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Study in the app →Mandarin Chinese · HSK 3.0 Band 3 · Chapter 41
大城市还是小镇 Big city or small town
Three-way conversation on big city vs small town. Teaches 不是 X 就是 Y (either-or) and 要么 X 要么 Y (open either-or).
Dialogue
不是大城市就是小镇 — Either big city or small town
- 周月 工作以后, 我不是去大城市就是回小镇. After work I'll either go to a big city or back to a small town.
- 王明 大城市好是好, 就是房子贵. Big cities are good all right — it's just that housing is dear.
- 何老师 小镇生活不是太忙就是太安静. Small-town life is either too busy or too quiet.
- 周月 我喜欢空气新鲜的地方. I like places with fresh air.
- 王明 小镇的空气一般比城市新鲜. Small-town air is usually fresher than city.
- 何老师 不是空气好就是交通好, 都好不容易. Either good air or good transit — both is rare.
Dialogue
要么城市要么小镇 — Either city or small town
- 周月 要么我去城市, 要么我回小镇, 总要选一个. Either I go to the city or I go back to the small town — must pick one.
- 王明 要么房子便宜, 要么机会多, 看你看重什么. Either cheap housing or lots of chances — depends what you value.
- 何老师 我看要么先去城市试试, 要么先回家. I'd say try the city first, or go home first.
- 周月 我要么努力一年看看, 要么先回家想想. Either give it a year, or go home and think.
- 王明 都可以. 别太早就决定. Both work. Don't decide too soon.
- 周月 好. 我再想想, 晚上放下手机好好想. OK. I'll think more — put the phone down tonight and really think it over.
Vocabulary
- 城市
-
noun city (recall ch30)
- 小镇
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noun small town
- 要么
-
conjunction either...or
- 生活
-
noun life; living (recall ch36)
- 忙
-
adjective busy (recall Bk1)
- 安静
-
adjective quiet (recall ch04)
- 空气
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noun air
- 新鲜
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adjective fresh
- 机会
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noun opportunity (recall ch31)
- 比
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verb compare; than (recall ch07)
- 房子
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noun house (recall Bk1)
- 贵
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adjective expensive (recall Bk1)
- 便宜
-
adjective cheap (recall Bk1)
- 交通
-
noun traffic; transport
- 周月
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pn. Zhou Yue (persona — recall ch31)
- 王明
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pn. Wang Ming (persona — recall ch01)
- 何老师
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pn. Teacher He (persona — recall ch13)
New characters
- 镇
-
(in 小镇 = small town)
小镇 xiǎo zhèn — small town - 般
-
Hanzi — writing & recognition
kōng empty; air (recall ch04) Writing
máng busy (recall Bk1) Writing
qì air; gas (in 空气) Recognition
jiāo connect (in 交通) (recall ch31) Recognition
tōng through (in 交通) (recall ch39) Recognition
Grammar
不是 X 就是 Y — "either X or Y, no other"
Explanation
`不是 X 就是 Y` = "(it's) either X or Y — no other option". X and Y must be parallel (both places, both states). Different from ch38's 不是 X 而是 Y — that corrects ("not X but Y"); this lists exhaustively ("only X or Y"). Confirm with the listener via 对不对.
Examples
- 我不是去大城市就是回小镇. I'll either go to the city or back to the small town.
- 小镇生活不是太忙就是太安静. Small-town life is either too busy or too quiet.
- 他不是在公司就是在家. He's either at the office or home.
- 晚上不是看视频就是玩游戏. At night it's either videos or games.
Grammar
X 是 X, 就是 / 不过 … — concession (三68)
Explanation
Grammar-01's 不是 X 就是 Y was either-or. Here "adj/verb + 是 + same word, 就是 / 不过 + a downside" first CONCEDES a merit, then states a drawback. 大城市好是好, 就是房子贵 (it's good all right, but housing is dear). 小镇安静是安静, 不过没意思. A gentle "but".
Examples
- 大城市好是好, 就是房子贵. Big cities are good all right, just the housing is dear.
- 小镇安静是安静, 就是没意思. The town is quiet all right, just dull.
- 这个工作忙是忙, 不过有意思. The job is busy all right, but interesting.
- 这件衣服好看是好看, 就是太贵. This is nice-looking all right, just too expensive.
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