ba3 shu1 he2shang4 = close your book?

[steve_c]

This is my first post, so please excuse me if this is in the wrong section. I tried to search the forms for an answer, but was unable to.

In the introductory lessons, my textbook (Practical Audio-Visual Chinese) states that "Ba3 shu1 da3kai1" means "Open your book," and Ba3 shu1 he2shang4" means "Close your book." Since these are the beginning lessons, there are no characters listed. However, while I was able to find 把書打開 for the first phrase, I haven't been able to find "he2 shang4" as meaning "close." I've looked in my Oxford CE dictionary and dictionaries online.

Could someone tell me the characters for "he2 shang4" in this sense? Thanks for your help.

[elina]

把书合上

[davidj]

It's probably obvious, but Elina has given you the simplified characters, whereas you've used the traditional ones.

What is more curious is that they've used a passive construction at the very start of the book.

[HashiriKata]

What is more curious is that they've used a passive construction at the very start of the book.

My impression is that these are some set phrases useful for conducting the lessons (such as "Say after me!", "Please can you repeat!", etc.), and are not intented to be part of the lesson proper.

[Jialihai Jiejie]

What is more curious is that they've used a passive construction at the very start of the book.

Using active voice would make the requests sound more like a statement.

Compare these:

Active vs Passive

打开书本 vs 把书打开

合上书本 vs 把书合上

[vampire]

把書合上 is passive??

What kind of grammar is this!!!

把 is active 被 is passive, please....

[chaxiu]

Sorry for going off topic.

If you are using Practical Audio-Visual Chinese There is a video for each dialogue in each chapter. They do have annoying background music but I found them REALLY useful in understanding the chapters.

Chaxiu

[steve_c]

Thanks, everyone, for your replies. 謝謝你們.

@elina: I can't find 合上 in any dictionaries, so I'm guessing that this combination of characters is not an individual word, like 打開?

@HashiriKata: Yes, these phrases are listed as classroom expressions, before the book gets into the regular dialogues, vocabulary, grammar, and characters.

@davidj: Yes, I'm in Taiwan, so I'm learning the traditional characters.

@chaxiu: I don't have the videos, only the audio CDs, which also contain annoying music. I'm not fond of the CDs because they never speak in a natural pace, not even in the later lessons. That's fine when pronouncing the words from the vocabulary list, but even in the dialogues they slowly and painfully enunciate each individual word, so I don't hear the natural rhythm.

[chaxiu]

The CD doesn't speak at a natural pace for any of the dialogues. It does though for the vocab and the short story at the end of the the chapter (I think). That's why the I think its wise to use the Videos..

If you are in Taiwan, they should be very very very very easy to get.

www.ccbc.com.tw or any major book store.

If you have your own computer I suggest that you cut the 'good bits' out of the audio and video. It makes it easier to use and you can get rid of some of the ANNOYING background music.

Chaxiu

[steve_c]

謝謝 chaxiu. You're referring to this, right? I'll look for it at the Nobel Bookstore here in Taoyuan, where I got the PAVC workbooks (The Eslite here didn't have this series). Thanks again.

[elina]

@elina: I can't find 合上 in any dictionaries, so I'm guessing that this combination of characters is not an individual word, like 打開?

Maybe you could try some other dictionaries, such as:

http://dj.iciba.com/%E5%90%88%E4%B8%8A/

http://dict.cn/%E5%90%88%E4%B8%8A.htm

I cannot explain from the grammar point, as my Chinese is no good neither, I can only say we use the 合上 word from time to time in daily life.

[steve_c]

謝謝 elina for those links.

[chaxiu]

Hey, Eslist can certainly order them for you. Or duck over to Taipei, Eslist near 101 of Pageone inside 101 have them. If your going to buy maybe you can watch them first.

Chaxiu