Situations · 16 phrases · 3 min read
Trains and directions
China's high-speed rail is quick, cheap and very well signposted. The Chinese you need is mostly for the edges: the ticket, the gate, and asking the way once you are out of the station.
Buying a ticket
我要买一张票wǒ yào mǎi yì zhāng piàoI'd like to buy a ticket张 for flat things, from day 5.
去上海的高铁qù Shànghǎi de gāotiěthe high-speed train to Shanghai
几点的车jǐ diǎn de chēwhich departure?
二等座èr děng zuòa second class seat二 here, not 两, because it is an ordinal.
At the station
在哪个站台zài nǎge zhàntáiwhich platform?
检票口在哪儿jiǎnpiàokǒu zài nǎrwhere's the ticket gate?
这趟车到北京吗zhè tàng chē dào Běijīng madoes this train go to Beijing?
晚点了wǎndiǎn leit's delayed
Asking the way
请问地铁站怎么走qǐngwèn dìtiězhàn zěnme zǒuexcuse me, how do I get to the metro?
一直走yìzhí zǒustraight on
往左拐wǎng zuǒ guǎiturn left
走路要多久zǒulù yào duō jiǔhow long on foot?
On board
这是我的座位zhè shì wǒ de zuòwèithis is my seat
下一站是哪儿xià yí zhàn shì nǎrwhat's the next stop?
我要下车wǒ yào xià chēI'm getting off
请让一下qǐng ràng yíxiàexcuse me, can I get past?
What nobody tells you
Your ticket is your passport
Rail tickets are tied to your passport number, and you show the passport itself at security and at the gate. Keep it somewhere you can reach it without unpacking.
Arrive earlier than feels necessary
Big stations are the size of airports, with a security check at the entrance and a gate that closes a few minutes before departure. Half an hour early is comfortable. Five minutes is a missed train.