Chinese · Intermediate (B1) · Chapter 9 of 12
Health and lifestyle
健康的生活Jiànkāng de shēnghuó
Talk about habits, diet and exercise in Chinese: 越来越 (more and more), 越…越…, 已经…了, and strong advice with 一定要 and 千万别.
In this chapter you'll learn to
- Say that something is getting more and more … with 越来越
- Say “the more …, the more …” with 越…越…
- Talk about your habits and how long it's been since you did something
- Give strong advice with 一定要, 最好 and 千万别
Listen
At a hospital in Nanjing, Dr Xu talks to Mr Tan, 55, about his blood pressure and his habits. Listen to the whole dialogue first, then line by line.
Dr Xu
谭先生，您体检的时候，血压有点儿高。
Tán xiānsheng, nín tǐjiǎn de shíhou, xuèyā yǒudiǎnr gāo.
Mr Tan, your blood pressure was a little high at your check-up.
Mr Tan
是吗？我最近也觉得身体越来越不舒服，人也越来越胖了。
Shì ma? Wǒ zuìjìn yě juéde shēntǐ yuèláiyuè bù shūfu, rén yě yuèláiyuè pàng le.
Really? Lately I've been feeling less and less well, and I keep putting on weight.
Dr Xu
您经常锻炼吗？
Nín jīngcháng duànliàn ma?
Do you exercise often?
Mr Tan
很少。以前我每天都去游泳，这几年工作太忙，已经两年没去了。
Hěn shǎo. Yǐqián wǒ měi tiān dōu qù yóuyǒng, zhè jǐ nián gōngzuò tài máng, yǐjīng liǎng nián méi qù le.
Hardly ever. I used to go swimming every day, but work has been so busy these last few years that I haven't been for two years.
Dr Xu
您晚上一般几点睡觉？
Nín wǎnshang yìbān jǐ diǎn shuìjiào?
What time do you usually go to bed?
Mr Tan
常常十二点以后才睡。我经常熬夜看手机。
Chángcháng shí'èr diǎn yǐhòu cái shuì. Wǒ jīngcháng áoyè kàn shǒujī.
Often not until after midnight. I often stay up late on my phone.
Dr Xu
这个习惯对身体很不好。您抽烟吗？
Zhège xíguàn duì shēntǐ hěn bù hǎo. Nín chōuyān ma?
That habit is very bad for your health. Do you smoke?
Mr Tan
抽，一天一包。
Chōu, yì tiān yì bāo.
I do, a packet a day.
Dr Xu
那您一定要戒烟，也千万别再熬夜了。您家做菜放很多油和盐吗？
Nà nín yídìng yào jièyān, yě qiānwàn bié zài áoyè le. Nín jiā zuò cài fàng hěn duō yóu hé yán ma?
Then you really must give up smoking, and whatever you do, stop staying up late. Does your family cook with a lot of oil and salt?
Mr Tan
我爱人做菜，油和盐都放得很多。不过她做的菜我越吃越想吃。
Wǒ àiren zuò cài, yóu hé yán dōu fàng de hěn duō. Búguò tā zuò de cài wǒ yuè chī yuè xiǎng chī.
My wife uses a lot of oil and salt. But the more of her cooking I eat, the more I want.
Dr Xu
以后最好少吃油和盐，每天锻炼半个小时。只要坚持，身体就会越来越健康。
Yǐhòu zuìhǎo shǎo chī yóu hé yán, měi tiān duànliàn bàn ge xiǎoshí. Zhǐyào jiānchí, shēntǐ jiù huì yuèláiyuè jiànkāng.
From now on you'd better cut down on oil and salt, and exercise for half an hour every day. As long as you keep it up, you'll get healthier and healthier.
Mr Tan
好，我听您的。从明天开始，我每天都去游泳。
Hǎo, wǒ tīng nín de. Cóng míngtiān kāishǐ, wǒ měi tiān dōu qù yóuyǒng.
All right, I'll do as you say. Starting tomorrow, I'll go swimming every day.
Understand
越来越 and 越…越…
(yuèláiyuè) + adjective means “more and more …”, getting … all the time. Add (le) at the end for the change: (tā yuèláiyuè pàng le), he's getting fatter and fatter. Don't use (hěn) with it: not 越来越很胖.
越 A 越 B (yuè … yuè …) means “the more A, the more B”: (yuè chī yuè xiǎng chī), the more I eat, the more I want to eat. The two parts can have different subjects: (nǐ yuè shuō, tā yuè shēngqì), the more you talk, the angrier he gets.
- 天气越来越冷了。Tiānqì yuèláiyuè lěng le.The weather is getting colder and colder.
- 他的中文说得越来越好。Tā de Zhōngwén shuō de yuèláiyuè hǎo.His Chinese is getting better and better.
- 我越想越生气。Wǒ yuè xiǎng yuè shēngqì.The more I think about it, the angrier I get.
Habits: how often, how late, how long
For how often, you know (chángcháng) and (yǒushíhou). (jīngcháng) means “often” too, and (hěn shǎo) means “rarely, hardly ever”. They all go before the verb.
To say how long it's been since you did something, put the time before (méi) and end with (le): (yǐjīng liǎng nián méi qù le), I haven't been for two years. (yǐjīng) means “already”.
With clock times, (cái) means “not until” (late) and (jiù) means “as early as”: (shí'èr diǎn yǐhòu cái shuì), not in bed until after twelve; (shí diǎn jiù shuì le), in bed by ten.
Strong advice
Advice can be soft or strong. The words in the table go before the verb, from the softest, (zuìhǎo), to the strongest, (qiānwàn bié). (duì shēntǐ hǎo) and (duì shēntǐ bù hǎo) mean “good / bad for your health”.
(shǎo), less, and (duō), more, go before the verb in advice: (shǎo chī yóu), eat less oil; (duō hē shuǐ), drink more water.
| Chinese | Meaning |
|---|---|
| (zuìhǎo …) | you'd better … |
| (yīnggāi …) | you should … |
| (yídìng yào …) | you really must … |
| (bié …) | don't … |
| (qiānwàn bié …) | whatever you do, don't … |
More in the grammar: Comparisons: 比, 没有, 一样 · 就 and 才
New words
- 体检tǐjiǎnmedical check-up; to have a check-up
- 血压xuèyāblood pressure · (xuèyā gāo), high blood pressure; (xuè) is often said xiě in speech
- 身体shēntǐbody; health · (shēntǐ hǎo), in good health; (zuìjìn), recently, lately
- 越来越yuèláiyuèmore and more
- 胖pàngfat, overweight · the opposite is (shòu), thin
- 锻炼duànliànto exercise, to work out
- 熬夜áoyèto stay up late (into the night)
- 习惯xíguànhabit; to be used to
- 戒烟jièyānto give up smoking · (chōuyān), to smoke
- 一定要yídìng yàomust, really have to
- 油yóuoil, fat (in food) · (wǒ àiren zuò cài yóu fàng de hěn duō), my wife cooks with a lot of oil. (àiren), husband or wife, is common among older married people on the mainland.
- 盐yánsalt
- 坚持jiānchíto keep it up, to stick with it · (cóng míngtiān kāishǐ), starting tomorrow; (kāishǐ), to start
- 健康jiànkānghealthy; health
Practise
1.How do you say “The city is getting bigger and bigger”?
2.Put the words in order.
Tap the words below in the right order.I haven't been swimming for two years.
3.Match the Chinese with the English.
Pick a word on the left, then its meaning on the right.
4.The doctor says (qiānwàn bié hē jiǔ). How strong is this?
5.Your neighbour usually goes to bed at midnight, but yesterday she was asleep by nine. What do you say?
0 of 5 exercises done.
Say it out loud
我最近越来越忙了。
Wǒ zuìjìn yuèláiyuè máng le.
I've been getting busier and busier lately.
Listen, then say it out loud, as close to the recording as you can.
Check
Five questions on this chapter. Then mark it as finished to add its words to your review deck.
0 of 5 answered.