the male name Ian
| CONSONANTS | |
| B | b as in boat |
| C | ts as in what’s |
| D | d as in dog |
| F | f as in father |
| G | g as in give |
| H | h as in how |
| J | j as in jump |
| K | k as in king |
| L | l as in long |
| M | m as in man |
| N | n as in no |
| P | p as in picture |
| Q | ch as in cheap |
| R | wr as in wrinkle |
| S | s as in sun |
| T | t as in tan |
| W | w as in wing |
| X | sh as in show |
| Y | y as in young |
| Z | z as in zebra |
About the Authors
Sam Brier has lived, worked and studied throughout Asia for more than 10 years. He taught English in Osaka, Japan, and at Sichuan International Studies University (SISU) in Chongqing, China. Sam is the founder and director of Academic Experiences Abroad (AEA), a company that develops customized faculty-led programs and provides logistics for university initiatives to Asia (www.AEA-Asia.com). Sam and his wife, Linh, spend most of their time between the U.S., China and Vietnam working on study abroad initiatives between the U.S. and Asia. The author’s proceeds from this calendar will go toward educational scholarships in the U.S. and Asia.
Xia Lu 鲁霞 is from Hefei (No. 2 High School) in Anhui province, about 7 hours west of Shanghai by train. She has been teaching English in China since college. From 2007 to 2008, she taught Chinese in Houston, Texas, with American Field Services (AFS) at St. Steven’s High School. Sam, a volunteer with AFS, hosted Xia when she arrived and they became good friends.
SMALL TALK
Days 1–31
新年快乐!
Xīnnián kuàilè!
Happy New Year!
（新年快樂！）
————————— CULTURAL NOTE —————————
In order to read a newspaper, a person needs to know about 5,000 Chinese characters; 3,000 will do for functional literacy—that is, to be able to read signs, buy food and the like.
你好!
Nǐ hǎo!
Hello / Hi!
（你好！）
再见!
Zàijiàn!
Goodbye!
（再見！）
————————— CULTURAL NOTE —————————
An estimated 1.3–1.6 billion people live in China; note that the questionable difference of 300 million people is equivalent to a “lost United States.”
你好吗?
Nǐ hǎo ma?
How are you?
（你好嗎？）
很好。你呢?
Hěn hǎo. Nǐ ne?
Very good. And you?
（很好。你呢？）
————————— CULTURAL NOTE —————————
A dish of carrot made hastily may contain dirt.
—Chinese proverb
谢谢。
Xìexie.
Thank you.
（謝謝。）
不用谢。
Bú yòng xie.
You’re welcome.
（不用謝。）
————————— CULTURAL NOTE —————————
China has over 100 cities with more than one million people. Beijing and Shanghai each have a population of around 12 to 15 million.
你叫什么名字?
Nǐ jiào shénme míngzi?
What’s your name?
（你叫什麼名字？）
我叫__________。
Wǒ jiào __________.
My name is __________.
（我叫__________。）
————————— CULTURAL NOTE —————————
Arabic script (or Uiger) is one of the 4 scripts used on Chinese currency. The others are Chinese, English and Tibetan.
你是哪国人?
Nǐ shì nǎ guó rén?
What nationality are you?
（你是哪國人？）
我是美国人。你呢?
Wǒ shì Měiguó rén. Nǐ ne?
I’m American. And you?
（我是美國人。你呢？）
————————— CULTURAL NOTE —————————
There are five time zones in China, but only Beijing time is used across the entire country.
你是美国人吗?
Nǐ shì Měiguó rén ma?
Are you American?
（你是美國人嗎？）
是的, 我是美国人。
Shì de, wǒ shì Měiguó rén.
Yes, I’m American.
（是的，我是美國人。）
————————— CULTURAL NOTE —————————
Drinking with a dear friend, a thousand shots are too few; talking with a disagreeable person, half a sentence is too many.
—Chinese proverb
你老家哪儿的?
Nǐ lǎojiā nǎr de?
What’s your hometown?
（你老家哪兒的？）
我老家在纽约。
Wǒ lǎojiā zài Niǔyuē.
My hometown is New York.
（我老家在紐約。）
—————————