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Study in the app →Mandarin Chinese · HSK 3.0 Band 3 · Chapter 26
考试当天 Exam day
Exam day for 小红 — nerves and pacing. Teaches 越 X 越 Y (the more X, the more Y) and 怎么也 + V (no matter how, V).
Dialogue
越紧张越错 — The more nervous, the more mistakes
- 小红 我刚走进考场就开始紧张. I started feeling nervous the moment I walked into the test room.
- 同学 越紧张越回答不好, 你慢慢来. The more nervous, the worse you answer — take it slow.
- 小红 我心跳得很快, 越想生词越想不起来. My heart's racing — the more I try to recall the new words the less I can.
- 同学 考生都一样. 越是大考越紧张. All test takers feel that. The bigger the exam, the more nervous.
- 小红 我得冷静一下, 坚持把题做完. I need to calm down and push through to finish the questions.
- 同学 深呼吸, 越深呼吸越好. Take deep breaths — the deeper the better.
Dialogue
怎么也想不起来 — Can't recall it no matter how
- 小红 这个生词我怎么也想不起来. I can't recall this word no matter how I try.
- 同学 昨天还背得很好, 怎么也忘了一个. You knew it yesterday — somehow you've forgotten one.
- 小红 考场太安静, 我怎么也冷静不下来. The room is so quiet — I just can't calm down.
- 同学 别想了, 越想越紧张. Stop thinking about it — the more you think the more nervous.
- 小红 好. 我先看别的题, 这个怎么也回答不好就跳过去. OK. I'll do other questions first — if I can't answer this one I'll skip.
- 同学 对. 后面想起来再回来. Right. Come back if it comes to you later.
Vocabulary
| 汉字 | Pinyin | POS | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 考场 | kǎochǎng | n. | exam venue; test room |
| 紧张 | jǐnzhāng | adj. | nervous; tense (recall ch03) |
| 越 | yuè | adv. | the more (parallel marker) |
| 怎么也 | zěnme yě | adv. | no matter how; in no way |
| 开始 | kāishǐ | v. | begin; start (recall Bk1) |
| 回答 | dá | v. | answer; respond |
| 想起 | xiǎng qǐ | v. | recall; come to mind |
| 忘 | wàng | v. | forget (recall Bk1) |
| 心 | xīn | n. | heart (recall Bk1) |
| 跳 | tiào | v. | jump; beat (heart) |
| 深呼吸 | shēn hūxī | v. | take a deep breath |
| 考生 | kǎoshēng | n. | test taker; candidate |
| 安静 | ānjìng | adj. | quiet (recall ch04) |
| 慢慢 | mànman | adv. | slowly (recall Bk1) |
| 冷静 | lěngjìng | adj. | calm; cool-headed |
| 小红 | Xiǎo Hóng | pn. | Xiao Hong (persona — recall ch21) |
New characters
| 汉字 | Pinyin | POS | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 呼 | hū | (in 深呼吸 = take a deep breath) 深呼吸 shēn hūxī — take a deep breath打招呼 dǎ zhāohu — greet; say hello | |
| 吸 | xī | (in 深呼吸 = take a deep breath) 深呼吸 shēn hūxī — take a deep breath |
Hanzi — writing & recognition
yuè exceed; the more (parallel marker) Writing
xīn heart (recall Bk1) Writing
dá answer Recognition
tiào jump; beat Recognition
wàng forget (recall Bk1) Recognition
Grammar
越 X 越 Y — 平行加强 越 X 越 Y — parallel intensification
越 X 越 Y 表示"X 越大, Y 也越大". 两个 越 后面都接形容词或动词. 越紧张越错 / 越想越累 / 越走越远. X 和 Y 的主语一般相同. 注意: 越来越 X (后面加 Y 不是 X) 是说"程度本身越来越大", 是另一个结构. 否定一般不直接说 不 + 越; 反而用 越 + 不 + V (越想越不知道). 用在故事里很有节奏感.
`越 X 越 Y` = "as X grows, so does Y". Both 越 take an adjective or verb. 越紧张越错 / 越想越累 / 越走越远. Same subject on both sides. Not to be confused with 越来越 X (= "more and more X", a different shape). Negation often inside: 越 + 不 + V (越想越不知道). Adds rhythmic intensity to a story line.
- 越紧张越回答不好. Yuè jǐnzhāng yuè huídá bù hǎo. The more nervous, the worse you answer.
- 越想生词越想不起来. Yuè xiǎng shēngcí yuè xiǎng bù qǐlái. The more I try to recall the words, the less I can.
- 越走越远. Yuè zǒu yuè yuǎn. The further you walk, the further away.
- 越是安静的地方越好复习. Yuè shì ānjìng de dìfang yuè hǎo fùxí. The quieter the place, the better for studying.
Grammar
怎么也 + V — 无论如何都不/V 不出来 怎么也 + V — no matter how, can't / does V
上一课 (grammar-01) 的 越 X 越 Y 强调"程度越大越大". 本课的 怎么也 + V 强调"无论怎么尝试都 V (不) 出来". 多用于否定 + 结果补语: 怎么也想不起来 (no matter how, can't recall) / 怎么也冷静不下来 / 怎么也找不到. 肯定形也有但少: 怎么也想说一下 (felt compelled to say). 与 不管 X 都 Y 相似, 但 怎么也 强调"自己做了很多尝试", 主语一般是说话人.
Grammar-01 stressed degree growing. `怎么也 + V` stresses "no matter how (I try), V". Most often negative + resultative: 怎么也想不起来 / 怎么也冷静不下来 / 怎么也找不到. Affirmative is rare. Close cousin of 不管 X 都 Y, but 怎么也 keeps the speaker as the trier — emphasises personal effort.
- 这个生词我怎么也想不起来. Zhè ge shēngcí wǒ zěnme yě xiǎng bù qǐlái. I can't recall this word no matter how I try.
- 我怎么也冷静不下来. Wǒ zěnme yě lěngjìng bù xiàlái. I just can't calm down.
- 钥匙怎么也找不到. Yàoshi zěnme yě zhǎo bù dào. I can't find the key anywhere.
- 他怎么也不同意. Tā zěnme yě bù tóngyì. He won't agree no matter what.
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