Learn Hardcore Chinese: Wèile jiànkāng, hěnduō rén juéde gōngyuán fùjìn de huánjìng hěn hǎo, suǒyǐ wǎnshang chángcháng qù gōngyuán zǒu yíxià. - For their health, many people feel that the environment near the park is very good, so in the evening they often go to the park for a walk.

因为 – introduces a reason (because…)
- 因为公园附近的环境很好，很多人晚上常常去公园走一下。
  Because the environment near the park is very good, many people often go…
为 – can also mean for, but it’s usually shorter, more formal, or part of set phrases.
- 为健康，很多人常常运动。 (OK, but sounds a bit more formal/literary)
- 为了健康 is more natural in everyday speech for “for the sake of health”.

So:

为了健康 → purpose (Why do they walk? For health.)
因为环境很好 → reason (Why do they think it’s good to walk there? Because the environment is good.)

Why is it just 为了健康 and not 为了健康的身体 or 为了身体健康?

为了健康 is already a very natural, complete expression in Chinese.

健康 can function as a noun (“health”) as well as an adjective (“healthy”).
In this sentence, 为了健康 = for health / for being healthy.

Other versions are possible but slightly different in style or emphasis:

为了身体健康 – for physical health, a bit more specific.
为了健康的身体 – grammatically OK, but sounds more formal or written.

In everyday speech, 为了健康 is short, natural, and sufficient.

What is the role of 的 (de) in 公园附近的环境, and could you say 公园附近环境 instead?

Here, 的 links a modifier to a noun, like “’s” or “of” in English.

公园附近的环境 literally: the environment of (the area) near the park
- 公园附近 = near the park (a location phrase)
- 环境 = environment
- 公园附近的环境 = the environment near the park

Can you drop 的?

公园附近环境 is possible but sounds more like compressed, written, or headline-style Chinese.
In normal spoken Mandarin, 公园附近的环境 is more natural and clear.

So the 的 is functioning like “of”/“’s” to link 公园附近 to 环境.

What does 附近 (fùjìn) mean exactly, and do you need 在 as in 在公园附近?

附近 means “nearby / in the vicinity”.

Two common patterns:

As a location word:
- 在公园附近 = near the park / in the area near the park
- 我住在学校附近。 = I live near the school.
As part of a modifier with 的:
- 公园附近的环境 = the environment near the park

In this sentence, 公园附近的环境 already includes the “near the park” idea.
If you say 在公园附近的环境, it becomes clunky and unnatural. The 在 is not needed here because 公园附近的 is just describing 环境.

Why is 很 (hěn) used in 环境很好? Can you just say 环境好?

In modern spoken Chinese, an adjective used as a predicate often needs something in front of it, and 很 frequently fills that role.

环境很好 is the normal, natural sentence.
很 here can mean “very”, but often it’s just a neutral link between the subject and the adjective.

Nuances:

环境好。 – grammatically OK, but can sound a bit like a contrast or emphasis (The environment is good (and not bad)), or like a fragment.
环境很好。 – sounds like a natural description: The environment is good / quite good.

So in everyday speech, including 很 is the default and makes the sentence sound smooth.

What is the difference between 觉得 (juéde) and 认为 (rènwéi) here? Could you use 认为 instead?

Both 觉得 and 认为 can mean “to think / to feel that …”, but:

觉得:
- Very common in spoken Chinese.
- Can include subjective feeling or impression.
- 很多人觉得公园附近的环境很好。
  - Many people feel/think the environment near the park is very good.
认为:
- More formal, often used in written texts, news, or logical argument.
- Emphasizes a reasoned opinion or judgment.
- 很多人认为公园附近的环境很好。
  - Also correct, but sounds more formal, like in a survey report.

In this everyday-life style sentence, 觉得 is the most natural choice.

Why is 所以 (suǒyǐ) used here, and could it be omitted?

所以 means “so / therefore” and marks the result of the previous clause.

为了健康，很多人觉得公园附近的环境很好，所以晚上常常去公园走一下。

Structure:

为了健康 – purpose
很多人觉得公园附近的环境很好 – background / reason
所以晚上常常去公园走一下 – result

Could you omit 所以?

In spoken Chinese, it’s possible to drop it if the connection is clear:
- 为了健康，很多人觉得公园附近的环境很好，晚上常常去公园走一下。
However, using 所以:
- makes the logical relationship very clear,
- sounds natural and well-structured.

So it’s not grammatically required, but it is stylistically good and very common.

Why is the word order 晚上常常去公园 and not 常常晚上去公园 or 常常在晚上去公园?

In Chinese, the usual order for time and adverbs is:

[Time] + [Frequency adverb] + [Verb phrase]

So:

晚上常常去公园…
- 晚上 = at night
- 常常 = often
- 去公园走一下 = go to the park for a walk

Other options:

常常晚上去公园… – sounds a bit unnatural; it puts frequency before time in a way that’s not standard.
常常在晚上去公园… – understandable, but feels wordy; 在
- time is more common for specific times (在三点，在周末) than for broad times like “at night”.

Best and most natural:

(他们) 晚上常常去公园走一下。

What does 走一下 (zǒu yíxià) mean exactly? Is it “walk a little bit”? Why add 一下?

走一下 literally is “walk a bit / walk for a moment”.

一下 after a verb usually indicates:

Short duration:
- 看一下 = take a quick look
- 试一下 = try (for a bit)
- 走一下 = walk a little / go for a short walk
Casual / light tone:
- It can make the action sound less heavy or more relaxed, sometimes more polite.

So 去公园走一下 is like:

go to the park to walk a bit,
very close in meaning to go for a (casual) walk in the park.

It does not mean “walk only one step”; it’s about a non-long, relaxed action, not literally one step.

How is 走一下 different from 走走, 走路, or 散步?

All are related to “walking”, but with different typical uses:

走一下
- Emphasizes doing some walking (for a short while).
- Very natural in 去公园走一下.
走走
- A reduplicated verb often suggests leisure or casualness.
- 去公园走走 ≈ go walk around a bit (for fun / relaxation).
- Very similar in meaning to 走一下, and also very natural.
走路 (zǒu lù)
- Literally “to walk on the road”; generally just “to walk (as a way of moving)”.
- 我走路去上班。 = I walk to work.
- 去公园走路 is understandable, but usually we say 去公园走走 / 散步 for “go for a walk”.
散步 (sànbù)
- Specific verb for “to take a stroll / to go for a walk (for leisure/health)”.
- 为了健康，很多人晚上常常去公园散步。
  - This is also a very natural alternative to the original sentence.

In this context, 走一下, 走走, and 散步 are all reasonable, with 散步 highlighting that it’s a health/leisure walk.

Why is the subject not repeated before 晚上常常去公园走一下? Is it still 很多人?

Yes. In Chinese, once the subject is clear from the context, it is often not repeated.

The full logical structure is:

为了健康，很多人觉得公园附近的环境很好，所以 (很多人) 晚上常常去公园走一下。

Repeating 很多人 before 晚上常常去公园 is possible but not necessary, and would sound a bit heavy:

…很多人觉得公园附近的环境很好，所以很多人晚上常常去公园走一下。
(Correct, but more repetitive.)

Dropping the second 很多人 is natural and concise; the reader/listener understands that the subject is still 很多人.

Can the sentence be reordered as 为了健康，很多人晚上常常去公园走一下，因为公园附近的环境很好? Is that still correct?

Yes, this reordered version is grammatically correct and natural:

为了健康，很多人晚上常常去公园走一下，因为公园附近的环境很好。

Difference in feel:

Original:
- 为了健康，很多人觉得公园附近的环境很好，所以晚上常常去公园走一下。
- Emphasis flow: purpose → opinion (environment is good) → result (so they go).
Reordered:
- 为了健康，很多人晚上常常去公园走一下，因为公园附近的环境很好。
- Emphasis flow: purpose → action (they go) → reason (because environment is good).

Both are fine; they just highlight slightly different parts of the logic. The original makes the environment and the resulting habit more prominent; the reordered one makes the habit prominent and then explains why.