sport
The Gym and Playing Sport
Joining a gym without signing away a year, using the equipment on campus, booking a badminton court, and the handful of sentences that turn exercise into a way of meeting people.
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，我想办一张健身卡。你好，我想辦一張健身卡。
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) jiànshēnkǎ. (fourth tone, falling)
Hello, I would like to take out a gym membership.
When to use it
Your opening line at the desk. 办卡 (bàn kǎ) covers the whole business of signing up; expect to be handed over to a salesperson rather than dealt with at the counter.
请问，有月卡吗？还是只有年卡？請問，有月卡嗎？還是只有年卡？
Qǐngwèn, (third tone, dipping) yǒu (third tone, dipping) yuèkǎ (fourth tone, falling) ma? (neutral tone) Háishi (second tone, rising) zhǐ (third tone, dipping) yǒu (third tone, dipping) niánkǎ? (second tone, rising)
Excuse me, do you have a monthly membership, or only annual ones?
When to use it
Ask this early and firmly. Gyms push long memberships hard, and a student on a one-semester visa has a genuine reason to decline that the salesperson will accept.
我可以先体验一次吗？我可以先體驗一次嗎？
Wǒ (third tone, dipping) kěyǐ (third tone, dipping) xiān (first tone, high and level) tǐyàn (third tone, dipping) yí (second tone, rising) cì (fourth tone, falling) ma? (neutral tone)
Could I try it once first?
When to use it
体验 (tǐyàn) is a trial session, and most gyms offer one. Use it to check the opening hours, how crowded it is at your usual time, and whether the equipment you need actually exists.
学生有优惠吗？學生有優惠嗎？
Xuéshēng (second tone, rising) yǒu (third tone, dipping) yōuhuì (first tone, high and level) ma? (neutral tone)
Is there a student discount?
When to use it
优惠 (yōuhuì) covers any preferential rate. Have your student card out when you ask; the discount is often real but rarely advertised on the price board.
请问，你们几点开门，几点关门？請問，你們幾點開門，幾點關門？
Qǐngwèn, (third tone, dipping) nǐmen (third tone, dipping) jǐ (third tone, dipping) diǎn (third tone, dipping) kāimén, (first tone, high and level) jǐ (third tone, dipping) diǎn (third tone, dipping) guānmén? (first tone, high and level)
Excuse me, what time do you open and close?
When to use it
Worth asking about weekends separately, since hours often differ. Campus facilities in particular can close far earlier than a commercial gym.
这台跑步机怎么用？這台跑步機怎麼用？
Zhè (fourth tone, falling) tái (second tone, rising) pǎobùjī (third tone, dipping) zěnme (third tone, dipping) yòng? (fourth tone, falling)
How do I use this treadmill?
When to use it
台 (tái) is the measure word for machines. Staff will usually walk over and show you rather than explain from a distance, so this is a low-risk sentence to start with.
请问，这个器械有人用吗？請問，這個器械有人用嗎？
Qǐngwèn, (third tone, dipping) zhège (fourth tone, falling) qìxiè (fourth tone, falling) yǒu (third tone, dipping) rén (second tone, rising) yòng (fourth tone, falling) ma? (neutral tone)
Excuse me, is anyone using this machine?
When to use it
The standard way to claim a station politely. 器械 (qìxiè) is gym equipment generally; a towel or a bottle left on a bench usually means someone is between sets.
可以帮我保护一下吗？可以幫我保護一下嗎？
Kěyǐ (third tone, dipping) bāng (first tone, high and level) wǒ (third tone, dipping) bǎohù (third tone, dipping) yíxià (second tone, rising) ma? (neutral tone)
Could you spot me, please?
When to use it
保护 (bǎohù) is the word used for spotting a lifter. Asking a stranger is entirely normal in a Chinese gym, and it is one of the easiest ways to start talking to someone.
我想请一位私教，怎么收费？我想請一位私教，怎麼收費？
Wǒ (third tone, dipping) xiǎng (third tone, dipping) qǐng (third tone, dipping) yí (second tone, rising) wèi (fourth tone, falling) sījiào, (first tone, high and level) zěnme (third tone, dipping) shōufèi? (first tone, high and level)
I would like a personal trainer — how is it charged?
When to use it
私教 (sījiào) is a personal trainer, and sessions are normally sold in blocks rather than singly. Ask how many sessions the smallest block contains before agreeing to anything.
有没有游泳池？需要泳帽吗？有沒有游泳池？需要泳帽嗎？
Yǒu (third tone, dipping) méiyǒu (second tone, rising) yóuyǒngchí? (second tone, rising) Xūyào (first tone, high and level) yǒngmào (third tone, dipping) ma? (neutral tone)
Is there a swimming pool? Do I need a swimming cap?
When to use it
Ask both together. Caps are required at most pools, some also ask for goggles, and a few require a health certificate — the rules are set pool by pool, so check before you arrive with a towel.
更衣室和储物柜在哪儿？更衣室和儲物櫃在哪兒？
Gēngyīshì (first tone, high and level) hé (second tone, rising) chǔwùguì (third tone, dipping) zài (fourth tone, falling) nǎr? (third tone, dipping)
Where are the changing rooms and the lockers?
When to use it
Lockers may need a coin, a wristband issued at the desk, or your membership card. Ask on your first visit rather than standing in front of one with your bag.
我想报一个瑜伽课，一周几次？我想報一個瑜伽課，一週幾次？
Wǒ (third tone, dipping) xiǎng (third tone, dipping) bào (fourth tone, falling) yí (second tone, rising) ge (neutral tone) yújiā (second tone, rising) kè, (fourth tone, falling) yì (fourth tone, falling) zhōu (first tone, high and level) jǐ (third tone, dipping) cì? (fourth tone, falling)
I would like to sign up for a yoga class — how many times a week is it?
When to use it
报 (bào) is the verb for signing up for a course. Group classes are often included in the membership, or booked in the gym’s WeChat mini-programme a day ahead.
学校的操场晚上开放吗？學校的操場晚上開放嗎？
Xuéxiào (second tone, rising) de (neutral tone) cāochǎng (first tone, high and level) wǎnshang (third tone, dipping) kāifàng (first tone, high and level) ma? (neutral tone)
Is the university running track open in the evening?
When to use it
The cheapest sport available to you. 操场 (cāochǎng) is the sports ground and track; on most campuses it is free for students and busiest just after dinner.
明天下午一起打篮球吧？明天下午一起打籃球吧？
Míngtiān (second tone, rising) xiàwǔ (fourth tone, falling) yìqǐ (fourth tone, falling) dǎ (third tone, dipping) lánqiú (second tone, rising) ba? (neutral tone)
Shall we play basketball together tomorrow afternoon?
When to use it
The sentence that turns exercise into a social life. 打 is used for ball games played with the hands — 打篮球, 打羽毛球 — while football takes 踢: 踢足球.
Cultural notes
Two worlds sit next to each other, and the free one is usually better than newcomers expect. Every Chinese university has a with a running track, outdoor basketball courts, and usually a with indoor courts and table tennis; access with a student card is free or close to it, and the track after dinner is one of the most sociable places on campus. Badminton () and table tennis () are the two sports you are most likely to be invited to play, and indoor courts are commonly booked through a WeChat mini-programme that opens a fixed number of days ahead and fills within minutes. Commercial gyms are the other world. The sales conversation is persistent by design: expect to be walked around the floor, offered a long membership at a headline price, and then offered a package of personal training sessions on top. None of that is dishonest, but read what you sign, ask specifically whether the card can be paused ( or ) or transferred if you leave the city, and be aware that refunds on prepaid cards are often difficult. Swimming pools have their own rules: a cap is nearly always required, goggles frequently, and some pools ask for a health certificate — — before your first swim. Outside all of this there is a large, visible public sport culture: older people practising in parks in the early morning, in squares after dark, badminton played across any flat surface. Joining in is generally welcomed; standing and watching for a while first is how most people start.
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 →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
The Gym and Playing Sport
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你好，我想办一张健身卡。你好，我想辦一張健身卡。
Nǐ hǎo, wǒ xiǎng bàn yì zhāng jiànshēnkǎ.
Hello, I would like to take out a gym membership.
请问，有月卡吗？还是只有年卡？請問，有月卡嗎？還是只有年卡？
Qǐngwèn, yǒu yuèkǎ ma? Háishi zhǐ yǒu niánkǎ?
Excuse me, do you have a monthly membership, or only annual ones?
我可以先体验一次吗？我可以先體驗一次嗎？
Wǒ kěyǐ xiān tǐyàn yí cì ma?
Could I try it once first?
学生有优惠吗？學生有優惠嗎？
Xuéshēng yǒu yōuhuì ma?
Is there a student discount?
请问，你们几点开门，几点关门？請問，你們幾點開門，幾點關門？
Qǐngwèn, nǐmen jǐ diǎn kāimén, jǐ diǎn guānmén?
Excuse me, what time do you open and close?
这台跑步机怎么用？這台跑步機怎麼用？
Zhè tái pǎobùjī zěnme yòng?
How do I use this treadmill?
请问，这个器械有人用吗？請問，這個器械有人用嗎？
Qǐngwèn, zhège qìxiè yǒu rén yòng ma?
Excuse me, is anyone using this machine?
可以帮我保护一下吗？可以幫我保護一下嗎？
Kěyǐ bāng wǒ bǎohù yíxià ma?
Could you spot me, please?
我想请一位私教，怎么收费？我想請一位私教，怎麼收費？
Wǒ xiǎng qǐng yí wèi sījiào, zěnme shōufèi?
I would like a personal trainer — how is it charged?
有没有游泳池？需要泳帽吗？有沒有游泳池？需要泳帽嗎？
Yǒu méiyǒu yóuyǒngchí? Xūyào yǒngmào ma?
Is there a swimming pool? Do I need a swimming cap?
更衣室和储物柜在哪儿？更衣室和儲物櫃在哪兒？
Gēngyīshì hé chǔwùguì zài nǎr?
Where are the changing rooms and the lockers?
我想报一个瑜伽课，一周几次？我想報一個瑜伽課，一週幾次？
Wǒ xiǎng bào yí ge yújiā kè, yì zhōu jǐ cì?
I would like to sign up for a yoga class — how many times a week is it?
学校的操场晚上开放吗？學校的操場晚上開放嗎？
Xuéxiào de cāochǎng wǎnshang kāifàng ma?
Is the university running track open in the evening?
明天下午一起打篮球吧？明天下午一起打籃球吧？
Míngtiān xiàwǔ yìqǐ dǎ lánqiú ba?
Shall we play basketball together tomorrow afternoon?