LEARN + CHINESE / 240 of 300 HSK 7–9
While You’re at It 顺便
On your way home, you text 我顺便买点面包 (“I’ll pick up some bread while I’m at it”). You’re sure your colleague will arrive: 他必定会来. And if a friend is stuck, 不妨试试 is a gentle “why not give it a try?” Each word frames what comes next in a different way.
Add a Small Errand on the Way
顺便 puts a convenient extra action beside the main plan. It often comes before the extra verb: you are already going somewhere, so you do one more thing while you are there.
顺便问一下，餐厅晚上几点钟开始营业？
shùnbiàn wèn yīxià， cāntīng wǎnshang jǐdiǎn zhōng kāishǐ yíngyè？
By the way, may I ask when in the evening your restaurant opens?
Hint · 힌트
If the second action is the main reason for the trip, leave 顺便 out; it means the action is incidental.
Make a Confident Prediction
必定 says the speaker is very sure an outcome will happen. It often appears before 能 or 会, or directly before the result.
他准备得这么认真，必定能通过考试。
tā zhǔnbèi de zhème rènzhēn, bìdìng néng tōngguò kǎoshì.
He prepared so carefully that he is sure to pass the exam.
Hint · 힌트
必定 expresses confidence, not an obligation. For “must do this,” use an expression of necessity.
Make a Gentle Suggestion
不妨 proposes an action as reasonable and worth trying. It softens advice: “you could…” or “why not…”.
你不妨告诉我一切。
nǐ bùfáng gàosu wǒ yíqiè.
You might as well tell me everything.
Hint · 힌트
不妨 is a suggestion, not a command. It commonly comes before the recommended action.
In Real Life
顺便 often attaches a quick errand to a plan already in motion. 不妨 softens a suggestion, while 必定 makes a prediction sound confident.
Vocabulary
| Chinese | English |
|---|---|
shùnbiàn | conveniently; in passing |
xiàbān | to get off work |
chāoshì | supermarket |
huíjiā | to go home |
dài | to bring; carry; belt |
dōngxi | thing; object |
qǔ | to take; fetch; withdraw |
shū | book |
péngyou | friend |
jīngguò | to pass by; process |
shùnlù | on the way |
fāngbiàn | convenient |
zhǔnbèi | to prepare |
rènzhēn | serious; earnest |
kǎoshì | exam; test |
tōngguò | by means of; pass through |
jiànyì | to suggest; suggestion |
shì | to try |
jìhuà | plan |
huíbào | to repay; reciprocate |
YOUR PROGRESS
Finished this lesson?
Save your place in this course.