Chinese For Dummies (31 page)

Although the Chinese use the metric system, more often than not you encounter traditional measurement terms that predate the metric system, such as the words
yīngcùn
for
inch
and
yīngchǐ
for
foot.

 Fun & Games

Count to 10 and then to 100 in multiples of 10 by filling in the blanks with the correct numbers. Turn to
Appendix D
for the answers.

yī
一

èr
二

sān
三

sì
四

______

liù
六

______

bā
八

jiǔ
九

______

èrshí
二十

______

sìshí
四十

wǔshí
五十

______

qīshí
七十

bāshí
八十

_____

yìbǎi
一百

Chapter 6

Speaking Chinese at Home

In This Chapter

Playing the real estate game

Furnishing your new digs

Understanding the importance of
fēng shuǐ

Filling your rooms with furniture

I
f you're one of those people who believes your
jiā
家
(jyah) (
home
) is your
chéngbǎo
城堡
(chuhng-baow) (
castle
), then this chapter's for you. Maybe you just transfered to Beijing for a new job, or are taking a year off to study kung fu in Taipei. Either way, you're going to want to call your new environment home for a while, and what better way to do that than to buy or rent your own place?

Planning on relocating with your spouse and children? Or maybe even your in-laws? All the more reason to make your new digs as comfortable as possible and carry on as if you weren't suddenly half way around the world. This chapter helps you get settled and be so comfortable that you can start asking for the
yǎokòngqī
遥控器
(
遙控器
) (yaow-koong-chee) (
remote
) again when you want to change channels.

Hanging Out at Home

Whether you're in the bedroom taking a nap, in the living room watching TV, or in the dining room having dinner, the one thing you want to feel is at home. Want the dog to fetch your slippers? Want the kids to quiet down? Just remember that the character for
family
(
家
) is the same ideograph used for the word
home:
a pig underneath a roof (as in, domesticated animals). Sometimes the domestication just takes a little longer.

In China, you commonly see
sān dài
三代
(sahn-dye) (
three generations
) living under one roof. It's the ideal Chinese family, in fact, where grandparents are taken care of in old age and children have lots of love and attention all around. Especially in the countryside,
sān dài
live in the same traditional family compound for generations, sharing a common courtyard with a hall in the center to honor the family's ancestors.

Hunting for an Apartment

Are you one of the thousands of people considering making a long-term move to China for business purposes? Starting to think about purchasing some
fángdìchǎn
房地产
(
房地產
) (fahng-dee-chahn) (
real estate
) in the form of a
gōngyùfáng
公寓房
(goong-yew-fahng) (
condominium
) or a
hézuò gōngyù
合作公寓
(huh-dzwaw goong-yew) (
co-op
) in Beijing or Shanghai? Just a few decades ago, contemplating such a purchase of
cáichǎn
财产
(
財產
) (tsye-chahn) (
property
) was unthinkable. These days, though, with the enormous influx of foreign investment and joint-venture companies, countless foreigners are beginning to take advantage of the many reputable
fángdìchǎn jīngjìrén
房地产经纪人
(
房地產經紀人
) (fahng-dee chahn-jeeng jee run) (
realtors
) to help them do just that.

And if you've already purchased some
cáichǎn,
you may want to
chūzū
出租
(choo-dzoo) (
rent
) or
zhuǎnzū
转租
(
轉租
)
(jwan-dzoo) (
sublet
) a
kōng gōngyù fángjiān
空公寓房间
(
空公寓房間
)
(koong goong-yew fahng-jyan) (
vacant apartment
) to a trustworthy
chéngzūrén
承租人
(chung-dzoo-run) (
tenant
). Here are some terms you may want to know when thinking of buying a place in China:

ànjiēfèi
按揭费
(
按揭費
) (ahn-jyeh-fay) (
closing costs
)

dàilǐ
代理
(dye-lee) (
agent
)

dǐyājīn
抵押金
(dee-yah-jeen) (
mortgage
)

gǔběn
股本
(goo-bun) (
equity
)

hétóng
合同
(huh-toong) (
contract
)