We all have things we like and enjoy; but what about those things which we don’t like—or are, maybe, even a little bit scared or fearful about doing? Talking about them with friends or colleagues in Mandarin Chinese can help us compare different views about our fears and worries—whether they be about heights or being underwater or something else which gives us the shivers!
In this Podcast, you will learn:
(i) How to refer to some things which make you fearful
(ii) To talk with others about trying to conquer such fears
Dialogue:
Two colleagues talk about some of their fears:
（在街上）
(Zài jiē shàng)
(on the street)
A:放假的时候我去马来西亚潜水了。
A: Fàng jià de shí hòu wǒ qù Mǎ Lái Xī Yà qián shuǐ le.
I went scuba diving in Malaysia during my holiday.
B:你太牛了。我可不敢潜水。我是旱鸭子，不会游泳，害怕水。但是上个周末我去跳伞了，挑战了我的极限，我觉得特别刺激。
B: Nǐ tài niú le. Wǒ kě bù gǎn qián shuǐ. Wǒ shì hàn yā zi, bù huì yóu yǒng, hài pà shuǐ. Dàn shì shàng gè zhōu mò wǒ qù tiào sǎn le, tiǎo zhàn le wǒ de jí xiàn, wǒ jué dé tè bié cì jī.
Wow! I don’t dare go scuba diving. I am a landlubber, can’t swim and am afraid of the water. But last weekend, I went skydiving, which challenged my limits. It was really exciting.
A:我一直就想去跳伞。下次咱们一起去吧，叫上你老婆。
A: Wǒ yī zhí jiù xiǎng qù tiào sǎn. Xià cì zán men yī qǐ qù ba, jiào shàng nǐ lǎo pó.
Mmm…, I have always wanted to do sky-diving. Next time, let’s go together. Ask your wife to come along too.
B:好啊！但是，我老婆恐高，她只能在下面等着咱们。
B: Hǎo a! Dàn shì, wǒ lǎo pó kǒng gāo, tā zhǐ néng zài xià miàn děng zhe zán men.
Okay. But my wife has a fear of heights. She will wait for us on the ground.
Chinese words and phrases mentioned in this Podcast:
运动：sport
潜水：scuba diving
潜：go under water
水：water
跳伞：skydiving
跳：jump
伞：umbrella
怕水：be afraid of water
怕：scared
放假：during my holiday
马来西亚：Malaysia
牛：great
敢：dare
旱鸭子：landlubber
旱：dry
鸭子：duck
游泳：swim
害怕水：afraid of water
挑战：challenge
极限：limit
刺激：stimulating
一直：all the time
一直想：always wanted to
下次：next time
一起去：go together
叫上……：ask someone to come along
恐：short for 恐惧, scared of
恐高：be afraid of heights, a little more formal than 怕高
恐高症：acrophobia
在下面：underneath
等：wait for
Cultural/Grammar note:
When you want to express that you are afraid of something, you can say:
我怕蛇。
Wǒ pà shé.
I am afraid of snakes.
我怕高。
Wǒ pà gāo.
I have a fear of heights.
‘旱鸭子’ is a very common expression in Chinese daily conversation. As we know, most ducks can swim. But sometimes ducks are raised on land and are not allowed to get into the water. Thus, ‘旱鸭子’ originally refers to people who have never been in the water. But now, the meaning is gradually extended referring to people who can not swim.