Want to get better at arguing your point in Chinese?
In this video, two debaters present their arguments for and against “saving money”…
Try to take note of good vocabulary & grammar that YOU could use in a future debate or discussion.
Debating Dialogue Breakdown
我们该不该省钱?
wǒ men gāi bù gāi shěng qián？
TOPIC: "Should You Save Money?"
正方 zhèng fāng (FOR):
当然要省钱！
dāng rán yào shěng qián！
Of course you have to save money!
省钱就是不乱花钱。
shěng qián jiù shì bù luàn huā qián.
Saving money means that you don't splash out.
不花钱买不必要的东西。
bù huā qián mǎi bù bì yào de dōng xī.
You don't spend money buying unnecessary things.
不浪费资源和钱。
bù làng fèi zī yuán hé qián.
And not wasting resources and money.
当我们每次花钱的时候，
dāng wǒ men měi cì huā qián de shí hòu,
Every time we spend money,
都该仔细想想，好好想想，
dōu gāi zǐ xì xiǎng xiǎng, hǎo hǎo xiǎng xiǎng,
we should always think about it carefully and properly,
比较过价格后才下手。
bǐ jiào guò jià gé hòu cái xià shǒu.
and buy after comparing prices.
这样我们每一分钱都花得很值！
zhè yàng wǒ men měi yī fēn qián dōu huā de hěn zhí!
This way every single "penny" we spend is worth it!
反方 fǎn fāng (AGAINST):
首先，你说: “省钱就是不花钱买不必要的东西。”
shǒu xiān, nǐ shuō: "shěng qián jiù shì bù huā qián mǎi bù bì yào de dōng xī."
Firstly, you said: "Saving money is not spending money on unnecessary things."
你们想想我们生活当中，那些让我们快乐的，享受的，
nǐ men xiǎng xiǎng wǒ men shēng huó dāng zhōng, nà xiē ràng wǒ men kuài lè de,
Think about the things that make us happy in life,
它都不是那些不必要的东西吗？
tā dōu bù shì nà xiē bù bì yào de dōng xī ma?
aren't these things that are "unnecessary"?
比如说: 喝红酒。
bǐ rú shuō: hē hóng jiǔ.
For example: Drinking red wine.
当我们和朋友聚会的时候，喝上几杯红酒，
dāng wǒ men hé péng yǒu jù huì de shí hòu, hē shàng jǐ bēi hóng jiǔ,
When we party with friends and drink a few glasses of glasses of red wine,
我们觉得特别的快乐，特别的高兴！
wǒ men jué de tè bié de kuài lè, tè bié de gāo xìng!
we feel very happy!
如果说你要省钱的话，
rú guǒ shuō nǐ yào shěng qián de huà,
If you have to save money,
可以喝水呀！
kě yǐ hē shuǐ ya!
you can drink water!
喝水可以让我们快乐吗？
hē shuǐ kě yǐ ràng wǒ men kuài lè ma?
(But) does drinking water make us happy?
还是喝红酒更爽吧！
hái shì hē hóng jiǔ gèng shuǎng ba!
Or does it feel better to drink red wine(?)!
其次，你说: “每次花钱的时候，
qí cì, nǐ shuō: “měi cì huā qián de shí hòu,
Secondly, you said: "Every time we spend money,
我们都要比较过价格才下手去下买。”
wǒ men dōu yào bǐ jiào guò jià gé cái xià shǒu qù xià mǎi.”
we should do so after comparing prices."
这样，省钱不就是一件很浪费时间和精力的事吗？
zhè yàng, shěng qián bù jiù shì yī jiàn hěn làng fèi shí jiān hé jīng lì de shì ma?
This way, saving money leads to lots of wasted time and energy, right?
举个例子吧: 如果你要买到最便宜的咖啡，
jǔ gè lì zi ba: rú guǒ nǐ yào mǎi dào zuì pián yí de kā fēi,
Let me give you an example: If you want to buy the cheapest coffee,
你得走多少家咖啡馆？走多少个超市？
nǐ děi zǒu duō shǎo jiā kā fēi guǎn? zǒu duō shǎo gè chāo shì?
How many cafes do you have to go to? How many supermarkets do you have to go to?
和多少个老板讨价还价?
hé duō shǎo gè lǎo bǎn tǎo jià hái jià?
How many shop owners do you have to haggle over price with?
花多少时间和精力? 才可以买到最便宜的咖啡！
huā duō shǎo shí jiān hé jīng lì? cái kě yǐ mǎi dào zuì pián yí de kā fēi!
How much time and energy does it take? So that you can buy the cheapest coffee.
我总结一下:
wǒ zǒng jié yī xià:
Let me summarize:
钱，你可以省，但你花掉的是人生中的快乐。
qián, nǐ kě yǐ shěng, dàn nǐ huā diào de shì rén shēng zhōng de kuài lè.
Money, you can save it, but you lose out on happiness in life.
钱，你可以省，但你花掉的是你的时间和精力。
qián, nǐ kě yǐ shěng, dàn nǐ huā diào de shì nǐ de shí jiān hé jīng lì.
Money, you can save it, but you spend your time and energy.
人的时间和精力是有限的。
rén de shí jiān hé jīng lì shì yǒu xiàn de.
Time and energy is limited.
我们应该把我们的时间和精力投资在工作上。
wǒ men yīng gāi bǎ wǒ men de shí jiān hé jīng lì tóu zī zài gōng zuò shàng.
We should invest our time and energy into work.
这样我们就可以赚更多的钱，
zhè yàng wǒ men jiù kě yǐ zhuàn gèng duō de qián,
This way we can make more money,
所以我们不该省钱。
suǒ yǐ wǒ men bù gāi shěng qián.
So, we should not save money.
正方 zhèng fāng (FOR) Rebuttal:
第一，省钱不代表不花钱。
dì yī, shěng qián bù dài biǎo bù huā qián.
Firstly, saving money doesn't mean not spending money.
省钱就是好好地花钱，精准地花钱，花对钱。
shěng qián jiù shì hǎo hǎo de huā qián, jīng zhǔn de huā qián, huā duì qián.
Saving money means spending money appropriately; accurately; correctly.
省钱是一个相对的概念。
shěng qián shì yī gè xiāng duì de gài niàn.
Saving money is a relative concept.
你说: “和朋友一起喝红酒才快乐。”
nǐ shuō: "hé péng yǒu yī qǐ hē hóng jiǔ cái kuài lè."
You said: "Drinking red wine with friends makes you happy."
懂得果汁的鲜味，不是一种快乐吗？
dǒng de guǒ zhī de xiān wèi, bù shì yī zhǒng kuài lè ma?
Appreciating the fresh flavor of fruit juice... isn't that a type of pleasure?
懂得咖啡的芳香，也不是一种享受吗？
dǒng de kā fēi de fāng xiāng, yě bù shì yī zhǒng xiǎng shòu ma?
Appreciating the fragrance of coffee, isn't that also a type of joy?
一定要喝红酒，才叫好喝？才叫快乐吗？
yī dìng yào hē hóng jiǔ, cái jiào hǎo hē? cái jiào kuài lè ma?
Do you have to drink red wine to enjoy a good flavor? Is it only red wine that brings joy?
第二，省钱是为了未来作准备。
dì èr, shěng qián shì wèi le wèi lái zuò zhǔn bèi.
Secondly, saving money is preparation for the future.
是为了不测作准备。
shì wèi le bù cè zuò zhǔn bèi.
It's preparation for unexpected things.
钱能解决很多问题。
qián néng jiě jué hěn duō wèn tí.
Money can solve lots of problems.
为了可以给自己和家人一份保障，
wèi le kě yǐ gěi zì jǐ hé jiā rén yī fèn bǎo zhàng,
In order to ensure our own and our family's future,
我们就该省钱！必须省钱！
wǒ men jiù gāi shěng qián! bì xū shěng qián!
we should save money! We have to save money!
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