěn[-; yíxià wǒ gěi ni xiě yígo dānzi .

Notes on No. 1

kǎoshì: "to take/give an exam, t used as a verb-object compound or as if
the context makes it clear.

Kǎoshì yThou tā lei le.

Zhèicì kǎoshì tā kǎode bú cuò.

NT Jīntiān kǎode zěnmeyàng?

NTde JTngJixué kǎode zěnmeyàng?

Wǒ lái kǎokao nT.

Kǎowán shi yThòu (OH Kǎowánle yThòu), women qù kàn diànyTng, hǎo bu hǎo?

Who’s taking the test tomorrow?

I’ll write you a list in a minute.

est, or quiz; test, exam" This may be noun. Kao as a verb may be used
alone

She was tired after taking the test.

He did pretty well on the test this time.

How did the test(s) go today?

How did you do on your economics exam?

ī.et me quiz you.

het’s go to the movies after we’re done taking the test.

děng yíxià may have its literal meaning, "wait a minute, wait a while,"
or it may mean "in a minute, in a while."

"WAIT A MINUTE, WAIT A WHILE"

Děng yíxià, wǒ yào dǎ ge diànhuà, dǎwánle women Jiù zǒu, hǎo bu hǎo?

NT děng yíxià, wǒ lái bāngzhu ni.

"TN A MTNUTE, TN A WHILE"

NT xiān chT, děng yíxià wǒ xTwánle yTfu Jiù lái.

NTmen xiān zǒu ba, děng yíxià wǒ zài qù.

Deng yíxià yǒu yíwèi xing Wángde )ai zhǎo wo, qTng ni ràng ta J ìnJ ai .

Wait a second, I want to make a phone call. We’ll go as soon as I’m
finished, okay?

Wait a second, let me help you with that.

You go ahead and eat. I’ll come as soon as I’ve finished washing the
clothes.

You go ahead and leave. T’il go in a will It?.

In a while a Mr. Wáng will be coming to see me. Please let him in.

2. A: Bómǔ shuì wǔjiào ne ba?        Is your mother taking a CnoontimeJ
nap?

B: X, xiǎo shēng diǎnr. Bié      Sh.' Keep it down. Don't

bǎ ta chǎoxǐng le.            wake her up.

Notes on No. 2

bómǔ: "wife of father's older brother," but also a term for the mother
of one’s friend. Relationships between friends are often thought of and
even spoken of in terms similar to family relationships. Friends are
like brothers and sisters, and therefore a friend’s parents are
addressed as aunt (bómǔ) and uncle (bófù).

shuì wǔjiào: "to take a nap," literally "to sleep the afternoon sleep."
Wǔshuì shíjiǎn is "afternoon nap time," as in a school or organization.

Wǒ Jīntiān méi shíjiǎn shuì wǔjiào.

I didn’t have time to take my afternoon nap today.

-   A: Jīntiān nǐmen yǒu meiyou wǔshuì shíjiǎn?

-   B: Méiyou. Zhōngfàn yǐhòu Jiù kǎi huì.

Do you have an afternoon nap today?

No. We have a meeting right after lunch.

Many Chinese take a rest after the midday meal. Work, school, and store
schedules often make time for this, especially in hot weather.

X: "Sh."' This is the "word" you use to signal someone to keep quiet. It
is said with rounded lips—like whispering the syllable xū.

chǎoxǐng: "to wake up by making noise" Chǎo can mean "to be noisy," or
as in chǎoxǐng, "to disturb by being noisy." lit can also mean "to
quarrel, to squabble."J Xǐng (Welfare module, Unit 1+) is "to wake up,"
a process verb. The compound chǎoxǐng is therefore made up of an action
verb plus a process verb, with the meaning "by performing the action, to
cause the pro

cess (change of state) to occur. You useful compound verbs:

Nǐ zǒulèi le ba, zuòxia xiūxi yihuǐr.

-   A: Tā zěnme bìng le? Shi bu shi zuótiān hede tài duō?

-   B: Bú shi hēde tài duō, shi chīde tài duō chǐbìng le.

Nǐ shuì gòu le ma?

Tā bǎ yǎnjing kǔhóng le.

can use this pattern to make a lot of

You must be tired (from walking). Sit down and rest a while.

How come he got sick? Was it that he had too much to drink yesterday?

No, he didn’t have too much to drink. He got sick from eating too much.

Did you get enough sleep?

She cried her eyes red.

3. A: Nǐ kàn zheicìde shēngyì        How do you think business will

zěnmeyàng?                     go this time?

B: Bu zhīdao. Yào kàn yùnqi le. I don’t know. It depends on luck.

Notes on No. 3

shēngyì: "business, trade" Also pronounced shēngyi.

yào kàn: "depends on..." By itself, kàn (which you know as "to look at"
and "to think, to have the opinion that") has another meaning, "to
depend on, to be up to, to be determined by." Often yào or děi is added
before it.

-   A: Nǐ míngtiān shi qù háishi bú qù?

-   B: Ng, děi kàn tiānqi.

-   A: Wǒ jǐntiǎn kéyi zǎo diǎnr hui jiā ma?

-   B: (Yào) kàn nī zuòdewán zuòbu-wán zhèixiē shi.

-   A: Nī néng gēn women qù Jiāzhōu ma?

-   B: Jiù kàn shíjiān le, yào shi xiàtiān jiu kéyi le.

Kàn nǐde le!

Are you going tomorrow or not?

Mm, that depends on the weather.

Can I go home early today?

That depends on whether you can finish these tasks.

Can you go to California with us?

That only depends on the time. If it’s in the summer I can go.

It’s all up to you now!

yùnqi: "luck; to be lucky" This word can be used either as a noun or as
an adjectival verb. The following sentences show some of its uses as a
noun:

Tāde yùnqi zhēn bú cuò.            He really has good luck.

Nī yùnqi zhēn hǎo!                 You’re really lucky!

CTo say "to be unlucky," use dǎoméi or bù zǒu yùn.1

U. A: Wǒ xiǎng qù mǎi xiē gōngyì- I want to go buy some handicrafts pǐn
dàihuí Měiguó.             to take back to America.

B: Wǒ zhèr zhènghǎo yǒu jǐjiàn, I just happen to have some here.

nǐ dōu dàishang ba.            Take them with you.

Notes on No. U

dàihuí: "to bring/take back" You have seen hui used as a main verb
meaning "to return to," in hui jiā, "to return home," and hui guo, "to
return to one's country," and with the endings -lai and -qu as in
huílai, "to come back." Here you see it used as a directional ending.
Dàihuí can only be

used if it is followed by a place name, like Meiguo in sentence UA.
Otherwise you should use dàihuilai or dàihuiqu, depending on whether the
direction is toward or away from the point of reference.

Zhèixiē cài women chībuwán, kéyi dàihuiqu ma?

-   A: Zenme yuǎnde lù, zǒubuhuíqù le ba?

-   B: Zǒudehuíqù. Xiànzài cái wǔ-diǎn zhōng, zǒuhuiqu zhǐ yào yíge bàn
    zhōngtóu jiu gòu le.

Nǐ bǎ péngyou sòngqu yǐhòu, děi bǎ chē kǎihuilai, wǒ yào yòng.

zhènghǎo(r):

We can’t finish these dishes (of food May we take them back with us?

It’s such a long way. We can’t walk back, can we?

Sure we can. It’s only five o’clock now. It will only take an hour and a
half to walk back.

After you’ve dropped your friend off, you have to drive the car back
here I want to use it.

tt

(1) "just right; just in time; just enough

Nǐ zhèishuǎng xié wǒ chuān zhènghǎo (r).

Nǐ láide zhènghǎo(r), wǎn jifēn zhōng wǒ jiu zǒu le.

Zhèixiē qián zhènghǎo(r) mǎi nèige diànshì.

(2) "to be opportune"

Nǐ zài zhèr zhènghǎo(r), bang wo yíge máng.

(3) "as it happens, it just so happens"

Jīntiān zhènghǎo(r) pèngdao Lǐ Xiansheng, jiù bǎ shìqing bàn le.

These shoes of yours fit me just right.

You came just in time. If you’d come a few minutes later, I would have
already left.

This money is just enough to buy that T.V.

It’s a good thing (lit., "opportune") you’re here. You can help me out.

I just happened to run into Mr. Lǐ today, so I took care of that matter.

Wǒ běnlái xiǎng xiàge yuè mǎi I was originally going to buy a sofa shāf
ā”, jīntiān zhènghǎo(r)       next month, but today I happened to

pèngdao héshìde, jiù mǎi le.       come across the right kind, so I

bought it.

*pèngdao, "to run into, to come across"

**shāfā, "sofa"

dàishang: ”to take along with one" In the Beijing dialect, the verh
ending -shang is sometimes used to mean "along with" a person. (For the
first example you need to know tí, "to carry from the hand at the side
of the body.")

Tā tíshang shūhāo Jiu zǒu le. She picked up her schoolbag and left.

Zhèige sǎn nǐ náshang ba.          Take this umbrella along with you.

Nǐ bàoshang háizi, wǒ názhe        You carry the child, and I’ll hold

zhèige.                              this.

Speakers who are not from Beijing would use different endings in these
cases, for example -zhe or -qu (depending on the meaning of the
sentence).

5. A: Hǎoxíàng shi Xiǎo Lǐ cong měnkǒur guòqu le.

B: Nǐ hǎohāorde zài zhèr niàn shū ba! Bié xiǎng dǒng xiǎng xǐde.

Notes on No. 5

guòqu: "to pass, to go over" guòqù (Falling-tone qù), "the past"

Guòlai is "to come over."

That looked like Xiǎo Lǐ who Just passed by the door.

You Just tend to your studies

Iproperly3! Don’t be thinking of this and that.

Contrast guòqu (neutral-tone qu) with (see Unit U of this module).

Nǐ guòqu kànkan.

Menkǒu guòqu yíge rén.

Nàr guòlai yíge rén.

Yìhuīr Jiu guòqu le.

Kuài guòlai!

Guòlai zuò yihuǐr ba.

Guòlai!

Go over there and take a look.

Someone passed by the door.

Someone is coming over from there.

It will pass in Just a while.

Come on over here!

Come over (to my house) for a while.

(Lit., "Come over to sit awhile.")

C’mere! OR Get over here. (CAN BE IMPOLITE)

Guòqu is also a polite or respectful word for "to die," similar to
English "to pass away." As mentioned in Unit 5» Chinese often avoid
using the stark-sounding sǐ.

hǎohāor: "well; industriously; properly; thoroughly" In Unit 1 of this
module, you learned mànmānr "slowly," which is a reduplication of the
adjectival verb màn "to be slow." In Beijing conversation, the second
màn is said with the first tone, and -r is added, making mànmānr. In
many other parts of China, it is said as mànmàn. Likewise, Beijing
hǎohāor is often heard as hǎohǎo elsewhere. Reduplication allows an
adjectival verb to be used before a verb as a modifier, with or without
-de, for example, mànmàn(de) chi, "to eat slowly," hǎohǎo(de) ting, "to
listen well."

Hǎohǎorde (hǎohǎode) has more specific meanings than Just "well." It can
mean "properly," "thoroughly," or "nicely," or "in perfectly good
condition, with nothing the least bit wrong."

Xiànzài hǎohǎorde niàn shū, yǐhòu hǎohǎorde gōngzuò.

Gāngcái hai hǎohǎorde, xiànzài bù zhī zěnme hui shi you kū-qilai le.

Zhèngzhide shìqing gen xiǎohǎizi wǎnr yíyàng, liǎngtiǎn yǐqián hai
hǎohǎorde, liǎngtiǎn yǐhòu Jiu dǎqilai le.

Study properly now, and do your Job properly later on.

Everything was fine Just a minute ago. Now I don’t know what happened,
but she’s crying again.

Politics is like children playing. First everything’s fine, and then a
couple of days later they’re fighting.

xiǎng dong xiǎng xǐ: "to think of this and that, to let one’s mind
wander*¹Pong, "east," and xǐ, "west," are used in the patterns (Verb)
dōng (Verb) xǐ and dōng (Verb) xǐ~(Verb) to express that a person’s
action has no

definite aim or that something is done haphazardly. More examples:

kàn dōng kàn xǐ

xué dōng xué xǐ zōu dōng zōu xǐ zhǎo dōng zhǎo xǐ

You can also say dōng xiǎng xǐ xiǎng, examples in sentences:

Guò mǎlùde shihou, bié zhème kàn dōng kàn xīde, duó wēixiǎn a.'

Tā zong shi xué dōng xué xīde yǐjīng shínián le, hái méi cong dàxué
bìyè.

Nǐ shénme dōngxi diū le, zhǎo dōng zhǎo xīde.

looking here and there studying this and that walking all about
searching here and there

dōng kàn xǐ kàn, etc. Here are some

Don’t let your eyes wander when you cross the street. It’s very
dangerous !

He’s been studying this and that for ten years, and still hasn’t
graduated from college.

You’re hunting all over the place. What did you lose?

Zhèi liSngnián wǒ yìzhí zou dōng zou xǐ, méi shíjiān gēn Jiāli rén zài
yìqǐ.

The past couple of years I’ve been traipsing all over the place, and
haven’t had any time to be with my family.

...-de: Here you see a new use of the marker -de. After certain phrases,
especially ones with a parallel structure, -de means "that way,"
describing a way of looking, acting, or Just a state of affairs. (For
the following examples, you need these three items: lǎo, "all the time,
always";

bù huāng bù máng, "calm, not the least injection. ’’)

Nǐ gànmá lǎo zǒuchǔ zǒujìnde?!

Shíjiǎn kuài dào le, nǐ zěnme hái bù huāng bù mángde?

Zhèi bànge duō yuè, you dǎ zhēn you chī yàode, tāde tuǐ hǎoxiàng yǐjíng
hǎo le.

Zhèi shi shénme xie! Yìzhī dà yìzhī xiǎode!

bit flustered"; and dǎ zhēn, "to get an

How come you keep walking in and out?.’

It’s almost time, how can you be so calm?

During the past half month or so, with all the injections and
medications , her leg seems to have already recovered.

What kind of shoes are these, with one bigger than the other!

6. A: Qùnián tāde Yǐngwén hái shuode nàme nántīng, jīn-nián hǎoxiàng
hǎoduō le. Shi zěnme hui shi?

Last year his English still sounded so awful, but this year it seems a
lot better. What happened?

B: Shi zènme hui shi, tā mǔqin téng ta, song ta qù Yīng-guō niànle
yìnián shū.

It’s this way, his mother dotes on him and sent him to school in England
for a year.

Notes on No. 6

téng: "to be fond of, to be attached to, to dote on"

Zhèige háizi, bù guǎn nǐ zěnme téng ta, tā yě bu tīng huà.

Nǎinai zhēn téng wǒ dìdi!

Zhèi háizi zhēn kěài⁸! Ràng rén bù néng bu téng!

Tā tèbié téng érzi, zǒng pà tā chībuhǎo.

This kid! No matter how fond of him you are, he never does what you say.

Grandma is really attached to (OR dotes on) my younger brother.

This child is adorable; you can’t help but be fond of him!

She is especially attached to her son, and is always afraid that he
won’t eat well.

zěnme hui shi: "what happened; what’s it all about; what’s the story"
Also said as zěnme yìhuí shi. Zěnme here means zěnmeyàng, "what kind, of
what nature." Hui is a counter for shi, as in You zhèihuí shi ma?, "is
there such a thing?" or "Did such a thing (really) happen?" In the
phrase zěnme yìhuí shi, the number yī is often dropped from yìhuí just
as it can be dropped in phrases like chǐ (yí)ge píngguǒ, "eat an apple."

Zhèi shi zěnme hui shi? Wūli What is this, anyway? Why is this zěnme
nàme zāng?                   room so dirty?

Zhèi shi zěnme hui shi? Dōngxi What's going on, anyway? Things are

yìtiān bǐ yìtiān guì!

getting more and more expensive every day.

zènme hui shi: Also zhème hui shi. This phrase has two main uses:

(1) Used before telling the facts or details of an event, as in sentence
6B.

(2) Said after one learns the facts or outcome of an event, e.g.,

Yuánlái shi zhème hui shi!

Oh, so that's the story.'

ào zhīdao shi zhème hui shi wǒ J iu bù lái le.

If I had known that was what it was all about, I wouldn't have come.

Iā you qù zhǎo Xiǎo Lan gàn shenme, rénjia you bù xǐhuan ta!

What is he going to see Xiǎo Lan for? After all, she doesn't like him.

Dotes on Do

bié Ji, wǒ lái quànquan .a.

Don't get upset, I'll try to persuade him.

zhǎo: Literally, "to look for," but when the object is a person it can
mean, "to call on" a person. This is the way zhǎo is used in sentence
TA, hence the translation "going to see Xiǎo Lán," rather than "going to
look for Xiǎo Lan."

Xīngqītiān tǎ zǒngshi qù zhǎo péngyou.

On Sundays, he always goes to see his friends.

Zhèizhǒng wèntí zhǎo tǎ méi cuò!

When you have that kind of problem, you won't go wrong if you go to him.

Zhǎo wǒ méi yòng, wǒ bù guǎn zhè shi.

It's useless to come to me about this matter, I'm not in charge of it.

gàn shénme: "to do what; what for, why" Gan is the verb "to do." Gan
shénme and the similar gànmá can be used (1) to ask what someone is
doing; (2) like wèishénme, except with a livelier, more conversational
tone; or (3) rhetorically, to question the value or use of something.

Nǐ gànmá ne?

What are you doing?

ǐ míngtiǎn gàn shénme?

What are you doing tomorrow?

Gàn shénme lǎo gēnzhe wǒ!?

What are you doing always following me?

gēn, "to follow"

Gànma mǎi zhèige? Name guì!

Ní gànma zong ting tāde?!

Hai zài zhèr gàn shénme? Kuài hui jiā ha!

Zhèi shi xiǎo shìqing ma! Ní gànma zhème shēngqì?

Zhèige dōngxi shi gànmáde?

-   A: Wǎnshang ní yídìng dào tā jiā qù yítàng.

-   B: Gàn shenme?

A: Bǎ zhèige sòngqu.

What did you "buy this for? It’s so expensive!

How come you always do what he says?!

Why are you still here? Hurry up and go home!

This is such a small matter! Why should you get so angry?

What’s this thing for?

You have to go to her house tonight.

What for?

To take this to her.

Lián ní dou hú qù, wǒ gàn shenme qù?!

If you aren’t even going, why should I go?

you: You have seen the adverb you meaning (1) ’’again,” as in Ní you lái
le, ’’You’re here again” and (2) ’’both.. .and.as in You hǎo you piányi,
T^Both good and inexpensive.” In sentence TA, you is used to stress that
the speaker thinks what he is saying is a strong reason why something
should he otherwise. This you is usually used in sentences with the verb
made negative, or in rhetorical questions (those to which no answer is
expected).

IN SENTENCES WITH THE VERB MADE NEGATIVE

Tā you hù shǎ.

Wǒ you hù zhīdào jintiǎn xià yǔ.

Ní you méi kànjianguo ta, ni zěnme zhīdao tā hù hǎo?

Tā you hú shi wàijiāoguān, zěnme zài dàshiguǎn gōngzuò?

IN RHETORICAL QUESTIONS

Tā you zhīdao shénme?

Shéi you néng kànde nàme yuǎn ne?

He’s no dummy, after all.

After all, I didn’t know it was going to rain today.

You’ve never seen him, after all; how could you know he’s no good?

He’s not a diplomat, after all; why is he working in the embassy?

What does he know, anyway? (Means, ”He doesn’t know anything.”)

Who could have seen that far ahead, after all? (Means, ”No one could
have seen that far.”)

Bùzhǎng you zěnmeyàng?

So what if he’s a (government) minister? (Means, ’’The fact that he’s a
government minister is unimpressive.”)

Yàoshi tā hù néng zuò, shéi you If he can't do it, who can? (Means, néng
zuò ne?                         "if he can't, nobody can.")

quàn: "to advise" or "to try to persuade" a person. This describes the
action of talking to someone in order to bring them around to a certain
way of thinking. Sentence 7B might be translated simply as, "Don't get
upset, I'll talk to him."

Wǒ quàn ni háishi bú yào xué wénxué, bìyè yǐhòu zhao gōngzuò nan na.'

My advice to you is not to study literature. It would be awfully hard to
find a job after you graduate.

Tāde shi nǐ bú yào quàn, tā huì gěi ni zhǎo máfande.

You'd better not try to advise him about his affairs, otherwise he'll
give you trouble.

8. A: Nǐ shuō wō gāi bu gai qù?      Do you think I should go?

B: Nǐ kànzhe bàn ba, tíngshuō     You do as you see fit, but I hear

nèige dìfangr kuài dǎ          that there's about to be a war

zhàng le.                        there.

Notes on No. 8

gāi: "should; ought to; to be someone's turn to (do something)" Gāi is
an auxiliary verb very similar in meaning to yinggāi.

Kuài qīdiǎn bàn le, wǒ gāi shàng It's almost seven-thirty. I should bān
qu le.                          be leaving for work.

Wǒ gāi shuō shénme ne?              What should I say?

Gāi is frequently used before the subject of a clause. In such cases it
can also mean "to be (someone's) turn to (do something)."

Míngtiān gāi tā qǐng kè le.        Tomorrow it's his turn to treat.

Zhèixiē shi běnlái gāi wǒ zuòde, bìngle zhèi jǐtiān, tǒngshì-men dōu
bāng máng zuòwán le.

Zhèicì gāi wǒ qǐng ni kàn dianyǐng le.

Gāi nǐ zǒu le OR Gāi nǐ le.

It should have been me who did these things in the first place, but with
me being sick the past few days, my colleagues finished them all for me.

This time it's my turn to treat you to a movie.

Your move OR It's your turn, (in playing a game)

kànzhe: In front of another verb, kànzhe means "(do something) as one
sees fit." The "locking" in kànzhe refers to looking at the situation in
order to decide what one is able to do and what is best to do. The most
common phrase in which kànzhe appears is kànzhe bàn, "to do as one
thinks bes

  ---- --------------------------- --------------------------------------
  A:   Nǐ shuō wǒ shi qù hǎo ne?   Do you think it would be best for me
       Háishi bú qù hǎo?           to go or not to go?
  B:   Zěnme shuō ne? Nǐ kànzhe    What should I say? Do what you think
       bàn ba!                     best!
  A:   Nī yào mǎi shenme yánsède   What color shirt do you want to buy?
       chènshǎn?                   
  B:   Nǐ kànzhe mǎi ba.           Buy what you think best.
  ---- --------------------------- --------------------------------------

dǎ zhang: ”to fight a war, to go to war” This is a verb plus general
object, like niàn shū. Zhang is not used by itself (except in a
construction like Zhèi yízhang dale hǎojǐge yuè, ’’This battle/war was
fought for many months," in which zhang simply precedes dǎ instead of
following it).

If you want to say ’’war" by itself, you have to use another word,
zhànzhēng, which is taught in the next module.

9. A: Gangcái wǒ qù gěi Wang Daifu sòngxíng, tǎ shuo tǎ yuànyi gěi nín
kànkan.

B: Zhèi yíxiàzi hǎo le. Děng tǎ huílai wǒ qù kàn ta.

Just now when I went to see Dr. Wáng off, he said he would be willing to
see you Cmedically].

(Now) that’s great. I’ll go see him when he gets back.

Notes on No. 9

sòngxíng:  (1) "to see off, to

Xiàwǔ liǎngdiǎn wǒ dào jīchǎng gěi Zhāng Xiansheng, Zhāng Tàitai
sòngxíng.

wish (someone) a good trip"

At two this afternoon I’m going to the airport to see Mr. and Mrs. Zhāng
off.

-   (2) "to give a going-away party"

-   A: Nǐ jǐntiǎn wǎnshang yǒu        Are you busy tonight?

meiyou shi?

-   B: Women jǐntiǎn wǎnshang chūqu We’re going out for dinner tonight
    chǐ fàn, gěi péngyou song- to have a going-away party for a xíng.
                               friend.

zhèi yíxiàzi: "as a result of this" This means that something has
happened which brings a new turn to the situation. It can often be
translated into English simply by using the word "now." (in sentence 9B,
it may be best just to omit it from the translation.)

Qián lái le, zhèi yíxiàzi keyi The money has come. Now we can buy mǎi
fángzi le!                      the house!

Zhèi yíxiàzi zǎogǎo le, wǒde This is terrible! I don’t have

qián bú gòu le.                     enough money (e.g., to pay for the

things I just brought to the cashier).

děng: "when, by the time; till" This word, which you first learned as
"to wait," can have these other meanings in a dependent clause. This use
is similar to that of děng dào, which you learned in Unit 3 may be used
for "when" or "by the time.’

Děng wǒ dàole Běijīng wǒ cái zhīdao tā yě zài Běijīng.

It wasn’t till I got to Běijīng that I found out he was there too.

10. A:

Zhèige shǎ háizi, zenme dàde shir yě bu zǎo diǎnr gàosu wo!

What a stupid kid, why didn’t you tell me about this before, since it’s
such an important thing.

B: Wǒ yuánlái gēn nín shuǒguo, I did tell you, but you’ve forgotten, nín
wàng le.

Notes on No. 10

shǎ: "to be stupid, to be silly, to be naive"

Nī zhen shǎ! Qián fàng zai yin- You’re really silly. It’s such a

hángli duo hǎo! Fàng zai jiāli gàn shénme?

good idea to put your money in a bank, what are you keeping it at home
for?

Shǎ háizi, bié zǒng wèn nèixiě shǎ wèntí, hǎo bu hǎo?

You silly kid, would you quit asking such silly questions all the time?

zǎo: Besides "early," zǎo can also mean "before, sooner," or "long ago."
Here are more examples.

Tāmen jīge nútongxué zǎo jiu pǎo dao hǎibiānr qu wánr le.

Hài!

.i! Wǒ zǎo lái yìtiān jiu hǎo le.

Those women students took off for the beach a long time ago.

(Sigh) If only I had come a day earlier.

Sometimes zǎo only conveys the speaker’s feeling of regret and
irritation. "A long time ago" might actually be no more than a moment
ago. In such cases, zǎo can be translated by intonation alone:

Nī zěnme bù zǎo shuō! Xiànzài hái láidejí ma?

Wǒ zǎo zhīdào tā shi zhèige yàngzi jiu bú huì zhème shǎ le.

Why didn’t you say so (before)’. How can we make it in time now?

If I had known that he was this way I wouldn’t have been so naive.

yě bu: "don’t even, won’t even, wouldn’t even" do something that one
should do.

Bādiǎn bàn le, nī yě bu zǎo diǎnr It’s half past eight! Why didn’t you
jiào wo, wǒ xiànzài láibují le. get me up before? Now I won’t make it in
time.

Ní yě "bu kuài diǎnr shōushi, wǒmen dōu děngjí le.

Tā yě "bu kuài diǎnr lai, cài yījīng liáng le!

Will you hurry up and get your things ready? We’re all getting itchy
(from waiting).

What is keeping him C"Won’t he even come a little faster’’!? The food is
cold already!

yuānlāi:  (1) "originally” In this meaning, it is usually interchange

able with běnlái, which you learned in Unit T.

Tā yuánlái bù chī ròu, xiànzài He didn’t used to eat meat. No he’s bù
zhídào zěnme chiqilai le.       started eating it for some reason.

Wǒ yuánlái méi jìhua qù Ōuzhōu, I hadn’t originally planned to go to
hòulái tā yídìng yào qù, wǒ        Europe. Then she insisted on going,

yě jiu gēnqu⁹ wánrle yítàng.       so I went along for the fun of it.

(2) Used when revealing a fact which was not previously known,
especially when that fact provides an explanation or solution to a
puzzling situation. .This can sometimes be translated by "it turns out
that..." or by ’’So...’."

(Běnlái cannot be used for this meaning.)

Wǒ xiǎng shi tā xiěde, yuánlái jiù shi ní xiěde!

À! Yuánlái nī jiù shi Xu Xian-sheng? Huānyíng, tài huānyíng le!

À, yuánlái shi zhème hui shi!

(3) Yuánláide may be used to modify a

Women yuánláide jìhua shi xiàge Xīngqíwǔ qù.

Tāmen yuánláide fángzi zài chéngwàitou, xiànzài bān dao chéngli qu zhù
le.

Oh, so you wrote this! I thought he wrote it.

Oh! So you’re Mr. Xú? Welcome! Welcome indeed!

Oh! So that’s what happened!

noun, with the meaning "original":

Our original plan was to go next Friday.

Their original house was outside the city, (but) now they’ve moved into
the city.

Unit 8, Review Dialogue

In Lǐ Ping and Tom’s room, Tom (A) is getting his things packed, when

Lǐ Ping (B) comes in.

B:    Tāngmǔ, wo tǐngshuō nǐ yào qù

dàlù le?

-   A: Shǐ a, shàngwu wǒ dào lǐngshi-

guǎn qù kàn yige péngyou. Zhèng-hǎor you yige gongsǐ dào dàlù qu tan
shēngyì. Tāmen yào yige dǎ zì dǎde kuài, you dong diǎnr Zhōngwěnde rén.

-   B: Nǐ yùnqi zhēn hú cuò. Yào

qù duō jiǔ ne?

-   A: Yào kàn qíngkuàng, dàgài

hànge yuè dào yíge yuè.

-   B: Wǒ yě dào Taiwan qù hànge yuè.

Wáng Chéng qǐng wǒ hé Xiǎo Wén dào tā jiā qu wānr.

-   A: Āhà! Zhè yíxiàr zhēn hú cuò,

wǒ qù dàlù, nǐ qù Taiwǎn, huílai yǐhòu women lai yige kǎoshì, kàn-kan
shéi duì shèhui qíngkuàng yǎnjiūde hǐjiǎo hǎo.

-   B: Hǎo’

(Lī Ping’s grandmother (C) enters

-   C: Xiǎo Ping, Tāngmǔ, nīmen dou

zài zhèr ne!

B:    Nǎinai, nín zěnme hú shuì wǔ-

jiào le?”

A:    Lǐ Nǎinai, duìhuqǐ, women hǎ

nín chǎoxīng le.

Tom, I hear you’re going to the mainland?

Yeah! I went to the consulate this morning to visit a friend, and there
Just happened to he a company going to the mainland on business. They
wanted someone who could type fast and who understood a little Chinese.

You’re so lucky. How long are you going for?

We’ll have to see. Prohahly two weeks to a month.

And I’m going to Taiwan for two weeks. Wáng Chéng invited Xiǎo Wén (Lǐ
Wén) and me to his house.

That’s great! You’re going to Taiwan and I’m going to the mainland. When
we get hack we’ll have to have a little contest and see who’s done a
better job of studying society.

Okay.

Hi, Xiǎo Ping. Hi, Tom.*

How come you’re not taking your nap, grandma?**

I’m sorry Grandma Lī, we woke you up.

C:    Méiyou, wǒ yě gāi qǐlai le.’

Tāngmǔ a, nǐ dào dàlù qu, bú xiàng zài Měiguo, zài Xianggang; yào zhīdao
duō zhàogu zìjǐ. Xiǎo Ping mama chūqu gěi ni mǎi diǎnr dōngxi dàishang.

A:    Lǐ Nǎinai, wǒ shénme dōu you,

bú yòng dài le.

(Xiǎo Wén (E) comes in quietly.)

E:    Wǒ nǎinai, wǒ mā dōu téng ni,

nǐ jiu dàishang ba!

A:    Lǐ Nǎinai, wǒ hui Měiguo

yǐqiān, hai xiǎng zài lai yícì, xíng bu xíng?

C:    Zhèi haizi, zěnme bù xíng ne?

Zhèr jiù shi nǐde jiā ya!

A:    Nín yào wǒ gěi nín dài diǎnr

shénme dōngxi a?

C:    Duì le, zhèr yǒu yìzhāng

dānzi,”¹⁰ ¹¹ ¹² shi yìxiē gōngyìpǐn, qian Jiù zài zhèige xìnfēngrli, nǐ
kànzhe mǎi ba!

E:    Nǎinai, zánmen jiā you name

xiě gōngyìpǐn, hái mǎi tā gàn shénme!

C:    Shǎ háizi, děng dao nǐ jiēhūnde

shihou jiu yǒu yòng le.

E:    Name nántīng!

C:    Nà you shénme nántīng, hǎo shir

ma!

No you didn’t. It was about time I got up anyway.

Tom, when you go to the mainland, it won’t be like America or Hong Kong;
you’ll have to know how to look after yourself. Xiǎo Ping’s mother went
out to get you some things to take with you.

I have everything, Grandma Lǐ, I don’t need to take anything else.

My grandmother and mother are fond of you, go ahead and take the things!

Grandma Lǐ, I have to come back here once again before I go to America.
Will that be okay?

Oh, this youngster! How could it not be all right? This is your home!

Did you want me to bring you back something?

Yes, here’s a list.¹⁰ ’ It’s some handicrafts. The money is in this
envelope. Buy what you can.

We have so many handicrafts already, why do you want to buy more of
them?

Silly girl! They’ll come in handy when you get married.

Ugh! That sounds awful!

What’s so awful about that? That (marriage) is a happy event.

E:    Nimen zài zhèr, wǒ qu kànkan,

hǎoxiàng mama huílai le.

(Xiǎo Wen leaves.)

-   A: Nǎinai, Xiǎo Wen zhēnde yào.

jiēhūn le?

-   B: Shi zhème hui shi, Xiǎo Wen

zài Yingguo niàn shūde shihou rènshile yíge Rìběn ren, xiànzài tǎ he
Xiǎo Wen zài yíge yínhǎngli zuò shi, duì Xiǎo Wen hú cuò. Kěshi . . .

-   C: Yuǎnlǎi, wǒ he Xiǎo Wen tǎ

hàba dōu hù tóngyì. Nǐ xiǎng ma, Zhōngguo rén he Rìběn rén zěnme yě méi
hànfar hiàncheng yìjiǎzi’ ya! Kěshi Xiǎo Wen hé tǎ mǎma yuànyì, wǒmen yě
jiu hù néng shūo shénme le.

A:    Xiǎo Wen mǎma zěnme shuō ne?

C:    Tǎ quànle wo hǎojǐcì. Tǎde

huà you dàoli. Tǎ shuō, Zhōngguo rén hé Rìběn rén shi dǎguo zhàng. Kěshi
xiànzài, shìqing yǐjǐng guòqu jǐshíniǎn le, wèishenme hai yào ràng
hǎizimen chǐ kǔ ne?

A:    Bómǔ shuōde duì. Ei, wǒ lai

Xiǎnggǎng zènme duō tiǎn le, zěnme hai méi kànjian ta ne?

C:    Tǎ hui Rìhěn kàn tā mǎma qu le,

nèi shi ge xiàoshunde haizi. Děng nǐ cong dàlù huílaide shihou, tǎ yě
gǎi huílai le.

-   A: Zhēn you yìsi!

Don’t get up.¹³ ¹⁴ I think mom is hack, I’m going to go see.

Is Xiǎo Wén really getting married, grandma?

It’s like this: When Xiǎo Wén was studying in England she met a Japanese
guy. Now he works at the same hank as she does. He’s very nice to her,
hut . . .

Originally, Xiǎo Wén’s father and I were both against it. After all,
there’s Just no way that Chinese and Japanese can "become part of the
same family. But Xiǎo Wén and her mother wanted it, so there wasn’t
anything we could say about it.

What did Xiǎo Wén’s mother say about it?

She tried to persuade me many times. What she said makes sense. She said
that the Chinese and the Japanese did go to war, but now that it’s all
been over for a few decades, why should the children still be made to
suffer for it?

She’s right about that. By the way, I’ve been here in Hong Kong for so
many days now, how is it that I haven’t seen him?

He went back to Japan to visit his mother. He’s a very filial boy. He
should be back by the time you come back from the mainland.

That’s so interesting!

C:    You yìsi "ba,! Tāngmǔ, nǐ "bù zhǐ- Oh, it’s interesting all right,

dào, rén lǎo le, guānniàn yě lǎo    You don’t know, Tom, when a person

le, youde shíhour zhēnde yào gǎi-   gets old, their ideas get old too.

gai le.                              Sometimes one really has to change

a hit.

(Xiǎo Ping’s mother CF1 comes in carrying some things.)

-   B: Mā, nī huilai le?

F:     Huilai le.

A:    Bómǔ, wǒ shuō shénme hǎo ne?

Nín shizài tài kèqi le.

F:    Zhèidiǎn chide, yòngde, dōu

dàiqu, zhèliǎngjiàn yīfu děngyixià chuānchuan kàn, héshì hu héshì.

A:    Bomǔ, nà jiu xièxie le.

F:    Nàme yidiǎndiǎn dōngxi xiè

shenme. LÙshang hǎohǎo zhàogu zìjī, shìqing wǎnle jiu huílai, xiūxi
jītiān zài hui Měiguo.

A:    Ng, wǒ yídìng huílai.

-   C: Guò liǎngtiǎn, Xiǎo Ping, Xiǎo

Wén yě yào zǒu le. Xiǎo Ping mā,2 jīnr^ wǎnshang zǎm¹* hú zuò fàn le.
Děng huǐr Xiǎo Ping bàba huílai, yíkuàir chūqu chi wǎnfàn, gěi hǎizimen
songsong xíng, hǎo bu hǎo?

F:    Hǎode, hǎode.

Hi mom, you’re back?

Hi, yeah, I’m back.

Auntie, what can I say? This is really too polite of you.

This food and these things are for you to take with you. And these two
things to wear you can try on later and see if they fit you.

Well then, thanks a lot, auntie.

Why should you thank me for these odds and ends! You just look after
yourself very carefully while you’re traveling, and when the job is
finished come back here and rest up for a few days before you go back to
America.

Okay, I’ll be sure and come back.

In another day or two Xiǎo Ping and Xiǎo Wén will be leaving too. Mom,
let’s not make dinner tonight. When Xiǎo Ping’s father gets back, we’ll
all go out to dinner and have a going-away party for the kids, okay?

All right.

Exercise 1

This exercise is a review of the Reference List sentences in this unit.
The speaker will say a sentence in English, followed, by a pause for you
to translate it into Chinese. Then a second speaker will confirm your
answer.

All sentences from the Reference List will occur only once. You may want
to rewind the tape and practice this exercise several times.

Exercise 2

In this exercise a mother and son talk in their apartment in Hangzhou.

The conversation occurs only once. After listening to it completely,
you’ll probably want to rewind the tape and answer the questions below
as you listen a second time.

Here are the new words and phrases you will need to understand this
conversation:

xiǎo diǎnr shēngr                  a little more quietly

hǎo                                 to wrap

tan liǎn'ài                         to be in love, to be going together

(having a courtship)

Questions for Exercise 2

Exercise 3

In this conversation a mother talks to her daughter in Běijīng about her
grandparents.

Listen to the conversation once straight through. Then, on the second
time through, look below and answer the questions.

Here are the new words for this conversation:

qiánxiē nian                       a few years back

zài shuō                           besides, moreover

Questions for Exercise 3

Prepare your answers to these questions in Chinese so that you can talk
about them in class.

-   1. What is Xiǎo Yun doing? Why?

-   2. What is the latest news about Xiǎo Yun’s grandfather?

-   3. Why does the mother seem to have little regard for the company
    she talks about?

-   U. According to the mother, what is the grandfather’s attitude
    toward work?

5. What does the mother ask her daughter to write into the letter to
grandfather?

After you have answered these questions yourself, you may want to take a
look at the translation for this conversation. You may also want to
listen to the conversation to help you practice saying the answers which
you have prepared.

Exercise U

Zhū Lǎozǒng                         (an affectionate name for Zhū De,

a military leader of China and commander of the Eighth Route Army during
the -war of resistance against Japan.)

jūnduì                              army

Questions for Exercise h

Prepare your answers to these questions in Chinese so that you can talk
about them in class.

-   1. What did Wáng Lǎo Shífu do before the war of resistance against
    Japan? Was it a secure job?

-   2. What happened to his business during the war of resistance
    against Japan?

-   3. What did "Zhū Laozǒng" (Zhū De) do at that time? What did Wáng
    Lǎo ShTfu do for Zhū Laozǒng?

After you have answered these questions, you may want to take a look at
the translation for this conversation. You may also want to listen to
the conversation again to help you pronounce your answers correctly.

Dialogue and. Translation for Exercise 2

A mother (B) and her son (A) talk in their apartment in Hangzhou.

-   A: Ma, wǒ jiějie shénme shihou zǒu

a?

-   B: Wǎnshang shiyidiǎn zhōngde

huǒchě. Nǐ xiǎo diǎnr shēngr shuō huà. Bié bǎ tǎ chǎoxǐng le, ràng ta
zài duō shuì yihuǐr.

-   A: Ao, jiějie shuì wǔjiào na, wǒ

xiǎo diǎnr shēngr. Mā, jiějie yào dàizǒude dōngxi dou zhǔnbèi-hǎo le ma?

-   B: Chàbuduō le, jiù shi hái you

yìxiē gōngyìpǐn méiyou nònghǎo, nǐ huílaile, zhènghǎo bangbang mang, bǎ
zhèixiē dōngxi bǎoqilai.

-   A: Jiějie shi dào Měiguo qù niàn

shūde, dài gōngyìpǐn gàn shénme?

-   B: Zài dàxuélī niàn shū zong huì

you ge hǎo péngyou, wàiguo rén xǐhuan Zhōngguo gōngyìpǐn, dàishang
yidiǎnr, songsong rén, bú shi hěn hǎo ma?

A:     Hǎo, wǒ yihuǐr jiù bǎohǎo le.

Ma, when is older sister leaving?

On the 11:00 train this evening. Speak a little more quietly. Don’t wake
her, let her sleep a little while longer.

Oh, sister is taking a (noontime) nap. I’ll speak more softly. Ma, have
all the things older sister is going to take along with her been gotten
ready?

Just about, there are Just a few handicrafts not yet taken care of.
You’ve come back just in time to help by wrapping these things.

Sister’s going to America to go to school; what is she taking
handicrafts for?

In college you’re always going to have a good friend. Foreigners like
Chinese handicrafts. So isn’t it a a good idea to take some along to
give people as gifts?

Okay, I’ll have them wrapped in a minute.

B:     Duì le, nǐ zài zhèr nòng, wǒ

dào chúfáng kàn yíxià, kànkan cài hǎole méiyou.

A:     Wǎnshàng hai you kèren ma?

Oh—you take care of this here, and I’ll go take a look in the kitchen to
see if the food is done.

Are there guests coming tonight, too?

B:     You. Děng yíxià Zhōu Bómǔ hé

tā érzi lai gěi nǐ jiějie sòng-xíng.

-   A: Mā, wǒ kàn, wǒ jiějie gēn Xiǎo

Zhōu hǎoxiàng bú cuò ma!

-   B: Shǎ haizi! Nǐ jiějie gēn Xiǎo

Zhōu tan liàn’ài kuài yinian le, nǐ hái bù zhīdào!

Yes, in a little while Mrs. (Auntie) Zhōu and her son are coming over to
give your sister a send-off.

Ma, I think older sister and Xiǎo Zhōu seem to be getting along pretty
well!

You dumb kid! Your sister and Xiǎo Zhōu have been in love for almost a
year now. Didn’t you know?!

-   A: Ao! Yuánlái shi zenme hui

shir! Hǎo, mā, nǐ kuài máng qu ha! Zhèi diǎnr gōngyìpǐn jiāo gěi wǒ le.

-   B: Nǐ kuài hǎo, hāowánle, dào

chúfāng lai hǎng wo máng.

A:     Xíng, wǒ yìhuǐr jiù lái.

Oh, so that’s what’s heen going on all along. Okay, mom, you go ahead
with your work. Hand the handicrafts over to me.

Get these wrapped quickly. When you’re done, come to the kitchen and
help me.

Okay, I’ll he there in a minute.

Dialogue and Translation for Exercise 3

In Běijīng a mother (B) talks with her daughter (A).

B:     Xiǎo Yun na, zuotiān kǎoshì

kǎowán le, jǐntiǎn hái zài wūli máng shénme na?

-   A: Xiě jīfēng xìn, zhèixiě xìn

zǎo jiù gāi xiě le, Jǐntiǎn you yidiǎnr shíjiān, wǒ xiǎng hǎ ta-men
xiěwán.

-   B: Gěi yéyede xìn xiěle méiyou?

Yéye name téng nǐ, kuài gěi tā xiě fēng xìn ha!

-   A: Shāngcì yéye lái xìn shuō,

tāmen gōngsī qǐng tā qù hāng máng ne. Zhèijiàn shir, nín zěnme xiǎng?

-   B: Tāmen gōngsī xiǎng gēn wàiguo

rén zuò shēngyì, qǐng yéye qù hāng máng, zhèijiàn shir, wǒ shénme yě hú
yuànyi shuō.

-   A: Wèishénme ne?

-   B: Qiánxiē nián, tāmen gōngsíde

rén shuō nǐ yéye, shuōde nàme nántīng. Xiànzài tāmen you wèntí le, you
xiǎngdào nǐ yéye le.

Suàn le ha, ràng tāmen kànzhe hàn ha. Wǒ hù xiǎng quàn nǐ yéye qù hāng
zhèige máng. Niánji dàle, hǎohǎorde zài jiāli xiūxixiūxi hi shénme dōu
hǎo.

Xiǎo Yun, your exams were over yesterday. What are you still working on
here today?

Writing a few letters. I should have written them a long time ago. I
have a little time today, so I wanted to get them written.

Have you written grandfather? He's so fond of you, you really should
write him a letter!

The last time grandfather wrote, he said that their company had asked
him to go help out. What do you think of that?

Their company wants to do business with foreigners, so they asked your
grandfather to help out. I don’t want to say anything about this.

Why?

A few years back, the people in the company were saying such awful
things about your grandfather. But now, they go to him with their
problems. The hell with it! Let them do what they like.

I don’t want to advise your grandfather to help them. When a person gets
old, it’s best for him to stay at home and get a lot of relaxation.

“This means "No comment. If I said anything about this, it wouldn’t be
complimentary."

-   A: Mā, wǒ xiǎng yéye yídìng bù

tongyì nínde shuōfǎr. Guòqùde shir yǐjíng guòqu le. Xiànzài you rén qǐng
ta hang mang, zài shuō zhèixiē shir duì guojiā you hǎochù, tā yídìng huì
qù zuòde.

-   B: Wǒ yě zhīdao, nǐ yéye nèige

rén zhǐ yào yǒu gōngzuò, hù guǎn duō nan, tā yě huì pīnmìng qù zuòde. Nǐ
xiě xìnde shíhou, hié wàngle xiěshang, ràng tā hié tài lèi le, měitiān
shuì ge xiǎo wǔjiào.

-   A: Hǎo. Xiěshang le. Nǎinai huì

hǎohāor zhàogu yéyede. Nín fàng-xīn hǎo le.

-   B: Ài! Hǎo le, wǒ yào chūqu mǎi

dōngxi, nǐde xìn xiěwán le méiyou? Wǒ lai gěi nǐ jì.

-   A: Zhèi sānfēng xìn xiěwán le,

děng yíxiàr, wǒ tieshang youpiào. Hǎo, xiànzài hǎo le. Nín názǒu ha.

-   B: Wǒ zǒu le.

A:     Mā, nín zǎo diǎnr huílai!

Ma, I’m sure that grandfather wouldn’t agree with that. What’s over is
over ("Past things are already past"). Now someone asks him to help out,
and besides, these things are good for the country. I’m sure he’ll do
it.

I know that too. Your grandfather is the kind of person who, as long
there’s a joh, will knock himself out to do it, no matter how hard it
is. When you write the letter, don’t forget to write that he mustn’t
tire himself out too much, and to take a little noontime nap every day.

Okay. It’s written. Grandma will take good care of grandfather. Don't
you worry.

(Sigh) Okay, I’ve got to go out to huy some things. Have you finished
writing your letters? I’ll mail them for you.

These three are finished. Wait a second while I put stamps on them.
Okay, they’re ready. Here they are.

I’m leaving.

Ma, don’t he gone long!

Dialogue and Translation for Exercise h

In the office of a factory in Běijīng, are on the night shift:

-   A: Wáng Lǎo Shīfu, nín xiūxi yì-

huǐr ha. Wǒ zài zhèr kànzhe, nín hié dānxīn, wǒ hú huì shuì jiàode.

-   B: Ou, wǒ hú lèi, zánmen liǎ

liáoliao tiānr ha!

an older man (B) and a younger man (A)

Old Master Wáng, you rest a while. I’ll watch things here, don’t worry.
I won’t fall asleep.

I’m not tired. Let’s us two have a chat!

-   A: Wáng Lǎo Shīfu, wǒ tīngshuō,       Old Master Wáng, I’ve heard
    that

nín jiěfàng qian jiù cānjiǎ gé     you joined the revolutionary ranks

mi ng le, nínde gùshi yídìng hù     before liberation. You must have

shǎo, gěi wo jiǎngjiang ba!        a lot of stories; tell me one!

°liǎ: A colloquial word meaning liǎngge.

-   B: Nǐ zhǐdao, jiěfàng qian wǒ shi

zuò xiǎo mǎimaide, nèi shihou zuò xiǎo mǎimai duo nán! Neng bu néng
zhuàn yidiǎnr qián dōu yào kàn yùnqi hǎo huài.

-   A: Hòulái ne?

-   B: Hòulái Rìběn rén lái le, Rìběn

rén gēn zánmen dǎ zhàng. zhèi yí-xiàzi wǒde mǎimai . . .

-   A: Zuòbuxiàqu le.

-   B: Bu shi, wǒde mǎimai yuè zuò

yuè dà le.

-   A: Zěnme ne?

-   B: Nǐ xuéguo lìshǐ.  Nǐ zhīdao nèi

shihou Zhu Lǎozǒng gēn Rìběn rén dǎle yízhàng . . .

-   A: Zhǐdao, nèi yízhàng dǎle hǎo

jǐge yuè. Nèi shihou nín gàn shénme ne?

-   B: Wǒ? Wǒ yìtiān dào wǎn názhe

dānzi gěi Zhū Lǎozǒngde jūnduì mǎi dōngxi ya! Shénme chide, chuānde, yào
a, wǒ dōu néng mǎidào.

-   A: Ēi, zhēn you yìsi, nín zài gěi

wo jiǎngjiang.

-   B: Ou, xiànzài bù néng jiǎng le.

Zánmen gāi chūqu kànkan le. Yàoshi méiyou shénme wèntí, huílai wǒ zài
gěi nǐ jiǎng.

A:     Nà zánmen zǒu ba!

You know, before liberation I was in small business. At that time, it
was so hard to do small business. Whether or not you could make a little
money depended on whether your luck was good or bad.

And later?

Later the Japanese came. After the Japanese went to war with us, my
business . . .

You couldn’t carry it on.

No, it got bigger and bigger.

How was that?

You’ve studied history. You know that at that time Zhū Lǎozǒng (Zhū Dé)
fought with the Japanese . . .

Yes, they fought for many months. What were you doing at that time?

Me? From morning to night T was carrying a list buying things for Zhū
Cé’s army. Food, clothes, medicine, T could buy them all.

Gee, that’s fascinating, tell me more.

I can’t now. It’s time we went out and took a look. If there aren’t any
problems, I’ll tell you more after we get back.

Then let’s go!

VOCABULARY

  ---------- ----------------------------------- -----
  ài         to love                             7.6
  ài shang   to fall in love with                7.6
  āndìng     to "be peaceful and stable, to be   7.7
  ---------- ----------------------------------- -----

quiet and settled

+-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| bàba                  | father, dad, papa     | 7-U                   |
+-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| báitiān               | daytime               | 7.3                   |
+-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| -ban                  | (counter for class of | 7.3’                  |
|                       | students)             |                       |
+-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| bàng                  | to be great, to be    | T.U’, 7.7             |
|                       | fantastic, to be      |                       |
|                       | terrific              |                       |
+-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| bang máng             | to help; help         | 7.U                   |
+-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| bangzhu               | to help; help; as a   | 7.2                   |
|                       | help to, for          |                       |
+-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| bāo                   | to wrap               | 7.8’                  |
+-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| bǎochí                | to keep, to preserve, | 7.5                   |
|                       | to maintain           |                       |
+-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| bǎohù                 | to protect            | 7.6                   |
+-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| bèihòu                | behind someone’s back | 7.2’                  |
+-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| -bèizi                | all one’s life,       | 7.2                   |
|                       | lifetime              |                       |
+-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| běnlái                | originally, in the    | 7.7                   |
|                       | beginning, at first;  |                       |
|                       | to begin with, in the |                       |
|                       | first place           |                       |
+-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| běnrén                | herself, himself,     | 7.6’                  |
|                       | oneself, nyself, etc. |                       |
+-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| bí                    | to compare            | 7.1’                  |
+-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| biàn                  | to change, to become  | 7.3                   |
|                       | different             |                       |
+-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| biànchéng             | to change into        | 7.2’, 7-3             |
+-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| bìcǐ                  | each other, one       | 7-5’                  |
|                       | another, both; the    |                       |
|                       | same to you           |                       |
+-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| bìngrén               | sick person, patient  | 7.3’                  |
+-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| bómǔ                  | aunt (wife of         | 7.8                   |
|                       | father’s elder        |                       |
|                       | brother);             |                       |
|                       |                       |                       |
|                       | (term for the mother  |                       |
|                       | of one’s friend)      |                       |
+-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| boshì                 | Ph.D.                 | 7-2’                  |
+-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| bú fàngxīn            | to worry              | 7.3’                  |
+-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| bù guǎn               | no matter (what,      | 7.5’, 7.6             |
|                       | whether, etc.)        |                       |
+-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| bù huāng bù máng      | calm, not the least   | 7.8’                  |
|                       | bit flustered         |                       |
+-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| bú Jiàn bú sàn        | don’t leave until     | 7.7’                  |
|                       | we’ve met up          |                       |
+-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| bù Jiǎndān            | not ordinary, not     | 7.7’                  |
|                       | commonplace;          |                       |
|                       | remarkable            |                       |
+-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| bù néng bu            | to have to, must      | 7.7                   |
+-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| bù shǎo               | to be quite a lot, to | 7.U                   |
|                       | be much, to be many   |                       |
+-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| bú shi...Jiù shi...   | if it isn’t...then    | 7.7                   |
|                       | it’s...; either...    |                       |
|                       | or...                 |                       |
+-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| bú xiàng huà          | to be ridiculous, to  | 7.6                   |
|                       | be outrageous, to be  |                       |
|                       | absurd (talk, acts,   |                       |
|                       | etc.)                 |                       |
+-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+

  ------------------ ------------------------------------- -----------
  cai                only (before an amount)               7.3
  cái                only in that case, only under this    7.5
                     condition                             
  caichan            property                              7.1
  cānjiā             to participate in, to take part in;   7.6
                     to Join; to attend                    
  cháng              to be long                            7.1
  chang gē           to sing (songs)                       7.6°
  chāo               to be noisy; to disturb by making     7.8
                     noise                                 
  chǎoxǐng           to wake (someone) up by being noisy   7.8
  -chéng             (verb ending) into                    7.3
  chéngshì           city; urban                           7.6
  chéngyuánguó       member country                        7.6°
  chǐbuxiàqù         to be unable to eat                   7.3
  chi kǔ             to suffer, to undergo hardship        7.1
  chōu yān           to smoke (tobacco)                    7.6
  chuáng             bed                                   7.2°, 7.5
  chuántong          tradition, traditional                7.1
  conglái            ever (up till now), always (up till   7.3
                     now)                                  
  conglái bù/méi     never (up till now)                   7.3
  cóng...(Verb)-qī   to begin (Verb)-ing from...           7.7
  cūnr               village                               7.6°
  ------------------ ------------------------------------- -----------

  ------------- --------------------------------------------------------------------- ------
  dàduōshù(r)   the great majority                                                    7.5
  -dài          generation; era, (historical) period                                  7.5
  dàishang      to take along (Běijīng)                                               7.8
  dàjiě         "older sister" (a respectful term                                     7.1'
                of address for a woman about one’s own age or older)                  
  dàlù          mainland, continent                                                   7.1
  dang          (political) party                                                     7.6
  dǎnxǐn        to be worried, to be uneasy                                           7.1
  dānzi         list; form                                                            7.8
  dào           to pour, to dump                                                      7.1
  -dào          (resultative ending used for percep-                                  7.3
                tion by one of the senses: Jiàndao, kàndao, tīngdao, etc.)            
  -dào          (resultative ending used to indicate                                  7.3
                reaching; in xiǎngdào, tándào, etc., translated as "about" or "of")   
  dàochù        everywhere                                                            7.7'
  dàodé         morality, morals, ethics                                              7.2
  dào lājī      to take out (dump) the garbage                                        7.3
  dàolī         principle, truth, hows and whys;                                      7.2
                reason, argument, sense                                               
  dàxuéshēng    college student                                                       7.1
  dǎ zhàng      to fight a war, to go to war                                          7.8
  ------------- --------------------------------------------------------------------- ------

  ------------- ---------------------------------- ------
  dǎ zhen       to get an injection                7.8
  dǎ zì         to type (on a typewriter)          7.6
  de            to get                             7.5
  dédao         to receive, to get                 7.5
  -de huà       if; in case; supposing that        7.6
  děi kàn       to depend on                       7.8
  děng          when; by the time; till            7.8
  děng dào      wait until; when, by the time      7.3
  děng yíxià    wait a minute; in a little while   7.8
  -diǎn         point                              7.1
  diào yǎnlèi   to cry                             7.3
  dìwei         position, status                   7.2
  dǒngde        to understand, to grasp, to know   7.1
  duǎnpiān      short (stories, articles)          7.6
  dúlì          to be independent; independence    7.2
  duo (duō)     how (to what extent)               7.It
  duo hǎo!      how great that is!                 7.2
  duōshù(r)     the majority (of), most (of)       7.5
  ------------- ---------------------------------- ------

éi                     say! (interjection telling that the*

speaker just thought of something)

értong                 child (formal word)

érxífu(r) (-fer)       daughter-in-law*

  -------------------- --------------------------------------------------------------- -----------
  fādá                 to be (highly) developed, to be flourishing, to be prosperous   7.2*, 7.5
  fǎlū                 law                                                             7.7
  fān                  to translate                                                    7.7*
  fàn                  to violate, to offend, to commit; to                            7.7
                       have an attack (of an old disease)                              
  fǎnduì               to oppose, to be against                                        7.1*
  -fāngmiàn (-mi an)   aspect, side, area, respect                                     7.1
  fǎngwèn              to visit                                                        7.6*
  fǎnzhèng             anyway, in any case                                             7.3*
  fàn zuì              to commit a crime                                               7.7
  fāzhǎn               to develop, to expand, to grow                                  7.5
  fēn                  points                                                          7.5*
  fēn                  to divide, to separate, to split                                7.6
  fēngsú               custom(s)                                                       7.5
  fēnkāi               to separate, to split up                                        7.6
  fùnū                 woman; women, womankind                                         7.2
  fúqi                 blessings, good fortune                                         7.
  -------------------- --------------------------------------------------------------- -----------

  ----- ------------------ ------------
  gāi   will probably      7.it’
  gāi   should, ought to   7.It’, 7.8
  ----- ------------------ ------------

  -------------- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -----------------
  gài            to build, to construct                                                                             7.1+’
  gāibiàn        to change; change(s)                                                                               7.1’, 7-5
  gànbu          cadre                                                                                              7.6
  gǎnjué         feeling, sensation; to feel, to                                                                    7.1
                 perceive                                                                                           
  gànmǎ          to do what; (colloquial) why on earth,                                                             7.8
                 what for                                                                                           
  gàn shenme     to do what; (colloquial) why on earth,                                                             7.8
                 what for                                                                                           
  gǎnxiè         to be thankful, to be grateful                                                                     7.3’
  gāogàn         senior cadres                                                                                      7.6’
  gāozhōng       senior high school                                                                                 7.1’, 7.2’, 7.5
  gèguó          various countries                                                                                  7.1’
  gémìng         revolution                                                                                         7.8’
  gēn            to follow                                                                                          7.8’
  gōng           male (for animals)                                                                                 7.2’
  Gòngchǎndǎng   Communist Party                                                                                    7.6
  gōngchǎng      factory, mill, plant, works                                                                        7.6’
  gōnggong       grandfather, grandpa (paternal)                                                                    7.1+’
  gōngkè         homework                                                                                           7.7’
  Gòngqǐngtuǎn   Communist Youth League                                                                             7.6’
  gōngshāngyè    industry and commerce                                                                              7.5
  gōngyè         industry                                                                                           7.5
  gōngyìpǐn      handicrafts                                                                                        7.8
  guǎn           to take care of; to mind, to bother                                                                7.2
                 about                                                                                              
  guǎnggào       advertisement                                                                                      7.7
  guānniàn       concept, idea, notion                                                                              7.2
  guānxin        to be concerned/care about                                                                         7.1’
  guānyú         as to, with regard to, concerning,                                                                 7.1
                 about                                                                                              
  gǔhuǐ          bone ashes, ashes (of a person)                                                                    7.5’
  guǐju          rules of proper behavior, social                                                                   7.3°, 7.1+
                 etiquette, manners; special customs, established practice, rule (of a community or organization)   
  guoJiā         country, state, nation; national                                                                   7.1
  guòqù          the past                                                                                           7.1+
  guòqu          to pass; to pass away, to die                                                                      7.8
  guò rìzi       to live; to get along                                                                              7.1+’
  gùshi          story                                                                                              7.6
  gǔshū          ancient book                                                                                       7.1’
  -------------- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -----------------

hai                    fairly, passably

hǎiluòyín             heroin

hǎochù                 benefit, advantage

hǎohǎor                properly, carefully, thoroughly

hǎo shi hǎo, kěshi... well, okay, but...

hǎoxiàng               to seem as if, to seem like

7.1+

7.7’

7.5

7.1’, 7.8

7.3’

7.8

hēiyè hèn Hongwèibīng hòulái Huáshèngdùn Youbào

-hui

huì huó

húshuo hùxiāng

(darkness of) night, nighttime

to hate, to loathe, to detest

(a) Red Guard; the Red Guards

later, afterwards                          7-2*,

Washington Post

(counter for shi, "matter")

might; to he likely to; will

to live; to become alive; to survive;

to be live/alive/living; mobile, moving

to talk nonsense; nonsense, drivel*

mutually

  ----------------- ---------------------------------------------- ------
  Jì                to remember; to commit to memory               7.5*
  -Jiā              (counter for families)                         7.U
  j iàndān          to be simple                                   7.7
  jiǎng             to stress, to pay attention to, to             7.3
                    be particular about                            
  Jiǎng             prize                                          7.5’
  jiǎngjiu          to be particular about; to be                  7.3’
                    elegant, to be tasteful                        
  jiàotáng          church, cathedral                              7.7’
  Jiàoyu            to educate; education                          7.7
  jiārù             to join                                        7.6
  Jiātíng           family                                         7.3
  Jīdòng            to be agitated, to be worked up                7.1’
  Jiè               to borrow; to lend                             7.1
  jièdao            to successfully borrow                         7.1
  J iěfàng          to liberate, to emancipate; liberation         7.6
  Jiēhūn (jiēhūn)   to get married                                 7.2
  Jièyì^            to mind, to take offense                       7.6
  jíjímángmáng      in a hurry, extremely rushed                   7.6
  Jímang            to be hasty, to be hurried                     7.6
  Jìnbù             to progress; progress                          7.7
  Jìndàishǐ         modern history                                 7.1’
  J īngshén         energy, spirits                                7.3’
  jīnr              today (Běijīng)                                7.8’
  jīnzhāng          to be nervous, to be upset                     7.3’
  jìzhu             to remember                                    7.1’
  -Jù               sentence; (counter for sentences or            7.1
                    utterances, often followed by huà, "speech")   
  Jūnduì            army                                           7.8’
  júzi shuǐ(r)      orange juice (Běijīng)                         7.1’
  ----------------- ---------------------------------------------- ------

  ----------- ------------------------------------ -----
  (V V) kàn   try and (v), (v) and see how it is   7.7
  kàn         to depend on                         7.8
  ----------- ------------------------------------ -----

  ----------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------- -----------
  kànbuqǐ     to look down on, to scorn, to despise                                  7.^
  kàndao      to see                                                                 7.3
  kànzhe      (followed by a verb) as one sees fit, as one deems reasonable          7.8
  kao         to take/give an exam, test, or quiz                                    7.8
  kào         to depend on, to rely on; to lean against; to be near, to be next to   7.2
  kǎolu       to consider, to think about; consideration                             7.1
  kǎoshì      to take/give an exam, test, or quiz; exam, test                        7.8
  keài        to be loveable, to be adorable                                         7.8°
  kekǎyǐn     cocaine                                                                7.7’
  Kekǒukělè   Coca Cola                                                              7.1’, 7.3
  kelián      to be pitiful                                                          7.3°
  ken         to be willing to                                                       7.7’
  kū          to cry                                                                 7.3
  ----------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------- -----------

  ------------------ ---------------------------------------- ------
  ...lái             for the past... (amount of time)         7.6
  lái                (used before a verb to express that      7.7
                     something will be done)                  
  lái                to do (something), to perform            7.8
                     (something), to have (an event),         
                     to help oneself to (food, etc.),         
                     to join in (a game, etc.)                
  lǎjī               garbage                                  7.3’
  lánwěiyán          appendicitis                             7.5°
  lǎo                all the time, always                     7.8*
  láodòng            to labor                                 7.5
  láodònglì          labor force, labor; able-bodied          7.5
                     person                                   
  lǎolao             grandmother, grandma (maternal)          7.b’
  láolì              labor force; labor                       7.5
  lǎo shīfu          old master                               7.5
  lǎoshǔ (láoshu)    mouse or rat                             7.2*
  lǎoxiānsheng       old gentlemen                            7.5’
  lǎoyé              grandfather, grandpa (maternal)          7.U*
  lǎozǒng            (used with surname as an affectionate    7.8’
                     term for a high-ranking PLA commander)   
  liǎ                (Beijing colloquial word meaning         7.8*
                     liǎngge, ”two”)                          
  lián...dōu/yě...   even...                                  7.7
  liáo               to chat                                  7.3
  liáo tiān(r)       to chat                                  7.3
  lǐmào              manners, politeness                      7.U
  lǐngdǎo            to lead, to direct, to exercise lead-    7.6
  ------------------ ---------------------------------------- ------

ership (over); leadership; leader, leading cadre

  ---------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------
  liùshi niándài   the decade of the sixties                                                                 7.1*
  liúxia           to leave                                                                                  7.1*
  liúxíng          to be common, to be popular, to be prevalent                                              7.2
  luàn             to be in disorder, to be in a mess, to be chaotic; arbitrarily, recklessly, any old way   7-7
  luànqǐbāzāo      in a mess, in confusion, in disorder; miscellaneous, motley, all thrown in together       7.7
  ---------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------

ma

(marker for obviousness of reasoning)

7.3

mànmānr (manman)       slowly; gradually, by and by; taking

one’s time (doing something); (tell) all about, in all details

méi yìsi               to be uninteresting/boring; to be

pointless/meaningless; to be a drag; to be without value, not worthy of
respect, cheap

míngbai                to understand, to be clear on, to

comprehend; to be clear, to be intelligible

Ming Bào               Ming Pao (a Hong Kong newspaper)

mǔ                      female (for animals)

7.1

7.2

7-5

7.7

7.2*

  ------------------ ------------------------------------- -----------
  nàinai             grandmother (paternal)                7.k
  nà hai yòng shuō   that goes without saying              7.2*
  Nan Mei            South America                         7.7*
  nánnū              men and women, male-female            7.2
  nánshòu            to be uncomfortable; to feel bad,     7.3
                     to feel unhappy                       
  nántīng            to be unpleasant to hear; to sound    7.8
                     bad, to offend the ears; to be        
                     scandalous                            
  ne                 (used in questions asking the where   7.¹**
                     abouts of someone/something)          
  nénglì             ability                               7.6*
  niánji (niánjì)    age                                   7.U
  niánqīng           to be young                           7.1
  nòng (neng)        to do; to fool with; to get           7.3
  nóngcūn            country, rural area; rural            7.5*, 7.6
  nònglai            to get and bring                      7.3
  nóngmín            peasant                               7-5*
  nongyè             agriculture                           7.5
  nylì               to make efforts                       7.7*
  nushěng            coed, woman student                   . 7.3*
  ------------------ ------------------------------------- -----------

pà

to be afraid

7-¹*

pǎolai pǎoqù

to run around

7-6

pèngdao

to run into, to come across

7.8

-piān

(counter for sheets, articles or

7.2

pieces of writing)

piān

to fool, to deceive

7.2

pǐchá bǐng

pizza

7.1

píngděng

equality, to be equal (of people)

7.2

pǐnmìng

with all one’s might, for all one

7.2

is worth, desperately, like mad; to risk one’s life, to defy death

pīzhǔn

to give permission, to approve;

7-5

approval, permission, sanction

pópo

grandmother, grandma

7.U

  -------------- ------------------------------------------------------- -----
  qiāng          gun                                                     7.7
  qiáng          to be strong                                            7.6
  qiánxiě nián   a few years back, in recent years                       7.8
  qiāo men       to knock at the door                                    7.U
  qíguài         to be strange, to be odd, to be surprising              7.3
  qǐlai          to get up (in several senses)                           7.
  -qilai         (resultative ending which indicates starting)           7.3
  Qīnghǎi        (a province in western China)                           7.3
  qíngkuàng      situation, circumstances, condition, state of affairs   7.1
  qíngxing       situation, circumstances, condition, state of affairs   7.1
  quàn           to advise, to urge, to try to persuade                  7.8
  quánjiā rén    the whole family                                        7.U
  -------------- ------------------------------------------------------- -----

  ------------ --------------------------------------- -----
  ràng         to make (someone a certain way)         7.1
  rén          person; self; body                      7.
  rénj ia      people; other people; someone else;     7.U
               they; he, she; I                        
  rèxǐn        to be enthusiastic and interested,      7.3
               to be warmhearted, to be earnest        
  rèxīnqilai   to become enthusiastic and interested   7.3
  rìzi         day; date; time                         7.3
  rù           to enter; to join (an organization)     7.6
  rù Tuán      to join the Communist Youth League      7.6
  ------------ --------------------------------------- -----

(Gongqǐngtuán or Gongchǎnzhǔyì Qǐngniántuán)

  ------------------- --------------------------------------- -----------
  shā                 to kill (means unspecified); to         7.7
                      kill (specifically, with a knife        
                      or knifelike instrument); to try        
                      to kill                                 
  shā                 to be stupid, to be dumb, to be         7.8
                      silly, to be naive                      
  shāfā               sofa                                    7.8’
  -shang              (verb ending indicating starting        7.6
                      and continuing)                         
  shàng xué           to go to school; to attend school       7.6
  shāngyè             commerce, business                      7.5
  Shàoxiānduì         Young Pioneers                          7.6’
  shèhuì              society; social                         7.1
  shēngchǎn           to produce; production                  7.5
  shēnghuó            to live; life; daily life; livelihood   7.2
  shēngyì (shēngyi)   business, trade                         7.8
  shēnqīng            to apply (for)                          7.2*
  shēntǐ              body; health                            7.it
  shi                 to cause (followed by a verb), to       7.7
                      make, to enable                         
  shìchāng            market                                  7.5’
  shìjiè              world                                   7.6
  shijièshang         in the world, in the whole world        7.6
  shìjièxìng          worldwide                               7.7
  shíxíng             to practice, to carry out, to put       7.6
                      into effect, to implement (a            
                      method, policy, plan, reform, etc.)     
  shizài              really; to be real                      7.2
  shòu                to receive                              7.7
  shòu                to be thin                              7.7’
  shōuchāode          handwritten                             7.it’
  shòu Jiàoyu         to receive an education                 7.7
  shōurù              income, earnings                        7.5
  shōushi             to straighten up; to get one’s          7.it
                      things ready                            
  shujià              summer vacation                         7.1
  shuōbuqǐngchu       can’t explain clearly                   7.1
  shuōdao             to speak of; as for                     7.3
  shuōfǎ              way of saying a thing; statement,       7.5
                      version, argument                       
  shuòshì             Master’s degree                         7.2’, 7-5
  sǐ                  to die                                  7.3’, 7.5
  Si Shū              the Four Books (Dàxué, Zhōngyōng,       7.it
                      Lunyǔ, Mengzǐ)                          
  sǐxiǎng             thought, way of thinking                7.5’
  sònghuiqu           to take/escort back                     7.5’
  sòngxíng            to see (someone off), to wish           7.8
                      (someone) a good trip; to give          
                      a going-away party                      
  ------------------- --------------------------------------- -----------

suàn le                 forget it, let’s drop the matter,

let it go at that; come off it, come on

sūnnu                   granddaughter (through one’s son)

sūnzi                   grandson (through one’s son)

suǒyǒude...dou           all

  ------------- ----------------------------------------------------------- ------
  tán liàn’ài   to be in love, to be going together (courtship)             7.8
  tǎoyàn        to dislike, to be disgusted with                            7.6
  téng          to be very fond of, to be attached to, to dote on           7.8
  tí            to carry (from the hand at the side of the body)            7.8
  tiào          to jump, to leap                                            7.3
  tímu (-mù)    topic, subject; title; examination question, test problem   7.5
  tīng          to heed (advice), to obey (orders)                          7.5
  tongjū        to cohabit; cohabitation                                    7.2
  tongyì        to consent, to agree                                        7-5
  tour          head, chief, boss                                           7.7
  -tuán         group, society                                              7.6
  Tuan          (Communist Youth) League                                    7.6
  tǔdì          land                                                        7.1+
  ------------- ----------------------------------------------------------- ------

  ---------------- --------------------------------------- -------
  wàigōng          grandfather, grandpa (maternal)         7.1+°
  wàipo            grandmother, grandma (maternal)         7.1+°
  wàiwén           foreign language                        7.5°
  wǎnhuì           evening party                           7.6°
  wǎnliàn wǎnhūn   late involvement and late marriage      7.2’
  wèile            in order to; for the purpose of; for    7.5
                   the sake of                             
  wénhuà           culture; schooling, education,          7.1
                   literacy                                
  wénxuéJiā        writer, literary man                    7.6°
  wénzhāng         article, essay; prose (writing) style   7.2
  wǒde tiān na!    my God!                                 7.1°
  wǔjiào           noontime nap                            7.8
  ---------------- --------------------------------------- -------

-xià                   under

xiàndài                to be modern; contemporary; modern

times

xiǎng                   to sound, to make a sound

xiàng                  to be like, to resemble; like;

such as

  --------------------- --------------------------------------- ------
  xiǎngbuchū            can’t think up, can’t come up with      7.2*
  xiangdāng             quite, pretty, considerably             7.2
  xiǎngdào              to think of                             7.3
  xiāngxìn              to believe (in); to trust, to           7.7’
                        be convinced (that)                     
  xiǎo                  young                                   7.1’
  xiǎo diǎnr shēng(r)   a little more quietly                   7.8’
  xiǎo péngyou          little friend; kids                     7-^
  xiàoshun              to be filial; filial obedience          7.3
  xiǎoshuō(r)           fiction, novel                          7.1
  xià qí                to play chess                           7.6
  -xiaqu                (resultative ending which indicates     7.2
                        continuing an action)                   
  -xiaqu                down (directional ending used for       7.3
                        eating or drinking down)                
  xǐ dú                 to take drugs; drug taking              7.7
  xíguàn                habit, custom, usual practice; to be    7.5
                        accustomed to, to be used to            
  xǐn                   heart                                   7.3
  -xing                 nature, -ness, -ity                     7.7
  xìngkuǐ               fortunately, luckily                    7.U’
  xìngqu                interest                                7.2
  xīnli                 in one’s heart, in one’s mind           7.1’
  xīnshì                something weighing on one’s mind,       7.1’
                        worry                                   
  xīnwén                news                                    7.2
  Xīnwén Zhōukān        Newsweek                                7.2
  xué hǎo               to learn from good examples, to learn   7.7’
                        to be a good person                     
  xuéhuì                to learn, to master                     7.6’
  xuéqǐ                 semester, term (of school)              7.1
  xuéshēnghuì           student association                     7.1’
  xué yī                to study medicine                       7.2
  xùnliànbān            training class                          7.6’
  --------------------- --------------------------------------- ------

  ---------------------- --------------------------------------------------- -----------
  yánjiū (-jiu, -jiù)    to study (in detail), to do research on; research   7.1
  yào kàn                to depend on                                        7.8
  Yàzhōu (Yǎ-)           Asia                                                7.1
  yèdà                   evening university                                  7.6’
  yě gāi                 really should                                       7.U’
  .•.yě hǎo, ...yě hǎo   whether...or...; both...and..•                      7.5
  yě jiù                 accordingly, correspondingly, so                    7.5
  yéye                   grandfather (paternal)                              7.1’, 7.U
  yǐ                     medical science, medicine (used in                  7.2
                         phrases like xué yǐ)                                
  yǐ                     as soon as                                          7.1’, 7.U
  -yì                    hundred million                                     7.3
  ---------------------- --------------------------------------------------- -----------

+-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| yìbiān(r)...          | doing...while         | 7.1                   |
|                       | doing...              |                       |
+-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| yìbiān(r)...          |                       |                       |
+-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| yìfāngmiàn..., yì-    | on the one hand...on  | 7.2                   |
|                       | the other hand;       |                       |
+-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| fāngmiàn...           | for one thing..., for |                       |
|                       | another thing...      |                       |
+-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| yìjiāzi               | one family; the whole | 7.8'                  |
|                       | family; the same      |                       |
|                       | family                |                       |
+-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| yímiàn(r)...          | doing...while         | 7.1                   |
|                       | doing...              |                       |
| yímiàn(r)—            |                       |                       |
+-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| yìtiān dào wan        | all day long          | 7-3                   |
+-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| yīxué                 | medical science,      | 7.2                   |
|                       | medicine              |                       |
+-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| yīyuàn                | hospital              | 7.3'                  |
+-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| yìzhí                 | all along,            | 7.2                   |
|                       | continuously, all the |                       |
|                       | time (up until a      |                       |
|                       | certain point)        |                       |
+-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| yònggōng              | to be hardworking, to | 7.3                   |
|                       | be industrious (in    |                       |
|                       | one’s studies)        |                       |
+-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| you                   | excellent             | 7.5'                  |
+-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| yǒu                   | to come up to (a      | 7.2'                  |
|                       | certain level)        |                       |
+-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| you                   | also                  | 7.U                   |
+-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| you                   | anyway; after all     | 7.8                   |
+-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| you bànfǎ, (duì...)   | to be able to deal    | 7-7                   |
|                       | with (something)      |                       |
+-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| you bāngzhu           | to be helpful         | 7.2                   |
+-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| you dàolǐ             | to make sense         | 7.2                   |
+-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| yòuéryuán             | kindergarten          | 7.5'                  |
+-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| you guǐju             | to have manners, to   | 7.U                   |
|                       | be proper             |                       |
+-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| you hǎochù            | to be beneficial, to  | 7.5                   |
|                       | be good (for)         |                       |
+-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| yǒu lǐmào             | to be well mannered,  | 7.U                   |
|                       | to be polite          |                       |
+-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| you qián              | to be rich            | 7.U                   |
+-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| you xiào              | to be effective; to   | 7.7                   |
|                       | be valid              |                       |
+-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| yǒu xìngqu            | to be interested      | 7.2                   |
+-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| yǒu yánjiū            | to have done research | 7.2                   |
|                       | on; to know a lot     |                       |
|                       | about                 |                       |
+-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| yǒu yòng              | to be useful          | 7.3                   |
+-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| yuánlái               | original, former;     | 7.8                   |
|                       | originally, formerly; |                       |
|                       | it turns out that...» |                       |
|                       | so...! (expresses     |                       |
|                       | finding out the true  |                       |
|                       | situation)            |                       |
+-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| yuànyi                | to wish, would like,  | 7.8                   |
|                       | to want to; to be     |                       |
|                       | willing to            |                       |
+-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| yuányǐn               | reason, cause         | 7.6                   |
+-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| yuè lái yuè...        | more and more...,     | 7.2                   |
|                       | increasingly          |                       |
+-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| yuè...yuè...          | the more...the        | 7.2                   |
|                       | more...               |                       |
+-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| yùnqi                 | luck                  | 7.8                   |
+-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+

  --------------- ------------------------------------ ------------
  zài shuō        furthermore, besides, moreover       7.5°, 7.8°
  zài yě bù/méi   never again                          7.7
  zǎo             a long time ago                      7.3°
  zāohūn          early marriage; child marriage; to   7.5
  --------------- ------------------------------------ ------------

marry as a child; to marry early

  ------------------- --------------------------------------- ------------
  zěnme (yì)huí shi   what’s it all about                     7.8
  zènme (yì)huí shi   like this                               7.8
  zéren (-rèn)        responsibility                          7.7
  zhěng               to grow                                 7.3
  zhāngdà             to grow up                              7.3
  zhàngfu             husband                                 7.5
  zhànzhēng           war                                     7.U*
  zhāobudào           can’t find, to be unable to find        7.2*
  zhàogu              to take care of; care                   7.2*. 7.5
  zhèi yíxiàzi        after this, as a result of this         7.8
  zhème (yì)huí shi   like this                               7.8
  zhèng               Just, precisely, right                  7.5
  zhèngcè             policy                                  7-5*. 7.6
  zhèngfǔ             government                              7.1**, 7.6
  zhènghāo(r)         it Just so happens that, to happen      7.8
                      to, as it happens; Just in time,        
                      Just right, Just enough                 
  zhèngzhi            politics; political                     7.1
  zhi hāo             can only, to have to, to be forced to   7.1*
  zhishi              knowledge                               7.2
  zhi yào             provided that, as long as               7.6*, 7.7
  -zhong              in                                      7.7
  Zhongguo QIngnián   China Youth (a periodical)              7.2*
  zhòng nán qing nd   to regard males as superior             7.3
                      to females                              
  Zhōngxuéshēng       High School Student (a periodical)      7.2*
  zhōukān             weekly publication, weekly magazine     7.2
  zhuàn qián          to earn money, to make money            7.3
  zhǔrén              host, master                            7.3*
  zhùxialai           to move and stay (in a place), to       7.1*
                      settle down                             
  zhǔyào              mainly                                  7.5*
  zìyóu               freedom; to be free                     7.2
  zìyóu shìchāng      free market                             7.5*
  zōng                always; inevitably, without             7.1
                      exception; after all, in any case       
  zōngjiào            (organized) religion                    7.7
  zōngtōng            president                               7.6*
  zuì                 mouth                                   7.7*
  zuì                 crime, guilt                            7.7
  zuìJin              lately, recently; the near future,      7.3
                      soon                                    
  zuò                 to be, to act as                        7.3
  zuòbuliāo           to be unable to do                      7.1*’
  zuò llbài           to worship, to go to church             7.7*
  zuòxia              to sit down                             7.1
  ------------------- --------------------------------------- ------------

283

¹

Others: sentences with certain adverbs like yídìng, with potential
resultative verbs, with the aspect marker -guo, etc.

²

’According to those pandas who answered our surveys.

³

~bèihòu~ "behind the back"

You, as used in the second example above, can be thought of as meaning
"comes up to (a certain level)." Gēn, which is usually used with yíyàng
as in the example just cited, connotes exact comparison, so when your
sentence compares concrete, measurable qualities like height or weight,
it is usually better to use ...gēn...yíyàng—. For example, Nǐ gēn tā
yíyàng gāo states explicitly that you are the same height as he, so it
would be inappropriate to use xiàng there.

⁴

chuáng, "bed"

⁵

The term "liberation" is used with such frequency that we introduce it
here despite the controversy over whether anything in fact was liberated
or freed. For most people in China it is simply Jargon for referring to
19^9» and the semantic content is of little importance.

⁶

*In English "He is dying" may look like an ongoing action, but it
actually means "He is very near to passing from a living state to a dead
state." The passing itself is instantaneous. So to translate "He is
dying" into Chinese, you have to rephrase the thought, e.g., Tā kuài yào
sǐ le, "He is going to die soon," or Tā huobucháng le, "He won’t live
long."

⁷

The word gànbu is also used in Taiwan, although not as frequently as on
the mainland, to refer to people in positions of leadership in many
kinds of organizations, especially government, the army, and large
corporations.

⁸

kěài, "to be loveable/adorable"

⁹

’Notice that grandma says literally "You are both here." This, however,
is not a statement made after looking for the two and finally finding
them.

It’s simply a common way of greeting or starting a conversation: you
state the obvious.

’’More literally, "How is it you are no longer taking your nap?"
(New-situation le)

¹⁰

In other words, they did wake her up with their talking.

¹¹

Grandma is referring to living conditions—it’s not as comfortable on the
mainland as in the U.S. or Hong Kong.

¹²

This is a natural example of how one who has freely extended favors is
not shy to ask a favor in return.

¹³

More literally, "You people are here." Notice this simple way of leaving
a group. "You’re here" is the functional equivalent of "You stay here,"
i.e. "I’m going to leave. Please go on talking without me." Another
sentence you can use when leaving a group is Nǐmen tǎntan, wǒ xiǎn zǒu,
"You go on talking I’m going to leave."

¹⁴

Prepare your answers to these questions in Chinese so that you can talk
about them in class.

1. Why is his sister going to America? Why is she taking handicrafts?

2. What will happen in the evening?

3. What news does he learn about his sister?

■ i. hoes his mother seem nervous? How can vou tell?

After you have answered these questions yourself, you may want to take a
look at the translation for this conversation. You may also want to
listen to the dialogue again to help you practice saying your answers.

Note: The translations used in these dialogues are meant to indicate the
English functional equivalents for the Chinese sentences rather than the
literal meaning of the Chinese.

This conversation takes place in the office of a factory in Beijing
where an older man and a younger man are on the night shift.

Listen to the conversation straight through once. Then rewind the tape
and listen again. On the second time through, answer the questions.

You will need the following words and phrases:

Lǎo Shīfu                          old master

gémìng                            revolution