Mandarin Chinese for Beginners. Yi Ren

Americans often say “I love you,” “I love this,” and “I love that”…the word “love,” under many circumstances, doesn’t have a serious significance, and it just means that people like something/somebody very much or are excited about it/them. But in Chinese culture, the word “love”—爱 ài—is a serious word and is reserved to talk about genuine love. Most of the time, it is only used between lovers. It is also used to express a respectful feeling to parents and the motherland, or to express an intimate feeling to children. So take note of this difference between western culture and Chinese culture. You should be careful not to use this special word “爱 ài” casually—for example, you wouldn’t say the word “love” to young women or men in China—in order to avoid embarrassment.

      In China, you often hear the word 老外 lǎo wài. It means “foreigner(s),” and it is a neutral term. Similarly, Chinese call their colleagues “Lǎo Lǐ,” “Lǎo Hú,” etc. Here Lǎo means “old,” a little bit in the sense of “old chap.” Lǎo also reflects some degree of respectfulness. Wài means “outside.” Lǎo wài is a general term for people from foreign countries, and has nothing to do with age here, nor does it have any negative meaning.

      Don’t be too surprised if your new Chinese friends ask about your income and age, how many cars you have, how big your house is, or other seemingly personal questions. It is a part of Chinese culture, and it is not viewed as being nosy; it is the way that people express their friendly interest. Chinese often talk about these topics among themselves. A foreigner’s answers are particularly interesting to Chinese because they would like to know more about life in foreign countries. Smiling or changing the subject may be a smart choice if a topic like this comes up in a conversation with your Chinese friends, or if you don’t mind you could simply answer the questions.

       Do You Know?

      ➊ Which traditional holidays are most important to the Chinese? (Bonus point: Which one is more important than all the others?)

      ➋ What are the terms in Chinese for the twenty-fifth and fiftieth wedding anniversaries?

       See you later!

      Now you have learned how to introduce family members to other people. In addition, you’ve learned 46 new words, a few more useful sentences, idioms, and proverb, a poem, and some Chinese cultural info and customs.

      Even though family is great, you probably also want to know how to introduce yourself to other people at parties or business events, right? That’s up next as we move on to Chapter 3.

      But first, we should take a short break. See you soon!

       Zhè shì wǒ de míng piàn.

      Here is my business card.

       Wǒ lái zì shàng hǎi. Nǐ lái zì nǎ ge guó jiā?

      I am from Shanghai. Where are you from?

       Hěn gāo xìng rèn shí nǐ.

      Very happy to meet you.

       CHAPTER 3

      第三章

       Dì sān zhāng

      Getting Together 聚会 Jù huì

      There will be an annual holiday event at Lily’s husband’s company. Lily and her husband invite Jack to go with them to the event. Jack is excited about having a chance to meet more people.

      In this chapter, you will learn how to say the names of different countries and nationalities in Chinese. You also will learn a bit about China’s many ethnic groups. You can add to your idiom collection some new phrases related to friendship, and enjoy another well-known Tang poem. Plus, we will discuss some mistakes you’ll want to avoid if you go to China.

      Are you ready? Here we go!

      Listen carefully to the audio for New Words 1. Next, read along with me as I pronounce each word or phrase, then repeat it during the pauses provided. When you finish practicing the New Words, listen to the conversation in Dialog 1, and then follow along to practice speaking these sentences yourself.

      In this dialog, you will notice there are not many new words. Let’s begin!

       Dialog 1 第一节

      Lily:This is my friend, Jack.

       Zhè shì wǒ de péng yǒu Jié kè.

      这 是 我的 朋 友 杰克。

      Zhang:Hello! My name is Zhang Xiao yuan.

       Nǐ hǎo, wǒ jiào Zhāng Xiǎo yuán.

      你好, 我 叫 张 小 源。

      Jack:It’s nice to meet you.

       Rèn shí nǐ hěn gāo xìng.

      认 识你很 高 兴。

      Zhang:Same here. This is my business card.

       Wǒ yě shì. Zhè shì wǒ de míng piàn.

      我也是。这 是 我 的 名 片。

      Jack:Thank you! Do you work for a joint venture company?

       Xiè xie! Nǐ zài hé zī gōng sī gōng zuò?

      谢 谢! 你在合资 公 司 工 作？

      Zhang:Yes, it’s a Canadian-Chinese joint venture company.

       Shì de, shì jiā ná dà hé zhōng guó de hé zī gōng sī.

      是的,是加拿大和 中 国 的合资 公 司。

       New Words 1 生词

聚会 jù huì	get together
张 Zhāng	Zhang (last name)
小源 Xiǎo yuán	Xiao Yuan (first name)
名片 míng piàn	business card
合资 hé zī	joint venture
公司 gōng sī	company
工作 gōng zuò	work
加拿大 jiā ná dà	Canada
加拿大的/加拿大人 jiā ná dà de/jiā ná dà rén	Canadian