Learn about itineraries
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| INTRODUCTION |
| Amber: Hey, everybody, I’m Amber. |
| Victor: 大家好，我是Victor。 (Dàjiā hǎo, wǒ shì Victor.) |
| Amber: And this is our Gengo Chinese series. This is Lesson 14 called… |
| Victor: Making the Most of Your Time in China. |
| Amber: Right! So today, we’re going to learn a little bit about dates and times. |
| Victor: Oh, yeah, that’s what I need. |
| Amber: Right. |
| Victor: And probably some of you too, right? |
| Amber: Yes, me too! |
| Victor: Yeah. |
| Amber: And I think days are busy in China. I definitely can attest to that, and Mike’s day sounds like it’s going to be a very busy day as well. But, before we jump in, let's just take a moment to pause and reflect... and review some points from the last lesson. |
| Victor: Yes! Well, first off, here's a good word to remember, the word for “busy.” |
| Amber: Hmm. |
| Victor: Which is 忙 (máng), 2nd tone, 忙 (máng). |
| Amber: Yes, and actually not just 忙 (máng), but extremely busy. |
| Victor: Yeah. |
| Amber: What was that? |
| Victor: 非常忙 (fēicháng máng) |
| Amber: Hmm. |
| Victor: 非常忙 (fēicháng máng) |
| Amber: Right. And what was Mike busy with other than work? |
| Victor: 工作 (gōngzuò), 工作 (gōngzuò). |
| Amber: Right! So, I’m sure that Mike has high hopes for his business trip, so much so that he also brought a gift from America. How did we say that? |
| Victor: He brought a gift, 礼物 (lǐwù). |
| Amber: Right. |
| Victor: 礼物 (lǐwù) |
| Amber: Just to butter up Manager Wang. |
| Victor: Yeah. |
| Amber: So, we’ll be listening in to a new dialogue today and see what Mike has in store for his first day of work in China. So in this lesson, you’re going to learn how to list items in a schedule. |
| Victor: Oh, okay. |
| Amber: And you’re also gonna learn some Chinese prepositions. |
| Victor: This conversation takes place in an office. |
| Amber: Yeah and it’s between the two colleagues, Manager Wang and Mike. Let’s listen to the conversation. |
| DIALOGUE |
| Manager Wang:这是今天的行程。 (Zhè shì jīntiān de xíngchéng.) |
| 7月23日 星期五 (Qī yuè èrshísān rì xīngqīwǔ) |
| 上午十点 在办公室见希望公司的李先生 (Shàngwǔ shí diǎn zài bàngōngshì jiàn Xīwàng Gōngsī de Lǐ Xiānshēng) |
| 中午十二点在上海饭店和东方汽车公司的陈先生吃午饭 (Zhōngwǔ shíèr diǎn zài Shànghǎi Fàndiàn hé Dōngfāng Qìchē Gōngsī de Chén Xiānshēng chī wǔfàn) |
| 下午三点半和陈先生一起参观他们的工厂 (Xiàwǔ sān diǎn bàn hé Chén Xiānshēng yìqǐ cānguān tāmen de gōngchǎng) |
| 晚上七点 和新东方公司吃晚饭 (Wǎnshàng qī diǎn hé Xīndōngfāng Gōngsī chī wǎnfàn) |
| Mike:这是今天的行程。 (Wa, hǎo duō shìqíng a.) |
| Victor: 重复一次, 慢速. (Chóngfù yīcì, màn sù.) |
| Amber: One more time, a little slower. |
| Manager Wang:这是今天的行程。 (Zhè shì jīntiān de xíngchéng.) |
| 7月23日 星期五 (Qī yuè èrshísān rì xīngqīwǔ) |
| 上午十点 在办公室见希望公司的李先生 (Shàngwǔ shí diǎn zài bàngōngshì jiàn Xīwàng Gōngsī de Lǐ Xiānshēng) |
| 中午十二点在上海饭店和东方汽车公司的陈先生吃午饭 (Zhōngwǔ shíèr diǎn zài Shànghǎi Fàndiàn hé Dōngfāng Qìchē Gōngsī de Chén Xiānshēng chī wǔfàn) |
| 下午三点半和陈先生一起参观他们的工厂 (Xiàwǔ sān diǎn bàn hé Chén Xiānshēng yìqǐ cānguān tāmen de gōngchǎng) |
| 晚上七点 和新东方公司吃晚饭 (Wǎnshàng qī diǎn hé Xīndōngfāng Gōngsī chī wǎnfàn) |
| Mike: 哇，好多事情啊。(Wa, hǎo duō shìqíng a.) |
| Victor: 重复一次, 加英文翻译. (Chóngfù yīcì, jiā yīngwén fānyì.) |
| Amber: One more time, with the English. |
| Manager Wang:这是今天的行程。 (Zhè shì jīntiān de xíngchéng.) |
| Amber: This is today's schedule. |
| 7月23日 星期五 (Qī yuè èrshísān rì xīngqīwǔ) |
| Amber: July 23rd, Friday |
| 上午十点 在办公室见希望公司的李先生 (Shàngwǔ shí diǎn zài bàngōngshì jiàn Xīwàng Gōngsī de Lǐ Xiānshēng) |
| Amber: 10:00 AM. - Meet Mr. Li of the Hope Company at the office. |
| 中午十二点在上海饭店和东方汽车公司的陈先生吃午饭 (Zhōngwǔ shíèr diǎn zài Shànghǎi Fàndiàn hé Dōngfāng Qìchē Gōngsī de Chén Xiānshēng chī wǔfàn) |
| Amber: 12:00 noon - Eat lunch with Mr. Chen of Eastern Auto Company at the Shanghai Hotel. |
| 下午三点半和陈先生一起参观他们的工厂 (Xiàwǔ sān diǎn bàn hé Chén Xiānshēng yìqǐ cānguān tāmen de gōngchǎng) |
| Amber: 3:30 PM - Go for a tour with Mr. Chen of their factory. |
| 晚上七点 和新东方公司吃晚饭 (Wǎnshàng qī diǎn hé Xīndōngfāng Gōngsī chī wǎnfàn) |
| Amber: 7:00 PM - Dinner with the New Eastern Company. |
| Mike: 哇，好多事情啊。 (Wa, hǎo duō shìqíng a.) |
| Amber: Wow, so many things. |
| POST CONVERSATION BANTER |
| Amber: Ouch, Victor. I think The Bund and city tour would have been a little nicer option for your first day. It sounds intense. |
| Victor: Yeah, but then you wouldn’t make a million dollars, right Amber? |
| Amber: Yeah, and that’s why I’m poor, Victor, lazy. But not lazy about Chinese! |
| Victor: That’s right. No indeed! We’re working hard for Chinese. |
| Amber: Okay, so on that note, let’s take a look at the vocabulary for this lesson. |
| VOCAB LIST |
| Victor: 行程 (xíngchéng) [natural native speed] |
| Amber: itinerary, schedule |
| Victor: 行程 (xíngchéng) [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Victor: 行程 (xíngchéng) [natural native speed] |
| Victor: 月 (yuè) [natural native speed] |
| Amber: month |
| Victor: 月 (yuè) [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Victor: 月 (yuè) [natural native speed] |
| Victor: 日 (rì) [natural native speed] |
| Amber: day |
| Victor: 日 (rì) [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Victor: 日 (rì) [natural native speed] |
| Victor: 办公室 (bàngōngshì) [natural native speed] |
| Amber: office |
| Victor: 办公室 (bàngōngshì) [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Victor: 办公室 (bàngōngshì) [natural native speed] |
| Victor: 希望 (xīwàng) [natural native speed] |
| Amber: hope, wish |
| Victor: 希望 (xīwàng) [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Victor: 希望 (xīwàng) [natural native speed] |
| Victor: 公司 (gōngsī) [natural native speed] |
| Amber: company |
| Victor: 公司 (gōngsī) [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Victor: 公司 (gōngsī) [natural native speed] |
| Victor: 中午 (zhōngwǔ) [natural native speed] |
| Amber: noon |
| Victor: 中午 (zhōngwǔ) [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Victor: 中午 (zhōngwǔ) [natural native speed] |
| Victor: 东方 (dōngfāng) [natural native speed] |
| Amber: eastern |
| Victor: 东方 (dōngfāng) [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Victor: 东方 (dōngfāng) [natural native speed] |
| Victor: 汽车 (qìchē) [natural native speed] |
| Amber: automobile |
| Victor: 汽车 (qìchē) [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Victor: 汽车 (qìchē) [natural native speed] |
| Victor: 吃 (chī) [natural native speed] |
| Amber: to eat |
| Victor: 吃 (chī) [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Victor: 吃 (chī) [natural native speed] |
| Victor: 午饭 (wǔfàn) [natural native speed] |
| Amber: lunch |
| Victor: 午饭 (wǔfàn) [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Victor: 午饭 (wǔfàn) [natural native speed] |
| Victor: 半 (bàn) [natural native speed] |
| Amber: half |
| Victor: 半 (bàn) [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Victor: 半 (bàn) [natural native speed] |
| Victor: 一起 (yìqǐ) [natural native speed] |
| Amber: together |
| Victor: 一起 (yìqǐ) [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Victor: 一起 (yìqǐ) [natural native speed] |
| Victor: 参观 (cānguān) [natural native speed] |
| Amber: to tour |
| Victor: 参观 (cānguān) [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Victor: 参观 (cānguān) [natural native speed] |
| Victor: 工厂 (gōngchǎng) [natural native speed] |
| Amber: factory |
| Victor: 工厂 (gōngchǎng) [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Victor: 工厂 (gōngchǎng) [natural native speed] |
| Victor: 晚上 (wǎnshàng) [natural native speed] |
| Amber: evening |
| Victor: 晚上 (wǎnshàng) [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Victor: 晚上 (wǎnshàng) [natural native speed] |
| Victor: 新 (xīn) [natural native speed] |
| Amber: new |
| Victor: 新 (xīn) [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Victor: 新 (xīn) [natural native speed] |
| Victor: 东方 (dōngfāng) [natural native speed] |
| Amber: eastern |
| Victor: 东方 (dōngfāng) [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Victor: 东方 (dōngfāng) [natural native speed] |
| Victor: 晚饭 (wǎnfàn) [natural native speed] |
| Amber: dinner |
| Victor: 晚饭 (wǎnfàn) [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Victor: 晚饭 (wǎnfàn) [natural native speed] |
| Victor: 哇 (wa) [natural native speed] |
| Amber: wow |
| Victor: 哇 (wa) [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Victor: 哇 (wa) [natural native speed] |
| Victor: 多 (duō) [natural native speed] |
| Amber: many, much |
| Victor: 多 (duō) [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Victor: 多 (duō) [natural native speed] |
| Victor: 事情 (shìqíng) [natural native speed] |
| Amber: matter, affair, thing |
| Victor: 事情 (shìqíng) [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Victor: 事情 (shìqíng) [natural native speed] |
| Victor: 啊 (a) [natural native speed] |
| Amber: (mood particle) |
| Victor: 啊 (a) [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Victor: 啊 (a) [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 in the dialogue today. |
| Victor: Yeah. So, what we have in front of us today is a 行程 (xíngchéng). |
| Amber: Which is an “itinerary” or a “schedule.” |
| Victor: Yeah. 行 (xíng) is a 2nd tone and 程 (chéng) is also a 2nd tone. |
| Amber: Right. So, where else would you use this term used, besides an itinerary for a business day? |
| Victor: Maybe when you speak of a travel itinerary, or, yeah. |
| Amber: Oh, like a ticket to where, let’s say, today’s 行程 (xíngchéng). |
| Victor: Correct. |
| Amber: Ah, I see. So, Mike’s schedule for the day is very busy indeed. |
| Victor: Yeah, let’s start out by talking about how to say the date in Chinese. |
| Amber: Right. So here, we heard today’s date was… |
| Victor: 7月23日 (qī yuè èrshísān rì). |
| Amber: Right. So, much like the days of the week in Chinese that just use numbers to indicate which day of the week it is, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6… |
| Victor: Yeah. |
| Amber: Sunday is different. |
| Victor: Sunday is different. |
| Amber: But the months are the same, which is really good news. |
| Victor: Yeah. |
| Amber: All you have to do is learn how to count to 12! |
| Victor: Exactly! So much better than English, right? |
| Amber: That’s right! |
| Victor: You have to remember January, February, October. |
| Amber: Yeah, so hard. But here, we just have the word for month. What’s the word for “month,” Victor? |
| Victor: The word for month is 月 (yuè) and it’s 4th tone, 月 (yuè). |
| Amber: So, to make the name of the month, what do you do? |
| Victor: You simply put the number before the 月 (yuè) and that’s it. |
| Amber: Right! So, each of the 12 month is just identified by its number. |
| Victor: Right. |
| Amber: So, we heard 7月 (qī yuè). So (qi) we know is “7.” |
| Victor: Yeah. |
| Amber: So it’s July? |
| Victor: Correct, 7月 (qī yuè). |
| Amber: Right. |
| Victor: So like January is 1月 (yī yuè), February is 2月 (èr yuè), and so on. |
| Amber: The Chinese is so practical. |
| Victor: Very good. |
| Amber: So lofty! Okay. So next, we hear the word for the day of the month that it is. |
| Victor: Yeah, and that is the same thing, even more good news. |
| Amber: Yes. |
| Victor: 日 (rì) is the word for “day.” 日 (rì) is a 4th tone. |
| Amber: Okay. So then now, we just put…what? The day of the calendar number, or the date in front of the 日 (rì)? |
| Victor: Correct. So, 23日 (èrshísān rì) means the “23rd.” |
| Amber: Because (èrshísān) is “23.” |
| Victor: Yeah. |
| Amber: So put it all together, we heard… |
| Victor: 7月23日 (qī yuè èrshísān rì) |
| Amber: Which means “July 23rd.” |
| Victor: Correct. |
| Amber: So, what about you, Victor, what’s your birthday? Give us another example. |
| Victor: It’s 10月17日 (shí yuè shíqī rì). |
| Amber: So (shí) is “10.” |
| Victor: Yeah. |
| Amber: 10月 (shí yuè) means “October.” |
| Victor: Correct. |
| Amber: And what’s the date? |
| Victor: (Shíqī) |
| Amber: “17” |
| Victor: Seventeen |
| Amber: So, October 17. |
| Victor: Yes. |
| Amber: Me, I’m 1月 (yī yuè)... |
| Victor: Yeah. |
| Amber: 22日 (èrshí'èr rì) |
| Victor: Okay. So (yi) is 1st, so January. |
| Amber: Yes. |
| Victor: (Èrshí'èr) is “22” |
| Amber: Yeah. |
| Victor: So, January 22nd. |
| Amber: That’s right! |
| Victor: A January baby. |
| Amber: Yeah. Okay, next, we do know the days of the week. We’ve learned that before in our earlier Gengo lesson. So we heard them say which day of the week it was. What was that? |
| Victor: 星期五 (xīngqīwǔ) |
| Amber: Right. So, in this case, the 星期 (xīngqī) is the word for “week,” 五 (wǔ) comes after for the day of the week. |
| Victor: Correct. |
| Amber: Five, which is “Friday.” |
| Victor: Yeah. So now, the real itinerary begins. And basically, what we hear next are times, then what Mike will be doing. |
| Amber: Right, all his meetings and so forth. |
| Victor: Yeah . Okay, so let’s start with “10 o’clock.” |
| Amber: So, when speaking of the time, we first hear the specifics, which is that it’s the morning. So the word for “morning,” we have heard before. Let’s hear it again. |
| Amber: Right, 上午 (shàngwǔ). 上(shàng) is 4th tone and 午 (wǔ) is a 3rd tone, so put it together, it’s 上午 (shàngwǔ). |
| Amber: So, in the dialogue, he said 上午 (shàngwǔ) and then the time, which was 十点 (shí diǎn). So basically, that just means, “morning, 10 o’clock.” |
| Victor: Right. |
| Amber: So we learned a little bit about time in Lesson 5, in the Gengo series. So today, think about it like a good review to kind of refresh your memory and we’ll add in a couple of more time words that will help you build your vocabulary as well. So, in the dialogue, you heard the time, where the event is happening, what Mike is doing and with who. |
| Victor: So the first item on the agenda, well, we know is 10 o’clock. |
| Amber: Now, where is it? |
| Victor: 在办公室 (zài bàngōngshì) |
| Amber: Right. So 在 (zài), we’ve learned before. It’s the preposition “at.” |
| Victor: Yeah, 在 (zài), 4th tone. |
| Amber: So it’s at… |
| Victor: 办公室 (bàngōngshì) |
| Amber: Hmm, which is the office. |
| Victor: The office. 办 (bàn) is 4th tone, 公 (gōng) is 1st tone, and 室 (shì) is 4th tone. |
| Amber: Right. So, basically, at the same office they’re at now, they’re having a meeting. Okay, next is what they’re going to do, speaking of... |
| Victor: 会见 (huìjiàn) |
| Amber: Hmm, which means “to meet with.” |
| Victor: Yeah, it’s a pretty formal word, 会见 (huìjiàn), yeah. 会 (huì) is a 4th tone and 见 (jiàn) is also a 4th tone. |
| Amber: Right. And who are they going to meet with? |
| Victor: 希望公司的李先生 (Xīwàng gōngsī de lǐ xiānshēng) |
| Amber: Okay, so let’s break this down. First, there is a company name. |
| Victor: Yep. It is 希望公司 (Xīwàng gōngsī). |
| Amber: So 公司 (gōngsī), first of all, is the word for “company.” |
| Victor: For company. 公 (gōng) 1st tone, 司 (sī) also 1st tone, 公司 (gōngsī). |
| Amber: And before the company comes the company name, 希望 (Xīwàng). |
| Victor: 希望 (Xīwàng). 希望 (Xīwàng) means “hope” and 希 (xī) is 1st tone and 望 (wàng) is a 4th tone. |
| Amber: And don’t you find this seems like a very Chinese company name, Victor? They love this sort of inspirational lofty sounding name. |
| Victor: It sounds good. It sounds good. It’s for, you know. |
| Amber: Something positive. |
| Victor: Auspicious, you know, sounding. |
| Amber: Yes, exactly. Right. So “hope” is 希望 (xīwàng), 公司 (gōngsī) is company. |
| Victor: And then we hear, 希望公司的李先生 (Xīwàng gōngsī de lǐ xiānshēng). |
| Amber: Right, so literally translated, it’s “Hope Company” then we hear this 的 (de), and then the person, 李先生 (Lǐ xiānshēng). So, what is this 的 (de), Victor? |
| Victor: Basically, the 的 (de) is the possessive 的 (de), so it means “Hope Company’s Mr. Li.” |
| Amber: So, it’s kind of like maybe our apostrophe S, showing possessive. |
| Victor: Exactly. |
| Amber: You use the particle 的 (de). |
| Victor: 希望公司的李先生 (Xīwàng gōngsī de lǐ xiānshēng). |
| Amber: Hmm, makes sense. |
| Victor: Yeah. |
| Amber: Okay. Next item? |
| Victor: Well, let’s start with the time. |
| Amber: Right! And we hear a new time word here! |
| Victor: Yeah, which is 中午 (zhōngwǔ). |
| Amber Hmm… Now, knowing the word 中 (zhōng), 1st tone, is the word for “center” or “middle” |
| Victor: Yeah. |
| Amber: 午 (wǔ) is the word for “afternoon,” what do you think it is? Can anyone guess? It means “noon.” |
| Victor: Ting ding ding, yeah! |
| Amber: So 12 o’clock noon, basically. |
| Victor: 中午十二点 (Zhōngwǔ shí'èr diǎn). And the noon comes first, not like in English. |
| Amber: Right. Okay. Now, next is our location. Where? We hear the 在 (zài) again that tells us, it’s going to tell us location. 在 (zài) where? |
| Victor: 上海饭店 (Shànghǎi fàndiàn) |
| Amber: Hmm, now, you might recognize Shanghai from that. |
| Victor: Yeah. |
| Amber: It’s pretty obvious. And we should recognize 饭店 (fàndiàn), because we heard it in the hotel check-in episode. |
| Victor: Right, 饭店 (fàndiàn). |
| Amber: So remember, we said 饭店 (fàndiàn). Sometimes, it can mean a restaurant or a hotel. |
| Victor: Right. |
| Amber: For example, remember the hotel was called the Great Wall Hotel. |
| Victor: Yeah, 长城饭店 (Chángchéng fàndiàn). |
| Amber: But in this case, if he is meeting someone for lunch, I mean it could be a hotel, but let’s face it, it’s probably a restaurant, or it could be both, really. The word can overlap, but the context will make you know where it is. Anyway, for our sake, we’ll just say it’s a restaurant in a hotel, how about that? |
| Victor: Yeah. That works for me. |
| Amber: Bases are covered! Okay, next? |
| Victor: We hear 和東方汽车公司的陈先生 (Hé dōngfāng qìchē gōngsī de chén xiānshēng). |
| Amber: Okay, now, don’t get freaked out. It’s a bit long, but it’s exactly the same structure that we just heard in the previous agenda item. |
| Victor: Yeah. |
| Amber: So, first, we hear 和 (hé), which in this case means “with.” |
| Victor: 和 (hé), and now, who with? Well, it’s somebody from a company. We know that because we hear 公司 (gōngsī) again. |
| Amber: So, which company is it that we hear here? It’s kind of got a long name. |
| Victor: Yeah. The company’s name is 東方汽车公司 (Dōngfāng qìchē gōngsī). |
| Amber: Okay. So, just to break it down, 東方 (Dōngfāng) is… |
| Victor: “Eastern” |
| Amber: And it’s 1st tone, 1st tone. |
| Victor: Correct, 東方 (Dōngfāng). |
| Amber: And then 汽车 (qìchē). |
| Victor: It means “automobile.” |
| Amber: Mmm. |
| Victor: So, 汽 (qì) is 4th tone and 车 (chē) is 1st tone. |
| Amber: And then, 公司 (gōngsī). |
| Victor: Of course, the 公司 (gōngsī), yeah. So put together, it is 東方汽车公司 (Dōngfāng qìchē gōngsī). |
| Amber: Which is “Eastern Automobile Company.” And who is he meeting with there? |
| Victor: 東方汽车公司的陈先生 (Dōngfāng qìchē gōngsī de chén xiānshēng) |
| Amber: Ah, Mr. Chen. |
| Victor: We all hear the 的 (de), once again. |
| Amber: Yep. That tells you it’s the 陈先生 (chén xiānshēng) of the Dongfang Company. Okay, and, last but not the least, what are they going to do together? It is noon after all! |
| Victor: Yeah, 吃午饭 (chī wǔfàn). |
| Amber: Right! 午饭 (wǔfàn) is the word for “lunch.” |
| Victor: Yeah, 午饭 (wǔfàn). 午(wǔ) is 3rd tone and 饭 (fàn) is four, and 饭 (fàn) is 4th tone. |
| Amber: Right. So, in its entirety, that sentence again, Victor? |
| Victor: 中午十二点在上海饭店和东方汽车公司的陈先生吃午饭 (Zhōngwǔ shí'èr diǎn zài shànghǎi fàndiàn hé dōngfāng qìchē gōngsī de chén xiānshēng chī wǔfàn) |
| Amber: Okay, so there’s, it’s a little long, but there’s great, very practical words in there that you’re gonna use all the time, so it’s worth taking a little extra time to review it. |
| Victor: That’s right. |
| Amber: Now, the day is only half over, Victor. All of this packed in already. |
| Victor: Wow! |
| Amber: My goodness! What is next? |
| Victor: Yeah, he is boom, boom, boom, going on things. Well, I think Mike is in for a treat. |
| Amber: Yes! Actually, something I wish I always had done. |
| Victor: Oh, yeah? |
| Amber: His very first tour of a Chinese factory. |
| Victor: Okay. |
| Amber: Have you ever toured a Chinese factory, Victor? |
| Victor: I don’t think so, no. |
| Amber: See? We all missed out. |
| Victor: It would have been, it would have been cool, yeah. |
| Amber: Okay. So, what is the word for “factory,” first of all? |
| Victor: 工厂 (gōngchǎng), 工厂 gōngchǎng. It’s a 1st tone and 3rd tone. |
| Amber: Good! So that gives us some context about where they’re going. Let’s start again and look at the time, at the beginning. |
| Victor: 下午三点半 (Xiàwǔ sān diǎn bàn) |
| Amber: Okay. So first, we all know “afternoon” 下午 (xiàwǔ). |
| Victor: Yeah. |
| Amber: Okay. Next, we hear 三 (sān), which is the word for “three,” 1st tone. |
| Victor: Mm-hmm, 点 (diǎn). |
| Amber: Then we hear 点 (diǎn), which is the word for “o’clock.” |
| Victor: Correct. |
| Amber: We all know. What’s this 半 (bàn)? |
| Victor: 半 (bàn) is “half.” |
| Amber: Just like we would say “half past three.” |
| Victor: Exactly. |
| Amber: 3:30 |
| Victor: Yeah. And 半 (bàn) is 4th tone. |
| Amber: Good. Okay. Now, comes next is with whom is he going? |
| Victor: Again we hear the 和 (hé), which means “with” here. |
| Amber: Mmm, and with whom? |
| Victor: We hear with 陳先生 (Chén xiānshēng), again. |
| Amber: Okay. |
| Victor: And then they throw in another word to let you know it’s something they will actually do together. |
| Amber: Togetherness in the factory... The word for “together” is…? |
| Victor: 一起 (yìqǐ) |
| Amber: Very useful word. |
| Victor: Yeah. |
| Amber: Actually, we will give some more examples of using this word in the grammar section in a moment. What are the tones on 一起 (yìqǐ)? |
| Victor: 一 (yī) is 1st tone and 起 (qǐ) is 3rd tone, and because of the tone-change rule, the 一(yì) here is a 4th tone. |
| Amber: So it changes to 4th tone, even though technically, it’s a 1st tone. |
| Victor: Yes. |
| Amber: So it sounds like 一起 (yìqǐ). |
| Victor: 一起 (yìqǐ) |
| Amber: Okay. So what are they going to do now? Remember the factory, how do we say it? |
| Victor: 工厂 (gōngchǎng) |
| Amber: And what are they going to do with the factory at the 工厂 (gōngchǎng)? |
| Victor: 参观他们的工厂 (cānguān tāmen de gōngchǎng) |
| Amber: Ah, now 参观 (cānguān) means… |
| Victor: “To tour.” 参 (cān) is 1st tone and 观 (guān) is 1st tone. |
| Amber: Okay, well, it seems like it’s all work and no fun, Victor, today. Although factory can be fun, depending on what they’re making. |
| Victor: Well, no, the fun is coming next, because we hear what is happening in the 晚上 (wǎnshàng). |
| Amber: Ah, in the evening. |
| Victor: Karaoke, maybe! |
| Amber: Of course, the 晚上 (wǎnshàng) is always the golden hour, 晚上 (wǎnshàng). What are the tones on that? |
| Victor: 晚 (wǎn) is a 3rd tone, and 上 (shàng) is 4th tone. |
| Amber: Okay, so Victor, what do the Chinese do to kick back over business? |
| Victor: Well, eat, of course. |
| Amber: Okay, so “eating.” In this case, he’s going to be with who this time? |
| Victor: 和新东方公司吃晚饭 (Hé xīndōngfāng gōngsī chī wǎnfàn) |
| Amber: Right. So, he’s going to eat with the… What does that company mean? |
| Victor: The 新东方公司 (Xīndōngfāng gōngsī), the “New Eastern Company.” |
| Amber: So, with the New Eastern Company, what’s he going to do? |
| Victor: 吃晚饭 (chī wǎnfàn) |
| Amber: Ah, to eat dinner. |
| Victor: Dinner, yeah. |
| Amber: So 吃 (chī) is the word for “to eat.” What’s the word for “dinner,” Victor? |
| Victor: 晚饭 (wǎnfàn), 3rd tone and 4th tone. |
| Amber: Right. So, I am sure Mike is looking forward to that. |
| Victor: A dine-in with Chinese businessmen is never dull. |
| Amber: Yes, as we will see in a future episode, no dullness here. |
| Victor: So last but not least, we hear Mike give a little commentary on the day. |
| Amber: Yes. He says, “Wa!!!” In Chinese kind of like, wow. How do you say it, Victor? |
| Victor: 哇 (wa)! |
| Amber: 哇 (wa)! |
| Victor: 哇 (wa)! |
| Amber: 好多事情 (hǎo duō shìqíng) which means “very many” 好多 (hǎo duō). |
| Victor: Yeah, very many things. |
| Amber: Yeah. 事情 (shìqíng) is “matters” or “things.” |
| Victor: Right. 好多 (hǎo duō), 好 (hǎo) is a 3rd tone, 多 (duō) is a 1st tone. |
| Amber: Mmm. |
| Victor: And 事情 (shìqíng), 事 (shì) is 4th tone and 情 (qíng) here is the neutral tone. |
| Amber: Right, many 事情 (shìqíng)s. And many many great useful words we learned today! |
| Victor: Yeah, that’s right. |
Lesson focus |
|---|
| Amber: So, we’re also going to learn some useful grammar now. And today, our grammar, we’re all about togetherness. |
| Victor: Yeah, togetherness in Chinese. |
| Amber: (Yìqǐ)ness. Not itchiness, (yìqǐ)ness. |
| Victor: Brought together by Chinese. |
| Amber: Yes. So we heard three things that our businessmen are doing together in today's itinerary. |
| Victor: And the pattern for talking about doing something with someone is pretty easy in Chinese. And you even have options! |
| Amber: As you often do in Chinese! So in this dialogue, we heard... |
| Victor: 和新東方公司吃晚飯 (Hé xīndōngfāng gōngsī chī wǎnfàn) |
| Amber: Right! And literally, this is “with New Eastern Company eat dinner.” So the pattern we already talked about is using the word “with” which is here… |
| Victor: 和 (hé) |
| Amber: Yeah, 和 (hé) here acts as the word “with,” “with” in English. |
| Victor: So you say 和 (hé) plus who with, and then you say what you’re going to do. |
| Amber: Right. So, let’s give some other examples. For example, if I was going to say “I'm going to China with you,” what would I say, Victor? |
| Victor: In the dialogue, it was omitted because we know it was Mike’s schedule and it was him that was going. So… |
| Amber: Yeah. Often in Chinese, we can delete, just drop the subject if it’s known. |
| Victor: Right. So, “I'm going to China with you” is 我和你去中国 (Wǒ hé nǐ qù Zhōngguó). |
| Amber: Right, which literally, “I with you go to China.” |
| Victor: Yeah. |
| Amber: Good, but actually, there is a more wordy way, if you chose to be so verbose. You can actually add another word and sometimes people do to indicate “together” beyond the “with.” It’s the magic word that means “together.” |
| Victor: 一起 (yìqǐ) |
| Amber: Right. |
| Victor: Yeah. |
| Amber: So, like the other “togetherness” plan that we heard in the dialogue, they did actually put in the word 一起 (yìqǐ) because it’s optional. What did we hear? |
| Victor: 和陈先生一起参观他们的工厂 (hé Chén Xiānshēng yìqǐ cānguān tāmen de gōngchǎng) |
| Amber: Right. So it basically meant “with Mr. Chen together tour their factory.” So you can just say “with Mr. Chen, tour the factory.” You could just leave out the 一起 (yìqǐ). |
| Victor: Yeah. |
| Amber: Or you can include it. |
| Victor: Correct. |
| Amber: Is there any difference in meaning, Victor? |
| Victor: No, there’s really not a difference. |
| Amber: Okay. So, for example, my example where I said, “I’m going to China with you,” I could either just say… |
| Victor: 我和你去中国 (Wǒ hé nǐ qù Zhōngguó) |
| Amber: Or I could say… |
| Victor: 我和你一起去中国 (Wǒ hé nǐ yīqǐ qù zhōngguó). |
| Amber: It’s the same, right? |
| Victor: Yeah. |
| Amber: Good. Both options. |
| Victor: Actually, to be honest, Amber, there is even one more option. |
| Amber: Ah, the Chinese is so versatile. Okay, what is that? |
| Victor: So, instead of 和 (hé), you can also use 跟 (gēn), which also means “with.” |
| Amber: Right! Actually, 和 (hé) sometimes means “and” in Chinese. |
| Victor: Yeah. |
| Amber: Sometimes, it means “with.” It depends on the context, but 跟 (gēn) is another preposition that means “with.” |
| Victor: Yeah. |
| Amber: So, how would I say, 我跟你一起去中国吗 (wǒ gēn nǐ yīqǐ qù zhōngguó ma)? Would that be it? |
| Victor: Yeah, that is fine. |
| Amber: Same pattern. |
| Victor: Same pattern. |
| Amber: Good. Well, that’s not that confusing. |
| Victor: Yeah. |
| Amber: It’s good to have options in case you forget one word, you can use the other. |
| Victor: Yeah, and 跟 (gēn) is 1st tone also. |
| Amber: Okay. |
| Victor: Okay, so now, back to the itinerary. |
| Amber: Yes. There is a lot to do. |
| Victor: Yeah. Asian business style is not so laid back. |
| Amber: Yes. That’s for sure! So we heard the word for “a lot,” as in a lot of things to do. |
| Victor: Yeah. He said 好多事情 (hǎoduō shìqíng). |
| Amber: Right. So, just a side little quick grammar point is that you can use 好多 (hǎoduō) to mean “many,” 好 (hǎo) and then 多 (duō), 好 (hǎo) being 3rd tone, 多 (duō) being 1st tone. Or you can just say 很多 (hěn duō). |
| Victor: Yeah. Also, 很 (hěn) 3rd tone and 多 (duō) 1st tone. |
| Amber: RIght. Both have the same meaning. Is there any difference, Victor? |
| Victor: No. |
| Amber: Although I think I find, sometimes, girls say 好多 (hǎo duō) more than men do, right? It’s a little bit girly. |
| Victor: It’s more like emotional, 好多 (hǎo duō), 好多 (hǎo duō). |
| Amber: Yeah. Okay, so we’ll take this opportunity to say, 哇，好多事情啊 (Wa, hǎo duō shìqíng) we learned today! “How many things we learned today!” |
| Victor: That’s right. |
| Amber: It’s so many. So many. |
Outro |
| Amber: Okay, we’ll take another listen to the dialogue. Review this one a few times. It has lots of good vocabulary and grammar in here for you guys. And until next time, we will see you next time on Gengo Chinese. We will say goodbye! 再见。(Zàijiàn.) |
| Victor: Yeah, 再见。(Zàijiàn.) |
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