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. “