HSK 4Lesson 16
Cooking happens step by step. You will follow a chef's method for fish, bake a cake with a friend, clean up and store food after dinner, and keep going when your own cooking goes wrong.
You will learn the words of the kitchen and the steps of cooking, and to add feeling to what you say with three small adverbs.
Part 1 · 15 new words
Contains 6 words
kitchen
chef; cook
knife
oil
salt
food product
Contains 6 words
to bake; to roast
cooked; done
Contains 3 words
method; recipe
process
Part 2 · 8 phrases
他是饭店的厨师，回到家还喜欢在厨房做饭。
He's a chef at a restaurant, and he still likes cooking in the kitchen when he gets home.
菜里油和盐都不能放太多，对身体不好。
You shouldn't put too much oil or salt in the food; it's bad for you.
周末我想烤一个蛋糕，送给我的朋友。
This weekend I want to bake a cake and give it to a friend.
饺子熟了没有？熟了就可以吃了。
Are the dumplings cooked yet? If they're done, we can eat.
把牛奶倒进杯子里，小心别倒在桌子上。
Pour the milk into the glass, and be careful not to pour it on the table.
我把书装进书包，就去上课了。
I put my books in my bag and headed to class.
Part 3 · 4 conversations
At a cooking class, a chef shows Liu Xiaoxue the first steps of cooking a fish.
厨师Chef
欢迎来到厨房！今天教大家做鱼，我先说一下做法。
Welcome to the kitchen! Today I'm teaching you to cook fish. First I'll explain the method.
刘小雪Liu Xiaoxue
先做什么？
What do we do first?
厨师Chef
Part 4 · 2 points
动词+一X是一X
Verb + 一X是一X (yī X shì yī X), with the same amount word twice, says every bit you manage to do is worth it.
Every bit counts
Put the verb and a small amount before 是shì, then repeat the amount.
to pour
to put in; to pack
to wipe
to smell
portion; serving
这个菜的做法很简单，只要十分钟。
The method for this dish is easy and takes only ten minutes.
学做饭的过程很有意思，虽然常常做错。
The process of learning to cook is fun, even though I often get it wrong.
先把鱼洗干净，两边放一点儿盐，然后倒油。
First wash the fish, put a little salt on both sides, then pour in the oil.
刘小雪Liu Xiaoxue
油倒进去以后，马上放鱼吗？
After the oil goes in, do I put the fish in right away?
厨师Chef
不，要等油热了才能放。你闻一闻，闻到香味了，就可以放了。
No, you have to wait until the oil is hot before you put it in. Smell it; once you can smell it, you can put it in.
刘小雪Liu Xiaoxue
闻到了！现在放吗？
I can smell it! Do I put it in now?
厨师Chef
放吧，慢一点儿。等两边都变成黄色了，再倒一点儿水，二十分钟就熟了。
Put it in, slowly. When both sides turn golden, pour in a little water, and in twenty minutes it will be done.
Anne and Li Wen bake a cake; Anne wants to open the oven too early, and the result turns out better than they expected.
安妮Anne
蛋糕烤了二十分钟了，熟了吗？我打开看看。
The cake has been baking for twenty minutes. Is it done? I'll open it and look.
李文Li Wen
别开！烤的过程中不能开门，开了蛋糕就不好看了。
Don't open it! You can't open the door while it bakes, or the cake won't look nice.
安妮Anne
好吧，那我们再等十分钟。
All right, then we'll wait ten more minutes.
李文Li Wen
你闻，现在有香味了，应该熟了。
Smell that: now there's a lovely smell, so it should be done.
安妮Anne
我看看……你看，还真不错，跟店里卖的差不多！
Let me see... look, it's actually pretty good, almost like a shop one!
李文Li Wen
我们一人一份，再给刘明装一份，不知道他要不要？
We'll each have a piece and pack one for Liu Ming. I wonder if he'll want it?
安妮Anne
好，他才不会说不要呢，他最爱吃蛋糕了。
Sure, he certainly won't say no; cake is his favorite.
After cooking dinner together, Liu Ming and Wang Yixue clean the kitchen, check the fridge and pack the leftovers.
刘明Liu Ming
我来洗碗，你擦一下桌子吧。刀我自己洗，你别动，小心手。
I'll do the dishes; you wipe the table. I'll wash the knife myself; don't touch it, mind your hands.
王一雪Wang Yixue
好。冰箱里这些食品怎么办？有的放了很久了。
Okay. What about these food items in the fridge? Some have been there a long time.
刘明Liu Ming
你闻一闻，味道不对的就别要了。
Smell them; throw out anything that smells wrong.
王一雪Wang Yixue
这个面包还能吃，那瓶牛奶不行了。
This bread is still fine to eat, but that bottle of milk has gone bad.
刘明Liu Ming
那今天没吃完的菜呢？
And what about the food we didn't finish today?
王一雪Wang Yixue
我装在两个碗里，放进冰箱。明天中午你一份，我一份。
I'll put it in two bowls and into the fridge. Tomorrow at lunch there's one for you and one for me.
Bai Jiayue's cooking came out too salty again; Teacher Wang encourages her, and she decides to learn her mother's fish dish.
白家月Bai Jiayue
王老师，我昨天做的菜又太咸了，盐放多了。我是不是不会做饭？
Teacher Wang, the dish I made yesterday was too salty again; I put in too much salt. Am I just bad at cooking?
王老师Teacher Wang
谁一开始就会做饭？厨师也是一点儿一点儿学出来的。
Who can cook right from the start? Even chefs learned bit by bit.
白家月Bai Jiayue
可是我学了一个月了，做的菜还是不好吃。
But I've been learning for a month and my food still doesn't taste good.
王老师Teacher Wang
别急，学一点儿是一点儿。你上次做的鸡蛋汤就很好喝啊。
Don't rush; every bit you learn counts. The egg soup you made last time was really good.
白家月Bai Jiayue
那个最简单。我想做我妈妈做的那种鱼，那才是我最爱吃的。
That one is the easiest. I want to make the fish my mom makes; that's what I really love.
王老师Teacher Wang
那你给妈妈打个电话，问问她的做法。
Then give your mom a call and ask her how she makes it.
白家月Bai Jiayue
好！我就不信我学不会。
Okay! I refuse to believe I can't learn it.
Teacher Wang tells Bai Jiayue that slow progress is still progress.
In sentences
Encourage
别急，每天学一点儿是一点儿。
Don't rush; every little bit you learn each day counts.
With 一点儿yìdiǎnr: small steps are worth it.
Limited time
时间不多了，能复习一课是一课。
There isn't much time left; review as many lessons as you can.
能néng means as many as possible.
Helping
来的人太多，我们能帮一个是一个。
Too many people have come; we'll help as many as we can.
The measure word 个ge is the same in both halves.
A：这么多碗，今天洗得完吗？ B：能洗一个是一个，别的明天再洗。
A: With so many bowls, can we finish today? B: Wash as many as we can; the others tomorrow.
刘小雪说，这个菜她还做不好，不过能学一个是一个。
Liu Xiaoxue says she can't cook this dish well yet, but she'll learn them one at a time.
In verb + 一X是一X (yī X shì yī X), 一X (yī X) is a small amount, such as 一点儿yìdiǎnr, 一个yí ge, 一天yì tiān or 一次yí cì, and it is repeated exactly after 是shì. The pattern says that each bit you can do counts and is better than nothing: 学一点儿是一点儿xué yìdiǎnr shì yìdiǎnr, every bit you learn counts. It is often used to encourage someone who feels progress is too slow, or to make the most of limited time or chances, and it often takes 能néng before the verb: 能帮一个是一个néng bāng yí ge shì yí ge, help as many as we can, each one counts. It is spoken and informal. The two amounts must be identical, including the measure word, and 一yī cannot be dropped: not 学一点儿是点儿xué yìdiǎnr shì diǎnr. Do not read 是shì here as is in the sense of equals; the whole chunk works as one idea, every bit counts. A common mistake is to use two different amount words. Compare 能吃一口是一口néng chī yì kǒu shì yì kǒu with ✗ 能吃一口是一点儿néng chī yì kǒu shì yìdiǎnr: the same amount word must appear on both sides of 是shì, unlike 一点儿也不yìdiǎnr yě bù, which has a different meaning.
语气副词 才 / 就 / 还
In speech, 才cái, 就jiù and 还hái can show the speaker's feeling instead of time: 才cái stresses or rejects, 就jiù insists, and 还hái shows something is better than expected.
Stress the real one
Put 才是cái shì after 这zhè or 那nà to say this is the real or right one.
才不……呢cái bù……ne is the negative side: it strongly rejects an idea, as in 他才不会说不要呢tā cái bú huì shuō bú yào ne.
Insist
Put 就jiù before 不bù or 是shì to insist or to confirm firmly.
我就不信我学不会wǒ jiù bú xìn wǒ xué bu huì shows determination, not time.
Pleasant surprise
Put 还hái before 真zhēn + adjective to say something is better than you expected.
还真不错hái zhēn búcuò praises with a little surprise; 还hái here does not mean still.
In sentences
Stress
这家的饺子一般，我妈妈包的才好吃呢。
The dumplings here are so-so; the ones my mom makes are the really good ones.
才cái picks out the real one.
Reject
让我一个人去？我才不去呢！
Me go alone? No way am I going!
才不……呢cái bù……ne rejects an idea.
Insist
你别说了，我就要这个颜色的。
Don't bother; I want this color, and that's that.
就jiù adds firmness.
Surprise
这家小饭馆不大，菜还真不错。
This little restaurant isn't big, but the food is actually pretty good.
还真hái zhēn shows it is better than expected.
A：你不是怕辣吗？ B：谁怕了？我才不怕呢。
A: Aren't you afraid of spicy food? B: Who's afraid? Not at all!
李文就要现在看看蛋糕熟了没有，安妮怎么说他都不听。
You already know 才cái and 就jiù for late and early, and 还hái for still. Here they show attitude, and they still go before the verb or adjective. 才cái stresses that this one, and not another, is the real one: 那才是我最爱吃的nà cái shì wǒ zuì ài chī de. In 才不……呢cái bù……ne it rejects an idea strongly: 他才不会说不要呢tā cái bú huì shuō bú yào ne, he certainly will not say no. 就jiù insists or confirms firmly, often before 是shì or 不bù: 我就不信wǒ jiù bú xìn, I just refuse to believe it. 还hái
Li Wen insists on checking right now whether the cake is done, and nothing Anne says makes him listen.
Sure, he certainly won't say no; cake is his favorite.
Why it matters · 才不……呢cái bù……ne rejects the idea.
