机构、规定和流程
Chapter Overview and Learning Objectives
This chapter moves Unit II from the informal digital world of Chapter 7 into a more formal domain: institutions, rules, and procedures. You will learn how to understand and produce the kind of Mandarin used by a school office, a library, or a student-services counter — explaining a procedure, stating a requirement, and making a polite formal request. You will continue to recycle 根据, 通过, and 虽然...但是 from Chapter 6, and you will formally develop confirmation questions (是不是, 对不对) as a controlled productive pattern. You will also see 被 and 把 for the first time, in short glossed institutional notices, purely as a recognition-level preview; you are not expected to build sentences with them yet.
By the end of this chapter, you will be able to:
- Use vocabulary connected to school and institutional offices, rules, forms, and procedures.
- Explain a step-by-step procedure using sequencing language.
- Make a polite formal request and respond to one appropriately.
- Ask and answer confirmation questions using 是不是 and 对不对.
- Recognize 被 and 把 in short official notices without being required to produce them.
- Read a set of posted institutional rules and a short procedural notice.
- Listen to spoken instructions for completing a procedure and follow the steps.
- Write a short, polite formal request connected to an institutional procedure.
Communication Scenario
After finding a study-group app in Chapter 7, Xiao Chen and Xiao Lin decide to register their study group officially with the university so they can reserve a room in the library. To do this, they need to understand the library's posted rules, follow a registration procedure, and make a formal request to a staff member.
- You will listen to spoken instructions for registering a study group and note the steps in order.
- You will read a set of posted library rules and a short procedural notice about room reservations.
- You will orally make a polite formal request to a staff member and respond to a confirmation question.
- You will write a short formal request asking an office to approve something, following the correct procedure.
Core Vocabulary: Institutions, Rules, and Procedures
| 汉字 | Pinyin | Part/Function | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 机构 | jīgòu | noun | institution; organization | 图书馆是学校的一个机构。 |
| 办公室 | bàngōngshì | noun | office | 学生服务办公室在二楼。 |
| 规定 | guīdìng | noun / verb | rule; regulation; to stipulate | 图书馆有很多借书的规定。 |
| 流程 | liúchéng | noun | procedure; process | 申请的流程不太复杂。 |
| 申请 | shēnqǐng | verb / noun | to apply; application | 我想申请一个学习室。 |
| 表格 | biǎogé | noun | form (document) | 请先填这张表格。 |
| 填写 | tiánxiě | verb | to fill out | 你可以在网上填写这张表格。 |
| 签字 | qiānzì | verb-object | to sign | 请在这里签字。 |
| 批准 | pīzhǔn | verb | to approve | 办公室还没批准我的申请。 |
| 证件 | zhèngjiàn | noun | identification document | 进图书馆需要出示证件。 |
| 柜台 | guìtái | noun | counter; service desk | 你可以去柜台问问。 |
| 工作人员 | gōngzuò rényuán | noun | staff member | 工作人员会帮你办理手续。 |
| 麻烦 | máfan | adjective / verb | troublesome; to trouble (someone) | 麻烦您帮我看一下这张表格。 |
These words are productive for this chapter and its recycling in Chapters 9 and 10. 证件 remains general (student ID, passport, or other identification depending on context); specific document names appearing in the reading or listening passages are glossed and remain receptive only.
Pronunciation Focus: -n versus -ng in Institutional Vocabulary
This chapter's vocabulary contains many pairs that contrast the final -n and -ng, a distinction that has been developing since earlier chapters and is now consolidated through active use in words like 申请, 证件, 办公室, and 规定. This chapter also gives you a first, receptive-only listen to the ian and uan finals in a few new words; you are not asked to analyze these finals in detail yet.
| Feature | Practice Note |
|---|---|
| -n vs. -ng contrast (consolidated) | contrast 办 (bàn) and 帮 (bāng); keep the tongue tip forward for -n and pull it back for -ng |
| -n vs. -ng in new vocabulary | practice 申请 (shēnqǐng) and 证件 (zhèngjiàn) slowly, then at natural speed, listening for the difference between the two nasal finals |
| ian/uan finals (receptive only) | listen for the finals in 签字 (qiānzì) and 馆 (guǎn, as in 图书馆); recognition only at this stage, not a separate production drill |
This chapter consolidates the -n/-ng contrast as an active production target and gives a first receptive glimpse of the ian/uan finals through familiar words. Detailed production work on ian/uan is not required in this volume.
Grammar and Sentence Patterns: Formal Requests and Confirmation Questions
This chapter develops two controlled productive patterns — polite formal requests and confirmation questions — while continuing to recycle 根据, 通过, and 虽然...但是 from Chapter 6 inside an institutional context. 被 and 把 also appear in this chapter, but only inside glossed reading material; they are previewed for recognition only and are not taught as a productive system yet.
1. Polite Formal Requests with 麻烦您 and 请
| Pattern | Use | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 麻烦您 + verb phrase | a polite way to ask someone (especially staff or someone senior) to do something, softer than a bare request | 麻烦您帮我看一下这张表格。 |
| 请 + verb phrase | a standard polite instruction or request, common at counters, in offices, and in posted rules | 请先填写这张表格，再去柜台。 |
| 可以 + verb phrase + 吗？ | a polite way to ask permission before doing something in an institutional setting | 我可以在这里签字吗？ |
麻烦您 is more formal and more deferential than 请; both are appropriate at a service counter, but 麻烦您 is especially useful when you are asking someone to take on extra trouble on your behalf.
2. Confirmation Questions with 是不是 and 对不对
| Pattern | Use | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 是不是 + statement | confirm whether a fact or situation is correct | 你是不是已经填好表格了？ |
| statement + ，对不对？ | check whether the listener agrees with a stated fact or plan | 先填表格，再去柜台，对不对？ |
Confirmation questions are especially useful when following an unfamiliar procedure: they let you check your understanding of a step before moving on.
3. Sequencing a Procedure (Recycled and Extended)
| Pattern | Use | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 先...，然后...，最后... | describe the steps of a procedure in order | 先填写表格，然后去柜台签字，最后等工作人员批准。 |
This chapter introduces no new complement, aspect, comparison, or modification system. 根据 and 通过 continue to appear in formal explanations of rules, and 虽然...但是 continues to introduce contrasts, such as between what a rule requires and what actually happens in practice.
4. First Look at 被 and 把 (Recognition Only)
请把证件放在柜台上。
You will see sentences like these on posted signs and official notices throughout this chapter's reading material. For now, simply recognize that 被 marks who or what performs an action on the subject, and 把 moves an object earlier in the sentence to describe what happens to it. You are not expected to build your own 被 or 把 sentences in this volume; full productive control of these patterns is scheduled for later study.
Model Exchange: 申请借用学习室
Context: Xiao Chen and Xiao Lin go to the library service counter to register their study group and reserve a study room; formal request and confirmation-question patterns in a service-counter setting.
小陈：您好，我们想申请借用一个学习室。
工作人员：好的，你们是不是已经有学习小组的账号了？
小林：是的，我们上个星期通过一个软件注册的。
工作人员：那请先填写这张表格，写清楚小组的名字和人数。
小陈：好，麻烦您给我们一支笔。
工作人员：给。填好以后，请拿着表格和证件来柜台签字。
小林：先填表格，然后拿证件来签字，对不对？
工作人员：对，最后我会批准你们的申请，你们就可以用学习室了。
小陈：整个流程听起来不太复杂。
工作人员：对，虽然规定不少，但是流程其实很清楚，你们照着做就行了。
Xiao Chen: Hello, we'd like to apply to borrow a study room. Staff member: Sure, do you already have a study-group account? Xiao Lin: Yes, we registered through an app last week. Staff member: Then please fill out this form first, writing the group's name and number of members clearly. Xiao Chen: OK — sorry to trouble you, could you give us a pen? Staff member: Here. After you finish filling it out, please bring the form and your ID to the counter to sign. Xiao Lin: First fill out the form, then bring the ID to sign — is that right? Staff member: That's right. Finally I'll approve your application, and then you can use the study room. Xiao Chen: The whole procedure doesn't sound too complicated. Staff member: Right — although there are quite a few rules, the procedure itself is actually clear; you just follow it step by step.
Guided Practice
A. Turn each casual request below into a more polite formal request using 麻烦您 or 请.
- 给我一张表格。
- 帮我看看这个流程对不对。
- 告诉我柜台在哪儿。
B. Turn each statement into a confirmation question, using 是不是 or ，对不对？.
- 你已经填好表格了。
- 我们先签字，然后工作人员批准。
- 这个机构的规定不少。
C. Put the following steps in order using 先...，然后...，最后....
- 工作人员批准申请 / 填写表格 / 拿证件去柜台签字
Listening Practice
Listening script for independent use. Read aloud slowly, then at a natural pace, or have a fluent speaker record it.
柜台前的说明 — Instructions given at a service counter:
欢迎来到学生服务办公室。如果你想申请借用学习室，流程不复杂。你先要在网上填写申请表格，写清楚你们小组的名字、人数和想用学习室的时间。填好以后，你需要带着表格和证件来我们的柜台。工作人员会看一下你的表格，然后请你在表格上签字。签字以后，工作人员会把申请交给办公室的老师，请她批准。批准以后，我们会通过邮件通知你，你就可以用学习室了。虽然步骤有几步，但是每一步都不难，你照着做就可以了。
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| 申请借用学习室的第一步是什么？ | ______ |
| 填好表格以后，学生要做什么？ | ______ |
| 谁会批准这个申请？ | ______ |
| 办公室会怎么通知学生申请的结果？（用通过回答） | ______ |
Speaking Practice
交际任务 — Communicative task: 在办公室办手续
With a partner, role-play a visit to a school or institutional office. One person plays a staff member explaining a simple procedure (using 先...，然后...，最后...); the other person makes at least one polite formal request (using 麻烦您 or 请) and asks at least one confirmation question (using 是不是 or 对不对).
独立练习 — Solo alternative
Record yourself explaining, step by step, the procedure for applying for something you are familiar with (a library card, a class registration, a parking permit, or similar), including at least one confirmation question you might ask staff along the way.
Reading Practice
Read the posted library rules and the short procedural notice below, then answer the questions. Pinyin support remains reduced in this reading, continuing the phase-out from earlier chapters. The two sentences using 被 and 把 are glossed for recognition only.
一、进入图书馆需要出示证件。
二、学习室每次最多可以借用三个小时。
三、借用学习室必须先申请，申请必须由工作人员批准。
四、请把手机调成静音。
五、如果东西被别人拿走，图书馆不负责。
学习室申请流程：
学生可以在网上或者柜台申请学习室。申请时请填写小组名字、人数和使用时间。填好表格以后，请带着证件去柜台签字。根据规定，所有申请都必须由办公室老师批准，批准后会通过邮件通知申请人。虽然流程有几个步骤，但是通常一天之内就能收到回复。
- 进入图书馆需要做什么？
- 学习室每次最多可以借用多长时间？
- 谁批准学习室的申请？
- 申请通过以后，办公室怎么通知学生？（用通过回答）
Writing Workshop: A Short Formal Request
Write a short, polite formal request connected to an institutional procedure of your choice (reserving a room, requesting an extension, asking to change an appointment, or a similar situation).
写作任务 — Writing task: Type your request using Pinyin input. Your writing must include:
- An opening polite address to the office or staff member (for example, 您好).
- A clear statement of your request, using 麻烦您 or 请 at least once.
- A short explanation of the procedure you understand, using 先...，然后...，最后... to describe at least two steps.
- At least one confirmation question, using 是不是 or ，对不对？, checking that you have understood the procedure correctly.
- At least two vocabulary items from this chapter's core vocabulary list, used naturally.
修改清单 — Editing checklist:
- The request sounds polite and appropriate for writing to an office or institution.
- 麻烦您 or 请 is used correctly to soften the request.
- The procedure is described in a clear, logical order.
- The confirmation question is grammatically correct and genuinely checks understanding.
- Chinese punctuation (，。？！) is used correctly throughout.
- No grammar or vocabulary beyond what has been consolidated through Chapter 8 is required to complete the task; 被 and 把 are not required in your own writing.
Culture and Communication
When making a request of an institution or a staff member, many speakers of Standard Mandarin use softer, more indirect phrasing than they would with a close friend, much as in Chapter 7's contrast between casual chat language and formal writing. 麻烦您 signals that you are aware you are asking someone to take on extra effort on your behalf, and it is common at counters, offices, and other service settings across many Mandarin-speaking contexts. The exact procedures, required documents, and forms of address used at institutions vary by school, workplace, and region, so it is worth treating any single office's rules as one example of common institutional practice rather than as a universal standard.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Using a bare imperative instead of a softened request: a direct command like 给我表格 can sound abrupt at a service counter; 麻烦您给我一张表格 or 请给我一张表格 is more appropriate.
- Confusing 是不是 and 对不对： 是不是 usually comes before or wraps around the statement being confirmed, while ，对不对？ is added after a completed statement; both check agreement, but their placement differs.
- Trying to produce your own 被 or 把 sentences: this chapter only asks you to recognize these patterns in reading; building your own sentences with them is not expected until a later stage of study.
- Skipping steps when describing a procedure: leaving out 然后 or 最后 can make a multi-step procedure sound like a single unordered action; keep the sequencing words in place.
- Assuming every institution follows identical rules: procedures, required documents, and offices vary by school and region; treat specific examples as illustrative rather than universal.
Chapter Summary
This chapter built a working vocabulary for institutions, rules, and procedures, and developed two new controlled productive patterns: polite formal requests with 麻烦您 and 请, and confirmation questions with 是不是 and 对不对. You practiced sequencing a procedure with 先...，然后...，最后..., continued recycling 根据, 通过, and 虽然...但是 from Chapter 6, and had your first receptive look at 被 and 把 in posted institutional notices. These systems continue to develop through Chapters 9 and 10 as Unit II moves into formal correspondence and the Unit II assessment.
Chapter Review
部分 A — 听力和阅读 (Listening and Reading)
1. I can follow spoken instructions for completing an institutional procedure and identify the steps in order.
2. I can read a set of posted rules and a procedural notice and answer questions about them.
部分 B — 口语 (Speaking)
1. I can make a polite formal request and ask a confirmation question in an institutional setting.
部分 C — 写作 (Writing)
1. I can write a short, polite formal request that describes a procedure and checks my understanding of it.
Recognition Check
Say each of the following aloud, paying attention to the -n/-ng contrast: 申请, 规定, 证件, 办公室. If any of these feel uncertain, review this chapter before continuing to Chapter 9.
Practical Performance Task
Chapter 8 Performance Task
机构、规定和流程 — Institutions, Rules, and Procedures
Complete the following four connected tasks in one sitting to demonstrate your command of institutional vocabulary, formal requests, and procedural sequencing.
- Listen to the counter instructions and complete the listening comprehension table above.
- Read the library rules and procedural notice and answer the comprehension questions.
- Speak with a partner (or record independently), role-playing a visit to an office following the Speaking Practice instructions.
- Write your own formal request, following the Writing Workshop steps and editing checklist.
Answer Key
Guided Practice
A. 1. 麻烦您给我一张表格。 2. 请帮我看看这个流程对不对。 3. 麻烦您告诉我柜台在哪儿。
B. 1. 你是不是已经填好表格了？ 2. 我们先签字，然后工作人员批准，对不对？ 3. 这个机构的规定是不是不少？
C. 先填写表格，然后拿证件去柜台签字，最后工作人员批准申请。
Listening Practice
- 第一步是在网上填写申请表格。
- 填好表格以后，学生要带着表格和证件来柜台签字。
- 办公室的老师会批准这个申请。
- 办公室会通过邮件通知学生申请的结果。
Reading Practice
- 进入图书馆需要出示证件。
- 学习室每次最多可以借用三个小时。
- 办公室老师批准学习室的申请。
- 申请通过以后，办公室会通过邮件通知学生。
Chapter Review
This checklist is for learner self-reflection; there is no single fixed answer. If any item feels uncertain, review this chapter before continuing to Chapter 9.
Looking Ahead
现在你会做什么 — What you can do now
You can understand and explain an institutional procedure, make a polite formal request, and check your understanding with a confirmation question — while continuing to use the source-framing and coverb patterns from Chapter 6 and recognizing 被 and 把 when you meet them in official notices.