Lesson 143 MovieⅢ

Cam:  It’s movie week on Chinese Studio.  Welcome to the show everyone, wo shi Cam.
Yajie:  And wo shi Yajie.  Cam, every year, there are blockbuster movies, those that cost a lot of money to make and are major releases for studios.  Do you know how to say “blockbuster” in Chinese?
Cam:  No…
Yajie:  Then let’s start today’s lesson!

Key Words of the Day
blockbuster. 大片, box office. 票房 premiere首映, cinema 电影院，Are there any new blockbusters coming out soon? 最近有什么新的大片？ All in today’s Chinese Studio.

YJ: Cam, now you may know the Chinese for blockbuster is…
Cam: 大片 (da4 pian1)  
YJ: Good, 大片  (da4 pian1) , which literally means big film. Here it’s an informal way of calling a large-budget movie with widespread popularity.
Cam: I see. 大片(da4 pian1). So I can say the latest 大片(da4 pian1) blockbuster , Harry Potter has hit the box office.
YJ:  That’s a very good example. Here you just mentioned “box office”, which in Chinese is 票房（piao4 fang2）。
Cam: 票房（piao4 fang2）。
YJ: 票房（piao4 fang2）literally means an office selling tickets. 票（piao4） means ticket.
Cam: 票（piao4）
YJ:  房（fang2）, means the room, the office
Cam: 房（fang2） 
YJ: 票房（piao4 fang2） box office.
Cam: Here it means the ability to attract ticket buyers. 票房（piao4 fang2）

Conversation1:
A：这部大片的票房如何？
B：这部大片的票房不错。

YJ: Cam, you know what, I’m invited to be the emcee for the premiere in a five-star cinema.  
Cam: Really? For which movie’s premiere?
YJ:…I’ll let you know later. First, do you know how to say premiere in Chinese?
Cam: No… and I’d like to know how to say cinema as well.
YJ: No prob. premiere is 首映 (shou3 ying4)
Cam: 首映( shou3 ying4)
YJ: 首( shou3 ) means the first time,
Cam:首 ( shou3 )
YJ: 映( ying4) means to show a film
Cam: 映(ying4)
YJ: 首映 ( shou3 ying4), to show a film for the first time.
Cam: 首映 ( shou3 ying4). Then what’s the Chinese for cinema?
YJ: it’s 电影院 (dian4 ying3 yuan4)。
Cam: 电影院(dian4 ying3 yuan4)。Yajie, now can you tell me which premiere you are going to?
YJ: … it’s just a short video clip of my friends’ birthday…
Cam: But you said it’s in a five-star cinema.
YJ: Sorry, it’s just a cinema called “five star”.
Cam: Yajie!

Conversation2:
A: 这部大片将在哪里举行首映？
B: 据说将在北京电影院举行首映。

Cam: Yajie, are there any new blockbusters coming out soon?
YJ: I guess the controversial “Memoirs of a Geisha” will meet the audience pretty soon. It has your favorite movie star in it.
Cam: Yes, Zhang Ziyi is my favorite. And I know she keeps practicing her English, just like I keep practicing my Chinese.
YJ: Two diligent birds. Here is the thing: do you know how to ask your question in Chinese?
Cam: why don’t you tell me?
YJ: I’m going to. 最近有什么新的大片？(zui4 jin4 you3 shen2me xin1 de da4 pian1)
Cam: 最近有什么新的大片？(zui4 jin4 you3 shen2me xin1 de da4 pian1)
YJ: 最近(zui4 jin4 ) means recently.
Cam: 最近 (zui4 jin4 ).
YJ: 有什么?(you3 shen2me) Is there anything?
Cam: 有什么(you3 shen2me)
YJ: 新的 (xin1de ), new
Cam: 新的(xin1de )
YJ: 大片 (da4 pian1), blockbuster
Cam: 大片(da4 pian1)
YJ: 最近有什么新的大片？(zui4 jin4 you3 shen2me xin1 de da4 pian1)
Cam: 最近有什么新的大片？(zui4 jin4 you3 shen2me xin1 de da4 pian1) Are there any new blockbusters coming out soon?

Conversation3:
A: 最近有什么新的大片？
B:  你可以上网查查。

Key Words Reminder
blockbuster. 大片, box office. 票房 premiere首映, cinema 电影院， Are there any new blockbusters coming out soon? 最近有什么新的大片？ All in today’s Chinese Studio.