Learn Hardcore Chinese: tā dài zìjǐ de dàizi qù chāoshì, yìfāngmiàn jiéshěng qián, yìfāngmiàn shǎo yòng sùliào dàizi. - She brings her own bag to the supermarket—on the one hand to save money, and on the other to use fewer plastic bags.

她的袋子 = her bag, neutral, just states whose bag it is.
自己的袋子 = her own bag, emphasizing that the bag belongs to her herself, not someone else (e.g. not the supermarket’s bag).

In this sentence, 自己 highlights the contrast between her own reusable bag and the supermarket’s plastic bags. It makes the “environmentally friendly” idea clearer: she is specifically bringing her own bag instead of using the store’s.

You could say 她带她的袋子去超市, but it’s less natural here and loses that “her own (as opposed to others’)” nuance.

What is the role of 的 (de) in 自己的袋子 (zìjǐ de dàizi)? Why do we need it?

的 is a structural particle that often links a modifier (like a possessor or adjective phrase) to a noun.

In 自己的袋子:

自己 = “oneself / one’s own”
的 = links 自己 to the noun
袋子 = “bag”

So 自己的袋子 literally structures as: self + DE + bag → “one’s own bag”.

Without 的, 自己袋子 would sound ungrammatical in modern standard Mandarin. In possessive or descriptive phrases like this, 的 is usually required:

我的书 (my book)
新的电脑 (new computer)
漂亮的衣服 (pretty clothes)

What’s the nuance of 带 (dài) here? Could we use 拿 (ná) or 带着 (dàizhe) instead?

带 (dài) emphasizes taking something along with you when you go somewhere. In this sentence, that’s exactly what’s happening: she takes her bag with her to the supermarket.

Common distinctions:

带 (dài): “to bring/take along (with you somewhere)”
- 带手机去超市 – take/bring your phone to the supermarket.
拿 (ná): “to hold/take in one’s hand”; focuses more on the physical act of taking/holding, not on accompanying a trip.
- 拿手机 – hold / pick up the phone.

带着 (dàizhe) adds a sense of “carrying and continuing to carry”, often describing a continuous state:

她带着自己的袋子去超市 – also correct; it sounds slightly more descriptive/“scene-setting”, like “she goes to the supermarket carrying her own bag.”

So:

带自己的袋子去超市 = natural, simple description of taking the bag along on the trip.
拿自己的袋子去超市 = understandable but less idiomatic; it focuses more on the act of taking rather than “taking along with you”.
带着自己的袋子去超市 = also good; slightly more vivid, emphasizing she has it with her as she goes.

Is the word order 她带自己的袋子去超市 fixed? Could we say 她去超市带自己的袋子 instead?

The usual, most natural word order is:

Subject + Verb + Object + (Place of destination)
→ 她带自己的袋子去超市.

Putting 去超市 (go to the supermarket) at the end after 带自己的袋子 is very common and smooth.

她去超市带自己的袋子 is grammatically possible, but it sounds awkward and unnatural in this context. It can suggest something more like “She goes to the supermarket (in order to) take her bag”, which doesn’t match the intended meaning (the main action is going to the supermarket; taking her bag is just what she brings along).

So for “She takes her own bag to the supermarket”, stick with:

她带自己的袋子去超市。

How does the pattern 一方面……，一方面…… (yìfāngmiàn…, yìfāngmiàn…) work in this sentence?

一方面……，一方面…… literally means “on one side …, on the other side …”, similar to “on the one hand …, on the other hand …” in English.

In this sentence:

一方面节省钱 – on the one hand, she saves money
一方面少用塑料袋子 – on the other hand, she uses fewer plastic bags

It introduces two parallel reasons / advantages / aspects of the same action (bringing her own bag). They’re not in strong opposition; they’re two positive outcomes of the same behavior.

So the structure is:

[Action]，一方面 A，一方面 B。
Meaning: Doing [Action], on the one hand A, on the other hand B.

Can we replace the second 一方面 with 另一方面 (lìng yì fāngmiàn)?

Yes, you can. Both are used in real Chinese.

Two common patterns:

一方面……，一方面……
一方面……，另一方面……

In your sentence, we could say:

她带自己的袋子去超市，一方面节省钱，另一方面少用塑料袋子。

This sounds very natural and perhaps a bit more “textbook” or formal. Using 一方面……一方面…… twice is also acceptable and common, especially in spoken language.

In everyday speech, people may also shorten the second part to just 另一方面, especially if the first 一方面 was already clearly said.

Why is there no subject repeated before 节省钱 and 少用塑料袋子? Who is doing those actions?

The subject is still 她 (she), even though it’s not repeated.

Chinese often omits repeated subjects when they are clear from context. The structure is:

她带自己的袋子去超市，
(She brings her own bag to the supermarket,)
一方面(她)节省钱，
(on the one hand, (she) saves money,)
一方面(她)少用塑料袋子。
(on the other hand, (she) uses fewer plastic bags.)

In English you must repeat “she”, but in Chinese it’s natural and preferred not to repeat it when it’s obvious who we’re talking about.

Why does the sentence use 少用 (shǎoyòng) instead of 不用 (bùyòng)?

少用 literally means “use less / use fewer”.
不用 means “don’t use / not use (at all)”.

In real life, she probably cannot completely avoid plastic bags in all situations, but she can reduce her usage. So 少用塑料袋子 is more realistic and natural:

少用塑料袋子 – use plastic bags less / use fewer plastic bags
不用塑料袋子 – not use plastic bags at all

The sentence is expressing the idea of reducing usage (being more environmentally friendly), not absolute zero usage.

What does 节省钱 (jiéshěng qián) mean exactly? Why is there no measure word before 钱?

节省 (jiéshěng) means “to save / to economize”, especially about money, time, or resources.
钱 (qián) means “money” in a general sense.

So 节省钱 means “to save money / to be economical with money.”

No measure word is needed because 钱 here is an uncountable, general concept—we are not talking about a specific amount like “three yuan” or “a little money”. Contrast:

节省一点钱 – save a bit of money (一点 is a kind of measure)
节省很多钱 – save a lot of money
节省钱 – save money (in general)

In many abstract or general expressions, Chinese doesn’t insert an extra measure word.

Is 塑料袋子 (sùliào dàizi) redundant? What’s the difference between 袋子 and 塑料袋?

袋子 (dàizi) = “bag” in a broad sense (bag, sack, pouch).
塑料 (sùliào) = plastic.

Common combinations:

塑料袋 (sùliàodài) – plastic bag (very common)
塑料袋子 (sùliào dàizi) – also used; adds 子 as a kind of diminutive or colloquial suffix.

So:

袋子 by itself could be any kind of bag (cloth bag, paper bag, etc.).
塑料袋 / 塑料袋子 specifically refers to plastic bags.

Using 塑料袋子 is not considered redundant or incorrect; it’s a natural, colloquial form, like saying “plastic baggie” vs “plastic bag” in English.

Could we say 她把自己的袋子带去超市 using the 把 (bǎ) construction?

Yes, 她把自己的袋子带去超市 is grammatically correct, but it sounds more “manipulative” or “operation-focused” than necessary here.

The 把 construction:

Highlights what happens to the object (here: the bag)
Often used when you want to emphasize the result or change affecting that object

In this sentence, the more natural everyday way is still:

她带自己的袋子去超市。

Because we don’t especially need to foreground the bag as being “handled” or “acted upon”; we just want to say she takes it along. Use 把 when you want to emphasize or clarify the effect on the object, e.g.:

她把自己的袋子放在超市的储物柜里。
– She put her own bag in the supermarket locker.

How is tense expressed here? How do we know if this is past, present, or future in Chinese?

Chinese does not have verb conjugations for tense like English (no “saved / saves / will save”).

In 她带自己的袋子去超市，一方面节省钱，一方面少用塑料袋子。
the verbs 带 / 节省 / 少用 are all in a neutral aspect. The meaning depends on context:

As a general habit:
- She (regularly) takes her own bag to the supermarket…
As a future plan (with context like 明天 “tomorrow”):
- 明天她带自己的袋子去超市…… – Tomorrow she’ll take her own bag…
As a past event (with context like 昨天 “yesterday”):
- 昨天她带自己的袋子去超市…… – Yesterday she took her own bag…

So tense is understood from time words (昨天, 现在, 明天, etc.) and context, not from verb forms.