HSK 3Lesson 44
On a Friday evening in a small noodle restaurant near the dorm, Annie wants to eat noodles with chopsticks without any help. Jiayue wants a photo of everything, Xiaoxue misses her mother's cooking, and the owner brings a spoon.
You will learn the tools and food of a Chinese meal: chopsticks, bowls, plates and a spoon, a bowl of noodles or a plate of fish, and tea or wine.
Part 1 · 8 new words
Contains 4 words
chopsticks
bowl
plate; dish
spoon
Contains 4 words
alcohol; rice wine
black tea
Part 2 · 9 phrases
中午我喜欢吃一碗面，再喝一杯热茶。
At noon I like a bowl of noodles with a cup of hot tea.
桌子上有一盘子鸡蛋，两碗米饭，还有三个杯子。
On the table there's a plate of eggs, two bowls of rice, and three cups.
这个小孩儿会用筷子了，吃饭吃得很快。
This little kid can use chopsticks now and eats fast.
孩子太小，还不会用筷子，只能先用勺子。
The child is too young to use chopsticks yet and can only use a spoon.
我爸爸喜欢在晚饭的时候喝一点儿酒。
My dad likes to drink a little wine at dinner.
天冷的时候我喝红茶，天热的时候我喝绿茶。
When it's cold I drink black tea, and when it's hot I drink green tea.
Part 3 · 4 conversations
Annie holds chopsticks like a pencil and her noodles keep slipping. Jiayue, camera in hand, tries to show her.
安妮Annie
这筷子怎么这么难用？我的面又跑了！
Why are these chopsticks so hard to use? My noodles got away again!
白家月Bai Jiayue
你别拿筷子像拿笔一样！
Don't hold chopsticks like a pencil!
安妮Annie
Part 4 · 1 point
借用名量词：碗、盘
Use number + 碗wǎn or 盘子pánzi + food to say how much food there is, using the bowl or the plate as the measure.
A bowl of, a plate of
碗wǎn and 盘子pánzi count the food by how it is served.
green tea
noodles; wheat flour food
这个盘子是新买的，你洗的时候小心一点儿。
This plate is new, so be careful when you wash it.
这个菜很难做，我做了三遍才做好。
This dish is hard to make; I made it three times before I got it right.
他可能没听见，你再叫他一声吧。
He may not have heard, so call him once more.
不是这样拿吗？
Isn't that how you hold them?
白家月Bai Jiayue
不是不是，你看我的手。这个在上边，那个在下边。
No, no, look at my hand. This one goes on top and that one underneath.
安妮Annie
这样？啊……又跑了！
Like this? Oh... it got away again!
白家月Bai Jiayue
别急，慢一点儿，先吃一口试试。
Don't worry, slow down and try one bite first.
安妮Annie
一口都吃不到，我已经饿了！
I can't even get one bite, and I'm already hungry!
The owner puts the food on the table, and Xiaoxue is shocked by the portions. Annie refuses a spoon.
老板Owner
面来了！这是你们的三碗面，这是一盘子鱼。
Noodles are here! These are your three bowls of noodles, and this is a plate of fish.
白家月Bai Jiayue
这盘子鱼好大啊！
What a big plate of fish!
刘小雪Liu Xiaoxue
这碗也太大了。我妈妈做的饭，一碗只有这儿的一半。
This bowl is huge too. My mom's rice is only half this much per bowl.
老板Owner
同学们，想多吃的话再要。你们要勺子吗？
Hey, students, you can order more if you want more. Do you want a spoon?
安妮Annie
勺子？不用不用，我今天要用筷子！
A spoon? No, no, today I'm using chopsticks!
白家月Bai Jiayue
你把勺子放在旁边吧，用不用都行。
Put the spoon next to you, and use it or not as you like.
安妮Annie
放在旁边可以，不过我不会用的！
It can sit next to me, but I won't use it!
The owner offers something warm to drink. Annie turns down the wine and asks about the two kinds of tea.
老板Owner
要不要来一点儿米酒？天冷，喝一口很舒服。
Would you like a little rice wine? It's cold, and a sip feels good.
安妮Annie
酒？不不，我不喝酒，我要茶。
Wine? No, no, I don't drink. I want tea.
老板Owner
红茶还是绿茶？
Black tea or green tea?
安妮Annie
你们家喝什么茶？
What kind of tea do you drink at home?
刘小雪Liu Xiaoxue
我妈妈常喝红茶，加一点儿糖，很甜。
My mom often drinks black tea, with a little sugar. It's sweet.
白家月Bai Jiayue
我爸爸喝绿茶，不加糖。
My dad drinks green tea, no sugar.
安妮Annie
一个甜，一个不甜？那我要一杯红茶，加糖！
One sweet and one not? Then I'll have a cup of black tea with sugar!
Annie finally manages to pick up one piece of fish with her chopsticks. The whole restaurant looks over, and Jiayue takes a photo instead of eating.
安妮Annie
你们看！我拿起来了！一块鱼！
Look! I picked it up! A piece of fish!
刘小雪Liu Xiaoxue
真的！别动，慢慢放进嘴里。
It's true! Don't move, put it slowly into your mouth.
老板Owner
大家都在看你呢！
Everyone's looking at you!
安妮Annie
啊？大家都在看我？
What? Everyone's watching me?
白家月Bai Jiayue
等一下！别吃！我先照相！
Wait! Don't eat! Let me take a picture first!
刘小雪Liu Xiaoxue
家月，你的面都冷了。
Jiayue, your noodles have gone cold.
白家月Bai Jiayue
没关系，照片比面重要！
Never mind, the photo matters more than noodles!
The owner serves the table with 三碗面sān wǎn miàn and 一盘子鱼yì pánzi yú.
In sentences
Bowl
我要两碗米饭。
I'd like two bowls of rice.
The food comes right after 碗wǎn.
Contrast
我要一个碗，不要面。
I want a bowl, not noodles.
Here 一个碗yí ge wǎn is the bowl itself.
我饿了，想吃两碗米饭。
I'm hungry and want two bowls of rice.
A：你们要什么？ B：来一盘子鱼，两碗面。
A: What would you like? B: A plate of fish and two bowls of noodles.
桌子上有一盘子苹果，是朋友送的。
There's a plate of apples on the table, a gift from a friend.
老板给我们拿来了三碗面和一盘子鱼。
The owner brought us three bowls of noodles and a plate of fish.
我们吃了一盘子肉，一碗米饭，都吃完了。
We ate a plate of meat and a bowl of rice, and finished it all.
Chinese borrows a container as a measure word for what is in it. 碗wǎn measures food that is served in a bowl, and 盘子pánzi measures food served on a plate: 一碗面yì wǎn miàn, 一盘子鱼yì pánzi yú. The pattern is number + measure + food, with no 的de in between: 两碗米饭liǎng wǎn mǐfàn. Use these when you order, serve or count food. The key constraint is that the container word counts the portion, not the dish itself, so 一碗面yì wǎn miàn is a bowl of noodles but 一个碗yí ge wǎn is a bowl as an object; do not swap them. A common contrast: 我要一个碗wǒ yào yí ge wǎn asks for an empty bowl, and 我要一碗面wǒ yào yì wǎn miàn orders noodles.
