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Practical Chinese Expressions

----Beijing Life Tips









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Common Phrases .................................................. 1
Basic Greetings ............................................................................. 1
Asking Questions .......................................................................... 1
Places ............................................................................................ 3
Solving Problems .................................................................. 6
Practical Chinese Expressions ............................. 7
Order dishes at a Chinese restaurant ......................... 7
Rent an apartment ....................................................................... 12
Local Transport ................................................................... 16
Travel by train/plane ........................................... 20
See a doctor ................................................................................. 25
Hairdressing ................................................................................ 31

Contents




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Common Phrases
Basic Greetings
b yng xi
Youre welcome
du b q
Im sor ry
qng wn
Excuse me
Asking Questions
shn me
What
zn me
How
zi n l?
? Where?
shn me sh hou?
? When?
shi
Who?




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wi shn me?
?
Why?
du sho
How much/ How many ?
q n l zn me zu?
? How do I get there?
n zh zi n l
Where do you live?
w zh zi
I am living at
w xing mi
I want to buy
w xing q
I want to go
n nng ma
Can you
n nng bng zh w ma
Can you help me to
zh g du sho qin
? How much does it cost?











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Places
x shu jin

bathroom
chng t q ch zhn
long distance bus station
d ti
Subway
gng jio ch
Bus
pi ch su
police station
ch ku
the exit
yn hng
Bank
cho sh
super market
y yun
Hospital
xu xio
School
xio q
residential area
shng chng
shopping mall






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din yng yun

movie theater
k fi tng
Caf
ch gun
tea house
fn din
Restaurant
ji b
club/bar
m l
Road
ji
Street
ch zhn
station/stop
hu ji
go back home
mi
Buy
zu tin
Yesterday
jn tin
Today
mng tin
Tomorrow








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zu

Left
yu
Right
nn
South
bi
North
dng
East
x
West
li
to come
q
to go
zu
to walk
kn
to look / see/watch
shu
to speak
tng
to listen
yng
to use






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Solving Problems
w tng b dng
I cant understand
n hu shu yng wn ma?
? Can you speak English?
qng xi xi li
Please write it down
bi pin w le
! Dont cheat me
zu ki
! Go away!
fang ki!
! Dont touch me!
qng bng w
Please help me
ji mng!
! Save me!



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Practical Chinese Expressions
Order dishes at a Chinese restaurant
Waiter: hun yng gung ln xin shng / n sh qng wn nn j wi
/
Welcome, Sir/Madam, how many people, please?
A: sn wi

Three.
A: f w yunqng gi w n ci dn w yo din ci

Waiter, please bring me the menu. Id like to order now.
A: zh sh sh me ci yng sh me ci lio zu de

w yo gng bo j dng y xing ru s h x hng sh cho j dn

sho fng l jio

What is this dish? What items are used? I want Kung pao chicken, Fish-flavored shredded pork
and scrambled eggs with tomatoes. Less pepper.
Waiter: ho de hi x yo sh me ji shu ma zh sh x yo sh me

Ok, any drinks, please? And what do you like for your staple food?
A: b x yo le xi xi zh xi ji gu le




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No need, thanks, these are enough.
Or A : li sn bi bi shu ji ky leyo ling ki shuzh sh yo sn wn m fn
3
Three glasses of water is Ok. Must be cold water. For the staple food, wed like 3 bowls of rice.
Waiter: ho de qng sho dng

Ok. Wait for a moment, please.
A: f w yun ji zhng

Waiter, bring me the bill.
Waiter: nn honn y gn xio fi le yunqng wn shu k hi sh xin jn

Its yuan in total. Do you want to be charge or cash?


A: w yng xin jn xi xi

By cash. Thanks.

Order course at Chinese restaurant
In my opinion, Chinese food can be categorized into 2 main types: dish and hotpot.
Order Chinese dish:
The number of dish would better be as the same number of the people. If there are 6 people, the procedures of ordering
dish commonly are like these:
1. One Cold dish firstly.
y do ling ci




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2. Five main dish, which are all hot dish including meat and vegetables.
w do r ci bo ku ru ci h sh ci

3. One soup. One Chinese soup is filled in a big pot for all eaters.
y fn tng

4. Staple food as rice or pastry.
zh sh r m fn hu bng.

Order hotpot:
1. Choose soup base. Commonly is clear soup or spicy soup or two flavors half and half.
xun z gu d qng tng gu d m l gu d hu zh yun yng gu d

2. Choose small condiment. The sesame paste is the most popular one.
xun z xio lio b r m jing xio lio

3. Order beef and mutton.
din ni ru h yng ru

4. Order vegetables and other side food like fish ball and tofu.
din sh ci h pi ci r y wn h du f











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Chinese Dishes
ti bn ni li
fillet steak with black pepper sauce on hot plate
qng zhng l y

steamed perch with scallion and black beans
ru
meat
sh ci


vegetables
ji shu
wine & drinks
yn lio
drinks
p ji
beer
k ku k l / bi sh k l
/ Coca Cola/ Pepsi Cola
xu b
Spirit
l ch
green Tea
chng zh
orange juice
L
spicy
Xin
salty
qng dn

light flavor







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Tin
sweet
zh sh
staple food
m fn
rice
bng
pasty
Tng
very hot
hu gu
hotpot
gu d


soup base
qng tng gu d
clear soup
m l gu d
spicy soup
yun yng gu d
two flavor soup
xio lio
small condiment
m jing
sesame paste
yng ru
mutton
ni ru
beef
y wn
fish ball



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du fu


tofu
Rent an apartment
There are mainly 2 ways to find apartment rental information. First, you can go to a real estate agency to receive their
service. The commission is as much as one month rent. Secondly, you can find the information on internet, but most
of the ads are posted by agents.

In Beijing, singing a rental contract with landlord is conventional, and you should ask the landlord to show his/her
Property ownership certificate to avoid of cheating.

B: n ho w zi wng shng kn do n de gung go w xing z fng

nn sh zhng ji hi sh g rn

Hello, I saw your ads on the Internet and I'm looking for rent an apartment. Are you a real estate agency
or an individual?
Agent: n ho w sh zhng ji gng s nn xing zho shn me yng de fng z

Hello, this is a real estate agency. What kind of apartment are you looking for?
B w yo zi xu xio f jn z y jin ling j sh yo gn jng de nng

shng wng nng zu fn yu r shu q nng x zo

I want to rent a double room apartment near to my school. I want a clean one which can access to the
Internet and I need a kitchen to cook and a water heater to take showers.
Agent: w xin zi yu j jin fng z mn z nn de yo qi



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nn shn me sh hu gu li kn fn

I have several eligible apartments. When shall I lead you to have a look?
B w mng tin xi w 5 din yu sh jin
5
I'll be free after 5 pm tomorrow afternoon.
Agent: n w mn mng tin 5 din zi d fng jin
5
Lets meet at 5 pm tomorrow at
Agent: zh jin fng z zi sn cng nn mn y ma

It's on the third floor. What do you think of it?
B fng z du sho qin

How much is the rent?
Agent: y g yu 4000 y y f sn
4000
It's 4000 CNY a month. Three month rents plus one month bond.
B ji din du nng yng ma bng xing x y j din sh h r shu q

du sh ho de ma nng shng wng ma

Can I use the household electronic applicants? I mean the refrigerator, washing machine, TV set and water
heater. Can I access the Internet?
Agent: nn fng xn du sh ho de shng wng kun di y y jng n zhung le

d din hu do din xn gng s ji nng ki tng




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Please rest assured that all the applicants work well. And ADSL has been installed. You just need to call
the common carrier to connect it.
B ho de w ji yo zh jin le w x yo h fng dn qin h tng

hi yo kn fng dng de fng chn zhng

Ok, Ill take this one. But I need to sign a contract with the landlord and I need to see the landlords
property ownership certificate.
Agent: mi wn t w mng tin zho fng dng gu li qin h tng

No problem. The landlord will come to sign a contract with you tomorrow.
Words & Phrases
z fng
house rental
fng w zhng ji
real estate agency
y j sh
one room flat
ling j sh
two-room flat
h tng
contract
qin h tng
sign a contract
fng dng
landlord
z jn

rents




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y jn
deposit
y y f sn
pay 3 month rents and mortgage one month rent
k tng
living room
w sh


bed room
r shu q
water heater
wi shng jin
bathroom
ch fng
kitchen
ji j
furniture
din sh j
TV set
x y j
washing machine
din bng xing
refrigerator
ji din
household electrical appliances
shng wng
surf the internet




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Local Transport
Subway:
Line 1,2,4,5, 8,10,13 and airport express line are on operation. The fare is 2 RMB with unlimited transfers.
Taxi:
Taxis in Beijing are meters. You are not recommended to take a black cab which is unlicensed and unmetered.
Fare unit: yuan
Distance Less than 3 km 3-15 km More than 15 km
Fare (05:00-23:00) 10 2 for each km 3 for each km
Fare (23:00-05:00) 11 Besides the starting fare 11, fare is up by 20% at night.

Bus lines:
There are over 800 bus routes operated in Beijing, supplied by the buses numbered 1~998. They are mainly divided into
the following categories:
Numbered 1~100Bus routes are within the 3rd Ring Road.
Numbered 201~215Night routes, only in operation after 23:00.
Numbered 300~810Offering bus routes from downtown area to suburban Beijing.
Numbered 900~998Running long distances, such as from downtown area to the Great Wall.
Bus fares:
Beijing buses are divided into 2 categories by fare: the first category charges flat fare CNY 1 for whole line; and the
second category takes CNY 1.00 as flag down rate for 12 kilometers, and the fare goes up by CNY 0.5 for every extra 5
kilometers.
If you have a transport card, you can get a 60% discount. Taking the first category buses, you just need to punch the



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card once; but if you take the second category bus, you need to punch the card twice. As to how to distinguish the two
types of buses, the bus which puts a machine at the exit door is the type two.
About Transport IC Card
If you will live a longer period of time in Beijing, you are recommended to get a Transport IC Card which offers a
60% discount for taking buses (buses numbered more than 900 offer a 30% discount.). The card can also be used for
taking subway and taxi. Although it doesnt offer discount for taking subway and taxi, you dont need to queue to buy
tickets every time by using the card.
You can get a card at any subway station or larger bus stations. You dont need to hand photos, visa or any other
certificate and no need to fill any forms. All you need to do is to tell the staff that you want to get a transport card and
hand her more than 20 RMB. The 20 RMB is the deposit of the card which will be repay to you when you return the
card.
The card has no password or photo, and any one who gets your card can use it, so recharge 50 or100 RMB each time is
proper.
Useful Expressions
To get a Transport IC Card.
nn ho w xing bn l y zhn n jio y k tn

----Hello, I'd like to get a Transport Card.
A n ho w xing q bi jng zhn yng gi zn me zu ch

---- Excuse me. I want to go to Beijing Railway Station. How can I get there?
B zh l mi yu zh d de gng jio ch n di do ch




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xin zu s sh q l rn hu zi j shu tn hun d ti r ho xin
47
---- There is no trough bus. You have to get a transfer, take bus No.47 and transfer to subway line 2 at Jishuitan
station.
A yo du chn sh jin w gn sh jin p w le hu ch

---- How long it will take? Im in a hurry.
B n n zu ho d ch d d gu q zh g sh jin b d ch d gi

r sh fn zhng ji do le
20
---- Then, youd better take a cab. Its no traffic jams at this time. 20 minutes you can get there.
A ho de xi xi n

---- Ok, thank you.
Words & Phrases
gng jio ch
bus
zu gng jio ch
take a bus
ch zhn
bus stop
s sh q l ch
47 bus no.47
ch z ch
taxi/cab



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d d d ch
/ take a taxi
dng sn hun
the East third ring road
d ch
traffic jam/be stuck in the traffic jam
f pio
receipt
d ti
subway
d ti zhn
subway station
r ho xin
2 subway line 2
do ch
to get transfer
gn sh jin
in hurry
w ch
to miss the train/bus
w fi j
to miss the plane
bi w le hu ch fi j
Dont miss the train (plane).







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Travel by train/plane
Chinas Rail Transport
Rail transport is the most commonly used mode of long-distance transportation in China. All rail operations are handled
by the Ministry of Railways. Trains in China can be divided into 4 categories according to their speeds. Followings are
placed in descending order of speed.
abbreviated from which means high speed railway and the operational speed is about 350 km/h.
Till now, this kind of trains only on operation between several main cities, like between Wuhan and Guangzhou.
This kind of trains begins with G.
high speed train, which is at speeds in excess of 200 km/h. This kind of trains begins with D.
trains begin with T. The fares of G and D trains are really expensive though they really save much time. In
comparison, T-train is the most widely used type due to its moderate speed and fare.
trains begin with K. K is slower than T and the fare is lower correspondently.
trains coded by 4 numbers. Its the slowest type and the environment of carriage is really bad. Its definitely
the last choice.







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Types of train ticket


Dialogue
A xio wn w xin q chn d l yu zn me mi hu ch pio ne

---- Hi Wang, I am planning to travel to Chengdu. How can I get a railway ticket?
W chng d k sh g ho d fng n gn l yu tun q hi sh z j q

---- Chengdu is a great place. Would you like to travel by yourself or to attend a tour group?
A w h png yu z j q w b x hun l xng sh n pi de xin l

---- I am going with a friend. I dont like the route planned by the travel agent.
Train
Seat
Seat Ticket
Sleeper Standing-room
Soft-sleeper Hard-sleeper
Upper Berth
Lower Berth
Middle Berth



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W n n di z j mi hu ch pio z j dng bn gun

n zu ho zo din mi j shu xin zi k y t qin 10 tin mi pio
10
---- So you have to buy tickets and book hotels by yourselves. Youd better buy tickets earlier. Its said people can
buy tickets 10 days in advance.
A zhn de ma n w xin zi ji q

---- Really? I am gonna do it now.
W n zu ho xin shng wng ch y xi yu n xi ch n ji zi bi d l sh r

bi jng chng d hu ch pio zh sn g gun jin c d y tio xin sh

de xn x ji sh le

---- Youd better search out the ticket information on the Internet. Just type in keywords of Beijing, Chengdu and
Railway ticket on Baidu.com and youll see the trains information instantly.
A yu sn ling ch K yo yo q ,T q h yo sn li sn. n lin ch gn ho ne
K 1 1 7T 7 1 3 6 3
---- There are 3 trains- K117, T7 and 1363. Which is better?
W zh sn ling ch du sh cng bi jng x zhn f ch de K di bio kui
K
T di bio t kui ,su y T7 b K117 yo kui 1363 sh mn ch su y
T T7 K117 1363
n zu ho zu T7 su rn t b q t de ling ling ch du gu
T7
---- All the trains depart from Beijing West Railway Station. K means fast, T means faster, so T7 runs faster than



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K117 and 1363 is the slowest one. Youd better take T7 even though its fare is higher.
A n w xin zi ji q hu ch zhn mi pio

---- Ok, I am going to the railway station to buy tickets.
W hu ch zhn ti yun le. zn mn xu xio f jn yu y g hu ch pio

di shu din n l ji k y mi pio gn hu ch zhn sh y yng de

zh b gu yo du jio 5 kui qin de shu x fi
5
---- The railway station is too far. There is a Train Ticket Outlet near by which sells tickets just as the railway
station does, except it charges 5 Yuan as commission.

Buying tickets
A n ho w mi ling zhng 10 ho q chng d de ch pio
10
yo T7 n ling ch hi yu w p ma
T7
---- Hello, Id like to buy 2 tickets to Chengdu on 10th. Id like tickets of T7. Is there any sleeper ticket left?
B nn ho T7 de yng w y jng mi wn le hi yu run w h yng zu
T7
nn yo n zhng

---- Sorry, all the hard-sleeper tickets of T7 were sold out. There are soft-sleeper and seat tickets left. Which is it?
A n w yo run w xi xi y gng du sho qin




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---- Ok, then I will choose the soft-sleeper, thanks. How much is it in total?

Words & Phrases
j chng

airport
shu d gu j j chng

Beijing Capital International Airport
hu j d tng

waiting hall
fi j wn din

behind time
chng t q ch

coach
hu ch

train
hu ch sh

waiting room
kui ch

express
mn ch

stopping train/slow train
dng ch

high speed train
l xng sh

travel agency
l yu tun

travel group
l yu jng din

tourist spot



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mn pio

entrance ticket
bn gun

hotel
do yu

tourist guide
j nin pn

souvenir
See a doctor
The Chinese medical system can be divided into roughly three categories: private practitioners, official hospitals and
clinics, and international hospitals.
It is not recommended for anyone to see private practitioners. These doctors may not have the right qualifications to
practice medicine. There is no official body to oversee their medical practice. They are popular in China only because
they are much cheaper than regular hospitals, but seeing one may make your health worse, not better.
Official hospitals and clinics usually have the support of the government. In large cities, these places are more than
adequate for normal procedures. In smaller towns or rural areas, hospitals may lack important equipment or skilled staff,
so for serious health problems its best to go to a larger facility. Even hospitals in big cities will not necessarily have
doctors that can speak good English, much less any other foreign languages.
International hospitals are staffed by foreign doctors or Chinese doctors trained in North America, Europe or Japan.
These facilities have doctors that can speak a variety of languages and abide by the highest international standards; they
are capable of addressing many more complex problems that some Chinese hospitals cannot. The downside is that they
tend to be very expensive.




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General procedure of seeing a doctor at large hospital
1. Register
Register at the registration office to get a registration form and a patients book. You should tell the staff what
section office you want to see. To heal traumatism, you should go to surgical departmentif you got
headache, a cold, a fever or stomachache, you should go to medical department.
2. See a doctor
You should bring the registration form and a patients book with you to see the doctor.
3. Get a prescription
4. Bring prescription to go to pharmacy
5. To have a prescription priced
6. Get the medicine
7. Get injection
Get a nurse at injection room to get injected.
Dialogue
A w xing w jn tin di qng bng ji le

---- Im afraid I have to take a sick leave today.
B n zn me le n l b sh fu

---- Are you Ok? Whats the matter with you?



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A w xing w gn mo le k nng hi yu din f sho hi yu din l d z

---- I think Ive caught a cold, may be a fever too. And I have loose bowels.
B n zu tin ch le shn me b gn jn de dng x le ma

---- Did you eat anyth contaminated food yesterday?
A k nng sh zu tin ch hi xin ch de

---- Maybe the seafood.
B ch gu yo le ma

---- Have you taken any medicine?
A z j ch le gn mo yo dn sh b gun yn

---- I have taken cold medicine but it doesnt work.
B n gn jn q y yun kn kn b shu b dng sh chng yn ch yo b

gun yng le y shng gi n sh y hu ho de kui y din

---- You need to see a doctor. It may be stomach flu. Taking medicine is useless, maybe you need to take a
transfusion.





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Words & Phrases
y yun
hospital
zhn su
clinic
y shng
doctor
h shi
nurse
gu ho
register
gu ho ch
registration room
bng l bn
patients book
k sh
section room
ni k
medical department
wi k
surgical department
yo fng
pharmacy
hu ji
to have a prescription priced
sh y
to get transfusion
w shn t b sh f
I don't feel well.



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gn mo
catch a cold
f sho
have a fever
ch yo
take the medicine
shng hu
excessive internal heat
f yn
become inflamed from infection or injury
sng z tng
sore throat
d zi tng
collywobbles, a pain in insides
l d zi
have loose bowels
wi tng
stomachache
wi shng
traumatism
li xu
bleeding
shu shng
get hurt, get injured
yo fng
description
ki yo
to prescribe for an illness
xio yn yo
antibiotic medicine



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kng shng s
antibiotics
zh tn yo
analgesic
zh xu
stanch
d zhn
to have an injection
sh y
transfusion
j ji
first aid
ji h ch
ambulance
bng de hn zhng / qng
/ seriously ill/ less sickness
qng bng ji
take a sick leave













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Hairdressing
A n ho jin tu fa hi sh zu tu fa

---- Good morning. Hair cut or change hair style?
B w jin tu fa

---- I just need my hair cut.
A xin x g tu ba qng wn nn xing jin g sh me f xng

---- A shampoo first. What kind of style you want to have?
B w b xing hun f xng zh sh sho wi xi y xi ji k y le b yo jin dun

---- I dont want to restyle my hair. Just have it cut a little. Dont cut it short.
Or bng w jin dun y din

---- Please cut it short.











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Words & Phrases






jin f = jin tu fa
= to have hair cut
zu tu fa
do ones hair
tn f
to have a perm
jun f
to have hair curled
l zh tu fa
to strengthen hair
zu h l
to do treatment for hair
rn f
to have hair dyed
xi jin tu fa
trim a little
hun f xn
restyle the hair



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