{"id":7854,"date":"2019-10-06T01:33:28","date_gmt":"2019-10-06T01:33:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/chinesemoment.com\/chinese-reading\/essay-my-first-telephone-call\/"},"modified":"2019-10-06T01:33:28","modified_gmt":"2019-10-06T01:33:28","slug":"essay-my-first-telephone-call","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chinesemoment.com\/my\/essay-my-first-telephone-call\/","title":{"rendered":"Essay: My First Telephone Call"},"content":{"rendered":"
 Though the co<\/em>nclusion of this essay might fall a bit flat for all of us who are very used to having a telephone, this is an interesting glimpse into what a mo<\/em>numental rite of passage it is for children in rural areas to have one or use one for the first time.<\/p>\n

Learn to Read Simplified Chinese Exercises: Study Chinese Characters Learning ExercisesA co<\/em>nfusing wor(and an im<\/em>portant and often-repeated one) in this text might be \u5b89. We know this word most commo<\/em>nly means “peace”. But the author keeps saying \u5b89\u7535\u8bdd. This does not, co<\/em>ntrary to appearances, mean “peace phone”. In this case, \u5b89 is the shorter version of \u5b89\u88c5 \u0101n zhu\u0101ng, meaning “to install”. So, \u5b89\u7535\u8bdd means “to install a phone”.<\/p>\n

There are also a few proper names in here, which we’ll point out early: \u71c3\u71c3 is the author’s name, when the author is addressed by a loved one (typically who is older than them). \u674e\u71c3 is the author’s actual full name. You can see from this that family members and close friends will sometimes take a Chinese person’s given name (which as we know, comes last, and in this case is \u71c3), and double it as a form of endearment. So \u674e\u71c3 becomes \u71c3\u71c3 to close friends and family. This isn’t always the case but you’ll see it a lot. It is inappropriate to address a Chinese person this way unless you know them very well, and you should never address an elder this way. It’s co<\/em>nsidered very cutesy. Another proper name is \u738b\u94b0\u6db5 wáng yù hán, the author’s best friend mentio<\/em>ned in passing.<\/p>\n

In several instances, the author also mentions the “\u6ecb\u5473” of using a phone. \u6ecb\u5473 literally means “flavor” or “taste” (noun). In English, we’d probably substitute the word “feeling”.<\/p>\n

And a final grammar note on the phrase: \u50cf\u662f\u6ca1\u89c1\u8fc7\u7535\u8bdd\u4f3c\u7684. Pay attention to the \u50cf – it’s attached to the \u4f3c\u7684 at the end. Together, wrapped around a phrase, these characters mean “as if…” or “like…”. This phrase means “… as if I had never seen a phone before”.<\/p>\n

Here’s the original text of \u7b2c\u4e00\u6b21\u6253\u7535\u8bdd
Click to Listen<\/p>\n

\u5b89 – \u0101n – short for \u5b89\u88c5, to install
\u8bb0\u5fc6\u72b9\u65b0 – jì yì yóu x\u012bn – Remember something as if it just happened
\u8feb\u4e0d\u53ca\u5f85 – pò bù jí dài – Impatient, itching to get on with sthg.
\u4ed4\u7ec6 – z\u01d0 xì – Meticulously, carefully
\u6253\u91cf – d\u01ce liang – To size up
\u673a\u8eab – j\u012b sh\u0113n – Body of a machine, casing
\u6574\u9f50 – zh\u011bng qí – Neat and tidy
\u6123 – lèng – To stare blankly
\u50ac – cu\u012b – To urge
\u540c\u5b66\u4eec\uff0c\u6211\u7684\u65b0\u5bb6\u5b89\u7535\u8bdd\u7684\u65f6\u4faf\u8fd8\u662f\u51e0\u5e74\u524d\uff0c\u53ef\u73b0\u5728\u60f3\u8d77\u6765\u53ef\u771f\u662f\u8bb0\u5fc6\u72b9\u65b0\u5440\uff01\u4e0d\u4fe1\uff1f\u90a3\u6211\u5c31\u8bb2\u7ed9\u4f60\u542c\u542c\uff0c\u6211\u53ef\u8981\u51fa\u70b9\u4e11\u4e86\uff01<\/p>\n

“\u71c3\u71c3\uff0c\u4f60\u5feb\u70b9\u6765\u5440\uff0c\u54b1\u4eec\u5bb6\u5b89\u7535\u8bdd\u4e86\uff01”\u554a\uff1f\u4ec0\u4e48\uff1f\u5b89\u4e86\uff1f\u5176\u5b9e\uff0c\u6211\u5bb6\u4ee5\u524d\u4e5f\u5b89\u8fc7\u7535\u8bdd\uff0c\u4e0d\u8fc7\u90a3\u4e2a\u65f6\u4faf\u5b89\u7535\u8bdd\u65f6\uff0c\u6211\u8fd8\u662f\u4e2a\u5a74\u513f\uff0c\u6839\u672c\u4e0d\u77e5\u9053\u521a\u5b89\u7535\u8bdd\u540e\u6253\u7535\u8bdd\u7684\u6ecb\u5473\uff0c\u6211\u65e9\u5c31\u60f3\u5c1d\u4e00\u5c1d\u5566\uff01\u6211\u8feb\u4e0d\u53ca\u5f85\u7684\u5411\u5bb6\u95e8\u8dd1\u53bb\u3002\u6211\u8fdb\u95e8\u65f6\u7238\u7238\u5bf9\u6211\u8bf4\uff1a“\u71c3\u71c3\uff0c\u4f60\u4e0d\u662f\u8bf4\u4f60\u60f3\u5c1d\u4e00\u5c1d\u521a\u5b89\u7535\u8bdd\u7684\u65f6\u5019\u6253\u7535\u8bdd\u7684\u6ecb\u5473\u5417\uff1f\u5feb\u70b9\u6765\u5440\uff01”\u6211\u62ff\u8d77\u7535\u8bdd\uff0c\u50cf\u662f\u6ca1\u89c1\u8fc7\u7535\u8bdd\u4f3c\u7684\uff0c\u76ef\u7740\u7535\u8bdd\u770b\u4e86\u8001\u534a\u5929\uff0c\u4ed4\u7ec6\u6253\u91cf\u7740\u8fd9\u90e8\u7535\u8bdd\u6765\uff1a\u7eff\u8272\u7684\u673a\u8eab\uff0c0——9\u7684\u7535\u8bdd\u53f7\u7801\u6574\u9f50\u7684\u6392\u5217\u7740……“\u8fd8\u6123\u7740\u5e72\u561b\uff1f\u5feb\u6253\u5440\uff01”\u7238\u7238\u50ac\u6211\u3002\u6211\u60f3\uff1a\u8fd9\u7b2c\u4e00\u6b21\u6253\u8be5\u6253\u7ed9\u8c01\u5462\uff1f\u6253\u7ed9\u6211\u7684\u597d\u670b\u53cb\u738b\u94b0\u6db5\uff0c\u8ba9\u5979\u5206\u4eab\u6211\u6253\u7535\u8bdd\u7684\u559c\u60a6\uff1f\u6253\u7ed9\u4eb2\u670b\u597d\u53cb\u8ba9\u4ed6\u4eec\u6765\u6211\u5bb6\u73a9\uff1f\u4e0d\uff0c\u6211\u8981\u6253\u7ed9\u8001\u5e08\u3002“8-5-8-6-1-1-5-8”\u7238\u7238\u544a\u8bc9\u6211\u8001\u5e08\u7684\u7535\u8bdd\u3002“8-5-8-6-1-1-8-5”\u901a\u4e86\u3002“\u8001\u5e08\uff0c\u6211\u662f\u674e\u71c3\uff0c\u6211\u5bb6\u5b89\u4e86\u7535\u8bdd\uff0c\u6211\u4ee5\u540e……”“\u5c0f\u670b\u53cb\uff0c\u4f60\u6253\u9519\u4e86\uff0c\u6211\u4e0d\u662f\u4f60\u8001\u5e08\u3002”“\u554a\uff1f”<\/p>\n

\u6211\u7684\u5fc3\u8df3\u5f97\u66f4\u5389\u5bb3\u4e86\u3002
Hide English »
Fellow students, [though] it was several years ago when our new home installed a telephone, but when I think of it now it’s still fresh in my memory! Don’t believe me? Then I’ll give you a listen [to my story], and my shame will be apparent!<\/p>\n

“Ranran, come quickly, we’ve installed a telephone!” Oh? What? Installed one? Actually we had a phone before, but when we had the phone installed, I was still an infant, and I didn’t know the feeling of making a call after the phone had been installed, but I’d always wanted a taste! I impatiently ran back towards the door of the house. When I entered the door, dad said to me “Ranran, didn’t you say you wanted to taste the experience [lit: flavor] of using the phone when it had been installed? Come quick!” I picked up the phone, as if I’d never seen a phone before, and stared at the phone for [what seemed like] half a day, carefully sizing it up: it had a green casing, and the numbers 0-9 were arrayed in neat rows. “What are you doing just standing there? Quick, make a call!” papa urged me. I thought: who should my first telephone call be to? Should I call my good friend Wang Yu Han, and let her share the joy of a phone call? Call close friends and family and tell them to come over to my house and play? No, I want to call my teacher. “8-5-8-6-1-1-5-8″, dad told me teachers phone number. [The call to] “8-5-8-6-1-1-8-5″ went through. “Teacher, this is Li Ran, we just installed a telephone, after this I…” “Little friend, you dialed the wrong number, I’m not your teacher.” “Huh?”<\/p>\n

My heart pounded violently.
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