Chinese Language Tutorial - Part 12

时不我待 (Shí bù wǒ dài)

• Time waits for no one.

Dialogue:

• A: 现在几点？ (Xiànzài jǐ diǎn?)
  • B: 现在十二点一刻。 (Xiànzài shí’èr diǎn yí kè.)

New Words:

Examples:

• 有问题吗？ (Yǒu wèntí ma?) - Do you have any questions?
• 办公楼在教学楼北边 (Bàngōng lóu zài jiàoxué lóu běibian) - The teaching building is next to the Administrative building.

Directions:

• běibian - North
• dōngbian - East
• nánbian - South
• xībian - West
• lǐbian - Inside
• shàngbian - Upstairs
• xiàbian - Downstairs
• qiánbian - In front
• hòubian - Behind
• pángbian - Beside
• zuǒbian yòubian - Left side, Right side

New Words:

Text 1:

• Wǒmen xuéxiào lǐbian yǒu jiàoxuélóu, bàngōnglóu, túshūguǎn hé liúxuéshēng sùshèlóu. Bàngōnglóu zài jiàoxuélóu běibian, túshūguǎn zài bàngōnglóu xībian, liúxuéshēng sùshèlóu zài túshūguǎn nánbian.

New Words:

Text 2:

• Xuéxiào fùjìn yǒu hěnduō fànguǎn hé shāngdiàn, dōngbian hái yǒu yīgè diànyǐngyuàn. Diànyǐngyuàn duìmiàn shì yīgè yàodiàn, yàodiàn pángbiān shì yīgè chāoshì.

New Words:

Text 3:

• Zhè shì Bǎoluó hé tā de péngyoumen de zhàopiàn. Zuǒbiān shì Xiǎoyǔ, yòubiān shì Yīngnán, Xīméng zài Xiǎoyǔ hé Yīngnán zhōngjiān. Bǎoluó zài nǎr? Bǎoluó zài Xīméng hé Yīngnán hòubian.

New Words:

Examples:

• 我还在学校。 (Wǒ hái zài xuéxiào.) - I am still at school.
• 他不只是学生，还是一位运动员。 (Tā bù zhǐshì xuéshēng, hái shì yí wèi yùndòngyuán.) - He is not only a student but also an athlete.
• 他家附近还有一个商店。 (Tā jiā fùjìn hái yǒu yí gè shāngdiàn.) - There is also a shop near his home.

Text 4:
Zhè shì Lìlì de zhuōzi. Zhuōzi shàngbian yǒu yì běn shū, yí ge táidēng, hái yǒu yì zhāng Lìlì nánpéngyou de zhàopiàn. Zhuōzi xiàbian shì Lìlì de shūbāo. Chōuti li yǒu shénme? Chōuti li yǒu yíkuài qiǎokèlì.

English transcripts

Text 1: Our school has a teaching building, an administrative building, a library, and an international student dormitory nearby. The administrative building is north of the teaching building, the library is west of the administrative building, and the international student dormitory is south of the library.

Text 2: Near the school, there are many restaurants and shops, and there is also a movie theater to the east. Opposite the movie theater is a pharmacy, and beside the pharmacy is a supermarket.

Text 3: This is a photo of Bāoluó and his friends. On the left is Xiǎoyǔ, on the right is Yīngnán, and Xīméng is in the middle of Xiǎoyǔ and Yīngnán. Where is Bāoluó? Bāoluó is behind Xīméng and Yīngnán.

Text 4: This is Lìlì’s desk. On the desk, there is a book, a desk lamp, and a photo of Lìlì’s boyfriend. Below the desk is Lìlì’s bag. What’s in the drawer? There is a piece of chocolate in the drawer.

The Chinese idiom “笨鸟先飞 (Bèn niǎo xiān fēi)” translates to “the stupid bird must fly before others.” This idiom implies that someone who is less capable or intelligent needs to make an effort or take action earlier than others to succeed.

Regarding the practice sentences:

A: Lìlì zài nǎr? Where is lili?
B: Lìlì zài ānnà hé Zhīměi zhī jiān. Lili is between Anna and Zhimei.

1. Yínháng zài nǎr?

   • Yínháng zài fànguǎn duìmiàn.
   • The bank is opposite to the restaurant.

2. Yǎnjìng zài nǎr?

   • Yǎnjìng zài chuáng shàng.
   • Glasses are on the bed.

3. Nào zhǒng zài nǎr?

   • Nào zhōng zài táidēng pángbiān.
   • The alarm clock is beside the lamp.

4. A: ………………………………… ?

   • Xuéxiào lǐbiān yǒu shenmā?
   • what is near(inside school premises) school? B: Xuéxiào lǐbiān yǒu yīyuàn.
   • Yes, there is a hospital near the school.

5. A: Fùjìn yǒu yàodiàn ma?

   • Fùjìn yǒu yàodiàn ma?
   • Is there a pharmacy nearby?
     B: ……………………………… yǒu yàodiàn.
   • Yes, there is a pharmacy nearby.

6. A: Zhuōzi shàng yǒu zhàopiàn ma?

   • Zhuōzi shàng yǒu zhàopiàn ma?
   • Are there photos on the table?
     B: …………………………………………… yǒu zhàopiàn.
   • Yes, there are photos on the table.

7. A: ……………………………………………?

   • Tianzhong pángbiān yǒu méiyǒu rén?
   • Is there anyone beside the TianZhong?
     B: Tiánzhōng pángbiān méiyǒu rén.
   • No, there is no one beside the TianZhong.

8. A: ……………………………….?

   • Lìlì qiánbian shì shéi?
   • Who is in front of Lili?
     B: Lìlì qiánbian shì Zhīměi.
   • In front of Lili is Zhimei.

9. A: …………………………………………….?

   • Xiǎoyú fángjiān duìmiàn shì shéi de fángjiān?
   • Whose room is opposite to Xiaoyu’s room?
     B: Xiǎoyú fángjiān duìmiàn shì jiějie de fángjiān.
   • Opposite to Xiaoyu’s room is her elder sister’s room.

Fill in the blanks with “zài” “yǒu (méiyǒu)” & “shì”.

1. Y: Wǒ de yǎnjìng ……. nǎr ?

   • Y: Wǒ de yǎnjìng zài nǎr?

2. Z: ……. zhuōzi shàng ba.

   • Z: Zài zhuōzi shàng ba.

3. Y: Bú zài zhuōzi shàng.

   • Y: Bú zài zhuōzi shàng.

4. Z: Chuángshàng ……. ma?

   • Z: Chuángshàng yǒu ma?

5. Y: Chuángshàng yě ……. .

   • Y: Chuángshàng yě yǒu.

6. Z: Yí (expression), nǐ yǎnjīng qiánbian ……. shénme?

   • Z: Yí (expression), nǐ yǎnjīng qiánbian shì shénme?

7. Y: A ! ……. zhèr !

   • Y: A! Zài zhèr!

Disclaimer: These teachings are sourced from the Chinese Speaking Class 2023-2024 organized by the Chinese Cultural Centre in Nepal. For official information and inquiries, please visit Chinese Cultural Centre Nepal. The instructor, Laoshi Jitesh Maharjan, can be reached through his Facebook profile: Jitesh Maharjan.