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A small number of phrases from the writings of Lao She

Teahouse - Act II (Part) 《茶馆》 第二幕 (部分)

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老舍茶馆 第二部分) Teahouse by Lao She - Act II (Part)

时间相隔余年现在袁世凯死后帝国主义指使中国军阀进行割据时时发动内战时候初夏上午

Time: The time is separated from the previous act by ten years. Yuan Shikai is dead and imperialism is causing China to be cut up by warlords. There are frequent calls to mobilize for civil war. Early summer, in the morning.

地点

Place: As in the previous act

[北京茶馆先后相继。“裕泰硕果仅存一家可是避免淘汰改变样子作风 ...

[The curtain rises: The teahouses in the city of Beijing are closing one after another. “Yu Tai” is one of the few remaining great teahouses but has changed its style to avoid being weeded out. ...

王淑芬: (李三辫子碍事咱们茶馆小辫儿

Wang Shufen: (Seeing that Li San's ponytail is in the way) Li San, our teahouse has already been renovated. Shouldn't your ponytail should be cut off too?

李三改良改良冰凉

Li San: Let's improve it! Let's improve it! The more we improve the more cool — as cool as ice.

王淑芬不能那么听说西直门广鼓楼这些茶馆先后只有咱们裕泰为什么不是因为爸爸懂得改良

Wang Shufen: Well, we can't really say that. You see, Li San, I hear that the Detai teahouse in Xizhimen, the Guangtai teahouse at Beixin Bridge, and the Tiantai teahouse in front of the Drum Tower have all closed one after another. Our Yutai teahouse is the only one still open. Why is that? Isn't it because Shunzi's father understands how to renovate?

李三皇上总算改良可是袁世凯还是皇上袁世凯死后天下大乱今儿个打炮明儿个关城改良小辫儿万一皇上回来

Li San: Heng! The emperor did not have it and in the end there was a big renovation! Renovate or not, Yuan Shikai would have been better as the emperor. After Yuan Shikai died there was a bunch of chaos. Today canon fire, tomorrow closing a city. Is that improvement? Heng! I will keep my ponytail just in case the emperor comes back.

王淑芬顽固人家咱们民国咱们能不随着咱们这么收拾不比以前干净好看招待文明人体面可是小辫儿多么不顺

Wang Shufen: Don't be obstinate, Li San. Other people have given us a republic and we still do not follow? Look, we clean and clean but it is not as neat and good looking as before. Doesn't specializing in entertaining cultured people require even more dignity? However, you insist on wearing a ponytail and it is not pleasing to the eye.

Source: Lao She, 2010. Tea House 《茶馆》. Hainan Press, Haikou, Hainan, pp. 25-26.

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