
Costumes have maintained an important place in Chinese culture for more than three thousand years. The cheongsam is very characteristically Chinese. So Rebecca wants to buy a cheongsam for herself.
Dialogues
(1) At a Shopping Center
售货员: 请问, 这件旗袍是纯棉的吗?
Qĭng wèn, zhè jiàn qí páo shì chún mián de ma?
Excuse me. Is this cheongsam 100% cotton?
丽贝卡: 不, 是真丝的, 夏天穿起来很凉快。
Bú, shì zhēn sī de, xià tiān chuān qĭ lái hĕn liáng kuài.
No. It’ s pure silk. It feels really cool in the summer.
售货员: 有我穿的号吗?
Yŏu wŏ chuān de hào ma?
Do you have the right size for me?
售货员: 有, 您穿中号就可以。
Yŏu, nín chuān zhōng hào jiù kĕ yĭ.
Yes, we do. M Size will be fine for you.
丽贝卡: 我想试试这件红色的。
Wŏ xiăng shì shì zhè jiàn hóng sè de.
I’ d like to try on this red one.
售货员: 好, 您这边请。
Hăo, nín zhè biān qĭng.
Sure. This way, please.
(丽贝卡走出试衣间 Rebecca comes out of the fitting room. )
售货员: 真漂亮! 穿上显得特别年轻。
Zhēn piào liang! Chuān shàng xiăn dé tè bié nián qīng.
It’ s really beautiful. It makes you look a lot younger.
丽贝卡: 是吗? 这个颜色怎么样?
Shì ma? Zhè ge yán sè zĕn me yàng?
It’ s really beautiful. It makes you look a lot younger.
丽贝卡: 不错, 红色是今年夏天的流行色。
Bú cuò, hóng sè shì jīn nián xià tiān de liú xíng sè.
Just right for you. Red is popular this summer.
售货员: 好, 我就要这件。
Hăo, wŏ jiù yào zhè jiàn.
Great. I’ ll take this one.
丽贝卡: 我给您开票, 请您到收银台付款。
Wŏ gĕi nín kāi piào, qĭng nín dào shōu yín tái fù kuăn.
I’ ll write a receipt for you, and you can pay the cashier.
售货员: 请问, 现在有优惠活动吗?
Qĭng wèn, xiàn zài yŏu yōu huì huó dòng ma?
By the way, do you have any special ideals at the moment?
丽贝卡: 不好意思, 我们是专卖店, 统一价, 不打折。
Bù hăo yì si, wŏ men shì zhuān mài diàn, tŏng yī jià, bù dă zhé.
I’ m sorry we don’ t. This is a franchised store with fixed prices.
Words
旗袍 qí páo , cheongsam
唐装 táng zhuāng , Chinese costume
马褂 mă guà , mandarin jacket
打折 dă zhé ,give discounts
纯棉 chún mián , 100% cotton
真丝 zhēn sī , pure silk
Tips of shopping in China
Dazhe (Giving Discounts)
Supermarkets, shopping centers and department stores often 打折 dazhe(give discounts) and have other promotional sales. A certain number of 折 zhe, ranging from 1 to 9. 9, is the percentage of the original price that the customer pays. For example, a shirt for 100 yuan that is “打9折 da 9 zhe” will be 90 yuan. Most Chinese like the number “8” because its pronunciation is similar to that of the character 发”fa”, which means “make a fortune” or “peace and good luck” so, the discounted price and discount percentage often includes the number “8”, such as “88 yuan” or “8 zhe. “
