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Mythic Mandarin

Before the stories: a concert, an injury and a ghost film

HSK 4 Unit 10: Looking back, looking ahead · Lesson 8 of 8 · About 24 minutes

Preview version — Chinese review in progress.

Your mission: By the end of this lesson, you can talk about a performance and practice, an injury and a coach's advice, suggest an idea and refuse a ghost film, with the last words for the HSK 4 stories.

Warm-up: do you remember?

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

  1. Meaning

    What does 老家 mean?

    1. exactly the same
    2. business, trade
    3. hometown, ancestral home
    Show the answer

    Answer: C, hometown, ancestral home.

    老家 (lǎojiā) means hometown, ancestral home.

  2. Characters

    Which word means “lonely”?

    1. 孤单
    2. 未来
    3. 举例
    Show the answer

    Answer: A, 孤单.

    “lonely” is 孤单 (gūdān).

  3. Listening

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

    Cannot listen? Read it instead

    春天 chūntiān

    1. printing
    2. emperor
    3. spring
    Show the answer

    Answer: C, spring.

    You heard 春天 (chūntiān): spring.

New words

  • 小提琴xiǎotíqínviolin
  • 演出yǎnchūperformance, to perform
  • 整整zhěngzhěngwhole, fully
  • 胳膊gēboarm
  • 教练jiàoliàncoach, trainer
  • 想法xiǎngfǎidea
  • 鬼guǐghost
  • 伟大wěidàgreat
  • 捡jiǎnto pick up

Practice, injuries and ideas

整整 + time: a whole, fully. It stresses how long something took.

  • 为了这次演出，我整整练了三个月。

    Wèile zhè cì yǎnchū, wǒ zhěngzhěng liàn le sān gè yuè.

    For this performance I practised for three whole months.

胳膊 (gēbo) is the arm. A sports 教练 (coach) tells you when to rest.

  • 我的胳膊伤了，打不了篮球。

    Wǒ de gēbo shāng le, dǎ bu le lánqiú.

    I've hurt my arm and can't play basketball.

想法 is an idea or opinion: 我有一个想法 I have an idea.

捡 is to pick something up from the ground: 捡到 + thing, to find something.

  • 我在教室门口捡到一本书。

    Wǒ zài jiàoshì ménkǒu jiǎn dào yì běn shū.

    I picked up a book at the classroom door.

Characters

  • 琴 = 王
  • 胳 = 月
  • 膊 = 月
  • 伟 = 亻
  • 捡 = 扌

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

Before the concert

Xiaoyu is about to play at a school concert. Gao Fei calls her.

Listen first

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

Helpful words: 拉小提琴 lā xiǎotíqín to play the violin; 音乐家 yīnyuèjiā musician; 鬼片 guǐpiàn ghost film

  1. Listening

    Listen first. How long did Xiaoyu practise?

    1. three whole months
    2. three whole weeks
    3. three years
    Show the answer

    Answer: A, three whole months.

    我整整练了三个月.

  2. Listening

    Why can't Gao Fei come?

    1. He hurt his arm and must rest.
    2. He has to work.
    3. He doesn't like music.
    Show the answer

    Answer: A, He hurt his arm and must rest..

    我的胳膊伤了…教练让我在家休息.

  3. Listening

    Which film will they see?

    1. a new ghost film
    2. a film about a great musician
    3. a film about a famous athlete
    Show the answer

    Answer: B, a film about a great musician.

    还是看那部关于一位伟大的音乐家的电影吧.

Show the transcript
Pinyin
Translation

  1. 高飞

    小雨Xiǎoyǔ，听说tīngshuō你nǐ今天jīntiān晚上wǎnshang有yǒu演出yǎnchū？

    Xiaoyu, I hear you're performing tonight?

  2. 小雨

    对Duì，我wǒ拉小提琴lā xiǎotíqín。为了Wèile这zhè次cì演出yǎnchū，我wǒ整整zhěngzhěng练liàn了le三sān个gè月yuè。

    Yes, I'm playing the violin. I practised for three whole months for this performance.

  3. 高飞

    真Zhēn厉害lìhai！我Wǒ也yě想xiǎng去qù看kàn，可是kěshì我wǒ的de胳膊gēbo伤shāng了le，打dǎ不bu了le篮球lánqiú，教练jiàoliàn让ràng我wǒ在zài家jiā休息xiūxi。

    Impressive! I want to come and watch, but I've hurt my arm and can't play basketball, and my coach told me to rest at home.

  4. 小雨

    那Nà你好nǐ hǎo好hǎo休息xiūxi吧ba。我Wǒ有yǒu一yí个gè想法xiǎngfǎ：下个xiàge周末zhōumò我们wǒmen一起yìqǐ去qù看kàn电影diànyǐng吧ba。听说Tīngshuō有yǒu一yí部bù新xīn的de鬼片guǐpiàn。

    Then rest well. I have an idea: let's go to a film together next weekend. I hear there's a new ghost film.

  5. 高飞

    鬼片Guǐpiàn？我Wǒ最zuì怕pà鬼guǐ了le！还是Háishi看kàn那nà部bù关于guānyú一yí位wèi伟大wěidà的de音乐家yīnyuèjiā的de电影diànyǐng吧ba。

    A ghost film? I'm terrified of ghosts! Let's see that film about a great musician instead.

  6. 小雨

    好Hǎo吧ba！对Duì了le，你nǐ上次shàngcì在zài教室jiàoshì门口ménkǒu捡jiǎn到dào的de书shū是shì我wǒ的de吗ma？

    All right! By the way, is the book you picked up at the classroom door mine?

  7. 高飞

    是Shì你nǐ的de小提琴xiǎotíqín书shū！我Wǒ明天míngtiān带dài给gěi你nǐ。

    It's your violin book! I'll bring it to you tomorrow.

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.

  • 对，我拉小提琴。为了这次演出，我整整练了三个月。

    Duì, wǒ lā xiǎotíqín. Wèile zhè cì yǎnchū, wǒ zhěngzhěng liàn le sān gè yuè.

    Yes, I'm playing the violin. I practised for three whole months for this performance.

  • 鬼片？我最怕鬼了！还是看那部关于一位伟大的音乐家的电影吧。

    Guǐpiàn? Wǒ zuì pà guǐ le! Háishi kàn nà bù guānyú yí wèi wěidà de yīnyuèjiā de diànyǐng ba.

    A ghost film? I'm terrified of ghosts! Let's see that film about a great musician instead.

  • 小雨，听说你今天晚上有演出？

    Xiǎoyǔ, tīngshuō nǐ jīntiān wǎnshang yǒu yǎnchū?

    Xiaoyu, I hear you're performing tonight?

Practice

  1. Meaning

    What does 小提琴 mean?

    1. smooth, without problems
    2. painting, picture, to draw
    3. violin
    Show the answer

    Answer: C, violin.

    小提琴 (xiǎotíqín) means violin.

  2. Characters

    Which word means “performance, to perform”?

    1. 演出
    2. 整整
    3. 伟大
    Show the answer

    Answer: A, 演出.

    “performance, to perform” is 演出 (yǎnchū).

  3. Pinyin

    How do you read 整整 (whole, fully)?

    1. zhěngzhěng
    2. zhéngzhěng
    3. zhēngzhěng
    Show the answer

    Answer: A, zhěngzhěng.

    整整 is read zhěngzhěng. Check the tone mark on every syllable.

  4. Listening

    Listen. What does the word mean?

    Cannot listen? Read it instead

    胳膊 gēbo

    1. memory
    2. old (of things)
    3. arm
    Show the answer

    Answer: C, arm.

    You heard 胳膊 (gēbo): arm.

  5. Your turn

    Recall: type the Chinese for “coach, trainer” (characters or pinyin).

    Show the answer

    Answer: 教练

    “coach, trainer” is 教练 (jiàoliàn).

  6. Listening

    Listen. Which sentence did you hear?

    Cannot listen? Read it instead

    是你的小提琴书！我明天带给你。 Shì nǐ de xiǎotíqín shū! Wǒ míngtiān dài gěi nǐ.

    1. All right! By the way, is the book you picked up at the classroom door mine?
    2. A ghost film? I'm terrified of ghosts! Let's see that film about a great musician instead.
    3. It's your violin book! I'll bring it to you tomorrow.
    Show the answer

    Answer: C, It's your violin book! I'll bring it to you tomorrow..

    You heard 是你的小提琴书！我明天带给你。 (Shì nǐ de xiǎotíqín shū! Wǒ míngtiān dài gěi nǐ.): It's your violin book! I'll bring it to you tomorrow.

  7. In context

    You want to suggest a plan to a friend. How do you start?

    1. 我有一个想法。
    2. 我很怕鬼。
    3. 我的胳膊伤了。
    Show the answer

    Answer: A, 我有一个想法。.

    我有一个想法。: 我有一个想法: I have an idea.

  8. Grammar

    Which sentence means I can't play basketball (because of an injury)?

    1. 我打不了篮球。
    2. 我打篮球不了。
    3. 我不了打篮球。
    Show the answer

    Answer: A, 我打不了篮球。.

    我打不了篮球。 Verb + 不了 + object.

  9. Fill the gap

    Complete: I practised for three whole months.

    我＿＿练了三个月。

    1. 整整
    2. 一模一样
    3. 悄悄
    Show the answer

    Answer: A, 整整.

    我整整练了三个月。 整整 stresses the whole time.

  10. Reading

    Read: 我的教练说，我的胳膊还没好，这个月不能比赛。我很伤心，因为这场比赛我准备了整整一年。 Why is the writer sad?

    1. The coach left the team this month.
    2. They can't take part in a competition they prepared for all year.
    3. They lost the game they prepared for.
    Show the answer

    Answer: B, They can't take part in a competition they prepared for all year..

    这场比赛我准备了整整一年.

  11. Your turn

    Type the Chinese for violin

    Show the answer

    Answer: 小提琴

    小提琴: violin.

Invite a friend

Call a friend (out loud, or record it): tell them about a performance or match you prepared for, and suggest an idea for the weekend.

  1. Say what you prepared and for how long, with 整整.
  2. Say why someone can or can't come, with 不了.
  3. Suggest a plan with 我有一个想法.

Sentence frames

  • 为了＿＿，我整整练了＿＿。

    Wèile ＿＿, wǒ zhěngzhěng liàn le ＿＿.

    For ..., I practised for a whole ...

  • 我有一个想法：＿＿。

    Wǒ yǒu yí gè xiǎngfǎ: ＿＿.

    I have an idea: ...

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 talk about a performance, practice and an injury.
  • I can make a suggestion with 我有一个想法.
  • I know the words for the HSK 4 stories.
  • I have finished HSK 4 and can review any unit before moving on.

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.

You have finished HSK 4. Next: HSK 5 Unit 1: Even if and no matter what, where Chinese becomes more written and more nuanced.