Collins Gem

Copyright

HarperCollins Publishers

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Third Edition 2017

© HarperCollins Publishers 2007, 2010, 2017

Source ISBN: 9780008135904

Ebook Edition © March 2017 ISBN: 9780008230081

Version: 2017-01-27

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Acknowledgements

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.

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Editor

Holly Tarbet

Contributors

Julie Kleeman

Lin Luan

Ling Song Chase

For the Publisher

Gerry Breslin

Janice McNeillie

Using your phrasebook

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

Key phrases

Celebrations

Making friends

Work

Weather

Getting around

Asking the way

Bus and coach

Metro

Train

Taxi

Boat and ferry

Air travel

Customs control

Driving

Road signs

Staying somewhere

Hotel (booking)

Hotel desk

Camping

Self-catering

Shopping

Shopping phrases

Shops

Supermarket

Food (fruit and veg)

Clothes

Clothes (articles)

Bookshop/music shop

Antique shop

Maps and guides

Post office

Technology

Leisure

Sightseeing and tourist office

Entertainment

Nightlife

Leisure/interests

Music

Theatre/opera

Sport

Walking

Communications

Telephone and mobile

Text messaging

E-mail

Internet

Practicalities

Money

Paying

Luggage

Repairs

Laundry

Complaints

Problems

Emergencies

Health

Pharmacy

Doctor

Dentist

Eating out

Eating places

At a tea house

In a restaurant

Dietary requirements

Spirits and liqueurs

Menu reader

Reference

Measurements and quantities

Numbers

Days and months

Time

Time phrases

Public holidays

Signs and notices

Pronouncing place names

Grammar

Dictionary

English – Mandarin

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

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:

ConsonantsPinyinPhonetic soundConverting exampleb, d, f, g, j, l, m, n, p, s, t, w, ypronounced the same as in Englishbăo→bao(宝, treasure)csimilar to ts in bootscí→tsi(词, word/s)hsimilar to ch in Scottish lochhē→he(喝, to drink)qsimilar to ch in chipqīng→ching(清, clear)rsimilar to r in redrén→ren(人, person/people)xsimilar to sh in shexī→she(西, west)zlike ds in kidszāi→dsai(灾, disaster)zhlike j in jokezhōng→jong(中, middle)

VowelsPinyinPhonetic soundConverting examplealike a in Zaramā→ma(妈, mum)elike e in her without the sound of rhē→he(喝, to drink)ilike ee in beemĭ→mi(米, rice)olike the sound of warwŏ→war(我, I/me)ulike oo in spoonlù→loo(路, road)ülike the sound of letter u , followed by ee in beeǜ→chu-ee(去, to go)ailike the sound of Iài→l(爱, love)eilike the sound of letter amĕi→may(美, beautiful)aolike ou in ouchlăo→lou(老, old)

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:

Mandarin pinyinEnglish soundsmāpronounced like ‘ma’ in the first syllable of ‘marmalade’mápronounced like ‘ma’ in ‘mass’ but with a slightly rising tonemăpronounced like ‘mar’ in ‘marquee’ but holding this sound for slightly longermàpronounced like ‘mar’ in the first syllable of ‘marmalade’

Top ten tips

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

Hello/goodbye, yes/no

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.

Please请qĭngThanks(very much)(多)谢(duō)-xièYou’re welcome!不客气!bù kè-qì!Yes是shìNo不是bù-shìYes, please好, 谢谢hăo, xiè-xieNo, thanks不, 谢谢bù, xiè-xieOK!好！hăo!Sir/Mr……先生…xiān-shengMadam/Ms……女士…nǚ-shìMrs……太太…tài-taiMiss……小姐…xiăo-jiĕHello你好nĭ-hăoHi!嗨！hēi!Hello! (usually on the phone)喂！wèi!Goodbye再见zài-jiànSee you later一会儿见yī-huìr jiànBye!再会！zài-huì!See you at seven7点见qī-diǎn jiànSee you on Monday!星期一见！ xīng-qī-yī jiàn!Good morning!早上好！ zǎo-shang hǎo!Morning!早！zǎo!Good evening/Goodnight晚安wăn ānSee you tomorrow明天见míng-tiān jiànExcuse me!/Sorry!对不起！ duì-bù-qĭ!Excuse me! (to get past in a crowd)请让一让！qĭng ràng-yī-ràng!How are you?你好吗?nĭ hăo ma?How have you been?最近身体怎么样?zuì-jìn shēn-tǐ zěn-me-yàng?Fine, thanks很好, 谢谢hěn hǎo, xiè-xieGreat!棒极了！ bàng jí le!So-so一般yī-bānAnd you?你呢?nĭ ne?Long time no see!好久不见！hǎo-jiǔ bù jiàn!How are you doing?最近还好吗? zuì-jìn hái hǎo ma?I don’t understand我不明白wŏ bù míng-baiI don’t speak Mandarin我不会说普通话wŏ bù huì shuō pǔ-tōng-huà

Key phrases

Do you have a room?你们有客房吗?nĭ-men yǒu kè-fáng ma?Do you have milk?你们有牛奶吗?nĭ-men yǒu niú-năi ma?I’d like…我想…wŏ xiăng…We’d like…我们想…wŏ-men xiăng…I’d like an ice cream我想买一个冰淇淋wŏ xiăng măi yī-gè bīng-qí-línWe’d like to go home我们想回家wŏ-men xiăng huí-jiāAnother/ Some more…另外的/更多的lìng-wài-de/gèng-duō-de…How much is it?/How much does it cost?多少钱?duō-shăo qián?large大dàsmall小xiăowith/without有/没有yǒu/méi-yǒuWhere is…?/ Where are…?…在哪儿?…zāi năr?the nearest离这儿最近的lí zhèr zuì-jìn-deHow do I get…?我怎么去…?wŏ zĕn-me qù…?to the museum去博物馆qù bó-wù-guănto the station去车站qù chē-zhànto Shanghai去上海qù shàng-hăiThere is…/ There are…有…yŏu…There isn’t…/ There aren’t any…没有…méi-yŏu…When?什么时候?shén-me shí-hou?At what time…?什么时间…?shén-me shí-jiān…?today今天jīn-tiāntomorrow明天míng-tiānCan I…?我能…吗?wŏ néng … ma?smoke抽烟chōu-yāntaste it尝尝它cháng-chang tāHow does this work?如何使用?rú-hé shĭ-yòng?What does this mean?这是什么意思?zhè-shì shén-me yì-sī?

Celebrations

l’d like to wish you…我祝愿您…wŏ zhù-yuàn nín …Happy Birthday!生日快乐！ shēng-rì kuài-lè!Happy Anniversary!纪念日快乐！ jì-niàn-rì kuài-lè!Merry Christmas!圣诞快乐！shèng-dàn kuài-lè!Happy New Year!新年快乐!xīn-nián kuài-lè!Happy Easter!复活节快乐！fù-huó-jié kuài-lè!Have a good trip!一路顺风！yī-lù-shùn-fēng!

Making friends

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.’

FACE TO FACE你叫什么名字?nĭ jiào shén-me míng-zi?What’s your name?我叫…wŏ jiào…My name is…你是哪里人?nĭ shì nă-li rén?Where are you from?我是英国人, 我来自伦敦wŏ shì yīng-guó-rén, wŏ lái zì lún-dūnI am English, from London很高兴认识你！hĕn gāo-xìng rèn-shi nĭ!Pleased to meet you! How old are you?你多大了?nĭ duō-dà le?I’m … years old我 … 岁了wŏ … suì leEngland/English英格兰/英格兰的yīng-gé-lán/yīng-gé-lán deScotland/Scottish苏格兰/苏格兰的sū-gé-lán/sū-gé-lán deWales/Welsh威尔士/威尔士的wēi-ěr-shì/wēi-ěr-shì deIreland/Irish爱尔兰/爱尔兰的ài-ěr-lán/ài-ěr-lán deUSA/American美国/美国的měi-guó/měi-guó deAustralia/Australian澳大利亚/澳大利亚的ào-dà-lì-yà/ào-dà-lì-yà deWhere do you live?你住在哪儿?nĭ zhù-zài năr?Where do you live? (plural)你们住在哪儿?nĭ-men zhù-zài năr?I live in London我住在伦敦wŏ zhù-zài lún-dūnWe live in Glasgow我们住在格拉斯哥wŏ-men zhù-zài gé- lā-sī-gēI’m at school我在上学wŏ zài shàng-xuéI work我在工作wŏ zài gōng-zuòI’m retired我退休了wŏ tuì-xiū leI’m…我…wŏ…single单身dān-shēnmarried结婚了jié-hūn ledivorced离婚了lí-hūn leI have…我有…wŏ yŏu…a boyfriend一位男朋友yī-wèi nán-péng-youa girlfriend一位女朋友yī-wèi nǚ-péng-youa partner一位伴侣yī-wèi bàn-lǚI have…children我有 … 孩子wŏ yŏu … hái-ziI have no children我没有孩子wŏ méi-yŏu hái-ziLet me introduce you to my friends让我把你介绍给我的朋友们ràng wǒ bǎ nǐ jiè-shào gěi wǒ de péng-you-menI’d like you to meet my husband我想让你认识一下我 的丈夫wǒ xiǎng ràng nǐ rèn-shi yī-xià wǒ de zhàng-fuThis is Janet这是珍妮特zhè shì Zhēn-ní-tèI’m here…我在这里…wŏ zà zhè-lĭ...on holiday度假dù-jiàon business公务gōng-wùfor the weekend过周末guò zhōu-mò

Work

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.

Mr Liu刘先生Liú xiān-shengMr Li Nan李楠先生Lǐ Nán xiān-shengMrs Liu刘夫人Liú fū-rénMiss Liu刘小姐Liú xiǎo-jiěMs Liu刘女士Liú nǔ-shìDr Ma马医生Mǎ yī-shēngProfessor Xu徐教授Xú jiào-shòu What do you do?你干什么工作?nĭ gàn shén-me gōng-zuò?Do you like your job?你喜欢你的工作吗?nĭ xĭ-huan nĭ de gōng-zuò ma?I’m…我是…wŏ shì…a doctor一名医生yī míng yī-shēnga manager一名经理yī míng jīng-lĭI work from home我在家里工作wŏ zài jīa-lĭ gōng-zuòI’m self-employed我是自谋职业者wŏ shì zì-móu-zhí-yè-zhĕ

Weather

天气预报tiān-qì yù-bàoweather forecast多变的气候duō biàn de qì-hòuchangeable weather fine好hăobad坏huàicloudy多云duō-yúnIt’s sunny天晴tiān-qíngIt’s raining下雨xià-yǔIt’s snowing下雪xià-xuěIt’s windy刮风guā-fēngWhat a lovely day!天气真好！tiān-qì zhēn hăo!What awful weather!天气真糟糕！tiān-qì zhēn zāo-gāo!What will the weather be like tomorrow?明天天气会怎么样呢?míng-tiān tiān-qì huì zén-me-yàng ne?Do you think it’s going to rain?你认为天会下雨吗?nĭ rèn-wéi tiān huì xià-yǔ ma?It’s very hot/cold today今天很热/冷jīn-tiān hĕn rè/lĕngDo you think there will be a storm?你认为会刮风暴吗?nĭ rèn-wéi huì guā-fēng-bào ma?Do you think it will snow?你认为会下雪吗?nĭ rèn-wéi huì xià-xuě ma?Will it be foggy?会有雾吗?huì yŏu-wù ma?What is the temperature?气温是多少?qì-wēn shì duō-shăo?

Getting around

Asking the way

If you want to attract the attention of someone you do not know – for example, in the street – you say 请问 (qǐng-wèn).

对面的 duì-miàn-deopposite旁边的 páng-biān-denext to邻近 lín-jìnnear to红绿灯 hóng-lǜ-dēngtraffic lights十字路口 shí-zì-lù-kŏucrossroads(路)边 (lù)-biāncorner (of road) FACE TO FACE 请问, 我怎么去车站?qĭng-wèn, wŏ zĕn-me qù chē-zhàn?Excuse me, how do I get to the station? 一直往前走, 过了寺庙就往左/右拐yī-zhí wăng qián zǒu, guò-le sì-miào jiù wăng zuŏ/yòu guăiKeep straight on, after the temple turn left/right 远吗?yuăn ma?Is it far? 不远, 200米/5分钟bù yuăn, èr-bǎi mĭ/wŭ fēn-zhōngNo, 200 metres/five minutes 谢谢您！xiè-xie nín!Thank you! 不客气bù kè-qìYou’re welcome We’re lost我们迷路了wŏ-men mí-lù leWe’re looking for…我们正在找…wŏ-men zhèng-zài zhăo…Is this the right way to…?这是去…的路吗?zhè-shì qù … de-lù ma?Can I/we walk there?我/我们可以步行去那里吗?wŏ/wŏ-men kĕ-yĭ bù-xíng qù nà-li ma?How do I/we get…我/我们怎么…wŏ / wŏ-men zĕn-me…to the museum?去博物馆?qù bó-wù-guăn?to the shops?去商店qù shāng-diàn?Can you show me on the map?你能在地图上指给我 看吗?nĭ nĕng zài dì-tú shàng zhĭ gĕi wŏ kàn ma?YOU MAY HEAR…在那里 zài nà-lidown there在后面 zài hòu-miànbehind

Bus and coach

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.

FACE TO FACE请问, 哪辆公共汽车去市/镇中心?qĭng-wèn, nă liàng gōng-gòng-qì-chē qù shì/zhèn zhōng-xīn?Excuse me, which bus goes to the city/town centre?15路汽车shí-wŭ-lù-qì-chēNumber 15公共汽车在哪里?gōng-gòng-qì-chē zài nă-li?Where is the bus stop?那里, 在右边nà-li, zài yòu-biānThere, on the right我在哪里可以买车票?wŏ zài nă-li kĕ-yĭ măi chē-piào?Where can I buy the tickets?在售票处zài shòu-piào-chùAt the ticket office Is there a bus to...?有公共汽车去 … 吗?yŏu gōng-gòng-qì-chē qù … ma?Is there a tram to…?有电车去 … 吗?yŏu diàn-chē qù … ma?Where do I catch the bus to…?我在哪里乘搭去 … 的公共汽车?wŏ zài nă-lĭ chéng-dā qù-de gōng-gòng-qì-chē…?Where do I catch the tram to…?我在哪里乘搭去 … 的电车?wŏ zài nă-lĭ chéng-dā qù-de diàn-chē…?We’re going to...我们正去…wŏ-men zhèng qù …How much is it to go…?去 … 要多少钱?qù … yào duō-shăo qián?to the city/town centre去市/镇中心qù shì/zhèn zhōng-xīnto the beach去海滩qù hăi-tānHow often are the buses to…?每隔多长时间就有一班 公共汽车去…?mĕi gé dūo-cháng shí-jiān jiù yŏu yī-bān gōng-gòng-qì-chē qù…?When is the first/the last bus to…?去 … 的第一班/最后一班公共汽车是什么时间?qù … de dì-yī-bān/zuì-hòu-yī-bān gōng-gòng-qì-chē shì shén-me shí-jiān?Please tell me when to get off到时候请您告诉我下车dào shí-hòu qĭng nín gào-sù wŏ xià-chēPlease let me off请让我下车qĭng ràng wŏ xià-chēThis is my stop我要在这一站下车wŏ yào zài zhè-yī-zhàn xià-chēcoach旅游巴士lǚ-yóu bā-shìshuttle bus班车bān-chē YOU MAY HEAR…你在这一站下车nĭ zài zhè-yī-zhàn xià-chēThis is your stop请乘坐地铁, 坐地铁 要快些qĭng chéng-zuò dì-tiĕ, zuò dì-tiĕ yào kuài-xiēTake the metro, it’s quicker

Metro

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.

入口 rù-kŏuentrance出口 chū-kŏuway out/exit每周/每月mĕi-zhōu/mĕi-yuèweekly/monthly A 24-hour ticket一张24个小时以内可以使 用的车票yī-zhāng èr-shí-sì gè xiăo-shí yǐ-nèi kĕ-yĭ shĭ-yòng-de chē-piàoA 48-hour ticket一张48个小时以内可以使 用的车票yī-zhāng sì-shí-bā gè xiăo-shí yǐ-nèi kĕ-yĭ shĭ-yòng-de chē-piàoWhere is the nearest metro?离这儿最近的地铁站在 哪里?lí zhèr zuì-jìn-de dì-tiĕ-zhàn zài-nă-li?How does the ticket machine work?如何使用售票机?rú-hé shĭ-yòng shòu-piào-jī?I’m going to…我正在去…wŏ zhèng-zài qù …Do you have a map of the metro?你有一张地铁图吗?nĭ yŏu yī-zhāng dì-tiĕ-tú ma?How do I get to...?我怎么去…?wŏ zĕn-mè qù…?Do I have to change?我要换车吗?wŏ yào huàn-chē ma?What is the next stop?下一站是哪一站?xià-yī-zhàn shì nă-yī-zhàn?Excuse me!请让一让！qĭng ràng-yī-ràng!This is my stop我要在这一站下车wŏ yào zài zhè-yī-zhàn xià-chē