Upper-Intermediate - Overseas Chinese

(D0863)

A:

你的美国表弟怎么样？

nˇı de M ˇeigu ´o bi ˇaod`ı z ˇenmey`ang?

How is your American cousin?

B:

特别有意思的一个人，就是没办法沟通。

t `ebi ´e yˇou y`ısi de y¯ı ge r ´en, ji `ush`ı m ´ei b `anfˇa g ¯out ¯ong.

He is a very interesting individual, but there is no way of

communicating.

A:

他不会说中文？

t ¯a b`u hu`ı shu ¯o Zh ¯ongw ´en?

He doesn’t speak Chinese?

B:

会是会一点，都是些比较简单的句子。他在芝加
哥出生，一直都没回来过。这是他第一次回国。

见到那么多亲戚，人都晕了。

hu`ı sh`ı hu`ı y¯ıdi ˇan, d ¯ou sh`ı xi ¯e bˇıji `ao ji ˇand ¯an de j `uzi. t ¯a z `ai

Zh¯ıji ¯ag ¯e ch ¯ush ¯eng, y¯ızh´ı d ¯ou m ´ei hu´ılai guo. zh `e sh`ı t ¯a d`ı

y¯ı c`ı hu´ıgu ´o. ji `and `ao n `ame du ¯o q¯ınqi, r ´en d ¯ou y ¯un le.

He can a little bit–all just relatively basic phrases. He was

born in Chicago, and had never come here. This is his first

time to China. He’s met so many relatives, it was over-

whelming for him.

A:

是啊，光那些七大姑八大姨就要记好一阵。他们

家很早就去美国了吧？

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2008 Praxis Language Ltd.

sh`ı a, gu ¯ang n `axi ¯e q¯ıd `ag ¯ub ¯ad `ay´ı ji `uy`ao j`ı h ˇaoy¯ızh `en. t ¯amen

ji ¯a h ˇen z ˇao ji `u q `u M ˇeigu ´o le ba?

Yeah, just learning the terms for all the relatives takes quite

a while. Did they move to America a long time ago?

B:

对，爷爷那辈就去了，是老华侨。我记得刚改革

开放，他就写信给我们，我们都吓了一跳。

du`ı, y´eye n `a b `ei ji `u q `u le, sh`ı l ˇao hu ´aqi ´ao. w ˇo j`ıde g ¯ang

g ˇaig ´e k ¯aif`ang, t ¯a ji `u xi ˇex`ın g ˇei w ˇomen, w ˇomen d ¯ou xi `a le y¯ı

ti `ao.

Yes. It was in his Grandfather’s generation that they left

and became overseas Chinese. I recall that just after China

opened up to the outside world, he wrote us all a letter. We

were all so surprised.

A:

那时候真闭塞，现在进出国门简直是家常便饭。

好多新移民都是两边跑。

n `a sh´ıhou zh ¯en b`ıs `e, xi `anz `ai j`ınch ¯u gu ´om ´en ji ˇanzh´ı sh`ı ji ¯a-

ch ´angbi `anf`an. h ˇao du ¯o x¯ın y´ım´ın d ¯ou sh`ı li ˇangbi ¯anp ˇao.

At that time it was very closed off, and now going in and out

of China is very commonplace. Many new immigrants now

go back and forth.

B:

现在中国就缺这些懂不同语言文化的人，所以华

裔特别有优势。我表弟这次就是想看看有什么机

会。可惜他语言不过关，否则马上就能找到好工

作。

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xi `anz `ai Zh ¯onggu ´o ji `u qu ¯e zh `exi ¯e d ˇong b`ut ´ong y ˇuy´an w ´en-

hu `a de r ´en, su ˇoyˇı hu ´ay`ı t `ebi ´e yˇou y¯oush`ı. w ˇo bi ˇaod`ı zh `ec`ı

ji `ush`ı xi ˇang k `an kan yˇou sh ´enme j¯ıhu`ı. kˇex¯ı t ¯a y ˇuy´an b`u

gu `ogu ¯an, fˇouz ´e m ˇash `ang ji `u n ´eng zh ˇaod `ao h ˇao g ¯ongzu `o.

Right now China is lacking people with understanding of dif-

ferent languages and cultures, so overseas Chinese have a

great advantage. My cousin is here this time looking for

some opportunities. It’s too bad his language is not up to

par–if it were, he would find a good job very quickly.

A:

哎，如果从小开始学中文就好了。

¯ai, r ´ugu ˇo c ´ongxi ˇao k ¯aishˇı xu ´e Zh ¯ongw ´en ji `u h ˇao le.

Man, it would have been good if he had learned from an

early age.

B:

他是第三代移民，连他父母都不太会说，更别

说他了。而且好多人刚出去的时候怕孩子语言跟

不上，就鼓励他们多说英语。这样难免要忽略中

文，也没办法。

t ¯a sh`ı d`ı s ¯an d `ai y´ım´ın, li ´an t ¯a f `um ˇu d ¯ou b`ut `ai hu`ı shu ¯o, g `eng

bi ´e shu ¯o t ¯a le. ´erqi ˇe h ˇao du ¯o r ´en g ¯ang ch ¯uq `u de sh´ıhou p `a

h ´aizi y ˇuy´an g ¯enbush `ang, ji `u g ˇul`ı t ¯amen du ¯o shu ¯o y¯ıngy ˇu.

zh `ey`ang n ´anmi ˇan y`ao h ¯ul ¨u `e Zh ¯ongw ´en, yˇe m ´ei b `anfˇa.

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2008 Praxis Language Ltd.

He’s a third generation immigrant, even his parents cannot

speak Chinese that well, so obviously he can’t either. On

top of that, when many people leave here, they are scared

that their children wont be able to keep up with the new

language, so they urge them to speak English. So when

this happens it’s easy for their Chinese to get neglected–

there’s no way around it.

A:

也是。你表弟的想法比较像美国人还是中国人？

yˇesh`ı. nˇı bi ˇaod`ı de xi ˇangfˇa bˇıji `ao xi `ang M ˇeigu ´or ´en h ´aishi

Zh ¯onggu ´or ´en?

You’re right. So, is your cousin’s thinking more American or

Chinese?

B:

不能这么分吧。我问过他，他说自己是美国人，

好多想法也比较西化。但是他也认同中国的一些

传统价值，因为他是华人。

b`un ´eng zh `eme f¯en ba. w ˇo w `en guo t ¯a, t ¯a shu ¯o z`ıjˇı sh`ı M ˇei-

gu ´or ´en, h ˇao du ¯o xi ˇangfˇa yˇe bˇıji `ao x¯ıhu `a. d `ansh`ı t ¯a yˇe r `en-

t ´ong Zh ¯onggu ´o de y¯ıxi ¯e chu ´ant ˇong ji `azh´ı, y¯ınw `ei t ¯a sh`ı hu ´a-

r ´en.

It’s hard to distinguish. I have asked him, and he says he

is an American, and that a lot of his viewpoints are very

western. However, he does identify with some traditional

Chinese values as he is of Chinese decent.

A:

噢哟，双重身份真不容易。有机会叫他一块儿出

来玩儿吧。

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2008 Praxis Language Ltd.

oy¯o, shu ¯angch ´ong sh ¯enf`en zh ¯en b`u r ´ongy`ı. yˇouj¯ıhu`ı ji `ao t ¯a

y¯ıku `air ch ¯ulai w ´anr ba.

Wow, a dual identity cant be easy. If the chance comes up,

invite him to come out with us.

B:

好啊，他正想多交些朋友呢。

h ˇao a, t ¯a zh `eng xi ˇang du ¯o ji ¯ao xi ¯e p ´engyou ne.

Sure. He really wants to make some friends.

Key Vocabulary

表弟

bi ˇaod`ı

younger male cousin

沟

通

g ¯out ¯ong

to communicate

芝加哥

Zh¯ıji ¯ag ¯e

Chicago

亲戚

q¯ınqi

relatives

七大姑八

大姨

q¯ıd `ag ¯ub ¯ad `ay´ı

general term of ad-

dress for various rela-

tives

华侨

hu ´aqi ´ao

overseas Chinese

闭塞

b`ıs `e

closed off

家常便饭

ji ¯ach ´angbi `anf`an

common occurrence

移民

y´ım´ın

immigrant

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2008 Praxis Language Ltd.

华裔

hu ´ay`ı

foreign citizen of Chi-

nese origin

优势

y¯oush`ı

in a good position

过关

gu `ogu ¯an

up to par

跟不上

g ¯enbush `ang

unable to keep up with

难免

n ´anmi ˇan

difficult to avoid

忽略

h ¯ul ¨u `e

to neglect

西化

x¯ıhu `a

westernized

双重

shu ¯angch ´ong

dual

Supplementary Vocabulary

两全其美

li ˇangqu ´anq´ım ˇei

satisfy both aspects

劣势

li `esh`ı

at a disadvantage

跟得上

g ¯endesh `ang

able to keep up with

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2008 Praxis Language Ltd.