Chinese for real situations.
Straight-to-the-point guides for the moments that actually happen on a trip. Each one gives you the handful of sentences that carry the whole situation, with pinyin, audio and the cultural notes that keep you from sounding off.
Chinese for restaurants
Restaurants are where most visitors first have to hold a real exchange in Mandarin.…
Chinese for taxis
A taxi is a short, predictable exchange with someone who does not want to chat,…
Chinese for shopping
Shopping in China ranges from fixed-price malls to markets where the first number…
Chinese for the hotel
Hotel staff in big cities often speak some English, and a few lines of Chinese…
Trains and directions
China's high-speed rail is quick, cheap and very well signposted. The Chinese you…
Greetings and meetings
First meetings in China follow a small set of rituals, and doing them roughly right…
Chinese for emergencies
Nobody plans to need this page. Short, clear sentences work better than polite ones…
Chinese at the convenience store
Convenience stores are everywhere in Chinese cities and the exchange at the till is…
Holidays
How Christmas and Halloween are actually celebrated in China, and the Chinese for each.
Christmas in China
The Mandarin words and phrases for Christmas in China: 圣诞快乐, the Christmas Eve…
Halloween in China
The Mandarin words and phrases for Halloween in China: 不给糖就捣蛋, costumes, haunted…
On the blog: How Christmas is celebrated in China, and what to say and How Halloween is celebrated in China, and what to say