Skip to content
Mythic Mandarin

Two things at once: 一边…一边

HSK 3 Unit 3: Home and daily life · Lesson 2 of 5 · About 17 minutes

Preview version — Chinese review in progress.

Your mission: By the end of this lesson, you can say that someone does two things at the same time with 一边…一边, and talk about housework.

Warm-up: do you remember?

Two quick questions from earlier lessons. Recalling before you learn makes the new material stick.

  1. Meaning

    What does 沙发 mean?

    1. (shows a continuing state)
    2. sofa
    3. to steal
    Show the answer

    Answer: B, sofa.

    沙发 (shāfā) means sofa.

  2. Characters

    Which word means “(shows a continuing state)”?

    1. 灯
    2. 着
    3. 关
    Show the answer

    Answer: B, 着.

    “(shows a continuing state)” is 着 (zhe).

  3. Listening

    From an earlier unit. Listen. What does the word mean?

    Cannot listen? Read it instead

    高铁 gāotiě

    1. to close, to turn off
    2. high-speed train
    3. finally, in the end
    Show the answer

    Answer: B, high-speed train.

    You heard 高铁 (gāotiě): high-speed train.

New words

  • 一边yìbiānwhile, at the same time (一边…一边)
  • 聊天liáotiānto chat
  • 打扫dǎsǎoto clean, to sweep
  • 碗wǎnbowl
  • 厨房chúfángkitchen
  • 卫生间wèishēngjiānbathroom, toilet
  • 主意zhǔyiidea

一边…一边…

一边 (yìbiān) + verb, 一边 + verb: doing two things at the same time. Both actions are done by the same person.

  • 他一边吃饭，一边看手机。

    Tā yìbiān chīfàn, yìbiān kàn shǒujī.

    He's eating and looking at his phone at the same time.

  • 我们一边喝茶，一边聊天。

    Wǒmen yìbiān hē chá, yìbiān liáotiān.

    We chatted over tea.

  • Not: 一边他吃饭，一边看电视。

    But: 他一边吃饭，一边看电视。 Tā yìbiān chīfàn, yìbiān kàn diànshì.

    The person comes before the first 一边.

Housework

打扫 (dǎsǎo) is to clean. 洗碗 is to do the dishes. 厨房 (chúfáng) is the kitchen and 卫生间 (wèishēngjiān) the bathroom.

  • 周末我打扫厨房和卫生间。

    Zhōumò wǒ dǎsǎo chúfáng hé wèishēngjiān.

    At the weekend I clean the kitchen and the bathroom.

Characters

Open a character to see how it is written, stroke by stroke, with its meanings and words.

Who does the dishes?

Liu Fang and Li Ming share the housework on a Sunday.

Listen first

Play the whole conversation and answer the questions before you open the transcript.

  1. Listening

    Listen first. What is Li Ming doing?

    1. cleaning the kitchen while singing
    2. washing the dishes while listening to music
    3. drinking coffee and chatting
    Show the answer

    Answer: B, washing the dishes while listening to music.

    我一边洗碗，一边听音乐.

  2. Listening

    What will they do after cleaning?

    1. go out
    2. watch a film
    3. chat over a coffee
    Show the answer

    Answer: C, chat over a coffee.

    我们一边喝咖啡，一边聊天吧.

Show the transcript
Pinyin
Translation

  1. 刘芳

    李明Lǐ Míng，你nǐ在zài做zuò什么shénme？

    Li Ming, what are you doing?

  2. 李明

    我Wǒ一边yìbiān洗xǐ碗wǎn，一边yìbiān听tīng音乐yīnyuè。

    I'm washing the dishes and listening to music.

  3. 刘芳

    太Tài好hǎo了le。我Wǒ打扫dǎsǎo卫生间wèishēngjiān，然后ránhòu打扫dǎsǎo厨房chúfáng。

    Great. I'll clean the bathroom, then the kitchen.

  4. 李明

    打扫Dǎsǎo完wán了le，我们wǒmen一边yìbiān喝hē咖啡kāfēi，一边yìbiān聊天liáotiān吧ba。

    When we're done, let's chat over a coffee.

  5. 刘芳

    好Hǎo主意zhǔyi！

    Good idea!

Speak: listen, record, compare

Listen to each model, record yourself, then play both and compare: the rhythm, the tones, the vowels. No automatic score: your ear is the judge.

  • 太好了。我打扫卫生间，然后打扫厨房。

    Tài hǎo le. Wǒ dǎsǎo wèishēngjiān, ránhòu dǎsǎo chúfáng.

    Great. I'll clean the bathroom, then the kitchen.

  • 打扫完了，我们一边喝咖啡，一边聊天吧。

    Dǎsǎo wán le, wǒmen yìbiān hē kāfēi, yìbiān liáotiān ba.

    When we're done, let's chat over a coffee.

  • 我一边洗碗，一边听音乐。

    Wǒ yìbiān xǐ wǎn, yìbiān tīng yīnyuè.

    I'm washing the dishes and listening to music.

Practice

  1. Meaning

    What does 一边 mean?

    1. interesting
    2. school
    3. while, at the same time (一边…一边)
    Show the answer

    Answer: C, while, at the same time (一边…一边).

    一边 (yìbiān) means while, at the same time (一边…一边).

  2. Characters

    Which word means “to chat”?

    1. 一边
    2. 沙发
    3. 聊天
    Show the answer

    Answer: C, 聊天.

    “to chat” is 聊天 (liáotiān).

  3. Pinyin

    How do you read 打扫 (to clean, to sweep)?

    1. dásǎo
    2. dǎsǎo
    3. dàsǎo
    Show the answer

    Answer: B, dǎsǎo.

    打扫 is read dǎsǎo. Check the tone mark on every syllable.

  4. Listening

    Listen. What does the word mean?

    Cannot listen? Read it instead

    碗 wǎn

    1. bowl
    2. lunch
    3. to book, to reserve
    Show the answer

    Answer: A, bowl.

    You heard 碗 (wǎn): bowl.

  5. Pinyin

    Type the pinyin of 厨房 (kitchen). Tone marks or tone numbers are welcome.

    Show the answer

    Answer: chúfáng

    厨房 is chúfáng in pinyin.

  6. Grammar

    Which sentence is right?

    1. 一边他听音乐，一边跑步。
    2. 他听音乐一边，跑步一边。
    3. 他一边听音乐，一边跑步。
    Show the answer

    Answer: C, 他一边听音乐，一边跑步。.

    他一边听音乐，一边跑步。 Person first, then 一边 + verb twice.

  7. Fill the gap

    Complete: We chatted while eating.

    我们一边吃饭，一边＿＿。

    1. 厨房
    2. 打扫
    3. 聊天
    Show the answer

    Answer: C, 聊天.

    我们一边吃饭，一边聊天。 聊天: to chat.

  8. In context

    You are asked to clean the room where people cook. Which room is it?

    1. 卫生间
    2. 厨房
    3. 办公室
    Show the answer

    Answer: B, 厨房.

    厨房: the kitchen.

  9. Your turn

    Type the Chinese for to do the dishes (wash bowls)

    Show the answer

    Answer: 洗碗

    洗碗: to do the dishes.

Multitasking

Say out loud three things you often do at the same time, with 一边…一边.

  1. At home.
  2. At work or school.
  3. On the way somewhere.

Sentence frames

  • 我常常一边＿＿，一边＿＿。

    Wǒ chángcháng yìbiān ＿＿, yìbiān ＿＿.

    I often ... while ...

Record your attempt (three and a half minutes at most) and listen back:

Review and finish

Can you do this? If a line feels shaky, go back to that part before you move on.

  • I put the person before the first 一边.
  • I can talk about housework: 打扫, 洗碗, 厨房, 卫生间.

Review works best spaced out: answer these exercises again tomorrow, then after a few days. Your progress is saved in this browser.

Completing records that you finished the lesson. Mastery is separate: it grows as reviews bring the exercises back and you answer them correctly.

Next lesson: Tomato and egg: a recipe step by step