Lesson 024 Revision of Birthday Expressions

This week we’ve learned some popular birthday and holiday expressions. they are: 祝你生日快乐！

Yajie: Perfect Chinese your way，in only five minutes a day. Welcome to Chinese Studio on China Radio International. I’m Yajie.
Cam: Good morning I’m Cam. Yajie, we have learned a lot lately.  It’s probably a good time to review.
Yajie: Good idea. Let’s hear Sentences in the Week.
************** Sentences in the Week
This week we’ve learned some popular birthday and holiday expressions. They are: 祝你生日快乐！Happy Birthday! 祝你身体健康！I wish you good health! 祝你春节快乐 Happy Spring Festival ! All in Sentences in the Week
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Yajie: Our first expression is. “祝你生日快乐！” is how we would wish somebody a happy birthday. 祝你 is used to express good wishes, sometimes with the implication of “congratulating in advance”. 祝,  zhù, the forth tone. It means offering good wishes. 你, means you. 祝你 together means I wish you….
Cam: 祝你 (zhù nǐ).
Yajie: 生日 is birthday.
Cam: 生日(shēng rì).
Yajie: 快乐 means happy.
Cam: 快乐(kuài lè).
Yajie: 祝你生日快乐！
Cam: 祝你生日快乐(zhù nǐ shēng rì kuài lè).
Conversations
Yajie: Besides, there are some other relevant expressions. For example, you can say祝你身体健康. which means “I wish you good health”  身体is body. 身, s-h-e-n, shēn, the first tone; 体, t-i, tǐ, the third tone.
Cam: 身体, shēn tǐ.
Yajie: 健康 means fine, or healthy. 健, j-i-a-n, jiàn, the forth tone; and 康, k-a-ng-, kāng, the first tone.
Cam: 健康 (jiànkāng).
Yajie: So it’s祝你身体健康(zhù nǐ shēntǐ jiànkāng).
Cam: 祝你身体健康(zhù nǐ shēntǐ jiànkāng).
Conversations
Yajie: Also we learned some expressions to congratulate someone during the Spring Festival.
Cam: It’s 祝你春节快乐(zhù nǐ chūnjié kuàilè)!
Yajie: The answer to it should be 谢谢！春节快乐! Thanks. Happy Spring Festival!
Cam: 谢谢！春节快乐!
Yajie: Or you can say谢谢！同乐，同乐！同乐 means “you too”. 同 means together and 乐is short for 快乐, which means happiness!
Cam: 谢谢！同乐，同乐！（xièxie! Tóng lè, tónglè!）
Yajie: Sometimes people can also say 祝你万事如意! 万事 means all things. 万, is actually a number, ten thousand. 万, w-a-n, the fourth tone. 事 means thing. 事, s-h-i, also the fourth tone. So in Chinese, ten thousand things stand for everything.
Cam: 万事(wànshì)
Yajie: 如意 means comply with one’s wishes.
Cam: 祝你万事如意! (zhù nǐ wànshì rúyì!)
************** Sentences in the Week
This week we’ve learned some popular birthday and holiday expressions. they are: 祝你生日快乐！Happy Birthday! 祝你身体健康！I wish you good health! 祝你春节快乐 Happy Spring Festival.
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Cam: I remember that we also learned how to say “here’s a gift. Please accept it.” in Chinese, right?
Yajie: Yes.
Cam: And it’s 我送你一件礼物，请收下(wǒ sòng nǐ yí jiàn lǐwù, qǐng shōuxià.)。
Yajie: Yes, 我送你一件礼物，请收下.(wǒ sòng nǐ yí jiàn lǐwù, qǐng shōuxià.)
Conversations:
Yajie: OK, that’s it for this week. Don’s forget you can win a CRI gift by answering the question of the day: How do you say “I wish you good health!” in Chinese.
Cam: You can send us questions or comments to Chinese@crifm.com.  That’s Chinese@crifm.com.  Or you can visit us on our website at en.chinabroadcast.cn. Click learn Chinese, where you can enjoy other free Chinese-learning programs.
Cam: 下周见! (xià zhōu jiàn)
Yajie: 下周见!

Lesson 023 Here's a Present

Today we’ve learned some popular holiday and birthday expressions.我送你一件礼物，请收下. 

 

Yajie: Perfect Chinese your way, in only five minutes a day. Welcome to Chinese Studio. I’m Yajie.
Cam: Hi, everyone, I’m Cam. Ni hao ma?
Yajie: Hai xing！Last time we learned some Spring Festival greetings.
Cam: Yes, during the Spring Festival you can say祝你春节快乐(zhù nǐ chūnjié kuàilè)!
Yajie: Well done. 祝你春节快乐(zhù nǐ chūnjié kuàilè)! I wish you a happy Spring Festival.
Cam: Or they will send their best wishes by saying “祝您全家幸福！(zhù nín quánjiā xìngfú!)”.
Yajie: Right. Another saying is 祝你万事如意！ “All the best!” Today we’ll continue with the topic of celebrating holidays or birthdays. First let’s check our key words of the day!
************Key words of the day
Today we’ll learn some popular holiday and birthday expressions. 我送你一件礼物，请收下。谢谢你的礼物！您太客气了。All in today’s Chinese Studio.　
Cam: In Canada, people usually bring a gift when attending a birthday party. Is it the same here in China?
Yajie: Yes. More and more people bring gifts for the birthday boy or girl.
Cam: What do you say in Chinese when you are presenting a gift?
Yajie: Well, you could say 我送你一件礼物，请收下(wǒ sòng nǐ yí jiàn lǐwù, qǐng shōuxià.)。Literally it means “here’s a present, please accept it”.
Cam: Such a long sentence. This is going to be tough!
Yajie: Well. No worries. Let’s learn it one by one. 我 is I. We’ve learned it before. Right?
Cam: Yes. 我 (wǒ) is I. And 你(nǐ) is you.
Yajie: Exactly. 送 is a verb. It means sending. 送, s-o-n-g, the fourth tone. 送.
Cam: 送(sòng).
Yajie: 一is the number one.  It means you are giving one present.
Cam: yi
Yajie: 件, here is a measure word. Generally speaking it means piece. 件, j-i-a-n, the fourth tone.
Cam:一件 (yí jiàn).
Yajie: Here comes the word 礼物(lǐwù), gift. 礼, l-i, the third tone. 物, w-u, the forth tone. 礼物(lǐwù)
Cam: 礼物(lǐwù).
Yajie: 请收下means please accept it! 请, the third tone, means please.
Cam: 请 (qǐng).
Yajie: 收下, accept it. 收, s-h-o-u, the first tone..
Cam: 收 (shōu).
Yajie:下, xià.
Cam: 下(xià).
Yajie: 请收下(shōu xià). Please accept it.
Yajie: So together我送你一件礼物，请收下
Cam: wǒ sòng nǐ yí jiàn lǐwù, qǐng shōuxià
Yajie: Well, from the conversation you may learn the answer to我送您一件礼物could be 谢谢你的礼物！您太客气了Thank you for your present, that’s very kind of you.
Cam: 谢谢你的礼物, 您太客气了(xièxie).
**********Key words reminder
Today we’ve learned some popular holiday and birthday expressions.我送你一件礼物，请收下. Here’s a present. Please accept it. 谢谢你的礼物！您太客气了。 Thank you for your gift. That’s very kind of you.
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Yajie: Well, that wraps up this edition of Chinese Studio. But before we finish it, here comes our question of the day: What do you say in Chinese when you are presenting a gift?
Cam: You can send us questions or comments to Chinese@crifm.com.  That’s Chinese@crifm.com.  Or you can visit us on our website at en.chinabroadcast.cn. Click learn Chinese, where you can enjoy other free Chinese-learning programs.
Yajie: Well class is over. Bye for now.
Cam: 再见!
 

Lesson 022 Happy Spring Festival!

祝你春节快乐! Happy Spring Festival! 祝你全家幸福, I wish your entire family happiness! 

 

Yajie: Perfect Chinese your way, in only five minutes a day. It’s nice to be here again. Welcome to Chinese Studio on China Radio International. I’m Yajie.
Cam: Hi, I’m Cam. 早上好 zǎoshang hǎo, yajie.
Yajie: 早上好！Last time we learned how to congratulate someone when he or she is celebrating a birthday. Cam, do you still remember how to say it in Chinese?
Cam: Yes, it’s祝你生日快乐！Happy Birthday!
Yajie: Well, today we’ll learn some new expressions used during the Spring Festival, which is considered to be the most important festival in China. First let’s check our key words of the day!
************Key words of the day
Today we’ll expressions of congratulating someone during the Spring Festival. 祝你春节快乐/ 祝你全家幸福！／祝你万事如意！／恭喜发财! All in today’s Chinese Studio.
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Cam: Ok first, how do you say Spring Festival in Chinese?
Yajie: It’s 春节 (Chūn Jié).
Cam: 春节 (Chūn Jié).
Yajie: Yes. 春 means the spring. 春, the first tone. And 节 means festival. 节 , j-i-e, the second tone. Actually people celebrate it at the beginning of spring. Together春节 is the Spring Festival.
Cam: 春节 (Chūn Jié). Then can I say祝你春节快乐(zhù nǐ chūnjié kuàilè)！to greet Chinese people during the Spring Festival?
Yajie: Yes, you can. Like祝你生日快乐!, you can say祝你春节快乐！to those who are celebrating the Spring Festival.
Cam: Ok. 祝你春节快乐(zhù nǐ chūnjié kuàilè)！
Yajie: As we mentioned last time祝你 is used to express good wishes, sometimes with the implication of “congratulating in advance”. 祝, z-h-u, zhù, the forth tone.
Cam: If someone says 祝你春节快乐(zhù nǐ chūnjié kuàilè) to me, how should I answer?
Yajie: Well, you could say谢谢！春节快乐! Thanks. Happy Spring Festival! Or you could say谢谢！同乐，同乐！同乐 means “you too”. 同 means together. 乐is short for 快乐, which means happiness!
Cam: 同乐，同乐！It’s like during our Christmas holiday.  When somebody says Merry Christmas, you can say, “you too!”  But it’s interesting that Chinese people say “tong le” two times.
Yajie: Yes, like we learned before, Chinese people would say nalinali twice. It’s just for the emphasis.
Yajie: You can also say祝你全家幸福, I wish happiness for your whole family!
Cam: 祝你全家幸福！(zhù nǐ quánjiā xìngfú!)
Yajie: 全家 means the whole family. 全, the whole, q-u-a-n, the second tone. 家, family, j-i-ā, the first tone.
Cam: 全家(quánjiā), the whole family.
Yajie: 幸福, happy. 幸, x-i-n-g, the fourth tone; 福, f-u, the second tone.　
Cam:　Then what’s the answer to祝你全家幸福！(zhù nǐ quánjiā xìngfú)?
Yajie: The answer is 谢谢！也祝你全家幸福！ Thank you. I also wish your whole family happiness! 也means also.
Yajie: Another expression is 祝你万事如意！It means “All the best!” 
Cam: 祝你万事如意! (zhù nǐ wànshì rúyì!)
Yajie: 万, is actually a number, ten thousand. 万, w-a-n, the fourth tone. 事 means thing. 事, s-h-i, also the fourth tone. So in Chinese, ten thousand things stand for everything.
Cam: 万事(wànshì)
Yajie: 如意 means comply with one’s wishes.
**********Key words reminder
Today we’ve learned the expressions of congratulating someone during the Spring Festival. 祝你春节快乐! Happy Spring Festival! 祝你全家幸福, I wish your entire family happiness! 祝你万事如意！All the best! 恭喜发财I wish you a prosperous new year.
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Yajie: there is another popular saying: 恭喜发财,which means I wish you a prosperous new year. Well, the Cantonese way Kong Hei Fatt Choi is even more popular, isn’t it?
Cam: yes. Well, the mandarin is now my focus, so let me try this one.恭喜发财！(gōngxǐ fācái!)
Yajie: Well, that wraps up this edition of Chinese Studio. If you keep practicing, you can definitely use it well when next spring festival comes. Well, last but least, it’s time for our question of the day: How do you say “All the best” in Chinese?
Cam: Send us your answers, along with any questions or comments to Chinese@crifm.com.  That’s Chinese@crifm.com.  Or you can visit us on our website at en.chinabroadcast.cn. Click learn Chinese, where you can enjoy other free Chinese-learning programs.
Yajie: Well class is over. 再见
 

Lesson 021 I Wish You Good Health!

Today we’ve learned three different expressions to wish someone a happy birthday 祝你生日快乐！Happy Birthday! 祝你身体健康！I wish you good health! 

 

Yajie: Perfect Chinese your way, in only five minutes a day. Welcome to Chinese Studio. I’m Yajie.
Cam: Hi, everyone, I’m Cam.  Yajie, have you bought a present yet for Louis?  It’s his birthday tomorrow.
Yajie: No, not yet! 
Cam: I got him something… but I need to learn how to say Happy Birthday in Chinese when I see him tomorrow.
Yajie:  I’ll teach you.  Today we can learn some expression of congratulations when somebody is celebrating a birthday.  Let’s check Key Words of the Day. 
************Key words of the day
Today we’ll expressions of congratulating someone when he/she is celebrating a birthday. 祝你生日快乐！Happy Birthday! 祝你生活幸福美满！祝你身体健康！ All in today’s Chinese Studio.　
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Cam: In English we say happy birthday when attending a birthday party. How to say this in Chinese?
Yajie: We say  “祝你生日快乐！”
Cam: 祝你生日快乐!
Yajie: Right. “祝你生日快乐！”  Is how we would wish somebody a happy birthday. 祝你 is used to express good wishes, sometimes with the implication of “congratulating in advance”. 祝,  zhù, the forth tone. It means offering good wishes. 你, means you. 祝你 together means I wish you….
Cam: 祝你 (zhù nǐ).
Yajie: 生日 is birthday. 生, shēng, the first tone. 生, to give birth to.
Cam: 生 (shēng). 日 (rì), we learned it during last week. It means the day, the forth tone. 日(rì). And 星期日(Xīngqī rì) is Sunday.
Yajie: Absolutely right! Well, Cam, you have a sound memory.
Cam: Xie xie.
Yajie: 快乐 means happy. 快, k-u-a-i, kuài, the fourth tone. 乐, l-e, lè, also the fourth tone. Together it’s快乐(kuài lè).
Cam: 快乐(kuài lè). 我很快乐 (wǒ hěn kuài lè)。I’m very happy. 你快乐吗？(nǐ kuài lèma?)
Yajie: 我也很快乐 (wǒ yě hěn kuài lè)。I’m happy too.
Yajie: Cam, how do you think you would respond if somebody said zhu ni sheng ri kuai le?
Cam: Could I say:  xie xie?
Yajie: Yes, that’s right.  Sometimes people just say 生日快乐 for short.
Cam: Ok, this sounds reasonable, because  祝你 means wishing you….  In English, we say Happy Birthday for short instead of Happy Birthday to you.  When wishing somebody a happy birthday, it’s not necessary to specify the person.  So it’s the same as Chinese.  There is no need to say祝你(zhù nǐ).
Yajie: You got it. Besides生日快乐, there are other relevant expressions. For example, you can say祝你身体健康 which means “I wish you good health”  身体is body. 身, s-h-e-n, shēn, the first tone; 体, t-i, tǐ, the third tone.
Cam: 身体, shēn tǐ.
Yajie: And 健康 means fine, or healthy. 健, jiàn, the forth tone; 康, k-a-ng-, kāng, the first tone.
Cam: 健康 (jiànkāng).
Yajie: Together you can say祝你身体健康(zhù nǐ shēntǐ jiànkāng).
Cam: 祝你身体健康(zhù nǐ shēntǐ jiànkāng).
**********Key words reminder
Today we’ve learned three different expressions to wish someone a happy birthday 祝你生日快乐！Happy Birthday! 祝你身体健康！I wish you good health!
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Yajie: If an senior person is having a birthday, you could say:  祝您健康长寿！
Cam: 祝您健康长寿！(zhù nín jiànkāng chángshòu!)
Yajie: Yes, 长寿 means longevity. I wish you good health and a long life. 祝您健康长寿！You can say this to your grandparents!
Cam: 祝您健康长寿！(zhù nín jiànkāng chángshòu!)  You can also say this if somebody is not having a party, right?
Yajie: Yes, very good!  Well, class is over for this time. Don’t forget you can win a gift by answering the question of the day in Chinese: what will you say to a Chinese friend on his/her birthday?
Cam: You can send us questions or comments to Chinese@crifm.com.  That’s Chinese@crifm.com.  Or you can visit us on our website at en.chinabroadcast.cn. Click learn Chinese, where you can enjoy other free Chinese-learning programs.
Yajie: Well class is over. 再见!
Cam: 再见!