Travel Chinese is pattern-based: a small frame plus destination names covers almost every interaction. Show-don't-speak is legitimate - the character pairs below are worth screenshotting.
Getting around
| 我要去… | I want to go to… (taxi frame) |
| 请带我去这里 | please take me here (+ address on screen) |
| 左转 / 右转 / 直走 | left / right / straight |
| 到了吗？ | are we there? |
| 多少钱？ | how much? (meter-off cabs) |
| …在哪儿？ | where is…? (洗手间在哪儿 - the bathroom) |
Tickets and hotels
一张去…的票 (one ticket to…), 几点出发？ (what time does it leave?), 入住/退房 (check in / check out), 我订了房间 (I have a reservation), wifi密码是多少？ - the modern essential.
When things go wrong
救命 (help!), 我迷路了 (I'm lost), 我不舒服/我头疼 (I don't feel well / headache), 医院在哪儿？, 药店 (pharmacy), 报警 (call police - dial 110). For allergy or dietary needs: 我不能吃… (I can't eat…), 我对…过敏 (I'm allergic to…).
The polite particles
请 before requests, 麻烦你 ("sorry to trouble you") to open a favor, and 谢谢/不客气 to close it. Staff-initiated politeness you will hear: 欢迎光临 (welcome, shouted at shop doors), 慢走 (roughly "go slowly" = goodbye). The restaurant guide covers the meal-specific half.
The one-phrase insurance policy
If everything fails: 我不会说中文 (I can't speak Chinese) followed by the translated text on your phone gets you through nearly any counter. Pair it with 请帮我 (please help me) and 谢谢 - politeness covers the gap. Most stations and airports now signpost bilingually, and translation apps (camera mode on menus/signs) are the honest fallback; these phrases exist for the moments you want to actually interact.
Common questions
How do I ask where the bathroom is in Chinese?
洗手间在哪儿？(or 厕所在哪儿？) - the frame …在哪儿？ works for anything: 地铁在哪儿， 出口在哪儿.
How do I take a taxi in China without speaking Chinese?
Show the address in characters on your phone and say 请带我去这里. 我要去… + place name works when you can pronounce it; metered cabs need no price talk.
What is the emergency number in China?
110 police, 120 ambulance, 119 fire. 救命 is the shout; 我需要帮助 asks for help calmly.