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HSK 1 · Article · 214 characters · Listen: mandarinthewild.com/library/read/what-does-renminbi-mean

人民币是什么意思?

What does renminbi mean?

Name: ________________ Date: ________

爸爸bàba有yǒu一个yígè女儿nǚ’ér,六liù岁suì。有yǒu一yì天tiān,她tā看到kàndào桌子zhuōzi上shàng的de钱qián,问wèn:“爸爸bàba,这zhè是shì什么shénme?”

爸爸bàba说shuō:“这zhè是shì人民币rénmínbì。”

很hěn多duō学xué中文zhōngwén的de人rén也yě想xiǎng问wèn:人民币rénmínbì是shì什么shénme?这zhè个gè名字míngzi是shì什么shénme意思yìsi?

人民币rénmínbì是shì中国zhōngguó的de钱qián。桌子zhuōzi上shàng的de钱qián是shì,手机shǒujī里li的de钱qián也yě是shì。

“人民rénmín”是shì一个yígè国家guójiā的de人rén。“币bì”是shì钱qián。“人民币rénmínbì”是shì“人民rénmín的de钱qián”。

一九四八年yījiǔsìbānián,中国zhōngguó有yǒu了le人民币rénmínbì。现在xiànzài,大家dàjiā买菜mǎicài、买mǎi衣服yīfu、坐车zuòchē,都dōu用yòng人民币rénmínbì。

写xiě的de时候shíhou,大家dàjiā写xiě“一百yìbǎi元yuán”;说话shuōhuà的de时候shíhou,很hěn多duō人rén说shuō“一百yìbǎi块kuài”。“一百yìbǎi元yuán”和hé“一百yìbǎi块kuài”,是shì一个yígè意思yìsi。

女儿nǚ’ér听tīng了le,想xiǎng了le想xiǎng,问wèn:“是shì人民rénmín的de钱qián?”

爸爸bàba说shuō:“对duì。”

“那nà我wǒ是shì人民rénmín吗ma?”

“是shì,你nǐ也yě是shì。”

女儿nǚ’ér很hěn高兴gāoxìng,说shuō:“那nà,爸爸bàba,给gěi我wǒ一百yìbǎi块kuài!”

给gěi你nǐ一百yìbǎi块kuài,你nǐ想xiǎng买mǎi什么shénme?

Key words

WordPinyinMeaning
爸爸bàbadad; father
有yǒuto have; there is; there are
女儿nǚ’érdaughter
六liùsix
岁suìyears old; year (of age)
一yìone; a; an
天tiānsky
她tāshe; her
桌子zhuōzitable; desk
上shàngup; above; on
的desentence-final 的: affirms the statement — "that is how it is"
钱qiánmoney

Questions

  1. 女儿在桌子上看到什么?

    What did the daughter see on the table?

    A. 手机B. 钱C. 衣服

  2. “人民币”是什么意思?

    What does "人民币" mean?

    A. 人民的钱B. 国家的人C. 中国的菜

  3. 人民币是什么时候有的?

    When did RMB come into being?

    A. 一九四八年B. 一九八四年C. 一九四五年

Lesson plan: 45 minutes (for the teacher)

HSK 1 · What does renminbi mean?. By the end, students can read it aloud, say what it is about and use 爸爸 and 有 in sentences of their own.

  1. Warm-up 5 min

    Write 人民币是什么意思? on the board. Ask what the class thinks it is about, then give the English: “What does renminbi mean?”.

  2. Key words 10 min

    Teach 爸爸 (bàba, dad; father), 有 (yǒu, to have; there is; there are), 女儿 (nǚ’ér, daughter), 六 (liù, six), 岁 (suì, years old; year (of age)), 一 (yì, one; a; an). Say each one, the class says it back, then ask for its meaning with the word covered. The rest are in the handout’s table.

  3. Listen 10 min

    Play it read aloud from mandarinthewild.com/library/read/what-does-renminbi-mean: once with the text face down, once reading along. Students tap any word there for its meaning.

  4. Read and check 10 min

    Students read it alone, then answer the 3 questions on the handout. Go through them together; the answers and the line that proves each are on the teacher’s page.

  5. Use it 10 min

    In pairs, each student writes two sentences of their own, one with 爸爸 and one with 有, and reads one to the class.

Homework. Students read it again at home and Review its words. Put it in a free class (mandarinthewild.com/teachers/class) and you see who read it.

English (for the teacher)

A dad has a daughter who is six. One day she sees some money on the table and asks, "Dad, what's this?"

Dad says, "This is renminbi."

Lots of people learning Chinese want to ask the same thing: what is renminbi? What does the name mean?

Renminbi is China's money. The money on the table is renminbi, and so is the money in your phone.

人民 (renmin) means the people of a country. 币 (bi) means money. So 人民币 means "the people's money".

China got renminbi in 1948. Today everyone uses renminbi to buy groceries, buy clothes and take the bus.

When people write it, they write 一百元 (100 yuan); when they talk, many say 一百块 (100 kuai). 一百元 and 一百块 mean the same thing.

The girl listens, thinks for a moment, and asks, "The people's money?"

Dad says, "That's right."

"Then am I one of the people?"

"Yes, you are too."

The girl is delighted and says, "Then, Dad, give me a hundred kuai!"

If someone gave you a hundred kuai, what would you buy?

Answers

  1. B. 钱: 她看到桌子上的钱
  2. A. 人民的钱: “人民币”是“人民的钱”。
  3. A. 一九四八年: 一九四八年,中国有了人民币。