Published by: Chinese080808
Companion grammar guide found here.

汉字 Pinyin English
(Edward) (Google Translate) (Edward)
张教授，您好！ Zhāng jiàoshòu, nín hǎo! Professor Zhang, hello!
你们来了！欢迎，欢迎！快请进。 Nǐmen láile! Huānyíng, huānyíng! Kuài qǐng jìn. You all have come! Welcome, welcome! Please come in.
张教授，这是给您的花儿。 Zhāng jiàoshòu, zhè shì gěi nín de huār. Professor Zhang, these are some flowers for you.
谢谢。你们太客气了。请坐，喝点儿什么？ Xièxiè. Nǐmen tài kèqìle. Qǐng zuò, hē diǎnr shénme? Thanks. You are too polite. Please sit, what would you like to drink?
喝茶吧。您的书房很有特色：墙上挂着中国字画，书架上放着这么多古书，桌上放着文房四宝，外边还整整齐齐地摆着这么多花儿，还有盆景呢。这些花儿真漂亮，都是您种的吗？ Hē chá bā. Nín de shūfáng hěn yǒu tèsè: Qiáng shàng guàzhe Zhōngguó zìhuà, shūjià shàng fàngzhe zhème duō gǔshū, zhuō shàng fàngzhe wénfángsìbǎo, wàibian hái zhěng zhěngqí qí de bǎizhe zhème duō huār, hái yǒu pénjǐng ne. Zhèxiē huār zhēn piàoliang, dōu shì nín zhòng de ma? Let’s drink tea. Your study has a lot of character: Chinese character paintings hang on the wall, lots of old books on the bookcase, the four treasures of the study on the table, and neatly arranged outside are so many flowers, and pot plants. These flowers are really pretty, did you plant them all?
不，都是买的。不过它们在我这儿长得越来越好，现在也开花了。 Bù, dōu shì mǎi de. Bùguò tāmen zài wǒ zhèr zhǎng de yuè lái yuè hǎo, xiànzài yě kāihuāle. No, they are all bought. However, here with me they are growing better and better, now they have all blossomed.
这叫君子兰吧？长长的绿叶，红红的花，真好看。 Zhè jiào Jūnzǐlán ba? Cháng cháng de lǜyè, hóng hóng de huā, zhēn hǎokàn. This called a Clivia, right? Long green leaves, red flowers, really good looking.
是叫君子兰。这种花很好养，开花的时间也比较长。 Shì jiào Jūnzǐlán. Zhè zhònghuā hěn hǎo yǎng, kāihuā de shíjiān yě bǐjiào cháng. It is called a Clivia. They are very easy to raise and they bloom for a relatively long time.
养花真有意思。我明天下了课就去买盆花，摆在宿舍里。我也有花养了。 Yǎng huā zhēn yǒuyìsi. Wǒ míngtiān xiàle kè jiù qù mǎi pénhuā, bǎi zài sùshè lǐ. Wǒ yěyǒu huā yǎngle. Raising flowers is really interesting. After class tomorrow I will go buy a pot plant, and place it in my dormitory. I also raise flowers.
养花是有意思，可是你能养好吗？ Yǎng huā shì yǒuyìsi, kěshì nǐ néng yǎng hǎo ma? Raising flowers is interesting, but are you good at it?
当然能养好！我看，养花没有学汉语那么难吧。 Dāngrán néng yǎng hǎo! Wǒ kàn, yǎng huā méiyǒu xué Hànyǔ nàme nán ba. Of course I can raise well! I think, that raising plants is not has difficult as studying Chinese.
养花是不太难。不过，要把花养好，那就不容易了。人们常说“姑娘爱花”，林娜喜欢养花，我想她一定能养好。 Yǎng huā shì bù tài nán. Bùguò, yào bǎ huā yǎng hǎo, nà jiù bù róngyìle. Rénmen cháng shuō “gūniang ài huā”, Lín Nà xǐhuan yǎng huā, wǒ xiǎng tā yīdìng néng yǎng hǎo. Raising flowers  is not too difficult. However, raising a flower well, that is not easy. People often say “girls love flowers”, Lin Na likes to raise flowers, I think she definitely can raise them well.
谢谢，张教授，我也是这样想的。 Xièxiè, Zhāng jiàoshòu, wǒ yěshì zhèyàng xiǎng de. Thank you, Professor Zhang, I also think like this.
这些盆景都是您自己的作品吧？ Zhèxiē pénjǐng dōu shì nín zìjǐ de zuòpǐn ba? These bonsai are all your own work, right?
是的。工作累的时候，我就到外边去浇浇花，把这些盆景修整修整。这是很好的休息。 Shì de. Gōngzuò lèi de shíhou, wǒ jiù dào wàibian qù jiāo jiāo huā, bǎ zhèxiē pénjǐng xiūzhěng xiūzhěng. Zhè shì hěn hǎo de xiūxí. Yes. When work gets tiring, I go outside to water the plants, and dress these bonsai plants. It’s a good way to relax.
盆景是一种艺术。听说，种盆景很不容易。张教授，您还真是一位园艺师呢！ Pénjǐng shì yī zhǒng yìshù. Tīng shuō, zhòng pénjǐng hěn bù róngyì. Zhāng jiàoshòu, nín hái zhēnshi yī wèi yuányì shī ne! Bonsai plants are a type of art. I heard, planting bonsai is very difficult. Professor Zhang, you also really are a gardener!
我哪儿是园艺师？这只是一点儿爱好。 Wǒ nǎr shì yuányì shī? Zhè zhǐshì yīdiǎnr àihào. Me a gardener? This is only a small hobby.
（重复） (Chóngfù) (Repeat)
张教授，我很喜欢中国书法，也跟老师学过，可是进步不快。我不知道该怎么办？ Zhāng jiàoshòu, wǒ hěn xǐhuan Zhōngguó shūfǎ, yě gēn lǎoshī xuéguò, kěshì jìnbù bùkuài. Wǒ bù zhīdào gāi zěnme bàn? Professor Zhang, I like Chinese calligraphy, also have studied with a teacher, but progress has not been quick. I do not know what I shoul do?
学习书法要多看、多练。人们常说，如果你每天都认认真真地练，不用一百天，就能把汉字写得很漂亮。当然，要把汉字写成书法艺术作品，还要更多地练习。 Xuéxí shūfǎ yào duō kàn, duō liàn. Rénmen cháng shuō, rúguǒ nǐ měitiān doū rèn rènzhēn zhēn de liàn, bùyòng yībǎi tiān, jiù néng bǎ Hànzì xiě de hěn piàoliang. Dāngrán, yào bǎ Hànzì xiěchéng shūfǎ yìshù zuòpǐn, hái yào gèng duō de liànxí. Studying calligraphy requires lots of reading, lots of practice. People often say, if everyday you study earnestly, within one hundred days, you will be able to write Chinese characters beautifully. Of couse, writing Chinese characters as works of art, requires even more practice.
张教授，我想请您给我写一幅字，不知道行不行？ Zhāng jiàoshòu, wǒ xiǎng qǐng nín gěi wǒ xiě yī fú zì, bù zhīdào xíng bùxíng? Professor Zhang, I would like to ask you to write me a character picture, don’t know if this OK or not?
我的字很一般，你应该多看书法家的字。 Wǒ de zì hěn yībān, nǐ yīnggāi duō kàn shūfǎ jiā de zì. My characters are very average, you are better of looking at calligraphy scholar’s characters.
我知道您的书法很有名。这幅字能给我吗？ Wǒ zhīdào nín de shūfǎ hěn yǒumíng. Zhè fú zì néng gěi wǒ ma? I know that your calligraphy is very famous. Can I have this character picture?
这幅字被我写坏了。我今天刚写了一幅，你看上边写着什么？ Zhè fú zì bèi wǒ xiě huàile. Wǒ jīntiān gāng xiěle yī fú, nǐ kàn shàngbian xiězhe shénme? This character picture I wrote badly. I just wrote this one today, take a look, what does it say?
“弟子不必不如师，师不必贤于弟子”。张教授，请问，这个句子是什么意思？ “Dìzǐ bùbì bùrú shī, shī bùbì xián yú dìzǐ”. Zhāng jiàoshòu, qǐngwèn, zhège jùzi shì shénme yìsi? “Pupil not necessarily inferior to master, master not necessarily able as pupil”. Professor Zhang, may I ask, what does this sentence mean?
这是唐代一位文学家说过的话，意思是，学生不一定不如老师，老师也不一定比学生高明。老师和学生应该互相学习。 Zhè shì Táng dài yī wèi wénxué jiā shuōguò dehuà, yìsi shì, xuéshēng bù yīdìng bùrú lǎoshī, lǎoshī yě bù yīdìng bǐ xuéshēng gāomíng. Lǎoshī hé xuéshēng yīnggāi hù xiàng xuéxí. These are the words of a Tang dynasty literary scholar, the meaning is, students are are not necessarily not as good as teachers, teachers are also not necessarily smarter than students. Teachers and students should learn from each other.
谢谢您，张教授。这幅字很有意思，我要把它挂在我宿舍的墙上。 Xièxiè nín, Zhāng jiàoshòu. Zhè fú zì hěn yǒuyìsi, wǒ yào bǎ tā guà zài wǒ sùshè de qiáng shàng. Thank you, Professor Zhang. This character picture is very interesting, I will hang it on my dormitory wall.
对了，这是我刚写的一本书，送给你们，每人一本。我已经把你们的名字写上了，请多提意见。 Duìle, zhè shì wǒ gāng xiě de yī běn shū, sòng gěi nǐmen, měi rén yī běn. Wǒ yǐjīng bǎ nǐmen de míngzì xiě shàngle, qǐng duō tí yìjiàn. Oh by the way, this is a book I have just written, give it to you, one for everyone. I’ve already written your names in them, please give your comments.
是《汉字书法艺术》，谢谢您。张教授，您太谦虚了。您是老师，我们才学了这么一点儿中文，怎么能提出意见呢？ Shì “Hànzì Shūfǎ Yìshù”, xièxiè nín. Zhāng jiàoshòu, nín tài qiānxūle. Nín shì lǎoshī, wǒmen cáixuéle zhème yīdiǎnr zhōngwén, zěnme néng tíchū yìjiàn ne? “Chinese Calligraphy Art”, thank you. Professor Zhang, you are too modest. You are the teacher, we have only just studied a bit of Chinese, how can we make comments?
那位唐代文学家是怎么说的？“弟子不必不如师，师不必贤于弟子”。 Nà wèi Táng dài wénxué jiā shì zěnme shuō de? “Dìzǐ bùbì bùrú shī, shī bùbì xián yú dìzǐ”. What did the Tang dynasty literary scholar say? “Pupil not necessarily inferior to master, master not necessarily able as pupil”.
（重复） (Chóngfù) (Repeat)