Chinese For Dummies (107 page)

zhàiquàn
债券
(
債券
)
(jye-chwan) (
bond
)

Larger bank branches in the PRC are generally open seven days a week from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., but some close between 12:00 p.m. and 2:00 p.m. In Taiwan, banks close at 3:30 p.m., and in Hong Kong they're usually open from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. during the week and from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. on Saturdays.

Making withdrawals and deposits

Whether you need to
cún qián
存钱
(
存錢
)
(tswun chyan) (
deposit money
) or
qǔ qián
取钱
(
取錢
)
(chyew chyan) (
withdraw money
), you need to make sure you have enough
qián
in the first place to do so. One way to ensure you don't overextend is to make sure you know what your
jiéyú
结余
(
結餘
)
(jyeh-yew) (
account balance
) is at any given moment. Sometimes you can check your available balance if you go online to see which checks may have already cleared. If someone gives you an
yínháng běnpiào
银行本票
(
銀行本票
) (een-hahng bun-pyaow) (
cashier's check
), however, it cashes immediately. Lucky you!

If you plan to cash some checks along with your deposits, here are a couple of useful phrases to know:

Wǒ yào duìxiàn zhèi zhāng zhīpiào.
我要兑现这张支票
. (
我要兌現這張支票
.
(waw yaow dway-shyan jay jahng jir-pyow.) (
I'd like to cash this check.
)

Bèimiàn qiān zì xiě zài nǎr?
背面签字写在哪儿
? (
背面簽字寫在哪兒
?) (bay-myan chyan dzuh shyeh dzye nar?) (
Where shall I endorse it?
)

Talkin' the Talk

Freddie decides to open a savings account in Hong Kong. He enters a bank and approaches the teller. (Track 21)

Freddie:

Nín hǎo. Wǒ xiǎng kāi yíge dìngqī cúnkuǎn hùtóu.

neen how. waw shyahng kye ee-guh deeng-chee tswun-kwan hoo-toe.

Hello. I'd like to open a savings account.

Teller:

Méiyǒu wèntí. Nín yào xiān cún duōshǎo qián?

mayo one-tee. neen yaow shyan tswun dwaw-shaow chyan?

No problem. How much would you like to deposit initially?

Freddie:

Wǒ yào cún yìbǎi kuài qián.

waw yaow tswun ee-bye kwye chyan.

I'd like to deposit $100.

Teller:

Hǎo. Qǐng tián zhèige biǎo. Wǒ yě xūyào kànkàn nínde hùzhào.

how. cheeng tyan jay-guh byaow. waw yeah shyew-yaow kahn-kahn neen-duh hoo-jaow.

Fine. Please fill out this form. I will also need to see your passport.

Accessing an ATM

One of the most convenient ways to access some quick cash is to go to the nearest
zìdòng tíkuǎnjī
自动提款机
(
自動提款機
)
(dzuh-doong tee-kwan-jee) (
ATM
). ATMs are truly ubiquitous these days. Wherever you turn, there they are, on every other street corner. Sometimes I wonder how we ever survived without them. (Same goes for the personal computer . . . but I digress.)

In order to use a
zìdòng tíkuǎnjī,
you need a
zìdòng tíkuǎn kǎ
自动提款卡
(
自動提款卡
)
(dzuh-doong tee-kwan kah) (
ATM card
) to find out your account balance or to deposit or withdraw money. And you definitely need to know your
mìmǎ
密码
(
密碼
)
(mee-mah) (
PIN
); otherwise, the
zìdòng tíkuǎnjī
is useless. Just remember: Make sure you don't let anyone else know your
mìmǎ.
It's a
mìmì
秘密
(mee-mee) (
secret
).

Tips on Tipping

Usually in the United States, a 15-percent tip is customary at restaurants, and you often give a 10-percent tip to taxi drivers. Giving
xiǎo fèi
小费
(
小費
)
(shyaow-fay) (
tips
) is expected pretty much everywhere from here to Timbuktu. In some instances, you should even give
xiǎo fèi
to people setting up towels in the public bathroom. Better to know in advance of your trip how much (or how little) is expected of you so you don't embarrass yourself (and by extension, your countryfolk).

Here are some the general tipping conventions for various Chinese-speaking countries:

In Taiwan,
xiǎo fèi
are generally included in restaurant bills. If not, 10 percent is standard. You can
gěi
给
(
給
)
(gay) (
give
) bellboys and porters a dollar (USD) per bag.

In Hong Kong, most restaurants automatically include a 10-percent tip, but feel free to give an additional 5 percent if the
fúwù
服务
(
服務
)
(foo-woo) (
service
) is good. Small tips are also okay for taxi drivers, bellboys, and washroom attendants.