A sketch of a Las Vegas casino comes with a speech bubble claiming you won’t find a single 钟 inside.
钟 (zhōng) means “clock,” the kind on a wall or a tower, and also “bell.” A wristwatch is 手表 (shǒubiǎo).
钟 also shows up in time words: 三点钟 (sān diǎnzhōng), three o’clock; 十分钟 (shí fēnzhōng), ten minutes.
墙上有一个钟。 — Qiáng shang yǒu yí ge zhōng. — There is a clock on the wall.
我等了十分钟。 — Wǒ děng le shí fēnzhōng. — I waited ten minutes.
A man walks his dog on a long leash, but five balloons hold the dog up in the air like a kite. Still a 狗.
狗 (gǒu) means “dog.” A puppy is 小狗 (xiǎo gǒu). Count dogs with 只 (zhī) or 条 (tiáo): 一只狗, one dog.
To walk a dog is 遛狗 (liù gǒu).
他每天晚上遛狗。 — Tā měitiān wǎnshang liù gǒu. — He walks the dog every evening.
你喜欢狗还是猫？ — Nǐ xǐhuan gǒu háishi māo? — Do you like dogs or cats?
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A red roly-poly bear has been knocked over thousands of times and always pops back up. When a hand finally tucks it into bed, it says: 谢谢.
谢谢 (xièxie) means “thank you.” It is one character said twice, and the second 谢 is light and short. To thank a person, add them after it: 谢谢你 (xièxie nǐ).
The usual reply is 不客气 (bú kèqi), “you’re welcome,” or 不用谢 (bú yòng xiè), “no need to thank me.” The wobbly toy itself is a 不倒翁 (bùdǎowēng), literally “old man who never falls.”
谢谢你的帮助。 — Xièxie nǐ de bāngzhù. — Thank you for your help.
谢谢！不客气。 — Xièxie! Bú kèqi. — Thanks! You’re welcome.
A caveman sees an older woman step into an elevator and a young woman step out, and decides: “I should put my wife into this machine!” That machine is a 电梯.
电梯 (diàntī) means “elevator” or “lift.” 电 means electricity and 梯 means ladder or stairs, so it is “electric stairs.” An escalator is 自动扶梯 (zìdòng fútī).
To take the elevator is 坐电梯 (zuò diàntī).
我们坐电梯上去吧。 — Wǒmen zuò diàntī shàngqu ba. — Let’s take the elevator up.
电梯坏了。 — Diàntī huài le. — The elevator is broken.
