Lesson 30
Congratulations on making it to the final lesson in this beginner course! In this lesson, we’re going to expand on the previous lesson by learning to say important things related to getting from one place to the next. You’ll also learn Ordinal numbers in Chinese. Then, we’ll practice what we’ve learnt to read a dialogue.
New vocabulary
| 出租车 | chūzūchē | taxi |
| 司机 | sījī | driver |
| 小区 | xiǎoqū | residential area |
| 系（好） | jì( hǎo) | to fasten [a seatbelt] |
| 安全 | ānquán | safety |
| 安全带 | ānquándài | seatbelt |
| 响 | xiǎng | ring/rattle |
| 喂 | wéi | hello (on the phone) |
| 晚会 | wǎnhuì | evening party |
| 马上 | mǎshàng | immediately |
| 堵车 | dǔchē | traffic jam |
| 离 | lí | away from |
| 地方 | dìfāng | place; location |
| 第一 | dìyī | first |
| 着急 | zháojí | worried; hurry |
| 别着急 | biézháojí | don’t worry |
| 一会儿 | yíhuìr | a little while |
| 一会儿见 | yíhuìr jiàn | see you in a bit |
| 一点儿 | yìdiǎnr | a little |
| 出发 | chūfā | depart, leave |
| 门口 | ménkǒu | entrance; doorway |
| 进去 | jìnqù | go inside |
| 转 | zhuàn | turn |
| 一直 | yìzhí | straight |
| 楼 | lóu | building; floor (in a building) |
| 停车 | tíngchē | park; stop (a vehicle) |
Opposites
Here are some opposite pairs of commonly used words. Even though you will only need one of each to understand the dialogue, learning opposites together makes them easier to remember.
| 近 | jìn | near |
| 远 | yuǎn | far |
| 以前 | yǐqián | before |
| 以后 | yǐhòu | after; later |
| 就 | jiù | just; then |
| 才 | cái | only; just |
| 开始 | kāishǐ | begin; start |
| 停止 | tíngzhǐ | stop |
| 早 | zǎo | early |
| 晚 | wǎn | late |
| 进 | jìn | enter; in |
| 出 | chū | exit; out |
Dialogue
John is running late for a birthday dinner party being held his friend Lily’s house so he decides to take a taxi.
出租车司机：您好，去哪儿？
约翰：去水生小区。
出租车司机：你想走那条路？
约翰：走最近的路就可以。
出租车司机：好的。请系好安全带。
chūzūchē sījī: nínhǎo, qù nǎr?
yuēhàn: qù Shuǐshēng Xiǎoqū.
chūzūchē sījī: nǐ xiǎng zǒu nàtiáo lù?
yuēhàn: zǒu zuìjìn de lù jiù kěyǐ.
chūzūchē sījī: hǎo de. qǐng jì hǎo ānquándài.
【十五分钟以后, 约翰的手机响了】
约翰: 喂，你好！
莉莉：约翰，你迟到了。
约翰：对不起。你们已经开始了吗？
莉莉: 晚会马上要开始了，我们都在等你。
约翰: 我已经上车了。我现在在路上，但是堵车了。
莉莉: 你在哪儿？
约翰: 我在离你家不远的地方，马上就到。对不起啊。
莉莉: 没关系，安全第一。你别着急，一会儿见！
约翰: 好的，谢谢。我以后会早一点儿出发。一会儿见！
【 shíwǔ fēnzhōng yǐhòu, yuēhàn de shǒujī xiǎng le】
yuēhàn: wéi, nǐhǎo!
lì lì: yuēhàn, nǐ chídào le.
yuēhàn: duìbuqǐ. nǐmen yǐjīng kāishǐ le ma?
lì lì: wǎnhuì mǎshàng yào kāishǐ le, wǒmen dōu zài děng nǐ.
yuēhàn: wǒ yǐjīng shàngchē le. wǒ xiànzài zài lùshang, dànshì dǔchē le.
lì lì: nǐ zài nǎr?
yuēhàn: wǒ zài lí nǐjiā bùyuǎn de dìfāng, mǎshàng jiù dào. duìbuqǐ ā.
lì lì: méiguānxi, ānquán dìyī. nǐ biézháojí, yíhuìr jiàn!
yuēhàn: hǎo de, xièxie. wǒ yǐhòu huì zǎo yìdiǎnr chūfā. yíhuìr jiàn!
【十分钟以后】
出租车司机：你要在门口下车还是要进小区？
约翰：进去吧。
出租车司机：好，怎么走？
约翰：先右转，再左转，一直走。
约翰：在前面的楼停车。
出租车司机：好，我们到了。
约翰：多少钱？
出租车司机：三十五元。
约翰： 好的。
出租车司机：谢谢。您慢走。
【 shífēnzhōng yǐhòu】
chūzūchē sījī: nǐ yào zài ménkǒu xiàchē háishi yào jìn xiǎoqū?
yuēhàn: jìnqù ba.
chūzūchē sījī: hǎo, zěnme zǒu?
yuēhàn: xiān yòuzhuǎn, zài zuǒzhuǎn, yìzhí zǒu.
yuēhàn: zàiqián miàn de lóu tíngchē.
chūzūchē sījī: hǎo, wǒmen dàole.
yuēhàn: duōshaoqián?
chūzūchē sījī: sānshí wǔyuán.
yuēhàn: hǎo de.
chūzūchē sījī: xièxie. nín mànzǒu.
Try your best to understand the dialogue using the vocabulary lists and notes. However, if you are still unclear about something, click this box to see the English translation.
Taxi Driver: Hello, where are you going?
John: To Shuisheng Residential Area.
Taxi Driver: Which route would you like to take?
John: Just take the nearest route.
Taxi Driver: Alright. Please fasten your seatbelt.
[Fifteen minutes later, John’s phone rings.]
John: Hello, hi!
Lily: John, you’re late.
John: I’m sorry. Have you started already?
Lily: The party is about to start, and we’re all waiting for you.
John: I’m already in the taxi. I’m on my way, but there’s a traffic jam.
Lily: Where are you?
John: I’m not far from your place, I’ll be there soon. I’m sorry.
Lily: It’s okay, safety first. Don’t rush, see you in a bit!
John: Alright, thanks. I’ll leave earlier next time. See you in a bit!
[Ten minutes later]
Taxi Driver: Do you want to get off at the entrance or go into the residential area?
John: Let’s go in.
Taxi Driver: Okay, how should I go?
John: First, turn right, then make a left, and keep going straight.
John: Stop in front of the building ahead.
Taxi Driver: Alright, we’ve arrived.
John: How much is it?
Taxi Driver: Thirty-five yuan.
John: Okay.
Taxi Driver: Thank you. Take care.
Notes
离 + location + (adverb) + 远/近
We use the expression “离…近/远” to describe the distance between two locations. Here, “离” (lí) means “from” or “away from.” We use “离+location+ 远 ” to express that something is “far away from”. We use 近 instead for something that is “near by” a specified location. We can also use adverbs of degree like “很” ， “非常” ， “太…了”to emphasize how great or small the distance is.
Examples:
1. 我们的教室离食堂非常近。
Wǒmen de jiàoshì lí shítáng fēicháng jìn.
Our classroom is very close to the cafeteria.
2. 我的家离机场非常远。
Wǒ de jiā lí jīchǎng fēicháng yuǎn.
My home is very far from the airport.
3. 我走路上学，因为我的家离学校很近。
Wǒ zǒulù shàngxué, yīnwèi wǒ de jiā lí xuéxiào hěn jìn.
I walk to school because my home is very close to the school.
4. 我现在离医院不远。
Wǒ xiànzài lí yīyuàn bù yuǎn.
I am not far from the hospital now.
5. 火车站离飞机场不太远。
Huǒchē zhàn lí fēijīchǎng bù tài yuǎn.
The train station is not too far from the airport.
6. 地铁站离这儿远不远？
Dìtiě zhàn lí zhèr yuǎn bù yuǎn?
Is the subway station far from here or not?
7. 他的家离学校太远了，所以他每天都迟到。
Tā de jiā lí xuéxiào tài yuǎn le, suǒyǐ tā měitiān dōu chídào.
His home is too far from the school, so he is late every day.
就 vs 才
When positioned before a verb, the adverbs 就 and 才 both give us information about time. Let’s examine how each is used in this way:
就 (jiù):
- Indicates prompt or immediate action.
- Suggests an action happening sooner or more quickly than expected.
- Can emphasize the quickness or efficiency of an action.
才 (cái):
- Indicates delayed action.
- Conveys a sense of “only” or “not until.”
- Can express feelings of impatience, anxiety or anger about the tardiness or delay.
You will learn other ways to use 就 and 才 in upcoming lessons.
Examples:
1. 我昨晚八点就睡了。
Wǒ zuówǎn bā diǎn jiù shuì le.
I went to bed at 8 o’clock last night.
2. 我马上就到。
Wǒ mǎshàng jiù dào.
I’ll be there right away.
3. 我马上就来。
Wǒ mǎshàng jiù lái.
I’ll come right away.
4. 她的家离学校很近，走路七分钟就到了。
Tā de jiā lí xuéxiào hěn jìn, zǒulù qī fēnzhōng jiù dào le.
Her home is very close to the school; it only takes a seven-minute walk to get there.
5. 我今天十点才吃早饭。
Wǒ jīntiān shí diǎn cái chī zǎofàn.
I only had breakfast at 10 o’clock today.
6. 我等了一个半小时才买到火车票。
Wǒ děng le yī gè bàn xiǎoshí cái mǎi dào huǒchē piào.
I waited for an hour and a half to buy the train ticket.
7. 我们已经开始了半个小时，你怎么现在才来？
Wǒmen yǐjīng kāishǐ le bàn gè xiǎoshí, nǐ zěnme xiànzài cái lái?
We’ve already started for half an hour, why are you only coming now?
Ordinal numbers
As you most likely know, an ordinal number is a number that defines a thing’s position in a series, such as “first,” “second,” or “third.” Unlike cardinal numbers, which represent quantity (e.g., one, two, three), ordinal numbers convey the rank or order of things. It is very easy to get ordinal numbers in Chinese, since all you have to do is add the character “第” (dì) before the cardinal number.
For example:
- 1st: 第一 (dì yī)
- 2nd: 第二 (dì èr)
- 3rd: 第三 (dì sān)
- 10th: 第十 (dì shí)
- 21st: 第二十 (dì èr shí yī)
- 100th: 第一百 (dì yī bǎi)
When we pair ordinal numbers with nouns, we still have to use the appropriate measure words. For example:
- 第一个人 (dì yī gè rén) – The first person
- 第五个名字 (dì wǔ gè míngzì) – The fifth name
- 第四本书 (dì sì běn shū) – The fourth book
What you’ve learnt
You‘ve just learnt some more useful words and expressions you’ll need when getting around. You also learnt ordinal numbers in Chinese. If you plan to take a taxi in China, pay close attention to the conversation with the cab driver.
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