Skip to content
Mythic Mandarin

A short report: 所…的

HSK 5 Unit 3: Written Chinese · Lesson 5 of 5 · About 28 minutes

Preview version — Chinese review in progress.

Your mission: By the end of this lesson, you can read and write a short formal report, using 所 + verb + 的 for what someone does, and the written words of this unit.

Warm-up: do you remember?

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

  1. Meaning

    What does 或 mean?

    1. or (written)
    2. please do not (written)
    3. unexpectedly (more written)
    Show the answer

    Answer: A, or (written).

    或 (huò) means or (written).

  2. Characters

    Which word means “on the whole”?

    1. 竟然
    2. 总的来说
    3. 意外
    Show the answer

    Answer: B, 总的来说.

    “on the whole” is 总的来说 (zǒng de lái shuō).

  3. Listening

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

    Cannot listen? Read it instead

    误会 wùhuì

    1. misunderstanding, to misunderstand
    2. lower back, waist
    3. to persevere (idiom)
    Show the answer

    Answer: A, misunderstanding, to misunderstand.

    You heard 误会 (wùhuì): misunderstanding, to misunderstand.

New words

  • 参加cānjiāto take part
  • 所suǒ(written: what someone does, before a verb)
  • 调查diàocháto investigate, survey
  • 显示xiǎnshìto show
  • 结论jiélùnconclusion
  • 数据shùjùdata
  • 比例bǐlìproportion

所 + verb + 的

所 (suǒ) before a verb in writing makes a phrase meaning what (someone) does: 我们所做的, what we do; 大家所说的, what everyone says. The verb is usually followed by 的 and a noun.

  • 这就是我所知道的。

    Zhè jiù shì wǒ suǒ zhīdào de.

    That's what I know.

  • 调查所得的数据显示，…

    Diàochá suǒdé de shùjù xiǎnshì,…

    The data obtained from the survey show that ...

  • 他所说的并不是事实。

    Tā suǒ shuō de bìng bú shì shìshí.

    What he said is not true at all.

Characters

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

Survey report

Chen Jing writes up a survey about how employees get to work.

Listen first

Play the whole text and answer the questions before you open it.

Helpful words: 报告 bàogào report; 员工 yuángōng employee; 方式 fāngshì way; 本次 běncì this (time); 全体 quántǐ all; 对象 duìxiàng target, subject; 共 gòng in total; 占 zhàn to account for; 百分之五十五 bǎifēnzhīwǔshíwǔ 55%; 骑 qí to ride; 停车 tíngchē parking; 应 yīng should; 考虑 kǎolǜ to consider; 提供 tígōng to provide; 班车 bānchē shuttle bus; 一定的 yídìngde a certain; 费用 fèiyòng cost; 增加 zēngjiā to increase

  1. Listening

    Listen first. How many employees took part?

    1. two hundred
    2. one hundred
    3. five hundred
    Show the answer

    Answer: A, two hundred.

    共有两百人参加.

  2. Listening

    What is the most common way to get to work?

    1. driving
    2. cycling
    3. the subway
    Show the answer

    Answer: C, the subway.

    坐地铁的员工比例最高.

  3. Listening

    What is the conclusion?

    1. consider a shuttle bus
    2. ban cars
    3. move the office
    Show the answer

    Answer: A, consider a shuttle bus.

    公司应考虑为员工提供班车.

Show the text
Pinyin
Translation

  1. 调查Diàochá报告bàogào：员工yuángōng上班shàngbān方式fāngshì

    Survey report: how employees get to work

  2. 本次Běncì调查diàochá以yǐ公司gōngsī全体quántǐ员工yuángōng为wéi对象duìxiàng，共gòng有yǒu两liǎng百bǎi人rén参加cānjiā。

    This survey covered all company employees; two hundred took part.

  3. 调查Diàochá所得suǒdé的de数据shùjù显示xiǎnshì，坐zuò地铁dìtiě的de员工yuángōng比例bǐlì最zuì高gāo，占zhàn百分之五十五bǎifēnzhīwǔshíwǔ。

    The data show that the proportion of employees taking the subway is highest, at fifty-five per cent.

  4. 其次Qícì是shì开kāi车chē，占zhàn百bǎi分fēn之zhī二十èrshí；此外cǐwài，骑qí自行车zìxíngchē的de占zhàn百bǎi分fēn之zhī十五shíwǔ。

    Next is driving, at twenty per cent; in addition, cycling accounts for fifteen per cent.

  5. 由于Yóuyú公司gōngsī附近fùjìn停车tíngchē不bù方便fāngbiàn，开kāi车chē的de员工yuángōng往往wǎngwǎng迟到chídào。

    Because parking near the company is inconvenient, employees who drive are often late.

  6. 结论Jiélùn：公司gōngsī应yīng考虑kǎolǜ为wèi员工yuángōng提供tígōng班车bānchē，然而rán'ér这zhè需要xūyào一定的yídìngde费用fèiyòng。

    Conclusion: the company should consider providing a shuttle bus; however, this would involve some cost.

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.

  • 调查所得的数据显示，坐地铁的员工比例最高，占百分之五十五。

    Diàochá suǒdé de shùjù xiǎnshì, zuò dìtiě de yuángōng bǐlì zuì gāo, zhàn bǎifēnzhīwǔshíwǔ.

    The data show that the proportion of employees taking the subway is highest, at fifty-five per cent.

  • 本次调查以公司全体员工为对象，共有两百人参加。

    Běncì diàochá yǐ gōngsī quántǐ yuángōng wéi duìxiàng, gòng yǒu liǎng bǎi rén cānjiā.

    This survey covered all company employees; two hundred took part.

  • 调查报告：员工上班方式

    Diàochá bàogào: yuángōng shàngbān fāngshì

    Survey report: how employees get to work

Practice

  1. Meaning

    What does 参加 mean?

    1. to stay up late
    2. tall, high
    3. to take part
    Show the answer

    Answer: C, to take part.

    参加 (cānjiā) means to take part.

  2. Characters

    Which word means “(written: what someone does, before a verb)”?

    1. 为
    2. 之
    3. 所
    Show the answer

    Answer: C, 所.

    “(written: what someone does, before a verb)” is 所 (suǒ).

  3. Pinyin

    How do you read 调查 (to investigate, survey)?

    1. diāochá
    2. diàochǎ
    3. diàochá
    Show the answer

    Answer: C, diàochá.

    调查 is read diàochá. Check the tone mark on every syllable.

  4. Listening

    Listen. What does the word mean?

    Cannot listen? Read it instead

    显示 xiǎnshì

    1. you're welcome
    2. to show
    3. about the same, almost
    Show the answer

    Answer: B, to show.

    You heard 显示 (xiǎnshì): to show.

  5. Your turn

    Recall: type the Chinese for “conclusion” (characters or pinyin).

    Show the answer

    Answer: 结论

    “conclusion” is 结论 (jiélùn).

  6. Listening

    Listen. Which sentence did you hear?

    Cannot listen? Read it instead

    其次是开车，占百分之二十；此外，骑自行车的占百分之十五。 Qícì shì kāi chē, zhàn bǎi fēn zhī èrshí; cǐwài, qí zìxíngchē de zhàn bǎi fēn zhī shíwǔ.

    1. Next is driving, at twenty per cent; in addition, cycling accounts for fifteen per cent.
    2. Conclusion: the company should consider providing a shuttle bus; however, this would involve some cost.
    3. Because parking near the company is inconvenient, employees who drive are often late.
    Show the answer

    Answer: A, Next is driving, at twenty per cent; in addition, cycling accounts for fifteen per cent..

    You heard 其次是开车，占百分之二十；此外，骑自行车的占百分之十五。 (Qícì shì kāi chē, zhàn bǎi fēn zhī èrshí; cǐwài, qí zìxíngchē de zhàn bǎi fēn zhī shíwǔ.): Next is driving, at twenty per cent; in addition, cycling accounts for fifteen per cent.

  7. Reading

    Read: 调查显示，百分之七十的学生每天用手机学习。由于手机方便，这个比例还在增加。 What is the trend?

    1. decreasing
    2. increasing
    3. stable
    Show the answer

    Answer: B, increasing.

    这个比例还在增加: increasing.

  8. Grammar

    Which phrase means what everyone says?

    1. 大家所说的
    2. 所大家说的
    3. 大家说所的
    Show the answer

    Answer: A, 大家所说的.

    大家所说的: 所 + verb + 的: what … say.

  9. In context

    What do you call the final judgement at the end of a report?

    1. 数据
    2. 结论
    3. 比例
    Show the answer

    Answer: B, 结论.

    结论: conclusion.

  10. Your turn

    Type the Chinese for the data show

    Show the answer

    Answer: 数据显示

    数据显示: the data show.

Your survey

Imagine a survey of your friends (how they learn languages, or how they exercise) and present it out loud as a short report of six sentences. Record it.

  1. Who was surveyed and how many, with 以…为对象.
  2. The main results with percentages and 比例.
  3. A cause with 由于 and a contrast with 然而.
  4. A conclusion.

Sentence frames

  • 调查所得的数据显示，＿＿。

    Diàochá suǒdé de shùjù xiǎnshì, ＿＿.

    The data from the survey show that ...

  • 结论：＿＿。

    Jiélùn: ＿＿.

    Conclusion: ...

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 read and write a short report in formal Chinese.
  • I can use 所 + verb + 的.

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 5 Unit 4: Luck and necessity, where you talk about luck, the unavoidable and what is worth doing.