Book 4

Chapter 1

Vocabulary I

上癮

To be addicted (to something).

Usages:

• 她對（某個東西）上癮: she is addicted to (something)
• 她看恐怖片看上癮了: she is addicted to watching horror movies

刺激

Stimulating (Vs), to stimulate (V), stimulation (N).

Vocabulary II

寂寞

Lonely and isolated feeling (but not necessarily physically alone).

Compare with 孤單, which means "alone".

網友

Literally "online friend", but often implies online dating

陪伴

To keep somebody company Usages:

• 他陪伴（某個人）: he accompanies (somebody)
• 他是她的陪伴: he is her companion

紓解

To relieve (pressure, stress). See also 減輕 (to reduce).

轉換

Often used with:

• 心情：「轉換心情」 "to change one's mood"
• 跑道：「轉換跑道」 "to change one's path (in life)"

虛擬

Virtual or fictional. Opposite of 現實.

現實

Actual, real. Opposite of 虛擬. Means "materialistic" and carries a negative connotation if used to describe a person (use 實際 instead to mean "practical" or "realistic" without the negative connotation).

期待

Expectations (N), to look forward to or be excited for an upcoming event (V)

喘氣

To gasp, pant. V-sep, Vs

Usages:

• 喘喘氣
• 喘一口氣 (V-sep)
• 很喘 (Vs)

懂得

To comprehend, to understand.

Used to describe experience-based understanding of something complex. Cannot be used as drop-in replacement for 懂.

陷阱

A trap, a snare

Usages:

• 設下陷阱： to set a trap
• 掉（進/入）陷阱： to fall into a trap, to get trapped

Additional Vocabulary

溫暖 vs 暖和 vs 溫馨

• 溫暖 applies to people/behavior (friendly, caring, or kind) and weather/environment (warm)
• 暖和 means a warm weather or a warm environment
• 溫馨 applies to relationships, meaning something like "sweet"

Grammar Notes

I. 與其 A…不如…B B rather than A

In English, roughly: "A isn't as good as B"

Colloquially 與其 can be omitted.

• A and B can be verbs, nouns, or sentences

II. 就 on the contrary

Usage: 就 + counterexample to another speaker's statement.

III. A Summary of the Various Usages of 就

1. Consequential (a conditional expression + 就)
2. Sooner than expected (time/event + 就)
3. Sequential (A + 就 + B)
4. Imminent (就要 + event (+ 了))
5. Focus marker (said with heavy stress) (Simply/just/really)
6. Merely/only (就 + time/quantity)
7. Exceptional

IV. 別說A，就是B也… never mind A, even B is the case…

Used to express astonishment.

• A is something typically taken for granted
• B is something unusual but true

V. 簡直 to put it simply and plainly, it seems as if

簡直 is similar to how "basically" is used when exaggerating in English, eg. "she's basically a genius"

• hyperbolic expression
• Often 簡直+像/是/verb

VI. 不至於 but the situation would not be so bad as to…

• ...,(但還/所以/但也)不至於...

VII. 往往 usually; tend to

• (add context), 往往...
• negation form: 往往不
• cannot be used in future tense

Chapter 2

Vocabulary I

穿著 chuānzhuó apparel, clothing

Pronounced chuānzhuó (note rising tone on zhuó). Meaning is apparel, the clothes one is currently wearing.

Chapter 3

Vocabulary I

划算

Negation: 不划算

落差

Usage: A根B有落差 / 很（大/小）的落差

Comparison of 落差 with 不同 and 差別:

落差 has a "not good enough" connotation and is used to compare good/bad or high/low, whereas 差別 and 不同 are neutral.

Eg. 文化有差別 (there are cultural differences) does not have a negative connotation.

「聽說網路上有的圖片跟實際的商品落差很大……」(I've heard there's sometimes a big difference between the photos online and the actual products) implies the actual products are not as good as the ones in the online photos.

仿冒品

Antonym (genuine product): 正品 or 正貨

May see 「A貨」 in markets in HK or China, meaning highest-grade counterfeit.

資訊

資訊 vs. 資料: 資訊 is organized information/data, 資料 is raw or unorganized information/data.

疑問

Usage: 對X有疑問

後悔

後悔 is both V and Vs.

Usage: 「我怕買了會後悔」 "I am afraid I will regret buying it". 「我很後悔買那輛車」 "I regret buying that car".

後悔 vs. 遺憾:

• 後悔 refers to remediable regrets, eg. missing a concert
• 遺憾 is more serious, is a noun and is used with unfixable situations, eg. feeling responsible and regretful for someone's death. A common phrase is 「留下遺憾」 "to have regrets/remorse".

認證

Good verb usage:「經過認證」: "To undergo certification“

從前

A very long time ago, much longer than 以前. An elderly person may use 從前 to talk about their youth.

通常

Meaning generally, typically. Almost interchangeable with 一般. Weaker than 一向 in most situations.

平常 vs. 通常:

• 平常: habitually, frequently --should have some details, eg. 「我平常早上八點運動」“I typically exercise at 8 am”, not 「我平常運動」(missing detail, implies exercising endlessly).

Vocabulary II

取代

取代 vs. 代替 vs. 替換:

• 取代: To replace (object), long-term or forever. Example： 「現代人用電子郵件取代筆紙寫信」: "modern people use email as a replacement for writing letters with pen and paper"
• 代替: To substitute (temporarily), eg. substitute honey for sugar when cooking
• 替換: To exchange or replace an object (often a broken object; eg. a car's tire) with another

影集

影集 vs. 連續劇:

• 影集 is an episodic TV show (often the same characters every episode but each episode is a self-contained story)
• 連續劇 is a serial TV show, meaning a long single story that progresses across different episodes

取得

Usage: 取得+object

取得 is formal and must be used with "formal" objects or abstract objects.

Examples:

• 取得資格: To obtain a qualification (by taking a course, passing an examination, etc.)
• 取得學位: To be granted an academic degree
• 取得資料: To access information

Negation: 無法取得+object (cannot get object)

查詢

Meaning to look up, query, consult, inquire, or check by asking other people/a search engine.

Incorrect to use 查詢 with eg. looking up a word's definition or other simple activities.

避開

To avoid (by staying away from, taking a different route, using a different method)

Examples:

• 避開路段: Avoid a section of road by going around
• 避開（情況/東西/人）: To avoid something (a situation, an object, a person) by staying away
• 避開問題: To avoid encountering a problem (by doing something else)

若

Same usage and meaning as 如果

例子

Common phrase: 「舉個例子來說……」: "take for example..."

過度

To be overly-something, eg.

• 過度使用：To overuse
• 過度負責：To overcomplicate
• 過度認真：Overly serious

此外

Better translated as "besides this...". 此 means "this".

戶外

Antonym of 室內 (indoors)

人類

As opposed to 動物

沉迷

To be obsessed, to the point of negatively affecting other parts of life.

沉：To sink, opposite of 浮 (to float).

沉浸：to be steeped in, immersed in, an expert at (no negative connotation).

Grammar Notes

I. 何必 why must

A rhetorical question, "does one really need to... ?" in response to a statement.

Usage: <reason/excuse> + 何必 + <action from original statement>

Example: 「臺北有捷運，你和必買車呢？」 "Taipei has MRT, do you really need to buy a car?"

II. 不見的 not necessarily

Cannot be used to answer 「有沒有」，「是不是」 type questions. For those, use 「不一定」.

IV. Verb Particle 慣

Usage:

• V得慣，V不慣
• V慣了，沒V慣

看不慣 means to disapprove of, to dislike.

Colloquial use: 「V不太慣 」, meaning not quite used to Ving.

Examples:

• 「我做不慣家事」 "I'm not used to doing housework"
• 「我住慣了鄉下了」 "I've gotten used to living in the countryside"

V. Verb Complement 動 capable of causing movement

A verb complement indicating the ability or inability of moving.

Can only be used in potential (V得動，V不動) forms.

Can only be used with movement related verbs, eg. 走，跑，拿，般，玩，開 (of a car)，跳，etc.

動 (able to move) vs. 了 (capable of action)

• 「我很累，現在走不動」：I'm too tired to walk anymore
• 「風太大了，我們走不了」：It's too windy, we are unable to leave

Examples:

• 「你一個人搬得動嗎？」 are you able to move it by yourself?
• 「他受傷了，恐怕跑不動」 he was injured and may be unable to run
• 「拿得動」 can pick it up, 「拿不動」 cannot pick it up

VII. 此外 in addition, furthermore

此外 can be expanded into 除此之外

More precisely 此外 means "besides this..."

Often followed by 也 (something) or 還 (something)

VIII. 總而言之 in short

Means in conclusion, or in short. What follows is a summary or brief conclusion based on prior statements.

Can be abbreviated to 總之

Additional Vocabulary

容量

Storage space, i.e. GB, TB.

宅，宅男/宅女

宅 (Vs) describes somebody or some activity as being oriented around staying at home for entertainment. Examples are 宅 things are playing video games, reading manga, watching TV or movies, etc.

宅男/宅女 (N) is a person who does 宅 things habitually, a homebody.

C/P值

C/P ostensibly stands for Capability to Price ratio. C/P高 means a good value, "more bang for your buck“.

割

割 means to cut

• 割掉: to cut off, sever

解約

To end/terminate a contract

違約金

Penalty for terminating a contract

原單

Unauthorized factory extras, aka midnight shift products

撿起來

To pick up off the ground

追劇

To follow/binge watch a TV series

過癮

To satisfy a craving, enjoy oneself, gratifying, satisfying

刪除

To delete

封鎖

To block (somebody's account)

正本

Original copy

影本

Photocopy (N)

影印

Photocopy (V)

崇拜

To idolize, worship

物資

Goods, materials

筆電

Laptop computer, shortened from 筆記型電腦

家常便飯

Commonplace，ordinary

而言

Speaking of, regarding (same as 來說)

取捨

To accept or reject; to choose

駕照

Driver's license

看不慣

To disapprove, dislike

入睡

To go to sleep

打呼

To snore

回答 vs. 答案

• 回答: (V,N) Answer
• 答案: (N) The solution, correct answer, eg. to a test problem.

正確

Correct, right, proper (Vs)

Antonym of 錯誤.

錯誤

Incorrect, mistake (Vs, N)

Chapter 4

Vocabulary I

欸

欸 has different meanings depending on the tone.

2nd tone: 欸 (éi) "huh?"

3rd tone: 欸 (ěi) (of an authority figure to an underling) "what is it that do you think you're doing?"

4th tone: 欸 (èi) "hey!"

衣櫥

Alternatively, 衣櫃

在意

vs. 在乎：

在意 means to mind something (it affects one's emotions)

在乎 means to think something is important

The difference is clearer in the negative:

不在意 means to be unaffected by, or to not mind something

不在乎 means to not care about something

角度

A common phrase is 「站在X的角度…」, "to see it from X's perspective..."

學問

Measure word: 門

脾氣

To lose one's temper: 發脾氣

鏡子

Measure word: 面

床腳

Head of the bed: 床頭

把

Also means "a handful of", eg. 「一把糖果」 "a handful of candy"

欺負

Means "to tease" or "to pick on". 欺負 is less strong than 霸凌 (to bully).

Vocabulary II

西元

BC: 前西元

本身

Means itself/themself. Can refer to people, things, events.

Grammar Notes

I. 總算 finally, speaking roughly (in the ballpark)

總算 vs. 終於： 總算 can be used in place of 終於 to mean the same thing, "finally" or "at last".

總算 has an additional usage that 終於 does not have, meaning "at least" in the sense that a situation is imperfect but "at least" some result was achieved, even if not ideal. A common pattern is: 「雖然…但總算…」 "although... but at least...".

In this usage, the event must have happened in the past.

For example: Even though I didn't do perfectly on this test, but at least I did alright. 「雖然這次考試也不是考的很好，但總算還可以」

It is more natural to put the subject before 總算, eg. 「雖然成績不理想，但我總算考上了」

II. 還不過是 nothing more than

This expression means that the speaker considers whatever follows as unexceptional or unremarkable. It can be considered slightly impolite if describing somebody else's activities. This expression is usually used in response to a question.

III. Outright Denial with 才

This 才 is used to make an intense, angry refutation to some statement.

There are two ways to respond to a statement with this grammar: (1) negate the original statement or (2) alter the subject of the original statement. It is incorrect to do both (1) and (2) at the same time. If the original statement is a negative (i.e. contains 不) the response MUST be a double negative.

Example of negating the original statement (1):

A: 聽說你喜歡小林

B: 我才不喜歡他！

Example of (1) with double negative:

A：網購不安全，實體購物比較好

B：網購才不是不安全！

Example of altering the subject of the original statement (2):

A：草莓冰淇淋最好吃

B：巧克力冰淇淋才是最好吃!

VII. 光A就… just A alone...

Just/even A alone exceeds common expectations.

This structure emphasizes the excessiveness or some situation using (A) as an example. If (A) is a particularly excessive example, the 光…就 pattern is identical to 連…都.

Example of 光…就 having usage identical to 連…都:

「最近房價那麼貴，聽說光有錢人就買不起房子」

「最近房價那麼貴，聽說連有錢人都買不起房子」

“Housing prices are so high lately that even rich people can't afford to buy a house

Example where 光…就 cannot be swapped with 連…都 because the example (A) is not extreme:

「最近好熱，光昨天就超過三十度」

"It's been so hot recently, just yesterday it was over 30°"

VIII. Expressing Displeasure or Annoyance with 都

Here 都 roughly translates as "already", (eg. "I've already waited for two hours!"). The speaker expresses annoyance that some aspect of the situation has exceeded a reasonable limit.

「你都睡了十個鐘頭，怎麼還說很累？」

"You already slept for 10 hours, how can you still be tired?"

Chapter 5

Vocabulary I

稀奇

Means unusual, strange, eccentric. Can apply to good or bad situations. vs. 難得：難得 refers to something that has already occurred an is desirable (i.e. rare).

盲目

To do something without regard，eg. 盲⽬升學：To blindly pursue studies 盲⽬跟隨：To blindly follow 盲⽬聽從：To blindly obey

逃避

To evade responsibility

Chapter 6

Vocabulary I

橋

M: 座

強烈

Used to describe weather, earthquakes, emotions, etc.

預先

vs. 事先：事先 means "before a (serious) event". 預先 means "in advance" without connotations of disaster.

隨手

Means "within easy reach" or "while you're there"

白

1. To do something in vain (eg. 報告白寫了, to write a report in vain)
2. To do something without paying, often with negative connotations (eg. 白吃)

嫌

To complain about, be bothered by, disdain, or resent a specific thing (requires an object)

Vocabulary II

災害

Disaster/damage from a disaster. Often 「災害帶來的…」

Comparatively less serious in meaning than than 災難

災難

A catastrophe. Used to describe huge or serious disasters (epidemic, war, earthquakes, etc.). Can also be used to describe personal disasters.

狀況

Often used with 出 or 發生, eg.

• 出新狀況
• 發生重大狀況

倒塌

To collapse into pieces.

vs. 倒下來： to tip over

平靜

Non-emotional

Chapter 7

Vocabulary I

交

「交朋友」：To make friends in general Compare with 「做朋友」, which is used when becoming friends with a specific person.

約會

V-sep, N: To make a date (with somebody). A date.

Be careful, this means a date, not an appointment. To have an appointment is 「有會」

一生

One's life. Cannot say 「我的一生」, as this implies you've died and are speaking from the afterlife. Use 「我的人生」 here instead.

一生 has a similar meaning to 一輩子

至少

Means "at least". Use before verbs or quantities.

實習

To intern (V), an internship (N)

Vocabulary II

目光

Means "gaze" when talking about attraction, love.

Compare with 眼光, meaning ability to discern

於是

Means "so" + "and then" 「所以」+ 「然後」

煩惱

To be troubled, vexed (Vs). Troubles (N).

告白

To confess love (not used for confessing to crimes).

Usage: 「跟/向/對 X 告白」

交往

To date. Usage: A跟B交往

忌妒/嫉妒

忌妒 and 嫉妒 have the same pronunciation and very similar meanings. Native speakers might not know the difference.

• 忌妒: jealous because somebody took something from me
• 嫉妒: envious because others have something I don't, or can do something I cannot

吃醋

Usage: 「吃 X 的醋」 "to be jealous of X". Eg, a sibling getting better treatment.

吻

To kiss romantically, french kissing

vs. 親, a non-romantic kiss (eg. kiss a child)

一見鍾情

Love at first sight.

Usage: 「我對 X 一見鍾情」 "I was in love with X at first sight"

Additional Vocabulary

會議

Meeting (N)

開會

Have a meeting V-sep

I. 還 to my surprise

Expresses surprise that something is more/better than one expected. This grammar can be perceived as being slightly insulting, because it implies the speaker had lower hopes.

Eg. 「你的女朋友還很漂亮！」 "your girlfriend is actually pretty" (expressing surprise that she is pretty)

Often this 還 is used with 真

II. Alternating Events with 一下…一下…

In Taiwan often said as 一下子…一下子…

III.Various Fractions with A 分之 B

Means ${\frac {B}{A}}$, i.e. "B out of A"

V. To Have a Full Dosage of an Activity V個夠

One-character verbs are better here from a style perspective

Chapter 10

Vocabulary I

以上/以下

• x 以上："x (inclusive) and above", i.e. [x, ∞)
• x 以下："below (excluding) x", i.e. (-∞, x)

磨練

An opportunity to train/improve at something (N), to train (V). 磨練 implies with some difficulty.

誇獎

Praise, specifically from above, eg. boss to worker, parent to child

就…而言

Can be used anywhere 對…來說 is used. Extends beyond 對…來說 to non-people objects too.

Vocabulary II

貸款

A loan from a bank

• 房貸：mortgage
• 車貸：car loan

技巧

technique

概念

an understanding (of something)

沙盤推演

Used with eg. interviews, battles, plans. A dry run, a practice run, a mock version of something. Does not mean rehearsal of a play or performance since the actual event is expected to differ from the practice. Use 彩排 for a rehearsal of an exact performance.

Additional Vocabulary

配得上/配不上

Referring to somebody's prospective date/partner: "In the same league"/"not in the same league", or "worthy"/"not worthy".

III. 似乎 it seems that, it gives somebody the impression that

似乎 means the same thing as 「看起來好像」

IV. Classical Chinese Preposition 以

Similar to 用, but usage seems broader

V. 是…的料 to be gifted in...

Figuratively refers to being made of some material or fabric, similar to English's "cut out for". This pattern can optionally be used with a measure word, often 塊, meaning a piece of. Must be used with a verb phrase, i.e. when used with nouns, eg. 老師, then must be used with a verb such as 當.

Examples:

• 「我不是當老師的料」： "I'm not cut out to be a teacher"
• 「他真是（塊）做生意的料」： "He's really cut out for business"