Today, tomorrow, now, later
Tests: 3 of 11 right · Exam: 0 of 4 right · Kind: plain · Understood: 8 of 15 · Run: 2026-10-18, commit f3c23ea72
Lesson 21 of the chinese street course of Mova's primary school, as Mova's small model took its tests: it had read this lesson and the ones before it and learned from their exercises. Each test shows the options in the order the student saw them, its choice, the right answer, the score of every option and why it chose. The lesson itself, sentence by sentence with trees and pragmatics: the lesson in the corpora.
Every question of this lesson and each of its options parsed by Mova, with trees and pragmatics: the lesson's questions in the corpora.
Test 1 · wrong ✗
my mate thinks míngtiān means "morning" cos "míng" sounds like morning. right?
- 1. Yes, it means "this morning" — score 4
- 2. No, míngtiān is tomorrow; morning is zǎoshang — ✓ the right answer · no support
- 3. No, míngtiān means yesterday, the day before — ← Mova's choice · score 8
- 4. Yes, míngtiān is morning, he's spot on — no support
Why: It took the question to ask which statement is true. It chose option 3 with score 8, against 4 for the next best. Its support: lesson 21, line 7: «"míngtiān" means tomorrow, as in "míngtiān jiàn" (see you tomorrow); it is not "morning", which is zǎoshang.», reached through the remembered sentence the question matched. What matched: the same action «mean» (+4); the same doer «míngtiān» (+4). The right option, 2, found no support in what it remembers. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics
Test 2 · wrong ✗
Lín says he's coming "mǎshàng" from his game. Twenty minutes later he's still playing. What's the joke?
- 1. He meant "yesterday", by mistake — no support
- 2. mǎshàng really means twenty minutes exactly — ← Mova's choice · score 4
- 3. mǎshàng means "never" — score 3
- 4. From a kid at a screen, mǎshàng stretches — ✓ the right answer · no support
Why: It took the question to ask what it is done to. It chose option 2 with score 4, against 3 for the next best. Its support: lesson 21, line 2: «The best one is "mǎshàng" (MAH-SHAHNG), right away, literally "on horseback": from Lín at his computer "mǎshàng!" can mean ten minutes, but from his mum with h…», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: the same action «mean» (+2); the same doer «mǎshàng» (+1); the same property (+1). The right option, 4, found no support in what it remembers. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics
Test 3 · wrong ✗
Which word points back in time, and which forward?
- 1. mǎshàng back, gāngcái forward — no support
- 2. Both point back — no support
- 3. gāngcái back, mǎshàng forward — ✓ the right answer · no support
- 4. Both point forward — ← Mova's choice · score 2
Why: It took the question to ask who or what does it. It chose option 4 with score 2, the only option with support. Its support: lesson 21, line 13: «"gāngcái" means just now, a moment ago, and points back; mǎshàng points forward.», reached through the same lesson line as the sentence the question matched. What matched: the same action «point» (+2); the same property (+1). Against it: a different doer (counts against) (-1). The right option, 3, found no support in what it remembers. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics
Test 4 · wrong ✗
Lín says "wǒ zuò tiān" with a falling zuò. What sounds wrong?
- 1. zuò means tomorrow — ← Mova's choice · score 7
- 2. Nothing, both tones mean yesterday — no support
- 3. zuò falling is "sit, do", not yesterday — ✓ the right answer · no support
- 4. zuò means today — score 7
Why: It took the question to ask who or what does it. It chose option 1 with score 7, tied with another option at 7 (the first shown, or the one claiming less beyond what it knows, wins). Its support: lesson 21, line 8: «"zuótiān" means yesterday; zuó rises, while zuò (falling) means to sit or to do.», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: it fills the role the question asks for (+3); the same action «mean» (+2); the same doer «zuò» (+2). The right option, 3, found no support in what it remembers. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics
Test 5 · right ✓
It's Friday. Lín says the sleepover is hòutiān. Which day is it?
- 1. Sunday — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · no support
- 2. Saturday — no support
- 3. Monday — no support
- 4. Thursday — no support
Why: No option found support in what it remembers, so it guessed: it took the first option shown. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics
Test 6 · right ✓
why does English need four words "the day after tomorrow" when Chinese has one?
- 1. Chinese is a shorter language overall — no support
- 2. English is older, so its words are long — score 3
- 3. Chinese has no word either — no support
- 4. English just has no single word for it — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · score 5
Why: It took the question to ask why something happens (its cause). It chose option 4 with score 5, against 3 for the next best. Its support: lesson 21, line 9: «"hòutiān" means the day after tomorrow, and "qiántiān" means the day before yesterday; English has no single word for either.», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: the same doer «english» (+2); the same thing acted on «single word» (+2); the same light verb (be, have, do, get, go) (+1). · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics
Test 7 · wrong ✗
In a cartoon a boy asks "can I have sweets?", and his mum says "yǐhòu zài shuō". He cheers. Was he right to cheer?
- 1. Yes, it means "yes, have them now" — ← Mova's choice · no support
- 2. Yes, it means "take two" — no support
- 3. Probably not, it's usually a soft no — ✓ the right answer · no support
- 4. No, it means "never ever, not once" — no support
Why: No option found support in what it remembers, so it guessed: it took the first option shown. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics
Test 8 · right ✓
Lín's granny says "shàngwǔ" about the dentist. When is it?
- 1. Late morning, before noon — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · score 3
- 2. Early dawn — no support
- 3. Late afternoon — no support
- 4. Evening — no support
Why: It took the question to ask which statement is true. It chose option 1 with score 3, the only option with support. Its support: lesson 21, line 15: «"zǎoshang" is the early morning, as in "zǎoshang qī diǎn", seven in the morning; shàngwǔ is late morning.», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: the same thing acted on «late morning» (+2); the same property (+1). · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics
Test 9 · wrong ✗
What would happen if you told Lín "zǎoshang jiàn" at home time on Monday?
- 1. He'd think it's Sunday — ← Mova's choice · score 2
- 2. He'd think you'll meet tonight — score 2
- 3. He'd think you never want to meet — score 2
- 4. He'd think you'll meet in the morning — ✓ the right answer · score 2
Why: It took the question to ask what happens next. It chose option 1 with score 2, tied with another option at 2 (the first shown, or the one claiming less beyond what it knows, wins). Its support: lesson 17, line 15: «"wǒ xiǎng nǐ" means "I miss you", said to a friend who moved away or to grandparents on a video call; the answer is "wǒ yě xiǎng nǐ".», reached through what followed the sentence the question matched. What matched: the same doer «friend» (+4). Against it: a different action (counts against) (-2). The right option, 4, scored 2. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics
Test 10 · wrong ✗
Which time word hides "after noon" inside it?
- 1. jīntiān — ← Mova's choice · score 5
- 2. zǎoshang — no support
- 3. wǎnshang — no support
- 4. xiàwǔ — ✓ the right answer · no support
Why: It took the question to ask what it is done to. It chose option 1 with score 5, the only option with support. Its support: lesson 21, line 1: «Time words are built like Lego from "tiān", day: jīntiān (now-day) is today, míngtiān (bright-day) is tomorrow, zuótiān is yesterday, and hòutiān (after-day) i…», reached through the same lesson line as the sentence the question matched. What matched: it fills the role the question asks for (+3); the same thing acted on «day» (+2). The right option, 4, found no support in what it remembers. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics
Test 11 · wrong ✗
Lín's dad says "jīntiān tài wǎn le, míngtiān ba". What's the plan?
- 1. Next week, maybe — ← Mova's choice · no support
- 2. Yesterday was too late — no support
- 3. Too late today; tomorrow then — ✓ the right answer · no support
- 4. Right now, today — no support
Why: No option found support in what it remembers, so it guessed: it took the first option shown. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics
Exam question 1 · formal language · wrong ✗
Identify the Mandarin term denoting the day subsequent to the morrow.
- 1. míngtiān — ← Mova's choice · no support
- 2. qiántiān — no support
- 3. zuótiān — no support
- 4. hòutiān — ✓ the right answer · no support
Why: Nothing it remembers matched the question, so it guessed: it took the first option shown. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics
Exam question 2 · formal language · wrong ✗
It is given that "mǎshàng" is employed by a parent who stands ready to depart. Select the interpretation consistent with the established usage.
- 1. Not at all — ← Mova's choice · no support
- 2. On the following day — no support
- 3. At an indeterminate future date — no support
- 4. Immediately, without delay — ✓ the right answer · no support
Why: No option found support in what it remembers, so it guessed: it took the first option shown. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics
Exam question 3 · formal language · wrong ✗
Which of the following statements most accurately characterises the parental utterance "yǐhòu zài shuō"?
- 1. It is an unconditional grant of permission for the request — ← Mova's choice · no support
- 2. It is a greeting upon arrival — no support
- 3. It is an enquiry as to the hour — no support
- 4. It is frequently a courteous deferral amounting to refusal — ✓ the right answer · no support
Why: No option found support in what it remembers, so it guessed: it took the first option shown. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics
Exam question 4 · formal language · wrong ✗
Ascertain the literal composition of the term "xiàwǔ", signifying afternoon.
- 1. Before noon — ← Mova's choice · no support
- 2. After noon — ✓ the right answer · no support
- 3. Early morning — no support
- 4. Late night — no support
Why: Nothing it remembers matched the question, so it guessed: it took the first option shown. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics
This page in Markdown → https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/school-run/chinese-street/21-today-tomorrow-now-later/