SACE Stage 2 Chinese (background speakers) cheat sheet

Putonghua has four lexical tones plus a neutral tone: tone 1 high level (mā), tone 2 rising (má), tone 3 dipping (mǎ), tone 4 falling (mà); the neutral tone is short and unstressed.

Tone sandhi rule: two third tones in sequence change the first to a second tone (nǐ hǎo → ní hǎo) in speech, though pinyin keeps the original marks.

The particle 了 has two functions: after a verb it marks completed action (perfective); at sentence end it marks a changed state or new situation.

的/得/地 are distinguished by grammar: 的 before nouns (attributive), 得 after verbs before complements of degree/manner, 地 before verbs as adverbial marker.

把 construction: 把 + object + verb + complement/particle, used when the object is definite and the sentence stresses how it is handled or affected.

Simplified characters follow systematic reductions: component substitution (言→讠, 食→饣, 糸→纟), whole-character simplification (馬→马, 東→东), and retention of some traditional forms.

Passive with 被 often carries an adverse nuance (他被批评了); 由 and 让/叫 mark other agent relationships and should not be confused with 被.

Measure words are obligatory between a numeral/demonstrative and a noun: 个, 本, 张, 条, 只, 位, 份 - the choice depends on noun class, not on the speaker's preference.

Comparison structures: 比 for inequality (A 比 B + adjective), 跟…一样 for equality, 没有 for 'less than', and 越来越 for progressive change.

春节 (Spring Festival) centres on family reunion, the 年夜饭 dinner, red couplets (春联), red envelopes (红包), and the largest annual human migration (春运).

中秋节 falls on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month; mooncakes and family reunion are its core symbols, linked to the Chang'e legend.

端午节 (5th day, 5th lunar month) commemorates Qu Yuan with dragon-boat racing (赛龙舟) and zongzi; it is a UNESCO-listed intangible heritage.

The 24 solar terms (二十四节气) are a lunisolar agricultural calendar; 清明 is both a solar term and a tomb-sweeping festival.

Confucian relational ethics stress 仁 (benevolence), 礼 (ritual propriety), 孝 (filial piety), and the five relationships; these shape hierarchy and address terms.

Face (面子) and indirectness govern refusals and criticism: a direct 'no' can be face-threatening, so hedged or deferred responses are common.

Table etiquette: seating order follows seniority, the host toasts first, tea is poured for others before oneself, and chopsticks are not stood upright in rice.

Gift-giving avoids clocks (送钟 sounds like 送终 'attending a death'), sharp objects, and white wrapping; pairs and red/gold are auspicious.

Regional and diaspora diversity matters: cuisines differ by 菜系 (eight great cuisines), and overseas Chinese communities in Southeast Asia, Australia, and North America have developed distinct local traditions.