General Chinese Language I: Family and Occupation

Family Member Vocabulary

  • 家 (jiā): Family.
  • 爷爷 (yéye): Paternal grandfather.
  • 奶奶 (nǎinai): Paternal grandmother.
  • 外公 (wàigōng): Maternal grandfather.
  • 外婆 (wàipó): Maternal grandmother.
  • 哥哥 (gēge): Elder brother.
  • 姐姐 (jiějie): Elder sister.
  • 弟弟 (dìdi): Younger brother.
  • 妹妹 (mèimei): Younger sister.

Occupations and Job Titles

  • 工作 (gòngzuò): Work/job.
  • 大夫 (dàifu) / 医生 (yīshēng): Doctor.
  • 护士 (hùshi): Nurse.
  • 学生 (xuésheng): Student.
  • 老师 (lǎoshī): Teacher.
  • 工人 (gōngrén): Worker.
  • 职员 (zhíyuán): Office staff.
  • 警察 (jǐngchá): Police.
  • 空姐 (kōng jiě): Airline stewardess.
  • 工程师 (gōngchéngshī): Engineer.
  • 厨师 (chúshī): Chef.
  • 公务员 (gōngwùyuán): Government servant.
  • 商人 (shāngrén): Businessman.
  • 家庭主妇 (jiātíng zhǔfù): Housewife.

Common Workplaces

  • 医院 (yīyuàn): Hospital.
  • 学校 (xuéxiào): School.
  • 大学 (dàxué): University.
  • 商店 (shāngdiàn): Shop.
  • 公司 (gōngsī): Company.
  • 警察局 (jǐngchájú): Police station.
  • 饭馆 (fànguǎn) / 餐馆 (cānguǎn): Restaurant.

Key Grammar and Particles

  • 有 (yǒu): To have.
  • 没 (méi): No / Not (used with 有).
  • 做 (zuò): To do.
  • 在 (zài): At / in / on.
  • 和 (hé): And.
  • 两 (liǎng): Two (used with classifiers).
  • 口 (kǒu): Classifier for family members.
  • 个 (gè): General classifier.
  • 只 (zhǐ): Only.
  • 排行 (páiháng): Rank (among siblings).
  • 第 (dì): Prefix for ordinal numbers (e.g., 第二 for second).

Questions & Discussion

Text 6.1: Mark and Zhang Hua Conversation

  • Question: 马克: 张华, 你家有几口人? (Zhang Hua, how many people are in your family?)
  • Response: 张华: 我家有 33 口人. 爸爸, 妈妈和我. (My family has 33 people. Dad, Mom, and me.)
  • Question: 马克: 你爸爸做什么工作? (What is your father's job?)
  • Response: 张华: 他是大夫. (He is a doctor.)
  • Question: 马克: 你妈妈呢? (How about your mother?)
  • Response: 张华: 我妈妈是老师. (My mother is a teacher.)

Text 6.2: Andrew and Karen Conversation

  • Question: 安德鲁: 卡伦, 你有姐姐吗? (Karen, do you have an elder sister?)
  • Response: 卡伦: 我没有姐姐, 我只有一个哥哥. 你呢? (I don't have an elder sister, I only have one elder brother. How about you?)
  • Response: 安德鲁: 我有一个姐姐, 22 个弟弟和一个妹妹. (I have one elder sister, 22 younger brothers, and one younger sister.)
  • Question: 卡伦: 你妹妹工作吗? (Does your younger sister work?)
  • Response: 安德鲁: 不工作, 她是学生. (No, she is a student.)
  • Question: 卡伦: 你姐姐在哪儿工作? (Where does your elder sister work?)
  • Response: 安德鲁: 她在医院工作. (She works in a hospital.)
  • Question: 卡伦: 她是大夫? (Is she a doctor?)
  • Response: 安德鲁: 她不是大夫, 她是护士. (She is not a doctor, she is a nurse.)

Additional Specific Inquiries

  • Question: 你在家排行第几? (What is your rank in the family?)
  • Response: 我在家排行第二. (I am the second in the family.)

Practice and Homework

  • Lianxi ce: Lesson 6, pages 2424 to 2929.
  • Bishun bu: Lesson 6, pages 11 to 66.