HSK 3Lesson 21
It is half past six on a Saturday morning in late November. Since her father's illness, Yixue has made a list of healthy habits, and she has dragged her friends to the track. You will hear how long her list is, how Xiaoxue coaches Annie, and what Jiayue does about breakfast.
You will learn to talk about healthy habits, say what is true besides something else, and say that the more you do something, the more it changes.
Part 1 · 8 new words
Contains 5 words
healthy; health
to exercise; to train
habit; to be used to
life; to live
to raise; to improve
Contains 3 words
besides; apart from; except
outside; apart from
Part 2 · 7 phrases
多喝水，多睡觉，身体才会健康。
Drink more water and sleep more, and then you'll be healthy.
他每天跑步半个小时，锻炼身体。
He runs for half an hour every day to exercise his body.
早起是个好习惯，可是我还没习惯。
Getting up early is a good habit, but I'm not used to it yet.
来北京以后，我的生活变得很忙。
Since coming to Beijing, my life has become very busy.
多说多听，汉语才能提高。
Speak more and listen more, and your Chinese will improve.
除了汉语课以外，我还学跳舞，每个星期两次。
Besides Chinese class, I also learn dancing, twice a week.
Part 3 · 4 conversations
6:30 on Saturday morning at the university track. Yixue has made a list, and her friends are still half asleep.
安妮Annie
一雪，现在才六点半！你为什么要我们这么早起床？
Yixue, it's only six thirty! Why do you want us up so early?
王一雪Wang Yixue
爸爸生病以后，我想了很多。身体健康最重要。
Since Dad got sick, I've thought a lot. Health matters most.
Part 4 · 2 points
除了……（以外），……还/也/都……
除了chúle A 以外yǐwài, B 还hái/也yě ... adds a second thing; 除了chúle A 以外yǐwài, B 都dōu ... leaves A out.
Add or exclude
Choose 还hái/也yě to add and
the more ... the more ...
越想睡觉，越睡不着。
The more you want to sleep, the less you can fall asleep.
刘小雪Liu Xiaoxue
你的本子上写了十六个习惯！
You wrote sixteen habits in your notebook!
王一雪Wang Yixue
对。除了跑步以外，我们还要早睡，还要多喝水。
Yes. Besides running, we also need to go to bed early and drink more water.
安妮Annie
十六个太多了。好习惯要一个一个来吧？
Sixteen is too many. Good habits come one by one, don't they?
王一雪Wang Yixue
我也知道……可是我都想要。
I know... but I want them all.
刘小雪Liu Xiaoxue
那就从跑步开始吧！
Then let's start with running!
On the court after the run, Xiaoxue coaches Annie
刘小雪Liu Xiaoxue
安妮，别怕。你看，你打得比上个星期好。
Annie, don't be scared. Look, you're playing better than last week.
安妮Annie
真的吗？我觉得我越打越累。
Really? I feel like the more I play, the more tired I get.
刘小雪Liu Xiaoxue
那是因为你没有锻炼过。
That's because you haven't trained before.
安妮Annie
那怎么办？
So what do I do?
刘小雪Liu Xiaoxue
越打越好！每天打一个小时，你会提高得很快。
The more you play, the better you get! An hour a day, and you'll improve fast.
安妮Annie
好，我的汉语也要这样，越说越好。
OK, my Chinese is like that too, the more I speak the better it gets.
刘小雪Liu Xiaoxue
对，打球和说汉语一样，多打多说才会提高。
Right, playing and speaking Chinese are the same: the more you play and speak, the more you improve.
At the canteen at 7:10, Jiayue finally turns up with a plan of her own.
白家月Bai Jiayue
你们都吃完了？对不起，我七点十分才到。
You've all finished? Sorry, I only got here at ten past seven.
王一雪Wang Yixue
你又是最后一个！快吃早饭吧！
The last one again! Have your breakfast!
白家月Bai Jiayue
等一下，我的包子这么好看，我要发给朋友们看看。
Wait, my buns look so good. I'm going to send them to my friends.
刘小雪Liu Xiaoxue
吃吧！
Eat!
白家月Bai Jiayue
我的健康生活明天才开始，今天我想吃包子。
My healthy life starts tomorrow. Today I want buns.
安妮Annie
明天？这是你第三个明天了！
Tomorrow? That's your third tomorrow!
白家月Bai Jiayue
第三个明天也是明天啊！
The third tomorrow is still tomorrow!
After breakfast, Yixue gives up on her list, and Jiayue surprises everyone.
王一雪Wang Yixue
好吧，十六个习惯太多了。我在本子上只写三个：跑步、早睡、多喝水。
OK, sixteen habits are too many. In my notebook I'll write only three: running, early bed, and more water.
刘小雪Liu Xiaoxue
太好了！除了这三个以外，别的都不要了。
Great! Except for these three, forget the rest.
白家月Bai Jiayue
那我还可以吃包子吗？
Can I still eat buns, then?
王一雪Wang Yixue
可以。除了包子以外，你还要吃菜。
You can. Besides buns, you also have to eat vegetables.
白家月Bai Jiayue
好！吃完包子，我跟小雪打三次球。
OK! After the buns, I'll play three games with Xiaoxue.
安妮Annie
你能打三次？
You can play three?
白家月Bai Jiayue
越打越饿，越饿越想吃包子！
The more I play, the hungrier I get, and the hungrier I get, the more I want buns!
Yixue says 除了跑步以外chúle pǎobù yǐwài，我们还要早睡chúle pǎobù yǐwài, wǒmen hái yào zǎo shuì: running is on the list, and so is early sleep.
In sentences
Excluding
除了星期天以外，我每天都起得很早。
I get up early every day except on Sundays.
都dōu makes it "except".
除了上课以外，我还在咖啡店工作。
Besides studying, I also work at a coffee shop.
A：你们都去吗？ B：除了王老师以外，我们都去。
A: Are you all going? B: All of us except Teacher Wang.
除了星期天，我每天都锻炼。
I exercise every day except Sundays.
除了鸡蛋以外，我早饭还吃面包。
Besides eggs, I also eat bread for breakfast.
除了白家月以外，大家都七点以前到了。
Everyone arrived before seven except Bai Jiayue.
除了chúle A 以外yǐwài has two uses, and the word after the comma decides. With 还hái or 也yě it means "besides A, also B": 除了跑步以外chúle pǎobù yǐwài，我们还要早睡chúle pǎobù yǐwài, wǒmen hái yào zǎo shuì. With 都dōu it means "except A, everyone/everything": 除了他以外chúle tā yǐwài，我们都去chúle tā yǐwài, wǒmen dōu qù. 以外yǐwài is often left out in speech: 除了星期天chúle xīngqītiān，我每天锻炼chúle xīngqītiān, wǒ měi tiān duànliàn. The key constraint is that the second part needs 还hái or 也yě to add, or 都dōu or a word like 每měi to cover everything else, and a negative like 没有人méiyǒu rén or 谁也不shéi yě bù also works. Compare 除了他以外chúle tā yǐwài，我们还去chúle tā yǐwài, wǒmen hái qù "besides him, we go too" with 除了他以外chúle tā yǐwài，我们都去chúle tā yǐwài, wǒmen dōu qù "all but him".
越……越……
越yuè + verb/adjective, 越yuè + verb/adjective says that the more A happens, the more B.
Two things grow together
越yuè before each verb or adjective.
Xiaoxue tells Annie 越打越好yuè dǎ yuè hǎo: the more she plays, the better.
In sentences
越来越
天气越来越冷。
The weather is getting colder and colder.
越来越yuè lái yuè + adjective: change over time.
天越来越冷，我越来越不想起床。
It gets colder and colder, and I want to get up less and less.
A：你听懂了吗？ B：没有，你越说我越不懂。
A: Did you understand? B: No, the more you say, the less I understand.
安妮的汉语越说越好。
Annie's Chinese is getting better the more she speaks.
我越吃越饿，真奇怪。
The more I eat, the hungrier I get. How strange.
白家月越打越饿，越饿越想吃包子。
The more Bai Jiayue plays, the hungrier she gets, and the hungrier she gets, the more she wants buns.
越yuè A 越yuè B means "the more A, the more B". The two parts are linked: 越打越好yuè dǎ yuè hǎo "the more you play, the better you get", 越想吃越饿yuè xiǎng chī yuè è. Each 越yuè comes right before a verb or adjective. When there are two subjects, each goes before its own 越yuè: 你越说nǐ yuè shuō，我越不懂nǐ yuè shuō, wǒ yuè bù dǒng. 越来越yuè lái yuè + adjective says that something keeps growing over time: 天气越来越冷tiānqì yuè lái yuè lěng. The key constraint is that 越yuè goes before the verb or adjective, not before the subject. A common mistake is to put it before the subject: ✗
The more you play, the better you get! An hour a day, and you'll improve fast.
Why it matters · 越打越好yuè dǎ yuè hǎo is the same pattern with a good result.
