Chinese For Dummies (112 page)

Agent:

Qǐng gěi wǒ kànkàn nǐde hùzhào.

cheeng gay waw kahn-kahn nee-duh hoo-jaow.

Please show me your passport.

Georgia shows him her passport, and the agent asks her some important questions.

Agent:

Měiguórén. Nǐ yǒu méiyǒu yào shēnbào de wùpǐn?

may-gwaw-run. nee yo mayo yaow shun-baow duh woo-peen?

American. Do you have anything you'd like to declare?

Georgia:

Méiyǒu. Wǒ zhǐ yǒu yìtiáo xiāngyān.

mayo. waw jir yo ee-tyaow shyahng-yan.

No. I have only a carton of cigarettes.

Agent:

Nǐ lái zhèr shì bàn gōngwù háishì lǚyóu?

nee lye jar shir bahn goong-woo hi-shir lyew-yo?

Are you here on business or as a tourist?

Georgia:

Wǒ lái zuò shēngyì.

waw lye dzwaw shung-ee.

I've come on business.

Agent:

Nǐ kéyǐ zǒu le.

nee kuh-yee dzoe luh.

You may go.

Navigating Around Town

It's Friday night, and you just had a pretty successful day doing business with your Chinese counterparts. You've finally mustered the courage to venture out of your hotel room for a night on the town. You decide to check out a popular dance hall, and you begin to determine what mode of transport can best get you there.

Renting a car is virtually impossible in China. Cars just aren't available. And even if you can find a rental, you may not want to get one, given the bureaucracy and driving conditions. Signs aren't printed in English, which is probably the main reason you shouldn't even attempt driving. Just think of the upside. You don't have to suddenly learn how to use a stick shift or purchase any extra car insurance. Let someone else worry about how to get you from point A to point B.

No matter what form of
jiāotōng
交通
(jyaow-toong) (
transportation
) you end up taking, here are a few crucial words and phrases to know:

fāngxiàng
方向
(fahng-shyahng) (
directions
)

dìtú
地图
(
地圖
) (dee-too) (
map
)

Wǒ mílù le.
我迷路了
. (waw mee-loo luh.) (
I'm lost.
)

Hailing a cab

Although
zìxíngchē
自行车
(
自行車
) (dzuh-sheeng-chuh) (
bicycles
),
mótuōchē
摩托车
(
摩托車
) (maw-twaw-chuh) (
motorcycles
),
mǎchē
马车
(
馬車
) (mah-chuh) (
horse-drawn carts
), and even
niú
牛
(nyo) (
cows
) are still the main forms of transportation for the average individual in some parts of mainland China, most foreigners take taxis wherever they go. You can easily find taxis around hotels, and cabs are certainly more comfortable and convenient than having to deal with nonexistent rules of the road; breathing in air pollution while bicycling; finding your way through a maze of old alleyways; or, depending on the time of year, leaving yourself to the mercy of the natural elements.

Here's what you say to the hotel door attendant if you want help hailing a cab:
Wǒ yào jiào jìchéngchē.
我要叫计程车
. (
我要叫計程車
.) (waw yaow jyaow jee-chung-chuh.) (
I'd like a taxi.
)

After you're safely ensconced in the cab, you need to know how to say the following phrases:

Nǐ kéyǐ děng jǐ fēn zhōng ma?
你可以等几分钟吗
? (
你可以等幾分鐘嗎
?) (nee kuh-yee duhng jee fun joong mah?) (
Can you wait a few minutes?
)

Qǐng dǎ biǎo.
请打表
. (
請打表
.) (cheeng dah byaow.) (
Please turn on the meter.
)

Qǐng dài wǒ dào zhèige dìzhǐ.
请带我到这个地址
. (
請帶我到這個地址
.) (cheeng dye waw daow jay-guh dee-jir.) (
Please take me to this address.
)

Qǐng kāi kuài yìdiǎr.
请开快一点儿
. (
請開快一點兒
.) (cheeng kye kwye ee-dyar.) (
Please drive a little faster.
)

Qǐng kāi màn yìdiǎr.
请开慢一点儿
. (
請開慢一點兒
.) (cheeng kye mahn ee-dyar.) (
Please drive a little slower.
)