The purpose of the Post Office and Telephone Module (PST/TEL) is to provide you with the linguistic skills you need to mail things, make phone calls and send telegrams.

When you have finished this module you should be able to: Locate a mailbox. Locate the nearest post office. Buy postage for an air mail letter, a registered letter, aerogram, regular letter or postcard. Buy letter paper, envelopes, aerograms and postcards. Ship packages by sea or by air. Insure packages or letters you send. Locate a telegraph office. Send a telegram. Find the nearest public telephone. Ask for help in using a phon? directory. Make a phone call, ask to speak with someone. Understand simple replies such as ’’that line is busy”, "he is not here now" or "he will call you back". Answer the phone and understand who the caller wishes to speak with. Tell the caller you will look for that person. Tell him whether the person he wishes to speak with is there, is busy, or not there. Ask someone to speak louder or tell him you cannot hear him clearly.

yìfēng xìn: -fēng is the counter for letters and other things with envelopes. -céng: Counter for F1oors of buildings. guàhào xìn: Guàhào is the verb “to register”. It is used here as a modifier. It precedes the noun it modifies. Peking: On his way out to mail some things, an American asks the service attendant for the F1oor of his hotel for some information.

tiē: This is the verb “to stick something on or to something else”. Běnshìde píngxìn/wàidìde píngxìn: In the PRC mail rates differ depending on whether something is going to someplace in the city, out of the city, or out of the country. For the last two categories air mail service is available. běnshì: “This city”. wàidì: “Foreign place”, “outside this city”. Peking: A conversation at the Post Office.

shízhāng yóupiào, wǔge hángkōng yóujiǎn: Notice how both the counter -zhāng and the counter -ge are used here to talk about F1at objects. Although the counter -zhāng would be correct for both nouns, the speaker feels free to use -gè also.

tì: This is the prepositional verb meaning “in place of, for”. Mèimei tì wo qù mǎi cài. Little sister is going to go buy food for me (instead of me). shàngtou: -Tóu is a syllable like -biar. When added to a direction word, it changes it into a place name. The syllable -tóu, however, cannot be added to as many different direction words as -biar can. (See also final reference notes Directions Unit Five.) Xiǎomàibù zài fàndiàn lǐtou. The variety shop is in the hotel. Fàndiàn wàitou yǒu yige yóutǒng. Outside the hotel is a mailbox. xiǎoxīn: “To be careful”. qīngfàng: “Fragile”, or more literally “to put lightly”. zuìhǎo: This word acts as an adverb, coming after the subject ni and before the verb phrase. The word zuìhǎo is used in politely offering advice to someone, not in warning them what they'd better do. Taipei: A conversation at the Post Office.

bǎ dìzhí: In sentence No. 28 the object comes before the verb and is preceded by the marker bǎ. Although it is common for an object to come before the verb marked by bǎ, not all objects can do so. The object in a bǎ-phrase is the direct object of an action verb. It is a particular know thing, not a new idea about to be introduced into the conversation. The action verb in the sentence is usually more than one syllable or followed by something else, such as a place name. For more on bǎ. see Transportation Unit 3 and Meeting Unit 5. Qǐng ni bǎ shū fàngzai zhuōzishang. Please put the book on the table. Tā bǎ tāde chē mài le. He sold his car. diànxìnjú: “Telegraph Office.” In the PRC the word used is diànxùnjú. Taipei: Mr. White, an American, is talking to a Chinese friend. (Now he speaks to the clerk at the Telegraph Office.) (He writes down what he wants to say and hands it to the clerk.) Peking: An American staying at the Peking Hotel asks the service attendant on her F1oor for some information.

bǎ 把 object marker bāoguǒ 包裹 package bǎoxiǎn 保险 to protect by insurance, to insure bènshì 本市 this city -céng -层 counter for F1oors of buildings dǎ diànhuà 打电话 to make a phone call, to telephone diànbào 电报 telegram Diànbào Dàlóu 电报大楼 Telegraph Office diànhuà 电话 phone call Diànxìnjú 电信局 Telegraph Office -fēng -封 counter for letter fúwùtái 服务台 service desk guàhào 挂号 to register(something) guàhàoxìn (yìfēng) 挂号信（一封） registered letter guówài 国外 outside the country, foreign guónèi 国内 within the country, domestic hǎiyùn 海运 sea mail hángkōng 航空 air mail hángkōng yōujiǎn 航空邮件 aerogram -jiàn -件 counter for matter, affairs jiànchá 检查 to inspect examine jì 寄 to mail, to send by mail lóuxià 楼下 downstairs míngxìnpiàn 明信片 post cards píngxìn 平信 regular mail, surface mail qíngfàng 轻放 fragile(lit, put down lightly) shì(yíjiàn) 事(一件) matter, affair,thing tì 替 in place of (someone), for tie 贴 to paste on, to stick wàídí 外地 outside the local area wàimian 外面 outside xiāngzi 箱子 box, suitcase, trunk xiǎoxīn 小心 to be careful xiěshang 写上 to write on (something) xìn (yìfēng) 信（一封） letter xìnfēng 信封 envelope xìnzhǐ 信纸 stationery yíqǐ 一起 together, together with yóujú 邮局 post office yóupiào(yìzhang) 邮票 stamp yǒu tǒng 邮筒 mailbox post office 邮政局 yóuzhèngjú zhòngyào 重要 to be important zuìhǎo 最好 the best; “it would be best” zuìshǎo 最少 at least, at the minimum

néng: “to be able to”. Although this verb overlaps in meaning with kéyi, “can, may”, there are definite differences. The verb néng is more general, while kéyi has the narrower meaning “be able to” the sense of “be permitted to do so by someone”. Peking:

Qǐng dà yìdiǎr shēng shuō: Notice that the phrase describing the manner of action, dà yìdiǎr shēng (with a little bit lender voice), comes before the main verb shuō, “to speak”. qīngchu: This is the adjectival verb “to be clear”. Peking: (The receptionist puts the call through.) (He speaks a little louder.)

... zhànzhe xiàn ne: -Zhe is the marker of DURATION of actions and states. It indicates that an action or state lasted (or lasts) for an amount of time. The marker ne marks ONGOING actions and states. In this expression the marker -zhe tells us that at some time the line CONTINUES to he occupied, and the marker ne tells us that this is GOING ON now. -Zhe is used in sentences to describe activities which last over a period of time, whether that time is past, present or future. A verb plus -zhe in Chinese often corresponds to the “-ing” form of the verb in English. Zǒuzhe qù kéyi ma? Can you get there by walking? Tā hái bìngzhe ne. He is still sick. tīngdǒng: This is a compound verb meaning “to understand (by listening)”. guò: This is the verb “to pass, cross, go through.” It can be used when talking about time or space. Guò liǎngtiáo jiē, wàng zuǒ zǒu. Go past two streets and go to the left. Guò liǎngfēn zhōng, wǒ zài lai. I’ll be back in two minutes. Taipei:

Taipei: (After the young lady finds the number, he dials it. A servant picks up the phone.) (He hears the servant say...)

bàngōngshì 办公室 office bié 别 don’t bú yòng 不用 no need to chá 查 to look up (information) dài 带 to bring with one, to carry along diànhuàbù 电话簿 phone directory fēnjī 分机 telephone extension gōngguǎn 公管 residence, home (a polite reference to another’s residence) gōngyòng 公用 public, for public use guàshang 挂上 to hang up(telephone) guò 过 to pass(some time) huí diànhuà 回电话 to return a phone call jiē 接 to connect, to join jiēguoqu 通过去 to connect, to put through (phone call) liú ge huà 留个话 to leave a message Měidàsī 美大司 Bureau of American and Pacific Affairs míngzi 名字 name néng 能 can, to be able qīngchu 清除 to be clear shāngrén 商人 businessman shēng 声 sound, voice ting 听 to listen to, to hear tīngdong 听懂 to understand (by listening) Wàijiāobù 外交部 Ministry of Foreign Affairs Wàimàobù 外贸部 Ministry of Foreign Trade wàng 忘 to forget xiàn 线 telephone line, wire xiéxialai 写下来 to write down yìhuǐr 一会儿 a short while, a moment zhàn 占 to occupy a space zhǎo 找 to look for, to find

bàngōngshì 办公室 office bāoguǒ 包裹 package bǎoxiǎn 保险 to protect by insurance, to insure bǎ 把 object marker bènshì 本市 this city bié 别 don’t bú yòng 不用 no need to -céng -层 counter for F1oors of buildings chá 查 to look up (information) dǎ diànhuà 打电话 to make a phone call, to telephone dài 带 to bring with one, to carry along Diànbào Dàlóu 电报大楼 Telegraph Office diànbào 电报 telegram diànhuàbù 电话簿 phone directory diànhuà 电话 phone call Diànxìnjú 电信局 Telegraph Office -fēng -封 counter for letter fēnjī 分机 telephone extension fúwùtái 服务台 service desk gōngguǎn 公管 residence, home (a polite reference to another’s residence) gōngyòng 公用 public, for public use guàhàoxìn (yìfēng) 挂号信（一封） registered letter guàhào 挂号 to register(something) guàshang 挂上 to hang up(telephone) guónèi 国内 within the country, domestic guówài 国外 outside the country, foreign guò 过 to pass(some time) hǎiyùn 海运 sea mail hángkōng yōujiǎn 航空邮件 aerogram hángkōng 航空 air mail huí diànhuà 回电话 to return a phone call jiànchá 检查 to inspect examine -jiàn -件 counter for matter, affairs jiēguoqu 通过去 to connect, to put through (phone call) jiē 接 to connect, to join jì 寄 to mail, to send by mail liú ge huà 留个话 to leave a message lóuxià 楼下 downstairs Měidàsī 美大司 Bureau of American and Pacific Affairs míngxìnpiàn 明信片 post cards míngzi 名字 name néng 能 can, to be able píngxìn 平信 regular mail, surface mail post office 邮政局 yóuzhèngjú qīngchu 清除 to be clear qíngfàng 轻放 fragile(lit, put down lightly) shāngrén 商人 businessman shēng 声 sound, voice shì(yíjiàn) 事(一件) matter, affair,thing tie 贴 to paste on, to stick tīngdong 听懂 to understand (by listening) ting 听 to listen to, to hear tì 替 in place of (someone), for wàídí 外地 outside the local area Wàijiāobù 外交部 Ministry of Foreign Affairs Wàimàobù 外贸部 Ministry of Foreign Trade wàimian 外面 outside wàng 忘 to forget xiāngzi 箱子 box, suitcase, trunk xiàn 线 telephone line, wire xiǎoxīn 小心 to be careful xiěshang 写上 to write on (something) xiéxialai 写下来 to write down xìnfēng 信封 envelope xìn (yìfēng) 信（一封） letter xìnzhǐ 信纸 stationery yìhuǐr 一会儿 a short while, a moment yíqǐ 一起 together, together with yóujú 邮局 post office yóupiào(yìzhang) 邮票 stamp yǒu tǒng 邮筒 mailbox zhàn 占 to occupy a space zhǎo 找 to look for, to find zhòngyào 重要 to be important zuìhǎo 最好 the best; “it would be best” zuìshǎo 最少 at least, at the minimum