5StoryWork2 min
The Bookshop
A bank employee gives up a safe job for a small bookshop — and has to find out what a bookshop is still for.
A story about a career change. 既然……，那就…… draws a conclusion from a fact (“since …, then …”); 却 marks a result that goes against expectation.
赵敏在一家大银行工作了十二年，收入稳定，大家都觉得她的工作很好。去年，她做了一个让大家都吃惊的决定：辞职，在老城区开一家小书店。
父母非常反对：“现在谁还去书店买书？大家都在网上买，又便宜又方便。”朋友们虽然嘴上支持她，心里也为她担心。她自己在签合同的那天晚上，也一个晚上都没睡着。
书店开门的头三个月，情况果然不乐观。每天进来的人不少，可是真正买书的却不多。很多人只是进来拍几张照片，就走了。赵敏发现，如果一直这么下去，她的积蓄最多只能撑一年。
她没有降价，而是换了一个想法：既然大家喜欢来坐坐，那就让书店成为一个可以坐下来的地方。她在店里加了几张桌子，卖咖啡和茶；每个周末请作家和老师来跟读者聊天；还为附近的孩子开了一个免费的读书角。
一年过去了，书店虽然没有赚大钱，但是已经不亏了。更让她高兴的是，一位老读者对她说：“网上什么书都有，可是只有在你这儿，我才会买一本自己本来没打算买的书。”赵敏觉得，这就是一家书店存在的意义。
赵敏在一家大银行工作了十二年。去年，她不在银行工作了。她要开一家小书店。大家都很吃惊。
她的父母很反对：“大家都在网上买，又便宜又方便。”朋友们也为她担心。
书店开门的头三个月，每天进来的人不少，可是买书的不多。很多人只是拍几张照片。
赵敏没有降价。她想让书店成为一个可以坐下来的地方。她卖咖啡和茶，每个周末请作家来聊天，还为孩子们开了一个免费的读书角。
一年以后，书店不亏了。一位老读者说：“只有在你这儿，我才会买一本自己本来没打算买的书。”
Click a word to look it up in this site’s vocabulary.
More sentences on this in “Language in use”: Chinese for work
- Words
- 270
- Sentences
- 15
- Words per sentence
- 18.0
- in the vocabulary
- 100 %
- measured level
- 4
- Reading time
- 2 min
Grammar in this text
These forms appear in the text in real use. Switch on “Show grammar” above the text to highlight them.
既然大家喜欢来坐坐，那就
既然……，那就……: “since that is so, then …” — a conclusion drawn from a fact everybody accepts. Since, given that: jìrán … jiù →
却不多
却 marks a contrast with what one would expect: many came in, yet few bought. Adverbs of attitude: jiǎnzhí, bìjìng →
情况果然不乐观
果然: things went as the parents had feared. Surprise, as expected: jìngrán, guǒrán →
The word lists for this text
The words in this text appear in 47 lists on this site; the number after each says how many come from that list. Having read the text, you have just needed these very words — and can practise exactly them.
Comprehension questions
5 questions on the text. With each answer the sentence it comes from appears — a question whose answer you cannot find in the text tests nothing.
1. What did Zhao Min do before the bookshop?
Look at the first sentence.
Look for 银行.
赵敏在一家大银行工作了十二年
2. Why were her parents against the idea?
Read what her parents say in the second paragraph.
Look for 网上.
大家都在网上买，又便宜又方便
3. What was the problem in the first three months?
Read the third paragraph.
Look for 却.
每天进来的人不少，可是真正买书的却不多
4. What did Zhao Min do instead of lowering prices?
Read the fourth paragraph.
Look for 既然.
那就让书店成为一个可以坐下来的地方
5. What did an old reader say?
Read the last paragraph.
Look for 本来没打算.
我才会买一本自己本来没打算买的书