Though the conclusion of this essay might fall a bit flat for all of us who are very used to having a telephone, this is an interesting glimpse into what a monumental rite of passage it is for children in rural areas to have one or use one for the first time.
同学们，我的新家安电话的时侯还是几年前，可现在想起来可真是记忆犹新呀！不信？那我就讲给你听听，我可要出点丑了！
“燃燃，你快点来呀，咱们家安电话了！”
啊？什么？安了？其实，我家以前也安过电话，不过那个时侯安电话时，我还是个婴儿，根本不知道刚安电话后打电话的滋味，我早就想尝一尝啦！
我迫不及待的向家门跑去。我进门时爸爸对我说：“燃燃，你不是说你想尝一尝刚安电话的时候打电话的滋味吗？快点来呀！”
我拿起电话，像是没见过电话似的，盯着电话看了老半天，仔细打量着这部电话来：绿色的机身，0——9的电话号码整齐的排列着……
“还愣着干嘛？快打呀！”爸爸催我。
我想：这第一次打该打给谁呢？打给我的好朋友王钰涵，让她分享我打电话的喜悦？打给亲朋好友让他们来我家玩？不，我要打给老师。“8-5-8-6-1-1-5-8”爸爸告诉我老师的电话。
“8-5-8-6-1-1-8-5”通了。“老师，我是李燃，我家安了电话，我以后……”
“小朋友，你打错了，我不是你老师。”
Hover a word for its pinyin & meaning; click to pin it.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 同学 | tóng xué | to study at the same school; fellow student; classmate; CL:位[wei4],個|个[ge4] |
| 们 | men | plural marker for pronouns, and nouns referring to individuals |
| 我 | wǒ | I; me; my |
| 的 | de | of; ~'s (possessive particle); (used after an attribute when it modifies a noun); (used at the end of a declarative sentence for emphasis); (used after a noun, verb or adjective to… |
| 新 | Xīn | abbr. for Xinjiang 新疆[Xin1 jiang1]; abbr. for Singapore 新加坡[Xin1 jia1 po1]; surname Xin |
| 家 | jiā | used in 傢伙|家伙[jia1 huo5] and 傢俱|家俱[jia1 ju4]; home; family; (polite) my (sister, uncle etc); classifier for families or businesses; refers to the philosophical schools of pre-Han China; noun suffix for a specialist in some act… |
| 安 | An | surname An |
| 电 | diàn | lightning; electricity; electric (bound form); to get (or give) an electric shock; phone call or telegram etc; to send via telephone or telegram etc |
| 话 | huà | dialect; language; spoken words; speech; talk; words; conversation; what sb said; CL:種|种[zhong3],席[xi2],句[ju4],口[kou3],番[fan1]; old variant of 話|话[hua4] |
| 时 | shí | old variant of 時|时[shi2]; surname Shi |
| 侯 | hōu | marquis; nobleman; surname Hou |
| 还是 | hái shi | still (as before); had better; unexpectedly; or |
| 几年 | jǐ nián | a few years; several years; how many years? |
| 前 | qián | front; forward; ahead; first; top (followed by a number); future; ago; before; BC (e.g. 前293年); former; formerly |
| 可 | kě | (prefix) can; may; able to; -able; to approve; to permit; to suit; (particle used for emphasis) certainly; very; but; however |
| 现 | xiàn | to appear; present; now; existing; current |
| 在 | zài | to exist; to be alive; (of sb or sth) to be (located) at; (used before a verb to indicate an action in progress) |
| 想起 | xiǎng qǐ | to recall; to think of; to call to mind |
| 来 | lái | to come; (used as a substitute for a more specific verb); hither (directional complement for motion toward the speaker, as in 回來|回来[hui2 lai5]); ever since (as in 自古以來|自古以来[zi4 gu3… |
| 真是 | zhēn shi | indeed; truly; (coll.) (used to express disapproval, annoyance etc) |
| 记 | jì | to record; to note; to memorize; to remember; mark; sign; classifier for blows, kicks, shots |
| 忆 | yǐ | to recollect; memory |
| 犹 | yōu | as if; just as; yet |
| 呀 | yā | ah (used to express surprise); (onom.) creaking |
| 不 | bù | no; not so; (bound form) not; un- |
| 信 | xìn | letter; mail; CL:封[feng1]; to trust; to believe; to profess faith in; truthful; confidence; trust; at will; at random |
| 那 | Nā | surname Na |
| 就 | jìu | (after a suppositional clause) in that case; then; (after a clause of action) as soon as; immediately after; (same as 就是[jiu4 shi4]) merely; nothing else but; simply; just; precise… |
| 讲 | jiǎng | to speak; to explain; to negotiate; to emphasize; to be particular about; as far as sth is concerned; speech; lecture |
| 给 | gěi | to; for; for the benefit of; to give; to allow; to do sth (for sb); (grammatical equivalent of 被); (grammatical equivalent of 把); (sentence intensifier) |
| 你 | nǐ | you (informal, as opposed to courteous 您[nin2]); you (Note: In Taiwan, 妳 is used to address females, but in mainland China, it is not commonly used. Instead, 你 is used to address both males and females.) |
| 听 | yǐn | smile (archaic); to listen to; to hear; to heed; to obey; a can (loanword from English "tin"); classifier for canned beverages; to let be; to allow (Taiwan pr. [ting4]); (literary) to administer; t… |
| 要 | yāo | (bound form) to demand; to coerce |
| 出 | chū | to go out; to come out; to arise; to occur; to produce; to yield; to go beyond; to exceed; (used after a verb to indicate an outward direction or a positive result); classifier for…; variant of 出[chu1] (classifier for plays or chapters of classical novels) |
| 点 | diǎn | to touch briefly; to tap; to mark with a dot; to check off (on a list); to order (food etc); to select; to mention; to bring up (a topic or person); to hint at; to imply; to admini… |
| 丑 | Chǒu | surname Chou; shameful; ugly; disgraceful |
| 了 | le | (completed action marker); (modal particle indicating change of state, situation now); (modal particle intensifying preceding clause); (bound form) clear in one's mind; to understand clearly |
| 燃 | rán | to burn; to ignite; to light; fig. to spark off (hopes); to start (debate); to raise (hopes) |
| 快 | kuài | rapid; quick; speed; rate; soon; almost; to make haste; clever; sharp (of knives or wits); forthright; plainspoken; gratified; pleased; pleasant |
| 咱 | zán | variant of 咱[zan2]; see 咱[zan2] |
| 啊 | ā | interjection of surprise; Ah!; Oh! |
| 什 | shén | what |
| 么 | má | exclamatory final particle; variant of 麼|么[me5] |
| 其实 | qí shí | actually; in fact; really |
| 以前 | yǐ qián | before; formerly; previous; ago |
| 也 | Yě | surname Ye |
| 过 | Guō | surname Guo |
| 不过 | bù guò | only; merely; no more than; but; however; anyway (to get back to a previous topic); cannot be more (after adjectival) |
| 那个 | nà ge | that one; that thing; that (as opposed to this); (used before a verb or adjective for emphasis); (used to humorously or indirectly refer to sth embarrassing, funny etc, or when one… |
| 个 | gě | used in 自個兒|自个儿[zi4 ge3 r5]; variant of 個|个[ge4] |
| 婴 | ying | infant |
| 儿 | ér | child; son |
| 根 | gēn | root; basis; classifier for long slender objects, e.g. cigarettes, guitar strings; CL:條|条[tiao2]; radical (chemistry) |
| 本 | běn | (bound form) root; stem; (bound form) origin; source; (bound form) one's own; this; (bound form) this; the current (year etc); (bound form) original; (bound form) inherent; origina… |
| 不知 | bù zhī | not to know; unaware; unknowingly; fig. not to admit (defeat, hardships, tiredness etc) |
| 道 | dào | road; path (CL:條|条[tiao2],股[gu3]); (bound form) way; reason; principle; (bound form) a skill; an art; a specialization; (Daoism) the Way; the Dao; to say (introducing a direct quot… |
| 刚 | gāng | (literary) hard; firm; strong; exactly; precisely; barely; only just; just; only a short while ago |
| 后 | Hòu | surname Hou; back; behind; rear; afterwards; after; later; post- |
| 打 | dá | (loanword) dozen; Taiwan pr. [da3] |
| 滋 | zi | to grow; to increase; juice; (dialect) to spout |
| 味 | wěi | taste; (fig.) (noun suffix) feel; sense |
| 早就 | zǎo jìu | already at an earlier time |
| 想 | xiǎng | to think (about); to think of; to devise; to think (that); to believe (that); to desire; to want (to); to miss (feel wistful about the absence of) |
| 尝 | chāng | to taste; to try (food); (literary) ever; once |
| 一 | yī | one; single; a (article); as soon as; entire; whole; all; throughout; "one" radical in Chinese characters (Kangxi radical 1); also pr. [yao1] for greater clarity when spelling out … |
| 啦 | lā | (onom.) sound of singing, cheering etc; (phonetic); (dialect) to chat |
| 迫 | pǒ | to oppress |
| 及 | jí | and; to reach; up to; in time for |
| 待 | dǎi | to stay; to remain |
| 向 | Xiàng | surname Xiang; to tend toward; to guide; variant of 向[xiang4]; variant of 向[xiang4]; direction; orientation; to face; to turn toward; to; towards; shortly before; formerly |
| 家门 | jiā mén | house door; family clan |
| 跑 | páo | (of an animal) to paw (the ground) |
| 去 | qù | to go; to go to (a place); (of a time etc) last; just passed; to send; to remove; to get rid of; to reduce; to be apart from in space or time; to die (euphemism); to play (a part);… |
| 进门 | jìn mén | to enter a door; to go in; to learn the basics of a subject; to join one's husband's household upon marriage |
| 爸爸 | bà ba | (coll.) father; dad; CL:位[wei4] |
| 对 | duì | right; correct; towards; at; for; concerning; regarding; to treat (sb a certain way); to face; (bound form) opposite; facing; matching; to match together; to adjust; to fit; to sui… |
| 说 | shuì | to persuade; variant of 說|说[shuo1] |
| 不是 | bù shì | no; is not; not |
| 候 | hòu | to wait; to inquire after; to watch; season; climate; (old) period of five days |
| 吗 | má | (coll.) what? |
| 拿起 | ná qǐ | to pick up |
| 像 | xiàng | to resemble; to be like; to look as if; such as; appearance; image; portrait; image under a mapping (math.) |
| 是 | shì | to be (followed by substantives only); correct; right; true; (respectful acknowledgement of a command) very well; (adverb for emphatic assertion); variant of 是[shi4] |
| 没 | méi | (negative prefix for verbs) have not; not |
| 见 | jiàn | to see; to meet; to appear (to be sth); to interview; opinion; view |
| 似 | shǐ | used in 似的[shi4 de5] |
| 盯 | dīng | to watch attentively; to fix one's attention on; to stare at; to gaze at |
| 着 | zhāo | variant of 著|着[zhao1]; a move in chess (Taiwan pr. [zhuo2]); trick; tactic; (dialect) okay; all right; (dialect) to put in; to add |
| 看 | kān | to look after; to take care of; to watch; to guard |
| 老半天 | lǎo bàn tiān | (coll.) a long time |
| 仔 | zái | careful (in 仔细); young (of animals, in 仔猪); a child (dialect, zai3) |
| 细 | xì | thin or slender; finely particulate; thin and soft; fine; delicate; trifling; (of a sound) quiet; frugal |
| 打量 | dǎ liang | to size sb up; to look sb up and down; to take the measure of; to suppose; to reckon |
| 这 | zhè | (pronoun) this; these; (bound form) this; the (followed by a noun); (bound form) this; these (followed by a classifier) (in this sense, commonly pr. [zhei4], esp. in Beijing) |
| 部 | bù | ministry; department; section; part; division; troops; board; classifier for works of literature, films, machines etc |
| 绿色 | lu:4 sè | green |
| 机 | Jī | surname Ji |
| 身 | shēn | body; life; oneself; personally; one's morality and conduct; the main part of a structure or body; pregnant; classifier for sets of clothes: suit, twinset; Kangxi radical 158 |
| 号码 | hào mǎ | number; CL:堆[dui1],個|个[ge4] |
| 整 | zhěng | (bound form) whole; complete; entire; (before a measure word) whole; (before or after number + measure word) exactly; (bound form) in good order; tidy; neat; (bound form) to put in… |
| 齐 | Qí | (name of states and dynasties at several different periods); surname Qi |
| 排 | pái | to arrange in order; to line up; to exclude; to eliminate; to repel; to expel; to discharge; (literary) to push aside; to force open; to rehearse; row; line; platoon; (bound form) … |
| 列 | liè | to arrange; to line up; file; series; (in data tables) column; (Tw) row |
| 还 | Huán | surname Huan |
| 愣 | lěng | to look distracted; distracted; (coll.) unexpectedly; rashly |
| 干嘛 | gàn má | what are you doing?; whatever for?; why on earth? |
| 催 | cui | to urge; to prompt; to hasten sth |
| 第 | dì | (prefix indicating ordinal number, as in 第六[di4 liu4] "sixth"); (literary) grades in which successful candidates in the imperial examinations were placed; (old) residence of a high… |
| 一次 | yī cì | first; first time; once; (math.) linear (of degree one) |
| 该 | gāi | should; ought to; probably; must be; to deserve; to owe; to be sb's turn to do sth; that; the above-mentioned |
| 谁 | shéi | who; also pr. [shui2] |
| 呢 | ne | (sentence-final particle) used in questions to link back to prior discourse or context ("what about...?", "and...?"); (sentence-final particle) indicating that a state or situation… |
| 好朋友 | hǎo péng you | good friend; (slang) a visit from Aunt Flo (menstrual period) |
| 王 | Wáng | surname Wang |
| 钰 | ||
| 涵 | hān | to contain; culvert |
| 让 | ràng | to yield; to permit; to let sb do sth; to have sb do sth; to make sb (feel sad etc); by (indicates the agent in a passive clause, like 被[bei4]) |
| 她 | tā | she |
| 分 | fēn | to divide; to separate; to distribute; to allocate; to distinguish (good and bad); (bound form) branch of (an organization); sub- (as in 分局[fen1 ju2]); fraction; one tenth (of cert… |
| 享 | xiǎng | to enjoy; to benefit; to have the use of; old variant of 享[xiang3] |
| 喜悦 | xǐ yuè | happy; joyous |
| 亲朋 | qīn péng | relatives and friends |
| 好友 | hǎo yǒu | close friend; pal; (social networking website) friend; CL:個|个[ge4] |
| 他 | tā | (third-person singular) (since the early 20th century, usu. male) he; him; his; (bound form) other; another; some other (as in 他日[ta1 ri4] and 他人[ta1 ren2]) |
| 玩 | wán | to play; to have fun; to trifle with; toy; sth used for amusement; curio or antique (Taiwan pr. [wan4]); to keep sth for entertainment; variant of 玩[wan2]; Taiwan pr. [wan4] |
| 老 | lǎo | prefix used before the surname of a person or a numeral indicating the order of birth of the children in a family or to indicate affection or familiarity; old (of people); venerabl… |
| 师 | Shī | surname Shi |
| 告 | gào | (bound form) to say; to tell; to announce; to report; to denounce; to file a lawsuit; to sue |
| 诉 | sù | variant of 訴|诉[su4]; to complain; to sue; to tell |
| 通 | tōng | to go through; to know well; (suffix) expert; to connect; to communicate; open; to clear; classifier for letters, telegrams, phone calls etc |
| 李 | lí | plum; surname Li |
| 以 | yǐ | old variant of 以[yi3]; abbr. for Israel 以色列[Yi3 se4 lie4] |
| 小朋友 | xiǎo péng yǒu | child; kid (used to refer to a child, or by an adult to address a child, or, in Taiwan, to refer to sb's own child) |
| 打错 | dǎ cuò | to err; to dial a wrong number; to make a typo |
Fellow students, [though] it was several years ago when our new home installed a telephone, but when I think of it now it’s still fresh in my memory! Don’t believe me? Then I’ll give you a listen [to my story], and my shame will be apparent!
“Ranran, come quickly, we’ve installed a telephone!”
Oh? What? Installed one? Actually, we had a phone before, but when we had the phone installed, I was still an infant, and I didn’t know the feeling of making a call after the phone had been installed, but I’d always wanted to try!
I impatiently ran back towards the door of the house. When I entered the door, dad said to me “Ranran, didn’t you say you wanted to try the experience [lit: flavor] of using the phone when it had been installed? Come quick!”
I picked up the phone, as if I’d never seen a phone before, and stared at the phone for [what seemed like] half a day, carefully sizing it up: it had a green casing, and the numbers 0-9 were arrayed in neat rows.
“What are you doing just standing there? Quick, make a call!” papa urged me.
I thought: who should my first telephone call be to? Should I call my good friend Wang Yu Han, and let her share the joy of a phone call? Call close friends and family and tell them to come over to my house and play? No, I want to call my teacher. “8-5-8-6-1-1-5-8”, dad told me teachers phone number. [The call to] “8-5-8-6-1-1-8-5” went through.
“Teacher, this is Li Ran, we just installed a telephone, after this I…”
“Kid, you dialed the wrong number, I’m not your teacher.”