HSK 2 · Story · 158 characters · Listen: mandarinthewild.com/library/read/how-to-say-phone-number-in-chinese

幺是一

How to say your phone number in Chinese

Name: ________________ Date: ________

新xīn同学tóngxué是shì个gè女孩nǚhái，坐zuò在zài我wǒ旁边pángbiān。她tā很hěn爱ài笑xiào。

我wǒ想xiǎng了le一yí个gè星期xīngqī。下课xiàkè的de时候shíhou，我wǒ问wèn她tā：“你nǐ的de手机shǒujī号hào是shì多少duōshao？”

她tā说话shuōhuà很hěn快kuài：“幺yāo三九sānjiǔ，零líng幺八，六liù……”

我wǒ听到tīngdào的de是shì：“要yào，三sān，九jiǔ，零líng，要yào，八bā，六liù……”她tā要yào什么shénme？

她tā笑xiào了le：“幺yāo，是shì一yī。”“说shuō手机shǒujī号hào的de时候shíhou，很hěn多duō人rén不bù说shuō一yī，说shuō幺yāo。”

“为什么wèishénme？”

“一yì和hé七qī，听起来tīngqǐlai有一点儿yǒuyìdiǎnr像xiàng。”

她tā说shuō：“好hǎo，我wǒ慢慢mànmàn说shuō。”

我wǒ没有méiyǒu本子běnzi，就jiù写xiě在zài了le手shǒu上shàng。

晚上wǎnshang，我wǒ看kàn着zhe我wǒ的de手shǒu，看kàn了le一yí个gè小时xiǎoshí。

九jiǔ点diǎn，我wǒ给gěi她tā打dǎ了le电话diànhuà。

她tā马上mǎshàng就jiù说shuō：“喂wèi！你nǐ怎么zěnme现在xiànzài才cái打电话dǎdiànhuà？”

Key words

The new student is a girl, and she sits next to me. She laughs a lot.

I thought about it for a whole week. Then after class, I asked her, “What’s your phone number?”

She said it fast: “Yao three nine, zero yao eight, six…”

What I heard was, “Want, three, nine, zero, want, eight, six…” What did she want?

She laughed. “Yao means one.” “When people say phone numbers, lots of them say yao instead of yi.”

“Why?”

“Yi and qi, one and seven, sound a little alike.”

She said, “OK, I’ll say it slowly.”

I didn’t have a notebook, so I wrote it on my hand.

That evening, I looked at my hand for an hour.

At nine, I called her.

She answered straight away: “Hello!” “What took you so long?”