Deciding Whether to Continue a Hobby | Learn Chinese in English

Sentence explanations

1. 我不确定自己还想不想继续上绘画课。

   I am not sure whether I want to continue the painting class.

   我

   I

   不确定

   be unsure

   自己

   oneself

   还想不想

   still want or not

   继续

   continue

   上

   attend

   绘画课

   painting class

   More detail

   我 means “I” here. It is the first-person singular pronoun used for the speaker. A useful contrast is 我 “I” versus 你 “you”: 我想休息。 — “I want to rest.” 不确定 means “be unsure” or “not be certain.” 确定 means “be certain”; adding 不 makes the meaning negative. In this sentence, 不确定 describes the speaker’s lack of certainty, not a definite refusal. Example: 我不确定他会不会来。 — “I’m not sure whether he will come.” 自己 means “oneself” and refers back to the relevant subject. Here, the translation identifies that subject as the speaker, so 自己 emphasizes the speaker’s own desire; it is not a separate participant. Example: 她想自己决定。 — “She wants to decide for herself.” 还想不想 uses the A-not-A question pattern 想不想 (“want or not want”) with 还 (“still”). Together, it asks whether the desire remains: “still want to or not.” 想 is the base form meaning “want”; 不想 means “do not want.” Example: 你还想不想去？ — “Do you still want to go?” 继续 means “continue.” It commonly comes before an action to show that the action carries on: 继续学习 — “continue studying.” In the sentence, it introduces the activity that might be continued rather than stating that continuation has definitely happened. 上 is the verb used here for attending or taking a class. In 上绘画课, it is not the unrelated meaning “go up”; the following class noun supplies the class-attendance meaning. Example: 我明天上课。 — “I have class tomorrow” or “I’m attending class tomorrow.” 绘画课 means “painting class” in this sentence. 绘画 means “painting” or “drawing,” and 课 means “class” or “lesson.” The compound can be reused with another subject area, such as 音乐课 — “music class.” Putting the parts together, 我不确定 states that the speaker is unsure, 自己还想不想 asks whether the speaker still has the desire, and 继续上绘画课 identifies the activity as continuing to attend painting class. The whole utterance means: “I am not sure whether I still want to continue taking painting class.”

2. 你是失去兴趣了，还是固定的安排让你压力太大？

   Are you losing interest, or is the fixed commitment too much?

   你

   you

   是 … 还是

   is it … or …?

   失去兴趣

   lose interest

   固定的

   fixed

   安排

   arrangement; commitment

   让

   make; cause

   压力

   pressure

   太大

   too great; too much

   More detail

   你 means “you” here, the person whose situation is being asked about. Chinese 你 does not mark gender. It is the singular second-person pronoun in this sentence; plural “you” is normally 你们. Its level of formality depends on the situation, so 你 is not inherently informal. 是 … 还是 … sets up an alternative question: “is it …, or is it …?” The two alternatives are 失去兴趣了 and 固定的安排让你压力太大. This is a question pattern, not simply the English verb “to be” matching a noun in each clause. 失去兴趣 means “lose interest.” 失去 is the verb “to lose,” and 兴趣 is the noun “interest.” In this sentence, the phrase describes the possible reason for the current situation. Chinese does not add an English-style progressive ending to 失去; the changed-current-state reading comes from the context and from the sentence-final 了. The 了 at the end of the first alternative presents the situation as a relevant change or current development. It does not simply mean past time. Thus 失去兴趣了 can mean that someone has come to lose interest or is now losing interest. 固定的 means “fixed” or “set.” 固定 is the adjective-like word meaning “fixed,” and 的 marks it as modifying the following noun. A useful pattern is 固定的 + noun, as in 固定的时间 (“a fixed time”). 安排 is a noun meaning an “arrangement” or “commitment” here. Together, 固定的安排 refers to a commitment that has been set or scheduled, without specifying exactly what the commitment is. 让 introduces a causative pattern: 让 + person + state means “make or cause someone to be in a state.” Here the person is 你, and the state is expressed by 压力太大, so the fixed commitment is presented as causing you to experience excessive pressure. 压力 means “pressure.” It is the noun serving as the subject of the description 太大, while 你 is the person affected by that pressure. For example, 工作带来压力 means “work brings pressure.” 太大 means “too great” or “too much.” 大 is the adjective “large/great,” and 太 + adjective marks an excessive degree. In 压力太大, the pressure is excessive, not physically large. The same pattern appears in 声音太大 (“the sound is too loud”) and 价格太高 (“the price is too high”). Putting the parts together, 你是失去兴趣了 asks whether you have come to lose interest, while 还是固定的安排让你压力太大 asks whether the set commitment is causing you excessive pressure. The complete meaning is: “Are you losing interest, or is the fixed commitment too much?” This is a direct conversational alternative question.

3. 两方面都有一点。我喜欢画画，但上课让我觉得压力很大。

   A bit of both. I like painting, but the class feels stressful.

   两方面都有一点

   a bit of both

   喜欢

   like

   画画

   paint; draw

   上课

   attend class

   让

   make; let

   觉得

   feel; think

   压力

   pressure; stress

   很大

   very high; very great

   More detail

   两方面都有一点 means that both sides apply to some extent: 两方面 is “both aspects/sides,” 都 marks that both are included, 有 means “there is/are,” and 一点 means “a little.” Here it refers to the two possibilities already raised, so the sentence does not present only one side as applying. A reusable pattern is A 和 B 都有一点 — “there is a little of both A and B.” 喜欢 means “to like” and normally takes the liked activity or thing directly: 我喜欢音乐。 — “I like music.” Its subject is 我 (“I”), which appears before 喜欢 in the sentence, and 喜欢 itself does not change for person or number. 画画 means “to paint or draw.” This is a reduplicated activity verb, a natural way to refer to doing the activity in general. It follows 喜欢 as its object: 她喜欢画画。 — “She likes painting/drawing.” The fixed translation selects the general activity “painting”; the Chinese expression can cover drawing as well, depending on context. 上课 literally refers to having or attending class. In this sentence it is the activity “being in class/going to class,” and it is the subject of the following causative clause. 上 here is not the standalone meaning “up”; together with 课 it forms the common activity word 上课. For example, 我下午上课。 means “I have class in the afternoon.” 让 introduces the person or situation that causes an experience or result: A 让 B + verb/adjective means “A makes B …” or “A causes B to ….” In the sentence, 上课 is the cause and 我 is the person experiencing the result. The construction does not by itself say whether the cause is intentional. 觉得 means “to feel” or “to think/judge” from the speaker’s perspective. Here it introduces the speaker’s subjective experience: 我觉得这很难。 — “I feel/think this is difficult.” In 让我觉得, 我 is the experiencer, while 让 links that experiencer to the cause 上课. 压力 is “pressure” or “stress,” a noun. It commonly appears in expressions such as 有压力 (“be under pressure”) and 压力很大 (“the pressure is great/high”). It is not the adjective describing the class by itself; it is the thing that the adjective phrase evaluates. 很大 means “very great/high” in this context. 大 is the adjective whose base form is “big/great,” and 很 commonly makes a simple adjective predicate sound natural in Mandarin; it does not always express strong “very” emphasis. With 压力, 压力很大 is the established meaning “the pressure is high” or “it is very stressful.” Compare 压力不大 — “the pressure is not high.” Together, 我喜欢画画 says “I like painting,” while 但 marks a contrast: the speaker’s liking for the activity remains, but 上课 causes 我 to 觉得压力很大 — “feel that the pressure is very high” or, naturally in English, “feel stressed.” The complete utterance is therefore: “A bit of both. I like painting, but the class feels stressful.”

4. 也许这个爱好已经从放松变成了另一项必须做的事。

   Maybe the hobby changed from relaxing to another obligation.

   也许

   maybe

   这个

   this

   爱好

   hobby

   已经

   already

   从放松

   from relaxing

   变成了

   became

   另一项

   another item

   必须

   must

   做

   do

   的事

   thing that

   More detail

   也许 means “maybe” and marks the sentence as uncertain rather than asserting the change as a fact. It commonly introduces a full statement: 也许他不来。 means “Maybe he isn’t coming.” 这个 means “this” and modifies 爱好. 这 is the demonstrative element, while 个 is a general classifier. The form does not itself identify exactly which hobby; the surrounding meaning supplies that reference. 爱好 means “hobby” here. It can refer to an activity pursued for interest or enjoyment. In this sentence it is the subject of the change, not the activity that the speaker says must be done. 已经 means “already” and places the change before the relevant speaking time. It commonly combines with 了 when the sentence presents a completed or newly established change, as in 他已经到了。 — “He has already arrived.” 从放松 begins the 从……变成…… pattern, “change from … into/to …”. 放松 means “relaxing” or “relaxation” in this context. Although it can also be a verb meaning “to relax,” after 从 it is understood as the former state or activity. 变成了 contains the verb 变成 (“to become; to change into”) and 了, which presents the new state as having come about. Here 了 follows 变成 and is not sentence-final, because more of the sentence follows it. The useful pattern is A 从 X 变成了 Y: “A changed from X into Y.” The 了 belongs to the change expressed by 变成, not to the noun 爱好. 另一项 means “another item” or “another task.” 另 contributes “another/different,” and 项 is a classifier commonly used for an item of work, a project, or a matter. The phrase does not itself state a specific numeric count; it identifies the new obligation as different from the hobby’s earlier relaxing role. 必须 means “must” and expresses necessity. It normally comes before the verb or verb phrase whose necessity is being stated: 你必须学习。 — “You must study.” Here it modifies 做, so the required action is doing something. 做 means “do” or “carry out.” In 必须做的事, it is the verb inside a modifier before 事: 必须做的 means “that must be done.” 的事 contains 的, which links the preceding description to the noun 事. 事 means “thing, matter, or task.” Thus 必须做的事 is “the thing that must be done,” which fits the translation “an obligation.” Together, 这个爱好 is the hobby being discussed. 已经从放松变成了 says that its role has already changed from providing relaxation. 另一项必须做的事 identifies the new role as another task or obligation that has to be done. With 也许 expressing uncertainty, the whole utterance means: “Maybe this hobby has already changed from something relaxing into another obligation.”

5. 是的，它不再像是一种乐趣，更像是另一项任务。

   Yes, it feels less like fun and more like another task.

   是的

   yes

   它

   it

   不再

   no longer

   像是

   seem like

   一种

   a kind of

   乐趣

   fun

   更像是

   more like

   另一项

   another one

   任务

   task

   More detail

   是的 is a common affirmative expression meaning “yes.” 的 here is part of the fixed expression, not a possessive marker. It can stand alone: 是的。 — “Yes.” 它 is the written third-person pronoun used here for the nonhuman activity or hobby being discussed. Mandarin pronouns do not inflect for grammatical case or gender. In writing, however, 他, 她, and 它 distinguish masculine human, feminine human, and nonhuman referents; they are generally pronounced alike. Here 它 refers to the activity under discussion. 不再 means that a situation no longer holds. In 不再 + phrase, it means “no longer”; this is different from uses of 再 meaning “again.” Example: 我不再练习。 — “I no longer practice.” 像是 means “seem like” or “be like.” 像 is the reusable word meaning “resemble” or “be like”; 是 contributes the explicit “be” in this comparison pattern. Both A 像 B and A 像是 B can compare A with B. 一种 is the pattern 一 + classifier + noun, meaning “a kind/type of” before a category noun. 种 is a classifier commonly used for kinds or types. Here it presents 乐趣 as a type of experience, not as a precise numerical count. 乐趣 is a noun meaning “fun” or “enjoyment,” referring to an enjoyable quality or experience. Example: 学习语言有很多乐趣。 — “Learning languages is a lot of fun.” 更像是 means “seem more like.” 更 marks a greater degree in the comparison and is not an inflection on the following noun. Compare 像是 A — “seem like A” with 更像是 B — “seem more like B.” 另一项 means “another one” in this context. 另 contributes the idea of a different additional one, and 项 is a classifier often used with tasks, projects, or listed matters. The noun classified here is 任务, which follows it. 任务 is a noun meaning “task” or “assignment,” something that needs to be carried out. Example: 这是今天的任务。 — “This is today’s task.” Together, 它不再像是一种乐趣 says that the activity no longer seems like a type of enjoyment. 更像是另一项任务 adds the stronger comparison that it seems more like another task. The complete utterance is: “Yes, it feels less like fun and more like another task.”

6. 你可以改成在家轻松练习。

   You could switch to casual practice at home instead.

   你可以

   you can/could

   改成

   switch to

   在家

   at home

   轻松

   relaxed

   练习

   practice

   More detail

   你可以 means “you could/can”: 你 is the second-person pronoun “you,” and 可以 expresses that the proposed action is possible or permitted. In this sentence, the fixed translation supports a suggestion—“could”—rather than a claim that the listener is currently doing it. A reusable pattern is 你可以 + verb phrase, as in 你可以休息。 — “You can rest.” Chinese verbs do not change for person or number, so 可以 remains the same with different subjects. 改成 means “switch/change to.” 改 is the verb “change,” and 成 indicates the resulting form or state: 改成 + new arrangement. Here, the new arrangement is the following activity, not merely a general act of changing. Example: 把会议改成线上进行。 — “Change the meeting to be held online.” 在家 means “at home.” 在 marks a location and 家 means “home”; together they form a location phrase. In this sentence, it specifies where the practice happens. Example: 我在家学习。 — “I study at home.” 轻松 means “easily” or “in a relaxed, low-pressure way” here. It describes how the practice is carried out, rather than naming a separate type of practice. As a two-syllable word, it can function adverbially before a verb: 轻松练习 — “practice in a relaxed way.” Example: 我们轻松地聊天。 — “We chat casually.” 练习 means “practice” and can be either a verb (“to practice”) or a noun (“practice,” “an exercise”), depending on its position and use. Here it is the activity that the speaker proposes doing at home. Example: 我每天练习发音。 — “I practice pronunciation every day.” Chinese verbs do not take English-style tense endings; time is supplied by context or other words. Together, 在家轻松练习 means “practice at home in a relaxed way,” and 改成 presents that as the new arrangement. Thus 你可以改成在家轻松练习。 means “You could switch to casual practice at home instead.”

7. 这样我还能得到好处，又不用按固定时间练习。

   Then I can keep the benefit without the fixed schedule.

   这样

   this way; then

   我

   I; me

   还能

   can still

   得到

   get; obtain

   好处

   benefit

   又不用

   and need not

   按固定时间

   on a fixed schedule

   练习

   practice

   More detail

   这样 means “in this way” and can point back to a method or arrangement already understood from context. It can also introduce the consequence of that method: 这样我…… = “That way, I…”. 我 is the first-person singular pronoun, “I” or “me.” Chinese pronouns do not change form for grammatical case, gender, or number; plural meaning is normally marked separately, for example 我们 “we; us.” 还能 combines 还 “still; also” with 能 “can; be able to.” Here it means that the ability remains available: “can still.” The form 能 expresses ability or possibility, while 还 adds continuation or an additional compatible point. For example, 我还能练习 means “I can still practice.” 得到 is the verb “to obtain” or “to receive.” Its base form is also 得到; Mandarin verbs do not change for person or number. It commonly takes a result or thing obtained after it, as in 得到帮助 “receive help.” 好处 is a noun meaning “benefit” or “advantage.” The fixed sentence uses it as what is obtained: 得到好处 means “get the benefit” or “gain an advantage.” A useful contrast is 坏处, “disadvantage” or “harm,” which is not the meaning of the observed noun. 又不用 combines 又 with 不用. In this sentence, 又 links this point with the preceding benefit, giving an “and at the same time” relationship. 不用 means “do not need to” or “need not”; it is 不 plus 用 in the sense “need.” The following verb phrase shows what is unnecessary. For example, 你又不用等待 means “and you do not need to wait.” 按固定时间 describes following a fixed time arrangement. 按 means “according to” or “by following,” and 固定时间 means “a fixed time” or “fixed times.” The noun 时间 is “time,” while 固定 describes it as set or unchanging. This phrase modifies the activity that follows; it does not itself mean that a particular number of sessions occurs. 练习 is the verb “to practice” here. The same form can also be a noun meaning “practice” in suitable contexts, but here it is the activity that is not required. For example, 每天练习很有帮助 means “Practicing every day is helpful.” Together, 这样我还能得到好处 means “That way, I can still get the benefit,” and 又不用按固定时间练习 adds “without needing to practice on a fixed schedule.” The whole utterance is therefore: “Then I can keep the benefit without the fixed schedule.”

8. 爱好应该融入你的生活，而不只是迎合理想中的自己。

   Hobbies should fit your life, not just your ideal self.

   爱好

   hobby; interest

   应该

   should

   融入

   fit into

   你的

   your

   生活

   life

   而不只是

   rather than merely

   迎合

   cater to

   理想

   ideal

   自己

   self

   More detail

   爱好 means a hobby or interest. It is a noun: 有爱好 means “to have a hobby,” and 培养爱好 means “to develop a hobby.” Example: 阅读是我的爱好。 — “Reading is my hobby.” 应该 expresses what is advisable or expected: “should” or “ought to.” It comes before the verb or verb phrase it qualifies, as in 你应该休息。 — “You should rest.” Here it qualifies 融入, not 生活. 融入 means “to blend into” or “to become integrated into.” The verb 融 by itself can mean “to melt” or “to merge,” but 融入 is the useful verb for entering and becoming part of a larger setting. 融入生活 means “become part of life,” while 融入团队 means “integrate into a team.” 你的 is the possessive phrase “your.” 你 means “you,” and 的 marks the following noun phrase as belonging or relating to that person: 你的计划 means “your plan.” The form 你的 does not itself indicate whether the noun is singular or plural. 生活 means “life” or “daily life.” In 你的生活, it is the setting into which something can be integrated. It can also refer to everyday living more generally, as in 生活很忙。 — “Life is very busy.” 而不只是 sets up a contrast meaning “rather than merely” or “and not just.” 而 links the contrasting part, while 不只是 means “not only/not merely.” Example: 学习应该帮助你，而不只是通过考试。 — “Learning should help you, rather than merely help you pass exams.” 迎合 means “to cater to,” “to pander to,” or “to accommodate” someone’s wishes or an expectation, often with the idea of adjusting oneself to satisfy it. It is a verb, so 迎合理想中的自己 means “cater to one’s ideal self.” Example: 不要总是迎合别人的期待。 — “Don’t always cater to other people’s expectations.” 理想 here modifies the following phrase through 中的, giving the meaning “ideal” in 理想中的自己, “the ideal self” or “the self one regards as ideal.” 理想 can also be a noun meaning “ideal” or “aspiration,” but that is not its role here. The pattern A中的B can describe B as it exists in, or is defined by, A: 故事中的人物 means “the character in the story.” 自己 means “self” or “oneself.” In this sentence it refers to the person’s idealized self-conception, as reflected by the fixed translation “your ideal self”; its form does not identify a separate grammatical gender or a specific number. 自己 is also commonly used reflexively, as in 照顾自己 — “take care of oneself.” Together, 爱好应该融入你的生活 says that a hobby should become an integrated part of your life. 而不只是迎合理想中的自己 contrasts that with merely catering to the idealized version of oneself. The complete meaning is: “Hobbies should fit your life, not just your ideal self.”

9. 也许暂停上这门课，能让我知道自己会不会想念它。

   Maybe pausing the class would show whether I miss it.

   也许

   maybe

   暂停

   pause; suspend

   上

   attend; take (a class)

   这

   this

   门

   classifier for classes and other scheduled courses

   课

   class; course

   能

   can; be able to

   让

   let; make

   我

   I; me

   知道

   know; find out

   自己

   oneself; self

   会不会

   whether ... or not

   想念

   miss

   它

   it

   More detail

   也许 comes first and makes the whole proposition tentative: “maybe.” It does not assert that the result will happen. A useful pattern is 也许 + clause, as in 也许他今天不来。 — “Maybe he isn’t coming today.” 暂停 means to pause or suspend an activity. Here it applies to 上这门课 as a combined activity, so 暂停上这门课 means “pause taking this class.” The verb itself is not a claim that the class is permanently ended; 暂停 contrasts with permanently stopping more strongly than 放弃 does. 上 here means “attend” or “take” a class, not “go up.” In the reusable pattern 上 + course/class, the object is the class being attended: 我上中文课。 — “I take Chinese class.” 这 means “this” and identifies the course as the relevant one in the utterance. 门 is the classifier used with classes and courses in 这门课; it is not the noun meaning “class.” 课 means “class” or “course.” Together, 这门课 is “this class/course.” The classifier is part of the normal noun phrase pattern 这 + classifier + noun. 能 expresses that a situation can enable or bring about a result. In 能让我知道..., it means that pausing the class could let the speaker find something out; it is not simply a statement of physical ability. 能 can also express ability in another context, as in 我能来。 — “I can come.” 让 means “let” or “make” someone reach a result. The pattern 让 + person + verb places the person affected before the following verb: 这让我放心。 — “This makes me feel reassured.” Here 让我知道 means “let me find out” or “enable me to know.” 我 is the first-person pronoun “I/me.” In this sentence it is the person who would find out whether the course is missed. Chinese pronouns do not change form for subject versus object here; position and construction show the role: 我 is the object after 让, but the understood experiencer of 知道. 知道 means “know” or “find out.” After 让, it describes the result made possible for the speaker: discovering the answer to the following embedded question. 知道 can describe an already-held fact too, as in 我知道答案。 — “I know the answer.” 自己 means “oneself” or “the self.” In this sentence it refers back to the relevant person in the clause, namely 我, so 自己 is “myself.” It is useful when the sentence needs an explicit self-reference rather than just leaving the subject implicit. 会不会 forms an embedded “whether ... or not” question. It asks whether the following event is expected to occur, rather than asking only for a simple yes/no reply in a standalone question. The pattern 想知道 + subject + 会不会 + verb can mean “want to know whether the subject will ...”: 我想知道他会不会来。 — “I want to know whether he will come.” 想念 means “miss” someone or something emotionally. Here 自己会不会想念它 asks whether the speaker will miss it after pausing the course. 想念 is different from merely remembering something; it includes a feeling of missing the person or thing. 它 is the third-person pronoun for “it,” used here for the class/course identified by the fixed translation. Its position after 想念 makes it the thing that may be missed. In this utterance, 它 is not a new participant; it refers back to 这门课. The structure is 也许 [暂停上这门课]，能 [让我知道 [自己会不会想念它]]. The initial verb phrase, 暂停上这门课, is the possible situation. 能 links that situation to the result 让我知道: pausing the course could enable the speaker to find out. Inside that result, 会不会想念它 is the embedded choice being investigated—whether the speaker will miss the course. Thus the whole utterance means: “Maybe pausing the class would show whether I miss it.”

10. 这总比突然放弃，或者逼自己继续下去好。

    That is better than quitting suddenly or forcing yourself.

    这

    that

    总比

    still ... than

    突然

    suddenly

    放弃

    give up

    逼自己

    force oneself

    继续下去

    continue on

    好

    good

    More detail

    这 means “this/that” as a demonstrative pronoun. Here, the fixed translation uses “That,” and the preceding context supports understanding it as the option just mentioned—pausing the class. Its exact referent comes from context, not from the form 这 alone. 总比…好 is a reusable comparison pattern meaning “still be better than …” or “be better than … anyway.” In this sentence, 总 contributes the sense of “still” or “anyway,” rather than asserting that the comparison is true at every time. 比 marks the comparison, and 好 is the adjective “good”; together, 比…好 expresses that the first option is better than the alternatives. Pattern: A 总比 B 好 — “A is still better than B.” 突然 means “suddenly” and modifies the following action. It describes giving up as abrupt or unexpected, not the general idea of giving up. 放弃 is the verb “to give up” or “to abandon.” It can be followed by an object, such as 放弃这门课, “give up this class.” In this sentence it stands after 突然, so 突然放弃 means “give up suddenly.” 逼自己 means “force oneself.” 逼 is the verb “to force,” and 自己 is the reflexive word “oneself” here. 自己 does not change form for the person being referred to; the surrounding context determines whose “self” it is. Example: 我不想逼自己 — “I don’t want to force myself.” 继续下去 means “continue on” or “keep going.” 继续 means “continue,” and 下去 is a complement showing continuation from now onward. Example: 继续学习下去 — “continue studying.” Here, this phrase is the activity that the speaker would be forcing themself to continue. 好 is the adjective “good.” In 总比……好, it completes the comparison and yields the meaning “better than.” The adjective’s base form is 好; “better” here is the comparison created by the 比 construction, not a separate inflected form of 好. Putting the chunks together, 这 identifies the option under discussion, and 总比 introduces a comparison. The alternatives are suddenly giving up, or forcing oneself to continue. The whole utterance means: “That is better than quitting suddenly or forcing yourself to continue.”