2000 Essential Chinese Phrases for Travel: Chinese–English Bilingual · English-Phonetic Pronunciation

This book gathers two thousand of the most useful Chinese sentences for travel — the ones you will actually reach for, from touchdown to farewell — and it is written for readers who have never studied a single Chinese character. Every sentence is given three ways: in Chinese, in English, and in an English-phonetic pronunciation you can read aloud on the spot. Speak slowly, use your hands, and smile: in China, a warm “Hello” — Něe-hǎo — opens more doors than perfect grammar. The book follows one journey in eight parts and ninety-six lessons — greetings and getting around, hotels, food, shopping, sightseeing, emergencies, and social life. Each lesson keeps the same four-part layout: a scene to set the moment, core sentences, a swaps table that turns one sentence into ten, and a small tip on how things are really done. Use it in any order, keep it offline, and when words run out, simply show the page — the right sentence is always one glance away. Have a wonderful trip!