To explain a process, list the stages in the order they happen, give each one a sequence word and one clear action, and say why only when the reason prevents a mistake. The reader should be able to repeat the process from your words alone.
This lesson is part of expository and practical writing in SPM Bahasa Cina. A companion skill is organising a factual description.
How do I plan the stages?
Use three steps before you write a sentence.
- List every action in the order it happens, in short notes.
- Group notes that belong together into one stage.
- Add sequence words and a short reason where it helps.
If you cannot picture a stage, the reader will not be able to either.
Worked example: making teh tarik
Task: explain to a foreign friend how to make a cup of teh tarik, in about eighty characters.
Notes: boil water; add tea leaves; strain; add condensed milk; pull between two cups; serve hot.
Stages: (1) make strong tea, (2) strain it, (3) mix in milk, (4) pull, (5) serve.
Model:
首先，把水煮沸，放入茶叶煮成浓茶。 接着，把茶叶滤掉，倒入杯中。然后加入炼乳搅匀。再把茶在两个杯子之间来回拉高，让茶变得更香滑。最后趁热饮用。
Each stage has one action, and each sequence word moves the reader forward. The reason after the pulling step (更香滑) is short and useful.
A muddled version, marked up
Muddled: 茶很好喝，很多人都喜欢。先放炼乳，然后煮水，拉茶，最后滤茶叶。
| Problem | Why it fails |
|---|---|
| Opens with praise | The opening does not give a step |
| 先放炼乳，然后煮水 | The order is wrong: milk cannot go in before the tea exists |
| Missing tea leaves | The reader does not know the tea is brewed |
| 滤茶叶 after 拉茶 | The pulling stage has already mixed in the leaves |
The content words are nearly the same as in the model. The difference is order and completeness.
The mistake that costs marks
The common slip is to leave out a stage you know so well that it feels too obvious. A student who has made teh tarik a hundred times forgets to say “strain the tea”, and the reader ends with leaves in the cup.
The fix is to test your list by following it as a stranger would. If you could not carry out the process using only your words, add the missing stage.
Another slip is to use 然后 at the start of every sentence. The piece reads like a chat and not like an explanation. Vary with 接着, 随后, 再 and 最后.
Check yourself
Task: explain how to borrow a book from the school library, in four or five stages.
Answer
Model: 首先，在书架上找到想借的书。接着，把书和学生证交给图书馆管理员。然后，管理员会登记借书的日期和还书的日期。最后，把书带回去，并在规定的日期前归还。
Stages: find the book, present book and card, record, return on time. Each sentence carries one action and one sequence word.
Checkpoint: if you included a sentence about how much you like reading, it is not a stage and should be cut.
What to study next
Continue with organising a factual description and then choosing appropriate format and register. The practice set mixes all four skills.
If you want a teacher to follow your process explanations as a stranger would, see online one-to-one Chinese tuition.