第四课 埋在地里的金子

This article was selected from 《中文》book 6, lesson 4, p.p. 31-33.  Please learn the new vocabulary by using the flashcard.


Please listen to the recordings and answer the following questions:
1)  为什么老人的三个儿子长大了，却无法养活自己？
2)  为什么他让三个儿子去挖金子？ 
3)  老人在地里埋了金子吗？
4)  为什么今年打下的粮食比往年多得多？
5)  这个故事告诉了我们什么道理？

谜语 Riddles - 1

• 1.     五个兄弟，住在一起，名字不同，高矮不齐。 答案： 手指
• 2.     一个黑孩，从不开口，要是开口，掉出舌头。 答案： 爪子
• 3.     人脱衣服，它穿衣服，人脱帽子，它戴帽子。 答案： 衣帽架
• 4.     屋子方方，有门没窗，屋外热烘，屋里冰霜。 答案： 电冰箱
• 5.     两只小口袋，天天随身带，要是少一只，就把人笑坏。 答案：袜子
• 6.     弟兄七八个，围着柱子坐，只要一分开，衣服就扯破。 答案： 蒜
• 7.     独木造高楼，没瓦没砖头，人在水下走，水在人上流。 答案：雨伞
• 8.     身穿大皮袄，野草吃个饱，过了严冬天，献出一身毛。 答案：绵羊
• 9.     一个小姑娘，生在水中央，身穿粉红衫，坐在绿船上。 答案：荷花
• 10.  颜色白如雪，身子硬如铁，一日洗三遍，夜晚柜中歇。 答案：饭碗
• 11.  有面没有口，有脚没有手，虽有四只脚，自己不会走。 答案：桌子
• 12.  白嫩小宝宝，洗澡吹泡泡，洗洗身体小，再洗不见了。 答案：香皂
• 13.  身穿绿衣裳，肚里水汪汪，生的子儿多，个个黑脸膛。 答案：西瓜
• 14.  不怕细菌小，有它能看到，化验需要它，科研不可少。 答案：显微镜
• 15.  象只大蝎子，抱起似孩子，抓挠肚肠子，唱出好曲子。 答案：琵琶
• 16.  是笔不能画，和电是一家，要知有无电，可去请教它。 答案：试电笔
• 17.  圆筒白浆糊，早晚挤一股，兄弟三十二，都说有好处。 答案：牙膏

会 (huì), 能 (néng), and 可以 (kěyǐ) －－ Part. 2

We did a comparison of  会 (huì), 能 (néng), and 可以 (kěyǐ)  in the previous blog to know the similarities and nuances among their usages. The chart above is a brief summary about their functions and you can see they overlaps somehow. Here are more examples, and we can see their differences and how they work in various contexts.

1. 他很能学习。He can really study. (The subject study hard. He might invest a lot of efforts and spend a great amount in his study.)
2. 他很会学习。He knows how to study. (The subject has the knowledge of learning or he might learn strategically.)
3. 我会说英文，可是我不能说，因为我在上中文课，I know how to speak English, but I can not speak it because I am having a Chinese class now.  (The subject has the ability to speak English but it is not allowed to speak it because he/she is having a Chinese class.) 
4. 他能吃辣的，可是今天他不可以吃，因为他最近得了胃炎。(He has the ability to eat spicy food but he is not allowed to eat it because he had gastritis recently. He might have certain the dietary restriction from the doctor.)
5. 我现在可以踢足球了，因为我做完作业了。I can play football now, because my homework is done. (It is possible for me to play football now, because I finished my homework already.)
6. 我现在会踢足球了，因为我上了一个足球培训课程。I know how to play football now, because I took a football training course. (Playing football is a learned skill in this case, because the speaker got trained.)
7. 我现在能踢足球了，因为我的脚伤已经好了。I am able to play football now, because my foot is better now. (This is to show there is a possibility of playing football, since the subject's foot got recovered.)
8. 我现在可以踢足球了，因我爸爸同意了。I can play football now, because my dad agreed. (The dad gave permission.)

Please translate the sentences:
1) This little kid really can sleep. (He/she sleeps a lot, maybe for many hours each day.)
2) She really knows how to eat. (She is a true connoisseur and she has great knowledge about food and its culture.)
3) She really can eat. (Perhaps, she eats a lot every time).
4) A: Do you know how to use computer?
     B: Yes, I know how, but I can not use this computer, because it is broken. Could I use that computer?
     A: Yes, you can.
5) Student: Could we meet at 3.00 pm today?
    Teacher: I am sorry. I can not meet at 3.00 pm because I have a class. We can meet after 6.00. Is that okay?
     Student: Yes! I will go to your office to see you. Is that okay?
     Teacher: Yes! See you.

Please complete the dialogue by using 会 (huì), 能 (néng), or 可以 (kěyǐ). 
小王: 我_______和 他们 一起 踢 足球 吗？
Can I play soccer with them? (Am I allowed?)
医生: 你 的 腿 还 没 好，现在 你 不 _______ 踢。
Your foot still isn't better. You can't go right now. (His rule prohibits it)
小王: 它 _______ 好 吗？
Will it get better? (会 indicates the future)
医生: 嗯，你 放 心 吧，很 快 就 _______好 的。
Yes, don't worry, it will get better soon.

Brief Action: Verb + 一下儿 (yīxiàr)

一下 (yīxià) is usually used as a verb ending to express a brief action. Sometimes 一下 (yīxià) can soften the tone when you convey a request or suggestion: Subject + Verb + 一下儿 + Object. Adding 一下 (yīxià) after verbs makes the Chinese feel more natural. For example, 

• 请等一下。Please wait for a little bit. (You get the feeling that it shouldn't be a long wait.)
  
• 请您看一下。Please take a look. (It should be a quick look.)

Please change the following sentences by using Verb + 一下儿structure. 

1. 您听这首歌。

2. 您试这道菜。

3. 您读这个字。

4. 我不明白，您可以说为什么吗?

5. 这儿有些热，您开窗户吧。

Please translate the following sentences:

1. I have to think a little bit. 

2. Could you please write down this character a little bit? 

一点儿 (yīdiǎnr) and 有点儿 (yǒudiǎnr)

一点 (yīdiǎn) and 有点 (yǒudiǎn) are usually pronounced 一点儿 (yīdiǎnr) and 有点儿 (yǒudiǎnr) in northern China. Both of them mean "a little" or "a bit", but they have different uses in sentences.

有点 (also 有点儿) is placed after a subject but before an adjective, and it usually expresses something that you don't want. Some examples of adjectives that can be coupled with 有点 are 生气, 伤心, 难过，讨厌, etc.: 有点儿 + Adj. For example:

• 今天的汤有点儿咸。The soup today is a little salty. 
• 我有点儿累，想休息一下儿。I am a little bit tired and I want to have a rest. 
• 今天有点儿冷，你得多穿点儿衣服。It is a little bit cold today. You'd better put on more clothes. 

一点 (also 一点儿) cannot be placed before an adjective. Instead, it is placed after adjectives. The adjectives that can be used are particularly limited. They often express some kind of comparisons or requests: Adjective + 一点儿. For example: 

• 请您说慢一点儿。Please say it a little slower. 
• 快一点儿，火车要开了。A little bit faster, the training is leaving. 
• 您感冒了，喝点儿橙汁，希望你感觉好一点儿。You caught a cold. Please drink some orange juice. I hope you feel a little bit better. 

Adjective +了 + 一点儿

• 她才四岁，写汉字难了一点儿。She is still a four-year-old child. Writing characters is kind of challenging. 
• 睡了一觉，他感觉好了一点儿。After a sleep, he felt a little better. 

有点儿+ 不/没 + Adjective/Verb

• 刚下飞机，他有点儿不舒服。He just got off the plan, so he felt kind of sick. 
• 他有点儿不高兴。He is kind of upset. 
• 她还有点儿没睡醒。She has not fully waken up. 
• 他吃饱了，有点儿不想吃了。He's very full, so he kind of does not want to eat any more. 
• 你说的话我有点儿没听明白。I kind of don't understand what you said. 

一点儿+ 也/都+ 不/没 + Adjective/Verb

• 这个四川人觉得这个四川菜一点儿也不辣。This Sichuanese fellow thinks this Sichuan dish is not spicy at all. 
• 他忙了一天，可是看起来一点儿也不累。He was busy whole day, but he doesn't look tired at all.
• 你说得太快了，我一点儿都没听懂。You talked too fast, so I did not get it at all. 

Please fill in the blanks by using 有点儿 and 一点儿:
1.  这件裙子样子还不错，可是颜色深了_______。
2. 下午三点多时，他肚子_______饿了。
3.  快到中午了，可是他肚子_______都不饿。
4.  她已经六十多岁了，可是看起来_______也不老。
5.  今天晚上我_______不太方便，我们明天再见，可以吗？
6.  今天晚上UB会有橄榄球比赛，所以会热闹_______。
7.  她觉得屋子里_______热，所以打开了窗户。
8. Dialogue:
A: 这条裙子_______贵。
This dress is a bit expensive.
B: 是 贵 了 _______，但是 真 的 很 好看，我 好 喜欢。
It's a bit expensive, but it looks really good, I like it.
A: 服务员，这 条裙子 能 不 能 便宜 _______？
Attendant, could we get it a little cheaper?
C: 不好意思，这 是 新 的，_______ 也 不 能 便宜。
I'm sorry.  This is a new item, so it can't even be a little bit cheaper.

Reference:
http://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Comparing_%22youdian%22_and_%22yidian%22
http://www.italki.com/article/19/whats-the-difference-between-you-dian-er-and-yi-dian-er#.VNziPPnF9qM
http://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Yidian_and_you_yidian

还有(háiyǒu) and 还是(háishì)

We talked about 还有(háiyǒu)  in the previous blog. 还有 is similar to "in addition" in English, which can be used with a comma and put before the verb phrase or sentence: 还有, + verb phrase/sentence. 
However, 还是 (háishì) is used in Chinese to provide options in a question. This is equivalent to one use of "or" in English:  Option A + 还是 + Option B ? For example:

• 您要喝点儿什么？茶还是咖啡？What do you want to drink? Tea or coffee? 
• 您要一个还是两个？Do you want one or two?
• 你要哪个？红色的还是蓝色的？Which one do you want? Red one or blue one?

You can even add a subject and a verb before the structure above: Subject + Verb + Option A + 还是 + Option B ?

• 你是中国人还是日本人？Are you Chinese or Japanese?
• 你说普通话还是广东话？Do you speak Mandarin Chinese or Cantonese?
• 你喜欢男孩还是女孩？Do you like boys or girls?

Please filling the blanks by using 还有 or 还是：

1. 你喜欢苹果___________香蕉？

2. 他会说普通话___________上海话。

3. 我想学西班牙语___________德语。

4. 他说的是法语___________德语？

5. 大卫是美国人___________英国人？

And: 和 and 还有

和 (hé) is the most common way to express "and" in Chinese but it can only be used to link nouns. You can use it to list nouns, whether two of them or more, 和 (hé) can be used to joint them. Verbs (or whole sentences) should not be linked with 和 (hé): Noun 1 + 和 + Noun 2. For example,

• 我和她是好朋友。She and I are good friends. 
  
• 我喜欢苹果，葡萄，和香蕉。I like apple, grape, and banana. 

还有 (háiyǒu) is used to express "in addition..." or "and also...". It is introducing new information to the topic the speaker is talking about, as an afterthought. We can also use 还有 to start completely new sentence or clause:

verb phrase 1 + 还有 + verb phrase 2. 

For example, 

• 哎呀！你感冒了，得多喝水，还有多休息啊。OMG, You caught a cold. You should drink more water, and have some rest. 
• 他喜欢看书，听音乐，还有打篮球。He likes to read books, listen to music, and play basketball. 

sentence 1。还有 ，sentence 2.

For example, 

• 他今天真倒霉！早上出门时车子没电了。还有，他的电脑也坏了。It is not his day today. His car was out of battery this morning when he left home this morning. In addition, his computer was broken as well.

Please fill in the blanks by using 和 or 还有

1. 他去过中国，日本，________韩国。

2. 他会做意大利菜________法国菜。

3. 他会唱歌，跳舞，________打网球。

4. 他去过中国。他会说很多中文，________，能写一些汉字。

5. 如果你去北京，你得爬长城，________到天安门去看看。

Reference: 

http://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Expressing_%22and%22_with_%22he%22

会 (huì), 能 (néng), and 可以 (kěyǐ) －－ Part. 1

We talked about 会 (huì), 能 (néng), and 可以 (kěyǐ) in the previous blogs. Do you know the difference among them and how to use them correctly?  会 means "know how to", 能 means "to be able to", and 可以 means "to have permission to."  They overlap somehow, but there are many nuances:

The regions marked by letters are explained in the sections below:

• A: ability in the sense of “know how to” (会 (huì) is more common than 能 (néng))
• B: permission/request (use 能 (néng) or 可以 (kěyǐ))
• C: possibility (use 能 (néng) or 可以 (kěyǐ))
• D: permission not granted (use 不可以 (bù kěyǐ))
• E: impossibility (use 不能 (bù néng))

Both会 and 能 can be used to express ability in something: 会/能 + Verb

• 他能／会说汉语和日语。He can speak Chinese and Japanese. 
• 三个月大的孩子不能／会走路。Three-month-old children can not walk. 

Both 可以 and 能 is used to ask for or give permission: 可以/能 + Verb

• 你可以/能帮我一下吗？Can you do me a favor? 
• 我可以/能进来吗？May I come in? 
• 可以，请进！Yes, please come in. (When a question is asked using 能/可以 it can be answered with 不能/不可以, meaning no, and only 可以 meaning yes. Chinese don't really answer with just 能。) 

Both 能 and 可以 can also be used to express possibility：可以/能 + Verb

• 下个星期有春节联欢晚会，你可以/能来看吗？Next week, we will have the Chinese New Year celebration. Can you come? 

Only 会 can be used to mean something is going to happen. It express something in the future will happen and is often used to express trends or possibilities:会 + Verb

• 明天布法罗会下雪吗？Will it snow in Buffalo tomorrow? 
• 今天晚上他会去图书馆学习。He will go to the library to study tonight.

Please filling the blanks by using 会 (huì), 能 (néng), or 可以 (kěyǐ)

1) 绿灯了，我们__________走了。

2) 我学游泳学了两个多礼拜，我现在__________游了。

3) 我爸爸同意了，我暑假__________去中国了。

4) 这个老爷爷听不懂英文，你__________和他说中文吗？

5) 他病好了，__________工作了。

6) 他__________说一些中文，因为他去过中国好几次。

7) 你__________帮我写一下吗？

8）下雪了，今天晚上你还__________来上课吗？

Reference:
http://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Comparing_%22hui%22_%22neng%22_%22keyi%22

The Placement of Time Phrases

Are you wondering how to put time words in a sentence? The placement of time phrases in Chinese is different than English. Briefly speaking, point in time (when) comes before verb while duration (how long) comes after verb. Here is a summary: 

Placement of time words in a sentence

Time words, the WHEN part of a sentence, have a special place in Chinese. They usually come at the beginning of a sentence, right after the subject. Occasionally you'll see them before the subject, but the place you won't be seeing them is at the end of the sentence (where they frequently appear in English).

Placement of Time Words

Subject	Time when	Verb phrase
我	今天	工作	。
你们	每天	洗澡	。
他	星期二	来	。

Placement of duration in a sentence

Whenever you talk about FOR HOW LONG, you're getting into duration. It's not the same as a regular time word; it has its own rules.

Placement of duration

Subject	Time when	Place word	Verb phrase	Place word	Time duration
我			住	在 中国	三年 了	。
我	去年	在 北京	学习 了		三 个 月	。
他	上 个 星期	在 家里	看 电视 看 了		二十 个 小时	。

Please write sentences by using the given words:
1)   她      两个月    在美国    了      学习    
2）他      上午    昨天    体育馆       去了           
3）我      吃饭    在食堂        中午      每天
4）我      学中文   每周一     在UB       
5）王家明       今天    了     在图书馆     看了   看书    五个小时
6)   杰克    三个学期     学      了     学中文   了
7）他       两个月      去年暑假       工作      在中国     了 
8）我       两个小时    上       今天      了        上中文课       在UB

Reference:

http://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Word_order

可以(kěyǐ) -- Expressing permission

可以(kěyǐ)  is often translated as "can" in English, but it is used to emphasize "to have permission to do something", so we can consider it as "may" to distinguish it from other auxiliary verbs. The basic structure is: Subject + 可以 + Verb + Object.

For example, 

• 她病好了，可以出院了。She is already recovered, so she can leave the hospital now. 
• 这儿不可以吸烟。Smoking is not allowed here.
• 他不满二十一周岁，不可以喝酒。He's not 21 years old yet, so he's not allowed to drink alcohol.
• 你可以给我打一个电话吗？Could you please give me a call?
• 你可以帮我一个忙吗？Can you please do me a favor?

Please write sentences by using the given words:

1) 你     坐       在   可以       这里 

2) 两个   我     买       可以     吗       

3) 和我     可以      你    打篮球    吗       去      星期一

4) 我    有      明天     考试       不     和你      去      可以       踢足球     了

5) 小孩子     可以     不     这个     看      电影 

Reference:
http://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Expressing_permission_with_%22keyi%22

能 (néng) -- Expressing Ability or Possibility

能 (néng) is often translated as "can", which is used to express ability or possibility of doing something. In this article, we are going to learn more about these two usages. 

1) to express "ability": Subject + 能 + Verb + Object

• 她们能唱中文歌。They can sing Chinese songs. 

• 你能讲英语吗？Can you speak English?

• 我的手机能上网。I can surf the Internet through my mobile phone.
• 他能跑五千米。He can run for 5000 meters.
• 他太小了，不能自己穿衣服。He is too young to dress himself. 

2) to express "possibility": Subject + 能 + Verb + Object

• 这儿不能吸烟。Smoking is not allowed here. （Smoking is forbidden here.)
• 上中文课，我们不能讲英文。We can not speak English in the Chinese class. (Perhaps, English is not allowed in the classroom, which is against the class rule.)
• 你能帮我吗？Can you help me?
• 她病了，不能来了。She's sick, so she can not come.
• 我能行。I can do it. 

Please translate the following sentences:

1) I am having a class, so I can not talk with you.

2) Can you sing this song?

3) He can not eat spicy food.

4) I can speak Chinese and I can write a lot of Chinese characters. 

5) I do not have my wallet with me, so I can not buy this book now. 

6) He can do programing. 

7) The computer is broken, so I can not use it now. 

Please tell us some of your talents by using "我能..." structure. 

Reference:
http://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Expressing_ability_or_possibility#Expressing_Possibility