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Qǐng shuō!
B. Circle the Right Answer 选择正确答案
Circle the choice that best fits with the sentence.
Nǐ hǎo ma?
1) 你好 吗？
| Qǐng jìn | Wǒ hěn hǎo | Wǒ chī le | Qǐng hē chá | ||||
| A. | 请 进 | B. | 我 很 好 | C. | 我 吃了 | D. | 请 喝 茶 |
Xiè xie!
2) 谢 谢!
| Kā fēi | Bú kè qì | Qǐng zuò | Qǐng kàn | ||||
| A. | 咖 啡 | B. | 不客气 | C. | 请 坐 | D. | 请 看 |
C. Connect the Sentences 选择连线
Connect each sentence with the correct pinyin.
| 1) Hello! | a) Qǐng jìn |
| 2) Come in, please! | b) Bú kè qì |
| 3) Thank you! | c) Nǐ hǎo |
| 4) You’re welcome. | d) Xiè xie |
D. Translate 翻译
Translate the following sentences into pinyin.
Example: Have you had your meal? ______ Nǐ chī le ma?
1) Please come in!
2) Please sit down!
3) How are you?
4) I’m fine, how about you?
5) Thank you!
6) You’re welcome!
Check your answers in the Answer Key, available online. How did you do? If your answers are perfect, fantastic! If you made some mistakes, that’s perfectly normal. Just make sure that you understand why you were wrong before you continue to the next chapter. There, we’ll be moving on to something even more fun…meeting new people.
Tips
Chinese Cultural Tips 中 文花絮
“Have You Eaten?” Chinese Greeting Customs
In China, a handshake is a common form of greeting when people meet for the first time. At the same time, people will say “你好 Nǐ hǎo” (Hello, a normal form) or “您好 Nín hǎo” (Hello, a respectful form). Among Chinese, people normally also say to each other: “你吃了吗 Nǐ chī le ma?” (Have you had your meal yet?), especially when they meet around the time of breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Generally speaking, this is a polite expression rather than a literal offering of a meal.
Although embracing, hugging, or kissing on the cheek is a typical way of greeting in the west, most Chinese don’t feel comfortable using these greeting forms when they meet (although some Chinese use these forms for people they know really well). It is safe to just shake hands, smile, and say hello as you greet people in China.
When people meet, they need to call each other something, right? Chinese like to use a title in order to show their respect. The title is usually put after the person’s last name, such as 李老师 Lǐ lǎo shī (Teacher Li), 吴主席 Wú zhǔ xí (Chairman Wu), or 刘经理 Liú jīng lǐ (Manager Liu). People also use, before their last names, 老 lǎo for people older than themselves or 小 xiǎo for people younger than themselves. For instance, for their colleague, friend, or neighbor named Li, people would say “老李 Lǎo Lǐ” or “小李 Xiǎo Lǐ.”
In China and East Asia in particular, the exchange of business cards is very common protocol for people who meet for the first time at conferences, banquets or other relatively formal occasions. When you go to China, in order to leave a good impression, prepare a two-sided business card to take along that’s printed with English on one side and Chinese on the other side. And to show your respect, use both hands to deliver or accept business cards.
For Your Enjoyment
In Chinese culture, people frequently quote idioms, proverbs, sayings, and lines from poems in their conversations, speeches, and articles. Foreign visitors will often hear or read these when they are in China. Here are three related to this chapter’s topic of greetings.
有朋自远方来, 不亦乐乎 Yǒu péng zì yuǎn fāng lái, bú yì lè hū (a saying): It is a great pleasure to greet friends coming from faraway places. —Kǒng Zǐ (Confucius)
一见如故 Yī jiàn rú gù (an idiom): To feel like old friends upon meeting for the first time.
久仰大名 Jiǔ yǎng dà míng (an idiom): I’ve heard your name for a long time. (Chinese often say this phrase when they meet a famous person.)
Today many people like Jack come to China for travel, work, study or doing business. And of course sometimes they feel homesick. Here is a famous Chinese poem in which the poet, Li Bai, described his feeling of missing his hometown.
Li Bai, also called Li Po, lived from 701–762 and is a very well-known poet of the Tang Dynasty (618–907). He wrote over 900 poems in his life. Most of these poems are about life, scenery, his wishes and feelings. Li Bai and two other poets, Wang Wei and Du Fu, are considered the most famous poets of the “golden age” of Chinese poetry, that is, the Tang Dynasty. You’ll see more of their poems later.
THOUGHTS FOR A QUIET NIGHT
by Li Bai
The bright beams shine across my coverlet,
Reminding me of frost covering the ground.
I gaze up at the bright moon, then bow my head,
And suddenly think of home.
| Jìng yè sī 靜夜思 | ||||
| Lǐ Bái 李白 | ||||
