他tā 整zhěng  天tiān 无wú 所suǒ 事shì 事shì ，不bú 是shì 吃chī 饱băo 睡shuì ，就jiù 是shì 睡shuì 饱băo 吃chī 。

He hangs around all day eating and sleeping.

整zhěng 天tiān is ‘the whole day/ all day long’.

无wú 所suǒ 事shì 事shì is an idiom meaning ‘nothing to do/ hanging around’.

不bú 是shì …… 就jiù 是shì ….. If not ….., then ….

饱băo means ‘full’; 吃chī 饱băo means ‘full up (with food) and 睡shuì 饱băo means ‘fully rested (with sleep)’.

吃chī 饱băo 睡shuì ，睡shuì 饱băo 吃chī literally means ‘have enough food then sleep, and have enough sleep then eat’. In other words: He is a lazy bum!

请qǐng 你nǐ 把bă 资zī 料liào  e 给gěi 我wǒ 。

Please email me the information/ material.

资zī 料liào is information or (abstract) material.

Like many other languages, modern Chinese borrows from English. In many cases, the English words are kept or partially kept and used in the Chinese way. For example, the sentence here ‘e’ is from ‘email’.

Another classic example is: O 不 OK？(Is it O.K.?)  这个我很 OK 啊。(This is fine with me.)

我wǒ 们mén 这zhè 儿ēr 冬dōng 天tiān通tōng 常cháng 不bú 大dà 下xià 雪xuě ，今jīn 年nián 冬dōng 天tiān 反făn 常cháng 下xià 了le 不bù 少shăo  雪xuě 。

It normally doesn’t snow much here in the winter, but this year it’s (unusually) snowed a lot.

我wǒ 们mén 这zhè 儿ēr literally means ‘we here’. It indicates the place where the speaker is located.

冬dōng 天tiān is ‘winter’.

通tōng 常cháng  means ‘normally’ and ‘usually’.

不bú 大dà means ‘not often’.

下xià 雪xuě literally means ‘to drop snow’.

反făn 常cháng literally means ‘against the 常cháng (usual, normal)’, so it means ‘unusual’ in the sense of not usual or normal behavior.

不bù 少shăo means ‘quite a lot’.

恭gōng 喜xǐ 发fā 财cái ，红hóng 包bāo 拿ná 来lái ！

Happy New Year! Give me the red envelop.

恭gōng 喜xǐ  is ‘congratulations’ and 发fā 财cái means ‘to prosper’ and ‘to make a fortune’. Chinese people traditionally do not really say ‘Happy New Year!’ instead we say 恭gōng 喜xǐ 发fā 财cái, congratulation and then get rich.

红hóng 包bāo is ‘read envelop’ which is given as a present to children or elderly, of course, with money inside.

拿ná 来lái means ‘to bring over’. 红hóng 包bāo 拿ná 来lái sounds rude in English but it is said jokingly among friends and family.

这zhè 起qǐ 事shì 故gù 发fā 生shēng 得dé 很hěn 突tú 然rán 。

This accident happened suddenly.

起qǐ acts as a measure word for counting accidents.

事shì 故gù is ‘accident’.

突tú 然rán means ‘suddenly’, ‘unexpected’. e.g.

他tā 昨zuó 天tiān 突tú 然rán 来lái 了le 。He came unexpectedly yesterday.

他tā 一yì 生shēng 气qì 就jiù 不bù 说shuō 话huà。

He keeps quiet when he is angry.

生shēng 气qì means ‘angry’ or ‘ to be angry’.

说shuō 话huà is ‘to speak’. 不bù 说shuō 话huà means ‘ not to talk’ or ‘ to be quiet’.

The sentence pattern is: Subject + 一yī  + Verb1 (object), (subject2)就jiù + Verb2/ Adjective (acting as Verb); it is usually translated as ‘ as soon as….., then’ or ‘as long as’. The first half of the sentence describes when or under what circumstances the 2nd verb will happen. Let’s have a look at some examples:

他tā 一yí 见jiàn 到dào 我wǒ ，就jiù 脸liăn 红hóng 。He blushes every time when he sees me.

我wǒ 一yì 说shuō 话huà ，他tā 们mén 就jiù 笑xiào 。 As soon as I talked, they laughed.

Sometimes Subject1 can be the object of the first clause. e.g.

他tā 的de 话huà 一yì 听tīng， 就jiù 明míng 白bái 。As long as (I) listen to his remarks, (I am) clear. 他tā 的de 话huà is an object.

这zhè 部bù 车chē 一yì 开kāi ，就jiù 坏huài 。 As soon as (I?) drove the car, it was broken. From the Chinese sentence, we do not know who actually drove the car but it’s not important. The point is ‘the car was broken as soon as it was driven’.

妳nǐ 所suǒ 说shuō 的de 话huà 让ràng 我wǒ 心xīn 里lǐ 很hěn 不bù 好hăo 受shòu 。

What you said makes me really uncomfortable.

话huà  is spoken language. 妳nǐ 所suǒ 说shuō 的de 话huà means what you said.

The clause pattern is: subject + 所suǒ  + verb + 的de  + noun ( what someone does/ did) which can be used as a subject or an object.

妳nǐ 所suǒ 做zuò 的de 饭fàn 都dōu 被bèi 吃chī 光guāng 了le 。The rice/ food you made has been eaten up. (as a subject)

他tā 所suǒ 说shuō 的de 那nà 个ge 人rén 就jiù 是shì 我wǒ 。The person he meant/ mentioned is me. (as a subject)

我wǒ 不bù 喜xǐ 欢huān 你nǐ 所suǒ 做zuò 的de 事shì 。 I don’t like the things you do/ did. (as an object)

我wǒ 受shòu 不bù 了liăo 他tā 所suǒ 做zuò 的de 饭fàn 。I cannot stand the rice/ food he makes. (as an object)

受shòu is to take/ to endure. 不bù 好hăo 受shòu means ‘difficult to take’ and it usually goes after 心xīn 里lǐ, in the heart.