轻轻松松挣大钱

Qīngqīng sōngsōng zhèng dà qián

Making Big Money Easily

Pattern 1

宁可……，也要…… / 宁可……，也不…… (Nìngkě..., yě yào... / Nìngkě..., yě bù...)

Expresses a resolute choice between two alternatives. '宁可...也要...' indicates a willingness to sacrifice or endure hardship for a crucial goal; '宁可...也不...' denotes preferring a lesser evil over an utterly unacceptable outcome.

Examples

如果要我在两者之间选择，我宁可选择待遇高的，工作不就是谋生的手段吗？

Rúguǒ yào wǒ zài liǎngzhě zhījiān xuǎnzé, wǒ nìngkě xuǎnzé dàiyù gāo de, gōngzuò bú jiù shì móushēng de shǒuduàn ma?

If forced to choose between the two, I would rather pick higher remuneration; isn't work fundamentally a means of earning a living?

父母宁可自己省吃俭用，也要供孩子接受最好的大学教育。

Fùmǔ nìngkě zìjǐ shěngchī-jiǎnyòng, yě yào gōng háizi jiēshòu zuì hǎo de dàxué jiàoyù.

Parents would rather pinch pennies themselves so long as they can afford the best university education for their children.

Pattern 2

趁…… (Chèn...)

Means taking advantage of a favorable time, state, or opportunity to do something before the window closes ('while', 'taking advantage of').

Examples

人应该趁年轻努力工作打下基础，等退休了再享受也不迟。

Rén yīnggāi chèn niánqīng nǔlì gōngzuò dǎxià jīchǔ, děng tuìxiū le zài xiǎngshòu yě bù chí.

One should work hard while young to build a solid foundation; it won't be too late to enjoy life upon retirement.

Pattern 3

硬着头皮…… (Yìngzhe tóupí...)

Describes steeling oneself, biting the bullet, or reluctantly forcing oneself to perform an unpleasant, daunting, or dreaded task.

Examples

如果每天都是硬着头皮去上班，待遇再高也没什么意思。

Rúguǒ měitiān dōu shì yìngzhe tóupí qù shàngbān, dàiyù zài gāo yě méi shénme yìsi.

If you have to drag yourself to work every single day against your will, no salary is high enough to make it worthwhile.

Pattern 4

不要说/别说……，就是/连……也…… (Bú yào shuō/Bié shuō..., jiù shì/lián... yě...)

Sets aside an extreme case to emphasize that even ordinary or lesser cases share the same conclusion ('let alone..., even...').

Examples

不要说他的父母觉得大祸临头，连我这个当作家的舅舅，也觉得玩摇滚很难谋生。

Bú yào shuō tā de fùmǔ juéde dàhuò-líntóu, lián wǒ zhè ge dàng zuòjiā de jiùjiu, yě juéde wán yáogǔn hěn nán móushēng.

Not to mention his parents who felt like catastrophe had struck, even I, an author and his uncle, deemed rock music impossible to live on.

Pattern 5

何必……呢？ (Hébì... ne?)

Used in a rhetorical question to assert that an action, worry, or argument is totally unnecessary ('Why bother?', 'What's the point?').

Examples

外甥马上接着说：何必要快乐呢？痛苦是艺术的源泉。

Wàisheng mǎshàng jiē zhe shuō: Hébì yào kuàilè ne? Tòngkǔ shì yìshù de yuánquán.

My nephew instantly countered: 'Why must one be happy? Suffering is the fountainhead of art.'

Pattern 6

一旦……，就…… (Yídàn..., jiù...)

Denotes that once a condition is met or an unlikely event occurs, an inevitable consequence will follow ('once... then...').

Examples

一旦你换了一次工作，你就不在乎第二次、第三次了。

Yídàn nǐ huàn le yí cì gōngzuò, nǐ jiù bú zàihu dì-èr cì, dì-sān cì le.

Once you've changed jobs for the first time, you won't care about doing it a second or third time.