Chinese · Upper intermediate (B2) · Chapter 3 of 12
Film, books and media
电影、书和媒体Diànyǐng, shū hé méitǐ
Talk about films and books in Chinese: summarise a plot with 于是, 终于 and 居然, explain with 之所以…是因为…, and give opinions with nuance.
In this chapter you'll learn to
- Summarise the plot of a film or book
- Tell a story with 于是, 终于 and 居然
- Explain a reason with 之所以…是因为…
- Give a nuanced opinion: 还行, 一般般, 值得一看
Listen
In Hangzhou, friends Qiu Yue and Shi Lei come out of the cinema after a (fictional) film, “The Bookshop by the Sea”, and don't agree about it. Listen to the whole dialogue first, then line by line.
Shi Lei
怎么样？我说得没错吧，这部电影值得一看。
Zěnmeyàng? Wǒ shuō de méi cuò ba, zhè bù diànyǐng zhíde yí kàn.
Well? I was right, wasn't I? This film is worth seeing.
Qiu Yue
说实话，我觉得还行吧，没有你说的那么好。剧情很简单，可是前半部分节奏太慢了，我差点儿睡着了。
Shuō shíhuà, wǒ juéde hái xíng ba, méiyǒu nǐ shuō de nàme hǎo. Jùqíng hěn jiǎndān, kěshì qián bàn bùfen jiézòu tài màn le, wǒ chàdiǎnr shuìzháo le.
To be honest, I thought it was OK, but not as good as you said. The plot is very simple, and the first half is far too slow. I nearly fell asleep.
Shi Lei
慢是有点儿慢，可是我觉得导演是故意的。主角刚从上海回到老家，什么都不习惯。节奏慢，你才能感觉到她的心情。
Màn shì yǒudiǎnr màn, kěshì wǒ juéde dǎoyǎn shì gùyì de. Zhǔjué gāng cóng Shànghǎi huídào lǎojiā, shénme dōu bù xíguàn. Jiézòu màn, nǐ cái néng gǎnjué dào tā de xīnqíng.
Slow, yes, a bit, but I think the director did it on purpose. The main character has just come back from Shanghai to her home town and can't get used to anything. Only with a slow pace do you feel what she's feeling.
Qiu Yue
这一点我同意。演员也演得很好，特别是演爸爸的那位老演员。可是结局我真没想到：她居然留下来了，不回上海了！
Zhè yì diǎn wǒ tóngyì. Yǎnyuán yě yǎn de hěn hǎo, tèbié shì yǎn bàba de nà wèi lǎo yǎnyuán. Kěshì jiéjú wǒ zhēn méi xiǎngdào: tā jūrán liú xiàlai le, bù huí Shànghǎi le!
I agree with that. The acting was very good too, especially the old actor who played the father. But I really didn't expect the ending: she actually stays and doesn't go back to Shanghai!
Shi Lei
我觉得那是最感人的地方。她在爸爸的书里发现了很多写给她的信，一封都没寄出去。她终于明白了爸爸为什么一辈子不肯离开那儿，于是决定留下来，把书店开下去。
Wǒ juéde nà shì zuì gǎnrén de dìfang. Tā zài bàba de shū li fāxiànle hěn duō xiě gěi tā de xìn, yì fēng dōu méi jì chūqu. Tā zhōngyú míngbaile bàba wèishénme yíbèizi bù kěn líkāi nàr, yúshì juédìng liú xiàlai, bǎ shūdiàn kāi xiàqu.
I think that's the most moving part. In her father's books she finds lots of letters he wrote to her and never sent. She finally understands why he refused to leave that place all his life, so she decides to stay and keep the bookshop going.
Qiu Yue
感人是感人，可是也太理想了吧。一个年轻人放弃上海的工作，去小地方开书店，现实中哪有这么简单？
Gǎnrén shì gǎnrén, kěshì yě tài lǐxiǎng le ba. Yí ge niánqīngrén fàngqì Shànghǎi de gōngzuò, qù xiǎo dìfang kāi shūdiàn, xiànshí zhōng nǎ yǒu zhème jiǎndān?
Moving, sure, but isn't it a bit too idealistic? A young woman gives up her job in Shanghai to run a bookshop in a small town: when is real life ever that simple?
Shi Lei
你知道吗？这部电影是根据一本小说改编的。小说的结局不一样，女主角最后还是回上海了。
Nǐ zhīdào ma? Zhè bù diànyǐng shì gēnjù yì běn xiǎoshuō gǎibiān de. Xiǎoshuō de jiéjú bù yíyàng, nǚ zhǔjué zuìhòu háishi huí Shànghǎi le.
Did you know? The film is based on a novel. The novel ends differently: in the end, the heroine goes back to Shanghai after all.
Qiu Yue
真的？那导演之所以改了结局，是因为想让观众高兴一点儿吧。
Zhēn de? Nà dǎoyǎn zhīsuǒyǐ gǎile jiéjú, shì yīnwèi xiǎng ràng guānzhòng gāoxìng yìdiǎnr ba.
Really? Then I suppose the reason the director changed the ending is that he wanted to send the audience home happier.
Shi Lei
可能吧。网上的评价也很不一样，有人说这是今年最好的电影，也有人说一般般。
Kěnéng ba. Wǎngshang de píngjià yě hěn bù yíyàng, yǒu rén shuō zhè shì jīnnián zuì hǎo de diànyǐng, yě yǒu rén shuō yìbānbān.
Maybe. The reviews online are very mixed too. Some people say it's the best film of the year, and others say it's just so-so.
Qiu Yue
那我还是先去看看小说吧。要是小说写得好，我再给这部电影一次机会。
Nà wǒ háishi xiān qù kànkan xiǎoshuō ba. Yàoshi xiǎoshuō xiě de hǎo, wǒ zài gěi zhè bù diànyǐng yí cì jīhuì.
Then I think I'll read the novel first. If it's well written, I'll give the film another chance.
Shi Lei
你呀，就是嘴硬。刚才看到最后，我明明看见你哭了。
Nǐ ya, jiùshì zuǐ yìng. Gāngcái kàndào zuìhòu, wǒ míngmíng kànjiàn nǐ kū le.
Oh, you just won't admit it. At the end just now, I clearly saw you crying.
Qiu Yue
那是因为……电影院里空调太冷了！
Nà shì yīnwèi … diànyǐngyuàn li kōngtiáo tài lěng le!
That's because … the air conditioning in the cinema was too cold!
Understand
Telling a plot: 于是, 终于, 居然
Chinese tells a plot in the present, as English does: (tā huídào lǎojiā, fāxiànle hěn duō xìn), she comes back home and finds lots of letters. (le) still marks each completed step. Say what a story is about with (jiǎng de shì …): (zhè bù diànyǐng jiǎng de shì yí ge niánqīng nǚrén de gùshi), the film is about a young woman.
(yúshì), and so, links one event to the next event it leads to. Unlike (suǒyǐ), it is only for events in a story, not for reasons in general. (zhōngyú), finally, at last, is for something that comes after a long wait or effort. (jūrán), or (jìngrán), shows surprise: (tā jūrán liú xiàlai le), she actually stayed (I didn't expect that).
| Chinese | Meaning | Use |
|---|---|---|
| (yì kāishǐ) | at first | the start of a story |
| (hòulái) | later, afterwards | the next part (from B1) |
| (yúshì) | and so, thereupon | one event leads to the next |
| (zhōngyú) | finally, at last | after waiting or effort |
| (jūrán) / (jìngrán) | actually, to my surprise | something unexpected |
| (zuìhòu) | in the end | the ending |
之所以…是因为…
之所以 A，是因为 B (zhīsuǒyǐ A, shì yīnwèi B) means “the reason why A is B”. It is more emphatic than (yīnwèi … suǒyǐ …), and the result comes first: (dǎoyǎn zhīsuǒyǐ gǎile jiéjú, shì yīnwèi xiǎng ràng guānzhòng gāoxìng yìdiǎnr), the reason the director changed the ending is that he wanted to make the audience happier. You'll hear it in reviews, discussions and presentations.
- 这本小说之所以有名，是因为它的结局很特别。Zhè běn xiǎoshuō zhīsuǒyǐ yǒumíng, shì yīnwèi tā de jiéjú hěn tèbié.The reason this novel is famous is its unusual ending.
- 我之所以没去，是因为那天要加班。Wǒ zhīsuǒyǐ méi qù, shì yīnwèi nà tiān yào jiābān.The reason I didn't go was that I had to work late that day.
Opinions with nuance
Between “great” and “terrible” Chinese has plenty of shades. (hái xíng) is “it's OK”, (yìbānbān) “so-so”, and (shuō shíhuà), to be honest, often comes before a less positive view.
The pattern X是X，可是… (X shì X, kěshì …) grants one point and then turns: (màn shì yǒudiǎnr màn, kěshì …), yes, it's a bit slow, but …; (gǎnrén shì gǎnrén, kěshì …), moving, sure, but …
| Chinese | Meaning |
|---|---|
| (zhíde yí kàn) | worth seeing, worth reading |
| (hái xíng) | it's OK, not bad |
| (yìbānbān) | so-so, nothing special |
| (jiézòu yǒudiǎnr màn) | the pace is a bit slow |
| (gǎnrén shì gǎnrén, kěshì …) | it's moving, sure, but … |
| (shuō shíhuà …) | to be honest … |
New words
- 剧情jùqíngplot, story (of a film or series) · (jùqíng hěn jiǎndān), the plot is simple
- 节奏jiézòupace, rhythm
- 导演dǎoyǎndirector (of a film) · the audience is (guānzhòng)
- 主角zhǔjuémain character, lead role · (jué) has this reading here; (nǚ zhǔjué), the heroine
- 演员yǎnyuánactor, actress · (yǎn), to act, to play a role
- 结局jiéjúending
- 居然jūránactually, to my surprise · also (jìngrán)
- 感人gǎnrénmoving, touching
- 终于zhōngyúfinally, at last
- 于是yúshìand so, thereupon · links events in a story
- 小说xiǎoshuōnovel · measure word (běn); (shū), book; (shūdiàn), bookshop
- 改编gǎibiānto adapt · (gēnjù xiǎoshuō gǎibiān), based on a novel
- 评价píngjiàreview, rating; to assess · (píngjià hěn gāo), highly rated; (wǎngshang de píngjià), online reviews
- 值得zhídeto be worth · (zhíde yí kàn), worth seeing
Practise
1.Which word fits best? ___ (Tā děngle sān nián, ___ kǎoshàngle dàxué.)
2.Explain why the director changed the ending. Put the words in order.
Tap the words below in the right order.The reason the director changed the ending is that he wanted to make the audience happier.
3.Match the Chinese with the English.
Pick a word on the left, then its meaning on the right.
4.A friend asks about a film you found neither good nor bad. What do you say?
5.Qiu Yue says (tā jūrán liú xiàlai le). What does (jūrán) add?
0 of 5 exercises done.
Say it out loud
这部电影值得一看。
Zhè bù diànyǐng zhíde yí kàn.
This film is worth seeing.
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.