十两饺子
How to order dumplings in Chinese
Name: ________________ Date: ________
Key words
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 来 | lái | to come |
| 中国 | zhōngguó | China |
| 天 | tiān | heaven; God |
| 人 | rén | person; people |
| 去 | qù | to go |
| 吃 | chī | to eat |
| 饺子 | jiǎozi | dumpling (boiled, crescent-shaped) |
| 小 | xiǎo | small; little |
| 多 | duō | many; much |
| 说 | shuō | to speak; to say |
| 问 | wèn | to ask |
| 几 | jǐ | how many; a few; several |
English (for the teacher)
On Sarah’s third day in China, she wants to go and eat dumplings on her own.
The restaurant is small and full of people. Sarah sits down and says, “I want dumplings!”
The owner asks, “How many liang?”
What does “ji liang” mean? Sarah doesn’t know. But “ji” means “how many”: that much she knows. She is very hungry, so she says, “Ten!”
He looks at her: “Ten liang? Just you?”
“Yes!”
The dumplings arrive, and the whole table is covered in them!
Sarah says, “Sorry, these aren’t mine, are they?”
The owner laughs: “They’re yours. Here, two liang is twelve, and ten liang is sixty.”
Sarah looks at the sixty dumplings and phones at once: “Yaxuan, where are you? Come quick! Bring all your friends, dumplings are on me!”
The next day, Sarah goes back. The owner asks, “How many liang?” Sarah laughs: “Two liang!”