欢迎四 第二单元 语法 HY4 Unit 2 language notes

in fact; in reality; actually （shí jì shàng）
父母希望我当电脑工程师，实际上，我对电脑没有兴趣。My parents want me to become a computer engineer. As a matter of fact, I am not interested in computers.
这些数学题看上去很难，实际上不太难。 These math problems look difficult, but in fact, they are not that hard.

Ever since...
五千年来，中国人一直住在黄河边。
For five thousand years, the Chinese have lived along the Yellow River.
许多年来，他希望有机会去一次北京。
For many years, he hoped to have an opportunity to go to Beijing.

in summary; in sum (zǒng de lái shuō)
下星期有数学、语文、英文、物理和化学的考试。总的来说，大家都很忙。
Next week there are tests on math, Chinese, English, Physics, and Chemistry. In sum; everyone will be busy.
总的来说，人们的生活比三十年前好多了。
In summary, people's lives are much better than they were 30 years ago.

to occupy / to constitute / to make up / to account for (zhàn)
占 is a verb, with similar meaning to 是. It is used when we talk about ranking and percentage.
中国人口差不多占世界人口的百分之二十。
China's population constitutes approximately 20% of the world's population.
在我们学校，外国学生占一半。
In our school, 50% of the students are foreigners.
高三的同学在跳高比赛中占了前两名。
Members of the senior class held the top two places in the high jump competition.
在世界的经济大国中，美国、中国和日本占了前三名。
Among the world's largest economies, the United States, China, and Japan comprise the top three.

(Bǎi fēn zhī) percent
Unlike the English way of saying 30% (number + percent). the Chinese way is 百分之三十 (百分之 + number). Here are some more examples:
50% 百分之五十
25% 百分之二十五
46.1% 百分之四十六点一
50.88% 百分之五十点八八
100% 百分之（一） 百

What do to? What should I do? What should be done? (zěn me bàn)
怎么办 is a set phrase commonly used in spoken Chinese, with the meaning of "what to do," "what should be done," or "what shall we do?"
A: 我今天明天都没空，你说怎么办？ I don't have time either today or tomorrow. What shall we do?
B: 那我们下个星期再去吧。In that case, we can go next week.

A: 我的手机没电了，怎么办？My cell phone is out of power. What should we do?
B: 我们去找个公用电话吧。Let's look a payphone.

knowledgeable be in.... well learned in... (duì ...yǒu yán jiū)
You can add an adverb, such as 很、非常、没... before 有研究.
王老师对中国少数民族的历史很有研究。Teacher Wang is very knowledgeable in the history of Chinese minorities.
我对中国菜系没有研究。 I have no knowledge of Chinese cuisines.

from the perspective of..., through
This is a prepositional phrases, and it is usually placed before a verb phrase.
我们可以从教育看一个国家的将来。 We can see a nation's future through its education.
从外面看， 这座大楼很一般。可是大楼里面漂亮极了。 From the outside, the building looks ordinary. But it is extremely beautiful inside.

generally speaking, in general (yī bān lái shuō)
一般来说，中国网民喜欢上网聊天。Generally speaking, Chinese Internet users like to chat online.
一般来说，这儿的秋天不常下雨。 In general, it doesn't rain very often in the autumn here.

regardless of; no matter what/when, whether... (wú lùn)
We have learned 不管 in HY4 Lesson 1.4. 无论 has the same basic meaning as 不管; the only difference is 无论 is used more in written Chinese.
无论在什么地方，都有很多车。 No matter where it is, there are many cars.
无论在哪个国家，都有一些风景点。No matter which country it is, there are some scenic spots.
无论你是初中生还是高中生，都要参加毕业考试。 Whether you are a middle school student or a high school student, you have to take the graduation exam.

Be beneficial to.... (duì...yǒu hǎo chù)
"种在当地，吃在当地" 对当地的经济有好处。"Growing locally and eating locally" is beneficial to the local community.
多吃蔬菜水果对身体有好处。 Eating more vegetables and fruits is good for your health.
If something i harmful, we can use 对...有坏处：
暴饮暴食对健康有坏处。Eating and drinking excessively is harmful to health.

particularly; especially (yóu qí)
那家饭店的菜做得很好，尤其是牛肉。 That restaurant's dishes are very well prepared ,particularly their beef dishes.
这张光盘上的歌非常好听，尤其是那首名字叫"春天"的歌。 The songs on this CD are great, particularly the one called "Spring."

let someone down
我爸爸为了帮助我上大学，每天下班以后还去打工。如果我不好好学习，就太对不起他了。 In order to help me go to college, my father has taken a part-time job after work. If I don't study well, I would let him down.
让我们好好生活。这样才对得起我们自己。Let's lead great lives. This way we won't let ourselves down.

not necessarily (bú jiàn dé)
The meaning of 不见得 is similar to 不一定. 不见得 is often used in spoken Chinese.
贵的东西不见得好。 Expensive things are not necessarily good.
天然食品不见得都对健康有好处。 Not all natural food is necessarily beneficial to your health.

such as (xiàng)
When citing an example, we can use 像 to list things.
中国的少数民族，像回族、蒙古族、白族等，都有自己的节日。 China's minorities, such as Hui, Mongolian, Bai, and other ethnic groups, all have their own festivals.
有些事，像打扫房间、洗衣服、买东西什么的，可以让孩子学着做。 (You) can let your child learn to do a few chores, such as cleaning the room, doing laundry, shopping, and so on.

give an example, cite an example (jǔ lì zi)
王老师上课的时候常常举例子。听他的课比较容易懂。Teacher Wang often cites examples when giving a class. It is easier to understand his lessons.
在谈到饮食全球化的时候，你能举两个例子吗？When talking about food globalization, can you give a couple of examples?

similar to; resemble (xiàng)
In HHY4 Lesson 2.4, we learned 像 has the meaning of "such as." It has another meaning of "look like," or "resemble."
他很像他爸爸。He resembles his father.
这儿的天气很像我老家。 冬天老下雨。The weather here is similar to my hometown. It always rains in winter.
我像你一样，很注意食品标志。Like you, I also pay a lot of attention to food labels.

moreover; furthermore; in addition; besides; and (bìng qiě)
他们去校外考察的时候，参观了历史博物馆，并且看了一个历史电影。 When they took a field trip they visited the history museum, moreover, they also saw a history movie.
购物中心里有一个健身中心，并且有一个溜冰场。 Inside the shopping mall, there is a gym. Moreover, there is also a skating rink.

Even if; even though (nǎ pà)
哪怕 is a conjunction, and it is often used with 也.
哪怕刮风下雨，他也去跑步。 Even if it is windy and rainy, he still jogs.
哪怕电脑坏了，你不是还有笔吗？为什么不做作业呢？Even i the computer was down, didn't you still have a pen? Why didn't you do your homework?