Lesson 17: Phone Calls
Today Chinese people rely on telephone communications just as much as the westerners. China has become to be the largest mobile phone market in the world. This lesson will teach you some basic dialogs of telephone conversations and also telephone related inquires in Chinese.
Vocabulary A:
| Chinese Character | Pinyin | Pronunciation | English Translation | |
| 很 | hěn | very, quite, much | ||
| 高兴 | gāo xìng | happy | ||
| 兴 | xìng | thrive, prosper, flourish | ||
| 认识 | rèn shí | knowing, acquaintanceship | ||
| 认 | rèn | recognize, know, understand | ||
| 识 | shí | recognize, understand, know | ||
| 能 | néng | to be able; can, permitted to; ability | ||
| 给 | gěi | give; by, for | ||
| 联系 | lián xì | connection, contact, relate | ||
| 联 | lián | connect, join; associate, ally | ||
| 系 | xì | system; line, link, connection | ||
| 方式 | fāng shì | fashion; kind; pattern; way | ||
| 方 | fāng | a square, rectangle; a region; local | ||
| 式 | shì | style, system, formula, rule | ||
| 名片 | míng piàn | name card | ||
| 上面 | shàng miàn | above, on top of, over | ||
| 面 | miàn | face; surface; plane; side, dimension | ||
| 电话 | diàn huà | telephone | ||
| 话 | huà | speech, talk, language; dialect | ||
| 号码 | hào mǎ | number | ||
| 号 | hào | mark, sign; symbol; number | ||
| 码 | mǎ | number, numerals; yard; symbol | ||
Tips A:
- "very much" (hen = 很） is often used in Chinese in front of the adjectives. Occationaly, it must be used in order to provide a correct dialog. (e.g. I am pleased to know you = 我很高兴认识你)
- "fangshi=方式" means "ways to do something", however, it always appears at the end of a sentence in Chinese dialogs.
Dialog A:
Click to hear the above dialog.
English Translation A:
Glad to know you today! Can I have your contact information?
Sure. This is my name card, my phone number is on it.
Thank you! Bye!
Bye!
Vocabulary B:
| Chinese Character | Pinyin | Pronunciation | English Translation | |
| 问 | wèn | ask | ||
| 手机 | shǒu jī | cellular phone | ||
| 手 | shǒu | hand | ||
| 机 | jī | desk; machine; moment | ||
| 知道 | zhī dào | dkonw | ||
| 知 | zhī | know, perceive, comprehend | ||
| 道 | dào | path, road, street; method, way | ||
Tips B:
- In conversational Chinese, the number "one" (standard pronunciation: 1= "yi" = "一") is often pronounced as "yao" with a flat tune. This is extremely popular in Northern China (e.g. Beijing).
Dialog B:
Click to hear the above dialog.
English Translation A:
Hi, is this Li Xiaohong?
No, she is not home, you can call her at her cell phone.
I don't know her cell phone number. Could you tell me?
Sure. 13986792685.
13986792685, ok, thank you. Bye.
You are welcome, bye.
Chinese Calligraphy:
兴 认 识 能 给 联 系 方 式 面 话 号 码 问 手 机 知 道
Questions and Comments
