Note:
The spoken Chinese Mandarin language has 4
spoken tones. We have attempted to re-create
those below where after each syllable we tell
you (1), (2), (3), or (4) as they correspond
to each of the 4 tones. We encourage you to
complement your Xianzai.com Emergency Chinese
newsletter with a good offline study program.
NEW
WORDS
Toilet
Paper-wei(2) sheng(1) zhi(3)
Tissue-zhi(3) jin(1)
Toothbrush-ya(2) shua(1)
Toothpaste-ya(2) gao(1)
Razor-gua(1)hu(2) dao(1)
Shampoo-xi(3)fa(4) shui(3)
LESSON
- May
I please have some toilet paper?
neng(2) gei(3) wo(3) yi(1 )xie(1) wei(2)
sheng(1) zhi(3) ma?
- How
much is a box of tissues?
yi(4) he(2) zhi(3) jin(1) duo(1) shao(3)
qian(2)?
-
What types of toothpaste do you have?
ni(3 )men dou(1 )you(3) shen(2) mo pai(2)
zi de(1) ya(2) gao(1)?
-
Have you seen my razor?
ni(3) kan(4) jian(4) wo(3 de gua(1) hu(2)
dao(1) le(1) ma?
-
Where is the shampoo?
xi(3) fa(4) xiang(1) bo(1) zai(4) na(3)
li?
*
Tip: Just a few years ago, buying toiletries
in most of China was, at best, a challenge,
with high prices for imported shampoos and
toothpastes. Today, almost all of the well-known
global brands are available and at reasonable
prices as they are often manufactured in China.
The
days of having to stock up on toilet paper,
shampoo and toothpaste before coming to China
are over! Leave some room in your luggage
for all of the clothes, traditional arts and
crafts and Mao memorabilia that you will take
home instead.
