Chinese Family

我要一个房间。

Wǒ yào yí gè fángjiān.

I need a room.

回想起来，我才明白爸爸同时养育四个调皮捣蛋的孩子得有多大的耐心。

Huíxiǎng qǐlái, wǒ cái míngbái bàba tóngshí yǎngyù sì ge tiáopí dǎodàn de háizi děi yǒu duō dà de nàixīn。

Looking back, I realize how much patience my father must have exhibited raising four rambunctious children simultaneously.

我需要钥匙。

Wǒ xūyào yàoshi.

I need the key.

请关门。

Qǐng guān mén.

Please close the door.

我明天得开车送侄子去足球训练。

Wǒ míngtiān děi kāichē sòng zhízi qù zúqiú xùnliàn。

I need to drive my nephew to soccer practice tomorrow.

明年我爸妈会搬到离城市更近的地方。

Míngnián wǒ bàmā huì bān dào lí chéngshì gèng jìn de dìfang.

My parents are moving closer to the city next year.

你见过他家里的其他人了吗？

Nǐ jiànguo tā jiālǐ de qí tā rénle ma?

Have you met the rest of his family yet?

大家都知道，孩子一旦长大搬出去，家里就会感觉有点空荡荡，静悄悄的。

Dàjiā dōu zhīdào, háizi yīdàn zhǎngdà bān chūqù, jiālǐ jiù huì gǎnjué yǒudiǎn kōngdàngdàng, jìngqiāoqiāo de.

You know how it is; once kids grow up and move out, the house just feels strangely empty and quiet.

你知道我叔叔以前当过专业厨师吗？

Nǐ zhīdào wǒ shūshu yǐqián dāngguò zhuānyè chúshī ma?

Did you know my uncle used to be a professional chef?

他们是传统家庭的典范，保持着世代相传的习俗和日常习惯。

Tāmen shì chuántǒng jiātíng de diǎnfàn, bǎochízhe shìdài xiāngchuán de xísú hé rìcháng xíguàn。

They are the definition of a traditional family, maintaining customs and routines that date back generations.

你妈妈在哪里？

Nǐ māma zài nǎlǐ?

Where is your mom?

我爱我的家人。

Wǒ ài wǒ de jiārén。

I love my family.

只是个小家庭。

Zhǐshì ge xiǎo jiātíng.

Just a small family.

我的书桌在哪里?

Wǒ de shūzhuō zài nǎli?

Where is my desk?

你有孩子吗?

Nǐ yǒu háizi ma?

Do you have kids?

我喜欢大家庭。

Wǒ xǐhuān dà jiātíng.

I like big families.

是的，我的父母觉得这个号码很吉利。

Shì de, wǒ de fù mǔ jué de zhè ge hào mǎ hěn jí lì.

Yes, my parents think this number is very lucky.

那些爷爷奶奶在做什么？

Nàxiē yéye nǎinai zài zuò shénme?

What are those grandpas and grandmas doing?

当时我要是没离开家乡去上大学, 很可能就会像我兄弟姐妹一样, 在本地结婚了。

Dāngshí wǒ yàoshi méi líkāi jiāxiāng qù shàng dàxué, hěn kěnéng jiù huì xiàng wǒ xiōngdì jiěmèi yīyàng, zài běndì jiéhūn le。

If I hadn't moved away for university, I probably would have married someone from my hometown, just like my siblings.

当独生子女的坏处是，我常常希望有人能帮我分担这些家庭责任。

Dāng dúshēng zǐnǚ de huàichù shì, wǒ chángcháng xīwàng yǒurén néng bāng wǒ fēndān zhèxiē jiātíng zérèn。

The downside of being the only child is that I often wish I had someone to share these family responsibilities with.