HSK 4Lesson 15
Talking about food starts with taste. You will cope with a dish that is too spicy, choose a drink at breakfast, learn at a night market why north and south taste different, and taste a cup of tea with your teacher.
You will learn to describe how food and drinks taste, from sour and spicy to salty, bitter and fresh, and to compare the flavors of different regions.
Part 1 · 15 new words
Contains 9 words
taste; flavor
taste; flavor
sour
spicy
salty
bitter
fragrant; appetizing
fresh; savory
yogurt
Contains 3 words
soup
snack; street food
Contains 3 words
grape
tomato
Part 2 · 8 phrases
这杯水一点儿味道也没有，再放点儿糖吧。
This drink has no flavor at all; add a bit of sugar.
这些葡萄看着很大，可是吃起来很酸。
These grapes look big, but they taste sour.
我朋友在西安长大，每天吃饭都要吃辣的。
My friend grew up in Xi'an and has to eat something spicy every meal.
汤太咸了，喝了好几杯水还是想喝。
The soup was so salty that I kept wanting to drink after several glasses of water.
这种药很苦，可是你一定要喝。
This medicine is very bitter, but you have to take it.
刚做好的饭菜吃起来真香。
Freshly cooked food tastes wonderful.
Part 3 · 4 conversations
At a Sichuan restaurant, Liu Ming finds the dish Li Wen ordered too spicy, so they order a soup that is not.
李文Li Wen
这个菜的味道怎么样？
How does this dish taste?
刘明Liu Ming
很香，可是太辣了，我吃不了。
It smells great, but it's too spicy; I can't eat it.
李文Li Wen
Part 4 · 2 points
X是X，Y是Y
X是X，Y是Y (X shì X, Y shì Y) repeats each of two nouns around 是shì to say they are separate things that should not be mixed up.
Keep two things apart
Repeat each noun around 是shì, then explain the difference.
good food; cuisine
fruit juice
我喜欢这家的汤，味道很鲜，一点儿也不咸。
I like this place's soup. It tastes savory and not salty at all.
来北京一定要尝尝这里的小吃和美食。
When you come to Beijing, you must try the snacks and fine food here.
辣是辣，可是很好吃。你再试一口？
It's spicy, sure, but it's delicious. Try one more bite?
刘明Liu Ming
不行，我喝了两杯水了，嘴里还是辣。
No way. I've had two glasses of water and my mouth is still burning.
李文Li Wen
那我们再点个汤吧。这里的西红柿汤一点儿也不辣，酸酸甜甜的。
Then let's order a soup too. The tomato soup here isn't spicy at all; it's sweet and sour.
刘明Liu Ming
好，汤来了我先喝几口，再吃别的。
Good. When the soup comes I'll have a few mouthfuls first, then eat the rest.
At breakfast, Wang Yixue offers Bai Jiayue yogurt, but Bai Jiayue does not want anything sour, so they settle on one drink each.
王一雪Wang Yixue
早饭你喝酸奶还是果汁？
Do you want yogurt or juice with breakfast?
白家月Bai Jiayue
果汁吧，酸奶太酸了。
Juice, I think. Yogurt is too sour.
王一雪Wang Yixue
酸奶酸是酸，可是对身体很好。
Yogurt is sour, sure, but it's very good for you.
白家月Bai Jiayue
我知道，可是我早上一吃酸的就不舒服。
I know, but whenever I have something sour in the morning, I feel unwell.
王一雪Wang Yixue
那你喝果汁吧。冰箱里有两种，葡萄的和苹果的，你要哪种？
Then have juice. There are two kinds in the fridge, grape and apple. Which do you want?
白家月Bai Jiayue
葡萄的，我最喜欢葡萄的味道。
Grape. I love the taste of grapes.
王一雪Wang Yixue
好，你喝果汁，我喝酸奶，一人一杯。
Fine: you have juice and I have yogurt, a glass each.
At a night market, Anne says all Chinese food tastes about the same, and Liu Xiaoxue explains how the north and the south differ.
安妮Anne
这里的小吃真多！你最爱吃哪个？
There are so many snacks here! Which one do you like best?
刘小雪Liu Xiaoxue
我最爱那家的鱼汤，味道特别鲜。
I love that stall's fish soup; it tastes really fresh.
安妮Anne
中国的美食这么多，可是我觉得味道都差不多。
China has so much good food, but to me it all tastes about the same.
刘小雪Liu Xiaoxue
那可不一样！南方是南方，北方是北方。南方菜比较甜，北方菜比较咸。
Not at all! The south and the north are different. Southern food is sweeter and northern food is saltier.
安妮Anne
真的吗？那我得多尝几个地方的菜。
Really? Then I need to try food from more places.
刘小雪Liu Xiaoxue
先从这碗鱼汤开始吧，明天我再带你去吃北方的饺子。
Start with this bowl of fish soup, and tomorrow I'll take you for northern dumplings.
In her office, Teacher Wang gives Liu Ming a cup of tea from her hometown and asks him what he tastes.
王老师Teacher Wang
刘明，尝尝这杯茶，是什么味？
Liu Ming, taste this tea. What does it taste like?
刘明Liu Ming
有点儿苦……可是很香。
A little bitter... but it smells lovely.
王老师Teacher Wang
好茶都是这样，先苦后甜。你再喝一口，慢慢尝。
Good tea is always like that: first bitter, then sweet. Have another sip and taste it slowly.
刘明Liu Ming
真的！现在嘴里有点儿甜味了。
It's true! Now there's a slightly sweet taste in my mouth.
王老师Teacher Wang
你喜欢的话，我送你一点儿，这是我从老家带来的。
If you like it, I'll give you some. I brought it from my hometown.
刘明Liu Ming
太好了！我父亲最爱喝茶，我寄一点儿回家，也让他尝尝。
Wonderful! My father loves tea; I'll send some home so he can try it too.
Liu Xiaoxue answers Anne, who thinks all Chinese food tastes the same.
In sentences
Regions
南方是南方，北方是北方，吃的东西很不一样。
The south and the north are different; the food is very different.
The two regions must not be lumped together.
Work and life
工作是工作，生活是生活，周末别想工作的事了。
Work is work and life is life; don't think about work at the weekend.
Keeps two areas of life apart.
People
你是你，我是我，你喜欢的我不一定喜欢。
You're you and I'm me; what you like I don't necessarily like.
About people, it can sound firm.
A：你们俩的看法一样吗？ B：他是他，我是我，想法不一样。
A: Do the two of you see it the same way? B: He's he and I'm I; our ideas differ.
刘明说，朋友是朋友，帮忙是帮忙，不能把两件事放在一起。
Liu Ming says friendship is friendship and helping out is helping out; the two shouldn't be mixed.
In X是X，Y是Y (X shì X, Y shì Y), each of two parallel nouns is repeated around 是shì: 南方是南方，北方是北方nánfāng shì nánfāng, běifāng shì běifāng, the south is the south and the north is the north. The point is not that each thing equals itself, but that the two are different and must not be lumped together or confused. It usually answers someone who treats the two as the same, and a sentence explaining the difference often follows, as in the dialogue. Common pairs are 工作是工作，生活是生活gōngzuò shì gōngzuò, shēnghuó shì shēnghuó, work and private life are separate, and 你是你，我是我nǐ shì nǐ, wǒ shì wǒ, we are different people, which can sound cool or firm. X and Y must be a pair of the same kind, and each must be repeated exactly. It is spoken and emphatic; do not use it to say two things are equally good.
X是X
Repeat an adjective or verb around 是shì, X是X (X shì X), to grant that something is true, then turn with 可是kěshì or 但是dànshì.
Grant, then turn
Repeat the adjective around 是shì, then give your real view after 可是kěshì.
Wang Yixue admits yogurt is sour but argues it is good for you.
In sentences
Price
这件衣服贵是贵，可是很好看。
This top is expensive, sure, but it looks great.
The admitted point is weaker than the real one.
Taste
这个汤咸是咸，但是很鲜。
This soup is salty, I'll give you that, but it's really savory.
但是dànshì works as well as 可是kěshì.
Past action
我去是去了，可是没见到他。
I did go, but I didn't see him.
了le follows the second verb.
A：这个汤好喝吗？ B：好喝是好喝，可是我今天不想喝汤。
A: Is this soup good? B: It's good, sure, but I don't want soup today.
王一雪说，酸奶酸是酸，可是她每天早上都喝。
Wang Yixue says yogurt is sour, sure, but she has it every morning.
X是X (X shì X) admits that something is true before the speaker turns to a different point: 辣是辣，可是很好吃là shì là, kěshì hěn hǎochī, it's spicy, sure, but it's delicious. X is usually an adjective or a verb and is repeated exactly; the topic, if there is one, comes first: 酸奶酸是酸suānnǎi suān shì suān. The second half is required and starts with a turning word such as 可是kěshì or 但是dànshì; it carries the speaker's real view, so the admitted point counts for less. With a verb and a past action, 了le goes after the second X: 我去是去了，可是没见到他wǒ qù shì qù le, kěshì méi jiàndào tā, I did go, but I didn't see him. Common errors are not repeating X (酸奶是酸的suānnǎi shì suān de is just a plain statement) and stopping after the first half. It differs from X是X，Y是Y (X shì X, Y shì Y): there two nouns are kept apart; here one quality is granted and then outweighed. A later lesson adds softer ways to make the turn.
酸奶酸是酸，可是对身体很好。
Yogurt is sour, sure, but it's very good for you.
Why it matters · The topic 酸奶suānnǎi comes before 酸是酸suān shì suān.
