Comprehensive Study Notes: September Travel in Beijing and Chinese Grammar of Approximations

Essential Vocabulary for Travel and Opinion

• 旅游 (lǚyóu) - Travel / Tourism (Verb)

  • Usage examples:
    • 去旅游 (Go traveling)
    • 去哪儿旅游？ (Where are you going for a trip?)
    • 什么时候去旅游？ (When are you going for a trip?)
  • Application dialogue:
    • Q: 你想什么时候去中国旅游？ (When do you want to go to China to travel?)
    • A: 我想明年去。 (I want to go next year.)

• 觉得 (juéde) - To Feel / To Think (Verb)

  • Common descriptors: 觉得热 (feel hot), 觉得冷 (feel cold), 觉得漂亮 (feel pretty).
  • General inquiry: 你觉得我怎么样？ (What do you think of me?)
  • Contextual examples:
    • 我觉得你今天很漂亮。 (I think you are very beautiful today.)
    • 妈妈你看，你觉得高兴吗？ (Mom look, do you feel happy?) — Response: 啊！我太高兴了。 (Ah! I am so happy.)
    • 你觉得我们学校怎么样？ (What do you think of our school?) — Response: 我觉得你们学校很漂亮。 (I think your school is very beautiful.)
    • 你觉得今天冷吗？ (Do you think it is cold today?) — Response: 我觉得不太冷。 (I think it is not too cold.)

• 最 (zuì) - Most / Best (Adverb)

  • Grammar structure: $最 + \text{adjective / modal verb}$.
  • Examples of superlative adjectives: 最大 (biggest), 最漂亮 (most beautiful), 最好 (best).
  • Examples of modal verbs: 最喜欢 (like the most), 最爱 (love the most).
  • Equivalency in expression:
    • 妈妈是我的最爱。 (Mom is my favorite.)
    • 我最爱的人是妈妈。 (The person I love most is Mom.)
    • 妈妈是我最爱的人。 (Mom is the person I love most.)
  • Practical usage:
    • 九月去中国旅游最好。 (Going to China in September is best.)
    • 我最爱吃苹果。 (I love eating apples the most.)
    • 他最喜欢做什么？ (What does he like doing most?) — Response: 他最喜欢看书。 (He likes reading most.)
    • 谁的书最多？ (Who has the most books?) — Response: 哥哥的书最多。 (Older brother has the most books.)
    • 你最爱吃什么？ (What do you love eating most?) — Response: 我最爱吃妈妈做的菜。 (I love eating the dishes Mom makes the most.)
    • 你最喜欢哪个饭店？ (Which restaurant do you like most?) — Response: 我最喜欢中国饭店。 (I like the Chinese restaurant the most.)
    • 你现在最想做什么？ (What do you want to do most right now?) — Response: 现在我最想睡觉。 (Right now I want to sleep most.)
    • 你觉得什么时候去旅游最好？ (When do you think is the best time to go traveling?) — Response: 我觉得九月去旅游最好。 (I think going traveling in September is best.)

Reasoning, Negation, and Modality

• 为什么 (wèishéme) - Why

  • Example 1:
    • Q: 你为什么不回家？ (Why are you not going home?)
    • A: 妈妈去商店了，我在这里等妈妈。 (Mom went to the store, I am here waiting for her.)
  • Example 2:
    • Q: 你昨天为什么去医院？ (Why did you go to the hospital yesterday?)
    • A: 我去医院看妈妈。 (I went to the hospital to see Mom.)
  • Example 3:
    • Q: 你为什么想九月去北京旅游？ (Why do you want to go to Beijing to travel in September?)
    • A: 我的汉语老师说，九月的北京最漂亮。 (My Chinese teacher says Beijing in September is the most beautiful.)

• 也 (yě) - Also / Too (Adverb)

  • Usage:
    • 我喜欢吃苹果，你呢？ (I like eating apples, and you?) — Response: 我也喜欢吃苹果。 (I also like eating apples.)
    • 我妈妈在医院工作。 (My mom works at a hospital.) — Response: 是吗？我妈妈也在医院工作。 (Really? My mom also works at a hospital.)
  • The structure "Neither A nor B": 不 A 也不 B.
    • 这件衣服不大也不小，很好。 (This clothing is neither big nor small; it is very good.)
    • 今天的天气不冷也不热，我很喜欢。 (Today's weather is neither cold nor hot; I like it very much.)

• 要 (yào) - Want / Need (Auxiliary Verb)

  • Affirmative Structure: $\text{Subject} + 要 + \text{Verb} + \text{Object}$.
    • 我要喝奶茶。 (I want to drink milk tea.)
    • 我要吃饭。 (I want to eat a meal.)
  • Negative Structure (Using 想): $\text{Subject} + 不想 + \text{Verb} + \text{Object}$.
    • 我要看电视，你看吗？ (I want to watch TV, are you watching?) — Response: 九点了，我要睡觉了，不想看电视。 (It is 9 o'clock, I need to sleep, I don't want to watch TV.)
    • 你要不要和我们一起去看电影？ (Do you want to go see a movie with us?) — Response: 对不起，我不想去。 (Sorry, I don't want to go.)
    • 你现在要喝茶吗？ (Do you want to drink tea now?) — Response: 我不想喝茶。 (I don't want to drink tea.)

Activities, Objects, and Descriptions

• 运动 (yùndòng) - Sports / To Exercise (Noun, Verb)

  • Key phrases: 一起运动 (exercise together), 运动场 (sports field), 多运动 (exercise more), 去哪儿运动 (where to go exercise).
  • Sentences:
    • 你最喜欢什么运动？ (What sport do you like most?)
    • 运动对身体好。 (Exercise is good for the body.)
    • 今天太热了，我不想运动。 (Today is too hot, I don't want to exercise.)

• 踢足球 (tī zúqiú) - To Play Soccer (Verb)

  • 星期天我们在运动场踢足球。 (On Sunday we play soccer at the sports field.)
  • 踢足球对身体很好。 (Playing soccer is very good for the body.)
  • 你会踢足球吗？ (Can you play soccer?)

• 一起 (yīqǐ) - Together (Adverb)

  • 我和好朋友一起学汉语。 (I study Chinese together with my good friend.)
  • 明天我们一起踢足球吧！ (Let's play soccer together tomorrow!)

• 新 (xīn) - New (Adjective)

  • Attributes: 新衣服 (new clothes), 新书 (new book), 新电脑 (new computer), 不太新 (not too new), 很新 (very new).
  • Examples:
    • 我买了一个新电脑。 (I bought a new computer.)
    • 你们的新老师怎么样？ (How is your new teacher?)

• 它 (tā) - It (Pronoun)

  • Used for objects and animals.
  • 这是我的电脑，它很新。 (This is my computer; it is very new.)
  • 我很喜欢我的小猫，它很漂亮。 (I like my kitten very much; it is very beautiful.)

• 眼睛 (yǎnjing) - Eyes (Noun)

  • Measure word: 一双眼睛 (a pair of eyes).
  • Grammar of descriptions:
    • 眼睛很漂亮 (The eyes are very beautiful - Complete sentence).
    • 漂亮的眼睛 (Beautiful eyes - Noun phrase).
    • 一双漂亮的眼睛 (A pair of beautiful eyes).
  • Usage:
    • 她有一双漂亮的眼睛。 (She has a pair of beautiful eyes.)
    • 我妹妹有一双大大的眼睛。 (My younger sister has a pair of big eyes.)
    • 他的眼睛很大，很漂亮。 (His eyes are very big and very beautiful.)
    • 我觉得小猫的眼睛最漂亮。 (I think the kitten's eyes are the most beautiful.)

Grammar: Expressing Approximate Numbers with 几 (jǐ) and 多 (duō)

Usage of 几 (jǐ)

• Definition: Used to indicate an indeterminate number less than $10$. It is used for estimation and must be followed by a measure word in statements (not questions).
• Structure: $\text{几} + \text{measure word} + \text{noun}$.
  • 几个回人 (a few people)
  • 几本书 (a few books)
  • 几个新椅子 (a few new chairs)
• Specific Ranges:
  • 几 (jǐ): A few (under $10$).
  • 十几 (shí jǐ): Eleven to nineteen ($11-19$).
  • 几十 (jǐ shí): Multiple tens ($20, 30, \dots, 90$).
  • 五十几 (wǔshí jǐ): Fifty-something ($51-59$).
• Comparison Examples:
  • Actual: 五六个中国朋友 ($5$ or $6$ Chinese friends) → Approximate: 我有几个中国朋友。
  • Actual: 十五，六分钟 ($15$ or $16$ minutes) → Approximate: 他说了十几分钟。
  • Actual: 三四十本书 ($30$ or $40$ books) → Approximate: 我爸爸有几十本书。

Usage of 多 (duō)

• Rule for Numbers < 10: Place 多 after the measure word.
  • Structure: $\text{Number} + \text{measure word} + \text{多} + \text{noun}$.
  • 三个多星期 (More than three weeks).
  • 六个多月 (More than six months).
  • Note: For time units without separate measure words, use 三天多 (more than three days) or 三年多 (more than three years).
• Rule for Numbers > 10: Place 多 before the measure word. In these cases, 多 and 几 can often be used interchangeably.
  • Structure: $\text{Number} + \text{多} + \text{measure word} + \text{noun}$.
  • 十多个月 (More than ten months).
  • 二十多块钱 (More than twenty dollars/kuai).

Applied Exercises on Approximations

• Case 1: Range 11-19

  • A. 几个杯子 (A few cups - incorrect for this range)
  • B. 十多 / 十几个杯子 (More than ten / eleven-to-nineteen cups - Correct)
  • C. 几十个杯子 (Tens of cups - incorrect)

• Case 2: Range 30-40

  • A. 十几个椅子 (11-19 chairs - incorrect)
  • B. 几十个椅子 (Tens of chairs / 30-40 chairs - Correct)
  • C. 十个椅子多 (Incorrect structure)