Xiaoyu is off to the West station. Chen Hao, who is catching the same train, shares the ride.
Xiaoyu
师傅，去西站。
Shīfu, qù xī zhàn.
Shifu, the West station please.
The driver
好，上车吧。行李放后面。
Hǎo, shàngchē ba. Xíngli fàng hòumian.
Right, hop in. Luggage goes in the back.
Chen Hao
我也去西站，可以一起坐吗？我的火车是三点的。
Wǒ yě qù xī zhàn, kěyǐ yīqǐ zuò ma ? Wǒ de huǒchē shì sān diǎn de.
I am going to the West station too, may I share the ride? My train is at three.
Xiaoyu
上来吧，一起走。
Shàng lái ba, yīqǐ zǒu.
Get in, we will go together.
The driver
现在不堵车，半个小时就到。你们在哪个门下车？
Xiànzài bù dǔchē, bàn gè xiǎoshí jiù dào. Nǐmen zài nǎ gè mén xiàchē ?
The traffic is clear, we will be there in half an hour. Which entrance do you want?
Xiaoyu
南门，谢谢师傅。
Nán mén, xièxie shīfu.
The south entrance, thank you.
The driver
到了，一共四十二块。
Dào le, yīgòng sìshí èr kuài.
Here we are, forty-two yuan altogether.
Chen Hao
给您五十。
Gěi nín wǔshí.
Here is fifty.
The driver
找您八块。
Zhǎo nín bā kuài.
Eight yuan change.
师傅 originally meant a master craftsman, someone with a trade in his hands. It is used today to address a taxi driver, a plumber, a cook, a caretaker. It is respectful without being stiff, and it stands in for the name you do not know. A woman in the same position is also 师傅.
堵 means to block, 车 the car: 堵车 is a traffic jam, and the word is used as a verb. 今天堵车 means "the traffic is bad today". The question that goes with it is 堵不堵, answered with 堵 or 不堵.
The same verb does both jobs. 我找我的手机, I am looking for my phone; 找您八块, here is eight yuan change. The shared idea is one of making up the difference: the shopkeeper looks for what will bring the sum back to what it should have been. You also hear 不用找了, "keep the change", which is rare in China, where tipping is not the custom.
