Lesson 24
Take a trip back into the classroom as we cover a useful set of Chinese school vocabulary.
At school
| Word (词语) | Pinyin (拼音) | English （英文） | Measure word (量词) |
| 老师 | lǎoshī | teacher | 位，个 |
| 学生 | xuéshēng | student | 位，个 |
| 同学 | tóngxué | classmate | 个 |
| 班 | bān | class | |
| 考试 | kǎoshì | exam | |
| 成绩 | chéngjì | grade | |
| 通过 | tōngguò | pass | |
| 到 | dào | to arrive; to (a place/point); until (a time) | |
| 迟到 | chídào | be late | |
| 请假 | qǐngjià | ask for leave | |
| 作业 | zuòyè | homework | 份 |
| 交 | jiāo | hand in | |
| 课本 | kèběn | textbook | 本 |
| 页 | yè | page | |
| 翻 | fān | turn, flip | |
| 跟 | gēn | with; to follow closely | |
| 黑板 | hēibǎn | blackboard | |
| 课 | kè | class/lesson | 节 |
| 难 | nán | difficult | |
| 简单 | jiǎndān | simple | |
| 不要 | búyào | do not, don’t | 间 |
| 教室 | jiàoshì | classroom | |
| 食堂 | shítáng | cafeteria |
New measure words
| 位 | wèi | Used only for people and is more respectful than “个” |
| 份 | fèn | Used for portions of food, gifts and documents |
| 本 | běn | Used for books |
| 节 | jié | Used for classes, batteries and other things with segments |
Notes
到
“到”(dào) in Chinese is used to indicate arrival or reaching a destination or doing something up to a certain point. When the location or destination is specifies it immediately follows the character “到” in the sentence.
For example:
1. 我到了。(Wǒ dào le.)
I’ve arrived.
2. 我到学校了(Wǒ dào xuéxiào le)
I have arrived at school.
3. 请拿出课本，翻到第十页。
(Qǐng náchū kèběn, fān dào dì shí yè.)
Please take out the textbook and turn to page ten.
4. 请读第十页到第十二页。
(Qǐng dú dì shí yè dào dì shí’èr yè.)
Please read from page ten to page twelve.
不要
“不要” (búyào) is commonly used in Chinese to express “do not” or “don’t.” It’s often followed by a verb or an action to indicate what one should not do. You previously learnt the word “别” which also means “don’t”. Though “不要” and “别” can be used interchangeably in most cases, “别” is considered slightly more polite or considerate.
For example:
1. 不要说话。
(Búyào shuōhuà.)
Don’t speak.
2. 不要忘记。
(Búyào wàngjì.)
Don’t forget.
3. 我们明天九点考试，不要迟到。
(Wǒmen míngtiān jiǔ diǎn kǎoshì, búyào chídào.)
We have an exam at nine o’clock tomorrow, don’t be late.
Language in action
Here are some example sentences with the new words from this lesson. Try to figure out the sentences on your own before checking the English. Then, listen to the audio and read the sentences out loud for practice.
1. 我们的班有二十个学生。 (wǒmen de bān yǒu èrshí gè xuéshēng.)
Our class has twenty students.
2. 这是我的同学约翰。 (zhè shì wǒ de tóngxué Yuēhàn.)
This is my classmate John.
3. 考试成绩出来了吗？ (kǎoshì chéngjì chūlái le ma?)
Have the exam results come out?
4. 我通过了我的汉语考试。 (wǒ tōngguò le wǒ de hànyǔ kǎoshì.)
I passed my Chinese exam.
5. 他什么时候到学校？ (tā shénme shíhòu dào xuéxiào?)
When does he arrive at school?
6. 对不起，我迟到了。 (duìbuqǐ, wǒ chídào le.)
I’m sorry, I’m late.
7. 老师，我明天要请假。 (lǎoshī, wǒ míngtiān yào qǐngjià.)
Teacher, I need to take a leave of absence tomorrow.
8. 今天的作业是什么？ (jīntiān de zuòyè shì shénme?)
9. 我还没交作业。 (wǒ hái méi jiāo zuòyè.)
I haven’t handed in my homework yet.
10. 请拿出课本，翻到第五十页。 (qǐng náchū kèběn, fān dào dìwǔshí yè.)
Please take out your textbook and turn to page fifty.
11. 请看黑板，跟我读。 (qǐng kàn hēibǎn, gēn wǒ dú.)
Please look at the blackboard and repeat after me.
12. 下节课是汉语课。 (xià jié kè shì Hànyǔ kè.)
The next class is Chinese class.
13. 这份作业太难了。 (zhè fèn zuòyè tài nán le.)
This assignment is too difficult.
14. 这个作业很简单。 (zhège zuòyè hěn jiǎndān.)
This homework is simple.
15. 我们的教室很大。 (wǒmen de jiàoshì hěn dà.)
Our classroom is big.
16. 我喜欢在学校的食堂吃午饭。 (wǒ xǐhuān zài xuéxiào de shítáng chī wǔfàn.)
I like to have lunch in the school cafeteria.
What you’ve learnt
You now know a wide array of new words surrounding school life. You also learned how to use“到” and “不要”.
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