HSK 4 · Lesson 25真正的朋友 A true friend

Friendship and love: dates, invitations, gratitude. 不是…，就是… “either…, or…”, comparing with 相同 / 相反 / 同样 / 区别, and 约 “to arrange to meet”.

Speed:Male voice:

Dialogues

A first date

B
周末我约了她看电影，她答应了！
Zhōumò wǒ yuēle tā kàn diànyǐng, tā dāying le!
I asked her to the cinema at the weekend, and she said yes!
A
太好了！你们第一次约会吧？
Tài hǎo le! Nǐmen dì-yī cì yuēhuì ba?
Great! Is it your first date?
B
对。我想送她一些鲜花，浪漫一点儿。
Duì. Wǒ xiǎng sòng tā yìxiē xiānhuā, làngmàn yìdiǎnr.
Yes. I want to give her some flowers — to be a bit romantic.
A
你们俩有什么共同的爱好？
Nǐmen liǎ yǒu shénme gòngtóng de àihào?
What hobbies do you two share?
B
我们都喜欢音乐。她周末不是去听音乐会，就是在家弹琴。
Wǒmen dōu xǐhuan yīnyuè. Tā zhōumò bú shì qù tīng yīnyuèhuì, jiù shì zài jiā tán qín.
We both love music. At weekends she either goes to concerts or plays the piano at home.
A
真巧，我男朋友也喜欢音乐。下次我们四个人一起出去玩吧！
Zhēn qiǎo, wǒ nánpéngyou yě xǐhuan yīnyuè. Xià cì wǒmen sì ge rén yìqǐ chūqu wán ba!
What a coincidence — my boyfriend loves music too. Next time let’s all four go out together!

About friendship

A
我搬家的时候，你来陪我，帮了我很多。真感谢你！
Wǒ bānjiā de shíhou, nǐ lái péi wǒ, bāngle wǒ hěn duō. Zhēn gǎnxiè nǐ!
When I moved house you came to keep me company and helped a lot. Thank you so much!
B
别客气，这才是真正的朋友。
Bié kèqi, zhè cái shì zhēnzhèng de péngyou.
Don’t mention it — that’s what real friends are for.
A
有人说，友情和爱情没有区别，你觉得呢？
Yǒu rén shuō, yǒuqíng hé àiqíng méiyǒu qūbié, nǐ juéde ne?
Some people say there’s no difference between friendship and love. What do you think?
B
我的看法相反。这两种感情不相同，可是同样美好。
Wǒ de kànfǎ xiāngfǎn. Zhè liǎng zhǒng gǎnqíng bù xiāngtóng, kěshì tóngyàng měihǎo.
I think the opposite. The two feelings aren’t the same, but they’re equally beautiful.
A
说得对！我们永远是好朋友。
Shuō de duì! Wǒmen yǒngyuǎn shì hǎo péngyou.
Well said! We’ll always be good friends.
B
来，抱一下！
Lái, bào yíxià!
Come here — a hug!

New words

📝 Worksheet for this lesson

Grammar

1. 不是…，就是… “either…, or…”

不是 A，就是 B

One of the two options is true, there’s no third: 她周末不是去听音乐会，就是在家弹琴 “at weekends she’s either at a concert or at the piano at home”, 他不是在看书，就是在写作业. Don’t confuse it with 不是…，而是… (lesson 4), where the first is denied and the second asserted.

他不是在看书，就是在写作业。
Tā bú shì zài kàn shū, jiù shì zài xiě zuòyè.
He’s either reading or doing homework.
这几天不是刮风，就是下雨。
Zhè jǐ tiān bú shì guā fēng, jiù shì xià yǔ.
These days it’s either windy or raining.

2. 相同, 相反, 同样, 区别

相同 is “identical, the same” (= 一样, more formal): 两种感情不相同. 相反 is “opposite; on the contrary”: 我的看法相反, 相反的方向. 同样 is “the same; equally”: 同样美好, 同样的问题. 区别 is “difference; to distinguish”: 有什么区别？ 区别 A 和 B.

这两个词有什么区别？
Zhè liǎng ge cí yǒu shénme qūbié?
What’s the difference between these two words?
我们的看法完全相同。
Wǒmen de kànfǎ wánquán xiāngtóng.
Our views are exactly the same.

3. 约, 约会, 邀请, 答应, 拒绝

约 + person + activity means “to arrange, to ask out”: 我约了她看电影. 约会 is “a date; an appointment”. 邀请 is “to invite” (polite, formal): 他邀请我参加生日晚会. 答应 is “to agree, to promise”: 她答应了. 拒绝 is “to refuse”: 我拒绝了他的邀请. In written style 约 = 大约 “about”: 约五十人.

他邀请我参加他的生日晚会。
Tā yāoqǐng wǒ cānjiā tā de shēngrì wǎnhuì.
He invited me to his birthday party.
她很有爱心，常常帮助别人。
Tā hěn yǒu àixīn, chángcháng bāngzhù biérén.
She’s very caring and often helps others.

Exercises

1. Listen and choose the translation

  1. Answer
    我拒绝了他的邀请。 Wǒ jùjuéle tā de yāoqǐng. — I turned down his invitation.

  2. Answer
    真巧，我们又见面了！ Zhēn qiǎo, wǒmen yòu jiànmiàn le! — What a coincidence — we’ve met again!

  3. Answer
    这个城市的特点是很干净。 Zhège chéngshì de tèdiǎn shì hěn gānjìng. — This city’s special feature is how clean it is.

  4. Answer
    我会永远记得你。 Wǒ huì yǒngyuǎn jìde nǐ. — I’ll always remember you.

2. Choose the correct option

  1. 他周末不是看书，___写作业。

    Answer
    就是
  2. “I think the opposite”

    Answer
    我的看法相反。
  3. 她___了我的邀请，我很高兴。

    Answer
    答应
  4. “What’s the difference?”

    Answer
    有什么区别？

3. Build the sentence

  1. I asked her to the cinema at the weekend.

    Answer
    周末我约了她看电影。 Zhōumò wǒ yuēle tā kàn diànyǐng.
  2. That’s what real friends are.

    Answer
    这才是真正的朋友。 Zhè cái shì zhēnzhèng de péngyou.
  3. What hobbies do you two share?

    Answer
    你们俩有什么共同的爱好？ Nǐmen liǎ yǒu shénme gòngtóng de àihào?
  4. We’ll always be good friends.

    Answer
    我们永远是好朋友。 Wǒmen yǒngyuǎn shì hǎo péngyou.

4. Dialogue: answer as the speaker

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

A
明天晚上你有空吗？我想邀请你吃饭。
Míngtiān wǎnshang nǐ yǒu kòng ma? Wǒ xiǎng yāoqǐng nǐ chī fàn.
Are you free tomorrow evening? I’d like to take you to dinner.
B
明天不行，我已经约了朋友。
Míngtiān bù xíng, wǒ yǐjīng yuēle péngyou.
Not tomorrow — I’ve already arranged to meet a friend.
A
那后天呢？
Nà hòutiān ne?
What about the day after?
B
后天可以。去哪儿吃？
Hòutiān kěyǐ. Qù nǎr chī?
The day after is fine. Where shall we eat?
A
你决定吧，你喜欢中餐还是快餐？
Nǐ juédìng ba, nǐ xǐhuan zhōngcān háishi kuàicān?
You choose — do you prefer Chinese food or fast food?
B
都行，我平常不是吃中餐，就是吃快餐，什么都爱吃。
Dōu xíng, wǒ píngcháng bú shì chī zhōngcān, jiù shì chī kuàicān, shénme dōu ài chī.
Either — I usually eat Chinese or fast food; I like everything.

5. Translate into Chinese

  1. In the evenings he either watches TV or plays games.
    Answer
    晚上他不是看电视，就是玩游戏。
  2. What’s the difference between these two words?
    Answer
    这两个词有什么区别？
  3. Thank you for keeping me company.
    Answer
    谢谢你陪我。

💡 Did you know?: Chinese Valentine’s Day

China has its own Valentine’s Day — 七夕 Qīxī, the seventh day of the seventh lunar month (usually in August). Legend says that on this night the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl — the stars Altair and Vega, parted by the Heavenly River (the Milky Way) — meet on a bridge of magpies. Young people also joke about 20 May: “520”, wǔ èr líng, sounds like 我爱你 wǒ ài nǐ “I love you”.

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