10 Most Useful Phrases for Traveling in China

Image: Taken 6/9/07 at the Summer Palace. This would be an example of “Engrish,” a poor translation of Chinese into English. Fortunately, it still manages to get its point across…sort of.... But I can’t seem to figure out why they would want to protect those railings. Hmm….

To be honest, on the 2007 Freeman China Tour, we actually did not use that much Chinese. Almost everyone in the Chinese tourism industry or in sales knew enough English to communicate with us and get their point across. (Even if it was just: “No, too cheap!” or “Final price,” or “super good quality” or “Not fake, real!”) But when we did use Chinese, it was generally just a phrase or two. This is, in my opinion, a list of the ten most useful phrases for visitors to China. They range in application from general communication, to dining, to survival, to shopping. They were also among the most commonly used phrases on the trip (with the exception of #8, of course.) Anyway, most of these are pretty broken phrases, and not always totally grammatically correct, but I have tried to simplify it as much as possible. So, while some of these may come off as rather caveman-like, at least these phrases will be easy to remember, and most people will understand what you’re saying. Each of the phrases is followed by a short description of its uses, unless the practical application is blatantly obvious (such as “Where is the bathroom.”) A crash course in Pinyin may also be helpful before trying these phrases, but not necessary. Have fun.

#10 Wŏ tīngbùdŏng. “I don’t understand.” Well, if you don’t speak much Chinese, and people start trying to talk to you in rapid Chinese, you can try to tell them that you don’t understand. But some good that’ll do if they don’t speak English….

#9 Gān bēi. “Cheers.” Can’t make it a party if you don’t toast, eh?

#8 Wŏ hē píjĭu. “I want a beer.” At the start of every meal, you are given a choice of beverage. If you think pointing is too barbaric, this phrase should serve you well. Of course, if you are underage, “píjĭu” can be replaced with any other drink (However, China doesn’t really have a strict drinking age, so “underage” doesn’t quite exist.)

#7 Huài le. “It’s broken.” Aside from using this phrase to tell the hotel staff that your toilet doesn’t flush, and that your mini-fridge thinks that it’s a microwave, you can also use this to point out small defects in the products, while shopping, to get a lower price.

#6 Xiè xiè. “Thank you.” This is probably the most generic Chinese phrase ever (right there next to “ni hao”,) but this is actually quite useful in real life to show your appreciation for waiters after they pour your drinks, or cashiers after they give you your change. And it’s nice to say thanks if you happen to get some free samples or other free swag. Manners, manners.

#5 Duì bú qì. “Sorry.” Well if you step on someone’s toes, hopefully this phrase will placate them and save you from a beating. Otherwise, this phrase also works like an “excuse me” if you are working your way through crowds.

#4 Cèsuŏ zài năr? “Where is the bathroom.” If you happen to forget this phrase, you can just use the international sign-language for “gotta twinkle:” hold your crotch, squeeze your knees together, and oompa-loompa up and down with an anxious look on your face. But since that motion could be interpreted as the traditional Brazillian-injured-crotch-dance, it may be a good idea to just remember the phrase.

#3 Tài guì le. “It’s too expensive.” This is generally used as a bargaining tool. Generally, after you tell the shopkeeper that something is too expensive, they’ll hand you a calculator where you can plug in how much you want to pay for a certain item. Let the haggling begin.

#2 Duō shăo qián? “How much does this cost?” Since prices in small shops tend to be unmarked, you have to ask what things cost. Just know that in certain shops, if you ask the price, you may be stiff-armed into making a purchase.

#1 Bú yào. “Do not want.” This was undeniably the single most useful phrase that we had at our disposal in China. We were offered a ridiculous amount of trinkets by street peddlers that nobody had any interest in. A “Bú yào” or two tended to shoo them away to prey on the next passerby. So, unless you love buying up all worthless junk in the world, you’ll be using this phrase quite a lot while in China.

Note: For those having symbol problems, here are the phrases without the tone marks: 1) Bu yao, 2) Duo shao qian, 3) Tai gui le, 4) Cesuo zai nar, 5) Dui bu qi, 6) Xie xie, 7) Huai le, 8) Wo he pijiu, 9) Gan bei, 10) Wo tingbudong.