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Mythic Mandarin

Reading: city or countryside?

HSK 6 Unit 5: Degrees and limits · 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 balanced essay that weighs two ways of life, using this unit's words for degree and comparison.

Warm-up: do you remember?

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

  1. Meaning

    What does 相比之下 mean?

    1. living costs
    2. line, route
    3. by comparison
    Show the answer

    Answer: C, by comparison.

    相比之下 (xiāngbǐ zhī xià) means by comparison.

  2. Characters

    Which word means “relatively”?

    1. 规范
    2. 线路
    3. 相对
    Show the answer

    Answer: C, 相对.

    “relatively” is 相对 (xiāngduì).

  3. Listening

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

    Cannot listen? Read it instead

    咸 xián

    1. to ease, to relieve
    2. salty
    3. flustered, panicky
    Show the answer

    Answer: B, salty.

    You heard 咸 (xián): salty.

New words

  • 乡村xiāngcūncountryside, village
  • 节奏jiézòurhythm, pace
  • 新鲜xīnxiānfresh
  • 医疗yīliáomedical care
  • 教育jiàoyùeducation
  • 利弊lìbìpros and cons

A balanced essay

A balanced essay looks at both sides before giving a view: 一方面…另一方面, 相比之下 and 相对 compare; 至少 and 起码 set a minimum; 未免 criticises gently.

  • 城市和乡村各有利弊。

    Chéngshì hé xiāngcūn gèyǒu lìbì.

    The city and the countryside each have pros and cons.

Characters

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

City or country?

A short essay from a student magazine.

Listen first

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

Helpful words: 一辈子 yíbèizi a whole lifetime; 资源 zīyuán resources; 慢下来 màn xiàlai to slow down; 各有 gèyǒu each has; 退休以后 tuìxiū yǐhòu after retiring; 两者 liǎngzhě both; 丰富 fēngfù rich, plentiful; 无聊 wúliáo boring, dull

  1. Listening

    Listen first. What does the essay say about the city's pace of life?

    1. extremely fast
    2. relaxed
    3. the same as the countryside
    Show the answer

    Answer: A, extremely fast.

    城市的生活节奏极其快.

  2. Listening

    What is one disadvantage of the countryside?

    1. the air is dirty
    2. weaker medical care
    3. prices are very high
    Show the answer

    Answer: B, weaker medical care.

    乡村的医疗条件差一些.

  3. Listening

    What is the writer's view?

    1. live in the city for your whole life
    2. move to the countryside while you are young
    3. work in the city when young, move to the countryside after retiring
    Show the answer

    Answer: C, work in the city when young, move to the countryside after retiring.

    退休以后，再去乡村慢下来.

Show the text
Pinyin
Translation

  1. 城市Chéngshì和hé乡村xiāngcūn，哪里nǎlǐ更gèng适合shìhé生活shēnghuó？这个Zhège问题wèntí没有méiyǒu标准biāozhǔn答案dá'àn，两者liǎngzhě各有gèyǒu利弊lìbì。

    City or countryside: which is better to live in? There is no standard answer: each has pros and cons.

  2. 城市Chéngshì的de工作gōngzuò机会jīhuì多duō，医疗yīliáo和hé教育jiàoyù资源zīyuán也yě十分shífēn丰富fēngfù。

    The city has more jobs, and its medical and educational resources are very rich.

  3. 但是Dànshì城市chéngshì的de生活shēnghuó节奏jiézòu极其jíqí快kuài，房价fángjià也yě高gāo，年轻人niánqīngrén的de压力yālì不免bùmiǎn很hěn大dà。

    But the pace of city life is extremely fast and housing is expensive, so young people naturally feel a lot of pressure.

  4. 相比之下Xiāngbǐ zhī xià，乡村xiāngcūn的de空气kōngqì新鲜xīnxiān，生活shēnghuó节奏jiézòu慢màn，物价wùjià也yě相对xiāngduì便宜piányi。

    By comparison, the countryside has fresh air, a slow pace of life, and relatively low prices.

  5. 不过Búguò，乡村xiāngcūn的de医疗yīliáo条件tiáojiàn差chà一yì些xiē，孩子háizi上学shàngxué也yě不bú太tài方便fāngbiàn。

    However, medical care in the countryside is weaker, and getting children to school is less convenient.

  6. 有Yǒu人rén说shuō一辈子yíbèizi住zhù在zài城市chéngshì未免wèimiǎn太tài累lèi，也yě有yǒu人rén说shuō住zhù在zài乡村xiāngcūn未免wèimiǎn太tài无聊wúliáo。

    Some say a lifetime in the city is a bit too tiring; others say life in the countryside is a bit too dull.

  7. 我Wǒ的de看法kànfǎ是shì：至少zhìshǎo在zài年轻niánqīng的de时候shíhou，应该yīnggāi在zài城市chéngshì努力nǔlì工作gōngzuò；退休以后tuìxiū yǐhòu，再zài去qù乡村xiāngcūn慢下来màn xiàlai。

    My view is this: at least while you're young, you should work hard in the city; after you retire, go to the countryside and slow down.

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.

  • 相比之下，乡村的空气新鲜，生活节奏慢，物价也相对便宜。

    Xiāngbǐ zhī xià, xiāngcūn de kōngqì xīnxiān, shēnghuó jiézòu màn, wùjià yě xiāngduì piányi.

    By comparison, the countryside has fresh air, a slow pace of life, and relatively low prices.

  • 城市的工作机会多，医疗和教育资源也十分丰富。

    Chéngshì de gōngzuò jīhuì duō, yīliáo hé jiàoyù zīyuán yě shífēn fēngfù.

    The city has more jobs, and its medical and educational resources are very rich.

  • 不过，乡村的医疗条件差一些，孩子上学也不太方便。

    Búguò, xiāngcūn de yīliáo tiáojiàn chà yì xiē, háizi shàngxué yě bú tài fāngbiàn.

    However, medical care in the countryside is weaker, and getting children to school is less convenient.

Practice

  1. Meaning

    What does 乡村 mean?

    1. to exercise, to work out
    2. experience
    3. countryside, village
    Show the answer

    Answer: C, countryside, village.

    乡村 (xiāngcūn) means countryside, village.

  2. Characters

    Which word means “rhythm, pace”?

    1. 民宿
    2. 利弊
    3. 节奏
    Show the answer

    Answer: C, 节奏.

    “rhythm, pace” is 节奏 (jiézòu).

  3. Pinyin

    How do you read 新鲜 (fresh)?

    1. xīnxiàn
    2. xīnxiān
    3. xǐnxiān
    Show the answer

    Answer: B, xīnxiān.

    新鲜 is read xīnxiān. Check the tone mark on every syllable.

  4. Listening

    Listen. What does the word mean?

    Cannot listen? Read it instead

    医疗 yīliáo

    1. to fail, failure
    2. medical care
    3. salary, pay
    Show the answer

    Answer: B, medical care.

    You heard 医疗 (yīliáo): medical care.

  5. Your turn

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

    Show the answer

    Answer: 教育

    “education” is 教育 (jiàoyù).

  6. Listening

    Listen. Which sentence did you hear?

    Cannot listen? Read it instead

    有人说一辈子住在城市未免太累，也有人说住在乡村未免太无聊。 Yǒu rén shuō yíbèizi zhù zài chéngshì wèimiǎn tài lèi, yě yǒu rén shuō zhù zài xiāngcūn wèimiǎn tài wúliáo.

    1. City or countryside: which is better to live in? There is no standard answer: each has pros and cons.
    2. Some say a lifetime in the city is a bit too tiring; others say life in the countryside is a bit too dull.
    3. However, medical care in the countryside is weaker, and getting children to school is less convenient.
    Show the answer

    Answer: B, Some say a lifetime in the city is a bit too tiring; others say life in the countryside is a bit too dull..

    You heard 有人说一辈子住在城市未免太累，也有人说住在乡村未免太无聊。 (Yǒu rén shuō yíbèizi zhù zài chéngshì wèimiǎn tài lèi, yě yǒu rén shuō zhù zài xiāngcūn wèimiǎn tài wúliáo.): Some say a lifetime in the city is a bit too tiring; others say life in the countryside is a bit too dull.

  7. Reading

    Read: 相比之下，小城市的生活节奏相对慢一些，房价也便宜得多。 What is cheaper in small cities?

    1. housing
    2. food
    3. transport
    Show the answer

    Answer: A, housing.

    房价也便宜得多.

  8. Grammar

    Which word fits? 这次考试＿＿重要，你一定要好好准备。

    1. 未免
    2. 极其
    3. 相比之下
    Show the answer

    Answer: B, 极其.

    极其: extremely.

  9. In context

    You compare the good and bad points of a plan. What are you weighing?

    1. 利弊
    2. 节奏
    3. 医疗
    Show the answer

    Answer: A, 利弊.

    利弊: pros and cons.

  10. Your turn

    Type the Chinese for education

    Show the answer

    Answer: 教育

    教育: education.

Your view

Give your view out loud on city life versus country life, or two other ways of living, in eight sentences. Record it.

  1. Say that each has pros and cons.
  2. Describe the first, with 十分 or 极其.
  3. Describe the second, with 相比之下 and 相对.
  4. Criticise one extreme gently with 未免, and give your view with 至少.

Sentence frames

  • ＿＿和＿＿各有利弊。

    ＿＿ hé ＿＿ gèyǒu lìbì.

    ... and ... each have pros and cons.

  • 相比之下，＿＿。

    Xiāngbǐ zhī xià, ＿＿.

    By comparison, ...

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 balanced essay that compares two ways of life.
  • I can use 极其, 未免, 至少 and 相比之下 in one talk.

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 6: Conditions and questions, where you imagine situations and ask what exactly is going on.