HSK 5 • Lesson 12话说广告
HSK 5 • 中级篇Lesson 12 / 14

话说广告

Huàshuō guǎnggào
Talking About Advertisements
Pattern 1

说起 / 提起 / 谈起...

Placed at the beginning of a sentence to introduce a new topic or draw the listener's attention ('speaking of / when it comes to...').

Examples
说起广告，我是又爱又恨。
Shuōqǐ guǎnggào, wǒ shì yòu ài yòu hèn.
Speaking of advertisements, I have a love-hate relationship with them.
说起苏州，人们一定会想到它的园林艺术。
Shuōqǐ Sūzhōu, rénmen yídìng huì xiǎngdào tā de yuánlín yìshù.
Speaking of Suzhou, people will definitely think of its garden art.
Pattern 2

左一个...右一个...

Emphasizes relentless frequency or large quantity ('one after another / left and right'), often conveying annoyance.

Examples
结果呢，左一个广告右一个广告。
Jiéguǒ ne, zuǒ yí ge guǎnggào yòu yí ge guǎnggào.
And the result? Commercial after commercial, one after another without end.
不知他家里出了什么事，他妻子左一个电话右一个电话催他回去。
Bùzhī tā jiā lǐ chū le shénme shì, tā qīzi zuǒ yí ge diànhuà yòu yí ge diànhuà cuī tā huíqù.
Not knowing what happened at home, his wife called repeatedly one phone call after another urging him to return.
Pattern 3

A吧，...；不A吧，又...

Expresses a dilemma where doing A has drawbacks, yet not doing A also brings regrets or problems ('If I do A..., but if I don't...').

Examples
你等吧，心里着急；不等吧，又怕转播开始。
Nǐ děng ba, xīnlǐ zháojí; bù děng ba, yòu pà zhuǎnbō kāishǐ.
If you wait, you feel anxious; if you don't wait, you fear the broadcast might start.
吃吧，实在是吃不下；不吃吧，又觉得对不起主人的热情。
Chī ba, shízài shì chī bu xià; bù chī ba, yòu juéde duìbuqǐ zhǔrén de rèqíng.
If I eat, I genuinely can't swallow another bite; but if I don't, I feel bad disappointing the host's hospitality.
Pattern 4

总...

Adverb expressing a confident deduction or certainty ('surely / must be / bound to').

Examples
心想这个广告完了总该开始了吧，可下一个还是广告。
Xīn xiǎng zhège guǎnggào wán le zǒng gāi kāishǐ le ba, kě xià yí ge háishi guǎnggào.
I thought to myself that after this ad it surely ought to start, yet the next one was another ad.
大雨已经下了两天两夜了，今天总该停了吧。
Dàyǔ yǐjīng xià le liǎng tiān liǎng yè le, jīntiān zǒng gāi tíng le ba.
Heavy rain has fallen for two days and two nights; it surely ought to stop today.
Pattern 5

硬着头皮

Idiom meaning to brace oneself, bite the bullet, or do something reluctantly despite dread or hardship.

Examples
想安静地休息会儿都不行，要么硬着头皮听，要么堵上耳朵。
Xiǎng ānjìng de xiūxi huìr dōu bù xíng, yàome yìng zhe tóupí tīng, yàome dǔ shang ěrduo.
Wanting to rest quietly was impossible; you either bite the bullet and listen, or plug your ears.
Pattern 6

要么...，要么...

Coordinating conjunction presenting two mutually exclusive alternatives ('either... or...').

Examples
我们只有一下午的游览时间，要么去颐和园，要么去天安门。
Wǒmen zhǐ yǒu yí xiàwǔ de yóulǎn shíjiān, yàome qù Yíhéyuán, yàome qù Tiān'ānmén.
We only have one afternoon for sightseeing; either we go to the Summer Palace, or to Tiananmen.
Pattern 7

在...上做文章

Metaphor meaning to make an issue of, focus efforts on, or capitalize on something ('make capital out of / work hard on').

Examples
如果只在广告上做文章而不抓质量，那厂家的利益也只能是暂时的。
Rúguǒ zhǐ zài guǎnggào shang zuò wénzhāng ér bù zhuā zhìliàng, nà chǎngjiā de lìyì yě zhǐ néng shì zànshí de.
If a business only focuses on flashy advertising without grasping quality control, its profits will only be short-lived.
Pattern 8

好比...一样

Simile pattern meaning 'just like / as if...'.

Examples
这好比一个小孩，开始他不是班长，也有缺点，后来当了班长，被宣传同时也接受同学们的监督，那他就会进步。
Zhè hǎobǐ yí ge xiǎohái, kāishǐ tā bú shì bānzhǎng, yě yǒu quēdiǎn, hòulái dāng le bānzhǎng, bèi xuānchuán tóngshí yě jiēshòu tóngxuémen de jiāndū, nà tā jiù huì jìnbù.
This is just like a child who wasn't class monitor initially and had flaws; once elected monitor, being recognized while supervised by peers, he makes rapid progress.
Pattern 9

就...

Preposition indicating the topic, scope, or target of an action ('regarding / with respect to').

Examples
两国领导人就双方共同关心的国际问题进行了会谈。
Liǎng guó lǐngdǎorén jiù shuāngfāng gòngtóng guānxīn de guójì wèntí jìnxíng le huìtán.
Leaders of both countries held talks on international issues of mutual concern.
Pattern 10

褒贬不一 / AB不一

Four-character pattern combining opposite adjectives with '不一' to indicate mixed reviews or divergent opinions.

Examples
尽管如此，人们对广告的态度仍褒贬不一。
Jǐnguǎn rúcǐ, rénmen duì guǎnggào de tàidu réng bāobiǎn bù yī.
Nonetheless, people's attitudes toward advertising remain mixed with both praise and criticism.