Miss Lin shops for a handbag on Fifth Avenue, trades a bag that’s too big for a smaller one, and pays by card.
林小姐买包
周末,林小姐跟朋友一起去商店买东西。她在第五大道的一家店里看到一个很漂亮的包,就想买一个送给自己。
她问服务员:“想看看那个包。”服务员马上把包拿给她,说:“这个包很漂亮,是今年最新的。”林小姐拿在手里看了看,觉得包很好看,但是太大了,不方便带出去。
服务员看出她的想法,就说:“我们还有小的,您看。”林小姐拿起小包看了看,觉得大小正好,颜色也很好看,于是决定买这个小的。
服务员问她:“您用现金还是卡?”林小姐说她用卡,因为她今天没有带很多现金。服务员帮她刷了卡,把包放进一个漂亮的袋子里,给了她。
林小姐拿着新买的包,跟朋友说:“今天买东西真开心,虽然这个包不便宜,但是我很喜欢。”她们又逛了别的商店,才慢慢走回酒店。
Lín xiǎojiě mǎi bāo
Zhōumò, Lín xiǎojiě gēn péngyou yìqǐ qù shāngdiàn mǎi dōngxi. Tā zài Dì Wǔ Dàdào de yì jiā diàn lǐ kàndào yí gè hěn piàoliang de bāo, jiù xiǎng mǎi yí gè sòng gěi zìjǐ.
Tā wèn fúwùyuán: “Wǒ xiǎng kàn kan nàge bāo.” Fúwùyuán mǎshàng bǎ bāo ná gěi tā, shuō: “Zhège bāo hěn piàoliang, shì jīnnián zuìxīn de.” Lín xiǎojiě ná zài shǒu lǐ kàn le kàn, juéde bāo hěn hǎokàn, dànshì tài dà le, bù fāngbiàn dài chūqù.
Fúwùyuán kànchū tā de xiǎngfǎ, jiù shuō: “Wǒmen hái yǒu xiǎo de, nín kàn.” Lín xiǎojiě ná qǐ xiǎo bāo kàn le kàn, juéde dàxiǎo zhènghǎo, yánsè yě hěn hǎokàn, yúshì juédìng mǎi zhège xiǎo de.
Fúwùyuán wèn tā: “Nín yòng xiànjīn háishi kǎ?” Lín xiǎojiě shuō tā yòng kǎ, yīnwèi tā jīntiān méiyǒu dài hěn duō xiànjīn. Fúwùyuán bāng tā shuā le kǎ, bǎ bāo fàng jìn yí gè piàoliang de dàizi lǐ, gěi le tā.
Lín xiǎojiě ná zhe xīn mǎi de bāo, gēn péngyou shuō: “Jīntiān mǎi dōngxi zhēn kāixīn, suīrán zhège bāo bù piányi, dànshì wǒ hěn xǐhuan.” Tāmen yòu guàng le biéde shāngdiàn, cái mànmàn zǒu huí jiǔdiàn.
Miss Lin Buys a Bag
On the weekend, Miss Lin went shopping with a friend. In a store on Fifth Avenue, she saw a very pretty bag and wanted to buy one for herself.
She asked the staff, “I’d like to take a look at that bag.” The staff immediately handed her the bag and said, “This bag is very pretty, it’s this year’s newest style.” Miss Lin held it in her hands and looked at it, feeling that the bag looked good, but it was too big and not convenient to carry around.
The staff noticed her thinking and said, “We also have a small one, take a look.” Miss Lin picked up the small bag and looked at it, feeling that the size was just right and the color also looked good, so she decided to buy this small one.
The staff asked her, “Will you use cash or card?” Miss Lin said she’d use her card, because she hadn’t brought much cash today. The staff helped her swipe the card, put the bag into a pretty bag, and gave it to her.
Holding her newly bought bag, Miss Lin said to her friend, “Shopping today was really fun. Although this bag isn’t cheap, I really like it.” They browsed a few more stores before slowly walking back to the hotel.
音频
Audio recording for this story will be available here.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 想 | xiǎng | to want to / would like to |
| 看看 | kàn kan | to take a look |
| 那个 | nàge | that (one) |
| 包 | bāo | bag |
| 好的 | hǎo de | okay / all right |
| 小姐 | xiǎojiě | Miss / young lady |
| 这个 | zhège | this (one) |
| 很 | hěn | very |
| 漂亮 | piàoliang | pretty / beautiful |
| 但是 | dànshì | but |
| 太 | tài | too / excessively |
| 大 | dà | big |
| 了 | le | completed-action / change-of-state particle |
| 有 | yǒu | to have / there is |
| 小的 | xiǎo de | the small one |
| 您看 | nín kàn | look (polite) |
| 要 | yào | to want |
| 用 | yòng | to use |
| 现金 | xiànjīn | cash |
| 还是 | háishi | or (in questions) |
| 卡 | kǎ | card |
太…了 (tài…le) — excessively / too much
太 before an adjective and 了 at the end together express that something is too much of a quality.
但是太大了。
还是 (háishi) — “or” in questions
还是 links two choices inside a question, asking the listener to pick one.
您用现金还是卡?
虽然…但是… (suīrán…dànshì…) — although…but…
虽然…但是… presents a concession followed by a contrasting result.
虽然这个包不便宜,但是我很喜欢。
No idiomatic expressions in this story.
Shopping and Paying by Card in China
When shopping in China or in Chinese-speaking contexts, staff often ask 您用现金还是卡? (Will you pay with cash or card?), since both cash and cards (including UnionPay and mobile payment apps) are widely accepted. Handbags and other fashion items are commonly available in multiple sizes, and staff will proactively offer alternatives if a customer expresses hesitation about size, as seen in this story.