Chinese For Dummies (89 page)

Nǐ huì búhuì dǎ tàijíquán?
你会不会打太极拳
? (
你會不會打太極拳
?) (nee hway boo-hway dah tye-jee-chwahn?) (
Do you know how to do Tai Ji?
)

Nǐ dǎ májiàng ma?
你打麻将吗
? (
你打麻將嗎
?) (nee dah mah-jyahng mah?) (
Do you play mah-jong?
)

Both
tàijíquán
and
májiàng
are quintessential Chinese pastimes. In addition to
tàijíquán,
everyone is familiar with other forms of
wǔshù
武术
(
武術
)
(woo-shoo) (
martial arts
), including
kung fu
功夫
— a martial art practiced since the
Tang
唐
(tahng) dynasty back in the 8th century. In fact, you can still see
kung fu
masters practicing at the Shaolin Temple in Zhengzhou, Henan Province — one great reason for making a trip off the beaten path if you ever visit China.

Tàijíquán
is considered an internal martial art and is the most widely practiced form of martial arts throughout the world. The term
tàijí
(
the Great Ultimate
) refers to the interplay between opposing yet complementary forces in the universe — yin and yang — as the basis of creation.
Quán
means
fist,
emphasizing that this art is a kind of unarmed combat. Very early every morning in China, tons of people flock to local parks to practice this slow-motion form of exercise together.

Talkin' the Talk

Donald and Helga discuss their knowledge of
taijiquan
with each other.

Donald:

Nǐ huì búhuì dǎ tàijíquán?

nee hway boo-hway dah tye-jee-chwan?

Do you know how to do Tai Ji?

Helga:

Búhuì. Kěshì wǒ zhīdào tàijíquán shì yì zhǒng hěn liúxíng de jiànshēn yùndòng.

boo-hway. kuh-shir waw jir-daow tye-jee-chwan shir ee joong hun lyo-sheeng duh jyan-shun yoon-doong.

No, but I know that Tai Ji is a very popular kind of exercise.

Donald:

Duìle. Měitiān zǎoshàng hěn zǎo hěn duō rén yìqǐ dǎ tàijíquán.

dway-luh. may-tyan dzaow-shahng hun dzaow hun dwaw run ee-chee dah tye-jee-chwan.

That's right. Very early every morning, lots of people practice Tai Ji together.

Helga:

Tàijíquán de dòngzuò kànqǐlái hěn màn.

tye-jee-chwan duh doong-dzwaw kahn-chee-lye hun mahn.

Tai Ji movements look very slow.

Donald:

Yòu shuō duìle! Shēntǐ zǒngshì yào wěndìng. Dòngzuò zǒngshì yào xiétiáo.

yo shwaw dway-luh! shun-tee dzoong-shir yaow one-deeng. doong-dzwaw dzoong-shir yaow shyeh-tyaow.

Right again! The body should always be stable, and the movements should always be well coordinated.

Exploring Nature

If you're working overseas in China and want to get really far from the madding crowds, or even just far enough away from your
bàngōngshì
办公室
(
辦公室
) (bahn-goong-shir) (
office
) to feel refreshed, try going to one of China's many sacred mountains or a beautiful beach to take in the
shānshuǐ
山水
(shahn-shway) (
landscape
). You may want to
qù lùyíng
去露营
(
去露營
) (chyew lyew-eeng) (
go camping
) or set up camp on the beach and have a
yěcān
野餐
(yeh-tsahn) (
picnic
) before you
pá shān
爬山
(pah shahn) (
climb a mountain
).

Traveling through the Chinese countryside is a great way to escape city life. Check out these sights along the way:

bǎotǎ
宝塔
(
寶塔
) (baow-tah) (
pagoda
)

dàomiào
道庙
(
道廟
) (daow-meow) (
Daoist temple
)

dàotián
稻田
(daow-tyan) (
rice paddies
)

fómiào
佛庙
(
佛廟
)
(faw-meow) (
Buddhist temple
)