第五课 理发 Lesson Five Going to the Barbers (1)

(On the street)

Dominic: If you’re going to spend a significant amount of time in another country there comes a point when you have to bite the bullet and experiment with local barbers. 
 
One of the most interesting haircut experiences you can have here in China is going to street barbers. These guys work here outside exposed to the elements and can charge a really cheap price because they don’t have the overheads of running a shop. In fact, they don’t have any overheads. [Quick joke: Dominic looks up, indicating there is no roof.] Let’s go to find out exactly how much.

Dominic: 师傅，你好。
Street barber: 你好。
Dominic: 请问，理发多少钱？
Street barber: 理发五块钱。
Dominic: 5 yuan! That's less than a dollar. But how much for a shave? 刮脸多少钱？
Street barber: 刮脸三块。
Dominic: 3 yuan! That’s too good to turn down. 现在可以刮脸吗？
Street barber: 可以，您请坐。
Dominic: 好的。

(Dominic gets a shave.)

Dominic: Ah, cold! 真冷！
Street barber: 好了。
Dominic: 谢谢！Ah, that feels great. Amazing how a good shave can make you feel better.

(Location moves to different street.)

Dominic: But the street barbers are not wher most Chinese guys go to get their haircut. Next I want to show you what a normal barbers looks like in China.

(Dominic beside a barbershop sign)

Dominic: Spotting a barber’s in China is very easy. Simply look for the internationally recognized sign outside the shop. In most of these places, an appointment is not necessary, so we can just walk straight in.

(Dominic enters barbers shop.)

Dominic: 你好。 
Receptionist: 你好。

Dominic: once inside you need to explain what you want. This is easy, 我想理发。

GRAPHIC FLASH: 我想理发。我想 means I want, 理发 haircut, the third tone and the fourth tone, 我想理发。I want a haircut.

Dominic: Let’s ask how much it costs. 我想理发。请问多少钱？
Receptionist: 洗剪吹五十块。

Dominic: 洗剪吹 means wash, cut and blow dry. She said this costs 50 yuan. That’s translated to about 5 euros or 7 dollars. But how much for just a cut? 请问只剪多少钱？