Book 1, Lesson 6: Locations and Campus Life

Lesson 6 puts you on the map.

Note: This page serves as a companion to the A Course in Contemporary Chinese series by the Mandarin Training Center of the National Taiwan Normal University. You can use this post as a reference, but we strongly advise you to purchase the book to get the full didactic value it offers.

After learning to eat, shop, and socialize, Book 1 Lesson 6 of A Course in Contemporary Chinese (Dangdai) teaches you how to describe locations—where things are, how to get there, and what is nearby. This is the vocabulary of navigation, both on campus and in the wider world.

As a student in Taiwan, you will spend much of your time navigating educational spaces: classrooms, libraries, dormitories, cafeterias. You will also explore the island—from the mountains to the sea. This lesson gives you the spatial vocabulary to describe it all.

The Theme: Places and Positions

The scenario of Lesson 6 revolves around campus life and scenic locations. People discuss where buildings are, describe beautiful landscapes, and give directions. It is the vocabulary of space and place.

The vocabulary divides into several categories:

Location Words

The fundamental spatial vocabulary: 在 (at/in), 哪裡 (where), 這裡 (here), 那裡 (there). These words anchor everything else—you cannot describe location without them.

Positional Words

Words that describe relative position: 前面 (in front), 後面 (behind), 旁邊 (beside), 裡面 (inside), 外面 (outside), 上 (above/on), 下 (below/under), 附近 (nearby). These let you describe where things are in relation to other things.

Campus Buildings

The physical spaces of student life: 學校 (school), 教室 (classroom), 圖書館 (library), 宿舍 (dormitory), 游泳池 (swimming pool), 商店 (shop), 大樓 (building). Essential for navigating any Taiwanese university.

Geography and Scenery

Words for the natural world: 山 (mountain), 海 (sea), 風景 (scenery), 地方 (place). Taiwan’s dramatic landscapes—mountains meeting ocean—make this vocabulary immediately relevant.

Descriptive Words

Adjectives for places: 遠 (far), 近 (near), 美 (beautiful), 方便 (convenient). These let you evaluate and compare locations.

Vocabulary Table

Click any character to view stroke order, pronunciation, and example sentences in our dictionary.

Character	Pinyin	Meaning	Type
他們	tāmen	they; them	Pronoun
學校	xuéxiào	school	Noun
在	zài	at; in; to be located	Verb/Preposition
山上	shān shàng	on the mountain	Phrase
哪裡	nǎlǐ	where	Question word
遠	yuǎn	far	Adjective
那裡	nàlǐ	there	Pronoun
風景	fēngjǐng	scenery; landscape	Noun
美	měi	beautiful	Adjective
前面	qiánmiàn	in front; ahead	Noun
海	hǎi	sea; ocean	Noun
後面	hòumiàn	behind; at the back	Noun
山	shān	mountain	Noun
真的	zhēn de	really; truly	Phrase
地方	dìfang	place; location	Noun
現在	xiànzài	now; currently	Noun
附近	fùjìn	nearby; vicinity	Noun
樓下	lóu xià	downstairs	Noun
找	zhǎo	to look for; to find	Verb
朋友	péngyou	friend	Noun
上課	shàngkè	to attend class	Verb
花蓮	Huālián	Hualien (city in eastern Taiwan)	Proper noun
聽說	tīngshuō	to hear (that); it is said	Verb
近	jìn	near; close	Adjective
方便	fāngbiàn	convenient	Adjective
這裡	zhèlǐ	here	Pronoun
學生	xuéshēng	student	Noun
東西	dōngxi	thing; stuff	Noun
外面	wàimiàn	outside	Noun
裡面	lǐmiàn	inside	Noun
商店	shāngdiàn	shop; store	Noun
吃飯	chīfàn	to eat (a meal)	Verb
宿舍	sùshè	dormitory	Noun
樓	lóu	floor; building	Noun/Measure word
棟	dòng	(measure word for buildings)	Measure word
大樓	dàlóu	building; tower	Noun
圖書館	túshūguǎn	library	Noun
旁邊	pángbiān	beside; next to	Noun
教室	jiàoshì	classroom	Noun
游泳池	yóuyǒngchí	swimming pool	Noun

Key Grammar

在 (zài) — The Location Verb

在 is one of the most important words in Mandarin. It indicates location:

As a verb (“to be located”):

• 圖書館在哪裡？ — Where is the library?
• 學校在山上。 — The school is on the mountain.
• 我的朋友在宿舍。 — My friend is in the dormitory.

As a preposition (“at/in”):

• 我在教室上課。 — I attend class in the classroom.
• 他們在外面吃飯。 — They are eating outside.

在 answers the question “where?” and is essential for any location-based sentence.

Position Words: 前面, 後面, 旁邊, 裡面, 外面

Mandarin uses compound position words that function as nouns:

Position Word	Meaning	Structure
前面	in front	前 (front) + 面 (side/surface)
後面	behind	後 (back) + 面
旁邊	beside	旁 (side) + 邊 (edge)
裡面	inside	裡 (inside) + 面
外面	outside	外 (outside) + 面
上面	above/on top	上 (up) + 面
下面	below/under	下 (down) + 面
附近	nearby	附 (attach) + 近 (near)

These words typically follow the reference object:

• 學校前面有海。 — In front of the school, there is the ocean.
• 圖書館旁邊是教室。 — Beside the library is the classroom.
• 商店在宿舍附近。 — The shop is near the dormitory.

這裡, 那裡, 哪裡 — Here, There, Where

These three words form a logical set:

• 這裡 (zhèlǐ) — here (close to speaker)
• 那裡 (nàlǐ) — there (away from speaker)
• 哪裡 (nǎlǐ) — where (question)

Examples:

• 你在哪裡？ — Where are you?
• 我在這裡。 — I’m here.
• 那裡的風景很美。 — The scenery there is very beautiful.

Note: 哪裡 can also be used as a modest response to compliments (meaning “not at all”).

遠 and 近 — Far and Near

These adjectives describe distance:

• 學校離這裡遠嗎？ — Is the school far from here?
• 不遠，很近。 — Not far, very close.
• 花蓮比較遠。 — Hualien is relatively far.

When comparing distances, use 離 (lí, “from”):

• 宿舍離教室很近。 — The dormitory is very close to the classroom.
• 海離學校不遠。 — The ocean is not far from the school.

聽說 — “I Heard That…”

聽說 introduces hearsay or secondhand information:

• 聽說花蓮的風景很美。 — I heard that Hualien’s scenery is very beautiful.
• 聽說那裡的小吃很好吃。 — I heard the street food there is delicious.
• 聽說學校附近很方便。 — I heard it’s very convenient near the school.

This is useful for sharing information you cannot personally verify.

Measure Words: 樓, 棟

New measure words for buildings:

樓 (lóu) — for floors:

• 我住在三樓。 — I live on the third floor.
• 教室在五樓。 — The classroom is on the fifth floor.

棟 (dòng) — for buildings:

• 那棟大樓是圖書館。 — That building is the library.
• 宿舍有幾棟？ — How many dormitory buildings are there?

上課 and 吃飯 — Verb-Object Compounds

These are verb-object compounds that function as single verbs:

• 上課 (shàngkè) — to attend class (上 “go up” + 課 “class”)
• 吃飯 (chīfàn) — to eat a meal (吃 “eat” + 飯 “rice/meal”)

They cannot take direct objects without restructuring:

• 我去上課。 — I’m going to class. ✓
• 我們一起吃飯吧。 — Let’s eat together. ✓

Cultural Notes

花蓮 — Taiwan’s Eastern Paradise

花蓮 (Huālián) appears in this lesson as an example of a beautiful place, and for good reason. Located on Taiwan’s less-developed east coast, Hualien is famous for:

• 太魯閣國家公園 (Taroko National Park) — Dramatic marble gorges and hiking trails
• 七星潭 (Qixingtan Beach) — A crescent-shaped pebble beach with mountain backdrops
• 清水斷崖 (Qingshui Cliffs) — Sea cliffs dropping directly into the Pacific Ocean

The phrase 前面是海，後面是山 (ocean in front, mountains behind) perfectly describes much of Taiwan’s east coast geography. This dramatic landscape—where the Central Mountain Range meets the Pacific Ocean—is a defining feature of Taiwan’s natural beauty.

Many MTC students take weekend trips to Hualien. When classmates ask 你週末做什麼？, answering 我去花蓮玩 (I went to Hualien for fun) is a common response. The train ride from Taipei takes approximately four hours and offers stunning coastal views.

山上 — Taiwan’s Mountain Culture

Taiwan is remarkably mountainous. The island contains over 200 peaks above 3,000 meters—more than any country in Europe. The vocabulary 山上 (on the mountain) reflects how central mountains are to Taiwanese life.

Many universities and temples are located 在山上. The phrase is not metaphorical—campuses like Chinese Culture University (文化大學) are literally built on mountainsides, offering dramatic views but requiring stamina to navigate.

Hiking (爬山, páshān) is a national pastime. Weekend conversations often include:

• 你有去爬山嗎？ — Did you go hiking?
• 那座山很遠嗎？ — Is that mountain far?
• 山上的風景很美。 — The scenery on the mountain is beautiful.

宿舍 — Dormitory Life

Student dormitories (宿舍) in Taiwan differ from Western expectations. Key features:

• Shared rooms — Single rooms are rare; most students share with 1-3 roommates
• Curfews — Some dormitories have entry curfews (門禁, ménjìn)
• Gender separation — Male and female dormitories are typically in separate buildings (棟)
• Limited cooking — Most dormitories prohibit cooking; students eat at campus cafeterias or nearby restaurants

The vocabulary in this lesson—樓, 棟, 樓下, 附近—reflects daily dormitory navigation. Questions like 你住幾樓？(What floor do you live on?) and 宿舍附近有商店嗎？(Are there shops near the dormitory?) are constant.

圖書館 — The Library as Social Space

Taiwanese university libraries (圖書館) serve multiple functions beyond book storage:

• Study halls — Students spend hours in climate-controlled comfort
• Social spaces — Meeting friends at the library is common
• Nap locations — Sleeping in libraries is tolerated and widespread

The phrase 我在圖書館 (I’m at the library) might mean studying, but it might also mean meeting friends, using the WiFi, or escaping the heat. Libraries are central to campus life in ways that extend beyond their official purpose.

方便 — The Convenience Obsession

Taiwan is obsessed with 方便 (convenience). The word appears constantly:

• 這裡很方便。 — It’s very convenient here.
• 交通方便嗎？ — Is transportation convenient?
• 便利商店 — Convenience store (literally “convenient-benefit shop”)

This is not merely vocabulary—it reflects cultural values. Taiwan has the highest density of convenience stores in the world. The MRT runs every few minutes. Food is available 24 hours a day. When Taiwanese people evaluate a location, 方便不方便 (convenient or not) is often the first consideration.

For students choosing housing, 方便 typically means:

• Close to the MRT or bus stops
• Near convenience stores and restaurants
• Walking distance to campus

A place with beautiful 風景 but poor 方便 will struggle to attract residents.

Giving Directions in Taiwan

Taiwanese people give directions using landmarks rather than street names:

• 在7-11旁邊 — Next to the 7-Eleven
• 圖書館後面 — Behind the library
• 那棟大樓前面 — In front of that building

The positional vocabulary in this lesson—前面, 後面, 旁邊, 附近—is exactly how real directions work. Street addresses exist but are rarely used in casual conversation. Learning to navigate by landmarks is essential.