Rough Guide Mandarin Chinese Phrasebook (with Audio)

Credits Mandarin Chinese Phrasebook
Lexus series edi !or Sally Dav1es
Layout Jessca Subramaman Picture Research: Scon Stickland
Rough Guides Reference
lan Blenkinsop, Tom Cabo!, Tracy Hq:>kins, Matthew Millon,
Joe Staines
Publishing information Firs! ed1!ion published in 1997
This updated edi!1on published October 2011 by Rough Guides Ud, 80 Strand, London, WC2R ORL
Email mal@roughguldescom
Distributed by !he Penguin Group: Penguin Books Lid, 80 Strand, London, WC2R ORL
Penguin Group (USA), 375 Hudson S!ree!, NY 10014, USA Penguin Group (Australia). 250 Camberwell Road, Camberwell,
Vielma 3124, Aus!ra 1a Penguin Group (New Zealand), Cnr Rosedale and Airborne Roads,
Albany, Auckland, New Zealand
Rough Guides is represented 1n Canada by Tourmaline Edi!1ons Inc , 662 King S!ree! Wes!, Sui!e 304, Toronto, Ontario , M5V 1M 7
Pnn!ed in Singapore by Toppan Security Printing P!e. Lid.
The publishers and author have done !herr bes! 10 ensure !he accuracy and currency of all information in The Rough G.Jide Mandann Chinese Phrasebook,
however, !hey can accep! no responsibility for any loss or inconvenience sustained by any reader as a resul! of 11s information or advice
No par! of !his book may be reproduced 1n any fum without perm1ssron from !he publisher except for the quotation of bnef passages 1n rev1ews.
<Q> Lexus Ud, 20 11 Travel tips <Q> S1mon Lewrs and Da.tid Leffman
256 pages
A catalogue record for !his book 1 ilalje from !he British Library
978-1-84836-733-3
Bas1cs ............................................... ................. ........ ..... .. 7
Scenar1os ............................................................................ 23
English-Chinese .................... .. ........ .................................. .. 55
Chinese-English ........... ..... .................... ......... ... ....... ..... ...... 181
Menu reader: Food .............................................................. 237
Menu reader: Dnnk .............................................................. 253
How to use this book The Rough Guide Mandarin Chinese Phrasebook is a highly
practical introduction to the contemporary language. It gets straight to the point in every situation you might encounter: in bars and shops, on trains and buses, in hotels and banks, on holiday or on business. Laid out in clear A-Z style with easy-to-find, colour coded sections, it uses key words to take you directly to the phrase you need - so if you want some help booking a room, just look up "room" in the dictionary section.
The phrasebook starts off with Basks, where we list some essential phrases, including words for numbers, dates and tell ing the time, and give guidance on pronunciation, along with a short section on the different regional accents you might come across. Then, to get you started in two-way communication, the Scenarios section offers dialogues in key situations such as rent ing a car, asking directions or booking a taxi, and includes words and phrases for when something goes wrong, from getting a flat tyre or asking to move apartments to more serious emergencies. You can listen to these and download them for free from www.
4 The Rough Guide Mandarin Chinese Phrasebook >HOW TO USE THIS BOOK
roughguides.com/phrasebooks for use on your computer, MP3 player or smartphone.
Forming the main part of the guide is a double dictionary, start ing with English-Chinese, which gives you the essential words you'll need, plus easy-to-use phonetic transliterations. Then, in the Chinese-English dictionary, we've given the phrases you'll be likely to hear (starting with a selection of slang and colloquial isms), followed by the Signs section, which explains many of the signs, labels, instructions and other basic words you'll come across in print or in public places. Scattered throughout the sections are travel tips direct from the authors of the Rough Guides guidebook series.
Finally, there's an extensive Menu reader. Consisting of separate food and drink sections, each starting with a list of essential terms, it's indispensable whether you're eating out, stopping for a quick drink or looking around a local food market.
Note: one abbreviation is used in this book: adj for adjective.
-NU9!JXt vnu shunfeng! Have a good trip!
The Rough Guide Mandarin Ch inese Phrasebook > HOWTOUSETHIS BOOK 5
Basic phrases yes shide shur-dur i\1:15J no bit boo ::f OK h:W how H hello nl hao nee how f:fr;~f good morning nl zao nee dzow
f:fr\-'f- good evening nl hao 111 how
f:fr\~f good night wan 'an wahn-ahn
at~ goodbye/see you! zaijian
yes, please hao, xiexie
how hsyeh-hsyeh H~r~r
could you please-••• ? qlng nln-... , hao rna? ching nm ... , how mah ~~ ... , ~f P.!b ?
thank you xi exie hsyeh-hsyeh ~~
thank you very much duoxie
dwor-hsyeh ;$~I
no, thank you xiexie, wb bti yao hsyeh-hsyeh wor boo yow
~1~1ilt::f~ don't mention itbli keqi
boo kur-chee ::f~-4;
nihow f:fr\H ? how an! you? nl hao rna?
rnatr f:fr\HP.!b ? fine, thanks hen hao. xiexie
hun how hsyeh-hsyeh ~f~J~J
nice to meet you jiandao nl h~n gaoxlng jyen-dow nee hun
gow-hsing .'A!.tiJ f:fr\1~ ~ ~ excuse me ~o get past) laojia
low-jyah ~~ (to get attention) laoji3, qlng
wen-... ching wun ~~~J'CJ excuse me/sorry dulbuql
dway-boo clwe x1::f® sorry?/pardon me? nl shuo
shenrne' shwor shun-rnur
1:fr\i3?.1t z. ? 1 see/1 understand wil rnlngbai
te wor ming-bai tur i\1: a_ij 8 T 1 don't understand wil bit dbng
i\(;::f·ti do you speak English?
nln hul jiang Ylngyo rna' hway jyang ying-yew rnah
f~~ijj:~i!P.!b ? 1 don't speak-Chinese
wil btihul jiang Hanyo wor boo-hway hahn-yew
i\(;::f~ijj:VZ. i!
yidianr ching shwor maim yee-dyenr
i#iR:~-,.,~UL could you repeat that? qlng nl
ziti shuo yibian. hao ma? ching nee dzai shwor yee-byen how mah
~fi)\11}i)t-i!1ii~P~ ?
Dates Dates in Chinese are written in the following order:
year + month + number
To write the year, place the rel evant numbers in front of ni:in (year); this is followed by the month and then the number of the day plus hao:
the first of September jiilyue ylhao jyoh-yew-eh yee
howJL~-~ the second of December
shieryue erhao shur-er-yew-eh
the thirty-first of May, 2006 erlinglingliu nian wuyue sanshiyihao ur-lmg-hng-lyoh nyen woo-yew-ehsahn-shur-yee-how
=~~~\~.li~ ~+-~
Days Sunday Xlngqilian
November shiylyue shur-yee-yew-eh -t-J3
December shieryue shur-er-yew-eh -f-=J3
Time When telling the time, the word dian is added to the nwnber to indicate the hours. Zhong (clock) is optional and is placed at the end of most time expressions. The word fen (minutes) is added to the nwnber of minutes.
whattime is it? jldian le? jee-dyen lur Jt.~ T ?
o'clock dian zhang dyen joong
.~fill one o'clock yildian (zhang)
yee-dyen - .~ ( fill ) two o'clock liangdian (zhong)
lyang-dyen ~.~ ( fill ) at one o'clock yidian (zhang)
yee-dyen - .~ ( fill ) it's one o'clock yidian (zhang) -.~ (fill)
it's two o'clock liangdian (zhang) lyang-dyen
~.~ (fill) it's ten o'clock shidian (zhong)
shur-dyen -f-.~ ( fill ) five past one yidian wiifen
yee-dyen WOI)-fun -.~1i.:5t
half past two liangdia.JJ ban
balm~.~~ half past ten shidian bin
shur-dyen -f- .~~ twenty to one yidian cha
ersh i yee-dyen chah er-shur
-A~=-t twenty to ten shidian cha ershi
shUI-dyen + .~~= + quarter to one yidian cha
yike yee-dyen chah yee-kUI
yike lyail!J-dyen ~.~~-~]
a.m. (early morning up to about 9) zaoshang dzow-shahng -'f-__t ~rom about 9 till noon) shingwii __t q:.
p.m. (<tlernoon) xiawu hsyaJJ-WOO r q:. (evening) wanshang wahn-shal1119 ~~.t__t (night) yell yur-lee :ei .!1!
2 a.m. lingchen liangdian llng chun lyait!)-dyen 7~Ji~.~
2 p.m (14.00} xiawu liangdian hsyaJJ-WOO r-q:.~,~
10 The Rough Guide Mandarin Chinese Phrasebook > BASICS
6 a.m. zaoshang liitdian dzow shahng lyoh-dyen !f. J:/,.~
6 p.m. (18.00) wanshang liudian wahn-shahng ll$tJ:/,.~
10 a.m. shangwii shidian shahng woo shur-dyen _tq:f-,~
10 p.m. (22.00) wanshang shidian wahn-shahng
ll$tJ:t-.~ noonzhongwii joong-woo cpq: midnight banye bahn-yur ¥-1i hour xiaoshi hsyow-shur ; j\B;j" minute fen fun )t two minutes liang fenzhong
lyang fun -joong j:!l:j)tofljl second miao rnyow tJ;' quarler of an hour yi kezhong
kur-joong -~Joflll
thn~e quarters of an hour san kezhong sahn kur-toong
~~Joflll nearly three o'clock
lur·tR~.~T
Oling~
4 si sur 1m 5wu1i
61iit lyoh;\
8 babah )\
9 jiiijyoh JL 10 shi shur f- 11 shiy! shur-yee f-- 12 shier shur-er f-= 13 shisan shur-sahn f-~ 14 shisi shur-sur f- 1m 15 shiwu shur-woo f-1i 16 shiliu shur-lyoh f-;\ 17 shiqlshur-chee f-{:; 18 shiba siJUr-bah f-;\ 19 shijiU shur-jyoh f- JL 20 ershi er-shur = f- 21 ershiyi er-shur-yee = f-- 22 ershier er-shur-er = f-= 30 sansh i sahn-shur ~ f- 31 sanshiyl sahn-shur-yee
~t-- 32 sanshier sahn-shur-er
~+-= 40 sishi sur-shur lmf- 50 wiishi woo-SIIUr 1i f- 60 liushi lyoh-shur ; \ f- 70 qlshi chee-shur {:;f- 80 bashi bah-shur )\ f-
The Rough Gu1de Mamarin Chnese Phrasebook >BASICS 11
90 jifishi jyoh-shur JL T 100yibru-8
101 yibru ling yl-8~-
102 yibii ling er-8~ =
110 yibii yishi yee-shut
-a-+- 200erbru=a
202erbii ling er =a~=
210 erbii ylshi yee-shut
1,000yiqian yee-chyen - -=f 2,000 liangqian lyan!J-chyen ~T
3,000 sanqian sahn-chyen ~ -=f 4,000 siqian sur-chyen 11!1 -=f 5,000 wuq ian woo-chyen 1i -=f 10,000yiwan yee-wahn -7)
50,000 wfiwin 1i7J 100,000 shiwin shur-wahn + 7J 1,000,000bruwin 87)
10,000,000 qlanwin chyen-wahn -=f 7J
100,000,000 yi yi - 1Z.
Counting When counting'one, two, three' and so on, yl (one) is written and said with the first tone (see
Tones, p.l7). In other situa tions, the fourth tone is used:
one, two, three yi. er, san yee er salm
a fish yitiao yit yee-tyow yoo
a tree yike shu yee-kurshoo
The exception to the above is if yi is followed by a fourth tone, in which case it changes to second tone:
an object yijian dongxi yee-IYen doong-hshee
In number sequences yao is used for 'one' instead of yi, as in the two examples below:
32518 (phone number) san-er-wfi-yao-ba sahn-er-woo-yow-bah
number one hundred and
nineteen (room number) yaoyaojifi yow-yow-jyoh
There are two words for two in Chinese: er and liang. Er is used in counting or for phone, room or bus numbers:
one, two three ... yi. er, san . . yee er sahn
number two (room, house etc) er hito er how
number two bus er lit che er loo chur
12 The Rough Gurde Mandarin Chinese Phrasebook > BASICS
Br also occurs in compound numbers:
thirty-two sanshier sahn -shur-er
Liang is similar to 'a couple' in English and is used with meas ure words (see below):
two friends liangwd pengyou lyang-way pung-yoh
two buildings liangsuo fangzi lyang-swor fahng-dzur
Ling (zero) is used when there are zeros in the middle of a number sequence:
one hundred and three yibii ling san yee-bar ling sahn
one thousand and three yiqian ling san yee-chyen lrnq sahn
Note that Chinese has a unit for 10,000 (wi n) and for 1 00,000,000 ( yi)
Ordinals 1stdi)~~-
4th di si sur ~[1!J
5th di Wtl ~Ji
6th di liir lyoh ~;'-.,
8th di ba ~;\.
9th di jiii JYOh ~ }L 10th di shi shur ~ + Measure words Chinese uses measure words between a numeral and a noun or between a word like 'this' or 'that' and a noun. In English, a word like 'pat' in 'two pats of butter' could be seen as a measure word
There are different measure words for different types or categories of noun. Some com m on measure words are:
ba bah for chairs, knives, teapots, things with handles, bunches of flowers
bei bay for cups, glasses
ben bun for books, magazines
kuir.i kwar for lumps, pieces
liang lyar1q for vehicles
zhang 1ahng for tables, beds, tickets
There is also a general measure word ge. This can also be used if the correct measure word is not known.
The Rwgh Gu1de Mandann Chnese Phrasebook > BASICS 13
Here are some examples of measure words in use:
zheiben shu Jay-bun shoo this book
zheiliang zL\:ingche Jay-lyang dzur-hsmg-chur sanzhang piao sahn-Jahng pyow
sishige ren sur-shur-gur run
this bicycle
three tickets
forty people
Throughout this book Chinese words have been written in the standard romanized system known as pinyin (see below). Pinyin, which was introduced in China in the 1950s, can for the most part be used as a guide to pronunciation. However, some syllables are not pronounced in an immediately obvious way, so a simplified transliteration is also provided in ahnost all instances. This trans literation should be read as though it were English, bearing in mind the notes on pronunciation below:
Vowels
ah long 'a'. as in art eh 'e as in bed ai ' i' as in I, eye oh 'o' as in go, oh ay as in hay ow as in cow
Consonants
ch as in Chinese Is as in tsar dz like the 'ds' in heads as in yes
hard 'g' as in get
Pinyin Chinese words are made up of one or more syllables, each of which is represented in the written language by a character. These syllables can be divided into initials (consonants) and finals (vow els or vowels followed by either n or ng). In spoken Chinese, the
14 The Rough Gurde Mandarin Chinese Phrasebook > BASICS
consonant finals are often not fully sounded. A full list of initials and finals, along with the closest equivalent sound in English appears below. There are, however, some sounds that are unlike anything in English. In this pronunciation guide, words containing these sounds are given in Chinese characters as well; ask a Chinese person to pronounce them for you.
Initials
Pinyin- Initial Pronunciation
f, I. m, n, s, w. y are all similar to English
b, d, g similar to English, but a shorter sound
p. t, k a more emphatic pronunciation as in pop, tap and cap (more strongly pronounced than b, d and g above)
h slightly harsher than an h in English, closer to the ch sound in loch or Bach
j, q. x pronounced with the lips positioned as if you were smiling:
j 'j' as in jeer
q 'ch' as in cheer
x 'sh' as in sheer, but say it with your lips in a smile and the tip of your tongue pointing up. This sound is shown in the book with hs
'ts' as in tsar ~
z 'ds' as heads ~
ch, sh, zh, r
ch
sh
zh
the last group of initials is the most difficult for a non-Chinese to perfect; they are all pro nounced with the tip of the tongue curled back till it touches the palate:
as ch in birch 5R as sh in shower j.,' as ge in budge tp as r in rung A
The Rwgh Gu1de Maooann Chnese Phrasebook >BASICS 15
Finals
a as in art
ai as in aisle
an as in ran, but with a longer a as in art
ang as in hang, but with a longer 'a as in art
ao 'owJ as in cow
like the 'e' in the or the 'u' in fur
as in weight
eng like 'en' followed by a softly spoken 'g'
similar to err, pronounced with the tongue curled back so that it touches the palate
usually pronounced as in margarine; however, after the initials c, ch, r, s, sh, z and zh it is pronounced like the 'i' in shirt or first
'ya as in yarn
ian similar to yen
iang yang ('i' plus 'ang; but with shorter 'a sound)
iao 'yow' as in yowl
'ye as in yeti
in as in din
ing as in bring
o as in lore
ou like oh
ong oong ('ung' as in lung, with the vowel given a longer, more rounded sound)
16 The Rough Guide Mandarin Chinese Phrasebook > BASICS
u as in rule; or like French une or German fiber
ua wah ('wa' plus 'a' as in art)
uai similar to why
uan wahn in most cases ('w' plus 'an'); after 'y; the second pronunciation of 'u' plus 'an'
ucmg wahng ('w' plus 'ang')
ue the second pronunciation of 'u' plus 'e' as in bet
ui <wai' as in wait
un as in fungi
uo similar to war
'ii' followed by 'e' as in bet
Northern Chinese In Northern Chinese, the suffix r is often placed at the end of a syllable, producing a sound reminiscent of the burr of southwest England. This is represented in pinyin by the addition of an r to the syllable so that men (door), for example, becomes menr, with the n barely pronounced. Such pronunciation is most apparent in Beijing.
Tones The Chinese language only uses about four hundred different sounds. The number of sounds available is increased by the use of tones: the particular pitch at which a word is pronounced deter mines its meaning. The same combination of letters pronounced with a different tone will produce different words. There are four tones: first tone ( -), second tone ( 1 ), third tone ( "') and fourth tone ( ' ).
Not all syllables are pronounced with tones; where there is no tone, the syllable is written without a tone mark. Often when you have a word consisting of two syllables, the second syllable, for example, xuesheng (student), is written without a tone.
The Rwgh Gu1de Maooann Chnese Phrasebook > BASICS 17
In Chinese, the tone is as important a part of the word as the consonant and vowel sounds. Context usually makes the meaning dear, but it is still important whenever possible to use the correct tone in order to reduce the chance of misunderstanding. The char acter ma rnal1 has five meanings, differentiated by the tones:
~~ mother
.Q; abuse, scold
~~ (added to the end of a sentence to tum it into a question)
To help you get a d earer idea of how the tones sound, Chinese character equivalents are given for the words in this section. Ask a Chinese speaker to read the words for you so that you can hear the tonal differences.
First tone ( -). High, level tone, with unchanging volume, held briefly:
go goo w solitary
yahn ~~ cigarette
Second tone ( 1 ) . Starting about mid- range, rising quickly and becoming louder; a shorter sound than the fi rst tone, similar to a question showing surprise such as 'eh?':
heng hung 1ij balance
ren run A person
yalm § speech
Third tone ( '"" ) . Starts low and falls before rising again to slightly above the starting point; starts quietly then increases in volume; slightly longer than first tone:
ben bun ::$: book
f<\ fall #;; law
qi chee .iE9 yan yahn :fl1!:
rise cover
Fourth tone ( ' ). Starts high, falling abruptly in pitch and volume; shorter than the second tone:
ben bun * stupid
da dah * big
The tones can be illustrated in diagram form like this:
1----..1 7 1~1 In speech, a third tone which precedes another third tone becomes a second tone.
Regional accents Mandarin, or modem standard Chinese, derives from the language spoken by the Han ethnic group and is the official language of modern China. It takes the Beijing pronunciation of Chinese as standard. In its spoken form it is also known as Putonghua.
Many regions of China either have their own language (for example, Mongolian, Tibetan) or speak dialects (for example, Gan, Wu, Xiang, Min, Yue or Cantonese, Kejia or Hakka). Someone speaking in one of these dialects will not usually be understood by a speaker of another dialect, although these days most Chinese people also speak Mandarin. The Chinese government has made great efforts to establish Mandarin as a lingua franca and it is the working language of the media and government and in schools and businesses all over the country It is becoming more influential in Hong Kong and Macau, although here the language used in schools and the media is still mainly local Cantonese. These days
The Re<1Qh Gu1de Maooann Chnese Phrasebook > BASICS 19
most people, and especially younger people, will be able to com municate in Mandarin Chinese so you will usually be understood throughout China if you use the Mandarin pronunciation system given in this book.
0 Beijing and around f) Hebei and Tianjin 0 Dongbei C) The Yellow River 0 Shanghai and around 0 Jiangsu and Zh ejiang 0 The Yangzi basin
0 Fuji an, Guangdong and Hainan Island 0 Hong Kong and Macau Gil Guangxi and Guizhou CD Yunnan CD Sichuan and Chongqing G) The Northwest e Tibet
20 The Rough Gu1de Mandann Ch1nese Phrasebook > BASICS
But there are some accent differences. Here are some examples
of distinctive characteristics that can be heard in the regional pronunciation of Mandarin by speakers influenced by the local dialect. Note that, in some cases, there are tone changes as well.
Standard I Northeast I South I Northwest Chinese
ch becomes c cho cii cii chu
fei becomes fei lei hiil lei hui
hu can become btl hu tu hu fu
n becomes I nitln:li munai llutiii mun~u
ng becomes n chuang ewing cuan chuang
rbecomesy rim you lou riiu or I
sh becomes shi ha sa sha h ors
sh becomes zh shuru or s
zhufu suai shua1
z becomes zh gongzl giingzhi gongzi
orj gong11
by nor ng
an is precede d an nan an ngan by nor ng
ue becomes e yue yiie ye niie
The Rwgh Gu1de Maooann Chnese Phrasebook > BASICS 21
Download these scenarios as MP3s from www.roughguides.com/phrasebooks
1. Accommodation ~ Is there an Inexpensive hotel you can reconmend? Ni keyi gei wo tuljian yige bOgul de fi'mdii'm rna? nee kur-yee gay wor tway-1yen yee-gur boo-gway dur fahn-dyen mah
~~ I'm sorry, they all seem to be fully booked. Dulbuqi, haoxii'mg shl dou manle. dway-boo-chee, how-hsiang shur doh mahn-lur
~ Can you give me the name of a good middle-range hotel? Ni keyi gei wo tuijii'm yTge zhongji fi'mdii'm rna? nee kur-yee gay wor tway-jyen yee-gur joong-jee fahn-dyen mah
~~ Let me have a look, do you want to be in the centre? wo liii kankan, ni xiang zai shlzhOngxln rna? wor lai kahn-kahn, nee hsyang dzai shur-joong-hsin mah
~ If possible. Rugoo keyi de hua. roo-gwor kur-yee dur hwah
~~ Do you mind being a lltde way out of town? Rugoo If shlzhOngxJn shao yuan yldianr, keyi rna? roo-gwor lee shur-joong-hsin show-yew-ahn-yee-dyenr, kur-yee mah
~ Not too far out. Wo bu xiang tal yuan. wor boo hsyang ta1 yew-ahn
~ Where is it on the map? Ni keyi zai dltushang gel wo zhiyTxia rna? nee kur·yee dzai dee-too shahng gay wor' jur-yee-hsyah mah
~Can you write the name and address down? Ni keyi gei wo ba mingzi he dlzhi xiexialai rna? nee kur-yee gay wor bah dee-1ur hsyeh-hsyah-lai mah
~ I'm looking for a room in a private house. Wo xiang zhu siren fang. wor hsyang joo sur-run fahng
24 The Rough Gu1de Mandarin Chinese Phrasebook > SCENARIOS
2.Banks bank account to change money cheque to deposit pin number pound renmlnbl to withdraw
yinhang zhanghu huan qian zhlpiao cllnqian geren mima yTngbang renminbi qOqian
.,. Can you change this into renminbi?
yin-hahng jahng-hoo hwahn-chyen 1ur-pyow tsun-chyen gur-run mee-mah ying-bahng run-mn-bee chew-chyen
Qing nin gel wo huanc heng renminbi, keyi ma? clung nm gay wor hwahn-chung run-mrn-bee, kur-yee mah
.,..,. How would you like the money? N in yao shenme yang de chaopiao? nin yoh shun-mur yang dur chow-pyow
.,. Small notes. .,. Big notes. Xiao chaopiao. Da chiiopiao. hsyow chow-pyow da chow-pyow
.,. Do you have information in English about opening an account? Nimen y6u guanyu kaizhilng de ylngyu yinshuapin rna? nee-mun yoh gwahn-yew kai-jahng dur ying-yew yin~hwah-pin mah
.,..,. Yes what sort of account do you want? YOu, nin xiang kiii nazhong zhanghil? yoh, nee hsyang kai nah-chung jahng-hoo
.,. I'd like a current account. Hu6ql cunkuan. hwor~hee tsun-kwahn
.,..,. Your passport, please. Qing gel wo kan ylXia ninde hilzhao. ching gay wor kahn yee-hsyah neen-dur hoo-1ow
.,. Can I use this card to draw some cash? Keyi yang zhege ka qo xianfin ma? kur-yee yoong jur-gur kah chew hsyan-jin mah
.,..,. You have to go to the cashier's desk. Ni del dao chunayuan nar qil. nee day dow choo-nah-yew-ahn nar chew
The Rough Guide Mandarin Chnese Phrasebook >SCENARIOS 25
~ I want to transfer this to my account at the Bank of China. Wo xiang ba qian zhuiindao wo zai Zhonguo yinhang de zhanghu shang qu. wor hsyang bah chyen jwahn-dow wor dzai chung-gwor yin-hahng dur jahng hoo-shahng chew
~~OK, but we'll have to charge you for the phonecall. Hao, ninde diimhua dei shOutei. how, nin·dur dyen·hwah day shoh-fay
3. Booking a room shower telephone in
the room payphonein
diimhua datingli de t6ubi dianhua
~ Do you have any rooms? You fangjiiin ma? yoh fahng-jyen mah
~~ For how many people? Jlge rim? jee-gur run
26 The Rough Guide Mandarin Chinese Phrasebook > SCEMARIOS
lin-yew fahng-jyen-lee dur
dyen-hwah
~ For one I for two. Yige ren /liangge ren. yee·gur run /lyang·gur run
~~ Yes, we have rooms free. YOu fangjian. yoh fahng·Jyen
~~ For how many nights? Zhu foge wanshang? joo jee-gur wahn·shahng
~ Just for one night. Yige wanshang. yee·gur wahn·shahng
~ How much is it? Duoshao qian? dwor-show chyen
~~ 900 yuan With bathroom and 700 yuan without bathroom. Dai xizaojlan de jlubal yuan renminbl, blldal xizaojlan de qlbiil yuan. dai hshee-dzow-jyen dur jyoh-bai yew-ahn run-min-bee, boo dai hshee dzow-lyen dur chee-bar yew-ahn
~ Does that include breakfast? Baokuo zaocan ma? bow-kwor dzow·tsahn mah
~ Can I see a room With bathroom? Wo keyi kan yixiil dai xizaojian de fangjian ma? wor kur-yee kahn yee-hsyah dai hshee·dzow-jyen dur fahng-1yen mah
~ OK, I'll take it. Hao, wo yaole. how wor yow-lur
~ When do I have to check out? Wo shenme shihou jiezhang likai? wor shun-mur shur·hoh jyeh-jahng lee·kai
~ Is there anywhere I can leave luggage? YOu clln xingli de difang ma? yow tsun hsrng-lee dur dee-fahng mah
4. Car hire automatic full tank manual rented car
zioong huimdang y6ux1ang mande shoudong huandang zode che
.,. I'd like to rent a car. W6 wiang zo che. wor hsyang dzoo chur
.,..,. For how long? Duo chiing shi jian? dwor chahng shur-1yen
.,. Two days. Liang tian. lyang-tyen
.,. I'll take the ... woyao ... wor yow
.,. Is that with unlimited mileage? Kai duo chang lu yoo xiimzhl rna? kai dwor-chahng loo yoh hsyen-1ur mah
...... It Is. Metyou xiimzhl. may-yoh hsyen-jur
dzur-doong hwahn-dahng yoh-hsyang mahn-dur show-doong hwahn-dahng dzoo-dur chur
.,..,. Can I see your driving licence please? Wo kiln yTxia nide jiashi zhi zhao, hao rna? wor kahn yee-hsyah nee-dur jyah-shur jur-jow, how mah
.,..,. And your passport. Hai yao nide hllzhao. hai yow nee-dur hoo-1ow
.,. Is Insurance Included? Baokuo baoxian rna? bow-kwor bow-hsyen mah
.,..,. Yes, but you have to pay the first 1000 yuan. Baokuo, bUgoo nfn dei xian fu ylqian yuan. bow-kwor, boo-gwor mn day hsyen foo yee-chyen yew-ahn
.,..,. Can you leave a deposit of 1 ooo yuan? Qing nin fu ylqian yuan yajln, hao rna? ching nin foo yee-chyen yew-ahn yah-jin, how mah
28 The Rough Guide Mandarin Chinese Phrasebook > SCENARIOS
~ And If this ofnce Is closed, where do I leave the keys? Riiguo nomen zher guanmenle, w6 ba yaoshi fang zai nar? roo-gwor nee-mun 1er gwahn-mun-lur, wor bah yow-shur l<lmg duu naJ
~~ You drop them in that box. Fang zai nage Mzi 11. fahng duu nah-gur hur-dzur lee
5. Car problems brakes to break down clutch diesel nat battery nat tyre petrol
shkhe huaile IU)E\qi chaiy6u diane hi meidiimle luntai biele qly6u
Shah-{;hUr hwai-lur lee-hur-chee chai-yoh dyen-chur may-dyen-lur lun-tai byeh-lur chee-yoh
~ Excuse me, where is the nearest petrol stati Qingwen, zuijinde jiayouzhiln zai nar? ching-wun dzway-jin-dur jyah-yoh-jahn dzai nar
~~ In the next town, about 5km away. Lizher wu gongli zuoyou, zai xiayige chengshi. lee-jer woo goong-lee dzwor-yoh, dzai hsyah-yee-gur chung-shur
~ The car has broken down. Che huaile. chur hwai-lur
~~ Can you tell me what happened? Qing gaosu w6, tashengle shenme shi? ching gow-soo wor, fah-shung-lur shun-mur shur
~ I've got a flat tyre. Liintai biele. lun-tai byeh-lur
~ I think the battery Is nat. Diimchi sihii meicliflnle. dyen-chur sur-hoo may-dyen-lur
~~ Can you tell me exactly where you are? Qing gaosu w6 ni xiimzai zai nar? chmg gow-soo wor nee hsyen-dzar dz
~ I'm about 2km outside of Suzhou on the ring road. Zai Suzhou chengwai dayue liang gongli ziti huancheng lushang. dzai soo-joh chung-wai dah-yew-eh lyang goong-lee dzai hwahn-chung loo shahng
~~ What type of car? What colour? Ninde che shi shenme xinghao de? Shenme yansede? nindur chur shur shun-mur hsing-how dur, shun-mur yahn-sur-dur
~ Can you send a tow truck? Ni neng pal yiliang tuache lal rna? nee nung pai yee-lyang twor-{;hur lai mah
6. Children baby boy child children cot formula
girl highchair napples (diapers)
x~o baobei nan M ir haizi haizi ylng 'ere huang peifang ylng 'er shipin
niM1r ylng 'er gii!ljlii!lyi niaobil
~ We need a babysitter for tomorrow evening.
hsyow bow-bay nahn hair hai-dzur hai-dzur ying-er~hwahng pay-fahng ying-er shur-
ptn nyew hair ying-er gow-jyow-yee nyow-boo
Mingtian wanshang women xuyao yTge ylng'er bfiomO. ming-tyen wahn-shahng wor-mun hsew-yow yee-gur ying-er bow-moo
~~ For what time? Jidian? 1ee-dyen
~From 7.30 to 11 .00. C6ng qidianban dao shiyi dian. tsoong chee-dyen-bahn dow shur-yee dyen
~~How many children? How old are they? Jige h<iizi? lamen dou j1 sui? 1ee-gur hai-dzur, tah-mun doh fee sway
~ Two children, aged four and eighteen months. Liiingge h<iizi, yige sisui yige shibage yue. lyang-gur ha1-dzur, yee-gur sur-sway yee-gur shur-bah-gur yew-eh
~ Where can I change the baby? Wo keyl zai nar gei ylng'er huan niaobil? wor kur-yee dzai nar gay ying-er hwahn nyow-boo
~ Could you please warm this bottle for me? QTng ba zhege pingzi reyixia. chmg bah fUr-gur pmg-dzur rur-yee-hsyah
~ Can you give us a child's portion? Qlng nT gei women tal yffen ertong de. ching nee gay wor-mun lai yee-fun er-tung dur
~ We need two child seats. Women xuyao liangge ertong zuoyl. wor-mun hsew-yow lyang-gur er-toong dzwor-yee
~ Is there a discount for chll dren? YOu ert6ng jianjii'l rna? yoh er-toong fyen-tyah mah
7. Communications: Internet @
at xiao laoshu dii'lnnao dianzi y6ujiim hUiianwilng jianpan shubiao
~ Is there somewhere I can check my emalls? Wo neng cha dianzi youjian rna? wor nung chah dyen-dzur yoh-tyen mah
~ Do you have Wi-Fi? YOu wiixii'ln wangluo rna? yoh woo-syen wahng-lwor mah
~ Is there an Internet cafe around here? Zher filjin you wangba rna? ter foo-1111 yoh wahng-bah mah
at shyow low-shoo dyen-now dyen-dzur yoh-jyen hoo-lyen-wahng jyen-pahn shoo-byow
~~Yes, there's one in the shopping centre. YOu, you yfge zai gauwil zhongxTn. yoh, yoh yee-gur dzai goh-woo joong-hsin
The Rough Guide Mandann Chnese Phrasebook >SCENARIOS 31
.,..,. Do you want fifteen ninutes, thirty minutes or one hour? Ni yao y0ng shfwu fenzhong, sans hi fenzhOng, haishi yige xiaoshf? nee yow yoong shur-woo fun-ioong, sahn-shur fun-ioong, har-shur yee gur hsyow-shur
.,. Thirty minutes please. Can you help me log on? WO yang sanshf fenzhOng. Qing bang w6 shangwang? wor yoong sahn-shur fun-toong, ching bahng wor shahng-wahng
.,..,. OK, here's your password. Hao, zhe shl ni mlma. how, jur shur nee mee-mah
IJ> I'll take another quarter of an hour. wo h<'ii yao shiwu tenzhong. wor hai yow shur-woo fun-joong
.,. Is there a printer I can use? YOu dayinjl rna? yoh da-yin-jee mah
8. Communications: phones mobile phone
(cell phone) payphone phone call phone card phone charger
SIMcard
shbujT
SIM kii
IJ> Can I call abroad from here? wo keyi zai zher da gu6jl ch<'ingtu ma? wor kur-yee dzai ter dah gwor-1ee chahng-too mah
IJ> How do I get an outside line? wo zennne wang waibian da dianhuii? wor dzun-mur wahng wai-byen dah dyen-hwah
shoh-jee
chee sim kah
IJ> What's the code to call the UKIUS from here? Yinggu6/Meigu6 de dianhua quhao shi shenme? ying-gwor/may-gwor dur dyen-hwah chew-how shur shun-mur
32 The Rough Gurde Mandarin Chinese Phrasebook > SCENARIOS
~ Hello, can I speak to Mrs Wang? Wei, qingwen Wang taitai zai rna? way, ching-wun wahng ta-lai dzai mah
~~ Yes, that's me speaking. Wojiushi. wor 1yoh shw
~ Do you have a charger for th i YOu shoujTchOngdianqi rna? yoh shoh-jee choong-dyen-chee mah
~ Can I buy a SIM card for this phone? Wo keyi mai yizhang SIM ka ma? wor kur-yee mai yee-jang sim kah mah
9. Directions f
opposite d uimiim turn (off) guiil past the g uble street jie near jin in front of qranmran back wang hui next
zero ling ling one yl yee two er ur three san san four si sur five wo woo six I ill lyoh seven ql chee eight ba bah nine jiO jyoh
dway-myen gwai gwor-luh jyeh jin chyen-myen wahng hway
x ra yige hsyah yee-gur straight ahead ylzhi wang qian z6u yee-jur wahng chyen dzoh on the right youbi<'in fUrther yuan over there zai na just after zar zhlhou on the left zu6bran
~ Hi, I'm looking for Nan Ji Wo zhao Nan Jie. wor jow Nan Jyeh
~~ Sorry, never heard of it.
yoh-byen yew-ahn dzai nar dzai ... jur-hoh dzwor-byen
Duibuqi, mei ti ngshuaguo zhe t i<io j ie. dway-boo-chee, may ting-shwor-gwor juh tyow jyeh
~ Hi , can you tell me where Nan Ji- is? Qing wen, Nan Jie zai nar? clung wun, Nan Jyeh dzai nar
The Rough Guide Mandarin Chnese Phrasebo~ > SCENARIOS 33
.,..,. I'm a stranger here too. Wo dul zhege tflfang ye bil shlixi. wor dway juh-gur dee-fahng yur boo shoo-hshee
.,. HI, Nan Jle, do you know where It Is? Qing wen, ni zhldao Nan Jie zai nar ma? chmg wun, nee 1ur-dow Nan Jyeh dzar nar mah
.,. Where? za1 nar? dzai nar
.,. Which direction? Nage tangxiang? nah-g ur fahng-hsyang
.,. Left at the second traffic lights. Daole dierge h6ngledeng, wang zuo guai. dow-luh dee-er-gur hoong-lyew-dung, wahng dzwor gwai
.,. Around the comer. Goole lilkou. gwor-luh loo-koh
.,. Then it's the first street on the right. Zhihou, zou ybubian aryl tiiio Iii. jur-hoh, dzoh yoh-byen dee-yee tyow loo
10. Emergencies accident ambulance consul embassy fire brigade police
.,. Help! Jlilmlng! jyoh-ming
.,. Can you help me? Bangge mang, hao ma? bahng-gur mahng, how mah
shlgu JIUhUchii lingshl dashiguan xrao fangdul JlngcMJli
shur-goo jyoh-hoo-chur ling-shur da-shur-gwahn hsyow-fahng-dway jing-chah-joo
~ Please come with me! It's really very urgent. Qing gen wo lili! YOu jinji qfngkuimg. ching gun wor lai I yoh jin-jee ching-kwahng
~ I've lost my keys. wo dilile yaoshi. wor dyoh-lur yow-shw
~ My car is not working. WOde c he bu gongzuale. wor-dur chur boo goong-dzwor-lur
~ My purse has been stolen. WOde qianbao bi!i toule. wor-dur chyen-bow bay tow-lur
~ I've been mugged. Wo bi!i ren qiangte. wor bay run chyang-lw
~~ What's your name? Ninde mfngzl? nin-dur ming-dzur
~~ I need to see your passport. Wo kankan ninde huzhila, hila ma? wor kahn-kahn nin-dur hoo-jow, how mah
~ I'm sorry, all my papers have been stolen. Dulbuqi, w6 suoy6u de wenjian bi!i toule. dway-boo-{;hee, wor swor-yoh dur wun-jyen bay toh-lur
11. Friends ~ Hi, how're you doing? Nihaoma? nee how mah
~~ OK, and you? Wo hen Mo, ni ne? wor hun how, nee nuh
~ Yeah, fine. Hen hila. hun how
~ Do you know Mark? Ni renshi Make ma? nee run-shur Mah-kuh mah
~ Not bad. Bucuo. boo-tswor
~ And thi is Hannah. Zhe shi Hanna. juh shur Han-nah
~~ Yeah, we know each other. WOme n yijlng renshile. wor-mun yee-jing run-shur-luh
~ Where do you know each other from? Nimen shi zenme renshide? nee-mun shur dzen-mur run-shur-dur
~~ We met at Luke's place. Women shi zai Luke jia renshide. wor-mun shur dzai Loo-kur jyah run-shur-dur
~ That was some party, eh? Nage yanhui bang j~e. dui budui. nah-gur yen-hway bang jee-luh, dway boo-dway
~~The best. Shi zuihiio de. shur dzway-how dur
36 The Rough Guide Mandarin Chinese Phrasebook >SCENARIOS
~ Are you guys coming for a beer? Zimmen hejiu qu ba? dzahn-mun huh-jyoh chew bah
~~ Cool, let's go. Hao,zouba. how, dzoh bah
~~ No, I'm meeting Lola. wo buqu, wo yao qu jiiln Luola. wor boo-chew, wor yow chew jyen Lwor-lah
~ OK, that's cool too. Haoba. how bah ~ See you at Luke's place tonight. Wanshang zai Luke jia jianmian. wahn-shahng dzai Loo-kur jyah jyen-myen
~~ Seeyou. H uit6u jian. hway-toh jyen
12. Health antibiotics antiseptic ointment cystitis dentist diarrhoea doctor hospital ill medicine painkillers pharmacy to prescribe thrush
kangjonsu kangjon y6ugao pangguru-.gyan yay! Ja:Juzi yTsllE\ng yryuan shengbingle yoo zhltengyao yoofang kai yoofang ekouchuang
~ I'm not feeling very well. Wo juede bu shOfu. wor 1ew-eh-dur boo shoo-foo
~ Can you get a doctor? Qing gei wo zhao ge yTsheng. ching gay wor jow-gur yee-shung
kahng-joon-soo kahng-joon yoh-gow pahng-gwahng-yen yah-yee lah-doo-dzur yee-shung yee-yew-ahn shung-bing~ur yow jur-tung-yow yow-fahng kai yow-fahng ur-koh-chwahng
The Rough Guide Mandarin Chnese Phrasebook >SCENARIOS 3 7
.,. .,. Where does It hurt? Nar bu shUfu? nar boo shoo-foo
.,. It hurts here. Zherteng. JUr tung
.,. .,. Is the pain constant? Zongshl teng rna? dzoong-shur tung mah
.,. It's not a constant pain. Bu zongshi teng. boo dzoong-shur tung
.,. Can I make an appointment? wo keyi yilyue yTsheng ma? wor kur-yee yew-yew-eh yee-shung mah
.,. Can you give me something for ... ? GiH wo dianr ... yao, hao ma? gay wor dyanr yow, how nrah
.,. Yes, I have insurance. Wo you baoxian. wor yoh bow-hsyen
13. Hotels
I maid manager room service
ni fuwuyuan JTngli sangfan ruwu
nyew foo-woo-yew-ahn Jing-lee soong-fahn foo-woo
.,. Hello, we've booked a double room in the name of Cameron. Ni hao, women dingle yige shuangrenfang, mfngzi shi Cameron. nee how, wor-mun ding-fur yee-gur shwahng-run-fahng, ming-dzur shur cameron
.,. .,. That was for lour nights, wasn't it? Nin dingle sitian, shibushi? nin ding-iur sur-tyen, shur-boo-shur
.,. Yes, we're leaving on Saturday. Shi, women xTngqlliu zou. shur, wor-mun hsing-chee-lyoh dzoh
11>11> Can I see your passport please? Gel wo kimyixia ninde hilzhao, Mo rna? gay wor kahn-yee-hsyah mn-dur hoo-JOW, how mah
11>11> There you are, room 323 on the third ftoor. Ninde fangjiiin zili sanl6u, fangjian hao shi sanersan. mn-dur fahng-JYen dzat sahn-loh, fahng-Jyen how shursahn-er-sahn
II> I can't get this keycard to work. Wo biihul yong tangka. wor boo·hway yoong fahng·kah
11>11> Sorry, I need to reactivate it. Dulbuqi, w6 del bata jihuo. dway-boo-chee, wor day bah-tah jee-hwor
II> What time Is breakfast? Zaofan jidian? dzow-fahn Jee-dyen
II> There aren't any towels In my room. WOde fangjian melyou maojTn. wor-dur fahng-jyen may-yoh mow-jin
II> My fliltJt Isn't until this evening, can I keep the room a bit longer? WOde fiHJT jTntiiin wanshang qifiH, w6 nengbilneng zili fangjian dai cMngyldiiin? wor-dur fay-jee jin-tyen wahn-shahng chee-fay, wor nung-boo-nung dzai fahng jyen dai chahng yee-dyen
II> Can I settle up? Is this card ok? Wo jiezhimg, y()ng xlnybngka, keyi rna? wor jyeh-jahng, yoong hsin-yoong-kah, kur-yee mah
14. Language difficulties a few words Interpreter to translate
J'ige zi k6ut6u fffiyl filnyl
jee-gur dzur koh-tow fahn-yee fahn-yee
11>11> Your credit card has been refused. Nide xlny()ngkil bel jille. nee-dur hstn-yoong-kah bay-Jew-lur
.,. What, I don't understand. Do you speak English? Shenme? Wo bu dong. Ni hul shuo yTngyu rna? shun-mur wor boo doong, nee hway shwor ymg-yew ma1
.,..,. This isn't valid. Xinyongka wuxiaole. hsin-yoong-l<ah woo-hsyow-lur
.,. Could you say that again? Qing zai shuo yTxia, hila rna? ching dzai shwor yee-hsyah, how mah
.,. Slowly. Man dianr. mahn dyenr
.,. I understand very litde Chinese. Wo zhi hul yTdianr zoongwen. wor jur hway yee-dyenrchoong-wun
.,. I speak Chinese very badly. wo zh6ngwen shuooe biJ hao. wor choong-wun shwor-dur boo how
.,..,. You can't use this card to pay. Ni biJ neng yang zhege ka fi.lqian. nee boo nung yoong 1ur-gur kah foo-chyen
.,..,. Do you understand? DOngle rna? doong-lur mah
.,. Sorry, no. Duibuqi, wo hai shi biJ mfngbai. dway-boo-chee, wor hai shur boo ming-bai
.,. Is there someone who speaks English? Zher yau ren hui ylngwen rna? 1ur yoh run hway yrng-wun mah
.,. Oh, now I understand. Hao, wo mingbaile. how wor ming-bai-lur
.,. Is that OK now? Xinglema? hsmg-lur mah
40 The Rough Gutde Mandarin Chinese Phrasebook > SCENARIOS
15. Meeting people .,. Hello. Nihao. nee how
.,..,. Hello, my name's Wang Shen. Ni hao, wo jiao Shim, xlng Wang. nee how, wor jyow Shun, hsing Wahng
.,. Graham, from England, Thlrsk. W6 shl yinggu6ren, w6 jiao Graham, shl Thirsk ren. wor shur ymg-gwor-run, wor jyOW Graham, shur Thusk run
.,..,. Don't know that, where is it? Thirsk wo bU zhTdao, ziti nitr? Thirsk wor boo jur-dow, dzai nar
.,. Not far from York, In the North; and you? Ziti YTnggelan beibU, If York bu yuan; ni ne? dzai Ying-guh·lan bay-boo, lee York boo yew-ahn; nee nur
.,..,. I'm from London; here by yourself? W6 shl lundun ren; ni shl yige ren lai de ma? wor shur Lun-dun run; nee shur yee-gur run lar duh mah
.,. No, I'm with my wife and two kids. Bushl, wo gen wo iliren he liangge haizi ylqi !aide. boo-shur, wor gun wor ai-run huh lyang-gur hai-dzur yee-chee ai-dur
.,. What do you do? Ni zuo shenme gongzub? nee dzwor shun-mur goong-dzwor
.,..,. I'm in C0!11>Uters. W6 shl gao diitnnOOde. wor shur gow dyen-nao-dur
.,. Metoo. W6yeshl. wor yeh shur
.,. Here's my wife now. Zhe shl wo alren. 1ur shur wor ar-run
.,..,. Nice to meet you. Hen gaoxlng renshi nin. hun gow-hsing run-shur nin
The Rough Guide Mandarrn Chnese Phrasebook >SCENARIOS 4 1
16. Nightlife heavy metal
zhongJTnshu ylnyue
minyue jueshi yue xn1a dianzi ylnyue yaogun yue
.,. I want to go to a club for .. . wo xiang qu yige julebu ung .. . wor hsyahng chew yee-gur jew-lur-boo ting
Joong-Jin-shoo yin- yew-eh
min-yew-eh jew-eh-shur yew-eh hsee-hah dyen-dzur yin-yew-eh yow-gun yew-eh
.,..,. There's going to be a great gig at Sanlitun tomorrow night. Mingtian wanshang zai Siinlitun y6u yige rimao de yanc hu. ming-tyen wffin-shahng dzai sahn-lee-tun yoh yee-gur rur-now dur yen-choo
.,. Where can I hear some local music? Nar neng xrnshang difang ylnyue? nar nung hs111-shahng dee-fahng y~n-yew-eh
.,. Where's the best place for dancing? Tiaowu zuihao qu nali? tyow-woo dzway-how chew nar-lee
.,. Can you write down the names of the best bars around here? Qing ni ba fujin jiuba de mingzi xiexialili, hilo rna? ching nee bah foo-jin jyoh-bah dur ming-dzur hsyeh-hsyah-lai, how mah
.,..,. That depends what you 're looking for. Zhe qujueyu ni xiiingyao shenme. jur chew-jew-eh-yoo nee hsyahng-yow shun-mur
.,. The place where the locals go. Dangdiren xihuan qu de difang. dahng-dee-run hshee-hwahn chew dur dee-fahng
.,. A place for a quiet drink. Yige anjing de jillba. yee-gur ahn-Jrng dur woh-bah
I> I> The casino across the river is very good. He duimian de duchiing hen you yisi. hur dway-myen dur doo-chahng hun yoh yee-sur
I> I suppose they have a dress code. Wo r<'>nwei tam en yaoqiu chuan guldingde ylfu. wor run-way tah-mun yow-chyoh chwal111 gway-ding-dur yee-foo
I> I> You can wear what you like. Ni keyi chuan ni yuimyi chuande. nee kur-yee chwahn nee yew-ahn-yee chwal111-dur
I> What time does it close? Jidiiin guanmen? jee-dyen gwahn-mun
17. Post offices airmail post card post office stamp
hangkong mingx1npi8n youju youpiao
hahng-kung ming-hsin-pyen yoh-jew yoh-pyow
The Rough Guide Mandarin Chinese Phrasebook >SCENARIOS 43
~ What time does the post office close? Y6uju jidilin guanmen? yoh-Jew Jee-dyen gwahn-mun
~~ Five o 'clock weekdays. Gongzuori wudian. gung-dzow-rur woo-dyen
~ Is the post office open on Saturdays? Y6ujo xrngqiliu kairnen rna? yoh·jew hsing-chee-lyow kai-mun mah
~~ Until midday. Zhidao zhongwo. jur dow joong-woo
~ I'd like to send this registered to England. Wo yao wang yrnggu6 ji guahaoxin. wor yow wahng yng-gwor jee gwah-how-hsin
~~ Certainly, that will cost 10 yuan. Mei wenti, guahaoxin shi yuan. may wun-tee, gwah-how-hsin shur yew-ahn
~ And also two stamps for England, please. Hai yao liang zhang dao yrnggu6 de youpiao. hat yow lyang-Jahng dow ymg-gwor dur yoh-pyow
~ Do you have some airmail stickers? You hangkong youjian biaoqian rna? yoh hahng-kung yoh-jyen byow-chyen mah
~ Do you have any mail for me? YOu wooe xin rna? yoh wor-dur hsin mah
~~Ji! gu6D {-g xin
International letters domestic parcels poste restan te
18. Restaurants bill menu table
zMngdan caidan zhuazi
ja,ng-dan tsai-dan jwor-dzur
Women yao bu chouyande zhuozi, keyi ma? wor-mun yow boo choh-yen-dur 1wor-dzur, kur-yee mah
.,.. There are two of us. Women liimgge ren. wor-mun lyang-gur run
.,.. There are four of us. Yigong slgeren. yee-gung sur-gur run
.,.. What's this? Zhe shl shenme? jUr shur shun-mur
.,...,.. It's a type of fish. Yizhong yu. yee joong yew
.,...,.. It's a local speciality. Shl bendl techiin. shur bun-dee tur-cha,n
.,...,.. Come inside and I'll show you. Qing jlnlai kilnkan. chrng jrn-lar kahn-kahn
.,.. We would like two of these, one of these, and one of those. Zhege liangge, zhege yTge, nage yTge. jUr-gur lyang-gur, jUr-gur yee-gur, nah-gur yee-gur
.,...,.. And to drink? He dianr shenme? hur dyenr shun-mur
.,.. Red wine. .,.. White wine. Hong pOtaojh:r. hung poo-tow-jyoh
Bai putaojiu. bai poo-tow-jyoh
.,.. A beer and two orange juices. Yibei pijiu, liang bei juzizhi. yee-bay pee-jyoh, lyang bay jew-dzur-jur
~ Some more bread please. Qing zai lai xie mifmbao. chmg dzaJ la1 hsyeh myen-bow
~~ How was your meal? Chide hao rna? chur-dur how malt
~ Excellent! Very nice! Hen hao! Bucuo! hun how, boo-tswor
~~ Anything else? Hili yao shenme rna? har yow shun-mur malt
~ Just the bill, thanks. Women fu zhangdan, hao rna? wor-mun foo iahng-dan, how mah
19. Self-catering accommodation air-conditioning apartment cooker fridge heating hot water lightbulb toilet
kongtiao danyuan chu~u bTngxiMg nuanqi reshui dengpoo cesuo
koong-tyow dahn-yew-ahn chway-jew bing-hsyang nwahn-chee rur-shway dung-pow tsur-swor
~ The toilet's broken, can you get someone to fix it? cesuo huaile, qing pili ren lai xiuyixiil. tsur-swor hwai-lur, ching pai run lai hsyoh-yee-hsyah
~ There's no hot water. Meiyou reshui. may-yoh rur-shway
~ Can you show me how the air-conditioning works? Qing gaosu wo kongtiilo zen me yang? ching gow-soo wor koong-tyow dzun-mur yoong
~~ OK, what apartment are you in? Nin zhu zai nage danyuan? nin iOO dzai nah-gur dahn-yew-ahn
~ We're In number five. Women zai WOhao. wor-mun dzai woo-how
~ Can you move us to a quieter apartment? Nengbuneng bandao yige bijiao anjing de danyuan? nung-boo-nung bahn-dow yee-gur bee-Jyow ahn-Jrng dur dahn-yew-ahn
~ Is there a supermarket nearby? Fujln you chaoshl rna? foo-jin yoh chow-shur mah
~~ Have you enjoyed your stay? Nimen wanrde hao rna? nee-mun wahnr-dur how mah
~ Brilliant holiday, thanks! Women zai jiaqTwanrde henhao, xiexie. wor-mun dzaJ Jyah-chee wahnr-dur hun-how, hsyeh-hsyeh
20. Shopping HW::€1 :*:fl N< 7ffl j;:~ifl'
rukuAntai gul!.nmen huan kl!.imen c1a jianJia
~~ Can I help you? Mai dianr shenme? mai dyenr shun-mur
~ Can I just have a look around? Wo kl!.nkan, keyi rna? wor kahn-kahn, kur-yee mah
~ Yes, I'm looking tor ... Wo xiang mai .. . wor hsyang mai
~ How much is this? ouoshao qian? dwor-show chyen
~~ Thirty-two yuan. SanshT er yuan. san-shur ur yew-ahn
cash desk closed to exchange open sale
~ OK, I think I'll have to leave it; it's a little too expensive for me. Wo buyi10, you diiinr tai gui. wor boo-yow, yoh dyenr tai gway
~~ How about this? Zhege zenme yang? JUr-gur dzun-mur yang
~ Can I pay by credit card? Shou xinyongkii ma? slloll llsin-yoong-kall mall
~ It's too big. ~ It's too small. Tai dale. Tai xiaole. tai dall-lur tai llsyow-lur
~ It's for my son - he's about this high. Gei w6 erzi miiide- ta zheme gao. gay wor ur-dzur mai-dur, tall jur-mur gow
~~ Will there be anything else? Hai yao biede ma? llai yow byell-dur mall
~ That's all thanks. BUyaole, xiexie. boo-yow-lur, llsyeh-hsyell
~ Make it twenty yuan and I'll take it. W6 zhl xiiing fU ershi yuan, keyl rna? wor jur llsyang too ur-sllur yew-alln, ku r-yee mall
48 The Rough Guide Mandarin Chinese Phrasebook >SCENARIOS
~ Fine, I'll take it. Xing. hsing
21. Shopping for clothes to alter bigger just right smaller to try on
g<'iiyixia m yidianr zoonghao Xliioyidliinr shishi
~~ Can I help you? Nin mai shenme? nin mai shun-mur
~ No, thanks, I'm just looking. Bilmai shenme, xiexie. Jiilshi kankan.
gai-yee-hsyah dah yee-dyenr jung-how hsyow yee-dyenr shur-shur
boo-mai shun-mur, hsyeh-hsyeh, jyoh-shur kahn-kahn
~~ Do you want to try that on? Nin xiiing shishi ma? mn hsyahng shur-shur mah
~ Yes, and I'll try this one too. Hao, wo Mi xlang shlyixia zhejian. how, wor hai hsyahng shur-yee-shyah jur-jyen
~ Do you have it in a bigger size? YOu da yidiantde ma? yoh dah yee-dyenr-dur mah
~ Do you have It in a different colour? YOu biede yansede ma? yoh byeh-dur yahn-sur-dur mah
~~ That looks good on you. Nin chuanzhe ting heshlde. nin chwahn-jur ling hur"'lhur-dur
~ Can you shorten this? Nin neng bata gaiduan ma? nm nung bah-tah ga-dwahn mah
~~ Sure, It'll be ready on Friday, after 12.00. Xing, xingqTWil xiiiWil shier dian yihi>u ninlai qu. hsing, hsing-chee-woo hsyah-woo shur-er dyen yee-hoh nin-lai chew
22. Sightseeing art gallery bus tour city centre closed guide museum open
mlilshuguan zuo da bashi liy6u shi zhang xrn guanmen daoy6u b6wuguan kamen
.,. I'm interested in seeing the old town. Wo dui canguan laocheng you xingqu.
m<t{-shoo-gwahn dzwor dah bah-shur lyew-yoh shur joong-hsin gwahn-mun dow-yoh bor-woo-gwahn kai-mun
wor dway tsan-gwahn low-chung yoh hsing-chew
.,. Are there guided tours? YOu daoy6u tuan rna? yoh dow-yoh twahn mah
.,..,. I'm sorry, It's fully booked. Duibuqi, dou dlngmanle. dway-boo-chee, doh dmg-mahn-lur
.,. How much would you charge to drive us around lor four hours? WOmen zuo nide che sige xiiioshi, duoshao qiiln? wor-mun, dzwor nee-dur chur sur-gur hsyow-shur dwor-show chyen
.,. Can we book tickets for the concert here? women keyi zai zher ding yTnyuehui de piilo rna? wor-mun kur-yee dza jur ding yin-yew-eh-hway dur pyow mah
.,..,. Yes, in what name? Keyi, qingwen, ninde mingzi? kur-yee, ching-wun, nin-dur ming-dzur
.,..,. Which credit card? Shenme xinyongka? shun-mur hsm-yoong-kah
.,. Where do we get the tickets? Zai nar qu piiio? dzai nar chew pyow
.,..,. Just pick them up at the entrance. Jill zai rukou (qO piiio). Jyoh dza roo-koh (chew pyow)
.,. Is it open on Sundays? Xlngqilan kaimen rna? hsing-chee tyen kai-mun mah
~ How much is it to get in? Menpiiw duoshao qian? mun-pyow dwor-show chyen
~ Are there reductions for groups of si Liugeren ylql you meiyou youhui? lyol1-gur-run yee-chee yoh may-yoh yol1-hway
~ That was really impressive! Zhen shi haojne! jun shur how-jee-lur
23. Taxis ~ Can you get us a taxi? Olng bang women jiao yniang chuzuche? ching bahng wor-mun jyow yee-lyahng choo-dzoo-chur
~~ For now? Where are you going? Xianzai? Dao nar qu? hsyen-dzai, dow nar chew
The Rough Guide Mandarin Chinese Phrasebook >SCENARIOS 51
~ To the town centre. Dao shi zhongxin. dow shur joong-hsin
~ I'd like to book a taxi to the airport for tomorrow. wo xiang ding yiliang mingtian dao feijichang de chllZuche. wor hsyahng ding yee·lyahng ming-tyen dow fay-Jee-chahng dur choo-dzoo-chur
~~ Sure, at what time? How many people? Hao, jidian? Jige ren? how, jee-dyen, jee-gur run
~ How much is it to the Temple of Heaven? Dao Tiantan duo shao qian? dow tyen-tahn dwor show chyen
~ Right here Is fine, thanks. Ting zai zher jiu keyi, xiexie. ling dzai Jer Jyoh kur-yee, hsyeh-hsyeh
~ Can you walt here and take us back? Ni zai zher deng women, zal sang women hufqu, hao rna? nee dzai jer dung wor-mun, dzai soong wor-mun hway-chew, how mah
~~ How long are you going to be? Nimen zoo duocMng shijian? nee-mun dzoh dwor-chahng shur-jyen
24. Trains to change trains platform return single station stop ticket
~ How much Is ... ? ... duoshao q ian? dwor-show chyen
huan huache zhilntal wangfanpioo danchE\ngpiao huochezhiln nngche huochepioo
~ A single, second class to ...
hwahn hwor-chur jahn-tai wahng-fahn-pyow dahn-chung-pyow hwor-chur-jahn tng.;;hur hwor-chur-pyow
Ylzhang danchengpiao, erdeng chexiang, dao ... yee-jahng dahn-chung-pyow, ur-dung chur-hsyang, dow
.,. Two returns, second class to ... Liimgzhang wangfimpiao, erdeng chexiang, dao ... lyang-jahng, wahng·fahn-pyow, ur-dung chur-hsyang, dow
.,. For today. .,. For tomorrow. .,. For next Tuesday. Jintiande. Mfngtiande. Xia xingqierde. jin-tyen-dur ming-tyen-dur hsyah hsing-chee-ur-dur
.,..,. There's a supplement for the express. Tekuai jiasoou. tur·kway IYah-shoh
.,. .,. Do you want to make a seat reservati Ni yao ding zuowei ma? nee yow ding dzwor-way mah
.,..,. You have to change at Shanghai. Ni dei zai Shanghai huanche. nee day dzai Shahng-hai hwahn·chur
.,. Is this seat free? Zhege zuo youren zuo ma? 1ur-gur dzwor yow-run dzwor mah
.,. Excuse me, which station are we at? Qingwen, zheshl shenme zhiln? ching-wun, jur shur shun-mur ;aim
.,. Is thIs where I change for Suzhou? Shl zai zher huan dao Siizhou de hu6che ma? shur dzai jur hwahn dow Soo-1oh dur hwor-chur mah
a, an Chinese has no equivalent for
the English 'a' or'an'
dzwor-yoh = + li:~ it's about 5 o'clock
wlldian (zhong) zu6you
Zhonggu6 de dianying
gwahn-yew - dur dyen-ying
shahng {E 0 0 0 _t abroad gu6wii gwor-wai
007[- absorbent cotton yaomiin
~~ accident shigit shur-goo $15)(
there's been an accident
ili T 1-$15)( accurate zhiinque jun..:hew-eh
li1iffl ache teng tung ¢1:
my back aches w6 houbei
teng wor hoh-bay ;Jl(;J§~¢1:
acrobatics zaji dzah-jee {kft across: across the road zii
malit duimiimr dzai mah-loo
lt~ adapter duoyong ch~t6u dwor
yoong chah-toh ~ JtHru:k address dizhl dee-jur itl!J!I:
what's your address? nin
hsyewn-loo .ii m~ admission charge: how much
is the admission charge?
roo-chahng fay shur dwor-show
chyen A:l:m:!ft-~~j-'~ ? adult diu-en dah-run *A advanoe: in advanoe tiqiin tee
chyen ~Jltr
after you nl xi an qit ba nee
hsyen chew bah {f]\]lc*~E:
after lunch wlltan hou woo
fahn "ff&J§ afternoon xi:lwii hsyah-woo
r"f in the afternoon xi:lwii r q: this afternoon jlntian xiawll
56 The Rough Gurde Mandarin Chinese Phrasebook > ENGliSH-tCHINESE
jin-tyen 4-x r '1=- aftershave xithoushul ho"{ew-
hoh-shway ~J!J§"Jj(
age nianjl nyen-jee :lf:~C.
ago: a week ago yige xingqi
y\qian yee-gur hsing-.:hee yee
chyen -1-£Mt.I.WJ an hour ago yige xiaosh i
y\qian hsyow-shur
toong-yee lJG!ffJ~
~ lS;fJL air-conditioning kongtiao
lS;fJL:I:3J to the airport, please qlng
dili wo dao feijlchang ching dai
wor dow ii'm'lJGi1JlS;fJL:I:3J airport bus jlching banche ree
chahng bahn chur ;f]L:I:3JJ311$ alann clock naozhong now-roong
lffll# alcohol (drink) jlii jyoh m all: all of it quanbil chew-aim-boo
~=gj) thafs all, thanks goule, xiexie
goh-lur hsyeh-hsyeh ii!t T iJJiiJJI allergic: I'm allergic to-••• w6
dul-. . . guomln wor dway-..
yunxii-ma? jur yun-hsyew-mah
may shur lJGi9: $) L are you all right? nl mel
shir ba? nee may-shur bah
1~79:$ JL~E ? (greeting) ni hao rna' nee how
fi}\~fP~? almost chabuduo chah-boo-dwor
~/f~ alone yige ren yee-gur run
- 1-J... already yljing E.r~
although sulran sway-rahn $1,~
a.m.: at seven a.m. shangwil ql
dian chee dyen _t Cf-{:;.~
amazing (surprising) nH~i
chee T::f® ambulance jiithuche jyoh-hoo
chur ;JSj(tp$ call an ambulance! (kuii)
jiao jiuhuche1 (kwai) Jvow
I'm American wo shi
llt~~OOA among ziti- . . . zhl zhong dzai-..
jur joong ;tE ... z cp amp: a 13-amp fuse shisan
anpei de baoxiansi shur-sahn
and he hur f:ll angry shengqi shung-chee :1:4:;
animal dongwil doong-woo @!fJIJ ankle jii'iob6zi jyow-bor-dzur
nlj)Jl#-=f annoying: how annoying! zhen
ti'ioyan' jun tow-yahn
gur ~--1-
Y..--1- can we have another room? wo xiang h uan
lingwii yige fangjlan
ziti Iai yi bei pijiil ching dzai lai
yee -J# W* - ;ff-Pl7W antibiotics k.angjunsit kahng
Jyewn-soo :JnM~
antique? shi zhen gildong
wun-woo shalmg-dyen
you rna? nee yoh mah
58 The Rough Guide Mandarin Chinese Phrasebook > ENGLISH-tCHIRESE
sorry, I don't have
Xi::f~fMt~ anybody shei shay ii
does anybody speak
English? shei hui shuo
Ylngyii? hway shwor ying-yoo ii ~Ut~i!? there wasn't anybody there
zfunir shenrne ren dou rneiyou
zai -nar shun-mur run doh may-yoh
;f:Et.IB JL1t~A ~t:\1:~ anything shenrne shun-mur
1t~
anything else? h:ii yao shenrne? hai yow
nothing else, thanks bu yio, xiexie hsyeh-hsyeh
would you like anything to drink? nl yi10 he dianr shenrne? hur dyenr
I don't want anything, thanks wo shenrne dou bu yio, xiexie wor - doh
apart from chitle ... y\wii choo-
lur ~T ~:J.M, apartment danyuin
dalm-yew-ahn .$ 7I; aperitif kaiweijii1 kar-wav-tvoh
7f~~~ appendicitis lanwi'iyan lahn
hway ~"J~
good morning, how can I help you? nin zao, wo neng b:mg shenrne rnang rna? dzow wor nung bahng
shun-mur mahng mah
I'd like to make an appointment wo xiang dingge yilehiti hsyang ding gur
what time would you like? nin xiang yue shenrne shijian yew-eh
three o'clock san dian (zhang) dyen uoong)
I'm afraid thafs not
possible, is four o'clock all right? duibitql san dian bit xing, si dian (zhong) xing rna? dway-boo-chee
hsing- mah
the name was? nin gui xing? gway
The Rough GLJde MarKiann Chrnese Phrasebool< > ENGLISH-+CHINESE 59
60
a~: we a~ women shi wor-mun
shur f\Gff)Ji:: you a~ (singulal) nl shi f~Ji::
(plural) nlmen sh l nee-mun
f~ff)Ji:: they a~ tam en shi tah-mun
it!?. ff)Ji:: a~ a (measurement) mi:inj i myen
jee oof.R (region) diqti dee-.;hew :tth!2r
arm gebo gur-bor Jm)l# army jtindui chewn-dway *IR arrange: will you arrange it
for us? nl neng ti women
anp3i yi xia rna? nung tee
wor-mun ahn-pai yee hsyah mah
f~ll~'lf\Gffl~f1F-r P!b ?
arrive dao dow ¥1J when do we arrive? women
shenme shihou daod:i' wor
mun shun-mur shur-hoh dow-dah
w6 gi.'i nl fa de chuanzhen
daole rna' wor gay nee lah
dur chwahn-[u n dow-lur rnah
f\G~ {~Lit 1¥11~ JI.:¥1J TP!b?
we arrived today women
jlntian gang dao jin-lyen
gahng f\G ffJ-9-x ~~J ¥rJ art yishit yee-shoo !:;:;¥: art gallery meishitguan rnay
shoo-gwahn ~:;1\:fB"
da gun yee-yang dah £~ ... -;ff:;k as soon as possible jlnkuiti
jin-kwai ~·tj(
gahng ~iJ(i!ii
ching~
nl neng bit neng qlng ta .
nung- tah ftfj~::ffi~-J#ith ?
asleep: she's asleep ta sh uizhaole tah shway-jow-lur
fthgj#T aspirin aslpllin ah-sur-pee-lin
jrriJWf!Z£1* asthma qlchuan chee-chwahn
4:1W at: at my hotel
ziti w6 zhu de findiin
dzar wor 100 dur
The Rough Guide Mandarin Chinese Phrasebook > ENGliSH-tCHIKESE
at the railway station z3i
hu6che zhan {Ej($iio
at six o'clock liudiin zhang
lyoh-dyen Joong ;\l!... ill' at Li Zhen's zai U Z hen jia
jyah{E$~* ATM zidong qukuanii dzur-doong
chew-kwahn-jee § i#J.Jlt~~Jl. at sign, @ xiaD laoshu
hsyow low-shoo 1j'~ ~
attendant (on train) chengwilyuan
guguMM
~-at (mother's sister, married) y irna
yee-mah~~~
dzur-doong § Zi)J
average (ordinary) yiban yee-balm
.!f±q awake: is he awake? ta
xlngle rna? tah hsing-lur mah
1thMTP~? away: is it far away? yuan rna?
yew-aim zP~ ? awful zaogaole dzow-qow-lur
lfitT
~JL$!1o/.J baby's bottle naiping ~JJ#li
Travel tip While form.Jia and nappies might be available in rrodern, big city super markets, elsewhere you'll need to bring a supply (and any medication if required) - tocal kids don't use nap pies, just pants with a slit at the back, and when baby wants to go, m.Jmmy points him at the gutter.
The Rough Gllde MarKJann Ch1nese Phrasebool< > ENGLISH-tCHINESE 61
baby-sitter linshi kart xiaoh:iir
(of body) houbei bay )§-~
hoh-myen .t£)§-00 can I have my money
back? qlngbaqian huangei
wor bah ~1e:!fi.fE~ftUE; to come back huilai
hway- @J* to go back huiqu -<:hew
@J-ft backache beitong bay-toong
~fiR bad huili hwai ~
de lihai toh tung dur lur-hai
~d¥1~;f1J~ bag dilizi dai-dzur ~-f
(handbag) sh6utibao shoh-tee
jicimch it Jee-tsun-choo
a room with a balcony dfu
yangtili de fangj l:ill dur fahng
jyen 1iHBa8f.JJ%J'BJ ball qiti chyoh J:JX ballet baleiwii bah-lay-woo
~;rn ballpoint pen yuanzhubl yew
ahn-joo-bee ~Jl~
bamboo zhtizi JOO-dzur f t r bamboo shoots zhtist1n joo-s
ft~ banana xi:illgjiao hsyang-jyow
'!§:~ band (musica~ yuedul yew-eh
Bandaid xiingpi gao hsyang-pee
llH'T bank accooot zhinghit jahng
lwo J!ll\:P banquet yimhui yen-hway ~~
bar jiiibajian tvoh-bah-tyen
a bar of chocolate yi kuitir
qiaokeli yee kwaJr chyow-kur-lee
J.I~Ri
duoshao qian? jay gur dwor
show chyen
kwar chyen
kufu, zenme ying? gway lur - dzun-mur
I'll let you have it for 25 e r shi wii kuiti ba bar
can you reduce it a bit more? zfu jian yi dianr ba
dzai jyen yee dyenr
basket k"Uang kwahu!J ~
bath xlzao hshee-dzow t)l;t* can I have a ba1h? wo neng
xl ge zao rna? wor nung hshee gur
dzow mah ~fi~¥)1;1-i*P~ ? bathroom yitshi yew-shur m~
with a private ba1hroom
hshee-dzow-jyen dm fahng-jyen
wrJ~;t* rBJ ~¥J m rBJ
bath towel yitj in yew-jin m rjJ bathtub zaopen dzow-pun i*~
battery diinchi dyen~hur It!, '{t!1. bay h;'tiwan hai-wahn #JJ7'!; be shishur ~
beach h;'ti tan hai-tahn tFJ,jXl on the beach ziti h;'titanshang
dzai -shahng {E#JJ~ftt.
bean curd doufu doh-foo Sfff% beans dou doh Sf
French beans sijidou sm-jee
doh :j;£ string beans j iangdou !Yang
doh liT£ soya beans huangdou
hwahng-doh Jt£ bean sprouts dou yar £:5¥) L beard htizi hoo-dzm tiij-=f beautiful (object) mi'ili may-lee
~rm (woman) piaoliang pyow-lyang
(day, weathel) hao how H because ylnwei yrn-way !;§ 7J
because of-... y6uyti yoh-
The Rough Gllde MarKiann Chrnese Phrasebool< > ENGLISH-tCHINESE 63
I'm going to bed now w,-, )'<tn shu\ le wor yow shway lur
~~a~n bedroom w<'Jsh\ wor-s l1ur lH£ beef nit'1rim nyoh-roh tf ~ beer pij iC1 pee-jyoh Plmi
two beers, please qfng
i!71EiWi'fDlmi before: before-... yfqian yee-
chyen ... ~JW
shihou kaishf' shun-mur shur-
hoh ft~Bt1'*7f~& ?
beginner chC1xLu~zhe choo-yew
hoh-myen :(:£ Fomf behind me ziti Wl~) hhumian
wor :(:f~Fo mf believe xiangxin hsyang-hsin
;f§1Jli below zai- .. xi ami an dzai
hsyah-myen 1:E rlii (less than) z<\i - .. yfxia yee-hsyah
1:E ~r belt ycwdai yow-dai ~~7W
bend (in road) lcLw<\nr loo-wahnr
I&tr:ey) L berth (on train) w<)pcl wor-poo
llHm beside: beside the-... zai -...
pangbiim dzai- pahng-byen :(:£
*:ill best zuihao dzway-how ftff better: even better gtng hao
gung how J!frf a bit better he"' yi dianr dyem
36--,o~UL are you feeling better?
hfw diJnr lc ma? lur· mah
between zai- .. . zhi )ian dzai
jur-jyen :(:£ Z IBJ
bicycle zixingche dzur-hsing-chur
gHr$ big dadahjc
too big tili dale lur ** T it's not big enough bitgou da
boo-goh :;f~jc
bill zhangd:l.nr J3hng-dahm
t.Y~ could I have the bill,
please? qlng bang wo
Jiezhang, hao rna? ching
i#Mllt~~~fP~? bin lajl xiang lah-Jee hsyang
±iz:jjjf§ bird niao nyow ~
shengri kuilile' 100- kwal-lur
m ft;'i s 'tk* biscuit blnggan brng-gahn 11fT bit: a little bit yidianr yee-dyenr
-.~JL a big bit yidakuiliryee-dah
kwair-jc*JL
;ff.~~ bite (by insect) yao yow OX
bitten by a dog rang gou gi'i
yaoshang le rahng goh gay yow
shahng -j._t~~DX11JT bitter (ta&e etc) kii 'f5 black hei hay~
blanket tanzi tahn-dzur fi&-f blind xia hsyah ~
blocked diizhitle doo-joo-lur
and blow-dry w6 xiang
lee-fah hur chway-fung
blue eyes Ian yanjing lahn
yahn-jing JliHIUft boarding pass dengji ka dung
jee kah ~ic-F boat ch uan chwahn ~{}
(for pa;sengeJS) kechuan kur
The Rough Glide Mar>:Jarin Chinese Phrasebool< > ENGLISH-tCHIHESE 65
boiled egg zhii jl dim joo jee-dahn
;W:x~~ boiled rice mlfim
fF7.1< bone gii goo ff book (noun) shu ~
(verb) ding iJ can I book a seat? w6
neng ding ge zuowei ma'
wor nung- gur dzwor-way mah
.J;!tflhT1-Ji1fLP~?
two/three w6 xiang ding
liang/san ge ren yi zhuo de weizi wor hsyang - gur run
yee jwor dur way-dszur
jldian zhong? yow tee-dyen
that's fine xing hsing
x ing? gway
bookshop, bookstore shudian
dzur¥fl:-f"
jyeh JilJii!. border region bianjing
ili!:i bored: I'm bored fan slle falm
sur-lur ~1[7
boring mei jinr may i5U)J) L born: I was born in
Manchester w6 shi zai
M ancheng sheng de-wor
shur dzai - shung dur
.JJt :;lil:{£ .;:!Jilt~ 81 I was born in 1960 w6 shi
yi jiii liiJ ling nian-sheng de
.J;!t:;lil:-JLi~~:¥~81 borrow jie jyeh {i!f
may I borrow-••• ? w6 keyl j ie yixia- . . ma' wor kur-
yee tyeh yee-hsyah- .. mah
.JJtOJ~j fi!f- r P!b ? both liangge dou lyang-gur doh
WJ-t~ bother. sony to bother
you duibuqi d:iji ao nin le
dway-boo-chee dah-jyow nin lur
a bottle of beer yi ping pijiii
-jf[iP.$1N
bottle-opener ka.i ping qi chee
7fJfliH bottom dlr deer miJL
(of person) pigu Jff.JN: at the bottom of the road
lit de jint6u loo dur Jin-toh
~81~::'k box hezi hur-dzur ~-=f
a box of chocolates yi
he qiaokeli hurchyow-kur-lee
pyow~~~ boy nan hrur nahn h-
~i*JL boyfriend nan pengyou nahn
pung-yoh ~Jffl1;1:
iti'E!. (steamed) mantou rnahn-toh
soo'E!. brown bread hei mianbao hay
~iti'E!.
I've broken the-...
wade keneng huilile
wor-dur kur-nung hwai-lur
~j:~ breakfast zaofan
in (in room) wade fang) ian
rang ren gei qiaole men le
wor-dur fahniJ-jyen rahng run
gay chyow-lur rnun lur .fJt 81J%1BJ1-LA~r~T i'lT
breast xiong hsyoong H~
breeze weifeng way-tung 1~JXI.
bridge (over river) qL:lo chyow :f# brief d uan dwalrn ;IR briefcase gongwenbrto goong-
wun-bow ~ )C'E!. bright (light etc) mingliang nung
lyang a_ijjt brilliant (idea. person) gaoming
gow-rning ~a_ij
bring diilru ** I'll bring it back later w6
guo xie shihou diihuilii wor
gwor hsyeh shur-hoh dai-hway-lai
British (adj) Yinggu6 ~00
worshur-run ft~~OO.A
brochu~ shuomingshu shwor-
rning i~Jjij ~
broken (object) pole por-lur MiT ~eg etc) duinle dwahn-lur 1/tfi T (not working) huiile hwai-lur
~T brooch xiongzhen hsyoong-1un
~~tt brother xiOngdi hsyoong-dee
brother-in-law (elder sister's
(younger sister's husband) meifu
dee J:l;j~
Buddhism F6jlao for-jyow 1,91;~
Buddhist (adj) F6jiilotu1Jt~f;E
buffet car canche tsahn-chur
~$ building fangzi fahng-dzur m-r
hsyah rtill middle bunk zhang pit 1oong
rpfilj top bunk shing pit shahng
_tfilj bureau de change wii h ui
duihuin bit hway dway-hwahn
~a Burma Miandian myen-dyen
1?&~
~~
shaojiaole show·JYOW·Iur
qiche goong-goong chee-chur
chew-chur "$125:$ (in suburbs) jiaoq fiche jyow
chew-chur ~125:$
(long-distance) changbi
dow chew dzwor jee lu chur ~lj
-ft~Jt~$? when is the next bus
to-... ? dao qu de xia (yi)
ban che shl jidian? dow
chew dur hsyah (yee) bahn chur
shur iee-dyen ~rJ r -ft8~ -~l$~Jt-~? what time is the last
bus? mobanche shi jl dian?
mor-bahn-chur shur 1ee dyen
zhd liang che qil ... rna? jay
lyang chur chew ... mah
btl qu, nlyaozilo . .. baa che chew nee yow zwor .
howchur
z6ngzhan goong-goong chee-chur
jahn0;J:t.~$M
~~1\lil (person) hen mang hun mahng
flHt I'm busy tomorrow w6
mingtian hen mang worming
tyen hun mahng lit f!JJ;Rf!Ht but keshi kur-shur PJ ~ butcher's rou dian roh dyen
~m butter huangyou hwahng·yoh
•rm button niiikou nyoh-koh
neng maidao-.. . ? dzai nar nung
The Rough Glide Mar>:Jarin Chinese Phrasebook > ENGLISH-tCHIHESE 69
mai-dow .tfP}j~JLflt~¥1] ?
by: by bus zuo gonggong qiche
dzwor ~0~1-\;.$
shur sheh dur ~ ••• ~Sf..!
by the windowzil chu:mghu
p:IDgbian dzai .tff&l P #ill by the sea zili hmbian
.tf#!Jltl by Thursday Xingqi si zhi
qian jurchyen i:Mil!IZ il!J bye ziljtan dzai-jyen M ~
cabbage biicai ba-tsar S~
cabin (on ship) chuancang
dyen dyen l,$,,r;'?:.J6 call (verb: to phone) da dianhua dah
dyen-hwah tf~i!S
shenme? jay-gm jyow shun-mur
(given name) ti jiao tah Jvow
flf!.~4
ching bah yee-shung jyow
7.30 a.m. tomorrow qlng
mingtian zaoshang qi dian
ming-tyen dzow-shahng chee
dyen bahn gay wor dah dyen-
hwah -)g a)J 7( ~ _t -t:; .r!?:.~~~tr~ili please ask him to call me
qlng tA da dianhua get wo tah
dah- gay i#ftf!.tr~ iii~~ call back: I'll call back later
(phone back) wii guo yi huir zil
da lru gwor yee hwayr dzai dah
~u-ooJLPitr* call round: I'll call round
tomorrow wii mingtian laJ
hsyang-jee f1lt§;f)1 camera zhaoXiangjl jow-hsyang
Jee ~~;j:§.#l can (noun) guantou gwahn-toh
ilii=* a can of beer yi guanr pijiii
-~JLO.'$i'E[
70 The Rough Guide Mandarin Chinese Phrasebook > ENGliSH-tCHIKESE
Travel tip Mmy leflllles prohibit photography irlsid:l blilcings (antiques thieves have been known to use pho tos to pial robberi:ls) ard you shoud avoid ta<ilg pictures of anything nilitary-retated, or which coul:l be seen as hav ing strategic value - including structures such as bridJes in sensitive areas (such as along borders or il Tibet).
can: can you-••• ?
nl neng- .. rna? nuouy .. mah
{fr\fi~ ... p~ ? can I have-••• ? qlng gei wo . .. ? ching gay wor
i#~llt ... ? I can't-••• wo bit neng-.
llt::ffi~ ... Canada [ianada jyah-nah-dah
I'm Canadian wo shi
)ianadaren wor shm -run
flt~;IJD~:;kA canal yitnhe yewn-hur ]g_yi!J cancel (reservation etc) tui tway
ill candies tangguo tahng-gwor
:tt'*= candle lazh u lah-i•~) !l!ti':P.I\ can-opener kaiguan daoiit kai
gwahn dow-joo tf~JJA
(of bottle) pinggai ping-gai JlJili'if. car xiao qiche hsyow chee-chur
;N~$ by car zuo x iao qiche dzwor
~~N~$ card kapian kah-pyen -F Jt
hent's my (business) card
zhei shi wade mingpian
1ay shm wor-dur nung-pyen
shung-dahn kah ~i~-F
birthday card shengri ka
hsyow-hsin ;J''L' car ferry llmdit lun-doo tffit.!l car park tingchechang ting-chm
chahng~$!Ji
choo-dzoo ~$tl:lf.ll
carriage (of train) chexLl.ng chur
hsyang $Jfll carrot htlluobo hoo-lwor-bor
M~~ carry na nah ~
cash (noun) xianqian hsyen-chyen
me? nl neng ti wo huan
cheng xian qian rna? nung
tee wor hwahn chung- mah
f~flMHt~nlt!Jl~P-%? cash desk Ji:l.okuanchu jyow
kwahn-dwo x~)lt
cash dispenser zidong
qtlku:l.njl dzur-doong chew
yin-jee j_Rif:f}l, castle chengbao chung -bow
~~ casualty departmentjijiushi
jee-jyoh-shur ~-.tlc~
cat mao mow 3"PJ
catch (vetb) zhua1wah 1JK where do we catch the bus to-... ? qit ___ zili n:l.r shang
che?chew- __ dzai-chur
tahng ::k~¥: Catholic (adj) tianzhiijiilo tyen
joo-jyow JC::E~
:fJl.-¥ cemetery mitdi ¥it!?. centigrade sheshi shur-shur
tn~ centimetre liml lee-mee 11* central zhongyang 1oong-yang
tf:t:W: central heating nu:l.nqi nwahn
chee ~'9,;
centre zhongxin 1oong-hs111 tft'l.' how do we get to the city
centre? qil shi zhongxln
~~-t\:;f chair ylzi yee-dzur fof-=f
72 The Rough Guide Mandarin Chinese Phrasebook > ENGLISH-tCHIRESE
Chainnan Mao M ao zhuxi mow
Jyew-hshee ::£a change (noutr. money) lingqian
ilng-chyen ~~
ninneng bang wo duihuim
dway-hwahn chung mah
f~fl~Mft~~.JJX: ... p~ ? I don't have any change wo
yidianr lingqian ye mei you wor
yee-dyenr ilng-chyen yur may yoh
ft-_,;iU L~~t!JJ9:1f can you give me change
for a hundred-yuan note?
- 8 !RfUt1~7fP~ ?
(trains)? zhongtu yao huim
chur mah
yow dzai
yang huim che, zhe shi
zhidache yoong - jur shur
dzur~
do you have anything
1f~'§:J!iULff.J P~ ? check: could you check
the-bill, please? qlng ba
rna? ching bah jahng-dahn
jyen-chah yee-syah how rnah
dahnr ~$JL
check in? women yao ziti nar
dengji? wor-men yow dzai nar
ftffl~.B:IIJJ~JL~iC.? cheerio! zfuji im! dzai-jyen
¥!}~ cheers! (toa>t) ganbei1 gahn-bay
.:P*F cheese n3ilio nai-Jow ~J3!%
The Rough Glide Mar>:Jarin Chinese Phrasebool< > ENGLISH-tCHIHESE 73
chemist's yaofang yow-fahng
chee T:f)J; Chinese chess xiilngqi
hsyang-chee ~:f)!;
chicken (mea) jlrou jee-roh
W:m chin xi ilia ho'{ah-bah TE. china ciqi tsur-chee ~~
China Zhonggu6Joong-gwor
9='00~ Chinese (adj) Zhonggu6 Joong
gwor cpOO (person) Zhonggu6 ren run
'POOA (spoken language) Himyil hahn
yew jXj,tj-
renmin run-min cflOOA~
s~ Chinese-style Zhongshi Joong
tyow ~f±R~ (US) (zha) tildoupiilnr too-doh
pyem ( ~f ) ±Rft JL chocolate qiaokeli chyow-kur-lee
Jlj)'ljJ milk chocolate n3iy6u
qiaokeli (ylnli:io) bay rur- (yin
lyow) -;ff-;"t~Jlj)'ljJ
~-f- Christmas Shengdiln jie shung
dahn jyeh ~ilif'p
74 The Rough Guide Mandarin Chinese Phrasebook > ENGliSH-tCHIKESE
cigarette xiangyan hsyang-yen
yew-ahn ~~~~
city chengshi chung-shur :1$:$ city centre shi zhongxin shur
joong-hs111 r!Jq:r,c,, clean (adj) ganjing gahn-jing
-Tl~ can you clean these
for me? nf neng ti w6
xiyixi, rna? nung tee wor
hshee-yee-hshee mall
f8\f1MHl(;f)t-f)tP.!;?
a)3J& clever congming tsoong-ming
cloakroom yfmc\ojian yee-mow-
jyen ~$~ IBJ clock zh,'ing joong # close (verb) guan gwahn :jc
The Rough Guide Mandarin Chinese Phrasebook > EHGUSH-+CHtHESE 75
what time do you close?
nlmen shenme shihou guan
weekdays and 6 p.m. on
Saturdays zhouri xiawu
dian Joh-rur
chi w i1fan de shihou guan
men rna? chur woo-fahn dur
shur-hoh- mah
dow -yur
:tilt..J. ~or cleaning etc) mabu mah-boo
tie :til clothes y'lfu yee·foo -«R!Z clothes line shiliy'lsheng
shai-yee-shung Bi§-«~
~~
lyew-yoh chur ~Yhf.$
qiche lUxing dzwor chalrng·
too chee·chur lyew-hsirrg
coat ~ong coot) day'! dah-yee 1c-« coathanger ylj iil yee-jyah -«~
cockroach zhanglang Jahng-
quhao dyeo-hwah chew-how
qlng hii liang bei kafei chirrg
-Jg-*imfFIJIJnnll:
coin yingbi ying-bee ~ rJi Coke Ki'koukele km-koh-kur-lm
PJDPJ% cold !eng lung ~
~:Jlt1~1R~ I have a cold wo ganmao Ie
gahn-mow lm ~~'efT
collar yl llng ;t(-$_9:( collectqu- ... chew *
I've come to collect-••• w6
Iii qu-... wor ~** collect call duifang filkui n
dway-fahng foo-kwahn
do you have this in other
colours? you biede yanse
1fjJIJI¥Jffij!~R~ ? colour film elise jiaojuinr
tsai-sur jyow-Jyew-ahnr
*3~Mt~JL comb shitzi shoo-dzur -1m r come Iii*
where do you come from?
nl shi c6ng nir liide? shur
tsoong nar lar-dur
~* comfortable shilfu shoo-foo
changpian jee-gwahng chahng
sm ~iij
complain manyuim malm-yew
m?£: I have a complaint to make
wo xiang ti yi ge yijiim wor
hsyang tee yee gur yee-jyen
ft~~--1'-~!li!. completely wanwanquanquan
~R® concert ylnyuehui yin-yew-eh
faiJ-Soo tf'l,&~
~i)( congratulations! gongxl'
lyen-yewn llr;€
yin-hsin!J yahn-jing ~~Jl\!.~JH~
convenient fangbiim fahng-byen
cookie xiao blnggan hsyow bing
gahn !j\11tf coolliangkuai lyang-kwai {)jr't#( corner: on the corner jiejiaor
tveh JYOWf 1!J ~) L in the corner qiingjiaor
chyang-fyowr ~~ JL correct (right) d u i dway x-t corridor zoulang dzoh-lahng
~~ cosmetics huizhuangpln hwah
ffr~
how much does it cost?
duoshao qian7 dwor-show chyen
f5t~ couchette wopii wor-poo
kuryow Jl~f5
~~ (countryside) xii\ngai n hsyang
tsun ~ft
lyang-gur f.!'ff 1- courier xinshl hsin-shur
course: of course dangrin
~rt::r.
gur~~ (younger than speaker) bi aod i
~~ (son of father's brother: older
than speaker) tangxll>ng tahng
hsyoong ~5[.
jyeh~~
byow-may ~WK
tahng-may ~WK
i~!!i craft shop gongyipln shangdian
goong-yee-pin shahng-dyen
I!;~JfijJiS crash (noun: vehicle) zhuang che
jwahng chur 11$ crazy feng lung :Jfii: c~dit card xinyong k!i hsin
yoong kah 1ilf ffl-F
do you take credit cards?
shou xinyong ka rna? show-
mah 411:f~JtJ-FP~ ?
can I pay by ere d it card?
wo key'f yong xinyong ka j i3.o kuiln rna? wor kur-yee
yoong hsin-yoong kah jyow
to use? nin y6ng de shi
shenrne kii? dur shur shun
mur kah
guoql? jee shur gwor-chee
jin-roong way-jee ~iiJ!ffl;fJL
doh-pyenr ( ~f ) ±lift JL crockery canju tsahn-1yew ~ ~
crossing (by sea) guOdit gwor-doo
:dlli crossroads shizi litkou shur-dzur
loo-koh +:¥8! 0 crowd renqtin run-chewn AWf crowded yOn gil yoong-jee !I!HJf
crown (oo tooth) yaguim yah
gwahn5fj{f
crutches guaizhang gwai-jahng
a cup of tea/coffee,
please yi bel chaJkafei bay
-~~/P,I}~Pjp cupboard guizi gway-dzur 1'§.-f cure (ver~ zhiy it jur-yew y]5';@: curly juanqude jwahn-chew-dur
~lltll¥.1 cunent (electric) dianliu dyen-lyoh
~irii: ~~~ waer) shul liit shway-lyoh
7.l<trii: curry gali gah-lee P,IJ~PJI
curtains chuanglian chwahng-
lyen i'f'ffl cushion diimzi dyen-dzur m.:r: custom fengsit fung-soo JXI.1~
Customs hiliguan hai-gwahn
I've cut myself wo ba zijl
aeshana le WOI bah dZUI-fCC gur-
;hahng ~~ ~j:~ § C. ~IJ1:1JT cutlery daocha canju dow-chah
tsahn-IYew JJJZ.~A
hsing-chur ~ § i'J $ cyclist qi zixingche de ren dur run
!¥.1-§i'T$8~A
dad baba bah-bah ~~
daily mel tian may tyen ilJ?( damage (verb) sii nh uili syewn-
hwai f3\~
I'm sorry, I've damaged
nang h uili le dway-boo-chee
wor bah jay gur noong hwai iur
x-t::t:®~t~-1'-~~T damn! zaole! dzow-lur lfiT damp (adj) chaoshl chow-shur
~Jlii dance (noun) wiidao woo-dow
n NEi (verb) tiilowii tyow-woo gjtn would you like to dance? nl
xiang tiaowii rna? hsyan<J- mah
f~~gjtnn~?
ft~ dark (adj) an aim Pi
(colour) shense shunsur ~@.
tyen hay-lur 7(~ T date: what's the date today?
jlntian j1 hilo' jin-tyen jee how
-9-;RJL~? let's make a date for next
Monday zanmen xlage
xlngqlyl jianmian zahn-
mun hsyal1-gur- jyen-myen
daughter-in-law erxifur
gahng lyang 7( ~lj :f'[. day tian tyen 7(
the day after dier Will
~=* the day after tomorrow
h ou tian hoh-tyen }§' 7( the day before qian yi tian
chyen iJtr-7( the day before yesterday
qiantian chyen-tyen 81fj(
every day meitian may-tyen
~* in two days' time liang tian
nei nay J(p;j have a nioe day zhil nl w:l.nr
de gaoxing joo nee wahnr dur
gow-hsing t[{:fr;)jiJLf~~~
day trip yiriy6u yee-rur-yoh
-B¥M dead slle sur-lur 7fT deafer long Ioong 1} if deal (business) milimili ~~
it's a deal! yi y:l.n wei ding! yee
yahnway-§Jg~
death slw:l.ng sur-wahn<J JEt: December shih yue shur-er yew
ell +=Jl decide jueding JVew-eh-ding
!:#:~ we haven't decided yet
decision .iueding !:#:~
ffttli deep shen shun ~
at.~ deliberately gilyi goo-yee tli.~
delicious haochi how-chur
hsin~fg
ke jer jay kur
no, that one bit, shi nei ke shur nay
here? zher?
deodorant chuchouji choo-choh
bai-hwor dah-loh Ef~jc~
departure lounge houjishi hoh
depend: it depends on-•••
~~~lf deposityajin yah-Jm.f!ll~
hshee l!flfJt diabetic (noun) tingniiobing
ren tahng-nyow-bing run
dialling code diinhua
quhao dyen-hwah chew-how
lt!ijHi~ diamond zuinshi dzwahn-shur
~J!i:fi diaper niaobu nyow-boo Qj(;fj] diarrhoea Ia d uzi lah doo-dzur
t.lLJI±T- do you have something
for diarrhoea? ni y6u zhi
Ia duzi de yiw rna> nee yoh
jur lah doo-dzur dur yow mah
1~1fr~t.lL!I±T-i¥!FiQ~ ? diary rij i rur-jee Sic dictionary cidian tsur-dyen iPJ ~ didn't see not
die sl sur 7E diet jik6u Jee-koh .~ 0
I'm on a diet w6 zii jikou wor
dzaJ lJG{E~D
guiding de yinshi day
chur gway-ding dur yin-shur
::f[E'J whafs the difference? you
shenrne bit tong? yoh shun-mur
if1t~::f!E1 ? different bu tong ::f fE1 difficult kunnan kun-nahn
tEI~t difficulty kit nnan [E[ ~l dining room c:lntlng tsothn-ting
~ff dinner (evening meal) wan fan
wahn-fahn l!'ti& to have cii'Wler chi w:lnfin
lltl!ti& direct (adj) zhijie jur-jyeh
:a~ (flight) zhifei jur-fay :OC~
is there a direct train?
you zhida hu6che rna>
yoh Jur-dah hwor-chur mah
1fKit:k.$Q~ ? direction f3llgxiing fahng-hsyang
which direction is it? Z<ii
neige HmgxiUng? dzai nay-gur
zheige fangxiUng m a? sl1ur jay
gur- mah ~:J3:1'1fltJ iJ!b ? director zhun! n joo-run .:E ff dirt wugiJU woo-goh 15:\lif dirty zang dzahng JlJt disabled cc\nfei tsahn-fay Y~~
is there access for the
disabled? y.'\
jee-run dur toong-dow mall
:ffY~*Ai¥1JiltD~ ? disaster zainim dzai-nahn J(xf disco disike dee-sur-kur :i!!!M-f4
discount j ianjia 1yen -Jyal1 ~1fl
is there a discount?
flli~ 1fl-D~ ? disease jibing *ffi'i disgusting exi n ur-hsin -~'~'
dish (meal) di tsai * (bowl) diezi dyell-dzurlit-f
disk (for computer) ruanp<\n rwahn
pahn ~tl!:
disposable nappies/
in the distance zai yuanchu
dzai yew-ahn-cl1oo {E:Qt)IJ:
8 4 The Rough Guide Mandarin Chinese Phrasebook > ENGUSH-tCHINESE
district diqir dee-chew l!E.!K disturb darao dah-tow rrm divorced lihim lee-hun ~~~
dizzy: I feel dizzy wii touyim
wor toh-yewn :JlG*~
do (verb) zuo dzwor i'f what shall we do? nl xiang
zuo shenme? hsyang- shun-mur
ft~i'f1t~? how do you do it? gai zenme
zuil! dzun-mur m;';l;.~ 1liJr ? will you do it for me? mc\fan
nl bang wo zuo yL'I:i,\. hao ma7
mall-fahn nee bahng wor dzwor
yee-hsyah how mah ffi;;l:jjf {iy; fW:JJG111Jr~ T:llfP~ ?
how do you do? nin hao? how
nice to meet you jiin dito nin zhen gaoxing jyen dow nin jun gow-hsing
what do you do? (work) nl shi zuo shenme gongzuo de? shur- goong-dzwor dur
I'm a teacher, and you? wo shi jiaoshl, nl ne? wor - nur
I'm a student woshi xuesheng
what are you doing this evening? nl jlnwin zuo shenme? jin-wahn
we're going out for a
drink, do you wantto join us? women chu qi.t he jiu, nl xiing gen women yi
ku3ir qi.t ma? wor-mun choo chew hur woh nee hsyang gun - kwair chew mah
do you want more rice? nl h:ii yao fin, ma? yow fahn
I do, but she doesn't wo yao, tabu yao wor yow tal
doctor ylsheng yee-shung 125:1: please call a doctor qlng nl
jiao ge )~Sheng ching nee JYOW
gur -)#{f

Documents

Rough Guide Mandarin Chinese Phrasebook (with Audio)