About This Lesson
Use Improving Sleep with a Calmer Evening Routine to practice Chinese conversation, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and quizzes.
Dialogue
A
我最近睡得不太好。
Wǒ zuìjìn shuì de bú tài hǎo. I have not been sleeping well recently.
B
也许你需要改变晚上的习惯。
Yěxǔ nǐ xūyào gǎibiàn wǎnshang de xíguàn. Maybe your evening routine needs changing.
A
我睡觉前会用手机。
Wǒ shuìjiào qián huì yòng shǒujī. I use my phone right before bed.
B
少看屏幕可能会帮助你放松。
Shǎo kàn píngmù kěnéng huì bāngzhù nǐ fàngsōng. Less screen time may help you relax.
A
那我应该改看书吗？
Nà wǒ yīnggāi gǎi kàn shū ma? Should I read a book instead?
B
选一些轻松简单的内容吧。
Xuǎn yìxiē qīngsōng jiǎndān de nèiróng ba. Choose something calm and easy.
B
这样你的思绪就能慢下来。
Zhèyàng nǐ de sīxù jiù néng màn xiàlái. So your mind can slow down.
A
我会试几个晚上。
Wǒ huì shì jǐ ge wǎnshang. I will try that for a few nights.
B
规律的作息可以改善睡眠。
Guīlǜ de zuòxī kěyǐ gǎishàn shuìmián. A steady routine can improve sleep.Word by Word
我
In “我最近睡得不太好” and “我睡觉前会用手机”, 我 refers to the speaker: I or me. It commonly comes before the action or situation describing the speaker’s own experience.
最近
In “我最近睡得不太好”, 最近 means recently and places the sleep problem in the near past and present period. It is useful when reporting a current change or recent experience.
睡
In “睡得不太好”, 睡 means sleep; in “睡觉前”, it is part of 睡觉, meaning sleep or go to bed. It combines with 得 when describing how well someone sleeps and with 觉 in a time expression.
得
In “睡得不太好”, 得 connects the action 睡 with the following description of how well it happens. It is useful after an action when adding its degree or result.
不
In “不太好”, 不 makes the evaluation negative, so the speaker’s sleep is not very good. It comes before the description being negated.
太
In “不太好”, 太 adds a degree meaning very or too, while 不太好 means not very good in this context. It helps express the degree of the negative evaluation.
好
In “睡得不太好”, 好 describes the quality of the sleeping and means well or good. It can describe whether an action or condition is satisfactory.
也许
In “也许你需要改变晚上的习惯”, 也许 means maybe and presents the suggestion as a possibility rather than a certainty. It can introduce a possible explanation or recommendation.
你
In “也许你需要改变晚上的习惯”, 你 refers to the person being addressed: you. It comes before the action or situation that the listener may need to consider.
需要
In “你需要改变晚上的习惯”, 需要 means need and introduces the change that may be necessary. It commonly comes before an action when describing what someone needs to do.
改变
In “改变晚上的习惯”, 改变 means change; here it refers to changing the evening routine. It is useful before the thing or behavior that is to be changed.
晚上
In “晚上的习惯”, 晚上 identifies the evening as the relevant time. It modifies 习惯 through 的 and is useful when describing when a routine happens.
的
In “晚上的习惯”, 的 links 晚上 to 习惯, showing that the habit is associated with the evening. It connects a modifier with the noun it describes.
习惯
In “晚上的习惯”, 习惯 means habit or routine: a repeated way of doing something. Here it refers to the evening routine that may need changing.
睡觉
In “睡觉前”, 睡觉 means sleep or go to bed and names the event used to set a time. It appears before 前 to describe what happens before bedtime.
前
In “睡觉前”, 前 means before the event named by 睡觉. It lets a time expression identify when another action happens.
会
In “睡觉前会用手机”, 会 marks the speaker’s usual or expected action before bed. It can come before an action to describe something that will or tends to happen.
用
In “用手机”, 用 means use, with 手机 as the thing being used. It commonly comes before an object when describing how someone uses something.
手机
In “用手机”, 手机 means mobile phone and is the object of 用. It is useful when talking about phone use in an evening routine.
少
In “少看屏幕”, 少 means a smaller amount of the activity, so the suggestion is to spend less time looking at screens. It comes before an action when advising someone to reduce that activity.
看
In “少看屏幕”, 看 means look at or watch; in “看书”, it means read. The object determines the natural meaning, and the word comes before the thing being viewed or read.
屏幕
In “少看屏幕”, 屏幕 means screen and is the object of 看. It is useful when discussing screen use, especially as part of an evening routine.
可能
In “可能会帮助你放松”, 可能 says that the help is possible, not certain. It commonly comes before a possible action or result.
帮助
In “可能会帮助你放松”, 帮助 means help and connects the possible benefit to you and the following relaxing action. It is useful when describing one action supporting another person’s action.
放松
In “帮助你放松”, 放松 means relax and describes the calmer state the speaker hopes to reach. It is useful as a goal when discussing rest or calming activities.
那
In “那我应该改看书吗”, 那 means then or in that case and responds to the previous suggestion. It can open a follow-up decision or question based on what was just said.
应该
In “我应该改看书吗”, 应该 means should and asks whether an action is the recommended choice. It comes before the action being considered.
改
In “改看书”, 改 means switch to or change to reading, rather than simply make an unspecified change. It can come before a new activity when proposing a change of plan.
书
In “看书”, 书 means book and is the object of 看. Together with 看, it identifies reading a book as the alternative activity.
吗
In “改看书吗”, 吗 marks the sentence as a yes-or-no question. It is placed at the end when asking whether the proposed action is suitable.
选
In “选一些轻松简单的内容吧”, 选 means choose and introduces the material being recommended. It commonly comes before the thing that someone should select.
一些
In “一些轻松简单的内容”, 一些 means some or an unspecified amount. It comes before a noun phrase when the amount is not exact.
轻松
In “轻松简单的内容”, 轻松 describes the content as calm or relaxing. It is useful when recommending material that feels easy on the mind.
简单
In “轻松简单的内容”, 简单 means simple or easy and describes the recommended content. It is useful when suggesting material that is manageable and not demanding.
内容
In “选一些轻松简单的内容”, 内容 means content or material and is the thing to be chosen. Here it can refer to what someone reads before bed.
吧
In “选一些轻松简单的内容吧”, 吧 softens the suggestion and makes it less forceful. It is placed at the end of a suggestion.
这样
In “这样你的思绪就能慢下来”, 这样 means this way or so and points back to choosing calm, easy content. It introduces the expected consequence of that choice.
思绪
In “你的思绪就能慢下来”, 思绪 means thoughts or the mind’s ongoing activity. Here it is the thing that can become slower and calmer.
就
In “这样你的思绪就能慢下来”, 就 connects the suggested way with the resulting consequence. It presents the mind slowing down as what follows from the earlier choice.
能
In “你的思绪就能慢下来”, 能 means can or be able to and expresses the possibility of the mind slowing down. It comes before the action or change that is possible.
慢
In “慢下来”, 慢 contributes the idea of becoming slower. Together with 下来, the expression describes the mind settling into a slower state.
下来
In “慢下来”, 下来 helps complete the expression of slowing or settling down. Here it presents a change toward a slower, calmer state rather than physical downward movement.
试
In “我会试几个晚上”, 试 means try the suggested routine. The phrase can be used when testing a new habit for a stated period before deciding whether it helps.
几个
In “几个晚上”, 几个 means a few and gives a small, non-exact number of evenings. It comes before a counted noun when the precise number is not specified.
规律
In “规律的作息”, 规律 means regular or consistent and describes the schedule as following a stable pattern. It is useful when recommending stable daily habits.
作息
In “规律的作息”, 作息 means a person’s daily pattern of sleeping and waking, here a sleep routine. It is useful when discussing regular habits connected with rest.
可以
In “可以改善睡眠”, 可以 means can or may and presents the steady routine as having the potential to improve sleep. It comes before a verb to state a possible result.
改善
In “改善睡眠”, 改善 means improve and takes 睡眠 as the thing that becomes better. It is useful when describing a positive change in a condition or routine.
睡眠
In “改善睡眠”, 睡眠 means sleep and names the condition that the routine can improve. It is used here as the object of 改善 when discussing better rest.
Grammar Points
动词 + 得 + 程度补语
睡得不太好
shuì de bú tài hǎonot sleep very well
“得” connects a verb with a following description of its degree or manner.
改 + 动词
改看书
gǎi kàn shūswitch to reading a book instead
“改” before another verb indicates changing to a different action.
Chinese Vocabulary
帮助
verb
bāngzhù
help
改变
verb
gǎibiàn
change
可能
adv
kěnéng
may; possibly
少看屏幕
phrase
shǎo kàn píngmù
spend less time looking at screens
手机
noun
shǒujī
mobile phone
睡得不太好
phrase
shuì de bú tài hǎo
not sleep very well
睡觉前
phrase
shuìjiào qián
before going to bed
晚上
noun
wǎnshang
evening; night
习惯
noun
xíguàn
habit; routine
需要
verb
xūyào
need
也许
adv
yěxǔ
maybe
最近
adv
zuìjìn
recently
Quiz
Spelling
Tap the letters to spell the word.
not sleep very well
Show Answer
睡得不太好spend less time looking at screens
Show Answer
少看屏幕may; possibly
Show Answer
可能before going to bed