Lesson 139 I’ll Climb Mount Everest!

M: 大家好! 现在我们开始学汉语。我是曼丽。

S: 大家好！我是Stuart. Lesson 139 today. Dì yìbǎièrshísān kè

M: Last lesson we were excited about going traveling. So, Stuart, wher do you want to go? 你想去哪儿？nǐ xiǎng qù nǎr?

S: Let me have a look at the guide book. 让我看看旅游指南。Ràng wǒ kànkan lǚyóu zhǐnán.

M: Ok.

S: Uh, wher shall I go first?

M: How about the Tàihú Lake？Tàihú zěnmeyàng? It’s a very famous scenic spot in China. Or, 或者，perhaps the West Lake, 西湖，xīhú in Hangzhou City?

S: Aha! Here’s the place I’d like to visit first – 西藏，Tibet! Wǒ yào xiān qù xīzàng. Maybe I’ll climb Mount Everest! 我还要登上珠穆朗玛峰顶！Wǒ hái yào dēngshang Zhūmùlǎngmǎfēng dǐng.

M: That’s ambitious!

S: You bet!

M: OK, now the new stuff. At first Stuart had no idea about wher to go, so he said –

S: Ràng wǒ kànkan lǚyóu zhǐnán. Ràng wǒ kànkan lǚyóu zhǐnán.

M: lǚyóu, we’ve learnt, means to travel. And zhǐnán, ZHI NAN, third tone second tone, zhǐnán, literally means ‘point south’. But now it usually means ‘guidance’ or ‘instruction’.

S: So, ‘lǚyóu zhǐnán’ means ‘Tour Guide’, or ‘guide book’, very useful.

M: Tàihú Lake, tàihú, is one of China’s well-known scenic spots.

M: I also recommended the West Lake, 西湖，XI HU, xīhú. We’ve learnt that xī means ‘west’. So I’m sure you can easily guess what ‘hú’ means. Duì le, hú, lake, 湖。And xīhú is a very famous scenic spot in east China’s city of Hangzhou.

S: But, despite ML’s recommendation, I decided to go to Xīzàng, Tibet, Xīzàng, wher Mount Everest is.

M: And Stuart says he’ll climb to the top of it! He’s just boasting, 吹牛，chuīniú.

S: No, ML, I’m serious! Wǒ yào dēngshang Zhūmùlǎngmǎfēng dǐng.

M: In Chinese, we call Mount Everest ‘珠穆朗玛峰’, Zhūmùlǎngmǎfēng. 登，DENG, dēng1, first tone, means ‘to climb’. And 顶，DING, third tone, means ‘top’. So the whole sentence is –

S: Wǒ yào dēngshang Zhūmùlǎngmǎfēng dǐng.

 Everybody say with ML.

M: Wǒ yào dēngshang Zhūmùlǎngmǎfēng dǐng.  Wǒ yào dēngshang Zhūmùlǎngmǎfēng dǐng.  Hěn hǎo.

S: Now let’s go over the conversation again. And you people at home please repeat with us as loudly as you can. Don’t be shy. OK, let’s start.

M: Stuart, 你想去哪儿？nǐ xiǎng qù nǎr?

S: Ràng wǒ kànkan lǚyóu zhǐnán. 让我看看旅游指南。
M: Tàihú zěnmeyàng? 或者西湖?

S: Wǒ yào xiān qù xīzàng. Wǒ yào xiān qù xīzàng. Wǒ hái yào dēngshang Zhūmùlǎngmǎfēng dǐng.  我还要登上珠穆朗玛峰顶！

M: In that case, good-bye and good luck, Stuart! ’Cause I’m not climbing Mt. Everest!

S: Ok, it’ll be my solo climb to the top of Zhūmùlǎngmǎfēng dǐng. Who needs ML! Guys, bye for now, and don’t forget to practice at home!