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- Dialogue and Translation for Exercise 3
- In Běijīng, a S^-year-old man (M) talks with his 23-year-old woman friend (F). They have been close friends for a while.
- M: Xiǎo Lán, jǐntiǎn wǒ bàba zài jiā, wǎnshang dào women jiā chǐ fàn ba! Xiǎo Lán, my father is home today, why don’t you have dinner at our house tonight?
- F: Wǒ bú qù. I’m not going.
- M: Wèishénme? Wǒ bàba rén hěn hǎo, nǐ bú bì dǎnxǐn. Why? My father’s a very good person you don’t have to worry.
- F: Wǒ mā shuō . . . My mother said . . .
- M: Nǐ mā shuō shénme? What did your mother say?
- F: Wǒ mā shuō: nǐ jiā rén duō, nǐ yéye, nǎinai hái zài, xiōngdì jiěmèi hǎojǐgè, jiāli guīju yě bù shǎo, pà wǒ qùle yǐhòu chǐ kǔ. My mother said that you have a big family. Your grandparents are still alive, you have so many brothers and sisters, and your family has such a strict code of behavior, that she was afraid I would have a rough time after I went Ci.e., after I married you and went to live with your family!.
- *shūshufufude, very comfortable
- **yě gāi, really should
- M: Hai, nǐ xiǎngde tài duō le, wo nainai guòqǔ zuò érxífude shihou chǐguo hěn duō kǔ, suōyǐ tā duì wō mama tèbié hǎo, nǐ xiǎng wǒ nǎinai, wǒ mama tāmen zěnme huì rang ni chǐ kǔ ne? Oh come on, you’re thinking too much. Back when my grandmother was a daughter-in-law she had quite a rough time, so she’s particularly good to my mother. Really, how could my grandmother and mother give you a hard time.’
- F: Xiànzài dāngrán hái hǎo, yǐhòu ne? Yídàjiā rén zhǔ zai yíkuàir, shíjiān chángle zǒng shi hěn máfande. Of course it’s okay now, but how about later on? When a large family lives together, it always gets difficult after a while.
- M: Zhèi yidiǎn wǒ yě xiǎngdàole, niánji dàle, xiǎngfa youde shihou he niánqīng rén bǔ tài yíyàng, yǐhòu youle fángzi women bānchulai jiu xíng le. I’ve thought of that too. When people get older, their way of thinking is sometimes kind of different from young people. Afterwards when we get a place Cof our own] we’ll move out, and then it will be all right.
- F: Shénme shíhour cái néng yǒu fángzi ne? And when will we be able to get a place to live?
- M: Bié jí, wǒ xiǎng bǔ huì děng hěn cháng shíjiānde. Don’t worry, I don’t think we’ll have to wait too long.
- F: Èng. Mm.
- M: Nàme, jīntiān wǎnshang dào women jiā qu, hǎo ma? Then, how about going to our house tonight?
- F: Mm . . . Jīntiān wǎnshang dōu yǒu shéi? Mm . . . Who’s going to be there tonight?
- M: Zhǐ yǒu wǒ bàba, māma, hé wǒ, xiōngdì jiěmèi dōu bǔ zài. Just my father, mother, and I. None of my brothers and sisters will be there.
- F: Nà, yéye, nǎinai ne? What about your grandparents?
- M: Yéye nǎinai hē cháde shihou guòlai zuò yixiar, ránhòu jiu hui tāmen wūzi xiūxi qu le. They’ll come out and sit for a while when we have tea, and then they’ll go back to their room to rest.
- F: Tōuyicì qǔ, wǒ dài diǎnr shénme hǎo a? What should I bring, since this is my first visit?
- M: Shénme dōu bǔ yào dài. Don’t bring anything at all.
- *Fángzi here refers to any type of housing, including an apartment or just a room. The housing situation in Běijīng is so tight that this couple will probably have to wait months to get one room.
- F: Na zěnme xíng? Tǐngshuō nǐ yéyede zì xiěde hěn hǎo a? How can I do that? I hear your grandfather is very good at writing characters?
- M: Shǐ a, zěnme la? That’s right. Why?
- F: Wǒ hàha you yítǎo shǒuchāode Si Shū, song gěi nǐ yéye hǎo hu hǎo? My father has a handwritten copy of the Four Books. How about if I give it to your grandfather?
- M: Na tài hǎo le. That would be great.
- F: Wǒ hui jiā shōushi yixiar jiu lái. I’m going to go home now to straighten up a bit and then I’ll be right there.
- M: Děng yihuǐr wǒ lái jiē ni a.’ I’ll come and get you in a while.’
- B: Èi! Okay.’
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