Chinese For Dummies (71 page)

Talkin' the Talk

Wendy and Elly decide to go to the movies tonight.

Wendy:

Wǒmen jīntiān wǎnshàng qù kàn yíbù diànyǐng ba.

waw-men jin-tyan wahn-shahng chyew kahn ee-boo dyan-yeeng bah.

Let's go see a movie tonight.

Elly:

Jīntiān yǎn shénme?

jin-tyan yan shummuh?

What's playing today?

Wendy:

Yíge Zhāng Yìmóu dǎoyǎn de piānzi. Wǒ wàngle nèige míngzi.

ee-guh jahng ee-moe daow-yan duh pyan-dzuh. waw wahng-luh nay-guh meeng-dzuh.

A film directed by Zhang Yimou. I forget the name.

Elly:.
Shì shuō Yīngwén de ma?

shir shwaw eeng-one duh mah?

Is it in English?

Wendy:

Búshì, kěshì yǒu Yīngwén zìmù.

boo-shir, kuh-shir yo eeng-one dzuh-moo.

No, but there are English subtitles.

Hopping Around Bars and Clubs

Are you a night owl who, after a full day of sightseeing and even an evening concert, still has the energy to go barhopping and carousing around fun clubs? If so, you need to know some common barspeak, especially when you're on vacation in a toddlin' town like Shanghai — or Chicago, for that matter. After all, not everyone you meet or go out with may be fluent in English. The following phrases may come in handy when you're out exploring the local pubs and dance halls:

Nǐ xiǎng gēn wǒ tiàowǔ ma?
你想跟我跳舞吗
? (
你想根我跳舞嗎
?) (nee shyahng gun waw tyaow-woo mah?) (
Would you like to dance?
)

Qǐng lái yìpíng píjiǔ.
请来一瓶啤酒
. (
請來一瓶啤酒
.)
(cheeng lye ee-peeng pee-jyoe.) (
Please bring me a bottle of beer.
)

Wǒmen dào nǎr qù tiàowǔ?
我们到哪儿去跳舞
? (
我們到哪兒去跳舞
?)
(waw-men daow nar chyew tyaow-woo?) (
Where can we go to dance?
)

Wǒ néng bùnéng qǐng nǐ hē jiǔ?
我能不能请你喝酒
? (
我能不能請你喝酒
?)
(waw nung boo-nung cheeng nee huh jyoe?) (
May I get you a drink?
)

Yǒu méiyǒu rùchǎng fèi?
有没有入场费
? (
有没有入場費
?)
(yo mayo roo-chahng fay?) (
Is there a cover charge?
)

When you go to a bar with friends, you may ask for some
bīngzhèn de píjiǔ
冰镇的啤酒
(
冰鎮的啤酒
)
(beeng-juhn duh pee-jyoe) (
cold beer
) or maybe some
hóng
红
(
紅
)
(hoong) (
red
) or
bái
白
(bye) (
white
)
pútáo jiǔ
葡萄酒
(poo-taow jyoe) (
wine
). And don't forget to ask for some
huāshēngmǐ
花生米
(hwah-shung-mee) (
peanuts
) or
tǔdòupiàn
土豆片
(too-doe-pyan) (
potato chips
) so you don't get too sloshed with all that
píjiǔ.

 Fun & Games

Match the English term on the left with the corresponding Chinese term on the right. You can find the answers in
Appendix D
.

Chapter 11

Taking Care of Telecommunications

In This Chapter

Picking up the phone

Understanding cellphone lingo

Dealing with answering machines and voicemail

Navigating the Internet and checking e-mail

A
lthough e-mail may be the preferred method of communication these days, you can't duplicate hearing your loved one's
shēngyīn
声音
(
聲音
) (shung-yeen) (
voice
) on the other end of the line or reaching just the right person you need to begin discussing a merger over the computer. All the more reason to know how to use the telephone in addition to surfing the Net.

The art of making a phone call in another language, and even in another country, is just that — an art. To master it, you have to feel comfortable with such basics as using the telephone
in the first place. What do you actually say when someone picks up on the other end? This chapter helps you navigate the communication terrain, whether you're in Idaho or China.

Getting Familiar with Telephone Terms

Before even going near a
diànhuà
电话
(
電話
) (dyan-hwah) (
telephone
), you may want to become familiar with some common Chinese words and phrases connected to using one. In fact, you see so many different kinds of phones nowadays that you shouldn't have a problem finding out which one best suits your needs:

gōngyòng diànhuà
公用电话
(
公用電話
)
(goong-yoong dyan-hwah) (
public telephone
)

shǒujī
手机
(
手機
)
(show-jee) (
cellphone
)

wúxiàn diànhuà
无线电话
(
無線電話
)
(woo-shyan dyan-hwah) (
cordless phone
)

Be sure to check out a few things beforehand, like what
dìqū hàomǎ
地区号码
(
地區號碼
)
(dee-chyew how-mah) (
area code
) and
diànhuà hàomǎ
电话号码
(
電話號碼
)
(dyan-hwah how-mah) (
telephone number
) to
bō
拨
(
撥
)
(baw) (
dial
). Sometimes you need the help of a
jiēxiànyuán
接线员
(
接線員
)
(jyeh-shyan-ywan) (
operator
) for some of the following kinds of calls, but others you can take care of on your own:

běnshì diànhuà
本市电话
(
本市電話
) (bun-shir dyan-hwah) (
local call
)

chángtú diànhuà
长途电话
(
長途電話
) (chahng-too dyan-hwah) (
long-distance call
)

duìfāng fùfèi diànhuà
对方付费电话
(
對方付費電話
)
(dway-fahng foo-fay dyan-hwah) (
collect call
)

guójì diànhuà
国际电话
(
國際電話
)
(gwaw-jee dyan-hwah) (
international phone calls
)