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Mythic Mandarin

Two sisters, two characters: 而

HSK 4 Unit 2: Not only… but also · Lesson 2 of 5 · About 20 minutes

Preview version — Chinese review in progress.

Your mission: By the end of this lesson, you can contrast two people or things with 而, and describe introverted and extroverted personalities.

Warm-up: do you remember?

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

  1. Meaning

    What does 聪明 mean?

    1. clever, intelligent
    2. to dislike, annoying
    3. relatively, fairly, to compare
    Show the answer

    Answer: A, clever, intelligent.

    聪明 (cōngming) means clever, intelligent.

  2. Characters

    Which word means “but also, moreover”?

    1. 消息
    2. 应该
    3. 而且
    Show the answer

    Answer: C, 而且.

    “but also, moreover” is 而且 (érqiě).

  3. Listening

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

    Cannot listen? Read it instead

    旅行 lǚxíng

    1. place, location
    2. to travel, a trip
    3. news, message
    Show the answer

    Answer: B, to travel, a trip.

    You heard 旅行 (lǚxíng): to travel, a trip.

New words

  • 而érwhile, whereas (in contrast)
  • 活泼huópolively
  • 内向nèixiàngintroverted, shy
  • 外向wàixiàngextroverted, outgoing
  • 相反xiāngfǎnopposite, on the contrary
  • 姐妹jiěmèisisters
  • 北方běifāngthe north
  • 南方nánfāngthe south

而: whereas

而 (ér) joins two contrasting facts, like whereas. It is more written than 但是 and often compares two people or things.

  • 姐姐很内向，而妹妹很活泼。

    Jiějie hěn nèixiàng, ér mèimei hěn huópo.

    The older sister is shy, whereas the younger one is lively.

  • 北方人喜欢吃面，而南方人喜欢吃米饭。

    Běifāng rén xǐhuan chī miàn, ér nánfāng rén xǐhuan chī mǐfàn.

    Northerners like noodles, whereas southerners prefer rice.

相反 (xiāngfǎn) is opposite: 正好相反, exactly the opposite.

  • 我们的性格正好相反。

    Wǒmen de xìnggé zhènghǎo xiāngfǎn.

    Our personalities are exact opposites.

Characters

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

Are you two sisters?

Sophie meets Lin Yue and her sister.

Listen first

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

  1. Listening

    Listen first. What is Lin Yue like?

    1. outgoing
    2. introverted
    3. lazy
    Show the answer

    Answer: B, introverted.

    我比较内向.

  2. Listening

    What does her sister like best?

    1. reading alone at home
    2. cooking for her friends
    3. going out with friends
    Show the answer

    Answer: C, going out with friends.

    最喜欢跟朋友出去玩儿.

Show the transcript
Pinyin
Translation

  1. 苏菲

    林月Lín Yuè，你们nǐmen是shì姐妹jiěmèi吗ma？你们Nǐmen长zhǎng得de很hěn像xiàng！

    Lin Yue, are you sisters? You look very alike!

  2. 林月

    是Shì啊a，可是kěshì我们wǒmen的de性格xìnggé正好zhènghǎo相反xiāngfǎn。

    Yes, but our personalities are exact opposites.

  3. 苏菲

    怎么Zěnme相反xiāngfǎn？

    How so?

  4. 林月

    我Wǒ比较bǐjiào内向nèixiàng，喜欢xǐhuan一yí个gè人rén看kàn书shū，而ér我wǒ妹妹mèimei非常fēicháng外向wàixiàng，最zuì喜欢xǐhuan跟gēn朋友péngyou出去chūqu玩儿wánr。

    I'm quite introverted and like reading on my own, whereas my sister is very outgoing and loves going out with friends.

  5. 苏菲

    我Wǒ觉得juéde你们nǐmen的de性格xìnggé都dōu很hěn好hǎo。

    I think you both have lovely personalities.

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.

  • 怎么相反？

    Zěnme xiāngfǎn?

    How so?

  • 是啊，可是我们的性格正好相反。

    Shì a, kěshì wǒmen de xìnggé zhènghǎo xiāngfǎn.

    Yes, but our personalities are exact opposites.

  • 林月，你们是姐妹吗？你们长得很像！

    Lín Yuè, nǐmen shì jiěmèi ma? Nǐmen zhǎng de hěn xiàng!

    Lin Yue, are you sisters? You look very alike!

Practice

  1. Meaning

    What does 而 mean?

    1. while, whereas (in contrast)
    2. morning (before noon)
    3. to seem, as if
    Show the answer

    Answer: A, while, whereas (in contrast).

    而 (ér) means while, whereas (in contrast).

  2. Characters

    Which word means “lively”?

    1. 北方
    2. 活泼
    3. 内向
    Show the answer

    Answer: B, 活泼.

    “lively” is 活泼 (huópo).

  3. Pinyin

    How do you read 内向 (introverted, shy)?

    1. nèixiàng
    2. nēixiàng
    3. nèixiǎng
    Show the answer

    Answer: A, nèixiàng.

    内向 is read nèixiàng. Check the tone mark on every syllable.

  4. Listening

    Listen. What does the word mean?

    Cannot listen? Read it instead

    外向 wàixiàng

    1. extroverted, outgoing
    2. plate (also a measure word for dishes)
    3. to apologise
    Show the answer

    Answer: A, extroverted, outgoing.

    You heard 外向 (wàixiàng): extroverted, outgoing.

  5. Your turn

    Recall: type the Chinese for “opposite, on the contrary” (characters or pinyin).

    Show the answer

    Answer: 相反

    “opposite, on the contrary” is 相反 (xiāngfǎn).

  6. Grammar

    Which sentence contrasts the two brothers?

    1. 哥哥很高，而弟弟很矮。
    2. 哥哥很高，所以弟弟很矮。
    3. 哥哥很高，而且弟弟很矮。
    Show the answer

    Answer: A, 哥哥很高，而弟弟很矮。.

    哥哥很高，而弟弟很矮。: 而: whereas.

  7. Fill the gap

    Complete: Our personalities are exact opposites.

    我们的性格正好＿＿。

    1. 相反
    2. 一样
    3. 内向
    Show the answer

    Answer: A, 相反.

    正好相反: exactly the opposite.

  8. In context

    Someone loves parties and meeting new people. How do you describe them?

    1. 内向
    2. 外向
    3. 安静
    Show the answer

    Answer: B, 外向.

    外向: outgoing.

  9. Your turn

    Type the Chinese for lively

    Show the answer

    Answer: 活泼

    活泼: lively.

Compare two people

Compare two people in your family or among your friends out loud, using 而.

  1. Their personalities, with 内向, 外向 or 活泼.
  2. What each one likes doing.

Sentence frames

  • ＿＿很＿＿，而＿＿很＿＿。

    ＿＿ hěn ＿＿, ér ＿＿ hěn ＿＿.

    ... is very ..., whereas ... is very ...

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 can contrast two people with 而.
  • I know the difference between 而 (whereas) and 而且 (and also).

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: Besides that: 除了…以外