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mài kè: lì lì, tīng shuō nǐ shàng zhōu mò nǐ qù huá xuě le?
麦克：丽丽，听说你上周末你去滑雪了？
Mike: Lili. I heard you went skiing last weekend, right?

lì li: shì a, wánr le yī zhěng tiān.
丽丽：是啊，玩儿了一整天。  
Lili: Yeah, I spent the whole day there.

mài kè: yī gè rén dà yuē huā fèi duō shǎo qián?
麦克：一个人大约花费多少钱？  
Mike: How much did it cost per person?

lì li: wǒ xiǎng xiǎng. dà yuē èr bǎi kuài ba.
丽丽：我想想。大约二百块吧。  
Lili: Let me work it out…about 200 yuan.

mài kè: dōu bāo kuò shén me xiàng mù?
麦克：都包括什么项目？  
Mike: What is included in that?

lì li: zhǔ yào bāo kuò mén piào, bǎo xiǎn, zū xuě qiāo, huá xuě bǎn hé huá xuě fú, hái yǒu wǔ cān.
丽丽：主要包括门票，保险，租雪橇、滑雪板和滑雪服，还有午餐。  
Lili: It includes the lift ticket, insurance, renting of sleds, skis and outer clothing, and lunch.

mài kè: nà hái kě yǐ, tīng qǐ lái bù shì hěn guì. zhè shì nǐ dì yī cì huá xuě ma?
麦克：那还可以，听起来不是很贵。这是你第一次滑雪吗？  
Mike: That sounds okay, and not very expensive. Is this your first time to try skiing?

lì li: shì de, wǒ chū fā zhī qián jiù hěn jǐn zhāng.
丽丽：是的，我出发之前就很紧张。  
Lili: Yeah, I was nervous before leaving.

mài kè: wǒ tīng rén shuō shuāi shàng jǐ cì jiù shì yìng le. bù guò nǐ zuì hào huán shì qǐng gè jiào liàn.
麦克：我听人说摔上几次就适应了。不过你最好还是请个教练。  
Mike: I heard it will be okay after you fall a few times. But I still suggest you get an instructor.

lì li: yǒu dào lǐ, zhè yàng xué de kuài yī xiē.
丽丽：有道理，这样学得快一些。  
Lili: Sounds reasonable. It might help us learn faster.

mài kè: xià bān hòu wǒ xiǎng qù mǎi tào huá xuě fú. zhè ge zhōu mò wǒ yě xiǎng qù huá xuě.
麦克：下班后我想去买套滑雪服。这个周末我也想去滑雪。  
Mike: I want to get some skiwear after work. I’m going skiing this weekend, too.

lì li: nǐ kě yǐ zai huá xuě chǎng zū tào huá xuě fú a, jì pián yi yòu shěng shì.
丽丽：你可以在滑雪场租套滑雪服，既便宜又省事。  
Lili: You can rent clothing at the ski lodge. It’s not so expensive and can save you a lot of trouble.

mài kè: wǒ bù xí guàn chuān bié rén de yī fu.
麦克：我不习惯穿别人的衣服。  
Mike: It’s weird for me to wear other people’s clothes.

lì li: nà nǐ kě yǐ qù xiù shuǐ shì chǎng kàn kàn, nàr de yī fú kuǎn shì duō, yě pián yi hěn duō.
丽丽：那你可以去秀水市场看看，那儿的衣服款式多，也便宜很多。
Lili: Then you can go to the Silk Market. It has lots of varieties and cheaper price there.

The evolution of Ji

The term of Ji first appeared in Record of Music, an article of Book of Rites, which reads, “After defeated Yin, King Wu ordered to return back to Shang. Before his carriage moved away, he feoffed Ji to the descendants of Yellow Emperor”. This record indicates that after King Wu of the West Zhou Dynasty had wiped out the old forces of Shang Dynasty, he immediately set his hands on feoffing Ji to the descendants of Yellow Emperor. Ji is the name of a north vassal state affiliated to West Zhou Dynasty, and is also the site of the capital for the vassal state. Therefore, at least as early as in the beginning of West Zhou Dynasty, there was a city called Ji near the present Beijing city.

Yan and Ji

In the early years of West Zhou Dynasty, when King Wu rewarded out Ji, there was another vassal state in the north – Yan. The records of Annals of Yan Zhaogong, one section of Shiji, says, “After King Wu overthrew King Zhou of Shang Dynasty, he conferred north Yan on Duke Zhao”. North Yan mentioned here is the Yan State that we often talk about in Chinese history. Thus, at the beginning of West Zhou Dynasty, there were actually two vassal states in and around Beijing city – one is Ji state, the other one next to it is Yan.

Then comes a question – where was the original feoff of Yan state bestowed by King Wu of the West Zhou Dynasty? For many years, historians restlessly argued about it, but in vain to come to a final conclusion. Later on, one ancient city site and graves in large scale of the West Zhou Dynasty were found in Liuli River Fangshan District in southwest of Beijing, and enough burial items were unearthed to suggest a happy answer to the pending issue on where the original Yan feoff was really located. When time walked to East Zhou Dynasty, the political situation around Beijingwitnessed drastic changes, as the Yan state to the south of Ji rose in power and gradually merged Ji. Afterwards, Yan moved its capital to the city of Ji, and henceforth the term City of Ji – Capital of Yan came into being. Thousands of years later, Beijing was also called Yanjing which could trace its very source from this story.

The chariot and horse pit of a Yan state tomb unearthed in Liuli River, Fangshan District.

To us, the most interesting would be the exact location of Ji city, namely where was it actually in the present Beijing city? Are there any remains from ancient Ji city buried somewhere in Beijing? Li Daoyuan, the great geographer of North Wei Dynasty (386- AD543) provided some trustworthy notes on the origin of Ji city in his famous book Shuijing Zhu, a commentary on waterways classic. He also elaborated on the relationship between Ji city and Ji mound. Li Daoyuan says, “In the ancient times, King Wu of Zhou Dynasty granted Ji to the descendants of Yao the great, and now in the northwest inside the city there is a place called Ji mound, after which the city is named, just as the cases for Qufu in Lu state and Yingqiu in Qi state, both of which got their names because the cities are next to a distinct local landscape – an earth mound rising on the ground”.

Chao Gan is evolved from Ao Gan (stewed liver) and Chao Fei (stir-fried lung), folk foods in the Song Dynasty. Its main ingredients are pork liver and intestine, while the auxiliary ingredient is garlic, etc., which are thickened during cooking by starch. Initially, when eating Chaogan, people would sip along the ring of the bowl, and ate small dumplings at the same time. But now the procedure is not so rigid and complicated.

During Tongzhi reign in Qing dynasty, Huixianju restaurant in Xianyukou Alley of Qianmen invented a new recipe to cook Chaogan without starch thickening. Now, many people would think Huixianju is the inventor for Chaogan.

In typical recipe of Chaogan, pork intestine is the main ingredient, while pork liver only accounts for one-third. The process of making Chaogan is: Soak up pork intestine in solution with soda and salt, then wash it with vinegar-added clear water, and boil. When the water boils, continue stewing with soft fire, and make sure the pot lid is well covered so that the intestine would be well done. When the stewing finishes, cut the intestine into segments about half an inch in length, which are popularly called “thumbstall segments”. Next, wash up the fresh pork liver and cut it into strips like willow leaves.

The production of seasoning is to put anise into hot cooking oil, when it is well fried, put in garlic. After the garlic turns yellow, immediately put in some yellow soya paste. When the seasoning is ready, put it in a pot for later application. In addition, some soup made of top mushroom should also be stewed for future use. When all the ingredients and seasoning are ready, we can start to cook Chaogan. First, put the well boiled intestine into hot water, and then add garlic, paste, chopped onion, starch, chopped ginger, and mushroom soup. Next, put raw liver strips into the pot, thicken it with starch. Last, spread some smashed garlic, ready to serve.

When the Chaogan from Huixianju restaurant got popular, more and more small restaurants and snack bars added Chaogan into their food list. Accordingly, there appeared some slang expressions centering on Chaogan, such as “you guy is like Chaogan – short of heart and lungs” to scold a person, or “Zhu Bajie eats Chaogan – an internecine struggle” to satirize those people or actions fighting internally.

Chaogan in Beijing has a long history, evolving from folk foods of Aogan and Chaofei in Song dynasty. During Tongzhi reign in Qing dynasty, the restaurant called Huixianju made it without using starch, which got quite popular. In those years, there was a popular allegorical saying developed from Chaogan, “Chaogan without starch thickening – torturing heart and lung”. When eating Chaogan, the person should take a small dumpling in hand, and sip along the bowl ring.

In Qing dynasty, sales of Chaogan had two ways – from restaurants or peddlers carrying his outfits with a shoulder pole. Among the first kind, the most famous should be Huixianju outside of Qianmen.

The Chaogan made by Tianxingju in Beijing was awarded the title of Chinese famous snack by the National Cooking Association in December, 1997.

Chaogan was first invented by brothers of a Liu family, who ran a restaurant in Beijing called Huixianju. The three brother of Liu first sold boiled entrails, but the business was not much satisfied. Therefore, the three brothers often studied the ways to improve their products. Coincidentally, a famous reporter called Yang Manqing liked to visit snack bars in Beijing at that time, so he knew the Liu brothers well. When he knew their concerns, he suggested they take out the heart and lung from their product, then add soya paste and starch, but the name should not be stewed intestine but fried liver – Chaogan. He continued to tell the brothers that if people asked why it was called fried liver, the brothers should reply they the liver had actually been fried. Finally, he added that he would publish some articles to promote it for them. Hearing this, the brothers were very happy and followed what Yang had said. They soaked pork intestine in solution of soda and salt, then wash it with water and vinegar, and stew it with soft fire. When the intestine is well cooked, they took it out and cut into small segments. Then they sliced the fresh pork liver into strips like willow leaves. Next, they prepared seasoning. They put cooking oil into frying pan to fry anise, then put in raw garlic. After the garlic got yellow, put in soya paste. At the same time, they cooked soup with fine mushroom. When all these were ready, they began to make their Chaogan. First, they put the well cooked intestine segments into hot water, then garlic, soya paste, chopped onion, chopped ginger, mushroom soup. Next, they put in the slices of raw pork liver, and immediately thickened it with starch. Finally, they scattered some mashed garlic to finish their product. The soup of it is clear and bright, the pork intestine is soft and delicious, the liver is tender and fresh, so that the whole snack is tasty but not greasy, small wonder that it is one of the top snacks in Beijing.

sī mǎ zhāo zhī xīn – lù rén jiē zhī
司马昭之心 – 路人皆知
Everyone on the street is aware of Sima Zhao’s intent. – The villain’s design is obvious to all.

Sima Zhao (211 – 265) was a general, politician and regent of the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history. He maintained control of Cao Wei, seized by his father Sima Yi and ruled by his older brother Sima Shi, and had himself established the Duke of Jin — the penultimate step before usurpation of the throne, although he would never actually take the throne.

wŏ jiĕ lǎn nǐ tuī chuán – shùn shuǐ rén qíng
我解缆，你推船 – 顺水人情
I untie the mooring rope and you push the boat. – a favor done at little or no cost to oneself

chí táng lǐ de fēng bō – dà bù liǎo
池塘里的风波 – 大不了
Waves in a pond are not big. – It’s not a big deal.

tán xīn bù diǎn dēng – shuō hēi huà
谈心不点灯 – 说黑话
Have a heart-to-heart talk without turning on a light – speak malicious, obscure words; doubletalk

chàng gē bù kàn qǔ bĕn – lí pǔ
唱歌不看曲本 – 离谱
Don’t read the music score when singing a song – go beyond what is proper; be out of place; go too far

tài shān dǐng shang guān rì chū – gāo zhān yuǎn zhǔ
泰山顶上观日出 – 高瞻远瞩
View sunrise on the top of Mount Tai – stand high and see far; take a broad and long-term view; show great foresight; be farsighted

jiè le yī jiǎo huán shí fēn – fēn wén bù chà
借了一角还十分 – 分文不差
Borrow one jiao and pay back ten fen – pay back every cent one owes the other [jiao and fen are units of currency in China. 1 yuan = 10 jiao, 1 jiao = 10 fen.]

èr shí yī tiān bù chū jī – huài dàn
二十一天不出鸡 – 坏蛋
For twenty-one days, no chicks have been hatched. – bad egg; bastard; rascal; scoundrel

第八十六课   你喜欢古典音乐还是流行音乐？   

有人说古典音乐比流行音乐的结构和形式都多，但实际上流行音乐的形式也相当之多。还有人说古典音乐是艺术，而流行音乐只是娱乐。也许这种说法部分是对的，但流行音乐也蕴含着丰富的艺术成份。古典音乐的听众相对较少，而流行音乐更具有普遍的吸引力。
Some say that classical music has more structure and form than pop music, but there are plenty of different genres in pop music, too. Others say that classical music is an art and that pop music is entertainment. But pop music is rich in artistic composition, too. Classical music has an elite audience, while pop music has more universal appeal.

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mài kè: lì lì, zhōu wǔ wǎn shàng nǐ yǒu kòng ma? wǒ xiǎng qǐng nǐ qù tīng yīn yuè huì.
麦克：丽丽，周五晚上你有空吗？我想请你去听音乐会。  
Mike: Lili, will you be free on Friday? I’d like to invite you to a concert.

lì li: tài hǎo le, xiè xiè! wǒ zhèng xiǎng zhe zhōu mò qù nǎ er fàng sōng yī xià ne.
丽丽：太好了，谢谢！我正想着周末去哪儿放松一下呢。  
Lili: Great, thank you! I was thinking about where to go and relax on the weekend.

mài kè: zhōu wǔ wǎn shàng qī diǎn bàn, guó jiā dà jù yuàn. dào shí hou zán men yī qǐ qù.
麦克：周五晚上七点半，国家大剧院。到时候咱们一起去。  
Mike: 7:30 Friday night. The National Center for the Performing Arts. Let’s go together then.

lì li: hǎo de, wǒ xiǎng zhī dào shì shén me lèi xíng de yīn yuè huì.
丽丽：好的，我想知道是什么类型的音乐会。  
Lili: OK, what kind of concert is it?

mài kè: shì ào dì lì wéi yě nà jiāo xiǎng yuè tuán lái huá yǎn chū, wǒ hǎo bù róng yì cái gǎo dào liǎng zhāng piào.
麦克：是奥地利维也纳交响乐团来华演出，我好不容易才搞到两张票。  
Mike: It is performed by the Austria Vienna Symphony Orchestra. I finally managed to get two tickets.

lì li: nǐ yī dìng hěn xǐ huān yīn yuè ba? nǐ huì chàng gē, tiào wǔ, huò zhě yǎn zòu shén me yuè qì ma?
丽丽：你一定很喜欢音乐吧？你会唱歌、跳舞、或者演奏什么乐器吗？  
Lili: You like music very much, don’t you? Can you sing, dance or play any musical instrument?

mài kè: wǒ dí què hěn xǐ huān yīn yuè, chàng gē, tiào wǔ wǒ bù tài zài háng, dàn wǒ huì tán gāng qín.
麦克：我的确很喜欢音乐，唱歌、跳舞我不太在行，但我会弹钢琴。  
Mike: I really love music. I can’t sing or dance very well, but I can play piano.

lì li: nà nǐ duì gǔ diǎn yīn yuè yī dìng xiāng dāng liǎo jiě, duì ba?
丽丽：那你对古典音乐一定相当了解，对吧？  
Lili: Then you must know quite a lot about classical music, right?

mài kè: mǎ mǎ hū hū ba. wǒ tīng shuō nǐ xǐ huān liú xíng yīn yuè, gē chàng de yě bù cuò.
麦克：马马虎虎吧。我听说你喜欢流行音乐，歌唱得也不错。  
Mike: A little. I was told that you like pop music and you can sing very well.

lì li: zhǐ shì chàng chàng kǎ lā ōu kèi kāi kāi xīn ér yǐ, bù guò wǒ yě huì yǎn zòu yī zhǒng yuè qì.
丽丽：只是唱唱卡拉OK开开心而已，不过我也会演奏一种乐器。  
Lili: It’s nothing but a casual time in karaoke bar, but I can play a kind of musical instrument, too.

mài kè: shén me yuè qì? shì xiǎo tíqín ma?
麦克：什么乐器？是小提琴吗？  
Mike: What musical instrument? Is it violin?

lì li: shì jí tā, wǒ shàng dà xué de shí hòu xué huì de.
丽丽：是吉他，我上大学的时候学会的。
Lili: Guitar. I learned it when I was in college.

mài kè: xiǎo tí qín yǎn zòu qǐ lái yǒu hěn duō jiǎng jiu, jí tā xiāng bǐ jiào ér yán gèng suí yì yī xiē.
麦克：小提琴演奏起来有很多讲究，吉他相比较而言更随意一些。  
Mike: Playing violin is quite an art, while playing guitar is comparatively more casual.

lì li: méi cuò, wǒ jīng cháng zài jiā lǐ zì tán zì chàng, zì wǒ xīn shǎng.
丽丽：没错，我经常在家里自弹自唱，自我欣赏。  
Lili: That’s right. I often play and sing at home to enjoy myself.

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mài kè: zhēn qí guài, wǒ de yōu pán zhǎo bù dào le.
麦克：真奇怪，我的U盘找不到了。  
Mike: How strange! I can’t find my USB flash disk.

lì li: nǐ què dìng dài lái le ma? bié shì là zài jiā lǐ le ba?
丽丽：你确定带来了吗？别是落在家里了吧？  
Lili: Are you sure you brought it with you? Maybe you left it at home.

mài kè: wǒ chū mén zhī qián zǐ xì jiǎn chá guò, wǒ gǎn kěn dìng què shí dài lái le.
麦克：我出门之前仔细检查过，我敢肯定确实带来了。  
Mike: I carefully checked before I left and I am sure I had it.

lì li: nǐ jí zhe yòng ma? yào bù xiān yòng wǒ de ba.
丽丽：你急着用吗？要不先用我的吧。  
Lili: Are you in a hurry to use one? You can borrow mine if you want.

mài kè: xiè xiè, dàn wǒ bì xū zhǎo dào tā. wǒ jīn tiān yào yòng de wén jiàn dōu kǎo bèi zài zhè gè yōu pán lǐ le.
麦克：谢谢，但我必须找到它。我今天要用的文件都拷贝在这个U盘里了。  
Mike: Thanks, but I have to find it. All the documents I need today are copied on it.

lì li: bié zhāo jí, wǒ lái bāng nǐ yī qǐ zhǎo. què shí méi yǒu chā zài diàn nǎo shàng ma?
丽丽：别着急，我来帮你一起找。确实没有插在电脑上吗？  
Lili: Don’t worry. Let me help you find it. Are you sure it isn’t connected to the computer?

mài kè: méi yǒu, yī dà zǎo dào xiàn zài wǒ hái méi yǒu kāi jī ne.
麦克：没有，一大早到现在我还没有开机呢。  
Mike: No. I haven’t turned on my computer since this morning.

lì li: zhè xiē wén jiàn kuāng li yǒu méi yǒu? zì diǎn hé shū jí xià miàn zhǎo guò ma?
丽丽：这些文件框里有没有？字典和书籍下面找过吗？  
Lili: Did you check these file boxes or beneath these dictionaries and books?

mài kè: dōu zhǎo guò le, méi yǒu. jiù lián bǐ tǒng wǒ dū fān le yī biàn.
麦克：都找过了，没有。就连笔筒我都翻了一遍。  
Mike: Yes, I did, and it wasn’t there. I even turned my pen container inside out.

lì li: huì bù huì diào dào shū zhuō xià miàn qù le?
丽丽：会不会掉到书桌下面去了？  
Lili: Could it possibly have dropped under the desk?

mài kè: zhēn ràng nǐ shuō zháo le, guǒ rán zài zhuō zi dǐ xia. kě néng shì wǒ gāng cái tuō wài tào shí shuǎi chū lái le.
麦克：真让你说着了，果然在桌子底下。可能是我刚才脱外套时甩出来了。  
Mike: Right, just as you said. Maybe it fell there when I took off my jacket.

lì li: yuán lái nǐ bǎ yōu pán fàng zài kǒu dài lǐ le, suàn nǐ xìng yùn, méi diū zài lù shàng.
丽丽：原来你把U盘放在口袋里了，算你幸运，没丢在路上。  
Lili: So you put your USB flash disk in your pocket. Luckily, you didn’t lose it on the way.

mài kè: yào shi zhēn diū le, wǒ hái de pǎo huí jiā chóng xīn fǎn gōng.
麦克：要是真丢了，我还得跑回家重新返工。  
Mike: If I did lose it, I would have to go back home to re-do all my work.

lì li: xìng kuī zhǎo dào le, yào shi wù le shì, hái huì bèi lǎo bǎn xùn yī tòng de.
丽丽：幸亏找到了，要是误了事，还会被老板训一痛的。  
Lili: Luckily you found it. If there’s any delay, the boss would give you a good dressing-down.

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nǚ hái: nín hǎo, xiān sheng, xū yào wǒ bāng máng ma?
女孩：您好，先生，需要我帮忙吗？  
Girl: Hi! Can I help you, sir?

mài kè: nǐ hǎo! wǒ xiǎng yù dìng yī zhāng xià zhōu rì sì yuè yī rì běi jīng dào shàng hǎi de jī piào.
麦克：你好！我想预订一张下周日四月一日北京到上海的机票。  
Mike: Hi! I want to book an air ticket from Beijing to Shanghai for next Sunday, April 1.

nǚ hái: qǐng shāo děng. wǒ lái bāng nín chá yī xià.
女孩：请稍等。我来帮您查一下。  
Girl: One moment, please. Let me see what’s available.

mài: wǒ xiǎng dìng shāng wù cāng, ér qiě zuì hǎo shì zǎo shàng de háng bān.
麦克：我想订商务舱，而且最好是早上的航班。  
Mike: I’d like to travel business class, and I prefer a morning flight.

nǚ hái: guó háng CA yī wǔ yī jiǔ cì háng bān, zǎo shàng jiǔ diǎn sān shífēn qǐ fēi.
女孩：国航CA1519次航班，早上九点三十分起飞。
Girl: How about CA1519 leaving at 9:30 a.m.?

mài kè: tài hǎo le. wǒ yīng gāi jǐ diǎn dào jī chǎng bǐ jiào hé shì?
麦克：太好了。我应该几点到机场比较合适？  
Mike: That’s fine. What time should I be at the airport？

nǚ hái: qī diǎn sān shí fēn kāi shǐ jiǎn piào, xiān sheng.
女孩：七点三十分开始验票，先生。  
Girl: Check-in is 7:30 a.m., sir.

mài kè: shì zhè yàng. wèi le bǎo xiǎn qǐ jiàn, wǒ zhēng qǔ qī diǎn zhōng gǎn dào jī chǎng.
麦克：是这样。为了保险起见，我争取七点钟赶到机场。  
Mike: I see. To be on the safe side, I will try and get to the airport by 7 a.m.

nǚ hái: nín yǒu xíng lǐ xū yào tuō yùn ma?
女孩：您有行李需要托运吗？  
Girl: Will you have any baggage to check?

mài kè: shì de, wǒ yǒu liǎng gè dà lǚ xíng xiāng xū yào tuō yùn.
麦克：是的，我有两个大旅行箱需要托运。  
Mike: Yes, I will. I’ll have two large suitcases.

nǚ hái: zhè shì suí shēn xíng lǐ hé tuō yùn xíng lǐ de yǒu guān guī dìng.
女孩：这是随身行李和托运行李的有关规定。  
Girl: Here are the rules related to carry-on and checked baggage.

mài kè: hǎo de. lìng wài, nǐ kě yǐ bāng wǒ zài shàng hǎi yù dìng yī jiā jiǔ diàn ma?
麦克：好的。另外，你可以帮我在上海预订一家酒店吗？  
Mike: OK. By the way, can you help me make a hotel reservation in Shanghai?

nǚ hái: dāng rán kě yǐ. zhè shì yī fèn yǒu guān shàng hǎi jiǔ diàn de xiáng xì jiè shào.
女孩：当然可以。这是一份有关上海酒店的详细介绍。  
Girl: Yes, of course. Here’s a detailed introduction to hotels there.

mài kè: xiè xie nǐ de bāng zhù!
麦克：谢谢你的帮助！  
Mike: Thanks, that’s very kind of you!

New Words
生词
预订 yù dìng: book; reserve  
机票 jī piào: air ticket  
航班 háng bān: schedule flight; flight  
机场 jī chǎng: airport  
旅行社 lǚ xíng shè: travel agency  
航空公司 háng kōng gōng sī: airline company; airlines; airways  
候机楼 hòu jī lóu: terminal building  
候机室 hòu jī shì: airport lounge  
头等舱 tóu děng cāng: first-class cabin  
商务舱 shāng wù cāng: business cabin  
经济舱 jīng jì cāng: economy cabin  
机长 jī zhǎng: captain (chief pilot)  
空姐 kōng jiě: air hostess; stewardess  
机组人员 jī zǔ rén yuán: crew members  
座位 zuò wèi: seat  
安全带 ān quán dài: seat belt  
验票 yàn piào: check in  
登机牌 dēng jī pái: boarding pass  
起飞 qǐ fēi: take off  
降落 jiàng luò: land  
行李 xíng li: baggage; luggage  
随身行李 suí shēn xíng li: carry-on baggage  
托运行李 tuō yùn xíng li: checked baggage  
规定 guī dìng: rule; regulation  
酒店 jiǔ diàn: hotel  
详细介绍 xiáng xì jiè shào: a detailed introduction  

dà xiàng de bí zi – néng qū néng shēn
大象的鼻子 – 能屈能伸
Like an elephant’s nose, be able to stoop or stand erect – submit or assert oneself as the occasion requires; be adaptable to circumstances

lǎo hǔ lā chē – shéi găn (găn)
老虎拉车 – 谁敢（赶）
When a tiger pulls a cart, nobody dares to drive it. – This allegory means nobody has that great courage to do something.

sì yuè de bīng hé – kāi dòng (dòng) le
四月的冰河 – 开动（冻）了
Glaciers begin to thaw in April. – start; set in motion; put into operation. (“开动,” which means “start; set in motion; put into operation”, is a homophone for “开冻,” which means “thaw”.)

shàng xié bú yòng zhuī zi – zhēn hǎo
上鞋不用锥子 – 真（针）好
Sole a shoe without an awl – How nice; really good. (If one soles a shoe without an awl, that implies the needle s/he uses is good. “真好,” which means “how nice; really good”, is a homophone for “针好,” which means “the needle is good”.)

yī lián sān zuò miào – miào miào miào (miào miào miào)
一连三座庙 – 妙妙妙（庙庙庙）
Three temples in a row – wonderful; marvelous; excellent. (“妙,” which means “wonderful; marvelous; excellent”, is a homophone for “庙,” which means “temple”.)

gé zhe mén fèng chuī lǎ ba – míng (míng) shēng zài wài
隔着门缝吹喇叭 – 名（鸣）声在外
Blow a trumpet through a door crack – have a reputation. (“鸣声,” meaning “song or distinctive sound”, is a homophone for “名声,” which means “reputation or renown”. Thus, “鸣声在外,” meaning “the song or distinctive sound is outside”, becomes “名声在外,” meaning “have got a reputation”.)

shí tou dàn yān xián cài – yī yán (yán) nán jìn (jìn)
石头蛋腌咸菜 – 一言（盐）难尽（进）
Make pickles with stone – Literally, it’s difficult for salt to penetrate; figuratively, one cannot explain the matter in a few words; it is a long story. (“盐,” meaning “salt”, is a homophone for “言,” which means “words”; “进,” meaning “penetrate”, is a homophone for “尽,” which means “finished”. Thus, “一盐难进,” meaning “it’s difficult for salt to penetrate”, becomes “一言难尽,” meaning “one cannot explain the matter in a few words; it is a long story.”)

guān gōng dǎ pēn tì – zì wǒ chuī xū (xū)
关公打喷嚏 – 自我吹嘘（须）
Guan Yu, a general in the period of the Three Kingdoms, sneezes. – Literally, he blows his own beard (when sneezing); figuratively, self-glorification

gǔn shuǐ pào chá – yòu nóng yòu xiāng
滚水泡茶 – 又浓又香
Make tea with boiling water – of rich flavor; of strong fragrance or aroma

bō li bēi qī chá – kàn dào dǐ
玻璃杯沏茶 – 看到底
Infuse tea in a glass – see the bottom; see through something

bào mǐ huā qī chá – pào tāng le
爆米花沏茶 – 泡汤了
Infuse tea with pop rice – come to nothing; fall through

chá bēi lǐ fàng kuài táng – shòu mìng bù cháng
茶杯里放块糖 – 寿命不长
Put a piece of sugar in a teacup – have a short life

fú wù yuán shàng chá – hé pán tuō chū
服务员上茶 – 和盘托出
A waiter comes to serve tea – reveal everything; hold nothing back

chá hú lǐ hǎn yuān – hú (hú) nào
茶壶里喊冤 – 胡（壶）闹
Cry out about one’s grievances in a teapot – act wildly; do mischief; make trouble (The characters “胡” and “壶” share the same pronunciation in Chinese. “胡” means “wildly” and “壶” refers to “tea pot”.)

chá hú lǐ zhǔ guà miàn – nán lāo
茶壶里煮挂面 – 难捞
Cooking fine dried noodles in a teapot – difficult to get something

When the Sui dynasty collapsed, the Sui general Luoyi, who claimed himself as the governor for Zhuojun and Youzhou, surrendered to Tang. Tang replaced Zhuojun with Youzhou, but its government was also seated in Ji (also called Youzhou city). The city of Youzhou ran 9 li from south to north, 7 li from east to west, and 32 li in perimeter (li is an ancient Chinese measurement of distance). Its east city wall sat west of the present Xuanwumen Nei and Wai Streets; the south wall sat along Baizhifang Street to Yaojiajing area; the west wall on the east bank of Lianhuachi Lake; and the north wall a little bit south of the present Xinwenhua Street. The city had ten gates in total, with its satellite towns southwest of the main city.

In the nineteenth year of Zhenguan (AD 645), Emperor Taizong of Tang launched a campaign to the east of Liaohe River, with his troops traveling through Ji city. In memory of the sacrificed generals and soldiers, Emperor Tai Zong decreed that a Buddhist monastery be constructed in Ji city. The monastery was finished in the first year of Wansuitongtian by Empress Wu Zetian (AD 696), named by the empress as Minzhong Temple. It was renamed to Fayuan Temple when it was renovated in the twelfth year of Emperor Yongzheng’s reign in Qing Dynasty (AD 1734). It is the oldest temple in existence in Beijing city. Youzhou city was not only renowned among ancient temples, but also an important business center in the northeast during Tang Dynasty. According to the statistics from Compilation of Fangshan Stone Buddhist Scripture and Inscription, there were about 31 guilds for rice, meat, silk, boots, etc. operation in the temple.

In the first year of Tianbao during the Tang dynasty (AD 742), Youzhou was renamed Fanyang prefecture, with its government still in Ji city. General An Lushan, who commanded the troops in Fanyang, Pinglu (with the government seated in Chaoyang, Liaoning province), and Hedong (government in Taiyuan, Shanxi province), built another city called Xiongwucheng to the north of Ji to nurture his army and store grain. In the fourteenth year of Tianbao (AD 755), An Lushan rebelled from Ji, and later seized Luoyang. The next year, An Lushan proclaimed himself Shengwu Emperor and named his kingdom Yan, selecting Fanyang (Youzhou) as his capital – Dadu. This Dadu would later be known as Beijing. In the following years, internal strife occurred, An Lushan died at the hand of his own son An Qingxu, but An Qingxu was likewise killed by his general Shi Siming. Later on, Shi Siming claimed to be the emperor of Great Yan, and renamed Fanyang as Yanjing to be his capital, which is the beginning of Beijing being known as Yanjing. After the Tang put down the An Shi Rebellion, Fanyang was changed back to Youzhou.

After the downfall of the Tang dynasty, there emerged a disintegrative period known as the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms. In the period of Five Dynasties, the ex-Tang general Liu Rengong, who governed the troops in Lulong Youzhou during the Tang dynasty, occupied Yan region and stationed his army in Youzhou. His son Liu Shouguang threw him into prison and murdered his brother to ascend the imperial throne in 911, calling himself Yingtian, emperor of great Yan and declared Ji as his capital, he died only three years later.