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，两位，有位子吗？你好，兩位，有位子嗎？
Nǐ (third tone, dipping) hǎo, (third tone, dipping) liǎng (third tone, dipping) wèi, (fourth tone, falling) yǒu (third tone, dipping) wèizi (fourth tone, falling) ma? (neutral tone)
Hello — two of us. Do you have a table?
什么时候用
Say it in the doorway. People are counted with 位 (wèi) here, the polite measure word for persons, so “two of us” is simply 两位.
请问，怎么点菜？扫这个码吗？請問，怎麼點菜？掃這個碼嗎？
Qǐngwèn, (third tone, dipping) zěnme (third tone, dipping) diǎn (third tone, dipping) cài? (fourth tone, falling) Sǎo (third tone, dipping) zhège (fourth tone, falling) mǎ (third tone, dipping) ma? (neutral tone)
Excuse me, how do we order? Do we scan this code?
什么时候用
Ask the moment you sit down and find a QR code stuck to the table instead of a menu. Scanning it opens the menu on your own phone and sends the order straight to the kitchen.
请问，有英文菜单吗？請問，有英文菜單嗎？
Qǐngwèn, (third tone, dipping) yǒu (third tone, dipping) Yīngwén (first tone, high and level) càidān (fourth tone, falling) ma? (neutral tone)
Excuse me, do you have an English menu?
什么时候用
Worth one try in a large or touristy restaurant. In an ordinary neighbourhood place the answer will be no, and the menu with photographs on the wall becomes your best friend.
你们这儿有什么招牌菜？你們這兒有什麼招牌菜？
Nǐmen (third tone, dipping) zhèr (fourth tone, falling) yǒu (third tone, dipping) shénme (second tone, rising) zhāopáicài? (first tone, high and level)
What is the house speciality here?
什么时候用
A better question than “what is good”, because 招牌菜 (zhāopáicài) — the signature dish — is a category the staff actually have an answer for, and it usually arrives quickly.
我不吃猪肉，请问这个菜里有猪肉吗？我不吃豬肉，請問這個菜裡有豬肉嗎？
Wǒ (third tone, dipping) bù (fourth tone, falling) chī (first tone, high and level) zhūròu, (first tone, high and level) qǐngwèn (third tone, dipping) zhège (fourth tone, falling) cài (fourth tone, falling) lǐ (third tone, dipping) yǒu (third tone, dipping) zhūròu (first tone, high and level) ma? (neutral tone)
I do not eat pork — does this dish contain pork?
什么时候用
Say the statement first and the question second: 我不吃猪肉 explains why you are asking, so the answer comes back carefully rather than automatically. Pork is the default meat in many dishes, and minced pork turns up in vegetable dishes too.
请问，附近有清真餐厅吗？請問，附近有清真餐廳嗎？
Qǐngwèn, (third tone, dipping) fùjìn (fourth tone, falling) yǒu (third tone, dipping) qīngzhēn (first tone, high and level) cāntīng (first tone, high and level) ma? (neutral tone)
Excuse me, is there a halal restaurant nearby?
什么时候用
清真 (qīngzhēn) is the standard Chinese word for halal, written on signs and on packaged food. Asking a classmate or a shopkeeper with this word gets a far more useful answer than describing what you cannot eat.
这个菜辣不辣？這個菜辣不辣？
Zhège (fourth tone, falling) cài (fourth tone, falling) là (fourth tone, falling) bu (neutral tone) là? (fourth tone, falling)
Is this dish spicy?
什么时候用
The 辣不辣 pattern — verb, 不, verb — is the quickest way to ask a yes-or-no question, and the answer is usually one word. Ask it about anything red on the menu.
麻烦做得清淡一点，别太辣。麻煩做得清淡一點，別太辣。
Máfan (second tone, rising) zuò (fourth tone, falling) de (neutral tone) qīngdàn (first tone, high and level) yìdiǎn, (fourth tone, falling) bié (second tone, rising) tài (fourth tone, falling) là. (fourth tone, falling)
Could you make it a little milder, please — not too spicy.
什么时候用
Say it when you order, not when the dish arrives. 清淡 (qīngdàn) means light on salt, oil and chilli, and kitchens adjust for it without any fuss.
我们要一个宫保鸡丁、一个炒青菜和三碗米饭。我們要一個宮保雞丁、一個炒青菜和三碗米飯。
Wǒmen (third tone, dipping) yào (fourth tone, falling) yí (second tone, rising) ge (neutral tone) gōngbǎo (first tone, high and level) jīdīng, (first tone, high and level) yí (second tone, rising) ge (neutral tone) chǎo (third tone, dipping) qīngcài (first tone, high and level) hé (second tone, rising) sān (first tone, high and level) wǎn (third tone, dipping) mǐfàn. (third tone, dipping)
We will have one kung pao chicken, one stir-fried green vegetable and three bowls of rice.
什么时候用
The shape of a real order: dishes counted with 个, rice counted with 碗 (bowls), one order for the whole table. Dishes are shared, so you order by the table and not by the person.
服务员，麻烦再给我们一双筷子。服務員，麻煩再給我們一雙筷子。
Fúwùyuán, (second tone, rising) máfan (second tone, rising) zài (fourth tone, falling) gěi (third tone, dipping) wǒmen (third tone, dipping) yì (fourth tone, falling) shuāng (first tone, high and level) kuàizi. (fourth tone, falling)
Excuse me — could we have one more pair of chopsticks, please.
什么时候用
Calling 服务员 (fúwùyuán) across the room is normal and not rude — staff do not circulate between tables waiting to be noticed. Chopsticks come in pairs, counted with 双 (shuāng).
我要一杯热水，不要冰的。我要一杯熱水，不要冰的。
Wǒ (third tone, dipping) yào (fourth tone, falling) yì (fourth tone, falling) bēi (first tone, high and level) rèshuǐ, (fourth tone, falling) bú (second tone, rising) yào (fourth tone, falling) bīng (first tone, high and level) de. (neutral tone)
I would like a cup of hot water, not iced.
什么时候用
Plain hot water is the standard free drink at the table, and asking for it is completely ordinary. If you would rather have it cold, say 常温的 (room temperature) — cold tap water is not served.
剩下的可以打包吗？剩下的可以打包嗎？
Shèngxià (fourth tone, falling) de (neutral tone) kěyǐ (third tone, dipping) dǎbāo (third tone, dipping) ma? (neutral tone)
Could we take the leftovers away?
什么时候用
Ask at the end of the meal. 打包 (dǎbāo) means boxing food up to take home; it carries no embarrassment at all, and portions are generous enough that it comes up often.
服务员，买单！可以扫码付吗？服務員，買單！可以掃碼付嗎？
Fúwùyuán, (second tone, rising) mǎidān! (third tone, dipping) Kěyǐ (third tone, dipping) sǎomǎ (third tone, dipping) fù (fourth tone, falling) ma? (neutral tone)
Excuse me — the bill, please. Can I pay by scanning the code?
什么时候用
买单 (mǎidān) is the everyday way to call for the bill; 结账 (jiézhàng) means the same. Ordering through a QR code often means the bill was already settled when you ordered, so ask before you queue at the counter.
文化提示
Ordering is done for the table, not for each person: several dishes arrive in the middle, everyone eats from them, and rice or noodles come alongside. One person usually orders on behalf of everyone, and being asked means you should name a dish, not a whole meal. In many restaurants there is no paper menu at all — a QR code on the table opens the menu inside a WeChat mini-programme, and the order and the payment both happen there, which is one more reason a working Chinese phone number matters. Where there is a waiter, calling across the room is normal; so is asking for hot water, an extra bowl or a plastic bag for the leftovers. Tipping is not practised and change is always given. For halal food, (qīngzhēn) is the word to look for: it appears on restaurant signs, often with Arabic script alongside, and on packaged products. Lanzhou-style beef-noodle shops () are found in almost every neighbourhood and many are run by Hui Muslim families, but the reliable check is the signage or certificate on the wall and a direct question rather than the name over the door. Pork is the default meat in a great many dishes and lard is a common cooking fat, so ask about the dish rather than about the restaurant. Saying at a meal is accepted without argument; you can join a toast with tea. Splitting the bill (AA) is normal among students, though whoever suggested the meal often insists on paying, and offering to pay next time is the graceful reply.
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 →对话
The same errand as a full conversation, with pinyin, translation and sentence audio.
Ordering in a Restaurant →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
Eating Out
独立平台，与 HSK 官方机构无隶属关系。
你好，两位，有位子吗？你好，兩位，有位子嗎？
Nǐ hǎo, liǎng wèi, yǒu wèizi ma?
Hello — two of us. Do you have a table?
请问，怎么点菜？扫这个码吗？請問，怎麼點菜？掃這個碼嗎？
Qǐngwèn, zěnme diǎn cài? Sǎo zhège mǎ ma?
Excuse me, how do we order? Do we scan this code?
请问，有英文菜单吗？請問，有英文菜單嗎？
Qǐngwèn, yǒu Yīngwén càidān ma?
Excuse me, do you have an English menu?
你们这儿有什么招牌菜？你們這兒有什麼招牌菜？
Nǐmen zhèr yǒu shénme zhāopáicài?
What is the house speciality here?
我不吃猪肉，请问这个菜里有猪肉吗？我不吃豬肉，請問這個菜裡有豬肉嗎？
Wǒ bù chī zhūròu, qǐngwèn zhège cài lǐ yǒu zhūròu ma?
I do not eat pork — does this dish contain pork?
请问，附近有清真餐厅吗？請問，附近有清真餐廳嗎？
Qǐngwèn, fùjìn yǒu qīngzhēn cāntīng ma?
Excuse me, is there a halal restaurant nearby?
这个菜辣不辣？這個菜辣不辣？
Zhège cài là bu là?
Is this dish spicy?
麻烦做得清淡一点，别太辣。麻煩做得清淡一點，別太辣。
Máfan zuò de qīngdàn yìdiǎn, bié tài là.
Could you make it a little milder, please — not too spicy.
我们要一个宫保鸡丁、一个炒青菜和三碗米饭。我們要一個宮保雞丁、一個炒青菜和三碗米飯。
Wǒmen yào yí ge gōngbǎo jīdīng, yí ge chǎo qīngcài hé sān wǎn mǐfàn.
We will have one kung pao chicken, one stir-fried green vegetable and three bowls of rice.
服务员，麻烦再给我们一双筷子。服務員，麻煩再給我們一雙筷子。
Fúwùyuán, máfan zài gěi wǒmen yì shuāng kuàizi.
Excuse me — could we have one more pair of chopsticks, please.
我要一杯热水，不要冰的。我要一杯熱水，不要冰的。
Wǒ yào yì bēi rèshuǐ, bú yào bīng de.
I would like a cup of hot water, not iced.
剩下的可以打包吗？剩下的可以打包嗎？
Shèngxià de kěyǐ dǎbāo ma?
Could we take the leftovers away?
服务员，买单！可以扫码付吗？服務員，買單！可以掃碼付嗎？
Fúwùyuán, mǎidān! Kěyǐ sǎomǎ fù ma?
Excuse me — the bill, please. Can I pay by scanning the code?