Dialogue and Translation for Exercise 2

A young woman named Gāo Xiǎohuá works at a factory in Shànghǎi and attends the factory’s evening university. One afternoon her teacher (A) at the university pays a visit to Gāo Xiǎohuá*s mother, Fāng Bǎolán (B).

-   A: Nǐ shi Fāng Bǎolán Tongzhì

ma?

-   B: Shi. Nín guìxìng?

-   A: Wǒ xing Liu, shi Gāo Xiǎohuá

Tongzhì zài yèdàde lǎoshī.

-   B: Ou, shi Xiǎohuáde lǎoshī.

Kuài qǐng jìnlai zuò.

Are you Comrade Fāng Bǎolán?

Yes. May I ask your name?

My name is Liú. I’m Comrade Gāo Xiǎohuá*s teacher at the evening
university.

Oh, Xiǎohuá*s teacher! Please come in and sit down.

(Gāo sits down and Fāng brings some tea.)

-   B: Liu Lǎoshī, Xiǎohuá zài yèdà

zěnmeyàng a?

-   A: Xiǎohuá hěn yònggōng, xuéxide

hěn hǎo. Kěshi wǒ zǒng juéde Xiǎohuá shēntǐ bú gòu hǎo. Měitiān dōu
hǎoxiàng hěn lèi, shi bu shi shuìde bú gòu?

-   B: Yidiǎnr dōu bú cuò, shi

xiūxide bú gòu. Zhèi háizi měitiān huílai niàn shū dōu děi niàn dao
liǎng-sāndiǎn zhōng.

-   A: Xiànzàide niánqīng rén zhèi

yang niàn shū shi you yuányīnde.

-   B: Shéi shuō bú shi ne? Shínián

lái xuéxiàode qíngxing tài bú xiàng huà le. Nèi shihou háizi-men
niànbuliǎo shū, cānjiāle Hōngwèibīng, yìtiān dào wǎn zài wàibiānr pǎolai
pǎoqù, shénme yě méi xuéhuì. Xiànzài cānjiāle gōngzuò, zài bú niàn shū,
zěnme néng bǎ gōngzuò zuòhǎo ne?

-   A: Kěshi, shíniánde shū bú shi

shítiān bànyuè* kéyi niànwánde.

How is Xiǎohuá doing in the evening university, Teacher Liú?

Xiǎohuá is very hardworking and does very well in her studies, but it
does seem to me that her health is not good enough. She seems tired
every day. Is it because she doesn’t get enough sleep?

Absolutely right. She doesn’t get enough rest. Every day the child comes
home and studies until two or three o’clock.

There’s a (good) reason for the way young people study now.

That’s for sure! For the past ten years conditions in the schools have
been unspeakable. During that time, students couldn’t study. They joined
the Red Guards and were out running around from morning till night. They
didn’t learn a thing. Now that they are participating in work, if they
go on without studying, how can they do their work well?

But you can’t complete ten years of study in ten days or half a month.

’This is an idiom for a short time.”

Women zuò lǎoshǐde, zuò fùmǔde hái děi bǎohù tāmende jiànkāng. Bù neng
ràng tāmen tài lèi le. Nǐmen Xiǎohuá měitiān yídìng yào zǎo diǎnr xiūxi.

-   B: Zhēn xièxie nín. Nín huíqu

yǐhòu yě tì wǒmen xièxie gōngchǎng he yèdàde lǐngdǎo.

-   A: Bú kèqi. Zhèixiē dōu shi wǒmen

yínggāi zuòde.

-   B: Wǒ yě huì zhàogu Xiǎohuá, ràng

tā hǎohāor gōngzuò, hǎohǎor xuéxi.

-   A: Hǎo, wǒ zǒu le. Zàijiàn!

-   B: Zàijiàn! You kòngr lái zuò a!

Those of use who are teachers and parents still must protect their
health. We can't let them get too tired. Your Xiǎohuá must go to bed
earlier.

Thank you very much. When you get back, thank the leadership at the
factory and the evening university.

Not at all. All this is what we should be doing.

And I’ll take care of Xiǎohuá, and see that she works well and studies
well.

All right. I’ll be on my way. Good-bye.

Good-bye. When you have time, come over and sit a while.