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Mythic Mandarin

Tomato and egg: a recipe step by step

HSK 3 Unit 3: Home and daily life · Lesson 3 of 5 · About 18 minutes

Preview version — Chinese review in progress.

Your mission: By the end of this lesson, you can follow and give step-by-step instructions with 先, 再 and 然后, and cook a classic home-style Chinese dish.

Warm-up: do you remember?

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

  1. Meaning

    What does 墙 mean?

    1. finally, in the end
    2. wall
    3. to close, to turn off
    Show the answer

    Answer: B, wall.

    墙 (qiáng) means wall.

  2. Characters

    Which word means “painting, picture, to draw”?

    1. 用
    2. 画
    3. 弄
    Show the answer

    Answer: B, 画.

    “painting, picture, to draw” is 画 (huà).

  3. Listening

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

    Cannot listen? Read it instead

    马上 mǎshàng

    1. to steal
    2. dirty
    3. at once, right away
    Show the answer

    Answer: C, at once, right away.

    You heard 马上 (mǎshàng): at once, right away.

New words

  • 西红柿xīhóngshìtomato
  • 炒chǎoto stir-fry
  • 盐yánsalt
  • 糖tángsugar
  • 锅guōwok, pot
  • 油yóuoil
  • 切qiēto cut

先…再…然后…最后

Steps in order: 先 (first), 再 (then, next), 然后 (after that), 最后 (finally). 再 here is not again; it means and then, for something still to come.

  • 先洗西红柿，再切西红柿。

    Xiān xǐ xīhóngshì, zài qiē xīhóngshì.

    First wash the tomatoes, then cut them.

  • 你先休息，然后我们再走。

    Nǐ xiān xiūxi, ránhòu wǒmen zài zǒu.

    Rest first, then we'll go.

  • Not: 我再吃饭，先洗手。

    But: 我先洗手，再吃饭。 Wǒ xiān xǐshǒu, zài chīfàn.

    先 for the first step, 再 for the next.

In the kitchen

炒 (chǎo) is to stir-fry in a 锅 (guō), a wok. 西红柿炒鸡蛋, stir-fried tomato and egg, is one of China's most loved home dishes.

  • 把鸡蛋炒好，放在碗里。

    Bǎ jīdàn chǎo hǎo, fàng zài wǎn lǐ.

    Fry the eggs and put them in a bowl.

  • 放一点儿盐和糖。

    Fàng yìdiǎnr yán hé táng.

    Add a little salt and sugar.

Characters

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

Cooking with Zhang Wei

Zhang Wei teaches Chen Jing his mother's recipe.

Listen first

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

  1. Listening

    Listen first. What is the first step?

    1. fry the eggs in a bowl
    2. wash and cut the tomatoes
    3. heat the oil in the wok
    Show the answer

    Answer: B, wash and cut the tomatoes.

    先把西红柿洗干净，切好.

  2. Listening

    What goes in at the end?

    1. salt and sugar
    2. more oil
    3. more tomatoes
    Show the answer

    Answer: A, salt and sugar.

    放一点儿盐和糖.

Show the transcript
Pinyin
Translation

  1. 陈静

    西红柿Xīhóngshì炒chǎo鸡蛋jīdàn怎么zěnme做zuò？

    How do you make tomato and egg stir-fry?

  2. 张伟

    很Hěn容易róngyì。先Xiān把bǎ西红柿xīhóngshì洗xǐ干净gānjìng，切qiē好hǎo。

    It's easy. First wash the tomatoes and cut them up.

  3. 陈静

    然后Ránhòu呢ne？

    And then?

  4. 张伟

    再Zài在zài锅guō里lǐ放fàng油yóu，把bǎ鸡蛋jīdàn炒chǎo好hǎo，放fàng在zài碗wǎn里lǐ。

    Then put oil in the wok, fry the eggs and put them in a bowl.

  5. 陈静

    好Hǎo，然后ránhòu炒chǎo西红柿xīhóngshì吧ba？

    OK, then fry the tomatoes?

  6. 张伟

    对Duì。最后Zuìhòu把bǎ鸡蛋jīdàn放fàng回huí锅guō里lǐ，放fàng一点儿yìdiǎnr盐yán和hé糖táng，就jiù好hǎo了le！

    Yes. Finally put the eggs back in the wok, add a little salt and sugar, and it's done!

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.

  • 再在锅里放油，把鸡蛋炒好，放在碗里。

    Zài zài guō lǐ fàng yóu, bǎ jīdàn chǎo hǎo, fàng zài wǎn lǐ.

    Then put oil in the wok, fry the eggs and put them in a bowl.

  • 对。最后把鸡蛋放回锅里，放一点儿盐和糖，就好了！

    Duì. Zuìhòu bǎ jīdàn fàng huí guō lǐ, fàng yìdiǎnr yán hé táng, jiù hǎo le!

    Yes. Finally put the eggs back in the wok, add a little salt and sugar, and it's done!

  • 西红柿炒鸡蛋怎么做？

    Xīhóngshì chǎo jīdàn zěnme zuò?

    How do you make tomato and egg stir-fry?

Practice

  1. Meaning

    What does 西红柿 mean?

    1. to swim
    2. two
    3. tomato
    Show the answer

    Answer: C, tomato.

    西红柿 (xīhóngshì) means tomato.

  2. Characters

    Which word means “to stir-fry”?

    1. 炒
    2. 油
    3. 锅
    Show the answer

    Answer: A, 炒.

    “to stir-fry” is 炒 (chǎo).

  3. Word order

    Put the words in order: How do you make tomato and egg stir-fry?

    • 西红柿
    • 鸡蛋
    • 炒
    • 做
    • 怎么
    Show the answer

    西红柿炒鸡蛋怎么做 Xīhóngshì chǎo jīdàn zěnme zuò?

    How do you make tomato and egg stir-fry?

    西红柿炒鸡蛋怎么做？ The sentence comes from this lesson's text.

  4. Listening

    Listen. What does the word mean?

    Cannot listen? Read it instead

    糖 táng

    1. to revise, to review
    2. sugar
    3. at, in (a place)
    Show the answer

    Answer: B, sugar.

    You heard 糖 (táng): sugar.

  5. Pinyin

    Type the pinyin of 锅 (wok, pot). Tone marks or tone numbers are welcome.

    Show the answer

    Answer: guō

    锅 is guō in pinyin.

  6. Grammar

    Which sentence gives the steps in the right order?

    1. 我再洗手，先吃饭。
    2. 我先洗手，再吃饭。
    3. 我先吃饭，先洗手。
    Show the answer

    Answer: B, 我先洗手，再吃饭。.

    我先洗手，再吃饭。 先 first, then 再.

  7. Fill the gap

    Complete: Finally, add a little salt.

    ＿＿，放一点儿盐。

    1. 最后
    2. 先
    3. 再
    Show the answer

    Answer: A, 最后.

    最后，放一点儿盐: finally, add a little salt.

  8. In context

    What do you stir-fry in?

    1. 碗
    2. 锅
    3. 杯
    Show the answer

    Answer: B, 锅.

    锅: a wok.

  9. Word order

    Put the words in order: First cut the tomatoes.

    • 好
    • 切
    • 西红柿
    • 把
    • 先
    Show the answer

    先把西红柿切好 Xiān bǎ xīhóngshì qiē hǎo.

    First cut the tomatoes.

    先把西红柿切好。 先 + 把 + object + verb + result.

Your recipe

Explain out loud how to make a simple dish or drink you know, in five steps.

  1. 先…。
  2. 再…。
  3. 然后…。
  4. 最后…，就好了！

Sentence frames

  • 先＿＿，再＿＿，然后＿＿，最后＿＿。

    Xiān ＿＿, zài ＿＿, ránhòu ＿＿, zuìhòu ＿＿.

    First ..., next ..., then ..., finally ...

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 give steps in order with 先, 再, 然后 and 最后.
  • I can follow a simple recipe.

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.

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