The story of Jián and a bonus hilarious anecdote

IFChina, the NGO I am interning with here in Jián, is currently hosting two photographers from Nepal. These photographers founded Photo.Circle (a cultural NGO in Kathmandu) and we are lucky enough to be basking in their wisdom. I’m a staff member here, so it means I’m not taking part in the photography assignments but I enjoy being camera woman, occasional translator and all-round helpful person. I love being able to reflect on how far I’ve come during my 6 months here, from completely bamboozled and feeling out of my depth to working on a project like this one. I get to share my cultural knowledge, observations and advice with two outsiders and I also get to appreciate how awesome it is knowing the language when I see the two photographers trying to work out how to buy food. Like….Chinese is so totally useful!

The photography project that we are working on is ‘The Story of Jián’ and I think it is very poetic that this is one of the last things I am going to be involved in during my stay here. Participants are shooting stories of everyday people of Jián (characters that feel familiar to me now) and places that I’ve been to. In the end, we will have a collection of photos which are a sort of… time capsule of this city. I like that I will always have these photos to look at, because I know that when I come back, whenever that will be, the people and the city would have already changed. Such is the nature of China. It is a place that is constantly developing.

I am helping put together an exhibition of the photos, which is also exciting and totally surreal (like, am I really helping coordinate an exhibition of street photography in the middle of China… I feel like this was a dream of mine that I hadn’t even realised I had.) And everyone will be given a book of all the photos. Really, the greatest souvenir of my time here.

A quick hilarious anecdote (Dedicated to my friend Sophie who wants funny stories for her script writing projects.)

The other day I went with the Nepalese photographers to meet children from a nearby village who are involved in an IFChina photography project. I was acting as translator, when one serious little 9 year old girl asked me why I was the one translating when the photographers clearly looked more Chinese than me. After explaining that they were from a nearby country and spoke a different language, she nodded thoughtfully and added that other languages are not the same as Chinese and that words in other languages don’t really mean anything in Chinese. I agreed with her in all seriousness. Then she asked me why her own Chinese accent was better than mine, even though I was older.

One of the photographers decided to do a short activity with the children. We were in a park and it was a good location for them to run around in, taking photos. They were given four things to find and photograph. Firstly, something pretty. They sprinted off and naturally took photos of interesting rocks and flowers. Secondly, they had to take a photo of something ugly. One girl presented her photo of a fat man proudly, her friend pushed ahead and showed us her photo of the fat man’s fat child. As the third thing was announced, as luck would have it, a wedding party and some kids on rollerblades were approaching us. They had to take a photo of something moving fast. Half of the kids went and harrassed the bride to try to make her walk faster, the other half formed a hunting party to chase after the children on rollerblades. Chaos ensued. Finally, after the poor children on rollerblades were driven far from the area nearly in tears, they were told to take a picture of something they hadn’t seen before. Most of them went and took pictures of (more) interesting rocks and flowers, but one little girl came up and told me to pose so she could take a picture of me “I’ve never seen someone with white skin before” she said. Smart kid.

Cute kiddie wonkles (Photo: Emccall 2014)

Something Moving Fast (Photo: Emccall 2014)

How to get fluent in Chinese (for realz)

Hey kids,

So there has been an aspect of this whole China experience that I’ve by and large ignored. That is, my Chinese language journey. I came here after finishing 3 1/2 years of Chinese study for my University major. I was feeling pretty unsatisfied with the prospect of graduating with this piece of paper touting my language ability, when personally, I was pretty unsure of how far that ability actually extended to. I had never gotten myself together to take the standard Mandarin exam, the HSK, so I didnt have that score to rely upon. And besides, I found that I had trouble writing characters by hand, simply because I was more focussed on conversational ability. The HSK exam largely assesses reading, writing and grammar structures. Thus, I decided that I needed time to focus on these technicalities. Introducing…an intensive Chinese language program conducted in Nanjing university. I found studying in China vastly different to your standard exchange experience. Because we were taking Chinese classes for second language speakers, most of the people I interacted with were exchange students too. Apart from my Korean friends, we all socialised in English to accommodate differing levels in Chinese. The classes were monday to friday,   8am until 12pm. Students were placed into appropriate level classes and could choose to swap as they pleased. Classes were taught by native Chinese, most of whom spoke little more than a scattering of English. The classroom environment was entirely Chinese, regardless of level. Homework consisted of review and prep of lessons. Subjects included reading, writing, speaking, listening and bonus classes such as newspaper reading, history, ancient Chinese and HSK prep which you could choose at your leisure. I personally chose to fill my spare time with brush painting, taichi and getting private lessons on the Erhu (traditional Chinese instrument.) These were all taught in Chinese and I felt greatly benefited because I was genuinely interested in these things. I felt frustrated by my inability to meet locals though, as our accommodation and classes were held in separate buildings.  We were segregated. To get around that, I tried many different schemes. I found a local language partner, made sure to go straight to the few chinese who went to the same parties I did. I met some really great people just by being open to those really random approaches that often happen here in China. But it still wasnt forming the core of my interactions. Frustrated with my lack of immersion, even while in China, as well as feeling generally over studying Chinese (saturation point is quickly reached and there are only so many hundred characters you can stuff into your brain before needing a break and a chance to consolidate.) Deciding that I was more than happy to call it quits on the study, I started looking for other…opportunities… in China. My plan had been to go travelling, Tibet, Nepal etc. But I wasnt ready to leave my Chinese level where it was currently at. I still wouldnt feel happy upon graduating. I’d feel…dishonest somehow, like I didnt deserve my accreditation.

An internship was suggested to me, and I decided it was just the thing.
I applied for a whole heap and got a whole heap of responses. I was most interested in one in Beijing and one in small city Ji’An. Well, I decided to put in my best and go for the most difficult option. To move away from any safety blankey expat communities I might latch onto in Beijing, to go to a small city in a (seemingly) distant province. It was the best decision I could have made.

I struggled with the language and cultural barriers, but as they say, nothing worth obtaining is easy. As I am getting to the last stages of my time here, I realise that it really hasnt been that long at all. But I feel like Ive achieved a lot.

I had a breakthrough moment not long ago. I went to a social enterprise workshop with my collegues and a whole group of young people involved in the small (but growing) NGO sector in China. I was really nervous, thinking that no way would I be able to follow what was going on, it would be a complete waste of time where I would embarrass myself by asking ‘what?’ too many times. Well, it was hard and occasionally I needed a translation of some of the more complicated concepts, but overall I learned some valuable things and feel inspired about my own future in NGO organisations. It felt  amazing to be able to sit in small group discussions about project planning and troubleshooting and to be able to make a meaningful contribution. I forgot that I was speaking Chinese because I was more focussed on what I was actually trying to communicate.That’s not to say that I knew every word that was being said, or that I followed every conversation, or that I spoke with even mildly correct grammar, or that I never had to ask someone to repeat or rephrase what they said…but I still made it to the end and dammit I’m gonna take that as a victory.  When I finally finished the three day intensive, I found everything else so much easier. General chitchat, asking for directions… how could that make me nervous now?

Learning a language is all about roadblocks and overcoming roadblocks. The more you learn, the harder the roadblocks get and the harder they are to overcome.

With this new confidence in speaking and understanding spoken chinese, I feel like I can finally see past another block. I know that I need to sit down, study some more complicated vocabulary (those annoying words that I can talk around, or substitute for an English word but eventually need to learn) and take it back out onto the field.
Being fluent in Chinese isnt about a piece of paper from university, or about a number on an exam. To be fluent in Chinese all you need is the confidence to answer the question “are you fluent?” …with a defiant “yes, bitches!” Because confidence in your second language is the most valuable thing you could ever learn. Don’t let anyone tell you that you’re not good enough. They usually are the ones who feel the least confident in their own ability.

Haters gonna hate (Photo: Emccall 2014)

I don’t understand what you said but, apparently, I’m a Royal Sister?

I have been currently living in Ji’An for a month, working at my new job for all of three weeks. So far, I’ve been to two mountains, three villages and on a bike-ride through the countryside. I’ve had staff meetings, been to documentary screenings and a sketching class. I’ve started working on a large scale community project and every week must host a two hour theatre workshop.

I am trying to work, explore and make new friends here…

and it’s hard.

I have to keep reminding myself that moving to a small city and starting a new job is pretty challenging as it is, and that I should feel proud to have made it this far. The fact that I’ve done all this in China, speaking Chinese, should make me feel even more satisfied. Right?

But… I can’t help but bemoan my Chinese ability when I consider how much my current level of Chinese is restricting me from doing more things, meeting more people…

This isn’t a classroom where the teacher speaks in moderated, standard accent Mandarin, using standard expressions and full phrases. Here, everyone I meet has their own unique way of talking. They all come from different provinces, and I’ve already learned that if they come from Ganzhou they say ‘r’ as ‘l’, if they come from Ji’An they say ‘n’ as ‘l’, if they come from northern provinces they say ‘s’ as ‘shi’ and ‘shi’ as ‘si’ and if they come from rural Jiangxi they say ‘shi’ and ‘s’ as ‘s.

Most of the people I’m interacting with are in their twenties so use a heap of net vocabulary that I just can’t keep up with.When I tried to tell them that I was excited for our expedition I was told to instead say 我很HIGH,  [I am very high], cause it was cooler than the word I used.  When one of the girls insisted she wasn’t tired as she was going up the mountain, everyone laughed and called her  nuhanzi

“…literally meaning a manly woman or a tomboy – a woman who thinks and acts like a man and is yet more than just an unceremonious woman.” [See: http://offbeatchina.com/the-rise-of-nu-han-zi-in-china-manly-ladies-who-challenge-chinas-traditional-female-image%5D

Definitely not something you would find in a textbook, or in a dictionary for that matter. It has only been around for a few months but these words seem to catch on like wildfire, leaving the second language learners always a few steps behind.

Playing catch-up everyday in every situation is exhausting, sometimes I can’t wait to crawl back to my apartment and speak in English on Skype. When I get tired after a day at work or whatever, the last thing I wanna do is put myself into a situation where I feel lost in a group conversation or struggling to express my opinions on something. But I have to. Otherwise I would become a social recluse and never learn anything. It helps though when the people I’m hanging out with take the time to explain things to me, to speak a bit slower even when they’re speaking together so I can join in if I want to. To appreciate that I’m trying my very best and that if I don’t understand to say it again or wait for me to look something up on my phone.

I have a lot more empathy for the many people who come to Australia speaking English as their second language, I now fully understand why the international students can be so quiet in class and might struggle to make friends with those who are not from their own country.

I was hanging out with a group of girls the other day, and one of them turned to me and said something with a huge smile on her face. I hesitated, wondering whether I should pretend to understand her, but decided to confess my confusion. She whipped out her phone and tapped away, before showing me an explanation in Chinese of a new slang word. 御姐 yujie, this literally means Royal Sister, and it is used to describe young women with the following traits: 20-30 years old, mature, wise, confident, has initiative and style, elegant and considerate. [Source: http://baike.baidu.com/view/2864.htm (Chinese only)] She pointed at me and said that I was a Royal Sister. Although I’m sure she wasn’t saying I possessed all these traits, it was still the nicest thing to say to me, because I felt so happy that even when stumbling over words and getting lost in conversations and feeling like the stupidest, most clumsiest human being on the planet, that I still managed to make a good impression on someone and that she bothered to take the time to get to know me regardless.

Peace y’all

A Miao minority woman posing with me at JingGang Mountain (Photo: Emccall

打太极拳、拉二胡、画中国画：Studying Taiqi，Erhu and Chinese brush painting

I decided to write a little summary some of my studies here, since my classes are quickly drawing to a close and I’m sadly moving onto other things for the time being. I wrote it originally in Chinese, because final exams are next week and I really, really needed some practice. Enjoy!

　　我学了太极拳三个月了，我现在能打一个很简单的２４步骤态样，也学了一半的太极剑态样。　我的老师，杨老师，的父亲是一位太极拳名家。杨老师老了，　不过还很康强、手脚灵活，　老了的时候要打太极拳，我觉得你要现在开始。　在公园跟老人打太极拳是一个我的梦想，我喜欢在中国老人能自由行动、健身、社会化、尊重的，比西方不同的，我想退休以后在中国花时间打太极拳、搓麻建、等。原初.我看过太极拳以为很漫漫的，所以容易的，然后打太极拳觉得很不舒服，我的身体不太自然的，我真知道每个奥妙的步子才能觉得强力的、大大方方。但是，　还有一些很难的步子，我要联系努力．．．很高兴有足够时间啊！

For my three months here I have been taking Taiqi classes, so far we’ve finished the basic pattern and over half of a sword combination (with my new practice sword!) The late father of our teacher (Yang) is apparently a very well-known Taiqi master in this area, although she hasn’t really mentioned much about him, we hear rumors…Teacher Yang is incredible, she is an older woman but she continually surprises us with her strength and flexibility, I know a lot of people think they will take up Taiqi when they’re older, but really you have to start as young as possible to get to her level. My little fantasy with Taiqi has always been to practice Taiqi in the parks with the old folk, it’s such a common thing to see around China, I love the way that seniors here are very independent, they go out with friends, exercise everyday in the outdoors and enjoy the general respect of their community. It is quite different to the Western culture of loneliness and isolation so prevalent in the older population. When I’m retired, I will come to China, do Taiqi and play Mahjong all day long. Bliss. When I first watched Taiqi, I thought it was slow and therefore easy, when I started practicing I was at first quite awkward and off-balance but when I learned the moves thoroughly it felt as natural as breathing, although some moves are just crazy-hard (how does Teacher Yang keep her leg above her head for ten seconds without breaking a sweat?) luckily, I have plenty of time to improve…

　　在南京大学我也开始学了二胡，我第一次来到中国看到一个老公拉二胡，我觉得是很特别的乐器，二胡自然的声音比唱歌差不多， 我不会唱歌，所以我要拉二胡我的老师很熟练的、友好的和用汉语为教我, 学什么东西用汉语你的汉语水平一定提高了，因为二胡是一个特别的中国乐器，为什么用英语学吧？二胡不太难的，我已经会弹钢琴，不过我的手很小，有时候不太舒服，我也觉得为把那个弓比把筷子办法一样的，对西方人很麻烦。我拉二胡以后，不会用筷子，因为我的手疼痛的。

I have also started studying the Erhu (Chinese traditional instrument, a two-stringed cello), when I first came to China I was fascinated by this instrument that old beggars would play on the streets, it has a really ‘Chinese’ sound to it, and it’s pitched similar to the human voice. Because I can’t sing for peanuts, I might as well play the Erhu. My teacher is great, she is incredibly skilled and has toured Europe playing in orchestras, she also insists on using only Chinese in our lessons. Can I just say, the best way to learn a language is to study something, anything using that language. Also, why on earth would I study a Chinese instrument in English? It would just be strange, like reading Shakespeare in Chinese (apparently, they really struggled translating the ambiguous line ‘to be, or not to be’) Erhu isn’t too hard to learn with a bit of patience, but my hands are quite small and some positions can be uncomfortable. Also, the technique for holding the bow is actually the same as holding chopsticks, so a bit of a disadvantage for Westerners…after a long session of playing Erhu my hand hurts so much I can only eat my rice with a spoon.

　　最后，我每个周一学了中国画，在家，我学人物写生了，不过在这儿没有地方能随便画画儿吧，我了解能画中国画的时候我很高兴！我们学了很传统的中国画，比如画了果园、竹子、梅花、对虾、等等。我画了很多画，要联系很多，能中国画送给我家人。我买了毛刷和墨水，所以我能继续画中国画，我很败兴的因为我想画金鱼，我最喜欢的中国画，不过我的老师说了比较难的，没有时间，能自己画画儿。

The last thing on my busy schedule, every Monday I took classes in Chinese brush painting. At home I do art classes, so I was really excited when I found that these brush painting classes were offered at the University. We studied really traditional figures, like orchards, bamboo, plum blossoms, shrimp etc. You get shown the method for this and that and then you just have to practice it over and over until every brush stroke is perfect. I did a wardrobe full of paintings, I think I know what all my family will be getting for Christmas this year, and next year too. I bought my own brushes and ink too so that I could do my own stuff once classes were over,  I was disappointed because we never got to learn the fish design, which is my favourite in traditional Chinese art, our teacher said it was a bit more advanced and we ran out of time. I guess I will just have to work it out myself (maybe with a little YouTube help too…)

我学了三个特别中国的技艺，连时间不太长的，也了解了三个重要的学语言办法：

Three things that  I learned about studying language from studying some random stuff in China:

1。如果在将来要做什么东西，要现在开始吧。(If you want to do it well when you’re ‘older’, you have to start now.)

2。如果你要语言学得好，不能只学语言，要学每个东西用那个语言，也很有意思的。(If you want to study language, don’t just study language, study random things using the language, it’s way more interesting.)

3。如果要改进什么水平，与其等待为老师教你，不如自己尝试。 (If you want to improve, rather than waiting for the teacher to teach it, just go ahead and try to work it out for yourself.)

Peace ya’ll

Lea, Teacher Yang, Martyna and I in our Taiqi outfits (Photo: 11/13 LKorva)

Learning the technique for painting plum blossom (photo: 11/13 emccall, painting by lecturer)

My Chinese study experience (now with extra Chinese!)

Hey kids!  A kinda-translation-thing for ya’ll

I have been in China now for nearly 3 months now and I could be here for another half a year or so yet. Recently I heard the saying “A journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.” This got me thinking, what was the start of my ‘thousand miles’?  This is my third time to China, the first time I was here I toured Beijing with my highschool, I remember having very severe culture shock, I was only 17 and hadn’t seen much of the world. It was overwhelming, the smell of pollution, the traffic and people swarming the streets speaking in a language I didn’t understand. Up until that point, I had always wanted to study Fine Arts in University. After being in China for two short weeks, I decided to study something which was a complete mystery to me… linguistics and languages, so that I could experience more of the world. I changed my university choice to linguistics at the last moment and I often wonder how my life would have turned out if I had studied art instead.

The second time I came to China was in late 2011, I had the opportunity to show three friends around Beijing and Shanghai.  It was really exciting to be able to understand and speak some Chinese this time around , but still I felt very nervous about using Chinese and possibly (probably) making mistakes or misunderstanding people. The day after after we arrived in Beijing, I went to the train station to buy tickets,  I was so tired and I was asking the sales assistant whether or not there were tickets available to Haerbin departing “Yesterday” “Yesterday!” Another customer in the line then prompted me, “Do you mean…Tomorrow?” I was really embarrassed, but the people around were so forgiving and so genuinely pleased that I was even trying to speak Chinese that I felt marginally better about the whole ordeal.

To this day,  I still occasionally mix up “tomorrow” and “yesterday.” I have no idea why…

When I returned home, I continued my Chinese study in University, but I didn’t work particularly hard in some of my classes, as I felt that the content was not particularly relevant to my reason for studying Chinese. I couldn’t believe that I had struggled to order train tickets in China, whilst back at home we were being taught advanced vocabulary related to policy/business/bureaucracy/transactions/intercultural/transatlantic/transparency.

I realised that I had been so nervous about speaking Chinese, because I was feeling so overwhelmed by the endless grammar structures and hundreds of words I had been studying, difficult to recall and utilise when you’re trying to have a conversation with a Chinese taxi driver who speaks rapidly about American films in his thick, regional accent.

So, back in Australia, I was meeting many Chinese people who were studying at my University. It was easy to speak both Chinese and English with them, to learn from them and to befriend them. We are very lucky in Australia, we have so many people wanting to live, study and work in our country from all over the world, what an amazing chance to learn about foreign languages and cultures…

This time around, as soon as I stepped off of the plane in China I consciously let go of my insecurities and decided to embarrass myself by speaking to everyone I met in very loud, enthusiastic, grammatically incorrect Chinese.

I often remind myself that is has only been four short years since starting my escapades into China and Chinese, and in that time I have been able to venture out and make friends and have amazing experiences and overcome many challenges.

Some people study Chinese because they hope to take a high level HSK (the Chinese proficiency exam) for future employment options in both China and other countries. This is a very admirable goal, but it is not my main reason for being here. I’m here to meet, understand and befriend people from all walks of life. I want to  have fun with it! Learning a second language doesn’t have to be a chore, used solely as a tool for future employment use, make it your play thing,  laugh at yourself, make mistakes and revel childishly in the smallest achievements.

Peace Out!

中文学习

    我已经住在中国三个月了，可能继续另一半年，　我最近听过了这个有意思词语　＂千里之行，始于足下”　用心思索，我的千里之行什么时候开始吗？我第三次来到中国， 第一次我去过北京跟我的中同学们一起，我记得，在北京的时候我大吃一惊，我十七岁了，在一个很小、隔绝的城市长大。 在北京，污染的臭味儿、不断度车和太多人们都用那么奇怪外语，当时我明白世界那么大，我很感兴趣。我本来想在大学学美术， 反而我决定了要学语言学， 对我是一个不解之谜，所以我能去别的国家，也会认识很多不一样文化。 我串换了大学专业 ，我常常暗想，如果没 串换了，没去了中国， 我的今天生活怎么样？

去 年， 我再来到中国， 我对三位朋友们介绍了北京和上海， 很高兴， 因为我会听得懂， 用了中文一点点， 不过我还用中文的时候很担心， 谁想说错啊？我在一个车站买票，当时我很累，我问了服务员，“有没有火票昨天离开…昨天…昨天！”　然后别人建议　＂啊．．．要用‘明天’，对吗？＂我很发窘了，但是人们都很友好的 、很高兴我连尝试说中文，我觉得了好一点儿。至今，我没时混同　“昨天＂和　”明天“．．．ಠ_ಠ

我回家了，在大学继续学中文，　不过我学了不太努力，因为我觉得除了我们的功课也对我的梦想用不着。　我为什么要学正式词汇，　比如讨论环境工商业，　有什么办法？在我的看法，在中国说中文担心的，因为语法或白上千生词不会记得好，不会用跟那个出租司机说话带特别口音。横心改进我的中文口语，我在澳大利亚见面很多中国留学生，跟他们说中文一起。　我们住在澳大利亚很有幸，因为有机会见面很多不同的国家人，能发现不同的文化、语言。

今年，我刚下飞机了，就开始说跟每个人用很热肠的、不对的中文。这下，　四年我来了中国和用不了三年学中文了，我能在中国适应、交朋友、能长见识。　我学中文，所以我能感受这些东西，不一定，所以我能在中国公司工作，或者做ＨＳＫ好多了.

我学中文为了游玩吧！

（不好意思，你能看，我不是一个很好的学生，所以如果不能看得懂这个作文， 请到看英语翻译的 (ー_ー)!! ）

Let’s Learn Chinese!

Hey kids!

Contrary to popular belief, not everyone in the world can speak English… this means that you may find it beneficial to either a) hire a bilingual goat or b) learn some phrases in the language of the country which you are visiting. If you opt for the latter, then please enjoy my guide to survival Chinese.

The first thing you’re going to encounter in China is a mumbling, strictly-Chinese speaking Taxi driver (make sure it’s from an official taxi rank, never take a taxi from the people who run at you shaking their keys, they will rip you off). Have the address of the place you wish to go to prepared. This means printing out a map (taxi drivers do tend to get lost, and they never use GPS), and not only having the address translated or in pinyin. Honestly, I don’t understand why hotel booking sites even bother with this, because a lot of the older generation in China don’t even read pinyin. Have the Chinese characters printed out in large, obvious font, this way you can point to the address, and say

“我要去这儿“ [ I want to go here] wo yao qu zhe er [pinyin]// war y-ow chew jar [phonetic]

If they start trying to set a price with you, point to the meter and say:

“打表啊！” [Run the meter] da biao a! // dar bee-ow ah!

If they refuse, get out and say “bye bye!”

When you get to the hotel, hand them your passport and booking details.

“我要入住“　[I want to check-in] wo yao ru zhu // war yow roo joo

护照　[passport] hu zhao // hoo jow

They will ask you for more money, this is the deposit if you have already paid online, so don’t be surprised and have extra yuan on you.

Numbers:

一，　二，三，四，五，六，七，八，九，十［1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10] yi,er,san,si,wu,liu,qi,ba,jiu,shi // yee, ar, sun, ser, woo, lee-o, chee, bar, jee-oh, shir

十一，十二．．．[11, 12…] shi yi, shi er… // shir-yee, shir-ar… (easy! Just add ’10’ with another number to make 11-19)

二十，　二十五．．．三十二．．．　[20, 25, 32…]　er shi, er shi wu, san shi er // ar-shir, ar-shir-woo, sun-shir-ar (easy! Add a number (2-9) plus ’10’ to make the numbers 20-90, then simply add another number at the end for 25, 32 etc.)

一百，两百／二百，　三百．．．　[100, two-hundreds/ 200, 300…] yi bai, liang bai/ er bai, san bai.. // yee-buy, lee-ung-buy/ar-buy, sun-buy (For 100-900, choose your number and add ‘100’ (bai/buy) to it. For 200, the word for ‘couple’ may be used, as in “A couple of hundreds”)

一千．．．　［1000…] yi qian// yee-chee-an (1000’s follow the same pattern as 100’s)

Of most importance once you’re actually in the country is food, followed closely by shopping. Here, you can have some one-on-one experiences with the locals, I’ve only ever really had good fun shopping (outside of Beijing Silk markets) and the keepers are usually very talkative, curious and accommodating. If you aren’t confident enough to use this vocab, greet in English and they will switch for you.

Shopping:

你好 [hello] ni hao// nee how

老板 [‘Owner’] (call over) lao ban// l-ow ban

这个 [this one] zhe ge// jay ger

多少钱？[how much?] duo shao qian? // dwar sh-ow chee-an

我只看看 [I’m just looking] wo zhi kan kan // war jer can-can

太贵了[too expensive] tai gui le// tay goo-ay la

便宜一点可以？[Can you do it a little cheaper?] pian yi yi dian ke yi?// pee-an yee yee dee-an ker-yee?

不用 [I don’t want it] bu yong// boo yoong

好的！[Ok!] hao de! // how dur

谢谢 [Thanks] xie xie// share-share

Money:

——块 [bucks] kuai// koo-ay (slang for yuan)

——元 [yuan] yuan// yoo-an

——ＲＭＢ[yuan]

When you’re eating, treat it as one big adventure. Usually you will have no idea what you’re ordering, so bonus if there are pictures or hilarious english translations (like my recent order of ‘double smelly.’) My favourite tactic is to point out someone else’s food (not considered rude) and ask for “that one” [zhe ge // jay gur]

Food:

服务员 [waiter!] (call over) fu wu yuan// foo woo yoo-an

——个，i.e.  一个菜，三个人　[measure word, i.e. 1个 dish 3个 people] _ ge, yi ge cai, san ge ren // _gur, yee gur ts-ay, sun gur ren

米饭 [rice] mi fan// mee fun

热 [hot] re// rur

辣 [Spicy] la// lar

一点点 [A little] yi dian dian/ yee dee-an dee-an

冰 [cold/iced] bing// bing

打开[open] da kai// dar k-eye

对/ 不对 [right/incorrect] dui/ bu dui// doo-ee/
boo doo-ee

买单[pay the bill/ I want to pay the bill] mai dan// my dan

好吃！[lovely food/good meal] (a compliment) hao chi // how chur

吃饱了[I’m full] (a compliment) chi bao le// cher bow ler

包子 [steamer buns] bao zi// bow zer

肉 [meat] rou// row

菜 [vegetables] cai // ts-ay

有/没有 [have/don’t have] you/mei you // yo/ may yo (for example, don’t have ‘meat’ rou/row)

喜欢/不喜欢 [like/ don’t like] xi huan/bu xihuan // shee hoo-one/ boo-shee hoo-one (for example, don’t like ‘this’ zhe ge/jay gur)

会/不会 [can/ cannot, able/ not able to] hui / bu hui // hu-ee/ boo hu-ee (for example, I can’t ‘eat’ chi/ cher ‘spicy’ la/lar)

再见 [bye!] zai jian// zay jee-an

带走[take away] dai zou// die zoh

Ok, so that’s the big stuff covered, phew, what a lot to remember! It seems daunting, but really these words are incredibly common and you will find yourself having the same conversations over and over again.

Bonus Fun-time Chinese:

最近怎么样？[how have you been?] zui jin zenme yang? // zoo-ee jin zer ma young?

吃了吗？[have you eaten?] (How are you?) chi le ma? // chur lur mar?

对不起 [sorry] dui bu qi // doo-ee boo chee

不好意思 [pardon me] (if you knock into someone, etc. There is no word for getting people out of your way, just push) bu hao yisi// boo how yee sir

谢谢 [thanks] xie xie// share-share

不用谢 [no need to thank me] bu yong xie // boo yoong share

老外／外国人 [foreigner] lao wai/ wai guo ren // l-ow w-eye/ w-eye gwor ren

美女 [lit. beautiful young girl, Ms.] mei nu// may nyoo

帅哥 [lit. handsome young man, Mr.]  shuai ge// shoo-eye gur

你叫什么名字？[What’s your name?] ni jiao shenme mingzi? // nee jee-ow sherma ming zur?

我叫— [My name is…] wo jiao..//war jee-ow…

你是哪国人？[Where are you from?] ni shi na guo ren? // nee shur na gwor ren?

我是—— 澳大利亚人 [I am…. Australian] wo shi… ao da li ya ren // war shur… ow dar lee ya ren

你的中文很不错 [Your Chinese is great!] (expect this after every ‘ni hao// nee how‘ you say) ni de zhongwen hen bucuo!// nee de joong wern hen boo ts-wor

哪里哪里 [not at all] (modest) na li na li // nar lee nar lee

明白吗？ [Is that clear?] ming bai ma? // ming buy mar?

我不明白[I don’t get it… (your meaning)] wo bu ming bai // war boo ming buy

听懂吗？[Do you understand?] ting dong ma? // ting doong mar?

我听不懂 [I don’t understand] wo ting bu dong // war ting boo doong

再说 [say it again] zai shuo// zay shwoar

你会说英语吗？[Do you speak English?] ni hui shuo yingyu ma? // ni hoo-ee shwoar ying yoo mar?

会/不会 [Can/ Cannot] hui/bu hui // hoo-ee/ boo hoo-ee

我不会说汉语 [I can’t speak Chinese] wo bu hui shuo hanyu // war boo hoo-ee shwoar han yoo

我的汉语不好 [My Chinese is not so good] wo de hanyu bu hao // war der han yoo boo how

我怎么去-— [How do I go to…] wo zenme qu.. // war zerma choo….

警察局 [police station] jingcha ju // jingchar joo

银行 [bank] yin hang // yin hung

商场 [shopping centre] shang chang// sharng charng

…路 […road] ..lu// loo

地铁站 [subway station] di tie zhan// dee tee-yeah jan

在这儿 [here] zai zhe er // zay jar

在那儿 [there] zai na er // zay nar

进／远　[close/far] jin/yuan // jin/ yoo-an

…分钟 […minutes] …fenzhong// …fen joong

打的 [take a cab] da di // dar dee

帮我! [help me] bang wo! // bung war!

请问… [excuse me…] (to ask a question) qing wen… // ching when

你干嘛儿? [What are you doing?] (also, if you almost get hit by a scooter scream this after them to imply “What  the hell are you playing at?!) ni gan maer ? // nee gan maarrrrrrr ??

他妈! [fuck] (When you actually get hit by a scooter)  ta ma!// tar mar!

下车 [Getting off] (to get people to move aside when you’re getting off a subway) xia che// shar cher

干杯！[Cheers!] gan bei! // gan bay!

可爱的 [Cute] keai de// ker eye der

小心吧！[Careful!] xiao xin ba! // sh-ow shin bar

我爱中国　[I love China] wo ai zhongguo // war eye joong gwoar

FINAL NOTES:

Speaking horrific Chinese goes well with a huge smile and plenty of gestures. Always keep it pleasant and you will find yourself with discounts, friends and even the offer of potential husbands/wives.If you have a smart phone, download PLECO app. which allows for instant translation which you can show to someone if all else fails. Remember that you will be recognised fairly quickly as a foreigner, and there is no better way to strip back the unfortunate barrier of ‘othering’ that tends to happen then to approach them and make a genuine effort to communicate. Never assume that people can, or should, be able to speak your language, you may inadvertently embarrass someone when it should be you feeling all embarrassed and awkward about not bothering to learn a word of Chinese.

{Written for Steve, but available to the masses.}

Peace out!