Buying Tickets by John-Francis Grasso
In order to enjoy all the cultural experiences China has to offer, you first need to be able to order tickets to the shows you want to see! The following vocabulary will come in handy in your conversations with people like ticket sellers and fellow audience members.
Ticket Talk</h2>
<informaltable>
<tgroup cols="2">
<colspec colname="col1" align="left"/>
<colspec colname="col2" align="left"/>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td><i>guójiādàjùyuàn</i></td>
<td><p>National Grand Theatre</p></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><p><i>tíqián</i></p></td>
<td><p>in advance</p></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><p><i>yǎn</i></p></td>
<td><p>act</p></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><p><i>shòu zhòngshì</i></p></td>
<td><p>beloved</p></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><p><i>shǐshī</i></p></td>
<td><p>epic</p></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><p><i>zhīyī</i></p></td>
<td><p>one of</p></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><p><i>zīliào</i></p></td>
<td><p>information</p></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><p><i>Wǎng</i></p></td>
<td><p>Net; Web</p></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><p><i>Wǎng shàng</i></p></td>
<td><p>on the Web; online</p></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><p><i>wǎngzhàn</i></p></td>
<td><p>Web site; Web page</p></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><p><i>Qiánpái zuòwèi</i></p></td>
<td><p>front row seats</p></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><p><i>zhíde</i></p></td>
<td><p>worthwhile, worth it</p></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><p><i>tóngyì</i></p></td>
<td><p>agree</p></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><p><i>kāiyǎn</i></p></td>
<td><p>begin a show</p></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><p><i>yǎnwán</i></p></td>
<td>end a show</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</tgroup>
</informaltable>
<p>Here's a sample conversation between a hopeful ticket buyer and a clerk at the opera ticket office:</p>
<informaltable>
<tgroup cols="2">
<colspec colname="col1" align="left"/>
<colspec colname="col2" align="left"/>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td><B>Guest:</B></td>
<td><p><i>Wǒ hé wǒ lǎopó xiǎng qù kàn jīngjù, nǐ zhīdào zài nár kéyǐ mǎidào piào?</i></p>
<p>My wife and I would like to go to the Beijing Opera, do you know where I could buy tickets?</p></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><B>Clerk:</B></td>
<td><p><i>Nǐn kéyǐ zài guójiādàjùyuàn mǎidào piào, Dànshì wǒ néng wèi nǐnmen mǎipiào.</i></p>
<p>You can buy them at the Grand National Theater. But I can buy them for you.</p></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><B>Guest:</B></td>
<td><p><i>Zhēnde ma?</i></p>
<p>Really?</p></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><B>Clerk:</B></td>
<td><p>Zhēnde.</p>
<p>Really.</p></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><B>Guest:</B></td>
<td><p><i>Tàihǎole. Yǒu méiyǒu jīnwǎn de piào?</i></p>
<p>Great! Do you have tickets for this evening?</p></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><B>Clerk:</B></td>
<td><p><i>Yīdìng yào tíqián mǎipiào, suóyǐ jīnwǎn de piào jiù mǎibúdào. Míngwǎn kéyǐ ma?</i></p>
<p>Tickets must be purchased in advance so we cannot purchase tickets for tonight. Will tomorrow night do?</p></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><B>Guest:</B></td>
<td><p><i>Kéyǐ. Míngwǎn yǎn shénme gējù? Nǐ zhīdào ma?</i></p>
<p>It will do. What will tomorrow night's performance be? Do you know?</p></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><B>Clerk:</B></td>
<td><p><i>Míngwǎn yǎn XīYóuJì.</i></p>
<p>Tomorrow night's performance will be “The Journey to the West.”</p></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><B>Guest:</B></td>
<td><p><i>Xīyóujì, hǎo bùhǎo kàn?</i></p>
<p>Is “The Journey to the West” good?</p></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><B>Clerk:</B></td>
<td><p><i>Fēicháng hǎo. Xīyóujì shì zhōngguó zuì shòu zhòngshì de shǐshī zhīyī.</i></p>
<p>Very good. “The Journey to the West” is one of China's most beloved epics.</p></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><B>Guest:</B></td>
<td><p><i>Hǎo jí le. Nǐ zhīdào nár kéyǐ zhǎodào guànyú Xīyóujì de zīliào?</i></p>
<p>Excellent. Do you know where I could find information about “The Journey to the West”?</p></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><B>Clerk:</B></td>
<td><p><i>Wǎng shàng yǒu háojǐge yǔ Xīyóujì xiāngguān de wǎngzhàn.</i></p>
<p>There are tons of sites on line related to “The Journey to the West.”</p></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><B>Guest:</B></td>
<td><p><i>Qiánpái zuòwèi duóshvo qián?</i></p>
<p>How much are front row seats?</p></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><B>Clerk:</B></td>
<td><p><i>Wǔbǎiwǔshí kuài yīwèi.</i></p>
<p>550 RMB per seat.</p></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><B>Guest:</B></td>
<td><p><i>Hěn guì ā!</i></p>
<p>That's pricey!</p></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><B>Clerk:</B></td>
<td><p><i>Guì, dànshì qù kàn Xīyóujì jiù zhíde.</i></p>
<p>It is, but if you're going to see “The Journey to the West,” it's worth it.</p></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><B>Guest:</B></td>
<td><p><i>Wǒ tóngyì, shénme shíhòu kāiyǎn hé yǎnwán?</i></p>
<p>I agree, what time does the show start and finish?</p></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><B>Clerk:</B></td>
<td><p><i>Qī diǎn zhōng kāiyǎn, shí diǎn zhōng yǎnwán, nín jīntiān xiàwǔ kéyǐ jiē piào.</i></p>
<p>It starts at 7:00 <B>p.m.</B> and ends at 10:00 <B>p.m.</B> You can come by and pick up your tickets this afternoon.</p></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</tgroup>
</informaltable>
</sect3>
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