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A Convenient Misunderstanding

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IN THIS LESSON
ID: 2039 Intermediate
For foreigners, the road of Chinese learning is paved with mistakes and misinterpretations. In this lesson, we hear the tragically funny story of a foreigner who finds himself inconvenienced by the many meanings of the word 'convenient' (方便).
Wed Oct 10 2012 | John, Jenny
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SIMPLIFIED PINYIN ENGLISH  
坐下 zuòxià sit down
方便 fāngbiàn convenient
理解 lǐjiě to understand
旁边 pángbiān side
有一个外国人来到中国。他的中国朋友请他吃饭。
yǒu yī ge wàiguórén láidào Zhōngguó 。tā de Zhōngguó péngyou qǐng tā chīfàn 。
There was a foreigner that came to China. His Chinese friends treated him to a meal.
刚坐下，一个朋友就说，“不好意思，我去方便一下。”
gāng zuòxià ，yī ge péngyou jiù shuō ，“bùhǎoyìsi ，wǒ qù fāngbiàn yīxià 。”
Just after he sat down, a friend said to him, "Excuse me, I'm going to go 'take a convenient.'"
他不理解是什么意思，坐在旁边的一个朋友告诉他，方便就是上厕所的意思。
tā bù lǐjiě shì shénme yìsi ，zuò zài pángbiān de yī ge péngyou gàosu tā ，fāngbiàn jiùshì shàng cèsuǒ de yìsi 。
He didn't understand what that meant, and a friend sitting next to him told him that 'convenient' meant using the restroom.
哦，是这个意思。”他很高兴自己又学会了一个词。
ò ，shì zhè ge yìsi 。”tā hěn gāoxìng zìjǐ yòu xuéhuì le yī ge cí 。
"Oh, that's what it means." He was happy to have learned another new word.
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