Spoken and written words
HSK 5 Unit 3: Written Chinese · Lesson 1 of 5 · About 26 minutes
Preview version — Chinese review in progress.
Your mission: By the end of this lesson, you can recognise formal written equivalents of everyday words, and read a short public notice.
Audio preview uses your device’s Chinese voice. It is not a recording.
Warm-up: do you remember?
Two quick questions from earlier lessons. Recalling before you learn makes the new material stick.
Meaning
What does 并不 mean?
That is 加重 (jiāzhòng).
That is 印象 (yìnxiàng).
Show the answer
Answer: C, not at all (stressed).
并不 (bìng bù) means not at all (stressed).
Characters
Which word means “fact”?
汗水 (hànshuǐ) means sweat.
毅力 (yìlì) means willpower.
Show the answer
Answer: B, 事实.
“fact” is 事实 (shìshí).
New words
Spoken and written pairs
Written Chinese, in notices, news and reports, often uses short classical-style words instead of everyday ones. You need to recognise them even if you rarely say them.
| Spoken | Written |
|---|---|
| 在 (at) | 于 |
| 的 (of) | 之 |
| 都 (all) | 均 |
| 必须 (must) | 须 |
| 请不要 (please don't) | 请勿 |
会议将于明天上午九点举行。
Huìyì jiāng yú míngtiān shàngwǔ jiǔ diǎn jǔxíng.
The meeting will be held at nine tomorrow morning.
室内禁止吸烟。
Shìnèi jìnzhǐ xīyān.
Smoking is prohibited indoors.
请勿大声喧哗。
Qǐngwù dàshēng xuānhuá.
Please do not make loud noise.
Characters
Open a character to see how it is written, stroke by stroke, with its meanings and words.
A notice in the library
Sophie reads a notice at the university library and asks Professor Yang about it.
Listen first
Play the whole text and answer the questions before you open it.
Helpful words: 举行 jǔxíng to hold (an event); 吸烟 xīyān to smoke; 喧哗 xuānhuá noise, to make noise; 至 zhì to (until); 设备 shèbèi equipment; 维修 wéixiū repair; 期限 qīxiàn time limit; 延长 yáncháng to extend; 工作人员 gōngzuò rényuán staff; 活动 huódòng event; 参加者 cānjiāzhě participant; 到达 dàodá to arrive
Listening
Listen first. When is the library closed?
Show the answer
Answer: A, next Monday to Wednesday.
将于下周一至周三关闭.
Listening
What happens to loan periods?
Show the answer
Answer: B, They are extended by three days..
借书期限均延长三天.
Show the text
通知
Notice
图书馆将于下周一至周三关闭，进行设备维修。
The library will be closed from next Monday to Wednesday for equipment repairs.
借书期限均延长三天。
All loan periods are extended by three days.
馆内禁止吃东西，请勿大声说话。
Eating is prohibited in the library; please do not talk loudly.
如有问题，须于周五之前联系工作人员。
If you have questions, you must contact staff before Friday.
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.
Recordings stay in this browser tab: nothing is uploaded, and they disappear when you leave the page unless you save a copy of a task recording to your device yourself. Your browser asks for the microphone first.
Recording is not available in this browser. Listen, then repeat aloud and compare by ear.
如有问题，须于周五之前联系工作人员。
Rú yǒu wèntí, xū yú zhōuwǔ zhīqián liánxì gōngzuò rényuán.
If you have questions, you must contact staff before Friday.
图书馆将于下周一至周三关闭，进行设备维修。
Túshūguǎn jiāng yú xià zhōuyī zhì zhōusān guānbì, jìnxíng shèbèi wéixiū.
The library will be closed from next Monday to Wednesday for equipment repairs.
馆内禁止吃东西，请勿大声说话。
Guǎn nèi jìnzhǐ chī dōngxi, qǐngwù dàshēng shuōhuà.
Eating is prohibited in the library; please do not talk loudly.
Practice
Meaning
What does 禁止 mean?
That is 踢 (tī).
That is 分 (fēn).
Show the answer
Answer: C, to prohibit.
禁止 (jìnzhǐ) means to prohibit.
Characters
Which word means “must”?
请勿 (qǐngwù) means please do not (written).
惊讶 (jīngyà) means surprised, amazed.
Show the answer
Answer: B, 必须.
“must” is 必须 (bìxū).
Pinyin
How do you read 将 (will (written))?
Show the answer
Answer: C, jiāng.
将 is read jiāng. Check the tone mark on every syllable.
Listening
Listen. What does the word mean?
Cannot listen? Read it instead
关闭 guānbì
That would be 英语 (Yīngyǔ).
That would be 士兵 (shìbīng).
Show the answer
Answer: A, to close.
You heard 关闭 (guānbì): to close.
Your turn
Recall: type the Chinese for “must (written)” (characters or pinyin).
Show the answer
Answer: 须
“must (written)” is 须 (xū).
Grammar
Which is the written form of 都?
Show the answer
Answer: C, 均.
均: all (written).
Fill the gap
Complete: Please do not smoke.
请＿＿吸烟。
Show the answer
Answer: A, 勿.
请勿: please do not.
In context
A sign says 禁止停车. What does it mean?
Show the answer
Answer: B, No parking..
禁止: prohibited.
Reading
Read: 活动将于本周六下午两点开始，参加者须提前十分钟到达。 When must participants arrive?
Show the answer
Answer: C, ten minutes before two.
须提前十分钟到达: ten minutes early.
Read the signs
Read three public notices aloud (imagine them in a station, a park and an office) and say what each means in plain spoken Chinese.
- Turn 于 into 在 and 均 into 都.
- Turn 请勿 into 请不要 and 须 into 必须.
Sentence frames
＿＿就是＿＿的意思。
＿＿ jiù shì ＿＿ de yìsi.
... means ...
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 recognise 于, 之, 均, 须 and 请勿 in notices.
- I can restate a formal notice in spoken Chinese.
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.