友好交往

Yǒuhǎo jiāowǎng

Friendly Interaction

Pattern 1

yóu

Preposition placed before the agent to emphasize who is responsible for or in charge of an action.

Examples

时间由你定。

Shíjiān yóu nǐ dìng.

The time is up to you to decide.

现在由刘先生介绍这次旅行的计划。

Xiànzài yóu Liú xiānsheng jièshào zhè cì lǚxíng de jìhuà.

Now Mr. Liu will introduce the itinerary for this trip.

Pattern 2

bú shì..., jiù shì...

Expresses an either-or choice or alternating possibility: 'if not A, then B'. Also used to describe two habitual alternating activities.

Examples

我们的几个主力不是回家了，就是生病了。

Wǒmen de jǐ ge zhǔlì bú shì huí jiā le, jiù shì shēngbìng le.

Several of our key players either went home or fell ill.

九号楼不是这座，就是旁边那座。

Jiǔ hào lóu bú shì zhè zuò, jiù shì pángbiān nà zuò.

Building 9 is either this one or the one next to it.

Pattern 3

hékuàng...

Conjunction meaning 'let alone / moreover / what's more'. Used in progressive compound sentences to add a much stronger, self-evident reason.

Examples

这个字很多中国人都不认识，何况留学生呢？

Zhè ge zì hěn duō Zhōngguó rén dōu bù rènshi, hékuàng liúxuéshēng ne?

Even many Chinese people don't know this character, let alone international students!

我中学时学的就是英语，何况现在英语几乎已经成了世界通用语了。

Wǒ zhōngxué shí xué de jiù shì Yīngyǔ, hékuàng xiànzài Yīngyǔ jīhū yǐjīng chéng le shìjiè tōngyòng yǔ le.

I studied English in middle school; moreover, English has now practically become a universal language.

Pattern 4

shuāngzhòng fǒudìng

Using two negatives in one sentence to express an affirmative meaning with enhanced, emphatic tone ('nobody does not...' = 'everyone does...').

Examples

周围的同学没有不羡慕他们的。

Zhōuwéi de tóngxué méiyǒu bù xiànmù tāmen de.

None of their classmates around them didn't envy them (Everyone envied them).

这么重要的比赛，我不能不看。

Zhème zhòngyào de bǐsài, wǒ bù néng bù kàn.

For such an important match, I simply cannot miss watching it.