Intermediate Spoken Chinese

David Hart, who is employed as interpreter for Delta Airlines in Beijing, collides with a Chinese bicyclist while on his way to work. A passerby joins them in their discussion of how to handle the aftermath of the accident.

Basic Conversation 22-4

1. HART	Zĕmmeyàng? Zĕmmeyàng? Nín shòushāng le méiyou?
	How are you? Are you O.K.? Did you get hurt?
2. BICYCLIST	Wŏ dào méi shémme dà shì. Búguò, nín qiáo, wŏ zhè kùzi pòle yíge dà kūlong, wŏde zìxíngchē chéngle shémme yàngr le? Yào bú shi wŏ duŏde kuài, hái shuōbudìng yŏu duō wēixiăn a!
	I’m pretty much all right. But, take a look, a big hole got torn in my pants, and what has become of my bicycle? If I hadn’t dodged quickly, who knows how dangerous it could have been!
3. HART	Duìbuqĭ, duìbuqĭ, shízài duìbuqĭ! Shuō shízàide, zhè yĕ bù quán yuàn wŏ. Wŏ yĕ shi wèile duŏ yíge guò mălùde, jiéguŏ cái bă nín zhuàngle.
	Sorry, sorry, I’m really sorry! To tell the truth, this isn’t entirely my fault either. I, too, did this to avoid a person who was crossing the street, and it was only thus, as a result, that I hit you.
4. PASSERBY	Zĕmme la? Fāshēng shémme shìr le?
	What’s going on? What happened?
5. BICYCLIST	Tā bă wŏ zhuàngle!
	He hit me!
6. HART	Shì bu shi wŏmen qù zhăo jiāotōngjĭng?
	Should we go look for a traffic policeman?
7. PASSERBY	Yàoburán zhèiyangr ba. Nĭmen sīliăo déle. Nín péi tā yìtiáo kùzi, zài péi tā dianr xiūchēfèi. Rúguŏ jiào jĭngcháde huà, nĭ dĕi dānwu hăo duō shíjiān, guài bù hésuànde.
	Or why not handle it like this. Just settle privately. You compensate him for a pair of pants, plus give him a little for repair costs. If you call the police, you’ll have to waste a lot of time; it’s just not worth it.
8. BICYCLIST	Kùzi jiù suànle. Nín péi wŏ sānshikuài qián xiūchē ba.
	Forget about the pants. Just give me 30 RMB in compensation to repair my bike.
9. HART	Xíng, xíng. Suàn zámliă dōu dăoméi.
	O.K. I guess both of us are out of luck.

Build Up

1. Hart
shòushāng	suffer injury, be hurt [VO]
shòushāng le méiyou	did you get hurt or not
Zĕmmeyàng? Zĕmmeyàng? Nín shòushāng le méiyou?	How are you? Are you O.K.? Did you get hurt?
2. Bicyclist
dào	on the contrary, but [A]
wŏ dào méi shémme dà shì	I on the contrary haven’t any big matter
qiáo	look [V]
nín qiáo	you take a look
pò	break, tear [V]
kūlong (B)	hole [N]
pòle yíge dà kūlong	there has been torn a big hole
zìxíngchē (B)	bicycle [N] (M: liàng)
chéng	become, turn into [V]
yàngr (B)	appearance, shape [N]
chéngle shémme yàngr le	has turned into what shape
duŏ	dodge, avoid [V]
yào bú shi wŏ duŏde kuài	if it were not that I dodged fast
-dìng	fixed, settled [RE]
shuōbudìng	not be able to say for sure [RC]
wēixiăn (B)	be dangerous; danger [SV/N]
yŏu duō wēixiăn	how dangerous it is
Wŏ dào méi shémme dà shì. Búguò, nín qiáo, wŏ zhè kùzi pòle yíge dà kūlong, wŏde zìxíngchē chéngle shémme yàngr le? Yào bú shi wŏ duŏde kuài, hái shuōbudìng yŏu duō wēixiăn a!	I’m pretty much all right. But, take a look, a big hole got torn in my pants, and what has become of my bicycle? If I hadn’t dodged quickly, who knows how dangerous it could have been!
3. Hart
yuàn	blame [V]
zhè yĕ bù quán yuàn wŏ	I can’t be blamed for all of this
mă	horse [N] (M: pī)
mălù	road [N]
guò mălù	cross the road [PH]
duŏ yíge guò mălùde	avoid one who is crossing the road
jiéguŏ	as a result [CJ]
zhuàng	bump into, collide with [V]
bă nín zhuàngle	collided with you
Duìbuqĭ, duìbuqĭ, shízài duìbuqĭ! Shuō shízàide, zhè yĕ bù quán yuàn wŏ. Wŏ yĕ shi wèile duŏ yíge guò mălùde, jiéguŏ cái bă nín zhuàngle.	Sorry, sorry, I’m really sorry! To tell the truth, this isn’t entirely my fault either. I, too, did this to avoid a person who was crossing the street, and it was only thus, as a result, that I hit you.
4. Passerby
fāshēng	happen [V]
fāshēng shémme shìr le	there has happened what matter
Zĕmme la? Fāshēng shémme shìr le?	What’s going on? What happened?
5. Bicyclist
Tā bă wŏ zhuàngle!	He hit me!
6. Hart
Shì bu shi wŏmen qù zhăo jiāotōngjĭng?	Should we go look for a traffic policeman?
7. Passerby
sīliăo	settle privately [V]
...déle	...and that will do [PT]
nĭmen sīliăo déle	settle privately and that will do
péi	compensate, pay damages [V]
péi ta yìtiáo kùzi	reimburse her for a pair of pants
xiū	repair [V]
xiūchē	repair a vehicle [VO]
xiūchēfèi	cost of repairing a vehicle [N]
péi tā diănr xiūchēfèi	pay her a little for repair costs
dānwu	delay, get held up [V]
dānwu hăo duō shíjiān	lose a lot of time
hésuàn	be worthwhile [SV]
guài...-de	quite, rather [PT]
guài bù hésuànde	not very worthwhile
Yàoburán zhèiyangr ba. Nĭmen sīliăo déle.	Or why not handle it like this. Just settle privately.
Nín péi tā yìtiáo kùzi, zài péi tā dianr xiūchēfèi. Rúguŏ jiào jĭngcháde huà, nĭ dĕi dānwu hăo duō shíjiān, guài bù hésuànde. worth it.	You compensate him for a pair of pants, plus give him a little for repair costs. If you call the police, you’ll have to waste a lot of time; it’s just not
8. Bicyclist
suànle	“forget about it” [IE]
kùzi jiù suànle	never mind about the pants
Kùzi jiù suànle. Nín péi wŏ sānshikuài qián xiūchē ba.	Forget about the pants. Just give me 30 RMB in compensation to repair my bike.
9. Hart
zámliă	the two of us [PR]
dăoméi	be out of luck [SV]
Xíng, xíng. Suàn zámliă dōu dăoméi.	O.K. I guess both of us are out of luck.

1B. TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS. Due to the challenging traffic conditions in many parts of China, accidents are unfortunately a frequent occurrence. As a non-native in China, it would be advisable for you to avoid driving a car or motorcycle, unless absolutely necessary. If you do have an accident, stop immediately and render all possible assistance. Be aware that in China, responsibility for traffic accidents is usually shared between both parties rather than ascribed entirely to one party alone, even if the accident is clearly the fault of one side. This is especially the case when a foreigner is involved, since he or she will often be considered wealthier. Minor accidents are often handled via a cash settlement on the spot. Thus, expect to have to part with some money if you’re involved in an accident. But most important, show your concern for the other person, especially if injuries are involved, however minor. If more serious injuries occurred, then it would be wise to visit the other person in the hospital or at home to inquire as to how they’re doing and wish them well. During such a visit, you should, of course, bring some kind of present or an envelope with cash; a Chinese friend can advise you on the details. To an American lawyer, paying such a visit when one was clearly not at fault might seem to imply guilt. However, not following Chinese custom in such a case is likely to bring about bitter feelings on the part of the Chinese involved, which could create conditions not conducive to a favorable settlement.

1C. Nín shòushāng le méiyou? “Were you injured?” As you learned in 21-1: 5B, the standard northern Mandarin affirmative-negative question form of completed-action sentences ends in VERB + -le méiyou, as in Nín shòushāng le méiyou? In southern Mandarin, it’s common to insert yŏu méiyou before the verb rather than ending in -le méiyou and instead say Nín yŏu méiyou shòushāng? “Were you injured?” Either of these alternatives is fine for you to use, but be careful as regards the affirmative answer to such questions, which must use VERB + -le and, in this case, should be Wŏ shòushāng le “I was injured.” Be aware that you CANNOT say *Wŏ yŏu shòushāng for “I was injured.” The latter is a common error in the Mandarin spoken by native speakers of Cantonese and Taiwanese, since those dialects do have constructions similar to *Wŏ yŏu shòushāng.

2A. Qiáo is a northern Chinese synonym for kàn, which could also have been used here. The imperative Nĭ qiáo “Look!” is especially common.

2B. Wŏ zhè kùzi “these pants of mine.” Normally, this would be wŏ zhèitiáo kùzi “this pair of pants of mine” with the measure for pants, tiáo. However, in rapid, colloquial speech after the number yī or after the specifiers zhèi- and nèi-, measures are sometimes omitted—but only when the quantity is one (if you were talking about two or more pairs of pants you’d have to use the measure). However, it’s never wrong to use the measure and, indeed, we recommend that you always use measures in your own speech.

2C. Wŏ zhè kùzi pòle yíge dà kūlong “In these pants of mine there has been torn a big hole” or “A big hole got torn in my pants” or “There’s a big hole in my pants.” Pòle here means “there has been torn.” The verb pò “tear” can be interpreted actively or passively depending on the context.

2D. The noun zìxíngchē “bicycle,” which literally means “self move vehicle,” is used mostly in Beijing and Northern China. In southern mainland China and Taiwan, the most common word for “bicycle” is jiăotàchē (lit. “feet-tread-vehicle,” cf. AV1). The measure used for either zìxíngchē or jiăotàchē is liàng. Remember, as you learned in 11-4, that the verb used for “ride” a bicycle is qí, which literally means “straddle” and is used for “riding” bicycles, motorcycles, or horses. Beijing is a great city to explore by bicycle. If you’re going to be living in Beijing for more than two or three months, it would be well worth purchasing a bike.

2E. Wŏde zìxíngchē chéngle shémme yàngrle? literally means “My bicycle has become what way?” or “What has happened to my bicycle?”

2F. Review the use of yào bú shi “if not,” “if it weren’t that,” or “if...hadn’t” (19-4: 1B). The literal meaning of Yào bú shi wŏ duŏde kuài, hái shuōbudìng yŏu duō wēixiăn a! is “If it weren’t that I dodged quickly, still can’t say for sure have to what extent danger!” or, in better English, “If I hadn’t dodged quickly, who knows how dangerous it might have been!”

2G. The negative potential resultative compound shuōbudìng here retains its basic meaning of “can’t say for sure.” It derives from the verb shuō “say” plus the resultative ending -dìng “settle, decide” (cf. the verb dìng “settle, decide” that you learned in 17-1). In other contexts, shuōbudìng can function as an adverb meaning “perhaps” or “maybe.” Examples:

2H. The word wēixiăn, which can function as a stative verb meaning “be dangerous” or as a noun meaning “danger,” is in Taiwan pronounced wéixiăn, with Tone Two on the first syllable.

3A. Zhè yĕ bù quán yuàn wŏ literally means “This also not all blames me” or “This also isn’t all my fault.”

3B. Wŏ yĕ shi wèile duŏ yíge guò mălùde literally means “I also was a case of in order to dodge someone who was crossing the street.”

3C. Jiéguŏ “as a result” is a common and useful conjunction that links sentences expressing cause and result. Note that jiéguŏ can be used only with situations that have already occurred, not with future situations. Another example:

“The teacher told him not to arrive late, but the result was that he still arrived late.”

4. The verb fāshēng “happen” is common and useful. It can sometimes take the postverb -zài. Examples:

6. Shì bu shi wŏmen qù zhăo jiāotōngjĭng? “Is it or is it not the case that we go find a traffic policeman?” or “Shall we go look for a traffic policeman?” As is quite common, shì bu shi is here used to gently bring up a suggestion. Two more examples of shì bu shi used to make suggestions:

7A. LAW IN CHINESE SOCIETY. The concept of law in Chinese society has been quite different from the West. Traditionally, legal institutions in China considered achieving social harmony as their most important task; thus, the harmonious resolution of conflicts (héjiĕ) was the top priority, not determining who was right and who was wrong. In general, Chinese people don’t like to have to resort to fă “the law.” To solve a dispute, Chinese will first appeal to qíng “affection in human relationships,” then to lĭ “reason,” and only if the preceding don’t succeed in solving the problem will they have recourse to fă. Until recently, there has in China generally been a distrust of the law and a reluctance to turn over accident cases to officials. It’s usually considered better to try to resolve such cases directly between the parties involved, especially if they’re relatively minor. Often, as happens in this lesson’s Basic Conversation, a bystander will try to help mediate between the two sides. This is called sīliăo “handle privately” as opposed to shàng făyuàn “go to court.” In sīliăo, both sides usually have to yield something and compromise. An important factor is whether or not you have a personal relationship (and if so, what kind of relationship) with the other party; to insist on your own point of view or cite official rules and regulations will usually not get you very far. The preceding notwithstanding, we should point out that concepts of law are developing in China and the Chinese government has been making efforts to implement laws and change people’s ways of thinking. You, as a non-native, should be very careful about using sīliăo yourselves, since this is complex and, moreover, bystanders will sometimes come and pretend to help you while they actually take advantage of your lack of knowledge of Chinese society. For these reasons, it’s in most cases better for you as a foreigner to deal with the foreign affairs police. In fact, in situations like these, even if you speak fluent Chinese, it’s sometimes wise to pretend your Chinese is not so good and say something like Duìbuqĭ, wŏde Zhōngwén bú tài hăo, wŏ tīngbudŏng nínde huà, wŏmen háishi jiào jĭngchá lái ba “Sorry, my Chinese is not so good, I don’t understand what you’re saying, why don’t we just call the police.”

7B. SENTENCE + DÉLE. Dé alone may mean “can,” “may,” or “will do.” A sentence followed by déle means “If such-and-such happens, then it will do” or “If such-and-such is done, then it will be O.K.” or “All that’s needed is such-and-such.” This structure, which is especially common in northern Mandarin, is often used to make a suggestion and thereby resolve a problem or conclude a matter. The basic pattern is:

Xiànzài yĭjīng shíyīdiăn le, wŏmen jiăndān zài jiāli chī dianr déle, bié chūqu chīle.

“It’s already 11:00; why don’t we simply eat a little something at home? Let’s not go out to eat.”

“A: She’s an international student and doesn’t have a place to stay right now.”

“B: Then why don’t we just temporarily lend her that apartment for her to stay in.”

7C. A word about the pronunciation of dānwu “delay.” If a syllable ending in -n is followed immediately by a syllable beginning with w-, y-, h-, or a vowel, then the -n of the first syllable is often not fully pronounced. In this case, the tongue doesn’t quite reach the roof of the mouth, and the vowel in the first syllable is nasalized. So some speakers pronounce dānwu as if it were dāwu (with a nasalized ā). Examples of this phenomenon we had earlier include piányi “cheap” (3-3), zhēn hăo “really good” (6-1), yuànyi “be willing to” (15-4), hĕn è “very hungry” (15-4), and diànyĭngr “movie” (20-3).

7D. GUÀI...-DE. The guài...-de pattern surrounds a positive stative verb expression to mean “quite,” “rather,” or “very”; and it surrounds a negative stative verb expression to mean “not very.” The guài...-de pattern is similar in meaning to hĕn “very” but is more informal, used only in spoken Chinese, and often occurs with negative or adversative (“unhappy”) expressions. While a following -de is very common, guài can also be used alone. The basic pattern is:

8. Suànle, in the sense “Forget it” or “Forget about it,” is also often said by itself.

9. Zámliă “the two of us (i.e., you and I)” is an abbreviation of zámmen liăngge (rén). Remember that zámmen is the “inclusive we” that includes the person spoken to (14-1: 1A).

SV1. In English we say “have” an accident, but in Chinese you can’t use *yŏu. Instead, one says Chū chēhuò le “An accident has occurred” or Fāshēng chēhuò le “An accident has happened.”

SV2. Kūlong (cf. line 2 of this Basic Conversation) is the Beijing dialect word for “hole.” In most of the rest of China, the word dòng is used for “hole.”

AV2. Yílù píng’ān literally means “all along the way (may you encounter) peace.” This is commonly said to someone who is departing on a long journey to wish them a safe trip, very much as we in English use the French expression “bon voyage.” Zhù nĭ means “wish you,” so the whole sentence literally means “(I) wish you have a good trip!”

1. chēhuò	car accident [N]
2. dòng	hole [N]

1. jiăotàchē (T)	bicycle [N] (M: jià)
2. yílù píng’ān	“have a good trip” [EX]
Zhù nĭ yílù píng’ān!	Hope you have a good trip!

Nà shi shémme shíhou fāshēngde shìr?	“When did that happen?”
Zĕmme huì fāshēng nèiyangde shìqing?	“How could something like that happen?”
Shìqing fāshēngzai 1937 nián 7 yuè 7 hào.	“The event happened on July 7, 1937.”

Nèige gùshi guài kĕpàde.	“That story is quite scary.”
Nèige diànyĭngr guài xiàrénde.	“That movie was rather frightening.”
Wŏ juéde tā măide yīshang guài nánkànde.	“I feel the clothes she bought are quite ugly.”

SENTENCE	DÉLE
Nĭ qù	déle.
“If you go, then it will be O.K.” or “Why don’t you just go.”

GUÀI	STATIVE VERB	-DE
guài	bù hésuàn	de
“not very worthwhile”