Learn Chinese -- Dialogue -- Lesson 4 At the Free Market

TEXT

 

Nǚ hái: Xiān shēng, nín yào diănr shén me?
女孩： 先生，您要点儿什么？ 
Girl: What can I do for you, sir? 
   

mài kè: Pú táo duō shăo qián yī jīn? 
麦克： 葡萄多少钱一斤？  
Mike:  What's the price of grapes per jin? 
   
Nǚ hái: Yī kuài bā máo qián yī jīn. 
女孩： 一块八毛钱一斤。 
Girl: One yuan and eight mao per jin. 
   
mài kè: Tài guì le, pián yi diănr xíng ma? 
麦克： 太贵了，便宜点儿行吗？ 
Mike: That's too expensive. Can you make it a bit cheaper?
   
Nǚ hái: Zuì duō yī jīn pián yi wŭ fēn.
女孩： 最多一斤便宜五分。 
Girl: The most I could come down is five fen.
   
mài kè: Yī kuài liù máo qian yī jīn kĕ yĭ ma? 
麦克： 一块六毛钱一斤可以吗？ 
Mike: How about one yuan and six mao per jin?
   
Nǚ hái: Duō măi kĕ yĭ.  
女孩： 多买可以。
Girl:  If you buy a lot, that'll be okay.
   
mài kè: Nà me wŏ măi wŭ jīn ba.
麦克： 那么我买五斤吧。 
Mike:  Then I'll buy five jin.

 

Background

 

北京的农贸市场品种多样，价格灵活，购买时可随挑选，还可以讨价还价。麦克来到这里买一些葡萄。

In Beijing agricultural products markets offer a varied assortment, at reasonable and negotiable prices. Mike is going to buy some grapes here.

New Words

1.       自由市场 zì yóu shì chăng: free market

2.       斤 jīn: jīn (Chinese unit of weight)

3.       贵 guì: expensive

4.       便宜 pián yi: cheap

5.       最 zuì: most

6.       多 duō: a lot

7.       葡萄 pú táo: grape

8.　   那么 nà me: then

Chinese Culture -- the Twelve Zodiacs

十二生肖（shí èr shēng xiāo，the Twelve Zodiacs）

十二生肖，是中国古代纪年用的一组动物图像，由十一种源于自然界的动物 –"鼠、牛、虎、兔、蛇、马、羊、猴、鸡、狗、猪"加中国传说中的"龙"组成。十二生肖与中国农历中的"十二地支"搭配后的排列顺序为"子鼠、丑牛、寅虎、卯兔、辰龙、巳蛇、午马、未羊、申猴、酉鸡、戌狗、亥猪"。其中狗排位第十一。很多西方人把生肖看作是中国的"星座"。基于一个12年的循环，每一年都有一个动物作为象征。生肖在古代还被用作代表一天的时间，也就是我们所说的时辰。一天有12个时辰，每个时辰为现在的两个小时，子时是十二个时辰中的第一时辰（即23点整至凌晨1点整），与子时相配合的动物是子鼠。根据中国的传统哲学，人出生在某个时辰，通常被认定为本性中带有某种动物的原始特性，如：老鼠代表智慧，牛代表勤奋，老虎代表勇猛，兔子代表谨慎，龙代表威猛，蛇代表柔韧，马代表勇往直前，羊代表和顺，猴子代表敏捷，鸡代表恒定，狗代表忠诚，猪代表随和。总而言之，所有这些有关于生肖的含义也都来自古人对后代的美好祝愿。

Speaking of dogs, we naturally need to mention the "Twelve Zodiacs" that represent traditional Chinese culture. The "Twelve Zodiacs" are a group of animal images used in ancient Chinese almanacs. They are composed of eleven animals from nature - "rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog, pig," and a Chinese legendary component - "Dragon". The Zodiacs used to combine together with the "Twelve Earthly Branches" in the Chinese Lunar calendar and usually form 12 pair groups in sequence, including "Zi su (rat), Chou niu (ox), Yin hu (tiger), Mao tu (rabbit), Chen long (dragon), Si she (snake), Wu ma (horse), Wei yang (sheep), Shen hou (monkey), You ji (rooster), Xu gou (dog) and Hai zhu (pig)". Among these, the dog ranks the eleventh. Many Westerners take Chinese zodiacs as China's "Constellations" or "Horoscopes". Based on a 12-year cycle, each year has an animal as its symbol. In ancient times, zodiacs were also used to represent different time periods of the day, what we call "Shi Chen", literally the "time periods". In Chinese lunar calendar, there are 12 time periods a day, and every time period includes two hours. "Zi shi", or midnight time, is the first of the twelve time periods (i.e. from 23:00 to 01:00), and the zodiac animal that matches it is rat. According to traditional Chinese philosophy, one who was born in a certain time period is usually identified having the nature of the zodiac animal. For instance, rat symbolizes wisdom; ox, hard work; tiger, bravery and courage; rabbit, prudence; dragon, bravery and power; snake, flexibility; horse, courage and fearlessness; sheep, softness and harmony; monkey, cleverness; chicken, constancy; dog, loyalty; and pig, easy-going. In short, all of these connotations for zodiacs were derived from the good wishes of ancient Chinese for their later generations.

Everyday Chinese -- Lesson 21 Shopping by Phone

1.   我要订个比萨饼。
Wǒ yào dìng gè bǐsàbǐng.
I want to order a pizza.　

2.   怎么付钱呢？
Zěnme fù qián ne?
How do I make payment?　

3.   可以货到付款。
Kěyǐ huòdào fùkuǎn.
You can just pay on delivery.　

4.   你说一个时间。
Nǐ shuō yí gè shíjiān.
You name a time. 

Chinese Song -- Orchid Pavilion (lán tíng xù) Singer: Jay Chou

兰亭序
Orchid Pavilion 

演唱：周杰伦 Singer: Jay Chou
兰(lán)亭(tíng)临(lín)帖(tiē) 行(xíng)书(shū)如(rú)行(xíng)云(yún)流(liú)水(shuǐ)
Practicing calligraphy at the Orchid Pavilion, the semi-cursive script resembling sailing clouds and flowing water

月(yuè)下(xià)门(mén)推(tuī) 心(xīn)细(xì)如(rú)你(nǐ)脚(jiǎo)步(bù)碎(suì)
Under the moon the door yielded to a gentle push, your thoughtfulness reflected in your fragile footsteps

忙(máng)不(bù)迭(dié) 千(qiān)年(nián)碑(bēi)易(yì)拓(tuò) 却(què)难(nán)拓(tuò)你(nǐ)的(de)美(měi)
In haste, the one-thousand-year tablet is easy to copy, yet your beauty is not

真(zhēn)迹(jì)绝(jué) 真(zhēn)心(xīn)能(néng)给(gěi)谁(shuí)
If the original script were gone, to whom would I give my heart?

牧(mù)笛(dí)横(héng)吹(chuī) 黄(huáng)酒(jiǔ)小(xiǎo)菜(cài)又(yòu)几(jǐ)碟(dié)
I was playing the flute over the rice wine and several dishes

夕(xī)阳(yáng)余(yú)晖(huī) 如(rú)你(nǐ)的(de)羞(xiū)怯(qiè)似(sì)醉(zuì)
The sun’s setting rays were like your blushes as if drunk

摹(mó)本(běn)易(yì)写(xiě) 而(ér)墨(mò)香(xiāng)不(bù)退(tuì)与(yǔ)你(nǐ)共(gòng)留(liú)余(yú)味(wèi)
A copy is easy to make, and the fragrance of the ink did not fade away, like the remnants of your scent

一(yì)行(háng)朱(zhū)砂(shā) 到(dào)底(dǐ)圈(quān)了(le)谁(shuí)
A stripe of cinnabar, whose name after all did it circle?


CHORUS:
无(wú)关(guān)风(fēng)月(yuè) 我(wǒ)题(tí)序(xù)等(děng)你(nǐ)回(huí)
No matter when, I write the preface while awaiting your return

悬(xuán)笔(bǐ)一(yī)绝(jué) 那(nà)岸(àn)边(biān)浪(làng)千(qiān)叠(dié)
Holding the brush with my arm in mid-air, I completed the character, the waves piled up against the shore

情(qíng)字(zì)何(hé)解(jiě) 怎(zěn)落(luò)笔(bǐ)都(dōu)不(bú)对(duì)
But how could I understand the character “love”? Whatever stroke I started with always seemed wrong

而(ér)我(wǒ)独(dú)缺(quē) 你(nǐ)一(yì)生(shēng)的(de)了(liǎo)解(jiě)
because the one thing I lack, is the understanding of your life


CHORUS 2
弹(tán)指(zhǐ)岁(suì)月(yuè) 倾(qīng)城(chéng)顷(qǐng)刻(kè)间(jiān)烟(yān)灭(miè)
Years passed in a snap of fingers, beauty vanished in an instant

青(qīng)石(shí)板(bǎn)街(jiē) 回(huí)眸(móu)一(yī)笑(xiào)你(nǐ)婉(wǎn)约(yuē)
On the bluestone alley, you glanced back and smiled with grace and restraint

恨(hèn)了(le)没(méi) 你(nǐ)摇(yáo)头(tóu)轻(qīng)叹(tàn)谁(shuí)让(ràng)你(nǐ)蹙(cù)着(zhe)眉(méi)
Have you regretted or not? You shook your head and sighed. Who put a frown on your face?

而(ér)深(shēn)闺(guī) 徒(tú)留(liú)胭(yān)脂(zhī)味(wèi)
And deep in the lady’s chamber, the smell of the rouge lingered in vain

人(rén)雁(yàn)南(nán)飞(fēi) 转(zhuǎn)身(shēn)一(yì)瞥(piē)你(nǐ)噙(qín)泪(lèi)
As geese flew south in a v-pattern, I turned around and caught a glimpse of your tears

掬(jū)一(yī)把(bǎ)月(yuè) 手(shǒu)揽(lan)回(huí)忆(yì)怎(zěn)么(me)睡(shuì)
Holding a handful of moonlight in my hands, how could I sleep with those memories?

又(yòu)怎(zěn)么(me)会(huì) 心(xīn)事(shì)密(mì)缝(feng)绣(xiù)花(huā)鞋(xié)针(zhēn)针(zhēn)怨(yuàn)对(duì)
And how could the matters of your heart be so tightly sewn into the embroidered shoes, with every pair of stitches so filled with resentment?

若(ruò)花(huā)怨(yuàn)蝶(dié) 你(nǐ)会(huì)怨(yuàn)着(zhe)谁(shuí)
If the flower resented the butterfly, whom would you resent?


CHORUS
无关风月 我题序等你回
No matter when, I write the preface while awaiting your return

手书无愧 无惧人间是非
These handwritten words have no qualms, not afraid of the rights and wrongs of the human world

雨打蕉叶 又潇潇了几夜
The rain has been striking the banana leaves, the whistling and pattering having lasted for several nights

我等春雷 来提醒你爱谁
I await the spring thunder to remind you who you really love

周杰伦和林志玲在2011年春节晚会上表演的《兰亭序》以唯美绚丽的画面，行云流水般的舞蹈表演，给观众留下了最深最美的印象。周杰伦在表演中除了唱歌之外，穿插表演了魔术和大提琴。

Learn Chinese -- Dialogue -- Lesson 3 Asking the Way

TEXT

 

mài kè: Láo jià, xī dān lí zhèr yuăn bù yuăn? 
麦克： 劳驾，西单离这儿远不远？ 
Mike: Excuse me, is Xidan far from here? 
   

Lì li:  Bĭ jiăo yuăn, qí chē dĕi èr shí wŭ fēn zhōng zuŏ yòu. 
丽丽： 比较远，骑车得25 分钟左右。 
Lili: Yes, quite far. It will take you twenty-five minutes by bicycle. 
   
mài kè: zuò chē fāng biàn ma?
麦克： 坐车方便吗？ 
Mike:  Is it easy to take a bus?

Lì li:  Hěn fāng biàn, yao zuò qī zhàn chē, xià chē jiù shì.
丽丽： 很方便，要坐七站车，下车就是。 
Lili: Yes, very easy. You just take seven stations to go to Xidan. You can't miss it.
   
mài kè: Qĭng wèn dào fŭ yòu jiē yŏu duō yuăn?
麦克： 请问到府右街有多远？ 
Mike: And could you tell me how far is it to Fuyoujie from here?
   
Lì li: Nín qù xī dān de shí hòu, lù guò fŭ yòu jiē.
丽丽： 您去西单的时候，路过府右街。 
Lili: On your way to Xidan, you'll pass by Fuyoujie.
   
mài kè: Fŭ yòu jiē dào xī dān yuăn bù yuăn?  
麦克： 府右街到西单远不远？ 
Mike:  Is it far from Fuyoujie to Xidan?
   
Lì li: Bù yuăn le, zŏu shí fēn zhōng jiù dào le.
丽丽： 不远了，走十分钟就到了。 
Lili:  Not too far, you just need to walk for ten minutes.　
 

 

Background

 

当您独自外出游览或拜访亲朋好友，遇到地点不清或地址不详时就需要问路。一天，麦克要去西单，一位热心的北京姑娘正在给他指路。

When you have a trip or visit to your friends or acquaintances alone, you may come across an unknown or unclear address and you will have to ask the way. One day, Mike wants to go to Xidan and a warmhearted Beijing girl is telling him the way.

 

New Words

 

1.       问路 wèn lù: ask the way

2.       离 lí: from

3.       这儿 zhèr: here

4.       远 yuăn: far

5.       劳驾 láo jià: excuse me

6.       坐车 zuò chē: take a bus

7.       方便 fāng biàn: easy

8.       左右 zuŏ yòu: about

9.       比较 bĭ jiăo: quite

10.     路过 lù guò: pass by