How to Perfect the Chinese Art of Bargaining: Stop Throwing Money away from Now on!

Quiz:

1. Read the dialogue and answer the question below.
Xiǎo Hóng: Zhè tiáo kùzi tài guì la, wǒ zuìduō zhǐnéng chū yì bǎi yuán.
小红: 这条裤子太贵啦，我最多只能出100元。
Shòuhuòyuán: Duìbùqǐ, wǒmen jùjué huánjià.
售货员: 对不起，我们拒绝还价.
Which of the following statement is true according to the dialogue? Please choose the best answer.

A. Xiao Hong thinks this pair of trousers is very cheap.
B. Xiao Hong wants to bargain over the price with the salesman.
C. The original price of this pair of trousers is 100 yuan.
D. The price of this pair of trousers is less 100 yuan.
See Answer Analysis

If you are not sure about the answer, please read the following text first and then try again.

Bargaining is an art and may be very helpful in daily life. At least, it is so often used in most markets and back-street clothes shops. And when you want to bargain over the price with the salesman. "卖家 (mài jiā) The seller" usually use this Chinese phrase "一分钱，一分货 (yì fēn qián, yì fēn huò) You get what you pay for" as a response.

Key Learning Points:
一分钱，一分货 (Yì fēn qián, yì fēn huò) You get what you pay for
"一分 (Yì fēn)"means one cent, "钱 (qián)" means money and "货 (huò)" means goods.

Dialogue:
A: Nǐ zhè tiáo qúnzi zhēn hǎokàn, duōshǎo qián?
A: 你这条裙子真好看，多少钱？
A: Your skirt is so beautiful! How much is it?

B: Sì bǎi kuài, yǒudiǎn guì.
B: 四百块，有点贵。
B: Four hundred yuan, a little bit expensive.

A: Shì yǒu diǎn, búguò yì fēn qián yì fēn huò, zhè qúnzi chuān zhe duō yǒu qìzhì ya!
A: 是有点，不过一分钱一分货，这裙子穿着多有气质呀！
A: Yeah, it is. But you get what you pay for. You look so elegant in this skirt!

In fact, many Chinese like to "砍价 (kǎn jià) drive a hard bargain." Why? Because they know very well that many daily items are not worth the price that the seller gives, hence there is the phenomenon of "货比三家 (huò bǐ sān jiā) shopping around; comparison shopping; shoppers researching purchases." In addition, if you spend a few extra minutes negotiating prices, you may save tens or even hundreds of yuan and there will be a great sense of satisfaction such as the psychological satisfaction of saving a small percentage.

Not only that, everyone wants to buy something cheap and beautiful. Therefore, they engage in bargaining and bargaining is like a debate, which for some people, it is very exciting and interesting.

Here Are Some Common And Useful Sentences for Bargaining:

Gěi wǒ dǎ ge zhé ba.
给我打个折吧。
Give me a discount.

Click "Read More" to Learn More Useful Chinese Vocabulary And Sentences.

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In the Mood for Love: Famous Chinese Love Legends You Can’t Miss!

Who’s in the mood for love? We’ve got a great blog here for you about some of the most famous Chinese "爱情 (aìqíng) love" stories of all time. These historical tales live on in the hearts of all Chinese people and are essential to know about if you’re in love with Chinese culture and language. So let’s take a look!

There are the four most famous and "感动 (gǎndòng) touching" Chinese love stories! They are respectively "孟姜女哭长城 (Mèng Jiāng Nǚ Kū ChángChéng) Lady Meng Jiang’s Bitter Weeping," "梁山伯与祝英 (Liáng Shānbó Yǔ Zhù Yīngtái) The Butterfly Lovers," "白蛇传 (Bái Shé Zhuàn) Legend of Lady White Snake" and "牛郎织女 (Niú Láng Zhī Nǚ) the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl." And today, I will introduce two of them.

I. 梁山伯与祝英台 (Liáng Shānbó Yǔ Zhù Yīngtái) The Butterfly Lovers

This "故事 (gùshì) story" is kind of like the Chinese version of Romeo and Juliet! The girl character "祝英台 (Zhù Yīngtái) Zhu Yingtai" wants to go to school in an era where girls aren’t allowed to attend school, so she dresses up as a boy and heads to a faraway city where she meets "梁山伯 (Liáng Shānbó) Liang Shanbo" and falls in love with him.

Unfortunately, he doesn’t realize it until it’s too late when Zhu Yingtai ‘s parents marry her off to "马文才 (Mǎ Wéncái) Ma Wencai!" Liang Shanbo gets ill and dies, and when his grave is cracked open by lightning, Zhu Yingtai can’t help herself and jumps into the grave with him. The grave reopens and two "蝴蝶 (húdié) butterflies" emerge. Though sad, this romantic story lives on just like Romeo and Juliet do for westerners.

II. 孟姜女哭长城 (Mèng Jiāng Nǚ Kū ChángChéng) Lady Meng Jiang’s Bitter Weeping

This story is a "悲剧 (bēijù) tragedy" set during the Qin Dynasty when Emperor Qin was in power and "长城 (chángchéng) the Great Wall" was being built. And there was a pair of "夫妻 (fūqī) the couple; lovers," the woman was named Meng Jiang Nv and the man was named Qi Liang.

Soldiers came one day and took her husband away to work on the wall. She didn’t see him for months upon months, and after having a nightmare about him she went to see him and realized he along with many others had died. She cried on the Great Wall and her sadness was so strong that it caused the wall to collapse, which revealed her husband’s bones. After seeing them she decided to throw herself into the ocean.

Learn More About 长城 (ChángChéng)The Great Wall

Click "Read More" to Learn More Chinese Words from the Folklore.

Quiz:

1. Which of the following is not a traditional Chinese story?

A. 罗密欧与朱丽叶 (Luó Mì'ōu Yǔ Zhū Lìyè)
B. 梁山伯与祝英台 (Liáng Shānbó Yǔ Zhù Yīngtái)
C. 白蛇传 (Bái Shé Zhuàn)
D. 牛郎织女 (Niú Láng Zhī Nǚ)

2. After reading the article, which of the following words can generalize the subject of these stories?
A. 友情 (Yǒuqíng)
B. 爱情 (Àiqíng)
C. 亲情 (Qīnqíng)

See Answer Analysis

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