11

III. Bjio: Compare & Contrast

<a> Tng-Shu: Listening & Speaking
1. Bjio: Compare
(1)

Qng n bjio yxi: Zhnggu h Migu nige guji bjio d?

Please make a comparison: between China and the U.S., which country is [comparatively] bigger?

(2)

Qng n bjio yxi: Rbn h Fgu nige guji rnku bjio du?
Please make a comparison: between Japan and France, which country has the [comparatively] larger
population?

(3)

W shngge xngq xule rshge Hnz, zhige xngq xule snshge. Zhge xngq xu
de Hnz bjio du.
I learned twenty characters last week, and thirty this week. The characters I learned this week are
[comparatively] more [than last week].

(4)

T shu wnf bjio hoxu, w shu Hnz bjio hoxu.

He says that grammar is comparitively easier to learn. I think that characters are comparitively easier to learn.

(5)

Zhr yu lingge shn. Nnmin de shn bjio d, bimin de shn bjio xio.
There are two hills in this area. The hill on the south side is [comparatively] bigger; the hill on the northside
is [comparatively] smaller.

(6)

W bjio xhuan kn Migu dinyng.

I like to watch American movies more [than others].

(7)

Yng qunshu po de ch bjio hoh.

[ po: soak; brew]

The tea brewed with spring water tastes better.

Note:

As Chinese adjective has a built-in relative sense, the adverbial is not necessary for
expressing the meaning of comparatively.

M. Chu, 52

11

2. ......... sh... hishi: Is it... or...

(1) ?

?
N sh xhuan q shnshng wnr hishi xhuan q hbin wnr
Do you like to go to the mountain [top] to play or like to go to the lakeshore to play?
shortened version of the above:

?
?
N sh xhuan q shnshng hishi hbin wnr
Do you like to go to the mountain [top] or the lakeshore to play?
(2)

?
?
Sh nnfng de tinq bjio nunhuo hishi bifng de tinq bjio nunhuo?
Is the climate of the south thats warmer or the climate of the north thats warmer?
shortened version of the above:

?
?
Sh nnfng de hishi bifng de tinq bjio nunhuo?
Is the climate of the south or the north thats relatively warmer?
(3)

Sh Fgu ci hoch hishi Migu ci hoch?

Is French food more delicious or American food more delicious.
shortened version of the above:

Sh Fgu ci hishi Migu ci hoch?

Is French food or American food more delicious.
(4)

Sh Hung Shn de fngjng ho hishi X H de fngjng ho?

Is the scenery of Yellow Mountain better or is the scenery of West Lake better?
shortened version of the above:

Sh Hung Shn hishi X H de fngjng ho?

Is the scenery of Yellow Mountain or West Lake better?

fngjng

M. Chu, 53

scenery

11

3. B: Compare
(1a)

X H de fngjng b Chngchng de fngjng pioliang.

The scenery of the West Lake is more beautiful than the scenery of the Great Wall.

(2a)

Fwn de wnf b Zhngwn de wnf nn xu.

French grammar is more difficult to learn than Chinese grammar.

(3a)

W yng doch chfn b yng kuizi chfn kui.

For me, using knife and fork to eat is faster than using chopsticks.
(4a)

Q Bijng xu Hny de wigu xusheng b q X'n de du.

There are more foreign students going to Beijing to study Mandarin than going to Xian.
Saying [<a>
[<b>

<b>
<a>

so.]
so.]

is similar to saying

Using the [<b> <a> so.] structure, we may re-write the statements above as follows:
(1b)

Chngchng de fngjng miyu X H de fngjng pioliang.

The scenery of the Great Wall is not as beautiful as the scenery of the West Lake.

(2b)

Zhngwn de wnf miyu Fwn de wnf (nme) nn xu.

Chinese grammar is not as difficult to learn as French grammar.
(3b)

W yng kuizi chfn miyu yng doch chfn b (nme) kui.

For me, using chopsticks to eat is not as fast as using knife and fork.
(4b)

Q X'n xu Hny de wigu xusheng miyu q Bijng de (nme) du.

There are not as much foreign students going to Xian as those going to Beijing to study Mandarin.

M. Chu, 54

4. Shngsh Nge [Nige]: Which one

(1)

Zh chngwi br zh chngl fngbin.
Living outside the city is not as convenient as living in the city.

Zh chngwi br zh chngl.
Living outside the city is not as good as living in the city.

(2)

Xu fngyn br xu Ptnghu yuyng.
Learning regional language is not as useful as learning Mandarin.

Xu fngyn br xu Ptnghu.
Learning regional language is not as good as learning Mandarin.

(3)

M Wn shu rch br ynhi hokn.
Ma Wen says that sunrise is not as beautiful as the sea of clouds.

Q kn rch br q kn ynhi.
Going to watch sunrise is not as good as going to watch the sea of clouds.

(4)

Hung Shn br Chngchng yumng.
Huangshan is not as famous as the Great Wall.

Q Hung Shn br q Chngchng.
Going to Huangshan is not as good as going to the Great Wall.

M. Chu, 55

11

11

<b> D-Xi: Reading and Writing

Note:

jigwn: Oracal-bone Script, 17th to 11th Centuries BCE

jnwn: Bronze-carving Script, 11th to 3rd Century BCE
dzhun: Majuscule Seal script, 8th-3rd Century BCE
xiozhun: Refined Seal Script, 3rd Century BCE to 1st Century CE

1.
1)

r: same; be like
()
()
()
()
The graphs mostly (except that from the script) have two components: a mouth and a kneeing person
or woman. The first graph has the mouth is located above the head of the kneeing person, likely
to give an order. To follow, do as told and same as still constitute the basic meaning of .

rgu

if

ry

as one wishes

br

irnrj

not equal to; not as good as; be inferior

to
love others as one loves oneself

A:

Rgu mngtin miyu kosh, w xing q kn dinyng. N xing q ma

If there is no test tomorrow, I would like to go see a movie. Do you want to go?

B:

Bi xingdee nme ry le! Mngtin ydng yu kosh. W bq.

Dont think so wishfully! There will be a test tomorrow for sure. Im not going [to the movies].

A:

Rgu n b q, w y b q.
If you dont go, I will not go either.

B:

Bi hslunxing le! Br wmen ziji hoho xux.

Quit thinking wild thoughts. It would be better that we stay home studying.

M. Chu, 56


2)

11

c: this
()
()
()
()
The ancient graphs consistently illustrates a combination of two images, a person and a foot. It is
generally understood as to portray a foot stepping on someone and thus the meaning trample. The
common meaning of the character now is this. We may interprete the ancient graphs to be those of a
person stepping a foot to indicate the location, here.

ync

because of this; therefore; consequently

chu

after this; hereafter; henceforth

rc

like this; thus

yunlirc

so that's how it is; so that's what's

happened; I see

T shu Shnghi sh yge hn yuysi de chngsh. W y rnwi rc.

He says that Shanghai is an interesting city. I think so, too.

rnwi

think; consider; deem

T shninqin d-y c q Shnghi. Chu ji ishangle nige dfng.

He first went to Shanghai ten years ago, and has fallen in love with that place ever since.

Ync, t mic q Zhnggu du q Shnghi.

There, every time he goes to China, hell always go to Shanghai.

T b minin q Zhnggu. T qnin qguole. Ync, jnnin t bq.

He doesnt go to China every year. He went there last year. Therefore, he will not go this year.

time (on frequency)

M. Chu, 57

3)

11

b: compare
()
()
()
()
All ancient graphs depict two identical human figures side by side, except the that includes singleperson images. The meanings derived have been generally understood as be near to each other, liken
to, comparable or compare.

br

for example

bfangshu

for example

hob

can be compared to

bbushng

cannot match

rby

two to one

bjio

bsi

compare; comparison; relatively; more

(so)
competition; match; game

Amazon
Amazon
Zhiji shngdin de dngx du hn gu. Bfangshu, tmen de wnj ji b Amazon gu
snchng. (All things at this store are quite expensive. For example, their stationaries are 30% more
expensive than Amazon.)

Zhiji bihu gngs de shngyi bbushng niji.

The business of this department store is not as good as that one.

Q:

?
?
Nmen lingg rn shi bjio i shuhu
Between the two of you, who loves to talk more?

A:

W b t i shuhu.
I love to talk more than he does.

Wmen de qidu br tmen. r b s shgi tmen le.

Our ball team is not good as theirs. At yesterdays match, with a 2 to 4 score we lost to them.

M. Chu, 58

4)

11

ji: move toward; undertake; right away; exactly; then

()
()
JIU combines and . We have just learned that depicts a high building and is used for the meaning
of capital (of a country). has a fundamental meaning of special or outstanding and it is
pronounced yu in modern Mandarin. The character has a root meaning of reaching for the highland,
with representing its meaning category and approximating its pronunciation but also contributing to
its meaning. is most commonly used as a resultant conjunction in a conditional statement.

chngji

achievement; success

jish

no other than; exactly so

T de mqn sh ywi hn yu chngji de zuji

Her mother is a well accomplished writer.

W xinzi kn de zhi bn xioshu jish t mqin xi de.

This novel that Im reading now is one written by [no other than] her mother.

W mngtin xile k ji q kn t.
Tomorrow, Ill go visit her right after classes.

Rgu n y xing rnshi t, jihe w ytng q.

If you also would like to get to know her, then go along with me.

M. Chu, 59

11

2. []The functions of
(1) The most common function of is to emphasize the urgency/immediacy or earliness of an action or
situation, following a time indicator

Without :

T xige xngqq Zhnggu.

(She is going to China next week.)

With :

T xige xngq ji q Zhnggu.

(She is going to China as early as next week.)

Wmen liyu fng shji, tmen syu ji fng shji le.

(Well start our summer vacation in June but they start their summer vacation as early as April.)

(2) is again to emphasize the urgency/immediacy or earliness of an action or situation, here the time indicator
is upon completion of a certain action

W xihole bogo ji q kn n.
Ill go visit you right after Ive finished written my paper.

N dole Zhnggu ji gi wmen xixn, ho ma?

Write to us right after you have arrived in China, Okay?

N xile k, wmen ji q kn dinyng ba.

Lets go see a movie right after you get off from class.

M. Chu, 60

11

(3) is used to emphasize the decision outcmme of action or situation, here following not a specific time
indicator or the completion of another action but a condition.

N xing mi yfu wmen ji q bihu gngs knkan.

(If you want to buy some clothes, well go take a look at the department stores.)

Rgu n b q, tji b q.
(He wont go unless you go.)

Yule dinsh, t fm ji ky tintin kn xnwn le.

(If/When they have a television, his parents will be able to watch the news everyday.)

(4) is used to emphasize the specificity of the identity of something

Zh jish wmen zhr de d-y d chosh.

(This is our number one supermarket here.)

Wnl Chngchng jish wmen xing q de dfang.

(The Great Wall is exactly the place we want to go.)

Wmen ji zi xuxio de fntng ch ba.

(Lets eat right here at our schools dinning hall.)

M. Chu, 61

11

3.
5a)
5b)

hun return; give back

hi: still; remain; additionally
()
()
( )
Note that in modern Mandarin, the character has two distinctive pronunciations and their separately
associated meanings as listed above. The character is a combination of the meaning component (chu:
go) and the phonetic component (not an independent character in the current system but used in a number
of characters sharing a pronunciation close to hun).

qing: starting; isolated hun: return; shocked eye

()
( )
Currently, neither of the two character or is used independently. They were most likely derived from
the same set of ancient scripts that illustrate a big eye looking around, at times shocked or staring.
It is interesting to note that hi and hun seem to represent the in repose phase and the in
motion phase of the word.

hun sh

return a book

hun qin

return money; pay back a debt

hi ho

not too bad

hi mi

not yet

hishi

still; after all; had better

...... ......

sh...hish...

is it... or...; to... or to...

A:

!
Zh bn sh znme hi zi n zhr? N hi mi hun a?
How come this book is still here with you? You still have not returned it?

N sh xing jntin q hi, hishi mngtin q hun?

Do you plan to go return it today or tomorrow?

B:

W mngtin q hun.
Ill go return it tomorrow.

M. Chu, 62


A:

11

W kn n hishi jntin ji q hi ba.

In my view, youd better go return it right today.

B:

N kn n, hishi du w miyu xnxn.

Look at you, still dont have confidence in me.

Hobaw xinzi ji q hun. N hi yu shnme yjian ma?

Okay! Ill go return it right now! Do you [still] have any more objection?

6)

yu: again
shares the ancestry of the right side of
, or . The form of hand with arm was . In its post-3rd
century and current form of kish (regular/model script), it is written as . Originally meant right
hand, or right, was later borrowed to use for the meaning of again and this newer meaning has
become the predominant one of the character. As a component of a character, however, the hand meaning
remains.
Note: yu and zi (as in zijin) share the same English translation, again. However, while
is used for an action that is yet to take place, is used for an action that has already happened.

yu yu

not only but also

Tmen qinnin qle Shnghi, qnin yu qle.

They went to Shanghai the year before last year, and hey went there again last year.

Tmen shu Shnghi ti yu ysi le! Yu yu ho wn de dfang, yu yu hoch de

dngxi.
They said that Shanghai was truly interesting: It not only has fun places but also has delicious food.

Nr yu yu shn yu yu hi, ti mi le!

There, you have hills and oceanits truly beautiful!

M. Chu, 63

11

Tmen yu shu le: Shnghi hoshho, bgu nl shnme dngxi du ti gu le.

They have also said: Shanghai is nice indeed. However, everything is too expensive there.

Ync, tmen hi mi xing ho xic shnme shhou zi q.

Therefore, they have not yet decided when will be the next time for them to go there.

7)

zh: only
()
()
It is not clear how the form of the character was/is related to its meaning.

W zh qgu Rbn, miqgu Zhnggu.

Iv only been to Japan; never been to China.

Mngnin w zh xing q Zhnggu, b xing q bide guji.

Next year, I only want to go to China and do not want to go to any other country.

W tngshu zhyu Zhnggu yu yu pinyi yu hoh de ch.

I heard that only China has the kind of tea that is not only cheap but delicious.

Dole Zhnggu yhu, w zh hch, b h kfi.

After having arrived in China, I will only drink tea and not to drink coffee.

8)

nn: difficult
()
()
()
The left side of the graphs is generally understood to be the old form for , which is pronounced jin in
modern Mandarin and it illustrate the hard work in cultivating the land (which is best represented by the
third character). The right side of the character is , a short-tailed bird, which is a component in the
characters and that we have learned. The left side component of the character may have provided
the semantic source of the character, but the role of the right side is unclear.

M. Chu, 64

11

Yude tngxu shu: shu Zhngwn bti nn, xi Hnz bjio nn.
Some of my classmates say: speaking Chinese is not too difficult, writing characters is more difficult.

jud: feel

W y jud xu xi Hnz b xu shu Hny nn.

I alao feel that it more difficult to learn to write Chinese characters than to learn to speak Chinese.

nn xu

difficult to learn

nnkn

unpleasant to look at; ugly

nnch

taste bad

nnshu

hard to say

nngu

feel sad; uncomfortable

nnd

rare; hard to come by

Zhijin yf yu nnkn yu b shfu.

This clothes is not only ugly but also uncomfortable.

Niji fngun de ci yu gu yu nnch!.

The food at that restaurant is not only expensive but also taste bad.

T yu shu li yu shu bli. T mngtin li b li xinzi hi hn nnshu.

She said that she would come and then she also said that she would not come. As of now, whether or not
shell come tomorrow is still hard to say.

9)

ch: exit; out; happen

()
()
()
()
These ancient graphs clearly illustrate a foot going out from an enclosure. is a among the most commonly
used words. Most public places have signs indicating exit gates.

M. Chu, 65

chku

11
exit; export

Zhnggu yu dling de huw chku do Migu.

China has great amount of goods exported to the U.S.

Other common words include these:

chshng

be born

chlai

come out

chqu

go out

chgu

go abroad

chmn

chji

go out; go away from home; go on a

journey
become a monk/nun

chmng

become famous; famous

chxin

appear; emerge

chq

vent ones anger

chqin

chl

ch zhy

give out money; pay out; contribute

money
contribute labor; work on a job
physically; exert oneself
provide an idea

ch ywi

ch wnt

have an accident; something unexpected

happened
out of order; something to go wrong

rch

sunrise

zhch

spend; pay out; expense

Zh sh t chshng yli d-y c chgu.

Since her birth, this is the first time she goes abroad .

T chmn yqin, tde jirn du shu: qinwn xioxn, bi ch ywi..
Before she left home, her family member all said to her, Be absolutely careful to avoid any accident.

M. Chu, 66

11

T fm chqin sng t chgu, sh xing t yhu chrntud.

Her parents spend money to send her abroad, wishing her to becomes outstanding in the future.

Chngjing cng Shnghi chhi. Hungh cng Shndng chhi.

Changjiang goes out to the sea from Shanghai. Huanghe goes out to the sea from Shandong [Province].

x: system; department
11) x: association; related to
10)

()

()

()

()

:

()
()
, and possibly later, was in ancient times used to describe the act of connecting two or more strands of
silk, or braiding them together. Would it be possible that these were also used as an act to tie ropes around
the door or door latch to secure the door? Keep in mind the character we have learned: gun. It is
interesting to note that how, in English, we divide a college, a country, or other entity, into different
departments and how in Chinese we connect the related parts into a system.
We have already learned the expression in response to someones apology by saying,
(Never mind. or Dont worry about it!). The same expression also means no relationship.
not related; not involved; not important;
mi gunx

it is all right; dont worry about it
relationship; connection
gunx

T h w mi gunxi: t bsh wde jirn, bsh wde pngyu, y bsh w de tngxu.

He and I have no releationship: he is not my family member, not my friend, and also not my classmate.

Zh sh w de wnt, h t mi gunx.
This is my problem and it has nothing to do with him.

Zhngwn x

Chinese Department

shxu x

Mathematics Department

huxu x

Chemistry Department

shngw x

Biology Department

M. Chu, 67

11

<c> Fn-jin duzho: Character Simplification

Notes on Character Simplification:

1.

(fho dit) method of simplification was adopted in the simplification process of

the following characters. It was to replace certain complex components of a traditional character with a
simpler existing character or component, or with a particularly created symbol.
A number of different complex components have been simplified to in the simplified character, such
as to , to , and to , to .as well as the one we have in this lesson here. Similarly, a
number of different complex components have been simplified to in the simplified character, such as
to , to , and to as well as the one we have in this lesson here.

2.

is simplified to

is simplified to

(tngyn dit) principle:

Replacing a complex character with a simpler one of similar pronunciation.

is simplified to
3.

(yng ytz) method is adopted in the simplification process of the following

character. This method is basically to use a variant way of writing a character in fewer strokes. The stroke
reduction may have happened by connecting adjacent strokes or eliminating some (sometimes, the variant
form does not involve stroke reduction). This change is slight and casual and sometimes not considered as
part of the simplification process. As a result, in some character font system, the traditional character
version is represented by the variant character used in the simplified character version (mistakenly,
ignorantly, or politically). Furthermore, as we have learned before, the difference between the forms in the
traditional and simplified character system may be the result of a standardization process (took place in
Taiwan, started in the 1970s) in the traditional character system. While the character used in the simplified
character system remain to be the same, commonly used version, the character used in the traditional
character system has been changed. For more details, see http://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/ and
www.edu.tw/files/site_content/M0001/biau/f12.html.

has a variant in the simplified character system

has a variant in the simplified character system
has a variant in the simplified character system

M. Chu, 68

11

<d> Linx: Exercises

1. Bhu jigu: Character Strokes and Structures
Traditional Characters: Trace and write to become familiar with the structure of characters

r: same, be like
: not as [good] as

c: this

b: compare

: like this

: for example

ji: move up; exactly

: achievement

hun: return
: return books

hi: still; remain

: not yet

yu: again
: have gone again

zh: only
: only have

nn: difficult

: ugly

ch: move up; exactly

: go abroad

x: system; demartment
: Chinese Dept

M. Chu, 69

x: relationship
: relationship

11

<d> Linx: Exercises

1. Bhu jigu: Character Strokes and Structures
Simplified Characters: Trace and write to become familiar with the structure of characters

r: same, be like
: not as [good] as

c: this

b: compare

: like this

: for example

ji: move up; exactly

: achievement

hun: return
: return books

hi: still; remain

: not yet

yu: again
: have gone again

zh: only
: only have

nn: difficult

: ugly

ch: move up; exactly

: go abroad

x: system; department
: Chinese Dept

x: relationship
:
relationship

M. Chu, 70

11

2. C y duyng: Matching words with meaning

(1) Write the Chinese equivalent of the following in characters
<i> if: __________________

<ii> as you wish: _______________

<iii> not as good as: __________________

<iv> hereafter _______________

<v> achievement: ________________

<vi> success _____________

<vii> return books: ________________

<viii> return money: _____________

<ix> ugly: ________________

<x> feel sad: _____________

<xi> go abroad: ________________

<xii> become famous: _____________

<xiii> provide an idea: ________________

<xiv> having an accident: _____________

<xv> sunrise: ________________

<xvi> appear: _____________

<xv> contribute money: ________________

<xvi> contribute labor: _____________

M. Chu, 71

11

3. Hud wnt: Answer Questions

Write your answers and translate them into English.
1)

shji: summer vacation]

__________________________________________________________
2)

__________________________________________________________

3)

__________________________________________________________

4)

__________________________________________________________
5)

__________________________________________________________
6)

__________________________________________________________
7)

__________________________________________________________

M. Chu, 72