S: Wǒ shì Stuart. ML, what shall we learn today? 今天我们学什么jīntiān wǒmen xué shénme?

M: Well, it's always useful to be able to tell people where things are, so let's do more position words.

S: Hǎo zhúyi. We have jumped from the Summer Palace – Yíhéyuán to Tiananmen Square. Now for a quick geography lesson. But first, say with ML, North, north side, South, south side, East, east side, and West, west side. Ready? Begin! 准备，开始! zhǔnbèi, kāishǐ.

M: 北běibiān, 南nánbiān, 东dōngbiān, 西xībiān.

S: ML, where is Tiananmen Square?

M: Wǒ xiǎng yìxiǎng. 天安门在北京Tiān'ānmén zài Beijing.

S: 我知道天安门在北京wǒ zhīdào Tiān'ānmén zài běijīng. What place in Beijing?在北京的什么地方？zài běijīngde shénme dìfang?

M: Tiān'ānmén is in the heart of Beijing. 天安门在北京的中心Tiān'ānmén zài Běijīng de zhōngxīn.

S: Where is the Qianmen Gate? 前门在哪儿Qiánmén zài nǎr?

M: 前门在天安门的南边Qiánmén zài Tiān'ānmén de nánbiān.

S: Hěn hǎo. Now we have some long names – very good for listening practice and mimicking – Rénmíndàhuìtáng, The Great Hall of the People. What about人民大会堂? 人民大会堂呢?

M: 人民大会堂在天安门的西边Rénmíndàhuìtáng zài Tiān'ānmén de xībiān.

S: The National History Museum? 中国历史博物馆呢? Zhōngguó Lìshǐ Bówùguǎn ne?

M: 中国历史博物馆在天安门的东边Zhōngguó Lìshǐ Bówùguǎn zài Tiān'ānmén de dōngbiān.

S: Hěn hǎo. And, what is at the north side of Tiān'ānmén?

M: The Forbidden City. 故宫。故宫在天安门的北边Gùgōng zài Tiān'ānmén de běibiān.

S: Very good!

S: Ok, let's look at the new things. The biān in nánbiān or běibiān is the same biān as in pángbiān and other position words we've learnt. It means 'side'.

M: So, now say with me, On the north side, 在北边zài běibiān, on the south side在南边zài nánbiān, on the east side在东边zài dōngbiān, and what is 'on the west side? Hěn hǎo. 在西边zài xībiān.

S: And I said, 在北京的什么地方？shénme dìfang? 地方DI FANG dìfang, remember, means 'place'. What place, 什么地方shénme dìfang?

M: Tiananmen is in the heart of Beijing. 天安门在北京的中心zhōngxīn, literally, 'middle heart', and it means 'center' or 'heart of'. Now say, In the heart of Beijing, 在北京的中心zài Běijīng de zhōngxīn.

S: We also heard the names of some famous buildings around Tiananmen.

M: Like前门, literally 'front gate' and one of the large gates remaining from the old city wall.

S: And we'll finish learning the Chinese for the other places in our next lesson.

M: Till then, zàijiàn.