Learn how to ask someone from which part of a country he or she comes
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| INTRODUCTION |
| Yinru: Hi everyone, I’m Yinru. |
| Yuriy: And I’m Yuriy. Welcome back to ChineseClass101.com. This is lower intermediate, season 2 lesson 15 - Where in China Are You From? In this lesson, we’ll find out where Liu’s hometown in China is located. |
| Yinru: And at the end of this lesson, you’ll be able to differentiate between two words: 南部 and 南边.(Nánbù and nánbian.) |
| Yuriy: Again, the conversation is between Liu and Tom, who are friends, so they’ll be using informal Chinese. Let’s listen to the conversation. |
Lesson conversation |
|---|
| Tom: 我还不知道你是哪里人。(wǒ hái bù zhīdào nǐ shì nǎlǐ rén.) |
| 刘:我是云南人。(LIÚ : wǒ shì Yúnnán rén.) |
| Tom: 云南是一个省吗？云南在哪里？(Yúnnán shì yí ge shěng ma? Yúnnán zài nǎlǐ?) |
| 刘:云南是一个省，在中国的西南部。(LIÚ : Yúnnán shì yí ge shěng, zài Zhōngguó de xī’nánbù.) |
| Tom: 是在四川附近吗？(shì zài Sìchuān fùjìn ma?) |
| 刘: 在四川的南边。(LIÚ : zài Sìchuān de nánbiān.) |
| Tom: 离上海真远。你回家肯定很不容易吧。(lí Shànghǎi zhēn yuǎn. nǐ huíjiā kěndìng hěn bù róngyì ba.) |
| Yuriy: Let’s listen to the conversation one time slowly. |
| Tom: 我还不知道你是哪里人。(wǒ hái bù zhīdào nǐ shì nǎlǐ rén.) |
| 刘:我是云南人。(LIÚ : wǒ shì Yúnnán rén.) |
| Tom: 云南是一个省吗？云南在哪里？(Yúnnán shì yí ge shěng ma? Yúnnán zài nǎlǐ?) |
| 刘:云南是一个省，在中国的西南部。(LIÚ : Yúnnán shì yí ge shěng, zài Zhōngguó de xī’nánbù.) |
| Tom: 是在四川附近吗？(shì zài Sìchuān fùjìn ma?) |
| 刘: 在四川的南边。(LIÚ : zài Sìchuān de nánbiān.) |
| Tom: 离上海真远。你回家肯定很不容易吧。(lí Shànghǎi zhēn yuǎn. nǐ huíjiā kěndìng hěn bù róngyì ba.) |
| Yuriy: Now let’s hear it with the English translation. |
| Tom: 我还不知道你是哪里人。(wǒ hái bù zhīdào nǐ shì nǎlǐ rén.) |
| Yuriy: I don't know yet where you’re from. |
| 刘:我是云南人。(LIÚ : wǒ shì Yúnnán rén.) |
| Yuriy: I'm from Yunnan. |
| Tom: 云南是一个省吗？云南在哪里？(Yúnnán shì yí ge shěng ma? Yúnnán zài nǎlǐ?) |
| Yuriy: Is Yunnan a province? Where is Yunnan? |
| 刘:云南是一个省，在中国的西南部。(LIÚ : Yúnnán shì yí ge shěng, zài Zhōngguó de xī’nánbù.) |
| Yuriy: Yunnan is a province in the southwestern part of China. |
| Tom: 是在四川附近吗？(shì zài Sìchuān fùjìn ma?) |
| Yuriy: Is it close to Sichuan? |
| 刘: 在四川的南边。(LIÚ : zài Sìchuān de nánbiān.) |
| Yuriy: It's to the south of Sichuan. |
| Tom: 离上海真远。你回家肯定很不容易吧。(lí Shànghǎi zhēn yuǎn. nǐ huíjiā kěndìng hěn bù róngyì ba.) |
| Yuriy: That's so far away from Shanghai. It must not be easy for you to go home, right? |
| POST CONVERSATION BANTER |
| Yinru: Yunnan province, where Liu is from, is near the top of my list of the most beautiful places in China. |
| Yuriy: Really? What’s so special about Yunnan? |
| Yinru: First of all, it has picturesque scenery. As we learned from the conversation, it’s in the southwestern part of China, where there are mountains, woods, and rivers. It also has a unique karst landscape. These occur when limestone breaks down and creates interesting rock formations and caves. Besides that, twenty-five different minority groups reside in Yunnan, adding variety to the culture. |
| Yuriy: Wow, as far as I know, China has a total of fifty-five minority groups, and Yunnan has twenty-five of them? |
| Yinru: Yes. That alone entices me to visit the province! |
| Yuriy: I can understand why! So what are the must-see sights in Yunnan? |
| Yinru: Well, Kunming is the capital city of Yunnan, and it’s known as the City of Perpetual Spring because of its warm climate. Flowers bloom there year-round. |
| Yuriy: Sounds very nice. |
| Yinru: And in 丽江(Lìjiāng), the old city, called 丽江古城 (Lìjiāng gǔchéng) in Chinese, is also a popular destination. You can wander around the old city streets and feel 800 years of history combined with the cultures of ethnic minorities. |
| Yuriy: Is Shangri-La also in Yunnan? |
| Yinru: Well, technically No. Shangri-La is a fictional place created in the British novel Lost Horizon. But actually.. there’s a place called 香格里拉 (Xiānggélǐlā) in China, which is at the the junction of Tibet, Sichuan and Yunnan. |
| Yuriy: I see. What other place do you recommend in Yunnan? |
| Yinru: You should visit 大理 (Dàlǐ) too. That’s another famous city known for its history and culture. And if you’re into nature, then you should go to 玉龙雪山(Yùlóng xuěshān). This is a snow-capped, fog-enveloped mountain, and its name 玉龙 (Yùlóng) means “jade dragon. It towers at an altitude of more than 18,000 feet. |
| Yuriy: Wow, that name gives a vivid image, doesn’t it? |
| Yinru: Yeah, and if you want to take in everything at Yunnan, you should check out these other places: 泸沽湖, 石林,(Lúgū hú, shílín,) and 西双版纳热带植物园.(Xīshuāngbǎnnà rèdài zhíwùyuán.) They’re all worth seeing. |
| Yuriy: I’ll definitely add Yunnan to my list of places to see! Okay, now onto the vocab. |
| VOCAB LIST |
| Yuriy: Let's take a look at the vocabulary for this lesson. |
| : The first word we shall see is: |
| Yinru: 还 (Hái)[natural native speed] |
| Yuriy: yet, still |
| Yinru: 还 (Hái)[slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Yinru: 还 (Hái)[natural native speed] |
| : Next: |
| Yinru: ...人 (... Rén)[natural native speed] |
| Yuriy: ...local |
| Yinru: ...人 (... Rén)[slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Yinru: ...人 (... Rén)[natural native speed] |
| : Next: |
| Yinru: 西南 (Xīnán)[natural native speed] |
| Yuriy: southwest |
| Yinru: 西南 (Xīnán)[slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Yinru: 西南 (Xīnán)[natural native speed] |
| : Next: |
| Yinru: 部 (Bù)[natural native speed] |
| Yuriy: part |
| Yinru: 部 (Bù)[slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Yinru: 部 (Bù)[natural native speed] |
| : Next: |
| Yinru: 四川 (Sìchuān)[natural native speed] |
| Yuriy: Sichuan |
| Yinru: 四川 (Sìchuān)[slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Yinru: 四川 (Sìchuān)[natural native speed] |
| : Next: |
| Yinru: 附近 (Fùjìn)[natural native speed] |
| Yuriy: vicinity |
| Yinru: 附近 (Fùjìn)[slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Yinru: 附近 (Fùjìn)[natural native speed] |
| : Next: |
| Yinru: 南边 (Nánbian)[natural native speed] |
| Yuriy: south |
| Yinru: 南边 (Nánbian)[slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Yinru: 南边 (Nánbian)[natural native speed] |
| : And Last: |
| Yinru: 离 (Lí)[natural native speed] |
| Yuriy: away from |
| Yinru: 离 (Lí)[slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Yinru: 离 (Lí)[natural native speed] |
| KEY VOCAB AND PHRASES |
| Yuriy: Let’s take a closer look at the usage of some of the words and phrases from this lesson. |
| Yinru: For our first vocabulary word, let’s look at 还(Hái). |
| Yuriy: This word can be translated in English as “still” or “yet.” |
| Yinru: When it means “still” or “yet,” it’s more often used with negative statements and questions. |
| Yuriy: Let’s hear some sample sentences. |
| Yinru: 你还没到吗?我们都等了一个小时了! (Nǐ hái méi dào ma? Wǒmen dōu děngle yīgè xiǎoshíliǎo!) |
| Yuriy: “You’re still not here? We’ve been waiting for an hour!” |
| Yinru: 我还没有习惯这里的生活方式.(Wǒ hái méiyǒu xíguàn zhèlǐ de shēnghuó fāngshì.) |
| Yuriy: “I still haven’t got used to the ways of living here.” |
| Yinru: 这么多年了, 他还不愿意提起那件事. (Zhème duōniánle, tā hái bù yuànyì tíqǐ nà jiàn shì.) |
| Yuriy: “It’s been so many years, and he still doesn’t want to mention that incident.” |
| Yinru: In positive sentences, we can also use 还(Hái), but in most cases, it doesn’t sound natural unless we use it in the form of the word 还是(Háishì). |
| Yuriy: So if I want to say, “I still like walking by myself,” I can say: |
| Yinru: 我还是很喜欢一个人散步(Wǒ háishì hěn xǐhuān yīgè rén sànbù). 散步 (Sànbù) is a kind of walk like strolling, usually with a slow pace. |
| Yuriy: But I’d rather not walk by myself. I like to have company. |
| Yinru: Is that so? Now here’s another example: 这里还是和十年前一样这么热闹.(Zhèlǐ háishì hé shí nián qián yīyàng zhème rènào.) |
| Yuriy: “It’s still as busy now as it was ten years ago.” |
| Yinru: 热闹 (Rènào)is used to describe places with a big crowd, busy and loud. For example, during the Chinese New Year, when all of the family gets together, the house will be very 热闹(Rènào). |
| Yuriy: I see. |
| Yinru: The next word we’re going to introduce is 离(Lí), |
| Yuriy: Which means “away from.” |
| Yinru: To use it in a sentence, we can say: [a place] 离 (Lí) [another place] is 远 or 近.(Yuǎn or jìn.) |
| Yuriy: So, a place is “far away from” or “close to” another place. |
| Yinru: Or we can say [a place] 离 (Lí)[another place] is a certain distance. We can even use a length of time to replace the distance. |
| Yuriy: Can you give us some examples? |
| Yinru: Sure! 北京离东京大概两千多公里.(Běijīng lí dōngjīng dàgài liǎng qiān duō gōnglǐ.) |
| Yuriy: “Beijing is about 2000 kilometers away from Tokyo.” |
| Yinru: 北京离纽约很远.(Běijīng lí niǔyuē hěn yuǎn.) |
| Yuriy: “Beijing is very far from New York.” |
| Yinru: 不要离窗口太近, 危险.(Bùyào lí chuāngkǒu tài jìn, wéixiǎn.) |
| Yuriy: “Don’t get too close to the window; it’s dangerous.” |
| Yinru: These sentences all refer to distance. Let’s look at some other sentences that refer to time. Firstly, 清朝离今天已经有四百年了.(Qīngcháo lí jīntiān yǐjīng yǒu sìbǎi niánle.) |
| Yuriy: “The Qing (Tsing) Dynasty is already four hundred years old from today.” |
| Yinru: 现在离会议开始还有五分钟.(Xiànzài lí huìyì kāishǐ hái yǒu wǔ fēnzhōng.) |
| Yuriy: “We’re five minutes away from the start of the meeting.” |
| Yinru: So listeners, are you familiar with using 离 (Lí)now? |
| Yuriy: Okay, now onto the grammar. |
Lesson focus |
| Yuriy: Yinru, what are we learning about in this lesson? |
| Yinru: In this lesson you’ll learn how to use 南边 and 南部(Nánbian and nánbù). Both mean “south.” But these words aren’t exactly the same. |
| Yuriy: Yes, and in this lesson, we’re going to explain how these two words differ. |
| Yinru: 南部 (Nánbù)refers to the southern part inside a designated area. |
| Yuriy: For example, the southern part of a city, or the southern part of a country. |
| Yinru: While 南边 (Nánbian) usually refers to the southern direction outside a certain area. |
| Yuriy: In English, we’d probably say “to the south of...” or “on the southern side of.” |
| Yinru: Exactly, let’s look at some sample sentences. The first one is 田纳西州在美国的南部.(Tiánnàxī zhōu zài měiguó de nánbù.) |
| Yuriy: It means “Tennessee is in the southern part of the United States.” |
| Yinru: And the second one is 美国的南边是墨西哥.(Měiguó de nánbian shì mòxīgē.) |
| Yuriy: This means “To the south of the United States is Mexico.” |
| Yinru: Let’s look at another one. 南极洲在地球的南部.(Nánjízhōu zài dìqiú de nánbù.) |
| Yuriy: Does this sentence mean “Antarctica is in the southern part of the earth?” Or does it mean that “Antarctica is to the south of all the countries on the earth?” |
| Yinru: [pause] 南极洲在地球的南部 (Nánjízhōu zài dìqiú de nánbù) means “Antarctica is in the southern part of the earth.” The sentence “Antarctica is to the south of all the countries on earth,” would be 南极洲在地球上所有国家的南边.(Nánjízhōu zài dìqiú shàng suǒyǒu guójiā de nánbian.) |
| Yuriy: Does this only apply to “south,” or to all of the directional words? |
| Yinru: It works for all the words, such as “north,” which is 北; “east,” which is 东(Dōng); and “west,” which is 西(Xī); as well as for 东南, 西南, 东北, and 西北.(Dōngnán, xīnán, dōngběi, and xīběi.) |
| Yuriy: In our conversation, Liu tells Tom that Yunnan is in the southwestern part of China. |
| Yinru: That’s right. Liu said 云南在中国的西南部 (Yúnnán zài zhōngguó de xīnán bù) Here, we have 西南部 (Xīnán bù) because Yunnan is inside China. Then Tom asks, “Is Yunnan close to Sichuan?” Liu answers 云南在四川的南边(Yúnnán zài sìchuān de nánbian), because 四川 (Sìchuān) is another province to the south of 云南(Yúnnán), but it’s not part of 云南(Yúnnán). |
| Yuriy: I think now we all have a better idea of how to use these two similar words in different contexts. |
Outro |
| Yuriy: And that’s all for this lesson. Thanks for listening, and we’ll see you next time. |
| Yinru: We hope you liked this lesson. 再见(Zàijiàn). |
| Yuriy: Bye! |
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