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

 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

 

 

 

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

 

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.