Very Chinese Time

Living in China

Chinese for moving to China

Updated

After you move to China, daily life is many short talks in Mandarin: the shop downstairs, the fruit stall, the pharmacy, neighbours in the stairwell. Your employer helps with the flat and the visa, not with these. A partner without a job often has more of these talks than the one who works. This page covers them, with the phrases for each.

Wishlist on Steam See the phrases

Everyday situations

  1. The shop downstairs

    You go to a convenience store most days. The cashier asks three quick questions, one after another: heat it up, a bag, and how you will pay.

  2. Buying by weight

    Fruit shops and markets sell food by weight. Prices are per 斤jīn (jin), and one jin is 500 grams. You ask the price per jin, then say how many jin you want.

  3. The pharmacy

    For a minor illness, many people go straight to a pharmacy. The pharmacist asks what is wrong and what you ate, then explains the medicine, often fast.

  4. Neighbours

    You may meet an older neighbour with heavy shopping in the stairwell or lift. Offer to help. They will often start chatting.

  5. When something is lost

    If you leave your phone in a taxi or a park, ask at your building’s front desk, then report it at the local police station. They ask when, where, and what it looks like.

Phrases to learn

  • 我先看看。 (wǒ xiān kàn kan.) I'll take a look first.

    Say it when you walk up to a stall and are not ready to buy. It tells the seller you are just looking.

    They may say 随便看！ (suí biàn kàn!) Look as much as you like!
  • 苹果一斤多少钱？ (píng guǒ yì jīn duō shao qián?) How much is one jin of apples?

    Use it to ask the price per jin. 苹píng果guǒ (apples) is the fruit. Put in the name of what you are buying.

  • 两斤。 (liǎng jīn.) Two jin (1 kg).

    Say it to tell the seller how much you want.

    They may say 就这些？ (jiù zhè xiē?) Just these?
  • 不要 (bú yào) No, thanks

    Say it to each offer you do not want at the checkout: heating, a bag, a receipt.

    They may say 要袋子吗？ (yào dài zi ma?) Want a bag?
  • 药店在哪里？ (yào diàn zài ná li?) Where is a pharmacy?

    Ask the front desk or someone in the street where the nearest pharmacy is.

  • 一天几次？ (yì tiān jǐ cì?) How many times a day?

    Ask it to check how many times a day to take the medicine.

    They may say 一天三次。 (yì tiān sān cì.) Three times a day.
  • 需要帮助吗？ (xū yào bāng zhù ma?) Do you need help?

    Ask a neighbour with heavy bags if they need help.

    They may say 哎哟，不用不用，太麻烦你了！ (āi yō, bú yòng bú yòng, tài má fan nǐ le!) Oh my, no need, no need! Too much trouble for you! (People often say no the first time to be polite. Offer again.)
  • 我的手机丢了。 (wǒ de shǒu jī diū le.) My phone is lost.

    Say it at the front desk or at the police station.

    They may say 什么时候丢的？ (shén me shí hou diū de?) When was it lost?

The pinyin shows how the words are really said, as in the game.

Where to practise it in the game

The week in the game includes most errands from a first month in China.

  • The convenience store

    You buy lunch. The cashier talks too fast, and an older woman needs something from the top shelf. Then it pours with rain, and you go back to the counter to buy an umbrella.

  • The fruit shop

    You buy fruit as a gift for a family lunch. You look around, ask the price per jin, ask if the fruit is sweet, say how many jin, and say that is all.

  • The stairwell

    An older woman is struggling with her shopping. You ask if she needs help, carry it up five floors and answer her questions on the way.

  • Pharmacy and police station

    A stomach ache sends you to a pharmacy. The pharmacist explains the medicine twice, once fast and once slowly. Another morning, you report a lost phone at the local police station.

Inside a small convenience store: a cashier behind the counter, shelves of snacks and drinks behind her, and a warmer of steamed buns on the counter.
The convenience store, where you will speak Chinese most often.

Practical tips

  • Register your address

    If you do not live in a hotel, you must register your address with the local police within 24 hours of arriving, and again after you move. You usually need your passport and your lease. Landlords and employers often help. Since September 2026, you can also register online, in the National Immigration Administration’s NIA 12367 app or website.

  • Get a local phone number

    Food delivery, ride-hailing, bike sharing and many building systems are much easier with a Chinese mobile number.

  • Know the jin

    One 斤jīn (jin) is 500 grams. If a sign says 10 yuan per jin, a kilo costs 20 yuan.

  • For partners: go to the same places

    Go to the same stall, shop and café every week, and the people there get to know you. Short, regular chats with the same people are easy practice.

Questions

Do expats in China need to speak Chinese?

Not to get by. Expats live in big Chinese cities with little Chinese, using apps and help from colleagues. But everyday life is in Mandarin: shops, markets, pharmacies, neighbours and deliveries. Basic spoken phrases let you do these things on your own.

What is the most useful Chinese for living in China?

Five kinds of phrases cover most days. 1. Prices and amounts: 多duō少shao钱qián (how much), 一yì斤jīn (one jin). 2. Polite refusals: 不bú要yào (don’t want), 不bú用yòng了le (no need). 3. Asking where things are: 在zài哪ná里li (where is). 4. The questions at a checkout. 5. A simple health problem at a pharmacy, like 我wǒ肚dù子zi疼téng (I have a stomach ache).

How do I buy fruit and vegetables by weight in China?

Ask the price per jin, for example 苹píng果guǒ一yì斤jīn多duō少shao钱qián (how much is a jin of apples). Then say how many jin: 一yì斤jīn (one jin), 两liǎng斤jīn (two jin), 三sān斤jīn (three jin). One jin is 500 grams.

What happens if I lose my phone in China?

Tell your hotel or building front desk, then report it at the local police station, a 派pài出chū所suǒ (police station). They will ask 什shén么me时shí候hou丢diū的de (when did you lose it), 在zài哪ná里li丢diū的de (where did you lose it), and what colour it is.

Is the game useful for a partner who is not working in China?

Yes. Very Chinese Time in My Life focuses on everyday situations: shops, a pharmacy, neighbours and getting around. A partner without a job in China usually has these talks most often.

Sources

Official pages for the facts on this page. Rules change, so check them before you travel.