FSI-Chinese/OptionalModule-MBD/FSI-StandardChinese-OptionalModuleMBD-StudentText.txt

FSI - Standard Chinese - Optional Module MBD - Student Text
Foreign Service Institute

STANDARD CHINESE A Modular Approach

OPTIONAL MODULE:

Customs Surrounding

Marriage, Birth and Death

SPONSORED BY AGENCIES OF

THE UNITED STATES AND CANADIAN GOVERNMENTS

This publication is to be used primarily in support of training military
personnel as part of the Defense Language Program (resident and
nonresident). Inquiries concerning the use of materials, including
requests for copies, should be addressed to:

Defense Language Institute

Foreign Language Center Nonresident Instruction Division Presidio of
Monterey. CA 93940

Topics in the areas of politics, international relations, mores, etc.,
which may be considered as controversial from some points of view are
sometimes included in language training for DLIFLC students, since
military personnel may find themselves in positions where clear
understanding of conversations or written material of this nature will
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Language Institute, or of the Department of Defense.

In DLIFLC publications, the words “he," “him," and “his” denote both
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translations of foreign language texts.

STANDARD CHINESE: A MODULAR APPROACH

OPTIONAL MODULE: CUSTOMS SURROUNDING MARRIAGE, BIRTH AND DEATH

Before starting the MBD Module, you should have at least completed the
Arranging a Meeting Module.

August 1979

PREFACE

Standard. Chinese: A Modular Approach originated in an
interagency-conference held at the Foreign Service Institute in August
1973 to address the need generally felt in the U.S. Government language
training community for improving and updating Chinese materials to
reflect current usage in Taipei and in Peking.

The conference resolved to develop materials which were flexible enough
in form and content to meet the requirements of a wide range of
government agencies and academic institutions.

A Project Board was established consisting of representatives of the
Central Intelligence Agency Language Learning Center, the Defense
Language Institute, the State Department’s Foreign Service Institute,
the Cryptologic School of the National Security Agency, and the U.S.
Office of Education, later joined by the Canadian Forces Foreign
Language School. The representatives have included Arthur T. McNeill,
John Hopkins, and John Boag (CIA); Colonel John F. Elder, III, Joseph C.
Hutchinson, Ivy Gibian, and Major Bernard Muller-Thym (DLl); James R.
Frith and John B. Ratliff, III (FSl); Kazuo Shitama (NSA); Richard T.
Thompson and Julia Petrov (OE); and Lieutenant Colonel George Kozoriz
(CFFLS).

The Project Board set up the Chinese Core Curriculum Project in 197^+ in
space provided at the Foreign Service Institute. Each of the six U.S.
and Canadian government agencies provided funds and other assistance.

Gerard P. Kok was appointed project coordinator, and a planning council
was formed consisting of Mr. Kok, Frances Li of the Defense Language
Institute, Patricia O’Connor of the University of Texas, Earl M.
Hickerson of the Language Learning Center, and James Wrenn of Brown
University. In the Fall of 1977» Lucille A. Barale was appointed deputy
project coordinator. David W. Dellinger of the Language Learning Center
and Charles R. Sheehan of the Foreign Service Institute also served on
the planning council and contributed material to the project. The
planning council drew up the original overall design for the materials
and met regularly to review their development.

Writers for the first half of the materials were John H. T. Harvey,
Lucille A. Barale and Roberta S. Barry, who worked in close cooperation
with the planning council and with the Chinese staff of the Foreign
Service Institute. Mr. Harvey developed the instructional formats of the
comprehension and production self-study materials, and also designed the
communicationbased classroom activities and wrote the teacher’s guides.
Lucille A. Barale and Roberta S. Barry wrote the tape scripts and the
student text. By 1978 Thomas E. Madden and Susan C. Pola had joined the
staff. Led by Ms. Barale they have worked as a team to produce the
materials subsequent to Module 6.

All Chinese language material was prepared, or selected by Chuan 0.
Chao, Ying-chi Chen, Hsiao-jung Chi, Eva Diao, Jan Hu, Tsung-mi Li, and.
Yunhui C. Yang, assisted, for part of the time by Chieh-fang Ou Lee,
Ying-ming Chen, and Joseph Yu Hsu Wang. Anna Affholder, Mei-li Chen,
and. Henry Khuo helped in the preparation of a preliminary corpus of
dialogues.

Administrative assistance was provided at various times by Vincent
Basciano, Lisa A. Bowden, Beth Broomell, Jill W. Ellis, Donna Fong,
Judith J. Kieda, Renee T. C. Liang, Thomas Madden, Susan C. Pola, and
Kathleen Strype.

The production of tape recordings was directed by Jose M. Rann'T-P?. of
the Foreign Service Institute Recording Studio. The Chinese script was
voiced by Ms. Chao, Ms. Chen, Mr. Chen, Ms. Diao, Ms. Hu, Mr. Khuo, Mr.
Li, and Ms. Yang. The English script was read by Ms. Barale, Ms. Barry,
Mr. Basciano, Ms. Ellis, Ms. Pola, and Ms. Strype.

The graphics were produced by John McClelland of the Foreign Service
Institute Audio-Visual staff, under the general supervision of Joseph A.
Sadote, Chief of Audio-Visual.

Standard Chinese: A Modular Approach was field-tested with the
cooperation of Brown University, the Defense Language Institute, the
Foreign Service Institute, the Language Learning Center, the United
States Air Force Academy, the University of Illinois, and the University
of Virginia.

The Defense Language Institute printed the preliminary materials used
for field testing and has likewise printed this edition.

Carnes R. Frith, Chairman

Chinese Core Curriculum Project Board

CONTENTS

OBJECTIVES

UNIT 1 Part I

Part II

Part III

Vocabulary

UNIT 2 Part I

Part II

Vocabulary

UNIT 3 Part I

Part II

Vocabulary

UNIT 1+ Part I

Part II

Vocabulary

UNIT 5 Part I

Part II

Vocabulary

UNIT 6 Part I

Part II

Vocabulary

APPENDIX Unit Vocabulary Characters

OBJECTIVES

General

The purpose of the Module on Customs Surrounding Marriage, Birth and Death is to furnish you with the linguistic skills and cultural Background information you need to take part in conversations about changing attitudes and practices with regard to courtship, marriage, birth, divorce, death and funerals in China, and to conduct yourself in a culturally appropriate manner when you come in contact with Chinese people at the time of one of these significant events in their lives.

Before starting the MBD module, you should have at least completed the Arranging a Meeting Module. You may, of course, use this module at any later point in the course.

Specific

When you have finished this module, you should be able to:

Ask about the age when most people get married.

Ask about how a wedding is celebrated and what differences there are in marriage practices between the city and the country.

Ask about the current local customs regarding gifts for weddings, births, and funerals.

Ask about the frequency of divorce.

Talk about the functions and statuses of the people who play a role in arranging a present-day traditional marriage.

Ask questions about the bride, the groom, and the ceremony in a modern-day wedding.

Ask about population control efforts, changes in population control policy, restrictions on young people having children, what factors are taken into consideration in family planning, and how old most couples are when they have children.

Congratulate a new mother. Ask about a new-born infant’s health, appetite, and weight, and describe the baby in terms of traditional values.

Talk about the traditional beliefs and practices with regard to the mother's health before and after giving birth.

Present condolences to someone whose relative has died, comfort and express concern for that person.

Ask, after deciding if appropriate, about the circumstances of the death and the funeral.

Apologize for not being able to attend a funeral.

Ask what attire and behavior are appropriate when attending a funeral.

Customs Surrounding

Marriage, Birth, and Death: Unit 1

PART I

1.	Zhōngguo zhèngíu shì bu shi tíchàng niánqīng rén wǎn jiéhūn?	Does the Chinese government advocate that young people marry late?
2.	Zhèngfǔ tíchàng wǎnliàn wǎnhūn.	The government advocates late involvement and late marriage.
3.	Nèige qīngnián, gōngzuò hěn nǔlì.	That young person is very hardworking.
4.	Nóngcūn niánqīng rén yě shíxíng wǎnhūn ma?	Do the young people in the countryside also practice late marriage?
5.	Wǎnhūn yǐjīng chéngle yìzhǒng fēngqì.	Late marriage has already become a common practice for young people.
6.	Xiǎo Lǐ hé tǎ liàn’ài hěn jiǔ le, kěshi yìzhí bú yào jiéhūn.	Xiǎo Lǐ has been in love with her for a long time, but he’s never wanted to get married.
7.	Zhège xiǎo chéngshì kě piàoliang le!	Boy, is this little town pretty!

NOTES ON PART I

Notes on No. 1

tíchàng: “to advocate, to promote, to initiate, to recommend, to encourage”

Zhè shi shéi tíchàngde?	Who advocates this?

nianqīng: “to be young” (literally “years-light” or “years green”. There are two different characters with the same sound used for the second syllable.)

Tā zhènme niánqīng, zhènme piàoliang!	She’s so young and so beautiful!
Wǒ niánqīngde shíhou, bù xǐhuan kàn shū.	When I was young, I didn’t like to read.
Zhèixiē niǎnqīng rén dōu ài kàn diànyǐng.	These young people all love to go to the movies.
Nèige niánqǐngde Zhōngguo rén, Yīngwén shuōde bú cuò.	That young Chinese person speaks pretty good English.

jiéhūn: “to get married”, also pronounced jiēhūn. Notice that in Chinese you talk of “getting married”, while in English we talk of “being married”. And it follows grammatically that jiéhūn is a process verb, not a state verb. Jiéhūn will always be seen with an aspect marker such as le or will be negated with méi.

Tāmen jiéhūnle méiyou?	Have they gotten married yet? (This is the equivalent of ’Are they married?)
Nǐ jiéhūn duó jiǔ le?	How long have you been married?

Jiéhūn is a verb-object compound, literally meaning “to knot marriage”. Jié and hūn can be separated by aspect markers, such as de or guo.

Nǐ shi shénme shíhou jiéde hūn?	When did you get married?
or 
Nǐ shi shénme shíhou jiéhūnde?
Wang Xiānsheng jiéguo sāncì hūn.	Mr. Wang has been married three times.

To say ’get married to someone’ use the pattern gēn ... jiéhūn.

Tā gēn shéi jiéhūn le?	To whom did he get married?

Note on No. 2

wǎnliàn wǎnhūn: “late involvement and late marriage”. Wǎnliàn is an abbreviation for wan liàn’ài, “mature love”, (liàn’ài means “romantic love, courtship”), and wǎnhūn is an abbreviation for wǎn jiéhūn, “late marriage”. This policy has been promoted since the 1960s, but only actively enforced since the 1970s. It is difficult to generalize about the required minimum marriage ages, as they differ from city to city and might be nonexistant in certain rural and national minority areas, where the government is trying to increase the population. The minimum age has been progressively raised over the years, until 1978 when the rules were eased a bit. In general, if the combined ages of the couple exceeds fifty years (or the female’s age exceeds the male’s), then the marriage is allowable.

Note on No. 3

qīngnián: “youth, young person”. Do not confuse this noun with the adjectival verb niánqīng, “to be young”. (See Notes on No. 1)

Zhèiwèi qīngnián lǎoshī yīnggāi dào dàxué qù jiāo shū.	This young teacher should go to a university to teach.

In this sentence, the noun qīngnián is used to modify the noun lǎoshī, “teacher”.

A:	Wǒ jìde sānshinián yīqián nǐ tèbié ài chī táng.	I remember that thirty years ago you especially loved to eat candy.
B:	Shì a, nèi shíhou wǒmen dōu háishi qīngnián. Xiànzài lǎo le, yá bù xíng le.	Yes. Back then we were all young people. Now I’m old, and my teeth aren’t good any more.

nǔlì: “to be hardworking, to diligent”, or as an adverb, “diligently,be hard”.

Tā suīrán hen nǔlì, kěshi tāde Yīngwen háishi bù xíng.	Although he’s very hardworking, his English is still not good enough.
Wǒ děi nǔlì xué Zhōngwén.	I have to study Chinese very hard.

Notes on No. 4

nongcūn: “rural areas, countryside, village”.

Nóngcūnde kōngqì bǐ chéngli hǎoduō le.	The air in the country is much better than in the city.
Tāmen Jiā zài nongcūn zhù.	Their family lives in the country.

shíxíng: “to practice, to carry out (a method, policy, plan, reform)”.

Nǐ zhèige jìhua hěn hǎo, kěshi wǒ xiǎng bù néng shíxíng.	This plan of yours is very good, but I don’t think it can be carried out.
Zhèige bànfa yǐjīng shíxíngle sānge xīngqīle, kěshi jiéguǒ bù hǎo.	This method has been in practice for three weeks, but the results aren’t good.

Notes on No. 5

chéng: “to constitute, to make, to become”.

Tǎde xuéxí yìzhí hěn hǎo, bìyè yǐhòu ānpai gōngzuò bù chéng wèntí.	His studies have been good all along, so after he graduates, setting up a job for him won’t constitute a problem.
Wǒde nǚer xiànzài chéngle jiějie, tǎ zhēn xǐhuan tāde xiǎo mèimei.	My daughter has become an older sister. She really likes her little sister.

fēngqì: “established practice, custom; general mood”.

Xiànzài yǒu bù shǎo qīngnián bú yào zài shāngdiànli mài dōngxi, zhèizhǒng fēngqì zhēn bù hǎo.	There are a lot of young people now who don’t want to sell things in shops. This practice is really bad.
Xiànzài zài Zhōngguo, yòu yǒule niàn shūde fēngqì.	Now in China there is again a general atmosphere of study.

Notes on No. 6

hé: “with”. You have seen he used between two nouns or pronouns as a conjunction meaning “and”. Here you see it used as a prepositional verb meaning “with”. The word gēn, which you have seen, also has both meanings, “and” and “with”.

Formerly, gēn was the most frequently used word for “with” or “and” in the Mandarin spoken in North China, and he was more often written. But he has come into wide conversational use in pùtōnghuà. In addition to this variation, school children in Taiwan are sometimes taught to say hàn instead of he, which is the same character with another pronunciation.

Generally speaking, if you use hé or gēn you should not have any problem being understood by any speaker of Standard Chinese.

liàn'ài: “to fall in love, to be in love; romantic love, courtship”. This is the socially acceptable way to describe a romantic relationship between two people. Notice that liàn'ài can be used both as noun and as a verb. (Liàn’ài is written with an apostrophe to show where the syllable division is: liàn ài, not lià nài.)

Tǎmen liàn’àile hǎojinián le.	They’ve been in love for quite a few years now.
Tǎmen xiànzài kǎishǐ liàn’ài le.	They’ve just started to fall in love.

Womende liàn’ài zhī you sāntiǎn, jiù bù xíng le.	Our love is only three days old and already it’s over.

The noun liàn’ài is often used in the phrase tán liàn’ài, “to be romantically involved” or more literally “to talk of love”.

Tāmen liāngge tán liàn’ài yǐjīng tánle hěn jiǔ le.	The two of them have been in love for quite a while now.
Wo méiyou hé tā tán liàn’ài.	I’m not in love with her.

In China young people tend to go out in groups. When two people are seen going out alone, then it is assumed that they have serious intentions for the future.

Notes on No. 7

kě: “really, certainly”. This is an adverb which intensifies state verbs. Kě can be used before a negative.

Tāmen liǎngge kě hǎo le!		The two of them are very good friends.
Kě bú shi ma!		Isn’t that so! (Really! or No kidding!)
Nà kě bù xíng!		That really won’t do!
Nà kě bú shì yíjiàn hǎo shi.		That’s really not a good thing.
Nǐ kě yào xiǎoxīn!		You’ve got to be careful!

Although some Chinese are fond of using the word kě, to other Chinese it may sound too full of local color with which they do not identify.

Peking:

An American exchange student talks with her language teacher. They are both in their late twenties.

A: Wo jide shàngcì nǐ shuō nǐ èrshibásuì le, hái méiyou jiéhūn.	I remember last time you told me that you're twenty-eight years old and you're not married yet.

B: Duì.	Right.

A: Wǒ yìzhí xiǎng wènwen ni, Zhōngguo niánqīng rén hǎoxiàng sānshisuì zuǒyòu cái jiéhūn, shi bu shi?	I've been meaning to ask you all along, it seems as if young people in China don't get married until they're about thirty, is that so?

B: Duì le. Women qīngnián you hen duō shi yào zuò. Yào nǔlì gōngzuò, nǔlì xuéxí, bú yào zǎo jiehūn! Zhèngfǔ yě tíchàng wǎnliàn wǎnhūn. Zài chéngshì-li niánqīng rén dōu zài èrshi-wǔliùsuì yīhòu cái jiehūn.	Right. We young people have a lot of things we have to do. We have to work hard and study hard; we shouldn't get married early.' The government also promotes late involvement and late marriage. In the city, young people don't get married before the age of twenty-five or twenty-six.
A: Nongcūnlǐde niánqīng rén yě shíxíng wǎnhūn ma?	Do the young people in the rural areas practice late marriage too?

B: Duì, tāmen yě shíxíng wǎnhūn. Zài nongcūn, wǎn liàn'ài wǎn jiéhūn yǐjīng chéngle yìzhǒng xīn féngqì. Wǒ you yíge zài Bǒijīng jiāoqū gōngzuòde péngyou xià lǐbài jiehūn, nǐ yào bu yao hé wo yìqǐ qù kàn-kan? Wǒ gěi ni ānpai yixiar.	Yes, they do too. In the rural areas, late involvement and late marriage have already become a new common practice. I have a friend who works in the suburbs of Peking who's getting married next week. Do you want to go see it with me? I'll arrange it for you.

A: Hǎojíle. Nà kǒ zhēn you yìsi, gang dào zhèr jiù you zhènme yíge hǎo jīhui.	Great. That would really be interesting. And such a good opportunity so soon after getting here.


NOTE ON THE DIALOGUE

...zài èrshiwǔliǔsuì yǐhòu cái jiéhūn: This is quite a change from Imperial times, when females might be married off at age thirteen and males at age six so as to insure the family fortunes or fend off economic difficulties later. Nontheless, regulations are less strict in the countryside today, where one can marry perhaps at age twenty.
PART II

8.		Xiànzài Zhōngguo rén jiēhūn you shénme yíshì?	What kind of ceremony do the Chinese have when they get married now?

9.	A:	 Nǐ jiehūn de shíhou nǐde qǐnqi sònggei ni shénme lǐwù?	What gifts did your relatives give you when you got married?

	B:	 Tāmen sònggei wo yìxiē xiǎo lǐwù zuò jìniàn.	They gave me a few small presents as mementos.

10.	 A:	 Xǔduō nan qīngnián jiehūn yǐhòu zhùdao nuj iār qu.	Many young men now go and live with the wife’s family after they get married.

	A:	 Zhè gēn yǐqiánde fēngsū you hen dàde qūbié.	This is very different from the customs of the past.

	B:	 Ke bú shi ma! Zhēnshi gǎi-biànle bù shǎo.	I’ll say! It’s really changed a lot.

11.		 Ěrqiě zài nóngcūn yě shíxíng wǎnhūn.	Furthermore, late marriage is also practiced in rural areas.

NOTES ON PART II

Notes on No. 8

yíshì: ’ceremony, function’ This can be used to refer to a range of different ceremonies, from the signing of a treaty or agreement to the taking of marital vows.

In old China, marriages were celebrated extravagantly. It was not uncommon to find families going into debt because of the joyous occasion, which marked a new generation added to the family line. This elaborate ritual served to strengthen familial bonds and the newlyweds’ feeling of obligation owed to the family.

In PRC cities of today, lack of extra money and coupons to purchase food for guests, celebration space, and free time for preparation limit the celebration often to procedural formality alone—registration with the local police bureau. Wedding dinners may still be enjoyed in the countryside, where there are fewer restrictions on time and food.

Notes on No. 9

qǐnqi: ’relatives* Qǐnqi is slightly different from the English word ’relatives’ in that it does not include one’s immediate family, that is parents or children, but is used to refer to all other relatives. (One’s immediate family are called Jiāli rén.)

Nǐmen Jiā qīnqi duō ma?		 Do you have a lot of relatives in your family?

Women Jiā qinqi kě duō le!		 We have lots of relatives in our family.

sǒnggei: ’give (a gift) to ...’ The verb song has several meanings. One is ’to send’, as in Wǒ bā nǐde xíngli sòngshangqu le, ’I sent your luggage upstairs.’ Another is to give someone something as a present.

Here you see song with the prepositional verb gěi ’for, to’ after it. You have also seen Jiāogei, ’to hand over to ..., to submit to...’. When gěi is used after the main verb as a prepositional verb, it must be followed by the indirect object, that is, the person or thing to whom something is given. Gěi can also be used this way with jì ’to send’, and mǎi ’to sell’.

Wǒ bǎ zhèijiǎn yīfu Jìgei wǒ mèimei le.		I sent this piece of clothing to my younger sister.

Tā bǎ fángzi màigei wǒ le.		 He sold his house to me.

In these examples the direct object, clothing or house, is up front in the sentence, making it necessary to use gěi to put the indirect object after the main verb. This usually happens in sentences where the object is specific and the bǎ construction is preferred. When song is followed by an indirect object, however, the gěi is usually optional.

Wǒ yǎo song ta yíge xiǎo lǐwù.		 I am going to give him a small present.

Wǒ yǎo sǒnggei ta yíge xiǎo lǐwù.		I am going to give him a small present.

...sǒnggei ni shénme lǐwù?: Wedding gifts for friends and relatives in the PRC are generally ’’useful’’ items. Common among these are nuǎnpíng, hot water Jugs; huāpíng, vases; tǎidēng, table lamps; bǐ, pens; liánpěn, wash basins; or cānjù, kitchen items.

zuǒ: ’to act as, to serve as’. Tǎmen sǒnggei wo yìxiē xiǎo lǐwù zuǒ Jìniǎn. is literally ’They gave me a few small presents to serve as mementos.’

Zhèige xuéxiǎo bìyède xuésheng, A lot of students who graduated from hěn duō dōu zuǒ lǎoshī le. this school have become teachers.

Yǒng zhèiběn xǐn shū zuò lǐwù, Would it be okay to use this new hǎo bu hǎo? book as a present?

Zuò, ’to act as, to serve as’ is often seen used with yòng, ’to use’ as in the example above, yòng ... zuò ..., ’to use (something) as (something) else’.

jìniàn: ’memento, remembrance; to commemorate’.

Wǒ gěi ta yìzhang zhàopiàn zuò I’ll give him a photo as a memento, jìniàn.

Notes on No. 10

xǔduō: ’many; a great deal (of), lots (of)’. Xǔduō is used as a number (it can be followed by a counter) to modify other nouns.

A: Hai you duōshao qián?

B: Hái you xǔduō.

Tā mǎile xǔduō (zhang) huàr.

How much money is there left?

There’s still a lot left, or There’s a lot more.

He bought a lot of paintings.

Xǔduō has several things in common with hen duō, in addition to similarity of meaning. Used as modifiers in front of nouns, both xǔduō and hen duō can (1) be used alone, (2) be used with de, and (3) be followed by a counter, but not usually -ge.

Tā rènshi xǔduō rén.

Tā rènshi hen duō rén.

He knows a lot of people.

Tā Jiànle xǔduō(de) rén.

Tā Jiànle hen duō(de) rén.

He saw (met with) a lot of people.

Bìchǔli you hen duō (jiàn) dàyī.

There are a lot of overcoats in the closet.

Tā xiěle xǔduō (běn) shū.

He wrote a lot of books.

Hen duō is probably more common than xǔduō. Some speakers feel that they do not use xǔduō in conversation; many speakers, however, do not feel any restriction about using it in conversation.

...zhùdao nǔjiār qu: ’to go live with the wife's family' You've seen the prepositional verb dào used after main verbs, as in nádao loushàng qu, 'take it upstairs'. Following verbs expressing some kind of motion, the use of dào is fairly straightforward. But in the above example from the Reference List, dào is used with a verb which is not usually thought of as expressing motion, zhù, 'to live, to inhabit'. Here is another example of zhù used in a phrase expressing motion:

Tā shi zuotiān zhùjinlaide. He moved in yesterday.

The verbs zhàn ’to stand’ and zuò ’to sit’ can also be used in phrases expressing motion.

Qǐng ni zhàndao nèibianr qu, Would you please go stand over

hao bu hǎo? there.

Qǐng ni zuòdao qiǎnbianr qu, Would you please go sit up

hǎo bu hǎo? front.

Due to the lack of housing, which might involve a wait of from one to three years for newlyweds, it is not infrequent now to find the groom join the household of his new bride. This is in contrast to former tradition, which stated that the woman became part of the man’s family, and of course, moved into his family’s house.

In the past, for the groom to join the household of his new bride carried special significance. It was called rù zhuì and might take place when a family had only female children and the father wanted his daughter’s husband to take his last name in order to carry on the family line.

qūbié: ’difference’ things, use ... gēn ... you qūbié.

Zhèiběn zìdiǎn gēn nèibēn you hen dàde qūbié.

Zhèige xuéxiào gēn nèige xuéxiào you shénme qūbié?

Zhèiliǎngge bànfǎde qūbié zài nǎr?

When expressing the difference between two

There is a big difference between this dictionary and that one.

What is the difference between this school and that one?

What is the difference between these two methods?

Kě bú shi ma*. : ’Yes, indeed’., I’ll say!’, or more literally, ’Isn’t it so’. ’ Kě bú shi ma! is often used in northern China to indicate hearty agreement, or to indicate that something makes perfect sense to the speaker, something like English ’Well, of course!’ or ’Really!’.

bù shǎo: Literally ’not a little’, in other words, ’quite a lot’.

Tā you bù shǎo huà yào gēn ni shuō.

Zài Měiguo bù shǎo rén you qìchē.

érqiě: ’furthermore, moreover’

Jīntiǎn tiānqi bù hǎo, érqiě hǎoxiàng yào xià xuě.

He has a lot he wants to say to you.

In America a lot of people have cars.

The weather is bad today, and furthermore it looks as if it’s going to snow.

Ěrqiě is often used in the pattern bú dan...érqiě "but also...’ or ’not only.. .moreover...’:

’not only. . .

Zhèizhěng huār hú dan hǎo kàn, érqiě fēicháng xiāng.

This kind of flower is not only pretty, but it’s also very fragrant.

Wo bú dan ài chī tang, érqiě shénme tian dōngxi dōu ài chī.

I not only like to eat candy, (moreover) I like to eat anything sweet.

Tā bú dàn xuéguo Zhongwén,

érqiě xuéde bú cuo.

Wo bu dàn méiyou hé tā tan liàn’ài, érqiě wo yě bú dà xīhuan ta.

Not only has he studied Chinese, but moreover he has learned it quite well.

Not only am I not in love with her, moreover I don’t like her very much.

Peking:

The American exchange student and her language teacher continue their
conversation:

A: Zhōngguo rén jiéhūnde shíhou

you shénmeyàngde yíshì?

B: Méiyou shénme yíshì, jiù shi

qǐng qīnqi péngyou lai hē dianr chá, chi diǎnr tang, diānxin, shenmede.

A: Qīnqi péngyou song bu song

lǐwù?

B: Youde rén song yìdianr xiao

lǐwù zuò jìniàn.

A: _(v)Wǒ tīngshuō yǐqián nóngcūnli nūháizi jiéhūnde shíhou, nánjiā yào
song xuduō lǐwù. Zhèige fēngsū shi bu shi yě gǎibiàn le?

B: Shi a! Zhèizhǒng shìqing

zài bù shǎo dìqū dōu méiyou le. Érqiě xiànzài yě yǒude nan qīngnián
jiehūn yǐhòu zhùdao nūjiār qu. Zhèi gēn yīqiánde fēngsū yě you hen dàde
qūbié.

A: Ke bū shi ma’. Zhēn shi

gaibiànle bù shǎo.

What kind of ceremony is there when the Chinese get married?

There is no ceremony, we just invite friends and relatives to come and
have some tea, candy, snacks, and so on.

Do the friends and relatives give gifts?

Some people give small gifts as a memento.

I’ve heard that it used to be that in the country, when a girl got
married, the man’s family would have to give a lot of gifts. Has this
custom changed too?

Yes! In many regions, this kind of thing doesn’t exist any more.
Furthermore, now there are also young men who go to live with the wife’s
family after they get married. This is also very different from the
customs of the past.

I’ll say! It has really changed a lot.

PART III

12. Nǐmen jiéhūn yǐqián shuāngfāng dōu hen liǎoj iě ma?

13. Xiànzài Zhōngguo líhūnde bú tài duō.

14. Nèiduì fūfù bú zài yíge dìqū gōngzuò.

15. Tā meinián you duoshāo tiānde tànqǐnj ià?

16. Fūfù zōngshi něnggōu zài yìqǐ bǐjiào hǎo.

17. A: Tǎmen shi. jǐngguo xiǎngdǎng-de kǎolū yǐhōu cái jié-hūnde.

A; Dànshi bù zhìdào wèishénme, tǎmen haishi you hen duō wèntí.

18. Nǎnnū yīngdǎng bǐcǐ liaojie yǐhōu zài jiehūn.

19. Nǐ xiǎng tǎ huì bu hui bǎng wō jiějué zhèige wèntí?

Before you were married, did you both know each other very well?

There aren’t many people getting divorced in China now.

That married couple doesn’t work in the same region.

How many days of leave does he get every year to visit family?

It’s always better if married couples can be together.

They gave it quite a bit of consideration before they got married.

But for some reason or other they still had a lot of problems.

A man and woman should know each other well before they get married.

Do you think he will help me solve this problem?

NOTES ON PART III

Notes on No. 12

shuāngfāng: ’both sides, both parties’

Zhèijiàn shìqing shi Zhōngguo he Měiguo shuāngfāng dōu zhīdaode.

This matter is known to both America and China.

bǐcǐ: 'the one and the other; each other, mutually’

Suīrān women méiyou shuō huà, kěshi bǐcǐ dōu zhīdao, tāde bìng méiyou
bànfa le.

Although we didn't say anything, we both knew. There was nothing that
could be done for his illness.

Yěude dàxuéshēng xǐhuan zài bìyède shíhou bǐcǐ song lǐwù.

A: Zhōumō hǎo!

B: Bǐcǐ, bǐcǐ!

liǎojiě:

’to understand; to acquaint oneself with,

Some college students like to give each other gifts when graduating.

Have a nice weekend.’

You too!

to try to understand’

Zhèijiàn shi, wo bù dong, hái děi qù liǎojiě yíxià.

Wo liǎojiě ta.

Tǎ juéde tā méiyou yíge péngyou zhěnde liǎojiě tā.

Notice that when you want to say ’to someone’, the Chinese word to use
is to have made someone’s acquaintance)

I don’t understand this, I have to go back and try to understand it
again.

I understand her.

He feels that he doesn’t have a single friend who really knows him. know
someone’ meaning ’to understand liǎojiě, not rènshi (which simply means

Note on No. 13

..■ líhūnde bú tài duo: ’There aren’t many people getting divorced ...
Líhūnde, ’those (people) who get divorced’, is a noun phrase in which
líhūn is nominalized by -de■

Notes on No. 1U

fūfù: ’husband and wife, married couple’.

Tāmen fūfù liāngge dou fēicháng hǎo.

Those two (that couple) are both

very nice.

bú zài yíge dìqū gōngzuò: ’do not work in the same region’. Yíge, ’one’,
is frequently used to mean ’one and the same’. Here are some more
examples:

Women dōu zài yíge xuéxiào niàn shū.

All of us go to the same school.

Tāmen liāngge dōu shi yíge lǎoshī jiāochulaide.

They are both the product of the same teacher.

Note on No. 15

tànqǐnjià: ’leave for visiting family’. Tàn qīn means to visit one’s
closest relatives, usually parents, a spouse, or children.

Míngtiān tā jiù qù Shanghai Tomorrow he’s going to Shanghai to

tan qīn le. visit his family.

Note on No. 16

zǒngshi: ’always, all the time’. This adverb may also occur as zǒng.

Tā zǒngshi ài qù Huáměi He always loves to go to the

kāfēitīng. Huáměi Coffeehouse.

nénggòu: ’can, to he able to’. This is a synonym of něng.

Notes on No. 17

jīngguo: ’to pass by or through, to go through’. Jīngguo can mean 1) to
pass by or through something physically, or 2) to go through an
experience.

Jīngguo zhèicì xuéxí yǐhòu wǒ kě qīngchu duō le.

As a result of this study, I see things a lot more clearly.

Every day on my way home from work I pass by the Bǎihuò Dàlou.

Wǒ měitiān xià bān huí jiāde shíhou, dóu jīngguo Bǎihuò Dàlou
...dōu

jīngguo Baihuò Dàláu.)

Nǐ jīngguo zhèige wūzide shíhou, nǐ méiyou kànjian women zài lǐtou
gōngzuò ma?

When you passed by this room, didn’t you see us working inside?

etc.); considerable, a considerable

His health is quite good.

xiāngdāng: ’quite, pretty (good, degree of’.

Tāde shēntǐ xiāngdāng hāo.

\

kǎolū: ’to consider; consideration’

Wǒ yǐjīng kaoliiguo le, ta I have already given it
consideration

háishi yīnggāi shàng dàxué. he should still go to college.

dànshi: ’but’, a synonym of kěshi.

Wǒ yǐjīng qùguo le, dànshi I already went there, but I didn't

wǒ méiyou kàndao ta. see her.

Notes on No. 18

nánnū: ’male and female’.

Nānnude shìqing zuì nan shuō. Matters "between men and women are the
hardest to judge.

yīngdāng: ’should, ought to’. Yīngdāng is a less-frequently heard word
for yīnggāi. These two words share in common the following meanings:

(1) ’should’ in the sense of obligation or duty.

Zánmen shi tóngzhì, yīngdāng We two are comrades, we should help (or
yīnggāi) bǐcǐ bāngmáng. each other.

(2) ’ought to’ in the sense of ’it would be suitable to’.

Wàitou lěng, nǐ yīnggāi (or It’s cold out, you should put on

yīngdāng) duō chuān yìdiǎnr. some more clothing.

(3) ’should’ in the sense of ’it would be desirable to’.

    Nǐ yīnggāi (or yīngdāng) shìyishi, zhēn hǎo wánr.

    (U) ’should’ in the sense of ’it is

    Shídiǎn zhōng le, tā yīnggāi (or yīngdāng) kuài dào le.

    Tā xué Zhōngwén xuéle sānnián le, yīnggāi xuéde bú cuò le.

    bǐjiào: ’r elat ively,

    comparatively, by

    Jīntiān bǐjiào rè.

    Zhèijiàn yīfu gǎile yǐhòu, bǐjiào hǎo yìdiǎnr.

    Zhèi liǎngtiān tā bǐjiào shūfu yìdiǎnr, bù zěnme fā shāo le.

    You should try this, it’s fun.

    expected’.

    It’s ten o’clock, he should be here soon.

    He’s been studying Chinese for three years, he should be pretty good
    by now.

    comparison’. Also pronounced

    It’s hotter today.

    After this article of clothing is altered, it will be better.

    The past couple of days he’s been feeling better, he doesn’t have
    such a high fever any more.

You may sometimes hear Chinese speakers use bǐj iào before other
adverbial expressions like bú tài ’not too’, bù zěnme ’not so’, bú nàme
’not so’ or hen ’very’. Careful speakers, however, feel that bǐjiào
should not be used in such cases.

Notes on No. 19

huì: ’will; might; be likely to*. The auxiliary verb huì is used to
express likelihood here.

Míngtiān tā huì bu hui lai?

Will he come tomorrow?

Wǒ qù bǎ men guānhǎo, nǐ huì bu hui juéde tài rè?

If I go close the door, will you feel too hot?

jiějué: ’to solve, to settle (a problem), to overcome (a difficulty)’.

Nǐ bú yao jí, qiǎnde wèntí yǐjīng jiějué le.

Don’t get anxious, the problem of money has already been solved.

Washington, D. C.

A graduate student in Chinese studies talks with an exchange student
from Peking.

A: Women rènshi zhǐ you liǎngge

duō xīngqī, kěshi yǐjīng shi lǎo péngyou le.

B: Duì. Women tiǎntiǎn zài

yíkuàir, zhēn hǎoxiàng shi lǎo péngyou le.

A: Wǒ yìzhí xiǎng wènwen ni nǐ

shi shénme shíhour jiéhūnde ne?

B: 0! Wǒ shi qiǎnniǎn jiehūnde.

A: Nǐ èrshibǎsuì le. Nǐ àiren

ne?

B: Tā sānshièr le.

A: Nīmen jiéhūnde shíhou kě bù

xiǎo le’. Zhōngguo nianqīng rén dōu shi zhèige yàngzi ma?

B: Duì le. Zhèngfǔ tíchàng wǎn

liàn wǎnhūn. Nianqīng rén yě dōu yào nǔlì xuéxí, nǔlì gōng-zuò, bú yào
zǎo jiehūn.

A: Chéngshili nude duo da

jiéhūn?

B: Chàbuduō èrshiwǔsuì zuǒyòu.

A: Nǎnde ne?

B: Dàgài èrshibǎsuì zuǒyòu.

A: Jiéhūnde shíhour you shénme-

yàngde yíshì?

B: Méiyou shénme yíshì. Būguò

jiehūn nèitiǎn qīng qīnqi péngyou lai hēhe chǎ, chī diǎnr tang, diǎnxin
shenmede. Yě you rén song diǎnr xiǎo lǐwu zuò

We’ve only known each other for two weeks or so, but we’re old friends
already.

Yes. We’re together every day; it really is as if we’re old friends.

I’ve been meaning to ask you all along when you were married.

Oh. I was married the year before last.

You’re twenty-eight years old. How about your spouse?

He’s thirty-two.

You certainly weren’t young when you were married! Is it this way for
all Chinese young people?

Yes. The government promotes late involvement and late marriage. Also,
all young people should study hard and work hard, and shouldn't get
married early.

At what age do most women get married in the cities?

After about twenty-five.

And men?

After about twenty-eight.

What kind of ceremony is there when someone gets married?

There is no ceremony. But on the day of the marriage relatives and
friends are invited to come and drink tea, eat a little candy, snacks
and so forth. Some people also give a

jìniàn.

A: Nōngcūnlǐde niánqīng rén yě

shíxíng wǎnhūn ma?

B: Duì. Zài nóngcūnli wan

liàn’ài wan jiēhūn yě yǐjīng chéngle yìzhǒng fēngqì.

u

A: Nongcūnli nūháizi jiéhūnde

shíhou nanjia hái yào song xǔduō lǐwù ma?

B: Bú yào le. Érqiě xiànzài you.

xiē nan qīngnián jiēhūn yīhòu hái zhùdao nūjiār qu. Zhè gēn yǐqiánde
fēngsú you hěn dàde qùbié.

A: Kě bú shi ma! Zhēn shi

gǎibiànle bù shǎo.

Xiànzài Zhōngguo líhūnde duō bu duō?

B: You, kěshi bǐjiǎo shǎo.^,

Yīnwei jiēhūn yǐqián nánnū shuāngfāng bǐcǐ bǐjiǎo liǎojiě, you jīngguo
xiāngdāngde kǎolū, suōyi líhūnde bú tài duō.

A: Wǒ t’ngshuō Zhōngguo you

yìxiē fūfù bú zài yíge dìqū gōngzuò, bú zhùzai yíge dìfang, zhè huì bu
hui you wèntí ne?

B: Fūfù bú zài yíge dìfang

gōngzuò, suīrán měinián you bànge yuède tànqīnjià, dànshi hái you hěn
duō bù fāngbiàn. Suóyi wèile ràng tamen gèng hǎode gōngzuò he xuéxí,
yīng-dāng bāng tamen jiějué zhèige wèntí.

A: Duìjíle. Fūfù zǒngshi

nénggòu zài yìqī bǐjiào hǎo.

small gift as a memento.

Do the young people in rural areas also practice late marriage?

Yes. Late involvement and late marriage have already become a common
practice in the rural areas.

In the farm villages does the family of the husband still have to give a
lot of presents when a girl gets married?

Not any more. Furthermore now there are even young men who live with the
wife’s family after they get married. This is very different 'from the
customs of the past.

I’ll say! It’s really changed a lot.

Are there many people who get divorced in China now?

Yes, there are, but relatively few. The man and the woman know each
other rather well before they get married, and they give the matter
quite a bit of consideration, so not too many people get divorced.

I hear there are some couples in China who don’t work in the same place.
Do problems ever come about because of this?

If the husband and wife don’t work in the same place, even though they
get half a month’s leave every year to visit family members, it’s still
very inconvenient. So in order to let them work and study even better,
we should help them solve this problem.

You’re so right. It’s always better if the husband and wife can be
together.

NOTES ON THE DIALOGUE

...nánjia hái yào song xǔduō lǐwù ma?: In traditional China, the groom’s
family gave gifts to the bride’s family to compensate for the loss of
their daughter. (For the loss of the daughter might also entail a
substantial loss of property and servants.) In Taiwan, it is still the
man’s family who in most cases pays for the wedding arrangements. In the
PRC today, these customs no longer exist.

Xiànzài Zhōngguo líhūnde duō bu duō?: Although allowed by law with the
mutual consent of both parties, it is not easy to obtain a divorce in
the PRC. With the exceptions of one party being either politically
questionable or terminally ill, the majority of couples are asked to
resolve their differences via study and group criticism.

...you yìxiē fūfù bú zài yíge dìfang gōngzuò: Many couples still have to
be split up in order for each to have work. (Jobs are arranged for and
assigned by the local government.) This is, of course, a great hardship
since it is improbable that either will be able to arrange a transfer of
job to the other’s work-place. The splits are arranged in order to
increase rural population and provide labor for rural jobs. The partner
left in the city, usually the woman, can go to the countryside to join
her spouse, but rural life is so difficult that this is not likely.

...suǐràn měinián you bànge yuède tànqǐnjià: There are two types of
leave for visiting one’s family in the PRC. One is for unmarried
children to return home to see their parents, the other is for couples
who are assigned to different places for work. These trips are paid for
by one’s work unit (but communes have no family leave provisions). If
the person on leave is working relatively near his home, he is allowed a
fifteen day visit once per year and a worker who is located relatively
far from home can take a thirty day visit once every two years.

Vocabulary

+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| bǐcǐ                              | each other, mutually; you too,    |
|                                   | the same to you                   |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| bǐjiào (bījiǎo)                   | relatively, comparatively;        |
|                                   | fairly, rather                    |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| bú dan bù shǎo                    | not only                          |
|                                   |                                   |
|                                   | quite a lot, quite a few          |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| chéng chéngshì                    | to become, to constitute, to make |
|                                   | city                              |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| dànshi                            | but                               |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| érqiě                             | furthermore                       |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| fēngqì fēngsū fūfù                | common practice; general mood     |
|                                   | custom                            |
|                                   |                                   |
|                                   | married couple, husband and wife  |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| gǎibiàn                           | to change                         |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| he huì                            | with; and                         |
|                                   |                                   |
|                                   | might, to be likely to, will      |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| Jiéhūn (jiehūn)                   | to get married                    |
|                                   |                                   |
| Jiějué^ jingguo jìniàn            | to solve                          |
|                                   |                                   |
|                                   | to go through, to pass by or      |
|                                   | through memento, memorial         |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| kǎolū                             | to consider; consideration        |
|                                   | indeed, really                    |
| kě                                |                                   |
|                                   | I’ll say, yes indeed, that’s for  |
| kě bū shi ma!                     | sure                              |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| liàn’ài                           | to be romantically involved with; |
|                                   | love                              |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| liǎojiě (liáojie) líhūn lǐwù      | to understand; understanding to   |
| (lǐwu)                            | get divorced gift, present        |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| nánjiá(r) nánnu nénggòu niánqīng  | the husband’s family male and     |
| nongcūn nūjiā(r) nǔlì             | female can, to be able to to be   |
|                                   | young rural area, countryside the |
|                                   | wife’s family                     |
|                                   |                                   |
|                                   | to be hardworking, to be          |
|                                   | diligent; diligently, hard        |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+

+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| qīngnián qīnqi qūbié              | youth, young person relatives     |
|                                   |                                   |
|                                   | difference, distinction           |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| shíxíng                           | to practice, to carry out (a      |
|                                   | method, policy, plan, ‘reform,    |
|                                   | etc.)                             |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| shuāngfāng song                   | both sides, both parties to give  |
|                                   | (something as a gift)             |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| tan qīn tànqīn                    | to visit family                   |
|                                   |                                   |
|                                   | to visit relatives (usually means |
|                                   | immediate family)                 |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| tànqīnjià tíchàng                 | leave for visiting family         |
|                                   |                                   |
|                                   | to advocate, to promote, to       |
|                                   | initiate                          |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| wǎnliàn wǎnhūn                    | late involvement and late         |
|                                   | marriage                          |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| xiāngdāng xǔduō                   | quite, pretty, very               |
|                                   |                                   |
|                                   | many; a great deal (of), a lot    |
|                                   | (of)                              |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| yīngdāng yíshì yìzhí              | should, ought to                  |
|                                   |                                   |
|                                   | ceremony                          |
|                                   |                                   |
|                                   | all along, all the time (up until |
|                                   | a certain point)                  |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| zhèngfǔ zhùdao zǒngshi zuò        | government                        |
|                                   |                                   |
|                                   | to move to, to go live at always  |
|                                   |                                   |
|                                   | to serve as, to act as; as        |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+

Customs Surrounding

Marriage, Birth, and Death: Unit 2

PART I

1. Hòutiān shi nǐmen xiao j ie dàxǐde rìzi.

2. Xǐnlāng zài Taiwan Yínháng gōngzuò, rén hěn lāoshi, yě hěn
    shàngjìn.

3. Women Xiùyún gēn tā jiāowǎng yǐjīng yìniánduō le, duì tā hěn
    mǎnyì.

4. A: Nǐmen gěn nánfāngde fùmǔ shóu hu shóu?

B: Bu tài shóu. Kěshi zāo jiù tīngshuōguo.

B: Tǎmen yì lai tíqǐn women

j iù dāying le.

5. A: Tǎmen tánlāi tānqù tánle

hěn jiǔ bù néng juédìng.

A: Kěshi hōulāi haishi wǒ gào-su tamen yīnggāi zěnme bàn.

6. Wǒ nùérde hūnlǐ zài Éméi Cān-tīng jǔxíng.

7. Tīngshuō jiehūn lǐfú shi xīnniāng zìjī zuòde, tā zhēn nénggàn.

8. Wǒ zhù yīyuànde shíhou nǐmen hai song huā lai, ài, zhēn shi tài
    xièxie le.

The day after tomorrow is your daughter’s wedding day.

The bridegroom works at the Bank of Taiwan. He’s very honest and very
ambitious.

Our Xiùyún has been seeing him for over a year now, and she's very
pleased with him.

Did you know the groom's parents very well before?

Not too well. But we'd heard of them long before.

As soon as they came to propose the marriage we agreed to it.

They talked and talked for a long time and couldn't decide.

But later it was I who told them what they should do, after all.

My daughter's wedding will be held at the Omei Restaurant.

I hear that the wedding gown was made by the bride herself. She's really
capable.

When I was in the hospital you even sent flowers. Thanks so much.

NOTES ON PART I

Notes on No. 1

xiáojie: ’daughter’. You have seen xiáojie meanirfg ’Miss’ or ’young
lady’. Here it is used to mean ’daughter'. Note, however, that it is
used only in referring to someone else’s daughter, not in referring to
one’s own daughter(s).

Tā you jǐwèi xiaojie? How many daughters does he have?

Nǐmen xiáojie zhēn piàoliang. Your daughter is really pretty.

Xiáojie, meaning either ’Miss’ or ’daughter’, is not in current usage in
the PRC.

dā xǐde rìzi: ’wedding day’, literally ’hig joyful day’. Xǐ ’to he glad,
joyful’, is used in several expressions having to do with weddings. The
character for xǐ is often used as a decoration. For weddings, two xǐ
characters together are used as a decoration.

Notes on No. 2

ren hen lāoshi: ’he’s very honest’. Ren, ’person’, can he used to refer
to a person’s character. It can he used with a noun or pronoun before
it, for example Tā ren hen lāoshi, literally ’As for him, his person is
very honest’. The wording Tā rén ... is often used to talk about the way
someone truly is:

Tā rén hen āi bāngzhu bié rén.

Liu Xiānsheng rén hen tèbié, shénme shìqing dōu yào wen yige wèishenme.

Tā rén hen kèqi.

Sometimes rén refers to a person’s

Wǒ hēde tài duō, rén hái you dianr bu qǐngchu.

He (is the sort of person who) likes to help others.

Mr. Liu is a different sort of person, he has to ask ’why’ about
everything.

He’s a very polite sort of person.

mental state of being:

I had too much to drink and I’m still a little foggy.

Ren also sometimes refers to a person’s physical self. This meaning is
mostly used in situations where a contrast is implied, something like
’And

as for the person himself, For

Wǒ yìzhí zhǐshi he tā tōng diànhuà, jīntiān zǎoshang, cái dìyīcì jiàn
miàn, tā rén fēichāng piàoliàng.

Tāmen jiéhūn bu dào yíge yuè, xiānsheng jiù dào Jiāzhōu niàn shū qu le,
rén zài Měiguo, xīn zài Tǎiwān, shū zěnme niàndehǎo ne?

Notes on No. 3

jiāowǎng: ’to associate with, t boyfriend-girlfriend relationships.

Wǒ hé tā méiyou shénme tèbiéde jiāowǎng.

example:

All along I had only talked to her over the phone, but this morning I
met her for the first time. She’s very beautiful.

They hadn’t even been married for one month when her husband went to
California to go to school. He was in America, but his heart was in
Taiwan, how could he possibly study well?

have dealings with’, often said of

There’s no special relationship between him and me. (Said by a daughter
in explanation to her mother.)

In the PRC jiāowǎng is not used this way; use rènshi, ’to know (a
person)’ or jiāo péngyou, ’to make friends’ instead. In the PRC, you
will hear jiāowǎng used in phrases such as ’’lǐangguo rénmínde
jiāowǎng”, ’the contact (association) between the peoples of these two
countries’.

Notes on No. U

nánfāng: ’’the bridegroom’s side”, a phrase which often refers to the
bridegroom himself, and sometimes refers to the bridegroom’s family,
relatives, and friends collectively. Nanfāng, ’’the bridegroom’s side”,
happens to be a homonym of nanfāng, ’the South’.

Zhōngguo rén Jiéhūnde shíhou, When Chinese get married, the groom’s
nǎnfāng dà qǐng kè. family hosts a big feast.

V __

Jiéhūn yǐqiǎn nǎnfāng nūfāng Before a marriage, the groom’s side

bǐcǐ song lǐ. and the bride’s side give each

other gifts.

ENūfāng means ’’the bride’s side, referring either to ’’the bride”
herself, or to ’the bride’s family, relatives, and friends
collectively’.]

shou: ’to be familiar with ...’ Also pronounced shú. Shou is used with
hé for people and with duì for places.

Wǒ hé tā hen shou. I know him very well.

Tā duì Tǎiběi hěn shóu.

She knows Taipei very well.

Shóu also means ’to be cooked sufficiently’ and ’to be ripe’.

zǎo: You've learned this as the verb 'to be early' , now you see it used
to mean 'long ago'.

Wǒ zǎo zhǐdào nǐ bù huílai. I knew long ago that you wouldn't

come back.

Wǒ zǎo tīngshuō le. I heard about it long ago.

Zǎo is usually followed by jiù to stress the idea of 'as early as that’.

Wǒ zǎo jiu gaosu tǎ neijian I told him that long ago. (Said to

shi le. correct an impression that he

didn't actually know it so early. )

Wǒ zǎo jiù xiǎng lai kàn ni, I've been meaning to come see you

yìzhí méi shíjiǎn. for a long time, but I never had

the time.

tíqǐn: 'to bring up a proposal of marriage' Traditionally, the man's
parents would visit the parents of the woman they wished their son to
marry in order to bring up the subject of marriage. The situation in
Taiwan is changing rapidly today, but some marriages are still proposed
in this way. More frequently, however, the children simply inform their
parents of their own arrangement.

daying: 'to agree (to something),

Tǎ dǎying gěi wo nèijiàn dōngxi, zěnme tǎ xiànzài you bù gěi le?

Nǐ dǎying ta le, dāngrǎn yīnggāi péi ta qù.

Nǐ dǎying zuòde shi, yídìng yào zuòdào.

Nǐ dāyinglede shi, wèishénme bú zuò?

Nǐ dāyingguode shi, jiù yǐnggǎi zuòdào.

Wǒ méi dǎying gěi ni yíge hùzhào.

Dǎyjng can also mean 'to answer'.

to consent, to promise'

He agreed to give me that thing. How is that now he won't give it to me?

You promised him, of course you should go with him.

You must do what you promise to do.

Why don't you do this thing that you have promised?

You ought to do things that you promise•

I didn't promise to give you a passport.

Tā jiao ni, nǐ zěnme méi dāying?

He called you, how come you didn’t answer?

Notes on No. $

tánlai tánqù: ’to talk over’.

Tánlai tánqù, yě bù néng jiějué We discussed it for a long time, but

zhèige wèntí.

still couldn’t solve the problem.

Tánlai tánqù, tánde hen you yìsi.

It got very interesting, conversing back and forth.

juédìng: ’to decide’.

Wǒ juedìng yào qù.

I’ve decided that I’m going.

Wǒ yǐjīng juedìng jiù zhènme ban.

I’ve already decided that it’ll be this way.

Wǒ hái méi juedìng gāi zěnme ban.

I haven’t yet decided what should be done.

Notice that when you want to say ’I can’t decide whether (to do
something)’ or ’I haven’t decided whether (to do something)’, the object
of juedìng is a choice-type question.

Wǒ hái méi juédìng qù bu qù.

I haven’t yet decided whether to go or not.

Wǒ bù néng juédìng wǒ qù bu qù.

I can’t decide whether to go or not.

Wǒ hěn nán juédìng rang bu rang ta qù.

Wǒ shi bu shi gāi huíqu hěn nán juédìng.

I’m having a hard time deciding whether to let him to or not.

It’s hard to decide whether or not I should go back.

hòulái: ’afterwards, later’. You have already learned another word which
can be translated as ’’afterwards” or ’’later”: yǐhòu. Yǐhòu and hòulái
are both nouns which express time. Here is a brief comparison of them.

(1) Yǐhòu can either follow another element ’in which case it is
    translated as ’’after ...”) or it can be used by itself.

Tā láile yǐhòu, women jiù zǒu After he came, we left.

le.

Yǐhòu, tā méiyou zài láiguo.

Afterwards, he never came back again.

Hòulái can only be used by itself.

Hòulái, tā shuì jiao le.

Afterwards, he went to sleep.

(2) Both yǐhòu and hòulái may be used to refer to the past. (For
    example, in the reference list sentence, yǐhòu may be substituted
    for hòulái. But if you want to say "afterwards" or "later" referring
    to the future, you can only use yǐhòu. When it refers to the future
    time, yǐhòu can be translated in various ways, depending on the
    context:

    Yǐhòude shìqing, děng yǐhòu zài shuō.

    Yǐhòu nǐ you kòng, qǐng cháng lái wán.

    Wo yǐhòu zài gàosu ni.

    Tāde háizi shuōle, yǐhòu tā yào gēn yíge Rìběn ren Jiéhūn.

    Let’s wait until the future to see about future matters.

    In the future when you have the time, please come over more often.

    I’ll tell you later on.

    His child said that someday, he wants to marry a Japanese.

Usage Note: Yǐhòu has the meaning of "after that". It can imply that
some past event functions as a dividing point in time, as a sort of time
boundary, and yǐhòu refers to the period from the end of that time
boundary up to another point of reference (usually the time of
speaking). In this usage it is often translated as "since".

Tā zhǐ xiěle yìběn shū, yǐhòu zài méi xiěguo.

Ránhòu stresses the succession of one event.

Wo shàngwū zhǐ you liǎngjié kè, ránhòu jiù méi shi le, women kéyi chuqū
wánr.

He only wrote one book, and hasn't written any since.

event upon the completion of a prior

I have only two classes in the morning, and after that I don't have
anything else to do, so we

háishi: 'in the end, after all' You have seen háishi meaning 'still'
that is, that something remains the same way as it was. Here háishi is
used to mean that the speaker feels that, all things considered,
something is the case after all.

Háishi tā duì.

He is right, after all.

Note on No. 6

jūxíng: 'to hold (a meeting, banquet, celebration, ceremony, etc.)' For
this example you need to know that diānlǐ means 'ceremony'.

Míngtiān jǔxíng bìyè dianlǐ.

Tomorrow the graduation ceremony will be held.

Notes on No, 8

hái: ’even, (to go) so far as to’ You have seen hái meaning ’still’*as
in Nǐ hái zài zhèr!, ’You’re still here!’. You’ve also seen hái meaning
’also, additionally’, as in Wo hái yào mǎi yìpǐng qìshuǐ., ’I also want
to buy a bottle of soda.’ Here you see hái meaning additionally in the
sense of additional effort. The sentence Nǐmen hái song huār lai, hái
expresses the speaker’s feeling that sending flowers went beyond what
was expected or necessary.

zhēn shi tài xièxie le: ’I really thank you so much.’’ You have seen tài
used to mean ’very, extremely’, as in Tài hǎo le!, ’Wonderful!’. Notice
that here it is used with xièxie.

Taipei:

A woman goes to visit her old friend her daughter and future son-in-law.

A: Gōngxǐ, gōngxǐ! Zhège Xīng-

qītiān jiù shi nǐmen èr xiáo-jiede dàxǐde rìzi! Zhèli shi sònggei
xīnláng xinniángde lǐwù.

B: Xièxie*. Xièxie’. Nǐ tai

kèqi le.

A: Yìdiǎn xiǎo yìsi. Nǐ yídìng

hěn mǎng ba’. Hūnlǐ dōu zhǔnbèi-hǎo le meiyou?

B: Zuì mángde shíhou yǐjīng guò

le, xiànzài chàbuduō dōu zhǔn-bèihǎo le.

A: Xīnláng shi náli ren a? Zài

náli gōngzuò?

B: Xīnláng shi Héběi rén, zài

Táiwān Yínháng gōngzuò. Tā rén hěn laoshi, yě hěn shàngjìn.

A: Xiùyún gēn tā shi biéren

jièshào rènshide háishi zìjǐ rènshide?

B: Shi Xiùyúnde lǎoshī jiěshàode.

Xiùyún gēn tā jiāowǎng dào xiànzài yǐjīng liǎngnián le, duì ta hěn
mǎnyì.

A: Nǐmen gēn nánfāngde fùmǔ

yǐqián shou bu shōu?

B: Bù shóu, kěshi women zǎo jiù

tīngshuōguo tamen le. Tāmen liǎngwèi dōu zài TáiDà jiāo shū. Tāmen yì
lái tíqīn women jiù dāying le.

A: Wǒ kànjian qǐngtiēshang xiězhe

hūnlǐ zài Guǒbīn Dàfàndiàn jǔxíng. Nali dìfang you dà you piàoliang.
Zhen hǎo.

and to present her with a gift for

Congratulations! This Sunday is your second daughter’s big day!

Here’s a present for the bride and groom.

Thank you! That’s so nice of you.

It’s just a little something. You must be busy! Is everything all ready
for the wedding?

The busiest time has already passed; almost everything is ready now.

Where is the groom’s family from? Where does he work?

The groom’s family is from Hopei. He works at the Bank of Taiwan. He’s
very honest and ambitious.

Were Xiuyun and he introduced by someone else or did they meet by
themselves?

They were introduced by Xiuyun’s teacher. Xiuyun and he have been seeing
each other for two years now, and she’s very pleased with him.

Did you know the groom’s parents well before?

No, but we had heard of them long before. They both teach at Taiwan
University. As soon as they came to propose the marriage, we agreed to
it.

I saw on the invitation that the wedding is being held at the Ambassador
Hotel. It’s very spacious and beautiful there. That’s great.

B: Shi a! Women gēn nǎnfāngde fùmú tǎnlǎi tǎnqù tǎnle hǎo Jiu, bù zhīdào
zài nǎli Jǔxíng hūnlǐ zuì hǎo. Hòulǎi haishi wǒ Juédìng zài Guóbǐn
Dàfàndiàn jǔxíng.

A: Ng! Guobǐn Dàfàndiàn bù zhǐ

shi dìfang piàoliang, nàlide cài yě tèbiě hǎo.

B: Duì le.

A: Xīnniǎngde Jiēhūn lǐfū zài

nǎli mǎide?

B: Bu shi mǎide, shi Xiùyún zìjǐ

zuòde.

A: Nǐmen èr xiǎojie zhēn nénggàn.

Tiān bù zǎo le, wǒ gāi zou le.

B: Nǐ hai zìjǐ song lǐwù lai, zhēn

shi xièxie! Xīngqǐtiān yídìng lǎi, ǎ!

Yes. We discussed it back and forth for a long time with his parents. We
didn’t know where it would be best to hold the wedding. Afterwards I was
the one who decided that we would have it at the Ambassador Hotel.

Oh! Not only is the Ambassador Hotel a beautiful place, but the food
there is especially good too.

That’s right.

Where did you buy the bride’s wedding gown?

It isn't bought. Xiuyun made it herself.

Your second daughter sure is capable.

It's getting late, I ought to be going.

You even brought the gifts yourself. Thank you so much. Be sure to come
on Sunday!

NOTES ON THE DIALOGUE

Guǒbǐn Dàfàndiàn bù zhǐ shi dìfang piàoliang, nàlide cài yě tèbiě hǎo.
Traditional wedding foods included huāshēng, peanuts; liǎnzǐ, lotus
seeds; and zǎozi, dates, all of which symbolize fertility in that
shēng(zǐ) means "give birth to" (a son); liǎnzǐ sounds like part of the
phrase liǎnshēng guìzǐ, "have sons consecutively"; and zǎozi sounds like
part of zǎoshēng guì-zǐ, "have an early son." The wedding marked the
beginning of that generation's carrying on of the family line. Today few
adhere to these symbols and food is served according to family
preference.

Bú shi mǎide, shi Xiùyún- zìjǐ zuòde: Wedding gowns in Taiwan these days
are frequently hand-made or tailor-made, as tailoring is affordable and
the quality of work surpasses that of ready-made items. Brides may wear
two gowns: a white one for the ceremony (which may be in a church
nowadays) and a traditional Chinese red one at the celebration.

9. Xīnláng Jiā xìn Jǐdūjiào, fùmǔ xīwàng tāmen zài Jiàotáng Jiéhūn.

10. Xīnniáng jiā xìn Fo, fùmǔ bú rang tamen zài Jiàotáng Jiéhūn.

11. Tāmen yào zài fǎyuàn gōngzhèng j iēhūn ma?

12. Hūnlǐ yǐhòu bādiān zhōng rù xí.

13. Zhège wèntí hen fùzá.

lk. Wǒde yìjian shi děng liāngge xīngqī women zài tantan.

15. Tāmen qǐng shéi zhènghūn?

16. A: Hūnlǐ yǐhòu tāmen māshàng Jiù qù dù mìyuè ma?

B: Bù, yào děng huí mén yǐhòu cái qù.

17. Hòutiān yídìng lai chī xǐjiǔ!

18. A: Nǐmen xiáojie hūnlǐshàng jièshaorén shi nāliāngwèi a?

B: Yíwèi shi lai zuò méide Lǐ Jiàoshòu.

19. Nàwěi youzhèngjú Juzhāng shi women Jiā duōniánde lāo péngyou.

20. Tāndao jiehūn, nǐ yě yīnggāi kuài diān qù zū Jiàn Jiéhūn lǐfú.

The family of the bridegroom are Christians and the parents hope they
will be married in church.

The family of the bride are Buddhists and -her parents won’t let them be
married in church.

Are they going to have a civil marriage in court?

After the wedding ceremony the banquet will start at eight.

This question is very complicated.

My opinion is that we should wait two weeks and talk about it again.

Whom did they ask to witness the marriage?

After the wedding are they going to leave right away to go on their
honeymoon?

No, they’re going to wait until after the bride’s first visit to her
family before they go.

Be sure to come to the wedding banquet the day after tomorrow.

Who are the two people who are going to be the introducers at your
daughter’s wedding?

One is Professor Li who was the go-between.

That postmaster is a friend of our family from many years back.

Speaking of the wedding, you really ought to hurry up and go rent a
wedding gown.

NOTES ON PART IT

Notes on No. 9

xìn Jǐdūjiào: ’to believe in (Protestant) Christianity' This is one way
of saying 'to be a (Protestant) Christian'.

Notes on No. 10

xìn Fo: 'to believe in Buddha' This is one way of saying 'to be a
Buddhist'.

Notes on No. 11

zài fǎyuàn: 'in court' Zài is the verb 'to be in, at, or on', in other
words 'to be located (someplace). Zài must be followed by a place word
or a place phrase. Just what is considered to be a place word or phrase
may be difficult for the non-native speaker to figure out. Words which
are not considered to be place words or phases must have a locational
ending such as -li or -shang added to them. (Nǐ zài chēshang mǎi piào.,
'You buy the ticket on the bus.')

The names of institutions in Chinese are considered to be place words.
The phrase 'in court' does not need a locational ending, zài fǎyuàn.
Here are some other words which can function as place words by
themselves. Many of these end with syllables such as -shi (shǐ) 'house,
apartment', -jú 'office, shop', -dian 'inn, shop', -chǎng 'field, open
ground', -ting 'hall, room', -suǒ 'place, room', -jiān 'house, rooms',
guǎn 'public office, hall'.

Jīntiān xiàwu zài bàngōngshì Jiàn!

See you at the office this afternoon!

Zài běnshì you wǔge yóuzhèng- There are five post offices in this

  ------------- ------------------- --------- ---------------------------------- --------------
  Jú!.                                        city.                              
  Nǐ zài        cáiféngdiàn zuòde   ba?       You must have had that tailor's.   made at a
  Nǐ zài        canting kàndao ta   le ma?    Did you see him in the             dining room?
  Other words   which behave in a   similar   way are:                           
  ------------- ------------------- --------- ---------------------------------- --------------

  ------------- ---------- ---------- ---------------------------
  càishichǎng   market     fùjìn      area
  cèsuǒ         toilet     fúwùtái    service desk
  dàfàndiàn     hotel      Gōngānjú   Bureau of Public Security
  shāngdiàn     store      gongsī     company
  dàlou         building   gōngyù     apartment
  ------------- ---------- ---------- ---------------------------

dashiguan dìqū fàndiàn fǎngjiǎn fànguǎnzi feinting fēijichǎng

embassy region restaurant

room restaurant dining room airport

  ------------ ------------------
  gōngyuǎn     park
  huìkèshì     reception room
  huǒchēzhàn   railroad station
  jǐngchǎjú    police station
  kǎfēitīng    coffeehouse
  lǎoj iǎ      hometown
  ------------ ------------------

and many more...including proper names of Restaurants, buildings,
associations, organizations, etc.

gōngzhèng: ’notarization, government witness’. A gōngzhèng rén is a
notary public.

Note on No. 12

rù xí: ’to take one’s seat at a banquet’, literally ’to enter the
mat(ted area)’.

Women kuài diānr zhùnbèi, Let’s get ready a little faster,

tǎmen liùdiǎn zhōng jiù the banquet starts at b:00.

yào rù xí le.

Note on No. 13

fùzǎ: ’to be complicated, to be complex’. Questions, problems, or
situations can be fùzǎ if there are many pieces or factors figuring into
the problem. It is also possible to use fùzǎ to imply that the situation
is messy, problem-ridden.

Tǎmen jiǎde qíngkuàng tài fùzǎ, wǒ gǎobuqīngchu.

Zhèige wèntí tài fùzǎ, hěn nǎn shuōqīngchu.

Zhèige jùzi tài fùzǎ, zuì hǎo bú zhèiyangr xiě.

Their family situation is too complicated, I can’t make heads or tails
of it. (This sentence has an ambiguity in both languages.)

This question is so complicated, it’s very hard to explain it clearly.

This sentence is too complicated, it would be best not to write it this
way.

Fùzǎ can also be used in a complimentary way. (For this example you need
to know that sìxiǎng means ’thinking, thought’.)

Tǎde sìxiǎng hěn fùzǎ. His thinking is very complex.

This sentence might be said of an Einstein. The opposite of fùzǎ in this
case would, be jiāndān ’to be simple’, as in ’simple-minded’.

Fùzá is also pronounced fǔzā.

Note on No. 14

yìj iàn: ’idea, view, opinion, suggestion’.

Gāngcái tā tánle duì zhèiběn shūde yìjian, wo Juéde duì women hen you
bāngzhu.

Wǒ hen xiāng zhīdào, zài zhèige wèntíshang, Zhōngguo zhèng-fǔde yìjian
shi shénme?

Wǒ xiāng xiān qù Shanghai, zài dào Wǔhàn, nǐde yìjian zěnmeyang?

Wǒde yìjian shi xiān qù Wǔhàn, zài dào Shànghāi qu. Yīnwei zài guò yíge
yuè, Wǔhàn fēi-cháng rèle.

He just told us his opinions on this book, and I feel that they’re
really helpful to us.

I’d very much like to know what the Chinese government’s view is on this
question.

I’d like to go to Shanghai first and then to Wuhan, what’s your opinion?

My opinion is to first go to Wuhan, then to Shanghai, because after a
month, Wuhan will be extremely hot.

Note on No. 1J?

zhènghǔn: ’to witness a marriage’. Witnesses formerly were persons of
good reputation and venerable old age. Today, familiarity is most
important. The witness makes a brief speech during the ceremony and
stamps the marriage certificate with his name seal. He receives no
remuneration for this service, but is honored to have been asked.

Notes on No. 16

dù mìyuè: ’to spend one’s honeymoon’. Dù is the verb ’to spend, to pass
(something which is an amount of time, like a holiday). Mìyuè is
literally 'honey-moon'.

huímén: 'the bride's first visit to her own family on the third day
after the wedding', literally 'return to the door'. When the newlyweds
return home for this first visit, the family of the bride is given a
chance to entertain the couple. More friends and relatives are invited
and introduced to them. (It is the groom's family which arranges the
marriage ceremony.)

Note on No. 17

xǐjiǔ: ’wedding banquet’ . Notice that in the Reference List sentence
the phrase lai chǐ xǐjiǔ is translated as ’to come to the wedding
banquet’. A more literal translation might be ’come to eat a wedding
feast!. The verb chi could also be rendered into English by ’attend’ or
’take part’, as in ’Be sure to come take part in the wedding banquet the
day after tomorrow’.

Notes on No. 18

hūnlǐshàng: ’at the wedding’. Notice that in English you say ’at the
wedding’ while in Chinese you say hūnlǐshàng, literally ’on the
wedding'. -Shang would also be the locative ending to use for ’at the
meeting (huìshang).

jièshaorén: ’introducer’. This is one person in the cast of people who
play a part in getting two people together in marriage. Originally, the
’’introducer" functioned in much the same way as match-makers - finding
a good mate for a friend or relative. Today, most young people find
their own mates. The "introducers", however, still have a ceremonial
function. They accompany the bride and groom during the ceremony (one
for the bride and one for the groom).

zuò méi: ’to act as the go-between for two families whose children are
to be married’. This person arranged the details of the match. He acted
as a go-between for the families of the bride and groom, settling points
which were usually of a financial nature. Often the zuò meide was also
the jièshaorén. Traditionally, the go-between was an older woman who
made a profession of it. She was paid for her services in money if the
family was wealthy or in the best pork legs if they were poor. Today any
adult can act as the go-between, although the practice is becoming less
and less common. During the wedding ceremony, the go-between places his
stamp on the wedding certificate.

Wo gěi ni zuò méi, hǎo bu hǎo? I’ll act as go-between for you, all
right?

Zhang Tàitai qǐng wo tī tāde Mrs. Chang asked me to act as go-

nùér zuò méi. between for her daughter.

Notes on No. 19

júzhǎng: ’head of an office or bureau’. Júzhǎng is only used when the
Chinese name of the office or bureau ends with the syllable -jú, as in
youzhèngjú, ’post office’. You’ve also seen bùzhǎng, ’minister of a
bureau’ and kēzhang, ’section chief’.

duōnián: ’many years’.

Here are some examples:

Women duōnián bú jiàn le.

We haven’t seen each other for many years.

Women zài yìqǐ gōngzuòle duōnián le.

Wo zhù zài zhèr duōnián le, kěshi méi tīngshuōguo zhèige rén.

We’ve been working together for many years.

I’ve been living here for many years, but I’ve never heard of this
person.

Notes on No. 20

tándao: ’to talk about, to speak of’. This is used to refer to something
that was Just brought up in conversation. You have seen dào used as a
main verb meaning ’to go to, to arrive at’, and as a prepositional verb
meaning ’to towards’. Now you see that dào is also used as a verb
ending. Literally, it means ’to, up to’, but its translation into
English sometimes changes, depending on the meaning of the verb it is
used with. When used with tan, ’to talk, to chat’, -dào can be
translated as ’about’ or ’of’. Here are some other examples of -dào used
with verbs you’ve already studied:

Women gāngcái hái shuōdao nǐ, nǐ Jiù lái le.

Jintiān nǐ gēn ta Jiǎngdao wo méiyou?

Wǒ chángchang xiǎngdao wǒde háizi•

We were even talking of you Just now, and here you are!

Did you talk about me with him today?

I often think of my child.

Notice that in the Reference List sentence, tándao is used at the
beginning of the sentence to introduce a topic, like we use ’speaking of
...’ in English. Here are some other examples:

Tándao Jiéhūnde shi, wǒ hái děi xiǎngyixiang.

Tándao zěnme xiě Zhōngguo zì, tā bǐ wǒ zhīdaode duō.

When it comes to talking about marriage, I have to think it over.

When we talk about writing Chinese characters, he knows a lot more than
I do.

yě: ’really, after all’. You have seen yě meaning ’too, also’. Another
common meaning of yě is ’(even though) ... nevertheless, still’. For
example:

Wǒ suīrán shi Zhōngguorén wǒ yě huì shuō yìdiǎn Yǐngwén.

Although I am Chinese, I can still speak a little English.

A: Zhèige diànyǐng zěnmeyàng?

B: Bu shi hěn hǎo, dànshi yě hái kéyi.

How was the movie?

It wasn’t great, but it was pretty good nevertheless.

Wǒ suīrān méi dàoguo Tiān An Although I’ve never been to Tian An

Men, yě zài diànshìshang Men, I’ve seen it on television,

kànj ianguo.

In addition, yě often is used to contrast the thought expressed in the
sentence with another thought. This meaning can be paraphrased something
like this: "in spite of anything which might be believed to the
contrary, indeed what I am saying is true." Sometimes, however, yě is
used when there is not much to contrast it with, and means little more
than "we really ought to agree that what I am saying is true."

There are many different possible ways to translate this yě into
English. The following examples are meant to show some of its range of
meaning and some of its possible translations.

Xiànzài shíyǐdiǎn ban le, wǒ yě yào shàng kè le, wǒmende wèntí míngtiān
zài tan ba’.

Zhōngguo rénkǒu tài duō, zhèngfù tíchàng wǎnliàn wǎnhūn yě shi
yinggāide.

Tāmen wèishénme yào líhūn, wǒ yě bù zhǐdào.

A: Nǐ zěnme hǎi méi bǎ zhèxiē yǐfu xǐwān?

B: Wǒ yě bú shi nǐde yòngren, báitiān wǒ yě shàng bān, wǒ méiyou zhènme
duō shij iān.

Nǐ xiànzài yě gāi míngbai le ba?

Women liāngge rènshi yě you jǐniǎn le, nǐ yǐnggāi liǎojiě wo.

It’s eleven-thirty. I really have to be going to class. Let’s talk about
our question tomorrow, okay?

The population of China is too large, it really is right for the
government to promote late marriage and late involvement.

Why they wanted to get a divorce, I really don’t know.

How come you still haven’t finished washing these clothes?

I’m not your servant, after all; I work during the day too, and I don’t
have all that much time.

Now you (really) ought to understand, don’t you?

We have known each other for several years, after all; you ought to
understand me.

Taipei:

The day before a young couple is to the mother of the bride:

A: Gōngxǐ, gōngxǐ! Míngtiān shi

nǐmen xiáojie dàxǐde rǐzi! Xīnláng shi shénme rén a? Tāmen shi zěnme
rènshide?

B: Shi péngyou jièshàode.

Nánfāngde fùqin gēn wǒ xiān-sheng zài youzhèngjú shi tongshì, búguò
yǐqián bú tài shóu. Hòulái lìngwài yíge xǐng Lǐde tongshì jiù lái zuò
méi, jièshào tamen rènshi. Tāmen jiāowǎng dào xiànzài yě yìnián duō le.
Nàge nánháizi xiànzài èrshibǎsuì, rén hěn laoshi, yě hěn shàngjìn.
Xiànzài zài Táiwān Yínháng gōngzuò. Tā bàngōngshìlide rén dōu shuō tā
nénggàn. Xiùyún duì ta hěn mānyì, érqiě Xiùyún yǐjīng èrshisìsuì le, yě
dàole gāi jiéhūnde shíhou le, suoyi nánfāng yì lái tíqīn women jiù
dāying le.

A: Wǒ kàn qǐngtiēshang shuō

wǔdiǎn zhōng zài Guobīn Dà-fàndiàn jǔxíng hūnlǐ, liùdiǎn zhōng rù xí. Nà
dìfang hěn dà, cài yě hěn hǎo, míngtiān yídìng hěn rènao.

B: Tándaò jǔxíng hūnlǐ a, yìjian

duō le. Zhēn fùzá. Xiān shi liǎngge háizi yào dào fǎyuàn gōngzhèng
jiéhūn, kěshi nánfāngde fùmǔ bù dāying. Tāmen xìn Jīdūjiào, yídìng yào
dào jiàotáng qù. Women jiā xìn Fo, zěnme kéyi rang tamen dào jiàotáng qù
jǔxíng hūnlǐ ne! Hòulái, liǎngjiā tánlái tánqù, zuìhòu cái juédìng
háishi zài Guobīn Dàfàndiàn

be married, a friend pays a visit to

Congratulations! Tomorrow’s your daughter’s big day! Who’s the
bridegroom? How did they meet?

They were introduced by friends.

The father of the groom is a colleague of my husband’s at the post
office, but they didn’t know each very well before. Afterwards, another
colleague by the name of Li came to act as the go-between and introduced
them. They have been seeing each other for over a year now. The young
man is twenty-eight years old now. He’s very honest and ambitious. He
works at the Bank of Taiwan. The people at his office all say he’s very
capable. Xiuyun is very pleased with him, and besides, she’s twenty-four
years old; she has reached the time when she should get married. So as
soon as his family came to propose the marriage, we agreed to it.

I see it says on the invitation that the ceremony will be held at the
Ambassador Hotel at five o’clock, and that the banquet starts at six.
It’s a very big place, and the food is very good. It should be very
lively tomorrow.

As far as the wedding ceremony is concerned, there were a lot of
different opinions. It was really complicated. At first the two children
wanted to go to court and have a civil marriage, but the parents of the
groom didn’t agree to that. They’re Christians, and insisted on going to
a church. Our family is Buddhist; how could we let them go to a church
to hold the wedding! Later, our two families discussed it back and

jǔxíng hūnlǐ.

A: Shi qǐng shénme rén zhènghūn

a?

B: Zhènghūnrén shi Youzhèngjū

Zhang Júzhǎng. Tā gēn nánfāngde fùqin shi duōniánde lǎo péngyou, suóyi
yì qǐng ta, tā mǎshàng jiu daying le.

A: You méiyou jièshàorén? Jiè

shàorén shi shéi ya?

B: Nánfāngde jièshàorén jiù shi

lai zuò méide nàwèi Lī Xiān-sheng. Women zhèbiān jiù qǐngle Zhang Zǐmíng
Jiàoshòu. Tā shi Xiùyūn niàn dàxué shíhoude lāoshī.

A: Xǐnniángde jiéhūn lǐfú shi

zài shénme dìfang zuòde?

B: Bú shi zuòde, shi zūde.

A: Tāmen jiehūn yǐhòu yào dào

náli qù dù mìyuè?

B: Tāmen jìhua yào dào Alǐ Shān

qù wan yíge xīngqī, būguò tāmen jiéhūn yǐhòu bù néng mǎshàng zǒu, yào
děng huí mén yǐhòu cái qù.

A: 0, hǎo hǎo hǎo. Wǒ xiang

nǐmen yídìng hen máng. Wǒ yīnggāi zǒu le.

B: Nǐ nàme kèqi, hái zìjǐ lai

song lǐwù lai. Xièxie, xièxie! Míngtiān yídìng lai chī xījiǔ.

A: Hǎo, míngtiān jiàn.

forth, and finally we decided it would be best to hold the wedding at
the Ambassador Hotel.

Whom did you ask to witness the marriage?

The witness is Postmaster Zhang. He’s an old friend of many years of the
groom’s father, so as soon as we went to ask him, he agreed right away.

Are there any introducers? Who are they?

The introducer for the groom’s side is the Mr. Li who was the
go-between. For our side we asked Professor Zhang Ziming. He was a
teacher of Xiuyun’s when she was in college.

Where was the bride’s wedding gown made?

It wasn’t (specially) made, it’s rented.

After they’re married, where are they going to spend their honeymoon?

They’re planning to go to Mt. Ali for a week, but they can’t leave right
after the wedding. They have to wait until after the bride’s first visit
to her new parents’ home before they go.

Oh, okay. Well, you must be very busy, so I should be leaving now.

You’re so polite, you even brought presents over in person. Thank you!
Be sure to come to the banquet tomorrow.

Okay, see you tomorrow.

NOTES ON THE DIALOGUE

. ..liǎngge háizi yào dào fǎyuàn gōngzhèng .jiehūn: Traditional wedding
ceremonies were held at home or in ancestral halls (not in temples or
pagodas). Modern ones are likely to "be held in hotels or restaurants,
as there is more room and food is then easier to prepare.

Tǎmen jìhua yào dào Ālǐ Shan qù: Ālǐ Shān and Rìyuè Tan (Sun-Moon Lake)
are the two most popular honeymoon spots on Taiwan. An average honeymoon
stay might last one week.

Vocabulary

+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| ài                                | (sound of sighing)                |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| dàxǐ                              | great rejoicing                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| dàxǐde rìzi daying                | wedding day                       |
|                                   |                                   |
|                                   | to agree (to something), to       |
|                                   | consent, to promise               |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| dù                                | to pass                           |
|                                   |                                   |
| dù mìyuè                          | to go on a honeymoon, to spend    |
|                                   | one's honeymoon                   |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| duōnián                           | many years                        |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| fǎyuàn                            | court of law                      |
|                                   |                                   |
| Fo fùzá (fǔzá)                    | Buddha                            |
|                                   |                                   |
|                                   | to be complicated                 |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| gōngzhèng jiēhūn                  | civil marriage                    |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| hái háishi hōulái hui men         | even, (to go) so far as to        |
|                                   |                                   |
|                                   | after all                         |
|                                   |                                   |
|                                   | later, afterwards                 |
|                                   |                                   |
|                                   | the return of the bride to her    |
|                                   | parents' home (usually on the     |
|                                   | third day after the wedding)      |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| hūnlǐ                             | wedding                           |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| j iàotáng jiāowāng                | church                            |
|                                   |                                   |
|                                   | to associate with, to have        |
|                                   | dealings with                     |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| Jīdūjiào jiēhūn lǐfú j ièshaorén  | Christianity wedding gown         |
| juédìng jǔxíng Juzhǎng            | introducer to decide to hold (a   |
|                                   | meeting, ceremony, etc.) head of  |
|                                   | an office or bureau (of which the |
|                                   | last syllable is jú)              |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| ...-lái...-qù                     | (indicates repeating the action   |
|                                   | over and over again)              |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| lǎoshi (lǎoshí)                   | to be honest                      |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| rnǎnyì mìyuè                      | to be pleased honeymoon           |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| nánfāng nēnggàn                   | the groom's side, the groom's     |
|                                   | family to be capable              |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| ren                               | person, self, body                |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+

+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| rù xí                             | to take one’s seat (at a          |
|                                   | gathering, meeting, or banquet)   |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| shàngjìn shou                     | to be ambitious                   |
|                                   |                                   |
|                                   | to be familiar (with), to know    |
|                                   | well                              |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| tándao                            | to talk about; speaking of ...    |
|                                   |                                   |
| tánlai tánqù tíqīn                | to talk back and forth            |
|                                   |                                   |
|                                   | to bring up a proposal of         |
|                                   | marriage                          |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| xiáojiě (xiáojie)                 | daughter (referring to someone    |
|                                   | else’s daughter)                  |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| xījiù xìn xìn Fo xīnláng xīnniáng | wedding banquet; wedding wine to  |
|                                   | believe (in) to be a Buddhist     |
|                                   | bridegroom bride                  |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| yě yìjian                         | indeed, in fact, admittedly       |
|                                   | opinion                           |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| záo zhènghūn zhènghūnrén zū       | long ago                          |
|                                   |                                   |
| zuò mei                           | to witness a marriage             |
|                                   |                                   |
|                                   | chief witness at a wedding        |
|                                   | ceremony to rent                  |
|                                   |                                   |
|                                   | to act as go-between (for the     |
|                                   | families of a man and woman       |
|                                   | considering marriage)             |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+

Customs Surrounding

Marriage, Birth, and Death: Unit 3

PART I

1. Wǒ tīngshuō Zhōngguo kòngzhi rénkǒude gōngzuò zuòde hen
    chénggōng.

2. Zài chéngshìli zhùde rén yào you yíge hāizi děi zuòdao sān
    tōngguò.

3. Sān tōngguòde yìsi yě jiùshi shuō děi you sānge dìfang tongyì
    zhèwèi fùnǔ shēng hāizi.

1+. A: Něi sānge dānwèi ne?

B: Zhèwei fùnǔde gōngzuò dānwèi, tā zhùde dìfangde jǔmín wěiyuānhuì,
    he pàichūsuǒ.

5. Zhōngguo zhèngfǔ gēnju shénme pīzhǔn fùnùmen shēng xiāo-háir?

6. Gègè chéngshì měinián zhǐ kéyi zēngjiā yídìng shùmude hāizi.

7. Women shìqū jīnniānde chǔshēng-lù bù gāo.

8. Wǒ zhǐ néng fēnpèigei nǐmen zhèiyìqǔ bābǎige míng* é.

9. Zhōngguo rénkǒu tài duō, zhèngfǔ tíchàng rénmín shí-xíng bìyùn.

10. Bìyùn gōngjù dōu shi miǎnfèide.

11. Wǒ yījīng dédao pīzhǔn, kéyi you yìjiān xìn fāngzi.

I hear that population control work has been done very successfully in
China.

People who live in the city, if they want to have a child, must have
’the three approvals’.

’The three approvals’ means that a woman must have the consent of three
places in order to have a child.

Which three units?

The woman’s work unit, the neighborhood committee of the place she
lives, and the local police station.

On what basis does the Chinese government give official permission for
women to give birth?

The various cities can only increase by a specific number of children
every year.

The birth rate in our municipal area this year isn’t very high.

I can only assign a quota of eight hundred to your area.

The population of China is too large so the government encourages the
people to practice birth control.

All contraceptive devices are free.

I have already received permission to get a new room.

NOTES ON PART I

Notes on No. 1

kòngzhi: ’to control; control’. dominate; to command’.

Zhèige fǎngjiānde wěndù kòng-zhude hù hǎo, yìhuǐr lěng, yìhuǐr rè.

Shíjiān méi hànfa kòngzhi, shéi yě bànbudao.

Tāde hìng yǐjīng kòngzhizhù le, yěxǔ Jǐtiān yǐhòu, tā huì hǎoqilai.

You yìxiē rén kòngzhile zhèi-jià fēijī, hú rang ta qǐfēi.

This can also he translated as ’to

The temperature in this room isn’t well regulated. It’s cold one minute
and hot the next.

There is no way to control time; no one can do it.

His illness is under control now; maybe in another few days he will
start to get better.

Some people have taken control of this airplane and won’t let it take
off.

chénggōng: ’to succeed; to he Zhèihěn shū chénggōng le.

successful’.

This hook was a success.

Zhèihěn shū xiěde hěn chénggōng.

His hook was written very successfully, (i.e., His hook came off very
well.)

This soup is a success, everyone loves it.

So long as you work hard at it, your effort is sure to succeed.

Zhèige tāng chénggōng le, dàjiā dōu ài chī.

Zhǐ yào nǐ nǔlì, nǐde shìqing yídìng néng chénggōng.

Notes on No. 2

zuòdào: ’to achieve, to make (a goal)’.. In Unit 2, Part II, you saw
tandao ’to talk about, to speak of’, with the ending -dào meaning
literally ’to, up to’. Here you see -dào used as an ending after the
verb zuò ’to make’. You may think of -dào in zuòdào as conveying the
meaning of reaching a goal.

Zhèijiān shi, wǒ yǐjīng zuòdào I have already succeeded in doing le.
this.

Nǐ shuōguo, zuǒtiān nǐ yào qù, You said that you wanted to go nǐ zuòdào
le ma? yesterday. Did you do so?

sān tōngguò: ’the three approvals’. The ’three approvals’ have "been in
effect since 1973/7^. At that time, the minimum marriage age was pushed
upward, but most recently it has been relaxed to ages twenty-five for
males and twenty-three for females. Most couples must still wait a
number of years before they can have a child. The sāntŌngguò guiding for
city residents effectively means that, without these three approvals for
a child, a pregnancy must end in abortion or else the child will have to
live without food rations. (A government slogan is Yíge zuì hǎo, liǎngge
gòule, "One is best, two is enough.’’) Applications to have children are
reviewed and permission granted or denied by one’s work unit, based on
the total allowable city quota. A third child is strongly discouraged
and life would be very difficult for it should it be born. Special
gifts, privileges, and awards are given to one-child families. In the
countryside, one can find four to six children in a household, but they
of course could not easily move to the city.

Notes on No. 3

yě jiùshi shuō: ’to mean; in other words, that is to say’.

Jìhuà shēngyù yě jiùshi shuō yào you jìhuade shēng xiǎo-háir.

Planned parenthood means having children in a planned way.

’Hébì’ yě jiùshi shuō ’wèi-shénme xūyào’.

Tā bù néng zài shēng xiǎoháizi, yě jiùshi shuō women juéde tā zhìbuhǎo
le.

Tā bù gěi ni dǎ diànhuà hǎo-xiàng yě jiùshi shuō tā bù xīhuan ni.

Dàifu shuō tā bù néng chī ròu, yě jiùshi shuō chi ròu duì tāde shēntǐ bù
hǎo.

When what follows is a more pointed jiùshi shuō can be used in place of

Tā bù kéyi shēng háizi, jiùshi shuō tā hái méiyou zuòdao sān tōngguò.

tongyì: ’consent, agreement; to or thinks)’.

’Hébì * means ’why must’.

She can’t have children any more; that is to say, we feel that she
cannot be cured.

The fact that he doesn’t telephone you would seem to imply that he
doesn’t like you.

The doctor said that he couldn’t eat meat, in other words, eating meat
isn’t good for his health.

explanation of what has just been said, yě jiùshi shuō, e.g.

She cannot have a child; that is to say, she has not yet gotten the
three approvals.

agree, to agree with (what someone says

A: Tongyì bu tongyì?

Do you agree?

B: Wǒ bù tongyì.

    I don’t agree.

Wǒ bù tongyì nǐde huà. I don’t agree with what you say.

Although in English we can say ’I agree with you’, in Chinese it is
wrong to say either Wǒ gēn nǐ tongyì or Wǒ tǒngyì ni. Tongyì can be used
in two ways: without an object, or with an object like tā shuōde ’what
he said’, tāde huà ’what he said’, tāde jìhua ’his plan’, tāde yìjian
’his opinion’. If you want to say ’I don’t agree with you’, you can say
Wǒ bù tongyì, Nǐ shuōde, wǒ bù tǒngyì, Wǒ bù tǒngyì nǐde huà, Wǒ bù
tǒngyì nǐde yìjian, etc.

Notes on No. U

dānwèi: ’(work) unit’. This word is used in the PRC as a cover term for
any organization or department of an organization. It may, for instance
refer to a factory, a school, a government organization, a store, or an
army unit.

Nǐ zài něige dānwèi gōngzuò? is a common way of asking where someone
works; compared with Nǐ zài nǎr gōngzuò?, the question Nǐ zài něige
dānwèi gōngzuò? sounds more official.

Women dānwèi you hen duō nù There are a lot of women teachers in

lāoshī. our unit. (Here, dānwèi refers to

a school. )

To specify that you are talking about a place of work, you can say
gōngzuò dānwèi, as in the Reference List sentence.

jūmǐn wěiyuánhuì: ’neighborhood committee’. The official duties of a
neighborhood committee are diverse, ranging from sanitation maintenance
to political study. Its actual role and duty remain ambiguous, as well
as its relationship with the government. Although the government pays a
committee’s elected delegates, there is no official connection between
the two. The power of the committee in local affairs remains large.

pàichūsuǒ: ’local police station’. The local police station is the
lowest level of the Bureau of Public Security. In addition to taking
care of matters of a criminal nature, the pàichūsuǒ is familiar with the
history and political situation of every one of its residents. Along
with the gōngzuò dānwèi and the jūmǐn wěiyuánhuì, it affects the daily
life of each citizen.

Notes on No. 5

gēnju: ’according to, on the basis of; basis’.

Nǐ gēnju shénme shuō zhèige On what basis do you say this?

huà?

Nǐ shuōde huà you méiyou Is there a basis for what you're

gēnju? saying?

pǐzhǔn: 'to give official permission (to someone to do something)'.

Dānwèi pǐzhǔn ta jiēhūn le. Her unit gave her permission to

marry.

Xuéxiào pǐzhǔn ta qù Shanghai His school gave him permission to go le.
to Shanghai.

Wǒ mai zhèige diànshì shi dédao I got permission to buy this pǐzhǔnde.
television.

fùnǔmen: 'women'. -Men is a plural ending for nouns and pronouns. You
have seen it in the pronouns women, zánmen, nǐmen, and tǎmen. After a
noun, however, -men is never obligatory. It is usually used with nouns
which designate humans (although in literature you may sometimes see it
used with nouns referring to animals as well).

Nǔshimen, xiānshengmen. Ladies and gentlemen.

Note that the group referred to by a noun phrase with -men must be of
unspecified number; it is wrong to say liàngge fùnǔmen or sānge
jiàoshòumen, etc.

Notes on No. 6

gègè: 'each and every, all of the various'. The first gè (a specifier
like zhèi-) literally means 'each...' or 'the various, the
different...'. The second ge is the counter ge, as in yíge rén 'one
person'.

Jiǔyuèli, gègè xuéxiào dōu In September all the schools open,

kāi xué le.

Měiguode gègè zhōu dōu you Each of the American states has its

zíjǐde zhèngfǔ. government.

zēngjiā: 'to increase; to increase by (such-and-such an amount)'.

Jīnnián women xuexiàode xue-shēng zēngjiā le.

Zhèige yīyuànde bìngrén bù néng zài zēngjiā le.

Zhèijǐtiān nǐ máng bu máng, zài gěi ni zēngjiā yìdiānr gōngzuò, hǎo bu
hāo?

The students in our school increased this year.

The patients in this hospital cannot increase any further.

Have you been busy the past few days? Would it be okay if I give you
some more work to do?

Women dānwèi you zēngjiāle liǎngge bàngōngshì.

They added two more offices on to our unit.

yídìng: ’specific, certain, definite, set’. In addition to the meaning
of yídìng which you already know, namely ’certainly, surely’, it can
also mean ’set (by regulation, decision, or convention), fixed,
particular,’ as in

Tā ban shìqing you yídìng bànfa. He goes about doing things with a

definite method.

Měiniān zài yídìngde rìzi, tā dōu huíqu kàn māma.

Every year he goes back to see his mother on a set date.

Notes on No. 7

shìqū: ’city proper, municipal area’, the area within a chěngshì where
population and buildings are relatively concentrated. Shìqu is used when
you are emphasizing the city proper or contrasting it to the suburbs
Ejiāoqūl. It is an administratively more exact term than chěngshì. CThe
Peking municipal area, Beijing shìqū, is made up of eight urban
districts, chěngqū.I

chūshēnglū: ’birth rate’. Chūshēng means ’to be born’. The chūshēnglū is
usually considered to be the number of births per one thousand
population in one year.

Notes on No. 8

fēnpèi: ’distribute; allot; assign; distribution’.

Wǒ tīngshuō xiàge yuè jiù kéyi I’ve heard that you’ll be assigned

gěi ni fēnpei gōngzuò.

work next month.

Wǒ xīwang néng zǎo yìdiān fēnpèidào fángzi.

I hope that housing can be assigned soon.

Tīngshuō tā fēnpèi dào Dōngběi qù gōngzuò le.

I've heard that he has been assigned to go work in Manchuria.

míng*é: ’the number of people assigned or allowed; quota of people’.
Míng’é does not exactly correspond to ’quota’. ’Quota’ is a fixed number
of places which must be filled. Míng’é is (1) a fixed number of places
which must not be exceeded, or (2) one such place. Bābǎige míng’é is
literally ’800 name given-numbers’, i.e. ’a quota of 800 names.’

Note on No. 9

bìyùn: Literally, ’avoid-pregnancy’, i.e. ’contraception’. Shíxíng bìyùn
’to carry out (the government policy of encouraging) contraception, to
practice birth control’.

Note on No. 10

miǎnfèide: Literally ’exempt from charge’, i.e. ’free (of charge)’

Zhèige zhǎnlǎn kéyi miǎnfèi cānguān.

Sānyuè Báhao, funù he haizi dào gōngyuán qù dōu shi miǎnfēide.

Lǔxíng bù piányi a! Fēijīpiào kě bú shi miǎnfèide.

You can visit this exhibit for free.

On March 8th, women and children can go to parks free of charge.

Travelling is not cheap. Plane tickets are certainly not free!

Notes on No. 11

dedao: ’to receive, to get’.

Tā dédao hùzhào yǐhòu mǎshàng jiù zōu le.

He left immediately after getting his passport.

Tā dédao pīzhǔn kéyi liúzai He has gotten permission to stay in

Beijing gōngzuò. Peking to work.

yìjiān xīn fángzi: ’a new room’. Notice that although you have seen
fāngzi meaning ’house’, it is being used here in the wider sense of ’a
place to live’. In this phrase it is preceded by the counter for rooms
of a house, jiān. Thus the whole phrase means ’a new room’, not ’a new
house’.

Living quarters in Peking and many other Chinese cities are very scarce.
(Housing in Shanghai is more critical than Peking.) When a newly married
couple applies for housing, they will be assigned a room that does not
exceed 8-10 square meters. Rarely do living quarters have private baths,
toilets, or kitchens. Later, when children come along, they will
continue to live in the same size room.

Peking:

A Canadian tourist talks with her guide:

A: Wo zài Jiānádàde shihou jiù

tīngshuō Zhōngguo kòngzhi rénkoude gōngzuò zuòde hěn chénggōng. Nǐ kéyi
bu kéyi gěi wo jiǎngyijiǎng?

B: Hǎo. Wǒ xiān shuōshuo zài

chéngshìli shi zěnme zuòde. Zài chéngshìli rúguo you rén yào you yíge
haizi, děi zuòdào sān tōngguò.

A: Shénme shi sān tōngguò?

B: Jiùshi děi you nǐ gōngzuò

dānwèi, nǐ zhùde dìfangde jūmín wěiyuānhuì, hé pàichūsuǒde tōngyì.

A: Zhèi sānge dānwèi gēnju

shénme pǐzhǔn fùnǔmen shēng xiǎoháir?

B: Gègè chéngshì měinián you

yídìngde chūshēnglǔ, yě jiùshi shuō měinián zhǐ kéyi zēngjiā yídìng
shùmude haizi. Zhèixiē míng’é jiù an rénkou fēnpèigei gègè shìqū. Gègè
shìqū zài _(w) fēnpèigei yào shēng háizide nǔ-tongzhì, suoyi fùnu dōu
shi dédao pǐzhǔn yǐhòu cai huáiyùnde.

A: Zài nongcūn, rénmen yě

shíxíng bìyùn ma?

B: Yě shíxíng bìyùn, kěshi bú

xiàng chéngshìli zuòde nàme chénggōng.

A: Bìyùn gōngjù guì bu gui?

B: Zhèngfǔ tíchàng rénmín shíxíng

bìyùn, suoyi bìyùn yào hé bìyùn gōngjù dōu shi miǎnfèide.

When I was in Canada I heard that population control work is being done
very successfully in China. Could you tell me about it?

Okay. First I’ll talk about how it’s being done in the cities. In the
city if there’s someone who wants to have a child, they have to get the
’three approvals’.

What are the ’three approvals’?

It means that you must have the consent of your work unit, the
neighborhood committee of the place you live, and the local police
station.

On what basis do these three units give official permission to women to
have children?

Each year the various cities have specific birth rates; that is to say,
each year they can only increase by a specific number of children. These
quotas are distributed among the various cities according to population.
The various cities then distribute them to women comrades who want to
have children. So women don't get pregnant until they receive official
permission.

Do the people in the country also practice birth control?

They practice birth control too, but it isn't as successful as in the
city.

Are contraceptive devices expensive?

The government encourages people to practice birth control, so all
contraceptive medicines and devices are free.

PART II

12. Zài Zhōngguo, you gōngzuòde fùnu shēng háizi you chǎnjià, hái you
gōngzì■

13. Hěn duō Zhōngguo fùnū yòng gèzhōng hìyùn gōngjù shíxíng jìhuà
shēngyù.

1U. Zhōngguo ren zuò juéyù shōushù-de duō hu duō?

15. Bìyùn shīhàide rén kéyi dào yíyuàn qu zuò réngōng liú-chǎn, hái
    kéyi you liǎngge xíngqíde Jia.

16. Zài shǎoshù mínzū dìqū rénkǒu bǐjiǎo shǎo.

17. Zhōngguo rén xiāngxìn hōngtáng duì chǎnfù shi yìzhōng hěn hǎode
    yíngyǎngpǐn.

18. Tǎ hé hiérén hù tong, tā shi wō zuì qìnjìnde péngyou.

19. Shǒuxiān yào qù gěi Mama mǎi xiānhuā, ránhòu hái yào gěi ni hǎ
    wánjù xiūlihǎo.

20. Tándao Zhōngguode nongcūn, gèdìde qíngkuàng dōu hù tong.

In China working women get maternity leave when they have a child and
they still receive their pay.

Many Chinese women use various kinds of contraceptive devices to carry
out family planning.

Are there many Chinese people who have contraceptive surgery performed
on them?

A person who fails at hirth control can go to the hospital to have an
abortion performed, and they can also have two weeks of leave.

The population is relatively small in the national minority areas.

Chinese believe that brown sugar is a very nutritional food for women
who have given birth within the last month.

She’s different from other people, she’s my closest friend.

First I have to go buy fresh flowers for your mother, and then I have to
fix your toy for you too.

As for the rural areas of China, the situation is different in various
places.

NOTES ON PART II

Notes on No. 12

chǎnjià: ’maternity leave’. The syllable chǎn, literally ’to give birth
to’ is used in compounds meaning ’maternity, delivery, birth’. It can
also be used outside the context of human reproduction in compounds
meaning ’to produce, production’, as in chǎnpǐn ’product’.]

gōngzī: ’wages, pay’, literally ’labor-capital’.

...you chānjià, hái you gōngzi: For a normal birth, a woman is given
fifty-six days of paid leave; for a difficult birth, seventy days; and
for twins, ninety days after the birth. After this period, one hour per
day is allowed off in order to nurse the baby.

Notes on No. 13

gèzhōng: ’various kinds, every kind’. Ge ’each’ is a specifier like
zhèi- ’this’ or nèi- ’that’. As a specifier, it can be followed by
counters. Here you see ge- used with the counter -zhǒng ’types, kinds,
sort, species’. Here are some other ways gè- is used:

u

Tā néng dào gèguō qù luxíng It’s great that he can go to all

zhēn bú cuò. sorts of countries.

Xuéshengmen yinggāi you gèrén-de xuéxi jìhua.

Míngtiānde diànyǐngr piào gègè dānwèi dōu you.

Students should each have their own plan of study.

Each and every unit has movie tickets for tomorrow.

Sometimes ge- is followed directly by the noun.

Jīntiān xiàwu gè dānwèi dōu This afternoon every unit is having

kāi huì. a meeting.

bìyùn gōngju: ’contraceptive devices’. This does not refer to birth
control pills. EBìyùnpǐn ’birth control products’ includes both bìyùnyào
’birth control pills’ and bìyùn gōngjù.i

jìhuà shēngyù: ’family planning, planned parenthood’. Jìhuà means

’plan; to plan’. Shēngyù literally means ’to give birth to and raise’.

Notes on No. lh

juéyù: ’sterilization,’ or ’to sterilize, to be sterilized,’ applies to
operations for men and women. Sterilization for women is still much more
common than for men; and more prevalent in the cities than in the
countryside.

Tā juédìng juéyù. He has decided on sterilization.

Juéyù shi jiějué Zhōngguo Sterilization is one good way to

rénkōu wèntíde yíge hāo bànfa. solve China’s population problem.

shǒushù: ’surgery’.

Dàifu gěi ta zuòde shǒushù hěn chénggōng.

The surgery the doctor performed on him was very successful.

Notes on No. 1$

shībài: ’to fail’.

Tā zuò mǎimai shībài le. He failed in business.

Nǐ gēnju shénme shuō tā shibài On what basis do you say that he

le? failed?

réngōng liúchǎn: ’abortion’, more literally, ’artificial miscarriage’.

dào yīyuàn qu zuò réngōng liúchǎn: ’go to the hospital to have an
abortion performed’. Zuò réngōng liúchǎn here means ’to have an abortion
done', not of course ’to do an abortion'. Compare the following two
sentences:

Yīshēng gěi ta zuòle réngōng The doctor performed an abortion on

liúchǎn. her.

Tā zuòle réngōng liúchǎn. She had an abortion.

In the first sentence, the subject of the sentence (yīshēng) performed
the abortion. In the second sentence, the subject of the sentence (tā)
had the abortion performed. In some cases, a verb-object in Chinese can
mean either 'to do something' or 'to have something done'. Here are some
more examples:

Zhènme hǎode yīfu, shéi gěi nǐ Who made such nice clothes for you?
zuòde?

Zài Měiguo zuò yīfu hěn guì. It's really expensive to have clothes

made in America.

jià: 'leave, vacation'. You have seen this as part of the word chǎnjià
’maternity leave’. Here you see it used by itself.

Notes on No. 16

shǎoshù mǐnzú: 'minority natiionalities', often translated as 'national
minorities’. Besides the Han people, China has over fifty national
minorities which are spead out over fifty to sixty percent of the land
area and make up six percent of the total population of the country. The
largest minorities are the Mongols (mostly in the Nèi Měnggú Zìzhìqū,
'Inner Mongolian Autonomous Region'), the Hui (Chinese Muslims),
Tibetans, Uighurs (in the Xīnjiāng Wéiwú-ěr Zìzhìqū, 'Xinxiang Uighur
Autonomous Region'), and the Miao (found in several southern provinces).

Shǎoshù mínzúde yīfu dōu hěn hǎo kàn.

Zhōngguo you wǔshijǐge shǎoshù-mínzú.

The clothing of the national minorities is very beautiful.

China has fifty-odd minority nationalities.

Notes on No. 1?

xiāngxìn: ’to believe (that), to trust (someone), to believe in, to have
faith in’.

Wǒ xiāngxìn, women liǎngguǒ I believe that the friendship between

rénmínde yǒuyì yídìng huì the people of our two countries

búduàn fāzhǎn. will constantly grow.

Compare xiāngxìn to the verb xìn, which you learned in the last unit.
For the second example you need to know you is a verb meaning ’it’s up
to...’.

Bié xìn tāde huà. Don’t believe what he says.

Xìn bu xìn you ni. Believe it or not, as you like.

hōngtáng: ’brown sugar’, literally ’red sugar’. The Chinese often use
brown sugar in cooking and for medicinal purposes. For example, a common
remedy for colds is a hot drink made by boiling ginger root and brown
sugar in water CjiāngtāngC, or simply brown sugar water Ctángshuǐ3.

chǎnfù: ’a woman who has given birth within the last month’. [Contrast
this word with yùnfù ’a pregnant woman*.3 The birth of a child is
celebrated on the successful completion of the first month of life.

yíngyǎngpǐn: ’a nutritional food item’. Yíngyǎng means ’nutrition’, for
example:

Dòujiāng hěn you yíngyǎng. Soy bean milk is very nitritious.

-Pin is a syllable used in many words to mean ’item, article, product’,
[for example jìniànpǐn ’souvenir’, yòngpǐn ’item of use’, chǎnpǐn
’produce’, gōngyèpǐn ’industrial product’3.

As the Reference List sentence shows, the mother’s health continues to
be an important consideration even after the child is born. Both
mother’s and baby’s health are carefully attended to after birth, while
Western medicine emphasizes the mother’s health only as long as she is
carrying the child.

Notes on No. 18

bù tōng: ’to be not the same, to be different’. This is often used in

the pattern ...he ... bù tong,

is different from ...’.

Hùzhào he luxíngzhèng wanquan bù tong, nǐ bú yào nòngcuò le.

A passport and a travel permit are completely different. Don’t mistake
them.

Zhèige gōngchǎng jīnnián he qùniánde qíngkuàng hěn bù tong.

The situation in the factory this year is very different from last year.

Bù tong can also be used as a noun as in

Tāde dānwèi he nǐde you hěn There is a big difference between

dàde bù tong. his work unit and yours.

You should be aware that tong ’same’, cannot be used as the main verb of
a sentence to mean ’to be the same’. To say, ’These two things are the
same’, you must say Zhèiliǎngge dōngxi shi yíyàngde.

qǐnjìn: ’to be close (to), to be on intimate terms (with)’.

Zhèiliǎngge rén hěn qǐnjìn. These two are on intimate terms.

Dàjiā dōu yuànyi qǐnjìn ta. Everyone wants to be friends with
him.

Notes on No. 19

shōuxiān: ’first (of all), in the anyone/anything else’.

Jīntiān dàjiā kāi huì shōuxiān shi yào jiějué women chǎng
shēngchǎnshàngde wèntí.

Zài fàndiànli shōuxiān yào zhùyi jiějuéhāo kèrenmende chī fàn he xiūxi
wèntí.

Zuìjìn wàiguo péngyou hěn duō. Women shōuxiān yào jiějué zhùde wèntí.

xiānhuā: ’fresh flowers’, as which the Chinese are also fond of.

first place, first; first, before

The first thing we want to do at today’s meeting is to solve our
factory’s problems in production.

A hotel must first of all pay attention to solving the dining and rest
problems of the guests.

Recently there have been many foreign friends. We must first of all
solve the lodging problems.

;ed to dried or artificial flowers,

wánjù: ’(children’s) toy’.

Míngtiān érzi guō shēngrì, gěi ta mǎi ge wánjù.

Tomorrow is let’s buy

our boy’s birthday, him a toy.

Note on No. 20

Here you see the specifier -gè are some more examples:

I’d very much like to go visit lots of places in America. America is a
great country.

I’ve visited and sightseen lots of places in China for three weeks, it’s
time to go back home.

gèdì: ’each place; various places’ ’each’ used in another compound. Here

Wǒ hen xiang dào Měiguo gèdì qù kànyikàn, Měiguo shi ge wěidàde guójiā.

Zài Zhōngguo gèdì cānguān yǒu-lānle sānge xīngqi, wǒ gāi huí guǒ le.

Peking:

A Canadian student in Peking interviews a population control worker:

A: Wo zài Jiānádàde shihou jiù

tīngshuō Zhōngguo kōngzhi rén-koude gōngzuò zuòde hen chéng-gōng. Nǐ
néng hu néng gěi wo jiǎngyijiǎng nīmen shi zěnme zuòde?

C: Shōuxiān, zhèngfǔ tíchàng

wǎnhūn. Érqiě, yìhānde shuō, zài chéngli jiéle hūnde rén liǎngnián yǐhòu
cái yào haizi. Tāmen yào xiǎohair yǐqián yīnggāi zuòdao sān tōngguò.

A: *Sān tōngguò' shi shénme

yìsi ne?

C: 'Sān tōngguò* yě jiùshi shuō

yīnggāi dédao nǐ gōngzuò dānwèi , nǐ zhùde dìfangde jūmín wěiyuánhuì hé
pàichūsuǒ zhèi-sānge dìfangde tongyì.

A: Gè dānwèi gēn^u shénme biāo-

zhūn pīzhǔn fùnūmen shēng xiǎohair ne?

C: Gè chéngshì dōu you yídìngde

rénkōu chūshēnglū, měinián měige chéngshì zhǐ kéyi zēngjiā yídìng
shùmude haizi. Zhèixie míng'é Jiù fēnpèigei gègè shìqūde xiāng shēng
háizide nutóngzhì. Fùnū dōu shi dédao pīzhǔn yǐhòu cái huáiyùnde.

Bù xiāng yào háizide kéyi shíxíng bìyùn; hìyùn gōngjù hé bìyùn yào dōu
shi miǎnfèide.

A: Ruguo bìyùn shībàile zěnme

bàn?

C: Kéyi dào yīyuàn zuò réngōng

liǔchān, shǒushù bǔbì zìjǐ gěi qián, hái you liāngge xīngqīde

When I was in Canada I heard that population control work is being done
very successfully in China. Could you explain to me what you do?

First, the government promotes late marriage. Furthermore, generally
speaking, in the city, married people don’t have children until after
two years. Before they have a child they should have the 'three
approvals*.

What does the 'three approvals' mean?

The 'three approvals* means that you should have the consent of your
work unit, the neighborhood committee of the place you live, and the
local police station.

According to what criteria do the various units give official permission
to women to have children?

All the various cities have set population birth rates, and each year
they can only increase by a certain number of children. These quotas are
apportioned among women comrades in all the various cities who want to
have children. Women do not become pregnant until they receive official
permission.

Those who do not want to have children can practice birth control; all
contraceptive medicines and contraceptive devices are free.

What is done if birth control fails?

One can go to the hospital to have an abortion. A person doesn't have to
pay for the operation herself, and

jià, you you gōngzī.

A: Wo hǎoxiàng tīngshuō Zhōngguo

fùnū shēng háizide shihou you wǔshiliùtiānde chǎnjià, érqiě kéyi duō mǎi
yìxiē yíngyǎngpǐn, shi hu shi?

C: Duì le, chǎnjià you gōngzī.

Chǎnfù hái kéyi mǎi yìliǎngjīn hongtáng, duō mǎi yìliǎngjīn jīdàn.
Zhōngguo rén dōu xiāngxìn hōngtáng duì chǎnfù hěn hǎo.

A: Rénmen shēng háizide shíhou,

qīnqi péngyou song hu song lǐwù?

C: Qīnqi hé qīnjìnde péngyou

háishi huì song yìxiē xiǎo lǐwù, xiàng xiǎoháizide yǐfu la, xiǎo tǎnzi
la, xiǎo màozi la, wánjù shenmede. Yě you rén huì song yìxiē shuǐguǒ
huōzhǎ xiǎnhuā.

A: Yíge jiātíng kéyi you jǐge

xiǎoháir?

C: Zài chéngshìli niánqīng fūfù

zuì duō yào liǎngge háizi.

A: Nongcūnde qíngkuàng zěnmeyàng?

C: Gèdì nongcūnde qíngkuàng hù

tong. Rénkǒu duōde dìfang zhèngfǔ tíchàng jìhuà shēngyù. Nóngcūnlide rén
yě yòng gè-zhǒng hìyùn gōngjù. Bù shǎo rén yōule liǎngge háizi yǐhòu jiù
zuò juéyù shǒushù, nánde zuò, nude zuò, dōu kéyi. Nōngmín juéde zuò
Juéyù shǒushù hǐ yòng hìyùn gōngjù fānghiànde duō.

there is two weeks' leave with pay.

It seems to me I've heard that when Chinese women have children they get
56 days' maternity leave, and they can also huy extra nutritional food
items. Is that so?

That's right. The maternity leave is paid. In the month after delivery,
a woman can also huy one or two catties of hrown sugar, and one or two
extra catties of eggs. Chinese believe that hrown sugar is very good for
women during the month after delivery.

When someone has a hahy, do relatives and friends give presents?

Relatives and close friends will still give a few small gifts, like
clothes for the hahy, little blankets, little hats, toys, and so forth.
There are also people who will give a little fruit or fresh flowers.

How many children can one family have?

In the city young couples have two children at the most.

What's the situation like in the rural areas?

The situation in rural areas is different in different places. Where
there's a large population the government promotes family planning.
People in the rural areas also use all the various kinds of
contraceptive devices. Quite a few people undergo contraceptive surgery
after they've had two children. Either men or women may have this done.
The peasants feel that having contraceptive surgery performed is much
more convenient than using contraceptive devices.

Keshi zài shaoshù mínzú dìqū, yīnwei rénkǒu shǎo, zhèngfǔ hù tíchàng
jìhuà shēngyù, suoyi yìbānde jiātíng kéyi duō you jǐge xiǎoháir.

But in the areas populated hy minority nationalities, because the
population is smaller, the government doesn’t advocate family planning,
so the average family can have a few more children.

NOTE ON THE DIALOGUE

Rénmen shēng háizide shíhou, qǐnqi péngyou song bu song lǐwù?: As stated
in the dailogue, friends and relatives in the PRC give useful items for
the baby, like clothes, hats, cups, or perhaps a chicken for the mother.
These are presented casually.

Vocabulary

+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| bìyùn bù tong                     | contraception to be different     |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| chǎnfù                            | a woman who has given birth       |
|                                   | within the last month             |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| chǎnjià chénggōng_(s) chūshēnglù  | maternity leave                   |
|                                   |                                   |
|                                   | to succeed, to be successful      |
|                                   | birth rate                        |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| dānwèi                            | unit                              |
|                                   |                                   |
| -dào                              | (indicates successful             |
|                                   | accomplishment of something)      |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| dédao                             | to receive, to get                |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| fēnpèi                            | to assign, to apportion, to allot |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| gèdì gègè gēnjù (gēnju) gèzhǒng   | the various places, each place    |
| gōngzī                            | various according to, based on    |
|                                   | various kinds, types wages, pay   |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| hóngtáng                          | brown sugar                       |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| jià jiātíng jìhua shēngyù juéyù   | vacation, leave                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| jūmín wěiyuánhuì                  | family                            |
|                                   |                                   |
|                                   | planned parenthood, family        |
|                                   | planning sterilization            |
|                                   |                                   |
|                                   | neighborhood committee            |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| kòngzhi                           | to control                        |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| -men miǎnfèi ming’é               | plural suffix                     |
|                                   |                                   |
|                                   | to be free of charge              |
|                                   |                                   |
|                                   | the number of people assigned or  |
|                                   | allowed, quota (of people)        |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| nóngmín nii                       | peasant female                    |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| pàichūsuǒ(r) pīzhǔn               | the local police station to give  |
|                                   | official permission               |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| qíngkuàng qīnjìn                  | situation                         |
|                                   |                                   |
|                                   | to be close (to a person)         |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+

+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| réngōng liúchǎn                   | abortion                          |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| sān tōngguò shǎoshù mínzú         | "the three approvals"             |
|                                   |                                   |
|                                   | minority nationality, national    |
|                                   | minority                          |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| shēngyù shībài shìqū shōushù      | to give birth to and raise to     |
| shōuxiān shùmu                    | fail urban area or district       |
|                                   | operation, surgery first number   |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| tongguò tóngyì                    | to pass, to approve to consent,   |
|                                   | to agree                          |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| wánjù                             | toy                               |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| xiāngxìn xiānhuā xiǎoháir         | to believe fresh flowers child,   |
|                                   | children                          |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| yě jiù shi shuō yìbān yìbānde     | to mean; in other words ordinary, |
| shuō yídìng yíngyǎngpǐn           | general, common generally         |
|                                   | speaking to be specific           |
|                                   |                                   |
|                                   | food items of special nutritional |
|                                   | value                             |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| zengjiā                           | to increase                       |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+

Customs Surroundins Marriage, Birth, and Death: Unit U

PART I

1. Nǐde fúqi zhēn hǎo.

2. Zhang Tàitaide xífu tǒuyìtāí jiù gěi ta shēngle yige dǎ sūnzi.

3. Wǒ zhèli you yíge hǒngbāo shi gěi xiǎo bǎohaode.

b. Bù gǎn dāng!

5. Nǐ zhēnshi tǎi kèqi le. Hébì pòfei ne?

6. A: Nǐde nūér shēngxialaide shíhou you duo zhong?

B: Qibǎng ban.

7. A: Wǒ gang wèile ta bù jiù, tā you kū le.

B: Dàgǎi you yào chi nǎi le.

8. Tā zhǎngde hěn piàoliang.

9. A: Nǐ zhège háizi hěn you fúxiàng, ěrduo zhǎngde zhēn dǎ.

B: Tuǒ nínde fú*.

You are really blessed with good fortune.

Mrs. Zhang’s daughter-in-law in her first pregnancy presented her with a
fine grandson.

I have a "red envelope" for the baby.

I’m flattered. You shouldn’t have.’

You’re too polite. Why should you spend so much money?

How much did your daughter weigh when she was born?

Seven and a half pounds.

I just fed him not long ago, and now he’s crying again.

He probably wants to nurse again.

She is very pretty.

This child of yours has a lucky physiognomy. His ears are really big.

It’s because of your lucky influence.

NOTES ON PART I

Note on No. 1

fúqi: ’blessings, good fortune, luck’.

Wo hěn you fúqi, érzi bāng wo I’m very fortunate, my son helps me bù
shǎo máng. a lot.

Nǐ zhen méi fúqi, gang chū men jiù xià yǔ le.

You really have bad luck. You just leave on a trip and then it rains.

Notes on No. 2

xífu: ’daughter-in-law, son’s wife’.

Tā xífu hāo piāoliang! Her daughter-in-law is so beautiful!

Wo xífu gōngzuò mángjíle. My daughter-in-law is very busy.

tōu-: ’first’, (literally ’head’) as in tōuyitiān, ’the first day’. Tōu-
is used much like dì-: before a number and a counter, which may or may
not be followed by a noun.

tōuyicì the first time

touyige rén the first person

tóuliāngge rén the first two people

tousānběn the first three volumes

In touyige, tou- is stressed and yi is in the neutral tone. Also notice
that the word for ’two’ is liāng- (not èr as is usually the case when a
counter follows).

Now here is a comparison of tou- and dì-:

(1) Touyige rén and dìyíge rén are both translated as ’the first
    person’ and touyige is for the most part interchangeable with
    dìyíge.

(2) Although the yǐ in touyige is unstressed and written without a
    tone mark over it, the yī in dìyíge is stressed and said with a
    second tone (or sometimes with a first tone).

(3) The word for ’two’ is liāng after tou-, but èr after dì-. Dìèrge
    means ’the second one’, while touliāngge means ’the first two’.

(L) Tou- must be used with a counter, but dì- can be used with just a
number after it. Here are some examples of dì- used with a number but no
counter after it:

Wǒ yào māi zhège dōngxi.

Dìyī, zuòde hen hāo; dìèr, hen piányi.

Tā shi dìyī, wǒ shi dìèr.

I’m going to buy this. First, it’s very well made; second, it’s
inexpensive.

He is first, I’m second.

But touyī-, touliāng-, tóusān- always have a counter word after the
number.

tāi: This is the counter for pregnancies, whether carried to term or
not. Literally tāi means ’embryo’. The expression touyitāi can also be
said toutāi.

Tóusāntāi dōu shi nude, dào dìsìtāi cai shēngle ge érzi.

The first three hahies were all girls it wasn’t until the fourth that
she had a boy.

Tā shēng tōutǎide shíhou, shēntǐ bú cud. Shēng dìèr-tāide shíhou jiù bù
xíng le.

When she had her first baby, she was still in pretty good health. But
when she had her second, it wasn’t good any more.

shēng; ’to give birth to...’ Notice that the Chinese verb shēng is used
in an active sense which is not always reflected in the English. Compare
the various translations of shēng in the Reference List, the above
examples and the dialogue.

sūnzi: ’grandson’. This only refers to the son of one’s son. The son of
one’s daughter and son-in-law is called wàisūnzi. Here is a chart
showing how these terms relate to each other.

[]

spouse

[]

[]

(grandson) (granddaughter)

nuer

(daughter

nuxu son-in-law)

[]

waisūnzi waisūnnu

(grandson) (granddaughter)

Notes on No. 3

hóngbāo: 'a red envelope with money in it, given as a gift or bribe’.
These gifts of money may be given to children by people at least a
generation older. This usually happens at festive occasions, like New
Years or a birthday. The amount given varies greatly but there is one
thing to remember: ‘Do not give an amount with the number four in it!
The number four, si, closely resembles the verb "to die," sǐ, and is
therefore considered unlucky. Chinese youth were without any real
opportunity to make money in the past, so this is one way that it is
made up for.

xiǎo bǎobao: Literally ■’little treasure’, in other words ’the little
darling’ or ’the baby’. This word is usually used by women. Some people
use the word bǎobao (with or without xiǎo) in addressing or speaking
about babies or children.

The second bǎo in bǎobao is neutral tone; even though it was originally
also third tone, it does not make the first bǎo change to a rising tone,
as you might expect (e.g. nǎli). The first bǎo in bǎobao is pronounced
low,

without any rise in pitch. (Some people also say hǎohǎo and xiao
bǎobǎo.) IThere are many other words used to refer to babies. Some terms
used by both men and women include (xiǎo) bēibì, (xiǎo) guāiguai, xiǎo
jiǎhuo. Some terms used mostly by men include xiǎo bēibei and xiǎo
budiǎnr.J

Note on No. 4

bù gǎn dāng: ’I’m flattered'. Literally, this means 'I dare not assume
(the honor you pay me)'. This is a polite response to a compliment (such
as 'You speak Chinese very well'), to a respectful gesture (such as
helping someone put on their coat), or to a respectful phrase (like
'Qǐngjiǎo').

Note on No. 5

pòfei: 'spend money (on someone)', also sometimes translated as 'to
spend recklessly'.

Rang nín pòfei. or Jiao nín pòfei•

Tā shi wǒ sūnzi, wèi ta pòfei liǎngge qiǎn shi yīnggāide.

I have caused you to spend a lor, of money. (i.e., 'you shouldn't have
spent all that money on me')

He’s my grandson, it’s only right that I should spend a little money on
him.

Tā shēngrìde shíhou, Wang Xiānsheng pòfeide zhēn bù shǎo.

For his birthday, Mr. Wang really

spent quite a bit of money on him.

Notes on No. 6

you duo zhòng: 'how heavy?' Zhòng is the adjectival verb 'to be heavy’.
Notice the similarity between asking age, weight and height. In each the
pattern is literally 'have how much (of some quality)'.

Nǐ you duo dǎ? How old are you?

Nèizhāng zhuōzi you duo zhòng? How heavy is that table?

Tā you duo gāo? How tall is she?

This pattern is usually confined to measurements of some sort.

bang: 'pound (unit of weight)’. In addition to the traditional Chinese
units of weight such as dǎn 'picul (100 liters approximately)', jIn
'catty (1 1/3 lbs.)', liǎng 'tael (105 grams approximately)’, and the
metric system of weights, such as gōngliǎng *100 grams’ and gōng jin
’kilogram', you also find customary American units such as 'pound' used.

Notes on No. 7

gang wèile tā bù jiǔ: This means 'It's only been a short while SINCE I
fed him.', NOT 'I fed him for only a short while.' Chinese can
distinguish between the duration of a continued activity and the
duration of something not happening by putting these two types of
duration phrases in different places in the sentence.

Let's review time when and time spent, and take a look at how you
express TIME WITHIN WHICH something didn't happen and TIME ELAPSED since
something happened.

1. Simple duration phrases, that is phrases telling how long an
    activity went on, follow the verb. These contrast with phrases
    telling the time when something happened, which come before the
    verb.

Simple duration

Ta zai Xianggang zhù liāng-tiān.

He’s staying in Hong Kong for two days.

Tā zuòle wǔfēn zhōng, jiù zǒu le.

He sat for five minutes and then left.

Time when

Ta shi zuǒtian dàode.

She arrived yesterday.

2. The amount of time something did not happen, that is the TIME
    WITHIN WHICH the activity has not taken place, is expressed in
    negative sentences with time phrases before the verb.

Time Within with a Negative Verb

Women yìnián méi jiàn le.

Wǒ yijīng yíge yuè méi qù nar le.

We haven’t seen each other for a year.

I haven’t been going there for a month now.

3. To express the time elapsed since an activity took place the
    duration phrase is again placed after the verb.

Time elapsed in an affirmative sentence

  ---- ----------------------------------- -------------------------------------
  Wo   zuòwánle yǐjīng yíge zhōngtou le.   I’ve been done for an hour already.
  Tā   cai zěule yíge xīngqi.              It’s been only a week since he left
  Wo   gāng líkāi zhèige wūzi              I’ve been out of the room only a
  ---- ----------------------------------- -------------------------------------

bù jiù. short while.

Note on No. 7

chī nǎi: ’to eat (mother’s) milk’, in other words, **to breastfeed” and
by extension ’to drink milk’, even from a bottle. Similarly, wèi nai can
mean ’to feed milk (to a baby)* without specifying mother’s milk or
otherwise. To distinguish between breast feeding and bottle feeding, one
can say chī māmade nǎi, ’to eat mother’s milk’. And from the mother’s
point of view, one can say mama zìji gěi haizi wèi nǎi, ’the mother
nurses the child herself.’

Note on No. 8

Tǎ zhǎngde hěn piàoliang: * She’s very pretty.’ Zhǎngde piàoliang
literally means ’grow pretty’, but it should be translated simply as ’is
pretty*. Zhangde ... is often used in descriptions of the appearance of
living things. In these cases, zhǎngde ... is absent of any meaning such
as ’has grown ...’, ’has come to be ...’ or ’has become ...’; it simply
means ’is, are*.

Tǎ zhǎngde hěn hǎokàn. She is very beautiful.

Tā zhǎngde gēn wo yíyàng gāo. She is just as tall as I am.

Tāde lian zhǎngde gēn wo mèi- Her face looks just like my little

mei yíyàng. sister.

There is almost no difference in meaning between Tā hěn piàoliang and

Tā zhǎngde hěn piàoliang. Both are used frequently. But there is a
difference in meaning between Tā zhǎngde hěn gāo and Tā zhǎnggāo le: the
former means ’He is very tali’, and the latter ’He has grown tall*.

Notes on No. 9

fúxiàng: ’auspicious physiognomy’. This phrase implies something more
than ’lucky face’. The word fú expresses the destiny of a person to
enjoy a life of good fortune. Xiang is a person’s looks considered from
the point of view of fortune telling. Traditionally, it was believed
that a person's destiny could be determined from the individual
variations of his hands, bones, face, ears, hair, and so forth. The
xiàng includes the face, ears, hairline, and bumps on the head.

...erduo zhǎngde zhēn dǎ: Portraits of some of the most admired men in
Chinese history depict them with long ears. (Long ears are thought to
indicate wisdom.) It was thought that rulers in particular were so
endowed. Buddha is also pictured with long ears, as he appeared in
Indian portrayals.

Taipei:

Mrs. Song’s daughter-in-law, Bǎolǎn, has just recently had a baby. A
friend of the family, Mrs. Zhāng, comes to pay them a visit:

Z: Song Taitai, nín xífu shēngle

meiyou?

S: Shēng le. Shēngle ge nánháizi.

Z: ōu! Nín fùqi zhēn hao. Tā

tóuyitāi jiù gěi nin shēngle yige da súnzi. Gōngxǐ, gōngxǐ.

S: Xièxie, xièxie! Lai kànkan

wǒ xífu gēn xiǎo bǎobao ba!

Z: Hǎo.

Bǎolǎn! Gōngxǐ, gōngxǐ! Nǐ hǎo ma?

B: Wǒ hen hǎo. Zhāng Bomù, nín

lai le.

Z: Ou! Nǐ zhè haizi hen you

fúxiāng, ǒrduo zhǎngde name da!

B: Xièxie! Tuō nínde fú!

Z: Tā shēngxialaide shíhou you

duō zhòng a?

B: Qībàng ban.

Z: Ùg, zhēn bù xiǎo.

S: Tā zhēn néng chī. Bǎolàn

gāng wèile ta bù jiù, xiànzài you kū le. Dàgài you yào chǐ nǎi le.

Z: Tā kūde shēngyin hen dà.

Shēntǐ yídìng hen jiànkāng.

B: Duì! Tā cōng yǐyuàn huílai

yíge lǐbài jiù zhǎngle yíbàng.

Z: Wǒ lái yǐqiǎn xiǎngzhe nǐ

yīnggāi shēngle, suōyi

Mrs. Song, has your daughter-in-law had the baby yet?

Yes. It’s a boy.

Oh! How lucky you are. She had a nice big grandson for you—and it was
her first! Congratulations.

Thank you. Come see my daughter-in-law and the baby!

Okay.

Congratulations, Bǎolǎn! How are you?

Well Mrs. Zhāng! I’m fine, thanks.

Oh! He’s got a very lucky physiognomy. Such big ears,’

Thank you! It’s because of your lucky influence!

How much did he weigh at birth?

Seven and a half pounds.

Hm. That’s really pretty big.

He eats like a horse. Bǎolǎn just fed him a little while ago, and now
he’s crying again. He probably wants to nurse again.

He cries so loudly. He must be very healthy.

Yes! In the week after he came back from the hospital, he gained a
pound.

Before I came I thought you should have had the baby by now, so I got a
zhùnbèile yíge hóngbāo. Shi gěi xiǎo bǎobaode.

B: Bù gǎn dang. Nín tai kèqi

le. Hébì pofei ne?

Z: Bú shi kèqi. Zhí shi yìdiǎn

xiǎo yìsi.

B: Xièxie! Xièxie!

’red envelope* ready. It’s for the baby.

You shouldn’t have. That’s too polite of you. Why should you spend
money?

I’m not being polite. This is just a little something to express my
feelings.

Thank you!

PART II

10. Zhōngguo rén xiāngxìn chǎnfù mǎnyuè yīqián hu kéyi chuī fēng.

11. Chǎnfù zuò yuèzide shíhou yào tèbié xiǎoxīn.

12. Zhōngguo rén dōu shuō chī Zhōngyàode shíhou, hú yào chī
    shēnglěng.

13. Yīshēng shuō wǒ déle fēngshī, zuì hǎo hú yào pèng lěngshuī.

1U. Nǐ yīnggāi duō tǎngzhe, zhùyi xiūxi, zhèyang cai néng huīfude kuài.

15. Jiàndao Wang Bùzhǎngde shíhou qiǎnwàn dāngxīn, hié suíhiàn shuō
    huà.

16. Tā jiéhūn yǐqián duì tā xiān-sheng liǎojiěde húgòu, jiéguō
    jiéhūn yǐhōu hěn tòngkǔ.

17. Nǐ kàn tā duo kuài, yíxiàzi jiù hǎ fàn zuōhǎo le.

18. Nà shi Wángjiāde xífu, zhènme pang!

Chinese people believe that women who have just given hirth should stay
out of drafts until the child is a full month old.

Women who have just given hirth should he especially careful during the
month after delivery.

Chinese people say that when you take Chinese medicine, you shouldn’t
eat raw or cold things.

The doctor says I’ve got rheumatism and that it would he hest for me not
to come in contact with cold water.

You should lie down more and pay attention to your rest; that’s the only
way you’ll recover quickly.

When you see Secretary Wang, he sure to watch yourself, don’t he
careless in what you say.

Before she got married she didn’t understand her husband well enough and
as a result she suffered a lot after the marriage.

Look at how fast he is, he got dinner ready in no time at all.

That is the Wang family’s daughter-in-law, she’s so fat!

NOTES ON PART II

Notes on No. 10

mǎnyuè: ’thirtieth day after a child is born’, literally, ’full-month’.
(it also means ’full moon’.) This refers to a baby’s completion of the
first full month of life and is a cause of celebration.

Wángjiā háizi kuài mǎnyuè le, The Wang’s hahy is about to be a qīng
dàjiā qù chī mǎnyuè month old, and they’re asking

jiù. everyone to go take part in the

’full month’ banquet.

chuī fēng: Literally, ’to blow wind’, but actually ’to be in a current
of air, a draft, the wind’. Although what blows is the wind, fēng ’wind’
seems to be in the object position in this phrase. Chǎnfù bù keyi chuī
fēng does not mean ’’Women recently delivered of a child cannot blow
wind", but rather, ’’Women recently delivered of a child cannot have
wind blow on them." Traditionally, Chinese women were to stay out of
drafts because of the very poor overall health situation of the country,
and because of the importance of caring for the next generation. Of the
three (Confucian) ways to be unfilial, the worst was to be heirless.

Nīde bìng gang hǎo, bu yào You're just over your illness,

chūqu chuī fēng. don’t go out in a draft.

Notes on No. 11

zuò yuèzi: Literally, ’to sit the yuèzi', yuèzi being the month after
giving birth during which a woman is supposed to take special care of
her health. There are different motivations underlying this custom.
Woman’s most important function (indeed her only one) was to aide in
perpetuating the family line. Therefore it was essential to take special
precautions for her own health so that she would nurse a healthy baby.
Another idea was that a woman’s body at this time was "dirty" and to
avoid offending the door gods she should not go past them.

Tā zuò yuèzide shíhou, kě xiǎo- During the first month after delivery
xìn, méi chūguo yìtiān men. she was extremely careful. She

didn’t go out once.

xiǎoxīn: ’to be careful’, literally, ’small-heart’. Xiǎoxīn is an
adjectival verb which can be used with or without an object following.

Tā zhèige rén bù zěnmeyàng, hé This guy is nothing special, you’d tā zuò
péngyou yào xiǎoxīn. better be careful making friends

with him.

Xiǎoxīn.’ Qiánbianr shi hóngdēng. Careful.’ There’s a red light up
ahead.

Xiǎoxīn nèige rén! Be careful of that person.’

Xiǎoxīn guò mǎlù. Be careful crossing the street.

Note on No. 12

shēngleng: 'raw or cold foods'. Traditional Chinese medicine divides
foods into yin and yang Yin are "cool" (liángxìngde) foods, that is,
foods that make the system cool; yang foods are "hot" (rèxìngde), that
is, they make the system hot. These characteristics are not dependant on
the degree temperature at which the food is eatenj but are rather
inherent in the food. For example crab, white sugar, and most vegetables
and fruits are yin or cool while hot pepper, lard, millet, brown sugar,
and certain fruits such as canteloupe and lichee nuts are all
particularly yang or hot. Generally speaking, yang foods harmonize with
body temperature while yin foods shock the system. Nonetheless, a
balance between the two kinds of foods must be maintained. Too much yang
food can cause the body's "heat" to rise too much (shàng huo), minor
symptoms of which might include a cough, fever, dry mouth, blisters on
the tongue, and constipation. On the ocher hand, too much yin food is
bad for the stomach and can cause diarrhea.

The body's "heat" (huo) can be regulated by eating one or the other kind
of foods. Thus in hot weather, when the huo naturally rises, one should
eat "cool" foods to lower the huo (qing huo), and in the winter one
should eat "hot" foods. Likewise, certain illnesses call for the eating
of one kind of food or the other: one should eat "cool" foods to
counteract infections and fevers, while one should eat "hot" foods to
build up one's strength if one has a disease which makes him weak. In
particular, women giving birth should eat plenty of the "hot" type of
foods.

Shēngleng, raw or cold foods, have also traditionally been considered
bad for women who are pregnant or have just given birth. Given sanitary
conditions in traditional China, this is understandable.

Chi shēnglengde dōngxi yídìng When eating raw things, be sure to yào
xǐgānjing. wash them well.

de: 'to get, a catch (a disease)

Wo de bìng yǐhòu, méi bànfa niàn shū le.

Tā de bìng yǐqián, shēntǐ hen hāo.

Tā dede shi shénme bìng?

Dé bìng means 'to get an illness'.

After I got sick, I couldn't study any more.

Before she got ill, her health was very good.

What illness was it that she got?

Here are some examples of dé followed by the name of an illness:

Tā dé gānmào yǐhòu, jiù méiyou He didn't go out after he got a cold,
chūlaiguo.

QÙniān dōngtiān, tā dele xuěyā gāo.

Last winter, he got high blood pressure.

Here are some more examples sentences showing various uses of de:

Jīnniān guè shēngrì wo dele I got a new book on my birthday this

yìběn xīn shū. year.

Xiǎodì jīntiān néng de hǎojǐ- Little brother will be able to get ge
hongbāo! a lot of "red envelopes" today!

Of course, de cannot be used in all cases when we would say ’get’ in
English. For one thing, de only means to receive passively, whereas
English ’get’ sometimes denotes actively seeking to obtain, as in ’I’m
going to the supply room to get some paper and pens’, or ’I got a
package of cereal at the supermarket’. In these cases, dé would not be
appropriate in Chinese. To show you some other ways in which the English
word ’get’ is expressed in Chinese, here are some Chinese sentences
which do not use de although the English translation uses ’get*:

Zuotian lai nǐde diānhuā le. Yesterday you got a phone call (but

you weren’t here to get it.)

Zuotian wo jiēdāo tāde diānhuā Yesterday I got a phone call from le.
him (and was there to receive it.)

Tā zēngjiā gōngzī le.

Tā jiā xīnshuǐ le.

Wǒ shōudàole yíge zhāngdān.

Wǒ cóng tā nār bǎ jiègei tade nèiběn shū nāhuilai le.

Yǒ gěi wǒ nǎ yíge lai•

Cong shenme dìfang wo néng mǎidao yíge xiāng zhèiyangrde?

He got a raise in wages.

He got a raise in salary.

I got a bill.

I got the book back which I lent him.

Get one for me too.

Where can I get (buy) one of those?

fēngshi: ’rheumatism’, literally

Tā you fēngshi, tiān yì lěng tuǐ téngde lìhai.

’wind-humid’.

He has rheumatism, as soon as it gets cold, his leg hurts severely.

pèng: ’to touch’, only in the sense of one object coming into contact
with another. The verb pèng can also mean to come into contact with
something in a violent way, ’to hit, to bump into’. Whether pèng means
merely ’to touch’ or ’to bump into’ must be determined by context.

Ni bie peng zheige zhuōzi. Don’t touch this table.

Tāde chē kě bùdeliǎo. Biérén His car is terrific! Other people pèng dōu
bù néng pèng, gèng can’t even touch it, not to mention

bú yào shuō Jièqu kāi le! borrowing it to drive!

CSome other words meaning ’to touch’ are āi ’to be close to, to be next
to, to be touching’

Ta zui pa da zhen. Zhen hai méi āidao ta, tā jiù dà jiao.

dōng: ’to touch, to handle’

Nǐ bié dōng wo zhuōzishangde dōngxi, děng yìhuǐr wǒ huí-laile zìjǐ
shōushi.

mō: ’to feel, to rub, to touch’ Here ’to be soft, yielding to the
touch’.

Zhèijiàn yīfu zhēn hǎo, mōshang-qu ruǎnruǎnde; chuānzhe yídìng hěn
shūfu.

She is extremely afraid of getting shots. She cries out before the
needle has even touched her.

Don't touch the things on my desk, in a while when I come back I’ll
straighten them up myself.

you also need to know that ruǎn means

This piece of clothing is really nice very soft to the touch; it must be
very comfortable to wear.]

Notes on No. 1U

tang: ’to lie down’. This is an action verb. Under most circumstances it
requires some kind of complement: either a zài phrase telling where the
subject ended up in a lying position, as in

Ta tangzai chuangshang le. He lay down on the bed.

or the durative apsect marker -zhe, as in

Tā zài chuangshang tǎngzhe.

or the directional ending -xia(lai),

Dàifu jiào wo tǎngxia.

or the completion le, as in

Tangle bàntiān, háishi bu shūfu.

Tā tangle yìhuǐr, jiù Juéde hǎo yìdiǎnr le.

He is/was lying on the bed.

as in

The doctor told me to lie down.

I lay down for quite a long time, but still felt ill.

After I laid down for a while, I felt better.

huīfu: ’to restore; to return to health)’.

Zhèige gōngchāng yījīng huīfu shēngchǎn le.

Tā qiánjǐnián dào nóngcūn qu le. Zuìjìn cái huīfu gōngzuò.

A: Wǒ shàngge yuè shēng bìng-le, zhèige xīngqi cái huīfu yìdiǎnr.

B: Kan nǐde yàngzi, huīfude bú cuò.

(an original state); to recover (one’s

This factory has already restored production. (Production in many areas
was stopped during the turmoil of the Great Cultural Revolution.)

She went to the countryside several years ago. Only recently did she
return to work.

I was sick last month and only this week am feeling like myself again.

Looking at your appearance I’d say you’re pretty well recovered.

Notes on No. 1$

qiānwàn: ’by all means, for sure’

Nèitiáo jiēshang chē tài duō, nī qiānwàn bié qù.

Nī gāng Xue kāi chē, qiānwàn xiāoxīn.

Qiānwàn zhùyì, bú yào xiěcuò le, xiěcuòle kě máfan.

literally ’thousand ten-thousands*.

There are too many cars on that street, you are absolutely not to go
there.

You’ve only just learned to drive a car, be sure to be careful.

Be sure to be careful, don’t write this incorrectly, if you do it’ll be
so much trouble.

dāngxīn: ’to watch out, to watch oneself, to be cautious’. Not to be
confused with dānxīn, ’to worry’.

Gāng xiàle xuě, chū men dāngxīn! It’s just snowed, watch yourself when
you go out.

Kāi chē shàng jiē dāngxīn yì- Watch yourself when you go out diǎnr a!
driving downtown!

Notes on No. 16

jiéguǒ: ’as a result, and so ...’. One of the uses of this word is to
connect the thought of one sentence with the next. (Another is as the
noun ’result(s)*.) It provides a transition from one sentence to
another, as in

'As a result, then Below is a monologue which takes place in
Peking,

in which the apeaker uses the word jiéguo in this way several times.
(This is not meant to he an example of eloquence; in fact, you should
not use jiéguo as repetitively as this speaker.)

Wo tīngshuō Xiǎo Wang he Xiǎo Lǐ tan liàn’ài le. Tǎnde zěnme yàng ne?
Tǎnde hú cuò. Liǎngge rén dōu méiyou yìjian. JiéguS Xiǎo Wǎngde fùqin bù
tongyì. Zhèijiàn shi kě jiù hù hǎo hàn le. Xiǎngle hàntiān, jiéguS
haishi Xiǎo Wang qù zhǎo jūmín wěiyuǎnhuì. Jūwěihuìde gànhu hé Xiǎo Wang
tǎnle hàntiān, jiéguǒ hai hù xíng. Zěnme hàn? Xiǎo Wang you qù zhǎo
pàichūsuS. PàichūsuSde gànhu you lai hé Lǎo Wang tǎnle hàntiān, haishi
méiyou jiéguS. Zuìhòu nǐ xiǎng zěnmeyàng, Xiǎo Lǐ zìjǐ lai hé Lǎo Wang
tǎnle, shuō jiéhūn yīhòu hù hānchuqu zhù, tā zhàogu lǎorénjiā. Zhèihuǐr
Lǎo Wǎng mǎnyì le. JiéguS Xiǎo Wǎng Xiǎo Lǐ gāogāoxìngxìng jiéhūn le.

I heard that Xiǎo Wǎng and Xiǎo Lǐ are in love. How serious? Really
serious. The two of them had no problems with the idea (of getting
married). But then Xiǎo Wǎng’s father didn’t agree. The whole thing
became difficult to arrange. They thought for a long time, and as a
result it was Xiǎo Wǎng who went to seek out the neighborhood committee.
The neighborhood committee cadres talked with Old Wǎng (Xiǎo Wǎng’s
father) for a long time. But then it still didn’t go over. What to do?
Xiǎo Wǎng then went to seek out the local police station. And the police
station cadres went to talk with Old Wǎng too, but still no result. Well
what do you think happened in the end? Xiǎo Lǐ went herself to talk with
Old Wǎng. She said that after they married they wouldn’t move out, that
she would take care of the old gentleman. That’s when Old Wǎng became
satisfied. So in the end Xiǎo Wǎng and Xiǎo Lǐ were happily married.

tòngkū: ’to be in pain, to be suffering’.

Tā nèi shíhou hen tòngkū. She was in a great deal of pain at

that time.

Liàn’ài shībàile tā hěn tòngkū. It was very hard on him when they broke
up.

Zheijiàn shìqing ràng ta This matter pained him a great deal,

fēichǎng tòngkū.

Notes on No. 17

duo kuài: ’how fast’.’ Duo or the alternate form duome is used in
exclamatory sentences to mean ’how ...!’ Here are some more examples:

Nǐ kàn cai shuōle liǎngjù huà, tā jiù bù gāoxìng le. Duo

You see you only have to say two sentences and she gets unhappy.

rang rén bù hǎo yìsi!

It really makes a person embarrassed!

Zhèi kùzi zhènme duǎn, chuǎn-shang duo nánshdu!

Zhèiběn shū xiěde duo hǎo!

Wo bǎ chē yǎoshi fǎngzi chuangshang. Duo ben!

yíxiǎzi: in no time’.

Wǒ huà hái méi shuōwán, tā yíxiǎzi jiù shēngqì le. Shéi zhīdao
wèishénme?

These pants are so short, when you wear them they’ll be so
uncomfortable.

This book is so well written!

I left the car keys on the bed. How stupid!

’in a flash, at one blow, at one fell swoop, all at once,

I hadn’t yet finished speaking when he got angry all of a sudden. Who
knows why?

Notes on No. 18

Wángjiā: ’the Wang family’, referring either to the people, the social
unit, or their home (in which case it can be used as a place word).

pǎng: ’to be fat, to get fat’. The verb pǎng can be used in two ways:
one as an adjectival verb ’to be fat’, the other as a process verb ’to
get fat’. To the Chinese, a fat baby is not only a healthy baby, it is a
beautiful one. Plumpness and roundness are two features admired in
babies and children.

Adjectival verb (state)

Tā hěn pǎng.

Tǎ xiǎo shíhou bú pǎng.

Wǒ hěn pǎ pǎng, shénme dou bù gǎn chī.

Process verb

Zuìjìn shēntī hǎole, tā pǎng duō le.

Nǐ shi bu shi pǎngle yìdiǎndiǎn, Èrgē a?

He is fat.

She wasn’t fat when she was little.

I’m afraid of being fat, I don’ dare eat anything.

Lately his health got better and he got very fat.

Haven’t you put on just a little bit of weight, Older Brother?

Taipei:

Mrs. Fang pays a visit to Mrs. Zhāng and her daughter-in-law to see the
daughter-in-law’s new baby:

F: Gōngxǐ, gōngxǐ! Zhāng Taitai,

nín zhēn you fúqi, nínde xífu tōuyitāi Jiù gěi nín shēngle yíge dā pang
sūnzi. Nínde xífu he xiao bāobao cōng yīyuàn huílaile meiyou? Tāmen dōu
hāo ba?

Z: Xièxie, xièxie*. Tāmen dōu

hāo, jīntiān zāoshang gāng cong yǐyuàn huílai.

F: Wo zhèli you yíge hōngbāo,

shi gěi xiāo bāobaode.

Z: Ai! Bù gān dāng, nín zhēn

shi tài kèqi le, hébì pòfei ne?

F: Nali, nāli! Zhǐ shi yìdiān

xiāo yìsi. Hāizi you duō zhòng a?

Z: Haizi shēngxialaide shíhou

shi bābàng qī. Zhège hāizi shēntǐ zhēn hāo, zhēn neng chǐ. Gāng wèibāo,
yíxiāzi you è le. NĪ ting, tā you kū le, shēngyin zhēn dà, dàgāi you yào
chǐ nāi le. Women qù kànkan.

Congratulations! Mrs. Zhāng, you’re so lucky! Your daughter-in-law had a
big fat grandson for you—and it was just her first! Have your
daughter-in-law and the little darling come back from the hospital yet?
They’re both doing well, I hope?

Thank you! They’re both fine. They just came back from the hospital this
morning.

I have a ’red envelope’ for the baby here.

Oh! You shouldn’t have. You’re really too kind. Why should you spend all
this money?

Don’t be silly. This is Just a little something to express my feelings.
How much does the baby weigh?

He was eight pounds seven ounces at birth. He’s really a healthy baby,
and he eats a lot. Right after his feeding, in no time he’s hungry
again. Listen, he’s crying again. What a loud voice! He probably wants
to nurse again. Let’s go see.

C: ō! Fang Bōmu, nín yě lāi

le!

F : Gōngxǐ, gōngxǐ ’. Wō lāi kàn nǐ ěrzi lai le! Zhège hāizi zhāngde
zhēn hāo, duō you fúxiàng!

C: Xièxie, xièxie! Tuō nínde

fú!

Oh! Auntie Fāng, you’ve come too!

Congratulations! I’ve come to see your son! He looks so good! What a
lucky physiognomy!

Thank you! It’s all thanks to your lucky influence!

F: Nǐ shēntǐ hao bu hao?

Yuèzili yào xiǎoxīn, bú yào chi shēnglěngde dōngxi, bú yào chuī fēng, bú
yào pèng lěng shuǐ, yě bú yào chū men. Nǐ kàn, Liújia nàge xífu zuò
yuèzi bú zhùyì, chǎng kāi diàn bīngxiāng, yòng lěng shuǐ, jiéguō dele
fēngshī, tòngkúde hěn. Xiànzài hai yào tiǎntiǎn chi Zhōngyào. Nǐ qiǎnwàn
yào dāngxīn.

Z: Shi a’. Wǒ yǐjīng gàosu

ta le, yuèzili shénme shi dōu bú yào zuò, duō tǎngzhe, duō xiūxi, duō
chi hǎode, shēntǐ jiù huifude kuài yidiǎn.

F: Wǒ zōu le, guò jǐtiǎn zài

lái kàn nǐ gēn xiǎo bǎobao.

C: Deng yíxià. Nǐ dài jǐge

hōngdàn qu, mǎnyuède shihou zài qǐng ni chi mǎnyuèjiú.

F: Hǎo hǎo hǎo, wǒ yídìng lái.

How are you feeling? You have to be careful for the first month after
giving birth. Don’t eat raw or cold foods, stay out of drafts, avoid
cold water, and don’t leave the house. Look at Mrs. Liú who didn’t pay
attention during the first month after giving birth; she opened the
refrigerator a lot and used cold water, and ended up getting rheumatism.
She suffered so much. Now she still has to take Chinese medicine every
day. Be absolutely sure you watch out.

Right’. I’ve already told her. You shouldn’t do anything at all during
the first month after giving birth. You should lie down a lot, get a lot
of rest, eat a lot of good food, and then your health will come back
faster.

I’m going to leave now. I’ll come back in a few days to see you and the
baby.

Wait a second. Take a few red eggs with you. We’ll invite you to the
celebration dinner when the baby is one month old.

All right, I'll be sure to come.

NOTE ON THE DIALOGUE

hōngdàn: Red eggs symbolize a combination of lucky influences: red is
the color of happiness and dignity, while eggs are symbols of health and
prosperity to the farmer. Hōngdàn are sometimes also used as gifts from
a newly-engaged couple to their friends.

Vocabulary

+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| -bang                             | pound (unit of weight)            |
|                                   |                                   |
| bǎobao (bǎobao)                   | baby, darling (term of endearment |
|                                   | for a young child)                |
| bīngxiāng                         |                                   |
|                                   | refrigerator, ice box             |
| bù gǎn dāng                       |                                   |
|                                   | I’m flattered, You shouldn't      |
|                                   | have,                             |
|                                   |                                   |
|                                   | I don't deserve this              |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| chī nǎi                           | to nurse, to suckle               |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| chuī fēng                         | to have air blow on oneself, to   |
|                                   | be                                |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
|                                   | in a draft                        |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| dāngxīn                           | to watch out                      |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| de                                | to get                            |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| duo kuài!                         | how fast!                         |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| ěrduo                             | ear                               |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| fēngshi                           | rheumatism                        |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| fúqi                              | blessings, luck                   |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| fúxiàng                           | lucky physiognomy                 |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| hongbāo                           | a red envelope with a gift or     |
|                                   | bribe                             |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
|                                   | of money in it                    |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| hongdàn                           | eggs dyed red                     |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| huīfu                             | to recover                        |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| jiēguǒ (jiēguǒ)                   | as a result; result, results      |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| mǎnyuè                            | a full month after the birth of a |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
|                                   | baby                              |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| mǎnyuèjiǔ                         | celebration meal one month after  |
|                                   | a                                 |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
|                                   | baby is born                      |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| pang                              | to be fat                         |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| pèng                              | to touch                          |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| pofei                             | to spend a lot of money (on       |
|                                   | someone),                         |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
|                                   | to go to some expense             |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| qiānwàn                           | by all means, be sure to; (in com |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
|                                   | bination with a negative          |
|                                   | sentence)                         |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
|                                   | by no means, under no             |
|                                   | circumstances                     |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| shēnglěng                         | raw or cold foods                 |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| shēngxialai                       | to be born                        |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| sūnzi                             | grandson                          |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| -tāi                              | birth                             |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+

tang tòngkǔ touyige tóuyìtāi tuō nínde fú

Wangjia wèi

xiǎo bǎobao (xiǎo bǎobǎo)

xiǎoxīn

xífu

yíxiǎzi yuèzi

zhang zhòng zuo yuèzi

to lie,to recline

to he painful

the first

the first pregnancy, the first hahy

thanks to your lucky influence, many thanks

the Wang family to feed

hahy, darling (term of endearment for a young child)

to be careful daughter-in-law

an instant, a moment, a while month of confinement after giving birth to
a child

to grow; to be (pretty, etc.)

to be heavy

to go through the month of confinement and special care after childbirth

Customs Surrounding

Marriage, Birth, and Death: Unit 5

PART I

1. Wǒ zuìjin chūchai qu le, méi néng cānj iā zhège huì.

2. Wǒ zài shàng Xīngqīèr jiù tīngdao tā zùmù qùshìde xiāoxi.

3. Míngtiān wǒ yào qù diàosāng.

U. Míngtiān wǒ yào bāng tāmen bàn sānglǐ.

5. Wǒ fùqin yíxiàng xǐhuan he jiù, shàngge yuè hùrán juédìng zài yě
    bù hē le.

6. Wǒ fùqin fànle xǐnzàngbìng.

7. Women gǎnjǐn bǎ tā lǎorénjiā sòngdao TāiDà Yīyuàn qu.

8. Yīshēng shuō jīngguo jíjiù, yǐjīng jiùguolai le.

9. Nǐ zùmù yíxiàng hen bǎozhòng shēntǐ.

10. Tā guòqude shíhou, niánji yídìng hen dà le ba?

11. Wǒ tīngwánle yǐhòu xīnli hen jiù bù néng píngjìngxiàlai.

12. Hen bàoqiàn, wǒ méi néng gǎnhui-lai diàosāng.

I’ve been out of town on business lately, so I wasn’t able to
participate in this meeting.

Last Tuesday I heard the news that his grandmother had passed away.

Tomorrow I’m going to present my condolences at the funeral.

Tomorrow I’m going to help them take care of the funeral.

My father always liked to drink, but last month he decided all of a
sudden that he would never drink again.

My father had a heart attack.

We rushed him to Taiwan University Hospital.

The doctor said that she had been saved through emergency treatment.

Your grandmother always took good care of herself.

She must have been quite old when she passed away.

After I listened to it I couldn't calm down for quite a while.

I’m sorry I couldn’t rush back in time for the funeral.

NOTES ON PART I

Notes on No. 1

zuìjìn; ’lately, recently; in the near future*. This word can either
refer to the near past or the near future.

A: Tā zuìjìn zěnmeyàng? How has she been lately?

B: Zuìjìn tā hěn hǎo. Lately she’s, been very well.

Wǒ zuìjìn zài niàn shū. I’ve been studying lately.

Wo zuìjìn yào dào Jiāzhōu qù. I’m going to be going to California

in the near future.

chūchāi: ’to go away on official business’.

Míngtiān chūchāi, jǐntiān hěn máng.

Zhècì chūchāi, qù shénme dìfang?

Zhějiàn shi, děng wo chūle chāi yǐhòu zài bàn.

Zhècì chūchāi huílai, kéyi dài diǎn dōngxi gěi ni.

cānjiā: ’to participate in; to performance, etc.); to join’.

Wǒ jìhua xià Xǐngqīyī yào dào Niǔ Yūē qu war. Nǐ xiǎng bu xiǎng cānjiā?

Wǒ yào cānjiā míngtiān xiàwude huì.

Zuǒtiān women gěi Zhāng Tàitai sòngxíng, nǐ yě cānjiā le ma?

Tomorrow I’m going away on business, so today is a busy day.

Where are you going on this business trip?

I’ll get to this matter after my business trip.

When I come back from this business trip, I’ll be able to bring you back
a little something.

attend; to go to (a meeting, gathering,

I’m planning to go to New York next week to relax. Do you want to join
in?

I’m going to attend the meeting tomorrow afternoon.

Yesterday when we gave the going-away party for Mrs. Zhang, did you come
too?

Notes on No. 2

zài shàng Xīngqīèr: ’on last Tuesday’. Notice that with an expression
stating a time when something occurs. zài is optional. Here are some
more

examples:

Zhège huì zài xiàge yuè kāi.

This meeting will

zài is used here In this

sentence

he held

next month.

Zhège haizi zài qùniǎn qiūtiān kāishǐ zài jiā niàn shū le.

This child began studying last fall.

at home

Wǒ zài shàngge lǐbài mǎile yíjiàn jiéhūn lǐfū.

Last week I bought a wedding gown.

Zài Yījiǔliǔsānniǎn wǒ rènshi-le ta.

I met him in 1963.

Zài Yījiǔwǔlíngniǎn wǒ jiù kànguo zhèběn shū.

I read this book back in 1950.

zǔmǔ: ’(paternal) grandmother'. Remember that this refers exclusively to
the father's mother. The mother's mother is wàizǔmǔ. EA grandmother is
usually addressed by her son's children as nāinai.J Here is a chart
showing these terms:

zǔfù zǔmǔ wàizǔfù wàizǔmǔ

[]

qùshì: 'to pass away'. Literally, this means 'to go (from this) world'.
It is a euphemism for sǐ 'to die', which is introduced in Unit 6.

Xiǎo Wāngde fùqin qùshì yǐjīng It's been two years since Xiǎo Wang's
liǎngniǎn le. father died.

xiǎoxi: 'news, information, tidings'.

Zhèiliǎngtiǎn bàozhǐshang you The

hěn duō guānyu Zhōngguode

xiǎoxi.

Jīntiǎn bàozhǐshang you shénme

xīn xiǎoxi?

The past couple of days there's been a lot of news about China in the
newspaper.

What news is there in the newspaper today?

Women jiā liǎngge yuè méiyou xìn le, shénme xiāoxi dōu méiyou.

Our family hasn’t sent a letter in two months, there’s no news at all.
(Said hy one family member who is separated from the rest.)

Xiāoxi can be used with the counter -ge to mean ’a piece of news, an
item of news’:

Wǒ you yíge hǎo xiāoxi.

I have a piece of good news.

Note on No. 3

diàosāng: ’to present one’s condolences at a funeral, to attend a
funeral’. At a traditional funeral, the guests, by groups, present their
condolences to the family of the deceased in a brief formal ceremony.

Jīntiān wǒ qù diàosāng, jiàndao Today when I was at the funeral I nín
jiā lǎotàitai. saw your grandmother.

Note on No. 4

sānglǐ: ’the funeral ceremony’. CSāng- in some combinations means
’funeral’, for example, sāngfú ’funeral clothing’, or sāngshì
’funeral’.! On a volunteer basis, family, friends, and villagers help
with funeral preparations. Members of the immediate family stay with the
coffin to guard it during the day and sleep with it at night.

Notes on No. 5

yíxiàng: ’always (up to now)’, has been so all along up until now (and
else change).

This adverb indicates that something may either continue the same way or

I’ve always like to eat sweet snacks

He has always done very well in his studies.

Teacher Wú has always liked children

Mr. Xià has always been very polite.

time word. It may go before the verb,

Wǒ yíxiàng ài chi tian diǎnxin.

Tā yíxiàng niàn shū niànde hen hǎo.

Wú Lǎoshī yíxiàng xǐhuan haizi.

Xià Xiānsheng yíxiàng hěn kèqi.

hūrǎn: ’suddenly’. This is a or at the front of the sentence.

Wǒ hūrǎn xiǎngqilai, wǒde xìn hai méiyou jì.

I suddenly remembered that I hadn’t mailed my letter yet.

Hūrán, tā pǎolai le, hāoxiàng you shénme shi.

Suddenly, he came running in, as if there were something wrong.

Hūrán tiān xià yǔ le, xiàde Suddenly it started raining, raining

hāo dà.

very hard.

Tā jìnlai zuòle yìhuǐr, hūrán jiù zǒu le.

He came in and sat down for a while, and then left all of a sudden.

zài yě bù he le: ’will never drink again’. Sometimes people ask what is
the word for ’never’ in Chinese. The answer is that ’never’ is not
expressed by one word, but rather by a combination of adverbs and
negative. Not only is ’never’ rendered into Chinese by several words,
but the word patterns are different for sentences expressing completed
action, habitual action, or planned action. For these examples you need
to know that yongyuān is the word for ’forever’.

Wo cǒnglai méi chīguo Zhōngguo I’ve never eaten Chinese food, cài.

Wǒ cónglái bu kàn nèiyangde I’ve never read those kinds of books,

shū.

Tāde wèntí yongyuān bù néng His problems can never be solved,

jiějué.

Wo zài yě bú qù nàli le. I’ll never go there again.

The adverb zài and a negative, such idea of not doing something anymore.

Bìng hāole yǐhòu, tā méiyou zài hē jiǔ.

Yǐhòu wǒ bu zài zuò le.

Bú yào zài dā ta le.

as méiyou, can be used to express the

After he got well, he didn’t drink anymore.

In the future I won’t do it again.

Don’t hit him any more.

If zài is placed in front of the negative, the meaning of the phrase is
more emphatic.

Wǒ zài bù huílai le’. I’m never coming back here again.’

If yě is added between zài and the negative, the meaning is
approximately the same.

Wǒ zài yě bù chǐ táng le. I’m never going to eat candy again.

Nèitiáo lù bù hāo zǒu, nǐ zài That road is hard to go on, don’t yě Lie
zǒu nèitiáo lù le. ever take it again.

Nǐ zài yě bié kàn zhèzhǒng shū le.

Nàge fàndiànde cài tài guì, wǒ zhǐ qùle yícì, jiù zài yě méi qùguo le.

Women shi tǒngxué, kěshi líkāi xuéxiào yǐhòu, wǒ jiù zài yě méi kànjian
ta le.

Sānge yuè yǐqián xiàguo yìchǎng yǔ, yǐhòu jiù zài yě méi xiàguo le.

More on ’Again*: Up until now you’ve which did not express a completed
event and

Don’t ever read, this kind of book again.

That restaurant is too expensive; I only went there once and then I
never went back again.

We were schoolmates, but after we left the school, I never saw him
again.

Three months ago it rained once, and since then it hasn’t rained again.

seen zài ’again’ used in sentences òu used in sentences which did.

Míngtiān zài lai ba.

Come again tomorrow.’

òu, nǐ you lai le.

Oh, you’ve come again.’

But there are further qualifications on the use of ’again’ in Chinese.
While zài always refers to activities which have not yet occurred, that
is future activities or events, you is not totally limited to activities
or events which are completed or past. You may be used in present or
future situations if the thing being talked about is so certain that it
may be treated like something which has actually happened.

Míngtiān you shi Xīngqīyī le.

Zhè you yào duōshao qián a?

Zhèi yìtiān you yào wan le.

Xiànzài wǒ you you gōngzuò le.

And tomorrow is Monday again.

And how much money is needed again for this?

And this day is about to end too. (Said at the end of a long busy day
with many things left to do.)

Now I have a job again.

Notes on No. 6

fàn: ’to have an attack (of a revert to (an old habit)’.

Tā you fàn lǎo máobìng le, zhèjǐtiān hěn bu shūfu.

disease), to have a recurrence of, to

That old problem of his is acting up again. He hasn’t been feeling well
the last few days.

Shàngge yuè tā fan bìng le, xuěyā hǎo gāo

Bié fan nǐde lǎo mǎobìng le, kuài qù shàng xué qu ba!

xǐnzàngbìng: ’heart disease’.

Last month he had a recurrence; and his blood pressure was really high!

Don't fall back into your old habit (of skipping sbhool), get yourself
to school.

Xǐnzàng is ’heart’..

Notes on No. 7

gǎnjǐn: ’in a hurry’. This adverb means that someone decided to hurry up
and start doing something. It can often be translated as 'to hurry up
and', or ’to rush to (do something)'. Here are some examples:

Nàbiān chū chēhuò le, nǐ gǎnjǐn qù kǎnkan!

Jīntiǎn xiàwǎ, tā zǒu le, zhōngwǎ wǒ gǎnjǐn péi ta qù chī wǔfàn.

Kuài jiǎdiǎn le, wǒ yào gǎnjǐn zǒu le.

There's been a car accident over there, hurry up and go look!

He was leaving this afternoon, so at noontime I hurried to go out to
lunch with him.

It's almost nine o'clock. I have to hurry up and leave.

Gǎnjǐn means only that someone hurries to start the action. It does not
mean that the action is finished quickly. For example, to say 'He made
dinner in a hurry, so it didn’t come out well', meaning that he finished
cooking it in a very short time, you cannot use gǎnjǐn; you could say
Yǐnwei tā zuò fàn zuòde tài kuài, suǒyi zuòde bù hǎo.

tā lǎorénjiā: Lǎorénjiǎ is a respectful way of referring to or
addressing old people. When addressing someone directly, it is almost
always preceded by nǐ or nín, as in

Qīngwèn nín lǎorénjiā, dào Excuse me, sir, how do I get to

Zhōngshān Lù zěnme zǒu? Zhongshan Road?

Nǐ lǎorénjiā, zuìjìn zěnmeyàng? Shēntǐ hǎo ba?

How have you been lately? Have you been in good health, I hope?

A third party can be referred to as tā lǎorénjiā:

Tā lǎorénjiā shuō le, zhèjiàn shi búbì jízhe bàn.

He said that we don't need to be in a rush to do this.

I've come to give him some pastries.

Wǒ gěi tā lǎorénjiā song yidiǎn diǎnxin lai.

Wo wènguo wǒ zùfù le, tā lāo- I asked my grandfather, and he said rénjia
shuō míngnián zánmen our whole family is going to

quánjiā qù Shanghai. Shanghai next year.

Here are two examples of lāorénjia being used as a respectful word for
’old people’:

Jǐntiān, liāngwèi lāorénjia tánde hen gāoxìng.

Today those two (old people) had a very pleasant conversation.

Older people like to eat soft foods.

Lāorénjiamen dōu xǐhuan chi ruānde dōngxi.

In Peking, the syllable lāo in lāorénjia receives the heaviest stress of
the three syllables, and jia is in the neutral tone.

song: ’to take (someone somewhere), to escort (someone somewhere), to
see someone off or out’. The basic meaning of this word is to accompany
someone who is leaving, but as you can see from the various translations
given, song can be used in a wide variety of circumstances. Here are
some examples:

Wǒ qù bā kèren sòngdao dàmén wàitou.

Nǐ song ta huí jiā.

Tā míngtiān zǒu, women dào jīchāng qu song ta.

Wǒ song ta dào xuéxiào qu.

To specify that you are taking someone this way:

Wo kāi chē song ta dào xuéxiào qu.

I’m going to show the guests out the front door.

Escort her home, or Walk her home. or Take her home.

She’s leaving tomorrow and we’re going to the airport to see her off.

I took him to school. (E.g., I drove him there or I walked there with
him. )

in a car, you can phrase your sentence

I drove her to school.

Notes on No. 8

jǐngguò: You have seen jǐngguo meaning ’to go thru’. Here it is used to
mean ’though’ in the sense of ’by means of’. It can also be translated
’as a result of’, ’after’, ’through’, or ’via’.

Tā shēntǐ yìzhí bù hǎo, dànshi wǒ xiǎng jīngguò yíduàn shí-jiānde
bǎoyǎng, kěnéng huì hǎo yìdiǎn.

Jīngguò sāntiānde kǎolù, wǒ juédìng he tǎ jiēhūn.

Jīngguò dàjiǎde nǔlì, zhèjiàn shìqing chénggōng le.

Zhège jìhua bìxū jīngguò tǎo-lùn.

His health has been bad.all along, but I think after a short period of
taking care of himself, he might get a little better.

After three days of consideration, I’ve decided to marry him.

As a result of everyone’s hard work, this matter has succeeded.

This plan must go through discussion.

jíjiù: ’emergency treatment; to administer emergency treatment, to
receive emergency treatment’. Notice that jíjiù can mean to give or get
emergency treatment.

Jīntiān yǐjīng shi jíjiùde dìsǎntiān le, bù zhīdào you méiyou xīwàng.

Tāde chēzi yǐjīng wánle, rén zài jíjiù.

Gāngcǎi chū chēhuò, you jǐge rén shòushāng le, yīshēng zhèngzài jíjiù.

Jíjiù refers only to aid given in nature, usually those where life is in
injury or acute attacks of an illness.

Today is already the third day of emergency (intensive care) treatment.
I don’t know if there’s . any hope.

His car is finished (totalled), and he himself is undergoing emergency
treatment.

There’s just been a car accident, and several people were injured. The
doctor is administering first-aid.

incidents of a relatively serious danger; for example, cases of severe

jiùguolai: ’to save’, literally ’to save over’. The directional verb
ending guòlai ’over’ sometimes shows the recovery of an original
desirable or normal state. For example, in jiùguolai it implies the
change from a condition in which death is imminent to one in which the
patient can be expected to' live.

Daren qíngkuàng hai hǎo, haizi jiùbuguòlai le.

Zhège jùzi xiěcuò le, wǒ yào bǎ ta gǎiguolai.

Zhège dìzhǐ xiěde bǔ duì, nín děi gǎiguolai.

The adult’s condition is all right, but the child cannot be saved.

This sentence is wrong, I have to correct it.

This address is wrong, you have to correct it.

Zuò huǒchē zuòle sāntiān lèi-huài le, yào shuì yídà Jiao cái néng
xiūxiguolai.

Shàngwù mangle sìwùge zhòngtou zhōngwù shuì ge wùjiào, rén •jiù
xiūxiguolai le.

Tiān tài lěng, hē kōu jiu jiù nuǎnhuoguolai le.

Wo hǎoxiàng hìng le, chuān zhènme duō yīfu dōu méi banfa nuanhuoguolai.

After three days on the train, I’m exhausted. I’ll have to have a good
long sleep before I can be well rested.

In the morning I ran around for four or five hours, but then after a nap
at noon, I felt very rested.

The weather is too cold, a sip of wine will warm you up.

I seem to be sick, I’ve got on all these clothes and I still can’t get
warm.

Note on No. 9

bǎozhòng: ’to take care of oneself, to take care of (one’s health)’.

Haohao baozhong shenti, bie lèihuài le.

In telling someone to be sure to take preceded by duō or duōduō ’more
(than

Yílù píng’ān, duō bǎozhòng.

Nǐde bìng gāng hǎo, duōduō bǎozhòng.

Take good care of your health, don’t wear yourself out.

care of himself, bǎozhòng is usually usual)’.

Have a good trip, and take good care of yourself.

You just got over your illness, take real good care of yourself.

Notes on No. 10

guòqu: ’to pass away’. Like English ’pass away’, this is a euphemism for
’to die’.

Tāde zǔfù zuotiān wǎnshang guòqu le.

Nǐ mùqin shi shénme shíhou guòqude?

Wō mùqin guòqude shíhou, wo hái hen xiǎo.

niánji: ’(a person’s) age’,

you should learn by heart:

His grandfather passed away last night.

When did your mother pass away?

I was still very young when my mother passed away.

Here are some frequently used patterns

Nín duo dà niánji le? How old are you? (polite way of

asking an adult’s age)

Tā niánji bù xiǎo le. She’s not young any more.

Tā niánji dà le. or Tā shàngle He’s getting on in years, niánji le.

[Although the adjectival verb dà ’to be big’ is used after niánji to
mean ’to be old’, when you want to say ’to be young’, you should use the
adjectival verb qīng ’to be light* rather than xiǎo ’to be small’; for
example, Tā niánji hái qīng, bù yīnggāi ràng ta qù gōngzuò, ’He’s still
young, you shouldn’t make him go get a job.’]

Note on No. 11

píngjìng: ’to be calm’. Pingjìngxiàlai, ’to calm down’.

Shuǐshàng yìzhī chuán dōu méiyou, ye méiyou fēng, hen píngjìng.

Kànjian jiāli rén dōu hěn hǎo, xīnli píngjìngdeduō le.

As in the last example above, pingjìng is heart’ to describe one’s
emotional state.

There wasn’t a single boat on the water, and there was no wind. It was
very calm.

When I saw that everyone in the family was all right, I felt much
calmer.

often used with xīnli ’in the

Jīntiān tā hěn shēngqì, wǒ méi bànfa ràng ta pingjìngxiàlai.

He got very angry today and there was no way I could get him to calm
down.

Notes on No. 12

méi néng: ’was not able to’• Here you see the auxiliary verb néng used
with the negative méi. You have learned that state verbs (auxiliary
verbs are one type of state verbs) are negated with bù, (bù hǎo, bù
zhīdao) not with méi. Here, however, you see méi néng instead of bù
néng. This is an exception to the rule that all state verbs are always
negated with bù. Actually, either bù néng or méi néng would be
acceptable in this sentence. Some speakers, however, feel that there is
a subtle difference between bù néng and méi néng when referring to an
event in the past. For example, one can say Wo zuōtiān méi néng qù as
well as Wo zuotiān bù néng qù. Wǒ zuótiān méi néng qù hints at the fact
that there was a failure to attain the state of being able to go,
whereas Wǒ zuotiān bù néng qù merely describes the state of being unable
to go, without making any implications about failure (to attain the
state of being able to go). Such a subtle difference

in implication may make very little difference in the actual import of a
sentence in some contexts, although in other contexts it may be of some
significance. (For the first example sentence, you need to know that
mìmi means ’secret’.)

Zuotiān nǐ wen wo, wǒ bù néng gàosu ni, yīnwei zhè shi

*mìmi.

Zuotiān, nǐ wen wo, wǒ méi néng gàosu ni, yīnwei Zhang Sān zhàn zai
pángbiān, wǒ bù xiǎng rang ta zhīdao.

gǎnhuilai: ’to rush back’.

Dōu liùdiǎn zhōng le, wǒ xiǎng tā dàgài gǎnbuhuílai le.

Xiàwǔ wǔdiǎn zhōng, women you ge huì, nǐ gǎndehuílai gǎnbuhuílai?

Yesterday when you asked me, I couldn’t tell you, because it’s a secret.

Yesterday when you asked me, I couldn’t tell you, because Zhāng Sān was
standing there, and I didn’t want to let him know about it.

It’s six o’clock already, I think she probably won’t make it back in
time.

At five in the afternoon we have a meeting. Can you make it back in

Taipei:

A woman goes to visit her friend after hearing of her father’s death:

A: Wǒ zuìjìn chūchāi qu le,

jīngguò Táinánde shíhou tīngdao nǐ fùqin qùshìde xiǎoxi. Zhēn bàoqiàn,
wǒ mei néng gǎnhuilai diàosāng.

B: Wǒ fùqin dele bìng, hen kuài

jiù guòqu le. Women you xiē zài wàidìde qǐnqi dōu méi néng láidejí
cānjiā sānglǐ.

A: Wǒ jìde nī fùqin shēntī

yíxiàng bú cuò, zhècì déle shénme bìng?

B: 0, wǒ fùqin shēntī shi bú cuò,

jiùshi xīnzàng bú tài hǎo, zhècì hūrán fànle xīnzàngbìng, women gǎnjīn
bǎ tǎ laorénjia sòngdao TaiDà Yīyuàn qu. Kěshi jīngguo jíjiù, háishi méi
j iùguolai.

A: Wǒ zǔmǔ yě shi xīnzàngbìng

qùshìde. Hǎoxiàng niánji dàlede rén déle xīnzàngbìng yǐhòu, hen nan
zhìhǎo. Lǎo xiānsheng guòqude shíhou bú tài tòngkǔ ba?

B: Shìde. Tǎ guòqude shíhou

bǐjiào píngjìng, hǎoxiàng bú tài tòngkǔ.

A: Nǐ zhèxiē tiǎn yídìng mángde

hen lèi le. Nǐ yào bǎozhòng shēntī. Guò xiē shíhou wǒ zài lāi kàn ni.

B: Xièxie ni. Yǐhòu you gōngfu

zài guòlai zuòzuo.

A: Hǎo. Zàijiàn!

B: Zàijiàn!

I went away on business lately and I heard the news of your father’s
death when I was passing through Tainan. I’m so sorry I couldn’t make it
back in time to go to the funeral.

My father passed away very soon after he became ill. We even have
relatives outside the area who couldn’t make it to the funeral.

As I recall your father’s health was always pretty good, what illness
did he get this time?

Well, my father’s health was pretty good, only his heart wasn’t so good.
This time he had a sudden heart attack, and we rushed him to Taiwan
University Hospital. But even the emergency treatment didn’t save him.

My grandmother also died of heart disease. Older people seem to be very
hard to cure after they get heart disease. When your father passed away
he wasn’t in much pain, I hope?

No. He was rather calm when he passed away. He didn’t seem to be in too
much pain.

You must be very tired from being so busy these past few days. You have
to take good care of yourself. I’ll be back to see you again soon.

Thanks. When you have time come over again and sit awhile.

Okay. Good-bye.’

Good-bye.’

PART II

13. Wǒ dǎ chángtú diànhuà gàosu ta.

11. Tā lǎo péngyoude mǔqin shàngge ■xīngqī guòshì le.

15. Tā shāngxīnjíle.

16. Nǐ fùqin yǐjīng qīshiwǔsuì, kéyi shuō shi chāngshòu le.

17. Zài shuō ta guòshìde shíhou ye hu tài tòngkǔ.

18. Nǐ hú hi tài nánguò le.

19. Wǒ mǔqin hǎnlāi xīwàng érnǔmen yíhèizi dōu zài tā shēnhiān.

20. Wo dàgē jīnniān qubuliǎo Xiāng-gǎng le.

21. Jiānglái you jīhui zài qù ha!

22. Wǒ mǔqin cháng shuō tā hú yuànyi j iānglái zàngzai guōwài.

23. Ràng ta zài jiā ānxǐn xiūxi.

21. A: Tā shuō tā qùshì yǐhòu yào huǒzàng.

B: Bìngqiǒ xīwàng tade háizimen néng hǎ tāde gǔhuī sònghuí guōnèi.

I called him long distance to tell him.

His old friend’s mother passed away last week.

He was terribly broken up.

Your father was already 75 years old. That’s quite a long life,
actually.

Besides that, he wasn’t in too much pain when he died.

You don’t have to feel too sad.

Originally my mother hoped that her children would stay with her all her
life.

My oldest brother can’t go to Hong Kong this year any more.

Go sometime in the future if you get the chance.

My mother often said that when the time came she didn’t want to be
buried abroad.

Let her rest without worry in her home.

He says that after he passes away he wants to be cremated.

Moreover he hopes his children will be able to take his ashes back to
his home country.

NOTES ON PART II

Note on No. 13

da chángtú diànhuà: ’to make a long-distance telephone call’.

Qǐng nǐmen shēngyin xiǎo Would you all he a little quieter,

yídiǎn, wǒ zài dǎ chángtú . please? I’m making a long-distance

diànhuà ne! call!

You saw in the Post Office-Telephone Module that diànhuà can also be
used with the meaning ’a telephone call’ as in You nǐde diànhuà,
’There’s a telephone call for you’. Chángtú diànhuà can be used in the
same way:

Wèi! Xiǎo Sānr! You nǐde Xiǎo Sānr! There’s a long-distance

chángtú diànhuà! phone call for you!

In the Meeting Module you saw the expression lái diànhuà ’a telephone
call is received’ or ’make a telephone call here’. Here is chángtú
diànhuà used in the same pattern:

Jīntiān zǎoshàng you ren gěi This morning someone called long-

ni lái chángtú diànhuà le, distance for you, but you weren’t

nǐ bú zài. here.

Note on No. 1H

guòshǐ: ’to pass away, to die’. You have now seen ’to die’ expressed
three different ways: guòqu, qùshì, and guòshì. All may be used in
conversation, although guòqu is probably the most common.

Note on No. 15

shāngxǐn: Literally, hurt, to be sad, to be broken-hearted’

A: Tā zhènme shāngxǐn, wèi-shénme?

B: Tā núpengyou zou le, zenme néng bù shāngxǐn?

Women j iāde gǒu sǐle, wǒ shāngxīnle hǎo cháng shíjiān.

Nàme hǎode yíge háizi sǐle, zhēn ràng rén shāngxǐn.

’to wound the heart’.

’To be grieved, to be

Why is he so broken-hearted?

His girlfriend left, how can he not be broken-hearted?

After the family dog died, I was broken-hearted for a real long time

It really grieves one for such a good child to die.

Note on No. 16

chángshòu: ’long life, longevity; to live a long life’.

Yào xiang chángshòu, jiù bù yīnggāi dūo he jiu.

Běifāng chángshòude rén bī Nanfāng duō.

If you want to live a long life, you shouldn’t drink excessively.

There are more people who live long in the North than in the South.

Note on No. IT

zài shuō: ’furthermore, moreover, in addition, besides’. Often following
a clause with zài shuō, one of the adverbs yě ’also’ or you ’also’ is
used.

A: Zěnmeyàng? Jīntiān nī néng lai ma?

B: Zhèiliǎngtiān xià xuě, wo gānmào le, tiānqi you zhènme bù hǎo, zài
shuō haizi tài xiǎo, bǎ tā yíge rén fàngzai jiāli, wō bu fàngxīn.
Gǎitiān, wo yídìng lai, hǎo bu hǎo?

Tā hen nénggàn, zài shuō you nàme piàoliang, nī jiù tongyì le ba?

How about it? Can you come today?

It’s snowed these two days, and I caught a cold, and the weather is so
bad. Moreover the child is too small to leave alone at home. I would
worry. I’ll come for sure another day, okay?

She’s very capable, and what’s more, she’s so beautiful too. So you will
agree (to marry her), won’t you? (said by a matchmaker to a young man)

A: Wō děng ni bàntiān le, wō yào hé ni tan yixia.

B: Wo gāng xià kè. Zài shuō wō hái méi chī fàn ne’. Gǎitiān zài shuō
    ba’.

I’ve been waiting for you for ages.

I want to have a talk with you.

I just got out of class. And furthermore I haven’t eaten yet! Let’s talk
some other day!

Note on No■ 18

nánguò: ’to be sad, to verb can be used to refer to either

Yīshēng shuō tā muqinde bìng hěn lìhai, women dōu hěn nánguò.

be distressed, to feel bad’. physical or emotional

This adjectival distress.

The doctor said his mother’s illness was very serious, and we were all
very sad.

Jīntiān tā chǐle hǎo duō shēngcài, xiànzài dùzili nánguò le.

Bié nánguò le, rén yǐjīng sǐle nánguò yě méiyou yòng le.

Jīntiān Song Lǎoshī hěn nánguò.

Xiǎo Wángde jiāli you nàme duō máfan. Zhēn ràng rén nánguò.

He ate a lot of raw vegetables today, so now his stomach hurts (he feels
bad) .

Don’t be sad, he’s already dead, and it’s no use being sad.

Teacher Song is very sad today.

There’s so much trouble in Xǐao Wáng’s family, it really makes a person
sad.

Notes on No. 19

běnlái’originally, at first, in the first place’.

Běnlái wo xiǎng jǐntiān xiàwu qù kàn diànyǐng. Hòulái tīngshuō kāi huì.
Suànle, wǒ yǐhòu zài qù ba.

Běnlái wǒ jīntiān qù Guangzhou, tiānqì bù hǎo, dàgài děi míngtiān cái
néng zou le.

Originally I wanted to go see a movie this afternoon. Later I heard
there was a meeting. So I’ll forget it and go another time.

Originally I was going to Canton today, but the weather is bad so I’ll
probably have to wait until tomorrow before X can leave.

yíbèizi: ’all one’s life, in one’s (whole) life, throughout one’s life,
as long as one lives, a lifetime’.

Zhèngfù bāng tā bǎ zài wàiguō-de qián zhǎohuilai le. Tā yíbèizi yě
méiyou jiànguo zhènme duō qián, hǎo gāoxìng.

Tā you sānge érzi, wèi zhèi sānge érzi mángle yíbèizi. Xiànzài lǎole,
gāi xiūxi xiūxi le.

The government helped her get back money she had outside the country.
She had never seen so much money in her whole life. She was really
happy.

She has three sons and for these three sons she was busy her whole life.
Now she is old and should take it easy.

shēnbiān: ’at/by one’s side; (have something) on one, with one’.

Wo you yíge háizi zài nongcūn, yíge háizi zài shēnbiān.

Rúguo tā shēnbiān you hǎo jǐge háizi jiù méiyou bànfǎ chū-lai gōngzuò.

I have one child out in the country and one child here with me.

If she has several children at her feet, then she just can’t go out and
work.

Notes on No. 20

dàgē; ’oldest brother'. Remember that 'older brother' is gēge, but the
oldest of several children is dàgē. In addition dàgē can be used between
men to show a friendly relationship of unequal status.

qùbuliǎo: 'cannot go*. This is a compound verb or result, like kanbujian
'cannot see' or chǐbubǎo 'cannot eat one's fill'. The ending -liǎo is in
compounds of potential result (those with -de- or -bu- between the main
verb and the resultative ending) with the meaning of 'be able to'. You
may be thinking (and rightly so) that this is just the meaning added by
the use of -de- or -bu-. This has led some people to label -liǎo as a
'dummy' resultative ending since it does not seem to add any additional
information like other more specific endings do (e.g. wan 'finish').

Wàimian shēngyǐn hǎo dà.

Shizài shuìbuliǎo jiào.

Jīntiān ting diàn, kànbuliǎo diǎnyǐngr.

Wǒ zuìjìn dùzi bù shūfu, chǐ-buliǎo shēngcài.

Zhènme duō cài, chìbuliǎo le'.

Xiàwu wǒ you shi, qùbuliǎo túshūguǎnle, míngtiān zài shuō ba.

Nǐ jiǔdiǎn zhōng xià ban, jintiān wǎnhuì nǐ qùdeliǎo qubuliǎo?

Nǐ bú yào dāo jīchǎng lai song wo, nǐ yì kū wǒ j iù zōubu-liǎo le.

It's so noisy outside. I really can't sleep at all.

Today they're turning off the electricity, so we can't watch the movie.

My stomach has been uncomfortable lately, I can't eat lettuce.

So many dishes, we won't be able to eat them!

This afternoon I'm busy, I can't go to the library, let's talk about it
tomorrow.

You get off work at 9:00, can you go to the evening meeting?

Don't come to the airport to see me off; as soon as you start to cry, I
won't be able to leave.

Note on No. 21

jiānglǎi: 'in the future*. Like other time words, jiānglai can be used
between the subject and the verb, or at the front of the sentence before
the subject.

Jiānglai ZhōngMěi guānxi yuè In the future as Sino-American

lái yuè hǎo, women zài Měiguo relations get better and better, jiù
bǐjiào rōngyi mǎidào it will be easier for us to buy

Zhōngguode dōngxi. Chinese goods in America.

Wǒ jiānglái yào dào Shànghǎi lǐngshìguān qù gōngzuò.

In the future I want to work in the consulate in Shanghai.

Note on No. 23

ānxǐn: ’to feel at ease, to set to keep one’s mind (on something)’.

Tā xiānshēng nǔlì zuò shi, tā keyi ānxǐn dú shū.

Wǒde hāizi gōngzuòde hěn hāo, wǒ yě jiù ānxǐn le.

o'ne’s mind at ease, to be at peace;

With her husband working hard at his Job, she could keep her mind on her
studying.

My child is doing well at work, and I can now feel at ease.

Note on No. 2k

bìngqie:

’furthermore, moreover,

and, besides’.

Wǒ yào bā bìngqie xuěhāo.

gōngzuò zuò hāo yào bā Zhōngwén

I want to do a good and do a good job

job at work and studying Chinese.

Zhèige hāizi hěn nùlì bìngqiě hěn cōngmīng.

This child is very industrious and intelligent too.

Wǒ jìhua zhèige xīngqī bā zhèipiān wénzhāng xiěwán, bìngqiě fānyicheng
Zhōngwén.

I plan to finish writing this essay this week and furthermore translate
it into Chinese.

Taipei:

After the funeral of an elderly man a friend comes to visit the family:

A: Wo zuìjìn chūchāi qu le,

zuotiān huílai cai zhīdao lǎo xiānsheng guòshìde xiǎoxi, érqiě tīngshuō
sānglǐ yě bānguo le, wǒ méi néng gǎn-huilai diāosāng, zhēn shi bāoqiān.

B: Wo fùqin xīnzàng yíxiàng

hú tài hǎo, zuìjìn liǎngniān, yīshēng jiao ta tiāntiān chī yào, jiéguo
wèntí hǎoxiāng shǎole yìdiǎn, kěshi liǎngge xīngqī yīqiǎn hūrān fānle
lǎo bìng, wǒ dǎgē jiù gǎnjīn bǎ tǎ lǎorénjia sǒngdao TǎiDā Yīyuān jíjiù,
bìngqiě dǎ changtú diānhuā bǎ wo jiāo-huilai. Tā niānji dā le, suīrān
jīngguò jǐtiān jíjiù haishi méi jiùguolai, zāi shāng Xīngqīèr qùshì le;
búguǒ tā qùshìde shíhou bǐjiǎo píngjìng, hǎoxiāng bú tāi tòngkū.

V

A: Fùqin qùshì, érnu yídìng

hěn shāngxīn. Búguǒ lǎo xiānsheng qīshiduōsuì qùshì yě suān shi
chǎngshòu le. Zāi shuō tā gudqude shíhou bú tāi tòngkū, nǐmen xiōngdì
jiěmèi yě dōu zāi tā shēnbiān, tā yě jiù ānxīn le, nǐ yě bú yāo tāi
nanguò. Lǎo xiānsheng zāngzai nǎli?

B: Wǒ fùqin shuōguo, yāo huǒ-

zāng. Tā shuō tā zhèyíbèizi kǒngpā huíbuliǎo lǎojiā le, jiāo women
jiānglāi bǎ gúhuī sònghuí lǎojiā qu, suoyi women jiù zhǔnbèi zhǎo tā
shuōde bān.

who came to Taiwan from the mainland,

I've been away on business lately, and I didn't find out until I got
back yesterday that your father had passed away. And I hear that the
funeral has already been held. I'm really sorry I didn't make it back in
time to attend the funeral.

My father's heart was never too good. The past two years, the doctor
told him to take medicine every day, and there didn't seem to be so much
of a problem any more, but two weeks ago he had a sudden attack of his
old illness. My oldest brother rushed him to Taiwan University Hospital
for emergency treatment. He also called me long distance to get me to
come back. He was quite old, and even after several days of emergency
treatment they still weren't able to save him. He passed away last
Tuesday, but at the time he was rather calm, and he didn't seem to be in
too much pain.

When a father passes away, the children always feel very grieved. But
for your father to pass away at over seventy is really quite a long
life. Besides, he wasn't in too much pain when he passed away, and all
you brothers and sisters were at his side, so he could set his mind at
ease; so don't be too sad. Where will he be buried?

My father had said he wanted to be cremated. He said that he probably
wouldn't be able to return to his hometown in his lifetime, and he told
us to take his ashes back to his hometown someday. So we're planning to
do as he asked.

Vocabulary

+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| ānxǐn                             | to be without worry, to feel at   |
|                                   | ease to feel relieved             |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| bǎozhòng běnlái bìngqiē           | to take good care (of oneself)    |
|                                   | originally moreover, and          |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| cānj iā chángshòu                 | to take part in; to attend        |
|                                   |                                   |
|                                   | long life, longevity; to live a   |
|                                   | long time                         |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| chūchāi                           | to be out of town on business     |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| dǎ chángtū diànhuà dàgē diàosāng  | to make a long-distance phone     |
|                                   | call oldest brother               |
|                                   |                                   |
|                                   | to present one’s condolences at a |
|                                   | funeral, to attend a funeral      |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| érnū                              | children                          |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| fàn                               | to have an attack (of an old      |
|                                   | disease)                          |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| gāndeshàng                        | to be able to catch up, to be     |
|                                   | able to make it in time           |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| gǎnhuilai gǎnjīn gǔhuī guòqu      | to rush back quickly bone ashes   |
| guòshì                            | to pass away, to die to pass      |
|                                   | away, to die                      |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| huǒzàng hūrǎn                     | to cremate; cremation suddenly    |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| jiānglai Jí jiù                   | the future, someday               |
|                                   |                                   |
|                                   | first aid; to administer          |
|                                   | emergency treatment               |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| j iùguolai                        | to save                           |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| lǎorénjiā                         | polite way of addressing or       |
|                                   | referring to an old person (ní    |
|                                   | lǎorénjiā, tā lǎorénjiā)          |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| -liǎo                             | can, to be able to                |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| nǎnguò                            | to be sad age                     |
|                                   |                                   |
| niánji (niánji)                   |                                   |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| píngjìng                          | to be calm                        |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+

qubuliǎo qùshì

sānglǐ shāngxīn

shēnbiān

song

xiāoxi xīnzàng xīnzàngbìng

yíbèizi yíxiang

zài shuō zàng zuìjin zǔmǔ

cannot go

to pass away, to die

funeral

to be grieved, to be sorrowful, to be heartbroken

one’s vicinity, one’s immediate surroundings

to escort, to take (someone to a place)

news

heart

heart disease

all one’s life

(have) always, (had) always, consistently, all along

furthermore, besides

to bury

recently; soon

grandmother (on the father’s side)

Customs Surrounding

Marriage, Birth, and Death: Unit 6

PART I

1. Xiǎo Lǐde mama sǐ le.

2. A: NǏ shuō women shi fǒu gāi cānjiā tāde sānglǐ?

B: Women yīngdāng qù yíxià.

3. Xiǎo Lǐde māma jīntiān chū bin.

4. Yìbān rénde sānglǐ méiyou name duōde guǐju le.

5. Yìbān cānjiā sānglǐde rén dōu song wǎnliàn huò huāquān.

6. Xiě wǎnliàn fǎnzhèng lāibují le.

7. Women qù mǎi yige huāquān rúhé?

8. Nianqīng fùnù xǐhuan chuān huā yīfu.

9. Na néng rang ni pòfei?

10. Wō qù gei ta mǎi diān xiǎo lǐwù jiù shi le.

11. Zhǐ yǎo bú tài guì, wō hāishi dā jìchéngchē qu.

12. Nǐ shuō women liǎngge rén héqilai song ta yítāo pǎnzi-wǎn
    zěnmeyāng?

13. Nǐ xiǎode Yāngmíngshān Gōngmù zài nali ma?

Xiao Li’s mother died.

Do you think we should go to the funeral?

We should go.

The funeral procession for Xiao Li’s mother is today.

Most people’s funerals don’t have so many special customs anymore.

Most people who attend a funeral send a funeral scroll or a flower
wreath.

It’s too late to write a funeral scroll anyway.

How about if we go buy a flower wreath?

Young women like to wear multicolored clothing.

How could I make you spend money?

I’ll just go and buy her a little present.

As long as it’s not too expensive, it would be best if I took a taxi.

What do you say the two of us give him a set of dishes together?

Do you know where Yangmingshan Public Cemetery is?

NOTES ON PART I

Notes on No. 1

mama: ’mother, mom’ Although this can he used as a term of address, like
English ’Mom’ or ’Mommy’, it can also he used in informal conversation
to refer to one’s own or someone else’s mother, as in wǒ mama ’my
mother’, or tā mama* his mother’. For the term of direct address ’Mom’,
Mā is prohahly more commonly used than Mama.

Wǒ mama shàng hān qu le. My mother has left for work.

Xiàwù, Mama jiù zuò huǒche lāi This afternoon, Mom came hy train kàn wo
le. to visit me.

sǐ: ’to die’ This is a process verh, like hìng ’to become ill, to get
sick’, and therefore corresponds more closely to the English ’to become
dead’ than it does ’to be dead’. In English one can talk about a person
who has a terminal illness, saying ’He is dying’, but this does not
translate directly into Chinese. In Chinese one can say Tā kuài (yào)
sǐle, ’He is about to die,’ or Tā huòbuliǎo duo jiù le, ’He won’t live
much longer.’

Tīngshuō Lao Liùde fùqin sǐ le. I heard that Lāo Liu’s father has died.

Sǐ can be used directly before a noun as an adjective, meaning ’dead’.
Shi sǐde may be used to mean ’is dead’.

Zhè shi yìtiāo sǐ yù. This is a dead fish.

Zhèitiáo yu shi sǐde. This fish is (a) dead (one).

Notes on No. 2

shi fǒu: ’is it (true) or isn’t it (true that) ...’ This phrase is a
more formal-sounding equivalent of shi bu shi; fǒu in literary Chinese
means ’or not’. In spoken Standard Chinese, the use of shi fǒu is more
restricted than shi bu shi. First of all, shi fǒu has a more educated,
formal ring to

it than shi bu shi. Secondly, shi fǒu verbal expression, as in the
following

Zhèzhǒng tiān shi fǒu huì xià yù?

Jǐnnián dōngtiān, nǐ shi fǒu xiāng dào Màiāmì qu?

Nǐ shi fǒu zhùnbèi ànzhao zhège jìhua qù zuò?

is usually used only before another examples:

Is (this weather) going to rain?

Are you hoping to go to Miami this winter?

Are you planning to act according to this plan?

Nǐ yīnggāi xiǎngyixiǎng, nǐ duì zhège rén shi fǒu liǎojiě.

Nǐ niánji hù xiǎo le, nǐ shi fǒu kǎolūguo jiéhūnde wèntí?

Jīnnián, nǐmen xuéxiǎode xué-shēng shi fǒu zēngjiā le?

Wǒ hù zhīdào wǒde yìjian shi fǒu néng dédao tǒngyì.

Zhèizhong dōngxi zài zhèli shi fǒu mǎidedāo?

You ought to think about whether you understand this person or not.

You’re not young anymore, have you considered the question of marriage?

This year did the (number of) students in your school increase?

I don't know whether my opinion will be agreed with or not.

Can this sort of thing be bought here?

Note on No. 3

chū bin: ’to transport the coffin to the burial place or to the tomb'.
Literally, this means 'take out the coffin’.

Liújiā míngtiān chū bin. The Liu's have the funeral procession

tomorrow.

Zuotiān, Liu Xiānsheng gěi tā Yesterday, after Mr. Liu accompanied fùqin
chūle bin yǐhòu, hui his father's coffin to the cemetery

jiā jiù bìng le. he went home and then got sick.

Note on No. 4

guǐju: 'fixed standards of conduct, regulations, or customs'.

Anzhao Zhōngguode guīju, gěi sǐrén chūle bin yǐhòu hái yāo zuò shénme?

Kèren lái le, zāi máng yě yāo he běi chá, zhè shi wǒmende guīju.

According to Chinese custom, after accompanying the coffin of the
deceased to the cemetery, what else should be done?

When a guest comes, no matter how busy he is, he should have a cup a cup
of tea. This is our custom.

You guīju means 'to have manners':

Zhège háizi bù dong shi, méi guīju, zhēn rāng rén bù hǎo yìsi.

Wángjiāde lǎodā zhǎngde hǎokān, you you guīju, zhēn hǎo.

This child does not understand about things, he has no manners• It
really embarasses a person.

The Wáng's oldest son is good looking and he is well mannered. He's
really great.

Guīju as an adjectival verb means ’to be proper, to be correct (of a
person)’.

Lǎo Wǎngde nūér rén hěn guīju. Lǎo Wang’s daughter is very proper.

Notes on No. 5

dōu: Some of the uses of dōu do not correspond to ’all*. ’All’ in
English is often described as ’collective’, that is, referring to all
the members in a group. D5u in Chinese is often described as
’distributive’, that is referring to the members of a group as
individuals. This usage sometimes is translated as ’each’. Notice that
in the Reference List sentence dōu in combination with yìbān and another
noun produces this meaning.

Hěn duō Zhōngguo rén dǎole Měiguo dōu xiǎng niǎn shū.

Qiǎnjǐniǎn, xǔduō xuéshēng bìyè yīhōu dōu dào nongcūn qu le.

Yìbān Zhōngguo rén dōu juéde xué Yīngwén bǐ xué Zhōngwén nan.

A lot of Chinese want to study after they get to the United States.

Several years ago many students went to the countryside after they
graduated.

The average Chinese thinks that English is harder to learn than Chinese.

wǎnliàn: ’funeral scroll, scroll of condolence’, literally ’elegiac—
couplet’. CLiǎn is short for duìliǎn ’a written or inscribed couplet
(pair of parallel sentences)’.] Traditionally, white cloth scrolls in
one to three strips were written for the deceased by friends. More
recently a new practice has developed which is to send scrolls or
wreaths bearing one character: diǎn, ”to sacrifice.” Sending flowers has
been brought in by Western custom.

Xiǎwǔ wǒ dào Liūjiā qu, nǐ gěi This afternoon I’m going to the Liu’s,
xiě ge wǎnliàn hǎo bu hǎo? could you write a funeral scroll

for them?

huò: ’or’. You have learned huòshi and huōzhě for ’or’. Huō is a more
literary variant, but it can still be heard in conversation.

Jīntiān wǎnshang huō míngtiān Come over to my house tonight or wǎnshang
nǐ dào wǒ zhèli lai tomorrow night, okay?

yítàng hǎo bu hǎo?

huāquān: ’flower wreath’, literally ’flower circle’.

Wǒ xiǎng mǎi ge huāquān gěi I want to buy a flower wreath to send

Liujiā sōngqu. to the Liu’s.

Note on No. 6

fanzheng: ’anyway, anyhow, either way, in any case, all the same’.
Fǎnzhèng may come either before or after the subject of the sentence.

Nǐ jí shenme, fǎnzhèng gǎnbu-shàng kāi huì le, mǎnmǎn zǒu ba!

Fǎnzhèng wǒ bù mǎi, méi qián méi guānxi.

Wǒ fǎnzhèng méi shi, women jiù tántan zhèige wèntí ba.

Fǎnzhèng wǒ yào qù, nǐ bú qù yě kéyi.

Fǎnzhèng is often prefaced by a matter whether...':

Bù guǎn nǐ qù bu qù, fǎnzhèng wǒ yào qù.

What are you so anxious for, we won’t make it in time for the meeting
anyway, so let’s just take our time!

I’m not going to buy it anyway, so it doesn’t matter that I don’t have
any money.

I don’t have anything to do anyway, so let’s talk about this.

I’m going anyway; it’s okay if you don’t go or It’s okay if you don’t
go; anyway, I’m going.

clause beginning with bù guǎn ’no

No matter whether you go or not, I'm going anyway.

Note on No. T

rúhé: ’how; how about; in what way'. This is a literary word which means
about the same as zěnmeyǎng. In a more plain, colloquial style, the
Reference List sentence could also be said as Women qù mǎi yige huāquān
zěnmeyǎng? Spoken Standard Chinese draws more on the written style in an
area like Taiwan, where a majority of the population learn Standard
Chinese in school, rather than at home. A speaker from Peking might
consider Women mǎi yige huāquān rúhé to sound a little stiff and
unnatural. You should be able to understand rúhé, but use it yourself
only in speaking with people who use it, or in writing.

Míngtiān Lǎo Zhāng qǐng women Tomorrow Lǎo Zhāng has invited all dǎjiā
chǐ fǎn, nǐ juéde rúhà? of us to eat, what do you think?

Zhèjiǎn shìde jiéguǒ rúhé? What was the outcome of this matter?

"Jiǎo wǒ rúhé bù xiāng ta?" "(it makes me so that) How could I

not miss her?" (name of famous popular song of the 30's)

Note on No. 8

huā: ’to be multicolored’.

Jīntiān tā chuānle yíjiǎn huā yīfu, hǎo piāoliāng!

Today she’s wearing a multicolored dress. It’s gorgeous.’

Note on No. 9

Nǎ néng rang ni pòfei: Nǎ or nǎr (Peking) is used in rhetorical
questions.

Tā méi qián, nǎ néng jiēhūn’.

Zài Yéye nali nǎ(r) néng name shuō huǎ’.

Nǐ shi women jiǎde rén, nǎ(r) néng bú rang ni zhīdao zánmen jiǎde shi
ne?

Wǒ shuōde shi jǐbǎiniánqiánde shi, nǎ shíhoude Měiguo nǎ(r) you shenme
chéngshì ’.

A: Wǒ nǎ(r) míngbai’.

B: Nǐ name cōngmingde rén, nǎ(r) huì bù míngbai!

Nǐ kǎn, nǎ(r) you zhèyang ban shìde, bù jīngguò jūmín wěiyuánhuì, jiù
xiǎng shēng háizi, nǎ nǎ(r) xíng?

Tā yìzhí zǎi chéngli zhùzhe, nǎ(r) dǎoguo nongcūn ne!

A: Zěnmeyǎng? Xiǎo Zhāng kuǎi jiēhūn le ba?

B: Nǎr a! Nūjiā fùmǔ bú yuǎn-yi , máf an dǎ le ’.

He has no money, how can he get married?

How can you talk like that in front of Grandpa?

You’re family, how could we not let you know what’s going on in our
family?

I’m talking about something several hundred years ago, how could America
have had any cities at that time?

Like heck I understand!

You’re such a smart person, how could you not understand?

Look, how can you go about things like this? You want to have a child
without going through your neighborhood committee, how can that be okay?

When has he ever been to the countryside! He’s always lived in the city!

How’s it going? Is Xiǎo Zhāng going to get married soon?

You must be kidding! The girl’s parents don’t want it. There’s a lot of
trouble.

Note on No. 10

jiù shi le: This phrase is used at the end of a sentence to mean
’...that’s all’. It can have several different implications, depending
on the context: ’’Don’t worry, this matter can simply be taken care of
like this.’’ (something is virtually taken care of)

(1)

  -------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  Wǒ you wàngle bǎ shū dàilai, búguǒ wǒ yídìng jiègei ni jiù shi le.   I forgot to bring the book again, but I’m going to lend it to you for sure, don’t worry.
  Wǒ zhào nín shuōde bàn jiù shi le.                                   I’ll simply do as you say.
  Deng yixià gěi ni bàn jiù shi le, nǐ jí shenme!                      I’ll take care of it for you in a moment, don’t worry, why are you so anxious?
  Anzhao zhège jìhua zuò jiù shi le, you shénme hǎo tánde?.’           Do it according to this plan and that’s all there is to it! What else is there to discuss?
  -------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

2) ’Only, just this, nothing more than this’.

  ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  Zhèliǎngge háizi chàbuduǒ, búguǒ Lǎo Dà cōngming yidiǎnr jiù shi le.   These two children are about the same, but the older one is a little more intelligent, that’s all.
  Tā lái, méiyou shénme shi, búguǒ xiǎng yào nàběn shū jiù shi le.       When he came he wasn’t up to anything special, he just wanted that book, that’s all.
  (3) ’that’s all that can be done                                       about it’.
  Fǎnzhèng wǒ gēn ni shuōguo jiù shi le.                                 In any case, I've told you, and that’s all I can do.
  ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Notes on No. 11

zhǐ yào: ’as long as, so long as,

Zhǐ yào wǒ jīntiān wǎnshang you kǒng, jiù kéyi bǎ zhèběn shū kànwán.

i f only’.

As long as I have time tonight, I can finish reading this book.

dā: ’to travel by, to take (a bus, car, train, boat, etc.)’

Wo yě yào dào xuéxiào qu, dā nínde chē xíng bu xíng?

Wo dācuòle chē, jiéguō pāodao Běitou qu le.

Měitiān wō dā sìlù chē shàng bān.

I’m going to school too, can I get a ride with you?

I got on the wrong bus, and ended up in Běitou.

I take the Route 1 bus to work every day.

Note on No. 12

héqilai: ’to combine, to put together, to unite’. He is a verb meaning
’to combine, to put together, to unite, to merge’. You should learn to
use he in the following combinations: hézai yìqǐ ’to combine (two or
more things together)’, héqilai ’to combine (forces), to come together,
to put together’, héchéng ’to combine into, to merge into’.

Women liāngjiā héqilai mǎixiale zhè liùjiān fángzi.

Zhèliāngge jùzi hécheng yíge, rōngyi shuō yidiǎnr.

Zhèliāngbān hézai yìqǐ, zhǐ you shíge xuéshēng, hái bú suàn tài duō.

Our two families bought these six rooms together.

If you combine these two sentences into one, it’s easier to say.

If these two classes are combined, there are only ten students; that’s
still not too many.

Notes on No. 13

xiāode: ’know’. This is a synonym of zhídao, and can be used in most of
the same ways that zhǐdao can be used. Xiāode is not, however, commonly
used in Peking; it is mostly used in southern areas.

gōngmù: ’public cemetery’.

Gāngcái tā you dào gōngmù qu Just now she went to the cemetery

le, gěi tā māma song yibā again and left a-bunch of flowers

huā. (on her mother’s grave).

Taipei:

Two friends who work together at the

A: Tīngshuō Xiǎo Lǐde Mama sǐle.

Nǐ xiǎng women shi fǒu gǎi qù cānjiā tāde sānglǐ?

B: Women gēn Xiǎo Lǐ yǐjīng shi

shíjǐniǎnde lǎo péngyou le, nǎ néng bū qù.’

A: Sānglǐ you méiyou shénme

tēbié guīju? Wǒ zhǎngde zhènme da le, hai méi cānjiāguo sānglǐ ne!

B: Zhǐ yāo bù chuān huā yīfu

dāgāi jiù kéyi le.

A: Women gāi song diǎn shénme

dōngxi ma?

B: Yìbān rén dōu song wǎnliān

huǒ huāquān. Women liǎngge rén kéyi héqilai song yíge huāquān. Nǐ kān
rúhé?

A: Dāngrǎn hǎo....NǏ zhīdao bu

zhidao tā māma nǎtiān chú bin?

B: Xiā Lǐbāisān xiāwǎ sāndiǎn.

A: Yào zāngzai nǎli?

B: Yāngmíngshān Dìyī Gōngmù.

A: Zěnme qù?

B: Wǒ yě bù xiǎode. Fǎnzhèng

dào shíhou women dā jìchéngchē qu jiù shi le.

A: Xiǎng bu xiǎng xiànzài qù kànkan Xiǎo Lǐ?

B: Bù xíng. Wǒ jīntiān wǎnshang

you shìqing.

Bank of Taiwan are having a talk:

I heard that Xiǎo Lǐ’s mother died. Do you think we should go to the
funeral?

We’ve been friends with Xiǎo Lǐ for over ten years, how could we not
go.’

Are there any apecial customs at funerals? I’ve reached this age without
ever having been to a funeral.’

As long as you don’t wear multicolored clothes it should be okay.

Should we send some kind of gift?

Most people send a funeral scroll or a flower wreath. The two of us can
send a flower wreath together. What do you think?

Of course that would be good....Do you know what day his mother’s
funeral procession will be?

Next Wednesday afternoon at 3.

Where is she going to be buried?

In Yangmíngshān Public Cemetery No. 1.

How do you get there?

I don’t know either. Anyway, when the time comes we’ll just take a cab
there.

Do you want to go see Xiǎo Lǐ now?

I can’t. I’m busy tonight.

A: Name míngtiān Jiàn.

B: Míngtiān jiàn.

Then I’ll see you tomorrow.

See you tomorrow.

PART II

14. Zài Táiběi you rén rènwéi Yāngmíngshǎn gōngmù fēngshuǐ hǎo.

15. Shéi dōu xīwàng tǎde zīsūn hòudài fādá.

16. Jiǎngj iu fēngshuǐ hǎo hu hǎo hǎishi jiù guǎnniàn.

17. Wǒ mǔqin bù mixìn, tā shuō tǔzàng, huǒzàng dōu kéyi.

18. Women yídào qù Jílè Bìnyíguǎn ba!

19. Wǒ kàndao chū bìnde rén dàdōu zhǐ zài shǒubìshang dài xiào.

20. Wǒ cōnglāi bù chuān huī yīfu.

21'. Keren dōu yào zài qiānmíngbù-shang qiān ming, zhè shi wǒmende
xíguàn.

In Taipei there are people who believe that the feng-shui in
Yangmingshan demetery is good.

Everyone hopes that his descendants will be prosperous.

To be particular about whether the fengshui is good or not is an old way
of thinking.

My mother isn’t superstitious; she says that either burial or cremation
is okay.

Let’s go to the Paradise Funeral Home together, okay?

I saw that most of the people in the funeral procession were only
wearing mourning on their arm.

I never wear gray clothing.

The guests are all supposed to sign their name in a guest book. This is
our custom.

NOTES ON PART II

Notes on No. 14

rènwéi: ’to think (that), to consider (that), to believe (that)’. This
is a very common verb used to express that someone has formed an opinion
or made a judgment about a person or thing.

Wǒ rènwéi zhè shi yíge hěn zhòngyàode wèntí.

I think this is a very important question.

I don’t think you should do this

Wǒ bú rènwéi nǐ yīnggāi zuò zhèjiàn shi.

fēngshuǐ: Literally ’wind and water’, this means the geographical outlay
of something to he built, such as a grave or the foundation of a house.
The traditional Chinese science of fēngshuǐ, or geomancy, is concerned
with the good and bad influences which the location of a grave or
building are believed to exert over a family and its descendants. In
particular, the dead are influenced by and able to influence the
celestial bodies for the benefit of the living. Each family, therefore,
is naturally interested in arranging the most auspicious placement for
it’s family grave.

Zhège fángzide fēngshuǐ bù hǎo. The fengshui of this house is no
good.

Zhèlide fēngshuǐ bú cuò. The fengshui here is pretty good.

Notes on No. 15

zǐsūn: ’sons and grandsons’, or used in a more general sense, ’offspring
descendants’. For this example, you have to know that Huangdì means ’the
Yellow Emperor’, a legendary ruler thought of as the father of Chinese
civilization.

Zhōngguo rén dōu shi Huangdì- The Chinese are all descendants of de
zǐsūn. the Yellow Emperor.

hōudài: ’descendants, posterity, later generations’.

Wǒmende hōudài dōu yīnggāi jìzhu Our descendants should all remember
zhèijiàn shi.’ this.’

Tā méiyou hōudài. He is without descendants.

fādā: ’to be prosperous, to be flourishing; to be developed, to be
well-developed’. For the first example, you need to know that
gōngshāngyè means ’industry and commerce’.

Měiguode gōngshāngyè fēichāng America’s industry and commerce are fādǎ.
very developed.

Zhèijiā rénjiā hěn fādǎ. This family is prosperous.

Notes on No. 16

jiǎngjiu: ’to be particular about, to be meticulous about, to pay
attention to, to strive for’.

Zhège rén hěn jiǎngjiu chī, hěn This person is particular about what
jiǎngjiu chuān. he eats and what he wears.

Nèige haizi tài jiǎngjiu chuān. That kid pays too much attention to

what she wears.

Jiǎngjiu can also mean ’to be elegant’.

Nǐmen jiāde jiāju zhēn jiǎngjiu. Your furniture is truly elegant.

guānniàn: ’way of thinking, concept, notion, view, sense (of), mentality
(of).

Měiguo rénde guānniàn gēn Zhōngguo rénde guānniàn yǒude yíyàng, yǒude bù
yíyàng.

Nǐ kàn ba, zài guò jǐniān niān-qīngrén yīnggāi wǎnliàn wǎnhūn jiù huì
biàncheng yizhǒng guānniàn.

Sometimes the American way of thinking and the Chinese way is the same,
sometimes not.

You watch, in more few years, it will have become an accepted notion
that young people should get involved late and marry late.

Notes on No. 17

míxìn: ’to be superstitious (about); superstition’.

Shāngchāode shíhou Zhōngguo rén During the Shang Dynasty, the Chinese
bǐjiào míxìn, xiànzài bǐjiào were relatively superstitious, now

bù míxìn le. they aren’t so much any more.

Yǒude Zhōngguo rén míxìn fēng- Some Chinese are superstitious about
shuǐ. fengshui.

tǔzàng: ’to bury (a dead person)’, literally ’ground-bury’. This word is
used only in contrast to other ways of disposing of a dead body, for
example cremation or burial at sea. CIf no contrast with other forms of
disposal is implied, then the word for ’to bury’ is simply zàng (for
formal burials), máj (for informal burials), mǎizàng, or ānzàng
(literally ’peacefully bury’, a respectful term).2

Éguo rén shuōguo tāmen yào The Russians said they wanted to

māizàng Měiguo. bury Americans.

huǒzàng: ’to cremate; cremation*. In this word, you may think of zàng
’to bury’ as extended to mean ’to dispose of (a dead body)’. Huǒ means
’fire’.

Note on No. 18

yídào: ’together’. You have already learned yìqǐ and yíkuàir for
’together’. Yídào is mostly used by speakers of southern Mandarin and is
little used by northerners.

Yàohuá hé tāde nūpéngyou yídào Yàohuā and his girlfriend went to kàn
diànyǐngr qu le. see a movie.

Háizimen zài yídào wánr.

The children are playing together.

Notes on No. 19 meaning which is prohahly used hy more people than dàdōu
is dàduō.

dàdōu: ’for the most part, mostly’. Another word with the same

Zài Yìndu rénmín dàdōu (or In India the people are mostly Hindu,

dàduō) xìn Yìndujiào.

Zhōngguo rén dàduō shi nóngmín. Chinese for the most part are rural
people.

shōuhì: ’arm (from the wrist to the shoulder)’. Other words for ’arm’
used in different regions are gēhei and gēho (Peking gēhe).

Xiǎo Lǐ gēbo shòule shāng, Xiǎo Lǐ was hurt in the arm, and also

Xiǎo Wǎngde tuǐ yě shòule Xiǎo Wǎng was hurt in the leg.

shang.

Gǎngcái, wō bù xiǎoxin pèngdao- Just now I was careless and bumped le
ménshang, dào xiànzài into the.door, and my arm still

shǒubì hai téng ne. hurts now.

dàixiào: ’to wear mourning’. Formerly, people wore certain types of
clothes while in mourning (sackcloth or white from head to foot).
Nowadays, customs differ widely, but some small item is usually still
worn to indicate a death in the family. These include a white flower in
the hair, a coarse cloth patch on the arm or in the hair, or a black
armband.

Tā fùqin sǐle kuài sānnián le, Her father has been dead for almost tā
hái dàixiào ne! three years and she is still wearing

mourning!

Notes on No. 20

cōnglái bù: ’never, never does...’. In the last unit, you saw the
pattern cōnglái méi(you), meaning ’have never...’ or ’had never...’.
Cōnglái means ’from the past up until now (it has always been this
way)’.

Wǒ cōnglái bú yuànyi zǎoshang I never want to study in the morning, niàn
shū.

huǐ: ’to be gray’.

Zài Zhōngguo dàduōshù rén dōu The great majority of people in China
xǐhuan chuān lánsè hé huīsède like to wear blue or gray clothing, yīfu.

Notes on No. 21

qiānmíngbù: ’guest book’, literally, ’sign-name record book’.

qián míng: ’to sign one’s name’.

Qǐng ni zài zhèli qiān míng. Please sign here.

xíguàn: ’custom, habit’. The definition of xíguàn in a Chinese
dictionary reads: ’behavior, tendency, or social practice cultivated
over a long period of time, and which is hard to change abruptly’.
Compare this with fēngsú ’custom’, which you learned in Unit 1: ’the sum
total of etiquette, usual practices, etc. adhered to over a long period
of time in the development of society’.

Notice that xíguàn may refer to the way of an individual or of a
community, whereas fēngsú only refers to the way of a community.

Taipei:

An American student attending Taiwan with a Chinese classmate and
friend:

A: Tīngshuō Wang Lāoshīde fùqin

qùshì le. Nǐ xiang women shi fou gāi qù cānjiā sānglǐ?

B: Wo xiang women yīngdāng qù.

A: Tīngshuō sānglǐ zài Jílè

Bìnyíguān jǔxíng. Nǐ xiāode Jílè Bìnyíguān zài náli ma?

B: Xiāode. Jiù zài Nánjīng

Dōnglù.

A: Wo cónglái méi cānjiāguo

Zhōngguo rénde sānglǐ, "bù zhīdào nǐmen you nāxiē guīju. Nī néng "bu
néng gēn wo jiāngyijiāng?

B: Kéyi. Xiànzài yibān rénde

sānglǐ dōu hěn jiāndān, méiyou tài duōde guīju. Búguò, nǐ hú yào chuān
héngde, lùde, huòshi huāde yīfu. Chuān hēide, huīde, lānde dōu kéyi. Qù
cānjiā sānglǐde rén dàdōu song wānlián huò huāquān. Wō xiāng women kéyi
héqilai song yige huāquān.

A: Hāo.

B: Dào bìnyíguānde shíhou, nǐ

yí jin mén jiù huì kàndao zhuōzishang fàngzhe qiānmíngbù, nī yào zài
shàngmian qiān míng.

A: Ng. Wang Lāoshīde fùqin yào

tǔzàng haishi huǒzàng, nī tīngshuō le ma?

B: Tīngshuō shi yào tǔzàng.

A: Yào zàngzai náli?

National University is talking

I heard that Teacher Wang’s father died. Do you think we should attend
the funeral?

I think we ought to go.

I hear that the funeral is going to he held at the Paradise Funeral
Home. Do you know where that is?

Yes. it’s on Nanking East Road.

I’ve never been to a Chinese funeral, so I don’t know what special
practices you have. Could you tell me about them?

Okay. These days the average person’s funeral is very simple. There
aren’t too many special customs. But you shouldn’t wear red, green, or
multicolored clothing. Black, gray, and blue would all be okay to wear.
Most people who attend a funeral send a a funeral scroll or a flower
wreath. I think we could send a flower wreath together.

Okay.

When you get to the funeral home, as soon as you go in the door you’ll
see a guest book on the table. You should sign your name in it.

Uh huh. Have you heard whether Teacher Wang’s father is going to be
buried or cremated?

I heard he’s going to be buried.

Where is he going to be buried?

B: Yào zàngzai Yángmíngshān

Gōngmù, yīnwei tǎmen rènwéi nàlide fēngshuǐ hǎo, rén zàngzai nàli, tāde
zǐsūn houdài jiù huì fādǎ.

A: Tǎiwān xiànzài you xiē rén

hai you diǎn míxìn, shi hu shi?

B: Shìde, búguò zhèxiē dōu shi

jiù guānniàn. Niǎnqīng rén dàdōu hù jiǎngjiu zhèxiē le.

A: Tǎiwān xiànzài hǎi you dài

xiàode xíguàn ma?

B: You. Nǐ méi kàndao Wǎng

tā shōubìshang jiù dàizhe xiào ne. Yǐqiǎnde rén dài xiào yào dài yìniǎn!
Xiànzàide rén duōhàn zhǐ dài yìhǎitiān le.

A: Míngtiān women shénme shíhou

qù?

B: Xiàwu yìdiǎn zhōng wō zài

TǎiDà ménkōu děng ni, women yídào qù.

A: Hǎo.

In Yangmíngshān Public Cemetery, because they believe that the fengshui
there is good, and that if a person is buried there his descendants will
be prosperous.

There are still some people in Taiwan who are a little superstitious,
aren’t there?

Yes. But these are all old notions. For the most part, young people
don’t pay much attention to this kind of thing any more.

Does the custom of wearing mourning still exist in Taiwan?

Yes. Didn’t you see Teacher Wǎng, she’s wearing mourning on her arm.
Before, people had to wear mourning for a year’. Now most people only
wear it for a hundred days.

What time shall we go there tomorrow?

I’ll wait for you at the gate of Taiwan University at one o’clock, and
we can go together.

Okay.

NOTE ON THE DIALOGUE

Funeral procedures in the PRC today are very simple. In the interest of
sanitation (bodies might have some communicable disease) and economy
(ground burials are expensive and consume government agricultural land),
deceased city residents are required to be cremated. By government
regulation the immediate family is allowed two days of paid leave, sàng
jià. The funeral involves someone saying a few kind words about the
deceased in the presence of relatives and people from his work unit.
Those present are dressed plainly, bearing a white flower. Ashes are
placed in carved wood or porcelain boxes in a gǔhuǐ cúnfàngchù, a
building reserved for this purpose. It is not necessary to give anything
to the family of the deceased but people sometimes give money or other
small items. In the countryside, there might be a large feast at the
deceased's home. There is an attitude which says a funeral is a time of
gladness when the deceased enters the world of the non-living. CA
funeral is a "white joyous event," bái xīshì. A wedding is a "red
event." Together they are sometimes referred to as hongbái xīshì, red
and white joyous events.J

bìnyíguǎn

chū bin conglái bù conglái dōu conglái mei

dā

dàdōu dài xiao

fādá fānzhèng fēngshuǐ

gāi gōngmù guānniàn guīju

héqilai hòudài huā huāquān huī huò huōzàng

jiǎngjiu

Jílè Bìnyíguǎn jiù shi le

māma míxin

nǎ (náli , nǎr)

qiān ming qiānmíngbù

rènwéi

funeral home

to hold a funeral procession never

always (in the past)

have never

travel by, take (a taxi, bus, train, airplane, etc.)

for the most part

to wear mourning

to be developed, to be prosperous anyway, in any case

the Chinese science of geomancy

(that is, the influence of land

scape on people and their fortunes)

should, ought to

public cemetery

concept, notion, view

special customs, established rules

to combine, to join together descendants

to be multicolored flower wreath to be gray

or

cremation

to be particular about; to be elegant, to be tasteful

Paradise Funeral Home (in Tapei)

..., that’s all

mother, mom

to be superstitious; superstition

how (used in rhetorical questions to deny something)

to sign one’s name

guest book

to think that, to believe that

+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| rúhé                              | how, in what way; how (someone or |
|                                   | something) is; how is it          |
|                                   | (literary form)                   |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| shi fou shoubì si                 | (literary form meaning shi bu     |
|                                   | shi) arm                          |
|                                   |                                   |
|                                   | to die                            |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| tǔzàng                            | burial (the word used in contrast |
|                                   | to cremation or burial at sea)    |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| wǎnliàn                           | funeral scroll                    |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| xiāode xíguàn                     | to know habit, custom             |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| Yàngmíngshān yídào                | a mountain in suburban Taipei     |
|                                   | together                          |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| zhǐ yào zǐsūn                     | as long as, if only descendants   |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+

bǐcǐ

each other, mutually

relatively, comparatively

bú dàn

not only

bù shǎo

a lot, many

chéng

to become, to constitute, to make

chéngshì

[]

city

dànshi

érqiě

[]

but

furthermore

fēngqì

fēngsú

[]

common practice

custom

fūfù -fá-

married couple, husband and wife

gǎibiàn

[]

to change with; and might, to be likely to, will

+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| jiéhūn (jiehūn)                   | to get married.                   |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| jiéjué ílípj*;                    | to solve                          |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| jīngguo                           | to go through, to pass hy or      |
|                                   | through                           |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| jìniàn                            | memento, memorial                 |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| kǎoiū                             | to consider; consideration        |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| kě Cíf"                           | indeed, really                    |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| kě hú shi ma!                     | I’ll say, yes indeed, that’s for  |
|                                   | sure                              |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| V' —                              | to he romantically involved with  |
|                                   |                                   |
| lian ai 'XIÍTR^               |                                   |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| liǎojiě (liáojie)                 | to understand; understanding      |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| ^(líhSn) $                        | to divorce                        |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| lǐwù (lǐwu)                       | gift, present                     |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| „ .-/ \ tfl &                | the husband’s family              |
|                                   |                                   |
| nanjia(r)                         | male and female                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| „ 1            |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| nannu -jr             |                                   |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| ' - 4ít                  | can, to he ahle to                |
|                                   |                                   |
| nenggou jSj^ ol&              |                                   |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| niánqīng ìfò                 | to he young                       |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| nongcūn                           | rural area, countryside           |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+

nujiā

nfilì

the wife’s family

to be hardworking, to be diligent; diligently, hard

shuāngfāng

[]

both sides, both parties

[]

to give (something as a gift)

tan qīn

[]

to visit family

  ---------- -- -----------------------------------------------------------------
  qīngniān      youth, young person
  qīnqi         relatives
  qūbié         difference, distinction
  shíxíng       to practice, to carry out (a method policy, plan, reform, etc.)
  ---------- -- -----------------------------------------------------------------

tànqīnjià

tíchàng

leave for visiting family to advocate, to promote, to initiate

wǎnliàn wǎnhūn

[]

late involvement and late marriage

xiǎngdāng

quite, pretty, very

xǔduō

[]

many, a great deal (of), a lot (of)

yīngdāng

[]

should, ought to

yíshì

ceremony

yìzhí

all along, all the time (up until a certain point)

zhèngfu

government

zhùdao

to move to, to go live at

zongshi

always

ZUO

to serve as, to act as; as

ài

[]

(sound, of sighing)

dàxǐde rìzi

laying

[]

[]

dù mìyuè

[]

duōnián

[]

wedding day

to agree (to something), to consent, to promise

to pass

to go on a honeymoon, to spend one's honeymoon

many years

fǎyuàn

[]

Fō

fùzá (fǔzá)

court of law

Buddha

to be complicated

gōngzhèng jiēhūn

civil marriage

[]

hui men

even, (to go) so far as to

after all

later, afterwards

the return of the bride to her parents’ home (usually on the third day
after the wedding)

hūnlǐ

[]

wedding

jiāotáng

jiāowǎng

Jǐdūjiāo

jiéhūn līfu

jièshaorén

juédìng

[]

jǔxíng

Júzhǎng

[]

church

to associate with, to have dealings with

Christianity

wedding gown

introducer

to decide

to hold (a meeting, ceremony, etc.)

head of an office or bureau (of which the last syllable is Ju)

lǎoshi (lǎoshí)

[]

to be honest

mǎnyì

mìyuè

[]

to be pleased

honeymoon

nanfāng

nénggàn

[]

the groom's side, the groom's family

to be capable

rén

person, self, body

rù xí

[]

shàngjìn

[]

shóu

[]

to take one’s seat (at a gathering, meeting, or banquet)

to be ambitious

to be familiar (with), to know well

tándao

[]

tánlai tánqù

[]

tíqīn

[]

to talk about; speaking of ...

to discuss back and forth

to bring up a proposal of marriage

xiǎojiě (xiáojie)

xǐjiǔ

  ---------- ----
  xìn /j'    I
  xìn Fó     
  xīnláng    
  xīnniáng   w<
  ---------- ----

a way of referring to someone else’s daughter

wedding banquet

to believe (in)

to be a Buddhist

bridegroom

bride

yìjian

[]

indeed, in fact, admittedly

opinion

zǎo

long ago

zhènghūn

zhènghūnrén

[]

zu

[]

zuo mei

to witness a marriage

a witness for a marriage

to rent

to act as go-between (for the families of a man and woman considering
marriage)

  ------------------ ----------------------------------------------------
  bìyùn              contraception
  bù tong yf'- I?]   to be different
  chǎnfù             a woman who has given birth within the last month
  chǎnjià jl     maternity leave
  chénggōng          to succeed, to be successful
  phūshēnglù         birth rate
  dānwèi \^L   unit
  -dào               (indicates successful accomplishment of something)
  dédao              to receive, to get
  fēnpèi             to assign, to apportion
  gèdì               the various places, each place
  gègè               various
  gēnjù (gēnju)      according to, based on
  gè zhǒng           various kinds, types
  ------------------ ----------------------------------------------------

góngzī

wages, pay

hongtang

[]

brown sugar

vacation, leave

jiātíng

[]

family

jìhua shēngyù

planned parenthood, family planning

juéyù

[]

sterilization

jūmín wěiyuánhuì

the neighborhood committee of the place you live

kòngzhi

to control

[]

plural suffix

to be free of charge

the number of people assigned or allowed, quota (of people)

nóngmín

peasant

nù

female

pàichūsuo(r)

the local police station

pizhǔn

to give official permission

qíngkuàng

• V*

"u

qīnjìn

réngōng

liūchǎn X- yfòj

sān tōngguò

shǎoshù

mi nzú Jz

shēngyù

it

shíbài

shìqū

shǒushù

shǒuxiān

shùmu

tōngguò

tongyì

wánjù

xiāngxìn

situation

to be close (to a person abortion

"the three approvals"

national minority

give birth to and. raise to fail

urban area or district operation, surgery first

number

to pass, to approve to consent, to agree

toy

to believe

xiānhuā

fresh flowers

xiǎohair 'J'WG

child, children

yě jiù shi shuō

to mean; in other words

yìbān

[]

ordinary, general, common

yìbānde shuō

generally speaking

yídìng

to be specific

yíngyǎngpǐn

food items of special nutritional value

zēngjiā

to increase

  ------------------------ ----------------------------------------------------
  -bang                    pound (unit of weight)
  bǐngxiāng                refrigerator, ice box
  bù gǎn dang              I’m flattered! You shouldn’t have!
  chī nǎi                  to nurse, to suckle
  chuǐ fēng                to have air blow on oneself; to be in a draft
  dāngxǐn                  to watch out
  dé                       to get
  duo kuài ! • 1'^’   how fast!
  ěrduo                    ear
  fēngshi                  rheumatism
  fúqi                     blessings, luck
  fúxiàng féj        lucky physiognomy
  hóngbāo ^í. _(t)      a red envelope with a gift or bribe of money in it
  hóngdàn                  eggs dyed red
  ------------------------ ----------------------------------------------------

  ----------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  huīfu             to recover
  jiéguǒ (jiēguǒ)   as a result
  mǎnyuè jjfa       a full month after the hirth of a baby
  mǎnyuèjiǔ         celebration meal one month after a baby is born
  pàng              to be fat
  pèng              to touch
  pòfei             to spend a lot of money on someone
  qiānwàn           by all means, be sure to; (in a negative sentence) by no means, under no circumstances
  shēngleng         raw or cold foods
  shēngxialai       to be born
  sūnzi             grandson
  -tāi jfìc]        fetus, embryo
  tǎng J^fa]        to lie down
  tòngkǔ            to be painful
  ----------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

tóuyige

  -------------------- --------------------------------------------------------------------------
  touyìtāi             the first pregnancy, the first hahy
  tuō nínde fú         thanks to your lucky influence
  Wang jiā             the Wang family
  wèi                  to feed
  xiǎo hǎohao yjx^e^   hahy
  xiǎoxīn              to he careful
  xífu                 daughter-in-law
  yíxiǎzi              an instant, a moment, a while
  yuèzi J"         month of confinement after giving hirth to a child
  zhǎng                to grow; to he (pretty, etc.)
  zhòng                to he heavy
  zuò yuèzi            to go through the month of confinement and special care after childbirth
  -------------------- --------------------------------------------------------------------------

the first

ānxīn

[]

to be without worry, to feel at ease to feel relieved

bǎozhòng

to take good care (of oneself)

běnlái

[]

originally

bìngqiě

moreover

canjiā

[]

to take part in; to attend

chángshòu

[]

long life, longevity; to live a long time

chūchāi

[]

to be out of town on business

dǎ chángtú diānhuā

to make a long-distance phone call

dāgē

[]

diāosāng

oldest brother

to present one’s condolences at a funeral, to attend a funeral

ernú

fān

children

to have an attack (of a disease)

gǎndeshāng

to be able to catch up, to be able to make it in time

gǎnhuilai

[]

gǎnjǐn

  -------- --
  gǔhuī    
  guòqu    
  guòshì   
  -------- --

to rush hack quickly

hone ashes to pass away to pass away

huòzàng

hūrán

to cremate; cremation

suddenly

jiānglái

jíjiù

j iùguolai

the future, someday

first aid; to administer emergency treatment

to save

lǎorénjia

[]

-liǎo

polite way of referring to an older person (nǐ lǎorénjia, tā lǎorénjia)

can, to be able to

nánguò

[]

to be sad

niánji (niánjì

age

píngjìng

to be calm

+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| qùbuliǎo                          | cannot go                         |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| qùshì {it               | to pass away                      |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| sānglǐ                            | funeral                           |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| L** shāngxīn                      | to be grieved.                    |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| shēnbiān                          | one’s vicinity, one’s immediate   |
|                                   | surroundings                      |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| song                              | to escort, to take (someone to a  |
|                                   | place)                            |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| • - ■f'èi '$      | news                              |
|                                   |                                   |
| xiaoxi >Fjí\*f              |                                   |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| xīnzǎng                           | heart                             |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| xīnzàngbìng i                     | heart disease                     |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| yíbèizi                           | all one’s life                    |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| yíxiàng                           | (have) always, (had) always,      |
|                                   | consistently, all along           |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| zài shuō                          | furthermore, besides              |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| zàng                              | to bury                           |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| zuìjìn                            | recently                          |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| zǔmǔ                              | grandmother (on the father’s      |
|                                   | side)                             |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+

bìnyíguān

[]

funeral home

chū bin

[]

to hold, a funeral procession; a funeral procession

cónglái

[]

always (in the past)

conglǎi bù/méi

never

dā

dādōu

[]

dài xiāo

[]

travel by, take (a taxi, bus, train, airplane, etc.)

for the most part

to wear mourning

fādā

[]

fǎnzhèng

[]

fēngshuǐ

[]

to be developed, to be prosperous

anyway, in any case

the Chinese science of geomancy (that is, the influence of landscape on
people and their fortunes)

[]

should, ought to

public cemetery

concept, notion, view

special customs, established rules

héqilai

[]

to combine, to join together

hòudài

[]

descendants

huā

to be multicolored

huāquān

flower wreath

huí

to be gray

huò 4.

or

huozàng

[]

cremation

jiāngjiu

[]

to be particular about

Jílè Bìnyíguān

[]

Paradise Funeral Home (in Tapei)

jiù shi le

mama

mother, mom

míxìn

to be superstitious; superstition

nā (nali, nār)

how (used in rhetorical questions to deny something)'

qiān ming

[]

to sign one's name

qiānmíngbù

[]

guest book

rūhé

rènwéi

[]

shi fǒu

[]

to think that, to believe that

to be how, how is it; how, in what way (literary form)

(literary form meaning shi bu shi)

shǒuhì

[]

arm

sǐ

tǔzàng

[]

to die

burial (the word used in contrast to cremation or burial at sea)

wǎnlián

funeral scroll

xiǎode

to know

xí guan

habit, custom

Yǎngmíngshān

a mountain in suburban Taipei

yí dào

together

yīngdāng

should, ought to

zhǐ yào

as long as, if only

zǐsūn

descendants

ài (sound of sighing) MBD 2

ānxīn to be without worry, to feel at MBD 5

ease, to feel relieved

  ----------------- --------------------------------------------------------- --------
  -bang             pound (unit of weight)                                    MBD 1+
  bǎobao (bǎobǎo)   baby, darling (term of endearment for a young child)      MBD 1+
  bǎozhòng          to take good care (of oneself)                            MBD 5
  běnlái            originally                                                MBD 5
  bǐcǐ              each other, mutually; you too, the same to you            MBD 1
  bǐjiào (bǐjiǎo)   relatively, comparatively; fairly, rather                 MBD 1
  bìngqiě           moreover, and                                             MBD 5
  bīngxiāng         refrigerator, ice box                                     MBD 1+
  bìnyíguǎn         funeral home                                              MBD 6
  bìyùn             contraception                                             MBD 3
  bú dan            not only                                                  MBD 1
  bù gǎn dāng       I’m flattered, You shouldn’t have, I don’t deserve this   MBD 1+
  bù shǎo           quite a lot, quite a few                                  MBD 1
  bù tong           to be different                                           MBD 3
  ----------------- --------------------------------------------------------- --------

  ------------- --------------------------------------------------- --------
  cānj iā       to take part in; to attend                          MBD 5
  chǎnfù        a woman who has given birth within the last month   MBD 3
  chángshòu     long life, longevity; to live a long time           MBD 5
  chǎnj ià      maternity leave                                     MBD 3
  chéng         to become, to constitute, to make                   MBD 1
  chénggōng     to succeed, to be successful                        MBD 3
  chengshì      city                                                MBD 1
  chī nǎi       to nurse, to suckle                                 MBD 1
  chū bin       to hold a funeral procession                        MBD 6
  chūchāi       to be out of town on business                       MBD 5
  chuī fēng     to have air blow on oneself; to be in a draft       MBD 1+
  chūshēnglū    birth rate                                          MBD 3
  conglái bù    never                                               MBD 6
  conglái dōu   always (in the past)                                MBD 6
  cōnglái méi   have never                                          MBD 6
  ------------- --------------------------------------------------- --------

dā

travel by, take (a taxi, bus,

MBD 6

train, airplane, etc.)

dǎ chángtú diānhuà

to make a long-distance phone call

MBD 5

dàdōu

for the most part

MBD 6

dāgē

oldest brother

"MBD 5

dài xiāo

to wear mourning

MBD 6

dāngxīn

to watch out

MBD 1+

dānshi

but

.MBD 1

dānwèi

unit

MBD 3

-dāo

(indicates successful accomplishment of something)

MBD 3

dàxǐ

great rejoicing

MBD 2

dāxīde rìzi

wedding day

MBD 2

dāying

to agree (to something), to consent, to promise

MBD 2

dé

to get

MBD 1+

dédao

to receive, to get

MBD 3

diaosāng

to present one’s condolences at a funeral

MBD 5

dù

to pass

MBD 2

dù mìyuè

to go on a honeymoon, to spend one's honeymoon

MBD 2

duo kuāi.’

how fast.'

MBD 1+

duōnián

many years

MBD 2

  ------- ---------------- -------
  ěrduo   ' ear   MBD 1
  érnu    children         MBD 5
  érqiě   furthermore      MBD 1
  ------- ---------------- -------

  ---------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------
  fādá       to be developed, to be prosperous                                                                    MBD 6
  fan        to have an attack (of an old disease)                                                                MBD 5
  fǎnzhèng   anyway, in any case                                                                                  MBD 6
  fǎyuàn     court of law                                                                                         MBD 2
  fēngqì     common practice; general mood                                                                        MBD 1
  fēngshī    rheumatism                                                                                           MBD U
  fēngshuī   the Chinese science of geomancy (that is, the influence of landscape on people and their fortunes)   MBD 6
  fēngsū     custom                                                                                               MBD 1
  fēnpèi     to assign, to apportion, to allot                                                                    MBD 3
  ---------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------

  ------------- ------------------------- -------
  Fó            Buddha                    MBD 2
  fūfù          married couple, husband   MBD 1
                and wife                  
  fuqi          blessings, luck           MBD U
  fuxiàng       lucky physiognomy         MBD U
  fùzá (fùzá)   to be complicated         MBD 2
  ------------- ------------------------- -------

  ------------------ -------------------------------- -------
  gāi                should, ought to                 MBD 6
  gǎibiàn            to change                        MBD 1
  gāndeshàng         to be able to catch up, to be    MBD 5
                     able to make it in time          
  gǎnhuilai          to rush back                     MBD 5
  gǎnjǐn             quickly                          MBD 5
  gèdì               the various places, each place   MBD 3
  gègè               various                          MBD 3
  gēnju (gēnju)      according to, based on           MBD 3
  gè zhōng           various kinds, types             MBD 3
  gōngmù             public cemetery                  MBD 6
  gōngzhèng jiēhūn   civil marriage                   MBD 2
  gōngzī             wages, pay                       MBD 3
  guānniàn           concept, notion, view            MBD 6
  gǔhuī              bone ashes                       MBD 5
  guiju              special customs, established     MBD 6
                     rules                            
  guòqu              to pass away, to die             MBD 5
  guòshì             to pass away, to die             MBD 5
  ------------------ -------------------------------- -------

  ---------- -------------------------------- -------
  hái        even, (to go) so far as to       MBD 2
  háishi     after all                        MBD 2
  he         with; and                        MBD 1
  héqilai    to combine, to join              MBD 6
             together                         
  hōngbāo    a red envelope with a gift or    MBD U
             bribe of money in it             
  hōngdàn    eggs dyed red                    MBD U
  hōngtáng   brown sugar                      MBD 3
  houdài     descendants                      MBD 6
  hòulái     later, afterwards                MBD 2
  huā        to be multicolored               MBD 6
  huāquān    flower wreath                    MBD 6
  huì        to be gray                       MBD 6
  huì        might, to be likely to, will     MBD 1
  hui men    the return of the bride to her   MBD 2
  ---------- -------------------------------- -------

parents’ home (usually on the third day after the wedding)

  --------- ----------------------- --------
  huīfu     to recover              MBD 1+
  hūnlǐ     wedding                 MBD 2
  huò       or                      MBD 6
  huǒzàng   to cremate; cremation   MBD 5
  huozàng   cremation               MBD 6
  hūrán     suddenly                MBD 5
  --------- ----------------------- --------

  ------------------ --------------------------------- --------
  Jiù                vacation, leave                   MBD 3
  Jiangjiu           to be particular about; to be     MBD 6
                     elegant, to be tasteful           
  Jiānglai           the future, someday               MBD 5
  jiàotáng           church                            MBD 2
  j iāowāng          to associate with, to have        MBD 2
                     dealings with                     
  jiātíng            family                            MBD 3
  Jídūjiào           Christianity                      MBD 2
  JieguS (jiēguǒ)    as a result; result, results      MBD 1+
  jiehūn (jiehūn)    to get married                    MBD 1
  Jiehūn lǐfū        wedding gown                      MBD 2
  Jiějue             to solve                          MBD 1
  j ièshaorén        introducer                        MBD 2
  Jìhua shēngyù      planned parenthood, family        MBD 3
                     planning                          
  JíJiù              first aid; to administer          MBD 5
                     emergency treatment               
  Jílè Bìnyíguǎn     Paradise Funeral Home             MBD 6
                     (in Taipei)                       
  jingguo            to go through, to pass by or      MBD 1
                     through                           
  jìniàn             memento, memorial                 MBD 1
  Jiù shi le         ... , that’s all                  MBD 6
  J iùguolai         to save                           MBD 5
  juedìng            to decide                         MBD 2
  jueyù              sterilization                     MBD 3
  Jūmín wěiyuánhuì   neighborhood committee            MBD 3
  jǔxíng             to hold (a meeting, ceremony,     MBD 2
                     etc. )                            
  Júzhǎng            head of an office or bureau (of   MBD 2
  ------------------ --------------------------------- --------

which the last syllable is jú)

  -------------- ------------------------------ -------
  kǎolū          to consider; consideration     MBD 1
  kě             indeed, really                 MBD 1
  kě bú shi ma   I’ll say, yes indeed, that’s   MBD 1
                 for sure                       
  kòngzhi        to control                     MBD 3
  -------------- ------------------------------ -------

  ------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ -------
  ...-lai ...-qù      (indicates repeating the action over and over again)                                 MBD 2
  laorénjia           polite way of addressing or referring to an old person ní laorénjia, tā lāorénjia)   MBD 5
  lǎoshi (lǎoshi)     to he honest                                                                         MBD 2
  liàn’ài             to he romantically involved with; love                                               MBD 1
  -liǎo               can, to he ahle to                                                                   MBD 5
  liǎojiě (liáojie)   to understand; understanding                                                         MBD 1
  líhūn               to get divorced                                                                      MBD 1
  lǐwù (lǐwu)         gift, present                                                                        MBD 1
  ------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ -------

  ----------- ------------------------------- -------
  mama        mother, mom                     MBD 6
  mǎnyì       to he pleased                   MBD 2
  mǎnyuè      a full month after the hirth    MBD U
              of a hahy                       
  mǎnyuèjiǔ   celebration meal one month      MBD U
              after a hahy is horn            
  -men        plural suffix                   MBD 3
  miǎnfèi     to he free of charge            MBD 3
  míng’é      the number of people assigned   MBD 3
              or allowed, quota (of people)   
  míxìn       to be superstitious;            MBD 6
              superstition                    
  mìyuè       honeymoon                       MBD 2
  ----------- ------------------------------- -------

  ----------------- ------------------------------------------------------ -------
  nǎ (náli, nǎr)    how (used in rhetorical questions to deny something)   MBD 6
  nanfāng           the groom’s side, the grocm’s family                   MBD 2
  nánguò            to be sad                                              MBD 5
  nánjiā(r)         the husband’s family                                   MBD 1
  nánnù             male and female                                        MBD 1
  nénggàn           to be capable                                          MBD 2
  nénggòu           can, to be able to                                     MBD 1
  niánji (niánjì)   age                                                    MBD 5
  niánqing          to be young                                            MBD 1
  nongcūn           rural area, countryside                                MBD 1
  nongmín           peasant                                                MBD 3
  nù                female                                                 MBD 3
  nùjiā(r)          the wife’s family                                      MBD 1
  nǔlì              to be hardworking, to be                               MBD 1
  ----------------- ------------------------------------------------------ -------

diligent; diligently, hard

  -------------- ----------------------------- --------
  pàichūsuǒ(r)   the local police station      MBD 3
  pang           to he fat                     MBD U
  pèng           to touch                      MBD U
  píngjìng       to he calm                    MBD 5
  pizhǔn         to give official permission   MBD 3
  pòfei          to spend a lot of money (on   Y1BD U
                 someone), to go to some ex
  -------------- ----------------------------- --------

pense

  ------------ ------------------------------- -------
  qiān míng    to sign one’s name              MBD 6
  qiānmíngbù   guest hook                      MBD 6
  qiānwan      hy all means, he sure to; (in   MBD U
               combination with a negative     
               word) hy no means, under no     
               circumstances                   
  qíngkuàng    situation                       MBD 3
  qingnián     youth, young person             MBD 1
  qinjìn       to he close (to a person)       MBD 3
  qīnqi        relatives                       MBD 1
  qūhié        difference, distinction         MBD 1
  qǔbuliǎo     cannot go                       MBD 5
  qùshì        to pass away, to die            MBD 5
  ------------ ------------------------------- -------

  ----------------- --------------------------------- -------
  rén               person, self, hody                MBD 2
  réngōng liúchǎn   abortion                          MBD 3
  r^.iwéi           to think that, to believe that    MBD 6
  rù xí             to take one’s seat (at a gather   MBD 2
                    ing, meeting, or banquet)         
  rúhé              how, in what way; how (someone    MBD 6
  ----------------- --------------------------------- -------

or something) is; how is...?, how is it (literary form)

  --------------- ------------------------------------------------------ --------
  sān tōngguò     "the three approvals"                                  MBD 3
  sānglǐ          funeral                                                MBD 5
  shàngjìn        to be ambitious                                        MBD 2
  shāngxīn        to be grieved, to be sorrowful, to be broken-hearted   MBD 5
  shǎoshù mínzú   minority nationality, national minority                MBD 3
  shēnbiān        one’s vicinity, one’s immediate surroundings           MBD 5
  shēnglěng       raw or cold foods                                      MBD it
  shēngxialai     to be born                                             MBD U
  --------------- ------------------------------------------------------ --------

+-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| shēngyù               | to give birth to and  | MBD 3                 |
|                       | raise                 |                       |
+-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| shi fǒu               | (literary form        | MBD 6                 |
|                       | meaning shi bu shi)   |                       |
+-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| shībài                | to fail               | MBD 3                 |
+-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| shìqū                 | urban area or         | MBD 3                 |
|                       | district              |                       |
+-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| shíxíng               | to practice, to carry | MBD 1                 |
|                       | out (a method,        |                       |
|                       | policy, plan, reform, |                       |
|                       | etc.)                 |                       |
+-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| shóu (shū)            | to be familiar        | MBD 2                 |
|                       | (with), to know well  |                       |
+-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| shǒubì                | arm                   | MBD 6                 |
+-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| shǒushù               | operation, surgery    | MBD 3                 |
+-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| shǒuxiān shū (shóu)   | first                 | MBD 3                 |
|                       |                       |                       |
|                       | to be familiar        |                       |
|                       | (with), to know well  |                       |
+-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| shuāngfāng            | both sides, both      | MBD 1                 |
|                       | parties               |                       |
+-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| shùmu                 | number                | MBD 3                 |
+-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| sǐ                    | to die                | MBD 6                 |
+-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| song                  | to give (something as | MBD 1                 |
|                       | a gift)               |                       |
+-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| song                  | to escort, to take    | MBD 5                 |
|                       | (someone to a place)  |                       |
+-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| sūnzi                 | grandson              | MBD U                 |
+-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+

  -------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------ --------
  -tài           birth                                                              MBD 1+
  tan qin        to visit family                                                    MBD 1
  tandao         to talk about; speaking of ...                                     MBD 2
  tang           to lie, to recline                                                 MBD U
  tánlai tánqù   to talk back and forth                                             MBD 2
  tanqin         to visit relatives (usually means immediate family)                MBD 1
  tànqínjià      leave for visiting family                                          MBD 1
  tíchàng        to advocate, to promote, to initiate                               MBD 1
  tí qin         to bring up a proposal of marriage                                 MBD 2
  tōngguò        to pass, to approve                                                MBD 3
  tòngkǔ         to be painful                                                      MBD 1+
  tongyì         to consent, to agree                                               MBD 3
  tóuyige        the first                                                          MBD 1+
  tóu(yì)tāi     the first pregnancy, the first baby                                MBD 1+
  tuō nínde fū   thanks to your lucky influence, many thanks                        MBD 1+
  tǔzàng         burial (the word used in contrast to cremation or burial at sea)   MBD 6
  -------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------ --------

  ---------------- ---------------------------- ------ ---
  Wangj iā         the Wang family, the Wangs   MBD    U
  wánjù            toy                          MBD    3
  wǎnliàn          funeral scroll               MBD    6
  wǎnliàn wǎnhūn   late involvement and late    MBD    1
                   marriage                            
  wèi              to feed                      *MBD   U
  ---------------- ---------------------------- ------ ---

  ------------------- -------------------------------- -------
  xiānhuā             fresh flowers                    MBD 3
  xiǎngdāng           quite, pretty, very              MBD 1
  xiǎngxìn            to believe                       MBD 3
  xiǎo bǎobao         baby, darling (term of endear    MBD U
                      ment for a young child)          
  xiaode              to know                          MBD 6
  xiǎohair            child, children                  MBD 3
  xiǎojiě (xiǎojie)   daughter (referring to someone   MBD 2
                      else’s daughter)                 
  xiāoxi              news                             MBD 5
  xiǎoxīn             to be careful                    MBD U
  xífu                daughter-in-law                  MBD U
  xíguān              habit, custom                    MBD 6
  xǐjiǔ               wedding banquet; wedding wine    MBD 2
  xìn                 to believe (in)                  MBD 2
  xìn Fó              to be a Buddhist                 MBD 2
  xīnlǎng             bridegroom                       MBD 2
  xīnniǎng            bride                            MBD 2
  xīnzàng             heart                            MBD 5
  xīnzàngbìng         heart disease                    MBD 5
  xǔduō               many, a great deal (of),         MBD 1
                      a lot (of)                       
  ------------------- -------------------------------- -------

Yāngmíngshān

^(y)ě

yě jiù shi shuō yìhān

yìbānde shuō

yíbèizi yídào yídìng yìjian yīngdāng yíngyǎngpīn

yíshì yíxiàng

yíxiàzi

a mountain in surburban Taipei MBD

indeed, in fact, admittedly MBD

to mean; in other words MBD

ordinary, general, common MBD

generally speaking MBD

all one’s life MBD

together MBD

to be specific MBD

opinion MBD

should, ought to MBD

food items of special MBD

nutritional value

ceremony MBD

(have) always, (had) always, MBD

consistently, all along

an instant, a moment, a while MBD

  ------------- ---------------------------------------------------- --------
  yìzhí         all along, all the time (up until a certain point)   MBD 1
  yuèzi         month of confinement after                           MBD 1+
                giving birth to a child                              
  zài shuō      furthermore, besides                                 MBD 5
  zàng          to bury                                              MBD 5
  zǎo           long ago                                             MBD 2
  zēngjiā       to increase                                          MBD 3
  zhang         to grow; to be (pretty, etc.)                        MBD 1+
  zhèngfǔ       government                                           MBD 1
  zhènghūn      to witness a marriage                                MBD 2
  zhènghūnrén   chief witness at a wedding                           MBD 2
                ceremony                                             
  zhǐ yào       as long as, if only                                  MBD 6
  zhong         to be heavy                                          MBD ll
  zhù dao       to move to, to go live at                            MBD 1
  zǐsūn         descendants                                          MBD 6
  zǒngshi       always                                               MBD 1
  zū            to rent                                              MBD 2
  zūijìn        recently; soon                                       MBD 5
  zǔmǔ          grandmother (on the father’s                         MBD 5
                side)                                                
  zuò           to serve as, to act as; as                           MBD 1
  zuò méi       to act as go-between (for the                        MBD 2
                families of a man and woman considering marriage)    
  zuò yuèzi     to go through the month of                           MBD 4
  ------------- ---------------------------------------------------- --------

confinement and special care after childbirth

GPO 5B7-00l/3096

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