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Mythic Mandarin

The finishing touch: 画龙点睛

HSK 6 Unit 9: Classic tales retold · Lesson 2 of 5 · About 28 minutes

Preview version — Chinese review in progress.

Your mission: By the end of this lesson, you can retell the story behind 画龙点睛, use the idiom about writing and speaking, and recognise 而 in formal writing.

Warm-up: do you remember?

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

  1. Meaning

    What does 塞翁失马 mean?

    1. in a word, in short
    2. main point
    3. a loss may turn out to be a blessing
    Show the answer

    Answer: C, a loss may turn out to be a blessing.

    塞翁失马 (Sàiwēng shī mǎ) means a loss may turn out to be a blessing.

  2. Characters

    Which word means “a loss may turn out to be a blessing”?

    1. 总而言之
    2. 好处
    3. 塞翁失马
    Show the answer

    Answer: C, 塞翁失马.

    “a loss may turn out to be a blessing” is 塞翁失马 (Sàiwēng shī mǎ).

  3. Listening

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

    Cannot listen? Read it instead

    黏 nián

    1. supporting evidence
    2. in a word, in short
    3. sticky
    Show the answer

    Answer: C, sticky.

    You heard 黏 (nián): sticky.

New words

  • 画龙点睛huàlóng diǎnjīngto add the finishing touch
  • 龙lóngdragon
  • 雷léithunder
  • 生动shēngdòngvivid, lively
  • 神奇shénqímagical, miraculous

而 in formal writing

而 (ér) is a classical word that joins two parts in formal writing. It can mean and (美丽而安静), but (聪明而不努力, clever but not hard-working), or link a purpose to an action (为…而…, for the sake of …).

  • 这篇文章短而生动。

    Zhè piān wénzhāng duǎn ér shēngdòng.

    This essay is short and vivid.

  • 我们为了明天而努力。

    Wǒmen wèile míngtiān ér nǔlì.

    We work hard for the sake of tomorrow.

画龙点睛 means adding the key detail that brings a whole work to life: a good ending, a perfect title, one great sentence.

Characters

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

The dragons without eyes

Professor Yang tells his class an old story about a painter.

Listen first

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

Helpful words: 寺庙 sìmiào temple; 墙上 qiángshàng on the wall; 条 tiáo (measure word for dragons); 点 diǎn to dot; 飞走 fēizǒu to fly away; 闪电 shǎndiàn lightning; 座 zuò (measure word for buildings); 剩下 shèngxià to remain; 关键 guānjiàn crucial; 笔 bǐ stroke (of a brush); 雷声 léishēng thunder

  1. Listening

    Listen first. How many dragons did he paint?

    1. two
    2. ten
    3. four
    Show the answer

    Answer: C, four.

    画了四条龙.

  2. Listening

    What happened after he dotted in the eyes?

    1. two dragons flew away
    2. the wall fell
    3. it began to rain
    Show the answer

    Answer: A, two dragons flew away.

    那两条龙真的飞走了.

Show the transcript
Pinyin
Translation

  1. 杨教授

    一千Yìqiān多duō年nián前qián，有yǒu一yí个gè画家huàjiā叫jiào张僧繇Zhāng Sēngyáo，画huà画huà画huà得de特别tèbié好hǎo。

    More than a thousand years ago, there was a painter called Zhang Sengyao, who painted extraordinarily well.

  2. 杨教授

    有Yǒu一yí次cì，他tā在zài一yí座zuò寺庙sìmiào的de墙上qiángshàng画huà了le四sì条tiáo龙lóng，可是kěshì都dōu没有méiyǒu画huà眼睛yǎnjing。

    Once he painted four dragons on a temple wall, but none had eyes.

  3. 苏菲

    为什么Wèishénme不bú画huà眼睛yǎnjing？

    Why didn't he paint the eyes?

  4. 杨教授

    他Tā说shuō：“如果rúguǒ点diǎn上shàng眼睛yǎnjing，龙lóng就jiù会huì飞走fēizǒu。”大家Dàjiā都dōu不bù相信xiāngxìn，一定yídìng要yào他tā点diǎn。

    He said: "If I dot in the eyes, the dragons will fly away." Nobody believed him, and they insisted he do it.

  5. 杨教授

    他Tā就jiù给gěi两liǎng条tiáo龙lóng点diǎn上shàng了le眼睛yǎnjing。突然Tūrán，雷声léishēng响起xiǎngqǐ，那nà两liǎng条tiáo龙lóng真zhēn的de飞走fēizǒu了le，墙上qiángshàng只zhǐ剩下shèngxià没有méiyǒu眼睛yǎnjing的de两liǎng条tiáo。

    So he dotted eyes onto two of the dragons. Suddenly thunder roared, and those two dragons really flew away. Only the two without eyes remained on the wall.

  6. 马克

    太Tài神奇shénqí了le！所以Suǒyǐ画龙点睛huàlóng diǎnjīng就jiù是shì最zuì关键guānjiàn的de一yì笔bǐ。

    How magical! So 画龙点睛 is the most crucial stroke.

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.

  • 太神奇了！所以画龙点睛就是最关键的一笔。

    Tài shénqí le! Suǒyǐ huàlóng diǎnjīng jiù shì zuì guānjiàn de yì bǐ.

    How magical! So 画龙点睛 is the most crucial stroke.

  • 有一次，他在一座寺庙的墙上画了四条龙，可是都没有画眼睛。

    Yǒu yí cì, tā zài yí zuò sìmiào de qiángshàng huà le sì tiáo lóng, kěshì dōu méiyǒu huà yǎnjing.

    Once he painted four dragons on a temple wall, but none had eyes.

  • 为什么不画眼睛？

    Wèishénme bú huà yǎnjing?

    Why didn't he paint the eyes?

Practice

  1. Meaning

    What does 画龙点睛 mean?

    1. to add the finishing touch
    2. to leave
    3. to trust, trust
    Show the answer

    Answer: A, to add the finishing touch.

    画龙点睛 (huàlóng diǎnjīng) means to add the finishing touch.

  2. Characters

    Which word means “dragon”?

    1. 龙
    2. 祸
    3. 篇
    Show the answer

    Answer: A, 龙.

    “dragon” is 龙 (lóng).

  3. Word order

    Put the words in order: Why didn't he paint the eyes?

    • 不
    • 画
    • 眼睛
    • 为什么
    Show the answer

    为什么不画眼睛 Wèishénme bú huà yǎnjing?

    Why didn't he paint the eyes?

    为什么不画眼睛？ The sentence comes from this lesson's text.

  4. Listening

    Listen. What does the word mean?

    Cannot listen? Read it instead

    生动 shēngdòng

    1. manager
    2. to ease, to relieve
    3. vivid, lively
    Show the answer

    Answer: C, vivid, lively.

    You heard 生动 (shēngdòng): vivid, lively.

  5. Your turn

    Recall: type the Chinese for “magical, miraculous” (characters or pinyin).

    Show the answer

    Answer: 神奇

    “magical, miraculous” is 神奇 (shénqí).

  6. Grammar

    In 短而生动, what does 而 mean?

    1. but
    2. and
    3. because
    Show the answer

    Answer: B, and.

    而 here joins two qualities: and.

  7. Fill the gap

    Complete: Your last sentence adds the finishing touch to the essay.

    你最后一句话真是＿＿。

    1. 塞翁失马
    2. 人山人海
    3. 画龙点睛
    Show the answer

    Answer: C, 画龙点睛.

    画龙点睛: the finishing touch.

  8. In context

    A story is told so well that you feel you are there. How is it?

    1. 生动
    2. 神奇
    3. 关键
    Show the answer

    Answer: A, 生动.

    生动: vivid.

  9. Your turn

    Type the Chinese for dragon

    Show the answer

    Answer: 龙

    龙: dragon.

The finishing touch

Retell the story of the painted dragons out loud in your own words, in eight sentences.

  1. Who the painter was and what he painted.
  2. Why he left out the eyes.
  3. What happened when he added them.
  4. Use 画龙点睛 in a modern sentence about writing, cooking or design.

Sentence frames

  • ＿＿就是画龙点睛的一笔。

    ＿＿ jiù shì huàlóng diǎnjīng de yì bǐ.

    ... is the finishing touch.

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 retell the story of 画龙点睛 and use the idiom.
  • I recognise 而 joining two parts in formal writing.

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: Wasted words: 对牛弹琴