Chinese For Dummies (55 page)

Identify these fruits and vegetables and write their Chinese names below. Check out
Appendix D
for the answers.

A. __________________________

B. __________________________

C. __________________________

D. __________________________

E. __________________________

F. __________________________

G. __________________________

Chapter 9

Shopping Made Easy

In This Chapter

Checking out the stores

Looking for clothes and other items

Bargaining for a better price

E
ver dreamed of shopping till you dropped in a foreign country where the rate of exchange is really great? Or in faraway lands where lively outdoor night markets abound? This chapter helps you navigate both small shops and fancy department stores; get a handle on prices, colors, and merchandise; and in general negotiate the best deal wherever possible.

To
mǎi dōngxi
买东西
(
買東西
)
(my doong-she) (
buy things
) is one of the most enjoyable pastimes for people the world over. Whether you're just going
guàngshāngdiàn
逛商店
(gwahng-shahng-dyan) (
window shopping
) or actually about to
mǎi dōngxi
doesn't matter. You can still enjoy looking at all the
shāngpǐn
商品
(shahng-peen) (
merchandise
), fantasizing about buying that
zuànshí jièzhǐ
钻石戒指
(
鑽石戒指
) (dzwan-shir jye-jir) (
diamond ring
), and haggling over the
jiàgé
ä»·æ ¼
價格
) (jyah-guh) (
price
).

Going to Stores

You can find all sorts of stores to meet your shopping needs throughout China.
Table 9-1
presents some common store options.

Table 9-1 Kinds of Stores

Here are some things you can find in various stores:

Zài yíge shūdiàn nǐ kéyǐ mǎi shū, zázhì hé bàozhǐ
.
在一个书店你可以买书
,
杂志和报纸
. (
在一個書店你可以買書
,
雜誌和報紙
.) (dzye ee-guh shoo-dyan nee kuh-yee my shoo, dzah-jir huh baow-jir.) (
In a bookstore, you can buy books, magazines, and newspapers.
)

Zài yíge wǔjīn diàn nǐ kéyǐ mǎi zhuǎnjiē qì, chātóu hé yānwù bàojǐng qì.
在一个五金店你可以买转接器
,
插头和烟雾报警器
. (
在一個五金店你可以買轉接器
,
插頭和煙霧報警器
.) (dzye ee-guh woo-jeen dyan nee kuh-yee my jwan-jyeh chee, chah-toe huh yan-woo baow-jeeng chee.) (
In a hardware store, you can buy adaptors, plugs, and smoke detectors.
)

Zài yíge zhūbǎo diàn nǐ kéyǐ mǎi shǒuzhuó, ěrhuán, xiàngliàn, xiōngzhēn hé jièzhi.
在一个珠宝店你可以买手镯
,
耳环
,
项链
,
胸针和戒指
. (
在一個珠寶店你可以買手鐲
,
耳環
,
項鍊
,
胸針和戒指
.) (dzye ee-guh joo-baow dyan nee kuh-yee my show-jwaw, are-hwahn, shyahng-lyan, shyoong-juhn huh jyeh-jir.) (
In a jewelry store, you can buy bracelets, earrings, necklaces, pins, and rings.
)

When you finally make up your mind about what to shop for, you may want to call ahead to check out the store's hours. Here are some questions that can help:

Nǐmen wǔdiǎn zhōng yǐhòu hái kāi ma?
你们五点钟以后还开吗
? (
你們五點鐘以後還開嗎
?) (nee-men woo-dyan joong ee-hoe hi kye mah?) (
Are you open after 5:00 p.m.?
)

Nǐmen xīngqītiān kāi bùkāi?
你们星期天开不开
? (
你們星期天開不開
?) (nee-mun sheeng-chee-tyan kye boo-kye?) (
Are you open on Sundays?
)

Nǐn jǐdiǎn zhōng kāi/guān mén?
您几点钟开
/
关门
? (
您幾點鐘開
/
關門
?) (neen jee-dyan joong kye/gwahn mun?) (
What time do you open/close?
)