Paraphrasing means saying the same thing in different words. Stance is the writer’s attitude and its strength, so a paraphrase must keep it. This skill appears in tasks that restate a text, reading answers and spoken explanations, and it connects to using a cohesive link that matches the relationship in Second-language expression.
Chinese examples stay in Simplified Chinese with pinyin. The passage is invented for this page.
How do you paraphrase safely?
Use a three-step check.
- Find the stance. Is the writer for, against or mixed? Is the strength soft (可能, 也许) or firm (一定, 必须)?
- Change words and order. Replace common words with close ones, and change the sentence pattern.
- Compare. Read the original and your version. Ask: would the writer agree I said what they said?
Softening and strengthening words are the easiest to change by accident: 容易 (easy to happen), 可能 (maybe), 一定 (certainly), 应该 (should).
Worked example
Invented sentence from a short passage:
我觉得网上购物虽然方便，但是容易买到不需要的东西。
Step 1, stance. Mixed. The writer gives a good point (方便, convenient), then a concern. The concern is soft: 容易 means “it is easy to”, not “always”.
Step 2, change. 方便 becomes 便利 (biànlì). 买到不需要的东西 becomes 买下并不需要的东西. The pattern 虽然……但是…… becomes 固然……可是……
Step 3, write.
在我看来，网购固然便利，可是人们很容易买下并不需要的东西。
Step 4, compare. Still mixed, still soft. The concern remains a risk, not a rule. The meaning is the same, and the words differ.
The mistake to watch for
A common slip is to change the strength or the direction.
Mistaken paraphrase: 网上购物很方便，所以大家应该多网购。
Two things moved. The concern has vanished, so the stance went from mixed to positive. Also, 应该多网购 adds advice the writer never gave.
Second slip: 网购方便，但是一定会买到不需要的东西。
Here 容易 became 一定, which makes a soft concern absolute.
Correction: keep both parts and the soft strength, as in the model above.
Check yourself
Original (invented): 我认为手机可能会影响睡眠。
1. Which paraphrase keeps the stance? (A) 手机一定会让人睡不好。 (B) 在我看来，手机也许会影响人们的睡眠。
Show answer
(B). 可能 and 也许 are both soft. (A) uses 一定, which is a strong claim.
2. What is the stance of 这个计划虽然有风险，但是值得试一试?
Show answer
Mixed, leaning positive. The writer admits a risk but ends in favour of trying.
3. Paraphrase it: 这个计划虽然有风险，但是值得试一试。
Show answer
A model: 这个计划固然有一些风险，不过还是值得试一试。 The pattern changes, and the lean towards trying stays.
Where this leads next
When you can paraphrase safely, check your own spoken answers with a self-review against an explicit checklist. The summary selection and paraphrase studio gives you passages to practise on.
A teacher in online one-to-one Chinese tuition can read your paraphrase next to the original and mark each word that changed the meaning.