HEYGOW
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中文
Trouble & emergencies 100
100
phrases
Calling for help
10
快来人啊 - "somebody come, quickly" - is what you shout, and the 啊 at the end is not decoration: it carries the urgency. Note that Chinese asks for help by describing the situation rather than naming what you want done, so 出事了 - something has happened - is often the whole message.
Feeling unwell
10
疼 is the word for pain and it attaches directly to the body part: 头疼, 肚子疼. There is no need for a verb like "have" or "feel". 我不舒服 - I'm unwell - is the general opener that covers everything and is what you say first; 从昨天开始 then supplies the timeline a doctor will ask for.
Doctors and medicine
10
挂号 is the step foreigners miss: before seeing a doctor in a Chinese hospital you register at a desk and pay, and only then join the department queue. 我要挂号 is therefore the first sentence, not 我要看医生. 我对药过敏 - I'm allergic to medication - should be said before anything is prescribed.
Losing something
10
丢了 and 不见了 both say something is gone, with 丢了 implying you lost it and 不见了 merely that it is no longer there - useful when you do not want to accuse anyone. 什么样子的 - "what does it look like" - is the question you will be asked, so have a description ready before you need it.
Accidents
10
别动他 - "don't move him" - is the sentence most worth knowing cold, because moving an injured person is the common mistake and you may be the only person who says it. 快叫救护车 calls the ambulance; the number in mainland China is 120, and 110 is the police, which 报警了吗 refers to.
When things break
10
坏了 is the all-purpose "it's broken" and attaches to anything: a phone, a lift, a plan. 没电了 means out of battery or out of power, and you will use it constantly. 空调不制冷 is specific in a useful way: the air conditioner runs but does not cool, which is the failure you actually encounter.
Not understanding
10
请写下来给我 - "please write it down for me" - is the single most effective sentence here, because Chinese characters are easier to look up than sounds are and because it converts a spoken problem into a solvable one. 用手机翻译吧 suggests using a phone, which nobody will find odd.
Police and theft
10
报警 means to call the police, and 我要报案 files a report - the two are different steps. 请给我开证明 asks for a written certificate, which insurers and embassies will want and which will not be offered unless you ask. 请联系大使馆 is worth knowing before you are in a position to need it.
Problems at the hotel
10
房卡不能用 - the key card doesn't work - is the most frequent hotel complaint anywhere and worth having ready. 能寄存行李吗 asks about luggage storage, which almost every Chinese hotel offers free and which solves the gap between checkout and your train. 几点退房 is the question to ask on arrival, not departure.
Emergencies
10
着火了 and 快跑 are shouted, not spoken, and the grammar shrinks accordingly - two syllables each, no subject, no politeness. 请让开 clears a path. 保持冷静 is what you say to others while not necessarily feeling it yourself, which is exactly what it is for.
Related categories
Greetings 100
Introductions 100
Numbers & time 100
Places & directions 100
Shopping 100
Eating & drinking 100
Getting around 100
Requests & offers 100
中文