Taking the Scenic Route in China

Dialogue

Want to Understand & Master the Chinese Dialogue 100%?

Get a breakdown of the dialogue and translations instantly with the Premium line-by-line Audio. Sign up for your Free Lifetime Account Now and get 7 Days of Premium Access including this feature.

Select your level

Or sign up using Facebook

By clicking Join Now, you agree to our Terms of Use, Privacy Policy, and to receive our email communications, which you may opt out at any time.

Already a Member?

Vocabulary

Learn New Words FAST with this Lesson’s Vocab Review List

Get this lesson’s key vocab, their translations and pronunciations. Sign up for your Free Lifetime Account Now and get 7 Days of Premium Access including this feature.

Select your level

Or sign up using Facebook

By clicking Join Now, you agree to our Terms of Use, Privacy Policy, and to receive our email communications, which you may opt out at any time.

Already a Member?

Lesson Notes

Unlock In-Depth Explanations & Exclusive Takeaways with Printable Lesson Notes

Unlock Lesson Notes and Transcripts for every single lesson. Sign Up for a Free Lifetime Account and Get 7 Days of Premium Access.

Select your level

Or sign up using Facebook

By clicking Join Now, you agree to our Terms of Use, Privacy Policy, and to receive our email communications, which you may opt out at any time.

Already a Member?

Lesson Transcript

Lesson focus
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 28…
Victor: Taking the Scenic Route
Amber: Mm, now, no Chinese vacation would be complete without a tour, Victor, I think.
Victor: Yep. And today’s lesson is a little break for everyone.
Amber: Yes, from all the work and the play. Today, we have a tour of glorious Shanghai.
Victor: Oh, nice.
Amber: But there's so much to see and do, we have choices. There’s going to be choices of tours.
Victor: But before we do that, let's review our last lesson, Lesson 27.
Amber: Yeah. In it, we learned a little bit about the infamous 了 (le) particle.
Victor: Yes. We learned about the 了 (le) that is used to indicate a completed action. It’s a particle that is generally placed after the verb or at the end of a sentence to show something happened in the past.
Amber: Yes, and remember, Mike was telling about where he went.
Victor: Yes, 麦克去了外滩、博物馆和玉器市场 (Màikè qùle wàitān, bówùguǎn hé yùqì shìchǎng).
Amber: Yep. Don't forget 外滩 (wàitān) is “The Bund,” 博物馆 (bówùguǎn) is “the museum,” and then the last one was The Jade Market. You don’t wanna forget these things because you’re gonna want to go there when your turn comes to go to Shanghai.
Victor: We also learned a very good phrase, 什么都 (shénme dōu).
Amber: Which means “everything.” Okay. So today, let’s listen in and see what’s in store. Mike’s been doing pretty much everything, so let’s see what he gets up to in today's dialogue. So in this lesson, you’re going to learn how to make inquiries.
Victor: This conversation takes place at a ticket booth.
Amber: And it’s between Mike and the clerk, so let’s listen in.
DIALOGUE
Ticket Agent:下一位。 (Xià yí wèi.)
Mike: 你们这儿有什么旅行？ (Nǐmen zhèr yǒu shénme lǚxíng?)
Ticket Agent: 我们有城市旅游，还有文化旅游。 (Wǒmen yǒu chéngshì lǚyóu, hái yǒu wénhuà lǚyóu.)
Mike: 哪个好？ (Nǎgè hǎo?)
Ticket Agent: 城市旅游会去上海的重要景点。文化旅游会去五个博物馆，还会去上海老城。 (Chéngshì lǚyóu huì qù Shànghǎi de zhòngyào jǐngdiǎn. Wénhuà lǚyóu huì qù wǔ gè bówùguǎn, hái huì qù Shànghǎi lǎochéng.)
Mike: 导游会说英语吗？ (Dǎoyóu huì shuō yīngyǔ ma?)
Ticket Agent: 对，她会说英语。 (Duì, tā huì shuō yīngyǔ.)
Mike: 我要文化旅游，两张票。 (Wǒ yào wénhuà lǚyóu, liǎng zhāng piào.)
Victor: 重复一次, 慢速。 (Chóngfù yīcì, màn sù.)
Amber: One more time, a little slower.
Ticket Agent:下一位。 (Xià yí wèi.)
Mike: 你们这儿有什么旅行？ (Nǐmen zhèr yǒu shénme lǚxíng?)
Ticket Agent: 我们有城市旅游，还有文化旅游。 (Wǒmen yǒu chéngshì lǚyóu, hái yǒu wénhuà lǚyóu.)
Mike: 哪个好？ (Nǎgè hǎo?)
Ticket Agent: 城市旅游会去上海的重要景点。文化旅游会去五个博物馆，还会去上海老城。 (Chéngshì lǚyóu huì qù Shànghǎi de zhòngyào jǐngdiǎn. Wénhuà lǚyóu huì qù wǔ gè bówùguǎn, hái huì qù Shànghǎi lǎochéng.)
Mike: 导游会说英语吗？ (Dǎoyóu huì shuō yīngyǔ ma?)
Ticket Agent: 对，她会说英语。 (Duì, tā huì shuō yīngyǔ.)
Mike: 我要文化旅游，两张票。 (Wǒ yào wénhuà lǚyóu, liǎng zhāng piào.)
Victor: 重复一次, 加英文翻译。 (Chóngfù yīcì, jiā yīngwén fānyì.)
Amber: One more time, with the English.
Ticket Agent:下一位。 (Xià yí wèi.)
Amber: Next.
Mike: 你们这儿有什么旅行？ (Nǐmen zhèr yǒu shénme lǚxíng?)
Amber: What tours do you have here?
Ticket Agent: 我们有城市旅游，还有文化旅游。 (Wǒmen yǒu chéngshì lǚyóu, hái yǒu wénhuà lǚyóu.)
Amber: We have a city tour and we also have a culture tour.
Mike: 哪个好？ (Nǎgè hǎo?)
Amber: Which one is good?
Ticket Agent: 城市旅游会去上海的重要景点。文化旅游会去五个博物馆，还会去上海老城。 (Chéngshì lǚyóu huì qù Shànghǎi de zhòngyào jǐngdiǎn. Wénhuà lǚyóu huì qù wǔ gè bówùguǎn, hái huì qù Shànghǎi lǎochéng.)
Amber: The city tour will go to Shanghai's main tourist spots. The culture tour will go to five museums and will also go to the old parts of Shanghai.
Mike: 导游会说英语吗？ (Dǎoyóu huì shuō yīngyǔ ma?)
Amber: Can the tour guide speak English?
Ticket Agent: 对，她会说英语。 (Duì, tā huì shuō yīngyǔ.)
Amber: Yes, she can speak English.
Mike: 我要文化旅游，两张票。 (Wǒ yào wénhuà lǚyóu, liǎng zhāng piào.)
Amber: I'll go for the culture tour; two tickets.
POST CONVERSATION BANTER
Amber: Oh, Chinese tours. Have you been on one, Victor?
Victor: I have, indeed.
Amber: One day, I will share my Chinese hostage tour stories. No trip to China is complete without one! You’ll see.
Victor: All of those intentions, right?
Amber: Yes. But anyway, today’s words in the dialogue just make me want to go back to China on a trip. So let’s get into our vocabulary words.
VOCAB LIST
Victor: 下 (xià) [natural native speed]
Amber: down, next, bottom
Victor: 下 (xià) [slowly - broken down by syllable]
Victor: 下 (xià) [natural native speed]
Victor: 旅行 (lǚxíng) [natural native speed]
Amber: travel, tour
Victor: 旅行 (lǚxíng) [slowly - broken down by syllable]
Victor: 旅行 (lǚxíng) [natural native speed]
Victor: 文化 (wénhuà) [natural native speed]
Amber: culture
Victor: 文化 (wénhuà) [slowly - broken down by syllable]
Victor: 文化 (wénhuà) [natural native speed]
Victor: 旅游 (lǚyóu) [natural native speed]
Amber: travel, tour
Victor: 旅游 (lǚyóu) [slowly - broken down by syllable]
Victor: 旅游 (lǚyóu) [natural native speed]
Victor: 哪 (nǎ) [natural native speed]
Amber: which
Victor: 哪 (nǎ) [slowly - broken down by syllable]
Victor: 哪 (nǎ) [natural native speed]
Victor: 会 (huì) [natural native speed]
Amber: will
Victor: 会 (huì) [slowly - broken down by syllable]
Victor: 会 (huì) [natural native speed]
Victor: 景点 (jǐngdiǎn) [natural native speed]
Amber: tourist spots
Victor: 景点 (jǐngdiǎn) [slowly - broken down by syllable]
Victor: 景点 (jǐngdiǎn) [natural native speed]
Victor: 老城 (lǎochéng) [natural native speed]
Amber: old city
Victor: 老城 (lǎochéng) [slowly - broken down by syllable]
Victor: 老城 (lǎochéng) [natural native speed]
Victor: 导游 (dǎoyóu) [natural native speed]
Amber: tour guide
Victor: 导游 (dǎoyóu) [slowly - broken down by syllable]
Victor: 导游 (dǎoyóu) [natural native speed]
VOCAB AND PHRASE USAGE
Amber: Okay, let's have a closer look at the usage for some of these words and phrases from this lesson.
Victor: The first word we’re looking at is 旅行 (lǚxíng) - 旅 (lǚ) a 3rd tone, 行 (xíng) 2nd tone.
Amber: Yeah, and here’s an interesting cultural note, is that the word that is often used for “tour” in Chinese, like a travel tour is 旅行 (lǚxíng), but it’s also the word for “travel.” I think it’s because Chinese people generally do do tours for their travelling.
Victor: Right. And in the first incident, we hear them refer to the tour as 旅行 (lǚxíng), and later, they used the word 旅游 (lǚyóu), pretty much the same meaning.
Amber: You can use either word interchangeably.
Victor: 旅游 (Lǚyóu), 3rd tone; 游 (yóu), 2nd tone.
Amber: Right. Now comes a very important word for a China dweller to learn, which is the word for “city.”
Victor: 城市 (chéngshì)
Amber: Yeah, because we had a city tour.
Victor: 城 (Chéng) is 2nd tone, 市 (shì) is 4th tone.
Amber: Mm-hmm, and Shanghai is so huge that I’m certain a city tour would take all day, hours.
Victor: Yes, I might just opt for the 文化旅游 (wénhuà lǚyóu).
Amber: Mm, “culture tour,” which brings us to the other word our listener should know… the word for “culture.”
Victor: 文化 (Wénhuà) - 文 (wén), 2nd tone; 化 (huà), 4th tone.
Amber: Mm-hmm. Okay, now back to the city tour, what are the highlights?
Victor: Something very important, the 重要景点 (zhòngyào jǐngdiǎn).
Amber: Mm, so here, this is two words, the word for “important”...
Victor: Being 重要 (zhòngyào) - 重 (zhòng), 4th tone; 要 (yào), also 4th tone.
Amber: And then 景点 (jǐngdiǎn), what’s that?
Victor: 景 (Jǐng) is 3rd tone; 点 (diǎn), also 3rd tone, and it literally means “scenic spots.”
Amber: Mm, scenic spots.
Victor: 景 (Jǐng) is the word for “scene” and 点 (diǎn) is the word for “spot” or “point.”
Amber: Right. Now, back to the “culture tour,” the 文化旅游 (wénhuà lǚyóu), what does it have in store?
Victor: Well more 博物馆 (bówùguǎn).
Amber: Oh, museums! Mike’s been doing that, a lot.
Victor: But what I think is the highlight is the上海老城 (Shànghǎi lǎochéng).
Amber: Mm, now, I think we know the Shanghai part. What is the second part of that phrase?
Victor: 老城 (Lǎochéng) - 老 (lǎo) is a 3rd tone, 城 (chéng) is 2nd tone.
Amber: Yeah, and in true Chinese abbreviated form, this is actually sort of a contraction of the actual words for “old city.”
Victor: Right, 老城 (lǎochéng).
Amber: So, the first word 老 (lǎo) means “old” and then they take the 城 (chéng) from 城市 (chéngshì), which is “city.”
Victor: Right.
Amber: And just shorten it, 老城 (lǎochéng). Can we all guess what it means?
Victor: “old city”
Amber: Mm, so they go see the 上海老城 (Shànghǎi lǎochéng), means they’re going to see the old parts of the Shanghai City.
Victor: Yep.
Amber: I guess those are my favorite parts. That’s where I used to live.
Victor: Okay. It sounds pretty good.
Amber: Mm-hmm. Well obviously, you Victor, like Mike is a cultured sort of man who would opt for that too and that’s what Mike opted for.
Victor: Right. And lastly, we have something no tour could be complete without, the 导游 (dǎoyóu).
Amber: Uh-huh, the “tour guide.”
Victor: 导 (dǎo) is a 3rd tone, 游 (yóu) is 2nd tone.
Amber: I can see her now with her little red flag in hand for everyone to follow.
Victor: And the big loud speaker.
Amber: Okay. Now, we have a couple grammar points for you from this dialogue.
Amber: And we’re going to get into a little bit of grammar jargon, but not too much, just enough to help you understand “adjectival verbs.”
Victor: Yeah. Basically, adjectival verbs are like adjectives in English.
Amber: Yeah! They’re words used to describe a person, place or thing.
Victor: So some examples of these kinds of descriptive words in Chinese would be 高 (gāo) which is “tall,” 胖 (pàng) which is “fat” and etc.
Amber: Those kinds of words. Unlike adjectives in English, however, you do not use “to be” to link these kinds of adjectival verbs. So what I mean is that in English, we would say “He is tall” is being the form of “to be.” But in Chinese, it doesn’t work like that.
Victor: No. Rather, people in China just say 她高 (tā gāo) or if we want to add emphasis, we can use an intensifier word like 很 (hěn), which is like “very.”
Amber: Right, so you can just say 她高 (tā gāo) or 她很高 (tā hěn gāo).
Victor: Right.
Amber: To mean “He is tall.” Okay, let’s try another descriptive word. How about the word for “busy”?
Victor: The word for “busy” is 忙 (máng). So, if I wanted to say, “She is busy,” I could say 他忙 (tā máng) or 他很忙 (tā hěn máng).
Amber: Mm, so pretty easy. Now, another descriptive word we can use is our favorite little word 好 (hǎo).
Victor: And why we’re on this topic of adjectival verbs is to also show you how this sentence works. It’s the one where Mike hears about the tours that are on offer.
Amber: Yeah. He wants to know which one is better, the culture tour or the city tour, so he says...
Victor: 哪个好? (Nǎgè hǎo?)
Amber: Mm, which means “Which one is good?”
Victor: We know the word for that is 那 (nà), 4th tone, sometimes pronounced as (nèi). Well the word for “which” is almost the same—same pinyin but 3rd tone, 哪 (nǎ) or (něi), whichever you prefer.
Amber: Right. So just so you know, they’re very similar. The word for “that” is 那 (nà) or (nèi).
The word for “which” is 哪 (nǎ) or (něi).
Victor: So the phrase to make a comparison with, that we see in the dialogue is...哪个好？ (Nǎgè hǎo?)
Amber: This sentence basically just says “which good.” And from the context, we can see that he’s actually asking which is better of these two, like which is the good one.
Victor: 哪个好？ (Nǎgè hǎo?). So if you wanted to say which one is taller, you just say - 哪个高？ (Nǎge gāo?)
Amber: Right. Or how about which one tastes better?
Victor: 那个好吃。 (Nàgè hào chī.)
Amber: Right. What if you wanted to say, “Which of the two hosts is better, Victor or Amber?” Just kidding. We won’t ask them that.
Victor: No competition.
Amber: Okay. Now, onto another point we see in the lesson, and that is using the verb…会 (huì).
Victor: Right. The many faces of 会 (huì).
Amber: Now, 会 (huì) is 4th tone, and today, we see two ways to use 会 (huì) in Chinese. One, we’ve learned before, so let’s start with that one, Victor, the one we know. Just a quick review.
Victor: Yeah. They’re both the same character. The difference is context. The first 会 (huì) is the one that expresses ability to do something, like 我会说英文 (wǒ huì shuō yīngwén).
Amber: Which means “I am able to speak English.”
Victor: Right.
Amber: And in the dialogue, we hear...
Victor: 导游会说英语吗？ (Dǎoyóu huì shuō yīngyǔ ma?)
Amber: Which means they’re asking, does the “tour guide” 导游 (dǎoyóu) speak English?
Victor: Okay. Now the other 会 (huì) is the one we’ve all been waiting for, because it helps us to express the future tense.
Amber: Yes, so 会 (huì) is actually a modal verb, and we can say it’s the rough equivalent of “will” in English.
Victor: So let’s hear in the dialogue… not to be confused with the ability 会 (huì).
Amber: Yeah. Well, it’s when the ticket lady is talking about the places the tour will go to. She says…
Victor: The first part of her sentence was - 城市旅游会去上海的重要景点。(Chéngshì lǚyóu huì qù Shànghǎi de zhòngyào jǐngdiǎn.)
Amber: Right. So you hear the 会 (huì) in that sentence right before the 去 (qù), which is the verb “to go.”
Amber: So actually, the order is a lot like English. The tour will go to blah, blah, blah.
Victor: Yep. So you can make the future tense that easily.
Amber: Yeah. So like if I was going to say, “I will go to China,” what do I say, Victor?
Victor: 我会去中国。 (Wǒ huì qù zhōngguó.)
Amber: What if I want to say, “I will hit you”?
Victor: 我会打你。 (Wǒ huì dǎ nǐ.)
Amber: Yeah, as simple as that.
Lesson focus
Amber: Okay. So everyone go back and listen to the dialogue and get ready for your tour of Shanghai in the next lesson. And for now, we’ll say 再见 (zàijiàn)!
Victor: Yeah, 再见 (zàijiàn)!

4 Comments

Hide

Please to leave a comment.

😄 😞 😳 😁 😒 😎 😠 😆 😅 😜 😉 😭 😇 😴 😮 😈 ❤️️ 👍

Taking the Scenic Route in China

Want to Understand & Master the Chinese Dialogue 100%?

Learn New Words FAST with this Lesson’s Vocab Review List

Unlock In-Depth Explanations & Exclusive Takeaways with Printable Lesson Notes

Lesson focus

Lesson focus