Lesson 10: Weather Deep Dive

Describe changing weather, understand forecasts, and use 越来越 to express gradual change in Chinese.

hsk-2lessona1

Overview

Weather is a universal conversation topic and a practical context for several important grammar patterns. This lesson goes deeper than HSK 1 weather basics, introducing 越来越 to express progressive change, the structure for reporting what a forecast says, and more precise weather vocabulary including temperature, clouds, snow, and humidity.

Learning Objectives

  • Use 越来越 + adjective to describe things getting progressively more so
  • Report forecast information with 天气预报说...
  • Describe weather conditions with precise vocabulary
  • Ask and answer about weather preferences and climates

Vocabulary

Character Pinyin Type Meaning Example
温度 wēndù n temperature 今天温度很高。
下雪 xià xuě v to snow 北京冬天经常下雪。
多云 duō yún adj cloudy 今天多云，不热。
晴天 qíngtiān n sunny day, clear sky 今天是晴天。
台风 táifēng n typhoon 台风要来了。
湿 shī adj humid, wet 上海夏天又热又湿。
干燥 gānzào adj dry 北方冬天很干燥。
凉快 liángkuai adj cool and pleasant 秋天很凉快，我最喜欢。
暖和 nuǎnhuo adj warm and pleasant 春天暖和，适合出游。
刮风 guā fēng v to be windy 今天刮风，穿厚一点。
雷 léi n thunder 打雷了，可能要下雨。
预报 yùbào n/v forecast; to forecast 天气预报说明天下雨。
度 dù mw degree (temperature) 今天二十八度。
季节 jìjié n season 你最喜欢哪个季节？

Grammar Focus

Pattern 1: 越来越 + Adjective

Structure: Subject + 越来越 + Adjective

越来越 (yuè lái yuè) expresses a progressive increase in degree: "more and more," "increasingly." It always precedes an adjective or stative verb.

Chinese Pinyin English
天气越来越冷了。 Tiānqì yuè lái yuè lěng le. The weather is getting colder and colder.
他的中文越来越好。 Tā de Zhōngwén yuè lái yuè hǎo. His Chinese is getting better and better.
城市越来越大。 Chéngshì yuè lái yuè dà. The city is getting bigger and bigger.
这里的夏天越来越热了。 Zhèlǐ de xiàtiān yuè lái yuè rè le. The summers here are getting hotter and hotter.

Common mistake: Do not use 越来越 with a single adjective to mean "very." It describes progressive change over time, not a static high degree. 很冷 means "very cold now"; 越来越冷 means "increasingly cold."

Pattern 2: 天气预报说 + Clause

Structure: 天气预报说 + Clause (reported speech)

This introduces weather forecast information. 说 here is used to report what was stated. The same structure works for any reported speech: 他说..., 新闻说..., 老师说...

Chinese Pinyin English
天气预报说明天会下雨。 Tiānqì yùbào shuō míngtiān huì xià yǔ. The forecast says it will rain tomorrow.
天气预报说这周温度会降到五度。 Tiānqì yùbào shuō zhè zhōu wēndù huì jiàng dào wǔ dù. The forecast says the temperature will drop to 5 degrees this week.
新闻说台风明天晚上会登陆。 Xīnwén shuō táifēng míngtiān wǎnshang huì dēnglù. The news says the typhoon will make landfall tomorrow night.

Common mistake: Do not add 是 between 预报 and 说. 天气预报是说 is not standard. Use 天气预报说 directly.

Pattern 3: 又...又... (both...and...)

Structure: 又 + Adjective 1 + 又 + Adjective 2

又...又... links two qualities of the same subject and is common in weather descriptions. Both adjectives must apply to the same thing.

Chinese Pinyin English
今天又热又湿。 Jīntiān yòu rè yòu shī. Today is both hot and humid.
这里冬天又冷又干燥。 Zhèlǐ dōngtiān yòu lěng yòu gānzào. Winters here are both cold and dry.
昨天的天气又刮风又下雨。 Zuótiān de tiānqì yòu guāfēng yòu xià yǔ. Yesterday's weather was both windy and rainy.

Common mistake: Do not use 又...又... with opposites like 又冷又热. Both qualities must be genuinely co-existing.

Dialogue

A: 你看，天越来越暗了，要下雨吗？ Nǐ kàn, tiān yuè lái yuè àn le, yào xià yǔ ma? Look, the sky is getting darker and darker. Is it going to rain?

B: 天气预报说今天下午有大雨。你没带伞？ Tiānqì yùbào shuō jīntiān xiàwǔ yǒu dà yǔ. Nǐ méi dài sǎn? The forecast says there will be heavy rain this afternoon. You didn't bring an umbrella?

A: 没有！今天早上是晴天，我以为不会下雨。 Méiyǒu! Jīntiān zǎoshang shì qíngtiān, wǒ yǐwéi bù huì xià yǔ. No! This morning was sunny, so I assumed it wouldn't rain.

B: 这个季节天气变化很快。一天里又晴又雨。 Zhège jìjié tiānqì biànhuà hěn kuài. Yī tiān lǐ yòu qíng yòu yǔ. The weather changes very quickly this season. One day can be both sunny and rainy.

A: 现在温度是多少度？ Xiànzài wēndù shì duōshao dù? What is the temperature right now?

B: 二十六度，但是感觉很湿，比实际温度热。 Èrshíliù dù, dànshì gǎnjué hěn shī, bǐ shíjì wēndù rè. Twenty-six degrees, but it feels very humid, hotter than the actual temperature.

A: 我最不喜欢这种又热又湿的天气。 Wǒ zuì bù xǐhuan zhè zhǒng yòu rè yòu shī de tiānqì. I really hate this kind of weather that's both hot and humid.

Practice

Exercise 1: Fill in the Blank

  1. 冬天来了，天气 ______ 冷了。(Winter is coming; the weather is getting colder and colder.)
  2. 天气预报 ______ 明天有台风。(The forecast says there will be a typhoon tomorrow.)
  3. 上海夏天 ______ 热 ______ 湿，很难受。(Shanghai summers are both hot and humid; it's very uncomfortable.)
  4. 这里春天很 ______，不冷不热，很舒服。(Spring here is very pleasant, not cold, not hot, very comfortable.)
  5. 今天下雪了，温度降到了零 ______ 以下。(It snowed today; the temperature dropped below zero degrees.)

Exercise 2: Translate to Chinese

  1. The weather is getting more and more unpredictable.
  2. The forecast says it will snow tomorrow morning.
  3. Spring here is both warm and pleasant.
  4. What season do you like most and why?

Exercise 3: Answer in Chinese

  1. 你现在住的地方天气怎么样？(What is the weather like where you live now?)
  2. 你最喜欢什么季节？为什么？(Which season do you like most? Why?)
  3. 天气对你的心情有影响吗？(Does the weather affect your mood?)

Cultural Note

Weather in China varies dramatically by region. Beijing has hot, humid summers and cold, dry winters. Shanghai is milder but famously humid and overcast in spring. Yunnan in the southwest enjoys a temperate climate year-round, while Hainan in the south is tropical. When meeting Chinese friends and colleagues from different regions, asking about the weather back home (你们那边现在什么天气?) is a natural and warm conversation starter. Weather references in Chinese texts and literature also carry symbolic weight: 春天 (spring) traditionally symbolizes renewal and hope, while 冬天 (winter) is associated with hardship and endurance.