Published by: Chinese080808
Companion grammar guide found here.

汉字 Pinyin English
(Edward) (Google Translate) (Edward)
大为、小燕子，告诉你们一个好消息——我结婚了！玉兰嫁给我了！ Dàwéi, Xiǎo Yànzi, gàosu nǐmen yīgè hǎo xiāoxi——wǒ jiéhūnle! Yùlán jià gěi wǒle! Dawei, Xiao Yanzi, tell you some good news – I’m married! Yulan married me!
等一等，你结婚了？你们是什么时候结婚的？我们怎么不知道？ Děng yī děng, nǐ jiéhūnle? Nǐmen shì shénme shíhou jiéhūn de? Wǒmen zěnme bù zhīdào? Wait a moment, you’re married? When was it that you two got married? How come we didn’t know?
我结婚，自己知道就行了。再说，我们是旅行结婚，一回来就告诉你们，不算晚吧？ Wǒ jiéhūn, zìjǐ zhīdào jiùxíngle. Zàishuō, wǒmen shì lǚxíng jiéhūn, yī huílái jiù gàosu nǐmen, bù suàn wǎn ba? It’s ok that only I knew. Besides, we eloped, now that we’re back I’ve told you, it’s not too late, right?
祝贺你们新婚愉快，生活幸福。 Zhùhè nǐmen xīnhūn yúkuài, shēnghuó xìngfú. Congratulations on your new marriage, wish you a happy life.
谢谢！ Xièxiè! Thanks!
你只让我们知道还不行，还得…… Nǐ zhǐ ràng wǒmen zhīdào hái bùxíng, hái děi…… Just letting us know is not ok though, also must…
对，我们早就去政府登记了，也拿到了结婚证。 Duì, wǒmen zǎo jiù qù zhèngfǔ dēngjìle, yě ná dào liǎo jiéhūn zhèng. Correct, earlier on we went to the governent registry, and got our marriage license.
我想说的不是这个意思。 Wǒ xiǎng shuō de bùshì zhège yìsi. This is not what I meant to say.
那是什么意思？ Nà shì shénme yìsi? Then what do you mean?
我是说，你还得请客。 Wǒ shì shuō, nǐ hái děi qǐngkè. I mean, you must also treat.
那当然。来，这是我们的喜糖，请吃糖。 Nà dāngrán. Lái, zhè shì wǒmen de xǐtáng, qǐng chī táng. Of course. Come, this is our candy, please have some.
喜糖我们收下了，但这还不算是请客。 Xǐtáng wǒmen shōu xiàle, dàn zhè hái bù suànshì qǐngkè. Candy we accept, but this is not what we consider a treat.
杰克，按中国人的习惯，结婚要举行婚礼。墙上、门上要贴红双喜字，新娘要坐花轿，还要摆宴席，请很多客人来。婚礼热闹得很。 Jiékè, àn Zhōngguó rén de xíguàn, jiéhūn yào jǔxíng hūnlǐ. Qiáng shàng, mén shàng yào tiē hóngshuāngxǐ zì, xīnniáng yào zuò huājiào, hái yào bǎi yànxí, qǐng hěnduō kèrén lái. Hūnlǐ rènào de hěn. Jieke, according to Chinese people’s customs, getting married requires holding a wedding. On the walls, on the doors, must paste the double happiness character, and the bride must sit in the marriage sedan, there must also be a banquet, and invite lots of people to come. The wedding should be very lively.
要举行婚礼，我明白。我们西方人一般是在教堂举行婚礼。说到宴席，我们只请亲戚朋友在一起喝杯酒，唱唱歌，跳跳舞，高兴高兴。除了特别有钱的人以外，一般都不摆宴席。 Yào jǔxíng hūnlǐ, wǒ míngbái. Wǒmen xīfāng rén yībān shì zài jiàotáng jǔxíng hūnlǐ. Shuō dào yànxí, wǒmen zhǐ qǐng qīnqi péngyǒu zài yīqǐ hē bēi jiǔ, chàng chànggē, tiào tiàowǔ, gāoxìng gāoxìng. Chúle tèbié yǒu qián de rén yǐwài, yībān dōu bù bǎi yànxí. Needing to have a wedding, I understand. We westerners generally hold the wedding in a church. In terms of banquets, we just invite relatives and friends to drink wine, sing songs, dance about, have a happy time. Except for rich people, generally we don’t arrange a banquet.
我表姐的家在农村，结婚宴席可不只是喝杯酒。 Wǒ biǎojie de jiā zài nóngcūn, jiéhūn yànxí kěbù zhǐshì hē bēi jiǔ. My cousin’s home is in the village, their wedding banquets are not just drinking wine.
还有什么？ Hái yǒu shénme? What else?
你等着你岳父、岳母教你吧。 Nǐ děngzhe nǐ yuèfù, yuèmǔ jiào nǐ ba. You wait, your father- and mother-in-law will tell you.
（重复） (Chóngfù) (Repeat)
杰克，到了我家，见了我父母，你得叫爸、妈。记住了吗？ Jiékè, dàole wǒjiā, jiànle wǒ fùmǔ, nǐ děi jiào bà, mā. Jì zhùle ma? Jieke, when we get to my place, and see my parents, you must called them dad, mum. Remember?
记住了。你说得很容易，可是我怎么开得了口？ Jì zhùle. Nǐ shuō de hěn róngyì, kěshì wǒ zěnme kāi déliǎo kǒu? I remember. You say it so easily, but how can I say it?
怎么开不了口？你跟着我叫吧。 Zěnme kāi bùliǎo kǒu? Nǐ gēnzhe wǒ jiào ba. How can you not say it? Just follow me.
好，记住了。 Hǎo, jì zhùle. Ok, I’ll remember.
爸、妈，我们回来了。 Bà, mā, wǒmen huíláile. Dad, Mum, we’re back.
（……）又回来了。 (……) Yòu huíláile. (…) You’re back.
最近我们忙得很，现在才有空儿回来看你们。 Zuìjìn wǒmen máng de hěn, xiànzài cái yǒu kòngr huílái kàn nǐmen. We’ve been very busy recently, we had some free time now and so have come to see you.
哦，回来了就好。我跟你妈正在商量给你们办结婚宴席的事儿呢。 Ó, huíláile jiù hǎo. Wǒ gēn nǐ mā zhèngzài shāngliáng gěi nǐmen bàn jiéhūn yànxí de shìr ne. Oh, come over is just fine. I was just in the middle of discussing the matters of your wedding banquet with your mother.
爸，妈，我们已经结婚好几个月了，结婚宴席你们就别办了。再说…… Bà, mā, wǒmen yǐjīng jiéhūn hǎojǐ gè yuèle, jiéhūn yànxí nǐmen jiù bié bànle. Zàishuō…… Dad, Mum, we have already been married for a few months now, you don’t need to hold a wedding banquet. Besides…
说什么咱们也得办。这不是在你们北京城里，这是农村。 Shuō shénme zánmen yě děi bàn. Zhè bùshì zài nǐmen Běijīng chéng lǐ, zhè shì nóngcūn. Whatever you say we must hold one. This I not your city of Beijing, this is the village.
先生，您听我们慢慢地说…… Xiānshēng, nín tīng wǒmen màn man de shuō…… Sir, please listen to what we have to say…
什么？“先生”？你叫我“先生”！ Shénme? “Xiānshēng”? Nǐ jiào wǒ “xiānshēng”! What? “Sir”? You call me “sir”!
杰克，我是怎么跟你说的，你说记住了，怎么又忘了？叫“爸”，叫“爸”呀！老爸，杰克还不太习惯。说到我们俩结婚的事儿，现在得按新的办法办，您怎么还是老脑筋啊？ Jiékè, wǒ shì zěnme gēn nǐ shuō de, nǐ shuō jì zhùle, zěnme yòu wàngle? Jiào “bà”, jiào “bà” ya! Lǎo bà, Jiékè hái bù tài xíguàn. Shuō dào wǒmen liǎ jiéhūn de shìr, xiànzài děi àn xīn de bànfǎ bàn, nín zěnme háishì lǎo nǎojīn a? Jieke, what did I tell you, you said you would remember, how could you forget? Say “dad”, say “dad”! Father, Jieke is still not too accustomed. When talking about our wedding matters, we must handle them according to a new way now, how can you still have old ways of thinking?
什么叫老脑筋？这是咱们的规矩。 Shénme jiào lǎo nǎojīn? Zhè shì zánmen de guījǔ. What are you calling old ways of thinking? This is our custom.
太太，您别生气…… Tàitài, nín bié shēngqì…… Madam, please do not get angry…
玉兰爸，你听，他叫我“太太”！ Yùlán bà, nǐ tīng, tā jiào wǒ “tàitài”! Yulan, did you hear that, he called me “madam”!
你得叫“妈”。妈，他还不懂我们的规矩。 Nǐ děi jiào “mā”. Mā, tā hái bù dǒng wǒmen de guījǔ. You must call her “mum”. Mum, he still doesn’t understand our customs.
看得出来，他是不懂我们的规矩。你一个人跑到中国来，想怎么做就怎么做，你们村里的人谁也看不见。 Kàn dé chūlái, tā shì bù dǒng wǒmen de guījǔ. Nǐ yīgè rén pǎo dào Zhōngguó lái, xiǎng zěnme zuò jiù zěnme zuò, nǐmen cūn lǐ de rén sheí yě kàn bùjiàn. Can see that, he does not comprehend our customs. You run around China, just doing what you think, noone in the village can understand.
妈，您这就不明白了，他不住在村里，他家在悉尼。 Mā, nín zhè jiù bù míngbáile, tā bù zhù zài cūnlǐ, tā jiā zài Xīní. Mum, you don’t understand, he doesn’t live in the village, his home is Sydney.
哦，“在城里”。你们知道吗？结婚是一辈子的大事！什么都没有结婚重要！不请亲戚朋友和邻居吃饭，你们胡同的人不说你吗？ Ó,“zài chéng lǐ”. Nǐmen zhīdào ma? Jiéhūn shì yībèizi de dàshì! Shénme dōu méiyǒu jiéhūn zhòngyào! Bù qǐng qīnqi péngyǒu hé línjū chīfàn, nǐmen hútòng de rén bù shuō nǐ ma? Oh, “in the city”. Do you know? Marriage is an important life matter! Nothing is more important than marriage! If you don’t treating relatives, friends and neighbours to eat, won’t the people in the alleyways not talk to you?
别说我们那条大“胡同”，连我们住的那一座楼里，也没有人会批评我。跟您这么说吧，我们谁也不认识谁。 Bié shuō wǒmen nà tiáo dà “hútòng”, lián wǒmen zhù de nà yīzuò lóu lǐ, yě méiyǒu rén huì pīpíng wǒ. Gēn nín zhème shuō ba, wǒmen sheí yě bù rènshi sheí. Not to mention the big “alleyway”, but even on the floor we live, there are no people who will critise me. I’ll go so far as to tell you, we don’t know anyone.
可是我不能让村里人说我，说我女儿。 Kěshì wǒ bùnéng ràng cūnlǐ rén shuō wǒ, shuō wǒ nǚ’ér. But I cannot let the village people talk about me, talk about my daughter.
我看就这么决定了：我们去饭馆里请两个好厨师，在家里摆十几桌宴席。除了亲戚朋友以外，把村里的人也请来，大家高高兴兴地喝几杯。 Wǒ kàn jiù zhème juédìngle: Wǒmen qù fànguǎnlǐ qǐng liǎng gè hǎo chúshī, zài jiālǐ bǎi shí jǐ zhuō yànxí. Chúle qīnqi péngyǒu yǐwài, bǎ cūnlǐ de rén yě qǐng lái, dàjiā gāo gāoxìng xìng de hē jǐ bēi. I think I have the solution: we go to the restaunt and ask for two good cooks, and at home arrange ten tables for a banquet. In addition to relatives and friends, the village people we will also invite, and everyone will happily drink a few glasses.
对，就这样了。这事儿由我们来办，一定得热热闹闹地办。让大家也认识认识我们家的外国姑爷。来…… Duì, jiù zhèyàngle. Zhè shìr yóu wǒmen lái bàn, yīdìng děi rè rènào nào de bàn. Ràng dàjiā yě rènshi rènshi wǒmen jiā de wàiguó gūyé. Lái…… Yes, just like this. We will take care of these matters, it definitely must be lively. Allow everyone get to know our foreign son-in-law. Come…
（重复） (Chóngfù) (Repeat)