A fact is something you could check. An attitude is how someone feels about it. In Chinese comprehension the wording gives the difference away, and this lesson shows you where to look.
This lesson belongs to evidence-led Chinese reading. The passage and answers below are in Chinese, with English explanation.
How do you test a sentence?
Use the checking test. If you could prove the sentence true or false with a receipt, a calendar or a camera, it is a fact. If you would have to ask the person how they feel, it is an attitude.
Look for judging words: “合理”, “可惜”, “只顾”, “难得”, “实在”, and phrases such as “令人遗憾的是”. Facts usually carry numbers, times, names or actions.
Worked example: one passage, four sentences
“学校食堂上个月把炒饭的价格从RM3调到RM3.50。负责人认为这是一个合理的决定，因为米和油的价格都涨了。
可是有同学觉得，食堂只顾赚钱，一点也不体谅学生。令人遗憾的是，这项调整没有提前通知家长。”
Sentence 1 is a fact. The price change from RM3 to RM3.50 can be checked, and the increase is RM0.50.
Sentence 2 has two layers. “米和油的价格都涨了” is a fact given as a reason. “认为……合理” is the 负责人’s attitude, because “合理” is a judgement.
Sentence 3 is the students’ attitude. “只顾赚钱” and “一点也不体谅” are strong judging words, but they belong to the students, who are reported with “觉得”.
Sentence 4 is the writer’s attitude. “令人遗憾的是” is in the writer’s narration, so the writer feels regret. The fact inside it is that parents were not told in advance.
The mistake that costs marks
The common slip is to give the students’ attitude as the writer’s. A question such as “作者对涨价的调整持什么态度？” is asking about sentence 4, not sentence 3.
| Answer | Why it fails or works |
|---|---|
| “作者认为食堂只顾赚钱。” | Wrong owner: this is the students’ view. |
| “食堂把价格调高了。” | A fact, so it does not answer an attitude question. |
| “作者对没有提前通知家长感到遗憾。” | Correct: the writer’s own clue word, with the thing regretted. |
A good habit is to ask who is speaking before you choose the clue words. If the sentence has “认为”, “觉得” or “说”, someone else is speaking.
Check yourself
Read this passage, then answer both questions.
“体育馆的游泳池每天下午两点到四点关闭清洗。难得的是，管理员每次都会在门口贴出通知，让泳客提前知道。”
- Write the fact about the pool.
- What attitude does the writer show toward the administrator, and which words show it?
Answer
-
The pool closes every day from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. for cleaning. This can be checked, so it is a fact.
-
The writer shows appreciation. The clue words are “难得的是”, which mark the writer’s own judgement that the notice is worth praising. A model answer: “作者赞赏管理员，因为他每次都提前贴出通知。”
Note that “贴出通知” is the fact that the writer is praising, so it can appear in your answer as the reason, but the attitude itself lives in “难得的是”.
What to study next
Attitude clues often arrive inside figurative phrases, so continue with explaining a figurative expression using its surrounding sentences. Log answers where you mixed up fact and attitude with the mistake log and paper-error review.
To practise this with a teacher on your own passages, see online one-to-one Chinese tuition.