question about "as" and the use of 作为，做

[cotidiano]

A friend (native speaker of Chinese) corrected an email I'd sent to her - in Chinese - with the following sentence (I added the bold to highlight the confusion):

偶尔，我做面条或者米饭作为午饭, 收好我的东西, 出发去车站. 去学校要花掉30分钟. 我常常在市场买水果做早饭

The meaning I had in mind was this:

...Occasionally, I make noodles or rice as my lunch, and I gather my things, then go to the bus stop. The bus to school takes 30 minutes. I often buy fruit at supermarket for breakfast...

I am confused about her use of 作为 above. I assume that it means "as" to signify as lunch, but then later I see 做. Which one is correct, or are they both correct? Perhaps 做 is a typo? Also, could I substitute 当 - like the following 当午饭，当早饭 - in both places above and be correct? The original email had 当 and she changed it, but I have seen this used before, I'm pretty sure.

Also, this part 收好我的东西, 出发去车站 - for that to mean "I get my things/stuff together, then head to the bus stop" shouldn't there be more? maybe an 一。。。就。。。 construction?

I've just about scratched a hole in my head wondering about this one. Any help is appreciated, thanks!

Jaime

[travelgirl]

from what i had understood,作为 should be used to express being....for example 作为一个很好的厨师我做的饭好吃多了。but it seems you can also use it instead of 做.As for 当 i know that it means become and we normally use to say for example 我当老师。

In your last question about 一。。。就。。。 i have seen it omitted in many texts.And i think that this structure usually means,as soon...( as soon as i got my things,i head to the bus)

Correct me guys if i m wrong

[semantic nuance]

could I substitute 当 - like the following 当午饭，当早饭 - in both places above and be correct?

Yes, you can. 我煮麵條或煮飯當(作)午飯(吃)。我常常在市場買說水果當(作)早飯(吃)。

[Danny2312]

'作为’ in the sentence you've given means 'to regard it as/ to treat it as'. In the sentence above, I presume it means 'I cook some noodles or rice and make it as my lunch'.

我常常在市场买水果做早饭。'做‘ is, again, correctly used. It means 'I usually go to market to buy fruits to prepare/make my breakfast'. While it might sound a bit weird, it is, however, grammatically and logically correct.

You can substitute both '作为‘ and '做‘ with '当‘。Using '当‘ conveys the same meaning for the first sentence, but different for the second sentence. If you write '我常常在市场买水果当早饭'，it means your breakfast is only fruits, while in the original sentence where you use '做‘, your breakfast has fruits as the main ingredient, but you might have added some additional ingredients like oats or vegetables.

'偶尔，我做面条或者米饭作为午饭, 收好我的东西, 出发去车站. '。

Using '一。。。就‘ is not appropriate here. When you use '一。。。就‘, you mean 'once I have my things packed, I run to the station', this usage will make your sentence sounds exceedingly weird and the flow would also be weird.

If you use '一。。。就‘ in your sentence, it becomes 'Sometimes, I'll cook some noodles and rice as lunch, once I have my things packed, I run to the station.'

Whereas if you omit '一。。。就‘, your sentence means:

'Sometimes, I'll cook some noodles or rice as lunch, have my things packed, and run to the station'

The latter sentence has a better flow and makes more sense.

Hope my explanation helps.

[cotidiano]

Thanks for the replies everyone.

@ Danny,

Thanks for the reply, yours was the one that reached the point I was trying to grasp. This bit:

You can substitute both '作为‘ and '做‘ with '当‘。Using '当‘ conveys the same meaning for the first sentence, but different for the second sentence. If you write '我常常在市场买水果当早饭'，it means your breakfast is only fruits, while in the original sentence where you use '做‘, your breakfast has fruits as the main ingredient, but you might have added some additional ingredients like oats or vegetables.

That's my intended meaning exactly, that my breakfast is only fruits, not that fruits are an ingredient. The sentence appeared in a sequential list of events; after buying the fruit I proceeded to school (where I wouldn't be "preparing" anything) a completely different idea and one that my friend may have missed. Cheers for the clear explanation and example!

[Danny2312]

I'm glad it helps.

[kenny2006]

I am a native speaker of Chinese, even confused by"我常常在市场买水果做早饭" it should be"当早饭", this is typical chinese girl's breakfast to make slimmer