Upper-Intermediate - Chinese Antiques (D0289)

我昨天逛古董店，看到一把明代的椅子。老板开价3万，说是少见的精品。你说现在还有可能买到真正的明代家具吗？
wǒ zuótiān guàng gǔdǒngdiàn ，kàndào yī bǎ Míngdài de yǐzi 。lǎobǎn kāijià sānwàn ，shuō shì shǎo jiàn de jīngpǐn 。nǐ shuō xiànzài hái yǒu kěnéng mǎidào zhēnzhèng de Míngdài jiājù ma ？
Yesterday I was looking around in an antique shop and I saw a chair from the Ming dynasty. The shop owner asked 300,000 yuan for it and claimed it was a rare and unique work of art. Do you think it's still possible to buy authentic Ming dynasty furniture?

中国家具有数千年的发展历史，现在市场上主要是明清两代的家具。古董家具的价值主要取决于年代、材质、稀有性、完整性等。所以总的来说，与清代家具相比，明代家具的价值更高。
Zhōngguó jiājù yǒu shùqiān nián de fāzhǎn lìshǐ ，xiànzài shìchǎng shang zhǔyào shì Míng Qīng liǎng dài de jiājù 。gǔdǒng jiājù de jiàzhí zhǔyào qǔjué yú niándài 、cáizhì 、xīyǒu xìng 、wánzhěngxìng děng 。suǒyǐ zǒngdeláishuō ，yǔ Qīngdài jiājù xiāngbǐ ，Míngdài jiājù de jiàzhí gènggāo 。
Chinese furniture has been developing for several thousand years, and the majority of furniture on the antique market today originates from the Ming and Qing dynasties. The value of a piece of antique furniture is mainly determined by age, quality of materials, rarity, intactness of the piece, etc. So, generally speaking, if you compare Ming and Qing dynasty furniture, Ming dynasty furniture is more valuable.

噢，原来是这样。不过现在，好多古董家具都是仿制品。你有什么分辨的窍门吗？
ō ，yuánlái shì zhèyàngde 。bùguò xiànzài ，hǎo duō gǔdǒng jiājù dōu shì fǎngzhìpǐn 。nǐ yǒu shénme fēnbiàn de qiàomén ma ？
Oh, I see. But nowadays a lot of antique furniture is just replicas. Do you have any tricks for distinguishing the two?

简单地说，可以从材质、造型和工艺三方面来分辨。在造型方面，明代家具高雅、简约，达到了艺术顶峰。这是因为当时的家具大多由文人设计，因此融入了自己独特的思想和性格。
jiǎndān de shuō ，kěyǐ cóng cáizhì 、zàoxíng hé gōngyì sān fāngmiàn lái fēnbiàn 。zài zàoxíng fāngmiàn ，Míngdài jiājù gāoyǎ 、jiǎnyuē ，dádào le yìshù dǐngfēng 。zhè shì yīnwèi dàngshí de jiājù dàduō yóu wénrén shèjì ，yīncǐ róngrù le zìjǐ dútè de sīxiǎng hé xìnggé 。
To put it simply, you can distinguish them by looking at three things: the quality of the materials, the design, and the craftsmanship. With regards to the design, Ming dynasty furniture is elegant and precise, having reached a peak as an art form. During that time, furniture was mainly designed by scholars; therefore the design became a reflection of their own unique philosophies and character.

对啊，清代家具相比之下就完全不同了。设计更加复杂，深受宫廷家具的影响。就算一张饭桌的桌脚，都被雕刻得非常细致。
duìā ，Qīngdài jiājù xiāngbǐ zhīxià jiù wánquán bùtóng le 。shèjì gèngjiā fùzá ，shēnshòu gōngtíng jiājù de yǐngxiǎng 。jiùsuàn yī zhāng fànzhuō de zhuōjiǎo ，dōu bèi diāokè de fēicháng xìzhì 。
Yeah, in comparison, Qing dynasty furniture is completely different. The design is more complex, heavily influenced by the furniture of the imperial court. Even a dining room table leg was meticulously carved.

哎，你倒是很了解嘛。其实古董家具最神奇的就是制作工艺，不用一颗钉子就能做出一件完整的家具。
āi ，nǐ dàoshì hěn liǎojiě ma 。qíshí gǔdǒng jiājù zuì shénqí de jiùshì zhìzuò gōngyì ，bùyòng yī kē dīngzi jiù néng zuòchū yījiàn wánzhěng de jiājù 。
Wow, you really have a thorough understanding. Actually, the most amazing thing about antique furniture is the craftsmanship with which it was made. Without using a single nail, a complete piece of furniture could be crafted.

我只知道古董家具这几年很受欢迎，却不知道其中有这么多知识。真是佩服前人的智慧和品味。
wǒ zhǐ zhīdào gǔdǒng jiājù zhè jǐ nián hěn shòu huānyíng ，quèbù zhīdào qízhōng yǒu zhème duō zhīshi 。zhēnshì pèifú qiánrén de zhìhuì hé pǐnwèi 。
I only know that antique furniture in the past few years has been very popular, but I had no idea that there was so much to know about it. I really admire our forefathers' wisdom and fine tastes.

Vocabulary

逛	guàng	to browse merchandise
古董店	gǔdǒngdiàn	antique store
明代	Míngdài	Ming Dynasty
开价	kāijià	to quote a price
精品	jīngpǐn	quality goods
家具	jiājù	furniture
古董	gǔdǒng	antique
价值	jiàzhí	value
材质	cáizhì	quality of the material
稀有	xīyǒu	rare
清代	Qīngdài	Qing dynasty
仿制品	fǎngzhìpǐn	imitation
窍门	qiàomén	trick
造型	zàoxíng	design
工艺	gōngyì	craftmanship
高雅	gāoyǎ	elegant
简约	jiǎnyuē	minimalist
顶峰	dǐngfēng	peak
雕刻	diāokè	carved
细致	xìzhì	detailed
品味	pǐnwèi	taste
大件	dàjiàn	large objects (luggage,furniture,etc.)
至少	zhìshǎo	at least
增长	zēngzhǎng	to increase
广泛	guǎngfàn	extensive
辨别	biànbié	to differentiate; to discriminate
吉祥	jíxiáng	lucky
寿桃	shòutáo	birthday peaches
长寿	chángshòu	longevity
诀窍	juéqiào	secret of success, knack
结合	jiéhé	to combine
四大发明	sìdà fāmíng	the four great inventions
关注	guānzhù	pay close attention to
黑心钱	hēixīnqián	money earned through evil
光明正大	guānmíngzhèngdà	just and honorable