Intermediate - Buying a Book (C1799)

A: 你好,我要买一本书,能帮我找一下吗?
nǐhǎo, wǒ yào mǎi yī běn shū, néng bāng wǒ zhǎo yīxià ma?
Hi, I want to buy a book. Can you help me look for it?
B: 书名是什么?
shūmíng shì shénme?
What's the name of the book?
A: 好像是明朝什么什么,后面的我记不太清了。
hǎoxiàng shì Míngcháo shénme shénme, hòumian de wǒ jì bù tài qīng le.
I think it's 'Ming Dynasty' something or other. I can't really remember the rest.
B: 不知道书名怎么找啊,我们书店这么多书。那,讲什么的你知道不?
bù zhīdào shūmíng zěnme zhǎo a, wǒmen shūdiàn zhème duō shū. nà, jiǎng shénme de nǐ zhīdào bù?
How can we search for it if you don't know the name? Our bookstore has so many books. Do you know what the book is about?
A: 是讲明朝的历史的。
shì jiǎng Míngcháo de lìshǐ de.
It's about the history of the Ming Dynasty.
B: 那应该属于历史类的。出版社呢?
nà yīnggāi shǔyú lìshǐ lèi de. chūbǎnshè ne?
Then it's probably under history. Who's the publisher?
A: 这个我真的不知道。
zhè ge wǒ zhēnde bù zhīdào.
That I really don't know.
B: 作者是谁?
zuòzhě shì shéi?
Who's the author?
A: 作者是叫什么月的,是他的网名。这原来是一本网络小说,在网上很红。
zuòzhě shì jiào shénme yuè de, shì tā de wǎngmíng. zhè yuánlái shì yī běn wǎngluò xiǎoshuō, zài wǎngshàng hěn hóng.
The author is Yue something. It's his internet name. This book was originally an internet novel. It's really popular online.
B: 你看看,是不是这本?
nǐ kàn kan, shì bu shì zhè běn?
Take a look. Is it this one?
A: 对对对,就是这本!
duì duì duì, jiùshì zhè běn!
Yes, yes, yes! It's this one!
B: 在那边的书架上。
zài nàbiān de shūjià shàng.
It's over on that bookshelf.
A: 哦,谢谢!
ò, xièxie!
Oh, thanks!

Key Vocabulary

书名 shūmíng book name
好像 hǎoxiàng to seem as if
明朝 Míngcháo Ming dynasty
to remember
记不清 jìbuqīng to not remember clearly
书店 shūdiàn bookstore
jiǎng to discuss
历史 lìshǐ history
属于 shǔyú to belong to
lèi type
出版社 chūbǎnshè publisher
作者 zuòzhě author
yuè moon
网名 wǎngmíng internet name
原来 yuánlái originally
běn [measure word]
网络 wǎngluò internet
小说 xiǎoshuō novel
hóng popular
书架 shūjià bookshelf

Supplementary Vocabulary

出版 chūbǎn to publish
《明朝那些事儿》 Míngcháo nàxiē shìr "Those Things from the Ming Dynasty" (book name)
当年明月 Dāngniánmíngyuè Dang Nian Ming Yue (name)
编辑 biānjí editor
主编 zhǔbiān editor-in-chief

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