Chinese · Intermediate (B1) · Chapter 10 of 12
Money and everyday services
在银行Zài yínháng
Open a bank account in Chinese: big amounts with 万, polite requests at the counter, 把 in instructions and 先…再… (first …, then …).
In this chapter you'll learn to
- Open a bank account and ask about fees and interest
- Say and understand big amounts: 一万五, 十万
- Understand instructions with 把 and 先…再…
- Make polite requests at a counter
Listen
Lu Yan, a teacher who has just moved to Kunming, goes to a bank to open an account. Mr Yin works at the counter. Listen to the whole dialogue first, then line by line.
Mr Yin
您好，请问您要办什么？
Nín hǎo, qǐngwèn nín yào bàn shénme?
Hello, what can I do for you?
Lu Yan
你好，我最近搬到昆明，想开个户，办一张银行卡，以后存钱、取钱都方便。
Nǐ hǎo, wǒ zuìjìn bāndào Kūnmíng, xiǎng kāi ge hù, bàn yì zhāng yínhángkǎ, yǐhòu cún qián, qǔ qián dōu fāngbiàn.
Hello. I've just moved to Kunming and I'd like to open an account and get a bank card, so it's easy to pay in and take out money.
Mr Yin
好的。请先把您的身份证给我，再把这张表填一下。填好以后，麻烦您在这儿签个名。
Hǎo de. Qǐng xiān bǎ nín de shēnfènzhèng gěi wǒ, zài bǎ zhè zhāng biǎo tián yíxià. Tiánhǎo yǐhòu, máfan nín zài zhèr qiān ge míng.
Certainly. First, please give me your ID card, then fill in this form. When you've finished, please sign here.
Lu Yan
好。开户需要手续费吗？
Hǎo. Kāihù xūyào shǒuxùfèi ma?
OK. Is there a fee for opening an account?
Mr Yin
不需要，是免费的。现在请您输入密码，输两次。
Bù xūyào, shì miǎnfèi de. Xiànzài qǐng nín shūrù mìmǎ, shū liǎng cì.
No, it's free. Now please enter a PIN, twice.
Lu Yan
好了。我还想问一下，用这张卡给我爸妈转账，要手续费吗？
Hǎo le. Wǒ hái xiǎng wèn yíxià, yòng zhè zhāng kǎ gěi wǒ bàmā zhuǎnzhàng, yào shǒuxùfèi ma?
Done. I'd also like to ask: if I transfer money to my parents with this card, is there a fee?
Mr Yin
在手机上转是免费的。在窗口办的话，要一点儿手续费。
Zài shǒujī shang zhuǎn shì miǎnfèi de. Zài chuāngkǒu bàn dehuà, yào yìdiǎnr shǒuxùfèi.
Transfers on your phone are free. If you do it at the counter, there's a small fee.
Lu Yan
那我在手机上转。我还想存一万五，存一年的话，利息有多少？
Nà wǒ zài shǒujī shang zhuǎn. Wǒ hái xiǎng cún yíwàn wǔ, cún yì nián dehuà, lìxī yǒu duōshao?
Then I'll use my phone. I'd also like to put in fifteen thousand. If I leave it for a year, how much interest will I get?
Mr Yin
差不多两百块。您要存吗？
Chàbuduō liǎngbǎi kuài. Nín yào cún ma?
About two hundred yuan. Would you like to put it in?
Lu Yan
好，那就存一年吧。对了，请问附近有寄快递的地方吗？
Hǎo, nà jiù cún yì nián ba. Duìle, qǐngwèn fùjìn yǒu jì kuàidì de dìfang ma?
OK, let's do a year. Oh, and is there anywhere nearby where I can send a parcel?
Mr Yin
有，银行旁边就有一个。您的卡办好了，请收好。
Yǒu, yínháng pángbiān jiù yǒu yí ge. Nín de kǎ bànhǎo le, qǐng shōuhǎo.
Yes, there's one right next to the bank. Your card is ready. Please keep it safe.
Lu Yan
谢谢，麻烦你了。
Xièxie, máfan nǐ le.
Thank you, sorry for the trouble.
Understand
Big amounts: 万
English counts big numbers in thousands. Chinese counts in ten thousands: (wàn) is 10,000. So 50,000 is (wǔwàn), “five ten-thousands”, and 100,000 is (shíwàn). A million is (yìbǎi wàn), and 100 million has its own word, (yì).
In speech, the last unit is often left out: (yíwàn wǔ) is 15,000, just like (liǎngqiān wǔ) is 2,500. For 10,005, you need (líng), zero: (yíwàn líng wǔ). Before (wàn) and (qiān), 2 is usually (liǎng): (liǎngwàn). (chàbuduō) means “about, almost”.
| Number | Chinese |
|---|---|
| 10,000 | (yíwàn) |
| 15,000 | (yíwàn wǔ) |
| 20,000 | (liǎngwàn) |
| 100,000 | (shíwàn) |
| 1,000,000 | (yìbǎi wàn) |
| 100,000,000 | (yíyì) |
Instructions: 把 and 先…再…
Staff often use (bǎ) to tell you what to do with a specific thing: (qǐng bǎ shēnfènzhèng gěi wǒ), please give me your ID card. The pattern is (bǎ) + the thing + verb + something more, such as (yíxià), a result or a place: (bǎ zhè zhāng biǎo tián yíxià), fill in this form; (bǎ kǎ shōuhǎo), keep your card safe.
(xiān … zài …) means “first …, then …” and is used for steps and instructions. (zài) goes before the second verb: (xiān tián biǎo, zài qiānmíng), first fill in the form, then sign.
- 请把手机号码写在这儿。Qǐng bǎ shǒujī hàomǎ xiě zài zhèr.Please write your mobile number here.
- 我们先吃饭，再去银行吧。Wǒmen xiān chīfàn, zài qù yínháng ba.Let's eat first, then go to the bank.
At the counter
Staff use (nín) and polite openers: (qǐng nín …), please; (máfan nín …), may I trouble you to…; (xūyào … ma?), do you need …? Customers often answer with (nǐ), which is fine.
(bàn) means “to do, to get done”, for anything with forms and paperwork: (bàn yínhángkǎ), get a bank card; (nín yào bàn shénme?), what can I do for you?; (bànhǎo le), it's done.
| Chinese | Meaning |
|---|---|
| (Qǐngwèn nín yào bàn shénme?) | What can I do for you? |
| (Máfan nín zài zhèr qiān ge míng.) | Could you sign here, please? |
| (Qǐng nín shūrù mìmǎ.) | Please enter your PIN. |
| (Xūyào shǒuxùfèi ma?) | Is there a fee? |
| (Máfan nǐ le.) | Thanks for your trouble. |
More in the grammar: Numbers and money · The 把 construction
New words
- 办bànto do, to arrange, to get (paperwork) done
- 开户kāihùto open an account · (kāi ge hù), open an account
- 银行卡yínhángkǎbank card
- 存钱cún qiánto deposit money, to save money
- 取钱qǔ qiánto withdraw money
- 填表tián biǎoto fill in a form · (biǎo), form; measure word (zhāng)
- 签名qiānmíngto sign (your name); signature · (qiān ge míng), sign
- 手续费shǒuxùfèifee, service charge
- 密码mìmǎPIN, password · (shūrù mìmǎ), to enter a PIN
- 转账zhuǎnzhàngto transfer money · (gěi … zhuǎnzhàng), transfer money to someone
- 窗口chuāngkǒucounter, service window
- 万wànten thousand
- 利息lìxīinterest (on money)
- 快递kuàidìcourier, parcel delivery; parcel · (jì kuàidì), to send a parcel
Practise
1.How do you say 30,000 in Chinese?
2.The bank clerk gives you an instruction. Put the words in order.
Tap the words below in the right order.Please fill in this form.
3.Match the Chinese with the English.
Pick a word on the left, then its meaning on the right.
4.What does (yíwàn wǔ) mean?
5.How do you say “First fill in the form, then sign”?
0 of 5 exercises done.
Say it out loud
我想开个户。
Wǒ xiǎng kāi ge hù.
I'd like to open an account.
Listen, then say it out loud, as close to the recording as you can.
Check
Five questions on this chapter. Then mark it as finished to add its words to your review deck.
0 of 5 answered.