HSK 4 · Lesson 9我家离这儿三公里左右 I live about three kilometres away

Where things are: city, suburbs, parts of the country. 由 “from”, approximate numbers: 大约 “about”, 左右 “or so”, 前后 “around (a time)”, 十来个 “ten or so”.

Speed:Male voice:

Dialogues

Do you live far away?

A
你家住在哪儿？
Nǐ jiā zhù zài nǎr?
Where do you live?
B
住在城东的郊区，离市区大约二十公里。
Zhù zài chéng dōng de jiāoqū, lí shìqū dàyuē èrshí gōnglǐ.
In the eastern suburbs, about twenty kilometres from the centre.
A
那么远！你每天怎么上班？
Nàme yuǎn! Nǐ měi tiān zěnme shàngbān?
That far! How do you get to work every day?
B
坐地铁，一个小时左右。我家对面就是地铁站。
Zuò dìtiě, yí ge xiǎoshí zuǒyòu. Wǒ jiā duìmiàn jiù shì dìtiězhàn.
By metro, about an hour. There’s a station right opposite my home.
A
周围环境怎么样？
Zhōuwéi huánjìng zěnmeyàng?
What are the surroundings like?
B
很安静。前面有一条小河，河上有一座桥。就是买东西有点儿不便。
Hěn ānjìng. Qiánmiàn yǒu yì tiáo xiǎo hé, hé shang yǒu yí zuò qiáo. Jiùshì mǎi dōngxi yǒudiǎnr búbiàn.
Very quiet. There’s a little river in front with a bridge over it. Only shopping is a bit inconvenient.

How do I get there?

A
打扰一下，请问厕所在哪儿？
Dǎrǎo yíxià, qǐngwèn cèsuǒ zài nǎr?
Excuse me, where’s the toilet?
B
由这儿一直往前走，在出口旁边。
Yóu zhèr yìzhí wǎng qián zǒu, zài chūkǒu pángbiān.
Go straight on from here — it’s next to the exit.
A
谢谢。还有，这个地址你知道怎么走吗？
Xièxie. Háiyǒu, zhège dìzhǐ nǐ zhīdào zěnme zǒu ma?
Thanks. Also, do you know how to get to this address?
B
从入口出去往右，路过一个十字路口，再走五十来米就到了。
Cóng rùkǒu chūqu wǎng yòu, lùguò yí ge shízì lùkǒu, zài zǒu wǔshí lái mǐ jiù dào le.
Go out through the entrance and turn right, past a crossroads, and another fifty metres or so — you’re there.
A
是前方那座白色的大楼吗？
Shì qiánfāng nà zuò báisè de dàlóu ma?
Is it that white building ahead?
B
对，就是那儿。
Duì, jiù shì nàr.
Yes, that’s the one.

New words

📝 Worksheet for this lesson

Grammar

1. 由 — “from”

由 names the starting point — where a route or movement begins (more formal than 从): 由这儿往前走 “go straight on from here”, 由北京到上海 “from Beijing to Shanghai”, 由东向西 “from east to west”. Lesson 7 had another 由 — “by whom”: 这件事由你负责.

由这儿一直往前走，在出口旁边。
Yóu zhèr yìzhí wǎng qián zǒu, zài chūkǒu pángbiān.
Go straight on from here — it’s next to the exit.
这条河由西向东流。
Zhè tiáo hé yóu xī xiàng dōng liú.
This river flows from west to east.

2. Approximately: 大约, 左右, 前后

大约 + number · number + 左右 · time + 前后

大约 “about, approximately” goes before a number: 大约二十公里. 左右 “or so” goes after a number or time: 一个小时左右, 三点左右. 前后 goes only after a point in time: 新年前后 “around New Year”, 十点前后. You can say 大约…左右 together, but it’s better to choose one.

坐地铁一个小时左右。
Zuò dìtiě yí ge xiǎoshí zuǒyòu.
It’s about an hour by metro.
他大约十点前后到。
Tā dàyuē shí diǎn qiánhòu dào.
He’ll arrive around ten.

3. 十来个 “ten or so”: number + 来 + measure

来 after a round number (10, 20, 50, 100…) means “or so, a little over”: 十来个人 “ten or so people”, 二十来岁 “twenty-something”, 五十来米 “fifty metres or so”. It isn’t used after 一, 两, 三: “about three” is 三个左右.

再走五十来米就到了。
Zài zǒu wǔshí lái mǐ jiù dào le.
Another fifty metres or so and you’re there.
教室里有十来个学生。
Jiàoshì li yǒu shí lái ge xuésheng.
There are ten or so students in the classroom.

4. Parts of the country and the city

东部 / 西部 / 南部 / 北部 mean “the eastern / western / southern / northern part”: 中国在亚洲东部 “China is in East Asia”. The big divisions of the country are 省 “provinces”: 广东省. A city is divided into 区 “districts”; 市区 is “the urban area, downtown”, 郊区 “the suburbs”, 村 “a village”. 首都 is “capital”. 城 is “city” (and “city wall”): 城东 “the east of the city”.

中国在亚洲东部，首都是北京。
Zhōngguó zài Yàzhōu dōngbù, shǒudū shì Běijīng.
China is in East Asia; its capital is Beijing.
广东省在中国南部，新疆在中国西部。
Guǎngdōng shěng zài Zhōngguó nánbù, Xīnjiāng zài Zhōngguó xībù.
Guangdong Province is in southern China; Xinjiang is in the west.
内蒙古在中国北部。
Nèi Měnggǔ zài Zhōngguó běibù.
Inner Mongolia is in northern China.

Exercises

1. Listen and choose the translation

  1. Answer
    我家对面就是地铁站。 Wǒ jiā duìmiàn jiù shì dìtiězhàn. — There’s a metro station right opposite my home.

  2. Answer
    我的钥匙掉在桥底下了。 Wǒ de yàoshi diào zài qiáo dǐxia le. — My keys fell under the bridge.

  3. Answer
    他老家在一个小村里。 Tā lǎojiā zài yí ge xiǎo cūn li. — His home town is a small village.

  4. Answer
    这条街道很干净。 Zhè tiáo jiēdào hěn gānjìng. — This street is very clean.

2. Choose the correct option

  1. “About an hour”

    Answer
    一个小时左右
  2. “Ten or so people”

    Answer
    十来个学生
  3. ___这儿往前走，就是出口。

    Answer
    由
  4. “Around New Year”

    Answer
    新年前后

3. Build the sentence

  1. My home is about twenty kilometres from the centre.

    Answer
    我家离市区大约二十公里。 Wǒ jiā lí shìqū dàyuē èrshí gōnglǐ.
  2. There’s a bridge over the river.

    Answer
    河上有一座桥。 Hé shang yǒu yí zuò qiáo.
  3. China is in East Asia.

    Answer
    中国在亚洲东部。 Zhōngguó zài Yàzhōu dōngbù.
  4. Excuse me, where’s the toilet?

    Answer
    请问厕所在哪儿？ Qǐngwèn cèsuǒ zài nǎr?

4. Dialogue: answer as the speaker

You are speaker B. Pick the right reply and the conversation goes on.

A
你的学校离你家远吗？
Nǐ de xuéxiào lí nǐ jiā yuǎn ma?
Is your school far from home?
B
不太远，三公里左右。
Bú tài yuǎn, sān gōnglǐ zuǒyòu.
Not very — about three kilometres.
A
你每天怎么去？
Nǐ měi tiān zěnme qù?
How do you get there every day?
B
骑自行车，二十分钟左右。
Qí zìxíngchē, èrshí fēnzhōng zuǒyòu.
By bike, about twenty minutes.
A
学校周围有什么？
Xuéxiào zhōuwéi yǒu shénme?
What’s around the school?
B
学校对面有一个公园，旁边是图书馆。
Xuéxiào duìmiàn yǒu yí ge gōngyuán, pángbiān shì túshūguǎn.
There’s a park opposite the school and a library next to it.

5. Translate into Chinese

  1. I’m in my early twenties.
    Answer
    我二十来岁。
  2. It’s about half an hour from my home to work.
    Answer
    从我家到公司半个小时左右。
  3. There’s a park opposite our home.
    Answer
    我们家对面有一个公园。

💡 Did you know?: China on the map

China is divided into provinces, 省, autonomous regions (Xinjiang, Inner Mongolia, Tibet and others), municipalities (Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin, Chongqing) and two special administrative regions — Hong Kong and Macao. Each province has a one-character short name that appears on car number plates: 京 is Beijing, 沪 Shanghai, 粤 Guangdong.

Phrase audio — Microsoft speech synthesis (voices Xiaoxiao, Yunyang, Yunxi); syllables and some words — native recordings (audio-cmn, CC BY-SA).