Learn how to ask someone about their trip planning
Now Playing: Lesson Audio
Get a breakdown of the dialogue and translations instantly with the Premium line-by-line Audio. Sign up for your Free Lifetime Account Now and get 7 Days of Premium Access including this feature.
Get this lesson’s key vocab, their translations and pronunciations. Sign up for your Free Lifetime Account Now and get 7 Days of Premium Access including this feature.
Unlock Lesson Notes and Transcripts for every single lesson. Sign Up for a Free Lifetime Account and Get 7 Days of Premium Access.
| INTRODUCTION |
| Yinru: Hi everyone, I’m Yinru. |
| Yuriy: And I’m Yuriy. Welcome back to ChineseClass101.com. This is Lower intermediate Season 2 Lesson 23: Planning a Trip in China. |
| Yinru: In this lesson, you’ll learn how to use the sentence pattern 比...更(Bǐ... Gèng), plus an adjective. |
| Yuriy: The conversation is between Tom and Liu. |
| Yinru: Tom is talking about his travel plans for Hangzhou, a beautiful city in Zhejiang province. |
| Yuriy: Since they’re friends, they’ll use informal Chinese. Let’s listen to the conversation. |
Lesson conversation |
|---|
| 刘:你什么时候去杭州？(LIÚ : nǐ shénme shíhòu qù Hángzhōu?) |
| Tom: 下个礼拜五。(xià ge lǐbài wǔ.) |
| 刘:机票和酒店都订好了吗？(LIÚ : jīpiào hé jiǔdiàn dōu dìng hǎo le ma?) |
| Tom: 订好了。放心吧。(dìng hǎo le. fàngxīn ba.) |
| 刘:是跟团还是自己玩？(LIÚ : shì gēn tuán hái shì zìjǐ wán?) |
| Tom: 自己玩，比跟团走更自由。我在网上找到了一个很棒的旅游攻略。(zìjǐ wán, bǐ gēn tuán zǒu gèng zìyóu. Wǒ zài Wǎngshàng zhǎodàole yī ge hěn bàng de lǚyóu gōnglǜe.) |
| 刘:祝你玩得开心。(LIÚ : zhù nǐ wán de kāixīn.) |
| Yuriy: Let’s hear the conversation one time slowly. |
| 刘:你什么时候去杭州？(LIÚ : nǐ shénme shíhòu qù Hángzhōu?) |
| Tom: 下个礼拜五。(xià ge lǐbài wǔ.) |
| 刘:机票和酒店都订好了吗？(LIÚ : jīpiào hé jiǔdiàn dōu dìng hǎo le ma?) |
| Tom: 订好了。放心吧。(dìng hǎo le. fàngxīn ba.) |
| 刘:是跟团还是自己玩？(LIÚ : shì gēn tuán hái shì zìjǐ wán?) |
| Tom: 自己玩，比跟团走更自由。我在网上找到了一个很棒的旅游攻略。(zìjǐ wán, bǐ gēn tuán zǒu gèng zìyóu. Wǒ zài Wǎngshàng zhǎodàole yī ge hěn bàng de lǚyóu gōnglǜe.) |
| 刘:祝你玩得开心。(LIÚ : zhù nǐ wán de kāixīn.) |
| Yuriy: Now let’s hear it with the English translation. |
| 刘:你什么时候去杭州？(LIÚ : nǐ shénme shíhòu qù Hángzhōu?) |
| Yuriy: When are you leaving for Hangzhou? |
| Tom: 下个礼拜五。(dìng hǎo le. fàngxīn ba.) |
| Yuriy: Next Friday. |
| 刘:机票和酒店都订好了吗？(LIÚ : jīpiào hé jiǔdiàn dōu dìng hǎo le ma?) |
| Yuriy: Have you booked a plane ticket and a hotel? |
| Tom: 订好了。放心吧。(xià ge lǐbài wǔ.) |
| Yuriy: Yes. Don't worry. |
| 刘:是跟团还是自己玩？(LIÚ : shì gēn tuán hái shì zìjǐ wán?) |
| Yuriy: Are you traveling with a tour group or on your own? |
| Tom: 自己玩，比跟团走更自由。我在网上找到了一个很棒的旅游攻略。(zìjǐ wán, bǐ gēn tuán zǒu gèng zìyóu. Wǒ zài Wǎngshàng zhǎodàole yī ge hěn bàng de lǚyóu gōnglǜe.) |
| Yuriy: I'm traveling on my own. That way I have more freedom. I found an awesome travel guide online. |
| 刘:祝你玩得开心。(LIÚ : zhù nǐ wán de kāixīn.) |
| Yuriy: Hope you have fun! |
| POST CONVERSATION BANTER |
| Yinru: The city of Hangzhou is called “heaven on earth,” or 人间天堂(Rénjiān tiāntáng). The West Lake, 西湖(Xīhú), is a must-see place in Hangzhou. |
| Yuriy: I’ve heard that this is the best place to see the beauty of southern China. |
| Yinru: I agree. As a tourist visiting 西湖(Xīhú), you may appreciate it more if you know the story of the White Snake, 白蛇传(Báishé chuán). |
| Yuriy: So a snake and not a dragon this time, huh? |
| Yinru: Yes, once upon a time, there was a white snake spirit who practiced Taoist magic. She was finally able to transform herself into the human form. |
| Yuriy: Is she the heroine of our story? |
| Yinru: Yes, her name is 白素贞(Báisùzhēn), also known as 白娘子(Bái niángzǐ). She traveled the human world with her friend 小青(Xiǎo qīng)，who was a green snake and was rescued by 白素贞(Báisùzhēn). |
| Yuriy: A white snake and a green snake. And who else? |
| Yinru: The lady white snake saw a scholar named 许仙(Xǔxiān) one day at the broken bridge, or 断桥(Duàn qiáo), around the West Lake and fell in love with him. |
| Yuriy: Ah, a love story between a snake and a man. |
| Yinru: She created opportunities for them to meet once, and then again and again until they finally got married. |
| Yuriy: How about the green snake? Did she live with them? |
| Yinru: Yes. But the Buddhist Monk 法海(Fǎ hǎi) knew that 白素贞(Báisùzhēn) and 小青 (Xiǎo qīng) were snake demons and wanted to destroy them. |
| Yuriy: Were they really bad demons? |
| Yinru: Actually, they were kind to humans and helped cure people with their magic powers. |
| Yuriy: I see. Did the monk succeed? |
| Yinru: Eventually, yes, he told the husband 许仙 (Xǔxiān)and asked him to make 白素贞 (Báisùzhēn)drink a kind of wine so that she would return to her snake form. |
| Yuriy: And he did? |
| Yinru: Yes. 许仙 (Xǔxiān) was horrified and passed out. Then 法海(Fǎ hǎi) the monk trapped the white snake under the 雷峰塔(Léi fēng tǎ), meaning “Thunder Pagoda.” |
| Yuriy: That’s the end of the story? |
| Yinru: Well, there are many versions. The most popular one is that the green snake somehow confronted and defeated 法海 (Fǎ hǎi)so that the white snake could reunite with her husband and son. |
| Yuriy: Oh, they also had a son? |
| Yinru: Yes. In 1993, this story was made into a TV series, called 新白娘子传奇 (Xīn bái niángzǐ chuánqí)or “The Legend of the White Snake.” It was very successful, and some TV stations still play it. |
| Yuriy: That sounds like a great story. I’m sure it was a great show. |
| Yinru: So knowing the story and the TV show, which was filmed in Hangzhou, may help you appreciate more of the beauty of the West Lake when you visit it. |
| Yuriy: Listeners, I’m sure you can find the TV show online, if you’re interested. For now, let’s move on to the vocab. |
| VOCAB LIST |
| Yuriy: Let's take a look at the vocabulary for this lesson. |
| Yuriy: The first word we shall see is: |
| Yinru: 礼拜 (Lǐbài) [natural native speed] |
| Yuriy: week |
| Yinru: 礼拜 (Lǐbài)[slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Yinru: 礼拜 (Lǐbài)[natural native speed] |
| Yuriy: Next: |
| Yinru: 放心 (Fàngxīn) [natural native speed] |
| Yuriy: to be relieved |
| Yinru: 放心 (Fàngxīn)[slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Yinru: 放心 (Fàngxīn)[natural native speed] |
| Yuriy: Next: |
| Yinru: 跟团(Gēn tuán)[natural native speed] |
| Yuriy: to follow a tour group |
| Yinru: 跟团 (Gēn tuán)[slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Yinru: 跟团 (Gēn tuán)[natural native speed] |
| Yuriy: Next: |
| Yinru: 玩 (Wán)[natural native speed] |
| Yuriy: to play, to have fun |
| Yinru: 玩 (Wán)[slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Yinru: 玩 (Wán)[natural native speed] |
| Yuriy: Next: |
| Yinru: 自由(Zìyóu) [natural native speed] |
| Yuriy: free |
| Yinru: 自由(Zìyóu)[slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Yinru: 自由(Zìyóu)[natural native speed] |
| Yuriy: Next: |
| Yinru: 旅游 (Lǚyóu) [natural native speed] |
| Yuriy: travel |
| Yinru: 旅游 (Lǚyóu)[slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Yinru: 旅游 (Lǚyóu)[natural native speed] |
| Yuriy: Next: |
| Yinru: 攻略 (Gōnglüè)[natural native speed] |
| Yuriy: guide, tips |
| Yinru: 攻略 (Gōnglüè)[slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Yinru: 攻略 (Gōnglüè)[natural native speed] |
| Yuriy: And Last: |
| Yinru: 玩得开心 (Wán dé kāixīn)[natural native speed] |
| Yuriy: to have a good time |
| Yinru: 玩得开心 (Wán dé kāixīn)[slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Yinru: 玩得开心 (Wán dé kāixīn)[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 key vocabulary word, let’s look at 礼拜(Lǐbài). |
| Yuriy: This is another way of saying “week.” So far, you've learned a few different ways of saying “week.” |
| Yinru: Right. You can say 周(Zhōu,), 星期(Xīngqí,), and now we’re introducing 礼拜(Lǐbài). |
| Yuriy: Are they all the same? |
| Yinru: Basically they’re the same. 周 (Zhōu)is considered more formal than the other two. |
| Yuriy: So when we say in English, “The 16th of next month is a Wednesday,” can we say it three different ways in Chinese? |
| Yinru: Absolutely. We can say 下个月十六号是星期三. Or, 下个月十六号是周三. Or, 下个月十六号是礼拜三.(Xià gè yuè shíliù hào shì xīngqísān. Or, xià gè yuè shíliù hào shì zhōusān. Or, xià gè yuè shíliù hào shì lǐbài sān.) |
| Yuriy: Okay. Now we have more options for our vocabulary! |
| Yinru: Yes, but pay attention to “Sunday.” You usually say 礼拜天 or 星期天(Lǐbài tiān or xīngqítiān), but you don’t say 周天(Zhōu tiān). Instead, you say 周日(Zhōu rì). |
| Yuriy: So Sunday is different. |
| Yinru: Right. So you can say 她这个礼拜天来我家吃饭. Or, 她这个星期天来我家吃饭.(Tā zhège lǐbài tiān lái wǒjiā chīfàn. Or, tā zhège xīngqítiān lái wǒjiā chīfàn.) And finally, 她这个周日来我家吃饭(Tā zhège zhōu rì lái wǒjiā chīfàn). |
| Yuriy: They all mean, “She’ll come to my place to have dinner this Sunday.” |
| Yinru: Our second word is 放心(Fàngxīn). |
| Yuriy: It means “don’t worry,” or “to be relieved.” The literal meaning of this word is “to put down your heart.” |
| Yinru: So “put down your heart,” or in other words, "it’s okay, don’t worry". This word is commonly used in daily conversation. |
| Yuriy: Let’s look at some sample sentences. |
| Yinru: 这个玩具很安全, 放心吧.(Zhège wánjù hěn ānquán, fàngxīn ba.) |
| Yuriy: “This toy is very safe; don’t worry.” |
| Yinru: 这里的水可以直接饮用, 请大家放心.(Zhèlǐ de shuǐ kěyǐ zhíjiē yǐnyòng, qǐng dàjiā fàngxīn.) |
| Yuriy: “The water here is drinkable; everyone, please don’t worry.” |
| Yinru: It’s unfortunate that not all tap water in China is drinkable, so please be careful. |
| Yuriy: Yes, don’t get sick! Bottled water is always a safer option, especially when you first arrive in the country. |
| Yinru: 非常同意(Fēicháng tóngyì). Definitely. Okay, here’s another sentence. 如果你也去的话, 我就放心了(Rúguǒ nǐ yě qù dehuà, wǒ jiù fàngxīnle). |
| Yuriy: “If you’re going as well, then I can relax and stop worrying.” |
| Yinru: Next we want to mention a word that may be misused: 旅游(Lǚyóu). In Chinese, this word only refers to the kind of the travel that is for fun, such as visiting a place during a vacation. |
| Yuriy: If you say, “I traveled twenty hours from California to Shanghai,” it’s not okay to use this word here because it does not imply that you did this for fun. |
| Yinru: Let’s take a look at how 旅游 (Lǚyóu)is used in Chinese. Firstly, 今年我们全家一起到西安旅游(Jīnnián wǒmen quánjiā yì qǐ dào xī'ān lǚyóu). |
| Yuriy: “This year our whole family went to visit Xi’an.” |
| Yinru: 这个帽子是他在纽约旅游的时候买的.(Zhège màozi shì tā zài niǔyuē lǚyóu de shíhòu mǎi de.) |
| Yuriy: “This hat was bought when he was touring New York.” |
| Yinru: 她刚从香格里拉旅游回来, 还很兴奋.(Tā gāng cóng xiānggélǐlā lǚyóu huílái, hái hěn xīngfèn.) |
| Yuriy: “She just came back from her trip to Shangri La; she’s still excited.” Okay, now onto the grammar. |
Lesson focus |
| Yuriy: In this lesson, you’ll learn an expression that’s used to compare two unequal things, which is.. |
| Yinru: 比...更...(Bǐ... Gèng...) |
| Yuriy: It means ‘compared to something or somebody, this is more...[something]’. |
| Yinru: Sometimes, we don’t need to use 更, 比...(Gèng, bǐ...)plus an adjective can have the same meaning. |
| Yuriy: Let’s see it in a sentence. |
| Yinru: Tom 比刘芸高(Bǐ liúyún gāo). |
| Yuriy: “Tom is taller than Liu Yun.” |
| Yinru: Oh, so I guess our friend Liu’s full name is 刘芸?(Liúyún?) |
| Yuriy: I think so. Seems that we've only just learned Liu’s first name! |
| Yinru: I think it’s a nice name. Ok, here’s the next sentence. 买这件衬衫比买那件更划算(Mǎi zhè jiàn chènshān bǐ mǎi nà jiàn gèng huásuàn). |
| Yuriy: “Buying this shirt is cheaper than buying that one.” |
| Yinru: 我的表姐比我大(Wǒ de biǎojiě bǐ wǒ dà). |
| Yuriy: “My cousin is older than me.” |
| Yinru: It’s obvious in this sentence that 表姐 (Biǎojiě)is older because 姐 (Jiě)refers to an older female. One interesting thing in the Chinese language is when you say that someone is older than another person, we don’t use 老(Lǎo), which means “old;” instead, we use 大(Dà). |
| Yuriy: It doesn't mean “big” in this case. |
| Yinru: Yes. So, in Chinese, “I’m older than you,” is 我比你大(Wǒ bǐ nǐ dà). |
| Yuriy: So younger must be “small?” |
| Yinru: Correct. 小.(Xiǎo.) |
| Yuriy: So “big” is older, and “small” is younger. |
| Yinru: That’s right. Well, back to the pattern. To make a negative comparison, use 不比...(Bùbǐ...)plus an adjective. |
| Yuriy: Or just use the opposite adjective. |
| Yinru: That’s also a smart way to do it. Here’s an example of the pattern. 坐公交车不比走路慢(Zuò gōngjiāo chē bùbǐ zǒulù màn). |
| Yuriy: “Taking the bus isn't slower than walking.” |
| Yinru: 游泳不比潜水难.(Yóuyǒng bùbǐ qiánshuǐ nán.) |
| Yuriy: “Swimming isn't more difficult than diving.” And to say that something is much more than something else—for example, “it’s much bigger”— don’t put the adverb before the adjective. |
| Yinru: Here’s an example of the INCORRECT way: 比... 很大(Bǐ... Hěn dà). That’s incorrect because you don’t put the adverb before the adjective. |
| Yuriy: So what’s the correct way to say it? |
| Yinru: The correct way is 比...大很多 or 比...大得多(Bǐ... Dà hěnduō or bǐ... Dà dé duō). |
| Yuriy: Okay. Here are some more examples. |
| Yinru: 四川比上海大很多.(Sìchuān bǐ shànghǎi dà hěnduō.) |
| Yuriy: “Sichuan is much bigger than Shanghai.” |
| Yinru: 我的房间比他的房间干净得多.(Wǒ de fángjiān bǐ tā de fángjiān gānjìng dé duō.) |
| Yuriy: “My room is much cleaner than his room.” |
| Yinru: 我弟弟比你弟弟瘦得多.(Wǒ dìdì bǐ nǐ dìdì shòu dé duō.) |
| Yuriy: “My younger brother is much thinner than yours.” |
| Yinru: So the form is 比...得多, or 比...很多.(Bǐ... Dé duō, or bǐ... Hěnduō) |
| Yuriy: We know it’s probably a lot to take in, but when you remember these grammar points with their sample sentences, it’ll be much easier. Also, you can check the lesson notes to reinforce what you've learned here. |
| Yinru: 是的，这样会容易得多.(Shì de, zhèyàng huì róngyì dé duō.) |
Outro |
| Yuriy: All right. That’s all for this lesson. Thanks for listening, everyone, and we’ll see you next time. Bye! |
| Yinru: 再见.(Zàijiàn.) |
Comments
Hide