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Mandarin Chinese · HSK 3.0 Band 2 · Chapter 36

是不是这样 Is it like this?

Shì bu shì zhèyàng

Wei Dong and Huang An in a small meeting. Vocab: 是不是 / 这样 / 那样 / 真的吗 + 当 (二21 preposition). Introduces the 是不是 confirmation question (二78).

你的工作是不是很忙 — Is your job very busy?

  1. 卫东 huángān, zhègexiàng, shìbushìhěnmáng? Huang An, this project of yours — is it busy?
  2. 黄安 shìde, zhègeyuèbiémáng. dāngzuòzhègexiàngshíhòu, zhíjiābān. Yes, particularly busy this month. When I'm doing this project, I'm always overtime.
  3. 卫东 shìbushìtóngshìgòu? háishìrènwutàiduō? Is it that you don't have enough colleagues? Or too many tasks?
  4. 黄安 dōuyǒu. xiànzàiqiányàng, rènwuyuèláiyuèduō. Both. It's different from before — more and more tasks now.
  5. 卫东 hòuhuìhǎodiǎnde. zhègexiàngzuòwánlejiùhǎo. It'll get better later. Once this project's done, it's fine.
  6. 黄安 zhēndema? shìzhèyàngxiǎngde. Really? That's what I think too.

你以前做过这个吗 — Have you done this before?

  1. 卫东 huángān, qiánshìbushìzuòguòxīnwéngōngzuò? Huang An, didn't you do news work before?
  2. 黄安 shìde, dāngshízàixīnwéngōnggōngzuò. sānnián. Yes, at that time I worked at a news company. Three years.
  3. 卫东 gegōngzuòshìbushìzhègegōngzuòyàngmáng? Was that job as busy as this one?
  4. 黄安 yàng. shíhòujiǎndāndiǎn, dànshìméiyǒuzhègeyǒu. Different. Simpler then, but not as interesting as this.
  5. 卫东 xiànzàishìbushìgènghuanxiànzàide? Do you prefer this one now?
  6. 黄安 dāngrán! suīránmáng, dànshìzhēndeyǒu. Of course! Busy but really fun.

以后的安排 — Plans for later

  1. 卫东 hòu, xiǎngzuòshénme? What do you want to do in the future?
  2. 黄安 hòuxiǎngzuòjīng. niánhòu, liǎngnián. I want to be a manager. In a year, maybe two.
  3. 卫东 shìbushìxiǎngkāigōng? Do you want to open your own company?
  4. 黄安 zhègema . dànshìxiànzàiháixiǎngxué. Well… maybe. But right now I still want to learn.
  5. 卫东 duì. dāngniánshìzhèyàngxiǎngde. Right. Back then I thought the same.
  6. 黄安 xiànzàidekànshìbushìyàngle? Has your view changed now?
汉字PinyinPOSMeaning
是不是 shì bu shì exp. "Is it / isn't it?" — confirmation question (二78)
这样 zhèyàng pron. like this (Bk1 revisit)
那样 nàyàng pron. like that
真的吗 zhēn de ma exp. "Really?"
dāng prep. when (二21)
时候 shíhou n. time; moment (Level 1 revisit, formal)
当时 dāngshí n. at that time
现在 xiànzài n. now (Level 1 revisit, formal)
以前 yǐqián n. before; in the past
以后 yǐhòu n. after; in the future
汉字PinyinPOSMeaning
wén hear; smell (in 新闻) 新闻 xīnwén — news
suī although (in 虽然) 虽然 suīrán — although

shì be (Level 1 revisit; formal as 是不是 / 是…的 anchor) Writing

9 strokes top-bottom

hòu time; moment (in 时候 / 当时) Writing

10 strokes left-right radical 亻

xiàn now; present (in 现在) Writing

8 strokes left-right radical 王

dāng when; serve as (revisit ch5; in 当时 / 当然) Writing

6 strokes top-bottom

zhēn really; true (Level 1 revisit) Recognition

10 strokes top-bottom

that (Level 1 revisit) Recognition

6 strokes left-right

zhè this (Level 1 revisit) Recognition

7 strokes left-right

with; use (Level 1 revisit; in 以前 / 以后) Recognition

4 strokes left-right

hòu after; back (Level 1 revisit; in 以后 / 然后) Recognition

6 strokes enclosure

是不是 / 当…的时候 — 确认和时间 是不是 confirmation and 当…的时候

本课两个相关项目: (1) 是不是 (二78) — 一种确认句型. 句式: 是不是 + 句子 (强问), 或 句子 + 是不是 (软问). 例: 是不是这样? / 你来了, 是不是? 比"吗"句更带"我想确认"的口气. (2) 当 (二21) — 介词, 跟"的时候"一起用. 句式: 当 + 时间 / 事件 + 的时候. 例: 当我开始工作的时候 = "when I started working". "当 X 的时候"是正式书面或者比较高雅的口语用法.

Two related items: (1) 是不是 (二78) — a confirmation question. Pattern: 是不是 + sentence (strong query), OR sentence + 是不是 (soft confirmation tag). 是不是这样? / 你来了, 是不是? More "I want to confirm" in tone than 吗 questions. (2) 当 (二21) — preposition, used with 的时候. Pattern: 当 + time / event + 的时候. 当我开始工作的时候 = "when I started working." 当…的时候 is more formal or written; in casual speech, just "X 的时候" is more common.

  • 是不是这样? Shì bu shì zhèyàng? Is it like this?
  • 你不太忙, 是不是? Nǐ bú tài máng, shì bu shì? You're not too busy, are you?
  • 当我开始上班的时候, 我不太会工作. Dāng wǒ kāishǐ shàngbān de shíhou, wǒ bú tài huì gōngzuò. When I started working, I didn't know how to do the job.
  • 现在不一样了. Xiànzài bù yíyàng le. It's different now.

"是不是" 的位置和语调 Position and intonation of 是不是

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