HSK 4Lesson 50
A client suddenly wants everything by tomorrow morning. Li Wen tells the team they must stay late, a colleague with a sick child explains why she cannot, Li Wen and Liu Ming are still at work at eight, and at ten they finally finish and talk about the future.
You will learn to say that you have no choice but to work late, that time or people are not enough, that something is inconvenient or impossible, that someone need not do something, and to stress how very tiring or fast something is.
Part 1 · 11 new words
Contains 5 words
inconvenient
to have no choice but to
need not
to have no; without
to be unable to
Contains 4 words
not enough
enough; really (in 够…的)
Contains 2 words
continuously; constantly
to lose
Part 2 · 8 phrases
雨太大了，我们不得不打车回去。
The rain was too heavy, so we had no choice but to take a taxi back.
你不必送我，我自己回去就行。
You don't need to see me off; I can get back on my own.
这个问题太难，我无法回答。
This question is too hard; I can't answer it.
五个人吃一个蛋糕不够，两个才够。
One cake isn't enough for five people; two is enough.
做饭还缺一个鸡蛋，你去买一下吧。
We're still missing one egg for cooking; go buy one.
他不是不聪明，只是缺少时间。
It's not that he isn't smart; he just lacks time.
Part 3 · 4 conversations
At five o'clock, Li Wen, who is in charge of the project, tells Liu Ming that a client wants all the materials by tomorrow morning.
李文Li Wen
大家先别下班。对方要求明天早上九点以前把资料全部交过去，我们今天晚上不得不加班了。
Don't go home yet, everyone. The client wants all the materials before nine tomorrow morning, so we have no choice but to work late tonight.
刘明Liu Ming
怎么这么急？不是说下个星期才交吗？
Why the rush? Weren't they due next week?
Part 4 · 3 points
够……的
Put an adjective between 够gòu and 的de to say something is really so, usually with feeling.
Say how very something is
Use (真) 够gòu + adjective + 的de.
to be short of
to lack
I lost my phone and lost all my photos.
他不断地练习，现在说得越来越好了。
He keeps on practicing nonstop, and now he speaks better and better.
李文Li Wen
对方的计划变了。我也不想加班，可是这个机会我们不能失去。
Their plans have changed. I don't want to work late either, but we can't lose this chance.
刘明Liu Ming
现在还缺什么？
What are we still missing?
李文Li Wen
还缺两份资料，价格表也要重新做。时间不够，大家得一起干。
We're still two documents short, and the price list has to be redone. There isn't enough time, so we all have to pitch in.
刘明Liu Ming
安妮也要加班吗？她今天第一天上班。
Does Anne have to stay too? It's her first day.
李文Li Wen
她不必加班，让她按时下班吧。
She doesn't need to stay. Let her go home on time.
A colleague goes to Li Wen to explain why she cannot stay late tonight.
同事Colleague
李文，真不好意思，今天晚上加班我有些不便。
Li Wen, I'm really sorry, but working late tonight is a bit difficult for me.
李文Li Wen
怎么了？家里有事吗？
What's wrong? Is something happening at home?
同事Colleague
我儿子发烧了，我先生又出差了，家里没有人照顾他，我不能不回去。
My son has a fever and my husband is away on business, so there's nobody at home to look after him. I have to go back.
李文Li Wen
那你快回去吧。孩子生病了，你在这儿也无法好好工作。
Then hurry home. With your child ill, you wouldn't be able to work properly here anyway.
同事Colleague
谢谢！价格表我回家以后做，晚上十点以前给你。
Thank you! I'll do the price list when I get home and send it to you before ten.
李文Li Wen
你不必着急，先照顾孩子。价格表我让刘明做。
There's no need to rush; look after your son first. I'll get Liu Ming to do the price list.
At eight in the evening, Liu Ming and Li Wen are still working, and a colleague has slipped away.
刘明Liu Ming
八点了，今天真够累的。
It's eight o'clock. Today has been really tiring.
李文Li Wen
是啊，电话不断，对方要完这个又要那个。
Yes, the phone hasn't stopped ringing. The client asks for one thing and then another.
刘明Liu Ming
小张呢？刚才还在这儿。
Where's Xiao Zhang? He was here a moment ago.
李文Li Wen
不知道，他这个人无大无小，走了也不说一声，谁也没看见。
No idea. He has no sense of who is older or senior; he left without a word and nobody saw him go.
刘明Liu Ming
他走了，我们更缺少人手了。价格表我做完了，可是这两份资料我一个人做不完。
With him gone, we're even more short-handed. I've finished the price list, but I can't finish these two documents on my own.
李文Li Wen
别急，我们俩一人一份。你做事够快的，十点以前一定能做完。
Don't worry, we'll take one each. You work really fast; we'll definitely be done before ten.
At ten o'clock the work is finished, and Li Wen and Liu Ming talk on their way out.
李文Li Wen
终于做完了！资料我已经发送给对方了。
Finally finished! I've already sent the materials to the client.
刘明Liu Ming
这个月加班加得够多的，我都快没时间睡觉了。
We've done a lot of overtime this month. I hardly have time to sleep.
李文Li Wen
我知道。公司最近不断接到新任务，人也不够。我已经跟经理说了，要再找两个人。
I know. The company keeps getting new tasks lately, and there aren't enough people. I've already told the manager we need two more.
刘明Liu Ming
经理同意了吗？
Did the manager agree?
李文Li Wen
同意了。他说再这样下去，没有人不想走。下个月新同事来了，大家就不必天天加班了。
He did. He said that if things go on like this, everyone will want to quit. Once the new colleagues arrive next month, we won't have to work late every day.
In 今天真够累的jīntiān zhēn gòu lèi de, the speaker is complaining about a long day.
In sentences
A complaint
这家饭馆真够贵的，一个菜就要两百块。
This restaurant is really pricey: one dish costs two hundred yuan.
真zhēn adds feeling; the second clause shows why.
Praise
你的中文说得够好的，我还以为你是中国人呢。
Your Chinese is really good. I thought you were Chinese!
The same pattern can praise.
After a verb
这个月加班加得够多的。
We've done a lot of overtime this month.
够…的gòu … de after 得de.
Enough vs really
钱够不够？——够是够，可是这件衣服真够贵的。
Have you got enough money? — Enough, yes, but this jacket is really expensive.
The first 够gòu means enough; in 够贵的gòu guì de it means really.
A：你的汉字写得怎么样？ B：写得够慢的，一个字要想半天。
A: How is your handwriting? B: Pretty slow; I think for ages over each character.
那天晚上，李文和刘明一直工作到十点，真够晚的。
That night Li Wen and Liu Ming worked until ten, which was really late.
够gòu + adjective + 的de says that a quality is there to a high degree, usually with feeling: a complaint, surprise or teasing praise. 今天真够累的jīntiān zhēn gòu lèi de, today has been really tiring; 你做事够快的nǐ zuòshì gòu kuài de, you really work fast. It is spoken, and 真zhēn is often added in front. It can also follow 得de after a verb: 加班加得够多的jiābān jiā de gòu duō de. Keep the final 的de. Do not confuse it with 够gòu meaning enough, as in 时间不够shíjiān bú gòu, there is not enough time.
双重否定句
Two negatives make a strong positive: 不得不bùdébù and 不能不bù néng bù mean must, 没有人不méiyǒu rén bù means everybody.
Say you have no choice
Put 不得不bùdébù or 不能不bù néng bù before the verb.
In 我们今天晚上不得不加班了wǒmen jīntiān wǎnshang bùdébù jiābān le, nobody wants to stay, but the deadline forces them.
In sentences
No choice
外面下大雨，比赛不得不停了。
It was pouring outside, so the match had to stop.
Forced by circumstances.
Must
明天的考试很重要，我不能不去。
Tomorrow's exam is important; I can't not go.
不能不bù néng bù means must.
Everybody
妈妈做的菜，我们家没有人不喜欢。
Everyone in our family loves Mom's cooking.
Stronger than 大家都喜欢dàjiā dōu xǐhuan.
A：明天经理请客，你去吗？ B：经理请客，我不能不去。
A: The manager is treating us tomorrow; are you going? B: When the manager treats us, I can't not go.
家里没有人照顾孩子，所以她不得不回家。
Nobody at home could look after the child, so she had no choice but to go home.
Two negative words in one sentence cancel each other and make a strong positive. 不得不bùdébù + verb means have no choice but to; circumstances force you and you would rather not: 我们今天晚上不得不加班了wǒmen jīntiān wǎnshang bùdébù jiābān le. 不能不bù néng bù + verb means must, cannot avoid it: 我不能不回去wǒ bù néng bù huíqu. 没有人不méiyǒu rén bù + verb means everybody, and it is stronger than 大家都dàjiā dōu: 没有人不想走méiyǒu rén bù xiǎng zǒu. All of these sound stronger than a plain 得děi or 要yào. Keep both negatives: 不得bùdé alone means must not, the opposite meaning. Compare: 不得不bùdébù and
无A无B
无wú + A + 无wú + B, with two opposite or related one-syllable words, means without any A or B, with no distinction between them. It is a fixed, rather written four-character pattern, such as 无大无小wú dà wú xiǎo, with no respect for age or rank.
Without distinction
Two 无wú before two related words make a strong 'without', used to describe a person or a group.
Learn each 无A无B (wú A wú B) expression as a whole; do not invent new ones.
In sentences
Describing a person
他这个人无大无小，走了也不说一声。
He has no sense of who is older or senior; he even leaves without a word.
无大无小wú dà wú xiǎo describes the person.
After 得
孩子说话说得无大无小，爷爷有点儿不高兴。
The child talks with no respect for age, and Grandpa is a bit unhappy.
After 得de it describes how someone speaks.
A group
他们家里无大无小，大家一起吃饭，一起说笑。
In their home nobody stands on rank; everyone eats and jokes together.
无大无小wú dà wú xiǎo can also describe a relaxed group.
这孩子太无大无小了，跟老师说话也不客气。
This kid has no respect for his elders; he isn't even polite when he talks to his teacher.
A：他怎么这样跟爷爷说话？ B：这孩子无大无小，没有礼貌。
A: Why does he talk to his grandfather like that? B: That child has no sense of respect and no manners.
对经理说话的时候，小张也无大无小，大家都有点儿吃惊。
Even when talking to the manager, Xiao Zhang shows no respect, and everyone was a little shocked.
无wú is a written word for 没有méiyǒu. Repeated before two related one-syllable words, it forms a four-character expression that means without either, or with no difference between them: 无大无小wú dà wú xiǎo describes a person who ignores age and rank, with no sense of who is older or senior. The two words are close or opposite in meaning, so the repetition makes the 'without' stronger. These expressions work mostly as a predicate that describes a person or a group: 他这个人无大无小tā zhège rén wú dà wú xiǎo, he has no sense of who is older or senior. They can also be used as an attribute with 的de or as a complement after 得de: 他说话说得无大无小tā shuōhuà shuō de wú dà wú xiǎo. Everyday speech has a spoken twin of the same shape with 没méi: 没大没小méi dà méi xiǎo means the same, and 对方的电话没完没了
我儿子发烧了，我先生又出差了，家里没有人照顾他，我不能不回去。
My son has a fever and my husband is away on business, so there's nobody at home to look after him. I have to go back.
Why it matters · 不能不回去bù néng bù huíqu means she must go.
