EP28 叫车 Call A Taxi

EP28 叫车 Call A Taxi

The phone conversation you'll have with a taxi driver after booking a cab;

How to say where you are and whre you're heading to;

From car hailing apps to sharing economy in China;

Part I Chinese 101

Dialogue:

A：您好，请问您在哪儿？

nín hǎo ，qǐng wèn nín zài nǎ ér？

Hello, where are you please?

B：我在地铁天安门东站。

wǒ zài dì tiě tiān ān mén dōng zhàn 。

I’m at the subway station Tian’An Men east.

A: 您要去哪里？远么？

nín yào qù nǎ ér ？ yuǎn me 

Where do you want to go?

B：去北京饭店，不远，咱们可以导航。

qù běi jīng fàn diàn ，bú yuǎn ，zán men kě yǐ dǎo háng 。

I’ll go to Beijing Hotel. It’s not far. We can use the GPS

Words & Expressions:

【天安门】tiān sky, heaven; ān  peace safe; mén  door, gate.  

【导航】dǎo háng: navigation; guide; pathfinding

【来】lái: come

【去】qù: go

【饭店】fàn diàn：Restaurant; hotel

酒店 jiu dian: Restaurant: hotel

* In Chinese, both “饭店”and “酒店”can be “Hotel”

【咱们】zán men：we

我们wo men: we

他们ta men: they

你们ni men: you 

Calling a Taxi in China:  take a cab

Step1: Book the taxi, and tell the driver your location (whether your location on the map is accurate) 我在哪里

Step2: Meet the taxi, tell him your direction 我去... 目的地是... 去...

Step3: Talk about which way you’d like to choose to go (Traffic condition in big cities in China can be very complicated) 怎么走 / 哪条路

Part II Language Tips

• Why "call a cab" in Chinese is “打车”or“打的”

• From car hailing apps to sharing economy in China;

Part III Story of The Day

守株待兔 Waiting for a rabbit to kill itself

守株待兔

shǒu zhū dài tù

Waiting for a rabbit to kill itself

守 means to stay or sit by, 株 means the tree stump,待 means to wait, 兔 means rabbit. It literally means waiting for a rabbit to kill itself. This metaphor is used to mock people who attempt accidental gains without putting in any hard work—those who are not willing to put any effort into bettering themselves and leave it to chance.

Literal meaning: Waiting for a rabbit to kill itself

Explanation: Luck of the Draw;Get on a gravy train

E.g

我不愿虚度光阴,我不要守株待兔。

wǒ bú yuàn xū dù guāng yīn ,wǒ bú yào shǒu zhū dài tù 。

I wouldn’t like loafing. I don't want to get on a gravy train.