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@ 31028 Birth by Chinese Zodiac
A: 老公，我們虎年生寶寶吧。
laˇogo¯ ng, woˇmen huˇ nia´n she¯ ng baˇobao ba.
Honey, let’s have a baby in the year of the Tiger.
B: 千嗎一定要虎年啊？
ga`nma´
y¯ıd`ıng ya`o huˇ
nia´n a?
Why in the world do have to have one from the year of the Tiger?
A: 生肖好，寶寶的命就好聽。
she¯ ngxia`o haˇo, baˇobao de m`ıng jiu`
haˇo ma.
If he’s born under a lucky sign, the baby’s life will be good.
B: 不會吧，你那麼迷信？
bu`hu`ı ba, nˇı na`me m´ıx`ın?
No way. How can you be so superstitious?
A: 有些生肖就是不吉利，比如羊啊、牛啊。
yoˇu xie¯
she¯ ngxia`o jiu`sh`ı bu`
j´ıl`ı, bˇıru´
ya´ng a, niu´ a.
Some zodiac signs are not auspicious, like the ram and the bull.
B: 你自己就是屬羊的，有什麼不好？
nˇı z`ıjˇı jiu`sh`ı shuˇ
ya´ng de, yoˇu she´nme bu`
haˇo?
You’re from the year of the ram yourself. What’s the matter with that?
A: 好什麼呀！
haˇo she´nme ya!
What’s good about it?
B: 大家都喜歡的生肖才不好呢。
da`jia¯
do¯ u xˇıhuan de she¯ ngxia`o ca´i bu`
haˇo ne.
The popular zodiac signs are actually the worst.
A: 怎麼？
zeˇnme?
What?
B: 你想，大家都生，寶寶長大以後，競爭肯定很激
烈。
nˇı xiaˇng, da`jia¯
do¯ u she¯ ng, baˇobao zhaˇngda`
yˇıho`u, j`ıng-
zhe¯ ng keˇnd`ıng heˇn j¯ılie`.
Think about it. If everyone has their baby, after they grow up, the competition will be really fierce.
A: 反正我要虎寶寶。
faˇnzhe`ng woˇ
ya`o huˇ
baˇobao.
Well, anyway, I want a Tiger Baby.
B: 那如果錯過了，我們要等十二年？
na`
ru´guoˇ
cuo`guo`
le, woˇmen ya`o deˇng sh´ı e`r nia´n?
If we miss it, we’ll have to wait another twelve years?
A: 不用。龍也不錯。
bu`yo`ng. lo´ng yeˇ bu`cuo`.
No need. The Year of the Dragon is also fine.
B: 哎......
a¯ i......
Yeesh.
---Key Vocabulary---
虎年 huˇnia´n the year of the tiger
生 she¯ ng to give birth to
千嗎 ga`nma´ why
一定要 y¯ıd`ıng ya`o must
生肖 she¯ ngxia`o zodiac sign
命 m`ıng destiny
迷信 m´ıx`ın superstitious
吉利 j´ıl`ı auspicious
屬 shuˇ to belong to
長大 zhaˇngda` to grow up
以後 yˇıho`u afterward
競爭 j`ıngzhe¯ ng competition
肯定 keˇnd`ıng to be sure
激烈 j¯ılie` intense
反正 faˇnzhe`ng anyway
錯過 cuo`guo` to miss
---Supplementary Vocabulary---
性格 x`ıngge´ personality
本命年 beˇnm`ıngnia´n twelfth anniversary of the year of one’s birth
運氣 yu`nqi luck
農曆 no´ngl`ı lunar calendar
鼠 shuˇ rat
牛 niu´ cow
虎 huˇ tiger
兔 tu` rabbit
龍 lo´ng dragon
蛇 she´ snake
馬 maˇ horse
羊 ya´ng sheep
猴 ho´u monkey
雞 j¯ı chicken
狗 goˇu dog
豬 zhu¯ pig
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