Relevant Content
We'll always make sure you know exactly what the lesson is about. You will easily understand whether it is relevant for you.

Chinese Antiques

Great Hosts
Here at ChinesePod, all our lessons are presented in an entertaining manner by our great hosts. You'll find language learners, teachers, and even professors sharing their insights, ideas, and teaching methods in our video and audio lessons.
Brief Lesson Summaries
A brief introduction of the lesson will always tell you what this lesson is about and what language level is the intended target. If you're interested in the subject, but might not be able to understand it in full, fear not; we have transcripts of lesson dialogues vocabulary so you can follow along.
IN THIS LESSON
ID: 0289 Upper Intermediate
No visit to the PRC would be complete without a “Waving Mao” watch, but is it *really* an antique? In this podcast, one seasoned friend helps another with determining whether that artifact really is 3,000 years old or not. Learn some characteristics of different dynasty’s antique items, and how to talk about them in Mandarin Chinese.
Thu Oct 12 2006 | Jenny, John
Awesome Materials
Our lessons contain natural communication in Chinese in video and audio format. We have have lessons focused on video or a podcast format and our lessons have transcripts of Lesson Dialogues, Important Vocabulary, Expanded Materials for a deep dive into the lesson topic and Exercises focused on testing your retention.
Detailed Vocabulary
Each lesson has it's unique vocabulary and will provide you with definitions and recordings so you can practice the pronunciation. You will also be able to grasp the core material of a lesson at a glance. Here we're showing you the Simplified Chinese version.
SIMPLIFIED PINYIN ENGLISH  
逛 guàng to stroll
古董店 gǔdǒngdiàn antique store
明代 Míngdài Ming Dynasty
开价 kāijià to name a price
我昨天逛古董店，看到一把明代的椅子。老板开价3万，说是少见的精品。你说现在还有可能买到真正的明代家具吗？
wǒ zuótiān guàng gǔdǒngdiàn ，kàndào yī bǎ Míngdài de yǐzi 。lǎobǎn kāijià sānwàn ，shuō shì shǎo jiàn de jīngpǐn 。nǐ shuō xiànzài hái yǒu kěnéng mǎidào zhēnzhèng de Míngdài jiājù ma ？
Yesterday I was looking around in an antique shop and I saw a chair from the Ming dynasty. The shop owner asked 300,000 yuan for it and claimed it was a rare and unique work of art. Do you think it's still possible to buy authentic Ming dynasty furniture?
中国家具有数千年的发展历史，现在市场上主要是明清两代的家具。古董家具的价值主要取决于年代、材质、稀有性、完整性等。所以总的来说，与清代家具相比，明代家具的价值更高。
Zhōngguó jiājù yǒu shùqiān nián de fāzhǎn lìshǐ ，xiànzài shìchǎng shang zhǔyào shì Míng Qīng liǎng dài de jiājù 。gǔdǒng jiājù de jiàzhí zhǔyào qǔjué yú niándài 、cáizhì 、xīyǒu xìng 、wánzhěngxìng děng 。suǒyǐ zǒngdeláishuō ，yǔ Qīngdài jiājù xiāngbǐ ，Míngdài jiājù de jiàzhí gènggāo 。
Chinese furniture has been developing for several thousand years, and the majority of furniture on the antique market today originates from the Ming and Qing dynasties. The value of a piece of antique furniture is mainly determined by age, quality of materials, rarity, intactness of the piece, etc. So, generally speaking, if you compare Ming and Qing dynasty furniture, Ming dynasty furniture is more valuable.
噢，原来是这样。不过现在，好多古董家具都是仿制品。你有什么分辨的窍门吗？
ō ，yuánlái shì zhèyàngde 。bùguò xiànzài ，hǎo duō gǔdǒng jiājù dōu shì fǎngzhìpǐn 。nǐ yǒu shénme fēnbiàn de qiàomén ma ？
Oh, I see. But nowadays a lot of antique furniture is just replicas. Do you have any tricks for distinguishing the two?
简单地说，可以从材质、造型和工艺三方面来分辨。在造型方面，明代家具高雅、简约，达到了艺术顶峰。这是因为当时的家具大多由文人设计，因此融入了自己独特的思想和性格。
jiǎndān de shuō ，kěyǐ cóng cáizhì 、zàoxíng hé gōngyì sān fāngmiàn lái fēnbiàn 。zài zàoxíng fāngmiàn ，Míngdài jiājù gāoyǎ 、jiǎnyuē ，dádào le yìshù dǐngfēng 。zhè shì yīnwèi dàngshí de jiājù dàduō yóu wénrén shèjì ，yīncǐ róngrù le zìjǐ dútè de sīxiǎng hé xìnggé 。
To put it simply, you can distinguish them by looking at three things: the quality of the materials, the design, and the craftsmanship. With regards to the design, Ming dynasty furniture is elegant and precise, having reached a peak as an art form. During that time, furniture was mainly designed by scholars; therefore the design became a reflection of their own unique philosophies and character.
Natural Dialogues
Each lesson is centered around a natural dialogue with key vocabulary directly prepared and translated for your use. You can also listen to each sentence as an individual recording to improve your listening and comprehension skills.
Try It For Free
ChinesePod is 100% Free to Try. Create an account today and get started!