Chinese For Dummies (70 page)

George:

Qǐngwèn, nǐmen jǐdiǎn zhōng guānmén?

cheeng-one, nee-mun jee-dyan joong gwahn-mun?

Excuse me, what time do you close?

Clerk:

Zhèige bówùguǎn wǎnshàng liù diǎn zhōng guānmén.

jay-guh baw-woo-gwahn wahn-shahng lyo dyan joong gwahn-mun.

This museum closes at 6:00 p.m.

George:

Xiànzài yǐjīng wǔdiǎn duō le. Wǒ néng bùnéng miǎnfèi jìnqù?

shyan-dzye ee-jeeng woo-dyan dwaw luh. waw nung boo-nung myan-fay jeen-chyew?

It's now already after 5:00. May I enter for free?

Clerk:

Bùxíng. Hái yào fùqián. Shí kuài yì zhāng.

boo-sheeng. hi yaow foo-chyan. shir kwye ee jahng.

No. You still have to pay. It's $10 a ticket.

George:

Nà, wǒ míngtiān zài lái, duō huā yìdiǎr shíjiān zài zhèr. Xièxiè.

nah, waw meeng-tyan dzye lye, dwaw hwah ee-dyar shir-jyan dzye jar. shyeh-shyeh.

In that case, I'll come back tomorrow to spend a little more time here. Thanks.

Visiting Historical Sites

Make sure to take at least one well-coordinated trip to a historical site if you visit China, even if you have only a week for business. Take the
Cháng Chéng
长城
(
長城
) (chahng chung) (
Great Wall
), for example. Just north of Beijing, the wall is one of the greatest man-made objects on earth.

And while you're on your way to the Great Wall, you may want to stop off at the
Míng shísān líng
明十三陵
(meeng shir-sahn leeng) (
Ming Tombs
), which contain the mausoleums of 13
Ming
dynasty (1368–1644) emperors guarded by stone animals and warrior statues.

By far the easiest way to see the major historical sites in China is to join a tour. Here are some phrases that may come in handy:

Bàn tiān duōshǎo qián?
半天多少钱
? (
半天多少錢
?)
(bahn tyan dwaw-shaow chyan?) (
How much for half a day?
)

Lǚxíngshè zài nǎr?
旅行社在哪儿
? (
旅行社在哪兒
?)
(lyew-sheeng-shuh dzye nar?) (
Where's the travel agency?
)

Nǐ yǒu méiyǒu lǚyóu shǒucè?
你有没有旅游手册
? (
你有沒有旅遊手冊
?)
(nee yo mayo lyew-yo show-tsuh?) (
Do you have a guidebook?
)

Yǒu méiyǒu shuō Yīngwén de dǎoyóu?
有没有说英文的导游
? (
有沒有說英文的導遊
?)
(yo mayo shwaw eeng-one duh daow-yo?) (
Are there any English-speaking guides?
)

Some of China's most-visited historical sites include the Great Wall, the Forbidden City in Beijing, and the terra-cotta warriors of Xi'an, where an army of over 6,000 carved warriors and horses stands guard over the tomb of China's first Emperor,
Qīn Shihuáng
(chin shir-hwahng), who dates back to the
third century BCE.

Talkin' the Talk

Sammy hires a taxi and takes his two children to the Jade Buddha Temple in Shanghai, where he tries to get entrance tickets from the clerk. He's eager to show his children the temple's Song dynasty (960–1279) architecture.

Sammy:

Qǐngwèn, zài nǎr kéyǐ mǎi piào?

cheeng-one, dzye nar kuh-yee my pyaow?

Excuse me, where can I buy tickets for admission?

Clerk:

Jiù zài zhèr.

jyo dzye jar.

You can buy them here.

Sammy:

Hǎojíle. Piàojià duōshǎo?

how-jee-luh. pyaow-jyah dwaw-shaow?

Great. How much is the ticket price?

Clerk:

Yìzhāng shí kuài.

ee-jahng shir kwye.

Tickets are $10 each.

Sammy:

Xiǎo háizi miǎnfèi ma?

shyaow hi-dzuh myan-fay mah?

Do children get in free?

Clerk:

Bù miǎnfèi, kěshì xiǎo háizi bànpiào.

boo myan-fay, kuh-shir shyaow hi-dzuh bahn-pyaow.

No, but they're half price.

Sammy:

Wǒmen kě bù kěyǐ zhàoxiàng?

waw-mun kuh boo kuh-yee jaow-shyahng?

May we take pictures?

Clerk:

Dāngrán kěyǐ. Méiyǒu wèntí.

dahng-rahn kuh-yee. mayo one-tee.

Of course you can. No problem.

Going to the Movies

After a full day of sightseeing, you may want to relax, kick back, and take in a
diànyǐng
电影
(
電影
)
(dyan-yeeng) (
movie
). At the movies you can sit and watch what's on the
yínmù
银幕
(
銀幕
) (yeen-moo) (
screen
) without walking or talking. But what to do when the lights dim and you suddenly realize the film is completely in
Zhōngwén
中文
(joong-one) (
Chinese
), without any
Yīngwén zìmù
英文字母
(eeng-one dzuh-moo) (
English subtitles
) whatsoever? You read this book, of course!

What kind of movie do you want to see?
Table 10-1
gives you a few genres to choose from:

Table 10-1 Movie Genres