HSK 2Lesson 6
This lesson follows Xiaoxue's birthday meal. You will talk about birthday foods, family plans, and how the day feels after everyone has eaten and rested.
You will learn to talk about a birthday meal, simple gifts, birthday drawings, and how an action is done.
*(Not explicitly provided in the source excerpts.)*
Part 1 · 14 new words
Contains 5 words
cake
to spend; to celebrate
meat
birthday
fish
Contains 5 words
long
bed
Contains 4 words
to open; to turn on
to draw; picture
Part 2 · 11 phrases
长长的面条儿，大大的蛋糕。
Long noodles and a big cake.
还有鱼啊肉啊什么的。
There is also fish, meat, and things like that.
过生日真好啊！
Having a birthday is really great!
快快乐乐地玩。
Play happily.
孩子们早早地就上床了。
The children went to bed early.
舒舒服服地睡一觉。
Sleep comfortably.
生日快乐！
Happy birthday!
Part 3 · 3 conversations
At home, Liu Ming helps Xiaoxue choose between birthday noodles and cake before she starts eating.
刘明Liu Ming
小雪，今天是你的生日，长长的面条儿、蛋糕什么的都准备好了。
Xiaoxue, today is your birthday. The long noodles, cake, and other things are all ready.
刘小雪Liu Xiaoxue
今天真快乐！我想吃面条儿。
I'm so happy today! I want to eat noodles.
Part 4 · 3 points
Adjective Reduplication
Repeat a suitable one-syllable adjective as AA or a two-syllable adjective as AABB to make the quality feel vivid and concrete.
Make the quality vivid
Repeat the adjective, then connect it to a noun or action according to its sentence job.
Do not repeat the whole two-syllable adjective as ABAB in this pattern. The lesson's two-syllable adjective form is AABB.
particle used before a verb to describe how an action is done
happy; joyful
comfortable; well
paintbrush; drawing pen
to forget
请打开礼物。
Please open the gift.
我想画生日蛋糕。
I want to draw a birthday cake.
这是我画生日蛋糕的画笔。
This is the drawing pen I use to draw the birthday cake.
我的画笔呢？我忘了。
Where is my drawing pen? I forgot.
好，吃完面条儿，还想吃什么？
Okay. After finishing the noodles, what else do you want to eat?
刘小雪Liu Xiaoxue
还想和大家快快乐乐地吃蛋糕。
I also want to happily eat cake with everyone.
Xiaoxue's younger brother wants to give her a drawing but cannot find his brush.
弟弟Younger brother
姐姐，我想给你画一个生日蛋糕。
Sister, I want to draw you a birthday cake.
刘小雪Liu Xiaoxue
太好了，你的画笔呢？
Great. Where is your brush?
弟弟Younger brother
我忘了，画笔在我的床上。
I forgot. The brush is on my bed.
刘小雪Liu Xiaoxue
快去拿吧，回来好好地画。
Go get it, come back, and draw carefully.
After the birthday meal, Xiaoxue's parents talk about the children going to bed.
王一雪Wang Yixue
小雪今天过生日，很快乐。
Xiaoxue celebrated her birthday today and was very happy.
刘明Liu Ming
是啊，她吃了蛋糕，还打开了礼物。
Yes. She ate cake and also opened a gift.
王一雪Wang Yixue
孩子们都累了，明天不上学。
The children are all tired, and they do not have school tomorrow.
刘明Liu Ming
那就让他们舒舒服服地睡一觉吧。
Then let's let them sleep comfortably.
In sentences
AA before a noun
长长的面条儿
nice long noodles
The one-syllable adjective 长cháng becomes AA, and 的de connects the vivid quality to the noun.
AABB before an action
快快乐乐地玩
play happily
The two-syllable adjective 快乐kuàilè becomes AABB, and 地de connects it to the action.
快快乐乐地吃蛋糕。
Happily eat cake.
舒舒服服地睡一觉。
Sleep comfortably.
Adjective reduplication changes the shape of an adjective to present the quality as vivid, noticeable, or warmly descriptive. A suitable one-syllable adjective commonly repeats as AA, as in 长长chángcháng, ‘nice and long,’ or 大大dàdà, ‘nice and big.’ A two-syllable AB adjective commonly becomes AABB: 快乐kuàilè becomes 快快乐乐kuàikuàilèlè, and 舒服shūfu becomes 舒舒服服shūshūfúfú. The repeated adjective still needs the connector required by its job. Before a noun, use 的de: 长长的面条儿chángcháng de miàntiáor. To describe how an action happens, use 地de: 快快乐乐地玩kuàikuàilèlè de wán. Reduplication supplies the vivid quality; 的de or 地de connects that quality to what it describes.
Fixed Phrase 什么的
Put 什么的shénme de after one or more examples to mean ‘and things like that.’
Leave the list open
Name useful examples and include other similar things without listing each one.
This is a statement-list phrase, not a question. Do not translate 什么shénme separately as ‘what’ here.
In sentences
Birthday items as an open list
面条儿、蛋糕什么的都准备好了。
The noodles, cake, and other things are all ready.
面条儿miàntiáor and 蛋糕dàngāo are examples; 什么的shénme de includes similar birthday items.
Food examples as an open list
还有鱼啊肉啊什么的。
There is also fish, meat, and things like that.
啊a separates the examples conversationally; 什么的shénme de closes the list without making it complete.
In this fixed phrase, 什么的shénme de does not ask ‘what?’ It closes an open list: example or examples + 什么的shénme de. The speaker names representative items and signals that similar items are included but do not need to be listed. 面条儿、蛋糕什么的都准备好了miàntiáor, dàngāo shénme de dōu zhǔnbèi hǎo le means that noodles, cake, and other birthday things are ready. The named examples must belong to a category the listener can infer from context. Use the phrase when the exact complete list is unimportant; do not use it when the listener needs every item.
Structural Particle 地
Use description + 地de + action when the description tells how someone does the action.
Describe how an action is done
The words before 地de give the manner or attitude of the action after it.
Ask what comes after the particle: if it is an action such as 玩wán, use 地de; if it is a noun such as 面条儿miàntiáor, use 的de.
In sentences
A repeated description before an action
快快乐乐地玩
play happily
快快乐乐kuàikuàilèlè tells how the playing happens.
A short description before an action
高兴地说谢谢
say thank you happily
高兴gāoxìng tells how the person speaks.
Contrast: description before a noun
长长的面条儿
long noodles
Here 长长chángcháng describes the noun 面条儿miàntiáor, so the connector is 的de, not 地de.
回来好好地画。
Come back and draw carefully.
地de turns the description before it into information about the action after it. In 快快乐乐地玩kuàikuàilèlè de wán, 快快乐乐kuàikuàilèlè answers ‘how do they play?’ and 玩wán is the action. This is different from 的de: 长长的面条儿chángcháng de miàntiáor uses 的de because 长长chángcháng describes the noun 面条儿miàntiáor. Use 地de before an action; use 的de before the noun being described.
Dialogue 2 · A Drawing for the Birthday · Turn 4
How the brother should draw
快去拿吧，回来好好地画。
Go get it, come back, and draw carefully.
好好how地adverbial connector画action
Why it matters · 好好地hǎohāo de describes the manner of 画huà.
