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Mythic Mandarin

Three circles

Preview version — Chinese review in progress.

HSK 4 About 8 minutes

三个圈

Sān gè quān

Three circles

Story

  1. ，。

    Mèng Kǎi dì-yī cì yí gè rén chūchāi, gōngsī pài tā qù Guǎngzhōu gēn yì jiā dà kèhù tán hézuò.

    Meng Kai was on his first business trip alone: the company had sent him to Guangzhou to discuss working with a big client.

    Words in this sentence
    孟凯 Mèng Kǎi
    Meng Kai (name)
    第一 dì-yī
    first Dictionary
    次 cì
    time (occurrence) Dictionary
    一个人 yí gè rén
    alone, on one's own Dictionary
    出差 chūchāi
    to go on a business trip Dictionary
    公司 gōngsī
    company, office Dictionary
    派 pài
    to send (someone) Dictionary
    他 tā
    he, him Dictionary
    去 qù
    to go Dictionary
    广州 Guǎngzhōu
    Guangzhou Dictionary
    跟 gēn
    with; as Dictionary
    一 yì
    one, a Dictionary
    家 jiā
    home, family Dictionary
    大 dà
    big, loud Dictionary
    客户 kèhù
    client Dictionary
    谈 tán
    to talk, to discuss Dictionary
    合作 hézuò
    to cooperate; cooperation Dictionary

  2. ，，。

    wèile zhè cì huìyì, tā zhǔnbèi le zhěngzhěng yí gè xīngqī, zuò le sānshí duō yè de cáiliào.

    He had spent a whole week preparing for this meeting and made over thirty pages of material.

    Words in this sentence
    为了 wèile
    in order to, for Dictionary
    这 zhè
    this Dictionary
    次 cì
    time (occurrence) Dictionary
    会议 huìyì
    meeting Dictionary
    他 tā
    he, him Dictionary
    准备 zhǔnbèi
    to prepare Dictionary
    了 le
    (marks a completed action or a change) Dictionary
    整整 zhěngzhěng
    a whole, fully Dictionary
    一 yí
    one, a Dictionary
    个 gè
    (measure word for people and things) Dictionary
    星期 xīngqī
    week Dictionary
    做 zuò
    to make, to do Dictionary
    了 le
    (marks a completed action or a change) Dictionary
    三十 sānshí
    thirty Dictionary
    多 duō
    many, a lot Dictionary
    页 yè
    page Dictionary
    的 de
    (possessive or describing particle) Dictionary
    材料 cáiliào
    material(s), documents Dictionary

  3. ，，。

    kěshì huìyì kāishǐ qián wǔ fēnzhōng, tā de diànnǎo tūrán méi diàn le, chōngdiànqì yě wàng zài le jiǔdiàn.

    But five minutes before the meeting his laptop suddenly died, and he had left the charger at the hotel.

    Words in this sentence
    可是 kěshì
    but Dictionary
    会议 huìyì
    meeting Dictionary
    开始 kāishǐ
    to start Dictionary
    前 qián
    front; before Dictionary
    五 wǔ
    five Dictionary
    分钟 fēnzhōng
    minute(s) Dictionary
    他 tā
    he, him Dictionary
    的 de
    (possessive or describing particle) Dictionary
    电脑 diànnǎo
    computer Dictionary
    突然 tūrán
    suddenly Dictionary
    没 méi
    not (in the past) Dictionary
    电 diàn
    electricity, battery power Dictionary
    了 le
    (marks a completed action or a change) Dictionary
    充电器 chōngdiànqì
    charger Dictionary
    也 yě
    also, too Dictionary
    忘 wàng
    to forget Dictionary
    在 zài
    at, in; to be at Dictionary
    了 le
    (marks a completed action or a change) Dictionary
    酒店 jiǔdiàn
    hotel Dictionary

  4. ，，。

    Mèng Kǎi jǐnzhāng de shǒu dōu chū hàn le, dànshì tā zhīdao, xiànzài huíqu ná yǐjīng láibují le.

    Meng Kai was so nervous his hands were sweating, but he knew there was no time to go back for it.

    Words in this sentence
    孟凯 Mèng Kǎi
    Meng Kai (name)
    紧张 jǐnzhāng
    nervous Dictionary
    得 de
    (links a verb to how it is done) Dictionary
    手 shǒu
    hand Dictionary
    都 dōu
    all, both Dictionary
    出 chū
    out Dictionary
    汗 hàn
    sweat Dictionary
    了 le
    (marks a completed action or a change) Dictionary
    但是 dànshì
    but Dictionary
    他 tā
    he, him Dictionary
    知道 zhīdao
    to know Dictionary
    现在 xiànzài
    now Dictionary
    回去 huíqu
    to go back Dictionary
    拿 ná
    to take, to pick up Dictionary
    已经 yǐjīng
    already Dictionary
    来不及 láibují
    there is not enough time Dictionary
    了 le
    (marks a completed action or a change) Dictionary

  5. ，，。

    tā ná qǐ yì zhī bǐ, zài báibǎn shàng huà le sān gè quān, yòng zuì jiǎndān de huà jiǎng le zìjǐ de xiǎngfǎ.

    He picked up a pen, drew three circles on the whiteboard and explained his idea in the simplest words he could.

    Words in this sentence
    他 tā
    he, him Dictionary
    拿 ná
    to take, to pick up Dictionary
    起 qǐ
    up (after a verb: 拿起 pick up) Dictionary
    一 yì
    one, a Dictionary
    支 zhī
    (measure word for pens) Dictionary
    笔 bǐ
    pen Dictionary
    在 zài
    at, in; to be at Dictionary
    白板 báibǎn
    whiteboard Dictionary
    上 shàng
    on, above Dictionary
    画 huà
    to draw Dictionary
    了 le
    (marks a completed action or a change) Dictionary
    三 sān
    three Dictionary
    个 gè
    (measure word for people and things) Dictionary
    圈 quān
    circle Dictionary
    用 yòng
    to use Dictionary
    最 zuì
    most Dictionary
    简单 jiǎndān
    simple Dictionary
    的 de
    (possessive or describing particle) Dictionary
    话 huà
    words, what is said Dictionary
    讲 jiǎng
    to tell, to explain Dictionary
    了 le
    (marks a completed action or a change) Dictionary
    自己 zìjǐ
    oneself Dictionary
    的 de
    (possessive or describing particle) Dictionary
    想法 xiǎngfǎ
    idea Dictionary

  6. ，，。

    méi xiǎngdào, duìfāng de jīnglǐ tīng de hěn rènzhēn, hái wèn le hǎo jǐ gè wèntí.

    To his surprise, the other side's manager listened carefully and asked several questions.

    Words in this sentence
    没想到 méi xiǎngdào
    unexpectedly, to one's surprise Dictionary
    对方 duìfāng
    the other side Dictionary
    的 de
    (possessive or describing particle) Dictionary
    经理 jīnglǐ
    manager Dictionary
    听 tīng
    to listen, to hear Dictionary
    得 de
    (links a verb to how it is done) Dictionary
    很 hěn
    very Dictionary
    认真 rènzhēn
    carefully, seriously Dictionary
    还 hái
    also, in addition Dictionary
    问 wèn
    to ask Dictionary
    了 le
    (marks a completed action or a change) Dictionary
    好 hǎo
    good; OK Dictionary
    几 jǐ
    how many Dictionary
    个 gè
    (measure word for people and things) Dictionary
    问题 wèntí
    problem, question Dictionary

  7. ，：“，。”

    huìyì jiéshù shí, jīnglǐ xiào zhe shuō:“ sānshí yè de cáiliào wǒ kěnéng jì bú zhù, zhè sān gè quān wǒ jì zhù le.”

    At the end of the meeting the manager smiled: "I probably wouldn't remember thirty pages, but I remember those three circles."

    Words in this sentence
    会议 huìyì
    meeting Dictionary
    结束 jiéshù
    to end Dictionary
    时 shí
    when, at the time of Dictionary
    经理 jīnglǐ
    manager Dictionary
    笑 xiào
    to laugh, to smile Dictionary
    着 zhe
    (-ing: an ongoing state) Dictionary
    说 shuō
    to say, to speak Dictionary
    三十 sānshí
    thirty Dictionary
    页 yè
    page Dictionary
    的 de
    (possessive or describing particle) Dictionary
    材料 cáiliào
    material(s), documents Dictionary
    我 wǒ
    I, me Dictionary
    可能 kěnéng
    may, might Dictionary
    记 jì
    to remember Dictionary
    不 bú
    not Dictionary
    住 zhù
    to stay, to live Dictionary
    这 zhè
    this Dictionary
    三 sān
    three Dictionary
    个 gè
    (measure word for people and things) Dictionary
    圈 quān
    circle Dictionary
    我 wǒ
    I, me Dictionary
    记 jì
    to remember Dictionary
    住 zhù
    to stay, to live Dictionary
    了 le
    (marks a completed action or a change) Dictionary

Grammar focus

  • 为了 "in order to, for"
  • 来不及 "there is not enough time"

Vocabulary

Questions

1为了这次会议，他准备了＿＿一个星期。Wèile zhè cì huìyì, tā zhǔnbèi le __ yí gè xīngqī.He prepared for this meeting for ___ a week.
Show the answer and explanations

Answer: B. 整整 stresses that the full amount of time was used: a whole week (sentence 2).

  • A: 刚刚 means "a moment ago" and does not fit before a length of time here.
  • C: 已经 would need a different sentence (已经准备了一个星期了).
2孟凯为什么不能用电脑？Mèng Kǎi wèishénme bù néng yòng diànnǎo?Why can't Meng Kai use his laptop?
Show the answer and explanations

Answer: A. Sentence 3: the laptop 没电了 and the charger 忘在了酒店.

  • B: It only ran out of battery.
  • C: The problem was his laptop and charger.
3孟凯回酒店拿了充电器。Mèng Kǎi huí jiǔdiàn ná le chōngdiànqì.Meng Kai went back to the hotel for the charger.
Show the answer and explanations

Answer: B. False. Sentence 4: 现在回去拿已经来不及了, there was no time to go back.

  • A: He knew he couldn't make it back in time (sentence 4), so he used the whiteboard instead.
4“来不及”是什么意思？"Láibují" shì shénme yìsi?What does 来不及 mean?
Show the answer and explanations

Answer: B. 来不及 means it is too late to do something in time.

  • A: 来不及 is about time, not willingness.
  • C: Distance may be the cause, but the word itself means "not enough time".
5经理最后那句话是什么意思？Jīnglǐ zuìhòu nà jù huà shì shénme yìsi?What does the manager mean by his last words?
Show the answer and explanations

Answer: A. He contrasts thirty forgettable pages with three memorable circles: praise for the simple approach.

  • B: He never saw the material; he is praising the circles.
  • C: He is smiling and interested (sentences 6 and 7).

Writing task

给同事写一条短消息：你出差的时候遇到了一个问题，请他帮忙。

Gěi tóngshì xiě yì tiáo duǎn xiāoxi: nǐ chūchāi de shíhou yùdào le yí gè wèntí, qǐng tā bāngmáng.

Write a short message to a colleague: something went wrong on your business trip and you need help.

Tips

  • 请你帮我…… is a polite way to ask for help.
Try it yourself first, then show the model answer

我的电脑突然没电了，充电器忘在了酒店。请你帮我把材料发到我的邮箱，谢谢！

Wǒ de diànnǎo tūrán méi diàn le, chōngdiànqì wàng zài le jiǔdiàn. Qǐng nǐ bāng wǒ bǎ cáiliào fā dào wǒ de yóuxiāng, xièxie!

My laptop suddenly died and I left the charger at the hotel. Could you please send the material to my email? Thanks!

About the HSK 4 level