UNIT 7 Asking directions In this Unit, oul learn how to ask directions and get around town. That means that you'll learn a lot of useful vocabulary for places and spatial relationships. You'll also learn some important new grammar for expressing direction, location, ‘and so on. Lesson 25 (words) WORD LIST clishiching ood market : cinema, movie theater department sore dlohing store bookstore dectronics store (it, home appliances stor) soe store stop, store park poss office police stationzheli here nali there NUTS & BOLTS 1 ZHBLI (HERE) AND NALI (THERE) You’ve already seen how the demonstrative pronouns zhé (this) and na (that) combine with nouns with the help of measure words: Zhé zhi bi shi wéde. This pen is mine. Na ge fingzi hén da. That house is very big. When these demonstrative pronouns are combined with li, which literally means place, they become location expressions: zhéli (here) and nali (theré). Keep in mind that nali (there) is different from nali (where), which you learned in Unit 5. Notice the difference in tones. Nali comes from na (that) while nali comes from na (which). In formal speech, the full forms zhéli and nali are used to indi- cate location: Wo zai zhali. I’m here. (lit., P'm at this place.) Tade péngyou zai nali. His friend is over there (lit. His friend is at that place). Nali shi tade jia. That's his home. (lit, That place is is home.) In colloquial Chinese, these forms are usually expressed as zhér and nar respectively:W6 zhi zai zhér. I live here. Tade péngyou zai nar. His friend is over there. PRACTICE 1 Translate the following sentences from Chinese into English. 1. Ni shénme shihou 1éi? wn . Wo lai zhéli, nf qi nali. . Wade shai zai nali. WORD LIST 2 jie likéu honglideng shizi likéu rénxingdio rénxing didio Lijidogiéo chazitché gongché gongchézhan ché/qiché métudché zixingché hudché hudchézhan ditié ditigzhan chudn 4, Zhalt shi wode jia. 5. Ta zai nali chifan. 6. W6 qu nali kan dianying. street corner traffic light intersection sidewalk underpass overpass taxi bus bus stop car motorcycle bicycle train train station subway subway station shipfeiji airplane cong from NUTS & BOLTS 2 OTHER LOCATION EXPRESSIONS Of course, zhéli (bere) and nali (there) are not the only words used to indicate location. Here are some other location expressions that are a bit more specific: qianbian in front of houbian bebind pangbian next to shangbian/shang on libian/li in, inside waibian outside xiabian/xia under zudbian (on) the left side of youbian (on) the right side of zhéngjian between Typically, these location words are used along with the preposi- tion zai (in, on, at) to form larger, more specific location phrases. And just like time expressions, location expressions are always placed before the main verb. When combined with zai, location words are usually preceded by a noun that helps to identify exactly where someone or some- thing is situated. Occasionally, the noun can be omitted if youare indicating a general place or direction: Ta zai waibian (He’s outside), But usually, the noun is required to help specify a precise location: Ta zai yinhang waibian (He’s outside the bank). The re- sulting word pattern (zai + noun + location word) is the template upon which most location phrases are formulated in Chinese. The following examples show how this grammatical construct is used to pinpoint the location of people, animals, and objects in a variety of contexts: Na zhi mao zai yizi xiabian. The cat is under the chair Wode shai zai zhudzi shangbian. ‘My book is on the table. Tade xuéxido zai gongyudn pingbian. His school is next to the park. Wang xiansheng zai Zhang xidojié houbian. Mr. Wang is bebind Miss Zhang. Tamen zai waibian gongzud. They are working outside. Wo xianzai zai jiall xuéxi Zhongwén. I'm studying Chinese at home now. Tade mio xthuan zai shafa shang shuijido. Her cat likes to sleep on the sofa. Wade fangzi zai shangdian ydubian. ‘My house is om the right side of the shop. Dianhuajian zai canguan waibian. The telephone booth is outside the restaurant. Césuéd zai woshi li. The toilet is inside/in the bedroom.Here are some additional sentences that highlight how location words are used in combination with personal pronouns in Chi- nese: Wade péngyou zai wd (de) pangbian. My friend is next to me. Laoshi zhan zai tamen (de) houbian. The teacher is standing behind them. PRACTICE 2 Take a look at the following diagram, which shows eight people zud (sitting) in two rows at a movie theater. Choose the appropri- ate location word in each of the following sentences. Movie Screen Xido Méi Gué Zhong Méi Li Xin Ming Hing Hud ZhéngDong Xid Chin Xué Ming Xiao Mei is sitting (qiénbian/héubian/zudbian) Hung Hua. Hung Hua is sitting (qidnbian/héubian/zudbian) Zheng Dong. Zheng Dong is sitting (zhOngjian/houbian/zudbian) Hung Hua and Xiu Chun. Mei Li is sitting (youbian/zhongjian/zudbian) Guo Zhong. Xin Ming is sitting (youbian/zhongjian/zudbian) Mei Li. Xiu Chun is sitting (pangbian/zhongjian/qianbian) Zheng Dong. Xue Ming is sitting (qiénbian/houbian/zudbian) Xin Ming. Guo Zhong is sitting (youbian/zhongjian/zudbian) Xiao Mei.PRACTICE 2: 1. gidnbian; 2. zudbian; 3. zhongjian; 4. youbian; 5. yubian; 6. pangbian; 7, hdubian; 8. youbin Lesson 26 (phrases) PHRASE LIST 1 zai shangdian waibian outside the shop zai likéu on the corner zai canguan libian in the restaurant zai nali over there zai fojin it’s nearby You dud yuan? How far? hén jin ‘very near hén yuan very far yéu dian yuin alittle further lidng tido jie two blocks zai fandian pangbian next to the hotel shang ché to get on (a vehicle) xia ché to get off (a vehicle) zou la on foot gud mali to cross the street wend to ask directions (lit., to ask the road) kan dita to read a map NUTS & BOLTS 1 YOu DUO YUAN? (How FAR?) You've already learned a few question words with du6 (bow), for example dudshio (how many/how much) and dudjiti (bow long). When talking about location and distance, a very useful question phrase using dud is ySu duéd yuan (Low far). In Chinese, this phrase is preceded by cong... dao... (from... to...), which in- dicates the two locations that determine the distance being mea- sured. So the formula is: Céng A dao B yéu dué yuan? (lit. From A toB, how far is it?)For example: Cong zhéli dao huéchézhan yéu dué yuin? How far is it from here to the train station? Céng yinhdng dao fanguin yéu dud yuan? How far is it from the bank to the restaurant? Céong zheli kaiché dao yiyuan ydu dud yuin? How far is it from here to the hospital by car? Céng zhéli zdula dao xuéxiao yu dud yuan? How far is it from here to the school on foot? Céng zhali dao na dao ging you dus yuin? How far is it from here to that wall? To answer, simply replace dud yuan with a specified distance, measured in mi (meters) or gongli (kilometers), or with a specific period of time: Cong zheli kaiché dao yiyuan you dud yuin? How far is it from here to the hospital by car? ~Céng zhéli kaiché dao yiyuan yéu lidng gongli. —It’s two kilometers from here to the hospital by car. Cong yinhang dao fanguin you dud yuan? How far is it from the bank to the restaurant? ~Céng yinhang dao fanguin dagai zéu shi wii fenzhong. —It takes about fifteen minutes to walk from the bank to the restaurant. PRACTICE 1 Translate the following questions into Chinese: 1. How far is it from the park to the bank? 2. How far is it from here to the post office?3. How far is it from your home to the school? 4. How far is it from his school to the museum (b6wiguan)? 5. How far is it from the hotel to the train station? 6. How far is it from here to the food market? 7. How far is it from here to the airport by car? 8. How far is it from your home to the bus stop? PHRASE LIST 2 yizhi wang qian z6u 80 straight abead wing zué zhuin turn left wang you zhudn turn right guai ge wan (turn) around the corner zai zudbidn to/on the left zai youbian to/on the right zhé bian this way duimian across the street/on the other side of the street zai daléu qiénbian in front of the building zai daléu houbiin bebind the building zai fajin around there zai yinhdng hé youja between the bank and the post office zhdngjian zai qido shangbian/shang —_on the bridge NUTS & BOLTS 2 EXPRESSING DIRECTION OR MOTION WITH LOCATION PHRASES You've already learned a lot of ways of expressing location in Chi- nese: qidnbian (in front of), hdubian (behind), zudbian (left side), youbian (right side), waibian (outside), Ubian (inside), shangbian (on), pangbian (next to), and zhongjian (between). Don’t forget that these location expressions are usually used along with zai (in, at, on), and they’re placed immediately afterthe object noun, rather than before it as in English. In other words, the English phrase in front of the bus stop would be trans- lated literally as the bus stop in front of in Chinese, or zai gongchézhan gidnbian. Here are some examples to show you how this word pattern (zai + noun/pronoun + location word) is typically used in Chinese: Ta zai yinhang qidnbian déng ni. He's waiting for you in front of the bank. Hudchézhan zai yinhing houbian. The train station is bebind the bank. You can also express direction or motion with location phrases. To do so, you must use them in sentences containing dynamic verbs that indicate an activity is taking place in or around the lo- cation. For example, the phrase zai yinhang houbian (behind the bank) can be used in Chinese to describe a state of being or static sense of location: TA zai yinhang héubian (He’s behind the bank). But it can also describe direction or motion when immediately fol- lowed by a verb that denotes kinetic action: Ta zai yinhang hou- bian z6u (He’s walking behind the bank). As you can see, direction or motion is expressed by placing the location phrase in a sen- tence whose word pattern is: subject + zai + (noun) + location word + verb. Here are some additional examples that show how this works: Ta zai (mala) duimian zdu. He’s walking on the opposite side of the street. Tamen zai gongyudn pangbian kaiché. They're driving next to/alongside the park,Ta zai jidoshi li shuijido. She slept in the classroom. NA tido gdu zai fingzi waibian pio. The dog ran outside of the house. W6 zai xuéxido pangbian déng ni. I'll wait for you next to the school. Ni bi yizi fang zai zhudzi hé dianshi zhongjian. You put the chair between the table and the television. PRACTICE 2 Translate the words in parentheses and fill in the blanks to de- scribe the location of each person in the following sentences: Hudang xiansheng zai Huang taitai Méili zhan zai wode (in front of). Tade jia (bebind) méiydu gongyudn. (left side) shi weishéngjian. Yinhdng zai fanguan dianyingyuan (between). Wéde péngyou zai xuéxiao (inside) youydng. Laoshi zai (outside) déng zhe women. (under) shuijiao. (next to) tidowi. Na tido gdu zai zhudzi ANSWERS PRACTICE 1: 1. Céng gongyudn dao yinhang yéu du6 yuan? 2. Céng zhéli dao yéuju yéu du6 yuan? 3. Céng ni(de) jia dao xuéxiao yOu dud yuan? 4. Céng tade xuéxiao dao béwiguin ydu dud yuan? 5. Céng fandian dao hudché zhan yéu dud. yuan? 6. Céng zhéli dao caishiching ydu dud yuan? 7. Cong zhéli kaiché dao jichang ydu dud yuan? 8. Céng ni(de) jia dao gongché zhan ydu du6 yuin?PRACTICE 2: 1. Hudng xiansheng zai Huang taitai pangbian tidowt. (Mr. Huang is dancing next to Mrs. Huang.) 2. Méili zhan zai w6de qidnbian. (Meili is standing in front of me.) 3. Tade jia houbian méiydu gongyuén. (There is no park behind his/her house.) 4. Zudbian shi weishéngjian. (There is a toilet on the left side.) 5. Yinhang zai fanguan hé dianyingyuan zhongjian. (The bank is between the restaurant and the cinema.) 6. Wédde péngyou zai xuéxiao Ii/libian youyéng. (My friend is swimming inside the school.) 7. Laoshi zai waibian déng zhe women. (The teacher is waiting for us outside.) 8. Na tido gdu zai zhu6zi xiabian/xia shuijido. (That dog is sleeping under the table.) Lesson 27 (sentences) SENTENCE LIST 1 Qingwén xishdujian zai ndli? May I ask where the restroom is? Hudchézhan zai nali? Where’s the train station? Zui hio de fanguan zai ndli? = Where’s the best restaurant? W6 zai nd ge zhan xid che? At what stop do I get off? Béwiguan zai nali? Where’s the museum? Zai nli mai pido? Where are (the) tickets sold? (lit., Where to buy tickets?) W6 zai ndli huan ché? Where do I change trains/subways/buses? Hudchézhan zai youja The train station is in front of the post qiénbian. office. . Fandian zai jidoténg houbian. The hotel’s behind the church. Gongchézhan zai qido The bus stop is under the bridge. xiabian. Dongfang Li zai nali? Where is Dongfang Road? Ta zai fang li. She’s in the room. ‘Wang taitai zhi zai Shanghai. Mrs. Wang lives in Shanghai. Wo xidnzai zai Méigué. I'm in the U.S. now.NUTS & BOLTS 1 UsING LI AND ZAI IN LOCATION EXPRESSIONS As you have seen, zai on its own is a “catch-all” preposition that can be translated as in, to, on, at, and so on, depending on con- text. Zai is used with location phrases and the question word nali (where). It can also be used on its own with geographical loca- tions, such as cities and countries. W6 xianzai zai Méigué. I'm in the U.S. now. Tamende daxué zai Haérbin. Their university is in Harbin. However, if you want to emphasize that something is contained within a given space, you can add li (which also means in) to zai. This is similar to the English distinction between in and inside or within. Note that the word order is zai + noun + li. Ta zai fang Ii. She is inside the room. Yaoshi zai hézi li. The keys are inside the box. Haizimen zai ché li./Haizimen zai ché shang. The children are inside the car./ The children are in the car. (lit, The children are on the car.) PRACTICE 1 Let’s review basic location expressions. Re-arrange the following words and phrases so that they form meaningful sentences in Chinese. 1. shangké/wéde Loshi/zai bowiguin 2. méitién/na ge rén/chifan/zai zhall3. méi ge libai san/ta hé péngyou/tidowt/zai nali 4, shuijido/zai zheli/shéi/? SENTENCE LIST 2 Shangdiin pangbian yu ‘There are two banks next to the shop. lidng jia yinhang. You méiydu pidnyi de Is there an inexpensive hotel? Tiguan? Fajin you méiydu yiyuan? —_[s there a hospital nearby? Zai zheli you méiydu Is there a bus to Beijing Road from here? gongché qi Béijing La? Zhe yu méiydu Zhonggud Are there any Chinese restaurants here? fanguin? ‘Wo jia fajin méiydu youjt. There is no post office near my home. Béwiguan qidnbian you There is a telephone booth in front of the dianhuating. museum. Gongchézhan méiydu rén. Nobody is at the bus stop./There are no people at the bus stop. Wode fangzi hdubian you — There is a park behind my house. yi ge gongyudn, Zhe ge fangzi you liing ge There are two big bedrooms and one da wofang, yi ge xiandaihua modern kitchen in this house. de chifing. Léuxia yéu rén zhio ni. Someone is looking for you downstairs. Notes: The indefinite pronoun someone/somebody is usually translated as you rén in Chinese, which literally means there is a person. NUTS & BOLTS 2 YOu (THERE IS/THERE ARE) You already know that ydu (to have) can indicate possession in Chinese. But as several of the examples above demonstrate, you can also mean there is or there are. In other words, ydu can also in- dicate the existence of something.There’s a difference in usage to keep in mind, though. When the subject of ydu is a personal pronoun or a living object, then you is being used to indicate possession and can be translated as to have. But if the subject is a place or a location phrase, then you is being used to indicate existence and can be translated as there is or there are. Take a look at this contrast: Wo yéu lidng zhi mao. Thave two cats. Zhudzi shang you liing zhi mio. There are two cats on the table. Here are some more examples of the existential you. Don’t forget that the negative of yéu, both as a possessive and an existential, is méiydu. Zheli ydu yi jia feichang hao de canguin. There’s a great restaurant here. Zheli méiydu Zhongguérén. There are no Chinese people here. Zhé ge chéngshi méiydu hao de bowiguan. There’s no good museum in this city. Zhénggud ydu lioht ma? Are there any tigers in China? Yinhang li yu tikudnji ma? Is there an ATM at the bank? Two quantity phrases that you may want to use with the existen- tial you are: hén dud (a lot, many, much) and yi diindi&n (a few, a Kittle), which literally means very few. Nide shajia shang yu hén dud CD. There are a lot of CDs on your shelf