HSK 4 · Lesson 12暑假你去哪儿度假？ Where are you going for the summer?

Holidays and travel: hotels, sightseeing, scenery. 首先…其次… “firstly…, secondly…”, 一方面…，另一方面… “on the one hand…, on the other…”, …，于是… “so then”.

Speed:Male voice:

Dialogues

Summer plans

A
暑假你打算去哪儿度假？
Shǔjià nǐ dǎsuàn qù nǎr dùjià?
Where are you planning to go for the summer holidays?
B
我想去云南旅行，那儿的风景特别美。
Wǒ xiǎng qù Yúnnán lǚxíng, nàr de fēngjǐng tèbié měi.
I want to travel to Yunnan — the scenery there is beautiful.
A
你订旅馆了吗？
Nǐ dìng lǚguǎn le ma?
Have you booked a hotel?
B
订了，在一个著名景区旁边，下个月一号入住。
Dìng le, zài yí ge zhùmíng jǐngqū pángbiān, xià ge yuè yī hào rùzhù.
Yes, next to a famous scenic area — I check in on the first of next month.
A
要找导游吗？
Yào zhǎo dǎoyóu ma?
Will you get a guide?
B
不用。首先，我想自己慢慢地游玩；其次，找导游太贵了。
Búyòng. Shǒuxiān, wǒ xiǎng zìjǐ mànmàn de yóuwán; qícì, zhǎo dǎoyóu tài guì le.
No. Firstly, I want to wander around at my own pace; secondly, a guide is too expensive.
A
你打算在那儿待几天？
Nǐ dǎsuàn zài nàr dāi jǐ tiān?
How many days will you stay there?
B
一个星期。一方面放松放松，另一方面拍点儿照片。
Yí ge xīngqī. Yì fāngmiàn fàngsōng fàngsōng, lìng yì fāngmiàn pāi diǎnr zhàopiàn.
A week. Partly to relax, and partly to take some photos.

After the trip

A
你回来了！玩得怎么样？
Nǐ huílai le! Wán de zěnmeyàng?
You’re back! How was it?
B
太难忘了！我背着背包，参观了很多景点。
Tài nánwàng le! Wǒ bēizhe bēibāo, cānguānle hěn duō jǐngdiǎn.
Unforgettable! I went round lots of sights with my backpack.
A
累不累？
Lèi bu lèi?
Was it tiring?
B
一点儿也不累，很轻松。有一天下雨不能出去，于是我就在城里逛了逛。
Yìdiǎnr yě bú lèi, hěn qīngsōng. Yǒu yì tiān xià yǔ bù néng chūqu, yúshì wǒ jiù zài chéng li guàngle guàng.
Not at all, it was easy-going. One day it rained and I couldn’t go out, so I just wandered round the town.
A
那儿的景色真像照片上那么美吗？
Nàr de jǐngsè zhēn xiàng zhàopiàn shang nàme měi ma?
Is the scenery really as beautiful as in the photos?
B
比照片还美！下次节假日我们一起去吧。
Bǐ zhàopiàn hái měi! Xià cì jiéjiàrì wǒmen yìqǐ qù ba.
Even more beautiful! Let’s go together next holiday.

New words

📝 Worksheet for this lesson

Grammar

1. 首先…，其次… “firstly…, secondly…”

首先…，其次… lists reasons or points in order of importance: 首先，我想自己慢慢地游玩；其次，找导游太贵了 “firstly, I want to wander by myself; secondly, a guide is expensive”. You can go on with 再次 “thirdly” or 最后 “finally”. 首先…然后… (lesson 3) is about steps in sequence.

我不去。首先，我没有时间；其次，那儿太远了。
Wǒ bú qù. Shǒuxiān, wǒ méiyǒu shíjiān; qícì, nàr tài yuǎn le.
I’m not going. Firstly, I have no time; secondly, it’s too far.

2. 一方面…，另一方面… “on the one hand…, on the other…”

This names two sides of one matter. Note that in Chinese the two parts needn’t be opposites — often they are simply two reasons or two aims: 一方面放松放松，另一方面拍点儿照片 “partly to relax, partly to take photos”.

学汉语一方面是为了工作，另一方面是因为我喜欢中国文化。
Xué Hànyǔ yì fāngmiàn shì wèile gōngzuò, lìng yì fāngmiàn shì yīnwèi wǒ xǐhuan Zhōngguó wénhuà.
I study Chinese partly for work and partly because I love Chinese culture.

3. …，于是… “so, and then”

于是 links an event with what was done after it and because of it: 下雨了，于是我们回家了 “it started raining, so we went home”. It narrates things that have happened, so it isn’t used in advice or plans (use 所以 or 就 there).

有一天下雨不能出去，于是我就在城里逛了逛。
Yǒu yì tiān xià yǔ bù néng chūqu, yúshì wǒ jiù zài chéng li guàngle guàng.
One day it rained and I couldn’t go out, so I wandered round the town.
他想学开车，于是马上去报名了。
Tā xiǎng xué kāichē, yúshì mǎshàng qù bàomíng le.
He wanted to learn to drive, so he went and signed up at once.

4. Travel words: 待, 背, 逛, 参观, 订

待 dāi is “to stay somewhere”: 在那儿待一个星期. 背 bēi is “to carry on one’s back”: 背着背包. 逛 is “to stroll, to wander (around town, shops)”: 逛街, 逛公园. 参观 is “to visit, to tour (a museum, factory, city)”. 游玩 is “to go sightseeing, to have fun”. 订 is “to book”: 订旅馆, 订机票. Scenery: 风景 and 景色 are “view, landscape”, 美景 “a beautiful view”, 景点 “a sight, an attraction”, 景区 “a scenic area”.

这个月末我们去度假。
Zhège yuèmò wǒmen qù dùjià.
We’re going on holiday at the end of this month.
寒假我回老家过年。
Hánjià wǒ huí lǎojiā guònián.
In the winter holidays I’m going home for New Year.

Exercises

1. Listen and choose the translation

  1. Answer
    我在那儿待了一个星期。 Wǒ zài nàr dāile yí ge xīngqī. — I stayed there for a week.

  2. Answer
    这儿的景色太美了！ Zhèr de jǐngsè tài měi le! — The scenery here is so beautiful!

  3. Answer
    下雨了，于是我们回家了。 Xià yǔ le, yúshì wǒmen huí jiā le. — It started raining, so we went home.

  4. Answer
    我背着背包参观了很多景点。 Wǒ bēizhe bēibāo cānguānle hěn duō jǐngdiǎn. — I visited lots of sights with my backpack.

2. Choose the correct option

  1. 我不想去。___，我很累；其次，天气不好。

    Answer
    首先
  2. Where is 于是 used correctly?

    Answer
    天晚了，于是我们回家了。
  3. 一方面放松放松，___拍点儿照片。

    Answer
    另一方面
  4. 你在北京___几天？

    Answer
    待

3. Build the sentence

  1. Where are you planning to go for the summer holidays?

    Answer
    暑假你打算去哪儿度假？ Shǔjià nǐ dǎsuàn qù nǎr dùjià?
  2. We’ve booked a hotel.

    Answer
    我们订了一家旅馆。 Wǒmen dìngle yì jiā lǚguǎn.
  3. This is a famous scenic area.

    Answer
    这是一个著名的景区。 Zhè shì yí ge zhùmíng de jǐngqū.
  4. Let’s go together next holiday.

    Answer
    下次节假日我们一起去吧。 Xià cì jiéjiàrì wǒmen yìqǐ qù ba.

4. Dialogue: answer as the speaker

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

A
寒假你有什么计划？
Hánjià nǐ yǒu shénme jìhuà?
Any plans for the winter holidays?
B
我想去南方旅行。
Wǒ xiǎng qù nánfāng lǚxíng.
I’d like to travel in the south.
A
为什么去南方？
Wèi shénme qù nánfāng?
Why the south?
B
一方面那儿暖和，另一方面我想去看看海。
Yì fāngmiàn nàr nuǎnhuo, lìng yì fāngmiàn wǒ xiǎng qù kànkan hǎi.
Partly because it’s warm there, and partly because I want to see the sea.
A
你找导游吗？
Nǐ zhǎo dǎoyóu ma?
Will you get a guide?
B
不，我自己去，这样更轻松。
Bù, wǒ zìjǐ qù, zhèyàng gèng qīngsōng.
No, on my own — it’s more relaxed that way.

5. Translate into Chinese

  1. Firstly, it’s expensive; secondly, I have no time.
    Answer
    首先，太贵了；其次，我没有时间。
  2. How many days will you stay in Beijing?
    Answer
    你在北京待几天？
  3. He was tired, so he went to bed.
    Answer
    他累了，于是去睡觉了。

💡 Did you know?: Golden Week

The longest holiday in China is 黄金周 huángjīnzhōu, “Golden Week”, around National Day: 1–7 October. Other long breaks are the Spring Festival and a few days off for May Day. The whole country travels then: famous 景区 have huge queues and prices for tickets and 旅馆 go up, so experienced travellers 订 everything early or go at another time.

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