BOOKLET ACCOMPANIES BY

CASSETTE 442 3474

Phrase Dictionary
and Study Guide

Chinese

(Mandarin)

CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
GENERAL EXPRESSIONS
SalUfa/ions

.......... _...................... 1

Visits and Introductions .................... 1

Inquiries on the Street ....................... J
Everyday Expressions ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 3
PERSONAL NEEDS

Food
At the
Ac the
Al the

.......................................
Amusement Places .....................
Hotel ..... _. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..
Restauranl ...........................

S
6
7
8

TIME, NUMBERS. COLORS

Days 01 the Week ............................ 9

Monrhs of the Year
_......... . 10

Season-Weather . ............................ .10

Time . ................................... 11
Numbers ................................... 12
Colors ..................................... 14
COMMUNICATIONS

At the Post Office . .......................... 14

At the Telegraph Station ................. 15
AI the Telephone ............................. 15
Handling Money ............................. 16
At Customs .... ......................... 16
TRANSPORTATION

@ 1974 Educational Servtces, Washlnglon, D.C.

All rights resaMtcl. No part 01 this book may be reprodlJC8d
In any Iorm without permission from the publlshar.

All Languagel30 components produced In the U.S.A.

Means of Transportation .................. 17

Railway Travel ................................ 17
At tile Airport ................................ 18
Driving an Automobile
,
1B
Automobile Maintenance
,
20
SOCIAL CUSTOMS AND POLin EXPRESSIONS

22

Important Signs

24

ALH MBRA PUALIC LIBRARY

All rr./ 11,.~. r
,I ~r-J,

Stut cassette SIDE 1 and lislen 10

the taped introduction before reading.

INTRODUG/ON
More people speak Chinese than any other of the world's langUilges. It is the official language for the approximately 850,000,000 population of the People's Republic of China and is spoken
b)' millions more in Taiwan and in the colonies of overseas
Chinese in South East Asiill, North and South AmeriCill, and other
parts of Ihe world.
The Chinese given in the C.llSSelles and booklet is slillndard
Mandarin, known in Chinese as Cwo yu (national languillge).
With locilll vuiilltions, this is the native language of Jlboul 8S%
oj the Chinese people. II is the medium of instruction in neuly
0111 Chinese schools, world-wide, except in Hong Kong.
There are reveral other Chinese dialects that ue related linguistically. Numerically the most important of these are Cantonese (spoken in Kwangtung province, Hong Kong and overseas,
including the United Slates), Wu (spoken in the Shanghai area),
Amoy {spoken in Fukien, Taiwan and Singaporel, and Hakka
(spoken in parts of Kwangtung, Kwangsi, Fukien and Taiwan).
The first three are spoken by well over 50 million people each,
while Hakka has about half as many speakers.
This cassette course has been prepared to furnish you with
the basic phrases you will need to communicate in Chinese:
what you wish to say and what you can expect to hear in reply.
The Chinese phrases you will hear when you listen to the cassettes will enable you to make yourself understood and establish communication so you can get what you want, find your
way about, and make friends in China. The phrases on the cassettes arc shorl, easy to repeat and memorize, and they are the
phrases that Chinese people use many times each day.
The number of words and phrases employed in everyday conversation is surprisingly smarr, and the vocabulary of this cassette course includes and stresses these. Your repetition of these

key phrases will give you an instinctive grasp of how Chinese is

put together. II will help you to make your own sentences as
you .Iearn new words. You will discover that simply listening,
readl~g, and repeating the Chinese souds will give you a heilld
start In speaking modern idiomatic Chinese.
After a brief introduction by Charles Berlitz, the well known
linguist, you will hear phrases in English immediately translillted
into Chinese, repeated twice, and followed by a pause. During
the pause say the Chinese words aloud. Remember, you CilIn
always stop the cassette and replay any phrase you feel unsure
ilIbout. Just listening is not enough! You must repeat the words
and phrases listened to, as often illS possible. Say the words
aloud many times to impress them on your memory. The Chinese phrases are spoken at normal conversationilll speed, illS you
will hear them spoken by Chinese people. Practice repeating
them at the same speed in order to be understood.
It ha:s been proven by testing that ill word spoken 10 to 20
times will impress itself on the conscious mind more reilldily
thiln ill word seen 50 to 100 times. When the two systems are
combined, as in this course, you will be surprised ilIt the ease
with which you will acquire ill whole new vocilbulary.
After reading this introduction, notice that on page 1 the English phrase is on the left, and the equivalent Chinese phrase.
written in English letters, in the middle. The chJlracters Jlt the
right mJlY be used 10 point out what you want 10 say if pronouncing JI phrase is difficult. The beautiful Chinese script is
also well worth examining and, in time, studying as ill way of
underslillnding the people ilInd culture of ChinJi. It is interesting
to note that all Chinese dialects use the same writing systeman important link in national unity that makes Cantonese and
Mandarin mutually understandable when wriuen, although not
when spoken. Some Chinese ideographs were originally pictures,
and these are frequently combined. When the character "woman," for example, is combined with that for "child:' it means
"good." One woman under a roof means "peace." The combination of "tree" and "sun" form a character meaning "east,"
and this is sometimes explained as the morning Sun seen through
the trees. However, such traditional explanations, while helpful
in memoriZing the characters, do not explain everything. For
example the characters "east" and "west" written in sequence
represent a two syllable word meaning "thing".
The word for "middle" is also the Chinese word for "China"
(the Middle Kingdom), going back to an early concept that the
Chinese Empire was the center of civilization, with other, less
civilized nations on its fringes.
Chinese grammar is relatively simple and, like English, depends largely on word order for meaning, rather than changes
in word forms.

The pronoun list below will help you identify these important
little words when you hear them in Chinese.
English
Pronunciation
Chinese
I

WO

yo,
he, she, it

fa'

nr

ENGLISH

PRONUNCIATION

:Ut

CHINESE

SALUTATIONS

'fir.

flI! !@
!I< 1M

:t

women
nimen
yo,
'fir.iJ'j
.hey
ta men
ill! 1I'l !@ ~, :t 11'
English, in common with many other languages, uses tonal
changes to indicate meaning. such as the dlfference between a
statement and a question. In English Ihe lone is related to the
sentence pattern, and not 10 Ihe word. (Different words may be
substituted to change the meaning without changing the tonal
pattern of the sentence.)
In Chinese the tone is an inherent pari of the word. The Chinese must, therefore, use a different method in asking questions, ralher than depending on tone alone? It is important to
learn Ihe senlence patterns provided, as, otherwise, your ques-tions may not bc identified as such.
Mandarin Chinese has four major tones and a fifth caned a
light tone. Since the tones are pronounced correctly on Ihe
cassettes, simply pronounce the words as you hear them and
your own tones will be correcl.
The four tones are relative to each other, not a mailer of absolute pitch, and they are given the following lone marks in
the book;
1. Normal tone (flat) - ma = "mother"
2. Said as if asking question - ma = "hemp"
3. Said as if saying wh-a-a-H - rna
"horse"
4. Said as if giving an order - ma = "scold"

we

GENERAL EXPRESSIONS

The use of Ihe same syllable in the above shows how Ihe tone
can completely change the meaning of a word.
Now proceed with the book and turn on the cassette. And,
as soon as you are familiar with the cassette tape, put the book
aside and practice repeating each phrase aloud in the time pause
after the Chinese phrase is repeated for the second timc. We
suggest that you play these casselles not only 411 special "study
times" but at different times during the day, even when you are
doing something else, like gelling dressed, having breakfast or
a coffee break, sipping cocktails, ignoring a TV commercial, or
in bed, before going to slccp. Each timc you hear and practice
repeating the language will become casier; and the more ohen
you repeat the words and phrases the beller you will remember
them. Finally they will easily come to mind as needed.
masculine, feminine and neuter gender

Good morning.
Mt. lee.

Oliu-'in, Ii
syiinsheng.

'i'-'I< 1

Good aflernoon,
Mr. lee.

Wli-iin, Ii
sy'insheng.

'r'/i'1i!f.~!E

Good evening.
Mr. lee.

WIn-:in, Ii
sy:insheng.

I!l<'/i' ,i!f.l\';!E

How are youl

N' hiu m.lll

l>l:1!f1!'l?

1 .11m ~f)' ple.llsed

10 meel )'OU-

Wo

ll! 1ll ;to ~ JUlll>l:

Th.llnk you.

Syesye no.

Iltot!tl>l:

Pleue

Ching

li.lI

Good by.

Dzii

hen g:iusying
jyin d.1u ni.

win.

$~!E

:JIll/.

VISITS ,..NO INTROOUQtONS

00 you know himl

NT rensht l'i m.lll

l>l: 112 lii fUll ?

Allow me 10
introduce him.
he.

R.1Ing WQ jyes!w.u rii.

m~lf

IUt tiJ it:!

l~

Jl!!

wO di ji

ll!1lIc.

Here is my urd.

Ie shr wOde mingpyin.

iliil\ll!m~!t

How do you dol

Ni hlu m.lll

''r. I!f I!!l

Ate you Mr. leel

Ni shr Ii sy~nsheng milll

l>l:Ji!i!f.l\';!E'!ll ?

Where are you

stayingl

NT juddi n.jlil

l>l: j :( mll!l ?

I am Slaying .Ill
lhe hotel.

Wo

ll!

Do you speak
Englishl

Ni !lwei shwo
Ying wen mal

Yes, .. little.

Hwei

judl;i Iyuguin Ii.

y~ir.

j :(

liHlll!J!

l>l:tllll:ll:x"-'l
{'I-!!.\ll

PRONUNCIATION

CHINESE

I don't speak. your

language welt.

Wo budi

<Jt'f';;;~iOl:tl<1I'J

Please speak slowly.

Ching ni shwo man

yldyi'r.

ENClfSH

Please repeat.

hwei shwo
nimende hwi.

9'J IIIi

Ching dzii shwo

yibyan.

Dweibuchi, d.ljyi'u nile.

Please come to my
house lor breiJklasf.
lunch

Ching ni dau wo jya

lai chi-' dzauflm.
jungfin

When witt she be back?

Tii shemma shihou

hwei lail

Ching dzwo.

Will you have a

cigarette?

Ni yau chllu fr' yan

m.1

You are welcome.

Bukcchi.

May I offer you

something to drink?

Ni ylu he yldy!r
dUngsyi mal
chr'

Do you like tea?

Ni syihwan cM mOl?

I like coflee.

We

Please remember me
10 your family.
father

'P'\!(

li tai lai dzai Iya rna?

Please be seated.

has been a long

time since I saw
you laS!.

1t 'f' Jt9 , IT ~ tt.

J
IiII ~r. "1 I~ '!i JI< ,z
!i!. fiii

wintan

Ching jlnlai.

It

tl< flJ

'T IH"

3d/.

Please come again.

0",

Please come in.

,,'

Nide e(hdz hau rna?

nyu.er

How is your sonl

daughlN

INQUIRIES ON THE STREET

EIKuse me for
interrupting.

Is Mrs. lee at home?

CHINESE

muchin
syansheng
tai tai

mother
husband
wife

I beg your pardon.

'"
dinner

PRONUNCIATION

ENCLISH

itt~l%-~j5eJH
il;j" ~J!1 ?

l!I!?
iillli !i! >II Illill'l II<

It

Is Ihis the way to

the bu~iness districa
airport
bank
church
hospital
department Slore
museum
park
temple
railrO<ld station
post 9ffice

)e

Please show me on
this map.

Ching ni dzai ditu

shang irgei wo kan.

J~

What is the name of

this streel1

Ching_wen je tyau jye

jylu shemma
mingdzl

aM 11I1 , i {Ll m

tyau lu dau
shang-ye chyu rna?
fi.@chang
yinhing
jyaulang
~Iyw.in
blihwogongsz
bo-wu gwan

ore

llH1PII

ti ~

~~II

s 1'(1}'P]
l<HUi

Dl:.tsung shanglsz
jyan myan yijing
hcnjyou Ie.

fHLt '" lUili ,

e~lM"'J

Ching dli wo wenhou

nide ;yii.ren.
Fuchin

nM ~t Ix 1111
'!if..'

{ll; tl: ~J

Il

g~n.~.in

0~

you.jengjyu

"''iII/;
011 if{ I"j I

<'f~

sz.AiY~u
,W h'"elan
hwac

Sh1-

lJ!IT

No

Bush1-

Please

Ching

EKcuse me.

Oweibuchi.

Maybe

Yesyil

Cerlainly

Dangran

I[

JtT. :{ :itiJ. l;il

J:. tfr

II. I~ '!'1
{t}f;~?

EVERYDAY EXPRESSIONS

syihwan K:ff(!i.

1\

Ching-wen yaul;ing
dzai nali?

"l

x::m

~M I:'~ , !$ h} ;{ 'I;

Where is the
pharmacyr

Il~

ENGLISH

PRONUNCIATION

CHINESE

Is that so!
Thank you very much.

Hen sYlhye ni.

You are welcome.

Bu

PRONUNCIATION

Which w.ay sh.all we

Women dzou natySu

lu nel

'01

How much will it cosH Jl:ge if dwoshau chySn!

kechi.

1lI1UHIl

I am grateful.

I am sorry.

wei hen

I don't know.

Wo bufidau.

I think so.

Wl)

~uchyan.

sying.. ;yOushr
jeying.

I lm in .a hurry.

This is the shortest

way.

Wo ddi gin shijy.n.

Ie yitySu shr dzwei

jinde

fOOD

Good luck.

Ju

Be careful!

SyJusy,n!

Can you gel an

interprelerl

Ni oing ~u yige
In-yi mal

ni hlu yun.

illJilfTll!?

What is thisl

What are you doingl

Ching-wen tse swO

ddi n.$lir

ilIl rJl , ~I iii :COli

1!i!?

II

Ni ddi dzwb shemmaf

I am going to school.

We d.iu sywesyau chyis.

Please show me.

Ching gei wo Idnb.n.

Please write it.

Ching sye syltol"i.

Please draw a
picture of it.

Ching ni hwisyltoliii.

Please wail unlil

I come back.

Chins nJ deng wo
hweilai.

We will go right
away.

Women nke jyouyau

dzou Ie.
h~

nT yichi

Ching-.....en shkhang
ddi n.ilil

Where is Ihe grocery

storel

Ching-wen ddhwOdy.in
ddi nilil

Where can I buy

food.

Wo dd.i n.ili neng

miilUu shfpingl

~pp'es.

bread
butter
ubbage
chinese c.bb.ge

WO keyi
dz3u.

Where is the m.arkeU

I w.nl to buy
b.1n.1n.lS
bean curd
beans
beef
beef steak
bee,

Where are you goingl

I should like 10
accompany you.

lu.

PERSONAL NEEDS

I don't think so.

Where is the loilell

CHINESE

ENGLISH

,~ ~~

rr ~IJ t 'll! ;1;

cake
candy
cheese
cherries
chicken
chocolate

dams

l~ '1 V) ""
;1;.

cocoanuts
coffee
cream

.t. -

jjj

Wo

yau mli ping

sy.ngjy:iu
dOulu
doudz
ny6urou
ny6up.ii
pijyeu
myilnb:iu
nyouyOu
biiusYints.ii
b"itsli
din-g:iu
tJnggwo
rullu
y'lhgt.u
j,'

chyiuken
gl!li
ycdz
k;ift!i
naiy6u

twO.

roil , iljljH llII

'l!I?
I/j

U~ltiti.
~lli

Jill!
Ji'f
'Fall
'FIJI
c. ii'!i
1Il~

'Filii
~'L'~
a~

lI>: I!

1\Ii*
~lM

tf!jjt
III
"Pi ;l tJ

'*

;;'1

lIIl'f
WlJ ~~
~ll'lll

ENGLISH

d.>.,
eggs
fish
grapes
lamb

I.mo,,,
IoMle,
mangon
meat
milk
oranges
oyslers
peaches

"',.

pineapples
plums
po,k

potatoes
,ice (uncooked)
rice (cooked)
shrimp
soda .....aler
~p

.,

string beans

lomalon
turnips
vegelablei

PRONUNCIATION

CHINESE

lilT

ddudz
j,"din

f!J.

pUlau
yln..ou
ningmt:ng
lungS)'.
mang-swO

'IiJ'lii

'l'J1J

*'~
lUll

"'lI!

,0,

PRONUNCIATION

CHINESE

~t

SyisYlngchi ~ide
shr shemmol syH

Please reserve lwo

lickels for friday,

Wo ylu ding lySng[~'ng

sy'lngchi wilde pyiu,

l' . lPI :lI O'HHt

ilH!l ?
lJ1 'Ii! lIT iii 'ill liLiI1l

AI what lime does

Ihe ploly beginl

Jechu syi shbnma

,hmou kJ'"rylonl

pb,y is Kheduled
next weekI

Iillili

y"

ENGliSH

AT THE HOTH

JIJ

'FjJl

nyou-nai
iyudz

flail

"',

liT

liudz

I;

ill:1Ii
lilT

bwCllw6
m~idz

iiirau
m3lingsh\i

sy:i
sUdSshwei chishwei
ltng
dou;yau

Wholl is lhe rate

per dolyl

Chi"g-wen Utlgjyi
shl dwiishlu
chyS" Y;ly.lin!
yisyingchi
yige ywe

)Jl i(t '"

Do you accepl
credit u.dsl

Nimen jyeshOu
syin-yung kl moll

ti
!I<
iHul<

Have you .. room wilh

.. balh or showe,l

Nimen you
tiuUng m.. !

HolYe you an ilir

condilioned room!

Ni you y6u lengcht

I wanl iI belter

wlS ylu yige hlude

Ij

<hi

j i jlj
:I(;

fnchye

'lli'lID

Ii

IwObwo

.. iii 1\

shiltwi

ii~

AT THE AMUSEMENT PLACES

Ching.wen shemma
di(olng you Iyugwln!

monlh

II,

Where on I find ol
hoterl

w"k

l1tJlJ

m;

che..pe,
luger
quiet
smaller

SIDE 2

,h~b~ide

fangjyl'n moll

f1ngjy'''.
py.inyide

I Wilnl bedditlB_

Ch'i"8-wen dyln
ying-ywlon dd,i nSln

Ie shr yige hiu

dzwowU

Did you buy Ihe

lickel at the box
office!

Ni shr bushr ddi

py;ufI"8 mIl de
pyloul

hoi Wille,
ice
ice Willer
a light
a pillow

""p
loilet pape'

lOWe!

fM fill , tt II'! Jlil1;

-r.nlfi?

iiIIllll'IJ}1J"'lJ
1'9-7t.?
-lil.lPI
-,w!J

it A:lc 11 9'-1

-i1r. ;A

IN rJl

i!Yj ?

tl!. ~ - -ul tf ir.J

tllI
1l A rt-J

*- ~

dlde

rJi _ rt-J

~njingde

IJ' 9':1

sylude

ChIng-wen jyu-ywin
ddi nalif

This is a good seill.

1L lY:1!,\!l

Wb ylu y;sy~ beiru.

yis~ r6hw~

yisy" brng
yisy" bingshwei
yijlndl'ng
yige j~nlou
y"'kw~i feiddu
weis~g jf
jlty~u miuflft

D}

ENGLISH

another blanket

PRONUNCIATION

ENGLISH

CHINESE

fin -woli yityiu

mliutan

Uf!1I

7i'"

Please wolke me
at 6 a.m.

Ching dzai ddu

shang Iyoudylnjung
jyilUsyin wc).

tW { 1f!. J:. '" ,Wi t;:

'411HJI

Where is the
bathroomr
barber shop
hairdresser

Ching-wen, yushr
dzai nali!
lifldyan
meirungywan

1M Ill]

'g

, 1li-:i!1'JlII

l!Il?

Jm ~ :i:

...

~~~

Please have these

clothes washed.
dry cleaned

Ching ba jesye
yifu sy;giiniylng.
giinsyi

,M IE ill I!!> ;IOU,

~ i'I'

When can I have

them back!

Shemma shrhou keyi

gci weil

It Il! ~'i fill 1lf J;l!k

I want a key to
my room.

W6 yau U:ngiy~'nde
yaushr.

III 'l\!

I want to spe",k to Ihe

manager.

Wci yau he jihgli

iyJnghwJi.

<JI

Here is my new
olddress.

Ii!' shr wade syih

dlji'.

ill J<: III j oIIi JtIi, :!It

I shall relurn
tomorrow.

Wo ming tyjin jyou

hweilai.

llllJlJ,,:l:I!JJl!<

Giye me my bill,
please.

Ching bi jangdiin
kiii llii.

1M Ie It,ll! 1m l!<

Please bring me
the bill.

~O\;

Shemma dHang you

hlude f.'ln-gwanl

We desire bre.l/cl.lS(.
lunch
dinner

Women yau ddutsiin.

jungtsiin

Please bring me
a cup.
a fork
it glass
a knife

Ching gei wo
yfge b'eidz.
y'bi ch:idz
yige bwolibei
yibi diiudz

w3nt~'n

mroll ffj in /l!;

flo
my~nbau

ny6u-you

chli

-ffil~T

- 'Ii' II!!!!;
;IJ/Ii

II
III
ft~

tf~

t:l:iI!l

i!l
l!!{i!, If-iI!l
:l'i

Ching nj bl jangdan
kiii lai.

,M 1< IE i>Ji Yii IlII ""

TIME, NUMBERS, COLORS

:fIJ

mJ1Il ;l!l ;i'i

DAYS OF THE WEEK

Monday

Syingchiy(

III Jill -

Tuesday

Syingc!lier

lilWI _

Wednesday

Sy'ingchisan

lilJllJ=:

Thursday

SyYngchisi.

J'.JIIII!!I

Friday

Syingchiwu

lilJllJr.:

Saturd",y

SyYngchilyou

&W1'"

Sunday

Syingchityan

lilJIII"

everyday

meity.ln

."

today

fl'nty~n

"':R
4-"

tomorrow

m,ngtyan

IJIJ""

yesterd.lY

dzw6tyan

fI\;"

this week

jege syingchi

ill fill & WI

-JeJI.'r

neltt week

syhyingchi

l' iiI Jill

r~ ~J:

last week

shlngsy'ingchi

J:.lilJIIJ

It 111; JtIi, 1; :/.f IJ- (f.)

Il!l!ll?
'fY. 1i"J ~ J1!
'1"R

~tt

yige poindz
Y'jr t~ngch;
hiijf.h.J
ylin
ting
tsu
jyang you
IJi-y6u

CHINESE

III ?

AT THE RESTAURANT

Where is a good
restaurant!

'" plate
'" spoon
pepper
salt
sug"'r
vinegar
soy Soluce
hot sauce
cooked rice
bread and buller

PRONUNCIATION

WHiHJI -

a~ # T

lltl :f;f;

-IEJJT

ENGLISH

PRONUNCIATION

CHINESE

MONTHS OF THE YEAR

Calendar

Ywe-li

January

V,ywe

February

Erywe

"'"

o-ywi

April

Si:ywe

""
June

Wuywe

Jllll
-Jl
_Jl
-Jl
"Jl
'liJl

lyOuywe

july

Ch"r'ywi

August

''Yw>

September

ly6uywe

Cktober

ShFywe

November

Sh(yi)'we

December

Sh;erywe

this month

jege ywe

next month

,ylige

last monlh

shlingge ywe

Ihis year

ENGLISH

PRONUNCIATION

CHINESE

How is the weather

today?

(Inty.inde fy.inehi
dzemma ylngf

,\-;J<Q'J;J<i\:t<.

What will lhe weather

be lomorrowl

Mr"gtyande tylinchi
dzemma y~ngl

ch.lu

III ;J< ~j ;J< i\ I:!! tl!

III ?
l!:
1tI

leng

I!t

.dO'

w"
.,
4,' cold

hot

g.n

III

il'.

"

~JJ

dear

chrnglJlng

'~M

-\:JJ
AJl
;It.JJ
-tJJ
-t-JJ
-t_Jl
illlIJl
Tl!IJJ

cloudy

y;'nlyan

r-l;J<

cool

lyingkwi;i

.~

frosl

shw.i'ng

l-1l

fog

w,

raining

sy~yCi

snowins

syi;sywi

nailing

syUliu

lhundering

dllei

1:<I!IJl

windy

gua leng

ji'n'nyin

<t'f

humid

chiushr

IOisl year

chyu-ny.in

;l;'f.

nice

hluly:tndii

trill
rt 11\
ltIill
1l;J<i\

next year

mingny.in

II/lFr

beauliful

chinglingde 'Yilonctii

'UII Q'J ;J< li\

ywe

SEASON -

II>

Till
Tfl
T'I!l

TIME

WEATHER

r~

lime

shijV.on

Of

minute

",

-IT

second

mylu

tJ>

II

hour

shf

',j

dUng

q;

AoM.

shlingwu

1:'1'

chihoU

i\~

PM.

syiwii

T'F

season

iljyi

~fil

spring

chwun

'II'

autumn

chyOu

tI:

summer

",

I .

w;nler
weather

,.

11

ENGLISH

PRONUNCIATION

CHINESE

ENGLISH

COl.ORS
Wh~l

color is thisl

II is rKJ.
yellow

"'"'

while
black
green
purple

Ie shr shemma

yinsl"~

Ie shr Mngde.
hw1ingde
Uinde
Wide
heidI"
Iyude

This

.. J< it ll! 4J1 15

.. !HI fl'j.
'IIi fl'j
111 fl'j
S il')

conl.lins

Jege li.iugwo shi-

II lW lUI J< '.If Ii!

shu;;.

to\"
andy

w.lnjyu
l.lnggwo
shipin
yifu
hwei hwli de shlpin
hwii pwo de diingsyi

food

~ IY..J

CHINESE

bach.

clolhing
perish.lble food
fragile materi.lls

fl'j
111

dld<

pack~ge

PRONUNCIATION

fl'j

ljtJltiJiJlf

11: !'All
till1l
f.t iIU'f..J it ~
fI fit fl'j JI[ l'i

AT THE TELECtu.PH STATION

I

COMMUNICATIONS

to SI"fld ~
lele'V.lm to the

w~nt

Wo y.iu

fii

yiffing dy.inb.iu.

U.s.A.

AT THE POST OFFICE

mail

yOujyln

I&i'l'

m.lil curil"1'

y6ucNi

Where is the POSI

olficel

Ching-wen, yOujyli ddi

shEmm.l dif.lngl

1&* ,

Whefl'" can I m.lil

this'

Ching-wen, wOdui
shemma dibng keyi
bI jege ~chiichyU'

I wanl to send this

WO

y~u

yung gwilhilu

day leller
niah. leller
ablegr.lm
radiogr.lm

""/Ill

11\ "HE It
1l!Jil.1i?
II'lIfll ,1lI-lltJ!
Jil.1iIlJJ;.lre .. lIIl
1ftll1<?
III 'll' JlHHI! 1f i!

ji jege.

.Iir m~il
spKhlll delivery
p.lrcel posl
resulu mail

h.1ngkUng
syinshf jw~n sung
b:.iugwe
pingsyin

Please give me
ponige JI.lmps.
.Ierogr.lms

Ching gei wo
yi.lye y6upy~u.
yisye hlingkiing
youjyJn
Ylsye m;nssyinpy~n

W~~~

)e leng syln syiiyiu

dwosh5u y6upyiul

ill tl lrr ~ !Ii!;\!' !~

liIItI ?

post cuds
How much is the
postage on this
lellerl
parcel

ge baugwo

,.

M!l<
rl!"'W~

ii!;\I!

II

'I'!i1

cosil
When will il nrivel

00 l,J

-1!!>AiL!l<~illi

IJlllll it

lW iiI;\I!

Shemm.l shmou keyy

dju~

AT THE TELEPHONE

Chingwtm, shemm.l
dif.lng yOu dy~lnhwU

liN Ill! 'ftll!Jil.1i

WO keyi yung nidI"

dylnhwl m.l'

1lI 'f V.l !II 'ft fl'j lli

118'!1l ?

Where is the telephone

directory'

Chingwen, shemm.l
dilang y3u
dylmhwilbu I

1m lUI ,ltlf!ltI!1i

Will you please gel

this number lor mel

Ni keyi ti wo jye
jege hlumi m.ll

Wh.ll number are you

alling'

Ni' ylu shemma

hlumU

Where is Ihe
lelephonel
M~y

- 'N 8 l1li:( l!l

- ~ fHoI11tt III
,,.,,1:111 l!l
.allllol

How much will this

til

regiuered.

yirina i-jy'ndy:inblu
yirena ~jy.ndyilnb:iu
midi dylnW-u
wUsyin dyilnb:iu

t use your

lelephone'

1S

1-ftlL~?

+ri'lllt&M:?
i,tnJ V.l 'f'r lJ1 Jj:< m

{W!A!

Q!j ~.~

ifr. J:i ftill"ll! iI'J

ENGLISH

PRONUNCIATION

Informilliion, plene.

Ching ni t1

we we

fliwUl.iii.
long dislillnce.
pleJse.

CHINESE

fNGLlSH

PRONUNCIATION

TRANSPORTATION

a.

MEANS OF TRANSPORTATION

we

Ching ni 11
jye
ch.ingludyinhwlll.ii.

Where un I find

HANDLING MONEY

Ching-wen yin hng

dzii n.ilil

Pleillse dwnge this

inlO sm.toll bills.

Ching oi bJ jege
hwinche'ng syJu
pylltKlz..

ho~

lui

yilyJing jichlingchiche

Plene give me
Chinese money.

Ching nl gei wiS

Whilll is Ihe rJte of

exchJngel

Nimende dweihwinlyu
sh( dwOshillul

Do you sell lrillve!er's

checksf

Nimen mii Iyusying

fr'pylu millf

bo..

bu.

llIi iIr. l~ ill ill ~ 1

'H:~ =j'-

This is my billggillge.

J~ shr wOde syingli.

I hillve nothing 10
declJre.

wiS meiyou Ylu biu

This is not new.

I~

IS this duty free!

Ie shr bushr

iIr. I~

~~

:l1: II! !!' !i!

~!V?

suilcne
hillndbillg

ilt ... I'UI'

Ching gei wO yifen

shriYanbyJu.

11<.

How much is J touriSI

(first) d ..ss ridea

Ching-wen gw:in-gwang-

:N tnl , illt!2 ~

hi... dwOshlu chy.in

yijJngpyllul

!P il _

l.ii-hweipy~u

~~ ?

l:i!l ~

kw~iche

dwCi hiu kwlliche

~ ~

1jf

tR- ]![

PU lungche

When does lhe tr",in

depull
Is this the right

l1Hlt 7 '" I!I

Irillinf

ll!

\\l

Tij
'j'-

:F.

V.l i\'.ll!

~~

fill J: 7

qJJj ,

gwanshang Ie millf
syiu syangdz

'HI!

shiSuti~u

'jS!l~

16

-l!>lJI

Plene give me J
lime t",ble.

popular dns licket

bushr syYnde.

dfj syangdz

~~jl{Jt!

- rUli

$C""s

shweide dungsyi.

wiS keyi bl wOde

-Ulil

Where is the
inform",tion deskl

round trip ticket

express ticket
express wilh reserved

myinshweidef
MillY I lock my trunk
nowf

l1l4I rtf :il[ ?

Where is the (Jilw",y

stationl

AT CUSTOMS
Shemmill dlfJng shr
hloigw:l'n gwan-yw.inl

ll'l131 ll! ~ IT II'! JiI.

:Ii llj Ji.l tt 1'1 - lIi

RAILWAY TRAVEL

liinggw6 chySn.

Where is the customs

officiJlI

Ching-w~n,

w6 dzii
shemmJ eftfJng keyi
j'liud.lu yi/yanl;
;yIvtkhel
yiry.i ... chw.in
gunggungchiche
yily.lng chic-he
yipiml

a bicyclel

Where Is the bJnkf

CHINESE

=j'-

Is lhis ",n express

IrJinl

Ie shr

Is there <1 rest~ur,lnl

on this trJinl
skeping ur

lely~ cheshJng yo...

kw~iche

ts.Jiichfi m~'
wOpUchC!

17

maf

ill "I 'II J:

~

~ fiIi '"

~J ff ,~

ENGLISH

PRONUNCIATION

Is smoking permilted
in this comp~rtmentl

lege chesyang jwunsyu syiyan mill

WhIt is the nlme of

this placel

lege difilng jy~u

shl!mmil mingdl.t

How long does the

trilin Stily heref

Hwoche dl..i jeli

ling dwlSjyOut

Where is lhe exit

10 lhe slreet!

NiH shr lUng dijye

Tilke my bilggage to
the bus stand.

Ching bl wOde syingl!

~n diu

CHINESE

ENClISH

bod
p~sSlble

open 10

Where is the bridgel

If.ll re lJt 9'J f'i 'f. lil

f1J0~i"1:lfijQ.

Fe:;j,chlng ddi
shemml difilngl
Oi iYichengche chyir
fl!!ijU:h:ing yiu
dwOsh1u chyJinl

Where do I hIve my
licket checked!

Odi shemma dilang

chlpyJ,u'

Where is Ihe p.tSsport

and customs areal

HujJ,u he h:iigwin dd,i

I\,)li jylnchH

Whal time does the

plane lor Tokyo

OJ,u OUngf,hg chyu de

ftI'fl'sMmmilshmou
chimil

dep.-.rt'
WhOlI gilte do I go 101

WfJ y"'nggii dl.6u

n~ge men!

How long will the

Fllifi yJ,u yJinch;

dwtljyfJul

flight be delayed'

lli l!t l!I '1.,,1\ it

iI\;:;J!l>il!?

NT

jjld~u

w:ing n;in
cnyu de Itl mill
dUng

:til Jli ),>:'1-' O'j

18

mUl

* Ilf Vl iii

Chin8~n

chyJiu
ddi nJilil

Am I on Ihe told
10 lhe northl

\Yo sM bushr ddi

How mlny miles is it

to town!

Olu cheng Ii yOu

jr Ii lul

Excuse I'T'K", I ilm lost.

Please help mel

Dwflbuch'j wo mile lu.

Ching ni b:.lnllm;nlll

sying bii de IUsh:ingl

lJt I!!! ii!! ;E III I!I 1"1

lJt

j 'l' j .(E

"'J ~t

9'J i!.I:. ?

It 'l' l!: , lJt iil! T

llfWii!r.~1t

~~.m

Jl!

Ni nblll bYnenll Ii
wo d:iilu!

Can you lind me

guidel

Ni neng Ii w6 jau yille

sySndlu mil

.II

i!r. tt 'il'ilttt - til

'lfl!JIIll?

Chinll ni irxei w~ Un.

Whilt pllce is thisl

SIDE 4

i!r. ~ ill tl'. 111 .J< O'j

Ciln you guide 1'T'K"1

Pluse point,

tt Ii! 'HH,HI\ ?

I!li

sy'"

fiT

Ni yfJu ditu m.lll

DRIVING AN AUTOMOBILE
Do you know the road
to the soothl
east
west

tH~ lit~ ?

Il!i
flUi f'i
e If IlII

Jety.1ulU tUngcWu
s~mml dilang'

-"T THE -"'RPORT

How much does

Ihe laxi 10 lhe
;airporl cosll

;a

Is lhere il ferryl

jkhengchiche

~irporll

lelY;u lu hlu md
hwii
neng tungsyin
yijihg k1ilJ,ng,
keyi liingsyingle

Ir~flic

de chUk6u!

Where is Ihe

CHINESE

north
Is Ihis road goodr

BUnggvnBchich~iJn,

PRONUNCIATION

What is the name of

this slreell

lely.1u jye jy:iu

shemm. mlnlld.d

Turn right.

lwan you.

Turn left.

lwin dl.wfJ.

Go Slraillht Ihead,

Vi;; syilngchyan.

Go back 10 the cross.

rO.lld and follow Ihe
guide sign.

DyJ,UI~U

hweidJ,u
ddi
sweije lup.iii dl~U.
shfdzruk~

,.

1* l!Jl rm itlJ -f- llf

I:l j!j: ~ ;If

!If ~ ;l;

PRONUNCMTION

CHINESE

Twsiinjw1ng dzi,i
shemm. e1if.ngr

*'I tHE It lUll 15

Ihere

nlli

JlllI

he..

j!li

illJi!

near

funn

~I

,wI"

ill

ENGUSH

,,,

ifr

ENCLISH

PRONUNCIATION

CHINESE

Where un J find.
mech.nid

NiH k~ jludiu yige

;(EllIIi!l;J!1!fJ;ll.t
flI - l!l U Jll 0'1 A ?

Will you plene rep.ir

the tirer

Chingwen ni-ning 11
wo syOu chefal m.r

lI'I 1'1 -;T. ht '8' lJ! IJ

Jti AS l!j ?

How much will the

work C05t'

Ni yiu dwl:Ssnau

itt.

Th.nk you.

Syesye ni.

syouchC!de

giingchy~nr

Ihis way
Ih.u w.y
Is there. g.r.ge
ne.r here'
gu Sl.lion
town
police slalion
river
r.i1ro.d
telephone

he

i5J

""""

l!I!
ill
'iii &s

dylmhwi

AUTOMOBILE MAINTENANCE

Where is g.r.gel

Nili you syOuchi!chlngl

Do you h.ve parlS

Ni you jejung
Meigwochi!de
I(ngjy:'n m.l

i!r. ~, ;a .Ill: 'll III

0''''1 i'f OJ> ?

Ni yOu dylnping m.l

dylnsyin

iii: ;([ 111 ItH'l ?

lor Ihis Ameriun

uri
Do you "'.live. baueryl

a c.ble
lire chains
distilled w.ler
Inoline
gre.se
an inner lube
a lighl bulb
oil
pump
sp.rk plugs
lire
lire p.llches

ch~t~llyin

jengly6ushwfi
chiy6u
run.hw",-you
neil~i

yiji di!"ngpiu
jly6u
dkhllung
hwosyings:'U
yij1 chef.ii
blil1ibu

. ~j.> .I if ?

I!tl!ti!r..

'!Ilia!
jery",u lu
iIlUiJi
nirySu lu
!II lUll
lefuj,h y6u sy&chechlng iB rg ;fr ;:ff U ... lit
m.r
q ?
jy.youjin
110 iE!l 'M
jensh1
@i ili
jTngch~jyU
If e: f.i}
hen ywl'"

very far

t~n ~

~[

ill ~
'" It; it

l'it>1lIJl<
~llil

;lljjjfllil

!'lit;
-:JillliiY
illl1!J
trll\l>'!
j(JH~

-:JiJliit;

III it;:/Ii

21

SOCIAL CUSTOMS
AND POLITE EXPRESSIONS
The many Chinese words and phrases you have listened to on

the casseltes and practiced saying can be varied

10

express all

kinds of different meanings. Now you will be able to get along

quite well in Chinese, using the phrases you have learned in set
patterns, without h.aving to worry about grammar or sentence
construction.

Besides these necessary words, however, there ;Ire other words

-polile expressions and phrases that. spoken at Ihe right lime,
will indiCllte that you know something about Ihe culture of
Chin<1l. These are Ihe "extra words" that Chinese people constantly use-words that will stamp you as someone who under-

stands and respeclS the social customs of the countf)'. Use these
exlr.ll words and the Chinese will think of you as polite, charming, interesting, or-as they say in Chinese-Hen you /i-mau,
A good example of this type of word and one y?U will frequently hear is Hau, meaning "Goodl" When hau IS preceded
by the negative word bu its meaning changes to "Bad!" that is,
"Nol good!" In the same way Ihe word ~~r "ycs";-sh! when
preceded by bu means "no" or "It isn't SO as In B~ shr..
The word for "Mr," or "sir" is Syan-sheng which hterillly
meilns "elder" or "born before." The word for "Mrs," or "mildilm" is rai-Ia;, To Siily "Miss" use Syiu-iye, In Communist China
these titles have been replilced by a new one equivalent to
"Comrade," which in Chinese is Tung-;t. The title follows the
name, so if you are speaking to or introducing a Mr. li, you
refer to him as U Syan-sheng, Also remember that the personal
name follows the family name, In the Chinese name Lin Yu-tang,
Lin is the family name and Yu-tang is the personal name.
An easy way to say "Happy to meet you" is Jyou-yang jyouyang, A polite way to ask a person's name is Gweisying meiln
ing "honorable name," the word gwei being allribuled to the
other person's name or family, but not used in reference to
one's self. When meeting people, taking leave, or 10 express
Ihanks lor something. it is considered courteous 10 bow to Ihe
person to whom you are speaking.
When someone does you a service, besides silying "Thanks"
-Sye-sye, or "Many thanks"-dwo-sye, you might sometimes
use "Unusual many thanks"-Fei-chang dwosye. If you are
invited somewhere accept "with great pleasure"-hau ;i Ie,
meaning "very happy,"
When visiting someone's home you will probably hear the
expression "Make yourself at home,"-Ching swei-yi; or "Pleue
sit down," Ching dzwo; to which you can reply, "Please don't
22

stand on ceremony,"-Bu ke chi; which can alO be used for

"Don't bother," or "You're welcome."
If you meet the children you can exclaim, "What a charming
chHd!"-}e haidz pyaulyang de hen! or "What charming children'''-}e jige haidz pyaulyang de henl
When you are invited to dinner compliment your hosl by
saying, "This is excellent."-Jen hau-ch,: And when you leave
remember to say "Thanks for an excellent dinner"-Sye-sye ni,
iemma hlude wantan; and "Thank you for a fine time,"Sy~-sye ni, war de henhlu.
You should be ready to admire monuments, palaces, pagodas,
and scenery with remarks like, "How beautiful!"-Je"n haulc.in!
or "Very interesting"-Hen-you yi-szl or "Great"-}itn b~ng!
When having a drink with a Chinese friend you Siily G.1l'n bei,
meaning "Dry cup!" or "BOlIoms up'" "Have a good lrip." is
Yi-Iu shUn-/e'ng and "Good luck!" is Ju ni hIu-yun! The lunar
New Year, falling in January or February, is an important holiday
for all Chinese, The expression for "Happy New Year" is GUngsyi, CUng-syi, China is famous for its parades and mass demonstrations at which you will hear the exclamation, Wanswei"Ten Ihousands years." The Chinese name for China is Jilng-gw6.
Certain idiomatic expressions can be used as informal greetings such as "How are youl"-Ni hiJul to which the .mswer is
Hau, or H;ii-hau, "Still good," "long time no see," a translation
of a Chinese expression which is often used in English is, in the
original Chinese: Hau-;yOu bti-iyan!
To call the waiter's attention in a restaurant you say tau-iya,
Chopsticks are called Kwai-dz, and when you finish eating. place
the chopsticks pointing out from you, To ask for Ihe check, say
Ching swan-jang and if Ihe waiter thanks you say, "11'5 nothing!"
-Mei shemmal
Although Ihere is no common linguistic basis between the
IndO-European languages, of which English is one, and the
Sino-Tibetan language group, which includes Chinese, Chinese is not hard to learn 10 speak since the grammar is relatively simple. There are no case endings or verb conjugations to
worry about as there are in European languages so you can
substilute new words into the framework of what you have already learned without fear of grammatical mistakes. Some Chinese words, especially pertaining to food, are familiar to many
Americans, Here are a few with their correct Chinese pronun
cialion: Chow (eMu), Chow Mein (chau-myan) Won Ton (hwtinlwun), lichee (Ii-it). In addition, many place names you are familiar with have basic meanings in Chinese. Shanghai (Shang-hai)
means "by Ihe sea;" "Soulh Capital" is Nanking (Nan-;ing);
"North Capital" is Peking (Bei-t,ng); "Terrace Bay" is Taiwan
(Tai.wan), And one word almost everyone knows is Kung Fu
(GUng-Iu), You scel You already know some Chinese!

ALHAMBRA Pb/'3L1C LIBRARY

ALHAMLJRA, CAUFOANIA

IMPORTANT SICNS
ENGLISH

PRONUNCIATION

Bridge

ehy.iulyang

C.reful

lyOusyih

CloSt~d

fengbi

Crossro.d

jy:iuch"ilu

CHINESE

O.ngerous curve
De.d end
~

DetOur

,tl: j!!1

fj

ENGLISH

PRONUNCIA.TION

CHINESE

No p.rking

jin-jF ting ehe

# .Ll: if' '"

No vehicles

chelyang bujwun
tungsying

lI1lii 111 .Ll: ii1itj

Right culVe

yQujwinwin

tiM ill

ShoUp lurn

jiwiin

Speed limit

syin sii

fi'kilo!
RUg;

hke either rOUle

sweibyin dzOu
yityjulu

This w.y

tsung jeti WOO

~il!1Ijl;

Weight limit 5 Ions

ddi/ung wudwun

lliililiiU

Women

nyulSetWO

,n,Hi;

Do not enter
Don't smoke
jingi chukou
jinkou

Wo

bil

ehukou

Go slow

minsying

Keep out

bu;wun runei

Keep to left

kiudzwo

Keep 10 righl

kiuyOu

left curve

dzwojwInw:in
n.int~wO

No iIIdmit.nce
No .nim.ldrillwn
tr.ffie

shensyu twolide
chety.iing bude
lungsying

No motor vehicles

ehiche bude tungsying

"

tt 111 i{fi lSl ;Ie

:flilil!il'i

l~

lii

25

n~

1;l1\ljl;JII\-j1;llI

IN TE RN AT IO NA L RO AD SI G NS

~
DANGE R

& V
DANGE R

MAIN ROAD

AHEAD

A 0 &

E! & A
CAUTI ON

SHARP TURN

n 0

et) ~ @@

@@ III

LEFT CURVE

TAKE EITHER
ROUTE

~ (S)

UNGUA RDED RAIL~

ROAD CROSSING

NO ANIMA L
DRAWN TRAFF IC

~O

WAITING

OPEN CULVE RT
(DIP)

CROSSROAD

THIS WAY

DO NOT

ENTER

NO PARKI NG

NO MOTOR
VEHICL ES

PARKI NG

WEIGHT LIMIT
S~ TONS

NO VEHICL ES

RIGHT CURVE

GUARDEO RAIL
ROAD CROSS ING

@
SPEED LIMIT

Signs showing pl~ce.llt

which.ll first-,.id sl.lllion un be found.