Learn Hardcore Chinese: xiàtiān de wǎnshang, gōngyuán lǐ hěn duō rén bù xiǎng yìzhí zài kāi zhe kōngtiáo de fángjiān lǐ, érshì xiǎng chūlái sànbù. - On summer evenings, many people in the park don’t want to stay in air‑conditioned rooms; instead, they want to come out for a walk.

Yes, 夏天晚上 is also commonly used in speech and is grammatical.
With time expressions, 的 is often optional, so:
- 夏天的晚上 (slightly more descriptive / written)
- 夏天晚上 (a bit more colloquial / compact)

Just 夏天 or just 晚上 would be less specific; 夏天的晚上 gives both the season and the time of day.

What is the difference between 公园里 and 在公园 here? Why use 里 in 公园里很多人… instead of just 在公园?

公园里 literally is “inside the park”:

公园里 = in/inside the park
在公园 = at/in the park (more neutral, without explicitly saying “inside”)

In many real situations, 公园里 and 在公园 are interchangeable, but:

里 emphasizes being within the area of the park (as opposed, say, to just near the gate).
The sentence uses 公园里很多人…, where 公园里 functions as a location phrase before the subject:
- 公园里很多人不想… = In the park, many people don’t want…
- You could also say 在公园里，很多人不想… – also fine.

So 里 adds a mild sense of “inside that space” and sounds very natural when talking about people in a place.

Why is it 很多人 and not something like 很多的人 or 很多个人?

很多人 is the standard way to say “many people”.

很多 + noun is a very common pattern:
- 很多人 – many people
- 很多书 – many books
- 很多事情 – many things

Why not 很多的人?

很多的人 is possible but usually only when you want to very strongly emphasize “those many people (as a specific group)”, often with extra description:
- 很多的人都已经走了。 (Those many people have already left.)
In this sentence, we’re just talking about people in general, so 很多人 is better.

Why not 很多个人?

个 is a measure word. 很多个 is usually used when the noun is omitted or in certain contexts:
- 有很多个人来找你。 – There are many people who came to see you.
Here, we’re already saying 人, so 很多人 is the simplest and most natural.

Why is 不想 used here instead of something like 不要 or 不愿意?

In this sentence, 不想 means “do not want (to)” in the sense of preference:

不想一直在开着空调的房间里
= they don’t want to stay in an air‑conditioned room all the time.

Comparisons:

不想:
- neutral “don’t want to / would rather not”
- often about inner desire or intention.
不要:
- often used to give commands / requests:
  - 不要走！ – Don’t go!
- In statements it can sound more like “don’t want (and reject)”, stronger or more abrupt than 不想.
不愿意:
- “not willing to; reluctant to”, stronger in emotional tone:
  - 我不愿意一直在开着空调的房间里。 – I am not willing to stay in that kind of room all the time.

Here we’re just stating a general preference of many people, so 不想 is the most natural choice.

What exactly does 一直 add in 不想一直在开着空调的房间里? Could we just say 不想在开着空调的房间里?

一直 means “continuously / all the time / for a long stretch”.

不想一直在开着空调的房间里
= They don’t want to be in air‑conditioned rooms all the time / continuously.

If you remove 一直:

不想在开着空调的房间里
= They don’t want to be in air‑conditioned rooms (at all / in this situation).

The version with 一直 emphasizes the idea of being cooped up inside for an extended time, which matches the context of summer evenings: people don’t want to stay indoors all evening, but prefer to go out and walk.

How should I analyze 在开着空调的房间里 grammatically? What is modifying what?

Break it down like this:

在 – preposition “in / at”
开着空调的 – a modifier describing the room
- 开着 – have (something) turned on
- 空调 – air conditioner
- 开着空调 – “(is) with the air conditioner on”
- 开着空调的 – “that has the air conditioner on” (verb phrase + 的)
房间 – room
里 – inside

So 开着空调的房间里 literally is:

inside the room that has the air conditioner on

And the whole phrase:

在 + [开着空调的房间里] = in rooms where the AC is on.

In the bigger sentence:

不想一直在开着空调的房间里
= don’t want to be continuously in rooms with the AC on.

Why is 着 used in 开着空调? What’s the difference between 开着空调, 开空调, and 把空调开着?

着 (zhe) is an aspect particle showing a continuous state.

开着空调 = the air conditioner is (and stays) turned on
- Focus: state: the AC is on.

Compare:

开空调
- literally “turn on / use AC” or “have the AC on” (more action‑like, less explicit about state).
- It can be ambiguous between the action of turning it on and the general idea of using it.
开着空调
- clearly emphasizes the AC is in the state of being on.
- Perfect for describing the environment of the room.
把空调开着
- Uses 把 structure; roughly “keep the AC on”.
- Focus on maintaining that state as a result of an action:
  - 请把空调开着。 – Please keep the AC on.

In this sentence, we are describing what kind of rooms they are in – rooms with the AC on – so a state is needed; hence 开着空调 is ideal.

What is the function of 的 in 开着空调的房间?

Here 的 turns the verb phrase 开着空调 into an attributive clause that modifies 房间:

开着空调 – “(is) with the air conditioner on / has the AC on”
开着空调的房间 – “rooms that have the AC on”

Pattern: [verb/verb phrase] + 的 + [noun]

Some common examples:

在唱歌的人 – the person who is singing
我买的书 – the book that I bought
开着灯的房间 – the room with the light on

So 开着空调的房间 is exactly the same structure.

Why is 而是 used instead of 但是 / 可是? How does 不…而是… work here?

而是 means “but rather / instead” and it always introduces an alternative to a negated option.

The pattern is:

不 A，而是 B = not A, but rather B.

In this sentence:

很多人不想一直在开着空调的房间里，
而是想出来散步。

This fits perfectly:

不想 (negated desire) A = staying in air‑conditioned rooms
而是想 B = instead they want to go out for a walk.

Why not 但是 / 可是?

但是 / 可是 = “but / however”, used for a simple contrast, not necessarily offering an alternative to a negative.
而是 specifically pairs with 不… (or 不是…), giving a clear replacement:
- 我不是老师，而是学生。 – I’m not a teacher, but rather a student.

So here, 不…而是… is exactly the right logic: not this, but instead that.

Why is 想 repeated: 不想…，而是想出来散步? Could we omit the second 想?

The repetition follows the pattern 不想 A，而是想 B:

First 想: what they don’t want to do.
Second 想: what they do want to do instead.

If you remove the second 想:

很多人不想一直在开着空调的房间里，而是出来散步。

This is still understandable and many people would say it in conversation, but:

With 而是出来散步, the grammar is a little less parallel; some listeners may feel an implied 想.
With 而是想出来散步, the two parts are clearly matched:
- 不想… vs 想…

For learners, keeping the 不想 A，而是想 B pattern is clearer and very natural.

Why is it 出来 in 想出来散步, and not 出去?

Both 出来 and 出去 involve coming/going out, but they differ in perspective:

出来 – come out (towards the speaker’s or a reference point’s side).
出去 – go out (away from the current place).

In many modern, neutral descriptions of “go outside (to…)”, especially from the point of view of being indoors now and moving out to the open, 出来 is commonly used:

出来散步 – go out for a walk (from indoors to outside).
出来玩 – go out and have fun.

If we imagine the park / outside as the “outer” space we’re heading into from an indoor room, 出来 sounds natural: they want to come out (from rooms) to the outside to walk.

In some contexts 出去散步 can also work, but 出来散步 emphasizes leaving the inside more strongly, which matches the contrast with 在房间里.

What is the nuance of 散步 compared to 走路 or 逛?

散步 (sànbù)
- specifically means “to take a walk / stroll (for relaxation or exercise)”.
- Neutral, common word for the idea in this sentence.
走路 (zǒulù)
- literally “to walk (on foot)”.
- More general: how you move, not the activity of “going for a walk”:
  - 我走路去学校。 – I walk to school.
逛 (guàng)
- “to stroll around / wander around (often browsing, window‑shopping, or looking at things)”.
- Often used with a place:
  - 逛公园 – stroll around the park
  - 逛街 – go shopping / hang out on the street.

In this sentence, the idea is “go out in the evening and walk for relaxation in the park,” so 出来散步 is the most precise and natural choice.

Is there a difference between 公园里很多人… and 很多人在公园里…?

Both orders are grammatical and common, but the focus is slightly different:

公园里很多人不想…
- Literally: In the park, many people don’t want…
- 公园里 is put first, setting the scene / location.
- Feels like you start by talking about what the park is like.
很多人在公园里不想… (or 很多人在公园里…)
- Literally: Many people, in the park, don’t want…
- Starts by emphasizing “many people” as the subject.

In the original sentence, 公园里 at the beginning paints a picture:

On summer evenings, in the park, there are many people who don’t want to stay in air‑conditioned rooms all the time…

So the writer chooses 公园里很多人… to first zoom into the location, then describe what people there are like.

Why do we say 房间里 instead of just 房间? Is 里 necessary?

房间里 literally means “inside the room”:

房间 – room
房间里 – in the room / inside the room

In many cases, you can drop 里 and listeners will still understand, but:

房间里 is more explicit and natural when describing people being inside a room.
Here we are contrasting being indoors vs going outside, so the sense of “inside” matters:
- 在开着空调的房间里 – inside a room with the AC on.

If you said only 在开着空调的房间, it’s not wrong, but it sounds a bit less idiomatic; for “in a room”, Chinese very often uses 房间里, 屋里, 家里, etc.