HSK 2 · Story · 177 characters · Listen: mandarinthewild.com/library/read/first-day-in-china-five-chinese-words

五个中文词

My first day in China

Name: ________________ Date: ________

艾玛àimǎ明天míngtiān去qù中国zhōngguó。她tā的de中文zhōngwén不好bùhǎo。

她tā在zài本子běnzi上shàng写xiě了le五wǔ个gè词cí：你好níhǎo、洗手间xíshǒujiān、多少duōshao钱qián、听不懂tīngbudǒng、谢谢xièxie。

“五wǔ个gè，够gòu了le！”她tā说shuō。

第二天dì’èrtiān，飞机fēijī到dào了le北京běijīng。艾玛àimǎ很hěn想xiǎng去qù洗手间xíshǒujiān。她tā问wèn一yí个gè人rén：“洗手间xíshǒujiān？”那nà个gè人rén说shuō：“在zài那儿nàr！”

她tā想xiǎng喝水hēshuǐ。她tā在zài商店shāngdiàn里拿ná了le水shuǐ，问wèn：“多少duōshao钱qián？”“三sān块kuài。”

她tā坐zuò上shàng出租车chūzūchē，给gěi司机sījī看kàn手机shǒujī上shàng的de酒店jiǔdiàn名字míngzi。车chē开kāi了le。司机sījī说shuō了le很hěn多duō很hěn多duō话huà。艾玛àimǎ说shuō：“听不懂tīngbudǒng。”司机sījī笑xiào了le。他tā还hái在zài说shuō，说shuō，说shuō。

车chē到dào了le，她tā下车xiàchē说shuō：“你好níhǎo！”

“你好níhǎo！”酒店jiǔdiàn的de人rén说shuō，“你nǐ的de中文zhōngwén真zhēn好hǎo！”

艾玛àimǎ笑xiào了le：“谢谢xièxie！”

五wǔ个gè词cí，今天jīntiān都dōu用yòng了le。明天míngtiān呢ne？

Key words

Word	Pinyin	Meaning
明天	míngtiān	tomorrow
去	qù	to go
中国	zhōngguó	China
中文	zhōngwén	Chinese (language)
上	shàng	up; above; on
写	xiě	to write
五	wǔ	five
你好	níhǎo	hello; hi
钱	qián	money
谢谢	xièxie	thank you; thanks; to thank
说	shuō	to speak; to say
飞机	fēijī	airplane; aircraft

English (for the teacher)

Emma is going to China tomorrow. Her Chinese isn’t good.

In her notebook she wrote five words: hello, toilet, how much, I don’t understand, thank you.

“Five is enough!” she said.

The next day, the plane landed in Beijing. Emma really needed the toilet. She asked someone, “Toilet?” The person said, “Over there!”

She wanted some water. In a shop she picked up some water and asked, “How much?” “Three yuan.”

She got into a taxi and showed the driver the hotel’s name on her phone. The car set off. The driver talked and talked. Emma said, “I don’t understand.” The driver laughed. And he kept on talking, talking, talking.

When they arrived, she got out and said, “Hello!”

“Hello!” said the woman at the hotel. “Your Chinese is so good!”

Emma smiled. “Thank you!”

Five words, and she used them all today. And tomorrow?