Chinese · Upper intermediate (B2) · Chapter 8 of 12
Idioms and everyday speech
成语和日常用语Chéngyǔ hé rìcháng yòngyǔ
Sound natural in Chinese: common 成语 like 一举两得 and 熟能生巧, fillers such as 那个, 就是 and 反正, and the sound changes of relaxed speech.
In this chapter you'll learn to
- Understand and use five common 成语 and a well-known saying
- Keep a conversation flowing with 那个, 就是, 然后, 反正, 对吧
- Ask “exactly, in the end?” with 到底
- Recognise the sound changes of relaxed speech
Listen
In Xiamen, the day before the Dragon Boat Festival, Grandma Chen makes zongzi with her grandchildren Xiaoyu, a student in Beijing, and Haoran. Listen to the whole dialogue first, then line by line.
Grandma
小雨、浩然，快来帮忙。明天就是端午节了，今天得把粽子都包好。
Xiǎoyǔ, Hàorán, kuài lái bāngmáng. Míngtiān jiù shì Duānwǔjié le, jīntiān děi bǎ zòngzi dōu bāohǎo.
Xiaoyu, Haoran, come and help. It's the Dragon Boat Festival tomorrow, so we have to wrap all the zongzi today.
Xiaoyu
来了来了！哇，这么多糯米。奶奶，我们到底要包多少个呀？
Lái le lái le! Wā, zhème duō nuòmǐ. Nǎinai, wǒmen dàodǐ yào bāo duōshao ge ya?
Coming! Wow, so much sticky rice. Grandma, how many are we actually going to make?
Grandma
五十个。一半自己吃，一半送给邻居。你们今天来帮忙，既能学学手艺，又能陪陪我，一举两得嘛。
Wǔshí ge. Yíbàn zìjǐ chī, yíbàn sòng gěi línjū. Nǐmen jīntiān lái bāngmáng, jì néng xuéxue shǒuyì, yòu néng péipei wǒ, yì jǔ liǎng dé ma.
Fifty. Half for us and half for the neighbours. If you help today, you learn a skill and keep me company: two birds with one stone.
Haoran
那个……奶奶，你一开口就是成语。我先说好，我手笨，上次包的全散了。
Nàge … nǎinai, nǐ yì kāikǒu jiù shì chéngyǔ. Wǒ xiān shuōhǎo, wǒ shǒu bèn, shàng cì bāo de quán sàn le.
Um … Grandma, every time you open your mouth, out comes an idiom. I'm warning you now: I'm clumsy with my hands. Last time all mine fell apart.
Grandma
没关系，熟能生巧。你看，先把叶子折成这样，然后放糯米，再放一块肉，最后用绳子绑紧。可不能马马虎虎的，绳子不紧，一煮就散。
Méi guānxi, shú néng shēng qiǎo. Nǐ kàn, xiān bǎ yèzi zhé chéng zhèyàng, ránhòu fàng nuòmǐ, zài fàng yí kuài ròu, zuìhòu yòng shéngzi bǎngjǐn. Kě bù néng mǎmahūhū de, shéngzi bù jǐn, yì zhǔ jiù sàn.
Never mind, practice makes perfect. Look, first fold the leaves like this, then add the rice, then a piece of pork, and finally tie it tight with string. Don't be careless: if the string isn't tight, it falls apart as soon as it's boiled.
Xiaoyu
放肉？我在北京的同学都吃甜粽子，就是那种豆沙的。他们说咸粽子很奇怪。
Fàng ròu? Wǒ zài Běijīng de tóngxué dōu chī tián zòngzi, jiùshì nà zhǒng dòushā de. Tāmen shuō xián zòngzi hěn qíguài.
Pork? My classmates in Beijing all eat sweet zongzi, you know, the red-bean-paste kind. They say savoury zongzi are weird.
Grandma
北方人爱吃甜的，我们闽南人爱吃咸的，各有各的好。那你在北京吃什么？
Běifāngrén ài chī tián de, wǒmen Mǐnnánrén ài chī xián de, gè yǒu gè de hǎo. Nà nǐ zài Běijīng chī shénme?
Northerners love sweet ones and we southern Fujianese love savoury ones; each has its good points. So what do you eat in Beijing?
Xiaoyu
入乡随俗嘛，在北京就吃甜的呗。不过说实话，还是奶奶包的烧肉粽最好吃，对吧，哥？
Rù xiāng suí sú ma, zài Běijīng jiù chī tián de bei. Búguò shuō shíhuà, háishi nǎinai bāo de shāoròuzòng zuì hǎochī, duì ba, gē?
When in Rome, do as the Romans do: in Beijing I just eat the sweet ones. But honestly, Grandma's pork zongzi are still the best, right, big brother?
Haoran
那还用说！哎呀，奶奶，我这个又散了……算了，我还是去看电视吧。
Nà hái yòng shuō! Āiyā, nǎinai, wǒ zhège yòu sàn le … Suàn le, wǒ háishi qù kàn diànshì ba.
That goes without saying! Oh no, Grandma, mine's fallen apart again … Forget it, I'll go and watch TV.
Grandma
不许半途而废！再包三个，包不好不许吃。反正今天下午也没事，慢慢来。
Bù xǔ bàn tú ér fèi! Zài bāo sān ge, bāo bu hǎo bù xǔ chī. Fǎnzhèng jīntiān xiàwǔ yě méi shì, mànmàn lái.
No giving up halfway! Make three more, and if you don't get them right, you don't get to eat any. We've got nothing else to do this afternoon anyway, so take your time.
Haoran
好好好。咦，这个还不错吧？明天去看龙舟赛，我要带上自己包的粽子。
Hǎo hǎo hǎo. Yí, zhège hái búcuò ba? Míngtiān qù kàn lóngzhōusài, wǒ yào dàishàng zìjǐ bāo de zòngzi.
OK, OK, OK. Oh, this one's not bad, is it? When we go to the dragon boat race tomorrow, I'm taking my own zongzi.
Xiaoyu
我还从来没在现场看过龙舟赛呢，以前都是在电视上看。百闻不如一见啊！
Wǒ hái cónglái méi zài xiànchǎng kànguo lóngzhōusài ne, yǐqián dōu shì zài diànshì shang kàn. Bǎi wén bùrú yí jiàn a!
I've never seen a dragon boat race in person; I've only ever watched it on TV. Seeing it once beats hearing about it a hundred times!
Understand
成语: four-character idioms
A (chéngyǔ) is a fixed expression, usually of four characters, that comes from classical Chinese or an old story. Each character keeps an old meaning, so reading it word by word helps: (shú néng shēng qiǎo) is “familiar – can – produce – skill”: practice makes perfect.
A (chéngyǔ) works like one word in the sentence: as a verb, (bù xǔ bàn tú ér fèi), no giving up halfway; as an adjective, (bù néng mǎmahūhū de), don't be careless; or as a comment on its own, (yì jǔ liǎng dé ma). Use the common ones freely; too many in one conversation sound bookish, as Haoran teases his grandmother.
| Idiom | Word by word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| (yì jǔ liǎng dé) | one action, two gains | to kill two birds with one stone |
| (mǎmahūhū) | horse horse tiger tiger | careless; so-so |
| (bàn tú ér fèi) | half the road, and then stop | to give up halfway |
| (rù xiāng suí sú) | enter a village, follow its customs | when in Rome, do as the Romans do |
| (shú néng shēng qiǎo) | familiar can produce skill | practice makes perfect |
| (bǎi wén bùrú yí jiàn) | a hundred hearings are not as good as one seeing | seeing is believing |
| (gè yǒu gè de hǎo) | each has each one's good | each has its own merits |
Fillers and discourse markers
Spoken Chinese has small words that give you time to think or guide the listener. (nàge) is “um, er” while you look for a word; (jiùshì) means “I mean, that is”; (ránhòu), “and then”, often just links ideas; (duì ba) is a tag, “right?”.
(fǎnzhèng) means “anyway, in any case”: whatever else is true, this is: (fǎnzhèng jīntiān xiàwǔ yě méi shì), we've got nothing on this afternoon anyway. (dàodǐ) in a question means “exactly, actually, in the end” and shows you really want an answer: (dàodǐ yào bāo duōshao ge?), how many are we actually making?
| Chinese | Usual sense |
|---|---|
| (nàge …) | um, er … |
| (jiùshì …) | I mean …, that is … |
| (ránhòu …) | and then …, so … |
| (duì ba?) | right?, isn't it? |
| (fǎnzhèng …) | anyway …, in any case … |
| (dàodǐ …?) | … exactly?, … actually? |
| (Nà hái yòng shuō!) | That goes without saying! |
Relaxed speech
In fast speech, (zhège) and (nàge) are very often pronounced zhèige and nèige, and (nǎge) něige. Both are standard; you'll hear the second form everywhere.
The particle (a) takes on the sound before it, and is then often written differently: after a e i o ü it sounds ya and is written (ya): (duōshao ge ya?); after u ao ou it sounds wa and is written (wa); after n it sounds na and is written (na): (yí jiàn a) sounds like yí jiàn na. (bei) at the end means “that's all there is to it”: (jiù chī tián de bei), I just eat the sweet ones, simple.
More in the grammar: 成语 and set phrases
New words
- 端午节DuānwǔjiéDragon Boat Festival · on the 5th day of the 5th lunar month
- 粽子zòngzizongzi, sticky rice wrapped in leaves · (tián zòngzi), sweet zongzi; (xián zòngzi), savoury zongzi, often with (ròu), meat
- 包bāoto wrap · (bāo zòngzi), (bāo jiǎozi); (sàn le), fell apart
- 糯米nuòmǐsticky rice, glutinous rice
- 到底dàodǐexactly, actually, in the end (in questions)
- 手艺shǒuyìcraft, (manual) skill · (nǎinai de shǒuyì), Grandma's cooking skills; (péipei wǒ), keep me company
- 一举两得yì jǔ liǎng déto kill two birds with one stone
- 成语chéngyǔfour-character idiom
- 熟能生巧shú néng shēng qiǎopractice makes perfect
- 马马虎虎mǎmahūhūcareless; so-so · (mǎmahūhū de), sloppy; (hái mǎmahūhū), not too bad
- 入乡随俗rù xiāng suí súwhen in Rome, do as the Romans do
- 半途而废bàn tú ér fèito give up halfway
- 反正fǎnzhènganyway, in any case
- 龙舟lóngzhōudragon boat · (lóngzhōusài), dragon boat race
Practise
1.Match each idiom with its meaning.
Pick a word on the left, then its meaning on the right.
2.Your friend wants to quit learning the piano after three months. Which idiom fits your advice?
3.Grandma encourages Haoran. Put the words in order.
Tap the words below in the right order.Never mind, practice makes perfect. We've got nothing else to do today anyway.
4.You moved to Chengdu and now eat spicy food every day. How do you explain it with an idiom?
5.Xiaoyu asks (wǒmen dàodǐ yào bāo duōshao ge ya?). What does (dàodǐ) add?
0 of 5 exercises done.
Say it out loud
没关系，熟能生巧。
Méi guānxi, shú néng shēng qiǎo.
Never mind, practice makes perfect.
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.