Student Textbook

Upon successful completion of this module, the student should be able to Give the English equivalent for any Chinese sentence in the TRN Target Lists. Say any Chinese sentence in the TRN Target Lists when cued with its English equivalent. Use the bus system: find out which buses go to a specific destination, at what times they leave, how often they run, where to buy tickets, where to change buses (if necessary), when the last bus of the day leaves, and where his stop is. Take a taxi: hail one, tell the driver where to go, and use commands such as “hurry,” “slow down,” and “stop here.” Use the train system: find out which trains go to a specific destination, at what times they leave, when and where to buy tickets, whether or not tickets are available for a train leaving on a specific date at a specific time, the distance to the destination, the duration of the train trip to that place, which platform the train leaves from, what to do with luggage, and whether or not the train has a dining car. Take a plane: reserve a ticket for a certain date and time; find out whether or not the flight is direct, the duration of the flight, and traveling time to the airport; and arrange for transportation to the airport. Describe in detail a trip (taken in the past or planned for the future): places visited (which places and what they are like), traveling companions, transportation for the trip, length of stay, number of previous trips to the same places.

1. Dào Xīméndīng qù, zuò jǐlù chē? 到西門町去，坐幾路車？ What bus do you take to get to Ximénding? Zuò Shíbālù. 坐十八路。 Take Number 18. 2. Shíbālù chē duō bu duo? 十八路車多不多？ Are there many Number 18 buses? Bù hěn duō. 不很多。 Not very many. 3. Měi gé jǐfēn zhōng yǒu yìbān chē? 每隔幾分鐘有一班車？ How often is there a bus? 4. Wǒ měige Xīngqīliù dōu qù kàn diànyǐng. 我每個星期六都去看電影。 I go to see a movie every Saturday. 5. Zuìhòu yìbān chē shi jǐdiān zhōng? 最後一班車是幾點鐘？ What time is the last bus? 6. Zhèbān chē shì bu shi qù Xīméndīng? 這班車是不是去西門町？ Does this bus go to Xīméndīng? Shì. Shàng chē ba! 是。上車吧！ Yes. Get on! 7. Dào Xīméndīngde shíhou, qǐng gàosong wǒ. 到西門町的時候，請告誦我。 When we get to Xīméndīng, please tell me. 8. Wǒ shì bu shi zài zhèli xià chē? 我是不是在這裏下車？ Is it here that I get off? Bú shi. Xià yízhàn. 不是。下一站。 No. The next stop. ADDITIONAL REQUIRED VOCABULARY (not presented on C-1 and P-1 tapes) 9. shàng- 上 last, previous (something) 10. tóu- 頭 first (something) 11. gàosu 告訴 to tell, to inform (alternate pronunciation for gàosong) 12. shǎo 少 to be few 13. xià chē 下車 to get off the bus; “Out, please!” 14. yǒu(de) shíhou 有(的)時候 sometimes 15. chéng 城 city

1. Dào zhǎnlǎnguǎn yǒu meiyou zhídáchē? 到展覽館有沒有直達車？ Is there a direct bus to the exhibition hall? Měiyou. Zuò Yīlù chē, zuò dao Xīdān huàn chē. 沒有。坐一路車，坐到西單換車。 No. Take the Number 1 bus; take it to Xīdān and change buses. 2. Zánmen zài nǎr mǎi piào? 咱們在哪兒買票？ Where do we buy tickets? Zài chēshang mǎi piào. 在車上買票。 We buy tickets on the bus. 3. Hǎo, xiànzài zǒu ba! 好，現在走吧。 Okay, let’s go now! 4. Èi! Zánmen bú shi zuòguò zhàn le ba? 誒！咱們不是坐過站了吧？ Hey! Haven’t we gone past our stop? Hái méi ne. Xià yízhàn cái xià chē. 還沒呢。下一站才下車。 Not yet. We don’t get off until the next stop. 5. Láojià, Shíwǔlù qìchēzhàn zài nǎr? 勞駕，十五路汽車站在哪兒？ Excuse me, where is the Number 15 bus stop? Jiù zài nèige lùkǒurshang. 就在那個路口兒上。 It’s (just) on that corner. 6. gōnggòng qìchē 公共汽車 public bus (local) ADDITIONAL REQUIRED VOCABULARY (not presented on C-1 and P-1 tapes) 7. -li 裏 in (locational ending) 8. -shang 上 on 9. shàng ban 上班 to start work, to go to work 10. xià bān 下班 to get off from work, to leave work

1. Wǒ yào zuò jìchéngchē dào huǒchēzhàn qu. 我要計程車到火車站去。 I want to take a taxi to the train station. 2. Wǒ zhǐ yǒu zhè liǎngjiàn xíngli. 我只有這兩件行李。 I have only these two suitcases. Hǎo, wǒ ba xíngli fàng zai qiánbǐan. 好，我把行李放在前邊。 Okay, I’ll put the suitcases in front. 3. Nǐ kāide tài kuài le! 你開得太快了！ You are driving too fast! 4. Tā kāi chē, kāide bú kuài. 他開車，開得不快。 He doesn’t drive fast. 5. Wǒmen yǒu shíjiān, láidejí. 我們有時間，來得及。 We have time. We can make it in time. 6. Qǐng màn yìdiǎn kāi. 請慢一點開。 Please drive a little slower. 7. Bié kāi nàme kuāi! 別開那麽快！ Don’t drive so fast! 8. Qǐng ni zài qiánbian nèige yínháng tíng yíxià. 請你在前邊那個銀行聼一下。 Please stop at that bank up ahead for a moment. 9. Bú yòng zhǎo le. 不用找了。 Keep the change. ADDITIONAL REQUIRED VOCABULARY (not presented on C-1 and P-1 tapes) 10. chūzū qìchē 出租汽車 taxi (PRC) 11. láibují 來不及 can’t make it in time 12. qìchē 汽車 car, motor vehicle 13. zhème 這麽 so, to this extent, in this way 14. zènme 怎麽 so, to this extent, in this way

1. Wǒ xiǎng qù Táinán wán jitiān. 我想去臺南玩幾天。 I’m thinking of going to Tainan to relax for a few days. 2. Nǐ shuō shi zuò huǒchē qu hǎo ne, háishi zuò Gōnglùjú qu hǎo e? 你説是坐火車去好呢，還是坐公路局去好呢？ Would you say it’s better to go by train or to go by bus? Zuò huǒchē qu hǎo. Dào Táinán qù zuò Gōnglùjú bú dǎ fāngbian. 坐火車去好。到臺南去坐公路局不大方便。 It’s better to go by train. To go to Tainan, it's not very convenient to take the bus. 3. Zuò huǒchē děi xiān mǎi piào ma? 坐火車得先買票嗎？ If I take the train, is it necessary to buy tickets ahead of time? Nǐ zuìhǎo liǎngsāntiān yǐqián qù mǎi piào. 你最好兩三天以前去買票。 It would be best for you to go to buy your tickets two or three days ahead of time. Zuò Gōnglùjú ne? 坐公路局呢？ And if I take the bus? Bú bì xiān mǎi piào. 不必先買票。 It's not necessary to buy tickets ahead of time. 4. Nǐ yào zuò shénme shíhoude chē? 你要做什麽時候的車？ What train do you want to take? Wǒ yào zuò shàngwǔde chē. 我要坐上午的車。 I want to take a morning train. 5. Duìbuqǐ, shàngwǔde piào dōu màiwán le. 對不起，上午的票都賣完了。 I’m sorry, the tickets for the morning trains are all sold out. ADDITIONAL REQUIRED VOCABULARY (not presented on C-1 and P-1 tapes) 6. chuán 船 boat, ship 7. dìtiě 地鐵 subway (abbreviation for dìxià tiědào) 8. dìxià huǒchē 地下火車 underground train, subway 9. wán (wǎnr) 玩(兒) to play, to relax, to enjoy oneself 10. -wán 完 to be finished (occurs in compound verbs of result)

1. Wǒ xiǎng dào Nánjīng qù kànkan. 我想到南京去看看。 I would like to go to Nánjīng to look around. Nǐ jìhua něitiān qù? 你計劃哪天去？ What day do you plan to go? Míngtiān huòshi hòutiān qù dōu kéyi. 明天或是後天去都可以。 Tomorrow and (or) the day after are both possible. 2. Shànghǎi lí Nánjīng yǒu duó yuǎn? 上海離南京有多遠。 How far is Shanghai from Nánjīng? Yǒu liǎngbǎiwǔshiduō gōnglī. 有兩百五十多公里。 It’s over 250 kilometers. 3. Zuò huǒchē yào zǒu duōshao shíhou? 坐火車要走多少時候。 How long does it take to go by train? Yào zǒu sìge bàn xiǎoshí. 要走四個半小時。 It takes four and a half hours. 4. Zhèi shi wǒ dìyīcì dào Nánjīng qù. Yǐqiǎn méi qùguo. 這是我第一次到南京去。以前沒去過。 This will be the first time I have gone to Nánjīng. I haven’t gone there before. 5. Bànge xiǎoshí gòu le. 半個小時夠了。 Half an hour is enough. 6. Wǒ xīwang xiàwǔ líkāi zhèr. 我希望下午離開這兒。 I hope to leave here in the afternoon. Shísāndiǎn líng wǔfēn yǒu yítàng tèkuài. 十三點零五分有一趟特快。 There’s an express at 1305. ADDITIONAL REQUIRED VOCABULARY (not presented on C-1 and P-1 tapes) 7. dǎsuan 打算 to plan to 8. huòzhě (huòzhe) 或者 or (alternate form of huòshi) 9. yǐhòu 以後 afterwards, later on, in the future 10. zhōngtóu 鐘頭 hour (alternate word for xiǎoshí)

1. Huǒchē jǐdiǎn zhōng kāi? 火車幾點鐘開？ What time does the train leave? Shíbādiǎn wǔshiwǔfēn fā chē. 十八點五十五分發車。 It departs at 1855. 2. Qǐng nǐ bǎ nǐde hùzhào hé lǚxíngzhèng gěi wo. 請你把你的護照和旅行證給我。 Please give me your passport and travel permit. 3. Dào Shànghǎi qùde chē zài dìjǐ zhàntái? 到上海取得車在第幾站臺？ On which platform is the train to Shànghǎi? 4. Bú yòng jí. Hái zǎo ne. Nǐ xiān zài zhèige jiēdàishì xiūxi xiuxi. 不用急。還早呢。你先在這個接待室休息休息。 No need to be anxious. It’s still early. First, rest a bit in this waiting room. 5. Wǒ zhèijiàn xíngli zěnme bàn? Shì bu shi kéyi náshang chē qu? 我這件行李怎麽辦？是不是可以拿上車去。 What should I do about this suitcase of mine? May I take it onto the train? Kéyi bǎ xíngli náshang chē qu. 可以把行李拿上車去。 You may take the suitcase onto the train. 6. Zhèibān chē yǒu cānchē ba? 這班車有餐車吧？ This train has a dining car, I suppose? Yǒu. Yǒu Zhōngcān, yě yǒu Xīcān. 有。有中餐，也有西餐。 Yes. There’s Chinese food and there’s also Western food. Hǎojíle. 好極了。 Great. ADDITIONAL REQUIRED VOCABULARY (not presented on C-1 and P-1 tapes) 7. bān 搬 to move 8. náshangqu 拿上去 to take up 9. náshanglai 拿上來 to bring up 10. áxiaqu 拿下去 to take down 11. náxialai 拿下來 to bring down 12. pǎo 跑 to run 13. wǎn 晚 to be late 14. yuètái 月臺 train platform (alternate word for zhàntái, more common in Taiwan)

1. Lǎo Sòng, zěnmeyàng? Máng ne? 老宋，怎麽樣？忙呢？ Song, how are things going? Are you busy? Bù zěnme máng. 不怎麽忙。 Not especially busy. 2. Qǐng ni gěi wo dìng yìzhāng fēijī piào. 請你給我訂一張飛機票。 Please reserve a plane ticket for me. 3. Piào dìnghǎo le. 票訂好了。 The ticket has been reserved. Něibān fēijī? Jǐdiǎn zhōng qǐfēi? 哪班飛機？幾點鐘起飛？ Which flight? What time does it take off? 4. Zhèibān fēijī zhí fēi Guǎngzhōuma? 這班飛機直飛廣州嗎？ Does this flight go directly to Guǎngzhōu? 5. Cóng Sānlǐtún dào fēijīchǎng yào duōshao shíjiān? 從三里屯到飛機場要多少時間？ How much time does it take to go from Sānlǐtún to the airport? 6. Rúguǒ wǒ bādiǎn zhōng líkāi jiā, láidejí ba? 如果我八點鐘離開家，來得及吧？ If I leave home at eight o’clock, I can make it in time. Right? 7. Qǐng ni pài ge chē lái jiē wo, sòng wo dào fēijīchǎng qu. 請你派個車來接我，送我到飛機場去。 Please send a car to pick me up and take me to the airport. ADDITIONAL REQUIRED VOCABULARY (not presented on C-1 and P-1 tapes) 8. hǎo le 好了 to be satisfactorily completed 9. ǚguǎn 旅館 hotel 10. shuōhǎo le 説好了 to have come to an agreement (about something); (something) has been agreed on 11. xiǎnghǎo le 想好了 to have reached a conclusion (about something); (something) has been thought out 12. yàoshi 要是 if (alternate word for rúguǒ) 13. zuòhǎo le 做好了 to have finished doing (something); (something) has been finished

1. Hǎo jiǔ méi jiàn, nín chū mén le ba? 好久沒見，您出門了吧？ I haven’t seen you in a long time. You have been away, I suppose? 2. Nín wèishénme gāng huílai yòu qù le ne? 您為什麽剛回來又去了呢？ Why did you go again when you had just come back from there? Wǒ zhèicì dào Guǎngzhōu qù shi yīnwei wǒ yǒu yige hěn hǎode péngyou cóng Xiānggǎng lái. 我這次到廣州去是因爲我有一個很好的朋友從香港來。 This time I went to Guǎngzhōu because I had a very good friend coming there from Hong Kong. 3. Wǒmen yǒu yìnián méi jiàn le. 我們有一年沒見了。 We had not seen each other for a year. Tā qǐng wo péi ta yìqǐ qù lǚxíng. 她請我陪她一起去旅行。 She asked me to accompany her (in her) travels. 4. Sānge yuè yǐqián tā hái bù zhīdào néng bu néng lái. 三個月以前她還不知道能不能來。 Three months ago she didn’t know yet whether she would be able to come or not. 5. Nǐmen dōu qùguo shénme dìfang? 你們都去過什麽地方？ What places did you go to? 6. Hángzhōu gēn Sūzhōu zhēn shi piàoliang. 杭州跟蘇州真是漂亮。 Hángzhōu and Sūzhōu are really beautiful. 7. Yǒu jīhui wǒ yào zài qù yícì. 有機會我要再去一次。 If I have the chance, I would like to go again. 8. Zhèixiē dìfang nǐ dōu qùguo le ba? 這些地方你都去過了吧？ You have gone to all those places, I suppose? Méi dōu qùguo. 沒都去過。 I haven’t been to all of them. 9. huí guó 回國 to return to one’s native country 10. huí jiā 回家 to come/go home 11. huíqu 回去 to go back ADDITIONAL REQUIRED VOCABULARY (not presented on C-1 and P-1 tapes) 12. rènao 熱鬧 to be lively/bustling/noisy 13. yǒu yìsi 有意思 to be interesting 14. méi(yǒu) yìsi 沒(有)意思 to be uninteresting 15. suǒyǐ (suóyi) 所以 therefore, so

1. A: Dào Xīméndīng qù, zuò jǐlù chē? 到西門町去，坐幾路車？ What bus do you take to get to Xīméndīng? B: Zuò Shíbālù. 坐十八路。 Take Number 18. 2. A: Shíbālù chē duō bu duo? 十八路車多不多？ Are there many Number 18 buses? B: Bù hěn duō. 不很多。 Not very many. 3. A: Měi gé duōshao shíhou yǒu yìbān chē? 每隔多少時候有一班車。 How much time is there between buses? B: Měi gé èrshifēn zhōng yǒu yìbān. 每隔二十分鐘有一班。 There’s one every twenty minutes. 4. C: Wǒ měige Xīngqīliù dōu qù kàn diànyǐng. 我每個星期六都去看電影。 I go to see a movie every Saturday. 5. A: Zuìhòu yìbān chē shi jǐdiǎn zhōng? 最後一班車是幾點鐘？ What time is the last bus? B: Shíyīdiǎn shífēn. 十一點十分。 Eleven-ten. 十一點十分。 6. D: Zhèbān chē shì bu shi qù Xīméndīng? 這班車是不是去西門町？ Does this bus go to Xīméndīng? E: Shì. Shàng chē ba! 是。上車吧！ Yes, Get on! 7. A: Dào Xīméndīngde shíhou, qǐng gàosong wǒ. 到西門町的時候，請告誦我。 When we get to Xīméndīng, please tell me. F: Hǎo. 好。 Okay. 8. A: Hái yǒu jǐzhàn dào Xīméndīng? 還有幾站到西門町？ How many more stops are there to (before) Xīméndīng? F: Xià yízhàn jiù shi Xīměndīng. 下一站就是西門町。 The next stop is Xīméndīng. DDITIONAL REQUIRED VOCABULARY (not presented on C-1 and P-1 tapes) 9. shàng- 上 last, previous (something) shàng- 10. tóu- 頭 first (something) 11. gàosu 告訴 to tell, to inform (alternate pronunciation for gàosong) 12. shǎo 少 to be few 13. xià chē 下車 to get off the bus; "Out, please!" 14. yǒu(de) shíhou 有(的)時候 sometimes 15. chéng 城 city

-bān 班 (counter for regularly scheduled trips of buses, planes, subways, trains, etc.) chē 車 vehicle, bus, car chéng 城 city duō 多 to be many -fēn 分 a minute gàosong 告誦 to tell, to inform gàosu 告訴 to tell, to inform gé 隔 to separate, to divide off jǐlù chē 幾路車 what number bus měi- 每 every, each shàng 上 to get on shàng- 上 last, previous (something) shǎo 少 to be few tóu- 頭 first (something) xià 下 to get off xià- 下 next (something) xià chē 下車 to get off the bus; “Out, please!” Xīmēndīng 西門町 (an area of Taipei) yǒu(de) shíhou 有(的)時候 sometimes zhàn 站 a stop, a station zuìhòu 最後 last, final (something) (introduced on C-2 and P-2 tapes) Běihǎi Gōngyuán 北海公園 (a famous park in Běijīng) biěde shíhou 別的時候 other times Dōngjīng 東京 Tokyo fàng jià 放假 to close for a holiday hǎowán 好玩 to “be fun (lit. , “good for relaxing”) huì 會 will sījī 司機 driver of a hired vehicle zǒu ba 走吧 let’s go

1. A: Dào Xīméndīng qù, zuò jǐlù chē? 到西門町去，坐幾路車？ What bus do you take to get to Xīméndīng? B: Zuò Shíbālù. 坐十八路。 Take Number 18. 2. A: Shíbālù chē duō bu duo? 十八路車多不多？ Are there many Number 18 buses? B: Bù hěn duō. 不很多。 Not very many. Xīméndīng literally means “West Gate ding”—dīng being a Japanese term for “district.” Xīméndīng is the area of Taipei which surrounds the former west gate of the city. Today the district includes many shops, department stores, and movie theaters. Lù is the word for “route.” The question jǐlù? asks for the route number of the bus. Zuò, “to ride/to go by/to take [a conveyance]”: Zuò appeared earlier in Zuò diàntī dào èrlou, “Take the elevator to the second floor. Here zuò (literally, “to sit”) means to go by some means of transportation which the passenger is inside of (e.g., car, plane, boat, train, bus, elevator—NOT a motor- cycle or a horse). In exchange 1, zuò is used as a main verb. It can also be used as a prepositional verb, as in Nǐ zěnme qù? 你怎麽去？ How are you going? (i.e., by what means of transportation) Wǒ zuò huǒchē qù. 我坐火車去。 I am going by train. ” Duō, “to be many/much,” is an adjectival verb. There are several points to remember about duō: 3. A: Měi gé duōshao shíhou yǒu yìbān chē? 每隔多少時候有一班車。 How much time is there between buses? B: Měi gé èrshifēn zhōng yǒu yìbān. 每隔二十分鐘有一班。 There’s one every twenty minutes. Měi- is the word for “each,” “every.” Gé is a verb meaning “to separate,” “to divide.” It is used for intervals of time between regularly occurring events (e.g., “every half hour”). In exchange 3, gé refers to the length of time between buses. měi gé duōshao shíhou 每 隔 多少 時候 (every divide-off [interval] how much time) “(every) how often” The first sentence could also be translated as “How often is there a bus?” or “How often do the buses run?” The counter -bān is used for scheduled trips, or runs, of a vehicle. Yìbān chē is one bus run. The counter -fēn, for minutes, is usually followed by zhōng, “clock.” (Zhōng means “o’clock” in telling time.) “One minute” is yìfēn zhōng. Měi gé èrshifēn zhōng yǒu yìbān chē. 每 隔 二十分鐘 有 一班 車。 each interval twenty minutes there is one [run] bus “There’s a bus every twenty minutes.”

4. C: Wǒ měige Xīngqīliù dōu qù kàn diànyǐng. 我每個星期六都去看電影。 I go to see a movie every Saturday. Měige: When used with a noun, měi- acts as a specifier and must be followed by a counter or a noun that does not require a counter. měi(ge) rěn 每(個)人 every person měizhāng zhuōzi 每個桌子 every table měitiān 每天 every day Dōu, “all”: Here the adverb dōu implies “each and every,” or “without exception”—“every Saturday, without exception.” When the subject of a sentence is specified by měi-, the following verb is usually modified by the adverb dōu.

5. A: Zuìhòu yìbān chē shi jǐdiǎn zhōng? 最後一班車是幾點鐘？ What time is the last bus? B: Shíyīdiǎn shífēn. 十一點十分。 Eleven-ten. 十一點十分。 Zuìhòu yìbān chē: Zuì is the word for “most,” or “-est.” Zuìhòu means “latest,” or “last.” Note the order in which the elements of this phrase appear: zuìhòu yì -ban chē 最後 一 班 車 last one run bus “the last bus” Both the number and the counter are required in this phrase. Compare: tóu yì -ban chē “the first bus” 頭 一 班 車 xià yì -ban chē “the next bus” 下 一 班 車 shàng yì -ban chē “the last (previous) bus” 上 一 班 車 (See Note on No. 8 and Notes on Additional Required Vocabulary for xià-, “next”; shàng-, “last,” “previous”; and tóu-, “first.”)

6. D: Zhèbān chē shì bu shi qù Xīméndīng? 這班車是不是去西門町？ Does this bus go to Xīméndīng? E: Shì. Shàng chē ba! 是。上車吧！ Yes, Get on! Shì bu shi qù, “does it go to”:* The use of shì bu shi qù rather than qù bu qu in this sentence implies that the speaker has an idea that the bus does go to Xīméndīng and wants to make sure. (Zhèbān chē qù bu qu Xīméndīng? would also be correct.) *For a discussion of the use of shì bu shi before another verb to form a question, see MON, Unit 5, notes on No. 8. Qù Xīméndīng, “go to Xīméndīng”: The destination directly follows the main verb qù. You now know two ways to indicate destination: Wo dào Xīméndīng qù. I am going to Xīméndīng. 我到西門町去。 Wo qù Xīméndīng. 我去西門町。 The two forms are equally widely used. Shàng chē: This verb has several meanings. In the Directions Module, the meaning was “to go up” in Shàng lóu, yòubian jiù shi mài dìtúde. In this exchange, the meaning of shàng is “to get on/in [a vehicle].”

7. A: Dào Xīméndīngde shíhou, qǐng gàosong wǒ. 到西門町的時候，請告誦我。 When we get to Xīméndīng, please tell me. F: Hǎo. 好。 Okay. Dào Xīméndīngde shíhou means “when we arrive in Xīméndīng.” If you want to say, in Chinese, “when [something happens],” add -de shíhou to the phrase which names the happening. In English, “when” can mean either “during the same time” (e.g., “when I was a student”) or “immediately after” (e.g., “when the light turns green”). In Chinese, however, two different expressions are used for the two meanings: -de shíhou for “at the same time” and yǐhou for “immediately after.” Wǒ zài Xiānggǎngde shíhou hěn xǐhuan qù kàn diànyǐng. 我在香港的時候很喜歡去看電影。 When [i.e., while] I was in Hong Kong, I liked to go to the movies very much. Wǒ dàole Táiběi yīhòu, mǎile hěn duō Zhōngwén shū. 我到了臺北以後，買了很多中文書。 When [i.e., after] I got to Taipei, I bought a lot of Chinese books.

8. A: Hái yǒu jǐzhàn dào Xīméndīng? 還有幾站到西門町？ How many more stops are there to (before) Xīméndīng? F: Xià yízhàn jiù shi Xīměndīng. 下一站就是西門町。 The next stop is Xīméndīng. Xià yízhàn: Here xià means “the next.” It is a specifier. Xià is usually followed by a numeral or a counter, as in the following examples: xiàge yuè next month 下個月 xià yíbān chē the next bus 下一班車 The phrase xià yízhàn contains no counter because -zhàn, like -nián and -tiān, is not used with a counter.

9. shàng- 上 last, previous (something) 10. tóu- 頭 first (something) 11. gàosu 告訴 to tell, to inform (alternate pronunciation for gàosong) 12. shǎo 少 to be few 13. xià chē 下車 to get off the bus; "Out, please!" 14. yǒu(de) shíhou 有(的)時候 sometimes 15. chéng 城 city The specifier shàng-, “last,” “previous,” is used in the same patterns as xià-. shàngge yuè last month 上個月 shàng yìbān chē the previous bus 上一班車 Tóu-, “first,” literally “head”: Let’s contrast dì- and tóu-: Dì- has no meaning of its own. Its function is to make a cardinal number into an ordinal number: for example, sān, “three,” becomes dìsān, “third,” as in dìsānge mén, “the third door.” Tóu- has a meaning of its own: “first,” as in tóusānge men, “the first three doors.” Tóu- is always followed by at least a number plus a counter (or a noun that does not require a counter). tóuliǎngge rén the first two people 頭兩個人 tóusānběn the first three volumes 頭三本 tóusìtiān the first four days 頭四天 Notice that tóuliāngge, “the first two,” and dìèrge, “the second one,” must use different words for “two,” because tóuliāngge (COUNTING) 頭兩個 dìèrge (NOT COUNTING) 第二個 Tóuyige, “the first one,” and dìyīge, “the first one,” are similar in meaning and often interchangeable. Gàosu, “to tell”: Gaosong is the usual colloquial pronunciation in Běijīng speech. Gàosu is the usual colloquial pronunciation in many other places in China, including Taiwan. The fact that, in a Taipei setting, the first speaker in exchange 7 uses gàosong tells you that he is almost certainly not a native of Taiwan. Shǎo, “to be few”: Most of the comments about duō in these Reference Notes (exchange 2) also apply to the adjectival verb shǎo. Most frequently shǎo is used as the main verb of a sentence. Wǒde qián bù shǎo. 我的錢不少。 I have quite a bit of money. Zài Táiwān méiyou gōngzuòde rén hěn shǎo. 在臺灣沒有工作的人很少。 There are few people in Taiwan who do not have Jobs. One point deserves special attention: Although you may say hěn duō shū for “a lot of books,” you may not say hěn shǎo shū. Hěn shǎo can rarely modify a noun which follows—and neither can tài shǎo, zhēn shǎo, and related expressions. Xià chē, “to get off [a vehicle],” may be used to signal that you wish to get off—that this is your stop. The expression would be translated as “Out, please,” or “Getting off, getting off,” used by passengers in crowded buses and elevators. Yǒu(de) shíhou, “sometimes,” precedes the verb of a sentence, as other time expressions do. Tā yǒude shíhou kàn Yīngwén bào. He sometimes reads English newspapers. 他有的時候看英文報 Wǒ yǒu shíhou zuò Shíbālù chē. Sometimes I take the Number 18 bus. 我有時候坐十八路車。 Originally, chéng meant “city wall.” This early meaning still affects modern usage: you must say “going INto the city,” not just “to the city.” Tā jīntiān dào chénglǐtou qù. He is going to the city today. 他今天到城裏頭去。

Modes of Transportation bicycle [Běijīng] zìxíngchē 自行車 [Táiwān] jiǎotàchē 脚踏車 boat chuán 船 motorboat qìtǐng 汽艇 rowboat huátǐng 划艇 sailboat fānchuán 帆船 sampan shānbǎn 舢舨 bus gōnggòng qìchē 公共汽車 coach (long-distance) chángtú qìchē 長途汽車 car (automobile) qìchē 汽車 chēzi 車子 chē 車 helicopter zhíshēngfēijī 直升飛機 horseback riding qí mǎ 騎馬 jeep jípǔchē 吉普車 motorcycle mótuōchē 摩托車 plane fēijī 飛機 jet [PRC] pēnqìshì fēijī 噴氣式飛機 [Táiwān] pēnshèshì fēijī 噴射式飛機 [Táiwān] pēnshèjī 噴射機 subway dìxiàtiě 地下鐵 dìtiě 地鐵 dìxià huǒchē 地下火車 taxi chūzū qìchē 出租汽車 [PRC] chūzū chē 出租車 [Táiwān] jìchéngchē 計程車 train huǒchē 火車 trolley diànchē 電車 truck kǎchē 卡車 walking zǒu lù 走路