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Travel

Dialogue 1

Buying bus and plane tickets

yŏu rén

anybody/somebody (lit “have people”)

piào

ticket

zhāng

measure word – tickets. papers, sheets, etc

liàng

measure word – transport, buses, planes

dòngwùyuán

the zoo (lit “animal park”)

cuò

wrongly/to be wrong

bié

do not

xià yī zhàn

next stop

xià chē

to get off

diànchē

tram/streetcar (lit “electric vehicle”)

méi tīng qīng

did not hear correctly

màn

slowly/slow/to be slow

gānghăo

to happen to/by chance/just as well

 

Notes to Dialogue 1

Use of Yŏu rén

When Yŏu rén is used in a yes/no question, it means ‘Is there anybody who...?’ or simply ‘Anybody...?’  For example:

    Yŏu rén xiăng hē kāfēi ma?

    Is there anybody who’d like to have coffee?

     

    Zhèr, yŏu rén jiào Liú Xiá ma?

    Anybody called Liu Xia here?

When Yŏu rén is used in affirmative sentences, it means ‘someone/somebody’. For example:

    Yŏu rén gēi nĭ măi le yī tiáo lĭngdài.

    Someone has bought you a tie.

 

Measure words zhāng and liàng

The measure word zhāng is used before nouns such as piào (ticket), bàozhĭ (newspaper), zhĭ (sheets), etc. whenever required.  For example:

    liăng zhāng gōnggòng chíchē piào

    two bus tickets

     

    yī zhāng huŏchē piào

    one train ticket

The measure word liàng is used before nouns such as gōnggòng qìchē (bus), huŏchē (train), fēijí (plane), zìxíngchē (bike), etc.  For example:

    sān liàng diànche            three trams

    yī liàng zìxíngchē            one bike

 

Using de to link a verbal phrase with a noun

In English, prepositions such as ‘in’, ‘to’, etc. are used to specify nouns (e.g. a woman in a red jumper; a ticket to London).  Also, in English, these modifying phrases or clauses caome after the noun.  This situation is very different in Chinese. Verbal phrases, not prepositions, are used to specify or modify nouns and they come before nouns.  They are linked by de.  For example:


    Wó măi yī zhāng qù dóngwùyuán de piào.

    lit: I buy one go to zoo ticket.

    A ticket to the zoo, please.

     

    Nà ge chuān hóng máoyī de rén shì wó jiějie.

    lit: That wear red jumper person is my elder sister.

    The one in the red jumper is my elder sister.

 

Use of cuò

When cuò is used to mean ‘to be wrong’, it must be followed by le.  For example:

    Duìbùqĭ, wŏ cuò le.

    Sorry, I’m wrong.

Cuò can also be used as an adverb to modify verbs.  For instance, in English the sentence ‘I got it wrong’ can be used to refer to things one has said, seen, heard, etc.  However, in Chinese, you must say Wŏ shuō cuò le (lit: I spoke wrong), Wŏ kàn cuò le (lit: I saw wrong),Wŏ tīng cuò le (lit: I heard wrong), etc. depending on the context.  For example:

    A:  Wŏmen xīngqīsì qù Shànghăi.

          We are going to Shanghai on Tuesday.

    B:  Nĭ shuō cuò le. Shì xīngqīsān.

          You got it wrong, It’s Wednesday.

When a verb takes an object (e.g. ‘to take the bus), cuò is placed after the verb but before the object. Le can be put either after cuò or after the object providing that the object that follows the verb is not a long phrase.  For example:

    Zāogāo, wó diăn cuò le cài.

    Damn it! I ordered the wrong dish.

     

    Wó zuò cuò chē le ma?

    Have I taken the wrong bus?

 

Use of bié

The word bié meaning ‘do not’ is only used in imperative sentences (e.g. ‘Don’t smoke’).  It is always placed before the verb.  For example:

    Bié jí. Hāi yŏu shíjiān.

    Don’t worry, there’s still time.

     

    Bié gàosu Sàisai wŏ zài zhèr.

    Don’t tell Saisai that I’m here.

     

 Dialogue 2

More Tickets

shòupiào chù

ticket office (lit “sell ticket place”)

huŏchē piào

train ticket

zŏu

to leave

jiù shì

that is

chèng

to take/to catch (train, boat, plane, etc)

cì

number

lièchē

train

qīngchu

to be clear/clearly

zuìhăo

ideally

fāchē

to depart/departure

dì èr tiān

the following day (lit “the second day”)

bú cuò

quite good/quite well (lit “not wrong”)

yìngwò

hard-sleeper

ruănwò

soft-sleeper

dŏng

to understand

 

Notes to Dialogue 2

Use of the verb zŏu

The verb zŏu has several meanings, including ‘to leave’ as we’ve seen before.  However, it can also mean ‘to get there’, ‘to walk’, etc. depending on the context.  For example:

    Nĭ māma shénme shíhou zŏu?

    When is your mother leaving?

     

    Nĭ xiáng zŏulù háishi zuò chē?

    Do you want to walk or take the bus?

     

    Qù nĭmēnde dàxué, zěnme zŏu?

    How do you get to your university?

 

    Zŏu dào dì yī ge lùkŏu, wăng dōng guăi.

    Walk to the first junction, then turn east.

 

Use of jiù shì

This phrase is always used to explain things further and sometimes to reinforce a certain piece of information.  It can be broadly translated as ‘that is.....’. For example:


    Q:  Nĭ qīzi shénme shíhou dào?

          When is your wife arriving?

    A:  Xià ge xīngqīliù, jiù shì sānyuè sān hào.

          Next Saturday, that is, March third.

 

Use of cì

All the passenger trains in China are numbered. Cì meaning ‘number’, is used between a number and that train in the same way that lù is used between a number and a bus or tram. For example:

    jiŭ cì lièchē            No. 9 train

    shíbā cì lièchē      No. 18 train.

 

Difference between huŏchē and lièchē

Huŏchē is a general term for trains whilst lièchē usually refers to a specific train.  For example:

    Wŏ bù xĭhuān zuò huŏchē.

    I don’t like taking trains.

     

    Shíyī cì lièchē shísì diăn líng wŭ fāchē.

    Train no. 11 departs at 14:05.

It is inappropriate rather than wrong to use huŏchē for a specific train.  The term lièchē is often shortened to chē. For example:

    Shíyī cì chē dào le ma?

    Has the no. 11 train arrived yet?

     

    Zhè shì qù Guìlín de chē ma?

    Is this the train to Guilin?

 

Difference between chéng and zuò

There is no difference between these two terms.  Both chéng and zuò can be followed by road vehicles, planes and ships when the meaning ‘to take’ or ‘to catch’ is intended.  The only difference is that chéng is more formal than zuò. For example:

    Huānyíng nín chéng èrshíyī cì lièchē.

    Welcome to travel with the no. 21 train.

When the phrase chéng/zuò + means of transportation precedes the verb qù (to go), it means ‘to go by train/bus. etc.’. For example:

    Xiăojuān zuò huŏchē qù Guìlín.

    Xiaojuan is going to Guilin by train.

 

Use of bú cuò

Literally, bú cuò means ‘not bad’.  However, the Chinese bú cuò actually means ‘quite good’ or ‘quite well’.  For example:

    Zhè ge fàndiàn bú cuò.

    This hotel is quite good.

 

    A:  Nĭ fùmŭ zuìjìn zěnme yàng?

          How are your parents these days?

    B:  Bú cuò, xièxie.

          Quite well thank you.

 

More on making comparisons

Previously we’ve learned how to say things like ‘A is older than B’, but we did not learn how to say, ‘A is five years older than B’, ‘A is not as old as B’ or ‘B is less expensive than A’.  Compare these three sentences:

    pattern: A + bĭ + B + adjective

    Dŏng Mín bĭ Gù Liáng dà.

    Dong Min is older than Gu Liang.

     

    pattern:  A + bĭ + B + adjective + specifics
    Dŏng Mín bĭ Gù Liáng dà wŭ suì.

    Dong Min is older than Gu Liang five years

     

    pattern:  B + méi or méi yŏu + A + adjective

    Gù Liáng méi Dŏng Mín dà

    Gu Liang is not as old as Dong Min.

 

Here are some more examples:

    Yìngwò bí ruănwò guì wŭshí kuài.

    Hard-sleepers are 50 yuan more expensive than soft-sleepers.

     

    Xīn Qín bĭ Miáo Lán kuài yī fēnzhōng.

    Xin Qin is one minute faster than Miao Lan.

     

    Yìngwò méi ruănwò guì.

    Hard-sleepers are less expensive than soft-sleepers.

     

    Jīntiān méi yŏu zuótiān lěng.

    Today is not as cold as yesterday.

 

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