Learn Chinese in Five Minutes!

Trip Start Jul 21, 2008
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Trip End Aug 28, 2008


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Flag of China  ,
Wednesday, August 13, 2008

Similar to my experience in Italy, the local staff here in Beijing take great pleasure in trying to teach us their mother tongue.  I am sure there is an element of pride, but I suspect that they really do it for their own entertainment, as there is always much giggling when I slaughter the words that they are trying to have me repeat.
In Torino, I started to become more confident with their romantic language.  I felt swarthy and sexy when I ordered my morning capuccino in Italiano, or my pollo melanese for dinner. 

Here, notsomuch...

Chinese is a very tonal language, and these tones are in direct opposition to my native Texas Twang.  Chinese uses a whole different set of muscles and sounds, so it is way more than just memorizing vocabulary words.  A word can have different meanings depending on whether your voice rises up, down, or stays flat.  Harsh!

Our Western lips and tougue feel flabby and limp when trying to speak Chinese.  Michelle, one of my favorite local staff members, is an English student at her University.  She has taken it upon herself to tutor me, and is constantly admonishing me with "Chris, you have too much teeth.", and "Say it again, but this time without teeth...", and "NO TEETH!!"  Ugh. 

But I try anyway, and, ....cue the giggles and twittering from staff, servers, taxi drivers, shop owners, etc. etc. etc.

Gregg and I have been able to learn a few useful phrases, and now consider ourselves "Oriented" enough to the language to get by.  Wanna try it too???

Here's how to:

Learn Chinese in 5 minutes 

English                                                                    Chinese  

That's not right!                                                       Sum Ting Wong

Are you harbouring a fugitive?                               Hu Yu Hai Ding

See me ASAP                                                           Kum Hia Nao

Small Horse                                                            Tai Ni Po Ni  

Did you go to the beach?                                       Wai Yu So Tan

I bumped into a coffee table!                                  Ai Bang Mai Ni

I think you need a face lift!                                     Chin Tu Fat

It's very dark in here!                                             Wai So Dim

I thought you were on a diet!                                 Wai Yu Mun Ching

This is a tow away zone!                                        No Pah King

Our meeting is scheduled for next week!               Wai Yu Kum Nao

Staying out of sight                                                Lei Ying Lo

He's cleaning his automobile                                 Wa Shing Ka

Your body odour is offensive                                Yu Stin Ki Pu

Great                                                                    Fwee Kin Su Pa


There you have it...and remember, "NO TEETH!!"  :o)
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Comments

tex2
tex2 on Aug 13, 2008 at 02:39PM

Spe Ke Chi Ne
Wow! This is easy! I think we've got it. I can't wait to go to our favorite Chinese restaurant today so we can try out our new liquistic skill. I think the staff will be so impressed. Funny, I always thought learning to speak Chinese would be difficult.

tex2
tex2 on Aug 13, 2008 at 02:40PM

Spe Ke Chi Ne
Wow! This is easy! I think we've got it. I can't wait to go to our favorite Chinese restaurant today so we can try out our new liquistic skill. I think the staff will be so impressed. Funny, I always thought learning to speak Chinese would be difficult.

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