必备表达
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，我想办一张手机卡。你好，我想辦一張手機卡。
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) shǒujīkǎ. (third tone, dipping)
Hello, I would like to get a SIM card.
什么时候用
Your opening line in a carrier shop. 办卡 covers the whole business — buying the card, registering it and choosing a plan — so it starts the right conversation.
我是留学生，用护照可以办吗？我是留學生，用護照可以辦嗎？
Wǒ (third tone, dipping) shì (fourth tone, falling) liúxuéshēng, (second tone, rising) yòng (fourth tone, falling) hùzhào (fourth tone, falling) kěyǐ (third tone, dipping) bàn (fourth tone, falling) ma? (neutral tone)
I am an international student — can I do it with my passport?
什么时候用
Ask it straight away. The card has to be registered against an identity document, and for you that document is the passport; the assistant will need it in her hand, not a photograph of it.
请问，你们有哪些套餐？請問，你們有哪些套餐？
Qǐngwèn, (third tone, dipping) nǐmen (third tone, dipping) yǒu (third tone, dipping) nǎxiē (third tone, dipping) tàocān? (fourth tone, falling)
Excuse me, what plans do you have?
什么时候用
套餐 (tàocān) means a package or plan — the same word as a set meal in a restaurant. 哪些 asks for a list rather than a single answer, which is what you want before deciding.
我上网多，打电话很少。我上網多，打電話很少。
Wǒ (third tone, dipping) shàngwǎng (fourth tone, falling) duō, (first tone, high and level) dǎ (third tone, dipping) diànhuà (fourth tone, falling) hěn (third tone, dipping) shǎo. (third tone, dipping)
I use a lot of data and hardly ever make calls.
什么时候用
Say this instead of trying to compare plans yourself. It is exactly how a Chinese customer describes their needs, and the assistant will narrow four plans down to one.
这个套餐一个月多少钱？包含多少流量？這個套餐一個月多少錢？包含多少流量？
Zhège (fourth tone, falling) tàocān (fourth tone, falling) yí (second tone, rising) ge (neutral tone) yuè (fourth tone, falling) duōshao (first tone, high and level) qián? (second tone, rising) Bāohán (first tone, high and level) duōshao (first tone, high and level) liúliàng? (second tone, rising)
How much is this plan per month, and how much data does it include?
什么时候用
The two questions that actually decide it. 流量 (liúliàng) is mobile data, counted in G; ask for both numbers together so you can compare plans on one line.
请问，实名认证需要什么？請問，實名認證需要什麼？
Qǐngwèn, (third tone, dipping) shímíng (second tone, rising) rènzhèng (fourth tone, falling) xūyào (first tone, high and level) shénme? (second tone, rising)
Excuse me, what is needed for the real-name registration?
什么时候用
实名认证 (shímíng rènzhèng) is the verification step that ties the number to you personally: your passport, your face at the counter, your signature. Every app that later asks you to verify your identity checks against this.
麻烦帮我把卡装到手机里。麻煩幫我把卡裝到手機裡。
Máfan (second tone, rising) bāng (first tone, high and level) wǒ (third tone, dipping) bǎ (third tone, dipping) kǎ (third tone, dipping) zhuāng (first tone, high and level) dào (fourth tone, falling) shǒujī (third tone, dipping) lǐ. (third tone, dipping)
Could you put the card into my phone for me, please.
什么时候用
Say it while handing the phone over. Shop staff do this as a matter of course and will test the connection before you leave, which is the moment to check that data actually works.
我要充一百块话费。我要充一百塊話費。
Wǒ (third tone, dipping) yào (fourth tone, falling) chōng (first tone, high and level) yìbǎi (fourth tone, falling) kuài (fourth tone, falling) huàfèi. (fourth tone, falling)
I would like to top up one hundred yuan of credit.
什么时候用
充 (chōng) is the verb for topping up and 话费 is the credit on the account. You can say this in a shop, but most people do it in seconds inside WeChat or Alipay once the number is set up.
请问，怎么查还剩多少流量？請問，怎麼查還剩多少流量？
Qǐngwèn, (third tone, dipping) zěnme (third tone, dipping) chá (second tone, rising) hái (second tone, rising) shèng (fourth tone, falling) duōshao (first tone, high and level) liúliàng? (second tone, rising)
Excuse me, how do I check how much data I have left?
什么时候用
Ask before you leave the shop and have them show you on the screen. Running out mid-month with no data is what strands people, since even topping up requires being online or sending a text.
我的手机上不了网，能帮我看看吗？我的手機上不了網，能幫我看看嗎？
Wǒ (third tone, dipping) de (neutral tone) shǒujī (third tone, dipping) shàng (fourth tone, falling) bu (neutral tone) liǎo (third tone, dipping) wǎng, (third tone, dipping) néng (second tone, rising) bāng (first tone, high and level) wǒ (third tone, dipping) kànkan (fourth tone, falling) ma? (neutral tone)
My phone cannot get online — could you have a look at it?
什么时候用
上不了网 is the potential form of 上网 and says the connection will not come up — different from having no credit. Take the phone back to the shop where you bought the card; they will not charge you to look.
请问，你们的无线网密码是多少？請問，你們的無線網密碼是多少？
Qǐngwèn, (third tone, dipping) nǐmen (third tone, dipping) de (neutral tone) wúxiànwǎng (second tone, rising) mìmǎ (fourth tone, falling) shì (fourth tone, falling) duōshao? (first tone, high and level)
Excuse me, what is your wi-fi password?
什么时候用
For a café, a restaurant or a shop. In speech nearly everyone says WiFi 密码; many places print it on the table card or the receipt, and some ask you to log in with a phone number instead.
我的手机丢了，可以补办一张卡吗？我的手機丟了，可以補辦一張卡嗎？
Wǒ (third tone, dipping) de (neutral tone) shǒujī (third tone, dipping) diū (first tone, high and level) le, (neutral tone) kěyǐ (third tone, dipping) bǔbàn (third tone, dipping) yì (fourth tone, falling) zhāng (first tone, high and level) kǎ (third tone, dipping) ma? (neutral tone)
I have lost my phone — can I get a replacement SIM for the same number?
什么时候用
补办 (bǔbàn) means having a lost document or card reissued. Go to a shop of your own carrier with your passport, and go quickly: the number is what your bank sends verification codes to.
我快回国了，想把这个号注销。我快回國了，想把這個號註銷。
Wǒ (third tone, dipping) kuài (fourth tone, falling) huíguó (second tone, rising) le, (neutral tone) xiǎng (third tone, dipping) bǎ (third tone, dipping) zhège (fourth tone, falling) hào (fourth tone, falling) zhùxiāo. (fourth tone, falling)
I am going home soon and would like to close this number.
什么时候用
Say it in the shop before your last week, not from the airport. 注销 (zhùxiāo) is cancelling the account; a number left running keeps charging the plan, and the number is tied to your name.
文化提示
Mobile numbers in China work under (shímíngzhì), the real-name system: a SIM card is registered to a named individual against an identity document, and for a foreign student that means the passport, presented in person at a shop of one of the three carriers — (China Mobile), (China Unicom) or (China Telecom). Expect the assistant to photograph the passport, take a photograph of you at the counter, and have you sign; a card bought from a stranger or already activated in someone else’s name will fail exactly when you need it most, because banks and payment apps check that the number, the passport and the account name belong to the same person. That single number then underpins nearly everything: WeChat and Alipay, ride-hailing, food delivery, rail tickets, hospital registration and every bank verification code. Plans () are monthly and prepaid, with a data allowance () and a smaller call allowance; topping up () takes seconds inside WeChat or Alipay once you are set up. Watch for long contract plans that are hard to leave, and check whether the plan is limited to one province before you travel. In the dormitory there is usually both a wi-fi network and a wired campus network, sometimes with an account issued by the university rather than a shared password — ask at the desk. Some services and websites from outside the country are not reachable on an ordinary mainland connection; your university’s network office can tell you what is available for academic work. When you leave China, close the number in person before your last week rather than simply letting it lapse, and unlink it from your banking and payment apps first.
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.
词汇
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.
词典 →离线短语卡
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 · 离线短语卡
Getting a Phone Number and Going Online
独立平台，与 HSK 官方机构无隶属关系。
你好，我想办一张手机卡。你好，我想辦一張手機卡。
Nǐ hǎo, wǒ xiǎng bàn yì zhāng shǒujīkǎ.
Hello, I would like to get a SIM card.
我是留学生，用护照可以办吗？我是留學生，用護照可以辦嗎？
Wǒ shì liúxuéshēng, yòng hùzhào kěyǐ bàn ma?
I am an international student — can I do it with my passport?
请问，你们有哪些套餐？請問，你們有哪些套餐？
Qǐngwèn, nǐmen yǒu nǎxiē tàocān?
Excuse me, what plans do you have?
我上网多，打电话很少。我上網多，打電話很少。
Wǒ shàngwǎng duō, dǎ diànhuà hěn shǎo.
I use a lot of data and hardly ever make calls.
这个套餐一个月多少钱？包含多少流量？這個套餐一個月多少錢？包含多少流量？
Zhège tàocān yí ge yuè duōshao qián? Bāohán duōshao liúliàng?
How much is this plan per month, and how much data does it include?
请问，实名认证需要什么？請問，實名認證需要什麼？
Qǐngwèn, shímíng rènzhèng xūyào shénme?
Excuse me, what is needed for the real-name registration?
麻烦帮我把卡装到手机里。麻煩幫我把卡裝到手機裡。
Máfan bāng wǒ bǎ kǎ zhuāng dào shǒujī lǐ.
Could you put the card into my phone for me, please.
我要充一百块话费。我要充一百塊話費。
Wǒ yào chōng yìbǎi kuài huàfèi.
I would like to top up one hundred yuan of credit.
请问，怎么查还剩多少流量？請問，怎麼查還剩多少流量？
Qǐngwèn, zěnme chá hái shèng duōshao liúliàng?
Excuse me, how do I check how much data I have left?
我的手机上不了网，能帮我看看吗？我的手機上不了網，能幫我看看嗎？
Wǒ de shǒujī shàng bu liǎo wǎng, néng bāng wǒ kànkan ma?
My phone cannot get online — could you have a look at it?
请问，你们的无线网密码是多少？請問，你們的無線網密碼是多少？
Qǐngwèn, nǐmen de wúxiànwǎng mìmǎ shì duōshao?
Excuse me, what is your wi-fi password?
我的手机丢了，可以补办一张卡吗？我的手機丟了，可以補辦一張卡嗎？
Wǒ de shǒujī diū le, kěyǐ bǔbàn yì zhāng kǎ ma?
I have lost my phone — can I get a replacement SIM for the same number?
我快回国了，想把这个号注销。我快回國了，想把這個號註銷。
Wǒ kuài huíguó le, xiǎng bǎ zhège hào zhùxiāo.
I am going home soon and would like to close this number.