Level 6 · Lesson 19

口语和书面语
Spoken and written Chinese

咱们走吧！——口语；我们走吧——书面语也可以。

咱们/我们, 干嘛/做什么, 别/不要, 挺/很 — same meaning, different setting.

听 · Listen

这样说，那样写
 李明 —  安娜，咱们下午去看电影吧！ 
Anna, let's go to a film this afternoon!  
 安娜 —  咱们？为什么不说我们？ 
咱们? Why not 我们?  
 李明 —  咱们是口语，里面一定有你；我们有时候没有你。 
咱们 is spoken, and it always includes you. 我们 sometimes leaves you out.  
 安娜 —  我懂了。那干嘛也是口语吗？ 
I see. And is 干嘛 spoken too?  
 李明 —  是。干嘛就是做什么，不过只能跟朋友说。写在信里还是要写做什么。 
Yes. 干嘛 just means 做什么, but you only say it to friends. In a letter you still write 做什么.  
 安娜 —  那别和不要呢？还有挺和很？ 
What about 别 and 不要? And 挺 and 很?  
 李明 —  别和挺都是口语。说话的时候说别走、挺好的，写的时候写不要走、很好。 
别 and 挺 are both spoken. Speaking you say 别走 and 挺好的; writing you put 不要走 and 很好.  
 安娜 —  明白了。那咱们走吧！ 
Got it. Let's go, then!  

讲解 · Explanation

咱们走吧！我们下个月去上海。

咱们 and 我们 are not simply formal and informal — they differ in meaning. 咱们 always includes the person you are talking to: 咱们走吧 is 'let's go, you and I'. 我们 may include the listener or may not, so 我们下个月去上海 can easily mean 'we are going and you are not'. 咱们 is northern spoken Chinese and is never written in an essay or a letter; 我们 is always safe, in speech and in writing alike. If you are unsure, say 我们.

你干嘛呢？——你在做什么？

干嘛 is 做什么 with the collar open. It asks two things: what are you doing (你干嘛呢？) and what on earth for (你干嘛买那么多？). It is friendly among friends and blunt to a stranger, so keep it for people you know, and never put it on paper — the dictionary even prefers the spelling 干吗 for it. In writing, 做什么 and 为什么 do the same two jobs with no risk at all.

别走！——不要走。这本书挺有意思的。——这本书很有意思。

别 and 不要 both forbid, and you met both in l04-14; 别 is the short spoken one, 不要 the fuller one that a notice or a letter uses. 挺 and 很 both mean 'quite, very', but 挺 is spoken and almost always closes with 的 at the end of the clause: 挺好的, 挺累的, 挺有意思的. 很 goes anywhere. Notice what this pattern is: the same meaning, twice, once for the mouth and once for the page. Knowing which is which is what 口语 and 书面语 name.

生词 · Vocabulary

词	Meaning	注 · Note
咱们	we (you included)	口语 only; 我们 is always safe
干嘛	what … doing?; why?	口语 only; write 做什么 / 为什么
挺	quite, pretty	口语; 挺……的
口语	spoken Chinese	说话的时候用的话
书面语	written Chinese	写文章、写信的时候用的话

练习 · Practice

我们、咱们、他们 Which one always includes the person you are speaking to?

你在______？ You are writing this in a letter. Which one?

这本书…… Which one would you say to a friend rather than write in an essay?

口语说别走，书面语写______走。 Fill in the written form of 别.

咱们、干嘛、挺、别、书面语 Match each word to its meaning.

用一用 · Use it

一件事，说两次：先说口语，再说书面语。

Take one small plan — going to a film this afternoon — and say it twice aloud. First to a friend: 咱们下午去看电影吧！挺好看的，别晚了！Then the way you would write it to your teacher: 我们下午去看电影。这部电影很好看，请不要迟到。Same plan, same meaning, four words changed. Do it again with a second plan of your own, and you will hear the two registers separate in your own mouth.