{"id":10135,"date":"2014-07-02T09:00:01","date_gmt":"2014-07-02T13:00:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/?p=10135"},"modified":"2017-02-23T14:50:59","modified_gmt":"2017-02-23T18:50:59","slug":"how-to-order-in-chinese","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/how-to-order-in-chinese\/","title":{"rendered":"Don’t Go Hungry – How to Order in Chinese"},"content":{"rendered":"

We have to eat in order to survive. Perhaps that’s why food-related language is always at the top of any new learner’s to do list. When I first got to China and realized how little English was spoken and how it was virtually non-existent in restaurants, I quickly realized that I had to either learn restaurant Chinese or go hungry. Thankfully, ordering in a Chinese restaurant is much easier than in a Western one. Western manners and politeness really complicate things, and my Chinese students always struggle with the “In a Restaurant” lessons. Casual small talk and friendliness between waiters and customers is something that simply doesn’t happen in the Middle Kingdom. As with many things in China, ordering food is straight and to the point. Here are some tips and some useful phrases to ensure you don’t go hungry in China:<\/p>\n

Getting a Table<\/h2>\n
\"Sometimes

Sometimes you sit outside in the street in China.<\/p><\/div>\n

When you enter a restaurant, you’ll almost always be greeted with the same question:<\/p>\n

“How many people are in your group?”<\/h3>\n

(\u4f60\u4eec\u51e0\u4f4d? – n\u01d0 men j\u01d0 w\u00e8i)<\/h3>\n

The word \u4f4d is a measure word for people. To answer, just add the number before the character \u4f4d, for example:<\/p>\n

“There are four people.”<\/h3>\n

(\u6211\u4eec\u56db\u4f4d – w\u01d2 men s\u00ec w\u00e8i)<\/h3>\n

Getting the Waiter’s Attention<\/h2>\n

In a Western restaurant, we may politely say something like, “Excuse me. We’re ready to order.” Not so in a Chinese restaurant. Don’t worry about being polite or quiet at all. This is how it’s done in China:<\/p>\n

“Waiter! Order food!” (\u670d\u52a1\u5458! \u70b9\u83dc! – f\u00fa w\u00f9 yu\u00e1n! di\u01cen c\u00e0i!)<\/h3>\n

Seriously, that’s all you have to do. And this is not just for your hole in the wall noodle shops, either – I’ve heard Chinese people yell this even in fancy, slightly upscale Chinese restaurants. Don’t worry about offending your waiter, because this is just the way it is.<\/p>\n

Making Your Order<\/h2>\n
\"All

All of this can be yours… if only you know how to order it!<\/p><\/div>\n

In America, we might say things like, “Could I please have…?” or “I would like…”. Once again, doing this in China is much simpler:<\/p>\n

“I want…” (\u6211\u8981 – w\u01d2 y\u00e0o)<\/h3>\n

Of course, you need to use measure words. When ordering food, one useful measure word to remember is \u4efd (f\u00e8n). It basically just means “an order\/a dish.” For example:<\/p>\n

“I’d like an order of Kung Pao chicken.”<\/h3>\n

(\u6211\u8981\u4e00\u4efd\u5bab\u4fdd\u9e21\u4e01 – w\u01d2 y\u00e0o\u00a0y\u00ed f\u00e8n g\u014dng b\u01ceo j\u012b d\u012bng)<\/h3>\n

Another useful measure word is \u76d8 (p\u00e1n), meaning “plate.”<\/p>\n

“I want a plate of dumplings.”<\/h3>\n

(\u6211\u8981\u4e00\u76d8\u997a\u5b50 – w\u01d2 y\u00e0o\u00a0y\u00ec p\u00e1n ji\u01ceo zi)<\/h3>\n

For noodles or rice, use the measure word \u7897 (w\u01cen), meaning “bowl.”<\/p>\n

“I want a bowl of beef noodles.”<\/h3>\n

(\u6211\u8981\u4e00\u7897\u725b\u8089\u9762 – w\u01d2 y\u00e0o\u00a0y\u00ec w\u01cen ni\u00fa r\u00f2u mi\u00e0n)<\/h3>\n

When it comes to drinks, here are a few measure words you might use:<\/p>\n