Chinese For Dummies (114 page)

Okay. Thanks.

Hopping on the bus

Gōnggòng qìchē
公共汽车
(
公共汽車
) (goong-goong chee-chuh) (
buses
) are almost as common as bicycles in China. They also cost much less than taxis. But here's the catch: Bus drivers usually don't speak a word of English, signs are only in Chinese, and the buses are always super crowded. Still, if you're game for a unique travel experience and you don't mind killing time waiting for the bus, put these phrases in your carry-on bag:

Chē piào duōshǎo qián?
车票多少钱
? (
車票多少錢
?) (chuh pyaow dwaw-shaow chyan?) (
How much is the fare?
)

Duōjiǔ lái yítàng?
多久来一趟
? (
多久來一趟
?) (dwaw-jyo lye ee-tahng?) (
How often does it come?
)

Gōnggòng qìchē zhàn zài nǎr?
公共汽车站在哪儿
? (
公共汽車站在哪兒
?) (goong-goong chee-chuh jahn dzye nar?) (
Where's the bus station?
)

Qǐng gàosù wǒ zài nǎr xià chē.
请告诉我在哪儿下车
.
(
請告訴我在哪兒下車
.)
(cheeng gaow-soo waw dzye nar shyah chuh.) (
Please let me know where to get off.
)

Yīnggāi zuò jǐ lù chē?
应该坐几路车
? (
應該坐幾路車
?) (eeng-guy dzwaw jee loo chuh?) (
Which [number] bus should I take?
)

Talkin' the Talk

Charlie is walking along the street, trying to find a bus that can take him to the famous Shilin night market in Taiwan. He sees his old friend Louise, and after saying hello, he asks her for help.

Charlie:

Qù Shílín yīnggāi zuò jǐ lù gōnggòng qìchē?

chyew shir-leen eeng-guy dzwaw jee loo goong-goong chee-chuh?

Which bus should I take to go to Shilin?

Louise:

Yīnggāi zuò sān lù chē. Nèige gōnggòng qìchē zhàn jiù zài zhèr.

eeng-guy dzwaw sahn loo chuh. nay-guh goong-goong chee-chuh jahn jyo dzye jar.

You should take the number 3 bus. That bus stop is right here.

Charlie:

Tài hǎo le. Duōjiǔ lái yítàng?

tye how luh. dwaw-jyo lye ee-tahng?

That's great. How often does it come?

Louise:

Měi sānshí fēn zhōng. Hái hǎo.

may sahn-shir fun joong. hi how.

Every 30 minutes. That's not too bad.

Charlie:

Xièxiè nǐ.

shyeh-shyeh nee.

Thank you.

Riding the rails

If you want to get where you need to go really quickly, especially in Hong Kong or New York, the fastest way to get there may take you below the ground — to the
dìtiě
地铁
(
地鐵
) (dee-tyeh) (
subway
). Most
dìtiě zhàn
地铁站
(
地鐵站
) (dee-tyeh jahn) (
subway stations
) are pretty easy to navigate.

Unlike in Hong Kong, the subway system in mainland China is relatively new, and you find stations in less than a handful of cities. Above-ground
huǒchē
火车
(
火車
) (hwaw-chuh) (
train
) travel, however, is tried and true — especially because China is such a huge place and distances between cities are so great. Unlike the number of subway stations, you can find plenty of
huǒchēzhàn
火车站
(
火車站
) (hwaw-chuh-jahn) (
train stations
) in China
.
They
even come equipped with
waiting rooms.

If you plan to travel a long distance, be sure to book a soft sleeper — or at least ask for a soft seat — because they're the more comfortable accommodations and not as jam-packed as other parts of the train. Trust me. Soft sleepers are worth the extra cost. For more on the types of seats in trains, see
Table 16-2
.

Table 16-2 Seating Accommodations on Trains