Chinese · Intermediate (B1) · Chapter 12 of 12
Review: telling your story
我的故事Wǒ de gùshi
Review B1 Chinese with a life story: 是…的, 就 and 才, 被, 为了, 虽然…但是…, 越来越 and advice with 只要…就….
In this chapter you'll learn to
- Ask about someone's life with 是…的 questions
- Tell a life story in order, from birth to retirement
- Link the story with 为了, 虽然…但是… and 越来越
- Give advice from experience with 只要…就…
Listen
In Guangzhou, journalism student Liang Ziqi interviews Mr Huang, 70, who came from the countryside and built up a small Cantonese restaurant. Listen to the whole dialogue first, then line by line.
Liang Ziqi
黄爷爷，您好。谢谢您愿意跟我聊聊您的经历。
Huáng yéye, nín hǎo. Xièxie nín yuànyì gēn wǒ liáoliao nín de jīnglì.
Hello, Mr Huang. Thank you for agreeing to talk to me about your life.
Mr Huang
不客气。你想知道什么，就问吧。
Bú kèqi. Nǐ xiǎng zhīdào shénme, jiù wèn ba.
You're welcome. Ask me whatever you'd like to know.
Liang Ziqi
您是在哪儿出生的？
Nín shì zài nǎr chūshēng de?
Where were you born?
Mr Huang
我是在顺德的农村出生的。那时候家里没有钱，我十四岁就不上学了。
Wǒ shì zài Shùndé de nóngcūn chūshēng de. Nà shíhou jiā li méiyǒu qián, wǒ shísì suì jiù bú shàngxué le.
I was born in a village in Shunde. We had no money back then, so I left school at fourteen.
Liang Ziqi
您是什么时候进城的？
Nín shì shénme shíhou jìnchéng de?
When did you move to the city?
Mr Huang
一九七九年。为了帮家里，我二十三岁来广州打工，在一家饭店的厨房工作。
Yī jiǔ qī jiǔ nián. Wèile bāng jiā li, wǒ èrshísān suì lái Guǎngzhōu dǎgōng, zài yì jiā fàndiàn de chúfáng gōngzuò.
In 1979. To help my family, I came to Guangzhou at twenty-three to find work, in a restaurant kitchen.
Liang Ziqi
那时候工作辛苦吗？
Nà shíhou gōngzuò xīnkǔ ma?
Was the work hard back then?
Mr Huang
很辛苦。每天早上五点就起床，晚上十一点才下班。虽然很累，但是我学会了做粤菜。
Hěn xīnkǔ. Měi tiān zǎoshang wǔ diǎn jiù qǐchuáng, wǎnshang shíyī diǎn cái xiàbān. Suīrán hěn lèi, dànshì wǒ xuéhuìle zuò Yuècài.
Very hard. I got up at five every morning and didn't finish until eleven at night. It was tiring, but I learned to cook Cantonese food.
Liang Ziqi
您是哪年开的店？
Nín shì nǎ nián kāi de diàn?
What year did you open your restaurant?
Mr Huang
一九九二年。一开始生意不好，有一次钱还被人偷了。后来客人越来越多，店也越开越大。
Yī jiǔ jiǔ èr nián. Yì kāishǐ shēngyi bù hǎo, yǒu yí cì qián hái bèi rén tōu le. Hòulái kèrén yuèláiyuè duō, diàn yě yuè kāi yuè dà.
In 1992. At first business was bad, and once our money was even stolen. But later we got more and more customers, and the restaurant kept growing.
Liang Ziqi
您现在退休了吗？对想开店的年轻人，您有什么建议？
Nín xiànzài tuìxiū le ma? Duì xiǎng kāi diàn de niánqīngrén, nín yǒu shénme jiànyì?
Have you retired now? What advice would you give young people who want to open their own business?
Mr Huang
我两年前退休了，现在饭店是我儿子的。我很为这家店骄傲。我的建议是：只要不怕辛苦，就一定能成功。
Wǒ liǎng nián qián tuìxiū le, xiànzài fàndiàn shì wǒ érzi de. Wǒ hěn wèi zhè jiā diàn jiāo'ào. Wǒ de jiànyì shì: zhǐyào bú pà xīnkǔ, jiù yídìng néng chénggōng.
I retired two years ago. The restaurant belongs to my son now. I'm very proud of it. My advice is: as long as you're not afraid of hard work, you'll succeed.
Understand
Asking about a life: 是…的, 就 and 才
Questions about someone's life are usually about details of things that already happened, so they use (shì … de): (Nín shì zài nǎr chūshēng de?), where were you born? (Nín shì shénme shíhou jìnchéng de?), when did you move to the city? With an object, (de) goes before it: (Nín shì nǎ nián kāi de diàn?), what year did you open your shop?
(jiù) and (cái) show how the speaker feels about a time. (shísì suì jiù bú shàngxué le), he left school as young as fourteen. (wǎnshang shíyī diǎn cái xiàbān), he didn't finish work until eleven at night.
- 你是跟谁一起来广州的？Nǐ shì gēn shéi yìqǐ lái Guǎngzhōu de?Who did you come to Guangzhou with?
- 我们是在大学认识的。Wǒmen shì zài dàxué rènshi de.We met at university.
Linking a life story
A good story needs linking words. Here are the ones from this level; most of them are in Mr Huang's story. Remember that (wèile) introduces a goal and (bèi) something bad that happened to someone: (qián bèi rén tōu le), the money was stolen by someone.
Verbs with a result are useful too: (xuéhuì), learn how to (and succeed); (zhǎodào), find; (bànhǎo), get done.
| Chinese | Meaning |
|---|---|
| (yì kāishǐ) | at first |
| (hòulái) | later, afterwards |
| (wèile …) | in order to … |
| (suīrán … dànshì …) | although … |
| (yuèláiyuè …) | more and more … |
| (yuè … yuè …) | the more …, the more … |
| (… yǐhòu) | after … |
Pride and advice
(wèi … jiāo'ào) means “to be proud of”. The thing or person you're proud of goes between (wèi) and (jiāo'ào): (wǒ wèi nǐ jiāo'ào), I'm proud of you.
Advice from experience often uses (zhǐyào … jiù …), as long as: (zhǐyào bú pà xīnkǔ, jiù yídìng néng chénggōng). You can also start with (wǒ de jiànyì shì …), my advice is…, or (wǒ jiànyì nǐ …), I suggest you…
- 我建议你先找一个稳定的工作。Wǒ jiànyì nǐ xiān zhǎo yí ge wěndìng de gōngzuò.I suggest you find a stable job first.
- 只要你坚持，就能学好中文。Zhǐyào nǐ jiānchí, jiù néng xuéhǎo Zhōngwén.As long as you keep at it, you can learn Chinese well.
More in the grammar: 是…的: focusing on details
New words
- 经历jīnglìexperiences, life story; to go through
- 出生chūshēngto be born · (wǒ shì yī jiǔ jiǔ líng nián chūshēng de), I was born in 1990
- 农村nóngcūncountryside, village
- 进城jìnchéngto go to the city (to live or work)
- 打工dǎgōngto work (for someone else), to do a job for pay · used for workers from the countryside and for students' part-time jobs
- 辛苦xīnkǔhard, tiring · (xīnkǔ le), thanks for your hard work
- 粤菜YuècàiCantonese food · (Yuè) is a short name for Guangdong
- 开店kāi diànto open a shop or restaurant, to run your own business · (fàndiàn), restaurant (also used for large hotels)
- 生意shēngyibusiness, trade · (shēngyi hěn hǎo), business is good
- 退休tuìxiūto retire
- 年轻人niánqīngrényoung people
- 建议jiànyìadvice, suggestion; to suggest
- 骄傲jiāo'àoproud · (wèi … jiāo'ào), proud of
- 成功chénggōngto succeed; successful
Practise
1.You want to know in which year your colleague was born. What do you ask?
2.Put the words in order.
Tap the words below in the right order.I was born in the countryside.
3.Match the Chinese with the English.
Pick a word on the left, then its meaning on the right.
4.What does (yì kāishǐ shēngyi bù hǎo, hòulái kèrén yuèláiyuè duō) mean?
5.How do you say “I'm proud of you”?
6.Mr Huang got up at five and finished at eleven at night. Which sentence shows he thinks both are extreme?
0 of 6 exercises done.
Say it out loud
您是在哪儿出生的？
Nín shì zài nǎr chūshēng de?
Where were you born?
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.