HSK 3Lesson 23
On the first Sunday of October, Li Wen takes his friends up a hill. The wind is strong, Liu Ming forgets the water, and a little garden at the top has flowers in bloom. You will hear the climb, a rest on the grass, the top and the walk down at dusk.
You will learn to talk about a hike: the weather on a hill, plants and flowers, and two things happening at once or one after another.
Part 1 · 12 new words
Contains 4 words
wind
to blow (of the wind)
sun
moon
Contains 5 words
grass
lawn; field of grass
Contains 3 words
to crawl; to climb
to jump; to hop
Part 2 · 7 phrases
昨天刮了一天大风，我们哪儿也没去。
It blew hard all day yesterday, and we didn't go anywhere.
太阳下山了，月亮出来了，我们快回家吧。
The sun has gone down and the moon is out, so let's hurry home.
爷爷七十岁了，还每个周末去爬山。
Grandpa is seventy and still goes hiking every weekend.
弟弟在床上跳来跳去，妈妈很生气。
My little brother is jumping around on the bed, and Mom is angry.
姐姐一边开车，一边打电话，不太安全。
My sister is talking on the phone while driving, which isn't very safe.
这个花园的花开得真好，周末很多人来拍照。
The flowers in this garden are lovely, and many people come to take pictures on weekends.
Part 3 · 4 conversations
Early on the first Sunday of October, at the foot of the hill. Li Wen is leading the hike and checks the weather. Annie has never climbed a real hill, and Xiaoxue says the hills at home are lower.
李文Li Wen
你们看，风刮得这么大，可是太阳也出来了。
Look, the wind is blowing hard, but the sun is out too.
安妮Annie
Part 4 · 2 points
一会儿……，一会儿……
Use 一会儿……，一会儿…… (Yíhuìr..., Yíhuìr...) to say that one thing changes from this to that and back again.
Switch back and forth
一会儿Yíhuìr before each of two actions or states says that they take turns.
garden
to bloom
tree
at the same time
小朋友们在草地上跑来跑去，爸爸妈妈在树下休息。
The kids run around on the grass while their parents rest under the trees.
So should I wear my coat or not? One minute there's wind, the next there's sun...
李文Li Wen
带上吧。山上的天气就是这样，一会儿冷，一会儿热。
Bring it along. The weather up in the hills is like that: cold one minute, warm the next.
刘小雪Liu Xiaoxue
我们那儿的山不高，也很少刮这么大的风。
The hills where I'm from aren't this high, and it hardly ever blows this hard.
安妮Annie
是吗？我今天第一次爬山，你们等等我！
Really? This is my first time hiking up a mountain, so wait for me!
刘明Liu Ming
放心，水我带了！
Don't worry, I brought the water!
李文Li Wen
那就出发吧。安妮，累了就告诉我。
Then let's get going. Annie, tell me when you're tired.
Halfway up the hill. The friends rest on the grass under the trees. Xiaoxue and Annie eat and talk, and then Annie asks Liu Ming for water.
刘小雪Liu Xiaoxue
这儿的树真多，我们在草地上休息一下吧。
There are so many trees here. Let's rest on the grass for a bit.
安妮Annie
好啊！我一边吃面包，一边看树，太舒服了。
Great! I'm eating bread and looking at the trees at the same time. It's so nice.
刘小雪Liu Xiaoxue
我家人也爱爬山，爬到一半，就一边吃东西，一边休息。
My family loves hiking too. Halfway up, we eat and rest at the same time.
安妮Annie
真好。刘明，水呢？我有点儿渴了。
That sounds nice. Liu Ming, where's the water? I'm a little thirsty.
刘明Liu Ming
水？……我的水忘在山下了！
Water? ...I left my water at the bottom of the hill!
白家月Bai Jiayue
又忘了？我的面包都吃完了，现在又渴又饿！
Forgot again? I've finished my bread, and now I'm thirsty and hungry!
刘小雪Liu Xiaoxue
没事，我这儿还有一点儿，大家一起喝吧。
It's okay, I still have a little here. Let's share.
At the top there is a small garden, and flowers are in bloom. Li Wen has brought his camera this time. Xiaoxue wants a picture of herself jumping over the stream.
安妮Annie
你们看！前面有个小花园，花都开了！
Look! There's a little garden ahead, and the flowers are all out!
李文Li Wen
十月的花开得真好。来，我给你们照相。
The flowers are lovely this October. Come on, I'll take your picture.
刘小雪Liu Xiaoxue
等一下！我先跳过那条小河，你再照！
Wait! I'll jump over that little stream first, and then you take it!
李文Li Wen
别跳，水里多冷啊！
Don't jump, the water's so cold!
刘小雪Liu Xiaoxue
没事，很近的！
It's fine, it's close!
李文Li Wen
你啊……好吧，快跳，我照。
You... fine, jump quick and I'll take it.
安妮Annie
这次的照片一定比海边的好看！
This time the pictures will definitely look better than the ones at the beach!
Coming down at dusk, the friends are tired and hungry. Jiayue is worried about dinner, and Liu Ming finally finds the water he thought he had left behind.
白家月Bai Jiayue
你们看，月亮都出来了，晚饭又要很晚才吃了……
Look, the moon is already out. We're going to eat dinner really late again...
李文Li Wen
是有点儿晚了。路不太好走，大家小心脚下。
It is getting late. The path isn't easy, so watch your feet, everyone.
白家月Bai Jiayue
我饿了……
I'm hungry...
刘明Liu Ming
啊？你们看，水在我自己的包里！
Huh? Look, the water's in my own bag!
安妮Annie
什么？你不是说忘在山下了吗？
What? Didn't you say you left it at the bottom?
刘明Liu Ming
我只看了包外边……对不起对不起！
I only looked on the outside of the bag... sorry, sorry!
李文Li Wen
山下那家饭馆的面条儿不错，我请客，快走吧！
The noodles at the restaurant down the hill are good, and I'm treating. Let's go!
At the foot of the hill, Li Wen says 一会儿冷，一会儿热Yíhuìr lěng, yíhuìr rè: the weather up there keeps changing.
In sentences
Contrast with 一边
她一边唱歌，一边跳舞。
She sings and dances at the same time.
一边……，一边…… (Yìbiān..., Yìbiān...) is for two actions together; 一会儿……，一会儿…… (Yíhuìr..., Yíhuìr...) is for taking turns.
上山的时候，安妮的大衣一会儿穿，一会儿拿在手里。
On the way up, Annie's coat was on one minute and in her hand the next.
A：你怎么一会儿坐，一会儿站？ B：这把椅子太矮，我坐着不舒服。
A: Why do you keep sitting and standing? B: This chair is too low, and I'm not comfortable sitting.
他一会儿说好，一会儿说不好，我不知道他想怎么样。
He says yes one minute and no the next, and I don't know what he wants.
今天的天气真奇怪，一会儿下雨，一会儿有太阳。
The weather is so strange today, rainy one minute and sunny the next.
一会儿Yíhuìr means "a little while", and the pair 一会儿……，一会儿…… (Yíhuìr..., Yíhuìr...) says that something goes first one way and then another, over and over: 一会儿冷，一会儿热Yíhuìr lěng, yíhuìr rè. The subject is the same for both parts, and the two parts take turns, so it is used for the weather, a mood, or someone who cannot settle down: 弟弟一会儿要喝水，一会儿要去洗手间Dìdi yíhuìr yào hē shuǐ, yíhuìr yào qù xǐshǒujiān. Put 一会儿Yíhuìr before the verb or adjective each time. The key constraint is that the two parts happen one after the other, not together; for two things at the same time use 一边……，一边…… (Yìbiān..., Yìbiān...) instead. Compare 她一会儿唱歌，一会儿跳舞Tā yíhuìr chàng gē, yíhuìr tiàowǔ (she takes turns) with 她一边唱歌，一边跳舞Tā yìbiān chàng gē, yìbiān tiàowǔ (she does both together).
一边……，一边……
Put 一边Yìbiān before each of two verbs to say that one person does both at the same time.
Do two things together
一边Yìbiān before each verb says that the two actions go on at the same time.
On the grass, Annie says 一边吃面包，一边看树Yìbiān chī miànbāo, yìbiān kàn shù: she eats and looks at the trees together.
In sentences
Contrast with 一会儿
他一会儿走路，一会儿看手机。
He walks for a while, then looks at his phone for a while.
一会儿……，一会儿…… (Yíhuìr..., Yíhuìr...) means taking turns; 一边……，一边…… (Yìbiān..., Yìbiān...) means doing both together.
白家月一边爬山，一边说她饿了。
Bai Jiayue kept saying she was hungry as she climbed.
A：你怎么还不睡？ B：我一边听歌，一边写汉字，快写完了。
A: Why aren't you asleep yet? B: I'm listening to music and writing characters, and I'm almost done.
不要一边开车，一边看手机，太不安全了。
Don't look at your phone while driving. It's too dangerous.
爷爷喜欢一边喝茶，一边看电视。
Grandpa likes to watch TV while he drinks tea.
一边……，一边…… (Yìbiān..., Yìbiān...) joins two actions that the same person does at the same time: 我一边吃面包，一边看树Wǒ yìbiān chī miànbāo, yìbiān kàn shù. Say the subject once, before the first 一边Yìbiān, and put one 一边Yìbiān right before each verb. The first action is often the main one and the second is the background. It is used for habits and for what is going on now, and the two parts must be things a person can really do together: eating and looking, walking and talking. The key constraint is that both actions share one subject. Do not use it for two different people or for two things that cannot happen together; for taking turns, use 一会儿……，一会儿…… (Yíhuìr..., Yíhuìr...). Compare 他一边走路，一边看手机Tā yìbiān zǒulù, yìbiān kàn shǒujī (together) with 他一会儿走路，一会儿看手机Tā yíhuìr zǒulù, yíhuìr kàn shǒujī (one then the other).
My family loves hiking too. Halfway up, we eat and rest at the same time.
Why it matters · Xiaoxue says her family eats and rests at the same time on the way up.
