EP17 前后左右Directions: Before/After/Left/Right

EP17 前后左右Directions: Before/After/Left/Right

Use Chinese to express different directions;

How Chinese directions relate to times

Part I Chinese 101

Sample Sentence:

今天早上地铁很挤,我的前后左右都是人。

jīn tiān zǎo shàng dì tiě hěn jǐ ,wǒ de qián hòu zuǒ yòu dōu shì rén 。

The subway was crowded this morning, there were people all around me.

Words & Expressions:

【地铁】dì tiě: the subway; railway

我坐地铁上班。. I go to work by subway.

【早上】zǎo shàng: morning

早上好 Good morning!

*Compare with“上午”, “早上”is “early in the morning”

E.g 早上六点 6 in the morning.

   上午十点 10 in the morning

【挤】jǐ: squeeze, press, crowd

【前】qián: before, ahead, ago, front, former

【后】hòu: after, behind, back, later

【左】zuǒ: left

【右】yòu: right

* Express Directions: 

前面: up, above, on

后面: down, under

左边: the left side

右边: the right side

【都】dōu: both, all

我们都是学生。. We’re all students.

我们都喜欢这本书。. We all like this book.

【人】rén: human beings, people

Part II Language Tips

• How “上”and “下”relate to weeks/months/times

• How “前”and “后”relate to days and years

Part III Story of The Day

后来居上

hòu lái jū shàng

The latecomers surpass the old-timers

Chinese people used the phrase 后来居上 to indicate that successors can surpass predecessors. And there is an interesting historical story behind the phrase.

Literal meaning: the latecomers surpass the old-timers

Explanation: successors can surpass predecessors

E.g

小李比我晚进公司,但是后来居上,他现在是我的上司。

xiǎo lǐ bǐ wǒ wǎn jìn gōng sī ,dàn shì hòu lái jū shàng ,tā xiàn zài shì wǒ de shàng sī 

Xiaoli joined our team later than me, but successors can surpass predecessors, he is my superior now.