NZ Scholarship Chinese flashcards

31 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

Unweighted assessment parts

Sections of the Scholarship Chinese exam that carry no fixed mark weighting; the final award is judged holistically across all parts rather than by a summed percentage.

Scholarship performance standard

The level above NCEA Excellence at which Scholarship is awarded; candidates are assessed against a national cohort, so raw marks alone do not determine the result.

Holistic judgement

An assessment approach where the whole response is evaluated against criteria rather than marks being accumulated item by item; strength in one area can offset weakness elsewhere.

Authentic passage

A text or recording drawn from real contemporary Chinese-language contexts such as media, society, or everyday life, rather than a constructed textbook dialogue.

Discourse markers of contrast

Words such as 但是, 然而, and 不过 that signal a shift or opposition in meaning; recognising them is essential for tracking an argument in comprehension passages.

其实 (actually)

A marker that corrects an expectation or reveals a true situation contrary to what was assumed; it often introduces the key point tested in inference questions.

难道 rhetorical marker

A particle introducing a rhetorical question that challenges an assumption, roughly 'could it really be that…'; it signals the speaker's stance rather than seeking information.

把 construction

A structure where the subject acts on a specific object, placing 把 before the object and the verb after: 我把书看完了 means 'I finished reading the book'.

被 passive

A passive structure marking that the subject is acted upon, often with an adverse nuance: 他被批评了 means 'he was criticised'.

Resultative complement

A verb or adjective following an action verb to show its outcome, as in 看懂 (read and understand) or 做完 (finish doing); frequently the tested detail in comprehension.

万 and 亿 grouping

Chinese numbers group by ten thousand and one hundred million: 十二万五千 equals 125,000, and 三亿 equals 300,000,000; misreading these units causes numerical errors.

Aspect marker 了

Marks a completed action or a changed state, not past tense as such: 我吃了饭 indicates the eating is completed, while 下雨了 indicates a new situation.

Aspect marker 过

Indicates that an action has been experienced at least once in the past: 我去过北京 means 'I have been to Beijing', with no implication about completion now.

Aspect marker 着

Marks an ongoing state or a continuing action accompanying another: 他坐着看书 means 'he reads while seated'; it describes state rather than progress.

Measure words

Classifiers required between a number or demonstrative and a noun: 个, 位 (people, polite), 张 (flat objects), 条 (long objects), 份 (portions or documents).

Written register vocabulary

Formal connectives such as 因此, 并且, 以及, and 关于 replace colloquial 所以, 而且, 和, and 说到 in formal written Chinese translation.

的 得 地 distinction

的 links modifiers to nouns, 得 follows verbs before complements of degree, and 地 links adverbial modifiers to verbs; confusion here is a frequent avoidable error.

Sentence-final particles

Particles such as 吧 (suggestion), 呢 (ongoing enquiry), 啊 (emphasis), and 嘛 (obviousness) convey stance and register; omitting them can flatten tone.

Pinyin tone marks

Diacritics indicating tone, which distinguish meaning: mā (妈, mother) versus mǎ (马, horse); tone errors are substantive, not cosmetic.

Signposting in argument

Connectives that structure an extended response: 首先 (first), 其次 (second), 此外 (moreover), 然而 (however), 总的来说 (overall).

Complex sentence patterns

Structures such as 虽然…但是…, 不但…而且…, 因为…所以…, and 如果…就… that demonstrate grammatical range in extended writing tasks.

成语 caution

Four-character idioms add range only when the meaning is certain; a misapplied idiom such as 画蛇添足 used positively damages accuracy more than it earns credit.

Cohesion devices

Reference and linking devices such as 这样, 因此, and 与此同时 that connect sentences into coherent paragraphs rather than a list of unconnected statements.

Script consistency

Using one standard of character writing throughout a response; mixing simplified and traditional forms or producing illegible characters can cost accuracy marks.

高考 (gaokao)

The national university entrance examination in mainland China; it frequently appears in passages about education pressure, family expectations, and social competition.

Major Chinese festivals

春节 (Spring Festival), 中秋节 (Mid-Autumn, with 月饼), and 端午节 (Dragon Boat, with 粽子); each carries distinctive customs likely to appear in cultural passages.

简体字 and 繁体字

Simplified characters used in mainland China and traditional characters used in Hong Kong and Taiwan; recognising both supports reading passages of different regional origin.

面子 (face)

A social concept involving reputation and dignity; understanding it explains character behaviour in cultural passages, such as indirect refusals or avoidance of public criticism.

Regional vocabulary variation

Differences such as 土豆 versus 马铃薯 or 出租车 versus 的士; a passage may use mainland, Taiwanese, or Singaporean Mandarin vocabulary.

Planning extended responses

Spending roughly a fifth of allocated time on thesis, paragraph topics, and key vocabulary before drafting improves organisation and reduces mid-response errors.

Paraphrasing unknown words

When vocabulary is unknown, expressing the idea with known words rather than leaving a gap or switching to English, since communication of meaning is rewarded.