HSK 4Lesson 66
Liu Ming joins the school volleyball team just before a big tournament. You will hear the captain describe practice, the coach plan for a strong opponent, Liu Xiaoxue cheer from the stands, and Liu Ming report the result.
You will learn to talk about joining a team, preparing for a tournament, cheering at a match and reporting the result, and to give two sides of a plan or say it is always one thing or the other.
Part 1 · 18 new words
Contains 6 words
(ball-game) team
(sports) fan
team member; player
team captain
team
coach
Contains 4 words
table tennis; ping-pong
volleyball
Contains 8 words
to win
to lose
Part 2 · 8 phrases
打乒乓球一个人就能练，打排球得有六个人。
You can practice table tennis alone, but volleyball needs six people.
我们球队有十二个队员，一半是新来的。
Our team has twelve players, and half of them are new.
我爸爸是个老球迷，每个周末都在家看比赛。
My dad is a long-time fan; he watches the games at home every weekend.
比赛前，教练先和队长商量怎么打。
Before the match, the coach first talks over with the captain how to play.
昨天的比赛，我们队赢了，他们队输了。
In yesterday's game, our team won and their team lost.
我们终于打败了去年赢了我们的那个队。
We finally beat the team that beat us last year.
Part 3 · 4 conversations
Liu Ming asks Li Wen, captain of the school volleyball team, if he can join and how the team trains.
刘明Liu Ming
李文，你们排球队还要新队员吗？我能参加你们队吗？
Li Wen, does your volleyball team need new players? Can I join your team?
李文Li Wen
当然欢迎！我这个队长正想找新队员呢。你以前打过排球吗？
Of course! As captain, I'm looking for new players right now. Have you played volleyball before?
Part 4 · 1 point
一方面……，另一方面……；不是……，就是……
Use 一方面yì fāngmiàn …，另一方面lìng yì fāngmiàn … to give two sides of one reason or plan, and 不是bú shì …，就是jiù shì … to say it is always one of two things.
Give two sides
Two related reasons, benefits or tasks: 一方面yì fāngmiàn + A，另一方面lìng yì fāngmiàn + B.
sports field; playground
measure word for matches and shows
to defeat; to beat
to take part in a competition
tournament; major competition
to cheer (on); come on!
to win (a prize, place or support)
time and effort
这次大赛有二十个队参赛，我们能进前三就不错了。
Twenty teams are in this tournament; if we get into the top three, that's pretty good.
比赛的时候，我们坐在台下，为自己的队加油。
During the game, we sat in the stands and cheered for our team.
刘明Liu Ming
打过，不过打得一般。你们平时怎么练？
Yes, but I'm only average. How do you usually train?
李文Li Wen
每天下午四点在操场练两个小时。周末也不休息，不是练球，就是看别的球队的比赛。
Two hours on the sports field from four every afternoon. We don't rest at weekends either: we're either practicing or watching other teams' matches.
刘明Liu Ming
这么忙！那你们为什么愿意花这么多时间？
That's busy! So why are you all willing to spend so much time on it?
李文Li Wen
一方面可以锻炼身体，另一方面队员们在一起，能交到很多好朋友。
For one thing, it keeps you fit; for another, being together with the other players, you make lots of good friends.
刘明Liu Ming
好，那我明天下午就去操场找教练。
Great, then I'll go to the sports field tomorrow afternoon and see the coach.
Coach Zhang tells captain Li Wen that the school will enter the city tournament and plans how to face last year's winners.
张教练Coach Zhang
李文，下个月市里有排球大赛，我们学校决定参赛。
Li Wen, there's a city volleyball tournament next month, and our school has decided to take part.
李文Li Wen
太好了，张教练！第一场我们跟哪个队比？
Great, Coach Zhang! Which team do we play in the first match?
张教练Coach Zhang
就是去年的第一名。他们的队员又高又强。
Last year's winners. Their players are tall and strong.
李文Li Wen
去年我们输给了他们，大家现在还记得。
We lost to them last year; everyone still remembers it.
张教练Coach Zhang
所以这个月我们一方面要多练习，另一方面要好好儿看看他们以前的比赛。
So this month we need to practice more on the one hand, and on the other study their past matches carefully.
李文Li Wen
没问题，我去告诉队员们，从今天开始每天多练一个小时。
No problem. I'll tell the players we'll train an extra hour every day from today.
张教练Coach Zhang
好。只要大家一起努力，我们就有机会打败他们。
Good. As long as everyone works together, we have a chance of beating them.
At the tournament, Liu Xiaoxue, a long-time fan, finds Anne a seat beside her, and they cheer for Liu Ming.
刘小雪Liu Xiaoxue
安妮，这边！我旁边还有个座位。
Anne, over here! There's a seat next to me.
安妮Anne
来了这么多观众！你每场比赛都来看吗？
What a crowd! Do you come to every match?
刘小雪Liu Xiaoxue
我是个老球迷了。周末我不是来看排球，就是自己去打乒乓球。
I'm a long-time fan. At weekends I'm either here watching volleyball or off playing table tennis myself.
安妮Anne
我们队现在怎么样？
How is our team doing now?
刘小雪Liu Xiaoxue
刚开始丢了几分，现在好多了。你看，那个是刘明，他刚进球队一个月。
We dropped a few points at the start, but it's much better now. Look, that's Liu Ming; he only joined the team a month ago.
安妮Anne
他打得真不错！我们一起给他加油吧。
He's playing really well! Let's cheer him on together.
刘小雪Liu Xiaoxue
刘明，加油！我们队加油！
Come on, Liu Ming! Come on, team!
The next day Liu Ming tells Bai Jiayue how the team did in the tournament and why.
白家月Bai Jiayue
刘明，听说你们在排球大赛里打败了去年的第一名？
Liu Ming, I hear you beat last year's winners in the volleyball tournament?
刘明Liu Ming
对，那场我们赢了！最后还赢得了第二名。
Yes, we won that match! And in the end we took second place.
白家月Bai Jiayue
太棒了！你刚进球队，就参加了这么大的比赛。
Brilliant! You'd only just joined the team, and you played in such a big competition.
刘明Liu Ming
这一个月我们花了很多功夫，每天都练到很晚。教练说，这个第二名是练出来的。
We put a lot of effort in this month, training until late every day. The coach says we earned second place through practice.
白家月Bai Jiayue
下次比赛我也去给你们加油。
I'll come and cheer for you at the next match too.
刘明Liu Ming
好啊。对了，你不是说想多锻炼身体吗？学校的乒乓球队也在找新队员呢。
Great. Oh, didn't you say you wanted to get more exercise? The school table tennis team is looking for new players too.
白家月Bai Jiayue
真的吗？那我明天就去问问。
Really? Then I'll go and ask tomorrow.
The subject goes before 一方面yì fāngmiàn: 我们一方面要多练习，另一方面要好好儿看看他们以前的比赛wǒmen yì fāngmiàn yào duō liànxí, lìng yì fāngmiàn yào hǎohāor kànkan tāmen yǐqián de bǐsài.
Always one or the other
Only two possibilities: 不是bú shì + A，就是jiù shì + B.
In 周末不是练球，就是看别的球队的比赛zhōumò bú shì liàn qiú, jiù shì kàn bié de qiúduì de bǐsài, every weekend is spent on one of these two things.
In sentences
Two reasons
我选这个专业，一方面是因为喜欢，另一方面是因为毕业以后好找工作。
I chose this major partly because I like it, and partly because it's easy to find a job after graduating.
Two different reasons for one choice.
Two tasks
我们一方面要多练习，另一方面要好好儿看看他们以前的比赛。
We need to practice more on the one hand, and study their past matches on the other.
The subject 我们wǒmen comes first.
Complaint
这几天不是刮风，就是下雨，我们只好在体育馆里练球。
These past few days it's been either windy or rainy, so we've had to train in the gym.
Two possibilities, both unwelcome.
Guess
他不是在操场，就是在教室。
He's either on the sports field or in the classroom.
A guess between two places.
A：你们为什么每天都练到这么晚？ B：一方面比赛快到了，另一方面教练要求很严格。
A: Why do you practice so late every day? B: On the one hand the match is coming up, and on the other the coach is very strict.
刘明想进球队，一方面是喜欢打排球，另一方面是想多认识一些朋友。
Liu Ming wants to join the team: on the one hand he likes volleyball, and on the other he wants to meet more friends.
一方面……，另一方面…… (yì fāngmiàn …, lìng yì fāngmiàn …) presents two aspects of the same matter: two reasons, two benefits, or two things to do at the same time. The subject usually comes first, and each part is a full predicate: 我们一方面要多练习，另一方面要好好儿看看他们以前的比赛wǒmen yì fāngmiàn yào duō liànxí, lìng yì fāngmiàn yào hǎohāor kànkan tāmen yǐqián de bǐsài. The two parts should be different but related points, not the same idea said twice. 不是……，就是…… (bú shì …, jiù shì …) means 'if it is not A, it is B': there are only two possibilities. It describes what someone always does (周末不是练球，就是看比赛zhōumò bú shì liàn qiú, jiù shì kàn bǐsài), a guess between two options (他不是在操场，就是在教室tā bú shì zài cāochǎng, jiù shì zài jiàoshì), and sometimes a complaint (这几天不是刮风，就是下雨zhè jǐ tiān bú shì guā fēng, jiù shì xià yǔ). Do not confuse it with 不是……而是…… (bú shì … ér shì …) 'not A but B', which corrects a mistake.
