经验、变化和背景
Chapter Overview and Learning Objectives
Chapter 1 asked you to connect sentences you already controlled into one paragraph. This chapter goes a step further: it asks you to narrate change over time. You will learn to set a scene with background information, move a story forward with a sequence of events, and mark experience, ongoing state, and change of state clearly using 了, 过, and 着 together in the same passage. You will also begin linking sentences into short topic chains, where one topic is carried across several sentences instead of being restated every time.
By the end of this chapter, you will be able to:
- Set the background for a story using time expressions and 的时候.
- Narrate a short sequence of past events using 了 for completed actions and change of state.
- Use 过 to talk about past experience and 着 to describe an ongoing state within a narrative.
- Maintain a topic chain across several sentences without unnecessary repetition of the subject.
- Complete an integrated listening, reading, speaking, and writing task that narrates a change in your own life.
Communication Scenario
In your Mandarin class, the instructor asks everyone to talk about something that has changed in their life — a move, a new habit, a new job, or a change in a relationship. You will listen to a classmate describe how his daily life changed after starting a new job, read a short passage about someone's life before and after moving to a new city, practice narrating change with a partner, and write your own short narrative about something that has changed for you.
- You will listen to a classmate narrate a change in his daily routine.
- You will read a passage that contrasts life before and after a move.
- You will practice narrating a personal change with a partner, using background and sequence.
- You will write your own short narrative describing a change in your life.
Core Vocabulary: Talking About Change
This chapter introduces a small set of new productive vocabulary connected to describing experience and change over time, continuing the community and public-life domain from Chapter 1.
| 汉字 | Pinyin | Part/Function | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 经验 | jīngyàn | noun | experience | 这是一次很有意思的经验。 |
| 变化 | biànhuà | noun | change | 这几年这里的变化很大。 |
| 以前 | yǐqián | time noun | before; formerly | 以前我住在乡下。 |
| 以后 | yǐhòu | time noun | after; from now on | 搬家以后，我认识了很多新邻居。 |
| 习惯 | xíguàn | noun/verb | habit; to be used to | 我已经习惯了这里的生活。 |
| 适应 | shìyìng | verb | to adapt to | 他很快就适应了新工作。 |
| 刚开始 | gāng kāishǐ | time phrase | at first; when it first started | 刚开始我不太习惯，后来就好了。 |
| 后来 | hòulái | time noun | afterward; later on | 后来我慢慢喜欢上了这里。 |
These words are productive from this chapter forward. All other vocabulary in this chapter — descriptions, community and neighborhood words from Chapter 1, and daily routine vocabulary from Volume II — is recycled and should already be familiar.
Pronunciation Focus: -n versus -ng Finals in Connected Narration
This chapter continues developing the -n versus -ng contrast introduced in Chapter 1, now applied inside longer narrated sentences where several -n and -ng syllables may appear close together.
| -n final | -ng final | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 变 biàn | 变化 biànhuà — 化 has no -n/-ng, but compare with 帮 bāng | keep the tongue tip forward for 变; do not let it drift back |
| 经验 jīngyàn | 经验 jīngyàn — 经 ends in -ng, 验 ends in -n | practice both finals within the same word without blending them |
| 习惯 xíguàn | — | keep the -n in 惯 clearly forward and short |
As your sentences grow longer in this chapter, keep every -n and -ng final distinct, especially at normal narration speed. This is a continued refinement target, not a new sound system.
Grammar and Sentence Patterns: Narrating Change
This chapter develops narration by combining background-setting, sequenced events, and aspect marking with 了, 过, and 着 in the same passage. It also introduces topic chains, where a subject introduced once continues across several sentences without being restated.
1. Setting the Background with 的时候
| Pattern | Use | Example |
|---|---|---|
| ...的时候，... | set a time-based background before narrating an event | 我刚搬到这个城市的时候，一个朋友也没有。 |
2. Sequencing Events with 了
| Pattern | Use | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Verb + 了 ... , 后来 + Verb + 了 ... | narrate one completed event after another | 我先找了一份工作，后来认识了现在的邻居。 |
| Sentence + 了 (sentence-final) | mark a change of state | 我现在习惯了。 |
3. Reviewing 过 for Experience and 着 for Ongoing State
| Pattern | Use | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Verb + 过 | state that something has been experienced at least once | 我以前没适应过这么忙的生活。 |
| Verb + 着 | describe a state that continues in the background of a narrative | 刚开始，我每天都想着以前的老朋友。 |
4. Maintaining a Topic Chain
| Pattern | Use | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Topic, then omit the repeated subject | carry one topic across several sentences smoothly | 我以前不习惯这里，刚开始常常想家，后来慢慢适应了，现在已经很喜欢这里了。 |
The new skill in this chapter is combining familiar aspect markers with background-setting and topic chains to narrate change — not new individual grammar points, but a new way of organizing them together.
Model Narrative: 我的变化
Context: two classmates talk before class about a change in daily life after starting a new job; casual, familiar register.
小美：你看起来跟以前不太一样，最近怎么样？
大伟：我换了工作，生活也变了很多。刚开始的时候，每天都很累，一点儿也不习惯这么早起床。
小美：后来呢？
大伟：后来慢慢习惯了，也认识了很多新同事。以前我下班以后常常一个人在家，现在我常常跟同事一起吃饭、聊天，生活比以前热闹多了。
小美：听起来是个不错的变化。
大伟：是啊，虽然刚开始适应得比较辛苦，但是现在我已经很喜欢这份工作了。
Xiaomei: You look a bit different from before — how have you been lately? Dawei: I changed jobs, and my life has changed a lot too. At first, I was tired every day and wasn't used to getting up so early at all. Xiaomei: And then? Dawei: Then I gradually got used to it, and I've also met a lot of new coworkers. Before, I often stayed home alone after work; now I often eat and chat with coworkers, and life is much livelier than before. Xiaomei: That sounds like a good change. Dawei: Yeah, although it was fairly hard to adjust at first, now I already really like this job.
Guided Practice
A. Complete each sentence with the correct aspect marker: 了, 过, or 着.
- 我以前没适应______这么忙的生活。
- 刚开始，我每天都想______以前的老朋友。
- 我先找______一份工作，后来认识______现在的邻居。
B. Combine each pair of sentences using 的时候 or 后来.
- 我刚搬到这个城市。我一个朋友也没有。（...的时候，...）
- 刚开始我不太习惯。我慢慢适应了。（后来）
C. Write a short topic chain (three to four sentences) describing a change in your own routine, carrying one topic across the sentences without restating the subject each time.
Listening Practice
Listening script for independent use. Read aloud slowly, then at a natural pace, or have a fluent speaker record it.
一段介绍 — A short narrative:
我去年开始在家工作。刚开始的时候，我很不习惯，常常一个人在家，觉得有点儿无聊。后来我慢慢习惯了，也学会了自己安排时间。现在我每天早上先运动，然后工作，晚上还有时间跟朋友聊天。虽然刚开始适应得比较辛苦，但是现在我已经很喜欢这样的生活了。
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| 说话人刚开始在家工作的时候习惯吗？ | ______ |
| 说话人后来学会了什么？ | ______ |
| 说话人现在的生活安排是怎么样的？ | ______ |
Speaking Practice
交际任务 — Communicative task: 谈一谈你的变化
With a partner, narrate a change in your own life — a move, a new habit, a new class, or a new job. Set the background with 的时候, sequence at least two events with 了, and include one sentence using 过 or 着. Your listener should ask at least one follow-up question, such as what happened later or how you feel now.
独立练习 — Solo alternative
Record yourself narrating the same change as one connected passage, maintaining a single topic chain from beginning to end.
Reading Practice
Read the paragraph below, then answer the questions. Pinyin support remains reduced in this reading, continuing from Chapter 1.
- 陈静刚搬到这个城市的时候，觉得怎么样？
- 陈静后来做了什么，才慢慢习惯了这里的生活？
- 陈静现在常常帮邻居做什么？
Writing Workshop: A Short Narrative of Change
Write a connected narrative (six to eight sentences) describing a change in your own life, following the model in this chapter.
写作任务 — Writing task: Type your paragraph using Pinyin input. Your paragraph must include:
- A background sentence using 的时候 to set the scene before the change.
- A sequence of at least two events using 了.
- One sentence using 过 or 着 to mark experience or an ongoing state.
- At least two words from this chapter's new vocabulary (经验, 变化, 以前, 以后, 习惯, 适应, 刚开始, 后来).
- A closing sentence comparing your life now with your life before, maintaining the same topic across the paragraph.
修改清单 — Editing checklist:
- The paragraph reads as one connected narrative, not a list of separate sentences.
- 了, 过, and 着 are each used correctly and in a context where they are appropriate.
- The subject is not needlessly repeated once the topic is established.
- At least two new vocabulary words from this chapter appear naturally.
- Chinese punctuation (，。？！) is used correctly throughout.
- No grammar beyond what was consolidated in Volume II and reviewed in this chapter is required to complete the task.
Culture and Communication
When describing a period of adjustment, such as moving to a new city or starting a new job, many Mandarin speakers acknowledge an initial difficulty before describing eventual comfort, often using phrases like 刚开始...后来... to frame the change as a process rather than a sudden shift. This pattern is common in many everyday narratives, though individual speakers vary, and some prefer a more direct, single-impression account, especially in brief exchanges among close friends.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Treating 了 as simple past tense: 了 marks completion or change of state, not every past action; some past statements need no 了 at all.
- Confusing 过 and 了: 过 marks experience at some point, while 了 marks a specific completed action or change of state.
- Restating the subject in every sentence of a topic chain: once a topic is established, later sentences should omit the repeated subject when it is recoverable from context.
- Blurring -n and -ng finals in longer sentences: keep 变 (biàn) and 经验 (jīngyàn) clearly articulated even at natural narration speed.
- Introducing untaught grammar or vocabulary: this chapter should showcase fluent narration using systems you already control, combined in a new way.
Chapter Summary
This chapter developed extended narration by combining background-setting with 的时候, sequenced events with 了, experience with 过, and ongoing state with 着, all within the same passage. You also practiced maintaining a topic chain across several sentences and added a small set of new productive vocabulary for describing change (经验, 变化, 以前, 以后, 习惯, 适应, 刚开始, 后来). You continued refining the -n versus -ng contrast in longer, connected speech. This chapter prepares you to explain causes, results, and purposes in Chapter 3.
Chapter Review
部分 A — 听力和阅读 (Listening and Reading)
1. I can follow a short narrative describing how someone's daily life has changed.
2. I can read a character-forward narrative with reduced Pinyin support and answer questions about it.
部分 B — 口语 (Speaking)
1. I can narrate a change in my own life as one connected spoken passage, using background, sequence, and aspect markers.
部分 C — 写作 (Writing)
1. I can write a connected narrative describing a change in my life, using 了, 过, and 着 correctly and maintaining a topic chain.
Recognition Check
Say each of the following aloud, paying attention to -n versus -ng: 经验, 变化, 习惯, 适应. If any of these feel uncertain, review the pronunciation and vocabulary sections before continuing to Chapter 3.
Practical Performance Task
Chapter 2 Performance Task
我的变化 — Narrating a Change in My Life
Complete the following four connected tasks in one sitting to demonstrate your control of narrated change as you continue through Volume III.
- Listen to the short narrative and complete the listening comprehension table above.
- Read the paragraph and answer the comprehension questions.
- Speak with a partner (or record independently), narrating a change in your own life using background, sequence, and aspect markers.
- Write your own connected narrative, following the Writing Workshop steps and editing checklist.
Answer Key
Guided Practice
A. 1. 我以前没适应过这么忙的生活。 2. 刚开始，我每天都想着以前的老朋友。 3. 我先找了一份工作，后来认识了现在的邻居。
B. 1. 我刚搬到这个城市的时候，一个朋友也没有。 2. 刚开始我不太习惯，后来慢慢适应了。
C. Open-ended; model answer: 我以前每天都很晚起床，刚开始工作以后，常常迟到。后来我慢慢习惯了早起，现在已经不觉得辛苦了。 Other accurate, natural paragraphs are acceptable.
Listening Practice
- No — at first the speaker was not used to working from home and often felt a bit bored being alone.
- The speaker learned how to arrange his or her own schedule.
- Now the speaker exercises in the morning, then works, and has time to chat with friends in the evening.
Reading Practice
- When Chen Jing first moved to the city, she felt a bit lonely and often thought of her old friends.
- She joined a community activity and got to know a few neighbors, which helped her gradually adapt.
- She often helps nearby neighbors look after their children.
Chapter Review
This checklist is for learner self-reflection; there is no single fixed answer. If any item feels uncertain, review the relevant section before continuing to Chapter 3.
Looking Ahead
现在你会做什么 — What you can do now
You can narrate a change in your own life as one connected passage, setting the background, sequencing events, marking experience and ongoing state, and maintaining a topic chain without unnecessary repetition.