Posts from December 2008

Import/Export on a Small Scale

Posted by Transparent Language No Comments
Dec 31 2008

Recently, I did a little bit of small-scale 进出口 (import and export) involving 化妆品 (makeup products).  What I noticed while in China was that 睫毛膏 (mascara)， 口红(lipstick) 粉底液(foundation)  from companies such as 兰蔻(Lancome) were so pricey that you could say they were 宰人 (ripoff).  One example would be the price difference between one cream which cost about 300RMB equivalent in the states but which retails for about 500RMB in China – quite a difference!  I suspect that the price difference is due to  关税 (tariffs).   香水 (perfume/cologne) is another product which varies in price but can fetch a nice profit if positioned well.  If you forget to pick it up before moving between countries, just swing by a 免税店 (duty-free store) for your shopping.  Given the price difference, even buying it a more expensive place won’t cut into your 成本 (operating cost, overhead).

进出口 jin4chu1kou3 – import and export
化妆品 hua4zhuang1pin3 – makeup products
睫毛膏 jie2mao2gao1 – mascara
口红 kou3hong2 – lipstick
粉底液 fen2di3ye4 – foundation
兰蔻 lan2kou4 – Lancome (brand)
关税 guan1shui4 – tariffs/duties
宰人 zai2ren2 – rip-off
香水 xiang1shui3 – perfume
免税店 mian3shui4dian4 – duty-free store
成本 cheng2ben3 – operating costs

Making a Good Impression

Posted by Transparent Language No Comments
Dec 31 2008

I am the only foreigner in my district in Beijing.  I say this for no reason but to emphasize that I can’t exactly blend in, and that making a good first impression is of high importance.  Below is a story of something that happened not long after I moved in, and I even heard people talking about it at the neighborhood barbershop the very next day.

When I moved into my neighborhood, it became clear that I would stick out, or be a little 显眼(eye-catching) so to speak.  One late night in China, I put in my 耳塞(earplugs) for the very first time and went to sleep.  It was not long before I heard a faint knocking somewhere off in the distance as well as some yelling.  I shifted in my bed and tried to get back to sleep.  The knocking continued, and I finally got up to investigate.  There was yelling, and an audibly livid 邻居(neighbor) was 敲门(knocking [at the door]) with a vengeance.  I opened the door and was slammed with a barrage of Chinese coming at me a mile a minute.  I pick up a few things, such as “我这次原谅你”(I forgive you this time)  “下次不成“(it’s not gonna be all right next time!),  漏水(leaking water), and that was about all I could parse in my half-awake, terrified state.  Looking at the trail of water going down the stairs, I pieced together that my  洗衣机(washing machine) which was 提供(provide[d]) by my landlord had indeed 漏水.  Needless to say, the next day I had a 修理人员(repairperson) come by to fix it, but not before I wrote a profoundly apologetic note to the neighbor and attached it to a bottle of 白酒 to demonstrate my contrition.  Perhaps also needless to say is I never wear earplugs to sleep anymore either.

显眼 xian2yan3 – eye-catching
耳塞  er2sai4 – earplugs
邻居 lin2ju1 – neighbor
敲门 qiao1men2 – knock (at the door)
原谅 yuan2liang4 – forgive
不成 bu4cheng2 (bu4xing2) – not all right
漏水 lou4shui3 – leak water
白酒 bai2jiu3 “spirits” – sorghum-based alcohol which can be as high as 65% alcohol by volume.  Proceed with caution.
洗衣机 xi3yi1ji1- washing machine
提供 ti2gong4 – provide
修理人员xiu1li3ren2yuan2 – repairperson

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