Somewhere between the casual chat of a WeChat message and the agentless formality of a news broadcast sits a register you meet constantly online: the opinion piece. A blog post, a forum comment, an op-ed — someone stating a position and defending it. This register has its own toolkit: verbs that frame an opinion as an opinion (我觉得, 我认为), connectors that stack reasons on top of one another (不但…而且, 因为…所以), and small discourse markers (其实, 当然, 总之) that steer the reader through the argument. This page reads a short original blog post — why I keep cooking at home instead of ordering takeout — and shows how the pieces build a paragraph that argues rather than merely reports.
The blog post
我为什么坚持在家做饭
wǒ wèishénme jiānchí zài jiā zuòfàn
Why I Keep Cooking at Home
最近越来越多的人喜欢点外卖，但我一直坚持自己在家做饭。
zuìjìn yuè lái yuè duō de rén xǐhuan diǎn wàimài, dàn wǒ yìzhí jiānchí zìjǐ zài jiā zuòfàn
Lately more and more people love ordering takeout, but I've always stuck to cooking at home myself.
我觉得在家做饭比在外面吃更健康。
wǒ juéde zài jiā zuòfàn bǐ zài wàimiàn chī gèng jiànkāng
I think cooking at home is healthier than eating out.
其实，很多餐馆为了让菜更好吃，往往放很多油和盐。
qíshí, hěn duō cānguǎn wèile ràng cài gèng hǎochī, wǎngwǎng fàng hěn duō yóu hé yán
Actually, to make the dishes tastier, a lot of restaurants tend to add a great deal of oil and salt.
自己做饭就不一样了：想吃什么就买什么，想怎么做就怎么做。
zìjǐ zuòfàn jiù bù yíyàng le: xiǎng chī shénme jiù mǎi shénme, xiǎng zěnme zuò jiù zěnme zuò
Cooking for yourself is a different story: you buy whatever you want to eat and cook it however you like.
虽然做饭要花时间，但是又便宜又干净。
suīrán zuòfàn yào huā shíjiān, dànshì yòu piányi yòu gānjìng
Although cooking takes time, it's both cheap and clean.
而且，做饭不但能省钱，而且能让人放松。
érqiě, zuòfàn búdàn néng shěng qián, érqiě néng ràng rén fàngsōng
What's more, cooking not only saves money but also helps you relax.
因为工作了一天以后，我特别喜欢一个人安安静静地切菜、炒菜。
yīnwèi gōngzuò le yì tiān yǐhòu, wǒ tèbié xǐhuan yí ge rén ān'ānjìngjìng de qiē cài, chǎo cài
Because after a whole day of work, I especially enjoy chopping and stir-frying quietly on my own.
当然，我并不是说外卖一点儿都不好。
dāngrán, wǒ bìng bú shì shuō wàimài yìdiǎnr dōu bù hǎo
Of course, I'm not saying takeout is no good at all.
偶尔太忙的时候，点一次外卖也很正常。
ǒu'ěr tài máng de shíhou, diǎn yí cì wàimài yě hěn zhèngcháng
When you're occasionally too busy, ordering takeout once is perfectly normal.
但如果天天吃外卖，时间长了，对身体和钱包都没有好处。
dàn rúguǒ tiāntiān chī wàimài, shíjiān cháng le, duì shēntǐ hé qiánbāo dōu méiyǒu hǎochù
But if you eat takeout every day, over time it does no good for either your body or your wallet.
总之，我认为在家做饭是一种更健康、也更省钱的生活方式。
zǒngzhī, wǒ rènwéi zài jiā zuòfàn shì yì zhǒng gèng jiànkāng, yě gèng shěng qián de shēnghuó fāngshì
In short, I believe cooking at home is a healthier and more economical way of life.
如果你也想试试，不妨从这个周末开始。
rúguǒ nǐ yě xiǎng shìshi, bùfáng cóng zhège zhōumò kāishǐ
If you'd like to give it a try too, why not start this weekend?
Grammar in this text
1. Framing an opinion: 我觉得, 我认为, 其实
An argument begins by marking its claims as claims. Chinese does this with a stance verb up front. 我觉得 (wǒ juéde, "I feel / I think") is the everyday choice — subjective, gut-level, "this is how it strikes me." 我认为 (wǒ rènwéi, "I hold that / it is my view") is one notch more formal and considered; you reach for it when you want the sentence to sound like a reasoned position rather than a passing impression. Notice the post opens its body with 我觉得 and closes with 我认为 — the same speaker, but the closing line deliberately sounds weightier. This is a genuine register choice, not free variation; swapping them would flatten the essay. Compare all three stance verbs, including the "mistakenly assumed" 以为, on 觉得 vs 认为 vs 以为.
其实 (qíshí, "actually / in fact") is a different device: a discourse marker that signals "here comes the real story, which corrects what you might have assumed." The writer uses it to pivot from the bald claim ("home cooking is healthier") to the evidence ("restaurants load food with oil and salt"). English "actually" does the same steering. See 其实 for setting the record straight.
我认为，健康比方便更重要。
wǒ rènwéi, jiànkāng bǐ fāngbiàn gèng zhòngyào
It is my view that health matters more than convenience. (formal)
2. The comparison engine: 比…更 and 又…又
The backbone of an argument is comparison, and the standard frame is A 比 B + 更 + adjective: 在家做饭 比 在外面吃 更健康 = "cooking at home is even healthier than eating out." A subtle point learners miss: 更 ("even more") already implies the baseline is decent, so 比…更健康 says "the alternative is healthy too, but this one more so" — a fairer, less aggressive claim than a bare 比…健康. That measured tone suits an essay. The plain machinery — B goes after 比, the adjective takes no 很 — lives on comparison with 比.
To pile up virtues, the post uses 又…又… ("both… and…"): 又便宜又干净 = "both cheap and clean." This links two qualities of the same subject, and both slots must be balanced — two adjectives or two verbs, not one of each. It's how you make a point feel comprehensive without a list. See 又…又 for stacked qualities.
这家店的菜又好吃又不贵，我常常来。
zhè jiā diàn de cài yòu hǎochī yòu bú guì, wǒ chángcháng lái
This place's food is both tasty and cheap, so I come often.
3. Concession and escalation: 虽然…但是 and 不但…而且
An honest argument admits the weak side of its own case, then overrides it. That's 虽然…但是 (suīrán… dànshì, "although… nevertheless"): 虽然做饭要花时间，但是又便宜又干净 — "yes, cooking costs time, but it's cheap and clean." The concession (虽然 clause) is a small tax the writer pays to make the conclusion (但是 clause) more credible. Note both halves are usually stated in written register; unlike English, Chinese keeps the "although" even when the "but" is present. See 虽然…但是.
Where 虽然…但是 concedes, 不但…而且 (búdàn… érqiě, "not only… but also") escalates: 不但能省钱，而且能让人放松 — the second reason outranks the first, so the sentence climbs rather than balances. Keep the subject in the same place relative to 不但: because both clauses share one subject (做饭), 不但 sits after it. See 不但…而且.
这样做不但麻烦，而且没有必要。
zhèyàng zuò búdàn máfan, érqiě méiyǒu bìyào
Doing it this way is not only troublesome but also unnecessary. (formal)
4. Reasoning across the paragraph: 因为…所以 and 如果…
Chinese loves to make causation explicit. 因为 (yīnwèi, "because") opens a reason clause; here it stretches across a full sentence to justify the "cooking relaxes me" claim. In writing, 因为 often appears without its partner 所以 when the result was already stated — the post says the point first, then trails 因为… as the grounds. See 因为…所以.
The essay also runs hypotheticals with 如果… ("if…"): 如果天天吃外卖 → 对身体和钱包都没有好处. Fronting the condition lets the writer test the opposing behaviour and show where it leads — a standard argumentative move. Note 对…没有好处 ("does no good for…"), where 对 marks the party affected. See the coverb 对 for "toward / regarding".
如果每天都点外卖，一个月下来花的钱可不少。
rúguǒ měitiān dōu diǎn wàimài, yí ge yuè xiàlái huā de qián kě bù shǎo
If you order takeout every single day, the money you spend over a month is no small sum.
5. Softening and summing up: 当然, 并不是, 总之
A good opinion piece never sounds like a rant. Two devices keep it fair. 当然 (dāngrán, "of course / admittedly") concedes the reasonable objection: 当然，我并不是说外卖一点儿都不好 — "granted, I'm not saying takeout is no good." And 并不是 (bìng bú shì) is emphatic denial: 并 before a negative means "contrary to what you might think, it is not…," heading off the strawman that the writer hates takeout entirely. Paired with 一点儿都不 ("not the slightest bit"), it draws a careful boundary around the claim.
Finally, 总之 (zǒngzhī, "in short / all in all") flags the conclusion — the reader knows the wrap-up has arrived and a restated thesis is coming. This closing marker, together with the shift to 我认为, gives the paragraph a clean argumentative shape: soft claim → evidence → concession → firm restatement. See 总之 for wrapping up.
总之，这件事没有那么简单，我们还要再想想。
zǒngzhī, zhè jiàn shì méiyǒu nàme jiǎndān, wǒmen hái yào zài xiǎngxiang
In short, this matter isn't that simple; we need to think it over some more. (formal)
Vocabulary
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 坚持 | jiānchí | to keep at, insist on |
| 点外卖 | diǎn wàimài | to order takeout / delivery |
| 健康 | jiànkāng | healthy; health |
| 其实 | qíshí | actually, in fact |
| 餐馆 | cānguǎn | restaurant |
| 往往 | wǎngwǎng | tend to, more often than not |
| 油 / 盐 | yóu / yán | oil / salt |
| 省钱 | shěng qián | to save money |
| 放松 | fàngsōng | to relax |
| 并不是 | bìng bú shì | is by no means, is not at all |
| 偶尔 | ǒu'ěr | occasionally, once in a while |
| 好处 | hǎochù | benefit, advantage |
| 总之 | zǒngzhī | in short, all in all |
| 生活方式 | shēnghuó fāngshì | way of life, lifestyle |
| 不妨 | bùfáng | might as well, why not |
Key Takeaways
- Frame opinions with a stance verb: 我觉得 for a personal impression, 我认为 for a considered position — opening soft and closing firm is a natural rhetorical arc.
- 比…更 + adjective compares fairly (the baseline is decent too); 又…又… stacks balanced qualities of one subject.
- 虽然…但是 concedes then overrides; 不但…而且 escalates to a stronger reason. Chinese keeps both halves of these pairs, unlike English.
- 因为 often stands without 所以 in writing; front a condition with 如果… to test the opposing case.
- Discourse markers do the steering: 其实 ("actually"), 当然 / 并不是 (fair-minded concession), and 总之 ("in short") to signal the conclusion — the connective tissue of 书面语-leaning argument.
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- 虽然…但是/可是… (Although…Yet…)HSK 2 — 虽然…但是/可是… (suīrán…dànshì/kěshì) is the paired concession frame: Chinese REQUIRES a 'but' word in the second clause where English forbids it — 虽然很累，但是很开心 'although tired, (yet) happy'.
- The 比 Comparative: A 比 B + AdjectiveHSK 1 — The core Chinese comparison is A 比 B + Adjective — 我比你高 (I'm taller than you). 比 means 'compared to', the two things flank it, and the adjective stays plain with no word for '-er'.
- 又…又… (Both…And…)HSK 3 — 又…又… (yòu…yòu) links two qualities or abilities that hold of ONE subject at once: 又便宜又好吃 'both cheap and tasty'. A key rule — no 很 with the adjectives, and use 一边…一边 for simultaneous actions.