Learn Hardcore Chinese: zhè shuāng xiézi zǒu guò hěn duō mǎlù, xiànzài hěn zāng, xǐ qǐlái yǒudiǎnr máfan. - These shoes have walked across many roads and are very dirty now; washing them is a bit of a hassle.

这zhè　双shuāng　鞋子xiézi　走zǒu　过guò　很hěn　多duō　马路mǎlù，　现在xiànzài　很hěn　脏zāng，　洗xǐ　起来qǐlái　有点儿yǒudiǎnr　麻烦máfan。zhè shuāng xiézi zǒu guò hěn duō mǎlù, xiànzài hěn zāng, xǐ qǐlái yǒudiǎnr máfan.

These shoes have walked across many roads and are very dirty now; washing them is a bit of a hassle.

Breakdown of zhè shuāng xiézi zǒu guò hěn duō mǎlù, xiànzài hěn zāng, xǐ qǐlái yǒudiǎnr máfan.

to wash (in practice)

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Questions & Answers about zhè shuāng xiézi zǒu guò hěn duō mǎlù, xiànzài hěn zāng, xǐ qǐlái yǒudiǎnr máfan.

Why do we say 这双鞋子 instead of just 这些鞋子 or 这鞋子?

In Chinese, when you use 这 / 那 (this / that) or a number, you almost always need a measure word between it and the noun.

这双鞋子 (zhè shuāng xiézi)
- 这 = this
- 双 = pair (measure word for things that come in pairs, like shoes, socks, chopsticks)
- 鞋子 = shoes

So the structure is:

这 + 双 + 鞋子 = this pair of shoes

If you say:

这些鞋子 (zhèxiē xiézi) = these shoes (possibly more than one pair)
这鞋子 is not standard; you’d normally say 这双鞋子 or 这只鞋子 (this one shoe).

Here the speaker is clearly talking about one pair, so 双 is the natural choice.

Why can 鞋子 “walk” (走过很多马路)? Shouldn’t people be the ones walking?

Literally, 这双鞋子走过很多马路 says “this pair of shoes has walked across many roads.”

This is a common and natural kind of personification in Chinese (and in English too: “these shoes have walked a thousand miles”). The shoes don’t literally walk by themselves; the idea is:

The shoes have been through / used on many roads.
It emphasizes the history and experience of the shoes.

You could also say it in a more literal way:

我穿着这双鞋子走过很多马路。
I’ve worn this pair of shoes to walk across many roads.

But dropping 我 and letting 鞋子 be the “doer” makes the sentence more vivid and expressive, and is perfectly normal in Chinese.

What exactly is 过 doing in 走过很多马路? Is it like a past-tense marker?

Here 过 in 走过 is not the experiential aspect marker (as in 去过, 吃过).

In this sentence, 过 works as a directional/result complement, meaning to pass / to cross / to go through.

走 = to walk
走过 = to walk across / to walk past / to go over

So:

走过很多马路 ≈ walked across many roads, has gone over many roads

Compare:

我走过这条马路。
I (have) walked across this road.
我走过马路。 (same structure as in your sentence)
I walked across the road(s).

If 过 were the experiential marker, it would usually come after the object:

我走过很多次。
I have walked many times.
我走过这条马路。
I have had the experience of walking across this road before.

In 走过很多马路, both readings (crossing and having done so before) actually blend naturally, but the core is “walk across / pass”, not just “past tense”.

Why is there 很多 before 马路? What is the difference between 多, 很多, and 很多的?

In 走过很多马路:

很 = very / quite (but often just a softener)
多 = many / much
Together 很多 = many, a lot of

So:

很多马路 = many roads

Some points:

多 by itself as a determiner is possible but less typical in simple noun phrases like this. 很多 is the default for “many”.
- 很多人 = many people (very common)
- 多人 = many people (used, but more in formal / written / fixed expressions)
很多的马路 is grammatically fine but sounds more written / heavy. In everyday speech, 的 is usually dropped when the quantity word and noun are closely bound:
- 很多人 (natural)
- 很多的人 (possible, but more formal or for contrast/stress)

So in spoken, natural Chinese, you say:

走过很多马路 = walked across many roads

In 现在很脏, does 很 really mean “very”? Why is it needed?

In 现在很脏:

现在 = now
很 (hěn) = literally “very,” but
脏 = dirty

So a direct translation would look like “now (it is) very dirty.”

However, there is an important point about adjectives as predicates in Chinese:

When you say Subject + Adjective as a statement, Chinese speakers often add 很 as a linking / softening word, even when they don’t strongly mean “very”.

Compare:

鞋子脏。
Sounds abrupt, often like a contrastive or evaluative statement: “(These) shoes are dirty (as opposed to clean).”
鞋子很脏。
Natural, neutral: “The shoes are dirty.” It often implies “quite dirty,” but doesn’t have to be emphatic.

In this sentence, 现在很脏 is best understood as:

“Right now they’re dirty” / “They’re pretty dirty now”

So:

很 is needed for naturalness.
It may or may not be strongly emphatic; context decides how strong “very” feels.

What does 洗起来 mean? How is it different from just 洗?

The phrase 洗起来 is 洗 + 起来:

洗 = to wash
起来 (qǐlái) after a verb can form a complement that often means:
- “when (you) do it…”
- “once you start doing it…”
- “as an action, it is (like this)”

In 洗起来有点儿麻烦, the meaning is roughly:

“When it comes to washing (them), it’s a bit troublesome.”
“If you try to wash them, it’s a bit of a hassle.”

So:

洗 by itself just describes the action to wash.
洗起来 focuses on how the action feels / what it’s like when you do it.

Pattern:

V + 起来 + (adjective / description)
- 说起来很简单。
  When you talk about it, it’s very simple.
- 做起来很难。
  When you actually do it, it’s hard.

Here:

洗起来有点儿麻烦。
When it comes to washing (them), it’s a bit troublesome.

What is the nuance of 有点儿麻烦? Why use 有点儿 instead of 一点儿?

Both 有点儿 and 一点儿 involve “a bit,” but they are used differently.

有点儿 + adjective / negative-feeling word
- Often implies “rather / a bit too / kind of (annoyingly)”
- Commonly used with negative or undesirable qualities.
Examples:
- 有点儿贵 = a bit (too) expensive
- 有点儿难 = a bit hard
- 有点儿麻烦 = a bit troublesome / kind of a hassle
In the sentence:
- 洗起来有点儿麻烦。
  Washing them is a bit of a hassle (mildly complaining tone).
一点儿 + noun / amount
- Often neutral, meaning “a little bit of …”
- Examples:
  - 一点儿水 = a little water
  - 一点儿钱 = a little money
  - 给我一点儿时间。 = Give me a little time.
When 一点儿 is used with adjectives, it’s usually in comparative structures:
- 冷一点儿。 = (Make it) a bit colder.
- 便宜一点儿。 = (Make it) a bit cheaper.

So:

有点儿麻烦 ≈ “kind of troublesome”, slightly negative.
一点儿麻烦 would sound odd here; it’s not the natural way to express “a bit troublesome.”

What does 麻烦 mean here, and how else is this word used?

In 洗起来有点儿麻烦, 麻烦 (máfan) is an adjective / noun meaning:

troublesome
inconvenient
a hassle

So the phrase means:

“Washing them is a bit troublesome / a bit of a hassle.”

麻烦 is very common and flexible:

As an adjective:
- 这件事很麻烦。
  This matter is very troublesome.
As a noun (trouble / hassle):
- 给你添麻烦了。
  I’ve caused you trouble.
As a verb meaning “to bother / to trouble someone to do something”:
- 麻烦你帮我看一下。
  Could I trouble you to take a look for me?
- 麻烦您关一下门。
  Please (could I trouble you to) close the door.

In your sentence, it’s best read as “troublesome / a hassle”, describing the action of washing.

Why is there no 了 in 现在很脏, even though the shoes have changed from clean to dirty?

了 can mark a change of state:

现在很脏了。
Now they’re dirty (they weren’t dirty before; there’s been a change).

In 现在很脏, without 了:

It simply states the current situation: “Right now they are dirty.”
It doesn’t explicitly highlight the change, just the fact.

Both are grammatical:

现在很脏。
Now (they) are dirty. (neutral description)
现在很脏了。
Now (they) have become dirty. (stresses the change from not dirty to dirty)

Given the previous clause about 走过很多马路, the change is already implied, so the speaker doesn’t have to add 了; it still sounds perfectly natural.

Can I say 这双鞋 instead of 这双鞋子? What’s the difference?

Yes, you can say 这双鞋. Both are common:

鞋子 (xiézi)
鞋 (xié)

鞋子 is a bit more colloquial / full form, while 鞋 is a bit shorter and slightly more neutral. In everyday speech:

一双鞋
一双鞋子

Both are natural and mean “a pair of shoes.”

In your sentence, changing it to:

这双鞋走过很多马路……

would still be completely correct and natural.