Posted by Andrew
The other day, I wanted to take the pile of 硬币 (coins) from my room and 换纸币 (exchange them for bills). The people at the nearby bank told me that they didn’t want my bills, well that was my first time to 听到 (hear) a bank didn’t want any money- maybe I should have asked them if they would take the coins at less than their 面额 (face value). It wasn’t long before I was counting out my coins at the 打包台 (wrapping table) of a nearby supermarket. A man in a suit came over and 碰 (poked/bumped) one of my coin stacks. Naturally, it began to 掉 (fall down). He looked surprised, at which point I remarked 你碰了它才掉了 (it only fell because you touched it). He took this as his lead to 咨询 (inquire) about my job. My only thought was- next time please find a better icebreaker than knocking over my coins.
硬币 ying4bi4 - coins
换 huan4 - change, exchange
纸币 zhi3bi4 - bills
听到 ting1dao4 - to hear something
面额 mian4e2 - face value
打包台dabaotai da3bao1tai2 - table where items are wrapped, wrapping table
碰 peng4 - bump, touch
掉 diao4 - fall down
咨询 zi1xun2 - inquire
Posted by Andrew
Hello readers!
Some days the border crossing can be quick, other days it can feel like molasses.
The other night I was coming back over the border to Shenzhen and was stuck in a line that remained motionless while all the other lines advanced at a rate of one person per roughly 45 seconds. We were all told by the 值班队长 (on-duty captain) to make sure that our entry cards were filled out. I suspect that the delay was caused by a person whose China visa had 失效 (lost effect), because that person was later taken to another room at the station. On another note, of all border crossings that I have been to, 福田口岸 (Futian border crossing) was easily the slowest I have ever been to. Alas, neither crossing went smoothly. Back to the other night- after clearing HK exit customs, I hopped on a 班车 (shuttle) thinking that I would have an easy time crossing on the China side. What I did not know was that someone would try to 让 (make) the driver 掉头 (turn around) as there was a person who left a bag on the bus while he 本人 (himself) ran to the bathroom. After exiting China customs, there was the usual array of 不正当 (unordinary) transport options available, including unlicensed taxis, vans, and maybe even trucks. As I hopped into a licensed taxi, I wondered what an expert in 金融 (finance) would have to say about this border transport micro-economy.
值班 zhi2ban1 - on-duty
队长 dui4zhang2 - team captain
失效 shi1xiao4 - lose effect
福田口岸 fu2tian2kou3an4 - Futian Border Crossing
班车 ban1che1 - shuttle
让 rang4 - make, have sb. do sth.
掉头 diao4tou2 - turn around
本人 ben3ren2 - [himself]
不正当 bu2zheng4dang1 - unordinary
金融 jin1rong2 - finance
Posted by Andrew
The other morning, I was in a taxi and saw that the driver was playing with his cellphone at a stoplight (the stoplights in Shenzhen can last about 90 seconds). My colleague inquired, “开车还可以炒股?” (As a driver you can play the stock market too?) “那你怎么了解行情呢?” (Well how do you find out what’s going on in the markets?) The driver responded, “我都用手机看新闻和行情, 但是问题是它么由电脑快” If you ask me, 我想象都想象不到更好的广告词. (I couldn’t even imagine better wording for an advertisement).
开车 kai1che1 - drive a car
还 hai2 - still, even
炒股 chao3(2)gu3 - play stocks (lit. stir-fry stocks)
那 na4 - (usu. “that”) but here it’s used more like “so” (i.e. “so how do you know?)
行情 hang2qing3 - the industry situation
呢 ne - this is used at the end of questions in several ways. here it is used to connote the “but what about” idea
都 dou1 - all, even 我都每天做 - I do it every day (emphasis on the regularity of it)
没有..adj mei2you3 - “not as _____ as _____” 我没有你高 “I am not as tall as you”
v 都 v 不到 dou1.. bu2dao4 - to not even be able to (verb). 你想象都想象不到 You can’t even imagine.
广告词 guang3gao4ci2 - advertising words/content
Posted by Andrew
Yesterday I made my way to a bookstore in Shenzhen stocking foreign titles. Near the overpass of the road with the store, I saw a banner saying 推崇阅读 (respect/praise reading), meanwhile there were performers playing the 二胡 (erhu, a traditional Chinese instrument) and taking donations from passers-by. As I exited the building, I saw plenty of 星星 (stars) dotting the sky while enjoying the 凉快 (cool) weather. With my 宝贵 (precious) books in hand, I was rather pleased. Some of the books at the library were definitely OUT (out) though, I saw a book describing how to use COBOL and DOS. With the extra time I had last night, I took a trip to another one of the 口岸 (ports) and was impressed with the linkage of the Shenzhen MTR and Hong Kong MTR. After that, I grabbed dinner at an HK-style cafe where one couple had their 八哥狗/哈巴狗 (pug dog) lying on the floor underneath them.
推崇 tui1chong2 - praise, respect
阅读 yue4du2 - reading
二胡 er2hu2 - a two-stringed traditional chinese instrument played with a bow
星星 xing1xing1 - stars
凉快 liang2kuai4 - cool, fresh
宝贵 bao3gui4 - precious
OUT out - internet slang meaning “out of style”
口岸 kou3an4 - port
八哥狗 ba1ge1gou3 - pug
哈巴狗 ha1bagou3 - pug (alternative name)
Posted by Andrew
Hello readers!
The other day I was trying to set up a purchase on 支付宝 (Alipay), an online payment site. When I tried to 充值 (add funds), I found that there was a security certificate problem with my 银盾 (internet banking USB key). Even through I had prepared my 交易密码 (trading password) for the bank and my 支付密码 (payment password) for Alipay, I still couldn’t successfully 汇款 (wire money). After removing my browser security settings and making Internet Explorer (not my choice- only IE is supported for Alipay and internet banking in China) about as safe as an oven made of kindling, I was finally able to 扣钱 (deduct money) from my bank account. After that, my focus shifted to securing a 优惠 (discount). It wouldn’t be a purchase in China if I couldn’t 降价 (lower the price). Well, 加油吧. (come on!)
支付宝 zhi1fu4bao3 - Alipay, a popular Chinese payment platform
充值 chong1zhi2 - add funds
银盾 yin2dun4 - USB key for online banking
交易密码 jiao1yi4mi4ma3 - Trading password
支付密码 zhi1fu4mi4ma3 - payment password
汇款 hui4kuan3 - wire money
扣钱 kou4qian2 - deduct money
优惠 you1hui4 - discount
降价 jiang4jia4 - lower the price
加油吧 jia1you2ba - well, come on, let’s see (said to encourage oneself)
