After the reform and opening up of China at the end of the 1980’s the domestic antiques market began to flourish. Collectors began to look for the most interesting and most historically significant pieces they could find from the Tang and other dynasties. With this many markets that sell exclusively antique items sprang up. In Chinese they are called 古玩市场 – the antique market.
Haggling over items at an antique market in China
On this page we present a vast array of vocabulary and sentence structures that you can use to barter and haggle with during a visit to China. This page will also be of interest to anyone who has an interest in antique Chinese items. Learn how to describe and enquire about these items and some of the pitfalls you might encounter when shopping at a Chinese market.
Scene 1
This part covers the the start of the video up to The fat man is at an antique market 古玩市场 haggling over the price of an antique vase.
In the first section of the video we are introduced to a scenario where a man called – rather rudely – fat is interested in purchasing an antique vase. In this section of the video the character haggles with the market vendor over the unusually high price. The fat man obviously sees something in this vase as he is willing to dedicate time and effort into haggling over the price.
Vocabulary for shopping at a market and haggling
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
| 瓷瓶 | cí píng | vase |
| 价格 | jià gé | price |
| 老板* | lǎo bǎn | owner/boss |
| 捡漏 | jiǎn lòu | pick up a bargain |
| 两万 | liǎng wàn | 20,000 |
| 四千 |
sì qiān | 4,000 |
| 询问 | xún wèn | to enquire |
| 出 | chū | to offer |
| 讨价还价 |
tǎo jià huán jià | to negotiate/haggle over a price |
| 贵 |
guì | expensive |
老板* note that customers often refer to the manager of a shop or stall as 老板 lǎo bǎn when in their establishment. It means boss and is a sign of respect.
Sentences for buying things and haggling in Chinese
这个多少钱 (zhè gè duō shǎo qián) How much is this?
一件古代瓷瓶 (yī jiàn gǔ dài cí píng) an ancient vase
两百块钱卖不卖 (liǎng bǎi kuài qián mài bù mài) will you sell it for 200 yuan?
我出三千 (wǒ chū sān qiān) I offer 300 yuan
00.00 胖子在逛地摊时发现了一件古代瓷瓶. The fat man discovered an ancient porcelain vase while visiting a stall in the market.
Transcript of the video
00.03 于是他蹲下来询问老板价格这东西多少钱. So he crouched down in front of the salesman and inquired how much the porcelain vase was selling for.
00.05 – 胖子 – 这东西多少钱? How much is that?
00.06 – salesman – 两万. Twenty thousand Yuan (about £2200).
00.07 – 胖子 – 两万? 没疯吧你! 20,000, are you crazy?
00.10 – Salesman 俺也觉得它贵. 你说两万块钱干啥不中. 谁花两万块买这干啥. 这个东西是俺哥从家里翻新房子地下来的挖出来的. 他说就值这个价两万钱一分都不能少.
I also thought the price was a bit expensive. You said 20,000 was too much. Who would say 20,000 is a suitable price to buy this? Well this piece was uncovered by my own brother who dug it up when renovating his home. He is the one who set the price at 20,000 Yuan (£2200) and will not sell for a penny less.
00.05 – 胖子 – 你哥呢? Where is your brother?
00.25 – Salesman 在老家呢. He’s back in our hometown.
00.27 – 胖子 – 你们老家在哪? Where is your hometown?
00.25 – Salesman –河南 豫州
Note that 豫州 Yuzhou is a town in Henan Province in China that was famous for producing porcelain pieces in the Song Dynasty.
Narrator – 胖子觉得这个瓷瓶年头应该不短了, 所以这漏必须要捡. The fat man thinks the vase has a long history and he will be able to make money on it if he sells it one.
Having spotted a fault with the vase the ‘fat man’ is still interested in buying the vase, but at a substantially reduced price.
00.27 – 胖子 – 两百块钱卖不卖? 卖我拿走Will you sell it for 200 yuan, if so I will take it.
00.35 – Salesman – 大哥你不是开玩笑呢吧. Big brother, surely you are joking? 两万一分都不能少. I can’t go any lower that 2000 yuan.
00.27 – 胖子 – 哎呀, 你看你这都有残损. Oh.. look here, this part is all damaged. Your asking price is all wrong.
The salesman continues to plead ignorance imploring his customer to defer to the knowledge of his brother who, of course, is not present.
00.35 – Salesman – 那俺不懂. 俺哥说了, 要没有这个残至少卖三万呢. This isn’t something I understand, but my brother said that without that damage the piece would be worth at least 30,000 Yuan.
Section 2
Narrator – 就当胖子和地摊老板讨价的时候走过来一个男人. As the fat man sat bargaining with the stall -holder, another man came over. 似乎他也看好了这个瓷瓶. He also took a close look at the porcelain vase.
00.54 – 3rd man – 这个多少钱. How much is this?
00.55 – Salesman – 两万. 20,000 (Yuan)
00.58 – 3rd Man – 玩笑呢吧 you’re joking?
00.59 – Salesman – 真的. Really.
Narrator – 刚来的男人仔细地查看了一下瓷瓶. The man who had just arrived began to examine the vase carefully. 给地摊老板开出了 2,000 块钱的价格. He then made an offer of 2,000 Yuan,
01.04 – 3rd Man -成我就拿走. 权当是给孩子买个玩具. If you accept the price I will take it. I’ll give it to my child as a toy.
01.08 – Salesman – No.
01.09 – 3rd Man – 怎么样 What’s up?
01.10 – 胖子 – 你这人怎么样 What is up with this you? 我这…我出三千. What about this.. I will offer 3000 Yuan.
01.11 – 3rd Man – 四千 4000.
Narrator – 老板有点不耐烦地夺过瓷瓶. The boss grabbed the vase back in a slightly impatient manner. 表示2万块千一分都不能少. let me make it clear i won’t sell for less than 20,000. 再说了这是我哥的东西, 我贱卖了回去没法跟他解释. He repeated that this is his brother’s piece and he will have no way of explaining to him if he sells it for less that 20,000 yuan.
01.21 – 3rd Man – 那你呀就一直砸手里吧. If that is the price then no one will buy it.
01.27 – 胖子 – 你看看, 你看看, 人家走了吧. 我告诉你我出三千不少了. 要不..要不我出四千. 你这人怎么死心眼儿啊. Look, look, that man has gone. Let me tell you… I will offer 300, or, if I offer 4000.. How can you be so short-sighted?
The third man then returns to make an offer of his own. If you hadn’t noticed already, do you think there may be something fishy about this man? Is he a plant is he working in league with the owner of the stall to drive through the sale to the fat man?
01.42 – 3rd Man – 诶…把这个包起来, 两万是吧. Hey, take care of that. 20,000, ok?
01.45 – Salesman – 是两万
01.48 – 胖子 – 这位兄弟, 你这事办得有点不仗义. Brother, the way you are behaving is not right.
01.51 – 3rd Man – 你怎么了 what is up with you?
01.52- 胖子 – 还讲不讲点古玩行李的规矩 Do I have to remind you about the ancient rules of etiquette? 还讲不讲点古玩行李的规矩你这么叫. 没看见我们这正说着呢麻. Can’t you see that we are speaking?
01.59 – 3rd Man – 要不怎么着你买. If it’s like that then you buy.
02.01- 胖子 – 我
02.04 – Salesman – 你要不要. 你要是不要你别耽误我生意中不中. Do you want it or not? If you don’t want it then stop getting in the way of me doing business.
02.07 – 胖子 – 我当然买了. Of course I will buy it.
Narrator – 就这样胖子一气之下把瓷瓶买了下来. And in this way the fat man bought the vase in a fit of rage.
Scene 2
Having arrived home the fat man sets about researching the history of the vase he has just purchased. He is of the belief that the piece is a piece of Jun Porcelain dating all the way back to the Song Dynasty. This belief may have arisen because the vendor at the market stall said that the piece was found by his Brother in 豫州, an ancient town famous for producing Jun Porcelain.
Beginning in the Tang Dynasty, Jun Porcelain was a special type of porcelain that flourished in the Song Dynasty (宋代) 960-1279 AD. It is considered one of the five special porcelain styles from Ancient China.
The five famous kilns of the Song Dynasty were 官窑 (the Guan kiln)，the 汝窑(the Ru kiln), 钧窑(Jun kiln), 哥窑 (the Ge kiln), and the 定窑(Ding kiln)
Vocabulary related to antique objects
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
| 瓷瓶 | cí píng | vase |
| 钧瓷 |
jūn cí | Jun Porcelain |
| 查阅 | chá yuè | look up |
| 宋代 | sòng dài | Song Dynasty (960 – 1279) |
| 宋朝 |
sòng cháo | Song Dynasty |
| 破瓶 |
pò píng | broken vase |
|
五大名窑 |
wǔ dà míng yáo | 5 special porcelain styles from ancient China |
|
钧窑 |
jūn yáo | The famous Jun Kiln |
| 美金 | měi jīn | US dollars |
| 真货 |
zhēn huò | genuine item |
Having arrived home the fat man is now inspecting his new antique vase, trying to work out the origins and value of his investment.
Transcript
Narrator – 回家后他查阅名种瓷瓶. When he arrived home he looked up some information about the vase. 得知这瓶子是宋代的钧瓷. He found out it was a piece from the Song Dynasty. 媳妇不耐烦的说你拿个破瓶子研究一晚上了. His wife impatiently said: you’ve been examining that broken vase all evening.
02.20 – 胖子 – 破瓶子? 钧瓷 你懂吗? Broken vase? Jun Porcelain.. do you understand? 这是五大名窑之一的钧瓷啊. This is Jun Porcelain, one of the 5 special pottery styles from Ancient china! 瓷器中的皇帝啊. The King of porcelain!
就这么跟你说吧. Let me tell you… 在美国曾经有一件宋朝钧窑的瓷器在美国曾经有一件宋朝钧窑的瓷器拍卖了两百八十万美金呢. Once in America a piece from the Jun Kiln was sold for 2.8 million US dollars.
Narrator: 如果这个瓶子是真货那胖子这一次市真的发财了. If it is a genuine item, then the fat man is truly rich.
Scene 3
Vocabulary
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
| 找 |
zhǎo | find |
| 一位 | yī wèi | measure word for person |
| 鉴定 | jiàn dìng | appraise/ give valuation |
| 专家 | zhuān jiā | expert |
| 但 | dàn | but |
| 摇头 | yáo tóu | shake head |
| 民国时期 | mín guó shí qī | Republic of China period |
| 值 |
zhí | Value |
Narrator – 的二天 胖子特意找了一位意鉴定专家帮忙意鉴. The next day the fat man sought out an expert who could provide him with a valuation. 但专家看完瓷瓶后却直摇头. But after having examined the vase the expert began to shake his head. 这什么宋代的瓷瓶就是民国时期的仿品而已,也就值三五千块千吧. This ‘Song Dynasty’ vase is just an imitation from the Republic of China era, and worth no more than 3 to 5 thousand yuan. 胖子一听这话肠子都要悔青了. When the fat man heard this his stomach turned. 在那个年代2万块钱可是一笔不小的数目, 这些钱还是胖子瞒着媳妇问朋友借的. At that time 20,000 yuan was a lot of money and worse he had borrowed the money from a friend without telling his wife.
Scene 4
In the next scene pangzi, the fat man who is the main character in this story, decides to take his vase back to 潘家园. This is area in Beijing that is famous for it’s flea markets and antique and memorabilia markets. It is well worth a visit if you are ever in Beijing. Make sure you learn from today’s lesson though and don’t make the same mistakes as the fat man.
Instead of cutting his losses our hero now decides he wants to pass these losses on to another unfortunate victim. Therefore, he goes back to the market sets up stall and tries to sell his vase worth 3000 for the same 20,000 yuan that he spent on it.
Vocabulary
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
| 潘家园 | pān jiā yuán | Pan jia yuan |
| 市场 | shì cháng | market |
| 冤大头 | yuān dà tóu | someone with more money that sense |
| 好就没看 |
hǎo jiù méi kàn | long time no see |
| 假 |
jiǎ | fake |
| 真 |
zhēn | genuine |
| 东西 |
dōng xī | Things |
| 胡说八道(idiom) |
hú shuō bā dào | idiom – talk nonsense |
| 面熟 |
miàn shú | a familiar face |
| 回想 |
huí xiǎng | Think back |
| 收拾 |
shōu shí | pick up/tidy |
| 古董点 |
gǔ dǒng diǎn | antique shop |
| 老板 |
lǎo bǎn | manager |
| 分成 |
fēn chéng | to divide |
| 装 |
zhuāng | fake / pretend |
| 告诉 | gào sù | tell |
| 散打 | sàn dǎ | a chinese martial art |
| 冠军 | guān jūn | champion |
| 派出所 |
pài chū suǒ | police station |
| 断定 |
duàn dìng | conclude/judge |
| 骗 | piàn | to cheat/con |
| 河南人 |
hé nán rén | Sb. from Henan |
| 蒙 |
mēng | deceive |
| 立马 | lì mǎ | straight away |
| 合着伙 (合伙) |
hé zhe huǒ | team up |
Narrator – 于是第二天一早胖子就带着瓶子回到了潘家园市场. So the next day the fat man returned to Pan Jia Yuan market with the bottle. 打算找个冤大头将其卖掉. He planned to find someone with more money than sense to sell it on to. 挣不挣钱的倒无所谓只要能卖回那2万块本来行. If he could get his 20,000 yuan back that would be enough.
Before he gets a chance to attract any customers the fat man spots a familiar face. Do you recognise the man from earlier in our story?
3.18 salesman’s friend- 小刘, 好就没看见你了. Hi, xiao long.. long time no see.
3.20 – Salesman 回趟老家. I went back to my hometown.
3.21 – Salesman’s friend – 是不是又倒什么假东西去了. Are you still selling fake things?
3.23 – Salesman – 你别胡说八道. Don’t talk nonsense. 我都是真东西. All my stuff is genuine. 走了啊. (I’m) going.
Narrator – 胖子看着面前的这个男人有点面熟. The fat man found the man’s face familiar. 回想了一下.. he cast his mind back.. 我去这不就是卖给自己假瓷瓶大二人吗?.. I’ve got it, isn’t that the very man who sold me the fake vase? 说时迟那时快胖子赶紧收拾了一下傩位追上去. As soon as he heard these words the fat man picked up his things and started following the man. 不知情的小伙正跟雷子谈着分成的事情. Unaware (of being followed) the young man spoke to Leizi about some matters relating to dividing their profits. 雷子是这家古董点的老板. Leizi is the manager of the antique shop (雷老板). 两人的话还没说完胖子就追了上来. The two men hadn’t finished talking when the fat man caught up.
3.44 – 胖子 – 装
3.45 – The Salesman – 你干吗? What are you doing?
3.45 – 胖子 – 再装. Lie again
3.46 – The salesman – 你放手. Let me go.
3.47 – 胖子 – 再装, 我弄死你. Lie to me again and I’ll kill you.
Narrator – 雷老板见状赶紧上前劝架. Seeing this, Manager Lei quickly stepped in between them.
3.49 – 胖子 – 我知道你们是一伙儿的. 把钱给我. 给我. I understand you are in it together. Give me my money. Give it.
3.52 – The salesman – 我说你想钱想疯了吧你. You say you want money, are you crazy?
To complicate matters we next learn that our hero, the fat man, is a champion in a traditional Chinese martial art called 散打 san da.
3.54 – 胖子 – 你少来这套. Cut out the rubbish. 我告诉你们在连队我可是散打冠军. Let me tell you and the people you are working with: I am a san da champion! 最好别招我. Don’t try me! 招我现在把你们扭派出所去. I’ll take you to the police station right now.
4.01 – 雷老板 – 不是那什么. 你怎么能断定我们合着伙骗你钱了. It’s not like that. How have you come to the conclusion that we colluded together to cheat you out of your money?
4.05 – 胖子 – 你问他. 你问他. 你再装个河南人. Ask him. Last time, when you decieved me you said you were from Henan. 你再装. Do you dare repeat this lie? (I dare you!). 你再说一个我听听你装. Say it again just once, let me hear you deceive me again.
4.09 – The salesman – 你放手你. Let me go.
4.10 – 胖子 – 你给我老买点真够黑的你. 两万块钱你卖给我假瓷瓶. You sold me an antique dishonestly. You sold me a fake antique vase for 20,000 yuan. 你孙子不孙子你. You are a bastards!
4.17 – 雷老板 (Manager of antique shop) – 那什么您别激动. 您激动管用吗您. Don’t get too riled up about this. What will getting riled up achieve? 再者说了, 你怎么能断定你手里那玩意它就是一假货呢. Besides, how can you be sure that the object you are holding is a fake?
4.24 – 胖子 – 它就是一假货. It is a fake!
4.26 – 雷老板 – 假货您原价给我成吗 If it’s fake then give it back in exchange for the original price.
4.27 – 胖子 – 你还蒙我是不是? Are you still trying to deceive me?
4.28 – 雷老板 – 我蒙你干吗 In what way am I cheating you? 这么着你把你手里东西拿给我. 我立马把两万块钱拍给你. Why don’t you give me what you have in your hand? I’ll give you 20,000 yuan immediately.
4.33 – 胖子 – 给你拿. 等会. OK, I will give it to you, wait a moment.
Scene 5
The fifth scene, introduced by the narrator at 4.35, sees the fat man back at home with 20,000 yuan on a table in front of him. He has returned the vase and been refunded all the money. You would think that this was a happy ending. But, thanks to the greedy nature of our hero the story continues…
| Mandarin | Pinyin | English |
| 虽然 | suī rán | although |
| 疑心 | yí xīn | suspicious |
| 思来想去 | sī lái xiǎng qù | mind going backwards and forwards |
| 杂志 | zá zhì | magazine |
| 瓷器 |
cí qì | chinaware/porcelain |
| 而且 |
ér qiě | moreover |
| 发誓 |
fā shì | vowed |
Grammar – Linking words
In the first sentence of this scene the narrator uses a useful grammatical structure:
- 虽然… 可… The first clause begins 虽然 meaning although. The second clause is introduced with 可 meaning but. In Chinese this is a common way of introducing a complex sentence beginning with 虽然 (although). 可 here is short for 可是 kěshì. More commonly the Chinese will use 但是 dànshì, sometimes shortened to 但 dàn.
- 既然 means since. In the case below we see the use of 既然 + 为什么 (why)瓷瓶既然是假的为什么雷老板又将它回去了Since the vase was fake, why was the manager willing to buy it back?
- 而且 this means moreover. The fat man sees that the vase he sold back to the shop is now on sale in a magazine. Moreover (而且) is on sale for a price of 40 万 (400,000 Yuan).
- 越….越… In the dialogue from the narrator below we find the structure in this sample: 越想越气. This is an important structure that is commonly used in conversation. In this case it means the more he though the angrier he became.Find out more about this grammar structure here: More and more
Narrator – 钱虽然是要回来了可胖子却又起了疑心因为他思来想去也不明白 Although he had got his money back he had suspicions that something was awry. 因为他思来想去也不明白. He couldn’t work out why his head mind was going back and forth (spinning). 瓷瓶既然是假的为什么雷老板又将它回去了. Since the vase was fake, why was the manager willing to buy it back? 果然没过几天胖子在一本杂志上看到他卖给雷子那件瓷器居然上了拍卖会. Sure enough, a few days later, the fat man saw the vase that he had sold back to Leizi on sale again (this time) in a magazine. 而且起拍价就是40万. Moreover, the vase was on sale for 400,000 yuan. 胖子越想越气. The more he thought about it the angrier he became. 甚至连死的都有了. He was so angry he wanted to die. 他发誓一定要把瓷瓶再给买回来. He vowed that he would buy the vase back.
Scene 6
Having vowed to take back ownership of the vase our hero goes to the auction house where the vase is being displayed prior to being auctioned off. There he meets 雷老板, to whom he takes a much friendlier tone.
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
| 拍卖行 | pāi mài xíng | auction house |
| 隔天 | gé tiān | the next day |
| 昧良心 | mèi liáng xīn | against your conscience |
| 哭着 |
kū zhe | cry |
| 喊着 | hǎn zhe | to shout |
| 抬 |
tái | raise |
| 价 |
jià | price |
| 狠 |
hěn | ruthless |
| 哥哥 |
gē gē | older brother |
| 古玩行 |
gǔ wán xíng | the antique business |
| 水深 |
shuǐ shēn | hidden depths |
| 开玩笑 |
kāi wán xiào | joke/joking |
| 扯淡 |
chě dàn | nonsense |
| 要不 | yào bù | how about |
| 打 | dǎ | call |
| 110 | 110 | emergency services number |
| 警察 |
jǐng chá | police |
| 作揖 |
zuò yī | bow with hands in front |
| 哭 |
kū qióng | pleading poverty |
Grammar
不管 – 不管 this means regardless. Towards the end of this scene it is used by the fat man as follows: 我不管您说什么这东西我不卖了. Note here he uses the pronoun 我 (I) before the linking word 不管, but that regardless appears at the start of the sentence. In Chinese the grammar appears as follows: I regardless what you say do not want to sell it.
By contrast in the English language regardless would be used in the middle of a complex sentence. It would be used to introduce the second clause, as follows: I do not want to sell it, regardless of what you say.
Narrator – 隔天胖子连班都没上直接去了雷子的拍卖行. The next day instead of going to work the fat man went to Leizi’s auction house where the vase was being displayed.
5.00- 胖子 – 雷老板. 我叫您 雷大爷得了. Lei Boss. I will call you Lei Uncle. 您不能这么蒙我呀. You can’t fool me like that.
5.06 – 雷老板 – 我怎么就蒙你了? How exactly did I deceive you?
5.10- 胖子 – 您明明知道那是宋朝管窑的玩意. You knew full well that that piece had been made in a kiln during the Song Dynasty. 您给我两万,您不觉得昧良心吗?. You gave me 20,000 (for the vase). This doesn’t go against your conscience?
5.06 – 雷老板 – 那东西是假的. 这话您说的吧. That was a fake. You said it yourself. 两万块钱也是您开的价, 您说这做买卖. And wasn’t it you who decided on the price of 20,000 yuan and you said it was a deal. 有哭着喊着您给您抬价的吗*. 生意有这么个做法吗 Is this any way of doing business?
*Note this apparent question is actually an example of a 反问句 – a rhetorical question.
5.28- 胖子 – 不是这东西它值四十万, . No.. this vase is worth 400,000 , you are too ruthless.
5.32 – 雷老板 – 哥哥古玩行的水深了去了. Older the Brother, there are lots of hidden depths to the antique business.
5.36- 胖子 – 我不管您说什么这东西我不卖了. I do not want to sell it, regardless of what you say. 钱我给您, 您把东西给我. I’ll give you the money and you give me the thing.
5.42 – 雷老板 – 您开玩笑呢. You are joking.
5.43- 胖子 – 没有. I’m not
5.44 – 雷老板 – 你可真有意思. You really are interesting. 您认为您想怎么着就能怎么着啊. Do you think you can do whatever you like?. 得了得了 得了得了您该干吗干吗去. Come on now, just leave. 我没时间跟你扯淡. I haven’t time for this nonsense.
5.52- 胖子 –您不能走您可不能走. You can’t leave, you can’t go.
5.54 – 雷老板 – 怎么个意思? 要不我打110找警察来,帮你说和和. What is this? How about I call 110 and ask for the police to come? (they can) help you say what you have to say.
5.58- 胖子 – 我的雷老板算我求求您了行不行. Boss Lei, I beg you… ok?
Narrator – 雷子见胖子又是作揖又是哭穷, 就决定30万卖给他. Seeing the fat man bowing before him and pleading poverty, Boss Lei decided to sell him the vase for 300,000 Yuan.
06.05 – 雷老板 – 30万拿走, 别再跟我讨价还价. You can have it for 300,000, don’t ask me for any further reductions. 四十万你也别想拿走. You don’t want to have to pay 400,000.
Scene 7
Having been offered the vase for 30 万 (300, 000) yuan the fat man is left in a quandary about how he can raise the money.
| Mandarin | Pinyin | English |
| 脑袋 | nǎo dài | head |
| 飞速 | fēi sù | spinning |
| 赚 | zhuàn | profit |
| 凑足 |
còu zú | scrape together |
| 撬 |
撬 | to prise open |
| 橱柜 |
chú guì | cupboard |
| 押 |
yā | mortgage |
| 妻子 |
qī zǐ | wife |
| 得知 | dé zhī | found out |
| 丈夫 |
zhàng fū | husband |
| 彻底 |
chè dǐ | completely |
| 怒 |
nù | furious |
| 败家 |
bài jiā | lost home |
Narrator – 胖子的脑袋里正飞速的想着一个问题. The fat man’s head was sent racing by the following question. 瓶子的起拍价是40万从雷子这里30买过来再一转手就可以白赚10万. The bottle was worth 400,000 yuan, he could buy it for 300,000 and sell it on for a quick and easy 100,000 profit. 这么便宜的买卖哪里找. Where else could he find such a good deal? 为了凑足这些钱胖子跑回家中撬开了橱柜偷走方本. In order to scrape the money together the fat man ran home, prised open a cupboard and stole the family book. 用房子低押了30万. He then re-mortgaged the house to borrow the 300,000.
Note here the book he is taking is the 身
然后再一次去找雷子. Then he went out again to find Lei zi.
6.27- 胖子 – 东西给我东西. Give it. Give it to me.
06.28 – 雷老板 – 你呢. oh, you! 亮子把东西给我. Liang Son, give it to me. 慢走啊您我就不送你. Take care, I wont send for you.
Narrator – 妻子得知丈夫抵押房子本就是为了买瓶子彻底怒了. His wife was completely furious when she learned about him mortgaging the house to buy a vase.
6.45 – 妻子 – 败家吧 败家吧 败家吧 败家吧. Lost our home (this is an insult in Chinese, usually levelled at a man who has put the family home at risk due to poor finacial decision-making.)
In this next part we get to learn the name of the fat man, our flawed hero is actually called 陈自强.
6.52 – 妻子- 陈自强. 陈自强你跟这破古董过吧我不跟你过了. You be with this broken antique, I won’t be with you!
Scene 8
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
| 当晚 | dāng wǎn | that evening |
| 好友 | hǎo yǒu | good friend |
| 杨乖娃 |
yáng guāi wá | name (fat man’s friend) |
| 腾古 | téng gǔ | buy and sell (peddle) |
| 承诺 |
chéng nuò | promise |
| 顺利 |
shùn lì | smoothly (without a hitch) |
| 一拍即合 (idiom) |
yī pāi jí hé | come to an agreement |
| 心思 |
xīn sī | think about |
| 一直 | yī zhí | constantly |
| 旁边 | páng biān | next to |
| 信息 | xìn xī | message |
| 大概 | dà gài | approximately |
| 上午 | shàng wǔ | morning |
Percentages
Note that in this section we are introduced to percentages. We hear the narrator relay that the fat man offered his friend a 百分之10 referral fee. Here 百 means a hundred and 分之 means parts. So he is offering 10 parts of 100, or 10 %. One percent would be represented as 百分之1.
Narrator – 当晚胖子找到了好友杨乖娃, 因为杨乖娃认识很多倒腾古玩的行家. That evening he went to find his friend Yang Liangwa who knew a lot of experts who bought and sold antiques. 胖子许下承诺 等瓶子顺利出手, 就给杨乖娃10%的介绍费. The fat man promised him that they would be able to offload the vase without a hitch and he would give him a 10% referral fee. 两人一拍即合. The two men came to an agreement. 第二天胖子也没有心思工作了一直守在电话旁边等杨乖娃的信息. The next day the fat man didn’t concentrate on his work, instead waited by his phone for a message. 大概上午十点左右电话终于响了. At around 10 in the morning the phone rang.
Scene 9
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
| 哥们 | gē mén | friend – colloquial |
| 只要 | zhī yào | just needs |
| 鉴定机构 |
jiàn dìng jī gòu | the genuine article |
| 然而 | rán ér | buy and sell |
| 拿着 | ná zhe | took |
| 准备 | zhǔn bèi | planned |
| 交易 | jiāo yì | do business |
| 傻眼 | shǎ yǎn | dumbfounded |
| 骗子 |
piàn zǐ | cheat |
| 对不对 |
duì bù duì | yes or no? |
| 数数 |
shù shù | count it |
| 脑袋 | nǎo dài | head |
| 心 |
xīn yǎn | clever |
Grammar note – ‘然而’and ‘却’
然而 is an adversative conjunction. it means ‘however’. it connects sentences expressing opposition. 却 is an adverb. in this sentence it means ‘but’. ‘然而’and ‘却’ are usually used seperately，but sometimes they are used in the same sentence to emphasize the opposition. For example: 我一早就出发，然而当我到学校时却迟到了. Here we have a student who woke up and left for school early, but still (somehow) arrived late at school
7.17 – The fat man’s friend – 我那哥们说了只要你那东西是个鉴定机构. That friend of mine said he just needs that thing to be the genuine article and…不高于低拍价四十万他就收.. he will be able to sell it for no more that 400,000 (yuan).
Narrator – 然而就当胖子拿着古董准备去交易时却直按傻眼了. Despite the fat man picking up the vase and planning to do business, when he arrived he couldn’t believe his eyes. 这不就是前两天给他鉴定花瓶的那个人吗? Wasn’t that the man who had given him the valuation for his vase a couple of days ago? 专家很肯地说这就是一件民国的仿品. The expert assuredly explained that the vase was indeed from the Republic of China period.
7.35 – 胖子 – 骗子. 你跟雷子一伙的. You are working with Leizi. 对不对? Isn’t that right? 你们合伙骗我对不对? You are working together to cheat me, isn’t that right?
07.39 胖子 friend – 干吗呢. What are you doing?
7.40 – 胖子 – 他们都是骗子. They are all cheats.
7.45 – The Expert – 你数数 四十万. Count it, it’s 400,000 (yuan). 少一分钱你要我脑袋都行. If there is a penny less you can have my head. 这一次胖子多长了个心眼. This time the fat man was a bit smarter.
Scene 10
| Chinese |
Pinyin |
English |
| 带着 |
dài zhe | took |
| 鉴定机构 |
jiàn dìng jī gòu | Forensic science institute* |
| 不久 |
bù jiǔ | after a short time |
| 结果 |
jié guǒ | results |
| 出来了 |
chū lái le | came back |
| 根据 |
gēn jù | according to |
| 检验 |
jiǎn yàn | test |
| 结果 | jié guǒ | results |
| 本来 |
běn lái | initially |
| 财迷心窍 |
cái mí xīn qiào | idiom = money mad |
| 古玩行 |
gǔ wán xíng | The antiques industry |
* Note that the 鉴定机构 jiàn dìng jī gòu referred to here is a kind of laboratory where we can get laboratory tests on an object or person. There are probably different deparments, some for testing for diseases, such as covid. The department our characters will be visiting though is presumably to do some kind of carbon dating to see how old the vase really is.
Narrator – 他带着好友杨乖娃和专家三人一起来到鉴定机构. He took his friend 杨乖娃 and the expert to a forensic science laboratory. 不久结果出来了. After a short time the results came back.
7.57 The Lab Technician – 根据检验的结果为近代放平. According to the test results the vase was a copy made in recent times. 树根都在上面写着您自己看吧. The findings are all written here, see for yourself.
Narrator – 真是每天上一当当当不一样啊. Every day he was being tricked, but in a different way. 本来亏了2万块钱已经回来了. 但胖子财迷心窍又抵押房本花30万再一次将假瓷品买回来. Initially his losses were 20,000 yuan, but he had got this back. Then he had mortgaged his house for 300,000 yuan only to buy the fake vase back.
Scene 11
| Chinese |
Pinyin |
English |
| 走投无路 |
zǒu tóu wú lù | no way out / run out of road |
| 赔礼 |
péi lǐ | make amends |
| 歉 |
qiàn | say sorry |
| 仗义 |
zhàng yì | fair |
| 还给 |
huán gěi | return |
| 学费 |
xué fèi | tuition fee |
| 劝 |
quàn | persuaded |
| 不懂 |
bù dǒng | don’t understand |
| 行 | xíng | industry |
| 58 | 58 | a recruitment website (famous in China) |
| 沾 |
zhān | touch (go near) |
| 本来呢 |
běn lái ne | originally |
| 规矩 | guī jǔ | regulations |
Grammar note: 要不然
Narrator – 走投无路的胖子只能第三次找到雷子. Having no way out the only thing the fat man could do was to find Lei Zi, for a third time. 向他赔礼道歉 希望雷老板能把钱还给自己. He offered his apologies to Manager Lei in the hope he would give him his money back. 要不然我就家破人亡了. If not he would lose his family. 雷老板非仗义还给了胖子20万. Manager Lei very fairly offered to return 280,000 (for the vase). 那2块钱就当交学费了. The other 20,000 yuan would be the tuition fee. 雷老板还劝胖子不懂这行就不要硬向里面挤. Manager Lei also suggested (persuaded) to the fat man that if you don’t know the industry, then you shouldn’t try to work in it. 你可以你可以去58上找个工作. 一定不要在沾古董这行了. You can try to find a job on the 58 website. You shouldn’t go near the antiques business.
08.34 – 雷老板 – 这钱您拿回去吧. 全当您这东. You take the money. And I’ll have the thing (the vase). 二十八万我又收回来. I’ll pay you 280,000 yuan. 本来呢这两万块钱也想还给你可是古玩行的规矩. Originally I planned to also give you the other 20,000 but in the antiques industry there are regulations. 本来呢这两万块钱也想还给你可是古玩行的规矩. Originally I intended to give you the other 20,000 as well, but in the antiques industry there are regulations. 这么跟您说吧您要是不交点学费啊就您肚子里这样瓶子墨水在这行当里瞎逛荡. 您早晚得赔个