A parcel sent from France is being held at customs. Xiaoyu calls to find out what she has to provide.
Xiaoyu
您好，我的包裹在海关，网上说要交税。
Nín hǎo, wǒ de bāoguǒ zài hǎiguān, wǎng shàng shuō yào jiāo shuì.
Hello, my parcel is at customs, the website says there is duty to pay.
The officer
里面是什么东西？
Lǐmiàn shì shénme dōngxi ?
What is inside it?
Xiaoyu
是我朋友从法国寄来的两件衣服和一些糖。
Shì wǒ péngyou cóng fǎguó jì lái de liǎng jiàn yīfu hé yīxiē táng.
Two items of clothing and some sweets sent from France by a friend.
The officer
有发票吗？上面要写清楚多少钱。
Yǒu fāpiào ma ? Shàngmian yào xiě qīngchu duōshao qián.
Do you have an invoice? It must state the amount clearly.
Xiaoyu
朋友送的，没有发票。
Péngyou sòng de, méiyǒu fāpiào.
It was a present, I have no invoice.
The officer
那您写一张说明，说清楚东西的价格。
Nà nín xiě yī Zhāng shuōmíng, shuō qīngchu dōngxi de jiàgé.
Then write a declaration setting out clearly what the items are worth.
Xiaoyu
一共不到三百块，也要交税吗？
Yīgòng bù dào sānbǎi kuài, yě yào jiāo shuì ma ?
It comes to under three hundred yuan in all, is there still duty to pay?
The officer
三百以下一般不用。不过还是要先办手续。
Sānbǎi yǐxià yībān bù yòng. Bùguò háishi yào xiān bàn shǒuxù.
Under three hundred, usually not. Even so the formalities have to be done first.
Xiaoyu
手续在网上办还是要去海关？
Shǒuxù zài wǎng shàng bàn háishi yào qù hǎiguān ?
Is that done online or do I have to come to customs?
The officer
网上就行，发一张照片过去。
Wǎng shàng jiù xíng, fā yī Zhāng zhàopiàn guòqu.
Online is fine, just send a photograph over.
Xiaoyu
明白了，谢谢您。
Míngbai le, xièxie nín.
I understand, thank you.
清楚 attached to a verb says the result is clear, with no ambiguity: 写清楚, to write legibly and leave nothing out; 说清楚, to explain yourself fully; 看清楚, to see distinctly. It is the complement every administration asks for, and its negative form is the one used in complaints: 你没说清楚, you did not explain yourself.
不到三百 says it does not reach three hundred: you are talking about an actual total. 三百以下 names the band below three hundred: you are talking about a threshold, a rule. The first describes, the second classifies. In the same way, 以上 marks the band above: 十八岁以上, eighteen and over.
寄来 means to send towards the speaker, 寄去 to send away. Chinese attaches to the verb the direction of movement relative to the speaker: 拿来 to bring, 拿去 to take away, 回来 to come back, 回去 to go back. Getting the direction wrong changes the sentence completely, and 寄去的书 would not be the parcel you are waiting for.
