HSC Chinese Beginners (NSW) cheat sheet

Self-introduction core pattern: 我叫 + name, 我今年 + number + 岁, 我是 + nationality + 人, 我住在 + place.

Family terms by age and side: 哥哥/弟弟 (older/younger brother), 姐姐/妹妹 (older/younger sister), 爷爷/奶奶 (paternal grandparents), 外公/外婆 (maternal grandparents).

Age question 你几岁？ suits children or peers; 你多大？ is neutral; 您多大年纪？ is polite for elders.

有 is negated with 没有, never 不有: 我没有哥哥 (I have no older brother).

Measure words: 个 for people/general, 只 for animals, 本 for books, 口 for family members counted as mouths (我家有三口人).

Daily routine time markers go before the verb: 我七点起床, 我下午三点上课; 了 marks completion (我吃了早饭).

Hobbies use 喜欢 + verb/ noun: 我喜欢打篮球, 我喜欢听音乐; 不喜欢 negates preference.

School and work: 我是学生 / 我在中学学习; 我学习中文; 我将来想当医生 expresses future intention with 想.

Chinese is the official language of China, Taiwan and Singapore, and is one of Hong Kong's official spoken varieties alongside English.

Mandarin (普通话/国语) is based on the Beijing dialect; major other varieties include Cantonese (粤语), Shanghainese (吴语) and Hokkien (闽南语).

Chinese is written in simplified characters in mainland China and Singapore, and largely in traditional characters in Taiwan and Hong Kong.

Pinyin uses tone marks over vowels; the mark goes on a, then o, then e, otherwise on the last vowel (xiè, guó, hǎo).

Major festivals: 春节 (Spring Festival, lunar new year), 中秋节 (Mid-Autumn, mooncakes), 端午节 (Dragon Boat, rice dumplings), 清明节 (tomb sweeping).

中华文化 core items: 书法, 京剧, 功夫, 茶, 饺子, 长城; these recur in reading passages about tradition.

Greeting customs: 你吃饭了吗？ functions as a friendly greeting; 你好 is neutral; 您好 is formal; handshakes are common, bows are not.

Numbers and dates: 星期一二三四五六日 for weekdays, 号/日 for day of month, 月 for month; 年 comes last (2024年5月1日).

Question words to listen for: 谁 (who), 什么 (what), 哪儿 (where), 什么时候 (when), 为什么 (why), 怎么 (how), 几/多少 (how many/much).

Tone pairs carry meaning: māi/mài, shuì/shuǐ; a rising final tone often signals a question or surprise.

Numbers in speech: 两 replaces 二 before a measure word (两个人), and 一 is often reduced in fast speech (一点 yìdiǎn).

Time expressions precede the verb, so the answer to 你什么时候去？ is a time phrase plus verb, not verb plus time.

Responses must match the question type: 吗-questions take 是/不是 or 对/不对; 有没有 takes 有/没有; A-not-A takes either verb form.

Negation traps: 不 is used for present/habitual and 没(有) for past or possession; 别 means 'don't' in commands.

Discourse markers 但是 (but), 因为…所以 (because…so), 还有 (and also) signal contrast, cause and addition - key for choosing the right option.

Approximate quantities: 差不多 (about), 左右 (around), 很多 (many), 一点儿 (a little) - distinguish exact from approximate answers.

Scan for the question word in the item first, then locate the matching information type (person, place, time, reason) in the text.

Character components give clues: 氵 water, 讠 speech, 忄 feeling, 扌 hand, 木 wood, 日 sun/time - use them to guess unfamiliar words.

Structural markers in passages: 先…然后…最后 (first…then…finally), 因为…所以, 虽然…但是, 如果…就 - they locate sequence, cause, contrast, condition.

Negatives change the answer: 不, 没, 别, 不太, 不喜欢 - check whether the statement is affirmed or denied before choosing.

Numbers and dates in Chinese text read largest unit first: 二〇二四年三月八日; times read 点/分 (三点半, 七点一刻).

Pronoun reference: 他/她/它 and 他们 may refer back to a named person; track who does what across sentences.

Distractors often repeat a word from the text but attach it to the wrong person, time or place - verify all parts of the statement.

Imperatives and requests in notices: 请, 不要, 禁止, 欢迎 - identify whether the sign permits, forbids or invites.

Sentence order is Subject + Time + Place + Verb + Object: 我昨天在学校打篮球 - never place time after the verb.

了 marks completed action (我买了书); 过 marks past experience (我去过中国); 在/正在 marks ongoing action (他在看书).

Punctuation uses full-width marks: 。, ，, ？, ！, 、 for lists, and 《》 for titles; no spaces between characters.

Stroke order rules: left to right, top to bottom, horizontal before vertical, outside before inside, then close the box.

Text types and their openings: 信 (letter) opens 亲爱的… and closes 祝好/此致敬礼; 日记 (diary) opens with date and weather; 通知 (notice) states time, place, event.

Connectives raise the writing band: 因为…所以, 虽然…但是, 不但…而且, 一边…一边, 除了…以外.

Measure words must match nouns: 一封(信), 一张(票), 一件(衣服), 一本(书), 一杯(茶), 一条(路/鱼).

Common character confusions to avoid: 他/她/它, 在/再, 做/作, 有/友, 是/事 - check meaning before writing.