Lesson 20 Part II - Kān diànyǐng! – Let's go to the movies!

Let's continue our lesson about leisure activities and go to the movies:

Wǒmen qù kàn diànyǐng!

When Chinese people go to the movies they “go to watch movie”, kàn diànyǐng. Kàn = "to watch" and diànyǐng = "a film." Literally speaking, diàn means “electricity” and yǐng is “a reflection, shadow.”

Tài hǎo le! "Super good, great!" This expression can be used casually whenever you get excited about any proposal or like what you see or hear etc.

Zǒu ba! means “let's go!” Zǒu is the verb "to go, walk, leave". Ba indicates a suggestion or proposal.

Shopping is a very popular pastime activity in China nowadays. If you are really going to buy something, that'll be qù mǎi dōngxi in Chinese, “to go buy things.” Literally speaking, dōngxi means “east-west”, and there is more than one explanation to why it has taken on the meaning of “things, goods.” Maybe it refers to all those possible commodities that can be found in this world, i.e. between the east and the west.

One explanation for the origin of this term is that early in history during the Han era (25-220), there were two major metropolises -- the capital Luoyang in the east and Chang'an (nowadays Xian) in the west. When people went shopping, they went either to the east, dōng or the west, xī. “East-west,” dōngxī, came to stand for all those things you could purchase in these wonderful cities.

If you do not intend to really buy anything, but just go stroll around the shops, that'll be qù guàng shāngdiàn. Guàng means “to wander around, stroll” and shāngdiàn is “a shop.”

Drills

Here is some more vocabulary related to leisure time activities. Please listen to the audio files first, and then practice by modifying the sentences below (change the personal pronoun, use the verb xǐhuan “to like something” and form interrogative sentences with hǎo ma?).

Vocabulary

dōngxi 东 西 = things, goods
guàng 逛 = to stroll around
shāngdiàn 商 店 = shop
xià qí 下 棋 = to play chess
liù gǒu 遛 狗 = to take the dog out
shùi jiào 睡 觉 = to sleep
sàn bù 散 步 = to take a walk
kàn diànshì 看 电 视 = to watch television

Example sentences

Wǒ qù mǎi dōngxi - I am going shopping
Tā qù liù gǒu - He is taking the dog out
Wǒmen xià qí, hǎo ma? - Shall we play some chess?
Wǒmen duàn liàn.- We are doing health exercises!
Wǒ xǐhuan shuì jiào! - I like to sleep!