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Mythic Mandarin

Officials said: 表示, 指出 and 称

HSK 6 Unit 7: News and reported speech · Lesson 4 of 5 · About 26 minutes

Preview version — Chinese review in progress.

Your mission: By the end of this lesson, you can report what officials and experts said with 表示, 指出 and 称, and follow a short report on a press conference.

Warm-up: do you remember?

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

  1. Meaning

    What does 判断 mean?

    1. to judge, judgement
    2. according to
    3. exactly, after all (in questions)
    Show the answer

    Answer: A, to judge, judgement.

    判断 (pànduàn) means to judge, judgement.

  2. Characters

    Which word means “to spread, to disseminate”?

    1. 传播
    2. 怀疑
    3. 宽容
    Show the answer

    Answer: A, 传播.

    “to spread, to disseminate” is 传播 (chuánbō).

  3. Listening

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

    Cannot listen? Read it instead

    怀疑 huáiyí

    1. emotion, feeling
    2. to suppose, hypothesis
    3. to doubt, to suspect
    Show the answer

    Answer: C, to doubt, to suspect.

    You heard 怀疑 (huáiyí): to doubt, to suspect.

New words

  • 表示biǎoshìto state, to express
  • 指出zhǐchūto point out
  • 称chēngto state, to claim
  • 发言人fāyánrénspokesperson
  • 发布会fābùhuìpress conference
  • 回应huíyìngto respond

Reporting verbs

News reports rarely use 说. They use 表示 (biǎoshì) for stating a view or feeling, 指出 (zhǐchū) for pointing out a fact or problem, and 称 (chēng) for a claim, often one that is not yet proven.

  • 经理表示，公司会尽快解决这个问题。

    Jīnglǐ biǎoshì, gōngsī huì jǐnkuài jiějué zhège wèntí.

    The manager stated that the company would solve the problem as soon as possible.

  • 专家指出，这种做法存在很大的风险。

    Zhuānjiā zhǐchū, zhè zhǒng zuòfǎ cúnzài hěn dà de fēngxiǎn.

    Experts pointed out that this approach carries great risks.

  • 这家公司称，产品没有任何问题。

    Zhè jiā gōngsī chēng, chǎnpǐn méiyǒu rènhé wèntí.

    The company claims there is nothing wrong with the product.

Characters

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

The power cut

Reporter Wang reports from a press conference after a city-wide power cut.

Listen first

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

Helpful words: 停电 tíngdiàn power cut; 原因 yuányīn cause; 线路故障 xiànlù gùzhàng a fault in the power line; 维修 wéixiū to repair; 道歉 dàoqiàn to apologise; 召开 zhàokāi to hold (a meeting); 电力 diànlì electric power; 定期 dìngqī regularly; 更换 gēnghuàn to replace; 投入 tóurù to invest, to put in

  1. Listening

    Listen first. What caused the power cut?

    1. a fault in one line
    2. a storm
    3. too many users
    Show the answer

    Answer: A, a fault in one line.

    停电的原因是一条线路故障.

  2. Listening

    What did experts point out?

    1. the line was thirty years old
    2. the company had lied to residents
    3. the power cut was very short
    Show the answer

    Answer: A, the line was thirty years old.

    这条线路已经用了三十年.

Show the transcript
Pinyin
Translation

  1. 王记者

    今天Jīntiān上午shàngwǔ，电力diànlì公司gōngsī召开zhàokāi了le新闻xīnwén发布会fābùhuì，回应huíyìng昨天zuótiān晚上wǎnshang的de停电tíngdiàn。

    This morning, the power company held a press conference to respond to last night's power cut.

  2. 王记者

    发言人Fāyánrén表示biǎoshì，停电tíngdiàn的de原因yuányīn是shì一yì条tiáo线路故障xiànlù gùzhàng，现在xiànzài已经yǐjīng全部quánbù修xiū好hǎo了le。

    The spokesperson stated that the cause of the cut was a fault in one line, which has now been fully repaired.

  3. 王记者

    他Tā还hái向xiàng市民shìmín道歉dàoqiàn，并bìng称chēng以后yǐhòu会huì定期dìngqī检查jiǎnchá线路xiànlù。

    He also apologised to residents, and said the company would inspect its lines regularly from now on.

  4. 王记者

    不过Búguò，有yǒu专家zhuānjiā指出zhǐchū，这zhè条tiáo线路xiànlù已经yǐjīng用yòng了le三十sānshí年nián，早zǎo就jiù应该yīnggāi更换gēnghuàn了le。

    However, some experts pointed out that the line had been in use for thirty years and should have been replaced long ago.

  5. 王记者

    对Duì此cǐ，发言人fāyánrén回应huíyìng说shuō，明年míngnián会huì投入tóurù资金zījīn更换gēnghuàn老lǎo线路xiànlù。

    In response, the spokesperson said the company would invest next year to replace old lines.

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.

  • 对此，发言人回应说，明年会投入资金更换老线路。

    Duì cǐ, fāyánrén huíyìng shuō, míngnián huì tóurù zījīn gēnghuàn lǎo xiànlù.

    In response, the spokesperson said the company would invest next year to replace old lines.

  • 今天上午，电力公司召开了新闻发布会，回应昨天晚上的停电。

    Jīntiān shàngwǔ, diànlì gōngsī zhàokāi le xīnwén fābùhuì, huíyìng zuótiān wǎnshang de tíngdiàn.

    This morning, the power company held a press conference to respond to last night's power cut.

  • 发言人表示，停电的原因是一条线路故障，现在已经全部修好了。

    Fāyánrén biǎoshì, tíngdiàn de yuányīn shì yì tiáo xiànlù gùzhàng, xiànzài yǐjīng quánbù xiū hǎo le.

    The spokesperson stated that the cause of the cut was a fault in one line, which has now been fully repaired.

Practice

  1. Meaning

    What does 表示 mean?

    1. to state, to express
    2. to treat as, to regard as
    3. to pass away
    Show the answer

    Answer: A, to state, to express.

    表示 (biǎoshì) means to state, to express.

  2. Characters

    Which word means “to point out”?

    1. 回应
    2. 指出
    3. 媒体
    Show the answer

    Answer: B, 指出.

    “to point out” is 指出 (zhǐchū).

  3. Pinyin

    How do you read 称 (to state, to claim)?

    1. chěng
    2. chēng
    3. chèng
    Show the answer

    Answer: B, chēng.

    称 is read chēng. Check the tone mark on every syllable.

  4. Listening

    Listen. What does the word mean?

    Cannot listen? Read it instead

    发言人 fāyánrén

    1. to study, to learn
    2. pet
    3. spokesperson
    Show the answer

    Answer: C, spokesperson.

    You heard 发言人 (fāyánrén): spokesperson.

  5. Your turn

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

    Show the answer

    Answer: 发布会

    “press conference” is 发布会 (fābùhuì).

  6. Grammar

    Which verb do you use to report an expert pointing out a problem?

    1. 指出
    2. 称
    3. 回应
    Show the answer

    Answer: A, 指出.

    指出: to point out.

  7. Fill the gap

    Complete: The company held a press conference.

    公司召开了＿＿。

    1. 发布会
    2. 发言人
    3. 回应
    Show the answer

    Answer: A, 发布会.

    发布会: press conference.

  8. In context

    Reporters ask questions and the company answers them. What does the company do?

    1. 回应
    2. 指出
    3. 发言人
    Show the answer

    Answer: A, 回应.

    回应: to respond.

  9. Your turn

    Type the Chinese for spokesperson

    Show the answer

    Answer: 发言人

    发言人: spokesperson.

Report a statement

Report out loud, like a journalist, what happened at an imagined press conference (a delayed train, a closed museum, a new product), in six sentences.

  1. Who held it and why.
  2. What the spokesperson stated, with 表示.
  3. What an expert pointed out, with 指出.
  4. How the company responded, with 回应.

Sentence frames

  • 发言人表示，＿＿。

    Fāyánrén biǎoshì, ＿＿.

    The spokesperson stated that ...

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 report statements with 表示, 指出 and 称 instead of 说.
  • I can follow and give a short report on a press conference.

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: Reading: how a rumour spread