Chinese For Dummies by Wendy Abraham Page B

woo-shir fun) ( 4:50 )
    chà yí kè qÄ« diǎn 差一刻七点 ( 差一刻七點 ) (chah ee kuh chee dyan) ( a quarter to 7:00 )
    qÄ« diǎn chà yí kè 七点差一刻 ( 七點差一刻 )(chee dyan chah ee kuh) ( a quarter to 7:00 )
    liù diǎn sān kè 六点三刻 ( 六點三刻 )(lyo dyan sahn kuh) ( 6:45 )
    liù diǎn sìshíwǔ fēn 六点四十五分 ( 六點四時五分 )(lyo dyan suh-shir-woo fun) ( 6:45 )
    Talkin’ the Talk
    Xiǎo Huá and Chén Míng discuss their plans to see a movie. (Track 6)
    Xiǎo Huá:
    Wǒmen jÄ«ntiān wǎnshàng qù kàn diànyǐng hǎo bùhǎo?
    waw-men jin-tyan wahn-shahng chyew kahn dyan-yeeng how boo-how?
    Let’s go see a movie tonight, okay?
    Chén Míng:
    Bùxíng. Wǒde fùmǔ jÄ«ntiān wǎnshàng yídìng yào wǒ gēn tāmen yìqǐ chÄ« wǎnfàn.
    boo-sheeng. waw-duh foo-moo jin-tyan wahn-shahng ee-deeng yaow waw gun tah-men ee-chee chir wahn-fahn.
    No can do. My parents are adamant that I have dinner with them tonight.
    Xiǎo Huá:
    Nǐmen jǐdiǎn zhōng chÄ«fàn?
    nee-men jee-dyan joong chir-fahn?
    What time do you eat?
    Chén Míng:
    Píngcháng wǒmen liùdiǎn zhōng zuǒyòu chÄ«fàn.
    peeng-chahng waw-men lyo-dyan joong dzwaw yo chir-fahn.
    We usually eat around 6:00.
    Xiǎo Huá:
    Hǎo ba. Nǐ chÄ«fàn yǐhòu wǒmen qù kàn yíbù jiǔdiǎn zhōng yǐqián de piānzi, hǎo bùhǎo?
    how-bah. nee chir-fahn ee-ho waw-men chyew kahn ee-boo jyo-dyan joong ee-chyan duh pyan-dzuh, how boo-how?
    Okay. How about we see a movie that starts before 9:00 after you’re finished eating?
    Chén Míng:
    Hěn hǎo. Yìhuǐr jiàn.
    hun how. ee-hwar jyan.
    Okay. See you later.

    Save the Date: Using the Calendar and Stating Dates
    So what day is jÄ«ntiān 今天 (jin-tyan) ( today )? Could it be xÄ«ngqÄ«liù 星期六 (sheeng-chee-lyo) ( Saturday ), when you can sleep late and go see a movie in the evening with friends? Or is it xÄ«ngqÄ«yÄ« 星期一 (sheeng-chee-ee) ( Monday ), when you have to be at work by 9:00 a.m. to prepare for a 10:00 a.m. meeting? Or maybe it’s xÄ«ngqÄ«wǔ 星期五 (sheeng-chee-woo) ( Friday ), and you already have two tickets for the symphony that begins at 8:00 p.m. In the following sections, I give you the words you need to talk about days and months and put them together into specific dates. I also give you the lowdown on some major Chinese holidays.
    Dealing with days of the week
    You may not be a big fan of going to work Monday to Friday, but when the zhōumò 周末 ( 週末 ) (joe-maw) ( weekend ) comes, you have two days of freedom and fun. Before you know it, though, Mondaycomesagain. Chinese people recognize seven days in the week just as Americans do, and the Chinese week begins on Monday and ends on xÄ«ngqÄ«tiān 星期天 (sheeng-chee-tyan) ( Sunday ). Table 5-5 spells out the days of the week.
    Table 5-5Days of the Week
Chinese
Pronunciation
English
xīngqīyī 星期一
sheeng-chee-ee
Monday
xīngqī’èr 星期二
sheeng-chee-are
Tuesday
xīngqīsān 星期三
sheeng-chee-sahn
Wednesday
xīngqīsì 星期四
sheeng-chee-suh
Thursday
xīngqīwǔ 星期五
sheeng-chee-woo
Friday
xīngqīliù 星期六
sheeng-chee-lyo
Saturday
xīngqītiān 星期天
sheeng-chee-tyan
Sunday
    If you’re talking about zhèige xÄ«ngqÄ« 这个星期 ( 這個星期 ) (jay-guh sheeng-chee) ( this week ) in Chinese, you’re talking about any time between this past Monday through this coming