Beginner's Guide to Survival Chinese in Beijing: Transport and Travel

Annie Lin | Aug 15, 2016 11:30 am | Add a comment | 5086 reads

Constantly finding yourself lost and confused in the hustle and bustle of Beijing? You’re not alone. We’re here to help you navigate your way by learning some phrases in Mandarin, with guidance from friendly locals, you’ll be a Beijinger in no time.

Street Directions

It can be intimidating but if you wish to ask a passerby for directions, the best way to stop them is to say “Sorry, can I ask,” then follow with your question.

English	Mandarin	Pinyin
Sorry, can I ask …	对不起，请问...	Duìbùqǐ, qǐngwèn...
Can you tell me how to get to ____?	你可以告诉我怎么到____.	Nǐ kěyǐ gàosù wǒ zěnme dào ____.

With any luck, they will tell you which way you need to go. Now, listen carefully for these phrases to identify the directions.

English	Mandarin	Pinyin
Go straight	直走	Zhí zǒu
Turn left	左转	Zuǒ zhuǎn
Turn right	右转	Yòu zhuǎn

Subway

The subway shouldn’t be a problem as announcements are made in Mandarin and English, but should you find that you missed an announcement, here’s what to ask. Likewise, if you were on a bus, simply replace the word subway (地铁) with bus (公交车, gōngjiāo chē).

English	Mandarin	Pinyin
What subway station is this?	这是什么地铁站？	Zhè shì shénme dìtiě zhàn?
What stop is this?	这是什么站？	Zhè shì shénme zhàn?
I need to get to ____. Which line should I take?	我需要到这里____. 我应该座那条线？	Wǒ xūyào dào zhèlǐ____. Wǒ yīnggāi zuò nà tiáo xiàn?
Where is this subway going?	这辆地铁是去哪里的？	Zhè liàng dìtiě shì qù nǎlǐ de?
Where can I buy tickets?	我可以在哪里买票？	Wǒ kěyǐ zài nǎlǐ mǎi piào?
Where is the nearest subway stop?	最近的地铁站在哪里？	Zuìjìn dì dìtiě zhàn zài nǎlǐ?

Taxi

Hailing a cab in Beijing is the easy part, but what do you say once you’ve gotten in the car? Like you, your driver is likely to be equally worried about the language barrier. Put both of you at ease with these following phrases.

English	Mandarin	Pinyin
Hello driver, I’m going to____.	师傅您好，我要去____.	Shīfù nín hǎo, wǒ yào qù____.
Sorry, I don’t know the way.	对不起，我不知道路。	Duìbùqǐ, Wǒ bùzhī dàolù.
This is the address.	这是地址。	Zhè shì dìzhǐ.
Why don’t you use the GPS.	你导航走吧。	Nǐ dǎoháng zǒu ba.
This is it, thank you.	就是这儿，谢谢。	Jiùshì zhè'er, xièxiè

Also check out phrased to help your Uber ride more enjoyable.

Train stations

Beijing Railway Station
13 Maojiawan Hutong, Dongcheng District
北京火车站东城区毛家湾胡同甲13号

Beijing South Station
12 Quyong Outer Street, Fengtai District
北京南站丰台区永外大街12号

Beijing West Station
118 Lotus Pond East Road, Fengtai District
北京西站丰台区莲花池东路118号

Beijing North Station
North Street, Xizhimen, Xicheng District
北京北站西城区西直门北大街

Beijing East Station
7 Baiziwan Road, Chaoyang District
北京东站朝阳区百子湾路7号

Airports

Beijing Capital International Airport
Airport West Road, Shunyi District, Beijing
北京首都国际机场北京市顺义区机场西路

Beijing Nanyuan Airport
Jingbei East Road, Nanyuan South Fourth Ring, Southern Fengtai District
北京南苑机场北京市南郊丰台区南苑南四环警备东路

Follow our Mandarin Monday blog series, with a new post every Monday to help you enjoy Beijing to the fullest. You can also find a plethora of learning tools and tips from our Mandarin Month blogs, which we held earlier this year.

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