advice and opinions
54.254.2.3 telling someone their best or only optionThese expressions can be used when giving strong, direct advice.
最好 zuì hǎo (+ verb phrase) ‘the best thing to do is’Q: 下雨呢！怎么办啊？
下雨呢！怎麼辦啊？
Xià yǔ ne! Zěnme bàn a?
It’s raining. What should we do?A: 那，我们最好不去。
那，我們最好不去。
Nà, wǒmen zuì hǎo bù qù.
Well then, we’d best not go.
只好 zhǐ hǎo (+ verb phrase) ‘the only thing to do is’要是你要考得好，只好认真的学习。
要是你要考得好，只好認真的學習。
Yàoshi nǐ yào kǎo de hǎo, zhǐ hǎo rènzhēn de xuéxí.
If you want to do well on the exam, the only thing you can do is study hard.54.2.4 telling someone to do as they pleaseTo tell someone to do as they please, use the following expressions:
随便/隨便 suíbiàn + verb phrase ‘(do) as you please’别客气！随便吃！
別客氣！隨便吃！
Bié kèqì! Suíbiàn chī!
Don’t be polite. (Don’t adhere strictly to the rituals of guest and host.) Eat whatever
you want.
(at a restaurant)
Customer: 我们坐哪儿？/我們坐哪兒？
Wǒmen zuò nǎr?
Where should we sit?
Waiter: 随便。/隨便。
Suíbiàn.
Wherever you want.subject 怎么 verb 就 怎么 verb
subject 怎麼 verb 就 怎麼 verb
subject zěnme verb jiù zěnme verb
do whatever the subject pleases
Conversation 1Q: 这件事我怎么作好？
這件事我怎麼作好？
Zhè jiàn shì wǒ zěnme zuò hǎo?
How should I best do this?A: 这我可不知道，你想怎么做就怎么做吧。
這我可不知道，你想怎麼做就怎麼做吧。
Zhè wǒ kě bù zhīdào, nǐ xiǎng zěnme zuò jiù zěnme zuò ba.(^) I don’t know. Do it the way you think it should be done.