Learn Hardcore Chinese: wǒ de bàngōngshì zhōuwéi hěn ānjìng, dōngtiān yǒu nuǎnqì, xiàtiān yǒu kōngtiáo. - The area around my office is very quiet; in winter there is heating, and in summer there is air conditioning.

我的办公室周围很安静。
Literally: The area around my office is very quiet.
Here 我的办公室周围 functions as the subject/noun phrase: “the surroundings of my office”.
在我的办公室周围很安静。
Literally: At around my office, (it) is very quiet.
在 (zài) makes it a location phrase, like “at / in / around my office”.

The original is more natural because we’re treating “the area around my office” as the subject.
在 is often used when the main subject is understood or omitted, e.g. 在办公室里很安静。

Does 很 really mean “very” here? Could you say 我办公室周围安静 without 很?

很 (hěn) literally means “very”, but in front of adjectives it often works more like a linking word and may not sound as strong as “very” in English.

In modern spoken Chinese, saying:

我的办公室周围很安静。

is the normal way to say:

“The area around my office is quiet.” (not always strongly “very quiet”)

If you say:

我的办公室周围安静。

it can sound incomplete or a bit unnatural in everyday speech, unless it’s in a specific structure (like a contrast: 这里吵，那边安静。).

So in most simple descriptive sentences, you’ll see:

Subject + 很 + Adjective
我的办公室周围 很安静。
他很高。
这本书 很好看。

Why is there no 是 before 安静? Why not 我的办公室周围是很安静?

The basic pattern for describing a state with an adjective is:

Subject + 很 + Adjective

You do not normally use 是 (shì) directly before adjectives:

✅ 我的办公室周围很安静。
❌ 我的办公室周围是安静。 (wrong in normal speech)
❌ 我的办公室周围是很安静。 (possible only in special emphatic/contrastive contexts)

So:

Use 是 before nouns: 他是老师。 (He is a teacher.)
Use 很 (or other degree words) before adjectives: 他很高。 (He is tall.)

What exactly does 周围 mean? How is it different from 附近 or 旁边?

周围 (zhōuwéi) means “the surroundings / the area around something”.

Comparison:

周围 – surroundings, the general area around
- 我的办公室周围很安静。
  The area around my office is quiet.
附近 (fùjìn) – nearby, in the vicinity
- 我家附近有超市。
  There is a supermarket near my home.
旁边 (pángbiān) – right next to, beside
- 办公室旁边有一个厕所。
  There is a toilet next to the office.

In this sentence, 周围 highlights the general surrounding environment of the office.

Why do we use 有 in 冬天有暖气 and 夏天有空调? Why not 是?

Here 有 (yǒu) means “there is / there are”, used for existence or possession:

冬天有暖气。
In winter, there is heating.
夏天有空调。
In summer, there is air conditioning.

You can think of the pattern:

Place/Time + 有 + Noun
= There is/are Noun at that place/time.

是 (shì) is for equating two things (A is B), not for existence:

✅ 这台设备是空调。
This piece of equipment is an air conditioner.
✅ 夏天有空调。
In summer, there is air conditioning.
❌ 夏天是空调。
(makes no sense: “Summer is air conditioning.”)

Who is the subject of 有 in 冬天有暖气，夏天有空调? Is it still “my office”?

Yes, logically it is still “my office” (or more precisely, the office or the office environment).

Chinese often uses a topic-comment structure:

Topic: 我的办公室周围 (about the area around my office)
Comment 1: 很安静
Comment 2: 冬天有暖气
Comment 3: 夏天有空调

Once the topic is clear, Chinese can omit it in following clauses:

(在我的办公室周围) 冬天有暖气，夏天有空调。
(Around my office,) in winter there is heating, in summer there is air conditioning.

So yes, we understand the omitted subject from context.

How do 暖气 and 空调 translate exactly? Are they devices or systems?

暖气 (nuǎnqì) usually refers to a heating system, especially central heating (radiators, pipes, etc.).
- If you want to talk about a portable electric heater, you might say 电暖器, 暖风机, etc.
空调 (kōngtiáo) is air conditioning or an air conditioner.
- You often hear 一台空调 (one AC unit), where 台 is the measure word.

In this sentence, both are understood more as facilities the office has, not just a single device.

Why are 冬天 and 夏天 just put in front of 有 without any word like “in” or “during”?

In Chinese, time words can go directly before the verb:

Time + Verb + Object

So:

冬天有暖气。
Literally: Winter has heating. → In winter, there is heating.
夏天有空调。
Literally: Summer has air conditioning. → In summer, there is air conditioning.

You can say:

冬天的时候有暖气。
在冬天有暖气。

but the simple 冬天有暖气 is very natural and common.

How is the comma ， working here? Is it like “and” between the clauses?

The comma ， separates three related statements about the same topic:

我的办公室周围很安静，
冬天有暖气，
夏天有空调。

In English we’d most likely use “and” or break it into separate sentences:

The area around my office is very quiet, and in winter there is heating, and in summer there is air conditioning.

Chinese often just juxtaposes clauses with punctuation instead of using explicit conjunctions like 和 or 而且, especially when the relationship is obvious.

How is tense shown here? How do we know it’s a general description, not something happening right now?

Chinese does not mark tense the way English does. There is no tense ending on the verb.

We understand this as a general, habitual fact because:

The verbs are simple: 有, 很安静
The time words 冬天, 夏天 suggest a regular pattern
No aspect particles like 了, 过, or 着 are used

So the sentence is understood as a description of usual conditions at the office, not a one-time event.

Could I say this whole sentence starting with 在我的办公室周围 instead? Would that change the meaning?

You could say:

在我的办公室周围，很安静，冬天有暖气，夏天有空调。

This is still understandable, but the style is a bit different:

我的办公室周围很安静…
Treats “the area around my office” as a thing/subject.
在我的办公室周围，很安静…
Emphasizes location more, like “At/around my office, it is quiet…”

Both describe almost the same situation, but the original feels a bit more natural for a simple description.