Lesson 12 Renting an Apartment

Grammar

要是⋯means“if⋯”,“in the case of⋯” and 的话 can sometimes be omitted.

For example:

要是房子合适的话,我们就可以签合同了。

Yàoshi fángzi héshì dehuà, wǒmen jiù kěyǐ qiān hétong le.

If the place is suitable, we can sign a contract.

Exercise: make sentences with 要是.

For example

去晚了 买不到票

qù wǎnle mǎibúdào piào

Arrive late cannot buy ticket

要是去晚了,就买不到票了。

Yàoshì qù wǎnle, jiù mǎibúdào piào le.

If we go late we won’t be able to buy a ticket.

1. 太远 开车去

tàiyuǎn kāichē qù

Too far away drive

2. 天气不冷 我们 一起 去 海边

Tiānqì bùlěng wǒmen yìqǐ qù hǎibiān

It is not cold we together go to the seaside

New Words

Lesson 12 Renting an Apartment

1. 公寓 gōngyù apartment

2. 到期 dàoqī expire

3. 出租 chūzū rent

4. 面积 miànjī area

5. 位置 wèizhi location

6. 装修 zhuāngxiū decorate

7. 设施 shèshī facilities

8. 合同 hétong contract

Chinese Idioms

东施效颦

(Dōngshī Xiào Pín)

Aping a Beauty

西施是中国历史上有名的美女。她的一举一动都十分吸引人。可惜她的身体不好,有心痛的毛病。有一次,西施在回家的路上感到胸口疼痛,于是就用手捂住胸口。虽然她皱着眉头,但邻居们却觉得她这样比平时更美丽。镇上有位名叫东施的女孩，长相很丑。她看到邻居们都夸赞西施,于是也学着西施的样子，手捂胸口,皱着眉头慢慢地走,以为这样就会有人称赞她。东施本来就长得丑,再加上她刻意模仿西施的动作,装腔作势的怪样子,让人更加厌恶。人们纷纷关上大门，或者躲得远远的,比以前更瞧不起东施了。这个故事告诉人们,盲目地模仿,结果只能适得其反。

Xīshī shì Zhōngguó lìshǐshàng yǒumíngde měinǚ. Tāde yìjǔyídòng dōu shífēn xīyǐn rén, kěxī tāde shēntǐ bùhǎo, yǒu xīntòngde máobìng. Yǒuyícì, Xīshī zài huíjiā de lùshang gǎndào xiōngkǒu téngtòng, yúshì jiù yòngshǒu wǔzhù xiōngkǒu. Suīrán tā zhòuzhe méitóu, dàn línjūmen què juéde tā zhèyàng bǐ píngshí gèng měilì. Zhènshang yǒuwèi míngjiào Dōngshī de nǚhái, zhǎngxiàng hěnchǒu. Tā kàndào línjūmen dōu kuāzàn Xīshī, yúshì yě xuézhe Xīshī de yàngzi, shǒuwǔ xiōngkǒu, zhòuzhe méitóu mànmànde zǒu, yǐwéi zhèyàng jiùhuì yǒurén chēngzàn tā. Dōngshī běnlái jiù zhǎngdechǒu, zài jiāshàng tā kèyì mófǎng Xīshī de dòngzuò, zhuāngqiāngzuòshì de guàiyàngzi, ràngrén gèngjiā yànwù. Rénmen fēnfēn guānshàng dàmén, huòzhě duǒde yuǎnyuǎnde, bǐ yǐqián gèng qiáobùqǐ Dōngshī le. Zhège gùshì gàosù rénmen, mángmù de mófǎng, jiéguǒ zhǐnéng shìdéqífǎn.

Xishi was a famous beauty in Chinese history. Her every movement was extremely attractive, but her health was poor. She had heart trouble that often caused her severe pain. One day on her way home, Xishi felt a pain in her heart and pressed her hands to her chest. Although she furrowed her brows in pain, the neighbors thought this made her look even more beautiful. An unattractive girl called Dongshi lived in the same town. On seeing how everyone praised Xishi, Dongshi imitated Xishi’s manner, furrowing her brows and walking slowly in the belief it would make people admire her. As Dongshi was fundamentally unattractive, this weird striking of a pose made her appear repulsive, so much so that the neighbors either shut their doors to banish the sight of her or avoided her. The idiom infers that blind imitation will bring about the opposite of the desired effect.