This lesson has something for almost everyone: beginner, secondary, and intermediate. Even Kermit can learn something from this post.
Beginner Level
Gānbēi is the Chinese equivalent of “Cheers”. Literally it means “dry cup”. But you don’t have to feel obligated. Unless you are the guest of honor, in which case you pretty much have no choice. It happened to me once, but my memory of the occasion is somewhat fuzzy.
| Pinyin | Chinese | English |
|---|
| Gānbēi | 干杯 | ”Cheers” |
Secondary Level
This conversation often takes place after you have expressed your desire to have wine with dinner: do you want red or white.
| Pinyin | Chinese | English |
|---|
| Ní xǐhuān bái pútaojiǔ | 你喜欢红葡萄酒 | Do you prefer red wine |
| háishì hóng pútaojiǔ? | 还是白葡萄酒？ | or white wine? |
| Wǒ dōu xǐhuān | 我都喜欢 | I like them all. |
Vocabulary
| Pinyin | English |
|---|
| 葡萄酒 | pútaojiǔ | (grape) wine |
| 你 | nǐ | you (singular) |
| 喜欢 | xǐhuān | like; enjoy |
| 红 | hóng | the color red |
| 白 | bái | the color white |
| 还是 | háishì | or (choice) |
Intermediate Level
The art of wine tasting is often described as a 4 step process. If you can express the nuance of wine in a foreign language your skills must be pretty good. This description contains a lot of useful vocabulary for talking about wine.
| Pinyin | Chinese | English |
|---|
| Pǐncháng pútáojiǔ xūyào sì gè bùzhòu, | 品尝葡萄酒需要四个步骤， | Tasting wine takes four steps. |
| Shǒuxiān yào guānchá yánsè. | 首先要观察颜色， | First look at the color, |
| Dì èr bù shì wén xiāngqì. | 第二步是闻香气 | The second step is to smell the aroma |
| Ránhòu zài kǒuzhōng pǐncháng, | 然后在口中品尝， | Then taste it in the mouth, |
| Zuìhòu guānchá “wánchéng”, | 最后观察“完成”， | Finally observe “finish”, |
| huíwèi tūn xià pútáojiǔ shí de gǎnjué. | 回味吞下葡萄酒时的感觉。 | pay attention to the feeling in your throat. |
Vocabulary
| Pinyin | English |
|---|
| 品尝 | pǐn cháng | to taste a small amount; to sample |
| 需要 | xū yào | to need; to want; to require; |
| 步骤 | bù zhòu | procedure; step |
| 首先 | shǒu xiān | first (of all); in the first place |
| 观察 | guān chá | to observe; to watch; to examine |
| 颜色 | yán sè | color; countenance; appearance; |
| 闻 | wén | to smell |
| 香气 | xiāng qì | fragrance |
| 然后 | rán hòu | after; then (afterwards); after that; afterwards |
| 口中 | kǒu zhōng | |
| 最后 | zuì hòu | final; last; finally; ultimate |
| 完成 | wán chéng | to complete; to accomplish |
| 回味 | huí wèi | to reflect on; to ponder over; aftertaste |
| 吞 | tūn | to swallow; to take |
| 感觉 | gǎn jué | to feel; to become aware of; feeling; sense |
