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Mythic Mandarin

Either sleeping or shopping: 不是…就是

HSK 4 Unit 3: Conditions and choices · Lesson 5 of 5 · About 22 minutes

Preview version — Chinese review in progress.

Your mission: By the end of this lesson, you can describe routines that are always one thing or another with 不是…就是, and talk about how you spend your weekends.

Warm-up: do you remember?

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

  1. Meaning

    What does 记得 mean?

    1. to remember
    2. to agree, to promise
    3. to retire
    Show the answer

    Answer: A, to remember.

    记得 (jìde) means to remember.

  2. Characters

    Which word means “to respect”?

    1. 老板
    2. 尊重
    3. 视频
    Show the answer

    Answer: B, 尊重.

    “to respect” is 尊重 (zūnzhòng).

  3. Listening

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

    Cannot listen? Read it instead

    山顶 shāndǐng

    1. mountain top
    2. hungry
    3. to learn (successfully), to master
    Show the answer

    Answer: A, mountain top.

    You heard 山顶 (shāndǐng): mountain top.

New words

  • 逛街guàngjiēto go shopping, to stroll the streets
  • 懒lǎnlazy
  • 睡懒觉shuìlǎnjiàoto sleep in
  • 规律guīlǜregular pattern, regular
  • 充实chōngshífull, rich (of a life)
  • 一般yìbānusually, ordinary

不是 A 就是 B

不是 A 就是 B is either A or B: it is always one of the two. Do not confuse it with 不是 A 而是 B (not A but B), which you will meet later.

  • 周末他不是睡懒觉，就是玩游戏。

    Zhōumò tā bú shì shuìlǎnjiào, jiù shì wán yóuxì.

    At weekends he either sleeps in or plays games.

  • 这几天不是刮风，就是下雨。

    Zhè jǐ tiān bú shì guāfēng, jiù shì xiàyǔ.

    These past few days it's been either windy or rainy.

规律 (guīlǜ) is regular; 充实 (chōngshí) is full and rich, for a life or a day.

  • 我的生活很有规律。

    Wǒ de shēnghuó hěn yǒu guīlǜ.

    My life is very regular.

  • 这个周末过得很充实。

    Zhège zhōumò guò de hěn chōngshí.

    This weekend was very full.

Characters

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

A lazy weekend?

Zhang Wei and Lin Yue compare their weekends.

Listen first

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

  1. Listening

    Listen first. What does Zhang Wei do at weekends?

    1. goes to the gym with friends
    2. sleeps in or watches TV
    3. goes shopping in the city
    Show the answer

    Answer: B, sleeps in or watches TV.

    不是睡懒觉，就是在家看电视.

  2. Listening

    What does Lin Yue do in the evening?

    1. watches TV
    2. studies Chinese
    3. does painting
    Show the answer

    Answer: C, does painting.

    晚上我还学画画.

Show the transcript
Pinyin
Translation

  1. 林月

    张伟Zhāng Wěi，你nǐ周末zhōumò一般yìbān做zuò什么shénme？

    Zhang Wei, what do you usually do at the weekend?

  2. 张伟

    不Bú是shì睡懒觉shuìlǎnjiào，就jiù是shì在zài家jiā看kàn电视diànshì。我Wǒ很hěn懒lǎn。

    I either sleep in or watch TV at home. I'm lazy.

  3. 林月

    这样Zhèyàng不bú太tài好hǎo。要是Yàoshi你nǐ一直yìzhí这么zhème过guò，生活shēnghuó就jiù没有méiyǒu规律guīlǜ了le。

    That's not great. If you always live like that, your life will have no routine.

  4. 张伟

    那Nà你nǐ呢ne？

    What about you?

  5. 林月

    我Wǒ不bú是shì去qù健身房jiànshēnfáng，就jiù是shì跟gēn朋友péngyou去qù逛街guàngjiē。晚上Wǎnshang我wǒ还hái学xué画huà画huà。

    I either go to the gym or go shopping with friends. In the evening I also do painting.

  6. 张伟

    你Nǐ的de周末zhōumò真zhēn充实chōngshí！下个Xiàge周末zhōumò我wǒ也yě跟gēn你nǐ去qù健身房jiànshēnfáng吧ba。

    Your weekends are so full! Next weekend I'll come to the gym with you.

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.

  • 不是睡懒觉，就是在家看电视。我很懒。

    Bú shì shuìlǎnjiào, jiù shì zài jiā kàn diànshì. Wǒ hěn lǎn.

    I either sleep in or watch TV at home. I'm lazy.

  • 张伟，你周末一般做什么？

    Zhāng Wěi, nǐ zhōumò yìbān zuò shénme?

    Zhang Wei, what do you usually do at the weekend?

  • 你的周末真充实！下个周末我也跟你去健身房吧。

    Nǐ de zhōumò zhēn chōngshí! Xiàge zhōumò wǒ yě gēn nǐ qù jiànshēnfáng ba.

    Your weekends are so full! Next weekend I'll come to the gym with you.

Practice

  1. Meaning

    What does 逛街 mean?

    1. Mrs, wife
    2. to visit (a place)
    3. to go shopping, to stroll the streets
    Show the answer

    Answer: C, to go shopping, to stroll the streets.

    逛街 (guàngjiē) means to go shopping, to stroll the streets.

  2. Characters

    Which word means “lazy”?

    1. 连
    2. 懒
    3. 饿
    Show the answer

    Answer: B, 懒.

    “lazy” is 懒 (lǎn).

  3. Pinyin

    How do you read 睡懒觉 (to sleep in)?

    1. shuìlǎnjiāo
    2. shuìlǎnjiào
    3. shuìlǎnjiǎo
    Show the answer

    Answer: B, shuìlǎnjiào.

    睡懒觉 is read shuìlǎnjiào. Check the tone mark on every syllable.

  4. Listening

    Listen. What does the word mean?

    Cannot listen? Read it instead

    规律 guīlǜ

    1. to give up
    2. station, stop
    3. regular pattern, regular
    Show the answer

    Answer: C, regular pattern, regular.

    You heard 规律 (guīlǜ): regular pattern, regular.

  5. Your turn

    Recall: type the Chinese for “full, rich (of a life)” (characters or pinyin).

    Show the answer

    Answer: 充实

    “full, rich (of a life)” is 充实 (chōngshí).

  6. Listening

    Listen. Which sentence did you hear?

    Cannot listen? Read it instead

    张伟，你周末一般做什么？ Zhāng Wěi, nǐ zhōumò yìbān zuò shénme?

    1. Zhang Wei, what do you usually do at the weekend?
    2. I either go to the gym or go shopping with friends. In the evening I also do painting.
    3. I either sleep in or watch TV at home. I'm lazy.
    Show the answer

    Answer: A, Zhang Wei, what do you usually do at the weekend?.

    You heard 张伟，你周末一般做什么？ (Zhāng Wěi, nǐ zhōumò yìbān zuò shénme?): Zhang Wei, what do you usually do at the weekend?

  7. Reading

    Read: 我的同事每天中午不是吃面条，就是吃饺子，从来不吃别的。 What does the colleague eat for lunch?

    1. always noodles or dumplings
    2. anything, but never dumplings
    3. noodles every single day
    Show the answer

    Answer: A, always noodles or dumplings.

    不是吃面条，就是吃饺子.

  8. Grammar

    Which sentence means He's either at work or at home?

    1. 他不是在公司，而是在家。
    2. 他不是在公司，就是在家。
    3. 他不是在公司，也在家。
    Show the answer

    Answer: B, 他不是在公司，就是在家。.

    他不是在公司，就是在家。: 不是…就是: either … or.

  9. In context

    You stayed in bed until noon on Sunday. What did you do?

    1. 我逛街了。
    2. 我睡懒觉了。
    3. 我很充实。
    Show the answer

    Answer: B, 我睡懒觉了。.

    我睡懒觉了。: 睡懒觉: to sleep in.

  10. Your turn

    Type the Chinese for to go shopping (stroll the streets)

    Show the answer

    Answer: 逛街

    逛街: to go shopping.

Your weekend pattern

Describe your typical weekend out loud, in six sentences. Record yourself.

  1. What you either do or do, with 不是…就是.
  2. Whether your life has a routine: 有规律 or 没有规律.
  3. One change that would make your weekends fuller, with 要是.

Sentence frames

  • 周末我不是＿＿，就是＿＿。

    Zhōumò wǒ bú shì ＿＿, jiù shì ＿＿.

    At weekends I either ... or ...

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 use 不是…就是 for either … or.
  • I can talk about routines and weekends.

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: HSK 4 Unit 4: Time and change, where you say as soon as, keep going and it seems.