Lesson 22: Shopping
Shopping is one of the "must do" things in China. However, other than bargain for a good price, knowing the right dialog for choosing the right product is extremely important. This lesson will teach you some simple sentences in shopping for clothes in Chinese.
Vocabulary A:
| Chinese Character | Pinyin | Pronunciation | English Translation | |
| 先生 | xiān sheng | sir, Mr. | ||
| 先 | xiān | first, former, previous | ||
| 生 | shēng | life, living, lifetime; birth | ||
| 买 | mǎi | buy, purchase; bribe, persuade | ||
| 衣服 | yīfu | clothes | ||
| 衣 | yī | clothes, clothing; cover, skin | ||
| 服 | fú | clothes; wear, dress | ||
| 件 | jiàn | numerary adjunct for article; matter | ||
| 一件 | yí jiàn | one piece of | ||
| 衬衫 | chèn shān | shirt | ||
| 衬 | chèn | underwear; inner garments | ||
| 衫 | shān | shirt; robe; gown; jacket | ||
| 颜色 | yán sè | color | ||
| 颜 | yán | face, facial appearance | ||
| 色 | sè | color, tint, hue, shade; form, body; | ||
| 深 | shēn | deep; depth; far; very, extreme | ||
| 浅 | qiǎn | shallow, not deep; superficial | ||
| 红色 | hóng sè | red color | ||
| 另外 | lìng wài | besides | ||
| 另 | lìng | another, separate, other | ||
| 一条 | yì tiáo | one stripe of | ||
| 条 | tiáo | clause, condition; string, stripe | ||
| 裤子 | kùzi | pants | ||
| 裤 | kù | trousers, pants | ||
| 多大 | duó(duō) dà | how big, what size | ||
| 大 | dà | big, great, vast, large, high | ||
| 中 | zhōng | central; center, middle; in the midst of; | ||
| 小 | xiǎo | small, tiny, insignificant | ||
| 号 | hào | mark, sign; symbol; number | ||
| 贵 | guì | expensive, costly, valuable | ||
| 便宜 | pián yì | cheap | ||
| 便 | pián | convenience, ease; expedient | ||
| 宜 | yì | suitable, right, fitting, proper | ||
| 不错 | bú cuò | not bad | ||
| 错 | cuò | error, blunder, mistake; wrong | ||
| 付钱 | fù qián | pay money | ||
| 付 | fù | give, deliver, pay, hand over; entrust | ||
Tips A:
- First tip of all tips, make sure you bargain when shopping in China. All prices are negotiable Today at the free markets like the Pearl Market and Silk Market in Beijing, you need to negotiate the prices at 20% of what the sellers are offering. If no deal, walk away, don't worry, you will soon find another seller selling the similar stuff. Offer that one with a 5% increase in price, then it's a done deal.
- One negative thing about shopping in China is that the shops are never good at refund. Most of them will off you exchange options. Therefore, choose the merchandise carefully, especially the size of the clothes. No matter how cheap the price is, if the coat looks funny on you, then it's a lousy deal.
- When negotiating, you don't need to keep saying the word "dollar", anything beyond 10 dollars, just say the number, like "Shi Wu" = "fifteen" instead of "Shi Wu Yuan".
Dialog A:
Click to hear the above dialog.
English Translation A:
A: Hi Sir, what (cloth) would you like to buy?
B: I would like to buy a shirt.
A: What color would you like? Dark ones or light ones?
B: I'd like a red one. Besides, I would like to buy a pair of pants.
A: What's your size? Large, medium or small?
B: Medium. Not too expensive, but also not too cheap.
A: How about this shirt and the pants?
B: Not bad, where do I pay?
A: Over here.
B: How much in total?
A: The shirt is 36 Yuan and the pants are 27.9 Yuan. The total is 63.9 Yuan.
B: Ok, here is 100 Yuan.
A: Here's 36.1 Yuan in change. Thank you!
Vocabulary B:
| Chinese Character | Pinyin | Pronunciation | English Translation | |
| 小姐 | xiǎo jiě | lady, miss | ||
| 双 | shuāng | set of two, pair, couple; both | ||
| 鞋 | xié | shoes, footwear in general | ||
| 换 | huàn | change | ||
| 问题 | wèn tí | question, problem | ||
| 题 | tí | forehead; title, headline; theme | ||
| 黑 | hēi | black; dark; evil, sinister | ||
| 咖啡 | kā fēi | coffee | ||
| 跟 | gēn | heel; to follow, accompany; with | ||
| 一样 | yí yàng | same, alike | ||
| 样 | yàng | shape, form, pattern, style | ||
Tips B:
- Be careful with the color of the merchandise you are purchasing. Very often, the shops in the smaller free markets in China are not properly lit. The color you see in the store may not be the true color in the natural light.
- The word "Wen Ti" = “Problems" can be used in many occasions. The most often on defective items.
- Sometimes, you may get some negative attitude when trying to exchange an item, try to see if you can pick up something else in the shop, something small and not so costly, add it into the exchange deal, you might find the seller becomes more co-operative all the sudden.
Dialog B:
Click to hear the above dialog.
English Translation B:
A: Miss, excuse me, this pair of shoes are too small. Could exchange a pair for me?
B: No problem. How about this pair?
A: No good, do you have anything bigger?
B: Then how about this black one?
A: This pair fit me perfectly,
but the color is not right. Do you have this in coffee brown?
B: Sorry, only in black.
A: Ok, then. Do I have to pay extra?
B: No need, this pair is the same price as the other pair.
Chinese Calligraphy:
Questions and Comments
