Modern Mandarin Chinese, 2nd Edition

Modern Mandarin Chinese
Modern Mandarin Chinese is a two-year undergraduate course for students with no prior background in
Chinese study. Designed to build a strong foundation in both the spoken and written language, it develops all
the basic skills such as pronunciation, character writing, word use, and structures, while placing a strong
emphasis on the development of communicative skills.
Each level of the course consists of a textbook and workbook in simplified Chinese. A free companion
website provides all the audio for the course with a broad range of interactive exercises and additional
resources for students’ self-study, along with a comprehensive instructor’s guide with teaching tips,
assessment and homework material, and a full answer key.
Key changes to this new edition:
Q An increased number of vocabulary and characters introduced. 255 characters are introduced in this
second edition for active production. Dialogues and example sentences are also presented in full-character
format for passive recognition, and to provide additional challenge for more advanced students.
Q Additional exercises in the workbooks and online to support the expanded number of words and characters
incorporated into the textbooks.
Q New cross-references between the textbooks, workbooks, and companion website facilitate using all the
resources in an integrated manner.
Q Greatly enhanced and re-designed website.
Retaining its focus on communicative skills and the long-term retention of characters, the text is now
presented in simplified characters and pinyin from the outset with a gradual and phased removal of pinyin as
specific characters are introduced and learned. This unique approach allows students to benefit from the
support of pinyin in the initial stages as they begin speaking while ensuring they are guided and supported
towards reading only in characters.
Claudia Ross is Professor of Chinese at the College of the Holy Cross, Massachusetts, USA. Her publications
include Modern Mandarin Chinese Grammar: A Practical Guide, co-authored with Jing-heng Sheng Ma; Modern
Mandarin Chinese Grammar Workbook, co-authored with Jing-heng Sheng Ma and Baozhang He (2006, 2014);
Outline of Chinese Grammar (2004); and Traditional Chinese Tales: A Course in Intermediate Chinese (2001).
Baozhang He is Associate Professor of Chinese at the College of the Holy Cross, Massachusetts, USA. His
publications include Difficult Grammar Knots Unravelled (2015), co-authored with Nansong Huang and
Wenzi Hu; Modern Mandarin Chinese Grammar Workbook (2006, 2014), co-authored with Claudia Ross,
Jing-heng Sheng Ma, and Pei-Chia Chen; and Elementary Chinese (2006), co-authored with Pei-Chia Chen.
Pei-Chia Chen is Lecturer and Academic Coordinator of the Chinese program at UC San Diego, USA. Her
publications include Elementary Chinese (2006), co-authored with Baozhang He; and Modern Mandarin
Chinese Grammar Workbook, co-authored with Claudia Ross, Jing-heng Sheng Ma, and Baozhang He (2014).
Meng Yeh is Teaching Professor in the Center for Languages and Intercultural Communication at Rice
University, USA. Her publications include Chaoyue: Advancing in Chinese (2010) and Communicating in
Chinese: An Interactive Approach to Beginning Chinese, Student Lab Workbook (1999).
Praise for the first edition
“I am deeply impressed by the pedagogical considerations that Prof. Ross and her team put
into the project. The approaches to teaching Mandarin Chinese in this series reflected the
authors’ rich knowledge of Chinese grammar and their vast experience in teaching the lan-
guage. The materials developed are pedagogically well conceived and equally well supported
by theories of language learning/teaching. A truly innovative and delightful addition to the
Chinese teaching field.”
Cecilia Chang, Associate Professor of Chinese and Chair of the
Asian Studies Department at Williams College, USA
“This text offers a refreshing approach to learning Chinese that is lacking in the vast major-
ity of learning materials. Each dialogue is contextualized so learners better understand how
the language is used in a variety of communicative situations. Students learn not only what
to say, but how to use the right language in a given context based on their role, and when
and where the situation occurs. Sentence pyramid exercises provide a stepped approach
that allows students to actually rehearse and perform the dialogues.
“The material is presented in manageable units with clear and concise explanations that are
understandable to students not familiar with linguistics jargon. Valuable information on
the social and cultural implications of the language is also provided.
“This is one of the few textbooks on the market that delays the introduction of Chinese
characters. This insightful approach allows learners to gain a foundation in the spoken
language before being inundated with characters to which they have little context in which
to place them. Furthermore, these materials use an innovative diglot approach to introduce
Chinese characters where newly learned characters are incorporated into pinyin texts. This
effectively eases students into reading without overburdening them. By the end of the text,
dialogues and other materials are presented almost entirely in Chinese characters. This
approach provides excellent spiraling and reinforcement of characters learned.”
Matthew Christensen, Brigham Young University, USA
“One of the very few accessible and clearly structured textbooks for the complete beginner
in Mandarin, which is absolutely designed with the non-native Chinese speaker in mind.
The gradual introduction of the script, together with the clear but not overly simplistic
grammatical explanations, will prove particularly useful for beginners.”
Frances Weightman, University of Leeds, UK
“An excellent introductory course from a dedicated team. This course serves as a practical
guide with the language knowledge and cultural tips you need for daily communication
with the Chinese people.”
Wei Jin, School of Oriental and African Studies,
University of London, UK
Modern Mandarin Chinese
The Routledge Course Textbook
Level 1
Second edition
Claudia Ross, Baozhang He, Pei-Chia Chen, and Meng Yeh

Second edition published 2019
by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon, OX14 4RN
and by Routledge
711 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
© 2019 Claudia Ross, Baozhang He, Pei-Chia Chen, and Meng Yeh
The right of Claudia Ross, Baozhang He, Pei-Chia Chen, and Meng Yeh to be
identified as authors of this work has been asserted by them in accordance with
sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or
utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now
known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in
any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing
from the publishers.
Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or
registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and
explanation without intent to infringe.
First edition published by Routledge 2010
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Ross, Claudia, author. | He, Baozhang, 1955– author. | Chen, Pei-Chia, author. |
Ye, Meng, 1950– author.
Title: Modern Mandarin Chinese : the Routledge course Textbook level 1 / Claudia Ross,
Baozhang He, Pei-Chia Chen and Meng Yeh.
Other titles: Routledge course in modern Mandarin Chinese
Description: Second edition. | New York : Routledge, [2018] | Originally published as
The Routledge course in modern Mandarin Chinese. Textbook level 1 :
Simplified characters, "2010 | Includes index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2017040354| ISBN 9781138101104 (pbk. : alk. paper) |
ISBN 9781315657226 (ebook)
Subjects: LCSH: Chinese language—Textbooks of foreign textbooks—English.
Classification: LCC PL1129.E5 R675 2018 | DDC 495.17/951—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2017040354
ISBN: 978-1-138-10110-4 (pbk)
ISBN: 978-1-315-65722-6 (ebk)
Typeset in Scala
by Apex CoVantage, LLC
Visit the companion website: www.routledge.com/cw/ross
Contents
Cast of characters vii
TOPIC 1: IDENTIFYING YOURSELF, YOUR FAMILY,

AND OTHERS 1
1. Hello 3
2. What country are you from? 16
3. What is your name? 28
4. This is my family 45
5. How many people are in your family? 63
TOPIC 2: SHOPPING FOR EVERYDAY ITEMS 83
6. Shopping 85
7. How much is it altogether? 112
vi Contents
TOPIC 3: TALKING ABOUT EVERYDAY ACTIVITIES 141

8. Happy birthday! 143
9. What are you doing right now? 180
10. What did you think of yesterday’s test? 206
TOPIC 4: TALKING ABOUT LOCATION AND DIRECTIONS 233
11. Come to my house for dinner 235
12. How do I get to your house from my dorm? 259
13. My home is easy to find 285
14. My house is next to a bank 303
TOPIC 5: ENTERTAINING GUESTS AND TALKING
ABOUT FUTURE PLANS 323
15. Entertaining guests 325
16. Summer plans 349
Vocabulary: English to Mandarin (Pinyin) 369
Vocabulary: Mandarin (Pinyin) to English 403
Chinese characters alphabetically arranged
by Pinyin 434
Chinese characters by lesson 454
Cast of characters
䍦⫔㸋 (Zhāng Dàwéi) 㾜⺛㣠᷉Xiè Guóqiáng᷊ 㶖㕔㋬᷉Wáng Màikè᷊

viii Cast of characters
ⷀ㗡㏗᷉Gāo Měilì᷊ ⧣㘘᷉Chén Míng᷊ 㕎㾂㸥᷉Mǎ Xiǎowén᷊

Topic 1
Identifying yourself, your
family, and others
Lesson 1
Nı̌ hǎo
㛄⼤
Hello
Communication goals
By the end of this lesson, you will be able to:
Q Greet others in a culturally appropriate way in formal situations.

Q Address others by their full name, given name, or title.
Q Give basic information about yourself.
Q Ask about the identities of others.
Pronunciation goals
Q Pronounce and identify the four Mandarin tones, including the tone in
the word bù when it occurs before another syllable in the fourth
(falling) tone.
Q Place tone marks correctly when you write syllables in pinyin.
Q Pronounce and identify the initial consonants b, p, m, f, d, t, n, l and
the finals a, ai, ao, ang, en, eng, i, iao, ie, ian, üe, u, and uo.
4 Modern Mandarin Chinese
Pronunciation guides and practice are located on the Companion Website.
Literacy goals
Q Identify the shape of Chinese characters.
Key structures
Q shì (㬨) the verb be
Q pronouns: wǒ (㸳) I/me, nı̌ (㛄) you, tā (㰜/㰞) he, she, it
Q yes-no questions with ma (㕑)
Q yě (䄓) also
Q hěn hǎo (⼽⼤) very good and other adjectival verbs
Dialogue
The situation: The “new student reception” in a study-abroad program in China. The
students have come from countries around the world to continue their Chinese lan-
guage study and to learn more about Chinese culture. The setting is relatively for-
mal, and most of the students are meeting each other for the first time.
Lesson 1 Nı̌ hǎo 㛄⼤ Hello 5
Part A
Zhāng Dàwéi: Nı̌ hǎo. 䍦⫔㸋ᷛ㛄⼤᱄

Gāo Měilì: Nı̌ hǎo. ⷀ㗡㏗ᷛ㛄⼤᱄
Zhāng Dàwéi: Wǒ shì xuésheng. Nı̌ shì xuésheng ma? 䍦⫔㸋ᷛ㸳㬨䁈㪛᱄㛄㬨䁈㪛㕑ᷠ

Gāo Měilì: Shì. Wǒ yě shì xuésheng. ⷀ㗡㏗ᷛ㬨᱄㸳䄓㬨䁈㪛᱄
Part A Vocabulary
Simplified Traditional
Dàwéi Dawei (David) given name ⫔㸋 ⫔ᩊ
Gāo (family name) family name ⷀ ⷀ
hǎo good adjectival verb ⼤⼤
ma (yes-no question final particle 㕑 ࡂ
particle)
Měilì Meili (Mary) given name 㗡㏗㗡徱
nı̌ you pronoun 㛄㛄
nı̌ hǎo hello (formal greeting 㛄⼤㛄⼤
greeting)
shì be stative verb 㬨㬨
wǒ I, me pronoun 㸳㸳
xuésheng student noun 䁈㪛 స㪛
yě also adverb 䄓䄓
Zhāng (family name) family name 䍦 ຩ
Use and Structure 1.1–1.8, 1.13

Part B
Zhāng Dàwéi: Tā shì xuésheng ma? 䍦⫔㸋ᷛ㰜㬨䁈㪛㕑ᷠ

Gāo Měilì: Bù shì. Tā bù shì xuésheng. ⷀ㗡㏗ᷛ⤜㬨᱄㰜⤜㬨䁈㪛᱄
Tā shì lǎoshı̄. Tā shì Lı̌ lǎoshı̄. 㰜㬨㎰㬇᱄㰜㬨㏏㎰㬇᱄
Part B Vocabulary
bù no, not negation ⤜ ⤜
lǎoshı̄ teacher, professor noun ㎰㬇㎰฀
Lı̌ (family name) family name ㏏㏏
tā he/him, she/her pronoun 㰜᷍㰞㰜᷍㰞
Use and Structure 1.9–1.10
Part C
Gāo Měilì: Lǎoshı̄ hǎo. ⷀ㗡㏗ᷛ㎰㬇⼤᱄

Lı̌ lǎoshı̄: Gāo Měilì, nı̌ hǎo ma? ㏏㎰㬇ᷛⷀ㗡㏗᷍㛄⼤㕑ᷠ
Gāo Měilì: Wǒ hěn hǎo, xièxie. ⷀ㗡㏗ᷛ㸳⼽⼤᷍㾜㾜᱄
Lı̌ lǎoshı̄: Zài jiàn. ㏏㎰㬇ᷛ䊺ボ᱄
Part C Vocabulary
hěn very ⼽
intensifier ⼽
xièxie thank you conversational 㾜㾜䏙䏙
expression
zài jiàn goodbye conversational 䊺ボ䊺䃫
expression
Interactive speaking activities for the classroom for this and all following lessons
can be found in the Instructor’s section of the companion website.
Use and structure

1.1. Family names and addressing friends
Mary (Měilì 㗡㏗) and David (Dàwéi ⫔㸋), are students in a language program in China.
While they are in China they will use Chinese names, and we will use those names when we
refer to them in this book. Měilì and Dàwéi are given names. In English, we would call them
first names, but in Chinese, the part of the name that comes first in a complete name is the
family name. Dàwéi’s family name is Zhāng (䍦), and his complete name is Zhāng Dàwéi
(䍦⫔㸋). Měilì’s family name is Gāo (ⷀ), and her complete name is Gāo Měilì (ⷀ㗡㏗).
family name + given name
Zhāng (䍦) Dàwéi (⫔㸋)
Gāo (ⷀ) Měilì (㗡㏗)
It is common to address other people you know by their complete name: family name +
given name. You can also address your friends and classmates by their given name alone.
Since they are going to be classmates, Dawei and Meili can address each other using their
given names. Their teachers can also address them by family name + given name or by
given name alone. In Chinese culture, no one addresses others with the family name alone,
and Gao Meili and Zhang Dawei will never call each other Gāo and Zhāng. We will learn
more about names in Lesson 3.
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RKBO Practice Workbook: Focus on Structure 1.1, 1.2; Focus on Communication 1.1; Sen-
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tence Pyramids. Website: Listening for Information 1.1; Structure Drills

1.2–1.5; Focus on Structure 1.3.
1.2. The greeting nı̌ hǎo (㛄⼤)

Nı̌ hǎo (㛄⼤) is a greeting. We translate nı̌ hǎo with the English expression hello, but it is
more formal and more restricted in use than the greeting hello is in English. Nı̌ hǎo can be
used when meeting people for the first time in formal situations, and it is often used in
business contexts, especially when answering the telephone. Students often greet their
teacher by saying lǎoshı̄ hǎo (㎰㬇⼤) hello teacher, and teachers can greet a class of stu-
dents by saying xuésheng hǎo (䁈㪛⼤) hello students.
1.3. Pronouns
Mandarin pronouns have a single form that does not change whether the pronoun is used
as subject or object. Wǒ (㸳) means I or me. Nı̌ (㛄) means you (subject) or you (object). Tā
means he or him, she or her, or it. In writing, the character 㰜 is used when referring to
males, and the character 㰞 is used when referring to females. The character 㰝 is used
when referring to inanimate objects.
Subject Object
First Person wǒ I wǒ me
Second Person nı̌ you nı̌ you
Third Person tā he/she/it tā him/her/it
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Practice Workbook: Focus on Structure 1.1, 1.4. Website: Listening for Information
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1.1; Structure Drills 1.1–1.5; Focus on Structure 1.3.
1.4. shì (㬨) be

Shì (㬨) is the verb be in Mandarin. It links a subject with a noun or noun phrase.
Subject Verb Noun/Noun Phrase
Wǒ shì xuésheng.
㸳㬨䁈㪛
I am (a) student.
Mandarin verbs have only one, unchanging form. Verbs do not change to mark tense or to
agree with the subject. Thus, the same verb shì is used to indicate (I) am, (you) are, (he, she,
it) is, were, and was.
Wǒ shì xuésheng. (㸳㬨䁈㪛᱄)

I am a student.
Nı̌ shì xuésheng. (㛄㬨䁈㪛᱄)
You are a student.
Tā shì lǎoshı̄. (㰜/㰞㬨㎰㬇᱄)
He/she is a teacher.
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RKBO Practice Workbook: Focus on Structure 1.1, 1.2, 1.4. Website: Listening for Informa-
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tion 1.1, 1.2; Structure Drills 1.1–1.5; Focus on Structure 1.1–1.3; Communi-
cation through Reading and Writing 1.1.
1.5. Word order and phrase order in the Mandarin sentence

The normal order of information in the Mandarin sentence is:
Subject Verb Object
Tā shì xuésheng
㰜㰞㬨䁈㪛᱄
he/she be student
He/she is a student.
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Practice Workbook: Focus on Structure 1.3. Website: Structure Drills 1.2, 1.3, 1.5;
Focus on Structure 1.2.
1.6. Asking yes-no questions with ma (㕑)

Yes-no questions are questions that can be answered yes or no. Mandarin has a number of
ways to form yes-no questions. The simplest way is to add the final particle ma (㕑) to the
end of a statement. You can think of ma as adding the meaning “yes or no?” to the sentence.
The word order in statements and in yes-no questions with ma is the same:
Tā shì xuésheng.
㰜㰞㬨䁈㪛᱄
he/she be student
He/she is a student.
Tā shì xuésheng ma?
㰜㰞㬨䁈㪛㕑ᷠ
he/she be student yes or no
Is he/she a student?
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Practice Workbook: Focus on Structure 1.1; Focus on Communication 1.1. Website:

Structure Drills 1.1; Focus on Structure 1.1.
1.7. Answering yes

There is no word for yes in Mandarin. When answering yes to a yes-no question, repeat the
verb that is used in the question. The verb is underlined in the following example.
Q: Nı̌ shl̀ xuésheng ma? (㛄㬨䁈㪛㕑?) Are you a student?
A: Wǒ shl̀ xuésheng. (㸳㬨䁈㪛᱄) I am a student.
To give the short answer yes, just repeat the verb:
Q: Nı̌ shl̀ xuésheng ma? (㛄㬨䁈㪛㕑ᷠ) Are you a student?
A: Shl̀ . (㬨᱄) Yes.
You can also repeat the verb and then add the full affirmative reply:
Q: Nı̌ shl̀ xuésheng ma? (㛄㬨䁈㪛㕑ᷠ) Are you a student?
A: Shl̀ . Wǒ shl̀ xuésheng. (㬨᱄㸳㬨䁈㪛᱄) Yes, I am a student.
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RKBO
Practice Workbook: Focus on Structure 1.2. Website: Structure Drills 1.4; Focus on
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Structure 1.1.
1.8. yě (䄓) also

Yě (䄓) also is an adverb. It always occurs before a verb or verb phrase and never before a
noun or at the end of the sentence. Yě occurs before negation. For more on negation, see
Use and Structure 1.9.
(S) + yě (䄓) + V (VP)
Wǒ yě shì xuésheng.
㸳䄓㬨䁈㪛᱄
I am also a student.
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Structure 1.2, 1.3.
1.9. Answering no and saying no

Mandarin has two words for no. In this lesson we learn one of them: bù (⤜). Bù negates
most verbs. It occurs right before the verb or verb phrase.
Tā bù shì xuésheng. (㰞⤜㬨䁈㪛᱄) She is not a student.
If the sentence contains yě (䄓) also, yě occurs before bù:
Tā yě bù shì xuésheng. (㰞䄓⤜㬨䁈㪛᱄) She is also not a student.
To give a short answer no, just say bù + the verb:
Q: Tā shì xuésheng ma? (㰞㬨䁈㪛㕑ᷠ) Is she a student?
A: Bù shì. (⤜㬨᱄) No.
You can also say bù + the verb followed by the full reply:
Q: Tā shì xuésheng ma? (㰞㬨䁈㪛㕑ᷠ) Is she a student?
A: Bù shì. Tā bù shì xuésheng. (⤜㬨᱄㰞⤜㬨䁈㪛᱄) No. She is not a student.
We will learn the other commonly used word for no in Lesson 4.
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Structure 1.1.
1.10. Names and titles: Lı̌ lǎoshı̄ (㏏㎰㬇)

In Chinese culture, it is common to use a person’s title when addressing them or referring
to them. A person’s title can be used alone, or it can be preceded by the family name. Meili
addresses her teacher as lǎoshı̄ (㎰㬇) teacher, but earlier in the conversation she refers to
the teacher as Lı̌ lǎoshı̄ (㏏㎰㬇) Teacher Li.
Family Name + Title
Lı̌ lǎoshı̄
㏏㎰㬇
In English, titles are stated before a person’s family name, and so we translate Lı̌ lǎoshı̄ as
Teacher Li even though that doesn’t match the Chinese word order. Say Lı̌ lǎoshı̄ , not
8lǎoshı̄ Lı̌ .
1.11. Adjectival verbs: hǎo (⼤) good

Hǎo (⼤) good is translated into English as an adjective. Like English adjectives it can describe
nouns: hǎo rén (⼤㦬) good person; but in Mandarin hǎo can also function as the main verb in
a sentence: Wǒ hěn hǎo (㸳⼽⼤) I am fine. Notice that while the English translation of this
sentence includes the verb be, hǎo and verbs like it do not occur with the verb shì (㬨) be.
Say this: Do not say this:
Wǒ hěn hǎo. 8 Wǒ shì hěn hǎo.
㸳⼽⼤ 8 㸳㬨⼽⼤᱄
I am fine.
Because hǎo translates into English as an adjective but functions like a verb, we call it an
adjectival verb (AdjV).
To negate adjectival verbs, say bù (⤜) + adjectival verb.

Tā bù hǎo. (㰜⤜⼤᱄) He is not well.
Most English adjectives are adjectival verbs in Mandarin. However, Mandarin has some
words that function only as adjectives and never as adjectival verbs. We will learn more
about them in Lesson 4 and will practice how they are used.
Practice Workbook: Focus on Structure 1.3.

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1.12. Intensifier + adjectival verb: hěn hǎo (⼽⼤) very good

Hěn (⼽) very indicates the intensity of an adjectival verb. Therefore, we call it an intensi-
fier. Words like too, somewhat, extremely, etc. are also intensifiers, and we will learn their
Mandarin equivalents in later lessons.
Mandarin intensifiers occur right before the adjectival verb:
hěn hǎo (⼽⼤) very good
When negating intensifier + adjectival verb, place bù (⤜) before the intensifier:
bù hěn hǎo (⤜⼽⼤) not very good
In Mandarin, adjectival verbs are typically preceded by either an intensifier or negation.
When intensity is not emphasized, the intensifier hěn is used. In other words, hěn some-
times is used to contribute the meaning very, and sometimes it is used in a sentence in
order to satisfy the requirement that the adjectival verb has to be preceded by something.
You can always translate hěn as very.
1.13. Greeting vs. question: Nı̌ hǎo (㛄⼤) and Nı̌ hǎo ma? (㛄⼤㕑ᷠ)
Nı̌ hǎo (㛄⼤) hello is a greeting (Use and Structure 1.2). You can respond to the greeting Nı̌
hǎo by saying Nı̌ hǎo. In contrast, Nı̌ hǎo ma? (㛄⼤㕑?) is a yes-no question, and it requires
an answer. If you are all right, you respond to this question by saying Wǒ hěn hǎo (㸳⼽⼤)
I’m fine (I’m okay). Wǒ bù hǎo (㸳⤜⼤) means I am not okay. (See also Use and Structure 1.11.)
Pronunciation and pinyin
Listening practice for tones and syllables are in the Pronunciation Practice section of
the Companion Website.
Chinese characters
Chinese is written using characters. Each character represents a meaning and is pro-
nounced in a specific way. You must learn several thousand characters before you can read
newspapers and other material written for Chinese-educated native speakers, and that task
will probably take you several years. But the more you know about the structure of charac-
ters, the easier it will be to learn and remember them. For the first five lessons of this text-
book, you will not practice reading or writing characters, but you will begin to learn about
their structure. Instruction on writing characters begins in Lesson 6.
Exercises and activities focusing on Chinese characters for this and all following les-
sons are on the Companion Website.
In this lesson, we focus on the shape of characters. Characters are composed of component
parts arranged in a limited number of configurations, typically identified as follows:
In the following table, the characters included in Lesson 1 are identified by their shape.
⤜ ㎰㛄䍦
⫔ 㬇⼤㾜
㸋㏏㬨䁈
ⷀ 㕑㰜㪛
⼤㗡㰞䄓
⼽㏗㸳䊺
Qa Language FAQs (Frequently

Asked Questions)
Where are the and a?
Mandarin does not have words that are exactly equivalent to a and the in English.
Do not look for translations of a and the in Mandarin.
Notes on Chinese culture

Greeting strangers
In Chinese culture, it is not common to greet people you do not know, unless you
expect to interact with them in the future. People greet strangers in a business
context or in receptions such as the one in the dialogue in this lesson since the
initial contact will probably lead to future interactions. It is very uncommon to
greet a stranger you pass on the street or who you ride with in an elevator or on
some form of public transportation.
Using names to address others

Names are not as freely given out or used to address others as they are in the
West, and as you can see, Zhang Dawei and Gao Meili do not begin their conver-
sation by asking each other for their names. People exchange names when they
are members of a group; for example, students in the same class, or workers in
the same office. It is relatively common in China for someone to bring a friend to
a social gathering as a guest and never introduce the friend by name if he or she
is not a member of the group.
Lesson 1 Dialogue in English

Part A
Zhang Dawei: Hello.
Gao Meili: Hello.
Zhang Dawei: I am a student. Are you a student?
Gao Meili: Yes. I am also a student.
Part B
Zhang Dawei: Is he a student?
Gao Meili: No. He is not a student. He is a teacher. He is Teacher Li.
Part C
Gao Meili: Hello teacher.
Teacher Li: Gao Meili, how are you?
Gao Meili: I am fine, thanks.
Teacher Li: Goodbye.

Lesson 2
Nı̌ shì
nǎguó rén?
㛄㬨㚥⺛㦬ᷠ
What country
are you from?
Communication goals
Q State your nationality and ask others about their nationalities.

Q Confirm that information is correct.
Q Ask a question politely.
Pronunciation goals
Q Correctly pronounce syllables that originate in the third tone.

Q Identify and pronounce syllables that occur in neutral tone.
Q Pronounce and identify the finals e, ei, en, ong, ing, ui/eui, and
uen/un.
Pronunciation guides and practice are located on the Companion Website.

Lesson 2 Nı̌ shì nǎguó rén? 㛄㬨㚥⺛㦬ᷠ What country are you from? 17
Literacy goals
Q Accurately read words written in pinyin whose spelling varies

depending upon the initial consonant.
Q Accurately read pinyin syllables involving changes in the third tone.
Key structures
Q plural pronouns: wǒmen (㸳㗨) we, us, nı̌men (㛄㗨) you (plural),
tāmen (㰜㗨/㰞㗨) they, them
Q follow-up questions with ne (㚹)
Q nǎguó (㚥⺛) which country
Q dōu (Ⱍ) all, both
Q dāngrán (⭒㦜) of course
Dialogue
The situation: The new student reception continues. Zhang Dawei begins a conver-
sation with two people who he has not yet met, Chen Ming and Wang Maike. The
three of them then talk with Gao Meili, the student who Zhang Dawei just met, and
ask about other people in the room.
Part A
Zhāng Dàwéi: Qı̌ng wèn, nı̌men shì Měiguó rén ma? 䍦⫔㸋ᷛ㤌㸫᷍㛄㗨㬨㗡⺛㦬㕑"
Chén Míng: Shì. Wǒmen shì Měiguó rén, nı̌ ne? ⧣㘘ᷛ 㬨᱄㸳㗨㬨㗡⺛㦬᷍㛄㚹ᷠ
Zhāng Dàwéi: Wǒ yě shì Měiguó rén. 䍦⫔㸋ᷛ㸳䄓㬨㗡⺛㦬᱄
Wǒmen dōu shì Měiguó rén. 㸳㗨Ⱍ㬨㗡⺛㦬᱄
Wáng Màikè: (to Gāo Měilì) Nı̌ ne? 㶖㕔㋬ᷛ
᷉to ⷀ㗡㏗᷊㛄㚹ᷠ
Gāo Měilì: Wǒ shì Fǎguó rén. ⷀ㗡㏗ᷛ㸳㬨ⳉ⺛㦬᱄
Part A Vocabulary
Chén (family name) family name ⧣ 勱
dōu all, both adverb Ⱍ Ⱍ
Fǎguó France place name ⳉ⺛ ⳉङ
Fǎguó rén French person noun phrase ⳉ⺛㦬 ⳉङ㦬
guó country noun ⺛ ङ
Màikè given name given name 㕔㋬徽㋬
(Michael)
Měiguó United States place name 㗡⺛㗡ङ
(USA)
Měiguó rén American noun phrase 㗡⺛㦬㗡ङ㦬
Míng (given name); given name; 㘘㘘
bright adjectival verb
ne (forms follow-up final particle 㚹㚹

questions)
nı̌men you (plural) pronoun 㛄㗨㛄Ӥ
qı̌ng wèn may I ask, conversational 㤌㸫䌩߷

excuse me expression
rén person noun 㦬㦬

Wáng (family name) family name 㶖㶖
wèn ask (a question) verb 㸫 ߷
wǒmen we, us pronoun 㸳㗨㸳Ӥ
Part B
Chén Míng: Tā shì nǎguó rén? ⧣㘘ᷛ 㰜㬨㚥⺛㦬ᷠ

Wáng Màikè: Tā shì Yı̄ngguó rén. 㶖㕔㋬ᷛ㰜㬨䇃⺛㦬᱄
Chén Míng Tāmen yě shì Yı̄ngguó rén, duì ma? ⧣㘘ᷛ 㰜㗨䄓㬨䇃⺛㦬᷍ⰵ㕑ᷠ
Wáng Màikè: Bù duì. Tāmen dōu shì Déguó rén. 㶖㕔㋬ᷛ⤜ⰵ᱄㰜㗨Ⱍ㬨⭣⺛㦬᱄
Chén Míng: Lǎoshı̄ shì Zhōngguó rén ma? ⧣㘘ᷛ ㎰㬇㬨䐱⺛㦬㕑ᷠ
Wáng Màikè: Lǎoshı̄ dāngrán shì Zhōngguó rén! 㶖㕔㋬ᷛ㎰㬇⭒㦜㬨䐱⺛㦬᷂
Part B Vocabulary
dāngrán of course adverb ⭒㦜 ◵㦜
Déguó Germany place name ⭣⺛ ⭣ङ
Déguó rén German person noun phrase ⭣⺛㦬 ⭣ङ㦬
duì correct adjectival verb ⰵ ಇ

nǎguó, which country question word 㚥⺛㚥ङ
něiguó phrase
tāmen they, them pronoun 㰜㗨㰜Ӥ

Yı̄ngguó Great Britain place name 䇃⺛䇃ङ
Yı̄ngguó rén British noun 䇃⺛㦬䇃ङ㦬
person
Zhōngguó China place name 䐱⺛䐱ङ
Zhōngguó rén Chinese noun phrase 䐱⺛㦬䐱ङ㦬
person
Use and Structure 2.4, 2.5, 2.7, 2.8
Country names and nationalities

Country Nationality
Déguó Germany Déguó rén German, German
person
Fǎguó France Fǎguó rén French, French
person
Měiguó United Měiguó rén American, American
States (USA) person
Yı̄ngguó Great Britain Yı̄ngguó rén British, British
person
Zhōngguó China Zhōngguó rén Chinese, Chinese
person
Notice how the name of the nationality includes the name of the
country.
Supplementary vocabulary:
Countries of the world
Afghanistan Āfùhàn Luxembourg Lúsēnbǎo
Argentina Āgēntíng Malaysia Mǎláixı̄yǎ
Armenia Yàměiníyà Mexico Mòxı̄gē
Australia Àodàlìyà Mongolia Ménggǔ
Austria Àodìlì Netherlands Hélán
Brazil Bāxı̄ New Zealand Xı̄nxı̄lán
Canada Jiānádà Nicaragua Níjiālāguā
Chile Zhìlì Nigeria Nírìlìyà
Denmark Dānmài Norway Nuówēi
Ecuador Èguāduō’ěr Pakistan Bājı̄sı̄tǎn
Egypt Āijí Paraguay Bālāguı̄
El Salvador Sà’ěrwǎduō Peru Bìlǔ
France Fǎguó Philippines Fēilǜbı̄n
Germany Déguó Poland Bōlán
Great Britain Yı̄ngguó Portugal Pútáoyá
Greece Xı̄là Romania Luómǎníyà
Hong Kong Xiānggǎng Russia Éluósı̄
Hungary Xiōngyálì Saudi Arabia Shātè Ālābó
Iceland Bı̄ngdǎo Singapore Xı̄njiāpō
India Yìndù Spain Xı̄bānyá
Indonesia Yìnní Sri Lanka Sı̄lı̌lánkǎ
Iran Yı̄lǎng Sweden Ruìdiǎn
Iraq Yı̄lākè Switzerland Ruìshì
Ireland Ài’ěrlán Syria Xùlìyà
Israel Yı̌sèliè Taiwan Táiwān
Italy Yìdàlì Thailand Tàiguó

Japan Rìběn Turkey Tǔ’ěrqí
Kenya Kěnníyà Uganda Wūgāndá
Korea (North Cháoxiǎn Ukraine Wūkèlán
Korea)
Korea (South Hánguó United Kingdom Yı̄ngguó
Korea)
Kuwait Kēwēitè United States Měiguó
Libya Lìbı̌yà Venezuela Wěinèiruìlā
Lithuania Lìtáowǎn Vietnam Yuènán
Use and structure

2.1. Qı̌ng wèn (㤌㸫) May I ask?
Wèn (㸫) is a verb and means ask (a question). Qı̌ng wèn (㤌㸫) is a polite way to introduce
a question, and it is always followed by a question. It can be translated with the English
expressions please may I ask, may I ask, or excuse me.
Qı̌ng wèn, nı̌men shì Měiguó rén ma?
㤌㸫᷍㛄㗨㬨㗡⺛㦬㕑ᷠ
May I ask, are you Americans?
Practice Workbook: Focus on Communication 2.1; Sentence Pyramids. Website:

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Structure Drills 2.1, 2.4; Focus on Structure 2.2; Communication through

Reading and Writing 2.2.
2.2. The plural form of pronouns

The plural form of Mandarin pronouns is the singular form + men (㗨). The same form of
the pronoun is used whether the pronoun is the subject or the object in the sentence.
Singular Plural
wǒ (㸳) I, me wǒmen (㸳㗨) we, us
nı̌ (㛄) you nı̌men (㛄㗨) you (plural)
tā (㰜᷐㰞᷐㰝) he/she/it, him/her tāmen (㰜㗨) they, them
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Practice Workbook: Focus on Structure 2.1. Website: Structure Drills 2.1, Focus on
Structure 2.1.
2.3. Follow-up questions with ne (㚹)

Ne (㚹) is a final particle that is used to ask short, follow-up questions on the current topic
of conversation. This kind of question is sometimes called a tag question.
Ne generally occurs right after a noun or noun phrase:
Wǒmen shì Měiguó rén, nı̌ ne?
㸳㗨㬨㗡⺛㦬᷍㛄㚹ᷠ
We are Americans. And you? (or) What about you?
Wǒ shì xuésheng, nı̌ ne?
㸳㬨䁈㪛᷍㛄㚹ᷠ
I am a student. (And) you? (or) What about you?
Tāmen shì Yı̄ngguó rén. Gāo Měilì ne?
㰜㗨㬨䇃⺛㦬᱄ⷀ㗡㏗㚹ᷠ
They are British. What about Gao Meili?
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munication through Reading and Writing 2.3.
2.4. nǎguó (㚥⺛) which country and nǎ (㚥) which

In this lesson we learn how to use the expression nǎguó (㚥⺛) (and its alternative pronun-
ciation něiguó) which country? to ask about nationalities.
Tā shì nǎguó rén? (㰜㬨㚥⺛㦬ᷠ)
What country is he from? (literally: He is a which country person?)
To answer a question with the expression nǎguó, replace nǎguó with the name of the
country.
Nı̌ shì nǎguó rén? (㛄㬨㚥⺛㦬ᷠ)
Where are you from? (literally: You are a which-country person?)
Wǒ shì Fǎguó rén. (㸳㬨ⳉ⺛㦬᱄)

I am a French person.
Tā shì něiguó rén? (㰜㬨㚥⺛㦬ᷠ)
Where is he from?
Tā shì Yı̄ngguó rén. (㰜㬨䇃⺛㦬᱄ )
He is British.
The word nǎguó is made up of two syllables, nǎ (㚥) and guó (⺛). These syllables each have
a meaning but are never used as independent words. Nǎ is a content question word and
means which? Guó means country, but the independent word for country is guójiā (⺛コ).
We will learn how to use nǎ to say things like which book and which two students in Lesson 7
(Use and Structure 7.1). In this lesson we will practice using it in the expression nǎguó to
ask which country? and nǎguó rén (㚥⺛㦬) to ask what country someone is from.
Practice Workbook: Focus on Communication 2.1, 2.2, 2.3. Website: Listening for
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Information 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 2.4; Structure Drills – all; Focus on Structure 2.1;
Communication through Reading and Writing 2.2.
2.5. Asking for confirmation: duì ma? (ⰵ㕑ᷠ) correct? right?

To ask for confirmation of a statement, follow the statement with the tag question duì ma?
(ⰵ㕑ᷠ) correct? right?
Tāmen yě shì Yı̄ngguó rén, duì ma? (㰜㗨䄓㬨䇃⺛㦬᷍ⰵ㕑ᷠ
)
They are also British, right?
You can reply to a duì ma? tag question with a short answer or a long answer:
The short answer yes: Duì. (ⰵ᱄) Correct.
The short answer no: Bù duì. (⤜ⰵ᱄ ) Not correct.
The long answer yes:
Duì. Tāmen yě shì Yı̄ngguó rén. (ⰵ᱄㰜㗨䄓㬨䇃⺛㦬᱄)
Yes. (Correct.) They are also British.
The long answer no:
Bù duì. Tāmen bù shì Yı̄ngguó rén. (⤜ⰵ᱄㰜㗨⤜㬨䇃⺛㦬᱄)

No. They are not British.
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Listening for Information 2.1; Structure Drills 2.5; Focus on Structure 2.2.
2.6. dōu (Ⱍ) all, both

Tāmen dōu shì Déguó rén.(㰜㗨Ⱍ㬨⭣⺛㦬᱄)
hey are both/all Germans.
T
Dōu (Ⱍ) refers to more than one and is used to translate the English words both and all. Dōu
is an adverb, and like all adverbs in Mandarin, it always occurs before a verb or verb phrase.
It never occurs before a noun or noun phrase.
(S) dōu (Ⱍ) + V/VP

Wǒmen dōu shì Měiguó rén. (㸳㗨Ⱍ㬨㗡⺛㦬᱄ )
We are all Americans.
Tāmen dōu shì Déguó rén. (㰜㗨Ⱍ㬨⭣⺛㦬᱄ )
They are all Germans.
Dōu can occur before or after bù (⤜) no, not. The overall meaning of a sentence changes
depending upon the order of dōu (Ⱍ) and bù (⤜).
dōu (Ⱍ) + bù (⤜) (+ V)

none (all are not)
Tāmen dōu bù shì Déguó rén. (㰜㗨Ⱍ⤜㬨⭣⺛㦬᱄ )
None of them is German. (They are all not German.)
Tāmen dōu bù hěn gāo. (㰜㗨Ⱍ⤜⼽ⷀ᱄ )
They are all not very tall.
bù (⤜) + dōu (Ⱍ) (+ V)

not all (some are and some are not)
Tāmen bù dōu shì Déguó rén. (㰜㗨⤜Ⱍ㬨⭣⺛㦬᱄ )
Not all of them are German. (Some are German and some are not German.)
Tāmen bù dōu hěn hǎo. (㰜㗨⤜Ⱍ⼽⼤᱄ )
They are not all good.

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Structure Drills 2.6, 2.8; Focus on Structure 2.2, 2.3; Communication

through Reading and Writing 2.3.
2.7. dāngrán (⭒㦜) of course

Dāngrán (⭒㦜) of course is an adverb. It always occurs before a verb or verb phrase, and
never before a noun or at the end of the sentence.
(S) dāngrán (⭒㦜) + V (VP)

Dāngrán shì. (⭒㦜㬨᱄ )
Of course (he) is.
Lǎoshı̄ dāngrán shì Zhōngguó rén. (㎰㬇⭒㦜㬨䐱⺛㦬᱄)

Of course the teacher is Chinese.
Lı̌ lǎoshı̄ dāngrán hěn hǎo. (㏏㎰㬇⭒㦜⼽⼤᱄ )
Of course Teacher Li is very good.
Dāngrán occurs before bù (⤜) no, not and before the adverbs dōu (Ⱍ) both, all and yě
(䄓) also.
Wǒ dāngrán bù shì lǎoshı̄. (㸳⭒㦜⤜㬨㎰㬇᱄ )
Of course I am not a teacher.
Wǒmen dāngrán dōu shì xuésheng. (㸳㗨⭒㦜Ⱍ㬨䁈㪛᱄ )
We are all students of course.
Tā dāngrán yě shì Zhōngguó rén. (㰞⭒㦜䄓㬨䐱⺛㦬᱄)
Of course she is also Chinese.

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Structure Drills 2.7, 2.8; Focus on Structure 2.2, 2.3; Communication

2.8. Omitting the subject and the object

In Mandarin, it is common to leave out the subject of a sentence if it is the same as the
subject of the previous sentence. It is also common to leave out the object of a sentence
if it is the same as the object of the previous sentence. Compare this question and an-
swer from the dialogue. In the answer, the omitted subject and object are added in pa-
rentheses.
Q: Lǎoshı̄ shì Zhōngguó rén ma? A: (Lǎoshı̄) dāngrán shì (Zhōngguó rén).
㎰㬇㬨䐱⺛㦬㕑 ᷉㎰㬇᷊⭒㦜㬨᷉䐱⺛㦬᷊᱄
Is the teacher Chinese? Of course (the teacher) is (Chinese).

Part A
Zhang Dawei: May I ask, are you Americans?
Chen Ming: Yes. We are Americans. What about you?
Zhang Dawei: I am also American. We are all Americans.
Wang Maike: (to Meili) What about you?
Gao Meili: I am French.
Part B
Chen Ming: What country is he from?
Wang Maike: He is British.
Chen Ming: They are also British, right?
Wang Maike: No. They are all German.
Chen Ming: Is the teacher Chinese?
Wang Maike: Of course the teacher is Chinese.

Lesson 3
Nı̌ jiào shénme
míngzi?
㛄ㅱ㬓㗕㘜䓷ᷠ
What is
your name?
Communication goals
Q State your name and ask other people for their names.
Q State the languages you can speak and ask others what languages they
can speak.
Q Say whether something is true or false, and ask whether something is
true.
Q Apologize for actions that inconvenience or disappoint others.
Pronunciation goals
Q Distinguish the pronunciation of syllables beginning with zh, ch, sh, j,

q, x, g, and k.
Literacy goals
Q Recognize the component parts of some basic Chinese characters.

Lesson 3 Nı̌ jiào shénme míngzi? 㛄ㅱ㬓㗕㘜䓷ᷠ What is your name? 29
Key structures
Q shénme (㬓㗕) what
Q yes-no questions with verb-not-verb
Q huì (。) able to, can
Q hé (⼮) and
Q zhı̌ (䐜) only
Q verbs and verb + object phrases: shuō(㯖) and shuō huà (㯖⿑)
Dialogue
The situation: At the new student reception, Gao Meili and Zhang Dawei find out
more about each other.
Part A
Zhāng Dàwéi: Nı̌ jiào shénme míngzi? 䍦⫔㸋ᷛ 㛄ㅱ㬓㗕㘜䓷ᷠ

Gāo Měilì: Wǒ xìng Gaāo, jiào Gāo Měilì. ⷀ㗡㏗ᷛ 㸳㾶ⷀ᷍ㅱⷀ㗡㏗᱄
Nı̌ jiào shénme? 㛄ㅱ㬓㗕ᷠ
Zhāng Dàwèi: Wǒ xìng Zhāng, jiào Dàwéi. 䍦⫔㸋ᷛ 㸳㾶䍦᷍ㅱ⫔㸋᱄
Gāo Měilì: Zhāng Dàwéi, nı̌ hǎo. ⷀ㗡㏗ᷛ 䍦⫔㸋᷍㛄⼤᱄

Nı̌ shì bù shì Zhōngguó rén? 㛄㬨⤜㬨䐱⺛㦬ᷠ
Zhāng Dàwéi: Bù shì. Wǒ shì Měiguó rén. 䍦⫔㸋ᷛ ⤜㬨᱄㸳㬨㗡⺛㦬᱄
Part A Vocabulary
jiào be called, call verb ㅱ ㅱ
míngzi name noun 㘜䓷㘜䓷
shénme what content question 㬓㗕㬓崂
word
xìng be family-named, verb 㾶㾶

be surnamed; noun
family name,
surname
Part B
Zhāng Dàwéi: Gāo Měilì, nı̌ shì nǎguó rén? 䍦⫔㸋ᷛ ⷀ㗡㏗᷍㛄㬨㚥⺛㦬ᷠ
Měilì:
Gāo Wǒ shì Fǎguó rén. ⷀ㗡㏗ᷛ 㸳㬨ⳉ⺛㦬᱄
Zhāng Dàwéi: Nı̌ huì shuō nǎguó huà? 䍦⫔㸋ᷛ 㛄。㯖㚥⺛⿑ᷠ
Gāo Měilì: Wǒ dāngrán huì shuō Fǎguó huà. ⷀ㗡㏗ᷛ 㸳⭒㦜。㯖ⳉ⺛⿑᱄
Wǒ yě huì shuō Zhōngguó huà, 㸳䄓。㯖䐱⺛⿑᱃
Déguó huà, Yı̄ngguó huà, ⭣⺛⿑᱃䇃⺛⿑᱃
Rìběn huà hé Hánguó huà. 㦶⡟⿑⼮⼌⺛⿑᱄

Zhāng Dàwéi: Zhēnde ma? 䍦⫔㸋ᷛ 䎇⭥㕑ᷠ
Gāo Měilì: Dāngrán bù shì zhēn de! Duìbuqı̌, ⷀ㗡㏗ᷛ ⭒㦜⤜㬨䎇⭥᷂ⰵ⤜㡑᷍

wǒ zhı̌ huì shuō Fǎwén, Zhōngwén hé 㸳䐜。㯖ⳉ㸥᱃䐱㸥⼮
Yı̄ngwén, bù huì shuō Déguó huà, 䇃㸥᷍⤜。㯖⭣⺛⿑᱃
Rìběn huà hé Hánguó huà. Nı̌ ne? 㦶⡟⿑⼮⼌⺛⿑᱄㛄㚹ᷠ

Zhāng Dàwéi: Wǒ zhı̌ huì shuō Yı̄ngwén hé Zhōngwén. 䍦⫔㸋ᷛ 㸳䐜。㯖䇃㸥⼮䐱㸥᱄
Part B Vocabulary
Déguó huà German noun phrase ⭣⺛⿑ ⭣ङ䉳
language
duìbuqı̌ excuse me conversational ⰵ⤜㡑 ಇ⤜㡑
expression
Fǎguó huà French language noun phrase ⳉ⺛⿑ ⳉङ䉳

Fǎwén French language noun ⳉ㸥 ⳉ㸥
Hánguó South Korea place name ⼌⺛唏ङ
Hánguó huà Korean language noun phrase ⼌⺛⿑唏ङ䉳
hé and conjunction ⼮⼮
huà speech, language noun ⿑䉳
huì able to, can modal verb 。 ᎟
Rìběn Japan place name 㦶⡟ 㦶⡟
Rìběn huà Japanese language noun phrase 㦶⡟⿑㦶⡟䉳
shuō speak, talk, say verb 㯖䌇
shuō huà speak verb + object 㯖⿑䌇䉳
Yı̄ngguó huà English language noun phrase 䇃⺛⿑䇃ङ䉳
Yı̄ngwén English language noun 䇃㸥䇃㸥
zhēnde ma? really? conversational 䎇⭥㕑䎇⭥ࡂ
expression
zhı̌ only adverb 䐜䐜

Zhōngguó Chinese language noun phrase 䐱⺛⿑䐱ङ䉳
huà
Zhōngwén Chinese language noun 䐱㸥䐱㸥
Common family names

Bái Huáng Wáng
Cài Jiāo Wèi
Chén Jı̄n Wú
Dèng Kǒng Xiè
Dı̄ng Lı̌ Xú
Dù Lín Yán
Gāo Liú Yáng
Gù Lù Yè
Guō Mǎ Zhāng
Hé Máo Zhào
Hè Sūn Zhōu
Hú Tāng Zhū
Use and structure

3.1. shénme (㬓㗕) what and using content question words
Shénme (㬓㗕) what is a content question word. In this lesson, we use the word shénme to
ask the following questions.
subject + verb + object
Nı̌ xìng shénme?
㛄㾶㬓㗕ᷠ
What is your family name?
Nı̌ jiào shénme?

㛄ㅱ㬓㗕ᷠ
What are you called?
Nı̌ jiào shénme míngzi?
㛄ㅱ㬓㗕㘜䓷ᷠ
What are you called?
In English, content question words like who, what, where, why, and how occur at the begin-
ning of the sentence. In Mandarin, the word order for statements and questions is the
same, and content question words occur in the position where the answer goes.
When answering a shénme question, replace shénme with the answer. When answering
the question Nı̌ jiào shénme míngzi? (㛄ㅱ㬓㗕㘜䓷ᷠ) What is your name?, replace the
entire phrase shénme míngzi (㬓㗕㘜䓷) with your name.
Question Answer
subject + verb + object subject + verb + object
Nı̌ xìng shénme? Wǒ xìng Gāo.
㛄㾶㬓㗕ᷠ 㸳㾶ⷀ᱄
What is your family name? My family name is Gao.
Nı̌ jiào shénme? Wǒ jiào Gāo Měilì.
㛄ㅱ㬓㗕ᷠ 㸳ㅱⷀ㗡㏗᱄
What are you called? I am called Gao Meili.
Nı̌ jiào shénme míngzi? Wǒ jiào Gāo Měilì.
㛄ㅱ㬓㗕㘜䓷ᷠ 㸳ㅱⷀ㗡㏗᱄
What are you called? I am called Gao Meili.
See Use and Structure 3.2 for more about Chinese names.
Notice that shénme may refer to an entire sentence. The verb shuō (㯖) in this sentence
means say.
Question Answer
Tā shuō shénme? Tā shuō tā shì Fǎguó rén.
㰞㯖㬓㗕ᷠ 㰞㯖㰞㬨ⳉ⺛㦬᱄
What did she say? She said she is French.
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Practice Workbook: Focus on Structure 3.2, 3.3, 3.7. Website: Structure Drills 3.1;
3.2. Stating your name and asking others for their name
In Lesson 1 we learned that a Chinese name consists of a family name + given name, in that
order. (Use and Structure 1.1) The family name is called the xìng (㾶). The given name is
called the míngzi (㘜䓷). Remember that in Chinese, the family name always occurs before
a given name or title:
xìng (㾶) + míngzi (㘜䓷) xìng (㾶) + title

Gāo Měilì Lı̌ lǎoshı̄
ⷀ㗡㏗㏏㎰㬇
Gao Meili Teacher Li
Xìng is a verb meaning be family-named. It is followed by the family name alone; it is never
followed by family name + given name.
To state your family name, say:
Wǒ xìng Zhāng. (㸳㾶䍦᱄)
Literally: I am family-named Zhang. (My family name is Zhang.)

Wǒ xìng Zhāng. (㸳㾶䍦᱄) 8Wǒ xìng Zhāng Dàwéi. (㸳㾶䍦⫔㸋᱄)
I am family-named Zhāng.
(My family name is Zhāng.)
To ask for someone’s family name, ask:

Nı̌ xìng shénme? (㛄㾶㬓㗕ᷠ)
Literally: What are you family-named? (What is your family name?)
Do not say:
8Nı̌ de xìng shì shénme? (㛄⭥㾶㬨㬓㗕ᷠ)
or
8Shénme shì nı̌ de xìng? (㬓㗕㬨㛄⭥㾶ᷠ)
(See Use and Structure 3.1 for more about questions with shénme.)
Míngzi (㘜䓷) name is a noun. It can refer to the family name + given name, or to the given
name alone.
To state your name, say:
Wǒ jiào Gāo Měilì. (㸳ㅱⷀ㗡㏗᱄)
I am called Gao Meili.
or
Wǒ jiào Měilì. (㸳ㅱ㗡㏗᱄)
I am called Meili.
To ask for someone’s name, say:

Nı̌ jiào shénme míngzi? (㛄ㅱ㬓㗕㘜䓷ᷠ)
or
Nı̌ jiào shénme? (㛄ㅱ㬓㗕ᷠ)
Literally: What are you called?
(See also Use and Structure 3.1 for more about questions with shénme.)
Jiào (ㅱ) must be followed by a name with more than one syllable. If your name has only
one syllable, then when you answer the question Nı̌ jiào shénme míngzi? (㛄ㅱ㬓㗕㘜
䓷ᷠ) you must reply with your entire name, xìng + míngzi.
When Zhang Dawei introduces himself, he can say Wǒ jiào Dàwéi (㸳ㅱ⫔㸋) or Wǒ jiào
Zhāng Dàwéi (㸳ㅱ䍦⫔㸋). However, Chen Ming can only say Wǒ jiào Chén Míng (㸳ㅱ⧣
㘘). He cannot say 8Wǒ jiào Míng (㸳ㅱ㘘).
If you ask Gao Meili for her name, she can reply with her entire name, or with her given
name alone.
Q: Nı̌ jiào shénme míngzi? (㛄ㅱ㬓㗕㘜䓷ᷠ)
What is your name?
A: Wǒ jiào Gāo Měilì. (㸳ㅱⷀ㗡㏗᱄)
I am called Gao Meili.
or
Wǒ jiào Měilì. (㸳ㅱ㗡㏗᱄)
I am called Meili.
In English, we say that one’s name is Mary, or Joe, or Susan, etc. Notice that in Chinese, we
use the verb jiào call, be called and say that one is called Mary, or Joe, or Susan, etc.
Wǒ jiào Měilì. (㸳ㅱ㗡㏗᱄) 8Wǒ shì Měilì. (㸳㬨㗡㏗᱄)
I am called Meili. 8Wǒ shì jiào Měilì. (㸳㬨ㅱ㗡㏗᱄)
Practice Workbook: Focus on Structure 3.2, 3.3, 3.5, 3.6, 3.7; Focus on Communica-
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tion 3.3. Website: Listening for Information 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 3.4, 3.6, 3.7; Struc-
ture Drills 3.1; Focus on Structure 3.2; Communication through Reading
and Writing 3.1, 3.2.
3.3. Verb-not-verb questions

In Lesson 1 (Use and Structure 1.6) you learned to form yes-no questions by adding the
sentence final particle ma (㕑) to the end of a statement.
Nı̌ shì Yı̄ngguó rén ma? (㛄㬨䇃⺛㦬㕑ᷠ)
Are you British?
This lesson presents the verb-not-verb form of yes-no questions. To form verb-not-verb
questions, repeat the verb, first in affirmative form, and then in negated form.
verb-not-verb
Nı̌ shì bù shì Zhōngguó rén? (㛄㬨⤜㬨䐱⺛㦬ᷠ)
Are you Chinese?
If the verb phrase begins with a modal verb such as huì (。) can, the modal verb is the verb
that is repeated. (See Use and Structure 3.5.)
Nı̌ huì bù huì shuō Fǎguó huà? (㛄。⤜。㯖ⳉ⺛⿑ᷠ)
Can you speak French? (literally: You can or cannot speak French?)
The meanings of ma yes-no questions and verb-not-verb yes-no questions are equivalent.
Nı̌ shì bù shì Zhōngguó rén? = Nı̌ shì Zhōngguó rén ma?
㛄㬨⤜㬨䐱⺛㦬ᷠ 㛄㬨䐱⺛㦬㕑ᷠ
Are you Chinese? Are you Chinese?
Nı̌ huì bù huì shuō Fǎguó huà? = Nı̌ huì shuō Fǎguó huà ma?
㛄。⤜。㯖ⳉ⺛⿑ᷠ 㛄。㯖ⳉ⺛⿑㕑ᷠ
Can you speak French? Can you speak French?
When a sentence includes an adverb such as yě (䄓) also (Use and Structure 1.8), dōu (Ⱍ)
both, all (Use and Structure 2.6), dāngrán (⭒㦜) of course (Use and Structure 2.7), or zhı̌
(䐜) only (Use and Structure 3.9), the ma form of yes-no questions is used, and the verb-not-
verb form is not used.
Verb-not-verb yes-no questions are answered in the same way as ma yes-no questions. (See
Use and Structure 1.7 and 1.9.)
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Practice Workbook: Focus on Structure 3.1, 3.3, 3.7. Website: Listening for Informa-
tion 3.7; Structure Drills 3.3, 3.4, 3.5.
3.4. Zhōngguó huà (䐱⺛⿑) and Zhōngwén (䐱㸥) Chinese language, huà
(⿑) vs. wén (㸥)
Huà (⿑) refers to speaking, and the names of languages can be formed by adding huà
after the name of the country: Zhōngguó huà (䐱⺛⿑) Chinese, Fǎguó huà (ⳉ⺛⿑) French,
Déguó huà (⭣⺛⿑) German, Rìběn huà (㦶⡟⿑) Japanese, etc. Names of languages can
usually also be formed by adding wén (㸥) after the first syllable of the name of the coun-
try: Zhōngwén (䐱㸥) Chinese, Fǎwén (ⳉ㸥) French, Déwén (⭣㸥) German, Rìwén (㦶㸥)
Japanese, etc.
Huà refers to the spoken language alone. Wén refers to the spoken and written language.
Therefore, you can say that you speak Zhōngguó huà or Zhōngwén, but you say that you
read Zhōngwén. Huà is also used to refer to dialects of a language. Yı̄ngguó huà (䇃⺛⿑)
refers to British English. The phrase Měiguó huà (㗡⺛⿑) refers to American English. To
avoid confusion about dialects of English, it is common to say that someone speaks Yı̄ngwén
(䇃㸥) English. In mainland China, the wén words are more widely used than the huà
words when referring to the spoken language.
Practice Workbook: Focus on Structure 3.2, 3.3, 3.4, 3.7; Focus on Communication
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3.1, 3.3. Website: Listening for Information 3.4, 3.5, 3.6, 3.8. 3.9; Structure
Drills 3.6; Focus on Structure 3.1, 3.2; Communication through Reading
and Writing 3.1, 3.3.
3.5. huì (。) able to, can

Huì (。) able to, can expresses learned or innate ability. It is used when you want to say that
you can speak a certain language, or that you know how to write a word, or that you know
how to use a computer, etc.
Wǒ huì shuō Déguo huà. (㸳。㯖⭣⺛⿑᱄)
I can speak German.
Huì is a modal verb. It is part of the verb phrase and can be followed by another verb.
Gāo Měilì huì shuō Fǎguó huà. (ⷀ㗡㏗。㯖ⳉ⺛⿑᱄)
Gāo Meili can speak French.
When a sentence contains huì or another modal verb, the modal verb is the verb that is
used in the short answer yes and no. To say yes, say Huì. To say no, say Bù huì (⤜。).
Q: Nı̌ huì shuō Rìběn huà ma? (㛄。㯖㦶⡟⿑㕑ᷠ)
Can you speak Japanese?
A: Huì. (。᱄)
Yes. (I can.)
Q: Nı̌ huì shuō Déguohuà ma? (㛄。㯖⭣⺛⿑㕑ᷠ)
Can you speak German?
A: Bù huì. (⤜。᱄)
No. (I can’t.)
Adverbs occur before huì.
Wǒ dāngrán huì shuō Fǎguó huà. (㸳⭒㦜。㯖ⳉ⺛⿑᱄)
Of course I can speak French.
Wǒ zhı̌ huì shuō Yı̄ngwén. (㸳䐜。㯖䇃㸥᱄)
I can only speak English.
Wǒmen dōu huì shuō Zhōngwén. (㸳㗨Ⱍ。㯖䐱㸥᱄)
We can all speak Chinese.
Tā yě huì shuō Rìběn huà. (㰞䄓。㯖㦶⡟⿑᱄)

She can also speak Japanese.
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Workbook: Focus on Structure 3.1–3.7; Focus on Communication 3.3. Web-

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site: Listening for Information 3.4, 3.5, 3.6, 3.7, 3.8, 3.9; Structure Drills 3.2,
3.5, 3.6; Communication through Reading and Writing 3.1, 3.3.
3.6. hé (⼮) and

Hé (⼮) and joins two or more pronouns, nouns, or noun phrases.
Nı̌men hé tāmen dōu shì Fǎguó rén.
㛄㗨⼮㰜㗨Ⱍ㬨ⳉ⺛㦬᱄
You and they are all French.
Wǒ yě huì shuō Déguó huà, Rìběn huà hé Yı̄ngguó huà.
㸳䄓。㯖⭣⺛⿑᱃㦶⡟⿑⼮䇃⺛⿑᱄
I can also speak German, Japanese, and British English.
Zhāng Dàwéi hé Gāo Měilì dōu huì shuō Zhōngguó huà.
䍦⫔㸋⼮ⷀ㗡㏗Ⱍ。㯖䐱⺛⿑᱄
Zhang Dawei and Gao Meili can both speak Chinese.
Hé never occurs before a verb, and unlike its English translation and, it never joins verbs,
verb phrases, or sentences.
Say this:
Wǒ huì shuō Rìběn huà hé Yı̄ngguó huà. (㸳。㯖㦶⡟⿑⼮䇃⺛⿑᱄)
I can speak Japanese and English.
Do not say:
8Wǒ huì shuō Rìběn huà hé huì shuō Yı̄ngguó huà. (㸳。㯖㦶⡟⿑⼮。㯖䇃⺛⿑᱄)
Practice Workbook: Focus on Structure 3.2, 3.4, 3.6, 3.7; Focus on Communication
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3.3. Website: Listening for Information 3.5, 3.6, 3.9; Structure Drills 3.2;
3.7. zhēnde (䎇⭥) really, zhēnde ma? (䎇⭥㕑ᷠ) really? and bù shì zhēnde
(⤜㬨䎇⭥) not really
Zhēnde (䎇⭥) means really. It can be used by itself as a reply to a question about whether
information is true.
Zhēnde ma? (䎇⭥㕑ᷠ) means really? It conveys surprise on hearing new information and
asks if the information is true.
Bù shì zhēnde (⤜㬨䎇⭥) means it’s not true. It is used as a reply to a question about
whether some information is true.
All three phrases can be used as stand-alone remarks. In later lessons we will see how they
can also be used as part of a larger sentence.
Gāo Měilì: Wǒ huì shuō Fǎguó huà, Déguó huà hé Yı̄ngguó huà.
ⷀ㗡㏗: 㸳。㯖ⳉ⺛⿑᱃⭣⺛⿑⼮䇃⺛⿑᱄
Gao Meili: I can speak German, Japanese, and British English.
Zhāng Dàwéi: Zhēnde ma?
䍦⫔㸋: 䎇⭥㕑ᷠ
Zhang Dawei: Really?
Gāo Měilì: Dāngrán bù shì zhēnde!
ⷀ㗡㏗: ⭒㦜⤜㬨䎇⭥᷂
Gao Meili: Of course it isn’t true!
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Practice Workbook: Sentence Pyramids. Website: Listening for Information 3.9.
3.8. duìbuqı̌ (ⰵ⤜㡑) I’m sorry, excuse me

Say duìbuqı̌ (ⰵ⤜㡑) when your behavior disappoints another person, or when it inconve-
niences him or her in some way. Duìbuqı̌ is often followed by an explanation. Here are
some situations where duìbuqı̌ is appropriate:
Q Someone asks you to do something but you lack the ability to do it.
Q Someone asks you for information but you do not know the answer.
Q Your roommate asks you to give her something but you do not have it, or you have it but
cannot give it to her.
Q Your friend invites you to do something with him and you are refusing the invitation.
Q You bump into someone accidentally.
Duìbuqı̌ can sometimes be translated by the English expression excuse me, but it is not al-
ways equivalent to excuse me in its use. For example, it is not appropriate to say duìbuqı̌
when asking a question, even though in English you may preface a question by saying
excuse me. In Mandarin, as we have seen in Lesson 2, when asking a question, say qı̌ng
wèn (㤌㸫):
Qı̌ng wèn, nı̌ jiào shénme míngzi? (㤌㸫᷍㛄ㅱ㬓㗕㘜䓷ᷠ)
May I ask (excuse me), what is your name?
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Practice Workbook: Focus on Structure 3.7. Website: Listening for Information 3.7,
3.9; Structure Drills 3.6; Communication through Reading and Writing 3.2.
3.9. zhı̌ (䐜) only

Zhı̌ (䐜) only is an adverb. It occurs before a verb or verb phrase and never before a noun.
(S) zhı̌ (䐜) + V/VP
Wǒ zhı̌ huì shuō Yı̄ngwén. (㸳䐜。㯖䇃㸥᱄)
I can only speak English.
Zhı̌ occurs after dōu (Ⱍ) all, both and yě (䄓) also.
Wǒ yě zhı̌ huì shuō Zhōngguó huà. (㸳䄓䐜。㯖䐱⺛⿑᱄)
I can also only speak Chinese.
Wǒmen dōu zhı̌ huì shuō Zhōngguó huà. (㸳㗨Ⱍ䐜。㯖䐱⺛⿑᱄)
We can all only speak Chinese.
Yes-no questions involving zhı̌ can only be formed with ma (㕑) and never with verb-
not-verb.
Tā zhı̌ huì shuō Yı̄ngwén ma? (㰞䐜。㯖䇃㸥㕑ᷠ)
Can she only speak English?
To answer yes to a zhı̌ question, say shì (㬨) or duì (ⰵ).
Q: Tā zhı̌ huì shuō Yı̄ngwén ma? (㰞䐜。㯖䇃㸥㕑ᷠ)
A: Duì. (ⰵ᱄) or Shì. (㬨᱄)
Yes.
To answer no to a zhı̌ question, say bù duì (⤜ⰵ) or bù shì (⤜㬨).
Q: Tā zhı̌ huì shuō Yı̄ngwén ma? (㰞䐜。㯖䇃㸥㕑ᷠ)
A: Bù duì. (⤜ⰵ᱄) or Bù shì. (⤜㬨᱄)
No.
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3.7, 3.9; Structure Drills 3.6; Focus on Structure 3.1, 3.2, 3.8; Communication
3.10. shuō (㯖) and shuo huà (㯖⿑) speak

In Mandarin, verbs like shuō (㯖) speak, which describe actions, are typically followed by an
object noun. Shuō Zhōngwén (㯖䐱㸥) or shuō Zhōngguó huà (㯖䐱⺛⿑) means speak
Chinese; shuō Yı̄ngwén (㯖䇃㸥) means speak English. Shuō typically occurs with an object.
To say that someone is speaking, or to ask someone to speak, say shuō huà (㯖⿑):
Lǎoshı̄: Qı̌ng nı̌ shuō huà. (㎰㬇: 㤌㛄㯖⿑᱄)
Teacher: Please say something.
To say that someone is not speaking, say:
Tā bù shuō huà. (㰞⤜㯖⿑᱄)

She is not speaking.
To say that someone is unable to speak, say:
Tā bù huì shuō huà. (㰞⤜。㯖⿑᱄)
She cannot speak.
To ask what someone has said, ask:
Tā shuō shénme? (㰞㯖㬓㗕ᷠ)
What did she say?
Practice Workbook: Focus on Structure 3.1–3.7; Focus on Communication 3.3. Web-

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site: Listening for Information 3.4–3.9; Structure Drills 3.6; Focus on Struc-
ture 3.1, 3.2; Communication through Reading and Writing 3.1, 3.3.
Chinese characters
The component parts of characters
There are thousands of characters, but they are made up of only about 600 component
parts that occur in different configurations within a character. In Chinese, these compo-
nent parts are call bùjiàn (⤠ミ).
Here are 20 characters that have occurred in Lessons 1–3, followed by their component
parts. As you can see, the same part may occur in many different characters. Some compo-
nent parts can only occur in a specific location within a character. Others can occur in dif-
ferent locations. When you begin to learn to read and write characters, we will guide you to
pay attention to their component parts. Some characters are composed of a single compo-
nent part, but most are composed of two or three or more component parts arranged in a
specific configuration within the character.
Characters and their component parts
⼽䱽᷍媿㗨䗊᷍㗦
⼤㝏᷍䓴㸫㗦᷍㋻
㛄䗊᷍ⱜ ⿑䜆᷍㪁
㰜䗊᷍䄓㯖䜆᷍ⰳ
㰞㝏᷍䄓㾶㝏᷍㪛
䄓䄓 ㅱ ㋻᷍
ϭ
㚥㋻᷍䊣᷍䝃㘜㻇᷍㋻
㕑㋻᷍㕎㦬㦬
㚹㋻᷍㛂 ⫔ 㦬᷍䄜
⼮⼭᷍㋻㾜䜆᷍㪎᷍
⫈
Pronunciation and pinyin
Listening practice for tones and syllables are in the Pronunciation Practice section of
the Companion Website.
Qa Language FAQs
Saying and
In this lesson we learned the conjunction hé (⼮) and. Mandarin has a number of
words that may be translated into English with the word and, but they are all
much more restricted than the English word and in the types of words and phrases
that they join. In English, and can join almost any two words that belong to the
same category: nouns (dogs and cats), verbs (eat and sleep), adjectives (hot and
cold), adverbs (quickly and quietly), etc. The word hé can only join nouns and
noun phrases. Gao Meili can say that she can speak Japanese and British English
(Rìběn huà hé Yı̄ngguó huà), but she cannot use hé to say that she can speak and
read Japanese, since speak and read are verbs.
In addition, Mandarin conjunctions such as hé are not used as frequently as and
is in English. In English, when you have a list of nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs,
etc., you must put and before the last item on the list. (For example: Today I bought
milk, cheese, soup, coffee, and bread.) In Mandarin, it is acceptable, sometimes pref-
erable, not to use a conjunction in a list of nouns.
Yı̄ngguó huà (䇃⺛⿑), Měiguó huà (㗡⺛⿑), and spoken dialects of

languages
Yı̄ngguó huà (䇃⺛⿑) refers to spoken British English and Měiguó huà (㗡⺛⿑)
refers to spoken American English. The word Yı̄ngwén (䇃㸥) refers to the
English language in its spoken and written form without focusing on differences
in pronunciation and vocabulary in the spoken dialects.
Chinese also has dialects, typically distinguished as Mandarin, Wu (including

Shanghainese), Gan, Xiang, Min, Hakka, Yue (including Cantonese), Jin, Hui,
and Pinghua. The Chinese dialects are as different from each other as the differ-
ent languages in Europe.

What’s in a name?
There are thousands of Chinese family names, but only about 100 family names
that are widely occurring. In Chinese, the expression lǎobǎixìng (㎰➺㾶), liter-
ally, the old 100 family names, is used to refer to “the common man.” If you do not
have a Chinese family name, your Chinese teacher will probably give you one.
Your name will be selected from among the most widely used Chinese family
names.
Unlike family names, given names can be composed creatively, and given names
are typically not selected from a fixed inventory of given names as they are in
English-speaking countries. There is no set translation for foreign given names in
Chinese.
Traditionally, given names consist of two syllables composed with two characters.
The syllables may be selected from poetry, or from a Chinese saying, or they may
be selected to bring good fortune, or to evoke a season or some other image. The
first syllable of a two-syllable given name may be a generation name shared by all
children of the same gender in the same generation of a family. Generation names
mark one’s place in the family. In contemporary China, given names often consist
of a single syllable and are often selected for their sound and meaning. Young
children are often given two-syllable baby names, such as Bāo-bāo and Líng-líng,
which they use until they begin school.
In Chinese culture, given names are not freely used, especially among strangers
or casual acquaintances. People often address others by their full name (family
name + given name) or by their title (doctor, teacher, chef, etc.). As noted in Les-
son 1, Chinese people never address others by their family name alone. Zhang
Dawei’s good friends may address him as Dàwéi, but they will never address him
as Zhāng. Only very close friends address each other by their given names alone.
Even married couples may address each other by their full names.

Part A
Zhang Dawei: What is your name?
Gao Meili: My family name is Gao, I’m called Gao Meili. What is your name?
Zhang Dawei: My family name is Zhang, I’m called Dawei.
Gao Meili: Hi Zhang Dawei. Are you Chinese?
Zhang Dawei: No. I’m American.
Part B
Zhang Dawei: Gao Meili, where are you from?
Gao Meili: I am French.
Zhang Dawei: What languages can you speak?
Gao Meili: Of course I can speak French. I can also speak Chinese, German,
English, Japanese, and Korean.
Zhang Dawei: Really?
Gao Meili: Of course not! Sorry, I can only speak French, Chinese, and English.
I can’t speak German, Japanese and Korean. What about you?
Zhang Dawei: I can only speak English and Chinese.
Lesson 4
Zhè shì wǒ
de jiārén
䎃㬨㸳⭥
コ㦬
This is my
family
Communication goals
Q Greet others in the morning.

Q Introduce people to each other and respond to introductions.
Q List your family members.
Q Ask about about other people’s families.
Pronunication goals
Q Distinguish the initials zh, ch, sh, r and z, c, s.
Literacy goals
Q Identify some high-frequency component parts of characters.

Q Identify radicals that provide meaning cues in the Chinese characters
that you have learned.
Key structures
Q shéi (㯎) who
Q zhè (䎃) this and nà (㚨) that
Q yǒu (䇱) have, had, has
Q méi yǒu (㗜䇱) does not have
Q expressing possession with de (⭥)
Q stating assumptions with ba (➪)
Q softening statements or questions with ya (䁞)
Q more about adjectival verbs
Dialogue
The situation: Chen Ming and Wang Maike are classmates of Zhang Dawei in a Chi-
nese language program in China and they all live in the same dormitory. They are
calling on Zhang Dawei one morning early in the semester.
Part A
(Chen Ming and Wang Maike knock on Zhang Dawei’s door.)
Zhāng Dàwéi: Shéi ya? 䍦⫔㸋ᷛ㯎䁞ᷠ
Chén Míng: Dàwéi, shì wǒmen, ⧣㘘ᷛ ⫔㸋᷍㬨㸳㗨᷍
Chén Míng hé Wáng Màikè. ⧣㘘⼮㶖㕔㋬᱄
Zhāng Dàwéi: Chén Míng, Màikè, zǎo! Qı̌ng jìn! 䍦⫔㸋ᷛ⧣㘘᷍㕔㋬᷍䋈᷂㤌㆙᷂
Chén Míng: Zǎo! ⧣㘘ᷛ 䋈᷂
Zhāng Dàwéi: Huānyíng, huānyíng! Zhè shì 䍦⫔㸋ᷛ⿗䇎᷍⿗䇎᷂䎃㬨
wǒ de tóngwū, Xiè Guóqiáng. Tā shì 㸳⭥㵍㸾᷍㾜⺛㣠᱄㰜㬨
Běijı̄ng rén. Tāmen shì wǒ de ⡒㈊㦬᱄㰜㗨㬨㸳⭥
tóngxué, Chén Míng hé Wáng Màikè. 㵍䁈᷍⧣㘘⼮㶖㕔㋬᱄
Tāmen dōu shì Měiguó rén. 㰜㗨Ⱍ㬨㗡⺛㦬᱄
Xiè Guóqiáng: Tāmen xué shénme? 㾜⺛㣠ᷛ㰜㗨䁈㬓㗕ᷠ
Zhāng Dàwéi: Tāmen dōu xué Zhōngwén. 䍦⫔㸋ᷛ㰜㗨Ⱍ䁈䐱㸥᱄
Xiè Guóqiáng: Hěn hǎo, wǒmen kěyı̌ shuō Zhōngwén. 㾜⺛㣠ᷛ⼽⼤᷍㸳㗨㋪䄵㯖䐱㸥᱄
Hěn gāoxìng rènshi nı̌men. ⼽ⷀ㾬㦰㬗㛄㗨᱄
Wáng Màikè: Nı̌ hǎo. Hěn gāoxìng rènshi nı̌. 㶖㕔㋬ᷛ㛄⼤᱄⼽ⷀ㾬㦰㬗㛄᱄
Lesson 4 Zhè shì wǒ de jiārén 䎃㬨㸳⭥コ㦬 This is my family 47
Part A Vocabulary
Běijı̄ng Beijing (Peking) place name ⡒㈊ ⡒㈊
de (indicates noun particle ⭥ ⭥
description)
gāoxìng happy adjectival verb ⷀ㾬 ⷀ㜅
Guóqiáng Guoqiang given name ⺛㣠 ङຫ
huānyíng welcome verb ⿗䇎 ᛈ䇎
qı̌ng jìn please come in conversational 㤌㆙ 䌩䩮
expression
rènshi meet, know verb 㦰㬗䋫䑳

shéi who content question word 㯎䌍
tóngwū roommate noun 㵍㸾㵍㸾
tóngxué classmate noun 㵍䁈㵍స
Xiè (family name) family name 㾜䏙
xué study verb 䁈 స
yā (softens a statement final particle 䁞䁞
or content question)
zǎo good morning greeting 䋈䋈

Part B
Chén Míng: Dàwéi, nà shì nı̌ de zhàopiàn ba. ⧣㘘ᷛ ⫔㸋᷍㚨㬨㛄⭥䍶㠍➪᱄

Zhāng Dàwéi: Shì. Zhè shì wǒ bàba, zhè shì wǒ 䍦⫔㸋ᷛ㬨᱄䎃㬨㸳➷➷᷍䎃㬨㸳
māma. 㕉㕉᱄
Chén Míng: Nı̌ māma hěn piàoliang. ⧣㘘ᷛ 㛄㕉㕉⼽㠐㑢᱄
Wáng Màikè: Tā shì shéi? 㶖㕔㋬ᷛ㰜㬨㯎ᷠ
Zhāng Dàwéi: Tā shì wǒ gēge. 䍦⫔㸋ᷛ㰜㬨㸳ⷈⷈ᱄
Wáng Màikè: Nı̌ gēge hěn gāo. 㶖㕔㋬ᷛ㛄ⷈⷈ⼽ⷀ᱄
Zhāng Dàwéi: Tā shì wǒ dìdi. 䍦⫔㸋ᷛ㰜㬨㸳⭽⭽᱄
Wáng Màikè: Tā yě bù ǎi. Chén Míng, nı̌ yǒu gēge 㶖㕔㋬ᷛ㰜䄓⤜➌᱄⧣㘘᷍㛄䇱
dìdi ma? ⷈⷈ⭽⭽㕑ᷠ
Chén Míng: Wǒ méi yǒu gēge dìdi, yě méi yǒu ⧣㘘ᷛ 㸳㗜䇱ⷈⷈ⭽⭽᷍䄓㗜䇱
jiějie. Wǒ zhı̌ yǒu mèimei. ㆄㆄ᱄㸳䐜䇱㗤㗤᱄
Part B Vocabulary
ǎi short adjectival verb ➌ ➌
ba (indicates speaker’s final particle ➪ ➪
assumption)
bàba dad noun ➷➷ ➷➷
dìdi younger brother noun ⭽⭽ ⭽⭽

gāo tall adjectival verb ⷀ ⷀ
gēge older brother noun ⷈⷈ ⷈⷈ
jiārén family (family noun コ㦬コ㦬
members)
jiějie older sister noun ㆄㆄ ㆄㆄ
māma mom noun 㕉㕉 ஭஭
méi no, not (negation negation adverb 㗜 ᝾
for yǒu have)
mèimei younger sister noun 㗤㗤㗤㗤
nà that demonstrative 㚨㚨
piàoliang pretty adjectival verb 㠐㑢㠐㑢
yǒu have stative verb 䇱䇱
zhàopiàn photograph noun 䍶㠍䍶㠍
zhè this demonstrative 䎃䩡
Family members
Male Female
bàba ➷➷ dad māma 㕉㕉 mom
gēge ⷈⷈ older brother jiějie ㆄㆄ older sister
dìdi ⭽⭽ younger brother mèimei 㗤㗤 younger
sister
Supplementary vocabulary: extended

family members
(These are terms commonly used in northern China. Regional
variations exist)
Father’s side of the family Mother’s side of the family
yéye 䄐䄐 grandfather lǎo ye ㎲䄐 grandfather
zǔfù 䔇⶙ (father’s wàizǔfù 㶃䔇⶙ (mother’s father)
father) wàigōng 㶃⹌
nǎinai 㚭㚭 grandmother lǎolao ㎲㎲ grandmother
zǔmǔ 䔇㚙 (father’s wàizǔmǔ 㶃䔇㚙 (mothers’
mother) wàipó 㶃㠦 mother)
dàye ⫔䄐 uncle (father’s jiùjiu ㈬㈬ uncle (mother’s
dàbó ⫔⤏ older brother) older or younger
brother)
shūshu 㭆㭆 uncle (father’s
younger
brother
gūgu ⹤⹤ aunt (father’s yí 䄭 aunt (mother’s
sister) āyí ➃䄭 sister)
táng- 㲤- children of biǎo- ⢎- children of
father’s male father’s female
siblings siblings and
mother’s
siblings
tánggē 㲤ⷈ male cousin biǎogē ⢎ⷈ male cousin older
older than self than self
tángdì 㲤⭽ male cousin biǎodì ⢎⭽ male cousin
younger than younger than self
self
tángjiě 㲤ㆄ female cousin biǎojiě ⢎ㆄ female cousin

older than older than
self self
tángmèi 㲤㗤 female cousin biǎomèi ⢎㗤 female cousin
younger than younger than
self self
gōnggong ⹌⹌ father-in-law yuèfù 䊡⶙ father-in-law
(husband’s (wife’s father)
father)
pópo 㠦㠦 mother-in-law yuèmǔ 䊡㚙 mother-in-law
(husband’s (wife’s mother)
mother)
Use and structure

4.1. shéi (㯎) who?
Shéi (㯎) who?, like shénme (㬓㗕) what?, is a content question word. Like shénme and all
content question words in Chinese, shéi occurs in the position where the answer goes.
Question: Answer:
Shéi huì shuō Rìběn huà? Gāo Měill̀ huì shuō Rìběn huà.
㯎。㯖㦶⡟⿑ᷠ ⷀ㗡㏗。㯖㦶⡟⿑᱄
Who can speak Japanese? Gao Meili can speak Japanese.
Tā shì shéi? Tā shì Gāo Měill̀.
㰞㬨㯎ᷠ 㰞㬨ⷀ㗡㏗᱄
Who is she? She is Gao Meili.
Tā shì shéi de tóngwū? Tā shì wǒ de tóngwū.
㰜㬨㯎⭥㵍㸾ᷠ 㰜㬨㸳⭥㵍㸾᱄
Whose roommate is he? He is my roommate.
Think about the word order of the answer when you ask a question with shéi.
Tā shì shéi? 9Shéi shì tā?
㰞㬨㯎ᷠ 9㯎㬨㰞ᷠ
Who is she?
In the dialogue in this lesson, Zhang Dawei uses shéi as a one-word question Who? to ask
who is at the door. (ya [䁞] can be omitted.) In English, we would probably ask Who’s
there?
Zhāng Dàwéi: Shéi (ya)? (㯎 (䁞)?)

Who’s there?
When the speaker has no idea who someone is, the form of the shéi question is:
subject shì shéi? (subject㬨㯎ᷠ)

Who is (the subject)?

Tā shì shéi? 9Shéi shì tā?
㰞㬨㯎ᷠ 9㯎㬨㰞ᷠ
Who is she?
Nı̌ de tóngwū shì shéi? 9Shéi shì nı̌ de tóngwū?
㛄⭥㵍㸾㬨㯎ᷠ 9㯎㬨㛄⭥㵍㸾ᷠ
Who is your roommate?
That is the typical order of information in a shéi question. However, let’s say the speaker
and her friend are at a party, and the speaker knows that one of the people in the party is
her friend’s roommate. She is asking her friend to identify her roommate from among the
people at the party. In that case, she can ask:
Shéi shì nı̌ de tóngwū?

㯎㬨㛄⭥㵍㸾ᷠ
Who (which person here) is your roommate?
Practice Workbook: Focus on Structure 4.1, 4.2; Focus on Communication 4.3, 4.4.
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RKBO
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Website: Listening for Information 4.3; Structure Drills 4.3; Focus on

Structure 4.1; Communication through Reading and Writing 4.3.
4.2. zǎo (䋈) good morning

Zǎo (䋈) is a very common way to greet people in the early part of the morning. As a greet-
ing, it means good morning. Zǎo is also an adjectival verb and means early.
4.3. Qı̌ng jìn (㤌㆙) Please come in

Qı̌ng jìn (㤌㆙) is a polite way to invite someone to enter a room, house, etc. Use it when
you are inside, inviting someone else to come in. Qı̌ng (㤌) is often used to make requests
more polite. We have already seen it in Lesson 2, as part of the polite expression used before
asking a question, qı̌ng wèn (㤌㸫) please may I ask.
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Practice Workbook: Focus on Communication 4.3, 4.4. Website: Communication
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through Reading and Writing 4.2, 4.3.
4.4. zhè (䎃) this and nà (㚨) that

In this lesson we learn to use the words zhè (䎃) this and nà (㚨) that as the subject of a
sentence.
Zhè is used to refer to people or things that are close to the speaker.
Zhè shì wǒ de tóngwū, Xiè Guóqiáng. (䎃㬨㸳⭥㵍㸾᷍㾜⺛㣠᱄)

This is my roommate, Xie Guoqiang.
Nà is used to refer to people or things that are some distance from the speaker.
Nà shì nı̌ de zhàopiàn ma? (㚨㬨㛄⭥䍶㠍㕑ᷠ)

Is that your photograph?
When used in this way, zhè and nà are called demonstratives. We will see another use of
these words in Lesson 7.
Practice Workbook: Focus on Structure 4.1, 4.4; Focus on Communication

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RKBO
4.4. Website: Listening for Information 4.3, 4.6; Structure Drills 4.3,
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4.4; Focus on Structure 4.1, 4.2; Communication through Reading and

Writing 4.2.
4.5. Expressing possession and asking about possession

Expressing possession
To indicate that some noun is the possession of a noun or pronoun, say:
noun/pronoun de (⭥) noun

(possessor) de (⭥) (possession)
Zhāng Dàwéi de zhàopiàn (䍦⫔㸋⭥䍶㠍)

Zhang Dawei’s photograph
wǒ de tóngwū (㸳⭥㵍㸾)
my roommate
Notice that pronoun + de (⭥) is translated in English with possessive pronouns.

pronoun + de (⭥) + noun
wǒ de (zhàopiàn) my (photograph) wǒmen de (zhàopiàn) our (photograph)

㸳⭥᷉䍶㠍᷊ 㸳㗨⭥᷉䍶㠍᷊
nı̌ de (zhàopiàn) your (photograph) nı̌men de (zhàopiàn) your (photograph)
㛄⭥᷉䍶㠍᷊ 㛄㗨⭥᷉䍶㠍᷊
tā de (zhàopiàn) tāmen de (zhàopiàn) their (photograph)
his/her (photograph) 㰜㗨⭥᷉䍶㠍᷊
㰜᷐㰞⭥᷉䍶㠍᷊
Zhè shì wǒ de tóngwū, Xiè Guóqiáng.

䎃㬨㸳⭥㵍㸾᷍㾜⺛㣠᱄
Nà shì nı̌ de zhàopiàn ba.
㚨㬨㛄⭥䍶㠍➪᱄
That must be your photograph.
The particle de is sometimes omitted when the relationship between the pronoun and the
following noun is very close. It is typically omitted when expressing family relationships.
wǒ dìdi (㸳⭽⭽) my younger brother

nı̌ mèimei (㛄㗤㗤) your younger sister
wǒmen jiā (㸳㗨コ) our family
The noun that is the possession may be omitted from the phrase when it is understood
from the conversation or the text. Notice how pronoun + de is translated in English when
the possession is omitted.
wǒ de (㸳⭥) mine wǒmen de (㸳㗨⭥) ours

nı̌ de (㛄⭥) yours nı̌men de (㛄㗨⭥) yours
tā de (㰜⭥᷐㰞⭥᷐㰝⭥) his/hers/its tāmen de (㰜㗨⭥) theirs
Zhè shì wǒ de. (䎃㬨㸳⭥᱄)

This is mine.
Nà shì tāmen de. (㚨㬨㰜㗨⭥᱄)
That’s theirs.
Asking about possession

To ask who something belongs to, use the expression shéi de (㯎⭥ᷠ) whose. Remem-
ber that the question phrase occurs in the position in the sentence where the answer
will occur.
Zhè shì shéi de zhàopiàn? (䎃㬨㯎⭥䍶㠍ᷠ)
Whose photograph is this?
Nı̌ shì shéi de tóngwū? (㛄㬨㯎⭥㵍㸾ᷠ)
Whose roommate are you?
Answer a shéi de question with a pronoun/noun + de:
Q: Zhè shì shéi de zhàopiàn? (䎃㬨㯎⭥䍶㠍ᷠ)
Whose photograph is this?
A: Zhè shì wǒ de zhàopiàn. (䎃㬨㸳⭥䍶㠍᱄)
This is my photograph.
A: Zhè shì Zhāng Dàwéi de zhàopiàn. (䎃㬨䍦⫔㸋⭥䍶㠍᱄)
This is Zhang Dawei’s photograph.
Practice Workbook: Focus on Structure 4.1, 4.2, 4.3; Focus on Communication

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RKBO
4.2–4.5. Website: Listening for Information 4.6; Structure Drills 4.1, 4.2;
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Focus on Structure 4.1, 4.2; Communication through Reading and Writing

4.1, 4.2, 4.3.
4.6. Introductions and acknowledgements

Introduce others in Mandarin as you do in English, by saying “This is ___________.”
Zhè shì wǒ de tóngwū, Xiè Guóqiáng. (䎃㬨㸳⭥㵍㸾᷍㾜⺛㣠᱄)
Practice Workbook: Focus on Structure 4.1, 4.2; Focus on Communication 4.1, 4.2,
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RKBO
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4.5. Website: Listening for Information 4.5, 4.6; Communication through

Reading and Writing 4.1, 4.2.
4.7. Responding to introductions

When you meet someone for the first time, you can say Nı̌ hǎo (㛄⼤) (Lesson 1), or you can
use the expression:
Hěn gāoxìng rènshi nı̌. (⼽ⷀ㾬㦰㬗㛄᱄)

I am very happy to meet you.
or
Rènshi nı̌ hěn gāoxìng. (㦰㬗㛄⼽ⷀ㾬᱄)
If you are introduced to more than one person, you can say:
Hěn gāoxìng rènshi nı̌men. (⼽ⷀ㾬㦰㬗㛄㗨᱄

)
4.8. Two meanings of the verb rènshi (㦰㬗)

The verb rènshi (㦰㬗) includes two different but related meanings. Rènshi means meet
someone for the first time, and it means know a person (or a place, or a Chinese character). It is
easy to see how it can have both meanings: once you meet someone, you know them. In the
expression hěn gāoxìng rènshi nı̌ (⼽ⷀ㾬㦰㬗㛄), rènshi can be translated as either meet
or know. That is, you can think of the expression as meaning I am happy to meet you or I am
happy to know you. In some sentences, only one or the other English translation of rènshi is
possible.
4.9. The sentence-final particle ba (➪) and expressing assumptions

Ba (➪) always occurs at the end of the sentence. One function of ba is to mark the sentence
as the speaker’s assumption or educated guess. In the dialogue, Chen Ming ends his sen-
tence with ba because he is pretty certain that the photograph belongs to Dawei, but he does
not know it for a fact.
Nà shì nı̌ de zhàopiàn ba. (㚨㬨㛄⭥䍶㠍➪᱄)

That is your photograph I assume. (or) That must be your photograph.
We will see other functions of ba in later lessons.

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RKBO Practice Workbook: Focus on Communication 4.3, 4.4. Website: Structure Drills
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4.6; Communication through Reading and Writing 4.2.
4.10. yǒu (䇱) have and méi yǒu (㗜䇱) not have
Yǒu (䇱) means have, and it is used just like have in English when indicating one’s family
members or other possessions.
Wǒ yǒu mèimei. (㸳䇱㗤㗤᱄)

I have younger sisters. (or) I have a younger sister.
Yǒu is always negated with the word méi (㗜) and is never negated with bù (⤜):
Wǒ méi yǒu jiějie. (㸳㗜䇱ㆄㆄ᱄)

I do not have older sisters. (or) I do not have an older sister.
You may form a yes-no question with yǒu by adding ma (㕑) at the end of the question.
Nı̌ yǒu gēge hé dìdi ma? (㛄䇱ⷈⷈ⼮⭽⭽㕑ᷠ)

Do you have older brothers and younger brothers?
The verb-not-verb form of yes-no questions with yǒu (䇱) is yǒu méi yǒu (䇱㗜䇱).
Nı̌ yǒu méi yǒu gēge hé dìdi? (㛄䇱㗜䇱ⷈⷈ⼮⭽⭽ᷠ)

Do you have older brothers and younger brothers?
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RKBO
Practice Workbook: Focus on Communication 4.1, 4.2, 4.3. Website: Listening for
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Information 4.1, 4.2, 4.3; Structure Drills 4.4, 4.5; Focus on Structure 4.3.
4.11. More about adjectival verbs

In Lesson 1 we referred to hǎo (⼤) as an adjectival verb (AdjV) because it translates into an
adjective in English but can serve as the main verb of a sentence without the “helping verb”
shì (㬨) be. (Use and Structure 1.11.) The words ǎi (➌) short, gāo (ⷀ) tall, and piàoliang
(㠐㑢) pretty, beautiful introduced in this lesson are all adjectival verbs.
Nı̌ gēge hěn gāo. (㛄ⷈⷈ⼽ⷀ᱄)

Your older brother is very tall.
Nı̌ māma hěn piàoliang. (㛄㕉㕉⼽㠐㑢᱄)
Your mom is very pretty.
Adjectival verbs refer to properties that may vary in degree or intensity. That is, someone
may be extremely tall, very tall, somewhat tall, rather tall, etc. Therefore, adjectival verbs
may be preceded and modified by intensifiers, words like extremely, very, somewhat, and
rather, which indicate differences in degree or intensity.
When adjectival verbs serve as the main verb of a sentence, they must be preceded either
by negation or by an intensifier. The most commonly used intensifier is hěn (⼽) very.
To negate an adjectival verb, precede it with bù (⤜):
Nı̌ dìdi yě bù ǎi. (㛄⭽⭽䄓⤜➌᱄)

Your younger brother is also not short.
Wǒ mèimei bù gāo. (㸳㗤㗤⤜ⷀ᱄)
My younger sister is not tall.
To ask a ma (㕑) yes-no question about an adjectival verb, simply end the sentence with ma:
Nı̌ mèimei gāo ma? (㛄㗤㗤ⷀ㕑ᷠ)

Is your younger sister tall?
To ask a verb-not-verb yes-no question about an adjectival verb, say:
AdjV bù (⤜) AdjV

Nı̌ mèimei gāo bù gāo? (㛄㗤㗤ⷀ⤜ⷀᷠ)
Is your younger sister tall?
Be careful not to include shì (㬨) before an adjectival verb.

Nı̌ māma hěn piàoliang. 9Nı̌ māma shì hěn piàoliang.
㛄㕉㕉⼽㠐㑢᱄ 㛄㕉㕉㬨⼽㠐㑢᱄
Your mom is very pretty.
There is a structure in which shì is used, but it carries a special meaning. We will learn it
in a later lesson.
Practice Workbook: Focus on Structure 4.1, 4.2, 4.3; Focus on Communication 4.1,
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RKBO
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4.2, 4.5. Website: Listening for Information 4.7, 4.8; Structure Drills 4.7;
4.12. The final particle ya (䁞) to soften the tone of statements or questions
Ya (䁞), like ba (➪) (Use and Structure 4.9), is a sentence-final particle. Unlike ba, ya has
a social function rather than a precise meaning: it serves to soften a question or state-
ment. When following a content question word such as shéi (㯎) who, it serves to make
the question feel less abrupt. The sentence-final particle ya follows words that end in a
high vowel or high vowel cluster such as ei. The particle a (➂) has the same function and
follows words that end in a consonant or certain vowel clusters. We will include both of
these particles in the dialogues when appropriate. Chinese speakers often use the parti-
cles ya (䁞) and a (➂), though neither are grammatically required, and their inclusion or
omission does not affect the acceptability of sentences. Native speakers differ in their use
of these particles, and there are regional and gender differences in their use. Follow your
Chinese teacher and other native speakers of Mandarin as models for the use of these fi-
nal particles.
Chinese characters
Radicals: Component parts that convey meaning
In this lesson, we continue to look at the component parts of characters. Here are 20 char-
acters included in Lesson 4, followed by their component parts. Some component parts
convey meaning, and we have indicated the meanings of these components below. These
component parts are called “radicals.”
➪ ㋻᷍➮ 㦰䜆᷍㦬
⭥ ➸᷍ 㬗䜆᷍㋻᷍➬
コ体᷍孚 ➷ ⶙᷍➮
㕉㝏᷍㕎 ㆙ 佢᷍㈏
㯎䜆尠㠐一᷍㹘᷍㬟
ⷀ 䚐㋻᷍䗈᷍㋻㗜一゙᷍᷍䇷
䎃佢᷍㸥㸾㬍᷍䐢
䍶㦶᷍⭗᷍㋻᷍哂㵍䗈᷍䄜᷍㋻
䋈㦶᷍㬏䇱 ᷍䊣
ㆄ 㝏᷍㣳䁈 ᷍䓴
Meanings of selected radicals

㋻ mouth 䜆 language
➸ white 㦶 sun
体 roof 䊣 moon
㝏 female 䓴 child
㕎 horse 一 water
㦬 person 哂 fire
Qa Language FAQs
Mainland Mandarin and Taiwan Mandarin
Mandarin is the national language in both mainland China and in Taiwan. In main-
land China, Mandarin is referred to as Pǔtōng huà (㠶㵉⿑). In Taiwan, it is called
Guóyǔ (⺛䈐). Pǔtōng huà and Guóyǔ differ in their use of some vocabulary, gram-
matical structures, and pronunciation, but the differences are relatively small. If
you learn one variation of Mandarin, you can understand people who speak the
other variation, much the same way that people in different parts of the English-
speaking world can understand each other when they speak English. Mandarin also
has small vocabulary and pronunciation differences in different parts of mainland
China.
The word for roommate is one that differs in mainland China and Taiwan. We learn
the word tóngwū (㵍㸾) for roommate in this lesson. In Taiwan and many parts of
mainland China, a roommate is a shìyǒu (㬳䇲).
Gender, relative age, and the order of kinship terms

In traditional Chinese society, gender and age determine status, with males tradi-
tionally holding a higher place in society than women, and older people holding a
higher place than younger people of the same gender. When talking about mem-
bers of your family or someone else’s family, males of the same generation are
always listed before females: bàba māma (➷➷㕉㕉) father and mother, gēge jiějie
(ⷈⷈㆄㆄ) older brother and older sister. Older brothers are always mentioned be-
fore younger brothers, and older sisters are always mentioned before younger
sisters: gēge dìdi jiějie mèimei (ⷈⷈ⭽⭽ㆄㆄ㗤㗤) older brother, younger brother,
older sister, younger sister.
Responding to expressions of thanks

In Chinese culture, if someone thanks you, you do not say, “You’re welcome.”
Instead, the way to respond to an expression of thanks is to indicate that thanks
are not necessary. Using the vocabulary that we have learned through this lesson,
if someone thanks you, you can say Bù xiè (⤜㾜) Don’t thank me. We will learn
additional conversational expressions that can be used to respond to an expres-
sion of thanks in later lessons.

Part A
Zhang Dawei: Who is it?
Chen Ming: Dawei, it’s us, Chen Ming and Wang Maike.
Zhang Dawei: Chen Ming, Maike, good morning! Come in!
Chen Ming: Good morning!
Zhang Dawei: Welcome! Welcome! This is my roommate, Xie Guoqiang. He is a Bei-
jinger. They are my classmates, Chen Ming and Wang Maike. They are
both Americans.
Xie Guoqiang: What are they studying?
Zhang Dawei: They are both studying Chinese.
Xie Guoqiang: Very good, we can speak Chinese. I am glad to meet you.
Wang Maike: Hi. I’m glad to meet you.
Part B
Chen Ming: Dawei, that must be your photograph.
Zhang Dawei: Yes. This is my dad, this is my mom.
Chen Ming: Your mom is very pretty.
Wang Maike Who is he?
Zhang Dawei: He is my older brother.
Wang Maike: Your older brother is very tall.
Zhang Dawei: He is my younger brother.
Wang Maike: He’s also not short. Chen Ming, do you have older brothers or younger
brothers?
Chen Ming: I don’t have older brothers or younger brothers. I also don’t have any
older sisters. I only have a younger sister.
Lesson 5
Nı̌ jiā yǒu jı̌
gè rén?
㛄コ䇱゙⷗㦬ᷠ
How many
people are in
your family?
Communication goals
Q Talk about the number of people in your family.
Q Recite phone numbers and ask others for their phone numbers.
Q Informally invite someone to do something with you if they have time.
Pronunciation goals
Q Distinguish tone changes in the pronunciation of the number one.
Q Distinguish and pronounce final er and finals that begin with o, i, ü,
and u.
Literacy goals
Q Identify the shape and meaning of some common component parts
that originated as pictures of things.
Key structures
Q numbers: 1–10 and zero
Q number + classifier + noun: yı̄ gè rén (䄜⷗㦬) one person
Q yǒu (䇱) have, has, had
Q question words: jı̌ (゙) how many, zěnme (䋖㗕) how, and duōshao (ⱁ㩺)
how much, how many
Q describing nouns with pronouns and nouns
Q stative verbs: xı̌huān (㻓⿗) like
Q gěi (someone) dǎ diànhuà (ⷙ [someone] ⫓⮈⿑) phone someone
Q kěyı̌ (㋪䄵) can
Q tài (AdjV) le! (㲌 [AdjV] 㑬᷂ ) too [adjectival verb]!
Dialogue
The situation: Zhang Dawei, Wang Maike, Chen Ming, and Xie Guoqiang continue
their conversation about their families in Dawei and Guoqiang’s dorm room. Be-
fore Wang Maike and Chen Ming leave, they exchange cell phone numbers with
Guoqiang.
Lesson 5 Nı̌ jiā yǒu jı̌ gè rén? 㛄コ䇱゙⷗㦬ᷠ How many people are in your family? 65
Part A
Wáng Màikè: Dàwéi, nà, nı̌ jiā yǒu wǔ gè rén ba. 㶖㕔㋬ᷛ⫔㸋᷍㚨᷍㛄コ䇱㹆⷗㦬➪᱄
Zhāng Dàwéi: Duì, wǒ jiā yǒu wǔ gè rén. 䍦⫔㸋ᷛⰵ᷍㸳コ䇱㹆⷗㦬᱄
Wǒ bàba māma zhı̌ yǒu érzi, méi 㸳➷➷㕉㕉䐜䇱ⱚ䓴᷍㗜
yǒu nǚ’ér. Màikè, nı̌ jiā yǒu jı̌ gè rén? 䇱㝏ⱚ᱄㕔㋬᷍㛄コ䇱゙⷗㦬ᷠ
Wáng Màikè: Wǒ jiā yǒu shí gè rén. 㶖㕔㋬ᷛ㸳コ䇱㬏⷗㦬᱄
Zhāng Dàwéi: Shí gè rén! Zhēnde ma? 䍦⫔㸋ᷛ㬏⷗㦬᷂䎇⭥㕑ᷠ
Wáng Màikè: Zhēnde. Wǒ bàba māma hěn 㶖㕔㋬ᷛ䎇⭥᱄㸳➷➷㕉㕉⼽
xı̌huān háizi. Wǒmen jiā yǒu bā gè 㻓⿗⼃䓴᱄㸳㗨コ䇱➬⷗
háizi, wǔ gè nán háizi, sān gè ⼃䓴᷍㹆⷗㚱⼃䓴᷍㧞⷗
nǚháizi. Wǒ yǒu sì gè gēge, liǎng 㝏⼃䓴᱄㸳䇱㯥⷗ⷈⷈ᷍㑞
gè jiějie, hé yı̄ gè mèimei. ⷗ㆄㆄ᷍⼮䄜⷗㗤㗤᱄
Part A Vocabulary
bā eight number ➬ ➬
érzi son noun ⱚ䓴 ‫כ‬䓴
gè/ge (classifier for classifier ⷗ ӡ
people and some
other nouns)
háizi child noun ⼃䓴⼃䓴
jı̌ how many question word ゙ ุ
jiā family, home noun ココ
liǎng two number 㑞 ‫ת‬
nà well then pause particle 㚨㚨
nán male adjective 㚱㚱
nán háizi boy (male noun phrase 㚱⼃䓴㚱⼃䓴
child)
nǚ female adjective 㝏㝏

nǚ’ér daughter noun 㝏ⱚ 㝏‫כ‬
nǚ háizi girl (female noun phrase 㝏⼃䓴㝏⼃䓴
child)
sān three number 㧞㧞
shí ten number 㬏㬏
sì four number 㯥㯥
wǔ five number 㹆㹆
xı̌huān like stative verb 㻓⿗㻓ᛈ
yı̄ one number 䄜䄜
Part B
Chén Míng: Guóqiáng, nı̌ jiā ne? ⧣㘘ᷛ ⺛㣠᷍㛄コ㚹ᷠ

Zhāng Dàwéi: Wǒ zhı̄dào. Guóqiáng jiā yǒu sān gè rén, 䍦⫔㸋ᷛ㸳䐋⭡᱄⺛㣠コ䇱㧞⷗㦬᷍
bàba, māma hé tā. Duì bù duì? ➷➷᷍㕉㕉⼮㰜᱄ⰵ⤜ⰵᷠ
Xiè Guóqiáng: Duì. Wǒ jiā zhı̌ yǒu sān kǒu rén, bàba, 㾜⺛㣠ᷛⰵ᱄㸳コ䐜䇱㧞㋻㦬᷍➷➷᷍
māma hé wǒ. 㕉㕉⼮㸳᱄
Chén Míng: Nı̌ zěnme zhı̄dào tā jiā zhı̌ yǒu yı̄ ⧣㘘ᷛ 㛄䋖㗕䐋⭡㰜コ䐜䇱䄜
gè háizi? ⷗⼃䓴ᷠ
Zhāng Dàwéi: Guóqiáng shì Zhōngguó rén. Wǒ de 䍦⫔㸋ᷛ⺛㣠㬨䐱⺛㦬᱄㸳⭥
Zhōngguó péngyou dōu méi yǒu gēge, 䐱⺛㞔䇲Ⱍ㗜䇱ⷈⷈ᷍
dìdi, yě méi yǒu jiějie, mèimei. ⭽⭽᷍䄓㗜䇱ㆄㆄ᷍㗤㗤᱄
Part B Vocabulary
kǒu mouth, (classifier classifier ㋻㋻
for people in a
household)
péngyou friend noun 㞔䇲㞔䇲
zěnme how question word 䋖㗕䋖怯
zhı̄dào know verb 䐋⭡ 䐋⭡
Use and Structure 5.3, 5.8–5.10
Part C
Xiè Guóqiáng: Chén Míng, Màikè, wǒ de diànhuà 㾜⺛㣠ᷛ⧣㘘᷍㕔㋬᷍㸳⭥⮈⿑

hàomǎ shì yāo líng wǔ sì bā wǔ ⼦㕌㬨僼䄜㒄㹆㯥➬㹆
líng liù jiǔ èr bā, yǒu kòng kěyı̌ 㒄㒚㈦ⱟ➬᷍䇱㋶㋪䄵
gěi wǒ dǎ diànhuà. Wǒ jiāo nı̌men ⷙ㸳⫓⮈⿑᱄㸳ㅭ㛄㗨
shuō Zhōngwén, nı̌men yě kěyı̌ 㯖䐱㸥㛄㗨䄓㋪䄵
jiāo wǒ Yı̄ngwén. ㅭ㸳䇃㸥᱄
Chén Míng: Nà tài hǎo le. Nı̌ de diànhuà hàomǎ ⧣㘘ᷛ 㚨㲌⼤㑬᱄㛄⭥⮈⿑⼦㕌
shì yāo líng wǔ sì bā wǔ líng liù 㬨䄜㒄㹆㯥➬㹆㒄㒚
jiǔ èr bā, duì bù duì? ㈦ⱟ➬᷍ⰵ⤜ⰵᷠ
Xiè Guóqiáng: Duì. Nı̌men de diànhuà hàomǎ shì 㾜⺛㣠ᷛⰵ᱄㛄㗨⭥⮈⿑⼦㕌㬨
duōshao? ⱁ㩺ᷠ
Chén Míng: Wǒ méi yǒu shǒujı̄, Màikè yǒu. Tā ⧣㘘ᷛ 㸳㗜䇱㬷〛᷍㕔㋬䇱᱄㰜
de hàomǎ shì yı̄ sān èr sì bā liù qı̄ ⭥⼦㕌㬨䄜㧞ⱟ㯥➬㒚㡀㈦
jiǔ jiǔ líng sān. ㈦∷㧞᱄
Xiè Guóqiáng: Hǎo. Xièxie. 㾜⺛㣠ᷛ⼤᱄㾜㾜᱄
Part C Vocabulary
dǎ hit verb ⫓ ⫓
diànhuà telephone noun ⮈⿑厫䉳
duōshǎo how much, how many question word ⱁ㩺 ⱁ㩺
èr two number ⱟ ⱟ
gěi (part of the expression preposition ⷙ ㄐ
geˇi [someone] daˇ
diànhuà)
hàomǎ number noun ⼦㕌㱷⩂
jiāo teach verb ㅭ ㅭ
jiǔ nine number ㈦㈦
kěyı̌ can (permission) modal verb ㋪䄵㋪䄵
kòng free time noun ㋶㋶
líng zero number 㒄∷ 㒄∷
liù six number 㒚㒚
qı̄ seven number 㡀㡀
shǒujı̄ cell phone, mobile noun 㬷〛㬷ᗤ
phone
tài too intensifier 㲌㲌
tài hǎo le great conversational 㲌⼤㑬㲌⼤㑬
expression
yāo one (alternate number 僼僼

pronunciation when
reciting phone
numbers and
addresses)
yǒu kòng have free time verb phrase 䇱㋶䇱㋶
Compound nouns
diànhuà ⮈⿑⼦㕌 telephone number
hàomǎ
shǒujı̄ hàomǎ 㬷〛⼦㕌 cell phone (mobile
phone) number
Fixed expressions
Nı̌ de diànhuà hàomǎ shì duōshao? (㛄⭥⮈⿑⼦㕌㬨ⱁ㩺ᷠ)
What is your phone number?
Nı̌ de shǒujı̄ hàomǎ shì duōshao? (㛄⭥㬷〛⼦㕌㬨ⱁ㩺ᷠ
)
What is your cell phone (mobile phone) number?
gěi (ⷙ) someone dǎ diànhuà (⫓⮈⿑)
phone (someone)
The numbers 1–10 and zero

1 yı̄ 䄜 6 liù 㒚
2 èr ⱟ 7 qı̄ 㡀
3 sān 㧞 8 bā ➬
4 sì 㯥 9 jiǔ ㈦
5 wǔ 㹆 10 shí 㬏
0 líng 㒄
Use and structure

5.1. nà (㚨) well then
When nà (㚨) occurs at the beginning of a statement followed by a pause, it is equivalent to
the English expression well then.
Nà, nı̌ jiā yǒu wǔ gè rén ba. (㚨᷍㛄コ䇱㹆⷗㦬➪᱄)

Well then, your family must have five people.
5.2. yǒu (䇱) have, there is/there are

The verb yǒu (䇱) can sometimes be translated into English as have and sometimes as there
is or there are. In the following sentence from the dialogue, yǒu can be translated either way.
Wǒ jiā yǒu wǔ gè rén. (㸳コ䇱㹆⷗㦬᱄)
There are five people in my family. (or) My family has five people.
No matter how it is translated into English, yǒu is always negated with méi (㗜):
Tā jiā méi yǒu nǚ háizi. (㰜コ㗜䇱㝏⼃䓴᱄)
There are no girls in his family. (or) His family does not have any girls.
5.3. Number + classifier + noun and the classifiers gè (⷗) and kǒu (㋻)
In Mandarin, when indicating the number of people or things, the number must be fol-
lowed by a classifier. Number + classifier forms a phrase, and is followed by a noun.
number + classifier + noun
Gè (⷗) is the most commonly used classifier to indicate the number of people. It is also used
when talking about the number of many other things, including shǒujı̄ (㬷〛) cell phones.
number + gè (⷗) + noun
yı̄ gè rén (䄜⷗㦬) one person
liǎng gè dìdi (㑞⷗⭽⭽) two younger brothers
sān gè háizi (㧞⷗⼃䓴) three children
sì gè tóngwū (㯥⷗㵍㸾) four roommates
wǔ gè tóngxué (㹆⷗㵍䁈) five classmates
liù gè shǒujı̄ (㒚⷗㬷〛) six cell phones
Although we write the classifier gè in pinyin with the fourth tone, it is normally spoken in
neutral tone.
Kǒu (㋻) mouth is also sometimes used when talking about the number of people, espe-
cially the number of people in a family. It is not normally used in Taiwan. Xie Guoqiang,
Dawei’s roommate, is Chinese and he uses kǒu when referring to the number of people in
his family. See Notes on Chinese culture for more about the use of kǒu.
Wǒ jiā zhı̌ yǒu sān kǒu rén. (㸳コ䐜䇱㧞㋻㦬᱄)
My family only has three people.
Many classifiers, including the classifiers gè and kǒu, are not translated into English. How-
ever, whenever a Mandarin phrase indicates the number of nouns, the classifier must be
present and cannot be omitted even if it is not translated into English.
The noun following the classifier can be omitted, however, if its identity is clear from the
context.
Wǒ jiā yǒu wǔ gè rén. Tā jiā yǒu sān gè (rén).
㸳コ䇱㹆⷗㦬᱄㰜コ䇱㧞⷗᷉㦬᷊᱄
My family has five people. His family has three (people).
Note that some textbooks refer to classifiers as “measure words.”
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Website: Structure Drills 5.3, 5.4; Focus on Structure 5.4; Communication

5.4. jı̌ (゙) how much, how many?

Jı̌ (゙) is a content question word and it means how much? or how many? It must be fol-
lowed by a classifier:
jı̌ + classifier + noun
When asking about the number of people, say:
jı̌ gè (゙⷗) + noun
jı̌ gè rén (゙⷗㦬) how many people?
jı̌ gè háizi (゙⷗⼃䓴) how many children?
jı̌ gè tóngwū (゙⷗㵍㸾) how many roommates?
jı̌ gè péngyou (゙⷗㞔䇲) how many friends?
To answer a jı̌ question, replace jı̌ with a number:
Nı̌ jiā yǒu jı̌ gè rén? (㛄コ䇱゙⷗㦬ᷠ)
How many people does your family have?
Wǒ jiā yǒu wǔ gè rén. (㸳コ䇱㹆⷗㦬᱄ )
My family has five people.
Jı̌ is usually used when the speaker expects the answer to be a relatively small number,
typically less than 20. We will learn another way to ask how much?/how many? in Lesson 6.
Practice Workbook: Focus on Structure 5.2; Focus on Communication 5.1, 5.5. Web-
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site: Listening for Information 5.4; Structure Drills 5.3, 5.4; Focus on Struc-
ture 5.4; Communication through Reading and Writing 5.3.
5.5. Adjectives: nán (㚱) male and nǚ (㝏) female

Most Mandarin words that translate into adjectives in English are adjectival verbs. That is,
they can be used to describe nouns and can also function as the main verb in the sentence.
But nán (㚱) male and nǚ (㝏) female are adjectives, not adjectival verbs. They can only be
used to describe nouns and can never be used as the main verb of the sentence. Nán and
nǚ are typically followed by a noun that refers to people:
nán háizi (㚱⼃䓴) boy nǚ háizi (㝏⼃䓴) girl
nán péngyou (㚱㞔䇲) boyfriend nǚ péngyou (㝏㞔䇲) girlfriend
To say that someone is male (is a man) or that someone is female (is a woman), follow nán
or nǚ with de (⭥) and say:
Tā shì nán de. (㰜㬨㚱⭥᱄
) Tā shì nǚ de. (㰞㬨㝏⭥᱄
)
He is male. She is female.
5.6. liǎng (㑞) and èr (ⱟ): Two words for two

Mandarin has two words for the number two, liǎng (㑞) and èr (ⱟ). Both are introduced in
this lesson. Liǎng is used when indicating two of something, for example, two people, two
students, two classmates, etc. It is always followed by gè (⷗) or another classifier.
Wǒ yǒu liǎng gè jiějie. (㸳䇱㑞⷗ㆄㆄ᱄
)
I have two older sisters.
Èr is used when the number two is not followed by a classifier. In this chapter, we see èr
used when reciting a list of numbers such as numbers in a phone number.
Wǒ de diànhuà hàomǎ shì yāo líng wǔ sì bā wǔ líng liù jiǔ èr bā.
㸳⭥⮈⿑⼦㕌㬨僼(䄜)㒄㹆㯥➬㹆㒄㒚㈦ⱟ➬᱄
My phone number is 1 0 5 4 8 5 0 6 9 2 8.
When counting (1–10 for example), the number two is always èr:
yı̄ èr sān sì wǔ liù qı̄ bā jiǔ shí

䄜 ⱟ 㧞㯥㹆㒚㡀 ➬ ㈦㬏
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Here is the rule for choosing between liǎng and èr:

2 + classifier → liǎng (classifier) (liǎng ge 㑞⷗)
2 without classifier → èr (yı̄ èr sān 䄜ⱟ㧞)
Practice Website: Listening for Information 5.1, 5.2, 5.7; Structure Drills 5.1–5.4.
5.7. Stative verbs: xı̌huān (㻓⿗) like

Mandarin has three kinds of verbs: action verbs (for example, shuō (㯖) say), adjectival
verbs (for example, piàoliang (㠐㑢) pretty), and stative verbs. Xı̌huān (㻓⿗) like is a stative
verb, as is yǒu (䇱) have.
Stative verbs, like adjectival verbs, can be preceded and modified by intensifiers such as
hěn (⼽) very and tài (㲌) too.
Wǒ bàba māma hěn xı̌huān háizi. (㸳➷➷㕉㕉⼽㻓⿗⼃䓴᱄
)
My mom and dad like children a lot.
Notice the difference in the position of the intensifier phrase in Mandarin and in English
when the verb is a stative verb. In Mandarin, be careful to put the intensifier right before
the stative verb.
To negate a sentence with a stative verb, precede the stative verb with bù (⤜) not:
Wǒ bù xı̌huān tā. (㸳⤜㻓⿗㰜᱄
)
I don’t like him.
To ask a yes-no question about a stative verb, end the question with ma (㕑) or ask “stative
verb bù (⤜) stative verb”:
Nı̌ xı̌huān tā ma? (㛄㻓⿗㰜㕑ᷠ )
Nı̌ xı̌huān bù xı̌huān tā? (㛄㻓⿗⤜㻓⿗㰜ᷠ)
Do you like him?
5.8. zhı̄ dào (䐋⭡) know a fact and rènshi (㦰㬗) know a person
In Lesson 3 we learned to use the word rènshi (㦰㬗) when talking about knowing people.
The verb zhı̄dào (䐋⭡) is used when saying that you know a fact or a piece of information.
Wáng Màikè: Xiè Guóqiáng, nı̌ jiā yǒu jı̌ gè rén? (㾜⺛㣠᷍㛄コ䇱゙⷗㦬ᷠ )
Xie Guoqiang, how many people do you have in your family?
Zhāng Dàwéi: Wǒ zhı̄dào. Guóqiáng jiā yǒu sān gè rén. (㸳䐋⭡᱄⺛㣠コ䇱㧞⷗㦬᱄ )
I know. Guoqiang’s family has three people.
The verb zhı̄dào may be followed by a statement, or a by a yes-no question with ma (㕑).
Wǒ zhı̄dào tā shì xuésheng. (㸳䐋⭡㰞㬨䁈㪛᱄ )
I know that she is a student.
Nı̌ zhı̄dào tā de diànhuà hàomǎ ma? (㛄䐋⭡㰜⭥⮈⿑⼦㕌㕑ᷠ)
Do you know his telephone number?
In English, statements and questions about knowing are often introduced with the
word that.
Wǒ zhı̄dào tā shì Měiguó rén. (㸳䐋⭡㰞㬨㗡⺛㦬᱄
)
I know (that) she is American.
Nı̌ zhı̄dào tā shì Zhōngguó rén ma? (㛄䐋⭡㰜㬨䐱⺛㦬㕑ᷠ)

Do you know (that) he is Chinese?
Mandarin does not add a word equivalent to that to introduce statements or questions
about knowing. Be sure to follow the Mandarin rule and not the English rule when you
speak or write in Chinese.
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5.3, 5.4.
5.9. Describing nouns with pronouns or nouns

In Lesson 4 we learned how to indicate possession using the structure Noun Phrase/
pronoun de (⭥) Noun (Use and Structure 4.5.) In this lesson, we see that this structure is
used more broadly than just for possession. It is used when a noun phrase or pronoun de-
scribes the noun generally. Here is an example.
noun phrase de (⭥) noun
Zhāng Dàwéi de Zhōngguó péngyou (䍦⫔㸋⭥䐱⺛㞔䇲)
Zhang Dawei’s Chinese friends
The phrase Zhāng Dàwéi provides additional information about the Chinese friends to
help the listener identify them. It answers the question “whose Chinese friends?”
Sometimes, when describing a noun with another noun or noun phrase, it is acceptable to
omit de. For example, when referring to someone’s family, de may be omitted:
Xiè Guóqiáng (de) jiā (㾜⺛㣠᷉⭥᷊コ)
Xie Guoqiang’s family
The omission of de is determined by the closeness of the description and the main noun
and is not entirely predictable. For family members and parts of the body (for example, my
hand) de can be and often is omitted. For other descriptions, include the particle de unless
you have heard Chinese speakers use the expression without de.
Practice Website: Structure Drills 5.6.
5.10. zěnme (䋖㗕) how?

Zěnme (䋖㗕) is a content question word meaning how. Zěnme always occurs before a verb
or verb phrase and typically follows the subject.
(subject) zěnme (䋖㗕) + V/VP

Nı̌ zěnme zhı̄dào tā jiā zhı̌ yǒu yı̄ gè háizi? (㛄䋖㗕䐋⭡㰜コ䐜䇱䄜⷗⼃䓴ᷠ
)
How do you know that his family only has one child?
Zěnme zhı̄dào? (䋖㗕䐋⭡) means how do you know? Zěnme shuō? (䋖㗕㯖) means how do
you say? If you want to ask how to say something in Chinese, ask:
[word or phrase], Zhōngwén zěnme shuō? ([. . .]᷍䐱㸥䋖㗕㯖ᷠ )
“Student” Zhōngwén zěnme shuō? (“Student,”, 䐱㸥䋖㗕㯖ᷠ )
How do you say “student” in Chinese?
If you want to ask how to say something in English, ask:
[word or phrase], Yı̄ngwén zěnme shuō? ([. . .]᷍䇃㸥䋖㗕㯖ᷠ
)
“Háizi” Yı̄ngwén zěnme shuō? (“⼃䓴” ᷍䇃㸥䋖㗕㯖ᷠ )
How do you say “háizi” in English?
Practice Workbook: Focus on Structure 5.4. Website: Listening for Information 5.5,
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5.7; Structure Drills 5.5; Focus on Structure 5.4.
5.11. Reciting phone numbers, and two ways to say the number one in
phone numbers
Phone numbers are recited as they are in English, as a series of numbers:
Wǒ de diànhuà hàomǎ shì yı̄ líng wǔ sì bā wǔ líng liù jiǔ èr bā.
㸳⭥⮈⿑⼦㕌㬨䄜㒄㹆㯥➬㹆㒄㒚㈦ⱟ➬᱄
My phone number is 1 0 5–4 8 5 0–6 9 2 8.
In and around Beijing, when reciting phone numbers, one is often pronounced yāo.
The pronunciation yāo for the number one is also used in room numbers, addresses, and
bus, train, and flight numbers. The number one is pronounced as yı̄ and never as yāo when
it is used in counting, and it is pronounced as yı̄ and never as yāo when it is used in indicat-
ing the number of people, places, or things.
Practice Workbook: Focus on Communication 5.4. Website: Listening for Information

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5.1, 5.2; Focus on Structure 5.1; Communication through Reading and Writ-
ing 5.2.
5.12. líng (㒄) zero

Líng (㒄) zero is used when reciting phone numbers, room numbers, addresses, bus or
train numbers, etc.
My phone number is 105–4850–6928.
Líng is different from the other numbers in the way that it is used. It never occurs before
gè (⷗) or another classifier, and it not used when saying that there are no people or no
things.

Wǒ méi yǒu dìdi. 㸳㗜䇱⭽⭽᱄ 8 Wǒ yǒu líng gè dìdi. 㸳䇱㒄⷗⭽⭽᱄
I don’t have a younger brother.
Practice Workbook: Focus on Structure 5.2, 5.3; Focus on Communication 5.4. Web-
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site: Listening for Information 5.1, 5.2, 5.7; Focus on Structure 5.1; Commu-
nication through Reading and Writing 5.2.
5.13. kěyı̌ (㋪䄵) can

Kěyı̌ (㋪䄵) can is used when indicating permission or acceptable behavior. It always oc-
curs before a verb or verb phrase. When used with the expression gěi (someone) dǎ diàn-
huà (ⷙ [someone] ⫓⮈⿑) phone (someone) or give (someone) a phone call, it occurs before
gěi (ⷙ):
Nı̌ kěyı̌ gěi wǒ dǎ diànhuà. (㛄㋪䄵ⷙ㸳⫓⮈⿑᱄

)
You can phone me.
Kěyı̌ occurs after negation and after adverbs (for example, zhı̌ [䐜] only, yě [䄓] also, dōu
[Ⱍ] both, all, and dāngrán [⭒㦜] of course):
Nı̌ bù kěyı̌ gěi tā dǎ diànhuà. (㛄⤜㋪䄵ⷙ㰜⫓⮈⿑᱄ )

You cannot phone him.
Nı̌ dāngrán kěyı̌ gěi lǎoshı̄ dǎ diànhuà. (㛄⭒㦜㋪䄵ⷙ㎰㬇⫓⮈⿑᱄
)
Of course you can give the teacher a phone call.
Kěyı̌ , like huì (。) can (Lesson 3), is a modal verb. When a sentence contains a modal verb,
the modal verb is the verb that is used in the short answer yes and no.
Q: Wǒ kěyı̌ gěi nı̌ dǎ diànhuà ma? (㸳㋪䄵ⷙ㛄⫓⮈⿑㕑ᷠ)

Can I phone you?
A: Kěyı̌. (㋪䄵᱄ )
Yes, (you) can.
It is also the word that is repeated in verb-not-verb questions:
Wǒ kěyı̌ bù kěyı̌ gěi nı̌ dǎ diànhuà? (㸳㋪䄵⤜㋪䄵ⷙ㛄⫓⮈⿑ᷠ)
Can I phone you?
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site: Communication through Reading and Writing 5.2, 5.3.
5.14. gěi (someone) dǎ diànhuà (ⷙ [someone] ⫓⮈⿑) phone (someone)

Gěi (someone) dǎ diànhuà (ⷙ [someone] ⫓⮈⿑) means phone (someone) or give (someone)
a phone call. To say that Zhang Dawei phones Xie Guoqiang, say:
Zhāng Dàwéi gěi Xiè Guóqiáng dǎ diànhuà. (䍦⫔㸋ⷙ㾜⺛㣠⫓⮈⿑᱄
)
Zhang Dawei phones Xie Guoqiang.
Learn this as a fixed expression. We will learn other uses of gěi (ⷙ) in later lessons.
Practice Workbook: Focus on Structure 5.1, 5.4; Focus on Communication 5.3, 5.4, 5.5.
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Website: Focus on Structure 5.4; Communication through Reading and Writ-

ing 5.3.
5.15. Giving an open-ended invitation with yǒu kòng (䇱㋶) have free time
To informally invite someone to do some action at some time in the future, say:
yǒu kòng (䇱㋶) + action
[Nı̌] yǒu kòng kěyı̌ gěi wǒ dǎ diànhuà. ([㛄]䇱㋶㋪䄵ⷙ㸳⫓⮈⿑᱄
)
(If you) have free time, you can phone me.
Yǒu kòng always occurs before a verb phrase.
While the expression implies if, there is no need to say if in the Chinese sentence.
5.16. Asking for phone numbers

When asking someone for his or her phone number, use the word duōshao (ⱁ㩺) and say:
Nı̌ de diànhuà hàomǎ shì duōshao? (㛄⭥⮈⿑⼦㕌㬨ⱁ㩺ᷠ)
To answer the question, replace the question word with your phone number:
Wǒ de diànhuà hàomǎ shì (yāo líng wǔ sì bā wǔ líng liù jiǔ èr bā).
㸳⭥⮈⿑⼦㕌㬨᷉僼(䄜)㒄㹆㯥➬㹆㒄㒚㈦ⱟ➬᷊᱄
My phone number is (105–4850–6928).
Practice Workbook: Focus on Structure 5.3, 5.4, 5.5; Focus on Communication 5.3, 5.4.
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Website: Listening for Information 5.7; Focus on Structure 5.1, 5.4; Commu-
5.17. tài AdjV le (㲌 AdjV 㑬) too AdjV

Tài (㲌) too, like hěn (⼽) very, is an intensifier and precedes adjectival verbs. When tài is
used, the adjectival verb is often followed by the particle le (㑬). Le does not contribute any
meaning to the phrase tài AdjV le.
Zhè zhāng dìtú tài xiǎo le. (䎃䍦⭹㵝㲌㾂㑬᱄) This map is too small.
The expression tài hǎo le (㲌⼤㑬) means terrific or great.
Nà tài hǎo le. (㚨㲌⼤㑬᱄) That’s great.
Chinese characters
Pictographs
Most Chinese characters are not pictographs, that is, pictures of things. However, some
characters did originate as pictographs, and most of these retain a stylized version of the
original picture in their modern form. Some characters consist solely of the pictograph.
Other characters have a pictograph as one of their component parts. Here is a list of picto-
graphic component parts and their alternate forms contained in the characters included in
Lessons 1–5, along with their meanings. In later lessons, we will see that these pictographic
component parts sometimes lend their pronunciation or meaning to the characters in
which they occur.
䓴 child 㦬 person
㋻ mouth 䗊 person (alternate form of㦬)
䨱㬷 hand 㝏 woman, female
一㯏 water 㦶 sun
㕎 horse 哂】 fire
Qa
Language FAQs
How many digits are there in a Chinese phone number?
In mainland China, phone numbers for landlines have eight digits. Phone num-
bers for cell phones (mobile phones) have 11 digits. In Taiwan, phone numbers for
landlines have seven or eight digits plus a two-digit area code, and phone num-
bers for cell phones have ten digits.
How do you ask someone for their phone number?

In the dialogue, Xie Guoqiang asks Dawei, Maike, and Chen Ming for their phone
numbers with the expression: Nı̌men de diànhuà hàomǎ shì duōshao? (㛄㗨⭥⮈
⿑⼦㕌㬨ⱁ㩺ᷠ) What are your phone numbers? Other ways to ask for a phone
number include: Nı̌ de diànhuà hàomǎ shì shénme? (㛄⭥⮈⿑⼦㕌㬨㬓㗕ᷠ)
and Nı̌ de diànhuà hàomǎ shì jı̌ hào? (㛄⭥⮈⿑⼦㕌㬨゙⼦?) The last expression
is more common in Taiwan.

The one-child policy
In 1979 the People’s Republic of China instituted a “one-child policy,” restricting
the number of children in most families to one. Zhang Dawei may not be aware
of the one-child policy, but he has noticed its effect. Most young people in China
have no siblings, no older brother or sister, and no younger brother or sister.
(Twins are an exception to this.) China revised the policy in 2015, limiting the
number of children per family to two, and additional changes may occur over
time. The one-child policy led to a sharp decline in China’s birthrate and the vir-
tual disappearance of siblings in mainland China among people born after 1979.
Why is kǒu (㋻) mouth a classifier for people?

Although China is now a prosperous country, poverty and food shortages were
problems in much of the 19th and 20th centuries, and every member of a family
was seen as a mouth to feed. The use of kǒu (㋻) as a classifier when talking about
the number of people is related to this situation. Other Mandarin expressions
referring to people also involve the word kǒu, including rénkǒu (㦬㋻) population
and hùkǒu (⿈㋻) a household registration record. As noted in Use and Structure
5.3, kǒu is not normally used as a classifier for people in Taiwan.
Phone numbers and lucky numbers

The numbers six and eight are considered lucky numbers in Chinese. Six is lucky
because the pronunciation liù is similar to the pronunciation of the word for
smooth. The use of six implies that things will go smoothly for you. Eight is lucky
because the pronunciation bā is similar to the pronunciation of the word for pros-
perity. The use of eight implies that you will be prosperous. In China, you are not
assigned a cell phone number. Instead, you buy one from a list of available num-
bers. Phone numbers containing sixes and eights are more expensive than other
phone numbers, and the more sixes and eights there are, the more expensive the
phone number. The number four is considered an unlucky number, since the
pronunciation sì is similar to the pronunciation of the word for death. Phone
numbers that include the number four are less desirable (and less expensive)
than other phone numbers.

Part A
Wang Maike: David, well then, your family must have five people.
Zhang Dawei: Yes, my family has five people. My dad and mom only have sons, they don’t
have daughters. Maike, how many people does your family have?
Wang Maike: My family has ten people.
Zhang Dawei: Ten people! Really?
Wang Maike: Really. My dad and mom really like children. There are eight children in
my family, five boys and three girls. I have four older brothers, two older
sisters, and one younger sister.
Part B
Chen Ming: Guoqiang, what about your family?
Zhang Dawei: I know. Guoqiang’s family has three people: (his) dad, (his) mom, and
him. Right?
Xie Guoqiang: Right. My family only has three people: dad, mom, and me.
Chen Ming: How do you know his family only has one child?
Zhang Dawei: Guoqiang is Chinese. My Chinese friends all don’t have older brothers or
younger brothers, and they do not have older sisters or younger sisters.
Part C
Xie Guoqiang: Chen Ming, Maike, my phone number is 1 0 5–4 8 5 0–6 9 2 8. When
you have time, you can give me a call. I’ll teach you how to speak Chi-
nese and you can also teach me English.
Chen Ming: That’s great! Your phone number is 1 0 5–4 8 5 0–6 9 2 8, right?
Xie Guoqiang: Correct. What are your phone numbers?
Chen Ming: I don’t have a cell phone. Maike has one. His number is 1 3 2–4 8 6
7–9 9 0 3.
Xie Guoqiang: Okay. Thanks.
Topic 2
Shopping for everyday
items
Lesson 6
Mǎi dōngxi
㕓Ⰼ㹘
Shopping
Communication goals
Q Shop for items, talking about availability, quantity, and price.

Q Ask for repetition when you don’t understand something.
Q Say that an item is too big, too small, or too expensive.
Pronunciation goals
Q Identify the tones in one and two-syllable words.
Literacy goals
Q Write simple Chinese characters using correct stroke order and stroke
direction.
Key structures
Q number + classifier + noun: indicating the number of people, places or
things
Q specifier + classifier + noun: saying this noun and that noun
Q describing nouns with adjectival verbs

Q the money phrase: . . . kuài . . . máo . . . fēn qián (. . . ㌊. . . 㗌. . . ⳷㣏)
Q duōshao (ⱁ㩺) and jı̌ (゙) how much, how many
Q hái (⿚) in addition
Q zěnme (䋖㗕) how
Q zài shuō 䄜 cì (䊺㯖䄜⪯) say it again
Dialogue
The situation: Zhang Dawei is shopping at a neighborhood store for some everyday
items.
Lesson 6 Mǎi dōngxi 㕓Ⰼ㹘 Shopping 87
Part A
Fúwùyuánᷛ Zǎo᱄Nín yào mǎi shénme dōngxı̄ ᷠ ⴟ㹒䊒ᷛ䋈᱄㛛䄋㕓㬓㗕Ⰼ㹘ᷠ

Zhāng⫔㸋ᷛ 㸳 yào mǎi shuı̌᱄䄜píng shuı̌ 䍦⫔㸋ᷛ㸳䄋㕓㯏᱄䄜㠠㯏
duōshao qiánᷠ ⱁ㩺㣏ᷠ
Fúwùyuánᷛ 䄜píng shuı̌ liǎng kuài 㯥máo qián᷍ ⴟ㹒䊒ᷛ䄜㠠㯏㑞㌊㯥㗌㣏᷍
㹆píng 㬏 kuài᱄ 㹆㠠㬏㌊᱄
Zhāng⫔㸋ᷛ Nà᷍㸳 mǎi 㹆 píng᱄Kělè duōshao 䍦⫔㸋ᷛ㚨᷍㸳㕓㹆㠠᱄㋪㎷ⱁ㩺
qiánᷠ 㣏ᷠ
Fúwùyuánᷛ Kělè 䄓 shì liǎng kuài 㯥䄜tı̄ng᱄ ⴟ㹒䊒ᷛ㋪㎷䄓㬨㑞㌊㯥䄜㳞᱄
Yào maᷠ 䄋㕑ᷠ
Zhāng⫔㸋ᷛ Yào᱄Mǎi liǎng tı̄ng᱄ 䍦⫔㸋ᷛ䄋᱄㕓㑞㳞᱄
Fúwùyuánᷛ Kāfēi yào⤜ yào aᷠ䄜píng 㧞 kuài ⴟ㹒䊒ᷛ㋈⳩䄋⤜䄋➂ᷠ䄜㠠㧞㌊
㈦máo ➬᱄ ㈦㗌➬᱄
Zhāng⫔㸋ᷛ ⤜yào᱄Yǒu niúnǎi maᷠ 䍦⫔㸋ᷛ⤜䄋᱄䇱㝄㚭㕑ᷠ
Fúwùyuánᷛ Duì⤜qı̌᷍㸳㗨 xiànzài méi yǒu ⴟ㹒䊒ᷛⰵ⤜㡑᷍㸳㗨㻷䊻㗜䇱
niúnǎi᱄ 㝄㚭᱄
Part A Vocabulary
dōngxi thing (concrete noun Ⰼ㹘 Ꮭ㹘
object)
fēn penny, cent classifier ⳷ ⳷
fúwùyuán clerk, service noun ⴟ㹒䊒 ⴟ‫޵ڶ‬
person
kāfēi coffee noun ㋈⳩ ㋈⳩
kělè cola noun ㋪㎷㋪ᖘ
kuài dollar classifier ㌊ ৬
mǎi buy verb 㕓䗪
máo dime classifier 㗌㗌
niúnǎi milk noun 㝄㚭㝄㚭

nín you (polite) pronoun 㛛㛛
píng bottle (of) classifier 㠠㠠
qián money noun 㣏仹
shuı̌ water noun 㯏㯏
tı̄ng can (of) classifier 㳞㔁
xiànzài now time word 㻷䊻 ␧䊻
yào want verb 䄋䄋
Part B
Fúwùyuánᷛ 㛄hái yào mǎi shénmeᷠ ⴟ㹒䊒ᷛ㛄⿚䄋㕓㬓㗕ᷠ

Zhāng⫔㸋ᷛ 㸳 hái yào mǎi qiānbı̌᱄Qiānbı̌ zěnme 䍦⫔㸋ᷛ㸳⿚䄋㕓㣇⡫᱄㣇⡫䋖㗕
màiᷠGuì ⤜guìᷠ 㕕ᷠ⺔⤜⺔ᷠ
Fúwùyuánᷛ Qiānbı̌ hěn piányi᱄㒚máo 㹆䄜 zhı̄ ᱄ⴟ㹒䊒ᷛ㣇⡫⼽⢄䄬᱄㒚㗌㹆䄜䐈᱄
Zhāng ⫔㸋ᷛ Duōshao qiánᷠQı̌ng 㛄zài shuō 䄜 cì᱄ 䍦⫔㸋ᷛⱁ㩺㣏ᷠ㤌㛄䊺㯖䄜⪯᱄
Fúwùyuánᷛ 㒚máo㹆fēn qián 䄜 zhı̄ ᱄ ⴟ㹒䊒ᷛ㒚㗌㹆⳷㣏䄜䐈᱄
Zhāng ⫔㸋ᷛ H
ǎo᷍㸳 mǎi ➬zhı̄ ᱄⤜᱄㸳 mǎi ㈦䍦⫔㸋ᷛ⼤᷍㸳㕓➬䐈᱄⤜᱄㸳㕓㈦
zhı̄ ᱄㸳 hái yào mǎi yuánzhūbı̌᱄ 䐈᱄㸳⿚䄋㕓䊓䑊⡫᱄
Hóng bı̌᷍lán bı̌᷍dōu yǒu maᷠ ⽍⡫᷍㎗⡫᷍Ⱍ䇱㕑ᷠ
Fúwùyuánᷛ 㸳㗨zhı̌ mài lán de yuánzhūbı̌᱄䄜zhı̄ ⴟ㹒䊒ᷛ㸳㗨䐜㕕㎗⭥䊓䑊⡫᱄䄜䐈
䄜kuài qián᱄ 䄜㌊㣏᱄
Zhāng ⫔㸋ᷛ Nà᷍㸳 mǎi 㹆 zhı̄ ᱄ 䍦⫔㸋ᷛ㚨᷍㸳㕓㹆䐈᱄
Part B Vocabulary
bı̌ pen, any writing noun ⡫ ⷱ
implement
guì expensive adjectival verb ⺔䗧
hái in addition adverb ⿚䪡
hóng red adjective ⽍さ
lán blue adjective ㎗㮜
mài sell verb 㕕䘖
piányi cheap adjectival verb ⢄䄬 ⢄䄬
qiānbı̌ pencil noun 㣇⡫ 䵶ⷱ
yuánzhūbı̌ ballpoint pen noun 䊓䑊⡫ ढ䑊ⷱ
zài shuō say it again conversational 䊺㯖䄜⪯ 䊺䌇䄜⪯
yı̄ cì expression
zhı̄ (classifier for classifier 䐈䐇

writing implements,
pencils, pens)
Part C
Zhāng⫔㸋ᷛ㛄㗨mài Zhōngguó dìtú maᷠ 䍦⫔㸋ᷛ㛄㗨㕕䐱⺛⭹㵝㕑ᷠ

Fúwùyuánᷛ Mài᱄Zhèi zhāng Zhōngguó ⴟ㹒䊒ᷛ㕕᱄䎃䍦䐱⺛
dìtú 㒚kuài qián᱄Yào maᷠ ⭹㵝㒚㌊㣏᱄䄋㕑ᷠ
Zhāng⫔㸋ᷛ Zhè zhāng dìtú 㲌 xiǎo le᱄ 䍦⫔㸋ᷛ䎃䍦⭹㵝㲌㾂㑬᱄

Fúwùyuánᷛ N
èi zhāng neᷠNèi zhāng ⫔᷍ ⴟ㹒䊒ᷛ㚨䍦㚹ᷠ㚨䍦⫔᷍
䄓 hěn piányi᱄㡀kuài liǎng 䄓⼽⢄䄬᱄㡀㌊㑞
máo ⱟ᱄Mǎi maᷠ 㗌ⱟ᱄㕓㕑ᷠ
Zhāng⫔㸋ᷛ Mǎi᱄㸳 mǎi 䄜 zhāng᱄㛄㗨䍦⫔㸋ᷛ㕓᱄㸳㕓䄜䍦᱄㛄㗨
mài bái zhı̌ maᷠ 㕕➸䐞㕑ᷠ
Fúwùyuánᷛ Duì ⤜qı̌᷍㸳㗨⤜ mài zhı̌᱄ ⴟ㹒䊒ᷛⰵ⤜㡑᷍㸳㗨⤜㕕䐞᱄
Part C Vocabulary
bái white adjective ➸ ➸
dà big adjectival verb ⫔ ⫔
dìtú map noun ⭹㵝 ⭹थ
nà, nèi that specifier 㚨㚨
xiǎo small, little adjectival verb 㾂㾂
zhāng (classifier for flat classifier 䍦 ຩ
rectangular and
square objects)
zhè, zhèi this specifier 䎃䩡
zhı̌ paper noun 䐞ど
Use and Structure 6.12

Characters
Characters Shape Pinyin Meaning/ Radical Phrases Traditional
Function Character
䄜 yı̄ one 䄜䄜
ⱟ èr two ⱟ ⱟ
㧞 sān three 䄜㧞
㯥 sì four 䯎㯥
㹆 w ǔ five ⱟ 㹆
㒚 liù six ➬ 㒚
㡀 qı̄ seven 䄜㡀
➬ bā eight ➬ ➬
㈦ ji ǔ nine 䖐㈦
㬏 shí ten 㬏㬏
⤜ bù no, not 䄜 ⤜䄋 ⤜
(bù yào)
don’t
want (to)
⫔ dà big ⫔ ⼽⫔ (hěn dà) ⫔
big
㗨 men (plural 䗊㛄㗨 (nı̌men) Ӥ
suffix for you (plural)
pronouns)
㛄 nı̌ you 䗊㛄
㲌 tài too ⫔ 㲌⼤㑬㲌

(tài hǎo le)
great
㸋 wéi, 䖝 ⫔㸋 (Dàwéi) ᩊ
wèi (person’s name)
㸳 wǒ I, me ⷋ 㸳
䄓 yě also 䄳䄓
Chinese characters
Strokes and stroke order
Pinyin represents the pronunciation of Mandarin in many Chinese dictionaries and com-
puter and cell phone input systems as well as in Chinese language textbooks. But Chinese
texts are written in Chinese characters, and beginning in this chapter you will learn how
to write characters correctly. We start with the characters for the numbers 1–10 and a few
other commonly used characters that are written using a very small number of strokes.
We learned in previous lessons that all characters are composed of one or more component
parts. The component parts, and thus the characters themselves, are formed by strokes
written in a specific direction and in a specific order. Research shows that paying attention
to stroke order and stroke direction, as well as to the component parts of characters, makes
it easier to learn and remember the characters.
The following resources provided with this course will help you to focus on strokes and
component parts.
Q A Stroke Order Flow Chart in each textbook lesson that shows how to write each new
character.
Q Character practice sheets downloadable for free from the publisher’s website.
Q Stroke-by-stroke instruction in the textbook for the characters introduced in Lessons 6,
7, and 8.
Q Exercises on character formation and recognition in each chapter of the workbook.
Radicals and remainders

Every character includes a radical, a part of the character that is used in the organization of
many Chinese dictionaries. Radicals often provide information about the meaning of a
character. In this textbook, the radical for each character is presented in the Stroke Order
Flow Chart in blue. As you can see in the Stroke Order Flow Chart for this lesson, some-
times a character consists of a radical and nothing more. For example, the numbers 䄜, ⱟ,
➬, and 㬏 are radicals. More often, however, the radical is only part of a character. In this
lesson, we will focus on learning stroke order and stroke direction. In Lesson 7 we will take
a closer look at radicals.
Character size and spacing

There are many aesthetic principles associated with Chinese characters. One is that all
characters in the same sentence, or paragraph or page, take up the same amount of space
no matter whether they are written with one stroke or many strokes.
To help to define that space, characters are often practiced using a special kind of practice
paper that is printed with squares. You can download stroke order practice sheets like this
from the website that accompanies this textbook.
Characters in this textbook

This textbook includes 254 required characters. We introduce the first set of characters in
this lesson. All required characters replace their pinyin form in the textbook and workbook
once they have been introduced. You will need to learn the meaning and pronunciation of
these characters in order to read the sentences and texts in the textbook, and to do the exer-
cises on the companion website and in the workbook. Many exercises ask you to write as
well as read these characters, and you will be expected to write required characters from
memory. Dialogues and example sentences also occur in full-character form in the textbook
so that you can preview additional characters and learn them if you wish. The Focus on
Chinese Characters section of the workbook contains at least one reading exercise in each
lesson consisting of both required and challenge characters.
Stroke order flow chart

Here is the Stroke Order Flow Chart for the characters in Lesson 6, indicating the order of
strokes for each character. In the Stroke Order Flow Chart the radical for each character is
presented in blue. The complete character is presented in the first column on the left and
the total number of strokes used in writing each character is presented in the last column
on the right. Character practice sheets, available for download from the Companion Web-
site, also include a flow chart for each required character introduced in the lesson.
Stroke Order Flow Chart
Lesson 6 Characters stroke-by-stroke
䄜 (yı̄) is a horizontal stroke and is written from left to right. 䄜 is a radical.
ⱟ (èr) has a vertical orientation and is written from top to bottom. Each
stroke is written from left to right. ⱟ is a radical.
㧞 (sān) has a vertical orientation and is written from top to bottom. Its radi-
cal is the character䄜, which is written last.
㯥 (sì) is a box-shaped character with strokes inside the box. Its radical is䯎.
All boxes are written in the same way, and as you learn how to write 㯥 you
learn all of the rules for writing box-shaped characters.
The first stroke of 㯥 is a vertical stroke. It defines the left side of the box. Ver-
tical strokes are written from top to bottom.
The second stroke is a right corner stroke. Right corner strokes are always writ-
ten from left to right and from top to bottom as a single stroke.
Boxes are always filled before they are closed. After you have written the right-
hand corner of 㯥, fill in the box. The inside of 㯥 includes two strokes, both
written from top to bottom. The stroke on the left is written first. It is a left
falling stroke. It is written from top to bottom and falls to the left. The stroke
on the right is written second. It is a vertical curved stroke. It starts as a vertical
stroke written from top to bottom and then curves to the right.
After you have filled in the box, close it with a horizontal stroke written from
left to right. In boxes, the closing stroke is always the last stroke.
Notice that although the radical for the character 㯥 is 䯎, its strokes are not
written consecutively. The first two strokes of 䯎 are written together, but the
last stroke of 䯎 is written after the box is filled.
㹆 (w ǔ) has a vertical orientation and is written from top to bottom. Its radi-
cal is the character ⱟ, but as with the character 㯥, the strokes of the radical
are not written consecutively.
The top horizontal stroke of 㹆 is written first. It is written from left to right.
The vertical stroke is written second. Notice that it may touch the horizontal
stroke but that it does not go through it.
㹆is not a box, but it includes a right corner stroke. Right corner strokes are
always written as a single stroke.
When a character is written from top to bottom, the bottom stroke is the closing
stroke. The closing stroke is always written last. In 㹆, this stroke is the horizon-
tal stroke at the bottom of the character and is written from left to right.
㒚 (liù) has a vertical orientation and is written from top to bottom. Its radical
is ➬(bā) eight.
The first stroke of 㒚 is called a dot. A dot is always short, and it is written
from left to right. It has a slightly convex, upward curve.
The second stroke of 㒚 is a horizontal stroke. It is written from left to right.

The dot may touch the horizontal stroke but it does not go through.
The bottom part of 㒚 has a horizontal orientation and is written from left to
right.
The stroke on the left is a left falling stroke. The stroke on the right is a dot.
㡀 (qı̄) is written in two strokes. Its radical, the character 䄜, is the first stroke.
It is a horizontal stroke written at a slight upward angle from left to right. The
second stroke of 㡀 is a vertical curved stroke.
➬ (bā) has a horizontal orientation and is written from left to right. It is a

radical.
The first stroke of ➬ is a left falling stroke. The second stroke is a right falling
stroke.
Notice that the top of the right falling stroke is in line with the top of the left
falling stroke. When writing the character➬, the right falling stroke cannot
begin to the left of the left falling stroke or below the top of the left falling stroke,
because those starting points define different characters. Compare ➬ with
the following two characters, noting the starting point of the right falling stroke
in each character:
㦬(rén) person, 㧌(rù) enter.
㈦ (jiǔ) has a horizontal orientation and is written from left to right. The first
stroke is a left falling stroke and it is the radical. The second stroke is a horizontal-
vertical-curved stroke with an upward hook at the end. That means that it begins
as a horizontal stroke, turns the corner and becomes a curved stroke, and ends
with a hook. It is written as one stroke from left to right.
㬏 (shí) is a radical and is written in two strokes. The horizontal stroke is writ-
ten before the vertical stroke.
⤜(bù) has a vertical orientation and is written from top to bottom. The first
stroke is a horizontal stroke. It is the radical in this character. The remaining
strokes are written from left to right. The left falling stroke is written before the
vertical stroke. The last stroke is a long dot written with a slight outward curve.
⫔(dà) is a radical. It has vertical orientation, consists of a single component,

and is written in three strokes. The first stroke is a horizontal stroke. The sec-
ond stroke is a left falling stroke. The third stroke is a right falling stroke that
begins at the intersection of the first two strokes.
㗨(men) has horizontal orientation and is written from left to right.

The left part of 㗨is the radical 䗊(rén) person, and it is written first.
The right part of 㗨 is 㗦. It is written in three strokes. The first stroke is a dot.
The second stroke is a vertical stroke.
The third stroke is a right corner stroke.
Some characters have more than one standard stroke order. 㗨/㗦 is one of
these characters. Some people write the vertical stroke before they write the dot.
㛄(nı̌) has horizontal orientation and is written in two parts from left to right.
The first part of 㛄is the radical䗊, the same radical that is in㗨(men), and
it is written first.
The second part of 㛄 has vertical orientation and consists of two parts. The
part on the top is written in two strokes, a left falling stroke and a horizontal
stroke with a left downward hook, written in that order. Notice that the horizon-
tal stroke meets the left falling stroke just below its midpoint. The two strokes
may touch but the horizontal stroke does not go through the falling stroke.
The second part of 㛄 is symmetrical. The center is written first and the sides
are written afterwards. The first stroke is a vertical stroke with a left-facing hook.
The remaining strokes are a left falling stroke and a right falling stroke.
㲌 (tài) consists of a single component and is written in four strokes. The first
three strokes are the character⫔(dà), the radical in this character. The fourth
stroke is a dot.
㸋(wéi) has vertical orientation. It consists of a single component and is writ-

ten in four strokes. The first stroke is a dot at the upper left side of the char-
acter. This dot is the radical in the character.
The second stroke is a left falling stroke that begins to the right of the dot and
slightly higher than the dot.
The third stroke is a horizontal-curved-hook. It begins as a left-to-right horizon-

tal stroke, curves downward, and ends with a left-facing hook.
The fourth stroke is a dot in the enclosure formed by the falling stroke and the
horizontal-curved-hook.
㸳 (wǒ) is written in seven strokes from top to bottom and left to right. The
first stroke is a left falling stroke written from right to left. The second stroke is
a horizontal stroke and is written from left to right. The third stroke is a vertical
stroke with a left-facing upward hook.
The fourth stroke is an upward slanting stroke. It is written from left to right.
Notice that it goes through the vertical stroke. Do not confuse an upward slant-
ing stroke with a left falling stroke. They are written in opposite directions.
The fifth stroke is a right slanted stroke with a right-facing upward hook. It is
written from top to bottom.
The sixth stroke is a right falling stroke. It goes through the vertical stroke.
The last stroke is a dot. It is written from left to right.

Notice that the strokes of the radical ⷋ in the character 㸳 are not written
consecutively. Instead, the radical is merged into the character. Also, notice
that this radical occurs on the right side of the character.
䄓 (yě) has a horizontal orientation. It is written in three strokes. The first
stroke is an upward slanting horizontal stroke with a bottom, left-facing hook.
The third stroke is a vertical-curved stroke with an upward hook. It is the radical.
Use and structure

6.1. nín (㛛) vs. 㛄
Nín (㛛) is the polite form of the pronoun 㛄 you. It is used in formal situations to show
respect to the person you are addressing. It is not commonly used in everyday conversation,
and it is never used between friends.
6.2. Number + classifier + noun: one bottle of water, two people

As we learned in Lesson 5 (Use and Structure 5.3), in Mandarin, when indicating the num-
ber of nouns, you must follow the number with a classifier.
The sequence number + classifier occurs before the noun:
number + classifier + noun
䄜 píng (㠠) shuı̌ (㯏)
one bottle of water
We learned that the classifier gè (⷗) is used when talking about the number of people or
certain other objects, and kǒu (㋻) is used when talking about the number of people in
certain contexts.
gè xuésheng (䄜⷗䁈㪛) one student
䄜
䄜gè shǒujı̄ (䄜⷗㬷〛) one cell phone
liǎng kǒu rén (㑞㋻㦬) two people
In this lesson we learn the classifiers píng (㠠), tı̄ng (㳞), zhāng (䍦), and zhı̄ (䐈). Classi-
fiers are associated with particular nouns and may often contribute meaning to the noun
phrase as well.
Píng (㠠) is the classifier that is used when indicating the number of bottles of something.
䄜píng shuı̌ (䄜㠠㯏) one bottle of water
liǎng píng kělè (㑞㠠㋪㎷) two bottles of cola
Tı̄ng (㳞) is the classifier that is used when indicating the number of cans of something.
㹆 tı̄ng kělè (㹆㳞㋪㎷) five cans of cola
Zhāng (䍦) is the classifier that is used when talking about flat objects that are square or
rectangular in shape, for example maps, paper, and photographs.
䄜 zhāng dìtú (䄜䍦⭹㵝) one map
liǎng zhāng zhı̌ (㑞䍦䐞) two pieces of paper
Zhı̄ (䐈) is the classifier that is used when indicating the number of pens, pencils, chalk, or
any other writing implement.
㈦ zhı̄ bı̌ (㈦䐈⡫) nine pens
English uses classifiers, but only for certain types of nouns (“mass nouns”), to indicate the
shape or size, or container of the noun. For example, you can ask for a slice of bread or a loaf
of bread, a cup of coffee, a mug of coffee, a pot of coffee, or a pound of coffee. In Chinese, all
nouns require classifiers. (See also Language FAQs.)
W
O
RKBO
O
site: Listening for Information 6.1, 6.3; Structure Drills 6.2, 6.3; Communi-
cation through Reading and Writing 6.1, 6.2.
6.3. duōshao (ⱁ㩺) how much? how many?

In Lesson 5 (Use and Structure 5.16) we learned the word duōshao (ⱁ㩺) in the expression:
㛄 de diànhuà hàomǎ shì duōshaoᷠ (㛄⭥⮈⿑⼦㕌㬨ⱁ㩺ᷠ
)
In this lesson we learn how to use the word duōshao as a content question word meaning how
much? how many? The content question word duōshao occurs right before a noun and it asks
how much or how many of the noun. It can be used to ask about the quantity of any noun.
duōshao rénᷠ (ⱁ㩺㦬ᷠ) how many people?
duōshao xuéshengᷠ (ⱁ㩺䁈㪛ᷠ) how many students?
duōshao dìtúᷠ (ⱁ㩺⭹㵝ᷠ) how many maps?
duōshao shuı̌ ᷠ (ⱁ㩺㯏ᷠ) how much water?
duōshao qiánᷠ (ⱁ㩺㣏ᷠ) how much money?
W
O
RKBO
O
site: Listening for Information 6.3, 6.6, 6.7; Structure Drills 6.5.
6.4. duōshao (ⱁ㩺) and jı̌ (゙) compared

Duōshao (ⱁ㩺) and jı̌ (゙) are both question words that mean how much? how many? but
they differ in use and meaning.
Use
Jı̌ must be followed by a classifier. (See Use and Structure 5.4). Duōshao can occur right
before a noun and is typically not followed by a classifier.
jı̌ (゙) + classifier + noun duōshao (ⱁ㩺) + noun
jı̌ ge rénᷠ (゙⷗㦬ᷠ ) duōshao rénᷠ (ⱁ㩺㦬ᷠ ) how many people?
jı̌ zhāng dìtúᷠ (゙䍦⭹㵝ᷠ ) duōshao dìtúᷠ
(ⱁ㩺⭹㵝ᷠ ) how many maps?
Meaning
Jı̌ refers to a relatively small quantity of items or a relatively small number. It is used when
the expected answer is relatively small, typically under 10 or 20. Duōshao is used when the
expected answer is a big number, or if the speaker does not have any expectations about the
number of items. For example, if you want to know how many bottles of water your friend
drinks each day, you would ask the question with jı̌ : jı̌ píng shuı̌ ᷠ (゙㠠㯏ᷠ ) In contrast,
if you want to know the price of your friend’s new car, you would ask the question with
duōshao: duōshao qiánᷠ (ⱁ㩺㣏ᷠ )
Practice Website: Focus on Structure 6.1.
6.5. The money phrase

In mainland China, the complete money phrase with kuài (㌊) dollar, máo (㗌) dime, and
fēn (⳷) cents is expressed as follows:
number + kuài (㌊) number + máo (㗌) number + fēn (⳷) qián (㣏)
dollars dimes cents money
liǎng kuài 㯥 máo 㹆 fēn qián
㑞㌊㯥㗌㹆⳷ 㣏
two dollar four dime five cent money
two dollars and forty-five cents (worth of money)
㬏 kuài 㹆 máo ㈦ fēn qián
㬏㌊㹆㗌㈦ ⳷ 㣏
ten dollar five dime nine cent money
ten dollars and fifty-nine cents (worth of money)
Fēn are gradually disappearing from mainland prices. Taiwan does not use either máo or
fēn, and a complete money phrase is expressed as
number + kuài (㌊) + qián (㣏)

dollars money
㡀 kuài (㌊) qián (㣏)
seven dollars
Kuài, máo, and fēn are always preceded by a number or the question word jı̌ (゙) how
much? how many?
The word qián (㣏) money is a noun, and it is the main noun in a money expression. It is
often omitted from the money phrase, since the presence of kuài, máo, and fēn make it
clear that the expression is about money.
㡀 kuài 㯥máo qián → 㡀 kuài 㯥máo

㡀㌊㯥㗌㣏㡀㌊㯥㗌
seven dollars and forty cents
㡀 kuài qián → 㡀 kuài
㡀㌊㣏㡀㌊
seven dollars
If qián is omitted, máo or fēn may also be omitted if it is the last classifier in the money
expression.
㡀 kuài 㯥máo → 㡀 kuài 㯥

㡀㌊㯥㗌㡀㌊㯥
㡀 kuài 㯥máo㹆 fēn → 㡀 kuài 㯥máo㹆
㡀㌊㯥㗌㹆⳷ 㡀㌊㯥㗌㹆
In China, prices are often written using Arabic numerals preceded by the Chinese dollar
sign ¥, and that is the convention we will use in this book.
¥1.50 䄜 kuài 㹆 máo qián (䄜㌊㹆㗌㣏)

¥3.70 㧞 kuài 㡀 máo qián (㧞㌊㡀㗌㣏)
¥10.20 㬏 kuài liǎng máo qián (㬏㌊㑞㗌㣏)
Notice that the position after the decimal point can include either one or two digits. If the
second number (the “cents” number) is zero, the zero can be omitted.
¥1.50 = ¥1.50 or ¥1.5

¥3.70 = ¥ 3.70 or ¥3.7
¥10.20 = ¥10.20 or ¥10.2
In the Chinese money phrase, the largest number of cents is 9. Ten cents is expressed as
䄜máo (䄜㗌), 20 cents as two dimes: liǎng máo (㑞㗌), 30 cents is expressed as three
dimes: 㧞 máo (㧞㗌), and 45 cents is expressed as four dimes five cents: 㯥 máo㹆 fēn
(㯥㗌㹆⳷), etc.
The words kuài, máo, and fēn that are introduced in this lesson are the words that are used
to refer to money in everyday speech in mainland China. Mandarin has another set of
words for dollar and dime that are used in formal or literary contexts.

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Listening for Information 6.2, 6.3, 6.6, 6.7; Structure Drills 6.4–6.9;
Focus on Structure 6.2; Communication through Reading and Writing
6.1–6.3.
6.6. Talking about the price of items

To state the price of an item say:
item [shì (㬨)] price
䄜píng shuı̌ [shì] liǎng kuài 㯥máo qián᱄ (䄜㠠㯏[㬨]㑞㌊㯥㗌㣏᱄
)
One bottle of water is ¥2.4.
To ask the price of an item, you can say:
item [shì] duōshao qiánᷠ (item [㬨]ⱁ㩺㣏ᷠ )
䄜píng shuı̌ [shì] duōshao qiánᷠ (䄜㠠㯏 [㬨] ⱁ㩺㣏ᷠ
)
How much is one bottle of water?
If you know that the price of an item is a relatively small number of dollars, you may ask:
item [shì] jı̌ kuài qiánᷠ (item [㬨]゙㌊㣏ᷠ
)
䄜zhāng dìtú [shì] jı̌ kuài qiánᷠ
䄜䍦⭹㵝[㬨]゙㌊㣏ᷠ
How many dollars is one map? (How many dollars does a map cost?)
If you know that the price of an item is somewhere between ten cents and 90 cents you can ask:
item [shì] jı̌ máo qiánᷠ (item [㬨] ゙㗌㣏ᷠ )
䄜zhı̄ qiānbı̌ [shì] jı̌ máo qiánᷠ
䄜䐈㣇⡫[㬨]゙㗌㣏?
How many dimes is a pencil?
If you know that the price of an item is between one cent and nine cents, you can ask:
item [shì] jı̌ fēn qiánᷠ (item [㬨]゙⳷㣏ᷠ)
㹆zhāng zhı̌ jı̌ fēn qiánᷠ (㹆䍦䐞゙⳷㣏ᷠ )
Five sheets of paper is how many cents?
See Use and Structure 6.5 for more about the money expression in Mandarin.
Shì (㬨) be is usually omitted if the sentence does not contain negation or an adverb. Shì
must be included in negated sentences. It is also generally included when the verb phrase
has an adverb. Negation and adverbs occur before shì.
䄜píng shuı̌ ⤜ shì liǎng kuài 㯥máo qián᱄ (䄜㠠㯏⤜㬨㑞㌊㯥㗌㣏᱄
)
One bottle of water is not ¥2.40.
䄜píng shuı̌ 䄓 shì liǎng kuài䄜máo liǎng fēn qián᱄ (䄜㠠㯏䄓㬨㑞㌊䄜㗌㑞⳷㣏᱄

)
One bottle of water is also ¥2.12.
To ask how something is sold, see Use and Structure 6.8.
To state the cost per item, see Use and Structure 6.9.

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Listening for Information 6.2, 6.3, 6.5, 6.6; Structure Drills 6.5, 6.7, 6.8;
Focus on Structure; Communication through Reading and Writing 6.3.
6.7. hái (⿚) in addition, also

Hái (⿚) in addition, also is an adverb, and it occurs at the beginning of the verb phrase,
before the verb or modal verb if there is one. In this lesson we learn to use hái to indicate
additional actions, or actions that you also do. When talking about additional actions in the
future, hái typically occurs before yào (䄋) want. Depending upon the overall sentence, hái
can be translated as in addition, also, still, or (what) else.
㛄 hái yào mǎi shénmeᷠ (㛄⿚䄋㕓㬓㗕ᷠ
)
What else do you want to buy?
㸳 hái yào mǎi shuı̌ ᱄ (㸳⿚䄋㕓㯏᱄
)
I also want to buy water.
We will learn additional meanings of hái in later lessons.
Hái and yě (䄓) are both adverbs that can be translated into English as also. Sometimes they
are interchangeable, but sometimes they are not. Yě is more general than hái and can be
used any time you want to say also. Hái is more specialized. It always implies additional
information added on to information you already have. It can be used when talking about a
sequence of events. When Zhang Dawei is buying items in the store, he can indicate that
he wants additional items by saying:
㸳 hái yào mǎi qiānbı̌ ᱄ (㸳⿚䄋㕓㣇⡫᱄
)
I also want to buy pencils.
When you are listing the people in your family, you can say:
Wǒ yǒu 䄜gè gēge᷍hái yǒu 䄜gè dìdi᱄ (㸳䇱䄜⷗ⷈⷈ᷍⿚䇱䄜⷗⭽⭽᱄ )
I have an older brother and in addition I also have a younger brother.
In both of these sentences, yě can be used instead of hái. When yě is used, the sense of the
sentence is that this is simply additional information. With hái, the sense of the sentence
is that this is additional information added on to what the listener already knows. It is
similar to the difference between saying “and” and saying “in addition” in English.
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site: Structure Drills 6.3; Focus on Structure 6.3.
6.8. zěnme mài (䋖㗕㕕) how is it sold?

We learned the word zěnme (䋖㗕) how in Lesson 5. Zěnme mài (䋖㗕㕕) is used when
you are asking how something is sold. Zěnme always goes before the verb or verb phrase.
Qiānbı̌ zěnme màiᷠ (㣇⡫䋖㗕㕕ᷠ)
How are pencils sold?
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6.3; Structure Drills 6.6; Focus on Structure; Communication through Read-

ing and Writing 6.2.
6.9. Cost per item

To indicate the cost per item, state the item and the price, followed by the phrase 䄜 classi-
fier. The classifier that you use is the one that is associated with the noun you are asking
about. 䄜 classifier can be translated into English as each or apiece or for one.
item + price + 䄜 classifier
Qiānbı̌ 㒚máo qián 䄜zhı̄ ᱄ (㣇⡫㒚㗌㣏䄜䐈᱄
)
Pencils (are) 60 cents apiece.
If the item is understood from the context, it can be omitted. The classifier cannot be omitted.
liǎng kuài qián 䄜 zhı̄ (㑞㌊㣏䄜䐈)
¥2 each (¥2 a pen)
㧞kuài (qián) 䄜 zhāng (㧞㌊᷉㣏᷊䄜䍦)
¥3 each (¥3 a sheet)
To negate a price, say ⤜ shì (⤜㬨) + price. See Use and Structure 6.6 about the use of
shì (㬨).
Qiānbı̌ ⤜ shì 㒚máo qián 䄜zhı̄ ᱄ (㣇⡫⤜㬨㒚㗌㣏䄜䐈᱄
)
Pencils (are) not ¥2 apiece.
Practice Workbook: Focus on Structure 6.3. Website: Listening for Information 6.7;
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Structure Drills 6.6; Focus on Structure 6.2; Communication through Read-

ing and Writing 6.2.
6.10. zài shuō 䄜cì (䊺㯖䄜⪯) say it again

In this lesson we introduce the phrase zài shuō䄜cì (䊺㯖䄜⪯) say (it) again one more time
as a fixed expression. To make the request more formal and polite, you can preface it with
qı̌ng 㛄 (㤌㛄) please.
[Qı̌ng 㛄] zài shuō䄜cì᱄ ([㤌㛄]䊺㯖䄜⪯᱄)
(Please) say it again one more time.
Practice Website: Listening for Information 6.6.
6.11. Describing nouns with adjectives or adjectival verbs: Adj/AdjV + de

(⭥) + N
When an adjective or adjectival verb describes a noun, Adj/AdjV + de (⭥), occurs before
the main noun, that is, the noun that is being described:
Adj + de (⭥) + main noun
hóng de yuánzhūbı̌ (⽍⭥䊓䑊⡫)
a red ballpoint pen
AdjV + de (⭥) + main noun
hěn piányi de yuánzhūbı̌ (⼽⢄䄬⭥䊓䑊⡫)
a cheap ballpoint pen
We have already seen that when nouns or pronouns describe a noun, they also occur before
the noun that is being described.
㸳 de tóngwū (㸳⭥㵍㸾)
my roommate
Wáng Màikè de shǒujı̄ hàomǎ (㶖㕔㋬⭥㬷〛⼦㕌)
Wang Maike’s cell phone number
When the description is an adjective or adjectival verb, there are some important variations
in the pattern.
Q Adjectival verbs usually do not occur alone, but are either preceded by an intensifier such
as hěn (⼽) very, or 㲌 extremely, etc., or by ⤜.
㲌guì de dìtú (㲌⺔⭥⭹㵝) an extremely expensive map
⤜ guì de shǒujı̄ (⤜⺔⭥㬷〛) an inexpensive cell phone
When no particular intensity is intended, the intensifier hěn is used.
hěn piányi de bı̌ (⼽⢄䄬⭥⡫) a cheap pen
Adjectives do not occur with an intensifier:
lán de yuánzhūbı̌ (㎗⭥䊓䑊⡫) a blue ballpoint pen
Q As with nouns and pronouns describing nouns, de is sometimes omitted from the descrip-
tion phrase. Here are some general rules that explain the presence and absence of de.
De is generally present if the adjective or adjectival verb is more than one syllable long, or
if it is preceded by an intensifier.
piányi ⭥ bı̌ (⼽⢄䄬⭥⡫) a very cheap pen
⼽
⼽ guì ⭥ shǒujı̄ (⼽⺔⭥㬷〛) an expensive cell phone
De is often omitted if the adjective or adjectival verb + noun together form a commonly
used expression.
bái zhı̌ (➸䐞) white paper
hóng bı̌ (⽍⡫) red pen
hǎo rén (⼤㦬) a good person
Practice
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RKBO Workbook: Focus on Structure 6.4; Focus on Communication 6.3. Website:
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Listening for Information 6.2, 6.7.
6.12. Specifier + classifier + noun: Saying this [pencil] and that [person]
In Lesson 4 we learned how to use the words zhè (䎃) this and nà (㚨) that as the subject of
the sentence. We called this the demonstrative use of zhè and nà since in this use, zhè and
nà point to some noun. (See Use and Structure 4.4.)
Zhè shì 㸳 de tóngwū᷍Xiè Guóqiáng᱄ (䎃㬨㸳⭥㵍㸾᷍㾜⺛㣠᱄
)
Nà shì tā de zhàopiàn᱄ (㚨㬨㰞⭥䍶㠍᱄ )
That is her photograph.
In this lesson we learn to use zhè and nà, and their alternative pronunciations zhèi and nèi,
when specifying a particular person, place, or thing as when saying this pencil or that person.
In this function zhè/zhèi and nà/nèi are called specifiers. When used as specifiers, zhè/zhèi
and nà/nèi always occur before a classifier, or, as we will see in Lesson 7, a number + classi-
fier. Notice that zhè/zhèi and nà/nèi are variations in pronunciation. This variation in pro-
nunciation is not reflected in Chinese characters. Whether a person says zhè or zhèi, she will
write the word as 䎃. Similarly, whether she says nà or nèi, she will write the word as 㚨.
To say this (person, place or thing), say:
zhè/zhèi + classifier + noun
zhèi zhı̄ qiānbı̌ (䎃䐈㣇⡫)
this pencil
To say that (person, place or thing), say:
nà/nèi + classifier + noun
nà ⷗ rén (㚨⷗㦬)
that person
Noun phrases consisting of specifier + classifier + noun can occur as the subject or the ob-
ject of the sentence:
[Zhèi zhāng Zhōngguó dìtú] 㒚kuài qián᱄ ([䎃䍦䐱⺛⭹㵝]㒚㌊㣏᱄
)
[This Chinese map] is six dollars.
㸳 yào mǎi [nà píng shuı̌ ]᱄ (㸳䄋㕓 [㚨㠠㯏]᱄ )
I want to buy [that bottle of water].
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Workbook: Focus on Structure 6.4. Website: Listening for Information 6.4, 6.6.
Qa Language FAQs
More about and ⱟ and liǎng (㑞)

Liǎng (㑞) two must be followed by a classifier. When no classifier follows, ⱟ is
used. When indicating the price of maps, the clerk can say:
䄜zhāng Zhōngguó dìtú 㡀 kuài liǎng máo qián. (䄜䍦䐱⺛⭹㵝㡀㌊㑞㗌㣏᱄)
or 䄜zhāng Zhōngguó dìtú 㡀 kuài ⱟ. (䄜䍦䐱⺛⭹㵝㡀㌊ⱟ᱄ ) One map is ¥7.2.
The clerk cannot say:
9䄜zhāng Zhōngguó dìtú 㡀 kuài liǎng. (䄜䍦䐱⺛⭹㵝㡀㌊㑞᱄)
because liǎng cannot be used without a following classifier.
Nowadays in Beijing, in informal speech, many people also use ⱟ when there is
a following classifier. As a result, sentences like this one are becoming acceptable
in casual speech.
䄜zhāng Zhōngguó dìtú 㡀 kuài ⱟ máo qián. (䄜䍦䐱⺛⭹㵝㡀㌊ⱟ㗌㣏᱄)
One map is ¥7.2.
More about classifiers

In Use and Structure 6.2 we saw that certain nouns in English also require a clas-
sifier when they occur in phrases that talk about the number of nouns. Here are
some additional noun phrases that involve classifiers in English, along with their
Chinese equivalents. The classifiers are underlined.
a pair of gloves 䄜 fù shǒutào (䄜ⶒ㬷㲸)
a group of people 䄜 qún rén (䄜㦛㦬)
a pair of paints 䄜 tiáo kùzi (䄜㳖㌄䓴)
a deck of cards 䄜 fù pái (䄜ⶒ㝧)
a bowl of soup 䄜 wǎn tāng (䄜㶌㲡)

a pair of shoes 䄜 shuāng xiézi (䄜㯌㾍䓴)
As you can see, in English the word “of” follows the classifier.
Adjectival verbs and comparisons

Adjectival verbs often imply comparisons. We see this in Part C of the dialogue,
when Zhang Dawei and the clerk are discussing maps.
Zhāng Dàwéi: Nà zhāng dìtú tài xiǎo le.
䍦⫔㸋ᷛ 㚨䍦⭹㵝㲌㾂㑬᱄
That map is too small.
Fúwùyuán: Nà zhāng ne? Nà zhāng dà, yě hěn piányi.
ⴟ㹒䊒ᷛ㚨䍦㚹ᷠ㚨䍦⫔᷍䄓⼽⢄䄬᱄
How about that map? That map is big(ger), and also very cheap.
More about the two pronunciations for the specifiers this and that
The basic pronunciations of the specifiers this and that are zhè and nà. We will see
in Lesson 7 that specifiers may be followed by a number. The pronunciations zhèi
and nèi were originally a contraction of zhè and nà followed by the number 䄜:
zhè 䄜 → zhèi this one
nà 䄜 → nèi that one
Nowadays, for many speakers, the choice of one or the other pronunciation is
simply a matter of individual preference. Some speakers use them interchange-
ably, some speakers use only zhè and nà, and some speakers use the pronuncia-
tions zhèi and nèi only when talking about one item.
Notes on Chinese Culture

Where do you shop in China?
As in the West, Chinese people shop in local stores run by their owners, in depart-
ment stores, and in chain stores, including international chain stores such as
7-Eleven, Walmart (㸷ⱜ㕋 Wò’ěrmǎ), and Carrefour (コ㎷ⶄ Jiālèfú). If you go
to an international chain, don’t expect that products and services will be identical
to those in your home country. For example, in 7-Eleven Convenience Stores in
Taiwan, you can bring in your dry cleaning, make ticket reservations, or enjoy a
sit-down meal. If you are looking for a cup of coffee, head for Starbucks (㾨➮㋬
Xı̄ngbākè), where you may want to try a green tea latte or frappé.

Part A
Clerk: Good morning. What would you like to buy?
Zhang Dawei: I want to buy water. How much is one bottle of water?
Clerk: One bottle of water is ¥2.4. Five bottles are ¥10.
Zhang Dawei: Well then, I’ll buy five bottles. How much is cola?
Clerk: Cola is also ¥2.4 a can. Do you want some?
Zhang Dawei: Yes. I’ll buy two cans.
Clerk: Do you want coffee? It’s ¥3.98 a bottle.
Zhang Dawei: I don’t want any. Do you have milk?
Clerk: Sorry, we don’t have milk right now.
Part B
Clerk: What else do you want to buy?
Zhang Dawei: I also want to buy pencils. How are they sold? Are they expensive?
Clerk: Pencils are very cheap, ¥0.65 each.
Zhang Dawei: How much? Please say it again.
Clerk: ¥0.65 each.
Zhang Dawei: Okay. I’ll buy eight. No. I’ll buy nine. I also want to buy ballpoint pens.
Do you have red pens and blue pens?
Clerk: We only sell blue ballpoint pens. They are ¥1 apiece.
Zhang Dawei: Well then, I’ll buy five.
Part C
Zhang Dawei: Do you sell Chinese maps?
Clerk: Yes. This Chinese map is ¥6. Do you want it?
Zhang Dawei: This map is too small.
Clerk: How about that map? That map is big(ger), and it is also very cheap,
¥7.22. Do you want to buy it?
Zhang Dawei: Yes. I will buy one. Do you sell white paper?
Clerk: Sorry, we don’t sell paper.
Lesson 7
䄜gòng ⱁ㩺
qiánᷠ
䄜⹓ⱁ㩺㣏ᷠ
How much is it
altogether?
Communication goals
Q Negotiate the price of items.
Q Pay for items and get change.
Q Make suggestions.
Literacy goals
Q Identify some recurring component parts of characters.
Q Identify the radicals in the characters that you have learned.
Q Write characters in the correct proportion.
Q Find the boundaries of familiar words and phrases composed of two or
more characters.
Key structures
Q numbers: 11–999
Q 㚥 which
Lesson 7 䄜gòng ⱁ㩺 qiánᷠ 䄜⹓ⱁ㩺㣏ᷠ How much is it altogether? 113
Q 䎃㧞 píng shuı̌ (䎃㧞㠠㯏) these three bottles of water

Q adjectival verb 䄜 diǎn (䄜⮄) a little more [adjectival verb]
Q making suggestions with ba (➪)
Q 䄜 gòng ⱁ㩺 qián? (䄜⹓ⱁ㩺㣏ᷠ ) How much altogether?
Dialogue
The situation: Zhang Dawei continues his shopping in a neighborhood store and
negotiates with the clerk over the price of some items.
Part A
Zhāng ⫔㸋ᷛ㚨⷗ běn䓴ⱁ㩺 qiánᷠ 䍦⫔㸋ᷛ㚨⷗⡟䓴ⱁ㩺㣏ᷠ

Fúwùyuánᷛ 㚥⷗běn䓴 yāᷠ㬓㗕 yánsè⭥ᷠ ⴟ㹒䊒ᷛ㚥⷗⡟䓴䁞ᷠ㬓㗕䁶㩌⭥ᷠ
㸳 yǒu huángsè ⭥᷍hēisè ⭥hé 㸳䇱⿧㩌⭥᷍⼻㩌⭥⼮
`sè ⭥᱄
lü 㔭㩌⭥᱄
Zhāng ⫔㸋ᷛ㚨⷗ hēisè ⭥ běn䓴᱄ 䍦⫔㸋ᷛ㚨⷗⼻㩌⭥⡟䓴᱄
Fúwùyuánᷛ 䎃
⷗ hēisè ⭥ Hàn zì liànxíběn㒚 ⴟ㹒䊒ᷛ䎃⷗⼻㩌⭥⼛䓷㑘㻑⡟㒚
kuài ➬䄜 běn᱄㛄yào ゙ běnᷠ ㌊➬䄜⡟᱄㛄䄋゙⡟ᷠ
Zhāng⫔㸋ᷛ㋪䄵piányi 䄜 diǎn 㕑ᷠ 䍦⫔㸋ᷛ㋪䄵⢄䄬䄜⮄㕑ᷠ
Fúwùyuánᷛ Mǎi㑞běn ba᱄㑞běn㋪䄵mài㬏 ⴟ㹒䊒ᷛ㕓㑞⡟➪᱄ 㑞⡟㋪䄵㕕㬏
ⱟkuài᱄ ⱟ㌊᱄
Zhāng⫔㸋ᷛ ⼤᱄ 䍦⫔㸋ᷛ⼤᱄
Part A Vocabulary
ba (used for making final particle ➪ ➪
suggestions)
běn (classifier for books) classifier ⡟ ⡟
běnzi běn䓴 notebook noun ⡟䓴 ⡟䓴
Hàn zì Chinese character noun phrase ⼛䓷 ᤉ䓷
hēi black adjective ⼻⼻
hēisè black color noun ⼻㩌⼻㩌
huáng yellow adjective ⿧ 怴
huángsè yellow color noun ⿧㩌怴㩌
liànxí practice verb 㑘㻑ㇻ㐶
liànxí notebook noun 㑘㻑⡟ ㇻ㐶⡟
běn
lǜ green adjective 㔭 ㆨ
lǜsè green color noun 㔭㩌 ㆨ㩌

yánsè color noun 䁶㩌嗢㩌
yı̄diǎn 䄜diǎn a little quantifier phrase 䄜⮄ 䄜恄
zì character (Chinese noun 䓷䓷
character)
Part B
Fúwùyuánᷛ 㛄 hái xiǎng mǎi 㬓㗕ᷠ ⴟ㹒䊒ᷛ㛄⿚㼌㕓㬓㗕?
Zhāng ⫔㸋ᷛ㸳 hái yào mǎi 䄜niánjí ⭥ 䍦⫔㸋ᷛ㸳⿚䄋㕓䄜㛋゗⭥
Zhōngwén shū᱄ 䐱㸥㭊᱄
Fúwùyuánᷛ 䎃㑞 běn shū 㬨䄜 niánjí ⭥ ⴟ㹒䊒ᷛ䎃㑞⡟㭊㬨䄜㛋゗⭥
Zhōngwén shū᱄ 䐱㸥㭊᱄
Zhāng⫔㸋ᷛⱁ㩺 qiánᷠ 䍦⫔㸋ᷛⱁ㩺㣏ᷠ
Fúwùyuánᷛ 㧞㬏㹆kuài᱄ ⴟ㹒䊒ᷛ㧞㬏㹆㌊᱄
Zhāng ⫔㸋ᷛ⼤᱄ 㸳hái yào䎃 bāo qiǎokèlì 䍦⫔㸋ᷛ⼤᱄㸳⿚䄋䎃⟝㣪㋬㑇
bı̌nggān hé 䄜⷗㧞míngzhì᱄ ⢞ⶪ⼮䄜⷗㧞㘘䐯᱄
Fúwùyuánᷛ Qiǎokèlì bı̌nggān㑞 kuài 㑞 máo ⴟ㹒䊒ᷛ㣪㋬㑇⢞ⶪ㑞㌊㑞㗌
㹆᱄㧞míngzhì 㯥 kuài ⱟ᱄ 㹆᱄㧞㘘䐯㯥㌊ⱟ᱄
Part B Vocabulary
bāo bag (of) classifier/noun ⟝ ⟝
bı̌nggān cookie noun ⢞ⶪ 嚿㣍
niánjí year in school, noun 㛋゗㛋な

grade
qiǎokèlì chocolate noun 㣪㋬㑇㣪㋬㑇
sānmíngzhì sandwich noun 㧞㘘䐯㧞㘘䐯
shū book noun 㭊 ᎙
xiǎng think (about), verb 㼌㼌
plan (to),
want (to)
yı̄ niánjí 䄜 first year level noun phrase 䄜㛋゗䄜㛋な
niánjí
Part C
Zhāng ⫔㸋ᷛ䄜 gòng ⱁ㩺 qiánᷠ 䍦⫔㸋ᷛ䄜 ⹓ⱁ㩺㣏ᷠ

Fúwùyuánᷛ Shū 㧞㬏㹆 kuài᷍㈦ zhı̄ qiānbı̌ ⴟ㹒䊒ᷛ㭊㧞㬏㹆㌊᷍㈦䐈㣇⡫
㹆 kuài ➬ máo 㹆᷍Zhōngguó 㹆㌊➬㗌㹆᷍䐱⺛
dìtú 㡀 kuài 㑞 máo ⱟ᷍㹆 píng ⭹㵝㡀㌊㑞㗌ⱟ᷍㹆㠠
shuı̌ 㬏kuài᷍㑞 tı̄ng kělè 㯥㯏㬏㌊᷍㑞㳞㋪㎷㯥
kuài ➬᷍㑞⷗ liànxí běn 㬏㌊➬᷍㑞⷗㑘㻑⡟㬏
ⱟ kuài᷍bı̌ 㹆 kuài᷍bı̌nggān 㑞 ⱟ㌊᷍⡫㹆㌊᷍⢞ⶪ㑞
kuài 㑞 máo 㹆᷍㧞míngzhì 㯥㌊㑞㗌㹆᷍㧞㘘䐯㯥
kuài ⱟ᷍䄜gòng ➬㬏㒚kuài 㧞㌊ⱟ᷍䄜⹓➬㬏㒚㌊㧞
máoⱟfēn qián᱄ 㗌ⱟ⳷㣏᱄
Zhāng ⫔㸋ᷛGěi㛄䄜 bǎi kuài᱄ 䍦⫔㸋ᷛⷙ㛄䄜➺㌊᱄
Fúwùyuánᷛ Zhǎo 㛄㬏㧞kuài 㒚máo ⴟ㹒䊒ᷛ䍳㛄㬏㧞㌊㒚㗌
➬fēn qián᱄ ➬⳷㣏᱄
Zhāng ⫔㸋ᷛ⼤᱄Zài jiàn᱄ 䍦⫔㸋ᷛ⼤᱄䊺ボ᱄
Fúwùyuánᷛ Zài jiàn᱄ ⴟ㹒䊒ᷛ䊺ボ᱄
Part C Vocabulary
bǎi 100 number ➺ ➺
gěi give verb ⷙ ㄐ
yı̄gòng 䄜gòng altogether adverb 䄜⹓ 䄜⹓
zhǎo (qián) make (change) verb 䍳᷉㣏᷊ 䍳᷉仹᷊
Numbers 11–20
11 㬏䄜 shíyı̄ 16 㬏㒚 shíliù
12 㬏ⱟ shí’èr 17 㬏㡀 shíqı̄
13 㬏㧞 shísān 18 㬏➬ shíbā
14 㬏㯥 shísì 19 㬏㈦ shíjiǔ
15 㬏㹆 shíwǔ 20 ⱟ㬏 èrshí
Numbers 20–90
20 ⱟ㬏 èrshí 60 㒚㬏 liùshí
30 㧞㬏 sānshí 70 㡀㬏 qı̄shí
40 㯥㬏 sìshí 80 ➬㬏 bāshí
50 㹆㬏 wǔshí 90 ㈦㬏 jiǔshí
Numbers 100–999
100 䄜bǎi yı̄ bǎi 605 㒚bǎi líng㹆 liù bǎi líng wǔ
200 㑞bǎi liǎng bǎi 708 㡀bǎi líng➬ qı̄ bǎi líng bā
300 㧞bǎi sān bǎi 810 ➬bǎi䄜㬏 bā bǎi yı̄shí
400 㯥bǎi sì bǎi 965 ㈦bǎi㒚㬏㹆 jiǔ bǎi liùshí wǔ
500 㹆bǎi wǔ bǎi 999 ㈦bǎi㈦㬏㈦ jiǔ bǎi jiǔshí jiǔ
Characters
Character Shape Pinyin Meaning/ Radical Phrases Traditional
Function character
⭥ de (marks noun ➺ ᱂ ⭥
description) (white)
ⱁ duō many, more 㻇 ⱁ㩺 ⱁ
(duōshao)
how much,
how many
⷗ gè (classifier for 㦬 ᱂ ӡ
people and (person)
other nouns)
⼤ hǎo, good, well 㝏 (fe- ᱂ ⼤
hào male)
゙ jı̌ how many, ゙ ᱂ ุ
how much
㋪ kě * ㋻㋪䄵 (kěyı̌) ㋪
(mouth) can (permis-
sion)
㑞 liǎng two (of some- 䄜 (one) ᱂ ‫ת‬
thing)
㕑 ma yes-no ques- ㋻ ᱂ ࡂ
tion particle (mouth)
㗕 me * 䖐(ϵ, 㬓㗕 (shén- 怯
϶) me) what
㚥 nǎ which ㋻ ᱂ 㚥
(mouth)
㚨 nà, nèi that 䝃 ᱂ 㚨
㦬 rén person 㦬 ᱂ 㦬
(person)
㩺 shǎo few, less 㾂 ⱁ㩺㩺
(small) (duōshao)
how much,
how many
㬓 shén * 䗊㬓㗕㬓
(standing (shénme)
person) what
㬨 shì be 㦶 (sun) ᱂ 㬨
䄵 yı̌ * 㦬㋪䄵 (kěyı̌ ) 䄵
can (per-
mission)
䎃 zhè, this 佢 ᱂ 䩡
zhèi
䓴 zi * 䓴 (child) ⼃䓴 (háizi) 䓴
child, ⡟䓴
(běnzi)
notebook
Chinese characters
Radicals
In this lesson, we take a closer look at radicals. Every character has a radical. Sometimes the
radical is the character. For example, for the characters䄜 (yı̄) one, ⱟ (èr) two, and 㬏 (shí)
ten introduced in Lesson 6, the character is also the radical. In most cases, however, the
radical is one component part of the character. For example, in the character 㑞 (liǎng) in-
troduced in this lesson, the radical is 䄜 (yı̄).
There are thousands of characters, but there are only about two hundred radicals. There-
fore, many characters share the same radical. Notice that two of the characters introduced
in Lesson 7, 㕑 (ma) and 㚥 (nǎ), share the same radical ㋻ (kǒu). The primary role of the
radical is to help to organize characters in a Chinese dictionary, but many radicals also pro-
vide basic information about the meaning of the characters in which they serve as the radi-
cal. We began looking at radicals that convey meaning in Lesson 4. We saw, for example,
that the radical ㋻, pronounced kǒu, means mouth. When it serves as the radical of a char-
acter, it often indicates that the character has something to do with the mouth or with lan-
guage. 㕑 (ma) and 㚥 (nǎ) both have to do with language: 㕑 (ma) is the marker of yes-no
questions, and 㚥 (nǎ) is the content question word which. Similarly, 㦬 (rén), introduced
in this lesson, is both an independent character and a radical. It is called the person radical.
We can see its use as a radical in the character ⷗ (gè), the classifier for people and many
other nouns. The radical 㦬 has a variant form, 䗊 often called the “standing person” or the
“standing man” radical. In the system of radicals for simplified characters, 㦬 and 䗊 are
two separate radicals, so we will list them separately here. Characters in which the radical
is 㦬 or 䗊often have to do with people: 㰜 he/him and 㛄 you. However, as you can see
from the character 㬓 (shén), not all characters with the person radical refer to people.
When you learn a new character, pay attention to its radical and whether it conveys a mean-
ing in the character. This information will help you to remember the character.
Not all radicals consistently provide information about the meaning of the character. For
example, the radical 䝃 in the character 㚨 (nà) that, the radical 佢 in the character 䎃 (zhè)
this, and the radical ➸ (bái) in the character ⭥(de) do not provide meaning cues. However,
since the same radical occurs in many characters, once you have memorized the way that it
is written, you do not have to re-learn it every time it occurs in a new character. You can
simply remind yourself that the radical is the same one that occurs in 㚨 or 䎃 or ⭥, and
you will know how that part of the character is written.
Radicals typically occur in one specific location within a character. For example, the radical
䗊always occurs as the left-most component of the character, and the radical 㦬 always oc-
curs as the top-most component of a character. Some radicals can occur in more than one
location. For example, ㋻ is the radical in all of the following characters: 䐜, ⹦, ㋪, ⼮.
A given character has only one radical. Sometimes, a character contains several compo-
nents that independently occur as radicals. How do you know which component is the
radical in that character? Sometimes, you just have to look it up in a dictionary, website, or
other electronic resource, but sometimes there are rules that identify the radical. Let’s look
at the characters 㚨 and 㚥 introduced in this lesson to see one of these rules. 㚨 contains
two component parts, ㋻ and 䝃. 㚥 contains three component parts, ㋻, ㋻, and 䝃. Both
characters include the component part 䝃. 䝃 is the radical in 㚨. Why is this the case? It’s
because never serves as a radical and 䝃does, and when it is the radical, 䝃is always the
right-most component of the character. In 㚥, there are two candidates for radical: ㋻ and 䝃.
Each component occurs in its correct radical location: 䝃is in the right-most position in the
character, and ㋻ is in the left-most position in the character. However, ㋻ is always the
radical if it occurs as the left-most component of a character. Therefore, the radical of 㚥 is
㋻. This is additional information that you should remember about the radical㋻.
More about the spatial orientation of characters

Many of the characters introduced in Lesson 7 consist of two or more parts, and these parts
have distinct spatial orientations. The characters 㬓, 㚨,⭥, and 㕑 each consist of two
parts arranged in a horizontal, left-to-right orientation. That is, they all have the character
shape . The characters ⱁ and 㑞 have vertical top-to-bottom orientation. That is, they all
have the character shape . When characters have a vertical orientation, the part on the top
is always written first. The character 䎃 has the L-shaped orientation . That is, the com-
ponent that occurs on the left, the radical 佢, extends below all of the components to its
right. 佢 is always written last.
When the parts of a character are arranged in a horizontal left-to-right orientation, the part
on the left is often, but not always, the radical. For example, in the character 㰜 (tā), the part
on the left is the radical. However, in the character 㚨 (nà), the radical is the component on
the right.
The spacing of characters and words

We learned in Lesson 6 that when writing Chinese characters, each character takes the
same amount of space on a page. In this lesson, we learn additional things about writing
texts in Chinese characters:
Q When words are written with two or more characters, each character is written in its own
box, equally spaced from the other character or characters in the word:
㬓㗕
Q Each punctuation mark is written in its own box. Punctuation marks are not written in-
side of the space of another character.
䎃㬨㛄 ⭥ ᷍ duì 㕑 ᷠ
Q Words do not have spaces around them as they do in English written texts, and there is
nothing in a written text to indicate the boundaries of words. In your reading practice,
you will learn to identify multi-character words despite the absence of word boundaries.
➬ 㬏㒚 ᱄
Focus on radicals: Radicals in Lesson 6–7 characters
Radical Meaning Pinyin Characters

䖝 dot diǎn 㸋
䄜 one yı̄ 䄜᷍㧞᷍⤜᷍㡀᷍㑞
䖐(ϵ, ϶) (left falling stroke) piě 㗕
䄳 (Ͼ,Ͽ) second celestial symbol yı̌ ㈦᷍
䄓
ⱟ two èr ⱟ᷍
㹆
㬏 ten shí 㬏
➬ eight bā ➬᷍
㒚
㦬 person rén 㦬᷍
⷗᷍䄵
䗊 person (standing person) rén 㗨᷍㛄᷍㬓
゙ several, how many jı̌ ゙
䝃(right)* country, nation yì 㚨
佢 walk chuò 䎃
⫔ big dà ⫔᷍㲌
㾂 small xiǎo 㩺
㋻ mouth kǒu 㕑᷍㚥᷍㋪
䯎 enclosure wéi 㯥
㻇 evening xı̄ ⱁ
㝏 female nǜ ⼤
䓴 child zı̌ 䓴
ⷋ dagger-axe gē 㸳
㦶 sun rì 㬨
➸ white bái ⭥
*There is another radical, also written 䝃ear, that occurs in the left-most posi-
tion of a character.
Use and structure

7.1. 㚥 which
In Lesson 2 we learned the question word 㚥 which in the phrase 㚥guó 㦬 (㚥⺛㦬) a
person of which country (Use and Structure 2.4):
㛄㬨㚥guó㦬ᷠ (㛄㬨㚥⺛㦬ᷠ
)
Where are you from?
In this lesson we learn to use 㚥 to ask about the identity of other nouns. Like the specifiers
䎃 this, these and 㚨 that, those, 㚥 never occurs directly before a noun. It always occurs
before a classifier, or before a number + classifier.
㚥 + classifier + N
㚥⷗ běn䓴ᷠ (㚥⷗⡟䓴ᷠ )
Which notebook?
㚥㑞 zhāng dìtúᷠ (㚥㑞䍦⭹㵝ᷠ
)
Which two maps?
Like the specifiers 䎃 and 㚨, 㚥 has an alternative pronunciation: něi. As with zhèi and
nèi, the pronunciation něi was originally the contraction of nǎ yı̄ (㚥䄜).
Něi zhāng dìtúᷠ (㚥䍦⭹㵝ᷠ
)
Which map?
Nowadays, the choice of the pronunciation nǎ or něi is largely one of individual preference.
7.2. Color words and referring to colors

We have now learned six color words: hóng (⽍) red, lán (㎗) blue, bái (➸) white, hēi (⼻)
black, huáng (⿧) yellow, and lǜ (㔭) green. Color words are adjectives. They are used to de-
scribe nouns, and, unlike adjectival verbs, they do not occur by themselves as the main verb
of a sentence.
We saw in Lesson 6 that when color terms describe a noun, they are typically followed by ⭥:
lán ⭥ yuánzhūbı̌ (㎗⭥䊓䑊⡫) blue ballpoint pens

and that sometimes a color word can occur right before the noun without ⭥:
bái zhı̌ (➸䐞) white paper, hóng bı̌ (⽍⡫) red pen
When referring to the color alone, color words are followed by the word yánsè (䁶㩌) color
or by its abbreviated form sè (㩌). For example, to say that you like red and you don’t like
green, say:
㸳hěn xı̌huān hóng yánsè᷍⤜ xı̌huān lǜ yánsè᱄

(㸳⼽㻓⿗⽍䁶㩌᷍⤜㻓⿗㔭䁶㩌᱄ )
I like red; I don’t like green.
When describing a noun, the color term may be followed by yánsè (䁶㩌) or sè (㩌) and
then by ⭥.
Hēisè ⭥ qiānbı̌ hěn piányi᱄(⼻㩌⭥㣇⡫⼽⢄䄬᱄ )

Black pencils are very cheap.
㸳⭥péngyou yǒu hóng yánsè ⭥ shǒujı̄᱄ (㸳⭥㞔䇲䇱⽍䁶㩌⭥㬷〛᱄
)
My friend has a red cell phone.

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7.2, 7.5; Communication through Reading and Writing 7.3.
7.3. Specifier + number + classifier + noun: Saying these [two pencils] and
those [three people]
In Lesson 6 (Use and Structure 6.12) we learned to use the specifiers 䎃 and 㚨 to say things
like this pencil and that notebook. We learned that in these structures, 䎃 and 㚨 must be fol-
lowed by a classifier, and that the order of information in the phrase is:
specifier + classifier + N
䎃 zhı̄ qiānbı̌
䎃䐈㣇⡫
this pencil
㚨⷗ běn䓴
㚨⷗⡟䓴
that notebook
To add a number to this noun phrase to say things such as these two pencils and those three
notebooks, present the information in this order:
specifier + number + classifier + N
䎃㑞 zhı̄ qiānbı̌
䎃㑞䐈㣇⡫
these two pencils
㚨㧞⷗ běn䓴
㚨㧞⷗⡟䓴
those three notebooks
Noun phrases that include a specifier and number can occur as the subject or the object of
a sentence:
䎃㑞 běn shū 㬨䄜niánjí ⭥ Zhōngwén shū᱄

䎃㑞⡟㭊㬨䄜㛋゗⭥䐱㸥㭊᱄
These two books are first-year Chinese books.
㸳 yào mǎi㚨㑞zhāng dìtú᱄
㸳䄋㕓㚨㑞䍦⭹㵝᱄
I want to buy those two maps.
Practice Workbook: Focus on Structure 7.1, 7.5. Website: Structure Drills 7.4; Focus on
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Structure 7.2.
7.4. Describing a noun with more than one description phrase

We have already learned several types of phrases that can be used to describe a (main) noun:
[noun/pronoun ⭥] + noun: Zhāng ⫔㸋⭥zhàopiàn

(Use and Structure 4.5, 5.9) 䍦⫔㸋⭥䍶㠍
Zhang Dawei’s photograph
㸳⭥tóngwū
㸳⭥㵍㸾
my roommate
lǎoshı̄ ⭥ xuésheng
㎰㬇⭥䁈㪛
the teacher’s students
[number + classifier] + noun: 䄜 píng shuı̌
(Use and Structure 6.2) 䄜㠠㯏
one bottle of water
[specifier + classifier] + noun: zhèi zhı̄ qiānbı̌
(Use and Structure 6.12) 䎃䐈㣇⡫
this pencil
[Adj/AdjV ⭥] + noun: hóng⭥yuánzhūbı̌
(Use and Structure 6.11) ⽍⭥䊓䑊⡫
a red ballpoint pen
hěn piányi ⭥ yuánzhūbı̌
⼽⢄䄬⭥䊓䑊⡫
a cheap ballpoint pen
[specifier + number + classifier] + noun: 䎃㑞 zhı̄ qiānbı̌
(Use and Structure 7.3) 䎃㑞䐈㣇⡫
these two pencils
Notice that descriptions involving specifiers and/or numbers always end in a classifier. All
other descriptions end in ⭥.
In this lesson, we see that a noun can be described by more than one description at the
same time. When describing a noun with more than one description, state the descriptions
one at a time before the noun that is being described. The noun occurs once, following the
descriptions:
[description1] [description2] . . . noun

[㚨⷗] [hēisè ⭥] běn䓴
[㚨⷗] [⼻㩌⭥] ⡟䓴
that black notebook
Here are additional examples of nouns described by more than one description.
[䎃㑞 běn] [lǜsè⭥] Zhōngwén shū

[䎃㑞⡟] [㔭㩌⭥] 䐱㸥㭊
these two green Chinese books
[㚨㯥⷗] [hěn guì ⭥] shǒujı̄
[㚨㯥⷗] [⼽⺔⭥] 㬷〛
those four very expensive cell phones
Practice
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Workbook: Focus on Structure 7.3, 7.4, 7.5. Website: Structure Drills 7.6.
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7.5. AdjV 䄜diǎn (䄜⮄) a little more AdjV

To say a little more adjectival verb, say:
AdjV 䄜diǎn (䄜⮄)
㋪䄵 piányi 䄜diǎn 㕑ᷠ(㋪䄵⢄䄬䄜⮄㕑ᷠ
)
Can it be a little cheaper?
Any adjectival verb can occur before䄜diǎn:
guì 䄜diǎn (⺔䄜⮄) a little more expensive
⼤䄜diǎn (⼤䄜⮄) a little better

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Listening for Information 7.4; Focus on Structure 7.5; Communication

7.6. Making suggestions with the sentence-final particle ba (➪)

In Lesson 4 (Use and Structure 4.9) we learned that the sentence-final particle ba (➪) can
be used to indicate a speaker’s assumption.
㚨㬨㛄⭥ zhàopiàn ba᱄ (㚨㬨㛄⭥䍶㠍➪᱄
)
That is your photograph I assume. (or) That must be your photograph.
Sentence-final ba can also be used to make suggestions.
Fúwùyuán: 㑞 běn (liànxíběn) mài 㬏ⱟ kuài ba᱄ (㑞⡟ (㑘㻑⡟) 㕕㬏ⱟ㌊➪᱄
)
Clerk: (I’ll) sell two (workbooks) for ¥12.
When the subject of the sentence is 㸳㗨, suggestions with ba can usually be translated
into English as Let’s. . . .
㸳㗨mǎi qiǎokèlì bı̌nggān ba᱄ (㸳㗨㕓㣪㋬㑇⢞ⶪ➪᱄
)
Let’s buy chocolate cookies.
When the subject of the suggestion is 㛄, suggestions with ba can usually be translated into
English with the expression Why don’t you . . .?
㛄gěi㰜dǎ diànhuà ba᱄ (㛄ⷙ㰜⫓⮈⿑➪᱄
)
Why don’t you phone him?
When a sentence ends with ba, the content of the sentence and the context in which it oc-
curs will make it clear whether ba is used to indicate an assumption or a suggestion. Nor-
mally, only one or the other interpretation of ba makes sense in any situation.

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7.7. The numbers 11–99

The numbers 11–19 are formed by 㬏 followed by the numbers 䄜 through ㈦:
11 㬏䄜 16 㬏㒚
12 㬏ⱟ 17 㬏㡀
13 㬏㧞 18 㬏➬
14 㬏㯥 19 㬏㈦
15 㬏㹆
The “round” numbers 20–90 are formed as follows:
20 ⱟ㬏 60 㒚㬏
30 㧞㬏 70 㡀㬏
40 㯥㬏 80 ➬㬏
50 㹆㬏 90 ㈦㬏
The numbers 21–99 are formed by the appropriate round number 㬏 through ㈦㬏 fol-
lowed by the numbers 䄜 through ㈦.
21 ⱟ㬏䄜 65 㒚㬏㹆
32 㧞㬏ⱟ 78 㡀㬏➬
43 㯥㬏㧞 86 ➬㬏㒚
54 㹆㬏㯥 99 ㈦㬏㈦
Notice that the Arabic numbers 21, 32, 43, etc. are written using two digits, but the equiva-
lent Chinese numbers are written using three characters (ⱟ㬏䄜, 㧞㬏ⱟ, 㯥㬏㧞, etc.).
Don’t forget to include 㬏 when you write these numbers.
In number expressions involving the number two, such as 㬏ⱟ 12, ⱟ㬏 20,ⱟ㬏ⱟ 22,
㧞㬏ⱟ32, etc., two is always written as ⱟ and is pronounced as èr.
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7.1, 7.2, 7.3; Structure Drills 7.1, 7.2.
7.8. 䄜bǎi (䄜➺) 100 and the numbers 100–999

The word for hundred is bǎi (➺). Bǎi is always preceded by a number: 100 is䄜bǎi (䄜➺),
200 is 㑞 bǎi (㑞➺), 300 is 㧞 bǎi (㧞➺), etc. The numbers 101–999 are formed by stating
the number of hundreds (bǎi) ➺, tens (㬏) and ones as follows:
hundreds (bǎi) tens (㬏) ones

123 䄜bǎi ⱟ㬏㧞
212 㑞bǎi 䄜㬏 ⱟ
468 㯥bǎi 㒚㬏 ➬
750 㡀bǎi 㹆㬏
999 ㈦bǎi ㈦㬏㈦
Notice that when the number expression includes hundreds, the numbers 11–19 in the tens
column are expressed with 䄜 as 䄜㬏䄜 (yı̄shí yı̄), 䄜㬏ⱟ (yı̄shí èr), 䄜㬏㧞 (yı̄shí sān), etc.
If a number has hundreds and ones but no tens, the word líng (㒄) zero is used between the
hundreds and the ones:
602 㒚bǎi língⱟ (㒚➺㒄ⱟ)
801 ➬bǎi líng䄜 (➬➺㒄䄜)
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tion; Structure Drills 7.5; Focus on Structure 7.1.
7.9. niánjí (㛋゗) year in school, grade

䄜niánjí (䄜㛋゗) refers to the first year of a course or program that takes multiple years to
complete. The first year of a Chinese language program is Zhōngwén 䄜niánjí (䐱㸥䄜㛋
゗). Notice that the title of the program (e.g. Zhōngwén [䐱㸥] Chinese) is stated before the
level. 䄜niánjí also refers to the first year of high school or college. The second year is
ⱟniánjí (ⱟ㛋゗). What do you think the third year is called? To ask which level, use the
question word ゙ and ask ゙ niánjí (゙㛋゗).
Practice Workbook: Focus on Communication 7.2, 7.3. Website: Listening for Informa-
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tion 7.3.
7.10. gòng (䄜⹓) altogether; 䄜gòng ⱁ㩺 qiánᷠ (䄜⹓ⱁ㩺㣏ᷠ

)
䄜gòng (䄜⹓) altogether is an adverb. It normally occurs before the verb or modal verb of
the sentence. Notice that in English, the word altogether can occur at the beginning or the
end of the sentence. Be careful to follow Chinese word order and not English word order
when using 䄜gòng (䄜⹓) and other adverbs.
㚨⷗ lǎoshı̄䄜gòng yǒu㯥㬏㹆⷗ xuésheng᱄ (㚨⷗㎰㬇䄜⹓䇱㯥㬏㹆⷗䁈㪛᱄
)
That teacher has 45 students altogether.
㸳䄜gòng rènshi 㒚 ⷗㦬᱄(㸳䄜⹓㦰㬗㒚⷗㦬᱄ )
Altogether, I know six people.
When talking about prices,䄜gòng usually occurs directly before the price.
䄜gòng㡀㬏㡀kuài 㯥máo qián᱄ (䄜⹓㡀㬏㡀㌊㯥㗌㣏᱄
)
Altogether, it is ¥77.4.
When asking about prices, 䄜gòng occurs before the question phrase ⱁ㩺 qiánᷠ (ⱁ㩺㣏ᷠ
)
䄜gòng ⱁ㩺 qiánᷠ (䄜 ⹓ⱁ㩺㣏ᷠ
)
How much money is it altogether?
㬨 be may be used when stating the price of some objects. When it is present, 䄜gòng oc-
curs right before 㬨.
㚨㯥⷗ běn䓴䄜gòng [㬨] 㑞kuài qián᱄ (㚨㯥⷗⡟䓴䄜⹓(㬨)㑞㌊㣏᱄
)
Those four notebooks are ¥2 altogether.
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Practice Workbook: Focus on Communication 7.2. Website: Listening for Information 7.3,
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7.5; Structure Drills 7.7; Communication through Reading and Writing 7.2.
7.11. gěi (ⷙ) give

In Lesson 5 we learned the word gěi (ⷙ) as part of the fixed expression gěi (someone) dǎ
diànhuà (ⷙ [someone] ⫓⮈⿑) phone (someone). In this lesson we learn to use the word
gěi (ⷙ) as the verb give.
Gěi 㛄➬㬏᱄ (ⷙ㛄➬㬏᱄ )
I’m giving you ¥80.
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Website: Listening for Information 7.6; Communication through Reading

and Writing 7.3.
7.12. zhǎo (䍳) make change

When giving change, a clerk may say:
Zhǎo 㛄 [㧞㬏kuài㯥máo qián]᱄ (䍳㛄[㧞㬏㌊㯥㗌㣏]᱄)
I’m giving you [¥30.4] in change.
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Website: Listening for Information 7.6; Communication through Reading

and Writing 7.3.
⭥ (de) has a horizontal orientation and is written from left to right. Its
radical, ➸ (bái), is on the left and is written first. The radical consists of
five strokes. The first is a left falling stroke. The second stroke is a vertical
stroke. The third stroke is a right corner stroke.
The fourth stroke is a left-to-right horizontal stroke that fills in the box. The
fifth stroke is a left-to right horizontal stroke that closes the box.
The right side of⭥ is written in three strokes. The first stroke is a left
falling stroke. The second stroke is a right corner stroke that ends in a left-
facing hook. The third stroke is a dot.
ⱁ (duō) has a vertical orientation and is written in six strokes. The top
part of the character is the radical and is written in three strokes. The first
stroke is a left falling stroke. The second stroke is a left-to-right horizontal
stroke the turns into a left falling stroke.
The third stroke is a right falling dot.
The bottom half of ⱁ is identical to the top half. It is aligned with the top
so that if a vertical line were written straight through the character it would
divide the character in half.
⷗ (gè) has a vertical orientation and is written in three strokes. The first
two strokes form the radical, 㦬 (rén), introduced below. The first stroke
is a left falling stroke. The second stroke is a right falling stroke that begins
just below the top of the previous stroke. Notice that it touches the previ-
ous stroke but does not go through it.
The last stroke is a vertical stroke.
⼤ (hǎo) has a horizontal orientation and consists of two parts.

The left part, 㝏(nǚ, female), is the radical and it is written first. It is writ-
ten in three strokes.
The first stroke is a left-right falling stroke. That is, it starts falling left and
then changes direction and falls right.
The second stroke is a left falling stroke. Notice that it has a slight down-
ward curve.
The last stroke is a left-to-right horizontal stroke. Notice where it meets the
left falling stroke.
The right part of ⼤, 䓴, is written in three strokes.

The first stroke is a horizontal-left falling stroke.
The second stroke is a vertical stroke with a left hook.
The third stroke is a horizontal stroke. Notice that it crosses the vertical
stroke near the top.
゙ (jı̌ ) is a radical and is written from left to right in two strokes. The
first stroke is a left falling stroke. The second stroke is a horizontal-vertical-
curved stroke that ends in an upwards hook.
㋪ (kě) has vertical orientation and is written in five strokes. The first
stroke is a horizontal stroke written at the top.
The next three strokes form a box, the radical in this character.
The last stroke is a vertical stroke. It ends with a left-facing hook.
㑞 (liǎng) is written from top to bottom and from left to right. The first stroke
is 䄜 (yı̄), the horizontal stroke on the top. It is the radical in this character and
is written from left to right. The next two strokes form an open box: a left verti-
cal stroke followed by a right corner stroke ending in a left-facing hook.
The remaining two pieces are twins, although the one on the right can be
slightly larger than the one on the left. Each piece begins with a left falling
stroke followed by a dot. Remember that dots are written from left to right
and have a slight upward curve. Notice that the falling strokes may touch
the horizontal stroke at the top but they do not go through it.
㕑 (ma) has a horizontal orientation and consists of two parts. The left
part of the character is the radical ㋻ (kǒu) mouth and it is written first in
three strokes:
The right part of the character 㕑 is written in three strokes. Notice that it
begins higher than ㋻.
The right corner is written first.
The second stroke starts vertical, turns right horizontally, and then turns
vertically downward, ending in a left hook. It is called a vertical-turning-
turning-hooked stroke. It is written as a single stroke even though it in-
volves multiple turns.
The third stroke is a horizontal stroke written from left to right.

㗕 (me), the second character in the word 㬓㗕 (shénme) what, consists

of three strokes. The first stroke is a left falling stroke. It is the radical in this
character. The second stroke is a left falling stroke that turns the corner
and continues as a horizontal stroke to the right.
The last stroke is a dot. Notice that the dot meets the end of the previous
stroke at about its midpoint.
㚨 (nà) consists of two parts and is written from left to right. The first part
is written in four strokes. The first stroke is a right corner stroke that ends
in a left upward hook.
The second and third strokes are short horizontal strokes written from left
to right.
The fourth stroke is a left falling stroke that is written through the two
horizontal strokes.
The right side of 㚨 is its radical. It is written in two strokes. The first
stroke is a horizontal left falling stroke that turns into a curved stroke ending
in a left-facing hook.
㚥 (nǎ) has horizontal orientation and is written from left to right. It con-
sists of the radical ㋻ on the left and the character㚨 on the right. ㋻is
written first.
㦬 (rén) is written in two strokes. The first stroke is a left falling stroke. The
second stroke is a right falling stroke that begins slightly below the top of
the first stroke.
㦬 is a radical. For example, as we have seen, it is the radical in the char-

acter⷗ (gè). In most characters in which it is the radical, it is
written 䗊.
㩺 (shǎo) is written in four strokes. The first three strokes form the radi-
cal, the character 㾂.
The last stroke is a left falling stroke. It begins around the midpoint of the
right dot and it falls below the radical and past the left dot.
㬓 (shén), the first character in the word 㬓㗕 (shénme) what, has two
parts. The part on the left, 䗊, is the radical and it is written in two strokes,
a left falling stroke followed by a vertical stroke. The vertical stroke begins at
about the midpoint of the left falling stroke.
The right side of 㬓 is the character 㬏 ten. It is written in two strokes, a

horizontal stroke followed by a vertical stroke.
㬨 (shì) has vertical orientation and is written from top to bottom.

The top of㬨 is the radical 䊜. It is a box with a horizontal stroke inside.
Boxes are always written in the same way. The left vertical stroke is written
first, and the right corner stroke is written second.
If the inside of the box contains one or more strokes, they are written next.
The last stroke of the box is a left-to-right horizontal stroke that closes the
box.
The bottom half of 㬨 is written in five strokes. It is written from top to

bottom and from left to right.
The first stroke is a horizontal stroke.
The second stroke is a vertical stroke that starts at the midpoint of the
horizontal stroke. It does not go through the top of the horizontal stroke.
The third stroke is a horizontal stroke written from the midpoint of
the vertical stroke to the right. It does not go through the left side of the
vertical line.
The fourth stroke is a left falling stroke. It begins about halfway between
the start of the first horizontal stroke and the vertical stroke.
The fifth stroke is a right falling stroke. Notice that it begins just below
the top of the left falling stroke and extends the entire width of the char-
acter.
䄵 (yı̌ ) is the second character in the word ㋪䄵 (kěyı̌ ) can. It is written

from left to right in four strokes. The first stroke is a downward vertical
stroke that turns into an upward stroke.
The second stroke is a falling dot. It is written from left to right.
The next two strokes form the radical, 㦬.
䎃 (zhè) consists of two parts. The radical of this character, 佢, is always

written last, so in the character 䎃, 㸥is written first. The radical 佢 never
occurs as a word on its own in modern Chinese.
㸥is written in four strokes. The first stroke is a dot.
The second stroke is a horizontal stroke written from left to right.
The third stroke is a left falling stroke.
The fourth stroke is a long dot written from left to right with a slight
upward curve. It goes through the left falling stroke.
The radical 佢is written in three strokes. The first stroke is a dot.
The second stroke is a horizontal left falling-curved stroke. It begins as a

horizontal stroke, turns into a left falling stroke, and continues as a curved
stroke.
The third stroke is a right falling stroke that continues below and beyond
the component on the right side of the character.
䓴 (zi) is the right part of the character⼤, and it is written in three strokes.
It is a radical.
The first stroke is a horizontal left falling stroke.
The second stroke is a vertical stroke with a left hook.
The third stroke is a horizontal stroke written from left to right. Notice that
it crosses the vertical stroke near the top.
Qa
Language FAQs
What is the difference between xiǎng (㼌) and yào (䄋)?

Xiǎng (㼌) and yào (䄋) overlap in meaning, but they are not identical. You can
use either xiǎng or yào when saying that you want to do something or plan to do
something.
㛄 xiǎng mǎi㬓㗕ᷠ(㛄㼌㕓㬓㗕ᷠ) What do you want to buy?
㸳 yào mǎi䄜⷗běn䓴᱄ (㸳䄋㕓䄜⷗⡟䓴᱄ ) I want to buy a notebook.
To say that you are thinking about something, use xiǎng.
㸳 xiǎng 㸳⭥ nán péngyou᱄(㸳㼌㸳⭥㚱㞔䇲᱄
)
I am thinking about my boyfriend.
To say what you think about something, use xiǎng.
㛄 xiǎng㚨⷗běn䓴 guì ⤜ guìᷠ(㛄㼌㚨⷗⡟䓴⺔⤜⺔ᷠ
)
Do you think that notebook is expensive?
To say that you want an object, use yào.
㸳yào 㚨⷗ běn䓴᱄(㸳䄋㚨⷗⡟䓴᱄
)
I want that notebook.
Can you make it cheaper?

It is common to expect a discount in small, privately owned stores in China, and
Zhang Dawei is behaving appropriately when he asks if he can get a discount
when purchasing more than one notebook. Chain stores may have special sale
prices for certain items that they advertise, but clerks are not able to give dis-
counts for items that are not on sale.

Part A
Zhang Dawei: How much is that notebook?
Clerk: Which notebook? What color? I have yellow ones, black ones, and green
ones.
Zhang Dawei: That black notebook.
Clerk: This black Chinese character practice notebook is ¥6.80 for one. How
many do you want?
Zhang Dawei: Can you make it a little cheaper?
Clerk: Buy two. I can sell two for ¥12.
Zhang Dawei: Okay.
Part B
Clerk: What else are you thinking of buying?
Zhang Dawei: I also want to buy a first-year Chinese book.
Clerk: These two books are first-year Chinese books.
Zhang Dawei: How much are they?
Clerk: ¥35.
Zhang Dawei: Okay. I also want this bag of chocolate cookies and a sandwich.
Clerk: The chocolate cookies are ¥2.25, the sandwich is ¥4.2.
Part C
Zhang Dawei: How much is it altogether?
Clerk: The books are ¥35, nine pencils are ¥5.85, the Chinese map is ¥7.22, five
bottles of water are ¥10, two cans of cola are ¥4.8, two practice notebooks
are ¥12, the pens are ¥5, the cookies are ¥2.25, the sandwich is ¥4.2.
Altogether it’s ¥86.32.
Zhang Dawei: I’m giving you ¥100.
Clerk: Here is ¥13.68 in change.
Zhang Dawei: Okay. Goodbye.
Clerk: Goodbye.
Topic 3
Talking about everyday
activities
Lesson 8
㪛㦶kuàilè᷂
㪛㦶㌍㎷
Happy birthday!
Communication goals
Q State your age and ask others how old they are.
Q Name dates and days of the week.
Q Name activities that you do for work and for relaxation.
Q Talk about things you like and don’t like to do.
Q Make plans to do activities on a given date or day of the week.
Pronunciation goals
Q Distinguish the Mandarin initial consonants.

Q Identify the retroflex suffix in Beijing Mandarin, and accurately identify
the consonants, vowels, and tones of Mandarin syllables and write
them in pinyin.
Literacy goals
Q Identify the component parts (bùjiàn [⤠ミ]) of characters you have

learned.
Q Identify the radicals in the characters you have learned.
Q Scan a text to find familiar words composed of two or more characters.
Q Skim a text to identify basic information.
Key structures
Q number + suì (㰋) [number of ] years old
Q time + cái (⤦) + age not [age] until [time]
Q making suggestions with ➪, zěn㗕yàng (䋖㗕䂚), ⼤⤜⼤, and xíng
⤜xíng (㾱⤜㾱
Q time phrase order: larger before smaller
Q time when + action: indicating the time when an action occurs
Q action verbs and action verb phrases
Q qù (㦆) + action go do an action
Dialogue
The situation: Gao Meili and her Chinese roommate Ma Xiaowen are having a con-
versation in their dorm room. Meili has been in China for almost three months and
is looking forward to her birthday.
Lesson 8 㪛㦶kuàilè᷂ 㪛㦶㌍㎷ Happy birthday! 145
Part A
Gāo Měilìᷛ 㾂wén᷍jı̄ntiān 㬨゙ yuè ゙hàoᷠ ⷀ㗡㏗ᷛ㾂㸥᷍㆒㳍㬨゙䊣゙⼦ᷠ
Mǎ㾂wénᷛ Jı̄ntiān 㬨㬏䄜 yuè ㈦ hào᱄ 㕎㾂㸥ᷛ㆒㳍㬨㬏䄜䊣㈦⼦᱄
Gāo Měilìᷛ 㬏䄜yuè 㬏ⱟ hào 㬨㸳⭥㪛㦶᱄ ⷀ㗡㏗ᷛ㬏䄜䊣㬏ⱟ⼦㬨㸳⭥㪛㦶᱄
Mǎ 㾂wénᷛ 㬨㕑ᷠ㪛㦶 kuàilè᷂㛄 jı̄nnián 㕎㾂㸥ᷛ㬨㕑ᷠ㪛㦶㌍㎷᷂㛄㆒㛋
ⱁ⫔ᷠ ⱁ⫔ᷠ
Gāo Měilìᷛ 㸳 jı̄nnián ⱟ㬏䄜suì᱄㛄䄓㬨ⱟ㬏 ⷀ㗡㏗ᷛ㸳㆒㛋ⱟ㬏䄜㰋᱄㛄䄓㬨ⱟ㬏
䄜suì㕑ᷠ 䄜㰋㕑ᷠ
Mǎ 㾂wénᷛ⤜᱄㸳 jı̄nnián ⱟ㬏 suì᷍ 㕎㾂㸥ᷛ⤜᱄㸳㆒㛋ⱟ㬏㰋᷍
míngnián cái ⱟ㬏䄜 suì᱄ 㘘㛋⤦ⱟ㬏䄜㰋᱄
Part A Vocabulary
cái not until, adverb ⤦ ⤦
(later than
expected)
duǎ dà? ⱁ how old question ⱁ⫔ᷠ ⱁ⫔ᷠ
⫔ᷠ (are you)? phrase
hào date of the classifier ⼦㱷

month
jı̄nnián this year noun ㆒㛋 ㆒㛋
jı̄ntiān today noun ㆒㳍 ㆒㳍
kuàilè happy adjectival verb ㌍㎷㌍ᖘ
Mǎ family name family name 㕎埳
míngnián next year noun 㘘㛋㘘㛋
nián year classifier 㛋㛋
shēngrì 㪛㦶 birthday noun 㪛㦶㪛㦶
shēngrì 㪛㦶 happy conversational 㪛㦶㌍㎷㪛㦶㌍ᖘ
kuàilè kuàilè birthday expression
shí yı̄ yuè 㬏䄜 November noun 㬏䄜䊣㬏䄜䊣

yuè
suì years of age classifier 㰋 ᛒ
tiān day noun 㳍㳍
Xiǎowén 㾂wén Xiaowen given name 㾂㸥㾂㸥
yuè month noun 䊣䊣
Part B
Mǎ 㾂wénᷛ 㬏䄜 yuè 㬏ⱟ hào 㬨xı̄ngqı̄ ゙ᷠ 㕎㾂㸥ᷛ㬏䄜䊣㬏ⱟ⼦㬨㾨㠻゙ᷠ

Gāo Měilìᷛ 㬏䄜yuè 㬏ⱟ hào 㬨 xı̄ngqı̄ 㯥᱄ ⷀ㗡㏗ᷛ㬏䄜䊣㬏ⱟ⼦㬨㾨㠻㯥᱄
Mǎ 㾂wénᷛ㚨᷍Měilì᷍㸳xı̄ngqı̄ 㕎㾂㸥ᷛ㚨᷍㗡㏗᷍㸳㾨㠻
㯥 wǎnshang qı̌ng 㛄 chı̄ wǎnfàn᷍hē 㯥㶎㩰㤌㛄⧵㶎Ⳛ᷍⼩
píjiǔ᷍zěn㗕 yàngᷠ 㠂㈧᷍䋖㗕䂚ᷠ
Gāo Měilìᷛ 㲌⼤㑬᱄Xièxie 㛄 qı̌ng 㸳 chı̄ ⷀ㗡㏗ᷛ㲌⼤㑬᱄㾜㾜㛄㤌㸳⧵
fàn᷂㋪㬨㸳⤜hē píjiǔ᱄Qı̌ng㸳 Ⳛ᷂㋪㬨㸳⤜⼩㠂㈧᱄㤌㸳
hē zhēnzhū nǎichá➪᱄ ⼩䎅䑊㚭⥉➪᱄
Mǎ 㾂wénᷛ Dāngrán㋪䄵᱄ 㕎㾂㸥ᷛ⭒㦜㋪䄵᱄
Part B Vocabulary
chı̄ eat verb ⧵ ⧵
chı̄ fàn eat food verb + object ⧵Ⳛ ⧵嚩
fàn food noun Ⳛ 嚩
hē drink verb ⼩⼩
hē jiǔ drink alcohol verb + object ⼩㈧⼩㈧

jiǔ wine, alcohol noun ㈧㈧
píjiǔ beer noun 㠂㈧㠂㈧
qı̌ng invite verb 㤌䌩
wǎnfàn dinner noun 㶎Ⳛ 㶎嚩
wǎnshang evening noun 㶎㩰㶎㩰
xı̄ngqı̄ week noun 㾨㠻㾨㠻
xı̄ngqı̄jı̌ xı̄ngqı̄ which day question phrase 㾨㠻゙㾨㠻ุ
゙ of the week?
xı̄ngqı̄sì xı̄ngqı̄ Thursday noun 㾨㠻㯥㾨㠻㯥
㯥
zhēnzhū pearl milk noun phrase 䎅䑊㚭䎅䑊㚭⥉
nǎichá tea, bubble tea ⥉
Part C
(Meili looks at the calendar)
Gāo Měilìᷛ Āiyà᷍zhēn zāogāo, xı̄ngqı̄ 㯥 ⷀ㗡㏗ᷛ➆䁞᷍䎇䋄ⷃ᷍㾨㠻㯥

wǎnshang ⤜xíng᷂㸳 xı̄ngqı̄ 㹆㶎㩰⤜㾱᷂㸳㾨㠻㹆
䇱䄜⷗kǎoshì᱄Xı̄ngqı̄ 㹆䇱䄜⷗㋝㬵᱄㾨㠻㹆
wǎnshang 㚹ᷠ㛄䇱 shì㕑ᷠ 㶎㩰㚹ᷠ㛄䇱㬣㕑ᷠ
Mǎ 㾂wénᷛXı̄ngqı̄ 㹆 wǎnshang 㸳㗜 kòng᷍ 㕎㾂㸥ᷛ㾨㠻㹆㶎㩰㸳㗜㋶᷍
㸳䄋⫓gōng᱄ 㸳䄋⫓⹅᱄
Gāo Měilìᷛ 㚨. . . 㬓㗕 shíhou ⼤㚹ᷠ ⷀ㗡㏗ᷛ㚨㬓㗕㬒⽓⼤㚹ᷠ
Part C Vocabulary
āyà oh no! exclamation ➆䁞 ➆䁞
(expression of
surprise and
displeasure)
dǎ gōng ⫓gōng work (work verb + object ⫓⹅ ⫓⹅
at a job)
kǎoshì test, exam noun ㋝㬵㋝䉨
shénme 㬓㗕 what time? question 㬓㗕㬒㬓怯ጓ⽓
shíhou shíhou when? phrase ⽓
shì work, noun 㬣㬣
something
to do
shíhou time noun 㬒⽓ ጓ⽓
xíng okay, adjectival verb 㾱㾱
acceptable
xı̄ngqı̄wǔ xı̄ngqı̄ 㹆 Friday noun 㾨㠻㹆㾨㠻㹆
yǒu shì 䇱shì have something verb + object 䇱㬣䇱㬣
to do
zāogāo oh no! (what adjectival verb, 䋄ⷃ 䋄ⷃ
a mess!) conversational
expression
zhēn really intensifier 䎇䎇

Use and Structure 8.15, 8.20
Part D
Mǎ 㾂wénᷛXı̄ngqı̄ 㒚wǎnshang xíng 㕑ᷠ㸳㕎㾂㸥ᷛ㾨㠻㒚㶎㩰㾱㕑ᷠ㸳

㗨䄓㋪䄵qù chàng kǎlā OK᷍ 㗨䄓㋪䄵㦆⧋㋉㎎OK᷍
zěn㗕 yàngᷠ 䋖㗕䂚ᷠ
Gāo Měilìᷛ Chàng gē maᷠ㸳⤜。 chàng gē᷂ ⷀ㗡㏗ᷛ⧋ⷉ㕑ᷠ㸳⤜。⧋ⷉ᷂
Mǎ 㾂wénᷛ㚨᷍㛄 xı̌huān zuò 㬓㗕㚹ᷠ 㕎㾂㸥ᷛ㚨᷍㛄㻓⿗䔗㬓㗕㚹ᷠ
Gāo Měilìᷛ 㸳
⭥ài⼤⼽ⱁ a᱄㸳 xı̌huān ⷀ㗡㏗ᷛ㸳⭥➏⼤⼽ⱁ➂᱄㸳㻓⿗
tı̄ng yı̄nyuè . . . ⫓ qiú . . . kàn 㳞䅕㎷. . . ⫓㤓 . . . ㋕
diànshì . . . shàng wǎng . . . wán 㬷 ⮈㬴 . . . 㩰㶙 . . . 㶇㬷
〛᱄⿚䇱 . . . duì 㑬᷍㸳 xı̌huān 〛᱄ ⿚䇱 . . . ⰵ㑬᷍㸳㻓⿗
tiào wǔ᷂㸳㗨 qù tiào wǔ ➪᷂ 㳙㹉᷂㸳㗨㦆㳙㹉➪᷂
Mǎ 㾂wénᷛ㋪㬨᷍㸳⤜。tiào wǔ᱄䎃yàng᷍ 㕎㾂㸥ᷛ㋪㬨᷍㸳⤜。㳙㹉᱄䎃䂚᷍
䎃⷗xı̄ngqı̄ 㒚㸳㗨 chàng kǎlā OK᷍ 䎃⷗㾨㠻㒚㸳㗨⧋㋉㎎OK᷍
㸳 jiāo 㛄 chàng gēr᱄Xià 㸳ㅭ㛄⧋ⷉⱚ᱄㻣
⷗xı̄ngqı̄tiān 㸳㗨qù tiào wǔ᷍㛄 ⷗㾨㠻㳍㸳㗨㦆㳙㹉᷍㛄
jiāo 㸳tiào wǔ᷍⼤⤜⼤ᷠ ㅭ㸳㳙㹉᷍⼤⤜⼤ᷠ
Gāo Měilìᷛ ⼤ a᱄㸳㗨䄓qı̌ng Zhāng ⫔㸋 ⷀ㗡㏗ᷛ⼤➂᱄㸳㗨䄓㤌䍦⫔㸋
⼮㰜⭥ tóngwū Xiè Guóqiáng ➪᱄ ⼮㰜⭥㵍㸾㾜⺛㣠➪᱄
⿚䇱 Wáng Màikè ⼮Chén Míng᱄ ⿚䇱㶖㕔㋬⼮⧣㘘᱄
㰜㗨䄓⼽xı̌huān chàng gē᱄ 㰜㗨䄓⼽㻓⿗⧋ⷉ᱄
Mǎ 㾂wénᷛXíng᱄㛄 míngtiān ⷙ㰜㗨⫓ 㕎㾂㸥ᷛ㾱᱄㛄㘘㳍ⷙ㰜㗨⫓
diànhuà᱄㸳 xiànzài jiù ⷙ⫔㸋 fā ⮈⿑᱄㸳㻷䊻㈮ⷙ⫔㸋ⳃ
duǎnxìn᱄ Ⱝ㾦᱄
Part D Vocabulary
a (expresses final particle ➂ ➂
emphasis; like
yā [䁞] softens
a statement or
question)
àihào ài⼤ hobby, interest noun ➏⼤ ྼ⼤
chàng sing verb ⧋ ⧋
chàng gē sing a song verb + object ⧋ⷉ ⧋ⷉ
dǎ qiú ⫓qiú play ball verb + object ⫓㤓 ⫓㤓
diànshì television noun ⮈㬴厫䃶
duǎnxìn text message noun Ⱝ㾦 Ⱝ㾦
fā send, emit verb ⳃ ❍
fā duǎnxìn send a text verb + object ⳃⰭ㾦 ❍Ⱝ㾦
message
gē song noun ⷉ ⷉ
kǎlā OK karaoke noun ㋉㎎OK ㋉㎎OK
kàn watch verb ㋕㋕
kàn diànshì watch television verb + object ㋕⮈㬴㋕厫䃶
míngtiān tomorrow noun 㘘㳍㘘㳍
qù go verb 㦆㦆
shàng go online; surf verb + object 㩰㶙㩰ㆸ
wǎng the web
tiào dance, jump verb 㳙㳙
tiào wǔ dance verb + object 㳙㹉㳙㹉
tı̄ng listen (to) verb 㳞㔁
tı̄ng yı̄nyuè listen to music verb + object 㳞䅕㎷㔁䅕ᖘ
wán play verb 㶇㶇
wán shǒujı̄ use (one’s) cell verb + object 㶇㬷〛㶇㬷ᗤ

phone for
entertainment
wǎng net, internet noun 㶙 ㆸ
xià next specifier 㻣㻣
xı̄ngqı̄tiān Sunday noun 㾨㠻㳍㾨㠻㳍
yı̄nyuè music noun 䅕㎷䅕ᖘ
zěnmeyàng zěn㗕 how about question 䋖㗕䋖怯ᖴᷠ
yàngᷠ it? okay? phrase 䂚ᷠ
zhè yàng 䎃 in this way, noun phrase 䎃䂚䩡ᖴ
yàng how about this
The months of the year

(Use and structure 8.2)
yı̄yuè 䄜yuè 䄜䊣 January
èryuè ⱟyuè ⱟ䊣 February
sānyuè 㧞yuè 㧞䊣 March
sìyuè 㯥yuè 㯥䊣 April
wǔyuè 㹆yuè 㹆䊣 May
liùyuè 㒚yuè 㒚䊣 June
qı̄yuè 㡀yuè 㡀䊣 July
bāyuè ➬yuè ➬䊣 August
jiǔyuè ㈦yuè ㈦䊣 September
shíyuè 㬏yuè 㬏䊣 October
shíyı̄yuè 㬏䄜yuè 㬏䄜䊣 November
shí’èryuè 㬏ⱟyuè 㬏ⱟ䊣 December
The days of the week

xı̄ngqı̄yı̄ xı̄ngqı̄ 䄜㾨㠻䄜 Monday
xı̄ngqı̄’èr xı̄ngqı̄ ⱟ 㾨㠻ⱟ Tuesday
xı̄ngqı̄sān xı̄ngqı̄ 㧞㾨㠻㧞 Wednesday
xı̄ngqı̄sì xı̄ngqı̄ 㯥㾨㠻㯥 Thursday
xı̄ngqı̄wǔ xı̄ngqı̄ 㹆㾨㠻㹆 Friday
xı̄ngqı̄liù xı̄ngqı̄ 㒚㾨㠻㒚 Saturday
xı̄ngqı̄tiān xı̄ngqı̄ tiān 㾨㠻㳍 Sunday
Verb + object phrases with action verbs

chàng gē ⧋ⷉ sing a song → sing
chı̄ fàn ⧵Ⳛ eat rice → eat
chı̄ wǎnfàn ⧵㶎Ⳛ eat dinner
dǎ gōng ⫓⹅ hit labor → work
dǎ qiú ⫓㤓 hit ball → play ball
fā duǎnxìn ⳃⰭ㾦 emit short letter → send a text message
hē jiǔ ⼩㈧ drink alcohol → drink
hē píjiǔ ⼩㠂㈧ drink beer
kàn diànshì ㋕⮈㬴 watch television
shàng wǎng 㩰㶙 use the internet
shuō huà 㯖⿑ speak talk → speak
tiào wǔ 㳙㹉 dance dances → dance
tı̄ng yı̄nyuè 㳞䅕㎷ listen to music
wán shǒujı̄ 㶇㬷〛 play with (one’s) cell phone
Characters
Function character
➪ ba (indicates ㋻ ➪
speaker’s
assumption;
used for making
suggestions)
⫓ dǎ hit 䨱 ⫓⮈⿑ ⫓
(dǎ diànhuà)
make
a phone call
ⷙ gěi give, for, to 做ㄐ
⿚ hái in addition 佢䪡
⼮ hé and, with ㋻⼮
⼽ hěn very 䱽⼽
。 huì can, able to 㦬 ᎟
〛 jı̄ machine 㚟㬷〛 (shǒujı̄) ᗤ

(tree) cell phone
㑬 le (final particle 㑬㑬
indicating
completion or
change)
㗜 méi (negation) 一 ᝾
(water)
㚹 ne (final particle ㋻㚹
for follow-up
questions)
㝏 nǚ female 㝏㝏⼃䓴㝏
(nǚ háizi) girl
㦶 rì sun 㦶㦶⡟ 㦶
(Rìběn)
Japan
㪛 shēng be born 㪛䁈㪛㪛
(xuésheng)
student, 㪛㦶
(shēngrì)
birthday
㬷 shǒu hand 㬷㬷〛㬷
(shǒujı̄)
cell phone
㰜 tā he, him 䗊㰜
㰞 tā she, her 㝏㰞
㾂 xiǎo little, small 㾂㾂
䄋 yào want 㹘䄋
(west)
䇱 yǒu have 䊣䇱
(moon)
䐜 zhı̌ only ㋻䐜
Chinese characters
Recurring component parts of characters: bùjiàn (⤠ミ)
Characters are composed of strokes, and strokes are grouped in recurring component parts.
In Chinese, these recurring parts are called bùjiàn (⤠ミ) and they are the building blocks
of characters. There are thousands of characters, but there are only about 600 bùjiàn, so
once you learn a bùjiàn it is easier to learn and remember additional characters which
share that part. When you learn a new character, look for the bùjiàn that you have already
learned.
In Lessons 6–8 we learned several characters with shared bùjiàn. Take a close look at the
characters in each of the following lines and note the bùjiàn that they share.
Characters that share a bùjiàn The bùjiàn is:

㚥᷍㕑᷍㚹᷍➪᷍䐜㋻
㚨᷍㚥㚨
㬓᷍㛄᷍㰜᷍㗨䗊
䄓᷍㰜᷍㰞䄓
⼤᷍㰞᷍䄋㝏
〛゙゙᷍
㾂᷍㩺㾂
⼤᷍䓴䓴
㦬᷍⫔᷍㲌᷍⷗᷍。᷍㑞㦬
Find each of these characters in the stroke order flow charts in Lessons 6–8. You will see
that sometimes the bùjiàn is the radical of the character, but sometimes it is not. For
example, the bùjiàn ㋻ is the radical in the characters㚥, 㕑, and 㚹, but the bùjiàn 䄓is not
the radical in the characters 㰜 and 㰞.
Use and structure

8.1. Counting days, weeks, months, and years
Days
To count days or to indicate the number of days, say:
number + tiān (㳍)
䄜tiān (䄜㳍)᷍㑞tiān (㑞㳍)᷍㧞tiān (㧞㳍)
one day, two days, three days
To ask about the number of days, say:
ชtiānᷠ(ชኳ) how many days"
Weeks
To count weeks or to indicate the number of weeks, use the classifier ⷗ and say:
number + ⷗ + xı̄ngqı̄
䄜⷗ xı̄ngqı̄ (䄜⷗㾨㠻)᷍㑞⷗ xı̄ngqı̄ (㑞⷗㾨㠻)᷍㧞⷗ xı̄ngqı̄ (㧞⷗㾨㠻)
one week, two weeks, three weeks
To ask about the number of weeks, say:
゙⷗ xı̄ngqı̄ ᷠ(゙⷗㾨㠻ᷠ) how many weeks?
Months
To count months or to indicate the number of months, use the classifier⷗ and say:
number + ⷗ + yuè (䊣)
䄜⷗yuè (䄜⷗䊣)᷍㑞⷗yuè (㑞⷗䊣)᷍㧞⷗yuè (㧞⷗䊣)
one month, two months, three months
To ask about the number of months, say:
゙⷗ yuèᷠ(゙⷗䊣ᷠ) how many months?
Years
To count years or to indicate the number of years, say:
number + nián (㛋)
䄜nián (䄜㛋)᷍㑞nián (㑞㛋)᷍㧞nián (㧞㛋)
one year, two years, three years
To ask about the number of years, say:
゙niánᷠ(゙㛋ᷠ) how many years?
Notice that although the words tiān (㳍) day and nián (㛋) year translate into English as
nouns, in Mandarin they function as classifiers. That is, like classifiers, and unlike nouns,
they occur right after a number.
Tiān occurs as part of the words jı̄ntiān (㆒㳍) today and míngtiān (㘘㳍) tomorrow, and
nián occurs as part of the words jı̄nnián (㆒㛋) this year and míngnián (㘘㛋) next year.
Nián also occurs in the word (䄜) niánjí (᷉䄜᷊㛋゗) (first) year level introduced in
Lesson 7.
8.2. The months of the year

The names of the months are formed by:
number + yuè (䊣)
䄜yuè (䄜䊣) January, ⱟyuè (ⱟ䊣) February, 㧞yuè (㧞䊣) March, etc.
Compare the way that months are named and the way that they are counted.
Names of Months Number of Months

䄜yuè (䄜䊣) January 䄜⷗ yuè (䄜⷗䊣) one month
ⱟyuè (ⱟ䊣) February 㑞 ⷗ yuè (㑞⷗䊣) two months
㧞yuè (㧞䊣) March 㧞⷗ yuè (㧞⷗䊣) three months
To ask what month it is, use the question word ゙ and ask ゙yuèᷠ (゙䊣ᷠ) what
(number) month?
8.3. The dates of the month

The dates of the month are formed by:
number + hào (⼦)
䄜hào (䄜⼦) the first (day of the month)
ⱟhào (ⱟ⼦) the second (day of the month)
㧞hào (㧞⼦) the third (day of the month), etc.
To ask what date it is, use the question word ゙ and ask ゙hàoᷠ (゙⼦ᷠ) what date?
Compare the difference between the word hào (⼦) and the word tiān (㳍) day when talking
about days and dates. Hào is used when indicating the date. Tiān is used when indicating
the number of days.
name of dates number of days
䄜hào (䄜⼦) the first (day of the month) 䄜tiān (䄜㳍) one day
ⱟhào (ⱟ⼦) the second (day of the month) 㑞tiān (㑞㳍) two days
㧞hào (㧞⼦) the third (day of the month) 㧞tiān (㧞㳍) three days
Practice Workbook: Focus on Communication 8.3.

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RKBO
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8.4. Month and date

The month and date are stated in the same order as in American English:
month + date
㬏䄜yuè ㈦ hào
㬏䄜䊣㈦⼦
November 9th
㯥yuè 䄜hào
㯥䊣䄜⼦
April 1st
To ask what month and date it is, put the two questions together and say:
゙yuè ゙ hàoᷠ (゙䊣゙⼦ᷠ)
To ask what month and date it is today, say:
Jı̄ntiān ᷉㬨゙᷊yuè ゙ hàoᷠ (㆒㳍᷉㬨゙᷊䊣゙⼦ᷠ)
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RKBO
Practice Workbook: Focus on Structure 8.1; Focus on Communication 8.4.
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Website: Listening for Information 8.2, 8.4; Structure Drills 8.2, 8.3.
8.5. 㬨㕑ᷠ Is that so?

㬨㕑ᷠmeans Is that so? It is often used to acknowledge information that someone has just
given you.
Gāo Měilì: 㬏䄜 yuè 㬏ⱟ hào㬨㸳⭥shēngri᱄
ⷀ㗡㏗ᷛ 㬏䄜䊣㬏ⱟ⼦㬨㸳⭥㪛㦶᱄
Mǎ 㾂wén: 㬨㕑ᷠ
㕎㾂㸥ᷛ 㬨㕑ᷠ
㬨㕑ᷠis similar in meaning to the expression zhēn⭥㕑ᷠ(䎇⭥㕑ᷠ) really? that we

learned in Lesson 3.
8.6. Talking about age

Stating age
Age is indicated as number + suì (㰋). Notice that suì, like tiān (㳍) day and nián (㛋) year,
occurs right after a number.
To state the age of a person, say:
person [㬨] number + suì (㰋)
㸳 [㬨] ⱟ㬏suì᱄ (㸳 [㬨] ⱟ㬏㰋᱄)
I am 20 years old.
In affirmative sentences, 㬨is usually omitted. However, in most cases, if an adverb is pres-
ent, 㬨is present as well. (See also Use and Structure 8.7, 8.8)
㸳jı̄nnián䄓㬨ⱟ㬏suì᱄(㸳㆒㛋䄓㬨ⱟ㬏㰋᱄)
I am also 20 this year.
In informal speech, suì (㰋) may also be omitted when the number is more than ten and it
is clear from the context that the number refers to years of age.
㰜jı̄nniánⱟ㬏㧞᱄ (㰜㆒㛋ⱟ㬏㧞᱄)
He is 23 this year.
Asking about age

To ask someone’s age, use the question phrase ⱁ⫔ how old. The question often includes
the time phrase jı̄nnián (㆒㛋) this year.
Q: 㛄 (jı̄nnián) ⱁ⫔ᷠ A: (㸳) (jı̄nnián) ⱟ㬏ⱟ (suì)᱄
㛄 (㆒㛋) ⱁ⫔ᷠ (㸳) (㆒㛋) ⱟ㬏ⱟ (㰋)᱄
How old are you (this year)? I’m 22 (this year).
When speaking to a child, you can also use the question word ゙ and say:
Q: 㛄 (jı̄nnián) ゙ suìᷠ A: (㸳) (jı̄nnián) 㬏suì᱄
㛄 (㆒㛋) ゙㰋ᷠ (㸳) (㆒㛋) 㬏㰋᱄
How old are you (this year)? I’m ten (this year).
Remember that ゙ is used when asking about relatively small numbers. (Use and Structure
5.4 and 6.5.)
Notice that you must include suì when stating an age of ten years old or younger.
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8.1, 8.6; Structure Drills 8.4.
8.7. Time + cái (⤦) + age not [age] until [time]

Cái (⤦) indicates that something happens later than expected. In this dialogue, cái is used
to indicate that Xiaowen turns 21 later than Meili assumes.
Gao Meili: 㸳 jı̄nnián ⱟ㬏䄜suì᱄㛄䄓㬨ⱟ㬏䄜suì㕑ᷠ
ⷀ㗡㏗ᷛ 㸳㆒㛋ⱟ㬏䄜㰋᱄㛄䄓㬨ⱟ㬏䄜㰋㕑ᷠ
I am 21 this year. Are you also 21?
Mǎ 㾂wén: ⤜᱄㸳 jı̄nnián ⱟ㬏 suì᷍míngnián cái ⱟ㬏䄜 suì᱄
㕎㾂㸥ᷛ ⤜᱄㸳㆒㛋ⱟ㬏㰋᷍㘘㛋⤦ⱟ㬏䄜㰋᱄
No. I’m 19 this year. I won’t be 20 until next year.
When cái contributes the meaning later than expected, it can often be translated with
the English expression not until. Notice that the Chinese expression does not involve
negation.
In this lesson, we will practice using cái to indicate that someone turns a certain age later
than others expect. We will practice using cái in other contexts in Lesson 9.
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Practice Workbook: Focus on Communication 8.4. Website: Structure Drills 8.5;
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8.8. Omitting the verb 㬨

㬨 links two noun phrases. We learned in Lesson 6 that 㬨 is often omitted in statements
that indicate the price of an item: Item [㬨] price. (Use and Structure 6.5.) 㬨 can also be
omitted in statements that indicate the date, or someone’s age.
with 㬨 without 㬨
Jı̄ntiān㬨゙yuè ゙ hàoᷠ Jı̄ntiān ゙yuè ゙ hàoᷠ
㆒㳍㬨㈦䊣゙⼦ᷠ ㆒㳍゙䊣゙⼦ᷠ
What month and date is it today? What month and date is it today?
(What is today’s date?) (What is today’s date?)
Jı̄ntiān㬨㬏yuè㈦hào᱄ Jı̄ntiān 㬏yuè ㈦ hào᱄
㆒㳍㬨㬏䊣㈦⼦᱄ ㆒㳍㬏䊣㈦⼦᱄
Today is October 9th. Today is October 9th.
㸳jı̄nnián㬨ⱟ㬏 suì᱄ 㸳jı̄nniánⱟ㬏 suì᱄
㸳㆒㛋㬨ⱟ㬏㰋᱄ 㸳㆒㛋ⱟ㬏㰋᱄
I am 20 years old this year. I am 20 years old this year.
If the sentence is negated, 㬨must occur and may not be omitted:

Jı̄ntiān⤜㬨㬏yuè ㈦ hào᱄ 9 Jı̄ntiān⤜㬏yuè ㈦ hào᱄
㆒㳍⤜㬨㬏䊣㈦⼦᱄ 9㆒㳍⤜㬏䊣㈦⼦᱄
Today is not October 9th.
㸳 jı̄nnián⤜㬨ⱟ㬏 suì᱄ 9 㸳jı̄nnián ⤜ⱟ㬏 suì᱄

㸳㆒㛋⤜㬨ⱟ㬏㰋᱄ 9㸳㆒㛋⤜ⱟ㬏㰋᱄
I am not 20 years old this year.
Adverbs do not behave in a uniform manner in noun phrase + 㬨 + price/time/age sen-
tences. When the adverb is 䄓 also, dāngrán (⭒㦜) of course, or hái (⿚) still, in addition, 㬨
is typically not omitted from the sentence.
㚨⡟shū䄓㬨㹆㬏kuài᱄ 9㚨⡟shū䄓㹆㬏kuài᱄
㚨⡟㭊䄓㬨㹆㬏㌊᱄ 9㚨⡟㭊䄓㹆㬏㌊᱄
When the adverb 䄜gòng (䄜⹓) altogether occurs in a noun phrase + 㬨 + price/time/age
sentence, 㬨may occur or it may be omitted.
Shū᷍bı̌᷍䄜gòng㬨ⱟ㬏㈦kuài᱄ (㭊᷍⡫᷍䄜⹓㬨ⱟ㬏㈦㌊᱄)
Shū᷍bı̌᷍䄜gòng㬏㈦kuài᱄ (㭊᷍⡫᷍䄜⹓㬏㈦㌊᱄)
Books and pencils are ¥19 altogether.
When the adverb cái (⤦) occurs, the situation is more complicated. 㬨 can occur with cái
when the meaning of the sentence is not until, though it is typically omitted in these sentences.
㸳 jı̄nnián㬏㈦ suì᷍míngnián cái (㬨) ⱟ㬏suì᱄
㸳㆒㛋㬏㈦㰋᷍㘘㛋⤦(㬨)ⱟ㬏㰋᱄
I’m 19 this year. I won’t be 20 until next year.
㬨cannot occur with cái when cái conveys the meaning only.
A: 㛄㬏➬suì le㕑ᷠ(㛄㬏➬㰋㑬㕑ᷠ)
Are you 18?
B: 㸳cái (9㬨) 㬏㹆 suì᷍⤜㬨㬏➬suì᱄(㸳⤦ (9㬨) 㬏㹆㰋᷍⤜㬨㬏➬㰋᱄)
I’m only 15, not 18.
Native speakers differ in their preference for the omission of adverbs in noun phrase +
㬨 + price/time/age sentences, and there are regional differences as well. Follow your Chi-
nese teachers in your use of 㬨 in these kinds of sentences.
8.9. The days of the week

The days of the week are presented in the vocabulary section of this lesson. They are formed
by the noun xı̄ngqı̄ (㾨㠻) week followed by a number: Monday is xı̄ngqı̄ 䄜 (㾨㠻䄜), Tues-
day is xı̄ngqı̄ ⱟ (㾨㠻ⱟ), etc. Sunday is xı̄ngqı̄tiān (㾨㠻㳍). Chinese calendars begin the
week with xı̄ngqı̄ 䄜 and not with xı̄ngqı̄tiān.
Asking about the day of the week

To ask what day of the week it is, use the question word ゙ and ask xı̄ngqı̄ ゙ᷠ (㾨㠻゙)ᷠ
㬏䄜yuè㬏ⱟhào㬨xı̄ngqı̄ ゙ᷠ (㬏䄜䊣㬏ⱟ⼦㬨㾨㠻゙ᷠ
)
November 12th is what day of the week? (What day of the week is November 12th?)
Jı̄ntiān㬨xı̄ngqı̄ ゙ᷠ (㆒㳍㬨㾨㠻゙ᷠ)
What day of the week is it today?

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8.3; Focus on Structure 8.1; Communication through Reading and Writing 8.3.
8.10. The order of information in a time phrase

In Chinese, time is always recited from the largest unit to the smallest unit.
When giving a calendar date or asking about a calendar date, the month is always stated
first and the date is always stated second.
ⱟ yuè 㹆 hào (ⱟ䊣㹆⼦)
February 5th
When talking about a part of the day (for example morning, midday, evening), state the day
first and the part of day second.
xı̄ngqı̄ 㯥 wǎnshang (㾨㠻㯥㶎㩰)
Thursday evening
xià ⷗ xı̄ngqı̄ 㯥wǎnshang (㻣⷗㾨㠻㯥㶎㩰)
next Thursday evening
When talking about a part of the year (for example September, November), state the year
first and the part of year (the month) second.
jı̄nnián㈦yuè (㆒㛋㈦䊣)
this year September → September of this year
Practice Workbook: Focus on Structure 8.2, 8.4.

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8.11. Talking about the time when a situation occurs

To indicate the time when a situation occurs, state the time phrase before the verb phrase
as follows:
S + time when + VP
㸳 xı̄ngqı̄ 㯥wǎnshang qı̌ng㛄chı̄ fàn᷍zěn㗕yàngᷠ
㸳㾨㠻㯥㶎㩰㤌㛄⧵Ⳛ᷍䋖㗕䂚ᷠ
How about if I treat you to dinner on Thursday night?
This is the normal order of information. If you want to give extra emphasis to the time
when a situation occurs, state the time phrase before the subject, as follows:
time when + S + VP
䎃⷗ xı̄ngqı̄ 㹆㸳㗨 chàng kǎlā OK᱄
䎃⷗㾨㠻㹆㸳㗨⧋㋉㎎OK᱄
This Friday we will sing karaoke.
To ask about the time when a situation occurs, you must present the information in the
order subject + time when + verb phrase. Use a question phrase as the time when
phrase:
S + time when + VP
㸳㗨㬓㗕shíhou qù chàng kǎlā OKᷠ
㸳㗨㬓㗕㬒⽓㦆⧋㋉㎎OKᷠ
When will we go and sing karaoke?
㛄 xı̄ngqı̄ ゙䇱Zhōngwén kǎoshìᷠ
㛄㾨㠻゙䇱䐱㸥㋝㬵ᷠ
Which day of the week do you have a Chinese test?
Practice Workbook: Focus on Chinese Characters 8.5; Focus on Structure 8.3, 8.4;
Focus on Communication 8.1, 8.3, 8.4, 8.5. Website: Listening for Informa-
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tion 8.2, 8.3, 8.6, 8.7; Structure Drills 8.7, 8.9, 9.10; Focus on Structure 8.4;
8.12. qı̌ng (㤌) invite and pay the bill

The basic meaning of qı̌ng (㤌) is invite. In Chinese culture, when you invite someone to
go out, you also pay the bill. Therefore, qı̌ng (someone) chı̄ fàn (㤌 [someone] ⧵Ⳛ) can
be translated into English as either invite (someone) to eat, or treat (someone) to a meal, or
buy (someone) a meal.
㸳xı̄ngqı̄ 㯥 wǎnshang qı̌ng㛄chı̄ wǎnfàn᷍hē píjiǔ᷍zěn㗕yàngᷠ
㸳㾨㠻㯥㶎㩰㤌㛄⧵㶎Ⳛ᷍⼩㠂㈧᷍䋖㗕䂚ᷠ
Let me treat you to dinner and beer this Thursday night, okay?
When talking about inviting someone to eat or drink something, always use the word qı̌ng.
Do not use the word mǎi (㕓) buy.

㸳qı̌ng㛄chı̄ fàn᷍zěn㗕yàngᷠ 9㸳 mǎi 㛄fàn᷍zěn㗕yàngᷠ
㸳㤌㛄⧵Ⳛ᷍䋖㗕䂚ᷠ 9 㸳㕓㛄Ⳛ᷍䋖㗕䂚ᷠ
How about if I treat you to a meal?
8.13. Action verbs and action verb phrases

In Mandarin, an action verb phrase consists of an action verb and an object. Here is a list
of action verb phrases introduced up through this lesson.
English Mandarin
speak shuō huà (㯖⿑) (literally: speak talk)
eat chı̄ fàn (⧵Ⳛ) (literally: eat rice)
sing chàng gē (⧋ⷉ) (literally: sing a song)
dance tiào wǔ (㳙㹉) (literally: dance a dance)
work dǎ gōng (⫓⹅)
play ball dǎ qiú (⫓㤓)
send a text message fā duǎnxìn (ⳃⰭ㾦)
watch television kàn diànshì (㋕⮈㬴)
use the internet shàng wǎng (㩰㶙)
listen to music tı̄ng yı̄nyuè (㳞䅕㎷)
use a cell phone for fun wán shǒujı̄ (㶇㬷〛)
As you can see, most Mandarin action verb phrases are translated into English with a verb
and an object. However, some actions that are expressed with a verb and an object in Man-
darin are expressed in English with a single verb. We learned one such action verb phrase
in Lesson 3: shuō huà (㯖⿑) speak. (Use and Structure 3.10). In this lesson we learn several
additional action verb phrases that are translated to English with the verb alone: chı̄ fàn
(⧵Ⳛ) eat, chàng gē (⧋ⷉ) sing, and tiào wǔ (㳙㹉) dance.
In these Mandarin verb phrases, fàn (Ⳛ), gē (ⷉ), and wǔ (㹉) stand for the general type of
thing that you can eat, sing, or dance. When talking about something more specific, you
replace the general noun with the more specific noun.
General Noun Specific Noun
chı̄ fàn (⧵Ⳛ) eat chı̄ Zhōngguó fàn (⧵䐱⺛Ⳛ) eat Chinese food
chàng gē (⧋ⷉ) sing a song chàng kǎlā OK (⧋㋉㎎OK) sing karaoke
tiào wǔ (㳙㹉) dance tiào bālěi wǔ (㳙➦㎺㹉) dance ballet
Some textbooks write the pinyin form of expressions like shuō huà, chı̄ fàn, chàng gē, and
tiào wǔ as single words without a space between the verb and the object. We write them in
pinyin as two words because many structures that we will learn in later lessons require you
to distinguish between the verb and the object.
More about action verbs and general objects

chı̄ fàn (⧵Ⳛ) eat
Sometimes, the object noun in an action verb phrase has a more general meaning when it
occurs with the action verb than it does in other contexts. For example, in the verb phrase chı̄
fàn (⧵Ⳛ), the word fàn (Ⳛ) means food, but in other contexts it means rice. If someone said
they didn’t like fàn or if they had to buy fàn they would be referring to rice. But if someone
invites you to chı̄ fàn they are inviting you to a meal, and that meal need not include rice.
tiào wǔ (㳙㹉) dance

Sometimes the object noun does not always occur freely outside of the action verb phrase. For
example, in the phrase tiào wǔ (㳙㹉), the word wǔ (㹉) does not normally occur by itself to
mean dance but is usually used with another word or phrase. When a part of an expression
cannot occur on its own, we mark it with a following asterisk (*) in the vocabulary list.
We will learn more about action verb phrases in Lesson 9, including how to ask the ques-
tion what are you doing?
Practice Website: Listening for Information 8.6; Structure Drills 8.7, 8.10; Commu-
8.14. Making suggestions with zěn㗕yàng (䋖㗕䂚),

⼤⤜⼤, and xíng⤜xíng (㾱⤜㾱)
In this lesson we learn three expressions that can be used when making a suggestion: zěn
㗕yàng (䋖㗕䂚), ⼤⤜⼤ (or ⼤㕑), and xíng ⤜ xíng (㾱⤜㾱) (or xíng㕑᷐㾱㕑). All oc-
cur at the end of a statement. Zěn㗕yàng, ⼤⤜⼤, and xíng ⤜ xíng are tag questions that
follow a statement. They ask for feedback from the listener and are equivalent to the Eng-
lish expressions okay? or how about it?
㸳 xı̄ngqı̄ 㯥 wǎnshang qı̌ng㛄chı̄ fàn᷍zěn㗕yàngᷠ
㸳㾨㠻㯥㶎㩰㤌㛄⧵Ⳛ᷍䋖㗕䂚ᷠ
How about if I treat you to dinner on Thursday night?
㛄jiāo㸳tiào wǔ᷍⼤⤜⼤ᷠ
㛄ㅭ㸳㳙㹉᷍⼤⤜⼤ᷠ
You teach me how to dance, okay?
Xı̄ngqı̄ 㯥wǎnshang xíng ⤜ xíngᷠ
㾨㠻㯥㶎㩰㾱⤜㾱ᷠ
How about Thursday night?
You can reply “okay” to a suggestion with zěn㗕yàng, ⼤⤜⼤, or xíng ⤜ xíng by saying ⼤,
xíng (㾱), or ㋪䄵. You can indicate that you cannot or do not want to go along with a sug-
gestion by saying ⤜⼤, ⤜xíng (⤜㾱), or ⤜㋪䄵.
See Use and Structure 8.15 for more about xíng (㾱), and see Use and Structure 7.6 for mak-
ing suggestions with the sentence-final particle ➪.

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8.15. More about xíng (㾱) okay

Xíng (㾱) indicates that a suggestion is acceptable or okay. It is commonly used in and around
the city of Beijing. Although its meaning sometimes overlaps with ⼤, it has a much more
restricted use than⼤. It is used as a reply to suggestions, but is not otherwise used to de-
scribe something as being “good,” and it is never preceded by an intensifier. That is, you
cannot say
9⼽xíng
To say that some suggestion is acceptable, say xíng:
Zhāng ⫔㸋ᷛ 㸳㗨qù chı̄ fàn ➪᱄ (㸳㗨㦆⧵Ⳛ➪᱄)
Let’s go eat.
Xiè Guóqiángᷛ Xíng᱄ (㾱᱄)
Okay.
To say that a suggestion is not acceptable, say ⤜xíng (⤜㾱) not okay:
Xı̄ngqı̄ 㯥wǎnshang⤜xíng᱄ (㾨㠻㯥㶎㩰⤜㾱᱄)
Thursday night is not okay.
To ask if something is acceptable to the person you are speaking with, say xíng㕑 or
xíng⤜xíng.
Xı̄ngqı̄ 㯥wǎnshang xíng⤜xíngᷠ (㾨㠻㯥㶎㩰㾱⤜㾱ᷠ)
Is Thursday night okay?
8.16. Going to do an action: qù (㦆) + action

In this lesson we learn to use qù (㦆) go + action verb to indicate go do an action.
㸳㗨 qù chàng kǎlā OK᷍zěn㗕yàngᷠ (㸳㗨㦆⧋㋉㎎OK᷍䋖㗕䂚ᷠ)
How about if we go sing karaoke?
8.17. The retroflex suffix –r: chàng gēr (⧋ⷉⱚ) vs. chàng gē (⧋ⷉ)
Speakers of the Beijing dialect of Mandarin add the suffix –r (ⱚ) to the end of many words.
In this lesson, we see –r used as the suffix on the noun gē (ⷉ) song. The suffix –r does not
change the meaning of a word. In this course we will introduce the use of the –r suffix on
a number of commonly used words so that you can hear the pronunciation of the suffix and
learn how -r is used.
The pronunciation of Beijing Mandarin is, however, more complicated than the addition of
an –r suffix at the end of a few words. If you have the opportunity to live in Beijing for study
or work, you will easily hear the difference between Beijing Mandarin and standard
Mandarin.
8.18. This week and next week, this month and next month
To say this week, or this day of the week, or this month, say:
䎃⷗ xı̄ngqi 䎃⷗ xı̄ngqı̄(tiān) 䎃⷗ yuè
䎃⷗㾨㠻䎃⷗㾨㠻(㳍) 䎃⷗䊣
this week this (Sun)day this month
The phrase next week, next day of the week, or next month is expressed with the word xià (㻣)
below:
xià⷗ xı̄ngqi xià⷗ xı̄ngqı̄(tiān) xià ⷗ yuè
㻣⷗㾨㠻㻣⷗㾨㠻(㳍) 㻣⷗䊣
next week next (Sun)day next month
Xià ⷗ xı̄ngqi (㻣⷗㾨㠻) literally means the week below, xià ⷗ xı̄ngqı̄tiān (㻣⷗㾨㠻㳍)
means the Sunday below and xià ⷗ yuè (㻣⷗䊣) means the month below. In the expressions
xià ⷗ xı̄ngqi (㻣⷗㾨㠻) next week and xià ⷗ xı̄ngqı̄(tiān) (㻣⷗㾨㠻᷉㳍᷊) next
(Sun)day, the classifier ⷗ can be omitted.

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8.19. 㰜 (tā) he/him, 㰞 (tā) she/her

As we have already learned, in its spoken form the third-person pronoun tā is neutral in
terms of gender and is used for he/him, she/her, and it. Chinese reflects gender in the Chi-
nese characters for the third-person pronoun, however. In this lesson we learn the charac-
ter 㰜, pronounced tā, for he/him, and the character 㰞, also pronounced tā, for she/her. 㰜
is the character used in the plural㰜㗨 (tāmen) they, them when the group includes all
males or males and females. It can also be used when referring to animals or inanimate
objects. Chinese has another character for it, also pronounced tā and written 㰝, that refers
specifically to animals and inanimate objects.
8.20. 㗜noun do not have noun

The negation phrase 㗜䇱 noun is sometimes reduced to 㗜 noun:
Xı̄ngqı̄ 㹆 wǎnshang 㸳㗜 (䇱) kòng᷍㸳䄋⫓gōng᱄
I don’t have free time on Friday night. I have to work.
➪ (ba) has a horizontal orientation and is written from left to right. The
left side of ➪is the mouth radical ㋻ (kǒu) and it is written first, in three
strokes:
The right side of ➪ is written in four strokes. The first stroke is a right
corner stroke. The second stroke is a vertical stroke inside the open box. The
third stroke is a horizontal stroke that closes the box. The last stroke is a
vertical-curved stroke with an upward hook.
⫓ (dǎ) has a horizontal orientation and is written from left to right. The
left side of ⫓ is the hand radical 䨱(㬷) (shǒu). It is written in three
strokes. Notice that the vertical stroke ends with a left-facing hook, and that
the last stroke is a rising stroke and is written from left to right.
The right side of ⫓ is written in two strokes. The first stroke is a horizontal
stroke, and the second stroke is a vertical stroke that ends with a left-facing
hook. The vertical stroke touches the top horizontal stroke but does not go
through it.
ⷙ (gěi) give has horizontal orientation and is written in nine strokes. The
left side of ⷙ is the radical and it is written from top to bottom in three
strokes.
The right side of ⷙ is written from top to bottom in six strokes. The six
strokes form three component parts that you have already learned. The top
is the character 㦬. Underneath 㦬is the character 䄜, and underneath䄜
is the character ㋻.
⿚ (hái) in addition has horizontal orientation. It consists of the radical 佢

and the character ⤜. The radical 佢 is always written last, so ⤜ is written
first:
The radical is written from top to bottom in three strokes. The last stroke
extends under the entire width of the character ⤜.
⼮ (hé) and, with has horizontal orientation and is written from left to
right. It consists of two parts. The first part is ⼭ and it is written in five
strokes. The first stroke is the stroke on top. It is a left falling stroke and is
written from right to left. The second stroke is a horizontal stroke written
from left to right. The third stroke is a vertical stroke written from top to
bottom. The fourth stroke is a left falling stroke that begins at the intersec-
tion of the horizontal stroke and the vertical stroke. The last stroke is a right
falling dot.
The radical of the character⼮ is ㋻. ㋻is one of the few radicals that can
occur on either the left or the right of a character. It is written last.
⼽ (hěn) has a horizontal orientation and consists of two parts written

from left to right. The two parts of the character are the same height.
The left part of the character is the radical䱽. It has a vertical orientation
and is written from top to bottom. The order of strokes is: left falling stroke,
left falling stroke, vertical stroke.
The right part of the character occurs in many characters. Its first stroke is
a right corner stroke.
The second stroke is the stroke inside the right corner. It is a horizontal
stroke written from left to right.
The third stroke is the bottom stroke of the open box. It is a horizontal
stroke written from left to right.
The fourth stroke is a vertical stroke that ends with a small upward hook that
slants to the right.
The fifth stroke is a left falling stroke.
The sixth stroke is a right falling stroke. Notice that the previous left falling
stroke meets it at about the midpoint.
。 (huì) has a vertical orientation and is written in six strokes. Its radical,
㦬, is written first. It starts with a left falling stroke. The second stroke is a
right falling stroke that begins just below the top of the previous stroke.
The remainder of the character is written in four strokes. The shorter

horizontal stroke is written first, and the longer horizontal stroke is written
second.
The third stroke is a left falling stroke that turns into a horizontal stroke.
The last stroke is a long dot.

〛 (jı̄) has horizontal orientation and is written in six strokes. The left side
of 〛, 㚟 (mù) tree, is the radical. It is written in four strokes. The first
stroke of 㚟 is a horizontal stroke written from left to right. The second
stroke is a vertical stroke that goes through the horizontal stroke. The third
stroke is a left falling stroke that begins at the intersection of the horizontal
and vertical strokes. The fourth stroke is a right falling dot.
The right side of 〛 is the character ゙. It is written from left to right in

two strokes. The first stroke is a left falling stroke. The second stroke is a
horizontal-vertical-curved stroke that ends in an upward hook.
㑬 (le) has a vertical orientation and is written in two strokes. The first
stroke begins as a slightly rising horizontal stroke and turns into a left falling
stroke.
The second stroke is the radical. It is a horizontal stroke that ends with a
left-facing upward hook.
㗜 (méi) has a horizontal orientation and is written in seven strokes. The

left side of the character is the radical 一 (shuı̌) water and it is written first.
一is written in three strokes from top to bottom. The first stroke is a right
falling dot. The second stroke is also a right falling dot. The third stroke is a
rising stroke. It starts at the bottom and is written upwards, moving from
left to right.
The right side of 㗜 consists of two components and is written from top to
bottom. The top is the character ゙and it is written in two strokes, a left
falling stroke, followed by a stroke that begins horizontal and then turns
into a curved stroke.
The bottom is written in two strokes, a horizontal stroke that turns into a
left falling stroke, and a right falling stroke.
㚹 (ne) has horizontal orientation and is written from left to right.

The left part of 㚹 is the mouth radical ㋻and it is written first, in three
strokes.
The right side of 㚹consists of two parts. The top is written first in three
strokes in this order: a right corner stroke, a horizontal stroke, and a left falling
stroke.
The bottom half is written in two strokes. The first stroke is a left falling
stroke. The second stroke is a vertical-curved-hooked stroke. It is written as a
single stroke. Notice that the curve is relatively flat on the bottom.
㝏 (nǚ) female is a radical and it is written in three strokes. We have already

seen it in the character ⼤ (hǎo) introduced in Lesson 7, and it is a compo-
nent part of the characters 㰞 (tā) and 䄋 (yào) introduced in this lesson.
The first stroke of 㝏 is a left-right falling stroke. That is, it starts falling left
and then changes direction and falls right.
The second stroke is a left falling stroke. Notice that it has a slight down-
ward curve.
The last stroke is a left-to-right horizontal stroke. Notice where it meets the
left falling stroke.
㦶 (rì) sun is a radical and it is written in four strokes. It is box with a

horizontal stroke inside. Boxes are always written in the same way. The
left vertical stroke is written first, and the right corner stroke is written
second.
The stroke on the inside is a horizontal stroke, written from left to right.
The beginning and endpoints of this stroke may touch the sides of the box,
but they cannot go through the lines of the box. The last stroke is a left-to-
right horizontal stroke that closes the box.
㪛 (shēng) be born is a radical. It has a vertical orientation and is written in

five strokes. The first stroke is a left falling stroke. The second stroke is a
horizontal stroke. It begins just above the midpoint of the left falling
stroke.
The third stroke is also a horizontal stroke.
The fourth stroke is a vertical stroke. The last stroke is the horizontal stroke
that “closes” the character. Notices that it may touch the vertical stroke but
it does not go through it.
㬷 (shǒu) hand is a radical and is written from top to bottom in four

strokes. The first stroke is a left falling stroke and is written from right to
left. The next two strokes are horizontal strokes written from left to right.
Notice that the second horizontal stroke is longer than the first one. The
last stroke is a vertical stroke that ends with a left-facing hook.
㰜 (tā) he/him consists of two parts. It has a horizontal orientation and is

written from left to right.
The left part of㰜 is the radical 䗊 (rén) person. We have already seen how
to write it: it is also the radical for 㗨 and㛄 and is written from left to
write in two strokes:
The right part is the character䄓 introduced in Lesson 6. It is written in

three strokes:
㰞 (tā) she/her has a horizontal orientation. It consists of two parts and is

written from left to right.
The left part is the radical 㝏 (nǚ) female. We have already learned how to
write it. It is written in three strokes.
The right part of㰞 is the character䄓introduced in Lesson 6. It is also the

right side of 㰜. It is written in three strokes.
㾂 (xiǎo) small, little is a radical. It is a symmetrical character in which the

center is written first. The first stroke is a vertical stroke with a left upward
hook.
The second stroke is a left falling dot. The third stroke is a right falling dot.
䄋 (yào) want has vertical orientation and is written from top to bottom in
nine strokes. The top part of 䄋 is written in six strokes:
The bottom part of 䄋 is the character 㝏 (nǚ) female and is written in

three strokes.
䇱 (yǒu) have has a vertical orientation and it is written in six strokes. The
first stroke is a horizontal stroke written from left to right. The second
stroke is a left falling stroke that falls through the horizontal stroke.
The remaining four strokes form the radical 䊣 (yuè) moon.

The first stroke of 䊣 is a vertical stroke. It begins around the midpoint of
the previous stroke. The next stroke is a right corner stroke that ends in a
left-facing upward hook.
The last two strokes are horizontal strokes written from left to right. They
may touch the strokes on the sides but they do not go through them.
䐜 (zhı̌ ) has vertical orientation and is written in five strokes. The top part
of the character is the radical ㋻ (kǒu) mouth and it is written first, in three
strokes:
The last two strokes are a left falling stroke and a right falling stroke.
Qa
Language FAQs
Why is suì (㰋) year of age a classifier?
We call suì (㰋) a classifier because it can occur directly after a number, and it
cannot be preceded by a classifier. That is, you say:
㑞 suì (㑞㰋) two years old, 㬏➬suì (㬏➬㰋) 18 years old, 㒚㬏suì (㒚㬏㰋) 60
years old
and not
9㑞⷗ suì (㑞⷗㰋), 9㬏➬⷗ suì (㬏➬⷗㰋), 9㒚㬏⷗ suì (㒚㬏⷗㰋)
Suì is one of a small number of classifiers in Mandarin that has noun-like mean-
ing and is not followed by an associated noun. We have also learned two other
words like suì: tiān (㳍) day and nián (㛋) year.
What kind of word is kǎlā OK (㋉㎎OK) karaoke?

Kǎlā OK (㋉㎎OK) is a loan word from Japanese. The Japanese word that Manda-
rin borrowed is karaoke. In Japanese, “kara” means empty. “Oke” is a shortened
form of a word that Japanese borrowed from English: the English word orchestra.
In Japanese, “karaoke” means empty orchestra. Karaoke is a very popular form of
entertainment in China. When it is written in Chinese, kǎlā is written in Chinese
characters (㋉㎎), and oke is often written as OK.
You say zāogāo (䋄ⷃ) and I say āiyā (➆䁞)

Both of these expressions are used to express annoyance or surprise, and both can
be translated into English with the expression oh no! Speakers differ in their pref-
erence for one or the other expression and in the frequency in which they use
them. Some speakers say that āiyā (➆䁞) only indicates surprise, and that to in-
dicate both surprise and annoyance, you must use the two expressions together:
Āiyā! Zhēn zāogāo! (➆䁞᷂䎇䋄ⷃ᷂)

When is your birthday?
In traditional Chinese culture, birthdays are not individual events celebrated on
the anniversary of one’s birth date. Instead, everyone celebrates their birthday at
the start of the Chinese New Year holidays. (The traditional Chinese year is based
on a lunar calendar, and New Year usually falls between the end of January and
the middle of February.) In Chinese culture, noodles are a traditional birthday
food, because noodles symbolize long life. However, it is now common in Chi-
nese cities to celebrate birthdays on one’s birth date, and to celebrate it with a
birthday cake.
How old are you this year?

In traditional Chinese culture, everyone’s age increases at the start of the Chinese
New Year. Therefore, it is common to ask how old you are this year (㛄 jı̄nnián
duō dàᷠ) rather than how old you will be on your birthday. In the traditional Chi-
nese system, you are one year old at birth. At the Chinese New Year you add
another year. Therefore, a child born on January 1, before the start of the Chinese
New Year, would be considered to be two years old at the Chinese New Year, one
month after he or she was born.
Drinking in Chinese societies

The drinking age in mainland China and Taiwan is 18, so it is legal for 20-year-old
Xiaowen to invite Meili to drink beer. But women are less likely to drink alcohol
than men in China, and at Meili’s request, they decide to drink bubble tea instead
of beer. Alcohol is typically consumed with a meal rather than on its own.
Text messaging and social networking

In mainland China and in Taiwan, young people prefer text messaging and the
social networking apps to email and phone calls. In mainland China, text mes-
sages are called duǎnxìn (Ⱝ㾦). In Taiwan they are called jiǎnxùn (ビ䁗). To send
a text message, you say fā duǎnxìn (ⳃⰭ㾦) or fā jiǎnxùn (ⳃビ䁗).

Part A
Gao Meili: Xiaowen, what’s today’s date?
Ma Xiaowen: Today is November 9th.
Gao Meili: November 12th is my birthday.
Ma Xiaowen: Really? Happy birthday! How old are you this year?
Gao Meili: I’m 21 this year. Are you also 21?
Ma Xiaowen: No. I’m 20 this year. I won’t be 21 until next year.
Part B
Ma Xiaowen: What day of the week is November 12th?
Gao Meili: November 12th is Thursday.
Ma Xiaowen: Well then, Meili, I’ll treat you to dinner and beer on Thursday night, okay?
Gao Meili: Terrific. Thanks for inviting me to dinner. But I don’t drink beer. How
about inviting me to drink bubble tea.
Ma Xiaowen: Of course!
Part C
(Meili looks at the calendar . . .)
Gao Meili: Oh no! Thursday night is not good (for me). I have a test on Friday. What
about Friday night? Do you have anything to do?
Ma Xiaowen
(checks her
calendar): I don’t have time Friday night. I have to work.
Gao Meili: Well then . . . when would be good?
Part D
Ma Xiaowen: What about Saturday night? We can also go and sing karaoke, okay?
Gao Meili: Singing? I can’t sing!
Ma Xiaowen: Well, what do you like to do?
Gao Meili: I like to do a lot of things. (I have a lot of interests.) I like to listen to
music . . . play ball . . . watch television . . . use the internet . . . use my cell
phone. In addition . . . right, I like to dance. Let’s go dancing!
Ma Xiaowen: But I can’t dance. How about this. This Saturday we sing karaoke and
I teach you to sing. Next Sunday we go dancing and you teach me to
dance, okay?
Gao Meili: Okay. Let’s also invite Zhang Dawei and his roommate Xie Guoqiang.
Also, Wang Maike and Chen Ming. They also like to sing a lot. (They
really like to sing.)
Ma Xiaowen: Okay. You call them tomorrow. I’ll text Dawei now.
Lesson 9
㛄zài zuò㬓㗕ᷠ
㛄䊻䔗㬓㗕ᷠ
What are you
doing right now?
Communication goals
Q Recite clock time and ask about the time.
Q Talk about daily routines and the time that actions are performed.
Q Talk about actions you are doing right now and actions you plan to do
in the future.
Q Talk about things you must do and things you are not allowed to do.
Q Ask for explanations and give explanations.
Pronunciation goals
Q Place stress on the correct syllables in statements and questions.
Literacy goals
Q Use the list comma.
Q Identify a number of bùjiàn (⤠ミ) recurring component parts of characters.
Lesson 9 㛄zài zuò㬓㗕ᷠ 㛄䊻䔗㬓㗕ᷠ What are you doing right now? 181
Q Identify a larger number of radicals and find them in the characters in

which they occur.
Q Scan and skim a text for familiar two-character words and basic
information.
Key structures
Q zài (䊻) + action: in the middle of the action
Q time + ⤦ + action do not [action] until [time]
Q clock time phrase: (㬏) diǎn zhōng (㬏⮄䐴) 10:00
Q gēn (ⷛ) + NP + (䄜㡑) VP: do [VP] with [NP]
Q sentence + 㑬: new information
Q děi (⭤) + action must do [action]
Q time + jiù (㈮) + action: the action occurs earlier than expected
Q asking for explanations with 㸋㬓㗕why? and 䋖㗕 how (is it that)?
Dialogue
The situation: Ma Xiaowen goes to the library to study, sees her friend Zhang Dawei,
and begins a conversation with him.
Part A
㕎㾂㸥ᷛ⫔㸋᷍㛄 zài zuò 㬓㗕ya? 㕎㾂㸥ᷛ⫔㸋᷍㛄䊻䔗㬓㗕䁞ᷠ

䍦⫔㸋ᷛ㸳 zài xuéxí 䐱㸥᱄㸳㘘㳍㩰wǔ 䇱䐱䍦⫔㸋ᷛ㸳䊻䁈㻑䐱㸥᱄㸳㘘㳍㩰㹈䇱䐱
㸥kǎoshì᱄ 㸥㋝㬵᱄
㕎㾂㸥ᷛ㛄㘘㳍㩰 wǔ 䇱 kǎoshì᷍䋖㗕 xiànzài 㕎㾂㸥ᷛ㛄㘘㳍㩰㹈䇱㋝㬵᷍䋖㗕㻷䊻
⤦ fùxí? ⤦ⶕ㻑ᷠ
䍦⫔㸋ᷛ㸳㆒㳍⼽ máng᱄䋈㩰䇱lánqiú duì ⭥ 䍦⫔㸋ᷛ㸳㆒㳍⼽㗇᱄䋈㩰䇱㎛㤓ⰴ⭥
liànxí᷍䐱wǔ 䇱diànnǎo kè⭥ 㑘㻑᷍䐱㹈䇱⮈㚵㋯⭥
kǎoshì᷍
㻣wǔ gēn Chén㘘䄜㡑㋝㬵᱄㻣㹈ⷛ⧣㘘䄜㡑
zhǔnbèi hòu㳍⭥㋻ shì᷍㹆 diǎn zhōng 䓝⡙⽔㳍⭥㋻㬵᷍㹆⮄䐴
⤦㻣kè᷍lèisı̌㑬᱄Xiànzài ゙diǎn zhōng? ⤦㻣㋯᷍㎼㯡㑬᱄㻷䊻゙⮄䐴ᷠ
㕎㾂㸥ᷛ Xiànzài 㬏diǎn zhōng 㑬᱄ 㕎㾂㸥ᷛ㻷䊻㬏⮄䐴㑬᱄
Part A Vocabulary
diǎn dot, o’clock classifier ⮄ 恄
(䄜diǎn
zhōng)
diànnǎo computer noun ⮈㚵厫㘹
duì team noun ⰴ 匁
fùxí review verb ⶕ㻑 ໮㐶
gēn with, and preposition, ⷛ ⷛ
conjunction
gēn NP 䄜 gēn NP together with prepositional ⷛNP䄜 ⷛNP䄜㡑

qı̌ 䄜㡑 NP phrase 㡑
hòutiān hòu㳍 day after noun ⽔㳍䲂㳍
tomorrow
jı̌diǎn ゙diǎn what time is it? question ゙⮄䐴 ุ恄傫
zhōng zhōng phrase
kè class noun ㋯䌏
kǒushì ㋻shì oral exam noun phrase ㋻㬵㋻䉨
lánqiú basketball noun ㎛㤓⽡㤓
lánqiú duì basketball team noun phrase ㎛㤓ⰴ ⽡㤓匁
le 㑬 (new final particle 㑬㑬
information,
change)
lèisı̌ le lèisı̌ 㑬 tired to death, adjectival ㎼㯡㑬㎼㯡㑬
exhausted verb phrase
máng busy adjectival 㗇㗇

verb
shàngwǔ 㩰wǔ morning noun 㩰㹈㩰㹈

shí diǎn 㬏diǎn 10:00 noun phrase 㬏⮄䐴㬏恄傫
zhōng zhōng
xià kè 㻣kè get out of class verb + object 㻣㋯㻣䌏
xiàwǔ 㻣wǔ afternoon noun 㻣㹈㻣㹈
xuéxí study verb 䁈㻑 స㐶
zài adverb (indicates an 䊻䊻
action in
progress)
zǎoshang 䋈㩰 morning noun 䋈㩰䋈㩰

zhōng (main noun in noun 䐴傫
clock time
expression, e.g.
㬏diǎn zhōng)
*
zhōngwǔ 䐱wǔ noon noun 䐱㹈䐱㹈
zhǔnbèi prepare verb 䓝⡙ ᢫Յ
zuò do verb 䔗䔗
Part B
䍦⫔㸋ᷛ 㬏diǎn zhōng᷂㲌㶎㑬᱄㸳䍦⫔㸋ᷛ 㬏⮄䐴᷂㲌㶎㑬᱄㸳

xiànzài děi huí sùshè 㑬᱄ 㻷䊻⭤⿹㯿㪂㑬᱄
㕎㾂㸥ᷛ 㛄 huí sùshè zuò 㬓㗕ᷠ䇱 shì 㕑ᷠ 㕎㾂㸥ᷛ 㛄⿹㯿㪂䔗㬓㗕ᷠ䇱㬣㕑ᷠ
䍦⫔㸋ᷛ 㸳 xiǎng ㆒㳍㶎㩰㬏diǎn bàn shuì 䍦⫔㸋ᷛ 㸳㼌㆒㳍㶎㩰㬏⮄⟌㯐
jiào᱄ ㉖᱄
㕎㾂㸥ᷛ 㛄㸋㬓㗕㬏diǎn bàn jiù shuì 㕎㾂㸥ᷛ 㛄㸋㬓㗕㬏⮄⟌㈮㯐
jiàoᷠ㲌䋈㑬➪᷂ ㉖ ᷠ㲌䋈㑬➪᷂
䍦⫔㸋ᷛ 㸳㘘㳍䋈㩰➬diǎn zhōng jiù kǎo 䍦⫔㸋ᷛ 㸳㘘㳍䋈㩰➬⮄䐴㈮㋝
shì᱄㸳 děi 㒚diǎn zhōng 㡑 chuáng᷍ 㬵᱄㸳⭤ 㒚 ⮄䐴㡑⪓᷍
㒚diǎn 䄜 kè xı̌ zǎo᷍㒚diǎn bàn chı̄ 㒚⮄䄜㋭㻕䋉᷍㒚 ⮄⟌⧵
䋈fàn᷍㡀diǎn zuò gōngkè᱃liànxí 䋈Ⳛ᷍㡀⮄䔗⹇㋯᱃㑘㻑
⼛䓷᷍㡀diǎn 㯥㬏⳷ qù 㩰 kè᱄ ⼛䓷᷍㡀⮄㯥㬏⳷㦆㩰㋯᱄
㕎㾂㸥ᷛ 㛄㋪䄵㆒㳍㶎㩰 xı̌ zǎo᷍㘘㳍㶎䄜㕎㾂㸥ᷛ 㛄㋪䄵㆒㳍㶎㩰㻕䋉᷍㘘㳍㶎䄜

diǎn㡑chuáng᱄ ⮄㡑⪓᱄
䍦⫔㸋ᷛ 㸳⤜ xı̌huān 㶎㩰 xı̌ zǎo᱄㸳䍦⫔㸋ᷛ 㸳⤜㻓⿗㶎㩰㻕䋉᱄㸳
xiànzài jiù huí sùshè 㑬᱄ 㻷䊻㈮⿹ 㯿㪂㑬᱄
Part B Vocabulary
bàn half number ⟌ ⟌
chuáng bed noun ⪓ ⪓
děi must, have to modal verb ⭤ ⭤
fēn ⳷ minute classifier ⳷ ⳷

gōngkè classwork, homework noun ⹇㋯ ⹇䌏
huí return to a location verb ⿹ ⿹
jiù (sooner than adverb ㈮㈮
expected)
kǎo take an exam verb ㋝㋝
kǎo shì take a test verb + object ㋝㬵㋝䉨
kè quarter of an hour classifier ㋭㋭
qı̌ 㡑 get up, rise up verb 㡑㡑
qı̌ 㡑 get out of bed, get verb + object 㡑⪓ 㡑⪓
chuáng chuáng up in the morning
shàng 㩰 attend verb 㩰㩰
shàng kè 㩰kè attend school or verb + object 㩰㋯㩰䌏
class
shuì sleep verb 㯐㯐
shuì jiào sleep verb + object 㯐㉖㯐䅹
sùshè dormitory noun 㯿㪂㯿㪂
wǎn late adjectival verb 㶎㶎
wèi- 㸋㬓㗕 why content 㸋㬓㗕 ᩊ㬓
shénme question 怯
xı̌ bathe verb 㻕㻕
xı̌ zǎo bathe verb + object 㻕䋉㻕䋉
zǎo early adjectival verb 䋈䋈
zǎofàn 䋈fàn breakfast noun 䋈Ⳛ 䋈嚩

Part C
Túshūguǎn yuánᷛ 䎃㬨 túshūguǎn᷍⤜㬨㵝㭊⹾䊒ᷛ 䎃㬨㵝㭊⹾᷍⤜㬨

jiàoshì᱄㛄㗨䐜㋪䄵 kàn shū᱃ ㅭ㬳᱄㛄㗦䐜㋪䄵㋕㭊᱃
xuéxí᷍⤜㋪䄵㯖⿑᱄ 䁈㻑᷍ ⤜㋪䄵㯖⿑᱄
䍦⫔㸋ᷛ ⰵ⤜㡑᱄㚨᷍㾂㸥᷍㸳xiān zǒu 䍦⫔㸋ᷛ ⰵ⤜㡑᱄㚨᷍㾂㸥᷍㸳㻩䔀
㑬᱄ 㑬᱄
㕎㾂㸥ᷛ 䊺ボ᱄Hòu㳍䐱wǔ䄜㡑chı̄ fàn 㕎㾂㸥ᷛ 䊺ボ᱄ ⽔㳍䐱㹈䄜㡑⧵Ⳛ
➪᷂ ➪᷂
Part C Vocabulary
jiàoshì classroom noun ㅭ㬳 ㅭ㬳
kàn read (kàn shū); verb ㋕㋕
see (kàn péngyou)
kàn shū read, read books verb + object ㋕㭊㋕᎙
túshūguǎn library noun 㵝㭊⹾ थ᎙圿
túshūguǎn librarian noun 㵝㭊⹾䊒 थ᎙圿޵
yuán
wǒ xiān I’m leaving first. I’m conversational 㸳㻩䔀㸳㻩䔀
zǒu heading out. expression
xiān first adverb 㻩㻩

yuán (a person who has a noun suffix 䊒 ޵
role associated with the
preceding noun)
zǒu go verb 䔀䔀

Verb + object phrases with action verbs

introduced in Lesson 9
kàn shū ㋕㭊 read
kǎo shì ㋝㬵 take a test
shuì jiào 㯐㉖ sleep
xı̌ zǎo 㻕䋉 bathe
㩰kè 㩰㋯ go to class
㻣kè 㻣㋯ get out of class
㡑chuáng 㡑⪓ get up (in the morning)
fùxí gōngkè ⶕ㻑⹇㋯ review a lesson
⫓lánqiú ⫓㎛㤓 play basketball
Characters
CharacterShape Pinyin Meaning/ Radical Phrases Traditional
Function character
⤦ cái only then ⤦ ⤦
ⰵ duì correct ⫈ ⰵ⤜㡑(duìbuqı̌) ಇ
excuse me
⳷ fēn minute, cent ⭗ ⳷
⼛ Hàn Chinese 一⼛䓷(Hànzì) ᤉ
Chinese character
⿑ huà speech, 䜆㯖⿑(shuō huà) 䉳
language speak, talk, 䐱⺛⿑
(Zhōngguó huà)
Chinese language
ボ jiàn see ボ䊺ボ(zài jiàn) goodbye 䃫
㆒ jı̄n * 㦬 ㆒㳍(jı̄ntiān) today ㆒
㋻ kǒu mouth ㋻㋻
㕎 mǎ family name, 㕎埳
horse
㘘 míng * 㦶㘘㳍(míngtiān) 㘘
tomorrow
㘘nián (míngnián)
next year
㡑 qı̌ * 䔀 ⰵ⤜㡑(duìbuqı̌) 㡑
excuse me
㡑⪓(qı̌ chuáng)
get up, get out of bed
㩰 shàng last (week, 䄜䋈㩰(zǎoshang) 㩰
month), morning㶎㩰
above (wǎnshang)
evening
㯖 shuō speak, talk 䜆㯖⿑(shuō huà) 䌇
speak, talk
㳍 tiān day, heaven ⫔ ㆒㳍 (jı̄ntiān) today, 㳍
㘘㳍(míngtiān)
tomorrow
㶎 wǎn late 㦶㶎㩰(wǎnshang) 㶎
evening
㸥 wén * 㸥䐱㸥 (Zhōngwén) 㸥
Chinese
㻣 xià below, down 䄜㻣㹈 (xiàwǔ) 㻣
afternoon
䊺 zài again 䗈䊺ボ (zài jiàn) 䊺
goodbye
䋈 zǎo early 㦶䋈㩰 (zǎoshang) 䋈
morning
䋖 zěn * 㾥䋖㗕 (zěnme) how 䋖
䍦 zhāng sheet (cl.), ⹎ 䄜䍦䐞(yı̄ zhāng ຩ

family name zhı̌) one sheet of
paper
䐱 zhōng middle, (part 䖎䐱⺛ (Zhōngguó) 䐱
of the word China䐱㸥
for China, (Zhōngwén)
Chinese Chinese language
language,
etc.)
䓷 zì character 䓴⼛䓷 (Hànzì) 䓷
Chinese
character
Chinese characters
Look for the bùjiàn (⤠ミ) recurring component parts
Take a close look at the new characters in this lesson. They include characters with bùjiàn
(⤠ミ) recurring component parts that we have already learned, and that we will see many
times in the lessons ahead.
What part of the character 㘘 have we seen in an earlier lesson? What other new character
in this lesson has this same recurring part? The bùjiàn in 㘘are 㦶 and 䊣. We have seen
㦶 in a number of characters that have already been introduced. This is the first time we see
䊣, but it is also a very commonly occurring component part and it is a part of many char-
acters that will be introduced in later lessons.
In the character 㘘, 㦶 is the radical, and it conveys meaning about the character 㘘: 㦶 is
the sun radical, and the character 㘘 means bright. 㦶 is also the radical in the character 䋈
early, and it conveys its meaning in this character as well.
The language radical䜆also usually tells you something about the meaning of the character.
Which characters introduced in this lesson include the radical 䜆? What do these characters
mean, and what do they have to do with “language”?
As we have noted in earlier lessons, however, a radical that conveys meaning may not do so
in every character in which it occurs.
Use and structure

9.1. Ongoing actions: zài (䊻) + action
Zài (䊻) + an open-ended action verb indicates that the subject is in the middle of doing an
action. When used with actions that are happening at the moment of speaking, it empha-
sizes that the action is ongoing right now.
zài (䊻) + action
㸳 zài fùxí Fǎ 㸥᱄ (㸳䊻ⶕ㻑ⳉ㸥᱄)
I am studying French right now.
To emphasize that you are talking about an action that is ongoing at the moment of speak-
ing, you can add the word xiànzài (㻷䊻) before zài:
㛄 (xiànzài) zài zuò 㬓㗕? (㛄(㻷䊻)䊻䔗㬓㗕ᷠ)
What are you doing right now?
If it is clear that the question refers to the present time, the word xiànzài need not be
included.
To emphasize that some action was ongoing at some time in the past, include a time ex-
pression that refers to past time.
㸳 zuó㳍㶎㩰 zài fùxí gōngkè᱄ (㸳䔓㳍㶎㩰䊻ⶕ㻑⹇㋯᱄)
I was reviewing my course work last night.
To emphasize that some action will be ongoing at some time in the future, add a time ex-
pression such as 。 that refers to future time. We will formally introduce the use of 。 to
refer to the future in Lesson 14.
㘘㳍䋈㩰➬diǎn 㸳。zài kǎo shì᱄ (㘘㳍䋈㩰➬⮄㸳。䊻㋝㬵᱄)
Tomorrow at 8:00 I’ll be taking a test.
To ask what someone is doing right now, say:
㛄 zài zuò 㬓㗕? (㛄䊻䔗㬓㗕ᷠ)
What are you doing right now?
To answer this question, replace zuò 㬓㗕 (䔗㬓㗕) with the entire action, the verb, and its
object. Do not repeat zuò (䔗) in the answer.
Question Answer
㛄㆒㳍㶎㩰xiǎng zuò 㬓㗕ᷠ 㸳xiǎng qù kàn péngyou᱄
㛄㆒㳍㶎㩰㼌䔗㬓㗕ᷠ 㸳㼌㦆㋕㞔䇲᱄
What do you want to do tonight? I want to go see friends.
To ask if someone is doing a specific action now, ask:

㛄 zài xuéxí 䐱㸥㕑ᷠ(㛄䊻䁈㻑䐱㸥㕑ᷠ)
Are you studying Chinese right now?
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9.4; Structure Drills 9.1.
9.2. xuéxí (䁈㻑) and xué (䁈) study compared

Xuéxí (䁈㻑) and xué (䁈) can both be translated by the English verb study, but they are not
used in the same way. Xuéxí can be used more broadly than xué. Xuéxí can be followed by
the name of the subject that you are studying, and it can be used to say that you are “study-
ing” without specifying what it is that you are studying. Xué must be followed by the subject
area that you are studying: xué 䐱㸥 (䁈䐱㸥) study Chinese, xué Yı̄ng㸥 (䁈䇃㸥) study
English, etc. You cannot use xué when you want to simply say that you are “studying.”
xuéxí (䁈㻑) xué (䁈)

Say this: 㸳zài xuéxí 䐱㸥᱄ or this: 㸳zài xué 䐱㸥᱄
㸳䊻䁈㻑䐱㸥᱄ 㸳䊻䁈䐱㸥᱄
I am studying I am studying
Chinese. Chinese.
Say this: 㸳zài xuéxí᱄ Don’t say 8㸳zài xué᱄
㸳䊻䁈㻑᱄ this: 8㸳䊻䁈᱄
I am studying
9.3. Clock time

The time phrase
Time on the hour
To state time on the hour, say:
[hour] diǎn zhōng
䄜diǎn zhōng (䄜⮄䐴) 1:00
㑞diǎn zhōng (㑞⮄䐴) 2:00
㧞diǎn zhōng (㧞⮄䐴) 3:00
㬏diǎn zhōng (㬏⮄䐴) 10:00

㬏ⱟdiǎn zhōng (㬏ⱟ⮄䐴) 12:00
Number + diǎn (⮄) forms a phrase, and the word diǎn cannot be omitted from the clock
time expression. However, the word zhōng (䐴) can be omitted and it often is. The clock
time expression means the same thing whether zhōng is present or not.
䄜diǎn zhōng 䄜diǎn
䄜⮄䐴 = 䄜⮄ 1:00
㑞diǎn zhōng 㑞diǎn
㑞⮄䐴 = 㑞⮄ 2:00
㧞diǎn zhōng 㧞diǎn
㧞⮄䐴 = 㧞⮄ 3:00
㬏diǎn zhōng 㬏diǎn
㬏⮄䐴 = 㬏⮄ 10:00
Time in hours and minutes

To recite clock time in hours and minutes say [hour] + diǎn (⮄) [minute] + ⳷ (fēn) minutes
as follows. Notice that the word for minute, ⳷, is the same as the word for cent and is writ-
ten with the same character.
[hour] + diǎn (⮄) [minute] + ⳷
䄜 diǎn ⱟ㬏⳷ (䄜⮄ⱟ㬏⳷)
1:20 (20 minutes after 1)
㬏䄜 diǎn 㧞㬏㹆⳷ (㬏䄜⮄㧞㬏㹆⳷)
When the number of minutes is expressed in two syllables (that is, when it is more than ten
minutes after the hour), ⳷ may be omitted.
䄜diǎn ⱟ㬏⳷ 䄜diǎn ⱟ㬏
䄜⮄ⱟ㬏⳷ or 䄜⮄ⱟ㬏 1:20
㬏䄜 diǎn 㧞㬏㹆⳷ 㬏䄜 diǎn 㧞㬏㹆
㬏䄜⮄㧞㬏㹆⳷ or 㬏䄜⮄㧞㬏㹆 11:35
When the number of minutes is between 1 and 9, líng (㒄) may be used before the number:
㬏ⱟ diǎn (líng) 㹆⳷ (㬏ⱟ⮄ (㒄) 㹆⳷)
Notice that líng adds a syllable to the minutes expression, so ⳷ can be omitted.
㬏ⱟ diǎn líng 㹆⳷ 㬏ⱟdiǎn líng 㹆
㬏ⱟ⮄㒄㹆⳷ or 㬏ⱟ⮄㒄㹆 12:05
㑞diǎn líng 㧞 ⳷ 㑞diǎn líng 㧞

㑞⮄㒄㧞⳷ or 㑞⮄㒄㧞 2:03
Half past the hour

To say half past the hour, use the word bàn (⟌) half and say:
[hour] + diǎn bàn (⮄⟌)
䄜diǎn bàn 㧞diǎn bàn
䄜⮄⟌ 㧞⮄⟌
1:30, half past one 3:30, half past three
㑞diǎn bàn 㬏diǎn bàn
㑞⮄⟌ 㬏⮄⟌
2:30, half past two 10:30, half past ten
A quarter past the hour

To say a quarter past the hour, use the word kè (㋭) and say:
[hour] + diǎn (⮄) 䄜 kè (䄜㋭)
㯥diǎn䄜kè (㯥⮄䄜㋭)
3:15, a quarter past four
㹆diǎn䄜kè (㹆⮄䄜㋭)
5:15, a quarter past five
㒚diǎn䄜kè (㒚⮄䄜㋭)
6:15, a quarter past six
Kè means a cut, and you can think of it as talking about cutting the clock in four quarters
like four large pieces of pie. One quarter of the clock is䄜 kè (䄜㋭). As noted above, half of
the clock is expressed as bàn (⟌). 㧞 kè (㧞㋭) means three quarters of the clock (45 minutes
past the hour).
kè kè
bàn
The expression 㧞kè (㧞㋭) three quarters of the clock (45 minutes) is not often used in
conversational speech, although it is sometimes used in formal announcements of time.
In ordinary conversation, 45 minutes past the hour is expressed as:
hour + diǎn (⮄) 㯥㬏㹆(⳷)

㒚diǎn 㯥㬏㹆㒚diǎn 㧞kè
㒚⮄㯥㬏㹆 = 㒚⮄㧞㋭ 6:45
㬏ⱟdiǎn 㯥㬏㹆㬏ⱟdiǎn 㧞kè
㬏ⱟ⮄㯥㬏㹆 = 㬏ⱟ⮄㧞㋭ 12:45
Stating the time that it is now

To state the time that it is now, say:
Xiànzài᷉㬏᷊diǎn zhōng᱄
㻷䊻᷉㬏᷊⮄䐴᱄
It is now (10):00.
Notice that when stating the time in Mandarin, you do not say “It is. . . .”
Asking what time it is

To ask what time it is, ask:
゙diǎn zhōngᷠ
゙⮄䐴ᷠ
To ask what time it is now, ask:
Xiànzài ゙diǎn zhōngᷠ
㻷䊻゙⮄䐴ᷠ
What time is it now?
Practice Workbook: Focus on Structure 9.2, 9.4; Focus on Communication 9.2, 9.3,
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9.4. Website: Listening for Information 9.1, 9.2, 9.3, 9.5; Structure Drills 9.2,
9.3; Focus on Structure 9.1.
9.4. More about ⤦ later than expected

In Lesson 8 we learned to use the adverb ⤦ to say that someone turns a certain age later
than expected. (Use and Structure 8.7) In this lesson we expand this use of ⤦ to other ac-
tions. To say an action occurs later than expected, say:
time + ⤦ + action
The most literal way to translate ⤦ sentences, the way that follows the order of information
in Chinese, is with the expression only then:
㸳㹆diǎn zhōng ⤦㻣 kè᱄
㸳㹆⮄䐴⤦㻣㋯᱄
It was 5:00 and only then I got out of class.
㸳 zuó㳍㶎㩰㈦diǎn ⤦chı̄ fàn᱄

㸳䔓㳍㶎㩰㈦⮄⤦⧵Ⳛ᱄
Last night at 9:00 only then I ate.
Another way to convey the meaning of ⤦ sentences is with the expression not until, or no
action until (time).
㸳㹆diǎn zhōng ⤦㻣 kè᱄
㸳㹆⮄䐴⤦㻣㋯᱄
I did not get out of class until 5:00.
㸳 zuó㳍㶎㩰㈦ diǎn ⤦chı̄ fàn᱄
㸳䔓㳍㶎㩰㈦⮄⤦⧵Ⳛ᱄
I did not eat last night until 9:00.
(㛄) 䋖㗕 xiànzài ⤦fùxíᷠ
(㛄) 䋖㗕㻷䊻⤦ⶕ㻑ᷠ
How come you have not studied until now?
It is important to notice that Mandarin sentences with ⤦ and English sentences with
not until correspond in meaning but are very different in form. You can see the differ-
ence in the following pairs of sentences. Pay particular attention to the difference in the
order of information in Chinese and English, and the use of negation in the English
sentences.
time + ⤦+ action = no action until time

㸳㹆diǎn zhōng ⤦㻣kè᱄
㸳㹆⮄䐴⤦㻣㋯᱄ = I didn’t get out of class until 5:00.
㸳zuó㳍㶎㩰㈦diǎn⤦chı̄ fàn᱄
㸳䔓㳍㶎㩰㈦⮄⤦⧵Ⳛ᱄ = Last night I didn’t eat until 9:00.
Practice Website: Structure Drills 9.8, 9.10.

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9.5. gēn (ⷛ) NP 䄜㡑 with NP

Gēn (ⷛ) with is a preposition. Like prepositions in English, gēn always occurs before a
noun phrase:
gēn Chén㘘 (ⷛ⧣㘘) with Chen Ming
The preposition and its following noun phrase form a prepositional phrase.
In Mandarin, the prepositional phrase usually occurs before the verb that it is associ-
ated with:
㸳㻣wǔ gēn Chén㘘zhǔnbèi hòu㳍⭥㋻shì᱄
㸳㻣㹈ⷛ⧣㘘䓝⡙⽔㳍⭥㋻㬵᱄
In the afternoon, I am preparing for the day after tomorrow’s oral exam with Chen Ming.
Notice that in English, the prepositional phrase occurs after the verb phrase.
When saying that you are doing an activity together with someone else, you can add the
expression䄜㡑 after the noun phrase and say:
gēn (ⷛ) NP 䄜㡑 VP
㸳㻣wǔ gēn Chén㘘䄜㡑zhǔnbèi hòu㳍⭥㋻shì᱄
㸳㻣㹈ⷛ⧣㘘䄜㡑䓝⡙⽔㳍⭥㋻㬵᱄
In the afternoon, I am preparing for the day after tomorrow’s oral exam with Chen Ming.
Gēn has a wider use than the phrase gēn + noun phrase 䄜㡑. It can be used to translate
the English preposition with and is also equivalent in use to the conjunction⼮ and.

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9.6. New information with sentence final 㑬

Mandarin speakers often indicate that information is new in some way by ending a sen-
tence with the sentence-final particle 㑬.
Xiànzài 㬏diǎn zhōng 㑬
㻷䊻㬏 ⮄ 䐴㑬᱄
It’s now 10:00.
There are many ways that information may be new. It can be something that has just hap-
pened, or something that the speaker thinks the listener does not know, or it can be some
change from a previous situation that the listener was familiar with. Sentence-final 㑬 pres-
ents information from the speaker’s perspective, and as long as the speaker thinks that
some information is new for the listener, the speaker can end the sentence with 㑬.
Sentence-final 㑬 is never required by the grammar, and the same information can be pre-
sented with or without 㑬.

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9.7. Obligation with děi (⭤)must, have to, and prohibitions with ⤜㋪䄵
cannot
Mandarin has a number of words that can be used to indicate that you must do something.
In this lesson we learn the word děi (⭤) must. Děi is a modal verb. It occurs at the begin-
ning of the verb phrase, usually right before the verb.
㸳 xiànzài děi huí sùshè᱄
㸳㻷䊻⭤⿹㯿㪂᱄
I have to go back to the dormitory now.
To say that you cannot do something, say ⤜㋪䄵 + action. Do not say 8⤜ děi (⤜⭤).
䎃㬨 túshūguǎn᱄㛄䐜㋪䄵 kàn shū᷍⤜㋪䄵㯖⿑᱄
䎃㬨㵝㭊⹾᱄㛄䐜㋪䄵㋕㭊᷍⤜㋪䄵㯖⿑᱄
This is the library. You are only allowed to read, you can’t talk.
Ordinarily, when asking a yes-no question with děi, you use 㕑 rather than repeating děi:
Say: Do not say:

㸳㗨xı̄ngqı̄ 㒚děi㩰 kè㕑ᷠ 8㸳㗨xı̄ngqı̄ 㒚 děi⤜ děi㩰 kèᷠ
㸳㗨㾨㠻㒚⭤㩰㋯㕑ᷠ 㸳㗨㾨㠻㒚⭤⤜⭤㩰㋯ᷠ
Do we also have to attend class on Saturday?

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9.8. 䇱 shì (䇱㬣) have something to do, be busy

䇱shì (䇱㬣) means have something to do and the question 㛄䇱shì 㕑ᷠ(㛄䇱㬣㕑ᷠ) is a
common way to ask someone if she is busy.
To respond to this question saying that you are not busy, say: 㸳㗜(䇱)shì (㬣) (㸳㗜䇱㬣).
䇱shì 㕑ᷠ (䇱㬣㕑ᷠ) is also used like the informal English question What’s up? You can
say it when someone calls you on the phone or approaches you with a question or request.
9.9. xiǎng (㼌) + time when + action: Planning to do an action at a time

In Lesson 8 we learned that the time when a situation occurs always goes before the action
(Use and Structure 8.11). When talking about planning to do an action at some time or
thinking about doing an action at some time, say:
xiǎng (㼌) or 䄋 + time when + action
㸳 xiǎng ㆒㳍㶎㩰㬏diǎn bàn shuì jiào᱄ (㸳㼌㆒㳍㶎㩰㬏⮄⟌㯐㉖᱄
)
I want to go to sleep tonight at 10:30.

㸳 xiǎng ㆒㳍㶎㩰㬏diǎ n bàn shuì jiào᱄ 8 㸳㬏diǎn bàn xiǎng ㆒㳍㶎㩰
I want to go to sleep tonight at 10:30. shuì jiào᱄
9.10. jiù (㈮) + action: The action occurs sooner than expected
The adverb jiù (㈮) can be used to indicate that some action occurs sooner or earlier than
the speaker expects it to occur. Jiù conveys this meaning when the sentence takes the fol-
lowing form:
time when + jiù (㈮) + action
㬏diǎn bàn jiù shuì jiào᷍㲌䋈㑬᷂(㬏⮄⟌㈮㯐㉖᷍㲌䋈㑬᷂)
Going to sleep at 10:30 is too early!
When jiù is used in this way, it often is not translated into English.
Notice that in sentences like these, jiù conveys the opposite meaning of the adverb ⤦ dis-
cussed in Use and Structure 9.4 above. Jiù indicates that some action happens sooner or
earlier than expected; ⤦ indicates that some action happens later than expected.
time jiù (㈮) action time ⤦ action

㰜㬏diǎn bàn jiù shuì jiào᱄ 㰜㬏 diǎn bàn ⤦shuì jiào᱄
㰜㬏⮄⟌㈮㯐㉖᱄ 㰜㬏⮄⟌⤦㯐㉖᱄
He goes to sleep (as early as) 10:30. He doesn’t go to sleep until 10:30.
Remember that jiù and ⤦, like all adverbs, always occur before the verb phrase.
Practice
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9.11. Asking for explanations with 㸋㬓㗕 why and 䋖㗕 how (is it that)
㸋㬓㗕 why and 䋖㗕 how (is it that) (Use and Structure 5.10) are used to ask for explana-
tions. Both words occur before the verb phrase. Normally, they follow the subject:
(S) 㸋㬓㗕᷐䋖㗕 VPᷠ
㕎㾂㸥ᷛ 㛄㸋㬓㗕㬏diǎn bàn jiù shuì jiàoᷠ㲌䋈㑬➪᷂
㛄㸋㬓㗕㬏⮄⟌㈮㯐㉖ᷠ 㲌䋈㑬➪᷂
Why are you going to sleep at 10:00? It’s too early!
㕎㾂㸥: 㛄㘘㳍㩰wǔ 䇱 kǎoshì᷍䋖㗕 xiànzài ⤦ fùxíᷠ

㛄㘘㳍㩰㹈䇱㋝㬵᷍䋖㗕㻷䊻⤦ⶕ㻑ᷠ
You have a test tomorrow morning. How is it that you are only beginning to
study now?
㸋㬓㗕may be used alone to simply ask the question why? 䋖㗕 cannot be used alone but
must be followed by a verb phrase.
You can respond to a 㸋㬓㗕 or 䋖㗕 question by simply providing the explanation.
㕎㾂㸥ᷛ 㛄㘘㳍㩰wǔ 䇱 kǎoshì᷍䋖㗕 xiànzài ⤦ fùxíᷠ
㛄㘘㳍㩰㹈䇱㋝㬵᷍䋖㗕㻷䊻⤦ⶕ㻑ᷠ
You have a test tomorrow morning. How is it that you are only beginning to
study now?
䍦⫔㸋ᷛ 㸳㆒㳍⼽máng . . .
㸳㆒㳍⼽㗇. . .
I was very busy today . . .
㸋㬓㗕 and 䋖㗕 differ in the speaker attitude that they convey towards a situation. Both
㸋㬓㗕 and 䋖㗕 can be used in neutral questions, when the speaker has no expectations
about why a situation has occurred and simply wants an explanation. But 䋖㗕 can also be
used when the speaker believes that the situation should have been different from the way it
is. When Ma Xiaowen uses 䋖㗕 to ask Zhang Dawei why he has only begun studying now,
she is implying that she believes that he should have started studying earlier. Later, when she
uses 㸋㬓㗕 to ask why he is planning to go to sleep at 10:00, she is just expressing curiosity.
Practice Workbook: Focus on Communication 9.1. Website: Listening for Informa-

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tion 9.8.
9.12. Action verbs and their objects, continued

In previous lessons we have learned the following action verb + object phrases that refer to
general actions:
㯖⿑ speak, talk, chàng gē (⧋ⷉ) sing, chı̄ fàn (⧵Ⳛ) eat, hē jiǔ (⼩㈧) drink
(alcohol), and tiào wǔ (㳙㹉) dance
In this lesson we learn additional action verb phrases that can be used to talk about doing
general actions. In each of the phrases, the object is not translated into English.
kàn shū (㋕㭊) read
kǎo shì (㋝㬵) take a test
shuì jiào (㯐㉖) sleep

xı̌ zǎo (㻕䋉) bathe
As with㯖⿑, chàng gē, chı̄ fàn, hē jiǔ, and tiào wǔ, the objects in kàn shū (㋕㭊) read and
kǎo shì (㋝㬵) take a test can be replaced with a more specific noun.
For example, if you want to say that you are planning to read, you say:
㸳 xiǎng kàn shū᱄ (㸳㼌㋕㭊᱄
)
But if you want to say that you are planning to read a Japanese book, you say:
㸳xiǎng kàn 䄜běn 㦶㸥shū᱄(㸳㼌㋕䄜⡟㦶㸥㭊᱄
)
If you want to say that you have a test tomorrow you say:
㸳㘘㳍 kǎo shì᱄ (㸳㘘㳍㋝㬵᱄)
But if you want to say that you have a French test tomorrow, you replace shì (㬵) with Fǎ㸥
(ⳉ㸥) and say:
㸳㘘㳍kǎo Fǎ㸥᱄ (㸳㘘㳍㋝ⳉ㸥᱄
)
Notice that you omit shì (㬵) and do not say kǎo Fǎ㸥 shì (㋝ⳉ㸥㬵).
This lesson also introduces three additional verb + object phrases that have idiomatic
meanings:
㡑 chuáng (㡑⪓) get out of bed, 㩰 kè (㩰㋯) attend class, go to class, and 㻣 kè (㻣㋯) get
out of class. 㡑 chuáng literally means rise up from the bed. 㩰 kè literally means go up to
class. 㩰 is also used as the verb when saying attend school, attend high school, attend col-
lege, etc. 㻣 kè literally means go down from class. We will learn other uses of 㩰 and 㻣 in
later lessons.

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9.13. Stating a series of actions with serial verbs

When stating a series of actions, simply state the actions one after another without any con-
necting words:
㡀diǎn fùxí gōngkè᱃liànxí ⼛䓷 (㡀⮄ⶕ㻑⹇㋯᱃㑘㻑⼛䓷)
at 7:00 review class work [and] practice Chinese characters
When actions are stated in a series in this way, they are sometimes referred to as serial
verbs. Notice that when writing a list, Chinese uses a special comma. (See Use and Struc-
ture 9.14.)
9.14. The “list comma”

Written Chinese uses a special form of the comma, the list comma “᱃” , to separate items
in a list:
㡀diǎn fùxí gōngkè᱃liànxí⼛䓷 (㡀⮄ⶕ㻑⹇㋯᱃㑘㻑⼛䓷)
at 7:00 review class work [and] practice Chinese characters
䎃㬨 túshūguǎn᱄㛄㗨䐜㋪䄵 kàn shū᱃xuéxí᷍⤜㋪䄵㯖⿑.
䎃㬨㵝㭊⹾᱄㛄㗨䐜㋪䄵㋕㭊᱃䁈㻑᷍⤜㋪䄵㯖⿑᱄
This is the library. You can only read and study, you can’t talk.
In Chinese, this comma is called a dùnhào (ⰺ⼦) or “pause signal.” In English it is re-
ferred to as the “list comma” or “enumeration comma.”
9.15. The suffix yuán (䊒)

The suffix yuán (䊒) follows a noun and indicates a person who has a role associated with
that noun. A túshūguǎn yuán (㵝㭊⹾䊒) librarian is someone who works in a túshūguǎn
(㵝㭊⹾) library. A duìyuán (ⰴ䊒) team member is a member of a duì (ⰴ) team. Not every
noun can be turned into a performer in this way, but if you see yuán after a noun, it always
refers to a person whose role is associated with the noun, and you can make a reliable guess
as to the meaning of the noun + yuán.
9.16. Leaving first: xiān zǒu 㑬᱄(㸳㻩䔀㑬᱄)

When you do an activity with others and leave before the others depart, you can announce
your departure by saying 㸳 xiān zǒu 㑬 (㸳㻩䔀㑬). The expression functions as saying
“goodbye.” Xiān (㻩) means first, and it always occurs before a verb phrase. We will learn
how to use it to express sequence in Lesson 13.
Qa Language FAQs
Same pronunciation, different meanings

The syllable zǎo in the verb + object phrase xı̌ zǎo (㻕䋉) bathe and the syllable zǎo
in the noun zǎofàn (䋈Ⳛ) breakfast are homophones, syllables that are pro-
nounced the same but have different meanings. The syllable shì in the phrases 䇱
shì (䇱㬣) have something to do and kǎo shì (㋝㬵) take a test, are also homophones.
They have the same pronunciation but different meanings. All languages have
homophones. In English, the words pear “a type of fruit,” pair “two of something,”
and pare “peel with a knife” are homophones. Notice that in English, although
homophones have the same pronunciation, they may be spelled differently. In

Mandarin, homophones always have the same pinyin spelling, but since they
have different meanings, they are written with different characters.
Word families and Chinese characters

In Mandarin, almost all syllables have a meaning, and when a syllable is part of a
word or phrase, it usually brings its meaning with it. Words that share the same
syllable/meaning are part of the same word family. Here is a word family we now
know involving the word 䋈(zǎo) early:
zǎo (䋈) early (Lesson 6)

good morning (Lesson 6)
zǎoshang (䋈㩰) morning (Lesson 9)
zǎofàn (䋈Ⳛ) breakfast (Lesson 9)
Syllables that are part of the same word family are always written with the same
character. Therefore, the syllable zǎo in zǎo early, good morning, zǎoshang morn-
ing, and zǎofàn breakfast, is written as 䋈: 䋈᷍䋈㩰᷍䋈fàn (䋈Ⳛ).
Occasionally a single character may have more than one meaning, or more than
one pronunciation. We will learn some characters like this in later lessons.
What is the difference between 㩰wǔ (㩰㹈) and 䋈㩰"

Shàngwǔ (㩰㹈) refers to any time in the morning before noon. It can be used to
express a.m.:
jı̄ntiān shàngwǔ 㬏diǎn zhōng (㆒㳍㩰㹈㬏⮄䐴)
this morning at 10 a.m.
䋈㩰 refers to the early part of the morning. It can be used when talking about
times up until around 9 a.m.:
㘘㳍䋈㩰㒚diǎn bàn (㘘㳍䋈㩰㒚⮄⟌)
6:30 tomorrow morning
The meanings of 㯖
The verb 㯖 includes the meanings say and speak in English. In the phrase 㯖⿑,
and also when 㯖 is followed by the name of a language, 㯖 is translated as speak:
㯖⿑speak
lǎoshı̄ zài 㯖⿑᱄(㎰㬇䊻㯖⿑᱄)
The teacher is speaking.
㯖䐱㸥, 㯖 Yı̄ng㸥 (㯖䐱㸥᷍㯖䇃㸥)

speak Chinese, speak English
㸳 huì 㯖䐱㸥᱄ (㸳。㯖䐱㸥᱄)
I can speak Chinese.
In the expression 䊺㯖䄜cì (䊺㯖䄜⪯), or when asking what someone is saying,

or when introducing what someone is saying, 㯖 is translated as say:
Qı̌ng 㛄䊺㯖䄜cì᱄ (㤌㛄䊺㯖䄜⪯᱄)

Please say it again.
㰞㯖㬓㗕ᷠ
What is she saying? (What did she say?)
㰞㯖䎃㬨 túshūguǎn᷍㛄⤜㋪䄵㯖⿑᱄(㰞㯖䎃㬨㵝㭊⹾᷍㛄⤜㋪䄵㯖
⿑᱄ )
She said this is the library; you are not allowed to talk.
Kǎoshì (㋝㬵) a test, and kǎo shì (㋝㬵) take a test

In Mandarin, words or phrases can function as members of different grammati-
cal categories. For example, kǎoshì (㋝㬵) functions as a noun (test) when it is
used in phrases such as 䄜 ge kǎoshì (䄜⷗㋝㬵) one test and 㸳䇱 kǎoshì (㸳䇱
㋝㬵) I have a test. However, it functions as a verb + object phrase (take a test) in
sentences such as 㸳㗨㘘㳍䋈㩰➬ diǎn kǎo shì (㸳㗨㘘㳍䋈㩰➬⮄㋝㬵) We
have a test tomorrow at 8 a.m. In this book, we will write the noun as kǎoshì (no
space between kǎo and shì) and the verb as kǎo shì (with a space between the verb
and its object).

Part A
Xiaowen: Dawei, what are you doing?
Dawei: I’m studying Chinese. I have a Chinese test tomorrow morning.
Xiaowen: You have a test tomorrow morning, how come you are only now getting
around to reviewing?
Dawei: I have been very busy today. In the morning I had basketball practice, at noon
I had a computer test, and this afternoon I prepared the oral exam for the day
after tomorrow with Chen Ming. I didn’t get out of class until 5:00. I’m ex-
hausted. What time is it now?
Xiaowen: It’s 10:00 now.
Part B
Dawei: 10:00! That’s too late! I have to go back to the dorm right now.
Xiaowen: Why are you going back to the dorm? Do you have something you have to do?
Dawei: I was planning to go to sleep tonight at 10:30.
Xiaowen: Why are you going to sleep at 10:30? That’s too early!
Dawei: I have a test tomorrow morning at 8:00. I have to get up at 6:00, take a
shower at 6:15, eat breakfast at 6:30, do my homework and practice characters
at 7:00, and get on my way to class at 7:40.
Xiaowen: You can take a shower tonight and get up a little later tomorrow.
Dawei: I don’t like to bathe at night. I’m going back to the dorm now.
Part C
Librarian: This is the library, not a classroom. You can only read and study. You can’t
talk.
Dawei: Sorry. Well then, Xiaowen, I’m heading off first.
Xiaowen: Bye. Let’s have lunch together the day after tomorrow!
Lesson 10
㛄 juéde䔓㳍⭥㋝
㬵䋖㗕yàngᷠ
㛄㉖⭤䔓㳍⭥㋝
㬵䋖㗕䂚ᷠ
What did you think
of yesterday’s test?
Communication goals
Q Express your opinions and ask others for their opinions.

Q Talk about how you feel.
Q Express contrasts.
Q Give explanations and talk about causes and effects.
Q Introduce additional information in an explanation or description.
Q Talk about how actions are performed.
Q Talk about actions that have occurred and actions that have not
happened yet.
Q Say that an action will happen again in the future.
Pronunciation goals
Q Use sentence stress correctly in questions and answers.

Lesson 10 㛄 juéde䔓㳍⭥㋝㬵䋖㗕 yàngᷠ 㛄㉖⭤䔓㳍⭥㋝㬵䋖㗕䂚ᷠ What did you think of yesterday’s test? 207
Literacy goals
Q Identify the radicals and bùjiàn (⤠ミ) recurring component parts in

characters you have learned.
Q Identify bùjiàn that indicate similar pronunciation in characters you
have learned.
Q Scan and skim a text for key words and basic information.
Key structures
Q action verb + de (⭤) + AdjV: talking about how actions are performed
Q action verb + 㑬: the action is complete
Q (⿚)㗜 + action verb: the action has not occurred (yet)
Q yı̌jing (䄲㈎) + action verb + 㑬: the action has already occurred
Q gāng (ⶶ) + action verb: the action has just occurred
Q kuài (㌍) + time + 㑬 it is almost [time]
Q 䊺 + action verb: do the action again in the future
Q ㋪㬨 but, ⿚䇱 in addition, ゙ several, 䇱⭥ NP some NP
Q yı̄n 㸋 (䅓㸋) because, suǒ 䄵 (㰚䄵) therefore: indicating cause and effect
Dialogue
The situation: It is early Friday afternoon, two days after Dawei and Xiaowen talked
about Dawei’s upcoming test. Dawei and Meili see each other in the hallway of a
classroom building and begin a conversation.
Part A
㗡㏗㸳 juéde ㆒㳍䋈㩰⭥䐱㸥㋻㬵⤜ nán᱄ 㗡㏗ᷛ㸳㉖⭤㆒㳍䋈㩰⭥䐱㸥㋻㬵⤜㚲᱄

㛄 juéde 䔓㳍⭥䐱㸥 bı̌ 㬵䋖㗕 yàngᷠ 㛄㉖⭤䔓㳍⭥䐱㸥⡫㬵䋖㗕䂚ᷠ
⫔㸋ᷛ㸳 juéde ⼽ nán᱄㏏㎰㬇㯖᷍ ⫔㸋ᷛ㸳㉖⭤⼽㚲᱄㏏㎰㬇㯖᷍
⫔jiāⰝ㋝de⤜㲌⼤᱄ ⫔コⰝ㋝⭤⤜㲌⼤᱄
㗡㏗ᷛ㸳䄓 juéde ⼽ nán᱄㩰⷗䊣⭥㋝㬵⼽㗡㏗ᷛ㸳䄓㉖⭤⼽㚲᱄㩰⷗䊣⭥㋝㬵⼽
róngyì᷍ ㋪㬨䔓㳍⭥㋝㬵 fēicháng nán᱄ 㦾䄸᷍㋪㬨䔓㳍⭥㋝㬵⳨⧄㚲᱄
Part A Vocabulary
bı̌ shì bı̌ 㬵 written exam noun ⡫㬵 ⷱ䉨
dàjiā ⫔jiā everyone noun ⫔コ ⫔コ
de (indicates verb particle ⭤ ⭤
description)
fēicháng extremely intensifier ⳨⧄ ⳨⧄
juéde think, hold an verb ㉖⭤ 䅹⭤
opinion
nán difficult, hard adjectival verb 㚲厚
róngyì easy adjectival verb 㦾䄸㦾䄸
shàng 㩰 last specifier 㩰㩰
shàng gè 㩰⷗䊣 last month noun phrase 㩰⷗䊣㩰ӡ䊣
yuè
xià gè yuè 㻣⷗䊣 next month noun phrase 㻣⷗䊣㻣ӡ䊣
zuótiān zuó㳍 yesterday noun 䔓㳍䔓㳍
Part B
⫔㸋ᷛ㛄㋝ de䋖㗕 yàngᷠ ⫔㸋ᷛ㛄㋝⭤䋖㗕䂚ᷠ

㗡㏗ᷛ㸳 xiě de ⼽ màn᱄⿚䇱᷍㸳 wàng 㑬㗡㏗ᷛ㸳㾕⭤⼽㕞᱄⿚䇱᷍㸳㶝㑬
゙⷗䓷᱄⭒㦜㋝ de ⤜⼤᱄㛄㋝ de 䋖゙⷗䓷᱄⭒㦜㋝⭤⤜⼤᱄㛄㋝⭤䋖
㗕 yàngᷠ 㗕䂚ᷠ
⫔㸋ᷛ㸳㋝ de 䄓⤜⼤᱄㛄kàn᷍䎃゙⷗㸫 ⫔㸋ᷛ㸳㋝⭤䄓⤜⼤᱄㛄㋕᷍䎃゙⷗㸫
tí 㸳juéde 㲌nán㑬᱄㸳 qián㳍㶎㩰㳃㸳㉖⭤㲌㚲㑬᱄㸳㣑㳍㶎㩰
shuì de 㲌㩺㑬᱄㸳 xiě de kuài᷍㋪㬨㯐⭤㲌㩺㑬᱄㸳㾕⭤㌍᷍㋪㬨
䇱⭥ yǔfǎ 㸳⤜ dǒng᷍䇱⭥䓷㸳⤜。 xiě᱄ 䇱⭥䈐ⳉ㸳⤜Ⰿ᷍䇱⭥䓷㸳⤜。㾕᱄
㗡㏗ᷛ㶖Màikè㋝de⼽⼤᷍yı̄n㸋㰜㩰⷗㾨㠻㗡㏗ᷛ㶖㕔㋬㋝⭤⼽⼤᷍䅓㸋㰜㩰⷗㾨㠻
jiù kāishı̌ fù㻑㑬᱄ ㈮㋋㬝ⶕ㻑㑬᱄
⫔㸋ᷛ䎃yàng᷍㻣⷗䊣⿚䇱䄜⷗䐱㸥㋝㬵᷍ ⫔㸋ᷛ䎃䂚᷍㻣⷗䊣⿚䇱䄜⷗䐱㸥㋝㬵᷍
㸳㗨䋈䄜⮄kāishı̌ zhǔnbèi᷍䋖㗕yàngᷠ 㸳㗨䋈䄜⮄㋋㬝䓝⡙᷍䋖㗕䂚ᷠ
㗡㏗ᷛ㸳㗨zhǎo㾂㸥䄜㡑fù㻑᷍䇱㸫tí㋪䄵㗡㏗ᷛ㸳㗨䍳㾂㸥䄜㡑ⶕ㻑᷍䇱㸫㳃㋪䄵
㸫㰞᱄ 㸫㰞᱄
Part B Vocabulary
dǒng understand verb Ⰿ Ⰿ
hái yǒu ⿚䇱 in addition, sentence adverb ⿚䇱䪡䇱
furthermore
jı̌ ゙ several quantifier ゙ ุ
kāishı̌ begin verb ㋋㬝刀㬝
kěshì ㋪㬨 but conjunction ㋪㬨㋪㬨
kuài fast verb ㌍㌍

le 㑬 (indicates verb suffix 㑬㑬
completed action)
màn slow adjectival verb 㕞㕞
qiántiān qián㳍 day before noun 㣑㳍㣑㳍
yesterday
shǎo 㩺 few, little in adjectival verb 㩺㩺
number
wàng forget verb 㶝㶝
wèntí 㸫tí question noun 㸫㳃 ߷嗞
xiě write verb 㾕 ౲
yı̄nwèi yı̄n㸋 because conjunction 䅓㸋䅓ᩊ
yǒu de 䇱⭥ some noun 䇱⭥ 䇱⭥
description
phrase
yǔfǎ grammar noun 䈐ⳉ 䋻ⳉ
Part C
⫔㸋ᷛ X iànzài kuài 䄜⮄㑬᱄㛄⧵㹈Ⳛ ⫔㸋ᷛ 㻷䊻㌍䄜⮄㑬᱄㛄⧵㹈Ⳛ

㑬㗜䇱ᷠ 㑬㗜䇱ᷠ
㗡㏗ᷛ 㸳 yı̌jing ⧵㑬᷍⧵⭤⼽ⱁ᷍⤜ 㗡㏗ᷛ 㸳䄲㈎⧵㑬᷍⧵⭤⼽ⱁ᷍⤜
xiǎng䊺⧵㑬᱄ 㼌䊺⧵㑬᱄
⫔㸋ᷛ 㸳 gāng 㻣kè᷍⿚㗜⧵㚹᷍㆒ ⫔㸋ᷛ 㸳

ⶶ㻣㋯᷍⿚㗜⧵㚹, ㆒
㳍䋈㩰㒚⮄⟌jiù㡑chuáng᷍ 㳍䋈㩰㒚⮄⟌㈮㡑⪓᷍
䐜⼩㑬䄜bēi㝄nǎi᷍⧵㑬䄜⷗ 䐜⼩㑬䄜⡎㝄㚭᷍⧵㑬䄜⷗
㧞㘘䐯᷍suǒ䄵㬏䄜diǎn jiù è 㧞㘘䐯᷍㰚䄵㬏䄜恄㈮ⱗ
㑬᱄㸳 gēn㾂㸥䄋㦆㚨⷗ xı̄n 㑬᱄㸳ⷛ㾂㸥䄋㦆㚨⷗㾣
⭥ kāfēiguǎn ⧵Ⳛ᱄䄋⤜䄋 ⭥㋈⳩⹾⧵Ⳛ᱄䄋⤜䄋
gēn 㸳㗨䄜㡑㦆ᷠ ⷛ㸳㗨䄜㡑㦆ᷠ
㗡㏗ᷛ ⼤a᷍㸳⤜xiǎng䊺⧵᷍㋪㬨㋪㗡㏗ᷛ ⼤➂᷍㸳⤜㼌䊺⧵᷍㋪㬨㋪
䄵gēn㛄㗨䄜㡑㦆᱄㸳juéde 䄵ⷛ㛄㗨䄜㡑㦆᱄㸳㉖⭤
䇱䄜⮄lěng᷍xiǎng⼩䄜bēi rè chá᱄ 䇱䄜⮄㏅᷍㼌⼩䄜⡎㦩⥉᱄
⿚䇱, 䐱㹈⭥㝄ròu miàn ⿚䇱, 䐱㹈⭥㝄㧃㘇
㲌xián㑬᷍xiànzài⼽kě᱄ 㲌㻭㑬᷍㻷䊻⼽㋫᱄
Part C Vocabulary
bēi cup of classifier ⡎ ⡎
chá tea noun ⥉ ⥉
duō ⱁ many, a lot adjectival verb ⱁ ⱁ
è hungry adjectival verb ⱗ 圪
gāng just now adverb ⶶ ٣
kāfēiguǎn coffee shop noun phrase ㋈⳩⹾ ㋈⳩圿
kě thirsty adjectival verb ㋫㋫
lěng cold adjectival verb ㏅㏅
miàn noodles noun 㘇怪
niú 㝄 cow noun 㝄㝄
niúròu 㝄ròu beef noun 㝄㧃㝄㧃
niúròu 㝄ròu beef noodles noun phrase 㝄㧃㘇㝄㧃怪
miàn miàn
rè hot adjectival verb 㦩 ᬂ

suǒyı̌ suǒ 䄵 so, therefore conjunction 㰚䄵㰚䄵
wǔfàn 㹈Ⳛ lunch noun 㹈Ⳛ 㹈嚩
xián salty adjectival verb 㻭徚
xı̄n new adjectival verb 㾣㾣
yı̌jing already adverb 䄲㈎䄲ㄼ
yǒu 䇱䄜 a little intensifier 䇱䄜⮄ 䇱䄜恄
yı̄diǎn diǎn
zài do again in adverb 䊺䊺
the future
Characters
Function character
⧵ chı̄ eat ㋻ ⧵Ⳛ (chı̄ ⧵
fàn) eat
⭒ dāng * 㾂 ⭒㦜 ◵
(dāngrán) of
course
Ⱍ dōu both, all 䝃 Ⱍ
Ⳛ fàn rice, food 䴜 ⧵Ⳛ (chı̄ fàn) 嚩
eat
ⷀ gāo tall, (family 䚐 ⷀ
name)
⼩ hē drink ㋻⼩
ㅱ jiào call, be ㋻ ㅱ
called
㋝ kǎo test, take a 㒴㋝㬵 (kǎoshì) ㋝
test test, take
a test
㎰ lǎo old 㒴㎰㬇 (lǎoshı̄) ㎰
teacher
㏏ lı̌ family name 㚟㏏
㏗ lì beautiful* 䄜㗡㏗ (měilì) 徱
beautiful
㗡 měi beautiful ⫔ 㗡⺛ (Měiguó) 㗡
United States,
㗡㏗ (měilì)
beautiful
㝄 niú cow 㝄㝄㧃 (niúròu) 㝄
beef
㦆 qù go 㵢㦆
㦜 rán * 哂 ⭒㦜㦜
(dāngrán) of
course
㬇 shı̄ teacher* ㆎ ㎰㬇 (lǎoshı̄) ฀
teacher
㬵 shì test* 䜆㋝㬵 (kǎoshì) 䉨
test, take a test
㶖 wáng king, family 㶖㶖
name
㸫 wèn ask ㋻㤌㸫 (qı̌ng ߷
wèn) please
may I ask
㹈 wǔ noon* 㝄㩰㹈㹈
(shàngwǔ)
morning
㻑 xí * 䚜䁈㻑 (xuéxí) 㐶
study
䁈 xué study 䓴䁈㪛 స
(xuésheng)
student, 䁈㻑
(xuéxí) study
䊣 yuè moon 䊣䊣
䐯 zhì * 一㧞㘘䐯䐯
(sānmíngzhì)
sandwich
䔓 zuó yesterday* 㦶䔓㳍 (zuótian) 䔓
yesterday
Today and the days before and after today

qián㳍 (㣑㳍) 䔓㳍yesterday ㆒㳍 today 㘘㳍 hòu㳍 (⽔㳍)
the day before tomorrow the day after
yesterday tomorrow
Chinese characters
Look for pronunciation clues
Bùjiàn (⤠ミ) sometimes provide clues to the pronunciation of a character. For example,
the characters 㾂 (xiǎo) small, little and 㩺 (shǎo) few share the bùjiàn 㾂 and have similar
pronunciations. When a bùjiàn provides a pronunciation clue it is called a phonetic in
English, and a shēngpáng (㪚㝵) or shēngbù (㪚⤠) in Chinese. Look at the new charac-
ters in this lesson and find one that has the same pronunciation (except for the tone) as a
character that we have already learned. What do you think the shēngpáng (㪚㝵) phonetic
is in these two characters?
Use and structure

10.1. juéde (㉖⭤) in (my) opinion, feel, think
The verb juéde (㉖⭤) is used to express opinions and to ask others for their opinions.
㛄 juéde 䔓㳍⭥㋝㬵䋖㗕 yàngᷠ(㛄㉖⭤䔓㳍⭥㋝㬵䋖㗕䂚ᷠ)
What did you think about yesterday’s test?
㸳 juéde ⼽ nán᱄
㸳㉖⭤⼽㚲᱄
I thought it was very difficult.
Juéde is not preceded by negation. In English, you can say that you don’t think that yester-
day’s test was difficult, but in Mandarin you say:
㸳 juéde䔓㳍⭥㋝㬵⤜ nán᱄(㸳㉖⭤䔓㳍⭥㋝㬵⤜㚲᱄
)
I think that yesterday’s test was not difficult.
In English you can say that you don’t think that cell phones are expensive, but in Mandarin
you say:
㸳 juéde 㬷〛⤜ guì᱄(㸳㉖⭤㬷〛⤜⺔᱄
)
I think that cell phones are not expensive.
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Practice Workbook: Focus on Structure 10.1. Website: Structure Drills 10.1.
10.2. More about using adjectival verbs as main verbs: 䔓㳍⭥㋝㬵 fēicháng
nán (䔓㳍⭥㋝㬵⳨⧄㚲) Yesterday’s test was extremely difficult
In Lesson 4 we learned that adjectival verbs may serve as the main verb in the Mandarin
sentence. In this lesson we learn the adjectival verbs nán (㚲) difficult, róngyì (㦾䄸) easy,
ⱁ many, a lot, and 㩺 few, little in number, and use them as the main verb in sentences.
Remember that when an adjectival verb occurs as the main verb in a sentence, the sentence
does not include 㬨 as a helping verb.

㩰⷗xı̄ngqı̄ ⭥㋝㬵⼽róngyì᱄ 8 㩰⷗xı̄ngqı̄ ⭥㋝㬵㬨⼽ róngyì᱄
㩰⷗㾨㠻⭥㋝㬵⼽㦾䄸᱄ 8 㩰⷗㾨㠻⭥㋝㬵㬨⼽㦾䄸᱄
Last week’s test was very easy.
䔓㳍⭥㋝㬵 fēicháng nán᱄ 8 䔓㳍⭥㋝㬵㬨fēicháng nán᱄
䔓㳍⭥㋝㬵⳨⧄㚲᱄ 8 䔓㳍⭥㋝㬵㬨⳨⧄㚲᱄
Yesterday’s test was really hard.
Notice that when the adjectival verb is ⱁor 㩺, English and Mandarin presents the infor-
mation in the sentence in very different ways.
subject + verb
㦬⼽ⱁ᱄
There are a lot of people.
䁈䐱㸥⭥㦬⼽ⱁ᱄
There are a lot of people studying Chinese.
㦬⼽㩺᱄
There are few people.
Adjectival verbs and comparisons

When adjectival verbs occur as the predicate of the sentence, they can sometimes be used
to make comparisons. For example, if I ask you which is more difficult, French or German,
you can answer:
Dé㸥 nán᱄(⭣㸥㚲᱄
) German is harder.
If I ask you which is cheaper, pencils or pens, you can answer:
Qiānbı̌ piányi᱄(㣇⡫⢄䄬᱄
) Pencils are cheaper.
When used to indicate a comparison, adjectival verbs are not preceded by ⼽ or another
intensifier.
Practice Workbook: Focus on Structure 10.1; Focus on Communication 10.2.

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10.3 㩰⷗ (xı̄ ngqı̄ ), 㩰⷗ (䊣) last (week), last (month)

In Lesson 8 we learned how to say next week and next month with the expressions 㻣⷗
xı̄ngqı̄ (㻣⷗㾨㠻) and 㻣⷗䊣. To say last week and last month use the expressions
㩰⷗ xı̄ngqı̄ (㩰⷗㾨㠻) and 㩰⷗䊣:
㩰⷗xı̄ngqı̄ ⭥㋝㬵⼽róngyì᷍㋪㬨䔓㳍⭥㋝㬵 fēicháng nán᱄
㩰⷗㾨㠻⭥㋝㬵⼽㦾䄸᷍㋪㬨䔓㳍⭥㋝㬵⳨⧄㚲᱄
Last week’s test was easy, but yesterday’s test was extremely hard.
To say last Sunday, last Monday, etc., say:
⷗xı̄ngqı̄ 㳍 (㩰⷗㾨㠻㳍) last Sunday
㩰
㩰⷗xı̄ngqı̄ 䄜 (㩰⷗㾨㠻䄜) last Monday
We learned in Lesson 9 that 㩰 also means attend or go up. 㩰⷗ xı̄ngqı̄ and 㩰⷗䊣 refer
to the week or month above this one. 㻣⷗xı̄ngqı̄ and 㻣⷗䊣 refer to the week or month
below this one.
10.4. Describing how actions are performed: xiě de ⼽ màn (㾕⭤⼽㕞) write
slowly, ㋝ de ⤜⼤(㋝⭤⤜⼤) did not do well on a test
In this lesson, we will learn how to describe and ask how an action is performed. We will
learn how to do this without stating the object of the verb. In Lesson 14 we will revisit this
structure and we will learn how to include the object of the verb in statements and
questions.
Describing how an action is performed

To describe how an action is performed, use the following structure:
action verb + de (⭤) + AdjV

xiě de ⼽ màn (㾕⭤⼽㕞)
write slowly
or
action verb + de (⭤) + ⤜ AdjV

xiě de ⤜⼤ (㾕⭤⤜⼤)
didn’t write well (literally: wrote not well)
Notice that negation occurs before the adjectival verb and not before the action verb. The
negation of action verb + de + AdjV is action verb + de + ⤜ AdjV:
action verb de AdjV action verb de ⤜ AdjV Do not say this:

㋝de⼽⼤᱄
㸳㸳㋝de⤜⼤᱄ 8㸳⤜㋝de⼤᱄
㸳㋝⭤⼽⼤᱄ 㸳㋝⭤⤜⼤᱄ 8㸳⤜㋝⭤⼤᱄
I did well on the test. I did poorly on the test
(I examed well.) (I examed poorly.)
Additional examples:
㸳xiě de⼽màn᱄(㸳㾕⭤⼽㕞᱄ )
I write/wrote very slowly.
㸳䔓㳍㶎㩰shuì de㲌㩺᱄(㸳䔓㳍㶎㩰㯐⭤㲌㩺᱄ )
Last night I slept too little.
㸳㋝ de⤜⼤᱄(㸳㋝⭤⤜⼤᱄ )
I did poorly on the exam. (I examed poorly.)
Asking how an action is or was performed

To ask how an action is or was performed, say:
(S) V de 䋖㗕yàngᷠ(V⭤䋖㗕䂚ᷠ )
㛄kǎo de䋖㗕yàngᷠ (㛄㋝⭤䋖㗕䂚ᷠ )
How did you do on the test? (How did you test?)
To ask whether an action was performed in a specific way, say:

(S) V de AdjV ⤜ AdjVᷠ
㛄㋝de⼤⤜⼤ᷠ(㛄㋝⭤⼤⤜⼤ᷠ )
Did you do well on the test?
㛄⧵ deⱁ⤜ⱁᷠ (㛄⧵⭤ⱁ⤜ⱁᷠ )
Did you eat a lot?
Note: Talking about how an action was performed is different from talking about a com-
plete or completed action. Sentences that describe how an action is performed do not in-
clude 㑬. (See Use and Structure 10.7, 10.13.)
㸳 xiě de ⼽ màn᱄ 8㸳 xiě 㑬 de ⼽ màn᱄
I wrote (I write) slowly.
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RKBO Workbook: Focus on Structure 10.2. Website: Listening for Information 10.1;
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Structure Drills 10.2, 10.3.
10.5. ㋪㬨but
㋪㬨 but joins sentences or verb phrases and indicates some kind of contrast between
them. ㋪㬨 occurs before an entire sentence or before a verb phrase.
⷗ xı̄ngqı̄ ⭥㋝㬵⼽ róngyì᷍㋪㬨䔓㳍⭥㋝㬵 fēicháng nán᱄
㩰
㩰⷗㾨㠻⭥㋝㬵⼽㦾䄸᷍㋪㬨䔓㳍⭥㋝㬵⳨⧄㚲᱄
Last week’s test was very easy, but yesterday’s test was extremely hard.
xiě de kuài᷍㋪㬨䇱⭥䓷㸳⤜。 xiě ᱄
㸳
㸳㾕⭤㌍᷍㋪㬨䇱⭥䓷㸳⤜。㾕᱄
I wrote quickly, but I could not write some of the characters.
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munication through Reading and Writing 10.3.
10.6. ⿚䇱in addition

To introduce additional information, start your sentence with ⿚䇱 in addition.
⿚䇱᷍㸳 wàng 㑬゙⷗䓷᱄ (⿚䇱᷍㸳㶝㑬゙⷗䓷᱄)
In addition, I forgot several characters.
Practice Website: Communication through Reading and Writing 10.2, 10.3.

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10.7. action verb + 㑬: completed action

Mandarin does not have grammatical structures that indicate past, present, and future
tense the way English and many European languages do. Instead, Mandarin marks an ac-
tion as “complete.” To indicate that an action is complete, follow the verb, or the verb +
object, with 㑬 (le). To signal that an action is “complete” is to indicate merely that it hap-
pened, without focusing on any other detail of the action such as how, when, or where it
was done.
㸳 wàng 㑬゙⷗䓷᱄(㸳㶝㑬゙⷗䓷᱄)
I forgot several characters.
㰜䔓㳍㶎㩰 fù㻑 gōngkè㑬᱄(㰜䔓㳍㶎㩰ⶕ㻑⹇㋯㑬᱄)
Last night he reviewed the lessons.
In this note we learn some general rules about the location of 㑬 in the verb + object phrase.
We will learn more about the use of completed action㑬 in later lessons. In Use and Struc-
ture 10.12 we will learn how to say that an action did not occur, and in Use and Structure
10.13 we will learn how to ask if an action has occurred.
㑬 follows the action verb (verb 㑬 object)
When the object of the action verb includes a number:
verb 㑬 [number + classifier + object]

㸳⼩㑬䄜 bēi kāfēi᱄(㸳⼩㑬䄜⡎㋈⳩᱄)
I drank a cup of coffee.
When the object of an action verb refers to something specific such as this object or that
object:
verb 㑬 [䎃/㚨 + classifier + object]

㸳 mǎi㑬㚨běn shū᱄(㸳㕓㑬㚨⡟㭊᱄ )
I bought that book.
When the object includes a description:
verb 㑬[description ⭥object]

㸳 mǎi 㑬㶖㎰㬇⭥ shū᱄ (㸳㕓㑬㶖㎰㬇⭥㭊᱄
)
I bought Professor Wang’s book.
When the verb is wàng (㶝) forget or another verb that refers to an action that is completed
as soon as it is performed:
wàng 㑬object
㸳wàng 㑬゙⷗䓷᱄(㸳㶝㑬゙⷗䓷᱄)
㑬 follows verb + object (verb object 㑬)

When the phrase describes a general event such as eating, bathing, reading, studying, etc.
㸳䔓㳍 kàn shū 㑬᱄(㸳䔓㳍㋕㭊㑬᱄)

I read yesterday.
When the object has no meaning outside of the phrase (e.g. xı̌ zǎo (㻕䋉) bathe and shuì
jiào (㯐㉖) sleep:
㸳䔓㳍㶎㩰xı̌ zǎo 㑬᱄(㸳䔓㳍㶎㩰㻕䋉㑬᱄)

I bathed last night.
䔓㳍㶎㩰㬏䄜diǎn zhōng jiù shuì jiào 㑬᱄

㰜
㸳䔓㳍㶎㩰㬏䄜⮄䐴㈮㯐㉖㑬᱄
Last night I went to sleep (as early as) 11:00.
When the object of the verb stands for some category of things rather than for something
specific or definite:
㸳㹆diǎn zhōng jiù⧵Ⳛ㑬᱄

㸳㹆⮄䐴㈮⧵Ⳛ㑬᱄
I ate at 5:00.
Some nouns can be interpreted as either specific or general depending upon the context of
the sentence or on the speaker. As a result, the same verb + object sequence may include 㑬
after the verb or after the object.
㆒㳍䋈㩰 yı̌jing⼩㑬kāfēi᱄ (㸳㆒㳍䋈㩰䄲㈎⼩㑬㋈⳩᱄)

㸳
㸳㆒㳍䋈㩰 yı̌jing⼩ kāfēi㑬᱄(㸳㆒㳍䋈㩰䄲㈎⼩㋈⳩㑬᱄)
I have already drunk coffee this morning.
Variations like these characterize the placement and use of㑬to indicate a completed action.
The use of 㑬 in a sentence to signal a completed action is not obligatory, and the position
of 㑬 after the verb or after the object of the verb is subject to the context of the sentence and
speaker perception of the event.
Two fixed rules about the use of 㑬

㑬 only indicates a completed action when it follows an action verb. If the verb in the sen-
tence is not an action verb – for example, if it is an adjectival verb like róngyì (㦾䄸) easy, or
a stative verb like xı̌huān (㻓⿗) like, or a modal verb like 。 can – then if㑬 occurs, it can-
not be understood as indicating completed action. Instead it must be understood as
indicating new information. (Use and Structure 9.6.) To indicate that some non-action was
true in the past (for example, a test was easy, you used to like German food, or you couldn’t
talk in the library), you can add a time word to indicate the time. (For example, you can add
the word 䔓㳍. See Language FAQs below.)
Completed action 㑬 can only be used if an action has occurred. 㑬 cannot be used when
talking about actions that did not occur. You cannot use㑬 when talking about actions that
did not happen in the past. For example, you do not use 㑬 when saying that you have not
eaten lunch today.
To say that an action has not occurred, or that it has not happened yet, see Use and Struc-
ture 10.13. To ask whether an action has happened see Use and Structure 10.14.
Practice Workbook: Focus on Structure 10.4, 10.5; Focus on Communication 10.3.

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Website: Listening for Information 10.2, 10.3; Structure Drills 10.5, 10.6;
10.8. ゙several, a few

In Lesson 5 we learned the question word ゙ how much?, how many?
How many people are there in your family?
゙ may also mean several, a few.
㸳 wàng 㑬゙ ⷗䓷᱄(㸳㶝㑬゙⷗䓷᱄)
The context will make it clear whether゙should be translated as how many or as several. ゙
usually has the question meaning (how much, how many) when it occurs in questions:
゙ usually has the meaning several, a few when it occurs in statements:
㸳⿚㤌㑬゙⷗péngyou᱄(㸳⿚㤌㑬゙⷗㞔䇲᱄)
I’ve also invited several friends.
10.9. 䇱⭥ NP some NP
To indicate some noun phrases or some of the noun phrase, say䇱⭥ NP:
⭥ yǔfǎ (䇱⭥䈐ⳉ) some of the grammar
䇱
䇱⭥䓷 some characters
䇱⭥ NP always occurs before the verb of the sentence. When the noun phrase is the sub-
ject of the sentence, 䇱⭥ NP occurs in the normal subject position, before the verb:
䇱⭥䁈㪛䁈䐱㸥᷍䇱⭥䁈㪛䁈㦶㸥᱄
Some students study Chinese, some students study Japanese.
When䇱⭥ NP is the object of the verb, 䇱⭥ NP still occurs at the beginning of the sen-
tence, before the verb, and often before the subject and time phrase if there is one.
⭥yǔfǎ 㸳⤜ dǒng᷍䇱⭥䓷㸳⤜。xiě ᱄
䇱
䇱⭥䈐ⳉ㸳⤜Ⰿ᷍䇱⭥䓷㸳⤜。㾕᱄
I didn’t understand some of the grammar, I couldn’t write some of the characters.
When the object occurs before the verb we say that the object is topicalized.
䇱⭥ NP implies a comparison with other nouns or noun phrases. For example, when
Zhang Dawei says 䇱⭥ yǔfǎ 㸳⤜ dǒng (䇱⭥䈐ⳉ㸳⤜Ⰿ) he implies that there was
some grammar that he did understand.
10.10. yı̄n㸋 (䅓㸋) . . . suǒ䄵 (㰚䄵) because . . . therefore

Yı̄n㸋 (䅓㸋) means because.
Màikè㋝de⼽⼤᷍yı̄n㸋㰜㩰⷗㾨㠻jiù kāishı̌ fù㻑㑬᱄
㶖
㶖㕔㋬㋝⭤⼽⼤᷍䅓㸋㰜㩰⷗㾨㠻㈮㋋㬝ⶕ㻑㑬᱄
Wang Maike did well on the test because he started reviewing (as early as) last week.
Suǒ 䄵 (㰚䄵) means therefore or so.
㆒㳍㗜⧵䋈Ⳛ᷍suǒ 䄵㬏䄜 diǎn jiù è㑬᱄
㸳
㸳㆒㳍㗜⧵䋈Ⳛ᷍㰚䄵㬏䄜⮄㈮ⱗ㑬᱄
I didn’t eat breakfast this morning, so I was hungry at 11:00.
Unlike the words because and therefore in English, yı̄n 㸋 and suǒ 䄵 often occur together
in the same sentence.
Yı̄n㸋㸳㆒㳍㗜⧵䋈Ⳛ᷍suǒ 䄵㬏䄜diǎn jiù è㑬᱄
䅓㸋㸳㆒㳍㗜⧵䋈Ⳛ᷍㰚䄵㬏䄜⮄㈮ⱗ㑬᱄
Because I didn’t eat breakfast today, therefore I was hungry at 11:00.
When the subject of the yı̄n㸋 and suǒ䄵 clauses are the same, yı̄n㸋 may occur at the be-
ginning of its clause, or right after the subject.
yı̄n㸋㆒㳍➬diǎn 䇱㋝㬵᷍suǒ 䄵㒚diǎn jiù㡑chuáng㑬᱄
㰞
㰞䅓㸋㆒㳍➬⮄䇱㋝㬵᷍㰚䄵㒚⮄㈮㡑⪓㑬᱄
or
Yı̄n㸋㰞㆒㳍➬diǎn 䇱㋝㬵᷍suǒ 䄵㒚diǎn jiù㡑chuáng㑬᱄
䅓㸋㰞㆒㳍➬⮄䇱㋝㬵᷍㰚䄵㒚⮄㈮㡑⪓㑬᱄
Because she had a test at 8:00 today, (therefore) she got up (as early as) 6:00.
㸳yı̄n㸋㲌máng᷍㰚䄵㘘nián⤜䁈䐱㸥㑬᱄
㸳䅓㸋㲌㗇᷍㰚䄵㘘㛋⤜䁈䐱㸥㑬᱄
or
Yı̄n㸋㸳㲌máng᷍suǒ 䄵㘘nián⤜䁈䐱㸥㑬᱄
䅓㸋㸳㲌㗇᷍㰚䄵㘘㛋⤜䁈䐱㸥㑬᱄
Because I am too busy, I am not studying Chinese next year.
Yı̄n 㸋 must occur at the beginning of its clause, before the subject, when the yı̄n㸋 and
suǒ 䄵 clauses have different subjects.
Yı̄n㸋㸳㗨㘘㳍䇱㋝㬵᷍suǒ 䄵㰜㎕gēn㸳䄜㡑fù㻑᱄
䅓㸋㸳㗨㘘㳍䇱㋝㬵᷍㰚䄵㰜㎕ⷛ㸳䄜㡑ⶕ㻑᱄
Because we have a test tomorrow, he came to study (review) with me.
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Practice Workbook: Focus on Communication 10.4. Website: Structure Drills 10.13.
10.11. kuài (㌍) [time] 㑬it will soon be [time]

Kuài (㌍) [time] 㑬 indicates that it will soon be that time. Kuài (time) 㑬 can be translated
into English as almost the time.
Xiànzài kuài 䄜 diǎn 㑬᱄(㻷䊻㌍䄜⮄㑬᱄)
It is now almost 1:00.
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Practice Workbook: Focus on Structure 10.8, 10.9. Website: Structure Drills 10.11.
10.12. 㦆location go to a location

In Lesson 8 we learned that 㦆 + action verb means go do an action. In this lesson we learn
that 㦆 + location means go to a location.
gēn 㾂㸥䄋㦆㚨⷗xı̄n ⭥ kāfēiguǎn ⧵Ⳛ᱄
㸳
㸳ⷛ㾂㸥䄋㦆㚨⷗㾣⭥㋈⳩⹾⧵Ⳛ᱄
I’m going to that new coffee shop with Xiaowen.
10.13. (⿚)㗜+ action verb: the action has not occurred (yet)
In Use and Structure 10.7 we learned how to indicate that an action has occurred. To say
that an action has not occurred, say 㗜 + action.
㸳㆒㳍㗜⧵䋈Ⳛ᱄
I didn’t eat breakfast today.
㸳㗜ⷙ㰜⫓diàn⿑᱄(㸳㗜ⷙ㰜⫓⮈⿑᱄)
I did not phone him.
Some speakers say 㗜䇱 + action:
㸳㆒㳍㗜䇱⧵䋈Ⳛ᱄
I didn’t eat breakfast today.
To say that an action hasn’t happened yet, or to say not yet, say ⿚㗜+ action or ⿚㗜䇱 +
action. 㚹 often occurs at the end of the sentence.
㸳⿚㗜⧵㹈Ⳛ㚹᱄
I haven’t eaten lunch yet.
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Workbook: Focus on Structure 10.6, 10.7, 10.8, 10.12. Website: Structure

Drills 10.8, 10.9; Focus on Structure 10.1.
10.14. VP 㑬㗜䇱ᷠhas the action occurred?

To ask whether an action has occurred, ask a yes-no question. The yes-no question can be a
㕑 question:
action verb 㑬 (object) 㕑ᷠ

㛄⧵㹈Ⳛ㑬㕑ᷠ
Have you eaten lunch?
Or, the yes-no question can take the following verb-not-verb form:
[action verb 㑬] [㗜䇱] ᷠ

㛄⧵㹈Ⳛ㑬㗜䇱ᷠ
㛄mǎi shū㑬㗜䇱ᷠ(㛄㕓㭊㑬㗜䇱ᷠ )
Have you bought the books?
To answer a question about whether an action has happened with a simple “yes” say action
verb 㑬.
Qᷛ㛄⧵㹈Ⳛ㑬㕑ᷠor Qᷛ㛄⧵㹈Ⳛ㑬㗜䇱ᷠ
Aᷛ⧵㑬᱄
Yes. (I have.)
To say that you have already done it, add the word yı̌jing (䄲㈎) already before the action
verb and say:
(S) yı̌jing (䄲㈎) action verb 㑬
㸳yı̌jing ⧵㑬᱄(㸳䄲㈎⧵㑬᱄)
I have already eaten.
(See Use and Structure 10.15.)
To answer a question about whether an action has happened with a simple “no,” say 㗜䇱.
Aᷛ㗜䇱᱄
No. (I have not.)
To sat that the action has not yet occurred, say ⿚㗜䇱:
Aᷛ⿚㗜䇱᱄
Not yet.
10.15. yı̌jing (䄲㈎) action verb㑬: the action has already occurred
The adverb yı̌jing (䄲㈎) already may occur before a verb phrase to emphasize that the ac-
tion has already been completed or that some situation has already come about.
(S) yı̌jing (䄲㈎) VP (object) 㑬
㸳 yı̌jing ⧵ (㹈Ⳛ)㑬᱄(㸳䄲㈎⧵(㹈Ⳛ)㑬᱄)
I’ve already eaten dinner.
When the verb phrase consists of 㬨 + age or 㬨 + time, 㬨 is usually omitted, and yı̌jing
occurs right before the age or time. (Use and Structure 8.7.)
㸳 yı̌jing ⱟ㬏 suì 㑬᱄(㸳䄲㈎ⱟ㬏㰋㑬᱄)
I’m already 20 years old.
Xiànzài yı̌jing 䄜diǎn 㑬᱄(㻷䊻䄲㈎䄜 ⮄㑬᱄)
It’s already 1:00.

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10.16. 䊺 + action verb: do the action again in the future

In Lesson 6 we learned 䊺㯖䄜cì (䊺㯖䄜⪯) say it again one more time as a fixed expres-
sion. (Use and Structure 6.10.) In this lesson we learn to use 䊺 to talk about doing any
action again in the future.
To say that an action will happen again in the future, or that the subject will do an action
again in the future, say 䊺 + action (䄜cì):
㛄xiě de⤜⼤᱄Qı̌ng 㛄䊺xiě 䄜cì᱄ (㛄㾕⭤⤜⼤᱄㤌㛄䊺㾕䄜⪯᱄)
You haven’t written this well. Please write it again one more time.
10.17. gāng (ⶶ) + action verb: the action has just occurred
To say that you have just done an action or that something has just happened, use the ad-
verb gāng (ⶶ) before the action verb and say:
gāng (ⶶ) V (object)
㸳gāng 㻣kè᱄(㸳ⶶ㻣㋯᱄)
I have just gotten out of class.
Even though gāng refers to completed action, sentences with gāng typically do not include 㑬.

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10.18. ⤜ and 㗜 compared

㗜 has two functions. As we learned in Lesson 4, 㗜 negates the verb䇱have, exist (Use and
Structure 4.10):
㸳㗜䇱 gēge᱄(㸳㗜䇱ⷈⷈ᱄) I don’t have an older brother.
We learn in this lesson that 㗜 is also the form of negation that is used when saying that
some action did not occur in the past.
㸳㗜⧵㹈Ⳛ᱄
I didn’t eat lunch.
When used with action verbs, 㗜 and ⤜ say different things about the action:
Q 㗜 + action verb indicates that an action did not occur.

Q ⤜ + action verb indicates that an action is not happening now, or does
not happen.
Compare the meanings of the following sentences with 㗜 and ⤜.
⤜ + action verb (+ object) 㗜 + action verb (+ object)

㸳⤜⧵㹈Ⳛ᱄ 㸳㗜⧵㹈Ⳛ᱄
I don’t eat lunch. I didn’t eat lunch.
㸳⤜⼩ kāfēi᱄ 㸳㗜⼩ kāfēi᱄
㸳⤜⼩㋈⳩᱄ 㸳㗜⼩㋈⳩᱄
I don’t drink coffee. I didn’t drink coffee.
㸳⤜ kàn diànshì᱄ 㸳㗜 kàn diànshì᱄
㸳⤜㋕⮈㬴᱄ 㸳㗜㋕⮈㬴᱄
I don’t watch television. I didn’t watch television.
Remember that when describing how actions are performed, negation is always ⤜.
㸳㋝ de ⤜⼤᱄(㸳㋝⭤⤜⼤᱄)
I didn’t do well on the test.
(See Use and Structure 10.4.)
10.19. Describing nouns with more than one description phrase

We have already learned several types of phrases that can be used to describe a (main) noun:
[Pronoun ⭥] + Main Noun: 㰜⭥diànnǎo (㰜⭥⮈㚵)

(Use and Structure 4.5) his computer
[Noun ⭥] + Main Noun: ㎰㬇⭥diànnǎo (㎰㬇⭥⮈㚵)
(Use and Structure 5.9) the teacher’s computer
[Number + Classifier] + Main Noun: 䄜⷗ kāfēiguǎn (䄜⷗㋈⳩⹾)
(Use and Structure 6.2) one coffee shop
[Specifier + Classifier] + Main Noun: 㚨⷗ kāfēiguǎn (㚨⷗㋈⳩⹾)
(Use and Structure 6.12) coffee shop
[Specifier + Number + Classifier] + Main Noun: 㚨㑞⷗kāfēiguǎn (㚨㑞⷗㋈⳩⹾)
(Use and Structure 7.6) those two coffee shops
[Adjective/Adjectival Verb ⭥] + Main Noun xı̄n ⭥ kāfēiguǎn (㾣⭥㋈⳩⹾)
(Use and Structure 6.11) new coffee shop
Notice that descriptions involving specifiers and/or numbers always end in a classifier. All
other descriptions end in ⭥.
In this lesson we see that a noun can be described by more than one description at the same
time. When describing a noun with more than one description, state the descriptions one
at a time before the main noun. The main noun occurs once, following the descriptions:
[Description1] [Description2] . . . . . . Main Noun

[㚨⷗] [xı̄n ⭥] kāfēiguǎn
㚨⷗ ᷼㾣⭥᷾ ㋈⳩⹾
that new coffee shop
Here are additional examples of nouns described by more than one description.
㧞 běn
䎃 xı̄n ⭥ 䐱㸥 shū
䎃㧞⡟ 㾣⭥ 䐱㸥㭊
these three new Chinese books
㑞⷗
㚨⼽ guì ⭥ diànnǎo
㚨㑞⷗ ⼽⺔⭥ ⮈㚵
those two very expensive computers
㑞⷗
㚨⼽ guì ⭥ Rìběn ⭥ diànnǎo
㚨㑞⷗ ⼽⺔⭥ 㦶⡟⭥ ⮈㚵
those two very expensive Japanese computers
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Qa Language FAQs
Why doesn’t completed action 㑬 occur with V de (⭤) AdjV
“manner” descriptions?
V de (⭤) AdjV expresses how an action is performed (well, poorly, quickly, slowly, etc.).
Completed action 㑬 indicates that an action is complete. You can’t express both
meanings at the same time, so V de (⭤) AdjV never occurs with completed action㑬.
How can you tell whether㑬 indicates a new situation or completion?

Look at what 㑬 follows. If 㑬 directly follows an action verb, it indicates completion. If
㑬 follows the entire the sentence (minus the final particle) it indicates that the situa-
tion is new in some way. If 㑬 follows an action verb and also occurs at the end of a
sentence, it may be indicating both completion and new situation, and you must de-
cide which meanings make sense in the context of the sentence. Remember also that
the inclusion of 㑬 is optional, reflecting the speaker’s perspective about a situation,

and speakers need not include 㑬 even if an action is complete or a situation is new.
Two particles pronounced “de”

We have now learned two particles that are pronounced “de”. They have different
functions and are written with different Chinese characters. We have already
learned that the particle de that is used to indicate noun description is written ⭥.
The particle de introduced in this lesson to indicate how an action is performed is
written with the character ⭤. It occurs for now as an optional character. We will
learn it formally in a later lesson.
Signaling time without grammatical tense

Because Mandarin does not have grammatical structures that indicate past, pres-
ent, and future tense, Mandarin sentences are often unmarked for time. When
the time of a situation is relevant or important, the time is expressed with time
words, such as 䔓㳍 yesterday, ㆒㳍 today, and 㘘㳍 tomorrow, or with words and
phrases like previously or in the future that indicate the time of a situation. Remem-
ber that words and phrases that indicate the time when a situation takes place are
always stated before the verb phrase.
㸳䔓㳍䇱䐱㸥㋝㬵᱄
I had a Chinese test yesterday.

More about expressing past months and future months
Languages often express time with words and phrases that refer to location. In
Mandarin, weeks and months that have occurred before this week/this month are
expressed with the word 㩰 above, and weeks and months that will occur after this
week/this month are expressed with the word 㻣below. In other words, for weeks
and months, Chinese describes the past as “above” us and the future as “below” us.
TIME
(Past) 㩰⷗ xı̄ngqı̄ (㩰⷗㾨㠻) last week, 㩰⷗䊣 last month
(Present) 䎃⷗ xı̄ngqı̄ (䎃⷗㾨㠻) this week, 䎃⷗䊣 this month
(Future) 㻣⷗ xı̄ngqı̄ (㻣⷗㾨㠻) next week, 㻣⷗䊣 next month

Part A
Meili: I thought this morning’s oral exam wasn’t hard. What did you think about yester-
day’s written test?
Dawei: I thought it was very difficult. Teacher Li said that everyone did poorly.
Meili: I also thought it was difficult. Last month’s test was very easy, but yesterday’s test
was extremely difficult.
Part B
Dawei: How did you do?
Meili: I wrote very slowly. Also, I forgot some characters. Of course I did poorly on the
test. How did you do?
Dawei: I also didn’t do well. Take a look, I think these questions were too difficult. I slept
too little the night before last. I wrote quickly, but I didn’t understand some of
the grammar, and I couldn’t write some of the characters.
Meili: Wang Maike did very well, because he started studying last week.
Dawei: How about this, next month there will be another Chinese test. Why don’t we
start studying a little sooner?
Meili: Let’s find Xiaowen and study together with her. If we have questions we can ask
her.
Part C
Dawei: It’s now almost 1:00. Have you eaten lunch?
Meili: I’ve already eaten. I ate a lot and I don’t want to eat again.
Dawei: I just got out of class, (and) I haven’t eaten yet. I got up at 6:30 this morning, and
I only drank a class of milk and ate a sandwich, so I was hungry by 11:00. I’m
going to go with Xiaowen to that new coffee shop to eat. Would you like to go
with us?
Meili: Okay. I don’t want to eat again, but I’ll go with you. I’m feeling a little cold. I
want to drink a cup of hot tea. Also, the beef noodles I ate at noon were too salty
and I’m very thirsty now.
Topic 4
Talking about location
and directions
Lesson 11
Lái 㸳コ⧵Ⳛ
㎕㸳コ⧵Ⳛ
Come to my
house for dinner
Communication goals
Q Give and accept invitations to do something with someone.

Q Talk about the location of people, places, and things in terms of
compass directions.
Q Talk about the distance between places.
Literacy goals
Q Identify the radicals and the bùjiàn (⤠ミ) recurring component parts in
characters you have learned.
Q Identify bùjiàn that indicate similar pronunciation in characters you
have learned.
Q Scan and skim a text for key words and basic information, and read
simple texts in Chinese.
Q Locate places on a map written in Chinese.
Key structures
Q jiù (㈮) only
Q repeating verbs to indicate casual action: 㩰㩰㶙᷍㋕㋕diànshì
(㩰㩰㶙᷍㋕㋕⮈㬴)
Q lái (㎕) come to a place
Q měi (㗠) every
Q ⭒ + NP assume the role of NP
Q A lí B yuǎn/jìn (A ㏌ B 䊗/㆝) A is far from/close to B
Q A lí B ⱁyuǎnᷠ (A ㏌ B ⱁ䊗ᷠ ) How far is A from B?
Q ⷙ + noun phrase to/for [noun phrase]
Q noun phrase 䊻 compass direction [noun phrase] is located in the [north,
south, east, west, etc.]
Q noun phrase 䊻 location [noun phrase] is [here, there, at home, etc.]
Q ⟌ half
Q zuò + vehicle + 㦆 + place (䔙 vehicle 㦆 place): go to [place] by [vehicle]
Dialogue
The situation: It is Wednesday night, and Xie Guoqiang and Zhang Dawei are in
their dorm room talking. Xie Guoqiang often goes home on Sunday to have din-
ner with his family, and he is planning to invite Zhang Dawei and some other
friends.
Lesson 11 Lái 㸳コ⧵Ⳛ ㎕㸳コ⧵Ⳛ Come to my house for dinner 237
Part A
Guóqiángᷛ㛄䎃⷗㾨㠻㳍䔗㬓㗕᷍ ⺛㣠ᷛ㛄䎃⷗㾨㠻㳍䔗㬓㗕᷍
㗇⤜ 㗇ᷠ 㗇⤜ 㗇ᷠ
⫔㸋ᷛ 䎃⷗㾨㠻㳍㸳㗜㬣᷍䄓㗜 ⫔㸋ᷛ䎃⷗㾨㠻㳍㸳㗜㬣᷍䄓㗜
⹇㋯᷍jiù xiǎng㩰㩰㶙᷍ ⹇㋯᷍㈮㼌㩰㩰㶙᷍
㋕㋕diànshì᷍xiūxi xiūxi᱄ ㋕㋕⮈㬴᷍㾾㻃㾾㻃᱄
Guóqiángᷛ㚨᷍㾨㠻㳍lái 㸳コ⧵Ⳛ᷍ ⺛㣠ᷛ㚨᷍㾨㠻㳍㎕㸳コ⧵Ⳛ᷍
䋖㗕䂚ᷠ 䋖㗕䂚ᷠ
⫔㸋ᷛ ⼤a᷂㾜㾜᷂㾨㠻㳍㬓㗕 ⫔㸋ᷛ⼤➂᷂㾜㾜᷂㾨㠻㳍㬓㗕
㬒⽓ᷠ㸳měi⷗㾨㠻㳍㻣㹈㬒⽓ᷠ㸳㗠⷗㾨㠻㳍㻣㹈
Ⱍⷙ㸳➷➷㕉㕉⫓diàn⿑᱄ Ⱍⷙ㸳➷➷㕉㕉⫓⮈⿑᱄
Guóqiángᷛ㾨㠻㳍㶎㩰㒚⮄⟌ ⺛㣠ᷛ㾨㠻㳍㶎㩰㒚⮄⟌
䋖㗕䂚ᷠ 䋖㗕䂚ᷠ
⫔㸋ᷛ ㋪䄵᱄⤜。㲌máfan㛄 ⫔㸋ᷛ㋪䄵᱄⤜。㲌㕊Ⳕ㛄
➷㕉➪ᷠ ➷㕉➪ᷠ
Guóqiángᷛ㗜㬣᱄ ⺛㣠ᷛ㗜㬣᱄
⫔㸋ᷛ 㛄⿚㼌㤌㯎ᷠ ⫔㸋ᷛ㛄⿚㼌㤌㯎ᷠ
Guóqiángᷛ㸳⿚㼌㤌㾂㶖᷍㗡㏗ ᷍⭒㦜⺛㣠ᷛ㸳⿚㼌㤌㾂㶖 ᷍㗡㏗᷍⭒㦜
⿚䇱㛄⭥㝏㞔䇲㾂㸥᱄ ⿚䇱㛄⭥㝏㞔䇲㾂㸥᱄
⫔㸋ᷛ 㲌⼤㑬᷂ ⫔㸋ᷛ㲌⼤㑬᷂
Guóqiángᷛ㸳䄓㤌㑬⧣㘘᷍㋪㬨㰜䎃⷗ ⺛㣠ᷛ㸳䄓㤌㑬⧣㘘᷍㋪㬨㰜䎃⷗
zhōumò fēicháng 㗇᷍yı̄n㸋㰜䐽㚊⳨⧄㗇᷍䅓㸋㰜
䄋⫓⹅, 㰜䊻⭒䇃㸥コjiào᱄ 䄋⫓⹅, 㰜䊻⭒䇃㸥コㅭ᱄
㸳㋪䄵䊺㸫䄜⪯᱄ⰵ㑬᱄ 㸳㋪䄵䊺㸫䄜⪯᱄ⰵ㑬᱄
㗡㏗䇱㚱㞔䇲㕑ᷠ 㗡㏗䇱㚱㞔䇲㕑ᷠ
⫔㸋ᷛ ⤜ zhı̄dào᱄㸳bāng㛄㸫㸫➪᱄ ⫔㸋ᷛ⤜䐋⭡᱄ 㸳⟐㛄㸫㸫➪᱄
Part A Vocabulary
bāng help verb ⟐ ฮ
dāng ⭒ assume the role verb ⭒ ◵
of, be
duì le ⰵ㑬 by the way conversational ⰵ㑬 ಇ㑬

expression
jiājiào コjiào tutor noun コㅭ コㅭ

lái come verb ㎕ Ҏ
máfan bother, verb 㕊Ⳕ 㕊᫊
inconvenience
měi every quantifier 㗠㗠
xiūxi rest verb 㾾㻃㾾㻃
zhōumò weekend noun 䐽㚊䩭㚊
Part B
⫔㸋ᷛ 㛄コ lí 䎃ⱚyuǎn㕑ᷠ ⫔㸋ᷛ㛄コ㏌䎃ⱚ䊗㕑ᷠ

Guóqiángᷛ䇱䄜⮄yuǎn᱄㸳ⷙ㛄huà䄜䍦⺛㣠ᷛ䇱䄜⮄䊗᱄㸳ⷙ㛄⿎䄜䍦
jiǎndān⭥⡒㈊chéngshì dìtú᱄ ビ⭆⭥⡒㈊⧨㬱⭹㵝᱄
㛄㋕᷍䎃ⱚ㬨 shì 䐱xı̄n᷍fēi 〛㛄㋕᷍䎃ⱚ㬨㬱䐱㾥᷍⳪〛
chǎng 䊻dōngbian᷍⡒㈊huǒchē ⧂䊻Ⰼ⢀᷍⡒㈊】⧖
zhàn 䊻dōngnán biān᱄ 䍟䊻Ⰼ㚰⢀᱄
⫔㸋ᷛ 㸳㗨䁈xiào䊻㚥ⱚᷠ ⫔㸋ᷛ㸳㗨䁈㾄䊻㚥ⱚᷠ
Guóqiángᷛ㸳㗨䁈xiào 䊻xı̄běi biān᷍Xiāng Shān ⺛㣠ᷛ㸳㗨䁈㾄䊻㹘⡒⢀᷍㼄㩞
Gōngyuán䄓䊻xı̄běi biān᱄㸳コ䊻 ⹌䊑䄓䊻㹘⡒⢀᱄㸳コ䊻
nánbiān᷍lí Lóngtán hú Gōngyuán 㚰⢀᷍㏌㒛㲗⽟⹌䊑
⼽jìn᱄ ⼽㆝᱄
Part B Vocabulary
běi north* bound noun ⡒ ⡒
běibiān north side noun ⡒⢀ ⡒䪦
chéng city* noun ⧨ ⧨

chéngshì city noun ⧨㬱 ⧨㬱
dōng east* bound noun Ⰼ Ꮭ
dōngbiān east side noun Ⰼ⢀ Ꮭ䪦
dōngnán southeast side noun phrase Ⰼ㚰⢀ Ꮭ㚰䪦
biān
fēijı̄ fēi〛 airplane noun ⳪〛嚘ᗤ
fēijı̄chǎng fēi〛 airport noun phrase ⳪〛⧂ 嚘ᗤৗ
chǎng
gěi ⷙ for, to preposition ⷙ ㄐ
gōngyuán park noun ⹌䊑 ⹌ड
hú lake noun ⽟⽟
huà draw, verb ⿎ ◬
paint
huǒchē train noun 】⧖ 】䡨
huǒchē train station noun phrase 】⧖䍟】䡨䍟
zhàn
jiǎndān simple adjectival ビ⭆ ⻧࠯
verb
jìn close adjectival ㆝ ㆝

verb
lí separated preposition ㏌厙
from
lóng dragon noun 㒛愩
Lóngtán Longtan Park, place name 㒛㲗⹌䊑愩㲗⹌ड
Gōngyuán Dragon Pool
Park
nán south* bound noun 㚰㚰
nánbiān south (side) noun 㚰⢀ 㚰䪦
nǎr 㚥ⱚ where? content 㚥ⱚ 㚥‫כ‬

question word
shān mountain noun 㩞㩞

shì city* bound noun 㬱㬱
shì shì 䐱 city center, noun phrase 㬱䐱㾥㬱䐱㾥
zhōngxı̄n xı̄n center of the
city
xı̄ west* bound noun 㹘㹘
xiāng fragrant adjectival verb 㼄㼄
Xiāng Shān Fragrant Hills place name 㼄㩞⹌䊑㼄㩞⹌ड
Gōngyuán Park
xı̄běi biān northwest noun phrase 㹘⡒⢀ 㹘⡒䪦
side
xı̄biān west side noun 㹘⢀ 㹘䪦
xuéxiào 䁈xiào school noun 䁈㾄 స㾄
yuǎn far adjectival verb 䊗䪉
zài 䊻 located at verb 䊻䊻
zhàn station noun 䍟䍟
(subway, bus,
train)
zhèr 䎃ⱚ here noun 䎃ⱚ 䩡‫כ‬
zhōngxı̄n 䐱xı̄n center noun 䐱㾥䐱㾥

Part C
⫔㸋ᷛ 䇱míng⭥䐱shān shūdiàn䄓䊻 ⫔㸋ᷛ䇱㘜⭥䐱㩞㭊⮋䄓䊻

nánbiān᱄㛄コlí䐱shān shūdiàn 䇱㚰⢀᱄ 㛄コ㏌䐱㩞㭊⮋䇱
ⱁyuǎnᷠ ⱁ䊗ᷠ
Guóqiángᷛ⤜yuǎn᱄㸳コlí㚨ⱚ䐜䇱⺛㣠ᷛ⤜䊗᱄ 㸳コ㏌㚨ⱚ䐜䇱
㹆lı̌ lù᱄ 㹆㏐㔘᱄
⫔㸋ᷛ 㸳㻣⷗㾨㠻䄋㦆Qı̄nghuá⫔䁈 ⫔㸋ᷛ㸳㻣⷗㾨㠻䄋㦆㤆⿋⫔䁈
tı̄ng yı̄nyuè。᱄Qı̄nghuá⫔䁈䊻㬓㗕㳞䅕㎷。᱄㤆⿋⫔䁈䊻㬓㗕
dìfangᷠ ⭹Ⳟᷠ
Guóqiángᷛ(Pointing to the map) Qı̄nghuá ⺛㣠ᷛ(Pointing to the map)㤆⿋
⫔䁈㈮䊻 fùjìn᷍㛄㋕᷍lí 㸳 ⫔䁈㈮䊻⶞㆝᷍㛄㋕᷍㏌㸳
㗨䁈xiào⼽ jìn, 䐜䇱⟌lı̌ lù᱄ 㗨䁈㾄⼽㆝, 䐜䇱⟌㏐㔘᱄
㛄㋪䄵zuò gōnggòng qìchē㦆᷍ 㛄㋪䄵䔙⹌⹓㡜⧖㦆᷍
䄓㋪䄵zǒu lù 㦆᱄ 䄓㋪䄵䔀㔘㦆᱄
Part C Vocabulary
chē car, vehicle noun ⧖ 䡨
dàxué ⫔䁈 college, noun ⫔䁈 ⫔స
university
dìfang place noun ⭹Ⳟ ⭹Ⳟ
duō yuǎn ⱁyuǎn how far content ⱁ䊗 ⱁ䪉
question
phrase
fùjìn vicinity, noun ⶞㆝ ⶞㆝

close by
gōnggòng public adjective ⹌⹓ ⹌⹓
gōnggòng public bus noun ⹌⹓㡜⧖ ⹌⹓㡜䡨

qìchē phrase
jiù only adverb ㈮㈮

lı̌ Chinese mile classifier ㏐㏐
(0.5 kilometers)
lù road noun 㔘㔘
nàr 㚨ⱚ there noun 㚨ⱚ 㚨‫כ‬
qìchē car noun 㡜⧖ 㡜䡨
Qı̄nghuá Qı̄nghuá Tsinghua place 㤆⿋⫔䁈㤆㤢⫔స
Dàxué ⫔䁈 University name
shūdiàn bookstore noun 㭊⮋ ᎙⮋

yı̄nyuè huì yı̄nyuè music concert noun 䅕㎷。䅕ᖘ᎟
。 phrase
yǒumíng 䇱míng famous adjectival 䇱㘜䇱㘜

verb
Zhōngshān 䐱shān Sun Yatsen proper 䐱㩞䐱㩞

(see Notes on name
Chinese
culture)
zǒu lù walk verb + 䔀㔘䔀㔘
object
zuò sit verb 䔙䔙

zuò chē travel by verb + 䔙⧖ 䔙䡨
car as a object
passenger
Běibiān
Qı̄nghuá ⫔䁈
సxiào
Xiāngshān gōngyuán
Xı̄biān shì䐱xı̄n fēijı̄chǎng Dōngbiān
㸳コ huǒchēzhàn
Lóngtán
gōngyuán
䐱shān shūdiàn
Nánbiān
Characters
Function character
➷ bà dad ⶙ ➷➷ (bàba) ➷
dad
⟌ bàn half 㬏䄜⮄⟌ (yı̄ ⟌
diǎn bàn) 1:30
⪯ cì time 䚜䄜⪯ (yı̄ cì) ⪯

one time
⮄ diǎn dot 哂䄜⮄ (yı̄diǎn) 恄
a little
ⱚ ér (suffix)* ⱚ 㚨ⱚ (nàr) ‫כ‬
there
⹅ gōng labor, ⹅ ⫓⹅ (dǎ ⹅
work gōng) work
⹇ gōng * 㑇 ⹇㋯ (gōngkè) ⹇
classwork,
homework
⽓ hòu * 䗊㬒⽓ (shíhou) ⽓
time
コ jiā home 体䊻コ (zài jiā) コ
at home
㋕ kàn look, see, 㚠㋕㞔䇲 (kàn ㋕
read péngyou) see
friends
㋯ kè class 䜆 ⹇㋯ (gōngkè) 䌏
classwork,
homework
㕉 mā mom 㝏㕉㕉 ஭
(māma) mom
㗇 máng busy 䵁㗇⤜㗇ᷠ 㗇
(máng bù
mángᷠ) busy?
㚱 nán male 㑇㚱㞔䇲 (nán 㚱
péngyǒu)
boyfriend
㞔 péng friend* 䊣㞔䇲㞔
(péngyou)
friend
㠻 qı̄ * 䊣㾨㠻 (xı̄ngqı̄) 㠻
week
㤌 qı̌ng invite 䜆㤌㸫 (qı̌ng 䌩
wèn) may
I ask
㯎 shéi who 䜆㰞㬨㯎ᷠ 䌍
(tā shì shéiᷠ
)
who is she?
㬒 shí time* 㦶㬒⽓ (shíhou) ጓ
time
㬣 shì matter, 䄜䇱㬣 (yǒu 㬣
situation shì) have
something
to do
㶙 wǎng net 䗈㩰㶙 ㆸ
(shàng wǎng)
use the
internet
㾜 xiè thank, 䜆㾜㾜 (xièxie) 䏙
(family thank you
name)
㾨 xı̄ng star 㦶㾨㠻 (xı̄ngqı̄) 㾨
week
䂚 yàng * 㚟䋖㗕䂚 ᖴ
(zěnmeyàng)
what about it?
䇲 yǒu friend* 䇷㞔䇲䇲
(péngyou)
friend
䊻 zài at, in, on 㵢䊻コ (zài jiā) 䊻
at home
䔗 zuò do 䗊䔗
Use and structure

11.1. jiù (㈮) only
In Lesson 9 we learned that the adverb jiù (㈮) can be used to indicate that an action occurs
earlier than the speaker expects (Use and Structure 9.10). Jiù can also mean only, just. In
this function, it is equivalent in meaning to 䐜 only, just.
⷗㾨㠻㳍㸳㗜㬣᷍jiù xiǎng㩰㩰㶙᷍㋕㋕diànshì᱄
䎃
䎃⷗㾨㠻㳍㸳㗜㬣᷍㈮㼌㩰㩰㶙᷍㋕㋕⮈㬴᱄
I don’t have anything to do this Sunday. I am just planning to use the internet and watch a
little television.
11.2. Do an action casually for a short time: 㩰㩰㶙᷍㋕㋕ diànshì (㩰㩰㶙᷍

㋕㋕⮈㬴)
To indicate that an action is performed for a short period of time and in a casual way, repeat
the action verb:
䎃⷗㾨㠻㳍㸳㗜㬣᷍jiù xiǎng㩰㩰㶙᷍㋕㋕diànshì᱄
䎃⷗㾨㠻㳍㸳㗜㬣᷍㈮㼌㩰㩰㶙᷍㋕㋕⮈㬴᱄
I don’t have anything to do this Sunday. I am just planning to use the internet and watch a
little television.
Notice that it is only the verb that is repeated. If the verb takes an object, the object occurs
only once, after the second occurrence of the verb. If the verb is a two-syllable verb, the
entire two syllables are repeated:
㰞㾨㠻㳍 fù㻑 fù㻑 ⹇㋯᷍liàn㻑 liàn㻑⼛䓷᷍䄓㩰㩰㶙᱄
㰞㾨㠻㳍ⶕ㻑ⶕ㻑⹇㋯᷍㑘㻑㑘㻑⼛䓷᷍䄓㩰㩰㶙᱄
On Sunday she reviews her lessons, practices Chinese characters, and uses the internet.

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11.3. lái (㎕) + location come to a location

In Lesson 10 we learned how to use the verb 㦆 to say go to a location. (Use and Structure
10.12.) In this lesson we learn the word lái (㎕) come. To say come to a location, say:
lái (㎕) + location
lái㸳コ (㎕㸳コ)
come to my home
To say come, go, or return to a place to do some action, the order of information is as in
English:
lái (㎕)/㦆/huí (⿹) location + action

㾨㠻㳍lái 㸳コ⧵Ⳛ᷍䋖㗕䂚 ᷠ (㾨㠻㳍㎕㸳コ⧵Ⳛ᷍䋖㗕䂚ᷠ)
Come to my home to eat on Sunday, okay?
㸳 xiǎng 㦆 túshǎguǎn ㋕ shū᱄ (㸳㼌㦆㵝㭊⹾㋕㭊᱄)

I’m planning to go to the library to read.
㸳 xiǎng huí sùshè shuì jiào᱄ (㸳㼌⿹㯿㪂㯐㉖)᱄

I am planning to go back to the dorm to go to sleep.
Practice Website: Listening for Information; Structure Drills 11.1; Focus on Structure
11.4. měi (㗠)᷼⷗᷾time Ⱍ VP do an action every (time)

To say that someone does an action every day, week, month, year, etc., say:
(S) měi (㗠)᷼⷗᷾time Ⱍ VP
If the time expression is counted with the classifier ⷗, say méi (㗠) ⷗ time. This includes
㾨㠻 weeks, 䊣 months, and days of the week.
měi ⷗㾨㠻㳍㻣㹈Ⱍⷙ㸳➷➷㕉㕉⫓diàn⿑᱄
㸳
㸳㗠⷗㾨㠻㳍㻣㹈Ⱍⷙ㸳➷➷㕉㕉⫓⮈⿑᱄
I call my dad and mom every Sunday afternoon.
㰜㗨 měi⷗㾨㠻Ⱍ䇱䐱㸥㋝㬵᱄ (㰜㗨㗠⷗㾨㠻Ⱍ䇱䐱㸥㋝㬵᱄)

They have a Chinese test every week.
㸳⭥ tóngwū měi⷗䊣Ⱍhuí コ᱄ (㸳⭥㵍㸾㗠⷗䊣Ⱍ⿹コ᱄)

My roommate goes home every month.
Remember that the time expressions 㳍 day and nián (㛋) year do not occur with a classifier.
To say every day, say měi㳍 (㗠㳍). To say every year, say měi nián (㗠㛋).
měi㳍Ⱍ gēn 㞔䇲䄜㡑㦆 kāfēiguǎn ⼩ kāfēi᱄

㸳
㸳㗠㳍Ⱍⷛ㞔䇲䄜㡑㦆㋈⳩⹾⼩㋈⳩᱄
Every day I go with my friends to a coffee shop to drink coffee.
㰜 měi nián Ⱍ mǎi xı̄n ⭥diànnǎo᱄ ᷉㰜㗠㛋Ⱍ㕓㾣⭥⮈㚵᱄᷊

He buys a new computer every year.
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11.5. 㾂 + family name: Addressing people close to you

In Part A of the dialogue, Guoqiang refers to their friend Wang Maike as 㾂㶖. 㾂 + family
name is a common way for Chinese people, especially those from Beijing, to address and
refer to their friends or other people in their circle of close acquaintances. Teachers may
sometimes address their students in this way as well. Older people may address their
friends as ㎰ + family name. Chinese people never address others by their family name
alone.
11.6. ⰵ㑬 by the way . . .

The expression ⰵ㑬 can be used to add information that the speaker thinks the listener
would like to know, or to ask a question that has been on the speaker’s mind. When used
in this way it can often be translated with the English expression by the way.
ⰵ㑬᱄ⷀ㗡㏗䇱㚱㞔䇲㕑ᷠ
By the way, does Gao Meili have a boyfriend?
11.7. ⭒ + NP assume the role of NP

We have seen the character ⭒ in the word ⭒㦜. ⭒ is also used as a verb, meaning assume
the role of. In this function, ⭒ is always followed by a noun or noun phrase, and it means
assume the role of that noun or noun phrase. Notice that in English we typically express
this meaning by saying that someone is something.
⧣㘘 zhōumò⭒䇃㸥コjiào᱄ (⧣㘘䐽㚊⭒䇃㸥コㅭ᱄᷊

Chen Ming is an English tutor on the weekends.
11.8. bāng (⟐) help

To say that someone helps someone else do something, use the word bāng (⟐) and say:
NP1 bāng (⟐) NP2 + action

Jiějie bāng dìdi 䔗⹇㋯᱄(ㆄㆄ⟐⭽⭽䔗⹇㋯᱄ )
Older sister helps younger brother do homework.
㸳 bāng 㛄㸫㸫➪᱄(㸳⟐㛄㸫㸫➪᱄)
I’ll help you ask.
11.9. A lí B yuǎn/jìn (A ㏌ B 䊗᷐㆝) A is far from/near to B

All expressions of distance use the word lí (㏌) separated from.
To say that A is close to B, say:
A lí B ⼽ jìn᱄(A㏌B⼽㆝᱄ )
㸳コlí 䐱shān shūdiàn ⼽ jìn᱄ (㸳コ㏌䐱㩞㭊⮋⼽㆝᱄)
My house is very close to Zhongshan Bookstore.
To say that A is not close to B, say:
A lí B ⤜ jìn᱄ (A㏌B⤜㆝᱄ )
㸳コ lí 䐱shān shūdiàn ⤜ jìn᱄ (㸳コ㏌䐱㩞㭊⮋⤜㆝᱄)
My house is not very close to Zhongshan Bookstore.
To say that A is far from B, say:
A lí B ⼽ yuǎn᱄ (A㏌B⼽䊗᱄ )
㸳コ lí 㚨ⱚ⼽ yuǎn᱄ (㸳コ㏌㚨ⱚ⼽䊗᱄)
My house is very far from there.
To say that A is not far from B, say:
A lí B ⤜ yuǎn᱄ (A㏌B⤜䊗᱄ )
㸳コ lí 䎃ⱚ⤜ yuǎn. (㸳コ㏌䎃ⱚ⤜䊗᱄)
My house is not far from here
To ask whether A is far from B, ask:
A lí B yuǎn 㕑ᷠ (A ㏌ B 䊗㕑ᷠ)
or
A lí B yuǎn ⤜ yuǎnᷠ (A ㏌ B 䊗⤜䊗ᷠ)
To ask whether A is close to B, ask:
A lí B jìn 㕑ᷠ (A ㏌ B ㆝㕑ᷠ )
㛄コlí Běi Hú⼽jìn 㕑ᷠ(㛄コ㏌⡒⽟⼽㆝㕑ᷠ)
Is your house near North Lake?

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Listening for Information 11.3, 11.4; Structure Drills 11.4, 11.6, 11.7; Com-
munication through Reading and Writing 11.2, 11.3.
11.10. ⷙas a preposition: to, for

We have learned the word ⷙ as the verb give and in the expression ⷙ (someone) ⫓ diàn⿑
(⮈⿑) phone (someone). In this lesson we learn to use the word ⷙ as a preposition meaning
to or for (someone).
㸳ⷙ㛄 huà 䄜䍦 dìtú᱄ (㸳ⷙ㛄⿎䄜䍦⭹㵝᱄)

I’ll draw a map for you.
Like the preposition gēn (ⷛ) with, introduced in Lesson 9, when used as a preposition,
ⷙ is followed by a noun or noun phrase to form a prepositional phrase:
ⷙ㛄 for you
As noted in Lesson 9, the prepositional phrase usually occurs before the verb phrase with
which it is associated, while in English, prepositional phrases usually occur after the verb.
ⷙ㛄 huà 䄜䍦 dìtú᱄ (ⷙ㛄⿎䄜䍦⭹㵝᱄)

draw a map for you
ⷙ goes before the person who receives or benefits from the action of the verb. The
translation of ⷙ into English as for or to depends upon the verb. Here are some examples:
㰞huà 䄜䍦 dìtú
ⷙ (ⷙ㰞⿎䄜䍦⭹㵝) draw a map for (her)
ⷙ㰞 mǎi dōngxi (ⷙ㰞㕓Ⰼ㹘) buy something for (her)
ⷙ㰞xiě email (ⷙ㰞㾕email) write an email to (her)
11.11. Compass directions

In Mandarin, compass directions are recited as:
dōng nán xı̄ běi or as dōng xı̄ nán běi

Ⰼ 㚰㹘 ⡒ Ⰼ㹘㚰⡒
east south west north east west south north
The compass direction words dōng (Ⰼ), nán (㚰), xı̄ (㹘), and běi (⡒) are “bound nouns.”
That is, they are not free words on their own, but must be combined with another syllable
to become a word. One way to make compass directions into free words is to follow them
with a suffix such as biān (⢀) side. There is often no need to translate biān (⢀) into English.
dōngbiān (Ⰼ⢀) (the) east (side)

nánbiān (㚰⢀) (the) south (side)
xı̄biān (㹘⢀) (the) west (side)
běibiān (⡒⢀) (the) north (side)
Dōng, nán, xı̄ , and běi also become free words when they are paired together to say northeast,
northwest, southeast, and southwest. When paired in this way, they do not need the suffix
biān, but it may be included.
dōngnán (biān) (Ⰼ㚰[⢀]) xı̄ nán (biān) (㹘㚰[⢀])

southeast southwest
dōngbě i (biān) (Ⰼ⡒[⢀]) xı̄ bě i (biān) (㹘⡒[⢀])
northeast northwest
Dōngběi (Ⰼ⡒) northeast usually occurs with a suffix, however, because the word dōngběi
without an ending is the Chinese name for the province of Manchuria.
Here is a chart of the Mandarin compass direction words:
xı̄běi běi dōngběi
㹘⡒ ⡒ Ⰼ⡒
xı̄ dōng
㹘 Ⰼ
xı̄nán nán dōngnán
㹘㚰㚰 Ⰼ㚰
A number of other suffixes also occur with direction words. We do not include them in this
book, but you will encounter them as you continue your study of Chinese. Your teacher
may prefer to use one of these other suffixes when talking about directions.
Practice Workbook: Focus on Communication 11.3, 11.6. Website: Listening for Infor-
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mation 11.1, 11.2, 11.3, 11.7; Structure Drills 11.8, 11.9; Communication
11.12. 㸳䊻コ I am at home, 㸳コ䊻běibian (㸳コ䊻⡒⢀) My home is in the

north: Indicating location in terms of place or compass direction
To state the location of a noun, use the verb 䊻 be located in/at/on and say:
N 䊻 location
㸳䊻 huǒchē zhàn᱄ (㸳䊻】⧖䍟᱄)
I am at the train station.
㰞䊻コ.
She is (located) at home.
To indicate the location as a compass direction (east, west, etc.), say:
N 䊻 compass direction
Gōngyuán 䊻 běibiān᱄ (⹌䊑䊻⡒⢀᱄ )
The park is (located) in the north.
Fēi〛chǎng䊻dōngbian᱄ (⳪〛⧂䊻Ⰼ⢀᱄ )
The airport is in the east.
W Lesson 11 Lái 㸳コ⧵Ⳛ ㎕㸳コ⧵Ⳛ Come to my house for dinner 253
Practice
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Communication through Reading and Writing 11.2, 11.3.
11.13. 䎃ⱚ here, 㚨ⱚ there, and 㚥ⱚ where

To ask about the location of a person or place, use the word 㚥ⱚ where? and ask:
N 䊻㚥ⱚᷠ
Běi Hú 䊻㚥ⱚᷠ(⡒⽟䊻㚥ⱚᷠ )
Where is North Lake?
To say that a person or place is here, use the word 䎃ⱚ and say:
Běi Hú 䊻䎃ⱚ᱄(⡒⽟䊻䎃ⱚ᱄ )
North Lake is here.
To say that a person or place is there, use the word 㚨ⱚand say:
㸳㗨䁈xiào䊻㚨ⱚ᱄(㸳㗨䁈㾄䊻㚨ⱚ᱄)
Our school is there.
䎃ⱚ refers to locations that are near to the speaker. 㚨ⱚ refers to locations that are not
close to the speaker.
The expression 䎃ⱚ㬨 . . . here is/here are . . . points out the location of people, places, and
things. In Part B of the dialogue, Xie Guoqiang uses the expression while pointing to the
center of the city.
䎃ⱚ㬨 shì 䐱xı̄n᱄ (䎃ⱚ㬨㬱䐱㾥᱄)

Here is the center of the city.
Practice Workbook: Focus on Communication 11.3, 11.6.

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11.14. Talking about distance: A lí B 䇱㹆lı̌ lù (A ㏌ B䇱㹆㏐㔘) A is five miles

from B
When talking about the distance between location A and location B, use the word lí (㏌)
separated from and say:
A lí B [䇱] distance (A ㏌ B [䇱] distance)
A is separated from B by (distance)
㸳コlí 䎃ⱚ[䇱]㹆lı̌ lù᱄ (㸳コ㏌䎃ⱚ[䇱]㹆㏐㔘᱄)

My house is five miles from here.
䇱 is optional unless the sentence includes an adverb. For example, when the adverb 䐜
only occurs in the sentence, the verb 䇱 must occur.
㸳コ lí 䎃ⱚ䐜䇱㹆 lı̌ lù᱄ (㸳コ㏌䎃ⱚ䐜䇱㹆㏐㔘᱄)
My house is only five miles from here.
The traditional measure of distance in China is the lı̌ (㏐), sometimes translated as mile
and sometimes as Chinese mile. A lı̌ is approximately /1 3 of an English or American mile
or /1 2 of a kilometer.
Lı̌ is a classifier and directly follows the number. It is often followed by the noun lù (㔘)
road. Lù (㔘) does not get translated in this phrase.
㹆 lı̌ lù (㹆㏐㔘) five miles

To ask how far A is from B, ask:
A lí B [䇱] ⱁ yuǎnᷠ (A ㏌ B [䇱] ⱁ䊗ᷠ)
How far is A from B?
㛄コ lí 䎃ⱚ [䇱] ⱁ yuǎnᷠ (㛄コ㏌䎃ⱚ[䇱]ⱁ䊗ᷠ)
How far is your house from here?
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RKBO Workbook: Focus on Structure 11.2; Focus on Communication 11.4, 11.6.
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Website: Listening for Information 11.3, 11.4, 11.7; Structure Drills 11.3, 11.5.
11.15. ⟌ half
In Lesson 9 we learned to use the word ⟌ half when talking about clock time (Use and
Structure 9.3). In this lesson we learn to use ⟌ in any number expression.
Half of something
When saying half of some noun, ⟌ occurs directly before the classifier:
+ classifier (+ N)
⟌
⟌ lı̌ lù (⟌㏐㔘) half a mile
⟌⷗䊣 half a month
⟌běn shū (⟌⡟㭊) half a book
Remember that in Mandarin, the words nián (㛋) year and 㳍day function as classifiers.
Therefore, they are directly preceded by ⟌:
⟌nián (⟌㛋) half a year
⟌㳍 half a day
(The expression ⟌㳍 also means a long time.)

Běi Hú lí 㸳コ䐜䇱⟌lı̌ lù᱄ (⡒⽟㏌㸳コ䐜䇱⟌㏐㔘᱄ )
North Lake is only half a mile from my house.
Some number and a half

When talking about time, to say some number and a half, ⟌ goes after the classifier.
When the noun is a time word, say:
number + classifier + ⟌ + N
䄜⷗⟌䊣 one and a half months
㧞⷗⟌㾨㠻 three and a half weeks
Since the time words nián and 㳍function as classifiers, not nouns, they occur before ⟌.
number + classifier + ⟌
䄜nián⟌ (䄜㛋⟌) 1½ years
㑞㳍⟌ 2½ days
For nouns that are not time words, say the following.
number + classifier + ⟌ (⭥) N
䄜ping ⟌⭥ shuı̌ (䄜㠠⟌⭥㯏) 1½ bottles of water
The word suì (㰋) years of age is a classifier, and like the time words nián and 㳍, it comes
before ⟌.
number + classifier + ⟌
䄜 suì⟌ (䄜㰋⟌) one and a half years old
When talking about distance, ⭥, and sometimes even the following noun, may be
omitted.
㹆 lı̌ ⟌⭥lù (㹆㏐⟌⭥㔘) 5½ miles
or
㹆 lı̌ ⟌lù (㹆㏐⟌㔘)
or
㹆 lı̌ ⟌ (㹆㏐⟌)
Mainland China speakers typically do not include ⭥ when talking about distance, whether
or not the following noun is included. Taiwan Mandarin speakers generally include ⭥
when the noun is included.
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11.16. Riding a vehicle as a passenger: zuò chē (䔙⧖)

In English, to say that you are riding a vehicle as a passenger, you say you “take” the vehicle.
In Mandarin, you use the verb zuò (䔙) sit and say that you “sit” the vehicle.
㛄㋪䄵 zuò gōnggòng qìchē 㦆᱄ (㛄㋪䄵䔙⹌⹓㡜⧖㦆᱄)
You can take the bus.
11.17. Walking, and walking to a destination: zǒu lù (䔀㔘)

In Mandarin, to say that you are walking, you say zǒu lù (䔀㔘). To say that you are walking
someplace, or going on foot, say:
㛄㋪䄵zǒu lù㦆 [shūdiàn]᱄(㛄㋪䄵䔀㔘㦆[㭊⮋])
You can walk (to the bookstore).
Qa Language FAQs
Why does コ mean both family and home?

In traditional Chinese society, a family stayed in the same village, town, or city for
generations. One’s home was the place where one’s family lived, now and in the
past. Therefore, the word コ refers to both the people in the family and the place
where the family resides. The character コ is based on the structure of traditional
homes in southern China. The top of the character, 体, is a roof. The bottom part
of the character is an early form of the character for pig, now written in tradi-
tional form as 䕊. That is, a good home includes a roof for shelter and food for
the family.
More about bound nouns

Most Mandarin words are two syllables in length, and the Mandarin language
seems to prefer the two-syllable length for words. Many one-syllable units like
dōng (Ⰼ), nán (㚰), xı̄ (㹘), and běi (⡒) are bound nouns. That is, they cannot
be used on their own as free words, even though they have meanings that can
stand on their own. The suffix biān (⢀) contributes the meaning of side when
it joins with dōng, nán, xı̄ , and běi, but the meaning that it contributes is
much less important than the extra syllable it adds, making dōng, nán, xı̄ , and
běi into two-syllable words. Similarly, the words chéng (⧨) and shì (㬱) both
mean city, but they are bound nouns and cannot occur on their own. They
make a free word when combined: chéngshì (⧨㬱) city. In this lesson we see
that shì (㬱) also combines with䐱xı̄ n (䐱㾥) center to form shì䐱xı̄ n (㬱䐱㾥)
center of the city.

Compass directions and spatial orientation
In traditional Chinese culture, the points of the compass were an important part
of architectural design, and cities, towns, and houses were, and often still are,
configured with respect to compass directions. This is part of the practice of
fēngshuı̌ (ⴈ㯏) geomancy.
Who is 䐱shān (䐱㩞)?

In China, many streets, parks, and other public places include the name 䐱shān
(䐱㩞). 䐱shān is the given name of Sūn Zhōngshān (㰐䐱㩞) Sun Yatsen, the
first president of the Republic of China and widely considered to be the father of
modern China.

Part A
Guoqiang: What are you doing this Sunday? Are you busy?
Dawei: I don’t have anything to do this Sunday and I don’t have homework. I’m just
planning to use the internet, watch a little television, and rest.
Guoqiang: Well then, how about coming to my home to eat on Sunday?
Dawei: Okay! Thank you! What time on Sunday? Every Sunday afternoon I phone my
dad and mom.
Guoqiang: How about Sunday night at 6:30?
Dawei: That works. It won’t be too much trouble for your dad and mom?
Guoqiang: Not a problem.
Dawei: Who else are you planning to invite?
Guoqiang: I’m also planning to invite little Wang, Meili, and of course your girlfriend,
Xiaowen.
Dawei: Great!
Guoqiang: I also invited Chen Ming, but he’s extremely busy this weekend because he is
working. He is an English tutor. I can ask him one more time. By the way, does
Meili have a boyfriend?
Dawei: I don’t know. I will help you ask.
Part B
Dawei: Is your home far from here?
Guoqiang: It’s a little far. I’ll draw a simple map of the city of Beijing for you. Look, here
is the center of the city. The airport is in the east, Beijing train station is in
the southeast.
Dawei: Where is our school?
Guoqiang: Our school is in the northwest. Fragrant Hills Park is also in the northwest.
My home is in the south, very near to Longtan Lake Park.
Part C
Dawei: The famous Zhongshan bookstore is also in the south. How far is your home
from Zhongshan bookstore?
Guoqiang: Not far. My home is only five Chinese miles (2.5 kilometers) from there.
Dawei: I have to go to Tsinghua University next week to listen to a concert. Where is
Tsinghua University?
Guoqiang: (Pointing to the map) Tsinghua University is close by. Look, it’s very near our
school, only a half a mile away. You can take a bus there, and you can also
walk.
Lesson 12
Cóng㸳⭥sùshè
dào㛄コ䋖㗕䔀ᷠ
⪴㸳⭥㯿㪂⭞
㛄コ䋖㗕䔀ᷠ
How do I get to your
house from my dorm?
Communication goals
Q Give and follow directions by subway and bus.

Q Talk about the duration of actions.
Q Narrate a sequence of events.
Literacy goals
Q Identify stations and train lines on a Chinese subway map, and plan a
trip by subway.
Key structures
Q dào + place + 㦆 (⭞ place 㦆) go to a place and dào + place + lái (⭞
place ㎕) come to a place
Q cóng A dào B (⪴ A ⭞ B) from A to B
Q action1 ⿚㬨action2 (㚹)ᷠ[action1] or [action2]?
Q 䊻 location + action: do the action at the location

Q wǎng direction 䔀 (㶚 direction 䔀) go in (this direction)
Q 㩰⧖ get on a vehicle, 㻣⧖ get off a vehicle, huàn⧖ (⿜⧖) change
vehicles
Q 䊻 location 䇱 NP at location there is NP and 䇱 NP 䊻 location there is
NP at location
Q action + duration: indicating the duration of an action
Q expressing sequence: 䄵hòu (䄵⽔) after, 㑬, and ㈮
Dialogue
The situation: Xie Guoqiang has invited Zhang Dawei to his home for dinner on
Sunday. He has drawn a map for Dawei to show him where his home is located and
is now giving Dawei directions to get there from the dormitory.
Part A
⫔㸋ᷛ 㠻㳍㻣㹈㾂㸥䄋ⷛ㗡㏗㦆㕓
㾨 ⫔㸋ᷛ㾨㠻㳍㻣㹈㾂㸥䄋ⷛ㗡㏗㦆㕓
Ⰼ㹘᱄㰞㗨䄋cóng 㬱䐱㾥㦆 Ⰼ㹘᱄㰞㗨䄋⪴㬱䐱㾥㦆
㛄コ᷍suǒ䄵㸳⭤zìjı̌㦆᱄ 㛄コ᷍ 㰚䄵㸳⭤䓵゛㦆᱄
Cóng sùshè dào 㛄コ䋖㗕䔀? ⪴㯿㪂⭞㛄コ䋖㗕䔀?
Guóqiángᷛ㛄㼌䔙dìtiě ⿚㬨㼌䔙⺛㣠ᷛ㛄㼌䔙⭹㳛⿚㬨㼌䔙
gōnggòng qì⧖㚹ᷠ ⹌⹓㡜⧖㚹ᷠ
⫔㸋ᷛ Dìtiě㌍᱄㸳䔙dìtiě➪᱄ ⫔㸋ᷛ⭹㳛㌍᱄㸳䔙⭹㳛➪᱄
Guóqiángᷛ⼤᱄㛄䊻Běijı̄ng⫔䁈Ⰼmén zhàn ⺛㣠ᷛ⼤᱄㛄䊻⡒㈊⫔䁈Ⰼ㗦䍟
㩰⧖᱄㩰㯥⼦ xiàn᷍wǎng㬱䐱㾥㩰⧖᱄㩰㯥⼦㼀᷍㶚㬱䐱㾥
fāngxiàng䔀᱄ Ⳟ㼓䔀᱄
⫔㸋ᷛ 䔙゙zhànᷠ ⫔㸋ᷛ䔙゙䍟?
Guóqiángᷛ䔙㹆zhàn᷍䊻Guóコ㵝㭊⹾zhàn ⺛㣠ᷛ䔙㹆䍟᷍䊻⺛コ㵝㭊⹾䍟
huàn㈦⼦xiàn᱄Wǎng nán䔀᷍ ⿜㈦⼦㼀᱄㶚㚰䔀᷍
䔙䄜zhàn᷍䊻Bái shí qiáo lù㻣⧖᷍ 䔙䄜䍟᷍䊻➸㬐㣦㔘㻣⧖᷍
䊺huàn䄜⪯⧖᷍huàn㒚⼦xiàn᱄ 䊺⿜䄜⪯⧖᷍⿜㒚⼦㼀᱄
⫔㸋ᷛ Wǎng㚥⷗fāngxiàng䔀ᷠ ⫔㸋ᷛ㶚㚥⷗Ⳟ㼓䔀ᷠ
Lesson 12 Cóng 㸳⭥ sùshè dào 㛄コ䋖㗕䔀ᷠ ⪴㸳⭥㯿㪂⭞㛄コ䋖㗕䔀ᷠ How do I get to your house from my dorm? 261
GuóqiángᷛWǎngⰌ䔀᷍䔙㒚zhàn᷍䊻Ⰼ㯥⺛㣠ᷛ㶚Ⰼ䔀᷍䔙㒚䍟᷍䊻Ⰼ㯥
zhàn huàn㹆⼦xiàn᷍wǎng nán䔀᷍ 䍟⿜㹆⼦㼀᷍㶚㚰䔀᷍
䔙㯥zhàn᱄ 䔙㯥䍟᱄
⫔㸋ᷛ 䊻㚥ⱚ㻣⧖ᷠ ⫔㸋ᷛ䊻㚥ⱚ㻣⧖ᷠ
Guóqiángᷛ䊻㳍tánⰌmén zhàn㻣⧖᱄䊻㚨ⱚ ⺛㣠ᷛ䊻㳍㲔Ⰼ㗦䍟㻣⧖᱄䊻㚨ⱚ
䇱䄜⷗⮈yı̌ng yuàn᱃䄜⷗㭊䇱䄜⷗⮈䇑䊛᱃䄜⷗㭊
diàn᱃⿚䇱䄜⷗㦶⡟Ⳛ⹾᱄㸳コ ⮋᱃⿚䇱䄜⷗㦶⡟Ⳛ⹾᱄㸳コ
㏌㳍tán Gōngyuán⼽㆝᱄ ㏌㳍㲔⹌䊑⼽㆝᱄
Part A Vocabulary
Báishí White Stone place name ➸㬐㣦 ➸㬐ᗓ
qiáo Bridge
cóng from preposition ⪴ ໥

dào to preposition ⭞ ⭞
diànyı̌ng ⮈yı̌ng movie noun ⮈䇑厫䇑
diànyı̌ng ⮈yı̌ng movie theater noun ⮈䇑䊛厫䇑䊛
yuàn yuàn
dìtiě subway noun ⭹㳛 ⭹儧
Dōng Sì Ⰼ㯥 Dong Si place name Ⰼ㯥 Ꮭ㯥
(location in
Beijing)
fànguǎn Ⳛ⹾ restaurant noun Ⳛ⹾ 嚩圿
fāngxiàng direction noun Ⳟ㼓 Ⳟ㼓
guójiā guóコ national, noun ⺛コ ङコ
nation,
country
háishi ⿚㬨 or conjunction ⿚㬨䪡㬨
hào ⼦ number (for classifier ⼦㱷
buses and
trains);
⼦mǎ
(telephone)
number
mén door, gate noun 㗦凵
qiáo bridge noun 㣦 ᗓ
shàng 㩰 go up, get on verb 㩰㩰
(a vehicle)
shí stone noun 㬐㬐
Tiāntán 㳍tán Temple of place name 㳍㲔⹌ 㳍੐⹌ड
Gōngyuán gōngyuán Heaven 䊑
Park
wǎng toward preposition 㶚㶚

xià 㻣 go down, verb 㻣㻣
get off (a
vehicle)
xiàn line (train noun 㼀㇡
line, subway
line)
zìjı̌ self pronoun 䓵゛䓵゛
Part B
⫔㸋ᷛ Cóng sùshè dào㳍tánⰌmén zhàn ⫔㸋ᷛ⪴㯿㪂⭞㳍㲔Ⰼ㗦䍟

䄋䔙ⱁ cháng 㬒jiānᷠ 䄋䔙ⱁ⧅㬒ヅᷠ
Guóqiángᷛ㛄⭤䔙chà⤜ⱁ䄜⷗zhōngtóu᱄ ⺛㣠ᷛ㛄⭤䔙⥏⤜ⱁ䄜⷗䐴㵘᱄
⫔㸋ᷛ 䄋䄜⷗㾂㬒➂᷂㚨㗕jiǔ ᷂⼤ ⫔㸋ᷛ䄋䄜⷗㾂㬒➂᷂㚨㗕㈤᷂⼤
➪᷍㸳䐜⼤䊻⧖㩰㳞yı̄nyuè㑬᱄ ➪᷍㸳䐜⼤䊻⧖㩰㳞䅕㎷㑬᱄
Part B Vocabulary
chàbuduō chà⤜ⱁ almost adjectival ⥏⤜ⱁ ⥏⤜ⱁ
verb
duō cháng ⱁ cháng how much question ⱁ⧅㬒ヅ ⱁ凭ጓ刈

shíjiān 㬒jiān time?, how long? phrase
jiǔ long time adjectival ㈤㈤

verb
shíjiān 㬒jiān time noun 㬒ヅ ጓ刈

xiǎoshí 㾂㬒 hour noun 㾂㬒㾂ጓ
zài 䊻 at, in, on preposition 䊻䊻
zhı̌ hǎo 䐜⼤ only thing to do adjectival 䐜⼤䐜⼤
is, best thing to verb phrase
do is
zhōngtóu hour noun 䐴㵘傫喿
Part C
⫔㸋ᷛ Dìtiě piào ⱁ㩺㣏䄜䍦ᷠ ⫔㸋ᷛ⭹㳛㠒ⱁ㩺㣏䄜䍦ᷠ

Guóqiángᷛ㧞㌊㣏䄜䍦᷍⤜⺔᱄㛄㋪䄵⺛㣠ᷛ㧞㌊㣏䄜䍦᷍⤜⺔᱄㛄㋪䄵
䊻 dìtiě zhàn 㕓᱄ 䊻⭹㳛䍟㕓᱄
⫔㸋ᷛ Cóng 㳍tánⰌmén zhàn dào㛄コ ⫔㸋ᷛ⪴㳍㲔Ⰼ㗦䍟⭞㛄コ
䋖㗕䔀? 䋖㗕䔀?
Guóqiángᷛ㛄dào㑬⧖zhàn mén㋻䄵hòu ⺛㣠ᷛ㛄⭞㑬⧖䍟㗦㋻䄵⽔
ⷙ㸳⫓⮈⿑᱄䊻㚨ⱚděng 㸳᱄ ⷙ㸳⫓⮈⿑᱄䊻㚨ⱚ⭩㸳᱄
㸳㋋⧖㦆 jiē 㛄᱄ 㸳㋋⧖㦆ㅴ㛄᱄
⫔㸋ᷛ ⼤᷍㛄⭥⧖㬨㬓㗕 ⫔㸋ᷛ⼤, 㛄⭥⧖㬨㬓㗕
yánsè⭥ᷠ 䁶㩌⭥ᷠ
Guóqiángᷛ㸳㋋㸳➷⭥⧖᷍㬨䄜liàng yínsè ⭥ ⺛㣠ᷛ㸳㋋㸳➷⭥⧖㬨䄜㑟䅙㩌⭥
Fútè᱄㛄䇱㸳⭥⮈⿑⼦mǎ➪᱄ ⶄ㲹᱄㛄䇱㸳⭥⮈⿑⼦㕌➪᱄
⫔㸋ᷛ 䇱᱄ ⫔㸋ᷛ䇱᱄
Part C Vocabulary
děng wait verb ⭩ ⭩
Fútè Ford (automobile) proper noun ⶄ㲹 ⶄ㲹
jiē fetch a person verb ㅴ ㅴ
kāi ㋋ drive, open verb ㋋刀
kāi chē ㋋⧖ drive a car verb + object ㋋⧖ 刀䡨
liàng (classifier for cars) classifier 㑟䤗
ménkǒu mén㋻ doorway (the noun 㗦㋻凵㋻
mouth of the door)
piào ticket noun 㠒㠒
yı̌hòu 䄵hòu after, afterward noun 䄵⽔䄵䲂
yínsè silver colored adjectival 䅙㩌䶚㩌
verb
Characters
Function Character
⡟ běn (classifier: 㚟䄜⡟㭊 (yı̄ ⡟
volume) běn shū) one
book, 㦶⡟
(Rìběn) Japan
⧖ chē car ⧖ 㻣⧖ (xià 䡨
chē) exit a car
⭤ děi, must; 䱽㯖⭤㌍ ⭤

de (manner (shuō de
adverbial kuài) speak
particle) quickly
⮈ diàn electricity 㳐(⮈) ⮈⿑厫
(diànhuà)
telephone,
⮈䇑
(diànyı̌ng)
movie
Ⰼ dōng east* 䄜 Ⰼ⢀ Ꮭ
(dōngbian)
east side,Ⰼ
㹘 (dōngxi)
thing
ⷛ gēn with 䔄 ⷛ
⹾ guǎn building* 䴜㵝㭊⹾ 圿
(túshūguǎn)
library,
㋈⳩⹾
(kāfēiguǎn)
coffee shop
⺔ guì expensive ⡕ 䗧
⼦ hào number ㋻ ⮈⿑⼦㕌㱷
(diànhuà
hàomǎ)
telephone
number, ゙䊣
゙⼦ (jı̌ yuè
jı̌ hào) what
month
and date?
㆝ jìn close 佢 ㆝
㈮ jiù only, 䨭㈮
precisely,
sooner
than
expected
㋋ kāi drive; 䨤㋋⧖ 刀
open (kāi chē)
drive a car, ㋋
㬝 (kāishı̌)
begin
㌍ kuài fast, 䵁㌍
quickly
㌊ kuài dollar 㵢䄜㌊㣏 (yı̄ ৬
kuài qián) ¥1
㏌ lí separated 䚐㸳コ㏌䎃ⱚ 厙
from* ⼽㆝ (wǎ jiā
lí zhèr hěn
jìn) my home
is near here
㕓 mǎi buy Ͽ 䗪
㗌 máo dime 㗌䄜㗌㣏㗌
(yı̄ máo qián)
10 cents
㣏 qián money 嘥䄜㌊㣏仹
(yı̄ kuài
qián) ¥1
㬱 shì city* ㆎ 㬱䐱㾥 (shì 㬱
zhōngxı̄n)
downtown,
city center
㭊 shū book Ͽ 㵝㭊⹾ ᎙

(túshūguǎn)
library,
㋕㭊
(kàn shū)
read books
㳞 tı̄ng listen (to) ㋻㔁
㵝 tú chart* 䯎㵝㭊⹾ थ
(túshūguǎn)
library,
⭹㵝
(dìtú) map
㹘 xı̄ west* 㹘㹘⢀ (xı̄bian) 㹘
west side,
Ⰼ㹘
(dōngxi)
thing
㼌 xiǎng think, 㾥㼌
want,
plan to
㾥 xı̄n heart 㾥䐱㾥㾥
(zhōngxı̄n)
center
䔀 zǒu go 䔀䔀
䔙 zuò sit 㵢䔙⧖ 䔙
(zuò chē)
go by car
Use and structure

12.1. Two ways to talk about going to or coming to a location
In Lessons 10 and 11 we learned how to say go to a place using the verb 㦆 go and come to
a place using the verb lái (㎕) come. Notice that the difference in meaning contributed by
㦆 and lái is that 㦆 indicates movement to the place where the speaker is not located,
and lái indicates movement to a place where the speaker is located. (Use and Structure
10.12 and 11.3.)
㦆 + location
go to a location (where the speaker is not located)
㸳㗨㦆㚨⷗ xı̄n ⭥ kāfēi ⹾᷍䋖㗕䂚ᷠ
㸳㗨㦆㚨⷗㾣⭥㋈⳩⹾᷍䋖㗕䂚ᷠ
How about if we go to that new coffee shop?
lái (㎕) + location

come to a location (where the speaker is located)
㾨㠻㳍㶎㩰 lái 㸳コ⧵Ⳛ᷍䋖㗕䂚ᷠ
㾨㠻㳍㶎㩰㎕㸳コ⧵Ⳛ᷍䋖㗕䂚ᷠ
Come to my house to eat on Sunday night, okay?
You can also talk about going to a place or coming to a place with the following pattern:
dào (⭞) location 㦆

go to a place
㸳㗨dào㚨⷗ xı̄n ⭥ kāfēi ⹾㦆᷍䋖㗕䂚ᷠ
㸳㗨⭞㚨⷗㾣⭥㋈⳩⹾㦆᷍䋖㗕䂚ᷠ
How about if we go to that new coffee shop?
dào (⭞) location lái (㎕)

come to a place
㾨㠻㳍㶎㩰dào㸳lái⧵Ⳛ᷍䋖㗕䂚ᷠ
㾨㠻㳍㶎㩰⭞㸳コ㎕⧵Ⳛ᷍䋖㗕䂚ᷠ
Come to my house to eat on Sunday night, okay?
When talking about a completed action, 㑬 occurs after the verb 㦆 or lái, and never after
the preposition dào (⭞) to.
㸳䔓㳍dào㵝㭊⹾㦆㑬᱄ 8 㸳䔓㳍dào㑬㵝㭊⹾㦆.
㸳䔓㳍⭞㵝㭊⹾㦆㑬᱄ 8 㸳䔓㳍⭞㑬㵝㭊⹾㦆᱄
Yesterday I went to the library.
W Lesson 12 Cóng 㸳⭥ sùshè dào 㛄コ䋖㗕䔀ᷠ ⪴㸳⭥㯿㪂⭞㛄コ䋖㗕䔀ᷠ How do I get to your house from my dorm? 271
Practice
K
O
RKBO Workbook: Focus on Structure 12.1, 12.2. Website: Structure Drills 12.1;
O
Focus on Structure 12.2.
12.2. Talking about going from one place to another with cóng (⪴) and
dào (⭞)
To say that someone is going from one location to another location, use the words cóng (⪴)
from and dào (⭞) to and say:
S cóng A dào B 㦆 (S ⪴ A⭞ B 㦆)
㸳㼌cóng sùshè dào 㬱䐱㾥㦆᱄
㸳㼌⪴㯿㪂⭞㬱䐱㾥㦆᱄
I want to go from the dorm to the city center.
To say that someone is coming from one place to another, say:
S cóng A dào B lái (S⪴ A⭞ B ㎕)

㰞㻣⷗䊣cóng䐱guó dào㗡guó lái᱄
㰞㻣⷗䊣⪴䐱⺛⭞㗡⺛㎕᱄
She is coming from China to the United States next month.
To ask how to go from one place to another, ask:
cóng A dào B 䋖㗕䔀ᷠ(⪴ A ⭞ B䋖㗕䔀ᷠ )

Cóng dìtiě zhàn dào㛄コ䋖㗕䔀ᷠ(⪴⭹㳛䍟⭞㛄コ䋖㗕䔀ᷠ )
How do I go from the subway station to your home?
You can omit either the cóng phrase or the dào phrase if it is understood from the
context:
Cóng 㸳⭥ sùshè 䋖㗕䔀ᷠ(⪴㸳⭥㯿㪂䋖㗕䔀ᷠ )

How do I go from the dormitory?
Dào㛄コ䋖㗕䔀ᷠ (⭞㛄コ䋖㗕䔀ᷠ )
How do I get to your home?
Practice Website: Listening for Information 12.2, 12.3, 12.4, 12.5, 12.6; Structure Drills
12.2, 12.3; Focus on Structure 12.1, 12.2.
12.3. zìjı̌ (䓵゛) self

Zìjı̌ (䓵゛) self is sometimes called a reflexive pronoun. To say myself, yourself, themselves,
etc. precede zìjı̌ with the appropriate pronoun:
㸳zìjı̌ (㸳䓵゛) 㸳㗨zìjı̌ (㸳Ӥ䓵゛)

myself ourselves
㛄zìjı̌ (㛄䓵゛) 㛄㗨zìjı̌ (㛄㗨䓵゛)
yourself yourselves
㰜/㰞zìjı̌ (㰜/㰞䓵゛) 㰜㗨zìjı̌ (㰜㗨䓵゛)
himself/herself themselves
When zìjı̌ occurs as the subject, it is always preceded by a pronoun.
⭥tóngwū⼽xı̌huān⧵䐱⺛Ⳛ᱄㸳zìjı̌ xı̌huān⧵㦶⡟Ⳛ᱄
㸳
㸳⭥㵍㸾⼽㻓⿗⧵䐱⺛Ⳛ᱄㸳䓵゛㻓⿗⧵㦶⡟Ⳛ᱄
My roommate likes to eat Chinese food a lot. I myself like to eat Japanese food.
When zìjı̌ occurs in the object position, it typically occurs without a pronoun, and always
refers to the subject of the sentence:
㸥ⷛ㗡㏗㦆㕓Ⰼ㹘᷍suǒ 䄵㸳⭤zìjı̌ 㦆㛄コ᱄

㾂
㾂㸥ⷛ㗡㏗㦆㕓Ⰼ㹘᷍㰚䄵㸳⭤䓵゛㦆㛄コ᱄
Xiaowen is going shopping with Meili, so I have to go to your home by myself.
12.4. Talking about alternatives: VP1 ⿚㬨 VP2 (㚹) VP1 or VP2?

To ask someone to choose between two alternatives, use ⿚㬨 or and say:
VP1 ⿚㬨 VP2 (㚹)

㛄㼌䔙 dìtiě ⿚㬨㼌䔙gōnggòng qì⧖㚹ᷠ
㛄㼌䔙⭹㳛⿚㬨㼌䔙⹌⹓㡜⧖㚹ᷠ
Would you like to go by subway or by bus?
Questions with ⿚㬨 are often called split-choice questions, since the question presents
two choices. Split-choice questions often end with the sentence-final particle 㚹, which
serves to soften the tone of the question.
When the verb in the second alternative is 㬨, the alternative is expressed as:
NP1 ⿚㬨 NP2
㬨
㛄㬨䁈㪛⿚㬨㎰㬇ᷠ
Are you a student or a teacher?
(Do not say: 8 㛄㬨䁈㪛⿚㬨㬨㎰㬇ᷠ )
To reply to a ⿚㬨question, state the alternative that you prefer.

Q: 㛄㼌䔙dìtiě ⿚㬨㼌䔙 gōnggòng qì⧖㚹ᷠ
Would you like to go by subway or by bus?
A: 㸳䔙 dìtiě ᱄
㸳䔙⭹㳛᱄
I’ll go by subway.
W
O
RKBO Practice Workbook: Focus on Structure 12.3. Website: Listening for Information 12.2;
O
Structure Drills 12.4.
12.5. 䊻 location + action: do the action at the location

To talk about doing an action at a location, use the preposition 䊻 at, in, on and say:
䊻 (location) + action
at (location) do an action
䊻㵝㭊⹾ zhàn 㻣⧖᱄(䊻㵝㭊⹾䍟㻣⧖᱄)
Get off the (car/bus/train) at library station.
㛄㋪䄵䊻 dìtiě zhàn 㕓 piào᱄(㛄㋪䄵䊻⭹㳛䍟㕓㠒᱄)
You can buy tickets at the subway station.
If you are talking about doing an action here or there, you must use the preposition 䊻 along
with the word 䎃ⱚ or 㚨ⱚ:
㛄㋪䄵䊻䎃ⱚ㕓 piào᱄(㛄㋪䄵䊻䎃ⱚ㕓㠒᱄)
You can buy tickets here.
㛄䊻㚨ⱚ㩰㒚⼦ xiàn᱄(㛄䊻㚨ⱚ㩰㒚⼦㼀᱄)
Get on the number 6 line there.
When talking about doing an action at a given place and time, the order of information is:
time when + location + action
㸳㾨㠻㧞㻣㹈䊻㵝㭊⹾⫓⹅᱄
I work in the library on Wednesday afternoons.
Practice Workbook: Focus on Structure 12.5; Focus on Communication 12.1–12.4.

W
O
RKBO
O
Website: Listening for Information 12.2, 12.4; Structure Drills 12.5; Focus on
Structure 12.1, 12.2.
12.6. wǎng (㶚) direction 䔀go toward a direction

To say someone is going toward a direction or place, say:
wǎng (direction/place) 䔀 (㶚 direction/place 䔀)
WǎngⰌ䔀᱄(㶚Ⰼ䔀᱄ )
Go east.
Wǎng㵝㭊⹾䔀᱄(㶚㵝㭊⹾䔀᱄ )
Go toward the library.
Practice Website: Listening for Information 12.3, 12.4; Focus on Structure 12.1, 12.2.
12.7. Train and bus numbers, and traveling by subway and bus
Bus and train numbers are formed by number + ⼦. When the number two precedes ⼦, it
is always ⱟ: ⱟ⼦.
The names of bus lines usually end with ⧖ or gōnggòng qì⧖: 㹆⼦⧖ the number 5 bus,
㧞⼦ gōnggòng qì⧖ the number 3 bus.
The names of subway lines usually end with the word xiàn (㼀) line: 䄜⼦ xiàn the number 1
line, ➬⼦ xiàn the number 8 line.
12.8. Riding a vehicle as a passenger: 䔙⧖

To say that you are riding a vehicle as a passenger, you use the verb 䔙.
㛄㋪䄵䔙 gōnggòng qì⧖㦆᱄(㛄㋪䄵䔙⹌⹓㡜⧖㦆᱄)
You can take the bus.
Notice that this use of 䔙 is often expressed in English as take, though it literally means sit.
㛄㼌䔙dìtiě ⿚㬨㼌䔙 gōnggòng qì⧖㚹ᷠ
Would you rather take the subway or the bus?
To indicate the number of stops you ride on a bus or train, say:
+ number + zhàn
䔙
䔙㧞 zhàn᱄Ride for three stops.
To ask how many stops to take a bus or train, ask:
䔙゙ zhànᷠHow many stops do I go? (literally: Ride for how many stops?)
To say that you are taking a form of transportation to a place, state the means of
transportation before the action of going, coming, or returning:
means of transportation + 㦆 / lái (㎕) / huí (⿹) + location

or
means of transportation + (dào) ⭞ location 㦆/lái (㎕)
㛄㋪䄵䔙dìtiě 㦆⮈yı̌ngyuàn᱄(㛄㋪䄵䔙⭹㳛㦆⮈䇑䊛᱄)
You can take the subway to the movie theater.
㰜㗨䔙fēijı̄ dào 䐱guó lái᱄(㰜㗨䔙⳪〛⭞䐱⺛㎕᱄)
They are coming to China by plane.
㸳㗨䔙gōnggòng qì⧖ huí コ㑬᱄(㸳㗨䔙⹌⹓㡜⧖⿹コ㑬᱄)
We took the bus home.
To say that you are driving a car, bus, or train, use the verb ㋋ and say ㋋⧖/㋋ gōnggòng
qì⧖/㋋huǒ ⧖. See also Use and Structure 12.6 and 12.7.
Practice Website: Listening for Information 12.1, 12.4; Focus on Structure 12.1.
12.9. 㩰⧖ get on a vehicle, 㻣⧖ get off a vehicle, huàn ⧖ (⿜⧖) change

vehicles
In the dialogue, Guoqiang gives Dawei directions by subway, but the expressions
involving getting on and off the train, and changing trains are the same when describing
bus travel.
To say that you are getting on a vehicle (a subway, a bus, a car, a bicycle, an airplane, etc.),
use the verb 㩰 and say 㩰⧖get on a vehicle.
㛄䊻㚨ⱚ㩰㒚⼦⧖᱄
Get on the number six (car/bus, etc.) there.
To say that you are getting off a vehicle, use the verb 㻣 and say 㻣⧖ get off the vehicle.
䊻㵝㭊⹾ lù㻣⧖᱄(䊻㵝㭊⹾㔘㻣⧖᱄)
Get off the (car/bus, etc.) at Library Road.
Say “㻣⧖” if you are riding a crowded bus or train and want to let others know that you are
planning to get off.
We have already learned the words 㩰 and 㻣 in some other expressions:

⷗䊣
㩰 last month 㻣⷗䊣 next month
㩰⷗㾨㠻 last week 㻣⷗㾨㠻 next week
㩰 kè (㋯) go to class 㻣 kè (㋯) get out of class
㶎㩰 evening
To talk about changing train or bus lines, use the word huàn (⿜) change and say huàn ⧖
(⿜⧖) change cars/busses, huàn xiàn (⿜㼀) change lines, huàn ➬⼦ xiàn (⿜➬⼦㼀) change
for the number 8 line.
䊻㵝㭊⹾zhàn 㻣⧖᷍huàn ㈦⼦ xiàn᱄(䊻㵝㭊⹾䍟㻣⧖᷍⿜㈦⼦㼀᱄)
Get off at library station and change for line 9.
Practice Website: Listening for Information 12.4; Focus on Structure 12.1.
12.10. Indicating the existence of something at a location: 䊻 location 䇱 N

and 䇱 N 䊻 location
To indicate that something exists at a location, say:
location 䇱 N
䊻 or N䊻 location
䇱
䊻㚨ⱚ䇱䄜⷗⮈yı̌ng yuàn᱄ 䇱䄜⷗⮈yı̌ng yuàn䊻㚨ⱚ᱄
䊻㚨ⱚ䇱䄜⷗⮈䇑䊛᱄ 䇱䄜⷗⮈䇑䊛䊻㚨ⱚ᱄
There is a movie theater there. There is a movie theater there.
When indicating location, if 䊻 is the first word of the sentence, it may be omitted.
㚨ⱚ䇱䄜⷗⮈yı̌ng yuàn᱄
䊻 = 㚨ⱚ䇱䄜⷗⮈yı̌ng yuàn᱄
䊻㚨ⱚ䇱䄜⷗⮈䇑䊛᱄ = 㚨ⱚ䇱䄜⷗⮈䇑䊛᱄
There is a movie theater there.
⫔䁈⭥mén㋻䇱 dìtiě zhàn᱄ =
䊻 ⫔䁈⭥mén㋻䇱 dìtiě zhàn᱄
䊻⫔䁈⭥㗦㋻䇱⭹㳛䍟᱄ = ⫔䁈⭥㗦㋻䇱⭹㳛䍟
At the entrance to the university there is a subway station.
When using the structure䇱 N 䊻 location, 䇱 cannot be omitted.
䄜⷗⮈yı̌ng yuàn䊻㚨ⱚ᱄
䇱 8 䄜⷗⮈yı̌ng yuàn䊻㚨ⱚ᱄
䇱䄜⷗⮈䇑䊛䊻㚨ⱚ᱄ 8 䄜⷗⮈䇑䊛䊻㚨ⱚ᱄
There is a movie theater there.
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Structure Drills 12.9.

12.11. Indicating the duration of an action: action + duration

Stating the duration of an action without including the object of the verb
To state the duration of an action, that is, to say how long an action occurs, follow the verb
with the duration expression.
verb + duration
㛄⭤䔙䄜⷗ zhōngtóu᱄(㛄⭤䔙䄜⷗䐴㵘᱄)
You have to ride for an hour.
When talking about the duration of completed actions, 㑬 follows the verb.
㸳䔓㳍㶎㩰 shuì 㑬➬⷗ zhōngtóu᱄(㸳䔓㳍㶎㩰㯐㑬➬⷗䐴㵘᱄)
Last night I slept for eight hours.
The adverb chà ⤜ⱁ (⥏⤜ⱁ) almost comes right before the duration expression.
㛄⭤䔙chà⤜ⱁ䄜⷗ zhōngtóu᱄(㛄⭤䔙⥏⤜ⱁ䄜⷗䐴㵘᱄)
You have to ride for about an hour.
To say that you have done an action for a very long time, say:
V 㑬⼽ cháng 㬒jiān (V㑬⼽⧅㬒ヅ)
㸳 děng 㑬⼽ cháng 㬒jiān᱄(㸳⭩㑬⼽⧅㬒ヅ᱄)
I waited for a long time.
Stating the duration of an action and including the object of the verb
When stating the duration of an action and including the object of the verb, you must state
the verb twice, first followed by the object, and then followed by the duration phrase:
[V + O] [V + duration]
㸳měi㳍 [䔙 dìtiě ] [䔙䄜⷗ zhōngtóu]᱄
㛄㗠㳍 [䔙⭹㳛] [䔙䄜⷗䐴㵘]᱄
I ride the subway every day for an hour.
Notice that if 㑬 is used, it follows the second occurrence of the verb.
㸳䔓㳍㶎㩰 [shuì jiào] [shuì㑬➬⷗ zhōngtóu]᱄
㸳䔓㳍㶎㩰[㯐㉖] [㯐㑬➬⷗䐴㵘]᱄
Last night I slept for eight hours.
㸳[䔙dìtiě ] [䔙㑬chà⤜ⱁ䄜⷗ zhōngtóu]᱄
[䔙⭹㳛] [䔙㑬⥏⤜ⱁ䄜⷗䐴㵘]᱄
㸳
I rode the subway for almost an hour.
Asking about the duration of an action

To ask how long an action occurs, follow the action verb with the question phrase ⱁ cháng
㬒jiān (ⱁ⧅㬒ヅ) how long?
[V + O] [V ⱁ cháng 㬒jiān ᷠ] ([V + O] [Vⱁ⧅㬒ヅᷠ])

䔙 dìtiě 䄋䔙ⱁcháng 㬒jiānᷠ
䔙⭹㳛䄋䔙ⱁ⧅㬒ヅᷠ
How long do you have to ride the subway?
shuì jiào shuì 㑬ⱁ cháng 㬒jiānᷠ
㛄
㛄㯐㉖㯐㑬ⱁ⧅㬒ヅᷠ
How long did you sleep?
Time expressions that indicate duration

Here are some time expressions that are commonly used to indicate duration. Note that
when talking about the number of minutes an action occurs for, the phrase to use is:
number + ⳷ + zhōng
⳷ minute 䔙㬏㹆⳷ zhōng sit (ride) for 15 minutes
zhōngtóu hour shuì 㑬➬⷗ zhōngtóu slept for 8 hours
㳍 day 㼌㑬䄜㳍 thought (about something) for a day
㾨㠻 week fù㻑㑬䄜⷗㾨㠻 reviewed for a week
yuè month 䁈㑬㒚⷗䊣 studied for 6 months
nián year 䁈䐱㸥䁈㑬䄜 nián studied Chinese for a year
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12.12. 䐜⼤VP the only (good) thing to do is VP

To say that the only thing to do is [verb phrase], or that [verb phrase] is the only option, use the
expression 䐜⼤ and say:
⼤ VP
䐜
㰞⤜。㯖䐱㸥᷍suǒ 䄵㸳㗨䐜⼤㯖Yı̄ng㸥᱄
㰞⤜。㯖䐱㸥᷍㰚䄵㸳㗨䐜⼤㯖䇃㸥᱄
She can’t speak Chinese so the only (good) thing to do is speak English.
12.13. Sequence with 䄵hòu (䄵⽔): After an action happens, another action
happens
Talking about events that happen in a sequence
The words 䄵hòu after and ㈮, and the completion aspect marker 㑬, are all used when
saying after an action happens, another action happens. The full structure is as follows:
(S) V1 㑬(O) 䄵hòu, ㈮ V2 (O)
This structure is used to indicate the sequence of events that will happen in the future:
⧵㑬Ⳛ䄵hòu, ㈮䔀᱄
㸳
㸳⧵㑬Ⳛ䄵⽔㈮䔀᱄
After I eat, I will leave.
It is also used to indicate the sequence of events that generally or habitually occurs.
㸳㻣㋯䄵⽔㈮㦆㵝㭊⹾䔗⹇㋯᱄
After I get out of class, I go to the library to do homework.
Note that sequence sentences typically include the words䄵hòu, 㑬, and ㈮, though one
or more may be omitted. When they are present in the sentence:
Q 䄵hòu occurs at the end of the first verb phrase, after the object of the verb if there
is an object, or right after the verb if there is no object. (In English, the word after
occurs at the beginning of the first clause.)
Q 㑬 occurs immediately after the first verb.
Q ㈮ occurs right before the second verb or verb phrase.
To help you to see that 䄵hòu is part of the first clause in sequences sentences, we have put
square brackets around the first clause in the following examples.
[㸳⧵㑬Ⳛ䄵hòu] ㈮䔀᱄([㸳⧵㑬䄵⽔]㈮䔀᱄ )
[After I eat,] I will leave.
[㛄mǎi 㑬 piào 䄵hòu] ㈮㩰⧖᱄([㛄㕓㑬㠒䄵⽔]㈮㩰⧖᱄ )
[After you buy a ticket,] get on the vehicle.
[㸳㻣㋯䄵hòu]㈮㦆㵝㭊⹾䔗⹇㋯᱄([㸳㻣㋯䄵⽔]㈮㦆㵝㭊⹾䔗⹇㋯᱄ )
[After I get out of class,] I go to the library to do homework.
Talking about a sequence of events that has already concluded in the past
When talking about a sequence of events that has already taken place, that is, to say “after
an action happened, another action happened,” use the same structure as for sequence in
the future, but include a second 㑬 after the verb phrase that indicates the second action
(that is, the one that happens after the first action is complete).
(S) V1 㑬(O) 䄵hòu (㈮) V2 (O) 㑬

㰞㕓㑬㭊䄵hòu, ㈮ huí コ㑬᱄
㰞㕓㑬㭊䄵⽔㈮⿹コ㑬᱄
After she bought the book, she returned home.
Inclusion and omission of 㑬, 䄵hòu, and ㈮

Sequence sentences often do not include all three sequence markers 㑬, ㈮, and 䄵hòu.
A sentence may contain all three of them, two of them, or only one of them.
㑬 and 䄵hòu both indicate sequence, that is, that after the first action happens, the second
one happens. While they can occur together in the same sentence, since they indicate the
same thing, often only one or the other occurs.
(S) V1 㑬O 䄵hòu, ㈮V2
㛄dào㑬⧖zhàn mén㋻䄵hòu, ⷙ㸳⫓⮈⿑᱄
㛄⭞㑬⧖䍟㗦㋻䄵⽔ⷙ㸳⫓⮈⿑᱄
or
㛄dào⧖zhàn mén㋻䄵hòu, ⷙ㸳⫓⮈⿑᱄
㛄⭞⧖䍟㗦㋻䄵⽔ⷙ㸳⫓⮈⿑᱄
or
dào㑬⧖zhàn mén㋻᷍ⷙ㸳⫓⮈⿑᱄
㛄
㛄⭞㑬⧖䍟㗦㋻᷍ⷙ㸳⫓⮈⿑᱄
After you arrive at the station entrance, phone me.
㈮ signals that the sequence is immediate, that the second action happens right after the
first one is completed. If the actions happen in sequence but not necessarily right after
another, ㈮ is not used.
⭞㗡guó䄵hòu᷍㦆㋕㑬㰜゙⪯᱄
㸳
㸳⭞㗡⺛䄵⽔᷍㦆㋕㑬㰜゙⪯᱄
After I arrived in the United States, I went to see him a few times.
When the actions occur right after another, ㈮ typically occurs. In these sentences, 䄵hòu
is optional, though it may occur.
⭞㑬㗡guó㈮㦆㋕㰜㑬᱄
㸳
㸳⭞㑬㗡⺛㈮㦆㋕㰜㑬᱄
After I arrived in the United States, I went to see him (right away).
There is no need to translate ㈮ into English in sequence sentences, but if you want a
translation to help you understand its function in these sentences, think of it as adding the
meaning then right away or right after that.
㕓㑬 piào 䄵hòu ㈮㩰⧖᱄
㛄
㛄㕓㑬㠒䄵⽔㈮㩰⧖᱄
After you buy a ticket, (right after that) get on the vehicle.
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Practice Workbook: Focus on Structure 12.8, 12.9. Website: Structure Drills 12.10.
12.14. Omitting the main noun after ⭥

⭥ is used when describing a noun. It occurs at the end of each description, and it is
followed by the main noun (the noun that is being described).
➷➷㋋䄜liàng yínsè⭥⧖᱄
㸳
㸳➷➷㋋䄜㑟䅙㩌⭥⧖᱄
My dad drives a silver-colored car.
When the identity of the main noun can be predicted from previous information in the
sentence, it can be omitted. This is the situation when Dawei asks what car Guoqiang will
be driving:
⭥⧖㬨㬓㗕yánsè⭥ᷠ
㛄
㛄⭥⧖㬨㬓㗕䁶㩌⭥ᷠ
What color is your car?
The noun that is omitted after ⭥ is ⧖. Guoqiang could have asked the following, but it
would not have been natural sounding, as the word ⧖ after ⭥ is predictable from the
sentence.
⭥⧖㬨㬓㗕yánsè⭥⧖ᷠ
㛄
㛄⭥⧖㬨㬓㗕䁶㩌⭥⧖ᷠ
(Literally:) Your car is a what-colored car?
Qa Language FAQs
What is the difference between 㦆 go and 䔀 go?

㦆 refers to movement that ends at a certain destination.
㸳㼌㦆㭊diàn᱄(㸳㼌㦆㭊⮋᱄) I want to go to the bookstore.
䔀 is used when talking about going toward (but not to) some place, or movement
in a certain compass direction:
Wǎng 㭊diàn 䔀᱄(㶚㭊⮋䔀᱄ ) Go towards the bookstore.

Wǎng Ⰼ䔀᱄ (㶚Ⰼ䔀᱄ ) Go east.
䔀 is also used when asking about the process of going from place to place:
Cóng ⮈yı̌ngyuàn dào 㛄コ䋖㗕䔀ᷠ(⪴⮈䇑䊛⭞㛄コ䋖㗕䔀ᷠ )
How do you go from the movie theater to your home?
How can 䊻 be a verb and a preposition?

In Lesson 11 we learned how to use 䊻 as a verb. (Use and Structure 11.12)
Gōngyuán 䊻 běibiān᱄(⹌䊑䊻⡒⢀᱄) The park is (located) in the north.

In this lesson we learned how to use 䊻 as a preposition. (Use and Structure 12.5)
䊻⧖zhàn 㩰㒚⼦ xiàn᱄(䊻⧖䍟㩰㒚⼦㼀᱄) At the station, get on the number

6 line.
Mandarin words do not include any features that mark their grammatical category,
and many words may function as a member of more than one category. 䊻 is one
of those words. In any given sentence, 䊻 only has only one grammatical function,
and the overall structure of the sentence makes it clear how 䊻 is being used. If
䊻 is followed by a noun phrase and a verb phrase, it is being used as a preposition
that indicates the location where some action takes place (䊻⧖zhàn 㩰㒚⼦ xiàn
get on the number 6 line at the station), or the location where something exists
(䊻㚨ⱚ䇱䄜⷗⮈ yı̌ng yuàn there is a movie theater there). If 䊻 is followed only
by a noun phrase and not a verb phrase, it is being used as a verb indicating the
location of some noun (gōngyuán 䊻 běibiān the park is in the north).
ⷙand dào (⭞): Two different Mandarin prepositions for to

The Mandarin prepositions ⷙ and dào (⭞) can both be translated into English
with the word to, but in Mandarin, the meanings of ⷙ and dào are distinct. Dào
is used when talking about movement to some location. ⷙ is used when talking
about doing something to or for someone.
Dào 㛄コ䋖㗕䔀ᷠ(⭞㛄コ䋖㗕䔀ᷠ ) How do I go to your home?

㸳䔓㳍ⷙ㰜fā duǎnxìn㑬᱄(㸳䔓㳍ⷙ㰜ⳃⰭ㾦㑬᱄) Yesterday I sent a text
message to him.
㸳ⷙ㰜㕓㑬䄜bēi kāfēi᱄(㸳ⷙ㰜㕓㑬䄜⡎㋈⳩᱄) I bought a cup of coffee
for him.
Two pronunciations and two meanings for ⭤

Most characters have only one pronunciation, but some characters have more
than one pronunciation. The character ⭤is one of them.
⭤ is pronounced de when it is used to indicate the way that actions are per-
formed:
action verb + ⭤ (de) + adjectival phrase

㸳 xiě ⭤ (de) 㲌㕞᱄(㸳㾕⭤ [de] 㲌㕞᱄) I write too slowly.
㰜⧵⭤ (de) ⼽ⱁ᱄He eats a lot.
⭤is pronounced de when it occurs in the word jué⭤ (juéde) think.
⭤ is pronounced děi when it indicates an obligation and means must, have to, or
should. When ⭤ indicates an obligation, it occurs right before an action verb or
verb phrase.
⭤ (děi) + action
㛄⭤ (dei) 䔙chà⤜ⱁ䄜⷗zhōngtóu᱄
You have to sit (ride) for almost an hour.
What is the difference between ⭥ (de) and ⭤ (de)?

⭥ (de) is used when you are describing a noun. The description + ⭥ (de) occurs
right before the noun:
⭥ péngyou (㸳⭥㞔䇲) my friend
㸳
㾂䍦⭥ tóngwū (㾂䍦⭥㵍㸾) Xiao Zhang’s roommate
xı̄n ⭥ kāfēi⹾ (㾣⭥㋈⳩⹾) a new coffee shop
⭤ (de) is used when you are describing the way an action is performed. The
action verb + ⭤ (de) occurs before the adjectival verb or adjectival verb phrase.
xiě ⭤㲌màn᱄(㸳㾕⭤㲌㕞᱄) I write too slowly.
㸳
㰜⧵⭤⼽ⱁ᱄ He eats a lot.
㛄㯖⿑㯖⭤㲌kuài᱄ (㛄㯖⿑㯖⭤㲌㌍᱄) You speak too quickly.
㰞 chàng ⭤⼽⼤᱄(㰞⧋⭤⼽⼤᱄) She sings very well.

Picking up a guest: 㸳㦆 jiē (ㅴ)㛄
Jiē (ㅴ) means to pick up a person from some location and bring them someplace.
When guests come to visit, it is polite to jiē (ㅴ) them and bring them to your
home or to the place where you will be gathering with your guests. Most cultures
have certain rituals associated with receiving a guest, and we will learn other
vocabulary and rituals associated with the behavior of guest and host in the
following lessons.

Part A
Dawei: On Sunday afternoon, Xiaowen and Meili are going shopping. They will go
from the city center to your home, so I have to go by myself. How do I go from
the dormitory to your home?
Guoqiang: Do you want to go by subway or by bus?
Dawei: Subway is faster. I’ll go by subway.
Guoqiang: Okay. Get on the train at the Peking University East Gate station. Take line 4
in the direction of the city center.
Dawei: How many stops do I ride?
Guoqiang: Go for five stops, and at the National Library station change for line 9. Take
the train south one stop. Get off at Baishi Qiao Road (White Stone Road) and
change trains again for line 6.
Dawei: What direction do I go?
Guoqiang: Head east and take the train for six stops. At Dong Si station change for the
number 5 train. Go south and take the train for four stops.
Dawei: Where do I get off the train?
Guoqiang: Get off at the Tiantan East Gate station (the Temple of Heaven East Gate
station). There is a movie theater there, a bookstore, and also a Japanese
restaurant. My home is close to Tiantan Park (Temple of Heaven Park).
Part B
Dawei: How long is the ride from the dorm to Tiantan East Gate station?
Guoqiang: You have to ride for about an hour.
Dawei: An hour! That long! Okay, I might as well listen to music on the train.
Part C
Dawei: How much is a subway ticket?
Guoqiang: ¥3 a ticket, not expensive. You can buy one at the subway station.
Dawei: How do I go from Tiantan East Gate station to your home?
Guoqiang: After you get to the station entrance, phone me. Wait for me there. I’ll drive
over to get you.
Dawei: Okay. What color is your car?
Guoqiang: I’ll drive my dad’s car. It’s a silver Ford. You have my phone number, right?
Dawei: Yes (I have it).
Lesson 13
㸳コ⼽㦾䄸zhǎo
㸳コ⼽㦾䄸䍳
My home is
easy to find
Communication goals
Q Politely initiate and receive telephone calls.

Q Make and accept apologies.
Q Describe the location of people, places, and things.
Literacy goals
Q Distinguish between characters that differ only in stroke length and

configuration.
Key structures
Q precise identification with ㈮: 㸳㈮㬨
Q néng (㚽) and three ways to say can
Q 䄜xiē NP (䄜㾊 NP) several NPs
Q 㦾䄸 + verb easy to do and nán + verb (㚲 + verb) hard to do
Q ⧖䍟[⭥] lı̌biān (⧖䍟[⭥]㏐⢀) inside the station
Q xiān (㻩) action1 䊺 action2 first do action1 then do action2
Dialogue
The situation: Zhang Dawei has arrived at the subway station near Xie Guoqiang’s
house and is phoning Guoqiang to let him know.
Part A
⺛㣠ᷛ Wéiᷠ ⺛㣠ᷛ 㸚?

⫔㸋ᷛ 㤌㸫᷍⺛㣠䊻㕑ᷠ ⫔㸋ᷛ 㤌㸫᷍⺛㣠䊻㕑ᷠ
⺛㣠ᷛ 㸳㈮㬨᱄ 㛛㬨㚥 wèiᷠ ⺛㣠ᷛ 㸳㈮㬨᱄ 㛛㬨㚥㸜ᷠ
⫔㸋ᷛ ⺛㣠᷍㬨㸳᷍⫔㸋᱄㸳⫓㛄 ⫔㸋ᷛ ⺛㣠᷍㬨㸳᷍⫔㸋᱄㸳⫓㛄
⭥㬷〛㛄䋖㗕㗜ㅴᷠ㸳㻷䊻 ⭥㬷〛㛄䋖㗕㗜ㅴᷠ㸳㻷䊻
䊻㳍tánⰌ㗦䍟᱄㛄㬓㗕㬒⽓䊻㳍㲔Ⰼ㗦䍟᱄㛄㬓㗕㬒⽓
néng㎕ㅴ㸳ᷠ 㚽㎕ㅴ㸳ᷠ
⺛㣠ᷛ 䎇ⰵ⤜㡑᷍㸳⭥㬷〛䊻䄜xiē ⺛㣠ᷛ 䎇ⰵ⤜㡑᷍㸳⭥㬷〛䊻䄜㾊
㭊⭥㻣biān᷍㗜㳞ボ᱄ 㭊⭥㻣⢀᷍㗜㳞ボ᱄
Lesson 13 㸳コ⼽㦾䄸zhǎo 㸳コ⼽㦾䄸䍳 My home is easy to find 287
Part A Vocabulary
jiē ㅴ answer, receive verb ㅴ ㅴ
(a phone call);
fetch (a person)
jiù ㈮ precisely adverb ㈮㈮
néng able to, can modal verb 㚽㚽
(physical
ability)
tı̄ngjiàn 㳞ボ hear verb 㳞ボ㔁䃫
wéi, wèi hello? conversational 㸚㸚
expression
(telephone
greeting)
wèi (polite classifier classifier 㸜㸜
for people)
xià 㻣 below* directional particle 㻣㻣
xiàbiān 㻣biān below noun 㻣⢀ 㻣䪦
xiē several* classifier 㾊㾊
yı̄ xiē 䄜xiē several number + classifier 䄜㾊䄜㾊
phrase
Part B
⺛㣠ᷛ ⫔
㸋᷍bié⭥kè㦬䄲㈎⭞ ⺛㣠ᷛ ⫔
㸋᷍⢑⭥㋮㦬䄲㈎⭞
㑬᷍㸳⤜néng㦆ㅴ㛄㑬᱄ 㑬᷍㸳⤜㚽㦆ㅴ㛄㑬᱄
䎇⤜⼤yìsi᱄ 䎇⤜⼤䅃㯝᱄
⫔㸋ᷛ 㗜guānxi᱄ ⫔㸋ᷛ 㗜⹹㻖᱄
⺛㣠ᷛ 㛄
㋪䄵䓵゛㎕㕑ᷠ㸳gàosu ⺛㣠ᷛ 㛄
㋪䄵䓵゛㎕㕑ᷠ㸳⷇㰀
㛄䋖㗕䔀᱄㸳コ⼽㦾䄸㛄䋖㗕䔀᱄㸳コ⼽㦾䄸
zhǎo᱄ 䍳᱄
⫔㸋ᷛ ⼤᱄ ⫔㸋ᷛ ⼤᱄
Part B Vocabulary
biéde bié⭥ other noun description ⢑⭥ ‫⭥ن‬
bù hǎo ⤜⼤yìsi be conversational ⤜⼤䅃㯝 ⤜⼤䅃㯝
expression
yìsi embarrassed
gàosu inform, tell verb ⷇㰀 ⷇䈷
kèrén kè㦬 guest noun ㋮㦬㋮㦬
lı̌ * inside directional particle ㏐䀆㿺
méi 㗜guānxi not conversational 㗜⹹㻖 ᝾励Ҵ
expression
guānxi important,
(it) doesn’t
matter
zhǎo look for verb 䍳䍳
(here: find)
Use and Structure 13.8

Part C
⺛㣠ᷛ 㛄䊻⧖䍟⭥ lı̌biān ⿚㬨䊻⧖ ⺛㣠ᷛ 㛄䊻⧖䍟⭥ ㏐⢀ ⿚㬨䊻⧖

䍟⭥wàibiānᷠ 䍟⭥㶃⢀ᷠ
⫔㸋ᷛ 㸳䊻 wàibiān᱄ ⫔㸋ᷛ 㸳䊻㶃⢀᱄
⺛㣠ᷛ ⧖䍟 wài 䇱䄜⷗㦶⡟Ⳛ⹾᷍ ⺛㣠ᷛ ⧖䍟㶃䇱䄜⷗㦶⡟Ⳛ⹾᷍
㗦㩰䇱“Ⰼ㈊”㑞⷗䓷᱄ 㛄㋕㗦㩰䇱“Ⰼ㈊”㑞⷗䓷᱄ 㛄㋕
ボ㑬㕑ᷠ ボ㑬㕑ᷠ
⫔㸋ᷛ ㋕ボ㑬᱄㸳㈮䊻㚨⷗Ⳛ⹾⼮ ⫔㸋ᷛ ㋕ボ㑬᱄㸳㈮䊻㚨⷗Ⳛ⹾⼮
䄜⷗㋈⳩⹾⭥䐱ヅ᱄ ㋈⳩⹾ 䄜⷗㋈⳩⹾⭥䐱ヅ᱄ ㋈⳩⹾
䊻㸳⭥ zuǒbiān᷍Ⳛ⹾䊻 yòubiān᱄ 䊻㸳⭥ 䔔⢀᷍Ⳛ⹾䊻䇳⢀᱄
⺛㣠ᷛ ⼤᱄㛄㈮䊻⧖䍟⭥㹘běi㗦᱄ ⺛㣠ᷛ ⼤᱄㛄㈮䊻⧖䍟⭥㹘⡒㗦᱄
㛄⪴⧖䍟㶚Ⰼ䔀᱄ 㛄⪴⧖䍟㶚Ⰼ䔀᱄
⫔㸋ᷛ Guò 㕎㔘㕑ᷠ ⫔㸋ᷛ ⺞㕎㔘㕑ᷠ
⺛㣠ᷛ ⰵ᷍㛄⭤ xiān guò 㕎㔘᷍ 䊺⺛㣠ᷛ ⰵ᷍㛄⭤ 㻩⺞㕎㔘᷍䊺
㶚Ⰼ䔀᱄䊻⹌䊑㔘㶚zuǒ guǎi᱄ 㶚Ⰼ䔀᱄䊻⹌䊑㔘㶚䔔⹶᱄
Part C Vocabulary
chēzhàn ⧖䍟 station noun ⧖䍟䡨䍟
(train, bus
station)
Dōngjı̄ng Ⰼ㈊ Tokyo city name Ⰼ㈊ Ꮭ㈊
guǎi turn verb ⹶ ⹶
guò pass verb ⺞䩿

kànjian ㋕ボ see verb ㋕ボ㋕䃫
lı̌biān inside noun ㏐⢀ 䀆䪦/㿺䪦
mǎ lù 㕎㔘 road, local noun 㕎㔘埳㔘
road, street
shàng* 㩰 on, above directional 㩰㩰
particle
shàngbiān 㩰 on, above noun 㩰⢀ 㩰䪦

biān
wài* outside directional 㶃㶃
particle
wàibiān outside noun 㶃⢀ 㶃䪦

xiān first adverb 㻩㻩
yòu* right directional 䇳䇳
particle
yòubiān right side noun 䇳⢀ 䇳䪦

zài 䊺 then, adverb 䊺䊺
afterwards
zhōngjiān 䐱ヅ between, in noun 䐱ヅ䐱刈
between
zuǒ* left directional 䔔䔔
particle
zuǒbiān left side noun 䔔⢀ 䔔䪦

Characters

Function character
⪴ cóng from 㦬 ໥
⭞ dào to (preposition); 䖷 ⭞
arrive (verb)
⳩ fēi coffee* ㋻㋈⳩ (kāfēi) ⳩
coffee
⹌ gōng public* ➬ ⹌䊑 ⹌
(gōngyuán)
park, ⹌⹓㡜
⧖ (gōnggòng
qìchē )
(public) bus
⺛ guó country* 䯎䐱⺛ ङ
(Zhōngguó)
China
゛ jı̌ self* ゛䓵゛ (zìjı̌ ) self ゛
ヅ jiān * 㗦䐱ヅ刈
(zhōngjiān)
between, 㬒ヅ
(shíjiān) time
ㅴ jiē answer 䨱 ㅴ⮈⿑ (jiē ㅴ
(a phone); pick diànhuà)
up (a guest) answer the
phone, ㅴ㞔䇲
(jiē péngyou)
pick up a friend
㈊ jı̄ng capital city * 䚐 Ⰼ㈊㈊

(Dōngjı̄ng)
Tokyo, ⡒㈊
(Běijı̄ng)
Beijing
(Peking)
㈎ jı̄ng * 做䄲㈎ (yı̌jing) ㄼ
already
㋈ kā * ㋻㋈⳩ (kāfēi) ㋈
coffee
㎕ lái come 㚟 Ҏ
㔘 lù road ⻊(䔄) 㕎㔘 (mǎ lù) 㔘

road
㗦 mén door, gate 㗦㗦㋻凵
(ménkǒu)
doorway,
gateway
㛛 nín you (polite) 㾥㛛
㣠 qiáng strong ⹎ ⺛㣠 ຫ
(Guóqiáng)
(given name)
㦾 róng * 体㦾䄸 (róngyì) 㦾
easy
㶚 wǎng toward 䱽㶚
㻷 xiàn * 㶖㻷䊻 (xiànzài) ␧
now
䄲 yı̌ * 䄲䄲㈎ (yı̌jing) 䄲
already
䄸 yì * 㦶㦾䄸 (róngyì) 䄸
easy
䊑 yuán garden* 䯎 ⹌䊑 ड
(gōngyuán)
park
䍟 zhàn station, (bus or 㑃 ⧖䍟䍟
train) stop (chēzhàn)
station
䎇 zhēn really 㚠䎇
䓵 zì self* 䓵䓵゛ (zìjı̌) self 䓵
Chinese characters
Pay attention to small differences between characters
One of the challenges of learning characters is learning which variations in the form of a
stroke change the character, and which are just differences in handwriting or printing style.
In this lesson we learn two distinct characters that are written almost the same way: 䄲 (yı̌ )
(“䄲㈎”⭥“䄲”) and ゛ (jı̌) (“䓵゛”⭥“゛”). Each character is written with three strokes in
the same order. Look at them closely and see how they differ. In䄲 (yı̌), the third stroke
begins halfway down the open space on the left of the character, above the start of the hori-
zontal stroke. In゛ (jı̌ ), the third stroke begins at the starting point of the horizontal stroke.
We have already learned other characters that are minimally different. These include 㦬
(rén) and ➬ (bā), characters that are written with identical strokes in a slightly different
configuration with respect to each other, and also 㸥 (wén) and 㒚 (liù). Always pay atten-
tion to the configuration of strokes, as well as their starting points, when you learn a new
character.
Use and structure

13.1. Telephone etiquette: Answering the phone with wéi/wèi (㸚)
Wéi (㸚) and its variation in fourth tone, wèi, are used at the beginning of a telephone
conversation. You can translate wéi/wèi as hello, but it is much more restricted in use
than hello is in English, and it is only used in telephone conversations. Wéi is the usual
pronunciation of the word. Wèi (in fourth tone) is relatively abrupt and conveys a sense
of impatience. Nowadays, people may answer the telephone by saying “Wéi, 㛄⼤,” espe-
cially in business contexts.
In the dialogue, Dawei phones Guoqiang on a landline, so he is not sure who has answered
the phone, and asks:
㤌㸫᷍⺛㣠䊻㕑ᷠMay I ask, is Guoqiang there?
Guoqiang asks for the caller’s identity by saying:
㛛㬨㚥㸜ᷠWho are you?
This is a very polite way to ask for someone’s identity. See Use and Structure 13.3 for more
information about this expression.
If Dawei had called Guoqiang on his cell phone, they wouldn’t have to ask about each oth-
er’s identities. But whether on a cell phone or landline, when you answer a phone call you
say wéi.
13.2. Indicating precise identification with ㈮

In Lesson 9 we learned to use the adverb ㈮ to indicate that an action occurs sooner than
expected (Use and Structure 9.10), and in Lesson 11 we learned that ㈮ may also mean only
(Use and Structure 11.1). In this lesson we see another use of ㈮: to indicate exact identifica-
tion. In the dialogue, when Dawei asks for Guoqiang, Guoqiang replies that he is Guoqiang
by saying:
㸳㈮㬨᱄That’s me.
㈮ occurs in the sentence to emphasize that Dawei found precisely who he was looking for.
In Part C of the dialogue, Dawei uses ㈮ for the same purpose, to indicate a precise loca-
tion. When used to identify locations, ㈮ can sometimes be translated as right, as in the
expression right there:
㸳㈮䊻㚨⷗Ⳛ⹾⼮䄜⷗㋈⳩⹾⭥䐱ヅ᱄
I am right between that restaurant and a coffee shop.

13.3. A polite way to refer to people: 㛛㬨㚥wèiᷠ 㛛㬨㚥㸜ᷠ

To politely ask for someone’s identity, say:
㛛㬨㚥wèiᷠ(㛛㬨㚥㸜ᷠ) Who are you?
㛛 is the polite form of 㛄 and it indicates respect toward the addressee.
Wèi (㸜) is a classifier for people, and it is used when referring to people politely and with
deference: 㧞 wèi ㎰㬇 (㧞㸜㎰㬇) three teachers. In a restaurant, a waiter may ask you how
many people are in your group with the question:
゙wèiᷠ (゙㸜ᷠ) How many people are there (in your group)?
Wèi is typically not followed by the noun 㦬 person/people.
13.4. Néng, 。, and ㋪䄵: Three ways to say can

Néng, 。, and ㋪䄵 are all modal verbs that can be translated into English as can. The
words sometimes overlap in use, but the basic meanings differ as follows:
Q 。 refers to innate or learned ability. (Use and Structure 3.5.) To say that you can speak
Chinese or that you can sing, use。.
㸳。㯖䐱㸥᱄
I can speak Chinese.
㸳。chàng gē ᱄(㸳。⧋ⷉ᱄)
I can sing.
Q ㋪䄵 refers to permission. (Use and Structure 5.13.) To say that you have permission to
go dancing, or to ask someone for permission to do something, use ㋪䄵.
㕉㕉㯖㸳㋪䄵㦆 tiào wǔ ᱄(㕉㕉㯖㸳㋪䄵㦆㳙㹉᱄ )

Mom says I can go dancing.
㸳㗨㋪䄵㯖 Yı̄ng㸥㕑ᷠ (㸳㗨㋪䄵㯖䇃㸥㕑ᷠ)
Can we speak English? (Is it okay to speak English?)
Q Néng (㚽) refers to physical or circumstantial ability. When saying that you are physi-
cally able to do something (for example, I can pick up that big box), or that circumstances
make it possible for you to do something (I can go to your house on Thursday – I have no
conflicts), use néng. To say that you are physically unable to do something or that circum-
stances make it impossible to do something, say ⤜ néng (⤜㚽). In the dialogue, Guo-
qiang is unable to pick up Dawei at the station because other guests have arrived. He
tells Dawei:
㸳⤜ néng 㦆ㅴ㛄㑬᱄(㸳⤜㚽㦆ㅴ㛄㑬᱄)
I can’t go and get you anymore.
13.5. Making an apology and accepting an apology

To apologize about not being able to do something for someone, say:
䎇⤜⼤yìsi᱄(䎇⤜⼤䅃㯝᱄)
I’m really embarrassed.
To acknowledge an apology by saying that the situation is not important (that is, that it does
not warrant an apology) say:
㗜 guānxi᱄(㗜⹹㻖᱄)
It’s not important. (Forget it.)
The expression ⰵ⤜㡑 can also be used as an apology, but it is a little different from ⤜⼤
yìsi. ⤜⼤yìsi is used when you are unable to do something for someone who you would not
ordinarily refuse – a good friend, a relative, a teacher, a boss, etc. ⰵ⤜㡑 can be used with
a broader range of people. ⤜⼤yìsi is also more commonly used in Taiwan than in main-
land China.
13.6. 䄜xiē NP (䄜㾊 NP) several NPs, some NPs

The phrase䄜xiē NP (䄜㾊 NP) means several NPs or some NPs. It is used when you want
to indicate that there is more than one noun, but you do not want to indicate a precise
number.
㸳⭥㬷〛䊻䄜xiē 㭊⭥㻣biān᱄
㸳⭥㬷〛䊻䄜㾊㭊⭥㻣⢀᱄
My cell phone was under some books.
In terms of grammar, xiē is a classifier. It never occurs alone, and can only be preceded by
the number 䄜, or 㚨, 䎃, or 㚥.
㸳䄲㈎㋕㑬㚨xiē 㭊᱄(㸳䄲㈎㋕㑬㚨㾊㭊᱄)
I’ve already read those books.
㛄⧵㑬㚥xiē Ⰼ㹘ᷠ (㛄⧵㑬㚥㾊Ⰼ㹘ᷠ)
What things have you eaten?
In Lesson 10 we learned the expression 䇱⭥, which is also translated into English as some.
(Use and Structure 10.9.)
䇱⭥yǔfǎ 㸳⤜dǒng᷍䇱⭥䓷㸳⤜。 xiě ᱄
䇱⭥䈐ⳉ㸳⤜Ⰿ᷍䇱⭥䓷㸳⤜。㾕᱄
I didn’t understand some of the grammar; I couldn’t write some of the characters.
Although 䇱⭥ and 䄜xiē (䄜㾊) are both followed by a noun phrase and can both be trans-
lated with the English word some, they are not used in the same way. 䇱⭥ NP must occur
before the verb, either as the subject or as the topic of the sentence. In addition, it implies
some comparison with other nouns. In Lesson 10, when 㾂㸥says 䇱⭥䓷㸳⤜。xiě (䇱
⭥䓷㸳⤜。㾕), she is implying that there were characters that she was able to write, in
addition to the ones she wasn’t able to write. 䄜xiē NP (䄜㾊 NP) can occur before or after
the verb, and it does not imply any comparison with other nouns.
13.7. Describing location with respect to some reference point: ⧖䍟⭥lı̌biān

(⧖䍟⭥㏐⢀) inside the station
To indicate a location with respect to some reference point, for example, under some books,
inside the station, to the right of coffee shop, or to the left of the movie theater, say:
reference point (⭥) direction
⧖䍟 [⭥] lı̌biān (⧖䍟 [⭥]㏐⢀)
inside the station
In the following phrases from the dialogue, the reference point is underlined. Notice that
in Mandarin, the reference point is always stated first and the direction follows it. ⭥ may
often be omitted.
䄜xiē㭊⭥㻣 biān (䄜㾊㭊⭥㻣⢀) under some books
⧖䍟⭥ lı̌biān (⧖䍟⭥㏐⢀) inside the station
⧖䍟⭥ wàibiān (⧖䍟⭥㶃⢀) outside the station
㸳⭥ zuǒbiān (㸳⭥䔔⢀) to my left
The following diagram illustrates inside the station, outside the station, to the left of the station,
and to the right of the station.
⧖䍟⭥ wàibiān
⧖䍟⭥㶃⢀
⧖䍟
⧖䍟⭥ zuǒbiān the station ⧖䍟⭥ yòubiān
⧖䍟⭥䔔⢀ ⧖䍟⭥ lı̌biān ⧖䍟⭥䇳⢀
⧖䍟⭥㏐⢀
Sometimes, directions with respect to a location can be expressed with a shorter structure.
See Use and Structure 13.9.
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13.1, 13.2, 13.3; Structure Drills 13.1, 13.2, 13.3, 13.4.
13.8. 㦾䄸 + verb easy to do, and nán + verb (㚲 + verb) hard to do

When talking about an action being easy to do or hard to do, use the adjectival verbs 㦾䄸
easy and nán (㚲) hard as follows:
Q If the object of the verb is a specific thing, you can state it before 㦾䄸 or nán
and say:
object + 㦾䄸+ verb

or
object + nán + verb (object + 㚲 + verb)
㸳コ⼽㦾䄸䍳᱄
My home is easy to find.
㚨⷗䓷⼽ nán xiě ᱄(㚨⷗䓷⼽㚲㾕᱄)
That character is difficult to write.
Q If you are talking about some action in general and the object is not specific, state the
entire verb + object phrase before 㦾䄸 or nán and say:
VP ⼽㦾䄸
or
VP ⼽nán (VP ⼽㚲)
Chàng kǎlā OK ⼽㦾䄸᱄(⧋㋉㎎OK⼽㦾䄸᱄)
Singing karaoke is easy.
㋋⧖⼽ nán᱄ (㋋⧖⼽㚲᱄)
Driving is difficult.
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13.9. The short form of direction expressions: 㗦㩰 on the door and ⧖䍟
wài (⧖䍟㶃) outside of the station
When talking about inside, outside, below, or on or above some reference point, you can use
the structure described in Use and Structure 13.7, or you can say:
reference point + direction particle:
㗦㩰
on the door
⧖䍟 wài (⧖䍟㶃)
outside of the station
The correspondence between the long form and the short form of direction expressions
with respect to a reference point is illustrated here. Speakers in different regions of China
differ in their acceptance of the short form for various nouns. The directions left and right,
and the compass directions east, south, west, and north, do not occur in the short form.
short form long form

reference point lı̌ ⹌䊑 lı̌ (⹌䊑㏐) ⹌䊑⭥lı̌biān (⹌䊑⭥㏐⢀)
inside the reference point inside the park inside the park
reference point wài ⧖䍟 wài (⧖䍟㶃) ⧖䍟⭥wàibiān (⧖䍟⭥㶃⢀)
outside the reference point outside the station outside the station
reference point㩰 chuáng㩰 (⪓㩰) chuáng⭥㩰biān (⪓⭥㩰⢀)
above/on the reference point on the bed on the bed
reference point㻣 chuáng㻣 (⪓㻣) chuáng⭥㻣biān (⪓⭥㻣⢀)
below/under the reference point under the bed under the bed

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13.10. Indicating sequence with xiān (㻩) action1 䊺 action2 first do action1
then do action2
To say that you do something first and then something else afterwards, use xiān (㻩) first
and 䊺 again, then and say:
(S) xiān (㻩) action1䊺 action2
㛄⭤ xiān guò 㕎㔘᷍䊺 wǎng běi 䔀᱄
㛄⭤㻩⺞㕎㔘᷍䊺㶚⡒䔀᱄
You must first cross the street, then go north.
Actions are always expressed as verb phrases. Xiān and 䊺 can only occur before verb
phrases; they never occur before a noun.
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Qa Language FAQs
What is the difference between ㋕ and ㋕ボ, 㳞 and 㳞ボ"
㳞 means listen; 㳞ボ means hear. Similarly, ㋕ means look, while ㋕ボ means see.
ボ functions as a free verb and as a verb suffix. As a suffix it means to successfully
locate something with your senses, and when it follows 㳞 or ㋕ it means to suc-
cessfully locate a sound (㳞ボ hear) or an object (㋕ボ see). In later lessons, we will
learn more about verb suffixes like ボ and how they function.

Evolving telephone culture
Thirty years ago, few Chinese households had a telephone. In present day China,
landlines are still relatively uncommon, but almost everyone has a cell phone. The
traditional way to answer a phone in China is to say wéiᷠ(㸚ᷠ) Nowadays, many
people answer the phone by saying wéiᷠ㛄⼤. Text messages and wēixìn (㸃㾦), a
voice and text messaging system, are widely used in China, and everything from
personal messages to news, traffic, and weather reports, and even advertisements,
are sent by message from people’s cell phones.

Part A
Guoqiang: Hello?
Dawei: May I ask, is Guoqiang there?
Guoqiang: That’s me. Who are you (polite)?
Dawei: Guoqiang, it’s me, Dawei. I phoned your cell, how come you didn’t answer? I’m
at the Tiantan East Gate station now. When are you able to come get me?
Guoqiang: I’m really sorry. My cell phone is under some books (and) I didn’t hear it.
Part B
Guoqiang: Dawei, the other guests have already arrived. I can’t go and get you anymore.
I’m really sorry.
Dawei: No problem.
Guoqiang: Can you come by yourself? I’ll tell you how to go. My home is very easy to
find.
Dawei: Okay.
Part C
Guoqiang: Are you inside the station or outside the station?
Dawei: I’m outside.
Guoqiang: Outside of the station there is a Japanese restaurant. On the door there are the
two characters “Dong Jing” (Tokyo). Do you see it?
Dawei: I see it. I am right in between that restaurant and a coffee shop. The coffee
shop is on my left, the restaurant is on my right.
Guoqiang: Good. You are at the northwest exit of the station. Head east from the station.
Dawei: Do I cross the street?
Guoqiang: Yes, first you have to cross the street, then go east. At Park Avenue turn left.
to be continued . . .
Lesson 14
㸳コ㈮䊻yínháng⭥
pángbiān
㸳コ㈮䊻䅙㾱
⭥㝵⢀
My house is next
to a bank
Communication goals
Q Give and follow street directions.

Q Recite and understand street addresses.
Q Paraphrase information.
Q Tell someone to do something.
Q Narrate events that happen in a sequence.
Literacy goals
Q Describe words in terms of their component characters: 䁈㪛⭥䁈
Key structures
Q V + O + V ⭤⼽ AdjV: describing how an action with an object is
performed
Q V + AdjV 䄜⮄ do the action a little (slower, faster, larger, etc.)
Q 㬓㗕⭥ etcetera
Q dì + number (⭻ number): dì䄜 (⭻䄜) first, dìⱟ (⭻ⱟ) second, dì㧞 (⭻㧞) third
Q 䄓㈮㬨㯖 that is to say
Q 䄜zhí + action (䄜䐒 + action) continue to do the action
Q bié + action (⢑ + action) don’t do the action
Q expressing sequence: 㦜⽔ vs. 䄵⽔
Q future situations with 。
Q rúguǒ (㧈⺜) if
Dialogue
The situation: Xie Guoqiang and Zhang Dawei continue their telephone conversa-
tion. Guoqiang is telling Dawei how to walk from the subway station to his home.
Dawei finds that following directions in Chinese is a little challenging.
Part A
⫔㸋ᷛ⺛㣠᷍㛄㯖⿑㯖⭤㲌㌍᱄㸳⤜Ⰿ᷍ ⫔㸋ᷛ⺛㣠᷍㛄㯖⿑㯖⭤㲌㌍᱄㸳⤜Ⰿ᷍
㤌㛄㯖㕞䄜⮄ⱚ᱄ 㤌㛄㯖㕞䄜⮄ⱚ᱄
⺛㣠ᷛ ⼤᱄⧖䍟⭥ⰵ miàn 䇱䄜⷗㭊⮋ㅱ䁈⺛㣠ᷛ⼤᱄⧖䍟⭥ⰵ㘇䇱䄜⷗㭊⮋ㅱ䁈
䇲㭊⮋᷍䁈㪛⭥䁈᷍㞔䇲⭥䇲᷍ 䇲㭊⮋᷍䁈㪛⭥䁈᷍㞔䇲⭥䇲᷍
㚨⷗㭊⮋㕕jiù㭊᷍㗦㋻䄓㕕⧖㠒᱃ 㚨⷗㭊⮋㕕㈪㭊᷍㗦㋻䄓㕕⧖㠒᱃
zázhì㬓㗕⭥᱄㛄㋕ボ㑬㕑ᷠ 䊴䐟㬓㗕⭥᱄㛄㋕ボ㑬㕑ᷠ
⫔㸋ᷛ㋕ボ㑬᱄㛄䔓㳍㈮⷇㰀㸳㑬᱄ ⫔㸋ᷛ㋕ボ㑬᱄㛄䔓㳍㈮⷇㰀㸳㑬᱄
⺛㣠ᷛ 㛄⺞㕎㔘⭞㭊⮋㦆᱄⺞㑬㕎㔘䄵⽔⺛㣠ᷛ 㛄⺞㕎㔘⭞㭊⮋㦆᱄⺞㑬㕎㔘䄵⽔
㶚Ⰼ䔀᱄䊻dì㧞⷗㔘㋻䇱䄜⷗ 㶚Ⰼ䔀᱄䊻⭻㧞⷗㔘㋻䇱䄜⷗
hónglǚ dēng᱄㚨 tiáo 㔘㬨⹌䊑㔘᱄ ⽍㔭⭧᱄㚨㳖㔘㬨⹌䊑㔘᱄
䊻㚨ⱚ⺞㑬㕎㔘㶚䔔guǎi᱄ 䊻㚨ⱚ⺞㑬㕎㔘㶚䔔⹶᱄
⫔㸋ᷛ㶚䔔guǎi䄓㈮㬨㯖㶚⡒guǎi᷍ⰵ⤜ⰵᷠ ⫔㸋ᷛ㶚䔔⹶䄓㈮㬨㯖㶚⡒⹶᷍ⰵ⤜ⰵᷠ
⺛㣠ᷛⰵ᱄ ⺛㣠ᷛⰵ᱄
Lesson 14 㸳コ㈮䊻 yínháng ⭥ pángbiān 㸳コ㈮䊻䅙㾱⭥㝵⢀ My house is next to a bank 305
Part A Vocabulary
dēng light noun ⭧ ᬕ
dì (ordinal prefix) prefix ⭻ ⭻
duìmiàn ⰵmiàn across from noun ⰵ㘇 ಇ㘇
hóng lǜ traffic light noun phrase ⽍㔭⭧ さㆨᬕ
dēng (red-green light)
jiù old (things) adjectival verb ㈪㜇
lùkǒu 㔘㋻ intersection noun 㔘㋻㔘㋻
shénme 㬓㗕⭥ and other noun phrase 㬓㗕⭥ 㬓怯⭥
de things like that
tiáo (classifier for classifier 㳖 ᒍ
streets)
yě jiù 䄓㈮㬨㯖 in other words conversational 䄓㈮㬨㯖䄓㈮㬨䌇
shì shuō expression
zázhì magazine(s) noun 䊴䐟厔䋪
Part B
⺛㣠ᷛ䄜zhí 㶚⡒䔀᱄㣑 biān 䇱䄜⷗㬏䓷㔘㋻᱄ ⺛㣠ᷛ䄜䐒㶚⡒䔀᱄㣑⢀䇱䄜⷗㬏䓷㔘㋻᱄
⫔㸋ᷛ⿚䄋⺞㕎㔘㕑ᷠ ⫔㸋ᷛ⿚䄋⺞㕎㔘㕑ᷠ
⺛㣠ᷛ Bié ⺞㕎㔘᱄䊻㚨ⱚ㶚䇳 guǎi᱄䄓㈮㬨⺛㣠ᷛ⢑⺞㕎㔘᱄䊻㚨ⱚ㶚䇳⹶᱄䄓㈮㬨
㯖᷍㶚Ⰼguǎi᱄ 㯖᷍㶚Ⰼ⹶᱄
⫔㸋ᷛ⼤᱄㦜⽔㚹ᷠ ⫔㸋ᷛ⼤᱄㦜⽔㚹ᷠ
⺛㣠ᷛ㦜⽔㛄。㋕ボ䄜⷗yínháng᱄㚨tiáo㔘ㅱ ⺛㣠ᷛ㦜⽔㛄。㋕ボ䄜⷗䅙㾱᱄㚨㳖㔘ㅱ
䐱㩞㔘᷍㸳コ㈮䊻yínháng ⭥ pángbiān᷍ 䐱㩞㔘᷍㸳コ㈮䊻䅙㾱⭥㝵⢀᷍
㸳コ⭥⽔biān䇱䄜⷗⼽⫔⭥⹌䊑᷍㚨㈮㸳コ⭥⽔⢀䇱䄜⷗⼽⫔⭥⹌䊑᷍㚨㈮
㬨 Lóngtán⹌䊑᱄⹌䊑㏐䇱䄜⷗⼽㬨㒛㲗⹌䊑᱄⹌䊑㏐䇱䄜⷗⼽
piàoliang⭥⽟᷍ㅱLóngtán ⽟᱄㸳コ⭥ 㠐㑢⭥⽟᷍ㅱ㒛㲗⽟᱄㸳コ⭥
dìzhı̌ 㬨䐱㩞㔘䄜bǎi líng➬⼦᱄ ⭹䐘㬨䐱㩞㔘䄜➺㒄➬⼦᱄
Part B Vocabulary
bié don’t negation ⢑ ‫ن‬
dìzhı̌ address noun ⭹䐘 ⭹䐘
hòu ⽔ behind* directional ⽔䲂
particle
hòubiān ⽔biān behind noun ⽔⢀ 䲂䪦

huì 。 will modal verb 。 ᎟
Lóngtán Lóngtán ⽟ Longtan place name 㒛㲗⽟愩㲗⽟
hú Lake, Dragon
Pool Lake
pángbiān next to, beside, noun 㝵⢀ 㝵䪦
alongside
qián 㣑 front* directional 㣑㣑
particle
qiánbiān 㣑biān in front of noun 㣑⢀ 㣑䪦

ránhòu 㦜⽔ afterward adverb 㦜⽔㦜䲂
shízì lùkǒu 㬏䓷㔘㋻ four-way noun phrase 㬏䓷㔘㋻㬏䓷㔘㋻
intersection
yínháng bank noun 䅙㾱䶚㾱
yı̄zhí 䄜zhí continuously adverb 䄜䐒䄜䐒
Part C
⫔㸋ᷛ⼤᱄䐋⭡㑬᱄⤜。⼽㚲䍳᱄⪴⧖䍟 ⫔㸋ᷛ⼤᱄䐋⭡㑬᱄⤜。⼽㚲䍳 ᱄⪴⧖䍟
⭞㛄コ䔀㔘䄋䔀ⱁ㈤ᷠ ⭞㛄コ䔀㔘䄋䔀ⱁ㈤ᷠ
⺛㣠ᷛ⤜䊗᷍㈮䄜㏐⟌㔘᱄⥏⤜ⱁ㬏㹆⳷ ⺛㣠ᷛ⤜䊗᷍㈮䄜㏐⟌㔘᱄⥏⤜ⱁ㬏㹆⳷
zhōng ㈮㋪䄵⭞᱄Rúguǒ㛄䔀㌍䄜⮄᷍ 䐴㈮㋪䄵⭞᱄㧈⺜㛄䔀㌍䄜⮄᷍
㬏⳷ zhōng ㈮⭞㑬᱄ 㬏⳷䐴㈮⭞㑬᱄
⫔㸋ᷛ㚨᷍㸳㻷䊻㈮㶚㛄コ䔀᱄ ⫔㸋ᷛ㚨᷍㸳㻷䊻㈮㶚㛄コ䔀᱄
⺛㣠ᷛ⼤᷍㸳㗨děng㛄᱄䄜。ⱚボ᱄ ⺛㣠ᷛ⼤᷍㸳㗨⭩㛄᱄䄜。ⱚボ᱄
⫔㸋ᷛ䊺ボ᱄ ⫔㸋ᷛ䊺ボ᱄
Part C Vocabulary
duō jiǔ ⱁ㈤ how long? question phrase ⱁ㈤ ⱁ㈤
rúguǒ if conjunction 㧈⺜㧈⺜
yı̄huìr 䄜。ⱚ a short period time phrase 䄜。ⱚ 䄜᎟‫כ‬
of time
yı̄huìr 䄜。ⱚボ see you soon conversational 䄜。ⱚボ䄜᎟‫כ‬䃫
jiàn expression
Spatial directions
㣑biān in front ⽔biān behind
㏐biān inside 㶃biān outside
㩰biān on top of, above 㻣biān below
䔔biān to the left 䇳biān to the right
pángbiān(㝵⢀) beside, alongside ⰵmiàn(ⰵ㘇) across from
䐱ヅ between, in between
Expressing locations with respect

to the station
The following map illustrates locations with respect to the ⧖䍟 station. Each location
is specified with a location noun (inside, outside, next to, behind, in front of, etc.).
Words used in street addresses

Terms used in mainland China Terms used in Taiwan
㤙 qū district ‫ۿ‬ qū district
Ⱟ duàn section Ⱟ duàn section
(⫔)ㅷ (dà) jiē (main) street ㅷ jiē street
㔘 lù road, street 㔘 lù road, street
㼐 xiàng lane
⽛㵍 hútong alley 㝋 lòng alley
㔆 lóu floor ᖨ lóu floor
⼦ hào number 㱷 hào number
Characters
Function character
⡒ běi north* 䖑 ⡒⢀ ⡒
(běi biān)
north side
⥏ chà lack* ⹅ ⥏⤜ⱁ ⥏
(chàbuduō)
almost
⭡ dào path* 佢䐋⭡ (zhı̄dào) ⭡
know
⮋ diàn store ⺄㭊⮋ ⮋
(shūdiàn)
bookstore
Ⰿ dǒng understand 䵁 Ⰿ
⷇ gào inform* ㋻ ⷇㰀 (gàosu) ⷇

inform
⺞ guò cross, pass 佢䩿
⽔ hòu after, ㋻䄵⽔ (yı̌hòu) 䲂
behind* after;⽔⢀
(hòubiān)
behind
⽟ hú lake 一⽟
㈤ jiǔ long time 䖐 ⱁ㈤ (duō jiǔ) ㈤

how long
㏐ lı̌ inside* ㏐㏐⢀(lı̌bian) 䀆᷐㿺
inside;䄜㏐㔘
(yı̄ lı̌ lù)
one mile
㕕 mài sell 㬏䘖
㕞 màn slow, slowly 䵁㕞
㚰 nán south 㬏㚰⢀ 㚰
(nánbiān)
south side
㚲 nán difficult 尠厚
㠒 piào ticket 㬟㠒
㣑 qián before, in 䖷䄵㣑 (yı̌qián) 㣑

front* before; 㣑⢀
(qiánbiān)
in front of
㩞 shān mountain 㩞㩞
㰀 sù inform* 䜆 ⷇㰀(gàosu) 䈷
inform
㶃 wài outside* 㻇㶃⢀ 㶃
(wàibiān)
outside
䇳 yòu right* ㋻䇳⢀ 䇳
(yòubiān)
right side
䊗 yuǎn far 佢䪉
䍳 zhǎo look for, find 䨱䍳
䐋 zhı̄ know* 㬙䐋⭡ 䐋

(zhı̄dào) know
䔔 zuǒ left* ⹅ 䔔⢀ 䔔
(zuǒbiān)
left side
Use and structure

14.1. Describing how an action with an object is performed
In Lesson 10 we learned how to describe how actions are performed when the verb does not
take an object. (Use and Structure 10.4.) Recall that, ordinarily, ⼽ or another intensifier
occurs before the adjectival verb in this structure.
action verb ⭤ [⼽] AdjV
xiě ⭤[⼽]㕞
㾕⭤[⼽]㕞
write slowly
In this lesson, we learn to describe how actions are performed when the verb takes an ob-
ject. When the verb takes an object, the verb is repeated twice, once followed by the object
and once followed by ⭤ + AdjV. As when there is no object, the adjectival verb is typically
preceded by ⼽ or another intensifier.
V + O + V ⭤ [⼽] AdjV
xiě 䓷xiě ⭤⼽㕞
㰞㯖⿑㯖⭤㲌㌍᱄
She speaks too quickly.
㛄xiě ⼛䓷 xiě ⭤⼽㕞᱄(㛄㾕⼛䓷㾕⭤⼽㕞᱄)
You write Chinese characters very slowly.
㰜⧵Ⳛ⧵⭤㲌ⱁ᱄
He eats too much.
Notice that the object of the verb is not always translated into English. See Use and Struc-
ture 8.13 and 9.12 for more about the objects of action verbs.
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Workbook: Focus on Structure 14.1. Website: Structure Drills 14.1.
14.2. V + AdjV 䄜⮄ do the action a little more AdjV

In Lesson 7 (Use and Structure 7.5) we learned that AdjV 䄜⮄ means a little more AdjV:
㋪䄵piányi䄜⮄㕑ᷠ(㋪䄵⢄䄬䄜⮄㕑ᷠ)
Can it be a little cheaper?
In this lesson we see that when an adjectival verb follows a verb, it means do the action a
little more AdjV (faster, slower, bigger, smaller, etc.)
V + AdjV 䄜⮄
㤌㛄㯖㕞䄜⮄᱄
Please speak a little slower.
㤌㛄xiě ㌍䄜⮄᱄ (㤌㛄㾕㌍䄜⮄᱄)
Please write a little faster.
This structure is different in meaning from 䇱䄜⮄ AdjV a little AdjV (Lesson 10). 䇱䄜⮄
a little is an intensifier like ⼽ very, 㲌 too, and fēicháng (⳨⧄) extremely. It always goes
right before an adjectival verb.
㚨⡟㭊䇱䄜⮄⺔᱄
That book is a little expensive.
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RKBO Practice Workbook: Focus on Structure 14.2; Focus on Communication 14.1; Website:
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Structure Drills 14.8
14.3. Describing words in terms of their component characters

In Part A of the dialogue, Guoqiang explains the name of the bookstore, 䁈䇲㭊⮋, in
terms of its component characters: 䁈㪛⭥䁈᷍㞔䇲⭥䇲 “the 䁈 of 䁈㪛 and the 䇲 of
㞔䇲.” A single syllable in Chinese can correspond to many different meanings. Think of
how many meanings we have learned that are associated with the syllable shì. But there is
typically only one character associated with a pronunciation and meaning, so providing
information about the character or characters used in writing a word is a good way to iden-
tify the word. As for the syllable shì, if I were to tell you that the character I am talking about
is “shìzhōngxı̄n de shì” (the 㬱 of 㬱䐱㾥), you’d know that I meant㬱. If I were to tell you
it is “㸳㬨䁈㪛⭥㬨” (the 㬨 of 㸳㬨䁈㪛), you would know that I meant 㬨.
Here are some more examples:
㸳ㅱ㾜コ㘘ᷛ㾜㾜⭥㾜᷍⺛コ⭥コ᷍㘘㳍⭥㘘᱄
I am called Xie Jiaming: the “xiè ” of “xièxie,” the “guó” of “guójiā,” the “míng” of
“míngtiān.”
Q: 㸥㩞㭊⮋⭥㸥㬨㚥⷗㸥ᷠ
What is the character for the “wén” of “Wenshan Bookstore?”
A: 䐱㸥⭥㸥᱄
The “wén” of “Zhōngwén.”

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14.4. 㬓㗕⭥and other similar things

When you want to conclude a list by indicating that other similar items can also be on the
list, end the list with 㬓㗕⭥. This is how Guoqiang concludes his list of things that are
sold at the entrance to the bookstore.
⧖䍟⭥ⰵmiàn䇱䄜⷗㭊⮋ㅱ䁈䇲㭊⮋᷍㕕jiù㭊᷍㗦㋻䄓㕕⧖㠒᱃zázhì㬓㗕⭥᱄
⧖䍟⭥ⰵ㘇䇱䄜⷗㭊⮋ㅱ䁈䇲㭊⮋᷍㕕㈪㭊᷍㗦㋻䄓㕕⧖㠒᷍䊴䐟㬓㗕⭥᱄
Across from the station there is a bookstore called “Students’ Friend Bookstore” that sells old
(used) books. At the entrance, they also sell train tickets, newspapers, and things like that.
Here are some additional examples:
䁈㪛㭊⮋䄓㕕㯏᱃bı̌nggān᱃niúnǎi 㬓㗕⭥᱄
䁈㪛㭊⮋䄓㕕㯏᱃⢞ⶪ᱃㝄㚭㬓㗕⭥᱄
The student bookstore also sells water, cookies, milk, and things like that.
㸳㆒㳍䄋㦆㕓㋯⡟᱃liàn㻑⡟᱃qiānbı̌ 㬓㗕⭥᱄
㸳㆒㳍䄋㦆㕓㋯⡟᱃㑘㻑⡟᱃㣇⡫㬓㗕⭥᱄
Today I have to buy textbooks, practice books, pencils, and things like that.
㸳䎃⷗㾨㠻⼽㗇᷍㩰㋯᱃⫓⹅᱃⿚䄋䔗⹇㋯᱃zhǔnbèi ㋝㬵㬓㗕⭥᱄
㸳䎃⷗㾨㠻⼽㗇᷍㩰㋯᱃⫓⹅᱃⿚䄋䔗⹇㋯᱃䓝⡙㋝㬵㬓㗕⭥᱄
I’m very busy this week, going to class, working, and in addition doing homework,
preparing for tests and things like that.
14.5. Ordinal numbers: first, second, third

To turn a number into an ordinal number (first, second, third, etc.) add the prefix dì (⭻)
before the number:
dì䄜 (⭻䄜) first, dìⱟ (⭻ⱟ) second, dì㧞 (⭻㧞) third
䊻 dì ⱟ⷗㬏䓷㔘㋻ (䊻⭻ⱟ⷗㬏䓷㔘㋻)
at the second four-way intersection
䊻dì㧞⷗㔘㋻䇱䄜⷗hóng lǜ dēng᱄(䊻⭻㧞⷗㔘㋻䇱䄜⷗⽍㔭⭧᱄)
At the third intersection there is a traffic light.
After dì, 䄜 is always pronounced yı̄ (in first tone): dì yı̄ (⭻䄜).
After dì, the number two is always ⱟ:
dì ⱟ⷗㦬 the second person
dì ⱟběn 㭊 the second book
Practice Website: Listening for Information 14.2; Structure Drills 14.2; Focus on
Structure 14.1.
14.6. Introducing a paraphrase: 䄓㈮㬨㯖 in other words

To introduce another way of saying the same thing, use the expression 䄓㈮㬨㯖 in other words.
㹘 guǎi䄓㈮㬨㯖㶚䔔guǎi᷍ⰵ⤜ⰵᷠ
㶚
㶚㹘⹶䄓㈮㬨㯖㶚䔔⹶᷍ⰵ⤜ⰵᷠ
Turn west means turn left, is that correct?
䊻 dì㧞⷗㬏䓷㔘㋻㶚㹘 guǎi᷍䄓㈮㬨㯖㶚䇳guǎi᱄
䊻⭻㧞⷗㬏䓷㔘㋻㶚㹘⹶᷍䄓㈮㬨㯖㶚䇳⹶᱄
Turn west at the third intersection. In other words, turn right.
14.7. 䄜zhí (䄜䐒) + action continue to do an action

To say continue doing an action, use the adverb 䄜zhí (䄜䐒) before the verb phrase that
presents the action. 䄜zhí is a very useful phrase when giving directions.
䄜zhí㶚㹘䔀᱄ (䄜䐒㶚㹘䔀᱄)
Keep going west. (Keep walking west.)
䄜zhí is also used to say that a situation is continuous.
ⰵ⤜㡑᷍㸳䔓㳍䄜zhí ⼽ máng᷍⤜néngⷙ㛄⫓⮈⿑᱄
ⰵ⤜㡑᷍㸳䔓㳍䄜䐒⼽㗇᷍⤜㚽ⷙ㛄⫓⮈⿑᱄
Sorry, I was busy all day yesterday, I wasn’t able to phone you.
14.8. bié + action (⢑ + action) don’t do the action

To tell someone not to do something, say:
bié + action (⢑ + action)
Bié⺞㕎㔘᱄(⢑⺞㕎㔘᱄)
Don’t cross the street.
Bié 㯖⿑᱄䁈㪛䊻㋝㬵㚹᱄(⢑㯖⿑᱄䁈㪛䊻㋝㬵㚹)᱄
Don’t talk. The students are taking a test.
Bié䊻㵝㭊⹾㔘㻣⧖᱄(⢑䊻㵝㭊⹾㔘㻣⧖᱄)
Don’t get off (the bus, train) at Library Road.
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Practice Workbook: Focus on Structure 14.3. Website: Listening for Information 14.9.
14.9. 㦜⽔ vs. 䄵⽔ after, afterward

㦜⽔ afterward connects two actions that are closely related in time. It occurs at the begin-
ning of the second action (expressed as a sentence or a verb phrase) and indicates that the
action presented in that sentence or verb phrase happens afterward.
action1 㦜⽔ action2
㛄xiān㕓㠒᷍㦜⽔㩰⧖᱄
㛄㻩㕓㠒᷍㦜⽔㩰⧖᱄
First buy a ticket, then get on the train.
㛄xiān䔗⹇㋯᷍㦜⽔㸳㗨㋪䄵㦆㋕⮈yı̌ng᱄
㛄㻩䔗⹇㋯᷍㦜⽔㸳㗨㋪䄵㦆㋕⮈䇑᱄
First do your homework, then we can go see a movie.
As we have already learned in Lesson 12 (Use and Structure 12.13), 䄵⽔ also indicates
sequence. It occurs in sentences with the following structure:
action1 䄵⽔ action2
㸳㗨㻣㋯䄵⽔㦆 cāntı̄ng ⧵㹈Ⳛ➪᱄
㸳㗨㻣㋯䄵⽔㦆⤮㳝⧵㹈Ⳛ➪᱄
After we get out of class, let’s go to the dining hall to eat lunch.
㦜⽔cannot be used in this structure.
Say this:
㰜䊻䔗⹇㋯᷍䔗㑬⹇㋯䄵⽔㦆⧵Ⳛ᱄
He is doing homework. After he does his homework he will go and eat.
Do not say this:
8㰜䊻䔗⹇㋯᷍䔗㑬⹇㋯㦜⽔㦆⧵Ⳛ᱄
䄵⽔ can also be used at the beginning of a sentence. When it occurs in this way, it means
from now on.
䄵⽔㸳㗨㩰㋯⭥㬒⽓䐜㯖䐱㸥᱄
From now on we will speak only Chinese in class.
㦜⽔cannot be used here, as it must connect two actions.
Practice Website: Listening for Information 14.7, 14.9; Structure Drills 14.3, 14.4,
14.5, 14.6, 14.7.
14.10. Stating street addresses

Addresses are presented from the largest geographical unit to the smallest unit:
Country¬State/Province¬City¬District¬Street¬Number
䐱⺛⡒㈊(Cháoyáng Qū)Guānghuá 㔘䄜⼦
䐱⺛⡒㈊(⧐䂕㤙) ⺃⿋㔘䄜⼦
China, Beijing (Chaoyang District) Guanghua Road #1
1 Guanghua Road, (Chaoyang District) Beijing
jı̄ng㬱 (Ⰼchéng qū ) Ⰼhuá㗦⫔jiē 66⼦

⡒
⡒㈊㬱 (Ⰼ⧨㤙) Ⰼ⿋㗦⫔ㅷ66⼦
Beijing City, (Eastern City District) Donghua Gate Main Street, #66
66 Donghua Gate Street, (Eastern City District) Beijing
Tái⡒㬱Xìnyì㔘 (㹆duàn) 㡀⼦
㲉⡒㬱㾦䅆㔘 (㹆Ⱟ) 㡀⼦
Taipei City, Xinyi (Hsinyi) Road, (Section 5) #7
7 Hsinyi Road, Section 5, Taipei
Tái⡒㬱 (Shìlín qū ) 㳍㚙Ⰼ㔘䄜⼦
㲉⡒㬱 (㬠㑷㤙) 㳍㚙Ⰼ㔘䄜⼦
Taipei City (Shihlin District) Tianmu East Road #1
1 Tianmu East Road, (Shihlin) Taipei
Tái⡒㬱 (䐱㩞Qū ) Shuāngchéng jiē䄜⼦
㲉⡒㬱 (䐱㩞㤙) 㯌⧨ㅷ䄜⼦
Taipei City (Zhongshan District) Shuangcheng Street #1
1 Shuangcheng Street, (Zhongshan District) Taipei
Recall that time expressions follow the same general rule: larger units are stated before
smaller units:
㦆㛋➬䊣ⱟ㬏㹆⼦
last year – August – 25th
August 25th of last year
䔓㳍㶎㩰➬⮄zhōng (䔓㳍㶎㩰➬⮄䐴)
last night – evening – 8 p.m.
8 p.m. last night
Practice Website: Communication through Reading and Writing 14.5.
14.11. 。 will and future situations

In Lesson 3 we learned to use 。 to indicate learned or innate ability. (Use and Structure 3.5).
In this lesson we learn that 。 can also be used when talking about a future situation. In
this use, it can be translated into English as will.
㛄。㋕ボ䄜⷗ y ínháng᱄(㛄。㋕ボ䄜⷗䅙㾱᱄)
You will see a bank.
14.12. ⱁ㈤ and ⱁ cháng 㬒ヅ (ⱁ⧅㬒ヅ) how long

The expression ⱁ㈤, like the expression ⱁcháng 㬒ヅ (ⱁ⧅㬒ヅ) introduced in Lesson 12,
means how long, and is used to ask about the duration of a situation. As we learned in Use
and Structure 12.11, duration expressions follow the verb.
⪴⧖䍟⭞㛄コ䄋䔀ⱁ㈤ᷠ
How long do you have to walk from the station to your house?
If the verb is followed by an object, you must first state the verb and the object, and then
state the verb and the duration expression:
V + O + V + ⱁjiǔ (V + O + V + ⱁ㈤)
⪴⧖䍟⭞㛄コ䔀㔘䄋䔀ⱁ㈤?
How long do you have to walk from the station to your house?
To say that you are doing an action for a long period of time, you can say ⼽㈤ a long
time.
㸳 děng㑬⼽㈤᱄(㸳⭩㑬⼽㈤᱄)
I waited for a long time.
When asking about duration, the question phrase ⱁcháng 㬒ヅ (ⱁ⧅㬒ヅ) is more com-
monly used in Beijing and northern China. The expressionⱁ㈤ is more commonly used
in Taiwan.
14.13. rúguǒ . . . ㈮ (㧈⺜ . . . ㈮) if

Rúguǒ (㧈⺜) is a connecting word that is equivalent in meaning to the word if in English.
Like the English if, it can occur at the beginning of the sentence.
rúguǒ (㧈⺜) + sentence
Rúguǒ 㛄䔀㌍䄜⮄᷍㬏⳷zhōng㈮⭞㑬᱄
㧈⺜㛄䔀㌍䄜⮄᷍㬏⳷䐴㈮⭞㑬᱄
If you walk quickly, you can get there in ten minutes.
Rúguǒ 㛄⤜Ⰿ᷍㈮㤌㎰㬇䊺㯖䄜⪯᱄
㧈⺜㛄⤜Ⰿ᷍㈮㤌㎰㬇䊺㯖䄜⪯᱄
If you don’t understand, ask the teacher to say it again one more time.
The second clause in a rúguǒ sentence usually includes an adverb. The most commonly
used adverb is ㈮. Remember that ㈮ and all other adverbs occur at the beginning of the
verb phrase, before the prepositional phrase if there is one, and never before a noun or
noun phrase.
Rúguǒ 㛄㗠㳍Ⱍfù㻑⹇㋯᷍㛄㈮。㋝⭤⼽⼤᱄
㧈⺜㛄㗠㳍Ⱍⶕ㻑⹇㋯᷍㛄㈮。㋝⭤⼽⼤᱄
If you review your class work every day, you will do well on the test.
Rúguǒ may also occur right after the subject of the sentence.
S + rúguǒ + VP1᷍㈮ VP2
㛄rúguǒ ⤜㻓⿗zhēnzhū nǎichá᷍㈮bié hē➪᱄
㛄㧈⺜⤜㻓⿗䎅䑊㚭⥉᷍㈮⢑⼩➪᱄
If you don’t like bubble tea, don’t drink it.
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Practice Workbook: Focus on Structure 14.4. Website: Listening for Information 14.7;
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14.14. 䄜。ⱚボ see you soon

The phrase 䄜。ⱚ means a short period of time. It can be used directly following a verb as
a duration expression.
㤌 děng 䄜。ⱚ᱄ (㤌⭩䄜。ⱚ᱄)
Please wait for a few minutes.
It can also be used in a variation of the expression 䊺ボ goodbye.
䄜。ⱚボ see you soon
The expression 䊺ボ can be varied by replacing 䊺 with other phrases as well. Here are
some examples:
㳍ボ see you tomorrow
㘘
㻣㹈ボ see you in the afternoon
㧞⮄ zhōng ボ (㧞⮄䐴ボ) see you at 3:00

Part A
Dawei: Guoqiang, you are speaking too fast. I don’t understand. Please speak a little
slower.
Guoqiang: Okay. Across from the station there is a bookstore called the Xueyou
(Students’ Friend) bookstore, the “xué” of “xuésheng” and the “you” of
“péngyou.” That bookstore sells old books. At the doorway they also sell
tickets, magazines, etc. Do you see it?
Dawei: I see it. You mentioned it yesterday.
Guoqiang: Cross the street and go towards the bookstore. After you cross the street, go
east. At the third intersection there is a traffic light. That street is Park Road.
Turn left there after you cross the street.
Dawei: Turn left means turn north, is that correct?
Guoqiang: Yes.
Part B
Guoqiang: Keep going north. Ahead of you there will be a four-way intersection.
Dawei: Do I have to cross the street again?
Guoqiang: Don’t cross the street. Turn right there. That is to say, turn east.
Dawei: Okay. And after that?
Guoqiang: After that you will see a bank. That street is called Zhongshan Road.
My house is next to the bank. Behind my house is a large park. That’s
Longtan Park. Inside the park there is a very pretty lake. That’s Longtan
Lake. My home’s address is 108 Zhongshan Road.
Part C
Dawei: Okay. I understand. It won’t be hard to find. How far do I have to walk from
the station to your house?
Guoqiang: It’s not far, just 1½ Chinese miles (0.75 km). You can get here in about
15 minutes. If you walk a little faster you can get here in 10 minutes.
Dawei: Well then, I’m heading to your house now.
Guoqiang: Okay. We are waiting for you. See you soon.
Dawei: Goodbye.
Topic 5
Entertaining guests and talking
about future plans
Lesson
㤌㋮
15
Entertaining
guests
Communication goals
Q Behave as a guest and host at a semi-formal gathering.
Q Introduce people to each other.
Q Give and respond to compliments.
Q Talk about obligations.
Literacy goals
Q Identify a few dishes that appear on a Chinese menu.
Key structures
Q action + 䄜㻣: do the action for a short period of time
Q 㚨㗕AdjV so AdjV, 䎃㗕 AdjV this AdjV
Q 䋈㈮ long ago and zhōngyú (䐶䇻) finally
Q A xiàng B (A 㼒 B) A is like B, A resembles B

Q yı̄nggāi (䇇ⶤ) should, ought to
Q 䄵㸋 assume, mistakenly assume
Q expressing sequence: 䄵㣑 before
Q suíbiàn (㰇⢄) + action: do the action as you please
Q action + ⺞: have had the experience of doing the action before
Q (䄲㈎) verb 㑬 duration 㑬: indicating the duration of an action that
continues to the present time
Q ⱁ verb 䄜⮄: do the action a little more, 㩺verb 䄜⮄: do the action a
little less
Dialogue
The situation: Dawei has arrived at Guoqiang’s home from the subway station. When
he enters Guoqiang’s home, Guoqiang introduces him to his parents, whom he has
not met before. Wang Maike, Ma Xiaowen, and Gao Meili, the other dinner guests,
have already arrived. Maike and Meili are Dawei’s classmates, Xiaowen is Meili’s
roommate and also Dawei’s girlfriend.
Lesson 15 㤌㋮ Entertaining guests 327
Part A
⺛㣠ᷛ ⫔㸋᷍㤌㆙᷍㤌㆙᱄㸳ⷙ㛄㗨⺛㣠ᷛ ⫔㸋᷍㤌㆙᷍㤌㆙᱄㸳ⷙ㛄㗨
jièshào䄜㻣᱄䎃㬨㸳fùmǔ᱄䎃㬨 ㆊ㩽䄜㻣᱄䎃㬨㸳⶙㚙᱄ 䎃㬨
㸳⭥shì䇲᷍䍦⫔㸋᱄ 㸳⭥㬳䇲᷍䍦⫔㸋᱄
⺛㣠➷ᷛ㛄㈮㬨䍦⫔㸋aᷠ㸳㗨⧄㳞⭞㛄⺛㣠➷ᷛ㛄㈮㬨䍦⫔㸋➂ᷠ㸳㗨⧄㳞⭞㛄
⭥㘜䓷᱄⿗yíng ⭞㸳㗨コ㎕᱄⼽ ⭥㘜䓷᱄⿗䇎⭞㸳㗨コ㎕᱄⼽
ⷀxìng 㦰㬗㛄᱄ ⷀ㾬㦰㬗㛄᱄
⫔㸋ᷛ 㾜㻩㪛᱃㾜㲌㲌᷍㾜㾜㛄㗨㤌㸳 ⫔㸋ᷛ 㾜㻩㪛᱃㾜㲌㲌᷍㾜㾜㛄㗨㤌㸳
⭞㛄㗨コ㎕⧵Ⳛ᱄㸳㕓㑬䄜㾊㯏 ⭞㛄㗨コ㎕⧵Ⳛ᱄㸳㕓㑬䄜㾊㯏
guǒ sòngⷙ㛄㗨᱄ ⺜㯮ⷙ㛄㗨᱄
⺛㣠㕉ᷛ⢑㚨㗕㋮qi᱄ㅱ shūshu āyí ➪᱄ ⺛㣠㕉ᷛ⢑㚨㗕㋮㡙. ㅱ 㭆㭆➃䄭➪᱄
⺛㣠㗜䇱xiōng⭽ㆄ㗤᷍㸳㗨⼽⺛㣠㗜䇱㾷⭽ㆄ㗤᷍㸳㗨⼽
ⷀxìng 㰜䇱㛄䎃⷗⼤㞔䇲᱄㛄㎕ ⷀ㾬㰜䇱㛄䎃⷗⼤㞔䇲᱄㛄㎕
䐱⺛䄲㈎㌍䄜㛋㑬᱄䋈㈮ yı̄nggāi 䐱⺛䄲㈎㌍䄜㛋㑬᱄䋈㈮䇇ⶤ
㤌㛄㎕コ䔙䔙㑬᱄ 㤌㛄㎕コ䔙䔙㑬᱄
⫔㸋ᷛ ⺛㣠㈮xiàng㸳⭥ⷈⷈ᷍ⰵ㸳⳨⧄ ⫔㸋ᷛ ⺛㣠㈮㼒㸳⭥ⷈⷈ᷍ⰵ㸳⳨⧄
⼤᱄Āyí᷍㛄㗨コ䎇piàoliang᱄㸳tè ⼤᱄➃䄭, 㛄㗨コ䎇㠐㑢᱄ 㸳㲹
⢑㻓⿗㗦㣑㚨㾊huā᱄ ⢑㻓⿗㗦㣑㚨㾊⿉᱄
⺛㣠㕉ᷛ㚥㏐᷍㚥㏐᷍䎃⷗fáng䓴⼽㈪⺛㣠㕉ᷛ㚥㏐᷍㚥㏐᷍䎃⷗Ⳡ䓴⼽㈪
㑬᱄㗜㬓㗕᱄ 㑬᱄㗜㬓㗕᱄
Part A Vocabulary
āyí aunt noun ➃䄭 ➃䄭
fángzi fáng䓴 house noun Ⳡ䓴 Ⳡ䓴
fùmǔ father and noun ⶙㚙 ⶙㚙
mother, parents
huā flower noun ⿉⿉
jièshào introduce verb ㆊ㩽 ㆊャ
kèqi ㋮qi polite adjectival verb ㋮㡙㋮ᝃ
méi shénme 㗜㬓 it’s nothing conversational 㗜㬓㗕 ᝾㬓怯

㗕 much, there isn’t expression
anything of
importance
nǎlı̌ 㚥㏐ that’s not at all conversational 㚥㏐㚥䀆
expression
true
nàme 㚨㗕 so (adjectival verb) intensifier 㚨㗕㚨怯
shìyǒu shì䇲 roommate noun 㬳䇲㬳䇲
shuı̌guǒ 㯏guǒ fruit noun 㯏⺜㯏⺜
shūshu uncle noun 㭆㭆㭆㭆
sòng give as a gift verb 㯮㯮
sònggěi sòng give to (someone) verb 㯮ⷙ 㯮ㄐ
ⷙ as a present
tàitai 㲌㲌 Mrs. title, term of 㲌㲌㲌㲌
address
tèbié tè⢑ especially; special intensifier; 㲹⢑ 㲹‫ن‬

adjectival verb
xiàng resemble, be like verb 㼒㼒

xiānsheng 㻩㪛 Mr. title, term of 㻩㪛㻩㪛
address
xiōngdì xiōng brothers and noun phrase 㾷⭽ㆄ 㾷⭽倃㗤

jiěmèi ⭽ㆄ sisters 㗤
㗤
yı̄nggāi should modal verb 䇇ⶤ ။䉴

Part B
Màikèᷛ ⫔㸋㛄zhōngyú⭞㑬᷂㸳㗨䄵㸋㕔㋬ᷛ⫔㸋㛄䐶䇻⭞㑬᷂㸳㗨䄵㸋
㛄mí㔘㑬㚹᱄ 㛄㗵㔘㑬㚹᱄
⫔㸋ᷛ 㛄㗨䋈㈮⭞㑬㕑ᷠ ⫔㸋ᷛ㛄㗨䋈㈮⭞㑬㕑ᷠ
㾂㸥ᷛ ⤜᱄㸳㗨䄓ⶶ⭞᱄ 㾂㸥ᷛ⤜᱄㸳㗨䄓ⶶ⭞᱄
⫔㸋ᷛ ⰵ⤜㡑᷍㸳⭤㻩㦆䄜㻣㻕㬷ヅ᷍ ⫔㸋ᷛⰵ⤜㡑᷍㸳⭤㻩㦆䄜㻣㻕㬷ヅ᷍
㛄㗨䐋⭡㻕㬷ヅ䊻㚥ⱚ㕑ᷠ 㛄㗨䐋⭡㻕㬷ヅ䊻㚥ⱚ㕑ᷠ
Màikèᷛ ⰵ㘇䔔㬷biān㈮㬨᱄ 㕔㋬ᷛⰵ㘇䔔㬷⢀㈮㬨᱄
⺛㣠㕉: Ⳛ㌍⼤㑬᱄⧵Ⳛ䄵㣑㸳㗨㻩⺛㣠 Ⳛ㌍⼤㑬᱄⧵Ⳛ䄵㣑㸳㗨㻩
zhào 䄜䍦 zhàopiàn ➪᱄ 㕉ᷛ 䍶䄜䍦䍶㠍➪᱄
⺛㣠➷ᷛ⼤᷍㸳㎕ zhào᱄⫔コ㯖“qié ⺛㣠⼤᷍㸳㎕䍶᱄⫔コ㯖“㣲
䓴᱄” (see Language FAQs) ➷ᷛ 䓴᱄”
Part B Vocabulary
mí lù mí㔘 get lost, lose verb + object 㗵㔘㗵㔘
one’s way
qiézi qié䓴 eggplant noun 㣲䓴㣲䓴
shǒu 㬷 hand noun 㬷㬷
xı̌shǒujiān 㻕㬷ヅ washroom, noun 㻕㬷ヅ㻕㬷刈
bathroom
yı̄ xià 䄜㻣 (do an action verb suffi x 䄜㻣䄜㻣
for a short
duration)
yı̌qián 䄵㣑 before noun 䄵㣑䄵㣑

yı̌wéi 䄵㸋 suppose verb 䄵㸋䄵ᩊ
(incorrectly)
zǎo jiù 䋈㈮ long before adverb 䋈㈮䋈㈮
now, long
ago
zhào take (a verb 䍶䍶
photograph)
zhōngyú finally, at last adverb 䐶䇻レ咗
Part C
⺛㣠➷ᷛ㎕᱄⧵Ⳛ➪᱄Suíbiàn 䔙᱄⢑㋮qi᱄ ⺛㣠➷ᷛ㎕᱄⧵Ⳛ➪᱄㰇⢄䔙᱄⢑㋮㡙᱄
⺛㣠㕉ᷛ⤜⼤yìsi᷍㆒㳍㗜㬓㗕cài᱄㸳㈮䔗㑬⺛㣠㕉ᷛ⤜⼤䅃㯝᷍㆒㳍㗜㬓㗕⤬᱄㸳㈮䔗㑬
㧞⷗ᷛ⽍shāo yú᱃⿹ guō ròu᱃ 㧞⷗ᷛ⽍㩶ょ᱃⿹⺙㧃᱃
⼮ chǎo báicài᷍Ⱍ㬨コ⧄cài᷍㗜㬓⼮⧕➸⤬᷍Ⱍ㬨コ⧄⤬᷍㗜㬓
㗕tè⢑⭥᷍⿚䇱jiǎo䓴⼮jı̄ tāng᱄ 㗕㲹⢑⭥᷍⿚䇱ㅩ䓴⼮ょ㲡᱄
㛄㗨⧵⺞ jiǎo䓴㕑ᷠ 㛄㗨⧵⺞ㅩ䓴㕑ᷠ
⺛㣠ᷛ 㕉᷍㰜㗨㦆㛋➬䊣㈮㎕䐱⺛㑬᷍䊻䐱⺛㣠ᷛ 㕉᷍㰜㗨㦆㛋➬䊣㈮㎕䐱⺛㑬᷍䊻䐱
⺛䄲㈎zhù㑬⥏⤜ⱁ䄜㛋㑬᷍⭒㦜⧵ ⺛䄲㈎䓂㑬⥏⤜ⱁ䄜㛋㑬᷍⭒ 㦜⧵
⺞ jiǎo䓴㑬᱄ ⺞ㅩ䓴㑬᱄
㗡㏗ᷛ 㸳⼽㻓⿗⧵㯏 jiǎo᱄㎕䐱⺛䄵㣑㸳㗡㏗ᷛ 㸳⼽㻓⿗⧵㯏ㅩ᱄㎕䐱⺛䄵㣑㸳
㗜⧵⺞᷍ ㋪㬨㦰㬗㾂㸥䄵⽔᷍㰞⧄ 㗜⧵⺞᷍㋪㬨㦰㬗㾂㸥䄵⽔᷍㰞 ⧄
⧄dài㸳⼮⫔㸋㦆⧵᱄䁈㾄 fù㆝䇱 ⧄⫙㸳⼮⫔㸋㦆⧵᱄䁈㾄⶞㆝ 䇱
䄜コ⳨⧄⼤⧵⭥jiǎo䓴⹾᱄ 䄜コ⳨⧄⼤⧵⭥ㅩ䓴⹾᱄
Màikèᷛ Āyí᷍㛛⭥jiǎo䓴㲌⼤⧵㑬᱄㸳㗜⧵ 㕔㋬ᷛ ➃䄭᷍㛛⭥ㅩ䓴㲌⼤⧵㑬᱄㸳㗜 ⧵

⺞䎃㗕⼤⧵⭥jiǎo䓴᱄ ⺞䎃㗕⼤⧵⭥ㅩ䓴᱄
⺛㣠㕉ᷛ㚨㲌⼤㑬᷍㎕᷍ⱁ⧵䄜⮄᱄Màikè᷍ ⺛㣠㕉ᷛ㚨㲌⼤㑬᷍㎕᷍ⱁ⧵䄜⮄᱄㕔㋬᷍
㛄yòng kuài䓴yòng⭤䎇⼤᱄ 㛄䇤㌋䓴䇤⭤䎇⼤᱄
Màikèᷛ 㸳。yòng᷍ ㋪㬨yòng⭤⤜⼤᱄ 㕔㋬ᷛ 㸳。䇤᷍㋪㬨䇤⭤⤜⼤᱄
Part C Vocabulary
báicài cabbage noun ➸⤬ ➸⤬
cài dishes (food) noun ⤬ ⤬
cháng often adverb ⧄ ⧄
chǎo stir-fry verb ⧕ ⧕
chǎo stir-fried noun phrase ⧕➸⤬ ⧕➸⤬
báicài cabbage
dài take/bring verb ⫙ จ
(a person
or thing
somewhere)
guō cooking pot, noun ⺙伢
wok
guò ⺞ (experienced verb suffi x ⺞䩿
doing an
action)
hǎo chı̄ ⼤⧵ delicious adjectival ⼤⧵ ⼤⧵
verb phrase
hóngshāo ⽍shāo red- noun ⽍㩶さᬞ

description
simmered,
red-cooked
hóngshāo ⽍shāo yú red-simmered noun phrase ⽍㩶䈄さᬞ婟
yú fish
huí guō ⿹guō ròu twice-cooked noun phrase ⿹⺙㧃 ⿹伢㧃
ròu pork
(returned-
to-the-pot
meat)
jı̄ chicken noun ょ厖
jı̄ tāng chicken soup noun phrase ょ㲡厖ᢌ
jiā cháng コcháng cài home-style noun phrase コ⧄⤬ コ⧄⤬
cài food
jiǎozi jiǎo䓴 Chinese noun ㅩ䓴嚽䓴
dumplings,
“jiaozi”
jiǎozi jiǎo䓴⹾ dumpling noun phrase ㅩ䓴⹾ 嚽䓴圿
guǎn restaurant
kuàizi kuài䓴 chopsticks noun ㌋䓴㌋䓴
mā 㕉 mom noun 㕉 ஭
qùnián 㦆㛋 last year noun 㦆㛋㦆㛋
ròu meat noun 㧃㧃
shāo simmer verb 㩶 ᬞ
shuı̌jiǎo 㯏jiǎo boiled noun phrase 㯏ㅩ 㯏嚽
dumplings
suíbiàn as you please adverb 㰇⢄ 却⢄
tāng soup noun 㲡 ᢌ

yòng use verb 䇤䇤
yú fish noun 䈄婟
zhème 䎃㗕 so, such intensifier 䎃㗕䩡怯
(adjectival
verb)
zhù live, reside verb 䓂䓂
in a place
zuò 䔗 cook verb 䔗䔗
(same as
䔗 do)
Time words: past, present, future

Past Present Future
days 䔓㳍 ㆒㳍㘘㳍
yesterday today tomorrow
weeks 㩰⷗㾨㠻䎃⷗㾨㠻㻣⷗㾨㠻
last week this week next week
months 㩰⷗䊣䎃⷗䊣㻣⷗䊣
last month this month next month
years 㦆㛋 ㆒㛋㘘㛋
last year this year next year
Characters
Function Character
⢑ bié don’t; other 䖷 ⢑⭥ (bié de) ‫ن‬
other
⧄ cháng often ㆎ ⧄⧄ ⧄
(chángcháng)
often, ⳨⧄
(fēicháng)
extremely
⭽ dì younger ⹎ ⭽⭽ (dìdi) ⭽
brother* younger brother
⳨ fēi not, ⳨ ⳨⧄ (fēicháng) ⳨
extremely* extremely
ⶶ gāng just now 䖷 ٣
ⷈ gē older ㋻ ⷈⷈ (gēge) older ⷈ

brother* brother
⽍ hóng red 做⽍㔭⭧ (hóng lü` さ
dēng) traffic light
⿗ huān happy*, 㣘㻓⿗ (xı̌huān) ᛈ
joyous* like, ⿗䇎
(huānyíng)
welcome
⿹ huí return 䯎 ⿹コ (huí jiā) ⿹
return home
ㅱ jiào call ㋻ ㅱ
ㆄ jiě older 㝏 ㆄㆄ (jiějie) ㆄ

sister* older sister
㆙ jìn enter 佢㤌㆙ (qı̌ng jìn) 䩮
please come in
㈪ jiù old 㦶㜇
㋮ kè guest 体㋮㦬 (kèrén) ㋮
guest, ㋮㡙
(kèqi) polite
㗤 mèi younger 㝏㗤㗤 (mèimei) 㗤
sister* younger sister
㘇 miàn side* 㘇 ⰵ㘇 (duìmiàn) 㘇
across, facing
㘜 míng name*, ㋻㘜䓷 (míngzi) 㘜
fame* name
㛋 nián year ⶪ ㆒㛋 (jı̄nnián) 㛋
this year, 㦆㛋
(qùnián) last
year, 䄜㛋゗
(yı̄niánjí) first-
year level
㦰 rèn recognize* 䜆㦰㬗 (rènshi) 䋫
know, recognize
㬗 shi know* 䜆㦰㬗 (rènshi) 䑳
know, recognize
㯏 shuı̌ water 㯏㯏⺜ (shuı̌guǒ) 㯏
fruit
㻓 xı̌ happy*, ㋻㻓⿗ (xı̌huān) 㻓
like* like
㻕 xı̌ wash 一㻕䋉 (xı̌zǎo) 㻕
bathe, 㻕㬷ヅ
(xı̌shǒujiān)
washroom,
bathroom
㻩 xiān first ⱚ 㻩㪛 (xiānsheng) 㻩
Mr., husband
㾊 xiē several* ⱟ 䄜㾊᷍㚨㾊㾊
Use and structure

15.1. ⷙ (people) jièshào (ㆊ㩽) introduce (people)
To introduce people, use the word jièshào (ㆊ㩽) introduce, and say:
㸳ⷙ㛄㗨 jièshào jièshào᱄
㸳ⷙ㛄㗨ㆊ㩽ㆊ㩽᱄
Let me introduce you.
ⷙ䍦⫔㸋⼮ⷀ㾂㸥 jièshào jièshào᱄
㤌
㤌ⷙ䍦⫔㸋⼮ⷀ㾂㸥ㆊ㩽ㆊ㩽᱄
Please introduce Zhang Dawei and Gao Xiaowen (to each other).
You can also introduce people as follows:
㸳ⷙ㛄㗨 jièshào 䄜㻣᱄(㸳ⷙ㛄㗨ㆊ㩽䄜㻣᱄)
See Use and Structure 15.2 for more about the use of the verb suffix䄜㻣.
15.2. Action verb + 䄜㻣: do the action for a short period of time
Action verb + 䄜㻣indicates that someone does an action for a short period of time, and in
an informal way. It often occurs after jièshào (ㆊ㩽) introduce.
㸳ⷙ㛄㗨 jièshào 䄜㻣᱄(㸳ⷙ㛄㗨ㆊ㩽䄜㻣᱄)
Another verb that we have learned that is often followed by 䄜㻣 is děng (⭩) wait.
㤌 děng 䄜㻣᱄(㤌⭩䄜㻣᱄)
Please wait a moment.
As indicated in Use and Structure 15.1 above, when making introductions, you can say
jièshào 䄜㻣 (ㆊ㩽䄜㻣) or you can repeat the verb and say jièshào jièshào (ㆊ㩽ㆊ㩽).
That is because verb repetition, like verb + 䄜㻣, indicates that the action happens for a
short period of time. (Use and Structure 11.2.)
15.3. sòng (㯮) and sòng ⷙ (㯮ⷙ) give as a gift

Sòng (㯮) means give as a gift. In this meaning, it is followed by the thing that is being given:
㸳sòng㑬䄜㾊㯏guǒ ᱄ (㸳㯮㑬䄜㾊㯏⺜᱄)
I gave some fruit as a gift.
Sòng can also be followed by the recipient of the gift as well as the gift in this order:
subject sòng (㯮) + recipient + gift
㸳sòng㑬㰞䄜㾊㯏guǒ ᱄(㸳㯮㑬㰞䄜㾊㯏⺜᱄)
I gave her some fruit as a gift.
Sòngⷙ (㯮ⷙ) means give as a gift (to a person) and is always followed by the recipient of
the gift.
㸳sòngⷙ㰞䄜㾊㯏guǒ ᱄(㸳㯮ⷙ㰞䄜㾊㯏⺜᱄)
I gave her some fruit as a gift.
㸳㕓㑬䄜㾊㯏guǒ sòngⷙ㛄㗨᱄ (㸳㕓㑬䄜㾊㯏⺜㯮ⷙ㛄㗨᱄)
I bought some fruit to give you as a gift.
When a sentence includes the recipient of the gift, sòngⷙis more widely used than sòng
by itself.

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15.4. 㚨㗕 AdjV so AdjV and 䎃㗕 AdjV this AdjV

㚨㗕 and 䎃㗕 are intensifiers that can occur before adjectival verbs.
㚨㗕 + AdjV
so AdjV
⢑㚨㗕㋮qi᱄(⢑㚨㗕㋮㡙᱄)
Don’t be so polite.
䎃㗕 + AdjV means this AdjV or so AdjV.
䎃㗕 is used when describing things that are very close to the speaker. For example, if you
were shopping, and you picked up an item and looked at the price tag, you could say:
䎃㗕⺔! 㸳⤜㼌㕓᱄
So expensive! I do not want to buy it.
㚨㗕 is used when describing things that are some distance from the speaker. For example,
if the library was far from your home, you could say:
㵝㭊⹾ lí 㸳コ㚨㗕 yuǎn᷍㸳⤜㼌㦆᱄
㵝㭊⹾㏌㸳コ㚨㗕䊗᷍㸳⤜㼌㦆᱄
The library is so far from my home, I don’t want to go.
Sometimes, either 㚨㗕 or 䎃㗕 can be used. For example, in the dialogue, after Dawei
complimented Guoqiang’s mom, she could have said:
⢑䎃㗕㋮qi᱄(⢑䎃㗕㋮㡙᱄)
Don’t be this polite.
15.5. 䋈㈮ long ago

䋈㈮ long ago is an adverb and always occurs at the beginning of a verb phrase, before the verb
and any prepositional phrases. It is used to indicate that some action or situation happened a
long time before the moment of speaking and continues up until now or is still relevant now.
䋈㈮ occurs twice in the dialogue. First, in Part A, Guoqiang’s parents tell Dawei:
(㸳㗨) 䋈㈮ yı̄nggāi㤌㛄㎕コ䔙䔙㑬᱄
(㸳㗨) 䋈㈮䇇ⶤ㤌㛄㎕コ䔙䔙㑬᱄
We should have invited you to visit long before now.
In this sentence, Guoqiang’s parents mean that they had this obligation for a long time,
right up to the time of speaking when they are finally entertaining Dawei at their home as
a guest.
In Part B, Dawei asks his friends if they arrived long before him:
㛄㗨䋈㈮⭞㑬㕑ᷠ
Did you get here a long time ago?
15.6. Expressing obligations with yı̄nggāi (䇇ⶤ) should, ought to

Like the word ⭤ (děi), which we learned in Lesson 9 (Use and Structure 9.7), yı̄nggāi
(䇇ⶤ) expresses obligation. While ⭤ is used to talk about things that someone must do,
yı̄nggāi is used to indicate things you should do, especially social and moral obligations.
Guoqiang’s parents feel socially obliged to meet and entertain their son’s roommate. Guo-
qiang’s mom says:
(㸳㗨) 䋈㈮ yı̄nggāi 㤌㛄㎕コ䔙䔙㑬᱄
(㸳㗨) 䋈㈮䇇ⶤ㤌㛄㎕コ䔙䔙㑬᱄
We should have invited you over long before now.

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15.7 A xiàng (㼒) B A is like B; A resembles B

To say that one person, place, or thing is like another say:
A xiàng (㼒) B
⺛㣠㈮xiàng 㸳⭥ⷈⷈ᱄
⺛㣠㈮㼒㸳⭥ⷈⷈ᱄
Guoqiang is like my brother.

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15.8. Deflecting a compliment: 㚥㏐᷐㬨㕑᷐ᷠ䎇⭥㕑ᷠ

In traditional Chinese culture, you do not respond to a compliment by saying 㾜㾜 thank
you or any other expression that implies that you accept the compliment. Instead, you de-
flect the compliment by using some expression that either indicates the compliment is not
accurate or asks if it could really be accurate. The expression 㚥㏐, or 㚥㏐᷍㚥㏐, is often
used to deflect a compliment. 㚥㏐ literally means where?, and in response to a compli-
ment it means something like how could that be true?
Other expressions that we have learned to deflect a compliment are 䎇⭥㕑ᷠreally? and
㬨㕑ᷠ is that so?
If someone thanks you for doing something nice for them, you can say᷼䎃㬨᷾yı̄nggāi⭥
(᷼䎃㬨᷾䇇ⶤ⭥). It means something like this is the right thing to do. It is very similar in
meaning to the English expression it’s the least I could do.
15.9. 㗜㬓㗕 it’s nothing special and 㗜㬓㗕cài (⤬) there aren’t any
special dishes
㗜㬓㗕 it’s nothing special and 㗜㬓㗕 cài (㗜㬓㗕⤬) there aren’t any special dishes are po-
lite expressions or ㋮qi⿑ (㋮㡙⿑) polite talk. Like the expression 㚥㏐ (nǎlı̌ ) discussed in
Use and Structure 15.7 above, 㗜㬓㗕 is used to deflect a compliment. 㗜㬓㗕 cài (㗜㬓
㗕⤬) is used as part of the ritual of guest and host. It expresses modesty on the part of the
host, suggesting that the host is not completely fulfilling his or her obligation to treat the
guests in a special manner. Whether or not the host has prepared special dishes for
the guests, it is appropriate for the host to apologize to the guests for a lack of special food
by saying:
㆒㳍㗜㬓㗕cài᱄(㆒㳍㗜㬓㗕⤬᱄)
There aren’t any special dishes today.
15.10. 䄵㸋 assume, mistakenly assume

䄵㸋is a verb that indicates that someone assumes, or mistakenly assumes, something. It
usually means mistakenly assumes. When Dawei is late to arrive at Guoqiang’s house, his
friends mistakenly assume that he has gotten lost. Maike says:
㸳㗨䄵㸋㛄mí㔘㑬᱄(㸳㗨䄵㸋㛄㗵㔘㑬᱄)
We (mistakenly) assumed you got lost.

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15.11. Sequence with 䄵㣑 before

To indicate that some situation occurs before another situation, say:
situation1 䄵㣑᷍(㻩) situation2

Before situation1, situation2
⧵Ⳛ䄵㣑᷍㸳㗨㻩 zhào 䄜䍦 zhàopiàn ➪᱄
⧵Ⳛ䄵㣑᷍㸳㗨㻩䍶䄜䍦䍶㠍➪᱄
Before we eat, let’s first take a picture.
The word 䄵㣑 before occurs at the end of situation1 and it is grouped with situation1. In
writing, a comma may be placed after 䄵㣑. In speaking, there is often a pause after 䄵㣑.
Note that in English, the word before occurs at the beginning of situation1.
[㛄㋝㬵䄵㣑]⭤fù㻑⹇㋯᱄
[㛄㋝㬵䄵㣑]⭤ⶕ㻑⹇㋯᱄
[Before you take a test] you should review the lesson.
In Mandarin, the clause that ends with 䄵㣑 is stated first in the sentence. Notice that in
English, the before clause can occur either as the first or the second clause in the sentence.
[㸳shuì jiào䄵㣑] 㻓⿗㋕㋕㭊᱄
[㸳㯐㉖䄵㣑]㻓⿗㋕㋕㭊᱄
[Before I go to sleep] I like to read for a little while.
or
I like to read for a little while [before I go to sleep].
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Practice Workbook: Focus on Structure 15.4, 15.5; Focus on Communication 15.3.

Website: Listening for Information 15.3; Structure Drills 15.1.
15.12. (㸳) ㎕ VP I’ll take charge (of the action)

(Someone) ㎕ VP is a conversational expression that means someone takes the responsibility
of doing some action. In the dialogue, Guoqiang’s dad takes on the responsibility of taking
the photograph by saying:
㸳㎕ zhào᱄(㸳㎕䍶᱄)
I’ll take the picture.
To say that you will take charge of some action, say:
㸳㎕䔗᱄
or
㸳㎕᱄
I’ll do it.
To ask who will take charge of some action, ask:
㯎㎕䔗ᷠ
Who will do it? (Who will take on this responsibility?)
15.13. suíbiàn (㰇⢄) + action: do the action as you please

Suíbiàn (㰇⢄) + action means to do the action as you please. Suíbiàn䔙 (㰇⢄䔙) means sit
wherever you want. At formal dinners, there is a ritual way of assigning seats according to
the rank and importance of the guests. But at informal dinner parties such as the one that
the Xie family is hosting, it is common to tell the guests suíbiàn 䔙. Suíbiàn ⧵ (㰇⢄⧵)
means eat whatever you want.
Suíbiàn can be used without a following action. It means casual or informal. If you ask
someone how something should be done and she replies “suíbiàn,” that means you can do
it however you wish.
The word suíbiàn can sometimes carry negative connotations. If you describe someone as
being 㲌suíbiàn (㲌㰇⢄), you are saying that he or she is careless, sloppy, or too familiar.
15.14. action + ⺞: have had the experience of doing the action before
Stating that someone has had the experience of doing an action before
To state that someone has had the experience of doing some action in the past, follow the
action verb with the verb suffix ⺞ and say:
(S) V ⺞ (O)
㰜㗨⭒㦜⧵⺞ jiǎo䓴㑬᱄
㰜㗨⭒㦜⧵⺞ㅩ䓴㑬᱄
Of course they have eaten Chinese dumplings before.
Notice that the object occurs after verb + ⺞. Nothing comes between the verb and the
suffix ⺞.
㰞㦆⺞䐱⺛᱄
She has been to China before.
Verb + ⺞ is used when talking about an action that someone has experienced sometime in
the past. The action itself has to be repeatable, but it cannot be something that the subject
does on a regular basis. For example, it is appropriate for Guoqiang, a Chinese person, to
use verb + ⺞ to say that he has eaten French food before, since eating French food is not
an everyday experience for a Chinese person in China:
㸳⧵⺞Fǎ⺛Ⳛ᱄ (㸳⧵⺞ⳉ⺛Ⳛ᱄)
I have eaten French food before.
But the same sentence would be strange if spoken by a French person, someone who eats
French food on a regular basis.
Stating that someone has not had the experience of doing an action in the past
To state that someone has not had the experience of doing some action in the past, negate
verb + ⺞ with 㗜 and say:
(S) 㗜 V ⺞ (O)
㸳㗜⧵⺞jiǎo䓴᱄
㸳㗜⧵⺞ㅩ䓴᱄
I have not eaten Chinese dumplings before.
㎕䐱⺛䄵㣑㸳㗜⧵⺞ jiǎo䓴᱄(㎕䐱⺛䄵㣑㸳㗜⧵⺞ㅩ䓴᱄)
Before I came to China I had not eaten Chinese dumplings.
㸳㗜䔗⺞䐱⺛cài᱄ (㸳㗜䔗⺞䐱⺛⤬᱄)
I haven’t ever cooked Chinese food before.
To say that someone has not yet had the experience of doing something, say:
(S) ⿚㗜V ⺞ (O)
㸳⿚㗜 chàng⺞ kǎlā OK᱄(㸳⿚㗜⧋⺞㋉㎎OK᱄)
I haven’t yet sung karaoke.
㸳⿚㗜㋕⺞㚨⷗⮈yı̌ng᱄(㸳⿚㗜㋕⺞㚨⷗⮈䇑᱄)
I haven’t seen that movie yet.
Asking if someone has had the experience of doing an action in the past
To ask if someone has done some action before, ask:
(S) V ⺞ (O) 㕑ᷠ
or
(S) V ⺞ (O) 㗜䇱ᷠ
㛄㗨⧵⺞ jiǎo䓴㕑ᷠ (㛄㗨⧵⺞ㅩ䓴㕑ᷠ)
Have you eaten Chinese dumplings before?
㛄㗨⧵⺞ jiǎo䓴㗜䇱ᷠ (㛄㗨⧵⺞ㅩ䓴㗜䇱ᷠ)
Have you eaten Chinese dumplings before?
㛄 yòng⺞ kuài䓴㕑ᷠ (㛄䇤⺞㌋䓴㕑ᷠ)
Have you used chopsticks before?
㛄䔙⺞ fēijı̄ 㗜䇱ᷠ (㛄䔙⺞⳪〛㗜䇱ᷠ)
Have you ridden on an airplane before?
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RKBO
Workbook: Focus on Structure 15.6. Website: Listening for Information 15.2;
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Practice
Structure Drills 15.2, 15.3, 15.4.
15.15. Indicating the duration of actions that continue to the present time:
(䄲㈎) verb 㑬duration 㑬
In Lesson 12 (Use and Structure 12.11) we learned to indicate the duration of an action by
following the verb with the duration expression:
verb + duration
㸳 shuì㑬➬⷗ zhōngtóu᱄(㸳㯐㑬➬⷗䐴㵘᱄)
I slept for eight hours.
To indicate the duration of an action that began in the past and is still going on, add 㑬 to
the end of the sentence and say:
verb 㑬 + duration 㑬
When expressing this meaning, the adverb 䄲㈎ already often occurs in the sentence, be-
fore the verb phrase.
㰞䊻䐱⺛䄲㈎䓂㑬䄜㛋㑬᱄
She has already been living in China for a year.
㸳䁈䐱㸥䄲㈎䁈㑬䄜㛋⟌㑬᱄
I have already been studying Chinese for a year and a half.
15.16. ⱁverb 䄜⮄: do the action a little more; 㩺 verb 䄜⮄: do an

action a little less
In Lesson 14 (Use and Structure 14.2) we learned to use the pattern verb + AdjV 䄜⮄to say
do the action a little more AdjV:
㤌㛄㯖㕞䄜⮄᱄
Please speak a little slower.
In this lesson we see that when the adjectival verb is ⱁ more or 㩺 less the order of informa-
tion is:
(S) ⱁ V 䄜⮄
do the action a little more
㤌㛄ⱁ㯖䄜⮄᱄
Please say a little more.
㛄⭤ⱁ fù㻑䄜⮄᱄(㛄⭤ⱁⶕ㻑䄜⮄᱄)
You should review a little more.
ⱁ⼩䄜⮄㯏᱄
Drink a little more water.
(S) 㩺V 䄜⮄
do the action a little less
㛄yı̄nggāi㩺⼩䄜⮄㋈⳩᱄ (㛄䇇ⶤ㩺⼩䄜⮄㋈⳩᱄)
You should drink a little less coffee.
㤌㛄㩺㳞䄜⮄ yı̄nyuè᱄(㤌㛄㩺㳞䄜⮄䅕㎷᱄)
Please listen to music a little less.
W Lesson 15 㤌㋮ Entertaining guests 345
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RKBO
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Practice Workbook: Focus on Structure 15.7. Website: Structure Drills 15.5, 15.6, 15.7.
Qa Language FAQs
Everyone say “cheese” (or “eggplant”)
In the United States, you say “cheese” when you are taking a photo, but in China,
people often say “qiézi” eggplant. The reason for these expressions is to get every-
one to smile, and in Mandarin, the word qiézi accomplishes that goal. You know
that you are pronouncing the word qiézi correctly if you are smiling while you
say qié.
What kind of meat is ròu (㧃)?

Ròu (㧃) means meat, and you can specify the kind of meat by saying, for exam-
ple, jı̄ ròu (ょ㧃) chicken, niú ròu (㝄㧃) beef. But when no description is added
before the word ròu (㧃), it is understood to mean pork. So, if the type of meat is
not specified, as in the dish ⿹ guō ròu (⿹⺙㧃), you can assume that the meat
is zhūròu (䑎㧃) pork. What do you say if you don’t eat pork?
What is the difference between fáng䓴 (Ⳡ䓴) and コ?

Fáng䓴 (Ⳡ䓴) house refers to the building. Mrs. Xie uses the word in this sense
when she says:
䎃⷗ fángzi ⼽ jiù 㑬᱄(䎃⷗Ⳡ䓴⼽㈪㑬᱄)
This house is old.
コ refers to family and also the place where a family lives: a home. In China, when
people talk about where they live, they use the word コ and not fáng䓴. When you
ask someone where they live, ask:
㛄コ䊻㚥ⱚᷠor 㛄コ䊻㚥㏐ᷠWhere is your home?
Your ancestral home, the place where your ancestors come from, is your ㎰コ. To
ask where someone’s ancestors come from, ask:
㛄㎰コ䊻㚥ⱚᷠ or 㛄㎰コ䊻㚥㏐ᷠ
The rituals of guest and host in Chinese culture

In this lesson, we see a few more rituals associated with guest and host. In Chi-
nese culture, the host always offers the guest something to eat and/or drink, even
when the event does not focus on food. At the end of a visit, the host is expected
to see the guests off. We will learn more about the ritual of seeing guests off in
Lesson 16.
㻩㪛Mr. and 㲌㲌Mrs.

The titles 㻩㪛 Mr. and 㲌㲌 Mrs. are used differently in different parts of the
Chinese-speaking world. In Taiwan, they are equivalent in use to Mr. and Mrs. in
English, except that they follow the family name: 㾜㻩㪛 Mr. Xie, 㾜㲌㲌 Mrs.
Xie. That is, they are used as terms of address when speaking to a man or a mar-
ried woman, and they are used when referring to one’s spouse (㸳㻩㪛 my
husband, 㸳㲌㲌 my wife). In mainland China, however, in the early decades of
the People’s Republic of China, the words 㻩㪛 and 㲌㲌 were replaced by other
words that carried a more revolutionary flavor. Today, the revolutionary words that
replaced 㻩㪛 and 㲌㲌 are no longer used, but no neutral words have emerged
to take their place. In informal settings, people use kinship terms like aunt and
uncle to address others (see the following note), and there are a number of very
informal expressions that people use when referring to their husband or wife.
The titles 㻩㪛 and 㲌㲌 are considered polite but formal, and they are too for-
mal for Dawei to use when addressing the parents of his good friend Guoqiang.
ㅱ shūshu āyí ➪᷂(ㅱ㭆㭆➃䄭➪᷂) Call us uncle and aunt!

In Chinese culture, it is common to use the terms shūshu (㭆㭆) uncle and āyí (➃
䄭) aunt as friendly, informal ways to address men and women who are unrelated
to you and are about the same age as your parents. The terms are usually used
among close acquaintances, and they are also used as a friendly way to address
strangers whose status is equal to or lower than your own. Since Mr. and Mrs. Xie’s
son is the roommate and friend of Dawei, it is appropriate for Dawei to address
them as shūshu and āyí.
コ⧄cài (コ⧄⤬) Home-style food

コ⧄ cài (コ⧄⤬) home-style food is the kind of food that people cook at home and
eat in restaurants on an everyday basis. Home-style dishes differ from banquet
dishes, which are prepared with expensive, sometimes exotic ingredients.
Home-style food is different in different regions of the country. In Beijing, home-

style food includes dishes from northern China and also Sichuan.
Staple food and side dishes: jiǎo䓴 (ㅩ䓴) vs. cài (⤬)
Chinese food is categorized in terms of zhǔshí (䑘㬔) staple food and cài (⤬) side
dishes. Cài are made with vegetables and/or meat. Zhǔshí are grains or starches:
rice, noodles, or dumplings. Tāng (㲡) soup is its own category of food. Mrs. Xie
describes her dinner as including three cài as well as jiǎo䓴 (ㅩ䓴) dumplings and
tāng. A Chinese meal always includes a zhǔshí, but it need not include any cài or
tāng. Traditionally, Chinese people consumed much more zhǔshí than cài, since
grains and starch are less expensive than vegetables or meat. Nowadays, health-
and weight-conscious city people may avoid eating zhǔshí with their meals. Res-
taurant menus in China list zhǔshí, cài, and tāng separately. Within these catego-
ries there are usually separate lists for rice and noodle dishes, and cài may include
separate lists based on the main protein in the dish (beef, lamb, pork, chicken,
fish, tofu, etc.).

Part A
Guoqiang: Dawei, come in, come in. Let me introduce you. These are my par-
ents. This is my roommate Zhang Dawei.
Guoqiang’s dad: You are Zhang Dawei? We hear your name often. Welcome to our
home. I’m happy to meet you.
Dawei: Mr. Xie, Mrs. Xie, thanks for inviting me to your home for dinner.
I’ve bought some fruit to give you.
Guoqiang’s mom: Don’t be so polite. Call (us) uncle and aunt! Guoqiang doesn’t have
any brothers or sisters. We are very glad that he has a good friend like
you. You have already been in China for almost a year. We should
have invited you here long before now.
Dawei: Guoqiang is like my older brother, he is so great to me. Aunt, your
home is really beautiful. I especially like the flowers in front of your
door.
Guoqiang’s mom: How could that be? This house is old. It isn’t anything special.
Part B
Maike: Dawei, you finally got here! We thought you got lost.
Dawei: Have you all been here a long time? (literally: Did you get here a long
time ago?)
Xiaowen: No. We also just got here.

Dawei: Excuse me. I have to use the bathroom. Do you know where the bath-
room is?
Maike: It’s right across (from here) on the left side.
Guoqiang’s mom: The food is almost ready. Before we eat, let’s take a picture.
Guoqiang’s dad: Okay, I’ll take it. Everyone say “Eggplant.”
Part C
Guoqiang’s dad: Come. Let’s eat. Sit anywhere. Don’t be polite.
Guoqiang’s mom: I’m so embarrassed. Today there aren’t any special dishes. I only
made three: red-simmered fish, twice-cooked pork, and stir-fried
cabbage. They are all home-style food, nothing special. There’s also
jiaozi (dumplings) and chicken soup. Have you eaten jiaozi before?
Guoqiang: Mom, they came to China last August. They’ve been living in China
for almost a year. Of course they have eaten jiaozi before.
Meili: I really like to eat boiled dumplings. Before I came to China I hadn’t
ever eaten them, but after I got to know Xiaowen she often takes
Dawei and me to eat them. There is an extremely good jiaozi restau-
rant in the vicinity of the school.
Maike: Aunt, your jiaozi are extremely delicious. I have never eaten such
delicious jiaozi before.
Guoqiang’s mom: That’s great. Come on, eat some more. Maike, you use chopsticks
really well.
Maike: I can use them, but I don’t use them well.
Lesson 16
Xià㳍⭥jìhuà
㻥㳍⭥ェ⿏
Summer plans
Communication goals
Q Evaluate past experiences and current situations.

Q Talk about future plans.
Literacy goals
Q Locate several cities on a Chinese map.
Key structures
Q 㕞㕞⭹ + situation: the situation gradually comes about
Q noun/verb phrase ⼽䇱䅃㯝 [noun/verb phrase] is very interesting
Q situation1⭥㬒⽓situation2 when [situation1] happens, [situation2] happens
Q suı̄ 㦜 situation1 dàn㬨/㋪㬨 situation2 (㰅㦜 situation1 ⭌㬨᷐㋪㬨
situation2) although [situation1], [situation2]
Q 䄜action1㈮ action2 as soon as/whenever [action1] occurs, [action2] occurs
Q 䊺 + action 䄜。ⱚ: do the action for a while longer
Dialogue
The situation: Xie Guoqiang’s parents have invited Zhang Dawei, Wang Maike, Gao
Meili, and Ma Xiaowen to dinner and are chatting after the meal. His parents are
interested in learning about their guests’ impressions of China, and they also want to
know what plans they have for the summer.
Part A
⺛㣠➷ᷛ㎕᷍⼩⮄⥉᷍⧵⮄㯏⺜᱄㛄㗨䊻䐱⺛䁈⺛㣠➷ᷛ㎕᷍⼩⮄⥉᷍⧵⮄㯏⺜᱄㛄㗨䊻䐱⺛䁈
䐱㸥䄲㈎䁈㑬㌍䄜㛋㑬᷍㉖⭤䋖㗕䂚ᷠ 䐱㸥䄲㈎䁈㑬㌍䄜㛋㑬᷍㉖⭤䋖㗕䂚ᷠ
㗡㏗ᷛ 㸳㉖⭤䎃䄜㛋⺞⭤䎇㌍᱄ⶶ㋋㬝⭥㬒㗡㏗ᷛ 㸳㉖⭤䎃䄜㛋⺞⭤䎇㌍᱄ⶶ㋋㬝⭥㬒
⽓᷍㸳⤜㻑guàn䓂䊻䐱⺛᷍㕞㕞⭹㻑⽓᷍㸳⤜㻑⺀䓂䊻䐱⺛᷍㕞㕞⭹㻑
guàn 㑬᷍㻷䊻㸳㉖⭤䊻䐱⺛㪛huó⼽⺀㑬᷍㻷䊻㸳㉖⭤䊻䐱⺛㪛』⼽
䇱䅃㯝᱄ 䇱䅃㯝᱄
Lesson 16 Xià㳍⭥jìhuà 㻥㳍⭥ェ⿏ Summer plans 351
⫔㸋ᷛ 㸳 ⶶ㎕⭥㬒⽓᷍㉖⭤䐱㸥⳨⧄㚲᷍ ⫔㸋ᷛ㸳ⶶ㎕⭥㬒⽓᷍㉖⭤䐱㸥⳨⧄㚲᷍

㋪㬨㻷䊻㉖⭤⤜㲌㚲㑬᱄Suı̄ 㦜㸳㯖㋪㬨㻷䊻㉖⭤⤜㲌㚲㑬᱄㰅㦜㸳㯖
䐱⺛⿑㯖⭤⼽㕞᷍⼛䓷䄓㾕⭤⤜㲌⼤䐱⺛⿑㯖⭤⼽㕞᷍⼛䓷䄓㾕⭤⤜㲌⼤
㋕᷍㋪㬨㸳⳨⧄㻓⿗䁈䐱㸥᱄ ㋕᷍㋪㬨㸳⳨⧄㻓⿗䁈䐱㸥᱄
Màikèᷛ㸳㗨䁈㑬⼽ⱁ᱄㻷䊻㋪䄵ⷛ䐱⺛㦬㯖㕔㋬ᷛ㸳㗨䁈㑬⼽ⱁ᱄㻷䊻㋪䄵ⷛ䐱⺛㦬㯖
⿑᷍⿚。㾕䄜㾊⼛䓷᱄㸳㻓⿗⧋䐱㸥⿑᷍⿚。㾕䄜㾊⼛䓷᱄㸳㻓⿗⧋䐱㸥
ⷉ᷍䄓㻓⿗㳞䎃ⱚ⭥liú㾱yı̄nyuè᱄ ⷉ᷍䄓㻓⿗㳞䎃ⱚ⭥㒘㾱䅕㎷᱄
㾂㸥ᷛ 㛄㗨⭥䐱㸥㆙bù ⭤⼽㌍᱄ 㾂㸥ᷛ 㛄㗨⭥䐱㸥㆙⤞⭤⼽㌍᱄
⺛㣠ᷛ ⰵ㾂㸥 ⫔㸋㗠㳍Ⱍⷛ㛄㯖䐱㸥᷍⭒ ⺛㣠ᷛ ⰵ㾂㸥 ⫔㸋㗠㳍Ⱍⷛ㛄㯖䐱㸥᷍⭒
㦜㆙bù ⭤⼽㌍㑬᱄
᷉ⰵ㗡㏗᷊㧈⺜㛄㦜㆙⤞⭤⼽㌍㑬᱄ ᷉ⰵ㗡㏗᷊㧈⺜㛄
䇱㬒ヅ᷍㸳䄓㋪䄵㗠㳍péi㛄liàn㻑䐱䇱㬒ヅ᷍㸳䄓㋪䄵㗠㳍㞄㛄㑘㻑䐱
㸥᷍䋖㗕䂚ᷠ 㸥᷍䋖㗕䂚ᷠ
Part A Vocabulary
hǎo kàn ⼤㋕ pretty, nice adjectival ⼤㋕⼤㋕
looking verb
jìnbù ㆙bù advance, verb; noun ㆙⤞ 䩮⤞

progress, improve;
improvement,
progress
liúxíng liú㾱 popular, trendy, adjectival 㒘㾱㒘㾱
fashionable verb
mànmān 㕞㕞⭹ gradually, little adverb 㕞㕞⭹ 㕞㕞⭹

de by little
péi accompany verb 㞄㞄
shēnghuó 㪛huó live; life verb; noun 㪛』㪛』
suı̄rán suı̄ 㦜 although conjunction 㰅㦜厎㦜
xíguàn 㻑guàn accustomed to verb 㻑⺀㐶࿵
yǒu yìsi 䇱䅃㯝 be interesting adjectival 䇱䅃㯝䇱䅃㯝
verb phrase
Part B
⺛㣠➷ᷛ ㌍䄋fàng shǔjià 㑬᷍㯖㯖㛄㗨xià ⺛㣠➷ᷛ ㌍䄋⳦㭏ズ㑬᷍㯖㯖㛄㗨㻥

㳍䇱㬓㗕 jìhuà᱄ 㳍䇱㬓㗕ェ⿏᱄
⫔㸋ᷛ 㸳⫓suàn 㻩䔙】⧖䊻䐱⺛lǚyóu ⫔㸋ᷛ 㸳⫓㰄㻩䔙】⧖䊻䐱⺛㔤䇯
䄜⷗䊣᷍䊺⿹⺛㋕⶙㚙᱄㾂㸥⭥㎰䄜⷗䊣᷍䊺⿹⺛㋕⶙㚙᱄㾂㸥⭥㎰
コ䊻㩰hǎi᷍㰞㤌㸳㦆㰞コ䓂コ䊻㩰⼄᷍㰞㤌㸳㦆㰞コ䓂
゙㳍᱄ ゙㳍᱄
Màikèᷛ Shǔjià䄜㋋㬝㸳㈮ⷛ゙⷗㞔䇲㕔㋬ᷛ 㭏ズ䄜㋋㬝㸳㈮ⷛ゙⷗㞔䇲
䄜㡑㦆Táiwān㶇᷍䊺⪴Táiwān 䄜㡑㦆㲉㶆㶇᷍䊺⪴㲉㶆
⿹㗡⺛᱄㳞㯖Táiwān xià㳍⼽ ⿹㗡⺛᱄㳞㯖㲉㶆㻥㳍⼽
rè᷍㰚䄵㸳⤜⫓suàn dāi㲌㈤᱄ 㦩᷍㰚䄵㸳⤜⫓㰄⫞㲌㈤᱄
㗡㏗᷍㛄㚹ᷠ 㗡㏗᷍㛄㚹ᷠ
㗡㏗ᷛ Suı̄ 㦜⳪〛㠒⤜piányi᷍dàn㬨䄜㗡㏗ᷛ 㰅㦜⳪〛㠒⤜⢄䄬᷍⭌㬨䄜
fàng shǔjià᷍㸳㈮⿹ⳉ⺛᱄㸳biǎo ⳦㭏ズ᷍㸳㈮⿹ⳉ⺛᱄㸳⢎
ⷈⷙ㸳jièshào㑬䄜⷗shǔ㠻⭥⹅ ⷈⷙ㸳ㆊ㩽㑬䄜⷗㭏㠻⭥⹅
zuò᷍㸳⭤zhèng䄜⮄㻣⷗䁈㠻⭥ 䔘㸳⭤䎖䄜⮄㻣⷗䁈㠻⭥
䁈fèi ⼮㪛huó fèi᱄ 䁈Ⳳ⼮㪛』Ⳳ᱄
㾂㸥ᷛ 㛄㗨䇱kòng㋪䄵yòng䐱㸥ⷙ㸳㾂㸥ᷛ 㛄㗨䇱㋶㋪䄵䇤䐱㸥ⷙ㸳
ⷛ⺛㣠㾕⮈䓴yóujiàn᷍fù㻑fù ⷛ⺛㣠㾕⮈䓴䇫ミ᷍ⶕ㻑ⶕ
㻑䐱㸥᱄ 㻑䐱㸥᱄
⺛㣠㕉ᷛ 㛄㗨㈦䊣⿚Ⱍ⿹⡒㈊䁈䐱㸥㕑ᷠ ⺛㣠㕉ᷛ 㛄㗨㈦䊣⿚Ⱍ⿹⡒㈊䁈䐱㸥㕑ᷠ
⫔㸋᷍Màikè᷍ ⫔㸋᷍㕔㋬᷍
㗡㏗ᷛ ⭒㦜㑬᱄ 㗡㏗ᷛ ⭒㦜㑬᱄
Part B Vocabulary
biǎogē biǎoⷈ cousin noun ⢎ⷈ ⢎ⷈ
dāi reside for a verb ⫞ ⫞
short time
dànshi dàn㬨 but conjunction ⭌㬨 ⭌㬨
dǎsuàn ⫓suàn plan noun, verb ⫓㰄 ⫓㰄
diànzı̌ ⮈䓴 email noun ⮈䓴䇫ミ厫䓴䬾ミ

yóujiàn yóujiàn
fàng release, begin verb ⳦ ⳦
(vacation)
fàng jià have a vacation verb + ⳦ズ ⳦ズ
or holiday object
gōngzuò ⹅zuò job; work noun; verb ⹅䔘 ⹅䔘

huí guó ⿹⺛ return to verb + ⿹⺛ ⿹ङ
one’s home object
country
jìhuà plan noun ェ⿏䆬‫پ‬
lǎo jiā ㎰コ home town, noun ㎰コ㎰コ
place where phrase
one’s family is
from
lü
ˇyóu travel verb 㔤䇯㔤䩼
Shànghǎi 㩰hǎi Shanghai place name 㩰⼄㩰⼄
shēnghuó 㪛huó living expenses noun 㪛』Ⳳ 㪛』䗮
fèi fèi phrase
shǔjià summer noun 㭏ズ㭏ズ

vacation phrase
shǔqı̄ shǔ㠻 summer noun 㭏㠻㭏㠻

vacation period
Táiwān Taiwan place name 㲉㶆㲉ᨔ
tı̄ngshuō 㳞㯖 heard it said verb 㳞㯖㔁䌇
xiàtiān xià㳍 summer noun 㻥㳍㻥㳍
xuéfèi 䁈fèi tuition noun 䁈Ⳳ స䗮
yı̄ + VP 䄜 + VP as soon as adverbial 䄜䄜
VP, when VP clause
zhèng earn verb 䎖 ᅋ

Part C
㾂㸥ᷛ 㻷䊻䄲㈎⼽㶎㑬᱄㸳㗨⭤⿹sùshè 㾂㸥ᷛ 㻷䊻䄲㈎⼽㶎㑬᱄㸳㗨⭤⿹㯿㪂

㑬᱄㛄㗨䋈䄜⮄xiūxi➪᱄ 㑬᱄㛄㗨䋈䄜⮄㾾㻃➪᱄
⺛㣠➷ᷛ䊺䔙䄜。ⱚ᱄䄜。ⱚ㸳㗨㋋⧖sòng ⺛㣠➷ᷛ䊺䔙䄜。ⱚ᱄䄜。ⱚ㸳㗨㋋⧖㯮
㛄㗨⿹sùshè᱄ 㛄㗨⿹㯿㪂᱄
⺛㣠㕉ᷛ㆒㶎⭥cài⼮jiǎo䓴Ⱍ⿚䇱᷍děng䄜㻣⺛㣠㕉ᷛ㆒㶎⭥⤬⼮ㅩ䓴Ⱍ⿚䇱᷍⭩䄜㻣
dài䄜㾊⿹㦆᱄ ⫙䄜㾊⿹㦆᱄
㗡㏗ᷛ 㚨䋖㗕⼤䅃㯝ᷠ 㗡㏗ᷛ 㚨䋖㗕⼤䅃㯝ᷠ
⺛㣠㕉ᷛ⤜yòng㋮qi᷍dài⿹㦆➪㛄㗨㘘㳍㈮⺛㣠㕉ᷛ⤜䇤㋮㡙⫙⿹㦆➪㛄㗨㘘㳍㈮
⤜yòng䔗Ⳛ㑬᱄ ⤜䇤䔗Ⳛ㑬᱄
㗡㏗ᷛ 㛛䎃㗕㯖᷍㸳㗨㈮⤜㋮qi㑬᱄ 㗡㏗ᷛ 㛛䎃㗕㯖᷍㸳㗨㈮⤜㋮㡙㑬᱄
㾂㸥ᷛ 㲌máfan 㛄㗨㑬᱄䎇⤜⼤䅃㯝᱄ 㾂㸥ᷛ 㲌㕊Ⳕ㛄㗨㑬᱄䎇⤜⼤䅃㯝᱄
⺛㣠➷ᷛ⢑㋮qi᱄ ⺛㣠➷ᷛ⢑㋮㡙᱄
Part C Vocabulary
bù ⤜yòng no need to modal verb ⤜䇤 ⤜䇤
yòng phrase
sòng see a guest off verb 㯮㯮

zěnme 䋖㗕⼤ how can (we) not conversational 䋖㗕⼤䋖怯⼤
hǎoyìsi 䅃㯝ᷠ be embarrassed expression 䅃㯝ᷠ 䅃㯝ᷠ
Characters
Function Character
⥉ chá tea 䢔 ⥉
⧋ chàng sing ㋻ ⧋ⷉ (chàng ⧋

gē) sing (songs)
⭹ dì, de ground, earth 㵢 ⭹㵝(dìtú) ⭹
(grammar map,㕞㕞⭹
particle) (mànmān de)
gradually
ⳉ f ǎ method* 一 ⳉ⺛(Fǎguó) ⳉ
France
⳪ fēi fly ⳪ ⳪〛(fēijı̄) 嚘
airplane
⶙ fù father* ⶙ ⶙㚙(fùmǔ) ⶙
father and
mother, parents
ⷉ gē song 㣘 ⧋ⷉ(chàng ⷉ
gē) sing (songs)
⺜ guǒ fruit; 㚟㧈⺜(rúguǒ) ⺜
consequences if, 㯏⺜
(shuı̌guǒ) fruit
㾱 háng business*; 㾱䅙㾱(yínháng) 㾱

xíng acceptable bank, 㾱⤜
㾱ᷠ(xíng bù
xíngᷠ) okay?
】 huǒ fire 】】⧖(huǒchē) 】
train
㉖ jué become ボ㉖⭤ (juéde) 䅹
jiào aware* think, 㯐㉖
(shuì jiào) sleep
㗠 měi every ᜐ 㗠㳍(měitiān) 㗠
every day
㚙 mǔ mother* ᜐ ⶙㚙 (fùmǔ) 㚙
father and
mother, parents
㧈 rú if* 㝏㧈⺜(rúguǒ) if 㧈
㬝 shı̌ begin* 㝏㋋㬝(kāishı̌) 㬝
begin
㯝 sı̄ think* 㾥䅃㯝(yìsi) 㯝
meaning,
significance
㶇 wán play 㶖㶇
㾕 xiě write 䜃㾕䓷(xiě zì) ౲

write
(characters,
letters)
䅃 yì meaning* 㾥䅃㯝(yìsi) 䅃
meaning,
significance
䓂 zhù reside/live (in 䗊䓂
a location)
Use and structure

16.1. 䓂䊻 + location live in a location
We have already learned that in Mandarin, prepositional phrases usually occur before the
verb. However, when talking about living in a place, especially when you are not focusing
on the length of time that you have lived there, the prepositional phrase (䊻 + location at the
location) typically follows the verb:
㋋㬝⭥㬒⽓᷍㸳⤜㻑guàn 䓂䊻䐱⺛᱄
ⶶ
ⶶ㋋㬝⭥㬒⽓᷍㸳⤜㻑⺀䓂䊻䐱⺛᱄
At first, I was not used to living in China.
Notice that when duration is included, the preposition phrase 䊻 + location occurs before
the verb.
㰜㗨䊻䐱⺛䄲㈎䓂㑬⥏⤜ⱁ䄜㛋᱄
They have already lived in China for almost a year.
16.2. 㕞㕞⭹ + situation: the situation gradually comes about

To say that a situation comes about gradually, say:
㕞㕞⭹ + situation
ⶶ㋋㬝⭥㬒⽓᷍㸳⤜㻑guàn 䓂䊻䐱⺛᷍㕞㕞⭹㻑guàn 㑬᱄
ⶶ㋋㬝⭥㬒⽓᷍㸳⤜㻑⺀䓂䊻䐱⺛᷍㕞㕞⭹㻑⺀㑬᱄
At first, I wasn’t used to living in China, (but) gradually I got used to it.
Notice that in the phrase 㕞㕞⭹, the second syllable is pronounced in first tone: mànmān
de, and the character ⭹ is pronounced de. When the character ⭹ occurs in the word ⭹㵝
(dìtú) map, it is pronounced dì.
ⶶ㋋㬝⭥㬒⽓᷍㸳⤜。㯖䐱㸥᷍㕞㕞⭹。㯖㑬᱄
At first I couldn’t speak Chinese, but then gradually I was able to speak it.
㛄㕞㕞⭹⧵᷍㸳㗨⿚䇱㬒ヅ᱄
Take your time eating. We have plenty of time.
㸳㗨⧵㑬㶎Ⳛ䄵⽔᷍㈮㕞㕞⭹䔀㔘⿹ sùshè 㑬᱄
㸳㗨⧵㑬㶎Ⳛ䄵⽔᷍㈮㕞㕞⭹䔀㔘⿹㯿㪂㑬᱄
After we ate dinner, we slowly walked back to the dorm.

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16.3. situation1 ⭥㬒⽓, situation2 when [situation1] happens,

[situation2] happens
To indicate that two situations overlap in time, say:
situation1 ⭥㬒⽓ situation2
When situation1 occurs, situation2 occurs
㸳ⶶ㎕⭥㬒⽓᷍㉖⭤䐱㸥⳨⧄㚲᱄
When I first arrived, I thought that Chinese was extremely difficult.
Notice that ⭥㬒⽓ occurs at the end of the first situation, while its English translation
when occurs at the beginning of the first situation.
[㋝㬵⭥㬒⽓] ⢑㯖⿑᱄
[When you take a test] don’t talk.
[⧵䐱⺛Ⳛ⭥㬒⽓] yı̄nggāi yòng kuài䓴᱄
[⧵䐱⺛Ⳛ⭥㬒⽓]䇇ⶤ䇤㌋䓴᱄
[When you eat Chinese food] you should use chopsticks.
⭥㬒⽓ when, while and 㬓㗕㬒⽓ᷠ when? what time?

We have now learned two expressions that include the Chinese word 㬒⽓ time and can
be translated with the English word when: ⭥㬒⽓ when, while, and 㬓㗕㬒⽓ᷠwhen?
what time?
These expressions have very different functions and are never interchangeable.
㬓㗕㬒⽓ᷠ is used to ask when some situation occurs, or to say that you don’t know when
some action occurs.
㛄㬓㗕㬒⽓ fàng shǔjiàᷠ

㛄㬓㗕㬒⽓⳦㭏ズᷠ
When do you begin summer vacation?
㸳⤜䐋⭡㛄㬓㗕㬒⽓ fàng shǔjià᱄
㸳⤜䐋⭡㛄㬓㗕㬒⽓⳦㭏ズ᱄
I don’t know when you begin summer vacation.
㸳㗨㬓㗕㬒⽓㋝㬵ᷠ
When do we take the test?
㸳⤜䐋⭡㸳㗨㬓㗕㬒⽓㋝㬵᱄
I don’t know when we take the test.
When answering questions with 㬓㗕㬒⽓ᷠ , always replace the question phrase with the
answer. The question phrase and the answer occur in the same place in the sentence.
㛄㬓㗕㬒⽓ fàng shǔjiàᷠ

㛄㬓㗕㬒⽓⳦㭏ズᷠ
When do you begin summer vacation?
㹆䊣㈮ fàng shǔjià᱄

㸳
㸳㹆䊣㈮⳦㭏ズ᱄
I begin summer vacation in May. (and that is early from the perspective of the speaker)
⭥㬒⽓ indicates that two situations overlap in time. Its use always involves two situations.
㸳⿹ sùshè ⭥㬒⽓㸳⭥ tóngwū 䄲㈎ shuì ㉖㑬᱄
㸳⿹㯿㪂⭥㬒⽓㸳⭥㵍㸾䄲㈎㯐㉖㑬᱄
When I returned to the dorm my roommate was already asleep.
㸳㼌⧵コ⧄cài⭥㬒⽓㈮㦆㚨コⳚ⹾᱄
㸳㼌⧵コ⧄⤬⭥㬒⽓㈮㦆㚨コⳚ⹾᱄
When I want to eat home-style food I go to that restaurant.
Practice
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Workbook: Focus on Structure 16.1. Website: Structure Drills 16.1, 16.2.

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16.4. suı̄ 㦜 (㰅㦜) situation1 dàn㬨 (⭌㬨)᷐㋪㬨situation2 although

situation1, (but) situation2
To indicate a contrast between two situations, say:
suı̄ 㦜 (㰅㦜) situation1㋪㬨 situation2
or
suı̄ 㦜 (㰅㦜) situation1 dàn㬨 (⭌㬨) situation2
Suı̄ 㦜㸳㯖䐱⺛⿑㯖⭤⼽㕞᷍⼛䓷䄓㾕⭤⼽⤜⼤㋕᷍㋪㬨㸳⳨⧄㻓⿗䁈䐱㸥᱄
㰅㦜㸳㯖䐱⺛⿑㯖⭤⼽㕞᷍⼛䓷䄓㾕⭤⤜㲌⼤㋕᷍㋪㬨㸳⳨⧄㻓⿗䁈䐱㸥᱄
Although I speak Chinese very slowly and my characters don’t look so pretty, (but) I really
like to study Chinese.
Notice that in Mandarin, when indicating contrast, a sentence may include both of the
words suı̄ 㦜 (㰅㦜) although and ㋪㬨/dàn㬨 (⭌㬨) but, or it may include only one of
the words by itself.
Suı̄ 㦜㆒㳍䐜㋝㬏⷗⼛䓷᷍㋪㬨㗠⷗䓷Ⱍ⼽㚲㾕᱄
㰅㦜㆒㳍䐜㋝㬏⷗⼛䓷᷍㋪㬨㗠⷗䓷Ⱍ⼽㚲㾕᱄
Although we are only having a test on ten characters today, every character is hard to write.
Suı̄ 㦜may occur before or after the subject.
㰜suı̄ 㦜 fù㻑⹇㋯㑬᷍㋪㬨⿚㬨wàng㑬゙⷗䓷᱄
㰜㰅㦜ⶕ㻑⹇㋯㑬᷍㋪㬨⿚㬨㶝㑬゙⷗䓷᱄
Although he studied the lesson, he still forgot some of the characters.
㋪㬨 and dàn㬨are equivalent in meaning, though dàn㬨 is more commonly used in this
structure.

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16.5. 䄜 action1 ㈮ action2 as soon as/whenever [action1] occurs,

[action2] occurs
When you want to say that as soon as or whenever one action happens, another action hap-
pens, use the structure:
䄜 action1 ㈮ action2
䄜f àng shǔjià᷍㸳㈮⿹ⳉ⺛᱄
䄜⳦㭏ズ᷍㸳㈮⿹ⳉ⺛᱄
As soon as summer vacation begins I am returning to France.
㰜䄜⿹コ㈮㋕⮈shì᱄
㰜䄜⿹コ㈮㋕⮈㬴᱄
As soon as he gets home he watches television.
㾂㸥䄜⧵jiǎo䓴㈮⼽gāoxìng᱄
㾂㸥䄜⧵ㅩ䓴㈮⼽ⷀ㾬᱄
Whenever Xiaowen eats dumplings she is happy.
If the two actions have different subjects, the subject of action1 occurs before 䄜 and the
subject of action2 occurs before ㈮.
䊺děng䄜。ⱚ➪᱄㰜䄜㎕㸳㗨㈮㋪䄵䔀㑬᱄
䊺⭩䄜。ⱚ➪᱄㰜䄜㎕㸳㗨㈮㋪䄵䔀㑬᱄
Wait a little longer. As soon as he comes we can leave.
㎰㬇䄜䔀䁈㪛㈮㋋㬝㶇㬷〛᱄
As soon as the teacher leaves, the students begin to use (play with) their cell phones.
Remember that ㈮ always occurs before a verb phrase and never before a noun or noun
phrase.
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Practice Workbook: Focus on Structure 16.5. Website: Structure Drills 16.5, 16.6.
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16.6. fàng jià (⳦ズ) begin vacation and fàng shǔjià (⳦㭏ズ) begin summer
vacation
Fàng jià (⳦ズ) is a verb + object phrase that means begin a period of vacation.
㛄㗨䁈xiào fàng jià 㑬㕑ᷠ
㛄㗨䁈㾄⳦ズ㑬㕑ᷠ
Has your school started vacation yet?
To indicate a specific vacation, for example, summer vacation, replace the object jià (ズ)
with the more specific object:
㸳㹆䊣㈮ fàng shǔjià᱄
㸳㹆䊣㈮⳦㭏ズ᱄
I begin summer vacation in May.
16.7. 䊺 + action: continue doing an action

We have already learned that 䊺 + action can mean to do the action again in the future:
㰜䔓㳍㎕㑬᷍㘘㳍䊺㎕᱄
He came yesterday and he’s coming again tomorrow.
㛄⭥tóngwūⷙ㛄⫓⮈⿑㑬᱄㛄⤜䊻᱄㰜㯖䄜。ⱚ䊺ⷙ㛄⫓᱄
㛄⭥㵍㸾ⷙ㛄⫓⮈⿑㑬᱄㛄⤜䊻᱄㰜㯖䄜。ⱚ䊺ⷙ㛄⫓᱄
Your roommate just phoned you. You were not here. He said he’d call again in a little while.
We have also learned that 䊺 can be used when indicating sequence:
㻩action1 䊺action2
Fàng shǔjià䄵⽔᷍㸳㻩ⷛ㰜㗨㦆Táiwān㶇㑞⷗㾨㠻᷍䊺⿹㗡⺛᱄
⳦㭏ズ䄵⽔᷍㸳㻩ⷛ㰜㗨㦆㲉㶆㶇㑞⷗㾨㠻᷍䊺⿹㗡⺛᱄
After vacation begins, I’m first going to Taiwan to have fun for two weeks and then I’ll
return to the USA.
In this lesson we learn that 䊺 + action can be used to tell someone to continue doing some
action:
䊺䔙䄜。ⱚ᱄
Sit for a little while longer.
䊺ⷙ㸳㹆⳷zhōng⼤㕑ᷠ (䊺ⷙ㸳㹆⳷䐴⼤㕑ᷠ)
Give me five more minutes, okay?
䊺⼩䄜bēi➪᷂ (䊺⼩䄜⡎➪᷂)
Drink another glass!
16.8. 䄜。ⱚ used in two different ways

The expression䄜。ⱚ means a little while and can be used in two ways. Both uses occur in
Part C of the dialogue.
When䄜。ⱚ follows the verb, it indicates the duration of the verb:
䊺䔙䄜。ⱚ᱄
Sit for a little while longer.
When 䄜。ⱚ occurs at the beginning of a sentence or clause it functions as a sentence

adverb and means in a little while.
䄜。ⱚ㸳㗨㋋⧖sòng 㛄㗨⿹ sùshè᱄
䄜。ⱚ㸳㗨㋋⧖㯮㛄㗨⿹㯿㪂᱄
In a little while we will drive you back to the dormitory.
Qa Language FAQs
䓂 live and 㪛 huó (㪛』) live
䓂 and 㪛huó (㪛』) can both be translated as live, but they do not mean the
same thing.
䓂 can only be used as a verb. It means reside or live (in a location). It is used when
talking about where you live,
㛄䓂䊻㚥ⱚᷠWhere do you live?
or how long you have lived somewhere:
㛄䊻ⳉ⺛䓂㑬ⱁcháng㬒ヅᷠ
㛄䊻ⳉ⺛䓂㑬ⱁ⧅㬒ヅᷠ
How long did you live in France?
It can be used when talking about “staying” or “residing” in a location for a short
period of time. For example, it can be used when saying that you are “staying” in
a hotel or at someone’s house for a few days, or “living” some place for a short
period of time.
㸳㦆⡒㈊⭥㬒⽓Ⱍ䓂䊻⺛㣠コ᱄
When I go to Beijing I always stay at Guoqiang’s house.
㪛huó can be used as verb or a noun. As a verb it means to live or to pass one’s days
in some location:
㸳⼽㻓⿗䊻䐱⺛㪛huó᱄
㸳⼽㻓⿗䊻䐱⺛㪛』᱄
I really like experiencing life in China; I like spending time in China.
As a noun 㪛huó means life:
㸳⼽㻓⿗䐱⺛⭥㪛huó᱄
㸳⼽㻓⿗䐱⺛⭥㪛』᱄
I really like Chinese life.
jìhuà (ェ⿏) plan and ⫓suàn (⫓㰄) plan

Jìhuà (ェ⿏) and ⫓suàn (⫓㰄), like the English word plan, can function as a
noun or as a verb.
Jìhuà usually refers to a more formal, detailed plan.
㛄㗨 xià㳍䇱㬓㗕 jìhuàᷠ (㛄㗨㻥㳍䇱㬓㗕ェ⿏ᷠ)
What plans do you have for the summer?
⫓suàn often suggests an intention, similar to thinking about (doing something).
㸳⫓suàn 㻩䊻䐱⺛ lü
ˇyóu 䄜⷗䊣᱄ (㸳⫓㰄㻩䊻䐱⺛㔤䇯䄜⷗䊣᱄)
I plan to travel in China for a month.
⹅zuò (⹅䔘) job; work

⹅zuò (⹅䔘) can be used as either a noun or a verb.
As a noun, it is usually translated as job, though it can also sometimes be trans-
lated as work.
㸳⭤䍳䄜⷗ shǔ 㠻⭥⹅zuò᷍zhèng 䄜⮄㣏᱄
㸳⭤䍳䄜⷗㭏㠻⭥⹅䔘᷍䎖䄜⮄㣏᱄
I have to look for a summer job and earn a little money.
㰞䔗㬓㗕⹅zuòᷠ (㰞䔗㬓㗕⹅䔘ᷠ)
What kind of work does she do?
As a verb, it is translated as work.
㰞 xià㳍䊻ⳉ⺛⹅zuò᱄
㰞㻥㳍䊻ⳉ⺛⹅䔘᱄
In the summer, she works in France.
jìnbù (㆙⤞) improve; improvement

Jìnbù (㆙⤞) can be used as a noun or as a verb.
As a noun, jìnbù means progress, improvement, or advancement.
㛄⭥䐱㸥䇱⼽⫔⭥ jìnbù᱄(㛄⭥䐱㸥䇱⼽⫔⭥㆙⤞᱄)
Your Chinese has made a lot of progress.
As a verb, jìnbù means progress, improve, or advance.
㛄⭥䐱㸥 jìnbù ⭤⼽㌍᱄ (㛄⭥䐱㸥㆙⤞⭤⼽㌍᱄)
Your Chinese has progressed quickly.
Two pronunciations and meanings for the character ㉖

Most characters have only a single pronunciation, but a small number have more
than one. In this lesson we learned the character ㉖ and its two very different
pronunciations.
In the word ㉖⭤, ㉖ is pronounced jué.
In the word shuì㉖ (㯐㉖), ㉖ is pronounced jiào.
Recall that the character ⭤ also has two pronunciations; de is one of them. What
is the other one, and what is the meaning of ⭤ in the other pronunciation?
Two related meanings for the word sòng (㯮)

In Lesson 15 we learned the word sòng (㯮) with the meaning give a gift, and in
this lesson we learn that the same word also means see a guest off. What the
meanings have in common is that they refer to polite behavior that is associated
with a traditional ritual. The Chinese ritual involved in seeing a guest off is de-
scribed in Notes on Chinese culture below. The ritual of politely giving a gift in-
volves presenting it to the recipient with two hands. Both rituals are still followed
in contemporary China.

Seeing guests off sòng kè (㯮㋮)
Seeing guests off is part of the ritual of guest and host. At the end of a gathering,
the host is required to sòng (㯮) the guests, or see them off. To sòng (㯮) the
guests does not necessarily require taking them home, but it does require seeing
them out of the house (or meeting place), and watching (and usually waving) as
they depart. In the United States, at the end of a visit, a polite host will see the
guests to the door, often closing it as soon as the guests are outside. In China, the
host often exits with the guests and walks them to their car, or at least part way
to their bus, subway, or home. A polite host does not turn her back on the guests
or go inside until the guests are out of sight. The opposite of sòng (㯮) is jiē (ㅴ)
receive or pick up a guest. We learned that word in Lesson 12.
Part A
Guoqiang’s dad: Come, drink a little more tea, eat some more fruit. You’ve been
studying Chinese in China for almost a year already. What do you
think about it?
Meili: I think this year passed really quickly. At the beginning, I wasn’t
used to living in China, (but I) gradually got used to it. Now I think
that living in China is very interesting.
Dawei: When I first got here, I thought that Chinese was extremely diffi-
cult, but now I don’t think it’s that difficult. Although I speak Chi-
nese very slowly and I don’t write characters that look so good,
(but) I really like studying Chinese.
Maike: We’ve learned a lot. We can speak with Chinese people now and we
can write some characters. I like to sing Chinese songs and I like
to listen to the popular music here.
Xiaowen: Your Chinese has progressed very quickly.
Guoqiang: (to Xiaowen) Dawei speaks Chinese with you every day. Of course
his Chinese improved quickly. (to Meili) If you have the time, I can
practice Chinese with you every day. What do you think?
Part B
Guoqiang’s dad: Summer vacation is about to begin. Talk about what plans you have
for the summer.
Dawei: I first plan to travel by train in China for a month, and then return
home to see my parents. Xiaowen’s family home is in Shanghai,
and she’s invited me to go to her house to stay for a few days.
Maike: When summer vacation first begins I am going to go to Taiwan
with a few friends to have fun and then return to the United States
from Taiwan. I’ve heard that the summer in Taiwan is very hot, so
I don’t plan to stay very long. Meili, what about you?
Meili: Although airplane tickets aren’t cheap (but) as soon as summer
vacation begins I’ll go back to France. My cousin has found a sum-
mer job for me, and I have to earn a little money for next semes-
ter’s tuition and living expenses.
Xiaowen: When you have time you can use Chinese to write text messages to
Guoqiang and me and practice Chinese.
Guoqiang’s mom: Will you all come back to Beijing in September to study Chinese?
Dawei, Maike, Meili: Of course!
Part C
Xiaowen: It’s already very late. We should go back to the dorm. You can rest a
bit earlier.
Guoqiang’s dad: Sit for a little bit longer. In a while we’ll drive you back to the dorm.
Guoqiang’s mom: We still have tonight’s dishes and jiaozi. Wait a minute and take
some back with you.
Meili: How can we not be embarrassed by that? (That imposes on you too
much.)
Guoqiang’s mom: Don’t be polite. Take some back with you. Tomorrow you won’t
have to cook.
Meili: If you say so (if you insist), then we won’t be polite.
Xiaowen: That’s too much trouble for you. So embarrassing!
Guoqiang’s dad: Don’t be polite.
Vocabulary: English to
Mandarin (Pinyin)
The lesson number indicates the lesson in which the vocabulary item is introduced. The last two
columns of each row show the vocabulary item in Simplified and Traditional characters.
A
a little yı̄diǎn quantifier phrase L7 䄜⮄ 䄜恄
a little yǒu yı̄diǎn intensifier L10 䇱䄜⮄ 䇱䄜恄
able to, can huì modal verb L3 。 ᎟
(inherent or
learned ability)
able to, can néng modal verb L13 㚽㚽
(physical
ability)
370 Vocabulary: English to Mandarin (Pinyin)
accompany péi verb L16 㞄㞄

accustomed to xíguàn verb L16 㻑⺀㐶࿵
across from duìmiàn noun L14 ⰵ㘇 ಇ㘇
action in zài adverb L9 䊻䊻
progress
address dìzhı̌ noun L14 ⭹䐘 ⭹䐘
advance, jìnbù verb; noun L16 ㆙⤞ 䩮⤞
progress,
improve;
improvement,
progress
afternoon xiàwǔ noun L9 㻣㹈㻣㹈
after, afterward yı̌hòu noun L12 䄵⽔䄵䲂
afterward ránhòu adverb L14 㦜⽔㦜䲂
again (do zài adverb L10 䊺䊺
again) in the
future
airplane fēijı̄ noun L11 ⳪〛嚘ᗤ
airport fēijı̄chǎng noun phrase L11 ⳪〛⧂ 嚘ᗤৗ
all, both dōu adverb L2 Ⱍ Ⱍ
almost chàbuduō adjectival verb L12 ⥏⤜ⱁ ⥏⤜ⱁ
already yı̌jing adverb L10 䄲㈎䄲ㄼ
also yě adverb L1 䄓䄓
although suı̄rán conjunction L16 㰅㦜厎㦜
altogether yı̄gòng adverb L7 䄜⹓ 䄜⹓
American Měiguó rén noun phrase L2 㗡⺛㦬㗡ङ㦬
and hé conjunction L3 ⼮⼮
and other shénme de noun phrase L14 㬓㗕⭥ 㬓怯⭥
things like that
answer, receive jiē verb L13 ㅴ ㅴ

(a phone call),
pick up (a
person)
as soon as VP, yı̄ + VP adverbial clause L16 䄜䄜
when VP
as you please suíbiàn adverb L15 㰇⢄ 却⢄
ask (a wèn verb L2 㸫 ߷
question)
assume the dāng verb L11 ⭒ ◵
role of, be
at, in, on zài preposition L12 䊻䊻
attend shàng verb L9 㩰㩰
attend school shàng kè verb + object L9 㩰㋯㩰䌏
or class
aunt āyí noun L15 ➃䄭 ➃䄭
B
bag (of) bāo classifier/noun L7 ⟝ ⟝
ballpoint pen yuánzhūbı̌ noun L6 䊓䑊⡫ ढ䑊ⷱ
bank yínháng noun L14 䅙㾱䶚㾱
basketball lánqiú noun L9 ㎛㤓⽡㤓
basketball lánqiú duì noun phrase L9 ㎛㤓ⰴ ⽡㤓匁
team
bathe xı̌ verb L9 㻕㻕
bathe xı̌ zǎo verb + object L9 㻕䋉㻕䋉
be shì stative verb L1 㬨㬨
be called, call jiào verb L3 ㅱ ㅱ
be embarrassed bù hǎo yìsi conversational L13 ⤜⼤䅃㯝 ⤜⼤䅃㯝
expression
be family- xìng verb L3 㾶㾶

named, be noun
surnamed;
family name,
surname
be interesting yǒu yìsi adjectival verb L16 䇱䅃㯝䇱䅃㯝
phrase
because yı̄nwèi conjunction L10 䅓㸋䅓ᩊ

bed chuáng noun L9 ⪓ ⪓
beef niúròu noun L10 㝄㧃㝄㧃
beef noodles niúròu miàn noun phrase L10 㝄㧃㘇㝄㧃怪
beer píjiǔ noun L8 㠂㈧㠂㈧
before yı̌qián noun L15 䄵㣑䄵㣑
begin kāishı̌ verb L10 ㋋㬝刀㬝
behind hòu* directional L14 ⽔䲂
particle
behind hòubiān noun L14 ⽔⢀ 䲂䪦

Beijing Běijı̄ng place name L4 ⡒㈊ ⡒㈊
(Peking)
below xià* directional L13 㻣㻣
particle
below xiàbiān noun L13 㻣⢀ 㻣䪦

between, in- zhōngjiān noun L13 䐱ヅ䐱刈
between
big dà adjectival verb L6 ⫔ ⫔
birthday shēngrì noun L8 㪛㦶㪛㦶
black hēi adjective L7 ⼻⼻
black colored hēisè noun L7 ⼻㩌⼻㩌
blue lán adjective L6 ㎗㮜
boiled shuı̌jiǎo noun phrase L15 㯏ㅩ 㯏嚽
dumplings
book shū noun L7 㭊 ᎙

bookstore shūdiàn noun L11 㭊⮋ ᎙⮋
both, all dōu adverb L2 Ⱍ Ⱍ
bother, máfan verb L11 㕊Ⳕ 㕊᫊
inconvenience
bottle (of) píng classifier L6 㠠㠠
boy (male nán háizi noun phrase L5 㚱⼃䓴㚱⼃䓴
child)
breakfast zǎofàn noun L9 䋈Ⳛ 䋈嚩
bridge qiáo noun L12 㣦 ᗓ
Britain Yı̄ngguó place name L2 䇃⺛䇃ङ
British Yı̄ngguó rén noun phrase L2 䇃⺛㦬䇃ङ㦬
person
brothers and xiōngdì noun phrase L15 㾷⭽ㆄ㗤㾷⭽倃㗤
sisters jiěmèi
bubble tea, zhēnzhū noun phrase L8 䎅䑊㚭⥉ 䎅䑊㚭⥉
pearl milk tea nǎichá
busy máng adjectival verb L9 㗇㗇
but dànshi conjunction L16 ⭌㬨 ⭌㬨
but kěshì conjunction L10 ㋪㬨㋪㬨
buy mǎi verb L6 㕓䗪
by the way duì le conversational L11 ⰵ㑬 ಇ㑬
expression
C
cabbage báicài noun L15 ➸⤬ ➸⤬
call, be jiào verb L3 ㅱ ㅱ
called
can kěyı̌ modal verb L5 ㋪䄵㋪䄵
(permission)
can (of) tı̄ng classifier L6 㳞㔁
car qìchē noun L11 㡜⧖ 㡜䡨

car, vehicle chē noun L11 ⧖ 䡨
cell phone, shǒujı̄ noun L5 㬷〛㬷ᗤ
mobile phone
center zhōngxı̄n noun L11 䐱㾥䐱㾥
character zì noun L7 䓷䓷
(Chinese
character)
cheap piányi adjectival verb L6 ⢄䄬 ⢄䄬
Chen (family Chén family name L2 ⧣ 勱
name)
chicken jı̄ noun L15 ょ厖
chicken soup jı̄ tāng noun phrase L15 ょ㲡厖ᢌ
child háizi noun L5 ⼃䓴⼃䓴
China Zhōngguó place name L2 䐱⺛䐱ङ
Chinese Hàn zì noun phrase L7 ⼛䓷 ᤉ䓷
character
Chinese Zhōngguó noun phrase L3 䐱⺛⿑䐱ङ䉳
language huà
Chinese Zhōngwén noun L3 䐱㸥䐱㸥
language
Chinese mile lı̌ classifier L11 ㏐㏐
(0.5 kilometers)
Chinese person Zhōngguó noun phrase L2 䐱⺛㦬䐱ङ㦬
rén
chocolate qiǎokèlì noun L7 㣪㋬㑇㣪㋬㑇
chopsticks kuàizi noun L15 ㌋䓴㌋䓴
city chéng* noun L11 ⧨ ⧨
city chéngshì noun L11 ⧨㬱 ⧨㬱
city shì* bound noun L11 㬱㬱
city center, shì noun phrase L11 㬱䐱㾥㬱䐱㾥

center of the zhōngxı̄n
city
class kè noun L9 ㋯䌏
classifier for běn classifier L7 ⡟ ⡟
books
classifier for liàng classifier L12 㑟䤗
cars
classifier for zhāng classifier L6 䍦 ຩ
flat rectangular
and square
objects; family
name
classifier for gè classifier L5 ⷗ ӡ
people and
some other
nouns
classifier for tiáo classifier L14 㳖 ᒍ
streets
classifier for zhı̄ classifier L6 䐈䐇
writing
implements
(pencils, pens)
classmate tóngxué noun L4 㵍䁈㵍స
classroom jiàoshì noun L9 ㅭ㬳 ㅭ㬳
classwork, gōngkè noun L9 ⹇㋯ ⹇䌏
homework
clerk, service fúwùyuán noun L6 ⴟ㹒䊒 ⴟ‫޵ڶ‬
person
close jìn adjectival verb L11 ㆝ ㆝
coffee kāfēi noun L6 ㋈⳩ ㋈⳩
coffee shop kāfēiguǎn noun phrase L10 ㋈⳩⹾ ㋈⳩圿

cola kělè noun L6 ㋪㎷㋪ᖘ
cold lěng adjectival verb L10 ㏅㏅
college, dàxué noun L11 ⫔䁈 ⫔స
university
color yánsè noun L7 䁶㩌嗢㩌
come lái verb L11 ㎕ Ҏ
completed le verb suffi x L10 㑬㑬
action
computer diànnǎo noun L9 ⮈㚵厫㘹
continuously yı̄zhí adverb L14 䄜䐒䄜䐒
cook (same as zuò verb L15 䔗䔗
䔗 do)
cookie bı̌nggān noun L7 ⢞ⶪ 嚿㣍
cooking pot, guō noun L15 ⺙伢
wok
correct duì adjectival verb L2 ⰵ ಇ
country guó noun L2 ⺛ ङ
cousin biǎogē noun L16 ⢎ⷈ ⢎ⷈ
cow niú noun L10 㝄㝄
cup of bēi classifier L10 ⡎ ⡎
D
dad bàba noun L4 ➷➷ ➷➷
dance tiào wǔ verb + object L8 㳙㹉㳙㹉
dance, jump tiào verb L8 㳙㳙
date of the hào classifier L8 ⼦㱷
month
daughter ˇ’ér
nü noun L5 㝏ⱚ 㝏‫כ‬
Dawei (David) Dàwéi given name L1 ⫔㸋 ⫔ᩊ
day tiān noun L8 㳍㳍

day after hòutiān noun L9 ⽔㳍䲂㳍
tomorrow
day before qiántiān noun L10 㣑㳍㣑㳍
yesterday
delicious hǎo chı̄ adjectival verb L15 ⼤⧵ ⼤⧵
phrase
difficult, hard nán adjectival verb L10 㚲厚

dime máo classifier L6 㗌㗌
dinner wǎnfàn noun L8 㶎Ⳛ 㶎嚩
direction fāngxiàng noun L12 Ⳟ㼓 Ⳟ㼓
dishes (food) cài noun L15 ⤬ ⤬
do zuò verb L9 䔗䔗
do an action yı̄ xià verb suffi x L15 䄜㻣䄜㻣
for a short
duration
Do you have yǒushì ma? question phrase L9 䇱㬣㕑ᷠ 䇱㬣ࡂᷠ
something to
do? What’s up?
dollar kuài classifier L6 ㌊ ৬
don’t bié negation L14 ⢑ ‫ن‬
Dong Si Dōng Sì place name L12 Ⰼ㯥 Ꮭ㯥
(location in
Beijing)
door, gate mén noun L12 㗦凵
doorway ménkǒu noun L12 㗦㋻凵㋻
dormitory sùshè noun L9 㯿㪂㯿㪂
dot, o’clock diǎn classifier L9 ⮄ 恄
(䄜diǎn zhōng)
dragon lóng noun L11 㒛愩
draw, paint huà verb L11 ⿎ ◬

drink hē verb L8 ⼩⼩
drink alcohol hē jiǔ verb + object L8 ⼩㈧⼩㈧
drive a car kāi chē verb + object L12 ㋋⧖ 刀䡨
drive, open kāi verb L12 ㋋刀
dumplings, jiǎozi noun L15 ㅩ䓴嚽䓴
“jiaozi”
dumpling jiǎozi guǎn noun phrase L15 ㅩ䓴⹾ 嚽䓴圿
restaurant
E
early zǎo adjectival verb L9 䋈䋈
earn zhèng verb L16 䎖 ᅋ
east dōng* bound noun L11 Ⰼ Ꮭ
east side dōngbiān noun L11 Ⰼ⢀ Ꮭ䪦
easy róngyì adjectival verb L10 㦾䄸㦾䄸
eat chı̄ verb L8 ⧵ ⧵
eat food chı̄ fàn verb + object L8 ⧵Ⳛ ⧵嚩
eggplant qiézi noun L15 㣲䓴㣲䓴
eight bā number L5 ➬ ➬
email diànzı̌ noun L16 ⮈䓴䇫ミ厫䓴䬾ミ
yóujiàn
English Yı̄ngguó noun phrase L3 䇃⺛⿑䇃ङ䉳
language huà
English Yı̄ngwén noun L3 䇃㸥䇃㸥
language
especially; tèbié intensifier; L15 㲹⢑ 㲹‫ن‬
special adjectival verb
evening wǎnshang noun L8 㶎㩰㶎㩰

every měi quantifier L11 㗠㗠
everyone dàjiā noun L10 ⫔コ ⫔コ

excuse me duìbuqı̌ conversational L3 ⰵ⤜㡑 ಇ⤜㡑
expression
expensive guì adjectival verb L6 ⺔䗧

experienced guò verb suffi x L15 ⺞䩿
doing the
action
expresses a final particle L8 ➂ ➂
emphasis;
softens a
statement or
question
extremely fēicháng intensifier L10 ⳨⧄ ⳨⧄
F
family (family jiārén noun L4 コ㦬コ㦬
members)
family, home jiā noun L5 ココ
famous yǒumíng adjectival verb L11 䇱㘜䇱㘜
far yuǎn adjectival verb L11 䊗䪉
fast kuài verb L10 ㌍㌍
father and fùmǔ noun L15 ⶙㚙 ⶙㚙
mother, parents
female ˇ
nü adjective L5 㝏㝏
fetch a person jiē verb L12 ㅴ ㅴ
few, little in shǎo adjectival verb L10 㩺㩺
number
finally, at last zhōngyú adverb L15 䐶䇻レ咗
first xiān adverb L9 㻩㻩
first xiān adverb L13 㻩㻩
first-year level yı̄ niánjí noun phrase L7 䄜㛋゗䄜㛋な
fish yú noun L15 䈄婟

five wǔ number L5 㹆㹆
flower huā noun L15 ⿉⿉
follow-up ne final particle L2 㚹㚹
questions
food fàn noun L8 Ⳛ 嚩
for, to gěi preposition L5, L11 ⷙ ㄐ
Ford (car Fútè proper noun L12 ⶄ㲹 ⶄ㲹
brand)
forget wàng verb L10 㶝㶝
four sì number L5 㯥㯥
four-way shízì lùkǒu noun phrase L14 㬏䓷㔘㋻㬏䓷㔘㋻
intersection
fragrant xiāng adjectival verb L11 㼄㼄
France Fǎguó place name L2 ⳉ⺛ ⳉङ
free time kòng noun L5 ㋶㋶
French Fǎguó huà noun phrase L3 ⳉ⺛⿑ ⳉङ䉳
language
French Fǎwén noun L3 ⳉ㸥 ⳉ㸥
language
French person Fǎguó rén noun phrase L2 ⳉ⺛㦬 ⳉङ㦬
Friday xı̄ngqı̄wǔ noun L8 㾨㠻㹆㾨㠻㹆
friend péngyou noun L5 㞔䇲㞔䇲
from cóng preposition L12 ⪴ ໥
front qián* directional L14 㣑㣑
particle
fruit shuı̌guǒ noun L15 㯏⺜㯏⺜

G
Gao (family Gāo family name L1 ⷀ ⷀ
name)
German Déguó huà noun phrase L3 ⭣⺛⿑ ⭣ङ䉳

language
German Déguó rén noun phrase L2 ⭣⺛㦬 ⭣ङ㦬
person
Germany Déguó place name L2 ⭣⺛ ⭣ङ
get lost, lose mí lù verb + object L15 㗵㔘㗵㔘
one’s way
get out of bed, qı̌ chuáng verb + object L9 㡑⪓ 㡑⪓
get up in the
morning
get out of class xià kè verb + object L9 㻣㋯㻣䌏
get up, rise up qı̌ verb L9 㡑㡑
girl (female ˇ háizi
nü noun phrase L5 㝏⼃䓴㝏⼃䓴
child)
give gěi verb L7 ⷙ ㄐ
give as a sòng verb L15 㯮㯮
present
give to sònggěi verb L15 㯮ⷙ 㯮ㄐ
(someone) as
a present
given name; Míng given name, L2 㘘㘘
go qù verb L8 㦆㦆
go zǒu verb L9 䔀䔀
go down, get xià verb L12 㻣㻣
off (a vehicle)
go online; surf shàng wǎng verb + object L8 㩰㶙㩰ㆸ
the web
go up, get on shàng verb L12 㩰㩰
(a vehicle)
good hǎo adjectival verb L1 ⼤⼤
good morning; zǎo greeting; L4 䋈䋈

early adjectival verb
goodbye zài jiàn conversational L1 䊺ボ䊺䃫

expression
gradually, mànmān de adverb L16 㕞㕞⭹ 㕞㕞⭹

little by little
grammar yǔfǎ noun L10 䈐ⳉ 䋻ⳉ
great tài hǎo le conversational L5 㲌⼤㑬㲌⼤㑬
expression
green lü` adjective L7 㔭 ㆨ

green colored lü`sè noun L7 㔭㩌 ㆨ㩌
guest kèrén noun L13 ㋮㦬㋮㦬
Guoqiang Guóqiáng given name L4 ⺛㣠 ङຫ
H
half bàn number L9 ⟌ ⟌
hand shǒu noun L15 㬷㬷
happy gāoxìng adjectival verb L4 ⷀ㾬 ⷀ㜅
happy kuàilè adjectival verb L8 ㌍㎷㌍ᖘ
happy shēngrì conversational L8 㪛㦶㌍㎷㪛㦶㌍ᖘ
birthday kuàilè expression
have yǒu stative verb L4 䇱䇱

have a vacation fàng jià verb + object L16 ⳦ズ ⳦ズ
or holiday
have free time yǒu kòng verb phrase L5 䇱㋶䇱㋶
have something yǒu shì verb + object L8 䇱㬣䇱㬣
to do
he/him, she/ tā pronoun L1 㰜㰞㰝㰜㰞㰝
her, it
hear tı̄ngjiàn verb L13 㳞ボ㔁䃫
heard it said tı̄ngshuō verb L16 㳞㯖㔁䌇

hello (formal nı̌ hǎo greeting L1 㛄⼤㛄⼤
greeting)
hello? wéi, wèi conversational L13 㸚㸚
(telephone expression
greeting)
help bāng verb L11 ⟐ ฮ
here zhèr noun L11 䎃ⱚ 䩡‫כ‬
hit dǎ verb L5 ⫓ ⫓
hobby, interest àihào noun L8 ➏⼤ ྼ⼤
home town, lǎo jiā noun phrase L16 ㎰コ㎰コ
place where
one’s family
is from
home-style food jiā cháng cài noun phrase L15 コ⧄⤬ コ⧄⤬
horse mǎ family name; L8 㕎埳
noun
hot rè adjectival verb L10 㦩 ᬂ

hour xiǎoshí noun L12 㾂㬒㾂ጓ
hour (main zhōng* noun L9 䐴傫
noun in clock
time expression)
hour zhōngtóu noun L12 䐴㵘傫喿
house fángzi noun L15 Ⳡ䓴 Ⳡ䓴
how zěnme question word L5 䋖㗕䋖怯
how about it? zěnmeyàng question phrase L8 䋖㗕䂚ᷠ 䋖怯ᖴᷠ
okay?
how can (we) zěnme conversational L16 䋖㗕⼤䅃䋖怯⼤䅃
not be hǎoyìsi expression 㯝ᷠ 㯝ᷠ
embarrassed
how far duō yuǎn content question L11 ⱁ䊗 ⱁ䪉

phrase
how long? duō jiǔ question phrase L14 ⱁ㈤ ⱁ㈤

how many jı̌ question word L5 ゙ ุ
how much duō cháng question phrase L12 ⱁ⧅㬒ヅ ⱁ凭ጓ刈
time? how shíjiān
long?
how much? duōshao question word L5 ⱁ㩺 ⱁ㩺
how many?
how old (are duō dà? question phrase L8 ⱁ⫔ᷠ ⱁ⫔ᷠ
you)?
hungry è adjectival verb L10 ⱗ 圪
I
I, me wǒ pronoun L1 㸳㸳
I’m leaving wǒ xiān zǒu conversational L9 㸳㻩䔀㸳㻩䔀
first. I’m expression
heading out.
if rúguǒ conjunction L14 㧈⺜㧈⺜
in addition hái adverb L6 ⿚䪡
in addition, hái yǒu sentence adverb L10 ⿚䇱䪡䇱
furthermore
in front of qiánbiān noun L14 㣑⢀ 㣑䪦
in other words yě jiù shì conversational L14 䄓㈮㬨㯖䄓㈮㬨䌇
shuō expression
inform, tell gàosu verb L13 ⷇㰀 ⷇䈷

inside lı̌* directional L13 ㏐䀆㿺
particle
inside lı̌biān noun L13 ㏐⢀ 䀆䪦㿺

䪦
internet, net wǎng noun L8 㶙 ㆸ
intersection lùkǒu noun L14 㔘㋻㔘㋻
introduce jièshào verb L15 ㆊ㩽 ㆊャ

invite qı̌ng verb L8 㤌䌩
it’s nothing méi shénme conversational L15 㗜㬓㗕 ᝾㬓怯
much, expression
there isn’t
anything of
importance
J
Japan Rìběn place name L3 㦶⡟ 㦶⡟
Japanese Rìběn huà noun phrase L3 㦶⡟⿑㦶⡟䉳
language
job; work gōngzuò noun; verb L16 ⹅䔘 ⹅䔘
just now gāng adverb L10 ⶶ ٣
K
karaoke kǎlā OK noun L8 ㋉㎎OK ㋉㎎OK
know zhı̄dào verb L5 䐋⭡ 䐋⭡
Korean Hánguó noun phrase L3 ⼌⺛⿑唏ङ䉳
language huà
L
lake hú noun L11 ⽟⽟
last shàng specifier L10 㩰㩰
last month shàng ge noun phrase L10 㩰⷗䊣㩰ӡ䊣
yuè
last year qùnián noun L15 㦆㛋㦆㛋
late wǎn adjectival verb L9 㶎㶎
left zuǒ* directional L13 䔔䔔
particle
left side zuǒbiān noun L13 䔔⢀ 䔔䪦

Li (family Lı̌ family name L1 ㏏㏏
name)
librarian túshūguǎn noun L9 㵝㭊⹾䊒 थ᎙圿޵

yuán
library túshūguǎn noun L9 㵝㭊⹾ थ᎙圿
light dēng noun L14 ⭧ ᬕ
like xı̌huān stative verb L5 㻓⿗㻓ᛈ
line (train line, xiàn noun L12 㼀㇡
subway line)
listen (to) tı̄ng verb L8 㳞㔁
listen to music tı̄ng yı̄nyuè verb + object L8 㳞䅕㎷㔁䅕ᖘ
live; life shēnghuó verb; noun L16 㪛』㪛』
live, reside in a zhù verb L15 䓂䓂
place
living shēnghuó noun phrase L16 㪛』Ⳳ 㪛』䗮
expenses fèi
located at zài verb L11 䊻䊻
long before zǎo jiù adverb L15 䋈㈮䋈㈮
now, long ago
long time jiǔ adjectival verb L12 ㈤㈤
Longtan Lake, Lóngtán Hú place name L14 㒛㲗⽟愩㲗⽟
Dragon Pool
Lake
Longtan Park, Lóngtán place name L11 㒛㲗⹌䊑愩㲗⹌ड
Dragon Pool Gōngyuán
Park
look for zhǎo verb L13 䍳䍳
lunch wǔfàn noun L10 㹈Ⳛ 㹈嚩
M
Ma (family Mǎ family name; L8 㕎埳
name) noun
magazine zázhì noun L14 䊴䐟厔䋪

make change zhǎo (qián) verb L7 䍳᷉㣏᷊ 䍳᷉仹᷊

male nán adjective L5 㚱㚱
many, a lot duō adjectival verb L10 ⱁ ⱁ
map dìtú noun L6 ⭹㵝 ⭹थ
may I ask, qı̌ng wèn conversational L2 㤌㸫䌩߷
meat ròu noun L15 㧃㧃

meet, know rènshi verb L4 㦰㬗䋫䑳
Meili (Mary) Měilì given name L1 㗡㏗㗡徱
Michael Màikè given name L2 㕔㋬徽㋬
milk niúnǎi noun L6 㝄㚭㝄㚭
minute fēn classifier L9 ⳷ ⳷
mom mā noun L15 㕉 ஭
mom māma noun L4 㕉㕉 ஭஭
money qián noun L6 㣏仹
month yuè noun L8 䊣䊣
morning shàngwǔ noun L9 㩰㹈㩰㹈
morning zǎoshang noun L9 䋈㩰䋈㩰
mountain shān noun L11 㩞㩞
mouth kǒu classifier L5 ㋻㋻
(classifier for
people in a
household)
movie diànyı̌ng noun L12 ⮈䇑厫䇑
movie theater diànyı̌ng noun L12 ⮈䇑䊛厫䇑䊛
yuàn
Mr. xiānsheng title, term of L15 㻩㪛㻩㪛
address
Mrs. tàitai title, term of L15 㲌㲌㲌㲌

address
music yı̄nyuè noun L8 䅕㎷䅕ᖘ

music concert yı̄nyuè huì noun phrase L11 䅕㎷。䅕ᖘ᎟
must, have to děi modal verb L9 ⭤ ⭤
N
name míngzi noun L3 㘜䓷㘜䓷
national, guójiā noun L12 ⺛コ ङコ
nation, country
net, internet wǎng noun L8 㶙 ㆸ
new xı̄n adjectival verb L10 㾣㾣
new le final particle L9 㑬㑬
information,
change
next xià specifier L8 㻣㻣
next month xià gè yuè noun phrase L10 㻣⷗䊣㻣ӡ䊣
next to, beside, pángbiān noun L14 㝵⢀ 㝵䪦
alongside
next year míngnián noun L8 㘘㛋㘘㛋
nine jiǔ number L5 ㈦㈦
no, not bù negation L1 ⤜ ⤜
no, not méi negation adverb L4 㗜 ᝾
(negation for
yǒu have)
noodles miàn noun L10 㘇怪
noon zhōngwǔ noun L9 䐱㹈䐱㹈
north* běi bound noun L11 ⡒ ⡒
north side běibiān noun L11 ⡒⢀ ⡒䪦
northwest side xı̄běi biān noun phrase L11 㹘⡒⢀ 㹘⡒䪦
not important, méi guānxi conversational L13 㗜⹹㻖 ᝾励Ҵ
(it) doesn’t expression
matter
no need to bù yòng modal verb L16 ⤜䇤 ⤜䇤

phrase
not until, (later cái adverb L8 ⤦ ⤦

than expected)
notebook běnzi noun L7 ⡟䓴 ⡟䓴
notebook liànxí běn noun L7 㑘㻑⡟ ㇻ㐶⡟
noun de particle L4 ⭥ ⭥
description
particle
November shí yı̄ yuè noun L8 㬏䄜䊣㬏䄜䊣
now xiànzài time word L6 㻷䊻 ␧䊻
number hàomǎ noun L5 ⼦㕌㱷⩂
number (for hào classifier L12 ⼦㱷
buses and
trains)
O
of course dāngrán adverb L2 ⭒㦜 ◵㦜
often cháng adverb L15 ⧄ ⧄
oh no! āyà exclamation L8 ➆䁞 ➆䁞
(expression of
surprise and
displeasure)
oh no! (what a zāogāo adjectival verb, L8 䋄ⷃ 䋄ⷃ
mess!) conversational
expression
okay, xíng adjectival verb L8 㾱㾱

acceptable
old (things) jiù adjectival verb L14 ㈪㜇
older brother gēge noun L4 ⷈⷈ ⷈⷈ
older sister jiějie noun L4 ㆄㆄ ㆄㆄ
on, above shàng directional particle L13 㩰㩰
on, above shàngbiān noun L13 㩰⢀ 㩰䪦

one yı̄ number L5 䄜䄜
one (when yāo number L5 僼僼
reciting phone
numbers and
addresses)
one hundred bǎi number L7 ➺ ➺
only jiù adverb L11 ㈮㈮
only zhı̌ adverb L3 䐜䐜
only thing to zhı̌ hǎo adjectival verb L12 䐜⼤䐜⼤
do is, best thing phrase
to do is
or háishi conjunction L12 ⿚㬨䪡㬨
oral exam kǒushì noun phrase L9 ㋻㬵㋻䉨
ordinal prefix dì prefi x L14 ⭻ ⭻
other biéde noun description L13 ⢑⭥ ‫⭥ن‬
outside wài* directional L13 㶃㶃
particle
outside wàibiān noun L13 㶃⢀ 㶃䪦

P
paper zhı̌ noun L6 䐞ど
park gōngyuán noun L11 ⹌䊑 ⹌ड
pass guò verb L13 ⺞䩿
pearl milk tea, zhēnzhū noun phrase L8 䎅䑊㚭⥉ 䎅䑊㚭⥉
bubble tea nǎichá
pen, any writing bı̌ noun L6 ⡫ ⷱ
implement
pencil qiānbı̌ noun L6 㣇⡫ 䵶ⷱ
penny, cent fēn classifier L6 ⳷ ⳷
person rén noun L2 㦬㦬
person who has yuán noun suffi x L9 䊒 ޵

a role associated
with the
preceding noun
photograph zhàopiàn noun L4 䍶㠍䍶㠍
place dìfang noun L11 ⭹Ⳟ ⭹Ⳟ
plan dǎsuàn noun, verb L16 ⫓㰄 ⫓㰄
plan jìhuà noun L16 ェ⿏ェ⿏
play wán verb L8 㶇㶇
play ball dǎ qiú verb + object L8 ⫓㤓 ⫓㤓
please come in qı̌ng jìn conversational L4 㤌㆙ 䌩䩮
expression
polite kèqi adjectival verb L15 ㋮㡙㋮ᝃ

polite classifier wèi classifier L13 㸜㸜
for people
popular, trendy, liúxíng adjectival verb L16 㒘㾱㒘㾱
fashionable
practice liànxí verb L7 㑘㻑ㇻ㐶
precisely jiù adverb L13 ㈮㈮
prepare zhǔnbèi verb L9 䓝⡙ ᢫
pretty piàoliang adjectival verb L4 㠐㑢㠐㑢
pretty, nice hǎo kàn adjectival verb L16 ⼤㋕⼤㋕
looking
public gōnggòng adjective L11 ⹌⹓ ⹌⹓
public bus gōnggòng noun phrase L11 ⹌⹓㡜⧖ ⹌⹓㡜䡨
qìchē
Q
quarter of an kè classifier L9 ㋭㋭
hour
question wèntí noun L10 㸫㳃 ߷嗞
R
read, see kàn verb L9 ㋕㋕
read, read kàn shū verb + object L9 ㋕㭊㋕᎙
books
really zhēn intensifier L8 䎇䎇
really? zhēnde ma? conversational L3 䎇⭥㕑䎇⭥ࡂ
expression
red hóng adjective L6 ⽍さ

red-simmered hóngshāo noun phrase L15 ⽍㩶䈄さᬞ婟
fish yú
red-simmered, hóngshāo noun description L15 ⽍㩶さᬞ
red-cooked
release, begin fàng verb L16 ⳦ ⳦
(vacation)
resembles, be xiàng verb L15 㼒㼒
like
reside for a dāi verb L16 ⫞ ⫞
short time
rest xiūxi verb L11 㾾㻃㾾㻃
restaurant fànguǎn noun L12 Ⳛ⹾ 嚩圿
return to a huí verb L9 ⿹ ⿹
location
return to huí guó verb + object L16 ⿹⺛ ⿹ङ
one’s home
country
review fùxí verb L9 ⶕ㻑 ໮㐶
right yòu* directional L13 䇳䇳
particle
right side yòubiān noun L13 䇳⢀ 䇳䪦

road lù noun L11 㔘㔘
road, local mǎ lù noun L13 㕎㔘埳㔘

road, street
roommate shìyǒu noun L15 㬳䇲㬳䇲
roommate tóngwū noun L4 㵍㸾㵍㸾
S
salty xián adjectival verb L10 㻭徚
sandwich sānmíngzhì noun L7 㧞㘘䐯㧞㘘䐯
say it again zài shuō conversational L6 䊺㯖䄜⪯ 䊺䌇䄜⪯
yı̄ cì expression
school xuéxiào noun L11 䁈㾄 స㾄

see kànjian verb L13 ㋕ボ㋕䃫
see a guest off sòng verb L16 㯮㯮
see you soon yı̄huìr jiàn conversational L14 䄜。ⱚボ䄜᎟‫כ‬䃫
expression
self zìjı̌ pronoun L12 䓵゛䓵゛

sell mài verb L6 㕕䘖
send a text fā duǎnxìn verb + object L8 ⳃⰭ㾦 ❍Ⱝ㾦
message
send, emit fā verb L8 ⳃ ❍
separated from lí preposition L11 ㏌厙
seven qı̄ number L5 㡀㡀
several jı̌ quantifier L10 ゙ ุ
several xiē* classifier L13 㾊㾊
several yı̄ xiē number + L13 䄜㾊䄜㾊
classifier phrase
Shanghai Shànghǎi place name L16 㩰⼄㩰⼄

short ǎi adjectival verb L4 ➌ ➌
short period yı̄huìr time phrase L14 䄜。ⱚ 䄜᎟ ‫כ‬
of time
should yı̄nggāi modal verb L15 䇇ⶤ ။䉴

silver colored yínsè adjectival verb L12 䅙㩌䶚㩌
simmer shāo verb L15 㩶 ᬞ
simple jiǎndān adjectival verb L11 ビ⭆ ⻧࠯
sing chàng verb L8 ⧋ ⧋
sing a song chàng gē verb + object L8 ⧋ⷉ ⧋ⷉ
sit zuò verb L11 䔙䔙
six liù number L5 㒚㒚
sleep shuì verb L9 㯐㯐
sleep shuì jiào verb + object L9 㯐㉖㯐䅹
slow màn adjectival verb L10 㕞㕞
small, little xiǎo adjectival verb L6 㾂㾂
so (adjectival nàme intensifier L15 㚨㗕㚨怯
verb)
so, such zhème intensifier L15 䎃㗕䩡怯
(adjectival
verb)
so, therefore suǒyı̌ conjunction L10 㰚䄵㰚䄵
softens a yā final particle L4 䁞䁞
statement or
content
question
some yǒu de noun description L10 䇱⭥ 䇱⭥
phrase
son érzi noun L5 ⱚ䓴 ‫כ‬䓴

song gē noun L8 ⷉ ⷉ
sooner than jiù adverb L9 ㈮㈮
expected
soup tāng noun L15 㲡 ᢌ
south nán* bound noun L11 㚰㚰

south (side) nánbiān noun L11 㚰⢀ 㚰䪦
South Korea Hánguó place name L3 ⼌⺛唏ङ
southeast side dōngnán noun phrase L11 Ⰼ㚰⢀ Ꮭ㚰䪦
biān
speak shuō huà verb + object L3 㯖⿑䌇䉳
speak, talk, shuō verb L3 㯖䌇
say
speech, huà noun L3 ⿑䉳
language
station zhàn noun L11 䍟䍟
(subway, bus,
train)
station (train, chēzhàn noun L13 ⧖䍟䡨䍟
bus station)
stir-fried chǎo báicài noun phrase L15 ⧕➸⤬ ⧕➸⤬
cabbage
stir-fry chǎo verb L15 ⧕ ⧕
stone shí noun L12 㬐㬐
student xuésheng noun L1 䁈㪛 స㪛
study xué verb L4 䁈 స
study xuéxí verb L9 䁈㻑 స㐶
subway dìtiě noun L12 ⭹㳛 ⭹儧
summer xiàtiān noun L16 㻥㳍㻥㳍
summer shǔjià noun phrase L16 㭏ズ㭏ズ
vacation
summer shǔqı̄ noun L16 㭏㠻㭏㠻
vacation
period
Sun Yatsen Zhōngshān name L11 䐱㩞䐱㩞

Sunday xı̄ngqı̄tiān noun L8 㾨㠻㳍㾨㠻㳍
suppose yı̌wéi verb L15 䄵㸋䄵ᩊ
(incorrectly)
supposition ba final particle L4 ➪ ➪
T
Taiwan Táiwān place name L16 㲉㶆㲉ᨔ
take/bring dài verb L15 ⫙ จ
(a person or
thing
somewhere)
take zhào verb L15 䍶䍶
(a photograph)
take a test kǎo shì verb + object L9 ㋝㬵㋝䉨
take (a test) kǎo verb L9 ㋝㋝
tall gāo adjectival verb L4 ⷀ ⷀ
tea chá noun L10 ⥉ ⥉
teach jiāo verb L5 ㅭ ㅭ
teacher, lǎoshı̄ noun L1 ㎰㬇㎰฀
professor
team duì noun L9 ⰴ 匁
telephone diànhuà noun L5 ⮈⿑厫䉳
television diànshì noun L8 ⮈㬴厫䃶
Temple of Tiāntán place name L12 㳍㲔⹌䊑㳍੐⹌ड
Heaven Park Gōngyuán
ten shí number L5 㬏㬏
ten o’clock shí diǎn noun phrase L9 㬏⮄䐴㬏恄傫
(10:00) zhōng
test, exam kǎoshì noun L8 ㋝㬵㋝䉨
text message duǎnxìn noun L8 Ⱝ㾦 Ⱝ㾦

thank xiè verb L1 㾜㾜
thank you xièxie conversational L1 㾜㾜䏙䏙
expression
that nà demonstrative L4 㚨㚨
that nà, nèi specifier L6 㚨㚨
that’s not at all nǎlı̌ conversational L15 㚥㏐㚥䀆
true expression
then, zài adverb L13 䊺䊺

afterwards
there nàr noun L11 㚨ⱚ 㚨‫כ‬
therefore, so suǒyı̌ conjunction L10 㰚䄵㰚䄵
they, them tāmen pronoun L2 㰜㗨㰜Ӥ
thing (concrete dōngxi noun L6 Ⰼ㹘 Ꮭ㹘
object)
think (about), xiǎng verb L7 㼌㼌
plan (to), want
(to)
think, hold an juéde verb L10 ㉖⭤ 䅹⭤
opinion
thirsty kě adjectival verb L10 ㋫㋫
this zhè demonstrative L4 䎃䩡
this zhè, zhèi specifier L6 䎃䩡
this year jı̄nnián noun L8 ㆒㛋 ㆒㛋
three sān number L5 㧞㧞
Thursday xı̄ngqı̄sì noun L8 㾨㠻㯥㾨㠻㯥
ticket piào noun L12 㠒㠒
time shíhou noun L8 㬒⽓ ጓ⽓
time shíjiān noun L12 㬒ヅ ጓ刈
tired to death, lèisı̌ le adjectival verb L9 ㎼㯡㑬㎼㯡㑬

exhausted phrase
to (a place) dào preposition L12 ⭞ ⭞

today jı̄ntiān noun L8 ㆒㳍 ㆒㳍
together with gēn NP yı̄qı̌ prepositional L9 ⷛNP䄜 ⷛNP䄜
NP phrase 㡑㡑
Tokyo Dōngjı̄ng place name L13 Ⰼ㈊ Ꮭ㈊
tomorrow míngtiān noun L8 㘘㳍㘘㳍
too tài intensifier L5 㲌㲌
toward wǎng preposition L12 㶚㶚
traffic light hóng lü` noun phrase L14 ⽍㔭⭧ さㆨᬕ
(red-green dēng
light)
train huǒchē noun L11 】⧖ 】䡨
train station huǒchē zhàn noun phrase L11 】⧖䍟】䡨䍟
travel ˇyóu
lü verb L16 㔤䇯㔤䩼
travel by car zuò chē verb + object L11 䔙⧖ 䔙䡨
as a passenger
Tsinghua Qı̄nghuá place name L11 㤆⿋⫔䁈㤆㤢⫔స
University Dàxué
tuition xuéfèi noun L16 䁈Ⳳ స䗮
turn guǎi verb L13 ⹶ ⹶
tutor jiājiào noun L11 コㅭ コㅭ
twice-cooked huí guō ròu noun phrase L15 ⿹⺙㧃 ⿹伢㧃
pork
(returned-to-
the-pot meat)
two èr number L5 ⱟ ⱟ
two liǎng number L5 㑞 ‫ת‬
U
uncle shūshu noun L15 㭆㭆㭆㭆
understand dǒng verb L10 Ⰿ Ⰿ
United States Měiguó place name L2 㗡⺛㗡ङ
(USA)
use yòng verb L15 䇤䇤
use (one’s) cell wán shǒujı̄ verb + object L8 㶇㬷〛㶇㬷ᗤ
phone for
entertainment
used for ba final particle L7 ➪ ➪
making
suggestions
V
verb description de particle L10 ⭤ ⭤
particle
very hěn intensifier L1 ⼽⼽
vicinity, fùjìn noun L11 ⶞㆝ ⶞㆝
close by
W
wait děng verb L12 ⭩ ⭩
walk zǒu lù verb + object L11 䔀㔘䔀㔘
Wang (family Wáng family name L2 㶖㶖
name)
want yào verb L6 䄋䄋
washroom, xı̌shǒu jiān noun L15 㻕㬷ヅ㻕㬷刈
bathroom
watch kàn verb L8 ㋕㋕
watch television kàn diànshì verb + object L8 ㋕⮈㬴㋕厫䃶
water shuı̌ noun L6 㯏㯏
we, us wǒmen pronoun L2 㸳㗨㸳Ӥ

week xı̄ngqı̄ noun L8 㾨㠻㾨㠻
weekend zhōumò noun L11 䐽㚊䩭㚊
welcome huānyíng verb L4 ⿗䇎 ᛈ䇎
well then nà pause particle L5 㚨㚨
west xı̄* bound noun L11 㹘㹘
west side xı̄biān noun L11 㹘⢀ 㹘䪦
what shénme content question L3 㬓㗕㬓崂
word
what time jı̌diǎn question phrase L9 ゙⮄䐴 ุ恄傫

is it? zhōng
what time? shénme question phrase L8 㬓㗕㬒⽓㬓怯ጓ⽓
when? shíhou
where? nǎr content question L11 㚥ⱚ 㚥‫כ‬
word
which nǎguó, question word L2 㚥⺛㚥ङ

country? něiguó phrase
which day of xı̄ngqı̄jı̌ question phrase L8 㾨㠻゙㾨㠻ุ

the week?
white bái adjective L6 ➸ ➸
White Stone Báishí qiáo place name L12 ➸㬐㣦 ➸㬐ᗓ
Bridge
who? shéi content question L4 㯎䌍
word
why wèishénme content question L9 㸋㬓㗕 ᩊ㬓怯

will; can huì modal verb L14 。 ᎟
wine, alcohol jiǔ noun L8 ㈧㈧
with, and gēn preposition, L9 ⷛ ⷛ
conjunction
work shì noun L8 㬣㬣

(something to
do, 䇱㬣)
work (work at dǎ gōng verb + object L8 ⫓⹅ ⫓⹅
a job)
write xiě verb L10 㾕 ౲
written exam bı̌ shì noun L10 ⡫㬵 ⷱ䉨
X
Xiang Xiāng Shān place name L11 㼄㩞⹌䊑㼄㩞⹌ड
Shan Park, Gōngyuán
Fragrant Hills
Park
Xiaowen Xiǎowén given name L8 㾂㸥㾂㸥
Xie (family Xiè family name L4 㾜䏙
name)
Y
year nián classifier L8 㛋㛋
year in school, niánjí noun L7 㛋゗㛋な
grade
years of age suì classifier L8 㰋 ᛒ
yellow huáng adjective L7 ⿧ 怴
yellow colored huángsè noun L7 ⿧㩌怴㩌
yes-no ma final particle L1 㕑 ࡂ
question
particle
yesterday zuótiān noun L10 䔓㳍䔓㳍
you nı̌ pronoun L1 㛄㛄
you (plural) nı̌men pronoun L2 㛄㗨㛄Ӥ
you (polite) nín pronoun L6 㛛㛛
younger dìdi noun L4 ⭽⭽ ⭽⭽

brother
younger sister mèimei noun L4 㗤㗤㗤㗤
Z
zero líng number L5 㒄㒄
Zhang (family Zhāng family name L1 䍦 ຩ
name)
Vocabulary: Mandarin
(Pinyin) to English
The lesson number indicates the lesson in which the vocabulary item is introduced. The last two
columns of each row show the vocabulary item in Simplified and Traditional characters.
A
a (expresses final particle L8 ➂ ➂
emphasis; like yā
[䁞] softens a
statement or
question)
ǎi short adjectival verb L4 ➌ ➌
àihào hobby, interest noun L8 ➏⼤ ྼ⼤
404 Vocabulary: Mandarin (Pinyin) to English
āyà oh no! exclamation L8 ➆䁞 ➆䁞

(expression of
surprise and
displeasure)
āyí aunt noun L15 ➃䄭 ➃䄭
B
bā eight number L5 ➬ ➬
ba (indicates final particle L4, ➪ ➪
speaker’s L7
assumption; used
for making
suggestions)
bàba dad noun L4 ➷➷ ➷➷
bái white adjective L6 ➸ ➸
bǎi 100 number L7 ➺ ➺
báicài cabbage noun L15 ➸⤬ ➸⤬
Báishí qiáo White Stone place name L12 ➸㬐㣦 ➸㬐ᗓ
Bridge
bàn half number L9 ⟌ ⟌
bāng help verb L11 ⟐ ฮ
bāo bag (of) classifier/ L7 ⟝ ⟝
noun
bēi cup of classifier L10 ⡎ ⡎

běi* north bound noun L11 ⡒ ⡒
běibiān north side noun L11 ⡒⢀ ⡒䪦
Běijı̄ng Beijing (Peking) place name L4 ⡒㈊ ⡒㈊
běn (classifier for classifier L7 ⡟ ⡟
books)
běnzi notebook noun L7 ⡟䓴 ⡟䓴
bı̌ pen, any writing noun L6 ⡫ ⷱ
implement
bı̌ shì written exam noun L10 ⡫㬵 ⷱ䉨

biǎogē cousin noun L16 ⢎ⷈ ⢎ⷈ
bié don’t negation L14 ⢑ ‫ن‬
biéde other noun L13 ⢑⭥ ‫⭥ن‬
description
bı̌nggān cookie noun L7 ⢞ⶪ 嚿㣍

bù no, not negation L1 ⤜ ⤜
bù hǎo yìsi be embarrassed conversational L13 ⤜⼤䅃㯝 ⤜⼤䅃㯝
expression
bù yòng no need to modal verb L16 ⤜䇤 ⤜䇤

phrase
C
cái not until (later adverb L8 ⤦ ⤦
than expected)
cài dishes (food) noun L15 ⤬ ⤬
chá tea noun L10 ⥉ ⥉
chàbuduō almost adjectival verb L12 ⥏⤜ⱁ ⥏⤜ⱁ
cháng often adverb L15 ⧄ ⧄
chàng sing verb L8 ⧋ ⧋
chàng gē sing a song verb + object L8 ⧋ⷉ ⧋ⷉ
chǎo stir-fry verb L15 ⧕ ⧕
chǎo báicài stir-fried cabbage noun phrase L15 ⧕➸⤬ ⧕➸⤬
chē car, vehicle noun L11 ⧖ 䡨
Chén (family name) family name L2 ⧣ 勱
chéng* city noun L11 ⧨ ⧨
chéngshì city noun L11 ⧨㬱 ⧨㬱
chēzhàn station (train, noun L13 ⧖䍟䡨䍟
bus station)
chı̄ eat verb L8 ⧵ ⧵
chı̄ fàn eat food verb + object L8 ⧵Ⳛ ⧵嚩
chuáng bed noun L9 ⪓ ⪓

cóng from preposition L12 ⪴ ໥
D
dǎ hit verb L5 ⫓ ⫓
dà big adjectival verb L6 ⫔ ⫔
dǎ gōng work (work at a verb + object L8 ⫓⹅ ⫓⹅
job)
dǎ qiú play ball verb + object L8 ⫓㤓 ⫓㤓
dāi reside for a short verb L16 ⫞ ⫞
time
dài carry, take/bring verb L15 ⫙ จ
(a person or thing
somewhere)
dàjiā everyone noun L10 ⫔コ ⫔コ
dāng assume the role verb L11 ⭒ ◵
of, be
dāngrán of course adverb L2 ⭒㦜 ◵㦜
dànshi but conjunction L16 ⭌㬨 ⭌㬨
dào to preposition L12 ⭞ ⭞
dǎsuàn plan noun, verb L16 ⫓㰄 ⫓㰄
Dàwéi Dawei (David) given name L1 ⫔㸋 ⫔ᩊ
dàxué college, noun L11 ⫔䁈 ⫔స
university
de (indicates noun particle L4 ⭥ ⭥
description)
de (indicates verb particle L10 ⭤ ⭤
description)
Déguó Germany place name L2 ⭣⺛ ⭣ङ
Déguó huà German noun phrase L3 ⭣⺛⿑ ⭣ङ䉳
language
Déguó rén German person noun phrase L2 ⭣⺛㦬 ⭣ङ㦬

děi must, have to modal verb L9 ⭤ ⭤
dēng light noun L14 ⭧ ᬕ
děng wait verb L12 ⭩ ⭩
dì (ordinal prefix) prefix L14 ⭻ ⭻
diǎn dot, o’clock classifier L9 ⮄ 恄
(䄜diǎn zhōng)
diànhuà telephone noun L5 ⮈⿑厫䉳
diànnǎo computer noun L9 ⮈㚵厫㘹
diànshì television noun L8 ⮈㬴厫䃶
diànyı̌ng movie noun L12 ⮈䇑厫䇑
diànyı̌ng movie theater noun L12 ⮈䇑䊛厫䇑䊛
yuàn
diànzı̌ email noun L16 ⮈䓴䇫ミ厫䓴䬾ミ
yóujiàn
dìdi younger brother noun L4 ⭽⭽ ⭽⭽
dìfang place noun L11 ⭹Ⳟ ⭹Ⳟ
dìtiě subway noun L12 ⭹㳛 ⭹儧
dìtú map noun L6 ⭹㵝 ⭹थ
dìzhı̌ address noun L14 ⭹䐘 ⭹䐘
dōng* east bound noun L11 Ⰼ Ꮭ
dǒng understand verb L10 Ⰿ Ⰿ
Dōng Sì Dong Si (location place name L12 Ⰼ㯥 Ꮭ㯥
in Beijing)
dōngbiān east side noun L11 Ⰼ⢀ Ꮭ䪦
Dōngjı̄ng Tokyo place name L13 Ⰼ㈊ Ꮭ㈊
dōngnán biān southeast side noun phrase L11 Ⰼ㚰⢀ Ꮭ㚰䪦
dōngxi thing (concrete noun L6 Ⰼ㹘 Ꮭ㹘
object)
dōu all, both adverb L2 Ⱍ Ⱍ

duǎnxìn text message noun L8 Ⱝ㾦 Ⱝ㾦
duì correct adjectival verb L2 ⰵ ಇ
duì team noun L9 ⰴ 匁
duì le by the way conversational L11 ⰵ㑬 ಇ㑬
expression
duìbuqı̌ excuse me conversational L3 ⰵ⤜㡑 ಇ⤜㡑

expression
duìmiàn across from noun L14 ⰵ㘇 ಇ㘇

duō many, a lot adjectival verb L10 ⱁ ⱁ
duō cháng how much time? question L12 ⱁ⧅㬒ヅ ⱁ凭ጓ刈
shíjiān how long? phrase
duō dà? how old (are question L8 ⱁ⫔ᷠ ⱁ⫔ᷠ

you)? phrase
duō jiǔ how long? question L14 ⱁ㈤ ⱁ㈤

phrase
duō yuǎn how far? content L11 ⱁ䊗 ⱁ䪉

question
phrase
duōshao how much, how question word L5 ⱁ㩺 ⱁ㩺

many
E
è hungry adjectival verb L10 ⱗ 圪
èr two number L5 ⱟ ⱟ
érzi son noun L5 ⱚ䓴 ‫כ‬䓴
F
fā send, emit verb L8 ⳃ ❍
fā duǎnxìn send a text verb + object L8 ⳃⰭ㾦 ❍Ⱝ㾦
message
Fǎguó France place name L2 ⳉ⺛ ⳉङ
Fǎguó huà French language noun phrase L3 ⳉ⺛⿑ ⳉङ䉳
Fǎguó rén French person noun phrase L2 ⳉ⺛㦬 ⳉङ㦬

fàn food noun L8 Ⳛ 嚩
fàng release, begin verb L16 ⳦ ⳦
(vacation)
fàng jià have a vacation verb + object L16 ⳦ズ ⳦ズ
or holiday
fànguǎn restaurant noun L12 Ⳛ⹾ 嚩圿
fāngxiàng direction noun L12 Ⳟ㼓 Ⳟ㼓
fángzi house noun L15 Ⳡ䓴 Ⳡ䓴
Fǎwén French language noun L3 ⳉ㸥 ⳉ㸥
fēicháng extremely intensifier L10 ⳨⧄ ⳨⧄
fēijı̄ airplane noun L11 ⳪〛嚘ᗤ
fēijı̄chǎng airport noun phrase L11 ⳪〛⧂ 嚘ᗤৗ
fēn penny, cent; classifier L6; ⳷ ⳷
minute L9
fùjìn vicinity, close by noun L11 ⶞㆝ ⶞㆝
fùmǔ father and noun L15 ⶙㚙 ⶙㚙
mother, parents
Fútè Ford proper noun L12 ⶄ㲹 ⶄ㲹
(automobile)
fúwùyuán clerk, service noun L6 ⴟ㹒䊒 ⴟ‫޵ڶ‬
person
fùxí review verb L9 ⶕ㻑 ໮㐶
G
gāng just now adverb L10 ⶶ ٣
Gāo (family name) family name L1 ⷀ ⷀ
gāo tall adjectival verb L4 ⷀ ⷀ
gàosu inform, tell verb L13 ⷇㰀 ⷇䈷
gāoxìng happy adjectival verb L4 ⷀ㾬 ⷀ㜅
gē song noun L8 ⷉ ⷉ
gè classifier for classifier L5 ⷗ ӡ

people and some
other nouns
gēge older brother noun L4 ⷈⷈ ⷈⷈ
gěi give verb L7 ⷙ ㄐ
gěi for, to preposition L5, ⷙ ㄐ
L11
gēn with, and preposition, L9 ⷛ ⷛ
conjunction
gēn NP yı̄qı̌ together with NP prepositional L9 ⷛNP䄜 ⷛNP䄜

phrase 㡑㡑
gōnggòng public adjective L11 ⹌⹓ ⹌⹓
gōnggòng public bus noun phrase L11 ⹌⹓㡜⧖ ⹌⹓㡜䡨
qìchē
gōngkè classwork, noun L9 ⹇㋯ ⹇䌏
homework
gōngyuán park noun L11 ⹌䊑 ⹌ड
gōngzuò job; work noun; verb L16 ⹅䔘 ⹅䔘
guǎi turn verb L13 ⹶ ⹶
guì expensive adjectival verb L6 ⺔䗧
guō cooking pot, wok noun L15 ⺙伢
guó country noun L2 ⺛ ङ
guò pass verb L13 ⺞䩿
guò (experienced verb suffix L15 ⺞䩿
doing the action)
guójiā national, nation, noun L12 ⺛コ ङコ
country
Guóqiáng Guoqiang given name L4 ⺛㣠 ङຫ
H
hái in addition adverb L6 ⿚䪡
hái yǒu in addition, sentence L10 ⿚䇱䪡䇱

furthermore adverb
háishi or conjunction L12 ⿚㬨䪡㬨

háizi child noun L5 ⼃䓴⼃䓴
Hàn zì Chinese noun phrase L7 ⼛䓷 ᤉ䓷
character
Hánguó South Korea place name L3 ⼌⺛唏ङ
Hánguó huà Korean language noun phrase L3 ⼌⺛⿑唏ङ䉳
hǎo good adjectival verb L1 ⼤⼤
hào date of the classifier L8 ⼦㱷
month
hào number (for classifier L12 ⼦㱷
buses and
trains); ⼦ mǎ
(telephone)
number
hǎo chı̄ delicious adjectival verb L15 ⼤⧵ ⼤⧵
phrase
hǎo kàn pretty, nice adjectival verb L16 ⼤㋕⼤㋕

looking
hàomǎ number noun L5 ⼦㕌㱷⩂
hē drink verb L8 ⼩⼩
hé and conjunction L3 ⼮⼮
hē jiǔ drink alcohol verb + object L8 ⼩㈧⼩㈧
hēi black adjective L7 ⼻⼻
hēisè black colored noun L7 ⼻㩌⼻㩌
hěn very intensifier L1 ⼽⼽
hóng red adjective L6 ⽍さ
hóng lǚ traffic light noun phrase L14 ⽍㔭⭧ さㆨᬕ
dēng (red-green light)
hóngshāo red-simmered, noun L15 ⽍㩶さᬞ

red-cooked description
hóngshāo yú red-simmered noun phrase L15 ⽍㩶䈄さᬞ婟

fish
hòu* behind directional L14 ⽔䲂
particle
hòubiān behind noun L14 ⽔⢀ 䲂䪦

hòutiān day after noun L9 ⽔㳍䲂㳍
tomorrow
hú lake noun L11 ⽟⽟
huā flower noun L15 ⿉⿉
huà speech, language noun L3 ⿑䉳
huà draw, paint verb L11 ⿎ ◬
huáng yellow adjective L7 ⿧ 怴
huángsè yellow colored noun L7 ⿧㩌怴㩌
huānyíng welcome verb L4 ⿗䇎 ᛈ䇎
huí return to a verb L9 ⿹ ⿹
location
huì able to, can; will modal verb L3, 。 ᎟
L14
huí guó return to one’s verb + object L16 ⿹⺛ ⿹ङ
home country
huí guō ròu twice-cooked noun phrase L15 ⿹⺙㧃 ⿹伢㧃
pork (returned-
to-the-pot meat)
huǒchē train noun L11 】⧖ 】䡨
huǒchē zhàn train station noun phrase L11 】⧖䍟】䡨䍟
J
jı̄ chicken noun L15 ょ厖
jı̌ how many, question word, L5, ゙ ุ
several quantifier L10
jı̄ tāng chicken soup noun phrase L15 ょ㲡厖ᢌ

jiā family, home noun L5 ココ
jiā cháng cài home-style food noun phrase L15 コ⧄⤬ コ⧄⤬
jiājiào tutor noun L11 コㅭ コㅭ
jiǎndān simple adjectival verb L11 ビ⭆ ⻧࠯
jiào be called, call verb L3 ㅱ ㅱ
jiāo teach verb L5 ㅭ ㅭ
jiàoshì classroom noun L9 ㅭ㬳 ㅭ㬳
jiǎozi Chinese noun L15 ㅩ䓴嚽䓴
dumplings,
“jiaozi”
jiǎozi guǎn dumpling noun phrase L15 ㅩ䓴⹾ 嚽䓴圿
restaurant
jiārén family (family noun L4 コ㦬コ㦬
members)
jı̌diǎn zhōng what time is it? question L9 ゙⮄䐴 ุ恄傫
phrase
jiē fetch a person; verb L12, ㅴ ㅴ

answer, receive L13
(a phone call)
jiějie older sister noun L4 ㆄㆄ ㆄㆄ
jièshào introduce verb L15 ㆊ㩽 ㆊャ
jìhuà plan noun L16 ェ⿏ェ⿏
jìn close adjectival verb L11 ㆝ ㆝
jìnbù advance, verb; noun L16 ㆙⤞ 䩮⤞
progress,
improve;
improvement,
progress
jı̄nnián this year noun L8 ㆒㛋 ㆒㛋
jı̄ntiān today noun L8 ㆒㳍 ㆒㳍
jiǔ nine number L5 ㈦㈦

jiǔ wine, alcohol noun L8 ㈧㈧
jiǔ long time adjectival verb L12 ㈤㈤
jiù (sooner than adverb L9, ㈮㈮
expected); only; L11,
precisely L13
jiù old (things) adjectival verb L14 ㈪㜇
juéde think, hold an verb L10 ㉖⭤ 䅹⭤
opinion
K
kāfēi coffee noun L6 ㋈⳩ ㋈⳩
kāfēiguǎn coffee shop noun phrase L10 ㋈⳩⹾ ㋈⳩圿
kāi drive, open verb L12 ㋋刀
kāi chē drive a car verb + object L12 ㋋⧖ 刀䡨
kāishı̌ begin verb L10 ㋋㬝刀㬝
kǎlā OK karaoke noun L8 ㋉㎎OK ㋉㎎OK
kàn watch, read, see verb L8, ㋕㋕
L9
kàn diànshì watch television verb + object L8 ㋕⮈㬴㋕厫䃶
kàn shū read, read books verb + object L9 ㋕㭊㋕᎙
kànjian see verb L13 ㋕ボ㋕䃫
kǎo take an exam verb L9 ㋝㋝
kǎo shì take a test verb + object L9 ㋝㬵㋝䉨
kǎoshì test, exam noun L8 ㋝㬵㋝䉨
kě thirsty adjectival verb L10 ㋫㋫
kè class noun L9 ㋯䌏
kè quarter of an classifier L9 ㋭㋭
hour
kělè cola noun L6 ㋪㎷㋪ᖘ
kèqi polite adjectival verb L15 ㋮㡙㋮ᝃ
kèrén guest noun L13 ㋮㦬㋮㦬

kěshì but conjunction L10 ㋪㬨㋪㬨
kěyı̌ can (permission) modal verb L5 ㋪䄵㋪䄵
kòng free time noun L5 ㋶㋶
kǒu mouth (classifier classifier L5 ㋻㋻
for people in a
household)
kǒushì oral exam noun phrase L9 ㋻㬵㋻䉨
kuài dollar classifier L6 ㌊ ৬
kuài fast verb L10 ㌍㌍
kuàilè happy adjectival verb L8 ㌍㎷㌍ᖘ
kuàizi chopsticks noun L15 ㌋䓴㌋䓴
L
lái come verb L11 ㎕ Ҏ
lán blue adjective L6 ㎗㮜
lánqiú basketball noun L9 ㎛㤓⽡㤓
lánqiú duì basketball team noun phrase L9 ㎛㤓ⰴ ⽡㤓匁
lǎo jiā home town, place noun phrase L16 ㎰コ㎰コ
where one’s
family is from
lǎoshı̄ teacher, professor noun L1 ㎰㬇㎰฀
le (indicates new final particle, L9, 㑬㑬
information, verb suffix L10
change,
completed
action)
lèisı̌ le tired to death, adjectival verb L9 ㎼㯡㑬㎼㯡㑬
exhausted phrase
lěng cold adjectival verb L10 ㏅㏅

lí separated from preposition L11 ㏌厙
Lı̌ Li (family name) family name L1 ㏏㏏
lı̌ Chinese mile classifier L11 ㏐㏐

(0.5 kilometers)
lı̌* inside directional L13 ㏐䀆㿺
particle
liǎng two number L5 㑞 ‫ת‬

liàng (classifier for classifier L12 㑟䤗
cars)
liànxí practice verb L7 㑘㻑ㇻ㐶
liànxí běn notebook noun L7 㑘㻑⡟ ㇻ㐶⡟
lı̌biān inside noun L13 ㏐⢀ 䀆䪦㿺
䪦
líng zero number L5 㒄㒄
liù six number L5 㒚㒚
liúxíng popular, trendy, adjectival verb L16 㒘㾱㒘㾱
fashionable
lóng dragon noun L11 㒛愩
Lóngtán Longtan Park, place name L11 㒛㲗⹌䊑愩㲗⹌ड
Gōngyuán Dragon Pool
Park
Lóngtán Hú Longtan Lake, place name L14 㒛㲗⽟愩㲗⽟
Dragon Pool
Lake
lù road noun L11 㔘㔘
lùkǒu intersection noun L14 㔘㋻㔘㋻
lǚ green adjective L7 㔭 ㆨ
lǚsè green colored noun L7 㔭㩌 ㆨ㩌
lǚyóu travel verb L16 㔤䇯㔤䩼
M
mā mom noun L15 㕉 ஭
Mǎ family name; family name; L8 㕎埳
horse noun
ma (yes-no question final particle L1 㕑 ࡂ

particle)
mǎ lù road, local road, noun L13 㕎㔘埳㔘
street
máfan bother, verb L11 㕊Ⳕ 㕊᫊
inconvenience
mǎi buy verb L6 㕓䗪
mài sell verb L6 㕕䘖
Màikè Michael given name L2 㕔㋬徽㋬
māma mom noun L4 㕉㕉 ஭஭
màn slow adjectival verb L10 㕞㕞
máng busy adjectival verb L9 㗇㗇
mànmān de gradually, little adverb L16 㕞㕞⭹ 㕞㕞⭹
by little
máo dime classifier L6 㗌㗌
méi no, not (negation negation L4 㗜 ᝾
for yǒu have) adverb
měi every quantifier L11 㗠㗠

méi guānxi not important, conversational L13 㗜⹹㻖 ᝾励Ҵ
(it) doesn’t expression
matter
méi shénme it’s nothing conversational L15 㗜㬓㗕 ᝾㬓怯
much, there isn’t expression
anything of
importance
Měiguó United States place name L2 㗡⺛㗡ङ
(USA)
Měiguó rén American noun phrase L2 㗡⺛㦬㗡ङ㦬
Měilì Mary given name L1 㗡㏗㗡徱
mèimei younger sister noun L4 㗤㗤㗤㗤
mén door, gate noun L12 㗦凵
ménkǒu doorway noun L12 㗦㋻凵㋻

mí lù get lost, lose verb + object L15 㗵㔘㗵㔘
one’s way
miàn noodles noun L10 㘇怪
Míng (given name); given name; L2 㘘㘘
míngnián next year noun L8 㘘㛋㘘㛋

míngtiān tomorrow noun L8 㘘㳍㘘㳍
míngzi name noun L3 㘜䓷㘜䓷
N
nà that; well then demonstrative; L4, 㚨㚨
pause particle L5
nà, nèi that specifier L6 㚨㚨
nǎguó, which country question word L2 㚥⺛㚥ङ
něiguó phrase
nǎlı̌ that’s not at all conversational L15 㚥㏐㚥䀆

true expression
nàme so (adjectival intensifier L15 㚨㗕㚨怯

verb)
nán male adjective L5 㚱㚱
nán difficult, hard adjectival verb L10 㚲厚
nán háizi boy (male child) noun phrase L5 㚱⼃䓴㚱⼃䓴
nán* south bound noun L11 㚰㚰
nánbiān south (side) noun L11 㚰⢀ 㚰䪦
nǎr where? content L11 㚥ⱚ 㚥‫כ‬
question word
nàr there noun L11 㚨ⱚ 㚨‫כ‬

ne (forms follow-up final particle L2 㚹㚹
questions)
néng able to, can modal verb L13 㚽㚽
(physical ability)
nı̌ you pronoun L1 㛄㛄

nı̌ hǎo hello (formal greeting L1 㛄⼤㛄⼤
greeting)
nián year classifier L8 㛋㛋
niánjí year in school, noun L7 㛋゗㛋な
grade
nı̌men you (plural) pronoun L2 㛄㗨㛄Ӥ
nín you (polite) pronoun L6 㛛㛛
niú cow noun L10 㝄㝄
niúnǎi milk noun L6 㝄㚭㝄㚭
niúròu beef noun L10 㝄㧃㝄㧃
niúròu miàn beef noodles noun phrase L10 㝄㧃㘇㝄㧃怪
nǚ female adjective L5 㝏㝏
nǚ’ér daughter noun L5 㝏ⱚ 㝏‫כ‬
nǚ háizi girl (female child) noun phrase L5 㝏⼃䓴㝏⼃䓴
P
pángbiān next to, beside, noun L14 㝵⢀ 㝵䪦
alongside
péi accompany verb L16 㞄㞄
péngyou friend noun L5 㞔䇲㞔䇲
piányi cheap adjectival verb L6 ⢄䄬 ⢄䄬
piào ticket noun L12 㠒㠒
piàoliang pretty adjectival verb L4 㠐㑢㠐㑢
píjiǔ beer noun L8 㠂㈧㠂㈧
píng bottle (of) classifier L6 㠠㠠
Q
qı̄ seven number L5 㡀㡀
qı̌ get up, rise up verb L9 㡑㡑
qı̌ chuáng get out of bed, get verb + object L9 㡑⪓ 㡑⪓
up in the morning
qián money noun L6 㣏仹

qián* front directional L14 㣑㣑
particle
qiānbı̌ pencil noun L6 㣇⡫ 䵶ⷱ

qiánbiān in front of noun L14 㣑⢀ 㣑䪦
qiántiān day before noun L10 㣑㳍㣑㳍
yesterday
qiáo bridge noun L12 㣦 ᗓ
qiǎokèlì chocolate noun L7 㣪㋬㑇㣪㋬㑇
qìchē car noun L11 㡜⧖ 㡜䡨
qiézi eggplant noun L15 㣲䓴㣲䓴
qı̌ng invite verb L8 㤌䌩
qı̌ng jìn please come in conversational L4 㤌㆙ 䌩䩮
expression
qı̌ng wèn may I ask, conversational L2 㤌㸫䌩߷

Qı̄nghuá Tsinghua place name L11 㤆⿋⫔䁈㤆㤢⫔స

Dàxué University
qù go verb L8 㦆㦆
qùnián last year noun L15 㦆㛋㦆㛋
R
ránhòu afterward adverb L14 㦜⽔㦜䲂
rè hot adjectival verb L10 㦩 ᬂ
rén person noun L2 㦬㦬
rènshi meet, know verb L4 㦰㬗䋫䑳
Rìběn Japan place name L3 㦶⡟ 㦶⡟
Rìběn huà Japanese noun phrase L3 㦶⡟⿑㦶⡟䉳
language
róngyì easy adjectival verb L10 㦾䄸㦾䄸
ròu meat noun L15 㧃㧃
rúguǒ if conjunction L14 㧈⺜㧈⺜

S
sān three number L5 㧞㧞
sānmíngzhì sandwich noun L7 㧞㘘䐯㧞㘘䐯
shān mountain noun L11 㩞㩞
shàng attend; go up, get verb; specifier; L9, 㩰㩰
on (a vehicle); directional L10,
last; on, above particle L12,
L13
shàng gè yuè last month noun phrase L10 㩰⷗䊣㩰ӡ䊣
shàng kè attend school or verb + object L9 㩰㋯㩰䌏
class
shàng wǎng go online; surf verb + object L8 㩰㶙㩰ㆸ
the web
shàngbiān on, above noun L13 㩰⢀ 㩰䪦
Shànghǎi Shanghai place name L16 㩰⼄㩰⼄
shàngwǔ morning noun L9 㩰㹈㩰㹈
shāo simmer verb L15 㩶 ᬞ
shǎo few, little in adjectival verb L10 㩺㩺
number
shéi who content L4 㯎䌍
question word
shēnghuó live; life verb; noun L16 㪛』㪛』

shēnghuó fèi living expenses noun phrase L16 㪛』Ⳳ 㪛』䗮
shēngrì birthday noun L8 㪛㦶㪛㦶
shēngrì happy birthday conversational L8 㪛㦶㌍㎷㪛㦶㌍ᖘ
kuàilè expression
shénme what content L3 㬓㗕㬓崂

question word
shénme de and other things noun phrase L14 㬓㗕⭥ 㬓怯⭥

like that
shénme what time? question L8 㬓㗕㬒⽓㬓怯ጓ⽓

shíhou when? phrase
shí ten number L5 㬏㬏

shí stone noun L12 㬐㬐
shì be stative verb L1 㬨㬨
shì work, something noun L8 㬣㬣
to do
shì* city bound noun L11 㬱㬱
shí diǎn 10:00 noun phrase L9 㬏⮄䐴㬏恄傫
zhōng
shí yı̄ yuè November noun L8 㬏䄜䊣㬏䄜䊣
shì zhōngxı̄n city center, center noun phrase L11 㬱䐱㾥㬱䐱㾥
of the city
shíhou time noun L8 㬒⽓ ጓ⽓
shíjiān time noun L12 㬒ヅ ጓ刈
shìyǒu roommate noun L15 㬳䇲㬳䇲
shízì lùkǒu four-way noun phrase L14 㬏䓷㔘㋻㬏䓷㔘㋻
intersection
shǒu hand noun L15 㬷㬷
shǒujı̄ cell phone, noun L5 㬷〛㬷ᗤ
mobile phone
shū book noun L7 㭊 ᎙
shūdiàn bookstore noun L11 㭊⮋ ᎙⮋
shuı̌ water noun L6 㯏㯏
shuì sleep verb L9 㯐㯐
shuì jiào sleep verb + object L9 㯐㉖㯐䅹
shuı̌guǒ fruit noun L15 㯏⺜㯏⺜
shuı̌jiǎo boiled dumplings noun phrase L15 㯏ㅩ 㯏嚽
shǔjià summer vacation noun phrase L16 㭏ズ㭏ズ
shuō speak, talk, say verb L3 㯖䌇

shuō huà speak verb + object L3 㯖⿑䌇䉳
shǔqı̄ summer vacation noun L16 㭏㠻㭏㠻
period
shūshu uncle noun L15 㭆㭆㭆㭆
sì four number L5 㯥㯥
sòng give as a present; verb L15; 㯮㯮
see a guest off L16
sònggěi give to verb L15 㯮ⷙ 㯮ㄐ
(someone) as a
present
suì years of age classifier L8 㰋 ᛒ
suíbiàn as you please adverb L15 㰇⢄ 却⢄
suı̄rán although conjunction L16 㰅㦜厎㦜
suǒyı̌ so, therefore conjunction L10 㰚䄵㰚䄵
sùshè dormitory noun L9 㯿㪂㯿㪂
T
tā he/him, she/her, it pronoun L1 㰜㰞㰝㰜㰞㰝
tài too intensifier L5 㲌㲌
tài hǎo le great conversational L5 㲌⼤㑬㲌⼤㑬
expression
tàitai Mrs. title, term of L15 㲌㲌㲌㲌

address
Táiwān Taiwan place name L16 㲉㶆㲉ᨔ

tāmen they, them pronoun L2 㰜㗨㰜Ӥ
tāng soup noun L15 㲡 ᢌ
tèbié especially; special intensifier; L15 㲹⢑ 㲹‫ن‬
adjectival verb
tiān day noun L8 㳍㳍

Tiāntán Temple of place name L12 㳍㲔⹌䊑㳍੐⹌ड
Gōngyuán Heaven Park
tiáo (classifier for classifier L14 㳖 ᒍ

streets)
tiào dance, jump verb L8 㳙㳙
tiào wǔ dance verb + object L8 㳙㹉㳙㹉
tı̄ng can (of) classifier L6 㳞㔁
tı̄ng listen (to) verb L8 㳞㔁
tı̄ng yı̄nyuè listen to music verb + object L8 㳞䅕㎷㔁䅕ᖘ
tı̄ngjiàn hear verb L13 㳞ボ㔁䃫
tı̄ngshuō heard it said verb L16 㳞㯖㔁䌇
tóngwū roommate noun L4 㵍㸾㵍㸾
tóngxué classmate noun L4 㵍䁈㵍స
túshūguǎn library noun L9 㵝㭊⹾ थ᎙圿
túshūguǎn librarian noun L9 㵝㭊⹾䊒 थ᎙圿޵
yuán
W
wài* outside directional L13 㶃㶃
particle
wàibiān outside noun L13 㶃⢀ 㶃䪦

wán play verb L8 㶇㶇
wǎn late adjectival verb L9 㶎㶎
wán shǒujı̄ use (one’s) cell verb + object L8 㶇㬷〛㶇㬷ᗤ
phone for
entertainment
wǎnfàn dinner noun L8 㶎Ⳛ 㶎嚩
Wáng (family name) family name L2 㶖㶖
wǎng net, internet noun L8 㶙 ㆸ
wǎng toward preposition L12 㶚㶚
wàng forget verb L10 㶝㶝
wǎnshang evening noun L8 㶎㩰㶎㩰
wéi, wèi hello? (telephone conversational L13 㸚㸚

greeting) expression
wèi (polite classifier classifier L13 㸜㸜

for people)
wèishénme why content L9 㸋㬓㗕 ᩊ㬓怯
question
wèn ask (a question) verb L2 㸫 ߷

wèntí question noun L10 㸫㳃 ߷嗞
wǒ I, me pronoun L1 㸳㸳
wǒ xiān zǒu I’m leaving first. conversational L9 㸳㻩䔀㸳㻩䔀
I’m heading out. expression
wǒmen we, us pronoun L2 㸳㗨㸳Ӥ

wǔ five number L5 㹆㹆
wǔfàn lunch noun L10 㹈Ⳛ 㹈嚩
X
xı̄* west bound noun L11 㹘㹘
xı̌ bathe verb L9 㻕㻕
xı̌ zǎo bathe verb + object L9 㻕䋉㻕䋉
xià next; go down, specifier; verb; L8, 㻣㻣
get off (a directional L12,
vehicle); below particle L13
xià gè yuè next month noun phrase L10 㻣⷗䊣㻣ӡ䊣
xià kè get out of class verb + object L9 㻣㋯㻣䌏
xiàbiān below noun L13 㻣⢀ 㻣䪦
xiān first adverb L9, 㻩㻩
L13
xián salty adjectival verb L10 㻭徚
xiàn line (train line, noun L12 㼀㇡
subway line)
xiāng fragrant adjectival verb L11 㼄㼄
xiǎng think (about), plan verb L7 㼌㼌

(to), want (to)
xiàng resemble, be like verb L15 㼒㼒
Xiāng Shān Fragrant Hills place name L11 㼄㩞⹌䊑㼄㩞⹌ड
Gōngyuán Park
xiānsheng Mr. title, term of L15 㻩㪛㻩㪛
address
xiànzài now time word L6 㻷䊻 ␧䊻

xiǎo small, little adjectival verb L6 㾂㾂
xiǎoshí hour noun L12 㾂㬒㾂ጓ
Xiǎowén (given name) given name L8 㾂㸥㾂㸥
xiàtiān summer noun L16 㻥㳍㻥㳍
xiàwǔ afternoon noun L9 㻣㹈㻣㹈
xı̄běi biān northwest side noun phrase L11 㹘⡒⢀ 㹘⡒䪦
xı̄biān west side noun L11 㹘⢀ 㹘䪦
xiē* several classifier L13 㾊㾊
xiě write verb L10 㾕 ౲
Xiè family name; family name; L1, 㾜䏙
thank verb L4
xièxie thank you conversational L1 㾜㾜䏙䏙
expression
xíguàn accustomed to verb L16 㻑⺀㐶࿵

xı̌huān like stative verb L5 㻓⿗㻓ᛈ
xı̄n new adjectival verb L10 㾣㾣
xíng okay, acceptable adjectival verb L8 㾱㾱
xìng be family-named, verb L3 㾶㾶
be surnamed; noun
family name,
surname
xı̄ngqı̄ week noun L8 㾨㠻㾨㠻

xı̄ngqı̄jı̌ which day of the question L8 㾨㠻゙㾨㠻ุ
week? phrase
xı̄ngqı̄sì Thursday noun L8 㾨㠻㯥㾨㠻㯥

xı̄ngqı̄tiān Sunday noun L8 㾨㠻㳍㾨㠻㳍
xı̄ngqı̄wǔ Friday noun L8 㾨㠻㹆㾨㠻㹆
xiōngdì brothers and noun phrase L15 㾷⭽ㆄ㗤㾷⭽倃㗤
jiěmèi sisters
xı̌shǒujiān washroom, noun L15 㻕㬷ヅ㻕㬷刈
bathroom
xiūxi rest verb L11 㾾㻃㾾㻃
xué study verb L4 䁈 స
xuéfèi tuition noun L16 䁈Ⳳ స䗮
xuésheng student noun L1 䁈㪛 స㪛
xuéxí study verb L9 䁈㻑 స㐶
xuéxiào school noun L11 䁈㾄 స㾄
Y
yā (softens a final particle L4 䁞䁞
statement or
content question)
yánsè color noun L7 䁶㩌嗢㩌
yāo one (alternate number L5 僼僼
pronunciation
when reciting
phone numbers
and addresses)
yào want verb L6 䄋䄋
yě also adverb L1 䄓䄓
yě jiù shì in other words conversational L14 䄓㈮㬨㯖䄓㈮㬨䌇
shuō expression
yı̄ one number L5 䄜䄜

yı̄ + VP as soon as VP, adverbial L16 䄜䄜
when VP clause
yı̄ niánjí first year level noun phrase L7 䄜㛋゗䄜㛋な

yı̄ xià (do an action verb suffix L15 䄜㻣䄜㻣
for a short
duration)
yı̄ xiē several number + L13 䄜㾊䄜㾊
classifier phrase
yı̄diǎn a little quantifier L7 䄜⮄ 䄜恄

phrase
yı̄gòng altogether adverb L7 䄜⹓ 䄜⹓

yı̌hòu after, afterward noun L12 䄵⽔䄵䲂
yı̄huìr a short period of time phrase L14 䄜。ⱚ 䄜᎟ ‫כ‬
time
yı̄huìr jiàn see you soon conversational L14 䄜。ⱚボ䄜᎟ ‫כ‬
expression 䃫
yı̌jing already adverb L10 䄲㈎䄲ㄼ
yı̄nggāi should modal verb L15 䇇ⶤ ။䉴
Yı̄ngguó Britain place name L2 䇃⺛䇃ङ
Yı̄ngguó huà English language noun phrase L3 䇃⺛⿑䇃ङ䉳
Yı̄ngguó rén British person noun phrase L2 䇃⺛㦬䇃ङ㦬
Yı̄ngwén English language noun L3 䇃㸥䇃㸥
yínháng bank noun L14 䅙㾱䶚㾱
yínsè silver colored adjectival verb L12 䅙㩌䶚㩌
yı̄nwèi because conjunction L10 䅓㸋䅓ᩊ
yı̄nyuè music noun L8 䅕㎷䅕ᖘ
yı̄nyuè huì music concert noun phrase L11 䅕㎷。䅕ᖘ᎟
yı̌qián before noun L15 䄵㣑䄵㣑
yı̌wéi suppose verb L15 䄵㸋䄵ᩊ

(incorrectly)
yı̄zhí continuously adverb L14 䄜䐒䄜䐒
yòng use verb L15 䇤䇤
yǒu have stative verb L4 䇱䇱
yǒu de some noun L10 䇱⭥ 䇱⭥
description
phrase
yǒu kòng have free time verb phrase L5 䇱㋶䇱㋶

yǒu shì have something verb + object L8 䇱㬣䇱㬣
to do
yǒu yı̄diǎn a little intensifier L10 䇱䄜⮄ 䇱䄜恄
yǒu yìsi be interesting adjectival verb L16 䇱䅃㯝䇱䅃㯝
phrase
yòu* right directional L13 䇳䇳

particle
yòubiān right side noun L13 䇳⢀ 䇳䪦

yǒumíng famous adjectival verb L11 䇱㘜䇱㘜
yǒushì ma? Do you have question L9 䇱㬣㕑ᷠ 䇱㬣ࡂᷠ
something to do? phrase
What’s up?
yú fish noun L15 䈄婟
yuán (a person who has noun suffix L9 䊒 ޵
a role associated
with the preceding
noun)
yuǎn far adjectival verb L11 䊗䪉
yuánzhūbı̌ ballpoint pen noun L6 䊓䑊⡫ ढ䑊ⷱ
yuè month noun L8 䊣䊣
yǔfǎ grammar noun L10 䈐ⳉ 䋻ⳉ
Z
zài (indicates an adverb; verb; L9, 䊻䊻
action in preposition L11,
progress); located L12
at; at, in, on
zài do again in the adverb L10 䊺䊺
future
zài then, afterwards adverb L13 䊺䊺
zài jiàn goodbye conversational L1 䊺ボ䊺䃫
expression
zài shuō yı̄ cì say it again conversational L6 䊺㯖䄜⪯ 䊺䌇䄜⪯

expression
zǎo good morning; greeting; L4, 䋈䋈

early adjectival verb L9
zǎo jiù long before now, adverb L15 䋈㈮䋈㈮
long ago
zǎofàn breakfast noun L9 䋈Ⳛ 䋈嚩
zāogāo oh no! (what a adjectival L8 䋄ⷃ 䋄ⷃ
mess!) verb,
conversational
expression
zǎoshang morning noun L9 䋈㩰䋈㩰

zázhì magazine(s) noun L14 䊴䐟厔䋪
zěnme how question word L5 䋖㗕䋖怯
zěnme how can (we) conversational L16 䋖㗕⼤䅃䋖怯⼤䅃
hǎoyìsi not be expression 㯝ᷠ 㯝ᷠ
embarrassed
zěnmeyàng how about it? question L8 䋖㗕䂚ᷠ 䋖怯ᖴᷠ
okay? phrase
zhàn station (subway, noun L11 䍟䍟

bus, train)
Zhāng (family name) family name L1 䍦 ຩ

zhāng (classifier for flat classifier L6 䍦 ຩ
rectangular and
square objects)
zhǎo look for verb L13 䍳䍳
zhào take (a verb L15 䍶䍶
photograph)
zhǎo (qián) make (change) verb L7 䍳᷉㣏᷊ 䍳᷉仹᷊
zhàopiàn photograph noun L4 䍶㠍䍶㠍
zhè this demonstrative L4 䎃䩡
zhè, zhèi this specifier L6 䎃䩡
zhème so, such intensifier L15 䎃㗕䩡怯
(adjectival verb)
zhēn really intensifier L8 䎇䎇
zhēnde ma? really? conversational L3 䎇⭥㕑䎇⭥ࡂ
expression
zhèng earn verb L16 䎖 ᅋ

zhēnzhū pearl milk tea, noun phrase L8 䎅䑊㚭⥉ 䎅䑊㚭⥉
nǎichá bubble tea
zhèr here noun L11 䎃ⱚ 䩡‫כ‬
zhè yàng in this way, how noun phrase L8 䎃䂚䩡ᖴ
about this
zhı̄ (classifier for classifier L6 䐈䐇
writing
implements,
pencils, pens)
zhı̌ only adverb L3 䐜䐜
zhı̌ paper noun L6 䐞ど
zhı̌ hǎo only thing to do is, adjectival verb L12 䐜⼤䐜⼤
best thing to do is phrase
zhı̄dào know verb L5 䐋⭡ 䐋⭡

zhōng* hour, (main noun L9 䐴傫
noun in clock
time expression)
Zhōngguó China place name L2 䐱⺛䐱ङ
Zhōngguó Chinese noun phrase L3 䐱⺛⿑䐱ङ䉳
huà language
Zhōngguó Chinese person noun phrase L2 䐱⺛㦬䐱ङ㦬
rén
zhōngjiān between, noun L13 䐱ヅ䐱刈
in-between
Zhōngshān Sun Yatsen name L11 䐱㩞䐱㩞
zhōngtóu hour noun L12 䐴㵘傫喿
Zhōngwén Chinese noun L3 䐱㸥䐱㸥
language
zhōngwǔ noon noun L9 䐱㹈䐱㹈
zhōngxı̄n center noun L11 䐱㾥䐱㾥
zhōngyú finally, at last adverb L15 䐶䇻レ咗
zhōumò weekend noun L11 䐽㚊䩭㚊
zhù live, reside in verb L15 䓂䓂
a place
zhǔnbèi prepare verb L9 䓝⡙ ᢫
zì character noun L7 䓷䓷
(Chinese
character)
zìjı̌ self pronoun L12 䓵゛䓵゛
zǒu go verb L9 䔀䔀
zǒu lù walk verb + object L11 䔀㔘䔀㔘
zuǒ* left directional L13 䔔䔔
particle
zuò do verb L9 䔗䔗
zuò sit verb L11 䔙䔙
zuò cook (same as 䔗 verb L15 䔗䔗
do)
zuò chē travel by car as a verb + object L11 䔙⧖ 䔙䡨
passenger
zuǒbiān left side noun L13 䔔⢀ 䔔䪦
zuótiān yesterday noun L10 䔓㳍䔓㳍
Chinese characters
alphabetically arranged
by Pinyin
Simplified English Lesson Illustrative Traditional

characters words characters
B
bā ➬ eight L6 ➬
bà ➷ dad L11 ➷➷ (bàba) dad ➷
ba ➪ (indicates L8 ➪
speaker’s
assumption;
used for
making
suggestions)
bàn ⟌ half L11 䄜⮄⟌ (yı̄ diǎn ⟌
bàn) 1:30
Chinese characters alphabetically arranged by Pinyin 435
běi ⡒ north L14 ⡒⢀ (běibiān) ⡒

north side
běn ⡟ (classifier: L12 䄜⡟㭊 (yı̄ běn ⡟
volume) shū) one book, 㦶
⡟ (Rìběn) Japan
bié ⢑ don’t, other L15 ⢑⭥ (bié de) other ‫ن‬
bù ⤜ no, not L6 ⤜䄋 (bù yào) ⤜
don’t want (to)
C
cái ⤦ only then L9 ⤦
chá ⥉ tea L16 ⥉
chà ⥏ lack* L14 ⥏⤜ⱁ (chàbuduō) ⥏
almost
cháng ⧄ often L15 ⧄⧄ ⧄
(chángcháng)
often, ⳨⧄
(fēicháng)
extremely
chàng ⧋ sing L16 ⧋ⷉ (chàng gē) ⧋
sing (songs)
chē ⧖ car L12 】⧖ (huǒ chē) 䡨
train, ⹌⹓㡜⧖
(gōnggòng qìchē)
bus, 㻣⧖ (xià chē)
exit a car
chı̄ ⧵ eat L10 ⧵Ⳛ (chı̄ fàn) eat ⧵
cì ⪯ time L11 䄜⪯ (yı̄ cì) one ⪯
time, 䊺㯖䄜⪯
(zài shuō yı̄ cì) say
it again one more
time
cóng ⪴ from L13 ໥
436 Chinese characters alphabetically arranged by Pinyin
D
dǎ ⫓ hit L8 ⫓⮈⿑ (dǎ ⫓
diànhuà) make a
phone call
dà ⫔ big L6 ⼽⫔ (hěn dà) big ⫔
dāng ⭒ * L10 ⭒㦜 (dāngrán) of ◵
course
dào ⭞ to (preposition); L13 ⭞
arrive (verb)
dào ⭡ path* L14 䐋⭡ (zhı̄dào) ⭡
know
de ⭥ (marks noun L7 ⭥
description)
de, dì ⭹ ground, earth; L16 ⭹㵝 (dìtú) map, ⭹
(grammar ⭹㳛 (dìtiě)
particle) subway; 㕞㕞⭹
(mànmān de)
gradually
děi, de ⭤ must; (manner L12 㯖⭤㌍ (shuō de ⭤
adverbial kuài) speak quickly
particle)
dì ⭽ younger L15 ⭽⭽ (dìdi) ⭽
brother* younger brother
diǎn ⮄ dot L11 䄜⮄ (yı̄diǎn) a 恄
little; 䄜⮄䐴
(yı̄diǎn zhōng)
1:00
diàn ⮈ electricity L12 ⮈⿑ (diànhuà) 厫
telephone, ⮈䇑
(diànyı̌ng) movie,
⮈䇑䊛 (diànyı̌ng
yuàn) movie
theater
diàn ⮋ store L14 㭊⮋ (shūdiàn) ⮋

bookstore
dōng Ⰼ east L12 Ⰼ⢀ (dōngbian) Ꮭ
east side, Ⰼ㹘
(dōngxi) thing
dǒng Ⰿ understand L14 Ⰿ
dōu Ⱍ both, all L10 Ⱍ
duì ⰵ correct L9 ⰵ⤜㡑 (duìbuqı̌) ಇ
excuse me
duō ⱁ many, more L7 ⱁ㩺 (duōshao) ⱁ
how much, how
many
E
ér / r ⱚ * L11 㚨ⱚ (nàr) there ‫כ‬
èr ⱟ two L6 ⱟ
F
fǎ ⳉ method* L16 ⳉ⺛ (Fǎguó) ⳉ
France
fàn Ⳛ rice L10 ⧵Ⳛ (chı̄ fàn) eat 嚩
fēi ⳩ coffee* L13 ㋈⳩ (kāfēi) coffee ⳩
fēi ⳨ not, extremely* L15 ⳨⧄ (fēicháng) ⳨
extremely
fēi ⳪ fly L16 ⳪〛 (fēijı̄) 嚘
airplane
fēn ⳷ minute, cent L9 ⳷
fù ⶙ father* L16 ⶙㚙 (fùmǔ) father ⶙
and mother, parents
G
gāng ⶶ just now L15 ٣
gāo ⷀ tall; Gao L10 ⷀ
(family name)
gào ⷇ inform* L14 ⷇㰀 (gàosu) ⷇

inform
gē ⷈ older brother* L15 ⷈⷈ (gēge) older ⷈ
brother
gē ⷉ song L16 ⧋ⷉ (chàng gē) ⷉ
sing (songs)
gè ⷗ (classifier for L7 ӡ
people and
other nouns)
gěi ⷙ give, for, to L8 ㄐ
gēn ⷛ with L12 ⷛ
gōng ⹅ ⹅ work* L11 ⫓⹅ (dǎ gōng) ⹅
work
gōng ⹇ ⹇ work* L11 ⹇㋯ (gōngkè) ⹇
classwork,
homework
gōng ⹌ public* L13 ⹌䊑 (gōngyuán) ⹌
park, ⹌⹓㡜⧖
gōnggòng qìchē
(public) bus
guǎn ⹾ * L12 㵝㭊⹾ 圿
(túshūguǎn)
library, ㋈⳩⹾
(kāfēiguǎn) coffee
shop
guì ⺔ expensive L12 䗧
guó ⺛ country* L13 䐱⺛ (Zhōngguó) ङ
China
guǒ ⺜ fruit; L16 㧈⺜ (rúguǒ) if, ⺜
consequences 㯏⺜ (shuı̌guǒ)
fruit
guò ⺞ cross, pass L14 䩿
H
hái ⿚ in addition L8 䪡
Hàn ⼛ Chinese L9 ⼛䓷 (Hànzì) ᤉ
Chinese character
háng 㾱 business* L16 䅙㾱 (yínháng) 㾱
bank
hǎo, ⼤ good, well L7 aì⼤ (aìhào) hobby, ⼤
hào interest
hào ⼦ number L12 ⮈⿑⼦㕌㱷
(diànhuà hàomǎ)
telephone number,
゙䊣゙⼦ (jı̌ yuè jı̌
hào) what month
and date?
hē ⼩ drink L10 ⼩
hé ⼮ and, with L8 ⼮
hěn ⼽ very L8 ⼽
hóng ⽍ red L15 ` さ
⽍㔭⭧ (hóng lü
dēng) traffic light
hòu ⽓ * L11 㬒⽓ (shíhou) ⽓
time
hòu ⽔ after, behind* L14 䄵⽔ (yı̌ hòu) after, 䲂
⽔⢀ (hòubiān)
behind
hú ⽟ lake L14 ⽟
huà ⿑ speech, L9 㯖⿑ (shuō huà) 䉳
(Zhōngguó huà)
Chinese language
huān ⿗ happy*, L15 㻓⿗ (xı̌huan) like, ᛈ
joyous* ⿗䇎 (huānyíng)
welcome
huí ⿹ return L15 ⿹コ (huí jiā) ⿹

return home; ⿹⺛
(huí guó) return to
one’s home country;
⿹⺙㧃 (huí guō
ròu) twice-cooked
pork
huì 。 can, able to L8 ᎟
huǒ 】 fire L16 】⧖ (huǒchē) 】
train
J
jı̄ 〛 machine L8 㬷〛 (shǒujı̄) cell ᗤ
phone
jı̌ ゙ how many, L7 ุ
how much
jı̌ ゛ self* L13 䓵゛ (zìjı̌) self ゛
jiā コ family, home L11 䊻コ (zài jiā) at コ
home
jiān ヅ * L13 䐱ヅ (zhōngjiān) 刈
between, 㬒ヅ
(shíjiān) time
jiàn ボ see L9 䊺ボ (zài jiàn) 䃫
goodbye
jiào ㅱ call, be called L10 ㅱ
jiào ㅱ call L15 ㅱ
jiē ㅴ L13 ㅴ⮈⿑ (jiē ㅴ
diànhuà) answer
the phone, ㅴ㞔䇲
(jiē péngyou) pick
up a friend
jiě ㆄ older sister* L15 ㆄㆄ (jiějie) older ㆄ
sister
jı̄n ㆒ * L9 ㆒㳍 (jı̄ntiān) ㆒
today
jìn ㆝ close L12 ㆝
jìn ㆙ enter L15 㤌㆙ (qı̌ng jìn) 䩮
please come in
jı̄ng ㈊ capital city* L13 Ⰼ㈊(Dōngjı̄ng) ㈊
Tokyo, ⡒㈊
(Běijı̄ng) Beijing
(Peking)
jı̄ng ㈎ * L13 䄲㈎ (yı̌ jing) ㄼ
already
jiǔ ㈦ nine L6 ㈦
jiǔ ㈤ long time L14 ⱁ㈤ (duō jiǔ) ㈤
how long?
jiù ㈮ only, precisely, L12 ㈮
sooner than
expected
jiù ㈪ old L15 㜇
jué, ㉖ become aware* L16 ㉖⭤ (juéde) 䅹
jiào think; 㯐㉖ (shuì
jiào) sleep
K
kā ㋈ * L13 ㋈⳩ (kāfēi) ㋈
coffee
kāi ㋋ drive, open* L12 ㋋⧖(kāi chē) 刀
drive a car; ㋋㬝
(kāishı̌) begin
kàn ㋕ look, see, read L11 ㋕㞔䇲 (kàn ㋕
péngyou) see
friends
kǎo ㋝ test, take a test L10 ㋝㬵 (kǎoshì) test, ㋝
take a test
kě ㋪ * L7 ㋪䄵 (kěyı̌) can ㋪

(permission)
kè ㋯ class L11 ⹇㋯ (gōngkè) 䌏
classwork,
homework
kè ㋮ guest L15 ㋮㦬 (kèren) guest, ㋮
㋮㡙 (kèqi) polite
kǒu ㋻ mouth L9 㗦㋻ (ménkǒu) ㋻
doorway, 㔘㋻
(lùkǒu)
intersection, 㬏䓷
㔘㋻ (shízì lùkǒu)
four way
intersection
kuài ㌍ fast, quickly L12 ৬
kuài ㌊ dollar L12 䄜㌊㣏 (yı̄ kuài ㌍
qián) one dollar
L
lái ㎕ come L13 Ҏ
lǎo ㎰ old L10 ㎰㬇 (lǎoshı̄) ㎰
teacher
le 㑬 (final particle L8 㑬
indicating
completion or
change)
lí ㏌ separated L12 㸳コ㏌䎃ⱚ⼽㆝ 厙
from* (wǒ jiā lí zhèr hěn
jìn) my home is
near here, ㏌㋋
(líkāi) leave
lı̌ ㏏ Li (family L10 ㏏
name)
lı̌ ㏐ inside* L14 ㏐⢀ (lı̌ bian) 䀆᷐㿺

inside, 䄜㏐㔘 (yı̄
lı̌ lù) one mile
lì ㏗ beautiful* L10 㗡㏗ (měilì) 徱
beautiful
liǎng 㑞 two (of L7 ‫ת‬
something)
liù 㒚 six L6 㒚
lù 㔘 road L13 㕎㔘 (mǎ lù) road, 㔘
㔘㋻(lùkǒu)
intersection,㬏䓷㔘
㋻(shízì lùkǒu)
four way
intersection, 䔀㔘
(zǒu lù) walk
M
mā 㕉 mom L11 㕉㕉 (māma) mom ஭
mǎ 㕎 Ma (family L9 㕎㔘 (mǎlù) road 埳
name); horse
ma 㕑 yes-no question L7 ࡂ
particle
mǎi 㕓 buy L12 䗪
mài 㕕 sell L14 䘖
màn 㕞 slow, slowly L14 㕞
máng 㗇 busy L11 㗇⤜㗇ᷠ(máng 㗇
bù máng?) busy?
máo 㗌 dime L12 䄜㗌㣏 (yı̄ máo 㗌
qián) 10 cents
me 㗕 * L7 㬓㗕 (shénme) 怯
what
méi 㗜 (negation) L8 㗜
měi 㗡 beautiful L10 㗡⺛ (Měiguó) 㗡

USA, 㗡㏗ (měilì)
beautiful
měi 㗠 every L16 㗠㳍 (měitiān) 㗠
every day
mèi 㗤 younger sister* L15 㗤㗤 (mèimei) 㗤
younger sister
mén 㗦 door, gate L13 㗦㋻(ménkǒu) 凵
doorway, gateway
men 㗨 plural suffix L6 㛄㗨 (nı̌men) you Ӥ
for pronouns (plural)
miàn 㘇 side* L15 ⰵ㘇 (duìmiàn) 㘇
across, facing
míng 㘘 bright* L9 㘘㳍 (míngtiān) 㘘
tomorrow,㘘㛋
(míngnián) next
year
míng 㘜 name*, fame* L15 㘜䓷 (míngzi) 㘜
name
mǔ 㚙 mother* L16 ⶙㚙 (fùmǔ) 㚙
father and mother,
parents
N
nǎ 㚥 which L7 㚥
nà, nèi 㚨 that L7 㚨
nán 㚱 male L11 㚱⼃䓴 (nán háizi) 㚱
boy, 㚱㞔䇲 (nán
péngyǒu) boyfriend
nán 㚰 south L14 㚰⢀ (nánbiān) 㚰
south side
nán 㚲 difficult L14 厚
ne 㚹 (final particle L8 㚹
for follow-up
questions)
nı̌ 㛄 you L6 㛄
nián 㛋 year L15 ㆒㛋 (jı̄nnián) 㛋
this year, 㘘㛋
(míngnián) next
year, 㦆㛋
(qùnián) last year,
䄜㛋゗ (yı̄niánjí)
first-year level
nín 㛛 you (polite) L13 㛛
niú 㝄 cow L10 㝄㧃 (niúròu) beef 㝄
ˇ
nü 㝏 female L8 㝏⼃䓴 (nüˇ háizi) 㝏
girl,㝏㞔䇲 (nü
ˇ
péngyou) girlfriend
P
péng 㞔 friend* L11 㞔䇲 (péngyou) 㞔
friend
piào 㠒 ticket L14 㠒
Q
qı̄ 㡀 seven L6 㡀
qı̄ 㠻 * L11 㾨㠻(xı̄ngqı̄) 㠻
week, 㭏㠻(shǔqı̄)
summer duration
qı̌ 㡑 * L9 ⰵ⤜㡑 (duìbuqı̌) 㡑
excuse me, 㡑⪓
(qı̌ chuáng) get
out of bed
qián 㣏 money L12 䄜㌊㣏 (yı̄ kuài 仹
qián) one dollar
qián 㣑 before*, in L14 䄵㣑 (yı̌qián) 㣑

front* before, 㣑⢀
(qiánbiān) in
front of
qiáng 㣠 strong L13 ⺛㣠 ຫ
(Guóqiáng)
(given name)
qı̌ng 㤌 invite L11 㤌㸫 (qı̌ng wèn) 䌩
may I ask
qù 㦆 go L10 㦆
R
rán 㦜 * L10 ⭒㦜 (dāngrán) of 㦜
course;㰅㦜
(suı̄rán) although
rén 㦬 person L7 㦬
rèn 㦰 recognize* L15 㦰㬗 (rènshi) 䋫
know, recognize
rì 㦶 sun L8 㦶⡟ (Rìběn) 㦶
róng 㦾 * L13 㦾䄸 (róngyì) easy 㦾
rú 㧈 if* L16 㧈⺜ (rúguǒ) if 㧈
S
sān 㧞 three L6 㧞
shān 㩞 mountain L14 㩞
shàng 㩰 last (week, L9 䋈㩰 (zǎoshang) 㩰
month), above morning, 㶎㩰
(wǎnshang)
evening, 㩰㹈
(shàngwǔ)
morning, 㩰㋯
(shàng kè) go to
class
shǎo 㩺 few, less L7 ⱁ㩺 (duōshao) 㩺

how much, how
many
shéi 㯎 who? L11 㰞㬨㯎ᷠ(tā shì 䌍
shéi?) who is she?
shén 㬓 * L7 㬓㗕 (shénme) 㬓
what
shēng 㪛 be born L8 䁈㪛 (xuésheng) 㪛
student, 㪛㦶
(shēngrì)
birthday, 㻩㪛
(xiānsheng) Mr.
shı̄ 㬇 teacher* L10 ㎰㬇 (lǎoshı̄) ฀
teacher
shí 㬗 know* L15 㦰㬗 (rènshi) 䑳
know, recognize
shí 㬏 ten L6 㬏
shí 㬒 time* L11 㬒⽓ (shíhou) ጓ
time, 㬒ヅ
(shíjiān) time
shı̌ 㬝 begin* L16 ㋋㬝 (kāishı̌) 㬝
begin
shì 㬨 be L7 㬨
shì 㬵 test* L10 ㋝㬵 (kǎoshì) test, 䉨
take a test
shì 㬣 matter, L11 䇱㬣 (yǒu shì) 㬣
situation have something to
do
shì 㬱 city* L12 㬱䐱㾥 (shì 㬱
zhōngxı̄n)
downtown, city
center
shǒu 㬷 hand L8 㬷〛 (shǒujı̄) cell 㬷

phone
shū 㭊 book L12 㵝㭊⹾ ᎙
(túshūguǎn)
library, ㋕㭊 (kàn
shū) read (books)
shuı̌ 㯏 water L15 㯏⺜ (shuı̌guǒ) 㯏
fruit
shuō 㯖 speak, talk L9 㯖⿑ (shuō huà) 䌇
speak, talk
sı̄ 㯝 think* L16 䅃㯝 (yìsi) 㯝
meaning,
significance
sì 㯥 four L6 㯥
sù 㰀 inform* L14 ⷇㰀 (gàosu) 䈷
inform
T
tā 㰜 he, him L8 㰜
tā 㰞 she, her L8 㰞
tài 㲌 too L6 㲌⼤㑬 (tài hǎo le) 㲌
great
tiān 㳍 day, heaven L9 ㆒㳍 (jı̄ntiān) 㳍
today, 㾨㠻㳍
(Xı̄ngqı̄tiān)
Sunday
tı̄ng 㳞 listen (to) L12 㔁
tú 㵝 chart* L12 㵝㭊⹾ थ
(túshūguǎn) library,
⭹㵝 (dìtú) map
W
wài 㶃 outside* L14 㶃⢀ (wàibiān) 㶃
outside
wán 㶇 play L16 㶇

wǎn 㶎 late L9 㶎㩰 (wǎnshang) 㶎
evening, 㶎Ⳛ
(wǎnfàn) dinner
wáng 㶖 king; Wang L10 㶖
(family name)
wǎng 㶙 net L11 㩰㶙 (shàng ㆸ
wǎng) use the
internet
wǎng 㶚 toward L13 㶚
wéi, 㸋 * L6 ⫔㸋 (Dàwéi), 㸋 ᩊ
wèi 㬓㗕 (wèi
shénme) why
wén 㸥 * L9 䐱㸥 (Zhōngwén) 㸥
Chinese language
wèn 㸫 ask L10 㤌㸫 (qı̌ng wèn) ߷
please may I ask
wǒ 㸳 I, me L6 㸳
wǔ 㹆 five L6 㹆
wǔ 㹈 *noon L10 㩰㹈 (shàngwǔ) 㹈
morning
X
xı̄ 㹘 west L12 㹘⢀ (xı̄ bian) 㹘
west side, Ⰼ㹘
(dōngxi) thing
xí 㻑 * L10 䁈㻑 (xuéxí) study 㐶
xı̌ 㻓 happy*, like* L15 㻓⿗ (xı̌ huan) like 㻓
xı̌ 㻕 wash L15 㻕䋉(xı̌zǎo) 㻕
bathe, 㻕㬷ヅ
(xı̌shǒujiān)
washroom,
bathroom
xià 㻣 below, down L9 㻣㹈 (xiàwǔ) 㻣

afternoon,㻣⢀
(xiàbiān) below, 㻣
㋯ (xià kè) get out
of class, 㻣⧖(xià
chē) get off a
vehicle, 㻣⷗㾨㠻
(xià gè xı̄ngqı̄)
next week
xiān 㻩 first L15 㻩㪛 (xiānsheng) 㻩
Mr., husband
xiàn 㻷 * L13 㻷䊻 (xiànzài) ␧
now
xiǎng 㼌 think, want, L12 㼌
plan to
xiǎo 㾂 little, small L8 㾂
xiē 㾊 several* L15 㾊
xiě 㾕 write L16 㾕䓷 (xiě zì) ౲
write (characters,
letters)
xiè 㾜 thank, thank L11 㾜㾜 (xièxie) 䏙
you; Xie thank you
(family name)
xı̄n 㾥 heart L12 䐱㾥 (zhōngxı̄n) 㾥
center
xı̄ng 㾨 star L11 㾨㠻 (xı̄ngqı̄) 㾨
week
xíng 㾱 acceptable L16 㾱⤜㾱ᷠ(xíng bù 㾱
xíng?) okay?
xué 䁈 study L10 䁈㪛 (xuésheng) స
student, 䁈㻑
(xuéxí) study
Y
yàng 䂚 * L11 䋖㗕䂚 ᖴ
(zěnmeyàng)
what about it? how
about it?, 䎃䂚
(zhèyàng) this way
yào 䄋 will, want L8 䄋
yě 䄓 also L6 䄓
yı̄ 䄜 one L6 䄜
yı̌ 䄵 * L7 ㋪䄵 (kěyı̌) can 䄵
(permission)
yı̌ 䄲 * L13 䄲㈎ (yı̌ jing) 䄲
already
yì 䄸 * L13 㦾䄸 (róngyì) 䄸
easy
yì 䅃 meaning* L16 䅃㯝 (yìsi) 䅃
meaning,
significance
yǒu 䇱 have, there is/ L8 䇱
there are
yǒu 䇲 friend* L11 㞔䇲 (péngyou) 䇲
friend
yòu 䇳 right* L14 䇳⢀ (yòubiān) 䇳
right side
yuán 䊑 garden* L13 ⹌䊑 (gōngyuán) ड
park
yuǎn 䊗 far L14 䪉
yuè 䊣 month L10 䊣
Z
zài 䊺 again L9 䊺ボ (zài jiàn) 䊺
goodbye
zài 䊻 located at, in, L11 䊻コ (zài jiā) at 䊻

on home
zǎo 䋈 early L9 䋈Ⳛ (zǎofàn) 䋈
breakfast
zěn 䋖 * L9 䋖㗕 (zěnme) how 䋖
zhàn 䍟 station, (bus or L13 ⧖䍟 (chēzhàn) 䍟
train) stop station
zhāng 䍦 sheet (cl.); L9 ຩ
Zhang (family
name)
zhǎo 䍳 look for, find L14 䍳
zhè, 䎃 this L7 䩡
zhèi
zhēn 䎇 really L13 䎇
zhì 䐯 * L10 㧞㘘䐯䐯
(sānmíngzhì)
sandwich
zhı̄ 䐋 know* L14 䐋⭡ (zhı̄dào) 䐋
know
zhı̌ 䐜 only L8 䐜
zhōng 䐱 middle, part L9 䐱㸥 (Zhōngwén) 䐱
of the word for Chinese language
China, Chinese
language, etc.
zhù 䓂 reside/live L16 䓂
(in a location)
zi 䓴 * L7 ⡟䓴 (běnzi) 䓴
notebook, ⼃䓴
(háizi) child, ㅩ䓴
(jiǎozi) dumplings,
Ⳡ䓴 (fángzi)
house
zì 䓷 character L9 ⼛䓷 (Hànzì) 䓷
Chinese character
zì 䓵 self* L13 䓵゛ (zìjı̌) self 䓵
zǒu 䔀 go L12 䔀㔘 (zǒu lù) walk 䔀
zuó 䔓 yesterday* L10 䔓㳍 (zuótian) 䔓
yesterday
zuǒ 䔔 left* L14 䔔⢀ (zuǒbiān) 䔔
left side
zuò 䔗 do L11 䔗㬣 (zuò shì) 䔗
do work
zuò 䔙 sit L12 䔙⧖ (zuò chē) go 䔙
by car
Chinese characters by lesson
Simplified Pinyin English Illustrative words Traditional

characters characters
Lesson 6
䄜 yı̄ one 䄜
ⱟ èr two ⱟ
㧞 sān three 㧞
㯥 sì four 㯥
㹆 wǔ five 㹆
㒚 liù six 㒚
㡀 qı̄ seven 㡀
➬ bā eight ➬
㈦ jiǔ nine ㈦
㬏 shí ten 㬏
⤜ bù no, not ⤜䄋 (bù yào) don’t ⤜
want (to)
⫔ dà big ⼽⫔ (hěn dà) big ⫔
㗨 men plural suffix 㛄㗨 (nı̌men) you Ӥ
for pronouns (plural)
㛄 nı̌ you 㛄
㲌 tài too 㲌⼤㑬 (tài hǎo le) 㲌
great
㸋 wéi, * ⫔㸋 (Dàwéi), 㸋㬓㗕 ᩊ
wèi (wèi shénme) why
㸳 wǒ I, me 㸳
䄓 yě also 䄓
Lesson 7
⭥ de marks noun ⭥
description
ⱁ duō many, more ⱁ㩺 (duōshao) how ⱁ
much, how many
⷗ gè (classifier for ӡ
people and
other nouns)
⼤ hǎo, good, well aì⼤ (aìhào) hobby, ⼤
hào interest
゙ jı̌ how many, ุ
how much
㋪ kě * ㋪䄵 (kěyı̌) can ㋪
(permission)
㑞 liǎng two (of ‫ת‬
something)
㕑 ma yes-no question ࡂ
particle
456 Chinese characters by lesson
㗕 me * 㬓㗕 (shénme) what 怯
㚨 nà, that 㚨
nèi
㚥 nǎ which 㚥
㦬 rén person 㦬
㩺 shǎo few, less ⱁ㩺 (duōshao) how 㩺
much, how many
㬓 shén * 㬓㗕 (shénme) what 㬓
㬨 shì be 㬨
䄵 yı̌ * ㋪䄵 (kěyı̌) can 䄵
(permission)
䎃 zhè, this 䩡
zhèi
䓴 zi * ⡟䓴 (běnzi) notebook, 䓴
⼃䓴 (háizi) child, ㅩ
䓴 (jiǎozi) dumplings,
Ⳡ䓴 (fángzi) house
Lesson 8
➪ ba (indicates ➪
speaker’s
assumption;
used for making
suggestions)
⫓ dǎ hit ⫓⮈⿑ (dǎ diànhuà) ⫓
make a phonecall
ⷙ gěi give, for, to ㄐ
⿚ hái in addition 䪡
⼮ hé and, with ⼮
⼽ hěn very ⼽
。 huì can, able to ᎟
〛 jı̄ machine 㬷〛 (shǒujı̄) cellphone ᗤ

㑬 le (final particle 㑬
indicating
completion or
change)
㗜 méi (negation) 㗜
㚹 ne (final particle 㚹
for follow-up
questions)
㝏 nǚ female 㝏⼃䓴 (nǚháizi) girl, 㝏
㝏㞔䇲 (nǚ péngyou)
girlfriend
㦶 rì sun 㦶⡟ (Rìběn) 㦶
㪛 shēng be born 䁈㪛 (xuésheng) 㪛
student, 㪛㦶
(shēngrì) birthday, 㻩
㪛 (xiānsheng) Mr.
㬷 shǒu hand 㬷〛 (shǒujı̄) 㬷
cellphone
㰜 tā he, him 㰜
㰞 tā she, her 㰞
㾂 xiǎo little, small 㾂
䄋 yào will, want 䄋
䇱 yǒu have, there is/ 䇱
there are
䐜 zhı̌ only 䐜
Lesson 9
⤦ cái only then ⤦
ⰵ duì correct ⰵ⤜㡑 (duìbuqı̌) ಇ
excuse me
⳷ fēn minute, cent ⳷

⼛ Hàn Chinese ⼛䓷 (Hànzì) ᤉ
Chinese character
⿑ huà speech, 㯖⿑ (shuō huà) 䉳
(Zhōngguó huà)
Chinese language
ボ jiàn see 䊺ボ (zài jiàn) 䃫
goodbye
㆒ jı̄n * ㆒㳍 (jı̄ntiān) today ㆒
㋻ kǒu mouth 㗦㋻ (ménkǒu) ㋻
doorway, 㔘㋻
(lùkǒu) intersection,
㬏䓷㔘㋻ (shízì
lùkǒu) four way
intersection
㕎 mǎ Ma (family 㕎㔘 (mǎlù) road 埳
name); horse
㘘 míng * 㘘㳍 (míngtiān) 㘘
tomorrow, 㘘㛋
(míngnián) next year
㡑 qı̌ * ⰵ⤜㡑 (duìbuqı̌) 㡑
excuse me, 㡑⪓
(qı̌ chuáng) get out
of bed
㩰 shàng last (week, 䋈㩰 (zǎoshang) 㩰
month), above morning, 㶎㩰
(wǎnshang) evening,
㩰㹈 (shàngwǔ)
morning, 㩰㋯
(shàng kè) go to
class
㯖 shuō speak, talk 㯖⿑ (shuō huà) 䌇

speak, talk
㳍 tiān day, heaven ㆒㳍 (jı̄ntiān) today, 㳍
㾨㠻㳍 (Xı̄ngqı̄tiān)
Sunday
㶎 wǎn late 㶎㩰 (wǎnshang) 㶎
evening, 㶎Ⳛ
(wǎnfàn) dinner
㸥 wén * 䐱㸥 (Zhōngwén) 㸥
Chinese language
㻣 xià below, down 㻣㹈 (xiàwǔ) 㻣
afternoon,㻣⢀
(xiàbiān) below, 㻣㋯
(xià kè) get out of
class, 㻣⧖(xià chē)
get off a vehicle, 㻣⷗
㾨㠻 (xià gè xı̄ngqı̄)
next week
䊺 zài again 䊺ボ (zài jiàn) 䊺
goodbye
䋈 zǎo early 䋈Ⳛ (zǎofàn) 䋈
breakfast
䋖 zěn * 䋖㗕 (zěnme) how 䋖
䍦 zhāng sheet (cl.); ຩ
Zhang (family
name)
䐱 zhōng middle, part 䐱㸥 (Zhōngwén) 䐱
of the word for Chinese language
China, Chinese
language, etc.
䓷 zì character ⼛䓷 (Hànzì) Chinese 䓷
character
Lesson 10
⧵ chı̄ eat ⧵Ⳛ (chı̄ fàn) eat ⧵
⭒ dāng * ⭒㦜 (dāngrán) of ◵
course
Ⱍ dōu both, all Ⱍ
Ⳛ fàn rice ⧵Ⳛ (chı̄ fàn) eat 嚩
ⷀ gāo tall; Gao ⷀ
(family name)
⼩ hē drink ⼩
ㅱ jiào call, be called ㅱ
㋝ kǎo test, take a test ㋝㬵 (kǎoshì) test, ㋝
take a test
㎰ lǎo old ㎰㬇 (lǎoshı̄) teacher ㎰
㏏ Lı̌ Li (family ㏏
name)
㏗ lì beautiful* 㗡㏗ (měilì) beautiful 徱
㗡 měi beautiful 㗡⺛ (Měiguó) USA, 㗡
㗡㏗ (měilì) beautiful
㝄 niú cow 㝄㧃 (niúròu) beef 㝄
㦆 qù go 㦆
㦜 rán * ⭒㦜 (dāngrán) of 㦜
course; 㰅㦜 (suı̄rán)
although
㬇 shı̄ teacher* ㎰㬇 (lǎoshı̄) teacher ฀
㬵 shì test* ㋝㬵 (kǎoshì) test, 䉨
take a test
㶖 wáng king; Wang 㶖
(family name)
㸫 wèn ask 㤌㸫 (qı̌ng wèn) ߷
please may I ask
㹈 wǔ *noon 㩰㹈 (shàngwǔ) 㹈

morning
㻑 xí * 䁈㻑 (xuéxí) study 㐶
䁈 xué study 䁈㪛 (xuésheng) స
student, 䁈㻑 (xuéxí)
study
䊣 yuè month 䊣
䐯 zhì * 㧞㘘䐯 (sānmíngzhì) 䐯
sandwich
䔓 zuó yesterday* 䔓㳍 (zuótian) 䔓
yesterday
Lesson 11
➷ bà dad ➷➷ (bàba) dad ➷
⟌ bàn half 䄜⮄⟌ (yı̄ diǎn bàn) ⟌
1:30
⪯ cì time 䄜⪯ (yı̄ cì) one time, ⪯
䊺㯖䄜⪯ (zài shuō
yı̄ cì) say it again one
more time
⮄ diǎn dot 䄜⮄ (yı̄diǎn) a little; 恄
䄜⮄䐴 (yı̄diǎn
zhōng) 1:00
ⱚ ér/r * 㚨ⱚ (nàr) there ‫כ‬
⹅ gōng ⫓⹅ (dǎ gōng) work ⹅
⹇ gōng ⹇㋯ (gōngkè) ⹇
classwork, homework
⽓ hòu * 㬒⽓ (shíhou) time ⽓
コ jiā family, home 䊻コ (zài jiā) at home コ
㋕ kàn look at, see, ㋕㞔䇲 (kàn ㋕
read péngyou)
see friends
㋯ kè class ⹇㋯ (gōngkè) 䌏
classwork, homework
㕉 mā mom 㕉㕉 (māma) mom ஭
㗇 máng busy 㗇⤜㗇ᷠ(máng bù 㗇
máng?) busy?
㚱 nán male 㚱⼃䓴 (nán háizi) 㚱
boy, 㚱㞔䇲 (nán
péngyǒu) boyfriend
㞔 péng friend* 㞔䇲 (péngyou) friend 㞔
㠻 qı̄ * 㾨㠻 (xı̄ngqı̄) week, 㠻
㭏㠻 (shǔqı̄) summer
duration
㤌 qı̌ng invite 㤌㸫 (qı̌ng wèn) may 䌩
I ask
㯎 shéi who? 㰞㬨㯎ᷠ(tā shì shéi?) 䌍
who is she?
㬒 shí time* 㬒⽓ (shíhou) time, ጓ
㬒ヅ (shíjiān) time
㬣 shì matter, 䇱㬣 (yǒu shì) have 㬣
situation something to do
㶙 wǎng net 㩰㶙 (shàng wǎng) ㆸ
use the internet
㾜 xiè thank, thank 㾜㾜 (xièxie) thank 䏙
you; Xie you,㾜 (Xiè) family
(family name) name
㾨 xı̄ng star 㾨㠻 (xı̄ngqı̄) week 㾨
䂚 yàng * 䋖㗕䂚 (zěnmeyàng) ᖴ
what about it? how
about it?, 䎃䂚
(zhèyàng) this way
䇲 yǒu friend* 㞔䇲 (péngyou) friend 䇲
䊻 zài located at, in, on 䊻コ (zài jiā) at home 䊻

䔗 zuò do 䔗
Lesson 12
⡟ běn (classifier: 䄜⡟㭊 (yı̄ běn shū) ⡟
volume) one book, 㦶⡟
(Rìběn) Japan
⧖ chē car 】⧖ (huǒ chē) train, 䡨
⹌⹓㡜⧖ (gōnggòng
qìchē) bus, 㻣⧖ (xià
chē) exit a car
⭤ děi, must; (manner 㯖⭤㌍ (shuō de ⭤
de adverbial kuài) speak quickly
particle)
⮈ diàn electricity ⮈⿑ (diànhuà) 厫
telephone, ⮈䇑
(diànyı̌ng) movie, ⮈
䇑䊛 (diànyı̌ngyuàn)
movie theater
Ⰼ dōng east Ⰼ⢀ (dōngbian) east Ꮭ
side, Ⰼ㹘 (dōngxi)
thing
ⷛ gēn with ⷛ
⹾ guǎn * 㵝㭊⹾ (túshūguǎn) 圿
library, ㋈⳩⹾
(kāfēiguǎn) coffee shop
⺔ guì expensive 䗧
⼦ hào number ⮈⿑⼦㕌 (diànhuà 㱷
hàomǎ) telephone
number, ゙䊣゙⼦
(jı̌ yuè jı̌ hào) what
month and date?
㆝ jìn close ㆝
㈮ jiù only, precisely, ㈮

sooner than
expected
㋋ kāi drive, open* ㋋⧖(kāi chē) drive 刀
a car; ㋋㬝 (kāishı̌)
begin
㌍ kuài fast, quickly ৬
㌊ kuài dollar 䄜㌊㣏 (yı̄ kuài qián) ㌍
one dollar
㏌ lí separated from* 㸳コ㏌䎃ⱚ⼽㆝ (wǒ 厙
jiā lí zhèr hěn jìn) my
home is near here, ㏌
㋋ (líkāi) leave
㕓 mǎi buy 䗪
㗌 máo dime 䄜㗌㣏 (yı̄ máo qián) 㗌
10 cents
㣏 qián money 䄜㌊㣏 (yı̄ kuài qián) 仹
one dollar
㬱 shì city* 㬱䐱㾥 (shì 㬱
zhōngxı̄n) downtown,
city center
㭊 shū book 㵝㭊⹾ (túshūguǎn) ᎙
library, ㋕㭊 (kàn
shū) read (books)
㳞 tı̄ng listen (to) 㔁
㵝 tú chart* 㵝㭊⹾ (túshūguǎn) थ
library, ⭹㵝 (dìtú)
map
㹘 xı̄ west 㹘⢀ (xı̄bian) west 㹘
side, Ⰼ㹘 (dōngxi)
thing
㼌 xiǎng think, want, 㼌

plan to
㾥 xı̄n heart 䐱㾥 (zhōngxı̄n) 㾥
center
䔀 zǒu go 䔀㔘 (zǒu lù) walk 䔀
䔙 zuò sit 䔙⧖ (zuò chē) go by 䔙
car
Lesson 13
⪴ cóng from ໥
⭞ dào to (preposition); ⭞
arrive (verb)
⳩ fēi coffee* ㋈⳩ (kāfēi) coffee ⳩
⹌ gōng public* ⹌䊑 (gōngyuán) ⹌
park, ⹌⹓㡜⧖
gōnggòng qìchē
(public) bus
⺛ guó country* 䐱⺛ (Zhōngguó) ङ
China
゛ jı̌ self* 䓵゛ (zìjı̌) self ゛
ヅ jiān * 䐱ヅ (zhōngjiān) 刈
between, 㬒ヅ
(shíjiān) time
ㅴ jiē ㅴ⮈⿑ (jiē diànhuà) ㅴ
answer the phone, ㅴ
㞔䇲 (jiē péngyou)
pick up a friend
㈊ jı̄ng capital city* Ⰼ㈊(Dōngjı̄ng) ㈊
Tokyo, ⡒㈊(Běijı̄ng)
Beijing (Peking)
㈎ jı̄ng * 䄲㈎ (yı̌jing) already ㄼ
㋈ kā * ㋈⳩ (kāfēi) coffee ㋈
㎕ lái come Ҏ
㔘 lù road 㕎㔘 (mǎ lù) road, 㔘㔘

㋻(lùkǒu) intersection,
㬏䓷㔘㋻(shízì
lùkǒu) four way
intersection, 䔀㔘
(zǒu lù) walk
㗦 mén door, gate 㗦㋻(ménkǒu) 凵
doorway, gateway
㛛 nín you (polite) 㛛
㣠 qiáng strong ⺛㣠 (Guóqiáng) ຫ
(given name)
㦾 róng * 㦾䄸 (róngyì) easy 㦾
㶚 wǎng toward 㶚
㻷 xiàn * 㻷䊻 (xiànzài) now ␧
䄲 yı̌ * 䄲㈎ (yı̌jing) already 䄲
䄸 yì * 㦾䄸 (róngyì) easy 䄸
䊑 yuán garden* ⹌䊑 (gōngyuán) ड
park
䍟 zhàn station, (bus or ⧖䍟 (chēzhàn) 䍟
train) stop station
䎇 zhēn really 䎇
䓵 zì self* 䓵゛ (zìjı̌) self 䓵
Lesson 14
⡒ běi north ⡒⢀ (běibiān) north ⡒
side
⥏ chà lack* ⥏⤜ⱁ (chàbuduō) ⥏
almost
⭡ dào * 䐋⭡ (zhı̄dào) know ⭡
⮋ diàn store 㭊⮋ (shūdiàn) ⮋
bookstore
Ⰿ dǒng understand Ⰿ
⷇ gào inform* ⷇㰀 (gàosu) inform ⷇

⺞ guò cross, pass 䩿
⽔ hòu after, behind* 䄵⽔ (yı̌hòu) after, ⽔䲂
⢀ (hòubiān) behind
⽟ hú lake ⽟
㈤ jiǔ long time ⱁ㈤ (duō jiǔ) how ㈤
long?
㏐ lı̌ inside* ㏐⢀ (lı̌bian) inside, 䀆᷐㿺
䄜㏐㔘 (yı̄ lı̌ lù) one
mile
㕕 mài sell 䘖
㕞 màn slow, slowly 㕞
㚰 nán south 㚰⢀ (nánbiān) south 㚰
side
㚲 nán difficult 厚
㠒 piào ticket 㠒
㣑 qián before*, in 䄵㣑 (yı̌qián) before, 㣑
front* 㣑⢀ (qiánbiān) in
front of
㩞 shān mountain 㩞
㰀 sù inform* ⷇㰀 (gàosu) inform 䈷
㶃 wài outside* 㶃⢀ (wàibiān) 㶃
outside
䇳 yòu right* 䇳⢀ (yòubiān) right 䇳
side
䊗 yuǎn far 䪉
䍳 zhǎo look for, find 䍳
䐋 zhı̄ know* 䐋⭡ (zhı̄dào) know 䐋
䔔 zuǒ left* 䔔⢀ (zuǒbiān) left 䔔
side
Lesson 15
⢑ bié don’t, other ⢑⭥ (bié de) other ‫ن‬
⧄ cháng often ⧄⧄ (chángcháng) ⧄
often, ⳨⧄ (fēicháng)
extremely
⭽ dì ⭽⭽ (dìdi) younger ⭽
brother
⳨ fēi not, extremely* ⳨⧄ (fēicháng) ⳨
extremely
ⶶ gāng just now ٣
ⷈ gē older brother* ⷈⷈ (gēge) older ⷈ
brother
⽍ hóng red ⽍㔭⭧ (hóng さ
lǜdēng) traffic light
⿗ huān happy*, 㻓⿗ (xı̌huan) like, ᛈ
joyous* ⿗䇎 (huānyíng)
welcome
⿹ huí return ⿹コ (huí jiā) return ⿹
home; ⿹⺛ (huí guó)
return to one’s home
country; ⿹⺙㧃
(huíguō ròu) twice-
cooked pork
ㅱ jiào call ㅱ
ㆄ jiě older sister* ㆄㆄ (jiějie) older ㆄ
sister
㆙ jìn enter 㤌㆙ (qı̌ng jìn) please 䩮
come in
㈪ jiù old 㜇
㋮ kè guest ㋮㦬 (kèren) guest, ㋮
㋮㡙 (kèqi) polite
㗤 mèi younger sister* 㗤㗤 (mèimei) 㗤

younger sister
㘇 miàn side* ⰵ㘇 (duìmiàn) 㘇
across, facing
㘜 míng name*, fame* 㘜䓷 (míngzi) name 㘜
㛋 nián year ㆒㛋 (jı̄nnián) this 㛋
year, 㘘㛋(míngnián)
next year, 㦆㛋
(qùnián) last year,
䄜㛋゗(yı̄niánjí)
first-year level
㦰 rèn recognize* 㦰㬗 (rènshi) know, 䋫
recognize
㬗 shi know* 㦰㬗 (rènshi) know, 䑳
recognize
㯏 shuı̌ water 㯏⺜ (shuı̌guǒ) fruit 㯏
㻓 xı̌ happy*, like* 㻓⿗ (xı̌huan) like 㻓
㻕 xı̌ wash 㻕䋉 (xı̌zǎo) bathe, 㻕㻕
㬷ヅ (xı̌shǒujiān)
washroom, bathroom
㻩 xiān first 㻩㪛 (xiānsheng) 㻩
Mr., husband
㾊 xiē several* 㾊
Lesson 16
⥉ chá tea ⥉
⧋ chàng sing ⧋ⷉ (chàng gē) sing ⧋
(songs)
⭹ de, dì ground, earth; ⭹㵝 (dìtú) map, ⭹ ⭹
(grammar 㳛 (dìtiě) subway; 㕞
particle) 㕞⭹ (mànmān de)
gradually
ⳉ fǎ method* ⳉ⺛ (Fǎguó) France ⳉ

⳪ fēi fly ⳪〛 (fēijı̄) airplane 嚘
⶙ fù father* ⶙㚙 (fùmǔ) father ⶙
and mother, parents
ⷉ gē song ⧋ⷉ (chàng gē) sing ⷉ
(songs)
⺜ guǒ fruit; 㧈⺜ (rúguǒ) if, 㯏⺜⺜
consequences (shuı̌guǒ) fruit
㾱 háng business* 䅙㾱 (yínháng) bank 㾱
】 huǒ fire 】⧖ (huǒchē) train 】
㉖ jué, become aware* ㉖⭤ (juéde) think; 㯐䅹
jiào ㉖ (shuì jiào) sleep
㗠 měi every 㗠㳍 (měitiān) every 㗠
day
㚙 mǔ mother* ⶙㚙 (fùmǔ) father 㚙
and mother, parents
㧈 rú if* 㧈⺜ (rúguǒ) if 㧈
㬝 shı̌ begin* ㋋㬝 (kāishı̌) begin 㬝
㯝 sı̄ think* 䅃㯝 (yìsi) meaning, 㯝
significance
㶇 wán play 㶇
㾕 xiě write 㾕䓷 (xiě zì) write ౲
(characters, letters)
㾱 xíng acceptable 㾱⤜㾱ᷠ(xíng bù 㾱
xíng?) okay?
䅃 yì meaning* 䅃㯝 (yìsi) meaning, 䅃
significance
䓂 zhù reside/live (in a 䓂
location)

Modern Mandarin Chinese, 2nd Edition

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Modern Mandarin Chinese, 2nd Edition

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Modern Mandarin Chinese

Key changes to this new edition:

Claudia Ross, Baozhang He, Pei-Chia Chen, and Meng Yeh

Cast of characters vii

TOPIC 1: IDENTIFYING YOURSELF, YOUR FAMILY,

TOPIC 3: TALKING ABOUT EVERYDAY ACTIVITIES 141

䍦⫔㸋 (Zhāng Dàwéi) 㾜⺛㣠᷉Xiè Guóqiáng᷊ 㶖㕔㋬᷉Wáng Màikè᷊

ⷀ㗡㏗᷉Gāo Měilì᷊ ⧣㘘᷉Chén Míng᷊ 㕎㾂㸥᷉Mǎ Xiǎowén᷊

Q Greet others in a culturally appropriate way in formal situations.

Pronunciation guides and practice are located on the Companion Website.

Q Identify the shape of Chinese characters.

Zhāng Dàwéi: Nı̌ hǎo. 䍦⫔㸋ᷛ㛄⼤᱄

Use and Structure 1.1–1.8, 1.13

Zhāng Dàwéi: Tā shì xuésheng ma? 䍦⫔㸋ᷛ㰜㬨䁈㪛㕑ᷠ

Use and Structure 1.9–1.10

Gāo Měilì: Lǎoshı̄ hǎo. ⷀ㗡㏗ᷛ㎰㬇⼤᱄

Use and Structure 1.11–1.13

Use and structure

tence Pyramids. Website: Listening for Information 1.1; Structure Drills

1.2. The greeting nı̌ hǎo (㛄⼤)

1.1; Structure Drills 1.1–1.5; Focus on Structure 1.3.

1.4. shì (㬨) be

Wǒ shì xuésheng. (㸳㬨䁈㪛᱄)

1.5. Word order and phrase order in the Mandarin sentence

1.6. Asking yes-no questions with ma (㕑)

Practice Workbook: Focus on Structure 1.1; Focus on Communication 1.1. Website:

1.7. Answering yes

1.8. yě (䄓) also

Structure 1.2, 1.3.

1.9. Answering no and saying no

1.10. Names and titles: Lı̌ lǎoshı̄ (㏏㎰㬇)

1.11. Adjectival verbs: hǎo (⼤) good

To negate adjectival verbs, say bù (⤜) + adjectival verb.

Practice Workbook: Focus on Structure 1.3.

1.12. Intensiﬁer + adjectival verb: hěn hǎo (⼽⼤) very good

Pronunciation and pinyin

Qa Language FAQs (Frequently

Notes on Chinese culture

Using names to address others

Lesson 1 Dialogue in English

Q State your nationality and ask others about their nationalities.

Q Correctly pronounce syllables that originate in the third tone.

Pronunciation guides and practice are located on the Companion Website.

Q Accurately read words written in pinyin whose spelling varies

ne (forms follow-up ﬁnal particle 㚹 㚹

qı̌ng wèn may I ask, conversational 㤌㸫 䌩߷

rén person noun 㦬 㦬

Use and Structure 2.1–2.3, 2.6

Chén Míng: Tā shì nǎguó rén? ⧣㘘ᷛ 㰜㬨㚥⺛㦬ᷠ

duì correct adjectival verb ⰵ ಇ

tāmen they, them pronoun 㰜㗨 㰜Ӥ

Use and Structure 2.4, 2.5, 2.7, 2.8

Country names and nationalities

Italy Yìdàlì Thailand Tàiguó

Use and structure

Practice Workbook: Focus on Communication 2.1; Sentence Pyramids. Website:

Structure Drills 2.1, 2.4; Focus on Structure 2.2; Communication through

2.2. The plural form of pronouns

2.3. Follow-up questions with ne (㚹)

munication through Reading and Writing 2.3.

2.4. nǎguó (㚥⺛) which country and nǎ (㚥) which

Wǒ shì Fǎguó rén. (㸳㬨ⳉ⺛㦬᱄)

2.5. Asking for conﬁrmation: duì ma? (ⰵ㕑ᷠ) correct? right?

Bù duì. Tāmen bù shì Yı̄ngguó rén. (⤜ⰵ᱄㰜㗨⤜㬨䇃⺛㦬᱄)

ne (forms follow-up ﬁnal particle 㚹㚹

qı̌ng wèn may I ask, conversational 㤌㸫䌩߷

rén person noun 㦬㦬

tāmen they, them pronoun 㰜㗨㰜Ӥ

xìng be family-named, verb 㾶㾶

zhı̌ only adverb 䐜䐜

rènshi meet, know verb 㦰㬗䋫䑳