Southern China + Go straight ahead

[imitation]

Probably a silly question but what are the actual characters I'm using when I tell the taxi driver zhi z/zhou in Guangzhou, I guess the zhi is 直， but I have no idea what the z/zhou part is, am I just hearing a southern accent on 走. Also is this expression common in north China also?

Thanks Tim

[hakkaboy]

Probably a silly question but what are the actual characters I'm using when I tell the taxi driver zhi z/zhou in Guangzhou, I guess the zhi is 直， but I have no idea what the z/zhou part is, am I just hearing a southern accent on 走. Also is this expression common in north China also?

Thanks Tim

Go straight ahead is: 一直走 yi1zhi2zou3

zou3 means "walk" or "go". This is standard Chinese found in the north as well.

[笨笨德]

yeah its 直直走... sounds more like zhi zhi (zh|j)ou here in taiwan too

[對話的喧囂]

直走 , 直直走, or 一直往前走 are all ok.

[Quest]

Probably a silly question but what are the actual characters I'm using when I tell the taxi driver zhi z/zhou in Guangzhou, I guess the zhi is 直， but I have no idea what the z/zhou part is, am I just hearing a southern accent on 走.

I dont underestand, are you telling the taxi driver zhi zou? or are you hearing the driver say zhi zou? Are you hearing a southern accent from yourself?

PS: A few years back you would tell him zic hang 直行.... I guess now they replaced the drivers with migrant workers..

[imitation]

I'm just using the phrase as I hear it, understanding it's meaning but not being 100% on the pronunciation or the break down of the characters. What I "hear" and what I "say" back is zhi4 zhou3, but I couldn't for the life of me work out what zhou3 was, I assumed it was zou3 that I knew, but it sounded so far away from how I hear that sound.

[Mugi]

If you are hearing zhi2 zhou3, it's definitely a southern pronunciation of zhi2 zou3, 直走

The simplest thing to say to a taxi driver to keep him going straight ahead though:

Mandarin: yi1->4 zhi2 zou3 一直走

Cantonese: yat1(7) jik6(9) hang4 一直行

I wouldn't bother trying to copy a local driver's accent - the next driver you get might not understand what you're trying to say. Safer to stick with standard pronunciation.

[ala]

一直走 in Shanghainese means "ever goes", like the Energizer bunny.

We use 笔直走 for "go straight ahread".