Survival 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

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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

♦ How to break the ice in China?

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.

More expressions of greeting in Chinese

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	What's the next train from Beijing to Xian?
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