Common Chinese Phrases and Communication Skills

This guide is tailored to help international students in CAUC, master high-frequency Chinese phrases for daily scenarios and understand cross-cultural communication norms in China. With clear Pinyin, English translations, and cultural tips, it aims to reduce language barriers and help you integrate into life, study, and social interactions more smoothly.

Practical Chinese Phrases for Key Scenarios

Here provide some comparison table of some common Chinese and English sentences for you,you can try use them in you daily life.

• Hello! / Hi! 你好！ Nǐ hǎo!
• Good morning / Good afternoon / Good evening 早上好/下午好/晚上好 Zǎoshang hǎo / Xiàwǔ hǎo / Wǎnshàng hǎo
• Thank you! / Thank you very much! 谢谢！/ 非常感谢！ Xièxie! / Fēicháng gǎnxiè!
• Sorry / Excuse me 对不起 / 不好意思 Duìbuqǐ / Bù hǎoyìsi
• Thank you for your trouble 麻烦你了 Máfan nǐ le
• Goodbye! / See you later! 再见！/ 回头见！ Zàijiàn! / Huítóu jiàn!
• It’s okay / No problem 没关系 Méi guānxi
• Please give me more guidance 请多指教 Qǐng duō zhǐjiào
• How much is this? 这个多少钱？ Zhège duōshao qián?
• Can you make it a bit cheaper? 可以便宜一点吗？ Kěyǐ piányi yìdiǎn ma?
• I want this one / that one 我要这个/那个 Wǒ yào zhège / nàge
• Scan to pay / Show your payment code 扫码支付 / 出示付款码 Sǎomǎ zhīfù / Chūshì fùkuǎn mǎ
• WeChat Pay or Alipay? 微信还是支付宝？ Wēixìn háishì Zhīfùbǎo?
• Excuse me, where is the restroom? 请问洗手间在哪里？ Qǐngwèn xǐshǒujiān zài nǎlǐ?
• Could you pass this to me, thank you 帮我拿一下，谢谢 Bāng wǒ ná yíxià, xièxie
• Can I try this on? 我可以试穿一下吗？ Wǒ kěyǐ shìchuān yíxià ma?
• Scan the QR code to order 扫码点餐 Sǎomǎ diǎncān
• Is this spicy? 这个辣吗？ Zhège là ma?
• No spice / Mild spicy / Medium spicy / Extra spicy 不要辣/微辣/中辣/重辣 Bù yào là / Wēi là / Zhōng là / Zhòng là
• I’m vegetarian / I don’t eat seafood 我吃素 / 我不吃海鲜 Wǒ chī sù / Wǒ bù chī hǎixiān
• Please wrap this up for takeaway 请帮我打包 Qǐng bāng wǒ dǎbāo
• Waiter/Waitress, check please! 服务员，买单！ Fúwùyuán, mǎidān!
• This is very delicious 这个很好吃 Zhège hěn hǎochī
• I want a cup of milk tea 我想喝一杯奶茶 Wǒ xiǎng hē yì bēi nǎichá
• Driver, I want to go to XX 师傅，我要去XX Shīfu, wǒ yào qù XX
• What’s the last four digits of your phone number? 手机尾号多少？ Shǒujī wěihào duōshao?
• Please pull over ahead, thank you 前面靠边停，谢谢 Qiánmiàn kàobiān tíng, xièxie
• Where is the subway station / bus stop? 地铁站/公交站在哪里？ Dìtiě zhàn / Gōngjiāo zhàn zài nǎlǐ
• Does this bus/subway go to XX? 这趟车到XX吗？ Zhè tàng chē dào XX ma?
• Excuse me, how to get to XX? 请问怎么去XX？ Qǐngwèn zěnme qù XX?
• I’m in a hurry, please hurry up a bit 我赶时间，麻烦快一点 Wǒ gǎn shíjiān, máfan kuài yìdiǎn
• Hello, teacher! / Hello, classmate! 老师好！/ 同学好！ Lǎoshī hǎo! / Tóngxué hǎo!
• May I ask a question? 我可以问一个问题吗？ Wǒ kěyǐ wèn yí gè wèntí ma?
• When is the homework due? 作业什么时候交？ Zuòyè shénme shíhou jiāo?
• I don’t understand, please say it again 我听不懂，请再说一遍 Wǒ tīng bù dǒng, qǐng zài shuō yíbiàn
• Where is the library? 图书馆在哪里？ Túshūguǎn zài nǎlǐ?
• Which classroom is this class in? 这门课在哪个教室上？ Zhè mén kè zài nǎge jiàoshì shàng?
• Can I borrow your notes to look at? 可以借你的笔记看一下吗？ Kěyǐ jiè nǐ de bǐjì kàn yíxià ma?
• I’m not feeling well 我不舒服 Wǒ bù shūfu
• I have a headache / stomachache / toothache 我头痛/胃痛/牙痛 Wǒ tóutòng / Wèitòng / Yátòng
• I’m allergic 我过敏了 Wǒ guòmǐn le
• Excuse me, where is the pharmacy? 请问药店在哪里？ Qǐngwèn yàodiàn zài nǎlǐ?
• I want to buy cold medicine / stomach medicine 我想买感冒药/胃药 Wǒ xiǎng mǎi gǎnmào yào / Wèiyào
• Please call an ambulance for me 请帮我叫救护车 Qǐng bāng wǒ jiào jiùhùchē
• My student ID / passport is here 我的学生证/护照在这里 Wǒ de xuéshēngzhèng / Hùzhào zài zhèlǐ
• My name is XX, nice to meet you 我叫XX，很高兴认识你 Wǒ jiào XX, hěn gāoxìng rènshi nǐ
• Can we add each other on WeChat? 我们可以加微信吗？ Wǒmen kěyǐ jiā Wēixìn ma?
• Do you have any plans for the weekend? 周末有什么安排吗？ Zhōumò yǒu shénme ānpái ma?
• Could you recommend some fun places? 麻烦推荐一下好玩的地方 Máfan tuījiàn yíxià hǎowán de dìfāng
• Long time no see! 好久不见！ Hǎo jiǔ bùjiàn!
• Where are you from? 你来自哪里？ Nǐ láizì nǎlǐ?
• Shall we go to eat together? 一起去吃饭吗？ Yìqǐ qù chīfàn ma?

Above is some useful sentences you may used in daily life.

Cultural Taboos & Daily Etiquett

Here are also something you need to obey in daily life:

Dining Etiquette & Taboos

• Do not stick chopsticks upright in the rice bowl (this resembles the ritual of offering sacrifices to the dead, which is very inappropriate).
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• Do not tap the bowl with chopsticks (this is the behavior of beggars in ancient times, which is impolite).
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• When pouring tea for others, hold the teapot with both hands; when others pour tea for you, tap the table with your index and middle fingers twice to express thanks (a common implicit etiquette).
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• Do not pick food randomly in the plate—only pick the food near your own position; do not flip the food in the plate.

Gifting Taboos

• Avoid gifting clocks (the homophone of “clock (Zhōng)” in Chinese is “end (Zhōng)”, implying “the end of life”), umbrellas (homophone of “umbrella (Sǎn)” is “separation (Fēnsǎn)”), or pears (homophone of “pear (Lí)” is “departure (Líkāi)”).
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• Do not give gifts in quantities of 4 (the number “4” is homophonic with “death (Sǐ)” in Chinese, which is considered unlucky); prefer even numbers like 2, 6, or 8 (representing harmony, smoothness, and prosperity).
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• When giving gifts, do not wrap them in white or black paper (white is associated with funerals, black represents solemnity and sadness); red wrapping paper is preferred (red symbolizes joy and luck).

Daily Behavior Taboos

• Do not point at others with your fingers (impolite and disrespectful); use an open palm instead.
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• Do not ask others about privacy-sensitive topics, such as age, income, marital status, or family affairs—these are considered personal secrets in China.
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• Do not spit in public places, litter, or make loud noises—these behaviors are against public morality and will be disapproved by others.