learn mandarin hong kong – The Green Banana

 Mandarin Lesson

The Green Banana

My encounter with the green banana started on a steep mountain road in Brazil. My ancient jeep was zigzagging when the radiator began to leak. I stopped at the next village, where people gathered to look. Three fine streams of hot water spouted from holes in the radiator. “That’s easy to fix,” a man said. He sent a boy running for some green bananas. We exchanged pleasantries while I mulled over the green banana. Asking questions would seems silly, so I remarked on the beauty of the mountain. “Do you see that tall one right over there?” asked my benefactor, pointing to a particular tall, slender pinnacle of dark rock. “That rock marks the center of the world.” I looked to see if he were teasing me, but his face was serious. He in turn inspected me carefully to be sure I grasped the significance of his statement. The occasion demanded some show of recognition on my part. “The center of the world?” I repeated, trying to convey interest if not complete acceptance. He nodded. “The absolute center.”

青香蕉

我遇到青香蕉是在巴西中部的一條陡峭山路上,我那輛老吉普車在美麗的鄉村艱難穿行時,水箱開始漏水。我在下一個村子停下來。村民們走過來看發生了什麼事。三小股熱水從水箱外殼的洞裡湧出來。 “這很容易修”,一個人邊說邊派一個男孩去取一些青香蕉。我們隨意地聊起天來,同時我一直在想他們怎麼用青香蕉修理我的水箱,然而我沒有問他們,因為那會顯得無知。所以我只談了談眼前這座美麗的大山。 “看到那塊高聳的岩石了嗎?”那人指著一塊特別高且頂部線條柔和的黑岩石問道,“那塊岩石標誌著世界的中心。” 我盯著他看,看他是不是在騙我,但他表情嚴肅認真。而他,反過來也審視著我,好像要確認我是否理解他話中的真諦。這種情形需要我表示出對他的話的認可。 “世界的中心?”我又問了一遍,在完全接受他的觀點之前努力顯出興趣。他點點頭。 “一個絕對的中心。”

Qīng xiāngjiāo

wǒ yù dào qīng xiāngjiāo shì zài bāxī zhōngbù de yītiáo dǒuqiào shānlù shàng, wǒ nà liàng lǎo jípǔchē zài měilì de xiāngcūn jiānnán chuānxíng shí, shuǐxiāng kāishǐ lòushuǐ. Wǒ zàixià yīgè cūnzi tíng xiàlái. Cūnmínmen zǒu guòlái kàn fāshēngle shénme shì. Sān xiǎo gǔ rè shuǐ cóng shuǐxiāng wàiké de dòng lǐ yǒng chūlái. “Zhè hěn róngyì xiū”, yīgè rén biān shuō biān pài yīgè nánhái qù qǔ yīxiē qīng xiāngjiāo. Wǒmen suíyì dì liáo qǐ tiān lái, tóngshí wǒ yīzhí zài xiǎng tāmen zěnme yòng qīng xiāngjiāo xiūlǐ wǒ de shuǐxiāng, rán’ér wǒ méiyǒu wèn tāmen, yīnwèi nà huì xiǎn dé wúzhī. Suǒyǐ wǒ zhǐ tánle tán yǎnqián zhè zuò měilì de dàshān. “Kàn dào nà kuài gāosǒng de yánshíle ma?” Nà rén zhǐzhe yīkuài tèbié gāo qiě dǐngbù xiàntiáo róuhé de hēi yánshí wèn dào,“nà kuài yánshí biāozhìzhe shìjiè de zhōngxīn.” Wǒ dīngzhe tā kàn, kàn tā shì bùshì Zài piàn wǒ, dàn tā biǎoqíng yánsù rènzhēn. Ér tā, fǎn guòlái yě shěnshìzhe wǒ, hǎoxiàng yào quèrèn wǒ shìfǒu lǐjiě tā huà zhōng de zhēndì. Zhè zhǒng qíngxíng xūyào wǒ biǎoshì chū duì tā dehuà de rènkě. “Shìjiè de zhōngxīn?” Wǒ yòu wènle yībiàn, zài wánquán jiēshòu tā de guāndiǎn zhīqián nǔlì xiǎn chū xìngqù. Tā diǎndiǎn tóu. “Yīgè juéduì de zhōngxīn.”