Learn how to order food in China
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| INTRODUCTION |
| Amber: Hey, everybody! This is Amber. Welcome back to Gengo Chinese. |
| Victor: 大家好，我是 Victor. (Dàjiā hǎo, wǒ shì Victor.) |
| Amber: And this is Lesson 15, Your Chance to be the Life of the Chinese Party. You have joined the Chinese party here today with me, Victor. |
| Victor: Yeah. |
| Amber: And we are gonna teach you how to be “the life”! |
| Victor: Yeah, be the life. |
| Amber: Okay, so speaking of parties and good times, it seems weird that we’re talking about a business meeting, but hey, a business meeting in China is like a party waiting to happen. |
| Victor: That’s a good place to start. |
| Amber: Yeah. |
| Victor: Yeah. |
| Amber: Okay, so Mike is getting his first taste of business in China and we’re getting along with him. |
| Victor: Yeah. He did have some business meetings in the last lesson. Actually, quite a few, right? |
| Amber: Yeah. |
| Victor: In one day. |
| Amber: Yeah. So, I mean, that’s true, that was business meetings, but we all know, Victor, that no business gets done without a table of food and some drunkenness in China, so we’re gonna visit that today. |
| Victor: But first, let's go over the day's events from the last lesson. |
| Amber: Now, first off, I know he did a lot of things together with different businessmen and colleagues. |
| Victor: Right. And to say that you did something “with” someone, in Chinese, we use the word 一起 (yīqǐ) and a sentence pattern as follows. |
| Amber: So yeah, remember, he toured Mr. Chen's factory with him. |
| Victor: Yeah, 和陈先生一起参观他们的工厂 (hé chén xiānshēng yīqǐ cānguān tāmen de gōngchǎng). |
| Amber: Yes and remember, you can either use the 起 (yīqǐ) or leave it out. It’s okay too. Now, he had so many things to do that we also learned the word for “very many.” |
| Victor: Which was 好多 (hǎoduō), yeah. And another way to say is 很多 (hěnduō). |
| Amber: Yeah, either way. So, after a day like that, I think some relaxation is in order Victor. Crack out the 白酒 (báijiǔ)! |
| Victor: Crack out the 白酒 (báijiǔ), the real Chinese stuff. |
| Amber: So in this lesson, you’re going to learn about Chinese business dinners which include some great things like... |
| Victor: Learning to order. |
| Amber: Mm-hmm. |
| Victor: And maybe some special Chinese foods and drinks. |
| Amber: Yeah. And it takes place in a restaurant, this dialogue. |
| Victor: The conversation is among colleagues. |
| Amber: Right, so let's listen to the conversation. |
| DIALOGUE |
| Manager Wang: 大家辛苦了！这是麦克，从美国来。 (Dàjiā xīnkǔ le！Zhè shì Màikè，cóng Měiguó lái.) |
| Mike: 大家好，我叫麦克，从加州来。我是美国人，我很喜欢中国。 (Dàjiā hǎo，wǒ jiào Màikè, cóng Jiāzhōu lái. Wǒ shì Měiguórén, wǒ hěn xǐhuān Zhōngguó.) |
| Everyone: 很高兴认识你。 (Hěn gāoxìng rènshí nǐ.) |
| Mike: 我也是。 (Wǒ yě shì.) |
| Mr. Ma: 你好，我姓马。 (Nǐhǎo，wǒ xìng Mǎ.) |
| Mike: 马先生, 你好。 (Mǎ xiānshēng, nǐhǎo.) |
| Mr. Ma: 你喜欢中国菜吗？ (Nǐ xǐhuān Zhōngguócài ma？) |
| Mike: 不喜欢......我爱中国菜！ (Bù xǐhuān......wǒ ài Zhōngguócài！) |
| Mr. Ma: 你喜欢凤爪吗？ (Nǐ xǐhuān fèngzhǎo ma？) |
| Mike: 我不知道。 (Wǒ bùzhīdào.) |
| Mr. Ma: 好，我点吧。喝什么？ (Hǎo，wǒ diǎn ba. Hē shénme？) |
| Mike: 随便。 (Suíbiàn.) |
| Mr. Ma: 好，服务员！ 来一份 凤爪, 一瓶白酒. (Hǎo! Fúwùyuán! Lái yí fèn fèngzhǎo, yì píng báijiǔ.) |
| Victor: 重复一次，慢速。(Chóngfù yīcì, màn sù.) |
| Amber: One more time, a little slower. |
| Manager Wang: 大家辛苦了！这是麦克，从美国来。 (Dàjiā xīnkǔ le！Zhè shì Màikè，cóng Měiguó lái.) |
| Mike: 大家好，我叫麦克，从加州来。我是美国人，我很喜欢中国。 (Dàjiā hǎo，wǒ jiào Màikè, cóng Jiāzhōu lái. Wǒ shì Měiguórén, wǒ hěn xǐhuān Zhōngguó.) |
| Everyone: 很高兴认识你。 (Hěn gāoxìng rènshí nǐ.) |
| Mike: 我也是。 (Wǒ yě shì.) |
| Mr. Ma: 你好，我姓马。 (Nǐhǎo，wǒ xìng Mǎ.) |
| Mike: 马先生, 你好。 (Mǎ xiānshēng, nǐhǎo.) |
| Mr. Ma: 你喜欢中国菜吗？ (Nǐ xǐhuān Zhōngguócài ma？) |
| Mike: 不喜欢......我爱中国菜！ (Bù xǐhuān......wǒ ài Zhōngguócài！) |
| Mr. Ma: 你喜欢凤爪吗？ (Nǐ xǐhuān fèngzhǎo ma？) |
| Mike: 我不知道。 (Wǒ bùzhīdào.) |
| Mr. Ma: 好，我点吧。喝什么？ (Hǎo，wǒ diǎn ba. Hē shénme？) |
| Mike: 随便。 (Suíbiàn.) |
| Mr. Ma: 好，服务员！ 来一份 凤爪, 一瓶白酒. (Hǎo! Fúwùyuán! Lái yí fèn fèngzhǎo, yì píng báijiǔ.) |
| Victor: 重复一次，加英文翻译。(Chóngfù yīcì, jiā yīngwén fānyì.) |
| Amber: One more time, with the English. |
| Manager Wang: 大家辛苦了！这是麦克，从美国来。 (Dàjiā xīnkǔ le！Zhè shì Màikè，cóng Měiguó lái.) |
| Amber: Great job everyone! This is Mike from the United States. |
| Mike: 大家好，我叫麦克，从加州来。我是美国人，我很喜欢中国。 (Dàjiā hǎo，wǒ jiào Màikè，cóng Jiāzhōu lái. Wǒ shì Měiguórén, wǒ hěn xǐhuān Zhōngguó.) |
| Amber: Hello everyone! I'm Mike; I'm from California. I am American; I really like China. |
| Everyone: 很高兴认识你。 (Hěn gāoxìng rènshí nǐ.) |
| Amber: Nice to meet you. |
| Mike: 我也是。 (Wǒ yě shì.) |
| Amber: Likewise. |
| Mr. Ma: 你好，我姓马。 (Nǐhǎo，wǒ xìng Mǎ.) |
| Amber: Hello, my name is Ma. |
| Mike: 马先生, 你好。 (Mǎ Xiānshēng, nǐhǎo.) |
| Amber: Mr. Ma, hello. |
| Mr. Ma: 你喜欢中国菜吗？ (Nǐ xǐhuān Zhōngguócài ma?) |
| Amber: Do you like Chinese food? |
| Mike: 不喜欢......我爱中国菜！ (Bù xǐhuān......wǒ ài Zhōngguócài!) |
| Amber: I don't like it... I love it! |
| Mr. Ma: 你喜欢凤爪吗？ (Nǐ xǐhuān fèngzhǎo ma?) |
| Amber: Do you like chicken feet? |
| Mike: 我不知道。 (Wǒ bùzhīdào.) |
| Amber: I don't know. |
| Mr. Ma: 好，我点吧。喝什么？ (Hǎo，wǒ diǎn ba. Hē shénme?) |
| Amber: Okay, I'll order some. What do you want to drink? |
| Mike: 随便。 (Suíbiàn.) |
| Amber: Up to you. |
| Mr. Ma: 好，服务员！ 来一份 凤爪, 一瓶白酒. (Hǎo! Fúwùyuán! Lái yí fèn fèngzhǎo, yì píng báijiǔ.) |
| Amber: Okay! Waiter! Bring us an order of chicken feet and a bottle of rice wine. |
| POST CONVERSATION BANTER |
| Amber: Okay now, here’s a side point, Victor, for ordering in a restaurant tip. |
| Victor: Yeah. |
| Amber: I think I should bring up at this point, because many people are shy to do this in real life. |
| Victor Right. |
| Amber: But the only way to get the waiter to come to your table in China is by saying what? Yell it for us. |
| Victor: Exactly. 服务员 (fúwùyuán)！ |
| Amber: Yeah and sometimes, you have to yell very loud, but that is the way to… |
| Victor: 服务员 (fúwùyuán)！ |
| Amber: Yeah, exactly. That is the way, the only way the waiter is probably gonna come and give you service, so don’t be shy. |
| Victor: RIght. Don’t be shy. |
| Amber: It’s not rude. |
| Victor: And you’re not gonna tip them so… |
| Amber: So yeah, all is well. |
| Victor: Right. |
| Amber: Okay. Well, more on that later and more on what they ordered, but let’s just take a look at the vocabulary for this lesson, first. |
| Victor: Sure. |
| VOCAB LIST |
| Victor: 大家 (dàjiā) [natural native speed] |
| Amber: everyone, everybody |
| Victor: 大家 (dàjiā) [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Victor: 大家 (dàjiā) [natural native speed] |
| Victor: 辛苦 (xīnkǔ) [natural native speed] |
| Amber: hard, hard work |
| Victor: 辛苦 (xīnkǔ) [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Victor: 辛苦 (xīnkǔ) [natural native speed] |
| Victor: 喜欢 (xǐhuān) [natural native speed] |
| Amber: to like |
| Victor: 喜欢 (xǐhuān) [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Victor: 喜欢 (xǐhuān) [natural native speed] |
| Victor: 姓 (xìng) [natural native speed] |
| Amber: last name, family name |
| Victor: 姓 (xìng) [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Victor: 姓 (xìng) [natural native speed] |
| Victor: 中国菜 (Zhōngguócài) [natural native speed] |
| Amber: Chinese food |
| Victor: 中国菜 (Zhōngguócài) [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Victor: 中国菜 (Zhōngguócài) [natural native speed] |
| Victor: 爱 (ài) [natural native speed] |
| Amber: to love |
| Victor: 爱 (ài) [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Victor: 爱 (ài) [natural native speed] |
| Victor: 凤爪 (fèngzhǎo) [natural native speed] |
| Amber: chicken feet |
| Victor: 凤爪 (fèngzhǎo) [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Victor: 凤爪 (fèngzhǎo) [natural native speed] |
| Victor: 点 (diǎn) [natural native speed] |
| Amber: o'clock |
| Victor: 点 (diǎn) [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Victor: 点 (diǎn) [natural native speed] |
| Victor: 吧 (ba) [natural native speed] |
| Amber: (particle; denotes suggestion) |
| Victor: 吧 (ba) [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Victor: 吧 (ba) [natural native speed] |
| Victor: 喝 (hē) [natural native speed] |
| Amber: to drink |
| Victor: 喝 (hē) [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Victor: 喝 (hē) [natural native speed] |
| Victor: 随便 (suíbiàn) [natural native speed] |
| Amber: as one pleases |
| Victor: 随便 (suíbiàn) [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Victor: 随便 (suíbiàn) [natural native speed] |
| Victor: 服务员 (fúwùyuán) [natural native speed] |
| Amber: waiter |
| Victor: 服务员 (fúwùyuán) [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Victor: 服务员 (fúwùyuán) [natural native speed] |
| Victor: 份 (fèn) [natural native speed] |
| Amber: portion, share |
| Victor: 份 (fèn) [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Victor: 份 (fèn) [natural native speed] |
| Victor: 白酒 (báijiǔ) [natural native speed] |
| Amber: rice wine |
| Victor: 白酒 (báijiǔ) [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Victor: 白酒 (báijiǔ) [natural native speed] |
| VOCAB AND PHRASE USAGE |
| Amber: Okay, let's take a look at some of these words words and phrases that we learned in this lesson. Now, I say that is a menu to be salivated over, don’t you think, Victor? |
| Victor: Yeah, I miss that kind of food. |
| Amber: Honestly, I was lying. I don’t really miss chicken feet. |
| Victor: The chicken feet and 白酒 (báijiǔ). |
| Amber: But I do, yeah, I mean, I do miss a couple of things, definitely, of Chinese food. |
| Victor: Yeah, Amber, 辛苦了 (xīnkǔ le), huh? |
| Amber: Aha, Victor, yes, and you and your city, also 辛苦了 (xīnkǔ le). The only kind of side food on the street is a hotdog. |
| Victor: So weird, this 辛苦 (xīnkǔ) word. |
| Amber: Yes. I love this word, because it’s one of these words that we don’t really even have in English or even have the concept of. It’s very cultural. |
| Victor: Right. |
| Amber: Can you explain 辛苦 (xīnkǔ), Victor? |
| Victor: Yeah, it’s like you show the recognition or appreciation for someone’s hard work, hardworking. |
| Amber: Yeah, it’s kind of like, but it’s weird because it’s almost like a compliment though. It’s like you’ve suffered, you’ve worked hard. |
| Victor: You’ve worked hard. |
| Amber: But in a good way. |
| Victor: But I appreciate it, you know. |
| Amber: Yes. |
| Victor: Yes. It’s like they recognize that they did the work. |
| Amber: Yeah, so, like in the dialogue, Manager Wang says to everyone… |
| Victor: 大家辛苦了！(Dàjiā xīnkǔ le!) |
| Amber: Right, so 大家 (dàjiā) is what tones? |
| Victor: 大 (dà) is 4th tone, 家 (jiā) is first tone. |
| Amber: And that’s everyone. |
| Victor: Right. |
| Amber: And then? |
| Victor: 辛苦 (xīnkǔ), 辛 (xīn) is 1st tone, 苦 (kǔ) is 3rd tone. |
| Amber: Right. |
| Victor: 辛苦了 (xīnkǔ le) |
| Amber: So basically, it’s like everybody, you all suffered and worked so hard and it’s so great. That’s what he’s saying to them. |
| Victor: Right. And in another sentence, he said 了 (le) and it’s just a particle. There is really no special meaning for that. |
| Amber: Right. So now that we’ve heard about all the suffering, next, we’ll hear quite a few likes. |
| Victor: Right. |
| Amber: “Like” in Chinese is? |
| Victor: 喜欢 (xǐhuān). 喜(xǐ) is 3rd tone, 欢 (huān) is 1st tone, 喜欢 (xǐhuān). |
| Amber: Yes. So first of all, what do we hear that is liked? Well, Mike says, he likes China. |
| Victor: 喜欢中国 (xǐhuān Zhōngguó), 喜欢中国 (xǐhuān Zhōngguó). |
| Amber: So we know the word for “China,” 中国 (Zhōngguó). |
| Victor: Yeah. |
| Amber: 喜欢 (xǐhuān) “to like” China. What else do we hear about liking? |
| Victor: Yeah, another thing about 中国 (Zhōngguó) is 中国菜 (Zhōngguócài), 中国菜 (Zhōngguócài). |
| Amber: So literally, “China dishes.” 菜 (cài) is like “dishes” as in food dishes, how Chinese dishes are served. |
| Victor: And 菜 (cài) is 4th tone. |
| Amber: Right, so China + 菜 (cài) means “Chinese food.” |
| Victor: Yeah. |
| Amber: Yes. |
| Victor: And then, speaking of Chinese dishes... |
| Amber: Yes, what is that? |
| Victor: Do you really wanna know? |
| Amber: Oh, the next vocabulary word, yes. |
| Victor: Chicken feet! |
| Amber: Oh my goodness! |
| Victor: 凤爪 (fèngzhǎo) |
| Amber: Hmm, it’s [*] |
| Victor: It’s a delicacy. |
| Amber: What are the tones on chicken feet, Victor? |
| Victor: 凤 (fèng) is 4th tone and 爪 (zhǎo) is a 3rd tone. |
| Amber: Right! Well, it’s a good word to know as a word of warning, perhaps, unless if you want them or for something you might seek out. |
| Victor: Yeah. |
| Amber: Because you want to be truly having the Chinese experience. |
| Victor: Have you tried it before? |
| Amber: I can’t put that in my mouth. |
| Victor: I know you don’t like it, but you never even tried it? Ah! |
| Amber: I just can’t put a foot in my mouth, a literal foot that is. |
| Victor: For the listeners who, you know, dare to try it, it’s actually not that bad. |
| Amber: Hmm. I know. I can’t judge them. I haven’t eaten them. I’m not gonna judge them, sorry. |
| Okay, but I think I already know, I 不喜欢 (bù xǐhuān) them. |
| Victor: Yeah, okay. |
| Amber: So, 喜欢 (xǐhuān), okay, we can do something with this phrase, of course, “to like” and then we know our word to make 喜欢 (xǐhuān) negative is 不 (bù). |
| Victor: 不 (bù) |
| Amber: So, you can respond either way. Do you like 凤爪 (fèngzhǎo)? 喜欢 (xǐhuān) “yes”... |
| Victor: Or… |
| Amber: 不喜欢 (bù xǐhuān) “no.” |
| Victor: Okay, so what about 白酒 (báijiǔ) then? |
| Amber: Hmm, well, before we get to that controversy, let’s bring out something that has to do with drinking, actually, a very good word which is the verb “to drink.” |
| Victor: Yeah and that it is 喝 (hē), 1st tone, 喝 (hē). |
| Amber: Yes. Now, 白酒 (báijiǔ) is something that people really like to 喝 (hē) in China. |
| Victor: Well, yeah, put it this way, you’re going to have to learn to 喝 (hē) it if you want to do business in China. |
| Amber: It’s true. |
| Victor: Yeah. |
| Amber: And what is 白酒 (báijiǔ)? Okay, now, 白酒 (báijiǔ) is a sort of clear rice spirit alcohol. |
| Victor: Yeah. |
| Amber: That when the Chinese decide to drink, they do it with total gusto. |
| Victor: Yeah, they don’t joke about it. They are serious. |
| Amber: I mean, do you like the taste of it, Victor? |
| Victor: I personally don’t, I don’t. |
| Amber: Yeah. I don’t know why many people like it. It’s just more of a means to the end, I think. |
| Victor: Exactly, yeah, yeah, yeah. |
| Amber: But yeah, so it’s definitely going to be a part of your experience in China if you are doing business, I would predict, so give it a try. |
| Victor: Yeah and another thing you’ll find is that there will be endless toasts and you’re going to get drunk. |
| Amber: Yes, and that’s true, unless you find, like I did, a secret dump-out tactic. |
| Victor: Oh, what is that? |
| Amber: I don’t know, like you just like, as you’re going over the soup bowl, you could simply dump out the rice wine. |
| Victor: Like why does the soup taste weird? |
| Amber: Exactly. But then you’re like, oh, I don’t like soup. I’m full. Okay, so like Mike in the dialogue, maybe you too perhaps do not know if you like chicken feet or not. If you really don’t know if you like something, what would you say then, Victor? |
| Victor: 不知道 (bùzhīdào) |
| Amber: Right, like Mike said, you can claim innocence, I don’t know. |
| Victor: Yeah. |
| Amber: What are the tones on that? |
| Victor: 不 (bù) is 4th tone, 知 (zhī) is 1st tone, and 道 (dào) is also 4th tone. |
| Amber: Right, so the word for “to know” is 知道 (zhīdào). 不 (bù) is just a negating word. |
| Victor: Yep. |
| Amber: Okay, so the jury is still out. He doesn’t know if he likes chicken feet or not yet, probably for many other people too. |
| Victor: Yeah. |
| Amber: But, yeah, if you don’t wanna say like they make me wanna puke, you can just say, “Oh, I don’t know” 不知道 (bùzhīdào). |
| Victor: Yeah, the thing with Chinese people, if you tell them what you like, sometimes they go overboard with the things you like. |
| Amber: Yeah, be careful. They might order like 52 chicken feet. |
| Victor: Yeah, because you just like it. |
| Amber: Exactly. Okay now, next, we hear another must-know word for a restaurant of course which is “to order.” |
| Victor: It is 点 (diǎn) and it’s 3rd tone, 点 (diǎn). |
| Amber: Right. So we heard this generous order of chicken feet offering to order some, so he used the word 点 (diǎn), and what did he say, Victor? |
| Victor: 我点吧 (wǒ diǎn ba) |
| Amber: Right. Now, this 吧 (ba) at the end is a good little word... |
| Victor: Yeah. |
| Amber: You can throw in to soften a sentence and make it a suggestion. |
| Victor: Correct. |
| Amber: So, he’s kindly suggesting that he’ll order. |
| Victor: The word is order, yeah. |
| Amber: And the 吧 (ba) is a neutral tone. It’s just a particle. |
| Victor: Correct. |
| Amber: Now, it’s true that ordering in a Chinese restaurant is actually an art. It’s not for beginners. For one thing, it’s difficult to read the menu. |
| Victor: Yeah. |
| Amber: And certain things must go together and it’s very difficult. I would definitely say do not take it upon yourself to try and order anything from the menu. So in this case, you can use the phrase that Mike used, which is a really good phrase to know. It basically means, “whatever you like, up to you.” |
| Victor: Yeah. You can use it in many non-committal situations, and that is 随便 (suíbiàn). |
| Amber: Right. What are the tones for that? |
| Victor: 随 (suí) is 2nd tone and 便 (biàn) is 4th tone. |
| Amber: Right, so Mike uses it here when they asked him what he wants to drink too. He says, he’s probably dying for like, you know, a good Brooklyn Lager or something, but he wants to be polite and chances are, you probably don’t get that out here. |
| Victor: Probably wouldn’t find it, yeah. |
| Amber: So he says… |
| Victor: 随便 (suíbiàn) |
| Amber: Right, “it’s up to you,” which is a really good phrase to use in this kind of situation. |
| Victor: Yeah. |
| Amber: But, be also be prepared for the results, which is definitely 白酒 (báijiǔ). Okay, so we can also use another situation like, for example, I could say right now, “Hey Victor, should we move on to the grammar section now?” |
| Victor: 随便 (suíbiàn). |
| Amber: Yeah, yes, clever. I am the boss. |
| Victor: Go ahead. |
| Amber: Okay, well, I think we should. Okay, so grammar today. |
Lesson focus |
|---|
| Amber: Now, well, we mentioned it a bit and that was one of my favorite words in the Chinese language which is 吧 (ba), the particle 吧 (ba). |
| Victor: Oh yeah, that’s your favorite word? |
| Amber: Yeah, I like it because it’s just, I even use it in English now. |
| Victor: It does a lot of things. |
| Amber: It does. It does do a lot. |
| Victor: Very easy, very simple, but it’s magical. |
| Amber: Mm-hmm. It’s basically a little particle word that you add to the end of a sentence to make it a suggestion, and in fact, you can even add it onto the end of a command just to make it easier for the person to swallow. |
| Victor: Yeah. |
| Amber: Do this! 吧 (Ba). Exactly. |
| Victor: 走吧 (zǒu ba). |
| Amber: Yeah, it’s very common to hear people say 走吧 (zǒu ba). It means “let’s go.” |
| Victor: 走吧 (zǒu ba), yeah. |
| Amber: Yeah, the 吧 (ba) here, basically, in this phrase, we heard about ordering. |
| Victor: 我点吧 (wǒ diǎn ba) |
| Amber: It changes the phrase from sounding like “I’m ordering,” if you just said 我点 (wǒ diǎn). |
| Victor: Right. |
| Amber: To sounding like “Hey, how about I order then?” |
| Victor: Right. It softens it a lot. |
| Amber: Yeah, it’s good. |
| Victor: Okay now, speaking of ordering... |
| Amber: Yes, how do we do it? We have a perfect opportunity to learn in a restaurant today. |
| Victor: Yep. Well, Mr. Ma is pretty excited in this dialogue and often in a really enthusiastic… |
| Amber: As we mentioned. |
| Victor: Yeah, 服务员 (fúwùyuán) call for the waiter… |
| Amber: 服务员 (fúwùyuán)! |
| Victor: Like 服务员 (fúwùyuán), yeah. |
| Amber: Mm-hmm. |
| Victor: We hear 来一份 凤爪, 一瓶白酒 (lái yí fèn fèngzhǎo, yì píng báijiǔ). |
| Amber: Okay, so we know that 凤爪 (fèngzhǎo) is chicken feet. |
| Victor: Yep. |
| Amber: So what does he say in front of that? |
| Victor: 来一份 (lái yí fèn) |
| Amber: Okay. |
| Victor: 来 (lái) is 2nd tone, 一 (yī) is 1st tone, and 份 (fèn) is 4th tone. |
| Amber: Right, so broken down, 来 (lái) is technically the verb “to come,” but in this context of ordering, it’s kind of like “bring me” or “ bring us.” |
| Victor: Right. |
| Amber: And then he said… |
| Victor: 一份 (yí fèn). It means “one order.” |
| Amber: Yeah, so 一 (yí) is the word for “one,” 份 (fèn) is the measure word for an order or for an order of food, a portion of food. Okay, so, he said, just to review, “Bring us an order of chicken feet.” |
| Victor: 来一份 凤爪 (lái yí fèn fèngzhǎo). |
| Amber: Yes, and of course, he also asked for something else. |
| Victor: 一瓶白酒 (yì píng báijiǔ). |
| Amber: Now, 一 (yī) is, of course, the word for “one” and 瓶 (píng) is the measure word for “bottle.” |
| Victor: Right. |
| Ambrer: 2nd tone, and our beloved 白酒 (báijiǔ). |
| Victor: 白酒 (báijiǔ) |
| Amber: 2nd tone, 3rd tone. |
| Victor: Right. |
| Amber: And that goes with those thing. He probably didn’t have to say it that way. I just sort of brought it. So basically, you can use this phrase 来一份 (lái yí fèn), whatever, or 来一瓶 (lái yì píng) if it’s a bottle, to order anything. Just swap out the dish name. |
| Victor: Yeah. So here is a really great dish, 宫爆鸡丁 (gōng bào jī dīng). |
| Amber: I think it’s much safer and probably easier on the palet dish. It’s kind of like, people call it kung pao chicken in the West, but it’s the real one. |
| Victor: Right, the 宫爆鸡丁 (gōng bào jī dīng). |
| Amber: It’s very delicious. |
| Victor: Yeah. |
| Amber: So, if you wanted to order that, what would you say? |
| Victor: You just say 来一份宫爆鸡丁 (lái yī fèn gōng bào jī dīng). |
| Amber: Okay, how about my favorite, Mapo Tofu? |
| Victor: Oh, it’s your favorite? |
| Amber: I love it! |
| Victor: It’s also one of my favorites, yeah. |
| Amber: So, how would I order my favorite, Mapo Tofu? |
| Victor: 来一份麻婆豆腐 (lái yī fèn má pó dòufu). |
| Amber: Hmm, good thing the lesson is almost over. I’m extremely hungry. |
| Victor: You’re hungry? Yeah. |
| Amber: Let's hit Chinatown, Victor. |
| Victor: Yeah. |
| Amber: Okay well, we’re off to food and we hope everyone goes back and review the lesson and find some Chinese food they like for lunch. |
| Victor: And order in Chinese next time. |
| Amber: Yes. |
| Victor: Yeah. |
| Amber: 来一份 (lái yí fèn), anything. |
| Victor: 来一份 (lái yí fèn), yeah. |
Outro |
| Amber: Okay, we’ll see you next time in Gengo Chinese. |
| Victor: Yeah, 再見 (zàijiàn)! |
| Amber: 再見 (zàijiàn)! |
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