9 Unit 2
9.1 References
9.1.1 Reference List
1. | A: | |
我想买点儿点心。 | ||
I'm going to buy some pastries. | ||
2. | A: | |
这个小点心多少钱一经? | ||
How much are these small pastries per catty? | ||
B: | ||
八毛钱一斤 。 | ||
Eighty cents a catty. | ||
3. | A: | |
给我两斤 。 | ||
Give me two catties. | ||
4. | A: | |
清李给我两斤 。 | ||
Please give me two catties. | ||
5. | B: | |
您还要点儿什么? | ||
What else do you want? | ||
A: | ||
我还要汽水 | ||
I want some soda. | ||
6. | A: | |
多少钱一平? | ||
How much is it per bottle? | ||
B: | ||
两毛五分钱。 | ||
It's twenty-five cents. | ||
7. | A: | |
这是三块钱。 | ||
Here's three dollars. | ||
B: | ||
找你牛六毛五分钱。 | ||
Here's sixty-five cents (in) change. | ||
A: | ||
谢谢。再见。 | ||
Thank you. Good-bye | ||
B: | ||
再见。 | ||
Good-bye | ||
8. | A: | |
大苹果多少钱一斤?? | ||
How much are the large apples per catty? | ||
B: | ||
大的四毛五分钱一经。 | ||
The large ones are forty-five cents a catty. | ||
9. | A: | |
小的多少钱一经? | ||
How much per catty are the small ones? | ||
B: | ||
三毛五。 | ||
Thirty-five cents. | ||
10. | A: | |
清给我三经那个小的。 | ||
Please give me three catties of the small ones. | ||
B: | ||
好。三经一块零五。 | ||
Certainly. Three catties are $1.05. | ||
11. | B: | |
您还要什么? | ||
What else do you want? | ||
A: | ||
我不要什么了。 | ||
I don't want anything else. |
9.1.2 Vocabulary
橘子 | oranges, tangerines | |
啤酒 | beer | |
一块肥皂 | one bar of soap | |
做买卖 | to do business | |
大人 | adult | |
小孩子 | child | |
大 | to be large | |
的 | marker of modification | |
点儿 | a little, some | |
点心 (一块,一斤) | pastry, snack | |
分 | cent | |
给 | to give | |
还 | also, additionally | |
斤 | catty (1.1 pound) | |
块 | piece (counter) | |
零 | zero | |
买卖 | business | |
毛 | dime | |
瓶 | bottle | |
苹果 | apple | |
请 | please | |
汽水 | soda, carbonated soft drink | |
小 | to be small | |
小孩子 | child | |
要 | to want | |
再见 | good-bye | |
找 | to give change | |
做买卖 | to do business | |
供销合作社 | supply and marketing cooperative |

9.1.3 Reference Notes
9.1.3.1 Notes on №1
1. | A: | |
我想买点儿点心。 | ||
I'm going to buy some pastries. |
: The word (or ) is a combination of the number , "one," and the counter , "a dot", "a little bit." The number is often toneless, or, in this case, dropped when its meaning is "a" rather than "one".
The
version of this word, written or is actually pronounced as if written or . These words rhyme with the English "tar,"9.1.3.2 Notes on №2
2. | A: | |
这个小点心多少钱一斤? | ||
How much are these small pastries per catty? | ||
B: | ||
八毛钱一斤。 | ||
Eighty cents a catty. |
A
is a unit of weight, usually translated as "catty." In mostparts of China a
equals 1.1 pound.i You must use the equivalent of "eight dimes" to say "eighty cents." It is wrong to say for "eighty cents."
9.1.3.3 Notes on №3-4
3. | A: | |
给我两斤。 | ||
Give me two catties. | ||
4. | A: | |
清李给我两斤。 | ||
Please give me two catties. |
Indirect object: Notice that the indirect object,
, precedes the direct object, , just as "me" precedes "two catties" in English.Give | me | two catties. |
Polite request: A blunt imperative in Chinese has the same word order as a command in English: (
), verb, indirect object, direct object. To make a polite request in Chinese, start off with , "please," or "please you." More literally means "to ask," "to request," but the idiomatic equivalent of and is "please." Here are the three types of imperatives.Give me two catties. | |||||
Please give me two catties OR Give me two catties, please. | |||||
9.1.3.4 Notes on №5
5. | B: | |
您还要点儿什么? | ||
What else do you want? | ||
A: | ||
我还要汽水 | ||
I want some soda. |
: in exchange 5, something like "in addition": "What do you want a little of in addition?" Since is an adverb, it is placed before the verb.
, "soda," refers to a carbonated soft drink, not to club soda.
9.1.3.5 Notes on №6
6. | A: | |
多少钱一瓶? | ||
How much is it per bottle? | ||
B: | ||
两毛五分钱。 | ||
It's twenty-five cents. |
Tone change for
: The number 1, , changes tone when followed by another syllable. When followed by a syllable with a Falling tone, has a Rising tone. When followed "by syllables with High, Rising, or Low tones, has a Falling tone.High Tone follows | Rising Tone follows | Low Tone follows | Falling Tone follows |
---|---|---|---|
: Notice that "twenty-five cents" is expressed in Chinese as dimes plus cents: "two dimes and five cents."
9.1.3.6 Notes on №7
7. | A: | |
这是三块钱。 | ||
Here's three dollars. | ||
B: | ||
找你六毛五分钱。 | ||
Here's sixty-five cents (in) change. | ||
A: | ||
谢谢。再见。 | ||
Thank you. Good-bye | ||
B: | ||
再见。 | ||
Good-bye |
: In the first sentence of exchange 7, is used without an attached counter. A specifier was also used without a counter in . "That's the Nationalities Hotel."
The verb
means "to give change." means something like "I'm giving you sixty-five cents in change."9.1.3.7 Notes on №8-9
8. | A: | |
大苹果多少斤? | ||
How much are the large apples per catty? | ||
B: | ||
大的四毛五分钱一斤。 | ||
The large ones are forty-five cents a catty. | ||
9. | A: | |
小的多少钱一斤? | ||
How much per catty are the small ones? | ||
B: | ||
三毛五。 | ||
Thirty-five cents. |
The words
and are translated as "large ones" and ""small ones." The nonspecific noun "ones" may be used because the specific thing being talked about (apples) was mentioned in an earlier sentence. The marker - shows that and modify a noun mentioned earlier in the conversation. Like their English translations "big ones" and "small ones," and act as nouns.is an abbreviated way of giving a price. The last unit of money (ln this case, "cent") and the word for "money," are left out. The unit omitted is always the next unit below the unit which is expressed. For instance, "three dollars and fifty cents" is .
You know that the unit omitted is
"dimes," because it is the next unit below , "dollars." A one-unit price such as "three dollars" or cents"can never be abbreviated this way, because there would he no way of determining the unit marker omitted.9.1.3.8 Notes on №10
10. | A: | |
清给我三经那个小的。 | ||
Please give me three catties of the small ones. | ||
B: | ||
好。三经一块零五。 | ||
Certainly. Three catties are $1.05. |
: The elements of this phrase appear in the following order: number, counter, specifier, noun, (in Chinese, units of measure, like , act as counters.) Earlier, you learned phrases whose element a appeared in a different order: specifier, number, counter, noun, ( ). In both cases, the word order for the constructions Is the same in Chinese and English.
three | catties | of | those | small ones |
those | three | catties | of | small ones |
is translated as "those" in the first sentence of exchange 10. Strictly speaking, can refer only to one item, since - is the counter for units. The apples, however, are regarded collectively as one category of things.
: In a price, the word is always used for a "zero" in the dimes position. In , appears in the "dimes" place, so you know that must refer to cents.
9.1.3.9 Notes on №11
11. | B: | |
您还要什么? | ||
What else do you want? | ||
A: | ||
我不要什么了。 | ||
I don't want anything else. |
: The unstressed (and often toneless) word corresponds to the indefinite pronoun "anything" in negative sentences.
You | want | what thing? | I | don't want | anything. |
This construction is commonly used to say "I don't want (I'm not buying, I'm not reading) anything MUCH."
What are you buying? | |
I'm not buying anything much; I'm just buying a newspaper. |
: In the second sentence of exchange 11, new situation is used in a negative sentence. The sentence says that NOW Mr. Andersen does not want anything (while before, of course, he did want things.)
12. | 橘子 | oranges | |
13. | 啤酒 | beer | |
14. | 一块肥皂 | one bar of soap | |
15. | 做买卖 | to do business | |
16. | 大人 | adult | |
17. | 小孩子 | child |
🛈︎
Notes on Additional Required Vocabulary
: In earlier modules, this word would have been written . Starting in the Money Module, the umlaut (") will be written only after n and l, following the normal spelling rule in Pinyin romanization. You will have to remember that the letter u after j, q, x, and y is pronounced as if it were written .
: The counter used for soap is - . It literally means "a lump" but is also translated as a "piece."
, "to do business/trade"
He has come to do business. |
He is already an adult. |
: Although means "child," the expression more commonly used is , literally, "small child."