Learn about the importance of business cards in China
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| INTRODUCTION |
| Victor: 大家好，我是Victor。 (Dàjiā hǎo, wǒ shì Victor.) |
| Amber: Hi! This is Amber, and we welcome you back to Gengo Chinese Lesson 6. The title is… |
| Victor: Don't Miss Your Chance - How to Close a Deal in Chinese. |
| Amber: Yes! And it might not be the kind of deal you’re thinking about. We haven’t gotten that far. We’re not doing business yet. |
| Victor: Yeah. We’ll find out what it’s all about. |
| Amber: But today, we are on China soil, in our lesson. |
| Victor: Finally, our lesson today takes place in China! |
| Amber: Yes! So, just a quick review; last lesson, in Lesson 5, we got up to speed on what is going on in China. So we heard about the “temperature.” |
| Victor: Yeah. It’s 气温 (qìwēn). |
| Amber: And we heard about the “time.” |
| Victor: 三点 (sān diǎn) |
| Amber: Which is 3 o’clock. We also heard about the day of the week |
| Victor: 星期四 (xīngqīsì) |
| Amber: Thursday. So, it’s exciting times for our traveler, Mike, and for us as we go along with him. But today, Victor, there’s also a little drama. |
| Victor: Oh! That’s complicated. |
| Amber: Because our conversation partners must part. |
| Victor: Oh, right! That’s right, because they are in China now. |
| Amber: Yep, so we’re going to hear how goodbye sounds in Chinese for our two friends, and we’ll hear whether they keep in touch, whether Mike will be brave enough to ask for her number? |
| Victor: All the suspense. |
| Amber: Okay. So, in this lesson, what you’re gonna learn is how to give your contact information. |
| Victor: This conversation takes place in the airport. |
| Amber: And it’s between our characters, Mike and Lili. Okay, let’s listen to the conversation. |
| DIALOGUE |
| Mike: 今天很高兴见到你。 (Jīntiān hěn gāoxìng jiàndào nǐ.) |
| Lili: 我也是。 (Wǒ yě shì.) |
| Mike: 这是我的名片，上面有我的电话号码和电子邮箱地址。 (Zhè shì wǒ de míngpiàn, shàngmian yǒu wǒ de diànhuà hàomǎ hé diànzǐ yóuxiāng dìzhǐ.) |
| Lili: 谢谢，这是我的名片。 (Xièxie, zhè shì wǒ de míngpiàn.) |
| Mike: 谢谢，保持联系。 (Xièxie, bǎochí liánxì.) |
| Lili: 再见。 (Zàijiàn.) |
| Victor: 重复一次, 慢速. (Chóngfù yīcì, màn sù.) |
| Amber: One more time, a little slower. |
| Mike: 今天很高兴见到你。 (Jīntiān hěn gāoxìng jiàndào nǐ.) |
| Lili: 我也是。 (Wǒ yě shì.) |
| Mike: 这是我的名片，上面有我的电话号码和电子邮箱地址。 (Zhè shì wǒ de míngpiàn, shàngmian yǒu wǒ de diànhuà hàomǎ hé diànzǐ yóuxiāng dìzhǐ.) |
| Lili: 谢谢，这是我的名片。 (Xièxie, zhè shì wǒ de míngpiàn.) |
| Mike: 谢谢，保持联系。 (Xièxie, bǎochí liánxì.) |
| Lili: 再见。 (Zàijiàn.) |
| Victor: 重复一次, 加英文翻译. (Chóngfù yīcì, jiā yīngwén fānyì.) |
| Amber: One more time, with the English. |
| Mike: 今天很高兴见到你。 (Jīntiān hěn gāoxìng jiàndào nǐ.) |
| Amber: It was really nice to meet you today. |
| Lili: 我也是。 (Wǒ yě shì.) |
| Amber: Me too. |
| Mike: 这是我的名片，上面有我的电话号码和电子邮箱地址。 (Zhè shì wǒ de míngpiàn, shàngmian yǒu wǒ de diànhuà hàomǎ hé diànzǐ yóuxiāng dìzhǐ.) |
| Amber: This is my business card. My telephone number and email address are on it. |
| Lili: 谢谢，这是我的名片。 (Xièxie, zhè shì wǒ de míngpiàn.) |
| Amber: Thanks. This is my business card. |
| Mike: 谢谢，保持联系。 (Xièxie, bǎochí liánxì.) |
| Amber: Thanks. Keep in touch. |
| Lili: 再见。 (Zàijiàn.) |
| Amber: Goodbye. |
| POST CONVERSATION BANTER |
| Victor: Yes, so in China, giving out name cards or business cards is very common. |
| Amber: Yeah, like generally, Victor, I think everyone has one. I mean, even I had one. I’m not your general businessman by any stretch, but it’s customary. Everyone will exchange business cards. |
| Victor: Right. It kind of looks nice if you have someone to show for, you know. |
| Amber: Yeah, and in fact, when I came back to the west, a lot of guys thought I was trying to pick them up, because if I still had business cards, I would automatically give it to them. They’re like, woah, this girl gives out her numbers easily. Anyway, I’ve since learned. |
| VOCAB LIST |
| Amber: So let's just take a quick look at the vocabulary for this lesson. We heard some new words. |
| Victor: Yep. |
| Victor: 今天 (jīntiān) [natural native speed] |
| Amber: today |
| Victor: 今天 (jīntiān) [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Victor: 今天 (jīntiān) [natural native speed] |
| Victor: 高兴 (gāoxìng) [natural native speed] |
| Amber: happy |
| Victor: 高兴 (gāoxìng) [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Victor: 高兴 (gāoxìng) [natural native speed] |
| Victor: 见到 (jiàndào) [natural native speed] |
| Amber: to see |
| Victor: 见到 (jiàndào) [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Victor: 见到 (jiàndào) [natural native speed] |
| Victor: 也 (yě) [natural native speed] |
| Amber: also, too |
| Victor: 也 (yě) [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Victor: 也 (yě) [natural native speed] |
| Victor: 这 (zhè) [natural native speed] |
| Amber: this |
| Victor: 这 (zhè) [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Victor: 这 (zhè) [natural native speed] |
| Victor: 名片 (míngpiàn) [natural native speed] |
| Amber: name card, business card |
| Victor: 名片 (míngpiàn) [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Victor: 名片 (míngpiàn) [natural native speed] |
| Victor: 上面 (shàngmiàn) [natural native speed] |
| Amber: on the top |
| Victor: 上面 (shàngmiàn) [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Victor: 上面 (shàngmiàn) [natural native speed] |
| Victor: 有 (yǒu) [natural native speed] |
| Amber: to have |
| Victor: 有 (yǒu) [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Victor: 有 (yǒu) [natural native speed] |
| Victor: 电话号码 (diànhuà hàomǎ) [natural native speed] |
| Amber: telephone number |
| Victor: 电话号码 (diànhuà hàomǎ) [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Victor: 电话号码 (diànhuà hàomǎ) [natural native speed] |
| Victor: 和 (hé) [natural native speed] |
| Amber: and |
| Victor: 和 (hé) [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Victor: 和 (hé) [natural native speed] |
| Victor: 电子邮箱地址 (diànzǐ yóuxiāng dìzhǐ) [natural native speed] |
| Amber: email address |
| Victor: 电子邮箱地址 (diànzǐ yóuxiāng dìzhǐ) [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Victor: 电子邮箱地址 (diànzǐ yóuxiāng dìzhǐ) [natural native speed] |
| Victor: 保持联系 (bǎochí liánxì) [natural native speed] |
| Amber: keep in touch |
| Victor: 保持联系 (bǎochí liánxì) [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Victor: 保持联系 (bǎochí liánxì) [natural native speed] |
| Victor: 再见 (zàijiàn) [natural native speed] |
| Amber: good bye |
| Victor: 再见 (zàijiàn) [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Victor: 再见 (zàijiàn) [natural native speed] |
| VOCAB AND PHRASE USAGE |
| Amber: Okay, so let's take a closer look at the usage for some of the words and phrases from this lesson, Victor. |
| Victor: Yep. Well, we heard something slightly familiar. |
| Amber: Yeah, because previously, we know when Mike and Lili first met, they said, “Nice to meet you.” |
| Victor: 很高兴认识你。 (Hěn gāoxìng rènshi nǐ.) |
| Amber: So now, Mike, being the gentleman that he is, he reiterates. |
| Victor: Yeah. He says, 很高兴见到你。 (Hěn gāoxìng jiàndào nǐ.) |
| Amber: So, it’s almost the same sentence, 很高兴认识你。 (Hěn gāoxìng rènshi nǐ.) |
| Victor: Right. |
| Amber: But here, we hear a different verb which is 见到 (jiàndào), why? Why, Victor? Why 认识 (rènshi) before which meant “to know,” 见到 (jiàndào) now, we hear? |
| Victor: Yeah. Well both are used quite interchangeably. However, 见到 (jiàndào); 见 (jiàn) is 4th tone, 到 (dào) is 4th tone also, it has more of the feeling of “to see you,” whereas 认识 (rènshi) is “to know you.” |
| Amber: Right. So they’re both basically kind of expressing the same thing. |
| Victor: Correct. |
| Amber: Okay, and then the response we heard was… |
| Victor: Lili says, 我也是。 (Wǒ yě shì.) |
| Amber: Right, which literally in English means “I also am.” |
| Victor: Right. |
| Amber: Or just like how we would say, "Me too!!!' in English. |
| Victor: Correct. |
| Amber: We can use this phrase. |
| Victor: So, on the related note, after meeting someone, there is another important Chinese phrase. |
| Amber: Yeah, and we heard them say it here! |
| Victor: It’s 保持联系 (bǎochí liánxì); 保 (bǎo) is a 3rd tone, 持 (chí) is a 2nd tone, 联 (lián) is 2nd tone, and 系 (xì) is the light tone, the neutral tone. |
| Amber: So basically, what this means is if you would translate it literally, it means just like the phrase we have in English, “Keep in touch!” |
| Victor: Yes, 保持联系 (bǎochí liánxì). |
| Amber: 保持 (Bǎochí) is like “to keep on” and then 联系 (liánxì) is “contact.” |
| Victor: 保持联系 (bǎochí liánxì) |
Lesson focus |
|---|
| Victor: So now, from Mike's attempt at getting Lili's number, we're going to learn some valuable grammar! |
| Amber: That’s right. He starts with the very innocuous seeming, casual pass of the business card. |
| Victor: Yes. |
| Amber: Which, as we know, you can try and it can work. And what does he say? |
| Victor: He says, 这是我的名片。 (Zhè shì wǒ de míngpiàn.) |
| Amber: Right! So there’s some great words to learn here. |
| Victor: Yes. So, let’s start with the end. |
| Amber: Right. It’s the crux of this sentence. the name card, the business card, whatever you wanna call it in English. |
| Victor: Yeah. |
| Amber: In Chinese, it is... |
| Victor: 名片 (míngpiàn). It’s 2nd tone and 4th tone. |
| Amber: Right! And it’s something, as we mentioned, you cannot live without, in China, a 名片 (míngpiàn). |
| Victor: A name card. Actually, 名 (míng) means “name” and so, it makes sense. |
| Amber: Right! So, what about the rest of the sentence? |
| Victor: 这是 (zhè shì) |
| Amber: Right! So, 这 (zhè) means “this,” 是 (shì), we’ve learned before. It means “to be.” |
| Victor: Correct. |
| Amber: So put it together, it’s “this is…” |
| Victor: This is and then 我的 (wǒ de), 我的 (wǒ de). |
| Amber: Okay, great! So we know that 我 (wǒ) is of course the word for “me” or “I.” |
| Victor: And it’s a 3rd tone. |
| Amber: Yeah, but if we want to say “my,” we wanna make the possessive pronoun in Chinese, what do we do? |
| Victor: Well, to make the possessive in Chinese, you must add the word 的 (de) to the personal pronoun. |
| Amber: Right! So, it’s not a different word. It’s just , you combine it with the 的 (de). |
| Victor: Correct. |
| Amber: The pronoun with the 的 (de) and it makes it possessive. |
| Victor: And it’s a neutral tone in this case. |
| Amber: Yeah, the 的 (de) is a neutral tone. |
| Victor: So, put it all together, 这是我的名片。 (Zhè shì wǒ de míngpiàn.) |
| Amber: Right! So, in this case, this is my business card or my name card. So whether it’s my 我的名片 (wǒ de míngpiàn) or your 名片 (míngpiàn), it’s the same principle for making the possessive. |
| Victor: Correct. |
| Amber: So your business card would be… |
| Victor: 你的 (nǐ de) |
| Amber: Right. The word for “you” being 你 (nǐ), 3rd tone, and then the 的 (de) makes it possessive. |
| Victor: Correct. |
| Amber: What about if it was my dad’s business card? |
| Victor: That would be, 爸爸的名片。 (Bàba de míngpiàn.) |
| Amber: Right. Okay, but in this case, the sentence is not language only, Victor, because there’s something else very important about giving out the business card. |
| Victor: Yes, Chinese culture moment! |
| Amber: Yes. He must give it to her with two hands! I mean, this is probably not easy for Mike because he’s juggling suitcases and stuff, but it’s that important, right, Victor? |
| Victor: Right. And also, when she takes it, she should also use both hands. |
| Amber: Yes, it’s more respectful. |
| Victor: Right, very polite. |
| Amber: Yeah. And also important is you don’t just shove it any old place. |
| Victor: Right. |
| Amber: It’s kind of disrespectful. |
| Victor: Right. |
| Amber: You have to like put it away nicely somewhere. |
| Victor: Yeah, somewhere important. Maybe in your wallet or whatever. |
| Amber: Mm-hmm. |
| Victor: Yeah. |
| Amber: Okay, so Mike doesn't stop here though. |
| Victor: No. |
| Amber: He wants more! He wants her information, right? |
| Victor: Yeah. He wants to actually bring up phone numbers and email addresses and stuff. |
| Amber: Right. So first, maybe this is a subtle hint, he tells her... |
| Victor: 上面有我的电话号码和电子邮箱地址。 (Shàngmian yǒu wǒ de diànhuà hàomǎ hé diànzǐ yóuxiāng dìzhǐ.) |
| Amber: Okay, we know that’s very long, but there’s some really good phrases in there that we’re gonna teach you. Okay, so first of all, something grammatically important in the sentence is, last lesson, we learned the verb for “to have.” |
| Victor: 有 (yǒu) |
| Amber: Right, 有 (yǒu), 3rd tone, to express possession that you have something. But at the time, we promised there were other “yous” and this is one of them. |
| Victor: Yeah. When the subject is a location, 有 (yǒu) is used to indicate existence. |
| Amber: Right, so, back to our sentence. In this sentence, our location is on the card. In Chinese… |
| Victor: 上面 (shàngmian) |
| Amber: “On top of,” basically. |
| Victor: Right. So, we have 上面 (shàngmian) which means “on” and then 有 (yǒu). |
| Amber: So, 上面 (shàngmian) “on it” basically, and then 有 (yǒu) is “to have,” but basically, it saying is the equivalent of our English “there is.” |
| Victor: Right. 上 (shàng) is 4th tone, 面 (mian) is also 4th tone, and 有 (yǒu), as we all know, is a 3rd tone. |
| Amber: Right. So, it’s basically saying “on it there is,” and on his name card, there is what? |
| Victor: 我的 (wǒ de) |
| Amber: “my” |
| Victor: Now, there are two things; what would you expect to be on a business card? |
| Amber: Yes. It sounds a little bit long, but it’s very predictable. Let me guess, a phone number? |
| Victor: Yes. |
| Amber: Which is, in Chinese… |
| Victor: 电话号码 (Diànhuà hàomǎ); 电 (Diàn) is 4th tone, 话 (huà) is 4th tone, 号 (hào) is 4th tone, 码 (mǎ) is a 3rd tone. |
| Amber: Right, very useful word in Chinese. |
| Victor: Yeah. |
| Amber: And then we have the word for “and,” which is an important word too. |
| Victor: Yeah, in Chinese, it’s 和 (hé). 和 (Hé) is a 2nd tone. |
| Amber: Right and so what else would you expect to be on the card? We can probably guess what the next phrase is. |
| Victor: Email address, maybe? |
| Amber: Yeah! |
| Victor: So, it is 电子邮箱地址。 (diànzǐ yóuxiāng dìzhǐ.) So, let’s break it down, 电子 (diànzǐ), 电 (diàn) is 4th tone, 子 (zǐ), in this case, is a 3rd tone. It means “electronic.” |
| Amber: Mm-hmm. |
| Victor: 邮箱 (Yóuxiāng); 邮 (yóu) is 2nd tone, 箱 (xiāng) is 1st tone. |
| Amber: It basically means “mailbox,” right? |
| Victor: Right, it means “mailbox,” so “electronic mailbox.” |
| Amber: And the last one? |
| Victor: 地址 (Dìzhǐ), 地 (dì) is 4th tone, 址 (zhǐ) is a 3rd tone and it means “address.” |
| Amber: It’s logical again. So basically in Chinese, the word for email address is just “electronic mailbox address.” |
| Victor: Yes. It’s much longer than email. |
| Amber: I have to remember it. |
| Victor: Right. |
| Amber: Well, even just now when we learned, 电话号码 (diànhuà hàomǎ) for “phone,” well, the word 电话 (diànhuà) means “telephone,” 号码 (hàomǎ) is “number,” right? |
| Victor: Yes. |
| Amber: So, it’s easy to remember. |
| Victor: It’s a little long, but once you get it down, you can do this one over and over again, in China. |
| Amber: Yeah, so I think they’re good, two good vocabulary words to memorize right away. |
| Victor: Yeah. |
| Amber: Very useful, especially if you wanna make friends. Okay, so after all that effort, I mean Mike has put a lot of work into the sentence, how can Lili say no. She’s definitely not going to make him go and ask for her card and say more things. What did she do? |
| Victor: So, she says 谢谢，这是我的名片。 (Xièxie, zhè shì wǒ de míngpiàn.) |
| Amber: Right…nice and simple! |
| Victor: Yeah. |
| Amber: So basically, “thank you” and like we learned 这是 (zhè shì) “this is.” |
| Victor: Yeah. |
| Amber: 我的 (wǒ de) “my,” “name card” 名片 (míngpiàn). |
| Victor: Yes. |
Outro |
| Amber: Okay, so we’ve learned a lot so far, but we have to stay tuned, Victor. The adventure has just begun! |
| Victor: Yeah, so Mike has just landed, so he’s about to enter the real world. |
| Amber: Yes, the real word in Chinese, and we’re going to learn along with him! |
| Victor: Yeah, so, we’ll see you next time! |
| Amber: We’ll see you next time in Gengo Chinese Lesson. |
| Victor: 再见。(Zàijiàn.) |
| Amber: 再见。(Zàijiàn.) |
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