Breakdown of zài gōngyuán sànbù de shíhou, wǒmen yīnggāi zhùyì zìjǐ de jiànkāng.
Questions & Answers about zài gōngyuán sànbù de shíhou, wǒmen yīnggāi zhùyì zìjǐ de jiànkāng.
Here 在 introduces a location (the park) for the action 散步 (to take a walk).
- 在公园散步的时候 literally: when (we are) walking in the park
- Structure: 在 + place + verb + 的时候
Can we omit 在?
- 在公园散步的时候 – natural, standard.
- 公园散步的时候 – sounds a bit off; native speakers will usually keep 在 before a place word for “at/in (a place)” here.
So in this sentence, 在 is needed to clearly mark 公园 as the place where the walking happens.
散步的时候 and 散步时 are both grammatically correct, but they differ in style and tone:
散步的时候
- Very common in spoken and informal Chinese.
- Literally: the time of walking → when (we are) walking.
散步时
- Shorter and feels a bit more formal or written.
- Often used in written language, headlines, or more compact style.
So:
- 在公园散步的时候，我们应该注意自己的健康。 – perfectly natural conversational style.
- 在公园散步时，我们应该注意自己的健康。 – slightly more concise/formal.
You cannot say 散步的时 (that’s incorrect); it must be 的时候 or shortened to 时.
Yes, most of the time 的时候 roughly corresponds to “when …” / “at the time when …”.
General pattern:
- [action / situation] + 的时候， main clause
- Example:
- 我吃饭的时候，喜欢看电视。 – When I eat, I like to watch TV.
In this sentence:
- 在公园散步的时候 = when (we are) taking a walk in the park
- 我们应该注意自己的健康 = we should pay attention to our health.
So 的时候 is turning the action 在公园散步 into a time phrase (“the time of walking in the park” → “when walking in the park”).
Both word orders are correct; they just put emphasis slightly differently.
在公园散步的时候，我们应该注意自己的健康。
- Time phrase 在公园散步的时候 is placed at the beginning as a sentence opener.
- Feels a bit like English: When we walk in the park, we should…
- Emphasis: the situation/time.
我们在公园散步的时候应该注意自己的健康。
- Subject 我们 comes first.
- The time phrase is inside the sentence, after 我们.
- Emphasis: we, and then specifying when we should pay attention.
In casual speech, both are natural. Chinese is quite flexible about putting time and place phrases either at the very beginning or after the subject.
注意 mainly means “to pay attention to / to be mindful of”.
In this sentence, it leans toward “pay attention to and take care of” your health.
Some examples:
- 注意安全。 – Pay attention to safety / Be careful (stay safe).
- 开车的时候要注意路况。 – When driving, you need to pay attention to the road conditions.
- 你要注意休息。 – You need to pay attention to resting / Make sure you get rest.
So 注意自己的健康 =
Be mindful of your own health; take care of your health; pay attention to your health.
自己 means “self / oneself”.
- 健康 by itself is just “health” (general concept).
- 自己的健康 is “one’s own health”.
By saying 自己的健康, the sentence stresses that:
- We should pay attention to our own health, not just health in general.
- It has a slightly stronger personal responsibility feeling.
Compare:
我们应该注意健康。
– We should pay attention to (our) health. (Understood, but less explicit.)我们应该注意自己的健康。
– We should pay attention to our own health. (More explicit and a bit more natural in this context.)
的 here links a possessor to a thing possessed.
Pattern:
- [possessor] + 的 + [noun]
Examples:
- 我的书 – my book
- 他的手机 – his phone
- 我们的老师 – our teacher
- 自己的健康 – one’s own health
So:
- 自己 = oneself
- 的 = possessive marker
- 健康 = health
→ 自己的健康 literally: the health of oneself → one’s own health.
应该 means “should / ought to” and often carries a sense of:
- Responsibility,
- Moral obligation, or
- What is proper/appropriate.
In this sentence:
- 我们应该注意自己的健康。
– We should pay attention to our health. (It’s the right thing to do.)
Compare:
要 – “need to / must / be going to”
- 我们要注意自己的健康。
– Feels stronger, more like a firm instruction: We must / need to pay attention to our health.
- 我们要注意自己的健康。
需要 – “need” (often more objective or practical need)
- 我们需要注意自己的健康。
– We need to pay attention to our health. (Emphasizes necessity.)
- 我们需要注意自己的健康。
So 应该 is softer than 要, and slightly more moral/should-like than 需要.
健康 can be both a noun and an adjective, depending on context.
As a noun: health
- 注意健康。 – Pay attention to (your) health.
- 你的健康很重要。 – Your health is very important.
As an adjective: healthy
- 身体很健康。 – The body is healthy / (Someone) is healthy.
- 这种食品很健康。 – This kind of food is very healthy.
In 注意自己的健康, 健康 is used as a noun: one’s own health.
You could say 注意自己的身体, but there’s a nuance difference:
健康 (health)
- More abstract and overall: physical and sometimes mental well-being.
- 注意自己的健康。 – Pay attention to your (overall) health.
身体 (body)
- Literally “body”, often focusing on physical condition.
- 注意自己的身体。 – Take care of your body / physical condition.
Both are acceptable. 注意自己的健康 sounds slightly more general and standard in health-related advice.
Yes, Chinese often omits the subject if it’s clear from context.
- 在公园散步的时候，应该注意自己的健康。
– Literally: When walking in the park, should pay attention to one’s own health.
– In context, it would usually be understood as “you / we / people in general”.
Including 我们:
- 在公园散步的时候，我们应该注意自己的健康。
– Explicitly says “we”, making it clear who the advice is for.
So:
- With 我们: clear, explicit.
- Without 我们: more general statement, like a guideline or rule.
The sentence is neutral and natural. It works in both:
- Everyday speech, e.g. a friend or family member giving advice.
- Written language, e.g. in a health brochure, sign, or article.
It’s not slangy or overly formal. You could easily hear or read:
- 在公园散步的时候，我们应该注意自己的健康。
as standard, polite, and natural Chinese.