URLLesson Introduction
Sometimes bathroom stalls in China don't have doors on them. Though this may seem shocking to some, it's quite convenient when faced with the dilemma of whether to push the door open to potential stall going-ons, or not. But for those more uncertain times, when you are blocked by those troublesome stall doors, here is a Mandarin Chinese lesson that will help you to rouse any occupants before you waltz in to do your business.
Comments 
To comment, please login.
Comments Policy
Allowed comments do not necessarily represent the views of ChinesePod.com. We also reserve the right to reject personal attacks, false/unsubstantiated allegations, spamming of any kind, and comments that include vulgar language or libelous statements.
New lesson idea? Please let us know at chinesepod@praxislanguage.com.
chris says
January 18, 2008
Cpod, I think the photo for this lesson should be for the "You first" lesson, rather than "Is someone in here?". Thanks
vann0000 says
January 18, 2008
很好演奏。
changye says
January 18, 2008
You sometimes encounter a very “desirable” toilet in an old restaurant in China, which means that a door lock is broken, there is no hook to hang your coat and bag, no toilet paper, the toilet floor is not so clean and you have very limited space for your feet. But you have no choice but to use it since it is an emergency. Think of a guy who is doing his business in an acrobatic pose, i.e. with his left hand grasping the doorknob tightly, right arm holding a big bag, his legs wide open just like playing Twister, only hoping that nobody will come until everything is finished, or hoping someone will come and donate toilet tissue to him. 我有点着急 (wo3 you3dian3 zhao2 ji2) It’s a bit urgent!
tosh says
January 18, 2008
How silly of me.I thought the illustration was of a bus not a mobile toilet.
garry says
January 18, 2008
Maybe it is considered polite to say 你先 if you have to use the 洗手间, if there is more than 一个人。Or maybe it is strategic to send someone else in first!
howard97 says
January 18, 2008
Dear Cpod could we have the Chinese for the following (British) English places Bathroom (place where you take a bath) Rest room (place where you take a rest nothing to do whatsoever with number 1 or 2's) Toilet (place where you do your toilette (as in French)) "Bog", "Stones" "Back" "yard" Please why are Americans so embarressed to say Toilet? Howard97
mei9 says
January 18, 2008
hahaha,真的很有用的课程：）
mouseneb says
January 19, 2008
I think it's interesting that although the man doesn't reply when the woman asks if anyone is there, she's the one who apologizes to him. I would think it would be the other way around, but perhaps that's a cultural issue? The other thing that continually baffles me is that even when the lock on the door is functional, I find a lot of people don't bother/remember to lock it, leading to embarrassing intrusions! Guess I better remember to ask.... 有人吗?
ingmar says
January 19, 2008
Quite so Howard79, can you imagine how they feel about the words W.C. or lavatory? Over here we sometimes talk about the "dunny or the loo". Your question must be a rhetorical one, for the answer is obvious; sex is allright but oh no.. not the other!
excuter says
January 19, 2008
@ howard97 toilet 马桶 mǎ tǒng / 厕所 cè suǒ / 卫生间 wèi shēng jiān washroom 洗手间 xǐ shǒu jiān bathe/shower 洗澡 xǐ zǎo restroom 休息室 xiū xī shì back yard 后院 hòu yuàn bog 沼泽 zhǎo zé Stones 石头 shí tou
excuter says
January 19, 2008
alternative dialouge: a: 有人吗 yǒu rén mǎ? (anyone in here?) b: 没有人 méi yǒu rén (nobody) a: 好，我进来 hǎo, wǒ jìn lái
excuter says
January 19, 2008
(ok, I come in)
bazza says
January 19, 2008
Nice image there, changye. lol
aert says
January 19, 2008
Apropos of the puritanical replacement of "stone" by "rock", there is a story of an anthropologist who had discovered a tribe without a language. This later turned out to be a "secondary phenomenon". The tribe had been under the guidance of missionaries, who told them to use only words that evoked no sexual associations. Since their language had no words meeting this standard, they had given up speech.
architpol says
January 19, 2008
Another very good and useful lesson. 有人吗 yǒu rén mǎ? How does a Chinese dog answer, "woof -woof!"
everett says
January 19, 2008
Where I was staying in China two or three people would squat next to each other or stand at the bucket doing their business at the same time. What would be embarrassing would be excusing yourself and turning around if you came in when someone else was there. No one minded.
rjberki says
January 19, 2008
according to the picture, the question might need to be 有狗马？ Its not patti, legs are too long.:-) Changye - any theories?
eyux says
January 19, 2008
A Chinese friend says penalties for fouling the pavement can be heavy and city dwellers train their little dogs to use the toilet. They need some human help, of course, but know what to do when held over the pan. Has anyone else heard of this? Not nice for the dog-owner, but better than poop-scooping, surely? The UK would be pleasanter if dog owners here did this, too. The dog(?) in the picture must have taken the training a step further and gone solo!
kate22 says
January 19, 2008
I don't think Meiguoren are upset by the term toilet... heck, we even have a metaphor for it's alternative use: bowing down and giving offering to the Porcelain God!
msikora224 says
January 19, 2008
I don't think Americans are upset by the word toilet 100% of the time either. If you say, "My toilet is broken" nobody blinks. But on the other hand, if you say "I need to use the toilet" it evokes an image most Americans don't want to confront - at least not at dinner.
brandonruss says
January 19, 2008
We Americans do love to say toilet. I try to maneuver the word in to casual conversation as often as possible. Toilet. See?
mouseneb says
January 20, 2008
I think the difference in usage for Americans is that for us, the toilet is the actual porcelain fixture, so inside the bathroom you can see a sink, a toilet, and a bathtub. In BE toilet means the whole room, yes?
bazza says
January 20, 2008
No, if it's a proper bathroom it is a bathroom, we're just more specific about what we're going to do hehe. We wouldn't called public toilets a bathroom.
eyux says
January 20, 2008
Wasn't "toilet" originally a euphemism? It's from the French "toilette"= "little towel", referring to washing, putting on make-up etc. Ironic that we can now be embarrassed by a euphemism!
antoniov says
January 20, 2008
When should I use "对不起" (duibuqi) or "不好意思" (buhaoyisi)?
steeveepee33 says
January 20, 2008
I was wondering, are there any lessons covering chinese chess? If not, is it possible to see some in the near future?
maxiewawa says
January 20, 2008
antoniov, 对不起 and 不好意思 are interchangeable for the most part, 对不起 is perhaps the stronger of the two, but I can't really see a social situation where one is appropriate and the other is not. I wonder why a woman knocks on a stall door and where a man is doing his business. Wouldn't one of them say "sorry, I think you're in the wrong room"?
amber says
January 20, 2008
Hi antoniov, Please check out this Qing Wen episode on that very topic: http://chinesepod.com/extra/saying-sorry/discussion
kaori says
January 21, 2008
Very useful. Thank you!
pattyt says
January 21, 2008
is it true that men and women use the same restroom?
clay says
January 21, 2008
Pattyt you see it from time to time. At least in shanghai, it is not the norm however.
partygo says
January 22, 2008
I'm a chinese from Guangzhou, Guangdong province,now am learning English.Someone who wants to learn Chinese may add my icq#357009206.Then we can make good friends and communicate each other. I'd be glad to be acquainted with you.
partygo says
January 22, 2008
If you face the problem mentioned in the article,don't know if there is any other person inside,also you may knocked at the door gently,then the person inside may say some words, such as "有人了"
pipsy says
January 22, 2008
How would you say "shit or get off the pot!" ?
partygo says
January 22, 2008
How would you say "shit or get off the pot!" ? If you want to shit, in chinese, you can say"我去方便一下wo3qu4 fang1 bian4 yi4 xia4".It's a civilized speaking. Also,you can say"我去一下洗手间wo3qu4yi4xia4xi3shou3jian1".Both of them are generally used.
adamrobitel says
January 23, 2008
This has to be the coolest language site I've ever come across. You guys are super professional and frankly hilarious. This is great leap forward!!!
hander says
January 24, 2008
I agree with adamrobitel - this site is really good for learning with excellent, funny dialogues.
clay says
January 28, 2008
adamrobitel and hander, glad yall like what we do around here. Dont be strangers. -clay
leeinengland says
February 3, 2008
In Harbin, North China, my younger students ask, "Teacher, can I go to the W.C."? I'm not exactly sure how they latched onto it, but they do say it. Where possible I teach my native English and North American / Canadian variants, just so the students are aware of the differences. In the UK, we are asking where the TOILET is, not the room it's housed in; otherwise we'd call it a toiletroom, wouldn't we? Blame it on the Romans. A bathroom is a room in which to bathe, by use of a facility known as a bath. Swimming pools used to be called baths. I wouldn't want to bathe in a toilet. I think C-pod has gone with the Americanisms because the majority audience my well be from North America and Canada. Maybe we should change the reference to the toilet (room) completely to, 'fecal ejection facility', or 'post consumption depository', or even, 'evacuation chamber'. Ah! How about, 'business suite'? Enjoy doing your business! Lee.
shakyashailen says
February 10, 2008
真不好意思！！！！ Nobody should be disturbed atleast in toilet.
angela2 says
February 17, 2008
Have just been in Shanghai and was impressed by western toilets everywhere - they're not common in Gansu.
tdmick says
March 12, 2008
whew! Thank you for that tidbit of info angela2. I am finding myself feeling ever growing anxiety over this issue as my trip to Beijing draws closer and closer - call me a wimp
caramonn says
May 17, 2008
My worst toilet was in a small city in north China in year 2004. I swear I almost threw out because of the smell. There were some kind of dead animals rotting away inside the toilet. I mean I have been to many toilet in China dirty, smelly but I never saw this again. This was really bad. Infection could start from this toilet. gosh.