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Mandarin Chinese · HSK 3.0 Band 2 · Chapter 1

你去过中国吗 Have you ever been to China

Nǐ qù guo Zhōngguó ma

Using 过 for past experiences, asking duration with 多久, meeting new traveling companions.

Dialogue

在北京见面 — Meeting in Beijing

张天大dà卫wèi, 你nǐ好hǎo! 你nǐ去qù过guò中zhōng国guó吗ma? David, hi! Have you ever been to China?
大卫我wǒ? 我wǒ现xiàn在zài就jiù在zài中zhōng国guó! Me? I AM in China right now!
张天不bú是shì不bu是shì. 我wǒ是shì说shuō, 这zhè是shì你nǐ第dì一yī次cì来lái中zhōng国guó吗ma? No no — I mean, is this your first time in China?
大卫是shì, 这zhè是shì我wǒ第dì一yī次cì. Yes, this is my first time.
张天那nà你nǐ来lái多duō久jiǔ了le? So how long have you been here?
大卫六liù个gè月yuè了le. Six months.

Dialogue

北京人都不去 — Beijing people just don't go

周雨高gāo文wén, 你nǐ去qù过guò北běi京jīng吗ma? Gao Wen, have you been to Beijing?
高文去qù过guò. 我wǒ在zài那nà儿ér住zhù过guò两liǎng年nián. Yes — I lived there for two years.
周雨那nà你nǐ一yí定dìng去qù过guò那nà些xiē有yǒu名míng的de地dì方fāng吧ba? Then you must have been to all the famous places, right?
高文没méi去qù过guò. Never been.
周雨啊a?! 你nǐ住zhù过guò两liǎng年nián都dōu没méi去qù过guò? What?! You lived there two years and never went?
高文北běi京jīng人rén都dōu不bú去qù那nà些xiē地dì方fāng. Beijing people just don't go to those places.

Dialogue

你去过那个店吗 — Have you been to that shop

大卫张zhāng天tiān, 你nǐ住zhù在zài北běi京jīng吗ma? Zhang Tian, do you live in Beijing?
张天是shì的de, 我wǒ住zhù北běi京jīng八bā年nián了le. 我wǒ经jīng常cháng出chū门mén, 别bié人rén去qù过guò的de, 我wǒ都dōu去qù过guò. Yes, I've lived in Beijing for eight years. I go out often — wherever other people have been, I've been.
大卫真zhēn的de吗ma? Really?
周雨那nà你nǐ去qù过guò我wǒ家jiā旁páng边biān的de那nà个ge店diàn吗ma? Then have you been to that shop next to my place?
张天 ……没méi去qù过guò. ...Never been.
周雨北běi京jīng人rén也yě不bù知zhī道dào北běi京jīng. Beijingers don't really know Beijing either.

Vocabulary

过guò: auxiliary (experiential aspect particle — "have ever")
久jiǔ: adjective (for) a long time
多duō久jiǔ: adverb how long (asking duration)
出chū国guó: verb go abroad; leave the country
出chū门mén: verb leave home; go out
一yì直zhí: adverb all along; the whole time
经jīng常cháng: adverb often; frequently
旅lǚ行xíng: n./v. travel; trip
别bié人rén: pronoun other people; others
大dà家jiā: pronoun everyone
自zì己jǐ: pronoun self; oneself
不bú过guò: conjunction however; but (softer than 但是)
一yí定dìng: adverb definitely; surely; for sure
啊a: interjection (interjection — "ah!", "huh?!", surprise)
张zhāng天tiān: pn. Zhang Tian (persona — confident, well-traveled marketing manager)
周zhōu雨yǔ: pn. Zhou Yu (persona — anxious-but-excited UI designer, first international trip)
高gāo文wén: pn. Gao Wen (persona — calm freelance translator, lived abroad, the host figure)
大dà卫wèi: pn. David / Dawei (persona — American Chinese learner, the "literal foreigner" archetype)

New characters

卫: (in 大卫 = David; also "guard, defend")
大卫 Dàwèi — David / Dawei (persona — American Chinese learner, the "literal foreigner" archetype)卫东 Wèi Dōng — Wei Dong (persona — 42, university lecturer)
第dì: (ordinal prefix); also "younger brother" (rare)
久jiǔ: long (in time)
多久 duō jiǔ — how long (asking duration)
住: to live (later)
记住 jì zhù — memorise; remember firmly
定: set; settled (in 决定, 一定)
一定 yídìng — definitely; surely; for sure不一定 bùyídìng — not necessarily; not for sure决定 juédìng — decide; decision
啊a: (interjection — "ah!", "huh?!", surprise)
张zhāng: (common surname; also m.w. for flat objects)
张天 Zhāng Tiān — Zhang Tian (persona — confident, well-traveled marketing manager)一张 yì zhāng — one (paper-like item — pairs with 两张 / 三张)紧张 jǐnzhāng — nervous; tense
直: straight; (in 一直 = all along)
一直 yìzhí — all along; the whole time
旅: (in 旅行 = travel)
旅行 lǚxíng — travel; trip旅游 lǚyóu — tourism; sightseeing
自: self; from
自己 zìjǐ — self; oneself自然 zìrán — nature; natural
己: self (in 自己)
自己 zìjǐ — self; oneself
周: (common surname; also "week")
周雨 Zhōu Yǔ — Zhou Yu (persona — anxious-but-excited UI designer, first international trip)周末 zhōumò — weekend周月 Zhōu Yuè — Zhou Yue (persona — 24, recent grad)

Hanzi — writing & recognition

过

guo / guò (experiential aspect particle); to pass / cross Writing

6 strokes left-right radical 辶

Phono-semantic compound: 辶 (walking radical, semantic) + 寸 (cùn, phonetic hint). Original meaning: "to pass / to cross over". Later extended to mean "have once experienced", which is the modern aspect particle. The walking radical is your hint that this character is about *traversing* something — including time.

经

jīng (in 经常 = often; 经过 = pass through) Writing

8 strokes left-right radical 纟

The 纟 (silk thread radical) on the left signals an origin in textiles: 经 originally meant "the warp threads of a loom" — the long, vertical, *enduring* threads. From there: "to pass through, to undergo, to have experienced". This is why 经常 ("often / regularly") uses this character.

别

bié other; do not Writing

7 strokes left-right radical 刂

A compound: left = 另 (other, semantic) + 刂 (knife radical, also semantic — "to cut/separate"). Original meaning: "to separate with a knife". Modern meanings: (1) "other; another" (in 别人 = other people); (2) "do not" as a soft imperative (别去! = don't go!). The "knife" hint is preserved in the small 刂 on the right.

自

zì self; from Writing

6 strokes single-component

自 is a pictograph — the ancient form depicted a human nose (which is what Chinese people point to when indicating "me"). The modern character preserves a stylized nose shape. Most commonly seen in 自己 (self) — paired with 己 (jǐ, also "self").

久

jiǔ long (in time) Recognition

3 strokes single-component

门

mén door; gate Recognition

3 strokes single-component

门 is a pictograph — the ancient form depicted two open door-leaves hanging from a top beam. The modern character preserves the symmetry. Used in 出门 (leave home), 大门 (front gate), 门口 (doorway).

直

zhí straight; (in 一直 = all along) Recognition

8 strokes top-bottom

常

cháng often; usually; constant Recognition

11 strokes top-bottom

旅

lǚ (in 旅行 = travel) Recognition

10 strokes left-right

张

zhāng (common surname; also m.w. for flat objects) Recognition

7 strokes left-right

Grammar

The Experiential Aspect Particle 过

Explanation

过 goes after the verb to mean "have ever had this experience". To negate, use 没 + verb + 过 ("have never..."). DO NOT confuse 过 with 了: 了 marks completion ("I went"), 过 marks experience ("I have been"). 我去了北京 = I went to Beijing (specific past trip). 我去过北京 = I have been to Beijing (at some point in my life).

Examples

你去过中国吗? Have you ever been to China?
没去过. 这是我第一次. Never been. This is my first time.
我在那儿住过两年. I lived there for two years.
北běi京jīng人rén都dōu不bú去qù那nà些xiē地dì方fāng. Beijing people just don't go to those places.

Grammar

The Question Word 多久 ("how long")

Explanation

多久 asks about a duration. Literally "how" + "long-time". Place it after the verb to ask "for how long" (你住多久 = how long will you stay). Add 了 at the end to ask how long an action has been ongoing up to now (你来多久了 = how long have you been here).

Examples

你来多久了? How long have you been here?
六liù个gè月yuè了le. Six months.
你想在中国住多久? How long do you want to live in China?

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