差不多先生
What does 差不多 mean
Name: ________________ Date: ________
中国人很喜欢说“差不多”。我们来看看。
“饭做好了吗？”“差不多了。”——还要五分钟。
“这两件衣服，哪件好看？”“差不多。”——两件都好看。
“这个多少钱？”“差不多十块。”——九块八。
可是，什么事都差不多，可以吗？
一百年前，胡适先生写了一个故事。他写的人，叫“差不多先生”。
他写字，“十”和“千”，他觉得差不多。
他去坐火车。火车八点半开，他八点三十二到。火车开了，他说：“八点半和八点三十二，不是差不多吗？”他明天再坐火车。
学中文的时候，我们也有“差不多先生”。
你想买四个包子，说了“十个”。“四”和“十”，差不多吧？
店里的人很高兴：“差不多先生，这是您的十个包子！”
Key words
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 中国 | zhōngguó | China |
| 人 | rén | person; people |
| 很 | hěn | very; quite |
| 喜欢 | xǐhuān | to like; to be fond of |
| 说 | shuō | to speak; to say |
| 来 | lái | to come |
| 做 | zuò | to do |
| 好 | hǎo | good; nice |
| 五 | wǔ | five |
| 分钟 | fēnzhōng | minute |
| 件 | jiàn | item; document (as in 文件, 邮件) |
| 衣服 | yīfu | clothes; clothing |
English (for the teacher)
Chinese people love to say “chabuduo”. Let's take a look.
“Is dinner ready?” “Chabuduo, almost.” Five more minutes.
“Which of these two tops looks better?” “Chabuduo, about the same.” They both look good.
“How much is this?” “Chabuduo ten yuan, about ten.” Nine eighty.
But can everything be just chabuduo?
A hundred years ago, Hu Shi wrote a story. The man he wrote about is called “Mr Chabuduo”, Mr About-the-Same.
When he writes, “ten” and “thousand” seem about the same to him.
He goes to catch a train. The train leaves at half past eight, and he gets there at eight thirty-two. The train has gone, and he says, “Half past eight and eight thirty-two, aren't they about the same?” He'll take the train tomorrow.
When we learn Chinese, we have our own Mr Chabuduo too.
You want to buy four steamed buns, and you say “ten”. “Four” and “ten”, they're about the same, right?
The shopkeeper is delighted: “Mr Chabuduo, here are your ten buns!”