Day 9: Getting Around — Learn Chinese in 30 Days

What You’ll Learn Today

Getting around in China is surprisingly easy — Chinese cities have world-class metro systems, cheap taxis, and increasingly, app-based ride-hailing. Today we’ll cover the vocabulary and phrases you need to navigate any Chinese city.

Getting a Taxi

The most useful phrase for flagging down a taxi or getting into a Didi (China’s Uber):

去 [destination]，谢谢。— Qù [destination], xiè xie. — To [destination], please.

Example: 去北京饭店。(Qù Běijīng Fàndiàn.) — “To the Beijing Hotel, please.”

DiDi (滴滴) is China’s dominant ride-hailing app. It now has an English option — but knowing some Chinese helps when confirming your pickup location.

Asking for Directions

请问，[place] 怎么走？— Qǐng wèn, [place] zěn me zǒu? — Excuse me, how do I get to [place]?

The answer will use these direction words:

Chinese	Pinyin	Meaning
左转	zuǒ zhuǎn	Turn left
右转	yòu zhuǎn	Turn right
直走	zhí zǒu	Go straight
前面	qián miàn	Ahead / In front
后面	hòu miàn	Behind
旁边	páng biān	Next to / Beside

The Subway: Your Best Friend in China

Major Chinese cities have extensive, cheap, and modern metro systems. Key vocabulary:

• 地铁站 (dì tiě zhàn) — metro station
• 下一站 (xià yī zhàn) — next stop
• 换乘 (huàn chéng) — transfer (change lines)
• 出口 (chū kǒu) — exit

Buy tickets from the machines (often have English). Just select your destination — the fare is calculated by distance.

Sentence Patterns

Pattern 1: Finding the subway

请问地铁站在哪里？— Qǐng wèn dì tiě zhàn zài nǎ lǐ? — Excuse me, where is the metro station?

Pattern 2: Buying a ticket

一张去[station name]的票。— Yī zhāng qù [station] de piào. — One ticket to [station].

Pattern 3: At the taxi

我要去这个地址。— Wǒ yào qù zhège dì zhǐ. — I want to go to this address. (Then show them your phone.)

Cultural Note

China’s high-speed rail (高铁 gāo tiě) network is the world’s largest and most advanced. Trains between major cities can travel at 350 km/h (217 mph). A Beijing-Shanghai journey that used to take 10 hours by regular train now takes about 4.5 hours.

When taking a taxi in China, always check that the meter is running before departing. In tourist areas, negotiate the price upfront for unmarked cabs. Using DiDi is generally safer as it tracks the route and your fare is preset.

Practice Exercise

What would you say?

1. You want to go to the train station by taxi.
2. You’re asking someone how to get to the subway.
3. Someone tells you directions — they say 左转 then 直走. What does that mean?

Answers: 1) 去火车站，谢谢。2) 请问，地铁站怎么走？3) Turn left, then go straight.