So as not to: 以免
HSK 6 Unit 4: Causes and consequences · Lesson 3 of 5 · About 26 minutes
Preview version — Chinese review in progress.
Your mission: By the end of this lesson, you can give advice to prevent a problem with 以免, and understand safety instructions.
Audio preview uses your device’s Chinese voice. It is not a recording.
Warm-up: do you remember?
Two quick questions from earlier lessons. Recalling before you learn makes the new material stick.
Meaning
What does 忽视 mean?
That is 收获 (shōuhuò).
That is 独特 (dútè).
Show the answer
Answer: B, to ignore, to neglect.
忽视 (hūshì) means to ignore, to neglect.
Characters
Which word means “fame, reputation”?
半夜 (bànyè) means midnight, the middle of the night.
薪水 (xīnshuǐ) means salary, pay.
Show the answer
Answer: A, 名气.
“fame, reputation” is 名气 (míngqi).
Listening
From an earlier unit. Listen. What does the word mean?
Cannot listen? Read it instead
创造 chuàngzào
That would be 宁可 (nìngkě).
That would be 原本 (yuánběn).
Show the answer
Answer: A, to create.
You heard 创造 (chuàngzào): to create.
New words
以免
A，以免 (yǐmiǎn) B: do A so that B does not happen. B is something bad you want to avoid. 以便 (yǐbiàn) is the opposite: so that something good happens.
出门前检查一下门窗，以免发生意外。
Chūmén qián jiǎnchá yíxià mén chuāng, yǐmiǎn fāshēng yìwài.
Check the doors and windows before you go out, so that nothing goes wrong.
请提前到，以免错过航班。
Qǐng tíqián dào, yǐmiǎn cuòguò hángbān.
Please arrive early so as not to miss your flight.
Not:
请提前到，以免赶上航班。But: 请提前到，以便赶上航班。 Qǐng tíqián dào, yǐbiàn gǎn shàng hángbān.
After 以免 comes what you want to avoid; for what you want, use 以便.
Characters
Open a character to see how it is written, stroke by stroke, with its meanings and words.
Safety training
Manager Zhao gives the staff a short safety talk.
Listen first
Play the whole conversation and answer the questions before you open the transcript.
Helpful words: 躲 duǒ to hide, to take cover; 发生 fāshēng to happen; 保持冷静 bǎochí lěngjìng to keep calm; 桌子 zhuōzi table, desk; 底下 dǐxia underneath; 摇 yáo to shake
Listening
Listen first. What should you do first in an earthquake?
Show the answer
Answer: A, take cover under a desk.
先躲在桌子底下.
Listening
Why shouldn't you take the lift?
Show the answer
Answer: B, you could get trapped.
以免被困在里面.
Show the transcript
赵经理
今天我们讲一下地震的时候应该怎么做。
Today we'll go over what to do in an earthquake.
赵经理
第一，保持冷静，不要慌，以免受伤。
First, keep calm and don't panic, so you don't get hurt.
陈静
要马上跑出去吗？
Should we run out right away?
赵经理
不要。先躲在桌子底下，等不摇了再走。
No. First take cover under a desk, and leave when the shaking stops.
高飞
走的时候坐电梯还是走楼梯？
When we leave, do we take the lift or the stairs?
赵经理
一定要走楼梯，不能坐电梯，以免被困在里面。大家先记住最近的出口在哪儿。
Always take the stairs, never the lift, so you don't get trapped inside. Everyone, remember where the nearest exit is.
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.
Recordings stay in this browser tab: nothing is uploaded, and they disappear when you leave the page unless you save a copy of a task recording to your device yourself. Your browser asks for the microphone first.
Recording is not available in this browser. Listen, then repeat aloud and compare by ear.
第一，保持冷静，不要慌，以免受伤。
Dì yī, bǎochí lěngjìng, búyào huāng, yǐmiǎn shòushāng.
First, keep calm and don't panic, so you don't get hurt.
走的时候坐电梯还是走楼梯？
Zǒu de shíhou zuò diàntī háishi zǒu lóutī?
When we leave, do we take the lift or the stairs?
今天我们讲一下地震的时候应该怎么做。
Jīntiān wǒmen jiǎng yíxià dìzhèn de shíhou yīnggāi zěnme zuò.
Today we'll go over what to do in an earthquake.
Practice
Meaning
What does 以免 mean?
That is 未来 (wèilái).
That is 密码 (mìmǎ).
Show the answer
Answer: C, so as not to, in order to avoid.
以免 (yǐmiǎn) means so as not to, in order to avoid.
Characters
Which word means “to prevent”?
住院 (zhùyuàn) means to be in hospital.
以免 (yǐmiǎn) means so as not to, in order to avoid.
Show the answer
Answer: B, 防止.
“to prevent” is 防止 (fángzhǐ).
Pinyin
How do you read 地震 (earthquake)?
Show the answer
Answer: C, dìzhèn.
地震 is read dìzhèn. Check the tone mark on every syllable.
Listening
Listen. What does the word mean?
Cannot listen? Read it instead
出口 chūkǒu
That would be 我们 (wǒmen).
That would be 尽力 (jìnlì).
Show the answer
Answer: B, exit.
You heard 出口 (chūkǒu): exit.
Your turn
Recall: type the Chinese for “stairs” (characters or pinyin).
Show the answer
Answer: 楼梯
“stairs” is 楼梯 (lóutī).
Grammar
Which sentence uses 以免 correctly?
Show the answer
Answer: C, 多穿点儿衣服，以免感冒。.
多穿点儿衣服，以免感冒。: 以免 + what you want to avoid.
Fill the gap
Complete: Walk down the stairs.
走＿＿下去。
Show the answer
Answer: B, 楼梯.
楼梯: stairs.
In context
You can't find your passport an hour before the flight. How do you feel?
Show the answer
Answer: C, 很慌.
很慌: 慌: flustered.
Your turn
Type the Chinese for to prevent
Show the answer
Answer: 防止
防止: to prevent.
Safety rules
Give five safety rules out loud for a place you know: a kitchen, a swimming pool, a mountain path or a lab.
- Say where the rules are for.
- Give each rule with 以免 + the danger.
- Say where the exit or help is.
Sentence frames
＿＿，以免＿＿。
＿＿, yǐmiǎn ＿＿.
..., so that ... does not happen.
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 give advice to prevent a problem with 以免, and I know it is the opposite of 以便.
- I can understand and give simple safety instructions.
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.