HSK 4Lesson 2
Describing a person starts with where they are in life. You will sign up for a race, talk about childhood and old age, and give approximate ages, numbers and times.
You will learn to name the stages of a life, give a person's age, sex and nationality, and say about how old someone is or about when something happens.
Part 1 · 19 new words
Contains 7 words
childhood
teenager; adolescence
young person; youth
middle age
old age; later years
all one's life; throughout one's life
life (one's time on earth)
Contains 3 words
(a person's) age
gender; sex
Contains 5 words
man; gentleman
woman; the female sex
Contains 4 words
approximately; about
about; or so (after a number)
Part 2 · 10 phrases
我童年住在爷爷家，每天跟他去公园。
As a child I lived at my grandfather's house, and every day I went to the park with him.
他少年时爱玩，青年时才开始努力学习。
He loved to play as a teenager and only started studying hard as a young man.
她一生都在学校教书，老年还常去看学生。
She taught at a school all her life, and in old age she still often visits her students.
我们年龄、国籍都不同，可是都爱踢足球。
We differ in age and nationality, but we all love playing soccer.
这个名字男女都能用，听名字不知道性别。
Both men and women can use this name, so you can't tell the gender from hearing it.
邻居家的姑娘去年开始工作，那个小伙子是她哥哥。
Part 3 · 4 conversations
Mr Zhang arrives to sign up for a youth running race; Xiao Wang, a staff member, checks whether he is young enough and takes his details.
小王Xiao Wang
这位男士，您是来参加青年跑步比赛的吗？
Sir, are you here for the youth running race?
张先生Mr Zhang
对。听说比赛对年龄有要求？
Yes. I heard there's an age requirement?
小王
Part 4 · 1 point
概数 来 / 大约 / 左右 / 前后
Put 大约dàyuē before a number, or 左右zuǒyòu or 前后qiánhòu after it, to say about; 来lái goes after a round number, before the measure word: 二十来个èrshí lái ge.
Say about how old someone is
Use 大约dàyuē before the age or 左右zuǒyòu after it.
nationality
the male sex; a male
girl; young woman
young man; young guy
around (a time); about
about; approximately
The girl next door started working last year, and that young man is her brother.
我大约七点回家，你八点左右来吧。
I'll get home at about seven; come around eight.
过年前后，火车票很难买。
Around New Year, train tickets are hard to buy.
大学是人生最重要的几年，你要好好学习。
College is among the most important years of your life, so study hard.
门上写着“男士”，女同学请去那边。
The door says "Men," so the women should go over there.
有，比赛是给青年人的，要十八到三十岁。您今年多大？
There is. The race is for young people, aged eighteen to thirty. How old are you this year?
张先生Mr Zhang
我刚好三十，还可以参加吧？
I'm exactly thirty. I can still take part, right?
小王Xiao Wang
可以。请在这儿写上您的年龄、性别和国籍。
You can. Please write your age, sex and nationality here.
张先生Mr Zhang
写好了。比赛要跑多长时间？
Done. How long does the race take?
小王Xiao Wang
您看，这儿写着“比赛时间约两个小时”。比赛八点开始，您七点半到就行。
Look, it says here "race time about two hours". It starts at eight, so just be here by seven thirty.
Bai Jiayue asks Wang Yixue where she grew up and what it was like to move to Beijing as a child.
白家月Bai Jiayue
你的童年是在北京过的吗？
Did you spend your childhood in Beijing?
王一雪Wang Yixue
不是，我童年在上海，少年的时候才来北京。
No, I spent my childhood in Shanghai and only came to Beijing as a teenager.
白家月Bai Jiayue
那时候你多大？
How old were you then?
王一雪Wang Yixue
十二岁左右。刚来的时候，班上二十来个同学，我一个都不认识。
About twelve. When I first came, there were twenty-odd classmates and I didn't know a single one.
白家月Bai Jiayue
离开上海，来北京上学，难不难？
Was it hard to leave Shanghai and go to school in Beijing?
王一雪Wang Yixue
开始很难。后来认识了小雪，就好了。
At first it was very hard. Then I got to know Xiaoxue, and things got better.
On a morning walk in the park, Anne meets Liu Xiaoxue's grandfather and is surprised at how fit he is for his age.
安妮Anne
那边跑步的那位老人是你爷爷吗？
Is the old man running over there your grandpa?
刘小雪Liu Xiaoxue
对，他今年七十多了。
Yes, he's over seventy this year.
安妮Anne
七十多？看起来像中年人！
Over seventy? He looks middle-aged!
刘小雪Liu Xiaoxue
他一生都爱运动，每天早上都来这儿跑步。
He has loved exercise all his life. He comes here to run every morning.
安妮Anne
我发现公园里运动的老人，女性比男性多。
I've noticed that among the old people exercising in the park, there are more women than men.
刘小雪Liu Xiaoxue
是啊，我爷爷常说：老年也是人生很好的时候，应该多动动。
Yes. My grandpa often says old age is a good time of life too, and you should keep moving.
安妮Anne
我们家不一样，我爷爷大约六十岁就不爱动了，每天在家看电视。
It's different in my family. My grandpa stopped being active at about sixty; he watches TV at home all day.
刘小雪Liu Xiaoxue
那你给你爷爷打电话，让他也每天出去走走！
Then call your grandpa and tell him to go out for a walk every day too!
Li Wen asks Liu Ming to meet a friend of his at the station; Liu Ming has never seen the friend, so Li Wen describes him and his companion.
李文Li Wen
你下午能去车站接我朋友吗？他的车三点前后到。
Can you go to the station this afternoon to meet my friend? His train gets in around three.
刘明Liu Ming
可以。可是我没见过他，怎么找到他？
Sure. But I've never met him. How will I find him?
李文Li Wen
是个小伙子，二十五岁左右，个子不太高，穿一件红色衣服。
A young man, about twenty-five, not very tall, wearing a red top.
刘明Liu Ming
他一个人来吗？
Is he coming alone?
李文Li Wen
不是，还有一位姑娘，是他的同学。
No, there's also a young woman with him, his classmate.
刘明Liu Ming
车站人那么多，我还是先给他打个电话吧。他的电话号码是多少？
The station will be so crowded. I'd better call him first. What's his phone number?
李文Li Wen
我发到你手机上，你到了就打。
I'll send it to your phone. Call him when you get there.
In 我爷爷大约六十岁就不爱动了wǒ yéye dàyuē liùshí suì jiù bú ài dòng le, the age is not exact.
Say around what time
Use 前后qiánhòu or 左右zuǒyòu after a time to say about.
In 他的车三点前后到tā de chē sān diǎn qiánhòu dào, the train arrives a little before or after three.
In sentences
Before the number
大约十二岁的时候，我来到了北京。
When I was about twelve, I came to Beijing.
大约dàyuē comes before 十二岁shí'èr suì.
After the number
这本书我看了一百页左右，还没看完。
I've read about a hundred pages of this book and haven't finished it yet.
左右zuǒyòu comes after the measure word 页yè, not before the number.
After a time
过年前后，火车票很难买。
Around New Year, train tickets are hard to get.
前后qiánhòu follows a time or a holiday.
Inside a round number
他十来岁就离开了老家。
He left his hometown at about ten.
来lái comes between 十shí and 岁suì.
A：你朋友的车几点到？ B：五点前后，我们四点半去接他吧。
A: What time does your friend's train get in? B: Around five. Let's go and meet him at half past four.
刘小雪的爷爷每天早上六点左右就去公园跑步。
Liu Xiaoxue's grandfather goes to the park to run every morning at about six.
大约dàyuē comes before the number or time: 大约三十岁dàyuē sānshí suì. 左右zuǒyòu comes after the number and its measure word: 三十岁左右sānshí suì zuǒyòu. 前后qiánhòu comes after a point in time or a date and means a little before or after it: 三点前后sān diǎn qiánhòu. 来lái sits between a round number and the measure word, as in 十来岁shí lái suì, and only works with round numbers such as 十shí or 一百yìbǎi. One marker is enough: 大约三十岁dàyuē sānshí suì or 三十岁左右sānshí suì zuǒyòu. In notices, 约yuē replaces 大约dàyuē. A common mistake is to put two markers together: ✗ 大约三十岁左右dàyuē sānshí suì zuǒyòu ✓ 大约三十岁dàyuē sānshí suì or 三十岁左右sānshí suì zuǒyòu. Another is to put 来lái after a number that is not round: ✗ 二十三来岁èrshísān lái suì; say 二十来岁èrshí lái suì or 二十三岁左右èrshísān suì zuǒyòu. Use these words when you do not know the exact figure or do not need it, for example for an age, a price, the length of a journey or the time a train arrives.
