Some Useful Chinese Phrases

Basic Phrases (and Responses)

Hello	níhăo	你好
How are you? [Good/Okay/Bad]	níhăoma? [wŏ hén hăo/hái kéyĭ/wŏ bù hăo]	你好吗? [我很好/还可以/我不好]
Bye	zàijiàn	再见
Thank you [You're welcome]	xièxiè [búkèqi]	谢谢 [不客气]
Excuse me (sorry) [No Problem]	duìbúqì [méiguānxì]	对不气 [没关系]
Excuse me (I have a question)	qĭngwèn	请问
Where’s the toilet?	cèsuŏ zài nálĭ?	厕所在哪里?
How much? (money)	duōshăo qián?	多少钱?
This	zhèige	这个
That	nèige	那个
Shall we go?/Let’s go	zŏuba?	走吧？
I don’t understand (what you said)	wŏ tīngbùdŏng	我听不懂
Can you speak English?	nĭ huì jiăng yīngwén ma?	你会讲英文吗？
Please give me a pair of chopsticks.	qĭng géi wŏ yī shuāng kuàizi	请给我一双筷子
Please give me two bottles of beer.	qĭng géi wŏ liăng píng píjĭu	请给我两瓶啤酒

Basic Generic Responses

I don’t want it (this, that, these, those)	búyào	不要
Yes/I agree/I heard you	èn (pronounced “uh or uhn”, 4th tone)	嗯

Numbers

There are two forms of the number “two” (2) in Mandarin. The first one, èr (二), is used when reciting telephone numbers, counting from 1 to 10, and for the tens and digits places in large numbers like “two thousand two hundred twenty two”. The other form, liăng (两), is used when counting anything (2 minutes, 2 yuan, 2 bottles of beer, 2 people), as well as the hundreds and greater places in large numbers in colloquial speech.

0	líng	〇 or 零
1	yī	一
2 (number)	èr	二
2 (things)	liăng	两
3	sān	三
4	sì	四
5	wŭ	五
6	lìu	六
7	qī	七
8	bā	八
9	jĭu	九
10	shí	十
11	shíyī	十一
12	shíèr	十二
13	shísān	十三
27	èrshíqī	二十七
100	yībăi	一百
101	yībăilíngyī	一百零一
110	yībăiyīshí	一百一十
114	yībăiyīshísì	一百一十四
1000	yīqiān	一千
2222	liăngqiānliăngbăièrshíèr	两千两百二十二

Internet

Internet Cafe

wăngbā

网吧

Time

Now	xiànzài	现在
Today	jīntiān	今天
2:34 pm	xìawŭliăngdiănsānshísì	下午两点三十四
11:00 am	shàngwŭshíyīdiănzhōng	上午十一点钟
Tomorrow	míngtiān	明天
Yesterday	zuótiān	昨天
Day after tomorrow	hòutiān	后天
Day before yesterday	qiántiān	前天
3 days later (3 days from now)	sāntiān yĭhòu	三天以后
2 months before (2 months ago)	liăng gè yuè yĭqián	两个月以前
December	shíèryuèfen	十二月份
November 28	shíyīyuèèrshíbā	十一月二十八
November 28 (generally when written)	shíyīyuèèrshíbārì	11月28日
November 28 (optionally when spoken)	shíyīyuèèrshíbāhào	十一月二十八号

Money

How much is this?	zhèige duōshăo qián?	这个多少钱?
Cheapest (literally: most cheap)	zuìpíanyíde	最便宜的
Get money (out of a bank account/using credit card)	qŭqián	取钱

Toilets

Men/Women	nán/nǚ	男/女
Toilet Paper	wèishēngzhĭ	卫生纸

Transportation

I want to go to Kunming	wŏ yào qù kūnmíng	我要去昆明
Train station	huŏchē zhàn	火车站
Hard seat (train)	yìngzuŏ	硬坐
Soft seat (train)	ruănzuŏ	软坐
Hard sleeper (train)	yìngwò	硬卧
Soft sleeper (train)	ruănwò	软卧
Public Bus	gonggongqiche	公共汽车
Taxi	dishi	的士

Accommodation

Hotel	fàndiàn/jĭudiàn/bīn’guăn	饭店/酒店/宾馆
Hostel	kèzhàn/lǚguăn	客栈/旅馆
Single Room	dānrénfáng	单人房
Double Room	shuāngrénfáng	双人房
Dormitory Room	duōrénfáng	多人房

Departures

Take care	baozhong	保重
Safe Trip	yilu ping’an	一路平安

You May Hear

Welcome!	huānyíng guānglín	欢迎光临
Is the food okay? [Yes/No]	hăochī ma? [hăochī/bùhăochī]	好吃吗？[好吃/不好吃]
Do you understand? (meaning) [Yes/No]	míngbái ma? [míngbái/bùmíngbái]	明白吗? [明白/不明白]
Do you understand? (listening) [Yes/No]	tīngdedŏngma? [tīngdedŏng/tīngbùdŏng]	听得懂吗? [听得懂/听不懂]
Foreigner	lăowài	老外
Good friend	hăopéngyŏu	好朋友
Smoke? [Thanks/I don't smoke]	xī yān ma? [xièxiè/wŏbúxīyān]	吸烟吗? [谢谢/我不吸烟]

You May See

Entrance	rùkŏu	入口
Exit	chūkŏu	出口
Car (on a train)	chē	车
Center (as in Shopping Center)	zhōngxīn	中心
China	zhōngguó	中国
Road	lù	路
Street	jiē	街

For more learning skills please check echinacities.com

How To Apply For A China Driver’s License

A foreigner lives in China, even he or she has a international driving license, he or she needs to apply a China driver’s license. The main reason is The International Convention on Driving Licenses was signed in September 1949. China did not become a republic until 1^st October 1949. Of course, if you are over 18 years old you only need to do a written (computerized) test to obtain a 6 year China
driving license for a fairly minimal fee.

How To Apply For A China Driver’s Licence

No practical driving test is required if you are over 18
and have a valid foreign driver’s license. Don’t know
if an International License would count though.

* Take someone with you that can write Chinese
* Chengdu licensing centre opens around 8.30am
* Take plenty of passport pix (8 is a safe number)
* Take your foreign driving licence & passport
* Go to one of the reception counters
* Collect a standard application form
* Complete the form in Chinese script
* Have medical examination which consists of reading one or two lines on an eye-chart with either eye covered alternately.
* Take the papers back to a reception counter
* Submit form with payment over counter
* Pay the prescribed fee

FEE: Y10 + Y280 = Y290 TOTAL

Y10 is for the actual 6 year China licence. The other Y280 is to sit the written test TWICE in case you don’t score 90% or greater the first time. No partial refund if you pass first time.

* Wait in queue (seats provided) to enter exam room
* Show ticket / receipt etc & be shown to a computer
* Select which language you want to do the test in
* There are nine languages to choose from (including
English, French, German, Spanish, Arabic, Japanese)

The test consists of 100 randomly selected questions from the driving handbook which has about 700 questions in total. They are mostly multiple choice or TRUE / FALSE.

Computerized test time limit: 45 minutes

* Hit the “check score” icon on computer
* 90% or over ( Hao! Hao!)
* Less than 90% :
Get a new number & do again within the next ten days.

* Once you pass, take your papers back to a counter for processing. The license can be issued within ten minutes or so, depending on their workload.

NOTES:

* Licenses are written & issued in Chinese script

* You can only apply for one class of license at any one time. That is, if you also have a valid foreign motorcycle license (costs Y190 ? in total) you have to do another computerized test, which appears to be the same as the car test anyway. I’ve never got around to getting back so far this year for my own bike license.

* Most of the questions are common sense.
* BUT it is advisable to bone up on them first
* All going well, you’ll be finished before noon.

Of course it is different according different cities in China, if you want to know more information you could check echinacities.com

FAQ About By The Air

What should I do if my flight is cancelled or delayed?

If your internal flight is cancelled, the airline company usually will arrange for you to stay overnight at an airport hotel and let you board another flight the next day.

When should I arrive at the airport so that I will have enough time for boarding?

Airline usually stop checking-in 30 to 45 minutes before scheduled departure of the flights, so you need to arrive at least 90 minutes before the departure time. Don’t forget to allow for time to get from your hotel to the airport.

What is the airport tax in China?

For domestic flights inside China, a CNY50.00 airport construction fee is levied for each adult (people older than 12 years), and for international flights, CNY90.00 for departure tax. However, you do not need to pay it at the airport since they are included in the airfare starting September 1st, 2004.

Are you able to request window or aisle seating on our domestic flights?

The seat assignment on flights cannot be booked when purchasing the tickets. However, your seat can be assigned when you receive your boarding pass at the airport. Please ask your tour guide or the airport staff to do it for you.

The above is some rules about the air. If you want to know more information about travel details in china, check echinacities.com. There are huge information in the site.

Travel detail rules in China

According to the regulations of General Administration of Civil Aviation of China:

free luggage allowance for China domestic flights:
Any passenger holding a first class adult ticket or a half-price ticket is entitled to bear the luggage of 40 kg (about 88 pounds) free of charge (checked and carry-on luggage);
Any passenger holding a business class adult ticket or a half-price ticket is entitled to bear the luggage of 30 kg (about 66 pounds) free of charge (checked and carry-on luggage);

Any passenger holding an economy class adult ticket or a half-price ticket is entitled to bear the luggage of 20 kg (about 44 pounds) free of charge (checked luggage);
No free luggage allowance for people who hold infant tickets.
carry-on luggage for China domestic flights:
Each first-class passenger is entitled to have two pieces of carry-on luggage;
Each business-class and economy-class passenger is entitled to have one piece of carry-on luggage;
The size of each carry-on luggage should be smaller than 20 X 40 X 55 centimeter (7.8 X 15.7 X 21.6 inches) and total weight should be less than 5 kg (11 pounds). Otherwise, the luggage should be checked together with your other luggage. For luggage in excess of the free luggage allowance in piece, or the sum of the length, width and height of each piece exceeding the prescribed limits, an excess luggage charge should be paid. We recommend for efficient travel that each passenger travel with only one suitcase and one carry-on bag. Excessive number, size, or weight of luggage may result in your inconvenience and/or surcharge.
Check echinacities.com for more travel information.

Buying House in Beijing For Foreigners

For foreigners who want to buy a house in Beijing need a certificate issued by the Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau which would prove that the foreigners have been stayed in China for at least one year no matter what reason is, work or study and so on and according to a statement jointly issued by six ministries led by the Construction Ministry. There is some limitation for foreigners like they only use and dwell in the house themselves and not buy a house for other purposes. They also required using their real names when buying a house in China.

Persons from Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions, Taiwan and overseas Chinese should also offer proper certificates when buying a house. Organizations that set up branches or agencies in Beijing should provide certificates to prove their legal status in the city and give written guarantees that the houses they buy are only used for their own needs. If not, they should apply to set up a foreign company first. If they want to buy houses to rent or sell or change them for commercial use, they should apply to set up a foreign company and obtain an operations certificate. Foreign embassies in China, representatives of international organizations and people who enjoy diplomatic privileges should have a note of approval to buy a house from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. For other news you could check echinacities.com.