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Mythic Mandarin

A debate: should children have smartphones?

HSK 6 Unit 1: Rhetorical questions · Lesson 5 of 5 · About 28 minutes

Preview version — Chinese review in progress.

Your mission: By the end of this lesson, you can follow a short debate built on rhetorical questions, and argue one side yourself.

Warm-up: do you remember?

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

  1. Meaning

    What does 法律 mean?

    1. to set out, to arrange
    2. law
    3. to press between, to clip
    Show the answer

    Answer: B, law.

    法律 (fǎlǜ) means law.

  2. Characters

    Which word means “clause, term (of a contract)”?

    1. 道理
    2. 条款
    3. 去世
    Show the answer

    Answer: B, 条款.

    “clause, term (of a contract)” is 条款 (tiáokuǎn).

  3. Listening

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

    Cannot listen? Read it instead

    展览 zhǎnlǎn

    1. to defeat
    2. exhibition
    3. hard drive
    Show the answer

    Answer: B, exhibition.

    You heard 展览 (zhǎnlǎn): exhibition.

New words

  • 说服shuōfúto persuade
  • 反驳fǎnbóto refute, to rebut
  • 家长jiāzhǎngparent
  • 沉迷chénmíto be addicted to
  • 控制kòngzhìto control
  • 紧急jǐnjíurgent

Arguing with questions

In a debate, a rhetorical question is stronger than a plain statement: 难道…吗 challenges the other side, 何况 adds a stronger case, and 何必 dismisses a worry.

  • 难道不用手机，孩子就学不好吗？

    Nándào bú yòng shǒujī, háizi jiù xué bu hǎo ma?

    Surely children can learn well without a phone?

Characters

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

The school debate

Two students debate in front of Professor Yang. Lin Yue is for, Mark is against.

Listen first

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

Helpful words: 软件 ruǎnjiàn app, software; 随时 suíshí at any time; 永远 yǒngyuǎn forever, ever; 标准 biāozhǔn standard; 智能手机 zhìnéng shǒujī smartphone; 正方 zhèngfāng the side for (in a debate); 反方 fǎnfāng the side against; 视力 shìlì eyesight; 自控 zìkòng self-control

  1. Listening

    Listen first. Which side is Mark on?

    1. for
    2. neither
    3. against
    Show the answer

    Answer: C, against.

    我是反方.

  2. Listening

    What is Mark's argument about adults?

    1. adults buy too many new phones
    2. adults don't need smartphones either
    3. many adults can't control their phone use
    Show the answer

    Answer: C, many adults can't control their phone use.

    很多大人都沉迷手机.

  3. Listening

    What does Professor Yang conclude?

    1. Lin Yue won the debate
    2. Mark's argument was stronger
    3. nobody persuaded the other
    Show the answer

    Answer: C, nobody persuaded the other.

    谁也没说服谁.

Show the transcript
Pinyin
Translation

  1. 林月

    我Wǒ是shì正方zhèngfāng。现在Xiànzài的de社会shèhuì离不开líbukāi手机shǒujī，孩子háizi遇到yùdào紧急jǐnjí情况qíngkuàng，难道nándào不bù需要xūyào联系liánxì家长jiāzhǎng吗ma？

    I'm for. Today's society can't do without phones. When children are in an emergency, surely they need to contact their parents?

  2. 马克

    我Wǒ是shì反方fǎnfāng。联系Liánxì家长jiāzhǎng，一yí个gè普通pǔtōng的de电话diànhuà就jiù够gòu了le，何必hébì给gěi孩子háizi买mǎi智能手机zhìnéng shǒujī呢ne？

    I'm against. To contact parents, a basic phone is enough. Why buy a child a smartphone?

  3. 林月

    手机Shǒujī上shàng有yǒu很hěn多duō学习xuéxí的de软件ruǎnjiàn，孩子háizi可以kěyǐ随时suíshí学习xuéxí。

    Phones have lots of learning apps; children can study any time.

  4. 马克

    很Hěn多duō大dà人rén都dōu沉迷chénmí手机shǒujī，没méi法fǎ控制kòngzhì自己zìjǐ，何况hékuàng孩子háizi呢ne？

    Many adults are addicted to their phones and can't control themselves, let alone children.

  5. 林月

    那Nà你nǐ的de意思yìsi是shì，孩子háizi永远yǒngyuǎn不bù能néng用yòng手机shǒujī吗ma？

    So you mean children can never use phones?

  6. 马克

    不Bú是shì。我Wǒ只是zhǐshì说shuō，等děng他们tāmen有yǒu了le自控zìkòng能力nénglì再zài用yòng。

    No. I'm only saying they should wait until they have self-control.

  7. 杨教授

    你们Nǐmen两liǎng个gè人rén都dōu说shuō得de很hěn好hǎo，谁shéi也yě没méi说服shuōfú谁shéi。莫非Mòfēi这个zhège问题wèntí没有méiyǒu标准biāozhǔn答案dá'àn？

    You both spoke very well, and neither persuaded the other. Could it be that this question has no standard answer?

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.

  • 很多大人都沉迷手机，没法控制自己，何况孩子呢？

    Hěn duō dà rén dōu chénmí shǒujī, méi fǎ kòngzhì zìjǐ, hékuàng háizi ne?

    Many adults are addicted to their phones and can't control themselves, let alone children.

  • 那你的意思是，孩子永远不能用手机吗？

    Nà nǐ de yìsi shì, háizi yǒngyuǎn bù néng yòng shǒujī ma?

    So you mean children can never use phones?

  • 不是。我只是说，等他们有了自控能力再用。

    Bú shì. Wǒ zhǐshì shuō, děng tāmen yǒu le zìkòng nénglì zài yòng.

    No. I'm only saying they should wait until they have self-control.

Practice

  1. Meaning

    What does 说服 mean?

    1. to persuade
    2. greasy, oily
    3. to show
    Show the answer

    Answer: A, to persuade.

    说服 (shuōfú) means to persuade.

  2. Characters

    Which word means “to refute, to rebut”?

    1. 迹象
    2. 反驳
    3. 秘密
    Show the answer

    Answer: B, 反驳.

    “to refute, to rebut” is 反驳 (fǎnbó).

  3. Pinyin

    How do you read 家长 (parent)?

    1. jiázhǎng
    2. jiāzhǎng
    3. jiàzhǎng
    Show the answer

    Answer: B, jiāzhǎng.

    家长 is read jiāzhǎng. Check the tone mark on every syllable.

  4. Listening

    Listen. What does the word mean?

    Cannot listen? Read it instead

    沉迷 chénmí

    1. quiet
    2. to travel around
    3. to be addicted to
    Show the answer

    Answer: C, to be addicted to.

    You heard 沉迷 (chénmí): to be addicted to.

  5. Your turn

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

    Show the answer

    Answer: 控制

    “to control” is 控制 (kòngzhì).

  6. Listening

    Listen. Which sentence did you hear?

    Cannot listen? Read it instead

    很多大人都沉迷手机，没法控制自己，何况孩子呢？ Hěn duō dà rén dōu chénmí shǒujī, méi fǎ kòngzhì zìjǐ, hékuàng háizi ne?

    1. No. I'm only saying they should wait until they have self-control.
    2. I'm for. Today's society can't do without phones. When children are in an emergency, surely they need to contact their parents?
    3. Many adults are addicted to their phones and can't control themselves, let alone children.
    Show the answer

    Answer: C, Many adults are addicted to their phones and can't control themselves, let alone children..

    You heard 很多大人都沉迷手机，没法控制自己，何况孩子呢？ (Hěn duō dà rén dōu chénmí shǒujī, méi fǎ kòngzhì zìjǐ, hékuàng háizi ne?): Many adults are addicted to their phones and can't control themselves, let alone children.

  7. Reading

    Read: 连大人都没法控制自己，何况孩子呢？ What does the speaker think about children?

    1. they control themselves better than adults
    2. they find it even harder to control themselves
    3. they shouldn't be allowed any phone at all
    Show the answer

    Answer: B, they find it even harder to control themselves.

    何况孩子: even harder for children.

  8. Grammar

    Which question challenges the other side?

    1. 你觉得呢？
    2. 你想过吗？
    3. 难道你没想过这个问题吗？
    Show the answer

    Answer: C, 难道你没想过这个问题吗？.

    难道你没想过这个问题吗？: 难道…吗: a challenge.

  9. In context

    You give three good reasons, and your friend finally agrees with you. What did you do?

    1. 反驳了他
    2. 说服了他
    3. 沉迷了他
    Show the answer

    Answer: B, 说服了他.

    说服了他: 说服: to persuade.

  10. Your turn

    Type the Chinese for parent

    Show the answer

    Answer: 家长

    家长: parent (of a pupil).

Your side

Argue one side of the smartphone question out loud, in eight sentences. Record it.

  1. Say which side you are on.
  2. Give two reasons.
  3. Refute the other side with two rhetorical questions, using 难道 and 何况.
  4. End with what you would advise parents.

Sentence frames

  • 难道＿＿吗？

    Nándào ＿＿ ma?

    Surely ...?

  • 连＿＿都＿＿，何况＿＿呢？

    Lián ＿＿ dōu ＿＿, hékuàng ＿＿ ne?

    Even ..., let alone ...

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 follow a short debate built on rhetorical questions.
  • I can argue one side with 难道, 何必, 何况 and 莫非.

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 6 Unit 2: Not this but that, where you correct wrong ideas.