Your Ultimate Guide: Key Phrases For Business Trips in China ✈️

Want a Stress-Free Business Trip? Learn Key Phrases for Booking Flights, Hotels, and Transportation in Chinese

Travelling for business in China can be both exciting and challenging.

Even though it’s becoming more common for the staff to speak English in the tourism industry, you never know when you will need to sprinkle in some Chinese to make the journey smooth.

Especially for booking flights, hotels, and transportation, it’s crucial to know the exact words. Otherwise, you might end up on a flight to Chongqing when your business meeting is in Chengdu!

In this blog post, we’ll introduce you to all the necessary phrases and tips to handle travel logistics in China like a local 🙌

Chinese Business Trips || Key Vocabulary for Booking Flights

Chinese Business Trips || Essential Phrases for Booking Hotels

Chinese Business Trips || Transportation Tips and Useful Phrases

Chinese Business Trips || FAQs

Chinese Business Trips || Key Vocabulary for Booking Flights

Booking a flight in China can be a hassle if you’re just learning the language. Pay special attention to these terms and remember them precisely.

To say you want to book a ticket, always refer to this word:

Play 预订

yù dìng

Book

Or you can just simply use this single character in a casual conversation.

For example:

Now here are some vocabularies to specify the details of the flight.

For example, to ask about the departing time of the flight, you can say:

Play 这个航班几点出发？

Zhè ge háng bān jǐ diǎn chū fā?

What time does this flight depart?

 If you want to book a round-trip ticket, you can say:

Play 我想预订一张往返票。

Wǒ xiǎng yù dìng yī zhāng wǎng fǎn piào.

I want to book a round-trip ticket.

As you know, being a frequent traveler, flight companies have different policies on luggage and carry-ons. You will need to pay attention to these words.

Play 随身行李

suí shēn xíng lǐ

Carry-on

To ask about the limits of luggage when booking, you can say:

Play 这个航班有行李限额吗？

Zhè ge háng bān yǒu xíng lǐ xiàn é ma?

Is there a luggage limit on this flight?

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Chinese Business Trips || Essential Phrases for Booking Hotels

Like booking flights, there are also some important to pay attention to when booking hotels in China.

Not all hotels accept foreign guests since they only accept National IDs for check-ins – however the government is currently trying to overhaul this system and make it easier for foreigners

Here are some basic phrases you should remember first.

For example, to ensure that you can stay in the hotel as a foreigner, you can ask:

And this phrase is always helpful to ensure the check-in time so you can put off your leavy luggage.

If you also want to extend your check-out time, you can ask：

In most cases, you will have the option to choose between a double standard room or a suite for your trip. Here are the vocabularies for room types and anything that come with it. 

Play 有没有空房？

Yǒu méi yǒu kōng fáng?

Do you have any available rooms?

If you are sensitive to the surrounding environment of your rooms, you can always request a specific quieter room or non-smoking room.

It’s always helpful to ask if breakfast and Wi-Fi are included in your room. You can say:

It’s pretty common for Chinese to refer to Wi-Fi just in English. So you can just ask:

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Chinese Business Trips || Transportation Tips and Useful Phrases

Moving around and getting to different places are the most frequent scenarios in which you will need to speak Chinese.

Unlike hotels and flights where staff are better trained to speak English, you’d often need to ask around in Chinese when navigating local transportation.

First, some basic phrases to help you get around.

Play 出租车

chū zū chē

Taxi

Or now, in most cases, you will call an Uber, which is called Didi in China.

Play 滴滴

dī dī

Didi, Uber in China

When you get on a Didi, you will often confirm with the driver of your destination.

When you’re in China, a high-speed railway can be much more convenient than flights to travel between cities.

To book a high-speed railway ticket, you can say:

Play 我想预订一张去上海的高铁票。

Wǒ xiǎng yù dìng yī zhāng qù Shànghǎi de gāo tiě piào.

I want to book a high-speed railway ticket to Shanghai.

Usually, you’ll need to choose the tiers of your seat.

Last but not least, always remember to find the ticket gate for your train.

Play 检票口

Jiǎn piào kǒu

Ticket gate

You can ask with this sentence:

Now you’ve got a lot to digest. Take your time to practice in daily scenes as you travel and get around. They seem complex, but once you master them, you’ll travel around China smoothly like a local.

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Chinese Business Trips || FAQs

Do you know any other useful phrases for business travel in China? Share with us here!

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