Choosing the Highest-Impact Task | Learn Chinese in English

Sentence explanations

1. 我有四项任务，而且它们都很重要。

   I have four tasks, and they all feel important.

   我有

   I have

   四项

   four (items)

   任务

   task

   而且

   and moreover

   它们都

   they all

   重要

   important

   More detail

   我有 means “I have” here. 有 is the verb for possession or existence, and 我 is the first-person singular pronoun “I.” A reusable pattern is Subject + 有 + noun: 我有时间。 — “I have time.” 四项 expresses the number four together with the classifier 项, used for items such as tasks, projects, or other matters. 四 is “four”; 项 is not the noun “task” itself. Chinese commonly places a number and classifier before the noun: 三项工作 — “three work items.” 任务 means “task.” It is a noun and can be counted with 项, as in 四项任务 — “four tasks.” 而且 connects this statement to an additional related statement, meaning “and moreover” or “and also.” It commonly introduces information that adds emphasis or another supporting point: 他很认真，而且很快。 — “He is conscientious, and he is also quick.” 它们都 means “they all” in this sentence. 它们 is the plural third-person pronoun used here for the tasks; 都 means “all” and is placed before the predicate. The pattern plural subject + 都 + predicate expresses that the predicate applies to every member: 这些问题都很重要。 — “These problems are all important.” 重要 means “important.” It is a descriptive adjective. In this sentence it functions directly as the predicate after 都; Mandarin does not require a separate equivalent of “are” before this adjective. 很重要 means “very important” or, as a common neutral adjective predicate, simply “important” in a translation like this one. Together, 我有四项任务 means “I have four tasks.” 而且 adds a further statement, and 它们都很重要 means “they all feel important” in the fixed translation. The complete utterance is therefore: “I have four tasks, and they all feel important.”

2. 确定顺序之前，要把紧急程度和影响分开考虑。

   Separate urgency from impact before you choose the order.

   确定

   determine; choose

   顺序

   order

   之前

   before

   要

   need to; should

   把

   handle by placing an object first

   紧急程度

   urgency

   和

   and

   影响

   impact

   分开

   separately

   考虑

   consider

   More detail

   确定 means “determine” or “settle.” Here it is the verb in 确定顺序, so the action is settling the order, not merely noticing it. Example: 我们先确定时间。 — “Let’s determine the time first.” 顺序 means an order or sequence, especially the order in which things are handled. In this sentence it is the object of 确定. Example: 请按顺序回答。 — “Please answer in order.” 之前 means “before” and follows the event or clause that marks the earlier point: 确定顺序之前 means “before determining the order.” A reusable pattern is X 之前, “before X.” Example: 出发之前检查门。 — “Check the door before leaving.” 要 expresses a need or recommendation here: the listener should perform the following action. It does not itself state a numeric quantity. Example: 要先确认地址。 — “You need to confirm the address first.” 把 introduces the object that the speaker wants to handle in a specified way. In 把紧急程度和影响分开考虑, the two qualities appear before the verb, and 分开考虑 describes what is done with them. A reusable pattern is 把 + object + verb phrase. Example: 把这两个问题分开讨论。 — “Discuss these two questions separately.” 紧急程度 is the degree of urgency: how urgently something needs attention. The noun 程度 means degree or level, so this is more specific than simply 紧急 (“urgent”). Example: 这项工作的紧急程度很高。 — “This task has a high degree of urgency.” 和 connects the two coordinated objects 紧急程度 and 影响. It means “and” here, not a contrast. Example: 时间和成本都很重要。 — “Time and cost are both important.” 影响 means “impact” or “effect” here, functioning as a noun. The same written form can also be a verb meaning “to affect,” as in the context sentence 报告会影响明天的客户会议 (“The report will affect tomorrow’s client meeting”); that is a different use from the noun in the fixed sentence. Example of the noun: 这个决定的影响很大。 — “The impact of this decision is great.” 分开 means “separately” or “apart.” With 考虑, it says not to treat the two factors as one combined consideration. Example: 请把优点和缺点分开写。 — “Please write the advantages and disadvantages separately.” 考虑 means “consider” or “take into account.” In 分开考虑, it is the main lexical verb after 把; 分开 specifies the manner of considering. Example: 我们需要考虑时间。 — “We need to consider the time.” Taken together, 确定顺序之前 sets the time relation: “before determining the order.” 要把紧急程度和影响分开考虑 uses 要 for the recommended action and 把 to place the two objects before the verb phrase. Thus the full utterance means: “Before you choose the order, separate urgency from impact and consider them separately.”

3. 这封邮件很紧急，但报告会影响明天的客户会议。

   The email is urgent, but the report affects tomorrow's client meeting.

   这

   this

   封

   classifier for letters and similar items

   邮件

   email

   紧急

   urgent

   但

   but

   报告

   report

   会

   will; is expected to

   影响

   affect; impact

   明天

   tomorrow

   客户

   client; customer

   会议

   meeting

   More detail

   这 means “this” and is a demonstrative placed before the noun phrase it identifies. In 这封邮件, it points to the email understood in the situation; its form does not change for gender or number. A useful contrast is 这 “this” versus 那 “that.” 封 is the classifier used here with 邮件 (“email”). Chinese commonly places a classifier between a demonstrative or number and a noun: 这封邮件 = “this email.” The classifier is part of the noun phrase, while 邮件 remains the noun meaning “email.” 邮件 is a noun meaning “email” or “mail message.” In this sentence it refers to the message itself, not to the fact that sending it is urgent. Example: 我收到一封邮件。 — “I received an email.” 很紧急 describes the email as urgent. 紧急 is an adjective meaning “urgent,” and 很 commonly appears before a descriptive adjective in a simple Chinese statement. Here 很 is part of the description; it need not mean an extreme degree equivalent to English “very” in every context. The adjective is not inflected for number or gender. 但 introduces a contrast with the preceding statement: “but.” It connects the email’s urgency with a different consideration about the report. A related contrast connector is 但是, which also means “but” and is often more explicit. 报告 is a noun meaning “report.” In the second clause it is the subject of 会影响: the report is presented as the thing that affects the meeting. Example: 报告已经完成。 — “The report has already been completed.” 会 comes before 影响 and marks a future or expected event here: the report is expected to affect the meeting. It is a modal auxiliary, so the following verb stays in its basic form; Chinese does not add a future ending to 影响. In another context, 会 can express ability or a tendency, but the fixed translation supports the future/expected reading here. 影响 is the verb meaning “affect” in 会影响. Its basic form is also 影响; Chinese verbs do not change form for person or number. The same word can also be a noun meaning “impact,” as in 影响很大 (“the impact is large”), but here its position after 会 and before the object makes it the verb “affect.” 明天 means “tomorrow” and provides the time reference for the meeting. It appears before 的客户会议, so the phrase means “tomorrow’s client meeting,” not that the report affects tomorrow itself. Example: 我们明天开会。 — “We will have a meeting tomorrow.” 客户 is a noun meaning “client” or “customer.” Before 会议, it modifies the type of meeting: 客户会议 is “client meeting.” It does not mean that the meeting itself is a client. 会议 is a noun meaning “meeting.” In 明天的客户会议, 的 links the preceding modifier to this noun: “tomorrow’s client meeting.” 会议 is the object of 影响, so the report is expected to affect that meeting. Together, 这封邮件很紧急 means “This email is urgent.” 但 contrasts that statement with 报告会影响明天的客户会议, “the report affects tomorrow’s client meeting.” The complete utterance is therefore: “The email is urgent, but the report affects tomorrow’s client meeting.”

4. 报告的影响更大，尤其是在其他人要依靠它的情况下。

   The report has higher impact, especially if others depend on it.

   报告

   report

   影响

   impact

   更大

   greater

   尤其是

   especially

   在 … 的情况下

   when … is the case

   其他人

   other people

   要

   will be expected to

   依靠

   depend on

   它

   it

   More detail

   报告 means “report.” It is a noun and can appear in compounds such as 报告内容 (“report content”). Here it is the thing whose impact is being evaluated. 影响 means “impact” here and functions as a noun after 的. The same form can also be a verb meaning “to affect,” as in 报告会影响明天的客户会议 (“the report will affect tomorrow’s client meeting”). The surrounding structure determines which use applies. 更大 means “greater” or “higher” in degree. 大 is the base adjective “large” or “great,” and 更 marks a comparison, so 更大 means “greater than a relevant comparison point.” The comparison point is understood rather than named. The adjective describes 影响, not 报告. 尤其是 means “especially.” It highlights the following condition as a particularly important case. Example: 我喜欢水果，尤其是苹果。 means “I like fruit, especially apples.” 在……的情况下 is a reusable pattern meaning “when … is the case” or “if ….” The material inside it describes the relevant circumstances. Here, 其他人要依靠它 fills that position and introduces the condition under which the impact is especially great. 其他人 means “other people.” 其他 means “other” or “additional,” and 人 means “person/people.” Here it is the subject inside the condition; the sentence does not specify their number or a more specific group. 要 before 依靠 frames reliance as a contemplated or expected circumstance. In this sentence it supports the meaning “if others depend on it”; it need not mean that they are obliged to rely on it. Chinese 要 can also express stronger necessity or intention in other contexts. 依靠 means “to depend on” or “to rely on.” It is a verb used with the person or thing relied on, as in 团队依靠数据做决定。 — “The team relies on data to make decisions.” 它 is a third-person pronoun used here for the report, a non-human referent. The fixed translation identifies that referent, so 依靠它 means “depend on it.” The pronoun itself does not mark plurality. Together, 报告的影响 means “the report’s impact,” with 的 linking the report to what is being described. 更大 compares that impact with a relevant understood comparison point. 尤其是在其他人要依靠它的情况下 adds the highlighted condition: this is especially true if others depend on the report. The whole utterance means: “The report has higher impact, especially if others depend on it.”

5. 设计评审也会耽误另一位队友的工作。

   The design review also blocks another teammate.

   设计

   design

   评审

   review

   也

   also

   会

   will

   耽误

   delay; hold up

   另一位

   another

   队友

   teammate

   工作

   work

   More detail

   设计 means “design.” It can modify a following noun, as in 设计评审, “design review.” The same word can also be a verb meaning “to design,” but here it identifies the type of review. 评审 means “review” or “evaluation.” In 设计评审, it is the head noun: the event or process being discussed. Together, 设计评审 means “design review.” 也 adds this situation to another relevant situation: “also.” It normally appears before the verb or verb phrase it modifies, so 也会耽误 means “will also hold up.” 会 here marks an expected or possible outcome: the review will/can hold up the work. It is not the lexical verb “to hold up”; 耽误 supplies that meaning. A reusable pattern is 会 + verb, for example: 这样会耽误时间。 — “This will waste time.” 耽误 is a transitive verb meaning “to delay,” “hold up,” or “interfere with the timely progress of” something. Here the thing affected is 另一位队友的工作, so the sentence says that the review holds up another teammate’s work. 耽误 can also take a person or an activity as its object, depending on what is being delayed. 另一位 means “another” in this context. 另 marks a different additional person or thing, and 一位 uses 位, a respectful classifier for people. The phrase does not by itself assert a particular numerical count; it identifies a different teammate. In 另一位队友, 位 classifies the person described by 队友. 队友 means “teammate,” a person on the same team. The word is a noun; it is not the verb causing the delay. Here it is modified by 另一位, giving “another teammate.” 工作 means “work” here. It is the noun that is affected by 耽误. The same form can also be used as a verb meaning “to work,” so its role is determined by the surrounding construction: 队友的工作 is “the teammate’s work.” The possessive/associative marker 的 links 另一位队友 to 工作: 另一位队友的工作 means “another teammate’s work.” The structure A 的 B commonly expresses “A’s B” or “B associated with A.” Putting the parts together: 设计评审 is “the design review,” 也会耽误 says it “will also hold up,” and 另一位队友的工作 specifies whose work is affected. The complete meaning is: “The design review also blocks another teammate.”

6. 那就先处理阻碍你队友工作的评审，只要它能很快完成。

   Then handle the review that is blocking your teammate first if it will be quick.

   那就

   then; in that case

   先

   first

   处理

   handle

   阻碍

   block

   你

   you; your

   队友

   teammate

   工作

   work

   评审

   review

   只要

   provided that; as long as

   很快

   quickly

   完成

   complete; finish

   More detail

   那就 links the situation to a resulting suggestion: “then” or “in that case.” 那 points back to the relevant situation, and 就 marks what follows as the resulting action. Example: 如果现在方便，那就开始。 — “If it is convenient now, then let’s start.” 先 means doing something before another action or before dealing with other things. It is an adverb, so it modifies the following action rather than the noun 评审. Example: 先吃饭，再工作。 — “Eat first, then work.” 处理 means to handle or deal with something. It is a verb whose object can be a task, problem, document, or review. Example: 我先处理这个问题。 — “I’ll deal with this problem first.” 阻碍 means to block or hinder. Here it is a verb in the modifier 阻碍你队友工作的, describing which review is meant. Example: 噪音阻碍工作。 — “Noise hinders work.” 你 is the second-person pronoun “you.” Before 队友, it gives the possessive meaning “your”; Chinese commonly uses a pronoun directly before a noun for this relation. The form 你 does not change for grammatical gender or number. Example: 你可以检查你的报告。 — “You can check your report.” 队友 means teammate. It is a noun formed from 队 “team” and 友 “companion/friend,” but it functions as one lexical noun here. Example: 我的队友正在开会。 — “My teammate is in a meeting.” 工作 means work here, as the work belonging to the teammate. In Chinese it can also be used as a verb meaning “to work,” but in this sentence it is the noun that is being blocked. Example: 他的工作很忙。 — “His work is very busy.” 评审 means a review or evaluation. Here it is the noun modified by the preceding clause: the review that blocks your teammate’s work. Example: 评审已经完成。 — “The review has been completed.” 只要 introduces a condition meaning “as long as” or “provided that.” It presents the condition under which the earlier action is acceptable or recommended. Example: 只要时间够，我们就可以完成。 — “As long as there is enough time, we can finish.” 很快 means quickly or in a short time. 很 modifies the adjective/adverb 快; together they describe the speed or short duration of the completion. Example: 他很快完成了任务。 — “He completed the task quickly.” 完成 means to complete or finish something. It is a verb that commonly takes a task, review, report, or similar object; here the object is understood from the earlier 评审. Example: 她完成了报告。 — “She finished the report.” Putting the parts together: 阻碍你队友工作的评审 is “the review that is blocking your teammate’s work.” 那就先处理 says “then handle it first,” and 只要它能很快完成 adds the condition “provided that it can be completed quickly.” The full utterance therefore means: “Then handle the review that is blocking your teammate’s work first, provided that it can be completed quickly.”

7. 之后，我就可以专心处理报告，不打扰任何人。

   After that, I can focus on the report without interrupting anyone.

   之后

   after that

   我

   I; me

   可以

   can; be able to

   专心

   focus; concentrate

   处理

   handle; deal with

   报告

   report

   不打扰

   not disturb; without interrupting

   任何人

   anyone

   More detail

   之后 means “after that” and points to a time following an already understood event. It is a reusable time expression: 之后 + clause, as in 之后再讨论。“Discuss it afterward.” It does not itself specify exactly what event “that” refers to; here the translation supports the sequence intended by the surrounding task discussion. 我 is the first-person singular pronoun “I/me.” Mandarin 我 does not change for grammatical gender or number in this use. For example, 我先走。means “I’ll go first.” 可以 expresses ability or a situation that makes an action possible; here it introduces what the speaker can do after that point. The basic pattern is 可以 + verb phrase. For example, 你可以休息。means “You can rest.” 可以 can also express permission in other contexts, so the surrounding meaning determines which reading is intended. 专心 means “to concentrate” or “to give one’s full attention.” In this sentence it modifies the following action, forming 专心处理: “focus on handling.” It is commonly used before an activity, as in 请专心听。“Please listen attentively.” 处理 means “to handle” or “to deal with” a task, matter, or problem. Its form does not change for person or number. In the sentence, 处理报告 means handling the report. For example, 我今天处理这个问题。means “I’ll deal with this problem today.” 报告 is a noun meaning “report.” It can refer to the document or to a report as a piece of work; the fixed translation identifies the intended sense here as the report being handled. For example, 报告已经完成。means “The report has been completed.” 不打扰 combines 不, the ordinary negator before a verb, with 打扰, “to disturb” or “to interrupt.” The quoted span means “not disturb” here; together with the rest of the sentence, it describes carrying out the main action without interrupting anyone. 不 normally comes directly before the verb it negates, as in 我不打扰你。“I won’t disturb you.” 任何人 means “anyone” or “any person.” 任何 expresses an unrestricted choice, and 人 means “person.” In this sentence it occurs inside the negative phrase 不打扰任何人, so the meaning is “not disturb anyone.” For example, 他没有告诉任何人。means “He did not tell anyone.” The sentence assembles as 之后 (“after that”) + 我 (“I”) + 可以 (“can”) + 专心处理报告 (“focus on handling the report”) + 不打扰任何人 (“without disturbing anyone”). Thus it means, “After that, I can focus on the report without interrupting anyone.”

8. 任务之间的依赖关系可能会改变哪项任务应该先做。

   Dependencies can change which task should come first.

   任务

   task

   依赖关系

   dependencies

   可能会

   may; can

   改变

   change

   哪项

   which one

   应该

   should

   先做

   do first

   More detail

   任务 means “task.” It is a noun, and Chinese nouns do not normally show singular or plural by changing form; the sentence therefore does not specify a particular number of tasks. In 哪项任务, it refers to a task being selected from the relevant set. 依赖关系 means “dependency relationship”: one task relies on another or on another task’s completion. 关系 is the noun “relationship,” while 依赖 expresses reliance or dependence. The phrase 任务之间的依赖关系 uses 之间 (“between”) and 的 to form “the dependency relationships between tasks.” 可能会 marks a possible future or resulting change: “may” or “can” in the sense that the change is possible, not that it is certain. 可能 expresses possibility; 会 can indicate an expected or possible event. Chinese verbs do not change form for tense or person, so 改变 itself stays the same. 改变 is the verb “to change” or “to alter.” Here, the dependency relationships affect the ordering decision; they can cause the answer to which task comes first to be different. Example: 计划改变了时间。 — “The plan changed the time.” 哪项 asks “which one/item?” 哪 means “which,” and 项 is a classifier commonly used for listed items such as tasks, projects, or measures. In 哪项任务, 哪项 modifies 任务; it does not identify the answer by itself. The full noun phrase asks which task should be selected. 应该 expresses what is advisable, appropriate, or required according to a plan or condition: “should.” It is a modal placed before the verb phrase. Example: 我们应该先检查。 — “We should check first.” 先做 combines 先 (“first”) with 做 (“do”). 先 sets the order, and 做 is the lexical verb. In this sentence, 先做 means “do first,” with the selected task understood as the task to be done first. Example: 先做重要的事。 — “Do the important thing first.” Together, 哪项任务应该先做 asks which task ought to be done first. The opening phrase 任务之间的依赖关系 supplies the factor that affects that choice, and 可能会改变 says that this factor may alter it. Thus the whole utterance means: “Dependencies between tasks can change which task should come first.”

9. 那封紧急邮件可以等报告初稿完成后再处理。

   The urgent email can wait until after the report draft.

   那封

   that one

   紧急

   urgent

   邮件

   email

   可以

   can; be possible

   等

   wait

   报告

   report

   初稿

   first draft

   完成

   complete; finish

   后

   after

   再

   then; afterward

   处理

   handle; deal with

   More detail

   那封 combines 那 (“that”) with 封, a measure word used here for a letter or email. The fixed translation identifies the referent as the email, so this chunk means “that email.” In Chinese, a demonstrative commonly appears with a classifier before a noun: 那封邮件 (“that email”). 紧急 means “urgent” here. It describes the following noun 邮件; it does not itself mean “emergency” as a standalone event. A useful contrast is 紧急邮件 (“urgent email”) versus 普通邮件 (“ordinary email”). 邮件 is “email” in this sentence. It is a noun that can be modified directly by an adjective such as 紧急: 紧急邮件 (“urgent email”). 可以 expresses possibility or permission; here it means that the email may wait, not that someone is necessarily able to perform an action. A reusable pattern is 可以 + verb, as in 你可以先休息 (“You can rest first”). 等 means “wait.” In this sentence it introduces what should be waited for: 等报告初稿完成后 (“wait until after the report draft is completed”). Chinese can use 等 + event to postpone an action until that event occurs. 报告 means “report.” It modifies 初稿 in 报告初稿, meaning “the report’s first draft” or “the initial draft of the report.” 初稿 means “first draft” or “initial draft.” 初 indicates the early or initial version, while 稿 refers to a written draft. For example, 初稿已经写好 means “The first draft has already been written.” 完成 means “complete” or “finish.” Here it describes the report draft reaching completion: 报告初稿完成 (“the report draft is completed”). The form 完成 does not show English-style tense; time is understood from the surrounding construction. 后 means “after” in 完成后, literally placing the relevant action after completion. The pattern verb + 后 means “after doing something” or “after something happens,” for example, 吃饭后再出发 (“set off after eating”). 再 means “then” or “afterward” in this context. It places the later action after the event in 完成后; it is not simply a duplicate of 后. The pattern ……后再…… means “after …, then …,” as in 会议后再决定 (“decide after the meeting”). 处理 means “handle” or “deal with.” Here it is the later action applied to the email: 处理邮件 means “handle the email.” In another context, 处理问题 means “deal with a problem.” Together, 那封紧急邮件 is “the urgent email,” and 可以等 says that it can wait. 报告初稿完成后 sets the condition or time point—after the report draft is completed—and 再处理 places handling the email after that point. The whole utterance therefore means: “The urgent email can wait until after the report draft is completed.”

10. 确定优先顺序要看后果，而不只是压力。

    Prioritizing is about consequences, not just pressure.

    确定

    determine

    优先顺序

    priority order

    要看

    depends on

    后果

    consequences

    而不只是

    rather than just

    压力

    pressure

    More detail

    确定 means “to determine” here. Its base form is the same form used in this sentence; Chinese verbs generally do not change form for person or number. It can take an object directly, as in 确定时间 (“determine the time”). 优先顺序 means “priority order,” the order in which things should be handled. 优先 means “priority” or “to give priority,” while 顺序 means “order”; together they form a noun phrase. The phrase refers to an ordering decision, not to a particular number of tasks. 要看 means “depends on” or, more literally, “needs to look at.” Here 要 introduces what the decision should be based on, and 看 means “to consider” rather than literal visual looking. In the pattern 要看 + factor, the factor is presented as the basis for a judgment. For example, 这要看时间 means “That depends on the time.” 后果 means “consequences,” especially the results that follow from an action or decision. It is a noun and commonly appears after verbs such as 考虑 (“consider”) or 看 (“take into account”). For example, 先考虑后果 means “Consider the consequences first.” 而不只是 contrasts the main basis with something that is insufficient on its own: “rather than just” or “and not merely.” 不 is the ordinary negator, 只是 means “only/merely,” and 而 links the contrast. The full contrast pattern is A，而不只是B: “A, rather than just B.” 压力 means “pressure.” It is a noun referring here to pressure as a factor in deciding priority. It does not itself mean “urgency”; those are distinct ideas, although pressure can influence a decision. Together, 确定优先顺序 means “determine priorities,” and 要看后果 says that this determination should be based on consequences. 而不只是压力 adds the contrast: pressure is not the only basis. Thus the whole utterance means, “Prioritizing is about consequences, not just pressure.”