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📍 上面 (shàng miàn)/下面 (xià miàn) & 有没有 (yǒu méi yǒu) - Positions and Asking About Possession

Master spatial prepositions for above/below positions and learn to ask questions with 有没有 for possession and existence

Chinese lesson from Monday, June 9, 2025

📚 Part A - Essential Learning

Master spatial prepositions and possession questions. This section covers everything you need for describing locations and asking about what people have.

Perfect for beginners and essential concepts

📚 Key Phrase: 桌子上面有一本书 (zhuō zi shàng miàn yǒu yī běn shū)

📖

Grammar Focus

📍 上面 (shàng miàn) - Above/On Top
上面 indicates something is positioned above or on top of something else. It's essential for describing locations!
Position pattern: [Object] + 上面 + 有/在 + [Item]
• 桌子上面有书 (zhuō zi shàng miàn yǒu shū) - There's a book on the table
• 猫在床上面 (māo zài chuáng shàng miàn) - The cat is on the bed
• 椅子上面有手机 (yǐ zi shàng miàn yǒu shǒu jī) - There's a phone on the chair
桌子上面有一本书
zhuō zi shàng miàn yǒu yī běn shū
There's a book on top of the table
📍 下面 (xià miàn) - Below/Under
下面 indicates something is positioned below or under something else. Perfect for describing hidden or lower positions!
Position pattern: [Object] + 下面 + 有/在 + [Item]
• 桌子下面有狗 (zhuō zi xià miàn yǒu gǒu) - There's a dog under the table
• 床下面有鞋子 (chuáng xià miàn yǒu xié zi) - There are shoes under the bed
• 椅子下面有猫 (yǐ zi xià miàn yǒu māo) - There's a cat under the chair
桌子下面有一只狗
zhuō zi xià miàn yǒu yī zhī gǒu
There's a dog under the table
❓ 有没有 (yǒu méi yǒu) - Do You Have?
有没有 is the question form for asking about possession or existence. It combines positive 有 and negative 没有 in one question!
Question pattern: 你 + 有没有 + [Noun]？
• 你有没有钱？(nǐ yǒu méi yǒu qián?) - Do you have money?
• 你有没有朋友？(nǐ yǒu méi yǒu péng yǒu?) - Do you have friends?
• 你有没有工作？(nǐ yǒu méi yǒu gōng zuò?) - Do you have a job?
你有没有钱？
nǐ yǒu méi yǒu qián?
Do you have money?
桌子上面有一本书
zhuō zi shàng miàn yǒu yī běn shū
There's a book on top of the table
Hay un libro encima de la mesa

词汇 Vocabulary Practice

Practice writing the phrases from today's Chinese lesson!

桌子上面有一本书
zhuō zi shàng miàn yǒu yī běn shū
English:
There's a book on top of the table
Español:
Hay un libro encima de la mesa
我的手机在椅子上面
wǒ de shǒu jī zài yǐ zi shàng miàn
English:
My phone is on top of the chair
Español:
Mi teléfono está encima de la silla
猫在床上面
māo zài chuáng shàng miàn
English:
The cat is on top of the bed
Español:
El gato está encima de la cama
桌子下面有一只狗
zhuō zi xià miàn yǒu yī zhī gǒu
English:
There's a dog under the table
Español:
Hay un perro debajo de la mesa
我的鞋子在床下面
wǒ de xié zi zài chuáng xià miàn
English:
My shoes are under the bed
Español:
Mis zapatos están debajo de la cama
小猫在椅子下面
xiǎo māo zài yǐ zi xià miàn
English:
The kitten is under the chair
Español:
El gatito está debajo de la silla
桌子上面有一台电脑和一本书
zhuō zi shàng miàn yǒu yī tái diàn nǎo hé yī běn shū
English:
There's a computer and a book on top of the table
Español:
Hay una computadora y un libro encima de la mesa
椅子下面有蛋糕
yǐ zi xià miàn yǒu dàn gāo
English:
There's cake under the chair
Español:
Hay pastel debajo de la silla
老师吃了桌子下面的蛋糕
lǎo shī chī le zhuō zi xià miàn de dàn gāo
English:
The teacher ate the cake under the table
Español:
El profesor comió el pastel de debajo de la mesa
椅子下面有个鬼
yǐ zi xià miàn yǒu gè guǐ
English:
There's a ghost under the chair
Español:
Hay un fantasma debajo de la silla
桌子下面有一只猫
zhuō zi xià miàn yǒu yī zhī māo
English:
There's a cat under the table
Español:
Hay un gato debajo de la mesa
你有没有钱？
nǐ yǒu méi yǒu qián?
English:
Do you have money?
Español:
¿Tienes dinero?
你有没有礼物？
nǐ yǒu méi yǒu lǐ wù?
English:
Do you have gifts?
Español:
¿Tienes regalos?
桌子上面有一只狗
zhuō zi shàng miàn yǒu yī zhī gǒu
English:
There's a dog on top of the table
Español:
Hay un perro encima de la mesa
猫在椅子上面
māo zài yǐ zi shàng miàn
English:
The cat is on top of the chair
Español:
El gato está encima de la silla
椅子下面有一只猫
yǐ zi xià miàn yǒu yī zhī māo
English:
There's a cat under the chair
Español:
Hay un gato debajo de la silla
我请你
wǒ qǐng nǐ
English:
I invite you / It's my treat
Español:
Te invito / Yo pago
别客气
bié kè qi
English:
Don't be polite / You're welcome
Español:
No seas cortés / De nada
你有没有朋友？
nǐ yǒu méi yǒu péng yǒu?
English:
Do you have friends?
Español:
¿Tienes amigos?
没有，我还饿着呢
méi yǒu, wǒ hái è zhe ne
English:
No, I'm still hungry
Español:
No, todavía tengo hambre
你有没有工作？
nǐ yǒu méi yǒu gōng zuò?
English:
Do you have a job?
Español:
¿Tienes trabajo?
你有没有吃饭？
nǐ yǒu méi yǒu chī fàn?
English:
Did you eat? / Have you eaten?
Español:
¿Has comido?

文化 Cultural Insights

🏠 In Chinese homes, spatial organization is very important, and the concepts of 上面 and 下面 are used constantly in daily life. Chinese furniture is often designed to maximize storage, with many items kept 'under' tables and beds. The phrase 有没有 is extremely common in Chinese conversation - much more so than in English. It's considered more natural than asking direct yes/no questions. When someone says 我请你, it's a genuine offer to pay, and responding with 别客气 shows you appreciate their generosity!

🎯 Part B - Advanced Practice

Ready to master spatial descriptions and possession questions? This section includes immersive reading practice about room organization, cultural insights into Chinese home life, and hands-on exercises with position words and question patterns.

For students ready to dive deeper

📖 Reading Practice

📖 小明的房间 - Xiao Ming's Room

Xiǎo Míng de fáng jiān hěn luàn.
小明的房间很乱。
Zhuō zi shàng miàn yǒu yī tái diàn nǎo hé hěn duō shū.
桌子上面有一台电脑和很多书。
Tā de shǒu jī zài yǐ zi shàng miàn.
他的手机在椅子上面。
Chuáng xià miàn yǒu hěn duō xié zi.
床下面有很多鞋子。
Tā de xiǎo māo zài chuáng shàng miàn shuì jiào.
他的小猫在床上面睡觉。
Mā ma wèn: "Nǐ yǒu méi yǒu shōu shí fáng jiān?"
妈妈问："你有没有收拾房间？"
Xiǎo Míng shuō: "Méi yǒu, wǒ hái máng zhe ne!"
小明说："没有，我还忙着呢！"
"Nǐ yǒu méi yǒu kàn dào wǒ de lǐ wù?"
"你有没有看到我的礼物？"
"Zài yǐ zi xià miàn yǒu yī gè hé zi."
"在椅子下面有一个盒子。"
Xiǎo Míng hěn gāo xìng: "Zhè shì shén me lǐ wù?"
小明很高兴："这是什么礼物？"
"Shì dàn gāo! Wǒ qǐng nǐ chī."
"是蛋糕！我请你吃。"
"Xiè xie mā ma! Bié kè qi!"
"谢谢妈妈！别客气！"

📝 Vocabulary from this reading:

房间
fáng jiān
Room
乱
luàn
Messy, chaotic
收拾
shōu shi
Clean up, tidy
睡觉
shuì jiào
Sleep
看到
kàn dào
See, catch sight of
盒子
hé zi
Box

📚 Additional Learning Content

🏠 Essential Furniture Vocabulary
Expand your home vocabulary with these common furniture items that often appear in position descriptions.
Furniture items:
• 桌子 (zhuō zi) - table
• 椅子 (yǐ zi) - chair
• 床 (chuáng) - bed
• 沙发 (shā fā) - sofa
• 书架 (shū jià) - bookshelf
• 电视 (diàn shì) - TV
• 冰箱 (bīng xiāng) - refrigerator
🐱 Common Household Items and Pets
Learn vocabulary for things you might find around the house and common pets.
Household vocabulary:
• 猫 (māo) - cat
• 狗 (gǒu) - dog
• 书 (shū) - book
• 手机 (shǒu jī) - phone
• 电脑 (diàn nǎo) - computer
• 鞋子 (xié zi) - shoes
• 蛋糕 (dàn gāo) - cake

作业 Homework & Practice

📝 Homework for next class:

1. 📍 Position Practice: Describe 5 objects in your room using 上面 (shàng miàn) and 下面 (xià miàn)

2. ❓ Question Formation: Create 6 questions using 有没有 (yǒu méi yǒu) about different topics

3. 🏠 Room Description: Write a paragraph describing your bedroom using position words

4. 🐱 Animal Positions: Practice describing where pets or toys are located

5. 💬 Polite Expressions: Use 我请你 (wǒ qǐng nǐ) and 别客气 (bié kè qi) in daily conversations

💡 Real-life Challenge: Look around your current location and describe 3 things you see using 上面/下面 (shàng miàn/xià miàn)!

Practice Checklist:

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