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Mythic Mandarin

Wasted words: 对牛弹琴

HSK 6 Unit 9: Classic tales retold · Lesson 3 of 5 · About 26 minutes

Preview version — Chinese review in progress.

Your mission: By the end of this lesson, you can retell the story behind 对牛弹琴, use it to talk about choosing the right audience, and recognise 以 in formal writing.

Warm-up: do you remember?

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

  1. Meaning

    What does 生动 mean?

    1. vivid, lively
    2. good fortune, blessing
    3. main point
    Show the answer

    Answer: A, vivid, lively.

    生动 (shēngdòng) means vivid, lively.

  2. Characters

    Which word means “to add the finishing touch”?

    1. 现状
    2. 画龙点睛
    3. 好处
    Show the answer

    Answer: B, 画龙点睛.

    “to add the finishing touch” is 画龙点睛 (huàlóng diǎnjīng).

  3. Listening

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

    Cannot listen? Read it instead

    律师 lǜshī

    1. to respond
    2. classroom
    3. lawyer
    Show the answer

    Answer: C, lawyer.

    You heard 律师 (lǜshī): lawyer.

New words

  • 对牛弹琴duì niú tán qínto play the lute to a cow, to talk to the wrong audience
  • 牛niúcow, ox
  • 草cǎograss
  • 对象duìxiàngtarget, audience
  • 尾巴wěibatail

以 in formal writing

以 (yǐ) is a classical word that is still used in formal writing to mean with or by means of: 以…为… (take … as …), 以小见大 (see the big through the small), 以身作则 (lead by example).

  • 老师要以学生为中心。

    Lǎoshī yào yǐ xuésheng wéi zhōngxīn.

    Teachers should put students at the centre.

  • 他以自己的经历为例子，说明了这个道理。

    Tā yǐ zìjǐ de jīnglì wéilì zǐ, shuōmíng le zhège dàoli.

    He used his own experience as an example to explain this point.

Characters

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

Music for a cow

Lin Yue tells Anna an old story.

Listen first

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

Helpful words: 音乐家 yīnyuèjiā musician; 琴 qín lute, stringed instrument; 弹 tán to play (a stringed instrument); 优美 yōuměi graceful; 蚊子 wénzi mosquito; 小牛 xiǎoniú calf; 摇 yáo to shake, to swing; 头 tóu (measure word for cattle); 抬 tái to raise; 曲子 qǔzi tune, piece of music; 婴儿 yīng'ér baby

  1. Listening

    Listen first. What did the cow do during the graceful music?

    1. lay down and fell asleep
    2. kept eating grass
    3. ran away from the noise
    Show the answer

    Answer: B, kept eating grass.

    还是低着头吃草.

  2. Listening

    When did the cow listen?

    1. when he sang it a happy song
    2. when he stopped playing altogether
    3. when he played sounds like mosquitoes and a calf
    Show the answer

    Answer: C, when he played sounds like mosquitoes and a calf.

    牛马上摇着尾巴，抬起头来听.

Show the transcript
Pinyin
Translation

  1. 林月

    古时候Gǔshíhou，有yǒu一yí个gè音乐家yīnyuèjiā叫jiào公明仪Gōngmíng Yí，琴qín弹tán得de非常fēicháng好hǎo。

    In ancient times, there was a musician called Gongming Yi, who played the lute beautifully.

  2. 林月

    有Yǒu一yì天tiān，他tā看见kànjiàn一yì头tóu牛niú在zài吃chī草cǎo，就jiù给gěi它tā弹tán了le一yì首shǒu非常fēicháng优美yōuměi的de曲子qǔzi。

    One day he saw a cow eating grass, and played it a very graceful piece.

  3. 安娜

    牛Niú喜欢xǐhuan吗ma？

    Did the cow like it?

  4. 林月

    牛Niú连lián头tóu都dōu没méi抬tái，还是háishi低dī着zhe头tóu吃chī草cǎo。

    The cow didn't even raise its head: it kept its head down, eating grass.

  5. 林月

    后来Hòulái，他tā弹tán了le像xiàng蚊子wénzi和hé小牛xiǎoniú叫jiào的de声音shēngyīn，牛niú马上mǎshàng摇yáo着zhe尾巴wěiba，抬起táiqǐ头tóu来lái听tīng。

    Then he played sounds like mosquitoes and a calf crying, and the cow at once swished its tail and lifted its head to listen.

  6. 安娜

    我Wǒ明白míngbai了le。对牛弹琴Duì niú tán qín不bú是shì牛niú的de错cuò，是shì没有méiyǒu选xuǎn对duì对象duìxiàng。

    I see. Playing music to a cow isn't the cow's fault: he just didn't choose the right audience.

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.

  • 我明白了。对牛弹琴不是牛的错，是没有选对对象。

    Wǒ míngbai le. Duì niú tán qín bú shì niú de cuò, shì méiyǒu xuǎn duì duìxiàng.

    I see. Playing music to a cow isn't the cow's fault: he just didn't choose the right audience.

  • 牛连头都没抬，还是低着头吃草。

    Niú lián tóu dōu méi tái, háishi dī zhe tóu chī cǎo.

    The cow didn't even raise its head: it kept its head down, eating grass.

  • 有一天，他看见一头牛在吃草，就给它弹了一首非常优美的曲子。

    Yǒu yì tiān, tā kànjiàn yì tóu niú zài chī cǎo, jiù gěi tā tán le yì shǒu fēicháng yōuměi de qǔzi.

    One day he saw a cow eating grass, and played it a very graceful piece.

Practice

  1. Meaning

    What does 对牛弹琴 mean?

    1. website
    2. to play the lute to a cow, to talk to the wrong audience
    3. disadvantage, weak point
    Show the answer

    Answer: B, to play the lute to a cow, to talk to the wrong audience.

    对牛弹琴 (duì niú tán qín) means to play the lute to a cow, to talk to the wrong audience.

  2. Characters

    Which word means “cow, ox”?

    1. 牛
    2. 祸
    3. 其
    Show the answer

    Answer: A, 牛.

    “cow, ox” is 牛 (niú).

  3. Pinyin

    How do you read 草 (grass)?

    1. cāo
    2. cào
    3. cǎo
    Show the answer

    Answer: C, cǎo.

    草 is read cǎo. Check the tone mark on every syllable.

  4. Listening

    Listen. What does the word mean?

    Cannot listen? Read it instead

    对象 duìxiàng

    1. target, audience
    2. to give up
    3. to chase
    Show the answer

    Answer: A, target, audience.

    You heard 对象 (duìxiàng): target, audience.

  5. Your turn

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

    Show the answer

    Answer: 尾巴

    “tail” is 尾巴 (wěiba).

  6. Grammar

    In 以学生为中心, what does 以 mean?

    1. after
    2. take (as)
    3. because
    Show the answer

    Answer: B, take (as).

    以…为…: take … as ….

  7. Fill the gap

    Complete: Explaining grammar to a baby is like playing music to a cow.

    给婴儿讲语法，简直是＿＿。

    1. 画龙点睛
    2. 塞翁失马
    3. 对牛弹琴
    Show the answer

    Answer: C, 对牛弹琴.

    对牛弹琴: talking to the wrong audience.

  8. In context

    Before you advertise a product, you decide who will buy it. What do you decide?

    1. 尾巴
    2. 对象
    3. 草
    Show the answer

    Answer: B, 对象.

    对象: target audience.

  9. Your turn

    Type the Chinese for cow

    Show the answer

    Answer: 牛

    牛: cow.

Know your audience

Talk out loud about a time someone spoke to the wrong audience, and what they should have done, in six sentences.

  1. Who spoke, and to whom.
  2. Why it didn't work, with 对牛弹琴.
  3. How to choose the right 对象.

Sentence frames

  • 这简直是对牛弹琴。

    Zhè jiǎnzhí shì duì niú tán qín.

    This is like playing the lute to a cow.

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 retell the story of 对牛弹琴 and use the idiom.
  • I recognise 以 meaning with or take as in formal writing.

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 lesson: Rigid thinking: 刻舟求剑