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Tea and hospitality: ask first
How can you receive a guest and leave room for their preferences?
This lesson introduces sharing within Chinese tea practices. The fictional visit does not prescribe one drink or one serving rule for everyone.
These are editorial reading bands, not exam levels.
Ask about the guest’s choice
Fictional story · local synthesized audio, listening review pending

小林在门口欢迎客人。
Mandarin pronunciation · Device-generated pronunciation (depends on browser and system voices)
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Translation and pinyin
Xiao Lin greets a guest at the door.
Xiǎo Lín zài ménkǒu huānyíng kèrén.

她说:“请坐。你想喝茶还是水?”
Mandarin pronunciation · Device-generated pronunciation (depends on browser and system voices)
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Translation and pinyin
She says, “Please sit down. Would you like tea or water?”
Tā shuō: “Qǐng zuò. Nǐ xiǎng hē chá háishi shuǐ?”

客人说:“喝水,谢谢。我晚上不喝茶。”
Mandarin pronunciation · Device-generated pronunciation (depends on browser and system voices)
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Translation and pinyin
The guest says, “Water, thank you. I do not drink tea in the evening.”
Kèrén shuō: “Hē shuǐ, xièxie. Wǒ wǎnshang bù hē chá.”

小林把一杯水放在桌上。
Mandarin pronunciation · Device-generated pronunciation (depends on browser and system voices)
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Translation and pinyin
Xiao Lin puts a glass of water on the table.
Xiǎo Lín bǎ yī bēi shuǐ fàng zài zhuō shàng.

他们聊起各自的家乡。
Mandarin pronunciation · Device-generated pronunciation (depends on browser and system voices)
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Translation and pinyin
They talk about their hometowns.
Tāmen liáo qǐ gèzì de jiāxiāng.

这是一个想象的待客故事,不是每个家庭的规定。
Mandarin pronunciation · Device-generated pronunciation (depends on browser and system voices)
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Translation and pinyin
This is an imagined story about receiving a visitor, not a rule for every family.
Zhè shì yī ge xiǎngxiàng de dàikè gùshi, bù shì měi ge jiātíng de guīdìng.
Supporting vocabulary
各自 — each person’s own
待客 — receiving visitors
欢迎 · 客人 · 请 · 喝 · 茶 · 杯 · 谢谢 · 家乡 ·
Turn the story into an exchange
These are authored dialogue tasks, not live AI. Respond one turn at a time.
The budget applies to a new session; an existing session keeps its current budget.
Main scenario
Receive a guest in Chinese
A friend visits your home. You have tea and water. Invite them to sit and ask what they would like.
Receive the guest, ask preferences, and respect their choice.
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Variation: a new reading-group member
Open a task to discover the new conditions and adapt your response.
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