Traditional Chinese course

Lesson 180 of 240

New here? This is lesson 180 of a free 240-lesson Traditional Chinese course.

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It's not your fault in Traditional Chinese

After a LINE mix-up with Zhi-Ming, Maya sits at Banyan Breakfast blaming herself. Yi-Jun listens. A-Li first talks about soy milk, then says one right thing.

These six lines say it is not their fault, you are listening, you wish it were easier, and the feeling is normal.

They also tell a friend not to carry everything, and that you will figure it out together. A-Li's drink stays unfinished. The fortune stays in the till.

By the end of this lesson

Reassure a friend, take the blame off them, and offer to figure it out together.

  • 這不是你的錯It's not your fault.
  • 你說，我在聽Go on, I'm listening.
  • 我真希望能讓你輕鬆一點I wish I could make it easier for you.
  • 這種感覺很正常It's normal to feel this way.
  • 不要把所有事都攬在身上Don't take everything on yourself.
  • 我們一起想辦法Let's figure it out together.

Scene — a quiet table

Late morning at Banyan Breakfast. Maya stares at her phone after a LINE mix-up with Zhi-Ming. Yi-Jun sits across from her.

A-Li occupies two stools at the back, soy milk still full.

He first hears the wrong problem, then finds one true line. Nobody opens the fortune in the till.

Late-morning Banyan Breakfast, with Maya hunched over a phone, Yi-Jun seated across, and A-Li the yak on a pair of stools at the back beside a full cup of soy milk.

Learn — comfort and reassure

Listen to six lines for when a friend blames themselves. Notice 把 in the line about not taking everything on.

Say each line out loud. Keep the tone warm, not scolding.

  1. Yi-Jun leans far forward with an open palm toward Maya, who still grips a phone over the breakfast tray.

    這不是你的錯

    It's not your fault.

    When to use it: Use this when a friend blames themselves for a problem they did not cause.

    這不是 denies the whole claim, not one small word inside it.

    Say it: 不 rises before the fourth tone in 是.

  2. Yi-Jun sits back with both palms quiet on the table while Maya lowers the phone into the lap and looks up.

    你說，我在聽

    Go on, I'm listening.

    When to use it: Say this when you want someone to keep talking and feel heard.

    在 before a verb marks that the listening is happening now.

  3. Yi-Jun half-rises from a stool to slide a soy-milk cup toward Maya, who presses fingers to the brow.

    我真希望能讓你輕鬆一點

    I wish I could make it easier for you.

    When to use it: Use this when you cannot fix it but want to ease the load.

    讓 here means make someone feel a certain way.

    Say it: 一 is fourth tone before the third-tone 點.

  4. Yi-Jun sits square and nods with both hands open at chest height while Maya looks toward Yi-Jun, the phone set aside.

    這種感覺很正常

    It's normal to feel this way.

    When to use it: Use this to tell someone their feeling is ordinary, not wrong.

    這種 points back to the feeling just named.

  5. Yi-Jun rests one hand on Maya's forearm and eases the phone down while Maya's shoulders drop.

    不要把所有事都攬在身上

    Don't take everything on yourself.

    When to use it: Use this when a friend takes blame for too many things.

    把 puts 所有事 before the verb so 攬在身上 can follow as the result.

  6. A-Li the yak turns toward Maya and Yi-Jun and gestures between them with one hoof, soy milk still full, while Maya and Yi-Jun lean in together over the phone.

    我們一起想辦法

    Let's figure it out together.

    When to use it: Use this after comfort, when you offer to solve it as a pair.

    想辦法 is one piece meaning find a way.

Story — A-Li misses, then lands it

Maya thinks the LINE mix-up is her fault. Yi-Jun stays with her. A-Li first talks about soy milk, then says one useful line.

  1. Yi-Jun你還好嗎？Are you okay?
  2. Maya不太好。Not really.
  3. Yi-Jun發生什麼事了？What happened?
  4. Maya我不知道該從哪裡說。I don't know where to start.
  5. Yi-Jun你說，我在聽。Go on, I'm listening.
  6. Maya昨天跟志明講錯話，案子卡住了。I misspoke with Zhi-Ming yesterday, and the project got stuck.
  7. Yi-Jun這不是你的錯。It's not your fault.
  8. A-Li豆漿還沒喝完喔。The soy milk still isn't finished.
  9. Yi-Jun阿犛，她不是在說豆漿。A-Li, she isn't talking about the soy milk.
  10. Maya我覺得都是我害的。I feel like I caused all of it.
  11. Yi-Jun這種感覺很正常。It's normal to feel this way.
  12. Maya可是客戶還在等回覆。But the client is still waiting for a reply.
  13. Yi-Jun不要把所有事都攬在身上。Don't take everything on yourself.
  14. Maya我還是好難受。I still feel awful.
  15. Yi-Jun我真希望能讓你輕鬆一點。I wish I could make it easier for you.
  16. Maya那我現在該怎麼辦？So what should I do now?
  17. A-Li我們一起想辦法。Let's figure it out together.
  18. Yi-Jun你不用一個人撐著。You don't have to carry it alone.
  19. Maya謝謝你們。Thank you both.
  20. A-Li豆漿還是沒喝完。The soy milk still isn't finished.

Practice — pick the right comfort

Work through short tasks that pick the right comfort line. One item is listen-only.

After each answer, read why the other choice fails, then say the line again.

0 of 10 done

  1. What does it mean?

    這不是你的錯

  2. What do you say?

    A friend starts to explain, then stops. You want them to keep talking.

  3. Fill the gap

    It's normal to feel this way.

    這種感覺很____

  4. What did you hear?

  5. Build the line

    I wish I could make it easier for you.

    Tap the words in order.

  6. Swap the word

    A friend is carrying every problem as if it were theirs.

    不要____所有事都攬在身上

  7. Pick the reply

    Yi-Jun says:

    這是不是我的錯？

    Is this my fault?

    And you reply with:

  8. What do you say?

    Yi-Jun sits down pale and quiet. Check whether she is okay.

  9. Match the pairs

    Traditional Chinese

    你不用一個人撐著Drop the English here
    這不是你的錯Drop the English here
    我們一起想辦法Drop the English here
    這種感覺很正常Drop the English here

    English

    Drag an English line onto its Traditional Chinese, or tap one and then the other.

  10. What do you say?

    She already said she is not okay, but not why. Ask what happened.

Say it — your turn to reassure

You play Maya and comfort Yi-Jun at the shop. Listen to each cue, then say the line out loud.

Tap the microphone to speak. You can replay her line before your turn.

  1. Yi-Jun stares at her phone at Banyan Breakfast after a client message.
  2. Yi-Jun都是我害的，案子才卡住。It's my fault the project got stuck.
  3. Maya (you)Tell her this is not her fault.

    這不是你的錯

    It's not your fault.

0 of 6 said

Recap — what you can say now

Traditional ChineseEnglish
這不是你的錯It's not your fault.
你說，我在聽Go on, I'm listening.
我真希望能讓你輕鬆一點I wish I could make it easier for you.
這種感覺很正常It's normal to feel this way.
不要把所有事都攬在身上Don't take everything on yourself.
我們一起想辦法Let's figure it out together.
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Today's comfort lines are in Yak Cards with more ways to stay with someone who is struggling.

Review a few comfort cards each day so they are ready when a friend is hard on themselves.

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