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Chinese Video Courses >> Beginner Chinese Series 3 >> It's my treat!

It's my treat!

Lesson Information

Instructor:	Becky
Length:	17:03
Introduction:	Invite friends to dinner and learn about table etiquette in China.

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Text

Traditional Characters

Show Translation

我请客！

It's my treat!

Today is Wang Li’s birthday, he treats Wang Ying and Li Mei to dinner.-bg-

王力：今天是我的生日，我请客！ Wang Li : Today is my birthday, It is my treat. http://www.echineseonline.com/upload/ecoupload/2013-05/23/102798.mp3

王英、李梅：生日快乐！ Wang Ying, Li Mei: Happy birthday!http://www.echineseonline.com/upload/ecoupload/2013-05/23/102799.mp3

王力：谢谢！你们点菜吧！ Wang Li: Thank you! Please order some food. http://www.echineseonline.com/upload/ecoupload/2013-05/23/102800.mp3

王英：我们点一个麻婆豆腐吧！ Wang Ying : Let’s order Mapo Tofu.http://www.echineseonline.com/upload/ecoupload/2013-05/23/102801.mp3

李梅：好，再点一个宫保鸡丁吧！王力，你也点一个吧！ Li Mei: OK, let’s also order Kung pao chicken. Wang Li, you should order something too.http://www.echineseonline.com/upload/ecoupload/2013-05/23/102802.mp3

王力：好，我点一个鱼香肉丝。 Wang Li: OK, I'd like to order Shredded Pork with Garlic Sauce. http://www.echineseonline.com/upload/ecoupload/2013-05/23/102803.mp3

Vocabulary

Traditional Characters


请客請客		qǐng kè	to treat somebody
生日快乐生日快樂		shēngrì kuàilè	happy birthday
点菜點菜		diǎncài	to order food
点點	v.	diǎn	to order
麻婆豆腐麻婆豆腐		mápó dòufu	Mapo Tofu
宫保鸡丁宮保雞丁		gōngbǎo jīdīng	Kung pao chicken
吧吧	modal particle	ba	a modal particle, often used at the end of a suggestive sentence to soften the tone.

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Grammar

Traditional Characters

Modal particle “吧” — used when making suggestions

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In the Chinese language, the modal particle “吧” is often added to the end of a declarative sentence to indicate that a suggestion has been given. It can moderate the tone of a sentence, making the suggestion softer in tone.

Chinese Culture

Table Etiquette in China

Chinese people are very hospitable. The etiquette surrounding inviting people to dinner demonstrates this fact. Friends often have a special place in their hearts for Chinese people. Having dinner with friends is not just about eating. It’s also a great way to strengthen the friendship. After dinner, people usually like to scramble to pay the bill. So, if you come to China, you will certainly receive hospitable treatment from your Chinese friends. Now, here’s some table etiquette you need to pay attention to:

If you come to China for the first time, your friend will certainly hope that you can try many of the special Chinese dishes. You will be treated to some delicacies. To be polite, you need to have at least a taste of each dish.

Unlike in western countries, each dish in China is often placed on a big plate and is eaten communally, or family style. Culture also dictates the order the dishes are served in: cold dishes come first, then hot dishes, which include a variety of vegetables and meat, the staple food, and finally, the soup comes last. When having dinner, your friends may serve you food to show their hospitality. You should accept this offer out of politeness, but if you are not used to it, you can always say, “Thank you. I will take care of it myself.”

Here is another very important point: when you put down your chopsticks, don’t put them on the bowl or stick them into the bowl, as this is believed to be unlucky. Just put them on the table. And, if you are full, do remember to tell your friends, “I am really full.” Otherwise, they will try to persuade you to keep eating.

Exercises

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Discussion

How do you celebrate birthdays in your country? In China, we often like to celebrate birthdays by having dinner with friends. In this lesson, you'll learn how to invite friends to dinner and get familiar with table etiquette in China. In addition, you'll learn to make suggestions with the modal particle word “吧 (ba).”

Comments

bashodasahn says

:))  bloopers of this video is so funny. really it made me smile. thanks Becky :)

March 17, 2012 Reply

Becky_Chinese Teacher in reply to bashodasahn

:-D So do you think we should add the bloopers in each lesson?

March 21, 2012 Reply

bashodasahn in reply to Becky_Chinese Teacher

yeah :P i and my wife enjoyed very much haha...

March 24, 2012 Reply

Becky_Chinese Teacher in reply to bashodasahn

HAHA. OK, we will add more in our new lessons.

March 30, 2012 Reply

bashodasahn says

hao. xie xie

March 30, 2012 Reply