Dialogue and Translation for Exercise U

Conversation between a grandmother and granddaughter in Běijīng.

A:	Xiǎo Yun na.’ Bādiǎn ban le, hai bu qǐlai.’		Xiǎo Yun! It’s half past eight, aren’t you getting up!
B:	Nǎinai, jintiān shi Xīngqītiān, rang rénjia duō shuì yihuǐr ma.’		Grandma, today’s Sunday. Let me sleep a little later!
A:	Xiǎnzǎide niánqīng rén zhēn you fūqi, shuì dao bādiǎn ban hái bu xiǎng qǐ. Women zuò érxífu-de shihou, wǔdiǎn zhōng jiu děi qǐlai, zuò quánjiā rénde zǎofǎn le, nǎr néng shuì dao bādiǎn ban?!		Young people today are so fortunate. They sleep until eight-thirty and still don’t want to get up. When we were daughters-in-law, we had to get up at five o’clock and make breakfast for the whole family. Who could sleep until eight-thirty!
B:	Nà dōu shi guǒqùde shir le!		Those are all things of the past!
A:	Shi a. Guǒqùde shi, zhēn shi méi bǎnfar shuō. Wǒ gēn nǐ yéye jiēhūnde shihou, nǐ yéye Jiā hěn you qián, yě you bù shǎo tǔdì, wǒmen jiāli méi shenme cáichǎn, dǎole rénjia jiāli, yídàjiā rén dōu kǎnzhe wǒ zhèige xīn láide érxífu. Zěnme ban ne? Wǒ zhī-hǎo zuǒle zhèiyangr zuǒ nèi-yangr*, yìtiān dǎo wǎn méiyou tíngde shihou. Ai! Xìngkuī nǐ yéye shi ge hao rén, wode rìzi cái hǎo guò yidiǎnr.		Yes. The things of the past are really sad to recall. When I married your grandfather, his family was rich and had a lot of land. Our family didn’t have much property. When I arrived in his household, everyone in that huge family stared at me, the new daughter-in-law. What could I do? Just keep slaving away. I didn’t stop the whole day long. (Sigh) It’s a good thing your grandfather was a good man; that’s the only thing that made life a little easier.

* zuǒle zhèiyangr zuǒ nèiyangr:	’’After having done this thing, do that thing, i.e., do one task after another.

B:	Xiànzài bù tong le, xiànzài niánqīng rén jiéhūn yīhòu hú yòng zài dǎnxǐn zhèixiē le.		Things are different now. Now young people don’t have to worry about that sort of thing after they get married.
A:	Kěshi guīju háishi děi you a! Dei you lǐmào, jiǎli lǎorén dōu qǐlai le, nǐ hái shuì zài chuángshang, nà zěnme xíng?		But you still have to have standards of conduct! You have to have manners. If the old people in the family are up and you’re still in hed sleeping, is that any way to act?
B:	Hǎo le, hǎo le, nǎinai, wǒ mǎ- shàng jiu qǐlai le. Nī tīng, shéi zài qiǎo men na?!		Okay, okay, grandma. I’ll get up right away. Listen, who’s knocking at the door?.’
A:	Hái wen shenme?’ Hái hu shi nīde péngyou lái le.		You have to ask? It’s your friend, of course.
B:	Láojià, láojià, hǎo nǎinai, nín qù kǎi mén ha, wǒ kuài hǎ wūzi shōushi yixiar.		Oh, please, please, would you go get the door, dear grandma? I’ll straighten the room real quickly.
A:	Hǎo hǎo hǎo, wǒ jiù qù, kuài shōushi ha!		Okay, I’ll get it right away. You hurry and straighten up.

*Hái, still is used in rhetorical questions; here it implies The answer to your question is so obvious, why are you still asking? Shénme, here in the neutral tone, means why, what for rather than what.

*Hái bu shi is used in rhetorical questions; literally, it means, Is it not still (a case of...), or in more colloquial English, Could it be anything but.... Here, it is best translated as of course.

*hǎo nǎinai:	A rather theatrical, humorously cajoling form of address, dear grandma. The girl uses this term in order to get her grandmother to do her the favor of answering the front door.