HSK 5 • Lesson 8谁来保护消费者
HSK 5 • 中级篇Lesson 8 / 14

谁来保护消费者

Shéi lái bǎohù xiāofèizhě
Who Protects the Consumers?
Pattern 1

实话对（跟）你说（吧）

shíhuà duì (gēn) nǐ shuō (ba)

Common spoken parenthetical phrase equivalent to 'To tell you the truth...', 'Honestly speaking...', or 'Frankly with you...'. It introduces undisclosed facts, candid feelings, or unvarnished reality.

Examples
实话对你说吧，你这样下去是不会有好结果的。
Shíhuà duì nǐ shuō ba, nǐ zhèyàng xiàqù shì bú huì yǒu hǎo jiéguǒ de.
To tell you the truth, if you go on like this, you won't come to a good end.
表面上他是个勤快人，实话告诉你吧，在家他一点儿活也不干。
Biǎomiàn shang tā shì gè qínkuai rén, shíhuà gàosu nǐ ba, zài jiā tā yìdiǎnr huó yě bù gàn.
On the surface he looks like a diligent man; to be completely frank with you, at home he doesn't lift a finger.
Pattern 2

简单地说，……

jiǎndān de shuō, ...

Common summarizing discourse marker equivalent to 'simply put...', 'in brief...', or 'in short...'. It distills preceding complex descriptions into a concise, direct, and essential conclusion.

Examples
他这是利用不法手段取得本该属于他人的权利和物品，简单地说，他就是个小偷。
Tā zhè shì lìyòng bùfǎ shǒuduàn qǔdé běngāi shǔyú tārén de quánlì hé wùpǐn, jiǎndān de shuō, tā jiù shì gè xiǎotōu.
He uses illegal means to seize rights and possessions that rightfully belong to others; simply put, he is a thief.
由于主观条件和客观因素的限制，这项工程暂时放一放，简单地说，这项工程现在做不成了。
Yóuyú zhǔguān tiáojiàn hé kèguān yīnsù de xiànzhì, zhè xiàng gōngchéng zànshí fàng yí fàng, jiǎndān de shuō, zhè xiàng gōngchéng xiànzài zuò bù chéng le.
Due to constraints of both subjective conditions and objective factors, this project is shelved for now; simply put, it cannot be done at present.
Pattern 3

不管怎么说，……

bùguǎn zěnme shuō, ...

Common spoken concessive phrase meaning 'no matter what', 'in any case', or 'at any rate'. It stresses that regardless of different perspectives, excuses, or disputes, the essential fact, bottom line, or responsibility stands firm.

Examples
不管怎么说，你也是个经理，这件事你就得负责。
Bùguǎn zěnme shuō, nǐ yě shì gè jīnglǐ, zhè jiàn shì nǐ jiù děi fùzé.
No matter what, you are the manager, so you must take responsibility for this matter.
不管怎么说，这件事今天一定得办完。
Bùguǎn zěnme shuō, zhè jiàn shì jīntiān yídìng děi bànwán.
In any case, this matter must be finished today.
Pattern 4

（不过/可是）话又说回来了，……

(búguò / kěshì) huà yòu shuō huílái le, ...

Spoken dialectical discourse phrase equivalent to 'then again...', 'having said that...', or 'on the other hand...'. It introduces a counter-perspective or realistic constraint to balance the preceding argument and avoid extremes.

Examples
他这个人是笨点儿，可话又说回来了，做事倒是很负责任的。
Tā zhège rén shì bèn diǎnr, kě huà yòu shuō huílái le, zuò shì dàoshì hěn fù zérèn de.
He may be a bit clumsy, but then again, he is remarkably conscientious in his work.
王海的行为确实存在争议，可话又说回来了，起码让大家对“消法”有了深刻的认识。
Wáng Hǎi de xíngwéi quèshí cúnzài zhēngyì, kě huà yòu shuō huílái le, qǐmǎ ràng dàjiā duì "Xiāofǎ" yǒule shēnkè de rènshi.
Wang Hai's actions are indeed controversial, but then again, they at least gave the public a profound awareness of the Consumer Protection Law.
Pattern 5

起码

qǐmǎ

Functions as adjective or adverb. As adjective, means 'rudimentary / minimum required' modifying nouns with 'de' (e.g., minimum requirement, basic common sense). As adverb, means 'at least / at the very least' modifying verbs or quantities.

Examples
遵守交通规则是对市民最起码的要求。
Zūnshǒu jiāotōng guīzé shì duì shìmín zuì qǐmǎ de yāoqiú.
Obeying traffic rules is the bare minimum requirement for every citizen.
要想当一名合格的律师，起码也要具备扎实的法律知识吧！
Yào xiǎng dāng yì míng hégé de lǜshī, qǐmǎ yě yào jùbèi zhāshi de fǎlǜ zhīshi ba!
To be a qualified lawyer, you must at the very least possess solid legal knowledge!