Chinese restaurant phrases: order, spice, bill

A restaurant phrase is the line that orders, limits spice, or closes the bill; it is not the taxi and not check-in.

Teaching note. If spice shuts your ear, say 不要辣 twice, not 一点点. In Sichuan a little can still be a lot.

It covers 菜单, ordering, 辣, allergens, 打包, 买单, and food 发票. It does not cover hotel 前台. It does not cover a company 报价: that fair 发票 is in business phrases.

In many places you pay with 微信 or 支付宝, not a European card. 现金 sometimes does not close the bill. Hear the total: 多少钱 should already come from basic phrases.

The classifier sticks to the dish: 一份, 两碗, 一杯. Detail: classifiers. Exam framework: CLEC. Signup: chinesetest.cn.

The table is order, flavour, allergy, takeaway, and pay. Getting to the venue is travel: metro, 网约车, 几楼. Do not clone the two pages into one deck the night before.

A noodle 发票 is not a supplier 发票. 买单 closes a meal. 交货 asks for a warehouse date. Mix the two and the brain stores one Chinese invoice.

食堂 and 火锅 do not need the same 不要辣. In a canteen you can point. At hotpot you name the spice before they pour the broth. That is not in the 150-word HSK 1 list: it is the table.

The same 不要辣 changes moment. In a 食堂 the dish is already cooked: point, say 不要辣 if you can still choose, or 不要这个 if you cannot. Do not improvise a recipe speech. The portion classifier waits for a sit-down menu.

不要这个 (bú yào zhège, not this)

With a 菜单, ask before they cook. 来一份… + 不要辣 + 不要香菜. The waiter hears the limit at the start. Say it when the plate is already down and you are negotiating oil, not cooking.

来一份，不要辣。 (lái yí fèn, bú yào là, one portion, no spice)

At 火锅 the broth is the line. 清汤 or 红汤 is decided as you sit, not on the third bite. A 鸳鸯 pot splits the table: one side clear, one red. If you do not name the side, they assume red. That is not travel and not HSK: it is the pot.

鸳鸯锅 (yuānyang guō, divided pot / clear and spicy broth)

我要清汤 (wǒ yào qīng tāng, I want the clear broth)

Do not mix the three tables in one drill on day one. Pick canteen or menu or hotpot. The mouth stores a moment. The calendar for getting there stays in Chinese for travel; here you only order.

Pointing works while the dish does not matter. When cilantro, salt, or an allergen is in play, the mouth has to name it. 我要这个 is the floor. 来一份… is the next step. The classifier is not decoration.

菜单 (càidān, menu)

我要这个 (wǒ yào zhège, I want this)

来一份… (lái yí fèn…, one portion of…)

两碗米饭 (liǎng wǎn mǐfàn, two bowls of rice)

一杯茶 (yì bēi chá, a cup of tea)

可以少放盐吗？ (kěyǐ shǎo fàng yán ma, less salt?)

不要香菜 (bú yào xiāngcài, no cilantro)

打包 (dǎbāo, to go)

有位子吗 opens the door. 几位 is the house asking. Solo: 一位. Do not calque a table for two word for word.

有位子吗？ (yǒu wèizi ma, is there a table?)

几位？ (jǐ wèi, how many people?)

一位 (yí wèi, one person)

两位 (liǎng wèi, two people)

微辣, 中辣, and 特辣 exist. In Sichuan, 微辣 can still be a lot for a European palate. If spice shuts your ear or your stomach, the line is 不要辣, twice if needed. 一点点 negotiates; it does not forbid.

不要辣 (bú yào là, no spice)

微辣 (wēi là, mild spice)

中辣 (zhōng là, medium spice)

特辣 (tè là, extra spicy)

一点点 (yìdiǎndiǎn, a little bit)

Canteen: point and say 不要辣 if the dish is already made. Hotpot: name the broth first. 清汤 versus 红汤. Arrive late and the oil is already on the table.

火锅 (huǒguō, hotpot)

清汤 (qīng tāng, clear broth / not spicy)

红汤 (hóng tāng, red broth / spicy)

食堂 (shítáng, canteen)

我过敏 is not a travel sticker. If the allergy is serious, carry the line written in Chinese and a plan that does not depend on this page. This site is not medical advice.

我过敏 (wǒ guòmǐn, I am allergic)

里面有…吗？ (lǐmiàn yǒu… ma, does it contain…?)

花生 (huāshēng, peanut)

海鲜 (hǎixiān, seafood)

牛奶 (niúnǎi, milk)

鸡蛋 (jīdàn, egg)

小麦 (xiǎomài, wheat)

芝麻 (zhīma, sesame)

Do not point at the dish and smile if 花生 is in play. Staff hear 不要辣 more often than 我过敏. Say the line. Show it written. 里面有花生吗 is more useful than an HSK 4 speech.

里面有花生吗？ (lǐmiàn yǒu huāshēng ma, does it have peanut?)

Five flavours cover a useful complaint. You do not need a food-critic essay. 好吃 closes on the plus side. 不要这个 closes on the minus without 不好吃 out loud.

辣 (là, spicy)

甜 (tián, sweet)

酸 (suān, sour)

咸 (xián, salty)

清淡 (qīngdàn, light / mild)

这个是什么？ (zhège shì shénme, what is this?)

好吃 (hǎochī, it is good)

不要这个 (bú yào zhège, not this)

Drinks: 热 versus 冰. 茶, 水, 啤酒. A 茶位 or table charge is not always on the menu; ask if the total matters. That is not a fair 发票.

热 (rè, hot)

冰 (bīng, iced)

茶 (chá, tea)

水 (shuǐ, water)

啤酒 (píjiǔ, beer)

有茶位吗？ (yǒu cháwèi ma, is there a tea / cover charge?)

这个是什么 is not a character test. It is not ordering blind when the dish has no photo. If you already know it is 豆腐, do not ask to pad the deck. The question helps when the hanzi on the menu tells you nothing and pointing is not enough.

豆腐 (dòufu, tofu)

买单 asks for the bill. 可以扫码吗 asks for WeChat or Alipay. 可以刷卡吗 sometimes gets a no. 现金 does not always close. Hear the total before you scan. If 多少钱 does not come out, go back to basic phrases before memorizing 特辣.

买单 (mǎidān, the bill)

可以扫码吗？ (kěyǐ sǎo mǎ ma, can I scan?)

可以刷卡吗？ (kěyǐ shuākǎ ma, can I pay by card?)

微信 (Wēixìn, WeChat)

支付宝 (Zhīfùbǎo, Alipay)

现金 (xiànjīn, cash)

要发票 asks for an official Chinese food invoice. 收据 is not the same. For leisure, 买单 closes. For a company, 发票 is this table's errand, not a supplier's: that lives in business.

要发票 (yào fāpiào, I want an invoice)

收据 (shōujù, receipt)

It is not travel. 登机牌, 网约车, and 我有预订 are not drilled with 不要辣. T-21 calendar: Chinese for travel.

It is not business. 交货 does not repair the table. If there is a work dinner, rehearse dinner here and the next morning there. One deck mixes cilantro with 附件.

It is not the basic phrases pack. 谢谢 and 多少钱 are assumed. If they fail, go back. Fair 您好: greetings.

It is not the HSK syllabus. 吃 and 米饭 show up on the classic paper; 茶位 and 红汤 do not. Counts: Wikipedia HSK. Guide: HSK 1.

Minutes 1–5: 我要这个, 来一份, 两碗米饭, 不要香菜. No pinyin the third time. A classifier stuck to the noun beats a food list.

两碗米饭 (liǎng wǎn mǐfàn, two bowls of rice)

Minutes 6–10: 不要辣 twice. Then 微辣 only if you actually want it. 我过敏 + one allergen written down. 里面有花生吗.

不要辣 (bú yào là, no spice)

Minutes 11–15: 打包, 买单, 可以扫码吗. Hear a made-up total and repeat it. If the number drops, the problem is not 特辣.

买单 (mǎidān, the bill)

Do not run this drill the same day as 登机口. The table is not repaired with a platform. Tone of 买 in 买单: tones.

If spice is the only goal, do not add 茶位 in the same block. One line said well beats five flavours recited. 打包 is rehearsed at the end, when food is still left, not as a Sunday sticker.

打包 (dǎbāo, to go)

You order 这个 or 一份 without only pointing. You can say 不要辣 or 我过敏 if health is on the line. You ask for 打包. You close with 买单 and, if needed, a food 发票.

If the checklist is red, do not open business phrases. The table is not repaired with 交货. Getting there: travel. Calendar: Chinese for travel. Courtesy floor: basic phrases.