Dialogue - Chinese

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Vocabulary (Review)

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位置 [位置] wèizhi position
当然 [當然] dāngrán of course
舞台 [舞臺] wǔtái stage
鼓手 [鼓手] gǔ shǒu drummer
歌手 [歌手] gēshǒu singer
吉他手 [吉他手] jítāshǒu guitarist
乐队 [樂隊] yuèduì band
演出 [演出] yǎnchū performance
音乐会 [音樂會] yīnyuèhuì concert

Lesson Notes

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Lesson Focus

The Focus of This Lesson is Using Properly
看......那个领唱的歌手真老了。 Kàn... nà ge lǐng chàng de gēshǒu zhēn lǎo le.
"Look...the lead singer looks really old."



Today we review a common pattern used in job titles. This is a relatively common noun followed by the Chinese character 手, shǒu ("hand"). In our dialogue, we saw this in the sentence 领唱的歌手真老, where the word for "singer" is 歌手. There are many other cases of this in Chinese. Other examples include the words 水手, shuǐshǒu ("sailor"), 鼓手, gǔshǒu ("drummer"), and 吉他手, jítashǒu ("guitarist"), among others.

For Example:

  1. 一个乐队一定要有一个好的鼓手。
    Yī ge yuèduì yīdìng yào yǒu yī ge hǎo de gǔ shǒu.
    "A band must have a good drummer."
  2. 他真是个一流的歌手。
    Tā zhēnshì ge yīliú de gēshǒu.
    "He really is a first-class singer."
  3. 好的吉他手在乐队里是不可缺少的。
    Hǎo de jíta shǒu zài yuèduì lǐ shì bù kě quēshǎo de.
    "A band can't do without a good guitarist."


A similar pattern consists of a common adjective followed by the character 手, shǒu ("hand"). In these cases, we have not the name of an occupation, but a description of how someone does something. For example, the word 老手 suggests, "that someone has done something for a long time." They are an old-hand, if you will. Someone who is a 高手 is "very good at something," while a 新手 would be "someone who has just started working in a profession."


For Example:

  1. 他是个唱歌的高手。
    Tā shì ge chànggē de gāoshǒu.
    "He is quite good at singing."
  2. 我是个新手,什么都不会 。
    Wǒ shì ge xīnshǒu, shénme dōu bù huì.
    "I am a new-hand and don't know anything."
  3. 李阿姨可是做菜的好手。
    Lǐ Ayí kěshì zuòcài de hǎoshǒu.
    "Auntie Lee is good at cooking."


These two patterns are easily confused. Just remember, a noun followed by 手 means "a profession or type of job." An adjective followed by 手 "describes "the way in which someone does something."

 

Cultural Insights

Rock Music in China


Chinese rock music has a relatively short history compared to its development in the West. Cui Jian, an ethnic Korean Beijinger, is widely considered to be the "Father of Chinese Rock" for his famous album "Nothing to My Name" released in 1986. For the last twenty or so years, the development of Chinese rock music has had its rises and falls along with the economic development and political changes in China.

In the mid-80s, Chinese rock music found its root in the Northwest wind style of music, which drew heavily from the folk traditions of the Shanxi province in the northwest. After going through a peak period in the early 90s, which became the symbol of the urban youth culture at the time, Chinese rock music went into a decline period for the government's policy of focusing on the economic development. However, in recent years, the taste for rock music in China has said to be on the rise again and attracting more and more followers.

 

Lesson Transcript

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INTRODUCTION
Brendan: Hi. And welcome to Chineseclass101. I’m Brendan.
Echo: Hi, 大家好,我是Echo。 (Hi, dàjiā hǎo, wǒ shì Echo.)
Brendan: With us you’ll learn to speak Chinese with fun and effective lessons.
Echo: Right. We also provide you with Cultural Insights.
Brendan: And tips you won’t find in a textbook. Today we’re here with Lower Intermediate Series, Season 1, Lesson 1 – “Rocking in China”. Now, in this lesson we’re going to learn how to rock in China.
Echo: I think you mean what is like to go to a rock concert here.
Brendan: Right. Our dialogue is between two friends who are at a rock show.
Echo: Right. And, since they’re friends, they’re speaking casual mandarin.
Brendan: All right. We’re going to take you to the dialogue now. But, before we do, just a reminder that the premium PDF on our website has got a full transcript of everything this guys are saying. So, if you have any problems making out what it is that they’re saying, check out the transcript. Let’s listen. Now, one of the really nice things about Beijing is the music scene here.
DIALOGUE
A: 这座位真棒。 (Zhè zuòwèi zhēn bàng.)
B: 当然,我们挨着舞台呢。 (Dāngrán, wǒmen āizhe wǔtái ne.)
A: 看……那个领唱的歌手真老了。(Kàn ....nà ge lǐng chàng de gēshǒu zhēn lǎo le.)
B: 嗯……他是越来越老了。 (En ... tāshì yuèláiyuè lǎo le.)
A: 还有那个鼓手……他是坐在轮椅上吗? (Hái yǒu nà ge gǔshǒu ....tāshì zuò zài lúnyǐshàng ma?)
B: 他们已经演出40多年了。 (Tāmen yǐjīng yǎnchūsìshí duōnián le.)
A: 突然我觉得自己好老啊。 (Tūrán wǒjuéde zìjǐhǎo lǎoā.)
Brendan: Once more, slowly.
A: 这座位真棒。 (Zhè zuòwèi zhēn bàng.)
B: 当然,我们挨着舞台呢。 (Dāngrán, wǒmen āizhe wǔtái ne.)
A: 看……那个领唱的歌手真老了。 (Kàn ....nà ge lǐng chàng de gēshǒu zhēn lǎo le.)
B: 嗯……他是越来越老了。 (En ... tāshì yuèláiyuè lǎo le.)
A: 还有那个鼓手……他是坐在轮椅上吗? (Hái yǒu nà ge gǔshǒu ....tāshì zuò zài lúnyǐshàng ma?)
B: 他们已经演出40多年了。 (Tāmen yǐjīng yǎnchūsìshí duōnián le.)
A: 突然我觉得自己好老啊。 (Tūrán wǒjuéde zìjǐhǎo lǎoā.)
Brendan: And now, with English translation.
A: 这座位真棒。 (Zhè zuòwèi zhēn bàng.)
A: These seats are great.
B: 当然,我们挨着舞台呢。(Dāngrán, wǒmen āizhe wǔtái ne.)
B: I know. We're right next to the stage.
A: 看……那个领唱的歌手真老了。 (Kàn ....nà ge lǐng chàng de gēshǒu zhēn lǎo le.)
A: Look...the lead singer looks really old.
B: 嗯……他是越来越老了。 (En ... tāshì yuèláiyuè lǎo le.)
B: Well...he is getting a bit old now.
A: 还有那个鼓手……他是坐在轮椅上吗? (Hái yǒu nà ge gǔshǒu ....tāshì zuò zài lúnyǐshàng ma?)
A: And the drummer... is that a wheelchair?
B: 他们已经演出40多年了。 (Tāmen yǐjīng yǎnchūsìshí duōnián le.)
B: They did start playing in the 1970s.
A: 突然我觉得自己好老啊。 (Tūrán wǒjuéde zìjǐhǎo lǎoā.)
A: All of a sudden, I feel old.
POST CONVERSATION BANTER
Echo: Yes, especially if you like smaller bands.
Brendan: Yes, there are a lot of just young bands, young people who’re going out and having fun. And there are a lot of clubs that support local musicians.
Echo: Right. Like 愚公移山 or 猫. (Yúgōngyíshān or māo.)
Brendan: Yes, or there is the Midi Festival every year, there are some really good acts there.
Echo: 没错 (Méi cuò)
Brendan: And our vocab today is all about this. It’s words you’re going to use at rock shows.
Echo: 我们看一下吧 (Wǒmen kàn yīxià ba)
Brendan: Let’s take a look.
VOCAB LIST
Echo: 位置 (wèizhi)
Brendan: “Position”
Echo: 当然 (dāngrán)
Brendan: “Of course”
Echo: 舞台 (wǔtái)
Brendan: “Stage”
Echo: 后台 (Hòutái)
Brendan: “Backstage”
Echo: 鼓手 (gǔ shǒu)
Brendan: “Drummer”
Echo: 歌手 (gēshǒu)
Brendan: “Singer”
Echo: 吉他手 (jítāshǒu)
Brendan: “Guitarist”
Echo: 乐队 (yuèduì)
Brendan: “Band”
Echo: 演出 (yǎnchū)
Brendan: “Performance”
Echo: 音乐会 (yīnyuèhuì)
Brendan: “Concert”
Echo: 音乐会 (yīnyuèhuì)
VOCAB AND PHRASE USAGE
Brendan: Let’s take a closer look at some of the words that we’ve learned in this lesson.
Echo: 第一个词 (Dì yī gè cí)
Brendan: Yes, the first one is?
Echo: 位置 (Wèizhì)
Brendan: “Position”
Echo: 位置 (Wèizhì)
Brendan: “Position”. Now, this is used often to mean “seat” as in?
Echo: 这就是你挑的位置吗?
Brendan: “Is this the seat you chose?”
Echo: 这就是你挑的位置吗? (Zhè jiùshì nǐ tiāo de wèizhì ma?)
Brendan: So, this could be a seat in a restaurant.
Echo: Or a movie theater.
Brendan: Right. You can assign seats in movie theaters in China.
Echo: But, we’re not at a movie in this lesson. We’re at a 音乐会. (Yīnyuè huì.)
Brendan: “A concert”
Echo: 音乐会 (Yīnyuè huì)
Brendan: “Concert”
Echo: 音乐会 (Yīnyuè huì)
Brendan: “Concert”
Echo: As in the sentence 你喜欢今天的音乐会吗?.(Nǐ xǐhuān jīntiān de yīnyuè huì ma?)
Brendan: “Did you like the concert today?”
Echo: 你喜欢今天的音乐会吗? (Nǐ xǐhuān jīntiān de yīnyuè huì ma?)
Brendan: And the rest of our vocabulary is all concert vocabulary.
Echo: Right. We have 歌手. (Gēshǒu.)
Brendan: “Singer”
Echo: 鼓手 (Gǔshǒu)
Brendan: “Drummer”
Echo: And 吉他手. (Jítā shǒu.)
Brendan: “Guitarist” Let’s hear those again.
Echo: 歌手 (Gēshǒu)
Brendan: “Singer”
Echo: 鼓手 (Gǔshǒu)
Brendan: “Drummer”
Echo: 吉他手 (Jítā shǒu)
Brendan: “Guitarist” Right. Now, let’s hear those three again.
Echo: 歌手 (Gēshǒu)
Brendan: “Singer”
Echo: 鼓手 (Gǔshǒu)
Brendan: “Drummer”
Echo: 吉他手 (Jítā shǒu)
Brendan: “Guitarist”
Echo: 一个乐队一定要有一个歌手,一个鼓手,一个吉他手。 (Yīgè yuèduì yīdìng yào yǒu yīgè gēshǒu, yīgè gǔshǒu, yīgè jítā shǒu.)
Brendan: “A band has to have a singer, a drummer and a guitarist.”
Echo: 一个乐队一定要有一个歌手,一个鼓手,一个吉他手 (Yīgè yuèduì yīdìng yào yǒu yīgè gēshǒu, yīgè gǔshǒu, yīgè jítā shǒu)
Brendan: We’re going to talk more about these kinds of words later on in the grammar section. But, before we get there, we’ve got two more words it’s important to remember.
Echo: 第一个是:乐队 (Dì yī gè shì: Yuèduì)
Brendan: This is really important in today’s lesson.
Echo: 乐队 (Yuèduì)
Brendan: It means “band”.
Echo: 乐队 (Yuèduì)
Brendan: As in “a rock band”.
Echo: 摇滚乐队 (Yáogǔn yuèduì)
Brendan: “Rock band”
Echo: 摇滚乐队,一个摇滚乐队一定要有一个歌手,一个鼓手,一个吉他手 (Yáogǔn yuèduì, yīgè yáogǔn yuèduì yīdìng yào yǒu yīgè gēshǒu, yīgè gǔshǒu, yīgè jítā shǒu)
Brendan: Totally true. And our last word is?
Echo: 台 (Tái)
Brendan: This means “stage”.
Echo: Right. 台 as in 舞台. (Tái as in wǔtái.)
Brendan: That’s “a concert stage” or literally “a dance stage”.
Echo: 舞台 (Wǔtái)
Brendan: Or “backstage”.
Echo: 后台 (Hòutái)
Brendan: “Backstage”
Echo: 后台 (Hòutái)
Brendan: That’s it for vocab. Now let’s move on to grammar.

Lesson focus

Brendan: We talked about different responsibilities in a band, like?
Echo: 歌手 (Gēshǒu)
Brendan: “Singer”
Echo: 鼓手 (Gǔshǒu)
Brendan: “Drummer”
Echo: 吉他手 (Jítā shǒu)
Brendan: Or “guitarist”. All of these words have got the word for “hand” in them.
Echo: 手 (Shǒu)
Brendan: We all know that means “hand”. But, the thing used in a interesting way here.
Echo: In the dialogue, we heard 看,那个领唱的歌手真老了. (Kàn, nàgè lǐngchàng de gēshǒu zhēn lǎole.)
Brendan: “Look, that lead singer looks really old.”
Echo: 看,那个领唱的歌手真老了 (Kàn, nàgè lǐngchàng de gēshǒu zhēn lǎole)
Brendan: Right. So, this is a job. And, as we covered before, we have?
Echo: 歌手 (Gēshǒu)
Brendan: “Singer”
Echo: 鼓手 (Gǔshǒu)
Brendan: “Drummer”
Echo: 吉他手 (Jítā shǒu)
Brendan: “Guitarist”
Echo: Right. 他们都是工作(Tāmen dōu shì gōngzuò),jobs.
Brendan: Right. They’re all jobs. This is a general pattern. We’re also going to see it with words like?
Echo: 水手 (Shuǐshǒu)
Brendan: “Water hand” or “sailor”
Echo: 水手 (Shuǐshǒu)
Brendan: There’re a lot of words like this. And you can always tell these jobs, because they’ve got a noun before?
Echo: 手 (Shǒu)
Brendan: There’s another similar pattern though and it’s easy to get that mixed up with this one.
Echo: Right. That’s when you see an adjective plus [*].
Brendan: Right. In those cases what we have isn’t a job, it’s a description of how someone does something.
Echo: Like 老手. (Lǎoshǒu.)
Brendan: “An old hand”, literally.
Echo: Yes. 老手(Lǎoshǒu) or 高手. (Gāoshǒu.)
Brendan: That’s a “high hand”.
Echo: Someone who’s good at something.
Brendan: Yes.
Echo: 高手 or 新手 (Gāoshǒu or xīnshǒu)
Brendan: “A newbie”
Echo: Yes. 新手 or 菜鸟. (Xīnshǒu or càiniǎo.)
Brendan: Yes.
Echo: Like in this sentence 我是个新手什么都不会. (Wǒ shìgè xīnshǒu shénme dōu bù huì.)
Brendan: “I’m a newbie and I don’t know anything.”
Echo: 我是个新手什么都不会.(Wǒ shìgè xīnshǒu shénme dōu bù huì.)
Brendan: So, these two patterns for making words are very close.
Echo: Right. Noun plus 手. (Shǒu.)
Brendan: That’s a job title.
Echo: Adjective plus 手. (Shǒu.)
Brendan: That’s a description of how you do something.
Echo: Right. Like 高手,新手,老手. (Gāoshǒu, xīnshǒu, lǎoshǒu.)
Brendan: It’s easy to get those mixed-up, but now you don’t have to worry about that.
Echo: 没错 (Méi cuò)

Outro

Brendan: And that’s our lesson for today. Now, before we go, just another reminder. We have a premium PDF transcript with all of these stuff that we’ve covered in this lesson.
Echo: Our, like, grammar points, vocab section.
Brendan: Yes, it’s great for a review and it’s great for just making sure that everything we’ve covered really sticks. Also, if you have any questions or comments about today’s lesson.
Echo: You can always leave the comment on the site or right to us at contactus@Chineseclass101.com.
Brendan: And we’re looking forward to hearing from you. For now, though.