Chinese Phrases
Here below we listed the survival Chinese phases, words and expressions, which are most frequently-used, easy to remember, yet very useful when you are travelling in China. With the survival Chinese, you’ll find it is much easier to make friends with local Chinese, have an in-depth experience of local life, and most importantly, you may be able to overcome the communication difficulties and solve the common troubles encountered in China.
There are Chinese phases and sentences to use for greeting, asking direction, dinner, shopping, taking a taxi, and so forth. So you are suggested to print out the list as a survival guide for your China tour.
Greetings and Social Language for Daily Use
|
Chinese Phrases / Sentences
|
Pinyin / How to Pronounce
|
Corresponding English Phrases / Sentences
|
|
你好
|
Nǐ hǎo
|
Hello / Hi
|
|
你好吗？
|
Nǐ hǎo ma?
|
How Are You？/ How do you do?
|
|
早上好
|
Zǎo shàng hǎo
|
Good morning
|
|
下午好
|
Xià wǔ hǎo
|
Good afternoon
|
|
晚上好
|
Wǎn shang hǎo
|
Good night
|
|
我很好，谢谢
|
Wǒ hěn hǎo, xiè xie
|
I m fine, thanks.
|
|
对不起，打扰一下
|
Duì bu qǐ, dǎ rǎo yī xià
|
Excuse me
|
|
很高兴认识你
|
Hěn gāo xìng rèn shi nǐ
|
Nice to meet you
|
|
你会说英文吗
|
Nǐ huì shuōyīng wén ma? |
Do you speak English?
|
|
对不起，我听不懂
|
Duì bu qǐ, wǒ tīng bù dǒng |
Sorry, I don’t understand.
|
|
是的，我明白
|
Shì de，wǒ míng bai
|
Yes, I understand
|
|
请说慢一点
|
Qǐng shuō màn yī diǎn
|
Please speak more slowly
|
|
欢迎来中国
|
Huān yíng lái zhōng guó
|
Welcome to China
|
|
你叫什么名字
|
Nǐ jiào shén me míng zi? |
What’s your name?
|
|
我叫亨利
|
Wǒ jiào hēnglì
|
My name is Henry
|
|
你来自哪里？
|
Nǐ lái zì nǎ li?
|
Where are you from?
|
|
我来自美国
|
Nǐ lái zì měi guó
|
I m from United States
|
|
对不起
|
Duì bu qǐ
|
I m sorry
|
|
非常感谢
|
Fēi cháng gǎn xiè / xiè xie
|
Thank you very much
|
|
请进来
|
Qǐng jìn lái
|
Please come in
|
|
请坐
|
Qǐng zuò
|
Please be seated
|
|
好的
|
Hǎo de
|
Ok
|
|
很好
|
Hěn hǎo
|
Very good
|
|
再见
|
Zài jiàn
|
Goodbye / See you
|
|
明天见
|
Míng tiān jiàn
|
See you tomorrow
|
Many Chinese people would like to ask the classic question, “Hello, have you eaten” (nǐ chī le ma?). This is a common greeting in China and a common way to break the ice, but mostly between the friends. For strangers, you may talk about the weather, news, food, and something like these to break the ice.
Asking for Directions in China
|
Chinese Phrases / Sentences |
Pinyin / How to Pronounce |
Corresponding English Phrases / Sentences |
|
你能帮助我吗?
|
Nǐ néng bāng zhù néng wǒ ma? |
Could you help me?
|
|
你能告诉我火车站怎么走吗?
|
Nǐnéng gào sù wǒ Huǒ chē zhàn zěn me zǒu ma? |
Could you tell me the way to the train station? |
|
最近的银行在哪里？
|
Zuì jìn de yín háng zài nǎ li?
|
Where is the nearest bank?
|
|
最近的公安局在哪里？
|
Zuì jìn de gōng ān jú zài nǎ li?
|
Where is the nearest Public Security Bureau? |
|
洗手间在哪里？
|
Xǐ shǒu jiān zài nǎ li?
|
Where is the washroom?
|
|
我们酒店距离机场多远？
|
Wǒ men jiǔ diàn jù lí jī chǎng duōyuǎn?
|
How far is our hotel to the airport?
|
|
附近有商场吗?
|
Fù jìn yǒu shāng chǎng ma?
|
Is there any shopping mall nearby?
|
|
附近有餐厅吗？ |
Fù jìn yǒu cān tīng ma?
|
Are there any restaurants nearby?
|
|
怎么去天安门广场? |
Zěn me qù tiān ān mén guǎng chǎng?
|
How to get to Tian’anmen Square?
|
|
怎么去地铁站？ |
Zěn me qù dì tiě zhàn?
|
How can I get to the subway station?
|
Dining: Ordering at a Chinese Restaurant
|
Chinese Phrases / Sentences
|
Pinyin / How to Pronounce
|
Corresponding English Phrases / Sentences
|
|
请给我菜单
|
Qǐng gěi wǒcài dān
|
May I have a menu, please?
|
|
你想喝点什么?
|
Nǐ xiǎng hē diǎn shén me?
|
Would you like something to drink?
|
|
我要一杯水
|
Wǒ yào yī bēi shuǐ
|
I would like a glass of water.
|
|
我要一杯冰啤酒
|
Wǒ yào yī bēi bīng pí jiǔ
|
I would like a glass of cold beer.
|
|
不要辣椒
|
Bù yào là jiāo
|
No chili pepper, please.
|
|
这个菜辣吗?
|
zhè ge cài là ma?
|
Is this dish spicy?
|
|
有刀叉吗?
|
Yǒu dāo chā
|
Do you have a knife and fork?
|
|
好吃吗?
|
Hǎo chī ma?
|
Is it tasty?
|
|
非常好吃
|
Fēi cháng Hǎo chī
|
It tastes very good.
|
|
干杯
|
Gān bēi
|
Cheers
|
|
买单
|
Mǎi dān
|
Check please
|
|
可以打包吗?
|
Kě yǐ dǎ bāo ma?
|
Can I have a doggie bag for this?
|
Shopping: How to Buy
|
Chinese Phrases / Sentences |
Pinyin / How to Pronounce |
Corresponding English Phrases / Sentences |
|
我想买这个
|
Wǒ xiǎng mǎi zhè ge
|
I want to buy this.
|
|
多少钱?
|
Duō shǎo qián?
|
How much is it?
|
|
打折吗?
|
Dǎ zhé ma?
|
Any discounts?
|
|
太贵了
|
Tài guì le
|
It is too expensive!
|
|
可以便宜点吗?
|
Kě yǐ biàn yí diǎn ma?
|
May I have a cheaper price?
|
|
我可以用信用卡吗?
|
Wǒ kě yǐ yòng xìn yòng kǎ ma? |
Can I use credit card?
|
|
我们只收现金
|
Wǒ men zhǐ shōu xiàn jīn
|
We accept cash only.
|
Taking a Taxi, Bus or Subway in China
|
Chinese Phrases / Sentences
|
Pinyin / How to Pronounce
|
Corresponding English Phrases / Sentences
|
|
我要去故宫
|
Wǒ yào qù gù gōng
|
Please drive me to the Forbidden City. |
|
需要多长时间？
|
Xū yào duō cháng shí jiān?
|
How much time do we need?
|
|
大概需要20分钟
|
Dà gài xū yào èr shí fēn zhōng
|
It takes about 20 minutes.
|
|
这是你的小费
|
Zhè shì nǐ de xiǎo fèi
|
Here is your tip.
|
|
这趟车去机场吗？
|
Zhè tang chē qù jī chǎng ma?
|
Is this bus going go the airport?
|
Noted: passengers need not worry about communication difficulties when taking a Chinese subway train. As the road signs, station names and voice automatic train-stop broadcasting system are in both Chinese and English.
Buying Train Tickets, Have Tickets Changed or Refunded
|
Chinese Phrases / Sentences |
Pinyin / How to Pronounce |
Corresponding English Phrases / Sentences |
|
去西安，最近的一趟火车
|
Qù xī ān, zuì jìn de yī liàng huǒ chē
|
|
|
几点到
|
Jǐ diǎn dào?
|
What time does it arrive?
|
|
动车/高铁
|
dòng chē / gāo tiě
|
Bullet train / High speed train
|
|
二等座
|
èr děng zuò
|
Second class seat
|
|
一等座
|
yī děng zuò
|
First class seat
|
|
软卧
|
Ruǎn wò
|
Soft sleeper (cushioned berth)
|
|
硬卧
|
yìng wò
|
Hard sleeper
|
|
我想改签 (火车票)
|
Wǒ xiǎng gǎi qiān (huǒ chē piào)
|
I want to change my train reservation.
|
|
我想改签 (火车票)
|
Wǒ xiǎng tuì piào
|
I’d like to refund my ticket
|
(From www.topchinatravel.com)
Ask Questions ?