Collins Gem
Collins Dictionaries
You will never be lost for words in your travels around China again! Your ideal travel companion will ensure that you can say what you need in Chinese with ease and confidence.Reliable and easy-to-use, this phrasebook is an indispensable travel companion as you deal with the situations that crop up every day on holiday; from finding a chic hotel, or hiring a car to explore the countryside, to choosing a local delicacy from the menu, and, of course, setting up your wifi.With helpful travel information and cultural tips, plus a 3000-word dictionary, make sure you don’t go anywhere without this little ebook – an essential guide to speaking and understanding Chinese when travelling in China.
Copyright (#ulink_beffb938-163d-5f60-af29-ac264759fea4)
HarperCollins Publishers
Westerhill Road
Bishopbriggs
Glasgow G64 2QT
Third Edition 2017
© HarperCollins Publishers 2007, 2010, 2017
Source ISBN: 9780008135904
Ebook Edition © March 2017 ISBN: 9780008230081
Version: 2017-01-27
Collins® and Collins Gem® are registered trademarks of HarperCollins Publishers Limited
www.collinsdictionary.com (http://www.collinsdictionary.com)
All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins.
Entered words that we have reason to believe constitute trademarks have been designated as such. However, neither the presence nor absence of such designation should be regarded as affecting the legal status of any trademark.
The contents of this publication are believed correct at the time of creation. Nevertheless the Publisher can accept no responsibility for errors or omissions, changes in the detail given or for any expense or loss thereby caused.
HarperCollins does not warrant that any website mentioned in this title will be provided uninterrupted, that any website will be error free, that defects will be corrected, or that the website or the server that makes it available are free of viruses or bugs. For full terms and conditions please refer to the site terms provided on the website.
HarperCollinsPublishers has made every reasonable effort to ensure that any picture content and written content in this ebook has been included or removed in accordance with the contractual and technological constraints in operation at the time of publication.
Acknowledgements (#ulink_4aa7d895-ba0a-5995-9a50-f5d6de7dfcb0)
We would like to thank those authors and publishers who kindly gave permission for copyright material to be used in the Collins Corpus. We would also like to thank Times Newspapers Ltd for providing valuable data.
If you would like to comment on any aspect of this book, please contact us at the given address or online.
E-mail: dictionaries@harpercollins.co.uk (mailto:dictionaries@harpercollins.co.uk)
facebook.com/collinsdictionary (http://www.facebook.com/collinsdictionary)
@collinsdict (http://twitter.com/collinsdict)
Editor
Holly Tarbet
Contributors
Julie Kleeman
Lin Luan
Ling Song Chase
For the Publisher
Gerry Breslin
Janice McNeillie
Using your phrasebook (#ulink_c9baf221-d03d-5463-97cc-1fe8eef0b46f)
Whether you’re on holiday or on business, your Collins Gem Phrasebook and Dictionary is designed to help you locate the exact phrase you need, when you need it. You’ll also gain the confidence to go beyond what is in the book, as you can adapt the phrases by using the dictionary section to substitute your own words.
The Gem Phrasebook and Dictionary includes:
• Over 60 topics arranged thematically, so that you can easily find an expression to suit the situation
• Pinyin pronunciation which accompanies each word and phrase, to make sure you are understood when speaking aloud
• Tips to safeguard against any cultural faux pas, providing the essential dos and don’ts of local customs or etiquette
• A basic grammar section which will help you to build on your phrases
•FACE TO FACE dialogue sections to give you a flavour of what to expect from a real conversation
•YOU MAY HEAR sections for common announcements and messages, so that you don’t miss important information when out and about
• A dictionary with over 1,000 words and their translations, to ensure you’ll never be stuck for something to say
• A short chapter of LIFELINE phrases for quick reference. These basic words and phrases will be essential to your time abroad
Before you jet off, it’s worth spending time looking through the topics to see what is covered and becoming familiar with pronunciation.
Contents
Copyright
Acknowledgements
Using your phrasebook
Pronouncing Mandarin
Top ten tips
Talking to people
Hello/goodbye, yes/no (#ulink_365c5d3a-79f0-543a-8329-0c9e91bc1ff9)
Key phrases (#ulink_7b3ece8a-a5e4-560b-9a49-454f61038562)
Celebrations (#ulink_1d0574cb-86f2-597e-94d5-89bce4be5857)
Making friends (#ulink_e3e4b0c2-5d65-50ba-b143-e2f5eaf063bd)
Work (#ulink_cee49dc5-8ea8-5b0c-aff3-e31de5c69c22)
Weather (#ulink_94f51fae-0a43-5124-9bce-ffcdd48929b8)
Getting around
Asking the way (#ulink_962b6b71-fe2a-5238-8f58-5c3bf5ba9b7e)
Bus and coach (#ulink_9fd856bb-0207-5a40-af75-f85d4d0b21ea)
Metro (#ulink_fca1667e-b462-5183-85e2-5f96623002a8)
Train (#ulink_05c87369-3950-530c-9f4f-1165db1d7e67)
Taxi (#ulink_efdc1b0d-8970-5df9-b6d7-748e27575d87)
Boat and ferry (#ulink_e864c153-0f31-5597-aa09-1d5335aea5dd)
Air travel (#ulink_eaf79181-ef03-5145-aecb-d4a1ef82c6b9)
Customs control (#ulink_de9435f1-9835-5d6f-83ea-075ab08efd82)
Driving (#litres_trial_promo)
Road signs (#litres_trial_promo)
Staying somewhere
Hotel (booking) (#litres_trial_promo)
Hotel desk (#litres_trial_promo)
Camping (#litres_trial_promo)
Self-catering (#litres_trial_promo)
Shopping
Shopping phrases (#litres_trial_promo)
Shops (#litres_trial_promo)
Supermarket (#litres_trial_promo)
Food (fruit and veg) (#litres_trial_promo)
Clothes (#litres_trial_promo)
Clothes (articles) (#litres_trial_promo)
Bookshop/music shop (#litres_trial_promo)
Antique shop (#litres_trial_promo)
Maps and guides (#litres_trial_promo)
Post office (#litres_trial_promo)
Technology (#litres_trial_promo)
Leisure
Sightseeing and tourist office (#litres_trial_promo)
Entertainment (#litres_trial_promo)
Nightlife (#litres_trial_promo)
Leisure/interests (#litres_trial_promo)
Music (#litres_trial_promo)
Theatre/opera (#litres_trial_promo)
Sport (#litres_trial_promo)
Walking (#litres_trial_promo)
Communications
Telephone and mobile (#litres_trial_promo)
Text messaging (#litres_trial_promo)
E-mail (#litres_trial_promo)
Internet (#litres_trial_promo)
Practicalities
Money (#litres_trial_promo)
Paying (#litres_trial_promo)
Luggage (#litres_trial_promo)
Repairs (#litres_trial_promo)
Laundry (#litres_trial_promo)
Complaints (#litres_trial_promo)
Problems (#litres_trial_promo)
Emergencies (#litres_trial_promo)
Health
Pharmacy (#litres_trial_promo)
Doctor (#litres_trial_promo)
Dentist (#litres_trial_promo)
Eating out
Eating places (#litres_trial_promo)
At a tea house (#litres_trial_promo)
In a restaurant (#litres_trial_promo)
Dietary requirements (#litres_trial_promo)
Spirits and liqueurs (#litres_trial_promo)
Menu reader
Reference
Measurements and quantities (#litres_trial_promo)
Numbers (#litres_trial_promo)
Days and months (#litres_trial_promo)
Time (#litres_trial_promo)
Time phrases (#litres_trial_promo)
Public holidays (#litres_trial_promo)
Signs and notices (#litres_trial_promo)
Pronouncing place names (#litres_trial_promo)
Grammar
Dictionary
English – Mandarin (#litres_trial_promo)
A – C
D – F
G – I
J – L
M – O
P – R
S – U
V – Z
LIFELINE words and phrases
About the Publisher
Pronouncing Mandarin (#ulink_098e4311-c11c-5ff5-8ca5-45eaef154b6d)
It is not easy for foreigners to pronounce Mandarin Chinese, so in this phrasebook we have used standard Latin phonetic sounds to keep it simple. Mandarin is not written using an alphabet, but by various strokes (such as
,
). Written Chinese is based on these ‘characters’ rather than words. The standard Mandarin Chinese pronunciation system (called ‘pinyin’) is based on consonants and vowels which look just like English words. By converting a pinyin character (each representing the sound of the Chinese character) into the standard Latin phonetic sound, English/European language speakers will be able to pronounce pinyin easily.
The system of conversion is as follows:
Intonation
There are five tones used when pronouncing Mandarin; to make it easier for you to remember them, we have placed the diacritics on top of the vowel in each pinyin to indicate the flat tone (—), the rising tone (´), the musical long tone (˘), the strong tone (`), whilst no diacritic means a quiet tone.
In order to make it easier for you to understand these tones, the following examples are supplied. These will give you some idea of how to pronounce the four basic tones in Mandarin:
Top ten tips (#ulink_6816e2a4-d1e2-591a-9156-a81dbb72fd6e)
1 Chinese people show great respect for the wisdom and experience of their elders. The senior people present will usually initiate the greetings, and you should greet the oldest, most senior person before any others.
2 Do not stick your chopsticks into a bowl of rice. It reminds Chinese people of the incense sticks they burn when they bury their dead.
3 Avoid sharing a pear with loved ones. The word for pear-sharing sounds the same as the term for to separate (fēn-lí), and can hint at a break-up or a lifelong separation.
4 Business cards should be held in both hands when they are being offered or received. When receiving another person’s card, you should take the time to look at it attentively before putting it away.
5 Be aware of the Chinese fear of losing face. For example, do not call a restaurant manager a fú-wù;-yuán (waiter/waitress), or anything else below their true status.
6 It is rude to refuse any consumable item being offered to you (including cigarettes). If you do not accept a cigarette you have to come up with a good reason to avoid offending anyone!
7 Tipping is still not expected in most restaurants and hotels, however attitudes towards tipping are changing.
8 Most Chinese women continue using their maiden names even after marriage, but they may indicate their marital status by using 太太 (tài-tai) or 夫人 (fū-rén) with their husband’s name.
9 In a formal situation you should always exchange business cards and shake hands with the most important person first and then work down, to avoid anyone losing face.
10 Whistling and pointing with the index finger are taboo gestures in China.
Talking to people (#ulink_69c17508-38d8-5544-b82a-64ca3a46456c)
Hello/goodbye, yes/no (#ulink_4f417f21-68fc-54da-bf51-97e05dc7585c)
It is very important to use the appropriate form of greeting in China. As with other cultures, the way that you greet somebody will depend on whether you know them or if they are a stranger. The most common greeting which can be used at any time, to anyone, is 你好(nǐ hǎo).
The form 您好(nín hǎo) is more formal and should be used when you want to show particular respect.
Key phrases (#ulink_eaf44759-4c45-5ad8-9f70-086a2cdf3924)
Celebrations (#ulink_d78b1765-510b-59f1-a0e6-3569a5369da8)
Making friends (#ulink_f74e73d4-3a2f-5e11-9441-5d6d73fe4a8a)
Chinese family names are placed first, followed by the given name. For instance, in the name ‘Zhao Li,’ ‘Zhao’ is the family name, ‘Li’ the given name. Family names usually consist of one character, whereas given names can have either one or two characters.
Chinese people call their close friends and family members by their given names.
For example, ‘Ma Wenli’ may be addressed by close friends as ‘Wenli.’
Work (#ulink_f3f831fe-5deb-51e6-9a49-67c811db51b7)
In formal situations you should address Chinese people by their family name or full name and the appropriate courtesy title. Unlike English, professional, social, and family titles always follow the name.
Weather (#ulink_2522ba3c-8278-530a-a0e7-db6643a121bd)
Getting around (#ulink_b49e7a41-0c26-5456-8757-5dfc4c709bd9)
Asking the way (#ulink_f3b24702-e7e2-5d51-ac7a-de610c6fb169)
If you want to attract the attention of someone you do not know – for example, in the street – you say 请问 (qǐng-wèn).
Bus and coach (#ulink_c18325b9-e2a5-57ca-8768-25891b79aa29)
Buses are the most common form of short-distance travel in China. They are also great for inter-city/province travel, as there is a very advanced motorway system in China. Compared to train and plane tickets, bus tickets are cheap. In big cities like Beijing and Shanghai, there are combination travel cards, such as 一卡通 (yī-kǎ-tōng), which can be used to take buses, taxis, and on the metro.
Metro (#ulink_e57e7f11-2de8-5cc7-ab93-a82b9aeb9ab9)
There are 38 cities in China with underground systems. Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou have the longest underground lines in China. Security is very strict, passengers need to have their bags/suitcases scanned at the entrance. The earliest train is around 5 am, and the latest 11 pm. The fare is calculated by the distance, but considered cheap in general given the size of the cities. In big cities like Beijing and Shanghai, travel cards, such as 一卡通 (yī-kǎ-tōng), can be used.
Train (#ulink_3c0569e7-b068-5c2d-9964-5944428e7d9f)
Trains are the most common form of long-distance travel in China. There are two ways of buying tickets: on the national website or at ticket offices in streets and stations.
There are three types of tickets: hard seat, hard bunk and soft bunk. A hard seat ticket is often cheap, about half the price of hard bunk, while a soft bunk ticket is about the same as a plane ticket.
The system is nationalised, it is called China Railway. In the last ten years, China has built over 20,000km of 250km/h High Speed Railways. There are 8 S-N and 8 E-W routes, the trains are normally called CRH-xxx. The tickets for these trains are more expensive.
On trains, if a child is no taller than 1.2 metres, the ticket is free; between 1.2–1.5 metres, it’s half price; over 1.5 metres, it’s full price.
Taxi (#ulink_9431108d-f489-5c1a-a33e-bb27ff1b647c)
Chinese taxis are cheap, convenient and operate on meters. It is not advised to take a taxi in major cities at rush hour, as bad traffic can result in large bills. The basic fee is 10-15rmb for 3kms in most cities. There is no need to tip. There are taxi stands at stations, airports and major hotels but taxis can also be hailed from the roadside. There are a number of popular taxi apps in China that can be pre-booked or called for immediate use.
Boat and ferry (#ulink_a84ed214-11f5-5cc5-9813-8bddda42f7b6)
Boat and ferry transportation is hardly used by Chinese citizens, since the country has a vast inland territory. Most of the time, on a body of water, there will be several bridges.
Air travel (#ulink_edf54502-86c6-5271-95b4-839c6a72914b)
The three busiest airports in China are Beijing Capital International Airport, Shanghai Pudong International Airport, and Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport.
When buying plane tickets, note that children are categorised by their age: below 2 (free), between 2 and 12 (half price), then older than 12 (full price).
Customs control (#ulink_aa90ec1a-43a4-55a7-9dd2-72bafbac1d59)
Visitors to the mainland of the People’s Republic of China must obtain a visa from one of the Chinese diplomatic missions, unless they come from one of the visa exempt countries. ID is essential when travelling, you need it to buy train/plane tickets and book hotels.
It is sometimes possible to spend up to three days in China as a stop-over without acquiring a visa. This suits those in transit only, as the visitor is not permitted to leave the city in which they’ve entered China.
Конец ознакомительного фрагмента.
Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес».
Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию (https://www.litres.ru/collins-dictionaries-5676468/collins-gem/) на ЛитРес.
Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.