DSE Chinese | Classical Chinese function words: lesson-prep guide for tutors

2026-11-02

Tutor lesson-prep guides · Secondary Chinese

Students translate word by word, render every function word as “of”, and the passage stops making sense. This lesson replaces dictionary recitation with a two-step position test.

Objectives — Students can: (1) name two main uses for each of five high-frequency function words; (2) decide the use with a two-step test — the word class before, then the word class after; (3) show the relation (cause, contrast, comparison) in the translation instead of omitting the word.

01 Prerequisites (3-minute check)

If any of these fails, fix it before the lesson starts.

Skill	Quick check	Pass mark
Content words	If a verb comes before zhi, what usually follows?	A noun or pronoun as its object
Patterns	When does A zhi B translate as “A of B”?	When A modifies B and B is a noun
Translation	Must a translation follow word order exactly?	No, but it must keep the relation between clauses

02 Lesson flow (60 minutes)

Time	Stage	Tutor does	Student does
0–5 min	Opening question	Write one line and ask what zhi refers to	Answer aloud with a reason
5–15 min	Prerequisite check	Three quick checks on word class, pattern and translation	Written answers, marked live
15–37 min	Three-part script	Teach five words, ten uses and the two-step test	One-sentence recap after each part
37–49 min	Worked questions	Model four items, writing before-class, after-class, then use	Copy and mark the evidence
49–55 min	Independent practice	Circulate; ask only what the word before is	Do three items, self-mark
55–60 min	Exit check	Collect answers and count errors aloud	Written, no talking

03 Teaching script (read it out)

Scene 1: Part 1: position before meaning

Do not translate first. Circle the function word, then write the word class before and after it. A verb before and a noun after usually means a pronoun; noun before and noun after usually means “of”. Position settles the direction; context only confirms it.

If a verb comes before zhi, what is your first hypothesis?

Scene 2: Part 2: five words, ten uses

This lesson asks for five words with two main uses each, 10 uses in total. zhi: pronoun or structural particle. qi: pronoun or modal adverb. er: coordinate or contrast. yi: preposition (with, by) or conjunction (because, in order to). yu: place or comparison. Nothing more is needed at this stage.

When er marks contrast, what is the relation between the two clauses?

Scene 3: Part 3: translate the relation

A translation is not a word-for-word fill-in. Contrast marked by er needs “yet” or “but”; cause marked by yi needs “because”. If a reader cannot see the relation after your translation, the function word was dropped.

After your translation, can a reader tell whether the clauses are cause or contrast?

04 Question types and worked steps

Type	Example	Steps	Answer
zhi: pronoun or particle	Identify the use of zhi in a sentence.	(1) Check the preceding word class; (2) check whether a noun follows; (3) translate the referent or “of”.	Example: a pronoun standing for what has been learnt.
er: coordinate or contrast	Decide the relation between clauses.	(1) Read both clauses; (2) same direction means coordinate; (3) opposite direction means contrast, translated as “yet”.	Example: the second clause reverses the first, so er marks contrast.
yi: preposition or conjunction	Give the translation of yi.	(1) Noun after means preposition (with, by); (2) clause after means conjunction (because, in order to); (3) translate the tool or reason.	Example: with a knife — preposition of instrument.
yu: place or comparison	Decide between place and comparison.	(1) Place name after means at or to; (2) adjective before and noun after means compared with; (3) keep the direction of comparison.	Example: greener than the indigo — comparison.

Sanity check (teach this): Sanity check: 5 words times 2 uses equals 10 rows on the board, no more. Check every sample sentence has a real source; never invent a classical sentence to fill a row.

05 Independent practice (3 questions)

Question	Answer	What to watch
Identify the use of qi in a rhetorical question and translate it.	Modal adverb marking a rhetorical question, translated as “surely not”.	A pronoun answer such as “his” fails the item.
Translate yi in a line meaning “laugh at a hundred paces with fifty”.	Preposition, translated as “by” or “with”.	Check that the translation names the instrument or basis.
Compare yu in two lines, one about a tiger and one about a battle site.	The first marks comparison (more fierce than a tiger); the second marks place (at Changshao).	Check that the reason given is the nature of the word after yu.

06 Common mistakes and what to say

Mistake	Student writes	Say this
Every zhi becomes “of”	The line is translated with a stray “of” at the end.	A hanging “of” leaves the reader waiting. Here it is a pronoun; say what it refers to.
Every er becomes “and”	A contrast line is translated with “and”.	The clauses point opposite ways, so “and” erases the contrast. Use “yet”.
Guessing without evidence	The answer says “particle” but gives no reason.	Write two steps: the word class before, the word class after. Answers without evidence earn nothing.
Dropping the relation	Yi is left untranslated and the sentence loses its cause.	Omission is not brevity. If it marks cause, write “because”.

07 Homework (paper, section and question numbers)

Secondary Chinese index: finish the three exercises, then practise polysemy in the classical vocabulary chapter — Exercises 1–3 on this page

08 Exit check (last 5 minutes)

Question	Answer	Decision
What is the first step in deciding a function word use?	Name the word class before it	Cannot answer: reteach part 1
How many words and uses must be memorised today?	5 words and 10 uses	Cannot answer: reteach part 2
How is yu translated in a comparison?	As “than” or “compared with”	Cannot answer: reteach part 3

09 Tutor FAQ

Which year is this for?

S4 Paper 1 classical reading; also S5 and S6 revision.

Must students memorise every use?

No. Lock the 10 most frequent uses first and add the rest through practice.

Is there a matching paper?

The homework link goes to the secondary Chinese index, which pairs with the site practice papers.

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A TutorZone lesson-prep guide. Written by the TutorZone team; questions and lesson flow are original and are not taken from any school or publisher material.