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Mandarin Chinese · HSK 3.0 Band 3 · Chapter 40

用手机的一天 A day with the phone

Yòng shǒujī de yì tiān

王明 reflects on a phone-heavy day. Teaches 一直 + V (keep V-ing) and 总是 + V (always / habitually).

Dialogue

一直在看手机 — Just keeps looking at the phone

王明我wǒ今jīn天tiān一yì直zhí在zài用yòng手shǒu机jī. Used the phone all day today.
王明早zǎo上shàng一yì直zhí在zài发fā消xiāo息xī, 中zhōng午wǔ上shàng网wǎng买mǎi东dōng西xī, 还hái看kàn视shì频pín. Morning: messaging. Midday: shopping online and watching videos.
林雪你nǐ眼yǎn睛jīng一yì直zhí看kàn不bú累lèi吗ma? Aren't your eyes tired from staring?
王明累lèi. 由yóu于yú一yì直zhí低dī头tóu, 头tóu也yě痛tòng. Tired. From looking down constantly, my head hurts too.
林雪你nǐ应yīng该gāi放fàng下xià手shǒu机jī休xiū息xi一yí会huì. You should put it down and rest.
王明我wǒ也yě想xiǎng, 但dàn是shì手shǒu一yì直zhí拿ná着zhe. I want to, but my hand keeps holding it.

Dialogue

总是放不下 — Always can't put it down

林雪你nǐ总zǒng是shì这zhè样yàng, 总zǒng是shì放fàng不bú下xià手shǒu机jī. You're always like this — can't put it down.
王明我wǒ总zǒng是shì想xiǎng再zài看kàn一yí下xià, 总zǒng是shì看kàn到dào很hěn晚wǎn. I always want one more look — always end up late.
林雪都dōu一yì两liǎng点diǎn了le, 你nǐ还hái在zài玩wán游yóu戏xì吧ba? It's already one or two in the morning and you're still gaming, aren't you?
王明是shì. 早zǎo上shàng眼yǎn睛jīng总zǒng是shì不bù舒shū服fú. Yes. Eyes always feel bad in the morning.
林雪我wǒ看kàn你nǐ应yīng该gāi早zǎo点diǎn放fàng下xià手shǒu机jī, 早zǎo点diǎn睡shuì. You should put it down and sleep earlier.
王明好hǎo. 我wǒ今jīn天tiān晚wǎn上shàng一yí定dìng放fàng下xià. OK. Tonight I'll put it down for sure.

Vocabulary

手shǒu机jī: noun phone (recall Bk1)
一yì直zhí: adverb continuously; all along (recall ch06)
总zǒng是shì: adverb always
看kàn视shì频pín: verb watch videos
聊liáo天tiān: verb chat (recall ch04)
消xiāo息xī: verb message; news
发fā消xiāo息xī: verb send a message
眼yǎn睛jīng: noun eyes (recall Bk1)
累lèi: adjective tired (recall Bk1)
低dī头tóu: verb lower the head; look down
游yóu戏xì: noun game
玩wán: verb play (recall Bk1)
放fàng下xià: verb put down
晚wǎn上shàng: adverb evening (recall Bk1)
王wáng明míng: pn. Wang Ming (persona — recall ch01)

New characters

频: (in 看视频 = watch videos)
看视频 kàn shìpín — watch videos
低: (in 低头 = lower the head; look down)
低头 dī tóu — lower the head; look down

Hanzi — writing & recognition

直

zhí straight (in 一直) (recall ch06) Writing

8 strokes single

总

zǒng always; sum up (in 总是) (recall ch28) Recognition

9 strokes top-bottom

戏

xì play; show (in 游戏) Recognition

6 strokes left-right

消

xiāo disappear; news (in 消息) Recognition

10 strokes left-right

Grammar

Preposition 由于 / 因为 — introducing a cause (三25)

Explanation

由于 / 因为 + cause (noun or phrase) directly introduces a reason, with the result following. 由于一直看手机, 眼睛不舒服. 因为这件事, 他不高兴. Here 由于 / 因为 act as prepositions — they can take just a noun phrase, shorter than the full 由于…所以… sentence.

Examples

由于一直看手机, 眼睛不舒服. From looking at the phone non-stop, my eyes hurt.
因为这件事, 他不太高兴. Because of this, he's not too happy.
由于工作, 他每天很忙. Because of work, he's busy every day.
因为天气, 我们没出去. Because of the weather, we didn't go out.

Grammar

都 … 了 — "it's already this late" (三79, reuse)

Explanation

Grammar-01 introduced causes. This revisits ch11's "都 + time + 了": stressing "it's already got to the point where you should stop / it's too late". After too much phone time: 都十二点了, 别看手机了 / 都这么晚了, 该睡了. Carries reminder and urgency.

Examples

都十二点了, 别看手机了. It's midnight already — stop looking at your phone.
都这么晚了, 该睡了. It's so late already — time to sleep.
都一个小时了, 还没玩完? It's been an hour — still not done playing?
都早上了, 你还在看手机. It's already morning and you're still on your phone.

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