Chinese · Upper intermediate (B2) · Chapter 7 of 12
Education and learning
教育和学习Jiàoyù hé xuéxí
Talk about school, exams and choices in Chinese: express regret with 早知道 and 本来应该, and set conditions with 只有…才…, 不是…而是… and 既…又….
In this chapter you'll learn to
- Express regret with 早知道…就…了, 本来应该 and 要是当时…就好了
- Say “only if” with 只有…才… and tell it from 只要…就…
- Correct an idea with 不是…而是…
- Talk about exams, subjects and choices
Listen
In Jinan, Liu Chang, 18, talks to his aunt, a secondary-school teacher, after disappointing gaokao results. Listen to the whole dialogue first, then line by line.
Aunt
畅畅，高考分数出来了吧？你妈说你一天都没出门。
Chàngchang, gāokǎo fēnshù chūlai le ba? Nǐ mā shuō nǐ yì tiān dōu méi chūmén.
Changchang, your gaokao results are out, aren't they? Your mum says you haven't left the house all day.
Liu Chang
出来了，五百六十分，离我想上的那所大学差了二十多分。姑姑，我真后悔。
Chūlai le, wǔbǎi liùshí fēn, lí wǒ xiǎng shàng de nà suǒ dàxué chàle èrshí duō fēn. Gūgu, wǒ zhēn hòuhuǐ.
They're out: five hundred and sixty points, over twenty short of the university I wanted. Auntie, I really regret it.
Aunt
后悔什么？
Hòuhuǐ shénme?
Regret what?
Liu Chang
高三那年我迷上了打游戏。本来应该好好复习的，结果每天晚上都玩到很晚，连补习班都经常不去。早知道会这样，我就不玩了。
Gāosān nà nián wǒ míshàngle dǎ yóuxì. Běnlái yīnggāi hǎohāo fùxí de, jiéguǒ měi tiān wǎnshang dōu wán dào hěn wǎn, lián bǔxíbān dōu jīngcháng bú qù. Zǎo zhīdào huì zhèyàng, wǒ jiù bù wán le.
In my last year I got hooked on video games. I should have been revising properly, but I played till late every night and often didn't even go to my extra classes. If I'd known this would happen, I wouldn't have played.
Aunt
现在说这些也没用了。而且分数也不算太差，五百六十分能上不少好大学。你爸妈怎么说？
Xiànzài shuō zhèxiē yě méi yòng le. Érqiě fēnshù yě bú suàn tài chà, wǔbǎi liùshí fēn néng shàng bù shǎo hǎo dàxué. Nǐ bàmā zěnme shuō?
There's no point in saying that now. Besides, it isn't such a bad score. With five hundred and sixty you can get into plenty of good universities. What do your parents say?
Liu Chang
我妈想让我复读一年，重新考。她说只有考上好大学，将来才能找到好工作。
Wǒ mā xiǎng ràng wǒ fùdú yì nián, chóngxīn kǎo. Tā shuō zhǐyǒu kǎoshàng hǎo dàxué, jiānglái cái néng zhǎodào hǎo gōngzuò.
Mum wants me to repeat the year and take the exam again. She says only if I get into a good university will I find a good job later.
Aunt
家长都这么想。可是我教了二十年书，觉得关键不是你考了多少分，而是你想学什么。你对什么感兴趣？
Jiāzhǎng dōu zhème xiǎng. Kěshì wǒ jiāole èrshí nián shū, juéde guānjiàn bú shì nǐ kǎole duōshao fēn, ér shì nǐ xiǎng xué shénme. Nǐ duì shénme gǎn xìngqù?
All parents think that way. But I've been teaching for twenty years, and I think what matters isn't how many points you got, but what you want to study. What are you interested in?
Liu Chang
我一直对电脑感兴趣，想学计算机专业。其实有个学校的计算机专业不错，我的分数也够，就是学校的名气没那么大。
Wǒ yìzhí duì diànnǎo gǎn xìngqù, xiǎng xué jìsuànjī zhuānyè. Qíshí yǒu ge xuéxiào de jìsuànjī zhuānyè búcuò, wǒ de fēnshù yě gòu, jiùshì xuéxiào de míngqi méi nàme dà.
I've always been interested in computers and want to study computer science. Actually, there's a university with a good computer science department, and my score is high enough. It's just not such a famous university.
Aunt
那不是挺好吗？既能学你喜欢的专业，又不用再辛苦一年。学校的名气没那么重要，大学四年学到了什么才重要。
Nà bú shì tǐng hǎo ma? Jì néng xué nǐ xǐhuan de zhuānyè, yòu bú yòng zài xīnkǔ yì nián. Xuéxiào de míngqi méi nàme zhòngyào, dàxué sì nián xuédàole shénme cái zhòngyào.
Isn't that great? You can study the subject you like, and you don't have to slog through another year. A university's name isn't that important; what you learn in four years is what counts.
Liu Chang
可我还是觉得不甘心。要是当时我能把时间都花在学习上就好了。
Kě wǒ háishi juéde bù gānxīn. Yàoshi dāngshí wǒ néng bǎ shíjiān dōu huā zài xuéxí shang jiù hǎo le.
But I still can't accept it. If only I'd spent all my time studying back then.
Aunt
谁没后悔过呢？我当年本来想学医，后来听了家里的话，当了老师。可现在呢，我倒挺喜欢这份工作的。
Shéi méi hòuhuǐguo ne? Wǒ dāngnián běnlái xiǎng xué yī, hòulái tīngle jiā li de huà, dāngle lǎoshī. Kě xiànzài ne, wǒ dào tǐng xǐhuan zhè fèn gōngzuò de.
Who hasn't had regrets? Back then I wanted to study medicine, but I listened to my family and became a teacher. And now, as it turns out, I really like this job.
Liu Chang
你说得对。只有我自己先想清楚了，才能说服我妈。我今天晚上就跟她好好谈谈。
Nǐ shuō de duì. Zhǐyǒu wǒ zìjǐ xiān xiǎng qīngchu le, cái néng shuōfú wǒ mā. Wǒ jīntiān wǎnshang jiù gēn tā hǎohāo tántan.
You're right. Only if I've thought it through myself first can I convince Mum. I'll have a proper talk with her this evening.
Understand
Regrets: 早知道, 本来, 要是当时
In B1 you met (yàoshi zǎo zhīdào … jiù … le). In speech it's usually just (zǎo zhīdào …), if I'd known: (zǎo zhīdào huì zhèyàng, wǒ jiù bù wán le), if I'd known this would happen, I wouldn't have played. The (le) at the end is important.
(běnlái) means “originally, at first”. (běnlái yīnggāi … de) is “should have …”: (běnlái yīnggāi hǎohāo fùxí de), I should have revised properly. (yàoshi dāngshí … jiù hǎo le) is a wish about the past: if only I had … (hòuhuǐ), to regret, can also take a whole phrase: (wǒ hòuhuǐ méi hǎohāo fùxí), I regret not revising properly.
| Chinese | Meaning |
|---|---|
| (zǎo zhīdào …, wǒ jiù … le) | if I'd known …, I would have … |
| (běnlái yīnggāi … de) | should have … |
| (běnlái xiǎng …) | originally wanted to … |
| (yàoshi dāngshí … jiù hǎo le) | if only I had … (back then) |
| (wǒ hòuhuǐ …) | I regret … |
Only if: 只有…才…
只有 A 才 B (zhǐyǒu A cái B) means “only if A, (then) B”: A is the one condition that works. (zhǐyǒu kǎoshàng hǎo dàxué, cái néng zhǎodào hǎo gōngzuò), only if you get into a good university can you find a good job. Note that (cái) goes after the subject of the second half, before the verb.
Compare 只要 A 就 B (zhǐyào A jiù B) from B1, “as long as A, B”: A is enough, but other ways may work too. (zhǐyào nǔlì, jiù néng jìnbù), as long as you work hard, you'll improve; (zhǐyǒu nǔlì, cái néng jìnbù), you'll only improve if you work hard.
Not …, but …; both … and …
不是 A，而是 B (bú shì A, ér shì B) corrects an idea: not A, but B. (guānjiàn bú shì nǐ kǎole duōshao fēn, ér shì nǐ xiǎng xué shénme), what matters isn't your score but what you want to study. (guānjiàn) means “the key point, what matters”.
既 A 又 B (jì A yòu B) means “both A and B”, a slightly more formal (yòu … yòu …): (jì néng xué nǐ xǐhuan de zhuānyè, yòu bú yòng zài xīnkǔ yì nián), you can study what you like, and you don't have to slog through another year.
- 我不是不想学，而是没有时间。Wǒ bú shì bù xiǎng xué, ér shì méiyǒu shíjiān.It's not that I don't want to study; I just don't have time.
- 这个专业既有意思，又好找工作。Zhège zhuānyè jì yǒu yìsi, yòu hǎo zhǎo gōngzuò.This subject is both interesting and good for finding a job.
More in the grammar: Joining sentences: connectors · 就 and 才
New words
- 高考gāokǎonational university entrance exam · taken in June at the end of (gāosān), the last school year
- 分数fēnshùscore, marks · (wǔbǎi liùshí fēn), 560 points
- 后悔hòuhuǐto regret
- 本来běnláioriginally, at first · (běnlái yīnggāi … de), should have …
- 复习fùxíto revise, to review (for an exam)
- 补习班bǔxíbānextra classes, cram school
- 早知道zǎo zhīdàoif I'd known (earlier) · (zǎo zhīdào … jiù … le)
- 重新chóngxīnagain, anew · (chóngxīn kǎo), to retake the exam; (fùdú), to repeat the final school year
- 只有…才…zhǐyǒu … cái …only if …, (then) …
- 考上kǎoshàngto pass the entrance exam (for a school) · (kǎoshàng dàxué), to get into university
- 家长jiāzhǎngparent (of a pupil) · used for parents in relation to school
- 兴趣xìngqùinterest · (duì … gǎn xìngqù), to be interested in …
- 专业zhuānyèsubject, major (at university) · (jìsuànjī zhuānyè), computer science
- 既…又…jì … yòu …both … and …
Practise
1.Which sentence means “If I'd known it would rain, I'd have brought an umbrella”?
2.Liu Chang regrets not revising. Put the words in order, starting with (wǒ).
Tap the words below in the right order.I should have revised properly.
3.Match the Chinese with the English.
Pick a word on the left, then its meaning on the right.
4.Which word fits? ___ (Zhǐyǒu duō liànxí, ___ néng shuōhǎo Zhōngwén.)
5.The aunt says (guānjiàn bú shì nǐ kǎole duōshao fēn, ér shì nǐ xiǎng xué shénme). What does she think matters?
0 of 5 exercises done.
Say it out loud
早知道会这样，我就早点儿开始复习了。
Zǎo zhīdào huì zhèyàng, wǒ jiù zǎo diǎnr kāishǐ fùxí le.
If I'd known this would happen, I'd have started revising earlier.
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.