HSK 3 · Story · 262 characters · Listen: mandarinthewild.com/library/read/shopping-in-a-chinese-supermarket-story

奶奶的字

Grandma's shopping list: a trip to the Chinese supermarket

Name: ________________ Date: ________

星期天xīngqītiān早上zǎoshang，奶奶nǎinai给gěi了le我wǒ一yì张zhāng纸zhǐ和hé一百yìbǎi块kuài钱qián。“去qù超市chāoshì帮bāng我wǒ买mǎi点儿diǎnr东西dōngxī，我wǒ都dōu写xiě在zài纸zhǐ上shàng了le。”

我wǒ看kàn了le看kàn那nà张zhāng纸zhǐ。奶奶nǎinai的de字zì很hěn大dà，可是kěshì我wǒ看kàn不太bútài懂dǒng。

第一dìyī个gè是shì“牛奶niúnǎi”，第二dì’èr个gè是shì“鸡蛋jīdàn”，这zhè两liǎng个gè我wǒ认识rènshi。第dì三sān个gè只有zhíyǒu一yí个gè字zì，写xiě得de像xiàng一yì条tiáo小鱼xiǎoyú。是shì“鱼yú”吗ma？

最后zuìhòu一个yígè，我wǒ一yí个gè字zì也yě看不懂kànbudǒng。

到dào了le超市chāoshì，我wǒ买mǎi了le牛奶niúnǎi、鸡蛋jīdàn，还hái买mǎi了le一yì条tiáo鱼yú。然后ránhòu，我wǒ拿ná着zhe纸zhǐ问wèn超市chāoshì里的de一个yígè阿姨āyí：“您nín能néng看kàn懂dǒng这个zhège吗ma？”

阿姨āyí看kàn了le很hěn久jiǔ，说shuō：“这zhè是shì‘西瓜xīguā’吧ba？”

旁边pángbiān一yí位wèi老爷爷lǎoyéye也yě看kàn了le看kàn，说shuō：“不bú对duì，这zhè是shì‘面条miàntiáo’。”

最后zuìhòu，西瓜xīguā和hé面条miàntiáo我wǒ都dōu买mǎi了le。

回到huídào家jiā，奶奶nǎinai看kàn着zhe桌子zhuōzi上shàng的de东西dōngxī，笑xiào了le半天bàntiān。

“鱼yú？我wǒ没méi写xiě鱼yú啊a！这zhè是shì‘米mǐ’！”

“那nà最后zuìhòu一个yígè呢ne？是shì西瓜xīguā还是háishi面条miàntiáo？”

奶奶nǎinai拿起náqǐ那nà张zhāng纸zhǐ，看kàn了le很hěn久jiǔ很hěn久jiǔ，说shuō：“这个zhège……我wǒ也yě看不懂kànbudǒng了le。”

那天nàtiān晚上wǎnshang，我们wǒmen吃chī了le鱼yú，吃chī了le面条miàntiáo，还hái吃chī了le西瓜xīguā。

Key words

WordPinyinMeaning
奶奶nǎinaigrandmother (father's mother); grandma
帮bāngto help; to assist
懂dǒngto understand; to know
条tiáostrip; slip (as in 纸条)
鱼yúfish
拿náto take; to hold; to carry
旁边pángbiānbeside; next to; nearby
位wèiplace; position; seat
笑xiàoto laugh; to smile
张zhāngsurname Zhang
纸zhǐpaper
只有zhíyǒuonly; only if; unless

English (for the teacher)

On Sunday morning Grandma gave me a sheet of paper and a hundred yuan. “Go to the supermarket and get me a few things. I've written it all down.”

I looked at the paper. Grandma's writing was big, but I could hardly read it.

The first one was “milk” and the second was “eggs”; those two I could read. The third was just one character, written like a little fish. Was it “fish”?

The last one I couldn't read a single character of.

At the supermarket I bought milk and eggs, and a fish too. Then I took the list to a woman who worked there. “Can you read this?”

She looked at it for ages and said, “That's ‘watermelon’, isn't it?”

An old man next to us had a look too. “No, that's ‘noodles’.”

In the end I bought both the watermelon and the noodles.

Back home, Grandma looked at everything on the table and laughed for ages.

“Fish? I never wrote fish! That says ‘rice’!”

“Then what's the last one? Watermelon or noodles?”

Grandma took the paper, looked at it for a long, long time, and said, “This one… I can't read it either.”

That night we had fish, noodles, and watermelon.