It is said that flowers can express a thousand words. Giving flowers to a loved one can mean so much. If you can order in Mandarin Chinese some special flowers to someone who is close to you, you will be sure to be well appreciated, and maybe cement your relationship forever! Of course, you need to be sure you are ordering the right type of flowers—so maybe ask a Chinese friend for some advice!
In this Podcast, you will learn:
(i) How to select the right type of flowers for the occasion you want
(ii) To discuss how many and what type of flowers to order
Dialogue:
Two friends are in the florist’s shop:
（在花店）
(Zài huā diàn)
(at the florist’s)
A:呦，小李你也来买花？给你老婆买的是么？
A: Yōu, Xiǎo Lǐ nǐ yě lái mǎi huā? Gěi nǐ lǎo pó mǎi de shì me?
Hey Xiao Li, you are buying flowers, too. Are you buying them for your wife?
B:哎，小王，真巧啊。是啊，我老婆过生日。我正发愁呢，不知道送哪种花儿好啊。
B: Āi, Xiǎo Wáng, zhēn qiǎo a. Shì a, wǒ lǎo pó guò shēng rì. Wǒ zhèng fā chóu ne, bù zhī dào sòng nǎ zhǒng huā er hǎo a.
Xiao Wang, what a coincidence. Yes, it’s my wife’s birthday. I am a little bit at a loss here. I don’t know which flowers I should buy.
A:你来上99朵红玫瑰，然后加点满天星。让店员给你包得漂漂亮亮的，你老婆一定喜欢！
A: Nǐ lái shàng jiǔ shí jiǔ duǒ hóng méi guī, rán hòu jiā diǎn mǎn tiān xīng. Ràng diàn yuán gěi nǐ bāo dé piào piào liàng liàng de, nǐ lǎo pó yī dìng xǐ huān!
You can get 99 red roses. Then you can add some baby’s breath. Ask the store assistant to wrap them up nicely. Your wife will definitely like them.
B:好好，谢谢。对了，你这是要给谁买花啊？
B: Hǎo hǎo, xiè xiè. Duì le, nǐ zhè shì yào gěi shuí mǎi huā a?
Okay, okay, thank you. Oh, who are you buying flowers for?
A:我给我妈妈买，我要买一束康乃馨。
A: Wǒ gěi wǒ mā mā mǎi, wǒ yào mǎi yī shù kāng nǎi xīn.
I’m buying them for my mother. I am buying her a bouquet of carnations.
Chinese words and phrases mentioned in this Podcast:
百合：lily
玫瑰：rose
康乃馨：carnation
满天星：baby’s breath, literally means stars all over the sky
郁金香：tulip
菊花：chrysanthemum
兰花：orchid
向日葵：sunflower
向日：face towards the sun
花店：the florists
买花：buy flowers
老婆：wife
真巧啊：what a coincidence
过生日：have a birthday
发愁：feeling worried/anxious, here it means he is a little bit at a loss and doesn’t know which to choose
送：give, send, deliver
哪种：which kind
来上：a very casual way to say ‘buy’
朵：the measuring word for any type of flower
加点：add some
店员：store assistant
包：wrap up
漂漂亮亮的：nicely, beautifully
一定：definitely
喜欢：like
一束：a bouquet of
Cultural/Grammar note:
In China, ‘9’ (jiǔ) (nine) stands for ‘长长久久’ (cháng cháng jiǔ jiǔ) (forever/very long lasting). The more ‘9’ you get, the longer the relationship will last. So you can send 9, 99, or 999 red roses.