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Mandarin Chinese · HSK 3.0 Band 3 · Chapter 13

春节回家 Going home for Spring Festival

Chūnjié huí jiā

Going home for Spring Festival; 何老师 enters. Teaches 不仅 X 还 Y (additive escalation) and pairs with 不光 X 也 Y (colloquial variant).

Dialogue

快回家了! — Almost home!

林雪年nián货huò和hé礼lǐ物wù都dōu买mǎi好hǎo了le, 行xíng李li准zhǔn备bèi好hǎo了le, 我wǒ快kuài回huí家jiā了le. The New Year shopping and gifts are all bought, the luggage is ready — I'm almost going home.
何老师你nǐ家jiā乡xiāng远yuǎn吗ma? 路lù上shang小xiǎo心xīn. Is your hometown far? Take care on the way.
林雪不bú算suàn太tài远yuǎn. 坐zuò火huǒ车chē六liù个gè小xiǎo时shí. Not too far — six hours by train.
何老师父fù母mǔ一yí定dìng很hěn想xiǎng念niàn你nǐ. Your parents must miss you a lot.
林雪是shì. 我wǒ也yě想xiǎng见jiàn到dào一yì家jiā人rén. Yes. I want to see the whole family too.
何老师到dào家jiā了le给gěi我wǒ发fā个gè消xiāo息xī. Drop me a message when you arrive.
林雪好hǎo, 谢xiè谢xiè老lǎo师shī. OK, thanks teacher.

Dialogue

不仅父母, 还有朋友 — Not only parents, also friends

何老师过guò年nián, 不bù仅jǐn父fù母mǔ在zài家jiā, 还hái有yǒu哥gē哥ge姐jiě姐jie. At New Year — not only parents at home, but older brothers and sisters too.
林雪我wǒ们men一yì家jiā人rén不bù仅jǐn一yì起qǐ吃chī饭fàn, 还hái一yì起qǐ聊liáo天tiān到dào很hěn晚wǎn. Our whole family not only eats together but also chats till late.
何老师春chūn节jié不bù光guāng是shì节jié日rì, 也yě是shì见jiàn面miàn的de时shí候hòu. Spring Festival isn't only a holiday — it's a time to see each other.
林雪故gù乡xiāng的de味wèi道dào我wǒ最zuì想xiǎng念niàn. The taste of home is what I miss most.
何老师路lù上shang辛xīn苦kǔ. 安ān全quán到dào家jiā就jiù好hǎo. Tough trip — just get home safely.
林雪一yí定dìng. 老lǎo师shī, 新xīn年nián快kuài乐lè! I will. Teacher, Happy New Year!

Vocabulary

回huí家jiā: verb go home (recall Bk1)
家jiā乡xiāng: noun hometown
故gù乡xiāng: noun native place; old home (formal)
父fù母mǔ: noun parents
一yì家jiā人rén: noun whole family; a family
不bù仅jǐn: conjunction not only
不bù光guāng: conjunction not only (colloquial)
行xíng李li: noun luggage (recall ch02)
安ān全quán: adjective safe (recall Bk2)
想xiǎng念niàn: verb miss; long for (recall ch10)
见jiàn面miàn: verb meet up
路lù上shang: noun on the way (recall Bk1)
辛xīn苦kǔ: adjective hard; tiring; "thanks for the trouble"
到dào家jiā: verb arrive home
林lín雪xuě: pn. Lin Xue (persona — recall ch01)
何hé老lǎo师shī: pn. Teacher He (persona — 50, retired teacher)

New characters

乡: hometown (in 家乡)
家乡 jiāxiāng — hometown故乡 gùxiāng — native place; old home (formal)
父: father (in 父母)
父母 fùmǔ — parents
母: mother (in 父母)
父母 fùmǔ — parents
消: disappear; news (in 消息)
消息 xiāoxi — message; news发消息 fā xiāoxi — send a message
仅: only (in 不仅)
不仅 bùjǐn — not only
光: only; light (in 不光)
不光 bùguāng — not only (colloquial)
辛: (in 辛苦 = hard; tiring; "thanks for the trouble")
辛苦 xīnkǔ — hard; tiring; "thanks for the trouble"
苦: (in 辛苦 = hard; tiring; "thanks for the trouble")
辛苦 xīnkǔ — hard; tiring; "thanks for the trouble"

Hanzi — writing & recognition

仅

jǐn only (in 不仅) Writing

4 strokes left-right

父

fù father (in 父母) Writing

4 strokes single

光

guāng only; light (in 不光) Recognition

6 strokes top-bottom

母

mǔ mother (in 父母) Recognition

5 strokes single

乡

xiāng hometown (in 家乡) Recognition

3 strokes single

Grammar

不仅 X 还 Y — content escalation ("not only X, also Y")

Explanation

`不仅 X 还 Y` stacks two true things: X holds, and Y comes on top. 不仅父母在家, 还有兄弟姐妹 ("not only parents are home, but siblings too"). Same subject? Put 不仅 after it. Different subjects? Before each. 还 swaps freely with 也 / 而且. Sharp-contrast variant: 不仅不 X, 还 Y (not only not X, but Y, e.g. 不仅不累, 还很高兴).

Examples

不仅父母在家, 还有哥哥姐姐. Not only are the parents home, but older brother and sister too.
我们一家人不仅一起吃饭, 还一起聊天. Our family not only eats together but also chats together.
他不仅会说中文, 还会写. He not only speaks Chinese but can also write it.
春节不仅热闹, 还很有意思. Spring Festival is not only lively but interesting too.

Grammar

不光 X 也 Y — colloquial variant of "not only ..."

Explanation

Grammar-01 was the neutral / written `不仅 X 还 Y`. Grammar-02 is the colloquial flip: `不光 X 也 Y` — 春节不光是节日, 也是见面的时候 (Spring Festival is not just a holiday, but also a time to meet). 不光 leans more spoken than 不仅; 也 softens the additive feel ("they go together") versus 还 ("on top of that"). Three slots OK: 不光 X, 还 Y, 也 Z. Distinct from ch12's 一边 ... 一边 ... (parallel actions).

Examples

春chūn节jié不bù光guāng是shì节jié日rì, 也yě是shì见jiàn面miàn的de时shí候hòu. Spring Festival is not only a holiday but also a time to meet.
不光我去, 我妈妈也去. Not only I go — my mom does too.
这家不光便宜, 菜也好吃. This place isn't only cheap — the food's good too.
不光林雪累, 我们都累. It's not only Lin Xue who's tired — we all are.

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