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Mythic Mandarin

A short speech

HSK 4 Unit 10: Looking back, looking ahead · Lesson 3 of 8 · About 24 minutes

Preview version — Chinese review in progress.

Your mission: By the end of this lesson, you can give a short, structured speech at a celebration: greeting, thanks, a story and good wishes.

Warm-up: do you remember?

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

  1. Meaning

    What does 遗憾 mean?

    1. desert
    2. regret, pity
    3. influence, to influence
    Show the answer

    Answer: B, regret, pity.

    遗憾 (yíhàn) means regret, pity.

  2. Characters

    Which word means “childhood”?

    1. 童年
    2. 发明
    3. 兔子
    Show the answer

    Answer: A, 童年.

    “childhood” is 童年 (tóngnián).

  3. Listening

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

    Cannot listen? Read it instead

    优秀 yōuxiù

    1. traditional Chinese medicine, its doctor
    2. excellent, outstanding
    3. to preserve
    Show the answer

    Answer: B, excellent, outstanding.

    You heard 优秀 (yōuxiù): excellent, outstanding.

New words

  • 首先shǒuxiānfirst of all
  • 其次qícìnext, secondly
  • 代表dàibiǎoto represent, on behalf of
  • 祝愿zhùyuànto wish

Structuring a speech

A speech uses signposts: 首先 (first of all), 其次 (secondly), 最后 (finally). 代表 (dàibiǎo) is on behalf of.

  • 首先，我代表大家感谢赵经理。

    Shǒuxiān, wǒ dàibiǎo dàjiā gǎnxiè Zhào jīnglǐ.

    First of all, on behalf of everyone, I'd like to thank Manager Zhao.

  • 最后，祝愿大家身体健康！

    Zuìhòu, zhùyuàn dàjiā shēntǐ jiànkāng!

    Finally, I wish everyone good health!

Characters

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

A retirement speech

Gao Fei gives a speech at Manager Zhao's retirement party.

Listen first

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

Helpful words: 各位 gèwèi everyone (polite); 同事们 tóngshìmen colleagues; 退休 tuìxiū to retire

  1. Listening

    Listen first. Whose party is it?

    1. Manager Zhao's retirement
    2. Gao Fei's birthday
    3. a new colleague's welcome
    Show the answer

    Answer: A, Manager Zhao's retirement.

    赵经理退休以后.

  2. Listening

    What did Manager Zhao teach Gao Fei at first?

    1. to write emails
    2. to drive
    3. to speak English
    Show the answer

    Answer: A, to write emails.

    连邮件都不会写，是她一个字一个字教我的.

Show the text
Pinyin
Translation

  1. 各位Gèwèi同事tóngshì，晚上wǎnshang好hǎo！

    Good evening, colleagues!

  2. 首先Shǒuxiān，我wǒ代表dàibiǎo大家dàjiā感谢gǎnxiè赵经理Zhào jīnglǐ这zhè十shí年nián来lái对duì我们wǒmen的de帮助bāngzhù。

    First of all, on behalf of everyone, I want to thank Manager Zhao for her help over these ten years.

  3. 赵经理Zhào jīnglǐ不但búdàn工作gōngzuò非常fēicháng认真rènzhēn，而且érqiě对duì每měi个gè人rén都dōu很hěn关心guānxīn。

    Manager Zhao not only worked extremely hard but also cared about every one of us.

  4. 我Wǒ刚gāng来lái公司gōngsī的de时候shíhou，连lián邮件yóujiàn都dōu不bú会huì写xiě，是shì她tā一yí个gè字zì一yí个gè字zì教jiāo我wǒ的de。

    When I joined, I couldn't even write an email; she taught me word by word.

  5. 其次Qícì，除了chúle工作gōngzuò以外yǐwài，她tā还hái教jiāo会huì了le我们wǒmen怎么zěnme做zuò人rén。

    Secondly, besides work, she taught us how to be good people.

  6. 最后Zuìhòu，祝愿zhùyuàn赵经理Zhào jīnglǐ退休tuìxiū以后yǐhòu身体shēntǐ健康jiànkāng，生活shēnghuó幸福xìngfú！

    Finally, I wish Manager Zhao good health and happiness in her retirement!

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.

  • 首先，我代表大家感谢赵经理这十年来对我们的帮助。

    Shǒuxiān, wǒ dàibiǎo dàjiā gǎnxiè Zhào jīnglǐ zhè shí nián lái duì wǒmen de bāngzhù.

    First of all, on behalf of everyone, I want to thank Manager Zhao for her help over these ten years.

  • 其次，除了工作以外，她还教会了我们怎么做人。

    Qícì, chúle gōngzuò yǐwài, tā hái jiāo huì le wǒmen zěnme zuò rén.

    Secondly, besides work, she taught us how to be good people.

  • 最后，祝愿赵经理退休以后身体健康，生活幸福！

    Zuìhòu, zhùyuàn Zhào jīnglǐ tuìxiū yǐhòu shēntǐ jiànkāng, shēnghuó xìngfú!

    Finally, I wish Manager Zhao good health and happiness in her retirement!

Practice

  1. Meaning

    What does 首先 mean?

    1. to take photos
    2. supermarket
    3. first of all
    Show the answer

    Answer: C, first of all.

    首先 (shǒuxiān) means first of all.

  2. Characters

    Which word means “next, secondly”?

    1. 祝愿
    2. 遗憾
    3. 其次
    Show the answer

    Answer: C, 其次.

    “next, secondly” is 其次 (qícì).

  3. Pinyin

    How do you read 代表 (to represent, on behalf of)?

    1. dàibiǎo
    2. dàibiāo
    3. dáibiǎo
    Show the answer

    Answer: A, dàibiǎo.

    代表 is read dàibiǎo. Check the tone mark on every syllable.

  4. Listening

    Listen. What does the word mean?

    Cannot listen? Read it instead

    祝愿 zhùyuàn

    1. to wish
    2. then, after that
    3. TV
    Show the answer

    Answer: A, to wish.

    You heard 祝愿 (zhùyuàn): to wish.

  5. Your turn

    Recall: type the Chinese for “first of all” (characters or pinyin).

    Show the answer

    Answer: 首先

    “first of all” is 首先 (shǒuxiān).

  6. Listening

    Listen. Which sentence did you hear?

    Cannot listen? Read it instead

    其次，除了工作以外，她还教会了我们怎么做人。 Qícì, chúle gōngzuò yǐwài, tā hái jiāo huì le wǒmen zěnme zuò rén.

    1. Manager Zhao not only worked extremely hard but also cared about every one of us.
    2. Secondly, besides work, she taught us how to be good people.
    3. Good evening, colleagues!
    Show the answer

    Answer: B, Secondly, besides work, she taught us how to be good people..

    You heard 其次，除了工作以外，她还教会了我们怎么做人。 (Qícì, chúle gōngzuò yǐwài, tā hái jiāo huì le wǒmen zěnme zuò rén.): Secondly, besides work, she taught us how to be good people.

  7. Grammar

    Which sentence means On behalf of everyone, thank you?

    1. 我大家代表谢谢你。
    2. 我代表大家谢谢你。
    3. 代表我大家谢谢你。
    Show the answer

    Answer: B, 我代表大家谢谢你。.

    我代表大家谢谢你。: 代表 + group + verb.

  8. Fill the gap

    Complete: First of all, …

    ＿＿，我要感谢大家。

    1. 首先
    2. 其次
    3. 最后
    Show the answer

    Answer: A, 首先.

    首先: first of all.

  9. Reading

    Read: 首先，谢谢大家来参加我的婚礼。其次，谢谢我的父母。最后，祝大家今天晚上玩得开心！ What does the speaker wish at the end?

    1. that everyone has fun tonight
    2. good health for everyone
    3. success at work for her parents
    Show the answer

    Answer: A, that everyone has fun tonight.

    祝大家今天晚上玩得开心.

  10. Your turn

    Type the Chinese for on behalf of everyone

    Show the answer

    Answer: 代表大家

    代表大家: on behalf of everyone.

Your speech

Prepare and give a one-minute speech out loud for a celebration (a birthday, a farewell, a wedding). Record it.

  1. Greet everyone.
  2. 首先: thank someone.
  3. Tell a short story about them, with 连…都 or 不但…而且.
  4. 最后: give your good wishes.

Sentence frames

  • 首先，我代表＿＿感谢＿＿。

    Shǒuxiān, wǒ dàibiǎo ＿＿ gǎnxiè ＿＿.

    First of all, on behalf of ..., I thank ...

  • 最后，祝愿＿＿。

    Zuìhòu, zhùyuàn ＿＿.

    Finally, I wish ...

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 structure a short speech with 首先, 其次 and 最后.
  • I can thank and wish someone well formally.

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: A friendly debate