Paraphrasing means saying the same thing in different words. A reader who sees only your sentence should take away the same claim, at the same strength, as the passage gives.
This lesson is part of summary and synthesis. It works best after combining repeated ideas, because you paraphrase the merged points, not the raw passage.
What are the safe ways to paraphrase?
Three moves change the wording without touching the meaning.
- Change the structure. Turn 把 into 被, turn a verb phrase into a noun phrase, or start from the result instead of the cause.
- Replace a phrase with a shorter equal. 对……产生了很大的影响 can become 大大影响.
- Use a general term for a list. 苹果、香蕉和芒果 can become 各种水果, as long as the list was only illustrating.
Replacing a single word is the riskiest move, so use it last.
Worked example
Here is an original sentence from a passage about a school canteen.
由于食堂把每份饭菜的价格降低了一元，午餐时间的队伍明显缩短了。
A faithful paraphrase: 食堂降价一元后，买午餐的人排队的时间变短了。
Check the paraphrase against the original.
| Element | Original | Paraphrase | Same? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cause | Price cut by RM1 | 降价一元 | Yes |
| Result | Queue clearly shorter | Queue time shorter | Yes |
| Logic | 由于 shows the cause | 后 shows the order | Yes |
The wording is new, but the amount (一元) and the cause and effect stay the same.
The mistake that changes meaning
The common slip is a confident synonym that has a different strength. The sentence reads well, which makes the error hard to see.
Take the original: 这项政策减少了塑料袋的使用量。
| Version | Sentence | Problem |
|---|---|---|
| Wrong | 这项政策消除了塑料袋的使用。 | 消除 means removed completely; the passage only says reduced |
| Right | 这项政策使塑料袋的用量下降。 | 下降 keeps “reduced” at the same strength |
A marker counts this as distorting the passage. For every word you swap, ask whether the new word is stronger, weaker or equal.
The same check on degree words
Degree words need the most care. These pairs look close but differ.
| Weaker | Stronger |
|---|---|
| 有助于 | 决定了 |
| 可能 | 一定 |
| 部分 | 全部 |
| 批评 | 谴责 |
If the passage says 可能, a paraphrase with 一定 turns a cautious claim into a certain one. Keep these words at their original strength, because they are part of what the writer means.
A routine you can use in an exam
- Read the sentence, then look away and say the idea in plain Chinese.
- Write that version, using the structure moves above.
- Compare with the original: same cause, result, amount and strength?
- Fix any word that failed the comparison.
Check yourself
Paraphrase this original sentence, keeping the number and the strength of the claim.
班主任观察到，大约三分之二的学生每天睡眠不足八小时，其中一部分人因此在课堂上容易分心。
Answer
Key elements: about two thirds, under eight hours a day, only a part of them, easily distracted, caused by lack of sleep.
A faithful paraphrase: 班主任发现，约三分之二的学生每晚睡不到八小时，当中有些人因睡眠不足而上课时难以集中精神。
Check: 三分之二 is kept, 八小时 is kept, 一部分人 became 有些人 (same strength), and the cause stays as the reason. A wrong version would say 所有睡眠不足的学生都分心, because 所有 is stronger than 一部分.
What to study next
After paraphrasing, read your summary as a whole for length and order: checking length and logical flow. You can also log your own slips in the mistake log and paper-error review.
If you want a teacher to read your paraphrases against the source with you, see online one-to-one Chinese tuition.