Mandarin From the Ground Up

Show notes:

Lesson Outline:
  1. [00:21] Intro / updates / announcements 
  2. [03:53] Magic Phrase: 櫃台負責配合客人
  3. [05:56] A ramble on tones, context, and imitation
  4. [11:52] Dialogue
  5. [14:43] Translation

Magic Phrase (4-2)
This phrase is composed entirely of words that use the 4-2 tone pair. We use it to practice identifying and then pronouncing the tones, hearing how they interact with each other in context. 

櫃台負責配合客人
Guìtái fùzé pèihé kèrén

櫃台 / guìtái / reception, front desk
負責 / fùzé / to be responsible for, to take responsibility for
配合 / pèihé / to cooperate with
客人 / kèrén / customers, guests


Transcript of the dialogue (Chinese characters only)
L:嘿,教授,你叫我過來?
P:小李,你進來。我要談談你的論文。
L:我的論文內容,你看完了嗎?
P:我看完了,你的論文主題很… 特別:「地球鳳梨種植的範圍跟價格」…
L:我知道,我知道,你好奇我的調查是怎麼進行的。
P:其實… 這麼說不如說…
L:我去年去印尼做調查,我發現印尼竟然沒有任何鳳梨!
P:不過,真正的問題更大…
L:我知道了!是數學的問題,例如鳳梨在不同季節的價格不正常。
P:不是這個…
L:這些數學問題確實很複雜,而且你知道我不太擅長數學。
P:所以我…
L:但我認為這是一個過程。我一定會克服!我會練習數學…
P:好了!夠了!問題不是數學,問題是… 鳳梨。
L:問題是鳳梨?
P:對,鳳梨這個話題,不適合作為論文題目!
L:不適合?
P:對!所以,很抱歉,我只能拒絕你目前的論文。
L:不會吧!
P:很遺憾。
L:不如…. 我就換個主題重寫!
P:你有時間嗎?怕時間不足,你的論文快到期了。
L:我可以的!我證明給你看!
P:好,那你要換什麼主題?
L:我來寫… 酪梨!「酪梨的價格地圖」… 你覺得怎麼樣?

Transcript of the dialogue (w/ pinyin and translation)
Use this as a visual listening guide, or if you want to check your tone comprehension. Tones are indicated by marks above the letters in the pinyin transliteration, as follows: (1)  ā  (2)  á  (3)  ǎ  (4)  à

  • L:嘿,教授,你叫我過來?
    • Hēi, jiàoshòu, nǐ jiào wǒ guòlái?
    • Hey, professor, you called me over?
  • P:小李,你進來。我要談談你的論文。
    • Xiǎo lǐ, nǐ jìnlái. Wǒ yào tán tán nǐ dì lùnwén.
    • Xiao Li, come in. I want to discuss your thesis.
  • L:我的論文內容,你看完了嗎?
    • Wǒ dì lùnwén nèiróng, nǐ kàn wán le ma?
    • The contents of my thesis, you finished reading it?
  • P:我看完了。你的論文主題很… 特別:「地球鳳梨種植的範圍跟價格」
    • Wǒ kàn wán le, nǐ dì lùnwén zhǔtí hěn… tèbié: 「Dìqiú fènglí zhòngzhí de fànwéi gēn jiàgé」
    • I finished reading it. The topic of your thesis is very… special: 「Earth’s pineapple growing regions: range, and prices」
  • L:我知道,我知道。你好奇我的調查是怎麼進行的。
    • Wǒ zhīdào, wǒ zhīdào. nǐ hàoqí wǒ de diàochá shì zěnme jìnxíng de.
    • I know, I know. You’re curious how I undertook my survey.
  • P:其實… 這麼說,不如說…
    • Qíshí… zhème shuō bù rú shuō
    • Actually, it would be better to say…
  • L:我去年去印尼做調查,我發現印尼竟然沒有任何鳳梨!
    • Wǒ qùnián qù yìnní zuò diàochá, wǒ fāxiàn yìnní jìngrán méiyǒu rènhé fènglí!
    • Last year I went to Indonesia to do a survey, I realized Indonesia doesn’t have any pineapples at all!
  • P:不過,真正的問題更大…
    • Bùguò, zhēnzhèng de wèntí gèng dà...
    • But, the real problem is bigger…
  • L:我知道了!是數學的問題,例如鳳梨在不同季節的價格不正常。
    • Wǒ zhīdàole! Shì shùxué de wèntí, lìrú fènglí zài bùtóng jìjié de jiàgé bù zhèngcháng.
    • I know! It’s the math problems. For example, pineapples in different seasons have abnormal prices.
  • P:不是這個…
    • Bùshì zhège…
    • It’s not this…
  • L:這些數學問題確實很複雜,而且你知道我不太擅長數學。
    • Zhèxiē shùxué wèntí quèshí hěn fùzá, érqiě nǐ zhīdào wǒ bù tài shàncháng shùxué
    • These math problems are indeed very complicated, and you know I’m not too good at math.
  • P:所以我…
    • Suǒyǐ wǒ…
    • So I…
  • L:但我認為這是一個過程。我一定會克服!我會練習數學…
    • Dàn wǒ rènwéi zhè shì yīgè guòchéng. Wǒ yīdìng huì kèfú! Wǒ huì liànxí shùxué…
    • But I believe this is a process. I will definitely overcome it! I will practice math…
  • P:好了!夠了!問題不是數學,問題是… 鳳梨。
    • Hǎole! Gòule! Wèntí bùshì shùxué, wèntí shì… fènglí.
    • Ok! Enough! The problem isn’t math, the problem is… pineapples.
  • L:問題是鳳梨?
    • Wèntí shì fènglí? 
    • The problem is pineapples?
  • P:對,鳳梨這個話題,不適合作為論文題目!
    • Duì, fènglí zhège huàtí, bùshìhé zuòwéi lùnwén tímù!
    • Yes, pineapples, this topic, it’s not suitable to be taken as a thesis topic!
  • L:不適合?
    • Bùshìhé?
    • Not suitable?
  • P:對!所以,很抱歉,我只能拒絕你目前的論文。
    • Duì! Suǒyǐ, hěn bàoqiàn, wǒ zhǐ néng jùjué nǐ mùqián dì lùnwén.
    • That’s right! So, I’m sorry, I can only reject your current thesis.
  • L:不會吧!
    • Bù huì ba! 
    • No way!
  • P:很遺憾。
    • Hěn yíhàn. 
    • It’s a pity.
  • L:不如…. 我就換個主題重寫!
    • Bùrú…. Wǒ jiù huàn gè zhǔtí chóng xiě! 
    • How about… I just change my topic and rewrite it!
  • P:你有時間嗎?怕時間不足,你的論文快到期了。
    • Nǐ yǒu shíjiān ma? Pà shíjiān bùzú, nǐ dì lùnwén kuài dào qí le.
    • Do you have time? I’m afraid there’s not enough time. Your thesis is almost due.
  • L:我可以的!我證明給你看!
    • Wǒ kěyǐ de! Wǒ zhèngmíng gěi nǐ kàn!
    • I can do it! I’ll prove it to you!
  • P:好,那你要換什麼主題?
    • Hǎo, nà nǐ yào huàn shénme zhǔtí?
    • Okay, so what thesis topic will you change to?
  • L:我來寫… 酪梨!「酪梨的價格地圖」…
    • Wǒ lái xiě… lùo lí! 「Lùo lí de jiàgé dìtú」
    • I will write about… avocados! 「Avocados, a map of prices.」

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