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Mandarin Chinese · HSK 3.0 Band 2 · Chapter 21

这个药一天吃三次 Take this three times a day

Zhè ge yào yì tiān chī sān cì

Dr Lin prescribes medicine for Wang Yue. Learn: 药 / 注意 / 吃完 + frequency expressions (一天三次 'three times a day', 每四小时一次 'every four hours'). Introduces the result complement: V+完 (finish), V+错 (do wrong), V+懂 (understand).

Dialogue

一天吃三次 — Three times a day

高天我wǒ开kāi了le一yí个gè药yào. 这zhè个ge药yào一yì天tiān吃chī三sān次cì. I've prescribed one medicine. Take it three times a day.
王月一yì天tiān三sān次cì. 早zǎo上shàng, 中zhōng午wǔ, 晚wǎn上shàng吗ma? Three times a day. Morning, noon, evening?
高天对duì. 四sì小xiǎo时shí一yí次cì. 你nǐ必bì须xū吃chī完wán. Right. Every four hours. You must finish the course.
王月一yí定dìng吃chī完wán. 几jǐ天tiān? I'll finish it. How many days?
高天七qī天tiān. 不bú要yào少shǎo吃chī. Seven days. Don't miss doses.

Dialogue

你写错了 — You wrote it wrong

王月我wǒ写xiě下xià来lái. 一yì天tiān三sān次cì, 两liǎng个gè小xiǎo时shí一yí次cì. Let me write it down. Three times a day, two hours apart.
高天不bú对duì, 你nǐ写xiě错cuò了le. 是shì四sì小xiǎo时shí一yí次cì. No, you wrote it wrong. Four hours, not two.
王月啊a, 是shì四sì小xiǎo时shí. 这zhè个ge很hěn重zhòng要yào. Ah, four hours. This is important.
高天对duì. 一yí定dìng要yào注zhù意yì时shí间jiān. 别bié多duō吃chī, 也yě别bié少shǎo吃chī. Right. You really have to watch the timing. Don't take too much, or too little.
王月我wǒ听tīng懂dǒng了le. 谢xiè谢xiè. I understand. Thank you.

Dialogue

可以帮忙吗? — Can you help?

王月高gāo医yī生shēng, 还huán有yǒu一yí个gè事shì. 我wǒ朋péng友yǒu也yě咳ké嗽sou. 可kě以yǐ帮bāng忙máng吗ma? Dr Lin, one more thing. My friend also has a cough. Can you help?
高天应yīng该gāi可kě以yǐ. 你nǐ朋péng友yǒu也yě来lái一yí下xià吧ba. Should be fine. Bring your friend in too.
王月太tài好hǎo了le. 可kě能néng明míng天tiān. Perfect. Probably tomorrow.
高天好hǎo. 你nǐ先xiān回huí家jiā休xiū息xi. 天tiān气qì越yuè来lái越yuè冷lěng, 注zhù意yì一yì点diǎn. OK. Go home and rest first. The weather's getting colder — take care.
王月好hǎo的de. 谢xiè谢xiè高gāo医yī生shēng. Will do. Thank you, Dr Lin.

Vocabulary

汉字	Pinyin	POS	Meaning
药	yào	n.	medicine
完	wán	v.	finish (result-complement marker)
吃完	chī wán	v.	finish eating; finish (a dose) — V+完
看完	kàn wán	v.	finish reading / watching — V+完
写完	xiě wán	v.	finish writing — V+完
注意	zhùyì	v.	pay attention; be careful
重要	zhòngyào	adj.	important
别	bié	adv.	don't (imperative — Level 1 revisit)
应该	yīnggāi	v.	should
可能	kěnéng	adv./n.	possibly; possibility
帮忙	bāng máng	v.	help (someone) — separable verb

New characters

汉字	Pinyin	POS	Meaning
注	zhù		pour; pay attention (in 注意) 注意 zhùyì — pay attention; be careful
越	yuè		exceed; cross (in 越来越) 越来越 yuè lái yuè — more and more (X) — chapter grammar anchor越来越热 yuè lái yuè rè — hotter and hotter (越来越 + 热 from ch8)

Hanzi — writing & recognition

药

yào medicine; herb Writing

9 strokes top-bottom radical 艹

Phono-semantic compound: 艹 (grass / herb radical, indicating plant-based) + 约 (yuē, phonetic). Original sense: "herbs that treat illness = medicine." The 艹 radical clusters 药 with all herb-related characters: 茶 (Level 1), 药.

完

wán finish; complete (chapter result-complement marker) Writing

7 strokes top-bottom radical 宀

Compound: 宀 (roof radical, indicating "household / shelter") + 元 (yuán — "origin / whole"). Original sense: "the whole household intact = complete." Modern: "finish / complete" — anchors the V+完 result complement (this chapter).

注

zhù pour; pay attention (in 注意) Writing

8 strokes left-right radical 氵

Phono-semantic compound: 氵 (water radical) + 主 (zhǔ, phonetic). Original sense: "water flowing toward / pooling = focus / pour attention." Modern: 注 = "pour attention" — appears in 注意 (this chapter), 注重 (Level 3+ "emphasize").

应

yīng / yìng (yīng) should; (yìng) respond — in 应该 Writing

7 strokes enclosure radical 广

Compound: 广 (shelter radical) over a 心-derived component. Two readings: yīng (in 应该 = should) and yìng (respond, e.g. 回应). Same character, different role — yīng is the modal "should," yìng is the verbal "respond."

错

cuò wrong (in V+错 result complement) Recognition

13 strokes left-right radical 钅

懂

dǒng understand (in V+懂 result complement) Recognition

15 strokes left-right radical 忄

写

xiě write (Level 1 revisit; in V+完 / V+错) Recognition

5 strokes top-bottom

别

bié don't (Level 1 revisit; imperative) Recognition

7 strokes left-right radical 刂

帮

bāng help (in 帮忙) Recognition

9 strokes top-bottom

Grammar

结果补语 — 动词 + 结果 (V+完 / V+错 / V+懂) 结果补语 — result complements (V + 完 / 错 / 懂)

中文里, "做完一件事 / 做对了一件事 / 听懂了"——这种"动作 + 结果"句式叫"结果补语": 主语 + V + 结果 + (了). 例: "我吃完了"= "I have finished eating". "你写错了"= "you wrote it wrongly". "他听懂了"= "he understood (by listening)". 结果补语和动词形成一个紧密的单位, 中间不能加东西. 结构: (1) 肯定: V + 结果 + (了); (2) 否定: 没 + V + 结果, 比如"我没吃完"(我还没吃完); (3) 疑问: V + 结果 + 了吗 / 没? "你吃完了吗?". 关键词: 完 (完成 — finish), 错 (错误 — wrong), 懂 (理解 — understand). 注意: 不要把"了"放到 V 和结果之间. *我吃了完 (错). 应该说"我吃完了"(对).

A "result complement" describes the OUTCOME of an action: Subject + V + result + (了). Example: 我吃完了 ("I've finished eating"), 你写错了 ("you wrote it wrong"), 他听懂了 ("he understood [by listening]"). The verb + result form a TIGHT unit — nothing goes between them. STRUCTURE: (1) Affirmative: V + result + (了). (2) Negative: 没 + V + result (我没吃完 = "I haven't finished"). (3) Question: V + result + 了吗 / 没 (你吃完了吗? = "have you finished?"). Three foundational result complements: 完 (finish), 错 (wrong), 懂 (understand). CRITICAL: don't insert 了 between V and result. *我吃了完 is wrong; 我吃完了 is correct.

你必须吃完这个药. Nǐ bìxū chī wán zhè ge yào. You must finish this medicine.
我没吃完, 还有一点儿. Wǒ méi chī wán, hái yǒu yìdiǎnr. I haven't finished, there's a little left.
你写错了一个字. Nǐ xiě cuò le yí ge zì. You wrote one character wrongly.
高医生说的, 你听懂了吗? Gāo yīshēng shuō de, nǐ tīng dǒng le ma? Dr Lin said it — did you understand?

Pronunciation

V + 完 / V + 错 / V + 懂 — 结果补语的重音 Stress in result complements: V + 完 / V + 错 / V + 懂

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