HSK 3Lesson 17
Liu Ming has lost his phone on the bus again, and he has only a small budget. You will follow him, Li Wen and Annie through a Zhongguancun phone shop: the famous phone he loves, the cheap one nobody does, and the thing that turns out to be useful about it.
You will learn to compare things you want to buy, say what is famous, easy or poor, and give two reasons
Part 1 · 15 new words
Contains 7 words
famous; well-known
useful
difficult; hard
ugly; unattractive
unpleasant to hear; ugly-sounding
poor; bad; not good enough
about the same; almost
Contains 2 words
simple; not complicated
easy
Contains 6 words
fairly; relatively (adverb)
especially; particularly; very (adverb)
Part 2 · 9 phrases
这是一家很有名的饭馆，吃饭要等一个小时。
It's a very famous restaurant, and you have to wait an hour to eat.
这个手机比较便宜，那个特别贵。
This phone is fairly cheap, and that one is especially expensive.
昨天的电影好看极了，我想再看一次。
Yesterday's movie was extremely good, and I want to see it again.
他不但会说汉语，而且还会写汉字。
He can not only speak Chinese but also write characters.
这两家店的衣服差不多，你喜欢哪家就去哪家。
The clothes in these two shops are about the same, so go to whichever you like.
那件大衣太差了，一百块也不要买。
That coat is really poor. Don't buy it even for a hundred yuan.
Part 3 · 4 conversations
In a phone shop in Zhongguancun, Liu Ming has lost his phone on the bus again. He wants the famous one, but his budget is only a thousand yuan, and Li Wen is trying to keep him sensible.
刘明Liu Ming
又丢在公交车上了……我就要这个新手机！
Lost on the bus again... I want this new phone!
李文Li Wen
你说的那个很有名的新手机，要两千块呢。
That famous new phone you mean costs two thousand yuan.
Part 4 · 3 points
比较、还3、更、特别、挺、有些、越、极
Put 比较bǐjiào, 特别tèbié or 极了jí le with an adjective to say how much: fairly, especially, extremely.
Pick the degree
Choose the word before or after the adjective to show how strong it is.
not only
and also; moreover
commonly used
common; often seen
这条裙子难看是难看，可是很便宜，我还是买了。
This skirt is ugly, but it's cheap, so I bought it anyway.
这个字很难写，可是很容易读。
This character is hard to write, but easy to read.
我每天学五个汉字，学最常用的，因为这些字最常见。
I learn five characters every day, the most commonly used ones, because they are the ones you see most.
刘明Liu Ming
它不但比别的快，而且特别好看啊。
It's not only faster than the others, it's also especially good-looking!
李文Li Wen
你一定要买有名的吗？你只有一千块。
Do you have to buy the famous one? You only have a thousand.
服务员Shop assistant
您看看这边的。
Have a look over here.
刘明Liu Ming
那些我不喜欢啊，都没有它好看。
I don't like those. None of them look as good as this one.
李文Li Wen
你的钱太少，再好看也没用。再看看吧。
If you don't have the money, it's no use however good it looks. Let's look at others.
The assistant is honest about the cheap phone. Annie arrives and tests the one thing nobody had looked at.
服务员Shop assistant
这个只要九百块，不过不怎么样。
This one is only nine hundred, but it's nothing special.
刘明Liu Ming
它跟那个差不多吧？就是比较难看。
It's about the same as that one, isn't it? It just looks fairly ugly.
服务员Shop assistant
里面差不多，就是比那个慢一点儿。
Inside it's about the same, just a bit slower than that one.
安妮Annie
你们在这儿啊！这个手机来电话的时候，是什么歌？
There you are! When this phone gets a call, what song is it?
服务员Shop assistant
您听。
Have a listen.
安妮Annie
难听极了！
It's awful!
李文Li Wen
难看，又难听……你真要买吗？
Ugly and awful to listen to... do you really want it?
Annie tries her dictionary on the cheap phone while Liu Ming hesitates.
安妮Annie
我能在这个手机上查词吗？
Can I look up words on this phone?
服务员Shop assistant
当然可以，用这个手机不但简单，而且很快。
Of course. This phone is not only simple to use, it's also fast.
安妮Annie
真的容易！上课学的那个难字，一下就找到了。
It really is easy! That hard character from class, I found it right away.
刘明Liu Ming
能查字是好，可是它的歌太难听了……
Looking up characters is fine, but its song is so awful...
安妮Annie
歌是难听，可是你看，这个字这么多笔，我写太难了。
The song is awful, but look, this character has so many strokes. I can't write it at all.
李文Li Wen
难字不一定有用。你学最常用的，那些最有用。
Hard characters aren't necessarily useful. Learn the most commonly used ones, which are the most useful.
安妮Annie
对！王老师也这么说。
Right! Teacher Wang says the same.
Liu Ming decides, Annie chooses the color, and Li Wen runs into something he cannot fix.
刘明Liu Ming
好，我买这个便宜的吧。
OK, I'll buy the cheap one.
服务员Shop assistant
红色的，黑色的，蓝的，您要哪个？
Red, black or blue. Which one do you want?
安妮Annie
红色的！比黑色的好看多了。
The red one! It's much nicer than the black one.
刘明Liu Ming
好，就红色的。九百块，对吧？
OK, the red one. Nine hundred, right?
服务员Shop assistant
对，九百块，不多不少。
Right, nine hundred, no more and no less.
李文Li Wen
歌我来换。……奇怪，换不了。
I'll change the song. ...Strange, I can't.
刘明Liu Ming
你不是什么办法都有吗？
Don't you have a way for everything?
Liu Ming says the phone is 特别好看tèbié hǎokàn; Annie calls the ringtone 难听极了nántīng jí le.
In sentences
极了 after the adjective
那个手机难看极了。
That phone is extremely ugly.
极了jí le follows the adjective; it does not go before it.
这件衣服比较旧，但是特别干净。
This piece of clothing is fairly old, but especially clean.
A：这个手机怎么样？ B：快极了，也不贵。
A: How is this phone? B: Extremely fast, and not expensive.
外面比较冷，你要穿大衣。
It's fairly cold outside, so you should wear an overcoat.
刘明的新手机特别好看，可是特别贵。
Liu Ming's new phone is especially good-looking, but especially expensive.
今天天气好极了，我们去外面玩儿吧。
The weather is great today. Let's go out and play.
Degree words tell how much an adjective is true. 比较bǐjiào + adjective means "fairly": 比较贵bǐjiào guì. 特别tèbié + adjective means "especially": 特别好看tèbié hǎokàn. 极了jí le goes after the adjective and means "extremely": 难听极了nántīng jí le. They are ordered from weak to strong: 比较bǐjiào < 很hěn < 特别tèbié < 极了jí le. The key constraint is position: 比较bǐjiào and 特别tèbié go before the adjective, but after an adjective 极jí comes with 了le. Compare the two styles: 好看极了hǎokàn jí le sounds excited and spoken, while 特别好看tèbié hǎokàn is neutral.
多项定语
When several words describe one noun, put them in a fixed order before it, each joined with 的de.
Order the describers
Possessor, this/that, description, then the noun.
Li Wen says 那个很有名的新手机nàge hěn yǒumíng de xīn shǒujī, putting the famous and the new before 手机shǒujī.
In sentences
With a possessor
王老师的那本很旧的书
Teacher Wang's very old book
The possessor comes first, followed by 的de.
我想去那个很有名的新饭馆。
I want to go to that famous new restaurant.
A：你想买哪件？ B：我想买这件很便宜的红色大衣。
A: Which one do you want to buy? B: I want this cheap red coat.
这是李文的那把很旧的伞。
This is Li Wen's very old umbrella.
那三个很有名的老师都在北京大学。
Those three famous teachers are all at Peking University.
刘明想买的那个很有名的新手机太贵了。
The famous new phone Liu Ming wants to buy is too expensive.
You can put several describing words before a noun. The usual order is: who it belongs to, how many (this/that + measure word), what it is like, and then the noun. 王老师的那本很旧的书Wáng lǎoshī de nà běn hěn jiù de shū is "Teacher Wang's, that, very old book". A short descriptive word can come straight before the noun: 新手机xīn shǒujī. The key constraint is that each long describing part ends with 的de and the order of the parts should not change. A common mistake is to leave out the 的de after a long description: ✗ 那个很有名新手机nàge hěn yǒumíng xīn shǒujī, ✓ 那个很有名的新手机nàge hěn yǒumíng de xīn shǒujī.
不但……，而且……
不但búdàn……，而且érqiě…… joins two good points, or two bad ones: not only A, but also B.
Two points that add up
不但búdàn opens the first point, 而且érqiě adds a second one.
Liu Ming adds up the phone's good points: 不但比别的快búdàn bǐ biéde kuài，而且特别好看búdàn bǐ biéde kuài, érqiě tèbié hǎokàn.
In sentences
Different subjects
不但我喜欢，而且我朋友也喜欢。
Not only do I like it, my friends do too.
不但búdàn goes before the first subject.
这家店不但便宜，而且离学校很近。
This shop is not only cheap, it is also near the school.
A：他唱歌怎么样？ B：他不但唱得好，而且还会跳舞。
A: How is his singing? B: He doesn't just sing well, he can dance too.
这个手机不但难看，而且难听。
This phone is not only ugly, it also sounds awful.
不但我想去，而且我朋友也想去。
Not only do I want to go, my friend does too.
安妮不但学汉语，而且每天写汉字。
Annie not only studies Chinese, she writes characters every day.
不但búdàn + A，而且érqiě + B means "not only A, but also B". B is usually stronger or adds more: 它不但比别的快tā búdàn bǐ biéde kuài，而且特别好看tā búdàn bǐ biéde kuài, érqiě tèbié hǎokàn. If both parts share one subject, 不但búdàn comes after it: 刘小雪不但会打球Liú Xiǎoxuě búdàn huì dǎ qiú，而且还会跳舞Liú Xiǎoxuě búdàn huì dǎ qiú, érqiě hái huì tiàowǔ. If the subjects differ, 不但búdàn goes before the first subject: 不但我喜欢búdàn wǒ xǐhuan，而且我朋友也喜欢búdàn wǒ xǐhuan, érqiě wǒ péngyou yě xǐhuan. The key constraint is that both parts must point in the same direction, both good or both bad. A common mistake is to join opposite ideas: ✗ 不但便宜búdàn piányi
它不但比别的快，而且特别好看啊。
It's not only faster than the others, it's also especially good-looking!
Why it matters · Liu Ming gives two reasons to love the phone with 不但búdàn and 而且érqiě.
