Rushing to a Meeting in the Shanghai Rain
IntermediateWeather
A passenger takes a taxi in Shanghai when heavy rain suddenly begins. She worries the rain will cause a traffic jam and make her late for an important meeting, and discusses the situation with the driver.
L
LiW
WeiL
师傅，麻烦您开快点，我怕开会迟到。
shīfu, máfan nín kāi kuài diǎn, wǒ pà kāihuì chídào.
Driver, could you please drive a bit faster? I'm afraid I'll be late for my meeting.
W
您看这雨下得这么大，路上肯定不好走啊。
nín kàn zhè yǔ xià de zhème dà, lù shàng kěndìng bù hǎo zǒu a.
Look how heavy this rain is—the roads are definitely going to be hard to get through.
L
是啊，突然下这么大的雨，会不会堵得很厉害？
shì a, tūrán xià zhème dà de yǔ, huì bù huì dǔ de hěn lìhai?
Yeah, with such heavy rain suddenly coming down, will the traffic get really jammed up?
W
一般一下大雨，市中心肯定会堵，尤其是上下班高峰的时候。
yìbān yí xià dàyǔ, shì zhōngxīn kěndìng huì dǔ, yóuqí shì shàng-xiàbān gāofēng de shíhou.
Usually as soon as it rains hard, downtown is sure to jam up, especially during rush hour.
L
糟了，我的会九点开始，现在都八点半了。
zāo le, wǒ de huì jiǔ diǎn kāishǐ, xiànzài dōu bā diǎn bàn le.
Oh no, my meeting starts at nine, and it's already eight thirty.
W
您别急，我知道有条小路，走那儿可能会快一点。
nín bié jí, wǒ zhīdào yǒu tiáo xiǎolù, zǒu nàr kěnéng huì kuài yìdiǎn.
Don't worry, I know there's a small road—going that way might be a bit faster.
L
那太好了，那就麻烦您走小路吧，只要别迟到就行。
nà tài hǎo le, nà jiù máfan nín zǒu xiǎolù ba, zhǐyào bié chídào jiù xíng.
That's great, then please take the back road—as long as I'm not late, that's fine.
W
您放心，我开了二十多年出租车，对这一带的路熟得很。
nín fàngxīn, wǒ kāi le èrshí duō nián chūzūchē, duì zhè yídài de lù shú de hěn.
Don't worry, I've been driving a taxi for over twenty years—I know the roads around here really well.
L
听您这么一说我就放心多了。您觉得这雨会一直下吗？
tīng nín zhème yì shuō wǒ jiù fàngxīn duō le. nín juéde zhè yǔ huì yìzhí xià ma?
Hearing you say that, I feel a lot more at ease. Do you think this rain will keep falling?
W
天气预报说要下到中午，不过这种暴雨啊，来得快去得也快。
tiānqì yùbào shuō yào xià dào zhōngwǔ, búguò zhè zhǒng bàoyǔ a, lái de kuài qù de yě kuài.
The forecast says it'll rain until noon, but this kind of downpour comes fast and goes fast too.
L
希望是这样。前面那个路口好像有点堵，咱们能过得去吗？
xīwàng shì zhèyàng. qiánmiàn nàge lùkǒu hǎoxiàng yǒudiǎn dǔ, zánmen néng guò de qù ma?
I hope so. That intersection up ahead looks a bit jammed—can we get through?
W
没问题，我从这儿右拐绕过去，保证准时把您送到！
méi wèntí, wǒ cóng zhèr yòu guǎi rào guòqù, bǎozhèng zhǔnshí bǎ nín sòng dào!
No problem, I'll turn right here and go around it—I guarantee I'll get you there on time!