Make a Movie 划

KEYWORD:

To Scrape/Scratch

Pinyin:

huá

Actor:

hu-  Fictional Character

Set:

-a

Room within Set:

Hallway/Lobby or Kitchen

Prop(s):

戈  Halberd

刂  Sword

Member Comments from 2019-mid-2020

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Della Fuller

Harry Potter is in Olivia's kitchen. She has given him a bowl of vegetables to SCRAPE. He takes out a halberd. She gives him a withering look and hands him a vegetable peeler. Abashed, he puts down the halberd, takes the peeler and begins SCRAPING the vegetables.

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Dom Thomson

Homer Simpson is in the kitchen of my old uni flat where an antique HALBERD is on display.
He is carrying a VEGETABLE PEELER and absent-mindedly SCRAPES the halberd as he walks past (sparks, screeching sound).
After noticing what he's done he panics and grabs the halberd and the peeler and throws them both into the tiny bathroom to hide them.
Added this little outro to remind me that there's an alternate pronunciation.

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Neil

So if it's mainly fourth tone, can you change the lesson to reflect that?

Mandarin Blueprint

This one is a bit tricky because 划 huá as a second tone can be used alone, e.g., 划玻璃 huá bōli - 'to scratch glass.' However, that's not as high frequency as when it's used as 4th tone in certain words (e.g., 计划), but you don't tend to use it alone when it's fourth tone. Also, as Luke said, a medium high-frequency word is 划算 huásuàn - 'worth it (financially).' Usually, our standard is "learn the primary pronunciation first, then learn the second pronunciation." The problem with 划 is that the primary tone (2nd or 4th) is debatable. Either way, though, you'll easily pick up on the alternate pronunciation as you move through the course and seeing it out in the world.

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Mike Rotchford

Actor: Hulk Set: Arlington House Scene: Kitchen
Props: 戈 Halberd and 刂 Buck knife
Angrier Than A HULK
The HULK is sitting in the kitchen. His foot is propped up on a kitchen chair and he's rubbing a massive blue callus on his big toe. Arranged on the table is a halberd and a buck knife because a file just won't cut it. He takes a hold of the halberd and as he brings it to his toe TO SCRAPE off the callus in walks my wife. She looks at him, looks at the halberd, looks at his big toe, looks at he clean kitchen and then back at him. In an immediate understanding of what his plans were you can see a raging wildfire start in her eyes and she turns red with rage and SCREAMS so loudly at him that it knocks the green right off of him and he jumps up and runs as fast as he can out of the kitchen turning into a scared little chicken

MB Team

This is where Luke & Phil talked about your question in the Mandarin Blueprint Podcast:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=idNY00Gl1Es&t=2273s

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pamela baldwin

計劃. Ji4 hua4? Question is hua 2tone or 4 tone?

Mandarin Blueprint

4th Tone. 划 has multiple pronunciations, but it's most commonly 4th tone. In words like 划算 huásuàn it's 2nd tone because it has an alternate meaning of "worth (the effort)," and that meaning comes along with a 2nd tone. Usually, it means 'to draw a line' in the abstract way of 'delineating' something, and when it is that meaning it's 4th tone. In this case, 'delineating' your 'plan' 计划. 

Image credit: CC BY 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons