HSK 4 · Lesson 29这是他最好的作品之一 It’s one of his best works

Books and media: novels, magazines, articles, ads. The written words 者 “one who”, 之 (之前, 之后, 之间, 之中, 之一), 等 “etc.” and 拿…来说 “take… for example”.

Speed:Male voice:

Dialogues

What are you reading?

A
你在看什么书？
Nǐ zài kàn shénme shū?
What are you reading?
B
一部小说，作者是一位有名的作家。这是他最好的作品之一。
Yí bù xiǎoshuō, zuòzhě shì yí wèi yǒumíng de zuòjiā. Zhè shì tā zuì hǎo de zuòpǐn zhī yī.
A novel by a famous writer. It’s one of his best works.
A
内容有趣吗？
Nèiróng yǒuqù ma?
Is it interesting?
B
很有趣。小说分为三个部分，其中第二部分最精彩。
Hěn yǒuqù. Xiǎoshuō fēnwéi sān ge bùfen, qízhōng dì-èr bùfen zuì jīngcǎi.
Very. The novel is in three parts, and the second is the most gripping.
A
我最近不怎么看书，只看杂志、网上的文章等。
Wǒ zuìjìn bù zěnme kàn shū, zhǐ kàn zázhì, wǎngshang de wénzhāng děng.
I don’t read many books lately — just magazines, online articles and so on.
B
读书能让人的知识更丰富。拿我来说，每天睡觉之前都看半个小时书。
Dúshū néng ràng rén de zhīshi gèng fēngfù. Ná wǒ lái shuō, měi tiān shuìjiào zhīqián dōu kàn bàn ge xiǎoshí shū.
Reading broadens your knowledge. Take me, for example: I read for half an hour every night before bed.

A journalist

A
你是记者吗？
Nǐ shì jìzhě ma?
Are you a journalist?
B
对，我给一家杂志写文章，每个月写两篇。
Duì, wǒ gěi yì jiā zázhì xiě wénzhāng, měi ge yuè xiě liǎng piān.
Yes, I write for a magazine — two articles a month.
A
你们杂志的读者多吗？
Nǐmen zázhì de dúzhě duō ma?
Does your magazine have many readers?
B
不少，大部分是年轻人。不过现在收听广播、看网上视频的人越来越多。
Bù shǎo, dà bùfen shì niánqīng rén. Búguò xiànzài shōutīng guǎngbō, kàn wǎngshang shìpín de rén yuè lái yuè duō.
Quite a few, mostly young people. But more and more people now listen to the radio and watch online videos.
A
杂志里广告多吗？
Zázhì li guǎnggào duō ma?
Are there many ads in the magazine?
B
有一些。文字和图之间常常有广告。
Yǒu yìxiē. Wénzì hé tú zhījiān chángcháng yǒu guǎnggào.
Some. There are often ads between the text and the pictures.

New words

📝 Worksheet for this lesson

Grammar

1. 者 — “one who…”

者 after a verb or adjective makes a person: 读 “read” → 读者 “reader”, 作 → 作者 “author”, 记 → 记者 “journalist” (literally “one who records”). It is a written element and isn’t used on its own. Also: 前者 “the former”, 后者 “the latter”.

这本杂志的读者大部分是年轻人。
Zhè běn zázhì de dúzhě dà bùfen shì niánqīng rén.
Most of this magazine’s readers are young people.

2. 之: 之前, 之后, 之间, 之中, 之一

之 is the written form of 的; it lives on in set phrases: 睡觉之前 “before bed”, 下课之后 “after class”, 文字和图之间 “between the text and pictures”, 在这些作品之中 “among these works”, 最好的作品之一 “one of the best works”, 三分之一 “one third”.

这是他最好的作品之一。
Zhè shì tā zuì hǎo de zuòpǐn zhī yī.
This is one of his best works.
下课之后，我们去图书馆吧。
Xiàkè zhīhòu, wǒmen qù túshūguǎn ba.
Let’s go to the library after class.

3. 等 “etc.”

等 after a list means “etc., and so on”: 我只看杂志、网上的文章等 “I only read magazines, online articles and so on”. You can say 等等. If the list is complete, 等 is followed by the total: 北京、上海、广州等三个城市 “the three cities of Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou”.

书店里有小说、杂志、词典等。
Shūdiàn li yǒu xiǎoshuō, zázhì, cídiǎn děng.
The bookshop has novels, magazines, dictionaries and so on.

4. 拿…来说 “take… for example”

拿 + example + 来说，…

This introduces an example for a general point: 读书能让人的知识更丰富。拿我来说，每天睡觉之前都看书 “reading broadens your knowledge. Take me, for example: I read every night before bed”.

中国的城市很大，拿上海来说，有两千多万人。
Zhōngguó de chéngshì hěn dà, ná Shànghǎi lái shuō, yǒu liǎngqiān duō wàn rén.
Chinese cities are huge — take Shanghai: it has over twenty million people.
中国有着很长的历史。
Zhōngguó yǒuzhe hěn cháng de lìshǐ.
China has a very long history.

Exercises

1. Listen and choose the translation

  1. Answer
    这个节目有很多听众。 Zhège jiémù yǒu hěn duō tīngzhòng. — This programme has many listeners.

  2. Answer
    他每个月写两篇文章。 Tā měi ge yuè xiě liǎng piān wénzhāng. — He writes two articles a month.

  3. Answer
    睡觉之前别看手机。 Shuìjiào zhīqián bié kàn shǒujī. — Don’t look at your phone before bed.

  4. Answer
    小说分为三个部分。 Xiǎoshuō fēnwéi sān ge bùfen. — The novel is divided into three parts.

2. Choose the correct option

  1. “One of the best works”

    Answer
    最好的作品之一
  2. 一___小说

    Answer
    部
  3. “Reader” is

    Answer
    读者
  4. ___我来说，我每天都看书。

    Answer
    拿

3. Build the sentence

  1. This is one of his best works.

    Answer
    这是他最好的作品之一。 Zhè shì tā zuì hǎo de zuòpǐn zhī yī.
  2. The second part of them is the most gripping.

    Answer
    其中第二部分最精彩。 Qízhōng dì-èr bùfen zuì jīngcǎi.
  3. I write articles for a magazine.

    Answer
    我给一家杂志写文章。 Wǒ gěi yì jiā zázhì xiě wénzhāng.
  4. Let’s go to the library after class.

    Answer
    下课之后我们去图书馆吧。 Xiàkè zhīhòu wǒmen qù túshūguǎn ba.

4. Dialogue: answer as the speaker

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

A
你最喜欢哪个作家？
Nǐ zuì xǐhuan nǎge zuòjiā?
Who’s your favourite writer?
B
鲁迅。他是中国最有名的作家之一。
Lǔ Xùn. Tā shì Zhōngguó zuì yǒumíng de zuòjiā zhī yī.
Lu Xun. He’s one of China’s most famous writers.
A
他的作品难不难？
Tā de zuòpǐn nán bu nán?
Are his works difficult?
B
有一点儿难，其中有些文章是一百年前写的。
Yǒu yìdiǎnr nán, qízhōng yǒuxiē wénzhāng shì yìbǎi nián qián xiě de.
A bit — some of them are essays written a hundred years ago.
A
你一般在哪儿看书？
Nǐ yìbān zài nǎr kàn shū?
Where do you usually read?
B
在图书馆或者在家，睡觉之前也常常看。
Zài túshūguǎn huòzhě zài jiā, shuìjiào zhīqián yě chángcháng kàn.
In the library or at home — often before bed too.

5. Translate into Chinese

  1. This is one of the most famous films.
    Answer
    这是最有名的电影之一。
  2. Wash your hands before eating.
    Answer
    吃饭之前要洗手。
  3. I like sport: football, basketball, swimming and so on.
    Answer
    我喜欢运动，比如足球、篮球、游泳等。

💡 Did you know?: The Four Great Classical Novels

Everyone in China knows the 四大名著, the “Four Great Novels”: Romance of the Three Kingdoms 《三国演义》 about wars and cunning generals, Water Margin 《水浒传》 about noble outlaws, Journey to the West 《西游记》 about the Monkey King Sun Wukong, and Dream of the Red Chamber 《红楼梦》 about a noble family. Dozens of films and 电视剧 have been made from them, and even people who haven’t read them know the heroes.

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