Mandarin phrases by scene
Chinese phrases with pinyin by scene: basics, travel, restaurant, business, and greetings. One scene per week. Not the HSK syllabus.
A phrase is studied so you can say it in a specific place: counter, platform, table, fair, or goodbye. This hub indexes five scenes. It is not a 200-line PDF and not the exam paper. Classic HSK 1 asks for about 150 words (Wikipedia HSK); these pages give the speaking turn, not the full inventory. Long lists live in vocabulary.
Month one: basic phrases (20 lines: courtesy, introduce yourself, price, repair). Start with 你好 (nǐ hǎo, hello) and 谢谢 (xièxie, thanks). 你 / 您 register is in greetings and farewells.
Suitcase: travel is airport, metro, and hotel. Restaurant is 不要辣, allergy, and 买单. Do not mix them the same day as business (交货, 附件, 您).
Pinyin does not replace tone. 问 (wèn, to ask) and 闻 (wén, to smell) are not the same word. Record one line before memorizing ten. Ear: tones. Travel or fair calendar: use cases.
Phrase versus a lone word
要 changes in 我要这个 (wǒ yào zhège, I want this) versus 要不要 (yào bu yào, do you want it?). A one-character flashcard does not give you the other person’s turn. That is why this hub teaches the line, not the dictionary.
The classifier sticks to the noun: 三本书, not 三个书. That is classifier grammar, but you hear it at a restaurant. Do not wait for the mock to meet it.
If the goal is the classroom, phrases do not replace the level guide. Signup: chinesetest.cn. Framework: CLEC.
One scene per week (not five decks)
Week 1: basics. Week 2: greetings if 你 / 您 still falls. Week 3: either travel or restaurant, not both if you leave in ten days. Business waits until 谢谢 and 多少钱 come out without reading.
Fifteen minutes: 5 of audio, 5 saying three lines, 5 of SRS on those same lines. Three hours on Sunday with 80 stickers does not order noodles.
HSK 1–2 can start free in the app, with limits. The AI tutor (Premium, daily cap) corrects a small set. It is not an interpreter at the stand or at 前台.
Basic Chinese phrases: 20 lines for month one
These 20 basic Mandarin phrases cover greeting, introducing yourself, prices, and repairing the conversation. HSK 1 floor; not travel or restaurant.
Chinese travel phrases: airport, metro, hotel
Travel Mandarin with pinyin for airport, metro, taxi, hotel, and a short emergency. Not the restaurant menu and not a fair stall.
Chinese restaurant phrases: order, spice, bill
How to order in a Chinese restaurant: 我要这个, 不要辣, allergens, 打包, 买单, and a food 发票. Not the hotel, the taxi, or check-in.
Chinese business phrases: table, WeChat, deadline
Professional Mandarin for a fair and a meeting: 您, 收到, 附件, 交货, and B2B 发票. Not the restaurant 买单 and not eighty stickers.
Chinese greetings and farewells: 你, 您, and the hour
How to greet and say goodbye in Mandarin: 你好, 您好, 嗨, 早上好, 再见, and 一路顺风. Register and time of day, not a 20-phrase starter pack.
FAQ
Should I memorize whole phrases or single words?
Phrases. 要 does not mean the same thing alone as in 我要这个. Each page in this hub gives the line with pinyin and a place to say it, not a dictionary.
Do these phrases cover the HSK exam?
They cover survival and conversation. The HSK 1–6 papers live in the guides and lists. Use both: phrases for the mouth, lists as inventory.
Do travel, restaurant, and business go in the same deck?
No. Travel is 登机牌. Restaurant is 买单. Business is 交货. Mixing them in week one is how you order neither noodles nor a file.
Is 你好 enough for every situation?
No. 您 changes the desk and the fair. 一路顺风 is not for the cashier. Register lives in greetings and farewells.