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Mandarin Chinese · HSK 3.0 Band 2 · Chapter 17

我的脚很疼 My foot really hurts

Wǒ de jiǎo hěn téng

Body parts (脚 / 手 / 头 / 眼睛 / 耳朵 / 嘴 / 鼻子) + 疼 / 痛. Introduces noun-as-predicate sentences: 我头疼 (literally "I head ache").

Dialogue

我的脚很疼 — My foot really hurts

白文王wáng月yuè! 真zhēn的de是shì你nǐ. 你nǐ怎zěn么me走zǒu得dé这zhè么me慢màn? Wang Yue! It really is you. Why are you walking so slowly?
王月我wǒ的de脚jiǎo很hěn疼téng. 走zǒu路lù不bú太tài好hǎo. My foot really hurts. Walking isn't great.
白文我wǒ也yě是shì. 我wǒ手shǒu疼téng, 头tóu也yě疼téng. Me too. My hand hurts, and my head hurts.
王月啊a, 你nǐ身shēn体tǐ不bú太tài好hǎo吧ba? Oh, you're not feeling well either?
白文不bú太tài好hǎo. 累lèi累lèi的de, 还hái疼téng. Not great. Tired, and aching too.

Dialogue

你哪儿疼? — Where does it hurt?

王月我wǒ们men坐zuò一yí会huì儿er. 你nǐ哪nǎ儿ér疼téng? Let's sit a bit. Where does it hurt?
白文我wǒ头tóu疼téng. 眼yǎn睛jīng也yě不bú太tài好hǎo. 你nǐ呢ne? My head aches. My eyes aren't great either. And you?
王月我wǒ脚jiǎo疼téng. 手shǒu有yǒu点diǎn儿er痛tòng. 头tóu还hái好hǎo. My foot aches. My hand is a bit painful. Head is OK.
白文耳ěr朵duo呢ne? 嘴zuǐ呢ne? 鼻bí子zi呢ne? What about ears? Mouth? Nose?
王月都dōu还hái好hǎo. 就jiù是shì脚jiǎo. All fine. It's just my foot.

Dialogue

我们应该看医生 — We should see a doctor

白文我wǒ们men都dōu不bú太tài好hǎo. 应yīng该gāi看kàn医yī生shēng吧ba? Neither of us is well. We should see a doctor?
王月是shì的de. 一yí定dìng要yào看kàn医yī生shēng. 我wǒ家jiā旁páng边biān有yǒu医yī院yuàn. Yes. We have to see a doctor. There's a clinic next to my place.
白文好hǎo. 明míng天tiān一yì起qǐ去qù吗ma? Good. Want to go together tomorrow?
王月可kě以yǐ. 明míng天tiān上shàng午wǔ吧ba. OK. Tomorrow morning then.
白文太tài好hǎo了le. 你nǐ先xiān休xiū息xi. Perfect. You go rest first.

Vocabulary

汉字	Pinyin	POS	Meaning
疼	téng	adj./v.	hurt; ache
痛	tòng	adj.	painful (formal pair with 疼)
脚	jiǎo	n.	foot
手	shǒu	n.	hand (Level 1 revisit)
头	tóu	n.	head (Level 1 revisit)
眼睛	yǎnjing	n.	eyes
耳朵	ěrduo	n.	ears
嘴	zuǐ	n.	mouth
鼻子	bízi	n.	nose
白文	Bái Wén	pn.	Bai Wen (persona — American grad student studying TCM and Chinese culture)

New characters

汉字	Pinyin	Meaning
脚	jiǎo	foot
疼	téng	hurt; ache (chapter pain anchor)
头	tóu / tou	head (tóu); noun-suffix (tou, light) 低头 dī tóu — lower the head; look down回头看 huí tóu kàn — look back
眼	yǎn	eye (in 眼睛) 眼睛 yǎnjing — eyes
睛	jing	(in 眼睛 = eyes) 眼睛 yǎnjing — eyes
痛	tòng	painful (formal pair with 疼)
耳	ěr	ear (in 耳朵) 耳朵 ěrduo — ears
朵	duo	(in 耳朵 = ears) 耳朵 ěrduo — ears
嘴	zuǐ	mouth
鼻	bí	nose (in 鼻子) 鼻子 bízi — nose

Hanzi — writing & recognition

疼

téng hurt; ache (chapter pain anchor) Writing

10 strokes enclosure radical 疒

Phono-semantic compound: 疒 (sickness radical, the same one in 病) + 冬 (dōng, phonetic). Original sense: "the sickness feeling = pain". Modern: the colloquial "hurt / ache" — pairs with the more formal 痛.

脚

jiǎo foot Writing

11 strokes left-right radical 月

Phono-semantic compound: 月 (flesh / body-part radical — when 月 appears on the LEFT it means flesh, not moon) + 却 (què, phonetic). Modern: "foot / leg-base". The 月-flesh radical heads many body-part characters: 脚 / 脸 / 肚 / 胸 — knowing this radical lets you recognize body-part characters at a glance.

头

tóu / tou head (tóu); noun-suffix (tou, light) Writing

5 strokes top-bottom

手

shǒu hand Writing

4 strokes standalone

痛

tòng painful (formal pair with 疼) Recognition

12 strokes enclosure radical 疒

眼

yǎn eye (in 眼睛) Recognition

11 strokes left-right radical 目

嘴

zuǐ mouth Recognition

16 strokes left-right radical 口

鼻

bí nose (in 鼻子) Recognition

14 strokes top-bottom

耳

ěr ear (in 耳朵) Recognition

6 strokes standalone

Grammar

名词谓语句 — noun-as-predicate sentences 名词谓语句 — when a noun (or noun phrase) acts as the predicate

中文里, 名词或名词短语可以直接作谓语, 不需要"是". 句式: 主语 + 名词 (+ 形容词 / 动词). 例: 我头疼 = "I [my] head ache" = "My head hurts". 我脚很疼 = "I [my] foot really hurts". 这种句式在身体感受 / 天气 / 时间句中常用. 注意: (1) 不要加"是"——我是头疼是错的. (2) 整句的语义是"主语关于名词的状态", 不是"主语等于名词".

In Mandarin, a noun (or noun phrase) can directly serve as the predicate without 是 (be). Pattern: Subject + Noun (+ adj/verb). Example: 我头疼 = literally "I head ache" = "My head hurts". 我脚很疼 = "My foot really hurts". This sentence type is common for body-feelings, weather, and time. CRITICAL: don't insert 是 — 我是头疼 is wrong. The sentence means "subject's STATE relative to the noun", not "subject = noun".

我的脚很疼. Wǒ de jiǎo hěn téng. My foot really hurts.
我头疼. Wǒ tóu téng. I have a headache. (Lit. "I head-ache.")
王月眼睛不太好. Wáng Yuè yǎnjing bú tài hǎo. Wang Yue's eyes are not very good.
你哪儿疼? Nǐ nǎr téng? Where does it hurt?

Pronunciation

轻声后缀: 们 / 子 / 头 / 朵 Neutral-tone noun suffixes: 们 / 子 / 头 / 朵

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