Exchanging news over the phone
Lilly has completed her work placement in Shanghai and returned to England. She is giving her former Chinese colleague Leon a call to keep in touch and exchange news.
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Leon:
喂？
Lilly:
喂！Leon，我是Lilly，你好！
Leon:
哦，是Lilly啊！你好！ 好久没你的消息了，你是从哪儿打来的呀？你在英国吗？
Lilly:
是啊，我回来已经快两个月了。
Leon:
两个月了呀？时间过得真快。你现在怎么样，在哪里工作？
Lilly:
我还不错。我现在在伦敦的一家银行工作，处理中国区的业务。我负责向顾客提供中国出口方面的信息。
Leon:
哦，听起来很不错啊！恭喜你！
Lilly:
还好啦，我平时常常需要加班，挺辛苦的，好在我认识了不少中国同事，我常有机会同他们用中文聊天。
Leon:
那太好了，他们对你在中国的经历一定很感兴趣！
Lilly:
是啊，我有很多难忘的经历可以同他们分享，我告诉他们我很想念我在中国的同事和朋友们！
Leon:
我们这里平时聊天也常提起你，大家都很挂念你。哦，对了，小吴要当妈妈了！另外，小陈前不久刚订婚！
Lilly:
哇！那么多好消息啊！替我恭喜他们吧！我有机会也会给他们打电话的。
Leon:
好的，一定。
Lilly:
你最近怎么样？你太太和女儿都好吗？
Leon:
英和笑笑都挺好的，谢谢你。笑笑今年开始上小学了，我们周末还送她上钢琴课、跳舞、学英语，她可花了我们不少钱啊！
Lilly:
可怜天下父母心！对了，我还记得以前去你们家吃大闸蟹的事呢！
Leon:
你还记得吃大闸蟹的事呀！
Lilly:
当然，那次让我大饱口福。我现在的公司离唐人街不远，我平时常和中国的同事去那里解馋呢。
Leon:
呵呵呵，那太好了。
Lilly:
Leon，我得挂了，我下个月可能有机会去中国出差，如果真是那样的话，我一定去公司看你们！
Leon:
太好了！很期待你来看我们！我们保持联系！
Lilly:
好的！你多保重！再见！
Leon:
再见！
Leon:
Hello?
Lilly:
Hello! Leon? It’s Lilly here. Hi!
Leon:
Oh, hi, Lilly! I haven’t heard from you for a long time. Where are you phoning from? Are you in England?
Lilly:
Yes, I’ve been back for a couple of months now.
Leon:
A couple of months? How time flies. How are you? And what are you up to?
Lilly:
I'm well. I am working for a bank in London, in the Chinese business section. I am responsible for advising clients on exporting to China.
Leon:
Oh, that sounds great! Congratulations!
Lilly:
Well, it’s all right but I often need to work overtime: it’s quite a demanding job. The positive side though is that I have met some Chinese colleagues and I enjoy having the chance to chat with them in Chinese.
Leon:
That’s great. I am sure they must be interested in your experiences in China!
Lilly:
Yes, I have so many unforgettable memories I can share with them. I have told them how much I miss my colleagues and friends in China!
Leon:
We often talk about you too: everyone misses you. Oh, and by the way, Xiao Wu is going to be a mum! And, Xiao Chen has just got engaged!
Lilly:
Wow! What a lot of good news! Please pass on my congratulations to them! I will try and ring them when I get a chance.
Leon:
OK, I’ll tell them.
Lilly:
And what about you? Are your wife and daughter both well?
Leon:
Ying and Xiaoxiao are very well, thanks. Xiaoxiao has started her first year at primary school and we also take her to piano, dancing and English lessons at the weekend. She is costing us a fortune!
Lilly:
A parent’s lot is hard! By the way I still remember those delicious Chinese crabs we had at your place!
Leon:
Fancy you remembering the Chinese crabs!
Lilly:
Of course! That was quite a feast (lit. it greatly satisfied my appetite)! My office in London is not far from Chinatown, and my colleagues and I often escape there for a meal to feed our craving for Chinese food!
Leon:
Hahaha, that’s great.
Lilly:
OK, Leon, I have to go now. I might have a chance to visit China on business next month. If that’s the case, I will definitely let you know and call on you at your office!
Leon:
Great! I’ll look forward to your visit! Until then, keep in touch!
Lilly:
I will! Take care! Bye!
Leon:
Bye.
These are notes about potentially difficult key expressions. They are listed in the order in which they appear in the dialogue.
1. 好
好久没你的消息了。 I haven’t heard from you for a long time.
好 is used here in a colloquial way, meaning very. It adds a tone of exclamation and exaggeration to the adjective following it, 久 a long time, in order to mean 'for a very long time'.
2. 没……了
好久没你的消息了。 I haven’t heard from you for a long time.
The end-of-sentence particle了 here co-exists with the negative marker 没, to indicate that the negative situation没有你的消息 not having your news, is ongoing. It also implies that the fact of 有你的消息 having your news, took place in the past.
3. 是……的
你是从哪儿打来的呀？ Where are you phoning from?
是……的 is used to tell about / ask for specific information about an underlying fact, i.e. Leon is answering Lilly’s phone call so he knows that she is the caller, but he wants to find out from where she is calling. Note that从哪儿, from where, is put after 是.
4. 快
我回来已经快两个月了。I've been back for almost a couple of months now.
快 means 'almost' here. It is put before a precise period of time, followed by 了. 快两个月了 therefore means 'almost two months'. Note that this construction is often used to refer to events that started in the past but are still carrying on in the present.
5. 还
我还不错。 I'm well.
还好啦。 It's all right.
还 here does not mean 'still'. It is put before adjectives to minimize their meaning, lit. 'barely reach the level', thus implying modesty.
6. 好在
我……挺辛苦的，好在我认识了不少中国同事。 It's quite a demanding job. The positive side though is that I have met some Chinese colleagues.
好在 means 'fortunately'. It introduces a positive statement after some negative utterances.
7. 要
小吴要当妈妈了！ Xiao Wu is going to be a mum!
要 here does not mean 'to want to'. It is used as an adverb to indicate that something is going to happen in the near future. Note that end-of-sentence particle 了 is used here to indicate a change of status: something that is going to take place soon.
8. 上
笑笑今年开始上小学了，我们周末还送她上钢琴课。 Xiaoxiao has started her first year at primary school and we also take her to piano lessons at the weekend.
上 is used here as a verb to mean 'to go to'. 上学to go to school. 上课to go to lessons.
Other examples are 上班 to go to work 上网 to go online. 你上哪儿？Where are you going (to)?
9. 可
她可花了我们不少钱啊！ She is costing us a fortune!
可 is often used in exclamation sentences to add emphasis. Another example: 这个孩子可聪明了！ This child is very clever!
10. 可怜天下父母心
A parent's lot is hard.
This is a fixed Chinese expression, lit. 'pitiful is the heart of parents in the whole world '. 可怜 means 'pitiful'. 天下 means 'the whole world'.
11. 大饱口福
那次让我大饱口福。 It was quite a feast.
大饱口福 is a fixed four-character expression, meaning 'to greatly satisfy one’s appetite'. 饱 here is used as a verb, meaning 'to feast'.
Please note some other use of this pattern:
大饱眼福 to feast one's eye (used for example when visiting an art gallery).
大饱耳福 to feast one's ear (used for example when listening to a concert).
12. 保重
你多保重。 Take care. (lit. You take much care.)
保重 means 'to take care of oneself'. The expression is still used a lot when bidding farewell. Nevertheless because of its literal meaning 'to keep weight' and the change of people’s attitude towards health, it is in decline.
Who is it about?
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Update on Lilly
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hint 1
莉莉回英国已经快 了。 她现在在 的一家 工作，处理 的业务。莉莉觉得她的新工作挺 的，因为她平时常常需要 ， 不过好在她认识了不少中国 ， 平时常有机会同他们 ， 莉莉也有很多在中国的 可以同他们 。 莉莉现在的公司离 不远，她平时下班后常和中国同事去那里 。 莉莉下个月可能有机会去中国 。
Lilly has been back in England for almost two months. She works for a bank in London now, dealing with Chinese business. Lilly finds her new job quite demanding as she often needs to work overtime; the positive side though is that she has met quite a few Chinese colleagues, and she can chat with them in Chinese; she also has a lot of experiences in China that she can share with them. Lilly's office now is not far from Chinatown, and she often goes there with her Chinese colleagues after work to feed their craving for Chinese food. Lilly might have a chance to visit China on business next month.
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