> I'd have to say that probably the most useful phrase for me was "Bu
> yao," pronounced as a low-rising and then high-falling tone.
The polite way to say is,
Don't want, thank you.
"Pu yao, seh-seh! "
(Think of
> it as "bu YAO.") Bu=not/don't'; yao=want. Miguel, learn how to say
> that and say it to every person who walks up to you trying to sell you
> something you have no interest in as soon as you leave your hotel. A
> good version of "Get lost!" would also be useful for the aggressive
> beggars who follow you and sometimes grab your arm in Beijing and
> Shanghai. I didn't find one but used "Chu chi!", an expression someone
> taught me meant "leave quickly" or "get lost."
"Chu chi!",= get out!
"zuo kai!"= go away!
>
> Another really useful phrase is "[Description of thing or
> `zhege'=`that one'] Putonghua, shenme shuo?" Note the word order. What
> you're asking is "X Chinese what say?" And it means "What's that thing
> called in Chinese?" If you put the "shenme shuo" before the
> description of the thing or the name of the language ("Putonghua" is
> the word most often used on the Mainland for Mandarin), it's unlikely
> anyone will understand you.
> `zhege'=`that one'
This one.
"Zhe"=this, "ge"=one.
"Zhe shea"=these.
What you call this in Putonghua?
'Zhege putonghua jio shen mor?'
>"Does anyone nearby speak English?"
"Fu chin shui hui shou/chang Ying yi?"
or
Who can speak English here?
"Zeli shui hui shou ying yi ner? "
--
Pan wrote in message news:...
> On Wed, 08 Sep 2004 15:50:31 GMT, ggg wrote:
>
> >Pan wrote:
> >
> >
> >>
> >> Probably so, but don't expect the shopkeepers or taxi drivers you do
> >> business with to speak any. Learning some of the local language is
> >> always a good idea wherever you travel, but learning some
> >> survival-level Chinese is particularly important.
>
> >What phrases did you wish you had learned beforehand?
>
> I did learn a bunch of stuff beforehand, and it was my 2nd trip to
> China, so I also knew a little from before. My brother and I were able
> to communicate effectively with taxi drivers and managed in
> restaurants, hotels, etc., though of course not without difficulties
> at times. I do not know enough Chinese to have real conversations
> except on very focused topics (e.g., in response to questions like
> "Where are you from?" "How long have you been in China?" etc.).
>
> I'd have to say that probably the most useful phrase for me was "Bu
> yao," pronounced as a low-rising and then high-falling tone. (Think of
> it as "bu YAO.") Bu=not/don't'; yao=want. Miguel, learn how to say
> that and say it to every person who walks up to you trying to sell you
> something you have no interest in as soon as you leave your hotel. A
> good version of "Get lost!" would also be useful for the aggressive
> beggars who follow you and sometimes grab your arm in Beijing and
> Shanghai. I didn't find one but used "Chu chi!", an expression someone
> taught me meant "leave quickly" or "get lost."
>
> Another really useful phrase is "[Description of thing or
> `zhege'=`that one'] Putonghua, shenme shuo?" Note the word order. What
> you're asking is "X Chinese what say?" And it means "What's that thing
> called in Chinese?" If you put the "shenme shuo" before the
> description of the thing or the name of the language ("Putonghua" is
> the word most often used on the Mainland for Mandarin), it's unlikely
> anyone will understand you.
>
> > Did you ask on
> >Peter Hadley's list?
>
> For recommendations of Teach-yourself Chinese materials? No, I didn't
> ask for that there.
>
> > Which guides worked for you?
>
> Oddly enough, though it's just one man's opinion of what was memorable
> in China, Fodor's "50 Most Memorable Trips" had good information in
> it.
>
> Lonely Planet advises travellers' checks, which is OK for Beijing or
> Shanghai, where you can do any type of financial transaction normally
> done by a traveller pretty easily, but really poor advice for a city
> like Changchun. We found out that some major provincial capitals (or
> at least one) that don't get many visits from Westerners are almost
> completely cash economies. If you plan on going to such a place,
> arrive with a large - and I mean _large_ quantity of Renminbi notes
> you got from an ATM in Beijing (e.g.), because you may have some
> difficulty even changing your U.S. dollars there, if they're the new
> ones or old ones with hairline tears in them. As for travellers'
> checks, they're likely to look at them as if they're from Mars. That
> happened to us.
>
> Michael
>
> If you would like to send a private email to me, please take out the TRASH, so to speak. Please do not email me something which you also posted. |