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别担心！(bié dān xīn!) - Using 别 for Negative Commands

Learn to use 别 (bié) to form negative imperatives and prohibitions, with the featured phrase 汉语难不难？

Chinese lesson from Friday, May 30, 2025

📚 Key Phrase: 汉语难不难？ (hàn yǔ nán bù nán?)

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Grammar Focus

The character 别 (bié) is used to form negative imperatives or commands, meaning 'don't' or 'stop doing'. It's more direct than 不要 (bù yào) and commonly used in spoken Chinese.
Pattern: 别 (bié) + verb/action = Don't do [action]
For ongoing actions: 别 (bié) + verb + 了 (le) = Stop doing [action]
❓ Question pattern - 难不难 (nán bù nán):
The pattern adj + 不 + adj asks 'Is it [adjective] or not?' This is an A-not-A question structure.
• 汉语难不难？(hàn yǔ nán bù nán?) - Is Chinese difficult?
• 好不好？(hǎo bù hǎo?) - Is it good or not?
• 热不热？(rè bù rè?) - Is it hot or not?
别骗我，我不是骗子
bié piàn wǒ, wǒ bú shì piàn zi
Don't lie to me, I'm not a liar
汉语难不难？
hàn yǔ nán bù nán?
Is Chinese difficult or not?
¿El chino es difícil o no?

词汇 Vocabulary

汉语难不难？
hàn yǔ nán bù nán?
English:
Is Chinese difficult or not?
Español:
¿El chino es difícil o no?
别骗我
bié piàn wǒ
English:
Don't lie to me
Español:
No me mientas
别找借口
bié zhǎo jiè kǒu
English:
Don't make excuses
Español:
No busques excusas
别抽烟了
bié chōu yān le
English:
Stop smoking
Español:
Deja de fumar
别焦虑
bié jiāo lǜ
English:
Don't be anxious
Español:
No te pongas ansioso
别生气
bié shēng qì
English:
Don't get angry
Español:
No te enojes
别不开心
bié bù kāi xīn
English:
Don't be unhappy
Español:
No estés triste
你敢骗我
nǐ gǎn piàn wǒ
English:
You dare to lie to me
Español:
Te atreves a mentirme
开心一点
kāi xīn yì diǎn
English:
Be a little happier
Español:
Sé un poco más feliz

文化 Cultural Insights

The phrase 汉语难不难？ is frequently asked by foreigners learning Chinese and by Chinese people curious about others' language learning experience. 别客气 is an extremely common phrase in Chinese hospitality culture - when someone thanks you, responding with 别客气 shows modesty and warmth. The word 骗子 (piàn zi - liar/fraud) is quite strong - use it carefully as calling someone a liar can be quite offensive in Chinese culture.

📖 Reading Practice

📖 别骗我！- Don't Lie to Me!

Xiǎo Míng hé Xiǎo Lǐ zài tán huà.
小明和小李在谈话。
Xiǎo Lǐ shuō: "Zuó tiān wǒ qù le Běi jīng."
小李说："昨天我去了北京。"
Xiǎo Míng bù xìn: "Bié piàn wǒ! Zuó tiān nǐ zài jiā."
小明不信："别骗我！昨天你在家。"
Xiǎo Lǐ shuō: "Bié shēng qì, wǒ zhēn de qù le."
小李说："别生气，我真的去了。"
"Bié zhǎo jiè kǒu le! Nǐ shì piàn zi!" Xiǎo Míng shuō.
"别找借口了！你是骗子！"小明说。
Xiǎo Lǐ yǒu diǎn bù kāi xīn.
小李有点不开心。
Xiǎo Míng shuō: "Bié bù kāi xīn, kāi xīn yì diǎn."
小明说："别不开心，开心一点。"
"Míng tiān wǒ huì qù Zhōng guó," Xiǎo Lǐ shuō.
"明天我会去中国，"小李说。
"Nǐ gǎn piàn wǒ? Bié jiāo lǜ, wǒ bù xìn nǐ le," Xiǎo Míng xiào le.
"你敢骗我？别焦虑，我不信你了，"小明笑了。

📝 Vocabulary from this reading:

骗子
piàn zi
liar, fraud, cheater

📚 Additional Learning Content

📅 Days of the Week - Two Systems

星期 System (Traditional)

星期一 (xīng qī yī) - Monday
星期二 (xīng qī èr) - Tuesday
星期三 (xīng qī sān) - Wednesday
星期四 (xīng qī sì) - Thursday
星期五 (xīng qī wǔ) - Friday
星期六 (xīng qī liù) - Saturday
星期日/星期天 (xīng qī rì/tiān) - Sunday

周 System (Modern)

周一 (zhōu yī) - Monday
周二 (zhōu èr) - Tuesday
周三 (zhōu sān) - Wednesday
周四 (zhōu sì) - Thursday
周五 (zhōu wǔ) - Friday
周六 (zhōu liù) - Saturday
周日/周天 (zhōu rì/tiān) - Sunday

📝 Usage Notes:

  • • 星期 is more traditional and formal
  • • 周 is more modern and commonly used in daily speech
  • • Both systems are widely understood and accepted
  • • In business contexts, both can be used interchangeably

⏰ Time Expressions with Past and Future

Spanish Chinese Pinyin English
Anteayer 前天 qián tiān Day before yesterday
Ayer 昨天 zuó tiān Yesterday
Hoy 今天 jīn tiān Today
Mañana 明天 míng tiān Tomorrow
Pasado mañana 后天 hòu tiān Day after tomorrow

🔙 Past Tense - Using 了

昨天我去了北京
zuó tiān wǒ qù le běi jīng
Yesterday I went to Beijing
昨天我去了纽约
zuó tiān wǒ qù le niǔ yuē
Yesterday I went to New York

🔜 Future Tense - Using 会

后天我会去北京
hòu tiān wǒ huì qù běi jīng
Day after tomorrow I will go to Beijing
明天我会去中国
míng tiān wǒ huì qù zhōng guó
Tomorrow I will go to China
明天我会去妈妈家
míng tiān wǒ huì qù mā ma jiā
Tomorrow I will go to mom's house

📝 Grammar Rules:

  • • Past: Use 了 after the verb to indicate completed action
  • • Future: Use 会 before the verb to indicate future intention
  • • Pattern: [Time] + [Subject] + [会/去了] + [Place/Action]
  • • Note: Both 昨天我去了北京 and 昨天我去北京了 are correct

作业 Homework & Practice

📝 Homework for next class:

1. 🚫 Practice using 别 (bié) with the class-studied phrases: 别骗我 (bié piàn wǒ), 别担心 (bié dān xīn), 别生气 (bié shēng qì), 别焦虑 (bié jiāo lǜ)

2. 📅 Learn the difference between 星期 (xīng qī) and 周 (zhōu) systems for days. Practice both: 星期一 (xīng qī yī) vs 周一 (zhōu yī)

3. ⏰ Practice time expressions with 了 (le) for past and 会 (huì) for future using the example sentences: 昨天我去了北京 (zuó tiān wǒ qù le běi jīng), 明天我会去中国 (míng tiān wǒ huì qù zhōng guó)

4. 📝 Try creating your own sentences with time words: 前天 (qián tiān), 昨天 (zuó tiān), 今天 (jīn tiān), 明天 (míng tiān), 后天 (hòu tiān)

5. ❓ Practice the A-not-A question pattern: 汉语难不难？(hàn yǔ nán bù nán?), 好不好？(hǎo bù hǎo?), 热不热？(rè bù rè?)

6. 🗣️ Learn the cultural usage of 别客气 (bié kè qì) and practice responding to thanks appropriately

💡 Challenge: Create a dialogue using 别 (bié) commands and A-not-A questions, incorporating time expressions from the lesson.

Practice Checklist:

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