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🇨🇳 Mandarin Chinese · Fluency Level 2

PART 1 · LESSON 5 OF 30 · 30 MINUTES

The Courtyard House

Follow your first customer home to his courtyard in the hutong: be told to come in and sit, marvel at the courtyard house, be called young fellow and sat down, ask whether it is brewed in a lidded bowl, hear that jasmine tea has to be, say it is especially fragrant and hand over your gift, hear that you are a real friend, and be told to come often.

Audio instruction: English

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THE STORY

A grey-brick lane west of the Drum Tower, a red gate, and inside it a square courtyard with a jujube tree, a cat on the wall and a lidded bowl steaming on a stone table.

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Words and phrases

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到 了。 进 院子 坐！dào le, jìn yuànzi zuòHere we are. Come into the yard and sit!
四合院 啊！sìhéyuàn aa courtyard house, word for word four joined yard: falling, rising, falling
这 就是 四合院 啊！zhè jiùshì sìhéyuàn aSo this is a courtyard house!
小伙子， 快 坐！xiǎohuǒzi, kuài zuòYoung fellow, sit down!
大爷， 这 院子 多少 年 了？dàye, zhè yuànzi duōshao nián leGrandpa, how old is this yard?
阿姨， 您 用 盖碗 泡？āyí, nín yòng gàiwǎn pàoAuntie, you brew it in a lidded bowl? Politely.
茉莉 花茶 要 这么 泡。mòlì huāchá yào zhème pàoJasmine tea has to be brewed this way.
特别 香！tèbié xiāngespecially fragrant: especially is falling, then rising
特别 香！ 这 是 给 您 的。tèbié xiāng! zhè shì gěi nín deEspecially fragrant! This is for you. Politely.
够 朋友！gòu péngyoua real friend, word for word enough of a friend

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