Chapter 6
Speaking Chinese at Home
In This Chapter
Playing the real estate game
Furnishing your new digs
Understanding the importance of fēng shuǐ
Filling your rooms with furniture
If you’re one of those people who believes your jiā 家 (jyah) (home) is your chéngbǎo 城堡 (chuhng-baow) (castle), then this chapter’s for you. Maybe you just transfered to Beijing for a new job, or are taking a year off to study kung fu in Taipei. Either way, you’re going to want to call your new environment home for a while, and what better way to do that than to buy or rent your own place?
Planning on relocating with your spouse and children? Or maybe even your in-laws? All the more reason to make your new digs as comfortable as possible and carry on as if you weren’t suddenly half way around the world. This chapter helps you get settled and be so comfortable that you can start asking for the yǎokòngqī 遥控器 (遙控器) (yaow-koong-chee) (remote) again when you want to change channels.
Hanging Out at Home
Whether you’re in the bedroom taking a nap, in the living room watching TV, or in the dining room having dinner, the one thing you want to feel is at home. Want the dog to fetch your slippers? Want the kids to quiet down? Just remember that the character for family (家) is the same ideograph used for the word home: a pig underneath a roof (as in, domesticated animals). Sometimes the domestication just takes a little longer.
In China, you commonly see sān dài 三代 (sahn-dye) (three generations) living under one roof. It’s the ideal Chinese family, in fact, where grandparents are taken care of in old age and children have lots of love and attention all around. Especially in the countryside, sān dài live in the same traditional family compound for generations, sharing a common courtyard with a hall in the center to honor the family’s ancestors.
Hunting for an Apartment
Are you one of the thousands of people considering making a long-term move to China for business purposes? Starting to think about purchasing some fángdìchǎn 房地产 (房地產) (fahng-dee-chahn) (real estate) in the form of a gōngyùfáng 公寓房 (goong-yew-fahng) (condominium) or a hézuò gōngyù 合作公寓 (huh-dzwaw goong-yew) (co-op) in Beijing or Shanghai? Just a few decades ago, contemplating such a purchase of cáichǎn 财产 (財產) (tsye-chahn) (property) was unthinkable. These days, though, with the enormous influx of foreign investment and joint-venture companies, countless foreigners are beginning to take advantage of the many reputable fángdìchǎn jīngjìrén 房地产经纪人 (房地產經紀人) (fahng-dee chahn-jeeng jee run) (realtors) to help them do just that.
And if you’ve already purchased some cáichǎn, you may want to chūzū 出租 (choo-dzoo) (rent) or zhuǎnzū 转租 (轉租) (jwan-dzoo) (sublet) a kōng gōngyù fángjiān 空公寓房间 (空公寓房間) (koong goong-yew fahng-jyan) (vacant apartment) to a trustworthy chéngzūrén 承租人 (chung-dzoo-run) (tenant). Here are some terms you may want to know when thinking of buying a place in China:
ànjiēfèi 按揭费 (按揭費) (ahn-jyeh-fay) (closing costs)
dàilǐ 代理 (dye-lee) (agent)
dǐyājīn 抵押金 (dee-yah-jeen) (mortgage)
gǔběn 股本 (goo-bun) (equity)
hétóng 合同 (huh-toong) (contract)
jiànzhù guīzé 建筑规则 (建築規則) (jyan-joo gway-dzuh) (building code)
jīngjìrén 经纪人 (經紀人) (jeeng-jee-run) (broker)
lìxī 利息 (lee-she) (interest)
píngjià 评价 (評價) (peeng-jya) (appraisal)
tóubiāo 投标 (投標) (toe-byaow) (bid)
tóukuǎn 头款 (頭款) (toe-kwahn) (down payment)
xìnyòng bàogào 信用报告 (信用報告) (sheen-yoong baow-gaow) (credit report)
Talkin’ the Talk
Serena contacts a realtor about buying a condo in Shanghai. (Track 7)
Serena:
Nǐ hǎo. Wǒ xiǎng zài Shànghǎi mǎi yíge gōngyùfáng.
nee how. waw shyahng dzye shahng-hi my ee-guh goong-yew-fahng.
Hi. I’m thinking of buying a condo in Shanghai.
Realtor:
Méiyǒu wèntǐ. Wǒ jiù shì yíge fángdìchǎn jīngjìrén. Hěn yuànyì bāngmáng.
mayo one-tee. waw jyo shir ee-guh fahng-dee-chahn jeeng-jee-run. hun ywan-yee bahng-mahng.
No problem. I’m a real estate broker. I’d be more than happy to help you.
Serena:
Nà tài hǎole. Zài něige dìqū mǎi fángzi zuì hǎo?
nah tye haow-luh. dzye nay-guh dee-chyew my fahng-dzuh dzway how?
That’s great. Which area do you consider to be the best to buy some property?
Realtor:
Shànghǎi yǒu hěn duō hěn hǎo de fángdìchǎn. Kěnéng zuì qiǎngshǒu de shì Hóngqiáo hé Jīnqiáo. Hěn duō wàiguó bàngōngshì xiànzài zài Pǔdōng.
shahng-hi yo hun dwaw hun how duh fahng-dee-chahn. kuh-nung dzway chyahng-show duh shir hoong-chyaow huh jeen-chyaow. hun dwaw why-gwaw bahn-goong shir shyan-dzye dzye poo-doong.
Shanghai has many excellent properties. Perhaps the most popular locations are Hongqiao and Jinqiao. Many foreign offices are now in Pudong.
Be sure you’re using the correct tone when you pronounce the letters m-a-i (pronounced my) in Chinese. If you say it with a third (dipping) tone, mǎi, it means to buy. If you say it with a fourth (falling) tone, however — mài — it means to sell. If you’re not careful, you may end up selling something you had hoped to live in yourself.
The Chinese language is fascinating and incredibly logical. If you put mǎi and mài together and add the word zuò (dzwaw) (to do) in front of them, to say zuò mǎimài 做买卖 (做買賣) (dzwaw my-my), it means to do business. (To buy and to sell . . . get it?)
Decorating Your New Digs
Whether you’ve bought a condo or a co-op, have rented an apartment, or are spending a semester in a sùshè 宿舍 (soo-shuh) (dormitory), you probably want to start buying some jiājù 家具 (jyah-jyew) (furniture) or to otherwise zhuāngshì 装饰 (裝飾) (jwahng-shir) (decorate) your new digs and put your individual stamp on the place.
Does your new place have a hòu yuànzi 后院子 (後院子) (ho ywan-dzuh) (backyard) with a pretty huāyuán 花园 (花園) (hwah-ywan) (garden), perhaps? How about a yángtái 阳台 (陽台) (yahng-tye) (balcony) or a more romantic little zǒuláng 走廊 (dzoe-lahng) (veranda)? You can put some really nice zhíwù 植物 (jir-woo) (plants) out there, or even some huā 花 (hwah) (flowers), like júhuā 菊花 (jyew-hwah) (chrysanthemums) or lánhuā 兰花 (蘭花) (lahn-hwah) (orchids), or even some méihuā 梅花 (may-hwah) (plum blossoms). Wouldn’t that be nice?
Is there a lóushàng 楼上 (樓上) (low-shahng) (upstairs) as well as a lóuxià 楼下 (樓下) (low-shyah) (downstairs)? Do you have a grand ménkǒu 门口 (門口) (mun-koe) (entrance) or at least a diàntī 电梯 (電梯) (dyan-tee) (elevator) if you’re on the top floor? Does the place have lots of floor-to-ceiling chuānghu 窗户 (chwahng-hoo) (windows) with great views, or do they look straight into an air shaft, forcing you to cover them with chuānglián 窗帘 (窗簾) (chwahng-lyan) (curtains) the first chance you get? No matter. At least you finally have a place you can call your own.
With all these new things to buy, just try not to run up too much of a xìnyòng kǎ 信用卡 (sheen-yoong kah) (credit card) bill, or you may regret having made that move from Poughkeepsie to Pudong in the first place.
Wondering what to plant in your new garden? Consider one (or all) of the suìhǎn sānyǒu 岁寒三友 (歲寒三友) (sway-hahn sahn-yo) (the three friends of winter): plum, pine, and bamboo. When other plants have long withered away, these three still thrive in the winter months. Representing both resilience and the possibility of renewal, they’re often depicted in Chinese literature, painting, and garden design.
Appointing Your Rooms, Fēng Shuǐ Style
Literally translated as wind and water, the goal of fēng shuǐ 风水 (風水) (fuhng shway) is to create harmony between the flow of qì 气 (氣) (chee) (energy) in the environment and the good fortune of the person who is in it. Buildings, rooms, and even graves are all built with fēng shuǐ principles in mind.
Fēng shuǐ is no joke in Asia. Entire buildings depend on the expert placement and location chosen by fēng shuǐ geomancers, and an entire industry is booming as a result. (Not the construction industry, silly; the fēng shuǐ consultant industry.) Even U.S. realtors are sure to make houses and apartments they show fēng shuǐ friendly. Ideally, the building should have some kind of elevated landscape in back of it and a water feature in the front, like a pond, river, or well.
Check out the rooms that you may need a fēng shuǐ master to help you organize in Table 6-1.
Table 6-1 Areas of the Home
|
Chinese |
Pronunciation |
English |
|
chūfáng 厨房 (廚房) |
choo-fahng |
kitchen |
|
dīnglóu 顶楼 (頂樓) |
deeng-low |
attic |
|
dìxiàshì 地下室 |
dee-shyah-shir |
basement |
|
fángjiān 房间 (房間) |
fahng-jyan |
room(s) |
|
fàntīng 饭厅 (飯廳) |
fahn-teeng |
dining room |
|
kètīng 客厅 (客廳) |
kuh-teeng |
living room |
|
kōngfáng 空房 |
koong-fahng |
spare room |
|
shūfáng 书房 (書房) |
shoo-fahng |
study |
|
wòshì 卧室 |
waw-shir |
bedroom |
|
xiūxishì 休息室 |
shyo-she-shir |
den |
|
yùshì 浴室 |
yew-shir |
bathroom |
According to fēng shuǐ principles, color helps balance the energy of a room. So the color of the décor of each room is pretty important. Bathrooms, for example, should reflect yīn qualities of peace and seclusion (for self-explanatory reasons).
The Chinese associate colors with one of each of the wǔ xíng 五行 (woo sheeng) (five elements): wood, water, fire, earth, and metal. Table 6-2 lists each of these elements.
You can think of the five elements as different phases of nature. For example, wood creates fire; fire creates earth (ashes); elements from the earth create metal; objects made of metal (such as buckets) carry water; and water nourishes wood, bringing the cycle right back to the first element again.
Table 6-2 The Five Elements
|
Chinese |
Pronunciation |
English |
|
mù 木 |
moo |
wood |
|
huǒ 火 |
hwaw |
fire |
|
tǔ 土 |
too |
earth |
|
jīn 金 |
gin |
metal |
|
shuǐ 水 |
shway |
water |
The bedroom
After you move in and discover how much empty space you really have, you probably want to go out and buy at least the bare bones basics as far as furniture is concerned. How about some of these for the wòshì 卧室 (臥室) (waw-shir) (bedroom)?
bèizi 被子 (bay-dzuh) (quilt)
chuáng 床 (chwahng) (bed)
chuángdān 床单 (床單) (chwahng-dahn) (sheets)
chuángdiàn 床垫 (床墊) (chwahng-dyan) (mattress)
chuángzhào 床罩 (chwahng-jaow) (bedspread)
tǎnzi 毯子 (tahn-dzuh) (blanket)
yīguì 衣柜 (衣櫃) (ee-gway) (chest of drawers)
zhěntóu 枕头 (枕頭) (juhn-toe) (pillow)
The good news, of course, is that after you’ve purchased all these items, you can actually collapse on your own new bed. The bad news is that now you have no excuse not to pūchuáng 铺床 (鋪床) (poo-chwahng) (make the bed) every morning.
Here are three quick fēng shuǐ tips for the bedroom:
Place the bed as far away from the door as possible for more control over your life.
Don’t put your bed against a side wall if you want more flexibility in life.
Put lots of space between the front of your bed and the rest of the room if you want your life to expand.
And if you have kids, you’ll probably want to make sure there’s a shūzhuō 书桌 (書桌) (shoo-jwaw) (desk) somewhere in their bedroom so that they can get some studying in after school. (You don’t have to be a fēng shuǐ expert to know that.)
The bathroom
Okay, I’ll cut to the chase. The bathroom is the one room in the house no one can do without. Here are the basics: You need a cèsuǒ 厕所 (廁所) (tsuh-swaw) (toilet), a yùgāng 浴缸 (yew-gahng) (bathtub) or línyùjiān 淋浴間 (淋浴間) (leen-yew-jyan) (shower), and a shuǐcéng 水槽 (shway-tsuhng) (sink).
One last thing you don’t want to realize you’ve forgotten to stock up on before turning in for the night: weìshēngzhǐ 卫生纸 (衛生紙) (way-shung-jir) (toilet paper). While you’re at it, make sure you have some féizào 肥皂 (fay-dzaow) (soap) on hand in this room, too. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.
Here are some fēng shuǐ tips for the bathroom:
To prevent qì from escaping, keep the door closed when the room isn’t in use. (Actually, keep the door closed when it’s in use, too.)
Close the toilet lid after you’re done.
Make sure there are no leaks.
Put a potted plant or ceramic bowl with pebbles on the toilet tank. (Using a non-water color or element helps balance out all the water already in the room.)
The kitchen
Now you’re cookin’. The kitchen is a room everyone can wrap their minds (or at least their stomachs) around. Aside from the one piece of furniture every kitchen usually needs — a chúfáng cānzhuō 厨房餐桌 (廚房餐桌) (choo-fahng tsahn-jwaw) (kitchen table) — and basic food prep appliances like a kǎo lú 烤炉 (烤爐) (cow loo) (oven) and a diànbīngxiǎng 电冰箱 (電冰箱) (dyan-beeng-shyahng) (refrigerator), you may need some dishware and smaller appliances. Here are some things you may want to know how to say:
bēizi 杯子 (bay-dzuh) (glasses)
jiǔ bēi 酒杯 (jyo bay) (wine glasses)
kāfēi bēi 咖啡杯 (kah-fay bay) (coffee cups)
The Kitchen God
In Chinese mythology, Zào Jūn 灶君 (dzaow jyewn) (the Kitchen God [Literally: the Master of the Stove, because you hang his image over the stove]) is the most important deity of the entire home. A week before the Lunar New Year, he goes to the Jade Emperor, who rules the heavens, to report on the family’s behavior from the prior year. To ensure that he gives a good report to the Jade Emperor, families smear the Kitchen God’s mouth with honey to sweeten his tongue. They then burn his image, and his spirit is sent to the heavens with the good report. On New Year’s Eve, each family puts up a new Kitchen God, and thus begins another year of watching over the family.
wǎndié 碗碟 (wahn-dyeh) (dishes)
wēibō lú 微波炉 (微波爐) (way-baw loo) (microwave)
yǐnqì 银器 (銀器) (yin-chee) (silverware)
The best way to fēng shuǐ your kitchen is simply to keep it simple. Eliminate the clutter to avoid stagnant energy in your life. Old, stale food has old, stale energy, so clean out the fridge regularly. An unused stove implies untapped resources or ignored opportunities, so start using all the burners on the stove, and use the oven once in a while, too. (It can’t hurt. Plus, you’ll save a ton of money by not eating in restaurants.)
The living room
Now here’s one room everyone loves to hang out in and watch some diànshì 电视 (電視) (dyan-shir) (TV) — the kètīng 客厅 (客廳) (kuh-teeng) (living room). Want to put your feet up on the chájī 茶几 (chah-jee) (coffee table [Literally: tea table]) while you’re watching? Don’t even think about it. The chájī was meant for kāfēi 咖啡 (kah-fay) (coffee), not jiǎo 脚 (腳) (jyaow) (feet). (Don’t ask me why it’s not called a kāfēijī rather than a chájī — I don’t have a clue.) The reality is that you can put coffee, tea, soda, and (when no one else is looking) even your feet on this table. Just don’t say I said so.
You almost always find a shāfā 沙发 (沙發) (shah-fah) (sofa) in the kètīng, and possibly a yáoyǐ 摇椅 (搖椅) (yaow-ee) (rocking chair), too. In fact, some apartments are so small that the kètīng doubles as a fàntīng 饭厅 (飯廳) (fahn-teeng) (dining room). In those cases, you may not have an actual fàntīng shèbèi 餐厅设备 (餐廳設備) (fahn-teeng shuh-bay) (dining room set) with a big table and chairs, but then again, that’s what chájī are sometimes for.
Here are some fēng shuǐ tips for the living room:
Keep the living room well lit and clutter-free, and make sure the air quality is good.
Avoid an L-shaped furniture arrangement because it creates a lack of balance in the room and in your life.
Don’t crowd the living room with too many pieces of furniture, or the qì in the room and in your family’s life will be blocked.
The basement
Some people find the dìxiàshì 地下室 (dee-shyah-shir) (basement) pretty scary. In addition to ghosts and spiders, though, it can actually have some really cool things in it. Table 6-3 lists what you may find in a basement.
Table 6-3 Things You Find in a Basement
|
Chinese |
Pronunciation |
English |
|
cúnchǔ kōngjiān 存储空间 (存儲空間) |
tswun-choo koong-jyan |
storage space |
|
guǐ 鬼 |
gway |
ghosts |
|
hǒnggānjī 烘干机 (烘乾機) |
hoong-gahn-jee |
dryer |
|
mùgōng chējiān 木工车间 (木工車間) |
moo-goong chuh-jyan |
carpentry workshop |
|
táiqiǔ zhuō 台球桌 |
tye-chyo jwaw |
pool table |
|
xǐyījī 洗衣机 (洗衣機) |
shee-ee-jee |
washing machine |
|
zhīzhū 蜘蛛 |
jir-joo |
spiders |
Here are some fēng shuǐ tips for the basement:
Improve the air quality in normally stuffy basements with plants that purify the air, such as bamboo palm, English ivy, or rubber plants.
Make sure the basement has enough light and that you augment this light with brightly colored wall hangings.
Bats are good fortune, and other traditions
In Chinese architecture, door gods are placed on doorways to ward off evil and bring good fortune. Because bats actually represent good fortune in China, they can often be found in designs within the home. Another thing you may see in traditional homes is a raised piece of wood that you need to step over to get into each room. These pieces have a serious purpose: to trip the evil spirits, because evil spirits travel only in straight lines. (That’s why you see a lot of curved roofs as well.) Similarly, spirit walls are placed in courtyards in front of the doors to the entrance of the house so that evil spirits will have to go around them.
The attic
The gé lóu 阁楼 (閣樓) (guh-low) (attic) is another part of the house some people try to avoid. Sure, there are bound to be some zhīzhū wǎng 蜘蛛网 (蜘蛛網) (jir-joo wahng) (spider webs) up there, but you may also find your grandmother’s jiǔ yīfú 旧衣服 (舊衣服) (jyo ee-foo) (old clothes) and, if you’re lucky, maybe even some chuǎnjiā bǎo 传家宝 (傳家寶) (chwan-jyah baow) (heirlooms). Okay, you may also see an occasional bīngfǔ 蝙蝠 (beeng-foo) (bat), but in China, those are auspicious creatures.
Here are some fēng shuǐ tips for the attic:
Attics represent the future in fēng shuǐ, so definitely keep this area free of clutter and open to all sorts of possibilities.
Consider making the attic into a quiet meditation room instead of a willy-nilly storage space.
Use the energy of the attic for reflective pursuits. You may want to make it into a research area or library.
Fun & Games
For the following household items, match the English word to the corresponding Chinese word. Check Appendix D for the answers.
|
yùshì 浴室 |
dining room |
|
wòshì 卧室 |
balcony |
|
fàntīng 饭厅 (飯廳) |
sofa |
|
tǎnzi 毯子 |
desk |
|
yángtái 阳台 (陽台) |
quilt |
|
zhěntóu 枕头 (枕頭) |
bedroom |
|
bèizi 被子 |
bathroom |
|
shūzhuō 书桌 (書桌) |
blanket |
|
shāfā 沙发 (沙發) |
pillow |