HSK 4 • Lesson 3好东西人人爱吃
HSK 4 • 提高篇Lesson 3 / 24

好东西人人爱吃

Hǎo dōngxi rénrén ài chī
Everyone Loves Good Food
Pattern 1

动词 + 惯 / 得惯 / 不惯

Indicates physiological or psychological habituation/tolerance. E.g., 吃惯 (accustomed to eating), 吃不惯 (cannot get used to eating), 看不惯 (cannot stand the sight of).

Examples
我吃惯了海鱼，吃不惯淡水鱼。
Wǒ chīguàn le hǎiyú, chī bu guàn dànshuǐyú.
I'm used to eating marine fish; I can't get used to freshwater fish.
你睡惯了软床，睡得惯这么硬的床吗？
Nǐ shuìguàn le ruǎnchuáng, shuì de guàn zhème yìng de chuáng ma?
You're accustomed to soft mattresses; can you adjust to sleeping on such a hard bed?
Pattern 2

看来 (Xem ra / Nhìn tình hình thì...)

Placed at clause beginnings, meaning 'it seems that', 'apparently', used to infer conclusions based on observable facts.

Examples
看来这个餐厅的菜都不合你的口味，我们换一家吧。
Kànlái zhè ge cāntīng de cài dōu bù hé nǐ de kǒuwèi, wǒmen huàn yì jiā ba.
It seems none of the dishes in this restaurant suit your taste; let's switch to another one.
快下班了工作才干了一半，看来今天又要加班了。
Kuài xiàbān le gōngzuò cái gàn le yíbàn, kànlái jīntiān yòu yào jiābān le.
It's almost quitting time and the work is only half done; apparently I'll have to work overtime again today.
Pattern 3

要么……，要么……

Paired conjunction indicating strict disjunctive choices ('either... or...').

Examples
午饭我一个人要么在食堂吃，要么回家随便弄点儿吃的。
Wǔfàn wǒ yí ge rén yàome zài shítáng chī, yàome huíjiā suíbiàn nòng diǎnr chī de.
For lunch on my own, I either eat at the cafeteria or go home and whip up a quick bite.
要么你去，要么我去，两个人都去不大可能。
Yàome nǐ qù, yàome wǒ qù, liǎng ge rén dōu qù bú dà kěnéng.
Either you go or I go; it's quite unlikely that both of us can go.
Pattern 4

好说

Colloquial phrase meaning 'easy to settle', 'no problem', 'can be worked out easily'.

Examples
一个人怎么都好说，晚饭可就要花大力气准备了。
Yí ge rén zěnme dōu hǎoshuō, wǎnfàn kě jiù yào huā dà lìqi zhǔnbèi le.
When it's just one person, anything is easy to manage; dinner, however, takes serious effort.
钱好说，我可以借给你，可是住的地方我解决不了。
Qián hǎoshuō, wǒ kěyǐ jiè gěi nǐ, kěshì zhù de dìfang wǒ jiějué bù liǎo.
Money is no problem, I can lend it to you; but I cannot solve your accommodation issue.
Pattern 5

砸

Colloquial term meaning 'bungled', 'failed', 'messed up'. Can be used alone or after verbs: 做砸了 (ruined the dish), 考砸了 (bombed the test).

Examples
我做菜的手艺还可以，不过，也有做砸的时候。
Wǒ zuòcài de shǒuyì hái kěyǐ, búguò, yě yǒu zuò zá de shíhou.
My cooking skills are decent, but there are times when I completely botch a dish.
这场戏演砸了，演员说错好几句话。
Zhè chǎng xì yǎn zá le, yǎnyuán shuō cuò hǎo jǐ jù huà.
The performance was a total flop; the actors botched several lines.
Pattern 6

大饱口福

Idiom meaning to feast to one's heart's content, to indulge in delicious cuisine.

Examples
菜来了，今天准让你大饱口福！
Cài lái le, jīntiān zhǔn ràng nǐ dàbǎo kǒufú!
Here come the dishes; today you're definitely in for a culinary feast!
秋天来我们这儿吧，正是吃螃蟹的季节，可以让你大饱口福。
Qiūtiān lái wǒmen zhèr ba, zhèng shì chī pángxiè de jìjié, kěyǐ ràng nǐ dàbǎo kǒufú.
Come visit us in autumn; it's the peak season for crabs, and you can feast to your heart's content.
Pattern 7

有两下子

Idiom indicating someone possesses genuine skill, competence, or real talent in something.

Examples
哇，真看不出，你还有两下子！
Wā, zhēn kàn bu chū, nǐ hái yǒu liǎngxiàzi!
Wow, I really couldn't tell—you've actually got some real culinary chops!
没想到他的书法还有两下子。
Méi xiǎngdào tā de shūfǎ hái yǒu liǎngxiàzi.
Never expected his calligraphy to be so impressively skillful.