banking
Opening an Account at the Bank
The morning that makes everything else possible: taking a queue number, opening an account with your passport, setting a PIN, linking the card to your payment apps, receiving money from home, and knowing what to say when a machine swallows your card.
Essential phrases
In the order you are likely to need them. Play each one, repeat it, and read the note underneath — knowing when to say a sentence matters as much as saying it correctly.
你好，我想办一张银行卡。你好，我想辦一張銀行卡。
Nǐ (third tone, dipping) hǎo, (third tone, dipping) wǒ (third tone, dipping) xiǎng (third tone, dipping) bàn (fourth tone, falling) yì (fourth tone, falling) zhāng (first tone, high and level) yínhángkǎ. (second tone, rising)
Hello, I would like to open a bank card.
When to use it
Your opening line to the greeter near the door, who decides which queue you belong in. 办 (bàn) is the verb for arranging any piece of official business, and 一张 is the measure word for cards.
请问，开户需要带什么材料？請問，開戶需要帶什麼材料？
Qǐngwèn, (third tone, dipping) kāihù (first tone, high and level) xūyào (first tone, high and level) dài (fourth tone, falling) shénme (second tone, rising) cáiliào? (second tone, rising)
Excuse me, what documents do I need to bring to open an account?
When to use it
Worth asking on a first, exploratory visit — or by phone — before you queue for an hour. 材料 (cáiliào) is the standard word for the set of documents a procedure requires.
这是我的护照和学校开的证明。這是我的護照和學校開的證明。
Zhè (fourth tone, falling) shì (fourth tone, falling) wǒ (third tone, dipping) de (neutral tone) hùzhào (fourth tone, falling) hé (second tone, rising) xuéxiào (second tone, rising) kāi (first tone, high and level) de (neutral tone) zhèngmíng. (fourth tone, falling)
Here are my passport and the certificate issued by my university.
When to use it
Say it as you pass both under the glass. 开证明 means “to issue a certificate”, and a letter from your university’s international office confirming that you study and live there is frequently part of what a branch asks for.
请问，要先取号吗？請問，要先取號嗎？
Qǐngwèn, (third tone, dipping) yào (fourth tone, falling) xiān (first tone, high and level) qǔ (third tone, dipping) hào (fourth tone, falling) ma? (neutral tone)
Excuse me, do I need to take a queue number first?
When to use it
Ask before you sit down. Branches call customers by ticket number from a machine near the entrance, and sitting quietly without a ticket means waiting all morning for nothing.
请问，密码要设几位数？請問，密碼要設幾位數？
Qǐngwèn, (third tone, dipping) mìmǎ (fourth tone, falling) yào (fourth tone, falling) shè (fourth tone, falling) jǐ (third tone, dipping) wèi (fourth tone, falling) shù? (fourth tone, falling)
Excuse me, how many digits should the PIN have?
When to use it
Ask before you touch the keypad the clerk pushes towards you. Chinese bank PINs are longer than the four digits many learners are used to, and the same code will be asked for at every counter and machine afterwards.
我想开通手机银行和短信提醒。我想開通手機銀行和短信提醒。
Wǒ (third tone, dipping) xiǎng (third tone, dipping) kāitōng (first tone, high and level) shǒujī (third tone, dipping) yínháng (second tone, rising) hé (second tone, rising) duǎnxìn (third tone, dipping) tíxǐng. (second tone, rising)
I would like to activate mobile banking and SMS alerts.
When to use it
Ask for both while you are still at the counter — activating them later means queueing again. 开通 (kāitōng) is the verb for switching on a service, and the alerts are how you notice a payment you did not make.
我想把这张卡绑定微信支付。我想把這張卡綁定微信支付。
Wǒ (third tone, dipping) xiǎng (third tone, dipping) bǎ (third tone, dipping) zhè (fourth tone, falling) zhāng (first tone, high and level) kǎ (third tone, dipping) bǎngdìng (third tone, dipping) Wēixìn (first tone, high and level) Zhīfù. (first tone, high and level)
I would like to link this card to WeChat Pay.
When to use it
The step that turns a bank card into everyday spending money. 绑定 (bǎngdìng) means linking an account to an app; the name on the card, the phone number and the passport all have to match, so do it while the clerk is there to help.
从国外汇钱到这张卡，手续费是多少？從國外匯錢到這張卡，手續費是多少？
Cóng (second tone, rising) guówài (second tone, rising) huì (fourth tone, falling) qián (second tone, rising) dào (fourth tone, falling) zhè (fourth tone, falling) zhāng (first tone, high and level) kǎ, (third tone, dipping) shǒuxùfèi (third tone, dipping) shì (fourth tone, falling) duōshao? (first tone, high and level)
If money is sent to this card from abroad, what is the fee?
When to use it
Ask at the counter while opening the account, and write down the answer together with the account number. 汇钱 (huì qián) is the verb for remitting money, and 手续费 is any handling charge.
我要取一千块钱。我要取一千塊錢。
Wǒ (third tone, dipping) yào (fourth tone, falling) qǔ (third tone, dipping) yìqiān (fourth tone, falling) kuài (fourth tone, falling) qián. (second tone, rising)
I would like to withdraw one thousand yuan.
When to use it
For the counter when you want cash rather than the machine. 取 (qǔ) is to withdraw and 存 (cún) is to deposit — two verbs worth keeping straight before you speak.
请问，附近哪里有取款机？請問，附近哪裡有取款機？
Qǐngwèn, (third tone, dipping) fùjìn (fourth tone, falling) nǎlǐ (third tone, dipping) yǒu (third tone, dipping) qǔkuǎnjī? (third tone, dipping)
Excuse me, where is there a cash machine nearby?
When to use it
Ask anyone in the street. 取款机 is the full word for a cash machine, though most people simply say ATM; a machine belonging to your own bank charges you least.
取款机把我的卡吞了，怎么办？取款機把我的卡吞了，怎麼辦？
Qǔkuǎnjī (third tone, dipping) bǎ (third tone, dipping) wǒ (third tone, dipping) de (neutral tone) kǎ (third tone, dipping) tūn (first tone, high and level) le, (neutral tone) zěnme (third tone, dipping) bàn? (fourth tone, falling)
The cash machine has swallowed my card — what should I do?
When to use it
吞卡 — literally the machine swallowing the card — is the set expression, and it happens if you are too slow to take the card back. Go to the branch that owns the machine, with your passport, as soon as it opens.
我想把五百美元换成人民币。我想把五百美元換成人民幣。
Wǒ (third tone, dipping) xiǎng (third tone, dipping) bǎ (third tone, dipping) wǔbǎi (third tone, dipping) měiyuán (third tone, dipping) huànchéng (fourth tone, falling) rénmínbì. (second tone, rising)
I would like to change five hundred US dollars into renminbi.
When to use it
The 把 pattern is the natural one here: 把 A 换成 B, “change A into B”. Bring the passport and expect a form; euros are 欧元 and the Moroccan dirham is not exchanged at ordinary branches.
我的手机号换了，麻烦帮我更新一下。我的手機號換了，麻煩幫我更新一下。
Wǒ (third tone, dipping) de (neutral tone) shǒujīhào (third tone, dipping) huàn (fourth tone, falling) le, (neutral tone) máfan (second tone, rising) bāng (first tone, high and level) wǒ (third tone, dipping) gēngxīn (first tone, high and level) yíxià. (second tone, rising)
My phone number has changed — could you update it for me, please.
When to use it
Do this at the counter the same week you change SIM. Every verification code, transfer confirmation and app login goes to the number the bank has on file, and an out-of-date number quietly locks you out of your own account.
Cultural notes
A branch visit follows a fixed shape. You take a paper ticket from a machine by the door — that is — choosing roughly between personal business and other categories, then sit until your number appears on a screen and is called. Counter work is done through a glass window with a small pad on your side for the PIN, which is longer than the four digits common in Europe and North Africa. Opening an account as a foreign student normally means the passport, a Chinese mobile number registered in your own name, and often a letter from your university confirming your studies and address; some branches also ask for a residence permit page. Not every branch handles foreign customers, and the one that does may need a supervisor, so go on a weekday morning and allow an hour or two rather than squeezing it between classes. The domestic card network is (UnionPay), and the card matters less for its own sake than for what you link it to: binding it inside WeChat and Alipay is what turns it into everyday money, and the app will refuse the link unless the name, the passport number and the phone number all match. Money sent from abroad arrives by international transfer and the sender must spell your name exactly as it appears on the account, which is the usual reason a transfer bounces; fees and paperwork for larger sums differ between banks and change over time, so ask at the counter and write the answer down. Cash machines are everywhere and many accept foreign cards, but if one keeps your card, that card is inside the machine and only the branch that owns it can retrieve it.
These notes describe common practice, not rules. Requirements and procedures differ between cities, institutions and years — confirm anything procedural with the office, clinic or company itself.
Vocabulary
No word list has been attached to this scenario yet. Every phrase above is searchable word by word in the dictionary, and tapping a word inside the tutor role-play adds it to your review queue.
Dictionary →Dialogue
The same errand as a full conversation, with pinyin, translation and sentence audio.
Opening a Bank Account →Offline phrase card
Everything else on this page is hidden when you print. What comes out is the card below: Chinese, pinyin and your language, in the order you need them — one page that works with no signal.
HSK Guide · Offline phrase card
Opening an Account at the Bank
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你好，我想办一张银行卡。你好，我想辦一張銀行卡。
Nǐ hǎo, wǒ xiǎng bàn yì zhāng yínhángkǎ.
Hello, I would like to open a bank card.
请问，开户需要带什么材料？請問，開戶需要帶什麼材料？
Qǐngwèn, kāihù xūyào dài shénme cáiliào?
Excuse me, what documents do I need to bring to open an account?
这是我的护照和学校开的证明。這是我的護照和學校開的證明。
Zhè shì wǒ de hùzhào hé xuéxiào kāi de zhèngmíng.
Here are my passport and the certificate issued by my university.
请问，要先取号吗？請問，要先取號嗎？
Qǐngwèn, yào xiān qǔ hào ma?
Excuse me, do I need to take a queue number first?
请问，密码要设几位数？請問，密碼要設幾位數？
Qǐngwèn, mìmǎ yào shè jǐ wèi shù?
Excuse me, how many digits should the PIN have?
我想开通手机银行和短信提醒。我想開通手機銀行和短信提醒。
Wǒ xiǎng kāitōng shǒujī yínháng hé duǎnxìn tíxǐng.
I would like to activate mobile banking and SMS alerts.
我想把这张卡绑定微信支付。我想把這張卡綁定微信支付。
Wǒ xiǎng bǎ zhè zhāng kǎ bǎngdìng Wēixìn Zhīfù.
I would like to link this card to WeChat Pay.
从国外汇钱到这张卡，手续费是多少？從國外匯錢到這張卡，手續費是多少？
Cóng guówài huì qián dào zhè zhāng kǎ, shǒuxùfèi shì duōshao?
If money is sent to this card from abroad, what is the fee?
我要取一千块钱。我要取一千塊錢。
Wǒ yào qǔ yìqiān kuài qián.
I would like to withdraw one thousand yuan.
请问，附近哪里有取款机？請問，附近哪裡有取款機？
Qǐngwèn, fùjìn nǎlǐ yǒu qǔkuǎnjī?
Excuse me, where is there a cash machine nearby?
取款机把我的卡吞了，怎么办？取款機把我的卡吞了，怎麼辦？
Qǔkuǎnjī bǎ wǒ de kǎ tūn le, zěnme bàn?
The cash machine has swallowed my card — what should I do?
我想把五百美元换成人民币。我想把五百美元換成人民幣。
Wǒ xiǎng bǎ wǔbǎi měiyuán huànchéng rénmínbì.
I would like to change five hundred US dollars into renminbi.
我的手机号换了，麻烦帮我更新一下。我的手機號換了，麻煩幫我更新一下。
Wǒ de shǒujīhào huàn le, máfan bāng wǒ gēngxīn yíxià.
My phone number has changed — could you update it for me, please.