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Note: The spoken Chinese Mandarin language has 4 spoken tones. We have attempted to re-create those below where after each syllable we tell you (1), (2), (3), or (4) as they correspond to each of the 4 tones. We encourage you to complement your Xianzai.com Emergency Chinese newsletter with a good offline study program.

Karaoke: ka(3) la(1) OK

NEW WORDS:
Karaoke: ka(3) la(1)OK
Beer: pi(2) jiu(3)
Snacks: xiao(3) chi(1)
Song list: ge(1) qu(3) dan(1)
Bill: zhang(4) dan(1)

LESSON:

• Do you have karaoke here?
  ni(3) men zhe(4) li(3) you(3) ka(3) la(1) OK ma?
• Please bring some beer?
  qing(3) na(2) yi(4) xie(1) pi(2) jiu(3) lai(2).
• What type of snacks do you have?
  ni(1) men dou(1) you(3) shen(2) mo yang(4) de xiao(3) chi(1)?
• Can I see the song list please?
  wo(3) neng(2)kan(4) kan(4) ge(1) qu(3) mu(4) lu(4) ma?
• We would like the bill.
  wo(3) men yao(4) jie(2) zhang(4).

* Tip: Karaoke! The insanely fun Japanese invention has taken China by storm. Long popular in Taiwan, it seems that a new karaoke place is going up on every corner in the major cities of mainland China (and even in the countryside).

Karaoke is great fun for all. Leave your inhibitions behind, bring some beer money and have a great time belting out songs in English or Chinese.

The most popular karaoke tunes are songs by Coco Lee, Sandy Lam and Faye Wong. It takes a while to learn a Chinese song, but you will astound your Chinese friends if you can deliver a heart-felt version of Sandy Lam's 'Zhi Shao Hai You Ni'!