6 minutes reading time (1230 words)

New Mandarin Chinese Lesson: Cultural Differences: The Boss Is Always Right

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We're excited to announce that 席爱娜 Xi Aina (Diana) has just published "Cultural Differences: The Boss Is Always Right", a new Intermediate level Mandarin Chinese lesson, on Language Mentor! 

Lesson Script

The Boss Is Always Right
Lǎobǎn Zǒngshì Duì De
老板总是对的!

A:

Vocabulary
Cíhuì
词汇

B:

To be late
Chídào
迟到

A:

Put on or wear cloths
Chuān
穿

B:

Shoe
Xié


A:

To make life uncomfortable for someone in a way that gives the perpetrator plausible deniability
Gěi rén chuān xiǎoxié
给人穿小鞋

B:

To offend or displease someone
Dézuì
得罪

A:

To try hard, To make great effort
Nǔlì
努力

B:

To change, revise or correct
Gǎi


A:

Facing towards or In the presence of
Dāngzhe
当着

Announcer:

Dialogue
Duìhuà
对话

A:

You'll be late!
Nǐ yào chídào le!
你要迟到了!

B:

Right, I know.
Duì, wǒ zhīdào.
对,我知道。

But I - not - like to - go to work.
Dànshì wǒ bù xiǎng qù shàngbān.
但是我不想去上班。

A:

Don't you - very - like your work?
Nǐ bú shì hěn xǐhuān nǐ de gōngzuò ma?
你不是很喜欢你的工作吗?

B:

Right, but I notice - recently - my boss often gives me a hard time.
Duì, kěshì wǒ fāxiàn zuìjìn wǒ lǎobǎn chángcháng gěi wǒ chuān xiǎoxié.
对,可是我发现最近我老板常常给我穿小鞋。

A:

Did you recently offend your boss?
Nǐ zuìjìn dézuì nǐ lǎobǎn le ma?
你最近得罪你老板了吗?

B:

Did not - I always work very hard!
Méiyǒu a, wǒ yìzhí dōu hěn nǔlì gōngzuò ya!
没有啊,我一直都很努力工作呀!

A:

Then your boss is from - when - start to give you a hard time?
Nà nǐ lǎobán shì cóng shénme shíhou káishǐ gěi nǐ chuān xiǎoxié de?
那你老板是从什么时候开始给你穿小鞋的?

B:

It seems - is from - Wednesday last week - started.
Hǎoxiàng shì cóng shàng xīngqī sān kāishǐ de.
好像是从上星期三开始的。

A:

That day - have any special things happen - or not?
Nèitiān yǒuméiyǒu shénme tèbié de shìqing fāsheng?
那天有没有什么特别的事情发生?

B:

That day we had a meeting, ...
Nà tiān wǒmen kāi le yígè huì, ...
那天我们开了一个会,……

A:

What happened at the meeting?
Huì shàng fāshēng shénme le?
会上发生什么了?

B:

At the meeting - my boss said some incorrect things, ...
Zài huì shàng, wǒ lǎobǎn yìxiē dōngxī shuō cuò le, ...
在会上,我老板一些东西说错了,……

I also helped him revise, ...
wǒ hái bāng tā gǎi le ne, ...
我还帮他改了呢,……

He also said - thanks - to me.
Tā yě shuō le xièxiè wǒ.
他也说了谢谢我。

A:

Ah? Are you crazy?
Á? Nǐ fēng le ma?
啊?你疯了吗?

You - at big meeting - corrected what boss said?
Nǐ zài dàhuì shàng gǎi lǎobǎn de huà?
你在大会上改老板的话?

This time you - definitely dead!
Nǐ zhècì sǐ dìng le!
你这次死定了!

B:

How can this be? What did I do?
Zěnme huíshì? Wǒ zěnme le?
怎么回事?我怎么了?

A:

You - at meeting - in the presence of big boss's face ...
Nǐ zài huì shàng dāngzhe dà lǎobǎn de miàn ...
你在会上当着大老板的面……

said your boss did mistake.
shuō nǐde lǎobǎn zuò cuò le.
说你的老板做错了。

Your boss - not angry with you - just strange.
Nǐ lǎobǎn bù shēng nǐdě qì cái guài ne.
你老板不生你的气才怪呢。

B:

Why? Why will he be angry with me?
Wèishénme? Ta wèishénme yào shēng wǒde qì?
为什么?他为什么要生我的气?

A:

You - do this way - will let big boss feel ...
Nǐ zhèyàng zuò huì ràng dà lǎobǎn juéde ...
你这样做会让大老板觉得……

your boss's work - not done well enough, ...
nǐ lǎobǎn de gōngzuò zuòde búgòu hǎo, ...
你老板的工作做得不够好,……

Furthermore - will let everyone feel your boss's competence - not as strong as you.
Érqiě huì ràng dàjiā juéde nǐ lǎobán de nénglì méiyǒu nǐ qiáng.
而且会让大家觉得你老板的能力没有你强。

You say - in this kind of situation - how would he - not angry?
Nǐ shuō, zài zhèyàng de qíngkuàng xià, tā zěnme huì bù shēngqì?
你说,在这样的情况下,他怎么会不生气?

B:

Yes, if - stand at my boss's perspective, ...
En, rúguǒ zhàn zài wǒ lǎobǎn de jiǎodù, ...
嗯,如果站在我老板的角度,……

thinking this way - it seems - also isn't unreasonable.
zhèyàng xiǎng hǎoxiàng yě bú shì méiyǒu dàolǐ.
这样想好像也不是没有道理。

A:

Right, in America you wouldn't consider - this way?
Duìle, zài Měiguó, nǐmen búhuì zhèyàng kǎolǜ ma?
对了,在美国,你们不会这样考虑吗?

B:

Probably not.
Yīnggāi búhuì ba.
应该不会吧。

Actually, I - also - am not very sure.
Qíshí, wǒ yě bú shì hěn quèdìng.
其实,我也不是很确定。

I also am - just started working, ...
Wǒ yě shì gānggāng kāishǐ gōngzuò, ...
我也是刚刚开始工作,……

However I want to go consult a bit - my older brother.
Búguò, wǒ yào qù zīxún yíxià wǒ gēge.

不过,我要去咨询一下我哥哥。 


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Creative Commons License

​This article and the lesson that it presents are both licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported license.

New Mandarin Chinese Lesson: Cultural Differences:...
New Mandarin Chinese Lesson: Cultural Differences:...
 

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Friday, 29 March 2024
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