Chinese For Dummies (118 page)

The word
nǎr
spoken with a third (low falling and then rising) tone means
where,
but the same word said with a fourth (falling) tone,
nàr,
means
there,
so be particularly careful which tone you use when you ask for directions. The person you ask may think you're making a statement, not asking a question.

Talkin' the Talk

Wanda is about to leave her hotel in Beijing to head for the American embassy to renew her passport. She's not sure where to find it, so she asks a hotel attendant how to get there. (Track 24)

Wanda:

Qǐngwèn, Měiguó dàshǐguǎn zài nǎr?

cheeng-one, may-gwaw dah-shir-gwahn dzye nar?

Excuse me, where's the American embassy?

Attendant:

Měiguó dàshǐguǎn zài Xiù Shuǐ Běi Jiē.

may-gwaw dah-shir-gwahn dzye shyow shway bay jyeh.

The American embassy is on Xiu Shui Bei Street
.

Wanda:

Hěn yuǎn ma?

hun ywan mah?

Is it far?

Attendant:

Hěn yuǎn. Nǐ zuì hǎo zuò chūzū qìchē qù.

hun ywan. nee dzway how zwaw choo-dzoo chee-chuh chyew.

Yes, it's quite far. You'd best take a taxi.

Wanda:

Xièxiè.

shyeh-shyeh.

Thanks.

Getting direction about directions

Knowing how to ask where you can find a particular place is the first step, but you also need to know how to get there. (Otherwise, why would you ask where it is in the first place, right?) Here's the simplest way to find out:
Qù _____ zěnme zǒu?
去
_____
怎么走
? (
去
_____
怎麼走
?) (chyew _____ dzummuh dzoe?) (
How do I get to_____?
)

Here are some examples of how to use this question pattern:

Qù fēijīchǎng zěnme zǒu?
去飞机场怎么走
? (
去飛機場怎麼走
?)
(chyew fay-jee-chahng dzummuh dzoe?) (
How do I get to the airport?
)

Qù túshūguǎn zěnme zǒu?
去图书馆怎么走
? (
去圖書館怎麼走
?) (chyew too-shoo-gwahn dzummuh dzoe?) (
How do I get to the library?
)

Qù xuéxiào zěnme zǒu?
去学校怎么走
? (
去學校怎麼走
?) (chyew shweh-shyaow dzummuh dzoe?) (
How do I get to the school?
)

If you get lost in any city in mainland China, you can often get back on track by asking where
Zhōngshān Lù
中山路
(joong-shahn loo) or
Jiěfàng Lù
解放路
(jyeh-fahng loo) is.
Zhōngshān,
which literally means
the middle mountain,
refers to the birthplace of Dr. Sun Yat-sen, founder of the modern Chinese Republic (Taiwan) in 1911.
Jiěfàng,
on the other hand, means
liberation
and refers to the “liberation” of the mainland by the Communists in 1949.
Lù
just means
road.
Generally, these streets are located in the middle of town. They serve as the Chinese equivalent of Main Street in Anytown, USA. Always a safe bet.

Understanding the answers to “where” questions

Short of using international sign language with a pantomime act, you may want to get a handle on some basic terms that indicate direction and location. Read on for a quick list:

duìmiàn
对面
(
對面
) (dway-myan) (
opposite
)

fùjìn
附近
(foo-jeen) (
near
)

hòu
后
(
後
) (ho) (
back
)

kàojìn
靠近
(kaow-jeen) (
next to
)

lǐ
里
(
理
) (lee) (
inside
)

qián
前
(chyan) (
front
)