The more it grows: 越…越

HSK 4 Unit 4: Time and change · Lesson 5 of 5 · About 22 minutes

Preview version — Chinese review in progress.

Your mission: By the end of this lesson, you can describe how a place changes with 越…越 and 越来越, and follow a description of a city over twenty years.

Warm-up: do you remember?

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

Meaning
What does 发现 mean?
1. lazy
2. to discover, to find
3. message, information
That is 懒 (lǎn).
That is 信息 (xìnxī).
Show the answer
Answer: B, to discover, to find.
发现 (fāxiàn) means to discover, to find.
Characters
Which word means “calm, to calm down”?
1. 记得
2. 冷静
3. 规律
记得 (jìde) means to remember.
规律 (guīlǜ) means regular pattern, regular.
Show the answer
Answer: B, 冷静.
“calm, to calm down” is 冷静 (lěngjìng).
Listening
From an earlier unit. Listen. What does the word mean?
Cannot listen? Read it instead
海报 hǎibào
1. poster
2. full, rich (of a life)
3. since, now that
That would be 充实 (chōngshí).
That would be 既然 (jìrán).
Show the answer
Answer: A, poster.
You heard 海报 (hǎibào): poster.

New words

变化biànhuàchange, to change
高楼gāolóutall building
人口rénkǒupopulation
周围zhōuwéiaround, surroundings
建jiànto build

越 A 越 B

越 A 越 B is the more A, the more B. A and B can have different subjects: 人越多，越热闹.

城市越大，交通越复杂。
Chéngshì yuè dà, jiāotōng yuè fùzá.
The bigger the city, the more complicated the traffic.
雨越下越大。
Yǔ yuè xià yuè dà.
The rain is getting heavier and heavier.
我越想越生气。
Wǒ yuè xiǎng yuè shēngqì.
The more I think about it, the angrier I get.

Not: ~~越人多越热闹。~~
But: 人越多越热闹。 Rén yuè duō yuè rènao.
越 goes before the verb or adjective, after the subject.

Characters

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

周zhōu to make a circuitStroke order
围wéi to encircleStroke order
建jiàn to buildStroke order
口kǒu mouthStroke order

Twenty years in Shenzhen

Xiaoyu interviews her uncle about the city where he has lived for twenty years.

Listen first

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

Helpful words: 深圳 Shēnzhèn Shenzhen (a city in southern China)

Listening
Listen first. What was the city like twenty years ago?
1. a small city
2. already big
3. very expensive
Show the answer
Answer: A, a small city.
这里还是一个小城市.
Listening
What is the downside of the change?
1. traffic is much worse
2. housing is more expensive
3. the city has become too quiet
Show the answer
Answer: B, housing is more expensive.
房子也越来越贵.
Listening
How does the uncle feel about the city now?
1. The longer he lives there, the more he likes it.
2. He wants to leave and move back home.
3. He doesn't recognise it any more.
Show the answer
Answer: A, The longer he lives there, the more he likes it..
我越住越喜欢这个城市.

Show the text

二十Èrshí年nián前qián我wǒ来lái深圳Shēnzhèn的de时候shíhou，这里zhèlǐ还是háishi一yí个gè小xiǎo城市chéngshì。
When I came to Shenzhen twenty years ago, it was still a small city.
那Nà时候shíhou周围zhōuwéi没有méiyǒu高楼gāolóu，人口rénkǒu也yě不bù多duō。
Back then there were no tall buildings around, and not many people.
后来Hòulái，来lái工作gōngzuò的de人rén越来越yuèláiyuè多duō，城市chéngshì也yě越yuè建jiàn越yuè大dà。
Later, more and more people came to work, and the city grew bigger and bigger.
我Wǒ一yí下xià飞机fēijī就jiù发现fāxiàn，每次měicì回来huílai都dōu有yǒu新xīn的de变化biànhuà。
Every time I get off the plane, I notice new changes.
现在Xiànzài，这里zhèlǐ的de高楼gāolóu越来越yuèláiyuè多duō，交通jiāotōng也yě越来越yuèláiyuè方便fāngbiàn。
Now there are more and more tall buildings, and transport keeps getting more convenient.
人Rén越yuè多duō，生活shēnghuó越yuè热闹rènao，可是kěshì房子fángzi也yě越来越yuèláiyuè贵guì。
The more people there are, the livelier life is, but housing is getting more and more expensive.
我Wǒ越yuè住zhù越yuè喜欢xǐhuan这个zhège城市chéngshì。
The longer I live here, the more I like this city.

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.

那时候周围没有高楼，人口也不多。
Nà shíhou zhōuwéi méiyǒu gāolóu, rénkǒu yě bù duō.
Back then there were no tall buildings around, and not many people.
我一下飞机就发现，每次回来都有新的变化。
Wǒ yí xià fēijī jiù fāxiàn, měicì huílai dōu yǒu xīn de biànhuà.
Every time I get off the plane, I notice new changes.
后来，来工作的人越来越多，城市也越建越大。
Hòulái, lái gōngzuò de rén yuèláiyuè duō, chéngshì yě yuè jiàn yuè dà.
Later, more and more people came to work, and the city grew bigger and bigger.

Practice

Meaning
What does 变化 mean?
1. change, to change
2. right, correct
3. all, both
That is 对 (duì).
That is 都 (dōu).
Show the answer
Answer: A, change, to change.
变化 (biànhuà) means change, to change.
Characters
Which word means “tall building”?
1. 周围
2. 高楼
3. 变化
周围 (zhōuwéi) means around, surroundings.
变化 (biànhuà) means change, to change.
Show the answer
Answer: B, 高楼.
“tall building” is 高楼 (gāolóu).
Pinyin
How do you read 人口 (population)?
1. rénkóu
2. rénkǒu
3. rénkòu
Show the answer
Answer: B, rénkǒu.
人口 is read rénkǒu. Check the tone mark on every syllable.
Listening
Listen. What does the word mean?
Cannot listen? Read it instead
周围 zhōuwéi
1. around, surroundings
2. yuan (written unit of money)
3. to learn (successfully), to master
That would be 元 (yuán).
That would be 学会 (xuéhuì).
Show the answer
Answer: A, around, surroundings.
You heard 周围 (zhōuwéi): around, surroundings.
Your turn
Recall: type the Chinese for “to build” (characters or pinyin).
Show the answer
Answer: 建
“to build” is 建 (jiàn).
Listening
Listen. Which sentence did you hear?
Cannot listen? Read it instead
后来，来工作的人越来越多，城市也越建越大。 Hòulái, lái gōngzuò de rén yuèláiyuè duō, chéngshì yě yuè jiàn yuè dà.
1. Every time I get off the plane, I notice new changes.
2. Now there are more and more tall buildings, and transport keeps getting more convenient.
3. Later, more and more people came to work, and the city grew bigger and bigger.
Show the answer
Answer: C, Later, more and more people came to work, and the city grew bigger and bigger..
You heard 后来，来工作的人越来越多，城市也越建越大。 (Hòulái, lái gōngzuò de rén yuèláiyuè duō, chéngshì yě yuè jiàn yuè dà.): Later, more and more people came to work, and the city grew bigger and bigger.
Reading
Read: 这个学校的学生越来越多，老师也越来越忙。李老师说：“学生越多，我越高兴！” How does Teacher Li feel about more students?
1. tired
2. worried
3. happier
Show the answer
Answer: C, happier.
学生越多，我越高兴.
Grammar
Which sentence means The more he talks, the faster he gets?
1. 他越说快越。
2. 他越说越快。
3. 越他说越快。
Show the answer
Answer: B, 他越说越快。.
他越说越快。: 他越说越快: 越 + verb, 越 + adjective.
In context
Your hometown has changed a lot. What do you say?
1. 我的老家建化很大。
2. 我的老家周围很大。
3. 我的老家变化很大。
Show the answer
Answer: C, 我的老家变化很大。.
我的老家变化很大。: 变化很大: has changed a lot.
Your turn
Type the Chinese for tall buildings
Show the answer
Answer: 高楼
高楼: tall buildings.

Your changing town

Describe how a place you know has changed over the years, out loud, in eight sentences. Record it and listen back.

How it was before: 以前….
How it has changed, with 越来越 and 越…越.
One good change and one bad change.
How you feel about it now.

Sentence frames

＿＿越来越＿＿了。
＿＿ yuèláiyuè ＿＿ le.
... is getting more and more ...
＿＿越＿＿，＿＿越＿＿。
＿＿ yuè ＿＿, ＿＿ yuè ＿＿.
The more ..., the more ...

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 use 越 A 越 B for the more … the more.
I can describe change in a place over time.

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 4 Unit 5: Reasons and relationships, where you explain why and describe two sides at once.

1 Warm-up: do you remember?

2 New words

3 越 A 越 B

4 Characters

5 Twenty years in Shenzhen