HSK 4Lesson 46
Parents, children and teachers do not always agree about education. You will hear a mother ask a teacher whether she should be stricter, two friends compare their fathers, a girl whose mother opposes her drawing class, and a student who was praised and criticized on the same day.
You will learn to talk about bringing up and teaching children: aims and goals, strict and gentle parents, praise and criticism, respect and disagreement, and to say who praises or criticizes someone for something.
Part 1 · 9 new words
Contains 4 words
education; to educate, bring up
to value; to take seriously
goal; target
purpose; aim
Contains 3 words
strict
to criticize; to tell off
Contains 2 words
to respect
to oppose; to be against
Part 2 · 8 phrases
我们老师很严格，作业少写一个字都要重写。
Our teacher is really strict—if you leave out even one character in your homework, you have to redo it.
老师在全班同学面前表扬了他，他高兴极了。
The teacher praised him in front of the whole class, and he was thrilled.
他上课玩手机，被老师批评了。
He was playing on his phone in class and got criticized by the teacher.
你可以不同意，但是要尊重别人的看法。
You can disagree, but you should respect other people's views.
我妈妈反对我一个人去外国上学。
My mom is against me going abroad to study by myself.
我今年的目标是每天学一个小时中文。
My goal this year is to study Chinese for an hour every day.
Part 3 · 4 conversations
A neighbor whose son did badly in a school exam asks Teacher Wang, as an experienced teacher, whether she should be stricter with him.
家长Parent
王老师，我儿子这次考得不好。我是不是应该对他更严格一点儿？
Teacher Wang, my son did badly this time. Should I be a bit stricter with him?
王老师Teacher Wang
您这么重视孩子的教育，这很好。可是我想问一下，您教育他的目的是什么？
It's good that you take your child's education so seriously. But may I ask: what is your aim in bringing him up?
Part 4 · 1 point
兼语句 表爱憎义 表扬 / 批评
Use subject + 表扬biǎoyáng or 批评pīpíng + person + what the person did.
Say what someone was praised or criticized for
Put the person right after 表扬biǎoyáng or 批评pīpíng, then what they did.
to praise
我学中文的目的，是以后去北京工作。
My purpose in studying Chinese is to work in Beijing later.
很多国家都很重视教育，孩子们都要上学。
Many countries take education very seriously, and all children have to go to school.
家长Parent
当然是让他考上好大学。
To get him into a good university, of course.
王老师Teacher Wang
考上好大学是一个目标，可是教育的目的不只是考试，还要让孩子学会自己想问题。
Getting into a good university is one goal, but the purpose of education is not just exams; children also need to learn to think for themselves.
家长Parent
那我回家以后应该怎么做呢？
So what should I do when I get home?
王老师Teacher Wang
他做得好，您就表扬他；做得不对，也可以批评他。可是光批评是没有用的。
When he does well, praise him; when he does something wrong, you can criticize him too. But criticism alone doesn't work.
家长Parent
明白了。我先跟他一起定一个小目标：每天读书半个小时。
I see. First I'll set a small goal together with him: reading for half an hour every day.
Liu Ming and his roommate Li Wen compare how their own fathers brought them up and how they would bring up their own children.
刘明Liu Ming
我小时候，父亲对我特别严格，每天晚上都要检查我的作业。
When I was little, my father was especially strict with me; he checked my homework every evening.
李文Li Wen
那他常常批评你吗？
So did he often tell you off?
刘明Liu Ming
常常。他批评我字写得太乱，还批评我玩儿游戏。
All the time. He criticized me for messy handwriting and for playing games.
李文Li Wen
我爸爸跟他完全不一样。他很少批评我，我考得好，他就表扬我学习努力。
My dad was completely different. He rarely criticized me, and when I did well in exams he praised me for working hard.
刘明Liu Ming
你觉得哪种教育方式更好？
Which way of bringing up children do you think is better?
李文Li Wen
太严格了，孩子会害怕；一点儿也不严格，孩子又容易变懒。
If you're too strict, children get scared; if you're not strict at all, they easily get lazy.
刘明Liu Ming
是啊。所以以后我有了孩子，会对他严格，但是不会太严格。他做得好的时候，我一定表扬他。
True. So when I have a child one day, I'll be strict with him, but not too strict. And when he does well, I'll always praise him.
Bai Jiayue wants to join the school drawing class but her mother objects, so she asks Teacher Wang for advice.
白家月Bai Jiayue
王老师，我想报名参加学校的画画班，可是我妈妈反对。
Teacher Wang, I want to sign up for the school drawing class, but my mom is against it.
王老师Teacher Wang
她为什么反对呢？
Why is she against it?
白家月Bai Jiayue
她觉得画画没有用，只重视考试成绩。她说我现在只有一个目标：考出好成绩。
She thinks drawing is useless and only cares about exam results. She says I have just one goal right now: getting good grades.
王老师Teacher Wang
家长重视成绩，这可以理解。但是，父母也应该尊重孩子的兴趣。
It's understandable that parents care about grades. But parents should also respect their children's interests.
白家月Bai Jiayue
可是她不听我的。我一说这件事，她就批评我只想着玩。
But she won't listen to me. As soon as I mention it, she tells me off for only thinking about fun.
王老师Teacher Wang
画画班每个星期上几次课？
How many classes a week does the drawing class have?
白家月Bai Jiayue
只有星期六上午一次，不会影响学习。
Just once, on Saturday morning. It won't affect my studies.
王老师Teacher Wang
那好，你回家跟妈妈好好谈谈，告诉她不会影响学习。你也要好好学习，让她放心。
All right. Go home and have a proper talk with your mom, and tell her it won't affect your studies. You must study hard too, so that she doesn't worry.
Anne talks with her classmate Liu Xiaoxue, whom their teacher praised in the morning and criticized in the afternoon.
安妮Anne
小雪，今天口语老师在班上表扬你帮助新同学，你一定很高兴吧？
Xiaoxue, our speaking teacher praised you in class today for helping the new classmate. You must be very happy!
刘小雪Liu Xiaoxue
高兴是高兴，可是下午他又批评我上课说话，我心里很难受。
I'm happy, sure, but in the afternoon he criticized me for talking in class, and I feel awful.
安妮Anne
老师批评你，不是因为不喜欢你。他对每个人都这么严格。
The teacher didn't criticize you because he doesn't like you. He's this strict with everyone.
刘小雪Liu Xiaoxue
我知道，可是他为什么要在大家面前说呢？
I know, but why did he have to say it in front of everyone?
安妮Anne
也许他是想提醒大家，上课要认真听。
Maybe he wanted to remind everyone to listen carefully in class.
刘小雪Liu Xiaoxue
你说得对。我应该好好听老师的话，以后上课不说话了。
You're right. I should take the teacher's words to heart; from now on I won't talk in class.
In 老师表扬你帮助新同学lǎoshī biǎoyáng nǐ bāngzhù xīn tóngxué, 你nǐ is praised and is also the one who helped.
In sentences
Praise for an action
经理表扬小张帮客人找到了手机。
The manager praised Xiao Zhang for helping a customer find her phone.
The verb phrase gives the reason; 小张Xiǎo Zhāng is praised and is also the one who helped.
Praise for a quality
他表扬我学习努力。
He praised me for working hard.
The reason can describe the person.
Blame, then a result
老师批评他上课玩儿手机，他马上把手机放进了包里。
The teacher told him off for playing on his phone in class, and he put it straight into his bag.
他tā is criticized and is also the one who played; the next clause shows the effect.
Question about the reason
妈妈为什么批评弟弟？——她批评弟弟不好好吃饭。
Why did Mom tell off my little brother? — She told him off for not eating properly.
Ask with 为什么wèishénme; answer by putting the fault after the person.
Contrast: praise or criticism
老师表扬他认真，也批评他写字太快。
The teacher praised him for being careful and also criticized him for writing too fast.
Same frame, opposite meaning: 表扬biǎoyáng gives a good reason, 批评pīpíng a fault.
A：老师为什么表扬白家月？ B：表扬她画画画得又快又好。
A: Why did the teacher praise Bai Jiayue? B: For drawing so quickly and so well.
王老师批评刘小雪没带功课，可是下午又表扬她帮同学复习。
Teacher Wang criticized Liu Xiaoxue for not bringing her homework, but in the afternoon praised her for helping a classmate revise.
After verbs of praise and blame such as 表扬biǎoyáng and 批评pīpíng, the person is the object of the first verb and also the doer of what follows. Form: subject + 表扬biǎoyáng or 批评pīpíng + person + verb phrase or description. The part after the person gives the reason for the praise or blame: 老师表扬你帮助新同学lǎoshī biǎoyáng nǐ bāngzhù xīn tóngxué, the teacher praised you for helping the new classmate; 他批评我上课说话tā pīpíng wǒ shàngkè shuōhuà, he criticized me for talking in class. The reason can also be a description of the person: 表扬我学习努力biǎoyáng wǒ xuéxí nǔlì, 批评我不认真pīpíng wǒ bú rènzhēn. No word for 'for' is needed. Do not put the reason before the verb with 为了wèi le, which expresses purpose, not cause; to put the reason first, use 因为yīnwèi: 老师因为你帮助新同学表扬了你lǎoshī yīnwèi nǐ bāngzhù xīn tóngxué biǎoyáng le nǐ.
