Mandarin Chinese for Beginners. Yi Ren
guó rén法国人French
Practice and Review 练 习 与 复 习
Let’s check your understanding of what you have learned so far. Work through the following exercises. When you finish, compare your work with the Answer Key, available online
A. Substitutions 替换练习
This is where you practice how to use the words in the section Extend Your Vocabulary. The numbered sentences are basic sentences which are followed by a few extended sentences (underneath) containing the words present in Extend Your Vocabulary and some words you’ve learned in earlier chapters.
Wǒ zài měi guó gōng sī gōng zuò.
1. 我 在 美 国 公 司 工 作。
Wǒ zài yīng guó gōng zuò.
Tā zài ào dà lì yà ma?
Tā zài hé zī gōng sī gōng zuò.
Tā shì fǎ guó rén.
2. 他是法国 人。
Tā bú shì měi guó rén.
Wǒ shì yīng guó rén.
Nǐ shì jiā ná dà rén.
B. Connect the Sentences 选择连线
Connect each sentence with the correct pinyin.
| 1) Are you American? | a) Tā bú shì yīng guó rén |
| 2) I’m from India. | b) Nǐ shì měi guó rén ma |
| 3) He is not British. | c) Wǒ cóng yìn dù lái |
| 4) She’s from Beijing. | d) Tā cóng běi jīng lái |
C. See Pictures and Speak Chinese 看图说中文
This will probably be easy for you. Try it!
zhōng guó 中 国
měi guó 美 国
yīng guó 英 国
dé guó 德 国
fǎ guó 法 国
D. Use Pinyin to Make Sentences 用拼音造句案
For each phrase, add Chinese words you know to make a complete sentence. See how many different sentences you can say for each line!
Example: I am American. _______ Wǒ shì měi guó rén.
1) He is _________________________________
Tā shì_________________________________
2) She is not _________________________________
Tā bú shì _________________________________
3) Are you _________________________________?
Ní shì _________________________________ ma?
4) I am not _________________________________
Wǒ bú shì_________________________________
Tips
Chinese Cultural Tips 中 文花絮
About China’s Minorities
China has fifty-six ethnic groups officially recognized by the government. The largest group is Han, which constitutes around 90% of the total population. Some of the minority groups include Zhuang, Man, Hui, Miao, Uighurs, Yi, Tu Jia, Mongols, Tibetans, Koreans, Bai and Sa Ni, and many more. The population of the minority groups has grown faster than that of the Han, especially since 1980. This is because minority Chinese do not have to follow the one-child policy, while Han Chinese do. However, since 2017, the Chinese government stopped the one-child policy and allows families to have a second child. Most of the minority groups’ people live in the southwest and northwest parts of China, although most of the minority Koreans live in the northeast area of China.
Most ethnic groups have their own traditions and customs, spoken languages, holidays and celebrations. Their foods and eating habits, clothes, songs and dances also differ from those of the Han. The arts are distinctive too. For example, some minority groups living in the southwest are famed for their batik skills, 蜡染 là rǎn in Chinese. Their beautifully dyed cloth features unique designs and colors, and is used to make products ranging from clothes to bags to tablecloths. Most have very bright colors, but in the Gui Zhou area, batik cloths are blue and white. Why? It’s because Gui Zhou produces a special “blue grass” that’s used to make their unique blue dye.
There have been many Chinese movies about Chinese minorities. Among them, “刘三姐 Liú sān jiě,” “阿诗玛 Ā shī mǎ,” “五朵金花 Wǔ duō jīn huā,” and “冰山上的来客 Bīng shān shàng de lái kè” are especially well-known. These movies described some of their love stories and cultures, and were widely popular when they were produced before the Cultural Revolution (1966–1976). In fact, some of the songs from these movies are still very popular in China now, and some are available with English subtitles.
For Your Enjoyment
Commonly heard in China, these two idioms and a line from a poem describe