我们的生活

Wǒmen de shēnghuó

Our Lives

Pattern 1

幸亏……，不然/要不…… (Xìngkuī..., bùrán/yàobù...)

'幸亏' highlights a fortunate circumstance, timely intervention, or lucky break; the second clause with '不然/要不' (otherwise) delineates the catastrophic outcome that would have inevitably unfolded without it.

Examples

今天又堵车了！幸亏我出来得早点儿，不然准得迟到。

Jīntiān yòu dǔchē le! Xìngkuī wǒ chūlái de zǎo diǎnr, bùrán zhǔn děi chídào.

Traffic is jammed again today! Fortunately I left a bit early, otherwise I would definitely have been late.

Pattern 2

到了……的地步 (Dào le... de dìbù)

'地步' denotes a precarious stage, plight, or extreme degree. It typically describes a deteriorating situation degenerating to an alarming or irreversible point ('reached the stage where...').

Examples

应该早点儿想办法，等问题严重到了无法解决的地步时就晚了。

Yīnggāi zǎo diǎnr xiǎng bànfǎ, děng wèntí yánzhòng dào le wúfǎ jiějué de dìbù shí jiù wǎn le.

We ought to devise solutions early; waiting until the problem escalates to an unsolvable stage will be far too late.

Pattern 3

照样…… (Zhàoyàng...)

Indicates that despite substantial changes in conditions, external hindrances, or vastly different environments, an action or state persists completely unchanged ('still... all the same / as usual').

Examples

美国可以说交通非常发达，可是有的地区照样有堵车的问题。

Měiguó kěyǐ shuō jiāotōng fēicháng fādá, kěshì yǒu de dìqū zhàoyàng yǒu dǔchē de wèntí.

The United States boasts highly developed transportation, yet certain regions still suffer from traffic congestion all the same.

Pattern 4

干脆…… (Gāncuì...)

Adverb denoting making a resolute, bold, or straightforward decision, cutting the Gordian knot and discarding halfway measures ('simply', 'might as well just').

Examples

西雅图根据经验发现修再多路也没用，所以干脆不扩建公路了。

Xīyǎtú gēnjù jīngyàn fāxiàn xiū zài duō lù yě méiyòng, suǒyǐ gāncuì bù kuòjiàn gōnglù le.

Based on empirical experience, Seattle found building more roads was futile, so they simply stopped expanding highways altogether.

Pattern 5

反正…… (Fǎnzhèng...)

Emphasizes an unalterable certainty or definitive reality that remains true regardless of hypothetical variables or resistance ('anyway', 'in any case').

Examples

路修得越多，买车的人也越多，反正修再多的路也没用。

Lù xiū de yuè duō, mǎi chē de rén yě yuè duō, fǎnzheng xiū zài duō lù yě méiyòng.

The more roads you build, the more car buyers appear; in any case, building however many roads is utterly futile.

Pattern 6

图…… (Tú...)

Verb meaning to covet, seek after, or aim purely for immediate convenience, cheapness, vanity, or gratification ('pursue', 'be after', 'do sth purely for').

Examples

有的人只图快，根本不遵守交通规则，很容易造成交通事故。

Yǒu de rén zhǐ tú kuài, gēnběn bù zūnshǒu jiāotōng guīzé, hěn róngyì zàochéng jiāotōng shìgù.

Some people merely seek speed, flouting traffic rules altogether, which easily causes severe traffic accidents.