Top 10 Most Common Questions Asked by Chinese People (PDF)

If you are preparing for a trip to China, you will want to learn at least some basic Chinese before you go. Everyone knows that learning how to say “survival” words and phrases like “hello” (nǐ hǎo 你好), “thank you” (xìe xie 谢谢 / 謝謝) and “how much is it?” (duō shǎo qián 多少钱? / 多少錢?) can make your life in China much easier.

However, once you have mastered these basic words and phrases, you have officially learned just enough Chinese to get yourself into trouble!

Many foreigners in China have experienced this situation:

You see something you want to buy, so you say to the vendor the exact words that you have been practicing: “Hello! How much is this?” (nǐ hǎo! 你好! zhè ge duō shǎo qián? 这个多少钱? / 這個多少錢?)

The next thing you know, the vendor is giving you a “thumbs up” for your language skills and begins talking to you in rapid Chinese as if you’re completely fluent. Not understanding a word of what she says, all you can do is smile, shrug, and shake your head. The vendor then chuckles awkwardly and types a price into a calculator for you.

That kind of encounter can be so discouraging! But the good news is, you can quickly and easily learn enough Chinese to avoid this kind of awkward situation.

Why is that possible?

Because conversations with Chinese people tend to be quite predictable.

When it comes to first-time encounters with a foreigner, Chinese people will often ask the same set of questions. So, all you have to do is learn to recognize those question, memorize your best answer, and — voila! — you are well on your way to being able to hold your own in an actual conversation in Chinese!

In this e-book, we have compiled a list of the top ten questions that you are most likely to be asked in China.

For each of these ten, we have listed the most common ways that people phrase the question, as well as the best way or ways to answer. By the time you have mastered all ten, you will be prepared for almost any first-encounter meeting in China.

We sincerely hope you enjoy this e-book and learn a lot from it!

This e-book is designed to be a supplementary study tool for people who want to be prepared to engage in basic conversations in Chinese while in China.

Though this book will be beneficial for students of all levels, it is ideal for students who already have some basic Mandarin knowledge down.

If you are an absolute beginner, you can still use this book, but you may have to place a bigger emphasis on rote memorization to master these phrases. That’s why we would recommend having a basic understanding of the Chinese language beforehand.

Having said that, the only prerequisite is an understanding of pinyin, which is used throughout this book. Once you can read and pronounce syllables written in pinyin, you are technically ready to get started!

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