Chinese

[chinezintuition]

不下 Point of Comparison

不下 (bù xià) which is placed in front of a qualifier. For instance, we can say 不下二十个 bù xià èrshí ge to mean "no fewer than twenty" or 不下一万个 bù xià yīwàn ge to mean "no fewer than 10,000." While this word literally means "no fewer than" it is used colloquially to imply "more than." In our dialogue, we hear this when the second speaker says 我都听你说了不下十遍了 wǒ dōu tīng nǐ shuōle bù xià shí biàn le ("I've heard you say this more than ten times"). Note the similar usage in the following two sample sentences:

你的减肥计划已经宣布了不下两年了。 Nǐ de jiǎnféi jìhuà yǐjīng xuānbù le bù xià liǎng nián le. "You annouced your weight lost plan more than two years ago."

我已经保证过不下5次了，你怎么就不相信呢。 Wǒ yǐjīng bǎo zhèng guò bù xià wǔ cì le , nǐ zěnme jiù bù xiāngxìn ne. "I've promised no fewer than five times, how could you not believe it."

Be aware that although we can reverse this phrase, the antonym is not 不上 but rather 不多于 bù duōyú ("no more than"), as in the phrase 不多于十个人 bù duōyú shí gèrén ("no more than ten people").

[chinezintuition]

非 ... 不可 (fēi ... bùkě) grammar pattern

We use this Double Negative Pattern by putting either an adjective or a verb in the middle between 非 and 不可. This emphasizes that something must happen. The 非 here literally means "not," while the 不可 also means that something is impossible. The meaning of this double negative thus emphasizes that something cannot not happen.

In our dialogue, we hear this pattern when our speaker says that 要是我儿子，我非乐死不可 yàoshi wǒ érzi , wǒ fēi lèsǐ bùkě ("if it were my son, I'd be thrilled for sure"). By putting the verb phrase 乐死 ("to be extremely happy") in the middle of this pattern, the speaker is saying that it would not be possible for her not to be thrilled. 

On an even more advanced note, you might be interested to hear that the character 非 can also mean "indeed" when used in isolation as a standalone adverb. This makes it quite a confusing character, since it can mean completely opposite things in the context of a sentence depending on whether it is paired with a closing 不可 or not.

[chinezintuition]

呗 (bei) modal particle

modal particle 呗 (bei), which suggests that something should be obvious or easy to understand without being negative or insulting. We see this in our dialogue, when one of our speakers says 就是互相看着不顺眼呗 jiùshì hùxiāng kànzhe bù shùnyǎn bei ("it's obvious that they just can't get along"). The 呗 lightens the tone of this statement. 呗 is functionally and phonetically similar to 吧 (ba). The major difference is in this slight change in tone, which implies that there should be little disagreement on this point between most reasonable people.

[chinezintuition]

倒是 adverb

倒是 (dàoshì). You should use it when you want to communicate a sense of something happening unexpectedly. We can see this in the following examples:

你一说，我倒是想起来了。 Nǐ yī shuō, wǒ dàoshì xiǎng qǐlai le. "As soon as you said it, I remembered."

In most cases we find 倒是 in two-part sentences. Most of the time, 倒是 will appear in the second clause to emphasize that things are counter to what you would expect given the situation in the first part of the sentence. In these cases, it is common for 虽然 (suīrán) to appear in the first clause to provide extra emphasis.

他长得虽然不高，力气倒是不小。 Tā zhǎng de suīrán bùgāo, lìqi dàoshì bù xiǎo. "He is not a tall person, but he's got plenty of physical power."

That said, in some cases you can also put 倒是 in the first clause. This is often used to establish contrast between an initial positive message and a negative message that follows. In these cases, it's typical to start the second clause with a conjunction that emphasizes the contrast, such as 可 (kě) or 可是 (kěshì).

For Example:

你说的倒是容易，可事情哪有那么好办。 Nǐ shuō de dàoshì róngyì, kě shìqing nǎyǒu nàme hǎobàn. "It's easy to say it, but never that easy to do in reality."

[chinezintuition]

直 adverb

直 in 一直 yīzhí ("continuously"), but its meaning is quite different from 一直。We find it in this line 老婆直骂我没能耐 lǎopó zhí mà wǒ méi néngnài ("My wife said I was so incapable."). You might think this is 一直, although it carries a bit of a sense that something happened repeatedly in the past. So, this word has a combined meaning of continuously and already.

[chinezintuition]

如 conjunction part

We encountered the character 如 as part of the conjunction 如果 rúguǒ ("if"). In that situation, the character meant "if".

However, we see this character used in a different and much more difficult way in the sentence 家有阿姨，如有洁癖 jiā yǒu āyí, rú yǒu jiépǐ ("Having a maid is the same as being obsessive about cleanliness").

This second type of usage is confusing for many students for two reasons. The first is that the character 如 is quite close to its usage in classical Chinese. The meaning of the character 如 is not technically "if" but rather "much like". It means almost exactly the same thing as 好像 and can usually be replaced by that word. The second reason for the confusion is that 如 is a more formal expression and tends to appear in more challenging sentences which depend on symmetry and structure to communicate meaning. 

Consider the following examples:

朴树的最新专辑叫做“生如夏花” Pǔ Shù de zuì xīn zhuānjí jiàozuò "shēng rú xià huā" Pu Shu's latest album is called "Life like Summer Flowers"

生活如六月的天气一样不可预测 Shēnghuó rú liù yuè de tiānqì yīyàng bùkěyùcè. Life is like the weather in June - impossible to forecast.

How should you use the character 如? In most conversations 好像 is probably a better choice. Because 如 is a more classical character however, you will run into it fairly commonly in formal situations, or situations where your speaking partner wishes to come across as more educated. You will also run into it fairly frequently in written Chinese, so it pays to be aware of this meaning.

[chinezintuition]

还是, hái shì ("After Comparison") adverb

那你还是等等吧。nà nǐ hái shì děngděng ba. "Then how about you wait for a bit longer." "After comparison" (还是) indicates a more satisfactory solution. It is generally used as a suggestion.

[chinezintuition]

来着, láizhe ("Just Now")

你说什么来着？nǐ shuō shénme láizhe? "What did you say just now?"

来着, láizhe ("Just now") is an informal particle. It indicates that some event has happened a short time ago and the action has already been finished. 来着 can be used when the speaker needs to be reminded of certain information that was recently forgotten. Usually we do not need to use 了 in the sentence again because 了 and 来着 have the same function.

For Example:

他昨天工作来着。= 他昨天工作了。 tā zuótiān gōngzuò láizhe. = tā zuótiān gōng zuò le.

Sentences containing 来着 and 了 are not exactly the same, but the meanings are similar. If we put 来着 in a question, we are asking something we just forgot. For example, you run into a familiar face, but their name is on the tip of your tongue. In this case, you can ask the question, 他叫什么来着？tā jiào shénme láizhe? ("I forgot his name just now.") So in this case, the use of 来着 means that you previously knew the person's name but recently forgot it.

The formation of 来着 is simple. We place it directly at the end of the sentence.

[chinezintuition]

极 superlative compliment

极 (Jí) modifies adjectives, some verbs and it’s used colloquially. It means extremely. Usually there is a 了 (Le) following the superlative and our first example using 极 (Jí) is 她的妹妹丑极了。 (Tā de mèimei chǒu jíle.) His sister is extremely unattractive. I am extremely happy. 我真的开心极了。

[chinezintuition]

起来 verb complement

When we use 起来 following a verb connected to our five senses though, the meaning changes to signify sensory perception. It tells us that what follows is what we perceive to be the case as a result of having undertaken the verb action. To give specific examples of this, the major sensory verbs in Chinese are:

看 kàn "to see"

听 tīng "to hear"

闻 wén "to smell"

吃 chī "to eat"

摸 mō "to feel"

And so we should translate 看起来 as "to seem" for instance, or 吃起来 as "to taste." Both usages suggest slight uncertainty and admit that the viewpoint is subjective.

[chinezintuition]

着 particle

When you add the particle 着 to a verb, you are suggesting that the action of the verb is ongoing or continuous. This is the equivalent of the continuous tense in English (adding "ing" to verbs). Thus, we have sentences like 他看着我，我看着他 (Tā kànzhe wǒ, wǒ kànzhe tā, "He is looking at me, I am looking at him") or 他正在听着音乐 (Tā zhèngzài tīngzhe yīnyuè, "He is listening to music"). It is particularly common to see sentences such as that last case, where 着 is added to verbs which follow 正在 or 正.

you are not going to use 着 with a verb, to be. 是。(Shì.) Or the verb to have 有。(Yǒu.)

[chinezintuition]

把 Sentence Construction

把 sentence construction (bǎ - "to take"). This is a fixed sentence pattern in Chinese, which places extra emphasis on the action taken by someone or something and links that action to a specific result. A good example is the sentence 他把护照丢了, Tā bǎ hùzhào diū le. ("He lost his passport.") A more literal translation of this sentence might be "He took his passport and lost it." This sentence emphasizes that the consequence (the lost passport) is the result of the behavior of the subject.

The structure of this construction is as follows:

Subject + 把 + Object + Verb

There are three general rules to remember when using this construction:

1. The subject should be actively doing something to the object, as in the sentence 你把那个给我, Nǐ bǎ nàge gěi wǒ ("Give that to me").

2. Not all verbs can be used in this structure, only verbs that take objects and can manipulate or affect them in some way. We do not see 把 sentences of this type with the verbs 是, shì ("to be") or 有, yǒu ("to have") for instance.

3. The main verb has to suggest that the underlying state of affairs has changed. In the sentence 我把垃圾扔了, Wǒ bǎ lājī rēng le ("I threw out the garbage"), this is accomplished by the 了 particle, which indicates a change of state. It has to be that something changes.

[chinezintuition]

了, liǎo ("To be able/unable to...")

我动不了了 wǒ dòng bù liǎo le "I can't move."

Although pronounced [ le ], in most circumstances when we pair this character with dé (得) or bù (不) following a verb, it becomes a verb complement, and we pronounce it [了, liǎo]. In this context, the character has the meaning of "to finish" or "to close." It suggests that the action that precedes it can or cannot be successfully completed.

One example is táobùliǎo, 逃不了 ("to be unable to escape"). Other common expressions are:

wàngbùliǎo 忘不了 "to be unable to forget"

shòubùliǎo 受不了 "not to be able to bear"

qùbùliǎo 去不了 "to be unable to go"

In general, we only use 不了 following single character verbs. There are a few verbs consisting of multiple characters that frequently take the complement however, so keep your ears open. Two of the most common are wánchéng bùliǎo, 完成不了 ("to be unable to finish") and shuōfú bùliǎo, 说服不了 ("to be unable to persuade").

If you CAN do something, you can say:

1. 逃得了 táodeliǎo "to be able to escape" 2. 忘得了 wàngdeliǎo "to be able to forget" 3. 受得了 shòudeliǎo "to be able to bear" 4. 去得了 qùdeliǎo "to be able to go" 5. 完成得了 wánchéngdeliǎo " to be able to finish" 6. 说服得了 shuōfúdeliǎo "to be able to persuade"

[chinezintuition]

Adjective Reduplication

xíng róng cí chóng dié 形容词重叠

不脏，这不 是干干净净的吗？ "It's not dirty, this isn't clean to you?"

We can reduplicate adjectives to add emphasis to the quality they describe. Reduplication makes an adjective feel more vivid. We can reduplicate most monosyllabic adjectives, but only some disyllabic ones. Unfortunately, there is no rule for which adjectives can be reduplicated and which ones can't.

Disyllabic adjectives reduplicate in an AABB pattern: the first syllable we repeat and then we follow it by the second syllable repeated.

For Example:

qīng chǔ ("clear") becomes qīng qing chǔ chǔ ("clear")

Some situations require reduplication. When using an adjective in an adverbial phrase to modify a verb, we often reduplicate it (see de, 地. e.g., 这个女孩高高兴兴地走了.)

Also, when we have an adjective reduplicated, we can put it right after the subject, for instance: 他干干净净的. Once the adjective is reduplicated in this way, it cannot be put together with adverbs indicating degree (e.g., 很, 非常, 十分 etc.). So we can say: 他干干净净的。, but not 他很干干净净 or 他很干干净净的。

Sample Sentences

1. 不脏，这不是干干净净的吗？ bù zāng, zhè bù shì gāngānjìngjìng de ma? "It's not dirty: see, isn't it very clean?" 2. 我的房间干干净净的。 wǒ de fángjiān gāngānjìngjìng de. "My room is squeaky clean." 3. 我漂漂亮亮地做完了工作。 wǒ piāopiāoliàngliàng dì zuòwán le gōngzuò.  "I finished my work very well. 4. 行了，别总是啰啰嗦嗦的。 xíng le, bié zǒngshì luóluósuǒsuǒ de. "Okay, you don't always have to be so long-winded." 5. 我们的合同上写得清清楚楚的。 wǒmen de hétong shàng xiě de qīngqīngchǔchǔ de. "This is crystal clear on our contract." 6. 我想舒舒服服地睡一觉。 wǒ xiǎng shū shū fú fú dì shuì yī jiào. "I feel like sleeping comfortably." 7. 她高高兴兴地来了。 tā gāogāoxīngxīngdi láile.  "She happily came."

[chinezintuition]

这么，那么，多么

这么，那么，and 多么 are adverbs. We can put them in front of a verb or adjective indicating high degree.

这么 ("so," "such," "like this")

这么 means "so," "such," "like this."

那么 ("like that," "in that way")

那么 means "like that," "in that way."

For Example:

那儿那么高，我上不去。 "It's that high there. I cannot get on. "

他那么坏，你为什么喜欢他？ "Why do you like him since he's that bad?"

你别那么想。 "Don't think in that way."

多么 ("how")

多么 means "how."

For Example:

这儿多么漂亮啊！ "How beautiful it is here!"

你不知道这个问题多么严重。 "You don't know how serious this problem is."

However, if you want to use 多么 in a negative way, you have to put 不 or 没 after it.

For Example:

你知道他多么不高兴吗？ "Do you know how unhappy he was?"

这件事儿多么没意思啊！ "How boring is this!"

[chinezintuition]

到底 what on earth adverb

到底 dàodǐ is another adverb used after a subject for emphasis. It means "what on earth" or "after all." This word can show strong emotion, and it's usually used in informal language.

你到底是去还是不去? nǐ dàodǐ shì qù hái shì bú qù? "Are you going after all or not?"

这到底是怎么回事? zhè dàodǐ shì zěnmehuíshì?

"What the heck is the matter with this?"

你说清楚, 到底是一点还是七点? nǐ shuō qīngchu, dàodǐ shì yī diǎn hái shì qī diǎn? "You make it clear; is it one o'clock or seven o'clock?"

[chinezintuition]

香 adjective as enjoyment

Sometimes, 香 can also be used to describe people enjoying something, such as eating with a good appetite or sleeping deeply.

看他吃饭吃得多香啊. kàn tā chīfàn chī de duō xiāng a. "Look how he is wolfing down the food."

小宝宝睡得好香, 让她多睡一会儿. xiǎo bǎobao shuì de hǎo xiāng, ràng tā duō shuì yìhuìr. "How sound asleep the baby is. Let her sleep a little more."