Chinese For Dummies (35 page)

Put a potted plant or ceramic bowl with pebbles on the toilet tank. (Using a non-water color or element helps balance out all the water already in the room.)

The kitchen

Now you're cookin'. The kitchen is a room everyone can wrap their minds (or at least their stomachs) around. Aside from the one piece of furniture every kitchen usually needs — a
chúfáng cānzhuō
厨房餐桌
(
廚房餐桌
) (choo-fahng tsahn-jwaw) (
kitchen table
) — and basic food prep appliances like a
kǎo lú
烤炉
(
烤爐
) (cow loo) (
oven
) and a
diànbīngxiǎng
电冰箱
(
電冰箱
) (dyan-beeng-shyahng) (
refrigerator
), you may need some dishware and smaller appliances. Here are some things you may want to know how to say:

bēizi
杯子
(bay-dzuh) (
glasses
)

jiǔ bēi
酒杯
(jyo bay) (
wine glasses
)

kāfēi bēi
咖啡杯
(kah-fay bay) (
coffee cups
)

wǎndié
碗碟
(wahn-dyeh) (
dishes
)

wēibō lú
微波炉
(
微波爐
) (way-baw loo) (
microwave
)

yǐnqì
银器
(
銀器
) (yin-chee) (
silverware
)

The best way to
fēng shuǐ
your kitchen is simply to keep it simple. Eliminate the clutter to avoid stagnant energy in your life. Old, stale food has old, stale energy, so clean out the fridge regularly. An unused stove implies untapped resources or ignored opportunities, so start using all the burners on the stove, and use the oven once in a while, too. (It can't hurt. Plus, you'll save a ton of money by not eating in restaurants.)

The living room

Now here's one room everyone loves to hang out in and watch some
diànshì
电视
(
電視
) (dyan-shir) (
TV
) — the
kètīng
客厅
(
客廳
) (kuh-teeng) (
living room
). Want to put your feet up on the
chájī
茶几
(chah-jee) (
coffee table
[Literally:
tea table
]) while you're watching? Don't even think about it. The
chájī
was meant for
kāfēi
咖啡
(kah-fay) (
coffee
), not
jiǎo
脚
(
腳
) (jyaow) (
feet
). (Don't ask me why it's not called a
kāfēijī
rather than a
chájī
— I don't have a clue.) The reality is that you can put coffee, tea, soda, and (when no one else is looking) even your feet on this table. Just don't say I said so.

You almost always find a
shāfā
沙发
(
沙發
) (shah-fah) (
sofa
) in the
kètīng,
and possibly a
yáoyǐ
摇椅
(
搖椅
) (yaow-ee) (
rocking chair
), too. In fact, some apartments are so small that the
kètīng
doubles as a
fàntīng
饭厅
(
飯廳
) (fahn-teeng) (
dining room
). In those cases, you may not have an actual
fàntīng shèbèi
餐厅设备
(
餐廳設備
) (fahn-teeng shuh-bay) (
dining room set
) with a big table and chairs, but then again, that's what
chájī
are sometimes for.

Here are some
fēng shuǐ
tips for the living room:

Keep the living room well lit and clutter-free, and make sure the air quality is good.

Avoid an L-shaped furniture arrangement because it creates a lack of balance in the room and in your life.