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Study in the app →Mandarin Chinese · HSK 3.0 Band 3 · Chapter 34
第一天上班 First day at work
周月's first day at work, 王明 gives advice. Teaches 别 + V (negative imperative) and 千万别 + V (strong urgency form).
Dialogue
别紧张 — Don't be nervous
- 王明 周月, 明天第一天上班, 紧张什么, 好好做就行. Zhou Yue, it's your first day tomorrow — what's there to be nervous about? Just do your best.
- 周月 我有点紧张. 应该怎么做? I'm a bit nervous. What should I do?
- 王明 别迟到, 早一点到公司. Don't be late — get to the office a bit early.
- 周月 见到同事我应该说什么? What do I say when I meet colleagues?
- 王明 别忘了打招呼. 礼貌一点, 简单介绍自己. Don't forget to say hi. Be polite — short self-intro.
- 周月 我记住了. 谢谢你. Got it. Thanks.
Dialogue
千万别忘了名字 — Whatever you do, don't forget the names
- 王明 千万别忘了老板和同事的名字. Whatever you do, don't forget the boss and colleagues' names.
- 周月 我记不住怎么办? What if I can't remember?
- 王明 千万别不好意思问. 第一天大家都会帮你. Whatever you do, don't be shy to ask. Everyone helps on day one.
- 周月 千万别说错话吧? Whatever I do, don't say the wrong thing, right?
- 王明 别太担心. 慢慢说, 想清楚再说. Don't worry too much. Speak slowly, think before talking.
- 周月 面试通过了, 我希望做好, 一定会努力. 加油! I passed the interview — I hope to do well, and I'll work hard. Let's go!
Vocabulary
| 汉字 | Pinyin | POS | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 上班 | shàngbān | n. | go to work (recall Bk2) |
| 同事 | tóngshì | n. | colleague (recall ch31) |
| 别 | bié | adv. | don't (negative imperative) |
| 千万 | qiānwàn | adv. | by all means; whatever you do |
| 担心 | dānxīn | v. | worry; be anxious |
| 迟到 | chídào | v. | be late |
| 打招呼 | dǎ zhāohu | v. | greet; say hello |
| 记住 | jì zhù | v. | memorise; remember firmly |
| 名字 | míngzi | n. | name (recall Bk1) |
| 老板 | lǎobǎn | n. | boss |
| 礼貌 | lǐmào | adj. | polite |
| 简单 | jiǎndān | adj. | simple (recall Bk1) |
| 加油 | jiāyóu | v. | cheer; come on |
| 时间 | shíjiān | n. | time (recall Bk1) |
| 一定 | yídìng | adv. | definitely (recall Bk2) |
| 周月 | Zhōu Yuè | pn. | Zhou Yue (persona — recall ch31) |
| 王明 | Wáng Míng | pn. | Wang Ming (persona — recall ch01) |
New characters
| 汉字 | Pinyin | POS | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 貌 | mào | (in 礼貌 = polite) 礼貌 lǐmào — polite | |
| 担 | dān | carry; bear (in 担心) 担心 dānxīn — worry |
Hanzi — writing & recognition
bié don't; other (recall Bk1) Writing
qiān thousand (recall Bk1) Writing
bǎn board; boss (in 老板) Recognition
lǐ courtesy (in 礼貌) Recognition
Grammar
X 什么 (啊) — 反问式劝阻 (三81) X 什么 (啊) — rhetorical "no need to X" (三81)
"动词 / 形容词 + 什么 (啊)"是反问, 表示"不必 X / 没什么好 X 的". 紧张什么, 好好做就行 (= 不用紧张). 客气什么, 我们是同事 (= 不用客气). 语气随意, 常用来安慰或劝阻别人. 第一天上班时同事可能说: 紧张什么!
"verb/adjective + 什么 (啊)" is rhetorical, meaning "no need to X / nothing to X about". 紧张什么, 好好做就行 (no need to be nervous). 客气什么, 我们是同事 (no need to be polite). Casual, used to reassure or dissuade. On a first day, a colleague might say: 紧张什么!
- 紧张什么, 好好做就行. Jǐnzhāng shénme, hǎohao zuò jiù xíng. What's there to be nervous about — just do your best.
- 怕什么, 努力就好. Pà shénme, nǔlì jiù hǎo. What's there to fear — just try hard.
- 急什么, 慢慢来. Jí shénme, mànman lái. What's the rush — take it slow.
- 客气什么, 我们是同事. Kèqi shénme, wǒmen shì tóngshì. No need to be polite — we're colleagues.
Grammar
千万别 + V — 强调"绝对不要" 千万别 + V — emphatic "whatever you do, don't"
上一课 (grammar-01) 的 别 + V 是日常的"不要做". 本课的 千万 + 别 + V 在 别 前加 千万 表示"绝对不能 / 无论如何不要": 千万别忘了 / 千万别迟到. 比 别 更强烈, 通常带"重要后果"暗示: 不做会很糟. 用在叮嘱 / 警告语气. 千万 也可独立加 不 / 不要 / 不能: 千万不要 / 千万不能. 不能用在客观陈述句, 只用在祈使.
Grammar-01: 别 + V = casual "don't". `千万别 + V` adds 千万 (= "absolutely / at all costs") for emphasis — "whatever you do, don't V". Implies bad consequences if ignored. Typical in earnest reminders / warnings. 千万 also pairs with 不要 / 不能. Imperatives only — never declarative.
- 千万别忘了老板的名字. Qiānwàn bié wàng le lǎobǎn de míngzi. Whatever you do, don't forget the boss's name.
- 千万别迟到. Qiānwàn bié chídào. Whatever you do, don't be late.
- 千万不要说错话. Qiānwàn bú yào shuō cuò huà. By all means, don't say the wrong thing.
- 考试时千万别紧张. Kǎoshì shí qiānwàn bié jǐnzhāng. Whatever you do, don't be nervous during the exam.
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