HSK 5 • Lesson 4拾金不昧要不要回报
HSK 5 • 中级篇Lesson 4 / 14

拾金不昧要不要回报

Shí jīn bú mèi yào bu yào huíbào
Should Returning Lost Property Demand a Reward?
Pattern 1

不时

bùshí

Adverb meaning 'frequently', 'constantly', or 'from time to time', indicating an action repeated at short intervals.

Examples
那家伙一边走着，一边不时地四处张望。
Nà jiāhuo yìbiān zǒuzhe, yìbiān bùshí de sìchù zhāngwàng.
That guy was walking while frequently glancing all around.
树林里不时听到布谷鸟的叫声。
Shùlín lǐ bùshí tīngdào bùgǔniǎo de jiàoshēng.
In the woods, the calls of cuckoos could be heard from time to time.
Pattern 2

不……不……

bù... bù...

Common spoken pattern with three main usages: (1) Conditional 'if not A, then not B'; (2) Joining synonyms to enhance vividness (e.g. pay no heed); (3) Joining antonyms to show a moderate, just-right state (neither fat nor thin).

Examples
我父母死得早，我得挣钱养活弟妹，不干不行啊。
Wǒ fùmǔ sǐ de zǎo, wǒ děi zhèngqián yǎnghuo dìmèi, bù gàn bù xíng a.
My parents passed away early, so I have to earn money to support my siblings; I simply have to do it.
他对周围的事情向来不闻不问，只顾埋头做自己的研究。
Tā duì zhōuwéi de shìqing xiànglái bù wén bù wèn, zhǐgù máitóu zuò zìjǐ de yánjiū.
He has always paid zero attention to surrounding matters, solely focusing on his own research.
Pattern 3

不见不散

bú jiàn bú sàn

Idiomatic formula meaning 'be there or be square' or 'don't leave until we meet', used as a firm promise to wait for each other.

Examples
今天晚上你一定要来我家吃饺子，我等着你，不见不散。
Jīntiān wǎnshang nǐ yídìng yào lái wǒ jiā chī jiǎozi, wǒ děngzhe nǐ, bú jiàn bú sàn.
You must come over to my place for dumplings tonight; I'll be waiting for you, don't leave me hanging!
Pattern 4

……说什么也……

... shuō shénme yě ...

Means 'no matter what', 'by all means', or 'under no circumstances'; usually followed by modal verbs (要, 得, 不能) expressing firm determination.

Examples
人家给我帮了那么大忙，我说什么也要请人家吃顿饭吧。
Rénjia gěi wǒ bāng le nàme dà máng, wǒ shuō shénme yě yào qǐng rénjia chī dùn fàn ba.
They helped me out so much, no matter what I simply must treat them to a meal.
小吴跟你关系不错，他生病住院，你说什么也该去看看。
Xiǎo Wú gēn nǐ guānxi búcuò, tā shēngbìng zhùyuàn, nǐ shuō shénme yě gāi qù kànkan.
Xiao Wu is on good terms with you; now that he's hospitalized, you really ought to go visit him no matter what.
Pattern 5

噼噼啪啪

pīpīpāpā

Onomatopoeia imitating crackling, popping, sizzling, or snapping sounds (such as frying in hot oil or firecrackers exploding).

Examples
厨房传来噼噼啪啪的炒菜声，闻起来真香啊。
Chúfáng chuánlái pīpīpāpā de chǎocài shēng, wén qǐlái zhēn xiāng a.
Crackling and sizzling sounds came from the kitchen stir-frying, smelling absolutely delicious.
Pattern 6

意思意思

yìsi yìsi

Spoken reduplicated verb meaning to give a small token of courtesy, tip, or modest gift to show appreciation.

Examples
大家忙了半天，得买点东西意思意思。
Dàjiā máng le bàntiān, děi mǎi diǎn dōngxi yìsi yìsi.
Everyone has been busy working for half the day; we must buy some snacks or gifts to show our appreciation.
朋友结婚，说什么也得送点礼物意思一下。
Péngyou jiéhūn, shuō shénme yě děi sòng diǎn lǐwù yìsi yíxià.
When a friend gets married, you simply must send a gift as a token of goodwill no matter what.
Pattern 7

滴水之恩当涌泉相报

dī shuǐ zhī ēn dāng yǒng quán xiāng bào

Proverb meaning 'a drop of water given in need should be repaid with a gushing spring'; one should repay kindness many times over.

Examples
中国古人常说“滴水之恩当涌泉相报”，知恩图报是为人处世的根本。
Zhōngguó gǔrén cháng shuō 'dī shuǐ zhī ēn dāng yǒng quán xiāng bào', zhī ēn tú bào shì wéirén chǔshì de gēnběn.
Ancient Chinese often said 'a drop of water of kindness should be repaid with a gushing spring'; gratitude is fundamental to human conduct.
Pattern 8

再说……

zàishuō...

Conjunction placed at the beginning of a clause to introduce an additional reason or circumstance; 'besides', 'furthermore', 'what's more'.

Examples
改天再去吧，现在看红叶还太早，再说星期天人也太多。
Gǎitiān zài qù ba, xiànzài kàn hóngyè hái tài zǎo, zàishuō xīngqītiān rén yě tài duō.
Let's go another day; it's still too early to see red leaves, and besides, there are way too many people on Sundays.
北京这么大，不知有多少个叫张红的人呢，再说你又没见过他，到哪儿去找他呢？
Běijīng zhème dà, bùzhī yǒu duōshao gè jiào Zhāng Hóng de rén ne, zàishuō nǐ yòu méi jiànguo tā, dào nǎr qù zhǎo tā ne?
Beijing is so huge, who knows how many people named Zhang Hong there are; besides, you've never met him, so where would you even look?
Pattern 9

就算……，……也……

jiùsuàn..., ... yě...

Expresses hypothetical concession, equivalent to 'even if..., still...'. Acknowledges an extreme premise while asserting that the outcome remains unchanged.

Examples
就算他骂你不对应，你也不能动手打人啊。
Jiùsuàn tā mà nǐ bú duì, nǐ yě bù néng dòngshǒu dǎ rén a.
Even if he was in the wrong for scolding you, you still shouldn't resort to violence.
就算我一年不吃不喝，也拿不出这么多钱呀。
Jiùsuàn wǒ yì nián bù chī bù hē, yě ná bu chū zhème duō qián ya.
Even if I didn't eat or drink for a whole year, I still couldn't produce this much money.
Pattern 10

善有善报（恶有恶报）

shàn yǒu shàn bào (è yǒu è bào)

Traditional moral proverb: 'good will be rewarded with good, evil with evil' (karma). Used to encourage moral righteousness or offer ethical warnings.

Examples
俗话说“善有善报，恶有恶报，不是不报，日子未到”。
Súhuà shuō 'shàn yǒu shàn bào, è yǒu è bào, bú shì bú bào, rìzi wèi dào'.
As the folk proverb goes: 'Good is rewarded and evil punished; if retribution hasn't come, it's merely a matter of time.'
Pattern 11

和事老

héshìlǎo

Noun referring to a peacemaker without principles, mediator who smooths things over without distinguishing right from wrong; often with a derogatory nuance.

Examples
你们俩吵了架来找我，劝你们吧，你们又说我是和事老，你们说我怎么办？
Nǐmen liǎ chǎo le jià lái zhǎo wǒ, quàn nǐmen ba, nǐmen yòu shuō wǒ shì héshìlǎo, nǐmen shuō wǒ zěnme bàn?
You two fought and came to me; if I mediate, you accuse me of being an unprincipled peacemaker. What on earth do you want me to do?
Pattern 12

和稀泥

huò xīní

Metaphor meaning 'to mix thin mud', smoothing things over without principles, blurring lines between right and wrong, or compromising shamelessly.

Examples
每次我和我妻子闹别扭的时候，我就得在中间和稀泥。
Měicì wǒ hé wǒ qīzi nào bièniu de shíhou, wǒ jiù děi zài zhōngjiān huò xīní.
Every time my mother and wife have friction, I have to act as the middleman smoothing things over without taking sides.
Pattern 13

把

bǎ

Classifier used for manual actions, indicating lending a quick helping hand (e.g. 帮一把 lend a hand, 拉一把 pull someone up).

Examples
我看他搬那个大箱子挺吃力的，就过去帮了他一把。
Wǒ kàn tā bān nà ge dà xiāngzi tǐng chīlì de, jiù guòqu bāng le tā yì bǎ.
Seeing him struggle with that heavy crate, I went over and gave him a hand.
这台阶太高了，拉我一把。
Zhè táijiē tài gāo le, lā wǒ yì bǎ.
This step is too high; give me a hand up.
Pattern 14

二对一

èr duì yī

Ratio phrase meaning 'two on one', where two people team up against one; colloquially used in debates when one side is outnumbered.

Examples
嗬，你们俩二对一呀，我说不过你们！
Hē, nǐmen liǎ èr duì yī ya, wǒ shuō buguò nǐmen!
Whoa, you two are teaming up two-on-one! I can't outargue the both of you!
Pattern 15

……不过 / ……得过

... buguò / ... déguò

Potential complement denoting being unable to surpass or beat someone due to inferior capability, skill, or strength (opposite: ...得过).

Examples
弟弟毕竟瘦小些，打不过邻居的小胖子，哭着跑回家来。
Dìdi bìjìng shòuxiǎo xiē, dǎ buguò línjū de xiǎo pàngzi, kūzhe pǎo huí jiā lái.
After all, younger brother is skinnier and smaller; unable to beat the chubby neighbor kid in a fight, he ran home in tears.
他是学校里有名的“飞毛腿”，我可跑不过他。
Tā shì xuéxiào lǐ yǒumíng de 'fēimáotuǐ', wǒ kě pǎo buguò tā.
He is the school's famous speed demon; I could never outrun him.
Pattern 16

什么A不A（的）

shénme A bù A (de)

Common spoken colloquial pattern where A is repeated. Indicates that the speaker dismisses A as unimportant or pretentious ('who cares about A?').

Examples
什么明星不明星的，还不是跟普通人一样？
Shénme míngxīng bù míngxīng de, hái bú shì gēn pǔtōngrén yíyàng?
Celebrity shmelebrity! Aren't they just ordinary human beings like the rest of us?
什么漂亮不漂亮的，只要人好就行。
Shénme piàoliang bu piàoliang de, zhǐyào rén hǎo jiù xíng.
Beauty doesn't matter at all; as long as they have a good character, that's what counts.
Pattern 17

无可厚非

wú kě hòu fēi

Idiom meaning 'give no cause for much criticism' or 'understandable and beyond harsh reproach', indicating something justifiable under the circumstances.

Examples
年轻人想多挣点钱改善生活，这是无可厚非的。
Niánqīngrén xiǎng duō zhèng diǎn qián gǎishàn shēnghuó, zhè shì wú kě hòu fēi de.
It is completely beyond reproach for young people to want to earn more money to improve their livelihood.