Book 1, Lesson 4: Shopping and Money
The complete vocabulary list for A Course in Contemporary Chinese Book 1, Lesson 4—covering buying things, asking prices, and navigating Taiwan's convenience stores and shops.
Lesson 4 puts money in your pocket and sends you shopping.
Note: This page serves as a companion to the A Course in Contemporary Chinese series by the Mandarin Training Center of the National Taiwan Normal University. You can use this post as a reference, but we strongly advise you to purchase the book to get the full didactic value it offers.
After learning to introduce yourself, discuss your family, and make plans with friends, Book 1 Lesson 4 of A Course in Contemporary Chinese (Dangdai) teaches you how to buy things—from a steaming 包子 at a convenience store to a new 手機 at an electronics shop.
This is survival vocabulary. Within your first days in Taiwan, you will need to ask prices, understand numbers in the hundreds and thousands, and navigate the essential question every shop clerk will ask: 外帶還是內用？(Takeaway or eating here?)
The Theme: Transactions and Commerce
The scenario of Lesson 4 revolves around buying and selling. Someone orders food at a shop. Someone else considers purchasing a new phone. Prices are discussed, sizes are chosen, and money changes hands.
Taiwan runs on small transactions. Convenience stores on every corner, night market stalls, breakfast shops, tea stands—you will engage in commercial exchanges multiple times daily. This lesson gives you the tools.
The vocabulary divides into several categories:
Money and Numbers
The currency vocabulary you need: 錢 (money), 塊 (dollar/NT$), and the larger numbers 百 (hundred), 千 (thousand), 萬 (ten thousand). Taiwan uses a base-10,000 counting system that differs from English—萬 has no direct English equivalent.
Shopping Verbs
The actions of commerce: 買 (to buy), 賣 (to sell), 要 (to want). Simple verbs that form the backbone of every transaction.
Size and Description
Words that help you specify what you want: 大 (big), 中 (medium), 小 (small), 新 (new), 舊 (old), 熱 (hot). These adjectives appear constantly in ordering situations.
Food and Objects
Concrete nouns for things you will buy: 包子 (steamed bun), 手機 (cell phone), 杯 (cup/glass). Your vocabulary for the physical world expands significantly.
Store Language
The phrases that define the shopping experience: 外帶 (takeaway), 內用 (dine-in), 老闆 (boss/shop owner), 微波 (microwave). These are the words you will hear and use in every convenience store and small shop.
Vocabulary Table
Click any character to view stroke order, pronunciation, and example sentences in our dictionary.
| Character | Pinyin | Meaning | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 一共 | yígòng | altogether; in total | Adverb |
| 多少 | duōshǎo | how much; how many | Question word |
| 錢 | qián | money | Noun |
| 老闆 | lǎobǎn | boss; shop owner | Noun |
| 買 | mǎi | to buy | Verb |
| 杯 | bēi | cup; glass (measure word for drinks) | Measure word/Noun |
| 熱 | rè | hot | Adjective |
| 包子 | bāozi | steamed bun | Noun |
| 要 | yào | to want; to need | Verb |
| 大 | dà | big; large | Adjective |
| 中 | zhōng | medium; middle | Adjective |
| 小 | xiǎo | small; little | Adjective |
| 幫 | bāng | to help | Verb |
| 微波 | wéibō | to microwave; microwave | Verb/Noun |
| 百 | bǎi | hundred | Number |
| 塊 | kuài | dollar; piece (measure word for money) | Measure word |
| 好的 | hǎo de | okay; alright | Phrase |
| 外帶 | wàidài | takeaway; to-go | Noun/Verb |
| 內用 | nèiyòng | dine-in; for here | Noun/Verb |
| 支 | zhī | (measure word for pens, phones, etc.) | Measure word |
| 新 | xīn | new | Adjective |
| 手機 | shǒujī | cell phone; mobile phone | Noun |
| 太 | tài | too; excessively | Adverb |
| 舊 | jiù | old (for objects); used | Adjective |
| 了 | le | (particle indicating change/completion) | Particle |
| 種 | zhǒng | kind; type (measure word) | Measure word |
| 能 | néng | can; to be able to | Auxiliary verb |
| 上網 | shàngwǎng | to go online; to use the internet | Verb |
| 那 | nà | that; then; in that case | Demonstrative/Conjunction |
| 貴 | guì | expensive | Adjective |
| 賣 | mài | to sell | Verb |
| 便宜 | piányi | cheap; inexpensive | Adjective |
| 萬 | wàn | ten thousand | Number |
| 千 | qiān | thousand | Number |
| 為什麼 | wèishénme | why | Question word |
Key Grammar
多少 vs 幾 — Asking “How Many/Much”
Mandarin has two ways to ask about quantity:
多少 (duōshǎo) — used for larger or unknown quantities, and for prices:
- 這個多少錢？ — How much is this?
- 你有多少書？ — How many books do you have?
幾 (jǐ) — used for smaller quantities (typically under 10), requires a measure word:
- 你要幾杯咖啡？ — How many cups of coffee do you want?
- 你有幾個姐姐？ — How many older sisters do you have?
For prices, always use 多少錢.
太…了 — “Too…”
太 means “too” or “excessively.” It typically pairs with 了 at the end:
- 這個手機太貴了。 — This phone is too expensive.
- 那個包子太大了。 — That steamed bun is too big.
- 我的手機太舊了。 — My phone is too old.
The 了 is essential here—太貴 alone sounds incomplete.
能 vs 可以 — Two Ways to Say “Can”
Both express ability or permission, with subtle differences:
能 (néng) — emphasizes ability or possibility:
- 這支手機能上網。 — This phone can go online.
- 你能幫我嗎？ — Can you help me?
可以 (kěyǐ) — emphasizes permission or acceptability:
- 我可以看看嗎？ — May I take a look?
- 這裡可以內用。 — You can dine in here.
In many contexts, they are interchangeable. 能 tends toward capability; 可以 tends toward permission.
Measure Words: 杯, 支, 種
This lesson introduces several new measure words:
杯 (bēi) — for drinks in cups or glasses:
- 一杯咖啡 — one cup of coffee
- 三杯茶 — three cups of tea
支 (zhī) — for long, thin objects (pens, phones):
- 一支手機 — one cell phone
- 兩支筆 — two pens
種 (zhǒng) — for types or kinds:
- 這種手機 — this type of phone
- 幾種包子？ — how many kinds of steamed buns?
Numbers: 百, 千, 萬
Mandarin numbers scale differently than English:
| Number | Mandarin | Structure |
|---|---|---|
| 100 | 一百 | yì bǎi |
| 1,000 | 一千 | yì qiān |
| 10,000 | 一萬 | yí wàn |
| 100,000 | 十萬 | shí wàn (ten 萬) |
| 1,000,000 | 一百萬 | yì bǎi wàn (hundred 萬) |
The key difference: English groups by thousands (thousand, million, billion). Mandarin groups by 萬 (ten thousands). This takes practice.
Prices:
- 三十五塊 — 35 NT$
- 一百二十塊 — 120 NT$
- 三千五百塊 — 3,500 NT$
- 兩萬塊 — 20,000 NT$
為什麼 — Asking “Why”
為什麼 asks for reasons:
- 為什麼這麼貴？ — Why is it so expensive?
- 你為什麼要買新手機？ — Why do you want to buy a new phone?
The answer typically uses 因為 (yīnwèi, “because”), introduced in later lessons.
The Particle 了 — Change of State
了 has multiple functions. In this lesson, it indicates a change of state or new situation:
- 我的手機太舊了。 — My phone has become too old. / My phone is too old now.
- 包子冷了。 — The bun has gotten cold.
This 了 suggests something is different from before—the phone wasn’t always old, but now it is.
Cultural Notes
老闆 — Everyone is “Boss”
In Taiwan, 老闆 (lǎobǎn, “boss”) is the universal term for addressing shop owners, stall vendors, and small business operators—regardless of the size of their business.
When you approach a food stall, you say: 老闆，我要一個包子。(“Boss, I want one steamed bun.”)
This is not formal or ironic. It is simply how transactions work. The term conveys respect for the person running their own business.
外帶還是內用？ — The Essential Question
Every convenience store clerk, every café barista, every breakfast shop owner will ask you this question: 外帶還是內用？(Takeaway or dine-in?)
Your answers:
- 外帶 — I’m taking it to go
- 內用 — I’m eating here
In convenience stores, 內用 means they will not put your food in a bag. In restaurants, it determines whether you get real dishes or disposable containers. Learn these words immediately—you will hear them daily.
Convenience Store Culture
Taiwan has the highest density of convenience stores in the world. 7-Eleven, FamilyMart, Hi-Life, and OK Mart are everywhere—often multiple stores on a single block.
These stores are more than shops. You can:
- Pay bills
- Pick up packages
- Buy train tickets
- Print documents
- Get hot food 24/7
- Use the bathroom
The vocabulary in this lesson—包子, 微波, 外帶, 熱—reflects daily convenience store interactions. Mastering this vocabulary means mastering a significant portion of daily Taiwan life.
塊 — The Spoken Currency
Taiwan’s currency is the New Taiwan Dollar (NT$, 新台幣). In formal writing, you might see 元 (yuán).
In spoken Mandarin, everyone says 塊 (kuài):
- 這個三十五塊。 — This is 35 dollars.
- 一百塊。 — 100 dollars.
塊 literally means “piece” or “lump,” but in monetary contexts, it functions exactly like “bucks” in American English.
Bargaining Culture
While fixed prices are standard in convenience stores and department stores, bargaining (殺價, shājiàn) is still common at:
- Night markets
- Traditional markets
- Small electronics shops
- Some clothing stores
The vocabulary in this lesson—貴, 便宜, 為什麼—gives you the tools to negotiate. 太貴了！(“Too expensive!”) is the classic opening of any bargaining exchange.
Phone Culture in Taiwan
Taiwan has extremely high smartphone penetration. The vocabulary item 手機 (shǒujī) will appear constantly—not just when buying phones, but in daily life:
- 你的手機號碼是多少？ — What’s your phone number?
- 可以用手機付錢。 — You can pay with your phone.
- 我的手機沒電了。 — My phone is out of battery.
Mobile payment (LINE Pay, Apple Pay, JKoPay) is increasingly common, making 手機 an essential daily tool beyond just communication.
Study Tips
Master the Numbers
Numbers in the hundreds, thousands, and ten-thousands will appear constantly—prices, addresses, phone numbers, population statistics. Practice until you can process them without mental translation.
Drill these patterns:
- 三百四十五 (345)
- 一千兩百 (1,200)
- 兩千 (2,000)
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