Vocabulary

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Lesson Transcript

INTRODUCTION
John: Chinese Slang Expressions for Making Plans
John: Hi everyone, and welcome back to ChineseClass101.com. I'm John Reyna.
Dehua: And I'm Dehua!
John: This is Must-Know Chinese Slang Words and Phrases, Season 1, Lesson 16. In this lesson, you'll learn chinese slang expressions for making plans.
John: Learn what you can say when you make plans with your Chinese friends.
SLANG EXPRESSIONS
John: The expressions you'll be learning in this lesson are:
Dehua: 到时看着办 (dào shí kàn zhe bàn)
Dehua: 改天吧 (gǎitiān ba)
Dehua: 再说 (zàishuō)
Dehua: 一言为定 (yì yán wéi dìng)
John: Dehua, what's our first expression?
Dehua: 到时看着办 (dào shí kàn zhe bàn)
John: literally meaning "when the time comes, watch and do." But when it's used as a slang expression, it means "play it by ear."
Dehua: 到时看着办 (dào shí kàn zhe bàn)
John: Listeners, please repeat.
Dehua: 到时看着办 (dào shí kàn zhe bàn)
John: Use this slang expression when one is in a situation with no plan, and decides to play it by the ear.
John: Now let's hear an example sentence.
Dehua: 我还没决定他来时要说什么,到时看着办吧。 (Wǒ hái méi juédìng tā lái shí yào shuō shénme, dào shí kàn zhe bàn ba.)
John: "I haven't decided what to say when he comes; I'll play it by ear."
Dehua: 我还没决定他来时要说什么,到时看着办吧。 (Wǒ hái méi juédìng tā lái shí yào shuō shénme, dào shí kàn zhe bàn ba.)
John: Okay, what's the next expression?
Dehua: 改天吧 (gǎitiān ba)
John: This literally means "change day." But when it's used as a slang expression, it means "to take a rain check."
Dehua: 改天吧 (gǎitiān ba)
John: Listeners, please repeat.
Dehua: 改天吧 (gǎitiān ba)
John: Use this slang expression when you want to change the date for an appointment.
John: Now let's hear an example sentence.
Dehua: A:明天一起去看电影吧。(A: míngtiān yìqǐ qù kàn diànyǐng ba.)
B:对不起,不巧明天有事。改天吧。 (B: Duìbùqǐ, bùqiǎo míngtiān yǒushì. gǎitiān ba.)
John: "A: Let's go and watch a film tomorrow. / B: Sorry, I can't make it tomorrow. Let's do it some other day.”
Dehua: A:明天一起去看电影吧。(A: míngtiān yìqǐ qù kàn diànyǐng ba.)
B:对不起,不巧明天有事。改天吧。 (B: Duìbùqǐ, bùqiǎo míngtiān yǒushì. gǎitiān ba.)
John: Okay, what's our next expression?
Dehua: 再说 (zàishuō)
John: literally meaning "again talk." As a slang expression, it means "talk later."
Dehua: 再说 (zàishuō)
John: Listeners, please repeat.
Dehua: 再说 (zàishuō)
John: Use this slang expression when you try to delay discussing about a topic.
John: Now let's hear an example sentence.
Dehua: 这个问题再说吧。 (Zhège wèntí zàishuō ba.)
John: "Let's talk about this issue later."
Dehua: 这个问题再说吧。 (Zhège wèntí zàishuō ba.)
John: Okay, what's the last expression?
Dehua: 一言为定 (yì yán wéi dìng)
John: Which literally means "one saying is settled." As a slang expression, it means "it's a deal."
Dehua: 一言为定 (yì yán wéi dìng)
John: Listeners, please repeat.
Dehua: 一言为定 (yì yán wéi dìng)
John: Use this slang expression when you have made a deal with others.
John: Now let's hear an example sentence.
Dehua: 好的,一言为定,明天见。 (Hǎo de, yì yán wéi dìng, míngtiān jiàn.)
John: "Okay, deal. See you tomorrow."
Dehua: 好的,一言为定,明天见。 (Hǎo de, yì yán wéi dìng, míngtiān jiàn.)
QUIZ
John: Okay listeners, are you ready to be quizzed on the expressions you just learned? I’ll describe four situations, and you’ll choose the right expression to use in your reply. Are you ready?
John: You do not wish to take action straight away.
[pause - 5 sec.]
Dehua: 改天吧 (gǎitiān ba)
John: "to take a rain check"
John: You cannot make a decision right now and choose to wing it when things come.
[pause - 5 sec.]
Dehua: 到时看着办 (dào shí kàn zhe bàn)
John: "play it by ear"
John: Someone made a promise to you.
[pause - 5 sec.]
Dehua: 一言为定 (yì yán wéi dìng)
John: "it's a deal"
John: You want to cut off a conversation on a topic.
[pause - 5 sec.]
Dehua: 再说 (zàishuō)
John: "talk later"

Outro

John: There you have it; you've mastered four Chinese Slang Expressions! We have more vocab lists available at ChineseClass101.com so be sure to check them out. Thanks, everyone, and see you next time!
Dehua: 下回見 (xià huí jiàn).

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