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Intermediate

How to Make Friends

Just in case you were wondering, below is a short intermediate essay on How to Make Friends.

This article was both written and translated into English by a Chinese student on her own blog. I wish I could remember where I found it now, as I’d like to give the credit where credit is due, but it’s been sitting in my “drafts” folder forever.

如何交朋友

人人都需要朋友。朋友可以给我们以帮助,与我们共事困难和快乐。但是,怎样朋友?

交朋友首先要对别人友善。你对别人微笑;肯定别人也会报以微笑。要使陌生人感到亲切,关心别人要比,关心自己为重,决不以貌取人。

其次,朋友之间应该商量而不是争吵。当与别人有分歧时,要和他一起讨论。

最后,不要相信那些在危急关头背离你的人,也不要在朋友危难时离开他。记住: 患难之中见真情。

朋友应该以诚相待。只要你把朋友的利益置于你的利益之上,你就会拥有好多好朋友

Show English translation »
Everyone needs friends. A friend can give us help and share our difficulties and happiness. But how can we make friends?

First, to make friends, you must be friendly to others. Smile at others and you are sure to get a smile in return. You should try to make a stranger feel at home wherever he happens to be. Think more of others than of yourself and never judge a person by their appearance and clothes.

Second, friends should negotiate instead of quarrel. When you don’t agree with someone, discuss the issue with them.

Finally, never trust in those who leave you when you are in trouble. And never leave your friends when they are in trouble. Remember, a friend in need is a friend indeed. [Literally: During difficult situations, you will see the truth]

Friends should be faithful to each other. So long as you can put your friend’s interests in front of yours, you will have a lot of good friends.

7 replies on “How to Make Friends”

Again, very nice, with helpful words and constructions for reading and writing. A couple points.

1. The vocabulary list on the right is “off by one”…when you mistranslate the 呢。

2. Perhaps inadvertently, the essay gives us practice in identifying and using various prepositions, which always bedevil English learners of Chinese– 给,与,对, 和。 Just think, she doesn’t even use 向 and 跟!

Following William Yong’s observation about good practice in prepositions, this also gives us good practice in basic sequence words: 首先,其次 and 最后.

Following William Long’s observation about good practice in prepositions, this also gives us good practice in basic sequence words: 首先,其次 and 最后.

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